A Fistful of Katies

Posted on Mon Dec 29th, 2025 @ 4:01am by Lieutenant JG Katie Kellerman & Lieutenant JG Jenna Jade
Edited on on Mon Dec 29th, 2025 @ 6:28pm

Mission: A Princess Of Tial
Location: Engineering

Jenna twitched. It was hardly noticeable, especially to her, but here and there a finger moved without her controlling it or an eyebrow flickered. She'd stashed her cache in the safe within the Chief Engineer's office, aside from a single hypo that was in a pocket for just in case she needed it. Once again there was only the minimum of personnel in engineering, only the Ensign of the watch and a couple of enlisted that were clearly there as part of the standard set of people in case something happened to the heart of the ship. No JJ, no Katie, no Sakura, none of her normal 'go-to' personnel that she'd send for any real issues.

Since it was time for the engineering shift changeover, from the overnight watch to the morning, they should have already been there, preparing for whatever tasks were up and coming for that day. This wasn't normal and she was infuriated at the laxity that her subordinates were exhibiting. Outwardly, she showed nothing of the sort, but as she paced through the main deck area and through the immediate surroundings, she became more and more visibly annoyed. She brought up the list of those supposedly to be on duty and noted that it was only Katie on the list, aside from some troublemakers that had been showing signs of rehabilitation since the ship had been out this far. JJ had requested the day off and Sakura was on a detail approved by... Katie. "Kellerman." She whispered to herself, then stalked over to the computer lab Katie claimed as an 'office', the presumptuous little--

"And just where have you been? You know you're supposed to report in at the main console at the start of your shift!" Jenna said to the person behind the desk, her irritation already up to 11.

"Um...Jenna? Who're you talking to?" a nervous voice said behind the young chief engineer

Jenna spun around to glare at...Katie. She looked back at the computer lab and Katie's empty desk, then back again, "What in tarnation do you think you're doin'?" She demanded, "Ah do not know why you want to be difficult about everythin', Katie, Ah don't ask THAT much, just to be here when it's time to start the shift so we can divvy up all the tasks among the shift! Ah try to be as lenient as Ah can regardin' everythin' else, but this is the one thing Ah ask for!"

"I...I was at the main console waiting for you," Katie said nervously, taking a step back from the storm in front of her. "I must've just missed you when you went to check for me."

"Ah saw Ensign Patterson over by the diagnostic panel, Ah saw Petty Officers Gallagher and Vant at their stations." Jenna stated bluntly, "Ah walked through the entire section and Ah didn't see you, Ah didn't see Sakura AND Ah didn't see JJ, who Ah found out happens to have the day off today, which was somethin' Ah didn't know about." She narrowed her eyes at the blonde, "Anythin' Ah should know about regardin' her?"

"N-n-not that I kn-n-now of," Katie said. "Do you want me to start on today's to-do list?" she said.

“Ah wanna know where Sakura is.” Jenna demanded, “Ah wanna know why Ah don’t see Bugat, Gilorn and Cheechee here right now, so they can take over the normal watch! I don’t expect to see Flanders or Rotxan for a couple hours, but am Ah gonna have a surprise with them too?”

"Sakura's working on a communique for the Captain," Katie said. "I left a note in the system for you. Bugat, Gilorn and Cheechee might be already working on today's honey-do list, but I can go find them if you want..." She privately wished she was with them, but someone had to take the heat, and she'd drawn the short straw. She didn't have the heart to say they'd stuck her with monitoring the engines while they avoided Jenna. She'd been on the warpath with everyone and no one wanted to deal with it.

"They're supposed to be goin' on the engine watch!" Jenna rolled her eyes before closing them in exasperation, "Why me? Why does it have to be me who has to deal with all this?" She muttered before opening them again after only a few seconds. The space in front of her was empty and she spun in place searching for Katie, "Where did you get off to?" She asked as she tried to reacquire her target.

"Jenna? Who're you talking to?" Katie said, walking up to her, looking concerned. "I-I know you're mad because I'm late, but I had a stomach issue. Kally got it cleared up though, so I decided to come in rather than call out. I'm s-s-sorry I didn't tell you ahead of time, but it was kinda distracting." She made a pained face and looked nervous at the glare Jenna was giving her. "D-do you want me to start on the engine checks?"

Jenna spun again to face Katie once more, pointing at the office, then at where she'd just seen her again on her other side and now right here. She squeezed her eyes shut for a half-second and blinked again to make sure it was Katie that was right there, "Ah'm sorry, what?" She waved off the repetition of the question even before Katie could begin it again, "No, never mind, Ah um.." She glanced down, "Ah kin handle the, no." She looked back up in confusion to Katie, "Weren't you over there just a minute ago? And then.." She gestured back towards the office, "Ah um... Yes, go ahead and start the engine checks. Where did you say Sakura was?"

"I..I didn't say anything about Sakura," Katie said. "But I think she got called to the bridge." She looked Jenna over. "Are you okay?"

"Ah'm fine." Jenna said, the anger changed to just confusion, "Ah'm gonna go make sure there aren't any priority requests real quick, let me know if there's anythin' wrong with the engine checks?" She really wanted to check the chrono, but she couldn't let that be known. Maybe she was losing track of time? How else could Katie have...?

"I'll keep an eye, aye Ma'am," Katie said, nodding and hurrying off to the MSM.

Jenna slipped into her office and hit one of the presets in her replicator, a steaming cup of coffee with two shots of espresso in it, drained it before rubbing her cheeks with her hands and stressing her brain to make sure things were going good. The chrono was fine and she pulled up the schedule once more. No, she wasn’t losing it. A yawn was stifled and she again considered the hypospray in her pocket.

A few minutes later, Katie walked by Jenna's office, heading away from the engines.

The flash of blonde and gold caught Jenna’s attention and she grumbled again. ‘She’s running off… Again!’ She threw herself to her feet and stomped towards the door before starting to turn in the direction Katie had been going, “Now look-“ she cut herself off, expecting to see Katie’s back and seeing… Nothing. She spun to look back towards the engine console, seeing Katie standing there, dutifully running the diagnostics.

Katie turned around at her station and looked at Jenna, concerned. "W-what is it?" she said, looking nervous.

“Ah’m..” Jenna shook her head and looked back the other way, “Didn’t you just- “She pointed in the other direction, “Don’t you worry about it.” The brunette exhaled, “Ah’m fine, Ah’ll be fine.”

"Okay....if you say so...." Katie said, turning back to her work.

"What's goin' on?" Jenna whispered to herself, slowly making her way back over to her desk. "Ah swear to God, this is gettin' weird." She settled herself back into her chair.

Jenna had barely sat back down when Katie popped in and knocked on the doorway. "Hey, Jenna? Sakura needs help with something in the computer, I'm going to dash up to the bridge and be back in five." She quickly flew back out the doorway her footsteps fading.

"Now wait here!" Jenna objected, shooting back up from her seat and rapidly pacing towards the door again, holding onto the edge as she looked where the main doors were, "Katie, you come back here right now!"

Katie turned around again from her place by the engine diagnostic console and looked at Jenna. "Jenna? I'm over here," she said, sounding worried.

Once again Jenna spun and this time pressed her back to the doorframe, her eyes open wide. "But didn't you just tell me that Sakura?" She pointed towards the main engineering doors, then glanced around rapidly, "No, of course you didn't. As you were." She went right back into her office, hyperventilating as her eyes never narrowed a bit. This wasn't good, it was a potential side effect of not enough sleep, that's all it was. She'd get a good night's sleep tonight, but until then... She reached into her pocket as she sat down once more, getting ready for another dose of stims.

As Jenna sat down again, footsteps approached and a blonde figure stepped inside her office, this time in a blue uniform top. "Hey, Jenna," Kally said, smiling. "Got a minute?"

The hypospray staying tucked underneath her desk with one hand as the new woman came in, but she shot to her feet, knocking her hand on the underside of the desk, losing her grip on the thing, "Katie, what do you-" She started, then shook her head again, "Ah mean, Kally, welcome to Engineering, what kin Ah do for you?"

"I should ask you that," Kally said. "You look a bit agitated. Everything okay?"

"Ah'm fine, Ah'm fine." Jenna said, rubbing the back of her hand, putting on a smile, "Ah'm just a bit tired is all, tryin' to get caught up with the maintenance on the ship. Nothin's wrong, just tired." Her eyes flitted to the door again and back as another Katie walked by.

"You sure?" Kally said as another Katie suddenly walked the other way behind her. She walked over and took Jenna's wrist, looking at the back of her hand. "You're scratching quite a bit. Do you need a topical analgesic?"

Jenna leaned out to watch the other blonde pass the door, letting Kally look at the hand, "Ah may be allergic to somethin' Ah think." She looked back to Kally, "Ah've been drinkin' a lot of coffee recently, you know, maybe too much caffeine?"

"Mm...maybe," Kally said, holding her wrist and continuing to look at the back of her hand. "Have you had anything besides coffee?" she said.

"Ah've had a stim or two when Ah've really been flaggin'." Jenna admitted, but made a waveaway gesture with her free hand, "Ah know not to overdo those things, though. Ah think Ah'm seein' double a bit here and there, maybe a hallucination or two?"

Kally looked at Jenna and stayed silent for nearly a minute. She then walked over to the door and closed it. "You're lying," she said. "It's worse than that, isn't it." She pulled Jenna's eyelid down to look at her eyes and then felt her neck. "How much have you taken?"

"Just a few." Jenna demurred, knowing she was trapped now, "But Ah'm fine. If Ah thought that Ah was gonna be in bad shape, Ah wouldn't even think about it!" It came with a slight growl to it, "There's just been a lot to do and not enough time to do it all in, Ah've gotta make sure it gets done!"

"Jenna," Kally said, quietly, "you've admitted to hallucinations, and a doctor has verified via pulse rate that you're deliberately misleading her." She kept her blue eyes locked on Jenna and knelt down in front of her, holding Jenna's hand between hers. "You need to tell me the truth. I'm your friend, I'm here for you. Talk to me."

Jenna's lower lip started to quiver as she looked into Kally's eyes and tried hard to not break, then her own legs betrayed her and tears that she was desperately trying to keep out of her eyes began to flood them, "God, Kally, Ah can't keep doin' this, Ah'm barely a year out of the Academy and Ah can't handle runnin' a ship this big, but the Captain and the Exec both think Ah can do it and they won't even think about takin' me out... Ah've been tryin' to push through it, but it got too hard, so Ah had to rely on stims."

Kally caught her as she dropped and they sat down on the deck, Kally holding her tightly. "It's all right," she said, soothingly. "I've got you." She looked up to the ceiling. "Computer, medical override. Two to transport directly to Lieutenant Jade's quarters."

A moment later they were in the privacy of Jenna's quarters, sitting on the floor. Kally continued to hold her as she helped Jenna to her feet, guiding her over to her bed. She tipped Jenna into onto her mattress and pulled her boots off, then crawled into bed with her and held her tightly, letting Jenna cry on her shoulder.

"I know how much pressure you're under," she said, "but you're making it worse by pushing too hard. It's wonderful that Cally and Espersen have faith in you. That does say something about you and you should be proud. But just because they tell you that you can do it, doesn't mean you have to do it. If you don't want to be in charge, then don't be in charge. You're allowed to step down."

"Ah, Ah, Ah can't, it'd be admittin' failure and Ah've never failed at anythin' Ah put my mind to, Ah can't start down that trail now." Jenna sobbed, "If, if Ah step down, what'll the others think about me? They'll look at me and go 'There goes Lieutenant Jade: She was promoted too soon and got in over her head and fell apart. She couldn't even keep her man from leavin' her. We can't trust her to take charge of anythin' ever again.' And then what'll happen in Engineerin' if Ah step down?"

"Well we'll unbox the ex-boyfriend issues later," Kally said. "But rest assured, you have a competent team and you've led them well," Kally assured her. "And when you aren't micromanaging them, they work well. You've got a duty roster set for the next two weeks, right? Well then let them do their jobs, and you do your job, and tell the Captain she has two weeks to figure out a replacement. Maybe Espersen steps in for a bit, maybe one of the girls rises up to the challenge. Either way, you are free if you want to be. All you have to do is tell me you want out and I'll back you up. It'll be quiet and private and no one will think less of you. We love you too much."

"Ah'm gonna need help, Kally." Jenna said through a continuing veil of tears, "Help tellin' the Captain and Exec. Ah'm sure they're gonna take away the extra pip, they have to with what's goin' on." She buried her face back into Kally's shoulder, voice muffling down to barely audible, "And the stims... Ah'm gonna need even more help with those... Ah can barely function without 'em now."

Kally nodded. "I know all about it," she whispered. "That's why I'm here now, talking privately. We're going to get you through this. It's going to be a rough couple of days, but once we get over that first hump, you'll feel worlds better." She rubbed Jenna's back comfortingly.

"Can...can you tell the Captain?" Jenna asked quietly, "Ah honestly don't think Ah can."

"I'll handle it," Kally promised. "In the meantime, you're under my direct care. You report all symptoms to me, you call me day or night if you need help, and you do exactly what I say until we're through this. Understand?"

“Ah understand.” Jenna sniffled, “Ah’ll do… Whatever it takes.”

"Good. Now, strip," Kally said.

“WHAT?” The yelp and jerk back came as a shock even to Jenna, “Ah’m not that sorta girl!” Was the other automatic outcry as here eyes opened wide, everything from a moment ago shoved to the back of her mind, “Ah ain’t a harlot, goin’ round to others doin’… Doin’ THAT sorta thing!”

"Not for that," Kally said. "You're one giant knot. You're getting a proper massage and then you're getting some rest. So, skin to the wind and face down on the bed. Harlot's orders." She smirked and got out of the bed, turning her back to give Jenna some privacy while she went to the replicator to get some materials.

Despite the temporary privacy, Jenna hesitated. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Kally, she just didn’t… Well, strip in front of others ever since Rene. Even there it hadn’t been in the open, it had been in private before joining him those couple of times. It just wasn’t the way she’d been raised.

"I don't hear fabric rustling," Kally warned.

“Awl right, Ah’m doin’ it.” Jenna said in a tremor filled voice, finally unsealing her tunic and deciding that doing it quickly may be the best choice. The rest of her clothes followed though she hesitated one more time before underwear joined the rest of the pile on the floor and she crawled back onto the bed as had been demanded, laying face down, still on edge.

Kally finally turned and brought a small tray over, putting it down next to Jenna. She picked up a towel and gently laid it over Jenna's rear, giving her some limited modesty. She knelt down where Jenna's head was turned and put a hand on Jenna's shoulder. "Relax. I'm a doctor, you're my patient. That's all this needs to be if that's what you want. If you want to stop, we stop, but give it a chance and try to relax, okay?"

Jenna had still jumped when the hand had touched her shoulder, even though it had been expected. “Ah’ve sworn off people.” She said quietly, “Especially after Rene up and left. For me, the ship is my significant other.”

"Yeah well, Rene is an idiot," Kally said, moving onto the bed next to Jenna's other side and heating up her hands with some warm oil, "Besides, I don't want you being a harlot. I don't need more competition." She smirked at Jenna's high pitched single laugh and put her hands on Jenna's back, kneading purposefully.

“Only competition you’ve gotta worry about is the Captain herself, Ah think.” Jenna tensed again with a squeak as her muscles protested the intrusion of hands and fingers, “Certainly not your sister, or any of the other Engineerin’ girls. Ah’ve kept some tabs on them.”

"Oh. Yeah. They're angels," Kally snorted, digging in harder as she moved up her back. "And Cally isn't competition, she's my partner." She continued her work. ignoring groans of protest and smiling at the sighs of relief. "Want to tell me about the idiot?"

“No wonder she’s stopped tryin’ to give me rewards whenever Ah’ve beaten her at tennis.” Jenna gave a low chuckle that ended in a gasp as one knot unraveled in a spike of pain, “And Ah don’t badmouth my past relationships. Rene was a sweetheart, patient and all that, went through a gradualish courtship before proposin’ to me. He was my umm.” Jenna trailed off.

"First," Kally said, gently. "Even I know what that can mean to someone," she said gently as she moved Jenna's arm and gently twisted it, working the muscles.

“He got a message from home that he said forced him to go back, wanted me to go with him but Ah couldn’t.” Jenna shook her head slowly, “Ah like bein’ out in space, Ah’m a starship engineer and a power specialist, though by then Ah was runnin’ everythin’ here. But he was insistent that Ah go right then and there, resignin’ from the Fleet if it came to it and Ah couldn’t.”

"He gave you an ultimatum and then let you go when you wouldn't give up your life for him," Kally said, disapprovingly. "He doesn't need you to badmouth him, that alone does it itself." She adjusted Jenna's neck, a few audible cracks sounding as the vertebrate were put back in alignment. She then worked down Jenna's spine, pushing things back into place.

The prone woman grimaced as the discomfort occurred, but then sighed audibly as that brief pain reverted to something much better than before, “It wasn’t all his fault, he had siblin’s with him as he wasn’t completely free to make all his own choices, but Ah always wonder what coulda been.”

Kally moved down and began working on Jenna's legs, kneading them firmly, first one then the other. "Can I offer you some advice?"

“Anyone can offer advice, it’s just up to me if Ah wanna take it.” Jenna put out there, “It never hurts to listen, though.”

"There's a wide ocean between the virgin shore and Harlot Island," Kally quipped, moving back up her other leg. She kept her hands in a respectful position as she went up Jenna's thigh, and as she finished, gave her a playful, but friendly pat on her rump through the towel. She laid down on the bed and put her hand back on Jenna's shoulder, rubbing it gently. "But giving up on any kind of connection with people? That won't do you any favors. It won't keep your heart safe, it'll just let it go stale."

Jenna didn’t look over right away, staring at the patch of bed in front of her, “So you’re suggestin’ Ah take Calypso up on her offer?” She asked, then muffled the giggle with the pillow she’d effectively been resting her neck and chin on, “Naw, Ah know you’d not push me like that. But, Ah respect her, Kally, she’s the Captain and Ah respect her abilities here and on the court, Ah could never see her in any other way, it just feels… Awkward even proposin’ somethin’ like that in my own head.” She turned her head towards Kally, half propping herself up, drawing the close arm into her chest to rest her shoulder on, perhaps an automatic modesty move, “If Ah become somethin’ here, make my mark as an engineer, my reputation, then maybe Ah could look at somethin’ else. Ah’m sure you remember Minerva, the Science Officer who stayed on Tial with T’Pinga?”

"Vaguely," Kally said. "We didn't cross paths much."

“Ah am genuinely surprised about that, but well, she and Ah grew up in the same society, upper class in Columbia, South Carolina, doin’ the same things mostly. Debutante balls, socializin’, everythin’ a young Lady needs to do to be taken seriously and to collect potential suitors. She, of course, got more of the attention than me, not bein’ much into sports and bein’…” Jenna smirked, “Awful friendly with the boys.”

"Well, being 'awful friendly with the boys' is a large contributor to my popularity, I'll grant you," Kally said. "But do me the courtesy of not assuming I'm always suggesting you go get laid, okay? I'm just suggesting that you not keep yourself so closed off."

The look on Jenna's face changed, turning from the smug look to one of contrition, "Ah do apologize, Ah just assumed that with your reputation and from that of the Captain that..." She turned her face away and down again towards her patch of bed that she'd been studying so intently previously, "Ah usually don't do that sort of thing, it ain't polite. Ah'm just screwin' everythin' up, aren't Ah?"

"Well, just makes you fit in with the rest of us screwups that much more," Kally said, rubbing Jenna's back gently. "But that doesn't mean it's too late to change."

"Ah just want to be better." Jenna said quietly, "To... To... to..." She trailed off.

Kally felt Jenna's breathing slow and helped ease her onto her back into a comfortable position and pulled her bedsheet over her. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a cortical monitor. She gently attached it to the base of Jenna's skull, then leaned down and kissed Jenna's forehead gently, as her mom used to, to keep away bad dreams. She lowered the lights and left Jenna's quarters, heading back to Engineering.

She stepped out of the turbolift and found Katie still by the engines, working dutifully at a console, but now others were moving around quickly, going about their jobs.

Katie saw Kally approached and walked over, speaking quietly. "Is Jenna okay?"

Kally nodded. "She's asleep for now. hopefully she'll sleep a good long while and be clearer headed when she wakes up." She gave Katie a soft smile. "Thanks for the assist."

Katie nodded. "You're welcome....weird assist though. Changing the duty roster? Making holo-versions of me? Not exactly Academy-authorized. Why exactly were we twinning her, anyway?"

Kally sighed. "I can't go into details, but suffice it to say, I needed Jenna to ask for help, so I needed to put her through a stress test. And what's more stressful than six of you walking around?" She grinned at her sister.

Katie stuck her tongue out. "Still...hacking into the duty roster, utilizing the holo-emitters. If she finds out what we did--"

"She won't," Kally said. "The duty rosters are now fixed, and the holograms are erased, right?"

"Yeah," Katie said. "Still." She shrugged.

"Are you guys going to be good for a few days while she recovers?"

Katie nodded, looking at the rest of the team. "Yeah, we should be able to handle things. I distributed what Jenna had on her list to the rest of us. And without her here taking up our time yelling, we should get most of it done and caught up shortly." She blushed, feeling guilty for saying that. "She's really going to be okay, right?"

"She'll be fine. We all get a bit under the weather now and then. It's her turn. I'll be letting Cally and Commander Espersen know. He'll look in on you all while she's recuperating. If anyone asks, she's just under the weather, and is to be left to rest."

"Got it," Katie said, nodding.

Kally gave her sister a kiss on the cheek and left Engineering in her capable hands. She knew Cally wouldn't want to start the day with a bad report, but there was no avoiding it. "Bridge," she said, stepping into the turbolift.