Falling on Paper Swords

Posted on Wed Jan 28th, 2026 @ 8:44am by Lieutenant JG Kate Kono & Ensign Aidan "A.J." Reid

942 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Not All Orders Are Easy
Location: Intelligence Office.
Timeline: current

Kate burst through the doors of the intelligence office, her face flushed crimson with rage. The report of AJ's demotion from department head to junior officer still burned in her mind. Her boots struck the polished floor with military precision as she made her way to his desk, where he sat with his usual lax, yet attentive gaze, a monument of consistant confidence. She slammed a PaDD down before him, causing several nearby officers to flinch. The device spun across the smooth surface, finally settling with the damning personnel report glowing accusingly on its screen.

"You let me find out through official channels?" Kate's voice trembled, her knuckles whitening as she gripped the edge of his desk. "This is max-vacuum-suck! I could have advocated for you, fought this, but instead you—what? Rolled over because some brass with too many medals decided to make an example of you? Damn it, AJ!" Her eyes glistened with unshed tears that contradicted the hard line of her jaw. She leaned closer, torn between embracing him and shaking sense into him.

AJ leaned forward as he fixed the slender young Asian with an intense stare. "Wit' all due respect, yuh may be me superior officer," he said, his Jamaican accent rolling, "but I've been in dis field long 'nough to know a ting or two." He tapped his temple with one long finger. "I got some wisdom dat gonna serve yuh well as yuh climb de ladder in intelligence." He paused, eyebrows raised expectantly, his broad shoulders tensed as if bracing for her reaction.

Veins bulged at her temples as she leaned forward across the desk. "I'm responsible for you, AJ. I assigned you to this. The admiral doesn't approach you directly—chain of command exists for a reason! My orders might rock the boat, but they shouldn't throw you overboard. And that's exactly what I'd tell the Admiral when I reach him."

AJ leaned back, a slight smile playing at the corner of his mouth. "First t'ing, boss man—it not a him, it was a her." His Jamaican lilt softened the correction. "Second t'ing, me question jus' bounce right off ya head, no?" He tapped his temple, eyes twinkling with amusement. "Ya want de advice, or ya prefer keep talkin'?"

Kate pinched her thumb and forefinger together, leaving barely a sliver of space between them. "If you spoke to the admiral with that same tone," she said, exhaling a weary sigh that stirred a loose strand of hair across her forehead, "I can see why she stripped those credentials right off your intelligence file." she narrowed her eyes. "Let me guess—you offered her some unsolicited wisdom too?"

AJ's laughter burst forth like a sudden squall, his shoulders shaking as he threw his head back. The casual disregard for his own demotion was written across his sun-weathered face, and Kate found herself marveling at how someone could remain so unruffled by what should have been a career-injuring realization.Kate stood in front of his desk, her almond-shaped eyes unblinking beneath straight black brows. Her expression remained frozen, lips slightly parted as if words had formed but couldn't escape. AJ in turn saw the look on Kates face and he laughed even more hysterically. His eyes gleamed like twin moons against the deep umber of his skin, widening with mischievous delight as he watched her startled reaction ripple across her face—first shock, then understanding, and finally the reluctant smile she couldn't quite suppress.

"Fine, fine! Enlighten me with your wisdom before I drag you to sickbay for that long-overdue psych eval," she said with a half-smile. "I just can't wrap my head around your reaction. Losing your position as assistant chief of Intelligence should be devastating, yet you're acting like someone misplaced your lunch order." Kate dragged a chair across the polished floor with a screech, positioning it directly in front of his immaculate desk, then collapsed into it with the defeated posture of someone laying down arms after a long battle.

AJ leaned forward, his dark eyes intense beneath the soft blue light of the starship. "Ya need to see into mi heart to understand how I operate," he said, his Jamaican lilt warming the room. "I never come to Starfleet for de fancy pips or de ‘big chair’. I come to make tings right." He tapped his chest twice. "Back home, some officers, dem only care 'bout promotion and power till dey forget why de badge exist in de first place. But others—" his voice softened, "—we become guardians because people deserve somebody standing between dem and darkness." AJ gestured around the modest office, palm sweeping over his standard issue Starfleet desk. "Look 'round you. Dis ain't about glory. We're explorers, yah? My station ain't changed, my quarters still de same size. What changed was dat someone who hurt you can't just walk away clean. Justice got its foothold." His smile was gentle but determined. "And dat, my friend, is everyting."

Kate looked upon AJ as if she finally saw him for who he was. She shook her head at first and then finally nodded.

"You are a good man, AJ," Kate said, her voice catching slightly as she reached out to touch his forearm.

"An' don' you be forgettin' it, yeah?" AJ replied, his Jamaican lilt warming the words as his eyes crinkled with genuine affection. "Come wit' me at fifteen hundred hours. We go meet dis admiral together, an' she finally tell us what's really goin' on."

Kate's eyes glistened as she nodded, a smile spreading across her face that reached all the way to her heart. "Thank you. Truly."

 

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