Duty Bound
Posted on Fri May 1st, 2026 @ 1:03am by Captain Erik Norsgaard & Lieutenant Commander Areum Choi
2,138 words; about a 11 minute read
Mission:
Friends and Traitors
Location: USS Thunderbird at Starbase 310
The Maquis, a thorn in the Federation and Starfleet's side. They finally had a name in recent months to put onto the source of their problems. Areum Choi had been monitoring the intel she had been privy to from the 'luxury' of her office at the stockade for several months, before the group had acquired a recognized name. What had initially been viewed as random malfunctions evolved to civil unrest to targeted attacks. They became organized, and their gorilla warfare methodology rapidly evolved with time. It was about then that she was finding more and more Starfleet personnel enlisted and officers ending up in the stockade. Tactics used were less like the Bajoran resistance cells and far more organized. They had structure now and discipline. The Maquis was more than a bunch of disgruntled Bajorans ticked off at the Federation and Cardassian Union.
It also was not exactly anything new. The Federation had years of conflict with the Cardassians during the skirmishes of the border wars, but back then the Federation and Cardassians were divided, positioned in opposition of one another, and some in Starfleet excelled during those years. Some of them were withering away in Jaros II and other stockades. Men and women who had placed pride before honor, personal vendettas above the uniform. For Lieutenant Commander Choi, they needed to be held accountable for those actions.
Her days at Jaros II were behind her though whether she liked it or not. She had come to accept that her hardline philosophy and pursuit of justice had caught up to her. She would not; however, think of her new assignment as First Officer of the USS Thunderbird as anything other than a change. Aboard the Thunderbird, she could do some good. Prior to boarding the starship, she was read into some of the starship's missions and recent issues.
There was not much of a welcome party for her when she arrived, but her arrival from what she gathered was preceding any official announcement. Hopefully Captain Norsgaard is aware she thought to herself as she gave her uniform a small tug and held a PADD containing her order close to her chest. She stood poised outside his ready room, and pressed the door chime. Time to meet the man she thought as she heard an immediate rustling from within.
Norsgaard was good at managing on his own, figuring that his yeoman, who had yet to make an appearance, would also be petitioning to leave the ship. He had spent the past hour working his way through the intelligence packet the Admiral had sent over, only stopping once to switch from coffee to tea. Weird that. Coffee was as necessary as breathing, first thing in the morning, but there came a point where his body made the switch and now, it seemed, was that time. He had just got a pot steeping when the chime announced a visitor. Unannounced which didn't set well, considering all that happened. Two people had gotten aboard the ship without Security letting him know; he made a mental note to speak to Baas as he circled around his desk and sat down. "Enter," he called out.
Areum walked through the doorway, crossing the threshold. She immediately locked eyes onto the Captain, her commanding officer. "Good morning, Captain Norsgaard," she said addressing the man. She approached his desk and handed the PADD over to him. "Lieutenant Commander Areum Choi, Jaros II Stockade reassigned USS Thunderbird, Executive Officer."
Norsgaard skimmed the orders though his mind was on what she said. "You were stationed at a Stockade," he said and then looked up at her. "How much time have you spent aboard a starship?"
Areum cast her dark eyes upon him. "You're concerned that I've spent my career behind a desk. Well, rest assured, Captain Norsgaard, that is not entirely the case. I spent thirteen years after finishing my education serving aboard several starships, space stations, ports et cetera et cetera. Though I can't say I was at any of those assignments more than a few years, they each enriched my career."
"You're replacing Lt. Commander Harrison Knox," Erik said. "A man who had no interest whatsoever in being my First Officer. I'm looking for someone I can rely upon, who wants to be here. Is that you, Commander?"
"I do not know how much they prepared you for, Captain, but I am ready to get to work," Choi said.
"You'll find a lot of reports heading your way that will get you up to speed," Erik said. "I'm not sure how ready you are, after spending years at a stockade, but we'll give this a shot. See how it works between us on this next mission. You know anything about this Maquis?"
Know anything her face was stone, expressionless at a glance, but emotive as carved marble up close. Nonetheless, she was careful with her tone. "Respectfully, Captain, you do realize Jaros II is not just a simple prison. Its one of the largest Starfleet stockades in the quadrant. I don't just know about the Maquis in passing. There are Maquis and would be maquis locked up at Jaros II. I would say more, but we're crossing into permission to speak freely territory."
"Admiral Schofield has made it our mission to pursue the Maquis," Norsgaard said. "They're getting bolder and he believes there'll be an attack. And given our recent experiences on the Thunderbird, I have to say I agree. They are getting bolder. No question. So, what do you know? Or do you need the Admiral to say its alright to speak?"
She nodded in understanding and in agreement. "I agree," she said simply at first. "The maquis will attack. That is undoubtedly so. Captain, my background is in sociology and psychology, more precisely, criminology with an advanced degree completed in Forensic Psychology. I have done far more than read reports on these... Maquis. I do not need an Admiral to grant me permission to speak. I need more Admirals to listen. The research I've done, the papers I've published. I am quite familiar with the men and women that fall victim to this movement."
"I'm listening," Norsgaard said as he leaned back in his seat, "tell me more."
Someone who was willing to listen for a change. It was appreciated. "That is what got me reassigned. I have some strong opinions when it comes to the Maquis, Captain. I made it part of my life's work to look at the broader picture, identify problems, and assess risks. In doing so, I raised some flags on some names that undoubtedly some in Starfleet Command were not pleased with seeing. I haven't made a lot of friends while serving at the stockade."
"So, rather than focus on maintaining the stockade, you were looking into Maquis sympathizers within the government ... or Starfleet? Tell me something about the process you went through," Erik said. "What gave you the idea to focus on an individual and how did you gather proof?"
She shot him a glare. "I was not neglecting my duties. The stockade was maintained just fine. We would have been shut down otherwise," she defended. "I noticed patterns. Starfleet personnel that were accused of conspiracy and tied to what's become known as Maquis were often comprised of veterans of the Border Wars, disgruntled ex Starfleet officers, people that were Federation critics during the occupation."
Areum sighed. "I know. That's not evidence alone, but Captain, you can't gather proof without theories and speculation first. I'm not JAG, not a prosecutor, but I am a researcher and notice patterns. Sometimes, connecting dots leads to something."
"Noted and it's a start," Erik said, "something that we can use, build on. Maybe broaden the parameters to include those that lost someone important to them due to the Federation's handling of issues surrounding the Cardassians and disputed worlds. That could have been what pushed our last counselor over the edge. Did you bring your research with you?"
Lieutenant Commander Choi nodded. "Yes, Sir. I have my research with me. Some of it, I have been able to get published albeit heavily redacted. Perhaps I should have been more diligent with names, but when I see a potential threat on the horizon, I find it difficult to simply turn a blind eye."
"No more trying to get it published, Commander," Erik said. "This is an investigation now. One that we'll conduct under Admiral Schofield's direct orders. Make no mistake, we'll get them." He added silently, this is why he sent me here. I'm a hunter. He sent me here to hunt them down.
Areum Choi was quiet as she studied what Captain Norsgaard said, and his body language echoed it. "No deception noted," she commented. "You believe in what you are saying," added Lieutenant Commander Choi. "Good, I need people that I can trust. It sounds like we have mutual invested interests in bringing these Maquis down, Captain and I want to restore faith in Starfleet and the Federation, but I would be amiss not to point out that these problems can hit close to home as you've recently experienced."
Erik nodded his agreement, considering what to say next, even as he thought about what she was saying. "Let me tell you what I need, Commander," he said. "I need a First Officer who is committed to the ship's mission, whatever that turns out to be, and who will give me one hundred and ten percent. You have an agenda, that's clear, and one we share. But if the Admiral sends us somewhere else for whatever reason, I need to know you're still good to go."
"One hundred and ten percent?" echoed Areum. "I see my predecessor has set the bar low. Well, let me work on changing that for you. I do not care if Admiralty send us to Timbuctoo. We're Starfleet. We're explorers. At least that's what the Academy brochures said, but wherever we go or whatever we are tasked with makes zero difference in the commitment I have to the mission."
"Your predecessor had no desire to remain with the ship once Captain Gray departed and managed to absent himself from his duties until I ended his 'suffering' and allowed him to depart the ship. So yes, the bar is fairly low." Erik shook his head slowly. "I suspect my yeoman is going that way as well."
"Oh, I am familiar with my predecessor, Captain. He has made my list," revealed Lieutenant Commander Choi. "Your Yeoman seems like a stern rule follower. I hope you don't show him the door."
"The part I question is whether he's actually my yeoman," Erik said. "He hasn't been around much since I took over but that's a problem for another day. How did Knox make your list?"
Lieutenant Commander Choi looked at Erik Norsgaard. "Harrison Knox, 'Possum,' a nickname he earned during the Border Wars with the Cardassians. A nickname that sounds as dumb as Knox makes himself out to be," prefaced Choi before diving deeper. "Knox was aboard the Ella Fitzgerald during the bombardment of Lessek Prime. His tactics of 'playing dead' received him the Grankite Order of Tactics. Cardassian forces redirected away from their shipyards at Lessek believing the Fitzgerald was disabled."
Choi thought carefully how to word her continued response. "The Ella Fitzgerald destroyed a key Cardassian shipyard and crippled the planet with an EM pulse. It took them months to recover. Harrison Knox has unorthodox tactics, cards up his sleeve that fit the gorilla warfare tactics of the Bajoran resistance cells and of these Maquis. He made my list because he would be a desirable asset for Maquis recruitment."
"And, at least according to Captain Gray, he's already been approached," Erik said. "Mistakes were made and there are some threads there that we can pick in our hunt for Maquis cells." He paused a moment, considering, and then nodded. "I think this will work, Commander, and unless you have questions for me, I'd like us to get down to business."
Choi nodded. "I prefer business. Then let's get to it."
"Computer," Erik said, "effective this date, I formally accept the transfer of Lieutenant Commander Areum Choi in the position of First Officer of this vessel. Please notify Operations to have her quarters and office readied."
"Lieutenant Commander Areum Choi is now First Officer of the USS Thunderbird," the computer responded.
"Well, that's done," Erik said, grinning, "get yourself settled in and we can discuss our next steps afterward."
Areum noded. "I will get settled in, Captain."
"Then, you are dismissed, Commander. And, welcome aboard."
Captain Erik Norsgaard
Commanding Officer
USS Thunderbird
and
Lieutenant Commander Areum Choi
Executive Officer
USS Thunderbird
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