Unspoken Rules: Part 2/2

Posted on Thu Apr 2nd, 2026 @ 3:00pm by Lieutenant JG Electra Drake & Sergeant Jace Morven
Edited on on Mon Apr 6th, 2026 @ 1:39pm

1,507 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Prologue
Location: Counsellor's Office
Timeline: Early 2389

PREVIOUSLY:

Jace took in what she was saying, taking a deeper breath. And then gave a small nod of acceptance that...people enjoyed it for different reasons. He frowned, his hands briefly pressing down on his legs, back straight.

CONTINUED:

"What is it?" Lex asked quietly, noting the frown, and how his hands shifted to quite literally ground himself.

"If no one follows the rules...it's not fair," Jace finally said, glancing at her and then down again. And that mattered. World wasn't fair enough as it was. Games, meant for...enjoyment, clearly, were dangerous when no one followed the rules. Or everyone followed different rules. And that was what conversations felt like to him. "Everyone's got different rules." And no one gave him any to look at.

"I....suppose that depends on what you consider to be a rule....versus a guideline, or a preference," she suggested softly, feeling the depth of his statement.

He frowned, taking a slow breath before he gave a shake of his head. "It is better when I know what is expected," he simply said. "You are a counsellor. I know what to expect."

Electra couldn't help a small, fond smile at the words, arching an eyebrow inquisitively. "And what do you expect?"

"For you to try and look for something that was never there," he said quietly, tilting his head a little to the side. "Make me try and...look into myself. I expect you to tell me what you see, and want me to...work...on myself." He said the words awkwardly, clearly recounting what he had heard from counsellors.

"Try and look for something that was never there?" Electra asked lightly, intrigued by the phrase he'd chosen.

He glanced at her, her face, her eyes, then away. "Something a counsellor said once," he said, shifting a little. Not much. But the straightness of the back softened a little. He looked less like a soldier reporting, jaw tense, eyes not meeting hers. "That there was softness before, safety before, but I cauterised all that in order to survive. I cut away that part of myself." He glanced at her, a little eyebrow raise, but he was not meeting her eyes. He couldn't. He felt like he was in a killzone with no cover. "I don't think it was ever there anyway."

Electra kept her features cool and neutral despite her distaste for what the counsellor had told him. Even if that had been their suspicion, there were somethings you didn't come out and say in so many words. It could do far more damage than good. "Does it matter to you? If I were to think that it was there?"

"It would be a lie," he said, voice almost flat. But there was a pull behind his eyes, a tension in his jaw that spoke of his distaste for it. "It wouldn't be me."

"And what if I said that is what I am interested in?" Lex offered carefully, watching his eyes even if he didn't quite meet hers. "I want to know you, and how you see yourself. What you're good at, what you might need help with. I'm not interested in making you something you're not. I just want to make sure you're the best version of yourself that you can be."

He frowned, slightly, lips parting. He...had never heard it said that way before. He wasn't sure what it meant. It...reminded him of Vel. Reminded him of the way he'd talk, the way he's smile when he looked at him. He swallowed. Took a deep breath, heel of his palm pressing into his leg for a moment. "I'm a Ground Forces trooper," he said, after a long silence. "Rank...doesn't change much to what I am good at. I get pointed at things and I...do it." He looked down, briefly, at his hands. What was there to know, what could he say that would...explain how he saw himself. A weapon. A danger. A fixer. A survivor. A man from Turkana wearing Federation blue? He swallowed back the words alongside the rise of heat and tightness he felt in his chest.

"What is it, Jace?" she asked softly, seeing the shift in him, remaining perfectly still, not wanting to distract him.

"It's a tightness under my ribs," he said, because he recalled she telling him to describe it. And it was a physical...sensation. And then it eased and he exhaled, slowly. "Gone now."

Lex nodded with encouragement at his being able to put it into words. "And you handled it well," she assured. "Found the words...then breathed through it. I...think we should start winding down soon. But I would like you to think about something between now and your next session. You are more than just your job. You're a person too, under that. With your own thoughts, feelings and desires. I think the soldier comes easier to you though."

"It's what I am," he said and looked over at the stars. He never thought much about it, what was outside the ship's hull. "It's what controls the instincts." He glanced at her, taking a deeper breath. "Lucy. She went back to school?"

"Yes," Lex chuckled with a slight nod, arching an eyebrow at him mentioning her daughter's antics. "Thank you for seeing her safely home. She liked you a lot, which means you made her feel safe."

His jaw tightened and he looked down, thinking about it for a moment. "Wouldn't let her get hurt," he said, quietly. She was someone who needed to be protected. He looked at her. Considered it. Same with Lex, at least now. Not someone to follow, or fight, but to make sure was protected.

"Is...that the solider speaking, or the man?" Lex asked softly, but with a gentle smile that softened the question a little.

"There's three kinds of people in the world," he said quietly, eyes lowered for a moment. A belief forged by a lifetime. "The ones you fight. The ones you follow. The ones you protect." He glanced at her, at her face. "She's someone you protect. Or someone will take advantage."

Electra's smile became almost bittersweet for a moment. What she would have given to have felt that at one point in her life. "I...agree to a point," she admitted softly. "Although...I wouldn't go so far as to say there are people fixed in those positions....because those positions can change. Someone who might fight at one time in their life might need protecting at another point. One who is a fighter in a particular job or skill might be a follower in a different one that doesn't suit them as well."

He watched her for a moment, frowning slightly. "They can shift," he said, his voice quiet. He didn't disagree. But his world was...different than hers. His experience of it. "But I've not had them shift. Not around long enough."

She nodded, accepting that easily. Having read up on his background, she tended to agree. Should he have had someone protecting him at some points in his life? Yes. Had he? No. So he'd become the fighter. But that was a discussion for another day. "How....do you think it might feel? If someone protected you from something in the near future?"

Jace looked at her, eyes narrowing just a fraction. He couldn't envision it in the way he thought she meant. Did he know what she meant? He gave a firm shake of the head. He didn't have the words. He barely understood the question.

But that response told Lex a lot. He couldn't even conceive of being in that position. She nodded gently, taking that as his answer. "Let's leave it here for today. Think about what I said though, about who you are, as a person, under the soldier."

He stood, frowning at that, his thumb briefly brushing the outside seam of his trousers. "Not sure there is anything under that," he finally said, bluntly. "It's what I am."

"Just...think about it," she urged lightly, not wanting or needing an immediate answer. "And you know, you're always welcome to ask me any questions you like."

He looked at her, hesitating for a moment. And then nodded, turning to leave. He stopped, looking down for a moment. "If Lucy needs another metal disc...just let me know."

"I think she would like any that you would make for her...especially if you give them to her yourself," Lex assured with a small nod, standing with him to show him to the door.

Jace registered her words, taking a slow breath. He looked at her, briefly meeting her eyes. "Bye," he said and then walked out, a little faster than he'd usually be. He wasn't sure why. But he wanted some distance right now.

---

Sergeant Jace Morven
First Officer, Alpha Squad
Federation Ground Forces Detachment
USS Guinevere

Lieutenant JG Electra 'Lex' Drake
Counsellor
USS Guinevere

RSS Feed