Horsing Around Part II
Posted on Sun Jul 26th, 2026 @ 6:31am by Captain Marc Kidd & Lieutenant Maya Canak
Edited on on Sun Jul 26th, 2026 @ 6:32am
1,833 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
Episode 3 - The One Who Got Away
Location: Holodeck 6 - Deck 6 - USS Artemis
Timeline: MD005 1930 hrs
Marc continued to look forward at the forest below, and the apple orchard along with it. "You know... when people hear what our ship does, they think it sounds exciting. High-speed pursuits, tactical engagements, bringing fugitives to justice. They imagine adventure. The reality is... mostly aftermath. You arrive after someone's home has been raided. After a colony's been extorted. After a freighter crew has spent days wondering if they'll ever see their families again. After a child has been brutally murdered and left in field discarded. You spend a lot of time looking people in the eye after the worst day of their lives."
He sighed heavily and turned in the saddle to look at Maya. There was something different in the way he looked at her now. He was still the Captain, her commanding officer, but now there was something more as if a certain guard had been let down. "The funny thing is... criminals are almost never what I expect. Some are monsters. Some are desperate. Some convinced themselves they had no other choice. A few... are frighteningly ordinary. I used to think evil would be obvious. Turns out it's usually just a long series of small decisions that nobody stopped making." He smiled faintly.
She nodded slowly. As a doctor, she'd seen some of that herself. "Sometimes, that person's decision breaks your heart because no one was there to help them along the way and it could have made a difference."
"Not exactly the sort of thing they put in Academy recruitment holovids." Marc patted Doc's neck and continued. "Every time we intercept someone, I tell myself the goal isn't revenge. It's to make sure there isn't another victim tomorrow. That's an important distinction. If I ever start enjoying the chase more than protecting the innocent... that's probably the day I should hand this command over"
She nodded in agreement. "Most Starfleet captains don't deal with the things you do." Her voice was soft but loud enough for him to hear. "Many wouldn't even try. But what you do is needed. And you have people around you--and horses--to help you keep it in perspective."
Marc looked toward the sky. But his eyes seemed to look past the sky, to the bulkhead that was actually there, then beyond the bulkhead and into the stars that surrounded the USS Artemis as it moved through space. "Space is so... unbelievably beautiful. Entire nebulae forming stars. Civilizations creating art, science, music. People meeting species they never dreamed existed. And somehow, no matter how much wonder the universe produces...there are always people trying to take something that doesn't belong to them."
After a long pause Marc continued. "Still...For every pirate we've arrested, I've met a merchant who refuses to stop flying. For every terrorist we've captured, I've seen a colony rebuild. For every corrupt official exposed, I've watched someone else step forward because they still believed the law could mean something. That's what keeps me going."
He chuckled to himself and looked at Maya again. "Besides... I've got a crew that somehow manages to keep this ship together despite my tendency to overthink literally everything. They trust me. I'm still trying to figure out why." Marc's voice softened as if he had come to a resolution of sorts, a decision. "Justice isn't about winning. It's about showing up. Again. Even when you're tired. Even when the last mission didn't end the way you hoped. Even when you know there will always be another distress call waiting. Maybe that's what Starfleet really is. Not the ships. Not the uniforms. Just people deciding, every single day, that the next person in trouble deserves someone to answer." Marc smiled and laughed. "Sorry I went a little deep there. But it is something that needs saying every so often."
"We all need that reminder from time to time. That what we do matters. That we're not alone. Not forgotten. And that the people we protect matter." It was how her grandfather lived, and why he chose to work with villages rather than go to a large city. If he'd lived longer, she might have worked with him. But she didn't regret her decision to join Starfleet. "You are a special man, Mark Kidd."
"If I am it is because I surround myself with special people. Well, that is enough about me, enough of a detour into the deepest recess of my mind." Marc began and turned Doc to start walking again. "What about you? What ticks in your brain?" In this moment Marc found the woman next to him incredibly attractive. He was unsure if it was a genuine attraction, or just the setting.
Maya found herself wanting to learn more about Marc the person. She liked the captain and respected him. But this man was so much more. She wondered how often he let himself relax and if he'd invite her to go riding with him again. For a moment she found herself looking in his eyes.
Then Nikté shook her head, drawing Maya's attention back to her horse and where they were going. "I like helping people. Not just making them well. Sometimes people just need someone to listen." She turned to smile at Marc. "I'm not talking about now. This is about riding and getting to know each other." Or she hoped it was. "I like being outdoors. Like this, or going for walks. I used to ride a lot back home. And occasionally spend the night under the stars. And plants. The garden lab is doing well. And I have some herbs in my office for teas. And if I want a quiet evening, I like to read or listen to music." She glanced at him again. "What about you? What do you like to do in addition to riding?"
"Poker and Kalto when I am with a group of people. They both keep the mind sharp. But, when I am by myself I can be summed up with two words Shakespeare and clocks. Can't beat the classics, and fixing clocks clears my head. It is sort of the old adage of restoring order to chaos. You get a broken clock and it is in chaos, once I am done the gears turn and order restored." Marc went quiet for a moment. He enjoyed the sounds of the hooves on the stones below. "Sorry, I am a coffee addict. Tea just never gets the job done." He added after a time with a smile.
"Yes, I noticed that you like coffee." She smiled back. She noticed that he often had a mug at hand.
Once again, she caught herself looking at Marc and continued. "Clocks...that's interesting. My grandparents had a clock, but I don't think I ever looked inside. They're beautiful." Now she was curious. Maybe she'd replicate one and put it in her quarters.
To get her thoughts back on track, she continued talking. "I've also read Shakespeare, but I prefer to watch it on stage when I can. Which play is your favorite?"
"It depends upon what we are talking about. Histories its Henry V all the time. Tragedies Othello, I feel that a lot of the underlays in that play are still relevant to this day. Comedies I have to go with Midsummer Night’s Dream, Puck is a favorite of mine. Never performed and to be honest I am most likely never going to. I just don't have the stones for it as it were. I just like to read them and reevaluate the meanings." At the moment the sunset seemed to beam through the trees just perfectly. It hit Maya's hair and she looked stunning. Marc was not sure if it was the setting, the relaxation, the not being on the bridge, a combination of all of that, or was he genuinely attracted to the Doctor.
"I agree with all of those. Although I can't read or watch Othello because he's Iago's puppet. His tragic flaw is that he trusted the wrong person. I like Hamlet. The secondary characters are fascinating." She looked over at him and smiled. She liked this side of Marc. A lot. "Comedies...I like A Midsummer Night's Dream. I love Puck as well. I also like Much Ado About Nothing and The Taming of the Shrew."
"Yes the Taming of the Shrew. The play that set gender relations back a century or two." Marc said with a laugh. "The musical version of that play is pretty damn funny." As they crested a rise in the path Marc noticed that time had progressed almost without notice. The sun set now, and soon it would be dark for the horses, too dark for this terrain. "We should get back before dark. These horse will not make these rocks in the dark."
"Yes." She was enjoying the ride and the company. But he was right. They did need to get back. She looked to where the last light of sunset was disappearing beyond the horizon. "But I'm not sure we'll make it back in time."
Marc reigned in his horse and looked around. For the briefest of moments, it seemed that the program may have been conspiring against him. "Perhaps you are right. But, there are two options. The first is run it out and make it. The second is to set camp." Marc did not mention the third, which was to simply end the program. As he was not sure if he wanted to break the illusion.
Was it the program, or being on horseback again that made Maya loathe to leave? There was a growing third reason that she would think about later because she wasn't sure if it was the setting, or just that she finally got to see the other side of Marc that was a more compelling reason. Without giving it much thought, she responded. "It's been a long time since I slept under the stars."
"Right then. Right here is perhaps the best spot around." Marc hopped off his horse and began to take the saddle and everything off. "Well then we should get these horses settled and find a comfy spot."
Maya dismounted and unsaddled her horse, using a handful of grass to brush her down. "Hear that, Nitké? We're camping." When she'd taken care of her horse, she left her by a small stream and patch of grass for the night, then went to help Marc.
A Joint Post By
Captain Marc Kidd
Commanding Officer, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Lieutenant Maya Canak
Chief Medical Officer/Medical Examiner, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal INvestigations Unit
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