Oh Brother, What Aren't Thou pt2

Posted on Mon Sep 15th, 2025 @ 3:32am by Lieutenant JG Christian Rogers

2,313 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: What was Lost is Found
Location: Crew Quarters
Timeline: Morning after Just AnotherTraining Day

"Okay, you're back to chattering, Petty Officer, let's break this down. First, who is 'he'?"

Kawolski glanced away, his eyes misting, his jaw clenched and lips pursed together. "It's my brother. He wrote me and I got the letter today. It may already be too late, but Lord, Our Father is mercifful and it's not."

Shit Hannah thought. No matter how serious he may have thought it to be before, Kawolski actually letting his deep faith slip out like that? Hannah wasn't completely sure about the culture of the colony world Kawolski came from, it was complicated like the nature of his relationship with Weaver, but they were a very rural agragarian society founded by a religious sect that broke away from Earth during the Eugenics Wars. What he knew is that the original settlers would normally eschew advanced technology like space ships and the hibernation process that was usually required to make their way to the colony worlds. In this case, the original people founding Kawolski's homeworld made a one time exception but refused the hibernation. They chose a generational ship instead. His world wasn't ruled as a theocracy, as such, but religious dogma remained strong in the ensuing centuries. They didn't reject Federation contact and were a member world mostly in name only. They didn't ask for help, didn't ask for upgrades in technology and tended to negotiate payment of Federation taxes in barter - a certain value of farmed and ranched goods, lumber, quarried stone and the few ores they mined on the planet.

"What have you done that's got you so upset?" Hannah finally asked, giving Kawolski a moment to pull himself together.

"Trap," Kawolski said, "Trapper. Trapper Kawolski...that's his name, I want you to remember that cause you'll need to know it if you can help keep him someplace safe and boring"

"Trapper," Hannah deadpanned. "Kawolski. Spelled anything like your name?"

"Yeah," Kawolski said, "No, wait...yeah, yeah it is. Just like mine. He's my brother so yeah, it'd be the same."

Hannah worked hard not to laugh. Most other times it would amuse them all and the laughter would be good natured, jocular and with Kawolski when he realized what he was saying, but in the man's agitated state, Hannah felt it would come across as cruel and mean. "Okay, younger brother? Older?"

"Younger, that's the problem. He's my younger brother and I love him loads, like, if something happened to him it would devastate me. More so cause now it's because I shouldn't've done what I did."

"He looks up to you?" Hannah asked, catching the direction of the conversation. "A bit of hero worship?" He realized he shouldn't have said that as soon as the words were past his lip.

"You know we don't worship idolatry," Kawolski hissed. "He ain't a sinner worshipping a mere man, brother or no."

"Yeah, right, I misspoke, I meant, he looks up to you, he..." he paused trying to make sure to chose words that weren't going to be misconstrued as havin the same meaning of 'idolatry'. "...he wants to be like you?"

Kawolski's face crumpled again. "Yeah, and I think the world of him as well. He's a great kid and he's smarter than me and could do a lot of good stuff. But," his voice cracked and fell to almost a whisper, "yeah, he looks up to me and says he wants to be like me. Wants to do good work and help protect the galaxy. He wants to go off and join the Marines, just like I did."

Hannah paused again. "And you don't think that's what he should do?"

"Well, yeah-" Kawolski said. "I mean, Marines are the best right? It's awesome, aside from agreeing to continue the betrothal with Weaver, it's the best thing I've ever done in my life. Our Father blessed me when he put that recruitment in front of me. It's awesome."

Again, Hannah had to pause to make sure he found the right words. Maybe, he thought to himself, I should get Rogers down here to help out with this. He was willing to risk Rogers's wrath and send a direct mental 'yell' to get him here, but he didn't want to lose Kawolski's trust. "Maybe we should continue this conversation in the office. With Lieutenant-"

"NO!" Kawolsk said, his hands flying apart but forming huge fists. He visibly worked to calm himself. "No, I can't...Lieutenant?" Kawolski said. "Tell him I'm trying to find a way to keep my brother from becoming a grunt like us? He wouldn't understand would he? He'd question my commitment, right? He's so Marine he bleeds greener than a Vulcan!"

"Okay," Hannah said, letting his breathe out slowly. "Then explain it to me, because I don't understand why.it's such a problem if he followed you into the Marines."

Kawolski shook his head as he clapsed his hands together again. "Cause he's m y brother is why! I love him and don't wanna see anything happen to him." He leaned forward again, appearing to be at a tipping point. "What we do, it's dangerous, right? I mean, we've had people we know get killed doin' our jobs and...and...some people...they...it gets to them and they..."

Hannah put a hand on Kawolski's larger ones. "I think I get it. Does it have to be the Marines? Could you convince him to go to the Academy?"

Kawolski's lips pursed as he shook his head. "Hannah, c'mon, you know better. He's smart, really smart. I mean, he was helping me with my 'rithmatic with the letters and he's three years younger than me. He helps Pa and the uncles do the books and the paperwork for the farm and he's only just got to his Majority. But, Hannah, you know I love my home and I won't ever commit the sin of speaking ill of our place and how we live, but you know we're not gonna cut it for Starfleet Academy. We're just too 'backward' to understand all we need to know to get into the Academy. Those tests are about stuff we don't mess with, like warp fields and Klingon Opera and that kind of stuff. As smart as he is, he doesn't know enough to be able to be an officer. If that were the case, it'd be less terrible that I promised him."

"Okay," Hannah said. "So, if you can't convince him not to enlist-"

"I can't do that!" Kawolski wailed. "That's the problem, isn't it? Cause I already promised him years ago, before I knew better, that'd I'd help him join if he decided. Now, he's saying he's pretty sure it's what he wants to do cause his betrothal isn't happening now and he thinks he needs to see more of the galaxy before coming back to our farm and taking it over."

"And you promised him," Hannah said.

"Yeah," Kawolski dropped his gaze again. "Yeah, I promised him."

"And you can't go back on your word because..."

"I ain't a sinner who goes around giving false testimony before the Lord," Kawolski answered, completely oblivious of what Hannah was suggesting.

"But, you think it's the same if you convince him to go into Starfleet instead?" Hannah asked.

"Well, everybody says it's pretty much the same. Fleeters are always sayin' that Marines ain't nothing but a department of Starfleet anyway so...I don't know, maybe I should consult with the Elders about that first but...isn't it about the same? If I help him get to Starfleet, is the same as keepin' my promise to help him join?"

"I'd say it was," Hannah said. "We could ask others, witthout giving them all the details, but I think most people would say that it's about the same."

"Except, I'm back to worryin what he'd do in Starfleet. I figure Sciences would be safe but then again, what does he really know about Science? I don't know much about it, but I know most people from my home would never get their minds around it and I'm worried Trap wouldn't either and that'd be a problem. Same with Engineerin' So, I see his options are limited and Security, that's not much better than Marines is it? I mean, we just lost several the last few days, includin' the Chief. So I thought, if he did what you do, only for straight Fleeter stuff, then he'd be safer?"

"Okay," Hannah said. "And you just want me to tell you that's the case?"

"Well, yeah," Kawolski said, "And...well...I'd owe you big time, like really, really, really big if...I mean it would be a huge favor and-"

"Spit it out, Kawolski, my breakfast is getting cold."

"Okay, yeah, right, sorry, sorry, but...would you talk to him? Would you talk up the stuff you do that ain't our stuff, the combat stuff? Make it sound great and encourage Trap to go that way?"

"That's it?" Hannah asked.

"I mean, I'll carry all your equipement on our missions and...and...I don't know, help out with the stuff I can for your duty shifts. I don't know what else, but just tell me what I can do to pay ya back for doin' it and-"

"Kawolski, stop," Hannah said. "I'll do it, but not so you'd owe me favors or do my work-" just the idea of Kawolski romping around medical trying to do corpsman work sent shivers down his spine - "- but we're teammates and friends. We don't exchange 'favors' to help each other out, right?"

"Well, yeah, usually, but that's like all the stuff we do and help each other with making sure we don't...y'know...build up bad stuff in our minds. This is more than that, it's...it's my brother."

"Which, in a way, makes him my brother as well. So I've an interest in helping him out as well, right? And you, you're my brother as well, in this family we've chosen, so it's not doing you a 'favor'. I'll do it because it means this much to you and so it means a lot to me as well."

"You'll do it? You'll really talk to him?" Kawolski asked, his tone hopeful but guarded as well.

"Yes, give me his contact information and I'll try to get ahold of him today. I'm saying try. If I can't get him on subspace, I'll write."

Kawolski seemed to sit properly for the first time, his tense body relaxing, his hands unfolding and spreading openly on the table. "Okay, I'll send it to you as soon as I get to the office and access my stuff. Thanks, Hannah, you don't know how much this means to me."

"I have an idea," Hannah said with a smile. "You've made a pretty good case for it. But again, I'm not promising I'll be able to do anything."

"No, no, course not. But between the two of us I think we can get him to sign up as a medic instead of doin' Marines or Security. Then, he gets assigned to somewhere nice and safe."

"You know, there's not guarantee for that?" Hannah said.

"Yeah," Kawolski said, "but I'll be prayin' 'bout that really hard. I know Ma and Pa will as well. I'm sure Weaver will also. Maybe, if you're not averse?"

It took Hannah a moment to understand what Kawolski just suggested. His mouth opened to let Kawolski know he was an atheist like most of his colony. His mother and father. Instead, "Sure, I'll pray in my way." As an atheist, he, at least, didn't have to worry abotu the sin of lying. Espeically now that Kawolski seemed to much more relaxed. He did make a mental note to follow up with Baldwin later, just so he has someone giving him updates to make sure Kawolski was actually doing better.

"You're the best, Hannah," Kawolski said, "the best!" Then, without warning, he shot up, made his way around the table and grabbed Hannah into a rib crushing bear hug, lifting him completely out of the chair and off his feet. "The best!"

"Kawolski. Put. Me. Down!" Hannah said, the authority of the command somewhat lessened by the tinge of laughter in his voice.

"Yes, Petty Officer!" Kawolski said, dropping Hannah to his feet. "Thank you, I feel so much better now. Thank you! Man," he checked his chrono. "I've got just enought time to grab a tray to try to tide me over til lunch."

"Good idea, don't try to work on an empty stomach or anything," Hannah said, still standing, wanting to guard against a second display of relieved exuberance. Which is why, for the rest of the day he would question why he found himself asking: "Kawolski, are you thinking of giving up the Marines and switching to something less dangerous?"

Kawolski's brows furrowed hard. "Why? It's the best, right? Absolutely the best."

Hannah just stared for several long moments, his mind going blank trying to get around the completely unintentional irony of the man before him. Getting so worked up and scared that something might happen to his brother if he became a Marine and yet..."Yeah, right. Don't know what I'm saying. Go grab some food, I've got a few minutes to eat and get to work."

"Yeah, sure, Hannah, you do that," Kawolski said, his focus now on the chow line. Then he simply turned and made his way toward it. Hannah shook his head as he resumed his seat and picked up his fork.

"I swear, I have to stop thinking I understand them at all," he muttered before tucking into his plate.

Petty Officer 1st Corvus Hannah
SWAT/S Combat Medic

Petty Officer 2nd Hunter Kawolski
SWAT/S

 

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