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+ | |||
+ | **Location: Sickbay, deck 12, USS Republic** | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "You might feel a little pressure. It won't last long." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon Cromwell shut down the small, pen-sized ocular scanner he had been holding and slipped it into the pocket of his anachronistic three-quarter length doctor' | ||
+ | |||
+ | John shook his head, rubbing his temple a bit. "And how is sticking a laser in my eye supposed to make the head ache GO AWAY!" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon clucked his tongue and reminded himself that, while his patient may have been many things; pilot, lacrosse player, First Officer... he was not a doctor. Cromwell managed to suppress a shudder at the thought of being treated by " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Well it hurts." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Not because of me!" Leon sat down and looked over the technical specifications of John Carter' | ||
+ | |||
+ | John shook his head again, blinking both eyes forcefully. It didn't make the pain in his right temple stop. "Are you sure you know what you're doing with that thing?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Damn it John," Leon spit back, remembering what bad patients commanding, or in this case, executive officers tended to make, " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Is John giving you a hard time again, Leon?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | The question came from Doctor Shannon Harris, Republic' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Not in my sickbay you don' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Shannon glided almost effortlessly to the treatment station where John was still rubbing his temple, giving the red-shirted commander a kiss on the cheek. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter nodded his head, tilting slightly to rest on Shannon' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter was glad that Shannon had made her presence known in sickbay, and had to admit, at least to himself, that having her there did make a difference. | ||
+ | |||
+ | At the diagnostic station, Leon looked intently at the technical schematics of Carter' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Cater looked up at Shannon and scowled. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Oh shush," | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Shannon looked at her superior with a cocked eyebrow, then looked down at John. "Does he do that a lot?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "What, talk to himself?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I heard that, throttle-jockey!" | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Cromwell leaned back, uncrossed his arms and explained. "Well, I've gone through the medical data, and there' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Short version, Doc?" Carter asked. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "You never studied." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "What did you find?" Shannon asked, now genuinely intrigued. Usually, the SCE took on large-scale construction or difficult terra-forming projects, things that almost any other organization would find impossible. According to reputation, the SCE would then turn around said project in a ridiculously short amount of time. As the saying went: `The difficult we do immediately. The impossible may take a day or two'. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Despite their well-deserved reputation, Shannon was a bit surprised that the SCE would bother with technical bugs in something as small as an artificial eye. `On the other hand', she supposed, `everyone needs a hobby' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "So, what?" John asked, " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I never studied." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | John grimaced at the thought of being grounded again. Despite no longer being an active small-craft pilot, he'd been careful to keep his hours up and stay qualified on most Fleet-issue ships. Making the transition from shuttle pilot to helmsman had been easy. Moving from Helm to Tactical had been something else, and while he was now confident that he was at the right place as Republic' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Leon looked at the display at his desk, using his computer to send commands, changing the settings of John's prosthetic. "Looks good on this end, John, but look around for me." | ||
+ | |||
+ | John turned his head, taking in his surroundings. From his perspective, | ||
+ | |||
+ | In the corner, Shannon Harris looked on, with relief. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter glanced over to smile appreciatively at Shannon, then looked forward again. At the repeat display station, Leon Cromwell felt his jaw drop. | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Back where?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Look at Shannon again." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Do I HAVE to?" The First Officer mocked. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I love you too, John." Harris shot back. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Just do it." Leon barked. It was clear he wasn't in a joking mood. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Long seconds went by as John Carter listened to his doctor and looked over the attractive form of Republic' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Cromwell looked again at the settings for John's prosthetic. `No,' he said to himself, shaking his head, `the smart focus sub-routine is online and there' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I think there' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon looked quickly at the red head. "I need to know if the problem is in the software or somewhere else." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Fair point," | ||
+ | |||
+ | Shannon grimaced as she watched Leon increase the resolution settings on John's artificial eye. She felt anxiety growing as she processed just what the monitor was showing Doctor Cromwell, and wondered just how long it might be until he...until EVERYONE learned the truth. | ||
+ | |||
+ | John Carter inhaled sharply as the increased data feed through his prosthetic began to supply information his brain wasn't equipped to handle. As a result, the brain reacted as most other parts of the body would: it tried to withdraw, which in this case meant sending pain impulses through Carter' | ||
+ | |||
+ | On the monitor, the image changed. The thin haze that seemed to cover Shannon Harris became more dense and more defined, and Leon Cromwell blinked in disbelief as he could now make out the appearance of lines from three distinct sources, each apparently from a wall or ceiling, somehow converging at a point INSIDE the center of Shannon' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "What the Hell? | ||
+ | |||
+ | Deep inside, Shannon could feel panic. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Across from Cromwell' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon knew he was in a tense spot, and as he eased the data feed back down, he looked back to Harris. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | With the feed turned down, Carter was able to focus his attention clearly on the confrontation across the room from him. There was more Leon needed to know. "Leon, wait," Carter said weakly. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Shannon Harris had heard enough. To her mind, such as it was, her colleague had put the welfare of a fellow crewman second to his own objectives. What's more, it was John Carter, and every fiber of her being told her that was beyond the pall. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Shannon Harris closed her eyes. Within three heartbeats, Leon's office went black. | ||
+ | |||
+ | In another instant, the emergency lighting was on, bathing Leon's office in a rich red. Odd shadows played across once familiar surfaces, giving the whole room an alien feel. There was no sign of Shannon Harris. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "What in the world?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter took a moment to shake his head, then looked at the remaining Doctor. "Boy Doc," he quipped, "do YOU have a way with the ladies." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Immediately, | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter stood, making his family' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon looked at Carter, now twice as confused as he'd been just moments ago. "What are you talking about? What just happened? Where did Shannon go?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | A second later, lighting and power returned to normal in Leon's office. A quick look at the status board on his desk told Cromwell that no other part of Sickbay had been affected, at least, not that he could tell. "Cool down? She disappeared!" | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon's eyes went wide. He was now genuinely afraid for his friend' | ||
+ | |||
+ | //Doctor Harris is not onboard the Republic.// | ||
+ | |||
+ | Again, Leon tapped his comm. badge. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | An instant later, Carter tapped his own badge. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | //" | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon had seen that look on John Carter' | ||
+ | |||
+ | The blonde physician sat heavily back in his chair, arms folded as he looked at Carter, trying to figure what was going on. "All right," | ||
+ | |||
+ | "She might believe you anyway," | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "What did you see on the monitor?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Calm down Leon," John said, easing both his volume as well as tone of voice. "What did you see?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon slammed his fist on the desk. "I don't know! That's the whole damn point! | ||
+ | |||
+ | "If you don't KNOW what you saw, what do you THINK you saw?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon thought back, taking a moment to put things in order, to make sense of the events he'd just gone through. "It looked like Shannon was being scanned..." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "But there was no scan in progress and it wasn't quite right. She looked hazy... foggy. Almost like... | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Like she wasn't quite there?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Cromwell felt himself push back with a start. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "There you go, Doc." Carter said simply, as if the matter was totally settled. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter couldn' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "And you expect me to believe that my pediatrician is a hologram?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter threw his head back. "I don't care if you believe me or not, but that's what she is." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "So does the EMH," John said flatly, "you don't think twice about that." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Cromwell blinked, momentarily stunned. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Do they? How?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Cromwell could feel his temperature rising. To Leon's mind, John was being far too casual about all of this. "The damned thing appears out of thin air!" | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon huffed in disbelief. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | John shook his head. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Now it was Leon's turn to sit back and put things into place. "But, I've read her file." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "The ship's AI invents things all the time. How do you think the holodeck works?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "But all those missions... the rescue on the Zurich..." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "My God..." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter rolled his eyes "What has that got to do with anything?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon blinked again. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter sat back and tried to relax. "Let me ask you this. Do you feel like you know Shannon? | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Of course." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Is she a good doctor?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "But what?" Carter asked throwing his arms up, "how does the fact that Shannon happens to be made of photons instead of atoms change anything? Did you consider her a friend yesterday?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Yes or no." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "You KNOW I did!" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Then ask yourself Doc... Ask yourself why she wouldn' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "She was real to you yesterday, and physically speaking at least, nothing has actually changed. She was a collection of photons and algorithms yesterday, and she will be tomorrow. Is it really that important what she's made of to you?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I do." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter felt his face screw into a frown. "Why the Hell not, Doctor?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon balked again. "I WOULD, but..." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Then how is she not real?" John stood up and started pacing slowly. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Ok, ok... I'll concede that you have a point", | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Cromwell confirmed with a nod "God, what a mess..." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "In order to get the ship back under our control, Vic and Pakita had to get...crafty." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Cromwell couldn' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "More than that," John continued. "Turns out Republic used to be the Saratoga." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Cromwell audibly gasped. "But Saratoga was lost during the War with the Dominion!" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter shook his head. "She was abandoned, not lost. After the war, the saucer was recovered, and a new star-drive was attached." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Cromwell looked askance at Carter' | ||
+ | |||
+ | John smiled at his friend' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Are you going to finish this or not?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "All he's been able to piece together is that before the war, Saratoga was a test bed for a lot of cutting-edge tech, including a ship-wide holographic communication network. It even covered the auxiliary craft." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon nodded. "But how did Shannon become...Shannon? | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | As John laid out the pieces for Leon, the two officers could hear the soft `swish' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "You knew. This whole time, you knew and you didn't let on?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter stood up and looked Shannon in the eye. "Why would I?" he asked. "So, I knew you were a hologram, so what? I knew, you knew, so why does that matter?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Harris felt her head drop slightly. "It really doesn' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter simply shook his head. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "That settles it," Leon muttered from his desk, still not quite sure what to make of the revelations he'd witnessed. "You Martians are weird." | ||
+ | |||
+ | John tilted his head in Cromwell' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Shannon stepped closer to Carter and smiled. "Well, thank you for being either of those things, John." Then she turned to Leon. Harris took a long moment to regard the Doctor, braced herself, and then asked, "So, where do we go from here, Leon?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | It was hard for Leon to swallow. A trusted colleague of almost a year – someone he considered a friend – was not the flesh-and-blood human he thought she was five minutes ago. There were no oxygenated blood cells pumping through her arteries. No nervous system, no muscular-skeletal structure, no organs. Just a computer-derived collection of accelerated photons that were quantum-inverted to resonate mass, density, and volume. THAT's who his staff pediatrician was. THAT's who Lieutenant Commander Shannon Harris was. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon stared at the wall for nearly a minute while John and Shannon patiently waited for him to gather his thoughts. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "It just doesn' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "The first artificial life-form given that honor, if I recall," | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Not to mention the Voyager Doctor," | ||
+ | |||
+ | "But that's different," | ||
+ | |||
+ | "And why shouldn' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "But you didn't HAVE to live a lie! You could have stated what you were, and not falsified records!" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "You would' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Looking back at her CMO coldly, Shannon quipped, "It depends on how you look at it. I was activated on stardate 55890.2. The same date as when the Republic' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "So that's it?" Leon questioned. "One day, POOF, you just started showing up in sickbay?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "At first, all I did was treat the minor wounds of the refit crew. No one bothered me with any questions, and whoever programmed my personnel file had also assigned me quarters on board the ship. Why shouldn' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon felt guilt creeping into his chest. Like Saal, he also treated the EMH like dirt. It was only activated . . . HE was only activated . . . when Leon had no choice, sending him to do his bidding, and shutting him down when he was no longer needed. It never occurred to him -- even based on the Voyager missions -- that a hologram, if selectively programmed to have a free will, can evolve to the point of sentience like any organic being. And while the ship's EMH may have not been online and active as long as Shannon or the Voyager Doctor, it too had the potential to become a living organism if only given the chance. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "If you're the ship's medical hologram, why do we have the Mark 19?" Leon asked in a softer, more conciliatory voice. The acceptance of the truth about Shannon was starting to sink in as he began to sympathize with her position. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I don't know," Shannon shook her head. "He doesn' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "A disguise," | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "That explains the problems we've been having with the EMH," Leon concluded. "We thought it was a software problem." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Nope, it was just me. When he's active, and I have to enter the room, I'm forced to close down his program so I can maintain my own matrix. It's nothing personal." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "So you have control over ship functions?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "As far as I can tell, I'm just a computer remnant of when Republic was the Saratoga. Mind you, a rather *large* remnant, but a remnant nonetheless." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I guess you can say that, yes." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "What happened to Saratoga?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I don't really remember very much," Shannon admitted with a subdued frown. "I can only recall an occasional image from daily life. The computer core was heavily damaged." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Wiped clean, or so the salvage report said," interjected John. "But there was no record of you. At least, not in any report that my security clearance gave me access to." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "In either case, I don't know. I only know that I ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | With ambivalence giving way to blushing, Shannon returned the smile. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Who else knows?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Just you two," Shannon returned. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "What about the captain?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Give her some credit, Leon." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Amused astonishment washed over Leon's face. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "So what do we do?" said Leon, raising an eyebrow. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Well, I'm involved here on a personal level, so I'm not sure if I can be considered unbiased," | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Are you kidding?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I know it sounds harsh, Shannon, but it's the truth. By your own admission, you're a computerized fragment from this ship's past that no one onboard knew about until this evening except John. It affects the crew, and it affects the captain' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "A person whose very existence is tied to the proper functioning of this ship," explained Leon. "There are so many things that can go seriously wrong by the crew's perception that Shannon is a living, breathing human independent of the ship's higher computer functions. What if we lost the processor core in the middle of an operation? What if an alien computer virus took over Shannon' | ||
+ | |||
+ | The three officers mulled over the situation in silence. Each of them had their own reasons to be reproachful about Shannon' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Are you sure?" John asked. | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "What do you mean?" the two men said in unison. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I didn't figure it out myself until my sub-routines picked up the activation of the closed- circuit transporter system in the isolation room early this morning." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "What are you talking about?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | At about that time, Julian Bashir abruptly entered the room with a soberly serious expression on his face. | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
---- | ---- | ||
< | < | ||
<fs x-large> | <fs x-large> | ||
+ | In her condition, Cha' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Aided by a pair of medical technicians, | ||
+ | |||
+ | He knew everyone would have questions, but at the moment, he had no strength to answer them. As he lay there, hearing the hushed voices of others throughout the room, the sounds of medical equipment, the sounds of the tricorder being passed over him, he found that for the first time in as long as he could remember, he felt safe. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Roth, Yezbeck, and Bashir had gone above and beyond any expectations he had ever had of anyone doing anything. They had literally raised him from the dead. He had grown to consider John Carter and Leon Cromwell as friends since he had come aboard. Now he added Roth, Yezbeck and Bashir to that list, despite the fact that he knew little of them personally. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Though he wasn't yet certain, he thought it likely that the Vulcan he knew as Cha' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Are you insane?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Hawk had neither the strength nor reason to open his eyes as he replied, " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Before Yezbeck could scold him further for his departure AMA, another voice asked the sixty-thousand-dollar question. | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | The question had come from Republic' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter glanced behind the partition that parked Leon's office, noting that Shannon had left. John thought about that for a moment, but reasoned that as a pediatrician, | ||
+ | |||
+ | In one bio bed, he saw Leon Cromwell, tending to Republic' | ||
+ | |||
+ | There was tension in Sickbay. Whenever patients were involved, there was always going to BE tension, but this was different. Normally, the current of emotions came from not knowing whether a patient was going to live or die. This time however, the doubt came from somewhere else. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Mere days ago, Republic' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Given the previous revelations of the day, John had expected Leon Cromwell' | ||
+ | |||
+ | After seeing that Lieutenant Commander Cha' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Inside the turbolift, Carter leaned against the curved bulkhead, and weighed his options. As he spent long seconds in thought, he heard the soft whisper of a resolving hologram. "Is this what you meant?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Shannon nodded. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Who? Bashir and Saal?" Carter questioned. "What about them?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Harris looked into Carter' | ||
+ | |||
+ | She had a point, Carter knew. Plus, over the months, Saal Yezbeck had done a very good job of not being noticed. So much so that Carter found he was beginning to take the seasoned physician for granted; handy talent for a spy to have, if Shannon was right about him. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Julian Bashir, as far as anyone in Starfleet knew, was one of the Best of the Best (sir). He'd taken a post on Deep Space Nine as an able, if over-eager ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | There had been rumors that Bashir was somehow favored, but from what John could tell it wasn't political connections. While there was no denying that he was a gifted physician, as well as quite personable (indeed, Carter had to admit that he'd come to like Doctor Bashir quite a bit) there didn't seem to be too much about the man that Carter hadn't come to expect from anyone in Starfleet. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Bashir was a model officer and doctor. Just like Saal Yezbeck. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Damn it." Carter hissed as the turbolift opened to the bridge. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Kim Roth was there, waiting, with Smoke, her bright-eyed companion perched comfortably on her shoulder. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | The disarming calm of her voice caught Carter off guard, but he knew that the things he had to admit, as well as the questions he wanted answered, would have to be addressed in private. "I think we need to discuss a few things, Captain," | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Fine by me," Roth said as the headed down the ramp to the Command Deck. She glanced over at Reia Merrick. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | Inside the Ready Room, Roth moved smoothly to her desk, pausing a moment for smoke to slide, like furry, supple ink, onto the top of Roth's office chair. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter simply blinked, not expecting that she would beat him to the punch. "Uh... yes, actually." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Roth's face screwed into a bit of a frown, and she clucked her tongue. "For what it's worth, Carter, I'm sorry." | ||
+ | |||
+ | John nodded. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "But it really was the best way, in my opinion, to handle the situation." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Any particular reason you kept me out of the loop? How could you let us go through the charade of a funeral? Grozit! We gave the man a fly-by for Gods' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Roth sat back in her chair, surprised that Carter' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Roth waved her hand and smiled, not dismissively, | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter cocked his head to the side. "Uh, thank you?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Roth propped her elbows on her desk and rested her chin on her hands. | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter rolled his eyes, afraid of where the conversation might be turning. "Now hang on a minute Captain. I'd never..." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Roth nodded. "I know you're not after my job, Commander," | ||
+ | |||
+ | "After everything this ship's been through, all the shake-ups in command and staffing, the manipulation of Cestus and Sigma Omicron V, the crew knows, to a man, that you will always shoot straight with them. I didn't want to take that from you." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter shook his head. "No, you could have..." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter dropped his head, genuinely surprised. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I don't think you realize how lucky you are, XO." Roth commented. "Most ships function on discipline. The idea that you do what the captain says because that's your training, and that's your Captain. End of story." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Roth placed her hands back down on the desktop. "You, on the other hand could tell the crew to meet you on Romulus, dressed for war, and they'd go!" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter couldn' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Trust me when I tell you, that's a damn rare thing. Actually," | ||
---- | ---- | ||
< | < | ||
<fs x-large> | <fs x-large> | ||
+ | |||
+ | In sickbay, Leon was shaking off the shock of two photon torpedo-sized bombshells dropped on him within the space of 15 minutes. He had just begun to accept the truth behind the non-corporeal nature of one colleague, when he was suddenly faced with the renewed corporeality of another. His first inclination when laying eyes on Nat Hawks' body was to ask why they had beamed his casket back on board, but when he saw the bio-monitors registering activity, his mouth dropped open while his brow curled into a deep furrow. After going through three different operational tricorders to confirm that the body was alive and that the instrumentation wasn't malfunctioning, | ||
+ | |||
+ | "How do you feel?" Leon asked the former helmsman, still slightly unconvinced that it was the real Nat he was talking to. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Like shit," Hawk replied, "how d'ya think I feel?" he retorted. "I got stabbed, poisoned, spent a couple hours as a corpse, b'fore gettin' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Although he didn't fully understand all of the lieutenant' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Ya, you, me an Jim Kirk." Nat acknowledged, | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | For his part, Doctor Saal Yezbeck knew this was coming. He looked down to the floor with a twinge of regret, biting down softly on his upper lip while he scratched his beard. | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | The last three words validated the universal assumption that Leon was beyond infuriated. And as the two physicians began walking towards the door, the CMO glanced in Bashir' | ||
+ | |||
+ | In the office, no sooner did the doors slide shut than did Leon begin his invective against Doctor Yezbeck. "How . . . dare . . . you . . ." Leon growled through gritted teeth. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Look, Leon . . ." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon was still bitter over the lost tissue samples from Kuga, and while the revelation about Shannon wasn't as outrageous, this most recent surprise was highlighting a disturbing trend in his mind: Leon no longer felt that he was in control of his own department anymore. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Did it ever occur to you that there might have been some ethical questions involved in that?" Leon continued his tirade. "Not to mention what you and Bashir did to Hawk himself? The man is now, for all intensive purposes, a walking CORPSE!" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Saal did not respond, feeling that there was little he could add to calm his boss. Instead, he stood there, resolved to take the abuse blow by blow. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I haven' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "He saved your life," Saal commented softly, wishing immediately that he hadn' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Glaring at Saal, the pain in his hand subsided as Doctor Cromwell cursed under his breath. "He put the lives of three dozen patients in jeopardy that weren' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I know that you're probably not going to be able to forgive me for this, but..." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "So, instead of following the orders of the lead physician on the case, you went out on your own?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "And tell me, how is that in accordance with your Hippocratic Oath?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "He was already dead," Saal reasoned. "His life functions were on full support, and the toxin was shutting down every neuron in his brain. It was only a matter of time. Bashir had to act quickly." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon's eyes widened. "So it was Bashir??" | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "The captain?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Yes, and she was under orders from even higher." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "You mean you're ALL taking orders from a cloistered fool with a braid?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | With a hesitant nod, Saal confirmed Leon's assertion. "Yes. But it's not what you think. There' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon rubbed his eyes with excruciating frustration. He had heard that line one too many times in his dealings with Starfleet, and he had heard enough. Two bombshells was his limit for the day, and with resolve to take the subject to the captain next, he handed down a reprimand to his second-in-command of sickbay. | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | It was a blow to be taken out of a leadership position, but Yezbeck was tough-skinned. In his opinion, it was better than being banned from sickbay altogether, so he assumed Leon still had some trust for him. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I understand," | ||
+ | |||
+ | "No, Saal," Leon returned with controlled, yet unrelenting anger in his voice. "I don't think you do." Without another word, Leon left the room, leaving Yezbeck to stand alone in the office. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "In a way," Cha' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I don't suppose it would make things easier if you knew that I've been fully briefed concerning your... situation... would it?" Julian asked. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | She looked at him oddly. "Not really. It would not surprise me of that situation, seeing how little I was really briefed on the situation and the process used. The Admiral never ceases to amaze me." She took a deep breath to help ease the pain that was coursing through her body. "It is nice to see you again, Julian." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Surprised at her reaction considering the ethical issue at hand, Julian considered the possibility that she was not yet aware of her level of involvement in things. Most specifically, | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Nodding, Bashir activated a tissue regenerator and began to pass it over one of the soft-tissue wounds, "It was actually a paper I co-authored with the Voyager EMH that inspired the Admiral. The ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I would have offered them if asked, but I understand why what was done and how it happened. With everything that I have been through, it is not uncommon to be tossed into the unknown." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "That is pretty much what I have come to believe as well. Hopefully all will work as planned and we can have somewhat normal life to return to the Alpha Quadrant. However, I do not know what will happen." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Just as Julian was about to say something, he was interrupted by Security and Lieutenant Beauvais entering Sickbay. She directed the two security officers around the impostor science officer. She walked over herself looking between the two of them. "Is she medically fit for transport?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Slowing, not sure what was going on, Bashir replied. "Yes, she is." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Good. Lieutenant Commander Cha' | ||
+ | |||
+ | The two guards escorted the impostor of a science officer out of sickbay and to the Brig. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | It was an unusual experience, to watch one's own funeral. It wasn't what he had expected it to be. He had lived his life fast and hard, knocking over anyone in his way. He had always presumed that, when he died - likely as a direct result of some stupid risky stunt of his own creation - he would be memorialized, | ||
+ | |||
+ | So much had happened in the time he had been aboard the Republic. So much had changed; and for once, for the better. He had always lived his life on the edge of existence, always pushed every boundary and taken the risks no one else thought sane. He had become so notorious for such that he had been branded as having a death wish; a brand that he, in classic Nat Hawk style, took upon himself as a pilot call sign in defiance. It had been true, though; he had had a death wish. The pain of his life had been such that the prospect of a ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Irony, like tragedy, like risk, was a recurring theme of his life, though. A part of him hated Starfleet, even now, and yet it was within it's ranks that he had come to find as much peace as he had known since childhood. He had made a career of taking risks beyond the realm of survival and had always survived them; and now, it seemed, not even death could hold on to him. Logically, he knew better; Bashir, Yezbeck and Roth had all been plotting and scheming since just after the Sigma Omicron V mission, when Nat had used up every last iota of good will he had with Starfleet Intelligence. They had prepared for his eventual demise, and planned for the end-result of it rather than try to prevent it, in order to accomplish a far greater goal than simply saving his ass. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Part of him wanted to be angry that the only way to protect him was to, in fact, let him die. He wanted to be angry for never having known prior to this all about their clandestine plans to resurrect him. He couldn' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Nat couldn' | ||
+ | |||
+ | He was alive, though, so he was hardly in a position to complain. Both doctor' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Somehow sensing her before he had any reason to know she was present, Nat turned his head towards the door a second before it divided to admit Leah Warner. She had been on his mind constantly, and yet, he had been unable to contact her since the revelation of his status among the living an hour earlier due to his own uncertainty of how to broach the topic of being alive. Their relationship was an enigma to him; their first encounter had been hostile and sarcastic, but the conflict had eased into an uncertain flirtation, and just as quickly, a deep emotional connection that he had never truly experienced with anyone else before. They had both changed through each other, and for the first time in his life, Nathan Hawk knew what it was to truly love someone else without pain being entwined with that love. | ||
+ | |||
+ | For the longest time, they said nothing to each other as they stared at one another in the fairly desolate recovery ward. He could tell she had been upset, and as much as her pain pained him in turn, a part of him relished the reality that he did mean something to her. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Did you know?" she finally asked him, her voice hushed and her emotions guarded. Though the question was vague, he knew exactly what she was asking. | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | For a long moment, she simply looked at him, uncertainly. When she finally spoke, it wasn't what he had expected her to say. "I don't think I can do this." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Confused, Nat furrowed his brow as he asked, "Do what?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | For a long moment, Nat said nothing, as he simply absorbed what Lead had admitted to him. He wanted to be angry, or hurt, or upset; but he had been so through much in just the past few days... he was numb. Not to emotion, certainly not to pain, but to rage and shock. The absence of rage from within himself startled him for a moment. His rage had driven him for so long, in situations he would not have survived without it. The hand-to-hand battle with his unwitting pawn assassin, Evok, on Sigma Omicron V was a prime example. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Ya know," he started, pausing to inhale a deep breath, "yer prolly right." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Nothing else needed to be said. | ||
+ | |||
+ | In an instant, she at his bedside; her lips pressed against his as tears trickled from her eyes. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I thought I'd lost you," she choked out, as they switched to an embrace. | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Pulling back, she looked into his eyes with sadness as she said, "You can't promise that." | ||
+ | |||
+ | With every ounce of bravado he had, he offered one of his devil-may-care grins as he replied, "I just came back from the dead, babe. If I've gotta do it again n' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Despite her tears, she laughed. A sound that made Nathan Hawk feel truly alive again for the first time. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | **Location: USS Republic, Brig** | ||
+ | |||
+ | It had been a few hours since Zoë had locked up the impostor. She finally had her moved from the Brig to the Interrogation room. She was going to get her answers if it was the last thing that she did before she finished up her time here aboard the Republic. She had been placed on the ship to protect it and its crew and yet she failed. She allowed the assassination of Lieutenant Hawk. She even had allowed two impostors and two assassins to live aboard the ship now for the last few weeks without detecting them. They were definitely good at what they did in order to slip by her. That just meant that she had to get better at her job and care less about those around her. She would need to become cold and calculating like them. From afar, Zoë had her arms crossed in front of her chest observing the prisoner disdainfully. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Not only did she hate the woman that sat in front of her, she also blamed herself for allowing all this to happen -- especially on her watch. It was not fair to watch everyone suffer the way that they did so that, WHOMEVER that `Operative' | ||
+ | |||
+ | The Vulcan that sat in front of her seemed to be looking to the distance, her mind not on the present. Apparently she had been well versed in surviving interrogation techniques. Pain twinges could be seen across her face from time to time as she shifted slightly in her place. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Zoë smiled inwardly. It was her turn now to be the one in control. Finally after watching for a few more minutes, she decided that it was time to take action. `Enough of this sitting around and waiting crap', she said silently. | ||
+ | |||
+ | She entered the interrogation room, with all eyes watching. She had to be careful with how she handled herself. Zoë locked eyes with the Vulcan woman and sat down across from her, setting her hands out in front of her with a small PADD that she could jot down some notes as need be. The room was stark and cold. Metal on all sides, including the reflective table and two chairs that were in there. It was enough that shadows hid from the bouncing light throughout the room. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Do you know why you are here?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Yes. I am under arrest for murder." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "State your name and your rank." | ||
+ | |||
+ | The Vulcan woman just raised an eyebrow. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Why are you here?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "My orders assigned me here. I was to watch over Lieutenant Hawk for the the information that he held. However, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "My orders permit me to explain. To a point," | ||
+ | |||
+ | In point of fact, Zoë knew, the woman in front of her was a Vulcan, and conventional wisdom said, without fail, that a Vulcan could not be compelled by any known means, to talk if they did not wish to. She decided to stick with the soft approach. "Why did you kill that woman?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Frustration started to boil beneath her skin, but Zoë took a deep breath. "Do you always follow orders?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Are not all Starfleet Officers supposed to?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "There are no records of an Arria, Daughter of Morverik. Actually," | ||
+ | |||
+ | "That is because I was murdered as Lieutenant Hawk was. However, at that time in my life, we did not have the technology to revive me. We do now." She said, matter-of-factly. "My true record is classified and you need special dispensation from Temporal Investigations in order to access it. If you had the clearance to read it." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Zoë was stunned for a moment. Did a Vulcan just insult her? The Security Chief was pretty sure that was impossible on a molecular level; far too emotional for a Vulcan. Nonetheless, | ||
+ | |||
+ | Arria breathed normally. "I am not at liberty to discuss that matter. I am here for the murder of a woman who was herself the murderer of Lieutenant Hawk. Anything further is not a topic for discussion." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | There was no emotion on the Vulcan' | ||
+ | |||
+ | The Vulcan' | ||
+ | |||
+ | ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "This is a charade then?" The Vulcan asked. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "As will mine." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Zoë then left the briefing room running through the list of answers she'd give the command officers on Republic. She left the room, heading down the corridor to meet with Commander Carter. | ||
---- | ---- | ||
< | < | ||
<fs x-large> | <fs x-large> | ||
+ | |||
+ | fter his intense conversation with Doctor Yezbeck, Leon left the sickbay with the same "get out of my way" march through the corridor he gave when he left it the previous morning when Hawk died on the diagnostic bed. Those unlucky enough to be in the hallway when the doctor passed had to divert towards the wall to avoid being bulldozed. Fortunately, | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | The silence in the turbolift was only interrupted by the hum of the maglift engine as the cab slipped through the conveyor system on it's way to the destination. Leon had almost hoped there would have been someone in the car so he could grumble at them, but his anger subsided as he found it rather silly to fume when he was the only audience. As his pulse slowed and blood pressure returned to normal, he stared to regain his composure when an electronic whisper sounded over the hum of the lift. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "You were a little hard on Saal," Shannon commented. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon closed his eyes in recognition of the voice. "I suppose I should start getting used to that," he replied calmly, referring to Doctor Harris' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | With a sigh, Leon admitted his temperamental outburst. "I know, but I couldn' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I know," Shannon consoled him. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon's frown returned with an appearance of confusion as he suddenly realized something. "Wait a minute," | ||
+ | |||
+ | "There a difference between the *Republic' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "On the saucer section," | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "You mean everywhere there' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I don't think so. His software is encoded to prevent cross-platform programming conflicts. Although it makes him less prone to diagnostic errors, he's not very flexible. However, my program is much more dynamic, and can readily utilize different types of computer systems and holographic hardware." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "This is going to take some getting used to," Leon grumbled. | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "For what?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "For accepting me for who I am." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | As the doors to the turbolift parted, Doctors Cromwell and Harris entered the main bridge and headed to the captain' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Here we go," Leon sighed, pressing the entry buzzer. | ||
+ | |||
+ | As the doors parted, Leon and Shannon saw John Carter standing in front of the captain' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Well, speak of the devil." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon nodded before turning back to the captain. ". . . devil?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Yes, well, it seems old Earth expressions are common here on Republic," | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon took up a similar pose as John in front of the captain' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I see Doctor Bashir wasted no time in informing you of our little secret when I told him it was safe to do so." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Leon . . ." Carter interrupted him with a cautionary tone. | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I don't see anything to be angry about," | ||
+ | |||
+ | John smirked slightly. "Well, I don't know that I'm in a position to throw stones just now, Doc." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon huffed in frustration. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Roth's attention shifted between the two officers. "I hate it when I feel like I'm missing something," | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Roth leaned back in her chair. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Works for me, Captain," | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter nodded. "Oh, I'm not happy Doc," he explained, "but the woman does know how to make her case. You should at least listen to her." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon took a seat at the desk-side sofa as he let out a series of sub-audible grumbles. Across the table, Roth nodded. "Thank you, Doctor." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Now, let me say from the start that I am genuinely sorry that I had to keep this plan from the two of you," Leon bowed up as if he were about to comment, but Roth met his gaze with the briefest pause and a raised eyebrow. The doctor received the non-verbal message, and chose to remain silent. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "It would be too easy to say that there are things neither of you needed to know," she explained. "None the less, that is the truth, and while I will apologize for needing to do it, you should both know that, given the same options, there is nothing I would do differently." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon could feel gorge rising in his gut, and couldn' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Next to the Doctor, Republic' | ||
+ | |||
+ | It was not a request. | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon's eyebrow arched in surprise. "Well, this should be good!" he muttered. | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Resting on Roth's shoulder, Smoke " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon waved his hand in front of his face. "Now, hold on," he said, keeping his voice in check. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Roth felt the sting of her own words forced back at her. Leon was exactly right. After what had come to be called the " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Poor timing on my part Doctor," | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon still wasn't buying it, and he let his displeasure show. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "But, it's not enough, Doctor?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "A certain point of view?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Well, I've never been a Middie, and I've been dealing with shades of gray each time I've had to deal with Starfleet," | ||
+ | |||
+ | Again, Roth arched her eyebrow. | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter frowned, and looked towards his friend. "You never mentioned to me anything about that." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Roth's look of interest slowly faded to stoicism when Leon mentioned Kostya' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon had found her sore spot, and he knew it. He got up from the couch to face her with a similar posture by placing his hands on her desk. He was determined to get to the bottom of the ultimate question on his mind. With his voice rising, Leon put his cards on the table. "Are you, or are you not, still working for Kostya?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Is that what you think?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Sit down, doctor . . ." Carter interjected, | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I said SIT DOWN!" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Slowly, Leon retreated back to the couch, maintaining his glare at Captain Roth. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "As captain," | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I don't act insubordinate unless I have a good reason," | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | The shock in Doctor Cromwell' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Roth's smile returned, and John's never faded as he enjoyed the moment where his friend stumbled over his own words. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Trust me, doc. She's on our side," John finally said as a bewildered Leon struggled between the incredulity of Kostya' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I suppose Kostya' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Put simply, he's out for blood," | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "And why I chose to take action now with regard Hawk. We're essentially cut off from the media cycle." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "So, we what? Map a few star clusters? Lick our wounds?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Roth nodded. "And take stock." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter let his head hang for a beat, then looked up at his commanding officer. "No time like the present." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Roth raised an eyebrow. "Well, I certainly don't object to the relationship, | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter chuckled. "No, nothing like that," he said. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | A wash of photons, and the accompanying whine of a hologram field made the air in Roth's Ready Room crackle for an instant as Doctor Shannon Harris materialized in front of Republic' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Resting on the bookshelf behind Roth's chair, Smoke bleeked in surprise. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Roth's expression was completely deadpan, but whether that was by choice or out of disbelief, no one could say. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Finally, Roth turned her attention to Carter. "How long have you known?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "For sure?" he pondered, "Just after the dust-up with the Tholians. There were odd things before that, but that was when I knew for sure." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Roth leaned forward, placing her hands flat on the desk. "And you didn't think it necessary to inform me that one of my officers was not real?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Harris crossed her arms in front of her. "I think that Voyager' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Roth looked at the redheaded hologram sidelong. "A . . . poor choice of words on my part, Doctor." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Go on," Shannon said with a nod. It was clear that she was determined to have the captain focus on her and not the other two gentlemen, as if to underline her argument for equal treatment. | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon stopped for a moment. "I have none, Captain. Though, with Doctor Harris' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Makes sense to me," Harris offered, surprised, but not quite bothered at the turn of events. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Then the only other thing I'm going to insist upon is that you no longer hide your status from the rest of the crew. I'm not saying you have to make an announcement, | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I can do that, Captain." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "If they wear a Starfleet uniform, then tell them to come talk to me directly," | ||
+ | |||
+ | Again, Carter chuckled. "Well, I'm sure I'll get no end of grief from Hawk," John admitted, "but if it comes down to it, I'll just remind him that he had to get his life saved by a girl. That ought to buy me some time. Uh . . . no offense, ladies." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "None taken," | ||
+ | |||
+ | "We can talk about this later, John," Harris said with a smile. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Roth clapped her hands against the surface of the desk. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I suppose," | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Roth's face turned in a scowl. "No doubt. I'll be scheduling a briefing regarding our next assignment, after I've had a chance to debrief Lieutenant Hawk. See you all at 1400, Wednesday." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Aye Captain." | ||
+ | |||
+ | On the bridge, Leon and Shannon turned towards the turbolift while John started in the direction of the command pit when he paused. "Oh, and Leon," he beckoned to his friend, " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Are you kidding?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Not a bit of it, doc," John shook his head. "If you're not ready by now, you'll never be. Recent events have only emphasized how much we need another qualified bridge officer that the captain and I can hand duties off to. That test is the only thing standing in the way." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "You know better than anyone else what I've been through! Can't you make an exception?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I don't play favorites," | ||
+ | |||
+ | Without another word, Leon walked sulkily into the turbolift where Doctor Harris was waiting patiently. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Need help studying, commander?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | \\ | ||
+ | \\ | ||
+ | \\ | ||
+ | **Location: Armory watch desk, deck 5, USS Republic** | ||
+ | |||
+ | There were a lot of misconceptions about the Tactical Branch of Starfleet. The first was that they were all trigger-happy adrenaline junkies, or thickheaded robots that just wanted to blow things up. In reality, since the merging of the starship combat role of the helmsman and the planet-side responsibilities of the old " | ||
+ | |||
+ | First and foremost, like almost everyone else on a starship, a Tactical Officer was a problem-solver, | ||
+ | |||
+ | "No, Sir. She claims to be Arria, Daughter of Morverik, deceased years ago." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter shook his head in disbelief. "So, whom DOES she work for? If she's not Starfleet Intelligence, | ||
+ | |||
+ | "She claims to be from the Office of Special Intelligence, | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Well, I guess that makes some sense. But I've never even HEARD of this, O-S-I" Carter admitted. "What I want to know is who she REALLY is, and more importantly, | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I, uh...looked under the right rocks?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "You thought to check the QUANTUM signature?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter smiled in admiration of the young officer. While he was many things, John liked to think that chief among them was honest, and if he looked at himself honestly, he had to admit that detective work was not his strong suit. `Nope,' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | She stated that she was assigned here to watch over Lieutenant Hawk for the information that he held. She stated that her orders also gave her a clause to eliminate any threat to him, past or present that may attack." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Past or...?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Again, Carter took a deep breath, rubbing the back of his neck, more out of habit than to soothe away any tension. "Ok, then. What do you recommend we do now? Captain wants us to remain in the black for the time being, but I don't want this `Operative' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "She is Vulcan. Technically she can't lie. However, with her being from ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | She was a good officer at one point, at least, if the original record is accurate. I would say, see if I can get more information out of her. Brig suits until we get home. I'm just afraid that when we get home, if she is truly SI, she'll be scooped up and out of here before we can blink our eyes." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Zoë smiled again, indicating that she was absolutely looking forward to another `chat' with her new favorite guest. "At the moment though, we have an ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter nodded. "Ok, I'll take that to the Captain. In the meantime, keep an eye on our, who-ever-she-is, | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Yes, Sir. I will personally see to the arrangements." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter turned on a heel as he headed for the door. "Oh, before I forget," | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Thank you, Sir." He walked out of there and she left as well to make the necessary arrangements for the ' | ||
---- | ---- | ||
< | < | ||
<fs x-large> | <fs x-large> | ||
+ | |||
+ | **Location: Recovery ward, main sickbay, deck 12, USS Republic**\\ | ||
+ | **Shiptime: 03:25 hours** | ||
+ | |||
+ | The last time sickbay' | ||
+ | |||
+ | On this particular night, the gamma shift had only a single patient tucked away in the recovery ward, and so the tending shift supervisor, Doctor Fernmoore, excused all but Ensign Watson and CPO3 Teague for the rest of the night. The sole patient, Lieutenant Nathan Hawk, was banished to the to 13-bed recovery facility with Nurse Watson tending the nurse' | ||
+ | |||
+ | For his part, Nat was restless, as being cooped-up in a sterile environment for *any* length of time was not his cup of tea. While feigning sleep, and hoping that the tending nurse wouldn' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Before long, Nat found himself wandering past the empty ward supervisor' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Well I know why I can't sleep," | ||
+ | |||
+ | "What are you doing up?" Leon exclaimed with a mix of irritation and genuine concern. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Yeah, well, death does funny things ta ya. Insomnia, apparently, is one've ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Considering Leon's words for a moment, he became stuck on one item in particular. "Ya know, that's what SI, ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon considered Nat's words for a moment. "God knows I've had my fill of shady characters hiding behind the rules, but while I understand that the rules have to be bent on occasion, the person who is doing the bending must realize that they' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "And if my memory of Federation history serves me, he also paid dearly several times for breaking the rules. My point is that if you're going to even *bend* the rules - for whatever reason - fine. But don't expect everyone to like it, and don't expect to get away with it. When it comes to Starfleet rules, I'm a bit more understanding about rule-bending, | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon frowned and crossed his arms while leaning back in his chair. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Oh hell, Nat!" Leon stood up abruptly. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | The scenario Leon proposed did give Nat pause, and for the first time in a while, he felt a glimmer of that old rage buried deep within himself. He was not, by nature, a trusting individual; he had rarely trusted anyone so much as he did a handful of people here, aboard Republic. So the idea of any one of them breaking that hard-formed bond of trust... | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Ya, I'd be pretty pissed off." Hawk admitted. | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon sat back in his chair and looked at the recovering helmsman in thought. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | The two sat in silence for almost a minute, staring blankly into thin air, as if coming to grips with their own human frailties. Nat, with his hard-fought struggle to return to the realm of the living, and Leon, unable to come to grips with the emotional toll of the methods to achieve the miracle. Whether either of them knew it or not, the real struggle was yet to come. | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "No offense, but if heaven n'hell exist, than bein' stuck in sickbay s'my own personal purgatory. Ya've got all this fancy medicine, how 'bout puttin' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Well, it's not that simple," | ||
+ | |||
+ | Nat simply blinked at Leon for a few seconds, a deadpan expression blanketing his features. "Maybe it's the death talkin' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "If you can't sleep, we can give you a somnetic inducer. But until I'm confident that the nanoprobes have the upper hand in keeping your cells alive, I want you in sickbay where we have a better chance of reviving you if your body decides to fight back against them." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Well yer just a fun-suckin' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "That will all depend on how the nanoprobes interact with your metabolism over the long haul," Leon warned. "There are very few active duty Starfleet officers with Borg nanoprobes swimming around in their veins. Even after five years of intense study by Fleet Medical, they' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | At about that time, the door to the office slid open to reveal an irate Nurse Watson. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "THERE you are!" she scolded Nat like a mother hen. "What are you doing out of bed? And why are you bothering Doctor Cromwell?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | For the first time since before the funeral, Leon allowed an extremely amused smile to spread across his face. His friend' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "At zero-three-thirty hours? | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | The questioning tone in the doctor' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Keep yer shirt on!" Hawk said to the impatient nurse. He realized only after he had said such that, once upon a time, he would have followed up on that with 'on second thought, take it off', but such no longer felt... right. Which gave him some pause. "Ya know, somebody once said... ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "No problem," | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Well, don't stay up all night thinkin' | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | It had been less than a day since the crew of the Republic had learned of his resurrection. Less than a day since those he cared for had learned they had mourned prematurely. Less than a day spent awake and aware in the confines of Sickbay. Yet when it came to spending any amount of time confined to Sickbay, less than a day could easily feel like more than a year. At least, as far as the risen Lieutenant Nat Hawk was concerned. Tired as he was, weak as he was, ill as he felt, he wanted nothing more than to get the hell out of the ship's medical facilities. It was almost enough to drive him back to the drink. So when he first spotted Chief Engineer Vance Devloch enter Sickbay, he had felt a momentary sense of reprieve. It turned out to only be momentary, indeed. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "You son of a bitch." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Well howdy back at ya." Hawk replied, meekly but with enough sarcasm to sound like himself even though he felt like a walking corpse. | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Next time I'll stay dead a might longer then, just ta give ya an excuse ta get smashed." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "As if I need an excuse," | ||
+ | |||
+ | Hawk eyed the flask for the briefest of moments before turning his gaze to Devloch, refusing the offered beverage. "I ain't desperate enough fer a date ta get filleted like a fish, thanks. Got maself a long-term dance partner, matter a fact. Unlike yerself, who only seems ta keep the company a that flask 'n his own warp core - an I don't mean the big one down 'n engineerin' | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Hawk didn't have a response for him. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "So, how was being dead?" Asked Vance calmly. | ||
+ | |||
+ | As quickly as Devloch had pissed him off, so to had he come down off his high-horse. "Well, I tell ya what. Was more 'an just in a ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "That never even occurred to me. Maybe I WAS a little quick to jump into the bottle in this, one, specific case. Hell, I'm not fooling anyone, haven' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Trust me, it ain't somethin' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "The Orion syndicate? Why'd you have to go and piss them off? As to trying it myself, I'm paranoid, something to do with being a prisoner of war and of course there' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Damn man, would ya put those away? Yer thicker n' a mule sometimes, I swear." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "They let me play with anti-matter and nobody told me? What am I doing talking with you when I have such fun toys to play with?" The knives disappeared "Ya know, if I had some serious enemies I'd probably consider taking some reasonable precautions. Just a thought. So, what are you going to do next? I'd think that coming back from the dead would be a tough act to follow." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Why d'ya think they had a plan ta bring me back from the dead in the first place?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I think your definition of fun, and my definition of fun may be just a little too close to comfort. I think I'm going to take some more time out for additional combat training I've got a strange feeling that things could get... Interesting... in the near future." | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Meh, ya worry to much. I been cheatin' | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | A few days later, something was still bothering Lieutenant Nathan Hawk. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Despite all the twenty-fourth century medical technology Leon Cromwell could throw at him, he was still unable to sleep but for an hour or two. He had even tested a handful of homeopathic remedies suggested by his friends and colleagues to no avail. Sleep simply alluded Nathan Hawk in the wake of all that had happened to him recently. Even their resident head-shrinker had suggested a number of psychological causes for his insomnia. In classic Hawk fashion though, Nat had dodged the Counselor' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Thankfully, he was finally ' | ||
+ | relationship would take him, and the possibility of loosing her as he had everyone else in his life hung over him always. Yet some part of him, something stronger than the rage that had driven him for so long, refused to let that risk from making the decisions any longer. | ||
+ | |||
+ | As he lay in the darkness, he couldn' | ||
+ | |||
+ | And yet... | ||
+ | |||
+ | While he had ebbed between life and death, trying to grasp the concept of existence between worlds, a lone voice reached out to him from the darkness. Not any god, nor any demon; none of the things he might have expected from the myths and legends passed down through time. Just a voice, and while it claimed it could have been anyone, as in in challenge to his sarcastic quip and his own disbelief, the voice had chosen to manifest itself as James Tiberius Kirk. Nat, like almost everyone, had revered the Starfleet hero of century' | ||
+ | |||
+ | He hated that. He preferred the ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | He needed answers in the here and now; ones that he could not get lying in bed. | ||
+ | |||
+ | With a barely audible moan from the sleeping Leah, Nat slipped out of bed and walked into the main living area of his quarters. Taking a seat at the desk, he pivoted the desk-mounted computer console towards himself, and quietly spoke to it. | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | As his eyes scrolled across the list, nothing seemed to fit the situation. Training scenarios, historical re-enactments, | ||
+ | |||
+ | Calling the program up on one of the vacant holodecks, Nat couldn' | ||
---- | ---- | ||
< | < | ||
<fs x-large> | <fs x-large> | ||
+ | |||
+ | The evening following Nat Hawk's late night stroll through sickbay, Leon fulfilled his side of the promise and released the helmsman to his quarters under bed-rest. There was a question or two from other members from the senior staff on whether it was too early, but a promise is a promise, and there was no medical reason why the lieutenant needed to stay in sickbay. Of course, from Leon's point of view, it was a bit more personal, as he had spent the entire previous evening awake in his office, following through with an all-night cram session in preparation for the bridge officer' | ||
+ | |||
+ | The morning of the bridge test started of like any other day. He awoke at 0700 hours, showered, ate, and by 0900, he was strolling into holodeck one where Commander Carter was waiting for him. With barely a "good morning, let's get started," | ||
+ | |||
+ | Amazingly, Leon managed to survive the ensuing combat, destroying the first Warbird in a fierce volley of combined phaser and torpedo fire. The return torrent of firepower was almost as devastating, | ||
+ | |||
+ | Although the second Romulan was destroyed by the combination of friendly fire and structural stress brought on by the sudden release of the tractor beam while the ships were locked in a impulse-speed tug-of-war (a little trick John had taught him during his course of starship tactics), the third Warbird had received only moderate damage by the subsequent explosion. As Republic received a barrage of deadly disruptor fire from the third Romulan vessel, it was only by way of ejecting the antimatter pods that Leon was able to keep the ship from turning into a burning field of space debris. Nevertheless, | ||
+ | |||
+ | While there may be up to 20,000 sensory hair cells in the cochlea of a normal human, Romulans, being of Vulcan decent, have over 50,000. In addition, the frequency range of their hearing is between approximately 40 to 60,000 hertz, while humans can only hear sounds within the frequencies of 20 Hz and 20,000 hertz. This lower range may seem inferior when looking strictly at the numbers, but it has the advantage in that species with a higher range (such as Romulans) are often forced to adjust their com system to an elevated gain when communicating with humans to hear the full range of vocalizations. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Subspace communication systems between known space-faring races (whether friendly or not) are pre-programmed for what is ubiquitously known as a " | ||
+ | |||
+ | As a matter of simple physics, the power in a sound wave is proportional to the square of the pressure. Therefore, an increase from 10 to 150 decibels is roughly equivalent to a 10 million-fold increase in sound pressure. At maximum volume, the Romulan audio speakers are capable of broadcasting at 160 decibels; a purposeful design to ensure that remote areas of the ship can hear any important announcements during an emergency. Such a sound level is capable of permanently damaging the human eardrum, and higher than the normal threshold of pain for Romulans should they be standing anywhere near the speaker system. | ||
+ | |||
+ | After listening for a few seconds to an extremely distorted audio transmission, | ||
+ | |||
+ | It was long enough. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The last of Leon's assets on the Republic included emergency backup power, thruster control, and three fully-pressurized shuttlebays. Opening the outer doors of the latter asset caused enough explosive decompression to hurl the Republic towards the remaining Warbird. The momentum was slightly above the Republic' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon had almost expected cheering when the five well-placed thermonuclear explosions eliminated the remaining attacker, but the holographic bridge crew remained at their stations in silence. Confused, the doctor looked around the bridge: The simulation had not ended. In fact, as he took note of the smashed bridge stations and virtual pockets of fire and smoke throughout the room, the gravity of their situation sank in: They were dead in space. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Apparently, space combat was only an introduction to the bridge officers' | ||
+ | |||
+ | To save on precious life support power, Leon took the logical step of evacuating the remaining bridge crew to auxiliary control on deck 8. There, he consulted his holographic senior officers, who just happened to mimic his real-life colleagues. The dimly lit ready room of the battle bridge was cramped, and each officer bore the sign of stress and fatigue. Their uniforms were torn and singed, and a few even bore some injuries signified by dried patches of blood in their skin. | ||
+ | |||
+ | As they sat around the small compartment, | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Five hundred and twelve," | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Well, sickbay is obviously gone, and the stardrive section infirmary is inaccessible. We've managed to get most of them to holodeck six, but the EMH is offline, and we're working with mainly first aid kits. The most critical patients are being treated as best we can, and we've set up holodeck five as a triage center." | ||
+ | |||
+ | //" | ||
+ | |||
+ | The ominous computer warning accentuated the seriousness of the situation. "Do we have an evacuation option?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Not really," | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Not an option," | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Well that does it," Leon concluded with determination. "We have to find another source of power to maintain life support." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | //" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Have you pulled the plug on absolutely everything?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | As the minutes ticked down, Leon went from frantic to panicked, checking off every possible way to conserve energy for life support. One idea had everyone capable of wearing a survival suit to do so in order to extend battery life. Although that would have bought them two hours, it unfortunately would have taken them 20 minutes to get everyone in suits, which is more time than they had left. | ||
+ | |||
+ | //" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon's final idea was to take every handheld device, from phasers to tricorders, and attempt to use the power packs to recharge the ship's batteries. By the time Vic finished explaining how long that would take compared to how little effect it would have on their energy reserves, there was less than a minute left. | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | //" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Wide-eyed with trepidation, | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I told you it was going to be tough," | ||
+ | |||
+ | "This is crazy!" | ||
+ | |||
+ | John simply rolled his eyes and began walking towards the door. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "What about warp physics?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "What about them?" John replied, walking into the corridor beyond with Leon in tow. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "How do they apply in there?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Well, you obviously used some of them to great effect," | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Some of them," Leon admitted, still angry and annoyed. "But what good did it do me? I still failed!" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Not everyone is cut out to be a bridge officer, Leon." | ||
+ | |||
+ | The duo walked past several officers who moved to the side to make room for them in the hallway. It was minor spectacle. Enough to embarrass John, but not the doctor, who obviously was too irate to care. The passing crewmembers said nothing as they went by. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "That was ridiculous!" | ||
+ | |||
+ | At that, John Carter stopped dead in his tracks. He turned slowly to look at his friend with such annoyance that it gave Leon pause. "Did you keep trying that holographic simulation program I gave you access to?" he retorted. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "The Kobyashi Maru?" replied Leon. "That was ridiculous too! I kept getting blown up!" | ||
+ | |||
+ | John hung his head in despair. "You still don't get it, do you?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Get what?" Leon exclaimed. "What was there to ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Do you think commanding a starship is all about combat?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Well? What was I supposed to think? That program is nothing *but* combat." | ||
+ | |||
+ | John shook his head and leaned up against the wall with one arm, clenching and unclenching his fist in frustration. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Leon, you're a scientist as well a doctor. Did you do any research into the Kobyashi Maru scenario? Do you know what the test was for?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | It suddenly occurred to the CMO that he was taking John's gift of the antiquated holodeck program for granted. Apparently, his friend meant for him to study it in detail, and not run it with the superficial attitude of a novelty present. In fact, Leon was rather surprised that John was so heavily biased towards the tactical scenario, suggesting there was a larger message that he failed to absorb. It caused him to stumble through the inquiry. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Well . . . uh . . . I guessed it was for tactical starship training . . ." | ||
+ | |||
+ | John stared incredulously at the doctor before responding. "No. It's not. The Kobyashi Maru is a test of character. And since you never finished it, I can only guess that you have NONE." | ||
+ | |||
+ | The reply hit Leon squarely in the gut. It was an insult, and it came from one of his best friends. In addition, it wasn't a fun-loving insult over drinks. It was a very sober and very direct insult meant to harshly jog Leon's personal assumptions. It succeeded. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "What the hell do you want from me?" Leon whispered, still feeling the pain of John's stinging remark. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I want you to start seeing the universe for the way it really is," John directed. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "You have twenty-four hours to figure it out." | ||
+ | |||
+ | With that, John turned around and proceeded to walk away from his friend. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Are you saying that you're giving me another chance?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Without turning around, John continued down the hallway and offered his final say in the matter. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Leon stood speechless, watching as John disappeared beyond the gradual, lateral curvature of the passageway. His emotion had swung from nervous, to jubilant, to panicked, to frustrated, to hurt, all before finally settling on dazed. The doctor was a mind-melding Vulcan' | ||
+ | |||
+ | The next recessed cove along the corridor wall was that of holodeck two, and the chuckle was coming from Nat Hawk. The lieutenant was in his night robe, and stepped out from within the closed doorway vestibule to lean his shoulder against the wall by the control panel. He was apparently quite amused about John and Leon squabbling through the corridor like a married couple. | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Nope, not unless I like ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Even though Nat had violated Leon's medical curfew, from a doctor' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I don't recall ever writing a prescription for an early morning romp with Orion slave women," | ||
+ | |||
+ | Nat seemed to consider something for a moment, then finally shrugged and shook his head. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Well you must have been doing something healthy to bring that smug grin back to your face," he prodded him. "I can only assume it was some sort of mix of physical exertion and pleasure. Both of which you're NOT supposed to be doing, I might add." | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Well after that lil lovers quarrel b' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "You think that whatever ' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Never know til ya try," Hawk teased, " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Just . . . try it. Trust me." Nat said. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Why would I be interested in running a program that *you* designed? Last time I joined you in any other pursuit other than drinking, I found myself dangling from a hopper on a rope over a lava pit." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Nat couldn' | ||
+ | |||
+ | With a smile that never ceased, Nat shuffled on down the corridor out of sight, leaving the confused Leon standing alone outside of holodeck two. With little choice left, Leon raised an eyebrow before entering the chamber. | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | **Location: Outer ring corridor, deck 10, USS Republic** | ||
+ | |||
+ | John Carter walked briskly, trying to shake the feeling that he'd just punched a friend in the gut. Behind him, moving to a bouncing trot to keep up, Shannon Harris raised her voice. "John! Don't you DARE walk away from me." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter quickly spun on a heel, a little surprised at the yell that almost came out of his mouth. He took a deep breath to try and collect himself, then looked at Shannon again. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Yeah, that," he said, running his fingers through his hair. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | Shannon regarded Republic' | ||
+ | |||
+ | John gave the red headed pediatrician a dismissive wave. "Come on," he said simply, "No one's twisting his arm. Besides, you know as well as I do that Leon is exactly the kind of man that `Fleet needs. Especially now." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Shannon shook her head. " | ||
+ | |||
+ | "Then what ARE you arguing?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | Shannon folded her arms in front of her and gave Carter a stern look. "Let me finish, COMMANDER." | ||
+ | |||
+ | Carter shook his head again. "What are you talking about," | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I agree, John," Harris said smoothly. "He belongs on this ship, with this crew, but needing us and needing `Fleet is not the same thing. Besides," | ||
+ | |||
+ | John tilted his head sideways for a long moment. "You really think I pushed him too hard to take the test?" | ||
+ | |||
+ | " | ||
+ | |||
+ | John shook his head again. "I told him, the test isn't about combat. Truth be told it's not even REALLY about the `No-win scenario' | ||
+ | |||
+ | "You think he can't? He's a doctor John. He deals with life and death nearly every day." | ||
+ | |||
+ | John stepped closer and put his hands on Shannon' | ||
+ | |||
+ | Shannon stepped closer, letting John fold her into a hug. "I never really thought of it that way," she said quietly. | ||
+ | |||
+ | "I know," John said in a whisper. "What matters is if Leon can think of it that way or not." | ||
---- | ---- |