Inheritance
Posted on 10 May 2015 @ 9:29pm by Lieutenant JG Emmarie (E'Ma'ri) & Lieutenant Benice Gyce Ph.D.
1,365 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Episode 08 - NIMBUS
Location: USS Galileo, Deck 3 - Security Office/Brig & Deck 4 Junior Officer Quarters 04-0602 JO
Timeline: MD 2: 0900 Hours
ON:
Emmarie knew that this was coming.
She'd returned to her quarters after a meal and had found a message directing her to go to the security office. They had questions they wanted to ask her, and she knew exactly what they pertained to.
A few minutes later she was wearing her skant uniform, and entering the security office. She knew she'd done nothing wrong, but that didn't mean other people saw it that way. Taking a deep breath, she entered the office and found her way to a security officer. "I'm Lieutenant JG Emmarie. I was told my presence was needed here."
"I'm Lieutenant Benice," Gyce returned with an impassive composure. "Security HQ in San Fran informed me of you situation and suggested we have an informal discussion. So if you don't mind, I'd like to do this follow-up thoroughly so that you will not have to go through this again."
Emmarie nodded. "Of course, Lieutenant. I'll talk you whatever you need to know." The last thing Emmarie wanted was to appear insubordinate, and the information she had might make it easier for the security team to protect her. "Can we speak in your office?" Better to keep this all off the rumor mill.
"I don't have an office. But my roommate is on shift, so we can chat there, if you like," Gyce offered, only because she knew it was one of the few places they'd be uninterrupted.
"That's perfect. Thanks," Emmarie said, genuinely happy for the other woman's accommodation. A short time later she was in Gyce's quarters, and was awaiting the line of questioning that she knew awaited her.
Gyce pointed for Emmarie to sit on the bottom bunk while Gyce sat at the desk and rubbed her sore leg a few moments before she pulled her computer out of her messenger bag and began to make notes.
"It says here you are the heir to an Orion slave ring," Gyce began while looking at her notes. "So the big question is this... You're in Starfleet. An organization that is against slavery. So why haven't you passed ownership of this ring to someone else?"
"I don't honestly know how," Emmarie said, shrugging. "I was found as a baby. Until they tried to abduct me, I had never met another Orion. Besides, perhaps maintaining possession of it will allow me to some day find a way to disband it. To save all those innocent people."
"Try again," Gyce noted very soberly. "Orion syndicate families are notorious for offing rivals and family that do their business harm. And the selling of slaves is the most lucrative business Orions family dons have."
"I wouldn't know," Emmarie said. "Outside of the bare minimum that I've learned in history classes, I don't have any real knowledge of what the Syndicate is about. I'm an Ops officer, not an Intel officer." She steeled herself, trying to hide as many of the roiling emotions that were trapped within her as she could.
"Well then you need to appoint a new don of your slave trade syndicate quickly," Gyce pressed. "Because if you keep ownership for too long, you may very well find yourself exiled from Federation Space as a known slaver."
"I... what?" This was worse than she'd expected, and she couldn't quite figure out what to tell Gyce. "I don't know them. I mean, they're two anonymous brutes to me. I know virtually nothing about my parents. I couldn't tell them what syndicate was mine even if I knew who to talk to."
"Then we need to set up a meet at point and transfer ownership. Because if it doesn't happen soon, Federation Intelligence may very well start digging into your family business," Gyce cautioned as delicately as she could. "And the courts could act worse, in putting you in jail, if current activities under your current rule prove the family is still in the business of slaves."
"A meeting?!" Emmarie's control broke, and she jumped up in order to increase the distance between them. "No, no, no," she said, shaking her head. "I cannot go there, I cannot be around them. It's not just about inheritance, they believe I have it in my genes to lead their slave ring. They'll try and take me, just like they ried at Deep Space 9."
"Then I strongly suggest you figure out how to sever those ties, because the next time you and I have this discussion? You could very easily find yourself behind a forcefield," Gyce cautioned gently.
"Forgive me if I sound impudent, but I didn't ask to be born to those sort of parents, and I've worked hard my entire career to prove that I'm more than just another pirate or animal woman. This situation leaves me with rather poor options, don't you think? If I meet up with them to sign over my rights, I have to risk endangering other innocent people on my behalf. And even if I do succeed, there's no guarantee they'd leave me alone..." Emmarie sank back into the seat with a sigh.
"So the fear of being taken again is the reason you don't want to renounce ownership of a slave ring?" Gyce asked with skepticism.
"It's not a groundless fear, and I don't know what they would do to anyone who tried to accompany me. I mean, they did try to kidnap me once already, so it's not like this is a baseless fear," Emmarie explained. She understood where Gyce was coming from, yet at the same time, she felt like she was in a no win situation. Either way she decided would have a considerable amount of risk associated with it.
"I'm not trying to be difficult, I just don't want to see innocent people suffer, and I don't want to take risks with other people's lives. If I go alone, they'll try and force me to take over."
"All the more reason for you not to go alone," Gyce pointed out. "We put on our uniforms with the assumption they we'll take on the risky missions. And if you can't let people help you, then the Federation Government is not going to see your problem as harmless much longer. Especially when there is inaction to fix it."
"Who would want to help me? This isn't exactly a glamorous set of circumstances. And again, I don't know where I'd go or who I'd contact or anything." Emmarie sighed, wondering if she'd been foolish to think that she could ever be anything more than what her genes made her.
"Best place to start, is the CO of this boat," Gyce suggested. "Or the Mission Advisor. She's also Orion, and she's former Intelligence. If anyone knows how to resolve the situation, it would be her. But doing nothing tells the Federation you're not in compliance of their laws. And the government will not be tolerant of this situation for very long."
"I don't even know if what they said was true," Emmarie said, though it was a rather halfhearted attempt. She knew that there would be questions, that people would want to speak to her. She didn't expect... well... this. She had a thousand yard stare as her brain struggled to digest it all.
"This is an informal meeting. No charges are levied yet, but if you want to keep your rank and citizenship, I am advising you to resolve your issue quickly," Gyce noted as she tapped the more relevant facts of the conversation down into her personal computer. "I'm also advising you, that I have to inform the command staff of your current status, as soon as this meeting ends."
"Of course," Emmarie said, her voice suddenly sounding rather small to her own ears. Ah hell, how am I going to work my way out of this one? "Thank you," she said, with a gratitude she most-definitely didn't feel. "Is that all?"
"For now," Gyce agreed. "You're free to go, Lieutenant."
OFF:
Lieutenant JG Benice Gyce
Security Investigations
USS Galileo
Lieutenant JG Emmarie
Assistant Chief of Operations
Part-time Slave Owner
USS Galileo
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