Back to Duty

Posted on 03 Apr 2017 @ 8:43pm by Commander Luke Wyatt & Rear Admiral Lirha Saalm
Edited on on 03 Apr 2017 @ 8:46pm

2,934 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: Episode 14 - Statecraft
Location: IKS DuJa'Q - Deck 07, Captains Quarters (High Bay)
Timeline: MD 10, 1900 hrs

[ON]

Luke wasn't one to make house calls but ever since he was back on his feet after his unfortunate 'accident' and was making the rounds. He had been told about Lirha and several people expressed their concerns and the fact she had relieved their best pilot of duty for a period of time Luke couldn't wrap his head around it and knew something was off. Perhaps what she needed was a familiar face to speak to which is why he now stood outside the captain's quarters. Pressing the chime he waited.

A light yet curt voice replied from the other side of the door. "Yes, enter," came Saalm's quick reply in a slightly annoyed tone. Situated at her desk surrounded by both Klingon and Federation data pads, the Orion general was about to tear her hair out at some of the operational reports the Klingon department heads had recently submitted to her. Being aboard a K't'inga-class battlecruiser, she didn't necessarily expect the same level of attentiveness from her officers as she would have on Galileo, but nonetheless there was a certain lack of professionalism and detail in each of the submissions which was making it hard for her to oversee the ship's operational status and gauge their overall readiness level. The sound of the door chime was a mild distraction that she wasn't quite sure she needed at the moment.

Luke entered and saw Lirha sitting behind her desk. "Busy Ma'am?" He asked standing in front of the desk at a somewhat mixture of attention and ease while he tried to gauge the admiral. "I hope you don't mind I wanted to see how you were doing." and if she did mind then tough. He told himself.

When she heard the voice and looked up, the Orion suddenly realized she hadn't seen Wyatt in what seemed like ages. Weeks, perhaps? She'd been busy with her duties aboard DuJa'Q and admittedly hadn't been her most personable self. Much of her time had been spent either on the bridge or in her ready room, and when she was off duty, she relegated herself to her quarters. "Commander," she replied, forcing a small smile across her lips. "It's good to see you again. Are you feeling better?"

He nodded picking up a PaDD of the side and reading through it absentmindedly. "As good as anyone can feel on this ship, I'll give any good Klingon a run for them money yet" He joked placing the PaDD back down and looking at the Orion. "And yourself?"

"Well enough," she answered with intentional simplicity. The desire to go into the details of her feelings and stress factors was something she couldn't afford at the current moment. "The ship is running better-than-expected and we've had only minimal maintenance problems. All things considered...I'm pleasantly surprised." Hopefully, she hadn't just jinxed their mission in the process of saying that.

Luke sighed "Well that's at least half the fight right?" He asked, "We just need a bit of luck on our side and we'll soon see the other side of this and can get back to the Federation." He paused for a moment. "Have you got something to drink?"

Yes. Hopefully, she thought to herself in agreement. Lirha wished she could be more optimistic about their chances but knew the real challenge lay mere days away. What they'd encountered in the Beta Tauri system would pale in comparison to their final task.

"Yes, over there," she answered, pointing to the replicator along the far wall of her quarters. "Make yourself at home. I have a sonic shower if you need one, as well. It seems there are only a handful aboard the vessel."

"I'll pass on the shower," he said moving to the replicator "Blood wine?" He asked replicating himself a glass his back turned to the Orion. One thing he was grateful about this ship was they didn't have a restriction on alcohol.

She shook her head to decline then pointed a finger towards a nearby unmarked crate that was half-hidden behind the couch less than a few meters away. "I have the real thing if you want? You don't have to drink it replicated," she suggested.

Luke smiled as he put his drink back down and walked over to the hidden gem. "Can't be the real stuff" he poured himself a drink and sipped at it. "How did things turn out so crazy" he asked himself out loud.

"It's what happens when Klingons and Romulans collaborate," she replied with half-jest. The fact that Kreanus had survived so long with its administrators and fleet commanders from originally-opposing factions was a testament to the world's political resolve. Yet, the inherent problems of the union seemed to now be on full display. "We just happened to get caught in the middle of it," she added.

"That's an understatement! We're really going to need a lot of luck behind us for this one. I just hope we have it." He sipped at his drink, the burn running down his throat.

Lirha eyed him out of the corner of her eye while holding a data pad in her hand. As much as she wanted to have Wyatt's visit be a minor disruption, she resigned to the fact that it was good see him again and placed her work down on the table in front of her for another time. She leaned back in her chair and swiveled it to face him. "How are you feeling about our plight. Truthfully."

Luke thought about the question whilst sipping on his drink, thinking very carefully about what he was going to say "I think we've bitten off more than we can choose. We're out of touch of Starfleet, we're running off borrowed time and I think we're going to see more death."

She couldn't help but let out a soft laugh, not necessarily at his assessment, but rather at the somber future, his words portrayed. "You're not an optimist, I assume? Or is that just how they train Marines...to always expect the worse?"

"To the contrary" Luke started placing his glass down on the desk. "I am a very optimistic individual but this mission, I mean. I've been up against the Jem'Hadar, Borg and worst but its rubbing me the wrong way and I feel were being manipulated." He admitted.

"Well...that would be because we are," she answered frankly. It wasn't much of a secret that her crew didn't have a great deal of choice in their mission. Medara held the keys to their freedom and was now using them to fulfill a dangerous assignment for her. "We're not exactly here of our own free will. And as much as I want to keep the peace between the Federation and Klingon Empire, there are more suitable Starfleet vessels and personnel to handle negotiations such as these."

He shook his head "Then why do we still go on with this charade? We have a ship, a crew..." He left the words hanging in the moment. He had never thought of taking over control of a ship by force especially from within or as a military coup which he was prepared to do so if this mission continued such.

"Because half of our crew is Klingon, Kreanans, and we cannot complete our mission without them," replied Saalm. She looked at him curiously, wondering why he would ask such an obvious question or if there was more to it than the simple explanation. "We have no choice in the matter."

He turned his back and finished his drink "This is true." Luke couldn't help but admit the numbers were not in the favor but what they were doing or at least the way they were doing it didn't sit well. "There are many instances throughout history where thew few could beat the many especially when they were no expecting it even more so if they were determined."

Lirha looked down at her cluttered desk, then to her monitor's screen before looking up to Wyatt. "What are you trying to say? You think we should fight the Klingons instead of working with them?" she asked, curious as to his verbal intent.

Luke put down his glass "I'm just saying be careful, I don't trust them and..." I don't trust you he continued in his mind. Ever since her return Lirha seemed offish. "I've spoken too much, I should leave. Just stay well and keep the crews interests at heart, as I know you always do."

He went to leave but quickly turned around "Admiral? Remember that time when Holliday had to undergo that experiment with the goo? It was my first time aboard the Galileo after the Borg. That was quite funny" he shook his head remembering the false memory wondering if this Lirha was an imposter, he had considered it.

"I've spoke too much," "keep the crew's interest at heart," Holliday and the goo... Something was wrong with Wyatt, she could tell, and his attempt at a hasty departure seemed even more dubious. "Sit down, commander," she promptly ordered. She wasn't going to let him go anywhere until she figured this out. "Do you know what my assignment was before attending Command School at Starfleet Academy and being assigned to Galileo?"

Luke sat down cautiously "I haven't read into your previous assignments" He admitted wondering where she was going. In all essence he and Lirha were two tyrants and it seemed they were about to clash. Which is what he was hoping to avoid.

"After the war, I was an Operations officer assigned to USS Santiago and USS Mackenzie. A communications specialist," she began to explain. "I served on those vessels for four years before I was promoted and reassigned to Starbase 137 as an Intelligence officer. I was selected for the position because of my cultural background and intimacy with various Alpha and Beta Quadrant species during my youth." She looked down at one of her PADDs and slowly pushed it to the side to set her hands down on the table in front of him. "After the Hobus disaster, I was reassigned to USS Athens as the chief intelligence officer when the ship deployed along the Romulan border. So...I have had extensive training and field applications in cultural communications and counter-espionage."

She then looked at him carefully and deliberately, judging his body language and facial features. He didn't seem very comfortable while sitting in front of his commanding officer. "There is no time for us to play games and doubt each other," she added in a low voice full of passion and frustration. "You are a Starfleet officer and I expect you to act as such. I might wear this Klingon uniform but I am still your captain. Do you understand?"

"But are you really though?" He questioned "Is this really what has become of us? We've been through so much together and I have never see you like this, not even I am acting rationally anymore. This" he motioned "isn't Starfleet, and since we're doing rid of smoke and daggers isn't you, I don't know just how fit you are to serve and rightly so. You've come back from death, lost your ship and crew and with what is left you're being forced to take us into essentially enemy territory"

Lirha listened to his words. Her eyes creased and one of her fists balled up. As sympathetic as she was to the plight they'd all been through, seeing one of her senior officers and command staff members in such a way was a terrible sight. "..Mister Wyatt..." she said through gritted teeth. How dare he question her resolve after all she'd just been through and the loss of her children? "We have all been through difficult times recently but you have known me a long time. And now you...question my motives? To get this crew home safely to the Federation? While you insinuate a forceful takeover of the starship?"

Luke stood tugging his tunic straight "Admiral, tell me with absolute certainty that you trust these Klingons and that you believe they won't double cross us or try killing us then I shall drop this and I shall fall in line as I do trust your instinct but I have never and will never follow blindly into a situation where the line between doing the right and wrong thing is closer than we have ever operated before." This time he was calm and passive but radiated frustration.

"You know I can't give you that guarantee," she replied. As much as she wanted to reassure everyone around her of the mission, what Wyatt was asking her to swear on was impossible. They were in over their heads but they were still treading water. Which for the moment, was keeping all of them alive. "This is our only chance to return to the Federation and protect the integrity of the Klingon-Federation relations. Don't you see?" she asked-pleased.

Luke nodded "But at what expense Admiral? Our very value and standards are on the line here and some of us won't come out the other side of this if at all and I don't know if the risk is worth the possible reward" He sighed heavily "I am sorry Lirha, I just think were in over our heads"

"And what would you do in my place? Advocate the forceful takeover of this ship? For what end?" She was frustrated with his comments but tried her best to maintain her composure. It was difficult. "How many of us would die in such an attempt? If we abandon our mission and simply return to the Federation, then what becomes of Kreanus and the possible war that it could start?" She shook her head, her hair lightly swaying across her shoulders. "The complexity of what we've been asked to do is immense...and I don't understand everyone to understand or agree."

At this, he was silent for a long time. The silence dragged out until he finally spoke "I guess that is why you're in command and I am not because I don't think I can bare that responsibility" He let out a long sigh "I am sorry for being so... Rash."

"Mister Wyatt," she paused to rephrase and show a personal level of support, "Luke, you can always voice your concerns. I'll do my best to listen...but this has been very hard for all of us. I can't have doubts about any of my officers during this journey. Too much is at stake." She hoped he understood, that he wouldn't think he was just trying to shut him up and comply with her orders.

He nodded "I understand, I am sorry for doubting you. I think this is affecting all of us in a way we have never encountered before. Please know despite this you will always have my full support."

Lirha breathed an internal sigh of relief. She'd been worried about his comments -- that they might indicate some sort of resistance to her plans which would inevitably result in a clash between officers. Now, however, she felt reassured. At least, for the time being. "Your support means a lot to me. Even if I don't show it. It's been a hard time for me as well. I think...many of us are struggling. But we have to keep it together."

"I agree, I didn't mean to come across so abrupt. My military mind, for a short moment, took over and you know what they say about being between a rock and a hard place" He smiled softly at his friend. "What do you suppose will happen when we return to the Federation?" The question, though sounding simple couldn't have been further from the truth.

"I'm not sure," she answered. That was partially a lie and she'd spent many hours pondering her eventual fate. But there were more pressing matters to consume her time, and she didn't want any of the crew to begin worrying about hypothetical situations which might distract them from the task at hand. "We must take things one day at a time."

"Well, here's to many more days and may we find ourselves back home safe and sound," He said holding out his hand toward her, it's funny how things turn out. He thought to himself. He had come with an agenda, a warning but instead, he could now see how she saw things."

Taking his large offered hand in one of her own, she gave it a tight squeeze accompanied by a small smile. "And to you too, Luke. With a little luck from the spirits, we will all return back to our families in short time."

"Thank you Lirha, I must take my leave now I have a department to run.." he chuckled at his own little joke. "Take care General" he said before dismissing himself allowing him to process all they had just spoken about.

"And for the record..." Lirha said to him while he walked away within earshot, "it was Commander Blake who was submerged in 'goo'. And it was not by the Borg."

Luke turned and smiled but then the sudden hurt of Blake's name, the first person he had fallen for left a bitter taste in his mouth "I'm glad we could thin things out" He said before disappearing into the corridor.

[OFF]

--

GEN Lirha Saalm
Commanding Officer
IKS DuJa'Q

Lt Cmdr. Luke Wyatt
SOO/3XO
IKS DuJa'Q

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