Four people in Starfleet Intelligence uniforms stood with Sara. “It was an oversight. One we were allowed to believe was contributory to your defection from starfleet.”
“I didn’t defect. Neither did Mwezi. No one did.”
“We’re not telling you what happened after you went dark, we’re telling you what we understood the situation to be. At the time.”
“Mwezi is a fine officer, he doesn’t deserve-“
“Allowing him to be in the fleet at all is a risk. He can stay on the ship. But his station changes. That’s final.”

Sara left that meeting knowing that this was like so much of recent times, doing something wrong ostensibly in the name of preserving what’s right. She wandered to Mwezi’s quarters and pressed the door chime.

-CO