Posted by Lieutenant Dr. Solomon Kane (Medical Research & Development) in Kane’s Quarters- Confessions and Collaboration

Posted by Commander Dira Myqian (Executive Officer) in Kane’s Quarters- Confessions and Collaboration

Posted by Lieutenant Dr. Solomon Kane (Medical Research & Development) in Kane’s Quarters- Confessions and Collaboration

(snip)

Kane looked at her with a wholly flat expression, as if he was a scientist watching a bug and taking notes. But then he nodded and he stood up and went and got a glass, poured 3 fingers of the brown liquid in the bottle into the glass, stoppers the bottle, and came and sat down; setting the glass in front of Dira.

“Go slow, its really potent.” was all he said before he leaned back.

Normally she would never dare while she was on duty, but at the moment Dira really didn’t care. She wasn’t exactly in the best place mentally to be dealing with other work matters anyway, so why the hell not. She reached for the glass, traded it with her water and took a moderate swallow. She turned her head to the side and winced a little, but took another sip.

“Now I don’t know who this Paige was, but I know they were something special to you. I’m sorry that happened… really. But I want to ask you a question…” and he leaned forward and looked at her intently.

“If you could go back in time, to the moment right before Paige and the civilian were killed, and pull a trigger and keep that from happening… would you? Or would you try and save Paige and the other one… knowing that what was about to happen to them would more than likely happen to someone else further on down the road? Because thats where we’re at. We end it and save Alexis, or we save Alexis and someone else pays later. You know damn well thats a fact.” and he leaned back.

Kane

Myqian shook her head.”There will always be another Soulis. Maybe not for Alexis, but for someone else. That’s why we can’t play their game. They want to up the ante and they are counting on us getting angry enough to misstep and make mistakes. Murder is never the answer, despite how many people, yourself included, believe otherwise.” She leaned towards Kane slightly. “Paige was the woman I was engaged to. Paige was an unexpected and lovely part of my life that I have spent the last ten years letting go of, bit by bit. I can’t go back and I won’t. And you want to know something? Paige Hester Sheppard was a loyal security officer who knew she any day could be her last, just like the rest of us who swear an oath and wear this uniform. A lot may be wrong with parts of Starfleet, but if there is one thing I know for certain is that Paige would agree with me. She’d never ask me to take a life, to damage that part of myself to save her life. So you can stop using my dead fiancee as a way to make your plan more acceptable. Have you asked Alexis if that’s what would make her happy? Or were you planning on keeping that all a secret from her too? You know, what she doesn’t know, can’t hurt her or some such nonsense?”

Commander Myqian, XO

Kane leaned back and put his hands behind his head and fixed the XO with a stare. “Actually, I wasn’t using your fiance as anything. I was asking you what you would do if presented with this situation. And you told me. Awesome. We see the universe really differently. And before you try and take the high ground and use Alexis as a way to make your plan more acceptable, you need to get something through your head real fast: I really don’t care one whit for a whole lotta people. And here? That means one. So that means I’m gonna do whatever it takes to make this stop. Now… you wanna do it one way, I wanna do it another. So we’ll give your way a shot.” and he leaned forward and looked at her directly. “And if that doesn’t work, if after all we do he is still after her… I’m gonna end this. Because sometimes? Sometimes people have to do really s&^%ty things to keep good people safe. And I’m willing to bet you know that’s true.”

Kane

She almost rolled her eyes and took a generous gulp of the drink. “Psychiatrist. Twenty years. I’ve ended people’s careers because it was the best thing for them in the long run. And best for those around them who were in danger if people weren’t able to do their jobs safely.”

Inhaling slowly, Dira looked away, really wondering if this was somehow some sort of test. It sure felt like one. Could she make the big decisions with people’s lives and live with the consequences. She had as a therapist- she had had to in order to walk into work each day and keep going. But as a new first officer in her very first command position? It was a different kind of test and she couldn’t help the slight thread of worry that she was failing at it already. But her convictions meant something to her, regardless if others saw differently. “We have another problem here if you’re are looking out for Alexis and Alexis alone. And I know you can’t see it because you’re in it, but”-she turned back to look at him-“take it from someone who has been in Alexis’ shoes and had someone with an unhealthy obsession pick them as a target. You are doing her no good if you don’t take a step back now and again. You can and will do more damage to that woman who has already been through enough. She told me just enough to understand the complexities of what she’s trying to now work through. You won’t help her if you two become each other’s entire world. It’s just obsession trading places.”

Commander Myqian, XO