New Beginnings

Posted on Wed Jun 24th, 2020 @ 3:01am by Captain Nycolas Temple & Mauricio Arnaldo
Edited on on Fri Jul 10th, 2020 @ 5:43pm

Mission: Death in Paradise
Location: Deck 6

ON:

After the group consisting of Raven, Ignatius, Mauricio, and Nyx, held a brief memorial for Dorian Rochester, they each started to return to their respective areas. Raven had a shift at Little Caesar's, Ignatius was going to reopen his shop, while Nyx had to get ready to put the mission into action. Mauricio should have been returning to his quarters, but he decided to speak with the Captain first.

Nyx was walking briskly down the corridor, noticing that everyone was preparing for the Pandora to depart from Paradise. He nodded respectfully at each of the crew members he passed, trying to portray an image of a Commanding Officer who was ready to put this incident behind them - even though there was still one last task to perform before they actually could leave Paradise.

"Captain!" Came Mauricio from behind, jogging up behind Temple at pace.

"Marine, you should be getting back to Country." Temple said stoically.

"I just wanted to run something past you." Mauricio replied, his breathing laboured after running after the Captain.

"Literally, it would seem," Nyx commented with a wry smirk. "Look, if it's about going to see Dorian, I'm glad that you did. That someone else did. Whatever we might have thought of him, he was still a member of this crew."

"I know, sir, it's not that." Mauricio nodded, putting his hands on his hips as he regained his breath. "It's about me."

"Oh?" Nyx stopped and raised a curious eyebrow.

"I want to ask your permission to disembark from the Pandora." Mauricio said.

Nyx was stammered, he looked the Marine up and down for a few moments, face full of confusion. "I don't understand, First Lieutenant. We're about to leave the system, everyone is supposed to be returning to the ship."

Of course, Nyx knew that the suspect would be finding their way onto the station, and the immediate thought he had was that Mauricio could be trying to find a way to make the rendezvous on Paradise. He studied the Marine's face skeptically, trying to watch for tell-tale signs of lying or deceit. Would the killer be so brazen as to openly ask him for permission?

"I want to be assigned to Paradise Outpost." Mauricio explained, "I want to help them."

"Mauricio," Nyx said calmly, purposely using the First Lieutenant's name to evoke a personal touch. "You don't know all the facts about Paradise. It's far more dangerous than we know. I also don't have jurisdiction to assign someone to a non-Federation facility."

The Marine shook his head fervently, "I'll resign my commission if I have to, sir, but I feel I owe them." he stated. "We owe ourselves an opportunity to prove we're better than the events of the past few days. I know we have to leave, the safety of the Pandora comes first, but by doing so, we leave behind a pretty messy image of the Federation. Allow me to stay and I will rectify that."

Nyx sighed deeply, "Your intentions are noble, Mauricio, but again, you don't really know what you're getting yourself into. It's too dangerous. I'm sorry, but I cannot grant your request."

"But Captain!" Mauricio complained.

"No! I am not losing another person, do you hear me?!" Nyx growled, getting closer to Mauricio now. "I have two of my officers in the morgue right now because they wanted to follow their own agenda. I will not have your death on my hands, too!"

If there had been other officers in the corridor, they quickly scattered when the Captain raised his voice - conveniently finding themselves something else to do all of a sudden. It left Temple and Arnaldo alone in the corridor together, not a person to be seen.

Arnaldo dropped his head down low and whispered, "But I'm already dead." This caused Nyx to stir a little, his face conflicted. "I died in the bubble universe. The old me died when I returned." He was crying now, hands covering his face as the tears fell. "I don't know who I am anymore."

"You are a First Lieutenant on the USS Pandora." Nyx said firmly, grabbing him by both shoulders. "You are a member of this crew. Our family."

Mauricio wiped his eyes, "That's the thing, Captain, I don't feel like that's enough. I want to do more with my life, give it purpose again. This ship, now, is just a reminder of the past. I can't be here anymore, I feel like there's something better waiting for me. Paradise might just be my chance for a new start, a new beginning."

"You have your career." Nyx said. "You throw that away, you'll never get it back. Starfleet, nor the Marines, will never accept a deserter back in their ranks."

At this, Mauricio laughed a little, but there was scorn in his eyes. "I don't find killings things to be much of a career, anymore, Captain." And then he mumbled, "I'm not like you."

"Ohh." Nyx scoffed, moving away and pacing around the Marine. "What does that mean?"

"The Ravager King." Mauricio replied with a slight shrug. "It took me a while to piece it together, sir, but I suspect now that you used me to produce a false report on Balek's death."

"That's a very serious allegation, First Lieutenant." Nyx replied, closing the distance between them once more. The simmering anger in his voice had transformed into a threatening tone, purposely so. "And if you think throwing it around is going to get me to agree to your request, you are mistaken."

"I have no way of proving it." Mauricio said flatly, "And I'm not disagreeing with your actions, Captain Temple. Balek the Butcher needed to be put down. But a favour paid is a favour owed. You allow me to depart the Pandora and my suspicion leaves with me. Not only that, but I actually get to do something meaningful with my life, which is what I really want. Deny me, and I will just find another way off this ship."

There was a long pause as Nyx stared at the young Marine, hands stiffly by his side as he considered the conversation they just had. There was genuine sadness in Arnaldo's eyes, dark circles that had permeated since returning from the alternate universe as a constant reminder of the loss he endured. Nyx knew he was never going to be happy on the Pandora again, it was too painful. But he also knew that leaving him on Paradise would be too dangerous, especially with their secret plan already in motion. Even with Mauricio's vague threats over the events on the Carnage, Nyx truly didn't want to lose another member of his crew.

"Request denied." Temple said through gritted teeth. "That is the last time we will ever have this discussion, First Lieutenant. Now, head down to the docking bay. We're loading the last of the supplies from Paradise and there is only half an hour left until we depart."

Mauricio blinked for a moment, looking for some give away in the Captain's face, but there was none. He wasn't sure what Nyx was really telling him to do. "Sir..." He began.

"Go, First Lieutenant." Nyx snapped. "That's an order."

Without waiting any longer, Mauricio turned on his heel and started off towards the turbolift. Nyx watched him leave with a quiet reservation. If Mauricio did turn out to be the killer, they would find out soon enough. He would spend the rest of his natural life in a Federation prison. Otherwise, Nyx had just freed a troubled young man to find his own fate. With Paradise about to erupt in rebellion against their Breen oppressors, this could mean certain death. Or, if just this once, everything went their way, Mauricio would find his place in the universe and actually help Paradise rebuild and prosper. Only time would tell which of these outcomes would come true, but one thing was for certain - Mauricio Arnaldo would no longer be part of the Pandora crew.

OFF