Pity

Posted on Wed Jun 24th, 2020 @ 3:47am by Captain Nycolas Temple & Sasha Vieers (Deceased)
Edited on on Fri Jul 10th, 2020 @ 6:00pm

Mission: The Evils Within
Location: Deck 17 - Brig

ON:

Captain Temple strolled into the Brig with purpose. He only had a short break before he had to be back on the Bridge, and truthfully he would rather be anywhere else but on this particular Deck right now. However, there was a pressing matter at hand that he needed to address and though time was short, it had to be done. The security officer on watch straightened their back noticeably as Nyx entered, as a sign of respect for a senior officer, but truthfully they were already standing at full attention. Trained very well by Lieutenant Commander Griffin.

"Is she conscious?" Nyx asked immediately, the use of names almost unnecessary as there was only one occupant of the Brig cell currently.

"Yes, sir," The young Ensign gold-shirt replied. She paused, "Sir, we apologise for the incident in - "

"No need." The Captain cut her off immediately. "We were following protocol and I wanted to see if Vieers could play nicely with others. Clearly that wasn't possible. I have sanctioned the use of stun weapons against the prisoner and will explain this to Commander Griffin when he returns."

The Ensign nodded, clearly relieved even if she wasn't allowed to show it, as returned to her state of attention. Nyx gave a slight nod to end the conversation and walked towards the cell; the only one currently powered up with lights and the shimmering blue glow of a force field.

Sasha Vieers sat on the steel bench, hands pensively on her lap as she stared straight ahead. The Captain's footsteps echoed into the silent room, as a slight sneer appeared on Vieers' lips.

"I expected a visit." She said calmly. Ever since the events on Paradise, her tone and voice had gotten deeper and severe, a sign of the changes in her life and standing amongst the crew. "Surprise you could find the time, though."

"Don't flatter yourself." Nyx snapped, which he instantaneously regretted. He didn't want to show her the disdain she was clearly searching for. "Unfortunately, I'm not here to discuss your little tirade in Sickbay, Vieers. I have other news."

"Your goons are going to stun me again for practice?" She smirked derisively.

"Sasha - " Nyx said impatiently, eyes finding the ceiling.

"Oh god, you're going to give me a speech, aren't you? Try to scare me straight?"

"No, Sasha, you need to just listen to me."

"Go ahead," She finally shrugged, "Tell me oh Great Captain. Give me your sermon."

There was a long, hesitant pause from the Captain, as he took in a deep breath. "There's been... an accident." Nyx said quietly, "Your parents have died."

Sasha's face fell for a moment, but her eyes soon withered into hateful slits. "I don't believe you."

Nyx frowned. He had expected her not to trust the news coming from him, but he had to press on, "They were travelling to Earth for your trial - "

"They would NEVER!" Sasha interjected, balling her hands into tight fists. She started to hiss with anger.

"They had taken a small, civilian runabout because the Trill Government wouldn't sanction the trip - "

"YOU LIE!"

"The ship flew too close to a gas giant in the Ba'Ku system - "

"STOP IT!"

"They couldn't pull out of the orbit and hit the atmosphere without enough shield power - "

"STOP TALKING!"

"Their ship broke apart in the atmosphere almost immediately. There were no survivors."

Sasha leapt up from her bench and ran straight for Captain, wielding her fists in wild punches at him. She instead connected with the force field and was repelled backwards, falling hard against the floor. The Captain grimaced at the sight as Sasha started to whimper.

"I have the incident report from Trill." He continued, quieter still, "As evidence."

Sasha looked up from the floor, eyes full of tears but still an angry stare. "Do you really hate me this much?" She sneered.

"Sasha, I would never wish this upon anyone." Nyx said earnestly, "I got the report before we descended to the planet but didn't want to be the one to tell you. I was hoping Lieutenant Kaleri could be the one, but she's on-mission now. I guess, I knew it coming from me would be the last thing you'd want. "

"Because it's a LIE!" She screamed. "Because I threatened your wife? Spoke to your girl? You want to hurt me back, is that it?! You are SICK!"

Nyx just shook his head, "Vieers, I don't want to hurt you. You are entombed in so much security that you will never be a threat to me or anyone else, ever again. You couldn't have gotten my daughter to do anything that would free you. As for your comments to my wife? They're just words." He shrugged, "I'm saying this because you needed to know and, despite everything we've been through, I am truly sorry for your loss."

"No!" Sasha cried, "No! No! No!" She buried her face into her hands and fell into a heap on the floor. "It's not true, it's not true!"

"If it is any consolation," Nyx said sadly, "Your parents were coming to support you. They hadn't given up on you."

Sasha let out a guttural cry as she descended into tears. After news of her crimes on Paradise Outpost had reached the Federation, the Trill Government had immediately sought to disown Sasha, calling her a murderer and traitor. Her parents had been deafeningly silent; either through shock or complete abandonment of their only daughter. Sasha had pursued a life in Starfleet in order to improve her candidacy as a symbiont host; to wrestle back generations of rejection for Joining in the Vieers family. Now she had disgraced her parents, her name, her species, and herself. She had expected never to hear from her parents again, so to learn that they had died while traveling to Earth for her trial was equally confusing and utterly heart breaking.

Nyx stood pensively for a moment as Sasha sobbed into her hands. He wondered if he should get a nurse to administer something to calm her down and mentally kicked himself for not thinking of this earlier. Sasha had put on such a hard, uncaring facade since the events of Paradise, but Nyx had long suspected this was only to protect her guilty conscious. Though he wasn't prepared for how much the news would effect her. Sasha was a mess and he could only find pity for her in this moment. The facade had completely broken down now.

After a few minutes, she looked up to him, eyes different once again, sorrow and confusion evident but her hatred of the Captain persisted. "It is lie, isn't it? Tell me the truth, you are lying."

"I'm sorry, Sasha."

"No, no, no! It's a lie, IT'S A LIE!"

"I'm sorry."

Finally, she whispered, "But it has to be." She took in a deep, staggered breath, "Because if it's not, then it's my fault. They died because of me."

Nyx was taken aback by this, opening his mouth at first to refute the statement but then realising he couldn't. He looked down to his feet. "They made the choice to come, you didn't ask them to." He replied weakly.

"But if I hadn't... done what I did on Paradise, they would still be alive." Sasha said. Her voice was fragile and hoarse.

Nyx shook his head, "Try not to think about that. You should rest, Sasha. I'll get one of the Medical crew to give you something."

Sasha just nodded solemnly as she curled up in a ball again. It was the first time in a while she had listened to the Captain but she could feel her mind and body going into a state of depression and grief and simply didn't want to continue the conversation any longer. Though a voice in her mind was constantly telling her not to believe Temple, she was feeling overwhelming waves of sadness at the very thought that her parents had actually perished. There was something genuine about Nyx's tone that gave her the sinking realisation that he was telling the truth, causing her to body to fall into the misery.

Finally, she spoke. "Get them to turn off the lights. I want to be in the dark for a while."

"I understand." Nyx said. He turned to leave before pausing. He wanted to tell Sasha he was sorry again but he knew it was meaningless words coming from him. With a sigh, he walked away from the cell without saying anything more.

Approaching the guard station, Nyx looked emotionally drained and he met the eyes of the Ensign with a flat frown, "Turn the lights off in her cell completely for a while and put her on medical surveillance for the next forty-eight hours." His tone was clearly upset as his eyes were full of pity for Vieers. "Highest precautions must be taken. I want her on constant supervision."

The Ensign nodded and started to enact his orders immediately, meanwhile as the Captain continued towards the exit. The Brig doors parted swiftly and Nyx entered into the corridor with purposeful strides. Once alone, he cracked his neck loudly, as his face resumed a stoic stare.

OFF