Honesty

Posted on Mon Mar 1st, 2021 @ 10:12pm by Cailus Griffin & Lieutenant Kalin Brennan-Griffin PhD & Admiral Audra Milne

Mission: The Gauntlet
Location: Carnwennan Station - Hospital
Timeline: After “Found”

ON:

The security around Sickbay was air-tight, officers direct from Federation Security lined the corridors and patrolled in packs around the medical department; each one armed to the hilt. Starfleet were not taking any chances this time, they had been embarrassed by how easily Section 31 had pulled off a kidnapping within their own base and were now taking extra precautions to ensure it couldn’t happen again.

As Admiral Milne walked down the corridor, she was checked at every station; her ID and biometric scan taken multiple times before she was allowed entry into the private treating room where Shae, Cailus, Eva, and Eoin were being treated. The doors parted and she entered with a reserved look upon her face. Internally, she was fuming at the failures of Carnwennan station to keep the Brennan-Griffin family secured, and ashamed that she had all but guaranteed their safety under her care only to allow them to be taken.

“How are we doing?” She asked coolly as the doors closed and locked behind her.

"We're doing well, thank you," Shae answered. She was sitting up in a chair and her color had much improved, and she had just finished feeding Eoin and he was fast asleep with his head at her shoulder. "The doctor says I'm responding well to treatment and should be safe to be released for outpatient treatment tomorrow."

Cailus was stood on the other side of the room, conspicuously not wearing his uniform for meeting the admiral but instead favouring a simple shirt and some pants. Though outwardly calm, there was a tension in how he stood that betrayed just how angry he was. “Admiral,” he said stiffly in greeting. Eva, occupied in watching the ships come and go from the starbase’s internal docking bays through the window, seemed content in her own little chair.

"I can only apologise, profusely, for failing you." Audra said, her voice a little shaky. "I believe now that Carnwennan has been far more compromised than I realised. It should not have been that easy to extract you from this station, but it was my own hubris that believed we could keep you safe. Clearly, I have failed." She took in a breath, "As you can see, we've followed through with your every request and security has been increased, but I'm not sure that's enough."

"I'm inclined to agree, but not because you or the station has failed us, it's simply the enemy we have to work against," Shae said as she gently moved Eoin to the medical bassinet that was still monitoring his vitals following the gassing. "I accept your apology, but in return, we will need you to trust us; some information and details may come to light that will cast doubt on our words, but if you trust us the way we trust you, I think we may have a chance at beating them at their own game."

Audra's lips parted as her brow furrowed, her eyes looked to Griffin then back to Brennan. The Admiral was surprised, but that was becoming a regular occurrence. "Sounds too good to be true, but I'm all ears."

"The scene on the shuttle that you have undoubtedly already had examined and analyzed was cooked. Truth is while on the shuttle, we had a rather interesting conversation with a Section 31 Cleaner. He wants to know what Project Lighthouse is, to know if Section 31 should endorse or fight against it, and that there is an agent on the station we were to hand the information to once we acquired it. Then his team beamed in and manufactured the evidence of a fight, and then they were gone, leaving us to take control of the shuttle so we could be rescued."

"A Cleaner? That's new. And he made it look like you killed all those people?" Audra questioned, "But why? Just to make it look like you had escaped?"

Shae nodded. "So that we would be free to learn about Project Lighthouse without suspicion which would make it easier to pass the information on to the on-base agent. And in exchange, our freedom; Section 31 would stop hunting me and my family. We know it's a lot to take in, and you may already have your doubts, but that's why I asked for a leap of faith, because I'm tired of lies and deceit winning; I want to be free, but I want it the right way, and I don't fully understand what the right way is, but I know this has to be the start, with the truth."

“Captain Temple told us to trust you,” Cailus added dourly, although he was clearly struggling to believe his own words. “So we’re trusting you. You have enemies among that organisation and you have their attention now, for better or for worse. Just like we do.”

Audra looked for a place to sit down, but the small room was only furnished with a few chairs, so she leant against the wall instead. "It's all just games upon games, isn't it? I'm tired of the lies and deceit, too, Lieutenant Brennan. I'm tired of not knowing who you can trust, too, Commander Griffin." She gave a short laugh. "And yet, you were given an opportunity to bargain information for your freedom, and you chose not to? I guess there are still good people in this world after all."

"Believe me when I say it was not an easy decision for me to make," Shae admitted. "When he first made the offer, I immediately thought of the most effective ways of getting the information, and I could do it, but I guess I just reached a breaking point when I just couldn't take anymore of the games."

"Unfortunately for this Cleaner, he's too late anyway." Audra shrugged, "But I am insurmountably in your debt for not following through with his plans. Of course, by not doing so, you've put yourselves in even more danger than before. Valiant it may be, but still incredibly risky for you."

"Perhaps, or perhaps this is an opportunity for us to turn the game on him?" Shae suggested. "I 'steal' some pre-arranged information, hand it off to the intermediary, once sent then you can arrest the agent on the base and hopefully track the data transmission to the Cleaner. The last bit is a long shot, but at the very least you can unmask your mole."

Audra nodded, "That's certainly an option, but I don't want to put you all at risk any more. The sooner you're off the station, the better. If only there's a way we can do it while..." She stood upright. "Oh! The bait and switch. We smuggle you guys off the station while trapping the informant at the same time." There was a smile on her face for the first time in days, but she shook her head. "Let me think that through, but for now, we need to find you somewhere safe to go. Any suggestions?"

Cailus glanced at Shae with unease. It was something they had already agreed on, and indeed they had done it once before by getting reassigned to the Pandora so long ago, but it was difficult nevertheless. Leaving home to go on adventures was one thing; knowing that you might never go back was another.

“That’s simple enough,” Cailus said grimly, looking back at the Admiral. “The people hunting us work for the Federation, so logically, the safest place for us is as far from Federation space and Federation influence as we can manage. Given where we are, that means we either risk the long trip up to the Bajoran wormhole and go to the Gamma Quadrant, or we return to the Expanse and rejoin the Pandora.”

"I don't want to abandon you both in the Gamma Quadrant." Audra said honestly, as she thought about her own question. "Tell me, what attempts were made by Section 31 to kidnap you from the Pandora in the past?"

"Well, none, but to be fair, we also hadn't raided their secret base and killed their director," Shae admitted candidly.

"That's a good point." Audra nodded, "Still, I have a theory that you'll actually be safer on the Pandora. Don't ask me why, I know every enemy we have in the Expanse is looking for her right now, but you'll be able to help her get home and I think outside of Section 31's clutches. How does that sound?"

"Oh that sounds wonderful!" Shae said, overjoyed at the prospect of being able to go home. "But, how do you propose we get there? Is the Palatine running through the Corridor again?"

Cailus sighed, shaking his head. He was just as happy to go home, the Pandora had become to their unique family, but the obstacles were considerable. “If the President was prepared to risk it, they’d have sent the Palatine already,” he said dourly. “The Federation won’t risk a full scale war just to help one starship. We could try sneaking through Tzenkethi space again, sticking in the sensor shadow of a convoy, but we were lucky not to get caught the first place. The Tzenkethi definitely caught our warp signature when we made that last run across the border, so they’ll be on the lookout for that trick anyway.”

"Oof, that's a good point..." Shae murmured as she considered their options. "What about the shuttle used to abduct us? It was capable of high warp and some sort of holographic cloaking, that might be just what we need to slip past the Tzenkethi."

"That is a tasty bit of technology." Audra shrugged, "But perhaps it would be safer in the Expanse as well, so they can't come looking for it? I'd very much like to keep it out of their reach, too. And it would be a damn sight more practical than trying to smuggle a whole family out in cargo boxes." She paused and put on a smile. "Forget I said that last part."

"Oh, don't worry about it; this is one of those 'all options on the table' moments," Shae replied, her tone still cheerful at the prospect of returning to the Pandora.

“I’m not sure I could pull that trick off twice,” Audra commented, raising an eyebrow. “I’ll authorise the use of the shuttle, we’ll just have to wait until Intel has finished combing it first. Not that I believe they’ll find anything of use.”

Cailus grunted in agreement. “Given that they gave the thing to us, no, probably not. Still, it’s worth a try. The engineers on the Pandora will be happy to give it a go.” He stepped to Shae’s side, eyeing her enthusiasm with amusement before glancing back at Milne. “While we’re here, Admiral, we might as well talk about your plans for the Pandora, since we’ll be briefing Captain Temple. I’m guessing that Lighthouse is a plan to get the ship back to Federation space?”

Audra looked to the doorway, wishing she was in her securable office right now. "Not quite." She answered vaguely. "Getting the Pandora back is part one of the project, but I'm looking more long-term to ensure the security of the Federation and the Expanse."

Shae caught on to Milne's cautiousness, then she rose, wincing slightly at the now dull pain in her side, and tore a page from Eva's coloring notebook on the nearby table. Then she picked up a green crayon and offered it to Milne. "Orders for Nyx, perhaps?"

Cailus watched, working to suppress a grin. He was rapidly losing patience with the extreme secrecy, but Shae’s approach to it all amused him to no end. “That’ll make for one hell of a cover-letter for the padd with your official orders, ma’am. Even if we get intercepted and the Tzenkethi or Breen get the secure padd, they’ll never expect a physical letter written in crayon. I certainly wouldn’t, if I was in their place.”

Audra laughed, taking the offered crayon and page. "I'll tell you what, I'll write down a subspace channel and passcode for the Captain. When you reach him, he'll be able to use it to communicate privately with me." She scribbled some numbers down on the page, ensuring to colour over the digits a few time to make them darker. "All the technology in the Federation and I'm using a crayon." She commented with a laugh.

"Unhackable, untraceable, sometimes going simple is better," Shae remarked. Once Milne was done, Shae took the paper without reading it and folded it several times, then stuck it in the pocked of her robe. "Is there anything else we can do to help expedite the Pandora's return beyond delivering this?" she asked, patting her pocket.

"I wish you could." Audra said with a slight smile, as she stood and took a step back, replacing her hands behind her once more. "As it is, I know I have several messages from Starfleet Command regarding the upcoming investigation into your actions. Command seems eager to have that discussion. They can wait until our medical teams declare that you're ready for it. That's the least I can do right now."

"Thank you for advocating for my health, Admiral," Shae said softly as she returned to her chair. Just thinking about it had her stomach in knots, but she and Cailus had knowingly broken the rules, and fair was fair, it was only natural that this investigation would come to a head.

Cailus glanced down at Eva, the child watching everything with remarkable patience. He smiled down at her before glancing back at Milne. “Under the circumstances, ma’am, the sooner the court martial is done, the sooner we can get back to the Pandora. There’s no use delaying it beyond that point. If we get discharged from the service, we’ll just go back to the Expanse as civilians. If we end up seeing prison time, well...” He hesitated then. That was a major worry that he and Shae shared, that of being trapped in some remote hyper-secure prison, separated from the children. “We’ll see how it turns out.”

Shae exchanged a pained glanced with Cailus at the mention of prison time, then she returned her gaze to Milne. "I suppose now we have to ask a favor of you," Shae said uneasily. "Should the worst happen and we get prison time, would you see to it that our children reach my family on Earth? I know it's a lot to ask of someone we barely know, but we would be remiss if we didn't consider our children's future in all this."

Audra was taken aback by the request, as she considered the possibility for a moment. But then she shook her head as she firmly replied, "Starfleet would not put you both in jail. Please, don't get yourselves worked up. I am sure they want this dealt with quickly and cleanly, so putting you both in jail would only cause more problems. They will take your responsibilities as parents into consideration, especially given that's why we're in this mess to begin with."

"You're probably right," Shae said, relaxing into her chair slightly. Then she looked over to Eva, so patiently waiting for the adult talk to be done so she could play again. "It was worth it," Shae said with a smile. "I bet you don't get that response from Officers facing a court martial, but it truly was worth it just to see her now, happy and getting healthy and strong. Whatever punishment we received, it was all worth it."

"Remember that." Audra smiled, "And by all means, remind Starfleet of that. They may be officious and bureaucratic sometimes, but they are people too. They'll get it." She got an idea, "Heck, bring the kids into the trial, it'll work in your favour."

Shae's smile grew. "That would be something," she replied. "It's a good thing that Eva is so patient and her brother is still in the 'sleep all the time' phase or that could turn into a circus!"

Audra gave a little shrug, "I cannot guarantee that it won't be already. Still,I'll be writing you both a recommendation, explaining the extraneous circumstances as much as I can. I think if I highlight the importance of your positions on the Pandora, and the need for the Pandora to make it safely back home, that could hopefully work in your favour. I just can't make any promises there."

“Nothing is certain these days,” Cailus mused, glancing out the window as a large freighter passed by on its way to a dock. “We’re not even certain that the Pandora is safe. Someone onboard got access to Aoife so that they could copy memory engrams and send them on. That someone might even be connected to Thac, for all we know.”

"You'll need to ask Captain Temple to do a thorough sweep of the ship, try find out who it is." Audra replied. "Otherwise, we'll need to prevent the crew from disembarking when they return to Federation space and detain them for questioning as part of our investigation."

“Yes sir,” Cailus answered curtly, nodding. Before he could say anything else, they were interrupted by an insistent beeping from the small terminal in the room. Cailus stepped over to it, reading the message before glancing back, this time at Shae. “Our JAG rep is here. Security is searching him now before they let him in.”

"Right, of course." The Admiral said with a hurried nod, "I'll let you prepare for the trial. Call on me if you need anything." She said and turned to face the door. Audra stopped and sighed, saying gently, "I really hope this all works out." Before heading out of the room.