Saints

Posted on Fri Jun 18th, 2021 @ 1:45pm by Captain Nycolas Temple & Lieutenant Kalin Brennan-Griffin PhD & Cailus Griffin

Mission: The Gauntlet
Location: Deck 2 - Senior Crew Quarters
Timeline: After "Friends Forever"

ON:

It was long into evening after the Brennan Griffins had arrived home to the Pandora and the Temples had come to welcome them back. Safe in the knowledge that Katrine and Eva's friendship was strong and both girls were happier now they were reunited, the Temples and Brennan-Griffins had enjoyed a joyful dinner together, which turned into late night drinks and spirited conversations. After Katrine had literally begged to stay the night, Eva and Katrine were having a sleep over together in Eva's room, the girls had stayed up giggling for some time before finally going to bed. The newest additions to the families, Eoin and William, had drifted off to sleep peacefully, with Emilie taking her son home to sleep in his crib. This just left Nyx, Shae, and Cailus still sitting around their dining table, glasses half empty, deep into their overdue catch up.

Nyx had been trying to find the right moment to discuss the more delicate details of their adventures, and the very real consequences that had come with it. After a moment of silence, he looked over to Cailus and tipped his glass to him. "You look very odd out of uniform." He stated light-heartedly.

Cailus harrumphed. "It feels weird. When a career extends a full hundred years, it's hard to adapt to it ending. I need to find work now that doesn't involve midnight security drills and traumatising arrogant young ensigns who just got out of the Academy." He sighed wistfully.

Nyx shook his head, trying not to raise his voice but still feeling frustrated for his friend. "I can't believe they've done this to you. Even with proof of what Section 31 had been doing and an attempted kidnapping right on Carnwennan Station? It's ridiculous that they even went ahead with a trial."

"We went rogue; we knew it and we knew there would be consequences," Shae said, then sipped her tea. "Although, I didn't expect we would get different judgements. I think they might have been more lenient with me because I had been a victim of them for so long."

Cailus nodded in agreement, sipping some wine, grateful to divert away from himself. "They even made a formal apology. I've never seen a court martial board do that, but I'm glad they did. Letting you off with a slap on the wrist was part of it, I expect. They knew that anything you did, you did because Starfleet and the Federation failed you, so apologising in one breath then punishing you in the next wouldn't have made sense. Reprimands rarely stick, anyway. Some of Starfleet's best have records full of black marks like that. Hell, Kirk stole the old Enterprise, got it destroyed, and they just gave him a new one with a demotion and a pat on the back."

"So you'll appeal?" Nyx asked insistently, a little excitement in his tone. He just wanted his house back the way it should be.

The question having clearly been directed at him, Cailus sighed, pondering his half-full glass of wine. "No, Nyx. They had no right to punish Shae, but my situation is very different. My career has been stepped in bloodshed. I've lost two hundred and eighteen people under my command throughout my career and killed a lot more in battle. I'm trained as security, but I didn't even flinch at the killing we had to do to rescue Eva. The board was right. It's time for me to stop. They should've discharged me after Menelax, if not for all the politics."

"Well sure when you put it like that," Nyx remarked lightly, "But don't let them make you think you're a bad person, Cailus. You're no saint, but you are not a monster either. You deserved your uniform, you served it just as well as anyone else here on this ship. Your rank, the pips, the Chief position. You earned that." He took in a deep breath, "Sorry, I don't mean to push. I'm just pissed off at Starfleet right now."

Cailus frowned, considering Nyx more carefully. "Sounds like there's more to it. What's happening, Captain?"

“It’s Milne.” He sighed. “I thought the Admiral was going to be our way out of this mess. The only one in Starfleet who sees how terribly corrupted the Expanse operations have become. But all I’m seeing is more games and secret plans. It’s just disappointing.”

"Project Lighthouse," Cailus said grimly. "The admiral was very coy about it, even with us. All we ever got for certain was that it gets the Pandora out of the Expanse, but no details."

At this, the Captain nodded. "Phase one is getting the Pandora out of the Expanse. She was less clear about the following phases, except to say that it is tied to everything else currently happening in the Expanse. Including the signal."

Shae sighed with a knowing nod. "Aye, that's about as much as we got out of her. I don't know what her plan truly is, but I hope it's a good one and that it's worth all the games."

"To be honest." Nyx leaned forward in his chair, staring into his glass. "I don't give a shit. Whatever this Lighthouse is supposed to be? I don't want anything to do with it. Damn them all. I just want to get back to flying this ship and serving our mission."

Cailus made a low noise of agreement, sitting back in his chair amidst the companionable lateness of the hour. "Maybe when we get out of here, Starfleet will assign us a nice quiet bit of space to explore, far from the politics and fighting. We can let the Titan handle the hero stuff, or the Europa, or the Enterprise. We've all earned a break."

"I agree." Nyx nodded, "But I don't want to abandon the Expanse. I feel like we've made incredible ground here on behalf of the Federation, it's just the shame that so many in Starfleet are determined to stuff this up with their personal agendas. If we could just be left alone to continue our mission in the Expanse, we'll actually get somewhere."

"We already have," Cailus remarked. "We established first contact with Salvaxe and Paradise. We've discovered a half dozen new species, helped Paradise find freedom, saved an entire civilisation on Hesiod, and we're probably part of the reason why the Federation and the Talarians aren't hostile anymore. Then there's the anomaly we found." He glanced at Shae with amusement. "I know when your tail starts wagging like it does when you start talking about your project that it's a big deal for astrophysics."

"It's a huge deal for Astrophysics and Temporal Mechanics! What I'm working on could one day make warp engines obsolete!" Shae said, her tail swishing with excitement as Cailus had predicted.

"All wonderful things." Nyx replied, smiling. "Whether through purpose or circumstance, we have done good."

"And don't you forget it! It's easy to forget all the good we've done when the chips are down and everything looks grim, but that doesn't undo all that good. We just have to remember and keep hope!" Shae said.

"I'll drink to that." Nyx said as he raised his glass and finished it off.

"Cheers," Shae said, raising her glass as well.

Sometime later, the evening had continued and Nyx was in hysterics. The Captain was keeled over in his seat, struggling to breath as he laughed uncontrollably. It took him several minutes to calm himself down again enough to speak.

"So that... was her plan?" He asked through misty eyes. "To somehow sedate you first and come at you with a knife!?" He doubled over with laughter again.

"I know, right!" Shae said with a laugh. "And mind you, I'm still a hologram, so I'm completely safe, but I'm like 'This woman is out of her mind!' and I nope-d right outta there and took my headset off."

Nyx was holding his side. "Insane. After all you've been through, then having to deal with that... craziness. I can't imagine what Admiral Milne must have thought."

"I'm glad to see you both find the funny side of attempted murder," Cailus remarked drily, although he couldn't stop a small smile of amusement from poking through. "Carnwennan was such a mess, but Milne was happy in the end. She got what she wanted, give or take a kidnapping and a murder attempt. We couldn't get off that damned starbase fast enough."

"I don't blame you." Nyx said, with a gleam in his eye. "I don't want to speak ill of people but damn, what is with that family always going for murder first? Slight inconvenience? Murder. Brother died helping a traitor? Murder. I mean... try therapy first, that's all I'm saying."

Shae nodded sagely, then took a sip of her tea. "To a point, I can see her brother being a victim of circumstances; we were in an impossible situation; choices were made, admittedly not very good choices all around, but what else were we to do? Even after we got out of the Bubble, sometimes it felt like there were no right choices... But this girl, there was no excuse, she went straight for vengeance, she didn't even consider a peaceful option; there was nothing but hate and hurt in her heart and I may be able to laugh about it now, but in the moment that truly scared me to see someone with so much hate in them."

Nyx shook his head, "I can't understand where she's coming from. Yes, Dorian died on the Pandora, but not from our decisions. Something has been twisted in her mind or whatever story she was told to give her that much hate." He turned serious, giving a slight sigh. "In truth, I know we didn't do enough for Rochester. He was tarnished from the bubble universe and fell victim to Vieers' insane plans. In the end, he died an outcast from the crew and few mourned him. Maybe I failed him... I was his Captain after all."

"You aren't alone in that," Cailus said grimly. "I was responsible for protecting him. It was my plan to use him as bait, even if you and Owen signed off on it. I'm the one who underestimated Vieers." He sighed, shaking his head. "That damned Bubble. It all comes back to that, and we're still dealing with the consequences. Hopefully Rochester's sister can get the help she needs. At least she's in a position to get it now."

"Hope so." Nyx sighed dryly. "Right now, that's all we can do." He sighed. "Is hope."

OFF