324:Soul Searching

by TC Blane and Zanh Liis
80610.12
Hours after At What Cost

-=Conference Room One, USS Serendipity=-


After forty five minutes of heated discussion, or as heated as Salvek got, anyway, the trio of Sera's highest ranking officers had finished two pots of coffee (Blane and Zanh alone) and four of Fleur's famous Sticky Buns- two of which had been quickly consumed by the Vulcan. The same Vulcan who then claimed he was only eating them because he had missed his morning protein supplement and besides, it would be unkind to offend Fleur, who was so gracious to send the bakery along for their breakfast meeting.

Finally, Zanh, Salvek, and Blane sat in a semi-circle at the table and Admiral Vox stared back at them from the screen before them.

"I'm telling you what I told the Strasa earlier," Vox repeated once again for Zanh's benefit. The woman just didn't know how to look an "I don't know and I don't want to know" in the eye and take it without demanding more.

"As far as I know the Central Power Allocation Center and everything in it mechanically was destroyed when they detonated it. If there is anything that made it out, whether under its own power, or whether it was rolled out strapped to a skateboard, I don't know, and I don't want to know. The end."

Zanh understood. She would have to make the call as to what to do with MiM herself.

"Very well. Anything else, Admiral?"

"How is Tryst?"

"It will take awhile for him to be back to himself, but the doctors all agree he's on his way." Zanh replied.

[Good enough. I won't expect to hear from you again until you reach Vulcan in three days time. Safe journeys. Vox out.]

Liis turned toward Salvek, who was sitting quietly with his hands folded, and Blane, who was trying not to smirk as he waited for her to speak.

"Well, damn." Zanh leaned back in her chair and looked at the ceiling. "Now what."

"I think that if the thing is alive, and the major and minor factions of the race who created it both tried to murder it, then it should have some say about where it spends the rest of its life, however long that is." Blane observed.

"That's for sure. Neither side seemed to want anything more than to see him destroyed, and that's not right." Zanh pondered what she'd seen in Sickbay. "If you could have seen how he acted toward Vol.. ."

"We can all agree that MiM is "sentient" as it seems to meet all of the ascribed qualities such as will, desire, consciousness, ethics, personality, intelligence, insight, and so on. So it would be able to claim all of its rights under the Starfleet charter." TC added. “You just have to make it official that MiM is indeed sentient.”

"I'm no soft touch, you both know that. If it were up to me, I'd have him weeding in the arboretum for the rest of its lifespan to earn its keep and share of the power supply. But. . ." Zanh stopped. "Hey. That may be the ticket."

"What?" TC asked, confused by the quick disconnect.

"The arboretum. If there is one man aboard this ship or any other who can determine if something has a soul, it's Vedek Jariel. Perhaps, before I make my decision, I should have MiM pay a visit to the arboretum."

TC nodded. “Could not hurt.”

Zanh's attention turned now to her Executive Officer.

She had observed that Salvek had been even quieter than usual this morning, and something about the look in his eyes, though barely perceptible, bothered her.

"Commander Blane, if you could go ahead of us back to the bridge," Zanh requested, "we'll be right behind you."

"Aye, Sir." Blane quickly drained the last sip of coffee from his cup, then mentally wished Salvek luck as he vacated the premises.

Salvek knew that meant she had something to ask of him- and he asked himself how he could begin to keep from her all that he now knew of her past.


--------------------------------------
Commander TC Blane
Second Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012


and

Captain Zanh
USS Serendipity NCC-2012