by TC Blane, **William Lindsay and Salvek
90201.1300
Current: 1400 Hours
-=USS Serendipity=-
90201.1300
Current: 1400 Hours
-=USS Serendipity=-
Lieutenant Dwan Tubman towered over every crew person he passed as he walked dutifully down the corridor towards the quarters of Commander Salvek. Despite his size, the broad and infectious smile he shined down on everyone he passed naturally made everyone else smile back.
“Good afternoon, Ensign Anderson.” He bellowed with his deep voice.
Anderson nodded back and grinned. Everyone loved Tubman; you simply could not help it.
He touched the chime to the First Officer’s quarters, and waited patiently for an answer. Dwan was about to hit the chime again when the doors finally opened.
Salvek looked up and up and up, until he finally saw Tubman’s face.
“Admiral Lassiter asked me to inform you that it is time for the inquiry, and escort you to the transporter room.”
“I am prepared,” Salvek answered simply. The escort was merely a formality for events like this. Some may have been unnerved or even offended by it, but Salvek accepted it as merely what it was, a matter of protocol.
Tubman stepped aside to allow Salvek out into the corridor.
“Glad you all made it back in one piece, Commander.”
Tubman attempted to make small talk with the Vulcan, but Salvek kept his replies brief and curt. He had spent several hours meditating, and was channeling all his mental energy into what lay ahead.
“Please do not mistake my replies for disinterest, Lieutenant.”
“I would not dream of doing such a thing, Commander.”
“I appreciate your efforts to engage me, but I must stay focused on what is next. However,” Salvek paused, as the turbolift doors slid open and allowed them entry. “I would like to speak with you on a request I received shortly after I returned to the ship.”
“Transporter room two.” Tubman ordered the lift, before speaking to Salvek. “I believe I already know what you are going to ask, sir.” Tubman replied.
“Are you aware of what prompted the this?”
“Commander O’Sullivan and I are familiar with each other. I believe he has some special tasks for me.”
“Then you are comfortable with his request?”
“Very, sir.” Tubman nodded down to Salvek.
“Lieutenant Commander Blakeslee has already approved the sharing of your duty time with the Alchemy Project. As long as you have no objection I see no reason to deny the partial transfer.”
“I would very much appreciate that, sir.”
The lift slid to a stop, and Tubman escorted Salvek to the transporter room.
“Good luck, sir.” Tubman offered. Salvek took a look around the room, wondering if he would still hold a rank here on this ship when this meeting was over. If not, he hoped he had served the Captain and her crew well.
He stepped onto the pad, and Tubman activated the controls.
Upon arriving in the conference room at Temporal Investigations Headquarters, Salvek noticed immediately how quiet the room was, and how much tension was displayed on those in it.
William Lindsay was the only person who seemed calm, and while Captain Zanh was clearly anxious for all this to be over, she did not appear nearly as agitated Salvek would have expected for such an event.
Around the table sat TC Blane, Keiran O’Sullivan, Zanh Liis, Gem Lassiter, and one of Lassiter’s aides; on hand to keep a transcript of the events as they transpired.
Lindsay opted for leaning against the wall, with one foot against it and his hands wrapped around his knee.
“Please be seated so we can begin.” Lassiter ordered. Salvek had the choice of the seat beside Lassiter’s aide, or TC Blane.
He chose TC Blane.
“Do you have anything to say before we begin, Commander Salvek?”
“I would simply like to thank everyone in this room for their roles in recent events. Some of you already had my implicit trust. Those of you who did not, have earned it.”
“Very well, let us begin.” Lassiter sat up, and looked across the table.
“Mr. Blane. Please tell me about the events that unfolded on the Romulan vessel that lead to its complete destruction.” Lassiter asked.
TC sat rigid and quiet. His face showed no emotion and gave no hint to his feelings on the subject. The fact that he felt this whole process to be a sham did not show at all. When he spoke, however, his voice dripped with contempt.
“The report that I filed covers the events in detail.” There was a pause. “Sir.”
Lassiter nodded and her assistant handed her a PADD.
“Yes it did. However I found it to very sterile. For this hearing and the record we need you to restate what happened.”
TC stared at the admiral for a long moment before responding. “The away teams had transported over to the Romulan vessel in an attempt to retrieve a Federation citizen that had been abducted from a Federation starship. We were met with immediate, deadly force. The away team responded with appropriate force.”
“There was an attempt by the mutinous Romulan officer Taris, who we later learned had killed her CO to gain control of the ship, to sabotage the Warp Core. She was successful to an extent as the ship did explode.”
He stopped. The Admiral waited to see if TC had anything else to add. He offered nothing else. His verbal account of the events mirrored his written one. Just much more brief.
“You were lucky to make it off the ship alive.” The admiral offered.
TC shook his head. “Luck has nothing to do with it.”
“Why didn’t you depart when the child was rescued? By this point there was no reason to stay. Why didn’t you leave?”
“The decision was made to attempt to bring the antagonist of this whole issue to trial.” TC replied evenly.
Lassiter held up the PADD. “Your report says she was killed.”
TC nodded.
“So the away team failed to bring her to trial.”
TC shrugged. “From a certain point of view. Justice was still served.”
Lassiter nodded her agreement. “Why didn’t the away team leave when you knew Taris was fatally wounded?”
TC did not offer a reply.
“Commander you are required to answer and please remember you are under oath.”
TC glanced at Salvek. “Commander Salvek decided to stay with Taris until the end.”
“Really? Didn’t you question that? Isn’t that an unnecessary risk to the Captain and the away team?”
TC turned and glared at Lassiter. “When did we suddenly forget compassion or pity for our fellow sentient beings?”
“She tried to kill all of you.” Lassiter prompted.
“Compassion for others is a trait that is rare, Admiral. Compassion for your enemy is a mark of a strong and…” He looked at Salvek again, “…logical soul. I don’t think I know many other officers that can display such…humanity.”
He folded his arms across his broad chest. “It was the honorable thing to do. Maybe not the best tactical choice but sometimes honor is all we have to work with.”
Zanh Liis balled her good hand into a fist so tight she nearly drew blood with her nails. She’d seen a trail of broken hearts and broken lives that followed Taris like a shadow. A shadow that, once cast, would never allow light to fall upon the ground again.
She understood why Salvek did what he did, and knew Blane could appreciate the First Officer’s actions as well no matter how he felt about them.
Zanh Liis had simply seen too much.
“Do you have something to add, Captain?” Lassiter asked.
Zanh shook her head, “No, Admiral.”
“Very well then. Commander Keiran O’Sullivan, what were your feelings about staying behind and waiting for Salvek?”
“We were a team, Admiral. We went over there together, and we were gonna come back together.”
“And if the Captain had insisted on leaving Salvek behind?”
Keiran lolled his head to the side. The Admiral’s question was completely unexpected based upon the conversation he had had with her earlier. No doubt she had wished to catch him off guard. Part of him appreciated her tact. As a man of the law, Keiran probably would have tried the same thing. A larger part of him found the question disrespectful.
His hesitation lasted only an instant before he answered.
*****************************
Commander TC Blane
Second Officer
USS Serendipity NCC 2012
**Captain William T. Lindsay
Temporal Investigations
and
Commander Salvek
Executive Officer
USS Serendipity NCC 2012
Commander TC Blane
Second Officer
USS Serendipity NCC 2012
**Captain William T. Lindsay
Temporal Investigations
and
Commander Salvek
Executive Officer
USS Serendipity NCC 2012