All That We Can
Posted on Sat Apr 11th, 2020 @ 6:02pm by Captain Aviram Drell & Commander Temperance Zachary
Mission:
Episode 02: "Samaritan"
Location: Ready Room, USS Vesta
Timeline: Day 4 at 1225
ON: [[Ready Room, USS Vesta, Mission Day 04, 1225 hours]]
"Thank you, lieutenant," Drell said, "You are dismissed."
As soon as the door closed, the El-Aurian got up and crossed silently over to the replicator. He used the touch interface to place his order. An instant later, two steaming cups materialized in front of him. Carefully, he reached in and lifted them both from the slot, doing his best not to spill either. Then he crossed back over again to where Zachary was still seated.
Drell handed one of the cups off to his first officer, then leaned back against the desk. Neither of them spoke for several moments. Instead, they just stared down into their tea, processing what they'd just heard.
"So, what do you think," he asked.
Temperance blew softly across the top of the cup before taking a tentative sip, a soft sigh following before she lapsed back into silence. "I..." she shook her head slightly. "I don't know Captain..." her voice trailed off again. "If he really is that concerned about going home, if he really is that afraid of the repercussions of having interacted with us, do we have the right to say no? I mean, this is a problem we essentially created, we put him in this position, even if we thought we were doing the right thing."
Nodding slowly, Drell simply held his cup between his hands. He knew she was right about their having a responsibility to this alien pilot they'd rescued. From the moment they'd decided to beam him from his disintegrating capsule, for better or worse, they'd been involved. Now they were obligated to see it through to its conclusion. Besides, forcing Zr'kess to go back when there was clearly a legitimate threat against his life would have been unethical. The fact that his fate would almost certainly be the result of having interacted with them only made them that much more culpable.
"I'll be honest," Temperance said softly. "I've never been so unsure of any decision in my career as I am of this one. The decision we make now affects not only him, but his people, even if it is indirectly."
"It's never an easy decision," Drell admitted. For so many years, his life's work had been caring for the most vulnerable at the margins of society, those who'd been made stateless or were pushed out by circumstances beyond their control. He knew all too well the dangers of turning a blind eye. "Wherever there's war, oppression, violence, disaster, there will always be those who suffer because of it," he told her, "and I learned a long time ago that we can't avoid it. We cannot go back to life as usual and pretend like it doesn't exist. We must do simply do the best we can with what we have available to us."
"I think we need to accept his plea," she said quietly, not looking up, just staring at the swirling contents of her cup. "It wouldn't be right to send him back to a life of persecution that we created. Even if we thought we did the right thing and we didn't intend any harm, we've caused the harm and now we need to rectify it."
Drell took a sip of his tea, but did not say anything right away. They'd just taken the first steps in a much longer, more involved process. Most people never realized what went into it unless they'd been through it themselves...or known someone who had. Soon, there were going to be quite a few more people involved in Zr'kess' business, wanting to know the details of his story so they could figure out how best to process his request through the proper legal channels.
"Here's what's going to happen next," he said, straightening up and stepping around so that he was behind his desk, "I'm going to contact Starfleet and inform them of the situation. No doubt, they are going to want to know everything about Meh-zzz Zr'kess. Then I'm going to have to speak with someone at the Federation Department of the Exterior and, likely, the Federation Displaced Persons Agency as well."
Temperance was slightly taken aback by the sudden air of authority that he exerted. She set her cup down on the desk and nodded slightly, completely unsure of what else she could say.
"Luckily, I've done this before," he assured her.
"What do you need me to do Captain?" she asked calmly. "I'm here and ready to help, whatever you need."
As captain, the responsibility for making this decision ultimately rested with Drell. He was the one with the authority and he was the one answerable to their superiors. That meant he was the one who needed to make those calls. Yet, there was still a role for Zachary to play in all this. "I need you to go with Launceston and check in on our guest," he replied, "When the time comes, commander, you and I will inform him of our decision together."
Taking a sip of her drink, Temperance thought for a moment before she nodded. "Of course Sir," she said quietly. Another sip. "I'm curious..." she paused, pursing her lips. "Why do you think he spoke to Lieutenant Launceston?" She paused for a moment, clearly grappling with words. "Typically such things would be raised directly with command or senior staff, typically not a junior officer."
Pausing and taking another sip of her drink, Temperance shook her head. "I guess it doesn't matter, at least he felt safe enough to talk to someone. I'll escort Miss Launceston back to Medical and check on our guest while we're down there and let him know that his request is under advisement, but in the interim he's safe aboard this ship. If there's nothing else Captain, I'll get things started." She stood up, moving toward the replicator to recycle her cup before turning to look back at him expectantly.
"Thank you, commander. Dismissed."
OFF
Captain Aviram Drell
Commanding Officer
USS Vesta (NX-82601)
Commander Temperance Zachary
Executive Officer
USS Vesta (NX-82601)
Lieutenant Harlow Launceston, MD
General Physician
USS Vesta (NX-82601)
