An Understanding

Posted on Sat Feb 27th, 2016 @ 8:19pm by Admiral Lucius Hawke & Major David Lorenz

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: The Promenade - Java

* The Promenade - Java *

Dave was walking towards a turbolift, feeling a mixture of numbness and terror creep into his psyche. Not only had he failed to retrieve the body of Admiral Hawke’s son-in-law, but it was the first time he had ever met the admiral in person. Dave did not like interacting with other Betazoids due to his dampened telepathic ability. When he was a small boy, his telepathy had developed early, causing him agony, denying him sleep, and making very irritable. His Aunt Livana, a noted Betazoid herbalist and holistic healer had developed an herbal remedy that dampened Dave’s telepathy almost completely. The only caveat was that his telepathy caused him pain when he was in the vicinity of other Betazoids or telepathic-capable species. Commander Sakkath had worked with Dave and refined the formula over time. David had developed a liking and a deep respect for the Vulcan, which was why his failure to retrieve his friend’s body was affecting him so adversely.

Dreading talking to the brass won’t make it go away, Davey! he chided himself. He briefly considered changing his clothes, but decided against it as he was on his own time and if Admiral Hawke got his nose in a twist over lack of protocol, he could fuck a phaser. Dave did duck into a Promenade replimat and purchase a field jacket with major’s clusters on the shoulder, just in case Admiral Hawke was in a mood. Dave made arrangements to have his leather coat sent back to his quarters and went on his merry way to see Admiral Hawke, and with any luck, Captain Li.

When Dave reached Java, Lucius was there already, seated at one of the outside tables with a view of the Promenade at large. He was not in uniform, since he had taken several days off to deal with the arrangements for Sakkath and now sat, a mug in hand. He seemed lost in thought and it took several seconds for Dave’s presence to register. Finally he looked up and gave Dave a brief smile.

“Have a seat Major.”

“Glad to, admiral,” Dave sat down, the buzzing in his head getting stronger. He reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a hypospray, quickly injecting himself in the neck. “Sorry, sir, I have an issue with my telepathic ability.” he said with a stone face. I hope he’s not like other Betazoids who think my disability makes me a moron he thought experimentally. “I will have a double Shellioc with some noghreme whip cream on top.”

The server moved off to get Dave’s coffee and Lucius’ smile widened just a touch. “I base whether someone is a moron or not on what they do, not who they can or can’t read,” he commented. “What you have isn’t uncommon, though, for what it’s worth. The good thing is that you deal with it instead of letting it make you crazy like some I’ve known. So, to what to I owe the pleasure, Dave?”

Dave smiled slightly. “Sorry, but my brother, Arjem, and my siblings used to give me Hell for not being able to use my telepathy, and they threw it in my face all the time.” Dave shifted gears. “I am here because I failed to bring Commander Sakkath’s body back. It’s a lot to deal with, and I am trying to find a way to tell the captain I failed.” Dave sighed, looking down at the table.

Lucius considered his words in silence, then finally nodded. “I know what happened. Let me ask you a question, and this may sound harsh, but think about it. Would retrieving the body of a dead fellow officer be worth the hundred or so that were on your ship? Would it be worth the possibility that instead of getting him back, all of you joined him?”

“I see your point, and I wish I had an answer that made sense. I know that withdrawing was the tactically correct thing to do, saving my troops and all that. What really bothers me is that I failed to help a friend, that I did not accomplish my mission, and I feel like I have only exacerbated your daughter’s pain in my failure.” The waitress returned with Dave’s order, and Dave smiled at her as she set the cup down. After she left, he continued. “When I was with Jim Holbridge in Team One, we didn’t stop until we accomplished our goals. Granted, we weren’t in the Fleet, or Corps as the case may be, but we kept after our goals until we did it. Coming back to the Corps, I carried some of that tenacity with me, as did Captain Harrison, and I guess the failure to bring him back, not to mention getting half of my ship blown to Hell, really stings.”

“As you say, you were not in the Corps then, and had only yourselves to look out for. These days it’s your job to see to the safety of your men. Let’s put this another way...you worry that you’ve made LI’s burden worse but there’s two things to consider. His lifeless body isn’t what she wants back. And think how much deeper that pain might go had you all been lost in the attempt. She understands, Dave.” He stopped and frowned. “Well, she will once she’s back in the real world.”

Dave looked up, an expression of gratitude in his eyes. “I do see your point, sir,” Dave said, sadness still in his voice. “I did manage to retrieve the drone who shot Sakkath. Corporal Dorien Thomas is in our medical bay being cleansed of as much Borg tech as we can safely remove. I was wondering what I should do with him. Do I turn him over to the JAG legal eagles or do I just pat his head, wish him well, and hope Li and Sakkath’s friends don’t harm him too badly?”

“The stance the Fleet normally has taken in such cases is that they were not acting under their own volition. as tragic as the circumstances are, what was he supposed to do? He had no way to resist. I assume there will be a review board as a matter of course? They will likely recommend time with the counselors and observation to make sure he’s adjusting back to normal life.” Lucius sipped his coffee, then continued. “I suspect he will be his own worst enemy now.”

“Colonel Harris told me that the verdict was already in, the hearing will be a pro forma thing.” Dave laughed softly. “ In our case ‘counseling’ means an hour or two in the simulator fighting off pissed-off Klingons or something more challenging, depending on what the person did. I think that given the corporal’s effectiveness and good-standing, I am gonna keep him on ice for awhile. The colonel mentioned a Borg defense project he wanted to start, and maybe Thomas would be an ideal candidate.” Lorenz took a drink of his coffee, not seeming to care about the temperature. “I do appreciate you taking the time to talk with me about this. How eager is Admiral Wegener for my report?”

“Well, he understands you’ve had a lot to deal with since your return but the sooner we can get everything in and finalized the better. Sakkath’s father will be arriving in two days. The memorial will be the day after and then, we’ll close the file on this.” Lucius sighed and rubbed his forehead. “By then, Commander Zeferino should be ready to resume duty, as will the rest. I think the best thing for everyone at this point is to try to get back to some semblance of normalcy. We can grieve but we still have things looming that need our attention. It absolutely pisses me off to have to say that, but its true.”

“Captain Harrison wanted me to ask you about throwing an Irish wake for Sakkath at the Nexus tomorrow evening. I told him I would run it by you. Plus, I was also wondering if we could include my XO in the memorial service. We could provide an honor guard and Harrison sings a good version of ‘Sgt. MacKenzie..” Dave said, a serious expression on his face.

Lucius considered that a moment. “That might be better done after the service is over. I can’t promise Li will be there either. So far, she’s doing everything she can to avoid facing any of this. She will take condolences and thank people for them, then is immediately on to whatever subject is less painful. She hasn’t sought you out, I take it?”

“Not yet, but I am expecting her to anytime. Given the circumstances, I think I should speak to her with someone else present. One moment, sir.” Dave took out his hypospray and dosed himself again. “You have a powerful mind, admiral...felt a little nauseous. As I was saying, I think it would be a bad idea if she and I spoke alone.” Dave took another drink of his coffee, then waved a waitress over. “Could I get a club sandwich please?” Thank you.” When the woman left, Dave looked at the admiral. “Not a good idea to take that stuff on an empty stomach.”

“You should see Solis in sickbay,” Lucius suggested. “Vulcan. He may be of some help. As for Li, just give her some time. Admiral Wegener has ordered her to stay off-duty for a little while longer yet. When she’s ready, she will find you.”

“Sounds like a plan, sir.” Dave slid a padd over to the admiral. “I have been giving some thought to Colonel Harris’ idea of a Borg Quick Response Force. I have been going over the intel and there seems to be a gap after the Sector 001 Incursion. If I am gonna have a chance against those bastards, I need to see everything we have on the Borg, sir; teeth, hair; asshole, the works. The analyses Marine Intel provided are way off base, and if we are to stand a chance I need to see the raw data. Also, sir, I think NGSC has a few goodies we can use as far as advanced weapons and ships. Not to labor a point, but this kinda stuff is right up Jim Holbridge’s alley and Li already gave him special access back when he formed his club.”

Lucius glanced over it and nodded. “I’ll get this to Admiral Wegener. Since he’ snow overseeing Delta Quadrant operations, he’ll need to go over it in detail. I’m sure he’ll have some questions for you.”

“I have no doubt” Dave said, looking up as the waitress came to the table with his food. “I appreciate your time, sir. Is there anything the Corps can do for you?” he asked as he took a bite of his sandwich. A Marine in Starfleet green suddenly approached their table. “Major Lorenz, urgent communique for you, sir!”

Dave set his sandwich down and read the padd he was given. “Well shit, admiral; it seems our friend Holbridge is in a bit of a sticky spot on Cardassia.” Dave sent the data to the padd Lucius already held. “I wonder what that crazy bastard stumbled into?”

“Find out and get back to me,” Lucius ordered. “If I need to know. We can pull in Lt. Leto if need be.” Lucius finished his coffee and set the mug aside. “Is there anything else?”

“Just my thanks, sir. I don’t normally like a lot of Fleet flag officers, but I think you are one of the good ones. If you ever need something from me or my regiment, let me know.” Dave looked at the older man and offered him his hand.

Lucius shook his hand, then spoke. “For what it’s worth, I want you to know how much I appreciate what you tried to do for Sakkath and I know AMbassador Sokar and Li will as well.

“I am sure I will run into them at the memorial service, sir, and thank you.”

***********

Admiral Lucius Hawke
Easing The Worries Of A Marine

&

Major David Lorenz
Back In The Saddle