Posted by Lieutenant Alexis Bonner (Scientist, Medical Researcher) in Kane’s Quarters- Confessions and Collaboration

Posted by Commander Dira Myqian (Executive Officer) in Kane’s Quarters- Confessions and Collaboration

Posted by Lieutenant Dr. Solomon Kane (Medical Research & Development) in Kane’s Quarters- Confessions and Collaboration
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Nothing Dira had done was about showmanship or proving she was the boss of anyone. Alexis clearly didn’t get her and Dira clearly was misunderstanding Alexis. Fine. It happened. But the rest… the rest. Pulling her lips inwards, she closed her eyes to still everything. What she needed most right now was out of the question and she didn’t have the luxury of claiming she was compromised and recusing herself. There was a moment where she went to say something, but nope, nothing. So Dira stood there, arms folded across her chest, feeling every single damn bit of tension in the room. They didn’t understand. Neither had had a proper conversation with her where she could disclose it and right now wasn’t the time either. But she knew the crux of the situation was the helplessness that came from knowing you could prevent something bad from happening and having your ability to do so taken away. At the end of the day the pips on her collar meant nothing. Not really. They were a symbol adn right now she was trying to figure out how it even mattered right now and couldn’t come up with a damn reason.

Commander Myqian, XO

Kane snapped his fingers. “Ok ok ok ok ok ok… everyone sit. And be quiet and let me work this through a minute.” He looked at Alexis and indicated a chair and then at the XO. “My house, my rules. Have a seat.”

Alexis didn’t grin outwardly but she say without argument. What people didn’t realize, and she wasn’t sure Kane realized she knew this, was given different circumstances Kane could have been much more like her. Intellectually they were equals. Life experiences just changed how how they came to be where they were. She sat silently while Kane did what she did, and it was eye opening to be on the other side.

Dira wasn’t arrogant the way people expecting command officers to be, nor did she go out of her way to be disrespectful. For a moment she had thought maybe her and Kane had found some equilibrium, some common ground of respect, but now she wasn’t so sure.

Alexis glanced at the XO her mind trying to see things from her point of view, but emotional empathy was a trait that took Alexis a long time to work through; her mind more focused intellectually.

Kane started to pace, pinching hi bottom lip between his thumb and forefinger over and over. His scowl was magnitudes deeper than normal, and he growled in his throat every now and then.

Then he stopped moving.

He stood motionless for a moment or two and then turned and sat down between the two women. “Ok… what about this? We know he wants your brain. Why is still up in the air, but I’m guessing its because he wants to use you to do his work. Or at least make his s^%$ work. And he’s gonna use all those resources to make that happen, right? So…”

“We take away his toybox. Make him useless to Intel so they just toss him away.” and he looked at Dira. “It isn’t killing him, but it is killing his access. And I’m not thinking public shaming or some such crap. He’d just go private sector. No… I’m thinking something decidedly more permanent.”

Myqian frowned, not quite getting where he was going with this train of thought.

Alexis nodded; nothing social would stop Soulis, in that Kane was dead on. “Soulis has bragged to me multiple times over the last several months that he could and would go anywhere he wanted. That Star Fleet was a means to an end for him.” That end, apparently was access to her. Alexis didn’t like it, didn’t want to admit it, and didn’t think too hard about that fact at the moment. Right then she needed to focus.

He looked at Alexis and said “You know of any biological or synthetic agent that permanently screws up a human brain? Particularly cognition?” and he then looked at Dira. “Make him an idiot… neurologically. He’d be useless, thrown out with the trash. And he’d be unable to work again. He’s not dead… just impotent.”

Kane, R&D

Alexis considered his question. “I can think of several, but the risk of cross infection is very high, and the point is not to allow him to harm others. If he infected anyone it would be the same as leaving him be. The type of harm he did would just be different.” She was neither dismissing the idea not agreeing to it. She allowed her mind to take it and begin to work it over her way.

“It’s still the same!” Dira said with disbelief. “All three of us swore to do no harm. What you’re proposing is to simply trade harm to one person for harm to another and justify it because he’s a sociopath. Am I reading the situation clearly?”

Commander Myqian, XO

“No. What I am proposing is shrinking a tumor until its manageable for surgery. There’s no difference.”

Alexis turned to look at the XO. Her voice was neither accusatory, belittling, or hopeful, simply analyzing the information and Dira would be able to tell, if clear minded enough, Alexis was simply process data and scenarios. “Honestly Cmdr, it’s no different than what the Betazoid prison system does. They developed a mechanical device that attaches to the brain stem and stops all telepathic and empathic ability. They use it on prisoners that are too dangerous to keep alive otherwise. For the Betazoid people not having any use of telepathic ability is like being made impotent as Lt Kane is suggesting for him. The brain becomes dependent on the device after several days. It can be removed but once it does any telepathic use or contact over loads the brain and the person dies. It is a dangerous device but one that for certain people is necessary to protect the larger population. What Lt Kane has suggested is really no different, just chemical rather than mechanical.” She paused and then after a moment, “It is plausible that I could make such a device to control his sociopathic tendencies…” (OOC this information comes from a ST TNG novel Battle for Betazed. I know not the typical canon we use but…)

Then as if out of nowhere, but really not, Alexis spoke again. Having processed both her concerns and Kane’s evaluation of the situation, Ogawa was a hospital ship with hundreds, as well as the potential to care for hundreds more of sick and wounded…innocents..She looked at Kane, deadly serious, and then the Cmdr. “Remove me from the ship. Let him follow me. If it’s me he wants and I leave he will follow and the ship, crew, and patients are safe.” She returned that serious gaze to Kane. “We control the environment, how he can approach me and observe him. Then a course of action can be decided based on risk assessment. I can contact Intel and tell them to bring me back to work on a project, or I have enough leave time, since I never use it, I could be gone for several months without worry.”
Lt Bonner

Kane, R&D

This was… out of hand was the wrong phrase, but Dira didn’t have a better one. It wasn’t like Alexis was intentionally trying to be a martyr, here, and if it were someone else, they’d already know why that was an unacceptable answer. And Dira should explain it, but her explanations seemed to not matter. It really didn’t matter what she said or did here, and that was when she realized that this was one of those situations that wasn’t hers to deal with. It was strange, but a bit relieving given that her emotions were too confused, too intense right now to allow her to have solid judgement.

Shaking her head, Dira rose to her feet and was, for a brief moment, tempted to swipe the bottle and take it with her. Instead, she walked to the door, triggering it to open. “Captain Taylor is your commanding officer. I think she’ll say no, but this situation is hers to decide on. It’s her ship, her crew. Take it to her,” she said quietly and walked out.

Commander Myqian, XO

Alexis sat, elbows on knees, hands laced together, thumbs sticking out side-by-side, chin on thumbs, deep in thought rocking slightly back and forth on the edge of the seat. After Myqian left Frigga came out from under her chair and sat looking at Alexis then finally pawing at her knee. Alexis got up walked across to the replicator, pulling the stylus out of her bun her hair falling loose, and ordered a bowl of water and a glass of ice water. She placed the bowl on the floor, and then drank the glass herself. The stylus tapping out an agitated rhythm the whole time. Then suddenly she returned the glass to the replicator, grabbed the bag she had been carrying, found a spot on the floor and sat, back to the wall of windows , and began reading through the PaDDs again.
Bonner

Kane watched her intently, eyeing the movements and the body language. When she finally settled down, he looked at her and said “You gonna talk to me? Or bury yourself in a search for something that isn’t in those PaDDs?”

Kane