USS First Minister: My Demons

March 27, 2018, 10:15:56 PM

[Captain Marcus Alexander Slayton| Deck 6| Guest quarters| USS First Minister| Federation airspace around Starbase 84, day after the battle]

<To be honest with you, Marc, I actually have finally found the place that I’ve supposed to have been this entire time…> the young man said on the screen, his bearded face had a hint of a boyish smile of quiet pride that looked out of place on such an older face.

The face on the screen abruptly stopped.

Two ice blue eyes glinted lightly in the low light of the room, the right orb twitching ever so lightly.

“We should be thankful that he discovered this about himself, captain.” came a rather snide sounding voice to his right as the man turned his head to look at the other man in the room.

Commander Brin Ranzz suddenly found himself the object of a look that he had never wished to have directed at him by his commanding officer as it was one that he had the honor seen directed at Klingon and Dominion forces over the last decade as it was one where he was figuring out how the best way to disassemble his target and it made the native of Relva VII take a step back and say “My apologies, Captain Slayton.” in a low, respectful tone.

Marcus Alexander Slayton, late of the USS Orcus, simply didn’t say a thing at first before in a low, cold voice he said “Keep in mind that is my brother you speak of, Commander.” in a tone that was as cold as his eyes before he turned back to look at the screen and the man on it, remembering a time when he wasn’t as sure of himself. “Chris has never had the easy road growing up, most of that blame can be placed squarely on our father who was more focused on the prestige of our family because one of our ancestors fought with Archer in the Expanse or my brother Daniel’s namesake who served on the Potemkin under Chekov, it is all that we heard of for stories about why there is always a Slayton in the fleet.”

Brin then watched as his captain stood up and walked over to the viewport that gave a good view of the shattered starbase, his gaze becoming reflective.

“It’s not your fault, sir. Your brother made his own choices and it’s one that lead to a lot of dead pilots out there.” Brin said in a serious tone as he motioned at the space beyond the view port.

Marcus chuckled bitterly while shaking his head, “I was already a junior officer, one of the last to be issued the old ensign junior grade rank, when Chris was a boy...not even a teenager really..when the Cardies attacked our home world, Brin. I saw him in the aftermath, our mother cradling him and begging for him to stay alive after he had been shot by a one of those fucking spoonheads…”

Brin watched as the older man’s hands clenched hard as he fought to keep his emotions under tight control as his accent came out strongly towards the end of what he had just said and after a few seconds, he continued to speak.

“Chris had been shot trying to save our sister Helena...I never even got a chance to really get to know her but Chris, he was more of a brother to them then I ever was and I swore as I sat next to his bed while he recovered that I would do better if he would only wake up and he did..” Marcus said as he continued to look out the view port. “But this...this is different. After we got him back from his time on Rue Penthe and then his own exile, I thought that being in the fleet would help blunt his edge and turn him into a proper man but instead he has chosen to raise his flag against his own people...his own government….his family.”

Brin nodded slowly as he moved from his spot to stand in front of the desk. “Again, not your fault sir. He chose to do this, you didn’t make him.”

Marcus shook his head as he turned away from the viewport to look at his executive officer. “Are you sure about that, Brin? Maybe if I had a little bit more influence in his life I could’ve stopped him from turning down a spot in the Valvaran project that would’ve kept him WITH zh’Idenna and her wife, possibly would’ve made the White Wolves stronger and a much better unit rather then having….mmm eighty percent dead on the battlefield out there and remaining ten percent in the fucking hands of IVES?!”

Brin physically and mentally took a couple of steps backwards at the sudden outburst from Slayton, those cold eyes looking at him hard in a way that almost dared him to speak.

Marcus’ eyes narrowed as he slammed the edge of his left hand against the view port in barely suppressed rage. “My first command destroyed with more than half of my crew killed by that bitch thing, my brother Daniel who was slated to command the next of the Theurgy class has had his position held up until his fucking loyalty can be determined and our little sister...freshly minted from the academy mind you…” he said in a hard tone before lowering his hand as he shook his head. “I want you to go and check the status of our crew.”

Brin nodded and then quickly left, knowing that his captain in a foul mood was not something that he wanted to see...or suffer from.

After he left Marcus slowly went back to his desk and sat down, looking at the smiling face of his kid brother for a couple more seconds before leaning back and saying “Computer, move current message into the background and play secondary message marked CJ oh two.”

The first message switched to a different one of the same man, only it was much more subdued and reflective unlike the first message, the confident man was replaced with a slightly more nervous one. <All talk about having found a place here on the Theurgy aside, Marc...I found something even more.> Chris started to say with a hint of nervousness in his tone like he was concerned that by recording this very message the person that he was talking about would hear him. <I met...someone that has caught my attention, Marc, and there is something about her eyes that I can’t get out of my mind. There’s a quiet storm of passion and hope there mixed with a soulful intelligence that draws me closer to her..when I heard her shout things across the hanger deck, it was like she had a heavenly choir for a voice.>

Marcus’ eyes narrowed as he watched his brother’s face turn into a smile of genuine happiness, the twin orbs growing even more cold as he heard the younger man talk happily about this woman before he reached over and paused the screen before his brother could say a name.

“I hope that the two of you are happy together, Chris...because the next time I find the Theurgy, there won’t even be ashes..” he said in a low, angry growl.