Star Trek: Theurgy

CH02: S [D02|1500] The Other Side

July 20, 2020, 06:55:51 PM

[Hi'Jak | Deck 01 | Main Bridge/Captains Ready room] attn: @Auctor Lucan

Jack's name was currently Kyle, a human whom had walked around and hung around with Rutherford, his very fake fiance, he had spent the majority of yesterday, and this morning putting out fires caused by the two hundred Klignon guests. Now he had been summoned to the office of the captain. He had known this moment was coming  for a couple days now ever since his meeting with Fisher where the other had promised to do some background work and talk to the captain on his behalf.

Still Kyle honestly could have prefered this to be a little different. Even a site to site transport would have allowed him to maintain a bit more dignity than being escorted by security across the main bridge of the Theurgy. Jack had never actually seen the main bridge before, glancing aorund it, he had to note how shiny it was. He had sat on holodeck versions of bridges, but a fake Akira Class during an officers exam did not meet anywhere near the shiny grandure of The Theurgy's main bridge.

He had to take his time walking, his side hurt a lot today for some reason, and even though he could walk upright on two legs, he still used the cane to lean on. He wasn't dragging his feet intentionally, but he did pause for a moment to look at a holographic display of the three vectors giving a full deck layout. "oOh." He let out a low whistle, before he was shoved by his security escort.

Jack stopped dragging his heels and walked up to the door of the captains ready room. His security escort pressed the door and announced his presence. "Kyle, is here as requested." His fake name getting used even on the bridge was a bit excessive in his mind, once the Klingons got lost Jack would be back to using his real name, and he hadn't even come up with a last name.

Re: CH02: S [D02|1500] The Other Side

Reply #1 – July 26, 2020, 01:48:30 AM

[ Captain Ives | Ready Room | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ]
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Looking up from her computer console briefly, Ives replied to the voice from outside the sliding doors. "Let him in."

Watching the figure stepping inside her ready room, she couldn't help thinking of the manner in which Martok had ended the duel in the shipyards. It was an astounding feat, medically, that the former Science Officer was merely relying on a cane to step across the room. He'd nearly been cut in two by the High Chancellor there in the sands, and yet here he was, cosmetically altered, so that he might walk freely aboard. "Have a seat."

Once the man, again a hybrid between Klingon and Human blood, had made himself comfortable enough - standing or sitting - Jien cut straight to the matter at hand. "It would seem a lot of lives could have been spared, but that the fault for that is not entirely yours, and the motivations behind your judgement call has become clearer." She leaned back in her chair, unsmiling as she looked at this Imperial Intelligence operative that had been rejected by his Empire. This, because the losses weren't only on the Theurgy's end. "Instead, part of the blame in this matter allegedly falls on my former Executive Officer, who failed - intentionally or not - to forward assurances made about communicating with the Klingon Empire at that time. My Chief Intelligence Officer stands by his report, stating that it seems unlikely that you would lie about what Commander Trent promised you on my behalf, without my foreknowledge."

She leaned forward, staring without emotional inflection on the shadow of that former man, now hurt, changed and rejected. She put her hands on the desktop, and continued without pause. "Now, I have no idea why Trent would be so presumptuous to think I would ever agree to having my correspondence with my old comrade in arms from the Dominion War screened by you, knowing as I do which words I would use in order to gain the High Chancellor's ear and further our mission. At least, I would think I knew better than you, since you never even met Martok, son of Urthog, until the day I saved your life in the sands of the arena. Either way, you had some bloody cheek to think you'd know better than a Commanding Officer in Starfleet, and because of it, a lot of people are dead."

Slowly, she glanced out the viewport in the room, not about to think about what had happened last night in the Spearhead Lounge, where people in her new Senior Staff had been put into stasis, among them Ducote. The topic of the ship's rising death toll was unavoidable, however. "At this rate, what was said and not doesn't even matter. Commander Trent is dead, and the truth of what he and you actually agreed upon died with him, lest we'd take you at your word. I am willing to accept the fact that you thought yourself entitled to something because of a false promise made by my First Officer, but that you would instruct Martok's son to destroy SuD Lang, thus endangering the away team and the entire mission? That you would threaten Lieutenant zh'Wann with a disruptor in hand when told to send the message? With the mission parameters set, what did you think she would do? I think your lack of judgement remains a fault, even if you'd be telling the truth."

The Deputy's report and follow-up hearing had been quite clear on what had happened in that control room on the Klingon mining site. Thoughtfully, Jien regarded this former Imperial Intelligence operative, that had not just infiltrated Starfleet and her ship, but in getting a second chance once he'd been discovered, had spat on that chance. Not just thinking he was entitled something, but also thinking he ought to have known better than her. "Regardless what I decide about you, the fact remains that a lot of people have lost people dear to them because of your actions. Do you think, somehow, that it will ever be forgotten? Do you even realise what an impeccable officer you will have to become, if you will ever be able to convince people you've learned something, and might actually be worthy of our forgiveness some day?"

Re: CH02: S [D02|1500] The Other Side

Reply #2 – July 28, 2020, 02:15:30 AM

[Hi'Jak | Deck 01 | Captains Ready room] attn: @Auctor Lucan

Jack squirmed for a little as he was told to take a seat, he felt a lot like a child being called to the principal's office. What's more Ives seemed to jump right into the meat of the subject as soon as he sat down giving him no real chance to feel comfortable or break the ice with the captain he barely knew. Before he could really speak or get a word in edge wise his entire history was being thrown at him once more. Jack sighed having gone over the details and logic  with Fisher was one thing but Ives was directly impeded by his actions back then the captain did have a right to feel burned.

"With all due respect, I have to speak to my actions. Surveying your message before sending it directly to the hands of the single most powerful figure head of my empire was not an invasion of privacy nor was it me attempting to know better than you. You are right I wouldn't have a clue how to speak to Martok, son of Urthog, high chancellor to the Klingon Empire, but consider the previous message your ship had tried to send? My agreement with the former first officer was not to modify your message or attempt to alter it, but to survey it before I would agree to send it. To prevent some second simulcast incident. My wish was not to second guess you, but rather have a chance to see that you were being truthful." The other accusations were much harder to defend. Drawing a weapon on Ida, and ordering the destruction of SuD Lang were both lapses in his thinking which of course had lead to tragedies.

"I know I am not one to talk, my actions caused more death than I could have ever imagined, but for a second can you imagine how many more would have died if your message wasn't innocent? If something had been using your body to instead use your words to urge Martok into a war? You can't expect secrecy to help win trust when we were in such a strained situation."

Jack sighed he knew that he couldn't exactly win the captain over with that logic, but he still felt slight vindication over his case and though it had been a mistake he still felt he had to stand by it. The other things he had done he had less ground to stand on. Things had changed, and he doubted that he would be having this meeting if not for the grace of people like Fisher, though this meeting came at an awkward time, Vivian was no longer the chief of the science division going back to being an officer had a tinge of the unknown to it, and the destruction of the spear head lounge meant that this ship was still prone to tragedies.

He thought about it, how he would have to exemplify everything, his every move would be watched, he would never be allowed another fuck up, Ives had told him that they did not believe in second chances. "I know I'm asking a lot. I probably don't deserve it, but there is some precedent that a captains pardon has resulted in a few great officers, commander Tom Paris was a terrorist before he was recommissioned" He had done some reading for this meeting looking for cases that could lend some credibility to his request.

"I know it will never be forgotten, and I don't think I can ever really forgive myself for what I did, and if I can't forgive me I can hardly expect anyone else too. I made some mistakes, I have to stand by them but I also have to believe that there has to be more to my life than my current trail of failures. I have to believe that I can do more for others than myself. I've been doing my best to assist this crew, my best may never be good enough but you will have it till the day I die. I mean... if you didn't think I had some potential why save me from that sandy arena."

He hadn't been ready to die he had been truly grateful for the save, but ives confused him. "You've saved my life twice now, it would be strange not to try and pleadge my life to you and your crew at this point."

Re: CH02: S [D02|1500] The Other Side

Reply #3 – August 02, 2020, 02:11:46 AM

[ Captain Ives | Ready Room | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ]
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Sitting there, listening, Jien was unmoving, expecting very little in manner of apologies or pledges. What she got was unexpected, but not entirely accurate. It seemed he still didn't understand why he was still alive.

"Do you truly believe I spared your life because of some quality of yours, or even pity?" she asked quietly, and then raised her chin. "I'm a Captain of a Federation starship, representing what may be a vestigial image of what Starfleet used to be, and what we will restore. Infiltrator or not, you were a member of my crew, and I would not condone a thinly veiled death sentence even if you weren't. I refuse to hand prisoners over to their deaths. This, for two reasons, not just because I would have to live with it."

She shifted in her seat a little, one hand resting loosely on the desktop. "Extradition, on agreed upon terms, that's what I believed I had with Martok. For in Starfleet, extradition of prisoners will not be granted if there is reason to fear that the person whose extradition is requested runs a risk of being subjected to persecution threatening his or her life or freedom without a prior criminal conviction, made in a court of law. Nor, moreover, may extradition be granted if it would be contrary to fundamental humanitarian principles. For instance, in consideration of a person's youth or the state of this person's health. When extradition is granted, certain conditions must be laid down. For example, he or she may not be be re-extradited to another state without the consent from Starfleet. Furthermore, nor may the person who is extradited be sentenced to death."

Saying this, Jien tilted her head, looking at Hi'Jak. "I have no interest in you pledging your life to me," she said, meaning it too, but not in the way he might think, until she clarified. "I would rather you actually gave such a pledge earnestly, this time, to Starfleet, and actually sought to serve as an officer aboard, rather than the misguided infiltrator you were. The Science department might need you, and so might Commander Fisher. In restitution, you will not serve as a Junior Lieutenant, but an Ensign, because you still lack the kind of sound judgement that may have prevented the chain of events that led to the death of Starfleet officers and Klingons like. You've threatened not just Deputy zh'Wann, but also Commander Martin, and if it happens a third time, you will be out of the uniform once more. See, you have much to learn, but if you put your mind to it, and prove to the crew why I am making the right call to give you this pardon, there may be a worthy life ahead of you."

Incentive enough, she hoped.

With the new information about Trent's involvement, it was also the just call. Hi'Jak, in his ignorance, had caused a lot of misery, but as she'd told Martok when she had the halfblood Klingon return to serve in the KDF, he hadn't known about the defence system, nor how close the Hakkarl had been to SuD Lang. Apparently, he hadn't even known under which terms he had agreed to be on the away mission either.

"This is not the Empire, Ensign. We have faith in the people around us. Even the Infested are merely hosts to alien entities, and may be saved, if we find the means for it."

Re: CH02: S [D02|1500] The Other Side

Reply #4 – August 19, 2020, 08:47:27 AM

[Hi'Jak | Deck 01 | Captains Ready room] attn: @Auctor Lucan

There was a moment where Jack felt like he had the rug pulled out from under him, he felt confused, but at this point he had been eaten, stabbed, taken apart and reassembled, only to be stabbed again, and yet somehow hearing that Ives had gone out of their way to save him twice for no merit of his own that was the thing that made Jack's shoulders slump . Some part of him had foolishly held onto the belief that maybe he was important, but with that the last few pieces of his ego broke.

It was a deep calm that washed over Hi'Jak for a moment as he looked at the captain. He felt weird, as just as he learned he was nothing or rather that he hadn't been saved for any merit of his own character but rather some code of ethics written into the Starfleet rules when dealing with prisoners it all just made him feel small. Yet at the  same time Ives was being clear that there was a place for him here. As small as he felt he was still being given a place among this crew. One pip smaller than his collar used to be. Jack had once been a liutenant but he had earned those pips under false pretenses and in bad faith. It felt right to admit that he hadn't earned it or been honest when he had taken an oath to Starfleet.

Starfleet and by extension Ives did not care about personal glory or anything that had driven him in the past, only how a small piece of the machine could serve the larger crew.  "Yes, sir. I'll do better this time. I will strive not to make the same mistake twice, I don't want to loose this." Besides being religated to the brig for the rest of forever seemed like it would be incredibly boring. More than that, if this was a real pardon, than if the theurgy ever had it's name cleared there would be a life worth living at the end of this, he could still have his name on the right side of history it would just take a lot of work. Work that he was more than willing to give.

"I hope one day captain I can earn your trust, and I would get to know you a little better. I do think it will be difficult to earn the faith of the crew, but I have spent my life trying to avoid difficult work, it's time I change that. Only time will be able to judge if this is the right call, but I hope that you never come to regret this." Jack said truthfully. He felt bad, and yet at the same time was excited, it was a weird mix to deal with. "Starfleet, it's been a while since the uniform fit, but there was once a happy student years ago who hoped to put his name on history and scientific discovery, I hope that some of him is still around, I've lost a lot of parts of me, it's time for me to rebuild. A chance like this... I can do better this time, be better than who I was before."

"Captain, an honest question slightly off topic, but tangential. Do you think I should change my name? Hi'Jak, and Jack, that guy died by Martok's hand, if it was ever discovered that he wasn't, it would be bad. I have a good face... well normally, it's forgettable, but the name would stick with people. If ever we hand over the crew manifest it may stick out. The last thing I want is to jeopardize the alliance between Martok and Theurgy, so a change of my name... wouldn't be completely out of line. No sense in broadcasting that the modern Micheal Burnham is on your ship." His face and name had been momentarily changed while the crew was playing host to Martok, officially changing his name to avoid any conflict with the Klingon Empire might be a good idea.

Re: CH02: S [D02|1500] The Other Side

Reply #5 – August 26, 2020, 11:38:01 AM

[ Captain Ives | Ready Room | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ]
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The suggestion was sound, and Jien nodded. "By what name would you then like to be called?" she asked, but before he could answer, she added. "While I have yet to speak with Martok about you being alive, I mean to do so when time is most opportune. Perhaps that will be when we have affirmed his seat as High Chancellor, but he would likely be grateful if your existence wasn't so obvious to others in the Empire."

Having said this, and while she couldn't say for sure, her time as a counselor made her suspect that the off-set between the personal glory sought by those of the Klingon Empire might contrast a fair bit with the life led as a Starfleet Officer. She debated if she ought to say something, and decided to try and teach the Ensign something he mightn't have realised when he posed as an officer in the past.

"Starfleet," she said quietly, and sought the words somewhere inside her, and she wanted to convey her meaning in a manner which wasn't propaganda. "For me, the meaning behind the Federation as a whole, really, is based on the idea that we all get our act together - collectively - and stop making things worse, because that’s something many species do all the time, domestically and not. Indeed, not only do we not do what we should to make things better, we sometimes actively attempt to make things worse because we’re arrogant, spiteful, resentful to others , or deceitful about our weaknesses, or even homicidal. Genocidal. If all species stopped trying just to make things worse, we have no idea how much better the Galaxy would get just because of that. Starfleet seek that dynamic in which an existential system of shared ideas between species makes us all adopt the responsibility we share towards each other as fellow sentient beings. We can never be equal, all of us out here, since we are all of different nature and nurtured in different ways, but we can be understanding of that fact, and strive towards improvement."

Having said this, Jien got to her feet and slowly stepped towards the viewport. "Then what about personal glory? Well, I argue that the reason that you’ve suffering unbearably might be left at your feet, because you’re not everything you could be, and you know it. And of course, I know that’s a terrible thing to admit and it’s a not a grand thing to consider, but there is real promise in it for you. Because, it means that perhaps Starfleet represents another way that you could look at your existence, and another way that you could conduct yourself. What it could reflect back to you. It might be much better than what it has given you up to this point."

She turned around towards him with a faint smile. "It isn’t only your fate - your glory - it’s the fate of everyone that you’re networked with. You and I might just be little dust motes among that billions of people in this Galaxy, and that might make you think it doesn’t matter what you do or don’t do. That’s, however, is simply not the case. It’s the wrong thinking model, to base it on you as an individual. To think of your own glory, because you’re a part of something larger. You’re a node in a network, and your own self-improvement and achievements might not stop with you, but inspire others."

While she returned to her chair, she elaborated. "Statistically, you will know a thousand people over the course of your life, and they’ll know a thousand people each, and that puts you one person away from a million, and two persons away from a billion. That’s how you’re connected, how vastly you and the things you do matter. Your actions echo endlessly. The sound will affect things in ways that you can’t fully comprehend, and it means that the things that you do - and that you don’t do - are far more important than you think. Personal glory, for the sake of you, however, is irrelevant compared to that. If you and everyone else strive to make things better for everyone, can you imagine what the lives of all would be like?"

Re: CH02: S [D02|1500] The Other Side

Reply #6 – September 04, 2020, 10:27:21 AM

[Hi'Jak | Deck 01 | Captains Ready room] attn: @Auctor Lucan

"Give me a moment to think on the name." Hi'Jak raised his artificial arm, his fingers tapping on his chin for a moment. Oddly he wasn't extremely excited for the idea of Martok to know he was alive. It wasn't like he was going to get pardoned in the empire, despite where his loyalties in that moment had lay he had betrayed his homeland, and caused it too much pain. He would likely never be allowed to stand on the soil of qo'nos again. It was a sad thought, like some part of his life would be denied too him, but if he was honest he knew it was for the best.  Being a child of two worlds had only ever pulled him in two directions, trying to be a jack of all trades, and never mastering one. So his new name would have to be human in nature.

What was his human fathers name? Honestly that was so many life times ago that he couldn't remember. So it wasn't like he could take a name of a human relative to honor his family. He didn't want to continue using the false name he had given at the dinner party for the rest of his life either. Considering he might be stuck with the name for a long time he worked his mind through it, and at the same time tried to listen to the words of the captain who had given him this second, or really third chance at a life that had some meaning. He also didn't want to live the rest of his life thinking that his actions could only lead to the death of many, chewing it over for a moment longer, he came up with a solution of sorts.

"Put me down as Kyle Jensen."

The reason "Kyle" was the best pick was because that's the name he'd thought of during his brief encounter with Chancellor Martok in Below Decks. As for Jensen, it was his mother's maiden name, because he couldn't rightly claim the last name of the ship's Chief Diplomatic Officer. He'd simply have to explain the change somehow if he ran into the Chancellor once more. If he had any choice in the matter, he wouldn't.

Having heard all of the words that the captain had said, about duty to one another, about the need to put aside personal honor and achievement, it left him thinking. It was a thought to be sure, but Jack, er Kyle, would have to learn how to make amends with the fact that it was true. He had never been his best self. Ives view made him feel small, it was uncomfortable, but he also understood what the captain was saying.

"With ideals like that I can understand your actions a bit more. I never aimed to hurt anyone with my actions, and yet I destroyed an entire starship, and caused a lot more chaos with the single press of a button than I ever could have imagined. For someone who claimed to have a masters in temporal physics, I didn't see the domino's that my actions could send out in a strictly lateral sense." He gave a sigh at that moment. "You're right, I'm not the best I could be, and I am small, but what I want now is to leave the universe a little better than the way I left it... So I will take that to heart, all I can do with my life now is live it better than I have. Be a better officer than I was, and try to actually earn the pips I wear."

Re: CH02: S [D02|1500] The Other Side

Reply #7 – September 10, 2020, 11:46:38 PM

[ Captain Ives | Ready Room | Deck 01 | Vector 01 | USS Theurgy ]
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Having nodded at the mentioning of the name, Jien heard the man out in regard to what she'd just said about the mentality and priorities of a Starfleet officer, knowing it might be something recalled from the Academy and yet never having stuck to the degree it ought to, likely since he had a prior affiliation with the Klingon Empire that he'd invested himself in.

As it were, sitting opposite this individual who'd burned all bridges around him, Jien knew that if the consequences from his actions hadn't been so dire, she might have taken pity in him. That wasn't the case, for even before he's set his foot aboard the ship, he'd been an infiltrator and not worthy of anything but expedient rejection and stripping of rank and uniform. It was merely the unique circumstances of the mission that had granted the man any chances of keeping what he'd earned under falsehood. While Trent had played a part, it held only a significance on top of the man's initial treason to the uniform. A uniform Jien wouldn't normally have let him keep under any circumstances. In mercy, and in the interest of the integrity of the mission and the hope that Hi'Jak would be an asset aboard, she had granted him a chance to prove himself, only he'd been given promises Jien never made, and so, it was a question of showing that mercy once more, in hope that this time, the officer would seize this unlikely chance at redemption.

In an ideal world, Martok wouldn't have called for the Right of Vengeance, but the honour of his House had been on the line, with it being questioned by Gorka and his likeminded. Jien would rather that Hi'Jak had stayed in the Imperial Intelligence, and not create further issues aboard with the present Klingons as well as the officers who lost comrades when fighting Martok in the Azure Nebula. She had a nagging feeling that she might regret giving this man another chance, and she usually listened to her gut feeling.

Only what kind of Starfleet officer would she be if she didn't uphold the ideals she tried to protect?

Frowning, she took a deep breath, and sighed. "Ensign Kyle Jensen, I sincerely hope that I will not regret this," she said quietly, steel in her eye. Only she let her tone shift after that, her chin lifting. "Our lives in this galaxy are rife with tragedy, and we are capable of deep malevolence. You have experienced this yourself, and this is what you now lament."

She tilted her head, and she let on a faint smile. "You should not think that’s what defines us, however. I don't. I think what defines us is the ability to transcend our failings. That we can be better people, if we get the chance. I truly believe that." She gestured towards the man, as if by example. "If betrayed, one might become resentful, and refrain from extending a trusting hand again. Transcending this is to extend that hand knowing the risk involved. Those who fail to see the point might think it naive, not seeing the bravery in such solidarity. Yet ask yourself... what kind of galaxy we would end up in, if we ceaselessly kept loosing trust in others in and endless downward spiral of rejection?"

Slowly, having made her point, she stood up from her seat, expecting him to do so as well.

"So, I’m not pessimistic about our endeavour, for I refrain from being a sceptic. If I didn't believe we could succeed in this mission, then whom would I be leading it? I would lead it to failure, and you will fail too, if you don't believe that you can succeed. You may be small in context, just a node in a vast network of individuals, but you can't give up before you've even set a step towards being something you can be proud of." With measured steps, she walked around the desk. "Take responsibility, and act the man you want to be."

She extended a hand to shake his, the matter settled at long last, in mutual hope for the future.

"Dismissed."

Re: CH02: S [D02|1500] The Other Side

Reply #8 – September 11, 2020, 09:10:41 PM

[ Kyle Jensen | Deck 01 | Captains Ready room] attn: @Auctor Lucan

Jack or rather Kyle, as he would have to remind himself for a bit, let out a groan as he got to his feet using the cane to keep himself stable for a moment as he pushed on it to get out of the chair. A reminder that he was in fact still wounded from his last encounter with Martok.  He looked at the captain for a moment hearing the last of the days lectures. he sincerely hoped that the next time he was in the captains office it would be for a good reason. He understood that Ives didn't really want to give him this pip, if he was in their shoes he would be hesitant to trust anyone who had wronged him the first time even under such pretenses.

He took Ives hand shaking it as he nodded. It wouldn't be easy to earn the trust of the crew after what he did, it would take a lot of work to get people to forgive him after all that happened. However he was actually starting to be confident that he could do this. It would be strange, he had never been a good officer in his previous life, but he had been a lieutenant junior grade at one point in his life, he could get there again if he worked and applied himself.

"Thank you captain." He said with a nod. "I hope that I can earn the trust that is being given." He said understanding that this was the first step being offered to him. As he was dismissed from the office he walked out of the captains office. He would have to replicate a uniform, and he had to drop into sickbay to get a quick check up.

He got a beep on his communicator. He was barely out of Ives office standing on the bridge when he got called to be ready in 40 minutes to get on a shuttle and assist with some matters concerning house Daa'maq. His first day back as a Federation officer would certainly be an interesting one.

~End