Counselor Zinna: "Lambs to be Slaughtered" (Tags: Taybrim)

[Erin Green]

((Ready Room - USS Albion)

((Time Index: Before Commlink with L'Trena))

Zinna: I guess what I'm trying to say is...::Beat:: Many feel like this is a suicidal mission, sir. I was wondering, do you feel the same?

Taybrim: ::Calmly, carefully:: That depends on what angle you look at the problem from.

:: That was an excellent way to answer the question in Zinna's observation. Everyone on the ship had different viewpoints and different feelings about this mission. M any felt they were going to go in, beat Arrhimen, and come back victorious, while others felt that they would go in, and never return and be nothing more than a distant memory. Knowing even the slightest possibility that you may not ever come back from a mission would put a damper on anyone's mood, and more dangerously, affect their competency as a Starfleet officer. ::

Zinna: And from which angle are you looking at, sir?

::Sal steepled his fingers, taking in a deep meditative breath before letting it out in a rush of air.::

Taybrim: From my point of view, no.  I know the opponent, and we have the advantage of preparation and surprise.  I am also aware of our distinct disadvantage and I know, going in, that we cannot fight a head-on fight.  We're not blindly blundering forward like a lamb to a slaughter but playing a tactical battle.

Zinna: Many officers, tactically speaking, would care to disagree with that statement, sir. The USS Albion is an Excelsior class vessel, and we are going against a legendary Romulan warbird. Some would argue that the odds are not in our favor.

Taybrim: You are correct, an Excelsior class starship cannot hope to overcome a D'Deridex warbird.  However, we do have an ally in this.  The Negh'Var class warship S'Tarahk will join us in the fray.  While this means we are agreeing to lethal force and Arrhimen will not survive an encounter, I take that responsibility for that decision upon myself as the alliance will greatly increase our chances for survival and victory.

Zinna: ::pushing hair behind ear:: I feel like that is what the crew needs? Someone to acknowledge that there is hope. That they are not lambs being sent out into slaughter.

::He nodded slowly, pushing the PADD of information that Trel'lis found towards the counselor. Zinna looked at the PADD of information. It was a communique with information that had no ID. She frowned at the sight of this, and seeing the message that was sent to the commanding officer of the USS Avalon, she felt her stomach drop. There was a pit, a black pit, hard as a rock, that now had settled to the bottom. Their Starfleet ally was now supposed to send them to their death if it meant defeating Arrhimen? This was not the Starfleet she knew. This Commodore Kinney was not loyal at all. This brought a whole new meaning to the "lambs being sent to be slaughtered" analogy. ::

Taybrim: Yes, as much as I value and am keenly aware of every life on this ship and the challenges we face in protecting them - Commodore Kinney equally devalues the Albion.  He had given a message that clearly states we are expendable to the end goal of preventing war.

Zinna: This is despicable...and treasonous in my opinion. How could he?

::His tone took on a hard edge, honed and pointed at Kinney's throat - were he anywhere in the vicinity.::

Taybrim: I intend to see Kinney proven wrong.  I intend to see my crew safe, the Sienov disabled and this charade exposed for the crime it actually is.  And I do not intend to die trying.  I will push every bit of information, every strategy, every tactic and advantage I can press to see us prevail, to see peace assured in the quadrant, the Klingons as our allies and our crew safely back to StarBase 118.

:: She paused for a second, preparing herself for the next question. It was dear to her heart, and dear to someone's else heart as well. She looked up after looking down at the PADD of disgusting information. ::

Zinna: So, you do plan on murdering him?

Taybrim: ?

Zinna: I'll be honest...murder does not sit well with some people on this ship. Doctor Mirra Ezo, and myself included, but we both know we have a job to do. We both knew the consequences and the risk of signing up for Starfleet.

Taybrim: ?

:: She had vowed to never take another life again for as long as she lived, which would probably be another three to five hndred more years because of her species: El-Aurian, able to live for centuries. But even though she was not pressing the button that sent the last torpedo, or the last phaser fire to Arrhimen to his unsounded death, she and Mirra indirectly helped kill him. They both could either look at it as helping murder a man, or helping save hundreds of thousands of innocent people. ::

Zinna: Will you feel any remorse after it is done?

Taybrim: ?

:: She looked him deep into his eyes, empathically trying to connect with him. ::

Zinna: And, Goddess forbid it comes to it, but if you have to make the ultimate sacrifice and go down with your ship--are you ready to make that decision, sir?

Taybrim: ?

((OOC: You can set up an ending in your reply to this if you want or continue. I'd assume you'd like to wrap this up since we're starting in battle to keep things consistent :) ))

TBC...

Lieutenant Zinna

Head Counselor

Starbase 118 Ops/USS Albion

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