LCDR Nolen Hobart — Conduct Becoming Something (Part I)
Nolen Hobart
((OOC: For the sake of moving us along to a place where this scene accomplishes something, I’m going to insert the Admiral’s dialogue, but none of her narration here.))
((Conference Room, Deck 1, en route to Deep Space 33))
The room fell silent for a moment. And suddenly Nolen could see how “Ohnari-Dewitt” became a thing. It was the most obvious thing, actually, and something of a comfort. At times in his life, Nolen Hobart had felt like something of a wrecking ball, leaving ruin in his wake. Recently, things were turning around, but the weight of his choices dragged on him. “Ohnari-Dewitt” was an objective signpost that, in the event of his end, the world would continue just fine.
Tori: Not all of you, not all at once, but most of you soon enough. :: Beat :: Mostly pointless deaths fighting pointless battles. If you don’t like the sound of that, then open your ears.
Zerva: My hearing is just fine thank you. ::beat:: So we either help you or die? That’s not a lot of options. I have a job to do as we all do. oO It’s the safety and security of the Federation, right mom? Oo If I am meant to die then that is because I’ve done my duty as a Starfleet Officer. Do you realize how many temporal violations just sitting here having this conversation we are all breaking?
El’Heem: At the risk of sounding fanatical myself, we will die when we are supposed to die. No amount of time travel will change that. This isn’t faith or destiny, it’s paradox. And you threatening us with our futures is hardly a way to illicit the outcome you desire
Nolen cleared his throat, noisily and instructively. There was already far too much commentary, far too many interruptions.
Any: Response
Michaels: ::To Tori :: Miss, unless you desire to become a Cassandra... and if you do not know what that means, I am certain that Admiral Lacy can explain it... you may wish to consider the need for trust. Your male companion's... Kael is it not? I assume you were not named after Superman... Your companion's "answer" to my question has convinced me that there is a great deal you are not telling us. Whatever your reasons, it does give the impression that you do not trust us. That leaves us :: beat :: that leaves me little reason to trust you.
Ohnari: ::stern:: Lieutenant Michaels that was entirely unnecessary. Do not insult them. While this is a lot to take into account..I am sure there is a sense of urgency on their part, considering what was the timeline Admiral? A week's time? A little desperation is understandable.
The emotional state of the room was suffocating. He spared a glance to the few other empaths and telepaths in the room, to see if they were feeling it as badly as he was. The officers around the table were beginning to get caught up in their own spirals of emotion. It started to remind him of the meeting that preceded their last mission to the Lagoon Nebula.
Zerva: Insult them? ::beet:: We have shown them nothing but hospitality. They have been hostile since they arrived. Especially your s… ::bitting his tongue as hard as he could, causing it to it bleed::
Were they hostile? Aside from some sharpened verbal elbows, the visitors done nothing to threaten the crew. They came unarmed. They came bearing information, which may or may not turn out to be reliable, or factual. Though, Nolen had to admit, he sensed none of the sulphur of deceit off any of the three of them.
Charles: With respect, Lieutenant Zerva has a point. We’ve brought them on board, assigned them quarters and included them at this briefing instead of interrogating them in the Brig. We could all face consequences for breaking the Temporal Prime Directive, and they aren’t exactly being forthcoming.
Shayne / Any: Response
Zerva: ::stumbling on his words:: Y-yes sir. Apolo- ::clearing his throat:: I’m sorry everyone for my outburst.
Admiral: Lera has a point. We haven't told you everything, because we—I didn't want it to cloud your judgment. Starfleet principles aren't worth much anymore, to us, any more than Napoleonic principles are worth to you. ::to Tori:: Another European conqueror, with a much better reputation.
Hobart: Might as well tell us.
Admiral: Might as well. After the raid, Khitomer and newly-promoted Commodore Shayne were tasked with organizing the search for the Alliance launching point. Khitomer, Ronin, Renown, Lowell, and Cadence were all deployed, but it was Khitomer that got lucky. Or unlucky, as it turned out.
Korras: I assume you found what you were looking for?
Any: Response
As the Admiral closed her eyes, Nolen felt the memories wash over her. He couldn’t see them, or tell what they were. But they were tinged with a sense of longing and loss. She also carried a complicated and ill-fitting sense of guilt.
Admiral: We followed a lead to an uncharted system, just a series of letters and numbers on a star chart. They saw us before we saw them. The battle was brief. We crashed onto an L-class planet. Survivable—for a while.
Richard: :: Taking notes again :: I kind of would like more info about that. Maybe we could focus on preventing loss with this foreknowledge of how things will go. Before we jump the gun and start assassinating innocent people. :: He looked up from what he was writing down :: Because, again, just to confirm with everyone. ‘The entire facility needs to go.’ sounds an awful lot like kill them all.
Harford: It is, Richard. That’s exactly what they are suggesting.
Banks: ::softly:: Which is a war crime.
El’Heem: And not something we should be willing to entertain.
The chatter started to annoy Hobart more than the heightened emotions, but he hoped they would sort themselves out. He glanced to the Captain.
Korras: Indeed. Now we know where they are, and what they do, the outcome will be different. A trap is not a trap if the other party knows about it.
He couldn’t stifle a chuckle at the hypocrisy as agreement seemed to surround him. So much for the talk of the Temporal Prime Directive. There was a reason why the Temporal Prime Directive couldn’t be applied to changes to the future: because it was impossible to prove, and an impossible standard to apply. If there was anyone in violation of the Temporal Prime Directive, Hobart figured, it would be the Admiral and her crew. But, judging by their attire, if they weren’t part of the Federation anymore, neither were they bound by it.
Hobart: Please continue, Admiral.
Admiral: Between the battle, the impact, and the nearly three weeks it took for Starfleet to find us, less than half the crew survived. Those that did were pulled off the line.
Richard: :: Looking down again :: So let's avoid what we can. Who can go over the crash, the events leading up to and after. So we can work out contingency plans? I’d be happy to drop by your holding cells to talk later if that is easier. It sounds like we will be going to the place where we crash anyway, if it’s an Alliance strong hold.
Zerva: Good suggestion, Ensign. We should cover every possibility.
Korras: We might be able to turn their trap around on them. But.. I do not agree with wantonly killing everyone.
Hobart: Ears, officers. Not mouths.
Any: Response
Admiral: That was the beginning of the end. They knew what they'd taken off the board, and hit DS33 hard and fast. Within a few months, the Federation gave up all claim to the Isles. But the Alliance was never going to stop there.
Zerva: ::whispering:: Holy crap.
The war had felt like a stalemate, recently, and the idea of the Alliance running its genocidal blitz across Federation space was terrifying. Trillions of lives were at stake, if what Lacy told them was true. And so far, he’d been given little reason to disbelieve. Doubt, perhaps. The future was unknowable, and to express any certainty about what it needed to be struck Hobart as exceedingly foolish.
Korras: That much is clear. They never seemed content to just hold the isles. They see us, as we see bugs.
Banks: ::addressing Lacy:: Admiral, you’ve alluded several times to no longer being in touch with Starfleet or the Federation, and just now you disavowed Starfleet principles. Of which force, then, are you an Admiral?
Hobart watched as a soft smile crept across the elder Lacy’s lips. He sensed from her mind a measured pride. And, perhaps, just a small bit of shame?
Admiral: We’re called the Free Isle Fleet. When Vulcan fell, I organized volunteers to slip behind enemy lines. Once Starfleet went quiet, we started recruiting whoever we could. Since then we’ve taken to hitting the Alliance wherever and in whatever way we could, without compromising our security. ::straightening her back:: Where Starfleet was a beacon of light in the galaxy, we’re… more of a refuge from the dark.
TBC
——— ○●● ———
Lt. Commander Nolen Hobart
Executive Officer
USS Khitomer (NCC-62400)
A240001NH3