Lt Korras - Better then that

[Pieter van den Elshout]

((OOC: And the other one fixed, too. At least Ops now knows what we are up to, I guess.))

((Deck 1, Conference Room, USS Khitomer))

 

Connor: So what is the exact plan, then, Ginny?

 

Admiral: Khitomer must get to the prisoner camp before the Lattice attack. We must strike first.

 

Ayemet: Admiral, I’ve had my taste of the Lattice Alliance hospitality :pause and then speaking slowly: But you can’t seriously think that by killing this individual it will somehow change everything for the better? You’ve no idea the effects their death might have.

 

Admiral: You misunderstand. It's not just the one I want to kill. The entire facility needs to go. It's the only way to stop the raid for sure.

 

Richard: :: Head tilting to the side in confusion :: I really hope you mean ‘evacuate the facility’ and not ‘destroy it all’ because the later is such a stupid plan.

Zerva: I have some security concerns regarding that. What you’re proposing is like using an entire can of bug spray just for one fly.

The Klingon shook his head.

 

Korras: Destroying the facility with everyone there will make us the same as the Lattice Alliance. Killing everyone is not the federation way. We are better than that.

 

Ayemet: You expect us to help you? Why would we do that?

 

Tori: Because if you don’t, you die.

 

And there it was, the Shatterpoint.

 

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. 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?

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. 

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::

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.

Korras remained quiet as the others discussed their points. He realized there was a lot of history involved here that he was not familiar with, and decided not to step into that.

Shayne / Ohnari / Kael / Tori / Admiral / 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?

 

Shayne / Any: Response

 

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.

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.

 

Any: Response

 

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. 

 

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.

 

Korras: That much is clear. They never seemed content to just hold the isles. They see us, as we see bugs.

 

Zerva: ::whispering:: Holy crap.

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?

Admiral / Any: Response

Zerva: I don’t mean to beat upon a dead horse here ::to the three:: You took a lot of risks coming here to tell us all of that to us. As was pointed out before, what if this leads us to a time paradox? One we are forced to repeat. One where the very actions of being here started this whole thing? There are many examples among the dozens of logs from other starships that this very thing has happened before.

Charles: The Temporal Prime Directive has already been violated six ways to Sunday. ::glares at the interlopers:: Whether or not we believe them, or trust their motives, the cat is out of the bag now.

Any: Response

Zerva: I would rather not know my own fate in your timeline, thank you.

Korras: Nor would I. It is not relevant, either way. However, I believe we need as much tactical information as we can get.

Charles: Captain? With respect, I think this briefing should end, Sir. We need time to evaluate the information we have been given and discuss the ramifications for our own, present timeline, crew members.

Shayne / Any: Response

Charles: We need to discuss it, for us, for Starfleet now. Not for them, Captain, and I feel having all three of them here is an unstable element in a risky and unpredictable situation. I hate to have to point it out but several of your higher ranking staff are… coming across as emotionally compromised.

Korras frowned at that comment. The lieutenant himself was seemingly the most emotional person in the room right now.

Harford: To that end, Sir, I would like to review and possibly redo some of the scans taken upon their arrival. ::looks at Ohnari almost apologetically:: I don’t want to call anyone’s professionalism into question, Sir, but I do think a member of the Medical team who has not just met their son should be given the chance to confirm Doctor Ohnari’s assessment.

Shayne / Kael / Ohnari / Any: Response

Charles: Are you hiding four pips on those clothes of yours? I said Captain, not Kael.

The tension in the room became palpable. He looked at Charles, imploring him to calm down.

Charles: You can’t be considering this so-called… plan, Sir? It’s embarrassing that this is the best they could come up with.

Kael: Response

Charles: Kid, I will slap you back to the future myself.

Korras: ::in a tone that indicated no room for discussion:: There will be no slapping here today. Save your energy for the Lattice Alliance.

Shayne / Kael / Any: Response

Harford: Captain, if I may? ::pause:: Lieutenant Matthews isn’t wrong, Sir. Surely there is an alternative. Please give us, your crew, the chance to find one. I have to believe that you wouldn’t have gathered us all around this table if you weren’t looking for solutions and an open discussion.

Korras nodded in agreement, letting him speak.

Shayne / Admiral / Any: Response

Harford: From what we’ve just been told, Starfleet was unaware and taken by surprise. That means that just giving us this information has already altered things. We have the chance to get ahead of whatever is coming and with an advantage that we didn’t have before. Which means that it is no longer certain that things will turn out the way they did for your future.

Korras: Indeed, we know what is going to happen, and we can prevent it.

Shayne / Admiral / Any: Response

Harford: I don’t know what the solution is, but I know that I cannot condone mass murder. I took an oath to do no harm, and at the end of it all, I am a Doctor first. I won’t be a part of it. I’ll stay in Sickbay, I’ll patch you up, but if their plan is the one we're going with, I’d rather turn in my pips.

Shayne / Admiral / Any: Response

Korras: I know Klingons as a race are not known for their.. philosophic tendencies. However, over time, there have been some musings about fixed points in history, or in the future, depending on your perspective, that are unavoidable, and have an impact on history. It is often the place where time travelers play a part. Earth, for example, when Kirk brought whales back, on a Klingon vessel. ::he paused briefly:: The theory is that the event is going to happen, no matter what. The outcome, however, can be changed. They call it a Shatterpoint, a point where the future can change to a different path. Like how a window can break, but it will never break the same way twice. It would seem we are dealing with a similar situation here.

 

Any: Response 

 

 

 

*****

Lieutenant Korras
Helm Officer
USS Khitomer
O240010K12