Loyalities

Posted on Mon Dec 3rd, 2018 @ 10:13pm by Makeba Brown & Lieutenant Commander Larim Myles
Edited on on Mon Dec 3rd, 2018 @ 10:16pm

2,991 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: Episode 5 - It Would Be Their Pleasure
Location: XO Ready Room
Timeline: MD009 0900 hrs

"Miss Brown, I am not sure how to say this politely, so here goes. Why are you still on the ship?" Asked Quinn, seeing how she would respond to his question. He was honestly, surprised that the Maquis traitor was not in a brig. He was curious to hear her side of the story. He had heard rumors, and read a couple of reports. But he was interested in what she had to say.

Accompanied by her ever present security escort Makeba walked into the XO's office. Without so much as a greeting the man cut right to the point. Makeba knew instantly that she liked the man, he didn't waste time and neither did she. She mustered to attention. "Well sir it's Lieutenant Brown as no charges have been filed and I have not been officially discharged from the service so my rank remains. Also sir that is a good question you should ask your Captain." She simply nodded and turned on her heel to leave a small chuckle escaped her lips as she did.

"Boldness with a splash of attitude. Either your very confident. Or you just don't care about what happens to you, Lieutenant." Said Quinn, he was still trying to size her up. Get an accurate reading on her personality type. In his own way, he was testing her resolve, and her loyalty.

"Did it occur to you that it is a little of both..." Her voice trailed off as she had nothing else to say and then as an after thought she added. "Sir"

"Since we are being bold, let's cut down to the chase. Where do you loyalties lie Lieutenant? With Starfleet, with Captain Malbrooke or with the Maquis?" Quinn asked, wondering how bold she was going to be.

Now there was a question that in all the time that she had been aboard the Pioneer no one bothered to ask her. In truth she was unsure how to respond. There was a part of her that still longed to be a Starfleet officer and longed for what Starfleet represented. However, the Federation had left her no alternative with what they did to the Maquis, it was simply put not right. She sighed deeply as she mustered how she would address the question. "I will answer each of those individually if I may. First I am loyal to Starfleet in some regard. The question you should be asking is who is Starfleet loyal to. The Federation President, or the people of the Federation. My answer there is the former. Starfleet no longer represents the goals that it was founded for it simply does the will of a small group of politicians and that is unacceptable. As to your Captain Malbrooke. I don't know the man and hold no loyalty to him or his ship. In fact in my eyes he is simply just another puppet..." Makeba's voice trailed off as she thought about her beloved Maquis and she sighed deeply again. This time her demeanor changed, it softened. "As to the Maquis... You and officers like you look at them as an enemy. That is because we choose not to be puppets of a government that has given up on us. The truth is we are not an enemy. We are a group of people who do not want to be subject to anyone accept ourselves. We want nothing more than to go home, to our homes. Not some other home that we have been given because of treaties or anything else. We will fight from now until the end of time for this. Much like the hydra of ancient legend if you cut one of our heads off another will reform to take it's place. And the Maquis will march on."

Realizing that she had climbed up on a soapbox and preached Makeba stepped down from her platform. She began to pace the room like a caged animal as she wondered what this Quinn would want from her next.

"I appreciate your honesty, and your political points of view aside, I am concerned about your lack of loyalty to the Captain. Granted you barely know him. Hell, I barely know him. But I know he is a Starfleet captain, and he has worked hard, and sacrificed a lot to get to that position. And I am loyal to him, because of his service record, and what he has accomplished. Trust is earned, and to a point so is loyalty, but I need to know from you is, can the crew of the USS Pioneer and her command staff, depend on you to do your duties, while you are assigned to this ship?" Asked Quinn, toughening up his tone.

She punched the bulkhead of the office. "I am NOT assigned to this vessel, so I owe you, your crew, and your precious Captain no loyalty. I have no blasted duties on this ship, I am prisoner and have been since you found me. If I am not a prisoner than release me to return to my leave from Starfleet. There is one person on this ship that I am loyal to and that is Makeba Brown. So you can take your Starfleet loyalty speech about duty and honor and blow it out an airlock. I think we are done here." She was done talking in fact her entire speech was shouted and when she finished she made for the door to the office.

"Contain yourself Lieutenant Brown." Said Quinn in a calm but stern voice. He continued to sit down. Her actions did startle him a little, which caused his andrenaline to spike up. His body was trying to go into fight or flight mode. But his logic pushed that back. He made a mental note, that he found which buttons to push to rile her up.

While she stopped yelling and hitting the walls she was still vehemently angry. She stared at the man across the desk as she breathed heavily. Her fists remained clenched but she quieted down to hear the man out.

"Until Starfleet decides to what to do with you as a prisoner, the captain wants my opinion on what to do with you. Do we make you member of the crew, or do we let you rot in that cell, and forget about you? If we make you a member of the crew, I need to know you will follow the Captain's orders and anyone else in the chain of command. I am not asking you to take sides with the Federation or Maquis. But if the Captain and I, are going to let you out of the brig on a full time basis, we need assurances from you. One, you will not hurt any member of the crew. Two, while your under Captain Malbrooke's command you will carry out your duties diligently and respectfully. Before you ask, why should I become a member of this crew, what's in it for me? Leniency at your court hearing." Said Quinn, realizing that he was starting to ramble, and not allowing her a chance to say something. He paused to give her a chance.

Makeba smiled, however it was not a smile out of mirth, this smile came out of malevolence. She had him on edge, and having the second in command on edge was a good place to be, at least it was for her goals. "Listen Commander I have no intention of joining your crew. This is a Starfleet vessel, and so long as the fleet represents a reprehensible government I cannot willingly support it. I helped your Second Lieutenant because there was something in it for me. Leniency at my hearing as you put it is not enough. You want me to function on this crew then yes you have to make it worth my while. So if I may be so bold sir, I suggest you return me to my cell. Then make a call to the Judge Advocate General's office so that I may charged and transferred. The sooner you do that, the sooner I will be out of your hair, your crew's hair and your precious Captain's hair."

"This is not a debate, and if you prefer to take your chances with the courts, without Captain Malbrooke's assistance so be it. Once you complete your assignment with Lieutenant Tremble, you will be placed back into your favorite cell, I really thought you would have seen the benefit, but I only have fifteen minutes to meet with you, and you are wasting my time Lieutenant." Said Quinn, seeing that Makeba was testing him, but he really did not have the time today, to debate with her. Plus she was still a prisoner of war, and she refusing to accept the Captain's offer, and offer that Quinn would have not made. "Good day Lieutenant Brown." Said Quinn, playing hard ball with Makeba.

Makeba smirked she had the Commander right where she needed him. Now she needed access to a communications array before anyone would know. That would be the next phase of the plan. She stared at Quinn as roiled with anger. Without so much as a good bye she turned on her heel and left the office. She had a plan to execute.

"LIEUTENANT BROWN." Yelled out Quinn, as he looked at Makeba Brown. Trying to get her to stop. "I have not dismissed you, if you walk out those doors. I will have you thrown back into the brig. We are not done yet!" Demanded Quinn in a very stern tone. He still needed to carry out the captain's directive, about stripping her rank. They wanted to break her down, to build her back up. Get her to change her feelings about the Maquis. This was a dangerous game, they were playing.

She got about half way through the door and stopped when he shouted. Makeba knew she had him right where she wanted him and now it was time for the icing on the cake. She took one step what toward the desk and let the doors close behind her. "I thought it was understood that I am not part of this crew nor, am I under your command. Therefore I do not need to wait for your dismissal. However, I will hear you out of the kindness of my own heart. That being the case what CAN I DO FOR YOU?" Her voice oozed with sarcasm.

"Lieutenant Makeba Brown, let's get one thing straight here. I am the first officer of the USS Pioneer, and as long as your a member of this crew, you will respect the chain of command. While you are a Starfleet officer, and I have some news for you. I wanted to see how you were going to react, and you did not disappoint." Quinn said in his strong irish accent.

Quinn tapped on his combadge. "Commander Ó Flannagáin to Lieutenant Myles, please report to my ready room, with a security detail. Thank you." Said Quinn as he closed the channel. He did not wait for a response. He then turned his complete attention back on Makeba.

"Lieutenant Makeba Brown, you must think me a fool, if you think I am going to give you free reign over any systems on the USS Pioneer. I am here to inform you that there will be no court martial, no special hearings. The captain has pulled some strings, you will serve this ship. Until you have repaid your debt and betrayal to Starfleet." Started off Quinn, as the intercom buzzed, and Quinn opened the door for Lieutenant Myles and his two security guards.

Larim nodded at the XO, hand resting on his phaser. He didn't have to be betazoid to feel the mood, but it helped. " Here sir." He said. He turned to his men.

"Soved the right. Mr Th'Sher, the left." He ordered.

Quinn started to pace in a circle around Makeba, his demeanor was stiff, and he was trying to intimidate her, and yet show her that he was annoyed at her."Lieutenant Makeba Brown, the captain may have pulled some favors, to keep you aboard the USS Pioneer. And you want to repay his kindness, by trying to betray him, and this crew. We have been monitoring your movements and actions on the Pioneer.. We have given you enough room to incriminate yourself. And despite my objections, you may not be going prison, but I promise you, will not leave this room unpunished. After talking with the Captain, and chief of the Boat, we have agreed, you will be stripped of your commission, and stripped of all rank. Your official rank will be observer. You will be placed on 24 hour surveillance. All communication and actions you take will be monitored. You will be placed on surveillance, until you have earned our trust, your holodeck privileges will be revoked. When you are not working the only place you can go is the Mess Hall, Sickbay or your quarters, when you are off duty. You have betrayed Starfleet, against my objections, the Captain wants to give you a second chance. He's see's potential in you. And because of that, you are now my problem, and as long as you continue to be a problem, I will make life very unpleasant for you, until you comply with Starfleet protocols, and earned my trust. Since your now an observer, you will report directly to myself of the chief of the boat. All requests will go through the chain of command. The COB, the Second Officer, the First Officer and then the Captain." Said Quinn, as he stood directly in Makeba's face.

Well he finally had done it he pulled the one thing that she had been wearing like a protective cloak, her rank. Wounded but not killed the woman whose friends called her Keebs was not out of this yet. For the first time since she arrived in the Commander's office she mustered to attention and squared her jaw. She spoke through clenched teeth. "With all due respect to you and your illustrious Captain I refuse to acquiesce to your request. Seeing as you have stripped me of my rank. I request under Starfleet Regulation 7 that I be remanded to the Brig and there await my trial. I will be no one's observer, no one's pet project." She held her hands out wrists together toward Larim. "Lieutenant I believe you have a duty to carry out. That is unless the Commander wishes to circumvent Starfleet Regulations."

"If you prefer to rot in the brig, then you do so at your own apparel. The brig or your own personal quarters, what's the difference. They are both a cell, a place for you contemplate your future. A place where you can sit and rot for all I care Miss Brown." Said Quinn as he took a breath and went on to say. He tried to hold back his annoyance, at her defiance to the chain of command. He knew they were sizing each other up. "Now if you want to wait for a trial that is never coming. So be it. I will file so many injunctions, and keep JAG tied up, in legal paperwork. I may not agree with the captain's decision Miss Brown, but I will carry out his orders." Quinn said, trying to play bad cop, trying to show her, that he will make her life a living hell.

"Lieutenant Myles. Please honor the good observers request and give her a room in the brig. Please note for the log that Miss Brown, asked to be placed in the brig. Miss Brown has refused to stay in her personal quarters that the Captain has afforded our official observer. I want to make sure JAG knows that Miss Brown has requested special compensation and living commendations. And we have honored her request." Said Quinn, trying to manipulate her to thinking that she was over pushing her rights. And that Captain Malbrooke was being more than generous. Quinn, knew how to manipulate a scene, and he felt he was doing a pretty good job with Makeba.

"Of course, Commander." Larim said, flashing Quinn a knowing look. "We'll make Ms Brown comfortable." He said. "Men, prepare to escort or "guest" to her rooms" he said. He could feel the intensity, but said nothing. However, being betazoid, he didn't have too.

"You will learn to play by the rules Miss Brown. The Captain has been given a lot of leeway with you. If you play ball, you will find the accommodations are mutually beneficial if not, you will learn how much of a struggle it is under my leadership." Suggested Quinn with his strong accent. "Guards take her away now."

Makeba simply smiled for she thought she had the upper hand. "Commander, if you are trying to get me to play nice in the sandbox, you are barking up the wrong tree." When she finished speaking she let herself be led out by Larim and his men.

"Right this way, Ms Brown. And we hope you enjoy your stay" Larim smiled.

Quinn smiled, letting Makeba think she had the upper hand. Her time was now up, and it was time for her to get on board with the crew. Like it or not, she was now a member of this crew. But in a short time, he expected Makeba to be marching back down to his office, to complain that he lied about her living accommodations.

A Joint Post By

Commander Quinn Ó Flannagáin
Executive Officer, USS Pioneer

Lieutenant Larim Myles
Chief Security/Tactical Officer, USS Pioneer

Makeba Brown
Maquis Tactical Officer

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