The enemy of my enemy (JP Cass/Rhyan)

Posted on 31 May 2016 @ 1:45am by Lieutenant Colonel Cassandra Blackburn & Commander Rhyan

2,577 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Errand of Mercy
Location: USS Redemption, Various Locations
Timeline: ED3

ON:

The biological sciences laboratory was an area of the ship that was infrequently occupied by Commander Rhyan - not surprising given that the executive officer was often tasked with more important matters than sequencing genomes and tinkering with bacteria. The Vulcan was sure that before the fall of the Redemption he had only stepped foot in the lab only once before, probably on his preliminary inspection of the Redemption's science facilities when he first came on board as Chief Science Officer over a year ago. Unfortunately his current situation involved him spending a lot of isolated time in the lab, researching the novel virus that now threatened the life of Elesa Zal - the Federation President, and his unlikely friend.

Currently the Vulcan was running three separate tests on the blood samples provided to him by President Zal, all of which were designed to sequence the virus and isolate weaknesses in the genome that could be utilised as a cure. The processes involved in gene sequencing were simple, thus providing Rhyan with an abundance of time to sift through dozens of virology-based journals to help him make sense of the virus and it's unusual pathophysiology. Every so often one of the analysers would beep and alert him to a problem or a new result to add to his database - but most of his time was spent reading and jotting down ideas that might open up new avenues for research later in the day.

Having been lost for some time in his studies, the unexpected sound of the lab doors opening startled Rhyan. The sudden intrusion into the relatively quiet space had made the Vulcan drop the padd he had been reading, forcing him to bend down towards the floor to rummage under the workbench and pick it back up. As he straightened himself up, the woman who now stood directly in front of him made her presence immediately known. She was definitely the last person the commander had expected to see strutting into his workspace.

Blackburn saw Rhyan and stopped in her tracks. She began to turn around - her desire to leave was overwhelming and she could feel her anger against him building up already. She closed her eyes and let out a controlled breath - she was going to have to speak to him. Once her heart rate had slowed down enough, she turned back around and walked towards him, checking that the lab was empty as she did so. As she approached, he formed a half smile. He opened his mouth to speak but she held up her hand.

"Just... shut up and listen, will you." She said, sharply, intentionally stopping him from speaking. She let out another breath. "Look, I've just seen Jon Marshall. He's on board, Rhyan."

"What?" Rhyan stood up so quickly that he accidentally knocked a stack of padds from the workbench, sending them clattering across the floor. He didn't immediately care; he just wanted to know how Marshall had managed to worm his way back on board the Redemption without his knowing. The man had been a thorn in his side ever since he replaced Sarah within the science department. HIs single pip belied the true extent of his experience and influence within Starfleet; he was no doubt working with one of the shadier elements of Starfleet Intelligence. On more than one occasion Marshall had made attempts to usurp and remove Rhyan as the Chief Science Officer on board the Redemption, souring their working relationship even before the man assaulted Jody and nearly killed his half-sister.

Ignoring the Major, Rhyan called out to the computer in a desperate bid to find out how Marshall could be back on board the Redemption. As his blood boiled, Ryan's voice took a deeper and sharper tone. "Computer, locate Ensign Jon Marshall."

The feminine voice of the ship's computer responded, "Ensign Marshall is currently located in Science Laboratory One."

"The bastard *is* on board," Rhyan exclaimed, his eyes momentarily locking with Cass' as he saw the same fury burning behind them. He hoped that she wouldn't be offended by his double-checking of her allegation, but Rhyan just could not fathom how the man managed to get on board the Redemption without his immediate superior knowing about it; the only explanation would be that Ashcart had approved the transfer without Rhyan's involvement, a move that Rhyan didn't believe the captain was capable of for a single second.

He called out to the computer once again, grabbing a nearby padd from the floor as he did so. "Computer, download Ensign Marshall's most recent transfer orders to my personal padd. Immediately"

The computer acknowledged his query, and responded in the affirmative. Within seconds the padd in his hands lit up and the previous research document was immediately replaced with Jon Marshall's service record and transfer orders. As he glanced down the list of assignments and his most recent transfer, the Vulcan's blood finally boiled over and he threw the padd against the bulkhead opposite. It shattered and tumbled to the floor in a dozen or more pieces.

He had almost forgotten about Cassandra's presence in the lab until he heard her utter a single word, frustration in her voice. "So?"

Placing his hands on the workspace in front of him and lowering his head in a combination of shame and frustration, he explained his findings to the Major. Whether or not she would understand his anger was yet to be seen. "The transfer orders were made less than twenty-four hours ago, by Commander T'Kesh - Chief Field Deployment Officer at Starfleet Intelligence. Her mandate goes above that of myself and Captain Ashcart." He paused, stretched out his back using the bench as a support, then stood upright. Once again he locked eyes with Cass without making any attempt to hide his his anger. "Commander T'Kesh is my mother."

"Wait. Let me get this straight," Blackburn put her hand to her head, sighing before she began, "Jon Marhsall - The Jon 'murdering scumbag' Marhsall, is on board this ship having been transferred at the last moment without your, or the Captain's knowledge, by an officer in Starfleet Intelligence who also happens to be, of all people, your mother... and you didn't know anything about it?" She shook her head slowly at Rhyan. "You know what? I don't believe you."

Frustration still driving his actions, Rhyan immediately grabbed the nearest padd and ordered - no, demanded - the computer to repeat the previous download on to its memory banks. As the familiar document appeared on the screen, the Vulcan thrust the padd into the Major's chest.

"Don't believe me if you like, but it's written in black and white," he barked, frustrated with the constant attitude Cass had shown since her return to the ship. Enough was enough. "And think about leaving that attitude at the door, Major. Remember, you were the one to come to me!"

She snorted, taking the padd from him. For the first time since she came on board, she felt almost in control of a situation. She moved to the opposite side of the workbench, looking Rhyan in the eye. "Do not, for a minute, think that I'm telling you this for any other reason apart from self preservation." She didn't want Rhyan to know about the threat Marshall had made towards her family.

She put the padd back on the bench and pushed it back towards Rhyan, unread. "Marshall would have known that you and the Captain would find him on board within hours - he's making no attempt to hide himself - and that you'd get access to these transfer orders. It doesn't make any sense not to tell you." She cocked her head to one side. "I still don't believe you. Even if I did, and as we're playing rank, Commander, in that case I would humbly suggest that you should call mummy. I'm sure she'll explain everything to you and the Captain."

Feeling something within him snap, Rhyan found himself verbally lashing out at the marine commander. "Fursman really did a number on you, didn't he? I mean, he fooled us all - tricked us into thinking he was one of the crew - but really he was a terrorist and a renegade biding his time until he could strike a blow against the Federation. And if one Starfleet officer can fool you, then surely we are all capable of deceiving the righteous Cassandra Blackburn!" Rhyan's upper lip curled as he spat out Cass' name.

"At some point, Cass," he continued, stepping towards her and making sure she looked him in the eye as he spoke, "you are going to have to realise that not everybody is out to get you. What happened at Thorlarus sucked for you. What happened on Romulus sucked for me. Eventually we all have to get over it, move on, and do our duty. If we keep fighting each other, then Fursman, the Sixth Fleet and the Confederacy have already won!"

He stopped, panting as he caught his breath following the prolonged rant toward Cassandra. It had not been his intention to attack the Major, but playing nice hadn't worked thus far - and right now Rhyan was under so much pressure from Ashcart, Starfleet and the President that the rant was almost therapeutic in releasing some of the pent-up stress that had been building on him since their departure for Hadronus. Maybe it was Cass, or maybe it had been news of his estranged mother's affiliation with Marshall - but Rhyan felt sure that somewhere a camel was spasming with a broken back.

"Self righteous! At least I know what I am, Rhyan!" She barked back at him, losing her temper at the mention of Thorlarus and all that entailed. "I know that I don't belong here. I'm not pretending to be something I'm not! You couldn't lead this crew out of paper bag! How many of us have you destroyed! Let down! Ask Sarah and Lucy! And as for your bloody so-called duty, this goddamned ship has taken enough out of me!" She paused to catch her breath. "You don't get it do you? None of you! I don't want anything to do with the Confederacy or the Sixth or the President or any of it! I don't want it - I, I don't care!" She was fighting back her emotions now, chasing her breath and almost hyperventilating.

After a few moments she continued, quieter this time. "All I want to do is leave this place. Honestly, Rhyan, why the hell did you bring me back here - was it just to make yourself feel better? Who's self righteous there!"

"I damn well know who I am!" Rhyan barked, the index finger on his right hand curling round to point at himself as he continued to confront the woman in front of him. Although there had been moments in the past where he had doubted himself, Rhyan knew that he had more than earned his position as executive officer on board the Redemption. "And don't you dare think that I am the only self righteous person here in this room; it's about time you took a long, hard look in the mirror."

"I don't need to, I know what happened to me!" She hissed at him. A natural pause fell over the argument. Blackburn paced up and down with her hands on her hips, seething with fury.

Rhyan continued to eye up the Major, unconvinced by her words.

After a few minutes she turned to face him again. "Do you know what the sad truth here is? I can tell you now that this mission will result in the death of a lot of the people I saw this morning on the flight deck. It always does, on this ship." She waited a few moments before picking up a piece of the broken padd, turning it over in her hands, talking quietly now; more to herself than to Rhyan. "Being here with them makes me feel so old. Christ, it's like a children's crusade." She looked at him again. "You're blind, Rhyan. You all are. I want nothing else to do with this. As soon as this inevitable bloodbath is over I'm gone."

Rhyan sighed, his anger transforming into pity. "Maybe it would be better for us all if you did just jump ship after this mission is over. There is no place for anyone on this ship who has lost faith in its crew." His eyes regarded her for a few moments before darting away to look at anything else in the room.

A wave of sadness then washed over the Vulcan. "It seems that my friend is gone forever. Whoever has been left behind has no place on board this ship. So," he paused, unconvinced that he would ever regret the words he was about to say, "if you want to transfer off of this ship at the end of this mission, I'll do everything in my power to accelerate the process. I think that would be the best thing for you, for me and for the crew."

"You're right, she's gone. And I'll tell you where she went - she grew up, Rhyan." They sat in silence for a while, both mentally exhausted from their argument. She eventually spoke again. "Jon Marhsall. You going to tell Ashcart; deal with him?"

"Definitely," he replied, no hesitation in his voice. Rhyan knew the the Ensign was dangerous, and it was only fair that Ashcart knew he was on board. And Jody deserved to know that his attacker was on board also. Sighing for what felt like the umpteenth time, Rhyan looked Cass square in the face once more and spoke, "You know that if Marshall is here, he - and Starfleet Intelligence - must think that Sarah is likely to show her face at Hadronus. That means that we need to be prepared for the worst to happen when we get there."

Blackburn looked Rhyan in the eye. "Then we find out where she is, and level the place with a photon torpedo from orbit." She said slowly.

"For once," Rhyan commented, without breaking eye contact, "we are in total agreement."

Blackburn was surprised - Rhyan had always been led by his desire to save Sarah, not destroy her. She thought for a moment and two, then headed towards the door, pausing as they opened. "If only you'd done that the first time round. None of this would have happened."

The Vulcan opened his mouth to speak, but resisted the urge to say anything more to the Major. He knew that nothing he could say would change Cassandra's thoughts on the matter - and, truth be told, Rhyan knew that what she said was correct. Instead, he remained silent and watched as she continued towards the lab's exit. She had exhausted him further, and he was in no more of a mood to fight.

She waited a moment, thinking. Eventually, she shook her head again. "I still can't forgive you, Rhyan. Don't ask me to." She said, turning and walking out the lab. Rhyan watched her leave, completely unsure of where to go next. It was a good five minutes before he grabbed the clutter of padds from the floor and stormed out of the lab himself.

OFF

A Mission post by:

Commander Rhyan, XO
Major Blackburn, Det Cdr

 

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