Pacifica - It's a Quinn-gical place

Posted on Fri May 6th, 2022 @ 6:10pm by Quinn [ADMIN NPC]

Mission: Season 5: Interlude: Darkness Abounds
Location: Pacifica. Hotel Aquarius, Room 804 Starfleet Pheraputic Resort.
1088 words - 2.2 OF Standard Post Measure

Jessica walked towards her room and opened the hotel room door. Walking into the room she put a note on the door. She plopped down and went out into the balcony, wearing a tanktop that had the words. 'Badass Starfleet Motherf*cker.'

There was a bell sound behind her and a voice she had heard once said "Well, well, what do we have here."

Quinn stood there in a counselor's uniform wearing Commander Pips.

Jess shook her head. "You and that... smile.... Shoulda told me we'd be in a fight with the damned Terrans from the other side. Then everything keeps on going to shit."

"I do believe I said you would one day face things like Shae did" Quinn sat down beside her. "And I see you are not handling it well Jess."

"Starfleet's recent orders isn't the only thing pissing me off." Jess opened up her duffel and tossed a padd with a file to Quinn. It had the name Morin Tahlia on it. "I'm just so sick of things like this happening. And they all pretend it's no big deal. It is to me." Jess noted. "Goddesses Crewman Hopkins. You wanna know how close I came to arming the Ely's weapons and firing them on those xenophobic bastards cities when I say it. I'm glad I didn't get the chance."

Quinn let the PADD hover and then reached out and touched Jess's shoulder. "You are not like them Jessica"

"That would make me no different than the Heinrich Himmler fanclub on that horrific planet." Jessica noted. "No different than a mother who whipped her daughter for dropping the fucking tea. I have two planes that flew during the battle of Britain. If I did that... I'd disgrace the earth nation that adopted me when I came to it as a little girl." Jess noted.

"Then time here is going to be good for you. You need talking out."

Jess spoke. "When I saw the Terran Empire torture our crew. I saw everything I was fighting against.. I pulled together a resistance.. Lead a team to that station. All while the torture of our crew screamed in my telepathy." Jess mentioned. It wasn't just me. It was every telepath. Those three days.. I realized what I wouldn't allow in Starlfeet."

"And when things happened with Lalor, you saw it happening?"

Jess nodded. "Eisenhower once said.. when they liberated the concentration camps. 'They say the American Soldier has no idea what he's fighting for... Well now he knows what he's fighting against.'" Jess noted. "I was angry and enraged. And I saw it happening again and again." Jess noted. "Why the hell do we have people in Starfleet that can even sign off on making people disappear. Even if it's a ploy or some kind of covert op. Signing that goddess damned order is a pact with the Devil." Jessica stated. "I want to know why command did that.. Do they not understand whats on the other side of the mirror?" Jess noted. "We cannot become them!!!" She shed a tear. "We cannot become them, we owe it to the people who didn't come back. How much we sacrificed to free our Captain, and her two children. Never, I say. Will I ever let Starfleet Command, lower ourselves to such hiddeous brutality." She cried. "It's not just about winning the war, when you lose anyway."

Quinn sighed Phoenix would kill her. "Lalor isn't imprisoned you know" she stated. "No one outside this room is to know that."

"It didn't take me long to figure that out when I read Carrington's file. I just didn't know for sure. Seemed logical." Jess noted. "It just felt so wrong.. I was ready to snap. So, I ignored it... Telling myself it was all for a good reason. Then Carrington let them onto our ship. I tried ignoring it again. Delving into training my pilots. I know, this is all dumb to you. But I need to get over this, get back into Starfleet. I need to stay in, good people are needed in the fleet."

"And you left just as she returned to the ship" Quinn told her softly.

"I would not be of use to her right now." Jess stated in doubt of herself. "She won't understand how thoroughly disgusted I was with Carrington. Our crew was supposed to be respected. She launched a goddess damned spanish inquisition." Jessica mentioned. "She'd think differently if she ever was thrown into an Agony Booth like half the crew was. But I guess wherever she is, she learned too late what happens when you invite a monster over for tea, scones, and blood. I did not thing Carrington deserved that, but I told her... When my team went down there.. I wasn't going to wait until that bus got to its destination before pulling our people our of there. I'm sorry Carrington.. But you rode that bus to the end of the line." Jess said softly.

Quinn nodded. "Life is not fair Jessica. And sometimes things happen that screw things up."

"No it's not.." Jess noted. "Then I saw what they did to Hopkins.." Jess noted.. "He was eighteen years old Quinn. I'm in my thirties.." Jess noted. "I bet he was going to spend four, maybe twenty years in the fleet. Meet a young woman somewhere. Start a family.. Maybe retire from the fleet as a Master Chief Petty Officer at forty-nine. Ever since the battle of the mirrors. I couldn't stop thinking about that. He pleaded with me to open that door." Jess noted. "But I couldn't let them into the Battle bridge. They'd have control of the entire goddess damned ship. So we made a decision." Jess noted. "I should ask Phoenix one day if we made the right call."

"You did the right thing." Quinn said softly. "The Elysium falling into such hands... would have meant genocide for anyone not conforming to their ideals."

"And why am I telling you this... You're a meddler who probably thinks the universe is her playground." She noted.

"Now now, the only Meddling I have done has been for the good of the people who know me" Quinn smirked.

"Why, you have it all made Quinn. Everything in your existance is.. at the snap of a finger." Jess noted. "And yet you deal with me.. You must think I'm ridiculous." She noted.

"No, I don't think that. What I think does not matter. Its what you think that does."

OFF