09-11-2023, 11:03 PM
Benjamin hadn't been sure what response to expect. A stoic stare, maybe, or a detonation of anger. An eyeroll and disbelief hadn't exactly been his expectation, though it was definitely somewhere on that spectrum. He wasn't sure if it was the speed that he'd brought up the plan, or the fact that some creative bookkeeping had kept this hidden from not just the captain but from Starfleet at large that merited the eyeroll, but he couldn't exactly blame her. He'd been toying with this particular plan for a few years now, knowing that eventually it was going to come into play. Given the nature of the missions the Artemis seemed to be given, it was inevitable that out-of-the-box thinking would be required to get them done, eventually.
And sometimes, that required sacrifice.
Sure, some sacrifices were harder than others. He remembered the creative thinking that had cost him his eye when he'd tried to make do with substandard "parts" for an EPS conduit, but he'd also had more successful attempts such as the plan that had won him a medal when he saved the Artemis' from a warp core breach. The fact that had given him his current post wasn't entirely lost on him, even if he still, on occasion, was haunted by the Vulcan who preceded him. But this plan had been thought through for a while, and he'd come to terms with the cost.
If that's what it takes, so be it.
He nodded as he listened to her finally reply, her words even and calm. He understood there was likely a storm underneath, but he felt she saw it like he did; he wouldn't have even brought it up if he didn't trust her judgement. First, she asked some technical questions before continuing to the more existential ones. "And are you sure?" she asked. "Even if we succeed and bring Callisto back, there's likely to be some asshole at HQ that's going to want to dig into the how. We can't claim we just found this thing laying around. I'll run interference, you know I will, and I will absolutely take the blame for approving it. However, there's a good chance it won't stay quiet with another ship involved and they're going to want to know where it came from."
He sighed and nodded, deciding to answer the last question first. "Yes, ma'am, I'm sure. I kept that thing because I knew there'd be a day when it would be needed, and given the situation you laid out for me this is the only solution I can think of that gives us a fighting chance to make it to Callisto and make this thing happen. I don't expect you to take a fall for me; I knew when I held on to it that there'd be a price if it was discovered, much less revealed like this. I've been party to much worse than this in my life, and if I have to pay for this one maybe it's just justice catching up with me. But for now, we'll focus on the mission and trying to make it back to face that music.
"To that end," he continued, "a Waverider should be just fine, though I'll want to run some tests once it's installed. I'll get the schematics up as soon as I have a chance and start checking how best to install the damned thing." He just hoped it was the device that was damned, and not them.
==Tag==
And sometimes, that required sacrifice.
Sure, some sacrifices were harder than others. He remembered the creative thinking that had cost him his eye when he'd tried to make do with substandard "parts" for an EPS conduit, but he'd also had more successful attempts such as the plan that had won him a medal when he saved the Artemis' from a warp core breach. The fact that had given him his current post wasn't entirely lost on him, even if he still, on occasion, was haunted by the Vulcan who preceded him. But this plan had been thought through for a while, and he'd come to terms with the cost.
If that's what it takes, so be it.
He nodded as he listened to her finally reply, her words even and calm. He understood there was likely a storm underneath, but he felt she saw it like he did; he wouldn't have even brought it up if he didn't trust her judgement. First, she asked some technical questions before continuing to the more existential ones. "And are you sure?" she asked. "Even if we succeed and bring Callisto back, there's likely to be some asshole at HQ that's going to want to dig into the how. We can't claim we just found this thing laying around. I'll run interference, you know I will, and I will absolutely take the blame for approving it. However, there's a good chance it won't stay quiet with another ship involved and they're going to want to know where it came from."
He sighed and nodded, deciding to answer the last question first. "Yes, ma'am, I'm sure. I kept that thing because I knew there'd be a day when it would be needed, and given the situation you laid out for me this is the only solution I can think of that gives us a fighting chance to make it to Callisto and make this thing happen. I don't expect you to take a fall for me; I knew when I held on to it that there'd be a price if it was discovered, much less revealed like this. I've been party to much worse than this in my life, and if I have to pay for this one maybe it's just justice catching up with me. But for now, we'll focus on the mission and trying to make it back to face that music.
"To that end," he continued, "a Waverider should be just fine, though I'll want to run some tests once it's installed. I'll get the schematics up as soon as I have a chance and start checking how best to install the damned thing." He just hoped it was the device that was damned, and not them.
==Tag==