[Alien Cave]
Ian snorted at Stamen's comments and his scowl deepened.
"No Stamen, you dehumanized yourself by your own actions. You are, in fact, an embarrassment to humanity. Have you become so delusional that that nonsense you dribble is believable to you? A 'higher power', 'good of the Federation', you are not working for anyone but yourself and your twisted needs, regardless of whatever sickness is behind them may be. The experimentation on sentient beings is against the law of the Federation you claim to support, therefore, your entire argument is a lie."
Ian paused to allow his words and contempt sink in.
"You are nothing but the broken shell of a human unfit to breathe the same air as your victims. You are wrong on every level imaginable with your butchery you call science, but where you are most wrong is saying we have no say. The Captain is not here and cannot stop us from stopping you by taking away your leverage. I'm no martyr, but I knew the day I put this uniform on, that one day, I might have to sacrifice everything. If today happens to be that day, then so be it. I will not allow anyone to use us as a bargaining chip, so despite what you may think you pathetic excuse of a life, you do not control what happens here, we do."
[Medical Lab?]
Jessica stood there, silent, with a complete poker face as she was verbally assaulted by the first officer. She showed no sign of being affected by his words, as if she had been prepared for something like this. When he was done, she pushed herself up and walked to one of the computer consoles, bringing up a screen that showed alien symbols and the Discovery itself, before the symbols flashed to different shapes until common tongue letters could be seen.
"Expendable... let's see. Lieutenant Commander Ian Galloway, recently assigned First Officer. Senior Chief Petty Officer Kali Reyes, Chief Operations Officer. Lieutenant Junior Grade Inzjana.. Junior grade, really? Chief Science Officer. Interesting... looks like your Captain had just put in for promotions for two of you... whoops! I think that was supposed to be a surprise." she said with a grin, turning to face the group.
"If you want to kill yourselves to save your Captain the trouble, be my guest. But I'm calling your bluff. Three of you represent half of the senior staff. You might be ready to end your careers on the high note, but think about what it looks like to Starfleet. The first time the Discovery was involved with me, your Captain was strung up for losing both a Federation outpost and his own ship. What do you think will happen if he returns to Federation Space having lost his entire away team? There are plenty of others who have already taken notice of him, I'm sure they would love an excuse to get rid of him. To be honest, I thought after they sabotaged your ship, he would be done, but hey, looks like you have more friends than we thought."The sweet tone began to drop, as Jessica began talking more harshly.
"Riddle me this, Commander. Are you so naive to think that the Federation has never turned a blind eye in the pursuit of security? Do you think I just happen to hold a lot of personal sway to get what I need to survive and continue my work? What are the odds that I find a perfect facility for medical research just being on the run? Think Commander. The only reason you get to hold onto your precious ideals and rule of law is because we are there in the shadows to do the dirty work that keeps your hands clean, and your society of plenty intact. We've been protecting the Federation in one form or another since its founding. Whether you want to accept it or not doesn't matter."The darker look on her face faded as the doctor checked the time.
"Oh! Time flies when you're being berated. I have an errand to run. If you want to kill yourselves, now is the time." she said, reaching out near her and pushing something only she could see, before her image distorted and then vanished.
[Bridge - USS Discovery]
After ten minutes, with the activity going on the bridge, the doors to the ready room opened. Nevir was brisk, but a bit unsteady as he made it to the center of the bridge. His eyes caught a person he didn't recognize, but the hue of her blue uniform gave away her medical department. Shy doctor on the bridge hiding her face? From what he heard earlier, she could really only be one person.
"Ms. Santiago, you don't need to hide yourself on the Bridge. I know what happened between you and Galloway, but you have a place on my ship regardless of whether this ship is exploration or military. The next time we reach drydock, I have a requisition for a counseling module to be put in. Jaeger, don't go too far... I'll need a pilot." he said, standing by his chair as the chime for a hail came in.
"Right on time... on screen."
Jessica was once again on screen, smirking.
"I hope you make your choice Captain... I might not even need to execute them. Your first officer seems eager to end his own life on his own."Nevir grimaced.
Dammit, man.... this crew needs you more than me... "I'll go. One shuttle, one pilot. You let them go after I arrive, and send my people back, and release my ship. Can you agree to that?"
"Works for me. Once you land, I'll send them right back to your ship. See you soon Captain." Stamen said, cutting the connection. With the silence on the bridge, Nevir was shaking slightly, mostly in the hands.
"Jaeger... you're with me. No runabout... just a shuttle. The rest of you... if I'm not able to speak with Galloway before he returns, then I need you to relay my orders. As soon as they are on board, make for Columbus immediately. Captain's orders. Can I count on all of you?" he asked, hoping that they understood.
