Not Quite the Tearful Goodbye

Posted on Tue Jul 24th, 2018 @ 5:03pm by Lieutenant Commander Kazyah Linn & Captain Akiva ben-Avram

1,021 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: S1E1: Bynars Be Bygones
Location: Shuttlebay - Memory Theta
Timeline: MD 10

The sound of a shipping container falling to the ground echoed through the shuttlebay, causing Kaz to groan with displeasure. He turned towards his runabout, putting his hands on his hips in an annoyed fashion.

"Please be careful with those!" he yelled, though he knew the drones didn't answer to him. No, unfortunately, they only reported to the AI that controlled this station and he had to please for almost 20 minutes before the entity would allow the drones to assist.

As he expected, they completely ignored him and picked up the container, loading it onto the small craft.

He sighed, walking towards the runabout when the doors behind him opened and Akiva walked through.

"Ah, just the man I was waiting for," Kaz said. "These drones have just finished loading our things. We're ready to leave."

Akiva folded his arms and assessed the loaded Delta Flyer. Not bad for 20 minutes. It almost made him feel guilty for the news he was about to share.

"Thank you, my friend. But I need you to unload her." He knew the look of remorse on his face would be lost to Kaz, so he clutched his shoulder. "I'm not leaving."

Kaz chuckled, "Funny. I've heard a rumor that Mrazak often conscripts people to meet his needs, but he has no control over you. You're free to leave just like we came." The man began to walk towards the flyer.

"It's not like that," Akiva said. He shifted his weight to either foot in search of the words. "I'm... still not sure how it happened. Admiral Nyel offered me the administrator position at Memory Theta. I accepted. Mrazak protested, and I ordered him to get out of my office." The recollection brought a boyish grin to Akiva's face. "He complied, Kaz. This is happening. It has happened."

Coming to a slow stop, Kaz turned and looked at Akiva, his brow furrowed. "Wait...what?"

"Admiral Nyel insisted I'm the man for the job." He threw his hands up and waved them in fret. "It's not what I expected. But what's waiting for me back on the Vindex? As administrator I can make a difference here. Bring some accountability and ethics to a project that clearly lacks both..."

He trailed off, trying to gauge the other man's thoughts.

"And what did the Orion slave girl think about this idea?" Kaz asked, continuing his walk onto the flyer.

Akiva winced at that. "I'll tell her when she gets here. And I'll thank you not to call her that."

Kaz turned to look at the man again, "Wait, she doesn't know? And she's coming?" A look of pure confusion crossed the man's face. "I don't understand."

"It's not like I had advanced notice," Akiva said. "I accepted the position about 15 minutes ago. A condition of that was that my wife... to be... joins me."

A raised eyebrow, but Kaz decided not to question Akiva's actions. What was done was done and he'd learn a lesson soon enough. "So you're actually doing this, eh?"

"Why? Do you plan to talk me out of it?" Akiva crossed his arms, surprised at his own resolve.

Kaz shook his head, "Not at all. Honestly, I couldn't care less what you do with your life." The man turned back towards the Commander, "If anything, this makes my life easier. You always to put me in situations I don't like to be in."

His remarks made Akiva physically flinch. Whatever he had expected, that wasn't it. "I see." Akiva avoided Kaz's face for a moment, scanning the Delta Flyer, the shuttlebay, anything else. "Then I suppose it was a foolish thought that you might join me." He fixed his jaw, swallowed his tension, and locked his eyes on Kaz's through sheer force of will. "B'hatz l'kha... Lieutenant."

Kaz simply nodded, turning to walk into the runabout. But stopped after two steps. "You know..." he said, not turning around. "The Vindex is going to go to shit without you," he said. "Maybe I should request a transfer somewhere else? Some place quiet, like a Breen infiltration squad. Or maybe another assassination? It's been a long time since I've murdered a galactic leader."

Thoughts of the Vindex filled Akiva's mind. It felt like ages ago. "The Vindex will go on. Or it won't. Either way my time there is over. Captain Ainscow made the first move by transferring after Saalkan's mutiny. The rest of us have merely taken a page from her book." The silence began to linger between them. Goodbyes were never Akiva's strong suit. "Hey, if you need a suggestion, I know of a Ferengi crime lord that the quadrant could do without."

"Unfortunately, that isn't an option," Kaz said, using his leg to push Biynah's container down the runabout's walkway and back to the floor. "The Black Nagus is a dreadful person, and you're smart to want him dead, but no. Intel isn't quite ready for that just yet. They believe he is still more valuable to us alive than dead."

Akiva scoffed. "Which means he probably has assets in SFI. Especially since he had an ambassador on the take." Tossing his head, Akiva extended a final handshake. "If you change your mind, let me know. I could use a man I trust around here."

"Don't be such a sap, Akiva. We're not going to have a tearful goodbye or anything. It's been a fun run, but every relationship comes to an end eventually," Kaz said, not taking the handshake. The man folded his arms in front of his chest. "Take care of your slave girl. And please, for the love of the deities, teach your kid to be less of a pansy than you are, eh?" The man turned and took a step into the craft, but stopped. "You know, it hasn't been completely atrocious knowing you," he said. After a moments pause, he kept walking and the large door of the runabout closed behind him.

Gently, the large vessel lifted off the ground and slipped through the forcefield and into the open space beyond.

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