Love, The Greatest of the Prophets' Gifts
Posted on Wed Aug 8th, 2018 @ 3:13pm by Lieutenant Commander Kiril Nevin & Captain Mrazak & Ferrofax
1,439 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
S1E1: Bynars Be Bygones
Location: Memory Theta
"Mrazak!"
Nevin yelled the man's name as he walked into the large Observation deck on Overwatch. He knew the man was here, but honestly couldn't care less who else was around. He was angry, and truth-be-told, very few things made Nevin angry enough to yell. But here they were, and he wasn't planning on holding back.
"Why is it that Akiva has no record of my transfer orders back to the Gallagher?" he asked, nay demanded, as he walked up to the Vulcan.
The Vulcan Without Logic stood at ease facing the panorama windows. He was turned away from the Tartarus planetoid toward outer space. "The plasma storms are beautiful, aren't they? So dangerous, yet so captivating. Watching them form, burn, and dissipate is comforting in some curious fashion. Helps me think."
Nevin stole a glance out the window and he hated to admit that the Vulcan was right. The view was quite beautiful. But he wouldn't let that distract him. At least not now. "Don't change the subject. What's wrong with my orders?"
Mrazak smirked at the other man's persistence. "Because there never were any orders." He sighed contentedly. "I do love a good storm."
"That's not true," Nevin said, pulling out a PADD. "These are my transfer orders to Theta. They explicitly say that the transfer is temporary and that I would be transferred back once the project is complete."
Looking at the PADD, Mrazak sniffed once and then threw it on the ground. He ground his heel into the screen. "I'll let you in on a secret, Kiril. Perhaps the biggest one here. For minds as brilliant as yours, the project is never complete."
"Mine is." Nevin pulled out a second PADD, a copy of the one containing his research on the virus. "I was brought here to find a cure to a virus. I've done so. That means that my project is complete. I need to get back to my ship, to my life. You have no idea what was left behind."
Mrazak looked at Nevin, his attention squarely on him for the first time. "You don't understand; your records are falsified, your current service sealed, everybody looking in different directions and none the wiser. If you leave here, you will be found in dereliction of duty from at least four different phantom postings of my choosing. Don't think of what was behind you -- rather, look ahead and see the opportunities afforded you in this new life."
Nevin didn't want to believe it. He wanted to call the man a liar and walk away. But he knew... Deep down, in a place he wanted to ignore right now, he knew this was completely true. Ferrofax had even said it before they left on their mission to Bynaus. But the evil within the man in front of him was clear and obvious. He was not above ruining lives to get what he wanted.
"How many?" Nevin asked. He didn't specify but he knew Mrazak would know what he was asking.
Mrazak shrugged. "I never keep count. It's best that way. You're upset, but that will pass. I won't insult you with a Noble Lie. Yours is an astute mind. Soon you will find the value of the opportunity you were given all on your own." His eyes returned to the plasma storms, churning with an intensity all of their own.
"Alternatively, if you find working her untenable, there are always opportunities for new experiences in the Archival facility below us," Ferrofax piped up, his voice coming from the desk monitor. "I know the thought of manning a large storage facility might not sound interesting, but given the more active nature of some of the artefacts below, it can be very interesting indeed."
"Come now, Ferrofax," Mrazak said with a dark chuckle. "Our Bajoran friend hasn't misbehaved that badly."
“I never suggested he be reclassified as Class-D Personnel,” Ferrofax said with mock affrontery, before adding. “...But now we’re on the subject, two Class-D workers got stuck in the Red Slow on the lower sub levels. By current temporal estimations, they should successfully pass through the Red Slow in twenty two years and six months.”
"Stop!" Nevin said, holding a hand up to get them to both stop talking. "You can't do this," he said, looking at Mrazak, who had already turned away as if he was uninterested. "I refuse to work for you like this. Without an option, without my belongings, without the people who I call my family. I'd rather be thrown into the legal system for a court martial, where I'm afforded just a little ethical treatment, than spend another day here."
"May I remind you," Mrazak said slowly, "that you were present on Bynaus during one of the most embarrassing acts of espionage and domestic terrorism that the Federation has experienced in recent times. In fact, it was your hand that record an ambassador's time of death. We have resolved Lieutenant McKay's unfortunate connection to Section 31 to spare her the resultant unpleasantness from Commodore Hightower's exposure and arrest. It would be no trouble at all to create a similar connection to a wayward officer who can't keep his mouth shut and appreciate the grand opportunity he's been given. Last I heard, Hightower was not given the benefits of a trial. A military tribunal sentenced him in a closed hearing, never to be heard from again." Mrazak gave him an evil smirk. "Your brilliant mind would be a terrible thing to waste." His smirk faded into a grimace. "Don't."
"A point of order, he is a registered organ donor Sir," Ferrofax reminded from his high perch. "So, in essence, even in the most dire of circumstances very little of him would go to waste."
Mrazak chuckled. "Oh, Ferrofax, you wicked thing!"
"I'm merely being factual, but a program likes to be admired from time to time," he said smugly.
Nevin stood there, the shock and disappointment obvious on his face, and he made no attempt to hide it. Turning away from the window, he slowly walked away thought he wasn't sure where he was going to go.
An hour passed and Nevin found himself standing in front of his quarters. Not his permanent quarters, but the ones he was assigned for his temporary service on Memory Theta. Though truth be told, these were going to be his permanent quarters for as long as he was a prisoner here. The doors opened quickly and quietly as he stepped over the threshold, his eyes blankly staring ahead. Laying on the ground next to the door was a duffle bag, clearly packed and ready to go. It was almost comical to think that just a few hours prior, he had packed the few things he had brought thinking he was heading back to his old life. And while the Gallagher was hardly a permanent place, it was home to him. His friends, his boyfriend, his whole life was there. And now he was here, alone and empty with nothing.
As the doors closed behind him, Nevin leaned back against the bulkhead, sinking to the ground as he laid his head on his knees. There were so many emotions swirling inside of him, a vortex of things begging to be felt, but none given enough attention. At this point, he was practically numb.
He looked at the bag and before he realized it, his fingers were pulling the zipper open. The contents were simple, mostly clothes to be worn while off duty, nothing too personal. But on top of the folded laundry was a small black box and a picture frame. He reached in and pulled out the frame, ignoring his reflection in the glass as his gaze focused on the happy couple featured within. He and Sylar, taken only a few weeks before he left the Gallagher. They were so happy. So in love. Life had kept them apart once before and the two men in the picture weren't going to let that stop them from finding happiness together once more. It seemed like a lifetime ago now.
Turning his attention away from the image, Nevin pulled out the small black box that was lying next to the picture. His breath caught in his throat for a moment as his fingers touched the cool material. Gently he opened it, revealing two silver rings held gently in place. "Love, the greatest of the Prophets' gifts" was etched onto the inner surface of each band. A single tear rolled down Nevin's cheek as he pulled the rings close to his chest and closed his eyes.
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