Post 431: The Finest Line

Stardate:70830.1330
Title: The Finest Line
Author: =/\= Zanh Liis
Scene: Indy/Starfleet Command on Earth
Time: 0600 Hours: Following "My Only Love is the Sea"
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"Mr. Blane," Zanh Liis said, marching through the doors of the ready room and out onto the bridge proper with Salvek falling into step just a pace behind her. "You have the bridge."

*Four simple words,* thought Thomas Blane. But the weight of their meaning, the reality of hearing them directed toward him with his name attached- thrilled him. He had worked his whole career for this moment.

It wasn't that he hadn't had his turn at "minding the store" as Zanh referred to it, in the past. But that was with Zanh or Gilmore nearby and ready to retake command at a moment's notice. Yes, they were in orbit of Earth; probably the friendliest neighborhood in the universe for the Indy and her crew. But that didn't change the fact that he was going to be sitting in the big chair while she was on the planet.

"Aye, Captain." he nodded professionally and stifled the grin that tugged at his lips.

"We'll be back as soon as we can." Zanh saluted him with two fingers as she and Salvek took to the lift.

"Transporter Room One." Salvek requested, and the lift whirred to life.

"Do you have the notes on the points of evidence that we want to be sure Admiral Kelly sees before the hearings begin?"

"Yes, Zanh Liis. N'Dura has cross referenced, flagged and highlighted them all as you requested."

"Good. I have a list of questions for Admiral Kelly as long as my arm, if I can just get two seconds of his time," Liis said with a sigh. "I am hoping that perhaps he might finally be able to shed some light on the fate of the Starion."

In truth it wasn't the fate of the ship that concerned Liis in the least bit. It was concern for the man that had taken her out, the woman that he hoped to find, and the crew that went along with him on his quest.

When they arrived at the transporter room, Commander N'Dura awaited them. Standing beside her, Admiral Trenton George.

"You're wasting your time," George sneered at Zanh, his tones hushed as they stepped up onto the transporter pad. "This will never even go to trial."

She ignored him, simply glancing over at the crewman at the controls.

"Energize."

They rematerialized at Starfleet Command, and security was waiting to take George off of their hands. Liis watched in disbelief as his handcuffs were removed, and he was ushered into a nearby conference room instead of being taken to the central processing office as was procedure.

"What the hell just happened here?" Salvek and N'Dura exchanged glances as Liis protested, her hands balled into fists.

"What's happening is that the greater good is being served." Admiral James Kelly was standing behind her, and Liis turned and lowered her head slightly in greeting. It took a moment for his words to sink in, and when they did, she wasn't pleased, not one bit.

"The greater good?" She was visibly repulsed by the term. "I swear if I hear that phrase one more time,"

"We need to speak privately," Kelly said, gesturing to another large room to their right. "Commanders, Captain, if you'll just step inside?"

"I have a very bad feeling about this," Liis whispered to Salvek, as the Klingon woman took the lead in striding into the room behind the Admiral and attempted to present to him the evidence that they had brought.

"Admiral, I believe that there is more than enough here to convict Trenton George on the charges of fraud, money laundering, accepting bribes-"

"Thank you for your diligence in assembling this information, N'Dura." Kelly said, and he took the metal attaché from her hands. "Your attention to detail will be noted in your permanent record."

"It's not N'Dura's permanent record that concerns me, Admiral Kelly," Liis raised her eyes and locked them on the man in a way that made his collar suddenly feel as if it were several sizes too small. "It's the permanent record of Admiral George. And Dabin Reece. It's someone being held accountable for the attempted murder of February Grace."

"Attempted murder is an awfully strong phrase.""It would also appear in this case to be the accurate one, Sir," Salvek concluded respectfully.

"The decision has already been made. The Trill will handle their own affairs, Starfleet will stay out of it and Trenton George will take an early retirement. Case closed."

"Sir!" Liis' voice rose, and Salvek shot her a gentle warning look in the way that only he could. "You cannot be serious!"

"The grand jury reviewed the depositions that you sent via subspace while Independence was en route and decided this is the action they are taking. I'm sorry, Liis, I can't offer you any more explanation than that right now. But I want all records of this incident that you may still have aboard your ship destroyed."

"Including all records involving the demotion of Dabin Reece?" she said sarcastically, knowing what his response would be.

"No,"Kelly replied sternly,his expression telling her that she should know better."That remains."

"Why? No one did anything wrong, so there's no need to reprimand Reece! How do we explain it on his record?"

"It will be noted as a failure on his part to follow proper procedures."

"That makes it sound like dereliction of duty!" She choked the words out in disgust. "It's not right!"

"It's the way it has to be."

"So the cover up gets covered up once again," Liis leaned against the wall and stared upward, toward the ceiling. Above her head hung the bright blue and white flag of the Federation. She indicated it with her index finger. "What is the meaning of that flag? Does it have meaning anymore?"

"What are you implying?"

"That if the Federation allows its citizens, Starfleet officers, to be assaulted. . .manipulated. . .experimented on,"

"One man's experimentation is another man's cutting edge medical procedure, Liis," Kelly replied."We can't micro-manage other Federation worlds. The whole point of the Federation is to learn about other cultures, to grow and explore. Not to make everyone live by our rules."

"I never suggested we make everyone live by our rules," Liis growled softly,"But we can't turn a blind eye to it when one of our own is-"

"I understand your frustration," he put his hand on her shoulder, and Liis bristled.

"Sir," she whispered, tempering her anger with as much respect for his authority as she could currently muster, "I respectfully submit that you have no idea. To watch a good man, a man innocent of any wrongdoing take the fall for acts of heroism while the man who pulled the strings to keep the crimes of the Symbiosis Commission a secret gets off scot-free. . .Reece is not only a good officer, but a good friend. So," she looked away,"you just can't understand my frustration this time."

"Salvek, N'Dura, would you step outside a moment?" Another look passed between the Klingon and the Vulcan, and Salvek hesitated. He was afraid of what was going to happen next if his calming influence was not present with Zanh in the room. He had no choice, however, but to acquiesce.

"You can't always protect them, Liis." Kelly said after the doors had closed. "Reece knew what he was doing. They all did. They all could have lost their commissions over this. You have no idea how much fast talking I had to do to save them from themselves."

"Their commissions were in jeopardy because they chose to save the life of a fellow officer?" she shook her head sadly. "I can't get that through my head."

"Because doing so involved breaking the laws of the world that they were on at the time, yes. We can't have vigilantes going around, simply disregarding the laws of our individual planets because they personally find them distasteful."

"Distasteful?!"Liis pounded her fist against the wall once. "Yes, Admiral Kelly, I do find mutilation and attempted murder distasteful! Maybe that makes me the wrong choice to sit in the chair you placed me in when Gilmore got sick. But there I was, there they were, and here I am." her eyes pleaded his understanding. "I have to stand up for them. I stared into the eyes of the Advocate General of Trill and I saw evil there. Pure evil."

"It is not our place to-"

"I know, I know," she interrupted."It's not our place to judge evil. I just wish you could have seen the girl. What she looked like when she came back and didn't know who she was, or what she was. If you could've heard her screams, seen her pain," she closed her eyes in horror."Maybe you'd feel differently."

"I can't feel differently. If I did, I couldn't do my job."

"Well maybe I can't do this one." Liis fingered the fourth pip on her collar, and seriously considered ripping it off and throwing it across the room.

"Stop."he warned, raising his hand. "Don't do it. Think of your crew."

She did think of them now.

Their faces appeared in her head somewhere between her eyes and her brain- starting with the ones who were just kids like Biggs and T'Ana, up to those who were accomplished, established officers in their own right like Blane, N'Dura, McKenna, Lair, Margolis, Salvek, Trind and Maak.

"It is a very fine line we walk, Zanh Liis," Kelly said softly. ". . .and it's very high off the ground. But we have to walk it, we have no choice."

He placed his hands on her shoulders again."Sometimes, we can win a victory that is black and white. Neat and tidy and as definitive as the lines on a map. Sometimes we get lost in the shades of gray between. But if good people," he stopped, making sure she understood that he truly was sympathetic to her situation."if people like you give up the fight, then there truly will be no meaning left to that piece of fabric." he indicated the flag again.

"So which way do you want it Zanh Liis? Do you choose to walk away and leave the downtrodden without anyone to stand up for them- or do you continue to stand up for them even if you cannot win every battle?"

He couldn't believe it, but for a moment he thought that maybe, just maybe, he saw the reflection of unshed tears in her eyes. An instant later the glimmer was gone and her jaw was set as if in stone.

"We keep standing up." She finally lowering her hand from the collar of her tunic.

"Yes, we stand up." Kelly echoed. "We do the best we can, and we go on."

"Admiral,"she wanted to speak to him now on another matter which had her very concerned. "Has anyone heard anything from Jordan Morris, or the Starion?"

Kelly turned several shades paler, and sat down in the chair at the head of the table."Officially, I can't answer that," he replied sadly."Off the record? Not a single word, Liis."

"Please, James," she said, leaning her hands onto the table, her face mere inches from his. "Think about this a moment before you automatically say no," she paused, and he already knew what she was going to say next.

"I want to set a course for the wormhole and take Independence in after them."

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=/\= Zanh Liis
Acting Captain
USS Independence NCC-90791