An offer you can't refuse.

Posted on Tue Dec 17th, 2024 @ 1:31pm by Commodore Finchley Kerr & Lieutenant Commander Shoniara T'ghann-Dex. Doctor

1,633 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: The 'Eagle continues.
Location: Sickbay, USS Blackeagle
Timeline: Current.

Finchley had been told by Kilbane that Shon was in Sickbay resting up after her wound had been seen to. He'd deliberately waited several hours before he'd decided to go in and visit her. Standing in the corridor outside, he took a deep breath and let it our slowly, this was going to be their first private meeting in quite some time. He wasn't exactly sure how it would go, they hadn't parted on good terms before, and the mission they'd just been on had had a few speed bumps.

He walked towards the doors to Sickbay and they opened before him allowing him to enter. He saw Shon lying on one of the biobeds and walked over, standing quietly beside it.

"Doctor T'ghann-Dex, it's...Commodore Kerr, are you awake" he said.

Shon opened her eyes. “Yes Commodore I wasn’t sleeping.” She sat up and swung her legs off the biobed.”This still feels like home but I know you will be eager to get me off the ship. I’ll just need to replicate some new clothes with your permission?”

"Of course you can replicate new clothes" Finchley replied, "and what makes you think I want you off the ship?"

She stopped looking surprised. "I think because of the history between us and the way you and Kilbane acted when you first met me. " she waited, "I wander from place to place until I am needed by SFI. Since we were last on this ship together I have had much advanced training in the art of subterfuge and I think I have grown up. However I am still, at heart a doctor."

"History is just that, history" Finchley replied, "as for the way Commander Kilbane and I treated you, please remember how the parting of the ways before went. Besides, believe it or not, even though there was anger on all sides, I still saw you as a good officer and a very good Doctor. I will admit to keeping tabs on you, nothing inappropriate you understand, more how your training was going. I have a lot of friends, hard as that is to believe, in the Intelligence community, so it wasn't hard to come by information on you. I'll let you into a little secret, it was me who suggested you didn't get another permanent posting but rather you were sent here and there, I wanted to see how you reacted to different situations...and you did extremely well in all of them, congratulations. I do however have a couple of questions for you regarding the last mission, the first of which is...what on earth made you tell the Romulans that I was kidnapping you so I could have my way with you?"

Shon covered a laugh and her surprise in the fact of his 'keeping tabs on her. ' "Well I still occasionally make mistakes. " she sighed. "When I first saw you I was taken back to the times when we were together. It was on my mind, I needed to get away from you to continue my mission as I felt your presence would be damaging. I had to think extremely quickly thinking they might just remove me from the scene. However it all went ass up."

"You could have thought of something better than that, it did kind of put me in a bad light with the Romulans, like I was some sort of fiend" Finchley replied, "however, it didn't come to anything. That brings me onto my next point and question. I don't like it when someone with an alternative mission is parachuted into my own, that's just not cricket. Why didn't you tell me about it, when you knew it would interfere with mine? It could have went south very quickly, suffice to say Kilbane had a good head on his shoulders and decided to trust you."

She sighed, "I have learned to listen, to assimilate and it has saved my life a couple of times. I was told not, under any means tell anyone about my mission. My mission began six months ago on Earth when the Presidents doctor had an...accident. ? I became embedded as his doctor, lived with him, fended him off on many occasions. I lived the mission all this time reporting back to Admiral T'Lera. As you know it was her that let slip his role in the possible destruction of Romulus. After T'Lera was jailed I was informed that there was a spy also embedded in the mission. I was told not to tell anyone, even other SFI cells. I thought about telling you but Martha had already been taken by you. I am not proud of what I did but I take notice of what my superiors tell me and, having been the only agent embedded with Hallmyre I got used to being on my own. I'm sorry it happened, Finchley...I mean Commodore Kerr I am sorry for everything that has happened between us."

Finchley weighed up what Shon had just told him. Sure, he had every right to ball her out, tell her how much damage she had done to the mission the Blackeagle crew had undertaken, but he decided against it. He fully understood what it was to follow direct orders from the top of the line, he also understood what it was to be solo in a mission, he'd done it a few times himself, the loneliness one had to endure could be damaging.

"I'm sorry to for what happened between us" he replied, "so here's what I think you should do right now. You want to replicate clothes, I think you should go and replicate an SFI Doctors uniform and forget about leaving the ship."

Shon’s eyes widened and her heart leaped. She pretended to consider it carefully but was sure he could see the joy in her eyes. “Well the Blackeagle does need her physician back and I do not want to be alone for a long while so yes, I would be most happy to rejoin the crew. I know there may be some crew members who will not want me here but I will try to change their minds. Thank you Fin…..Sir. Are my old quarters still available?” She smiled.

"Yes, your old quarters are still available, nothings been removed, so whatever you left there is still in them" Finchley replied.

"Thank you, I only have few personal things I need to collect from SFI headquarters, have I your permission to contact them to have them send, also…..has Kilbane said anything to you, I think we may have a connection?"

"Of course by all means contact them and have them sent here" Finchley replied, "I haven't actually spoken with Kilbane since we got back, he's been a little busy, not sure what with to be honest he's been a little mysterious. If you think there's a connection between you, then that's good, I hope he feels the same way."

She spoke hesitantly. "May I speak frankly Sir?"

"Yes, you may" Finchley replied, unsure of where this was going.

Shon hesitated. "Are we no longer together, do you still have...feelings for me? I need to know."

Finchley looked down at the floor for a moment, then back up at Shon, "When you left, the manner of that fight left me depressed. I was in a deep hole...emotionally, and I was in total despair, but I was solaced by one of my friends Captain Tristen. She helped me through those very dark times, and we grew closer than ever, beyond friendship. Eventually we both realised that we'd fallen for each other and it's still there. So to answer your question, no, we're no longer together, but, I will still have feelings for you, but not in the sense of loving you as I once did. Now, you're a valued member of this crew and dare I say, a confidant because I will seek your advice if I need to and I hope that comes the other way as well."

Shon nodded although she felt a heavy heart. She knew that their breakup had been down to her but she had needed to know so now she, also could move on. She was determined however not to make a move towards Kilbane but, rather wait for him to do so. The sudden feelings she had felt for the gruff Officer during their mission together had surprised her. Shon took Finchley’s hand and kissed him softly on the cheek. “I am always here for you as your friend, if ever you need to vent or just talk I am here. Thank you for having me back and I can promise I will be the best CMO for you and the crew I can be. You will have my expertise on any mission you need to send me on. As you know My skills have greatly increased over the last couple of years but I feel as though I am home.”

"Thank you" Finchley replied, "that means a lot to me, and as I said, vice versa. I'm glad you've decided to stay on as CMO, we really need your expertise and also your greatly increased skills. Now, I'll run along before I start to get all dewy eyed" he laughed.

As he exited Sickbay, he was genuinely happy she'd decided to stay. It was good to have her back, the past was in the past and there it would stay, he just hoped that everyone else would feel the way he did, but she was right, there could be a couple of the crew who'd take time to see her return to the ship, but, accept it they would, he'd see to that.

 

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