The Devil You Knew

Posted on Fri Apr 24th, 2020 @ 12:29pm by Captain Abigail Laurens

Mission: Around The World in 8 Days
Location: Earth

As she walked, Abigail reflected on what had happened. It was done. There was nothing she could do. He had won again. Without evidence they wouldn't even look at him. T'Lara seemed almost scandalized that Abigail would suggest that they look further into his career.

He had set the whole thing up. Everything from sending her into the fray to the Romulans, to firing on the Ts'usugi vessel. He had orchestrated the entire thing like a master musician, and she had unwittingly danced to his tune the whole time. Now, now she needed answers, and she knew exactly where to find him to get them.

Abigail zipped her jacket and swept her dark hair back over her shoulder as shee walked on the grass, following the meandering path of the water that weaved it's way through the grounds until she came the bridge, an intricate wooden bridge arching over the water to give clear movement from one side to the other, and he was standing right in the middle.

She stopped, a flood of memories coming back to her as she stared for the briefest of moments before shaking them away.

"What the hell kind of game are you playing?" she demanded as she walked up to him.

Lockwood dismissed her question and looked down into the water below in silence. The water was so calm nearest to the bridge, he could almost see their reflection in the stream. The corner of his lip curled as he saw a few speckled fish swim under the bridge. The Admiral took it all in. The sweet scent of nearby wild flowers, the distant rusling of tree leaves, the warm breeze on his face.

“This is certainly the most beautiful place in all San Francisco,” he finally spoke. He took a deep breath and turned to her alas. “Sometimes I miss who I was. I miss who you were. Time was simpler onboard the Gettysburg,” Lockwood said frankly as he turned away and looked down below the bridge again. “Can’t we just be those people again? Just for a little while…?” he asked as his admiral pin caught the reflection of the sun.

His question caught her off guard. For the briefest of moments, he almost sounded... human? "Did those people ever exist?" she asked hesitantly. Without waiting for him to answer, she turned to look at the water, their reflections appearing side by side. "Do you remember the first time you brought me here?" she asked quietly.

Her first question escaped him as he moved closer to her, his elbow brushed against hers. “I remember,” he answered quietly to her second question. “I remember it all…” He added. There they stood, two Starfleet officers, dressed in their formal wear, both on different paths; but, nevertheless together now, at the crossroads - both existing together, both weighted by the past and the present. “Sometimes I wake up, my feet touch the cold floor and for a brief moment I think I am on the Gettysburg again…” He turned to her with a smile on his lips.

“It wasn’t all bad. We had some good times…” That wrinkle returned to the corners of his eyes, “Look at who you have become. You are a fine Starfleet officer. One hell of a Captain.” His hand reached to grip the railing of the bridge, “I like to think I played some small part in that. Despite everything, I am proud of you. I am even proud of the stand you took with the Ts’usugi. You’re one of the good ones...” His voice was gentle and authentic.

Though his voice sounded genuine, Abigail felt the hairs on the back of her neck standing up, a cold shiver running down her spine. Part of her wanted to believe him, desperately wanted to believe him. The other part of her felt like a prey and he was the predator, luring her in with pretty colours before he would strike. “How did you know I was coming to Command?” she finally asked quietly, her own fingers gripping the railing so tightly her knuckles were turning white.

Again he dismissed her question, “Abigail I am going to be straight with you. This isn’t a game, you against me, me against you. The truth is… the Federation, nor Starfleet is some well oiled machine that runs smoothly without fault or error. There are many moving parts, and things must be done to appease some and silence others. I made mistakes earlier in my career, and I will always be paying my dues to those interests,” a heavy sigh escaped his lips.

He continued, “That doesn’t mean I am guilty of doing the wrong thing, I am just the man they get if they need someone to dance on the fence. I am in the position where I have to colour the picture with shades of grey when there is only black and white. And I damn good at it,” he shrugged as he looked into her eyes for some level of understanding. “You cannot begin to understand the inner workings of it all. But, I want you to know... I would never place your life or the life of your crew in danger unless it was necessary. Believe me…”

Lockwood moved his hand against his forehead before reaching to lay a small device on the railing, “The Ts’usugi ship should have never fallen into Romulan hands, you stopped that. That action strengthens our tentative alliance with the Ts’usugi, there is the reason for doing, that is the silver lining. That is what brought cause to my asking you. I knew you’d get the job done. And you did. An interested party wanted the ship, they got the device I retrieved. They are appeased, the wheels keep turning and order is returned. I wish you could understand that...” It was obvious that the device he laid on the railing allowed him to speak freely without his words coming back to burden him. “We both did what needed to be done. No one was hurt. Lets live with the choices we made and move on…”

“How much did they pay you?” The question was blunt, her tone flat. “How much did they pay you to jeopardize the alliance with the Ts’usugi?”

“Pay me? No one paid me anything. This isn’t the 20th century, I don’t head up the mafia,” he shook his head and took a few steps away from her now toward the embankment. His COMM badge chimed before he tapped it.

A female voice spoke, “Admiral, my apologies. You should know that ‘Cain's Eclipse’ has been greenlit. Members are assembling in your situation room now sir.”

Lockwood gave a solidary nod, “Understood Commander T’Prinn, I will be there momentarily. In the meanwhile beam me the PADD.” He looked back over his shoulder toward the Captain as he picked up the device on the railing and concealed it again. “It appears duty calls… As I said… the wheels keep on turning...” He reached his fingertips into the air and made a turning motion. A smile appeared on his lips as the corners of his eyes wrinkled. “Until next time Abigail…” And with that he turned away completely and headed toward Starfleet Command, leaving her alone on the bridge. “And I do look forward to next time...” his voice travelled on the breeze as the distance between them grew.