Forgiveness

Posted on Sep 22, 2015 @ 12:40am by Commander Jacob Crichton
Edited on on Sep 22, 2015 @ 12:40am

Mission: Civil War

= Forgiveness =

(cont'd from "Failing Bechdel")



LOCATION: ELANDIPOL IV

SCENE: Settlement

STARDATE: [2.15] 0921.2001



Jake Crichton made his way through the streets of Shantytown 2.0. He couldn't help but be impressed by the progress the newly-minted settlement had made in such a short time. The PHOENIX crew deserved some of the credit for that, of course; though technically still on shore leave, lots of the crew had volunteered their free time helping put the town together. At almost all hours, PHOENIX personnel could be found, their uniforms wrinkled and dirty, doing everything from raising new structures to installing industrial replicators, power generators, or other equipment. They'd all been through so much since leaving Earth behind, and Kane had made it clear he wanted them to take the opportunity to relax and rest, and yet here they were. Jake had a feeling this *was* their relaxation and reset. After everything they'd been through, it felt good to just work towards a common goal, to help people who needed it. It made them feel like Starfleet officers again.



It also seemed to ease the tension. Not all the wounds from Embry's mutiny had healed, but the altruism of the PHOENIX crew seemed to go a long way towards winning the refugees over. As he walked, Jake thought he could see the beginnings of genuine camaraderie forming between refugees and crew: shared laughter, good-natured joking, the occasional neighborly pat on the back. It made Jake feel good. He still grieved for Thomas Varn, still missed his wife, still worried about what the future held for his family. But walking down the busy streets of the settlement, hearing laughter, gave Jake hope.



The sun was getting low, the air was fresh and full of laughter and, somewhere close by, music. Jake followed the sound, coming to a community canteen that was teeming with people. A band made up of both refugees and crew were playing a twangy, upbeat music with fiddles, banjo, bass, and trumpet. Not all the players were quite in key with each other, but the tune was jaunty and pleasant. Jake found himself smiling and nodding his head in time with the beat, as dancers dipped and swooped all around him. When the players finally stopped, a boisterous ovation spread through the crowd, tinged with cheers of "more!" and "encore!", and Jake found himself joining in with these too. The players looked tired, but they didn't have it in them to disappoint their audience. They took up their instruments again, and soon another lively melody filled the evening air.



Jake moved away from the heart of the crowd, and spied a familiar face watching the canteen from across the street. Lt. Byte, its face expressionless, did not take its cornflower blue eyes off the crowd as Jake approached.



{{Commander,}} said Byte.



"Lieutenant," Jake said. He followed the android's gaze, to the merriment spilling out of the canteen. "Hell of a party in there."



{{Indeed.}}



"You can't enjoy it from across the street," Jake said.



{{I cannot enjoy it at all,}} Byte said, its tone devoid of any hint of regret over this fact. {{But it is curious.}}



"How so?"



{{It was not so long ago that many of those people participated in an attempt to violently take control of the PHOENIX,}} Byte said. {{They now celebrate with the people they sought to overthrow.}}



"Can't put the riot on all of them," Jake said. "Embry and Savaar wound them up and pointed them in our direction. Even then, most of them were acting out of self-interest."



{{It was in their best interest to cooperate,}} Byte said, shifting its empty gaze to Jake. {{Embry and Savaar promised them more.}}



"When you're afraid there's not enough to go around, the line between self-interest and greed gets blurry," Jake sighed. "There's people to blame for what happened, but the rest... they were just scared, and desperate."



{{And now they are not,}} Byte said.



"And look how much nicer they are," Jake said, gesturing at the canteen. "People can do bad things without being bad people."



{{Have you forgiven them?}} Byte asked, tilting its head quizzically to one side.



"That's an odd question, coming from an android."



{{Their actions put us all in danger,}} Byte continued, its eyes drifting slowly back over to the canteen. {{It may be argued they indirectly caused the death of Thomas Varn.}}



"I suppose," Jake frowned. He didn't like thinking of it that way.



{{I am incapable of taking personal offense to their actions, and so I am incapable of forgiving them,}} Byte said. {{You do not share those limitations. I am curious if, in your estimation, the refugees deserve to be forgiven.}}



"I... don't think forgiveness really works that way," Jake said, after a moment. "I suppose I could blame them for what happened, for the things they did, if I thought it would do any good. But it wouldn't. They were scared, and they followed a persuasive voice into a series of really bad decisions. Have they made up for what they've done? I don't know. But I find I don't have it in me to hate them for it."



{{You forgive them without choosing to.}}



Jake shook his head and laughed. "Not quite. I guess it's that I choose to see them this way- laughing, dancing. The other stuff is still there, under the surface: the fear, the desperation. Take away all these comforts, all the security, and it would all come bubbling up again. But I refuse to believe that's who they really are."



Jake gestured towards the canteen.



"*This* is who they are, Byte," he said. "They forgot for awhile, they did things they regret, and maybe they can't make up for it. But I see everything they've managed to build here in just a few days, too. Not just the buildings or the infrastructure, but the community. That's the side of them I choose to see."



{{I believe some would call you naive, Commander,}} the android said finally.



Jake laughed. "I'm sure they do. Look, I'm not saying we should start passing out hand-grenades or anything. I just think people will usually disappoint you if you always expect them to. I try not to do that."



{{I see,}} Byte said. {{Do you find that to be an effective strategy?}}



Another round of laughter, followed by the opening notes of a new song, drifted over from the canteen. Jake smiled.



"Not always," he said. "But it's worth it anyway."



{{Curious,}} said Byte. {{I must confess, Commander, this conversation has not made things any clearer for me.}}



"Feelings are messy," Jake said with a shrug.



{{You have given me much to consider,}} Byte said. {{Thank you for your point of view, Commander.}}



"Any time," Jake said.



They stood there for awhile longer, regarding the party across the street in silence. The setting sun finally dipped beneath the horizon. In the canteen, refugees and crew stood, side by side, sharing jokes and drinks and plates of food. The band played on as couples danced, while others clapped their hands in time with the music. Jake watched all this with a gentle smile. Byte, of course, was not so afflicted.



=[/\]=



Shawn Putnam

a.k.a.

Jake Crichton

Chief Engineering Officer

USS PHOENIX