The Chaotic Good pt 2

Posted on May 26, 2014 @ 7:43pm by Captain Siobhan Reardon & Ambassador Xana Bonviva
Edited on on Jun 05, 2014 @ 8:41am

Mission: The Tangled Webs We Weave
Location: Various
Timeline: Various
Tags: Xana, Siobhan

"The Chaotic Good, Part 2"
(Continued from "Whiskey Lullaby, Part 3: A New Beginning")

=/\=

"My logic is uncertain where my son is concerned."
-Sarek to High Priestess T'Lar, "Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock"

“And I must believe that man has the power to know the right, to choose between good and evil and know that his choice has made a difference...”
-Marion Zimmer Bradley, "The Mists of Avalon" (Imagined on the dedication plaque of the USS AVALON, NCC-12501)

=/\=

Prologue
Time Index: 2 years ago

Siobhan Reardon belonged to the stars.

This fact had made itself evident time after time. Even the occasional alternate universe had been witness to her force. Like all good officers, she had been promoted to Commodore and made an Ambassador to ARKALIA IV some twelve years ago. At the time, it was another chapter in a grand adventure.

But just eighteen short months later, the siren's song that calls all sailors back to the sparkling ebony sea was impossible for her to ignore. Luckily, the powers that be agreed, and she was granted a demotion to the position of Captain and given the ANZIO, an Endeavour class vessel perfect for the interplanetary negotiations and occasional Intel-skewed missions that were her strong suit.

And so the past eight plus years had passed by in relative obscurity. Her reputation and career had been in the headlines far too much in the beginning for her liking anyway; there were still hushed whispers when she appeared at certain Federation functions.

But for all her success, there was one thing missing: a husband and a family. Her high profile marriage to Captain Dexter Marxx had practically imploded before her assignment to the AVALON, her first command. The divorce papers from Dex didn't come until much later, but it was inevitable. It was impossible for both of them to pursue command and have any time left for each other. A starship was a powerful mistress; but there would always be a corner of her heart devoted to the Vegan man. She could still see his wide grin, ebony hair and violet eyes, a warrior's physique crafted in crimson flesh, and a passion for both life and love she had never seen before, and had never seen since. Perhaps it was fate that she had miscarried their child. Trying to share custody and duty wouldn't have been easy or fair to any of them. But there was always the ache of what could have been.

As a former Counsellor, she couldn't help these thoughts from crossing her mind from time to time. But as a Commanding Officer, she pushed past them and kept going. She belonged, held things together. Her crew was her family. And it was going to take a miracle to make her want to give that up a second time.


=/\=

Location: SUPAI
Stardate: [2.14]0413.1620
Scene: Ministry Hall

It had been less than 72 hours since the ANZIO had been informed of the change in plans. And here they were, on the edge of the Beta Quadrant, about to enter a very tense meeting.

Siobhan was accompanied by Commander Adams and Doctor Udari, the ship's Andorian CMO. There was also a Security detail following silently behind. Although it was no secret that they would be there, due to the allegations brought forth.

Sio sighed as they walked through a long mezzanine with a portico, which was draped with waxy vines of verdant ivy and ivory flower blossoms. She felt betrayed by the natural beauty around them. The ugly secret that had been kept from them tainted her view permanently.

The planet was farther away from their respective sun than most Class-M planets, but it had a strong geothermal core which compensated for the lesser amount of solar energy. The planet and its people had struck a near perfect mix of agriculture and technology, or at least that was how things appeared from the outside.

But the Supai had a concern. As they schooled themselves on the other Federation worlds, they noticed their lifespan was woefully shorter than many other core members'. The average SUPAI inhabitant was lucky to see 35 Terran years, which was about the equivalent of 120 years for an actual human. Suddenly, something that was nature to them became a perceived liability.

And those fears and doubts led a select few of them to commit genetic experimentation.

The three officers now faced a grand double doorway which led to the circular meeting arena. "This is it," Mitch said, and they entered together.

The inside of the rotunda was as clean and bright as anywhere else on the planet. Ivory limestone with a slight slate colored vein seemed to be in endless supply and composed the majority of the structure. The floor was terracotta which had somehow been buffed to a high shine.

The Supai government was a cross between a matriarchal monarchy and a parliamentary form of government, the female leader being called the Domina. This was the flaxen-haired woman seated in the nearly empty chamber. The only other people in the room were the disgraced Minister of Medicine, Kieghe, along with a couple of Defence officers. Usually there would be a cabinet of Ministers, each with their own area of expertise, but they were unexpectedly absent.

"You could have had the entire ministry here, Domina Orianna," Sio said. "We placed no limitations."

Orianna acknowledged the redhead a nod. "The option was given, Captain, but the rest of the ministers wish to distance themselves from the actions of Kieghe."

"Suit yourself," Siobhan muttered, trying to elicit sympathy from her inner reserve, but finding it in extremely short supply.


=/\=

Time Index: Several Hours later

Siobhan and her comrades had been interrogating Kieghe, the scientist and doctor responsible for tying to increase the Supai people's lifespan through unauthorized genetic tampering. The CO had been doing most of the talking, with her ExO and the Doctor only cutting in to follow different tangents.

The redhead was emotionally drained. But hopefully it would be over soon. "What prompted you to come forward?" Sio asked, her face troubled.

Kieghe was a slight man, with thick spectacles. Like all of his kind, his skin was the color of milky seafoam. His earlobes displayed a delicate ruffled pattern that was as unique to each of them as a fingerprint. His thin hair was pure white and his face showed the wrinkles of someone quite elderly. He was only 33 Terran years old. He hunched in his seat, trying to find the words to answer yet another question. He took a sip of water, spilling a little in the process. "We... I... wanted to improve our longevity. Before you came, there were never such ideas. So I began to question... why did we need to change our entire existence? This was my chance to stop the experiments and prevent any more suffering."

Mitch Adams almost exploded at the creepy little man. "Surely you know this may prevent SUPAI from ever gaining membership in the Federation?"

"That's what he wants," Sio gently retorted. "His experiments didn't have the results he wanted, he all of a sudden develops a moral compass, and then decides being xenophobic is the best course of action- no matter what the others think."

It was the Domina's turn to display her outrage. The petite woman clenched her fist and pounded it upon the raised table behind which she sat. "He does not speak for the majority of us. I assure you."

"I know," Reardon replied, fighting to stay calm. "Your cooperation is proof of that. But it may take time to clear the way to further your cause."

Attention was quickly refocused. "How many 'samples' did you use?" Doctor Udari asked sharply, trying not to sound disgusted, and only partly succeeding.

Another pause. "One hundred twenty-seven."

Siobhan had been standing, pacing slowly, but this latest confession made her knees buckle. She glared at Kieghe, then lowered into her seat.

"I assume you kept records?" The Andorian asked.

Kieghe huffed. "Any scientist worth his salt would." He produced a data log which was handed across the room, from the Supai guards to the ANZIO's security staff and finally the ship's doctor. After a perusal of the information, The azure-skinned man swallowed hard. "I see not all the children survived."

"Certain races were not... an ideal match for the Supai people. One hundred seventeen hybrid children survived."

Udari continued, "And each child has only two 'parents'?"

"That is correct," Kieghe said.

"In these cases, who was the other donor?"

"I used my own genetic material as the SUPAI component... along with the samples I collected."

Siobhan willed herself to stand. "...Collected without the knowledge or consent of their respective owners, correct?"

Kieghe demurred yet again, but finally relented. "Yes."

"And these samples included members of the crew of the USS ANZIO?"

"Yes... including the three of you."

Siobhan looked at her CMO. He had never pulled any punches before, and the look on his face confirmed what Kieghe had said was the truth.

"It was only fitting that you be here as I confess, since these children are half yours."

It was all Reardon could do not to punch Keighe in the face. But she found herself speaking instead."I want to see.. my..." her voice trailed off.

"You have a son," Udari said, understanding what the CO wanted.

"Yes. I want to see my son. *Now*."


=/\=

Epilogue

Siobhan Reardon spent the better part of three months making sure all the hybrid Supai children had any and all help they needed, including therapy and the important task finding each one of them a loving home. In each case, all considerations were made of both the child and its parent. A few ended up with adopted parents on SUPAI. A few were being raised by their grandparents, in other words the parents of the unknowing donor. And the majority were sheltered in the custody of their donor parent.

And then, she promptly requested a teaching position at Starfleet Academy. She felt it was the only way to provide stability for a son she thought she'd never have. His creation, although bourne of something sinister, was precious to her. It was a miracle.


=/\=

Location: USS AVALON

Scene: CO's Ready Room

TI: 13 Years Ago

"Enter."

Siobhan Reardon looked up to find her new aSec/Tac walking into the room. She looked up from the ever growing stack of PADDs that seemed to multiple at the same rate of Tribbles; in walked a tall blue woman wearing the distinctive gray topped uniform indicating she was Security. That wasn't what made her stand out, it was the Bolian skin and the long white hair that was pulled back into an efficient ponytail swinging behind her. When she spoke, the accent was not from BOLARUS IX but from EARTH.

"Commander Reardon? I'm here to present my credentials."

Sio took the PADD, gave it a glance and indicated that the woman should stay where she was. She already was expecting this woman and had familiarized herself with her new aSec's background. "Ensign Bonviva, welcome to the AVALON."

"Ah, thank you. Thank you very much," the woman babbled.

**So nervous,** the CO thought to herself. **They all are when they leave ACT and go into space.** Giving a cursory glance to the PADD on her right she said, "So it says you studied Flight Control and Operations."

Bonviva took a deep breath. "Yes...ma'am," she added. At Sio's gentle nod of encouragement she continued on, "But I was Sec/Tac in ACT and so...it's not the same but that's what I have."

**Honest.** "Tell me what you know of Security," Sio prompted gently.

Without preamble the Italian accented woman blurted out, "Point and shoot at the bad guys."


=/\=

Location: EARTH - SFA

Scene: Classroom

TI: Present day

Intro to Counseling was not something that Siobhan Reardon often taught; someone at her level was usually was assigned to teach upper-level classes. It made sense, save the senior officers for the those classes where the Future of Starfleet would be and not in the classes where the general population was.

Sio loved Intro to Counseling though, so at least once a semester she tried to teach it. Her reasoning was if she couldn't hook the students in the beginning it didn't matter what came after wards. Additionally, all students should have a firm foundation in the principles of Counseling, thus Sio saw it as her responsibility to teach an Intro class.

The class was winding down, but there were a few more points that she wanted to cover. "So to review traditional theories include: Client Centered or Rogerian counseling, Biopyscholocial, Cognitive Behavioral, Solutions based and Existential based theories."

A young Deltan student raised her hand and began to speak when Captain Reardon nodded at her. "Ma'am, how often do these theories get used in the field?"

Sio tried not to smile. They were so young and so eager to go *out there*. "Quite a bit and you will need to use all of these interchangeably. It's not uncommon to combine for example the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with the Biopsychosocial."

A blue hand from the back of the classroom shot up. When Sio nodded in the general direction of the cavernous auditorium, she heard an Italian accented voice ask, "Tell me, Captain, is it possible to combine the Solutions Focused Therapy with Existential approach? Can you have someone ask "Where do I want to be?" as they're asking "Why am I here?"; would that be valid?"

The students' head swiveled around to find the speaker, who a) clearly wasn't a normal member of this class and b) was now getting out of her chair and walking down the stairs. As they realized who it was they stood up to let the Secretary of Starfleet pass who was dressed far more casually than she normally was - today she was in grey wrap dress with her long white hair flowing down.

"A quick Command lesson class," Siobhan announced as she maintained eye contact with Xana who now was in front of the class . "Always keep a good relationship with your crew when you're CO; you never know when they'll turn up in your path again long after they're gone."


=/\=

TI: After class

Xana was looking at the charts in the front of class. "So I disturbed things, did I?" she asked with a wryly.

Siobhan gave a look. "I think that would be safe to say." As Xana still looked through the charts, she said, "I saw you nod to one of the young men in my class as they filed out. Someone you know?"

The Secretary of Starfleet smiled at that. "Yes. His father is an old friend. That cadet started out as my dog-sitter long before he hit puberty and then baby-sat for my kids a few times." Looking over she said, "He's the one who told me you'd be here."

Siobhan said nothing to that, she knew her teaching schedule was public. Xana could have found it if she wanted to. That she chose to go through someone she knew, spoke more about the Secretary than anything else so far. The Xana Bonviva that stood in her office years ago was a painfully awkward nervous and open to a fault. The Xana Bonviva that stood here in her classroom was not at all nervous and gave the aura of openness but Siobhan was sure that Secretary to Starfleet was hiding a few things.

"What can I do for you?" Siobhan asked. "Looking for a Counseling degree?"

Xana smiled at that. "No. But those were good questions. Where do I want to be? Why am I here?"

"Are you asking that?"

"Yes."

"Questions about your life?"

Xana turned to face her first CO. "No. Yours." Giving her Siobhan a look she said, "Are you where you want to be? Why are you here?"

That Xana had shown up after so many years to start inquiring about her life was unusual to say the least. "Where else would I be, Madame Secretary?" Siobhan asked.

“We're long past that. I think you can go back to calling me Xana.” Xana smiled and passed a PADD. "Come have dinner and we'll talk about it."

Siobhan sighed. She was becoming aware that Xana was now, like most politicians, unused to hearing "no". The woman had crashed her class, then interrupted it, all to get her undivided attention. "Xana, I have a family--"

The Bolian/Human appeared to consider that and then waved a hand with a grin as if considering the hell she'd get for bringing home guests. She wasn't sure who would make more of a ruckus – her husband or her kids. Still it would be fun to unite them for once, "Bring them. Can't be worse than mine.”

With that Xana turned on her heel and walked towards the door.

Siobhan couldn't help it. "Xana--" When she turned, she asked, "After everything I have to ask...do you still believe in it? Do you still believe in, what was it? Ah yes, "pointing and shooting at the bad guys"?"

Xana laughed at that and her cheeks were stained with a dark blue. "Oh yes. But I admit my theory has evolved some, now the weapon isn't always a phaser."

Siobhan pursed her lips at that, contemplating the thought. "I'll bite. What is the weapon now?"

"Today it's you." Nodding at Siobhan the Secretary of Starfleet smiled, "See you at dinner."


=/\=

Location: St Louis, Missouri
Scene: Reardon home
Time Index: Present day, later that afternoon

Sio stepped off the transporter pad, still shaking her head at the conversation she had with Ms. Bonviva- Xana. It was hard to remember they were on a first name basis with each other, when she played such hardball. "I'm home, Drey. How was school?"

Ondrej Reardon entered the living area, slouching a bit as young men seemed to do when they were trying to act casual and not be noticed. He was only five years old by Human standards, but with the shortened lifespan of the Supai, he appeared to be a seventeen year old. His skin was a delicate color of mint green, and he had a slight, distinctive rippling to his earlobes. His hair was an unruly mop of sunkissed brown strands, which were almost completely obscuring the green eyes that were like his mother's. It was really the only feature she could identify as hers. Otherwise, she thought he looked like her father.

A pause. A shrug. "Good. I finally finished my sophomore level classes."

Education had been a challenge. It wasn't that Drey wasn't smart; he was great with computers. But trying to keep up the curriculum with his aging brain was daunting at times. Sio smiled and ruffled his hair even though she knew he hated it. Funny, he seemed taller now that he had when she left for work that morning. "I'd say that calls for a celebratory dinner."

"Veggie Pizza?" he asked hopefully.

"Actually... we've been invited 'out'. To dinner with an old friend and her kids."

"An old *Starfleet* friend?" Drey's voice brightened with interest.

"Well now that you mention it, yes," Sio answered with amusement. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I like hearing stories from when you were on a ship... and you hardly ever talk about it."

"This is my life now," Siobhan tried to explain, her son's honesty a bit surprising.

Drey glanced to the curio cabinet which took up nearly the length of the dining area. It was full of ship models, commendations, and other mementos of her career. "How can you not find *that* interesting?"

Sio touched his shoulder. "There are more important things."

"I see you have kept up your Command Readiness Certification," Drey said neutrally.

"That's just administrative, just like I get my annual physical. That doesn't mean I'm going to jump on the nearest ship and hightail it out of here."

"No, of course not, but you must be pretty good at it."

Sio gently grasped his arm. "For once, I want to be someplace where we're safe. Where *you're* safe."

"Safety is an illusion. I wasn't even safe on SUPAI. And besides, what if I decide that Starfleet is where *I* need to be?" Drey countered. "Would you try to stop me from going?"

That thought crossed Sio's visage like a storm cloud passing through a clear sky. He was of the age where if he wanted, he could take the entrance exams. "But, you've never mentioned that before."

"I'm mentioning it now. And who is to say I couldn't go with you if you were on a ship again?"

The redhead gave it a little thought. "Nobody, I guess. We make our own rules, right?"

"Yeah, Mom." Drey agreed as he grabbed his jacket."So, where are going for dinner?"

"Italy."

"So maybe Veggie Pizza after all?" he said, then they both laughed.


=/\=

NRPG: Thanks so much for the help, Sarah!

Captain Siobhan Reardon
Instructor
Starfleet Academy

And

Sarah Albertini-Bond
Secretary Xana Bonviva
Secretary to Starfleet


"I savored those stories; I read them slowly, one each day. And when I was done, I wished I hadn't read them at all. So I could read them again... like it was the first time."
-Melanie to Old Jake, DS9, "The Visitor"