The Enemy Within

Posted on Tue Oct 6th, 2009 @ 12:46am by Lieutenant Commander Wesley Kemmer

1,800 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Shoreleave - Welcoming Old Friends and New
Location: Starbase 217
Timeline: Current

"End log" Kemmer stated plainly as he put the glass on the table to pour another. A million and one things were rattling through his tired mind as the tip of the bottle lightly clinked to the top of the glass as the liquid poison went from one vessel to the other; the end of the trial, the outcome, what was to happen now, when he was to go back to the Archimedes, if they even wanted or needed him to return, the continuing downward spiral he found his personal life going in, his obsession with the distilled liquid, among other things, as he once again took a sip of before virtually collapsing back into his seat... His job, title, honour had been restored but not his self worth - he still felt dirty, wrong, for what he'd done. The punishment of all this going on his permanent record for all to see was almost not enough, and he knew others would see it that way as well. He'd gotten away from scrapes with the law before, and the latest incident was just an uncomfortable reminder to the thought as to how many more times he was going to have to tempt fate before he was to be incarcerated, or killed. The sound that someone was at the door jolted him from his thoughts to the real present world. "Who is it?"

"An old friend" came the answer from whom he recognised as Captain Jake Ti'Mur.

Wes closed his eyes momentarily, the room feeling as though it was wildly spinning before responding. "Just a second..." he got to his feet trying frantically to clear away the evidence before it was obvious to anyone that he was stalling, "just one second." He rubbed his eyes as if he thought that would make them any less red and blood-shot, straightened out the sides of his hair, and allowed the doors to open.

Ti'Mur walked in almost solemnly; he knew that he wasn't going to enjoy what was coming. "I guess congratulations are in order" he said hardly smiling.

His friend's demeanour was not lost, but Kemmer tried his best to be jovial and welcoming. Smiling he answered "Thanks. Mister Myers was very convincing; Admiral Rands had a hard time ruling any other way."

There was an almost tense pause before Jake nodded back to the quarter empty bottle on the table, "I see you got celebrations off to a good start." Wes looked back to the bottle a beat before looking back at his friend and currently superior officer, and finally guiltily to the floor. "Mind if I ask..."

"Yes." Kemmer butted in looking Ti'Mur straight in the eyes before he could finish his question. "You knew?"

"I'm ex-Intel and commander of this station Wes, I don't miss much." Jake sighed before going on, this was always going to be uncomfortable for the both of them, "When?"

It was as if they were with speaking in code or just knew each other and the situation well enough that they didn't even have to finish the sentence or any of the questions. "Not that long ago, a few days, maybe."

"I hate the fact that I was the vessel for giving you the opportunity." Jake broke off the gaze and turned to pace the other way before turning back. "I've been there with you when this stuff takes hold, and the results are never pretty. I gave you the chance, the option to come to me first Wes. Why the hell didn't you take it?"

"You really want an answer to that?"

Ti'Mur raised a brow, almost surprised at the answer, "Are you saying you've got one this time?"

Kemmer swallowed before responding, "Ever since all this started, I've had to face things by myself. When charges were brought up, Lane said that he would protect me and my career but when it came down to it, anyone connected to me in this was going to go down as well, Harwood was going to see to that. I was alone in my quarters, the brig, heck even on this station, I had a lot of time on my hands to think, and I haven't been able to get in contact with the last of my family for the past eight months, so what's one more thing to add to the list of things to do alone?"

"That's a crummy excuse Wes for what you're doing to yourself, and your career. Your career was almost just screwed and has just been patched up now. Years ago, your life almost went down the pan several times, but I thought that experience was a better teacher for you than this. Once again you've steered your life down a rocky slope and it doesn't get much worse than this. I don't want you making any of the same old mistakes as before."

Wes took a shaky step forward, "That's just it Jake, I've made a lot of mistakes in the past, we're all entitled to them, but this isn't going to be one of them. You're right, experience is a great teacher for me and I'm not about to let this stuff ruin me like it has tried so hard to before, this time I have it under control."

"No offense, but I've heard that before." A tense pause and silence filled the air, the two of them just standing looking at each other, each one not really knowing the best thing to say next, even though there were plenty of things to actually say, each thing more cutting than the last.

The door chime again broke the deathly silence. "Boy am I popular today; come" and the doors parted to reveal a happy looking young woman, auburn hair slightly wavy going down just over her shoulders. "Abbie?" Wes said surprised before the two of them rushed each other into a bone-crushing sibling hug. "Abbie, what are you doing here? How are you here?"

"Truth be known I was heading to the Citadel sectors for a surprise visit when I got the call from Charli that you'd been brought back here for some sort of trial. I was already out so far that it took me all this time to get back here via shuttle. What's going on; what's this trial thing?"

"Why didn't you call?" Wes asked ignoring the question for now.

"That would negate the surprise" his sister smiled back.

Jake Ti'Mur had been standing a little awkwardly up until now before cutting in to make his leave. "I'll leave the two of you to catch up; good to see again Abbie, leave it to you to always be able to finish what I start with your brother." He received a snide look from Kemmer as he nodded to the bottle sitting on the table across the room, bringing it to Abbie's attention. A gravely disappointed look flooded over Abbie's face before Jake made a genuine 'sorry' look to Wesley Kemmer, and then he turned to leave.

The swish of the doors almost seemed to echo through Kemmer's quarters for a moment before anyone spoke up, "You're drinking again?" Abbie stated more than asked with a slight shake in her voice; she'd been there with Wes throughout his previous tenures battling his addiction, she knew what it done to her father, and once again her brother seemed to be heading down the same track which almost killed him in his previous instances. Wes moistened his lips with his tongue, but said nothing; once again he'd been rumbled, and it was beginning to be an annoying reccurrence. "Why are you doing this to yourself again Wes, why do you have this stuff here?" Abbie asked pointing to the bottle and raising her voice slightly, halfway between sadness and anger.

"A lot of things have been going on over the last few weeks." Kemmer answered lamely.

"Such as?" Abbie said, wanting answers.

"You want specifics?" Wes shot back.

"I think you owe me some sort of explanation."

Kemmer sat at the table where the bottle rested, picked the cap up off the glass top and started to turn it on the top of the bottle, and began to lay it all down, from the top, from the beginning. Abbie eventually came over and sat in the seat opposite, taking in the story, the so-called explanation of why her brother was once again in this situation. "And so when I got here and tried to contact you again, and getting nowhere, it was as if the universe had finally turned its back on me saying 'you don't appreciate what you have so you can't have it'. That's when I snapped. From my perspective at that point, I'd lost everything."

"The trial's over now; you've been cleared. So why is it still here?"

"There was still one thing missing from my life, I tried to call again but arrived at the same dead end."

"I'm sorry, I was travelling."

"I wasn't accusing, and I'm not blaming you either Abbie." Kemmer added through sad hushed tones. He knew what he was doing was all on him, because of his drives, his addictions, and if blame was to be placed anywhere, it was squarely on his own shoulders. "So there you are."

There was another pause in their conversation, both of them just looking at each other. "So, what happens now?" Abbie asked.

"I don't know. The Archimedes has just been assigned a new Chief of Intelligence because of this, so I can't go back there in that position. Because of what happened, I'm not sure if Captain Lane would trust me working purely in the Second Officer role..."

"Wasn't it his idea that you snoop in the first place?" interrupted Abbie.

"Only after I seeded the thought." Wes answered before continuing all the reasons why he should or shouldn't go back.

"And this?" Abbie asked making a small hand gesture to the bottle in between them. "Whether you have this stuff under control or not, remember the same results have happened in the past, they will always happen. You or someone else will have to pay the piper for it, just like Sam..."

"Don't!" Kemmer said angrily, looking his sister directly in her eyes.

"I'm sorry; this just brings up old ghosts for me I guess." She paused to take a breath and compose herself, "You know you can't go back, Wes. Not while you're doing this" she said sadly making another gesture to the drink.

A long while passed before anyone spoke further, "I'll talk to Captain Lane in the morning."

"Why wait?" Abbie replied resolutely as she stood and walked to the communications panel on the wall. She glanced back and Wes stood, following her to the terminal...

 

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