Unyielding God

Posted on Wed Oct 21st, 2009 @ 5:30am by Lieutenant JG Drew O'Connell

1,358 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Shoreleave - Welcoming Old Friends and New
Location: O'Connell Home, Galway Ireland, Earth
Timeline: Current

Drew wiped the sweat from his brow. The day had grown unusually warm for a mid-autumn day in Galway. The sun had moved to mid-way as it crossed the brilliant blue sky. Drew pushed an unruly lock of hair out of his eyes before returning his attention back to the job he was performing. Painting had always been a favorite do-it-yourself job which, as it turned out, was also quite relaxing. Even strokes of crisp white paint covered the worn, faded white coat of years past. Another bead of sweat rolled down Drew's forehead and stung his right eye.

Standing from the kneeling position and taking a sip of iced tea from his thermos, Drew surveyed the side of the building he'd already finished. The fully risen sun revealed places where he needed to touch up the previous coat of paint. Drew dropped his paint brush onto the paint tray and turned around, looking out over the still green grasses of the farm's fields. Deciding the day was only getting warmer, Drew stripped off the white t-shirt he had chosen and dropped in onto the fence post that held the jacket he had also worn this morning. A strange task for Drew, choosing clothing, he had nearly grown to enjoy not having to don the same uniform every day.

Returning his attention to the unpainted portion of the barn, Drew sighed. He had hoped that Ian would join him in doing at least some of the manual labor on the farm, helping their aunt, but he had made plans for nearly every day of their visit to Earth. Drew considered that if he hadn't been in trouble at Ian's age, he would probably have been doing the same thing. With an indifferent shrug, Drew picked up his brush and began the delicate work of cutting in. He had been doing that for a few minutes when a new shadow fell on the wood barn wall before him.

"Wondered when you'd get here," he said, assuming it was either Shalie or Kate. It didn't really matter which of the two it was, but his chances of it being Kate were far better.

"Were you expecting me, Lieutenant O'Connell?" came the unexpected reply in a haughty tone.

Drew turned to see exactly to whom he thought the voice belonged. On his own land, Captain Corella Lange stood, her arms crossed, her expression one of both arrogance and disdain. Her Starfleet uniform was immaculate with the exception of her boots which were covered in thick mud from the unpaved road and walk from the house. Drew recovered his wits quick enough that she couldn't have seen his surprise, but it was real nonetheless. "Expecting you, Captain? Not exactly but you're here, so what can I do for you?"

Lange stared down her nose at him, her predatory gaze making him feel vulnerable. Almost immediately, Drew grew uncomfortable under her unwavering gaze. He was instantly aware that he was shirtless before her and her inspection made him feel more naked than ever before in his life.

Lange watched as he pulled the shirt on and was almost disappointed that he did. Whatever her other feelings about Andrew O'Connell, she couldn't deny his attractiveness. Catching herself in her own thoughts, Lange shoved them aside and realized she hadn't answered his question. In a cold, clipped voice, she responded, "We have unfinished business, you and I."

"You lost, Captain, it happens and you'll have to learn how to live with it," Drew replied smugly.

Lange smiled, a chilling expression on her stern face. It sent a shiver down Drew's spine. "Problem is," she started matter-of-factly, "I've always been a sore loser but I also learn from my mistakes."

Having had enough of the JAG officer's veiled threats, Drew bluntly forced the issue. "Are you just here to threaten me, Captain, or is there a point to this visit? Respectfully, sir."

"You're not on duty, Lieutenant, so you can drop the false respect. You don't like me, I loathe you. As for the visit, I wanted you to know I've been watching you. You've followed your typical pattern of poor judgment and worse behavior on the Archimedes. From what I can garner, you've trampled on at least three protocols, gotten into a questionable relationship with a fellow department head, and been instrumental in an insurrection."

Drew could feel the anger boiling within him. "I wasn't aware you were here to conduct another trial, Captain. In my defense, whatever protocols you think I've broken, Starfleet rules regulations are dynamic. They aren't unyielding, they can be interpreted differently. So far, Captain Kerr has had no problems with my ability to interpret protocols. As far as the insurrection to which you refer, it was initiated by Captain Kerr under direct order of Starfleet Command. I like to think of it more as supporting my CO."

Lange interrupted. "Which is the only reason you walk free at the moment and aren't locked up in the darkest holding cell I can find., and trust me, I can find some dark hole for you to live out the rest of your life in."

"And finally," Drew pressed on. "Whomever I choose to have a relationship with is none of your business."

"That may be," Lange countered easily, "But it adds to character during trial...and if you think I won't attack a character as flawed as yours during a trial, think again."

Drew laughed, tired of this conversation already. "You don't frighten me."

"You should be frightened, Lieutenant. I have eyes and ears everywhere. If you so much as sneeze in the wrong direction, I'll be there to note it and when you finally screw up completely, and you will, I will be there to make sure you never get the chance again."

"What is your problem with me?" Drew asked sincerely.

"You're dangerous, Lieutenant. You're a maverick with no thought to the consequences of your actions. As a department head on the Rook, you should have stopped Captain Sharaj from opening tha alien pod. You didn't and the ship was lost, perhaps destroyed and almost half the crew is gone. And yet you didn't have to speak to a single family member to tell them you were, in part, responsible for those lives. You are even so blind to your own arrogance that you would drag your own brother into harm's way."

That caught Drew's attention. "Excuse me?"

Lange pressed on. "You brought Ian onto the Rook and look what happened. Then, after the loss of the ship, you placed him on an overcrowded shuttle so you could press on with your own mission. Now, you've brought him onto the Archimedes without any thought to his safety. He could be here, on Earth, safe with your aunt and yet you're carting him off into the void. Mark my words, you got lucky last time. Next time you screw up so badly, he may not survive."

While Drew seethed at her words regarding the loss of the Rook, he couldn't deny the truth that he had placed Ian in unecessary danger. Captain Reesh Sharaj had the final say regarding the alien spacecraft which had been responsible for the loss of the ship. Drew had had objections and made them clear. With the loss of the ship and because of the timing of the events, none of that had become part of the record. "Are we done here," Drew finally asked unhappily.

Lange sneered at Drew. "I am done with you...for now. Just remember, I am always watching and you will screw up eventually and I'll be there when you do."

"You can either leave of your own accord, Captain, or I can have planetary security escort you off my protperty, but either way, this conversation is over."

Lange donned that shark's smile of hers before turning her back on Drew and walking away. When she was out of sight, Drew kicked the paint can beside him as he asked no one, "What the hell was that?"

 

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