The Other Side Of The Story (Part I)

Posted on Tue Mar 25th, 2025 @ 4:24am by Commodore Samantha York & Lieutenant Commander Damion Wolfe

1,300 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Broken Mirror
Location: Captain's Ready Room

ON

When Sam was alone in her ready room, she looked over the video of what happened in the brig. Then she tapped her combadge. "York to Commanders Knight and Wolfe. Please report to my ready room."

Moments later, Alex stepped off the turbolift and walked towards the Captain's Ready Room. Already there was Wolfe, who seemed to be in less of a good mood as before. With a slight smirk on his face, Alex approached him. "Do you know what this is about?"

"Probably about how you fumbled the interrogation." Wolfe replied as he tapped the chime by the door.

"I fumbled the interrogation?! I got more out of him then you or that Counselor of yours." Alex countered as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Was that before or after you threatened to shoot him?"

Alex scoffed as he shook his head. "Come on." He said firmly as he uncrossed his arms and continued. "Did you really think I was going to shoot the guy?"

"I don't know you well enough to make the decision. All I saw was you threatening a prisoner who could just as easily start saying whatever you wanted him to say." Damion said before turning to look at him firmly. "Not to mention, even if he had told us what we needed, his interrogation would be inadmissible because he gave it under duress. Which would only lead to him being released because he could say we treated him unfairly."

"We were on the clock and I made a rush decision to get Intel. You should know all about that." Alex said as he gestured to Wolfe. "Yeah... I read all about you Wolfe and your work with Intelligence. The Nightstar and I know all about your relationship with Max. You know what it's like to be under the gun and needing to bend a rule to get answers."

Damion looked over to Alex sternly and said softly. "I don't care what you know about me. Your actions risked the reputation of this ship and a Starfleet Officer who is still being held by these people. People, mind you, who have the same technology you use to get between this universe and your own. A device that's dangerous." He took a step to him and added. "I don't care what you say, Knight. As far as I am concerned, you are just as dangerous as the people we are chasing. You pull a stunt like that again and not even Max will be able to bail you out. Got me?"

Alex looked at him firmly, not moving or shifting in any way. He took a few moments to stare back and Wolfe before answering. "I got you, Commander." He said sternly as he reached over and tapped the chime again. "Just keep in mind, you don't know me or my people, so don't begin to judge us because the skeletons in our closet aren't nearly and big as yours."

"Come in." Sam could feel the antagonism and stood to greet her new arrivals. She wanted a civil conversation, and the hostility wasn't going to help anything.

Damion stepped in first, quickly smiling and nodding at Sam as he entered. He let out a deep breath, in order to calm himself after his confrontation with Knight, although he felt it wouldn't make much of a difference. He seemed to be the type of person who would argue till he was blue in the face.

Alex came in after Wolfe. He gave Sam a nod before crossing his arms over his chest. "What do you know, Captain?"

Sam raised an eyebrow. "I know about the confrontation in the brig. I'd like to know why."

"Which confrontation exactly?" Alex asked with a slightly confused tone.

"She's talking about the one with the prisoner." Damion clarified as he looked over to Alex sternly.

"Oh that confrontation." Alex replied as he cleared his throat slightly and focused on the Captain. "We were running on a time crunch and the Intel I had told me that our prisoner wasn't some grunt like he was claiming to be. He was a top Lieutenant in the Lost Crew and he had the information we needed. Between the Counselor who was insistent on things being done her way, treating the prisoner with kid gloves and your Chief Security Officer who was moving at his own pace, I made a judgement call based on what I had. I pressed him with his identify and, for the second time, attempted to use a tactic that has worked for me before."

"Threatening to shoot someone?" Damion asked with a shocked tone. "How are you even in Starfleet?"

"No... well yes, but that was an empty threat if any of you had bothered to check the setting of the phaser." Alex countered, turning to look at Damion for a moment, before looking back to York. "I showed our hand that we knew he was bluffing about his identity, then I attempted make the prisoner believe that I didn't work under the same rules as you all did. Starfleet Rules. I was attempting to convince him that I was from the same place he was and I wasn't afraid to get physical. These people know that Starfleet, with respect, treat their prisoners a lot kinder than the Terran's from their Universe so they know they don't have to say much and they'll get to ride out the rest of their lives in club Fed. Three hot meals and a comfy bed to sleep in. The moment you show them the opposite of that, shatter their expectations, they begin to slip and start worrying. Trying to save themselves. It was a method that has worked before and I was trying to use it again."

"That is not how we do things, Commander?" Damion said firmly.

"I know that. The Captain knows that. He doesn't. I was banking on him being afraid of being sent back and having to deal with the Terran Empire that he would tell us what we needed." Alex countered, raising his voice slightly. "Need I remind you... we were on the clock. You and Miss Kid Gloves weren't making progress. Nor were you going to."

"That being said," Sam interjected, hoping to get a word in before the two men continued their verbal assault. "This is a Starfleet ship and we do follow Starfleet regulations." She looked at Alex. "And when we choose to bend those rules, we know when and how to do it. For example, did you consider inviting a telepath to your interrogation? One would could tell when any of you were lying? Surely there are telepaths in your universe?"

Then she turned to Damion. "You're a telepath. You could have said as much and told him you knew he was lying."

She turned back to Alex. "I understand why you thought your tactic would work. But it didn't, and you should have tried something else instead. That said, I think your wife came up with an excellent compromise." Sam sighed. "Another problem is that the counselor was invited to assist and feels like she wasn't given the chance to do so. She feels you went too far." Before he could respond, she continued. "I know you didn't have the time and I know we needed that information. It could have meant retrieving the scientist before the ship left the system. Now, we need to find out where they're taking him and why. Perhaps the two of you could try a different approach and find out?"

(To be continued...)

Commodore Samantha York
Commanding Officer
USS Calypso

Lieutenant Commander Damion Wolfe
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Calypso

Commander Alexander (Alex) Knight
Commander
The Prowler

 

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