<USS Avalon> "Signs"

Signs
 
 
 
        "For your willful disobedience of a direct  order, for committing the 
act of insubordination, this panel sentences you,  Delaney Jane Maria Scott, 
to seven years' confinement in the Military Detention  Barracks at Fort 
Leavenworth, Kansas. There you will remain for a period not  less than six 
years 
before you are eligible for parole. Your official record  will note that you 
are 
demoted in rank to Ensign. Upon your release, you will be  evaluated for 
determination of the sensibility of retaining your commission with  the Fleet."
 
 
Stardate 0606.27
 
        Marsha Scott looked up as her daughter was  led in. She stood as 
Laney approached, eyeing the plain white button-down shirt  (with her inmate 
number printed over the left breast) and blue  denim pants of the prison 
uniform 
with something akin to heartbreak. It was  only the first time she had seen her 
dressed that way, but it hurt just the same  to see her daughter in a prison 
uniform. 
        The women waited until Laney's escort left to  stand by the door 
before they embraced. It was awkward at first, but in a moment  each relaxed, 
and 
held each other warmly.
        They sat, still not having spoken. Marsha  took the first chance.
        "I must say, I was surprised to get your  call, Laney. I mean, it's 
been---"
        "Six and a half years?" Laney's smile was  genuine, but with little 
warmth. "I know. I hope you can understand why I didn't  want you to see me in 
here. A prison is hardly the place for a mother-daughter  conversation." 
        "Well, at least you let me write," Marsha  said. "Have you... spoken 
to your father?"
        Laney's smile faded. "Daddy and I haven't  spoken since the Gamma 
Quadrant. But you already knew that. 
        "I know why he did what he did," she went on.  "Believe it or not, 
the Starfleet officer inside me understands that as my  captain, he did what he 
had to do. But that doesn't mean the daughter  agrees."
        "Laney, he's been miserable this entire  time," her mother said.
        "Over what, Mom? Not talking to me, or being  forced into early 
retirement instead of facing a court-martial like I did?"  Laney countered.
        "Laney, please don't. Your father loves you.  Of course he wishes he 
hadn't had to retire, but he misses you more than  Starfleet. Surely you 
believe that."
        "Who went to prison? Mom, officers who've  done worse go to better 
places than this." 
        She held her arms out,  indicating the MD Barracks in general. Fort 
Leavenworth had in centuries past  been regarded as the military prison you 
didn't want to end up at, and  the reputation remained. Inmates spent all of 
two 
hours a day outside their  cells: half an hour each for breakfast, lunch, and 
dinner, and half an hour's  recreation time, either in the rec room or the 
prison yard. Cells didn't contain  wash equipment other than a sink, so if you 
wanted a shower, you had to give up  time in any one of those half hours. You 
also had to give up time if you wanted  to visit the prison store for reading 
materials or approved snack products  allowed in the cells, or to make calls. 
Only if you got a visitor did you get  out of your cell any other time, and 
even 
then, you only got half an hour. 
        Yes, Fort Leavenworth had a reputation for  being absurdly strict---a 
well deserved one.
        "I got sent here  for a reason. And I think Daddy had something to do 
with it."
        Marsha grew stern. "Laney, he had nothing  whatsoever to do with your 
being sent to this prison." She sighed heavily. "Did  you call me here just 
to argue with me about your father?"
        Laney shook her head. "Of course not. I'm  sorry to upset you. I 
really wanted to see you, because I've missed  you."
        "I've missed you too, baby girl," Marsha  said, love pouring out of 
her with every word.
        "I also wanted to tell you some good news,"  Laney went on. "My 
second parole hearing was this morning... and they've decided  to release me."
        Marsha lit up. "Oh, Laney, that's wonderful!  Are you coming home 
today?"
        "No, I won't be leaving until tomorrow,"  Laney replied. "A Starfleet 
shrink has to do a psych eval on me, so Starfleet  can decide whether or not 
they want to retain my services. You'll never believe  who they're bringing 
here to do it."
        "Who?"
        "The same one who did my eval for the ATP.  Small galaxy, isn't it?"
 
0606.28
 
        She had never been to the administrator's  office, not in the entire 
time she had been here. Laney had wondered what it  might look like, and as 
she quickly took in the decor, she was reminded of her  father's former ready 
room on the Ireland.
        She instantly shook that image away. The last  time she had been 
there hadn't ended well.
        "Have a seat, Miss Scott," Admiral Ul'tali  said.
        Laney sat wordlessly. Her session with Dr.  Kehr had been at 0800, 
and had lasted about two hours. Kehr had remembered  her as well, and had 
remarked her astonishment over the truth. They had  discussed the circumstances 
that 
led to Laney's incarceration and her feelings  over being imprisoned for the 
last several years. She asked her about her  feelings toward Starfleet. Kehr 
had also asked questions about what it was like  to be half-Human, 
half-Changeling.
        She was one of the few who knew. In  fact, there were only about a 
dozen or so who did, not including the entire  Changeling race. A mandate 
enacted at her trial had ordered all who knew to  remain silent, and only those 
with 
an absolute need to know would be informed in  the future. It was, the 
tribunal claimed, as much a Federation security matter  as it was a matter of 
Laney's personal safety. 
        She'd been back in her cell by 1015 hours,  and had keyed on the 
privacy screen so she could once again make use of the gift  the Changelings 
had 
given her. She'd discovered that when she reverted to the  natural gelatinous 
state of the Changelings or took on another form, her mind  was at peace, all 
her emotions stilled. She'd wanted that so she wouldn't have  to think about 
what Kehr would say to whomever she was reporting  to. The first time had been 
an almost liberating experience in a way, and  she had not been able to explain 
in words to Dr. Kehr the sensation of  being an inanimate object.
        Now, it was almost noon, and lunch would be  served in about ten 
minutes. When a corrections officer had buzzed her  cell, she had immediately 
returned to her Human form and turned off the privacy  screen. When he told her 
he 
was there to take her to the admin office, the  nervousness she had put off 
hit her full force. All the way there she had  asked herself what she would do 
if they said they were discharging her from  Starfleet (probably find a job as 
a mechanic on a civilian transport), and what  she would do if they said they 
were allowing her to retain her commission. For  that matter, did she even 
want to stay in Starfleet? Kehr had asked her  that, pointing out that, after 
all, Starfleet was the institution that  had taken her freedom away for six and 
a half years.
        Laney hadn't been able to answer the question  this morning. Even 
after all this time, she just didn't know what she would do,  figuring she 
would 
know when the moment actually came.
        And now it had.
        "Dr. Kehr has given her recommendation to  Starfleet Command," 
Ul'tali was saying. "She approved your return to active  duty, and based on 
that, so 
has Starfleet."
        Laney's eyebrows rose, and she found herself  asking, "Do I have to?"
        Ul'tali mimicked her expression. "No, Miss  Scott. It is only one 
option. As of yesterday, you are a free woman, with the  right to do as you see 
fit. Now, you can go into civilian service somewhere,  where the risk of 
exposure is far greater...or you can accept the demotion and  return to active 
duty, 
where Starfleet will be better equipped to protect you  should the need 
arise."
        "Are you telling me that Starfleet seriously  thinks I'm at risk?" 
Laney countered. "The war is over, Admiral. Has been for  almost seven years. 
The Cardassians are our allies---hell, there are Cardassians  in Starfleet now."
        "But no Changelings, Miss Scott. Nor are they  our allies." Ul'tali's 
expression sobered. "And the Changelings are the ones  ultimately responsible 
for the start of a war that cost both Federation and  non-Federation worlds 
thousands of lives. Despite the passage of time, there are  still a fairly 
large number of people who harbor a resentment, even  hatred, of your second 
lineage. Command feels that precautions need to be  taken to ensure your 
safety, 
and quite frankly, they think this is the best of  the two choices."
        Laney scoffed. "So they want me to return to  Starfleet not because 
they actually want me to or because I've skills that  are invaluable to the 
Fleet, but because it's for my own good. That about sum it  up?"
        Ul'tali gave her a stern look. "There's no  need for sarcasm, Miss 
Scott. But since you mentioned it, your skills  were a determining factor in 
your return to active duty, as well as Dr.  Kehr's assessment. Whether you 
believe it or not, Starfleet Command does not  want to lose someone with the 
skills 
and intelligence you have. They don't want  to see you waste it on some 
civilian transport or in a junkyard  somewhere.
        "But as I said, it's up to you. If  you choose to resign your 
commission, we can make arrangements for you,  unless you want to go to your 
parents' 
home. If you choose to  stay, we've already found an assignment that should 
be to your liking.  You're due to be officially released at 1500 hours, so you 
have until then to  decide."
        Laney had only nodded, and was escorted to  the mess for lunch. After 
getting her tray, she found a corner table that was  unoccupied and sat down 
to eat. She soon discovered she had lost her appetite. 
        Three hours. That was how  long she had to decide the path of her 
entire future. Well, even if she didn't  stay in Starfleet, there was no way 
she 
could stay with her parents. Not that  she would mind living with her mother, 
whom she had missed terribly, but the  mere thought of even being in the same 
room as her father made her blood boil.  No matter what she had said to her 
mother about understanding why her father had  made the choice to arrest her, 
as 
a daughter she had wanted him to understand  why she had done it. Her need to 
do it. To support her decision. Had he only  been able to do those things, 
she would have danced her way into the courtroom  for her trial and smiled at 
the judges the entire time.
        But he hadn't. He could only berate her  for taking the risk, for 
endangering his career and her mother's, and putting  himself and Colonel Kira 
of 
DS9 in an awkward position. He had accused her of  thinking of no one but 
herself. He had even likened her to the Founders, because  she could now do 
what 
they could. The worst part was when he'd  said her desire to know the truth 
was insane. To Laney, his  calling her quest to discover her roots insane was 
the same as calling her  insane. Her own father had insulted her...
        ...and that was unforgivable.
        Laney was startled out of her musings when an  inmate she'd never met 
sat down at her table. Although the men and women were  housed separately, 
they ate their meals and often shared recreation time  together. This fellow 
was 
staring at her intently, as if waiting for her to  speak.
        "Can I help you?" she said at last. 
        "Actually, child, I came to help you," he  said jovially. "Or at 
least offer you a third option."
        Laney's brow furrowed. "Excuse  me?"
        "The warden said you could either become a  civilian or stay in 
Starfleet," he said, "but he didn't tell what else  you could do."
        "Which is what, exactly?"
        "Come home, daughter. Join the Great  Link."
        Her eyes opened wider in shock. "You  mean you're...?"
        He nodded. 
        "But how did you get in here?" Laney  whispered fiercely. "How the 
hell did you even know where to find  me?"
        "It wasn't difficult, child. All one has to  do is ask the right 
questions," he admonished. 
        "Why would you want me to join the Great  Link? I'm half Human."
        "You are also half Changeling. You are one of  us. You desired to 
know who you were and you sought us out despite what our  people had done to 
your 
own and others in this quadrant. For that, we greatly  admire and respect 
you."
        "I bet I'm something of an enigma to everyone  in the Link," Laney 
said. "The only Changeling hybrid in  existence."
        "I'm fairly certain that makes you an enigma  to the Solids as well," 
her companion returned. 
        "They think my being half-Changeling  means my life is at risk," she 
told him.
        "I know. And it is very possible  Starfleet is correct. That is why 
we offer you the protection of the Great  Link. After all, it is your home."
        Laney thought about that. Was he right? Was  the Great Link now the 
only home in which she would be welcome? Loved  unconditionally? Wait---that 
wasn't entirely true. She knew that her mother  would welcome her into her home 
with no hesitation. But the fact that  Marsha Scott shared that home with a 
man whom Laney could not bring herself to  even speak to made it an unwelcome 
place. A place she could not go.
        But she couldn't go to the Link, either, she  realized. It was kind 
of the Changelings to offer her shelter, but she didn't  belong there anymore 
than she belonged at home with her mother and father. 
        So just where did she  belong?
 
        "I'll stay."
        Admiral Ul'tali nodded. She had  come back with her decision 
immediately after lunch. "I think you've  made a wise decision, Miss Scott."
        The Capellan picked up a padd on the desk.  "These are your official 
transfer orders. You will present it to your commanding  officer immediately 
upon arrival."
        "Where am I going?" Laney asked as she took  the device.
        "Izar. You are the new Shuttle Bay Deck  Officer of the Curry-class 
Starship Avalon. Admiral Keith  Ketchum is your commanding officer," Ul'tali 
said. He then picked up another  padd and held it out to her.
        "That you are to present to Admiral Ketchum,  and him alone. When he 
reads it, he'll know what to do."
        Laney was about to ask if he'd tell her what  was on the padd, but a 
look at Ul'tali's expression gave her a pretty good idea.  More than likely it 
was a letter containing access codes to the restricted  material in her 
personnel file. As her CO, he would naturally be granted  permission to read 
the 
classified portions, as would the ship's CMO and  Counselor.
        "Well," she said at last, lifting the padd  with her transfer orders. 
"At least I won't be entirely out of my element. The  job's one I'm familiar 
with."
        "It helps to play to one's strengths. Now,  it'll take you about 
three weeks to get to Izar at standard cruise velocity, and  the Avalon will be 
ready for launch long before then," Ul'tali went on.  "I'd recommend  
expedience."
"Warp 8,  Admiral," Laney responded immediately. "I'll get there in a week."
        The Capellan had to smile. "At least you  haven't forgotten your warp 
propulsion studies," he said with  amusement. 
        "Although it's reasonable to assume there are  normal humanoids with 
intellect equal to or greater than my own, it is believed  that my Changeling 
genetics deserve the credit for my IQ," Laney replied. "I  remember everything 
I see, read, and do the first time around. Ten years from  now, I could 
recount this entire conversation verbatim." 
        Ul'tali's eyebrows rose minutely. "That is  impressive," he told her.
        A moment later the admiral stood. "You've  still got a little over 
two hours before your release. You should go and  pack your belongings, and 
we'll have to get you a new uniform---that is,  unless..."
        When he paused, Laney knew what he had been  about to say. "Yes, I 
will need a new uniform, Admiral. I may be able to  shapeshift now, but I still 
like to wear real clothes. I'm used to it." 
        Ul'tali nodded again. "Very well. Once you're  signed out, we'll 
transport you to the San Francisco Fleet Yards, where you'll  pick up a new 
Delta-class shuttle to be transferred to the  Avalon's support craft 
compliment."
        "A Delta-class, Admiral? Is that  like the Delta Flyer shuttle the 
Voyager crew  designed?" Laney hoped it was. She'd read an article in the SCE's 
quarterly  journal about the sleek little ship the year Voyager returned. Had 
she  not been in prison at the time, she would have done whatever she had to 
do to  get a first-hand look at it. 
        Ul'tali was a little  surprised to hear this from her. She had not 
until today shown she knew or  cared to know what was going on in Starfleet. 
Then again, it wasn't as if  he or his staff had been keeping track of what she 
read or watched on the news  channels. She at least still had an interest in 
starships and their support  craft if she knew about the Delta Flyer.
        "As a matter of fact, Miss Scott, it is. The  original is, of course, 
assigned to the Voyager, but was meticulously  examined and later used as a 
blueprint to build an entire class of them, the  class name Delta being derived 
from the fact that it is part of the original  vessel's name and that Voyager 
was in the Delta Quadrant when it was  designed and built. Starfleet's been 
planning on sending this particular Delta  to the Avalon for some time now, so 
your being assigned as Deck Officer  works out perfectly. And as it so 
happens, warp 8 is the ship's top  speed."
        Laney was unable to suppress a grin. "Then  this Delta and I were 
made for each other," she joked. "What's the name of  it?"
        "Einin," he told her. "Apparently  it's a name of Celtic origin which 
means 'little bird.' Appropriate, now that I  think about it, considering 
both it and the Avalon fly, and  Einin's much smaller."
        Her mother's family was Celtic, Laney mused.  Perhaps all these minor 
coincidences she'd been running into the last couple of  days were a sign 
that remaining in Starfleet was the right  decision. 
        Time would tell.

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