Facing a Dilemma

[Nicolas Lepage 0]

A joint log written by Dr. DJ McKinny and Dr Nick Lepage

 

Somewhat exhausted Nick sat in his chair, the door closed, wishing he would wake up to find out all this was just a dream. When Jorahl had talked to him earlier, Nick had been suspicious. It was obvious the Romulan had tried to find out whose side the CMO was on. Fortunately, Nick had decided not to take sides this time and to try and stay out of the conflict as much as possible. There was just one problem.

 

Right at this moment Commander Chirakis was sitting on a biobed in sickbay, waiting for her psych evaluation. He didn’t know the details but it sounded like Drankum and Jorahl had entered the CT disruptors at the ready. Briefly Nick wondered whether they would really have used them. Somehow he didn’t want to know the answer.

 

Now he was facing a dilemma. Drankum was sane…as sane as he’d get, that is. Nick had no doubt Chirakis would also pass the psych evaluation with flying colours. Still, he was tempted to declare both of them unfit for duty and take command over the station. Nick didn’t have any ambition to ever be the commanding officer of any ship or facility. But the current situation was untenable.

 

They were out here in the middle of nowhere. They had been attacked twice already by an unkown enemy. Yet here they were, with their CO and XO having a pissing contest of epic proportions.

 

And what on Earth was DJ’s role in the whole thing. Earlier she had run off with Jorahl without offering an explanation. Had it been anyone but her, he would have ordered them to remain in sickbay and stay out of whatever was going on. But he trusted DJ. And he trusted her judgment. Still, they’d have to talk about this. He wanted to find out how much she knew and if she was involved in any of this. As if on cue the chime rang and Nick had a hunch he knew who wanted to talk to him.

 

DJ didn't wait for Nick to reply. She knew he was in his office....alone in his office. And privacy was essential for the conversation they were about to have. She walked in, determined to maintain her composure even though she was less than calm. The situation between Drankum and Chirakis was downright worrisome. To make matters worse, Nick hadn't told her the whole story.

 

"Why didn't you tell me what happened on the CT?" she asked, sinking into one of the chairs in front of Nick's desk. "You know....when the Commander disobeyed a direct order and several of our pilots were killed?"

 

Nick closed his eyes briefly and sighed. “I didn’t know that until after I’d seen the security feeds. It looked suspicious, DJ. For no apparent reason Drankum ordered the fighters to retreat…like he knew what was going to happen. I have no idea what is going on here. I just know that people are acting weird.” It was the truth. He didn’t know what was happening and he wasn’t even sure he wanted to find out.

 

She looked at him incredulously only vaguely aware that her mouth had fallen open. "Like he knew what was going to happen?" DJ leaned forward, her voice betraying her annoyance. "Maybe he did know. But it wasn't because he was colluding with the enemy." Without even realizing it, she found herself on her feet, hands planted firmly on her hips. "That old troll has been around forever. He was dealing with issues like that before either of us were born." She paused and drew a deep breath, her composure quickly evaporating. "I guarantee you one thing. If it had been a human who ordered those fighters to retreat, nobody would have batted an eyelash. The order would have been carried out without question."

 

DJ forced herself to sit down again. She shook her head and stared into Nick's weary eyes. "But it was an old Ferengi who issued the orders....a Ferengi who Chirakis doesn't trust.....and she's not the only one." Her tone was low and accusatory. She was well aware of Nick's distrust of the Ambassador. "The Commander assumed Drankum was off his rocker or a traitor," she quickly added with a shrug. "After all, how could anyone like him understand the complexities or strategies of a successful engagement with a powerful adversary."

 

She leaned back in the chair, shaking her head again. "I guess it never occurred to Chirakis or you, for that matter, that Drankum has been around the block a few times and he figured out what was about to happen." She pointed a finger at him as she continued. "It was a lifetime of experience that led him to order those fighters to retreat. He figured it out. That's what command personnel are supposed to do. But no....Chirakis and company couldn't accept that Drankum was capable of such a thing so they belayed the order, had him confined to his quarters.....and our pilots died!"

 

Taking a deep breath she moved forward in the chair and crossed her arms on Nick's desk. "So who exactly is out of their minds or a traitor or both?"

 

Are you done?” Nick asked, trying hard to remain calm. Without waiting for an answer, he went on. “You are right, I don’t trust Drankum. He is rude, he is no Starfleet Officer and I don’t like him. But it is unfair to suggest I don’t trust him because he is not Human. If you think I am on Chirakis’ side I’ve got news for you, DJ. I don’t trust her any more than I do Drankum. I’ve gotten into arguments with her because I do not agree with the way she handles some things. When I arrived on the Control Tower, all I knew was that some of our fighters were destroyed in battle and that the Ambassador refused to explain how he knew what was going to happen. I am a doctor, DJ, I don’t know much about combat. But his demeanor was suspicious. He had been relieved of command and I was ordered to do a psych evaluation. You of all people should know me better than to assume I base my judgment of people on their race, appearance or whatever. I know he has a lot of experience but trust needs to be earned and so far Drankum hasn’t done much to inspire that trust.” He hadn’t quite managed to keep the frustration and annoyance out of his voice and Nick was almost certain DJ had picked up on it.

 

He paused briefly to compose his thoughts and calm himself. “Quite frankly, I did consider taking over command, declaring both Chirakis and Drankum unfit for duty. We need a command team that can work together and not one where the XO questions the CO’s orders and vice versa. There’s an enemy out there that wants to blow us out of the sky, DJ.” Leaning back in his chair, Nick observed DJ closely for a reaction.

 

She'd know that was coming. She'd noticed the growing tension in Nick's demeanor during her earlier rant. In a peculiar way, she welcomed his comeback. At least now, she knew where he stood....and their opinions weren't too far apart. But she was still riled by the entire situation and her attitude crept into her tone of voice.

 

"I never said you judged anyone based on their race," she retorted. "Quite frankly, I don't think anyone on the station does that. We're a pretty heterogeneous group out here. But there is a mountain of prejudice against Drankum." She drew a deep breath and shook her head. "And he probably deserves it," she added in a loud whisper.

 

"At the same time," she continued quickly, her tone a bit less defiant. "We've all worked under superiors we couldn't stand. It wasn't easy but we did it and we never....ever....questioned their orders." She stood up again and started pacing in front of Nick's desk. "Drankum is a lot of things.....rude, arrogant, annoying.... and he isn't Starfleet....not in your wildest dreams could he be considered anything close to a Starfleet officer." She stopped her pacing directly in front of Nick and met his gaze. "But he's highly intelligent and very experienced...and he's in command of this station." She extended her arms, the palms of her hands facing upward in a typical human gesture of frustration. "We might not like him, but he knows what he's doing."

 

DJ dropped into the chair and leaned back. "Some of us need to accept that fact," she sighed, still staring at Nick. "And nothing personal, but you're right. You're a doctor. I'm not suggesting you would do a lousy job commanding this station but you're better suited for Sickbay than the CT."

 

Lowering her gaze, she continued calmly. "When Mimi started tossing around the idea of mutiny, I thought she was....overreacting. But that's exactly what we have, Nick and it scares the daylights out me." She looked up at him again. "The problem we now have is how to diffuse this bomb that's about to explode and tear apart this station. Drankum needs Chirakis and she needs Drankum. They're an unlikely command team but they both bring essential elements to the mix. How do steer them toward resolving this situation before it goes from to worse."

 

"The problem is that the mix may prove a little too explosive,” Nick muttered. “I’m pretty sure there’s nothing I can say or do to make any of the two see reason. Neither Chirakis nor Drankum know me very well. I doubt they trust my judgment enough to listen.” The situation was complicated and Nick had a hunch there was no easy solution to it. Drankum and Chirakis would have to learn to trust each other but that would take time. Time they didn’t have at the moment.

 

Nick looked into DJ’s eyes and suddenly he felt tired and exhausted. “I don’t know what to do, DJ. Really, I have no idea.”

 

They sat quietly for well over a minute before DJ broke the silence. "I don't know what to do either," she replied somberly. "I barely know Commander Chirakis. I've spoken more to her today than I have during all the time she's been here." She looked up at Nick and sighed. "I know Drankum but not very well. The truth is, I've never wanted to know him. I've bent over backward to avoid having a real conversation with him. And I don't think there is anyone on this station who understands what makes that Ferengi tick."

 

She stood up yet again, turned around and stared at the picture hanging on the wall.....the portrait of an alien world....the same one she'd taken with her when she left Aegis and returned to this office when she was reassigned. "I'm scared, Nick," she stated plaintively. "For all of us and especially for Chirakis." She slowly faced him, resting her hands on the back of the chair. "The charges against Chirakis are not without merit. She could lose everything. And I'm concerned somebody will launch another coup to remove Drankum. If they do, things around here will go from bad to worse."

 

Nick didn’t know what to reply. DJ was right, Chirakis could lose everything but he was more worried about the implications for all of them if it turned out that Drankum and Chirakis couldn’t work together. “I know Drankum has every reason to court martial Chirakis and she has every reason to be suspicious of him. And I don’t know what to believe anymore. I refuse to take sides but my position on Aegis may force me to get involved in station politics more than I want.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. Sometimes he wished he had listened to his father and stayed on Earth. With a sigh he added, “I just don’t know how to go about it so that things won’t get any worse than they are now.”

 

DJ had to admit there wasn't a lot either of them could do about the Drankum/Chirakis feud. "It might be better if you stayed out of it," she remarked casually. "Additional interference will only make things worse. Besides, how can you declare Drankum unfit when he was certified mentally competent just a few days ago." She stood up and arched her back in a feeble attempt to relieve some of the tension now coursing through every muscle in her body.

 

"There is one thing you can do," she continued as she walked toward the door. "The Commander is in Sickbay. She's fine physically but she's still waiting for her psych eval." DJ glanced back at Nick as she opened the door and prepared to leave the relative quiet of his office. "And I told her you would be doing that," she added with an impish grin. She turned and made a quick exit not wanting to give the CMO an opportunity to protest. She had already declared Chirakis physically fit. It was only proper that Nick determine if she was of sound mind.

 

Nick watched DJ leave and muttered more to himself than anything, “I’ll have him thrown in the brig for carrying disruptors and then I’ll declare her psychologically instable. Problem solved.” His expression was sombre, not because of the psych evaluation he had to do but because he knew very well that the problem could not be solved that easily. First of all, it wouldn’t be that easy to arrest Drankum and secondly, who would command the station?