You Can't Handle The Truth

[Atragon9 0]

::Atragon and Marguax have just let the doors to the Ready Room close and are facing each other, in fighters' stances, Margaux begins::

 

"You think nothing of using others."

"Is this about your cranial implant saving the crew's lives?"

::She slams her hand down hard on the desk:: "This has NOTHING to do with the crew! This is about YOU! You and your flaggrant disregard to the consideration of others."

"Alright then, let's hear it. I have the greatest consideration for others, I consider their lives to be paramount and will do whatever it takes to save them."

::Margaux leans toward him:: "Can you even imagine the possible danger that your loud mouth revelation might have put me in? How, pray tell, is that any consideration for me?"

::Atragon sighs:: "Margaux, I needed everyone on the command staff to know about your special situation. We were in a dire situation and I needed their expertise."

"You took knowledge, knowledge that you should have never possessed, and shared with everyone and creation."

::He sits down:: Margaux... Megan.. uhh, ::sighs again:: We are tasked with doing the Federation's dirtiest laundry, they put us in terrible situations and don't provide us a lot of backup and support..."

::Her eyes flare with anger:: Oh please, don't pull that with me."

::He stares her down:: "Just shut up for a moment, will you?"

::She blinks, but holds back her next comment::

::He starts in again:: "One of my biggest fears is that people will die for a cause that no one knows we're out to defend. It's not the lack of fame and fortune, it's the senseless waste of life. I will do anything, ANYTHING, in my power to protect this crew and yes, sometimes I'm not the most politically correct and proper in my methods. If I had the luxury of time and patience with the powers out to destroy us, I might go about things differently, but sometimes I just have to be a brute and get things pushed through. That's a change in the way I used to be on the Aries and I miss the days when I could have a better moral center. Now it's survival for all of us."

::She is barely able to keep her composure:: "And if someone gets screwed in the process, oh well, too bad for them."

"You got your feelings hurt and a personal secret revealed to some of your closest colleagues ... and you helped save hudreds of lives. I'd do it again if I had to - clearly I'm not doing this to make friends."

"Clearly."

::Now he starts to lose his temper:: "You're the Counselor, you tell me how I could do the exact same job in a better way"

"You could have ASKED! You could have taken me aside and told me what you knew and simply asked. My god, do you think I'm so heartless that I would turn my back on this crew too?"

::His voice is rising:: "And what I would have asked is "can I tell the others?" That delay might have let S'aar do more to keep us from escaping"

::Calming herself down, she looks away:: "This crew is my family too. You are not the only one with someone you love here."

"So, what do we do from here? Give you a transfer off the ship or bring me up on charges of being an ass?"

"Is that what you want? Me off this ship? I didn't ask for this assignment, and I tried to keep my distance from you once I recovered my memory."

::He let's out a long breath and speaks slowly:: "No, I don't want you off the ship. However, if you cannot get over my hurting your feelings - you would have no place on that Bridge out there."

::She sighs:: "You can't see that this isn't about hurt feelings. You know what. Forget it, permission to return to the bridge."

::His eyes flare again:: "Denied. Alright Counselor, enlighten me, I'm all ears."

"What you did was unethical, immoral, and dangerous. I have worked years at covering my tracks and in one instance you tore a gaping hole into my past. You say it was in best interest of the crew, well I'm part of this crew, Atragon. How was your disclosure in my best interest?"

"Margaux, I will always place one in danger if it will save so many more, wouldn't you?"

"I do not disagree with your orders, Admiral. I disagree with your methods."

"Well dammit, I did what I did and HOW I did it because I determined that I had no choice, it's the best judgement that I have."

::She sighs quietly:: "There is always a choice."

::He responds quickly:: "Not when your life is on the line, no, there isn't always a choice, you should know that too. Did you try to contact me after Lincoln?? No, because you were trying to save my life! Did you have a choice?"

"Yes, I did have a choice. I chose to remove myself from your life to protect you, to protect me. You know that once the memory supression of the impant is activated there was no way for me to send you a message."

::He looks at his desk:: "Pffft, how convenient... We all make hard choices because we have to"

::She moves closer:: "I made the ultimate choice and yet I still had the balls to apologize for it."

"Alright, let's get down to it, then ... I used you to save the crew. I did something that wasn't nice or kind for your sake. I'm very sorry that I did so and will try not to do anything like that again, but if the situation were to come up again - with ANYONE - I would not hesitate to save the crew the same way."

::She rolls her eyes:: Just the apology I was looking for."

"Fercryingoutloud, this is the Military, do you need flowers and a back rub??"

::She smirks:: "Would I get it?"

::He responds with a small smile:: "Would it make you feel better about me?"

"I've never felt bad about you."

"No, you just hate my methods and think I've become a jerk"

"I've always assumed by your standoffish-ness and 'i'm the boss" attitude that you'd be happier if this thorn called Margaux was far from you."

::He squeezes his eyes shut and rubs them hard:: "No... I'm aloof because I'm afraid of what I'd do if we got close again. Not fair to Jami, to Mele, to us... "

::She shakes her head, as if pushing away the memories:: "Atragon, that was a lifetime ago"

"No, it wasn't - we're older and wiser, well maybe you are, but it's still us. I love that you're here because it reminds me that you're not dead - a weight I carried for decades - and I love that you're happy with Kyle. He is a wonderful and slightly off-kilter person, just your type, but you don't need me to tell you that"

::She whispers:: "You're slightly off kilter too. Perhaps that why I fell in love with you all those years ago."

::He smiles in return:: "Perhaps"

::Her smirk returns:: "Perhaps that's why I can't bring myself to file charges against you."

"I think I fell for you because you were an enchanting, beautiful, whipsmart bundle of energy... Are! Maybe that's it or maybe because you wouldn't get anywhere with the charges??" ::playfully ducks. She throws a paperweight on the desk at his head, but he deflects it to the side with his telekenesis:: My my, first you punch me and now this. Maybe *I* should be the one filing charges, hmm? Well, we should get back to the Bridge, by now they figure we've killed each other, should we limp out?"

"I suppose." ::sighs:: "You know, all I needed was an apology. No contingent reasons, no explanations, just an apology." ::turns for the door::

::He stands up:: "Hey Margaux?"

::She turns back:: "Yes?"

"I really am very sorry. If I could have found another way, I would have taken it."

::She nods and whispers:: "I'm sure you would have. Thank you." ::looks at him for a moment and then exits the Ready Room, not sure if anything was resolved::