An Easy Choice

Posted on Wed Sep 22nd, 2021 @ 2:41am by Captain Alistar McKeon & Commander Isabella dei`Silvisi

812 words; about a 4 minute read

Isabella's mind raced as she finally glanced down at her console and signed out of the duty station. She had remained quiet throughout the entire encounter, mostly because she had been too surprised by the encounter of a member of the Q Continuum. She had also felt that it would have been best for fewer people to be involved with this Q; the fewer people who interacted with her could mean that there would be fewer problems that could arise later. But now, she had a feeling that the captain of the Endeavour needed not only a first officer, but a friend. Crossing the bridge, she tapped the ready room door control panel and entered.

Glancing about the room, she noticed that the captain wasn't sitting behind his desk as usual. Instead, he was standing on the upper area of the ready room staring out at the nebula through the view-port. Her own mind was racing as she headed over to stand beside him. The view of the nebula was lovely, but it wasn't doing much to calm her own thoughts and she doubted it was doing much for McKeon either.

"I want you to know that I will support your decision either way, but I also feel that I should remind you that this ship has a blended crew of both officers from our own time-line as well as this one," Isabella said quietly.

"I know, but I also know how much this opportunity means to those like us," Alistar said. "I've already made up my mind. I'm going back."

"Alistar, we don't even know if we can trust this being to abide by what she's told us," Isabella said. "For all we know, she's luring us into a trick. You know full well how the Q are."

"Most, but there are records of some Q who have tried to be helpful throughout history," Alistar said. "The one that Voyager found in the Delta Quadrant proved to be one of them, and it was indicated that there were others who were tired of not doing anything to help. What if this Circe is one of them?"

"It's certainly something to consider, but are you sure we can trust her to keep her word? To return us to our original timeline and safely place the ones who remain somewhere where they won't come to harm?" Isabella asked. She hated to bring us the hateful darker side of the matter, but the concern of the crew was her primary concern.

Alistar sighed and nodded. "I've thought about that," he said. "I would ask that those who want to remain be taken to Inti, along with an observer who will be brought back to the Endeavour before she returns us home."

"That's a possibility. Do you think we would be asking too much in that option?" Isabella asked after she thought the option over for a moment.

"I'm sure it would come with a price," Alistar said. "Most things do when you deal with the Q."

"There is another matter to explain as well, and that would be what has happened these past few months when we return," Isabella said after a long silence.

"In that case, we tell the truth," Alistar said. "It's easier than anything else to be honest."

"It seems that you've made up your mind, in either case," Isabella said as she thought over the matter at hand. There were many reasons for someone to choose either option, but like McKeon, she had already made her mind up as well.

"It's an easy choice for me to make, at least for me," Alistar said as he turned from the viewport and headed down to his desk. "We should explore every opportunity to go home, and price to pay or not I'm going to take the chance."

"I'm not disagreeing with you, Alistar," Isabella said, hiding a smile at his determination and near single mindedness as she took a few steps towards the main area of the ready room. "I said I will support you either way you decide, and I honestly am eager for the chance to return home."

Alistar nodded. "Let the crew know that I'll speak to anyone who has any concerns or questions on the matter if that's needed," he said.

Isabella nodded and turned away before she started out of the ready room. She would post the announcement and then prepare for any questions that she might by chance face from the crew as well.

Watching Silvisi leave the ready room, Alistar sighed and leaned back in his seat. He didn't envy some of the crew and the choices that they would have to make, but he would understand either way. They had two days to decide, and hopefully there wouldn't be a price to pay that they would come to regret at a later time.

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