Let the Lady Talk - Part Two

Posted on Fri Jan 1st, 2021 @ 1:40pm by Lieutenant Commander Ouros Yamaguchi & Colonel James "Gryphon" McTaggert

Mission: Mission 105: The Mirror, Shattered
Location: Various Locations - USS Infinity
Timeline: 1310Hrs - September 27th, 2393

Ouros followed McTaggert into a turbolift. "Marine loading area," he said evenly, as Ouros held her silence, she was following him as the two had work to do. "I read your file. Even the classified bits that Starfleet Intelligence didn't want me to, frankly I'm glad to have your rather specific skillset... But I don't know you... To which I must ask... What's your stake in this mission?"

"I don't really have one sir," Ouros answered flatly. "I do as I'm told, I follow my orders."

"Mmmm... If you say so, Captain... I don't believe you." McTaggert answered flatly. "You must have some personal feelings that interfere with how you do your work... How you follow your orders..."

Ouros gave him a rather pointed look which said she was now annoyed with him, as McTaggert regarded her with a stone, flinty look. "Computer, halt," he said in quiet terms.

The computer beeped three times in rapid succession as the turbolift suddenly stopped. He turned his entire body as he regarded the younger woman before her. "So... Captain. Go ahead, speak your mind... I suspect I know all of what you are going to say, however." as he regarded her.

"You know nothing about me, Colonel... But I understand why you asked me now, rather than wait a little longer." Ouros explained evenly. "You wanted a one on one with me, alone. Nobody to intervene should things get spicey."

McTaggert laughed at her. "Your right, computer, resume," he answered unexpectedly. "But this isn't a good place for this chat." and a moment later the door opened and he stepped out, Ouros followed in silence.

Moments later the two were in his office, as he sat down on the sofa which was located off to the right side of the office, near the doorway. "Take a seat, any seat..." he commented in a light tone of voice. Ouros selected one and sat down. "Interesting place... I was expecting something dull and boring."

"Well Ms. Yamaguichi, there is not a lot I can say on the matter at hand," McTaggert answered in a flat tone. "You remind me of my wife in a lot of ways, brash, hotheaded and very good at what she does," he commented. "When I heard ytou were coming... I looked up your file. I also looked at the files of your small army of siblings... There is Elizabeth, married, happy, and expecting her second child. Selendis who is also expecting and is getting married soon, Rachael who's had one heck of a ride with Starfleet, Gabriel, more of the same and Lasarra who's had more crap happen to her then your entire family combined... But they all have one thing that separates them... from you."

"What's that?" Ouros asked quietly.

"They are all happy... Why are you unhappy?" McTaggert asked. "Why are you always so miserable?... Why are you so determined to enjoy being miserable." As he suddenly grinned at her. "But there is something else... something you'd like to keep to yourself... For you, this mission is personal... Oh, not as personal as Enyo." McTaggert suddenly grinned at the younger woman before him, "Breaking those who are undesired out of a prisoner camp... That's not something I'd call overly important... But it is to Enyo and thus it's been presented to us as if it were... so I know her stakes, she has someone she wants back... I don't know about the big man... But I suspect that his stake in this mission isn't there. It's here..." McTaggert knew he was landing a lot of hits while he spoke. "But you..." as he almost glared at Ouros with an almost fanatical look in his eyes. "I can't figure out what it is... Either you don't know yourself and you're just guessing it... Or you want vengeance for your kin... Or you want to make the whole world burn for what happened to you." he shrugged as if it didn't matter to him. "I can't decide which one it is, really... so help me out, out with it girl... Why are you here?" McTaggert demanded from her.

"I'm here because I was sent here," Ouros answered

"So your personal feelings are meaningless then, you are just a toy soldier, doing as you are told, would you die for me?, if needed?, would you fight for me because I tell you to?" McTaggert inquired quickly, not giving her half a chance to keep up, let alone answer the question.

"You stand there and wear that uniform girl, as if its a shield, it's not!" McTaggert tossed at her. "You're uniform is a prison... Because you feel you owe a penance... But-" he stopped himself, as he realized that he was going too far if he broke her then the mission would be placed into jeopardy and like it or not, he really did need Ouros with her head in the game.

Ouros opened her mouth, she decided she needed to finish what he was saying. "Yes, it's true. I feel I owe a penance... For what happened to my sisters, for what happened to me at the hands of my father... In this reality. He is a good man with a kind soul but in my reality of origin, he is a monster... and like that old saying goes... How do I kill the monster without killing the man?."

McTaggert regarded her with a certain respect. "Others tried to reach you and failed. Why did I succeed?" he asked of her.

"Because I am heading back to a world I consider the pits of hell... But after that, when this mission is done... I will come back here and give thanks that I lived to do so.." she paused. "I can't kill him as he's already dead... "

"Sounds like you should make peace with your maker Ouros," MacTaggert commented to her.

Ouros glared angrily at him. "With all due respect sir, I don't think our maker wants to hear from me right now, because he knows I'm going to go out into that sky on this ship and remove one of his creations from his universe and when I return, I'm going to drink a bottle of scotch as if it were Jacob Lee Yamaguchi's blood and celebrate his death." she hissed angrily at him. "The same Jacob Yamaguchi who raped me in my home reality... Here he's a good and decent man who wouldn't dare lift a hand to hurt a fucking fly... Yet in my reality of origin, he is a monster who haunts me..."

Ouros decided to go all in, thinking that she had fucked herself out of this mission. "In my nightmares, I can see him, In my mind, I can hear him and in my soul, I can feel them." Ouros regarded McTaggert with a sad look. "You asked me why I was miserable... Its because I am a slave to my own fear... I can't break free... I do not know how."

"At least you can admit it to yourself, if not to me..." McTaggert answered in a quiet tone of voice. "What will you do now?"

"I have a mission to complete... I want to know if Jacob Yamaguchi is alive... and then I want to kill him, if he's not alive then I will... figure it out some other way..."

"Maybe you need a change of pace... y'know... A change of scenery... Clearly, assignment here on Vanguard isn't working for you."

"Colonel McTaggert... I will consider the matter." Ouros answered with a nod. "But I need to meet the troops, with your permission sir... I am about to ask them to do things that are odd, to say the least..."

"We will both meet them and you can explain how your reality of origin works... and then you will see how this one works at the same time..." he rose to his feet. "Come on... Lets go." as Ouros followed him out of his office, in silence.