Loss of Information

It was late in the morning and Admiral Beard was sitting at his desk. He had just poured himself a cup of Irish Coffee, something that he would never let Admiral Ross see, but he needed a stiff drink and the best way he could enjoy one was to mask it.

"Admiral," Sheri said peeking around the door of his office. "I have the morning com logs for you to look over."

"Fine Sheri. Thank you." Admiral said nervously trying to hide his coffee. The pretty redheaded commander had been Admiral Beard's personal aide for quite some time. He depended on her for everything. However, as much as they would talk and play around verbally, nothing physical every developed. He admired her sense of loyalty and her professionalism, but ever since the death of his wife of 20 years, Beard wished just once, to be with a young, vivacious woman. If anyone was it, Sheri would be his first and probably only choice. Beard however never wanted to disrespect the memory of Janice so talking and flirting was all that it ever got to.

The computer screen was full of communiques that crossed his office but one tended to catch his attention, the battle report at Tares from Captain Devore. He went ahead and opened the message and read it:

"The battle was a victory for the Federation a turning point for the war against the Borg." Began the log in Devore's solemn voice. "Unfortunately the Leviathan had sustained heavy damage and a few casualties. I would like to say that if at all possible, I want each member of the Leviathan to receive commendations especially those that were lost. That brings me to my most hardest point.- The casualty list. Crewman L'qish Anue, Science; Ensign Ro Holaran, Security; Lt. Commander Yeleri Quan, Engineering; Commander Barbara Clairidge, Medical. All of which are confirmed. There are over 12 unaccounted for from various sections fortunately not associated with vital systems of the ship or its capabilities. All of which fought bravely and with great honor, but only one was due to friendly fire, Commander Clairidge. She was being assimilated and I had to eliminate the possibility of important...................."

Beard immediately shut the monitor off and slammed his fist on the table. *The man is crazy ! He killed his own crewmate, again !* Beard yelled in his mind. "Sheri. Open me a secured line to the Leviathan now !"

"Aye sir."

Beard's face was now red with anger. He couldn't believe it was happening again. Devore was playing God with the lives of people under his command. This has to stop and stop now he said to himself over and over again, especially after the death of his only son, Mathew. Beard reached into his desk and pulled out a picture of his son, a well groomed young man. Lt. Commander Mathew Beard had been assigned to the *Lakota* during the Dominion War, his first real adventure. He was only 25 when he died assigned to engineering and when the word got back to Admiral Beard that he had died in a freak accident he investigated on his own for StarFleet would not allow him to. The incident was too personal for him to make an objective inquiry. However one name continuously came up in his investigations- Marcus Devore!

"Admiral. The Leviathan," Commander Halloway said.

"Thank you, Sheri." Beard said as he quickly put his picture away and now another picture that inflamed Beard faced him.

[Admiral Beard. Yes sir ?]

"Captain Devore. I just read your report." He began trying to hold himself from yelling. "You have a lot of explaining to do."

[Yes sir. I was expecting your call.] Devore said.

"Captain. What is going on with you ?"

[Sir ?]

"You are the commanding officer of that ship and it crew, therefore you are to protect it and not destroy it or them." Beard's voice raised an octave. "I don't know what command school you went to, but those of us that went to the academy have learned to be show empathy and compassion."

[Sir with all do respect. What are you talking about ?]

"Dr. Clairidge !" This time Beard did yell.

[Sir may I speak frankly with you.] Sarcastically, Beard acknowledged his request by nodding with an expression of "yeah right." [I couldn't have done anything for her. She had been injected by a Borg drone with nanoprobes and within seconds was going to be full Borg. I had to make a command decision based a number of factors.]

"Being?"

[Clairidge had working knowledge of Leviathan...]

"And how did she have that, Captain ? She was only a doctor."

[Admiral! She and I were seeing one another. Do you think that it wasn't easy for me to pull the trigger.]

"I don't know. You have done it before."

[Sir. I was acquitted of any wrong doing because of the circumstance and now as was then, I did what I had to do. Look, I was in love with her. It wasn't easy to do what I knew I had to, but I did it and will do it again if I needed.]

"Well Captain, you have done two things. One you have lost a valuable crew member and two, you just cost Starfleet one of our top scientist in temporal mechanics."

[Sir ?]

"Yes, Captain. Did you ever know her experiments were about ?"

[Well no sir. She never wanted to talk to me about them.]

"She was experimenting on practical time/warp travel, and fold technology that would have been valuable for starship operation. Now that you killed her, you have set research back almost fifteen years. Congratulations Captain."

[Sir. I am sorry. But I had to do it. She was assimilated.....]

"Mr. Devore, do you remember when Captain Picard was assimilated ? We were able to get him away from the collective and back to being human. Now you tell me, don't you think that we have scientists and Borg specialists that could've dissassimilate her ?"

[No sir, I didn't have time to think about that considering we were in a war !] Devore said now very irate.

"Captain. You had better tone down, or I will pull you from the command so fast that you will not need a ship to get back to Earth."

[Sorry sir, but please understand. It wasn't an easy thing to do. I loved her and now she is gone I have been tormented ever since.]

*Good Devore. Now you know how I felt with Mattie's death.* "You will get over it."

[Yes sir. By the way sir. I just got word that my first officer has captured a Borg queen.]

"What !"

[Yes sir. He and Mr. Ambrose took out the *Runabout Nile* and investigated a lifeless hulk of debris. When they explored it they found a small collective remaining. Now we have a queen.]

"Outstanding Captain. As soon as repairs are complete head to Starbase 114 on the Alpha Quadrant / Beta Quadrant line and deposit your cargo. Insure that prize is cared for or you will have to answer to me. Understood ?"

[Yes sir. Repairs will be completed within the next three hours.]

"Good! You may have redeemed yourself slightly. Beard out." *Not a chance !*