round 19 Commander Liam Frost & Colonel Javan Tark - Things Worth Fighting

[Jalana]

((Dark Room - USS Apollo))

:: Liam still had trouble working his head around what might drive a man to do what the Colonel had done. On a very basic level, he understood. There was only so much a man could take before he reached his breaking point,and it was obvious that Tark had reached that point. But what caused him to cross the level of anger that he must have had was something Liam couldn't get his head around.::

:: And perhaps there was a reason. There was a passion in the Colonel's words. A conviction to his speech that betrayed the sense of loss the man felt, and the sense that what he was doing was a part of something much greater than himself. It was, in a way, not unlike the reason Liam had decided to join Starfleet. But this conviction fell on the opposite of the emotional spectrum. Whatever pride Liam felt for the work he did, the Colonel must have felt in loss.::

:: Perhaps, he realized, it was not an inability to understand, but rather an inability to relate. As much as Liam had been through, including an all to real brush with death, it was nothing when compared to the things that the Colonel had seen, or at least what he believed that he had seen. It was the kind of loss that one couldn't understand without experiencing it.::

:: Liam's philosophical musings were cut short by the sound of Janus having completed the task he had requested. A report had been located, filed by the USS Nighthawk and filed with SFI. Liam was slightly surprised he even had the clearance to view it. He skimmed over the highlighted sections of the report, connecting it with the report he had filed. One name stood out in both reports.::

Frost: Tark...

:: He downloaded a few sections of the document on to his PADD and began to make his way out in to the corridor.::

((Brig - USS Apollo))

:: For all intents and purposes, all that existed of Javan's world was the few square meters that comprised his cell, and what little contents it had. He was genuinely surprised by what it afforded him. The bed was more comfortable than some of the field barracks that he had slept in during the revolution, and they had been gracious enough to allow him one of their PADDs and limited access to their library. It gave him enough to read to stave off the boredom most of the time. There was even food replicator, though the choices were understandably limited. But as unpleasant as it was, it was a [...] sight better than he would have faced in a prison on Galaras. If he had made it that far.::

:: He had spent most of his time reading, particularly about the history of Earth. He was surprised to find that these humans had, in their past, experienced the level of despotism that he had vowed to fight against. So far he had found at least half a dozen names that reminded him of why he was here; Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Khan Singh, Phillip Green. All of them had promised their people a better life, and each and every one of them had, eventually, led those same people to ruin.::

:: It was, in a way, comforting to know that Humans had eventually shed that past, and had moved far enough to become a founding member of an organization like the Federation. It was something that he hoped his own people might one day be able to accomplish, though he wondered if such an event were likely to happen in his lifetime.::

:: HE was snapped out of his musings by the sound of the door to the brig opening. He watched as a man in a black ad grey uniform entered the room. He an air of confidence around him, despite the fact that he barely looked older than Javan's own son. He carried the markings on his collar, the most Javan had seen on any officer thus far. But there was something familiar about him...::

:: Liam entered the room with what he hoped was a good mix of casual and purposeful bearing. He gave a nod the the duty officer, who allowed him to pass without delay. It was one of the advantages of his new position. He made his way towards the cell that he wanted.::

Frost: Colonel Tark.

:: Javan looked at the man carefully before his memory put the pieces together. This young man was one of the individuals sitting at what he had, at least in his own mind, referred to as the table of heroes. He was friends with the blue one who had caused them so much trouble.::

Tark: And you are...

Frost: Commander Liam Frost. Starfleet Intelligence.

:: Intelligence? That explained why he was the only one Javan had seen wearing a black uniform. It also meant that this was the kind of man that Javan had been trying to reach. And he had been a witness to what had happened in the hotel. It had the potential to further his plan, or deal the final blow to it, depending on what kind of man he was.::

Frost: You're being transported with us to Earth to face trial for your actions on Izar, as I'm sure you already know.

Tark: I am. But I will say this, Commander. What I did, I did for the good of my people. I didn't plan for it to end the way it did, and for that I am sorry. And I will gladly face whatever justice your government sees fit. But I will not apologize for trying to stand up for my people.

:: Liam could see the conviction in the man's eyes. He believed with all of his being in what he was doing. Ad while he was far from agreeing with the Colonel's methods, but it was hard not to sympathize with his motivations.::

Frost: I'm not here to ask you to, Colonel. I heard the speech you gave. And if you're telling the truth about what what's happening on your planet, then there's a part of my that understands why you ended up here.

:: Liam watched the man's reaction carefully. It appeared, for the moment that the Colonel was taking him seriously.

Frost: Make no mistake, I don't support what you did. But a part of me understands.

:: Javan could see something in this man, something that hinted at a wisdom that belied his age.

Tark: With due respect, Commander, I don't think you do understand. I don't think any one of you understands what I've seen.

:: He paused. The COmmander didn't understand what Javan had seen. But if he chose his words carefully enough, he might be able to at least give him a hint of understanding. At least enough that he might be willing to pass along the information to his superiors.::

Tark: Your history is filled with the names of men who promised their people a better world. Hitler, Singh. Green. They all promised the same thing. And they did it for those loyal to them. But at the cost of millions of lives. My world is no different.

:: Javan thought back to all the things he had seen, all the things that he had believed that he was fighting for during the Revolution. He was fighting for the freedom of his people.::

Tark: When I joined the Revolution, I fought for what I believed in; for the rights of my people to live in the kind of world that you take for granted. But the people in power did more harm to our people than the people we overthrew. They murdered dissidents in the streets, and sent anyone suspected of plotting against them in prison.Including my wife. Your people have an equivalent, I believe they called it the Soviet Union.

:: Liam was aware of what the Colonel was talking about, at least in a general sense. They had overthrown a monarchy and replaced it with one of their own making. They claimed it would usher in a utopia, where the people and the state were one and the same. But paranoia and distrust led it's leaders to commit atrocities against it's own people for the sake of their own power.::

Frost: There are parts of our history that we're not exactly proud of. But it's a part of what makes us what we are now.But none of that was why I came here today, Colonel. ::Turning to the deck officer.:: Ensign, if you wouldn't mind.

:: The crewman did as Liam asked, and for forcefield shimmered for a moment before disappearing. Liam handed the Colonel a PADD before the field was reactivated.::

Frost: I thought you might want to see this.

:: Javan looked at the device. From what he could read, it appeared to be an intelligence report. He had seen enough of them in his career to recognize the format. The majority of it appeared to be redacted, no doubt to keep him from seeing anything he was not meant to. But there were sections that were readable. And unless he was imagining things, it looked like it was referring to Galaras.::

Tark: What is this?

Frost: It's an intelligence report from the USS Nighthawk. After some of the reports that came in from your world, Starfleet Intelligence sent in an observation to see if there was any truth to the claims. A lot of what they said appears to back up your claims. I can't say for certain if we'll be able to do anything to help you, but I thought you should know that at least someone is taking you seriously.

:: For a long moment, Javan had no idea what to say. It was the best outcome he could have hoped for, though he had wondered if he would have lived to see the day his people's plight brought out into the light. He might not see his home changed, but knowing that someone on the outside knew what was happening gave him some measure of relief.::

Tark: Thank you, Commander.

Frost: There's something else you should know. One of our agents was able to get inside one of the prison camp. She spoke to a lot of the prisoners to gather evidence of what was happening.

:: Javan looked at the man in front of him. There was something happening here that Javan couldn't figure out. This was undoubtedly a classified report. There had to be why Commander Frost was showing it to him.::

Frost: The name of one of those prisoners.. was Leandra Tark.

:: Javan looked down at one of the sections of the report that was highlighted. For a moment his knees went weak, and he very early fell over. He was able to steady himself on the wall. He knew the reputation of the labour camps, what happened to those that went in. He had made peace with the idea that he wasn't going to see his beloved again. And in a way, that was still almost certain to be the case.::

:: But there had always been that small part of him that had wondered, that had wanted closure about what had happened to her. If she was dead, he could have accepted that in time. But it was the not knowing that had kept him awake at night, wondering if she knew he was out there thinking about her, or if she knew what he was willing to do to see her free, even if it meant never seeing her again.::

:: Liam watched as the Colonel reacted to the news that his wife was alive, and it confirmed what he had believed. Tark spoke of grand ideas like freedom, and a better life for his people. And he had no doubt that that was part of it. But there deep down, it was the woman he loved that motivated him. And his redemption was to right the wrong that he had allowed to be done to her, even if she wouldn't know that he had done it.::

Tark: Thank you, Commander.

:: Javan heard the sound of the door opening as Commander Frost left the room, but he wasn't really aware of it. He was too occupied with the report. Someone knew what was happening to his people. And perhaps that knowledge might one day set them free. He knew he might not live to see a truly free Galaras. But knowing that it might happen one day, perhaps, in the end, it was all worth it.::

Colonel Javan Tark
Galaran Resistance Front

&

Commander Liam Frost
Chief of Intelligence
USS Apollo