"I underestimated you, Commander." Addison said, lifting her head and half-smiling at the Commander. "A fatal error on my part, I assure you." Through the containment field of the prison cell that Amanda Addison spoke through, Kym could still sense her disgust with the entire situation. Kym stood straight-backed, listening to the Admiral. "How did you crack the case?"
The Admiral's Court Marshall hearing was due to start in the following few hours. Commander Vaughn and the entire crew of the station had been summoned to testify, so Kym had just spent the last three days wondering what she was going to say to the Admiral.
"You covered your tracks well. My first tip was the job duties of the victims. They were blank - except mine. I dug a little deeper and found that none of them were under your command - except me. They were all Section 31 agents, weren't they?"
Addison stood silent. Kym turned to the security guard sitting at his station.
"Can we have some privacy?" she sweetly said. The lieutenant did not move from his seat.
"Lieutenant, remove yourself from your station and stand in the hall until I come for you." she sternly said. He couldn't disobey her, so he slowly got up and left. She turned back to Addison.
"Why did you kill your own operatives?" Kym said.
"Section 31 had grown too large and it's infrastructure was becoming too involved with Starfleet Intelligence. Our secrecy was becoming compromised," Addison explained. "Some of the newest operatives were sharing secrets - the ones recruited by the previous commander. The best way to stop the breech was to eliminate the source of the problem."
"I wasn't supposed to die like them, was I?" Kym said, her voice remaining emotionless.
"You weren't meant to be on the list to begin with. Your name came up on the list by accident." she admitted. "Our contact on Romulus screwed up the reports."
"And that's why you sent 31with the antidote." Kym said. "Because you needed me alive to 'solve' your case. And make it look like an outside job."
"Not entirely. I wanted to recruit you. I've always wanted to recruit you, since the day you arrived in Paris." Addison said.
"After that," Kym continued. "I was stumped. Until Jonathan's funeral. Your fatal mistake was showing up to a funeral of a man that you ordered to die. At first you were just paying your respects, until you approached me outside. I understood the guilt you felt, but something there wasn't quite right. Something you shouldn't have been feeling - shame." Kym started pacing. "You felt ashamed of yourself. As you should have."
"I showed up to show my respects to you. I know how close you were to Meadows." she said quietly.
"Then WHY - " Kym stopped herself. Her temper was fiery hot and needed to calm down. She continued pacing for a few more minutes before she started talking again. "You allowed your business to become personal." she said. "You broke the first rule of being a spy."
"He was a threat to the Federation. He was untrained. They all were. I did it to protect the Federation." she said. "I didn't start any of this. I merely took care of the situation."
"They shouldn't have been recruited into 31 to begin with." Kym said. She still couldn't believe that Jonathan agreed to join Section 31 at all. Addison nodded.
"You'll make a fine 31 operative, Rzepka." Addison said. "I knew you would be."
The fire flared in Kym's gut again, this time burning out of control.
"No. I won't." Kym said dryly, spinning on her heel and leaving without another word.
Amanda Addison was stripped of her Starfleet Commission, found guilty of twelve counts of contract murder-for-hire, one count of attempted contract murder-for-hire and sentenced to thirteen consecutive life terms in a maximum security prison- one for each victim, including Kymberli Rzepka. Two days following the end of the trial, Kym organized a Command-wide memorial service for the twelve victims and their families on the SI campus, with satellite to San Francisco. Kym knew that the families and friends of the victims appreciated the closure and remembrance. As a surprise, Starfleet Command awarded each of the victims were awarded a posthumous Meritorious Service Medal during the ceremony, while a surprised and honored Commander Rzepka received a Christopher Pike Medal of Valor,one of the youngest in Starfleet history to receive the award.
Two days later, the Defiant was scheduled to depart Earth for Deep Space Nine. Most of the crew with family on Earth enjoyed a few days home with their families, Kym just felt alone. Sitting there on the soft grass of the memorial garden, she felt so alone.
Commander second class Jonathan T. Meadows. She read the words over and over again. She even reached out to touch the laser-inscribed letters with her hands several times during the two hours she'd been sitting there. The stone was cold and smooth. Her legs were asleep from sitting cross-legged on the grass for so long. The brilliant sun shone on her face as she looked across the river, past the Golden Gate Bridge. The warm breeze tickled her face. She suddenly sensed a presence, disrupting her contemplatives.
"Defiant is waiting on you, Commander."
Kym turned, looking up from her seated position. Commander Vaughn sat in the grass beside her, cross legged. "But they can wait a few more minutes." he added. Kym smiled. Her medal, nestled comfortably in it's box, rested in her clasped hands. She stared at the maroon, silk-covered exterior.
"Just wanted to show him this before I left." she said, speaking of the medal. It was her fourth decoration in her career, making a nice addition to her other three medals and seven service ribbons. "Since I might not get back to Earth for a while."
Vaughn didn't say anything. They both sat in silence for at least another fifteen minutes until the sun started turning several shades of orange behind the clouds. Kym uncrossed her legs, stretching them out on the soft grass to let them wake up.
"I hope you found some closure here this week." Vaughn said quietly. Kym nodded, still staring at a the box in her hand.
"I did." She said, pulling herself into a standing position. Vaughn also stood, brushing the loose grass off his uniform. She looked back at the headstone, standing quietly and casting a long shadow across the green blades of grass. Good bye, friend.
"Let's go home." Vaughn said. Kym nodded again.
"Rzepka to Defiant. Two to beam up." She said into her comm badge.
Before long, Kym found herself walking through the doors to the bridge with Commander Vaughn. As she entered the bridge, she heard the familiar "Captain on deck!" followed by a moment of quiet. Then someone started clapping. She wasn't sure who, but then someone else started clapping. Soon, the entire crew was engulfed in a standing ovation, all staring at Commander Rzepka.
"Commander," said Vaughn. "I think I can speak for the entire crew when I say congratulations and we are all very honored to serve with you." Kym looked at him with slight disbelief in her eyes. She heard a chorus of "hear, hear!" from the crew and looked around. Julian, Nog, Ro, ch'Thane... were all smiling at her.
"Thank you," she managed to muster out. She looked out among her crew mates - her friends - and felt more fulfilled than she had in weeks. "The honor is mine. You've always been the best crew mates, and friends, I've ever had. Always."
Each crewman slowly turned to their stations as Vaughn made his way down to the captain's seat. He turned back to Kym.
"Commander, would you like the honors?" he said to her. She grinned from ear to ear. It had been a long time since she had been in command on a bridge. She kind of missed it. She slowly walked down to the tactical station.
"Ensign, lay in a course for Deep Space Nine. Warp 7." Kym said, standing tall and looking out the view screen at the Earth looming in the distance. The words felt sweet on her lips.
Ensign Prynn Tenmei nodded and simply said "Course laid in, sir."
Kym relished for a second, drawing a cleansing breath. This is where she belonged. This is what she was born to do. Explore the stars. Discover new things. Make a difference in the Federation. She couldn't wait to get back to it. With one word, the next chapter of her life instantly began.
"Engage."