As Michael walked down the hallway towards Lieutenant Tyler's quarters, she looked back on the events of earlier that morning with awe and shock. After the surprising revelation from Luke, they had moved the conversation over to Captain Lorca's ready room where Commander Saru had met with them. As Michael had stood in the corner with Ash, the Commander and Lorca had discussed at length the sheer implausibility of their current predicament with Luke and Captain Turk. According to their account, almost a hundred years ago, the Discovery had just destroyed the Ship of the Dead and was headed on their way to Starbase 49 but never arrived at their destination. It was believed that the Discovery had been overtaken by Klingon vessels that had been moving quickly to intercept them. While this was the common belief, it had come to light many years later, when some confidential archives from the Starfleet database had been exposed, that a reconnaissance vessel sent to the Discovery's last known location had unveiled no evidence of a battle. A lack of debris strongly suggested that the Discovery had not been destroyed and had been classified as MIA, but to avoid questions being raised by organizations outside of Starfleet (which would inevitably lead to an unveiling of the Spore Drive and the mission of the Discovery), the public had been misled to believe that the Discovery had indeed been destroyed in battle at the hands of the Klingons.
However, even before the information leak, there were a few conspiracy theorists that claimed that the Discovery had not been destroyed, and that Starfleet was covering up something which they did not want others prying into and asking questions. A rumor had circulated that Captain Lorca was unstable, and that Admiral Cornwell was planning to relieve him of duty. Some believed that Lorca knew that he was going to be removed from his post and had fled with the Discovery. That theory was common. Captain Lorca was said to have been a madman and had become unhinged since the loss of his first crew, causing him to take unnecessary risks at the expense of his subordinates.
At this admission, which Luke divulged in an even tone, Captain Lorca gave out a mirthless laugh and commented on how time twists and distorts the truth. Luke, appearing to be still somewhat undecided on how he felt about the Captain, nodded his agreement silently.
Michael remained quiet but something about what Luke had said seemed to ring true, and it made her feel uncomfortable. From her unconventional posting on the Discovery, to the implementation of the risky strategy which had won them the battle against the Ship of the Dead, Michael wasn't quite sure herself whether Lorca truly was fit to be responsible for so many lives. She wasn't able to dwell long on that thought however, as the conversion was apparently continuing to spiral into a dark rendition of the tragic aftermath that followed the loss of the Discovery.
Despite the victory against the Ship of the Dead, the loss of the Discovery would mark the beginning of the end for Starfleet and, inevitably, Earth. Along with the missing advantage of the Spore Drive, only the first half of the algorithm for the Klingon's cloaking frequency had been transmitted before the Discovery had suddenly disappeared. In the following 45 years, Starfleet had recruited the most gifted minds the human race had to offer to work tirelessly 24/7 on completing the algorithm in an effort to try and gain an advantage that might once again turn the tides of war in their favour. These efforts proved fruitless. The war came to an end the year 2302, during which Starfleet suffered the loss of Starbase 34 along with the majority of their remaining dilithium reserves when the base had been left defenseless as the ships posted there had been diverted to aid a nearby colony. Since then, what remained of the once proud Starfleet exploration ships were now repurposed to transport humans from Earth to various work camps where they mined valuable resources and built more ships to strengthen the Klingon fleet.
At this point, Luke began to struggle to keep an even tone and pace as he spoke. Each sentence was punctuated with a longer pause as it became harder to keep his emotions in check. Michael now understood the world in which he must have lived and grown up in. The reality he knew was bleak. Michael felt tears prick her eyes in a rare physical display of human emotion. She was fairly certain that what she was feeling right now was compassion and took note that this was the second time in the last 24 hours that she had felt such a strong reaction to someone else's pain. Emotions were exhausting she realized. It was no wonder Vulcan's rejected emotional responses, they were both physically and mentally draining. As Michael thought about this, a question suddenly came to her. She stepped forward, causing the others in the room to turn and look at her, but she only had eyes for one other.
"Captain Turk. Where have the Vulcans been in all of this?" she asked with a steely gaze.
Captain Turk returned her gaze unflinchingly and with a hard emotionless mask. "The High Council has met numerous times to discuss what actions we should take and the result is always that inaction is the best option, for the preservation of Vulcan life," he said, matter-of-factly.
Michael was furious at this revelation. Despite the fact that she was fully human, her childhood had been spent on Vulcan and she still considered them to be her people. She was ashamed at their selfishness and lack of support towards a supposed ally. Captain Turk observed her reaction.
"Despite the decision of the High Council, many Vulcans feel differently on the matter. The Vulcans must support their ally's, and furthermore, the Klingons must not be allowed to become stronger. They are a volatile race and although they have ignored Vulcan so far, it seems unlikely that they won't set their sights on our people in the future, given their desire for conquest," Turk explained.
"You should not judge the Vulcan people so strongly, Michael Burnham," he said, knowingly. "The Interplanetary Liberation Party is a group venture, composed of like-minded Vulcans and free humans currently working on taking back control of the remaining Starfleet ships. The remainder of the ILP is at a safe location working on completing the cloaking algorithm as we speak."
Michael, feeling chastised, said nothing and stepped back.
"Captain Turk and his comrades have been steadfast in their support for the cause of the ILP," Luke said, speaking up on the matter.
Michael looked at him and felt her breath catch in her throat as she saw barely concealed loathing in his eyes. Dumbstruck, she finally considered how she might be remembered in history. If Captain Lorca was rumored to be a madman, she could only imagine what was said about her. As far as she knew, all of humanity considered their enslavement the result of her actions. Michael Burnham, the Mutineer.
She felt a shiver move down her spine as Luke continued to observe her the way one would an insect crushed under the weight of a boot, and forced herself to look away. She desperately hoped that the conversation would move on and was relieved when Captain Lorca, observing her discomfort and no doubt drawing the same conclusion she had, asked about the location of ILP base. Suddenly, she felt a hand slip discreetly around hers and give a reassuring squeeze. She glanced up and saw Ash looking down at her with a worried expression. Michael didn't think that such a public display of affection was appropriate but realized that it probably didn't matter anymore.
Luke said that they were not able to provide them with the coordinates, but would accompany the Discovery there. Captain Lorca had inquired about their current obligations, to which Luke insisted that this was now far more important. Captain Lorca then suggested that they set a course. He needed time to process their conversation and find a way to break the news to the remainder of the crew. Luke agreed and he and Turk had beamed back to their ship. Captain Lorca turned to the three members of his crew and dismissed them until 16:00 hours, at which point they would meet and discuss an appropriate way to inform the crew of their current situation. He then turned and quietly stood looking out the window while Saru, Tyler, and Burnham exited the room. Without speaking a word they had all went their separate ways, to their quarters where they could be alone.
Now, after fidgeting restlessly in her room for the last hour, Michael found herself drawn to Ash's quarters. While she had always been someone who preferred solitude, especially in times of crisis, she felt an inexplicable need to be close to him. She reached his door and hesitated for half a moment before knocking. Michael heard steps moving towards her before the door slowly opened and saw Ash, looking haggard and wretched, standing before her. Michael suddenly felt foolish for coming to him. He wouldn't want to see her right now, it was silly of her to come. Then, his face softened as he took in her appearance and he gave her a warm smile. "I'm glad you're here," he said, moving to the side so she could step into the room, "Come on in." He waited for her to pass by him before closing the door.