Chapter Text
Ed was at his desk writing a report when his chime sounded. “Come in.”
Kelly entered. “You wanted to see me?”
Ed barely looked up. “Sit down, Commander.”
Kelly obeyed.
Ed finished typing a sentence and then folded his hands on his desk and looked at Kelly. “I was evaluating the emergency evacuation drill we did yesterday. I’d say everyone did extremely well, except for one person who, I think it’s safe to say, failed the assessment.”
“Oh?”
“This person flatly refused to follow a procedure that has been in place longer than I can remember, that is standard across every starship in the fleet, and that goes back to the days of sailing ships. When told the procedure must be followed, this person said that whoever came up with it was ‘an idiot’ and that whoever thought it was a good idea to continue it this long must have been, and I quote, ‘dumber than a bag of rocks.’ Thoughts?”’ Ed tilted his head as he waited for her reply.
Kelly rolled her eyes. “Wow. Sounds like this person is a real piece of work. Question about it, though. Did this person fail in their duty during the drill?”
Ed sighed. “Kelly, why don’t you just follow protocol?”
“Because it’s stupid and keeps me from doing my job!” she retorted.
“If I put what you did on this report, they’re going to evaluate us, and they might move you.”
“I don’t think so,” Kelly said defiantly. “They know we’ve got one of the best crews in the fleet, and that’s because of you and me. Even so, I have nothing to hide. That rule is stupid, and if we ever really do have to evacuate the ship, I won’t follow it.”
Ed felt like he was banging his head against a brick wall in the hope that it would move. “Let’s go over this again,” he said. “We evacuate in rank order. Civilians first, then low-ranking crew. Then officers, again lowest rank to highest rank. You, Talla, and Bortus get everyone into escape pods and make sure everyone is safely off. Then, the three of you leave. I stay on the bridge to make sure all the pods launch, then I get in one. How hard is that?”
Kelly shook her head. “I did what I was supposed to do. Talla, Bortus, and I monitored the pods and made sure they launched okay. Talla and Bortus got in theirs, while I went back to make sure you got out. It’s easier to evacuate with another person than alone. What if you’re injured?”
“That’s not the procedure! The captain protects the ship!”
“And the first officer protects the captain! I can’t do that if I leave without you!”
Ed growled in frustration and put his head in his hands. “That’s not what anyone does! We learn this in training. The captain stays to make sure the ENTIRE crew gets out. You know the saying ‘A good captain always goes down with his ship?’”
“A good first officer makes sure he doesn’t have to. Seriously, Ed, no one should die alone!”
“Who said anything about dying? We’re talking about you refusing to evacuate in the right order during a drill.”
“But one day, it may not be a drill. And it could be life or death. What if everyone else gets out and you don’t?”
“Then I did my job,” Ed replied. “And I’d die content.”
“And I couldn’t live with myself,” Kelly countered.
“The last person off the ship is in the most dangerous position,” Ed said. “That position belongs to the captain. No one else.”
Kelly shook her head. “I don’t agree. If part of my job is to protect you, I should be there too. I’m not saying I need to be last, but I should be with you.”
“Kelly, if we are talking life and death, then… you staying until the end could mean you’d die too. I can’t let that happen.”
“But Ed…”
“No. Absolutely not.”
“But you’d have a higher chance of survival if I were with you!” Kelly protested.
Ed shook his head. “I’m not going to hide behind my ex-wife for everything.”
Kelly flinched as if he’d struck her. Ed knew he’d hurt her, and he regretted it, but he didn’t know what to say. They stared at each other in silence for a few moments.
Finally, Kelly said quietly, “You can report me if you want. I don’t care. I will never follow that rule. I don’t care about precedent, or your pride, or what everyone else does. If you die in the line of duty, it will not be because I left you somewhere. That’s all there is to it.”