"You will be demoted to rank Private. Your charge is to tend to those awakened by your bombings. I will be keeping a close eye on you. I am ordering your transfer to the Titan effective immediately."
"And what of the Neptune?"
"Davis will assume the role of Acting Captain, and he'll take her back to New Zion."
"...Understood."
QuiDormit stared at the bulkhead of the Neptune's crew quarters unable to sleep. He kept replaying the scene above him over and over in his mind. He'd gotten off light, he knew that. He had so many unanswered questions: could they trust him again? would they always be watching him, questioning his judgment, questioning his motives..?
He rubbed his hand on the back of his head absentmindedly while his thoughts carried him away. The Titan would reach them soon, and the transfer would take place. His crew understood his need to be alone. He swung his legs over the side of the bunk into a sitting position. He turned his hands palm-up and stared at them for some time before looking around the quarters. The room looked completely foreign to him. What once held great comfort now seemed to be a place unknown to him. The walls were alien.
He felt a great remorse for the actions he had taken. Once in a while, a wave of uncertainty washed over him.
Was stopping the right thing to do?
Of course it was. Could you live with yourself if you kept going?
It was working. There were results.
But at what cost? A cost that you cannot pay.
You have promises to keep. You have duties to fulfill. You've made commitments, and you do not back out of commitments you've made. You're an honorable person.
How could I have let it get this far?
Why did I let it get this far?
Will they ever accept me again?
Am I ready for this?
He felt awful for the things he'd done, however, his will took no damage. He was still as committed as ever to ending the war... He kept reminding himself of that.
He now had to make himself accessible to those he forced awake. He also had to make himself available to The Trust; he needed to have their faith in him once more. He knew that he would pay a great price to regain their trust, and whatever the cost, he would regain their trust. He took a deep breath, exhaled very slowly and buried his head in his hands. He had a lot to atone for. What of the dead? How will I make it up to them- their families? That thought hadn't occurred to him until now. One thing at a time, he reminded himself. He sighed deeply as he stood up and began to gather his things. The Neptune had been his home for the last seven months. He chuckled grimly to himself and mused, At least I'm not going back to a hoverbarge...
Just then, the ship's intercom system crackled.
"Kiddo," Davis affectionately quipped, "it's time."
QuiDormit sighed again as he picked up his duffel from his bunk and slung it over his shoulder. He looked around the quarters one last time, stood very tall with his chest out and his head held high, and he slowly walked to the cargo bay ramp. He paused at the ramp and looked back at his crew, smiled, and said, "I'll see you guys in New Zion, mm?" He then turned and descended the ramp, headed for the behemoth shining star of Zion's fleet, the Hovercraft Titan.
-----===-----
A hollow metallic *clunk* rang out underneath QuiDormit's boots as he traversed over to the Titan in the dark maintenance shaft. The only light in the tunnels came from the electric blue glow of the hoverpads of the three nearby craft. QuiDormit saw that the Devildog was in the air nearby, ready to fend off any potential attackers. It was barely fifty yards to his new home, but it felt like miles. From the distance, he could see RedBindi standing at the ramp to the Titan, arms crossed and eyes focused on him. As he neared his Commander, he took a deep breath and shook his head to clear the cobwebs. In the pit of his stomach, a ball of anxiety formed and grew until it spread over him out to his fingertips.
"Hello, QuiDormit."
QuiDormit dropped his bag and snapped to salute RedBindi, and she responded in kind.
"Hello, RedBindi."
"Welcome your new home, the Titan." QuiDormit bent down to pick up his bag and smiled weakly at RedBindi.
RedBindi escorted QuiDormit through the ship, telling its tales as they slowly walked through. She showed him around to the different areas of the craft. She spoke with a deep affection. This wasn't just a ship, it was her home, her livelihood. He understood how she felt about the ship and his mind briefly drifted off to the Neptune. They came to the crew quarters, and RedBindi pointed out QuiDormit's bunk. He unceremoniously dumped his duffel onto the bunk, and turned to face her. His face showed a calm and accepting demeanor, but inside, he was extremely nervous. He knew what came next... He only hoped he was ready.
As they weaved through the ship, they came to a familiar room; a large circular room adorned with many ecto-chairs and the operator chair where Wheeler was seated, focusing intently on the screens before him. QuiDormit could swear that Wheeler was purposefully avoiding his gaze. He figured he'd be getting that treatment a lot. He exhaled sharply and walked over to Wheeler to formally introduce himself.
"Hey, it's good to meet you in person." QuiDormit reached out his hand toward Wheeler. Wheeler looked up, nodded in greeting, and said, "Kinda busy..." QuiDormit nodded, withdrew his hand, and produced two disks from his pocket. "Here... some things I wanted to keep with me." QuiDormit awkwardly handed Wheeler the disks. "Nothing major, just some code I've been playing around with... personal effects, you know. Do you mind loading these up for me?"
"Sure thing." Wheeler locked eyes with RedBindi, and they exchanged a glance that QuiDormit couldn't quite read, and then Wheeler turned back to his keyboard and began to type furiously.
QuiDormit turned to RedBindi who was watching the interaction intently, and she continued on the tour of the ship. Next, they came to the galley where most of the crew was gathered. QuiDormit looked into the room, and every eye was focused on him. He lowered his head slightly, reached back and rubbed his neck with his right hand awkwardly. The air in the room seemed so thick, he was sure that if he didn't suffocate, he would at least faint. He took a deep breath and took a step toward the crew. Every eye was looking at him, each pair loaded with questions, doubts, and scrutiny. He pushed past that and spoke softly.
"I... I don't really have much to say that hasn't already been said. There's nothing I can do to change my actions, but I am going to own up to them. Please... just give me time to prove..." He sighed deeply. "I'm just asking for another chance. If that's too much to ask, I understand." Some of the heads in the room nodded, and others remained motionless, focused on him. RedBindi spoke softly, and broke everyone from their silent thoughts. "Come on, there's one more thing you've got to see."
QuiDormit swallowed hard and followed her to the med bay. He was prepared for everything else, but he still had no idea how he would handle this.
