Topic: Flashes - Introduction

[Scottish Andy]

Inspired by this trance song lyric: "Because only mercy liberates", from ‘My Prayer (Probspot Mix)’ by Noel Sanger feat. Dauby.

*****

"I hate you. I hate everything about you, everything you are, and everything you believe in."

The prisoner sneered back at Brown, contempt and sadistic amusement lighting his eyes.

"I'm not going to kill you. I'm not going to break every bone in your body and chop off your appendages, however much you so richly deserve it. I will show you mercy where you showed none to your victims."

"Weak," Therin spat contemptuously. "You're a pathetic pinkskin without the backbone Uzaveh gave a shax. You don't have the fortitude to be my jailer. How you stopped me is unfathomable."

"What, just because I'll not take retribution? Indulge my bloodlust? Make no mistake, I want you dead. I want you broken and carved into itty bitty little pieces," Brown grated out. "But I'm not going to. Because I will not be you. I will not be like you. By showing you mercy I free myself."

"Weak," Therin repeated disinterestedly.

"I know you don't care. But you also don't matter. You think I care about your opinion of me?"

The Andorian chen tilted his head away dismissively. "You're still talking to me."

"Call it a Human failing. I'm trying to rehabilitate you."

"You would say, 'Good luck with that'," he smirked.

"Enjoy the rest of your life in a Federation rehabilitation centre. You won't change. You'll end up going mad with boredom like a zoo animal, pacing about in its cage. And that's what you are. A freak show. Children will visit and be told, 'Look, there's the Soulless Thing. Behave yourselves or you'll become this'. And they'll point and mock you."

Therin looked at Brown pityingly and with genuine puzzlement. "Really? That's the best you can do? How can you be my captor?"

Andrew surprised himself by grinning at the Soulless Thing. By the look on his face, Therin was also surprised by it.

"Only mercy liberates," Brown repeated and turned to leave. As he walked away, he continued talking. "So long, freak. Perhaps someone else will take pity on you and just wipe your memories and reprogram your brain. Or perhaps someone else who deserves to be your captor will indulge you and break and carve you into itty bitty pieces."

Therin frowned.

"But it won't be me."



Once out of the prison block, Brown's first officer rejoined him. "Captain."

Andrew cocked an eye at him. "Mr. Lyons."

"He's still alive?"

"Oh yes."

"And in once piece?"

"Yup."

"Conscious?"

"Your point, Commander, as if I could not determine it through your exquisite subtlety?" Brown responded with heavy sarcasm.

"When you ordered everyone to stay away and the recorders turned off, I was expecting..." Shawn looked as if he would say, "...you to beat him to a bloody pulp", but he changed his mind and instead finished with, "Expecting that Therin would be considerably worse for wear by the time you came out."

"I could be lying and he's now just a puddle of skin and bones."

"You've never lied to me yet, Captain. No matter how much crap it's dropped us in," Lyons responded, unable and unwilling to swallow the snipe.

Brown cocked his head again and raised his eyebrows for good measure. "Honesty is the best policy, Commander."

"My captain, the Boy Scout," he returned flatly.

"Oh come now, X.O., don't be like that," Brown replied mockingly. He fixed his second with a hard unblinking gaze. "Get over it."

"Captain, he—"

"I know full well what he did. And I know full well what I am willing to do, how far I will let myself go."

Shawn waited expectantly, but no more was forthcoming. "And…?" he prodded.

Andrew looked around again in mild surprise. "'And' nothing."

"And this was a step to far for you?" he pressed.

"A step? Beating that particular prisoner to a pulp would have been an intergalactic voyage too far."

"Sir, I just don't understand you. You are the most exasperating person I've ever served with."

"Thank you, X.O." his captain replied with no trace of mockery or humour. "Now let's get back to the ship and keep an eye on my best buddy Therin until he arrives at his final destination."

"You're not calling it done here? We have orders—"

"And I'm a Captain in the Star Fleet. I have discretion and leeway and judgement and all that crap. And I don't want that slimy bastard squeezing out of his fate because I trusted him to people who don't know what the hell they're dealing with. Capicce?"

Shawn looked at him with surprise but also a measure of the long-suffering. "Captain, don't try Italian. You just cannot pull it off."

Brown shot him a hard glare.

Shawn raised his hands. "Okay okay, I 'capicce'."

"We're going to stay in orbit of the base until the prisoner transfer has been completed. Then we'll stay in sensor range of the prison ship until it arrives at its destination. Then we're going to stay in orbit of that facility until he's settled in. Then you and I and Ms. Security Chief are going to personally brief in the command officers of the guardian ships and the facility's administrators and security detachment." Brown glared at his X.O. and rounded off his impromptu speech, though Shawn had endured that stare enough times to know it wasn't directed at him. "This one doesn't get away."

"Sir, he was working alone. He doesn't have an organisation which would effect a rescue."

"He doesn't, no. But the galaxy is a big, dangerous place. There will be others out there who want his kind of... talents, and Therin's little spree here was a big advert for him."

Shawn's eyes widened. "You think the Orions will try to break him out?"

"The Orions, the pirate cartels, anyone who fancies their chances and want him enough," Andrew agreed. "Now, this isn't to say I'm expecting a jailbreak attempt on the way there, but I'm going to make sure that if one is attempted, it will fail."

"Very well, Captain-with-discretion-and-crap," Shawn returned mockingly.

Brown flipped out his communicator and levelled another look at his comedic partner. "Behave yourself or I'll say 'only one to beam up'."

Lyons obligingly performed the Godfather Muse and held his peace.

Now that the superficial comedy was in temporary abeyance, Brown's smile vanished and his eyes burned again. “Only mercy liberates”. I'm testing that aphorism close to its maximum right now. I sure as hell don't feel liberated.

Another side of him chimed in. And when your blood cools you can look back and stand straighter, take pride in knowing you did not become him, however much you may have wanted to give into it right then. He gave into it and embraced it, see how we regard him. This is what you avoided today. Brutality for good is still brutality.

Feeling slightly lighter, Brown stood slightly straighter when the transporter beam finally took them.

*****

Afterword

I love this song and it's music, and I was inspired to write a scene describing an event which would illustrate it. I kinda failed, in my own opinion, but it is still a good scene.

Only through mercy and forgiveness can you free yourself. If you give into your bloodlust for retribution, your conscience, character, and soul will suffer the consequences and you will be less innocent. When the bloodlust fades and tempers cool, you will be left knowing what you did for the rest of your life, and this will change you. Probably not for the better.

Let me know what you think. Of the scene and my thoughts above.