The Waiting [Open]

[lytaalex.livejournal.com]

To say Lyta Alexander is annoyed would be an understatement. Like the rest of the crew, she wasn't happy with what had gone down in the city. She had hoped, prayed even, that things would not have come to such a violent head. All during the trial, she had sensed the anxiety, dissension, and division that had begun to split the crew. She'd kept her opinion to herself through it, needing time to turn over the rightness of killing the prisoner Schmuz compared to the rightness of respecting all life, no matter who it might belong to.

But when it came down to the final moments, she found she couldn't stay silent any longer. She couldn't sit back and let both sides start shooting at each other without trying to convince the security team that the conspirators were not the enemy, that they both had the same goal: to protect the crew. The only difference between them was the way they each thought was best to do that. And now she was in jail for it.

She'd been so certain that the jury had made a mistake. She still was. She still believed letting the Yeerk live was one of those pivotal moments that could mean the death of everyone on board. That was what had compelled her to argue the conspirators' point. There had been too much easy dismissal. The Yeerks had been and could possibly be a threat. It seemed like the entire crew had forgotten that they were, in effect, prisoners themselves. Prisoners to Stacy. Prisoners, possibly, to the people currently running the ship on which they were trapped.

It was like they had forgotten that someone--or something--had brought the Yeerks there. And someone--or something--had set them free. Yet they were convinced that the someone or something that released the Yeerks in the first place wouldn't do so again? Just because they, the crew, willed it?

She paced back and forth in her cell--newly reinforced following Sam's escape--with her arms folded over her chest, her head a flurry of thoughts. Cursing Leon for having her locked up. Worrying that, if Sam and the others were right, the security team that had been formed to protect them may have just killed them all.

Comments

[waylostandfound.livejournal.com]

Nathan stopped by to observe the newly arrived prisoners. Seeing Sam down here was not a surprise. Especially since his escape and previous plot. It was a given he would try something desperate and vigilante again.

But he wasn't expecting another figure behind bars. Well not entirely a surprise, but he didn't think she would do anything to warrant this.

"Little surprised to find you here."

[lytaalex.livejournal.com]

"So am I," Lyta replied, continuing to pace. "Then again, I guess I'm just not up-to-speed on the rules on what we can and cannot do around here."

[waylostandfound.livejournal.com]

"That's odd considering you're a telepath. You can't tell? I mean, hell we had a trial, the jury made its decision. Schmuz was given a life sentence. I think that's pretty reasonable considering what it is."

[lytaalex.livejournal.com]

"I'm not allowed to disagree?" she asked, pausing midstep and arching an eyebrow at him.

[waylostandfound.livejournal.com]

He gestured to the bars, "I take it if you just disagreed, that wouldn't be why you were in here? Thought the point is that we can't have vigilante justice."

Nathan ran a hand through his hair, "Look, I tried putting a lot of scum behind bars, and it was hard convincing the jury to go tough on them. Seen too many bastards slip away."

[lytaalex.livejournal.com]

"Yeah? Well, disagree is all I did do, Nathan. Oh, and vocalizing my disagreement," Lyta informed, resuming her pacing. "I didn't fight. I didn't attack. I didn't even go so far as to scan anyone. All I did was walk up to Leon and Security and tell them that I thought Sam and the others were right and tried to convince them to see things their way. And, when that didn't work, when Leon ordered them to open fire anyway, I walked away. And, now, I'm in here."

[waylostandfound.livejournal.com]

Nathan stared at that, "And that's it?"

[lytaalex.livejournal.com]

"That's it," she confirmed.

[waylostandfound.livejournal.com]

"I'll talk to Leon, you shouldn't be in here then."

Nathan sighed, glancing at the bars.

"Uh...so."

[lytaalex.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, you have a talk with Mussolini. I'll be down here crossing my fingers," Lyta replied. She's a little bitter but, then, getting tossed into a jail cell for speaking your opinion tends to do that to a person.

[waylostandfound.livejournal.com]

Nathan flashed a toothy grin, "I can be pretty convincing. Let me work on him."

He then said, "You need anything in the meantime?"

[lytaalex.livejournal.com]

"No," she answered with a shake of her head. "Unless you've got the name of a good attorney I can call."

[waylostandfound.livejournal.com]

"I think I'm the only lawyer we got on this ship," Nathan pointed out.

[lytaalex.livejournal.com]

"And you're the prosecutor," Lyta replied, feeling exasperated. Not only was she being imprisoned for no justifiable reason, but now she couldn't even seek the advice of an attorney or have someone to be her advocate.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to settle for crossing my fingers, then."

[waylostandfound.livejournal.com]

"I also was elected to Congress. I'll see what I can do."