Why You Chose to Lead

When Thunder told Cerina what he had learned from his communication, Cerina closed her eyes.  In a way, it didn't surprise her.  Her mother had often told her that her father was well-known for doing outrageous things.  And behind her mother's back... her father had often gone into detail on some of those outrageous things.  Simon Ringo was renowned for his unpredictability.

But it made no sense.  Spying for the Federation?  The Federation supported Starfleet.  And Simon Ringo's opinions on Starfleet were well-known... and widely expressed.  Her father despised Starfleet.  Hated it with every fiber of his being.  Had it all been an act?  A ruse?  Some sort of plot... so that he could get in closer with the Arcadians and spy on them?  Even if that had been the case... how could he have gotten close enough?  Surely the Arcadians had some way of telling that Ringo was Bartokian.

That was the least of Cerina's concerns.  If the Federation was indeed attacking Arcadia... and the Bartokians stuck their noses in the middle of it... then the Bartokians went from meddlesome (for the asylum granted to Thunder) to full-fledged enemies of the state.  Worse still... what did the Bartokians stand to gain from it?  Suppose they stopped the assault... prevented this attack on Arcadia.  The Federation would doubtless try again.  And the Bartok system would undoubtedly be the next stop on their hit list.  And the Arcadians wouldn't care.  An alien race saved them from extinction?  So what?  The simple way to say it was... Cerina, the crew of the Dinaqa, all Bartokians... stood nothing to gain from interfering.

Except for one small thing.  It was the right thing to do.

Growing up, Cerina had one simple facet drilled into her.  "Do the right thing".  Her grandmother summed it up best.  As Cerina sat on her knee, watching the sun set over Lake Milazzo, she said to her, "Cerina... the right thing isn't always the easiest thing to do.  It isn't always the most popular.  It will usually cause you the most heartache... give you the most grief.  But... in the long run... when you look back on all the things that you have done in life... it is the right things you did that will grant you the most satisfaction."

She tapped her communications badge.  "Korishma Blail."

"Alter course.  We're going to Arcadia.  Maximum warp."

"Ma'am?"  You could easily hear the confusion in Korrine's voice.

"I gave you a direct order, Korishma."  The tone of Cerina's voice left no room for misunderstanding. 

Korrine's tone reflected what she heard.  "Yes, Ti Klec.  Helm... set a course for Arcadia.  Maximum warp."