[Star Trek: TNG] Prisoner's Dilemma (Ro Laren, Jean-Luc Picard | PG)

[eponymous_rose]

Written for the amazing Awesome Ladies Ficathon - check out the amazing prompts! Write stuff!

This little ficlet came up because I couldn't resist this prompt by redfulcrum. Ro Laren's always been one of my very favourite characters.

Title: Prisoner's Dilemma
Word Count: 330
Rating: PG
Characters: Ro Laren, Jean-Luc Picard
Warnings: None

Summary: Ro and Picard discuss the Maquis for the last time.



They're sitting much too close in the shadows of a backwater bar, whispering in a parody of intimacy. She catches herself glancing at the coins he's tossed on the table between them; casual, meaningless. He wouldn't have thought to bring them if she hadn't told him.

He's forgotten how to want. They all have.

"If you back out now," he's saying, "you'll throw away everything you worked for."

By the intensity of his voice, she knows he's not just talking about this mission, about the Maquis, because Jean-Luc Picard is the type of person who can throw around phrases like "the good of the Federation" and mean every word. Whenever she tries it – and oh, some days, she tries – the words fall flat, meaningless. All she knows about the greater good she learned from the Cardassian who made her watch her father die.

Maybe Picard sees something in her, some trace of new resolve, and maybe he knows full well what she's intending, what she's starting to believe. Maybe he sees echoes of Macias dying in her eyes. He lowers his head, and she lowers hers, and for a long, terrible moment, they're just close enough to touch.

He talks about boards of inquiry, about a court-martial, about punishment. "Now," he says, "it's your decision."

Choice has always been alien to Ro Laren, just another thing that other people possess, just another thing that she's been made to want. The respect of her fellow officers. Her commission. A piece of sugar candy in a Cardassian's hand.

"I'll carry out my orders, sir," she says, because this time, it's different; this time, there's a way out. This time, it's her choice.

And when he stands, when he lends her the courtesy of a second chance, she knows that it's the last time she'll see any hint of trust in his eyes.

As the night turns slowly to day, she sits alone with her resolve and contemplates the lesser of two betrayals.

Comments

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is great. This episode was an unsual one for TNG and preparing the ground for DS9; one of the first where the audience was meant to sympathize with the decision against what the lead believed, and see it as the right one. And yet it's not just a simple turnaround of who is wrong and who is right, because Ro has such respect for Picard even while she's making it, and you capture this very well.

(In my ideal world, both Ro and Picard would have guest starred on DS9, and we'd have complex follow-up on that complex scene. I know they did that in the books, but the books don't really count.)

[paynesgrey.livejournal.com]

Wow, I loved this. I haven't read much Ro fics, but this is very good and you get into her thoughts wonderfully. Nice job!

[eponymous-rose.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for commenting!

Right after bingeing on DS9 for ages, I saw that prompt and immediately went back to watch "Preemptive Strike" for the first time in a long while. It really stands out - it definitely felt closer to an episode of DS9 than an episode of TNG, exactly for the reasons you mentioned. Because there was that undercurrent of respect and admiration, though, and because Picard's arguably been the only one (apart from Guinan) who's offered Ro so many chances without expecting something in return, it's that much more powerful. The Maquis two-parter in DS9 was great at exposing all the moral issues involved, but having this never-before-seen friend of Sisko's join them wasn't half as interesting as when we got Eddington jumping ship, and Kasidy making supply runs for them. And I still maintain it would've been fascinating (and in-character) for at least one of the leads to show some Maquis sympathies - Bashir being a prime candidate. I guess that's what fic is for.

(In my ideal world, both Ro and Picard would have guest starred on DS9, and we'd have complex follow-up on that complex scene. I know they did that in the books, but the books don't really count.)

I'll have to pull out my copy of the first Avatar book and read for that scene again (I think it was that book - it must have been). I do wish we'd seen Ro as a regular character, either on the station or as a Maquis presence, outside of the books, and that conversation with Picard would have been a fantastic addition. I'd also love to see a conversation in which Eddington and Ro meet at some point - possibly even before their respective defections. There's another fic in there somewhere.

[eponymous-rose.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I'm really glad you enjoyed the fic. ♥

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Maquis two parter: yes, exactly. What's-his-name was the weak point in it. Also I always regreted that they had to wrap up the Maquis storyline before the Dominion War really kicked in and killed off Eddington, because as someone who wasn't an alien but from the same Starfleet background as Sisko, and not evil, but having coming come to opposite conclusions he was such a fascinating counterpart to our Benjamin. A meeting with Ro would be great!

Yes, it was the first Avatar book. But that scene always makes me think "man, I want more, and some fanfiction writers would have done better". Also, because of my Prophet issues, I'd have loved to have at least ONE non-evil Bajoran who doesn't think they're the cat's meow, and Ro would have been ideal. And there's the general awkwardness bound to occur in any Sisko-Picard encounter; yes, Sisko was ready to be civil to Picard by the end of the pilot, but they still have this incredibly painful shared backstory, and I think if you'd be around them you'd pick up on some vibes about that. What Ro and Kira with their very different loyalities re: Picard and Sisko, but shared experience with the Cardassians, would have made of it would have been fascinating to see. (Plus, you know: more Patrick Stewart. Playing conflicted emotions and angst. With Michelle Forbes. I see no bad there!)

[sophia-gratia.livejournal.com]

Funny – I was just working on a crossover Ro & Kira fic, trying to sort out what might be in Picard's report on the events of 'Pre-emptive Strike,' and I trot over to LJ for a break and there's this story.

And it's just lovely. I have a lot of affection for Ro and am glad to see her so well represented here. Especially fond of the 'Choice' paragraph. Well done.

[cosmic-llin.livejournal.com]

♥ This is great.

[eponymous-rose.livejournal.com]

Thank you - I'm really glad you enjoyed it! :) Ro's always been one of my favourites; it's always great to hear there are other people writing fic about her (plus Kira, to boot!).

[eponymous-rose.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm really glad you liked it. ♥

[idella]

Hello :)

Several years ago (!) I requested and received your permission to make a podfic of your awesome story for the Awesome Ladies Podfic Anthology. I've never been pleased with my podfic (for various reasons) and I've recorded it again. I just wanted to check that this is still okay with you before I go ahead and post it! (I looked to see if you have a transformative works policy but I didn't see one.)

All best wishes,
idella