The Orville (the Alternate) Season Three

S3E18

TALLA

"Talla?"

Talla's heart jumped to her throat.

She whipped around. "Captain!"

"Everything okay?" He looked at the console she was on and she quickly turned off the monitor.

"Sure, ya. Of course."

Talla tried to control her breathing. Her heart was out of control.

I'm the only one who knows that Gordon and John went down to the planet. I have to say something. 

But there were no life signs. Even if an Away Team went down there to rescue them from under all that rubble, it was too late.

Talla looked over the Captain's shoulder into the launch bay area. How had he not noticed that the Krill shuttle was missing? The main lights weren't on at the moment and there usually wasn't a Krill shuttle sitting in the launch bay, so maybe it hadn't stood out to the Captain as having gone missing.

"Just checking up on things," Talla lied. She headed out of the office before Captain Mercer could ask what she'd been looking at on the monitors. She felt sick to her stomach as they headed into the hall. She hadn't taken part of Gordon's plan, in any way, except knowing about it. It wasn't her fault. She'd told him not to do it.

A sudden, horrible thought came to her. What if something Gordon had done down there, caused the collapse of the Temple? And if it was found out that she had somehow aided and abetted him in this, she could be sentenced for the destruction of the Krill Temple, which could be much worse than simply losing her position as Security Chief on the Orville.

They continued down the hall in silence and Talla had no ability at that moment to process the reality that Gordon and John had been killed. She didn't feel sad. It just didn't seem real.

"I can't believe they left without a word," Captain Mercer said.

Talla's heart stopped. He knew?

"I thought Teleya had a bit more class than that," the Captain continued.

"Teleya?"

"Yeah, the Krill shuttle is gone," he said. "You don't need to cover for them. I realized you probably helped them get on their way. Did she tell you not to saying anything to me?"

Talla opened her mouth but nothing came out.

"Didn't even say goodbye," Captain Mercer said. "It's fine. Want to join me for a really early breakfast?"

–

It was 07:00 when they finished their breakfast, which they ate mostly in silence; Talla trying to reconcile this idea of Gordon and John being gone and Captain Mercer likely reminiscing about Teleya.

"You two are up early." Kelly's energetic voice startled both of them as she bounded over to their table in the mess hall. She looked alert and ready to tackle the day. "Mind if I join you?"

Talla got up to make room for a third chair, which she pulled over from the next table. She went to the replicator to get a small pastry and a coffee, even though she'd already eaten. She could pick away at it so Kelly wouldn't be the only one eating.

When she returned, Captain Mercer excused himself and got up to leave. He set a friendly hand on Talla's shoulder as he climbed out of his chair and she stiffened at his touch, guilt washing over her. 

I'm so sorry.

Whatever closeness she'd imagined would ever be between them, could now never be possible. Even if the Captain never found out about her involvement in all of this, she would know, and she could never forgive herself.

Tears rushed to her eyes and she blinked them away, burying her face in her coffee mug to hide her dismay as the Captain walked away.

"Good coffee?" Kelly asked.

Talla nodded.

KELLY

Kelly ate slowly. There was still over an hour before their shift on the bridge started and she had a feeling if she waited long enough, Talla would bulk and start talking about why her and Ed were having breakfast together at 06:00 hours.

Talla's burst of emotion earlier, when Ed left, seemed to finally settle and she glanced at Kelly now. "Sorry for not being very good company this morning," she said.

Kelly shrugged. "Do you normally have breakfast here, with Ed, before shift?" she asked.

Talla shook her head no.

"Sometimes, if I can't get back to sleep in the early morning," Kelly continued. "I'll come here to eat. I'd be way too hungry by the time shift started, if I'm up that early, to not eat something." She was hoping Talla would open up to some conversation.

Talla simply nodded.

Kelly wanted to ask why she was up so early, but she knew if she was too direct, Talla might become defensive and make up a lie to cover for the truth.

"Have you ever done something... that can't be reversed?" Talla began.

Kelly set down her crust and gave Talla her full attention. Finally, she was opening up.

"A lot of things we do can't be reversed," Kelly said.

"Something kind of serious..." Talla added.

Kelly waited. Sure, she'd done things that couldn't be reversed, that had caused relatively serious consequences; like sleeping with Darulio while being married to Ed. But she didn't say anything, letting the silence leave room for Talla to share more.

"Something that no one knows." Talla's voice sounded small and afraid. "Something that you took part in, but will remain a secret you take to your grave, if you tell no one..."

Kelly leaned back in her chair. She had an idea of where this was going. The touch on Talla's shoulder, before Ed left; them being here together early in the morning and having breakfast. Kelly wasn't sure if she should be mad at Ed or have no opinion on the matter. They were two consenting adults. Except that Talla seemed pretty torn up about it.

Kelly considered her next words carefully. "If it was a one-off mistake, and I didn't intend on repeating it, then I guess I'd consider it a lesson learned and leave it in the past." She paused. "Unless I felt it wasn't entirely my choosing and I'd been... talked into it."

Talla sighed. "Maybe. But in the end it was my decision. I should have reported it-"

"Now, hold on." Kelly sat forward and clasped her hands together. Reporting something like this would destroy Ed's career. Kelly didn't want Talla to confuse regret over a consensual evening, with an accusation she wouldn't be able to take back, one that would get Ed removed from his position as Captain and removed from ever working for the Planetary Union again. 

"But if you feel it's something you weren't fully on board with," Kelly continued. "Then you should report it..." She swallowed hard. She knew Ed. He was an emotional, kind hearted man, especially when it came to women. She couldn't see him doing anything Talla wasn't completely open to. But as the one in authority, he should have been the one to stop something like this before it ever happened, even if Talla was willing; it was still inappropriate in his job position.

Kelly reached for Talla's hands. "I'll fully support you."

Talla shook her head. "I should have stopped it, instead of agreeing simply because I wanted... to be liked."

Kelly's heart went out to Talla, but a regret wasn't the same as non-consent.

"What's done is done," she said. "I say gauge how you're feeling over the next few days and decide what, if anything, you want to do about this. Maybe just making a resolution to avoid regretful actions in the future, is a good step forward."

"You're right," Talla said. She didn't look comforted though.

"Maybe talk to Claire and see what she thinks, as a counsellor."

"Counselling?" Talla sighed. "Nah, I don't want to talk about this to others. I-"

"Kelly, report to the bridge immediately," Ed's voice came over Kelly's comm unit speakers. She could tell by the tone of his voice that something had happened.