Jesa's expression was impassive, completely disbelieving of what she was hearing. Rich stood before here, passionately arguing his case, but she could not believe that he, a man who is TRAINED to analyze and help correct the mental dysfunctions of others could realize that such a huge dysfunction existed in himself. "Absolutely, NO!" she said, looking at him, disbelief still carved in her features.

Rich shot back. "Commander, I've checked all my ides with Joseph. You know this will work! You know me well enough to know I haven't just gone into this headlong!! I'm not some misguided ensign coming up with some screwball idea. Now is not the time to bring up your personal feelings towards me. I am not the issue here. This will save LAURA!!!"

She stood, and matched his rigid and forceful posture note for note. "I don't care if Joseph says it is feasible, LAURA is a COMPUTER PROGRAM! She is not alive, she is not flesh and blood, she was created AFTER A REAL PERSON!!! I'm sure Joseph would be interested in the possibilities. But just because something CAN be done, doesn't mean it SHOULD! And you! You deny an emotional attachment, but the very passion in which you pressure me to allow this frankenstinish experiment proves otherwise!"

Rich's emotional side was clearly showing through now as his temper rose, and his temperature was visibly rising. His voice sounded more like a growl. "I never denied emotional attachment!! You were just too bull-headed take my feelings for LAURA seriously. You couldn't see through your I'm-in-love-with-Buck clouded haze!! Any body who took half a glance could tell that I was in love with her!!"

"In love WITH her!?" Jesa's anger became noticeable. "SHE IS NOT REAL, RICH!!!!! SHE IS NOT REAL! She is programmed to respond in a way that is pleasing to her patients and YOU have pushed for more. Her algorithms have responded from the information given! SHE IS NOT ALIVE! This is a TEXTBOOK case of cyber-associative disorder, and you will NOT SEE IT!" Jesa yelled. She couldn't keep it down to simply strong and forceful.

Rich attempted to match Callen's force with sheer intensity. "She is alive to ME! She responds to ME! If you could open your eyes to the fact that she has been an intricate part of this crew, and be half-decent to her, LAURA may treat you like you were more human!!" Rich immediately regretted his words, but it was too late. He knew had overstepped his bounds, and he braced himself for the wall for the fury that was about to be thrown at him.

Her manner became more forceful, and then suddenly she went quiet. Lowly she spoke, her eyes angry and strongly opposed. Jesa spoke, her voice low and strong. "You don't even know what love is, Darel Rich." She fairly snarled. "Go get help for your own dysfunction. I'll take no action against you for this, but I order you to seek help from Balur. I will not make this public, as long as you do this. I will go by his judgment for what to do next. LAURA was Buck's property, she will be taken offline and put in storage until such time when his family comes to decide what to do with his belongings."

Rich's anger was becoming more pronounced again, but controlled. "How dare you say I don't know what love is? Just because I didn't have a Head-in-the-Stars relationship like you did with Buck, what right have you to judge me?" What right do you have to COUNSEL me!!?"

If Jesa's eyes could have shot fire, they would have. Her voice hissed and snapped dangerously. "How dare you bring him into this? How dare you compare my love for him for your... emotional infatuation, your mental illness?" she hissed. "Get out, Rich, get out." she snarled, her voice conveying a dangerous anger coming near to loss of control. He looked like he would explode at her for a moment, then suddenly his features took on a seriousness and firmness of purpose.

Rich stared down at his sweat filled hands and noticed that he had, without noticing, almost caused them to begin bleeding. He opened his palms, pulled down his tunic, straightened up his posture and glared at Commander Callen. "I had come here to get your approval, NOT your permission! Just because you've lost your ability to love doesn't mean that we all have to suffer the same fate!" On that note Rich nodded, and turned on his heels and left the room. With him gone, Jesa banged her fist on the desk, hard; forcing the tears back in her eyes.

Loaded: 03.10.2004