It was the only way they would succeed.
Kira and Raider shared a glance. This was why they'd kept Elena's identity as his daughter from the other woman as long as they had. And why Kira hadn't immediately revealed what was going on with Jin.
What they were asking put Blue in a compromising situation. She was being pulled between two loyalties. The one she felt towards them. And the oath she'd sworn to Centcom and the fleet.
Raider's gaze dropped to the J1N Blue was absentmindedly cradling. "Did you finish? Does it work?"
Blue lifted the J1N up for them to see. "Congratulations are in order. I accomplished the impossible."
Her grin nearly split her face as the J1N came alive. It lifted out of Blue's palms, twisting back and forth as the 'eye' that was an inside joke between Kira and Jin moved in and out of focus.
"What do you think?" Blue asked excitedly.
That was a good question. What did Kira think?
The J1N was the culmination of decades of upgrades to a machine that had passed its end of life years ago. While others of its kind were considered obsolete, this version was outfitted with the most advanced weaponry known to man or Tuann. Or Haldeel for that matter.
Kira would wager its surveillance capabilities outstripped anything on the market. The hundreds of cameras they'd installed provided its user a comprehensive, panoramic view.
At Kira's continued silence, Blue's face showed a trace of uncertainty.
"It feels soulless," Kira finally managed.
Wrong at its basest level. Jin's personality filled a room, even when he didn't say a thing. He wasn't this…machine.
If she could, she wouldn’t have this thing anywhere near her. Not on her bridge. Not in her ship. Not even in the same galaxy.
Everything about it made her skin crawl. The desire to be anywhere but here almost too strong to ignore.
Seeing Blue's excitement fade, Kira tried for a smile. "You did a good job. Exactly what I asked for."
Raider nodded. "At the very least, it’ll make people stop asking about him."
Blue glanced between them, reading their resistance to the J1N on their faces. "This won't do. For this to work, you have to treat him like the real Jin. Try calling him by name. Say Jin."
Kira’s lip curled in immediate rejection. This machine wasn’t Jin.
"Jiiiinnnnn," Blue repeated, drawing his name out into several syllables.
"Do you want to die today?" Kira asked.
Blue looked affronted. "This was your plan, remember? How do you expect to fool anyone if you can't even call him by name?"
"The kid has a point, " Raider pointed out.
"See!" Blue exclaimed.
"Fine."
If they were going to make that big a deal about this, she'd give them what they wanted.
"Jin. Happy now?" Kira asked.
"Ecstatic."
Raider sent Kira a sympathetic look as Blue flounced off the bridge, leaving the J1N behind. "It's a good plan."
"I know."
That didn't make its implementation any easier though.
"Jin is not going to be happy about what I've done to his body when we finally get him back," Kira said.
"He'll understand you did what you had to."
"I hope so."
"Besides, he's the one who left his body unattended. He can't complain if someone else put it to good use."
Kira smirked at her friend. "I'm going to let you be the one who explains that to him."
A knock came from the open hatch. Kira looked over to find Joule standing on the threshold.
"What's up?" she asked.
"Since you're awake, Devon and I were wondering if you'd like to oversee today's training session."
That wasn't a bad idea. After the last few days of inactivity, Kira could use a little training herself.
"When is it?" she asked.
"Now?"
"Go," Raider said at Kira's hesitation. Even going so far as to make shooing motions at her. "I've got the bridge. There's nothing I need you for up here."
Says the man who almost informed his commanding officer of his intention to go AWOL.
Seeing her look, Raider rolled his eyes. "I'll be sure to call you if I think I'm going to do something impetuous in your absence."
"Good enough for me," Kira said, sauntering toward Joule, the J1N following after a long second.
Joule's face brightened at the sight of the drone. "Hey, Jin. I haven't seen you on board. How are you holding up?"
The J1N was unresponsive. Its 'eye' not even facing in the right direction, instead pointing at the wall.