Deleted
Registered: Apr 23, 2024 20:59:35 GMT
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2009 20:18:01 GMT
After two days of being cooped up in a sickbay bed, being only allowed to cross the brief distance between his own bed and Marina's, Nathan was growing very tired of being stuck. On occasion, Jayden would stop by, either with Freddy, or with Angelique. But never staying too long for fear of wearing him out.
"I'll show you wearing out," Nathan growled at his other half, sitting up on the bed, "just take me home and I'll show you. Truly, being stuck here and not being allowed to do anything drives me insane!"
Jayden chuckled darkly. "And risk you being stuck here for longer because you can't keep up?" He shifted Angel on his arm, gently patting her betwen the shoulders. She had grown so much since her birth and was actually starting to get heavy. At five months old, the girl had started smiling in recognition of her parents, and her brother. "You're better off here love, stuck in that bed. Just rest and you'll be back to work soon enough. I'll stop by later, I've got to take Angel home and fix dinner for Freddy. After that, Hannah's coming to babysit as I've got a company to train."
The doctor's expression darkened. "And I'm stuck here." He motioned wildly. "Go on then..."
Jayden sighed, leaning in for a kiss. "I promise I'll be back. Please don't do anything stupid...you don't need anything else added to that brig sentence you've already got on you. Please.."
Crossing his arms over his chest, Nathan glared at him. "Fine. I'll just go sit with Marina and keep her company."
~ a little later, when commaner Paragon is brought in ~~
Nathan shot to his feet, knowing Hannah wasn't anywhere near, and Donovan was on his dinner break. "Put him on the bed," he ordered, vacating his own bed immediately. Ignoring warnings from the nurses, Nathan studied his patient. "Hypothermia," he reasoned, issuing orders for blankets to be brought and a small heater. "Phaser or disruptor burn to the chest, no severe trauma." He held the dermal regenerator to the man's skin, while nurses made sure the rescuee was properly restrained.
Once he was sure the man was out of immediate danger, Nathan tapped his combadge. "Sickbay to bridge. Patient is secure and out of danger. I have him restrained and sedated, but he's capable of answering questions. Please confirm that security is on the way?"
(bridge/security)
Nathan paused, listening to the replies. "I know I'm not supposed to be on duty," he answered the unasked question. "However I'm currently the only qualified doctor present, since engineering still has not fixed my EMH! Once the patient has been transferred to the brig, I shall return to my own...bed....and sleep. It's bad enough that one person is so damn worried about me all the time. I don't need the whole command staff to be. Sickbay out." Angrily, he motioned for the second senior nurse to take charge, while he stalked back to bed.
|
|
Deleted
Registered: Apr 23, 2024 20:59:35 GMT
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2009 5:59:06 GMT
“We have a situation,” Echal began without preamble once the face of his superior appeared. “Lieutenant Ch’varak has boarded the Jefferson without my authority or their permission and has attacked numerous personnel and killed several of their officers,” Govan informed him, his expression and even emotions strangely calm.
The man on the screen actually paled, which the Commander noted. Cleary he had not given this particular order. The shock faded quickly into rage, much as Echal’s had done. “Your officer has committed an act of war, and the repercussions of his actions are on your head, Commander. You are entirely incapable of command...”
“Actually, this is not on me but on you,” Govan replied, still eerily calm. It was so clear to him now. His superior’s face darkened in rage, but Echal continued. “You wanted me to fail, and so you placed me in command of a vessel while continually undermining my authority with the crew at every turn. You made it abundantly clear that you did not want me, a former Tal Shiar agent, in command of a Navy warbird, and so naturally the Navy crew rebelled against my authority, acted of their own accord, kept me out of the loop, ignored orders, and so without any respect of my leadership, there was no order or oversight to their actions. You got exactly what you wanted, and now, you have to live with the consequences,” Govan concluded.
The man sputtered and raged for several moments, but Govan could see the hint of recognition in his eyes. Whether he admitted it or not, Echal was right. “We are no longer in communication with the Jefferson, have cloaked, and are at high alert. I have no personal or professional qualms with truly starting a war for you, and I can promise you that the S’Harien will respond to any aggressive moves and defend ourselves, but if you wish to avoid this, I suggest you send some sort of diplomatic representation, because otherwise, there may be no avoiding a violent conflict, as Captain Reynolds has made it quite clear that our association is now concluded.”
“I will continue to do my job and command the S’Harien, whether it be in battle or in the completion of this mission because in spite of your efforts, I have continued to serve this ship and the Empire to the best of my abilities. I will inform you of any further developments. Might I suggest that you locate a suitable diplomat,” Echal stated calmly, hesitating before adding, “I would actually recommend Ambassador Tedak, currently stationed on Starbase Assailant. He’s developed a solid working relationship with the Federation and may very well be capable of mending this rift.”
(<Tag Tedak>)
Sending the ‘kill’ gesture towards Ops, glad that it was actually cut while the man was in mid-sentence, Govan took an unusual step and addressed the bridge crew. “I know most of you don’t trust me, don’t like me, and I don’t expect that, but what I do expect is loyalty. Whatever your opinion of me, I serve the Empire and challenge any of you to note an instance where my actions were in disagreement with such dedication. Navy, Tal Shiar or…somewhere in between, we are all Romulan, and we all have a duty and obligation to serve, and that is completely non-negotiable.”
“Not all of you have allowed your opinion of me to reflect on your duties, and those of you I thank for that, but from now on, I challenge you all to put any feelings aside and follow me in honorable service of the Empire. If we are attacked, we will fight back, and we will not allow a crewmember, albeit a dishonorable one, to remain in their custody. We are Romulans, and we shall live and die as Romulans,” Govan finished, catching Dor’vel’s eye and giving him a single nod. It was he whom Echal was mostly referring to as far as duty went. He didn’t know the man’s feelings, but his service was inscrutable. “We know what our duty is, so now let us return to it.”
Sitting back in his chair, still feeling oddly calm, Govan head the door open behind him, searched his recollections, and then realized it was probably the unfortunate representative from Intelligence. If he had come a few minutes earlier, Echal may very well have rung his neck. "Commander, you called," the officer reported coolly.
“I did,” Govan acknowledged, continuing without pause. “No doubt you or another in the department was aware of your Chief’s plans. This knowledge makes anyone who knew an accomplice to his actions. The deception in and of itself is a severe enough crime, but his failure to complete whatever his mission was successfully and without discovery was even greater. However, I will deal with these issues at a later time. Right now, there are more pressing matters at hand for us to handle.”
“In spite of the Legate’s vast mistakes, I have no intention of leaving him behind. I won’t intentionally start an outright war with the Federation, but if there is even a remote possibility to retrieve him, I will take it. I want you, or whoever is in charge at the present, to arrange a covert rescue plan. There may be no opportunity to use it, but I want one prepared as an option should an opening present itself. See to it.”
<Tag Tevio (Hhurvan)>
"Pardon, Commander. The research you asked to be conducted on Raltorr, we... I have results,” an Uhlan whom Govan had not even noticed on the bridge spoke up from the generally vacant Intelligence station. “It is as Doctor Sural suspected, a citizen named Raltorr was involved in research at Galorndon Core, and he was responsible for assisting in the development and stealing the plans of specifications for a synaptic weapon, based on the electromagnetic storms in Galorndon Core's atmosphere," the Intelligence Officer reported, as Echal dismissed the Lieutenant.
With that, the final piece of the puzzle fell into place. The man who had contacted them was no doubt behind the attacks and responsible for the deaths of Romulan citizens. There would be no further cooperation with this traitor to the Empire. “We need to locate him, immediately. Lieutenant Taev, conduct a full sensor sweep of this region, starting at the moon and extending outward. He said he stole a vessel, so I’m assuming he’s in a Federation craft. I want him found as soon as possible.”
<Tag Taev>
After a moment’s hesitation, Echal opened a channel to sickbay. He’d not forgotten about Sural’s betrayal, but as he’d stated to Tevio’s goon, there were more important matters at present. “Bridge to sickbay, Doctor, I need you to review the file of this Raltorr,” he ordered nodding at the Uhlan Legate to transfer the relevant information. “He has a history of experience with developing biological weapons. I want you to review that history so we might be prepared for whatever trick he may have up his sleeve, and prepare any inoculations for the crew that you deem are necessary.”
<Tag Sural>
As he leaned back in his chair, Govan still felt strangely calm. Based on everything that had occurred recently, he should be smashing heads, out for blood, causing a wave of fear and death to surge across the ship, but deep down, he knew that would accomplish nothing. He was no longer the same Tal Shiar interrogator from only a few years ago. He was becoming a (somewhat) levelheaded Commander. Of course that could change at any moment, but the fact that Echal was beginning to restrain his emotions at times was a huge step. In some ways, it was happening all too fast, and in others, these necessary changes could not occur soon enough.
|
|
Deleted
Registered: Apr 23, 2024 20:59:35 GMT
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2009 3:44:34 GMT
OOC: The later part of this point is a joint post between Myself and Lieutenant Tevio Ch'varak
Megan remained entirely silent from the moment she entered the brig until Captain Reynolds left. Initially, it had not been intentional, but as her silence stretched, she began to realize the mental edge it provided her. She was an unknown factor, and there was nothing someone in such a vulnerable position hated more than that. A sole break in her emotionless expression came when Matt announced that the man would be allowed to return to his vessel. Shock and anger were simultaneous and immediate reactions, though she quickly schooled her face as she processed this unexpected turn of events. It wouldn’t do for her Captain to see that she disagreed, strongly disagreed, and the Romulan certainly didn’t need to know about it either.
Fortunately, he had barely looked at her since Matt’s arrival, and he too appeared surprised, which hopefully masked her own, though like hers, his vanished almost as quickly as it had come. Clearly, he hadn’t expected that either. His harsh actions certainly demanded an equally strong reaction and to let him go, especially telling him that he would be, just did not seem to fit. Still, Megan attempted to move her personal feelings aside and continued to focus on her task, to watch and observe.
The questioning went rather as expected, all the questions answered but no real information provided, which was a common approach to interrogation. Normally, she had preferred this approach as well, though in a somewhat different manner. He didn’t provide any sense of who he was and was extraordinarily closed, which was also to be expected especially from a Romulan prisoner, so Megan couldn’t really get a solid feel for him aside from the fact that he was well trained and quite familiar with standard intelligence procedures. Something was a little off about him though. He didn’t strike her as Tal Shiar, which generally meant he was new to Intelligence, but his age and air of experience and authority would disagree with that theory. His actual identity was somewhat of a mystery, as was his personality, but his training and his current response to this situation was easily recognizable.
When Valad called from the bridge, Commander Garrett instantly knew one of them would have to leave. While she would by far rather be the one on the bridge and in fact desperately wanted to get out of this room, Megan was well aware that Matt’s place was on the bridge and that the very reason she wanted to get out of the brig was the same reason that she should probably stay. Sadly, it only made sense, and when Captain Reynolds turned to her, she was resigned to follow his orders. "Commander, I will not give you the orders I did last time, but if you can uncover any new information from our guest please do so. Also make sure to take a break. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon,” the Captain added before leaving the brig.
With another silent nod in response to her Captain, Megan turned her eyes once more on the Romulan. She still hadn’t spoken, and wondering if he even realized that, she simply watched him, her expression carefully fixed. This would be a very interesting challenge, both personally and professionally. She needed to balance her emotions with her training, and accomplish her goal without crossing the line.
Feeling the unease with this female's background - having previously assumed she'd had experience with intelligence given her manner - Tevio was ready to get this interrogation out of the way. At first it had only really been a nuisance, having been captured like this, but the more it went on the more he realized that this might not be so easy, even with Reynolds assurance that he would be released.
Tevio said nothing. Weary of pretending to be the interrogator, he simply let this maybe-agent get on with things. He modeled his body language such that the Jefferson's first officer would know that he wanted her to get on with it. It was about time the Legate realized, there was a point at which there was no time for games, especially when one was behind a high-powered forcefield.
Not particularly happy that he was refusing to speak first, Megan realized now that she needed to come up with something to say. She hadn’t thought that far ahead, and this wasn’t like her, at all. She needed to focus, needed a plan. As suddenly as the momentarily pressure had come, it was gone, and her mind was focused. “You took quite a risk,” she began flatly, working very hard to keep any inflection from her tone. “I know Commander Echal quite well, and I can’t imagine he’ll be too pleased with your failure. Perhaps your life is safer here in our brig than there.”
"I don't doubt it," Tevio said, actually surprised that Garrett had finally taken to speaking. He glared at her softly, attempting to bring her into a link of confidence by sheer willpower alone, then he looked around at the brig prison's interior and spoke his mind. "Just by the look of this place you appear soft. Everything is cushioned, meant to ease personal unease at the inhospitability of this place. Your Captain is another good example, not wanting to use his torture devices. I'm afraid it's a trait that it is inherent in your species," Tevio sighed, slumping back and taking on an almost retrospective look, "You cannot help it anymore than I." After a few moments of silence that were not really meant to be there, Tevio's eyes flicked up to meet Garrett's. "Have you anything more to say?" he asked simply.
“Sometimes the most dangerous thing is not the obvious threat but something that looks benign and is really deadly,” Megan commented, refusing to directly rise to his bait but not letting it go either. “I’m afraid you wouldn’t know anything about that because you’re too busy putting up a front of invincibility, even when it’s obvious that you are far from in control. Make no mistake, if I wanted you dead, you would be. If I wanted you to suffer, I am perfectly capable of breaking you down to nothing.” There was no malice or anger in her voice. It was simply a calm statement of fact.
"Easy to say," Tevio smirked, “When you’re safe behind this forcefield. So you work with Intelligence, as I expected, you likewise keep an air of calm invincibility...and you seem to be suffering from some over-confidence. Clearly not the most dangerous thing when I realize you are no less benign than a fatal disease. And what is this?" Tevio gestured with his hand at Garrett. "Why are you attempting to intimidate me like this? Is there really any use? Stop wasting my time and get on with it." Such candid remarks were uncommon for Tevio, but he was feeling in a position of strength.
“That was not a threat, merely a fact,” Megan replied calmly. “I expect you have far worse in store for you when you face Echal. It doesn’t bode well that you become agitated at a simple statement. I know firsthand what he is capable of, and I don’t think you can take it. You probably wouldn’t last a single day in his interrogation.”
Tevio shook his head, not frightened in the slightest by this Federation officer's warnings. Despite her personal experience that Tevio now knew she definitely had with Echal, she was still just a human, and a human could not know fully how a Romulan thought in these situations. Her observations were not even worth considering.
"You want me to stay? Is that what you are saying?" Tevio asked incredulously, the curl of a sneer developing. "Reynolds will have me back on my vessel soon. This is as pointless as it is fruitless."
“I want you on this ship as much as I’d like to be on yours,” she responded. “I am merely gauging your capability of survival. It causes me not to pain to believe that Govan will destroy you. It is my time to use as I wish. Whether you see the point is unimportant. You seem in quite a rush to return to your vessel, in spite of your failure.”
"Your time...my time..." Tevio rasped, "The fact that you've even failed to highlight the reason for my capture... This all seems entirely useless. You say I am in a rush. I suppose that is true. I would not want to spend another moment on this ship, as now, I admit my mistake. Are you happy? I doubt it." Tevio fell silent, staring at the floor, at the point which was the boundary of his prison, where the forcefield met the edge of the cell.
“My apologies, as I had assumed that you were intelligent enough to connect your unauthorized boarding, attack on the medical staff, the murder of two officers, and the injury of Doctor van Breughel and two others as reason enough for your current incarceration. If you require more reason than that, I am afraid I do not have any.”
"But you should speak in relevant terms, Commander Garrett, rather than making continuous mention of my Commander. Otherwise, when my unjustified imprisonment is at an end, you run a risk of injury, just as I injured your sibling. The physical resemblance is clear. On the subject of that woman, is she recovering? We can surely share the view that a first officer with personal difficulty is not a good first officer."
“She is,” Megan replied simply. She had prepared herself for this to avoid reacting as she very well may have had she not anticipated the mention. “I do not view her as a personal difficulty, as clearly Govan is to you, as you cannot stand even the mention of him. You must be terribly afraid of facing him to react so strongly to it.”
Tevio choked; not with discomfort, but with surprise. It was all he could do to avoid a bout of dark laughter upon hearing the tack that Garrett was using. Thinking that Tevio was no more than a troublesome younger sibling to Govan Echal, it was something whose minimalization yes, did hold a relevance to Tevio, as much as he would never admit that, but to exaggerate that far broke the bounds of relevance to completely laughable, more akin to a mental plaything that was used on occasion to amuse oneself. Something snapped in the Legate, a jigsaw falling into place.
"This talk of Echal..." he mused in his deep-voice, "Is there something you want from me? Information you want on Echal that perhaps I could give?"
“I know more about Govan than you ever will,” Megan replied dismissively. “What I can’t figure out is why he gets to you so. What exactly did you hope to accomplish by telling the doctor of the incident between Echal and his family? Even if he had believed you, what useful purpose would that have served? The incident is entirely concluded and well documented on both sides. What possible harm could it have caused your Commander for the Doctor to be made aware of what had happened?”
"So we reach the thrust of the interrogation," Tevio said, "It took you too long. Now, let me back to my ship and you will discover the reasons behind my actions."
“Unfortunately for you, the reason behind your actions doesn’t really matter. You’ve accomplished nothing here. This was a foolish and pointless mission you undertook, and people’s lives were lost needlessly. Govan may have failed in that particular mission, but at least there was a point and he didn’t embark on some impossible, personal vendetta at the risk of lives and the continued peace of the Empire. You could easily have a started a war, and there was nothing you could have gained.”
Tevio looked right at Megan Garrett now. Dark eyes pierced hers, and in them she would see that there was something Tevio thought he could gain. And it wasn't something that was common to more than one party. This was one thing that was so subjective that only the Legate could see the advantage. Yes, from an overall perspective, the mission did appear to be a failure, but the seeds of doubt were placed in Nathan van Breughel.
"For that reason," he started speaking, "I will say no more. I await my return to the IRW S'Harien."
Clearly, he thought he’d accomplished something, but Megan couldn’t see a single benefit to him from Nathan learning about the incident with his brother. And as a result, two people had died. Finally dropping the nonchalant, semi-pleasant attitude, she fixed him with a cold stare. He needed to pay for his actions, and she just had to hope that as strange as it seemed, Govan would do it for her. “Please say hello to Govan for me. I’m sure he has plenty in store for you,” she stated darkly. “If you survive, we’ll meet again. Next time, I will not be as lenient as my Captain, Tevio,” she added, and with that, Megan turned smoothly on her heal and exited the brig.
Tevio stopped in his thought with the mention of his name. Momentary confusion gave way to mental shrugging, as he knew there was no possible way she could have deduced his name from something he said. That was impossible, even if he did allude to his involvement in intelligence at some point - possibly.
As the door to the brig slid shut, Tevio stood up, approaching the forcefield and causing the other person left in the room, the brig security officer, to take notice of him and tense up slightly. He even moved for his weapon which was, of course, totally unnecessary.
"A thoroughly substandard interrogation," Tevio observed, watching the door as it became fully closed. An intriguing if deluded woman: that was his opinion of Megan Garrett. Tevio knew she would figure again in his new career path, in some way or other.
|
|
Deleted
Registered: Apr 23, 2024 20:59:35 GMT
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2009 6:25:17 GMT
OOC: Joint Post Between Myself and Megan Garrett
Everything was spinning, fading into the welcoming darkness. Her body had given up before she did this time, providing the relief of a few seconds of unconsciousness.
Her vitals were plummeting, and it wasn’t from pain, so Govan had no choice but to bring this abbreviated session to an end. If this was just any interrogation, he’d be disappointed, but not this time. No, he was relieved. She wouldn’t hold up much longer, and it was beginning to really get to him. It was one thing to take down an enemy of the Empire, breaking them down to nothing and gaining an advantage or important information, but this wasn’t like that. This was a girl who knew nothing and had gotten herself in over her head, and he was destroying her…killing her…
It was only a few second, but by the time her vision returned, the active pain was gone, leaving only the lingering ache of days of torture. She couldn’t take much more...
“That’s enough,” Govan stated evenly, trying to avoid showing too much sympathy without sounding too hard. It was a balance that was getting harder and harder to maintain, starting to tip decidedly towards compassion. He had never struggled so much over an assignment. Women didn’t bother him. Age didn’t bother him within reason. No, it was more than that. This was all about who she was as a person…
Slumping in relief, fighting the rush of emotion, Megan swallowed hard. She was not going to cry now. “Thank you,” she murmured, meaning every syllable, but her fight during this round was far from over, no matter how much she wanted it to be.
Releasing the restraints, Echal resisted the urge to help her up. Such an act may have been excusable as far as keeping her alive and maintaining his winning-her-over act, but his emotions were far too close to the surface to take that kind of risk.
As she carefully stood to be led back to the adjacent cell, Megan had planned on a carefully orchestrated collapse in his direction, but her body seemed to have other plans, as her vision went dark and the room began to spin with him still too far away.
Govan had seen her start to fall, her head moving straight for the wall. Somehow, he wasn’t entirely sure how, he managed to cross the space between them and grab her shoulder, spinning her away from the unforgiving stone wall, pulling her against his chest. She was entirely limp and began to slip to the floor, so he quickly scooped her up, her weight feeling like almost nothing in his arms as he moved to the cell. He stared straight ahead, refusing to look down at her for fear how he would feel.
Her consciousness returned to her with sudden jolt, as the blood rushed back into her head at being returned to a horizontal position. In a blind panic, she grabbed ahold of his uniform, clinging to him for dear life. Everything was spinning with each step, and although a part of her was aware of how perfectly this fit into her plans, most of her felt sick, the sickening jolt of each of his steps shaking her entire soul.
As she gasped and jerked in his arms, suddenly grabbing ahold of him, he did look down, her pale, terrified face not even appearing to see him, but staring straight through him causing him almost physical pain. He’d never seen anyone this bad, or at least he didn’t think he had. That was probably because he had never cared before. Such a sight would normally mean victory. Today he felt no such triumph, and as a single tear dropped from her eyelashes onto her face, he practically felt it.
Trying desperately to get ahold of herself, Megan desperately clung to his uniform as he set her down. He couldn’t leave...if he left it was over until the next session, and she wouldn’t survive another. No, this was her absolutely last chance… “Oh, please...” she begged refusing to let go, holding on with every last ounce of strength she possessed. “Please…don’t leave me. I just don’t want to be alone. Please...”
Every fiber of his being wanted to get out of that room, away from her and all the feelings she was creating, but he couldn’t leave... That look on her face…it would haunt him if he did. He didn’t say anything, just nodded and awkwardly sat on the hard, cold floor next to her. To his horror, she ended up leaning against him with her head on his shoulder. Echal felt...guilt, like he was doing something wrong. He was taking advantage of her, offering comfort when he was the source of her pain.
Carefully positioning herself so she could look directly at him by lifting her head and refusing to let go in case he decided to bolt, Megan closed her eyes, gathering her strength. This had to work…she was as good as dead if it didn’t. “I’m sorry for not being stronger…” she began, pleased that her voice had a weak, breathy quality to it that wasn’t intentional. “I must be making your job very difficult for you…and I can’t imagine how weak you must think I am,” she added, pretending to be ashamed.
Wincing at this and feeling sicker with every word, Govan hesitated. He needed to focus on his job. This was an opportunity. “No…you are doing the best you can. It would be so much easier if you would just tell me what I need to know,” he goaded.
With a heavy sigh, Megan lifted her eyes to meet him, tears easily forming. “I wish I had something to tell you. I’ve give you everything I have, everything I know. If I had anything else, I promise you, I’d say it. I would give you anything you wanted.”
He believed every word, and that only made him feel worse. Looking away, Echal tried to stick to the script. “I don’t want to be doing this. I’m certainly not enjoying it,” he stated flatly, but deep down, that was exactly how he felt, absolutely miserable.
“I know…” Megan whispered, glad when he looked back over at her. His guilt was all over his face, the way he swallowed and clenched his jaw, and the waver in his eyes... “You’re only doing your job. I know that. You must know, I don’t hate you.”
The guilt becoming more than he could take, Govan twitched away from her. He had to get out of here… “I’m sorry. I have other duties to attend to. If you’ll exc…”
“No don’t! Please!” Megan pleaded, knowing his exit would be her death sentence.
The sheer terror in her voice made his blood run cold and stopped him in his tracks. She was so desperate...she needed him. How could she need him? How could she even bear to look at him after what he had done? “Why do you want me here?” he finally asked in exasperation. “How could you not hate me? You should hate me!”
Gently reaching up and turning his face to look at her, Megan could feel she was so close... “Because you believe me,” she murmured softly, staring deep into his eyes pulling up as much false trust as she could muster. “Because you don’t think I have any information for you. You know I’m telling the truth. That someone like you could believe someone like me…it means everything to me. It’s the only thing I...”
“Someone like me…” Govan interrupted harshly. “You mean a monster like me. A person who could do something like this to someone is nothing but a monster!” he shot back, startled at just how upset he was that she thought he was a monster, and even more upset that he was actually believing that was what he was as well.
“No…” she stated firmly, though agreeing with every word. “You’re not a monster. You’re a good man caught in a difficult position trying to do the right thing. I didn’t mean it like that... I meant that someone so strong could believe someone so weak. Your believing in me is the only thing that’s keeping me going. I am trying to be strong…like you, but it’s getting so much harder...” Megan whispered, allowing her voice to falter and break. Getting closer…she felt like she was almost there…
Feeling even worse at this, Echal hung his head in shame. She trusted him. She thought he was actually a good man. He was a monster for taking advantage of her.
Gently patting him on the shoulder as if to comfort him, Megan began to feel hope for the first time since her ANS device was deactivated. “I know you can’t say it, and I know you still have to do your job, but I see it in your eyes, and that’s enough, no matter how I would love to hear you say the actual words that you believe me…”
Swallowing hard again, Govan felt something in him turn. He was supposed to be convincing her that he cared, so why not give her something to help her through this? Squaring his shoulders, he looked up at her, wavering slightly at the hopeful look in her eyes, before taking a deep breath. “I do believe you,” he offered softly.
Hearing him actually say it sent her spirits soaring. She had him. There was a way out of this. Summoning every bit of hope and joy she could possibly produce, she smiled up at him, practically feeling the glow radiating from her face. Now he just had to take that one last step... “Thank you, Govan,” she murmured, bringing out his name, which she had been saving up for this moment. “Thank you so much…”
She looked like an angel...so beautiful, and the sound of his name on her lips sent a chill all the way through him. The trust in her eyes...it drew him in, and before he even realized what he was doing, Govan had closed the distance between them and kissed her. It was like he wasn’t even in control of his own actions anymore...
Forcing herself to relax and kiss him back, Megan screwed her eyes shut and tried desperately to think about something, anything else. This was what she had wanted after all, to trick him into this. He had been taking it easier on her than he probably would have on anyone else, and based one what she’d seen, believing he’d taken advantage of her might make him feel guiltier, so guilty that maybe he would give her just enough leeway to hang on a few sessions longer. It was a desperate, last resort shot, but she had to take it, and there was no way she was going to screw it up by pulling away or fighting him, no matter how badly she wanted to…this was the only chance she had. No matter how disgusting she felt now or would feel after, it was better to be alive and disgusting than dead, or if she broke, wish to be dead.
Suddenly horrified at what he was doing, Govan pulled back, eyes wide in alarm. How could he have done that? Like she didn’t have enough going on, and then he does something so despicable as to take advantage of her like that. It wasn’t right.
The look on his face actually made her feel guilty. She was the one using him now. Megan hadn’t expected him to be descent enough to stop, but the look of horror on his face made it perfectly plain that he was. There was a good part of him deep down, and she was exploiting it. But she had no other choice... She was sure she looked shocked, but there was still a way to save this. Transforming her surprised expression back into one of joy, she beamed up at him, trying to summon up how she suspected it might feel to be in love, hoping to push him just a little bit further.
She looked somewhat like how he felt, shocked, and he was about to pull back and get out of there when her face transformed before him. She was glowing again, and she looked so happy... It was a look he hadn’t seen since he was a boy from the last person he had truly cared about and loved. Forgetting all about his horror, he kissed her again, all thought of right and wrong entirely abandoned in the moment.
Swallowing back her guilt, she again forced herself to kiss him back. The look on his face had been the very one she’d been trying to create...it was genuine caring and even...love. She had tricked him in the worse way someone could be tricked, and she felt like the monster now. She knew that he wasn’t thinking clearly anymore and there would be no hesitation from him again, and although this had been the plan, now she had to finish it and stay within this character she had created. How sick she felt inside, the guilt, the disgust, the pain...none of that mattered now. The only thing that mattered was survival, no matter how high the cost of that survival.
|
|
Deleted
Registered: Apr 23, 2024 20:59:35 GMT
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2009 10:12:05 GMT
"Ambassador, a moment of your time please?" Commander Richard Maxwell stood in the doorway to the classroom, respectfully waiting until he had the diplomat's attention. Surprisingly, he was one of few who commended the Romulan for his dedication towards the children, and was fully aware of the man's attempts to help their parents, prior to the children being stranded. Yet, he had kept his sympathies to himself, especially since being a diplomatic liaison.
Tedak looked up from he lecture he was delivering to the group of El-Aurian children he was teaching. He rather enjoyed teaching this diverse group of children, and had made it part of his morning routine. There were several age groups, but this group, ranging in age between twelve and fifteen, were most entertaining. "Certainly commander. Continue on your homework," he told the class, "class dismissed."
The Romulan waited until the teenagers had dispersed from the room, then beckoned the commander in. "What can I do for you commander? Does Vebn need me for something obscure again?"
Maxwell laughed. "Not quite, though I'm not sure whether you'll like this assignment sir." He offered the PADD with the transfer orders. "They're sending you to the S'harien to solve a diplomatic incident. Apparently, one of their officers transported to the USS Jefferson and attacked and killed several officers."
"Jefferson, you say?" Tedak skimmed through the orders, his expression hardening. "Isn't that just....don't they realise that me going there is a death sentence?" He sighed. "Not that I have a choice. Commander, please have my shuttle prepared."
"Already done Ambasasdor," Maxwell responded calmly, fully aware of the diplomat's volatile nature. Surprisingly, it didn't come to an outburst. "Your shuttle is ready and awaiting your arrival. Would it help to know, that you came recommended?"
Tedak arched an eyebrow in surprise. "Really? By whom?" Other than Captain Reynolds, he couldn't think of anyone. Well Magellan perhaps, but the order hadn't come from him, really.
"Commander Echal, sir."
"Echal?" Now he was truly suspicious. "That man wants me killed, how does he recommend me."
"Your ties with the Federation. He feels you can solve this incident."
Tedak said nothing as they walked towards his shuttle. "I will report back as soon as I can," he promised, before closing the hatch.
Several hours later, the small snow-white craft approached the Valdore class vessel. "IRW S'Harien, this is Ambassador Tedak tr'H'Rhinann, requesting permission to board. Repeat, this is Ambassador Tedak tr'H'Rhinann requesting permission to board."
|
|
Deleted
Registered: Apr 23, 2024 20:59:35 GMT
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 20, 2009 18:03:46 GMT
Sural looked up from his work as he heard the Commanders voice and listened intently as he was issued new instructions.
"Understood. I will review his work. I know we want our hands on the bioweapon but a disruptor blast to his shuttle is likely to vapourise any toxin he is carrying and all his data. just a thought" Sural noted and thumbed off the comm unit.
"Tamir" he called looking around for the nurse "Ah there you are. I need to review this information can you prep the inoculations, We don't have time to check its level of safety so administer it to the Intelligence department first. If there are no adverse effects inoculate the Commander and bridge crew next and the medical staff. After that start mass inoculations for the rest of the crew"
TAG Tamir
Whilst he allowed the nurse to get on with her work Sural accessed his console and looked at what Intell had turned up. He realised now why Raltorrs name had seemed so familiar. In his younger days the rogue Romulan scientist had attended a conference Sural himself had gone to it was possible they had even conversed. He read through the biography provided and decided quickly that Raltorr wasn't a very pleasant individual. Most romulans weren't to be honest but all had a reason, Commander Echal had been brought up in the Tal Shiar and that made you hard, he himself had lost his family. It all gave a romulan a certain drive but Raltorr had had a privileged upbringing in one of the better districts of Ki Baratan and had even served as a junior staff assistant of Ambassador S'Khellian before he chose a science degree and went down the avenue of medical research.
On graduating Raltorr had been picked up by the Government and given substantial grants to research a range of biotechnologys. He fell out of favour after one of his pet projects - Thaleron Radiation was used by Shinzon to overthrow the Praetor. He had then disappeared from sight and despite a Tal Shiar hit squad been sent after him he had always seemed one step ahead and at the heart of any strange virus or bio weapons arms deal. Sural wasn't sure where all this information lead him. They already knew Raltorr was ruthless and clever. He was a brilliant scientist and could be bought for any price. Short of vapoursing him perhaps that was the way to keep him in line. Would Govan want to offer the renegade a large fee to return to romulan service? Who knew what the commanders orders were, they certainly weren't for Sural to guess and so he highlighted his findings and took the padd up to the bridge in person.
"Here you are" He stated handing the Padd over to Govan, "I ve highlighted the key parts of his life history, I m not sure how you think it will help. But I am here to serve as you have informed me regularly enough."
TAG Govan
|
|
Deleted
Registered: Apr 23, 2024 20:59:35 GMT
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2009 0:12:36 GMT
Megan felt fairly good about how that had gone as she made her way to the bridge. She’d gotten all the information they really needed from Nathan before she’d even spoken with Tevio. All she’d really needed was a confirmation, and she felt she’d received that. The way Commander Garrett saw it, his acts could only have been motivated by either something to do with Nathan or something to do with Govan. Since the doctor had only been aboard the S’Harien for a short time, it seemed unlikely that he was the main source, so she had gone with the assumption that it was Commander Echal that had been the motivation. The Romulan’s reactions to her constant mention of Govan had secured that reasoning at least in her opinion.
It was a strange situation... The Commander still couldn’t understand what he had possibly hoped to gain or how he could believe he had achieved any success, but clearly he had his reasons and felt he’d accomplished something. Either that or his confidence was just an act to protect his pride, which she wouldn’t put past him. It still bothered her somewhat that she couldn’t lock onto a solid theory as to what his purpose had been, especially since two people had lost their lives for whatever it was.
Arriving on the bridge, Megan was surprised to find Captain Reynolds not there as she had expected. Quickly taking inventory of who was there, she noticed Lieutenant Quindara at Ops, the Assistant Operations Chief. “Report,” the Commander requested.
<Tag Monica>
Nodding in acknowledgement of the report, Megan replied, “Continue monitoring the sensors and tracking the S’Harien. Check for any warp trails moving away from the moon that might confirm his claim that he was working with the Romulans and that they left him behind,” she ordered, halfway to tactical when the comm sounded.
=/\=Sickbay to bridge, the patient is secure and out of danger. I have him restrained and sedated, but he's capable of answering questions. Please confirm that security is on the way?=/\= the familiar yet unwelcomed sound of Nathan’s voice requested.
“They are, as is Captain Reynolds to speak with him,” Megan replied about to ask why the doctor was up and reporting in and not resting before Nathan continued.
=/\=I know I'm not supposed to be on duty. However, I'm currently the only qualified doctor present, since engineering still has not fixed my EMH! Once the patient has been transferred to the brig, I shall return to my own bed and sleep. It's bad enough that one person is so damn worried about me all the time. I don't need the whole command staff to be, sickbay out,=/\= he finished in a huff before the channel closed.
Sighing heavily, Megan momentarily debated whether or not this qualified as being uncooperative, but since she understand the frustration of being confined to a bed when you wanted to be working, plus actually being in your workplace and seeing a need, Commander Garrett decided to let Matt handle it, as he was enroute there.
Crossing the remaining distance to tactical, where she’d been heading when Nathan had called, Megan addressed the tactical officer on duty. “Have the security sweeps of the ship been completed?” the Commander requested, not expecting anything to be found, as it was fairly clear to her that Tevio had been working alone in this.
<Tag Logan>
“Increase regular security precautions and sweeps for the remainder of this mission just to be safe,” Megan ordered. “And I want a security detail on Commander Paragon in sickbay and outside until he’s released, then have him transferred to the brig.”
<Tag Logan>
“Ma’am, we’re picking up a Romulan shuttle on sensors heading in our direction,” the helm reported. “Its transponder code indicates it has a diplomatic designation.”
Moving to her chair and pulling the vessel up on sensors at the chair-side console, Megan didn’t recognize it specifically, but the code was unmistakable. “Its course would seem to indicate it’s heading for the S’Harien’s current position,” Commander Garrett commented to no one in particular, smiling wryly as at least they knew that Tavik’s program to track the Romulan warbird was functioning properly. “Monitor their position. I doubt a diplomatic vessel will pose much of a threat, and they could certainly use an Ambassador, but I still want to keep an eye on what they’re doing.”
Still somewhat upset that the Captain had already agreed to release Tevio, Megan wondered what Govan was thinking right about now. Again, she had the stronger hand, although this time, he was actually aware of what was really going on here. Not like the last time, when he really hadn’t had a clue as to who she really was...
~
A horrified look and a hasty excuse later, and the interrogator was gone, grabbing his clothes and rushing out as if he were being pursued. The guilt on his face was unmistakable. Even though as far as he was aware it had been consensual, and technically it was, he still seemed to feel as though he’d taken advantage of her. That was good for the plan, but somehow it left her feeling even worse. She had meant to seduce him, and that was it, but clearly his emotions were involved more than she’d expected or intended. It was something she never could have foreseen.
Megan knew she shouldn’t feel bad. She was the one lying on the hard, cold floor in the dark, in a moderate amount of pain, and feeling absolutely disgusting. She’d had to save her life by choosing to do something so terrible as to haunt her for the rest of it. It was a choice she wouldn’t wish on anyone, and she still didn’t know if it would work. He could come back, push aside his feelings and continue as usual, and if that was the case, she wouldn’t last another session, and the chance of the mission coming to an end before she broke seemed so slim as to be impossible.
So as she curled up in a ball on the corner, clinging to her knees once more, she had to fight to keep from crying…or throwing up... Either option would destroy her cover, as based on the character she was playing, right now she was feeling happy and hopeful, the very thought of which made her feel even more nauseated. And so instead, Megan went with exhausted, pretending to fall asleep almost immediately while actually trying to get some rest herself. Relaxing felt like an impossible task, but as she tried her best to do so, she fought to keep images from her mind that would most likely haunt her dreams if she did manage to sleep, now and long after.
~
Some sort of commotion woke Marina from her sleep. A team of Marines had just beamed in along with some sort of patient or prisoner. She couldn’t tell which just yet. Yawning and rubbing her head, which was still hurting in spite of not being hit, the Ensign rolled over on her side and observed the proceedings. Nathan, in spite of still being a patient himself, had gotten up and taken over, which didn’t surprise the security officer much. He must have been bored to spend so much time with her.
With an irritated sigh at her own self-pity, Ensign Garrett watched with more interest as the security team arrived. Yup, he was definitely a prisoner/patient. Who he was and what he’d done, she had no idea, but at least that made him more interesting. She was bored out of her mind here with no visitors. She knew Megan was busy, but it still didn’t make her particularly happy, but no one else came to visit her either. Ever since her former boss had slithered away without so much as a goodbye, it had seemed like all she did was work, and that meant no one to really call a friend. That was the first thing she was going to change, once she got out of here that is.
Marina had been so enamored with the scores of available, attractive men, that she hadn’t focused any effort on making friends, girl friends, and so now that she was injured and lying here in sickbay, no one came to see her. None of the men she’d dated and dumped or been dumped by had shown up, not that she’d expected it, but it had made her realize she needed a support system in place for when things like this happened. Sure, she could rely on Megan to care, show up occasionally, and track down and deal with whomever or whatever had caused her injury, but a First Officer couldn’t be expected to sit in sickbay for hours on end during a mission.
Grumbling to himself, she watched as Nathan returned to his bed, and smiled. He was an interesting character. Shortly after he’d settled back down, Captain Reynolds arrived. Marina had been kind of hoping Megan would, but if Matt was here, that probably meant her sister was on the bridge unfortunately. Yes, her mind was made up. The first thing she would do once she felt better was start making friends.
|
|
Matthew Reynolds
Rear Admiral
"It's good to have an end to a journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end."
Registered: Apr 28, 2005 20:58:32 GMT
Posts: 2,759
|
Post by Matthew Reynolds on Oct 22, 2009 15:17:28 GMT
The very nature of scientific research fascinated Matthew Reynolds and in his own right Matt was an accomplished scientist. The fact that he was not able to make heads or tails of Paragon's work frustrated him to no end. It seemed that Lieutenant Tavik was not making any progress either.
"This is pointless, Paragon is the only one that knows what this means and unlike the Romulan in the brig I have the authority to make him help us," Matt said as he stopped all scans on the materials the marines had gathered," I think its time that we both make our way back to the bridge. Nathan has had enough time to stabilize Paragon and I wonder how Megan is faring with the Romulan."
(Valad)
OOC: I know its super short, but I'll post tonight. Hopefully Valad will see it and respond which will just give me more to write about.
|
|
Deleted
Registered: Apr 23, 2024 20:59:35 GMT
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2009 3:38:26 GMT
Stumbling over something on his way through the observation center, Govan had never felt so guilty or so embarrassed in his entire life. Neither of the guards even looked up at him, keeping their attention carefully focused on the monitors as he rushed through, but he knew they knew what he had done. It wasn’t uncommon by any means. Interrogators took advantage of the prisoners all the time, whether for personal reasons or as part of their interrogation techniques, but it was fairly well known that Centurion Echal never did. Occasionally his fellow interrogators would goad him as to why this was, but he never took the bait and was powerful enough currently in those circles to either avoid such questions altogether or else deal with them in such a way that made it far less likely someone would dare ask him again.
He had never taken advantage of a prisoner, ever…at least not until now. It didn’t matter that she thought she wanted to...she wasn’t in any condition to think clearly for it to be consensual, and he knew that. No, it didn’t matter. This was his fault. It had been wrong, and in a matter of hours, almost everyone would know. It didn’t matter that they would find it amusing at best, or that at worst, his superiors would accuse him of being compromised. He could deal with both fallouts easily enough, but what he couldn’t deal with was the guilt. There had been a good reason he had never done this. He knew it was wrong, and although it was somewhat ironic for an interrogator to have morale boundaries, he did have them, and he’d broken them.
He couldn’t get to his quarters soon enough, and as he paced the dark, Spartan room, Govan ran his fingers through his hair over and over again, trying to come to terms with it. He had to pull himself together. It was only a matter of time before he was summoned, but as important as that was to him, dealing with his own guilt was paramount, but he didn’t even know how to begin. What he’d done was such a heinous crime, such a horrible thing that he had sworn he would never do...why had he fallen now? It’s not like she was the first attractive female he’d interrogated. But she was the first he ever believed to be legitimately innocent, but that should have been an even stronger reason not to take advantage of her. What was wrong with him?! Wasn’t it enough that he had already caused her so much pain, to do something like that…if she survived somehow, it was already nearly impossible for her to live a normal life again, and now, he’d sealed her fate. He had to fix this...
That was it…he had to fix this… He could fix this. Halting in his tracks, Govan had the first coherent, hopeful thought since he had rushed out of that cell. He couldn’t take back what he had done, couldn’t erase all the hurt and harm he had caused, but at least he could ensure that she managed to survive this. It was all he could do. It was all so clear now. He knew exactly what he had to do. As horrible an act as it was, from a professional perspective, it was a good move. She had come onto him, so he just went with it to fully gain her trust, and now that he had it, he was perfectly right to suggest that they scale back the interrogation and merely confirm he had her trust. Then he could make a recommendation for the next step to take. Before, he hadn’t had a stake in what happened next, but now he certainly did, and he knew what his recommendation would be, and it would be in her interest.
=/\=Centurion Echal, report to my office, immediately,=/\= the cold and inscrutable voice of Sub-Colonel Kalad ordered, as usual not betraying a hint as to his mood.
It was show time, and now all Govan had to do was pull it off...it felt like ages until he got to the office, carefully rehearsing what he had to do with every step. As he moved to stand once more in front of Kalad’s desk, the man took a long, slow sip of whatever he happened to be drinking before finally looking up at Echal. “Do we have a problem?” the Sub-Colonel asked calmly, cold, grey eyes boring into Govan.
“Quite the opposite,” the Centurion replied smoothly, continuing as his superior’s eyebrows rose. “I was somewhat concerned that she wouldn’t hold up physically long enough for to me to gain a solid connection, but those concerns were clearly unwarranted. I have her convinced that we have some sort of relationship, and that means she can be used for nearly any purpose we might desire,” Echal reported.
Regarding the interrogator carefully, Kalad was watching his every move. After a long pause, the Sub-Colonel spoke. “Based on my observations, I am not so sure you don’t have a relationship with her, Centurion. I fear you may be compromised.”
Since he’d been expecting this, a cold, sly look crossed Govan’s face. “Yes, it did appear so, I’m sure. You know, I’ve never gone in this direction before because I feared my acting wasn’t really a strong skill, but clearly, I underestimated myself.”
Not quite buying it, Kalad continued. “If that were the case, the act would have been dropped the moment you left the cell. If you are attempting to deceive me, Centurion, I recommend against it. I am not one of your prisoners, nor am I so easily fooled.”
Well aware he was walking on dangerous ground, Echal looked down at the ground. “I know that, Sir, and I’m not trying to deceive. The truth is, I was…embarrassed. Oh, I know, it’s common practice for many interrogators, but I am not one of them. I’ve never...done that before, and I never really had any intention of taking it there until she...did. I saw an opportunity to gain a quick and immediate connection with her, which considering her weakened state was rather necessary, so in spite of my personal objections, I followed her lead, played the part, and then got out of there.”
There was another, long pause, before Kalad’s lips curled up in a sneer. “Surely, it wasn’t that bad... She may be weak and stupid, but she’s far from unattractive.”
So relieved by the change in tone, Govan let out a nervous laugh, still looking at the ground, before replying. “Uh...no, Sir...not that bad... Just rather unexpected.”
“I’d call that a bonus,” the Sub-Colonel commented, a sneer still on his face. So the esteemed Centurion Echal wasn’t so invincible after all. Kalad had been watching the entire proceeding, impressed with the careful balance the man struck between going easy on the weak prisoner and still conducting an effective interrogation. In spite of his touted acting, Govan had been obviously uncomfortable the entire time he had attempted to be sympathetic, at least until the most recent exchange, and even then, his discomfort was clear except the final sentence, and considering even the Colonel believed she was telling the truth, the line was easy enough to pull off. “So, what is your recommendation? How do you suggest we proceed from here?”
Another question Govan was prepared for, so he was able to answer quickly. “The way I see it, we really already have her where we want her, and further interrogation risks her physical survival, and she’s no good to us dead. I suggest I continue the interrogation at a much lower level, being very careful to ensure I do no damage. This will allow me a chance to solidify our ‘relationship’ and strengthen my control over her to ensure that she’s truly broken while you determine what to use her for.”
“Sounds reasonable,” Kalad replied. “And realistically, what use do you think she could be to us? She is a lower level scientist with limited access and knowledge.”
“That is true,” Echal responded, pleased with where this was going. “However, she is assigned to Starfleet Command, which does give us some access. And although she has limited espionage or intelligence training, she does have strong computer skills, which may be useful as far as hacking goes. It’s a little early to tell just how strong a hold I will have on her, but based on today, I predict I will have complete control, enough to retain that control with regular contact. And if she gets caught, we really don’t lose anything. She took several weeks off to complete the mission of hers, so we would have adequate time to prepare and train her before returning her to Earth without raising any suspicions. Frankly, this situation is rather ideal.”
“I agree. Proceed with your plan, and keep me updated on your progress. Once we are assured of her bond to you, we will have a preliminary mission in mind and you can begin training her, and if all goes well, maybe she won’t be completely useless.”
“Aye, Sir,” Govan replied, eager to get out of there, greatly relieved by his success.
“Oh, and Echal...” the Sub-Colonel stopped him, causing Govan to wince before turning around to face him. “It won’t kill you to have a little fun with her. I mean for the next few weeks, she’ll practically be your ‘girlfriend’ after all. Enjoy it. I would...”
Feeling a little sick but forcing as leering a grin as he could manage, he replied, “I guess you’re right. It is for the mission, so I’ll just have to take one for the Empire.”
Laughing cruelly, Kalad waived in dismissal, shaking his head as the Centurion left. Honestly, why anyone would be opposed to having a little fun was beyond him...
Feeling like he’d just dodged a bullet, Echal kept the grin fixed on his face as he left now that he knew his every move could be monitored. It was a dangerous game he was playing, one that could end very quickly. He just had to play it for a little bit longer before Megan would be back on Earth and safe. Surely she would be caught and then rehabilitated with plenty of therapy. Unless...unless she succeeded. Then maybe he’d be able to continue seeing her... No, no he couldn’t think like that. She was better off without him anyway. Right now, he needed to focus on the task at hand and in not getting both of them killed. And if that meant he had to...violate her again, that’s what he’d do, though he’d avoid it if possible. At lest she’d be alive...
|
|
Deleted
Registered: Apr 23, 2024 20:59:35 GMT
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2009 3:42:49 GMT
"Tamir…ah, there you are. I need to review this information. Can you prepare the inoculations? We don't have time to check its level of safety, so administer it to the Intelligence department first. If there are no adverse effects, inoculate the Commander and bridge crew next and the medical staff. After that, start mass inoculations for the rest of the crew,” the doctor ordered, before turning his attention to his console.
“Yes, Doctor,” the nurse replied immediately before moving to do as requested. A series of tests had already been run on the inoculations, although Sural was right in that they hadn’t been able to be properly tested for physiological reactions, just that they served their intended purpose. Tamir was a little nervous at administering them without the full series of safety protocols, but she supposed the situation must be dire enough to warrant a rapid inoculation, and at least Govan wasn’t to be first.
As she began to replicate the appropriate amount of anti-dote in the proper form, Tamir’s mind drifted to Echal. Something about this mission was weighing heavily on him, as he’d been unusually distant, even for him, and distracted the few times she had managed to speak to him. The nurse was actually growing worried about him, although she knew very little about the actual mission aside from the medical side of things. She didn’t know what it was that was bothering Govan, but clearly something was. It was doubtful he would speak to her, so she could only hope the mission was about to end and that his distraction and her concern would end with it.
~
=/\=Understood, I will review his work. I know we want our hands on the bio-weapon, but a disruptor blast to his shuttle is likely to vaporize any toxin he is carrying and all his data…just a thought,=/\= Doctor Sural suggested before the channel closed.
Fighting back the urge to grumble at this unsolicited advice, Govan turned his focus back onto the Jefferson, his current nemesis housing his permanent one...ironic really. The question was what had Tevio been thinking or perhaps had even been thinking at all. In spite of the fact that they were all in this mess because of him, the principle of the matter necessitated retrieving him from the Federation’s custody, whether or not he ended up dead soon after. At least he’d be killed by a Romulan.
What Commander Echal could not figure out is what possible purpose Tevio could have had in going to the Jefferson... Sure, there could have been any number of Tal Diann/Intelligence reasons for an operative to board a Federation starship, but he was unsuccessful. The heart and soul of Romulan Intelligence, whether Tal Shiar or Tal Diann, was discretion, and an agent getting caught like this generally meant lack of training, which was rare and not the case here, lack of skill, which seemed unlikely for a Chief Intelligence Officer with Ch’varak’s experience, or lack of planning.
So, the most likely scenario seemed that the Legate had struck out on a rash and ill-conceived mission probably on his own and caused by something specific, but what something was the question... Try as he might, Govan could think of nothing that happened which could possibly explain Tevio’s actions or even indicate even a slight hint of one existing. It was a completely mystery, one that the unfortunate Lieutenant was going to have to explain on his return, and he wouldn’t be given a choice. Yes, he and Chief Intelligence Officer would be having a nice, little chat…
So preoccupied with his musings that Govan didn’t even hear the doors opening. "Here you are,” the doctor announced, handing a datapadd to Echal. “I’ve highlighted the key parts of his life history. I’m not sure how you think it will help, but I am here to serve as you have informed me regularly enough," Doctor Sural concluded dryly.
“Thank you,” the Commander responded begrudgingly as he took the padd and began to look over the contents. What he saw was certainly recognizable: the bad misfortune of a few unlucky career moves, which was something that Govan could completely relate to. What he could not relate to was turning on the Empire as a result, and that was precisely what Raltorr had done. Yes, with a high price on your head and no favor within the government, Echal could understand how one would get desperate, maybe even vengeful for his perceived unfair treatment, but still...
“He has nothing to lose,” Govan commented. He knew that feeling... “A desperate and is capable of just about anything. How are you proceeding with inoculations?”
<Tag Sural>
“Excellent, continue the process. I’d like to have as many of the crew protected as possible before we encounter him directly. Would you recommend any additional modifications to the shields or our security systems to counter a possible biological attack?” Commander Echal questioned, wanting to be as fully prepared as possible.
<Tag Sural>
“We will implement any suggestion you may have,” Govan responded with a quick glance at Dor’vel. “Continue your work on the inoculations and review all pertinent data. If you have any additional recommendations, just submit them directly to the appropriate department and they will be implemented,” Echal added, feeling a bit generous with his allowances. After all, what did he know about medical science?
<Tag Sural>
After the doctor had left, Govan spoke briefly to the Centurion who was occupying an auxiliary station allowing Lhoell to remain at primary tactical. “Make sure all the departments are aware to proceed as the doctor suggests,” he ordered, not really caring that the task hardly fell into his job description. “Especially the engine room,” he added before turning to Taev. “If you receive any modulations or modifications from the doctor, implement them immediately without any delays,” Echal ordered.
<Tag Taev>
=/\=I.R.W, S'Harien, this is Ambassador Tedak tr'H'Rhinann requesting permission to board. Repeat, this is Ambassador Tedak tr'H'Rhinann requesting permission to board,=/\= the all-too-familiar voice of Tedak inquired...unnecessarily repeated...
“That was quick…” Echal muttered, nodding to Ops to open a channel. “The helm will guide you into the bay, Ambassador, but we will remain cloaked. As soon as you disembark, report to the bridge immediately to be briefed on the current situation.”
<Tag Tedak>
|
|
Deleted
Registered: Apr 23, 2024 20:59:35 GMT
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2009 14:16:21 GMT
"As well as can be expected." Sural replied "Tamir has already begun preliminary innoculations, if they prove successful I have suggested that the Command Staff be treated after the medical staff"
Sural paused a moment... Govan was being almost reasonable and for once Sural felt like reciprocating it, "Not really sir. Our shields are designed to stop energy attacks however an alteration to the harmonics could render any toxin in a fired torpedo inert but other than that the toxin is only really effective when directly applied. If I were Raltorr the only way to truly infect the S'Harien would be to beam a cannister aboard and so as long as standard shielding is maintained I can't see that happening."
Again Sural was taken aback, perhaps the Comander was beginning to appreciate his approach or perhaps something had the Commander so distracted that not even his usual venom was on hand, "Thank you Commander. I will try and simulate a shield harmonic and have Engineering review it."
Sural felt a new respect for the Commander. Yes the pair had had their disagreements but Sural felt perhaps there was a thawing of the frost. He had long maintained that the Romulan Military were held back by their inability to work together. It was one of the strengths of the Federation. Tevio was a prime example of that fact. The man seemed to be constantly working against the Commander and the rest of the crew on the S'Harien. Were it not for the intriguing markers in Tevios blood Sural would quite happy for the Tal Diann agent to remain in Starfleet Custody until he rotted away.
It suddenly dawned on Sural that his chances of improving his research were currently zero. Tevio was being held aboard the Jefferson and Raltorr, a man who could teach Sural a lot was slowly escaping their clutches whilst the S'Harien faced down the Starfleet vessel.
|
|
Deleted
Registered: Apr 23, 2024 20:59:35 GMT
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2009 21:46:54 GMT
"Understood commander, I shall be with you shortly." He followed the given instructions to the letter and minutes later he small shuttle stood neatly parked in S'harien's hangarbay.
Taking a brief moment to check his appearance, Tedak called Nut to him and the brown obediently settled on his right shoulder, wrapping his tail lightly around the Romulan's throat. Sev opted to remain with the white shuttle, for now.
Minutes later, the diplomat walked onto the Valdore class bridge, glancing around in wonder. He'd not been on a Valdore before, and he had never dreamed to set foot on this vessel, let alone see the bridge, before being killed. Except, there would not be any killing, this time.
Straightening, he sought out Govan, casting him a defiant glare, though keeping his features pleasant. "Commander Echal, a pleasure to be meeting with you again. I understand you have a small incident on your hands, that I may be of assistance with? Please, shall we continue with a briefing? Is it your desire that I deal with the Jefferson from here, or beam over to them."
He hesitated briefly, wondering whether he should inform Govan or allow him to be vexed later. No, it was better not to antagonise him just yet. "I should inform you that I have dealt with Captain Reynolds before, and that he and I are on friendly terms. At least, we were the last time we met, when I solved another possible diplomatic incident."
|
|
Deleted
Registered: Apr 23, 2024 20:59:35 GMT
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 27, 2009 7:40:05 GMT
OOC: Joint Post Between Myself and Commander Govan Echal.
The plan had worked perfectly. Although the interrogations continued, the level of pain was much less and the techniques held back so that she could withstand it. With her weakened condition and without her assistant device it still wasn’t easy, but it was manageable. If she wasn’t so well trained, Megan might not have even noticed the change, but there was such a difference between causing pain to push someone to the edge and causing pain taking care not to push too far. It was the difference between survival and breaking, and all she had to do now was wait it out.
Although Govan would much rather not cause her any more pain at all, now that he was no longer pushing for information, it was less horrible. When she began to get scared, he was able to pull back instead of pushing, and when she grew tired, he was able to simply end the session, even if it had only been half an hour. This produced a lot less guilt, although there was still plenty of it. There had only been two additional, abbreviated sessions, and fortunately, he had managed to talk long enough for her to get sleepy after, which saved him from having to abuse her again.
Even now, as the Romulan device was activated, sending pain surging through her, its level was decidedly low, and instead of being turned gradually up, it was being turned down, still not particularly fun, but much easier to take, with the worst coming first and only getting better. Still, since she was playing an untrained person, she had to act like she didn’t notice the difference in level or technique and react just as strongly, which was actually a hard thing to do. Fortunately, whenever she got tired of pretending, that seemed to look like she was breaking, which would end it.
She was growing weak again, and it had only been fifteen minutes. Her tolerance for the pain was getting less and less, even with the drastic decrease in time and effort, and in spite of knowing he was doing all he could to make it easier for her, Govan was beginning to worry if maybe he had pushed her too far physically for her to recover. Her reaction to the pain was getting duller, a very bad sign. If only he didn’t have to do this anymore... “That’s enough,” he finally said, not caring that he hadn’t reached his minimal time yet since he didn’t want to risk killing her now.
Letting out a sigh of relief, well aware that had barely even been a session, Megan let herself relax. This was only the third time since her desperate ploy, and even without the clock, the end of this mission had to be coming. She’d almost survived this... As the restraints were released, she reached for his hand to be helped up and smiled at him. “Thank you,” she murmured gratefully, giving his hand a squeeze.
Looking at the floor, while slowly helping her up, he muttered, “You’re welcome,” trying to keep his face from turning green. He hated how easy it was for her to get to him... “You know I don’t like continuing to do this, but I have no choice,” he added robotically, the lines that he had written for himself to keep up this ridiculous act...
“I know,” Megan replied gently, forcing herself to reach up and touch his face. The emotional reactions were genuine from him, but fortunately, he hadn’t made another move. She didn’t know if she could do that again, but all she had to do was act sleepy while he was getting up the nerve and so far, he’d left her alone. “And you know I don’t blame you at all. I’m sure you are the only reason that I’m still alive.”
He finally managed to look directly at her, and smiled ever so slightly. She was so understanding...even after everything he’d done. Maybe it wasn’t entirely because of the situation. Maybe she really did understand who he was and the position he was in, and it wasn’t just brainwashing. Maybe she would never grow to hate him.
Still holding her smile, Megan was about to move towards the cell when the lights flickered, and she froze. Yes...this was it... They flickered in a very specific pattern, and that meant her trial was over. The infiltration program was prepared and soon would kick in, sending their systems into chaos, downloading the information she came for, and then beaming her back to her shuttle to head home. She’d done it!
Freezing in place, Govan stared at her. For a brief moment, she’d changed... It was like a mask had been lifted only to fall back into place. He’d seen similar looks from prisoners when their acts began to falter, but she wasn’t like the others. She had reacted to the lights flickering, but why? Suddenly feeling sick, he blinked at her in shock, even as she stared back with those beautiful eyes... “What just happened?”
Oh no...she’d faltered, just for a second, but he’d been looking right at her. There were only two minutes at the most left before she’d be getting out of here, and she screwed up. All she had to do was sell this for a little bit longer... “I’m just so happy we can go back to the cell. That’s all,” she replied, after carefully calculating that the look on her face had probably been some kind of mixture of joy and relief.
“No...” Govan murmured, taking a slow step back. “You reacted to the lights. Why?”
“The lights...? Oh, you mean they really did that? I thought that was just my vision because I was getting dizzy again, and I was happy you were here to catch me if I fell,” Megan explained, trying to look worried. “Govan, are you alright? You look pale.”
Carefully regarding her, Govan had never felt so confused. What she was saying made sense, and he mostly believed her, but did he believe her because he had feelings for her or because she was telling the truth? His heart was telling him not to pay any attention to what he had seen, but his mind was telling him that he had seen it before, in someone who was playing a part, and she could be fooling him.
Just then, the lights flickered again, and this time, they stayed off for a few seconds before the emergency lights illuminated, meaning that main power had just gone offline. A few seconds later, this was followed by a series of alarms…and then he knew, and it felt like someone punched him in the stomach. “You’ve been playing me this whole time,” he stated in a daze. “The lights flickering...that was a signal.”
Feeling panic once again, she still tried to stay calm. Only ninety more seconds or so... “Govan, what are you talking about? What’s going on?” Megan asked, trying to look as innocent and clueless as possible as she reached out to touch his arm.
Flinching away from her, Echal took another step back. “No, you’ve been using me to survive in here until a rescue team could come for you. I saw it in your eyes when the lights flickered. It wasn’t just relief, which could be explained by what you said. It was recognition. You had dropped your guard, and then it went up again.”
The computer began chanting warnings in Romulan as the alarms continued, and feeling things begin to crumble, Megan tried one last time. “Govan…I don’t kn...”
A sudden surge of furry broke through the haze, and before he even had time to process it, he backhanded her as hard as he possibly could. The blow sent her flying back into the wall before she slid down, lying crumpled on the floor. For a moment, he actually felt sorry, but then that only made him even more furious. “You are no better than me…and your act will do you no good, because I know the truth now, and your rescuers will be too late, because you’re never leaving this room alive.”
Trying to shake off the ringing from the hit, Megan pushed herself up with her back against the wall. His words sent chills down her spine, and the look on his face just confirmed that he meant it. A minute away from a rescue, and he was going to kill her. No...she hadn’t come this far and done what she’d done just to die now. A last surge of determination hit her, and she managed to pull herself to her feet to face him. She was no match for him, but if she was to die, she would go down fighting.
And just like that, the woman he thought he loved was gone, and in her place was an enemy. In spite of the fact that he had already figured this out, at that moment, something inside of him died. An evil sneer crossing his face, Govan glared at her in hatred. “Nice to finally meet you,” he growled, half menacingly, half sarcastically.
Tilting her chin up and carefully raising her arms in preparation to fight, she knew it was a lost cause. He was furious, rightfully so, plus twice her size, well trained, and practically born to kill people with his bare hands. In contrast, she had been through over four days of interrogation, was without proper autonomic functionality, and even at full strength and health was no match technically or physically for him. She’d die on her feet at least, unless she managed to hold her own for a minute. Sadly, a minute was far too long to survive in a cage with a blood-thirsty animal…
Grinning menacingly at her fighting stance, Govan circled her carefully. This was going to be so easy he might as well enjoy it. One more hit, maybe two, and that’s all it would take, and then he would watch the life leave her eyes. Finally, he swung at her, only to have her duck out of the way. So, she had some training…but she would still never win. He threw another punch in direction, actually laughing aloud as she danced out of the way. It was only a matter of time before one hit its mark.
Her only strength when it came to fighting was defensive, but even this was proving difficult. Every movement sent the room spinning, and he was just playing with her. Still, she continued to dodge his punches, but they were getting closer every time. His speed increasing, she was having a harder time avoiding getting hit, and finally, she had no choice but to throw up an arm to block him, which was a mistake, as his hand curled around her wrist, jerking and twisting her arm until with a sickening crack the bones splintered, wrist shattering beneath his fingers and arm snapping. Her knees began to buckle, but she fought for consciousness, desperately throwing a weak fist at his face, only for him to catch her other wrist with his opposite hand.
Repeating the move, he easily snapped her other arm like before, enjoying the feel of her bones grinding painfully beneath his fingers. Her knees collapsed from under her, but he held her upright by her mangled wrists, shoving her backwards into the wall. With his face inches from her, her eyes met his. She was weakened, but not giving up yet. “If I had known you liked it rough, we could have had a lot more fun,” he snarled, forcing his lips on hers so hard he could actually taste his own blood.
Trying to twist away from him and failing, Megan gathered the last of her strength, pulling up on her broken wrists to gain enough leverage to kick him as hard as she could with both feet and actually manage to hit her target, causing him to drop her.
Crying out in surprise, Govan released his prey and stumbled backwards, bowled over in pain and actually seeing stars for a moment. As he shook off his pain and surprise, he turned to face her again, with rage, fury, and even a grudging respect. There she was, in her fighting stance again, barely able to stand and holding her mangled and useless limbs in front of her as if she could actually defend herself...
Sneering at her and wiping the blood from his lips with the back of his sleeve, he shook his head. “Very well then, my dear, I’ll skip the fun and go straight for the kill.” Lunging forward, ignoring any weak blows she managed to land, Govan grabbed her by the throat and slammed her into the wall. She struggled in his grasp, unable to breathe, her broken, bloody hands barely able to maintain a grip on his wrist. “I am so glad to know that my face is the very last thing you will ever see,” he hissed before pulling her towards him, lifting her off her feet for one final, brutal kiss and then slamming her head ruthlessly against the unforgiving stone over and over again.
The next thing he knew, two sets of hands were grabbing him, hauling him away from her, her unconscious, battered body slipping to the ground as he struggled. “No! No! She has to die! She has to die!” he raged, lashing out with his feet to kick her repeatedly as he pulled against those who would dare keep him from finishing it. And then, a harrowing, sickening sound caused him to freeze, as the horrifyingly familiar sight of a Federation transporter beam engulfed her right in front of him, carrying her away, vanishing before his dismayed eyes with him unable to move.
The hands that had so cruelly stopped him released him, as he stared in horror at the bloodstained floor where she had disappeared. “No…” he breathed, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Turning around, he came face to face with a pair of equally stunned guards, and in a rage, he grabbed one, snapping the man’s neck like a twig, before turning to the other one and punching him hard. The guard never managed to get his disrupter and fell, for Govan to beat mercilessly until he lay unmoving on the ground. Standing in the now lifeless room, breathing heavily, Echal ran his bloody fingers through his hair falling to his knees before letting out a howl of pure rage from the core of his very soul that seemed to echo without end.
|
|
Deleted
Registered: Apr 23, 2024 20:59:35 GMT
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2009 5:20:44 GMT
Inoculating the Intelligence department had been more of an ordeal than she had anticipated. Normally, it didn’t really bother her that the entire ship thought that she and Govan were...together in some capacity, but normally, the nurse didn’t interact with any of the crew outside of the safe confines of sickbay. That hadn’t exactly been on purpose, but it would be now... Everyone stared at her, sneering grins on their faces. A few made comments that made her skin crawl, never directly to her but loud enough for her to hear them. For the first time, she understood why he had been so insistent to avoid obvious interactions, and Tamir was actually terrified…
Still, the nurse was a professional, and in spite of her fear, she completed her job, administering the anti-dote to the entire department, requesting that the least scary of the officers she interacted with report to sickbay in one hour to run scans for any unforeseen reactions before hurrying out of there as quickly as she could. Now it was perfectly clear why Govan was so protective and paranoid, although it hardly counted as paranoia when he was right. She’d been near tears almost the entire time and was visibly shaken when she returned, but Sural was gone, not that she would have told him. Maybe it was only luck that the medical staff wasn’t that bad and mentioning it would only incur that treatment here as well. So Tamir had tried to pull herself together and review the few scans she had managed to get before running out of there. Had they not been so mean, she would have gotten more, but there was no way she would have stayed in that environment a moment longer....
Soon enough, Doctor Sural returned, and once Tamir was sure she wasn’t on the verge of bursting into tears anymore and felt fairly composed, the nurse headed in his direction to give her report. “I have administered the anti-dote to the Intelligence department and took several initial scans. I’ve also requested that one of the first to be inoculated report here an hour afterwards to check for any adverse effects.”
<Tag Sural>
~
Though not particularly pleased at the idea of seeing Tedak again, Govan had to grudgingly admit to himself that he did feel somewhat better knowing the diplomat was here. The man’s love of the Federation was reprehensible, but it could be of use at times, and this was one of those times. True, the last time there had been any dealings between the two of them, the Ambassador had suspecting him of the murder of a Cardassian Legate, so what if he had actually done it, and Echal had suspected him of tattling to the nagging Trill Admiral, who’d come whining to Vebn, which had of course gotten Govan kicked off the station and practically banned…
This was just the last event in a series of them that merely showed that Tedak was far too ‘friendly’ with the Federation, and since Govan had never been very happy to be aboard Assailant, he wasn’t that angry about getting booted. Fortunately for the Ambassador, Echal’s main issue with Tedak was his over-friendly relationship with the Federation, which was currently the very reason he had been requested.
"Commander Echal, a pleasure to be meeting with you again. I understand you have a small incident on your hands that I may be of assistance with? Please, shall we continue with a briefing? Is it your desire that I deal with the Jefferson from here or beam over to them?" the diplomat queried pleasantly, which grated on Echal’s nerves.
He hated diplomacy...the fake niceness and the veiled insults. Why didn’t people just say what they meant and have the guts to insult directly...it was obnoxious, and currently reminded him of Megan and their recent conversations. For all his arrogance, at least Reynolds had been direct, stupid and annoying, but direct. “From here,” the Commander replied quickly, motioning towards his ready room to brief him in full.
"I should inform you that I have dealt with Captain Reynolds before, and that he and I are on friendly terms. At least, we were the last time we met, when I solved another possible diplomatic incident,” Tedak replied as Govan allowed him to go in ahead.
‘Why does that not surprise me...’ the Commander thought to himself as he followed the diplomat into his office. ‘Probably when Reynolds “killed a fleet of Romulans” like he bragged about...’ Instead of voicing his thoughts, Echal kept silent. There would be plenty of time to insult Reynolds and Tedak once he no longer had any need for diplomacy. “Please, have a seat,” Govan offered congenially as he too sat.
“This is the situation,” Echal began, getting straight to the point. “The S’Harien and Jefferson were tasked to work together to track down whoever is responsible for a series of biological attacks against Romulan and Federation targets along the border. During the course of the mission, their Chief Medical Officer beamed aboard the S’Harien uninvited, but in spite of this, I remained diplomatic and lenient, allowing him to work with our doctor and then returning him to his vessel,” Govan began believing that this information would be of importance during Tedak’s negotiations.
“Now, without my authority, consent, or knowledge, my Chief Intelligence Officer has done similarly, beaming to their vessel without their permission or knowledge. Unfortunately, whatever his reasons might have been, two of their crew are dead and several more injured. Naturally, they are...displeased to say the least, and we exchanged words, which resulted in all lines of communication being terminated.”
Believing he knew exactly what Tedak was thinking, Govan quickly interjected, “I know you don’t think particularly highly of me, but in spite of your opinion, I assure you, I had nothing to do with Lieutenant Ch’varak’s actions. Had I know, it...well I would have either stopped him or he wouldn’t have failed. I still don’t even know why he went or what he hoped to accomplish, but in spite of his immense stupidity and failure, he is still a Romulan citizen and should be returned into our custody.”
<Tag Tedak>
|
|
Deleted
Registered: Apr 23, 2024 20:59:35 GMT
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2009 2:16:39 GMT
Megan had watched with interest as the S’Harien had refused to decloak and the diplomatic shuttle eventually vanished from sight, right at the location their tracking program placed the warbird. So far, Lieutenant Tavik’s program was working well. The question now was...what was the next step? They had Commander Paragon, who was involved if not entirely responsible for these attacks, but now his claims of Romulan involvement needed to be verified or excluded. Commander Garrett assumed that Captain Reynolds was examining the evidence and would eventually speak to Paragon to help determine this, but until then, what was their next step?
With the Captain and Tavik investigating and the S’Harien lurking nearby, things were at a standstill, and Megan didn’t like the quiet. It was always easier to keep moving when there was something to do, but now there wasn’t much. If only there was another way to verify some Romulan involvement, but sadly, that would involve speaking with Echal, and the last communication between he and Matt had clearly not gone well and ended any cooperation between the two ships, at least for now. So with nothing much to do, Commander Garrett had turned her attention to a few necessary but somewhat menial command duties. “Garrett to T’Ress, Commander would you please report to sickbay and take a look at the EMH? It hasn’t worked properly in some time, and with Doctor van Breughel injured, it is very necessary.”
<Tag J’Varr>
Eventually, the tasks she could perform while remaining in command of the bridge ran out, and Megan was getting desperate for something to happen or something to do. Being idle was certainly not a comfortable thing for her. The S’Harien would modulate every few minutes, and the computer had begun to recognize patterns and predict most likely frequencies, so it now only took 9.34 seconds on average to relocate the warbird. It was a somewhat tedious fact, but it was important, not that she had anything to do with it. Just watched as the vessels position would be lost only to reappear shortly after. It was a monotonous and repetitious cycle, but at least it meant she knew where Govan was, which sadly she wouldn’t have time to worry about if she had something to occupy her mind...all she could do was wait.
~
Where was she...was she dead? It almost felt like it, as Megan drifted on the edge of consciousness, unable to move but just starting to pick up distant sounds and sensations and becoming aware. Sticking to training, she didn’t attempt to move or show any signs of a change. No need to let your enemy know you were awake. Eventually, the distance began to diminish, and she could recognize the sounds of a hospital, her steady vitals and a vast array of sensors. The question was…good hospital or bad hospital... “Well, it’s about time you came back from shoreleave,” a familiar voice commented dryly, which provided Lieutenant Garrett with her answer.
Finally allowing her eyes to open, Megan winced against the light, giving them time to focus and adjust before attempting to actually see. “What are you doing here?”
“Nice way to greet your superior,” Admiral LaPage replied wryly. “I didn’t give you such a hard time when you did the same for me,” he added. He looked exhausted.
“No pulsation, therefore no vessel,” Megan shot back, mentally checking her body over for injury. “I sat beside you because we were both heading the same place, and the doctors wouldn’t let me leave. You don’t have that excuse, since we’re not aboard a ship, and you’re fine, in spite of your appearance,” she added pointedly.
“I am part of the rotation. Your family takes the days, and I take most nights. You know how I hate to sleep anyway. And you’re welcome by the way,” Dave added.
Deciding to let that particularly point pass, the Lieutenant was just starting to fully process what had happened, remembering the mission, Echal’s face... “Did we get the target data we needed? Was the Intel intact? Were our suspicions confirmed?”
A grin finally spreading across his face, the Admiral replied. “Twenty seconds…a little slow, but not bad. And by the way, your monitors were what gave you away, so your stealth training is clearly intact. You get a gold star.” At her weak glare, he laughed. “Yes, we got it. Or I should say you got it, all of it, exactly what we thought.”
Letting out a huge sigh of relief, Megan slumped back against the bed. It hadn’t all been just for nothing. She hadn’t gone through all of that in vain. Suddenly looking upset, Dave looked away. “But at what cost...I never should have let you talk m...”
“No, you never should have told me about your so called impossible mission,” Megan countered, opening her eyes again. “You know I hate that word...impossible. And what cost? I’m here, and we got the Intel. This was a clean mission. Case closed.”
Suddenly looking much older, Admiral LaPage leaned back in his chair. “You’ve been either in stasis or a coma for the past month, Meg. We very nearly lost you, and we weren’t entirely certain whether or not you’d wake up or that you’d still be you until you came out of it three days ago and when your scans came up good. There was a lot of damage...there are still a lot of question marks for full recovery.”
The fact that it’d been a month startled her, but she forced a blank face. “Well I’m still here, and, unfortunately for you, still very much me. I knew the risks going in, and I was the one who designed, planned, organized, and executed this mission. I wouldn’t exactly call it a vacation, but you know we needed that data. And I did not survive that...experience, just to get taken out now. You know how stubborn I am. I’ll be fine,” Megan stated firmly, although far from entirely convinced herself.
Attempting a half-smile, Dave shook his head. “I’ll agree with you still being you at least. That much is perfectly obvious.” Hesitating, he finally asked, “So…I take it you don’t have any memory loss...you remember all of it everything that happened?”
“Every detail,” Lieutenant Garrett replied, eyes darting away from him for a moment. “You always seem to remember what you’d rather forget…” Quickly looking back at him, Megan added. “You will have my report as soon as possible. I’m sure it has driven you crazy not knowing anything about what happened for an entire month.”
Smirking, the Admiral shook his head. “I’ll live. You’re not writing that report until I tell you to because that’s the last thing that you need to be focusing on, young lady.”
Grimacing in distaste at the ‘young lady’ comment, she simply replied, “Yes, Sir.”
Knowing that report would be written well before requested, Dave grinned at her before moving to stand. “I’ll send a message to your family and notify the doctors that you’re awake, so they can come in and start poking. Try to be nice to them, ok? They can’t help being doctors, and they do mean well with their questions and precautions. Besides, if you don’t behave, I will come after you...you know I will...”
“Noted, but no promises,” Megan replied, offering a slight smile. “Oh and Admiral... Thank you for being here and for looking after my family. I really do appreciate it.”
Smiling, Admiral LaPage nodded. “You’re welcome, but it wasn’t entirely altruistic. That’s one less I owe you, maybe two. I haven’t decided yet, but definitely one. Oh, and by the way, officially, you were injured in a shuttle accident.” Heading for the door, grinning at her shocked look and initial protest, he added, “Don’t worry…you weren’t the pilot. I know better than to damage your reputation. You’d have my head.”
Smiling after him, knowing she only had a few minutes before the doctors would descend like vultures, Megan closed her eyes and slumped back against the bed again. A month...that would mean a lot of rehab, and she hated rehab. And now, she would have to deal with her family, the hovering and the worrying, plus she’d have to take a mandatory shoreleave... Mentally calculating everything that would have to be done before returning to duty, Lieutenant Garrett thought about everything except what was really on her mind. The look on Govan’s face before he’d started bashing her head against the wall and it all went dark…a look she’d never forget.
|
|
Deleted
Registered: Apr 23, 2024 20:59:35 GMT
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2009 19:44:21 GMT
“Please, have a seat,” Govan offered congenially as he too sat.
Tedak took the offered seat, keeping his eyes on the commanding officer, whom he'd exchanged words with so often and whom had actually served briefly as his personal bodyguard. He had understood that the situation was delicate, and for some reason, he had no doubt it was worse than it appeared.
“This is the situation,” Echal began, getting straight to the point.
Tedak listened with interest, his face impassive and not betraying his personal feelings on the issue. He was professional enough not to let them weigh on this situation. The doctor clearly had violated protocols by beaming aboard the S'harien, so the Federation clearly had ben wrong first. For once, his Federation sympathies weren't even close to the surface, and he hoped that the Jefferson's commanding officer would be dealing with the officer in question. Then he remembered their CMO wasn't Starfleet, which complicated matters.
On top of that, S'harien's intelligence chief had breached protocol by beaming onto the Jefferson. Now while the doctor's visit had been relatively harmless, since he had thought to report to Echal immediately, and acknowledge his method had been wrong from the start, Tevio's breach was more severe as people had gotten killed and several were dangerously injured.
Weighing his options in his mind, he leveled his gaze with Echal's, seeing he wasn't finished speaking just yet.
“I know you don’t think particularly highly of me, but in spite of your opinion, I assure you, I had nothing to do with Lieutenant Ch’varak’s actions. Had I know, it...well I would have either stopped him or he wouldn’t have failed. I still don’t even know why he went or what he hoped to accomplish, but in spite of his immense stupidity and failure, he is still a Romulan citizen and should be returned into our custody.”
"My opinion of you is not the issue here," Tedak remarked calmly, "we are professionals, each good at what we do. I am certain your opinion of me isn't too good either. Regardless, I am here and I have work to do. And you know full well that if I have a task set before me, I will see it through to the end to the best of my abilities. I like failure as much as you do commander, trust me on that, if on nothing else."
He rose to his feet and stood behind his chair, resting his hands on the backrest. "Why he went, we can uncover by simple means of interrogation, however that is your job, not mine. I agree that since he is Romulan, he must be retrieved and tried according to our laws. Especially so since this was a joint venture, and we let their doctor off easy. You were right to return him as you did, by the way. I have reviewed your treatment of him, and you have my support on this. For once. Now, from where can I contact the Jefferson?"
(tag echal)
|
|
Deleted
Registered: Apr 23, 2024 20:59:35 GMT
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2009 5:27:02 GMT
"My opinion of you is not the issue here. We are professionals, each good at what we do. I am certain your opinion of me isn't too good either. Regardless, I am here, and I have work to do. And you know full well that if I have a task set before me, I will see it through to the end to the best of my abilities. I like failure as much as you do, Commander; trust me on that, if on nothing else,” the Ambassador added calmly.
When Tedak stood, Govan did so as well, mirroring his movements more of reflex than any conscious thought. "Why he went, we can uncover by simple means of interrogation. However, that is your job, not mine. I agree that since he is Romulan, he must be retrieved and tried according to our laws, especially so since this was a joint venture, and we let their doctor off easy. You were right to return him as you did, by the way. I have reviewed your treatment of him, and you have my support on this…for once. Now, from where can I contact the Jefferson?" Tedak inquired.
At the mention of the word ‘interrogation’ as well as its association with him, Echal had to resist the urge to grin outright and to keep his face composed and serious. As much as he supposed from a diplomatic standpoint, Govan had done the right thing in regard to Nathan, a part of the Commander still felt that perhaps he’d been too easy on the intrusion. After all, then they’d have an actual playing card rather than merely a diplomatic one. “From the bridge,” he replied. “I will have you speak with them from my command chair, while I will stay out of sight. I have no desire to talk to Captain Reynolds or his First Officer, and I assure you the feeling is mutual.”
Not wishing to elaborate any future on either point, Govan headed for the bridge first leaving Tedak to follow. The last thing he wanted was a meddlesome diplomat prying into his past, especially as it related to Garrett. Once they were both back on the bridge, Echal indicated toward his chair for the Ambassador to take while turning to Ops. “Drop our cloak and hail the Jefferson,” he ordered, hating to lose the cloak but knowing that probably showed trust or good faith or something stupid like that. Now, it was all up to Tedak, his diplomatic skill, and his Federation rapport.
<Tag Tedak/Jefferson>
~
He was as good as dead. After storming from the cell, barely hearing the continued alarms or seeing the guards and officers running past, Govan headed straight for his quarters. Trashing the place and breaking just about everything in sight, Echal had realized his life and career were over now, but oddly enough, that knowledge had little effect on him. He couldn’t stop to let himself feel anything but rage. There had been no point in putting off the inevitable, so he’d left for Sub Colonel Kalad’s office to face the end. He would do so fighting and on his feet, just as Megan had.
Entering the office, his superior’s expression wasn’t quite as inscrutable as usual. There was obvious stress on his face and fury that nearly matched his own. There was also surprise at Echal’s appearance. Apparently, he hadn’t anticipated Govan’s arrival. Not caring about his fate, he only had one question. “What did she take?”
Mouth forming a grim line, Kalad was equally direct. “Our entire top level database.”
Shocked, Govan’s mouth dropped open. “But…I thought it…that’s not possible...”
“And yet, it happened,” the Sub Colonel replied sardonically. “We don’t know how.”
Trying to somehow reign in his anger, Govan took a slow, deep breath before he continued. “How many were there? I assume she was part of some kind of team.”
“No team, just her,” Kalad provided, eyes hardening. “Don’t ask me how. We don’t know that yet either. Somehow, our systems were compromised. It must have been some kind of infiltration program, but one like nothing we have ever seen before.”
Not knowing what to say, Govan again ran his fingers through his hair. His hands still had her blood on them, and the mere sight of it just made him want to scream.
“You were the first to notice any sign of her deception. It just came too late,” Kalad commented. “I never saw the momentary drop when the lights flickered, and then everything went down, the sensors, recording devices, computer access…all of it. When it came back up, she was gone, and even now our systems aren’t all back. Communications are down as our external sensors, so we can’t attempt to track her or call to alert anyone of her presence. Whoever she was, she’s a professional.”
Still fighting against his immense rage, Echal practically growled. “She’s some kind of agent. I don’t know what kind, but she dropped her act at the end. She had a lot of training. One minute, she was...that girl, and the next, she was a cold-blooded agent, all the naivety and innocence gone... It was like a switch had been flipped.”
Eyes hardening once more, Kalad leaned forward. “What happened that last minute?”
Suddenly realizing that his horrified, broken heart moment hadn’t been recorded, Govan began to feel a tiny bit of hope for his career, but he still felt strangely cold to it all. “When the alarms went off, I knew my suspicion had been right. I confronted her, but she continued to deny it. I wasn’t buying it, and so I hit her, hard. She went down, and I told her I was going to kill her. That’s when she dropped the act and turned to defend herself. She was in no condition to fight me, but she never gave up... I did quite a bit of damage. She may be dead, but I don’t know. Those stupid guards came in at the end and pulled me away from her before I could finish it for certain. That’s when the Federation transport was initiated,” Echal finished quietly.
“So that’s what happened to the guards...” Kalad commented, a cold sneer crossing his lips before vanishing again. “They got what they deserved. We’re just going to have to hope she ended up dead, and that either way, her vessel will be captured before reentering Federation space.” Pausing, the Sub Colonel shook his head. “I wish I could have seen her guard drop... It’s still hard to believe she could do this.”
“We should review the interrogations, look for any signs we...I may have missed.”
“I would agree if we still had them,” Kalad responded, fury returning to his face. “It’s all gone, every trace of her presence here, physical, sensor data... It was erased during our systems black-out. Even any reports mentioning this incident are gone.”
Shocked again, Govan just stood there for several moments. Neither man said a word, lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Echal spoke. “So what happens now, Sir?”
“That’s up to the Colonel,” the Sub Colonel replied, eyes meeting Govan’s. “But I can easily predict how he’ll react. She made his decision for him. With no evidence, this never happened. Very few know anything for certain. It just sounds like rumors, and it’s ridiculous enough to pass as just a rumor. Those who know anything will be...dealt with to ensure this doesn’t get out. The Colonel’s career, not to mention ours, would never survive such a failure. At least you already took care of two of the guards.” Pausing, Kalad continued. “You are the lowest rank close to this, but I believe your reputation will spare you. It is one thing for a regular interrogator to simply...disappear, but you have built a solid name and career for yourself, and so your disappearance would not go unnoticed. You will most likely be transferred...”
No records, no evidence...and no death. Govan realized that if he were to get out of this alive and with a viable career it was beyond a miracle. The fact that Megan had actually played a part in saving him ate away at him, but it meant that maybe someday he would be able to have his revenge or at least discover if he succeeded in killing her or not. “I had expected far worse,” Echal replied simply and honestly.
Smirking, Kalad nodded. “Pack your things and be prepared to leave very quickly. I assure you, that it would not be recommended to tempt the Colonel any further.”
Nodding in reply, Govan bowed respectfully and sincerely before turning to leave. A failure of this magnitude deserved death, a painful death. Right now, he should be in a torture chamber receiving his punishment for such a spectacular disaster. He should be rejoicing at his good fortune, but it felt strangely empty. There was no victory in this, and in spite of its non-appearance on his record, it would haunt him for the rest of his life. And frankly, he didn’t really care how long that would be.
|
|
Deleted
Registered: Apr 23, 2024 20:59:35 GMT
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2009 21:56:28 GMT
OFF: JP between Tedak, Govan Echal and Megan Garrett
ON: Tedak sat down in Echal's chair, albeit somewhat uncomfortably. Resting his arms on the armrests, his fingers folding around the edges, he nodded for the communications officer to establish a connection. "USS Jefferson, this is Ambassador Tedak tr'H'Rhinann. Please acknowledge."
Feeling very restless, Megan was actually glad when the comm call came in from the S’Harien. “On screen,” Megan ordered before facing forward and addressing Tedak. “This is Commander Garrett. It is a pleasure to see you again, Ambassador. I assume that Commander Echal has already updated you on our current situation.”
The Romulan diplomat inclined his head briefly. "Yes ma'am, he has. I am here to negotiate the release of Mr Ch'Varak into our custody. I presume he has been treated well, and according to all established treaties?" He paused for a few seconds. "Are the injured parties recovering well?"
“They are, although several still remain in sickbay as a result of their injuries, and two officers lost their lives. Mr. Ch’varak has not been harmed and is being held in our brig. He has been less than cooperative in regards to explaining his actions,” Megan replied before adding, “I would appreciate knowing what his purpose was.”
Quietly, the diplomat rose to his feet. "I have been assured that Commander Echal knows nothing of Ch'varak's motives," he replied calmly, "and we remind you that your doctor, who trespassed onto our vessel, was returned to you without pause. We could have detained him, but did not. It was a matter of good will, that he was returned to you, without further questioning. In that same light, I emplore you to return our officer to us, without further delay."
“Doctor van Breughel made a mistake, and I can assure you, we’ve dealt with that issue, but may I also remind you that he made his presence known immediately, reported into Commander Echal as soon as possible, and that no one was injured or killed as a result of his actions. His motives were also clear and in the spirit of cooperation,” Megan responded quickly. “However, this cannot be said of Ch’varak. Surely you can see the difference between these two events and circumstances.” <tag>
"I understand commander, please know that I understand. However, as you well know, a cornered cat can make surprising moves..I believe is what the Human saying is?" He wasn't too familiar with Human idiom, but he knew his point was made. "What must I do to convince you to return Ch'varak to us. Surely we do not wish this to become a public scandal and ruin the good relations between our governments?" He stole a glance sideways to see Echal's response, before gazing back at Garrett. "Must I call in upon the favours that Captain Reynolds owes me?" he finally asked, gazing squarely at the woman in command red.
Hating the fact that the Captain had already agreed to return Tevio, knowing that Govan was probably watching from close by, Megan pretended to consider this. Sadly, she also owed Tedak a favor, perhaps even the same one he was claiming. The Ambassador had returned Jombis’ body to his family, a mistake on her part that he had fixed. She already knew how this was going to end, but it irked her to just hand Ch’varak over to them without having received any additional information.
“He will be returned to you,” Megan finally consented, hating every word. “But I want to make it clear, Ambassador, his actions were unacceptable, and we will expect an explanation as to his motives as soon as one is known. I need something to tell the families of the officers he killed as to why their loved ones were taken from them.”
You have my word that an explanation will be forthcoming commander," Tedak replied amiably, a friendly smile on his face, "and you have my word also, that Commander Echal shall be dealing with Ch'varak, most severely. He has embarrased the commander, beyond doubt. And no-one embarasses a commander of a starship, and gets away with it unscathed." ~and I know...~ he thought idly. "We shall await the return of our officer. Please send Captain Reynolds my regards. He still owes me a bottle of ale..."
At the mention of Echal dealing with Ch’varak, Megan had a rush of mixed feelings. She knew all too well what awaited Tevio on the S’Harien, but what she didn’t know whether that was a good thing or not. “I will pass along the message,” she replied. “And I will begin processing his release.” Making a move as if to close the channel, she paused. “Oh, and in regards to the mission, we have someone in custody who we believe is involved in the attacks, but he is claiming Romulan involvement. We are continuing our investigation, and I suggest that the S’Harien does the same.”
his time, Tedak shot Echal a questioning glance. This was certainly news. "Is this person's identity open to be shared?" he asked quietly, quickly hiding his surprise, "and can we talk to him? Surely, if he claims we are involved, we have a right to question him on where got this information." He made a motion for the sound to be killed, and turned to Govan. "Were you aware they captured someone?" he asked dangerously, "and can they make good on this person's claim?"
That had been the last thing Govan had been expecting. Although Echal had given orders for the area around the moon to be scanned, his focus had been on getting Tevio back. “His claims are correct. We were contacted by a rogue Romulan who claims involvement and will turn over the toxin in exchange for our protection from Federation custody. We are still attempting to locate him, but since his cooperation comes with the condition of keeping Starfleet out of this, I didn’t feel it prudent to share this with the Jefferson until after he is located and safely within our custody.”
Tedak nodded; he could understand Govan's precarious situation. "Commander Garrett could ensure the Jefferson would not interfere," he suggested, "though she may want something in return. My recommendation is to work together, and share all information. We question their ... guest...and they assist us in locating your rogue."
Absolutely hating the idea, Govan shook his head. “They have too much control. We need to have something they need, and right now, that information is all we have... We should at least wait until we have Ch’varak back,” Echal replied firmly. <tag>
Agreed. Until then, Ch'varak is leverage." He smiled secretively. "Of course, we could use my shuttle. It is small, versatile and maneuverable. Also less detectable than your vessel. We could go look for your rogue. Jefferson can track cloaked vessels, but I have diplomatic immunity. They cannot track me indefinitely."
“We’ll figure it out later. Right now, we have to get Ch’varak back,” Govan replied.
Tedak nodded and signaled for sound to be returned. "My apologies commander. We are doing everything we can to find the person who has claimed to be responsible. While you question your prisoner, we will continue our search. Perhaps we can meet at an appropriate time to discuss a suitable course of action, once we have our...culprit?
Clearly this had thrown the Romulan Ambassador, and that gave Megan just a tiny bit of satisfaction. Tedak could be seen conversing with someone off-screen, which she assumed was probably Govan. The idea of having surprised Echal gave her even more satisfaction. Once his attention had returned to her, Commander Garrett replied, “He is currently being held in our sickbay, as he was abandoned on the moon after being shot and suffering from the elements as well. Captain Reynolds is currently speaking with him if his condition is stabilized, and he is able to speak.”
Megan didn’t know what exactly he meant by ‘the person who has claimed to be responsible’ but she didn’t ask. “As we are both in orbit, I am sure it won’t be too difficult to converse again. We will contact you when he is prepared for transport."
"Commander Echal shall be waiting for the swift return of his officer," Tedak evaded her response. "I shall be in touch commander." He motioned for the connection to be severed. "Your officer will be returned," he offered, unnecessarily.
|
|
Deleted
Registered: Apr 23, 2024 20:59:35 GMT
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 3, 2009 20:53:38 GMT
When he awoke next, Nathan had no idea how much time had passed. Hannah still hadn't returned to sickbay, and Donovan seemed to have stalled on his way back, as he hadn't returned either. Lifting the sleeping cat from his chest, Nathan carefully sat up and reached for the clean shirt someone had left over the chair beside his bed. Out of habit, he checked his bandaged and nodded to himself in satisfaction. The wound hadn't bled again, and wasn't even hurting at the moment. Of course, the nurses could've applied a dermal regenerator, but Nathan generally preferred to heal 'the natural way', meaning that his body ought to do the work, lest it forget how to do it.
With care, he pulled on the clean shirt and slipped from he bed. On his way, he grabbed the medical tricorder and a hypospray. The injured commander who'd been brought aboard earlier was still unconscious, his vitals still low, but improving. There were no further signs of frostbite, and he'd been lucky to have been discovered as soon as he had. No digits were lost, no skin too damaged beyond repair.
Nathan stood beside the bed, then turned as he heard someone approach. "Ah, J'Varr, you've come for the EMH? You can access his program from my office. Please take care not to step on my cats please..."
(J'Varr, have fun with the EMH?)
Dismissing the chief engineer to his duties, Nathan turned back to stare at the unconscious officer, wondering how someone so brilliant could turn so bad. He'd pulled up the man's service record earlier, and read he'd gone AWOL several years earlier. Quietly, he shook his head, pressing the hypospray against Paragon's throat. "Easy now," he murmured comfortingly as the Betazoid slowly reached consciousness. "You need fluids in you, I'm going to assist you in drinking some juice, and then I'm going to let you sleep again."
"What are you doing?"
Nathan whirled around, the cup he'd just replicated slipping form his fingers. "Jayden?"
The young marine approached, eyes blazing in fury. "What are you doing?" he repeated angrily.
The doctor recoiled from the anger. "Making sure the patient is all right," he answered softly, while picking up the cup from the floor. "Donovan hasn't returned yet..."
"Donovan was detained elsewhere," Jayden replied, "he called for me to check on you. You're supposed to be in bed, resting. What are you doing, helping a prisoner back to consciousness? A telepath, no less?" Jayden grabbed the hypospray from Nathan's hand, slapping a tranquillizer into the vial hold.
Nathan stepped back, not sure what to think. His husband's anger was evident, and understandable, but wasn't he a doctor? On or off duty? "I did what I felt was right," he defended himself, watching as Jayden returned Paragon to an unconsciousness state. "Should I let a patient dehydrate? My patient..."
"Your patient nothing!" Jayden suddenly shouted, grabbing the older man by both his arms, shaking him. "Don't you remember what Reynolds ordered? No working! You're suspended Nathan, and you're a patient yourself!"
"Jayden.." Nathan's eyes were wide in alarm. "Jayden you're hurting me..."
The half-Betazoid was oblivious to his mate's pleas; he was too infuriated to even notice. One hand still tight on the doctor's arms, he carreened him back to his bed, while tapping his combadge. "You leave me no choice Nathan." He shook his head, blazing eyes on his mate. "I wish I had, but you leave me no choice. You'll never learn otherwise."
It didn't dawn on Nathan until Jayden called the bridge. "No," he whispered, "Jayden please, no..." He'd been so conscious about obeying orders before, he'd really been trying. If only....but it was too late now.
"Mitchell to bridge. Captain Reynolds, you're needed in sickbay. Immediately." He paused. "Captain please swithch to private channel.." At least he wanted to spare Nathan the embarassment of a public call. Once the confirmation of a private channel came through, the Betazoid continued. "Your chief medical officer has been caught disobeying orders sir, you may wish to see him escorted to the brig yourself." Jayden's voice was cold, filled with anger and disappointment. "I'll wait here for your arrival sir." He signed off, waiting.
"Jayden....." He recoiled as Jayden slapped him, hard. His eyes filled with tears as he sat on his bed, stunned. But he didn't move, didn't struggle and didn't try to leave.
Jayden stared at his mate, fighting the urge to take him into his arms and console him. He was too angry to care right now. "You brought this upon yourself," he replied stonily, flexing the fingers of his right hand. The slap had hurt, him probably more than Nathan. It didn't feel right, and it hurt him deeply, but it had been necessary. Unjust, but necessary.
The marine looked up as the captain approached. "All yours captain," he offered, "goodbye Nathan. You think good on what I've told you. And when you do, you'll understand why." Then he walked away, leaving Nathan behind with the captain.
Stunned and hurt, the doctor stared after him, oblivious to the captain standing beside the bed.
(reynolds)
|
|
Deleted
Registered: Apr 23, 2024 20:59:35 GMT
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2009 22:06:33 GMT
The exchange between the Jefferson commanding officer and Commander Echal was enough to put even the most patient, calm person on edge. Taev even found himself a little unnerved at the harshness and even ruthlessness of both officer’s tones. This surprised Taev, who was one to take even the most serious of situations as pointless. As Taev continued to monitor his duties, he observed the demeanor set by Commander Echal. The Romulan was almost rigid and obviously furious. What little Taev knew of the man, it was still a miracle the commander had not killed everyone onboard the S’Harien. He had heard that Commander Echal was described by many to be coldhearted, but in this case Taev saw that even Echal could at times be speechless. Of course, the silence did not last for long.
The Commander began to bark orders at virtually every officer on the bridge. Eventually, Echal worked his way around to Taev, who waited patiently, if not almost nervously, for his own. “Lhoell, I want this ship fully prepared for battle. Personnel drills, full tactical analysis, and coordinate with engineering to make the S’Harien ready. Leave nothing undone.”
With a quick, “As you wish, Commander,” Taev began carrying out his mandate as ordered. He organized several drills, leaving them to the drill officers to carry out. He sent tactical personnel down to engineering to begin the coordination efforts from there. His personal task was the tactical analysis. He ran first through defensive procedures and engine status. Both checking out ok, he moved on to the weapons. All disruptor banks were at optimal capacity. He notified Commander Echal of the status of the ship.
After another short while, it appeared as though they had intercepted a message from the fugitive. Taev, who had been monitoring all tactical and engineering facilities, was again given orders by Commander Echal: “We need to locate him, immediately. Lieutenant Taev, conduct a full sensor sweep of this region, starting at the moon and extending outward. He said he stole a vessel, so I’m assuming he’s in a Federation craft. I want him found as soon as possible.”
"Aye, sir." Taev began to scan the region as ordered. He looked for federation signatures in and around the moon and surrounding area. It took a while, but Taev finally found a faint warp signature. "Commander, I have a small craft heading towards Romulan space. It might be the fugitive we are looking for."
Later, the events had again changed the plan at hand. They were now attempting to make sure the S’Harien was biologically prepared to deal with anything that might come up. “If you receive any modulations or modifications from the doctor, implement them immediately without any delays.”
“Yes, sir. May I remind you of the fugitive in the shuttle, sir.” Taev now would wait until anything happened. It was only a matter of time now.
tag Echal and ALL
|
|
Deleted
Registered: Apr 23, 2024 20:59:35 GMT
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2009 23:07:04 GMT
As the channel closed, Megan sat for a moment pondering the conversation. She wasn’t particularly happy at releasing Tevio, but that wasn’t her decision to make, and Captain Reynolds had already made it. Commander Garrett had momentarily debated whether or not to tell Tedak, and subsequently Govan, about Commander Paragon’s presence and claim, but since he was safely in their custody and no loss of advantage would occur as a result of sharing this information, the First Officer had decided to tell them and gage their reaction. Clearly, Tedak had not known about this, and judging from the length of his consultation with Commander Echal, Govan probably hadn’t either, most likely distracted by his officer’s current incarceration.
However, the conversation had at least yielded a hint of something interesting. The Ambassador had said ‘the person who has claimed to be responsible.’ As far as she knew, there was no such person, but his wording indicated that there was, and the S’Harien had knowledge of and perhaps even contact with such a person. Megan hoped that the Captain was getting more to the story to add a few more pieces to the puzzle. Regardless of how little they knew, it was now apparent that there was someone else out there responsible for this who needed to be brought in, and that was at least something they could do at the moment. “Run a full sensor sweep of this region, starting with the moon as a central point and moving out. Look for any other vessels, especially a smaller ship, heading away, towards Romulan space.”
<Tag Monica/Valad>
Now, she had to deal with Tevio... Megan didn’t feel comfortable leaving the bridge while Matt was still elsewhere, but since the Romulan had to be returned anyway, they might as well get him off the Jefferson as quickly as possible. Honestly, a part of her really wanted Matt to handle this part, but sadly, she didn’t get to pick and choose which duties she wanted to do and which she didn’t. Finally making up her mind, Megan reluctantly stood. “I’ll return shortly. You have the bridge,” she ordered.
<Tag Monica/Valad>
The entire way to the brig, Commander Garrett was absolutely dreading it. The last thing she wanted was to see Tevio’s smug face since he was being released. Her only consolation was knowing he wasn’t in for a friendly ‘welcome home’ from his Commander. Still, those who’d lost their lives deserved justice, and releasing him just didn’t feel like that... It was taking the justice out of their hands entirely, which was a disconcerting feeling, but unfortunately, there was no way around that now.
After ordering a team of four security officers to meet her outside the brig, armed, the turbolift eventually stopped at the right deck, and Megan reluctantly made her way to the holding cell containing their Romulan ‘guest.’ Now she just had to get it over with... Once she was standing a short distance from the forcefield, Commander Garrett nodded to the security guards, who both drew their phasers. “You are being released into the custody of Commander Echal, Mr. Ch’varak. You will be escorted to the transporter room and beamed back to your ship. I recommend against trying anything,” she added, keeping her face as neutral as possible in spite of her feelings.
<Tag Tevio>
|
|
Valad Tavik
Lt. Commander
Registered: Sept 11, 2008 4:29:47 GMT
Posts: 180
|
Post by Valad Tavik on Nov 5, 2009 5:31:09 GMT
Having entered the science lab to examine what was beamed up with Paragon, Valad took a good look around at what was in front of him. Sizing everything up, he took a set of tricorders to begin to scan the lot of what appeared to be miscellaneous items. Most certainly each item had its own meaning or its own use. Valad hoped he could deduce the various uses and come up with something to give to the Captain. Valad began by setting up the science equipment to run intensive scans on the all of the non-data storage devices. While the computer was hard at work, Valad took all of the data storage devices and began to download them into the computer. He briefly looked into what was being downloaded, but he couldn't make heads or tails of it. It was all Greek to him. Valad found a personal log, but it was encrypted and he would need time to figure out the encryption sequence. This was all a bloody inconvience.
A short while passed and Valad was joined by Captain Reynolds. "Don't bother asking. I have a data storage device that I can't make heads or tails of and I have a personal log that we don't have time to decrypt. We have nothing." They worked quietly for a while until the Captain spoke. "This is pointless, Paragon is the only one that knows what this means and unlike the Romulan in the brig I have the authority to make him help us. I think its time that we both make our way back to the bridge. Nathan has had enough time to stabilize Paragon and I wonder how Megan is faring with the Romulan."
"One could only hope that he is bleeding . . ." Valad followed the Captain out.
Upon reaching the bridge, Valad once again took the ops station. He assumed Monica had stayed on the bridge and would then move to the secondary ops. "Anything special on the scopes?"
(Monica)
Listening intently, Valad quickly made a status check of the ship. "Everything is operating at peak efficiency Captain." After that, not much happened until there was a call from sickbay requesting the Captain off the bridge. As the Captain left, Valad looked up to see the reaction on Captain Reynold's face, but the Captain had already turned away from him. Shortly after, Commander Garrett gave an order. "Run a full sensor sweep of this region, starting with the moon as a central point and moving out. Look for any other vessels, especially a smaller ship, heading away, towards Romulan space.”
"Aye, Commander." Valad quickly got to his scan. He found nothing in the main region but outside of that would take more time.
“I’ll return shortly. You have the bridge,” Commander Garrett said to Valad as she got up and walked out. Valad stood up and called the relief officer for Monica to take main tactical. He motioned for her to stay there. He stood in the command triangle in the center of the bridge and looked around. "Well here we are again ladies and gents. Tactical, make certain we are ready for anything. Ops, just keep scanning." He walked over to Monica's station. "Anything so far?" he asked in a slightly softer tone.
(Monica)
|
|
Deleted
Registered: Apr 23, 2024 20:59:35 GMT
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2009 4:27:47 GMT
Tevio had been studying the corners of his 'cell' for sometime now. His attention was particularly taken by the lining at which the forcefield met the wall. He was not stupid enough to run his hand along that length however, knowing that it would give him a static shock, and probably make him look extremely stupid from the attendant guard's point of view.
In his periphery, Tevio could tell that that guard was watching him... Analysing him.. very intently when the Romulan intel chief was near to the forcefield. He sharply raised his head, beginning a glare at the Starfleet man. "What do you for recreation in this place?" the Romulan asked forthrightly. He received no response.
The Legate's objective was simple really. He was merely trying to pick out weak points in the Federation design, and also, of course, aggravate and agitate the guard. Those flaws and weaknesses, which Tevio thought he could take advantage of, were as it happened frustratingly hard to find.
The Romulan Navy could learn a few things from Starfleet, he thought.. and though he would of course never say that aloud, it did cause his mood to darken over the subject... Luckily however, he did not have to think about it any longer. His ears already perked; someone of importance was entering the brig.
Two guards flanked Commander Garrett as Tevio watched her cross the room's threshold. He could espy two more still outside, now guarding the door. Adding the brig officer to that, that made six opponents to incapacitate. Of course, that was if the Legate was feeling particularly brave, or foolhardy, whichever description best fitted the circumstance.
“You are being released into the custody of Commander Echal, Mr. Ch’varak. You will be escorted to the transporter room and beamed back to your ship. I recommend against trying anything,” Garrett added.
"Naturally," Tevio said. Silently and patiently, he waited for the forcefield to be dropped, and then with a renewed sense of freedom that was rarely experienced by him, he stepped out of the cell. It was liberating, pleasurably so; Tevio was not sure if he liked it or not, or whether he should even be feeling it.
The walk to the USS Jefferson's transporter room was also silent, something that suited Tevio perfectly. He didn't want to be bothered into holding a dialogue with some of the worthless Starfleet pushovers that were moving past him in the opposite direction. Many, if not all, gave him dark looks, their anger and rage barely concealed by the stuffy body-language that was ruled by their officialdom. It was a good thing that the security officers providing his escort made an effort to shield him from any abuse and so on... Although, Tevio could tell, the gold-collared officers would very much liked to see the death, or at the very least the serious physical mutilation of him.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Commander," said Tevio, standing on the transporter pad now, after searching out the gaze of Commander Garrett. "Please, pass on similar sentiments to Captain Reynolds. Your treatment of me was much appreciated." Tevio kept any and all emotion from his face, focussing solely on the words and letting their intent be interpreted by language alone... While his hosts would not appreciate his thanks, Tevio knew that it just had to be said.
<Tag Garrett...?>
It had been an opportunity too good to pass up. Now he let the S'Harien transporter grab him, its reaching hands grasping at him, stealing the Legate away from the loosening fingers of the Jefferson... Which were probably feeling rather sorrowful and hard-done-by in their acquiescence, he thought.
It was with something approaching relief that Tevio now looked around the S'Harien's transportation chamber. His direction of sight at last fell on the operator, just as the said officer was contacting the bridge. "Bridge, transporter operator five, Lieutenant Tevio is aboard."
<Tag Bridge>
Fifteen standard time-units went by and Tevio was up to date. Contact with Mor'vhek and Hhurvan told him all he needed to know. Then brooding in his office for a short time, he came up with some ideas regarding Raltorr's shuttle, collected the research gathered for him by some underlings and made his way to the bridge. Of course, Tevio was fully aware that his expertise in intelligence would not be the first thing on the Commander's mind... when he saw him.
<Tag Echal>
|
|
Deleted
Registered: Apr 23, 2024 20:59:35 GMT
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2009 23:05:51 GMT
OOC: Joint Post Between Myself and Tedak
"Commander Echal shall be waiting for the swift return of his officer," Tedak evaded her response. "I shall be in touch, Commander." He motioned for the connection to be severed. "Your officer will be returned," he offered unnecessarily.
“No kidding,” Govan grumbled, hiding the fact that he was incredibly surprised that Tevio was being returned. Whether it was down to Tedak’s diplomatic skills or not, Commander Echal was at least a tiny bit impressed. He had expected much more of a fight, especially from Megan. “Once he is returned, we can fully pursue Raltorr and bring him into custody. I believe you should remain here until the mission is complete and the S’Harien heading back to ensure there are no further incidents.”
“Given that Vebn himself sent me here, I don't think it would be a good idea to return so soon. Vebn might get ideas," Tedak replied neutrally. "How great a danger does this Raltorr pose?"
Remembering Vebn all too well, Govan had to agree but focused on the question instead. “He poses a great threat. Raltorr has experience with biological weapons, and has clearly demonstrated that he will not hesitate to use them against Romulan targets, if it benefits him. Our doctor is currently testing and synthesizing antidotes to his current weapon to inoculate the crew. We should make sure as many of our officers receive that antidote before we go against him, but the truth is, he could have any number of toxins at his disposal, so we must exercise extreme caution.”
"And any number of slight deviations from the toxin." Tedak had heard, of course, about the murder of entire colonies, both Federation and Romulan. He wouldn't be very good at his job, if he hadn't. "What about the person the Jefferson rescued? What is his involvement?"
“That is what we don’t know. I didn’t even know there was another person involved until just now. Raltorr didn’t mention it when he contacted us. Only that he had the toxin, and would turn it over in exchange for not being handed over to Starfleet. It is in our best interest to detain him as quickly as possible and get the toxin out of his hands. I suppose then we’ll worry about whoever the Jefferson has,” Govan replied.
The Ambassador nodded in understanding, folding his hands before his abdomen, his long cloak falling back forward, obscuring them from view. "I wonder what motivates someone to murder thousands of his own race. If it was any tactical motive, I could understand. But colonists? Innocent men, women and children?" Tedak's eyes sparkled dangerously with reigned in anger. Under his cloak, his hand automatically went to the only weapon he allowed himself; his dagger. "I could kill him for that alone." Except he knew he couldn't, and wouldn't. He looked up. "I agree, we need to find him as soon as possible. What are your last leads?" He straightened. "If you have need of my shuttle, it is at your disposal. So long as it will be returned to me, intact. Private property..."
Well at least the man was still a Romulan, in spite of his friendly Federation ties... “We traced an ion trail leading a way from the moon indicating a Starfleet shuttle heading for Romulan space. He said he stole a vessel and would meet with us, but instead appears to be making a run for it, probably because we’ve been distracted by this diplomatic situation,” Echal practically growled. That was Tevio’s fault... “I do not believe the use of your vessel will be required, but...thank you for the offer,” Govan added, practically choking on the pleasantry. Eventually, it would become second nature, but for now, it was far from pleasant. “I would...recommend that you go to sickbay and see how the antidote is progressing. If it has been deemed safe, you should be among the first to receive it,” the Commander requested, unused to dealing with someone that he couldn’t, or at least probably shouldn’t, simply order.
"I shall volunteer even if it is not safe," Tedak replied pleasantly. "This incident was indeed unfortunate; however, and I do not mean to pre-empt you or even order you, but I strongly believe we should pursue Raltorr, post-haste. If we apprehend him, and he was involved...then the Federation too must know. Equally, if the Jefferson has a conspirator in their brig, then I will do my best to get that information from them." Tedak stared Govan straight in the eyes. "You have my word," he vowed.
“We will pursue him the moment Ch’varak is back onboard the S’Harien,” Govan stated firmly, making it quite clear he wasn’t budging on this point. “Otherwise, we risk tipping our hand and delaying his retrieval is unwise. I realize you are used to dealing openly with the Federation to show trust and cooperation, but out here in the real world, things are not quite so tidy… They have a potential conspirator in their brig along with one of our officers. We have nothing, so the only acceptable outcome is for Tevio to be returned to us, and for the S’Harien to apprehend this second conspirator, and then, both sides have reason to share their information.”
"As I said, I had no intention of presuming to know your job or do it for you." The ambassador smiled. He had actually been looking forward to meeting with Reynolds again, and perhaps exchange a few (friendly) words, for old times' sake. He still clearly remembered the punch Reynolds had issued him once and automatically, he rubbed his jaw. Shaking his head, he smiled to himself, before turning serious again. "My apologies...should I await your intelligence chief? Or shall I report to sickbay first. I presume you want a physical as well, to make sure I am not a carrier of anything harmful to you, or your crew?" Truly remarkable, how Govan had refrained from ordering it when he'd first come aboard. Given their history, it was quite possible for him to have carried a poisonous substance, and release it. Fortunate for him that he hadn't, but it was still surprising, that such a lack of security was displayed.
“Report to sickbay,” Govan replied gruffly. “I want you back on the bridge when we go after Raltorr. Get a report from Sural regarding his progress, get inoculated, and then return to the bridge and pass along the doctor’s report.” In truth, Echal didn’t really care about whether Tedak was carrying anything dangerous. A physical was something for new crewmembers, and the Ambassador’s assignment fortunately wasn’t permanent. Besides, Tedak wasn’t really the type to poison a warbird crew.
Tedak bowed lightly. "As you command, Commander Echal." He backed away from the Commander, unwilling to turn his back on him, inclined his head once more, then paused at the turbolift door. "I may require an escort," he requested, "I came here alone, but technically I should have someone to aid me. While you may not mean to see harm come to me, not yet anyway, others may not be so...lenient."
Trying not to roll his eyes, Govan glanced over at tactical and the backup tactical station where Dor’vel was assigned. Either officer would fit the bill nicely, but Taev was still a bit...untested as of yet, and Echal couldn’t decide whether that meant he should stay or go. Finally, the Commander turned to Dor’vel. “Centurion, accompany the Ambassador to sickbay,” he ordered, knowing Tedak would be safe with him.
To Be Continued
|
|
Deleted
Registered: Apr 23, 2024 20:59:35 GMT
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2009 23:18:27 GMT
OOC: JP Continued Between Dor'vel, Tamir, and Tedak
Again, Tedak bowed and retreated into the waiting car, holding the doors for the centurion to accompany him. When the doors closed, Tedak turned to him. "No doubt you regard me as weak," he commented, "that I requested a guard."
Keeping his eyes fixed forward, Dor’vel’s face remained impassive. “Not my place to say, Ambassador,” the Centurion replied calmly. He didn’t know the man enough to form an opinion, but he clearly knew diplomacy and didn’t get along with Echal, so each of these observations currently cancelled each other out, at least for now.
"Perhaps not,” the diplomat agreed quickly, "perhaps not. Please...sickbay. I would not want to keep the doctor waiting. Oh..." And now he positively smiled. "An old friend of mine works in sickbay, I'm eager to meet her again. Her name is Tamir."
Directing the lift to sickbay, Dor’vel said nothing but found it interesting that Tedak would call Govan’s...friend his own. Of course rumors ran rampant on the S’Harien in regards to their Commander’s relationship with the nurse, Tamir, but as usual, the Centurion didn’t comment or form an opinion until he knew for certain. All he did know was that he would do his job and guard Tedak, and look out for Tamir…
The ride to sickbay was quiet, and Tedak hadn't expected his temporary guard to be chatty. When they entered sickbay, Tedak looked around in wonder, eyes wandering and searching across the vast space. "Tamir?" he called quietly.
Having just dismissed the last Intelligence Officer, Tamir was compiling her scans and results for the Sural when she heard a distantly familiar voice and looked up, taken by surprise to see Tedak. “Ambassador Tedak!” she greeted enthusiastically moving to meet him. “I didn’t know you were here! How are you? How is T’Val, and Rayna? Did they find Stuart? I haven’t heard anything recently from anyone else.”
Smiling, he held out his arms, hoping he'd get a hug. "When I left, T'Val was in good spirits. Stuart had returned though he was suffering from memory loss. However, at the time I left, his recovery was progressing. Unfortunately, I do not know how Rayna is faring. Last I knew, she was in residence on Qualinost." His smile widened, love touching his eyes. "You may be happy to note that I too, am happy."
Smiling broadly, the nurse replied, “That is wonderful news! I’m so happy for you!” Tamir replied genuinely. “I will have to try and contact Rayna... I hope she is well. I miss her...I miss all of you.” For a moment, sadness clouded her face, before it vanished. “What brings you to the S’Harien? And sickbay...I hope you are not unwell.”
Realizing he wasn't getting a hug, he dropped his arms to his sides. "I am in good health. Govan sent me here for an inoculation against a toxin, and a progress report from Sural to take back to him. I was sent here on a diplomatic assignment, which was successfully resolved, I might add. At least, I believe it was."
“Oh, well actually I was just about to give Sural my report, as he left me in charge of the antitoxin production and testing. So far, everything looks good,” she replied, handing Tedak the datapadd with her report. “You can give this to Sural, and he’ll look it over and give you his report as well. I’m just beginning to prepare enough for sickbay and the bridge crew. I will prepare one for you as well. They should be ready after you speak with Sural, and then we can go back to the bridge together.”
"Do you think that's wise?" he replied cautiously, the presence of Dor'vel already forgotten. "I don't think he's too keen on seeing you with me." He chuckled. "I'm dangerous for you, remember? Up to no good? Putting you in danger?" This time, he caught her in a quick hug. "I've missed you too little one, I've missed you too." He released her just as quickly, steadying her. "I'll take the padd to Sural, but I'll have that shot now. What're the side-effects? Anything I should be aware of?"
Caught off guard by the hug, Tamir blushed and carefully hugged him back. Dor’vel took a single step towards her, but she waved him off quietly. “Uh...so far we are showing no adverse effects from the inoculation, but I’ll wait until Sural gives that order,” the nurse insisted firmly. “And as for Govan, let me worry about that. I am not going to avoid my duties just because he is ridiculously overprotective of me.”
"He’s right to be protective of a gorgeous woman like you," Tedak tried to flatter her. "I'll go see Sural now." He patted her shoulder, then brushed his hand through her hair. "Be careful," he cautioned, "be safe."
Blushing heavily, Tamir merely nodded, not quite sure what to say. Dor’vel was now directly behind Tedak, looking as concerned as he could. “Thank you… I will prepare the inoculations now, and you should see Sural so that we can get moving.”
Tedak nodded, turned, and walked straight into his guard. Blinking, he staggered a step back, shaking his head. "Something wrong, centurion?" he enquired, eyes boring into the officer, giving him a cold stare. He turned to Tamir and smiled, expression softening. "I'll be back for that shot," he promised, "and perhaps a brief examination. I know Govan hasn't ordered but it would be safe, wouldn't it?"
“Of course,” Tamir replied, giving Dor’vel a mild glare. “It will be ready when you return.”
Bowing politely, Tedak backed away from her, taking great care to avoid Dor'vel in the process. "By your leave," he requested, before walking away to see the chief Medical officer. "Doctor Sural, I am Ambassador Tedak tr’H’Rhinann. Commander Echal has sent me to receive your report on your progress in regards to an antidote. He has me take your report to him. I am...requested...to be inoculated as well, and Tamir is preparing the dose as we speak."
<Tag Sural>
As Tedak moved to speak to Sural, Dor’vel stayed behind. He hadn’t missed that she was uncomfortable, nor that she was unhappy with how he had handled her discomfort. Clearly, he was about to receive some form of lecture from the nurse.
Quickly moving to synthesize the necessary doses of antidote, Tamir was far from happy. “He is an Ambassador, and he is also my friend. You had no right to treat him that way,” she snapped, retrieving the first batch of vials and loading another.
“You were uncomfortable with his physical display,” Dor’vel replied evenly. “I would have reacted similarly to any crewmembers discomfort. It was...nothing personal.”
Not buying it, Tamir retrieved the second batch and loaded the third. “Don’t try and pretend that this wasn’t about Govan. Everyone treats me differently, and I’m sick of it, even if you were treating me better rather than poorly.” The nurse didn’t care that others in sickbay could overhear this. She was frankly fed up with it. “So, I’m Govan’s friend. That doesn’t mean I should be treated any differently. Tedak was harmless, and I don’t need protection. I can take care of myself,” she insisted even though she knew very well that was not true... “When I need help, I will ask for it.”
Nodding, Dor’vel responded, “I apologize for my intrusion. It was not my intent to insult you.” Something about her was bothering him. She was overly defensive for a minor infraction that was designed to protect her. He would look into this further.
Sighing heavily, Tamir stopped what she was doing at looked up at him. “Apology accepted,” she replied. “I know you didn’t mean it like that...and I’m sorry I yelled at you. It’s just been a difficult day...” Refusing to elaborate further, as she believed anything Dor’vel found out would go straight to Govan, Tamir smiled gently at him before requesting, “Could you help load these vials in that case over there? It will make it easier to transport them to the bridge that way. I’ll give you yours before.”
Replying with another nod, the Centurion merely did as she requested keeping his thoughts to himself. He would need something more substantial to bring to Govan.
|
|