Intermission – Lizards, and Trill and Borg ... Oh my.
by Lieutenant Commander Steve Wyman & Commander Karen Villiers
Post Details
"Damn I have to sort out what the plural is," Karen muttered under her breath as the Trills left. As she hooked up the used cups and glasses with her fingers she spied the blinking console. "And why does no one in this place ever make an appointment in advance," she grumbled as she deposited them in the replicator and left them to be reconstituted into matter.
In ten minutes she had to be elsewhere, but no-one ever considered that, she thought as she opened the appointment.
With an inward groan she noted who it was - the whole bickering cohort ... again.
"Send them in," Karen instructed the receptionist in a somewhat resigned tone.
Rather sheepishly, Wyman came into the inner office with Drant close behind. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Commander. But, allow me to introduce Maj..."
"Major Drant, Son of the Twenty-forth House - Starfleet Intelligence. I'm given to understand that your crew found some evidence of Borg activity on Ivor Prime, and as such I have been dispatched to ascertain the exact nature of that threat." Drant butted in, stepping in front of Steve and interjecting mid-introduction.
Looking down at the diminutive reptile before returning his gaze to the XO, Steve could only answer that with, "What he said, ma'am."
Karen leaned back in her chair and with arms extended, linked her fingers on the edge of the desk.
"Perhaps you'd both like to sit," she said before angling her head slightly towards Drant, "then perhaps you can tell me exactly how you came by that information." Her invitation was as pleasant as the abrasive Executive Officer could manage, but, Intelligence or not, the report had not yet been issued. Unless he'd been on the mission himself (which he had not) she wanted the facts.
"I simply follow orders, Commander. Rear Admiral Myerson of Starfleet Intelligence ordered me to report here to render assistance to Captain Tahir and her staff in assessing the potential Borg threat. Where he received the information - you would have to ask him yourself." Drant explained after scrambling up into a chair and tucking his tail to the side.
Wyman had to stifle a laugh at the part about simply following orders. "The Major is an expert on the Borg, Commander - the most knowledgeable officer available at the moment anyway. Captain Calhoun is meditating a trade dispute involving the Bajorans and the Dosi, otherwise she most likely would have been sent instead."
Drant shot a dirty look at the engineer. "I am sure Lieutenant Commander P'Trell inquired about that. He and Commander Drakt do not particularly like me very much."
"Be that the case or otherwise I am sure that personal feelings were not allowed to influence the decision," Karen said, though she could quite see how they might ...
"It is true that Borg artifacts were found, items that appear to be more recent than anything that could have been left behind when the original colony was destroyed. What we don't yet know is if this is a signal of Borg activity in the region or if they were deposited by other means."
At that revelation, Drant leaned forward in his seat, "Artifacts, you say? That IS interesting - the Borg do not normally leave anything behind. What sort of artifacts, Commander? Small items that could have come from a drone or something larger? Could it have been a subspace beacon - something they could use as a transponder fix for their transwarp network?"
At that, Wyman's head started to spin. "I think if they were going to drop out of a transwarp conduit they'd do it a lot closer to Earth. Ivor Prime is as close to the middle of nowhere as you can get."
"Yes," Karen agreed, though her jaw was tight. "Right close to Deep Space Five and also an area they've attacked before - quite the middle of nowhere. Who claimed that Earth was their objective anyway?" She couldn't place why the observation annoyed her so much.
Pulling herself together Karen turned her attention to Drant. "Pieces, implants. Some of them appear to have been embedded in humanoid forms at some point or other. The residual material is being examined in the labs. One of the theories is that a Borg craft ditched there during the initial attack years ago and that the planet became the focus for an underground movement seeking to harness that material ... 'normal' people looking for enhancement ... the other theories, well, just as far fetched."
"Not that far fetched, Commander. Human psychologists centuries ago described something known as Stockholm Syndrome, in which hostages come to relate to their oppressors. It isn't a perfect analogy, but I have heard of non-Borg attempting to use discarded Borg implants to enhance themselves. It has proven, in each instance, to be a fruitless and gruesome endeavor." Drant explained, twiddling his thumbs absently.
Karen raised an eyebrow, "Perhaps we ought to arrange for you to have a look at what they away team gathered?"
The expatriate Zarnac nodded smugly, "Well I thought that went without saying." At that Wyman started clearing his throat in a vain attempt at getting Drant to not act like a pompous jackass. "You may want to get that checked, Lieutenant."
The engineer, his efforts dashed, just closed his eyes and sighed - his right hand going to the bridge of his nose. "What I believe the Major means, is that it would greatly help his investigation if he could see the artifacts first hand..."
"Again - I thought that was patently obvious..." Drant just deadpanned, for all the universe not seeing the hole he was digging himself.
"Your access to the artefacts depends on my allowing you admission," Karen said directly, "We don't need any visitor from Intel to hamper our investigations. I could just as soon request another expert, one who I can be sure will get along with the team already working on the project."
Wyman kept his expression impassive, but in his head he was begging for just that. 'YES! Send him back to Earth and out of my hair!' he thought.
"Commander, we may have precious little time before the Borg launch a renewed offensive. One thing I have noticed working with Humans is that they tend to be reactive, especially in their bureaucracy. This is one instance of Starfleet being proactive. It would take valuable time to get another officer out here. I am not asking you to like me, nor do i expect it. However, I am asking you to trust me. The Federation has kept me safe for something on the order of ten years. It would go against any sense of self-preservation to not assist you in potentially combating the greatest threat to life in our galaxy." the Zarnac explained in utter earnestness. Though even then, it still came off as completely self-serving.
"Maybe, maybe not. We are closely monitoring that sector and have early warning and evacuation plans in place. I need someone who is going to work with my crew, not give the impression that Starfleet has flown in an outsider because it doesn't trust them. If you can manage that, then welcome."
The Marine scoffed, "On the contrary, Commander. It is I whom Starfleet does not trust, hence the presence of Lieutenant Wyman and Lieutenant Commander P'Trell. Apparently turning my back on my own kind on moral grounds doesn't make me any less of a traitor to my people, nor any less a potential spy to Starfleet. The price on my head and the apparent need for chaperons make both of those facts abundantly clear."
What an ego! Karen smiled stiffly. "All that is irrelevant here, you are the centre of your own world, not ours. Do the job and get along. That's all that is required."
As morbidly entertaining as it was to watch Drant dig a hole for himself, Steve was reaching a point where he couldn't allow the intelligence officer to continue, lest he completely bury himself. "And I am absolutely certain that the Major will do all that's required of him and not make things difficult for us. Now, Commander I'm sure you have other appointments and I've still got a department to run, so how about we get you settled into some guest quarters, Major?" Through the entire statement, the engineer had a smile plastered to his face that was both an attempt to smooth things over, as well as keep Karen from putting Drant out an airlock.
"Thank you. Lieutenant," Karen replied with a thin smile. "I'll look forward to your report Major Drant," she added before pointedly jabbing her finger at the control and causing the door to open ... an invitation for them to leave.
'And that's the cue...' Steve thought as he immediately rose from his seat and came to attention. Not waiting to be dismissed, as he figured discretion was the better part of valor, he motioned for Drant to follow.
The Zarnac was clearly perturbed at being summarily dismissed, glaring over his shoulder at Wyman. But with his only advocate (if you could call Wyman that) beating a hasty retreat, he hopped down from his seat and bowed. "Commander..." he said flatly before turning and heading for the door. Clearly, this was going to be an interesting mission.
by Lieutenant Commander Steve Wyman & Commander Karen Villiers
Post Details
| Title | Lizards, and Trill and Borg ... Oh my. | |
| Mission | Intermission | |
| Author(s) | Lieutenant Commander Steve Wyman & Commander Karen Villiers | |
| Posted | Sat Nov 02, 2013 @ 3:17pm | |
| Location | Executive Officer's office | |
| Timeline | SD 73 - shortly after "Any Time Now..." |
In ten minutes she had to be elsewhere, but no-one ever considered that, she thought as she opened the appointment.
With an inward groan she noted who it was - the whole bickering cohort ... again.
"Send them in," Karen instructed the receptionist in a somewhat resigned tone.
Rather sheepishly, Wyman came into the inner office with Drant close behind. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Commander. But, allow me to introduce Maj..."
"Major Drant, Son of the Twenty-forth House - Starfleet Intelligence. I'm given to understand that your crew found some evidence of Borg activity on Ivor Prime, and as such I have been dispatched to ascertain the exact nature of that threat." Drant butted in, stepping in front of Steve and interjecting mid-introduction.
Looking down at the diminutive reptile before returning his gaze to the XO, Steve could only answer that with, "What he said, ma'am."
Karen leaned back in her chair and with arms extended, linked her fingers on the edge of the desk.
"Perhaps you'd both like to sit," she said before angling her head slightly towards Drant, "then perhaps you can tell me exactly how you came by that information." Her invitation was as pleasant as the abrasive Executive Officer could manage, but, Intelligence or not, the report had not yet been issued. Unless he'd been on the mission himself (which he had not) she wanted the facts.
"I simply follow orders, Commander. Rear Admiral Myerson of Starfleet Intelligence ordered me to report here to render assistance to Captain Tahir and her staff in assessing the potential Borg threat. Where he received the information - you would have to ask him yourself." Drant explained after scrambling up into a chair and tucking his tail to the side.
Wyman had to stifle a laugh at the part about simply following orders. "The Major is an expert on the Borg, Commander - the most knowledgeable officer available at the moment anyway. Captain Calhoun is meditating a trade dispute involving the Bajorans and the Dosi, otherwise she most likely would have been sent instead."
Drant shot a dirty look at the engineer. "I am sure Lieutenant Commander P'Trell inquired about that. He and Commander Drakt do not particularly like me very much."
"Be that the case or otherwise I am sure that personal feelings were not allowed to influence the decision," Karen said, though she could quite see how they might ...
"It is true that Borg artifacts were found, items that appear to be more recent than anything that could have been left behind when the original colony was destroyed. What we don't yet know is if this is a signal of Borg activity in the region or if they were deposited by other means."
At that revelation, Drant leaned forward in his seat, "Artifacts, you say? That IS interesting - the Borg do not normally leave anything behind. What sort of artifacts, Commander? Small items that could have come from a drone or something larger? Could it have been a subspace beacon - something they could use as a transponder fix for their transwarp network?"
At that, Wyman's head started to spin. "I think if they were going to drop out of a transwarp conduit they'd do it a lot closer to Earth. Ivor Prime is as close to the middle of nowhere as you can get."
"Yes," Karen agreed, though her jaw was tight. "Right close to Deep Space Five and also an area they've attacked before - quite the middle of nowhere. Who claimed that Earth was their objective anyway?" She couldn't place why the observation annoyed her so much.
Pulling herself together Karen turned her attention to Drant. "Pieces, implants. Some of them appear to have been embedded in humanoid forms at some point or other. The residual material is being examined in the labs. One of the theories is that a Borg craft ditched there during the initial attack years ago and that the planet became the focus for an underground movement seeking to harness that material ... 'normal' people looking for enhancement ... the other theories, well, just as far fetched."
"Not that far fetched, Commander. Human psychologists centuries ago described something known as Stockholm Syndrome, in which hostages come to relate to their oppressors. It isn't a perfect analogy, but I have heard of non-Borg attempting to use discarded Borg implants to enhance themselves. It has proven, in each instance, to be a fruitless and gruesome endeavor." Drant explained, twiddling his thumbs absently.
Karen raised an eyebrow, "Perhaps we ought to arrange for you to have a look at what they away team gathered?"
The expatriate Zarnac nodded smugly, "Well I thought that went without saying." At that Wyman started clearing his throat in a vain attempt at getting Drant to not act like a pompous jackass. "You may want to get that checked, Lieutenant."
The engineer, his efforts dashed, just closed his eyes and sighed - his right hand going to the bridge of his nose. "What I believe the Major means, is that it would greatly help his investigation if he could see the artifacts first hand..."
"Again - I thought that was patently obvious..." Drant just deadpanned, for all the universe not seeing the hole he was digging himself.
"Your access to the artefacts depends on my allowing you admission," Karen said directly, "We don't need any visitor from Intel to hamper our investigations. I could just as soon request another expert, one who I can be sure will get along with the team already working on the project."
Wyman kept his expression impassive, but in his head he was begging for just that. 'YES! Send him back to Earth and out of my hair!' he thought.
"Commander, we may have precious little time before the Borg launch a renewed offensive. One thing I have noticed working with Humans is that they tend to be reactive, especially in their bureaucracy. This is one instance of Starfleet being proactive. It would take valuable time to get another officer out here. I am not asking you to like me, nor do i expect it. However, I am asking you to trust me. The Federation has kept me safe for something on the order of ten years. It would go against any sense of self-preservation to not assist you in potentially combating the greatest threat to life in our galaxy." the Zarnac explained in utter earnestness. Though even then, it still came off as completely self-serving.
"Maybe, maybe not. We are closely monitoring that sector and have early warning and evacuation plans in place. I need someone who is going to work with my crew, not give the impression that Starfleet has flown in an outsider because it doesn't trust them. If you can manage that, then welcome."
The Marine scoffed, "On the contrary, Commander. It is I whom Starfleet does not trust, hence the presence of Lieutenant Wyman and Lieutenant Commander P'Trell. Apparently turning my back on my own kind on moral grounds doesn't make me any less of a traitor to my people, nor any less a potential spy to Starfleet. The price on my head and the apparent need for chaperons make both of those facts abundantly clear."
What an ego! Karen smiled stiffly. "All that is irrelevant here, you are the centre of your own world, not ours. Do the job and get along. That's all that is required."
As morbidly entertaining as it was to watch Drant dig a hole for himself, Steve was reaching a point where he couldn't allow the intelligence officer to continue, lest he completely bury himself. "And I am absolutely certain that the Major will do all that's required of him and not make things difficult for us. Now, Commander I'm sure you have other appointments and I've still got a department to run, so how about we get you settled into some guest quarters, Major?" Through the entire statement, the engineer had a smile plastered to his face that was both an attempt to smooth things over, as well as keep Karen from putting Drant out an airlock.
"Thank you. Lieutenant," Karen replied with a thin smile. "I'll look forward to your report Major Drant," she added before pointedly jabbing her finger at the control and causing the door to open ... an invitation for them to leave.
'And that's the cue...' Steve thought as he immediately rose from his seat and came to attention. Not waiting to be dismissed, as he figured discretion was the better part of valor, he motioned for Drant to follow.
The Zarnac was clearly perturbed at being summarily dismissed, glaring over his shoulder at Wyman. But with his only advocate (if you could call Wyman that) beating a hasty retreat, he hopped down from his seat and bowed. "Commander..." he said flatly before turning and heading for the door. Clearly, this was going to be an interesting mission.