Cascade – Little Ship of Misfits Pt 2
by Lieutenant Commander Jarred Wallace & Commander Karen Villiers

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Title   Little Ship of Misfits Pt 2
Mission   Cascade
Author(s)   Lieutenant Commander Jarred Wallace & Commander Karen Villiers
Posted   Sun May 19, 2013 @ 4:42pm
Location   Enroute to Torbin Colony
Timeline   2 hours later - in parallel with SD72
Previous:

"Thank you, Isabelle. Let's not delay further," Isha said, "I'd like to be ready for any questions."

"I'll show you the way to the guest deck" Isabelle said as the turbolift door opened

New:

In the turbolift Isabelle looked over to Isha "How long have you known Mr Wallace?"

Isha blinked before turning her face toward Isabelle speaking now in clear, unaccented Standard, "Known? I've known of him since I was appointed Ambassador five years ago but in the year I was there we had little interaction, if my recollection is correct. I've been away for four years now. Why do you ask?"

"No one seems to know anything about him on this crew, your the first person who seems to be part of his part, the only things we know was he was declared dead two years ago, only he wasn't and it had something to do with why his face is scarred up so bad." Isabelle paused as the door opened, "In reality we picked him up at a starbase, where he took command of this bucket and we've been playing hop scotch back to deep space five."

Placing a hand around the edge of the door to prevent in from closing, but making no move to leave the turbolift Isha leaned closer to Isabelle, "Which starbase was that if you do not think me rude for asking?" There might be a clue there as to rh'Vaurek's fate.

"Research station Solaris, its an engineering research facility, nothing out of the ordinary for us." Isabelle said "this ship is a test bed ship, experimental systems, atmospheric engines and so on, I'm just a nurse so I can't tell you much else."

Allowing Isabelle to leave the lift first Isha removed her hand, then followed. "Without nurses where would we be?" the question was rhetorical as Isha noted the name of the starbase and re-aligned the conversation. "I ask only because I believe the father of my children may still be alive, and I have reason to believe that he and Mister Wallace may have encountered one another in the field, so to speak. I'm merely a woman concerned for her partner and the father of her children."

"There is a story that he rescued some Romulan of some title about 2 months ago, but when it comes to him no one knows...even when we stopped over at the Corsica Colony he disappeared for ninety minutes."

Some title would be an odd description for rh'Vaurek. Even so, Isha tucked the notes away in her mind.

"I'm sorry, Isabelle, I hadn't been expecting to leave my own colony under pressure. Please forgive me," Isha reverted in an instant from questioning to concerned, "Let's make sure we stand up to scrutiny if we encounter further problems."

"Its not problem, here's your quarters." Isabelle stopped, "There are three uniforms, one jump suit, and both styles of field jacket, I prefer the long one myself since it has a hood, oh and for some reason he said you should be issued a side arm, so I had Mr Mendez issue one similar to mine."

"Where are my children?" Isha asked.

"Down the hall, the rec room be precise, it doubles as a safe zone during situations like earlier, I told them to stay there until brought you down." Isabelle said as they continued to walk down the hall "I have them set up with a educational video on earth and some popcorn."

"It will be an experience for them," Isha reflected, she had been a little older when she first met an alien and that was in her own environment, "We, even my colony are somewhat homogenous," she continued as she eyed the uniforms.

"I'm from earth myself, kinda boring after I joined the fleet." Isabelle paused "If you want my help with the uniform thing, duty pants, standard shirt, leave the regular duty coat, try to fit in with the crew so you don't stand out when we're at the auxiliary base, The boss is the only one in full uniform on this ship, and he wears the long coat when hes' off the ship."

"They're awfully bright," Isha remarked, "Which colour is appropriate for me?"

"Bright?" Isabelle paused "Oh I replicated the wrong ones!" she felt embarrassed. "We always wear grey, I'm so embarrassed."

"its not the grey that is bright, but the colours that go beneath it. My House tends towards muted mroe pastel tones. To my eyes they are bright colours and an unaccustomed contrast."

"I must have not been paying attention again, its been too crazy since I joined this mad house." She said tears in her eyes, biting her lip.

"My dear child, what is wrong?" Isha asked as she stepped towards the woman and placed a hand gently on her shoulder.

"I've been part of this crew for only five weeks, we've been in six shoot outs, boarded twice, and I've seen my boyfriend stabbed by a Nausican pirate, I didn't know what I was getting my self into when I was asked to check on a marine that had been brought in after an accident." she said trying not to cry.

The woman couldn't be any older than her daughter, Aidoann, Isha thought. As she extended her arm around the officer's shoulders and drew her onto the bed, the pair sitting right on top of the laid out uniforms.

"Emotions are rarely a weakness," Isha said to her, her tone soft, "and adjusting to a new environment, especially in times of stress can take its toll. I am not part of your crew, nor do I have any agenda here. Whatever you do or say is between us. Tell me, is your boyfriend recovered?"

"The wound was too severe, he bled out before a medical team could get to him." She started "I learned that Mr Wallace was chasing the Nausican that stabbed Marcel, I wanted to help."

"A month later I've realized that one nausican criminal isn't the only problem in the universe, but I knew I had to help, I just didn't know what I was getting into, I'm 21 and I've seen more in six weeks than I bargained for."

"I'm sorry for your loss. Were you together long?" Isha asked.

"We had known one another since we were children, and in one moment it was over." she turned to Isha "When we caught up to the one who murdered him I couldn't pull the trigger and end his life the way he did to Marcel, all I could do is let security arrest him, now all I feel is confused."

As someone who had had many reasons to take revenge in the past Isha could understand the confusion. When Rh'Vaurek had offered her his life to atone for his campaign against her Isha had come close to sliding the blade in. Instead she had turned the blade returning both it and his life to him.

"That is what your conscience dictated that you do, the Elements often guide us to take actions that we later have cause to reflect upon. Had you pulled the trigger you may have had cause to regret your action. I've met several Lloann'su and almost every one of them has beleived that Federation justice will stand above revenge. I am not one of you, but I understand the believe in such an ideal. I think you do too."

"You're definitely not what I expected, but we should go check on your children chances are they have run out of things to see in the educational network." Isabelle said as she stood up, "and the replicator doesn't have much for Romulan cuisine and I don't know what they might like."

"We're about six hours from the auxiliary base, I'm sure you would like to have time with them and some rest."

"Of course. Let's get me fitted up and we'll go to them," Isha agreed.

==Fifteen minutes later==

The two women were walking the corridor down to the main mess and rec hall, Isabelle was attempting her best tour guide efforts "The Dawnstar started its life as an Obreth class hull, but engineering made some massive changes, including adding the atmospheric engines which were prototypes for the ones on the intrepid class, the computer core is an experimental hybrid of bio-neural and some technology Darryl refers to as bastardized borg gadgets."

Isha had no idea who Darryl was but she let that pass, "I must admit that I don't find the idea of purloining Borg technology in anyway a comfortable one," it was that deeply conservative streak combined with pragmatism that ran in the Romulan blood. It was also the suspicion that if the Tal'Shiar ever found a way to harness it that they would not hesitate to introduce such technology as a means of control. "There is such a lot of scope for its abuse."

"From what I know about the Borg your right, a very bad idea." Isabelle paused "Here's the rec room, and two children seeming to have a good time."

Eviess who had been so vocal when they left the house was now lounging in Ekenda's lap, desperately trying to stay awake. Argelian on the other hand was watching a film of a starship he didn't turn when his mother arrived.

"See how important I am to them," she observed with a wry smile. In Ekenda's hands they were always well tended and the environment provided for them was suitable.

As she looked up the bald headed nanny Ekenda remarked, "You look very ... Vulcan, my lady."

Isabelle didn't know if that was an insult or a complement but the awkward silence was broken by the door on the opposite side of the room opening and a skinny human male entering the room a PaDD in one hand and an empty coffee mug in the other. She fired him an icy glance "Aren't you supposed to be keeping this thing held together with bailing wire and chewing gum?"

Realizing his lack of manners "Oh...I'm Darryl Constantine." he said walking over.

"What is your business here?" Isha asked without hesitation. Right now this room was acting as her children's nursery and as such she claimed the right to question anyone who intruded on their privacy.

"This is the only working replicator for the next hour while I wait for the computer to clear the activity buffer, plus I wasn't aware that we had young children aboard otherwise I'd put CEDRIC online for them."

"And Cedric is?" Isha had no reason to warm to the stranger but her practiced diplomacy allowed her to refrain from asking him why he could not wait an hour for another dose of whatever beverage his beaker was lacking.

"Its the Central EDucation Real Instruction Computer." Darryl paused to grab a beverage "it was a project for some of the more isolated bases that didn't have full schooling facilities, never got put into full use, came with a holographic teacher as well."

"I think I'd prefer to monitor what my children learn. Federation dogma, with the greatest respect, is not necessarily what their ears need to hear."

"its mostly science programs, native species to several federation worlds, nothing political, the history programs never got written, and the social sciences module was designed more for people to understand certain customs to make social inter actions for the first time easy for all involved."

That, at least, interested Isha. "Is there a basic language module? A few words of greeting, thanks and basic interaction at the right level for four year olds. As the colony speaks Rihannsu it has not been appropriate to teach them anything else," despite Isha's fluency in languages it would only have drawn attention to her motivations if she had begun to teach the twins before their aptitudes had been properly assessed.

"There are thirty languages in the system, including the more basic greeting rituals from the simple human handshake up to several greeting rituals nothing outrageous," Darryl paused haking a sip of coffee "besides that, you want to understand humanity, try the local cuisine."

"I already do," Isha replied, smelling the aroma of coffee beans in the air, "and the cattle I purchased from Bradshaw a few years ago are breeding and have reached our table, though not yet the wider colony. I want them to be able to interact with their peers when we reach Deep Space Five, I'll be the one to deal with what they eat."

"Then we're already on step closer to understanding than you think." Darryl commented "We're going to be on a ten hour layover at the auxiliary base and the locals are going to most likely invite us to a ritual gathering, it would be a good idea to attend."

"So why don't you brief me on the locals rather than swigging coffee?" Isha suggested with a glance towards Isabelle.

Darryl smiled, "I've got a warp drive to start repairing I'll leave you to it."

Isabelle stood half shocked as he walked away, "I think he's talking about the Bar-b Que that Major Palmer is planning for our arrival." slightly frustrated she looked to Isha "I think Darryl is a pompous ass frankly.

Isha raised an eyebrow, "undoubtedly," but she rather wondered if Isabelle thought slightly more of Darryl than she was prepared to admit.

Isabelle looked at the count-down clock on the far side of the room, "That can't be right...the count down says we're just over two hours away."

===2 hours later===

On the bridge Jarred sat in the command chair the planet home to the Torbin colonies square in the monitor, the hiss of the turbolift door was one of the few noises "Isha this will be our last stop before Deep Space Five, the locals are all marines and intelligence types so you're safe at the auxiliary base, and there are a few expaitriots you might want to meet as well."

"When you say expats, I assume you mean defectors," she said, not all those who had left the Empire were true re-unificationists, so many spies within such a small community. Among them she would do nothing to imply that she was anything other than a sevant of the Senate.

"Think more along the line of defectors, people who escaped one of the purges, and some information on someone." Jarred tried to be vague about something Isha wanted to know "bring us into the landing pattern and set for condition blue."

Isha folded her arms on the back of a vacant chair, "We'll see," she said, marines and defectors was hardly the epitome of 'safe'

As the planets atmosphere became the dominant feature on the view screen and flickers of friction also became present, there was a vibration from the turbulence followed by a voice over the internal comm "Atmospheric engines are now online, flight surfaces to helm control."

"Switch to ILS system, signal our hosts to put the beer on ice." Jarred said then stood "Miss Isha care to take the remaining part of the watch?"

"You'd leave me in charge of your vessel?" Isha asked, surprised. Had she ill intent she could destroy the ship as well as a good proportion of the facility they were heading for.

"Jason is the best pilot in starfleet, I stole him from the test pilot program, and my engineer Darryl may have a bad case of jackass syndrome at times but hes' kept this thing from ripping itself apart so far, so your in good hands, plus I think you'll need the experience."

As Jarred exited the bridge Jason spoke up "He does this to everyone on their first trip..." there were three beeps from the helm console "ILS lock on, and we have a message from the Romulan locals, 'Welcome to our esteemed guest'." Jason read the text only message.

"Very well, " the position was not an unusual one for her. Isha had commanded a House fleet in her time and served Serona in the 'normal' way. It had been years ago, but she remained a natural commander. "Return greetings, then take us in Jason." It was only then that she sat, and the chair was not built to her dimensions or requirements ... that would be something to work on.


OFF

Isha t'Vaurek

Crew Of the Dawnstar

Jarred Wallace
Darryl Shannon
Isabelle Cote
Jason Saunders
And others