This Just In...

Posted on Sat May 24th, 2014 @ 11:42am by Jackson Banning V & Commander Oralia Zeferino

Mission: Breaking New Ground
Location: Oz/Jackson Quarters

* * * Oz & Jackson’s Quarters * * *

The insistent beep of Oz’s comm had awakened Jackson far earlier than was his usual. He sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes, then brushed his hair back. The other side of the bed had already lost its Oz-warmth, telling him she’d been up for at least several minutes. He could hear her out in the living room now, talking to someone about something security related. He’d also be willing to swear he’d heard Li’s voice just before he woke, but that had to be a dream. She was off-station in the beta quadrant. Whatever, Oz certainly was popular this morning. Given she was likely on a visual call, he decided to get dressed before wandering from the bedroom.

“...concerns me, why exactly? He could be held and prosecuted there just as easily as here.” Oz was grumpy, a condition caused by being rousted from bed and talked to before being allowed to have coffee. That Li was telling her that another bunk in her Brig would be filled only made her grumpiness worse.

Jackson raised an eyebrow. So, he hadn’t been dreaming; he’d actually heard Li. Sounded like Oz was getting a new problem. He took one look at her and moseyed off to the kitchen. He put a pot of ‘real’ coffee on to brew, then ordered a big one from the replicator. He returned to Oz, placed the coffee in front of her and kissed her on the head. On the monitor, Li sighed.

“I know it’s a pain in the ass Oz, but there’s extenuating circumstances. Dad’s going to be needed for this one, and Dae too. I’ve forwarded the old intel report on to you to look over.”

Oz swatted at Jackson, the easiest target at the moment. She couldn't exactly swat Li. "Fine," she trumped then sipped at the coffee. It was too hot. "Security will be ready for the transfer. Anything special we should know?"

“The whole thing is ‘special’ if you’ll pardon the pun,” Li answered. “Dae can fill you in as needed. Have fun with this one, Kieran’s an experience. That’s it for now. I know it’s early for you, so I’ll sign off. See you in a few days.” With that, the channel closed and the screen went black.

“Already slavin’ away I see.” Jackson leaned against the edge of the desk and sipped his own coffee, then frowned. “Kieran. That name sounds familiar.”

“Only because Li called,” Oz replied, pushing away from the console. “Kieran. Probably runs right alongside scum like Suresh. The old Suresh,” she clarified. A part of her didn’t mind the new Suresh so much. He’d been quiet and wasn’t hung up on Li or causing trouble. Yet.

“Hmm.” Jackson took another sip as he considered that. “Somethin’ about Bajor…” He fell silent, then finally shrugged. “It will come to me. As for Suresh, have you heard anything from him?””

"No, he's being quiet. That should worry me, but I've left it to Darwin to keep up with him," she said. "Have you heard from Eli about the Hammond's mission?"

“Just a brief message and I quote: ‘We’re here, Iggy’s behaving, everything is fine’.” He shrugged and gave Oz a smile. “Should that make me worry? The Iggy part I mean.”

"Iggy behaving? I wonder if they put her in a box and taped it shut." Spoken like someone who had seriously given thought to doing just that more than once. "That's more information than what Chance passed on: 'All's good here.'"

“That means that either they are bored stiff, or they are up to no good. An’ if it’s the first one, that will lead to the second.”

"Hmm. Good thing their CO out there is a Vulcan."

“I wouldn’t wish that on Sakkath for the world, but as my granny used to say, I suppose it’ll keep him humble.” He grinned and pushed away from the desk. “Ready for breakfast, now that you’d been so rudely awakened?”

A slow smile grew as she looked Jackson up and down. “Breakfast can wait.....”

Later

Oralia’s comm chimed, again rousing her from bed. This time, though, she was already awake. That didn’t make the call any more welcome, however. “Oz here,” she answered without moving from where she was tangled with Jackson. Li, she’d take face to face as it were; one of her minions? They could talk to air.

“Commander, we have a situation,” came the reply.

“Don’t we always?””

“Ah, well... This is more than usual. Petty Officer Drusila Dupree is missing, possibly as the victim of a kidnapping.”

Jackson, who’d still been sleeping peacefully and ignoring the comm popped awake instantly at the word kidnapping.

“She what?” The words slipped out before he could stop them. “Who kidnaps a counselor’s aide?”

"Commander?" The officer was obviously confused by the new voice.

"Ah," Oz sat up, "what he said - do we have a lead for who or why?"

"Yes, a Cardassian and it looks like because she has been associating with Nico...."

"Crap," Oralia complained. "I'll be there shortly."

Jackson cursed as Oz closed the channel. “A Cardassian? Here? I gotta say I am curious as hell. Want me to sniff around abit down below?”

She looked at him like he'd suddenly gone insane. "No! That isn't safe. Carter and her team will handle it. You just... manage the Nexus, keep your head down."

Jackson merely smiled and nodded. “I am more interested in why that spoon-head is lurking on the station, to be honest. Not that I’m not concerned about Drusilla, mind you.” He sat up and ran a hand through his hair. “You want anything before you go? We do have dumplings in the kitchen.”

"Yeah, that and a shower," she said, heading for the latter.

“Gotcha.” Jackson rose, slipped into a pair of shorts and moved off to the kitchen. He had to admit that, as usual, nothing on 900 was ever boringly normal. If Nico was here, then that was an understatement. He pulled the dumplings out and set them in to warm, still considering. On impulse, he crossed to the terminal and sent a short message to Dae. Once Oz was underway, he would go see the CIO. Just then, the warmer beeped, alerting him the dumplings were ready.

“Oz?” he called out as he strolled back to the kitchen.

A moment later, Oz came into the kitchen, grabbed a dumpling and asked him, "What are you up to today?"

“Keeping my head down?” He grinned in his ‘that is utter bullshit’ way.

"Uh-huh," she grunted around the dumpling. Shaking her head, she kissed his cheek and mumbled, "Best way to keep it on your shoulders." Grabbing another dumpling, she headed out the door.

“I intend to,” he answered as she departed. Once the doors were closed, he hurried off to the shower. It was time to get moving. He also intended to find Nico. It was about time they caught up on old times.

**************

Cmdr. Oralia Zeferino
Jackson Banning V
All In A Day’s Work...Mostly