The Bad News Bears

Posted on Mon Dec 7th, 2015 @ 2:15am by Captain Li Hawke & Jackson Banning V & Marla & Lieutenant Commander Gilroy & Seyla

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: Security/Jackson's Quarters/Seyla's Quarters

* Security Offices *

Lt. Gilroy’s day had started out nicely: Kai had woken him with breakfast in bed, a rare thing, since neither of them really ever had time to do something so romantic. She’d included a single rose in a small bud vase, which had given him an in-road to quote Shakespeare. Quote Shakespeare, he had, right up until Kai had kissed him to make him shut up. That was all part of his plan and their half-eaten breakfast had taken a backseat to a bit of morning delight. They’d both gone off to their respective offices with smiles on their faces and a bounce in their step. Gilroy had brought the rose, bud vase and all, to the office with him.

Gilroy’s smile and bounce had died the moment he’d read the first sentence of Lt. Phoebe Chaelt’s message. The message had been sent to Admiral Wegener, Captain Hawke, Commander Sakkath, Major General John Thompson, Major David Lorenz and him. He was feeling a bit outranked and the topic of the message further killed his good mood: Chaelt had received a transmission from Nico informing her that the team had been attacked and assimilated and Nico was the only survivor.

His own emotions aside, Gilroy did not want to be the one to tell Jackson Banning about his wife’s fate. He opened a commlink to Li Hawke. “Captain Hawke, Lt. Gilroy here. Have you read Lt. Chaelt’s message yet?”

=^= I have and I am just outside your door. =^= was Li’s reply. The doors opened a second later and Li entered in a hurry. “Have you told anyone yet?”

He stood in a hurry. “No, ma’am. You were the first call I made.”

Li waved Gilroy back into his seat, then sat down across from him. “We’ll have to tell Jackson and Drusilla should be warned that Nico’s on his way home. Is there anyone on Bryce’s emergency contact list? What about Dae and Major Smith?”

“Bryce named Six as a contact. As you know, she’s not within contact range. Once Darwin brings her back, I’ll inform her,” he said, thinking that she’d have been a good resource for this situation. He hesitated a moment then said, “We should notify Marla as well. According to Darwin, Dae is involved with her.”

Li nodded. “He is. Long story. Very well, that narrows it down to two. Phoebe can notify Dru.” Li stopped to massage her temple. “We should go see Jackson first. I know Nico will want to go back and take a team with him. Jackson will want to go, Gil.”

“I’ll go with them,” he replied, checking Jackson Banning’s location. He was at home, as expected considering the hour. “Are you aware that Ignatius was with them?” He wondered whether Nico had included Iggy in the “attached and assimilated” part of the group.

“I was not,” she replied. “Oz didn’t mention it before they left. If she was there, we should assume she has been taken too.” Li took a deep breath to try and settle the whirlwind that was her mind. “You should go. I want Sakkath to lead this one and take Major Lorenz as well. That will be five of you. Pick a sixth so you have two even teams.”

“Ignatius stowed away before they left. Oralia told me a few days ago; I haven’t gotten around to telling Jackson or the Cadets.” He winced before continuing, “As to picking a sixth, I will. Jackson is in his quarters; shall we go?”

Li nodded and stood. “I have one other thing for you,” she informed him as they made their way towards the turbolift. “You’ll need to alert your staff before you go. We have an incoming docking request from a group of pirates...excuse me, privateers as they prefer to be called. The Ning’Tao. They will arrive in three days.”

“Pirates?” He frowned. “I’ll make certain Carter is aware of that. Leto - ah, Chaelt, I mean, should make sure Edana knows. Do we know the captain’s name?”

“Isaura Panossian,” she answered. “Also, there’s one of the Fleet’s agents on there. I don’t expect trouble from them but the manifest shows two well-known Cardassians. I expect every kind of trouble from them.” The lift doors opened and she led the way in.

“Isa Panossian?” He grunted, recognizing the name. As Li strode along the hallway, Gilroy stayed at her side, not an easy task since his stride out-distanced hers. At the door to Oralia’s quarters, they stopped and he rang the chime. He was unaware of how irritated he looked, though he was well aware of how tense he was.

Soon the doors opened and Jackson stood there in shorts and a brightly colored shirt. “Well, hello. Two of my favorite people. Come on in, have a seat.” He turned to lead the way back into the living room and dropped back to his spot on the sofa. “What’s up?”

Li glanced at Gilroy, then sat down beside Jackson. “Well, that’s sort of the question of the moment, J. We got a call from Nico that he’s on his way back.”

Glancing at Li then Jackson, Gilroy decided a band-aid approach was best: “Commander Nalas and Oralia went to investigate reports of a Borg cube on an ice planet. They were attacked and assimilated, Jackson. Nico was the only one to escape.”

Jackson started to laugh, to tell Gil that was a good one but something in Li’s eyes told him Gilroy was serious. He’d seen that look before and knew it too well. He blinked then ran his hands through his hair.

“No. No, Nico’s gotta be wrong. Or maybe whoever got the message misunderstood.” He rose and began to pace the living room. “He can straighten this all out when he gets back.”

“Jackson,” Gilroy shook his head slightly, “The message wasn’t misunderstood. We’re pulling a team together to go get them. Sakkath in command, Major Lorenz and I for tactical. Captain,” he addressed Li, “Perhaps we should take a pilot. Warrant Officer Awf? I’ve read reports on his abilities.” He didn’t mention Jackson going, even though he and Li knew he’d insist on going.

Li nodded. “Make it so.” She turned back to Jackson. “I never wanted to have to come tell you something like this Jackson. I always expected it to be you…..telling someone about me.” She rose and crossed to where he paced, taking hold of his arms to stop him. She studied his face for several silent seconds, then nodded. “I know. You will go. I cannot this time.”

Jackson pursed his lips and hugged Li tight. “Damn right I will and I will burn everything to the ground. I have to to get them back here so the Docs can work their magic. They fixed Six, then can fix these, can’t they?” He looked over Li’s shoulder to Gilroy.

“She’ll...,” Gilroy looked at the carpet, “The doctors can remove most Borg implants or camouflage them. She’ll always have nanites in her blood. Also, Jackson, Ignatius was with them. Nico didn’t mention whether she’s safe or on the planet with the others.”

“I see.” Jackson looked down at Li and gripped her shoulders hard. “Then I need to get ready to go. How soon will Nico arrive?”

“Fourteen hours,” she answered.

“Alright. Anything else I should know? Gil?”

“Nothing else that I’m aware of, Jackson,” Gilroy answered. “But let’s make certain that Iggy’s ...spawn... are accounted for on the Station before we go. I need to talk to Ian Bren and find out whether spiders can be put in stasis.” If they couldn’t, then they’d have to discuss what to do about an assimilated Ignatius.

“Sure. I should….aww hell. Does Marla know yet?” Jackson asked.

Li shook her head. “She’s next up, actually. Do you want me to call Jan? Have her come over?”

“She...uhh….yeah, thanks. She can make sure I pack somethin’ useful instead of bein’ so scattered I pack ten socks and only one shirt or somethin’. Thanks.”

“Will do. Call if you need me.” Li turned back to Gil. “Let’s go get this done.”

“Yes Ma’am,” he nodded. Passing Jackson, he briefly put a hand on the man’s shoulder and squeezed lightly. “Weapons, not socks,” he suggested lightly.

“You got it, Gil. Big ones.” Jackson nodded, then watched as they departed.

Out in the corridor, Li picked up the thread of their earlier conversation. “I want those two Cardassians put on the watch list. Names are Drekkar and Jarad. Ring any bells?”

“Both, Captain,” he answered. “I know Isaura,” he admitted and tried not to think of how he knew her. “I’m surprised to hear that Drekkar is with her. Last I knew of that, he was looking to kill her. Jarad was one of the reasons why Drekkar wanted to kill her as slowly as possible. Does their docking request state when they’ll leave?”

“Open-ended. Here for a layover officially. I’ll have Suresh keep his eyes open once the team is back and he’s not losing his mind worrying over Six,” she answered. “I want to check in with his man Patch. He should be good for something. Maybe.”

“If they dock before we leave, I’ll go see Isaura. Maybe she can keep the Cardies in line,” he said, thinking that if she’d managed to keep Drekkar from killing her, Jarad from torturing her, and the two from doing anything untoward with the other, then she could surely keep them out of trouble on the Station. “Plus, I’d just like to see her in case they leave before we get back.” One never knew what sort of schedule pirates kept.

She shot a glance at him, then continued. “Add in two Romulans, one ex-Marine, and an Ocampa. That’s the lot of them.” She had mentioned one Fleet op but she didn’t say which one. “You may be sorry you missed this.”

“Hmm... only because the mission we’re going on isn’t a good one,” he said, glancing at her. “More Romulans, though? They’re more trouble than Cardassians at this point. The Romulan Ambassador forced Xerena’s release; fortunately, we haven’t had any alarms go off because of her. That’s another situation I’ll make sure Carter is up to date on.”

“I am beginning to feel sorry for Ensign Carter,” Li replied. “Deck 15,” she ordered as they entered the lift. “Dae’s quarters,” she explained.

“Don’t worry, she spreads the love around,” he quipped. “She’s good at delegation, one of the reasons why we’ve been grooming her for moments like this. Not that Oz - or any of us - ever really anticipated that all three of us would be off the Station at the same time.”

“That is rather unusual,” Li agreed.

“Computer, reroute the lift,” Gilroy said, giving the deck number for Seyla’s quarters. At Li’s raised brow, he replied, “This time of the morning, Marla and Seyla typically have a management meeting.” When the lift stopped, he led the way to Seyla’s and rang the chime.

The door opened and Bella squealed happily, “Gilly!” She wrapped herself around him and hugged him.

“Bella,” he greeted her awkwardly. “Marla here?”

“Aww... are you here to see her instead of me?” Bella pouted.

“It’s not like that, Bell,” he said, setting her down and entering the quarters.

“This is actually an official visit, Bella,” Li informed her as she stepped in beside Gilroy.

The commotion at the door got the attention of Seyla and Marla who’d been in the bedroom trading gossip. Hearing her name, Marla stepped out and seeing Gilroy and Li looked surprised.

“Sey, we have company,” she called out.

Suddenly alert, Seyla came out of the bedroom, saw Gilroy and Li and frowned, “Is it Darwin? Is he okay? No, you wouldn’t come if he were okay. Oh gods, is Darwin dead?”

Clearing his throat, Gilroy shook his head, “This isn’t about Darwin, Seyla.” He looked toward Marla and continued, “It’s about Dae Nalas.”

Marla was paying attention now. She drifted closer to Li and Gilroy, her hands fluttering nervously. Finally, she gripped them together. “What about Dae? I know he was away on a mission but….” She looked from one to the other, not liking their serious expressions. “What about him? What??”

Li motioned to the sofa. “Perhaps you’d prefer to sit?” She looked to Seyla for a little help.

Seyla had gone to the bar and poured a viscous green liquid into a glass. Li Hawke and Gilroy very rarely ever visited her quarters; their reasons for doing so were never good, which was why she’d thought something had happened to Darwin - particularly since he was missing. “Marl, sit and take a drink,” she handed the glass to Marla and pulled her to the sofa. Bella joined them, sitting on the other side of Marla. Bella wasn’t the smartest, but she was pretty intuitive. With Marla effectively buffered, Seyla looked straight at Li and asked, “What’s happened to Dae? Is he hurt or dead?”

“He isn’t dead,” Li answered. “He has been...injured, and rather seriously. We don’t know the full extent yet but we are sending a team to recover him and the rest.” I didn’t think I should tell her the nature of that mission, she passed to Gilroy.

“Our team leaves in a few hours; we’re confident that we’ll be able to recover Dae and the others,” Gilroy added. Without telling them more about where the team had been, there wasn’t much they could tell Marla.

“Injured,” Marla repeated, her voice dull. With both Gilroy and Li here, she automatically assumed the worst. They’d said he was alive but that could mean anything. “Injured. What happened?” Her voice began to rise. She could sense this was far more serious than Li had said. Now she came off the sofa, grabbing at Gilroy’s shirt. “Tell me!”

“Woah!” Gilroy defended himself by grabbing her arms. “No. Now sit down!”, he ordered in a gruff voice.

Seyla pulled her back to the sofa. “Honey, if they could tell us, they would. Now, shh..., and drink up,” she said.

Marla drained the glass Seyla put in her hand without a thought, her gaze still locked on the two Starfleet officers. “Recover…” Her mind raced, thoughts scattering in panic at the possibility of losing Dae. “But he’s still alive, you said. Please don’t lie to me.”


“He is,” Li assured her. “We have every reason to believe that he will remain so.” Which was true. “Once the recovery team has reached them, they will report back and I promise you I will come and tell you how things are progressing.”

Marla only nodded. The magic green liquid was already dulling her senses, beginning to chase away the panic. “Thank you.”

“Seyla, could I have a word with you?” Gilroy asked and glanced towards her bedroom.

Seyla nearly laughed as she stood, “Of course, Lieutenant. Captain, are you coming with us?”

“Bella?” Li looke to the other young woman. “Stay with her and call if you need us.” She rose and nodded to Seyla.

“Ah... okay.” Slightly crestfallen, Gilroy followed Seyla and Li to the Orion’s bedroom. He rolled his head from one shoulder to the other and rolled his eyes; the pheromones in the room were immediately obvious to him. “I’ll make this quick, otherwise Captain Hawke may end up with a headache. Seyla, a woman named Panossian is bringing her ship here. She’s got two Cardies and two Romulans onboard. I’m going on the team to rescue Dae; Oralia is among the injured as well. Would you mind keeping an eye out for any issues with the Cardies and Romulans?”

That was a lot of information in short order but what held Seyla up the most was the name he’d said, “Panossian? Isaura Panossian is coming here and you think the issues will be with her Cardassians and Romulans?” She shook her head. “Oh, you’ll be glad you’re missing this.”

Gilroy blinked, surprised by Seyla’s reaction. “Ah... well, I’ll be doing something rather more pressing.”

“I’ll inform Suresh as well but until Six is home, he is also occupied by something more pressing.” Li frowned slightly. She had picked up on Gilroy’s surprise. “Something about this woman we should know?”

“No,” Seyla said slowly, measuredly, “Although, you do know that she’s a pirate, right? She’s been flitting about this area of space for years now. Originally, she was here avoiding prosecution back in one of the Fleet’s areas. Alpha or Beta Quadrant, I forget which. From what I understand, she’s gone fairly deep into the DQ.”

“How do you know her?” Gilroy asked.

“Oh, she was on the Station here, before, when the real Suresh was around,” she shrugged casually.

When both Seyla and Gilroy looked at Li, she smiled ruefully. “Oh joy. The more I hear about this, the more I wish I were going with you Gil. Anyhow, Seyla, since Gil and Darwin will both be gone, anything important comes up, call me directly?”

“Sure,” Seyla nodded. “Is there any word on Darwin?”

“We know that they are safe. There’s little beyond that however. Which reminds me, I haven’t had time yet to check on Suresh. Have you seen him?”

“No, though his wife showed up at Saturnalia last night, looking smug. I thought she was in the Brig,” she said, pointedly looking at Gilroy.

“We had to release her till her trial,” Gilroy said.

“Long story,” Li grumbled. “I need to get out of here. No offense, Seyla. I’ll let you all know as soon as we know anything on Dae. If there’s anything I can do, just call.”

“Goodbye,” Seyla waved her fingers at Li and Gilroy, shooing them out of both her bedroom and her quarters. To Marla, she said, “Sweetheart, they’ll bring Dae back. Don’t worry.” She sat with her.

Marla covered a yawn and nodded slowly. “They have to, Sey. I don’t know what I’ll do if they don’t. And...there’s something they are not telling.”

“Yes, there is, but they’ll tell us when they want to, not before. Try not to obsess over it.” Seyla stood, moving about the quarters. Bella watched her, frowning.

“There are times I wish he was in any department but Intel,” Marla admitted, though her words were beginning to slur thanks to Seyla’s green drink. “Something safe would be good....like Jackson. His wife always knows where he is…..”

A laugh echoed from Seyla’s bedroom.

****************
Lt. Gilroy
Captain Li Hawke
Jackson Banning V
Bella
Marla
Seyla