Surprise!

Posted on Sun Jan 31st, 2016 @ 12:30am by Lieutenant Commander Leto & Lieutenant Seren Hawke & Ensign Six of Ten & Vic & Lieutenant Commander Michael Darwin & Lieutenant JG Phoebe Chaelt
Edited on on Sat Feb 6th, 2016 @ 12:54pm

Mission: Further Challenges

* Intel *

“They are on their way up now.” Phoebe stopped at the office door and crossed her arms. “And no, I didn’t tell Vic all of it.”

Leto nodded. “I’ll handle it. It’s getting better.”

“Good,” Phoebe answered. “Sadly, personal lives always seem to be difficult for those of us in this field, and not always because of clearances. We just seem to attract….weirdness.”

Leto smiled. “That seems to include you now too...and a certain semi-pirate.”

“My point is proven,” Phoebe answered. “Edana seems to be the only one of us approaching normal. Normal is, however, relative.” Phoebe laughed.

Leto scoffed, “Ed? She's ‘dating’ Darwin. That's nowhere near normal, Phebes.”

A man approached from behind Phoebe and swept her into a hug. “Long time no see, Red.”

“Seren!” She hugged him back tightly, then stepped back to look him over. Finally satisfied, she nodded. “You look wonderful as always. You find the fountain of youth on the Devore homeworld or what?”

“No, no fountain, just a lotta drugs. I am so glad to be back here,” Seren admitted. “Well, I’ve been up here before but I heard you were frolicking on an Archadian beach with a pirate.”

“A pirate who does odd jobs for us, you know.” Phoebe nudged him in the arm. “Have a seat, Vic and Six will be here in a few.”

“Good, I’ve been looking forward to meeting her.” Seren settled in a chair and grinned at Leto. “Can I be done in time to get in a dinner jacket and tie? The XO has ordered me to appear at the Nexus. You and Nick should come too.”

Leto laughed in response. “I already got the message, so yes we are. This shouldn’t take long, it’s just a quick get-together before they leave tomorrow.”

“Who is leaving tomorrow?” A certain Nexus bartender-now-part-owner entered the office.

“Hi Vic,” Leto greeted him, but didn’t answer the question. “Have a seat.”

“Vic. How’s tricks?” Seren asked.

“Seren! Good to see you,” Vic smiled. “Things are good here.” He didn’t repeat his question: it was the way of Intel.

“We’re almost ready.” Leto glanced at Phoebe, who nodded and slipped back out the door. “We’re just waiting on Six and we can get started.”

“Okay, now I have to ask: what are we starting? I’m feeling really out of the loop here, Phoebe,” Vic complained.

“Catch him up, Seren,” Leto ordered. “I’m getting coffee.”

She left her office and Seren began the story of his and Aros’ time among the Devore, Leto and Eldren’s rescue, and the story of the sphere. “Science has it now and is figuring out how it works and how to dismantle it if need be. The Krenim want it back, as do the Devore. It seems the rest of us don’t want that to happen.”

“Oh. We’re playing keep away. Fun. We are aware how big our opponents are and that this might not be any fun?”

“Exactly but we’re far from alone,” Seren answered. “But yes, it could get interesting.”

Leto returned and sat behind the desk. Six followed her in.

“Hi everyone.” Six flashed a smile to Leto and Vic, then looked over to Seren. “Hello. You’re Seren, yes? I am Six of Ten. I’m glad to meet you finally.”

Seren rose to shake her hand. “And I you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Dismay settled on Six’s face at that. “I’m not so sure that is a good thing.”

“Of course it is. Other than Seven of Nine, you’re a rarity and the first to get through the Academy.”

“Well then, thank you.” Six took a seat. “How are you Vic?”

“I’m good. Though I’m wondering what the heck we’re doing here. Especially you.” He didn’t mean it unkindly, but she was on ‘assignment’ in the Pit. It was unlikely she’d be pulled into this sphere business.

Leto was silent as she watched their interaction. Finally she spoke. “Six is the reason all of you are here. Now then, given that you’re all up to date on this sphere situation, we can proceed. We don’t know as yet who may be coming after it or if they are. However, we don’t want to be caught unprepared. Captain Hawke has ordered a scout vessel to patrol the area between our space and that of the Devore and the Krenim. If anyone decides to look our way, or come, we’ll know well ahead of time. You three are going, along with Ensign Madhava and Lt. Heyerdahl from engineering, Lt. Commander N’Riss who will be flying, and Ensign Carter from Security who will oversee this trip. You’ll be covering tactical Vic. Any questions so far?”

Vic’s first thought was: Jan’s going to kill me. “Why is Six going? This could damage her cover in the Pit.”

“It might if anyone knew she was going on a Fleet ship. You’ll be taking the Korenna. Given it’s now basically a Borg ship, Six is needed to oversee the technical side of things. That’s why we have two engineers going too. This will be an out of uniform, apparently civilian/pirate ship cruising the area,” Leto answered. “Besides, Suresh’s women have gone out of sight for brief periods before, then returned. No one will question it if they have any sense.”

“Have you had a chance to see the ship yet Vic?” Six asked.

“No,” Vic said, somewhat speechless. “The Korenna? Niro’s ship?” He looked at Six. “This’ll be interesting. And it has Borg tech that you implanted there. No wonder you’re going. When do we leave?”

“Tomorrow. Meet here at 0800 and we’ll transport you directly to that secure dock. The ship’s been out of sight since Six, Darwin, Julisa and Niro returned from 2360.” Leto looked now at Seren. “I’ve requested that Aros accompany this team since he’s familiar with the area. I’ve already briefed him but he is staying at the Leroy’s quarters tonight since Patrick and Kh’ali are both tied up.”

Seren nodded. “Good call.”

“One last detail. Given Niro’s reputation, and the fact that his ship is likely known in that area, the Korenna’s appearance isn’t the only thing that has changed. We’ve arranged for a name change as well. It’s a slight alteration...to Kohana. We want no previous associations with this ship at all. Now are there any questions Vic?”

Slowly, he shook his head, thinking that he must have pissed someone off to be put on a ship with Six and Reva on such short notice. “I have no questions,” he said.

“I know this is an imposition for Jan but Eli can help her out till you and Jackson get back.” Leto locked up the control panel on her desk, then stood. “Seren, I’ll see you in an hour at the Nexus. I need to get home and change.”

“Aye sir.” Seren rose as well. “Right behind you.” He followed Leto out of the office, leaving Six and Vic.

Six turned to Vic. She hesitated a moment, then spoke. “Come with me?” The words had not come out as she had intended. She blinked back at Vic.

He understood she meant now. “Sure. Lead on, though I do need to get to the Nexus. I’m working tonight; it looks like I’ll be going all night and sleeping on the ship tomorrow.” He stood.

Six nodded. “We won’t be too long. I need to get home too and take care of a few things before we go.” Like soothing the savage beast, she thought.

“Yeah, I bet Suresh is thrilled with this.” Vic paused and added, “And Riley. Those two just got engaged.” They left Leto’s office and Vic followed Six. “Are we off to see the newly dubbed Kohana?”

“We are.”

* SS Kohana *

Phoebe had transported them straight from Intel to the secure dock where the ship was housed. Six had asked specifically to arrive outside as she wanted Vic to get the exterior view first. Looking at it now, she felt anxiety squeeze her in a rough grip. This ship had been so very close to taking her away from 900, with Niro, for good. She simply stood, staring up at it.

Vic, too, stood staring at the ship. He hadn’t ever seen it before, but he recognized the green gleam of Borg technology on the ship’s weaponry and shielding. He glanced at Six and had a moment of concern, “Hey, you okay? Is this something you can do?”

“I have to,” she answered quietly. “He intended to drop Darwin and Julisa and take off with me,” she said, still in that same small voice. “I had to convert the ship or we wouldn’t have gotten home at all. It was too damaged. I had no choice.”

“It’s okay, Six. We know why you altered the ship, and that doing so saved you, Darwin and Julisa. I’m asking whether you can handle being on this ship, away from Suresh, possibly getting attacked by people who will kill us if they can,” he said, perhaps a little harsher than he intended.

“I’ve been through worse,” she replied. “It’s not the fear of being away from Suresh, or the danger. Well, the danger from external forces. The real danger lies there. Being surrounded once more by the tech.” She thought a moment, then nodded. “As a reformed alcoholic would feel sitting in your bar.”

“Reva and Janus are good engineers; they can do this without you. Perhaps not as easily, but they can work with Borg tech,” he said, worried about her.

“No,they’ll need me. If there is serious damage, I’m the source for quick repairs.” She pulled her gaze from the ship and looked up at Vic. “I went to see Niro two days ago. I was so angry I threatened to enter his cell and assimilate him. I don’t think I would have, but at the time, I wanted to. Maybe getting away for a few days will be a good thing.”

“Ah... a few days?” He frowned. “We’re going to be gone longer than that, Six.” Vic had been on ops like this before - they rarely ever lasted just a few days.

“Perhaps so, and the temptation will be removed. It will be good for Reva too. You should have seen the look on her face when he spoke to her. I wanted to kill him right then and there.” She sighed and managed a smile. “Will Des be okay while you are gone?”

“I’m sure she will be; she doesn’t depend upon me for anything. And she’s working at the Nexus now, so she has something to keep her busy. Hell, I should be the one worried about her: that she’ll get her head turned by one of our patrons.” He strolled towards the ship’s bow, looking up at the hull. He laughed, “Look at that, Six, the engineers painted a flower beside her new name, Kohana.”

Six finally laughed. “I like it. Come back here Vic.” She held out her left hand and reached up with her right, adjusting the hardware by her eye. “The ship is within a shield so the tech doesn’t attract attention of passing scanners.”

He walked back to her side. “Yeah, it would be hard to explain a ship like this. Are we going inside or saving that for tomorrow?”

“Inside.” She took his hand and then they stepped forward a few paces, passing through a force field. She smiled and let go of his hand. “Just like that.” Now she approached the main hatch and pressed her palm to a green-glowing panel. The hatch slowly hissed open.

Vic let her precede him into the interior. Once inside, moving along the corridor, he asked, “Has the tech continued to grow and make adjustments?” He eyed several black tubes that snaked along the corridor’s ceiling. “Have you talked to the engineers about this yet?”

“They’ve been monitoring it and it seems to be holding steady. The nanites have, so far, not exceeded my original instructions.” They walked along the main corridor and finally entered the bridge. The main lights were down but the green glow of the panels bathed the area in dim light and shadows. “These panels were among the last to generate,” she informed Vic.

He went to one of the consoles and touched the screen. It came to life but when he pressed a button, it brought up a screen emblazoned with “Unauthorized Access”. “Looks like we’ll need Phoebe to give some of us access. Either her or you.” He looked Six over. “This will be interesting; a definite break from Station life.”

“It will be. I’m glad you’ll be along, though I didn’t know they were sending you.” She debated at this point whether to tell Suresh that bit of news or not. Belatedly she realized Vic might pick that up as she approached the panel. Tapping the controls, she then placed Vic’s hand to the screen. It was scanned, then the panel beeped. “All set.”

“Thanks. Does Suresh need to know? Though, he’ll likely figure it out when he discovers I’m away from the Nexus. Jan will make sure most folks believe I’m on a buying trip, but Suresh will know better. Probably better to tell him now rather than let him figure it out while we’re gone.”

“Yeah. No offense Vic, but he is still rather uncertain about you. And you’re right. If he’s not told and finds out after we leave, he will wonder why I didn’t mention it. Want to see the rest?”

“Yeah, let’s go claim the best bunks,” he grinned.

They took the lift down a level and Six led him along a corridor filled with doors. The first one they opened was large and within it the sitting room was in a bit of disarray. Six hesitated once more, then made herself step through. “Niro’s quarters.” She bent down to pick up a sofa cushion and tossed it back to the sofa. Other bits of decor were scattered about the floor as well. She led him on through to the large bedroom but did not go in. The closet was open and inside they could see a few slinky dresses hanging.

Vic didn’t have the associations Six did; he walked past her into the bedroom. He pulled on the skirt of one of the dresses and commented, “I’ve seen this on Reva. These are the Captain’s Quarters: Carter gets the dubious honor of taking this room. Are there enough quarters that everyone gets a private one or are we doubling up?”

“Enough if Reva and I double up,” she answered. “Take those dresses and put them in the recycler please?” Six looked around the room once more and withdrew. The memory Niro had implanted still lingered….the fake reminiscence of a night spent in these quarters that never happened. “Look around if you want, I have to get out of here.”

“Nah, I’m good. Carter can toss the dresses, let’s go,” he walked out with her and they went down the hall to another set of quarters. “Woo... too bad Engineering hasn’t cleaned this place out.”

“Most of this stuff got tossed around when we crash landed,” she replied. “We didn’t really use many of the quarters since we weren’t on the ship that much going or coming back. We can have Phoebe nudge them to run through and straighten things up.” They returned to the lift and went down one more level to engineering. “Better prepare yourself,” she said before the doors opened.

“Engineering will have more than twelve hours to clean those quarters; more than enough time.” As the doors opened, he looked at Six, “What? Why?” Then he knew: down here, the signs of Borg tech were everywhere. “Holy... is that an alcove?” he stared at a niche in the hardware.

“Yes, for me. I ran into a problem while we were at the resistance camp.” She led the way deeper into engineering. “Nowhere to regenerate and I was running low on power. I had to siphon it off from the engines. It was rough. I had my alcove delivered here this morning. Haven’t you seen one before?”

“Yeah. I just thought that, maybe, the nanites had built it to... you know, assimilate someone.” He shrugged to hide a shudder. “Reva will get a kick out of all of this.”

“She’s beyond thrilled.” Now Six’s smile was bright and genuine. “She can’t wait to get here. We’ll have plenty of time for her and Janus to go over everything on the way to Krenim space. Same for you and the weapons systems. Seen enough?”

“Yeah, I have.” He was ready to get back to the normal tech of the Station. “Let’s get to our loved ones and prepare for tomorrow.” Impulsively, he pulled her close and hugged her. “We’ll be together in this.”

“I’m glad.” She hugged him tight but was careful not to crush his ribs. “Very glad.” I’ve missed talking to you.

“We’ll have plenty of time for that,” he laughed. “Patrols are often more about boredom and finding ways to fill the time than they are about actually spotting the enemy.”

Six nodded. “I should get home and uh….you know. Break the news.”

“And I need to get to work.” They parted and headed off the ship. “See you tomorrow morning.”

**************
Lt. Phoebe Chaelt
Lt. Leto
Seren Hawke
Vic
Ensign Six Of Ten