An Orientation Of A Different Sort

Posted on Mon Oct 31st, 2011 @ 9:44am by Captain Li Hawke & Lieutenant Commander Leto & Major Patrick Smith

Mission: In Our Time of Need
Location: Lower Decks

Li entered the Intel offices to find Nenita finishing up a report to Admiral Wegener on the past few days' events. She looked far from ordinary, as today she was giving Patrick Smith a little tour of some areas of the station he'd not seen as yet. This required a very different look and so she now sported red hair that fell well past her shoulders, violet eyes, and an outfit that revealed more skin than it covered. If one was not looking close, she could have passed right by without her friends noticing.

Except for Nenita. Li's appearance, changed as it was, didn't even phase the other woman who'd seen it before.

"Going out 'socializing' I see?" Nenita grinned at her as she laid the padd aside.

"I am. I'm hoping to scare up something on the dead Enaran and this plot. And since I'm going down below, I thought it would be a good time to take Patrick out to see some of our contacts. I told him to dress casual and he'd be fine. They don't know his face yet."

"Casual?" That apparently amused Nenita. "Wait till he gets a load of you. People are going to wonder who his new 'friend' is." The very thought of it made Nenita laugh merrily. "May be good for his reputation."

Li grumbled. "Go figure. People see a man with a woman who he could've paid fifty credits for and it makes them manly. I go to dinner with a friend and it's a scandal."

"Such is life, kiddo." Nenita reached over to pat her hand. "Good luck on your outing, you get in a hot spot, call."

"Thanks, I will." Behind them the doors to Intel whooshed open. Patrick had arrived.

Patrick was a little more dressed up than he preferred, after all he had turned up to the Nexus in a full length flight suit tied around his waist. Now however he was dressed down from the new fleet uniform in a casual number. "Ah excellent Nenita just the person! Jim Holbridge up in Strat Op's wants anything we have on the situation with the Divitian homeworld. Not quite sure what he plans but it must have something to do with our missing friend."

Nenita raised an eyebrow at the request. "Mr. Holbridge needs to check with his staff as both his department and Security have regular updates from our side. All we do is dig, it's up to Oz to run this show." She shrugged as she looked him over. "Not bad. What do you think Li?"

"Yea send him the real stuff," he replied with a wink. Turning now to Li hoping he hadn't made her feel left out, just ignoring her momentarily, "Soo, we all set to go? And when will I be back more importantly." He had a sneaky suspicion that this trip might take a while.

"It may be a while." She smiled and nodded to Nenita. "Agreed. A few things to remember down there. No names, those we'll meet know better than to ask. They have no idea I'm a telepath, thus the eye color change to keep that to myself. They may wonder who you are, so just follow my lead." She hopped off the edge of Nenita's desk as the other woman chuckled at Li's last comment. "Ready when you are."

Nenita waved them away. "Go have fun, I'll be here for a while longer, just in case." She watched as they turned to go, as usual checking out Patrick before returning her attention to her monitor screen.

"Sounds like a plan to me. Lead the way." The two left intel the doors swooshing closed behind them. "So you hoping this trip will shed some light on what is happening here?"

"Yes. I know a few people who will talk to me. It's taken a long time to become 'one of them' so to speak, and to be trusted. At least the me they think I am. And part of it is to get you known down there as well." They passed a few people moving about the corridor, several of whom gave Patrick long, curious glances. Li winked at one of them who commented that it was a little early in the day for that, and they continued on. "Speaking of one of them, or in this case us...you are one of us now, not the Marines anymore. Welcome to the Spooks. You get my drift?"

"Hopefully they won't have trouble trusting me as well, and I get your drift. Darting between the shadows and the cloak and dagger that kind of thing," he joked. "In all seriousness though. I know what it takes. Do you think that they will have heard something?"

She let out a slow breath and shrugged. "It's worth a shot. Something has to give somewhere and I hope that putting pressure on several fronts will ultimately force that to happen. The longer it takes, the more danger Kh'ali faces. She has to be here but it's like trying to catch hold of a dream after waking - here but not here." She frowned a moment as the thought of her own dreams rose in her mind, dreams that were actually here.

Patrick caught the frown on her face but decided not to ask. "I'm sure Jim will manage to get something from our recon run around the base. The cogs were turning there. Generally if you hit a bush enough something is bound to fall so I think we will get something from it."


"Let's hope. In the meantime, maybe we'll get something on this plot aimed at the Speaker." The turbolift they'd entered finally stopped descending and the door opened. Before them stretched a corridor with several others branching off from it. At the far end, the corridor took a turn to the left and voices could be heard from that direction, the talk loud and boisterous. Li looked up at Patrick, her expression settled, giving away nothing. "Ready?"

Patrick looked around and raised an eyebrow, "It'd be pretty useless if I wasn't." He held his hand out to indicate for Li to go ahead, "After you."

********

Lt. Commander Li Hawke & Lt. Patrick Smith
Down Under

Lt.(jg) Nenita Quigley
On Top As Usual