The Game Is Afoot

Posted on Fri Nov 18th, 2011 @ 12:26am by Lieutenant Commander Kh'ali & Commander Patrick Leroy & Commander Oralia Zeferino

Mission: In Our Time of Need
Location: Speaker's Quarters

People were out moving about in the corridors, picking themselves and each other up, talking excitedly as they speculated on what could have happened. Kh'ali had time for none of it. Adrenaline, or what passed for it in the Klingon physique, coursed through her and kept her moving. The sight of her in such a hurry, dressed in a long robe, turned more than a few heads from those curious or as yet unaware she had been found.

Cursing the turbolift for being slower than the return of Kahless, she shoved her hands in her pockets as she waited. A padd was there and she vaguely recalled Ophelia slipping it in as she left. Pulling it out, the scrolled through several messages from Aure'l, various other things that happened while she was being held hostage, and a message from Harrison.

Kh'ali, me Highland lass, when you feel up to it, I was wonderin if we could have a talk. I still love you. Q.

A smile appeared for a moment as she read it, then put the padd back in her pocket. Once she was assured the danger to the Speaker was over, and had a good night's sleep, she would go and see him.

The lift stopped and she was in motion again. On her way, she sent a hurried call to Oz, giving her concerns and her intended destination. Arriving at the guard point to the Speaker's area, she eyed the guard on duty.

"I"m going in."

"You may not pass." The guard promptly answered positioning himself between her and the door, casting an eloquent glance at her robe. "Only high ranking officers, previously announced, may encounter the Speaker. Civilians are not admitted in this sector. I have to ask you to get out at once."

"Oh really?" Kh'ali extended a finger and began to poke the guard in teh chest for emphasis as she spoke. "I happen to be the Chief Diplomat on this station, and one of about three people allowed in his quarters. My name is Kh'ali and you'd better remember that. Now get the hell out of my way. He's in danger!"

She had continued to prod the guard, moving forward, crowding him in order to move him back. Her fight or flight reaction was still in high gear and today, flight was not the direction she was going.


***** Some minutes earlier *****

Thumb watched his pocket timer. As disciplined as he was he had set all timings for each step of the 'procedure'.

"Time enough." He muttered to himself looking at the numbers counting down. He'd put the timer back and checked the disruptor: with a swift move of the finger he'd set it to kill.

Quickly he took passage on a turbolift following a couple of young ensigns.

"I'm sorry dear." He told her raising her chin with a finger. "I've been unable to get my shift changed. The Lieutenant must have something against me."

"Does that mean that you're not coming to see me tonight?" She frowned. "My shift start tomorrow morning... A full thirty-six hours without seeing each other then.." She added holding him tight.

"C'mon, time will fly..." the boy answered holding her as well.

Thumb watched the entire scene, a grin distorting his expression.

I could snuff out their lives with a gesture and they would not even know what happened. An Angel of Death watching them and their pitiful romance, he thought as the hand passed softly over the Inverter. A sense of mightiness overwhelmed him. Dispensing death at leisure... Like a god. He was still smiling when the turbolift stopped and the couple exited.

"I'm near now." He told himself. Again he checked the timer then walked steadily down the corridor. People were all around him still they didn't see him. Thumb wondered for an instant if they could feel a shiver down their spines as he passed on.

***** The Speaker's Quarters *****

Thumb turned around the corner just in time to see the changing of the guards. They seemed so ridiculous with their useless military rituals:

"Protect the Speaker with your own life." The Captain said to the guard now taking over the post as the other dismounted from service.

"Yes Captain. I'll do." The guard saluted snapping to attention.

Thumb watched the Captain walking away with the other soldier as his mind picked up a name from the information memorized from the covert files he'd received at the start of the mission.

This must be Ehr'Raal the Speaker's watchdog... Well he will have something to grieve for in a matter of minutes..

Thumb walked right in front of the standing guard and again felt powerful. He could have taken his life as well as that of the Speaker. He lingered for some instants, his face a mere inch from that of the unaware Divitian.

A soft chiming sound came from his pocket. The bells of death had sounded he thought as he checked once again the timer.

Time to end this matter.

With a swift gait he moved through the doors inside the Speaker's room.

***** The Speaker's Quarters *****

Zee'Hrai was reading intently, scrolling down the informations on the terminal. He'd been eager to receive this last missive. The council had gathered and the Federation Commander had accepted to speak in front of the assembled ministers. Shocking news seemed to have come out from the meeting, nothing that Zee'Hrai couldn't have expected, though, or that could make him feel scandalized.

In the end the meeting had reached a decision...
Zee'Hrai took a sip of his Katavian tea leaning back on the seat. The next page of the report would have revealed him the Council final decision and the consequent destiny, or doom, of his world.

Strangely enough he was in no haste to read the verdict. At this point there was very little he could do, bringing the cup close to his face he deeply inhaled the vapours coming from the tea savouring the strong scent of the herbs.

He reserved this little moment for himself, a fleeting thought lingered for an instant in his mind as he recalled, with relief, the fresh news of Commander Kh'ali rescued from her predicament.

Putting the cup back on the desk his hand moved to the terminal to read the last lines of the report.
It was then that he suddenly felt the strong static filling the air and the eerie sound coming from behind his back.

Slowly, he turned his head... While deep in his heart he knew that the most feared moment had arrived.

The sound of raised voices outside was heard and suddenly the doors slid open. Kh'ali was moving before they opened all the way, a blur of motion. She took in the occupants of the room in a flash and her voice exploded from her.

"Get down, Zee!"

With a growl Thumb turned to face the new threat. Out of instinct he pointed the disruptor and fired. The beam hit the divitian guard who was following the Klingon diplomat. Right in the chest.

"So it seems that I will not be deprived of a little satisfaction after all." Thumb grinned aiming again. With a loud thud Zee'Hrai's hand connected with the assassin's forearm.

The shot went astray scorching the wall right over Kh'ali's head.

"You should have done as the Klingon said, fool!" Thumb roared as his backhand smashed into the Speaker's face sending him in heap against the far wall. "I'll take you first then." He ended leveling the disruptor to the semi-conscious Zee'Hrai.

Kh'ali was much too familiar with what that disruptor could do. With her Klingon battle instincts in high fear, she took no time to think, simply react. Covering Zee would make her a target and render her useless. Instead, she swept up the Speaker's tea mug and dove for Thumb. The heavy mug she brought down on his nose with a savage swing and a primitive growl. The fleeting thought came that this would be a great time for Oz to arrive.

And it was at that moment that Oralia arrived - dashing into the room in a flash of pink and grey cotton and olive skin. Like Kh'ali, she'd bullied her way past the guards outside and had come on the double thanks to Kh'ali's message, which had caught her before she'd even had time to respond to the emergency in Hangar 51, or change into a uniform even. She came in, shouting, "I'll get him!"

Oz's arrival was timed beautifully, though unintentionally: Kh'ali swung and connected with Thumb's nose and, a second later, as Thumb thumbed the control to phase himself away from Kh'ali, Oralia tackled him, causing them both to be phased out of reach.


______
LC Oralia Zeferino
Here to Save the Day!

Lt. Commander Kh'ali
Dressed For Success

Thumb
"Ran Out Of Luck"
Assassin