Reconnecting

Posted on Fri Dec 2nd, 2011 @ 4:08pm by Commander Oralia Zeferino & Captain Li Hawke

Mission: Sections of the Delta Quadrant
Location: Intel Guest Room

Li had escaped Suresh's quarters as quickly as she was able, without arousing either suspicion or Suresh. She had done what she could to settle him down, then left him to business. He had reluctantly let her go, only upon her promise to return the moment he called for her. Now, as the turbolift stopped on Deck 33, she emerged, already pulling off the wig and shaking out her hair. This last brought both sadness and guilt as she recalled Oz's shorn head. If only she'd gotten there faster...if only....

She had seen the long, heavy braid lying on Suresh's dresser and she had considered bringing it back but that would be noticed. There was little to be done about that now, and at least Oz was alive and not on a shuttle headed for the Briori homeworld.

She reached the guest room just down from the offices, spoke to Nenita just outside, then rang the chime.

Inside the room, Oz barely shifted in the bed, but called out, "Enter!" As the door opened, she slowly rolled over and sat up, wincing at the pain from her wounds. She rubbed her eyes before focusing on who was coming in, "Li. Hey, thanks for getting me back."

Li set the wig aside on a table and pulled a chair over to the bed. She looked Oz over, her expression worried. "I've sent Nita down to get Paddy to Sickbay so Connor will know you're home safe. How are you feeling?"

"Bald." Oz half-frowned, half-smirked at Li. "Tell me that I'll have evidence against him, that we can prosecute this."

"I don't know, long-term. I can just about guarantee that the goons won't be available and if they are, they will do anything but rat him out. You'll have plenty to hold him a few days to inconvenience him though, and enough time to get you to safety before he is released."

Enough time to scalp him in return, Oz thought. "Get me to safety? I'm not leaving the 'base. This is my home, this is where Connor is," she shook her head cautiously and sat back on the bed.

Li smiled. "Not my problem if the Brig has instituted such methods to assure cleanliness," Li commented in answer to Oz's thought. "He deserves it and it will depress the hell out of him. And give me a rest, too." Li paused briefly, before delivering her next bit of news. "You've been taken back Oz. Once he is released, you don't think he will be looking? This is serious business. I'm working on changing his mind, but it will take a little time. Till then, I want you out of his reach. And I know just how to do it so you are, but not too far away."

Her jaw set stubbornly. "Catching me off guard with a phaser set for a wide beam stun was a chance occurrence. In the future, ...," she had an idea for how to prevent it in the future, but for now shoved the idea aside. "It won't happen again. His goons were lucky not smart. As for putting me out of his reach? That sounds like you're shipping me off somewhere." Her anger was starting to show in her voice, "And I'm the chief of security! I'm not running away from this!"

"You are but I don't want to take chances with this. He has a long reach, and until he's not interested, I don't want to take any chances. Leave Chase and Gilroy to worry about things, he doesn't want them. Besides, as the Chief, you will be needed as protection for the Admiral down on Archadia III." Li paused to let that sink in.

Her fingers grazed her hairline. "Protecting the Admiral? Iggy's bad influence or your dad?"

"My dad, yes. It's standard procedure when the big boys travel. And this way, it's no more than a beam down. Connor can go down when he is off duty."

Oralia just stared at Li for a moment, part of her wondering whether Connor would simply relieve her of duty to prevent her from going with the Admiral. She diverted her attention, "Too bad Iggy can't do the same."

"Have him bring her down when he comes?" Li smiled, glad to have Oz's attention already shifting from the present circumstances. For once she was glad Oz was not a telepath and couldn't pick the conversation she'd had with Suresh out of her head. "Might be interesting at that."

"Not sure it'd be a good idea to take Iggy so far from the crystal," Oz touched her scalp in a move that would become a habit over the next few days; the fingers of one hand gingerly touched a cut from the clippers. "Was Suresh the one that had Connor attacked?"

"No. So far, nothing's come up about that. Not really his style, either. If Connor was a problem, he'd just make him disappear. Doctors are worth a fortune to him." Li watched as Oz rubbed her patchy scalp, the guilt pricking at her again.

Looking up and reading Li's expression, Oralia scoffed lightly. "Don't feel bad; Nenita tells me I can pretend I'm Deltan. Besides, a lot worse could have happened and it will grow back." She didn't think it necessary to expound on what would have been worse.

"I just wish I'd gotten there sooner, but Lazan sent word as quick as he could." She grinned. "I remember when Nita was on assignment as a Deltan. That woman doesn't know the meaning of a celibacy vow."

Oz's grin was small and lop-sided. "I'll take your word on that. Has Connor been told? What about Chase or Gilroy and Darwin? I'll need to talk with them as soon as possible, get them on the ball for going down and arresting Suresh, preferably before he disposes of Frick and Frack."

"Nenita just went down to take Patrick to Sickbay to get checked over and give Connor the good news. You can call Gilroy from here and give him directions. I'm sure he will be glad to hear from you. Suresh is in business mode, so what distraction I could offer was limited. Is there anything I can get for you before Connor comes up?" Li fully intended to make herself scarce when he did so they would have some privacy.

"Any news on how my assistant handled all of this?" Oralia had found him to be... annoying during the search for Kh'ali. Beyond that, he'd been 'correct' in his procedural knowledge but... there was something she couldn't put her finger on there.

"I don't know." Li shrugged. "I've not seen much of him to be honest. Are you sending them down to get Suresh?"

Oz nodded, looking at her hands. "I'll send Gil and Dar with their teams. Hopefully it won't be a Waco siege," she grumbled, referencing the disastrous siege of a criminal/pseudo-religious cult's ranch in the twenty-first century. That siege had lasted fifty days and resulted in the deaths of 76 people, including twenty children.

"I'll let Lazan know so he can get out of sight. He's the one who carried you out - one of mine." She patted Oz's hand. "I'll be waiting to hear from Gilroy then, once it's done."

Oz caught Li's hand and she looked up at her. "I'll let him know, Li. And... thanks."

"It's what we do." Li smiled. "Besides, your men pick him up, it gives me a bit of a break, and I need to go find my husband. You get some rest, and we'll get Connor up here when he arrives."

"Okay," Oz smiled and nodded. "I'll be right here."

"Nick is on duty, so if you need anything call." Li stood and after one more glance at Oz, departed, taking the red wig with her.


* * *

Alone again, Oz went to the console in the room, draped a towel over it and asked the computer, "Locate Lieutenant Gilroy. If he is alone, open a secure channel." She voiced her security code and waited while the computer did its thing.

"OZ!" Gilroy's excitedly loud shout came across the commlink, "Where are you!?"

"I'm safe, shh. You can stop shouting, Gil," she answered him. "Hawke and her team extracted me. Really, I'm fine. Just waiting on a doctor to come clean me up."

"Connor? He's been notified?" She could hear the note of concern in his voice.

"Hawke tells me that one of hers went to inform him, the better to keep things relatively quiet."

"Quiet? What's going on, Oz?"

"The guy who ordered me abducted, remember talking about him?"

"Yeah, BlueFish," Gilroy repeated the code name they'd attached to Suresh.

"He's still after me. Go pick him up. Take Darwin and your teams, pick wisely."

"What about Chase?"

"What about him?", Oralia asked, her tone saying more than her words.

Gilroy got the message, "It'll be done, Commander."

"Let Hawke know when it's done. And Gil...? Would you do a favor?"

"Name it."

"Implement Brig Procedures for lice infestation. Braid his hair and leave it on my desk. Make sure he knows it was by my order."

"Yes, Ma'am," came Gilroy's curt response. This was why Oralia liked him so much: she could ask for something like that and he'd make sure it was done, without asking questions. "Darwin will want in on that, too," he added.

"Thanks. I'll see you soon, Gil," she found herself yawning and then shivering as she closed the commlink. Impulsively, she reopened the commlink, this time to Connor. "Connor? I need you," she said. The conversation was brief and, rubbing her arms, she headed back to the bed.

__________________________

Lieutenant Commander Li Hawke

Lieutenant Commander Oralia Zeferino

Lieutenant Gilroy