By TC Blane
80704.21
Following The Drawing Board
Soundtrack: Die Hard the Hunter – Def Leppard
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-=USS Alchemy (in her bay aboard the Serendipity)=-
80704.21
Following The Drawing Board
Soundtrack: Die Hard the Hunter – Def Leppard
------------------------------
-=USS Alchemy (in her bay aboard the Serendipity)=-
TC sat on the bridge of the Alchemy as he worked with the rest of the crew to prepare the ship for departure. He worked in a steady silence. The current situation was unnerving to him.
He moved to the tactical station and began to update the star-charts as well as the current weapons stores. He did not like having the captain out from under his protective eye, especially not now. Things were still in flux for her, and TC was not entirely convinced that she was unaffected by her recent ordeal.
Once the chart had been updated he made his way to the operations console. He began the process of changing the access and command codes. He hit the command buttons with an unusual violence. Avery, that was the other issue that got under his skin. The man was a traitor. He betrayed the captain's and the crew's trust; he had returned to the Maquis.
The computer accepted the changes with a beep but TC did not move, he looked at the monitor but his thoughts were elsewhere. TC believed in loyalty, earned loyalty above all other kinds. Avery had broken that sacred bond, and for no good reason that TC could see. The captain should have earned his loyalty but the man had shunned that. More than that he now posed a real and credible threat to The Alchemy Project and those involved with it.
Starfleet's answer was to put the project on hiatus. Allow the crew some time off and to hide the project for a time until they could determine how much damage Avery could do or had done. As far as TC was concerned all they were doing was giving the man a head start.
That was not acceptable.
"Commander?" Salvek's voice roused him from his thoughts.
TC blinked. "Yes sir?"
"The next step is to acknowledge the command code changes." He nodded to the beeping panel. "I am growing weary of listening to the beeping."
TC quickly hit the acknowledge key. "Sorry sir."
He nodded to Salvek as he turned to leave.
"Something on your mind Commander Blane?" Salvek asked.
TC stopped but did not turn around. "Several things, sir, several things."
He stepped into the lift.
=^= Personal Quarters of TC Blane =^=
He sat in silence staring at the Starfleet symbol slowly rotating on the monitor at his desk. A small duffel sat near his feet with a assortment of personal items that he would be taking to his quarters on the Alchemy.
He drummed his fingers on the desk top with obvious impatience. Then as if in answer the screen changed a flashing 'secure connection enabled' message then to the face of a man who looked as if he had been woken from a deep sleep.
[What! What! Do you want?] The man moaned into the screen as he rubbed his eyes.
TC sat forward closer to the screen. "Wake up you old, tired, worn out excuse for a solider."
The man frowned and leaned in closer to the screen. [No. It can't be. I know that voice.] He leaned forward. [Triton! I'll be it is you.] He smiled. [I thought you were dead!]
"Your luck is not that good Tymon."
[Ha! I suppose you are right.] He squinted. [Hey what gives with the uniform? Gone respectable have you?] He rubbed his bald head and turned on a light. As he did the ridges on his nose became visible as well as the Bajorian earring he wore.
TC smiled. "Don't give me that. You always suspected I was Starfleet."
There was a pause as the man stared at TC. [Yeah, I did.] There was another pause. [Your name probably is not Triton either.] TC nodded. Tymon laughed. [So what do you want?]
TC leaned in closer to the screen. "I'm calling in a marker. I need a favor."
Commander TC Blane
Second Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
Second Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012