90328.20
After Behind Schedule
-=USS Serendipity=-
Keiran smiled at Blane, as the two parted ways for the time being. Indeed Dane had somehow managed to complete his task without much more fanfare than a broken nose.
Luckily for Dane it was his nose that was broken, and not the bed; his fate would have been much worse in the end.
Once Blane was out of sight the smile on Keiran’s face faded away. Something was on his mind, and it had been gnawing at him since he talked to Liis in the field in Ireland.
Tucker Brody.
They had come so far, and the more he thought about it, the more it angered him that after finally putting together their lives and home with everyone’s blessing, this one man would suddenly become a thorn in her side for no apparent reason.
He did, as he intended, plan on checking the progress in their quarters. But first, a stop to send a message.
Keiran made sure no one saw him, as he entered an empty room with a computer terminal. The lights were off, so as he turned the screen towards him, only its pale light illuminated his face.
“Computer, disable all security scanners in this room, and open a secure channel to Temporal Investigations on Earth, office of Paul Andrews.”
^Level five clearance required.^
Keiran typed in a long code, reserved specifically for communiqués with TI. The computer beeped, and he was connected to the Head of Security for the agency.
Andrews still appeared lean and muscular, despite the fact that his advancing years was claiming the hair on the crown of his head.
He recognized Keiran immediately, for he had known the man for years. Though the fact of the matter was that Andrews recognized anyone he had seen at least once; Paul’s photographic memory was borderline disturbing and suited him perfectly for his position.
[Commander O’Sullivan? This is unexpected.]
Andrews was also not the sort of man who enjoyed surprises.
Many of Keiran’s colleagues still called him Captain out of respect for his former position, but Andrews knew he was a Commander now, and his former rank was meaningless to Paul. That was just the way he did things.
“Unexpected but not unimportant Commander Andrews.”
[I am listening.]
“I need ya ta do somethin’ for me. I need you to keep an eye on Tucker Brody.”
Andrews crossed his arms over his chest, and waited for Keiran to continue. He took his position very seriously and if Keiran wanted him to monitor one of their own, he was going to need a damn good reason for it.
“I have reason to believe that Brody may pose a threat to Captain Zanh.”
[Stop right there, O'Sullivan. You cannot expect me to run a tail on every single person down here that you think may pose a threat to your new wife. If you have something on Brody, I suggest you present it now.]
Keiran leaned closer to the screen. “She believes the man has it in for her, for some reason. I intend to find out why, with your help.”
[I’m sorry but I cannot authorize any sort of action without just cause.]
“Oh, but ya can, ‘cause I’m givin’ it to ya. I am Security Liaison to The Alchemy Project, and as such, if ya check yer manual, I’m entitled to use any and all TI resources available to me to neutralize any sort of threat to the Project.”
Truth be told Keiran was infinitely more concerned with Liis’ well being then that of the Project, but if using Salvek and Kellyn’s prototype as an excuse to get Brody under control was what it took to protect Liis, then he was more than willing to do just that.
“Captain Zanh is charged with overseein’ the well bein’ of the Project, so an’a’thin' that happens to her directly impacts the potential success of the Project. I’m sure director Lindsay and Admiral Lassiter would agree, but you should be able to come to that conclusion all on your own.”
Andrews sat silent for a moment, as he reviewed the codebooks in his mind. He had no need of recalling them on the computer, as he had already committed ever line to memory.
[Your position does give you such power. I will grant your request.]
“I thought ya would. Now, Paul, I want everythin’ watched. If the man so much as orders a ham sandwich instead of turkey for lunch, I want ta know about it.”
[I understand. Maybe you can help clarify one thing for me however.]
“What’s that?”
[Why me, Commander O’Sullivan? You could have brought this matter directly to Admiral Lassiter or Director Lindsay, and they surely would have approved your request immediately. Your relationship with both of them is well documented.]
Andrews’ last comment was a warning as much as it was a statement of fact. He was not opposed to keeping detailed records of any information he came across, whether the person in question was under investigation or not.
“I don’t see an’a' reason to involve them, do you? As ya said our relationship is well documented. Don’t ya think Brody would be smart enough to mind himself around those two, knowing how close they are to myself and Captain Zanh?”
[I’ll be in touch.] Andrews closed the channel without further fanfare. He never was one for goodbyes.
“Computer, erase all records of the previous transmission.”
^Erasure complete.^
Keiran left the room and proceeded back to their quarters- now officially known as the Captain’s Quarters.
He knew Liis would be done checking on Reece soon, and would be working her way back here.
With the nasty business with Brody done, at least for now, he was feeling in a much better mood, and anxious for her to come home.
Despite the fact Keiran himself had seen and approved all the plans for their quarters, it still took him aback to see them for the first time complete.
Sketches on PADDs couldn’t do justice to the real thing.
What was normally the bedroom in these quarters was converted to a den for her, where she could sit and write either at the computer, or on the parchment he had supplied if she wished to write by hand.
He left the walls mostly bare, with the intent that she could decorate the space as she pleased. Clocks. Artwork. Whatever her heart desired. As long as she was comfortable there, that was all he needed.
To make sure he added his own personal touch, there were two items on the desk. To the left side, a small model of the Sera sat. On the right, he placed a small, replicated Trembling Poplar.
It was positioned as such that every time one of them would walk in or out of the room, the tiny leaves would shake, recreating the sound of the tree.
The true focal point was not the den, however.
At the far end of their quarters, Keiran had specified placement of a perfectly recreated, all be it on a smaller scale, spiral staircase; like the one in their home in Ireland. It led up through the ceiling to the deck above where their new loft bedroom was located, along with the bed he had built himself and that Blane, Cristiane and company had so carefully installed here.
The bed and other bedroom furniture had been set a ways back into the loft..
A waist-high railing with polished brass fixtures went from the top of the stairs and spanned the space across to the opposite wall, and he could already imagine Liis standing there, looking down over the rest of their home aboard ship, and smiling at him.
The desired effect was achieved, to give her the same open, airy feeling of their home in Ireland, though they were living within the confines of a starship.
Off the bedroom was the master bathroom, with a large tub and hot and cold running water. Every detail was perfect, right down to the name Liis stitched in green on the hand towel hanging next to the sink.
Above the bed and stretching from wall to wall was a long panoramic lithograph of the Perseids, as seen from Earth.
He adjusted a few pillows and the handmade quilts he’d sent up from the house the way he knew she liked, so everything would be perfect for her.
Keiran had also requested the door to what was now the loft be removed. A move he reconsidered when he realized that may not be the safest thing for Liis. He opted instead for the door to be replaced with a breakaway panel, so if there ever were an emergency, they could get out into the corridor without going down the staircase first.
Otherwise, the only way up to the bedroom was by using the staircase, which Keiran preferred.
It also kept anyone from accidentally opening the wrong door and stumbling into their sleeping space.
He went back down the stairs and waited for her to return. Keiran tossed his uniform into the laundry bin, opting for denim jeans and a matching button-down shirt instead.
He walked into the den, pulled a volume of Yeats off the shelf, and sat down to read while he waited.
After several minutes he heard the hiss of a door opening, and the sound of Liis’s boots hitting the deck as she walked in. He remained hidden in the den, waiting for her to find him.
“Keiran, you are going to love what Reece did… oh my word what have you done?”
He grinned as he realized she must have seen the staircase up to the next deck.
Liis reserved her first reaction, which was to very colorfully take the name of Keiran’s Lord in vain upon seeing the interior of their quarters.
From his vantage point he saw out into the other room. From where she stood, she couldn’t make out clearly what was above, and so wondered what could possibly be up there. She spied him sitting in the den, which she still expected to be the bedroom, and poked her head in.
“So this is what you’ve been planning. It’s beautiful,” she said, looking around at all the perfectly arranged stationary and computer access he had set up for her. She heard the trembling of the leaves as she walked in, and froze in place. “That sound.”
“You wouldn’t believe how hard it was to duplicate it perfectly. I had to program the replicator special.” Keiran snapped the book shut and set it back on the shelf. “For yer readin’ pleasure, and mine too of course.”
“I don’t know what to say, thank you. You obviously spent a lot of time on this. I would have been fine with just the regular Starfleet issue desk, you know.”
“I don’t want ya to be just fine, Liis. I want you to feel like yer home. I left the walls bare for ya, but I’ll hang whatever ya wish me to.”
Liis began to wonder about something, as the layout of their quarters went through her head.
“Wait, though. Isn’t this where the bedroom was before?”
“Yeah.”
“Then, where…” She spun back, gesturing out towards the staircase. She’d been too amazed by what was directly before her to think about looking up again until now. “No.”
“Yeah.” He tilted his head. “Go on an’ look, then.”
Liis jogged up the stairs and Keiran lingered behind. He heard a gasp of surprise, and grinned to himself.
“So that means you like it?”
“Like it? Like it?” She called back. He heard her footsteps cross from the bedroom into the bathroom. There was another gasp, followed by a “No way,” followed by the sound of running water in the tub. Keiran laughed out loud, his voice booming up through the open expanse to where Liis was.
The water stopped, and he saw Liis appear at the edge of the balcony, looking down at him over the railing from above, just as he’d imagined.
“How did you…” She asked, pointing back and away, towards the bed.
“Does it matter?”
“Yes, it matters! I know you, Keiran O’Sullivan. There is no way you would trust that bed to the transporter. You made Dane move it didn’t you? Who else?”
Keiran stammered for just a moment, which confirmed Liis’ suspicions. If there was something about Zanh Liis that never ceased to amaze him, it was her ability to see right through any sort of clandestine plan, no matter how good intentioned or dastardly it was.
“We’ll discuss it another time,” he promised, as he climbed the stairs to be with her. “So, do ya really like it?”
“So much,” she sighed with amazement, still taking in the room around her.
“How much?” He asked with a gleam in his eye.
“This much,” she answered, leading him back towards the bed.
*Keiran O’Sullivan
Security Liaison for
The Alchemy Project
USS Serendipity NCC-2012