by TC Blane and Zanh Liis
80129.20
Current Time: Following Preparation
--=Bridge=--
80129.20
Current Time: Following Preparation
--=Bridge=--
TC left the conference room as quietly as he had entered.
His quiet demeanor had not gone unnoticed, neither had the dark collar he wore. So far no one had confronted him about the change, other then Lt. Blakeslee. He wondered if it was because they did not know how to start the conversation, or if it was something else.
He passed Zander, who was standing at the tactical station talking with an ensign that TC was unfamiliar with, as he made his way to the Ops station. He silently relieved the lieutenant that was manning the console.
He pulled up the ships current engineering diagrams and set about preparing the best configuration for assigning sensor usage to the departments that would need them.
He mentally noted that this would be a good opportunity to test the new sensor links between the Sera and the Alchemy. Providing the Alchemy was ready for such a chore.
TC again wondered why such a risky assignment was giving to the Sera and her crew. Perhaps the Admiral wanted to put the crew through their paces, after all he did hand pick the majority of the senior staff for one reason or another.
Perhaps this was his first test. In any case, TC would make sure that his department would be ready.
=^= A Few Hours Later =^=
TC looked down on his handiwork. He had come up with four scenarios for usage of the sensors, all based on the operational needs of the Sera. The primary plan was based on the assumption that all would go well, and then each successive plan reassigned sensor priority based on the deterioration of the perfect situation.
He saved the configurations and then sent Commander Salvek his department’s status report.
“Excuse me, Commander Blane.” A voice from the Communications console called out.
TC looked up. “Yes?”
“You have a priority message coming in. It is titled your eyes only.”
TC glanced around at the stares that he was getting from the bridge staff, especially Commander Salvek.
TC stood taller and straightened his duty jacket as he turned on his heel. “I’ll take it in the conference room.” He strode off of the bridge and into the conference room. As the doors slid shut behind him he turned and secured them.
He made his way to the monitor in the room and entered his access code. There was a beep as the computer requested the secondary access code; the one that was recently given to him by Special Ops. He sighed as he entered that secondary code.
After a moment the message was displayed. It was text only. It took him about three minutes to read it though to the end. His appearance and demeanor grew darker, the more he read.
“Son of a..” He hit the power to the terminal and turned quickly towards the door.
Unlocking it he marched out onto the bridge, stopping for a moment as he glared at each of the staff assembled there. His eyes fell onto Dabin Reece, or more specifically, the tricorder on his duty belt.
TC marched toward Dabin with such purpose in his stride and such a menacing look on his face the Commander Salvek, who was currently manning the center seat stood up in concern and Dabin shirked away slightly.
TC stopped in front of Dabin and held out his hand. “May I borrow you tricorder, Commander Reece?”
Dabin was for a moment at a loss for words. Commander Salvek, however, was not. “Commander Blane is there a problem?”
TC held up his other hand silencing the Sera’s first officer while continuing to wait for Dabin to respond.
“Umm, sure.” Dabin removed the device and handed it to TC, who flipped it open and turned to face Salvek.
“Yes, I believe there is a problem. One that I intend to correct.” He turned on his heel once again and made his way towards the captain’s ready room, and he began to make some changes to the tricorder settings.
Salvek was close on his heels, his own concern growing about TC’s attitude as well as the undisclosed problem that he spoke up.
TC hit the door chime.
“Enter.”
TC strode through the door and into the captains ready room with Salvek close on his heels.
“Commander Blane what can I do to. . .” She was also silenced by TC when he raised his index finger to his lips in the universal sign for silence.
Zanh stood up from her chair and exchanged concerned looks with Salvek as TC held up the tricorder and began scanning the office. For a minute or two the only sounds that could be heard in the ready room were the low hum of the Sera’s engines and the digital beeps of the tricorder.
Zanh, who was already in a foul mood, was beginning to lose patience with her Second Officer when suddenly from one of the overhead light fixtures came a quiet buzzing. It grew louder as the seconds drifted on.
TC let loose a crooked smile in triumph as he closed the tricorder and deftly hopped up onto the captain’s desk. Even with the tricorder turned off the buzzing continued as TC fiddled around with the fixture for a moment.
“Gotcha.”
He hopped down from the desk with a small object in his hand. His muscles in his forearm flexed and an electronic pop could be heard and the buzzing was gone. He unceremoniously tossed the object onto the desk for the Captain and First Officer to see.
“You got bugs.”
Zanh Liis slammed her fist against the desk, and she swore loudly and emphatically in her mother language.
Her exclamation was a word not programmed into the Universal Translator for reasons of 'proper etiquette'; and Salvek and Blane simply stared straight ahead as the sound resonated through the room.
Both knew exactly what that particular word meant. Salvek because of his wife's past use of colorful Bajoran euphemisms, and Blane because, well, he just knew.
"Since you said that we have bugs aloud, I take it that was the only one in here and we can speak freely?"
TC nodded. “Affirmative. This room is clean but I would suggest that the rest of the ship is checked. Especially critical areas.”
He turned and tossed the tricorder to commander Salvek.
“The Gu-24 micro recorder transmitter is susceptible to high frequency beta band waves. They have the tendency to over load and therefore feedback, giving away there position. The one weakness of the device since they are self cloaking.”
He looked at Zanh. “Special Ops still prefers them because beta band frequencies are rarely used.” He shrugged his shoulders. “My guess is that they were installed during the final days of construction.”
“How did you know?” Salvek asked.
TC’s face darkened. “I not at liberty to discuss that.”
Zanh's last nerve was growing more frayed by the second. She looked at Blane across the desk and reminded herself that he wasn't being evasive in order to provoke her.
Still, it made her job harder and it was already making things more complicated and time consuming, when it came to running the ship.
In the past, she had the luxury of just looking at Blane and Salvek and saying "Go."
With that one word assignment, the two men would bring their teams together seamlessly. Their task, whatever it was, would be finished quickly, completely, and without drama.
It seemed that as long as Blane wore that collar, those days were behind them.
"Salvek can I have a moment with Mr. Blane?"
The Vulcan nodded. "Of course, Captain. I will take this information and begin sweeping the ship."
"Begin with the Alchemy," Zanh insisted. "Send a team in there immediately. Then Engineering, then Science, Sickbay. Every senior staff office, the dining hall, "
Zanh sighed, a headache taking fierce hold of her when she thought about how easy it would be for other kinds of surveillance to be aboard as well.
"I know Reece is so busy his head is likely about to explode. But I want him to fine tune a couple dozen tricorders to increase the spectrum of their standard scans and give them to Security, so they can perform redundant sweeps for secondary spy ware systems."
"Alchemy." Salvek began repeating her list back to her. "Engineering, Science, Sickbay. Senior staff offices, the dining halls and lounges. . ." he paused.
"The main bridge, Captain?" He inquired, thinking she was just tired and had omitted where she really meant for him to begin, thinking it obvious.
"Bridge of the Sera gets debugged last." Zanh answered. "Whoever is listening, I would like it to take them awhile to figure out that the show is over."
"Aye, Captain."
"Thank you, Salvek. Oh, and one more thing," She looked at him and sighed. "Don't forget the Arboretum."
All three officers suddenly thought about the types of conversations that they'd had with each other in the past in the Arboretum, aboard this ship and another.
Suddenly, they all felt violated.
Somehow it seemed less invasive for there to be listening devices on main areas of the ship- but the location where they were most likely to let down their guard? That was infuriating.
The moment the Vulcan left, Zanh turned to Blane.
"We have a problem, as I'm sure you're well aware by now." Zanh began, wasting no time because she knew that TC was all about getting down to business.
"Affirmative. We have bugs." He answered stiffly.
"You know that's not what I meant." Zanh moved from behind her desk and paced before it. "Not at liberty. Those are quickly becoming my least favorite Universal Standard words."
TC's stance softened. He glanced back to make sure that Salvek had left. “Captain…Zanh. I understand that you do not like this.” He stepped closer to her. “I am doing my job. What I swore to do.”
He needed her to understand that he did not want to do this, he needed her to know WHY he did this. He needed to find a way to let her know with out his keepers finding out. He was confident that all of the bugs were found, but not positive. He frowned, struggling with himself.
Suddenly, he looked up at her. “My duty is to protect The Alchemy Project from all those who would harm or steal that information.”
As he spoke, he also began to sign.
[[Y]]
“A bug in this office is a security breach that I cannot allow.”
[[E]]
“Even if it was installed by Spec Ops, I cannot be sure who is listening on the other end.”
[[N]]
He sighed. “As I told you before, Captain.”
[[S]]
“I will protect my ship…”
[[U]]
“…and my Captain…”
[[L]]
“…until hell freezes over.” He stared at Zanh.
A look of absolute horror crossed the Captain's face.
She stumbled a few steps in reverse, pitching back and toward the desk. Before she had a chance to injure herself or make contact with the furniture or deck, Blane stepped forward to steady her. A strong hand on each arm, he allowed her to find her footing.
She slowly sat down on the edge of the desk.
Her worst nightmare when it came to dreaming up reasons why Blane might have accepted the uniform, had just been trumped by one so devastating she hadn't even allowed herself to consider it as an option before now.
Blane had seen her in physical pain before. A great deal of it in fact, in recent weeks since her rescue. But he'd never seen her countenance reflect anything close to the image of pain that was etched into it now.
Liis mirrored his actions in using spoken words and signs.
She stood nearer to him and gestured very guardedly, with her hands close to her chest.
"I know you're doing your job,"
[[Please just tell me you're not only doing this to protect me.]]
"But if I run into a brick wall time and again when I ask you questions,"
[[Because you don't have to. I take responsibility for every single thing that happened on Yensul. I sent you there. My orders, my responsibility.]]
"My patience is going to start running rather thin." She concluded, shoulders slumping.
“I understand your concern. I will perform my duties as you Second Officer as you expect of me.” [[I am doing my duty]] He signed back. “But when it comes to certain things pertaining to spec ops, I cannot answer.”
He stepped away from her. “Now, I hope that we have an understanding, Captain.”
Zanh exhaled heavily, feeling defeated, and nodded slowly. Once again for the benefit of any remaining, unseen listening devices that may be in the room she was forced to find the will to speak aloud.
"You're dismissed, Commander."
“I’ll go and assist Commander Salvek with those scans.” With sad eyes, he turned and left the ready room.
Commander TC Blane
Second Officer/Chief of Operations/Spec Ops
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
and
=/\= Zanh Liis
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
Second Officer/Chief of Operations/Spec Ops
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
and
=/\= Zanh Liis
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012