By TC Blane and Zanh Liis
80206.13
Current Time
-=Ready Room, USS Serendipity=-
80206.13
Current Time
-=Ready Room, USS Serendipity=-
Captain Zanh had finally received final confirmation that the Alchemy was ready to fly.
She remained uneasy about the prospect of sending the prototype, the focus of the entire project that Sera was commissioned to protect, out toward the uncertain but certainly dangerous environment surrounding Beta-626.
Still, her orders were to ascertain the cause of the energy build-up within the star, and to do so risking as few lives as possible. She just didn't see any other way to follow those orders to the best of her ability that did not include the use of the Alchemy.
All day as she'd been working, she'd been debating which one of her two most senior officers, Salvek or Blane, she wanted to place in the command position for the initial survey mission.
She was leaning heavily toward sending Blane, for several reasons. First reason being, that she knew he was ready for it and she believed that the best way that she could demonstrate her continued faith in him was to put him into that leadership role sooner, rather than on later missions.
She knew that Salvek, being that Alchemy was akin to his child, would prefer to lead the mission himself. But seeing how the transwarp drive was not to figure into this at all anyway, she figured that if she was ever going to hold Salvek back from going on an Alchemy mission and keep him aboard the Sera, this was the time.
She felt more than a little guilty as she also considered another benefit of sending Blane. That being, if they had a span of time in which he was off of the ship in order to completely go over the systems and look again for surveillance, if they found any, she would not have to share that information with him and his handlers would not realize that they had been found out- at least for awhile.
As brilliant a man as he was, she knew her only chance of keeping absolutely anything that happened aboard ship away from him was removing him from the environment entirely while it happened.
She knew that he could still use the sensor link between Alchemy and Sera to keep an eye on things. He had unlimited access to systems, being not only Chief of Operations but also Second Officer. Liis had no doubt that he would utilize every available advantage in the performance of his role as eyes and ears of Spec Ops.
She cursed herself internally now. She had always been so pleased with the thought that he was on her team and not anyone elses, because she had mused that she would never want to be pitted against the man if it came to a match of wits and cunning.
*Karma, * she thought. * What have I done this time to trip myself up and cause that scenario to mutate from thought into reality?*
Yes, she decided. Blane would be the one to command Alchemy this trip. Of one other thing she was also certain, that at the first sign that they were in danger, she would order them out and Starfleet would have to think up an alternate method of handling the situation. She was not going to risk either of the ships in her care - not out of the gate like this.
TC had been in his quarters when the Captain had summoned him to her ready room. He had been awaiting a communiqué from spec ops at any time, but as of now it had not come. He was actually looking forward to it. He wanted to make sure that they knew that he was the one who disclosed the bugs to the captain and crew.
He was, after all, just doing what they had shanghaied him into doing in the first place. In fact, he intended to follow the parameters of his orders, to the letter. The fact that he was working hard to twist those parameters to his and the crew’s advantage was a small personnel victory. But even small victories can add up to a larger victory.
Still, the summons to the captain’s ready room was a welcome departure from his wait. In fact if he made them wait for his reply, who cared.
It took him what seemed to be a short time to make the trip to the ready room. He was still adjusting to the relative small size of the Sera compared to the massive Indy.
He walked up to the doors and rang the chime.
“Enter.” Came the reply.
He strode into the room and up to the captain’s desk. “You wanted to see me Captain?”
"Yes, Thomas. I've received word that with the exception of the trans-warp drive, which will take some more time to repair, that the Alchemy is space worthy. I would like you to take command of her for the initial survey mission of Beta-626."
TC paused for a moment the significance of the order was fully understood. “Aye sir.”
He paused again as he put his thoughts into order. “Who will be on my crew?”
"For starters, you get Grace. Lair, Breaux, and Dengar."
TC looked at her with curiosity that she was sending all three senior engineers with him.
"Just thinking ahead." She explained. "I have Salvek here, and he will see to our needs while the others are away. Samson will oversee science for you. You get Dalca for security. Dr. Terasha should monitor the crew's radiation exposure very carefully. I especially worry about Grace, those Trill symbionts can be very suceptable to injury from hazards like radiation poisoning, before larger lifeforms are effected."
"Like a canary in a coal mine," Blane replied. "We'll keep an eye on her."
"You can take whoever you like for tactical, would you rather have Blakeslee or can you do without him?"
Without pause he responded. “I think the Chief should stay here to oversee the tactical department, plus, outside of Lair he had the most knowledge of the redesigned sensors so you might need him here.”
"Agreed."
“I’ll ask Zander who he can spare from his department.” He stood in a relaxed position. “Any ideas on our flight plan yet, or am I to make it up as we go?”
"Samson and Grace have been working on that, but you know that you can only plan so far ahead when you're dealing with such unstable elements." Zanh explained. "I trust your judgment. Just keep the ship, and everyone in one piece. Whatever you have to do to do that, will have my blessing." She moved to stand behind her desk.
"Reece will be up to his spots in incoming data over here, he has to process it all and turn it into either a plan of action for us to try to alter the course of the situation, or to formulate at the very least into an explanation for Starfleet as to why we think this is happening to Beta-626."
“Understood.” He thought for a moment. “I’d like to take Mr. Cristiane also.”
Zanh looked up at him as she sat down. “Why?”
TC smiled weakly. “I knew about the bugs on the ship because of a daily intelligence update I receive from spec ops. The last one had a transcript of the conversation that you had with Dane, right here in this room. I put two and two together and realized that your office was being monitored.”
He still stood but in a relaxed posture, one that Zanh was more familiar with. “Spec ops considers Dane a plausible threat and questions you ability to control him.” He shrugged his shoulders and smiled. “I disagree. But, I am offering my help to you with him if you want it. I did read the transcript of the conversation, after all. That would allow me to help you and make spec ops happy all at once.”
*So, that was the give away.* Zanh thought. She tugged on her bottom lip with her teeth, and reached up to twist the chain on her earring, as Blane knew she did when she was thinking.
Or when she was nervous.
"Very well. I would caution you though, don't let him know that you are privvy to the truth about his past. He's extremely touchy about it, and frankly I can't blame him." She advised. "Still, don't go easy on him either. I don't want you to handle him any differently than you would any other raw ensign with a bad attitude."
"I won't."
Zanh sank back into her chair. She picked up the spyglass from her desk, the gift that Blane had given her. He had done so recently, but in a time and place that seemed so very far removed from where they were now. She grasped it in her slender fingers and opened and closed it gently.
"Thomas, that kid. He." She stopped, and she knew she needed to say no more to convey to Blane that she had a special piece of herself invested in this. . .project with Dane. "Just don't let him do anything stupid."
TC frowned. “Under my watchful eyes? Not likely.” He smiled. “Don’t worry, Liis. I’ll take good care of him, maybe teach him a thing of two in the process.” He stood taller. “If there is nothing else I’ll start getting the team and the ship ready.”
"Just one more thing. Watch your back. Because as much as I hate to admit it, there is the chance that the people who doubt Cristiane's ability to tow the line, which seems to be everyone else but me, may be right at the end of the day."
Commander TC Blane
Second Officer/Chief of Operations/Special Ops
USS Serendipity/Alchemy
and
Captain Zanh
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
Second Officer/Chief of Operations/Special Ops
USS Serendipity/Alchemy
and
Captain Zanh
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012