by William Lindsay and *Dane Cristiane
90420.2300
Following The Balderdash Cup
90420.2300
Following The Balderdash Cup
Dane sighed wearily as he examined the drink in his hand. He was not having a good time. He was standing by Lady Hamilton, who he was sure was flirting with him. He wouldn’t have minded except that it seemed to very much have aggravated a man with a blue jacket and a rather sizeable sword.
It was very definitely being pointed in his direction, but Dane barely noticed him, and wasn’t thinking clearly enough to be concerned about the possibility that the safeties were turned off. If worst came to worst he’d just order the computer to delete him, or both of them, but probably just him. It wasn’t just the threat of imminent physical violence that was getting to him. He’d been trying to enjoy Zander’s party, trying much harder than he would have done not so long ago, but so far it wasn’t happening.
He’d searched all over but couldn’t find Gira Lassiter anywhere he looked. To add insult to injury, Steele seemed to be everywhere he looked. It was as if she’d made it her business to occupy every square centimetre of space in this program at least once and expertly planned it so she’d always be in his line of vision. If ever anyone doubted the possibility of the concept in many religions of an omnipresent being, then they hadn’t met someone like her. Given she had to be one of the ten most annoying people in the galaxy, that wasn’t surprising.
He was felling especially irritated by little miss Steele at the moment because he’d been tense all night. Dane couldn’t stop thinking about William Lindsay’s secret mission. His nose still hurt from his last official task on behalf of a TI Captain, but the lower half of his body showed no discernable boot marks, so his delivery of the bed must have been satisfactory. He’d been avoiding Keiran as best he could so he didn’t have to lie to him about what he was doing for Lindsay, but he was smart enough to know that even the greatest evasive skills in Starfleet wouldn’t mean a thing if he’d caused even a scratch on the O’Sullivans’ precious bed.
He’d ordered himself the drink, which had engrossed him when he first got here, but so far his stomach was not at all in the mood to let him consume it. He’d been left carrying it with him all night; he wondered if he’d ever be rid of the damned thing. He wasn’t normally this nervous the night before a mission, but this wasn’t a normal mission. This was probably the most important mission of his life, and given Lindsay’s description, it was possible he’d not make it back alive. He considered that there were probably some things he should say to certain people before he went.
He knew he wasn’t exactly the life of the party at the moment, and glanced longingly towards the exit. He had to finish the drink before he left; it was real liquid in a holographic glass and so would make quite a mess if he tried to walk off the holodeck with it. Once again he brought the glass to his lips, willing it to go down so he could just get out of here, when his combadge chirped.
[Lindsay to Cristiane,] came the call. Startled, Dane jumped and most of his drink jumped with him. He didn’t have time to think about the spill as he tapped his badge.
“Cristiane here, sir,” he said quietly in his most confident possible voice, looking around for somewhere private he could go, but not seeing anywhere.
[Yer ta report ta the specified location in exactly five minutes and not a second more,] Lindsay barked, the slightest sound of a smile in his voice.
“But sir…” Dane objected, realizing he didn’t have nearly as long to prepare as he was told he would.
[That’s four minutes and fifty eight seconds now, Mr Cristiane,] Lindsay sternly warned, adding too quickly for Dane to respond, [Lindsay out.]
Dane suddenly found the rest of his drink, while not at all appealing, at least easy to swallow. He downed the rest of it in one swift long gulp, and set the glass down on the table. His eyes focused on the section of the main gallery where he knew the actual exit to the ship was located. He took rapid steps towards the exit. Too rapid.
Years of experience would teach Dane how to make an exit from a crowded room when he was in a hurry, but not desirous of drawing attention to himself. Years that he simply did not have yet. In a crowd of people meandering slowly from room to room and person to person, Cristiane’s rapid and sudden motion towards the exit drew the eye of nearly everyone in the room. Especially the person he wanted least to notice his haste.
“Going somewhere, Mr. Cristiane?” Zanh Liis asked, as she stepped between him and the exit. Dane skidded to a halt and his mind continued to count down the seconds towards Lindsay’s deadline. How was he ever going to convince the woman that could see a lie coming before most people even uttered them, that he had a good reason to leave, without telling her the truth?
“I have an appointment I need to keep, Captain.” Dane’s eyes shifted to the left where he saw Keiran O’Sullivan watching the exchange with an expression that seemed to indicate that even if he did talk his way past Zanh Liis, he wasn’t going to get by Keiran as well. Beside Keiran, Dabin Reece had taken a spot next to the Irishman, looking in the same direction to see what was so interesting. The Trill’s oblivious yet pained expression seemed to indicate that perhaps he had overdone it a bit on the cocktail weenies.
“You are in quite a bit of a hurry for a man who knew he had an appointment to keep.”
“I guess with the party and all I let myself be taken by surprise.” Dane was careful not to lie, even if he didn’t exactly tell the truth either.
“You also seem to have forgotten to excuse yourself before you left.”
“May I be excused, Captain?” Dane asked immediately.
“Not to me, Junior,” Liis shook her head, reached out, and spun Dane around. “To the guest of honor.” Liis pushed him in the general direction of Zander Blakeslee. Dane straightened his top and quickly approached Zander to make as quick a farewell as he could.
“Excuse me, Commander. I’m afraid I have to depart early, but I just wanted to say it is good to see you doing well, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening.”
*Four minutes*, Dane’s internal clock warned him.
“Thank you for coming. Samthia and I appreciate everyone’s well wishes very much. Good night Dane.” Zander extended his hand for a shake, and Dane gave him a quick and firm single pump. He turned for the exit again, and Zanh Liis was once again right up in his grille.
“Someone else went to a lot of trouble to put all this together,” She said.
Dane’s stomach turned as he looked towards Dabin Reece. Not because he was worried about the Trill, but because Keiran O’Sullivan was still standing next to Dabin, watching Dane’s every move.
Dane nodded to Keiran, as he walked up to Dabin Reece. The Trill grinned and clasped his hands behind his back. Keiran stood over the both of them, waiting on Dane’s next words.
“Thank you so much for putting together such an enchanting evening, for myself and the crew. You obviously put a lot of work into this, and I appreciate it very much.”
“Thanks, kid.” Dabin winked at Keiran, indicated he was satisfied with the thank you.
“Have a nice evening,” Keiran said, stepping aside, indicating Dane was free to go.
Cristiane walked, slowly this time, to the exit, before bursting into a run in the corridor. As he entered the transporter room, Dane motioned for the operator to step aside. He could input the coordinated himself faster than he could explain them to the operator. Going purely from memory, he tapped in the exact location, and ran up onto the pad. “Energize!”
As soon as he took shape on the surface below, he heard Lindsay’s voice behind him.
“One minute and sixteen seconds to spare. I obviously gave you much more time then you really need. I’ll remember in the future not to offer you so much.”
Dane almost let himself smile, as he realised that he’d made it. He turned rapidly around and it suddenly occurred to him that he had a great deal of breath to catch. He inhaled deeply as he took in his location, but not too deeply, because with still so many unknowns, he couldn’t afford to relax yet. This was farmland as the map had predicted. There were a few well-preserved buildings and plenty of grass but nothing appeared to be important TI cargo, which was cause for concern. Will Lindsay was smiling; that was cause for concern also.
Realising it must be his turn to speak, Dane was able to manage, “Ensign Dane Cristiane, reporting as ordered, Sir.”
Lindsay said nothing. He just looked him up and down with concern, how one would judge a worn old hinge to see if it’d snap under the door’s weight tonight. Finally he seemed to relent when his voice, and his eyes, took on a dark almost threatening sincerity. Will leaned in towards him, and spoke at little more than a whisper, to make sure he had his undivided attention.
“Be advised, Ensign. This may well be the most significant mission of your career. If you feel that yer not yet ready, or wish ta pull out now, and have me assign it to someone else, then I’ll not think anything less of ya.”
Dane gulped, but he stood strong, forcing out in a voice shakier than he’d have liked. “No, sir. I do not wish to pull out.”
“Then I have your full commitment to the mission?” Lindsay asked, almost challenging him with his tone.
“Yes, sir,” Dane replied immediately, his heart now pounding in anticipation.
Lindsay waited, and judged, before finally smiling and answering, “Very well”. Will turned about face, and with rapid steps began to march towards a nearby barn. Dane was confused, unsure of what he should do, but he quickly decided that he was supposed to follow.
They were soon through the doors, and Lindsay showed no signs of stopping his march. He led him past pens of pigs and farming equipment and Dane could see nothing even remotely like an important package. Lindsay stopped and Dane couldn’t see why but then he realised he had stopped exactly in front of a small wicker basket. Dane looked at Lindsay, and Lindsay looked at the basket, and Dane knew that this must be his cargo.
“Details of the delivery location are specified within,” Lindsay observed, barely repressing a smirk at the near fearful anticipation on Dane’s face. “Well? Aren’t ya goin’ ta open it?”
Dane nodded that he was and he approached it slowly. Gently, he brushed his hand along the side. It was warm, and slightly wet. A yellowish liquid leaked from the base. Carefully, he lifted the lid, but it was too dark to quite make out the contents. He reached in. There was something soft, that made a sound a lot like a whimper. He grabbed a strong hold and carefully lifted it. To his surprise it was a small dog; the breed was a West Highland White Terrier.
Dane froze in place, and Will wondered why he were acting as if he’d just seen a ghost.
“What’s the matter? Have ya never seen a dog before?”
“Yeah, I’ve seen this dog before, that’s the problem,” Dane shrugged, recalling the paradox, and offering no further explanation.
There were no instructions but it wore a collar with the name that of its owner, one Zanh Liis O’Sullivan. Dane put the clues together, the damn ship, that was the ‘localised non-terrestrial location’ and Zanh Liis was whom he was supposed to deliver the dog to. “You have got to be sh…”
“What’s that, Mr. Cristiane?” Lindsay asked disapprovingly.
“Sir, with due respect,” Dane replied in near panic, “You said this would be the most important mission of my career.”
“That it is, Mr. Cristiane,” Lindsay answered as if it were obvious. “If you mess up, then no one in the department will even trust you to take care of their dog.”
“But…” Dane objected, “You said it was life threatening.”
“Correct again,” Lindsay said with extreme dramatic emphasis. “If that dog gets even a scratch on it then I’m gonna kill ya.”
Dane was at a loss for words. He forgot all about the pathetic creature in his hands. As Dane struggled to find the right objection Lindsay asked grimly, “Did ya lie about yer commitment ta the mission?”
Dane went from confused to disappointed to furious before he finally accepted he was stuck. With disgust he put the dog back in the basket, which he took under his arm. With a look that could almost kill he answered, “No, sir.”
“Good, then off with ya. Make sure Keiran and the missus knows it’s a late wedding gift from me.”
Dane nodded curtly, and turned back in the direction from which he came to get clear of the barn for transport. As he walked, a small curly haired white head popped out from under the flap of the basket. “Not now!” He whispered, gently poking the head back down.
“Oh and Mr. Cristiane!” Will called. Dane stopped, turned, and stood at rigid attention, more as an expression of annoyance than respect.
“When I said not a scratch on the dog, I meant ever.”
“Ever?”
“Yes, ever. Captain and Commander O’Sullivan are busy people. They can’t both be counted on to have the time to watch the dog. So you are ordered to render all care for the little lady necessary for the maintenance of her good health. Is that clear enough for ya?”
“Clear, sir!” Dane responded forcefully. He turned and headed for the exit once again.
“Oh and Mr. Cristiane!” Dane froze, and tried to picture the disappointment on Keiran’s face if Dane were to tell him TI and Starfleet could stuff it, and he was going back home to Illinois. Once satisfied he could not quit, he turned once again back to Will Lindsay.
“Is there something more Director Lindsay?”
“Enjoy this mission lad. I assure you the next time I call for your services, it will not be to deliver a gift.” Lindsay’s words were as gravely serious as Dane had ever heard from the Scotsman. Without saying another word or moving a muscle, at least that Dane could see, Will was swept away in the transporter beam.
Dane stood in silence, processing the warning he had just received. He heard a whimper and looked down at the Westie’s face. “You are pretty cute. Maybe you’ll relax the Captain a little.”
The dog cocked its head to the side.
“Yeah, you’re right. She’s going to ride me whether she’s relaxed or not.”
Dane walked out into the open and took a long hard look around. He just stood and listened, to the rustle of the leaves, the creak of an old door. The next time he came to this planet things would be very different. His training would be advancing; and everyone would be expecting more of him. There was sadness in him as he realized he might never have a moment of solitude like this on Earth ever again. A time to just stop and smell the proverbial roses.
He bid a silent farewell to his surroundings, and called for transport back to the ship.
“Don’t ask,” he told the operator, as he hustled from the room with the Westie whimpering in fear from its first transport. He went directly to the Captain’s quarters, but an unanswered chime told him they must still be at the party. “Damn, now what am I going to do?” He muttered.
“About what?” Keiran’s Irish brogue seemed to fill the corridor, coming from all around him. Dane stiffened by reflex, and turned towards the sound of the approaching footsteps of Keiran and Liis.
“About this… gift. From Director Lindsay, to the both of you. A late wedding gift, he wished to have delivered special to you.”
“Director Lindsay?” Liis said with scepticism and a raised eyebrow more befitting of her First Officer. “The car wasn’t enough? How does he plan on topping that?”
Dane handed her the basket. Liis held it on either side, and the Westie’s head popped out from under the lid, face to face with her. Before she could move a wet pink tongue gave her a friendly hello along the length of her Bajoran ridges.
Liis recognized the Westie immediately from the paradox, just as Dane had. She shared a knowing glance with him but kept silent, allowing Keiran to remain blissfully unaware of the events surrounding her first meeting with this particular puppy.
“Well, what have we here?” Keiran said, immediately smitten. He coaxed the dog out of the basket and into his arms. The puppy curled up into the crook of his arm as if it had always belonged there. “Looks like we have a new friend, Liis.”
Her first instinct was to protest. Where was she going to find time for a pet? Didn’t Will know it is considered in bad form to give a pet as a gift? Who was going to walk this puppy? Then the dog tilted its head to the side with an expression that could make a grown man weep. She knew in the brief and undeniable moment, that she was in love.
“Dane, we just stopped back here for a moment to freshen up a bit. The Blakeslees are expecting us back at the party soon. Would it be putting you out too much to watch over her for a bit a longer?”
“Not at all Captain. She won’t get a scratch,” Dane replied, remembering Lindsay’s words.
***********************
Captain William Lindsay
Interim Director
Temporal Investigations
and
Ensign Dane Cristiane (As told by Commander Salvek)
TI Intern
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
Captain William Lindsay
Interim Director
Temporal Investigations
and
Ensign Dane Cristiane (As told by Commander Salvek)
TI Intern
USS Serendipity NCC-2012