100130.16
After Surrounded by Enemies
-=USS Alchemy=-
TC Blane and Zander Blakeslee arrived at the door to Zanh Liis' private quarters on the Alchemy.
They were still two hours away from rendezvousing with the Serendipity, and the captain had been exiled to her quarters by her first officer to get some rest. Of course she protested by Salvek had argued that technically the Alchemy was his ship, per her very own plan, and that he and Paxton Briggs were capable of getting back to the Sera without her hawking about the small bridge.
“Are you sure we should disturb her? She could be sleeping.” Zander asked, his hand raised in a questioning gesture as TC reached up toward the door chime.
TC shook his head. “Not likely. ” Before his hand could connect with the panel he found the door was sliding open and they were standing face to face with the woman they were seeking.
"Nope, she's not sleeping." A slight smile parted her lips. "What can I say? The man knows me." She waved them inside. "Coffee? I'm on my third cup and I'm just starting to feel the effects."
TC shook his head in the negative as he entered the room, which raised an immediate flag to the Captain.
Zander followed TC in but accepted the offer. “Yes. Thank you, captain.”
As Liis moved toward the press pot on the counter and poured Zander's cup, her eyes swept slowly to the side, keeping a long view of her second officer, as Blane found a spot near the center of the room and stood with his arm folded across his chest.
Another bad sign.
"Thomas, you look like you're trying to keep the walls from falling in on us." Zanh caught her lower lip between her teeth and held it there a moment before releasing it. She was already rattled by all that was going on around them, the look in Blane's eye told her that things were about to go from very bad to impossibly worse.
Her hands suddenly felt less steady and she nearly spilled the coffee as Zander accepted the cup. He sipped from it gratefully as Zanh continued to stare at Blane.
*If only I could.* Blane thought. His eyes remained on Zanh's now, speaking loudly enough that there was no need for him to answer her observation aloud.
From any of her other officers Zanh would have taken the silence differently; from this man, her friend, she knew that it was rooted in something so deadly serious that it must be respected.
Zander looked to TC for any indication that he should speak first. TC only gave a slight nod of permission. Drawing in a deep breath, Zander prepared himself to answer the captain’s inquiry.
“First off I wanted to let you know I have picked four of my best guys for the honor guard for when we deliver the bod…I mean T’Dara, to her family. I also have a two man rotating guard until we arrive.” Zander rubbed the back of his head. “We are all set to transfer her on arrival.
"Thank you." Zanh took another sip from her coffee as she wrestled the disorienting effects of the insistent warnings of instinct. Everything was telling her that this was only the beginning, and she was uncomfortably distracted by the uncontrollable feeling that there was additional bad news coming.
Zander took a long breath. “However, I received a communication from Starfleet Command.”
Zanh paused in mid-sip and glanced up to TC. He stared directly back at her, his cold blue eyes intense and unwavering. Now that warning voice of instinct had gone from a whisper to a scream, and she turned her attention back to Zander. “They contacted you directly?"
Zander nodded slowly. “On arrival at Vulcan I am to meet with both Senior Investigator Savol of the Vulcan Security Unit and Commander Jars from Starfleet Investigation Corps. I am then to assist them in any way requested to investigate the death of T’Dara. I have been ordered not to apprise any of the Serendipity’s command staff of any progress of details of the investigation because…”
He paused, obviously not wanting to continue. “They feel that a member of the senior staff might be directly responsible or at least negligent in her death.”
Zanh's hands involuntarily released the cup she held and it spilled down over her legs.
"Captain!" Zander rushed forward, worried she might have been burned. Blane knew her well enough to know that the liquid had probably long since already gone cold and remained for the moment where he was as Zander continued. "Are you all right?"
She responded with a string of profanity that immediately brought Keiran rushing out of the bathroom, half dressed after his shower. He tossed the shirt he had been about to put on aside as he rushed up to his wife. "Liis? Are ya alright?"
"Fine, I'm, goddamn it, I'm." She held her arms up in a gesture telling Blakeslee and O'Sullivan to stay back as she began to shake the cold, dripping liquid from her fingers. "I'm fine."
TC had, without even being noticed, circled around the back of the gathering and now stood before Zanh; a towel in his outstretched hand. Zanh took it, but ignoring her soaked uniform she simply wrung her hands around it. "Salvek," she muttered.
Keiran's eyebrows elevated. "What's the Vulcan done now?"
"I never said anything about Commander Salvek." Zander specified quickly, as he was already dancing on a very thin razor's edge here and felt that his boots were slipping.
"No, you didn't. But we all know that Salvek is the one who," Zanh sank back down into the chair before her, and let her head drop into her hands.
"Captain," Blane now eyed Liis, and though his tone never changed it was clear he was asking a question. He knew she had something else on her mind and they needed to know what it was.
"This goes no further, at least for the time being." Zanh continued strangling the towel as if trying to wring the life out of it though the inanimate object had no such force to offer or lose.
Keiran's eyes shifted from Blane to Zanh, darting between them with worry, "Liis..."
"It's too much, Keiran. It's just too much. If Salvek is going to be hauled off to some Vulcan kangaroo court and you and I have to head to TI..."
TC's head snapped upward, and now he was frowning. "TI?" He folded his arms over his chest and thrust his shoulders back. "Lindsay?"
"Yes, everyone's favorite Interim Director called not long ago, Spec Ops." Liis' searing focus returned to Blane, using the nickname by which Lindsay had referred to him during their adventures on Taris' ship and beyond. "He's got a bit of a situation there and he asked,"
"Captain, with all due respect," Blane interrupted, unable to stop the uncharacteristic display of frustration at hearing this new information.
"Come now, Thomas," Liis' voice lowered as she moved toward Blane, arms folded, mirroring his posture. "I know how much 'respect' you have for Captain Lindsay. So let's just say this, shall we?"
Zander and Keiran stared at each other helplessly as Zanh and Blane did what they always seemed to do; each challenging the other's most deeply held beliefs in an attempt to get them to really think things through. Keiran knew that neither would back down if they thought they were right and while Liis carried the weight of the CO's rank behind her that didn't mean that she didn't take Thomas' opinion as seriously and weigh it as carefully if he'd been the one in command.
"Permission to speak freely?" Blane requested.
"At this point I'm insulted you'd even have to ask." Liis thundered.
"Don't be. Sir." Blane exhaled forcefully. "I thought that your days at TI were behind you, Captain. We've just lost a valued member of our crew. Others are injured. Now our First Officer, our friend, is in deep trouble here."
"Don't you dare even begin to insinuate that the needs of this crew aren't my top priority!" Liis shouted, exhaustion and frustration finally claiming the last of her composure. "I know what's going on here. There are unfortunately also other matters I must give attention to, Commander. Captain Lindsay-"
"Captain Lindsay should be equipped and prepared to keep his own house in order. If he can't then TI should bring in somebody who can."
Liis knew better than most that Blane's own history with agencies that operated beyond the everyday in Starfleet was dark and complicated. She understood his position and his irritation and took a moment to really think before she answered.
She softened her tone, and her stance. "Tell me how you really feel about it, Thomas."
She shrugged, finally relaxing her arms. She held them up and open at her sides in a hopeless gesture. "I can't say anything more than that for now. All I can tell you is that this is something I have no choice in. I have to help Will if I can, and Keiran has to go with me. So I'm going to be counting upon the both of you to..." She paused as pain coursed through her; suddenly she had a headache.
She spun away, smacking her hand flat against the wall in utter frustration. "Do you think they have a case against him that can stand?" Blane simply stared at her, his expression unchanging. "Zander?" Liis asked finally, turning back to her Security Chief.
"That's the thing, Captain." Zander said reluctantly. "They might."
Hearing this, both Zanh Liis and Keiran O'Sullivan instantly understood the look in the eyes of their friend TC Blane.
“I’ve read his report of the incident," Zander continued. "It is direct and fact filled in typical Vulcan fashion, but it certainly does not paint a good picture.” He shook his head. “To play devil's advocate here the questions as a investigator I would ask are these. If you were aware of her condition why did you not immediately inform the CMO? Why did you allow the altercation to happen? Someone else could have been seriously hurt.”
He raised his hands helplessly. “You see what I mean? Captain I don’t know if this is just a formality or not but I have to say that I am not comfortable with the way this is going down. Highly unusual, they should be contacting you to investigate the incident. I mean, I am not even supposed to be talking to you about this now.”
"In future, Zander, I will always remember the fact that you did." Liis put a hand on his shoulder a moment, a gesture of thanks before she began to pace the room.
TC nodded, considering. “Does Salvek have anyone in the Vulcan government that would gain by causing his downfall? Any enemies? How about in Starfleet?” He unfolded his arms and took a few steps before leaning against the wall. “Anyone who would like to see him removed from the Alchemy Project?”
Hearing the last question, Zanh was mentally transported from the room in an instant; back to a day aboard another ship and a conversation that had taken place years ago. She couldn't speak of it, not yet. Not without speaking to Salvek first. "There may be."
"Captain, any information that you have is vital to his defense. If we're going to help him," Zander pressed gently. "I really need to know."
Zanh's eyes were focused at some point in the distance beyond the people she was speaking to, the gears of her mind rapidly clicking into place and turning so fast it was a struggle to keep up.
Keiran stepped forward, retrieving and quickly donning his uniform tunic as he moved toward his wife and captain. He knew that look in a way that no one else did, and immediately he understood that she had just experienced a revelation that she wished she could escape from. "Liis..."
"Not yet." Liis shook her head. "As soon as possible, gentlemen, I promise you but not yet. I must speak to Salvek. It..." she tried to reassure herself as much as those in her company. "It may be nothing. I have to do some 'investigating' of my own."
All three men realized from the tone of her voice as she spoke that whatever it was she was thinking, it was most definitely something and could very well be the very thing at the heart of all of this.
"I'll do an'a'thin' I can ta help," Keiran assured.
“In any case. You have to tread carefully,” TC warned, as he glanced at Zanh and then Keiran, “and this discussion never happened. As far as Starfleet goes we still do not know anything.”
Zander slowly moved toward the exit. “I just wanted to let you know what to expect. You are my captain, and like Mister Blane was telling me when I came to him about this, I trust you more then some Vulcan inquisitor. Plus, this just don’t smell right. If there isn't anything else for now, sir?"
"Nothing else, Zander. Thank you." Zanh said sincerely. "Go ahead, I know you've got work to do." She sighed as she tried to fathom how much work they all had ahead of them.
He nodded to everyone in the room and made his way out of the door to prepare for the upcoming arrival with the Sera and then the meet and greet on Vulcan.
TC stayed where he stood, still leaning against the wall with his eyes lowered towards the floor.
Liis assessed his demeanor and sighed. He was holding back. “Thomas, what else is there?”
He glanced up at her, still silent.
She couldn't help uttering a small, frustrated and entirely humorless laugh. "Honestly, Thomas! At this point what else can there possibly be that you don't want to say to me tonight?"
TC was slow to answer knowing that the upcoming discussion was going to one of great contention. “We need to talk about Rada.”
Lt. Commander Zander Blakeslee
Chief Security Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
Commander TC Blane
Second Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
and
-=/\=- Zanh Liis O'Sullivan
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012