A Meatier Bite from the Apple

Posted on Thu Jun 11th, 2009 @ 3:18pm by Captain Elsie Halliwell

610 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Behind the Mask of Familiarity
Location: Captain's Ready Room
Timeline: Current

ON:

As the viewscreen in his ready room desk rolled up from out of its surface, the flashing seal of the United Federation of Planets, to Lane, seemed to be an all too familiar symbol of troubling news. Once it was fully withdrawn, the flashing icon ceased , and the reflective screen darkened.

The face of a female Admiral - stern looking, but with friendly, warm eyes – appeared on screen. "Captain Lane," she said with a curt nod. Her pinned back hair gave the graceful woman a severe and orderly appearance. The skin was stretched tight across her skeletal face, and her pointed jaw jutted out at the bottom.

"Admiral Eloise," he offered in return. "What can I do for you today?"

"Coltan," she replied, "it's more of a case of what I can do for you." Her face angled into that of a forced smile and she tilted her head looking out to him from underneath her brow. "Here at Command we have decided that the situation at Citadel Prime requires… additional support."

"Admiral," he started with, "we have already been granted the use of a Strategic Operations officer. What more can be offered?"

"The actions that erupted in the tower…"

"Admiral, we've been friends for several years, you and I," the Trill interjected. "Cut to the chase, will you?"

The woman – stopped short of her dialogue – broke into the briefest of smiles. "Coltan, you haven't changed one bit, have you? I see that command has clearly allowed your impatience to flourish. Such an impetuous youth, as you always were."

The Trill merely smiled warmly. "Admiral…?"

She sighed in a way that allowed a subtle sense of good humour to glint through her pips, fastened tightly at her collar. "Command is sending you your own escort. This may be a joint Task Force effort, but you are the one holding the fort at Citadel Prime."

"But we're a Scientific vessel, and we haven’t experienced anything outwardly hostile…"

"It's my turn to speak, Captain," she said, glaring as her nose twitched. "The Archimedes will expect the arrival of USS Daring tomorrow. She is an exceptionally capable ship, Defiant class."

"Admiral, are you sure the situation warrants our very own?"

"Captain, this isn't a discussion. I am sending you a copy of her reassignment orders."

"Understood, Admiral," he said as he nodded to her. Changing his tone, he continued. "It's not that I don't think that an escort would be beneficial to us, Florence, in fact, my Chief Intelligence officer had discovered some very troubling developments with the three races before he was… arrested. I have filed that report with the others. I just worry that this mission has escalated beyond anything we originally thought. And far beyond what this fresh crew could ever expect. Have you managed to peruse the gel-pack system report?"

"That is the nature of a post-war Federation, Coltan. But… you'll do just fine, and come out of the fires on the other side. I have that faith in you and your crew. We have read the report, yes. And that is why we are sending you this addition. We think that your current… infraction requires it."

Something in the flash of her eye betrayed her as she spoke. Lane could sense an overwhelming sadness in her face, and that worried him.

"Admiral?" he asked.

"Tomorrow," she said, ignoring his question. "Take care, my child. Eloise out."

Her grave face was quickly replaced with that of the Federation seal.

“The USS Daring,� he said as the screen retracted into his desk. “Let’s see who’s commanding her.�


OFF:

---

Captain Coltan Lane
Commanding Officer
USS Archimedes

 

RSS Feed