The Ties That Bind

Posted on Wed Mar 30th, 2011 @ 1:06pm by Captain Elsie Halliwell & Lieutenant Jimmy Cooper

1,936 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: The Ties That Bind
Location: Ready Room, USS Fairfax
Timeline: Current

[ON]

=/= USS Fairfax, Deck 1, Captain's Ready Room =/=

It hadn't been an easy find. Commander Hill's away team had suffered some casualties, but none the less, he had accomplished his mission. He and his team had recovered the artifact, and had now brought it to the Ready Room.

Along with Commander Ben Hill, his XO, Captain Northcutt had also asked his Chief Science Officer, Lieutenant Miyako Tanaka to be present. Lieutenant Tanaka was an expert Botanist, but had some experience with Archeology and alien artifacts.

"Captain, I think we should wait before opening the container." she told Northcutt as the three of them sat around his desk. "It could be rigged with some type of trap, or we could set it off by mistake and it would take us....well who knows where." she said to the Captain.

Hill nodded in agreement. "Miyako is right, sir. We may have recovered this thing, but the real experts are on the Ranger and the Archimedes." said the First Officer.

Northcutt took a deep breath and stood up from his chair and walked over to the long window that looked out to the stern of the Nebula Class ship. "Ben, you know I usually don't disagree with you, but in this case, I think we should open the container to verify the artifact is in there. Because, if it's not..."

"According to all our instruments, it's in there." Hill said as he and the Science Officer both stood up.

Northcutt turned back around and walked back towards the desk and replied, "Well, let's find out. Once we know we have it, we can all move to the Conference Room and call over the other experts...who couldn't seem to even hold onto this thing." he said as a slight grin appeared on his face.

"Alright Tanaka, open it." the Captain said.

The Chief Science Officer hesitated for a moment. "Sir, perhaps there is a better place to do this at." she said to him.

"Such as?" he asked her.

"The Main Science Lab" she replied. "At least I can open it behind a containment field so in case there was a problem, we would have some control over it." she said to the Captain. "And it would take less than ten minutes to set up." she concluded.

Northcutt nodded. "OK. You and Commander Hill set up it. Call me when you're ready. You have ten minutes, Lieutenant." Northcutt said to her.

She quickly nodded, Commander Hill picked up the box, and the two of them left the Captain's Ready Room at a brisk walk.

As the doors closed, Northcutt sat back down in his chair and pressed his comm button. "Northcutt to Halliwell. Captain, are you there?" he asked.

Halliwell was already in her own office waiting on the call to confirm the safety and whereabouts of the artifact. She was now more desperate than ever to recover it since the location of Sonaata still hadn’t been confirmed by any party. As the comm. call came through to her, she started in anticipation and then quickly tapped her own badge. “Halliwell here, Captain. Do you have it?â€

Northcutt cleared his throat. "Yes, we believe we have secured it. Our instrumentation says the artifact is in a small box that we were able to recover from the Captain's cabin on the QAR ship. However, we have not yet opened the box. My Chief Science Officer, Lieutenant Tanaka, is setting up a containment field now in our main Science Lab and we are planning on opening the box to verify its contents." Northcutt said. "Would you and your people like to be here for that?" he asked her.

Halliwell cleared her throat and took in a mouthful of breath before she began the path that would no doubt end in deadlock. She paused, tapped her fingers lightly and absentmindedly on the desk before her and said, “No, that won’t be necessary, Captain. But I would like the artifact shuttled over to the Ranger… unopened. We are the vessel tasked with its recovery and I’d like complete that mission on my own ship.â€

"Captain, we are not even sure if this IS the artifact. Once we have ascertained that it is, we will let you take possession of it. You can do that right here on the Fairfax." Northcutt said.

Halliwell again paused for breath and looked away to her window before returning her attention back to Northcutt. “I’m afraid that’s simply unacceptable, Captain.†Her face now regained a steely determination that her crew would recognise as her own stubborn nature. “My Science Officers have been preparing for its delivery since we began this mission and I’d like them to not have wasted such an amount of time because someone wants to claim the prize for themselves. Now, if the artifact isn’t ferried over to the Ranger within the hour, then I’ll come over and get it myself… This isn’t your call any more, Captain. Please respect that and allow me and my crew to be able to complete our task to its full extent.

At that point, another call came through. "Captain, Captain." T'alaal nodded friendly to both figures on her viewscreen. "I believe our crew-sets are back where they belong. In fact, we are making preparations to warp to a nearby drydock for long overdue repairs."

Halliwell nodded as T’alaal appeared on her screen and then said, “Understood. We’ll be right behind you once we’ve secured the artifact on board the Ranger.†She glared to the right of the screen where Northcutt was still, his eyes fixed on her.

"Very well, Captain. Out of scientific interest, have you found out anything more about the artifact?" In the end, it was that artifact that sparked everything to begin with.

"Nothing as yet, but until Stafleet can declassify its significance I don't think any of us should be second-guessing its capabilities." Halliwell smiled disingenuously and then turned to Northcutt. "One hour, Captain. Or I come for it myself."

"We open the box in...eight minutes, Captain. I strongly advise that if you wish to now accept responsibility for this item, that you beam over here for the opening. I'm not giving you a box without verification of it's contents." he replied to her.

So this is the stubbornness that he had been warned about. He sort of appreciated the fact that she was willing to be feisty, but she was forgetting that he was the senior commander and that he had his orders as well.

"You know that I have no interest in claiming this thing for myself, Elise. I don't need a crown jewel in my career. This is YOUR mission that you asked for MY help on. All I am saying here is two things." Northcutt said as he held two fingers up in front of him facing the view screen at his desk.

"First, WE are opening this box. We want your help, so send your Scientists over. Secondly, you can HAVE this thing once we verify that it is what we are looking for. Don't make this any more difficult then it has to be." Northcutt replied in a somewhat fatherly tone. He was close to twenty years her senior and after all they had been through the past 48 hours, her attitude wasn't making the situation any better. "Now, how many will be in party to beam over to the Fairfax?" he asked.

"I don't quite believe that you understand the ramifications of what you are saying, Captain," Halliwell retorted. "WE were tasked with its recovery and I am not about to let anyone else open anything without my direct authorisation. You came into this situation fully aware of its 'classified' condition and you WILL abide by it." She paused, her face now flushing a distinct pink as her anger welled. "As you said, you were asked to assist, not to commandeer or high-jack the end result. I will be beaming over, but not to witness you open it. It'll be done here, under MY orders... not yours."

"Captain," T'alaal interrupted, looking at Northcutt, "Logic dictates utmost care in handling this artifact, no matter what it is. I would strongly advise doing this on a station, with better facilities in whichever case."

Northcutt paused momentarily. Perhaps the young Vulcan was onto something there. He nodded his head. "Agreed, T'alaal. And since this was your package to begin with, I will transfer it to the Archimedes and the Ranger and the Fairfax can escort you." he said. "Captain?" he asked looking at Halliwell.

"That is not your call to make, Captain!" Elsie interjected. "To move it to the less vulnerable and inexperienced ship is ludicrous!" She shook her head and looked at both contemporaries and sighed loudly. "You both seem to be under the impression that this is negotiable. I don't want to have to call Mummy and Daddy to come and sort this out but I will contact Command if this package is not delivered to my vessel immediately." Her eyebrows now knitted with a cocktail of fury and frustration but Elise knew that this was not something she was giving up to anyone. Not matter how 'senior' they assumed their position to be. "The recovery was the Ranger's and neither of you would allow any other captain to step in and assume control of a mission that was entrusted, albeit secretly, to yourselves. If you would like me to forward you both my mission specifics then fine. But that package is ours and what we've been through to get it, like yourselves, isn't worth this. We're not opening that box!"

"Captain, I have no intention to 'negotiate' anything." T'alaal said dryly. "I merely advised against opening the box. In fact, my crew doesn't even WANT that artifact on the Archimedes, not after all that happened. We are, however, willing to escort whomever does up until the drydock."

Northcutt sighed. "Elise, you can have this damn thing. It's caused me enough problems. However, note that this conversation will be in my report to Starfleet Command, as will the fact that I am not turning over the artifact to you, but simply a box that may contain the artifact. I stuck my neck out for you and this is your idea of cooperation?" he said matter of factly.

"This thing really has gone to your head, hasn't it. Very well, Halliwell, you can claim your artifact box in Shuttlebay Two. Have your people arrange it. I'm done here, and so is the Fairfax. Northcutt out." he said very definitively.

Halliwell smiled as the screen fell dark. Nortcutt could call it 'professional pride' if he dared, but Elsie knew that she could only trust her own crew to take on the burden on the last leg of this mission. Tapping her combadge, she said, "Halliwell to Drake. Go reclaim it."

OFF:

---

Captain Elsie Halliwell
Commanding Officer
USS Ranger


Captain Richard Northcutt
Commanding Officer
USS Fairfax


AND

Captain T’alaal
Commanding Officer
USS Archimedes

 

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