Elsie and the Admiral

Posted on Wed Nov 23rd, 2011 @ 1:47pm by Captain Elsie Halliwell & Lieutenant Cedric Shepherd

888 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Unmasked Miners
Location: USS Ranger, Deck 1, Ready Room
Timeline: Current

ON:

The screen before Halliwell sprung to life as a secured channel to Starfleet Headquarters had been successfully mapped and connected. She sighed as the United Federation of Planets’ logo hung in the air, spinning on a central axis as the words “Establishing Connection…†blipped on the bottom corner of her desk bedded projection.

She rested her chin in her hands as she was re-routed from one terminal to another before, eventually, the unfamiliar face of Admiral Singh finally adorned the space in front of her.

She had waited for almost an hour to be connected with her superior as meeting after meeting seemed to have detained him, according to his rather snooty and severely dislikeable assistant simply rolled her eyes at Elsie’s continuingly heightened consternation.

And then the screen abruptly cut to the Admiral. The first impression one received from Admiral Hindran Singh was stony resolve. The lines of his face were hard around his eyes, which were at once dark and penetrating and disconcerting, while much of the rest of his face was obscured by a salt-and-pepper beard that was clearly coarse but obviously meticulously kept, and a flamboyant mustache curled upwards outside the corners of his mouth. His impeccable uniform was accessorized by a tightly wound turban, peaked above his forehead and coordinated in the black and red of his command attire. He sat very still, all dour unsmiling immobility, regarding Halliwell for just a moment with his disconcerting eyes.

"Captain," Singh said simply, all business. He had an accent, but it was slight, serving only to give him an exotic edge that somehow made him more enigmatically intimidating.

Cutting straight to business, Elsie already knew the pleasantries would have to wait for a more convenient time; one where her own patience wasn't tested to breaking point. Admiral, I assume you have received the data I transmitted to you through your," and here her eyes rolled, "wonderfully efficient yeoman." She paused, inhaled to allow the charged moment pass, and then continued. "The Ranger requires further orders in how to proceed against this mess the Romulans seemed to have created for us. And here I was thinking that you'd just ordered us on a simple survey mission."

The sarcasm in her voice was playful as she raised an eyebrow in indication.

The Admiral was, as usual, inscrutable. "I'll speak with my yeoman," he said, in a tone that clearly indicated he was finished with that topic. "I've read your report. Do you believe these Romulans flooded the planet somehow?"

Elsie raised an eyebrow and threw a careless hand into the air in a dismissive manner. "Honestly?" she rhetorically questioned, "I have no idea. The information we've gleamed just isn't enough to support a theory either way. My own hunch, though? Yes. But that's a devious Romulan for you. It might be too convenient to blame them while they're here." She broke for a moment, but then trundled on. "I'm unsure how, exactly, to proceed, Sir. With the Romulans now detecting our presence in the system, we need to make our move and fast. Before they themselves call for back-up to protect whatever they're up to here."

Admiral Singh gave a grunt of acknowledgment. "We must assume that the Romulans will call for aid. I will dispatch support to you, but the closest ship to you is the Pelican, and they are four days away. Unfortunately, with no provocation and no evidence, I cannot authorize direct action against the Romulans at this time."

"And I completely agree with that course of action, Sir," Halliwell replied, almost inaudibly. "Naturally," she spoke up, now piquing her head to make direct eye contact with the admiral, "my eye is trained on the Romulans and we shall keep continuous and detailed scans active on their position. I don't want them moving with my knowing of it."

"Of course," said Singh, nodding in agreement. "Use this time to find out what happened to the planet. If you can tie these planetary changes to the Romulans, I can get you the green light against them. You'll hold the flag in-system--I'll inform Captain Zaragoza of the Pelican that he is to support your orders."

"I appreciate that, Admiral," Elsie replied, nodding. "And thank you for the support but Captain Zaragoza is familiar to me... and an excellent commanding officer. I doubt that we'll clash over our objectives." Her face slightly darkened, as her eyes narrowed and training upon the admiral before her. "We will find out what happened here, and I will protect my crew from any interference from these bastards."

Her tone took on a serious edge, like that of a mother who was protecting her clutch. But that was what it exactly was. With Anaia now on ship, Elsie felt a protection she had never experienced before. One of maternal venom to those who would harm her own.

"Inform Captain Zaragoza to make contact when he is in the system, and not before. I don't want to tip our hand and give the Romulans ideas they haven't already thought of."

"I will pass that along," said Singh. "Keep me informed, and good luck."

"Aye, Sir," Elsie nodded, powering down the screen and waiting a moment before rising to her feet to make the preparations.

OFF:

 

RSS Feed