Dark Waters

Posted on Thu Nov 1st, 2018 @ 5:16am by Major Cornelius Tremble & Staff Warrant Officer Jennifer Masters - Calhoun
Edited on on Thu Nov 1st, 2018 @ 5:20am

851 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Episode 5 - It Would Be Their Pleasure
Location: SCIF - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD 001 1720 hrs

Neil was running.

Well, trying to. Though he wondered if he was trying to run from something and doing so on a treadmill was a metaphor for his progress.

Thus far sleep had been something he’d avoided, and when he had to he’d taken Dozeoff’s. He always woke up feeling like he was crawling out of his own grave, but at least the sleep was dreamless. Overall though, the effects of the Hoyle-verse were dragging at him and he was noting a decline in his own efficiency.

He panted as the treadmill inclined and he had to use the side rails to steady himself, before catching his balance and he ran on. A minute later, the comm unit chimed and Neil climbed off the treadmill, thankful for a reprieve. Wrapping a towel around his neck, ordered the computer to link the communication and he blinked and came to attention as Colonel Ian Lindsey’s face came on the main screen.

“At Ease. Good to see you keeping the baby fat off, Lt.,” his CO stated.

“I lost my baby fat in boot, Colonel, but you know what they say. Putting on that butter bar adds 40 Kilos.”

The Colonel laughed at that and Neil scrubbed sweat from his face as sobered and got to the point, “I’ll keep this short since you need more time working out. Get with the Pioneer’s SI Officer..” Neil saw Lindsey checking his desk before he continued, “A WO Masters. Starfleet Intel needs us to help with a pickup in DarkWater. Get it done Tremble.”

“Aye aye, sir.” Tremble responded as the Colonel cut the comm.

Neil got himself cleaned up, climbed into a clean uniform and headed out the door. Finding the way to the Intel Suite, he hit the annunciator and waited.

Jenn was in her office making some reports when a little chime chirped in her officer. She opened the door to her office walked to the room she had dubbed "the waiting room" ever since she got first assigned here to see who was out there. Then she saw a marine. Noticing his ranks she knew immediately who he was, as she knew almost all senior officers by name and several low ranking officers as well. As intelligence officer and especially Human intell agent, she thought she needed to know at least the senior staff. "Lieutenant Tremble, how can I help you?" She just assumed he knew her.

Neil eyed Masters as she let him in and waited for the hatch to secure before he said, "I'm glad I caught you on office hours, Ms. Masters. Marine HQ contacted me and it looks like we have a project. SI apparently has the need for marines to pick up an asset on the quiet?"

Jenn nodded. "I understand."

Neil pulled a chip from his sleeve, then looked around awkwardly for a reader. "I didn't take much time to go over the locality, leaving that for mission prep.

She pointed to one of the computer terminals. "Be my guest." She smiled. "Help yourself."

Slotting the chip, Neil pulled up the brief packet he'd been sent and gestured. "Uninhabited, supposedly, rock of indeterminable value. Nasty surface conditions, but we should be able to counter that over the short term."

He droned on briefly and shrugged, "Nothing exciting here. What we need to know is who the package is and what we can expect in the way of opposition."

Turning to look at Masters, he asked "Tell me you've gotten some info on that and are willing to share? Or is this going to be need to know and I don't. Yet?"

Jenn smirked and then said, "Step in to my office, Lieutenant." Jenn walked in to her office and opened her desk monitor. "A message from starfleet intell came in earlier. The intelligence director was explicit, I shouldn't watch the message without the presence of second lieutenant Cornelius Tremble. I am good, but the director is extraordinary."

She offered the marine a seat next to her. She started the message.

The intelligence director seemed to look straight at them as he spoke. "Warrant Officer Masters, Lieutenant Tremble. The information you are about to get is need to know only. And you need to know as I am sending you both on a mission of the highest priority. You leave immediately as soon as you assembled your time. Starfleet intelligence out." The communication was disconnected.

She looked to Neil. "I got a name and profile. I assume you got a location."

Neil nodded, "Tadian IV. It's in Cardassian space, though fairly remote. We'll take the Hawkeye and a reinforced squad in, I think. Probably going to have to file something or other that says we're on a training mission or the like..."

Jenn nodded, "I agree."

A Joint Post By

Second Lieutenant Cornelius Tremble
Marine Commanding Officer, USS Pioneer

Warrant Officer Jennifer Masters
Chief Intelligence Officer, USS Pioneer

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