Cardassian Coffee Conversation
Posted on Tue Aug 21st, 2018 @ 11:31am by Staff Warrant Officer Jennifer Masters - Calhoun
Edited on on Tue Aug 21st, 2018 @ 6:21pm
1,624 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
Episode 4 - The Sum of Our Parts
Location: Jati's quarters
Timeline: MD001 1600 hrs
Jati caught her. In retrospect, though, she figured it wasn't quite so pleasant for Jenn. Her Cardassian uniform wasn't as comfortable from the outside as it was from the inside. "Steady, the dizziness will pass soon", she said, holding Jenn by her upper arms.
Jenn put her hand on her head as the dizziness slowly subsided. "Thank you, Glen." She said as she slowly got up an made a few steps getting her bearings.
Jati smiled at Jenn, then let go of her. "Dr. T'San, will you assist me in reviewing the data?" she asked.
Larim was next to step off the pad. Surprisingly steady. Wobbly on his feet he made it down off the pad and leaned up against a nearby wall.
T'San looked a moment to Larim and then turned to Jari. "Yes, Glen. What about my office, I can have the results sent there."
"Let's go", Jati agreed.
May 28 2394 1600 hrs (relative time)
With her data sent, Jati decided to look for this Jennifer person from the different reality. For one, she was wondering what all was different on the other side, and this was likely her only chance to find out about it, but she also figured the woman wouldn't want to be alone with her thoughts at that time, and thus Jati figured she'd be welcome making an appearance. She tapped her left ear, activating the implant that doubled as her communicator, and said, "Niall to Jennifer Masters", hoping the computer would know who she meant despite the different name that was on file. She felt inappropriate addressing her by the name her alter ego had adopted in their universe. "I've sent the sensor data to my mother, who is an expert in these things. While we wait, I was wondering if you'd like to join me for some of that amazingly good dark brown beverage I've recently discovered you humans use to help you think." She meant coffee, of course.
Jenn was sitting behind a computer terminal in the SCIF. The captain gave her permission to use it while she was here. Maybe she could find something there that could help them. She tapped her combadge. "Do you mean coffee, Glen? I'll be right there." She got up. "Where did you want to have coffee?"
"Deck three, section five, room 17", Jati suggested. It took her a while to get used to how Starfleet structured their rooms, but at least her memory worked well, so she had memorised the designation of her quarters. "I'm on my way there myself." The Pioneer was a small ship, even on foot she'd be there in a minute and a half.
"On my way then," Jenn replied. She turned down the terminal and made her way up to deck three. It didn't take her long to find the room. She pressed the door chime and waited for a response.
"Come in", Jati called. The room was warm but it wasn't a sauna, not even by human standards. On the one side, there was a slightly raised desk next to a wall display which was currently turned to showing a mountain range in the deserts of Cardassia Prime, the other part of the room appeared to be a mix of reception hall, café and library. Jati's bedroom was behind another doorway, and she had decided to turn this spacious room into a place for social gathering as well as work, since she didn't get an office of her own near the labs. "Please, join me", Jati smiled.
Jenn walked in and looked around. The room was a bit warm, nothing she couldn't handle, but still warm. She sat down next to Jati. "So, coffee, huh?" She asked. "Should I inform you I have someone back in the other universe?" She chuckled.
"You have someone in this universe, too", Jati smiled. "I thought you'd like a chance to get away from him for a bit." She poured each a cup from the pot. "This yellow stuff here is epikato resin, I take it instead of sugar for a spicier flavour. It's from Gameriso II, a Cardassian colony world", she informed Jenn as she broke off a piece and dissolved it in her coffee. There was sugar as well, as Jati didn't want to presume. "No, the reason I invited you was entirely selfish, I'd love to know more about the place you're from."
Jenn pulled the cup closer to her and said, "I would love to try the epikato resin, sounds interesting." She broke off a piece and put it in her coffee as well. She stirred the coffee and then stared at the cup as the coffee settled. Then she said, "What would you like to know?"
"We often wonder how history might have turned out differently, if this event or that one might have happened differently", Jati said. "At least I have always been curious. What would have become of my home had we not risen up against the Dominion? Would we be living under Klingon and Romulan occupation now? Or if we had risen up sooner, would we all have been killed?"
"Well, I don't know how the events turned out here. And I don't know what events would have passed to make this different from ours. All I know I turned out to be like my sister. A starfleet officer, a mom and a slop. Have you been in my counterpart's room." Jenn shook her head. "In my reality I am pretty tidy. I found out my sister was kind of like me, and I say kind off. She is total slut. I never thought she would turn out worse than me. She is currently in prison as well. Looks like I did well for myself in my own universe."
She took a sip from her coffee. "Sorry I am rambling. Well in our universe the Cardassians rose just in time. The Federation, Klingons and Romulans were losing all fronts. Since the Romulans had joined, the Dominion retreated. It was one bloody mess, with Dominion killing Cardassians. But the resistance was alive and they pushed to the end. Well it was eventually DS9 security chief Odo who put an end to the war. How is your recording of history?"
"We revolted when I was fifteen, I fought the Dominion on Cardassia. It was a brave charge... for about thirty seconds. Then I got shot, barely survived. For me personally, it was tough and go", Jati said. "For Cardassia, it was the last possible second. I don't think we'd have positive relations with the Federation and even with Bajor if that hadn't happened. I have a younger sister. She became an engineer instead of a real scientist, but at least she's not in prison", Jati said in jest.
"Yea that's my sister. My twin sister in my universe has a perfect life. Well, so my aunt thinks." She shook her head. "So confusing, this and the alternate reality."
"You've got memories mixed in your head?" Jati asked. "Or is that from the database you've looked at?"
"Maybe both, I don't know, whatever it is, it freaks me out a bit." Jenn replied.
Jati nodded. "Understandable. And it's important to know, as that will dictate our approach to reverse the effect. If it's not a simple exchange between universes, that'll be significantly harder to do." She frowned, took a sip of coffee and thought on the problem.
"So how does this work? Is this her body or mine? When I woke up in that bed I was pretty sure who I am, I am sure now. I just get the occasional flash of what I assume are her memories." Jenn said looking in to her coffee cup.
"It's your body, the quantum signature says you're overwhelmingly from a different universe", Jati responded. "There is some error in the data but that's caused by breathing our air, eating our food, drinking our coffee, the body replaces..." She paused. "Well, I'm sure you know what I mean. But memories... are you telepathic, or those around you with whom your alter ego and you have interacted?" It was unlikely, but Jati didn't want to rule out a benign explanation.
"Ehm.. Lieutenant Myles is a Betazoid. Is that relevant?" She asked.
"We'd have to ask him. If he has memories of your alter ego in him somewhere, and consciously or subconsciously shared them with you?" Jati replied. "I don't know if that's even possible, all I know about telepathy is how to defend against it. It's one of those things I look forward to experimenting with as a liaison with Starfleet. I haven't had a chance to do so yet."
"We could ask him, we're meeting him later tonight at dinner," Said Jenn.
Jati nodded slowly. "I already have other dinner plans, but I'll do some research and will get back to you in the morning. My mother should have had a chance to look over the data and give me her expert opinion on it by then as well." She smiled. "It helps having clever relatives."
"Alright," Jenn nodded. "See you in the morning then."
A Joint Post By
Petty Officer First class Jennifer Masters
HUMINT Agent, USS Pioneer
Glen Jati Niall
Cardassian Liaison Officer/Assistant Chief Science Officer, USS Pioneer
RSS Feed