Telling Me That I Have To Beware
Posted on Wed Oct 17th, 2018 @ 9:20pm by Chief Petty Officer Leslie Calhoun & Lieutenant Amelia Zano Psy.D. & Glinn Kalim & Gil Paret
2,618 words; about a 13 minute read
Mission:
Episode 4 - The Sum of Our Parts
Location: Deflector Control DWS Pioneer/Bridge DWS Pioneer
Timeline: MD001 1930 hrs
"Alright..." Amelia began. "I suppose I can put on the bravado act but you really want me to arrest the XO?" Asking rhetorically as if straightening it out in her own mind. "Ok... I'll do it! Patch me up and I'll find some courage. Got to put on a good act to convince the crew that I'm who they think I am. Let's get moving... once I'm patched up a little more." she added giving Calhoun a little pat on the arm.
Billy smiled at Amelia, it was the smile that a parent has when their child superseded all expectations. He patched up her injuries. He looked at Jati as it dawned on him that she had killed everyone in the room. He raised his hand and opened his mouth as if he was going to chastise her for doing so. However, in that moment he realized that she was not Starfleet and therefore not governed by the same decorum as he or Amelia. He mentally dropped the subject for now. "Well then, let us get going."
May 28 2394 1930 hrs (relative time)
Corridor Deck 9 DWS Pioneer
Billy turned from the computer access terminal that he used in the corridor. He was stifling a laugh that bordered on a guffaw. "It seems the Gul was bluffing according to this your doctor friend is safe and sound in Sick Bay. Now I put this to you... Do you still want to go get her or leave her be?"
"Very good", Jati smiled. "And yes. We need her. I wish we could take her with us." She sighed. "Almost worth staying here, despite the less than ideal circumstances otherwise."
Billy gave the Cardassian woman a nod of agreement. He was not sure why the doctor was needed. But he was satisfied that Jati understood that the doctor could not come with them. He turned and headed for the turbolift.
Bridge DWS Pioneer
It felt like the longest journey she'd ever been on. Her nerves were doing somersaults within her, but on the outer surface she'd been putting her 'Interrogator' face on. She was to relieve the XO of command. No easy feat given one, she felt ill, two that she didn't know how much support he had and three that removing a Cardassian from power was never easy.
But here she went.
The doors swooshed open in their usual magical fashion and the bridge itself seemed unaware of her upcoming entrance. She had brought two of her department with her, some security that she had convinced of the need for his removal from the 'chair'.
She exited the turbolift with her 5 officers in tow. The three security and two interrogative officers moved into strategic positions as she saw the bridge crew tense up, some in fear others with confusion ready to react.
She had psyched herself up and moved in front of the XO, "Glinn Kalim I am placing you under arrest for the murder of Gul Prenar. I will be assuming command until someone more trustworthy of that seat arrives. You will say nothing until interrogated by my staff as I have enough evidence against you to kill you where you sit." She waved some of her men to move forward.
The crew on the Bridge immediately rose to their feet and some trained phasers on Amelia and her team. Glinn Kalim the XO if the DWS Pioneer was among those who rose. However, when he did he smiled, it was a knowing and conniving smile. He waved his hand at his crew, and they responded by lowering their weapons into a rest position. "Now Now Lieutenant let us not be too hasty. You say that Gul Prenar is dead and that you would like to arrest me. Well the Gul left the bridge hours ago and left me in command. I have been here ever since. In fact I do believe he was going to speak with you. Under who's authority do you intend to arrest me? With what evidence?" He took a few steps toward the woman, as his voice switched to a more sinister tone. "So before I reliquish this command to you or anyone else. Before I decide how to react to this preposterous claim. I must have those questions answered."
She let out a wry smile, he was testing her and she knew that he would. Before her arrival she had arranged some rather handy evidence be 'collected'. "By order of the Obsidian Order Glinn, you know better than anyone they are not to be questioned. I also have in my collection of evidence a confession by one of our sadly fallen comrades that he was ordered to kill Gul Prenar. Unfortunately Prenar heard of this and killed him at the same time as his own death. All very good timing, bad timing kind of deal." She said with a look of 'ah well' written all over her face. "Suffice it to say Glinn, you ARE under arrest."
"If the Order wanted me we would not be having this conversation. However, if you show me this alleged signed order then perhaps I will comply. Or is this some elaborate fabrication to seize control of this vessel." Kalim would resort to bloodshed if he had to. However, he was trying to avoid it, as well as avoid being removed from command.
"If this were some elaborate fabrication then I would need my own head examined for wasting so much of my precious time. Do you not think I have better things to do than this?" she asked rhetorically placing her hands on her hips. She then brought out a PADD with the perfectly forged document that ordered Glinn Kalim to be placed under arrest. She definitely wanted to avoid bloodshed, not only because it wasn't in her nature to cause such but because she valued all life even those in a different timeline/reality.
For a moment she sighed looking across the bridge, "I do not want bloodshed, not here with the brothers and sisters of my crew. This document orders the apprehension of Glinn Kalim for questioning in relation to the death of the Captain, it is my duty to carry this out and those that stop me will be subject to the same fate as him. I cannot speak for what will happen to families of those that stand against the Orders wishes and I hope that the transition of command will go smoothly until either Kalim is vindicated or charged. I follow their orders as much as you all should. " She added trying to stroke the dear of the Order into the crew, playing on that and almost pretending that she feared them too. "Either way I will get to the bottom of what has happened here." she said more sternly. "Compliance is mandatory."
When Zano finished speaking there was a new felling across the bridge. All of Kalim's officers drew their weapons and turned toward him. A Cardassian female officer stood at the Engineering Station and spoke. "I Gil Paret as Chief Engineer and Second Officer of this vessel confirm the Lieutenant's actions." For her part Paret had no idea if Zano was right or wrong, but either way she looked at it as a win.
Kalim looked around the bridge and for the first time in his career he saw that he was outgunned and out matched in wits. "You know Lieutenant you would make an excellent Cardassian." He said as he walked passed her and was taken away by Zano's men.
She moved to sit down on the command chair, inwardly feeling exhausted and outwardly showing the smugness of her victory. She had lied, schemed and plotted her way to a mutiny that now had her sitting in the centre chair of the Pioneer. Never had Amelia ever thought in any timeline this would be so but here she was, quietly hoping Calhoun and Jati were successful.
Sick Bay DWS Pioneer
It seemed that no one even gave the two of them a glance. All one had to do on this version of the Pioneer was appear to mean business and no one challenged you. Suffice to say Jati and Billy had an uneventful journey to Sick Bay.
When they arrived Billy stopped short of the door. "Perhaps you should lead the way in. She does know you best, and if what I have read is any indication. Her initial reaction to me will be less than pleasant."
"Enlighten me?" Jati requested, stopping outside sickbay. "In fact, whenever you think of something that's relevant, talk to me. I hate having to extrapolate from incomplete data."
"It seems in this reality whenever an Intelligence officer comes to visit it usually means that your career, or your life is over. At best it has something to do with your family and you will be released. At worst it is you. That is why I thought if you go first and perhaps soften the blow of my presence." Billy explained through gritted teeth. He hated that he was known here as nothing more than a common thug.
"Then we should soften the blow of you marching through these doors", Jati suggested. "Give me your hand, I'll break on of your fingers. Sticking out at an odd angle, she'll know you're here for different reasons." She smirked at him, then turned around and walked into sickbay. "Valentina?"
The doctor appeared from her office, saw Jati and immediately slapped her across the face. "Who are you?!" she demanded. "You're not my Jati, what have you done with her?"
Jati's shoulders slumped. "I am, and I'm not. What exactly happened, that's what we're trying to find out." She took hold of Valentina's shoulders to calm her. "Help us, we might be able to fix this. This is 'Billy'. He's not from this reality either, and he's El-Aurian, so he understands a few things..." She launched into a full and complete explanation of what had happened so far, in the course of which Valentina calmed down significantly. "I was confused this morning. I did not mean to take advantage of you, I had to find out for myself."
"Well, now that you have... can I get my Jati back?" Valentina looked from Jati to Billy, waiting for an answer.
Billy realized that these two had some sort of intimate connection, it did not take a genius to see that. That made what he had to say next all the harder. "Listen Doctor, if the timeline is restored we do not know what will happen. We are not even sure how this happened. The only thing I know is that I do not belong here, none of us do. This all is the wrong sequence of events. What will most likely happen is when all is restored you will be back where you should be, and you may not even know who Jati is..." His voice trailed off for a moment as he glanced over his shoulder toward the door. The worst thing that could happen now was to have someone walk in. "However, I will retain all knowledge of what happened here. Perhaps with some time the two of you will find each other again."
"And the other timeline is somehow better than this one?" Valentina asked.
"There's no Dominion in the alpha quadrant, at least", Jati said. "Cardassia and the Federation are both free." That was one of the few things she was actually certain about.
Valentina took a deep breath, then nodded. "That is worth more than two people's happiness", she concluded. "Okay, I'll help you."
Billy nodded and turned toward the door. "We have to get going. Next stop deflector control, who knows how long Amelia can keep the bridge crew at bay."
"I have the detailed readings you asked me to take this morning", Valentina told Jati. "If my suspicions are correct, you'll need them." She grabbed a PADD from her office, then followed the other two.
"See, I told you she was good", Jati said to Billy.
Deflector Control Room, DWS Pioneer
Once in deflector control, Jati pointed at one of the consoles. Looking at Billy, she asked, "Can you configure the primary deflector for an antichroniton blast, 20 terawatts? I can adjust its modulation from the secondary deflector. Don't fire anything off yet."
Billy nodded and went to work. He hoped he remembered his basic science training. He knew he was an analyst and not a scientist, but if the lady needed help she would get some. He drew his pipe and placed it in his mouth unlit. He was comforted by its presence and somehow thought it appropriate that McArthur would be here in this moment. Within minutes he had the primary deflector configured. "Deflector configured and standing by at your command. But the bridge has taken notice of the power redirect, they are investigating. Unsure of how much time we will have."
"Well, it's now or never, then", Jati said. She finished setting the pulse to the quantum signature of their current reality, in the hopes that her mother's calculations were correct, even given the limited data they had. She took Valentina's hand, locking eyes with the doctor. "Punch it", she said.
Billy keyed in the sequence and the deflector burst forward with swirling blue and green energy. The energy hit it's target and a tear in space time began to form. It's working... I think... Billy thought. As those thoughts and many others swirled in his head he saw time shift around him. The first thing he noticed was that Valentina disappeared. Then Jati disappeared, reappeared and disappeared again. It was all amazing, and he was having trouble keeping track of everything he saw, and all the knowledge that he was gaining. He had to remember, he knew that only Amelia and himself would be able to explain fully what happened to the Pioneer. He started to get dizzy and the last full image that he saw, and thought that he had was of Jennifer.
The burst from the deflector caught the bridge off guard and there was an audible gasp among some of the crew. Amelia knew this was coming but nothing prepared her for what was to come. She rose from her seat as if some how propelled from it, some force made her move.
The bridge began to wobble, change shape as if it was changing but remaining the same. All Cardassians disappeared and her uniform began to change to a blue collared outfit, Starfleet insignia returning to her left breast. A searing pain struck her as she turned to see the ghost like image of a man in the captains chair. "Malbrooke…" she whispered as blood trickled from her nose and she succumbed to the change once more.
The hardest part was yet to come she had thought before her eyes closed against her will.
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Amelia Zano PsyD
Chief Counselor, USS Pioneer
Senior Chief Petty Officer Leslie Calhoun
Data Systems Analyst, USS Pioneer
Glinn Kalim
Executive Officer, Empok Nor
Gil Paret
Chief Engineering Officer, Empok Nor
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