Colonel Eason

Researching Dr. Zwicky Claire Eason exited the bridge and headed toward the small office A9 had allowed her to appropriate for the SI office. At least it wasn’t the old ‘broom’ closet she had been forced to use for a long while after it was discovered she was SI. She entered the office and promptly got a cup of nice hot Vulcan tea from the replicator, then sat at the computer terminal to see what she could find out about Dr Zwicky. This computer was not attached to the ship’s system. It had its own transmission frequencies and sequences, and tapped straight into the main SI database. She tapped in her access code sequence and pulled up a classified database that not everyone had access to and typed in Dr Zwicky and then listed his aliases. She took another sip of tea as she waited for the search to complete. She had barely finished sipping when the information appeared. She gave a low whistle. What a record. The good doctor had managed to make quite a few enemies in his time. Of course, in this case, good wasn’t quite accurate. Evil would be more like it. She kept reading. Quite the maverick, Dr Zwicky. Lives on the edge. Doesn’t care who gets in his way. She scrolled on down. Here we go. Dark Matter research. That’s his game. She pulled up and read several research articles written on Dark Matter research—some by Dr. Zwicky, and some about his research written by other top scientists. One thing stood out. Only Zwicky thought that Dark Matter could be collected and utilized. Every other scientist thought he and his theories on using Dark Matter were crazy—and crazy was putting it mildly. Claire sighed. What was the Manticore getting into this time? She summarized her findings in a file on a PADD then sent the file top priority to A9, Sovak, and Jami. Colonel Claire Eason Starfleet Intelligence Liason USS Manticore

Eason shut the door to the conference room behind her, walked over to one of the many stone benches lining one side of the long narrow hallway and plopped down on it. With one hand, she kneaded her forehead, eyes squinted closed. Three days. Three days of debriefings here at SI headquarters. But it was all starting to make sense now. Well, what little sense that could be made out of all of this anyway. Her hand fell to her lap, and she rested the back of her head against the stone wall. Through the glass wall in front of her, the current version of the Golden Gate Bridge rose in the distance over Starfleet Headquarters Compound. One of Elaine Jaffe’s personal SI agents. At the time she had been chosen, it had been a true honor. At the time, Jaffe was known for her deep honesty, morality, and integrity. Claire suddenly wanted to throw up. Somewhere along the way, that honesty and integrity had been thrown out the window. Claire should have seen it coming, but she hadn’t. What had happened to them all? To Jaffe. To her. She stood, exited the building, and walked along one of the landscaped paths in the direction of the bridge. Yep, it all made sense now. No wonder Jaffe’s eyes got big that day in Sovak and Claire’s quarters on SB 9 when Claire asked to return to regular covert ops. The Consul General had been quite slick tongued in talking Claire into staying. She’d known just what to say, and just what deals to make. Claire had followed through on her end. She wondered if the C.G. had. Somehow she doubted it. The letter Jaffe had promised to forward to her parents had probably ended up in File 13. So her parents were probably still wondering where she was and even if she was alive. Speaking of wondering, Sovak was probably wondering too. Wondering where his wife had disappeared to three days ago. She had been one of the first ones called to the conference room on SB 1 to be debriefed by Morris, supposedly. Except she hadn’t been debriefed by Morris. She’d been wisked to SI division headquarters at the SF complex and confined to quarters except for debriefing meetings. No comms allowed. The confinement and no comms had finally be lifted at the end of the session that had just ended. Yep, it made sense. Jaffe’s eyes got big because there was no way the C.G. could allow Claire back in mainstream Starfleet Intelligence. She knew too much. Just like A9 and the rest of the Manticore crew. That’s why Jaffe had stuck them out in the middle of nowhere at SB 9. To isolate them. To keep them from figuring out the no-good she had been up to. Jaffe had even somehow controlled what information she received from SI sources. She should have realized it. She should have seen it coming, but she didn’t. None of them did, until it was almost too late. But, in the end, Jaffe’s plans to isolate and do away with Manticore had failed. Jaffe no longer had power, and, interestingly enough, integrity and morality had been her downfall—the integrity and morality of the command staff and crew of the USS Manticore. She stopped at a food cart and bought a sandwich and a drink, then sat on a bench overlooking the bridge and the bay to eat it. She guessed she should comm Sovak now that she could. She gave a slight shake of her head. No, she’d wait. He would know she was OK through their bond, just not all the details. It could wait until after the last meeting in about 30 minutes. The meeting with the director. The meeting that would determine what was left of her career. After it was over, she could go back to SB 1 and Manticore, she hoped. If not, then she’d comm him.

Claire led Consul General Elaine Jaffe through the corridors of SB 9 toward the section of the station where the quarters meant for the Station XO were located. Neither woman spoke on the way down. Claire wondered if Jaffe suspected what the conversation was going to be about. If she didn't know better, she would swear the CG had been avoiding her. She wondered how much Sovak suspected and what he'd say. She hadn't talked to him about it either. Claire signaled the door to open, and motioned the CG in. ”Would you like a cup of tea, or something else” "No, thank you, Claire" Claire got herself a cup of Searose tea, native from her home planet. She faced the CG and got right to the point. “Consul General Jaffe, I want to be reassigned back to the Covert Ops division of SI.” The Consul General's eyes widened just enough to see the white all around her pupils. Claire hadn't realized how Jaffe seemed to always have her eyes narrowed until this slight reaction from her seemed like a look of shock. "You know how difficult it would be to remove you from this ship? The processes and systems we have in place, the trust you've built with Atragon, the personal relationship you have developed with Sovak and still you want to go?" Claire sighed and examined the floor for a moment. “No, I don’t suppose it would be easy after all this time. Atragon’s not known to be a big fan of SI’s, in fact, that’s probably an understatement, but he does trust me." She took a long sip of her tea and glanced around the quarters. The furnishings were a little sparse since their transfer from the Manticore had been somewhat hasty, yet already the quarters showed a nice intermingling of Vulcan and human culture. Her gaze returned to the CG. “I haven’t discussed any of this with Sovak. I can imagine he will be….well… displeased.” "And do you really think we can just pick you up and slip you back into the Program so easily? Tell me this - why do you want to come back and, well, why do we need you back?" "I imagine it would be almost, maybe more so depending where, to put me in somewhere as it would be to pull me out of here.” Claire took another sip of tea. “As for why? Well, granted it’s been awhile since I’ve been out there now, but, to be frank, I was one of the best, and you could use some of the best out there right now, Elaine." Jaffe stiffens noticeably and the squint returns to her eyes. "Colonel, you do think highly of yourself, don't you?!" She turns and paces the small room, really only taking one or two steps. She turns again to face Claire, her face looking suddenly exhausted, as she leans against the wall. "Claire, I need you now and I need you here. As you know from our run-in with the Liberator and the "Earth-First" group, there are troubles brewing and they are brewing at home. It's a good thing that you are out here, because I can trust that you have NOT been affected. I'm not denying your request for reassignment, but I'm asking you to withdraw it for now. I have spoken with Atragon and Sovak about something that is about to happen... here at the Starbase. I can't say more as I don't trust these walls, but go to them, tell them that we spoke and that I want you involved. Help them, heaven knows they need the help, especially Atragon. With his well-intentioned, but stupid attack on Lenscher, I'm worried that he's getting too deep, taking things too personally. Have you looked at him lately, I mean REALLY LOOKED? It's not just that torture device of a chair he's constructed, look into his eyes - he's used up all his reserves, he's almost spent. Get into this one and help us all get through this... this Cleanup. I'm sorry, that's all I can say for now." Claire studied the floor. “Yes, he looks like someone who has given all he has to give, yet is intent on giving more. He is taking things too personally.” She paused briefly, again. “Not long after my true identity was revealed to A9 and Sovak, I was forced to temporarily relieve A9 from command. At that time, the trust you talked about had not fully developed. You know, as angry as he was, I think that incident helped to cement it. I’d rather not have to relieve him from command again. I’d rather no one have to. But I would if I needed to.” She looked up. “I’ll withdraw my request for now, Elaine. However, I wish to ask a favor. I’ll understand, though, if you cannot grant it.” She smiled. “I won’t like it, but I’ll definitely understand. Is there anyway you can get a message to my parents, or if you cannot get a message to them, at least let me know how they are" Jaffe nodded and smiled, "Get me a message and I'll get you an answer right away. Thank you, Claire." Claire nodded. "Thank you. I'll have a message to you by the end of the day. And I will speak with A9 and Sovak as soon as possible." =========== Colonel Eason Admiral Atragon

(From last week's log) Sovak: ::looks back to her:: Did you need me for something? It is not like you to be rude to your friends. Cnl_Eason: :: glances down at feet, and then back up at him. ::smiles slightly:; You know that discussion we had last night? I think we should. Sovak: ::raises an eyebrow:: You are sure? (A few days later) "Yes, I'm sure." She had answered him then. Claire thought about those two conversations as she walked down the path from Jami and Atragon's cabin to the cabin Sovak had built for them on the Point. She reached a fork in the path, and took the much less traveled one down the rocky slope to the pocket beach below. The waves pounded the rocky shore as she sat on her favorite rock and let her mind focus back on the visit to Jami. The visit had been multifold. She had wanted Jami's advice as a doctor as well as a close friend. She told Jami of the recent conversations and they talked for most of the afternoon about things to consider. Pros. Cons. Dangers. Of course being marooned on an uninhabited, unindustrialized planet with limited resources didn't exactly add to the pro category. She mulled it all over and over in her mind. The logical choice was obvious. But even given all the facts, she wasn't sure she wanted to be logical. But would Sovak agree? Before and shortly after they were first marooned, she knew what his answer would be. The logical choice. No question. No discussion. Now she wasn't so sure. But now, they would at least continue discussing it. At least she hoped so. She watched the sun start to sink below the horizon, then headed back up the trail to find Sovak to let him know what Jami had said.

Exerts from the Personal Diary of Col. Claire Eason Month 8, Day 3--We buried Ens Lego today. It was a Starfleet burial with honors for being killed in the line of duty. Except rather than the usual burial in space, he was buried in the earth in a grave dug by shipmates. Almost everyone managed to round up some type of Starfleet Uniform too. The mood has been somber since his death and the injuries to the other of the repair crew onboard the ship at the time. For the last 8 months everything has been perfect. No major injuries, no real obstacles. Easy. Too Easy. On Month 8, Day 1, we paid the price for having it so easy thus far. I hope its the only one we have to pay. Month 11, Day 15-- Days are simple here. Get up. Breakfast. Detail assignments whether it be the solar plant ort he Deuterium plant, or the fields or orchards or whatever. Time later to spend hiking or swimming or hanging out in the common area, or spending time with Sovak. Dinner's in there somewhere. Then lights out and time to start over again the next day. Nice and easy, and usually predictable. Its nice not to have to go around being suspicious about everything and never letting your guard down as you have to do constantly in SI. Simplicity. There's something to be said for it. Jami and I have been talking about that a lot lately. I know we aren't the only ones that like life on the planet either. Month 14, Day 11-- 2 weeks done. 2 weeks to go. I hate being on the Manticore. I never thought I'd say that, but I am. Progress is very very slow. But the repairs are coming along. Being up here on the ship makes me miss life on the planet even more. I miss the ocean beating against the shore, working in the gardens. Swimming. Even the antics of McFly, Faldek and Kroells. I miss watching the storms come in with Sovak. And chatting with Jami, and also with Farron and Roget. I have to admit, I've never been one of the more social members of the crew, but when I am doing my time up here, I miss most everyone. But most of all I miss Sovak. Month 17, Day 21-- There's nothing like watching the fog roll in. First, it's a gray line across the distant water. Then, once it reaches land, it does literally roll. It forms fingers over the coastal mountains and hills, then seeps into the coves and valleys and grabs the sea rocks, the beaches , trees, and even us in its grip. I remember an old earth saying from my academy days. There's nothing colder than a San Francisco Summer. The fog makes that true. Especially at night. But its still beautiful as it rolls onshore. Its very relaxing to watch. I need that after the day in the fields today. 2 of the enlisted crew had been bickering all day. Finally, they got into a fight while staking the tomatoes. A Bolian and a Klingon crew member. They were arguing over whether or not the ship would be repaired and whether or not it should be. They are both quite larger in size than I and I don't know what possessed me to try to break it up rather than wait on Precip and his forces. I think I'm lucky to only have a couple of cuts and a sprained ankle and wrist. Month 19, Day 30-- We're coming up on 20 months here on the Earth. Soon it will be 2 years. The ship repairs slowly continue. The end to them is not yet in site. For that matter, we really don't even know if there will be an end. Life is good.

Claire paused to tread water and look about. She was about 500 yards offshore, and the view was beautiful. Coastal mountains dropped abruptly downward to meet the rocky shore as waves crashed onto the rocks and beaches. Yes, beaches. There was no broad expanse of beach stretching as far as the eye could see around here. Just many small packet beaches each with their own personality hidden inside the many coves created by the coastal cliffs. Swimming had become one of her favorite activities over the last month but then that was natural for someone literally born underwater. Even in the time they came from, it had been years since she had been to her homeworld, the water covered planet of Pacifica where the cities were all underwater because very little land mass was above water. You didn't hike trails on Pacifica. You swam them with the fishes. That was one difference here. And it was a little unsettling. There were no fishes. Or anything else other than plants and vegetative life. Even in the ocean. But even so, swimming in a real ocean in real water sure beat the fake oceans and water of the holodecks. This was real swimming. She couldn't help but wonder about Pacifica. Was it still there? Was it barren except for the underwater plants? No humans or fishes or other animal life like here? Like Vulcan, and Izar, and all the other planets in the Federation and beyond, Pacifica had not answered their calls. Were they really the only sentient life left? She swam to about 100 yards offshore and tread water again. From here, she could see the landing pad and the shuttles sitting there. She could also see the edges of the main field and orchard. Food. Water. Shelter. It had all been theirs for the taking. It had almost been too easy. The water distillery and Deuterium plant she couldn't see from where she was, but she knew they were there. She turned slightly and looked in the another direction toward the Point. The silhouette of a lone figure stood there against the background of the sky. She knew he would be there. He just about always was this time of day. She was a little concerned about him. She couldn't put her finger on exactly what or how, but there had been something different about Sovak since they landed or maybe even a little before. But then again, this experience had changed them all in one way or another. She watched him for another minute or so, then sighed and swam toward the shore.