"Dangerous Creatures"

[Guest Sar'vek t'Jhiin]

Sar'vek sat behind her console stiffly, cold feelings of dread coursing through her.

 

Something -- make that somethings -- were slightly... off. Of course, members of re prominent houses heading off to confidential meetings would make anyone uneasy. What information could N'Dak have wanted from tr'Khev? The only thing that might have worried her more would have been if Khev were in Science. But even then, there could be infiltrators at work already to undermine her. After all, there was already io Ne'Arrain with bloodties to the N'Dak family. Despite Laehval's impressions of Issaha, that alone could make t'Jhiin paranoid.

 

The scientist smirked slightly as she considered her own paranoia. However, she was na in stasis, which spoke volumes about her personal philosophy's success rate. And with her own new, surreptitious little safeguard for her quarters, she was becoming more confident in her own ability to survive.

 

It did, on the other hand, make her rather unhappy that her assistant was so unwilling to comply with her orders to obtain one of the lizards. Although Rhean may na have believed it, Sar'vek was na trying to get her y'ya. She was simply making an intelligent decision to place her own life above that of her assistant, and since clearly she, as Daise, was more valuable, and Issaha was less competant, Rhean was the likely choice.

 

Once her new... specimen... was captured, Sar'vek decided that she would undertake a special study of their adaptability to domestication. Worst came to worst, it would be one of the laboratory pets. Besides, venomous creatures were a girl's best friend, as experience had taught her very well.

 

The other thing that concerned her was the h'nah wide-flying rumor that t'Valae and t'Ditsy were in cahoots. t'Ditsy clearly hating her, and Rhean an unknown... a possibly lethal combination. If Rhean were looking for an ally, the crew would scarcely suspect the ever-lovesick J'stal to be in the running to assassinate a department head. Elements. Maybe she should have set up some sort of listening equipment in her own lab.

 

She was surrounded by a web of deceit, that much would have been clear to a fool. But was she the prey trapped, ready to be disposed of by the treacherous collection of predators around her?

 

Or was she closer to the center of the web; rather than the would-be victim, but a dangerous creature herself?

 

A small smile crossed her lips.