"Conference Call"

[Kansas_Jones 0]

06.08.07

UES Challenger

“Conference Call”

 

Lieutenant junior grade Shaow JoNs waited patiently, seated at the small desk in her assigned quarters. After returning from a half-dozen OEP debriefs at Earth Command, and taking some time to touch base with MACO Chief Kimiko, the Caitian thought it would be wise to pursue an activity she hadn’t done in quite a while - contact her family.

 

The console display screen changed from the Challenger logo to the corporate symbol of he family company, Lynxcis Transport, indicating that a signal had been established. Mirrishan, the elderly woman who had served the family as the receptionist for as long as Shaow could remember, appeared on the screen.

 

The elderly Cait offered the younger woman a warm smile. “Shaow!...what happened to your fur?’

 

“Doing well Mirri – and the blonde fur and mane is a rather complicated story. Needless to say, it is not my attempt to start a fashion trend.’

 

The older woman laughed. “Fair enough – who can I connect you with? Everyone is currently free at the moment. Although, your parents are still on that business trip to the New Talyor colony...”

 

“Yes, they had both made me aware of that business trip when I had commed them two months ago.” The young Caitian thought for a moment, deciding who would be the “safest” of her siblings to speak with. “Actually, I’d like to speak to Vrrowl this time.”

 

Mirrishan smiled. “Let me transfer you. This will only take a moment…” and with that, she blinked out of existence, replaced by the Lynxcis logo.

 

However, the call transfer did take longer then expected. Her father refused to update the seven year old (it still works!) TraviCom inter-office comm system, and Shaow was convinced that the system had finally gone berserk and dropped her call into The Pit.

 

Finally, the comm line came back up, and her brother’s auburn furred face appeared on the screen, a smile quirking at his whiskered muzzle. “Shaow-girl! How’s the Cait? And what in the universe did you do to your fur?”

 

She smiled. “I’ll get to that in a bit. I’m doing as well as can be expected. How have you been Vrrowl? Things have been well?”

 

“Things are very well. I closed that deal with the Sanskrit Transport company just this morning – they will be utilizing our cargo runners for a five year contract.”

 

“That is wonderful Vrrowl! You’ve been lobbying that contract for, what, a year now?”

 

“It has been a long time, but the time only sweetens the score even more.”

 

Vrrowl was very good at what he did, and his younger sister favored him with a smile and purred. “Good for you Big Brother.”

 

He chuckled. “Enough of this business talk – we do that enough around here. What’s the word Shaow?” His mien had shifted slightly, and Shaow thought she detected some…directness?

 

“Oh, I just wanted to have a word with you. Updates on my Earth Command service, see how things are going, that sort of thing.”

 

He fixed her with a look. “Good. Then you won’t mind if VRess and Srrett join us.” He flicked a claw at a personal data slate, and Shaow’s screen suddenly split into three views – her sister and brother had now joined the conversation.

 

That’s why the transfer took so long – Vrrowl had gotten the other elder siblings into the conference room.

 

Shaow stared for a moment, contemplating her situation (she was a dead woman), and then finally offered a tentative purr. “Hello, everyone?”

 

Her sister, the eldest, spoke. “Don’t ‘hello’ us – other then some haphazard text mail, we haven’t heard from you in almost six months.’ She winged a look at the younger female that quite probably could have melted titanium.

 

The Caitian officer worshipped the ground her family walked on, and like most Cait families, the loyalty to one another ran deep. But, it was true; Shaow had only contacted her parents regularly in recent months, rather then the elder siblings.

 

Shaow had been a ‘surprise’ conception, with a good fourteen years separating her from her siblings. She had always been ‘the baby ‘, and as a result, had been a bit spoiled throughout her life (not that she’d ever admit this, thank you very much) by her parents. Conversely, her elder siblings had taken on a mentoring role to Shaow. At times, it was like having three extra parents – who would not put up with her antics. A saving grace to the ‘spoiled brat’ syndrome was the fact that Shaow was raised around the family business, forming a respect and an appreciation for what it took to run the business and keep it successful. And the gods help you if you spoke ill of her family.

 

Srrett, the second oldest, broke the silence. “Shaow Seval. Speak, words.”

 

Oh wonderful – they had already entered full name territory. Shaow cleared her throat and ventured to speak to the executives. “VRess, Srrett, and Vrrowl – it is very good to speak with you all again, and I really do apologize for being incommunicado. Between the final training for the Officer Exchange Program, and the assignment here to the Challenger, things have been quite busy…”

 

She launched into an account of her adventures, carefully skirting such issues as the Dameon encounter, the Andorian asylum issue, the “what transmission” pact she had undertaken with Gallus, and anything else that could be construed as politically prickly. She also deigned to not pass on any of her encounters with the Vulcan TParek (Oh gods – her brothers and sister would have probably launched into a ‘you should have paid more attention in language classes’ before ending up on the floor in laughter) including the dreaded Pork incident. The Caitian could handle the Vulcan senior officer with no advice from her elders. Shaow ended her account with the problem the ship had encountered with the Shroom plant infection.

 

VRess put a sable colored paw up and cleared her throat. “Those plants did that to your fur and mane? And it will be permanent?”

 

“So it would seem. It does take some getting used to. I am currently formulating a plan to break it gently to Mother and Father.”

 

“….I was really hoping you had gotten a dye job.”

 

“Sadly, no. Now, we had better get back to the non-female talk – the brothers are looking bored.”

 

A round of shared laughter resounded, and Shaow felt herself relax. For all their parental leanings, her siblings were still her siblings, and she could discuss concerns with them that she would not approach with her parents. Some good natured banter followed.

 

Shaow continued when the conversation opened up again. “I do have a concern though. With Captain Neptune infected by the plants, he was removed from command under medical concerns. That command fell to his second – Commander Giovanni. With the Commander now promoted and taking on the command duties, his former security chief position…fell to me, along with a promotion…”

 

She paused a moment as whiskers quivered all around. “…Lieutenant Junior Grade JoNs, Caitian Security Chief, Human Naval Fleet, the Great Bird help me, at your service…”

 

Vrrowl, the third eldest, was the first to speak and or recover from the little death from above statement. “Scared, aren’t you baby?”

 

“Out of my ever loving mind Big Brother.”

 

Srrett jumped in then. “So…it would seem that you have encountered some responsibility Shaow. Are you going to run, or play out what you have been dealt?” There was no recrimination, no sarcasm in his tone.

 

The young Caitian offered a slight smile. “This time? No, I am not running. I know that in the past, I have been more recalcitrant then a plains mustang-cat. But, this time, I fully intend to see this through. And…I know that you all believe in me, but I do need some advice…”

 

She entered a numerical coding command into a data slate, and then forwarded the data packet saved on the device to the personal mail comm accounts of her siblings.

 

“I just sent a data packet – the information contained outlines what I am planning for the Challenger security department. Rosters, training schedules, landing party rotations, evaluations and the like. In addition, there is a section devoted to the MACO’s employed here on the ship.”

 

Vress interrupted. “MACO’s?” The sable colored female executive was curious.

 

Shaow answered the inquiry. “The MACOs are a first strike response team – point guards, reconnaissance, backup and stuff like that. All of the human vessels have a contingent stationed on board as a precaution since that horrible Xindi terror attack on the Earth; the MACOs and Security are expected to coordinate with one another departmental wise.”

 

Srrett, the armchair historian of the family, spoke. “They sound similar to the Caitian Scout Troops employed during the Tribe Wars.”

 

Shaow nodded her affirmation; dabbling in history had been the one thing that she and her brother shared – although Srrett was way more of a geek with it.

 

“I’d appreciate it if all of you could give the department proposal the executive once over, let me know what you think of the planning and implementation goals…”

 

Oh gods. That sounds downright…Chief-y. Steady Shaow…steady…

Vrrowl responded. ‘Absolutely. Expect our responses within seventy two hours.” VRess and Srrett also chimed in with their affirmation.

 

The brown-turned blond furred Caitian smiled at her family. “Thank you all for helping out the new Chief, may gods have mercy on us, and I promise to keep in touch.”

 

Goodbyes were exchanged, along with a “you had better” threat, and then the shared video comm feeds were severed.

 

Shaow sat quietly in her quarters before speaking out loud into the air. “Family. The most powerful force in the universe…”