"Plans and Confessions"

[OdileCondacin 0]

Lieutenant Commander Kansas JoNs quietly entered the sciences offices, and was thankful that the offices were relatively quiet. She clutched a data padd in one paw and her keen green eyes searched the immediate area out the head honcho scientist and operations guru. Her ears were a bit flat and her whiskers drooped, almost as if she were tired.

 

"Kitty?" a friendly-sounding voice called out. "That you?" Odile popped her head out of her office, smiling slightly. "Oh, damn -- you look awful." She disappeared into the bowels of her lair for a moment, re-emerging with a fresh mug of coffee. "This is for you. Put in paw, lift to mouth, and drink."

 

Kansas had never been one for coffee, but she placed her padd on a convenient work station and gently took the offered caffeine from Odile. She cradled the warm mug between her paws and took a sip of the slightly strong coffee before speaking. "Thanks, Odile. Apologies for being a bit late, I know we needed to touch base on the dinner plans. I needed to check with the teams on patrol around the VIP quarters ... and stuff hit the ocillating device ..."

 

"Uh oh." Odile pointed to a stool at the counters, hitching up onto the counter itself. "What happened?"

 

The feline deftly parked it on one of the stools and once she was settled, her tail curled around one of the support legs. It was just the security chief and the sciences chief, so that was all well and good. "I have no idea what the senior sharks are going to do yet, but ... I got attacked by a crewman, and I shot him point blank in the back with a concealed disruptor pistol. The sensors didnt go off because the hideaway pistol is illegal and has an internal dampening chip. Ah frag..." The cat took another sip of the warm coffee. "Please keep that info to yourself for now Sin..."

 

"I won't tell a soul. You killed him, Kitty?" she gaped, and her expression was shocked. "Not that it's a bad thing, but you hardly seem the... illicit weapons type..."

 

The golden cat sighed. "No, he's not dead, medical got him stable for now. He's still sedated until he can be questioned. I started carrying the weapon on me shortly after that whole mess in Africa. Damn thing had been stored in a protective container for years."

 

Her sad eyes locked onto the Xenexian. "Do you know how hypocritical that is? A security officer carrying an illegal weapon?"

 

"Do... uhm... the colonels know?" she asked, stiffly, trying to decide what the frack she would do if they didn't.

 

"Medusa does; I reported the situation to the bridge when she was still on duty. I'm sure Paradox will know shortly. I really couldn't tell what Harper thought on the whole matter ... "a golden paw waved through the air, "she had that whole... marine ....deadpan tone thing? You know, flat vocals? And you can't tell if you are screwed or not?"

 

The feline lieutenant commander ran a paw through her short cropped mane. "I shot him in the back Sin ... " her purred voice didnt shake, but it decidedly did not have the aforementioned Colonel patented dead pan tone.

 

Just to have something to do, Kansas entered a start code into the data padd, booting the device up; a red colored schematic of the intended room for the reception popped onto the screen set on a black background. She set her coffee mug down, and the clink of the porcelain mug on the table top surface was loud in the now quiet lab area.

 

Odile was quiet for a moment. "Was he still armed?" she asked, softly.

 

A paw gently traced the schematic outline on the padd's data screen, and the younger feline woman wouldn't meet Sin's eyes. "He didn't have any weapon."

 

"You didn't kill him," repeated O'd'yl, barely above a murmur. "You're still ahead of me."

 

" ... I fired with an intent to kill. I felt scared ... " JoNs trailed off and twitched an ear toward Condacin before turning her bright green eyes on the bronze-skinned sciences chief, "Ahead of you? What do you mean?"

 

O'd'yl's jaw tightened, and she crossed her arms. It was a long silence before she answered, tight and a little clipped. "Before I enlisted, I killed an unarmed Danteri that I'd knocked unconscious after he tried to kill me."

 

Feline ears drooped in sadness, but the investigator in her was curious. "Were charges brought up against you?" She phrased the question gently.

 

"Three -- now four -- people know what happened." She sighed, slumping against the tiled backsplash for the counter. "All but one are on this ship."

 

A long silence stretched between the two friends, and then the Caitian second officer ventured to speak again "I know the Danteri were the demons to the Xenexians during the occupation ... but I have no idea why Holmes went for me ..."

 

The feline paused, and then continued, " ... but it smacks of the mercenaries I encountered on Earth. Anti alien, that sort of crap."

 

O'd'yl nodded slowly, looking down at JoN's' padd for a moment as her mind cleared. "What's this?" she asked, pointing to the screen.

 

The feline went with the distraction, thankful for a diversion to the conversation. "The observation lounge. The view, as you know, is spectacular. It should make a great backdrop to the reception for the secretary and her staff, and my guards will be able to lock it down discreetly for the duration of the shindig ... is that what the human call it? I wanted to run the location by you first; I already have the prelim clearance from the Colonels."

 

She smiled, brightening a little. "I was thinking about this earlier -- what to do with it and whether we needed one. I have contemplated a memorial..."

 

"That'd be real nice. Ideas?"

 

"Well..." Odile grinned, slipping into the change of topic. "I thought about a nice pig-roast. You know... ever been to Hawaii? Like a luau centerpiece? Apple in the mouth? We always had something similar on Xenex. Naturally we don't have a wild boar to put on a spit -- and we can't go through all the Xenexian customs that would have Harper tear the swine apart bare-handed, but I think a replicated -- and properly skinned -- substitute might be kind of... nice. You know... something to take our mind off things. That's why I decided not to propose a memorial."

 

"Um, no - the tearing said swine apart bare-handed probably would not befit either commanding shark. But, I really like that whole concept." The Caitians tail started to swish a bit as her mind was distracted to the more mundane matters of the party.

 

"See it's this whole thing of power and using the power to welcome someone and make their feast enjoyable... they tear off a leg and present it to the most honored guest..." Odile trailed off, blushing. "Anyway, maybe a little bit of a tropical theme then, for drinks and side-dishes and such. I bet we could home-grill some pineapple."

 

"I took a couple of vacations in the tropics, the food and theme setting would be doable, as long as we don't go overkill or anything." Kansas started to make some notations on her padd.

 

"Right... no hula dancers," she agreed. "We won't have a luau by any means -- I am thinking just a little bit of a motif. And it's not even casual -- I was at a formal dinner for some councilmember a few years ago -- not on Xenex, either, and we had roast pig. We'll just use our best dishes and tablemanners... and no entertainment." Odile snickered. "Besides, I had a bad experience with a hula dancer when I was in Oahu..."

 

"I sense a story best told over either a good stiff drink or a mug of caffiene."

 

Odile pointed to her feline friend's mug. "S/he was trying to teach me, and I was drunk... yeah..."

 

A chuckle worked its way up from the cats chest, and she started on a purred giggling jag. "Ah, when worlds collide!"

 

"S/he thought I was a little cute..." She hushed her voice to a theatrical whisper. "I think I still have Harper convinced we hooked up, but I swear, nothing happened!!"

 

Kansas teased Odile. "Uh huh."

 

"We didn't!" she insisted, looking decidedly frightened.

 

"I don't know. Those grass skirts can hide a lot."

 

Odile lifted both palms to her face. "Ye gods, I shouldn't have ever mentioned it..."

 

The feline toned down the teasing, but her green eyes still held the mirth, "Sorry Odile, I couldn't help it. I'll give my guards explicit instructions to remain out of the way of the festivities, but they'll be a ready and steady presence if needed. I really don't anticipate any problems ... provided we don't have a crewmate going off the deep end again ... like Holmes did for whatever ... " Kansas trailed off and stared down at the decking.

 

Odile nodded. "I think we'll be okay. Just keep sec on standby. Well... that all, kitty?" she asked. "We can talk... more... if it'd help..."

 

"Nah. The talking did help, but not much can be done at this point. I'll tap the Master Chief as a lead guard for the reception; he loves parties, but he keeps a good watchful eye, so he'll be perfect as the lead watchdog for the gathering." Kansas rose from her seat, and started to gather up her padd from the counter top; abruptly, the feline looked at Odile. "Sin, do you think I'm a screw-up?"

 

The feline sliced a frustrated paw through the air. "You've served longer then I have. Came up through the enlisted ranks. Am I a gold plated goof off? Everytime I make a decision I seem to smash straight into a bulkhead or shark."

 

A sigh. "Kitten, on my world, if someone tried to kill a high-up -- especially after an attack -- they'd be brought to the Great Square and stripped of their skin layers in successive order. So if that's what you're worried about, no. You're a good kitty," Odile reached over to affectionately pet Kansas between the ears, "and a good officer, and you do most things right. Now, considering I spent the majority of my enlistee training trying to illicitly carry a dagger, I'd be hypocritical to chide you on the disruptor... but putting on my 'mentor' face... that was dumb, and I'd expect my paws to be welted with all the smacking for it. But are you a failure? Nope." The Xenexian smiled.

 

JoNs let the kitten comment -- and the petting -- go, as Condacin was on the short list of beings that were allowed to call her that designation. The gold Caitian flipped an ear back at the insight into Xenexian culture however - stripped of skin layers? Well, alrighty now. Ick.

 

"The custom started after the Danteri did it to us," O'd'yl commented, a mixture of wry and sad. "But anyway -- I recommend a drink when you get off shift and sleep. I'll see if I can get some nice -- and no, not Xenex-nice -- decor items replicated, and you... rest... or something. 'Kay, cat?"

 

"Actually, if you're going for a sort of tropical tribal look? I can help out with some genuine articles. I have a Caitian walking staff, shield decoration, and centerpiece on my coffee table that will work out pretty well. And I will rest. I promise."

 

"Good. I'll pick them up later. Now get the hell out of my labs, and go chase mice or whatever makes kitties happy again." Odile paused. "No, wait -- I don't want more complaints from Tay. Just sleep."

 

A purr sounded through the offices. "No, there will be no stalking of the Tay. Thanks Sin, " Kansas squeezed one of the Xenexian officers hands with a paw in thanks and then started to make her way out of the offices.

 

"Later, taboo cat," she teased, retreating to her offices again.