"After Hours"

[OdileCondacin 0]

Odile was approximately thirty minutes from going to bed (she had to admit, the Vulcan suites the Agincourt-ers were granted were... very nice) when she heard her communicator. An hour after that, and she was unloading off an equally cushy Starfleet shuttle that landed somewhere south of Shi'Kahr.

 

"Oh, good, you're here." A nondescript-looking (and rankless) human scurried out to the landing pad, greeting her without any exceptional amount of warmth.

 

"And why am I here?" she asked, looking around the assorted buildings at the base, which could at best be described as... isolated. "The comm from the admiral wasn't exactly... specific." She glanced up at a circling craft, still high in orbit, and raised an eyebrow. It gleamed in the reflected light from Shi'Kahr, kilometers away. "What in hells..."

 

"It's a chromium-plated shuttle," the human explained, and she watched as it circled for approach. Two Starfleet fighters flanked it, but it was the lead ship that left her jaw slack.

 

"Amazing."

 

"Yes yes -- hurry on, come inside..." He led her in, through a waiting area and towards a large, cavern of a room, clearly set up to be a weapons testing center. "We're beginning some preliminary laboratory tests on the Soltan weaponry," he finally answered Condacin. "The rest of the team will arrive shortly. Feel free to make yourself at home with the equipment -- you're familiar with the subjects, of course."

 

"Of course," Odile answered numbly, and looked over the case of the silver-green weapons. Left alone with the weapons, she experimentally picked one up, turning it in her hand and half-expecting the glove mechanism to engage.

 

"Commander?" Another rankless one, this time Andorian, said to her, appearing seemingly from nowhere. "We've brought in someone who has some experience with mind-linked weaponry; his shuttle will be landing down very soon."

 

She started at the voice, nodding. "Well, send him in when he arrives, then. I'm going to..." Odile gestured with the weapon she was holding. "Experiment until he gets here."

 

The Andorian nodded. "He's a telepath. 'Fleet took your suggestions to heart."

 

A grin spread. "You know," she said, cryptically, and the Andorian looked slightly confused, "I could get used to being commissioned!" He nodded a few times and departed, leaving Odile in silence again.

 

She looked over the familiar weapons, this time willing the one she selected to activate. That in itself took time -- and it seemed to take forever for it actually to wrap around her wrist. "Finally," she muttered when it rehardened in place, and she gave it a hearty glare -- to which it replied with a slight shock.

 

"Ow."

 

All right. Time for practice. She'd had a little too much time since her last trial-run to feel comfortable demonstrating to a novice; a quick refresher would be good. Ready, aim... fire.

 

Nothing. Not even a spark. She felt like an old-legend mage who found that her magic wand was, in fact, a non-magical twig.

 

"Grozit," she swore, shaking at the weapon clinging to her wrist. "Work, damn you..." Frustrated, she raised it to firing height again, letting her anger at the inanimate object channel...

 

She was knocked back a good stride's length, the weapon lay across the room, and promptly exploded.

 

"Grozit!" Odile exclaimed again, rubbing at the skin more out of anger than hurt, and glared at the remains of the ball-weapon.

 

"You know," a voice suddenly said from behind her, "it's best to keep weapons in your hand."

 

She shot off an irritated answer, still staring at the smoldering mass in the corner. "Clearly, I didn't mean to do that."

 

"I'd hope not."

 

She turned, an eyebrow arching as she considered the man who'd just managed to appear. "You're not Starfleet?"

 

"Not anymore, no." He picked up one of the silver-green balls in his hand and looked at it for a long moment, examining it carefully. "Neat toys."

 

"Careful with that!" she yelped, prying it out of his hand and putting it back in the case. "Have you been briefed on these, or did they give you as much advance notice on this testing as I did?"

 

Stifling a snort, the tall, dark figure of a man handed over the ball. "I read your report on the way here, as well as some early observations from the scientists heading this unit."

 

"I admit, this sudden research was... unexpected," Odile admitted. "Though not unappreciated. I was hoping I would have more time to study the Soltan tech in a better environment. Starships are hazardous places to test weapons, I've decided."

 

This time, unable to cover his amusement, the man smirked. "I take it you learned that the hard way," he said, then added in Xenexian something (that translation wouldn't do justice to) that effect summarized Odile's feelings about the weapons.

 

Her eyes widened considerably, and she babbled in the same language. "You speak Xenexian?"

 

"A little here and there," he admitted.

 

A grin took the place of her surprise, and she wiped off a slightly sooty palm on her other sleeve. "O'd'yl of Condacin," she introduced herself.

 

Extending his own hand, he shook the Xenexian female's firmly. "Koshic N'Dak."

 

She blinked. "The Koshic N'Dak? The Elasian one?" Absent-mindedly, she returned the gesture. "Lord Regent Koshic N'Dak?"

 

Mildly amused, Koshic nodded. "My reputation precedes me."

 

"Well," she admitted, "Elasia is fairly close to Xenex."

 

"Yes, I spent some time on your world some years ago." He paused, assessing the female. "You would have been a child then, I suppose."

 

"Interesting," she mused. "When? What were you doing?"

 

"Getting into trouble." He smirked, glancing back to the weapons again. "And doing some time at a Starfleet dig near Jakon province."

 

"You were at that dig?" She grinned. "The first expedition in the fifties or the return when they uncovered the burial mounds?"

 

"The return."

 

"You're joking..." She inhaled sharply. "I wish I were you," she sighed, wistful. "They weren't even open to the public when I went... and it wasn't like Condacin was on good enough terms with Jakon to swing political favors." Her gaze fell on the weapons, and she broke from her reverie. "Anyway, I guess we should... work on this stuff..."

 

He nodded, "Yes... they dragged me hear all the way from Elasia in the middle of elections. We'd best make good of the time we have together."

 

"All right. So." She picked up one of the weapons carefully, keeping a light touch on it. "Pick one out, and it takes a little work, but you can sort of... push on it for awhile, and then it'll activate. Icky gel," warned. "Don't get scared, it's not dangerous, we don't think. And it won't hurt or anything -- it just has to meld to your hand."

 

Koshic picked up one of the balls and rubbed it in his palm for a few moments. Slowly, carefully, he squeezed the ball and it formed around this hand and wrist the trademark "gun". "Like this?"

 

"That was damned easy..." Odile stared for a moment, and sighed. "We needed a teep from the beginning."

 

Without speaking, Koshic closed his eyes for a moment, aimed at the target-wall at the far end of the room and "released".

 

It took her a second to process. Then, "The first time... that... that took me almost an hour just to get it to fire!" Odile exclaimed, staring from the scorch on the wall to the weapon to the telepath. "Congratulations!"

 

"Your notes were a great deal of help."

 

She looked stunned for a moment, then smiled. "Thanks," she answered, blushing slightly.

 

"Let's try to see what this thing can really do, eh?"

 

"I don't really have any gauge on its power... that's the hardest part to control. 'Aim and shoot' is easier..."

 

Koshic nodded, then stepped away from the table and Odile. He closed his eyes and concentrated. The weapon morphed slightly, wrapping further up his arm to his elbow. He took a deep breath and released again.

 

Thirty seconds later, Odile had backed even further away, and watched as the automatic safeties tried to preserve what was left of the wall. With a worried, rather frightened expression, she glanced up at Koshic. "And I thought blowing up the garbage can might have been on the top setting..." she commented, dryly.

 

Koshic flexed his forarm a few times--it hurt. "Ouch."

 

"Burned it?"

 

"No," he said as he deactivated the weapon. "Just got some bioelectric feedback."

 

"How in all the gods' names did you do that?" she asked, letting him put the weapon away himself. "It only shocked me when I was trying to hack it to bits on my hand..."

 

"It seems to respond to telekenetic impulses... it was a hunch."

 

"They, uh... said you had done things with telepathic weapons before."

 

Grimacing and still feeling the pain in his arm, he answered. "Yes."

 

"So you're used to... bioelectric feedback?"

 

"It's been a long time," he said honestly. "Though occasionally normal telepathy can give you some... but nothing that strong."

 

"What triggers it?" she asked, peering at him curiously.

 

"With most telepathic-link devices the user has to 'envision' what he wants to happen; this seems to be something similar... though not precisely. Of course, it's not really configured for my biology."

 

"Naturally, unless you're blue and are hiding an extra pair of arms" she answered good-naturedly. "Do you need a medic?"

 

"No," he said. "I think I'll be fine. Just won't be trying that till we know more about it's responsiveness."

 

"Build up slower, then, next time?" she suggested. "Try controlling the power to a lower level."

 

"Yes."

 

"All right then." She set up a second tricorder, placing it on the table near the weapons. "Precision, too -- try aiming for the targets and not destroying the wall," she teased.

 

"You think I am putting that thing on again till I've had time for my arm to regain feeling?"

 

"Oh." She paused. "You're not ambidextrous, then? I mean they have four arms, so it'd work on either..." Another pause. "Grozit, that was probably classified or something..."

 

"I've been given the most recent council briefings," he said, with a smirk. "Advantages of being an Ambassador, no?"

 

"Ah. Good." She considered, looking relieved. "Shouldn't you be on the council? Or at least up for election?"

 

"We appoint our Ambassadors," Koshic said, still rubbing at his forearm. "Thankfully I wasn't on Earth when the attack happened."

 

She looked over the weapons, considering the ramifications of their project down the line. "Lucky for all of us," she said, quietly.