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Charlotte Matsumura

Kabuki Dance

"Kabuki Dance"

CDR Malcolm Alexander (NPC)

***

 

 

Malcolm Alexander stood watching as the last rays of sunlight danced over the rippling waters of San Francisco Bay. It had been a good day, surrounded by good friends as they celebrated Charlotte's graduation from the Academy. There was little more he could have asked for.

 

Tomorrow, however, would be a very different day. Tomorrow, a young lieutenant would escort his division officer, Commander Roane Townsend, to the small cafe where Charlotte and her newly-graduated friends would meet to celebrate. They would break from excited discussion of their orders over coffee and tea as the officer – just barely outranking them – approaches. He would smile uncertainly, unaccustomed to striking up conversation with beautiful girls. Charlotte being Charlotte, she'd return the smile and attempt to put him at ease. "What," she would say, "can I do for you, Lieutenant?"

 

The young lieutenant would clear his throat. "Commander Townsend would like to speak with you about your orders."

 

"Of course." Puzzled though she would be, Charlotte would excuse herself and join the anonymous lieutenant, crossing to a table far away from the others. There, Townsend would be waiting.

 

Townsend, as Alexander recalled, was a charismatic man, chosen for his good looks and impeccable manners. Small talk flowed naturally and casually from his lips. Using that easy charm, he would engage a wary Charlotte; he might even discuss her father -- the same man who tossed him repeatedly to the mat in training. Like her father, however, Lottie would want to cut to the chase: What about her orders?

 

It was then the pitch would begin: the weaving of duty, honor, and secrecy; the things rough men do so others may sleep at night. It was dangerous, remarkable, and rewarding work. Would she be willing...?

 

There would be slight variations, of course, but Mal could see it played before him in the theatre of his mind's eye. Still, he was sure of one thing: There was no way in God's expansive universe that Charlotte Matsumura would turn down Starfleet Intelligence.

 

Mal sighed. Part of him wished that she would; the same part that wanted nothing more than to take her as she was now, keep her safe, keep her honest, and unexposed to the horrors of field work. And, though he bristled at the thought, she could marry, raise a family – have the "normal" life that he had thus far missed out on.

 

Another part of him knew Charlotte was never meant for the "normal" life. She was too much her father's daughter for that. Ronin Matsumura was calm, controlled, and analytical. Much as a Vulcan, however, raging emotion – love, anger, hate – roiled beneath the surface. Ronin channelled it, turned that fire back onto itself. Combined with the assiduous belief in duty and honor instilled by his parents, he became one of the most effective field operatives in the Directorate. Mal could already see similar traits developing in Charlotte.

 

Unlike her father, however, such control was not yet second nature...or perhaps it was evidence that she was also her mother's daughter. Elisabeth Blair Matsumura, while "veddy British" could be exponentially more expressive than her husband. The Academy twittered with rumors of her outbursts at rude, ignorant, or lazy students in her literature classes. He could see traces of this in Charlotte, as well.

 

Not that he, himself, was one to talk. But over the years, Mal had learned the art of diplomacy – and when to chuck it out the window. If Charlotte could do the same, she would go a long way in Federation service. He only hoped she would survive the trip.

 

"Clark to Alexander."

 

The thweep of his commbadge interrupted his thoughts, and Mal straightened. "Alexander here. What can I do for you, Captain?"

 

"It would appear we have new orders for you, Commander. Would you mind joining me in my office, around two o'clock tomorrow afternoon?"

 

A smirk twitched across Mal's features. Would he mind? Of course he would. But one did not turn down invitations from the Deputy Director of Operations. It didn't help that the timing of his new orders set his curiosity into overdrive. Was it simply a coincidence he was being cut new orders just as Charlotte would be? There was only one way to find out. "I'll be there with bells on, sir."

 

***

Edited by Charlotte Matsumura

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Oooo - Fleet Intelligence. Now that's always a fun party! Nice one Charlotte.

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Oooo - Fleet Intelligence. Now that's always a fun party! Nice one Charlotte.

 

I wouldn't say fun, per se. Interesting, maybe. But again, you're dealing with understatement. ;)

 

Thank you!

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