Damage Control

[Charlotte Matsumura 0]

Damage Control

Captain Rian Kwai, USS Repubic

Commander Ruth Wydown, USS Excalibur

Gauis tr'Argelian, Starfleet Intellengence

Lieutenant (j.g.) Charlotte Matsumura, USS Excalibur

 

 

If anything made Rian miss the flying waffle (Republic-D) more than ever, sitting in the Captain’s ready room on Excalibur did it. She’d just gotten used to the Republic-E’s quirks. Now she found herself here, on this Akira class starship, trying to figure out what was where. She was flattered that Rear Admiral BluRox had entrusted command of the Excalibur to her on their return trip to Earth. But she would have much preferred to be in her own bed.

 

Captain Kwai glanced up as Commander Wydown flitted around the room, collecting a chair to sit directly beside the “Romulan” introduced as Gauis tr'Argelian. Of all the humans Rian had dealt with in her lifetime, Wydown was by far the weirdest one. Certainly the weight of an impending military tribunal would make anyone anxious, nervous, angry, or scared. Not Wydown. When told, Rue merely shrugged it off and continued on her merry way.

 

Of course, Rian had also been told she’d shrugged off a concussion and laceration to the back of the head as if it’d been a light tap. Was this woman’s brain wired correctly?

 

“Why is every where I go lately, I keep running into Romulans?” She muttered to herself as she took her own seat behind the desk in Captain Corizon’s chair.

 

“Whot? You have a pet Romulan too?” Rue asked, folding her arms across her chest. Rian looked up sharply and shot Wydown with a piercing dark glare. Rue again shrugged it off. “I heard ye been keepin’ one aboard for diplomacy sake. Heard one of your boys” -- she yanked a thumb back towards to the bridge as she referred to the Republic security teams stationed through out the ship -- “talking about her. Sounded like she was easy on the easy and had wicked good right cross.” Rue flashed another grin.

 

Great, just what she needed, another ship full of Romulan-panicked crewman. Rian sucked air through her teeth before talking slowly, deliberately. “Arrain t’Mirok is a respected guest of our ship. And while we intend to keep t’Mirok aboard the Republic, if she were to encounter any members of your crew, I would expect that you will convey to your crew that she is to be respected. If I catch word that any one member of this crew treats her with anything less than the full respect and honor, they will be spending quality time with your Captain in the brig, is that understood?”

 

“Aye, ma’am.” Rue nodded solemnly. “Of course. And I’d expect the same of our wee guests here.” She nodded towards Gauis who seemed to be watching the two women intently.

 

Rian glanced up at the Excalibur security officer guarding the door. “Lieutenant, you can be excused.”

 

“Wait,” Rue spoke up, a finger in the air. “I’d like to have Matsumura stay, if you don’t mind. She’s been acting as tr'Argelian’s escort and probably knows as much about the situation as I do.” Wydown gave Charlotte a meaningful glance, then turned back to favor Kwai with a toned-down version of her usual grin.

 

Rian studied the three officers before her carefully before weighing her decision. “Very well, you may stay, Lieutenant.” She then directed her gaze to the “Romulan.” “So, the beginning please…” She nodded for Gaius to being his explanation of what was going on.

 

tr’Argelian settled into his chair, idly wishing he had a beer. “It may be hard to see now, but I’ve been working field operations for almost twenty years now. A majority of that time has been spent as you see me now -- under the brow and fringe of what you might call a Romulan privateer: I freelance, supporting Tal’Shiar, Galae, the Senate -- wherever my services -- in this personna -- were needed.

 

“When it became clear to our assets in the Gamma Quadrant that Romulan weapons were being illegally transported through the sector, popping up in areas that we already consider powder kegs,” Gaius continued, “I was dispatched to see what I could unearth.”

 

“To make a long story short, I was able to obtain some choice information and make for Federation space. Unfortunately, my ride -- the derelict currently sitting cargo -- had been left a little too long, and wasn’t up to the task.” He sighed. “I was left drifting. Excalibur happened to be the closest Federation ship. I sent up a flare and was very reluctantly rescued.”

 

The Trill leaned forward, her elbows resting on the smooth desk surface before her. “Two questions for you. First, was your rescue in conjunction with the Excalibur’s jaunt into the Neutral Zone or was it a side excursion while they were all ready out and about?” She glanced to Wydown to see if the Commander would react to the accusation. When the woman did not react, she turned back to the man before her. “And second, has the information you’ve brought back been vetted or verified in any way?”

 

Gaius pursed his lips momentarily, considering her questions. “First, let’s just say I was very lucky they came along when they did,” he replied. “As to the second, the information was obtained from a very reliable source -- for very appropriate reasons. The chief engineer was able to verify the information to Captain Corizon’s very exacting, paranoid standards.”

 

Kwai paused, considering for a moment before speaking again. “We have a member of the Romulan Miltary onboard our ship, as I mentioned earlier. I’d like to provide her a copy of the material for outside verification, as well as for diplomatic reasons. Considering this investigation is a joint venture between our two governments, I don’t anticipate any issue with that?”

 

“Given the...limitations... placed on my stay aboard Excalibur to this point, I haven’t exactly had access to a terminal. I would prefer to sanitize the data somewhat before turning it over to a member of the Romulan government,” tr’Argelian answered. “I need to do what I can to protect my source -- especially given the nature of the information.”

 

“Understandable.” Kwai nodded. “Commander Wydown, you’ll see to it Mr tr'Argelian has what he needs, yes?”

 

“Aye, no problem,” Rue Wydown replied. It was the first time Rian observed the woman to be docile and quiet.

 

“These limitations that were placed on you. Can you explain a bit further?” Rian raised a brow, wondering what it was that crew did not trust about this man. Was there something she was missing? She glanced briefly at the security officer at the door, then to Wydown to see if she could get a bead on their thought process. The security officer, for her part, was unreadable; Wydown seemed to be avoiding her gaze, picking invisible pieces of lint off her pants.

 

“As I was brought aboard, it was assumed -- by my appearance -- that I was a Romulan. At first, I’d no reason to disabuse them of that belief. I had information originating from a Romulan source. Had I been able to deliver that information to a proper intelligence contact, I might have been saved the trouble of all this subterfuge. As it was, Captain Corizon and I got off on the wrong foot, and I seem to continually be treading on each other’s toes.”

 

Gaius gave a rueful grin. “When they tossed me into the brig, I was compliant with their demands; I even turned over the information I’d acquired for verification.” His brow creased, his mind churning over the order of events since his arrival. “I was quite literally sniffed out by the Al-Ucard on board. A blood sample was taken to verify the identification. By that time, they knew I was human, suspected I was Fleet Intelligence, but treated me with no small degree of suspicion.”

 

“Well, you sort of dug that hole there, yourself.” Wydown smirked, glancing at the Romulan.

 

“True,” he replied. “In their defense, it’s clear from previous events and the data I brought back that elements of our own Intelligence have been involved in this operation. So some suspicion was warranted.”

 

The young lieutenant in the back of the room finally spoke up. “Not to the degree we all witnessed.” She shook her head. “We all understand that field work requires a very different mindset. But, from what I saw, Mr tr’Argelian was treated as though he’d already been tried and convicted.”

 

Wydown shifted in her chair, her brow furrowing into a frown. “Things have been a little...intense lately.” She glanced up at the Captain. “I’m not sure I fully understand what all has been going on and the why-fors the way that Mr tr’Argelian was treated.” She waved a vague hand in his direction. “The Captain had his reasons, and I can’t speak for him -- without mucking it up.” She sighed and then continued for the group’s benefit. “If you want information about that, you’ll have to speak to the Captain himself.”

 

Kwai narrowed her own eyes at the Commander, scrutinizing her reaction. The woman was clearly not happy with something. Rian could tell by Wydown’s body posturing that if pressed, she’d do nothing more but continue to deferred further questioning to her commanding officer. “I hate to ask this, but how do I verify that you are truly Starfleet Intelligence? And I’m not asking for your identity, but some means of proving you are who you say you are.”

 

“Given your limited experience with the intelligence community,” tr’Argelian drawled, “a more efficient way might be to check my service number -- and the encryption of the intelligence that was handed over.” He rattled off a series of numbers, which Charlotte took down on the small PADD generally worn on her hip. She then crossed and offered the device to Kwai.

 

Rian took the PADD and alternatively studied it and the man sitting in front of her. The service number provided access to a datafile with enough proof of identity to satisfy the Captain. She handed the PADD back to the Lieutenant with a nod before turning back to Gauis and Rue. “So the Commander,” Rian gave a vague wave towards Rue, “stated that you did not want to return to Romulan space. Your assignment is completed then?”

 

“I accomplished what I was dispatched for, yes,” he answered. “Provided that my means of transport had survived the trip, I would have simply returned to my home port.”

 

“Okay, so what seems to be the problem then?” Kwai directed her question to Wydown.

 

“Welllll.....” Rue winced.

 

“Captain Corizon’s attitude seems to have...rubbed off... onto other members of his crew. Not to mention the fact that I’d really like to avoid being shipped back to ch’Rihan with the rest of the guests. Might be detrimental to my health,” the pseudo-Romulan offered.

 

Rue jumped into to clarify. “Look, my people are good people. Really, they are very good at what they do and their loyalty to the Federation.” Her eyes darted from Gauis to Kwai as she defended her crew, as if she wasn’t just trying to convince Kwai but the ‘Romulan’ as well. “And I know that in light of what’s happened, you all probably think what I’m saying is a load of rubbish. Unfortunately, right now, they are also under a lot of stress. And frustrated. This mission has taken a lot out of them, and the end result wasn’t as productive as we would have liked, considering the risks we took. We put not only our lives but our careers in jeopardy and came out of with a handful of prisoners, tr’Argelian’s data and a few cases of weapons---”

 

Kwai’s brows shot up at the mention of yet another surprise. “Cases of--”

 

“--I’ll explain that in a bit, mate,” Rue interrupted. “At any rate, we didn’t find the smoking gun, just the bullets. So they’re upset and looking for a convenient scapegoat. I’d prefer it not be Mr tr’Argelian. The man risked his life to bring this information back. It’s not his fault we plucked his sorry a--” She paused, thinking better of cursing in front of the Captain, and regrouped quickly. “It’s not his fault that this mission took a nosedive. And I don’t need my crew taking it out on him.

 

“Not to mention I owe him one for tending to a wee bit of an issue I had earlier,” She rubbed the back of her head, examining the injury that Kwai knew she’d sustained earlier. “He didn’t need to step up and help. So....” Wydown shrugged effortlessly.

 

“What are you proposing we do?” Rian crossed her arms, sitting back with a wary expression.

 

“Well, I have a plan.”

 

“What sort of plan, Wydown?”

 

“Return Mr tr’Argelian to his natural form.” She shot the man with a Cheshire Cat grin, then turned her attention to Rian. “And have him blend in with your Republic security staff.”

 

“Say what?” Kwai’s eyebrows shot up.

 

Matsumura stepped forward. “Commander Wydown, I’m not sure --”

 

Gaius watched the scene unfold, attention focused on Rue. As if sensing his focus, she glanced at him. He knew then that she had more in mind than she was willing to admit. “What did you have in mind, Commander?”

 

“They’re looking for you, Gaius; they’re trying to figure out who you are. To see if they’ve met or seen you before. And to preserve your cover with the Romulans, you can’t stay like this for much longer or they’ll want to take you back as well. So if we return you to a human form to keep you from Romulan hands, we’re going to have problems with the Excalibur crew doing their best bloodhound impression, sniffin’ about.”

 

“I know we’ve got about 500 officers, but they know each other so they’re going to notice if we suddenly have a miscellaneous crew member from an off shift -- you’ll catch hell. But with the Republic crew wandering about, who’s going to notice another one of them mucking about.” She turned to Gaius. “Heck, I can barely keep them straight. And I know you can blend in. So we make you a member of their crew, one of the security team. With Kwai’s permission, of course,” she said, glancing at Kwai, “and with the stipulation that you can’t leave Excalibur since you aren’t technically Republic crew. And you should probably avoid prolonged exposure to our Al-Ucard, just in case. That’d make the Capt ‘n happy, aye?”

 

“It’s possible.” Rian stood up, starting to mull things over. She stood and faced the viewport staring at her reflection. The plan seemed to be simple enough. Not only would it help protect the Intelligence operative, but it would also keep Gauis away from t’Mirok. She studied the reflection of the three individuals behind her, watching as Rue started to open her mouth to add more to her argument, only to be waved off by the man calling himself Gauis. It was an oddly familiar exchange that gave Rian the impression that these two individuals knew each other or had become friends recently. She turned a little so she could look at Gaius and Rue over her shoulder. “How much damage control will we have to do with our other Romulan guests?” She watched Wydown turn to Gauis with a raised eyebrow.

 

Gaius narrowed his eyes, drawing a deep breath. “I’ll need to talk to your mission specialist.”

 

“I think we can have that arranged.” Rian nodded. Out of habit, she started to chew on her thumbnail as she mulled over the situation. “I’m assuming that you’ll want to have this meeting after we’ve taken care of” -- she waved at him from toe to head -- “this, yes?” She took another breath, scrutinizing the two officers sitting before her. She watched Rue give Gauis a look that seemed to be a mixture of amusement and repulsion, as if the woman wanted to do some sort of bodily harm to the Romulan. Like a good smack to the head. If Gauis noticed, he wasn’t reacting to the Executive Officer’s body language.

 

Kwai took one last cleansing breath. “Okay, you have two hours to perform this alternation to your appearance and ‘sanitize’ your information.” She glanced at Wydown. “You’ll coordinate with your medical department?’

 

“Actually, I’d like to handle that myself,” Rue said as she glanced from Kwai to Gauis. “I owe him one. And I promised I’d do what I could to ensure his safety on this ship. Limiting the number of people involved, we also limit the chinwaggin’ and can control the situation easier.” She grinned a much more sedate sort of smile.

 

“Okay. When you’re done, Mr tr'Argelian, report back here. I’ll contact your new ‘chief’ and get you set up as one of our crew temporarily.” Rian sighed softly. “I hoped to gods this works.” She pinched the bridge of nose. “Wydown, when this is wrapped up, you and I need to have a little talk.”

 

“Aye ma’am.” Rue grinned again, standing up. “You two, meet me at the back entrance of sickbay but don’t do anything until I get there. Understood?”

 

Gaius nodded. “Understood.” He rose and looked to Matsumura, gesturing toward the ready room door. “Well, Lieutenant, shall we adjourn to sick bay?”

 

Charlotte offered a smile. “Of course. I think, under the circumstances, however, I should follow you.”

 

“As you wish, Lieutenant.” The operative nodded first to Rian, then to Rue. “Until then.”

 

“And when you return, Mr tr'Argelian, how should we address you?” Kwai asked. She watched the group heading to the door. She found it difficult to suppress a smile at the way the pseudo-Romulan introduced his soon to be human alter-ego. It reminded her of an old holo-video.

 

“Pierson. Lieutenant Adam Pierson.”

***

[KhreRiovtRex 0]

Menkha log qiuu!! :D