Change of Plans

[Charlotte Matsumura 0]

Change of Plans

CAPT Roane Townsend (NPC)

LCDR Anna Lorraine (NPC)

***

Arriving from the Gamma Quadrant in the darkness of morning, the tangle of emotions flowing over her link with the Director of Operations, Roane Townsend, had threatened to overwhelm LCDR Anna Lorraine from the moment her feet touched solid ground. Curiosity, confusion, frustration, relief, anger -- the unrestrained tidal wave made for a very restless few hours. Having given up any pretence of sleep, she showered and dressed, then found her way to Intelligence headquarters. She swept past the yeoman with little more than a nod, entering the Director's office. "Has anyone ever told you," she drawled, "that you think too loud?"

 

Roane turned from his window. "A time or two." A rueful smile twitched across his lips, his thoughts mingling with her own. Sorry...I'd forgotten how easy this was.

 

Her own lips curved into a mischievous grin. It always amused her that even his mental voice had inherited his mother’s Australian accent. Did you forget I was coming? She felt his chuckle as she crossed to the replicator, ordering up a double shot latte. The warmth radiating through the ceramic was oddly soothing, the scent calming. She drew on the comfort and conveyed it across their link, smoothing over the spikes of emotion between them. "So why don't you tell me what's going on?"

 

Folding herself into a chair opposite his desk, Anna watched as he frowned, struggling to express himself verbally. "You remember the loud, nosy ambassador on Betazed -- the one who kept saying that only an idiot fights a war on 2 fronts?" he finally asked.

 

"And the heir to the throne of the kingdom of idiots fights a war on twelve fronts?"

 

"That's the one." Captain Townsend jerked his thumb at his chest. "Meet the heir to the throne."

 

Anna winced. "That bad?"

 

The Director offered his own grimace. "Some sort of new subspace anomaly has popped up between Deep Space Nine and Camelot and it's playing hell with our communications. We're getting echoes and disruptions all over the place, which means more messenger boys and more cryptogeeks into the void.

 

"We're still neck-deep in Council hearings, thanks to my predecessor and the...stormhe stirred up, and now, as a direct result, I have orders to pull my station chief from Camelot, and assign detached duty with the Diplomatic Corps."

 

Anna stopped, blinking over the rim of her cup. "Oh."

 

"Yeah," Townsend said, "oh." He rubbed his face with his hand, exhaling, then leaning on the high back of his chair. "Combined with a few other situations on the rise and a shortage of personnel, I finally see what the ambassador meant."

 

"And Mal isn't going to like being pulled."

 

"He's going to like it even less when he finds out what it entails."

 

There was only one reason why Mal would be specifically requested. "Romulus?" Anna asked.

 

The Director nodded. "Accompanied."

 

"So not tr'Argelian."

 

"Not this time; it's sanctioned." He paused. "Sort of."

 

Lorraine arched a brow. "Sort of?"

 

"You remember how this mess started, with Excalibur charging off after a bunch of arms dealers?"

 

"Vaguely. Mal's filled me in on a few things, but I was still on Betazed for most of it."

 

"Well, Command sent the Republic after her. Her captain and the higher-ups made some sort of exchange deal with the Rommies -- one of theirs for one of ours, to try and smoke out the arms dealers on both sides of the fence."

 

"And now Mal will serve as one of ours."

 

Roane nodded. "Exactly. Using one of his established covers is out of the question -- we can't afford to blow something we might need to use later."

 

"So the Romulans have provided his cover?"Anna asked, brows raised. "That doesn't seem smart."

 

"I may be operationally limited, love, but I'm not that stupid." The Director smirked. "We had a little help, yeah, but not all...open. We do still have a few moles here and there. Turns out we didn't need as much help from Galae as they thought."

 

"I'll bet that went over well."

 

The smirk widened. "Like the proverbial lead balloon."

 

Chuckling, Anna shook her head, feeling his amusement with her own. "Well, when do you break the bad news?"

 

"Provided Mal gets his marching orders in time?" Roane glanced at his terminal. "In about...four days. He has a pit stop to make at Deep Space Nine -- pick up Lieutenant Matsumura."

 

Lorraine felt a knot rise in her throat. She took a swallow of coffee, forcing it down. "And hercover story?"

 

A grin slipped across her former lover's features, matched with the gleam in his eye. Wicked amusement and understanding vibrated across their link. "Either his servant or his bondmate. Of course, I thought bondmate might be more appropriate."

 

Anna nodded.

 

"...on their honeymoon."

 

This time, she choked. "Of course," she rasped.

 

Reaching down, Roane took her cup from her hand, sipping from it himself. He grinned as his eyes met hers. "I'm not the only one who thinks too loud."

***

Edited October 22, 2012 by Charlotte Matsumura