A Game of Cat and Mouse, Part I of II

Posted on Sun Jun 9, 2019 @ 10:13pm by Captain Maritza Soran & Lieutenant Alanna Wells

1,498 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Doors of Perception
Location: DS5 VIP Visitors suites, Deck 24
Timeline: MD9 1900 hours

Previously, in Orientation Tour...

Sovok's eyes landed on their escort, standing a little way back for discretion. "Will our shadow be joining us for dinner?"

"As long as you're outside of your quarters." Then she added, "There are a number of restaurants that specialize in different types of food. You might like trying one of them."

"I'm sure your replicators have extensive libraries. Maybe you could suggest some choices in our quarters. I'd prefer to dine somewhere less crowded."

And now the continuation

She smiled at the security officer and led Sovok back to his quarters. When they entered, Sovok showed her to a seat and then moved to Tarik, where they held a hushed conversation. Tarik flashed her a glance, filled with curiosity and distaste. Then he left the room.

Sovok returned to Alanna, and sat next to her. "So, now that we have some privacy, what would you suggest we eat?'

"What do you like?" she asked. "The Vulcans here are vegetarians." She leaned closer to him. "Now that we're alone, I also want to hear more about how you maintain discipline. There are some humans that are being...difficult." His answer could be quite enlightening, and give her more information to pass on to Maritza.

"Vegetarian?" Sovok scoffed. "I like meat. I enjoy something I can sink my teeth into." He reached for a pitcher of fruit juice standing on a low table and poured it out, one for her, and one for himself. "As for difficult humans, I see our realities share something in common. Why don't you just round them up?"

"The Federation frowns on such things," she said, keeping as close to the truth as she could for her charade. "As do the other empires. Not unless we're at war." She took a sip of the juice and smiled. "This is very good." She took another sip. "I like steak. The replicator makes some decent varieties. There is also a variety of potatoes and other tubers."

"I am in your hands," he murmured. "Why would it frown upon it? Extracting the miscreants from the population is a logical step. They cannot spread their infection. Or you can take their children as surety against further transgressions."

"The child himself is an adult, as just as big a problem as the father," she said, going over to the replicator. "How do you like your steak?" Taking the children? She couldn't imagine anything as terrifying.

"Rare," Sovok stroked his chin, enthralled by the problem. "What about wives or husbands?"

She shook her head. "Neither. I think Commander Soran is looking for a legitimate reason to evict them from the station." She replicated two stakes, one rare and one medium, along with fried potatoes. And, because she needed something more colorful, she added a salad and set the plates on the table. And set them down. She was learning a great deal about Sovok and his people by talking about the Raddon Corporation. It was fascinating to see the way he thought. Fascinating academically. Morally she found him deplorable, but she kept that very tightly in the deepest recesses of her mind.

"Hmmm, difficult." He studied the meal and its implements for a moment, "After you."

She smiled and picked up her knife and fork, cutting her meat slower than she normally would so he could watch. She had to admit, it was an effective way of following custom without actually asking questions. She took a bite of meat, then a piece of potato, swallowing them both before taking another sip of her juice.

He watched how she ate for a moment, and then copied her. "Why look for reasons? If you know these people are causing trouble, just fabricate what you need. Then you can heave them dealt with. That promenade park you showed me looked like an excellent place to make a public example."

"Federation law is strict in that regard. My evidence would be scrutinized. But I think I can find a way to get something legitimate. Then I can have them locked away for a long time." It wasn't exactly true. She only had enough evidence to kick them off Pangaea for now, not DS5, but the fabrication suited her purposes. She paused to eat and then asked. "How effective are your methods where you come from?"

"Very." he replied, before taking his own bite of the stake and chewing thoughtfully. "Though nothing is a hundred percent effective, hence my presence." He put down his fork and smiled at her. "So even its failures are not all bad."

That was nicely played, she thought. She took another sip of her juice and smiled back. "Yes. Sometimes failures can be fortuitous."

She focused on finishing her meal, washing it down with the rest of her juice. Her portion was smaller than Sovok's so took the time to watch him and see if she could learn more bout his character.

"Tell me something about yourself," he said between mouthfuls. "Do you enjoy living here? How do you relax?"

"I don't know if enjoy is the right word," she said honestly. "There are things I like about working here. I love the research we're conducting. That takes up most of my time. When I do have time to relax, I occasionally walk in the woods, or read about other cultures." She poured more juice for herself and sat down. "What about you? What do you like to do?"

"I'm fond of chess, and kadis-kot. And I appreciate poetry, of many races. For example, Klingon love poems are quite barbaric to listen to, but they share the rawness, the power, of our own devotion."

"Yes, poetry can be quite powerful," Alanna said. "I have a number of books from various cultures." She looked at him for a moment. "I imagine you're an excellent chess player." Hadn't this whole day been a game of chess? She, however, wasn't playing to win. She was looking for a strategic withdrawal--even though it wasn't technically a chess move.

"I like to think I'm competent." Sovok agreed. "Do you play?"

"I do, but only casually," she admitted. "I'm not sure if the rules are the same for both our realities," she added. "It would be interesting to find out."

"I think we should. Do you have a board?"

"I can replicate one," she said. She recycled hte dishes, then replicated a chess board and pieces, setting them up on the coffee table by the couch.

He watched as she set up the pieces. "So far, our game is the same as yours. Do you prefer white or black. For us, white starts."

"I don't care," she said. She took two pawns and held them behind her back, putting on in each hand. Then she presented her two fists. "You choose. White goes first."

He touched her left hand, his long fingers lingering a second too long for decency.

Alanna shivered, hoping he didn't notice. She opened her hand, revealing the pawn.

The pawn was black. "Ladies first." Sovok said, taking the pawn from her hand and placing it back in its rank. "Your move."

She kept the pawn in her hand, setting it back in its place only long enough to move it to its new location.

"The classic e4 opening. I suspect our game isn't that different." He mirrored the move, pushing his own pawn forward to d5. so either she could take him, or he would take her.

She chose to take his pawn. "Your move," she said. It was an expected move. She watched to see what he would do next. She was intensely interested in how he played, and what it told her about him in general.

He glanced from her to the captured pawn. "I propose a addenda to the rules. Everytime a piece is captured, the captured player must answer a question. Truthfully."

Oh, dear. This was going to get complicated. But there were many ways to answer truthfully. "All right. I get the first question. Was there another reason you came through the portal?"

"Sheer curiosity. I'll probably spend the next six months debriefing every professor, fellow and lecturer at the Academy of Sciences for it though." He sighed. "But a worthwhile trade, in the end. How many can see they have crossed realities?"

"A good point," she said. She had to admit that it was one of the reasons she was spending so much time with Sovok. She wanted to learn about his universe.

He brought his queen down from its starting level, and swept her pawn from the board, replacing it with a decisive click of the piece against the frosted glass, leaving the powerful piece to dominate the center board. "Will your people truly let us go?"

To Be Continued...

Chief Inspector Sovok
Vulcan Commonweath
[NPC by Soran]

Lieutenant JG Alanna Wells
Chief Science Officer
Deep Space Five

 

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