The New Job, Part 2

Posted on Mon May 20, 2019 @ 6:48am by Commander Caleb Ryan & Civilian 'Key Holder' Dorian Gabriel

993 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Things Past
Location: USS Winchester
Timeline: 2376

As they exited, the flight deck crew moved in to clear the runabout from the landing space. Natalya led Dorian through the corridors to a briefing room. When the doors slid open they could see a handsome Human man in his mid-thirties with black hair and blue eyes wearing command red with captain’s pips. There were also three young Human girls sitting around the table. They looked to be about ten years old with dark brown hair and eyes. And they all three looked exactly alike, right down to the blue-grey civilian tunics and pants they wore. One of the girls bowed away on a violin, bow and fingers flying with a studied intensity on her young face. The captain was sitting with the second girl, bent over a padd and explaining some aspect of an advanced mathematics problem, something that should be well beyond any girl that age. She scowled with intense concentration and made an entry on the padd. The third girl appeared a bit bored. She played idly with a small knife, rolling it through her fingers, never seeming concerned about cutting herself with the sharp blade. Then she spread her other hand out on the table and started stabbing the table between each finger in rapid succession, moving left to right and back again with a speed that was almost dizzying, never once missing.

“Eve,” came a stern tone from a beautiful, dark-skinned woman in medical blues sitting at the table nearby. Her voice had a cultured El-Aurian accent. She came over and gently caught the girl’s wrist, carefully prying the knife from her fingers. “What have I told you about playing with knives?”

The girl scowled and crossed her arms over her chest, slumping down petulantly. The other two girls paused in what they were doing and looked over at this Eve.

Artemis straightened and noticed Natalya and Dorian entering the room. “Ah, you are back, Lieutenant,” Pierce said, his voice inflected with a light Australian accent. “Come in. Zoe, will you take the girls back to their room, please? It is nearly their bedtime. Give them a snack and let them read a bit.”

“Of course, Artemis,” the dark-skinned woman said. “Come, girls.”

The girls all got up obediently, perhaps a bit too obediently. They looked up at Dorian with open curiosity, though the third girl, Eve, scowled at Natalya and gave her a kick in the shins as she passed.

“Ouch! You little bitch!” Natalya jumped back, letting out a string of Russian cursing at the girl.

“Eve Three!” Pierce barked in a tone that was clearly his bridge command voice. “Apologize to Lieutenant Dubrovna now!”

Eve stared at Pierce and then at Natalya, her fists clenched, nearly shaking with resistance and disobedience. Was it Dorian’s imagination, or did Natalya actually pale a little bit?

“Apologize, or no treat before bed.”

Finally the little girl said, “Sorry, Lieutenant.” Then she ran off after the other girls.

“That are those little monsters doing out?” Natalya asked -- no, demanded -- in a tone that was nearly insubordinate as she limped into the room.

Artemis straightened with a severe stared at Natalya. “We will not be discussing the girls,” he said, his eyes flicking to Dorian and then back to Natalya.

Natalya flopped into a chair and pulled up the leg of her pants, revealing a well-developing bruise. “I swear, if she cracked my shin again--”

Pierce cut her off. “You must be Dorian Gabriel,” he said, coming forward. “Ah, I see you got the promotion. Congratulations, Lieutenant. Have a seat. Can I get you anything?”

Dorian's attention was still focused on the trio of girls as they left the room. It seemed genetically unlikely that all three girls would be absolutely identical to one another. Then there was the referring to the last girl as Eve Three. Eve, as in Adam and Eve? Was that a reference to some form of genetic manipulation? How likely was that in this day and age, with some many laws and treaties outright banning genetic engineering?

Dorian realized that his attention was elsewhere. "Hm? I'm sorry, sir, yes I'll take a Martian tea," he said as he took his seat at the table.

Pierce went to the replicator and ordered the tea. He even ordered it to Dorian’s liking, oddly enough.

“So Natalya -- Lieutenant Ivanova -- tells me you have spent the last couple years playing lapdog back at Command and you are interested in field work again,” Pierce said, taking a seat with his own cup of tea.

Natalya got a cup of strong Russian tea and took her own seat.

"Yes, sir. After I was transferred from the USS Camelot, I've spent my time as liaison offer for Starfleet Intelligence," he said as he shifted uncomfortably. "I am looking to get back into the field and actually do some real work and not sit and listen to bureaucrats doing nothing about the real problems the Federation is facing."

Artemis chuckled. “Sometimes that is the real problem,” he said. “I certainly wouldn’t begrudge a little insight into my superiors,” he admitted. “However, that isn’t why we brought you in. I have an undercover assignment for you. Why don’t you tell me your specialties?”

"My background has been primarily Security branch with a focus on forensics investigations, interrogations, and reconnaissance," Dorian replied as he took a sip from his tea. He was increasingly interested in the nature of the undercover assignment; however, his previous attempts at gaining more information had been stonewalled, if not apparently brushed aside, by Natalya.

“Excellent,” Pierce said. “And what are your views on...off book operations?” he asked.

TBC

Lieutenant Natalya Ivanovna
Intelligence Officer/Section 31
USS Winchester

Captain Artemis Pierce
Commanding Officer
USS Winchester

Lieutenant Dorian Gabriel
Intelligence Officer/Undercover recruit

Lieutenant Zoe Desatu
Chief Medical Officer
USS Winchester

Elisa, Eden, Eve
Mysterious girls

 

RSS Feed