Torpedoes Away! (Part IV)

Posted on Fri Jan 28, 2022 @ 6:00am by Lieutenant JG Ace Cannon & Lieutenant Alanna Wells

2,494 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Si vis pacem, para bellum
Location: Jefferies Tubes
Timeline: MD04 0600 hours

[PREVIOUSLY]

Smirking at Paula, Ace called back in a harsh whisper, as he broke into a quick walk, "Come on, now. No lollygagging."

[CONTINUED]


She sighed. Hubris. The man was pure hubris. She carefully followed him. She wouldn't lollygag, but she might gag.

Ace stealthily made his way down the corridor and found the chambers that he sought. He removed an access panel and gestured towards it. "Ladies first?"

Making sure she gets shot first, of course. Paula nodded and entered. At this point, she just wanted to get back to her arboretum or her quarters and away from him.

As Paula climbed in, she could hear the door slide open and disruptor fire. The room started to smell of ozone. The silence that followed was protracted. However, it was broken by Ace urgently urging in a harsh whisper. "Move quickly!" He replaced the panel, though knowing it would not seal them in and Cardassians would likely be following. In his haste, he scraped his arm, causing him to bleed. "Damn it!" he cursed under his breath.

"And that is why *I* am moving quickly AND carefully," she hissed. She might be a civilian, but she wasn't stupid, no matter what he thought.

She kept climbing, pausing at each access panel to see if anyone was on the other side. "You have a tricorder. You decide where we're getting off this crazy train."

Ace looked at the tricorder. "Only another hundred decks or so to the Arboretum. Get there and I can build the relays and you can commune with your plants."

"There's got to be somewhere closer. The last thing I want--or Brianthe wants--is for you to bring the Cardassians down on us and have them trample all the plants. Besides, by the time we climb 100 decks, this will all be moot."

"Why do you say that?" Ace demanded, not fully sure whether he was asking about this being moot or why she thought that anything that he did would bring Cardassians upon the Arboretum.

"How long do you think the station will hold out against the Cardassians? I'm not saying we shouldn't try, I'm saying, if the station falls, having your little setup in the arboretum is going to cause a lot of unnecessary trouble. Do you honestly think they're going to believe I wasn't complicit in your mad scheme? And what do you think they'll do when they find it? I know you don't care about me--the feeling's mutual. But what about Brianthe and her work?"

"We're in agreement on two things: one, we should do everything we can to thwart the Cardassians and two, I don't much care for you. As to Bri, she's my friend and I have no intention of harming her or her precious plants. I disagree with your assessment that this will ever be found and disagree that they'll do anything to harm the Arboretum. And, you are complicit, whether you'd like to be or not. The Arboretum is a perfect place for my work. It allows me to check on you, for Bri's sake and I know that someone who has an interest in my project will protect it. Placing it anywhere else leaves no guard. I think a Vulcan would call my plan logical but I have never really associated with many Vulcans. They have the emotions and desires of an emergency sprinkler."

"A xenophobe, too. That figures. If we kick the Cardies off the station, I want nothing more to do with you. You're not doing Brianthe any favors by hanging around. And if we don't, you'll be more likely to make them wonder what you're up to." Besides, he was the most unpleasant person Paula had ever met. She had no idea why Brianthe thought he was a friend.

"Xenophobe?!" Ace exclaimed. "You're the most judgmental and single-minded person that I've ever known. IF you ever decided to take a look around you without blinders, you might actually have a worthwhile opinion. As to the Cardassians, we will get them off. Do you honestly think that the Federation will give this up?" He shook his head and asked, "Clearly the light is on but nobody is home in whatever you call a brain. I swear, it is a wonder that the plants survive with your withering personality."

She was done. This excuse for a mortal had done nothing but berate and verbally abuse her. She wasn't in his department, she wasn't even a Starfleet officer, yet he expected her to let him abuse the arboretum simply because he thought it was the best option. He probably did it just to punish her. She didn't need to help him. She didn't need to be with him, and she certainly wasn't going to stick around. Without another word, she stopped where she was. If she ever saw him in the arboretum, she'd shoot him first and ask questions later.

It took nearly a minute for Ace to notice that Paula was unusually quiet as he continued his climb. He turned around and went back to Paula and asked, "Are you coming or not?"

"Not."

"Really?" Ace asked exasperated. "You're going to get yourself killed. Best to stay together until we're back at the Arboretum."

"Sticking with you is going to get me killed. I've never met a more disagreeable man in my life. You're the only one with an opinion that matters and everything has to be your way, or someone is going to die. I'm not trying to blow up the station. I'm just trying to keep the arboretum intact until this is all over. That's my job. You aren't. And now you want to climb a hundred decks because you can't think of anyplace closer for your plans."

"If you think I'm going to let anything happen to your precious Arboretum, you're crazy. Bri would have my head. I'm trying to keep the station safe. You're just a stubborn...." Ace reached for some words but could not find them. "You're worse than an ex-girlfriend. Always judging without any basis because it suits your narrative."

"I'm surprised you ever had a girlfriend," she groused. "You're too much a gadabout. And when it comes to the arboretum, until Brianthe returns, I'm in charge, not you. You keep telling me what I should do and how I should do it. Have you even checked on what's going on out there?"

"Have you? We've been gone on a mission. We've been attacked by Cardassians. This is not some sort of stroll in the park that has allowed for ample amounts of free time."

"Then why not take a few minutes to find out what's going on where? Then decide our best route." Paula just wanted to be done with him and get back to the arboretum. She was a civilian and as long as she was careful, she had every expectation of surviving this...whatever it was. She couldn't say the same for Ace.

Ace grunted. "Do you not think that I know this station's schematics? Dare I ask how dumb you think I am? I am the Assistant Chief Operations Officer here."

"You decided what you wanted, regardless of what was best, or most feasible. You don't care about anyone's opinion but your own. I should have stayed where I was. You may be competent in your job, but you're still an idiot."

"I decided what I wanted?" Ace asked incredulously. "No, I thought I was doing Bri a favor and hoped you would have more to contribute than your banshee temperament. But you're right on one thing. I'm an idiot to have thought that you would be of any use or that weren't anything more than a plant zealot."

How on earth did he think that using the arboretum to launch torpedoes was something Bri would want? Or that taking her from its safety to follow him through the Jefferies Tubes was a good idea? He was nuts. "Drop me off with other civilians and I'll be fine."

"Now you're thinking and now, I have to get us out of here...." The sound of the disruptor firing and just missing him cut off whatever he was to say next. He looked back at Paula and complained, "This is why I said to be quiet. If it weren't for Bri..." he grumbled as he fired his phaser back. "I'll hold them, you climb. I'll direct from the back again. You might get me killed but it would be better than Bri killing me for letting you get hurt."

Paula glared at him. He was being as loud as she was--which wasn't that loud. She was keeping her voice down, so someone had to be in the tubes themselves. She glared at him again. She needed to get out of here and get away from this lunatic. When she next talked to Bri, she'd ask if she could permanently ban Ace from the arboretum. She had more than enough of him with this little adventure. She began to climb--at least until she found a place where she could join other civilians and get rid of him.

Ace did not need to hear Paula. He could feel her eyes boring holes into his back while he did the dirty work of fighting the Cardassians. Thankfully he was quite used to being in tight spots, so this was just a matter of holding them off until Paula could climb, he could follow, and then drop her out the nearest airlock. That thought made him grin as he fired and narrowly missed a Cardassian.

Paula heard him fire and glanced down for a brief moment. Just long enough to see that he missed his target. Figured. She turned back and kept climbing. She just had to get far enough away from him...

This time, she didn't stop, she didn't look back, and she didn't care. She just wanted out of this and back to the safety of her arboretum.

Scrambling after Paula, Ace fired again, this time winging a Cardassian with a disruptor, which caused the Cardassian to evaporate in slow agony. Mentally he shuddered but adrenaline forced him to keep going. He only hoped that Paula knew where she was going because if she went the wrong way, that would mean he would have to correct that miserable woman again and get another lecture.

She didn't stop. She didn't hesitate, except to check her science tricorder on each deck. As soon as she found one free of Cardassians, she'd leave him. But no luck, so she kept climbing.

Ace scrambled up after Paula. Despite his great displeasure for the woman, he had to admire her ability to keep going. She might not look like much, but the woman obviously kept fit. Scrambling up hundreds of decks without showing any signs of weariness was impressive. He wondered what she did to keep so fit since she not on a Starfleet regimen.

Paula did her best to ignore him. She fell into a pattern. Climb, pause at each floor, listen, check her tricorder, climb. There was too much chaos. Cargo bays, docking ports, lots of activity. Fortunately, it wasn't as far as it could be. She marked the decks as she passed. Finally, they reached the deck with the lower arboretum. She got off the ladder and headed in the right direction. She'd keep a keen eye on what Ace did and at the first opportunity, undo it.

How in the world did she do it? Paula was full of surprises, though they were usually nasty. That sort of endurance would be promising for any man who could tolerate her irritable disposition. He chuckled at that, loud enough that Paula would be able to hear. But now, he had work to do. If the Cardassians were successful, which it was looking likely, he had work to do. And come hell or high water, he would be doing it in the Arboretum. He owed it to Bri to keep the place safe.

"Stuff it, Canon," she snapped. "You are not welcome here. You are not helping Bri by making the arboretum a target for Cardassians, and you are definitely not wanted." She led him through a back door into a storage room. "This is the only place you are allowed. Use it or leave."

"Oh, you want me," he told Paula with a smirk. "You just won't admit it to yourself." He looked at the storage area. She was trying to limit his access. That's fine. He knew how to get around her and around just using this area. He might put something here for a diversion but he CERTAINLY was not going to be told what to do by a civilian. "I find your attempt at authority amusing. I may even indulge it. Perhaps you should go before you start doing something you would enjoy."

Never had Paula met anyone as obnoxious as Ace. "You forget, lieutenant, that while Brianthe is on the planet, I am in charge here. Not you. And, as a civilian, I outrank you here. Don't think that your lack of charm or your bullying will get you anything. You work here, or you go somewhere else. You touch any other part of the arboretum, you will find yourself on report. I'm done with you and I'm done with this."

Smirking right at Paula, Ace responded with an animalistic tone, "Ah! You're one of those.... You have to be in charge. It might be fun to put you in your place. You might even begin to crave it. But for all of your blustering, Miss Paula, you forget that we are under attack. And, if we lose, you will not be in charge of anything because the Cardassians will want nobody associated with the Federation in charge, citizen or not. You'd be safer with me and the Arboretum in better hands. But, if you want to be the one to disappoint Bri, far be it from me." With that, he slowly started withdrawing from the Arboretum, fully expecting Paula to change her mind. Of course, if she did not, it was no skin off his back. Let her not realize her needs. He had other ways in to the Arboretum and to monitor the situation.

She clenched her hands into fists to keep from slapping him. He'd been asking for it, and he more than deserved it. But if he was actually leaving, she wasn't going to do anything to delay his departure. Paula was aware the station was under attack, but that did not mean Ace was the only one who knew how to respond. She watched him go without a word, then locked the door, then went to her office to set the computer to alert her if he tried to sneak back in.

>>tag

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OFF

Lieutenant (JG) Ace Cannon
Assistant Chief Operations Officer
Deep Space 5

and

Paula Pendergast
Botanist
Deep Space 5

 

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