Three of the Fourth and the Fourth of the Four
Posted on Sun Oct 20, 2019 @ 11:58am by Lieutenant Cassandra Kennings & Lieutenant Penelope Naroot & Lieutenant Nicole Anderson & Lieutenant JG Camille Lévesque PhD
3,763 words; about a 19 minute read
Mission:
Nibiru
Location: USS Castelnaudary
Timeline: During the Hiatus
Nicole was all but dragging Camille down the corridor to the transporter room. What had been giddy excitement had given way to paranoid panic at the thought of being late and left behind, and now they were setting new speed records trying to “get there in time.”
“Chère,” Camille said for the third time, struggling to keep up, “I’m sure your friends will wait for us!”
Nicole finally slowed as they approached the door. “I know; I just don’t want us to be the reason they had to wait.”
“Well, it is your fault for stalling us getting out of bed,” Camille scolded.
“I wouldn’t exactly call it ‘stalling’,” Nicole said, a playful smile on her lips. “And I didn’t hear you complaining at the time."
Camille smiled back and gave her girlfriend a kiss. “Oui, but that’s also your fault,” she said, playfully.
Nicole grinned and gave her another deep kiss, then, hand in hand, they walked through the doors.
Cass and Penny were already there, giving them a knowing grin. “I was wondering if we’d have to have a second beam-over,” Cass teased.
Nicole blushed slightly and stepped up onto the transporter pad. “Shut it,” she said, but her grin gave her away.
Camille followed her up, smiling to Cass and Penny, gently squeezing the latter’s hand.
Cass smiled and silently approved. She’d never seen Nicole so happy, and she couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous. Still, that jealousy would be ending soon...if a couple of weeks could be thought of as ‘soon’.
The four women stepped onto the transporter pad, their luggage already beamed over, and Cassandra tapped her combadge. “Sanders to Castelnaudary: energize.”
The transporter beams washed over them, and they reappeared in a far smaller, cramped version of a transporter room, and a small group crowded in front of them. There was a blonde woman in medical blue with an imposing stare, two human males in gold, an Orion woman in gold, and a smiling brunette woman in command red with four pips standing in front of them.
“Camille Lévesque, Captain Tiffany Edwards,” Nicole said, making introductions.
“Enchantée,” Camille said, smiling and holding out a hand.
“Likewise,” Tiffany said, shaking her hand. “Always a pleasure to meet a fellow Montréalaise.”
“Ah!” Camille said with a grin and squeezing the hand even more tightly. “Nous devrions en discuter plus tard!”
"Avec plaisir," Tiffany said, smiling.
“Doctor Amber Jones, Chief Medical Officer,” Nicole said, gesturing to the blonde. “And Thomas ‘Tommy Gun’ Riley, Chief Engineer.”
“Good to meet ya, Doll Face,” the tall, dark-haired engineer said, grinning at Camille.
“He calls everybody that,” Nicole said, quietly, then gestured to the next of the remaining two. “Lieutenant Meesa Etara, Operations Officer.”
Camille cocked her head as she looked at Meesa. She was familiar. “I’ve seen you before,” Camille said.
“Lucky you,” Meesa drawled, her green skin darkening slightly under the scrutiny. “Where would that be?”
It took a moment, but then Camille realized that Meesa was in the Soul Leech holodeck program. She decided against mentioning that trauma, but then remembered where else she saw the pretty Orion. “In a painting in Nicole’s quarters,” she said. She looked back at Amber. “You were in it as well, now that I think of it.”
“Paintings are traditional with our group,” Amber said, cryptically.
“And this is John Hunter, our Chief of Security,” Tiffany said.
“Pleasure to meet--” John started.
“So am I going to be the one to address the elephant in the room?” Amber interjected.
“Amber,” Tiffany sighed.
“I’m not detecting any psionic ability,” Amber said, her eyes boring into Camille who was squirming, deeply uncomfortable under the scrutiny and sudden itch in the back of her mind. “She’s not a telepath, my tricorder can’t pick up any pheromones, and the transporter scan didn’t find any unknown technology on her person,” Amber said, gravely. She walked up to Camille and looked her in the eyes. “So I’m curious how she brainwashed our young doctor here and cracked through that oh-so-thick hide.”
“I hate you so much right now,” Nicole deadpanned as Amber cracked a smile. Nicole huffed, turning less pale as she blushed.
Picking up on the good-natured ribbing among very old friends, Camille grinned widely. “I’m sure you did something to deserve that, chère,” she said to Nicole.
“I made one little joke about Tommy ‘thawing her out’ and she hasn’t let me live it down,” Nicole grumbled.
“Payback is a bitch, sweetie,” Amber said, smiling.
“And on that note, welcome aboard,” Captain Edwards said genially. “We’re pleased to have you all here.”
“Does that include me?” Cassandra said, finally stepping forward.
“Of course!” Amber said, brightening and rushing to pull Cassandra into a hug.
Cass hugged her back, grinning. “I think it might do us some good to see our quarters and get settled in, hm? We’ve got some plans to discuss.”
“Right, good idea,” Amber said, giving Penny a hug next. “You two with me, and we’ll catch up with the lovebirds later.” She pulled Cass and Penny to the door.
“We need to discuss your bridesmaid dress as well!” Cass shouted to Nicole over her shoulder as her friend dragged her off.
“Well, I know which way it’s shakin’,” Tommy said. “See you later, sweets.” He leaned over and gave Nicole a kiss on the cheek, then gave a small salute to Camille. “Good meetin’ ya.” He turned and left the transporter room as well.
Tiffany shook her head. “Every day, I run a starship less and an asylum more,” she said, smiling gently. “Please, follow me.” She led the two ladies out of the transporter room and into the corridor.
With only five decks to go through, a Defiant-class ship was not a long tour. The science labs were spartan but equipped, enough so that Camille grinned with excitement when she saw them. Sickbay somehow seemed smaller than Nicole remembered it being, but she supposed she was spoiled from her time on the Victory.
“This is my first time on a Defiant-class ship,” Camille admitted as they left Tommy in Engineering and headed towards crew quarters, “but I understood amenities for la récréation were limited to a stripped down mess hall, and quarters were small and shared. How do you prevent the crew from getting cabin fever?”
“We’ve made a few modifications,” Tiffany said with a wry smile. “With only a skeleton crew, we didn’t require both mess hall spaces, so we converted one into a holodeck. We also combined crew quarters into larger, more livable units. Cassandra’s getting the VIP suite as the guest of honor, but we have a double room for yourselves that I think you’ll find comfortable.”
She stopped in front of a set of doors and hit the entry panel, revealing a small, but warmly lit room. One wall had alcoves for a replicator port, a computer terminal, viewscreen and some shelving. Another wall had three doors, one leading to a small closet and the others to the head and sonic shower. The rest of the room was a box without many discernible features save for the center which had a loveseat, two armchairs and a coffee table and their luggage nearby. There was an effort to give the room a more ‘homey’ touch, with different color panels than the usual battleship grey, green plants in the corners and some of Starfleet’s famed generic ‘art’ on the walls. Still, it seemed to be missing something.
“Okay, I’ll ask the obvious question,” Nicole said, looking around. “Where’s the bed?”
“That feature I’m particularly proud of,” Tiffany said, tapping a panel on the computer terminal. The furniture disappeared as the holographic emitters turned off, and a large panel in the opposing wall swung out like a drawbridge, coming to a stop parallel to the floor, revealing a large, fluffy mattress set and pillows. “We decided comfortable sleep was the priority,” she said.
“Ah, c’est don ben cool, ça,” Camille couldn’t help but say as the room reconfigured. She sat down on the edge of the bed.
Nicole leaned against a wall and smiled at her, then blushed at Tiffany’s expression.
“Well,” Captain Edwards said, “again, welcome aboard. Take all the time you need to settle in, and when you’re up and about, the ship is yours to roam. I’m sure Cassandra will wish to discuss wedding plans and such. I’ll see you soon.” She nodded to them and left.
When the doors shut, Nicole pushed off the wall. “I have to admit,” she said slowly, “I like this idea of ‘our’ quarters.” She smiled and sat next to Camille.
“Oui,” Camille said, looking around. “It has a nice sound to it, although I wouldn’t mind a bit more space to stretch. Still, this is absolument charmante.”
“So should we unpack first, and then visit the bridge? Or stop and see Cassandra?” Nicole said, standing up and pawing at their luggage.
Camille watched her girlfriend and got a coy smile. She stood up, tiptoed quietly behind Nicole and gave her a friendly pinch on the rear. Nicole squealed and jumped, spinning to face Camille, who grabbed her and pulled her backwards to the bed, the two of them giggling as their lips met.
As they rounded the corner, Amber, Cassandra and Penny slowed and ducked into the mess hall. “Okay,” Amber said. “I think we’re in the clear here, for a moment.”
“So…did she pass?” Cass said, hope and excitement taking her voice up half an octave.
“With flying colors,” Amber said, sitting down in a chair. “Was all I could do not to sigh with relief.”
“Is that what that was about?” Penny said. “Her interview?”
“Can’t afford to take a risk,” Amber said. “So a little light-hearted deception with a convenient prank so I could probe the new girl’s mind. Better than having someone on board blowing us up again.”
“I knew she’d pass,” Cass said, turning and giving Penny a high-five in excitement.
“You seem awfully relieved for someone who ‘knew’ it,” Penny observed.
“Beep, beep, Penelope,” Cassandra said, then turned to Amber. “So, what’ve you been plotting and planning behind my back, hm?”
Amber grinned and beckoned them to follow her out of the mess hall and around to the other side of the ship to the holodeck. “Mirana and I have been going over your notes and requests and we think we’ve got a working plan.” They approached the holodeck and Amber tapped the control panel. “Computer, load program Kennigns Wedding. Start in the chapel.”
“Program complete. Enter when ready,” the computer said.
The doors opened and Cassandra got teary-eyed. When she was on Earth, she’d lived with Richard in his apartment in San Francisco, in order to be near the Questor Group. It was a lovely place, but not where either of their families lived, and Cassandra had frequently dragged him several states east in order to have dinner with her family or friends whom she would begin to miss as the week went on. She’d often confided in him her desire to move back home, and his refrain was always, “we should discuss that.” When the subject of a wedding venue came up, Richard’s parents had asked about their church, and Cassandra had offered, but had expressed how her hometown had a small, ancient church and meeting hall that would be perfect for a small, intimate wedding.
Richard had smiled through all of it and promised her he’d go along with whatever made her happy. He’d asked for a few small requests like cake flavors, music and special friends on the guest list, and she’d happily obliged. Now, seeing her hometown church decked out in the blues of the San Francisco bay, with white roses from her garden everywhere, she realized how much he was sacrificing for her, and the enormity of the gesture wasn’t lost on her.
Cassandra finally managed to wrap her head around a coherent sentence. “It looks like you went through the entire state’s supply of roses.”
“Part of the theme,” Amber said, following. “Do you want to see the reception?”
“Not yet; I feel like I want to be surprised,” Cassandra said. She looked around the altar and at the rows of seats, then back at her friend. “This is really happening, isn’t it?”
“At long last,” Amber said. “And nothing, come hell or high water, is going to stop it.”
“The time is 0800 hours,” the computer said.
Nicole groaned slightly, feeling the warmth of Camille’s body against hers and she snuggled closer. She kissed Camille behind the ear, then down her neck, then back down her spine, enjoying hearing Camille sigh and stretch. She moved back up, her hands running up Camille’s body and cupping her breasts gently as she again planted a kiss on her ear. “Good morning,” she said, grinning.
“Mmm…bonjour, mon amour,” Camille said, yawning slightly. She pulled Nicole’s arms around her and kissed her hand. “Is it 0800 already?”
“Yes, but I’m in no hurry to get up,” Nicole said, nibbling her earlobe.
Camille giggled. “Chérie, we have barely left our bed, let alone our quarters, in three days.”
“And?” Nicole said, kissing her neck teasingly.
“And, you promised Cassandra you would meet with her today to discuss the wedding,” Camille purred, turning to face her.
Nicole hesitated a comedic moment. “And?”
“Nicole!” Camille scolded, laughing.
“All right, all right,” Nicole said, throwing the covers back, letting a chill attack their naked bodies, making Camille squeal in shock. “First one in the sonic shower gets to set the pitch,” she said, grinning devilishly as she somersaulted out of bed and ran for the shower, Camille hot on her heels.
With the large viewscreen and large single table surrounded by chairs, the mess hall had been effectively turned into a wardroom for the ship. It was used for briefings and discussions more than actual mess and recreation, since most everyone could dine in their quarters, but today it was Cassandra’s space.
As Nicole and Penny walked in, however, the scene looked less than happy.
“How am I not entitled to see my own wedding dress?” Cassandra said, her arms folded in indignation.
“Because we aren’t done with it yet, and Mirana says if you see it beforehand, it will ruin the effect,” Amber said. “This is going to be amazing, I promise.”
“The single-most important piece of clothing the entire day and you want me to find out what it looks like when I’m ready to put it on?” Cass half shouted.
“Back out slowly and hope they don’t notice us,” Nicole said, pulling Penny back with her.
“You two: in here,” Cassandra said pointing at them and beckoning. “We’ve got to get your dresses set.”
“So what exactly is the requirements for a ‘bridesmaids dress’?” Nicole said as they cautiously approached.
“It’s a centuries-old Earth tradition,” Penny explained, “wherein the bride ensures that her friends don’t outshine her by making them wear a dress that strikes the right balance of moderately respectable yet gaudy.” She snickered.
“We’re not going that route,” Amber said, giving Penny a look. “Each of us is going to wear a dress that is native to us.” She snapped her fingers and an aura of blue and gold electricity surrounded her, then vanished. Her standard uniform was replaced with a flowing red dress popular on Earth.
“I want you all to be comfortable,” Cassandra said. “The only input I’ll have is the coloring.” She snapped her fingers at Penny who spun around and came to a stop clothed in her royal blue sari.
Cassandra snapped her fingers again, and Nicole found herself wearing her formal Rigel-cut dress. Form fitting, with a filigree pattern, the dress fit Nicole perfectly, showing her figure but giving her freedom of movement. She turned experimentally, looking herself over. “I haven’t worn one of these since the last hospital ball,” she commented. She looked at the color. “Purple?”
“Violet,” Cassandra said. “Each of you is a color of the spectrum. The men will have ties to match.” She sat back and looked at them. “Something’s missing.”
Cass snapped her fingers. Amber’s hair went up into a fishtail braid, Penny’s into a waterfall of curls, and Nicole’s tightened to a simple three-strand braid. Nicole patted her head experimentally. *I need a trim,* she thought.
“Still not enough...I know!” Cass said. She waved her hand in a circle, creating a wreath of red roses. The flowers flew up and inserted themselves into Amber’s hair, forming a crown. A moment later, a wreath of blue roses was in Penny’s hair, and violet ones adorned Nicole’s.
“Perfect,” Cass said, grinning.
“I feel like I’m going to a joining ceremony, all right,” Nicole said, looking at her reflection in the viewscreen and smiling. She paused, watching her reflection get confused. When was the last time she looked at herself and smiled like that? *Too long,* her inner voice reminded her.
She’d have to work on that. As she turned back to Cass and let her fuss over details, she thought of Camille, hoping her better half was enjoying herself on the bridge.
Tiffany turned in her command chair and smiled at their guest. “Good morning, Lieutenant,” she said, standing up. “Welcome to the bridge.”
Camille looked around the compact warship’s command centre and smiled. It was much smaller than what she was used to on Victory, but it was functional. In theory, anything that Captain Kennit could order, so too could Captain Edwards.
There were some familiar faces, but some new ones as well, including a woman whose beautiful face was framed in scales, with a mass of writhing, poisonous snakes in place of hair and a mouth full of fangs. Camille had never encountered a life-form such as her. She walked right up to the officer and smiled. “Salut. I’m Lieutenant Camille Lévesque, visiting with Nicole and the others from the Victory.”
Tiffany turned, watching where Camille was walking and winced as Jasmine hissed in annoyance, leaning away slightly at the intrusion into her space. “My apologies," Tiffany said. "Introductions: Lieutenant Camille Lévesque, Lieutenant Jasmine Gorgon, our Chief Navigator.”
The appropriately named Lieutenant nodded in greeting. Her face was as lovely as any other on the ship, but the scales, the fangs, the red eyes and the mass of writhing, poisonous snakes that comprised her ‘hair’ gave her an almost demonic appearance. She visibly put her face into a more neutral and polite expression. “Nicssssse to meet you,” she hissed.
“I’d love to talk more later, if we get a chance,” Camille said. “I hope you’ll forgive me, but you are très fascinante.”
Jasmine looked to Tiffany, her eyes narrowing.
"It's a compliment," Tiffany assured her, then turned back to Camille. “Why don’t we speak in my ready room?” she said, joining Camille in the doorway. They walked down the short corridor to Tiffany’s quarters. Tiffany entered and sat behind her desk, gesturing for Camille to take the other seat across from her. “I appreciate your assistance while on board,” she said. “Tell me, what do you know about transwarp corridors?”
“Transwarp corridors,” Camille repeated. “I’ve got some background. The Borg used them to move their ships quickly around the Galaxy. Some have constructed apertures around one or both mouths to keep them open. Others are simply dormant in subspace and need to be opened in some way. Traverse a quadrant in minutes instead of years.”
"It's those dormant ones I'm interested in," Tiffany said. "I'd like to shorten our little trip from two weeks to two more days if possible," she said. "We are going to be passing near an uncharted area of space, and we are hoping we can locate and trigger a dormant corridor and try to deposit ourselves as close to Earth as possible. Do you think you could help us do so?"
“Do you have any reason to believe one might be there?” Camille asked. “The Borg didn’t lay them without reason, and stumbling upon one at random will be nigh-impossible.”
"True," Tiffany said. "However, reports of Borg in the area used to be rather high for a largely uninhabited sector. Then, several years ago, reports of Borg cubes appearing ceased. The timing of this sudden dry spell coincides nicely with when we believe they completed construction of their transwarp hubs. We drew the logical conclusion that they abandoned obsolete corridors in favor of more stable ones."
“With your permission, I’ll work with your Ops Officer to reconfigure the lateral sensor array,” Camille suggested. “I know what sort of gravimetric effects to look for, and can reproduce the necessary tachyon pulses to open the conduit once we find it.”
"Wonderful. I'll have Meesa report to the science lab," Tiffany said.
“Before I get to work,” Camille said, a grin forming on her face, “do you have any fun stories I can use to embarrass Nicole plus tard?”
Tiffany smiled as well and sat back. "I have a story or two from our time together in Sickbay," she said. "For example, a young ensign who thought it would be a smart idea to allow a visiting dignitary to offer her a 'thank you gift' for her medical services, and wound up engaged."
“Osti, that’s one you need to tell me!” Camille said joyfully. On this trip, she’d already met so many of the people that Nicole considered close friends or even family. She’d spent days off duty with the woman she loved. And now she would hear an embarrassing story or two, laugh, and become close with the people Nicole was close to. Life was good.
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