Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme

Posted on Sun Oct 20, 2019 @ 2:00pm by Lieutenant Nicole Anderson & Lieutenant Penelope Naroot & Lieutenant JG Camille Lévesque PhD

2,685 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Nibiru
Location: USS Castelnaudary

Penny and Nicole sat on the end of Nicole's bed, now back in their regular uniforms, playing a card game, giving Camille some privacy in the head. It had taken a bit of effort to convince her to go back to their quarters, but the need to clean herself off had won out.

"Think she'll be okay?" Penny said.

"Yes," Nicole said. "You were pretty shaken up when you found out. We were pretty shaken when we found out about you. Everyone has that initial shock to get over, she just got a lot at once."

"What comes next?" Penny said.

"The Triumvirate," Nicole said.

They looked up as the doors to the bathroom opened.

Camille stepped out, her face washed, teeth brushed, and hair pulled back. Her armour lay in a corner in the washroom, to be washed later. She had dressed back into her uniform, hoping its quiet strength would help prepare her for what was to come.

On the one hand, this was fascinating. She knew nothing yet about her comrades. What species were they, that they had these capabilities? Nicole alone was such a unique lifeform — not that she thought of her girlfriend that way — she hadn’t considered the possibility that the others might be strange too. She might soon be one of the foremost authorities on exobiology.

On the other hand, what was a team with these capabilities doing running around with a special Defiant-class? And why didn’t Starfleet officers generally know about them? Was this knowledge suppressed? And if so, why?

Camille nervously walked to the bed. She climbed on and sat cross-legged in between her and Nicole’s pillows. “Okay, what’s going on?” She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. Please tell me what’s going on.”

Penny and Nicole exchanged a glance. "Why whatever do you mean?" Penny said as innocently as she could.

Nicole rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Penny, that was very helpful."

Penny stuck her tongue out at Nicole and folded her arms.

Nicole rolled her eyes again and turned to face Camille. "I don't know what I can tell you just yet," she said. "I can tell you that we are a ship of...well...specialists. We handle issues that are not always Starfleet-sanctioned, but are necessary to stop evil in the galaxy."

“Those sound like the words of a wetworks operative justifying murder,” Camille said, a bit more venom in her words than she meant. “And I know the woman I love, despite being forced to take lives sometimes, isn’t a murderer, assassinating people in the name of ‘stopping evil in the galaxy’. Now tell me. What’s. Going. On?” She looked at Penny. “I think I’ve figured something out. ‘Beep beep, Penny.’ That’s not just a social cue, is it? Tell me, is there a similar phrase to get the entire truth without holding back?” Her eyes were red as she tried her best to contain her feelings.

"Actually...that really is just what we say when I start running my mouth off or say something inappropriate," Penny said, somewhat defensively. "My parents started it, and everyone just kinda picked up on it."

Seeing Camille upset broke Nicole's heart. She wanted to reach out and hug her and take it all away, but she knew that wasn't her call. "Camille, what's going on is you and I are on our way to Earth, and Cassandra is going to get married. That isn't changing. What's going on is that I love you. That isn't changing either. If you want to know about this ship and its crew...well that's up to Amber to decide what to discuss. There's a level of security clearance involved that is sky high. We didn't want you to have to be involved with any of this, we just wanted to give you a nice ride back to Earth. I'm so sorry." She felt her eyes water as well.

“Wait,” Camille said, holding her hand up. She heard what Nicole was saying but wasn’t exactly listening. “Why is it Amber’s call? I understand security classification, but something like this, why wouldn't Captain Edwards make the decision?” Her fellow Montréalaise will tell her what’s going on. She tapped her combadge. “Lévesque to Edwards. Sorry to bother you, but can we talk a moment please?”

Tiffany's program appeared in front of them, standing at the foot of the bed. "Yes, Lieutenant?"

“Aaah!” Camille screamed in surprise as the Captain appeared before her. “Are you serious? How are you from Montréal if you’re a hologram?! What’s going on!?!”

Tiffany weathered the onslaught of emotion and looked at the three of them. "The Triumvirate will explain," she said. "Why don't we go to the Ward Room and sit down, and you can ask your questions, hm?" She walked over to the door and gestured to the corridor as it opened.

Camille kept her eyes on Tiffany as she moved to the edge of the bed and climbed off and headed to the door.

Nicole and Penny stood up, flanking her from behind and followed as Tiffany led them down the corridor to the Ward Room. As they entered, they could see Amber at the head of the table, with Cassandra on her right, and Meesa on her left. Off to the side of the room, Tommy, John and Jasmine were sitting, legs crossed. Three empty chairs sat with them.

Penny walked over to one and sat down, as did Tiffany. Nicole remained standing next to Camille.

"Thank you for coming, Lieutenant," Amber said. She gestured to a chair along the table. "Please have a seat. I know there are a lot of questions you'd like to ask, and I'm going to do my best to answer them."

Nicole looked at Amber and raised an eyebrow.

Amber gave a small smile. "By all means, Nicole, stay by her side.”

Camille’s eyes were locked into Amber’s as she took her seat. She was still confused. ‘Triumvirate’ implied they were in charge, but the Captain wasn’t on it, and she’d gathered that an Admiral was involved, but he wasn’t here either even by comms. “I have a lot of questions. And I’ll start by granting that I understand that you won’t be able to answer all of them, but I’ll try to be satisfied if you answer the important ones.”

Amber inclined her head in acknowledgement and appreciation.

“Premièrement,“ Camille began, “what are you the Triumvirate of? What are you trying to do? And please don’t answer with the euphemisms Nicole used about ‘stopping evil.’ And why are you three in charge? And despite being in charge, why did you see fit to let me plan a mission without knowing your actual capabilities? How much easier could that have gone if I knew going in about our counselor, the goddamn magician!?!” Her eyes burned into Cassandra. There was no anger in her eyes though, just frustration and a bit of disappointment that they felt she couldn’t be trusted sooner.

Cassandra, for her part, looked both sympathetic and apologetic. She looked at Amber and nodded.

"Our group has had several names over the centuries," Amber said. "But originally we were the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Usually we just call ourselves, 'The League.' Originally the group was tasked with protecting Earth from global threats. As humanity took to the stars, so did we. Our goals have not changed: keep humanity protected from threats internal and external. Nicole's euphemisms may be a bit dramatic, but they are, essentially, correct."

"We are in charge," Cassandra said, "because we are the longest standing members of our generation of The League. Captain Edwards commands the ship, but this matter isn't about the ship. As for allowing you on the mission, there wasn't supposed to be one. We were going to destroy the station from orbit. Someone, who shall remain nameless, was convinced she was essential to going down there. We assumed it was just a relay station and agreed. That was our mistake, and we are sorry. Those of us with unique abilities generally don't speak of them in order to blend into normal society safely. Some of what we do was born to us, some of it we acquired along the way. Some of it is very dangerous, and in the wrong hands could do a lot of harm. Nicole's exposing herself to you was her decision, and it left her vulnerable. Thankfully, it worked out." Cass smiled warmly.

“Vulnerable?” Camille asked, raising her voice again. “Make no mistake, Nicole telling me who she really is was nothing short of courageous, and has left her stronger for it. Not vulnerable.” She reached behind her and found Nicole’s hand, giving it a good squeeze.

Nicole squeezed back, loving her all the more, but she felt the need to correct Camille's misunderstanding. However, before she could, Camille pressed on.

“What do the euphemisms mean? What sort of things do you do? Sabotage? Political interference? Murder? Genocide? I understand that some things need to be done for the greater good, but where does the League draw the line?”

"So far we haven't committed genocide," Amber said, lightly. "But the day is young. We've sabotaged our enemies, interfered in other planet's politics. Stopped one coup here, started another there. And yes, sometimes our actions have led to the death of one or more persons involved. We don't aim for that, but we understand the necessity of being willing to do what we have to. When we're up against organizations willing to lay waste to a planet to achieve their goals, we can't afford to pussyfoot around."

Camille couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She’d heard of Section 31 before. Once a recognized part of Starfleet Intelligence, it had been thought dismantled but instead had been so well hidden virtually no one knew it existed. Only in recent years has it been brought back to light. She knew they kept the Federation safe by any means necessary, and most people, Camille included, thought that they went too far. Did the League go as far? Farther still?

But she also understood what was being said. It was hard to swallow, but she was starting to understand. So she took a deep breath.

“Listen,” she continued, “I’m a scientist. There’s a concept called the Observer Effect. By observing something, we fundamentally alter its properties. So, surprisingly, I’m not upset about interference in others’ development.” She thought back to Amélie, her aunt who unilaterally interfered in her life, to everyone’s benefit. “I’m also not as naïve as you might think. A few months serving under Captain Kennit, with a Vulcan former Section 31 agent as a friend, and you realize that the galaxy isn’t all rainbows and licornes, and people wanting to learn for knowledge’s sake. You say that you don’t aim to kill. That’s a step above what I assumed, so we’re in a better place than we started. But who decides what’s a target and what isn’t? Who decides one thing can be left alone while another is too dangerous? And how? Is there a code or something? And how do you know you’re not serving some other evil through your actions?”

Amber blinked and looked at Nicole. "You weren't kidding about the hydra of questions," she said.

"Warned you," Nicole said, dryly.

Amber sat back. "Your Captain is an assassin for Section 31, so before we go worrying about the morals of what we do, be aware of whom you serve," she said. "As for who decides? We do." Her tone had a hardness to it, a finality. Still, she continued. "We aren't perfect, not even me, although I come closest." She smiled at her inside joke as Cassandra rolled her eyes. "We also have guidance from the founders of the League. We rely on their wisdom, and their advice when we're at an impassible moment. I'll be the first to admit, the Admiral's orders can be hard to understand sometimes, as he's quite a 'big picture' kind of person, but he's never steered us wrong."

“The League’s founders? You said it’s been around for centuries. On Evora you mentioned Marcus Licinius Crassus financing the League. That was two thousand four hundred years ago. This ‘Admiral’...he’s a founder, but still alive?” Every answer Camille received raised two more questions or more. Amber’s chastising remark about serving an assassin did make her squirm in her seat.

"Despite the efforts of so, so, so many, yes," Amber said. "He's one of two members from that time still with us. The League doesn't have many active members at a time, which is one of the keys to our survival, but we sometimes make efforts to grow. Taking you into our trust is part of that. We've been infiltrated before," she cast a look at John. "Things don't always go well for those people. I'm glad to say, we can trust you."

“That mind scan you did of me, when I first arrived,” Camille said, piecing that together. “Thank you for trusting me.”

"Thank you for not being a spy sent to turn us inside out," Meesa said, finally speaking up.

“I still have questions, most of which are to satisfy curiosity. I don’t know that I approve, but I think I understand. Not that you need my approval or my understanding. But...what happens now?”

"We hold a vote," Amber said, solemnly.

“Vote?” Camille asked, her brow furrowed in confusion. “A vote on what?”

"I vote lunch," Tommy said.

"Oh, thank God. Seconded," Cassandra said, standing up and moving to a replicator.

"All right, those of us who don't have the luxury of a stomach will be on the bridge," Tiffany said, vanishing. Penny jumped up and waved to Camille, smiling as she left, Jasmine on her heels.

"I'll be in Engineering," Meesa said to Amber, standing up and heading out.

Nicole sat back and rubbed her eyes. "I want to sleep for a year," she said.

“A vote on what?!” Camille asked, a bit more urgently. That everyone tried to change the subject and leave seemed like cause for concern. “Nicole, what are they voting on?!”

"You heard the man: Lunch. I think I'll have soup, how about you?" She patted Camille's hand. "Relax, t'hy'la," she said, smiling. "All's well. I think, if you have more questions, maybe do them quietly in private."

"To be honest, Dollface," Tommy said, sitting across from Camille with a sandwich, a bowl of potato salad and pickles, "we don't stand on ceremony much for situations like this."

"And we're a bit drained," Amber said, sitting next to him with her food. "When things went south down on the planet, we feared the worst. We were so focused on getting you both home it took quite a bit out of us."

"You can say that again," Cassandra said, sitting on Camille's other side with a tray of food. "I thought I was going to faint with fear." She put a hand on Camille's shoulder and smiled. "I'm very glad you two are safe."

Camille smiled warmly. “Merci, Cassandra,” Camille replied. She took another deep breath. “I thought the vote was whether you were going to wipe my mind or something, and Tommy Gun just wanted to put it off by half an hour!” She laughed nervously.

"Then it would be forty-five minutes. He eats like a pig," Amber said, giving a scolding look at Tommy's array of food.

“I think I’ll go find people to ask more questions shortly. But for right now, soup sounds fantastique. Whatever you’re having, mon amour.”

Nicole grinned and ran off to get their food.

 

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