30 Minutes

Posted on Sun Oct 20, 2019 @ 11:10am by Admiral Harv Bennett & Fleet Captain Rhea Kennit

1,915 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Nibiru
Location: Earth, Italy

Three weeks after the battle against the Terran Empire

Alpha Quadrant. Earth



Federation News Service Bulletin
Kerovian Chancellor Dead.

Initial reports indicating that the Director of Military Operations of former Federation member world Kerovi, Chancellor Kaleel Melawei was attacked at his private offices in his home have been confirmed. According to the Kerovian Ministry official statement, Chancellor Melawei was found dead in his office by a member of his house hold staff. Though exact details are not being released, sources within the Kerovian Ministry indicate that the Chancellor was found dead with two precise projectile wounds, one to his heart and the other to the back of his head. Either would have been fatal.

Chancellor Melawei was a strong opponent of the talks between the Federation and the Kerovian Prime Minister to re-establish the relationship between the Federation and Kerovi, which withdrew from the Federation in 2378. With the change in government, the Kerovian Ministry had opened negotiations for a possible return to Federation membership.

While the investigation into the Chancellor’s death continues, speculation is high that his death was due to his vehement opposition to reapplying for Federation membership. No evidence has been found as of this bulletin which can be linked to any responsible party. Sources from a Kerovian investigator indicate that no evidence of any type has been found. Rumors had been noted that several employees had seen a woman with short, shoulder blonde hair have not been confirmed. A malfunction in the residential security system resulted in several blackouts and no data was available. Witnesses where unable to confirm the species of the unidentified woman, only that it was a woman seen crossing the grounds toward the house. Whether the woman was human, Kerovian, or another species can not be confirmed, or indeed if the woman exists at all.

Though negotiations had been halted due to the Chancellors protests, negotiations for the Kerovian government to rejoin the Federation are scheduled to resume in two days, with meetings slated to begin in San Francisco, Earth.

==================



Tossing the data PaDD to the side table, Rhea Kennit stretched as she considered the various news articles she’d reviewed while eating a late dinner. A few interesting bits of news, here and there. Nothing however which was of concern to her. She rose, stretching as she did. The moon outside cast a soft glow through the window as she crossed the den heading for her bedroom and a shower before bed. Running a hand through her shoulder length hair she debated just going to bed but, a shower would help her sleep. Glancing at the reflection in the mirror, she noted that she should likely change her hair color back to its normal deep, auburn red tone but.that too could wait.

Besides. Her light almost blonde hair was a different look for her, not too bad. It brought out the green in her otherwise dark eyes.

Walking toward the bedroom, she felt the echo of John with every step. They’d built this home together with plans for a future which had been stolen from them both. His absence was a permanent wound in her heart. The end of her relationship with Alec had only convinced her of one thing..

She’d made a mistake. A big one. And she wasn’t going to make that mistake again. It didn’t matter that John had been gone now almost 7 years. She simply would never love someone like that again, and nothing else would suffice. Death had taken him away, but she would never forget.

Rhea had been ordered to return to Earth for debriefing while Starfleet decided what to do after the battle with the Terran Empire. The journey now made possible and quite manageable thanks to slipstream drive. Starfleet was especially concerned by the massive explosion caused when the Terran station self-destruct activated, leaving the Victory crippled.

She’d decided today, she didn’t care.

She was resigning from Starfleet. Staying here in her home, where memories of John , their child and of the life she’d wanted so long ago brought at least comfort.

Maybe she’d even get a dog.

Picking up a soft robe which had once belong to John, she wrapped the too-large garment around her and then after getting a cup of coffee Rhea made her way out to sit down in a lounge chair on the deck. The view was spectacular, part of why they purchased the small villa set on the hillside overlooking the sleepy Italian town of Neive, located in the Piedmont region of Italy bordering France and Switzerland, nestled at the foot of the Alps. Neive was a wine town, surrounded by Langhe’s rolling vine-covered hills.

It was peaceful, beautiful and quiet. Only one detail was missing, the empty lounge chair next to her.


8 weeks later

The sun was starting to set turning the skies red and gold as Rhea carried a glass of wine out to sit on the deck and enjoy the evening air. On her way past, she turned off the display screen where a pretty Andorian news reporter was earnestly babbling away in an interview with Federation Ambassador Sovek regarding the ceasefire of the short but fierce and brutal civil war on Kerovi following the assassination of Chancellor Melawei. The fighting had left many large population areas in ruins, but the resistance faction against Federation membership had been resoundingly crushed and its leaders executed for the crime of treason. The Vulcan diplomat was speaking as Vulcans do of the Federation’s responsibility now, to offer compassion and aid to the stricken innocents of this terrible conflict. To aid in reconstruction efforts and to ensure the people of Kerovi never again faced such terrible conditions but instead, knew only prosperity and peace as members of the United Federation of Planets.

Right.

That reporter would melt down on the spot if only she knew just how dark and deep the true power within the Federation lay.

Rhea had enjoyed a light dinner of fresh fish and vegetables at a cafe in town, and now as she relaxed with her drink she thought she might just go take a shower once the sun had set and go to bed early. It was nice, being able to just slow down after a life lived at such a fast pace.

A small amber light flashed on a comm display, indicating someone was attempting to contact her. Rhea ignored it. She didn’t need to look at the display to know who it was. They’d been trying to contact her since she’d arrived in Italy. Starfleet.

She was done. Admiral Yeager had not yet acted on her resignation, they seemed to think she’d change her mind. Over the past weeks she’d regained some of the weight which stress had lost. Days spend under the Italian sun had given her skin a healthy color, and her hair had lightened even more from the sun’s rays.

If she’d experienced a few days of bored restlessness, Rhea knew that there were worse things in life than being a little bored. Much worse.

Rhea stayed out on the deck for several hours, drank a bottle of wine and listening to the music playing softly through the speakers set into the deck. Finally, once she was out of wine, she headed inside to shower and go to bed. Dropping the empty bottle into a recycle unit with soft murmured “Dead soldier”, she made her way to the bathroom and set the shower for a strong, hot spray just the way she liked it.

Rhea had just gotten out of the shower and was in the process of debating whether to use a towel or just let the warm Italian night air coming through the open patio doors dry her off when a chime announced a visitor, two in fact.

Her uninvited and unwelcome guests were walking up from where a ground transport had dropped them off. Her property had a gated entrance, ground transport couldn’t come up to the house with the gate closed and the entire region was a no transport zone. Transporters were only used in cases of emergency to preserve the town’s historical ambiance. That was what had drawn them to buy the small villa here.

It did at least give her time to grab a towel and dry off, towel dry her hair and pull on a pair of light weight rough silk lounge pants and white tank top, over which to wrapped one of John’s large button up shirts in lieu of a robe. Walking bare foot to the front door, Rhea flicked on the outside lights and opened the door to gaze at her unwelcome visitors. “I knew I should have gotten a dog.” She said in a flat voice. “A big one that I could watch chase your asses back down to the road.”

“If you would respond to the messages which have been left for you we wouldn’t have decided to come here like this.” Admiral Herman Yeager retorted, his gaze on the seemingly young woman before him. She looked to be in her early 30s, though he knew her to be much older. The Borg tech kept her vibrant and young in appearance. Except for her eyes. Her eyes reflected the years of service she’d given to Starfleet, and to Section 31. Other than the dark, cold emptiness of her eyes Captain Kennit looked vibrant and fit, her skin tone lightly bronzed by the sun. The time off had done her a measure of good.

“You could take the hint.” Kennit replied in a tone that left no doubt what so ever of her feelings about her unexpected guests arrival.

“We came here for a reason.” Her second visitor said. “Are you going to let us come in and talk to you or leave us standing on your porch all night?”

Her gaze rolled slowly to look at the speaker, “If I was interested in what you wish to say, Admiral.” She answered. “I would have picked up the comm.”. A pause, then she added “I submitted my resignation and retirement documents. I don’t work for you anymore.”

Admiral Bennett heaved a sigh. “30 minutes Captain.”

Those dark green eyes studied them both, then with a sigh of her own Kennit said. “Fuck it. Thirty minutes then you leave.”

Three hours later, she closed the door and turned away, not watching to see that her very unwelcome visitors managed to walk back down to the ground transport waiting for them in the darkness. Maybe they’d stumble, fall and break their necks together..

A girl could always hope.

Walking back to the living room, she stared at the image frozen on the computer screen. The massive energy wave which had accompanied the explosion of the Terran base had triggered an alert in a Starfleet database when the sensor recordings were analyzed. A similar energy pattern had been detected once before back in 2285.

It seemed she was returning to the Delta Quadrant after all. Scowling at her computer, she muttered “You know what..fuck you bitch. You and all the other damn fools who just don’t understand. Just because you can do something, that doesn’t mean you should.”

Reaching to shut off the computer, the frozen image of Dr. Carol Marcus had no response.


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