And there were Lightnings, and Voices, and Thunderings

Posted on Sun Sep 5, 2021 @ 7:41pm by Admiral Alan Markus & Lieutenant Nicole Anderson & Fleet Captain Rhea Kennit & Lieutenant Commander Amber Jones

4,003 words; about a 20 minute read

Mission: Archangel
Location: Castelnaudary Ward Room
Timeline: 0630 Hours (Concurrent with Ship and Hostages)

As the transporter beam released her, Nicole took a breath. "Hello, Meesa," she said. She looked next to her right, then confused towards her left. "Where's the Captain?"

"In the buffer," the Orion woman said, casually. "Just making sure she doesn't have anything naughty on her." She tapped the board. "A few toys. Ooh. Captain Edwards wouldn't like that one." She rendered a few things inert and clucked her tongue about a few others, but left them. "The Triumvirate will be in the ward room. You'll be responsible for the Captain while you're here, so please keep a tight leash on her," Meesa grumbled. "I don't need to spend the next week cleaning her handiwork out of every nook and cranny, and Hunter really does not want to deal with her."

"I'll do my best," Nicole said, dryly.

Meesa nodded and reactivated the transporter. "Oh by the way, sorry in advance," she said. Nicole looked confused as she vanished back into the buffer. Meesa sat the controls, leaving the transporter room. A moment later, the Captain and the Doctor appeared on the transporter pad.

"They'll be waiting for us in the ward room," Nicole said, gesturing to the door. "Follow me." She stepped off the transporter pad.

Fleet Captain Kennit didn’t move right away, taking in the empty transporter room. Unusual and a violation of procedure. Stepping down off the transporter pad, she said as much. “Just what I wanted to have to do, start off with a reprimand for a violation of Starship security protocol for arrivals of personnel not assigned as ships company.”

"I'll be sure to tell Captain Edwards to file one," Nicole said. "But right now the crew is probably occupied elsewhere."

The door opened, and an odd odor immediate met their senses as they entered the corridor. Pungent, but not overwhelming it was the scent of hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, and other gaseous vapors associated with the breakdown of biological waste. “It appears their engineering department is not maintaining proper ship’s service.”

Nicole wrinkled her nose. "More likely something ruptured when they put themselves in front of us and took that large blast from the Beechwood's ship," Nicole said. They quickened their pace and stepped into a turbolift, going up a deck and out into a fresher corridor.

"Here we are," Nicole said. She stopped by the door and stepped aside, allowing the Captain to enter first.

The doors opened, revealing the ward room, large conference table and, seated at one end, a glowering Admiral Markus and a stone-faced Doctor Jones.

Entering the conference room, Kennit locked eyes with Admiral Markus almost immediately. In a tone best described as ‘done with this shit,’ she immediately said, “do not look at me like that. This is your fault, Admiral. Had you been truthful about this situation which you requested my assistance with, the current situation may have been avoided! I cannot do my job with half-truths and partial information, and as a result, members of my crew and your own children are now in danger!”

Markus and Jones exchanged a glance. "You owe me dinner," she said.

Markus sat back and tapped his fingers on the tabletop. "While I have several natural-born talents," he said, calmly, "omniscience is not one of them. I gave you what I knew. If I had any idea that woman was involved, I would never have contacted you. If it's any consolation, your people are most likely not in any danger, however my children are. So, kindly muzzle it, and let's figure out how to get our people back. Sit down and I will answer as many questions as I'm able."

“Lieutenant Commander Jones.” Fleet Captain Kennit said. “I find myself in with two members of my crew, whose safety and well-being are my responsibility, missing. Additionally there are minor children, civilians, also missing and apparently abducted by the same person or.. persons as the case may be. This may be a joking matter to you, but I assure you I do not find it amusing or a matter for placing bets. If you have nothing of value to add, you are free to consider yourself dismissed and you may leave.” Disgust and perhaps, contempt tinged her voice as she spoke.

Amber glanced at Nicole, the latter tilting her head in confusion, then sighing deeply and nodding.

Not waiting for the Lieutenant Commander to answer, she looked at Markus and said, “in order to find the hostages, it would help to know who that woman is, her relationship to you, and why she would go to such lengths to abduct your children.”

Markus blew air and tapped his fingertips, glancing at Amber.

Kennit waited, and when he didn't answer she draped herself down into a chair and began to slowly, deliberately drum her fingernails on the table to match his. "I never wanted to be here," Kennit said, her eyes never leaving Markus' face. "I was going to adopt a dog. I went home. All I wanted was to be left alone but no... no. Men like you. Men with too much fancy jewelry pinned to their collars always come knocking at the door. Always with the right words, the right crisis...and me," she snorted. "Like a good, little, well-trained bitch, I always seem to come to the Master's call. It's disgusting. My husband? Betrayed, and died alone. Our daughter? Gone with him. All that I held most dear, taken. My own life, forever altered into this."

Borg tubules snaked out of her hand for a moment, then retracted away, sliding back into her flesh as she curled her fingers into a fist for a moment before resting her hand on the table once more. Fingernails clicked against the table once more, a slow rhythm almost like the beat of a heart. For a moment, she didn't speak. Then, "at least they are at peace together. If it wasn't for the two members of my crew. Two lives who I swore to protect, I'd leave you here to rot and face whatever mess you've created alone. As it is, I will not rest until I know what has happened to my people and either avenged their deaths or brought them safely back home where they belong. Start talking."

As Amber tapped his hand in some quiet meaning between them, Markus sat back and sighed. "She's my ex wife," he said.

Whatever his former associates were expecting, that was not it, as Amber let out a groan, and Nicole burst out with, "again??"

Markus gave Nicole a stern look.

"That wasn't Marie," Nicole pressed. "Plus...forgive me for being blunt, but Marie is dead."

"I'm aware of that," Markus said, his voice hard.

Nicole looked at Amber and then realization came over her. "Oh....shit...."

Markus turned his attention back to Kennit. "I'm willing to bet your people were grabbed by accident. She won't hurt them, but she may hold them as leverage to keep us in check. As to why she took my children...if I had to guess, I would say a balance of power. Usually she isn't this brazen. Before now, I've managed to keep her off the board and stop her from causing harm."

Silent for a moment, Kennit stood as she let out a fed up “Uh huh.”

Then, “If you are not going to tell me anything useful, then I will leave Dr Anderson to decide if she wishes to return to the Victory or stay here and continue this obvious reunion. I have two crewmen missing, and I don’t like having my time wasted.”

She looked at Anderson, then turned and began to walk toward the door.

Nicole slammed both palms on the table and stood up quickly, her eyes red, hair curling. "Permission to speak freely!" she snarled, looking between them. Markus nodded, his expression serious.

For her part, Kennit paused at the door and looked toward her Chief Medical Officer. "Is there any force in this universe that can stop you?" she quipped in a dry tone of voice.

Nicole turned to look at Markus and let loose. "I know the protocols, I know your reasoning, I know you don't trust her, and I don't blame you. But we do not have time for you to be cagey! We need to know everything about where she is, what her resources are and what we're up against, and if you are holding anything else back, we are past the point where we have that luxury. So cut the shit, and get to the point!"

Nicole spun, her hand lashing out like a cobra in a quick backhand, and connecting with the Captain's head, knocking her back, but not flooring her. Nicole grabbed her uniform and looked her in the eye. "And don't you ever question my loyalty or my ability to do my job like that ever again! Even if you are capable of feeling genuine concern for your crew, what you feel for them does not hold a candle to my love for them, and I am not going to put up with your bullshit either! You asked a question, he answered. He literally said he'd answer all your questions, and after one question you decide to piss off because he didn't just spill all his secrets in one go? You and I both know if this was reversed you'd barely say a word to him! Now sit your snotty, sociopathic ass down and grill him like a fucking fish! Because I have news for you," she said, turning to now address all three in the room, "we are not leaving here until we get something constructive out of it!"

She sat down and folded her arms, glaring at the three of them.

Fleet Captain Kennit's eyes had gone black as a singularity, her gaze locked on the doctor as she deliberately flexed her head right, then left and brushed a finger along her jaw. Rather than sit, she strolled to where the Doctor sat and leaned down close, one hand resting lightly on the back of the Doctor's chair, Nicole baring her fangs in response. Leaning so close her lips nearly brushed the other woman's ear, she said in a soft congenial voice "I know your concern for Lieutenant Lévesque has clouded your emotions, but rest assured Doctor: you and I are going to dance for that..." Odd how so normal, relaxed a tone of voice could none-the-less convey such promise. No threat here at all. But a sure promise which the others in the room could not mistake. Kennit stood straight, walking to the opposite end of the table where she stood, arms crossed not speaking. Waiting a moment more, but not going to wait for long.

An invisible hand suddenly shoved a chair behind her and gave her a swift push to the midsection, putting her in it.

"I believe you were told to sit," Amber said, her voice similarly devoid of emotion.

"Enough!" Nicole barked at Amber. She looked at Markus.

Markus smoothed his uniform and crossed his legs. "You know, your mother also used to--"

"I SAID GET TO THE FUCKING POINT!" Nicole roared.

Markus held up his hands and nodded capitulation. "All right," he said, standing up and activating a monitor. He input a security code and the woman's face appeared on the screen, along with an encyclopedia of information.

"Her name, for now, is Lilith. It was the same when I met her. She's had several aliases in between. Her exact age is unknown but we believe it's a bit over six thousand."

“Lilith.” was all Kennit said.

"Correct. There are four 'old ones' that we've identified. They are from four different corners of the Earth, and, near as we can tell, have nothing in common, save for a genetic trait that counteracts the natural entropy of age. Ambassador Spock documented this phenomenon during his time on the original USS Enterprise. He, in fact, encountered two of these people, although he was only aware of one of them."

He pulled up a photo of a white-haired man in a blue cape over leather armor. "Flint. A man with a talent for inventions, music, and generally being a stubborn jackass. Ambassador Spock believed that, being away from Earth's environmental effects 'Flint' was slowly dying and would not live much longer. However, when Section 31 went to inspect his dwelling and see about examining him, he had closed up shop and disappeared. They believed he used his technology to disguise his life signs, and went back into hiding. Similarly, Lilith enjoys popping up from time to time, and hides when caught."

"Who, exactly, has caught her?" Amber said.

"I have," Alan said, bringing up a map of the Galaxy. "On Earth she was relegated to one part of the globe. However, as humans took to space, there was little to stop her. I've spent much of my life after her keeping her nestled in corners of the Galaxy where she can't do much harm...or so I thought. Evidently she's built up some allies here in the Delta Quadrant. As I said, I doubt she'll harm your people, but she won't just walk right up and hand them back either. If I can find her, I can get her to turn them over."

“Those ships were Malon from the look of them. Species 375, only moderately less annoying than Species 218.” she commented in a dry voice. “If she’s allied with Malon, that does not speak much of her decision making processes.” She shook her head, and with a dismissive wave of her hand said “They can be dealt with. The real question which you continue to avoid is a direct one. Why did she abduct your children. From her brief statement, I don’t think it was so much to come at you as it is something about the children directly. I know they are not your biological offspring, where did they come from and why did you choose to take them in to raise as your own?”

"I'll tell you why--" Amber said, her voice already heated. She stopped as Alan put a hand on her arm, a comforting one and a restraining one.

"James Tiberius Kirk," Alan began. "Emperor of the Terran Empire, Scourge of the Tholians, Destroyer of the Gorn. Perhaps you've heard of him?" He took a breath. "After being deposed, he orchestrated the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance, then dropped out of sight. Reports say he escaped Emperor Spock's retrieval squads by hiding aboard a Klingon sleeper ship with a few dozen of his followers. His ship was found several decades later by members of the Alliance. He quickly charmed one of the female Klingons, then used her to betray her captain, taking over the ship and putting himself back in play."

Kennit’s gaze never left Lt. Cmdr. Jones as she listened to the history lesson being presented by the Admiral. She was well aware of Terran Kirk, most officers of her experience and level of authority within Section 31 were. The expression in her gaze was almost an invitation...

He tapped a set of controls on the table, a series of reports coming up. "Since then, he's made several excursions into our universe for the purposes of infiltration, destabilization and reformation. His goal was to reform the Terran Empire under his command in our Universe. He replaced several key people in the Admiralty in the process. We believe we've recovered everyone."

Seeing Kennit's impatience, he held up his hand and brought up a new image, this time of what looked like a large cargo vessel. A schematic and images of the interior showed a different view, however. The ship contained dozens of cryogenic sleeping alcoves.

"During this time, multiple storage vessels like this were found in our universe," Markus said. He pressed a button and a recording began to play. A medical officer beamed in, scanning the pods. He activated a control panel, and more lights came on, and the bodies in the pods became animated.

Doors opened and a lithe form jumped out. She was approximately nine years old, blonde, and looked human, save for a pair of pointed ears. She yawned and began stretching in a series of Vulcan calisthenics. The doctor scanned her, raising an eyebrow in curiosity, then looking around as more and more pods opened, and more and more children began to drop to the deck.

Most of them joined in the humanoid tradition of stretching and yawning after having just woken up, then one of the males noticed the doctor. He walked up and looked at the man. The others immediately turned in unison and focused their attention on him. After an uncomfortable moment, the first boy barked a silent order, and the children swarmed the doctor, claws and teeth suddenly coming out, tearing into him. A splash of blood hit the security camera before the video cut out. "After that, they began sending in an EMH. The results were the same. Section 31 would then euthanize all life forms on the barge and detonate it."

He put the images of the children on the screen. "Emperor Tiberius wanted an army. An army that could slip past security's attention, was lethal, efficient and loyal. He used his own DNA as the base for a series of clones. To that, he added traits from a variety of deadly species. These are just the reserves that were found. We've evidence he had active agents already in our universe."

He pulled up another ship, similar but smaller than the first. "Then there's this group. Separate from the rest, no reactivation protocols. We weren't sure why. Once we examined them, however, it became clear: these were the rejects. They were unstable, non-lethal or in some way defective. I acquired them before they were purged in the hopes of giving them a more productive life. I don't know what Lilith has planned for them, but I don't intend to wait here finding out. We need to figure out where her ships went."

He pulled up the ships that attacked alongside the former Section 31 ship. "Malon they may look, but those engines signatures were Vaadwaur. And their outer-coating isn't Malon either, it was almost perfect camouflage. I'm not sure what species it's related to. They are a hodgepodge."

“Is it possible that your ‘Lilith’ is working now with agents of the Terran forces which have crossed here, to retrieve your adopted children from your care?” Kennit asked.

"Unlikely," Markus said, thoughtfully. "She's not always a 'team player.' None of her kind seem to be. They occasionally take on partners or proteges, but, more often than not, they act alone when they blip onto the radar. She could very well be making a move against them. On the other hand, she may be just securing her power here in the Delta Quadrant, uniting various species, as the Federation has done...." he paused, looking at the screen, which still showed the attacking ships. "The engines..." he said slowly. "Vaadwaur..." he looked at Kennit. "That's how they disappeared."

Fleet Captain Kennit paused, then activating her comm badge she said “Kennit to Victory. Lt. Naroot. I need for you to devise a way to detect access points into the Vaadwaur Underspace, and additionally a means of identifying and tracking recent starship transits through the access point.”

"Aye, Captain. Working on it now," Penny's voice came back, sounding surprisingly agitated.

There was a shimmer next to the table, and a young brunette appeared. "Captain," Admiral Markus said, inclining his head.

"Sorry to interrupt, Sir," Captain Edwards said, but we have an update on Number Three's location."

"You found her?" Markus said.

"Well, it isn't so much that we know where she is," Edwards said, "as we know where she isn't."

"Well, may I say that isn't so much as unhelpful as it isn't helpful at all," Markus said, dryly.

Tiffany glanced at the monitor on the wall, which sprang to life and showed a map of the Milky Way. "We've established contact with every listening post, ally, spy and begrudgingly helpful enemy we have," she said. "We've ruled out 89.8% of the galaxy so far." A red tinge began to spread like a stain of blood, spiraling out from the center of the galaxy. "Unless she's managed to hide deep inside Dominion Territory, which is unlikely given how tightly they've sealed their borders, she's within one of these pockets." Small patches of green light up along the galactic rim, and within various areas of hostile territory in all four quadrants.

“Computers make excellent and efficient tools, but I would never serve under them.” Kennit said in a soft voice. Then, more clearly she said. “If your hypothesis regarding the use of Vaadwaur propulsion systems is correct, Admiral, she would have the ability to slip into any sector of the galaxy she willed. The use of the Underspace would give her a perfect cover to bypass defensive systems and allow her to travel virtually undetected until she exits at her destination, much as she seems to have done here.”

Tiffany's cheeks turned red. "Au moins mon équipage me respecte, ma stupide câlisse de tabernack," she said under her breath.

She tapped the console and pulled up another image. "The USS Voyager did some limited scans of the Underspace, but our map is still woefully incomplete." An overlay that looked like a train station hub came over the Delta Quadrant.

"Naroot to Kennit," Penny's voice interrupted. "We've found a corridor. Attempting to locate a place to penetrate the barrier."

“Excellent work Lieutenant. I knew we could count on you. Keep me informed of your progress ..Kennit out.”

"I'll have the ship move into position with them," Tiffany said to Markus, vanishing and returning to the bridge.

The expression in Fleet Captain Kennits dark eyes was one of self-satisfaction at the holographic command interface program and it’s little tantrum. Holograms were notoriously temperamental.

“Once an entrance has been identified, do you have a plan for what our course of action should be Admiral?” she questioned him.

"Fly up to her door and politely kick it in," he said without humor. "That is your specialty, so I'll leave you to it. We'll see about coming up unnoticed and attempt to outflank her. Take out the engines of her ships, leave her stationary and take our people back."

Kennit didn’t answer verbally, she just met his gaze.

"All right, then," he said, taking that as an affirmative, "we'll see you on the other side." He and Amber stood up, signaling the end of the meeting. The doors to the ward room opened and a security guard stepped in. "Ensign Talla will escort you to the transporter room."

Captain Kennit gave a single nod, “Aye sir.” And rose.

Nicole stood up with the Captain as Amber left the ward room ahead of them. As the Captain turned to leave, the Admiral said, "Doctor, a word?"

Nicole nodded to the Captain. "I'll be right behind you," she said, evenly.

“Do not dilly-dally..” was all Kennit said as she exited.

As the doors closed, Admiral Markus let out a sigh and looked down. "I'm sorry about this, Nicole," he said. "I promise you, however, I will get her back."

"I know you will, Alan," Nicole said, quietly.

He gave her a half smile. "I appreciate your faith in me."

"That has nothing to do with it," Nicole said, her voice turning dark. "It's simply a matter of my knowing your instinct for survival." She stepped up to him and looked him in the eye. "Because, if she dies? I'll kill you myself." She held his gaze a moment. "Even if I have to burn the galaxy to do it." She turned and left the room, leaving him to make his next move.

 

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