CHAPTER 02: Shades of Untruth [First Day]

Re: EPISODE 03: Unconquerable Soul [Chapter 02: Shades of Untruth]

Reply #25 – January 04, 2014, 11:31:44 AM

[ USS Harbinger | Brig ]

The words from Captain Vasser made Ida pause in the doorway out of the Brig. Her white brows rose minutely in surprise at the support from an unforeseen source. She did not want to be insubordinate and linger more than what was seemly, but she did caught the replies before the sliding doors shut.

"I recognise the logic in your standpoint, Captain," said T'Rena, inclining her head serenely. "My words should hold little consequence to her performance if she is a true Starfleet officer, yet I may apologise to the Andorian later on if my words were hurtful. That said, your sound judgement has inadvertently proven my standpoint too; that we need to protect Commanding Officers such as the two of you, for in my regard, there are no others in this valley that may be able to lead us all to safety."

Captain Ives answered Vasser's question without comment to the Vulcan's logic. "I think that the loss of your Chief Security Officer could have been avoided if the Lieutenant had not been a bit too fast with ordering the force field lowered. A quick warning may just have allowed us to tip the scales more in our favour, and let Lieutenant Diadeniera coordinate a line of defence. However, it was indeed a split decision and time was short, sowhile it will be on zh'Wann's record, I will not take disciplinary act-"

The sliding doors shut, and Ida could not hear the rest, yet as she walked towards the exit, her path led her along the reinforced glass screen in the antechamber to the Brig, and she made eye-contact with Captain Vasser through it. As disheartened as she still felt at the loss of Dee and her Captain's words, she did give the Harbinger's Commanding Officer a small smile of gratitude.

It seemed that there was at least one Pinkskin CO that favoured her...

[ Theta Eridani IV | Triage Centre ]

Gradually, Lucan came to, finding himself upon a biobed.

Only the tattoos upon his hands and a twisted Sickbay blanket preserved his modesty since his uniform had been cut from his skin. His vision was blurry, yet sharpened when his counter-part on the Harbinger began to speak. He slowly propped himself up on his elbows as she spoke, the skin on his limbs feeling a bit stiff and numb from dermaline gel and the knitting of the dermal regenerator. His blanket riding low on his hips and his corrugated abdomen shifting, he glanced around, and he made eye-contact with Eve and the First Officer. He gave Eve a faint smile to reassure her before again focusing on the other CMO's words.

"I understand," he commented to Amelya's routine instructions and smiled to her as well, only doing so when Eve could not see his face properly. Given what had happened, he did not let the warm smile linger though. "...and I concur with your precautions. I regret to hear we lost Lieutenant Diadeniera, though. Hearing this, and considering the prisoner had the odds against her, I suppose it was more to her than met the eye. And... unless my memory is still clouded, I was discussing methods of scanning her."

Frowning, Lucan acted as if he had to rub his head from a headache. "Perhaps I came close to a solution when she attacked me."

In the background, Edena Rez was talking with Eve, suggesting that she would vouch for Eve if she wanted to become more than a Nurse, even is she was the Head Nurse, and this was certainly not something Lucan would oppose. Rather encourage. His thoughts, however, was not upon the present, but what had actually happened in the Brig. These thoughts made the parasite snicker in his mind.

In fact, Lucan was well acquainted with Sonja Acreth, only her having worn a different name at the time. As they came eye to eye, it had become evident what they had to do. That Acreth had been arrested and was kept in the Brig would make it near impossible for her to regain any trust in the eyes of either of the two crews in the valley. She could have said anything, cried and shouted, yet the suspicions would never fully go away. The road to redemption in the eyes of Captain Vasser and Captain Ives would have been far too long, so there had been little merit in maintaining the charade for more time than was necessary.

Lucan, however, was not so unfortunate.

Instead, the opportunity to raise him above all possible suspicion - perhaps permanently so - had presented itself. For not only could his host body more easily survive the force field, even if his flesh would be scourged, but Acreth knew just how long she would have been able to hold him against the field safely. It had been a delight, working together with one of his kin to fool the cattle. Now, he might even protect Acreth from harm and have her an ally when the time came. His only regret was that Acreth had not managed to do more harm. For if she had managed to kill Captain Ives, or Edena Rez, then it would not have been impossible that he would soon be considered for a commanding role on the USS Theurgy. In lack of high-ranking Starfleet Officers aboard, he may just be offered the Executive Officer position and a field promotion.

"I should start working on the scanning procedure as soon as I can. The winds know I would like to know if there are more like her walking in our midst."

Alas, it did not matter in the long run. He was the model officer, and he would rise to power eventually. After all, patience and deceit were both second nature to him.

- Fin