Concerns

Posted on Fri Oct 19th, 2018 @ 12:50am by Captain Rueben Gregnol

Mission: Mission 8 - Shattered
Location: ISS Fenrir: Captains Ready Room
Timeline: MD01 20:00
2331 words - 4.7 OF Standard Post Measure

As the turbo-lift whisked the XO to the bridge, he reflected on the morning’s activity. Hump felt,,,, good. Meeting with the twins proved to be just the thing he needed. Didn't lessen his concern, but it did give him a better perspective on them. The XO leaned against the back of the lift and lit one of his cheroots. Drawing the smoke into his lungs, he enjoyed what would probably be his last moment of peace he'd have today. As Hump heard the pitch lift’s actuator change, he sighed. Standing up straight he squared his shoulders and got ‘into character’ before the doors parted.

Exiting the lift set the deck officer in motion, “OFFICER ON DECK!” she bellowed springing from the central chair. Immediately the whole bridge came to attention and saluted the XO.

Hump returned the salute, “As you were.” He ordered the bridge crew who returned to their stations as the deck officer went to parade rest, to her he fixed a piercing gaze, “Report?”

“Unchanged sir.” The deck officer reported, “Gaman remains 20,000 yards off the port bow. Mary Rose is alongside attached by the umbilicus. Security team are sweeping for stragglers. No other ships in the area. Threat board remains empty. Alert status yellow.”

“Very well, carry on.” Hump nodded to the DO who returned his nod as she resumed her position in the central chair. Turning toward the Captain’s ready room, Hump was surprised as one of the guards stepped forward blocking his way.

“Your weapons, sir,” he asked, hand extended as if he actually expected the XO to surrender his sidearms. The crewman was new to the Captain’s personal guard, and evidently, no one explained the rules of who was, and was not allowed to be armed in the Captain’s presence.

Smirking at the guard, Hump growled, “You’ll have to kiss me first, Dearie.” Expecting the guard to step aside, under his withering gaze.

Shockingly the guard did not give way, instead, he placed one hand on Hump’s chest, and the other on his service phaser. “Sir, Standing orders require that all,” but the guard never finished explaining himself as Hump grabbed the crewman’s hand with his own and crushed it, turning the twenty-seven bones into fifty-four broken pieces. Hump sneered at the crewman as the man dropped to his knees and grasped at his trapped arm with his still good hand, instead of drawing his phaser.

Dropping the crewman to the deck, Hump continued on to the Captain’s ready room. As the doors parted Gregnol looked up from his desk “Sir, I’m afraid one of your guards just got his hand stuck in a door. You may need to call for someone to relieve him.”

Reuben had heard the commotion outside and sighed softly already gathering that the Executive Officer was on his way through. "You know we have a little thing called a communication system that can be used in situations like that instead of breaking a loyal crewman's arm." The man sighed softly as he indicated for the man to come further into the room. The man who was stood silently in the corner sneered slightly and moved from the Office to stand outside. "Kea doesn't like having to stand guard like that."

It was highly unusual for a Betazoid to be part of any department apart from Inquisition but Liddem was a special case. "What can I do for you?"

"Start having your guards properly train the newbies." Hump snapped back, "The 'Darwinian' crap they put them through to learn the rules," The XO signed and explained, "He laid his hands on me when I tried coming in here. How many people did I have to kill last time I let that pass?" Both knew the answer, six. Hump's leniency emboldened several misguided souls to buck for his position, which was why they had an 'opening' for Admiral Kita's brat. "Anyway, that's not what I came to see you. I want to talk options if this 'major incursion' goes sidewards."

"Sit Hump. You'll end up in Sickbay with a broken jaw if you don't." Gregnol advised. They might be friends and loyal to each other for there own reasons but Gregnol was not beyond breaking the man's bones if he overstepped. "How do you see this going sideways?" He wondered with a smirk.

The XO glowered at his superior for a moment, not appreciating the threat, but still took his chair nonetheless. “First off, as a result of our little gambit, we’re not only inherited the son of Admiral, but also the infamous, efficient and ambitious Kavi twins, which turns our insurance policy into a lovely recipe for command change, if the great Shinji Kita gets nervous. And let’s be honest he has a few reasons for heart palpitations. We sent two people in on a simple sortie; Infiltrate, Locate, Extract information and Return. But we've ended up with a whole Starship that a lot of people on both on Fenrir and Ganam can see by looking out the nearest porthole. Now Imperial Mandate or not, historically crossovers usually result in a high body count. I’d like to ensure we’re not among them.”

Gregnol didn't like he had the twins onboard at all but at least Kita was loyal to Selina and Selina was loyal to him enough to keep him in checks. "It happens. There haven't been any historical crossovers for this universe, one similar but you've seen the records from that rustbucket it isn't our universe. Their universe had no great Terran Empire." He reminded. He wasn't worried about the ship being spotted or the communication blackout making people wonder at all if they were not loyal he would know and kill them.

While Hump admired his commander for his ruthlessness he felt Gregnol's dedication to the 'Great Terran Empire' was always a blindspot. In particular, Hump felt the cult of personality the Admiral had built up blinded the Captain to the possibility of betrayal from above. "I've seen the records Captain and understand the need to keep those ripe untouched fields of conquest secret." the XO looked absolutely dour, as he tried to get through to Reuben, "There will be a purge to keep those secrets. I just saying we need to ensure we make it to the Imperial Triumph at the end of all this, either at the Admiral's elbow or at the head of the procession if needs dictate."

"Oh I know there will be a purge but neither of us will be on it." He assured. It was why the ship was on such a blackout under the guise of Engine issues. Only senior screw knew what was going on and they were loyal to him, to say the least, they all owed him there lives or something far worth.

"But Captain, we're not the ones making the list. How can you be so sure?" Hump asked as he studied Reuben's face. It was filled with the self-assurance of a man used to bending fate to his will. The XO had rolled the dice more than once with this man and had always brought them wealth and success. But Hump's pessimism had also prevented disaster on more than one occasion.

"Why do you think I have his grandson as my Chief Of Security and why I have let the relationship continue with my Betazoid." Reuben reminded the man with a small smirk. "I don't play short games. I play the long game. You should know by now."

Hump narrowed his eyes and sighed, "You still need to have the newbies trained properly," he replied unwillingly to leave before gaining some points, "Having to provide all those object lessons is getting to be very taxing on your personal guard."

"Talk to Kita." Reuben commented on as he returned to his drink. "You know there is a version of her on the ship right?" The man said sarkly as he took a sip of the black liquid.

Which brought them to another one of the Captain's blindspots. "Figured that was a possibility when you told me your doppelgänger was involved." Hump replied, taking a flask out of his sash. "Fate always liked a good joke, why not replay it across the multiverse." Taking a pull from the flask as a show he wasn't bucking for the central seat, the XO poured a good jigger or two into Reuben's cup, "You know it isn't her, right Reuben."

The man let out a big sigh and downed the drink in one gulp. Deep down he knew it wasn't his Jeassaho but it was hard to ignore the feelings of the potential of seeing his wife again. "My head knows that but somewhere deep inside something is stirring." He said. "Not anyone you want to see if they are on there?"

Hump smiled behind his cheroot. Reuben knew that smile well. It was the one the XO wore when he was about to wax philosophical about the pointlessness of life. But as he reached up to remove the burning stub from his mouth his eyes went to something on his wrist, and he paused for a heartbeat or two. "One person," he almost whispered, "A girl, well a young woman by now, I guess." Hump caressed the bracelet seemingly deep in thought. It was an old worn thing, some sort of black-brown weaved thread with copper bands. "My daughter, but it wouldn't be my 'peanutbutter cup' so it doesn't matter."

"Well, there is a list that we took from the passengers." He held out a PaDD. There were a few young women on there but the majority of the crew had been left behind with guards and instructed to keep them away from the grotto whilst they search.

Hump took the PaDD with a cynical smirk quickly scanning the passenger list and the crew manifest. It was silly, and from a probability standpoint, impossible. Then again, fate or karma seemed to cluster the same souls across the multiverse. "Sorry, no Van Weydens, no Besconds..." but there was a name, Nubohn. "Go to hell, Reuben. They're not the same people!"

Seeing Reuban raise an eyebrow the XO knew he was being played, "You know what we're going to do to them. It doesn't matter!" Reuben just folded his arms and smiled at the lie. Hump just wonder how he learned about Reessem and how completely he failed her. Sighing he looked admiringly at the Russian. "What's your plan?"

"I don't have a plan." Gregnol assured as he took the PaDD back and brought up the crew photo of her. "She's very pretty. Very young." The man commented on.

"Keep those Slavic hormones in check, my friend." Hump warned, taking the PaDD back. "If my counterpart is anything like me, he wouldn't let anything so minor as the barrier between realities stop him if anything happened to his little girl. And she not as young as she once was." Hump gently touched the cheek an the woman's picture, then looking at Reuben."She is quite beautiful, though. Isn't she? Takes after her mother, the Harpy, but her attitude? Her heart? From me, all from me. Well, what I mean is, it's from her dad. Mine had the heart of a lion I assure you."

"Who says it is your counterpart or if you even have a counterpart," Gregnol said with a laugh. "I think you need to look into more. There was a virus on that ship and she was the only human who escaped unharmed. Hamish engineered the virus he would make sure that he didn't get hurt." Gregnol wasn't sure how wise it was telling the Executive Officer that. but he wasn't going to lie to him. It would only come back and bite his ass.

The XO just stared at Reuben processing what he just heard. His Ressem died when a kidnapping went south. He remembered the burnt little body, the indifferent look on his ex-wife's face, and his rage. The rage that left a trail of dead bodies and ripped the last vestige of a soul from his heart. A rage that began to kindle in his eyes, "That's a cruel joke, Gregnol," he hissed, "Even for you."

"I am not." The man answered seeing the rage building. He was being directed at him but nothing a punch to the jaw wouldn't stop. For once he was being brutally honest to the man. "2378 she would have been a baby right?"

Hump felt his fists clench, hating Reuben for making him think back. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, remembering the insanely small little girl in his arms. He made the doctor show him how to swaddle Ressem right there in the paediatrics ward. The smell of dirty diapers as he carefully wiped front to back. The feeling of little fists grabbing onto his beard. "She would have been a baby." He replied, with a ghost of a smile that made his cold heartache.

"Well we both know Hamish and what he did to other." To Gregnol there seemed no harm in at least checking it out. She would be easy to check over anyway, would be no need to kidnap her from the ship to check. "Up to you to investigate."

Hump looked down at the young woman's picture again, wondering about paths not taken. "She's not my daughter." He defiantly tossed the PaDD back onto the desk. Standing up, he paused, staring after the PaDD which still showed her image, "Still, wouldn't hurt to inspect the Rose just to make sure the security detail has a handle on things. If you'll pardon me, sir."

OFF::

Captain Reuben Gregnol
Commanding Officer
ISS Fenrir

Commander Humphrey Van Weydan
Executive Officer
ISS Fenrir
(NPC Deacon Kane)