PLOT - JDL | Com Ivanova, Cmdr Waterhouse, Cmdr Dahe'el, Cmdr Archer, Cmdr Grant, Lt Cmdr Ebonheart, Lt Charlson, LtJG Black, PO3 duPont, Kyym (apb Spaceman) - "Fathoms Below"
Posted on Thu Feb 19th, 2015 @ 1:16am by Admiral Rochelle Ivanova & Commander Amelia Waterhouse & Commander Logan Grant, PhD. & Commander James Archer & Lieutenant Chloe Ebonheart & Lieutenant JG Teá Black
2,467 words; about a 12 minute read
Mission: A Spot To Kill
The Liberty felt good during the initial flight and continued to do so as she made her way from the massive Vindicator down to the bizarre planet below. Having never been to Atlantis Prime, Ivanova could only vaguely imagine what landscape awaited them as she sat back and piloted the runabout with no small amount of grace and ease. Flying had always been one of her most favorite things to do, but it hadn't ever been in the cards to allow her to become a fighter pilot — almost as if destiny itself had quickly weeded out the prospects and funneled her down a chute heading straight for command and command alone. It was rare occasions, like the one at hand, that allowed her the chance to play. Normally it would be Hawthorne at the helm, but something had left her saying 'No. Allow me.' — likely the memory that the last two times she had flown with the man had ended in her near death.
"Listen up everyone, we're ten minutes out." She announced, taking her eyes off the view screen for a short moment to meet eyes. "Keep your phasers on your person at all time and keep them set to stun. We're not expecting for this to take forever, but we are an exploration ship and we may as well explore." Ivanova added as the craft began to shimmy as it encountered the first few layers of atmosphere. "Just keep in mind that these people are not keen on the Federation. No oopsies and no going off alone. Got it?"
James interjects, "You do realize that this planet was explored 15 years ago, right?"
Looking up, Rochelle scowled and sighed, "I'm aware that your father was here, Archer. That was 15 years ago. Shit changes a lot in a decade and a half."
"Just making sure, Skipper."
Double checking her phaser she slipped it back into her holster and pulled her black intelligence jacket down. Teá then pulled her bag up and started checking her devices; mainly her specialized PaDD and few other tools of the trade. As for confirmation of the orders given she just simply nodded glad that the orders were straight forwarded even if the mission wasn't necessarily be.
Lily checked her phaser, quickly setting it to a high stun, before strapping it back to her belt. She then checked her other weapons were in place in case she needed them. This included a knife down her boot, and a spare Type I Phaser down her sleeve in a hidden compartment, that was easy to get to even if she was captured.
Cecil was settled off in the back, out of the way, sorting through all the paperwork that came with the information being presented about the current status of Mikkal. He had gone through it all with Ivanova leading up to the away mission with a fine tooth comb. It was clear that she wasn't going to tolerate any delays, and therefore neither would he. He'd also taken the liberty of pulling up a copy of Atlantean law, but he was finding himself at a loss on where to start and would find himself blankly staring at the PADD.
Amelia had the other front seat in the shuttle, sitting silently next to Rochelle for the trip. She'd checked her phaser half a dozen times, felt for her throwing knives tucked away in her boots a dozen times, and spent the rest of her time watching the sensors as the petite red-head guided the runabout towards the planet. When Rochelle had turned to address the away team, Amelia's gaze followed hers over their people. She couldn't help worrying, but she did her best to hide it.
Looking up to catch both sets of eyes, Logan could immediately sense the stress and distress beginning the fill the Liberty's cabin. Something was amiss and it wasn't exactly difficult to figure out what that something was. It stemmed deeper than Mikkal's attack and the fact that the Atlantean's likely wanted to keep their lovely royal within arm's reach. It had something to do with the fact that Tristan Neyes wasn't on this mission, or any other, and how Landon's intricately spotted visage hadn't been seen for more than a few days. He blinked slowly, nodding to each woman and quietly checking his own weaponry to be absolutely sure that he'd taken the necessary precautions, before shifting his gaze to the Cardassian. The man was still an enigma to him, but something darker and deeper seemed to leech from his pores - something the counselor had heard whispers of ever since he'd arrived aboard the ship.
Time would tell him more. For now Logan simply sat back and watched... And waited.
Chloe sat quietly checking her weapon making sure everything was working perfectly. The feline officer didn't want it messing up on her and causing issues, Chloe only hoped she didn't need to use it. she sighed remaining quiet as the flight continued.
Sitting in one of the pilot's seats, Almar found himself admiring the scenery of the planet as they came down through the upper atmosphere. It was a beautiful planet in its own way and the Cardassian was proud to think that his Captain was the reigning monarch, even if she didn't want this for her life.
---
GIBRALTAR, ATLANTIS PRIME
Had Rochelle known of Almar's thoughts, she'd have readily agreed with him. The planet's scenery was not un-like some of the more remote regions of North America. Mountains rose past the city and high plains sprawled until they eased into dunes that cradled the sea nearest the city. "Keep sharp." She ordered, knowing that the beauty concealed things like Mikkal and that the people simply couldn't be trusted when they had so much at stake. She looked to Almar, her eyes reading with a mixture of worry and irritation and the untold request of wanting him close, but she made way and exited the Liberty, blinking as the bright sunlight strained her eyes.
The sight of Rochelle Ivanova gave Kyym a sensation of mixed emotion. Pride that the planet's regent was home, frustration that she'd brought an army with her, exasperation that she'd shown up wearing that confounded uniform, and anger that it was going to take raising Cain to keep her from leaving again. She was smart to have come down in a shuttle, even smarter to have brought such a massive retinue of men and women. "Your Majesty! Wel--"
"Commodore or Ivanova is just fine." The redhead interrupted the Altantean woman, coming to an uncomfortable halt a pace or so in front of her. She knew her people would fall in behind and around her, all of them knowing that tensions were running hot, but only a few of them knowing why. The cat was out of the bag.
Kyym's head shook, "No, I assure you that it's not." She replied with an ever patient smile, "You are the Queen. By law we must address you as such. Welcome home." The leggy blonde's eyes looked over each and every face that piled of the shuttle. None of them struck a chord with her other than the Cardassian and the female that looked to be of Klingon and Trill descent, there was something about their eyes that didn't bode well. "Come. We have much to do and discuss. Your people will be well tended to." She said, her hand reaching to grip one of Rochelle's forearms in gentle persuasion.
It wasn't meant to be. The Commodore pulled back, holding her arm away from the Atlantean and looking the woman up and down with sharp, icy eyes. "We're not that close, don't touch me." She almost shied from the coldness in her own voice. Andrea would have blanched as such an overtly hostile action, but Rochelle couldn't have cared less. "My people are not horses or dogs, you can't just stable them." Rallied the follow up swing, "I'd prefer that they stay within eye sight."
Kymm held up her hands, showing her palms to the Queen and nodded, "My apologies, your Majesty. I forgot about the circumstances that brought you here today. I won't try to touch you again unless you ask me to." She curtsied with her palms coming together in front her, a display of submission and honor clad promise that her words were true. "You may select two to be quartered in rooms nearest to you. The rest will need to be in another wing of the palace. I assure you they will be granted their every desire."
About to protest, Rochelle simply shook her head and curbed a building sigh. "Thank you." None of it could be argued any further, that much was simply apparent. "My first and second officers will stay closest to me." She practically mumbled, her weight shifting from one hip to the other as she struggled to maintain her position on the planet and not just throwing not one, but both, of her middle fingers up in the and leaving. It was a bad deal. She knew it was and she didn't need to look to Amelia and Almar to know their sentiments clung with her own.
James, making his way towards the front of the crowd, "Excuse me? Is there a couch in the Commodore's quarters? If so, my ass is on it. Thank you."
The Commodore watched Archer push threw the rest of the crew and a single sanguine brow rose in earnest interest and question, "I... Sure... Couch." She sighed heavily, shaking her head. Arguing with him was not unlike trying to herd cats or nail Jello to a tree; impossible.
Chloe had to bite down on her own tongue to put up her own argument. As a security officer it was her duty to guard the Captain, but she also knew that the Captain could chose her own guards.
For Teá this was a disadvantage but it also would allow her to do what she needed to do, collect information. Not only was this intel collection good for the Vindicator but it would also be useful for the Federation as whole. But it also had to be done carefully from what she's read the Atlanteans were very very cunning.
Cecil frowned softly, looking down at his PADD as he considered how to raise his objection. It was bad enough they were trying to split Ivanova from the rest of the group, all the crew brought to keep her isolated from these people. His eyes met Waterhouse's and she nodded slightly as she seemed to come to the same conclusion.
"duPont is going to crash with me," she insisted, then she looked to Ebonheart and Charlson. "And we'll provide a security escort to stand at her door. Next to any royal guard you may have intended to provide, if necessary."
Lily nodded towards the Commander, before moving over to Chloe. "At least we can do our job now..." She muttered to Chloe.
Teá remained quiet watching the facial expressions of the Atlantean women hoping that learning how to read them hopefully it would start giving her an advantage.
When the eyes had passed over Almar, he had felt the slight hostility towards him from a person he had never met from a race he had only ever heard from, his first instinct was that it had something to do with his race, it had to... there was nothing else to base the feeling on.
Logan wouldn't lie, he felt better knowing that Rochelle would only be a few feet away from someone as capable as James Archer in the event of an emergency. It wasn't that the little red Commodore couldn't protect or defend herself, it was that she had an awful propensity for getting herself into trouble. A little help getting out would make everything a lot smoother in the long run. "Then while we're pairing off, I call dibs on Dahe'el's couch. Just have the bell boy send extra pillows and blankets. We can drink cocoa and tell campfire tales." The big Kiwi drawled and offered a smile to the pensive Cardassian. At least now he'd been given a decent shot at figuring the guy out.
Disgust filtered across Kyym's bronze face the moment Archer bolstered his way into the Queen's chambers and she had been about to say something about how improper it was for her to be alone with a man who wasn't her husband when the tallest of the group spoke and had weaseled his way into the Cardassian's suite. If it hadn't been for the Queen's consent, the Atlantean would have had grounds to shoo them off. It seemed the Federation officers were going to show their merit early, each one of them upset and genuinely irritated at being kept away from their leader, and Kyym knew they'd have their work cut out for them when it came time to cull the herd back to their ship while keeping the Queen firmly entrenched on Atlantis Prime. The worst part of it all was the fact such a feat would have to be the product of the Queen's own desire, they simply couldn't just physically force her to remain behind.
"It is ill advised." The Atlantean began, trying to keep a smile on her face, "We are perfectly capable of keeping the Queen safe, but if you insist... I'll see to it that the extra provisions requested will be made available to you. Now, let's just get you all settled in, shall we?" She motioned to two women to step forward, each one finely dressed and primped with a smile, "For those of you not staying in the royal wing, Ettia and Myru will show you to your suites and tend to you personally. Please follow them. For everyone staying near the Queen..." She bit back the heavy sigh that damned her, "Come with me. I'll show you to your rooms."
Teá just looked at the assemble group of Starfleet officers and the one Atlantean which she found more intriguing. If everything she read about the commodore and the Atlantean people were true and what happened with Mikkal on the Vindicator there must be two factions using two different ways to keep the commodore on Atlantean Prime.
--
Commodore Rochelle Ivanova
Commanding Officer
USS VINDICATOR, NCC 78213-E
Commander Amelia Waterhouse
Executive Officer
USS VINDICATOR, NCC 78213-E
Commander Almar Dahe'el
Chief Engineer, Second Officer
USS VINDICATOR, NCC 78213-E
Commander James Archer
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS VINDICATOR, NCC 78213-E
Commander Logan Grant
Intelligence Officer
USS Vindicator, NCC-78213-E
Lieutenant Chloe Ebonheart
Security Officer
USS VINDICATOR, NCC 78213-E
Lieutenant Teá Black
Intelligence Officer
USS Vindicator, NCC-78213-E
Lieutenant JG Lily Charlson
Security Officer
USS VINDICATOR, NCC 78213-E
Kyym
Atlantean Ambassador
APB Spaceman
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