JDL - PO3 duPont & Kyym - "How Many Wonders Can One Cavern Hold?"

Posted on Tue Mar 3rd, 2015 @ 8:29pm by Commander Logan Grant, PhD. & Commander Amelia Waterhouse
Edited on on Tue Mar 3rd, 2015 @ 8:39pm

1,668 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: A Spot To Kill

The Queen was gone.

The Vindicator crew were milling about oblivious.

Something didn’t set right about the entire situation with Kyym. It seemed off that the little redheaded human would suddenly up and vanish after being ever so cooperative, and Kyym blamed Admiral Hark. No sooner did he get his time alone than Rochelle had staged her coup and disappeared out into the unknown. A soon to be frozen unknown as the first heavy flakes of snow began to fall. Her eyes flicked towards the windows of the library to watch them and ground her teeth together. Cecil was an easy find. They hadn’t paid much attention to him, coloring him as weak and soft spoken – a nothing because of his enlisted rank. They’d been fools not to be watching him more closely, but Kyym recognized him as a potent tool simply waiting to be plucked up and used for her bidding.

“Mr. duPont,” She said as she coiled in on him from behind, her fingers running along the expanse of his shoulders in an all too friendly greeting. “I’m afraid I have some rather distressing news that’s just been brought to my attention.” The Atlantean continued, butter smooth as she addressed him and rested beside him, placing a hand on the page of the big leather bound book he poured through. “The Queen has gone missing, she never showed up for the final approval of tonight’s events… And we’re set to commence in just under an hour.” She pouted, “There’s all kinds of whispering going on… Tell me, Cecil, what is it that you know? Where has she gone?”

Cecil just about jumped out of his skin as the woman's hand traced his shoulder and her voice tickled his ear drums. As she shifted herself to lean on the table, Cecil started, flipping the book closed before he realized her hand had settled on its pages. His PADD chirped in protest and he fumbled to destroy the connection with the JAG officer on the ship. He knew that he'd have to ask Waterhouse to restore it later, but she'd been clear that under no circumstances could it fall into Kyym's claws.

"Ivanova's gone?" he asked meekly, quickly reopening the heavy book and softly rubbing the woman's hand as if that'll make it all better. He swallowed hard as he met her eyes.

Kyym winced as the big book slammed shut on her hand, angrily eyeing the culprit of such an offense and sighing heavily, "Gone." she casually withdrew her hand from the Petty Officer's touch, choosing to examine and cradle it to her chest. His touch was worthless and demeaning and she'd no sooner allow one of the whores in the brothels to try and remedy the hurt caused. One thing was for certain, though, the man was jumpy and jumpy meant fear. Fear meant an easy target and the predator was quick to smile a sweet toothy smile as she once again went in for the kill.

"Let it be, Mr. duPont, no harm no foul. I'm so very sorry I startled you." Her eyes flashed to the chirping bit of technology, but paid it no more attention. She had what she wanted. "There are more important things to worry about, like how... Ivanova," Kyym forced her mouth around the alien-sounding surname, "is all alone out in such dreadful and dreary weather, and her soon to be husband is very concerned for her safety." The woman drawled long with a pout and pressed her shoulder against the human's, "You don't know where she is... Do you? We'd hate for her to catch her death out there, wouldn't we?"

"No, we wouldn't want anything to happen to her," Cecil agreed as he slid his chair back and turned it to better meet Kyym's eyes. He collected the PADD and laid it in his lap with both hands protectively on top of it. "I don't know where she went though, but she'll surprise you. Death doesn't seem to stop her, at least. There's a reason we call her Phoenix." He grinned wide with the comment, he was proud of the woman he served.

The Atlantean's eyebrow shot upwards as what he said began to seep through. "Right." She said, an eyebrow quivering higher and her tongue laved the thin line of her lips. "I'm not here for games, little boy, so let me be frank." Kyym seethed as she reached and grabbed the yeoman by the collar of his tunic, lancing her fingers into the fabric and tugging him close. "You want to know why your beloved Phoenix hasn't flown the coop now that her pet lizard is back on your ship?" The woman's eyes burned with chaos and toxic glee, and she didn't look away from him or wait for his response as she reached for a book on the table. It's black cover was thrown open with a crack as it's rigidity met the wooden table below and pages flew until her hand paused on a diagram of what was clearly a weapon. "THIS!" She bellowed, stabbing a pointed finger into it and dragging the man's face down low to view it.

"It's a subterranean rail gun system, you insignificant fool! Surface to space capable and one hit, just ONE, is enough to cripple the Vindicator long enough for it to reload and complete dispose of it with round two!" Kyym jerked at him once again to emphasize her point and released him, blowing a heavy sigh and pursing her lips as she found her composure again. "We have seven of them. Imagine what all seven would do if fired at once against your ship, the mess it would make." She chuckled lightly, "Oh silly me, there wouldn't be one... There'd be nothing left. Nothing at all. Your Phoenix knows all about them, just not where they are. I suggest you think about where she is long and hard. If she's found dead or simply not at all, we'll be forced to use them against our enemies..." She tilted her head gently, "That means all of you."

Cecil let out a yelp as the woman man handled him and pressed his nose to the page of the book. With a hard swallow, his eyes slid over the page, trying to understand what he was looking at. Most of it might as well been Orion for how well he understood it... But he found the part that seemed to confirm Kyym's words.

"I really was surprised Waterhouse hadn't just thrown Ivanova over her shoulder and left," he finally said with a hushed awe, not fighting the Atlantean's grasp.

"And now you know why." Kyym remarked almost snidely, smoothing her hands down the side of her robes. "If you don't know where she is... Then I suggest you run back to your hive and let them know that she's gone and that they have twenty-four hours to bring her back here before I hold them all accountable. That includes the Admirals. I'll take great pride in having the Commander in Chief hung by his throat for interfering in our way of life." She grinned lasciviously, "Understand?"

Cecil nodded quickly, his eyes the size of saucers, as he popped to his feet. His PADD clattered to the floor, and he almost didn't notice as he started for the door. As he realized his trusty companion wasn't in his hand, he darted back, skidding a little and bracing against the table as he stooped to grab it and skitter out the door.

As he left the library, his mind raced to try to figure out where Waterhouse would be. Surely she already knows, doesn't she? She and Archer have been either at Ivanova's side, or as close as possible, since the team landed, Cecil thought in a panic, figuring that Ivanova's room would be the place to start. If she isn't there, Archer certainly will be, and he'll either know what to do or where to find Waterhouse.

He understood. Kyym was certain of it as she watched the pupils of his eyes dilate and fill with cold, soul freezing fear. If she had to guess, the man felt as if death had gripped him by the back of the neck and plunged him into an unfathomable pool of ice water and he, the feeble, was drowning. He ran, his feet practically sliding out from under him with each weak kneed stride, and the tall Atlantean had to brace herself against the table as her first cackling peels of laughter, at his expense, tore from her chest. For what the Queen had claimed was Starfleet's best, Kyym certainly wasn't impressed. The premature death of the blustery little creature was staring to seem like the best option, however, one that promised that Kyym herself would rise to power with the prosecution of the officers scattered around the royal city like insects. She'd have them tried for murder.

The laughter stopped as the woman's eyes shifted, narrowed, and lit with a whole new and different light. A snap of her fingers brought not one, but two guards trotting obediently to her side. "Find the human woman." She said and they moved to leave her side, "BUT!" She called, and they stilled in their tracked, turning to look at her, "Make sure nobody sees you when you bring her back. Make sure they don't find her. I feel that a new era will begin and all it takes is a little tragedy to free us from being ruled by that rotten little tramp." The two guards grinned darkly, understanding their mistress completely and seemingly agreeing as they snickered and left her behind in the library. It only took a few moments of resolve and poise before the woman chose to start off after Cecil.

END.

Petty Officer 3rd Cecil duPont
Commodore's Yeoman
USS Vindicator, NCC-78213-E

Kyym
apb Spaceman
Atlantean Ambassador

 

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