Surefoot 19: Star Crossed

"No," Hrelle agreed. "But it is one worthy of a decent leader. Thank you, Lieutenant, proceed with your mission. Dismissed."

"Aye, Sir." He nodded politely to T'Varik and left.

Hrelle looked at his First Officer again and grinned. "Well, this could work out quite well. And let's all remember whose idea his promotion was? I'll give you a hint: he's Caitian, sexy, and his last name rhymes with 'Sirrel'. "

She sighed. "A hint will not be required, Captain. Just a reminder that Mr Ostrow has yet to prove himself in his new role."

He blew a raspberry at her. "Don't you and your girlfriend have something to do on the Tempest?"

T'Varik almost sighed. "Despite the prurient gossip onboard the Surefoot of late, Lieutenant C'Rash is not my 'girlfriend'."

*

For the fourth time since meeting with the Chief of Security and obtaining the required data from the Tempest's computers, T'Varik had to extricate her arm from the young Caitian's touch. "That is not appropriate."

"How can the expression of my desire for you ever not be appropriate?" C'Rash asked, cradling her Security tricorder under her other arm.

"When it violates Starfleet Regulations regarding Public Displays of Affection while in uniform."

"So... you'll be happy when we're off-duty and out of uniform? I'm looking forward to that."

T'Varik stopped and faced the younger officer. "No. Happiness is not a state I will exhibit, for obvious reasons. And while we may be out of uniform in our off-duty hours, we will not be together. It would not be appropriate for us to have a relationship, given our places in the chain of command onboard the Surefoot."

"We're a relatively small crew; what are the chances that you'll find someone of equal rank to have a relationship with?" She winked. "Especially someone whom you find as attractive as you do me?"

"I do not find-" T'Varik stopped, and started again. "We will discuss this at a later date."

C'Rash grinned. "You don't deny finding me attractive." Then she proceeded - her tail rising and stroking T'Varik's rear end as she did so. The Vulcan reinforced her mental disciplines and caught up with her as they entered the Tempest's Shuttlebay, a much smaller and more constricted area than the Surefoot's, where a few officers and crewmen inspecting equipment made it seem even more claustrophobic. "Excuse me, are you Chief Hafner?"

A short, olive-skinned human male in his early thirties with crinkly black hair receding high. On seeing the strangers, the hint of an amused smile on his face dropped. "You're not authorised to be in this part of our ship."

"You are mistaken. I am Commander T'Varik, First Officer of the Surefoot; this is Lt. C'Rash, Chief of Security. We are here to inspect Shuttlecraft 2 and 3-"

Hafner shook his head. "No."

"Excuse me?"

He crossed his arms over his chest, as the other crewmen drew closer. "We've heard you've been on the Bridge, downloading data about the Captain. Now you're down here, in our Shuttlebay, nosing around. Well, we want to know what's going on, and why you're going after Captain Acres."

T'Varik steeled her expression. "Chief Hafner, the reasons for our investigation do not concern either you, or anyone else onboard your ship. We are authorised to be here, and to take any and all necessary actions required to complete our assignment. Should you require confirmation, speak with Commander Olir."

Now Hafner sneered. "As far as we're concerned, that traitorous piece of fluff can haul herself back to Starbase 12 where she belongs! And you're not going anywhere near these shuttles until we get confirmation from Captain Acres himself." Then he raised a forefinger and pointed it in her face. "Now get the hell off my shuttlebay!"

C'Rash stepped between them, swiftly grabbing the digit and twisting the man's whole arm around until he was doubled over. Her teeth bared, tail swishing in an agitated manner, she growled, "I'm not in the mood for some monkey beating his chest to try and impress us! Now, get out of our way and go piss somewhere else, or we'll call on our Captain to come over here! He'll have you for breakfast!"

"I believe it," a new voice commented.

The women turned at the approach of a stocky older human male with pale, wrinkled skin and a thick moustache that was darker than the short greying hair on his round head. He wore a mustard-black Starfleet uniform with Lieutenant Commander's pips, and a smile. "I saw Esek put away three whole chickens in one sitting. He won the bet, but spent the next day in bed sick as a dog."

"You know Captain Hrelle?" C'Rash asked suspiciously, releasing her hold on Hafner and allowing him to step away, rubbing his hand.

"Since before you were born, cub; we served together on the Limaari." More formally to T'Varik, he introduced himself. "Lt. Cmdr Marvin Blum, Chief Engineer."

The Vulcan nodded back. "Commander T'Varik, First Officer; this is Lt. C'Rash, Chief of Security."

"They're here investigating Captain Acres, Marvin," Hafner informed him sullenly.

"Oh? Then you'd better give them all the cooperation they require."

Hafner and the other Tempest crew reacted to that, Hafner asking, "Are you serious?"

"Damn right I am. They wouldn't be wasting time talking with you Shuttlerats if it wasn't serious."

"They're only here because that bitch Olir was sending reports-"

Now Blum changed moods entirely, anger flashing as he turned to Hafner and barked, "Watch that mouth, Byron! You don't have to like your superior officers, but you do have to show them the respect deserving of their rank and uniform! And that includes these visitors to our ship! Is that clear?"

Looking more chastened, the Shuttlebay Chief replied, "Yes, Sir."

Blum faced T'Varik and C'Rash again, more composed now. "I apologise for that. What do you need?"

"Access to all shuttlecraft that Captain Acres employed in solo trips; according to the logs we downloaded, that will be Shuttlecraft 2 and 3."

He nodded, indicated two of the small, boxy shuttles parked nearest the closed bay doors. "Help yourselves. I'll make sure these reprobates stay out of your way."

As the Surefoot officers entered one shuttle, activating their tricorders, T'Varik noted, "Lieutenant, your response to Chief Hafner was overly aggressive-"

"Shush," the Caitian interrupted.

The Vulcan looked to her, about to admonish her - when she saw her shipmate's high pointed ears twitching, as she brought a finger to her muzzle in a silencing sound. T'Varik was curious as to the reason behind this - then, with a little concentration, she realised that, like C'Rash, her own superior hearing allowed them both to hear the conversation from the Tempest crew at the other end of the shuttlebay. She suppressed her instinctive unease at the ethical breach behind their eavesdropping for a more pragmatic approach.

"What the hell are you doing, Marvin," Hafner was whispering, "Helping them? Where's your loyalty?"

"Don't lecture me on loyalty, you little stain," Blum snapped back. "I was serving in Starfleet when you were just an itch in your Daddy's shorts!"

"They're investigating the Captain!"

"Do you blame them? The whole ship's talking about Acres! Those transmissions, the trips he takes alone, diverting us off our patrol routes-"

T'Varik and C'Rash silently exchanged glances at that last one.

"It's not right," Hafner was grousing.

"No, you know what's not right? You, acting like you might be involved in whatever Acres is doing! You might not like Olir, but if it'd been me in her position, I'd have been reporting him too! That cute little Caitian in there's right about Hrelle. I know him; regardless of his waist size, you do not want to get on his bad side."

C'Rash chuckled at his words. "He does know my uncle." But then was distracted by an alert on her tricorder. She moved around T'Varik without even making a flirt, the alert sound increasing as she crouched beside the shuttle's waste disposal unit. "They haven't got around to cleaning this out, a fortunate neglect for us; I'm detecting Cardassian DNA."

T'Varik approached as well. "What is the nature of the evidence? Blood? Hair follicles? Epidermal residue?"

C'Rash smirked. "None of the above."

*

Hrelle never looked up as the intercom buzzed, and Neheru's voice announced, "Captain Acres is here to see you, Sir."

"Tell him to come in."

The door slid open, and the young human practically stomped in up to his desk. "Hrelle! What the hell do you think you're doing? Sending your people over to my ship?"

Hrelle glanced up. "I said I wanted to see details of your transmissions and solo flights."

"It was implied that I would provide you with that! Not that you'd keep me busy with your wife while your officers sneak onboard the Tempest!"

"They hardly sneaked onboard, Captain Acres. They were quite open about their intentions. Unlike yourself. Sit down."

Acres leaned forward, resting his hands on Hrelle's desk, his face pink. "You have no right to make such baseless accusations!"

Hrelle rose from his seat, teeth bared. "Sit. Down. Sit down and tell me about the Cardassian who boarded the shuttle."

Acres blanched, swallowing. "I- I-" Slowly he drew back, the anger leaving him as he finally took a seat.

"Well, at least you're not trying to deny it." Hrelle sat down again, turning his chair to face the other captain. "Was it Gul Ersat?"

After a moment, he admitted, "Yes."

"Why?"

"I was..." He was gripping the arms of the chair, looking away from Hrelle. "I was curious. I wanted to meet 'The Enemy', in the flesh. Just to talk, work on some puzzles-"

"And we're back to the lies again." As Acres looked up again, outraged, Hrelle continued. "We found Cardassian DNA on the last shuttle you used, two days ago. What was interesting was the substance that contained the DNA: traces of Cardassian seminal fluid. Mingled in some tissues with your own, apparently." His gaze narrowed. "I've never played puzzle games. They seem a lot more fun than I expected."

He lifted a PADD from his desk and perused a few lines on the screen. "We also found and analysed the transmissions between you and Gul Ersat. Not just the ones you admitted to, but the private ones you deleted afterwards from your ship's computer... or rather, the ones you tried to delete." He paused, before adding, "My Security Chief and my First Officer also deciphered the codes you two worked out to arrange for your rendezvous... and gave me the highlights of your more explicit exchanges."

Acres' expression remained indignant. "There's more to this than just sex, Hrelle."

"Yes, I know: you also left your assigned patrol routes, falsified and deleted records, used Starfleet equipment for unauthorised meetings with some Cardassian Gul-"

"Nerim."

"Excuse me?"

Acres focused his gaze on Hrelle now. "His name is Nerim. And we love each other."

Hrelle bit back his initial response, choosing to lean back and gesture to him. "Go on."

The invitation seemed to bolster the young man's strength - or maybe it was the relief of finally admitting the truth. "His name is Nerim Ersat. His father is a high-ranking officer in the military, though like me he earned his current position. He's an only child, expected to shoulder the burden of the family's honour. He likes puzzles, and noodle soup, and listens to contraband Terran music."

His gaze softened. "And like me, he's out here, doing a job he doesn't think is necessary... and is lonely. And yes, he is very attractive, I won't deny it. Broad shoulders, kind eyes, that voice.

But if you look past the explicit parts of our conversations, you'll see the bond that built up between us, despite the divisions our respective governments have put up in their ignorance. We had to meet. We had to.

And so, we did. We arranged for our rendezvous near Arkady; he came in his own shuttle."

"And in yours, too."

Acres frowned. "That's uncalled for-"

"UNCALLED FOR?" Hrelle rose to his feet, his tail smacking the side of his chair in agitation. "Are you kidding me? Are you the most naive man in the Quadrant? Were you really so horny that you had to throw away your career, even risk your life, because of some Romeo and Juliet Star-Crossed Lovers fantasy you had? They could have captured you, interrogated you for tactical and security information, left your ship and crew vulnerable-"

Now Acres rose to his feet. "Nerim wouldn't do that! You don't know him like I do!"

"Some late evening dirty calls and a couple of Bumper sessions in your shuttle doesn't make you all-knowing, Captain! It just means your brains are in your pants!"

"Don't you get it? Our love could be just the start! A bridge to ultimately unite our governments, lower the borders, bring peace to this part of the Quadrant!"

"That's a lot of pressure to put on your prick, Captain, I hope it doesn't have performance issues."

Acres bristled. "Fine. Make your jokes. Write up your report to Starfleet Command, say whatever you want in it. I stand by how I feel. And I'll be proved right in the end." He turned and started towards the door.

"Where do you think you're going, Captain?"

He stopped at the doorway, the door sliding open as he faced Hrelle again. "Back to my ship."

"No. You're not." Louder now, he called out to the Bridge. "Lt C'Rash!"

The black-furred Caitian appeared and stood outside the doorway. "Sir?"

"Confine Captain Acres to one of our guest quarters until further notice. He's to have no contact with his ship, or with anyone else."

"What?" Acres spat. "You have no right to hold me!"

"Guess again. I'm waiting to find out why the Cardassians really wanted to be near you at Arkady. Once I do... then we'll see what happens next. Lieutenant?"

C'Rash drew closer. "Would you follow me please, Captain Acres?"

Acres continued to stare in disbelief at Hrelle, before threatening, "History will be on my side, Captain."

Hrelle grunted. "History can kiss my furry ass."

*

Deck 2, Commander T'Varik's Office:

Sasha entered at the First Officer's acknowledgement, striding up to the desk and holding out a PADD. "Commander, Chief Grev has indicated that the Tempest's dilithium chamber indicates magnetic degradation, and is recommending its replacement immediately - requiring Level 2 authorisation or higher, of course."

"Of course." T'Varik accepted the PADD, provided her authorisation, and passed it back. "I have 4.33 minutes to spare, Ensign."

Sasha blinked, tucking the PADD under her arm. "Commander?"

T'Varik rose and moved to her private replicator, ordering a hot Vulcan mint tea. "This authorisation request could more efficiently have been processed via the ship's computer. The most logical reason that you would come in person is you wished to see me about an unrelated matter." She returned to her desk with her tea. "I now have 4.2 minutes; should this matter require more time-"

"No! I mean, no, Commander, it's nothing really, just..." She swallowed. "As my Academy Liaison, you complete my performance reviews and so you can see my faults, and be objective and-"

"And you are wasting your time telling me what I already know." She sipped at her tea.

Sasha nodded, deciding to get to the point. "Am I too short-tempered?"

"It is of course a relative adjective, but... yes, for the command position you are seeking to hold in Starfleet. It has been noted that you are at times quick to anger."

"Who's noted that?"

The Vulcan did not respond, instead asking, "What prompted this need to question yourself?"

"Today, Ensign Ledit made a suggestion about Jonas' fitness for the new role he has. I took it as an insult against him; I was about to punch hir." At T'Varik's eyebrow she quickly clarified, "I mean, I felt like I could have punched hir. But thinking about it afterwards, the suggestion made sense, and that it wasn't necessarily meant to insult Jonas. And it's not the first time."

T'Varik cradled the pale blue china cup in her fingertips. "These other times... did they involve further perceived sleights against your family and friends?"

"Well... lately it's mostly been because of that little pisher Ledit, but... yes."

T'Varik looked up at the cadet. "I recall the first time I encountered you, in the Academy classroom during your first week there, when Commander Arrington visited, singling you out after hearing you were raised by Captain Hrelle, who was then still considered to be a traitor to the Federation. He repeatedly insulted and threatened you, but you remained composed throughout... until he rather foolishly gave you permission to speak back, upon which you proceeded to launch an impressive verbal assault against him that I understand is still talked about around the Academy. Congratulations on becoming a legend."

Sasha felt herself blush at the memory. "Yes. I was already scared being there, wondering what would happen if people found out, how I'd react... I guess I found out."

"Indeed. I suggest that your fault, if any, lies not with shortness of temper. I cannot speak for the character of your mother, but I know the man you call your father. Captain Hrelle is very paternalistic, empathic and protective, both to his crew and his 'cubs'. This can be a source of great strength for him, both as a man and a commanding officer, and can inspire others to give him loyalty.

But sometimes those qualities can trigger acts of recklessness... such as with the recent incident involving yourself and the Nekrosi space mines. I suspect you have learned much from him... and from your close connection to the Caitian people, with their strong clan connections and tendency to rely on instinct."

"So... I should be worried about this?"

"No, you should be conscious of it. It is very encouraging that a future commanding officer is aware of her potential faults and actions; there are regrettably some who become proverbially blind to this."

*

Shuttlecraft Sureswift:

Jonas sat in the co-pilot's seat beside Rrori, though Jonas' panels were configured to read the data being fed from the shuttle's scanners to his and the other monitors behind him, where Soolamea and Yeager were scanning the area, and Engineering Assistant Darcy was working to compensate for the ionising effects of Arkady.

Jonas looked up at the cockpit window, albeit reluctantly. From a relative distance, the Arkady Cluster was simply beautiful, a lime-green blossom of energy and plasma and the remains of a family of stars. This close, however, where they could feel the gravimetric shears and eddies and watch the magnetic storms on the monitors, he became more respectful of the danger behind the beauty.

As if in illustration, the shuttle rocked and shuddered, before Rrori compensated. "Well, this is fun." At Jonas' reaction, he insisted, "Really, it is, Lieutenant, Sir."

Jonas grunted, looking behind him to the others. "Mr Darcy, can we improve the fidelity of the scans?"

The older, dark-skinned Terran never looked up from his monitors and controls, but nodded and replied in his crisp English accent, "I think we can manage another ten percent, Sir."

"Thanks." Jonas restrained the urge to grin. When he chose Darcy to participate, he was silently worried, worried that, unlike the cadets, someone with his experience wouldn't treat Jonas seriously. But the crewman was acting professionally, not teasing him for his ad hoc promotion or his age.