2 Dangerous Porcupines

Posted on Sat Aug 9th, 2014 @ 2:40pm by Captain Enalia Telvan & Commander Angelica Fairchild

Mission: Something Amiss
Location: CO's Ready Room
Timeline: MD1

A stowaway. And she'd missed him... and the little bounty hunter too! Mad as she was, Angelica had to admit to herself that they'd likely be stunned or dead if she'd found them, but that didn't make her feel any better about it. So she stalked to the captain's ready room... and then waited outside for several minutes. Pacing. Wondering what the captain would say. Planning miserable 'work to pay off your crime' assignments for both interlopers. And trying to figure out what her real boss would say. Finally, she rang the doorchime, requesting entry.

The door again? It was a busy day for the captain and her ship wasn't even going anywhere yet. "Enter." she called to the door. As it opened and she saw the clearly upset Lieutenant, Enalia wondered for a moment if she had stepped on any toes earlier. "Sorry about the incident with the civilian earlier. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Tell me how either of them got on board without me hearing about it." Frustrated and mildly angry, Angelica didn't sit down, though she was sure it would have been okay to do so. "You should have called. Ma'am."

"Please sit." Enalia calmly looked the angry woman over for a few seconds before continuing. "If I wasn't in the area, I'm sure the security guards that were there would have called you. As it was, I saw a valuable opportunity and I took it. I assume you got my report on the incident. How would you have handled the situation differently?"

"You want the 'by-the-book' answer or the truth?" Angelica didn't know Enalia at all yet, but she had a feeling that the truth wouldn't go over well. Upset as she was, she knew sitting still would be difficult, but she sat down anyway.

"Both and why there's a difference." Enalia wasn't upset or angry or anything... she just had a serious and possibly deadly calm about her as she spoke.

"By the book, you did everything right. Contain, detain, question. So on and so forth." Angelica sighed a little. "But in that situation the book is wrong. Safety of the crew takes priority. Allowing the choice of surrendering compromises that safety, which is not something I will ever be willing to do. I'd have stunned them both, if they were lucky."

Nodding silently at the response, Enalia was silent for a moment before speaking finally. "If one of them hadn't been stunned and bound and the other surrendered, I would have been the first to agree with that. In fact, I was close to stunning her ass myself and having her dragged off anyway just on the principle of it all. They were in the area where our special cargo had just been delivered."

Angelica stared at her for a moment, suddenly trying not to laugh. "Well then. Have to say you're the first skipper I've had who was willing to admit that sometimes the book needs improving."

Flashing a bit of a lopsided grin, Enalia relaxed a bit. "I don't want to change the book, though. I'm just a pilot and a diplomat, but it seems to work most of the time. This mission isn't going to fall into that category though. There's no book on what we're going to do, or how we do it with what we have. That's why I asked a total stranger to help us. She has no ties to us, we have no ties to her, and by the time she gets the chance to tell anyone not involved it'll be all over."

"Suppose that's fair. Doesn't mean I like it." Angelica didn't comment on whether the book worked or not, but she'd often found that the book's approach failed in matters of security, as if the rule writers hadn't considered enough possibilities. "I want them both guarded at all times. We don't know anything about either of them beyond what she told us, and we don't even know if that was true."

"Considering one is in the brig, I don't think he'll be an issue. Nexi, though... Make sure she uses her assigned quarters. Our Intel Chief is also going to be keeping an eye on her so I would coordinate with her on surveillance." Enalia Leaned back in her chair, relaxing a bit. This conversation was going better than she had hoped. "Is there anything else?"

"At the moment... no." Oh there was plenty to talk about but nothing Angelica felt like sharing. The ship's secret mission was enticing, but poor Enalia had no idea what they were getting into.

Enalia looked the other woman over a bit suspiciously at her reply. At the moment? What was that supposed to mean? "In that case, if you feel like sharing anything at a later moment, please feel free. Dismissed."

"I'll do that." Her smile a bit cryptic, Angelica got up and quietly slipped out the door, leaving Enalia alone to ponder just what secrets the security chief might be hiding.