More Things In Heaven And Earth

Posted on Oct 13, 2014 @ 8:43pm by Captain Kassandra Thytos

Mission: Absolute Power

"More things in heaven and earth"
(cont. Bedside manners)

* * *=/\=* * *

Location: EARTH
Stardate: 2.141013.1153
Scene: Kassandra's apartment, Seattle

Kassandra calmed her breathing as she crammed what little belongings
she had left into a duffle bag nearly as tall as she was. Packing was
definitely much easier when the majority of the things you owned had
been blown up, she thought wryly.


Her packing finished, she turned her attention to her comm panel.


“Call Horatio Bellecotte.” She said shortly. She always felt something
of an idiot talking out loud to an empty room. The view screen blinked
in acknowledgement, and in a few moments the screen was filled with
the craggy countenance and hulking frame of her old friend.


He was a Goliath of a man, massive enough to make many Klingons look
like runty weaklings; his head seemed to segue into his shoulders with
only the barest nod to the appearance of a neck denoted by a salt and
pepper beard and mustache, and the circumference of his arm was that
of Kassandra's thigh. He'd developed a paunch and grey hair since
she'd first met him, but other than that he looked exactly as he had
when she had first met him nearly 30 years ago.


* * *=/\=* * *


Location: Sherman's Planet

Scene: Spaceport

Time Index: 30 years ago


“Hey, hey! Cannya see'um, are they here?” The gawky, straw haired
teenaged boy said as he jostled the arm of his diminutive companion.
The redheaded girl was balancing on her tiptord as she looked over the
wall of the spaceport. She turned around with a glare, giving him a
none too gentle punch to the arm.


“Shaddup Ethan! Ya' wanna get caught playin' hookey?” She reinforced
the statement with another punch. As she did so a Marine Gremlin class
drop ship streaked across the sky and began to slow as it descended
towards the ground. “See? I told you they was comin'! Get Dylan.”


Ethan ran around the corner to grab their companion while Kassandra
watched the six Marines disembark from the ship. They cut a fine
figure to her 16 year old's mind. She observed them closely, imagining
what sort of fantastic adventures they'd been having. Dylan, and Ethan
came running over, jockeying for the best spot to look at the Marines.


They were so enthralled that they failed to note the trio of Klingon
teens that had come up behind them. It was a group that they'd had
verbal scuffles with in the past that seemed intent on antagonizing
the three, Kassandra in particular.


“Look, K'rla.” The ringleader Valdyr, the son of one of the higher
ranking Klingons on Sherman's planet said with a sneer. “The Humans
have come to gawk at the pathetic excuses for warriors that they call
their elite troops.”


Kassandra wheeled around, her nose turning bright red. She'd had
enough of taking Valdyr's shit.


“Take that back, Valdyr.” She balled her fists, her eyebrows drawing
together, her teeth gritted. “Starfleet Marine Corps are the best of
the best. They'd be a match for a Klingon any day.”


“I'd be insulted by your tone of voice if it wasn't so laughable.”
Valdyr drew forward until his chest was nearly touching Kassandra's
nose. She didn't move. “Your talk is like the yapping of a small
animal, loud but funny, as you have no chance of even hurting me. It's
just a universal truth, Kassandra of house Thytos, humans are weaker
than Klingons, they lack the stamina of Klingons, they are easily
damaged, and have no tolerance for pain. Your best elite troops could
only hope to approach the combat skills of a Klingon scientist!”


“A Starfleet Marine could whup your daddy's ass!” Kassandra crossed
her arms. “Klingons are dumb as a pile a' bricks. Humans are smart,
and that counts as much as muscle inna fight. B'sides, it's awful
funny you actin' like you own the damn planet when your lot were
solidly beaten by us weak humans, and we run the damn place! You're
jus' sore that we won. All YER yappin' is jus' sour grapes from a
bunch of LOSERS.”


“Uh, Kassandra, maybe ya better not provoke him.” Ethan said as he and
Dylan began to back away. “I mean, you don't wannafight them.”


“You better listen to what passes for your menfolk. You are beginning
to try my patience, and I don't think a little GIRL like you would
enjoy the consequences of making me angry. Why don't you go home, get
yourself pregnant, and raise children. That's all Human women are good
for anyway.”


Ethan and Dylan exchanged a look. A fight was inevitable now. If there
was one thing Kassandra couldn't abide, it was macho posturing and
insults based on her gender. She had a chip on her shoulder a mile
wide in that respect- Her father had desperately wanted a son, rather
than a second daughter, and Kassandra responded by constantly trying
to out-boy the boys.


“You talk the talk, Valdyr, can you walk the walk? You Klingon enough
to back up your threats, or are they empty?” Kassandra swung her foot
up into his crotch. The Klingon doubled over as she dropped to her
knees, slamming the back of his neck with her elbow, the entire force
of her body weight behind it. He staggered, more out of surprise than
anything else, the teenaged girl was less than half his weight. His
two companions quickly dove into the fight, while Kassandra's
hightailed it.


The four teenagers became a tangled blur of arms and legs. Kassandra
had thought her speed and quicker wits would even the fight, but it
became rapidly clear to her that this was not the case. Her tactics
quickly changed to desperate avoidance of major bodily harm, and it
was all she could do to avoid the blows raining down on her. She
pulled out a chunk of Valdyr's braid, and was rewarded with a blow
that sent her flying against the nearby wall, knocking the breath out
of her.


“Admit defeat.” Valdyr glowered down at her, fist ready to punch her
again. “Admit defeat, and that Humans are an inferior species.”


“Kiss my ass, craterface.” Kassandra said screwing her eyes closed and
readying for the now inevitable pain.


It didn't come.


Instead there was a rush of air above her as a shadow fell over her,
and the sounds of a brief scuffle. She felt someone grab her arm and
help her up. She opened her eyes, and her jaw dropped. A young Marine
was standing next to her, a look of concern on his face. He stood
nearly two feet taller than her, with heavily tanned skin and grey
eyes, a wide nose that had been broken several times, and a profile
that a cave man would have been proud of. Her eyes darted behind him
to see Valdyr and his friends beating a hasty retreat, looking
thoroughly chastened. The Marine handed her a medigel pack to put on
her broken nose, and rapidly swelling cheek.


“Thanks.” She said, looking with embarassment at the ground as he
steered her down the street into a nearby cafe. The cafe owner clucked
disapprovingly when she saw Kassandra and hustled off to the back
room, without a doubt to call Kassandra's parents. “I'm Kassandra
Thytos. You can call me Kass.”


“I'm Horatio Bellecotte, but everyone calls me Harry. Well, Kass, what
the heck were you thinking, fighting with three Klingons?” He raised
an eyebrow at her, and leaned back.


Blushing furiously, Kassandra related the events leading to her
rescue, and waited for the scolding. Older people were always
scolding. Instead the man threw back his head and laughed.


“You've got guts, kid.” He chuckled. “And as it happens, we want you
for a new recruit. If you're over 18, you could be a Marine by this
evening.”


* * *=/\=* * *


Location: TERRA

Scene: Kassandra's apartment, Seattle

Time Index: Present day


[[Hey hey! Look what the cat dragged in, the Red Menace!]] Horatio's
face split into a warm smile that transformed him from grizzly bear
into teddy bear. [[How's my number one girl doing?]]


“Call me that again and I'll be your number one nightmare, Harry.”
Kassandra quipped back. “Unfortunately, this isn't a social call, I
need a favor.”


[[But of course you are.]] He made a moue of disappointment that was
entirely at odds with his fearsome appearance. [[You never call me
just to talk.]]


“Neither do you.” The corner of her mouth twitched up into a sly
smile. “Listen, I need you to meet me at the usual place.”


[[Need me to bring the-]] Harry began, a lecherous grin beginning to
creep onto his face.


“Jesus, Harry, it's not that kind of favor.” Kassandra cut him off,
rolling her eyes in spite of herself. “Bring Sephian if you can. No-
don't even think about making a cute comment about that. This is
serious, alright?”


His grey eyes narrowed, as he scrutinized her face. He nodded.


[[The usual place. I'll be there, give me an hour.]]


“Thanks Horatio.” Kassandra cut the call.


She eyed the clock. She would chance Asta's silent treatment and
glares to attend Lysander's concert. She had promised she'd be there,
and Asta's opinion of her notwithstanding, she had never, and would
never fail in a promise she'd made to them. Besides, not going would
be out of the ordinary, and she was certain that Edgerton had people
watching her.


She went through the now familiar motions of the performance of
femininity, mechanically choosing one of the pre-assembled outfits
that Asta and Lysander had devised when they had finally given up on
ever teaching her a sense of fashion. Dress, makeup, accessories,
hair. She could follow the sequence, even if she didn't really
understand the point of it, nor why she did it.

She finished her preparations and analyzed her scanner readings
critically. The blinking of her sensor nets was hidden by foundation,
and her eyes were dark rimmed with kohl, her lips a deep burgundy, and
her hair was down, loosely curling around her cheeks in a rather
fetching manner, hiding the neatly shaved sides. Her usual fatigues
were replaced by a shimmery blue tunic dress with a cowl back over
leggings and knee high boots, cinched at the waist with a loose patent
leather belt that draped over her hip.


She felt ridiculous and barely barely recognized herself, with any
luck Edgerton's spooks would have similar difficulty. She went to the
bathroom and opened the small window, tossing her gear bag out before
shimmying through the opening herself.


She hung from the window for a couple seconds, sensor nets looking for
any suspicious characters, then let go. Kassandra plummeted the three
stories towards the pavement before her descent was gently halted by
the building's automatic safety systems. Her mood lightened
fractionally. It had been as fun as she'd always imagined it would be.
She looked around to see if her fall had been noticed, but it was
dusky enough in the twilight that no one seemed to have seen clearly.
She hid her gear bag in the bushes. She'd send someone to get it to
the transporter bay.


She shouldered her purse, and sashayed down the street, trying to not
look as awkward as she felt.


* * *=/\=* * *


Scene: “The Usual Place”


Horatio whistled as Kassandra sat down. She glared at him.


“This ain't for your benefit. Anyone we don't know round here? Any new
people come in?” She asked as she scanned the room for bugs with her
sensor nets.


“No, will you tell us what's going on? You look jumpy and paranoid,
which is not a good sign with you.” Horatio looked across at the other
man in the booth. A shade shorter than Harry, but about a half the
size, Sephian was long and lean, with cropped cornsilk hair that was
nearly the same color as his skin, and yellowy hazel eyes.


“Listen, this is big, and if you want to walk away from this, I'd
understand. So before I tell you anything, I have to warn you that
knowing what I'm about to tell you means that there will be people
after you, and that you'll have to go on the run with me.”


“You're asking a lot from us.” Sephian's voice was pointed. Kassandra
looked down, her lips pursing. They'd been close. He helped her raise
the twins, but as with the twins, her behavior after being tossed out
of Starfleet had taken its toll on their friendship. They might have
glued the pieces back together, but all parties concerned knew deep
down that it was broken no matter how carefully they repaired it.

“I am. I know I am, but you two are the only people I trust these
days.” Harry's eyebrows climbed at this statement. “Remember the
Essentialists? They're back, and they're everywhere. They go right up
to Starfleet command. You know that Board of Inquiry that they had on
the destruction of the USS DISCOVERY? It was a kangaroo court, a
coverup for a mutiny staged by a group called the Neo-essentialists,
which I was unwittingly part of. And now they're threatening the twins
if I don't do toe the line. I've been told I'm to ship out tonight. I
need you two there with me.”


“Why? Why not just make Asta and Lysander go with you.” Horatio
stroked his chin. “I'm not saying no, but I don't understand why you
need us there.”


“Have you ever tried to make the twins do anything?” Sephian asked
wryly. “It's like shoving a one ton Targ into a cat carrier.”


“Even if I could, it's safer for them to not be there, if people think
that I'm in their pocket. As long as I play along, they're safe. Much
safer than being on a ship with a giant target painted on its back.”
Kassandra slumped. “Doin' as I'm told is their insurance, and you
bein' there to stop me is my shipmates'.”


“Why not just tell Kane about the threats.” Horatio leaned back.


“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt
of in your philosophy.” Kassandra quoted a tad snidely. “I have no
idea who's loyal or not. I don't trust anyone at this point. I have to
assume that unless I wholeheartedly try to sabotage, betray, or
otherwise influence the crew, someone will report it. I need someone
with me that I trust to stymie my efforts.”


“Well, I suppose it sounds more interesting than being put out to
pasture in the Corps Bureaucracy, stuck behind a desk all day.” The
giant man sighed.


“Why do I have a feeling this is a terrible idea? Alright, but only
because the twins need you to come out of this in once piece.”
Sephian's voice was loaded with the implication that he didn't trust
her to stay on the straight and narrow. Kassandra squirmed, but she
probably deserved that. She looked at the bar's clock. Time to go.


* * *=/\=* * *


Scene: Benaroya concert hall


Kassandra's nets picked up Mr. Johnson sitting in the seat behind her
long before he made himself known. Lysander was playing the solo for
Camille Saint-sains 'le cygne,' and she was as always, enthralled by
how easily and plaintively the music flowed from his instrument.


She was sitting in what was supposed to be a private box nearest the
stage. Asta had made her excuses when she saw her and gone to sit with
some of Lysander's friends in the nosebleed section. She waited,
uneasily for him to make his business known.


As the piece ended and Lysander segued into Bach's Cello Suite No. 5
in C minor, Mr. Johnson leaned forward and tapped her on the shoulder.


“My employer asked that I give you this. He said you might need the
lesson reinforced, I suggested that a knife would be more
appropriate.”


“Still sore about me using your wrist as a pincushion?” Kassandra
didn't turn around, but took the package from his outstretched hand.


“Perhaps. But after some thought, I find tormenting you to be far more
satisfying than punishing you.” He stood and disappeared.


She didn't need to open the package, her sensor nets allowed her to
scan through the photographs contained within. Her blood ran cold. It
was pictures of the twins from throughout the day, taken with a sniper
rifle.


The message was clear: We're watching you. We're watching them. Step
out of line, and we'll take them out.


* * *=/\=* * *

Location: USS PHOENIX

Scene: Docking bay.


Kassandra entered the docking bay in a foul mood. Her outfit was
beginning to get itchy, and her hair was annoying her, and all she
wanted was to wash all the crap off her face, have a drink, sit down,
and stew over the most recent developments in her new life as a pawn
of power hungry madmen.


It was empty except for two officers she didn't know who were clearly in love.


Any sweeter and they'd be giving her diabetes.


She did a double take with her sensor nets, something was odd with the man.


“Holy shit, you've got wings!” She said involuntarily her jaw
dropping. The man gave her a look like she'd grown another head, and
she realized her faux pas. Now she was going to have to have a
conversation with them, instead of skulking into a corner and waiting
for Harry and Seph, and maybe Russ BaShen. You know, decent,
predictable companions.


“Er.” The man extended a hand “I'm Lieutenant Commander Thomas Varn.
And this is Lt. Sylvia Warren.”


“Uh. Captain Kassandra Thytos. Marine Captain, not ship Captain.” She
took the proffered hand, and shook firmly.


“How did you...” Sylvia started from behind him and then trailed off.


“Sensor nets. I'm blind.” Kassandra sighed. Now they were going to
have to have a conversation about how she could see through their
clothes. Never mind that she could see through their skin too. She
really hoped more people would come before it got awkward. More
awkward.

* * *=/\=* * *

NRPG: Finally, a post.


Alix Fowler
The Voice of
Captain Kassandra Thytos
Marine/refugee/double agent
USS PHOENIX