Long Distance Call
Posted on Apr 25, 2016 @ 12:58am by Commander Jacob Crichton & Raxl Dreyton
Edited on on Apr 25, 2016 @ 1:07am
Mission: Fortress: Earth
= Long Distance Call =
(cont'd from "Once We Were Exiles")
LOCATION: USS PHOENIX
SCENE: Main Engineering
STARDATE: [2.16] 0424.2047
The fleet was in a holding pattern over Earth while they tried to figure out a way to deal with Edgerton’s satellite defense system. The result was a feeling of anticlimax. Not quite disappointment, as nobody was eager to fly into an active battlezone, but a palpable sense of victory deferred. They’d come so far and through so much to get here, and still Edgerton was throwing landmines into their path.
But it’s the last time, Jake Crichton reminded himself. The bastard had nowhere else to run. Let Edgerton hide behind his satellites for now; this would still end with him in chains. Or dead, Jake supposed. When this had all started, Jake wanted Edgerton to face justice, if only as payback for Edgerton laying the blame for the destruction of the DISCOVERY at Jake’s feet. But after everything they’d been through now, seeing the poison Edgerton had dripped into Starfleet… was a court martial and a life sentence really a suitable fate for a man like him?
Jake shook these thoughts away. He decided he still had a bad taste in his mouth from his conversation with Byte the evening before, and it had put him in a suspicious mood. This fight was about reclaiming the Federation from those who would pervert it, not picking up where they left off. Edgerton would pay, but he’d do it under the laws of the United Federation of Planets, not those of the sick society he had tried to create.
Jake sensed eyes on his back. He looked up from his workstation and into the yellow predator’s eyes of Ensign Chaucer. Jake was glad that the Gorn’s field commission had been honored by the reconvened Federation Council, along with those of several other Limbo refugees who had proven themselves during Arthur Embry’s mutiny. Chaucer was huge, but he could move with surprising stealth, and he had a stillness about him that Jake could only describe as reptilian. But despite Chaucer’s fearsome appearance, Jake knew the Gorn was quite peaceful.
Chaucer had difficulty navigating the world he’d chosen for himself. Jake wasn’t sure of the circumstances, but Chaucer couldn’t talk. He did his best with gestures, though things were sometimes lost in translation. Mainly, Chaucer relied on his Vox: a wrist-mounted audio playback device, and a very old one at that. The Vox could speak only four phrases: “Yes”, “No”, “Help”, and “My name is Chaucer”, which was how the Gorn had gotten his name. Jake was familiar with such devices, they were old tech, mostly out of fashion since Universal Translators had become easily portable. They were supposed to allow for a lot more than just four phrases, but whether or not the Vox was malfunctioning, Jake couldn’t say, since Chaucer never let anyone mess with it.
“Ensign Chaucer,” Jake said, nodding at the Gorn. “At ease.”
Chaucer only stared at him.
“Little joke,” Jake said, smiling. “Got something for me?”
Chaucer held out a PADD, which looked comically small in the Gorn’s large, scaly hands. Jake took it, glanced over the report. Chaucer’s reports were always very detailed; the Gorn hid a bright, imaginative engineer’s mind behind his silent exterior. Jake had only a few corrections - misunderstandings between the operations of Gorn ships vs. Federation ships, for example. That was okay; Chaucer was still learning, and he was doing it surprisingly fast.
“Excellent work, big guy,” Jake said, handing the PADD back to Chaucer. The Gorn took it, then slipped his lips back over rows of shiny needle teeth in what Jake had decided was meant to be a smile. The Gorn even curled his free hand into a “thumb’s up” gesture, to drive the meaning home.
“You’re welcome,” Jake said. “Keep it up. Dismissed.”
Chaucer did not move, he only stood and stared down at Jake. He’d stopped smiling. Jake watched the Gorn for a moment, not sure what to make of this.
“Is there something else?” he asked, finally.
Chaucer activated his Vox. [[Yes,]] the pre-recorded voice buzzed.
“Sure,” Jake nodded. “What’s up?”
He immediately noted the futility of this question, and then realized he had no idea how Chaucer expected this conversation to continue. If something was bothering the Gorn, Jake thought it was unlikely he’d be able to explain it with only four phrases at his disposal.
But of course, he needn’t have worried. Chaucer could be very still, so still that observers might think he’d turned to stone. But Chaucer’s mind was always humming along. As Jake watched, Chaucer lifted one hand. He held it flat, and began to push it through the air, looping it up and down in gentle circles. He never took his eyes off of Jake.
Jake watched the motion. He didn’t understand it. Chaucer repeated the motion again, throwing in a few twists and bends. He repeated the gesture again, then pointed to Jake, himself, and then to his flattened hand. Jake stared uncomprehendingly. If Chaucer was frustrated, he didn’t show it; instead, the Gorn gestured all around them, using both hands. Then he pointed again to Jake, himself, and back to his other hand, which he’d again flattened and was holding horizontally, parallel with the floor.
Jake finally got it.
“Starship,” Jake said. “That our starship.”
Chaucer activated his Vox. [[Yes.]]
“What about it?” Jake asked.
He watched as Chaucer repeated the gesture he’d been making before. He pushed his flattened hand, which Jake now knew represented the PHOENIX, through the air in a series of loops and twists and bends. Then, he stopped. Jake watched as Chaucer suddenly balled his flattened hand into a tight fist. He held the fist for a moment, then his fingers sprang open, his fingers spread wide and gently waving for effect.
It was a vivid enough display that Jake knew immediately what it meant.
“You’re worried about the battle,” Jake said. “You’ve never been in a space battle before, have you.”
[[No,]] Chaucer’s Vox buzzed.
“They’re… not great,” Jake said. “But if I didn’t think you could handle it, I wouldn’t have put you on my team.”
Chaucer only stared back at Jake, his reptilian expression unreadable.
“There’s a lot of noise,” Jake sighed. “Alarms, people shouting. Explosions, if things are going badly. But you tune it out. You focus on the things you can control, and you trust the people around you to do the same.”
Chaucer didn’t move.
“Look, there’s no reason to worry,” Jake said. “Edgerton doesn’t have a fleet. And even if he did, we’re sitting inside the most advanced warship in the quadrant. We’re going to be fine.”
Chaucer still hadn’t moved, nor shifted his eyes away from Jake. Jake was beginning to wonder if the Gorn ever had to blink.
“That’s… not it, is it?” Jake finally realized.
[[No,]] the Vox buzzed.
“It’s not us you’re worried about,” Jake said. “It’s the other people. The ones we might have to…”
[[Help,]] said the Vox.
Jake blinked. “Well. Sure, we’re here to help the innocent people that Edgerton’s holding hostage. And if the Neo-Essentialists don’t want to give them up without a fight, then we have to give them one.”
Chaucer only stared back.
“It’s… not supposed to be like this,” Jake said. “We’re supposed to be explorers, diplomats, protectors. But that’s what we’re here for, Chaucer. Because Edgerton’s taken all that away from us, and we have to take it back.”
Chaucer didn’t move.
“It’s self-defense,” Jake said. “He’s threatening the seat of the Federation, and someone has to stop him. What are we supposed to do, just leave him there?”
Chaucer only stared at him.
“Oh hell, I don’t know,” Jake said, rubbing his eyes. “Maybe there needs to be a change, maybe this kind of thing will just keep happening. All I know is Edgerton’s got Earth, and there’s no way he keeps it. That just can’t happen.”
He looked up at Chaucer. “I want this to end peacefully as much as you do, Ensign, but I don’t think it’s up to us anymore.”
Chaucer didn’t react, he only stared back, his beady yellow eyes locked on Jake.
“And I’m sure I don’t have to say this,” Jake said, his tone becoming more firm. “But if the time comes, I will expect you to do your duty.”
Chaucer only looked at him.
“Is that clear?” Jake asked,
Chaucer stared. Then, slowly, the Gorn raised his Vox.
[[My name is Chaucer,]] the Vox buzzed.
Jake stared back, not sure what to make of this response. Then, the absurdity of the conversation struck him, and Jake began to laugh.
“Yeah,” he said. “You are. And you’re probably doing a better job keeping the faith than me. But in my defense, I’ve been doing it longer than you. Dismissed, Mr. Chaucer.”
The Gorn nodded, and turned to lumber silently away.
“Chaucer,” Jake said, to the Gorn’s back. Chaucer stopped. “Thanks for the talk.”
Chaucer glanced back over his shoulder, and stared back at Jake for a final moment, before turning and stepping out into the corridor.
=[/\]=
LOCATION: EARTH
SCENE: San Francisco
Usually the streets were busier, even at this time of night. But the San Francisco nightlife had taken a turn for the worse once the Siege of Earth began. Edgerton had co-opted all civilian frequencies, so the only thing that would play on any console was Neo-Essentialist propaganda. But though Edgerton could exert near total control over the planet, even he couldn’t account for every last piece of comm equipment across the surface of the Earth.
Selyara led Raxl Dreyton down a darkened street. They were both dressed in dark, but nondescript clothing. Selyara had a hood up over her head, which draped down over her shoulders into an elegant cloak. Rax’s outfit was simpler, but his jacket was bulky enough to conceal the disruptor he’d hidden inside one of its pockets.
“You’re sure about this?” Rax whispered. He cast an uneasy glance over his shoulder. The alley behind them was empty. Distantly, he heard the sounds of traffic, and lilting softly in and out with the wind, soft music from a faraway piano bar. He wasn’t sure why he was worried; this wasn’t even a bad neighborhood. But they’d started to see more and more black-shirted security personnel on the streets in the last 36 hours, and it was obvious they were building up to something.
“Do you insist on asking me that question every time I take you anywhere, Mr. Dreyton?” Selyara asked without looking back at him. “For the last time: Mr. Declan is in possession of prototype comms technology, which he has stolen from the Federation Sciences’ auxiliary labs in Tokyo. I know this because Mr. Declan was trying to sell this equipment as recently as last month. With all the recent turmoil on Earth, there’s no chance he’s found an offworld buyer. So tonight, he will either give us access to the equipment or tell us where he’s hidden it.”
“And then he turns us in to the goon squad the second we leave,” Rax said.
“Then we’ll kill him,” Selyara shrugged.
“That’s a little extreme, don’t you think?” Rax asked. “After all, if he hadn’t stolen that tech-”
“Than we would have had to steal it ourselves,” Selyara said. “And don’t be such a whiner. I won’t kill Mr. Declan unless he makes it necessary. I’d appreciate it if you don’t kill him either.”
“Don’t worry about *me*,” Rax said. “I’m the only guy around here who knows how to keep a level head.”
“You once burned down a starport,” Selyara observed wryly.
“By accident,” said Rax, sounding defensive.
They came to the end of the alley. Across the way, an apartment building rose up. Rax couldn’t tell how many floors it was, he lost count after 16. Fortunately, finding this Declan character shouldn’t be hard; Selyara had assured him that she knew Declan’s exact location. What worried Rax was the neighbors. If their confrontation with Declan got loud, someone would call it the blackshirts.
Rax felt the reassuring weight of the disruptor against his side. Probably wouldn’t actually do him much good, if things came down to a firefight with Edgerton’s security forces, but it made him feel better to know it was there.
They entered the building, took the turbolift up to the 11th floor. They stepped out into an empty hall. Rax followed Selyara as she navigated her way down the corridor, around and corner, and finally came to a stop outside Declan’s door.
“How do we handle this?” Rax asked.
“Let me do the talking,” Selyara said. She reached out and knocked gently on the door.
“You met this guy before?” Rax asked.
“Don’t be absurd,” Selyara said, laughing a little. She had a nice laugh, and Rax rarely heard it. “Declan is a nobody. This theft was his first and probably last; there’s no way he’d have managed to sneak this equipment through Starfleet security.”
“Sounds like a squealer,” Rax said. “How do we keep him from talking?”
Selyara shrugged. “I’m sure we’ll think of something.”
“That isn’t-” Rax started, but the door opened and cut him off. A skinny young man stood there, still showing some final traces of acne on his cheeks. He had curly brown hair, a large nose, and a bewildered expression as he blinked at his two visitors.
“Uh…” he said, cutting his eyes back and forth between Rax and Selyara. “Can I… help you?”
“Lawrence Declan?” Selyara asked, favoring the young man with a smile.
“Uh…” the kid said, his cheeks flushing a little. “Usually people call me- that is… he isn’t, uh… I’m not sure… who are you, exactly?”
“I’m the Shadow Master,” Selyara said casually. “May I come in?”
Lawrence Declan’s eyes widened. His mouth fell open into a disbelieving O. The flush in his cheeks quickly drained, along with the rest of the color in his face. For a moment, Rax thought he might have to step forward to keep the kid from fainting.
“You- you are-” Declan said, as Selyara brushed past him and into his apartment. Rax followed, giving the kid a stern look at he walked by.
“Close the door,” Rax growled.
Declan stood frozen for a moment, not sure how to respond.
“Now!” Rax barked. Declan moved immediately, turning and slapping at the door control to close it. The door swished shut.
“Lock it,” Rax said. “And come in here.”
Declan did as he was told, his face still pale. Selyara had already moved into the man’s living room and seated herself on the couch. As Raxl led Declan in, Selyara patted the cushion beside her.
“Have a seat, Lawrence,” she said. “We need to talk.”
“You- you- you are n-not-” Declan started. Selyara held up a hand to stop him. Declan abruptly cut off his sentence.
“Let’s not waste time,” she said. “Several months ago, you came into the possession of prototype comm equipment during a visit to a Federation science facility in Tokyo. You tried to sell it through illegal channels, but couldn’t find anyone to deal with you, and so you foolishly came to me. I considered cleaning out your bank accounts and framing you for embezzling just for wasting my time, but instead I very graciously advised you to get out of the criminal game, and to never contact me again. Does that sound familiar?”
“Well, I- that is, I didn’t-,” Declan started.
“I’m sure you’re wondering why it is I’m now here,” Selyara said, her tone still light and conversational. “It so happens that I have an excellent memory for names. And when recent events left me as trapped on the world as you, I remembered your name, Lawrence.”
“Uh… p-people usually just call me Larry,” Declan said quietly.
“Lawrence, I think,” Selyara said. “Have a little self respect.”
“Okay, sure,” Declan said automatically.
“Now then, Lawrence,” Selyara continued. “Against all odds, it seems I find myself in need of help that you are in a unique position to provide. That stolen comm tech, I assume you are still in possession of it?”
“I don’t know what you’re-” Declan began.
Selyara cut him off again. “Lawrence, you may have noticed that scruffy fellow who followed us in here. If you insist on wasting my time, I promise he’ll be more than happy to have this conversation with you.”
Declan cast a nervous glance over his shoulder at Raxl, who had taken up a position directly behind him. Rax smiled down at the boy, hoping to come off as friendly, but he had a feeling it didn’t work.
“So,” Selyara continued. “The tech. Where is it?”
Declan’s lip quivered, but he nodded. “It’s in the closet. There’s a false back, with a locked panel, keyed to my handprint.”
“You’ll open it for me, won’t you?” Selyara asked.
Declan nodded, and rose. He started walking towards his bedroom, his shoulders slumped, his head bowed. Then, his shoulder rose a little, and Declan stopped. He turned around, but didn’t quite raise his head enough to meet Selyara’s eyes.
“So, um, does this mean that you’re… that is, are you going pay-”
“Lawrence,” Selyara said firmly. “The tech. Quickly. Please.”
Declan’s shoulders slumped again. He turned and disappeared into his bedroom. A minute later, he returned, carrying what looked like a partially disassembled Starfleet communicator, with a few hanging wire that were attached to a small box. He held the box out to Selyara. She didn’t reach for, it, but instead glanced at Raxl. Raxl only stood for a moment, staring at her, not sure what she meant. Selyara subtly angled her head towards the box. Rax realized what she meant, rolled his eyes, and stepped forward to take the box from Declan’s hands.
“Good man,” Selyara nodded. “You can go now.”
“Uh…” Declan said, looking around. “Where should I go?”
“Anywhere,” Selyara said, waving his away. “Go to your room. Keep it down, please, I have to make a call.”
“Okay,” Declan said meekly. He chewed his lower lip as he stared at the prototype, then sighed and returned to his room. The door swished shut behind him.
“Okay, what was that?” Rax asked,pointing his thumb towards the closed bedroom door. “Did you, like, brain zap him or something?”
“That was all him,” Selyara said, as she tinkered with the prototype. “Not everyone is cut out for this kind of lifestyle, Mr. Dreyton.”
“Tell me about it,” Rax said, turning to look at the door. He felt bad. Declan might have been in way over his head, but Rax didn’t want him to get in trouble for helping them. If Edgerton ever got wise to the fact that Selyara was on Earth, things were going to become real unsafe for anyone who’d crossed paths with her.
Rax turned, and sat beside Selyara on the couch. “So, this comm thing. What’s it do?”
“They’re trying to miniaturize a shipboard comm system into the standard comm-badge,” Selyara said, still fiddling with the device. “Exponential increase in range, available frequency, language-building algorithms for First Contact encounters, and all this without having to piggyback off a nearby starship’s signal.”
“Sounds fancy,” Rax said.
“Unfortunately, they’re still years away from getting it working,” Selyara said. “But this prototype should serve our purposes well enough.”
“Who you planning to call?” Rax said.
“Backup,” Selyara said. She finished tinkering with the device, snapped the casing closed, and activated the badge. “Selyara to PHOENIX. Come in.”
=[/\]=
LOCATION: Shuttle, high orbit over Earth’s Northern hemisphere
SCENE: Cockpit
Hanging quietly, lost among the clouds and against the night sky, he waited. The cockpit around him was buzzing with constant noise: snatches of conversation from across the planet, all filtered through his ship, The computer constantly cycled the frequencies, the sounds bleeding from one into the next.
He sat with his eyes closed, fingers pressed against his temples. All his considerable focus was on the sound.
From out of the sea of noise, a voice:
[[Selyara to PHOENIX. Come in.]]
His eyes snapped open. He sat up in his chair, thin, dark-skinned fingers dancing nimbly across the console. He isolated the recording, played it back. The sound filled the cockpit again,
[[Selyara to PHOENIX. Come in.]]
The corner of his mouth twitched. Selyara Chen wasn’t supposed to be on Earth. Spies, traitors everywhere, constant vigilance was necessary... but among the myriad threats they faced, she was not supposed to be one of them. If she was here, she had come for Edgerton.
But he had found her first.
He set up a trace for the signal. The computer worked quickly, and a moment later, he was setting his course: San Francisco.
=[/\]=
LOCATION: USS PHOENIX
SCENE: Bridge
{{Captain, I am picking up something from the planet,}} Lt. Byte said.
Captain Kane arched an eyebrow at the android. “What is it?”
{{It appears to be a comm signal, sir,}} Bye said. {{Though it is coming in on a frequency normally reserved for-}}
“Patch it through to my ready room,” Kane said at once. He was already moving towards the door.
=[/\]=
LOCATION: San Francisco, EARTH
SCENE: Declan’s Apartment
“Sorry for the quality of the transmission,” Selyara spoke into the communicator. “This was the only way I could get a message out through all of Edgerton’s chatter.”
[[What the hell are you doing down there?]] the voice of Michael Kane angrily demanded from the other side of the comm link.
“You’re not the only ones with a score to settle,” Selyara said. “It doesn’t matter right now, Michael. The fact is, Edgerton surprised me on this one. I’m stuck down here, along with the rest of the population.”
[[Edgerton will be looking for you,]] Kane said. [[There’s no way you can stay hidden for long, not with his agents everywhere. As soon as he realizes you’re there-]]
“That’s why I could use some help,” Selyara interrupted, sounding annoyed. “You don’t know anybody with a tiresome hero complex, do you?”
=[/\]=
SCENE: The street
The shimmer of the transporter lit up the darkened street. Out of stepped the dark man, dressed in black. He moved with deliberate purpose towards the apartment doors, his nimble fingers tracing the handle of the knife he wore on his belt. He had a bag slung over his shoulder, and with his free hand he patted it gently.
The apartment doors parted, and the dark man stepped inside.
=[/\]=
SCENE: Declan’s Apartment
[[We haven’t found a way to penetrate the defense field,]] Kane said.
“You will,” Selyara said. “And when you do, I need more hands down here. I have a plan to find Edgerton, but I’m going to need some more boots on the ground.”
[[I’ll see what I can do,]] Kane said. [[Selyara… be careful.]]
Selyara’s eyes went distant for just a moment, but long enough for Raxl to catch it. She didn’t reply, she simply cut the connection. Then, her eyes focused again, and she looked at Rax.
“Well. That’s done, at least.”
“You know Edgerton’s probably got people monitoring for unauthorized transmissions,” Raxl said, glancing again in the direction of Declan’s door.
“With him filling up every available frequency with his mad rantings, they’d never be able to isolate it to this building,” Selyara shrugged. “Besides, we’ll be long gone before anyone could-”
And then the door to Declan’s apartment exploded.
=[/\]=
Shawn Putnam
A.k.a.
Jake Crichton
Chief Engineering Officer
USS PHOENIX
and
Raxl Dreyton
Bounty Hunter
Getting Too Old For This
