Where Chickens Can Cross the Road, Part II

Posted on Wed 31st Jul, 2019 @ 2:27pm by Lieutenant Damion Ildaran
Edited on on Sun 17th May, 2020 @ 6:06am

1,655 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: A Diplomatic Affair
Location: Spock Tower Penthouse, Deck 1553, Ischemia Addams Legal Services
Timeline: MD-3, 1550 hours

Previously:

"Thank you. I'll be there in twenty, then. What documentation do you need for me to bring?"

"For now, just bring your story. I'll listen and we'll go from there," Ischemia said.

---

Fifteen minutes later, Damion stood at the entrance of Spock Tower on Deck 1553. He'd changed into a civilian business suit and carried a PADD in a tablet sleeve. He wanted to look like just another businessman there on business; appearing there in uniform would have made him noticeable. He identified himself to the doorman, who directed him to a private elevator, which Damion took up to the top floor, where he exited.

The white marble floor of the foyer held only a sleek mahogany table, which quietly broadcast its antiquity, and a plain crystal vase of bright red gladiolas and dark greenery. Four doors faced anyone who made it this far. A discreet antiqued brass sign with raised letters was fastened next to the door across from the elevator. It simply read 'Addams'. The dark wooden door also had an antique brass accent, a simple Demon's Head Doorknocker.

Damion went to the door marked 'Addams' and gave the door knocker a curious look. What alien race was that from, he wondered? After a moment of trying to recall any aliens who had curling horns growing from their temples, Damion gave up. He was about to simply walk in, as he would to any lawyer's office where he was expected and on time, but because it was a door knocker, he rapped it against the door twice instead, and waited.

Ischemia's eyrie was almost inaccessible for a reason, and she had no assistant or even service robot, so when the knock resounded through her penthouse, she arose from behind the desk and answered it in person. She swung the door open to see a dapper dark-haired man with piercing gray eyes. "Lieutenant Ildaran, I presume," she greeted him, with every confidence that the watcher at the door had vetted him properly.

"Yes, Ma'am. And you would be Ms. Addams?" Her dress was ... not the usual business suit Damion expected. It was solid black, and flowy, and went all the way to the deck.

She nodded, not correcting him to doctor. Most people didn't think about lawyers as Doctor Somebody, though she had the SJD. Rank and honors were never important to her, unless she needed the intimidation factor. That didn't enter into this discussion.

"Please, come in." Turning her back, and trusting him to close the door, Ischemia walked down a very short entry hall into a large, open room with a wall of windows facing outward, a view of the river some distance below. She took a seat on a white sofa, her right side to the windows. Her black flowing floor-length tunic dress accentuated her pale skin against the pure white. With red-tipped nails, she gestured for him to be seated across from her and picked up the fat round teapot from the tray that sat on a table between them. She poured two small handle-less cups of the beverage and handed him one, without asking whether he wanted it.

"All negotiations are better when begun with a small ritual," she half-smiled at him. "This is mine. Purely an herbal concoction, I assure you, and a pleasant blend of cherry, black raspberry and spearmint extracts." She took a sip from her cup and waited for him to do the same.

"Thank you," Damion said as he seated himself and accepted the delicate cup she handed him. He marveled at its workmanship. "I grew up drinking basil tea, so this is fine. You have a beautiful tea service." Damion inhaled the scent of the tea, enjoyed the fruity aroma, and sipped from his cup.

"Thank you. It once belonged to Grandmama." She drank half the small cup and then set it down on the table. "Now, tell me first about the woman you mentioned, and then we'll get into whatever mess she finds herself living."

Damion gave Addams a wry smile. "I don't even know where to begin." He took another swallow of tea. "Her legal name is Zelda Alegari. I think one of the more important things you'll need to know about her is--that she's all in pieces. She has dissociative identity disorder; Counselor Graves confirmed it. So defending her in court could be a problem if she's required to testify. So far, we've identified four separate personalities that she has. Counselor Graves thinks Zelda is the original, the one all the others splintered off from. She doesna know much of what's going on. She has a degree in botany. Something bad happened with her first job, something that wrecked her life, but I don't know how. I was not told that by Zelda, but by one of the others.

"The next one we met was Destiny--That's the name she gave. I think she exists to get Zelda out of tight spots. She's charming, sensual, likes to flirt. I don't know how far she'd actually go with a man; I didna test that. Likes jewelry. I'd call her adventurous. She likes to see and do new things. Thinks trees are dull as dirt.

"Lastly, there are Tanith and Morrigan--both very take-charge ladies. Tanith has champagne tastes--literally!--Might be she likes to dominate with elegance. I think she's a bit of an investigator. Morrigan ... I didna get to see her at a meal, but I have the sense she's a tad more utilitarian--all business. Graves says she remembers the worst things, that he felt how sickened she felt." Damion shook his head. "He also thinks there's got to be a fifth personality, at least, because he didna find what he was looking for in the ones we've met."

"You weren't kidding when you said this was complicated," Ischemia mused. "So we have at least four separate clients to defend, and no way of knowing which one is up to bat at any given moment? No way to predict what causes the changes? That will take some thought. So, I suppose I look at why they're in your custody."

"Yes, four clients--though Morrigan told me you'd be dealing with her," Damion said. "Once you get to know them, you'll be able to tell whom you're dealing with. They have wildly different mannerisms and slightly different voices from each other. Morrigan's an alto, for example."

Damion sipped again from his tea and wondered if Ischemia Addams used it on purpose as a way to help her clients collect their thoughts. He hoped the pot was full, because he had a lot of thoughts to collect.

"We apprehended Zelda--though it may have been Destiny--when one of the electronic warfare pilots picked up a signal originating from this station to an unknown location elsewhere. We isolated it to a storage compartment close to Tivoli Gardens and went in with phasers blazing. We thought the signaler was behind the pirate attacks, so we had to presume the person was armed and dangerous--which she turned out to be, but not with the usual sort of weapon."

Addams pushed the pot toward Damion, indicating he should help himself. "Could you explain that last part a little more? What dangerous weapon do you mean?"

Damion sat still, peering at the dark liquid in his teacup for a moment before he raised his eyes and looked back at Ischemia. "Her weapon was the oddest thing imaginable--a poison ring." He grimaced. "It had been--implanted into her finger so she couldn't remove it." Damion shook his head. "That put a whole different complexion on things. Suddenly, we didn't think this was about pirates anymore. Suddenly we had to ask ourselves if Zelda truly was a willing participant."

He refilled his teacup. "The ring had to be beamed off her finger by a surgeon. The blaigheard thing has a mind of its own. After we put it into an evidence container, it grew into the container and refiled itself with poison. I'm not at liberty to explain to you how, but that's what it did." Damion let out a breath. "Yesterday, I interviewed Zelda, and that's when the four personalities revealed themselves. When I asked about the ring, Tanith asked to see it, so she could study it. She had no memory of it but thought she might recall if she saw it. When Destiny saw the ring yesterday, she said it was death and wanted nothing to do with it. She was terrified. Morrigan elected to not touch the ring when I told her I wouldn't touch it."

Thinking over all the things she'd heard, Ischemia realized this could easily be the most interesting case she'd ever had part in. Immediately, her mind began to shuffle responsibilities into a Must-Do file and a Can-Wait file. After a moment, she nodded, and said, "Alright. I will take the next step and talk with her, if you like. We'll see what we see. If I think I can help her, I will seriously consider taking her on as a client. If I think I can't, or it will take more time than I have available, I'll give you a recommendation for someone else. Is that acceptable?"

"That is more than acceptable," Damion said. "I've looked at other lawyers here, but none of the ones I'd trust have near the experience I think might be needed. I will talk to Ms. Alegari--or Ms. Endrade, as the case may be. Thank you very much for your time--and for the tea, Ms. Addams."

Showing him out, she merely said, "You're welcome. Let me know if your prisoner desires further contact." Her mind was already back in the Besm files she'd been immersed in previously, while she let her subconscious stir around the information the lieutenant had given her.

 

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