Sociis (Partners)

Posted on Sun 14th Feb, 2021 @ 8:16pm by

2,111 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Business Not At All As Usual
Location: Starbase 109, Isabella's Quarters
Timeline: MD 4, 915

Isabella sat at the desk in her quarters staring at the screen of the terminal trying to work out the details of her new ship. She knew the vessel would need some serious upgrades to perform the tasks that would be assigned to them. That is why she needed to find her crew. Others who could offer advice and confidence. There was one whom she had no choice in adding to her crew, but luckily for her, that person was an old family friend and would be joining Isabella momentarily. Isabella rubbed her eyes which were exhausted from looking staring at the terminal screen for so long.

[Door chime]

"Come!" Isabella said as she stood from the desk ready to welcome her guest and hopefully her new partner in crime.

Riko wasn't sure exactly what she was doing standing outside Isabella Perry's door, but when she heard the call to enter, she did so. Soon enough she'd have some facts to help her.

"Hello," McCord said, immediately noticing the new pips on Isabella's collar. "Look at you! A promotion! Are we having a party?"

Isabella laughed as she went to hug her friend. "Well,it is a party, but you may not want to celebrate by the time we're done. Come, come and sit. We have a lot to talk about." She walked Riko over to the long chair in her quarters. "Want something to drink?"

"Yes, please. It sounds like I might need a little fortification for our discussion. How about lemonade?" She watched as her friend obtained the drinks from the replicator and came back to sit next to her. "So, exactly what is going on? I've seen Henry scurrying around an odd looking ship ... not much more than a Captain's Yacht, really. Where did that come from, and what are you two doing with it?"

"Spoilers......." Isabella said as she sat down beside her friend. The new Lt. Cmdr found herself nervous for some reason and she did not know exactly why. "That's not true." She thought to herself. She knew she was nervous about having to give orders to someone who outranked her, but mainly to a friend. Someone she had known for years and looked up to. But that was also the benefit of what she was about, too. Having a friend at her side.

Laughing at herself, Isabella pulled out a pad from behind her on the sofa they were sitting at. "We have been given new orders, and I am going to need your help, old friend." Isabella handed Riko the PADD and took a sip of her lemonade while Riko read over the orders. She wasn't sure what Riko's reaction would be. She knew after the incident on Samurai that Riko had been on the Starbase for a long time. What she didn't know was if that was by Riko's own choice or not.

"The ship you saw in Henry's secret portion of the port is our new ship, Nomad. Admiral Nechayev has given us a golden opportunity to make a difference out there, working through Starfleet Intelligence. Although I get to pick my crew, the Admiral said that you had to be on that crew, hence the orders you are reading."

McCord looked up at that. "She said I had to be on the crew? Why in the galaxy would that be? I'm not an intelligence officer, just a lowly scientist. I came this close to resigning my commission," she showed her thumb and index finger barely a hair's breadth apart. "I haven't actually made a firm decision not to do it, even now. The idea of being home with family on Broken Drive is quite appealing since Samurai was attacked."

"I know, Riko. I was just as shocked as you when she told me you had to come on the mission. Can you think of any reason the Admiral would put you on an assignment like this? I mean, she has to know where you are emotionally at the moment. I know you still have reservations about being in Starfleet at all, but I want you to think about all the people we could help out there in the fringes of space."

With a sigh, McCord looked back at the orders. "Yeah, that's how the Federation always pulls me in. It's like they have some kind of direct link to my weak point."

She read the mission parameters again. "It isn't just intelligence missions. We'll be looking at helping in diplomatic situations with new members, or those being considered. I can keep a secret, but I'm not sure how diplomatic I am. Do you think she has some science-based mission planned shortly? That's what I'm actually capable of doing well. Otherwise, I can't think why I'd be necessary at all."

Isabella moved closer to her friend on the sofa. "Riko, you don't have to be a diplomat. Let me handle that part. I do know what you will be able to, and that will be my executive officer. Please come help me and have my back out there. You know I trust you as much as I trust my own brother. I won't be able to do this without you by my side."

Riko looked at her friend, searching her face for sincerity, which she found. "Alright," she said slowly, "I can do that ... have your back. I know a fair amount about being a first officer, so I think I can handle the duties, especially on a small team, and especially if we have ... well, who else is going? Anyone I know?"

"Thank you, Riko. I don't know what I would do without you." Isabella stood up and walked over to her desk. Riko's last question about who else would be a part of their merry band had been dancing around Isabella's head for a while now.

Once at the desk, Isabella sat down and input some commands on the terminal in the desk. The screen on the wall came to life with profile pictures of Starfleet officers.

"I have been thinking about who could be on our crew for a while now. We need to fill positions of a medic, pilot, and whatever else you and I come up with. I have been eyeing the Winter sisters for some time, but have never worked with them. I know you have spent some time with them, what can you tell me about them?"

A look of sorrow passed over McCord's face and was gone. "There are no better officers in Starfleet. They are not only competent, they are ... personable. They suffered a great loss on Samurai, and I don't know if they'd be willing to join us. They are currently attached to the Besm diplomatic corps, as Starfleet's representatives, I believe. I'd rather work with them than anyone but you and your brother. I just don't know if they'll be willing to work with me again."

Isabella caught the pained look upon Riko's, face but noticed how quickly it disappeared. She hides this feeling well, Isabella thought to herself. "What do you mean work with you again? You said work with you with such specificity. What do you mean? I know I never asked you or Henry about it, but what happened?"

Dropping her eyes to the floor, Riko replied, "There are those who could hold me responsible for some of the deaths when Samurai was attacked. I ... wasn't quick enough. It was so fast," she said softly. "I was concentrating on the Whitewind attacking us. Its engineer had to be insane or incompetent. I told the captain it would blow up at any moment, because it was leaking Gamma radiation at more than twice normal. One minute, there was one ship, and then there were three. They'd been cloaked and I hadn't picked it up, so worried about the one."

She closed her eyes, trying to control her breathing, trying to remain calm. "While I was watching one ship, the others ... the others were firing on us. They took out the port nacelle, and then they hit the bridge. Things were falling ... something fell on Captain Suzuki. I gave an order to communications, but no one answered. When I looked," she opened her eyes, "communications was gone. Everything, including crew, was gone on that side of the bridge. One of my favorite ..." she gulped and looked away trying not to cry.

"Some of the Winters died that day, and it was my fault. I'm ... getting past it. A lot of counseling with Dr. Graves, but I don't know that the Winters could trust me with their lives again." McCord was hesitant to look at her new boss, but she made herself do it. "I'd understand if you changed your mind about wanting me as XO ... or even on this venture, at all."

Isabella sat there, taking everything in. Riko's story, Riko's emotion, and the truth.

"Yes, I still want you to help me. Riko, what I just heard you describe was a Starfleet officer who took command and did her best. Exactly what Starfleet expects of all of us. You will not catch everything that is out there. But, how you respond to the unknown is what matters. And from what I am hearing, you responded admirably. You may not like the outcome of what happened, but remember, multiple enemies fired on you and your crew and you did what you could. So yes. I will still have you with me."

McCord nodded, and glanced at Isabella briefly. "I hear what you're saying, and it's along the lines of what Dr. Graves and Captain Suzuki have both indicated. I don't feel it yet, and I don't know if the Winters, the ones who are left, do. Given that you know what happened and still want me to sign on, I'm in."

She reflected a moment on the Winters, past and still present. "I'm willing to stand with you as you talk with the sisters, and we'll see what they say. They may not all want to join us, maybe none of them, but they may also have suggestions for others who would mesh with our crew of women. When do you want to go see them?"

"After we meet with my brother tomorrow," Isabella said, as she tapped on the desk terminal and brought up the schematic of the Nomad. "First I want your opinion on our ship. Henry will make whatever changes we want to her, but I need your opinion on what you think we need and what you want on her. Think of this as an early Christmas."

Smiling slightly, Riko said, "Okay, then I want my own room with no roommate! It can be small, though. The Winters like to share everything, so maybe a larger area for them. As captain, you should have nice quarters. We'll need a sickbay, a brig for storing undesirables, cargo space in case we actually have to pretend to do some trading ... I think we need at least three decks to get it all, but the residence deck can be a little smaller - 6-8 cabins, in case we have company, too. Is that the kind of thing you want to know?"

Isabella took a moment to consider Riko's comments about the ship upgrades. What she said made sense. An extra floor on the ship would give them more space to work with and more breathing space for everyone. She liked what she heard and wanted to move forward with it.

"I tell you what, Number One, I am sending you the schematics for our ship. Look them over and make notes of your wanted upgrades, and let's see what Henry says. I think we can make this happen. And thanks for agreeing to be there for me and with me. I really appreciate you."

"Thank you!" Riko said, eyes sparkling. "You really know how to make a scientist happy! I'm looking forward to this. I'll have some suggestions in a few hours, if you want a meeting with your brother. I haven't seen him lately, I have lots of hard time stored up to give him." She laughed and then added seriously, "This is a chance to save my Starfleet career, if that's what I decide I want. I appreciate you and the admiral, both, for that."

"Well, I have a feeling that you will be saving me to a degree as well. Remember, Iron sharpens Iron." Isabella said as she looked over to her new First Officer. "Now, let's look at this ship plans and create a beast of a ship."

 

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