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     Captain Daren |
Dealing with the ‘Recently Subverted’… --------------------------------------- Having the barrel of a Phaser Pulse Pistol to the back of one’s head isn’t the most calming of sensations. Captain William Daren knew he should never have taken his eyes off her. He should have known the instant she told him that she had intentionally looped the thread, that she could not be trusted. The scene in Sickbay played back in his mind like some kind of cruel joke. “Captain, I am the one who looped us again. I feel that we have to get to Xanadu as soon as possible if we are to save this universe. Please, take me with you.” “Why didn’t you inform me of your intention to looping us again? Answer well if you want to come to the bridge…answer damn well!” “Sir, there are Adversaries everywhere. Had I made my intentions known – even to you – my attempts would have been sabotaged.” He instantly wondered if Tal, his right hand, had been playing him for a fool. Wondered if she had been subverted this entire time. He turned around to face her, and she aimed the weapon solidly between his eyes. Then the communications system sounded in the room, “I suggest you evacuate the Bridge. I have taken control of Captain Daren and will kill him if my demands are not met. Before you leave the Bridge, set a course for the L036/L037 system. That is all. For now.”, an artificial voice demanded. Daren leaned gently on the side of the desk behind him in as much of a non-threatening manner as possible. When Tal inched closer to make up for the new space between them, she seemed nearly emotionless. It all appeared as if this were all just a preplanned proverbial ‘walk in the park’. Silently, Daren hoped his crew would at the very least set the course requested of them in order to buy some time and to save his life, if only for a little bit more. He looked at Tal, in all respects she was the same woman that served him as First Officer, but something was very, very different. He focused on the PPP and nearly had to cross his eyes to do so. “Where did you get that?”, he asked. He was of course understandably curious, because hours before he had personally cut off all of Commander Tal’s access to the ship’s weapons facilities including lockers, torpedo bays, and explosives supply sheds. Furthermore, most of her time prior had been spent in Sickbay, and later with armed escorts never more than ten feet away from her. That weapon and the fact that it was in her hand, as far as he was concerned, was impossible. Daren thought he was doing fairly well in dealing with the recently subverted Executive Officer. After all, General Ironside, also recently subverted in a previous loop had been released from the brig and allowed to remain in close proximity to Admiral Lora Kor. Daren didn’t feel he had the authority, or the wherewithal, to restrict the movement and access of a Flag Officer without an insurmountable body of evidence. He did however feel it necessary to keep Commander Tal under close watch. He couldn’t release Tal from her cloud of suspicion so easily however, and had two of the largest Security Officer’s on the ship stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her at all times. Again, much more than was being done to the General. It didn’t make the current situation in the Ready Room any more forgivable however. She didn’t respond to his question, just continued to keep the gun trained on him. His ever-present sarcasm seemed to think up any number of witty remarks such as: ‘Didn’t your father ever tell you it’s not polite to point? Oh, right...guess not’ but none of them made it to his lips. He didn’t want to do anything that would provoke an aggressive response from whatever or whomever it was standing before him. But he did want to find out just what the hell was going on, and with the situation already bad he didn’t see how it could get much worse. And he didn’t seem to think he had much to lose at this point… Captain William Daren Commanding Officer (IC) USS Coronado NCC-97901 Sim Executive Officer http://www.jestertrek.com/coro2400/bodies/depts/command.html#co ******************* As portrayed by: Chris Catterson Long Island, NY ccatt@optonline.net |