Chapter 2 – Trouble Colored Green

"Good stuff," Mack MacKenzie praised her Bridge crew. "We did well on Tellar – I've got the bucks to get ahead a bit."

"Can I ask you something?" asked Daniya as she piloted.

"Don't stand on ceremony."

"Could it be in private?" the green-skinned woman asked. "Uh, no offense, Crita." It was only the three of them on the Bridge.

"It's all right," the Daranaean replied. "I don't believe we will receive any communications for a while."

"Could you work on the project with Wes?" Mack asked, referring to the need to install surveillance cameras.

"Certainly," Crita replied. She flipped a few switches on her console and took a small earpiece out of a large, triangularly-shaped, fluffy white ear. "If we finish early, is it all right if I paint? I'd like to work on the running track mural a bit."

"Sure; take your time. I'll get someone in here, or call you back in if we have a problem," Mack stated. Crita left. Mack turned to Daniya. "Well?"

"I, well, this is a little embarrassing."

"Oh?" Mack, at age fifty, was a good two decades or so older than Daniya, maybe even more. "Tell me your troubles."

"The Orion Syndicate says I owe more money than I thought I did."

"How much?"

"A lot. They must have figured out that we're starting to make some serious coin now. They want their cut."

"From who?" asked Mack. "I'm not an Orion, and you're only half, and you don't work for them anymore, anyway."

"Well, you see, Dana, the problem is that an Orion woman can never truly leave the – alleged – service of the Syndicate."

"Surely, they would allow you a stipend to live on, right?"

Daniya shook her head. "They don't care."

Mack sighed. "Just how much are we talking about? Maybe I could loan you the money."

"It's almost a year's worth of my pay, Dana."

"Okay, that's bad. What'll happen if you don't pay? You just up and refuse?"

"They'll take shots at us whenever we're in their space. And they will have no qualms about grabbing anyone on the team, from anywhere, to hold as a hostage until I either give up, or I pay them, preferably both, so far as they're concerned."

"So, they could conceivably kidnap the Puppy Girl on her wedding day?"

"Yes, Dana they could potentially try to kidnap Crita, even on Daranaea."

"What about the Federation authorities?"

"They seem to look the other way. I don't know," Daniya shrugged, "but I would not be shocked if there was corruption."

"I can call my cousin Marty. Something's gotta be possible."

"It won't be. I'll have to resign. I'm sorry."

"No, no! C'mon, Daniya! We can fix this. Just, just give me a chance. Please?"

"They are ruthless. This is dangerous."

"I was in stir for nearly two decades. They can't do to me anything that I haven't had happen to me already."

"But Crita hasn't, and Wes hasn't, and I bet that all of the others haven't. Dana, I can't let anything happen to any of you. I would never be able to live with myself."

"I see," Dana said, after thinking it over for a while. "Let me talk to Marty anyway. He is the, the straightest arrow I know." She smiled a tiny bit, as that was her private name for him. "And I bet his captain's on the level, too. I know Wes knows him. Let us try to help you. Give me, I dunno, three days. Is that okay with you?"

"All right, but I reserve the right to end that time period early if they start to take potshots at us before that."

"That's fair enough," Mack replied.

=/\=

On the Engineering level, Crita and Wes worked together, installing the hidden surveillance cameras. "Are you excited about getting married?" he asked, taking a hyperspanner from her.

"Of course! Senjarus is so kind. And I am corresponding with his other two wives. We have been rather pleasantly getting acquainted."

"What are they like?"

"The Prime Wife is Thayla. She is very lovely indeed. I understand that she is a fine cook, too."

"Well, that's good. And what about the other one? What's she like?"

"Pensive. She – Salena – is responsible for educating the children, and she takes her role very seriously. She always seems to be trying to improve herself."

"How many kids are there?"

"Four young ones and each wife now also has a pouchling. They are not pregnant, though. Senjarus says he does not believe in engaging in relations if a woman has a pouchling."

"That makes sense. Can they, uh, hear things? The pouch babies, I mean."

"Huh. I imagine they can. I do not recall that time. I do not believe that most Daranaeans do. Wesley, will you marry?"

"Eventually, I guess." He got up. "We need to check our work."

"Yes, absolutely. Let us try the motion sensors first." She walked in front of where she knew they had placed cameras, as Wes watched a display. "Well?"

"Camera number five seems to be a little slow on the uptake. The others are okay, though. I'll see about taking it apart later. I'm speculating, of course, but I bet there's just some dirt on one of the contacts."

"That is a reasonable supposition. Let's cover the ionization diffuser, too. I know Dana was particularly concerned about it."

They walked over to the diffuser station. It was not meant to look like anything special – the better to throw pirates or a boarding party off the scent. There was a console with switches on display, and a joystick. There was also a swivel chair and a link to communications, and that was about it.

They installed tiny, unobtrusive cameras – no bigger than a fingernail – next to the display, above the station, by the communications link, and next to the joystick. They tested their work and, this time, the camera work was flawless.

"I think we're done," Wes commented.

"Yes, I agree. Dana is allowing me to get in some painting, so I think I will go and do that now."

"Aren't you on duty, Crita?"

"I am supposed to be, but she is speaking privately with Daniya."

"Oh, well, I hope it's nothing serious."

=/\=

At the same time, Temporal Agent Richard Malcolm Daniels and his boss, Admiral Carmen Calavicci, were flying in their time ship, the Audrey Niffenegger. Audrey was cloaked, so Dana and her crew could neither see nor otherwise sense the nearly vaguely arrowhead-shaped craft.

"How do you want to approach them?" he asked. She was piloting.

"We've got three days until Yi'imspi – apparently – pulls the wrong lever on the Cookie, and the timeline becomes, shall we say, grievously impaired." She made air quotes as she said the last two words. "I think you should go and just, just try to help MacKenzie catch Yi'imspi in the act. I believe the chips will fall as they may when you do."

"Me? What about you? Aren't you coming with me, Carmen?"

"I think it would be better if you were to go it alone. She's always liked you. You work together well in every single iteration."

"Still, I mean, you should help me convince her, or something."

"No," Carmen explained, "we can't have them seeing Audrey. I mean, truly seeing her, in her proper form. We'd have to correct that as well. You know Crusher would copy the design the moment he saw it."

"Yeah, I suppose so. We'll need to really keep her cloaked well."

"Precisely. So, here, look, we're close enough to the old Delphic Expanse that Audrey can just be disguised as a shuttle or some other smaller craft."

"Okay, and I can put out a distress call, maybe, and have them take Audrey into a cargo bay. Hmm," he thought for a moment, "we'll need to hide you, Car."

"How about the bedroom area? There's a holodeck, as I recall."

"Yeah, well, it's kinda also my bachelor pad."

Carmen laughed at that. "I do hope the sheets are clean, then."

"Yes, they're clean. Sheesh!" He pretended to be annoyed. "We can get the holodeck controls to just make a closet, and you can hide in there, I guess."

"Better than hiding under the bed."

=/\=

On the Cookie, as Crita painted, Mack sat in command and looked at Daniya, who was still piloting. "Let me ask you this," Mack ventured, "how public do you wanna go with this?"

"I'm not sure. Contacting your cousin, I feel, that's a good idea. After that, it feels a little sketchy to me, like this information might endanger them."

"What about telling Crita, and Wes and Majira?"

"No, I can't risk it," Daniya decided. "It's not that I don't trust them; it's that I don't trust the Syndicate."

"Got it. Well, let's try Marty, okay? Do you mind if we do that now?"

"That's fine. We're near the old Delphic Expanse. I don't think we'll run into anything too troublesome here."

"Good." Mack went to Crita's station and flipped a few switches. The face of a female Bolian relayer appeared on the main view screen.

"Can I help you?" asked the Bolian.

"Yes, please, I'd like to talk to Commander Martin Madden. He's the First Officer on the Enterprise-E."

"Connecting you now."

The Bolian's blue face was replaced by a view of the Enterprise-E's Bridge. Marty wasn't the only person there. It was also Captain Picard, a female Trill named Kel Perrim, and Michael Daniels. The captain smiled warmly at them. "Miss MacKenzie! To what do we owe this unexpected call?"

"I, er," Mack bit her lower lip for a second. She had been hoping to just leave a fast message for her cousin, not explain herself to his boss. "Can I talk to you and Commander Madden privately? Uh, sorry, Mike, everyone. And I'm sorry to bother you, too, Captain. If it's a bad time, I can call back later."

"No worries," Mike said.

"No trouble; things appear to be going smoothly right now," commented the captain. "So of course; let's switch this to my Ready Room. Daniels, you have the Bridge," Picard announced as Marty fiddled a bit with the Communications equipment and then quickly called for a relief Bridge crew.

In a few moments, the view was switched to the inside of Picard's Ready Room. "Well?" asked the captain.

Mack turned to her pilot. "I, well, I didn't want to come to you. Neither of us did. Nothing personal – we just wanted to fix it ourselves. And we normally would, but this is really beyond our control." Marty raised an eyebrow and looked concerned. Mack continued, "We've got trouble. Daniya, you're on."

"Uh, yes. See, the issue is that I am in hock to the Orion Syndicate. But, honestly, this is a small matter for you."

"It's all right," said the captain. "I don't mind listening for a bit. But isn't every Orion or part-Orion woman beholden to the Syndicate?"

"Yes, that's true. But their fees have really skyrocketed. Essentially, it will force me to leave the team, even if I can pay up, in full."

"But why?" asked Marty.

"They'll find something to charge me; I guarantee it. And they will take hostages if it suits them. This means not just me or Dana here, but even our Daranaean Communications Officer, or Mister Crusher."

"I see," Picard murmured. "Hostages and extortion? Now it's Federation business. I'm glad you confided in us."

"I was – we were – wondering," Mack said, "if we could get some sort of protection. Or, or some way to get them off Daniya's case. I need her. And I'm worried about the safety of my team. They didn't sign on for this. Plus, Wes is former Starfleet."

"I recall," Marty said, "that I'm not allowed to be a part-owner of the ship, due to the presence of, er, some of its tech."

"Daniya knows all about the diffuser," Mack explained.

"Here, perhaps I can petition for an ownership stake," Picard offered. "My rank may afford me that privilege, to become an exception to the rule. Then there would be another reason for us to assist you, and for the Syndicate to think twice before striking."

"That would be really helpful," Dana commented.

"Thank you, sir," Marty added.

"I appreciate your help, Captain," Daniya said, "but the Syndicate is far from nice or fair. I am concerned that they could eventually try to target your own people. I don't want to be responsible for their endangerment."

"Leave that to the Federation," Picard assured her. "Now, we'd best go, so that I can request permission."

"I'll talk to you soon," Marty vowed to Mack. He looked straight at her as he said that. She smiled back at him, eyes shining a little.

"Safe journeys; Picard out."

Once the connection had been cut, Daniya turned to Mack and said, "He's in love with you."

"The captain? I'm not so sure how I feel about that."

"No, silly; your cousin."

=/\=

On the Enterprise-E, Picard turned to Marty. "I'll need to make this call in private."

"By all means, sir."

"She loves you a great deal, Commander."

"I don't know the Orion girl at all."

"Not her, Mister Madden. It is your cousin."

"It, uh, it's illegal, sir."

"More's the pity. I shall take care of this matter. Don't worry."

"Thank you again, sir." Marty left the Ready Room and returned to the Bridge.

Picard sat at his desk and commanded, "Computer, open a highly confidential channel to Admiral Nechayev."

Ready.

"Jean-Luc! What can I do for you?"

"This might seem to be a bit of an odd request, but I assure you that it is a very real one."

"Oh?"

"Yes; now, you might recall that traveling sports team – they're a kind of generalized barnstorming league until themselves. My First Officer is part-owner of the team."

"I have a vague recollection, yes."

"They fly in an advanced ship, which boasts an ionization diffuser and any matter of fascinating technology."

"Yes, well, the diffuser threatens the legality of the entire operation," she pointed out.

"True," he agreed. "And normally this matter would not be of concern to the flagship of the fleet."

"But their technology changes all that," she pointed out.

"Precisely. Evidently, the Orion Syndicate is claiming that their First Officer owes them a great deal of money. If they board that ship and repossess any of its technology, I presume such a seizure would pose a threat to the Federation."

"It would indeed. Tell me, Jean-Luc, how do you know of this?"

"Dana MacKenzie – the captain and owner – contacted us, seeking protection. I told her I would see if I could get your permission to become a part-owner of the vessel."

"And then naturally it would be under full-time Federation protection. Captain, that ship is likely skirting legality in other ways. There is every chance that such an intimate association could prove damaging to your reputation."

"You and I have known one another a long time, Admiral. Have you ever known such a thing to concern me before?"

She thought for a moment. "That's true, I haven't. Still, it may be less for your sake, and more for that of your crew, that you should concern yourself with such matters."

"How so?" he asked.

"Take Madden, for example," she said. "He is on a track to get his own command within the next five years or so. He is a part-owner of that team already. Plus, he has already been through one low level investigation into possible sexual harassment."

"That accusation was baseless, and no charges were ever filed by Miss Porter – who remains on my ship, I might add – so that should not matter. As for his partial ownership stake in the team, as I recall, that matter was cleared with you. This was prior to him claiming his share. Are you saying that your permission is hereby withdrawn, and he should renege on his promises to his cousin?"

"No, no, no – but the association is about as close and as strong as Starfleet is going to want to allow." She rubbed her forehead for a second.

"Then what needs to be done, and how?" he asked. "MacKenzie is a Federation citizen. So is her engineer, Wesley Crusher, the son of my Chief Medical Officer."

"Wait, that's it!" Nechayev snapped her fingers. "Have Doctor Crusher claim an ownership stake, perhaps even purchase a share! Then you will be able to offer full Federation protection to the vessel!"

"Are you certain? It all seems rather convoluted, Admiral."

"That, Captain Picard, is the very idea."