Disclaimers as in part 1.
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden 4/?
by Mistress V
Although Spock remained skeptical about the capabilities of their transport, he nodded in grudging admiration when the craft pulled into the orbiting Risan security spacedock a little after 19:00 local time. The ride had been smooth, thanks partly to the ship's size, which allowed it to bypass the main shipping lanes. These could become as clogged as any Terran expressway if condition were right. That and the pilot, naturally. He wondered how to ask Mitchell if he could possibly sit second chair on the return journey.
The group was whisked through immigration and onto the transporter platform. A few moments later, they materialized in what appeared to be the living room of a large villa.
"Welcome, everyone." An older man stepped forward, dressed in a tropical looking uniform. "I'm General Jasik of Risan Intelligence. You're in our VIP safe house, just up the beach from a popular vacation rental colony called The Cove." He nodded at Mitchell. "Good to see you again, Gary."
"You too, Marto."
The hum of a transporter began once more. The general motioned the group off to one side. They watched as a pair of females took form. One was Andorian, the other Orion.
"The timing couldn't be better. Ladies, welcome again to Riptide House." The man indicated the quartet beside him. "May I present Major Sarila of the Orion Special Forces, and Commander Thavat of the Andorian Imperial Guard's Security Division. Ladies, Commander Mitchell of Starfleet Intelligence and his colleagues Captain Kirk, Commander Spock and Lieutenant Chapel."
The Andorian woman stepped forward first and addressed Spock. "I am pleased to make your acquaintance, sir," she said crisply. "Finally."
Spock merely raised his eyebrow, right on cue. "And you, Commander. May I ask why you are so anxious to meet me?"
"Our ancestors have already done so. At the ceremony marking the founding of the Federation," Thavat continued. "I am honored to work with you."
"I am likewise honored," Spock replied.
Thavat turned to Mitchell now and changed demeanor in a heartbeat. "Gaz!" she purred, just before embracing him.
Mitchell reciprocated the welcome. "Fancy meeting you here," he said nonchalantly.
"Ahem." General Jasik smiled at the assemblage. "I'm sure you all have much to talk about. For now, I'll turn you over to Doctor Wisth here, who will provide the necessary meds to acclimatise you. We won't need to meet this evening, so I'll say we convene tomorrow morning here at 10:00 hours. In the meantime, you can check in with whomever quite easily from our communications center. Gary, I'll need to touch base with you briefly. And after that, you're all free to explore the accommodations. Do enjoy yourselves. Remember, it's Risa."
Kirk turned to the Orion woman and flashed her a smile. "Have *we* met?" he inquired flirtatiously. "You certainly look familiar."
"No, we haven't." The woman smiled back playfully. "But you might have met my cousin, who was at the Academy about the same time you were?"
Kirk shrugged off his embarrassment. "Really?" he replied.
"Yes, Gaila was the first one from *that* branch of the family to attend. Of course, I never let her forget that, seeing as I was the first Orion cadet. Ever."
"Touche," Kirk said sheepishly, recalling the woman's profile with instantaneous clarity. "Should we call you Commander?"
"No, even though I hold that rank in Starfleet, I'm still primarily watchdogging our system with my own forces. It'll be fun comparing notes, though. How *is* my cousin, anyway?"
"Er, fine..."
Christine hung back as the group moved through medical formalities. Mitchell immediately disappeared for a briefing. Spock and the Andorian were engaged in conversation about aeons past and Kirk was busy making time with the jade skinned lovely. She felt downright out of place. Once the Risan doctor dispensed her shots, she allowed herself to be escorted to a guestroom overlooking a large, horseshoe shaped courtyard that included a rock lined pool. There wasn't much to unpack, but she started in on that right away.
A tapping sound startled her. "Yes?" she called.
The door opened and the two female agents she'd been introduced to now came in. Both were attired in swimsuits and cover ups.
"Knock, knock!" Major Sarila said. "We're the welcoming committee. How you settling in?"
"I feel like I've just checked in to the Hotel California," Christine said honestly, not sure of what to do next.
"Don't worry, honey, it'll pass. Trust me, we've been through this more times than you could imagine. What shall we call you, for now? Christine? Or Chris?" This from the Andorian.
"Chris will be fine. I'll admit, I haven't given much thought to another name. The news I just was given has been a little unsettling."
"You mean about old dirtbag Rick?' Midlife crisis if you ask me, seen a hundred of them in my time, maybe more. By the way, call me Sari. It's easier." The Orion woman spoke as she looked through a large closet. "Hmm. That last op here was nowhere near your size. A good enough excuse to shop till we drop tomorrow."
"Last op?" Christine asked, perplexed. She couldn't even wrap her thoughts around the possibility Roger had betrayed her.
"Hon, you wouldn't believe how popular this stop is," the Andorian now added. "All kinds of things happen on Risa, behind the scenes. For us, this is a walk in the park. And I'm just Thava. No ranks here."
"We're going for a swim. With any luck, some of the local agents stationed here will join us for some water volleyball. My blue friend here has a lethal spike. Then we'll see what the kitchen staff can whip up for us. You game, Chris?"
In for a penny, in for a pound. "Sure," Christine replied with a smile. "Lead on."
***********
Spock came out onto his deck and surveyed the action in the courtyard below. A vigorous game of aquatic volleyball was in progress, and Mitchell had wasted no time participating. His gaze moved from female to female, noting each one's attributes. Mere research for his role, he told himself. But try as he might, he could not keep his eyes off the only Terran in the batch. This was disquieting, especially since his inbox had contained nothing from Nyota.
"Nice view, eh. Spock?" Kirk's voice prodded.
Spock addressed his next door neighbor. "It is adequate," he stated, indicating the moonlit sea that shimmered just beyond the courtyard's end. "Most different to my homeworld."
"You mean you've never seen any tropical environment before now?"
"I have not experienced this particular setting, no. My extreme climate training included deserts and arctic regions, but not this."
Kirk smiled. "Let's go down and join in. Come on. It'll help break the ice. Have you ever played volleyball before?"
"I have, at the Academy. But this form is decidedly different." Spock raised an eyebrow as he watched Christine set up a serve for her Andorian teammate.
"So, you can be the ref. I hear Vulcans are supposed to be impartial, anyway. Get a move on, before I have to order you."
Spock assented, but in his heart he knew no order would be necessary.
************
Warplag, tropical breezes, the sound of nearby waves and exotic birdsong all combined to awaken Christine early. She showered and dressed in a loose cotton tunic, then made her way towards the balcony. The view was spectacular, she thought. There were at least a dozen guest suites built around the pool courtyard and they all looked to be as spacious as hers. At the end of it all, a sugary sand beach beckoned, bordering the warm crystalline aqua waters the resort was known for. A low outbuilding served as staff quarters, she knew, from a late night walk with her fellow guests. And several large, separate quarters were built into the nearby hillside---ultra VIP digs, she was told. The Risans certainly knew how to combine business and pleasure. From the exterior, the place looked like any luxe vacation complex.
Her door chime sounded and she hurried to let in her guests.
"Morning, Chris. We wake you?" Thava asked. She held up a large stasis container. "Coffee, fresh brewed, if you're interested."
"I've never met a caffeine I didn't like. What's that for, though?" Christine pointed to a portable computer that Sari was setting up on the patio table.
"Time for your new look, my dear. Thava, will you do the honors?"
"Sure." The Andorian produced a small data recorder and made careful sweeps of Christine's head, neck and face. Then she fed the readings into the computer banks.
"That's me!" Christine exclaimed. "Wait a minute," she continued, seeing her blonde hair disappear from the image. "No one said anything about my being a Deltan, you know!"
"Relax, hon." Sari looked her over with a critical eye. "Hair down," she said.
Christine did as she was asked and held still as both women examined her tresses, assessing length, texture and fullness.
"I think clean and geometric," Sari finally said, punching in some codes. "What's your natural color, Chris?"
"You know this isn't mine?" Christine touched a hand to her head, mortified that her roots were probably showing.
"Whoever said blondes have more fun wasn't playing with a full deck, sweetie. There are more colors in the galaxy then you could imagine," Thava laughed, indicating the royal blue highlights in her flaxen mane.
"I'm a few steps lighter than you, Sari," Christine said. "My mom called it nutmeg, if that makes any sense."
"That'd be a nice shade. Close to my own, my Terran hairdresser calls it cinnamon." She turned the screen so the woman could see a mockup of a severe chin length bob with bangs cut diagonally across the forehead from short to long. "And the proportions frame your face so that your jawline is disguised.".
"No." Christine now shook her head adamantly. " Style yes, but not as a brunette. Roger knew me that way. And as a redhead. And finally this color. I hate it, by the way. Makes my hair break off something awful."
"It looks great with your skin tone, though. Good trichology. What haven't you been, I wonder?" Thava bit her lip and thought. "I've got it. Midnight orchid."
"PURPLE?" Christine now gasped. "I'm supposed to be Terran, remember?"
"It's a dark black from the violet family," Sari reassured her. "See for yourself."
Christine regarded the image presented. "Nice, and the total opposite of who Roger knew. I like it," she finally declared. "But my blue eyes have to go. Roger knew them all too well."
"I think I have just the ticket," Sari offered. She called up additional data and the three women watched as Christine's ordinarily ice blue irises changed to a deep grayish blue. The effect was quite stunning---even on a computer.
"Wow! What's that called? Maybe I'll keep it!" Christine joked.
"Polar spring."
"That about sums up my feelings towards Roger, or Rick, or whatever he calls himself these days." Christine held up her coffee mug. 'To the demise of dirtbags everywhere," she proposed.
************
Spock also was an early riser. He'd been up in the grey of dawn and done a brief meditation to settle himself. Then a vigorous walk into the hills behind the villa. He'd seen Christine on her balcony as he was returning and wondered how she was adjusting, especially emotionally. The human concept of putting on a brave face, as he'd learned, was nowhere near as simple a task as it was for a Vulcan. Even for a half Vulcan
Female giggles interrupted the perusal of his background persona's information. He glanced out the window and saw his shipmate out on her deck, laughing merrily with the two female operatives. Her features were animated with humor, something he rarely saw on board ship when business ruled the order of the day. That was not so unusual, except that the air of sad uncertainty he'd first noticed when she came aboard, and which had dogged her through the first weeks settling into duty, at last seemed to be dissipating. Perhaps only for the duration of this mission, or perhaps a sign of a true sea change. And the thought pleased him.
He'd first noticed the subtle shift during the prior night's water volleyball contest. As Jim predicted, he'd served as ref. Though his calls were fair, they were naturally the subject of humorous complaints by the players. At one point Christine had muttered, 'blind as a bat' and he'd not even thought about the illogic of the saying she used, he'd simply shrugged and stated, "In your opinion," and thrown the ball back into play. After the contest, they'd all had an informal late meal and learned about each other's backgrounds. Kirk and Mitchell's outrageous attempts at the most unbelievable tale added spice to the already delicious food on offer. Despite his practical side chiding him for participating in such illogical behavior, he'd enjoyed the time spent and chalked it up to the learning experience. The next few days were likely going to be full of those. As he'd heard many times in his Academy days, what happened on Risa stayed there and he finally saw the logic of the statement.
**********
The women were completing the transformation into The Ladies Who Shop in Christine's room.
"The guys are supposed to head out to the marina. This pair goes there quite a bit, so it's a case of see and be seen," Sari explained as she attached a faux fall of sunsplashed gingery curls to the back of her head. The transition from all business to resort babe was remarkable. "There," she told her reflection with an air kiss.
"Shouldn't we go too?" Christine asked as Thava set a day version of her new raven hued hairstyle, a simple French braid, into place.
"Nope, they're going to spend wads of credits on renting a powerboat to show off. It's a male thing," she replied, tucking in some last errant wisps. "We're going to spend wads of credits shopping. Sky's the limit, though we don't get to keep much of our spoils. It's not bad, though, getting to play Pygmalion now and then. Sure beats being sequestered in some awful dive, watching weapons runners do business for the umpteenth time."
"Word'll get back to Mutt and Jeff that some new arrivals are splashing out. That'll be sure to get an invite to the casino, but if not, one of the Risan operatives can take care of that," Sari added. "Now where are your eyes?"
"In my head?" Christine giggled, just as the doorbell rang and a staff member appeared with the tinted contact lenses.
It only took a moment for Christine to pop the light hydrated discs into place. They were weightless and almost unnoticeable, which was good since she'd be in them for the next however many days. She gazed at her reflection and was stunned to see an almost total stranger staring back at her. "Wow," she whispered.
"Wow indeed! Now what about a name?" Sari asked.
"How about...." Christine began. Her companions clapped in approval.
**************
The trio made their way downstairs and were just helping themselves to the breakfast buffet when the rest of the group appeared.
"Nice, very nice," Mitchell began. "But who's this?" he asked in amazement, pointing to the former Christine Chapel.
"It's Jett," she responded coolly. "With two t's."
And with that, Jett sat down and opened the first chapter of her new life.
FIN of 4.
For Christine's new look, think Abby of the TV show NCIS.