Here's the next piece of the last part of the story. The conclusion is coming up next. Stay tuned, and I hope you enjoy this next-to-last chapter of Skin Deep: Part II!
Chapter Thirty-Five
Silarra closed her fist around the little data chip in its smooth plastic case, a surge of triumph bubbling up inside her.
It wasn't just the android – all these Federation fools seemed so trusting, so innately inclined to believe what they saw with their naked eyes! Even after several days of close observation, Silarra found their open attitude disorienting, alien. But, it seemed genuine and, so far, incredibly easy to manipulate…
Despite the 'veil of secrecy' the scientists had tried to spread over their work, while wearing the guise of first Dr. Anders, then Kurak, Silarra had come across no passwords, no body scans, no genetic identifiers of any kind standing between her and entry to their central workspace. The human scientist, Kapoor, and the Vulcan, Tu'Pari, had greeted her 'Kurak' that morning with genial comradery and barely questioned her claim that Dr. Anders had chosen to sleep in, rather than attend their early meeting.
They had shown her all their diagrams, talked her through the progress they had made translating the strange Preserver symbols they had found on the wall that enclosed the Stairway's mysterious energy source. And, as the briefing came to a close, Kapoor himself had pressed a copy of their coveted Rosetta stone into her palm.
"And this contains everything," she'd said, remembering to mask her giddy incredulity with Kurak's Klingon gruffness. "All the scans you made yesterday, the codes, the new translations—"
"Everything we worked out last night is on that chip," Nat had assured her, covering a large yawn with his hand. "But, don't worry. The original files, we coded and backed up literally everywhere, in every format imaginable. So, if there's another ground quake, or those raiders should attack again – if an asteroid should hurtle down and blow up our entire computer system – we're good. But, you're the energy field specialist. If you can use these translations to figure out the system down there, find a way to stop that damn field from draining our equipment — maybe even find a way to remotely control the energy source itself…? If you could get us something before we head back down there this afternoon, that would be great."
"I'll see what I can do," she'd said curtly and walked out with the data chip into the bright, desert morning…
Now, the Suliban chameleon smirked as she strode jauntily across the windy compound toward Kurak's private dome. Kapoor had gone for a nap, but she could see Tu'Pari's slender form in the sandy distance, heading off to see to the horses.
"Ridiculous people," she snorted. "How the Federation got to be such a force in this quadrant is a mystery to me."
She shook her head and stretched her arms and neck, exposing more of her skin to the sun.
"I think I'm going to make that creep's deadline after all," she mused smugly to herself. "Now, what's left to round up? I have the scientists' data, and that blonde scientist to interpret it. I've recovered the stolen robot, snatched the Federation empath… That sickly little Skin is out of range, but he was due to be a loss at any rate. The Klingon woman's a bonus, a pawn to knock the android off the board..."
She raised her chin, her smirk growing into a wide and wicked smile.
"That's it. That's what's left. Only that android could get in my way at this point, and thanks to that kiss the other day, I have him rolling like a ripe berry in my hand. Or, rather, in 'Kurak's' hand." She laughed. "Squash that metal sap, and the path to profit is wide open. I nab the two remaining Skins, follow those idiot scientists down to the Boss-man's precious energy source, and I'm on my way. And, this time, that cheap bastard will have to pay up, with none of his usual tricks."
She clenched her fist tighter around the data chip, and turned her gaze to the sky.
"Hear that, Boss-man, you washed-out freak!" she crowed to herself. "I'll demand every credit you promised me, and more. I'll have everything you want gathered up on my ship. In my possession! That makes this my game. And, I play to win!"
"So, it's the Klingon saffron that makes the batter such a vivid yellow," Data observed as he used the squeeze bottle to swirl another picture-perfect web of batter into the sizzling pan.
"I really like the smell of those greenish seeds you put in there," Ishta said, sniffing deeply as the delicate pancake browned and caramelized.
"Mmm, indeed," Data agreed, flipping and catching the lacey pancake, then tipping it out onto a plate with about half a dozen more – all exactly the same. Kahlestra took the dainty crepe to another plate, placed a small spoonful of bright red and purple berries in the middle, and quickly rolled and folded it into a double-cone that she passed on to Ishta while Data swirled more batter into the pan. "The scent is reminiscent of cardamom, an Earth spice," he said, "but the flavor is more like blend of mace and cayenne…perhaps with a pinch of fennel?"
"That's what makes these pancakes go so well with the blood pudding," Kahlestra said happily. "All those spicy flavors!"
"What is it with Klingon food," Ishta said, using a long fork to drizzle hot pepper-spiked caramel over the pancakes Kahlestra had rolled up. "It's like, if it's not trying to strangle you or bite your face, it's gonna burn your mouth off! Can't you ever have something that's just sweet, without all the pain?"
"Hey, if it doesn't fight back, it's not worth eating!" Kahlestra said and laughed.
The little team had been working an assembly line, each with a different task. After replicating all the ingredients and cooking tools required to accomplish their mission, Data had made use of his android speed to grind the spices and whip up the batter in record time, much to Kahlestra's, and even Ishta's, amazement.
"Look at him go," Kahlestra had said, her eyes wide with admiration. "It's like watching a holovid on fast forward!"
While the batter sat and 'hydrated', Kahlestra had shown Ishta how to brown the blood pudding and Data prepared the caramel topping. The first batch had burned, much to his alarmed dismay, for he had followed the instructions exactly. But, the second batch seemed to be behaving in accordance with the parameters specified in the recipe. Every time the sugary ooze seemed to harden up, a few seconds on the hot plate brought it back to a usable, flowing consistency.
"That's it!" Kahlestra announced proudly, stepping back from the platter of rolled and folded pancakes she and Ishta had artfully arranged around the central pile of crisp, blood pudding. "I don't think we can fit another pancake on this platter!"
"I don't think we can eat all the pancakes on this platter," Ishta observed, giving the impressive pile an appraising look.
"Then, let us pack up our materials and head back," Data said, and frowned at the bottle in his hand. "Hmm. We still have quite a lot of batter. It seems rather a shame if we don't use it."
"Let me, let me, Data!" Kahlestra exclaimed. "I want to make a pancake!"
"Well," Data considered, "I suppose we still have some time. But, please take care, Kay. The pan is quite hot."
"I want to make one that looks like a targ!" Kahlestra said, using the squeeze bottle to carefully draw a roughly targ-shaped outline, then fill it in with batter. "Ishta, hand me a spatula!"
The young Orion grabbed a spatula and walked over to peer at Kahlestra's creation.
"Not too bad," she allowed. "You think you can flip it?"
"Just watch me," Kahlestra said, and forced the spatula under the still-runny pancake.
"Ooph!" Data winced. "Kay, perhaps you should wait until—" But, she'd already flipped it over…no longer a mighty targ, but a rounded, wrinkled mass.
"Ha!" Ishta laughed. "Look at that! It's a tribble! Kay made a tribblecake!"
"No – no way!" Kahlestra cried in disgust and jabbed at the ruined pancake with her spatula. "Die! Die! I can't stand fluffy, evil, crop-munching tribbles!"
Data's eyes widened, but he couldn't help a small, amused smile as he moved swiftly in to take the hot pan and the spatula and scrape Kahlestra's pancake blob onto a plate. "There you are, Kay," he said. "Now, you may stab your tribblecake all you like."
"Wait, wait, I have an idea!" Ishta exclaimed, grabbing the nearly empty bowl of berries. "Can I have the rest of that batter?"
"You must be careful," Data warned, and Ishta rolled her eyes.
"Please, I'm not an infant," she said. Still, Data watched over her shoulder as she used the last of the batter to squeeze a small round circle into the pan, then filled the center with a spoonful of berries. Once the top was bubbly and mostly dry, she flipped the pancake gently, then slid it onto a plate.
"Kay! Watch!" she said, a wicked smile spreading over her face as she smashed the spatula down hard on the little pancake. The hot berries inside burst in a gory, reddish-purple mess and the watery juices spread all over the plate. "Now, that's a tribblecake!"
"Awesome!" Kahlestra shrieked. "Ishta, that's awesome! By Kahless – Data, we have to remember this. I want tribblecakes for breakfast every day!"
Data laughed a bright, unreserved laugh the girls found quite contagious. Soon, they were all laughing together; a warm, wonderful feeling Data wanted to wrap around his 'heart' and hold close for as long as he could.
"Oh," he gasped, "I don't know when I've had such a marvelous time. I certainly hope you girls are hungry. Kurak's briefing will be ending soon, if it hasn't already, and we must get these pancakes back to Kay's dome. Now, who will help me carry these things back to the replicator for disposal?"
"I will!" Kahlestra volunteered, and rammed full-force into Data, wrapping her arms around his waist in a fierce hug. "Can we do this again tomorrow?" she asked, looking up at him. "Can we do this every day, until you have to go back to your ship?"
"We'll see, Kay," Data said, deeply touched. "I would hope so."
"Fantastic!" Kahlestra cheered, then tugged on his sleeve, getting him to bend down so she could whisper in his ear. "Don't tell Ishta," she said, "but, it's really OK with me if you do like my mother. Do you think you might like her, Data? You know, like like her?"
Data leaned back and regarded the girl carefully. He knew he couldn't lie to her, and yet, at the same time...
"I find your mother to be...an enormously intriguing woman," he admitted, feeling a far deeper truth warming him from the inside like a secret flame. "It would please me greatly if we could be friends."
Kay beamed like a landing beacon and hurried to help Ishta, who had already started moving their messy mixing bowls and assembly plates from the fold out table to the replicator.
Data watched them work together, a sharp, bittersweet pang stinging in his chest...his sinuses...
Can we do this again tomorrow? Kahlestra's plea ran through his mind. Can we do this every day...?
Sniffing in a sharp breath, Data swallowed his feelings back and hurried to lend the girls a hand.
To Be Concluded...! :D