"Captains Outrageous…"
Summary: Strictly and utterly for fun. Imagining our favorite seestras as Captains of the Federation flagship.
Disclaimer: No copy write infringement intended…
Rachel…
Section 51…Office of the Administrator…
"I said I want my access to the security systems on Centauri Prime restored…I don't want a lot of legal mumbo-jumbo about Federation privacy and information laws!" Rachel fumed at the figure, a rather harassed-looking middle-aged communications officer who'd been trying to explain that a security flag had been raised at the source, by some anonymous citizen concerned by signs of hacking, making such hacking, even by Section 51 authority a bit difficult to do safely. "Just get my access restored! At once!"
And don't I know who the "concerned citizen" was, Paul…She glared at the now blank screen…
"Daniel?" She switched to the neural implant feed. "What's going on? Did Paul..Engage the Borg?"
"They're having lunch…" Rosen's projected reply in audio feed.
"What?"
"Interesting…The Borg eat meat. I'd thought intelligence suggested they were likely vegetarians, or at least would be if they ever ate independently of their regeneration stations."
"How fascinating. You should submit an article to 'Galactic Anthropology'…Are they saying anything? What are they doing?!"
"I told you Dierden has an audio dampening field blocking my instruments. They're talking, hang on I'll try to put visual from my monitor in on your feed. You can try having their lips read…"
Somewhat unstable image came up…Paul and Mark in rather cozy booth, both eating. Mark seeming rather to be enjoying himself in a quiet way, taking in the sights and sounds about him and clearly savoring his food. Paul looking rather relaxed for a Federation officer in contact with the Federation's deadliest enemy, apparently chatting casually…
"What are you eating too?" Rachel eyed the platter set down in front of her view. Along with a view of buxom young waitress offering warm smile and clad only in serving apron…
"I'm hungry and I'm on vacation." Daniel projected.
"That's your cover, not your status…" glare at screen.
And you had better not be coldly eyeing that waitress as if you mean to have her killed…I know that's your way of initiating a seduction.
"I officially applied…I'm on leave." He insisted via projection on link. "Anything I'm doing here is strictly voluntary, for you." He lifted sandwich off plate…
Oh…She gulped…
For me?
Daniel…? That's so sweet… "Just keep your focus, Captain." She grimly told the transmitter. On the targets and off the local girls… "Where are Helena and Sarah?"
"Can't say…Likely…Hmmn, that's darned good…Where they shouldn't be, in the old genetics research center or whatever's left of it."
"That was destroyed years ago…"
"Not with the efficiency I'd've employed, clearly. They and Duncan came here for a reason. There must be something here."
"Well, why aren't you heading down there?"
"Commodore Dierden ordered me to keep watch here. I agreed under protest that my leave is still in effect. By the way, Centauri Cabernet 2335 is a damned good year." He projected, while sipping.
"Well, don't just sit there…Go and find out something…" she insisted.
"I'm monitoring my superior on his orders, pending my release…If you want to speed that up, just send a special request through to Leekie. As to rooting round the ruins once you get my orders lifted, I've no idea where to go…Get me a map of the subterranean areas and I'll check it out, though I think Paul expects the girls to come back this way."
"Fine…I'll get what I can on the old center. Don't let Paul and the Borg out of your sight, at least."
And I'll put a case on my Xmas list for you…Really very subtle, Daniel, Geesh, she did not say, rolling eyes.
But I suppose I was kinda icily flirty with Ferdinand on his last visit…And that 'for you' was sweet…I guess I owe ya, honey.
"That's my intention…"
"Just be careful, hon…" Shit…Just slipped out. "Uh, however…However…See that the mission is completed. I expect you to let nothing get in your way, Captain."
Damn…Oh, well…
A little flirting can't hurt…As the song in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying…" goes.
And I did get the tickets for the Broadway version at Xmas like you wanted. Don't know how I'll like seeing Tatiana Maslany in the lead, somehow it seems more suited to a man but…What my…Honey…Wants for Xmas…He gets. This year.
Next year…We'll see. One must live up to one's rep as an icy bitch queen…It's my way of saying, I'm not your ordinary luvable Leda clone but , well…The icy bitch queen of Leda clones…
"Does anything ever, ma'am?" Daniel projected.
Awww…God…Will you stop flirting? I'm thawing slightly all over the place here…She sighed.
Well, I love you too, she did not say.
And that "anything" better include naked Centauri waitresses….
Look in the mirror, look in the mirror…Yes! She beamed at the quick view of Rosen in the bar mirror…
Damn, I know he just did that to let me see him in his vacation suit. But he is so smokin' in that little package, that icy killer of mine…He does look more relaxed, this really was a good idea, he's been so stressed recently. I've gotta make him rest more…Twenty fourth century medical tech or no, nothing beats good ole rest as a preventative…
Harm one hair and I may forget where my interests lie, Borg. She frowned as Daniel's viewer swerved to again show Paul and Mark seated.
A box on her screen buzzing…
Oh…Shit…
Ferdinand…
God, love is hard where Galaxy-straddling power is concerned, she contemplated the buzzing box.
And I do hate that I'll have to hurt one of them, in the end…And I mean, hurt…Almost as much as I relish the thought.
"Hello, Ferdinand…" She gave appraising look to the image on screen…Lets see what you can do to raise your fallen (no fault of your own, the heart knows what it wants…This week…) stock with me, sweetie…
Though keeping the image small enough to have a full view from Rosen's viewer…
….
The Darwin Research Institute…Or its remnants…
"Ok…You say you weren't doing augmentation experiments…But you were trying to make us resistant to the Borg and able to fight the Jem'Hadar…" Sarah addressed Duncan…After the pleas of Helena, S, and Cosima online had caused her to calm herself a hair. Dr. Duncan however accepting her anger calmly…
Only understandable she'd be concerned for Kira…
"I doubt we could fight the Jem'Hadar…I mean, maybe our Romulan and Klingon counterparts…" Cosima noted.
"That's not how we were supposed to fight them…Though a clone army of Romulan or Vulcan hybrids might not be too bad a defense force…Was it?" Sarah eyed Duncan. "The same thing with us being able to survive interphase with the Collective, you expected that to work with the Founders in some way, right?"
"We couldn't be sure…" Duncan sighed. "However, based on what we'd learnt of the Great Link…And its modeling, on an artificial scale of course, in the mentality of the Jem'Hadar, to keep them collectively docile under Founder rule. We'd studied the few cases of Jem'Hadar disaffection…"
"We could break into the Great Link?" Cosima stared.
"Sounds like you and your missus did a bit more 'weaponizing' of us than you let on at first." Sarah, coldly, to Duncan.
"We did want to ensure the survival of the Alpha Quadrant's lead species, Sarah. I can't deny that. But it was, for Susan and myself, never about weapons…It was about bringing us all closer together. We hoped the neural interphasic protections…Largely adapted from Vulcan and Betazoid genetics…Might even sponsor communication and understanding with the Borg and the Dominion. If you could speak to them on their level, perhaps they might come to view us differently, not as enemies. But at the very least, you'd be protected. We hoped."
"Is beautiful concept, Father…" Helena nodded, warm beam.
"Still sounds Khan Singh to me…" Sarah frowned. "And you were afraid of the potential consequences of muckin' around with us. You made us infertile for a reason…"
"As much for your own protection, Sarah. Infertile clones pose no threat to the germline…" Duncan noted. "We had to allow the other lead civilizations to participate to win their cooperation and some were far more fearful of such things. If you'd been designed to reproduce, some might have insisted on eliminating you as a potential threat once the Quadrant had been saved."
'And then Picard and Sisko and Janeway saved the Quadrant and we weren't needed. Or so it seemed." Sarah noted. "And someone did decide to kill us off, so your brilliant idea did us no good. Why did you break with Dyad and Section 51 if it was all going so well…? You say they got all weapony and took Rachel away…?"
"They did…And took my Susan…" Duncan sighed. "I fled and found sanctuary with your foster mother's people among the Maquis."
"Really? And thanks S, for letting me in on this little family secret…" Sarah eyed S.
"I'd no idea Dr. Duncan was connected to you, Sarah, until you started contacting the others…" S, firmly.
"But you knew who I was…" Sarah eyed Duncan. "Keepin' tabs on me through S, were you?"
"In a small way, yes." He nodded. "I did know. I hired Amelia to be your birth mother, you and Helena's, in the end."
"Don't…Not again…" Sarah eyed the teary-eyed Helena.