Federation Capital Services: Ministry of Defence

Office of the Minister

Paris, France

Earth

─•~:~•─

There was just too much to do.

Karin Fuckin Tengrove wanted another interview. The campaign manager had been calling all morning to line up endless speeches and rose-garden parties.

Sean wouldn't stop crowing about yet another strain of wee Vulcan trees he had encountered.

And on top of all that, Anna McClair had a meeting in about five minutes that could very well end up with her death.

But she wasn't afraid.

Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn, so went the saying. And an Irish Woman's scorn was something to behold indeed.

The door knocked, and Anna stood up from the entirely too large and ugly desk in her office in that hated city of Paris and straightened out her hair.

She had decided to dress simply today, wearing a jersey of Belfast GAA, a pair of track pants and some athletic shoes. I

f anyone asked, she'd just come from the pitch with some friends. But in truth, Anna wanted to be ready to run, and even an Irish Woman couldn't run in a dress.

"Come in," she said, sitting down and taking a few deep breaths.

Rain Kaimeao had dressed simply as well. She wasn't wearing an MDU or any of the elegant dresses or high fashion clothing for which she was known.

Instead, Rain was dressed in an extremely plain black tank top, a pair of track pants of her own, and her Marine-issued boots, and her long black hair left dangling free instead for her known love of ponytails.

Anna also noted that the young woman had left her issued assault phaser at home, and at its place in her black holster was that same stuffed penguin that the young woman never went anywhere without.

The penguin looked as though it had been cleaned up recently, and Anna's well-trained eyes noted some fresh sewing to replace one of his eyes, with the colours not quite matching.

At least if Anna was going to die in the next five minutes, it wouldn't be by the indignity of being shot with an assault phaser.

"Top of the morning to ya Rain, how's the shoulder feelin?" Anna said with a smile masking fear and anger in the same measure.

Rain rubbed the mostly healed surgical scar on her right, "Clavicle actually, Madam President. And it's alright, my arm is still a little stiff but nothing to worry about," She sounded tired by Anna's ears.

As if she'd been up all night crying.

"I told ye once before Rain, it's just Anna fer ye. My position notwithstanding, I'd still like to think of you as a friend," Anna replied, letting some of the anger and fear fade away.

Rain smiled, more weakly than Anna would have expected, "You are one of a very select few people I can call a friend, Anna."

Anna returned her own smile, "Well, that makes me quite happy to hear. Have a seat love. Would ye care for somethin? I've got a fine young lass with pink hair outside that makes a lovely cup of coffee."

Rain sat and gently shook her head, "I'm alright, Anna. I did see her on my way in. I wasn't quite sure if Fed-Sec allowed their field agents to have such wildly coloured hair, though perhaps she's merely the field comm's coordinator."

"There are no Fed-Sec agents here, Rain. Or Starfleet S.O's, or any of yer own that I might have shanghaied. On me honour as a good girl of St. Patrick's, it's only myself and you here, just two friends having a friendly chat,"

"And there were no men with guns waiting for me in ESD, or at Kayla's house when I dropped my weapons off, and I don't believe you are armed yourself, Anna. And on my honour, the only person here with me today is my other friend, PFC Mr. Pingu" Rain said, holding up the penguin with her stiff right arm.

"If I might indulge you for a moment though, Anna, if this conversation ends with me going to a cage this afternoon, may I bring him with me? He warns me if there are monsters coming, but I must be incredibly quiet, or I won't be able to hear his warnings."

"You'll not be goin to gaol today, Rain. So your friend there is now my friend, and he's welcome to join us today as well,"

She couldn't help but smile.

Rain didn't smile, but instead looked surprised, "I must say, that's not what I imagined happening. If I'm correct, there's a report currently sitting on the desk of Starfleet Medical which has identified me as Augment. Which is one of the harshest crimes one can be convicted of in the entire Federation."

"If found guilty, Mark would be trying to shoot his way out of a cell at 4028, as would Virnas and Mor. You yourself would be transported to the penal colony in New Zealand rather than the new Presidents office in Belfast. As for me, I'll be poked and prodded by every doctor in the Federation before I found myself in a cell, either next to yours or my team."

"Yer intelligence is one of the many things that's always impressed me, Rain. But this time, yer mistook," Anna replied, with the fear and anger almost completely subsided.

"I see. That is…quite a surprise," said Rain, half relieved and half terrified.

"There was a report. I caught it before it went further than Hood. I'm not really a fighter like ye, but I know a wee bit of hacking from my time as a trouble makin lass in Lethbridge. The only copy of that report was the victim of an unfortunate phaser blast from Mark that I witnessed. And I slapped the livin' piss out of him prior to that, to be sure,"

She continued, sensing that Rain needed more, "Yer team knows, as do I. The wee nurse who made the discovery has been reassigned to Sedna and won't be talkin to anyone for a long time. Doctor Symco offered me his resignation to keep the matter quiet. I told him that wasn't needed, just his word of silence which I took to me heart."

Rain, allowing a single tear to roll down her face, asked nervously, "And Zelina?"

"Captain Bakay has given me her word as well she'll not tell a single soul. And she'd be findin a cell next ours if she did anyway. Her name's still on wee Kayla's papers, after all,"

The Augment, quite possibly the deadliest woman in the galaxy, was completely silent.

She picked up Mr. Pingu and held him in both hands, staring at him for a long moment.

As gently as she could, Anna put her hand on Rain's left shoulder, "Alright, love?"

Rain sighed deeply, "I... I don't know what to say. I'm now twice indebted to you, Anna."

Anna patted her back gently and stood up, "Aye, that ye are. Ye can make the first payment now."

Rain wiped her tears away and looked up at Anna, "Name your price, Madam President."

Anna walked back to the entirely too large and ugly desk and took out an ISO chip from the open drawer, "There's another friend of mine I'd like ye to meet. He's a Doctor, but I promise you he's one ye can trust as much as ye trust Myself, Mark, Mor, Vir or even our new friend PFC Mr. Pingu."

"He's…well, he's someone that's a lot like ye in many ways. This chip has an address for his office in Algiers, quite a lovely little city on the coast of the med. There are also transport licenses and a hotel reservation under my name should ye wish for some privacy. I'd like ye to visit him when you have the time."

"A friend of yours is a friend of mine. I'll visit the Doctor in Algiers, and I'll trust him, even with…with these secrets," Rain said, feeling slightly better and taking the chip from Anna.

"Ye know, Rain…If this had been any other office, and If I'd have been any other woman…well, I know yer intelligent. You know how this story would've ended otherwise," Anna said with a serious look.

"I do, Anna. And I was fully prepared for the consequences. I had figured on…several endings to this day. In most of them, I'd be dead. In two of them, you and I would both be dead. There was only one ending that was happy…and I'm glad it was this one," Rain replied with another weak smile.

"As am I, me dear. Also I…I know it's not any o' me business but…I know ye and Zelina are close and there was an issue of…well, yer age. If it helps at all, there shan't be any legal consequences of that matter, at least on my part."

"And ye'd be allowed to retain yer rank and title with the Marines if ye so wish, or a full pension if ye don't, Mark's seen to all the arrangements on that score. And, most importantly, Kayla's adoption stands. I made you me own promise on that, and I keep me words," Anna said while again placing her hand gently.

Rain again shed tears, but this time they were tears of happiness, "Anna, I don't deserve this kindness…I've done so many horrible things. I wouldn't even know how to make any of this up to you..."

Anna knelled down on the carpet, took Rain's hand firmly and looked her square in the eye, "Whatever else you may be, yer my friend, Rain. You are an extraordinary woman, much more than I could ever hope to be."

"Ye'd do no one any good locked in gaol for being who ye are. All I ask is that you continue to be extraordinary and help me protect this Federation. Can you do that for me?"

Rain squeezed Anna's hand, not enough to hurt, but enough that she'd know, "I will."

When she was released, Anna had to take a moment to remove the numbness from her hand.

When the feeling finally returned, she smiled at Rain, "Then I won't keep ye any longer in this god awful, fuckin cesspit of a city. Be on yer way, love, and if ye do need anything at all of me, don't ever hesitate to ask. The worst I can say is no, right?"

Rain stood up and returned a much stronger smile, "Paris is a quite lovely city, Anna, and since I know I'll not be in prison this afternoon, I'll take the opportunity to pick up a dress for my daughter. She's decided to host a dinner party at her house this weekend for all of her… of our friends. You are more than welcome to join us."

"Don't know if ye follow the Tengrove Report, but I've somethin of a campaign to run at the moment, so on this occasion, I'll respectfully decline. But I've had wee Kayla on my mind as well, so perhaps this might work," Anna said as she reached into her drawer for a second object, "It's a little somethin that carried me through some tough times, I hope it does the same for her."

Anna handed a small silver locket to Rain.

Rain opened it and saw an embedded four-leaf clover behind a small pane of glass, "Luck is with us both. I'm sure she'll love it. And…" Rain sighed before speaking again, "Thank you, Anna."

Anna politely nodded, "Tis no trouble. Now off with ye, I've work to do and ye've shoppin to do!"

Finally, Rain offered a full smile to Anna and then took her leave from the office.

Anna sat down at the entirely too large and too ugly desk and stared into space for a long moment.

After that moment had passed, she took the third object from the drawer, a small QC transmitter, and pushed the talk button, "McClair to Montrose, do you copy?"

The response was lightening fast from Special Agent James Montrose, Fed-Sec Special Investigations Bureau, "Standing by, Madam Minister."

"Ye may stand down Montrose, yer tactical unit won't be needed today. Appreciate the help," Anna said, quietly, just in case Rain could still hear her through a closed door.

"Standing down. And no need to thank me, Minister McClair, just doing my job," Montrose replied as the channel closed.

Unbeknownst to Rain, Anna had ordered a fully equipped Fed-Sec tactical unit to be ready to beam into her office if shots or violence were exchanged.

Rain was her friend, and she had meant the words truly, but there was no guarantee that friendship would have kept either of them alive if it all came tumbling down.

Anna was glad that she had been wrong, this time.