ILuvHawkeye: I am so happy you liked it! And I have my eccentricities- deal with it. :)
Data: Well, there will definitely be a lot of emotions here (I cannot resist writing romance), so enjoy that. Glad you like it!
This is kind of an in-between chapter, with just some necessary facts mixed in with a lot of silliness. Next chapter, I think I will have some more action.
"Pizza Hut, Starbase 30, we have a special on Stuffed Crust with-"
"I hate stuffed crust. No, I would just like a normal, medium pepperoni pizza, thanks," Qwi interrupted. "Deliver to the captain of the USS Hawkeye." She cut the subspace transmission and leaned back in her ready room chair. She had to admit that the TNG people did have some good ideas for their ships, even if she did not like the actual show as much.
Life was going good. She had just gotten in contact with her old friends and T'Son was not being too annoying yet. Soon she might even be on the warbird of the Chairman of the Tal Shiar. She might have been under T'Son's command, but he was pretty much ignoring her. And a glorious pepperoni pizza was on its way. But... there was one problem.
"Why do Toreth and T'Son always get to be the main characters and I am just an extra?" she said out loud.
"Please restate question," the computer said. Qwi rolled her eyes and waited for her pepperoni pizza to be transported in.
"For the last time, no, I will not let you have Mom- I mean, Gail's holo-emitter!"
"Why? What am I supposed to do with an EMH based on your mom! How is my EMH supposed to get me out of being a prisoner of the Tal Shiar? Toreth, you are being illogical. I just want one of my friends to talk to."
"I don't have to be logical; I'm Romulan, not Vulcan. But you... you're just whining. Typical, of a Klingon."
"Would you rather I make it Ferengi?"
"Do you want me to go into a homicidal rage, because I have a disruptor now?" Toreth asked. Her smile defied her words though.
"I'd just as rather you didn't," T'Son said dryly.
"That is a quote from The Undiscovered Country! Kirk, referring to... oh wait; that has not happened yet" T'Son tried unsuccessfully to keep from smiling. It was clear that Toreth had not had many opportunities to just "chat," and he was not surprised, knowing the nature of her position. For once, Vokar was not there. T'Son had to admit that he did not exactly trust the Romulan, and he could tell that Vokar did not trust him either. "T'Son?" a voice broke into his thoughts.
"Sorry, what?" he asked.
"You never listen to me," Toreth muttered. Ignoring his protests, she turned to the computer and pressed a few buttons to come up with a screen marked CONFIDENTAL: TAL SHIAR REPORTS and began browsing through the various pages.
"Don't bother to try to spy on those," a voice from the doorway said. T'Son jumped. He had not even heard Vokar come in, too busy was he trying to look over Toreth's shoulder. Worse, in the reflection from the monitor, he could see her smirking slightly. "She mislabels everything," Vokar continued, coming in. "That would be the plans for her latest novel- I assume you know how much she loves writing."
"How did you get in here?" T'Son asked furiously.
"She shows those she trusts her back doors," Vokar said in an off-hand manner. What was implied was, "Oh dear. She did not show you? I am so sorry," dripping with sarcasm.
"What exactly are you trying to do?" T'Son asked. He was not used to this. T'Son was a Commodore, well on his way to the Admiralty. He was used to being in control. He was used to using little phrases to hopelessly confuse people. No, suddenly, the tables were turned and he did not like it one bit.
"I could be just making conversation," Vokar said, shrugging. "Of course, I could be trying to hopelessly confuse you so I can break your guard down and ascertain your true motives. Take your pick."
"You hardly are supposed to tell someone when you are trying to trick them."
"T'Son, listen to me," Vokar said, and there was no hint of amusement in his voice anymore. "Like it or not, probably not, you are a prisoner of the Romulan Tal Shiar. Toreth is not the sweet, innocent human you once knew."
"Toreth was never sweet or innocent."
"Well, more sweet and innocent than she is now. Her highest love is for her Empire. She would do anything to safeguard that, including turn her best friend over for interrogation about Federation plans. I know she might let you run around her ship and talk to her like this, but she does not really know you anymore." Suddenly, T'Son realized what Vokar meant.
"You're jealous, aren't you? You're worried that she might love me."
"I should have paid more attention when Toreth told me how good he was at telling peoples feelings from a few words," Vokar muttered to himself. T'Son's Vulcan hearing caught this, and he knew he had the upper hand once more. Out loud, however, he only said, "The Chairman of the Tal Shiar does not have time for such things as love. And as to what two teenagers may or may not have felt for one another, that does not matter. As I have already told you, Toreth is a completely different person." At this, Toreth spun around, annoyed.
"Don't you two know it's rude to talk behind people's backs? I am a girl- I can multitask, which means I can fill out this paperwork and listen to y'all's conversation."
"Y'all's?" T'Son asked, raising the infamous Vulcan eyebrow.
"I grew in North Carolina- so shoot me. No, T'Son, I did not mean that literally. Federation-ers, honestly!" She turned back to her paperwork, which this time was labeled CONFIDENTAL: VIVIAN NIGHTENGALE APPLE PIE.
"I am not even going to ask," he muttered, and turned away.
Qwi idly chewed her pizza and watched as the news unfolded in front of her eyes. The reporter was an Andorian who was clearly very excited about her subject. The universal translator could barely keep up with her.
"The Klingons have seemed to invent a prototype bird-of-prey that can fire while cloaked, something they were not expected to do until the early nineties, according to our intelligence reports. However, as these are extremely expensive to build and maintain, the Klingons will probably stop with this one. However, Federation members in space are advised to be more cautious than ever."
"Oh, please," Qwi muttered. "Any twenty-first century person or Spock knows you just have to catch the stupid thing at impulse. 'Gas, Captain.' Toreth certainly recited the movie enough times for me to know!" Having a thought, she suddenly grinned. "Toreth is going to be so mad when she finds out she has totally demolished the plot of her favorite Star Trek movie! Computer, put me through to the RIW Kaleh- Toreth's private channel, please."
"Working," the computer said, and in a moment the still-unfamiliar face showed up on the screen.
"Qwi, I am kind of busy now" Toreth said, throwing a glance back over her should to where T'Son and Vokar were both sizing up the daggers hanging on her wall, in between shooting death glares at one another.
"Listen, you remember the bird-of-prey from Star Trek VI, right? Well, they made it ahead of time and it is loose somewhere in space."
"Trust the Klingons to completely mess up my movie just because of a stupid war," Toreth muttered. "Thanks for the warning, Qwi. I am almost to the Hawkeye anyway... if Vokar and T'Son don't destroy my warbird first. Men! What are they so on about anyway?" Qwi stifled a laugh and cut the connection. Even across species, some things never changed.
Many, many light-years away, a Klingon sat on a bridge, gazing at the wreckage of a starship on the viewscreen before him. He smiled, and raised a glass of bloodwine in salute. Korok felt extremely honored that he had gotten the position of Captain of the prototype bird-of-prey. He had just blown a Federation starship to pieces of metal the size of Coke bottles. They had never known what hit them.
Korok grinned again, and, as per his orders, turned towards the Romulan-Federation border...
A/N: In case any of you were confused, T'Son is not in love with Toreth, but Vokar thinks he might be. Unless, T'Son, you want me to do that for a plot twist.