Set just after Episode 2.3, Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow. Pelia speaks with an old friend.
Notes:Paramount owns Star Trek, Panzer Davis owns Highlander, and no monies have been exchanged for this story.
A group of Lanthanites lived among humans on Earth for thousands of years undetected until the 22nd Century. One of them is named Pelia, who was on Earth as early as the time of Pythagoras. Another group of long-living people are the Immortals from Highlander. I just thought it would be fun to put these two together.
(See the end of the work for more notes.)
Work Text:Personal log of Chief Engineer Pelia.
My negotiations with the Captain and Number One about my alleged felonious habit of appropriating precious artifacts for my collection were getting a bit dicey. That was when Chief Security Officer La'an Noonien-Singh unexpectedly showed up and out of uniform on the bridge. The lieutenant looked at me and agreed that they should let this incident slide. then La'an added, "Everything Pelia has brought with her onto the Enterprise is truly legally hers, besides the statutes of limitations expired several hundred years ago." As quickly as the security chief appeared, she returned to her quarters.
It was at that moment that I noticed an unexpected sparkle in the Lieutenant's eyes. It almost seemed like a sort of recognition that La'an was repaying a long overdue favor, as if the two of us must have met somewhere previously. But that was impossible. La'an had never been in one of my classes, and before today, I hadn't had even the slightest awareness that the two of us had ever set eyes on each other before meeting on the mining planet. Seeing that look in La'an eyes generated a curious familiarity between us, and it made a shiver run up my spine.
End of log
"Pft! Pft!" Pelia said quietly to herself as she entered her quarters. "I know I'm bad at recognizing faces, gods know I've seen way too many throughout the years, but I swear La'an Noonien-Singh looked at me like she knew me. Agh! She must have just finally read up on Lanthanide's and my history in the Federation. She must feel duty-bound to cause me as much trouble as possible, at least, that's what all the best security chiefs do." She told herself as she began packing up all her treasures. "But Huh…? She did strangely change her mind about the issue of the Louvre owning my paintings, and decided on my side, I wonder why?"
As Pelia went about placing her possessions back where they all belonged, the blinking message light on Pelia's communication pad caught her attention. She smiled, wondering who was contacting her, there were so many of her old friends that she hadn't gotten in touch with before taking the post on the Enterprise. Who could it be?
She opened the message, and all it said was –
Contact me at your first available moment. I just arrived at the academy to see you, and I was surprised to hear you left and took a post on a Star-ship!
A.
"Amanda?" She hadn't heard from her in years, and what was she doing contacting her? What was Amanda doing at the Academy? The last time she saw that crazy vixen, she was heading off to seek another fortune and find some trouble to get into for a century or two. Amanda always was the eternal thief, and rarely suffered from boredom as Pelia did. Amanda wasn't too interested in exploring outer space, she told Pelia numerous times. The younger woman liked to keep her two feet planted where she already knew where all the good stuff could be found. Besides, there was plenty of fun to find on good old Terra and the planets that had been well-established. Many of the new Federations Planets out there were much too problematical for Amanda to try to commit any misbehavior on.
Pelia didn't bother checking time differences; she just dialed up Amanda. The last time they had seen one another, Rebecca's old student was going by Dawson in honor of the last watcher friend she had known. She hoped she was still using that name and was rather amused that she might wake her. Annoying her old friend had always been a good source of entertainment. Besides, it might have been a couple of days since Amanda left that message.
The Pad buzzed a few times before a light went on, and she saw the woman she knew so well, she had sleep still in her eyes, and her short rainbow hair was spiky.
"Pelia, do you have any idea of what time it is on earth?"
"Not really." Pelia shrugged, offering Amanda a bemused smile while sipping on her bottle of beer.
"Oh, I guess you wouldn't," Amanda said with a pinched expression on her heart-shaped face, her eyes narrowing and touches of sarcasm filling her voice.
As her old friend smiled at her, Pelia smiled back, her face filled with mirth.
Realizing it would be almost impossible to beat Pelia at her own game, Amanda took a cleansing breath and got down to brass tacks. "Well, I came by the academy, and I thought we could share some Romulan Ale, but you weren't here, and all they said was, you signed up to be the chief engineer on a Starship! Pelia, have you completely lost your mind?"
"Well, I was bored, and there was this Vulcan who said he had a hunch, and frankly, that was just too much fun to pass up. Life hasn't been very exciting lately, especially since the game was called off. Oh, I got to drink Blood wine with a bunch of Klingons on a mining planet. I haven't had this much fun legally in centuries."
"Did you bring the Monets, Dali, or Rembrandts with you? I hear the Louvre is still asking for them back?"
"Of course I did! One never knows if this strange social experiment the Federation has going might fail, and I'd need some things to barter with. Art has always been the best type of currency, we both know that. Oh, there has to be more to your visit than just dropping by, you forget Amanda, I've known you since you were Rebecca's student."
"I was thinking of becoming head of security for a Starship in Starfleet."
"Did you finally register as a Lanthanite? Can you handle the accent? And Amanda dear, what are you really after? There isn't much to steal on a Starship."
"Oh, Pelia, I've been registered for the past 100 years, it makes having to explain why I'm not aging so much easier. Besides, Methos suggested I might try to give it a go, the job involves getting into a lot of other people's business, and I do enjoy meddling so."
"And where is the old man these days?" Pelia smirked a secret smile at the thought of his name.
"Last I heard, he was on Vulcan, he is reveling in the fact that that race never seems to be able to lie. I think he finds that very amusing, and I doubt he's told the truth anytime in the last thousand years."
"Oh, you dear naive girl, he hasn't told the truth since before I met him, and that was a very long time ago. A thousand years! 'Bah!' He never tells the truth but is very good in the sack. All men have their uses."
"Pelia! I didn't contact you to hear about your sexual conquests! So, what do you think about the suggestion on my career choice? I went through the academy when you first did, although I wasn't registered as a Lanthanite then. I'm sure they can update my records. Don't you think they would see my true potential?"
"Amanda, I thought you said that you never get bored and could always find some mischief to get into?" Pelia asked.
"Did Moi ever say I couldn't get bored? Really?"
"Oui, you did. * Ma petite renarde voleuse.* We all get bored stiff from time to time; even my oldest friends do. But I bet all our friends have left Earth by now and are all off exploring somewhere, aren't they?"
"Yeah, Macleod is in the diplomatic corps, resolving some war… somewhere. Richie was always one of your best students at the academy. He's either an engineer or piloting a Starship. Matthew McCormick is in some sort of law enforcement again, I think he is dealing with the Klingons, and even Cory Raines found a new planet to play Robin Hood on, and…"
Pelia interrupted, "Amanda dear, I get the gist of what you're saying, but security chief? Do you really think you're up for the challenge?" Pelia thought momentarily before speaking, "Next time, my Starship is near enough for you to come on board; come visit me. I'd like you to meet my chief security officer, La'an Noonien-Singh, there is something just a bit off about her, and I'd love to have your opinion. Plus, you can discuss your job choices with someone who already does that type of work."
"What do you mean there's just something a bit off about your chief of security?" Amanda said as her nose wrinkled, and her eyes grew wider.
"I don't know. I think I have met her somewhere before, and it's bugging me; maybe you could help shed some light on this matter. Could you do that for me? And don't forget to speak with the correct accent of the Lanthanites, we have a linguist expert here who is very good."
"Sure, Pelia, I will come for a visit on your Starship, but don't keep me waiting too long."
"We're due at Star Base 13 in a couple of weeks. Can I meet you there, Amanda?"
"Yes, now good night, Pelia, I'm going back to sleep! Send me a message of when exactly that will be." Amanda said as she yawned and ended the call.
Pelia smiled; it would be good to see Amanda again; maybe she might help solve the mystery of that sparkle in Lieutenant Noonien-Singh's eyes. Pelia knew Amanda would be able to get to the root of this mystery if anyone could.
Notes
* Ma petite renarde voleuse - my little vixen thief