Surface Tension - [Exo III away mission] - [Kirk, Chekov, Harris, etc]

[behnd_blueyes]

They had their orders, and they had their away team: Kirk, Chekov, Travis Harris, Gutierrez and Robinson, whom Kirk had never met. Though the Gutierrez woman was hot, in an understated fireplug sort of way. The mission was both simple and deceptively simple: figure out whether Roger Korby was alive down there and, if so, what he was doing

Comments

[mirrored_npc]

Korby very much wondered what this dynamic was about--why one so young was in charge, why one so obviously frail was even on the mission, and what the captain was doing sending such a party. Still. Splitting them up would do no harm, as he trusted Andrea to handle anything that might come up. Dr. Brown was, of course, imperfect.

"Andrea, see to it our guests are comfortable. If you'll follow me, gentlemen." The boy hadn't ordered anyone to stay or go, but the big one was clearly not going to leave Chekov alone.

He moved through the door, to the lab where he spent most of his days. Nights. Without the sun, it didn't matter. Without certain inconvenient natural rhythms, it mattered less. The caves were well-monitored, of course, and he and Brown had had as much time as it had taken Andrea to find the party and lead them here--via a slightly circuitous route--to pack as much of the apparatus as they could. It would look like parts, artifacts perhaps, but it would not look like a working apparatus.

"I've been exploring the technology left by the previous occupants," he said. "Most primitive, but interesting."

[nawigationiskey]

The caves were an awkward shape, but liveable, Chekov supposed. It was a simple matter, now, to keep track of their route. As Chekov followed, it became increasingly obvious just how they'd been dragged about before.

"Is it? Hawe you determined zee nature them? Of their functions?" Chekov prompted idly. Really, he didn't give a shit about the local archeological state, but if Korby was going to blather on, it might inadvertently provide something of interest.

[mirrored_npc]

"Not very much," he admitted modestly. "We've obviously managed to tap into their power source, and use it to stay alive, but much of their wisdom is lost to us." It was a grating part to play, the humble scientist requiring rescue, but it wouldn't be forever. His name was likely fast disappearing from the roles of Terran geniuses, which had a very short half-life, but this could put him back on the map for good. It already had, in a sense. He just needed to play it a little longer, and after that if no one but the Empress knew just what Roger Korby meant, that would be enough.

"But you can't be interested in these old parts," he said genially. "I've heard such things about the Enterprise. It must be exciting."

[nawigationiskey]

"The Enterprise is the Empire's flagship," Chekov stated evenly as Roger Korby continued to placate him by pretending to be a weakwilled, modest fool. It was rather fun. "Zere is nothing about it zat is not exciting."

They were moving into rooms stacked with parts, brokedn Human equipment, scattered bits of Andorian, even the occasional old relic, likely local. Chekov watched them all with a careful eye as they walked.

"Zere is an inherent poversource here? Zat is still functional? Hawe you studied it?"

[mirrored_npc]

It was fun. There was something about the young man that was more than what he appeared--but that was true of anyone here, or they simply wouldn't be.

Well, perhaps not of the lug behind Chekov.

"I have," he said, because there was no reason not to tell him. "It's thermal, so there wasn't much to getting it running again." Not, sadly, exportable, though some of their solutions had been ingenious. Even more so after he'd improved upon them.

[shoot4theface]

Harris would be happy to show Korby that he was, in fact, exactly as well-suited to winning fights as he appeared to be.

For the moment, he just watched and waited. He knew Chekov's body language well enough to see that he was tense. Korby was tense, though he was trying hard not to look like it. So Harris was tense, too. It was only polite, to follow your host's lead.

[nawigationiskey]

"Thermal," Chekov repeated. Worthless. Korby was bending over backwards to pretend he was a stranded, loyal scientist. Why was he appealing to them in such a fashion?

Either he was worthless and had found nothing, or he had found something too good to pass up or, apparently, share.

"Vell, hopefully it vill hawe enough power to permit communications, да?" Chekov routed the conversation back. He needed to study the halls, the stores, all of this equipment. He needed time and he needed Korby out of the way. Captain Уюра would frown at his death, at least until Chekov had found whatever he was, or was not, hiding.

Perhaps Harris could be trusted with this. An interesting thought.

[mirrored_npc]

"With your communicators to facilitate, yes, I should think so," Korby said. "Is there anything in particular you'd like to see, Mr. Chekov? I'm sure my people and I are eager to pack what few belongings we have and rejoin civilization."

[nawigationiskey]

"Naturally I will have to survey the items being brought up to the ship," Chekov announced evenly. "Zough, for zee sake of time, perhaps you can hawe Mr. Harris inspect zem vhile I correct zee communications problem?"

If Korby didn't know what he was doing, he didn't deserve half the amount of liking that Chekov had alotted him. However, he had little choice but to take the offer. If he'd packed anything suspicious, if it weren't gun-shaped, Harris wouldn't know one piece from the other. If he hadn't, he couldn't honestly decline without answering Chekov's suspicions.

Away missions were fun.

[mirrored_npc]

Korby smiled evenly. Harris wouldn't know ancient alien technology worth a fortune from his elbow, so if Chekov thought he was stupid, he needed to think again. Korby did not think he was, and it never paid to underestimate your opponents. Or allies, for that matter.

"That sounds most efficient," he agreed. "I'm hoping some of what I've found will be of interest to someone; I'll show you where I've stored it."

They hadn't entirely finished packing, but none of it looked dangerous. And none of it made any sense disassembled. It made little more together, but it also looked useful that way.

He led them back to the crates.

"What do you need for the communicators? We should be able to boost the signal."

[nawigationiskey]

"Broadcast array, access to main power source, all wery standard," Chekov detailed as he stared at the crates. There was quite a bit of equipment for such a small team of men. This and what they'd passed on the way was...well, interesting. Chekov loved it when things got interesting.

"If you hawe a standard tool kit, it vould be most useful," Chekov continued. He had a feeling a portable laser cutter would serve him well for the next few minutes, though whether Korby would just hand one over was the real question.

[mirrored_npc]

There was, Korby had decided, very little reason to expect any of them would know what they were looking at. It had been quite clear, too, that all any of them (especially the scrawny one) saw when they looked at Andrea was a gorgeous woman. Which was exactly what Korby had designed her to be. Not that she didn't have other... talents. He was quite fond of her, really, as an extension of his own genius.

"I believe I can accommodate you," he said, smiling indulgently. "Of course, we had only what was left us when we landed, but everything should be in working order."

He moved to the other side of the room, to a neatly-organized cupboard, and retrieved the plastic box that held more than Mr. Chekov would need. What he decided to do with it would be interesting.

[shoot4theface]

Chekov was playing at something, saying that Harris was gonna inspect this cargo bullshit. What the hell did he know about alien tech? If it wasn't shooting at him, it weren't none of his business, and Chekov knew it.

So his buddy meant something else by it, and Harris wasn't actually meant to be doing any real poking about.

Which was good, because if he actually had to look through this junk, he'd be taking his eyes off Korby for way too long. And the slimy bastard seemed like just the type to be carrying hidden weapons under them ugly-ass coveralls.

[nawigationiskey]

"Ah, sank you wery much," Chekov replied as he took the kit from Korby. It was well stocked. He couldn't think Chekov was this stupid, perhaps it was overconfidence.

Either way, Chekov abhored it when people underestimated him. It was...irritating. His smile never faltered even as his irritation grew.

"Lieutenant Harris," Chekov started again. "Please accompany Mr. Korby and make sure ewerysing is secure zat he vishes to bring back. I vill..remain and contact zee Keptin."

[mirrored_npc]

Korby didn't think Chekov was stupid. However, "not stupid" did not begin to approach his own intelligence, which he rated very high. And so he was fairly certain that Chekov, however suspicious he might be, would find nothing to pin on him. And no doubt Andrea was suitably entertaining the others; Kirk, in particular, had looked both interested and incapable of attempting more than that.

"Excellent, Mr. Chekov," Korby murmured. "I do appreciate the assistance. Let me know if you need anything else."

He gestured to Harris, back towards the main lab.

[shoot4theface]

Harris nodded at Chekov - a "I dunno what you're doing, but I've got your back anyway, jackass" nod - and followed Korby. He holstered his phaser, but loosely. He still thought this guy was oily like a damn snake. Not that snakes were oily. They were mostly pretty dry, in his experience. So maybe Korby was oily like... A cheap pizza?

Anyway, he didn't trust him.