and then
Thil's antennae twitched in amusement. She took Diziara's blade in the manner that one trained handles such an item, and stuck the blade in a strap on her own thigh.
Therav ground his teeth in annoyance, and finally walked over to Diziara, eyes bulging slightly.
He nodded his head away from the group, a curious gesture as his antennae twitched in that direction as well.
"Just say it, I've nothing to hide," Diziara directed, crossing her arms impatiently.
His eyes bulged a little more, if that was possible. "This is NOT for the rest of the crew."
Pukey nodded to Spiegel. "Uh-oh. This is like that time one of the sanitation guys got caught with the porn downloads."
"That sounds like it'd be an entertaining story," Spiegel muttered back, then quickly added, "At least, if it weren't being compared to the possible well being of a friend."
Diziara snorted as if she were amused. "Either say it, or forget about it. We have a mission to complete here and now is not the time for private little pow wows."
"Since YOU have appointed yourself the arbiter of what is and isn't appropriate on this mission, I suppose that means you are now the LEADER of this mission," Therav hissed in a low voice, his lips curling back from his teeth, his antennae jutting forward.
It was a fine Andorian display, all in all. He raised himself up with his back absolutely stiff, his antennae reaching as if they could make him taller, and looked right up into Dizi's face.
"Then WHY DON'T YOU TELL ME RIGHT NOW, lieutenant," (out came the pointing gloved index finger, though he had the sense to keep it out of Dizi's personal space) "If you have a problem following orders. Because I have no problem leaving you behind if that's the case and I have NO TOLERANCE for displays of passive aggression. Do you understand?"
Pukey frowned. Tallana ignored the fellow Andorian's display. Thil looked at Spiegel and leaned over and whispered, "I wish we'd made a bet."
"Everyone has to earn my trust, I do not automatically hand it out because of rank. I follow reasonable orders, sir. Asking me to hand my weapons over to someone I do not trust, that is not reasonable." Diziara straightened herself up as tall as she could, looking down at the blue bastard. "If you feel that I am a liability to this mission, feel free to leave me behind. This is practically a suicide mission anyways, but I'm always up for a challenge."
She topped this last statement off with a predatory grin.
"In Starfleet, there is such a thing as a chain of command and I have absolutely no difficulty with making any notation I can that you have difficulty observing it. And two weeks is more than ample time to discuss such matters in some other fashion than behind the back of your commanding officer on this mission."
Therav ground his jaw again, and looked at the ground for a moment. "Johnson saw fit to send you, so you had better live up to my faith in him, or I will see to it myself that you spend the rest of your career washing the floors at Starbase 668. Do you understand me?"
"When I respect my superior officers, I have no problem following the chain of command, but blindly following people simply because they have the rank is how good people die. My record has more than its fair share of notations just like the one you're trying to intimidate me with here, yet that same record shows that some very good people in the fleet still think I am a fine officer and more than capable of doing a grade A job."
She drew a deep breath and made a point to calm down a little before continuing. "I did attempt to communicate my problem with you before, but you were too caught up on owing me for the bar tab I paid, and did not understand why I was so offended over your shooting me in the back. As for the mission, details have been fuzzy enough that it was not plainly clear that it was practically a suicide mission, instead of simply highly challenging and within the normal reach of the team here."
Therav's antennae lowered a little as soon as Dizi said "mission". As Diziara spoke, he repeated certain phrases in a low voice, making the characteristic small grunt after each... "Suicide mission... rrrtt." (listen) Highly challenging... rrt." (listen)
He nodded. "If you do not mind," pointing away from the group again.
"What do you possibly have to say that can not be said in front of the team? I will do whatever is necessary for the team's safety, then the mission's success, in that order. Trusting you isn't required for that."
Therav looked at each member of the team, then at Spiegel, then at Thil, then at Pukey. Then he removed his phaser, set it to kill, and holding the muzzle, handed it to Dizi, while removing his own considerable armory and setting it on the ground. "NOW will you trust me? I wish to speak of this matter alone."
"I am at least curious now. Granted, I should know better than to follow my curiosity, as that is just what killed the cat." She regarded him with a cocked eyebrow, and a shrug of her shoulders, then walked in the direction he indicated for this private chat he insisted on.
Therav, unarmed, his hands in his pockets, walked on ahead of Diziara as if making a point. When they got a ways away from the group, he turned to her. He nodded his head occasionally, and his antennae lowered here and there, and finally he looked up and said, "I think that this mission has an absolutely dismal chance of success."
"Yet you don't want to admit it in front of the team." She laughed. "Spiegel would follow me into the depths of fiery hell, as long as I assured him I would keep him alive. Noelle is stronger than you give her credit for, and Pukey, despite his many faults, doesn't seem like he'd buckle under the pressure. Thil, she's not stupid and knows what a mess we're getting into. Princess, well, I can't say anything about her. So why the big act?"
Therav's expression softened a little. "I cannot allow my crew to become discouraged," he said. "Their discouragement might create doubt, their doubt might create hesitation, and their hesitation will create failure. They have little to no personal stake in this mission. I will let you in on something. I learned shortly before we set off that once we're inside the compound, the Imperial Guard will use the opportunity to launch a strike against the True Heirs of Andor stronghold. The objective is not merely to obtain Dr. tr'Avrak. If it were that, Starfleet Intelligence would have him by now. They knew he would be lured here."
Therav reached for his PADD. "This is a map of the stronghold that Thil obtained through Homeworld Security. I trust that your memory is good. I cannot allow you to have it in your possession for obvious reasons."
"As usual, there are hidden political agendas in the mission," Diziara muttered, and looked over the map. "Spiegel could have a copy in his pockets. Even if someone on the inside were to search him, he can disable the access to his pocket space if he wants to, his whining when entering the keep aside. No one need know he has everything in there." She handed the PADD back once she'd committed enough to memory she'd be able to keep her bearings.
Therav shifted from foot to foot. Foot to foot. Foot to foot. The silence seemed to last an eternity.
Finally, he said, without meeting Dizi's eyes, and the words almost seemed a grumble:
"Now that you know what is at stake, I'll... trust you to do what you judge sensible," he said. There was a silence. He brought his eyes back to Dizi's, and just to have the last word, he said, "You had better not klazhe."
The word didn't translate, but seemed to have the same meaning as "f*ck up".
Diziara laughed. "Now that's a phrase I haven't heard uttered since my days working with Blue before the fleet. I'd forgotten how delightful that one flowed." She repeated it, like a small child trying out a new word. "At any rate, your lack of faith in me is neither surprising nor will it negatively effect me. However, we might want to consider implementing the Klingon approach to moral here. Determination to beat the odds can do wonders sometimes."
Therav ground his jaw again as he considered Dizi's statement. He nodded, and turned to go back to the group.
Therav ground his teeth in annoyance, and finally walked over to Diziara, eyes bulging slightly.
He nodded his head away from the group, a curious gesture as his antennae twitched in that direction as well.
"Just say it, I've nothing to hide," Diziara directed, crossing her arms impatiently.
His eyes bulged a little more, if that was possible. "This is NOT for the rest of the crew."
Pukey nodded to Spiegel. "Uh-oh. This is like that time one of the sanitation guys got caught with the porn downloads."
"That sounds like it'd be an entertaining story," Spiegel muttered back, then quickly added, "At least, if it weren't being compared to the possible well being of a friend."
Diziara snorted as if she were amused. "Either say it, or forget about it. We have a mission to complete here and now is not the time for private little pow wows."
"Since YOU have appointed yourself the arbiter of what is and isn't appropriate on this mission, I suppose that means you are now the LEADER of this mission," Therav hissed in a low voice, his lips curling back from his teeth, his antennae jutting forward.
It was a fine Andorian display, all in all. He raised himself up with his back absolutely stiff, his antennae reaching as if they could make him taller, and looked right up into Dizi's face.
"Then WHY DON'T YOU TELL ME RIGHT NOW, lieutenant," (out came the pointing gloved index finger, though he had the sense to keep it out of Dizi's personal space) "If you have a problem following orders. Because I have no problem leaving you behind if that's the case and I have NO TOLERANCE for displays of passive aggression. Do you understand?"
Pukey frowned. Tallana ignored the fellow Andorian's display. Thil looked at Spiegel and leaned over and whispered, "I wish we'd made a bet."
"Everyone has to earn my trust, I do not automatically hand it out because of rank. I follow reasonable orders, sir. Asking me to hand my weapons over to someone I do not trust, that is not reasonable." Diziara straightened herself up as tall as she could, looking down at the blue bastard. "If you feel that I am a liability to this mission, feel free to leave me behind. This is practically a suicide mission anyways, but I'm always up for a challenge."
She topped this last statement off with a predatory grin.
"In Starfleet, there is such a thing as a chain of command and I have absolutely no difficulty with making any notation I can that you have difficulty observing it. And two weeks is more than ample time to discuss such matters in some other fashion than behind the back of your commanding officer on this mission."
Therav ground his jaw again, and looked at the ground for a moment. "Johnson saw fit to send you, so you had better live up to my faith in him, or I will see to it myself that you spend the rest of your career washing the floors at Starbase 668. Do you understand me?"
"When I respect my superior officers, I have no problem following the chain of command, but blindly following people simply because they have the rank is how good people die. My record has more than its fair share of notations just like the one you're trying to intimidate me with here, yet that same record shows that some very good people in the fleet still think I am a fine officer and more than capable of doing a grade A job."
She drew a deep breath and made a point to calm down a little before continuing. "I did attempt to communicate my problem with you before, but you were too caught up on owing me for the bar tab I paid, and did not understand why I was so offended over your shooting me in the back. As for the mission, details have been fuzzy enough that it was not plainly clear that it was practically a suicide mission, instead of simply highly challenging and within the normal reach of the team here."
Therav's antennae lowered a little as soon as Dizi said "mission". As Diziara spoke, he repeated certain phrases in a low voice, making the characteristic small grunt after each... "Suicide mission... rrrtt." (listen) Highly challenging... rrt." (listen)
He nodded. "If you do not mind," pointing away from the group again.
"What do you possibly have to say that can not be said in front of the team? I will do whatever is necessary for the team's safety, then the mission's success, in that order. Trusting you isn't required for that."
Therav looked at each member of the team, then at Spiegel, then at Thil, then at Pukey. Then he removed his phaser, set it to kill, and holding the muzzle, handed it to Dizi, while removing his own considerable armory and setting it on the ground. "NOW will you trust me? I wish to speak of this matter alone."
"I am at least curious now. Granted, I should know better than to follow my curiosity, as that is just what killed the cat." She regarded him with a cocked eyebrow, and a shrug of her shoulders, then walked in the direction he indicated for this private chat he insisted on.
Therav, unarmed, his hands in his pockets, walked on ahead of Diziara as if making a point. When they got a ways away from the group, he turned to her. He nodded his head occasionally, and his antennae lowered here and there, and finally he looked up and said, "I think that this mission has an absolutely dismal chance of success."
"Yet you don't want to admit it in front of the team." She laughed. "Spiegel would follow me into the depths of fiery hell, as long as I assured him I would keep him alive. Noelle is stronger than you give her credit for, and Pukey, despite his many faults, doesn't seem like he'd buckle under the pressure. Thil, she's not stupid and knows what a mess we're getting into. Princess, well, I can't say anything about her. So why the big act?"
Therav's expression softened a little. "I cannot allow my crew to become discouraged," he said. "Their discouragement might create doubt, their doubt might create hesitation, and their hesitation will create failure. They have little to no personal stake in this mission. I will let you in on something. I learned shortly before we set off that once we're inside the compound, the Imperial Guard will use the opportunity to launch a strike against the True Heirs of Andor stronghold. The objective is not merely to obtain Dr. tr'Avrak. If it were that, Starfleet Intelligence would have him by now. They knew he would be lured here."
Therav reached for his PADD. "This is a map of the stronghold that Thil obtained through Homeworld Security. I trust that your memory is good. I cannot allow you to have it in your possession for obvious reasons."
"As usual, there are hidden political agendas in the mission," Diziara muttered, and looked over the map. "Spiegel could have a copy in his pockets. Even if someone on the inside were to search him, he can disable the access to his pocket space if he wants to, his whining when entering the keep aside. No one need know he has everything in there." She handed the PADD back once she'd committed enough to memory she'd be able to keep her bearings.
Therav shifted from foot to foot. Foot to foot. Foot to foot. The silence seemed to last an eternity.
Finally, he said, without meeting Dizi's eyes, and the words almost seemed a grumble:
"Now that you know what is at stake, I'll... trust you to do what you judge sensible," he said. There was a silence. He brought his eyes back to Dizi's, and just to have the last word, he said, "You had better not klazhe."
The word didn't translate, but seemed to have the same meaning as "f*ck up".
Diziara laughed. "Now that's a phrase I haven't heard uttered since my days working with Blue before the fleet. I'd forgotten how delightful that one flowed." She repeated it, like a small child trying out a new word. "At any rate, your lack of faith in me is neither surprising nor will it negatively effect me. However, we might want to consider implementing the Klingon approach to moral here. Determination to beat the odds can do wonders sometimes."
Therav ground his jaw again as he considered Dizi's statement. He nodded, and turned to go back to the group.