Temporary Arrangements

Posted on Tue Mar 1st, 2011 @ 11:05am by Captain Nathan Cowell MD & S'anra

Mission: Shore Leave 1: Pacifica
Location: Captain's Ready Room, Bridge, USS Arizona

Following the theme of the day, that being handling the personnel issues that needed handling. The next item on the 'to get around to' list was S'anra. She hadn't exactly fulfilled the 'contract' they had made, mostly thanks to the situation they faced, but she was finished as far as the intent of her stay was concerned. All that was left was discovering what she was going to do next.

"Captain Cowell to S'anra, report to my Ready Room as soon as you can," Nathan said after engaging the communications panel in his desk.

S'anra stepped over to the science lab's wall panel, which was blinking for her attention, and pressed the blinking red button. "Acknowledged," she replied. She left the lab, and motioned to her escort to follow her, before heading into the turbolift. A few short minutes later, she entered the Captain's Ready Room.

Nathan looked up as S'anra and he escort entered. He waved the Security Officer out of the room and motioned for her to sit down.

"So, now that we've got the cargo where it needed to be, we need to figure out where you need to be. I think the North Star is still adrift just outside the system. We can drop you off there when we leave orbit if that's where you want to go," Nathan began, gauging her reaction to that option.

"I would vastly prefer an airlock, Captain Cowell," S'anra replied, taking a seat, "Mr. Grixx has issued my payment, however." The thought of having to deal with him again in person, however, did not appeal to her.

"Well, what do you want to do now? Is there somewhere we can drop you off? Anywhere you'd rather be? I'm sure we can make some manner of arrangement," Nathan inquired.

"I am not sure. Unfortunately," S'anra replied, "I did not have time recently to locate another paying job." S'anra thought for a moment if there was anywhere in particular she would be likely to find work, but any of them she would be just as likely to find work via subspace, and few of them would be readily accessible by a Starfleet vessel anyhow. "It may take a significant amount of time to find a new contract."

"Well, how about you stick around here for a while then? Not like you haven't shown yourself capable, if nothing else. Could use a good scientist in case we run across more biological nightmares. Plus it would give you a chance to take a bit of a vacation, see the other side of the Federation for a change. I'm sure you've never been to Pacifica. Gives you time to relax, look for work..." Nathan offered.

"I doubt I'd be very welcome on many of your planets, Captain," S'anra replied, "but I will accept your offer. Perhaps I will come across a new contract along the way." She flicked her PADD momentarily, "One other thing."

"That being?" Nathan asked with a quirk of an eyebrow.

She leaned forward and passed him the PADD, "I noticed an oddity in the virus. Something that didn't seem to have a purpose. I think it's a signature."

"I'm not sure I follow... Who the hell would sign their virus? And how? I don't seem to recall that part of an RNA chain where it said 'insert signature here'," Nathan asked skeptically.

"It's engineered. Good work too, art almost. If I made it, I'd sign it," S'anra replied. She had signed chemicals of her own, but generally hers helped people. "Given the virus is based on one found on a Romulan planet, and our proximity to the border," S'anra continued, "It is likely of Romulan design."

"So you're saying that it is possible that it was a weapon from the Romulan Empire? Can you be sure about that or is it all conjecture?" Nathan probed.

"It is, of course, possible that someone else retrieved the viral sample from Romulan space, and engineered it themselves," S'anra replied, "and then released it here. But if this also coincides with that Romulan woman arriving on Braken, it is logical to assume the two events are related."

"Well, until the cure you concocted takes its course and brings her out of the coma, she's just another patient and not a suspect. If she wasn't just delirious with fever the last time she was awake, she may indeed have some information for us. Until then, we will just have to speculate. By the way, why don't you have a combadge on?" Nathan said, noticing the lack of hardware.

"I was not given one," S'anra replied, "I am not a part of your Starfleet, and my escort has always been close at hand. Also, your ship's computer seems to have no trouble finding me."

"You think you can handle being by yourself from now on?" Nathan asked abruptly.

S'anra nodded, "You do not need to be concerned for your ship's security in my case, Captain."

"Didn't think so, since you did jump at the chance to be useful rather than selfish. Tell you what..." Nathan said, walking over to his personal replicator to produce one combadge. Picking it up from the materialization shelf, he walked back over to his desk, sat down, and slid it across to her.

"Until we decide otherwise, you're a temporary gain. Can't justify you keeping the head science job right now, but you can still come and go in the labs and work with the resident scientist... what's his name... you know who I'm talking about... Anyway, you can still work on whatever whenever you want to. You still report to me, but I won't have you babysat anymore. Call it payment for services rendered if you don't like charity. Acceptable?" Nathan asked.

S'anra looked at the commbadge for a moment, eying it almost suspiciously, before picking it up. Obviously it provides both communications and tracking, but it was more the symbolic component of it that bothered her. She wasn't one for government and military, and even holding it seemed a bit like being a part of the bureaucracy.

"Agreed," she replied, placing it on the front of her clothing. The Starfleet lab afforded her opportunity to work with newer equipment than she was used to, and possibly tackle a few of her personal curiosities.

"Good... I have nothing else for you. You enjoy your new found freedom of movement," Nathan said dismissively without having to actually say it.

S'anra stood up, looked down again momentarily at her new bit of 'jewelry', and then nodded. For now she would likely return to the quarters she had been afforded. It was quiet, and peaceful. After all of the work on Braken, she was looking forward to a little sleep. Before she went about enjoying her 'new found freedom'.