A Clandestine Conversation

Posted on Sat May 21st, 2011 @ 2:30am by Darek Halsey & Captain Nathan Cowell MD

Mission: Shore Leave 2; Picking Up the Pieces
Location: Commodore's Ready Room
Timeline: 48 Hours after "A long way to get home..."

= 48 Hours After Halsey's return =

Darek had paced the quarters that had been given to him, well calling them quarters was being generous. The room was no more than two meters wide by four long; it was more of a prison cell, but at least he could come and go as he please and it had a replicator. Sitting with his head in his hands, he rubbed at his already irritated eyes. The lack of sleep was killing him, his life style for the previous two weeks had completely destroyed any semblance of a sleep cycle for Darek and for the past two days he had at best had 3 hours of sleep, and for the rest he had just wandered the ship or drank himself into an oblivion.

Coming out of what should have been a nasty hangover Darek decided to take the initiative and go to the Commodore. Nothing had been said to him during the walk back to the Arizona or the past 48 hours and Darek had finally had enough. So he stood and pulled on his leather jacket and exited his quarters. It took him a while to arrive on the bridge as his 'cell' was located deep in the ship and conveniently away from any turbolift or jefferies tube access.

Arriving on the bridge Darek headed quickly for the Commodore's Ready Room, he came to a stop a few steps in front of the door his hand raised to press the chime. He was fighting with himself, the internal conflict. Should he harangue the man who had let him come back to his home or should he leave the Commodore be? The second option was out of the question, he was going crazy with nothing to do on the ship and frankly he had the feeling that the Commodore had brought him back for a reason, something that wasn't going to be pretty at all.

His hand crossed the distance and the chime sounded on the other side of the door. Nothing. No call to enter. Again Darek pressed the door chime and waited, rubbing unconsciously at the bandage on his hand, he reached out to ring the chime one last time, then it clicked. The man wasn't in his office. Darek's anger spiked, and unthinking he reached out and tapped in the general access code he had borrowed from a few spooks back at SF: I. The door glided open and Darek entered, he left the room dark and headed for the couch in the ready room. He'd just wait for the curmudgeonly old man in his ready room.

It wasn't much of a wait, Commodore Nathan Cowell entered not long after Darek and demanded the lights to activate. The room illuminated, quickly extinguishing any cover the man might have had. The Commodore, however, didn't seem to immediately notice him. Indeed, he walked over to the replicator without even glancing in Darek's direction, grabbed a mug of sweet tea, took a sip, then made for his desk and flopped down as if he didn't have an audience. If Darek had a personality type that depended on being noticed, he might very well have begun to take offense to the old man's utter lack of attentiveness.

That is, until he suddenly spoke, "You ready to work?"

Quickly throwing his mind into over drive, Darek recovered from his prepared defense to the Commodore's tirade that never came. Uncrossing his legs he leaned forward in his seat. "Work air?" He inquired, he hadn't expected the come back with out some kind of cost, but the way the Commodore had said work, had Darek on the edge of his seat. "What kind of work are we talking about Commodore?" Darek finished as he leveled his silver eyes at the old El-Aurian.

"Your kind of work, son. I can put you to work in my intelligence department, quietly of course. Might even be able to reinstate your commission, but that would have to be on the down low. I have a new Ensign in that department I want to test, see if he has the chops. Maybe you can play the part of civilian for show, make people feel comfortable about having you in a subordinate role. You would, of course, be working for me as far as ultimate authority is concerned. Sort of a double agent, but only in terms of reporting authority. You're still Starfleet, just not in public..." Nathan mentioned.

Darek stared thoughtfully out over the Commodore's shoulder; he liked the idea of being back in work for something that had a true cause behind it, it was something that played to his sense of duty, honor, and patriotism. But then he got the feeling that what the Commodore wanted him to do wasn't strictly by the books either. The civilian role and unpublicized Starfleet roles screamed deniability. "And the work I would be doing for you would be off the books, blacker than black, if we get caught we are denied sort of work right? Or is it something else?" He inquired as he drew his gaze back to Nathan.

"It might turn shady as time goes on, depending on what happens. But right now, it is more a matter of keeping you off the radar, as far as personnel is concerned. The less people know about what you do or do not do around here, the easier it is for you to pass as someone not affiliated with any one group in particular. Think of it like this... Section 31 runs on the principle that no one knows who they really are, who they report to, and what their real goal is. And me, I don't like people having tools I don't. You will act as my own private Section 31. Off the radar, out of pocket, and autonomous of the rules that keep certain people from doing the jobs that need doing the way they have to be done. Make sense?" the Commodore explained.

"Yes Sir," Darek replied. He didn't like the comparison to Section 31 but a job was a job, and even better yet it was for a man who Darek held great respect despite their short tenure on the same vessel. "When do I start and what's the job?" He said rubbing his hands together, grimacing yet again at the still yet to heal hand wound. "Sorry to sound impatient but I'm going crazy with nothing to do."

"For now, I don't have much to go on, so for the time being, just show your face and make yourself available to help the new kid. I'll have more important things for you later," Nathan explained.

Darek nodded, "One other question Sir, as I'll be acting under your authority on a clandestine basis. What if any authority do I have around the ship, or am I truly acting as a civilian?"

"As far as the ship is concerned, you're a civilian... something like a contractor. Out in the field, if I give you command of an operation and a team, you have absolute authority of that team. No different than if you were still wearing the uniform. It's just easier for you to blend in if you aren't strutting around like you own the place anymore. Good for cover and other people's comfort level," the Commodore answered.

"Agreed Sir," Darek said with a nod of his head. "And Sir..." Darek continued as he stood up from his seat, "Thank you, I won't let you down." He finished extending his hand to the Commodore as he fought the urge to salute him.

"I have a feeling you won't," the El-Aurian said cryptically before taking the man's hand.