"By all means, Guyonia'tal! That's an EXCELLENT idea!" Colonel Snavely sneered savagely at Kallindra's Andorian assistant. "You run on down to your Andorian Security Center for help. Let's see how far you get!" Snavely chuckled wolfishly as he waved one arm towards the conference room door - inviting Guyonia'tal to leave.
The assistant hesitated, looking from Snavely to Ambassador Kallindra. She stood imperiously silent with arched eyebrows as she glared at Snavely. She glanced quickly at her assistant then turned her quiet fury back to Snavely. Guy thought to himself,"I guess the ball's in my court". He quickly went to the door and exited the conference room, antennae bobbling undecorously.
As he closed the door behind him, Guy -- or "Guyonia'tal" as Kallindra had introduced him to Colonel Snavely a few minutes earlier -- mentally reviewed the building floor plan that he and Kallindra had walked since entering the Andorian Starfleet Command Center. He wasn't trying to retrace his path to the entrance, but just to the nearest restroom. He knew he had only scant seconds before Snavely's security forces in the building would be looking for him and he had NO chance of leaving the building -- as an Andorian.
Fortunately, there were male and female 'comfort rooms' a short distance down the hall from the conference room. Guy paused for only a second before entering the female 'comfort room', risking an awkward encounter against the liklihood that no one else would be using the room. His luck held. He was hoping that building security, looking for a male Andorian, would hold off for a while before checking female quarters.
He ripped the plastene antennae from his head and hurriedly shucked off his Andorian robes to reveal that he was wearing his Starfleet uniform underneath. Guy stuffed the robes and antennae into a waste receptical. Then he went to a lavatory counter and looked into the mirror there. He reached inside his tunic and took out a thin cosmetic case along with a short-haired wig the same shade as Guy's natural hair color. Using the cosmetic case, he hastily applied a 'pinkskin' cream to his face and neck as well as his hands. Using eyeliner he darkened his white eyebrows and lashes. He then rather clumsily fastened the wig over his white hair. He was doing his best to blend the wig with his forehead using 'pinkskin' cream when he heard heavy footsteps in the hallway.
Guy froze until he could hear that they had passed going in the direction of the conference room. "Well", he thought, "this little hide-away isn't safe much longer." He gingerly peeked out the comfort room door and determined that the hallway was empty for the moment. Guy exited and tried looking casual and unconcerned as he strode away from the conference room, but his heart was doing a tap dance inside his chest.
"Damn Section 31!" Guy muttered to himself. "I'm too old for this 'secret agent' crap!"
A short time earlier when Colonel Snavely had entered the conference room, Ambassadore Kallindra had wasted no time with pleasantries. "All right, Colonel! Since you have my husband here on Andoria I DEMAND that you let me see him... IMMEDIATELY!"
Snavely tried a little last minute subterfuge. "Madame Ambassador, our medical staff must first be certain there are no critical lingering effects from his radiation exposure before we can..."
"Klazh snot!!" Kallindra cut him off. "Do you think your Starfleet medical staff superior to our own physicians right here on Andoria?! -- Especially with one of our own species?!" Kallindra rolled her eyes and turned to her assistant. "Guyonia'tal, make a note to contact our medical center as soon as we depart to have a mobile medunit sent here for the transfer of patient Kal'trax."
"Uhh.. yes, Madame Ambassador." Guy made a show of fumbling inside his robes.
After a long moment of tense silence, Colonel Snavely decided to change tactics. "Very well, Madame Ambassador, since you insist, I will have you conducted into the quarantined presence of Kal'trax."
"That's more like it." Kallindra offered a faint smile. And don't worry, Colonel. I'll be happy to sign any medical forms you want relieving you of any responsibility for releasing Kal'trax into our care."
Snavely offered his own icy smile. "I didn't say anything about releasing him, Madame Ambassador. I'm just letting you JOIN him... in quarantine!" Snavely gave a dismissive toss of his head. "Naturally, we will have to detain both of you until we are certain neither of you are suffering any dangerous after effects!"
Kallindra's eyes widened in anger. "You wouldn't DARE.."
Snavely continued with elaborate nonchalance. "I shouldn't be too concerned if I were you, Madame Ambassador. I expect this whole 'radiation' business to be wrapped up in a few short days. And... that is the essence of what I shall convey to your government!"
Guy felt the need to try a bluff of his own at that point.
"Madame Ambassador, I should advise the Andorian Security Center right away!"
That's when Snavely's eyes lit up as he turned to "Guyonia'tal".
Back aboard the Tycho, Ted turned to his Number One. "Marchelle, didn't you tell me back on Earth that we were taking on a new ensign who was adept in communications and spectral analysis?"
"Yes, Captain. That would be Ensign Sherriea Williams. According to her personnel file, she graduated from the Academy at the top of her class in spectral analysis. She and a select group of students were also cited for extracurricular experiments they conducted with subspace communications."
"Hmmmm..." Ted mused. "She sounds like just the type I could use right now. Have her report to me in the ready room. In the meantime, set a course for the outer rim of this system. Our destination is that sector with the spatial anomoly we had encountered on our last trip." Ted smiled slightly. "But start us off slowly under impulse power. I want us to take our time cruising past Andoria."
Ted was poring over data from the Pandorian scan when Ensign Williams entered the ready room. She said a little nervously, "You sent for me, Captain?"
"yes, Ensign Williams. I was just going over the scan info we got from Pandoria." Ted smiled encouragingly. "I believe you were working with our science team on that."
Sherriea perked up. "Yes Sir. That was fascinating! None of our planetoid studies back at the Academy had envisioned anything like a huge crystalline 'belt' encircling an Earth-sized
planet!"
"Yes" Ted agreed. "It's an entirely new phenomenon to me as well. But actually, Ensign.." Ted paused, "I wanted to talk to you about another of your -- aptitudes." Ted sat down and waved at a chair for Sherriea to do likewise. "I understand you're a bit of a whiz at communications."
Sherriea squirmed a little self consciously. "Well, I am interested in communications, Captain, but I don't know that I'm a 'whiz' at it."
"No need for any modesty here, Ensign." Ted smiled. "I've reviewed your file and I'm impressed." Ted absent-mindedly felt for the impression of his 'sunglasses' inside his tunic. "I was particularly intrigued by the report of your extracurricular experiments with subspace communications."
Sherriea's eyes lit up. "Oh yes, Captain! A few fellow students and I were working on ways to try to interconnect subspace with regular radio wave communication. And we sort of cobbled together a crude transmitter and receiver." She winced slightly. "But our class graduated before we could polish it into a presentable working system." Sherriea sighed. "I'm afraid I've been too busy with post-graduate postings to follow up on those experiments."
"Not to worry, Ensign." Ted gave Sherriea a mysterious half smile. "I believe Starfleet has had other, uhh, people follow up on your experiments." Again Ted felt for the outline of his 'sunglasses'. "And I know of at least one rather amazing little device that has been developed."
"Indeed, Sir?" Sherriea's eyes widened.
"Yes, Ensign, and I'll be glad to acquaint you with that soon. But first let me ask if you think it's feasible to adapt a shielded subspace comm system to the task of intercepting normal radio wave communications -- WITHOUT the sender or receiver of those communications becoming aware of the interception?"
Sherriea stared intently at Ted for a long moment before answering. "Well, I certainly believe that is possible, Captain. That's one of the applications we had in mind with our experiments. But, of course, we never got that far."
Ted pushed himself to his feet. "Well, Ensign, now's your chance! I want you to spend the next shift tinkering with the Tycho's subspace comm system with the goal of intercepting all communications between Starfleet's Andorian Command Center and SPROC. I'll authorize any science or engineering staff you need to assist." Ted leaned forward with a seriously arched eyebrow. "But DON'T let Starfleet know what we are doing!"
Sherriea felt a delicious shiver of excitement and terror run down her spine. "Why, Captain! Are you asking me to SPY on Starfleet?!!"
Ted grinned and gave a facetious shrug. "Why not?!" Then in a more serious tone, "Don't worry, Ensign. I'll take full responsibility for any consequences. And believe me, this IS for the ultimate good of Starfleet!"
Guy was beginning to feel halfway smug about his self applied makeup job. In wandering the corridors of Starfleet Command Center he had passed by security patrols in a hurry twice with barely a second glance. Guy was pondering whether to stick around to see what further intel he might be able to pick up -- or just request immediate transport back to the Tycho. In rounding another hallway corner, he converged with a small group of ensigns whose chatter indicated they were heading to the 'chow hall' for a mid-morning break. Guy decided to follow them. Mess halls could be a good place to overhear all kinds of gossip.
After getting himself a steaming mug of dark roast espresso from the food replicator, Guy took a seat near the young ensigns he had followed into the hall. "What's up with security today?" one of them remarked. "They seem to be crawling around everywhere!"
"Yeah," another replied glancing warily toward the doorway. "Check out the 'storm troopers' over there." A pair of security men had entered the mess hall and stationed themselves on either side of the doorway, casting their gaze around the hall's occupants. Guy almost reflexively reached inside his tunic and put on his 'sunglasses'. This time it took Ted less than thirty seconds to respond by donning his own 'sunglasses' aboard the Tycho. Guy said nothing but casually gazed around the mess hall while sipping his espresso to give Ted the lay of the land.
In a lowered tone of voice one of the ensigns asked his companions: "D'ya think this has anything to do with what's goin' on at SPROC?" Guy shifted his position slightly closer and cocked one ear toward the ensigns.
"I don't think you wanna know what's goin' on at SPROC." another ensign replied in a low voice. "Yeah? And why is that?" the first ensign asked.
The 2nd ensign glanced over his shoulder at the two security guards then said quietly, "I got a cousin working the geology section at SPROC. On his last leave here on Andoria, he said ol' 'Snappy' Snodgrass was 'bending the rules' a little about taking crystal 'samples' from Pandoria."
"Yeah? What kinda samples?" asked the first. "Classified, Baby! Need to know only!" replied the 2nd with a grin. "When I asked my cuz the same question, all he did was make a sound like an engine warming up and then -- Whoosh!" A brief pause. "You know," said the 2nd, "like a starship goin' into warp!"
There was a collective "Ohhh.." from the group.
Guy got up as casually as he could and moved back to the replicator to refill his espresso. "Did you get that, Ted?" he said quietly on his way. "Yes," Ted replied, "but it comes as no surprise. We've been monitoring communications between Starfleet Comm Center and SPROC. Ambassador Kallindra is correct. SPROC has been mining dilithium for some time. And from their latest exchange, I get the impression that they are about to wrap up their operations."
"Well," Guy stood lingering by the replicator. "I guess that ties in pretty well our 'Snavely experience' here." Guy looked toward the mess hall doorway and the two guards there, who were now looking back at him. "Ted, Snavely took Kallindra into custody when she demamded to see Kal'trax. I only managed to escape for a while by getting away long enough to turn myself back into a 'pinkskin'!" Guy noticed a 'male comfort room' door near the replicator and started walking toward it. "Ted, I think I need to get out of here now!"
"Damn!" Ted shook his head, then after a moment's thought: "She and Kal'trax should be safe enough in Starfleet custody on Andoria. We're approaching Andorian orbit now and the Tycho should be able to get within transporter range in a few more minutes. Just hang in there a little while longer."
The two security guards began walking in Guy's direction. "A few more minutes may be very problematic, Ted. I think..."
Guy was cut off by a loud beep from the large view screen on the front wall of the mess hall. A grim looking Colonel Snavely appeared holding some Andorian robes and a pair of plastene antennae in his hands. "ATTENTION all personnel! There is an unidentified terrorist at large inside the Command Center! Our security forces are tracking this ... ENTITY who gained access by disguising himself, or herself, as Andorian." Snavely gave an indignant jerk of his evidence. "I am ordering all personnel to cooperate fully with our security team by promptly providing proper identification AND reporting any suspicious characters or activities! This person is dangerous and must be stopped at all costs! I am authorizing security to use LETHAL force if necessary!" Snavely started to turn away then jerked back to face the camera with his left eyelid fluttering. "OH! And yes! This terrorist may be wearing... SUNGLASSES!"
Guy instinctively reached to remove his sunglasses then thought: "Oop! I guess it's too late for that!" The two guards quickened their pace toward Guy. Guy started to open the comfort room door.
"SIR! Hold it right there!" Guy continued into the comfort room and silently cursed on seeing there was no lock on the main door. He was desperately thinking to lock himself inside a stall when the two guards burst through the door with phasers drawn.
Guy said in a squeeky voice, "Ted! It's now or never!"
"We're not close enough yet, Guy!"
The security guard first through the door was a large, husky young lieutenant with a cruel smile on his face as he leveled his phaser point blank at Guy's chest. Guy raised his hands in abject surrender. The guard's smile twisted deeper as he deliberately changed the setting on his phaser from "stun" to "kill"! "I know what Colonel Snavely means when he authorizes 'lethal force'! He's a 'dead or alive' kinda guy!" The guard tossed a remark over his shoulder at the 2nd security guard behind him, a slender, older man but also with just a lieutenant's rank. "Ain't that right, Jimbo?"
The 2nd guard looked quickly between Guy and the first guard with a hesitant expression on his face. "I guess, if you say so, Buck."
The first guard broke into a malevolent grin. "Too bad this terrorist had to put up such a fight!" Buck took his time before pressing the 'fire' button. He was enjoying the terrified look on Guy's face.
Guy could only think: "DAMN Section 31!!"
At that point, the second guard discharged his phaser, set on 'kill' squarely into Buck's back. Buck crumpled to the floor like a sack of wet cement. Guy stared in silent, gape-mouthed astonishment.
The second Guard lowered his phaser and looked at Guy with a genuinely friendly smile. "Who's your daddy, Mister?"