Rhodri’s Angels, Part Two
Posted on August 20th, 2015 by Kathryn Harper and Alexis Wright

by Rhodri Griffiths, Alexis Wright, and Kathryn Harper

Some time after they made their way past the blockade in Risa’s orbit and had warped into the vast sea of stars, Kate once again called up the USS Jörmungandr. Fortunately, illicit communication methods were no longer required.

“Captain, there’s an incoming message from the shuttle Seraphim.” The Jörmungandr floated serenely at the makeshift outpost around Kobliad IV, the bridge crew going about their business in a calm manner, despite the underlying tension that felt almost tangible – every hour that ticked down was an hour closer to Sigma Rho.

“Put them through, Ensign.” Griff spoke as he turned his chair back towards the viewscreen, his attention once more drawn away from the myriad of reports coming in from across the sector. He watched as the starfield was replaced with the image of Commander Harper. The image expanded as Wright leaned into view.

A touch of a smile graced the captain’s visage, lightening the bags beneath his eyes. “It’s good to hear from you. I couldn’t get in touch with our pilot and assumed the worst, but I’m glad you’ve all made it out in one piece. Status report?”

"Captain," Harper began with a slight bow of her head, "unfortunately, we could not locate the pilot either, but are presently at warp en route to Kobliad with all systems nominal."

The captain tilted his head slightly, a ghost of a frown on his face – “Lieutenant Harris – he isn’t with you?” He looked down at the console on his arm rest as he spoke, quickly bringing up his reports from Risa looking for any mention of the wayward lieutenant.

"No, sir. He was not at the shuttle. We waited as long as we feasibly could, but were forced to leave." It was not a decision Harper had enjoyed having to make.

Wright’s brow furrowed with concern and she nodded, adding, “We just ran out of time, sir.”

Griff turned back to the viewscreen with a nod. “Understood, I’ll petition to Starfleet to see if we can get some more information or a warm body on the ground. I don’t like that one of my officers is missing.”

Harper nodded empathetically. "Understandable. Leaving someone behind was not our first choice. I regret that it has suddenly become a cause for concern on my homeworld."

“I understand how that might feel. Don’t worry, we’ll find out what happened to Lieutenant Harris; likely he just got caught up in whatever this mess is that Starfleet is trying to clean up. I trust both of you made it off without too much trouble?”

A tinge of irritation had crept into Harper’s voice from the thought of having been treated like a prisoner on her home planet, by people wearing the same uniform as her. "Yes. For certain values of trouble."

“It certainly wasn’t a scenario which I would wish to repeat,” Wright said somewhat bitterly from the next seat. “But we’re on our way now, and that’s the important thing. Thank you for your assistance in getting us out of there, Captain.” Chuckling, she continued, “We needed help escaping from paradise so we could go on a death-defying mission instead. Something might be wrong with us.”

A quick grin flashed across the grizzled captain’s face, washing away the dark look as if it was never there. “Perhaps, but you didn’t hear that from me. I must admit, I’m surprised any one of you volunteered for this mission – altruism must be at an all time high in Starfleet right now. But we’re…I’m glad to have you with us. This mission won’t succeed unless we have the best of each field, and you’re two of the best.”

Kate had never considered herself to be among the best at anything, but had to admit that her piloting skills had indeed developed immensely during her seven years as Atlantis’s CAG. Prideful considerations aside, she certainly had no desire to dwell on her motivations for accepting this assignment, so she simply offered a gracious smile and nod. "Thank you, sir."

Lexy was not surprised by Captain Griffith’s assertion, as she had received that feedback before during her time in academia. Her time as a scientist in the real world, however, had tempered her perception of herself, and she was no longer as confident in her abilities as she once might have been. This assignment also offered challenges that she’d never encountered before, and her feelings about them vacillated between excitement and uncertainty. Those mixed emotions were reflected in the tight smile she gave as she also nodded, echoing Kate’s sentiment, “Thank you, sir.”

Tapping out familiar commands on his console, the Welshman checked the encryption and forwarded along the same mission package every other team member had received by this point. “I’m sending along what you’ll need to brush up on the objectives and the mission zone, as well as the available resources at your disposal. You’ll be briefed fully when you arrive at the Jörmungandr. Then the real work begins.”

With a glance down at the console, Harper confirmed the package’s arrival. "We have it. If there is nothing else, sir, we will begin reviewing this."

Rhodri shook his head at the question. “Unless either of you have questions, I’ll leave you to your flight – we’ve all got work to be done.”

The two women looked at each other and shook their heads, then back to the viewscreen. "No, sir, no questions," Harper answered, and then added in Welsh, "Diolch yn fawr."

His face lit up at hearing his native language, a grin touching his lips. “Hwyl fawr am nawr, Commanders. Safe trip.”

"Seraphim out," Kate signed off, transferring the mission packets to two separate PADDs as the viewscreen went dark. A long flight ahead of them, the pair began to pass the hours in studious preparation for the perilous days to come.