No Rest for the Weary
Posted on October 11th, 1999 by Sullivan Ruffian

The purposeful stride of the executive officer would have echoed in the corridor if it weren’t for the carpeting that muffled the sound. At her right, Ensign Solitaire struggled to keep pace, wondering all the while how a woman who was so short moved so quickly. They stopped at a turbolift and Sullivan’s foot tapped on the carpet in impatience.

“Let me get this straight, the Captain and the doctor are….”

“Missing.” Solitaire’s voice quavered a bit.

“The Ambassador and his entourage are…”

“Dead.” She bit her lip and winced, she knew when her boss was in a foul mood there were none that were safe, not even her.

“The events on the Atlantis and concerning the Captain and the ambassador can be attributed to….”

“Sabotage.” She took a step back.

A Bajoran curse rang through the air as the lift doors opened before her and she stepped inside. Solitaire gathered her courage and stepped next to her instead of doing what every fiber of her being demanded…. and that was to run.

Sullivan studied her features in the reflective surface of the door. “Caine does nice work,” she thought. Once again he had patched her up from a holodeck encounter that had left her bruised and beaten. He never censured her for it, never pried into it, he just accepted it as the way she was. It was the way she worked it out. “I am NOT losing another captain,” she muttered to herself.

She didn’t even turn to look at the ensign next to her. “Have Carver plot out the course that the Captain may have taken. I want the most recent scans and sensors logs, not to mention the survey teams reports that were assigned to the sectors that he would pass through. I want the debris screens, the power readings, energy spikes…. everything!” Solitaire worked with her usual effcient grace that Sullivan envied so much.

“Have Struan follow up on these reports. I want to know every possible accounting for the disappearance that he can come up with.” She answered Solitaire before she could verbalize the question that arched the woman’s eyebrow. “Yes, Struan…. I have other plans for Jovek. Ones that he most probably won’t like.”

“Security should be conducting random seaches of crew quarters. I want all transmissions, incoming and outgoing, to be studied and cataloged. Yes, I know that the searched won;t hold up in a court of law… but if I have my way, there won’t be anything left of our *friend* for him or her to make it to court. I want all engineering personnel interviewed and all are to be considered suspects. I want all reports of unusual activity to be followed up on.”

The doors opened and the pair stepped out and headed to the executive officer’s office. As they stepped within the confines, Suli headed straight for her desk and Solitaire immediately went to the replicator and brought her the customary cup of spiced cider.

“Medical.” She stopped and tooka sip of the beverage, allowing the soothing liquid to travel through her throat/ “Have Caine on the alert. If….,” she paused and restarted the sentence. “When we find Yamato and Zuriyev, he assistance may be required.” She wished that she could just order him to stand next to her, she could use the support of a friend.

“Engineering is a given. I want all hands working to keep this ship in motion. Time is of the essence.” She drummed her fingers on the desk, trying not to let her rising panic surface in absence of the Captain.

“Focus, Suli.” The words floated through her mind with that irritatingly calm tone.

“I am focused Prophets damn it! Keep your damn mind on your own….” her words drifted off as she realized that Solitaire was looking at her oddly.

“Forward any and all pertinent information regarding the conference to both myself and Jovek. I want him brought up to speed on all issues that were going to be addressed, anything we can find as to the Ambassador’s agenda secret and public.” Suli paused. “I know he has his hands full…. but they are about to become fuller. I also want you to schedule a meeting with him in the ready room as soon as he can get away.”

She exploded from her chair and headed to the door. “I’ll be on the bridge if you need me. Keep me updated as to your progress.” With a flurry of movement, she was gone.

Solitaire stood in the middle of the room and watched as the overturned mug of cider dripped its contents to the floor. She tapped her badge. “Maintenance… please report to the executive officer’s office…. she’s had another accident.”