Posted by Lieutenant Faye Calloway (Mission Specialist) in Starbase 173 (2398)-Gambits

(snip)

She shook her head. “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t just walk out of this room and pretend you don’t exist?”

“Because despite the well-crafted facade, you are bored to tears here and you need to be doing something more worthy of your experience and that exceptional brain of yours.”

Faye studied him intently, saying nothing for a few moment until she had felt the moment of anger pass entirely. “The whiskey quip was uncalled for,” she said flatly.

Strickland sobered and nodded. “You’re right, I apologize.”

He said it so easily that it could have been misconstrued as a placating gesture, but his tone and expression made her believe it was sincere. “The dark moments in my life are not fodder for you to make fun of or make points with. They are hard enough to deal with without some overconfident ass using them as a punch line.”

He nodded again. “Of course. It won’t happen again.”
“It better not.”
“May I make an observation though?”
Faye frowned, feet still firmly planted on the deck. “If you feel it necessary.”

“The one thing about you Faye is that you are a provocative person. You inspire a reaction in others, for better or worse. You are not forgettable. People might detest you, or they might really like you but they’ll never have a neutral reaction,” he said.

“And that’s a good thing?” she asked incredulously.

Leroy smiled. “It means people know where they stand with you. If they get along with you, then they know they have at least some amount of your regard. If you clash then they know that they should be on guard. It’s neither a good or bad thing. It just… is.”

“And where do you think you stand with me?” Faye said, arms still crossed over her chest.
“I think I’ve made you just curious enough that you’re going to hear me out, and if I am respectful and stop playing games then you will take me more seriously.”
It was a fair assessment so Faye gave a half shrug. With a sigh, she dropped her arms and joined him on the sofa.
Leroy poured a measure of the blue liquid into two glasses and handed her one. “Romulan whiskey. Very appropriate for this conversation. Have you ever had it?”

“I have,” Calloway said with a nod. She took a sip of the strong liquid, though it wasn’t nearly as potent as the infamous Romulan ale. The liquid went down smoothly warming her throat and stomach. “Not bad,” she added appreciatively.

Silence settled into the room as they both took small sips. It was Faye who broke the silence. “What is it exactly that you think I am so perfect for?”

Strickland laid out the very basics of the assignment and soon Faye was on her feet pacing. “So let me get this straight, you want me to sneak into Romulan space, of which we are on sort of neutral terms with these days so long as the Free State remains in power and poke about places in search of a group that may or may not exist there.”

“They do exist. We know some returned after the supernova. But we don’t know where. Just some possible guesses,” Strickland replied.

“And Ambassador Spock…”

“Has not returned to Romulan space as of yet. But that might change. Finding any members of the Romulan underground would allow a better understanding of what’s actually happening in Romulan space beneath the surface.”

Faye stopped her pacing and gazed at Leroy with no small amount of incredulity. “And you think I am the best person for this. What, you ran out of trained agents?”
He grinned. “They don’t think like you.”
“And how is it that I think?”

“Like a rebel. A highly intelligent one too. Unpredictable, but with purpose. Don’t forget that finding them is only the first step. You have to integrate and gain their trust. A regular Intelligence officer won’t inspire that trust. But a former rebel who understands the high risk they live in everyday of their lives? That person has a chance. And for better or worse you don’t make promises you can’t keep and if you agree to something, come hell or high water you’ll see it through.”

He wasn’t wrong. Still, Faye couldn’t help but scowl. “And if I’m not interested in being your token former-Maquis? Which by the way I also understand means plausible deniability for the Federation. I’m not naive…”

He gave a half shrug. “A minor detail at best. Certainly not the driving factor.” Leroy gestured for her to sit again and Faye conceded. “Look Faye, I get it. I’m a stranger who knows too much about you, who is suggesting you do something potentially very dangerous, and I haven’t really given you much reason to say yes. But I already know you’re interested. I can see it.” Strickland smiled again. “You’re already working out possible plans and ways to proceed, aren’t you?”

A part of her wanted to deny it, but what was the point? He already knew her too well somehow. Faye downed some more whiskey and then sighed. “Five different ways to proceed, but I’ve already tossed out two as being less productive.” He grinned more, much to her chagrin. “But what happens if I change my mind?”

“You would depart the station on a leave of absence. You come with me and we do training together. If at the end of the training you’re no longer interested or we both decide it’s a bad idea, then you get to come back here and your job will be waiting for you. Also, if you decide you hate my guts, you can also be assigned a new handler, though I can’t guarantee you’ll get on any better.” He leaned in towards her. “Your handler has your life in your hands. It requires absolute trust from both parties. If it’s not there the whole can fall apart quickly. Do not make this decision lightly.”

Calloway nodded slowly. “What if things don’t go the way we expect once I’m over the border?”

Strickland downed the rest of his drink, the reality of the discussion turning the mood more sombre. “Regardless of how… amicable things between the Romulans and the Federation are, you would still be a foreign asset undertaking surveillance operations. They will never be okay with it, so you can expect their reaction to be… harsh.”

Faye nodded again. “Right. Expect a firing squad. Gotcha.”
He frowned. “Faye, this is not something to be flippant about.”
She laughed raucously. “Seriously? You read my file and then some and you think I’m worried about the off-chance of my dying. Please…” She fixed her stormy gaze on him and smiled. “I’m not afraid of death.”

“I know. It worries me a little.” But he smiled at her withering glare. “Then again I don’t think I’ve ever met someone quite as scrappy as you Faye Calloway so I suspect you’ll find a way of making things land on your side somehow.”

“Awww, that almost sounds like a vote of confidence.”
“And that sounds like a yes to me.”
She downed the rest of her own drink. “When do we leave?”
Strickland shook his head in slight disbelief. “Tomorrow, if you can get get your affairs in order that soon.”
Faye rose to her feet. “Name the time and place.”
“Shuttlebay 2. Nineteen hundred hours.”
Faye moved to the door. “See you then,” she said giving him a salute with her first two fingers.
“Hey now, coming from you that’s almost rude,” he quipped.
“I prefer the term irreverent,” Faye said as she slipped through the doors.

Left alone in his guest quarters, Strickland just chuckled. He had a good feeling about all of this and if nothing else Lieutenant Calloway would make life far more interesting.

To be continued…

~Faye Calloway