snip

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On the cloaked shuttle
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The swirls of light coalesced around Aimee and Peter’s bodies in a bright white blur. Seconds later they were standing on a transporter pad on the ship poised just underneath the belly of the Atlantis in a scanner blind spot.

Aimee broke the embrace and moved immediately off the transporter pad into the belly of the shuttle. There was a two-man crew there with one in the pilot’s seat and one at a console in the back of the shuttle. The space was small but laid out efficiently with a table in the middle of the area. In the area that usually would have been a cabin, a modified containment cell was erected. The space was small and not meant for comfort. It was about 8 feet tall and three feet wide allowing the individual enough space to sit on the floor but devoid of any furnishings. Outside of the cell was a console with a chair.

“The teams on the Atlantis have the alien designated as Rogan. The other male alien’s life signs are dropping. There are medics on the scene but the best choice now is between the female adult or juvenile,” a voice called out from the back of the cabin. “Which one do I pull out with transport?” His hands were poised over the controls ready to engage beaming the second the target was chosen.

=/\=Life is full of tough choices. If you take your hands off him you will kill him. How bad do you want this,” she held up the satchel. “Is it worth a life?=/\= Zala Tsu’s conversation in the promenade was playing on the ship’s speakers confirming what the officer had reported to Aimee and Peter.

Looking at Peter, Aimee shrugged. “Interrogation is less morally objectionable with adults.” The sentence was both a comment and a question. “Engage,” she said.

Aimee

“Won’t get any useful intel from the child” Peter answered with an equally nonchalant tone as he’d maintained til now. The shuttle’s crew was awkwardly placed for him to deal with, with only one phaser and Aimee he might not be able to disable all three without them potentially disabling the shuttle’s systems.

“No,” she let out a small defeated sigh. “We probably could have gotten a whole slew of info out of her but kids are so needy, messy, and loud. I am pretty sure the kid would have thrown a fit but eventually come around. Who wants to wait that long and we just judged the wrong book but its cover. Jessa showed us much more of what they can do defensively than the other three showed up offensively which was the point in setting them loose on the Atlantis.”

“When we got the initial signal from the beacon, the sheer vastness of space it had to cross to reach us raised eyebrows. If they could transmit a comms signal that far the tech behind it was astounding which lead us to immediately theorize what their weapons tech might look like. Once we deciphered the beacon as a request for a meeting, it was decided that losing one ship to the aliens would be easy to cover up. We lose ships all the time. Losing a formal fleet first-contact fleet would be an unmitigated disaster. We did learn something from the Borg’s first contact and this Galactic Union is extra-galactic. The powers that be did not want a repeat performance of what happened with the Borg if these people aren’t friendly.”

As Aimee talked the female alien suddenly appeared in what the shuttle was using for a brig cell. Her expression went from surprise to malice in a split second.

“We certain this cell can contain them properly?” he asked.

CIO

Zala Tsu seethed inside at the ease to which these lesser beings could transport her at their will. She debated about trying to break out of the space but didn’t. She was alone and needed to figure out what was happening before she killed the crew. “So,” Zala looked at Peter with an expression of pure seduction and a tone that matched. “You are my mysterious benefactor. Thank you for extracting me.” It was all a ploy but a well-rehearsed one. Zala Tsu was stunningly beautiful and knew how to work her charms. Instead of succumbing to the rage inside her, she made sure her posture looked more amorous and submissive. It was clear she had used this before and expected it to work as it always did.

“So how can I repay you for your kindness.”

Zala Tsu

Peter first looked at Aimee then back at the alien absolutely stunned. It lasted only a moment, his usually rocky expression softened into a smile and the smile turned to laughter. He laughed hard with pure joy and amusement, he was surprised at his own reaction, it had been a good while since he’d laughed from his depths like this. After a good full minute of deep-bellied laughter, he raised himself up, wiping a tear from his eye and exhaling with a happy sigh. He then immediately schooled his face to passiveness again “I apologize for that outburst, it’s just that you are the second person today who has tried seduction as a first tactic, it caught me off guard”

“That’s fine. The question is how well did it work? Since you are standing here and not tangled in some sheets somewhere I see I still have a fighting chance to get you into said sheets.” Zala continued the ruse. In situations of captivity, the trick was keeping people talking. It was only a sentence but that might lead to enough for her to get this man to give her the key to her freedom.

He smiled then, a sardonic smile. “I am obliged to inform you that you are speaking to the wrong person” He took a step back and indicated Aimee, the step back looked as if he was simply allowing the senior agent to take command but from his new position he had a clear view of the other two crew members. He could feel the type one phaser in the small of his back ready to draw. He made the calculations in his head calmly. The pilot would be his first target followed by the rearguard. He waited for Aimee to speak with the alien before making his move.

CIO

Aimee stepped forward assuming the position of leadership Peter and had acknowledged. “Your compliance with us will be greatly appreciated.”

Touching her neck, Zala raised her armor. Raising her hands, Zala fired her weapons into the shield shattering it. Reaching out she grabbed the woman before her around the neck and squeezed. As she raised her other hand firing several shots around the cabin. The first caught the pilot square in the back leaving a charred black hole. Zala did not wait and enjoy the visual of the man slumping over the console. She was already firing at the second man in the corner. He had been foolish enough to try and raise a weapon. As he took aim, so did Zala firing a round into his face. Bits of gore splattered the console behind him as she trained her weapon on Peter. His weapon fire was already pinging off her armor and for that, he would pay. She took careful aim at Peter. She was not looking for a swift kill but a protracted one. Zala shot him in one knee and then the other. The man dropped to his knees bringing a smile to Zala’s face. Dropping her helmet, she allowed him to see the expression of power spread across her face. “It seems you were both mistaken,” Zala said in a slow tone. “I am the one in power. Not you and definitely not her.” Her hands tightened around Aimee’s neck as she slowly strangled her looking at Peter. Clenching her fingers, a loud snap filled the room as she tossed Aimee aside. “Did you ever think you would be on your knees when you died?”

Blinking twice, Zala snapped out of her fantasy and back into reality. Her momentary daydream would have been a wonderful reality but she did not know where she was or how to use this Federation tech. With Jessa taking all the MECH’s, Zala needed one sycophant to control. Maybe there was a way however to rid the crew without her doing it herself.

Glancing down she looked at her hands. Zala Tsu could activate the armor and probably destroy the shielding but what would that get her. The ship she was on could not traverse the celestial web. She needed the Beacon of Hope and the man before her seemed more than capable of helping her find it. For now she would play nice.

Zala let a glance drift over Aimee before letting it settle back on Peter. “No, I am not. You and I both know it. She is not in command. You are. She just doesn’t realize it yet.”

Aimee immediately snapped her gaze to Peter. Pulling her weapon Aimee looked at Peter. “Why would she say that,” she asked Sigmundsson. The arrival of Peter was too clean and too precise.

Aimee and Zala Tsu

Peter had a calm expression on his face, hands clasped behind his back “Basic tradecraft Aimee, divide and conquer. She can see that you are uncomfortable with my being here and she thinks to drive a wedge between us based on mutual mistrust” He didn’t look away from the alien as he spoke, a small smile curved his lips.

“I had no reason to distrust you…until now,” Aimee replied in an icy tone. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out a pair of restraints. “If I have nothing to worry about put these on.” Aimee saw how the child seemed to be telekinetic and wanted no chance of the female alien redirecting its course. There were four agents on the ship but Peter was as skilled at ten. He could easily take out two before the third got in a lucky shot and 33% odds of being the last one standing was not odds Aimee liked.

Zala could calculate the odds as well as anyone else in the room but she was sure Aimee was not counting her on the right side. “I love restraints. Toss them to me,” she replied in a sultry tone putting her wrists together and holding them out as she leaned against the wall. “I would love to see you put me in them and what you would do with me as your prisoner.” Men were simple creatures. Zala Tsu was more than capable of extricating herself but the comment had multiple purposes. First, it was to distract Aimee and give Peter a chance at taking the ship over. The second was to muddle his brain with hormones to make him easier to take over.

“Shut the triff up. That is how you say it in your native tongue. Triff?” Aimee hurdled the obscenity back at the alien.

“Ohhh hit a nerve there didn’t I? Guess you are not the type to take or follow orders like a good girl. Me…I am a very good girl as Peter knows. You think you are really in charge of all this,” Zala waved a hand. “That you ran the child as an asset?” Zala let out a snort and rolled her eyes. Subterfuge and mind games were uniquely fun and were as dangerous as any weapon. It was all smoke and mirrors but the situation was tense and only needed a spark to ignite.

Peter finally looked at the Section 31 officer.

Aimee watched the controlled precision as Peter moved across the space. He was not making any fast moves and exuding nothing but trust mixed with a slight amount of irritation. This all made sense to Aimee. He probably was not used to being second in command and would complain plenty later. “Glad you see it that way.

“She’s wrong of course, this is entirely your operation.”Then quick as he spoke he drove his knee into her gut.

Aimee reacted instantly spinning to the right and coughing as the knee knocked the wind out of her. She was just as well trained as Peter and yet one always was better in a fight. She did not back up like a rookie but rolled to her left. With any luck Peter would step forward to grab her and Aimee could strike when he was off balance. As she brought her head up she felt a sharp pain.

He then followed with his right elbow in her temple to incapacitate her.

Aimee did not have time to react of think. She instantly went boneless to the deck of the shuttle.

His left hand flung out, a small type one phaser in his grasp, and a beam shot out at the shuttle’s pilot’s chest. Then as soon as the beam was out he spun around in a half pirouette and shot the rear guard calm as could be.

Peter waited for two heartbeats before moving.

Zala slowly began to clap. It was long and slow in between beats creating a sarcastic sound rather than a genuine one. “Did you kill her? Them?” Her question was more to probe about the intensity of this Federations weapons than Peter’s nature. Since he so easily turned on his comrades it proved he had a nature that could not be trusted which was fine. Zala was only going to use him for as long as she needed however dicept and bloodlust were two different things.

He then quickly went to either side, dragging bodies to the center of the shuttle. He opened a concealed pocket on his jacket and removed zip ties and used them to tie the two officers together, pretzeling them together to make it more difficult to get loose without alerting him.

Seeing the restraints made Zala’s lips turn slightly into a frown. “You know you could just blow them out of an airlock? Blame it on me.” Rolling slightly in her cell, she leaned her whole back against the wall instead of lounging on her side as if this was a casual conversation between friends.

Aimee, he simply tied her feet and legs together, right foot to left hand and vice-versa. Unfortunately, he didn’t have any rope or better yet duct tape but that couldn’t fit in the lining of his uniform.

He finally turned to the alien and clapped his hands together “Finally some privacy” he said with a smile “I am Lieutenant Commander Peter Sigmundsson, Chief Intelligence Officer of the USS Atlantis” He introduced himself.

CIO

Taking a long moment, Zala pushed herself off the wall and turned to face Peter. “Well hello, Lt Commander Peter Sigmundsson of the USS Atlantis.” She repeated his words back like it was a song. I am Elder Zala Tsu Cellwahal Coreen but we don’t use last names in the Union when you are an Elder. Now that we are formally introduced what do you say you drop this shield between us and we get informally introduced,” she replied tapping the forcefield with a perfectly manicured fingernail.

Zala Tsu