[USS Quantum Fury]
Khiy wore the ready room's carpeting thin with his constant pacing. He finally stopped at the window, his thin fingers pressed against the glass as he leaned forward. Just beyond the dusty brown fringes of the moon he could see the D'Deridex coasting along. "What are you doing?" He asked. A thin layer of fog coated the glass obscuring the view in a white haze. Pushing away Khiy shook his head and fell into his ready room chair. If the Charon was still out there, if being the biggest question, the Fury needed to do something to help them. "And what do we do?" Khiy asked himself. I shouldn't be here, in command, I'm not made for it Khiy lamented.
He stood up and made his way to the small cabinet in the far corner of his ready room. He slipped one of the doors ajar and pulled out a crystal flask along with a glass. He gently unscrewed the flask's cap and poured a luminous green liquid into the glass filling it a third of the way. Resealing the flask he placed it back into the cabinet and shut the door. Returning to his desk Khiy sat down and placed the glass of liquid onto the desktop. He stared at it for a long moment- his mind debating the merits of taking a sip. Finally, he picked up the glass, gently pressed it to his lips, and sipped gingerly. Like a fire it burned from his lips, down his throat, and into his stomach. Khiy hissed as the burn cooled slowly. It was strong. He slid the remaining half away from him. On his desk were two holo images; one was of his adoptive sister and the other of his adoptive mother. Both wore Starfleet uniforms. His sister Chloris wore starfleet yellow and his mother wore Starfleet red along with the golden bars of Starfleet admiralty. The famous and most dreaded Morgana Kanryth.
"What would you do?" Khiy wondered but he knew the answer right away. He could hear her in his head "What should YOU do?" "Yes, what should I do-" His voice trailed off as it hit him. He slid his hand over the desktop console causing a paper thin screen to rise. His hands danced quickly on the console and above him a holographic diagram of the D'Deridex appeared. Khiy stood up and waved his hand through the hologram which fizzled at his touch. He had spent several years since his first assignment on Versailles doing intelligence work for Starfleet. His largest role was analyst and something he was gifted at. The D'Deridex had many weaknesses. His fingers moved swiftly over the holographic diagram pointing out stress points and vulnerable sections- however he knew that the D'Deridex's biggest weakness was its lack of maneuverability. If they could pin it-
The sound of the chime caught his attention and he pushed the holographic diagram onto his desk instantly minimizing it. Returning to his chair he looked at the door "enter."
Onarin entered carrying a PADD. He smirked upon noticing the hologram hovering just above the desk "looking for a fight Commander?" Stopping in front of the desk he placed the PADD through the rotating D'Deridex and with a gentle push slid it towards Khiy. "The weapons report you ask for. Vekelse was quite thorough with his analysis of the Quantum Fury's systems. He still thinks that the EPS relays are vulnerable if we over-do it."
Khiy picked up the devise and perused the information. Disappointed he set down the PADD with little reaction. "I'm not looking for a fight Commander- I am looking for a way to help the Charon, if there is still a Charon to help." He sighed and looked at Onarin who was staring at the glass on the table "have T'Ern or Three managed to find a way to locate the Charon in the nebula?"
"No- T'Ern has some theories but most of them will result in us compromising ourselves." Onarin picked up the glass and held it up towards Khiy "do you mind sir?"
Khiy shook his head. Onarin grinned and tilted his head back drowning the entire glass. A low breath escaped his mouth as he savored the lingering taste. When he finished he looked at Khiy and slammed the glass back onto the desk "Aldebaran whiskey- good stuff. So, Commander, do you really think that the Charon is still out there? You have to admit for a science vessel they were hopelessly outnumbered. Maybe it'll be best for us to head back to Starfleet and report this incident."
"I don't like Shiarrael t'Rehu." Khiy said, his eyes drawn to the empty glass just beyond the Cardassian's grey fingers "she is arrogant, confident, and a Romulan aristocrat." The venom laced in the last word was readily apparent "but she is not stupid. She understands her people and if anyone can keep them alive it will be her." Khiy stood up and grabbed the hologram. "Commander Kaen, have T'Ern continue to work on locating the Charon- have Three analyze data from the planet for future reference. I am going to my quarters to rest. You have the bridge." Khiy threw the holographic diagram of the D'Deridex into the wall. The image shattered into a million pixels and dissipated as Khiy exited the ready room follow by Onarin.
[End]
