When in doubt...

Posted on Thu Mar 31st, 2022 @ 10:49am by Commodore Phoenix Lalor-Richardson & Lieutenant Myne Redal

Mission: Season 5: Interlude: Darkness Abounds
Location: Hallways
Timeline: MD3 13h00
1120 words - 2.2 OF Standard Post Measure

//ON//

Myne waited patiently to get a chance to speak with the stranger that dropped the big big news on their heads. She had time to sort things out with T'Kara, get to their cabin and have her nervous breakdown and even pick herself up together again. This time with a lot more determination and quite a great deal of mischievous fire burning inside of her.

Her mind had quite a few naughty plans in mind but she wanted to avoid stepping on the wrong toes. Garret and Gary would most likely not be too upset with her when the smoke would clear, but having this miss Kass supporting her to get what she wanted before the whole thing exploded in their face was something Myne really wanted right now.

Lily wandered the halls after her conversation with Gary. She paused as she rounded the corner and found a Lt JG waiting around the corner looking nervous. She recognized her from the Senior Staff briefing. "Lieutenant?"

"Ma'am. Can we talk? I really like your plan, it's really cool and I think I can spin the whole situation to even pilfer those latinum bars from under everyone's nose too, which is kind of fun. But I don't trust you, your team or the target to act in a way that will not hurt this ship or this crew. So I have a few requests if you would indulge them ma'am. Please." Myne was still leaning against the wall and avoiding Lily's eyes.

Pilfer Latinum bars? Gee just who had been assigned to this ship? Lily studied the young Lieutenant. She was a Trill, and Lily was wondering if this was a thing about Trills. Every Trill she had ever known had quirks. "Requests?" She asked casually.

"Yes, requests." Myne smiled and finally looked at Lily with an innocent enough gaze. "Nothing special, it seems the good Captain and his XO trust you enough to agree with such a loony plan. I wish to request that you have them order Avalon to give me special permissions to set up, let's call them loopholes in the ship's systems. The enemy makes plans well, I'd rather be prepared to make their life rather difficult if everything blows up in our faces. I have people on this ship I wish to see safe at the end of all this."

"Order the AI? Just how much power do you think I have?" Lily asked curiously.

"I think you spun a web of intrigue that is insane enough to have a good man trying to care for a divided crew lend his ear to you. Two men actually, two men I care very much for, enough to not trust you or your people at all. Or the Admiral for that matter." Myne said stiffening a bit and holding her PaDD tightly to her chest.

Lily had to smirk now. "Lovejoy trusting me is a new thing." She said with mirth in her voice. "But I was given orders as was he. Why not just speak with him or Taylor yourself?"

Myne hesitated for a moment and then shook her head. "Because I am not a nice person deep down and I don't want the things that I might have to do to protect this ship and crew to stain two great men. I want to protect them as well, you on the other hand... not to much. You can find a way to get Avalon off my back to let me work while being all sneaky and manipulative and lying as I guess an outfit like yours has to be. So I don't see it as asking much and I am offering a great deal in return."

Looking around them at the walls, Myne smiles fondly. "There is so much you can do with everything that runs through these walls. People really do not understand that a ship is not just a box with engines floating through space. It is an ecosystem of its own, with life flowing through every coupling and wall. Avalon is a fun little tyrant keeping everything in check, but given what we are about to do, with enough access I can really do more."

Lily considered it. Was this the type of officer they had really chosen for this command? Finally after moments of thought and studying her, she said "Lets go talk to the Captain and Commander about it."

Another hesitation. "I am afraid ma'am. To go with them with this. They will no longer see me the same way if things go south and the measures I put in place will have to be triggered. Hence why I am trying to do this through you. If you want, I can give you a brief with all I can do once I get that access. Bypass hard built in restrictions, turn corridors into death traps, some serious unethical electronic warfare to target their own ship and more. They are the kind of things that Starfleet frowns upon and once done, people never look at you the same way as they did before. And I am..." Myne trails off for a moment.

"Afraid that both Captain Lovejoy and Commander Taylor will be disappointed in me because of it. That is a very scary, terrifying thought ma'am." Sighing heavily and straightening her back uncertain of herself she continued. "I can give you an edge ma'am. I don't think an Admiral would come here without preventive measures. I don't think Avalon has no leash around her neck, no codes that the Admiral can use to simply bend her to her will. Would be a stupid oversight by Starfleet to build AI's and not have backdoors like that built in. I can take precautions to prevent it, reroute our systems in a way that Avalon would not be aware off, cut her higher processes from taking over the ship if we need to. Maybe I am being paranoid ma'am, but I thought it was worth bringing it up."

"Sometimes there is no such thing as being too paranoid" Lily replied. "I will take it to Captain Lovejoy but start your preparations."

"When in doubt, talk a lot." Myne chuckled and relaxed visibly. "Thank you ma'am for your understanding." Reaching behind her back she pulled out a small thumb sized cylinder, blinking red from one flat side. "Handy when you don't want to be snooped on." Clicking on the blinking red part to turn it off she turned to leave and waved. "Good luck on your end ma'am. May the Human God be on your side, or something to that effect."

Lily nodded and watched the Trill head off. Yeah had to be something about Trills.