I need a favour.

Posted on Wed Oct 18th, 2023 @ 11:05am by Lieutenant Commander S'hib & Lieutenant M'Tuuri Sh'iss [S'hib]

Mission: Season 6: Episode 3: Far From Home
Location: Naxeas' and S'hibs temporary quarters.
Timeline: MD: 5 - 1900/1930 hours
1567 words - 3.1 OF Standard Post Measure

PADDs cluttered the coffee table in front of him as he sat watching Slee in the corner of his eyes crawling about, her little snout twitching with flared nostrils whenever she came across something vaguely interesting.

He was thankful she was still so young and so blissfully unaware of the world around her, unaware of the things she would oneday grow up and learn to worry about; just like he was now.

About his friends, those he loved and ultimately himself... nothing at the academy prepared him for this, prepared him to deal with such crushing lows or the dread that would lap at his hooves and threaten to pull him under.

But he had her. And he had Naxea, those were reasons good enough not to give up... they had to be.

But then an all too familiar sound brought him back out of his clouded headspace as he watched her ears twitch, her little diamond ears inquisitively pointing towards the small PADD as it sat bleeping from underneath another, demanding attention from her father.

"Yes, yes... I haven't forgotten about you." He mumbled enthusiastically as he lazily picked up the device, his cloven fingers clattering against its surface as the screen continued to count down the timer for the academy test he was being forced to take.

"That one... next," He scoffed, casting the PADD down beside him as he returned his attention to the coffee table, trying to put all the pieces together for a case he was no longer part of.

He just couldn't sit by and let things unfold without doing something, not after failing so catastrophically the first time. But he had his head on straight this time he told himself, his blazing hot temper having been smothered until it was a whimpering ember even if it did somewhat reignite earlier.

And with no other department reports or other duties, the only distraction he had was his daughter... and his mandatory academy assignments, but those could wait he thought.

"This is... this is impossible, Slee, I need to be out there, I need fresh reports."

He glanced over at his daughter, ignorant of the emotional turmoil going on behind her. "I can't help your second mother stuck in here, Slee, that and my access codes are going out of date... not that they've helped anyway, this is all old information."

He let out a long sigh as he leaned back on the sofa, his eyes tracing the lines of the ceiling panels as his mind wandered, wondering what to do.

But then he leaned forward, as if startled by his own thoughts before reaching his hand up at his chest, patting for a comm badge that didn't exist.

"Yeah, I know... I'm an idiot." He exclaimed as Slee looked at him while chewing on a stuffed doll of an earthen horse.

"Computer, contact Lieutenant M'Tuuri and ask her to come to my quarters as soon as possible, once the message has been received delete it from all records."

The computer bleeped in acknowledgement and he let out a deep sigh before standing, as if resigning to the fact what he was about to do wasn't exactly the smartest thing he'd ever done; and considering recent events it had to be a rather stupid idea indeed.

"Just one big idiot..." he muttered softly before clicking to the bedroom to put some clothes on.

=====

Thirty minutes passed and still no sign of that damned feline. "Where is she..." S'hib thought aloud as he sat staring at the door with Sle'anna in his lap, covering herself and him in a fruit paste.

"Slee, you're getting more of this on me than in your mouth..." He frowned just as the door chimed.

"Come in!" he called out, watching the door hiss open to see M'Tuuri, her eyes shining in the low light of his quarters.

"You better not be asking me to babyssssit." She purred as she padded silently inside, her nose twitching at the odd smells that accompanied an infant of Slee's age. "And on my day off as well..."

"No," S'hib said before pausing, waiting for the door to shut behind her. "I'm still under house arrest for quite a while..."

She smirked at this, almost revelling in seeing someone who so often touted the rules being struck down by them.

"Sssso, why am I here then?" She enquired with a devilish curiosity.

"Because I need a favour. And you're the only one I know who might be so inclined to do what I'm about to ask, let alone be able to do so."

She mocked a gasp, putting a paw up to her breast. "This sssounds like you're asking me to commit a crrrime Commander... I couldn't poss-"

"I am." He said, cutting her off with a stern yet cold tone.

"-Oh, I see..." M'Tuuri replied, somewhat taken aback by the fact for the briefest of moments. "Well, you certainly asked the right girrrl... but it does depend on what exactly this favour isss."

"Dunes M'Tuuri... It's not like I'm asking you to kill anyone." He sighed with a shake of his head.

"I ssshould hope not, I charge for those..." She teased before crossing her arms, a permanent grin sitting smugly around her sharp fangs.

"M'Tuuri please, just listen... It's Miraj, it's about Miraj and the investigation. It's just not going nowhere, at least not fast enough anyway." He paused, shaking his head again.

"I'm scared she's going to get attacked again. And I'm stuck in here, can't do anything about it... So I need your help-"

M'Tuuri looked down at him, glancing over the coffee table and then up to Slee with her mind wandering and somewhat losing interest as S'hib continued to talk.

He was saying something about reports and personal logs, couldn't he get those himself she thought while watching Slee with a mixture of disgust and morbid curiosity.

Another moment went by and then she saw them. Tiny cloven fingers. And they were absolutely caked in red fibrous paste, and oh god so was her father... did he even know? how could he not she thought, it was absolutely everywhere.

She just couldn't understand the want or desire to have children, beside from the whole process of making them that is; that part she enjoyed a lot.

This, this just seemed awful.

And that smell, could he smell it too or was he just ignoring it she pondered with a frown.

"M'Tuuri?" S'hib snorted, regaining her attention with a sharp snort that only served to set Slee off into making her own little dribbly Sequus protest.

"Hm? Yesss... the investigation?" She blagged, her eyes gravitating back to Slee.

"What? No. Listen, I need you to get me access to their personal logs, their files... and communications both private and across departments, you know, the kind of stuff we can't even get with a warrant."

"Whose purrrsonal logs?" She asked with a grin, no longer pretending that she was listening previously.

"Dunes consume me, That PADD there, pick it up..." He sighed before pointing at the far end of the coffee table. "I disconnected it from the main computer, and it's got everything I need you to get me on it."

"Right..." M'Tuuri purred as she leaned down and picked up the PADD, taking a moment to browse its contents.

"You know we could both get in a lot of trrrruble if I get caught..." She added with visible disgust growing onto her features once she spotted red paste on the screen.

"I know but I figured if there was anyone who wouldn't get caught, it would be you..."

She let out a growl-filled laugh at this. "Flattery won't get you anywhere with me, Commander, esssspecially since you're covered in... whatever this isss."

"Can you just do it or not M'Tuuri..." S'hib glared with a huff.

"Of courssse I can, this is trivial work." She scoffed, looking back at him as if he had actually asked her to babysit instead.

"So that's a yes then?"

"That depends, it's no sssmall favour purrtting my career on the line... and yours I sssuppose." She hummed with a smile as the PADD fell to her side.

S'hib's head fell to his chest, already feeling a migraine growing at warp speed the longer she stood in his quarters "What do you want in return..." He huffed, finally looking up at her with small hands clasping either side of his face.

"A purrmotion would be nice..." She teased, her tail flicking excitedly.

"Wh- I can't authorise that, we aren't even the same department-"

Her grin only grew as he continued, watching him ball up into a knot of frustration.

"-how suspicious that would look, especially after your track record!"

"Sssays the purrt calling me black..." She hissed back, watching him open his mouth before quickly closing it again.

He turned away and frowned deeply. "Look, fine... fine, I'll see what I can do." He said, swallowing his pride even more in the hopes she might leave.

"Excellent..." She beamed, turning and padding towards the door. "I'll have what you need in a few hoursss then."

"Wait, what? That soon? seriously?" S'hib remarked, the surprised tone almost breaking his deep voice into a higher octave.

M'Tuuri chuckled, stopping to glance back at him. "They don't call me a ssspecialist for nothing darling..."