Chapter Text
Lt(j.g.) Lura t'Ael
Chief Tactical/Security
SB T'Plana Hath
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== Prisoner Transport ==
=^=Approaching T'Plana Hath,=^= came the pilot's voice over the comm system. There was a slight jolt as the shuttle dropped into sublight.
Lhura opened her eyes. She hadn't really been sleeping, merely resting a little after spending most of the trip studying the station they were approaching. Sparing a glance to check that the two Nausicaans were still safely bound to their chairs, Lura stood up to join the pilots in the cockpit.
"We're cleared to dock," the helmsman informed when he saw her enter.
Lhura leaned over to look out the forward viewports. *Sacred Fire!* she thought. Never had she seen a space station so large and never so close. And it only got larger until it filled the window and then swallowed the shuttle whole. By all rights, when she had been studying its defenses earlier, it should have been to plan how to breach those defenses and destroy it, but thru a crazy turn of fate, she was instead charged with its protection.
Thru strict discipline, she kept her facial expression even but her stomach was churning. To go from a Ambassador-class starship to this! There were tens of thousands of people here, many of them civilians. Lhura had had a hard enough time learning to adapt to Starfleet. How was she going to deal with civilians? And for the first time, Lhura wondered if Captain Kallstrom had lied to her.
He had been bluntly honest when he told her that he was transferring her off the USS Ataturk. Try as he might, he hadn't been able to trust her and for the sake of her career, she would be better off with commander who would give her a fair chance. Leaving the meeting, a piece of overheard conversation of a human woman making a joke about a breakup line - 'it's not you, it's me' suddenly made sense. But now Lura wondered if he was setting her up to fail. Was he throwing her into the deep end in the hope she'd drown?
The part of her nature that was governed by Fire warmed to the challenge and she drew herself up to her full 1.83m (6'0). Well, she'd not go down easily. Her defiance must of shown because the co-pilot glanced nervously at her and then back to her console.
"Have station security meet us at the docking bay," she said by way of parting and returned to the main cabin.
== TPH, Docking Bay ==
Acting Chief of Security, Arnold Domenici had brought 4 large guards with him, not wanting to take any chances with the Nausicaan's fierce reputation for bad-temper.
Lhura bent over to release the locking mechanism, but before she did, she locked eyes with the dominant of the pair. "We're not going to have any trouble from you now, are we?" she said quietly but meaningfully.
Resentment burned in his eyes. From her straight black hair to her pointed ears and upswept eyebrows, everything about her said Vulcan-- except for the answering gleam in her own dark brown eyes that silently promised that if he wanted a fight, he'd get one. The Nausicaan's gaze drifted up to the ridges on her forehead, prominent even under her short bangs that unmistakably stamped her as Romulan.
Domenici watched carefully as the guards escorted the detainees off the transport.
"You'll need this." Lhura offered him her PADD.
"No need, we already have their transfer orders," Domenici answered.
"Not theirs, mine. I'm Lieutenant J.G. Lhura t'Ael... your new chief of security."
Domenici's eyes snapped to her and she waited for him to absorb this. "We-- weren't told you were coming."
"It happened quickly. My ship happened to be at Starbase 47, when my transfer orders came in. It made sense..." she avoided saying 'it was logical'... "for me to come over with them."
"Right," Domenici was still processing the change, but then remembered himself. "Sorry, Lieutenant. I'm Domenici, Acting Chief... or was. I was Assistant Chief of Security before."
By the way his voice trailed off, she understood he was looking for confirmation from her. "You still are, Domenici."
== Main Brig ==
They got the Nausicaans into their holding cells without incident, but Lhura suspected that wouldn't last. She got the feeling they were bidding their time.
"Did Capt Greener say what he wanted to with them?" Lhura asked.
Domenici answered, "Only that he wanted them held for questioning."
"I'll notify him that they've arrived."
"You can't. I mean, Capt Greener just took the Vichy out. Cmdr Williams, our XO, is off station too."
Lhura frowned. That didn't give her a much to do, except to inspect the troops. Recalling her cultural training, she decided to let them get the news of her arrival first.
"Please," she remembered to say, a nicety that would never be used with a subordinate in the Romulan military, "take my things to my office while I arrange for quarters." She handed him her carry-on bag that she had taken with her from the shuttle.
"Aye, Lieutenant." And Domenici hurried off to move out of her office, his reign all too quickly over.
== Main Ops ==
The Bajoran saw the puzzle come together in Lhura's eyes. "This part is classified. The only reason I know is because I was left in command here in Ops. But coming in as our Security Chief, you should know. The Nausicaans were overheard discussing something possibly related to this anomaly. We hope to find out exactly what. The recording is in that report I handed you."
Deryx breathed in deeply and sighed. "Ok, I said in brief, but that was a handful. I remind you much of that is classified. Do you have any questions?"
"No, I'll study this material," she answered. Listening to all that he had told her, Lhura knew she had a lot of work to do.
"Ok, until the Captain gets back, which should be tomorrow morning, keep an eye on those two and get yourself acquainted. Welcome aboard, Lieutenant."
"Thank you. I will see to it."
As Lhura departed Main Ops, she made a decision.
== Main Security ==
Impatient to begin now, an image of being able to proudly greet her new CO with information he wanted made Lhura smile inwardly. But that was thinking like a sub-centurion. Besides the Fleet Captain might want conduct the interrogation himself. Instead, Lhura found her second, Domenici. "I want to meet with you so you can brief me on the station's recent events. Later, I'll want to meet with senior officers of the department. But first, I want to separate the Nausicaans."
"Separate them?"
"Yes, into different cells where they cannot talk to each other," Lhura explained. She frowned, this should have been done sooner. They already had too much time to get their stories coordinated, but at least when they actually questioned them, they couldn't be sure that the other had broken down in an all-night session. "Have the night shift wake them periodically. I don't want them well-rested."
Before either could say another word, an incoming comm-signal whistled. Lhura tapped her combadge. =^="t'Ael here. Go ahead."=^=
The arrival of a Klingon ship was announced and they were beaming over a rescued Starfleet officer. *Klingon!* The old animosity between that race and hers flared briefly before she quashed it. She had to adhere to the Federation's policy of tolerance now.
=^="On my way, t'Ael out."=^= Lhura turned to Domenici. "Can you handle the Nausicaans?"
"Aye, ma'am," Domenici grinned.
"Good." And Lhura secured the PADD that Lt Deryx had given in a password-coded locker in her office.