A Change of Scenery

Posted on Tue Feb 28th, 2017 @ 11:59am by Commander Alora Knight
Edited on on Thu Mar 2nd, 2017 @ 10:20am

754 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Caught in the Cracks

ON

Alora Tau'Ri watched as the shuttle approached Utopia Planetia with mixed emotions. She was grateful she was still in Starfleet, given what happened to the Niagara. It had been infiltrated by the Mirror Universe counterpart to Captain Johansson who, while pretending to be ill, managed to destroy half the ship and kill three crew members.

Alora and an away team had been quarantined on a moon for a time, and when they'd finally been rescued, Admiral Vance had ordered the Niagara back to Earth for questioning and possible Court Martial.

She'd cooperated fully with all the information she had about Johansson and her Mirror Universe henchmen, but she had nothing to say about refugees who had sought assylum and been given permanent stations on the Niagara, chiefly Alexander Knight and his team of freedom fighters who had to flee for their lives when The Captain found out who they were, and Simlar, another of Johansson’s pets who had turned against her when she murdered his mate. Simlar and Alora gave testimony about their former Captain, but Alex could not be found. Vance wanted her to say that he was part of the conspiracy, but she would not.

At the thought of Alex, Alora put her hand to her chest, where she still wore Alex's ring on a chain around her neck, safely hidden under her uniform. He gave it to her the last time she saw him, just before that shuttle trip to the moon. That was six months ago, and there had been no word. She closed her eyes for several moments, composing herself. The pain and loneliness was not as great as at first, but she still had trouble sleeping, and he was frequently in her thoughts.

Because she refused to give evidence against Alex and his team, she was demoted for failing to cooperate with an investigation and released. Alora was sure that the only reason she hadn't faced Court Martial was because of intervention from Admiralty in Intel and administration.

And now, she was on her way to a new assignment. The pleased look on Vance's face when she'd been given her new position led Alora to believe this, too, was a punishment.

The chime sounded to indicate the shuttle had arrived at Utopia Planetia. She welcomed the distraction from her thoughts. She quickly gathered her things and put them back in her cross pack. Her personal items had been sent ahead and would be awaiting her in her new quarters.

She said little as she made her way to the umbilical to the Tokyo. It was only as she paused to show her identification and orders did she hesitate. Was she really ready for this? That didn't matter. She had to move on, to keep busy until she found out what happened to Alex. She had friends and contacts who would let her know if he showed up anywhere in the Federation. Until then, she just had to keep busy.

"And you are?" a male voice asked.

Alora looked up and realized she was standing in front of the security desk. "Alora Tau'Ri. I'm the new Executive Officer."

The man looked her over and almost sneered. "Papers?"

She stood a little straighter, fighting the urge to give him a piece of her mind for thinking that just because she was part Orion, he should not assume that she was lying. She handed him the PADD and smiled sweetly, an edge of steel in her gaze. "In case you didn't understand the first time,I am Commander Alora Tau'Ri, First Officer of the USS Tokyo. Now, if you will please mark me off and give me back my orders I would like to board the ship and report to the Captain."

As soon as he'd scanned the PADD he stood straighter. "Ma'am, yes, ma'am. No offense intended, ma'am. It's just that..."

"I'm Orion. I know." She deliberately raised her hand to push her hair behind her ear so he could see her Vulcan ears. "Let this be a lesson to you, Chief, to check your facts before you jump to a conclusion." She took back her PADD and slipped it into her cross pack. "Now, if you will excuse me>" Without a backwards glance, she walked past him and up the umbilical. Well, this was not starting off well. She hoped it didn't go downhill from here. But her luck hadn't been that good of late.

____
OFF

Commander Alora Tau'Ri
Executive Officer
USS Tokyo

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