Cloak and dagger – The Offer of St Helene
by HoD Ro' Matlh & Soghla' Marie St. Helene

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Title   The Offer of St Helene
Mission   Cloak and dagger
Author(s)   HoD Ro' Matlh & Soghla' Marie St. Helene
Posted   Tue Nov 19, 2013 @ 11:04pm
Location   Marie's Quarters
Timeline   Mission Time +6.30hrs
Marie was livid. One good thing about Klingon ships is that all of the floors were made for stamping and doors for slamming.

By the time she got back to her dorm she was in no mood to talk to anyone, least of all the chief engineer.

But there she was, pretty as ever, and sitting on Marie's bunk, casual as you please. She sat up leisurely when Marie stormed in.

"That was quite a show in the Mess hall, wasn't it?" she said as casually as if they had just been to watch a bar fight.

Marie could not believe what she was hearing. Not half an hour ago, Tell had dismissed Marie in no uncertain terms. Now here she was, acting like the incident had not even occurred.

“The offer still stands,” Marie spluttered for want of anything better to say.

Tell frowned, "Oh dear. I was hoping to pick a face you would innately trust and relate to. It seems I dug too deep. How about this?"

Now instead of Tell it was Lach sitting on the bunk.

“So...I’m not going mad. You are a shapeshifter. I see you can do faces rather well but now that I know you for what you are, I can see the flaws.”

Lach looked surprised, "I am impressed. THat is more than most can manage."

“It’s not so much what you look like, it’s more how you look. You’ve got Lach’s appearance down pretty well but you’ve missed the essence of Lach; what it is that makes him what he is, a right pain in the arse.”

"Ah! It seems I am finding it hard to find that right face for you."

“Don’t bother changing again, you’re wasting your time. I don’t particularly trust anyone on this ship.”

"That would explain it then." Lach/E nodded. "It also explains the sens of alienation and hostility you feel. There is a family going on all around you and you do not feel a part of it. All your attempts to be accepted seem to have fallen short. You fight for a post, fight for a promotion, fight for recognition, fight for love. Everything here is a fight for you, and one you feel poorly equipped for."

“Tell me something I don’t already know,” Marie sneered. “All my life’s been a fight. On Nouvelle Nouvelle Caledonie I fought for food and somewhere to sleep. Many times I fought just to stay alive. Life on the FHew is a bundle of laughs in comparison.”

"The Corporation are very community minded. I think you'd like them. They also share your eye for commercial enterprise. You would make a good Corporate Agent. Oh, don't worry. I am not trying to lure you away fro your ship. You have a great deal of loyalty to this crew, despite despising most of them most of the time."

"But what about the Non-crew? The new marines, JaqwI and the female. They aren't part of your crew and you have great reason to want to see them discredited. I am sure I can think of a way a shape shifter could make them both out to be fools, don't you?"

“Yes, I’m sure you could. No doubt it would be very easy. And what would I gain from that, pray tell?”

"Revenge?" E offered. "Satisfaction in seeing your opponent publicly humiliated."

I do not benefit from that. It would not be my revenge no matter how sweet you made it. I would know it and she would know it. She would despise me all the more for using an agent. She would say I have neither the honour or the courage to do it myself. She would be right! No, thank you, I think not.”

But would she know? Marie thought. She walked away, uncertain whether she had made the right decision.

The more Marie thought on it, the more she was unsure. It was all well and good to stand on principle but what did principle ever do for her? Nothing much. She decided to sleep on it. Maybe she could think more clearly in the morning.