Sign On The Dotted Line

Posted on Fri Feb 10th, 2023 @ 10:51pm by Subcommander Kaiae t'Lien & Lieutenant Batsheva Olmert & Captain Freya Mannerheim & Sublieutenant Shira Ben Asher

2,236 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Chapter VI: Racing the Storm
Location: Drozana Station

It had taken a little work, but eventually, Captain Mannerheim had been able to convince Kaiae to arrange an interview with Batsheva and Shira. Instead of heading back to the crowded nightclub, they had once again rented out the small backroom of the main bar, to the delight of the Ferengi owner, who, as usual, was charging a hefty fee. Still, Freya mused, he never did notice that the Latinum the Terran had paid him with was worth far less than he thought. She had once again chosen her mercenary outfit over her uniform, still not willing to reveal the fact that she was a Terran, or that she was a Starfleet captain, beyond the rank pips on her collar. Besides, she liked the outfit.

Freya had notified Batsheva and Shira of the time and place of the meeting, and had arrived with Kaiae ten minutes before the arranged time. She had given Daisy's reference to the Subcommander, as well as any information she had been able to discern about the pair, which was certainly more verifiable than what Mila had known about Ashix before bringing her onto the ship. What better way, she thought to herself, to show them how it's done properly than by simply demonstrating good practice.

Kaiae, for her part, was using the ten minute gap to scour the entire backroom for bugs or other issues: She trusted most Ferengi not even as far as she could throw them by their oversized lobes...except for the fact that she trusted they'd generally attempt to turn a profit from as many different sides of any issue or situation as they could. So far she'd found three; but they were all different; so they could just as well as have been planted by outside parties, too. With more time she'd have tried to trace them; as it was she simply destroyed them before doing the best to brush the dust off her uniform, smooth it over, and reached inside her tunic to flick the switch on her little jamming device, just in case she'd missed anything in her search. The verification and research she'd been able to do on the women they were supposed to be meeting had been a lot more reassuring than the unnerving blank black hole that was Ashix's background or history; especially the fact that near as she'd been able to suss out, the pair, once bought, stayed bought till the end of a contract. That they could possibly afford the pair without tapping into the rapidly-depleting pot of funds her mother had skimmed off the top of bank business for the last year was...surprising...and maybe made Kaiae grudgingly revise her opinion of one and only one Ferengi - the late Gedak, who'd managed funds for Raven and the mercenary crew - slightly upwards.

Batsheva, Shira made their way to the agreed rendezvous. The venue wasn't familiar. Daisy did not join them, she had taken Azalea to look at some animals. She loved animals. She wanted a kitten, but Daisy hesitated. Meanwhile, Skylar was in the market. She needed supplies for her next project, Ian the shuttle pilot, was with her.

"Remember. Let me talk." said Batsheva. "Keep your hands on your pistol, though."

Shira nodded. She knew the drill by now. Except this time, Romulans were involved. "Yes, ahuvati."

"I love it when you call me that...malka." replied her lover.

Kestrel wasn't far from the bar. A ten minute walk, perhaps. The lovers held hands the entire way, as they usually did. They didn't care what people thought. Neither woman walked ahead of the other, as if to take the lead, always exactly alongside each other. This bar was not to their liking. But, they were the ones who needed work. Batsheva and Shira knew they could gain some concessions, this wasn't one. The time and place was Freya's call.

"This is it." Batsheva said, her left fist held an inch, maybe two, from the door. Her right hand remained held in Shira's left. They were going to make it clear they came as one. Freya, it wasn't a problem for her. Though, they didn't know what her associate would say. "You ready?"

Shira nodded. She always was, but appreciated Batsheva asking.

"Yes."

Batsheva's knuckles rapped against the door.

"That'll be our candidates," Freya remarked to Kaiae, before opening the door to admit Batsheva and Shira. "Hello again, and thank you for meeting us here. Batsheva Olmert, Shira Ben Asher, meet Subcommander Kaiae t'Lien, acting commanding officer of the Independent Romulan Warbird Ourainavassa, and the person who will ultimately decide whether you're getting the job."

As usual when hearing the words, Kaiae had to resist the urge to cringe at Freya's use of the term 'independent warbird': It wasn't that the term was inaccurate; just that the fact that Raven, before her disappearance, had put that out in public for the Empire itself to discover and know had deprived them all of valuable cover much sooner than she'd have preferred to lose it, given what they had to pull off soon. Instead, she just gave the pair of new arrivals a just-so little dip of her head in greeting.

"Ah, of course. A Romulan. For fuck's sake." thought Shira, as she and her lover entered the room.

There were two seats in front of the table, which, after parting hands, Batsheva and Shira sat in. Without being invited. They wanted to assert their authority. At least, enough to show they wouldn't be fucked around. Their hands linked again, resting in Batsheva's lap. With her spare hand, Shira adjusted her glasses as her lover broke the ice.

"So." Batsheva began, looking at Freya, Kaiae. "Freya here didn't tell us we're going to be taking orders from a Romulan. Again. Tell us, why should we trust you?"

"That's Captain Mannerheim to you, Olmert," Freya replied with a shake of her head. "Besides, you did not ask for specifics of the mission, and therefore I did not provide any." She sighed.

"I could ask you the very same question, you know." Humans seemed to be very fond indeed sometimes of stating the obvious, and Kaiae hadn't really quite figured out why. She arched one eyebrow incredulously. "The issues of any two unknown parties to one another aside; I would point out that my people have a number of reasons the last few years to now distrust the words, actions, and commitments of anyone with round ears; to not withdraw - again - regardless of the stakes or the oaths made, the moment things are difficult. So it would seem perhaps then we each have reason to ask that question of one another; and there is only one way to answer it." As if to demonstrate how she meant to begin for them to all do so, Kaiae sat down at the table across from Shira and Batsheva, hoping Freya would follow in taking the remaining seat beside her.

Freya nodded. "There is another thing we can do to at least help establish a little bit of trust." She took her phaser pistol, and placed it on the table. "Keep the weapons where everyone can see them. None of this pointing guns at each other under the table business this time. We're all civilised people here." She sat, waiting for Kaiae to begin the actual interview."

"We'll call you Captain..." began Batsheva, putting her OS118 pistol on the table. As did Shira, eventually. Both within easy reach. Just in case. "...if you give us a contract. Until then, we'd prefer to keep things less formal."

Kaiae draw the her disruptor out of the holster at her side and also set it on the table with the same sort of careful consideration to positioning she noted Shira and Batsheva taking. The concealed blade under her tunic, however, she did not draw; and quite honestly she assumed every other woman at the table kept at least one piece in reserve, beyond the obvious energy weapons now on the table.

"You come with decent references." Kaiae stated after laying the disruptor aside. "And apparently with derisive commentary on the Tal'Shiar, which is always a plus." The edged grin on Kaiae's face as she said that was not one most people would have wanted to be on the other end of, and made her own feelings on the RSE secret police and intelligence arm fairly clear.

"I believe Captain Mannerheim gave you a copy of the proposed terms and contract. How are you at working in multi-species environments?" Kaiae was, when it came down to it, a bit worried by the pair's reaction to her entire species seemingly; given several dozen were aboard. Though she knew that Arenniye and Raven; and later herself, Rogers, Hatham, and Freya, had had problems keeping order amongst the mix of the Romulans, the mercenaries, and the Terrans together, too; so it wouldn't be the first time she'd met the issue, at least.

Batsheva and Shira weren't bothered by working with other species. They'd lost count of how many. Their true grievance was with the Tal Shiar, who still owed them a considerable sum. Thinking about it, Shira considered this might just be an opportunity for revenge.

"Doesn't bother us." said Batsheva, truthfully. She didn't care what species someone was. Neither did Shira. As long as they paid on time, in full. "We've worked for and with all kinds. Klingons, Cardassians, Ferengi, Tellarites."

Given an omission from the list of species reeled off, Kaiae decided to just come right out and ask directly. "Good. We have a variety on board. And are you willing - earlier statements nonwithstanding - to work with Romulans?" The eyebrow went back up slightly in question.

Batsheva nodded, Shira sat in silence. "If you're willing to work with us, we'll work with you. You aren't the Tal Shiar. If we thought you were, we wouldn't be here. We need contracts. You need people who can do what we do. We do what we do better than a lot of people. A lot of choice isn't something we have."

"And when would you be available?" Having been able to do the research on the front end rather than the back end made Kaiae somewhat less stressed about this exchange than the earlier one with Mila and Ashix; though she noted Shira did not nod along with Batsheva, and filed it away for later: Some couples let one be the 'public face' in some situations; but she was getting the feeling the willingness to work with her and her people was definitely more grudging in one case than in the other.

"We can start immediately." replied Batsheva. The sooner they started, the better. It'd leave more from their recent payday for their eventual wedding. And saving for their retirement.

Kaiae scrawled her own signature on the datapad with the contract across the them, pulled up to the appropriate page with a stylus laying across it; and a second one with location and timing on it. Never in her wildest dreams would she have ever thought she'd be hiring mercenaries; much like 'committing treason'. "If you'll sign there, then; you can report at the time and place indicated."

Batsheva accepted the datapad. She looked at it carefully, allowing her lover to do the more in depth reading once she'd finished. Both were careful to read the small print. Shira was meticulous. Every contract offer was scrutinised by her. To the letter. If there were any loopholes, Shira would find them. If necessary, they'd use them. Several minutes passed.

"Okay. We're happy with the terms." said Shira. She took the stylus from Batsheva. Her signature was added, Batsheva's a few moments later. The latter passed the device back to Kaiae.

Kaiae took the device back, and in lieu of the sort of handshake many humans would have offered, gave both women a measured, precise nod. "I will have someone there to meet you, then."

Freya nodded. "Excellent. You will be given a complete briefing once you are on board, when you'll be introduced to your respective jobs on the ship." She reached into her pocket, and took out two small, black boxes. She flipped the first one open, revealing that it contained a silver badge bearing the Ourainavassa's crest and two silver pins shaped like crescents. "Batsheva Olmert, you will be joining our crew at the rank of Lieutenant, as part of the bridge crew. Please wear the rank pins and the communicator badge visibly." She opened the other box, revealing a single crescent. "Shira Ben Asher, you will be joining the Security department at the rank of Sublieutenant."

After picking up their pistols, both women accepted their box. They had never been allocated ranks before. But this was different. This wasn't an old freight ship wanting cannon fodder to protect a precious cargo. No. This was a level Batsheva and Shira were told they'd never reach. Batsheva wished her parents could see where she was now. "As you wish, Captain." said Shira.

"Yes. We'll meet you there." Batsheva said, standing up. Shira did the same. They then left the room to collect their belongings from Kestrel.

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