Captain Michele Winters - A Zet Spy
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((Outside The Writers Room, Deck 08, USS Octavia E. Butler))
Michele ushered Cabrillo out of the ceremony and into the corridor at a quickened pace. As the Doors hissed shut behind them TK yanked his arm from Michele’s grasp and halted his movement forward.
Cabrillo: Captain Winters what are you doing?
Winters: (turning back to TK) You were there and no one will talk about what happened. That’s going to end here.
TK looked at Michele and hardened the expression on his face. No this was not going to end here. Orders were orders and he was not going to get into trouble for Michele unless it was a good reason and at the moment, he did not see a reason to get himself into trouble that was not of his own making.
Cabrillo: Sorry Captain. You’re barking up the wrong tree. I’m not your man.
Winters: Will see about that.
Michele reached back to grab TK’s arm once more just as the doors to The Writers Room hissed open and Jack Kessler stepped into the corridor. Locking eye’s momentarily Michele knew that if Jack intervened that she’d loose the chance to get TK to talk. Reaching for his hand Michele gripped TK’s and yanked him into the turbolift.
Winters: Deck B.
The turbolift started moving and Michele turned to TK.
Cabrillo: (putting on a smirk) Ain’t gonna happen Captain.
Winters: Damn it Cabrillo, don’t you see what is staring us in the face? Jack was a prisoner for five months. I got a hold of the debrief and his report reads like he was at a resort on Risa. Have you ever heard of a Prisoner being treated like they were at a resort?
The doors to the turbolift whooshed open on Deck B of the upper Engineering Superstructure. Winters stepped out and TK, shaking his head folded his arms and refused to step out of the lift. Michele rolled her eye for a moment and then folded her arms across her chest.
Cabrillo: Captain, you are looking for answers in the wrong places. Why do you want something to be wrong with Jack?
Winters: (irritated) Who said I want something to be wrong with Jack? I want people to see that something is wrong with this whole thing.
TK shook his head and looked to the ceiling of the lift. Either this Marine was simply looking for trouble where it did not seem to exist or she was seeing something that TK himself did not see. Why he was even entertaining the notion that she had something worthwhile to say was stumping even him. Looking back to Michele, TK stepped out of the lift and allowed the lift doors to close before continuing.
Cabrillo: So you think something is all screwy because his debrief reads like he was on holiday for five months?
oO You can drop the snobbish look you jerk. Oo
Winters: I think any species who is going to attack without provocation. Take prisoners and then sell those prisoners for a profit is not about to treat them like royalty.
TK looked at Michele and wanted to roll his eyes right back at her. For a moment he thought about it and then decided he would. He folded his arms on his chest and rolled his eye’s at her slowly as if to draw out the expression. The look on her face said enough and he paused.
Cabrillo: And why not Captain?
Winters: (folding her arms and throwing a smirk back at TK) And why would you Lieutenant?
Cabrillo: Are you really so bent on what you think is wrong that you are not thinking this through? Come on Captain. You don’t damage your product if you want to make a profit.
Maybe Michele was not wanting to believe that capture and being a prisoner had been so easy. Maybe she needed to know that Jack had been telling the truth, but it seemed so unlikely considering the aggressiveness shown by the Zet previously. It just did not add up in Michele’s mind.
Winters: You took a prisoner from their hold. They tried to kill you in the process. Lethal force vs capturing more profitable assets does not make sense Lieutenant. Unless, they did not care about the asset that was getting away.
TK furrowed his brows at the statement. Why would they have not cared about a ships first officer. Surely he carried a higher value than Jack would have. TK thought about it for a moment and did not see where Michele was going with the train of thought.
Cabrillo: I’m not following you Captain.
Michele looked up from the floor and the sudden realization hit her. She had been focused on the wrong person all along. Jack was not the threat, his imprisonment would not have gained the Zet anymore than Lieutenant Commander Grant’s would have.
Winters: Where is Lieutenant Commander Grant now?
TK seemed a bit taken by the sudden change in questioning and the thought process still did not make sense to him. As far as TK was concerned, this Marine was coming unhinged, and she was getting a bit annoying now.
Cabrillo: How should I know? He was sent back to the Alpha quadrant after his rescue. I don’t keep tabs on the guy.
Of course, that was a dumb question and Michele knew it. She had not even given the Lieutenant Commander a second thought when he came back. Everything had been focused around Jack and his disappearance.
Winters: Damn it TK. We’ve been blind this whole time. Jack is not the threat I thought he was. The threat was let walk in right under our noses and now is somewhere doing who knows what at the Zet’s behest.
TK cocked his head slightly. The Marine was now really off her rocker and seeing conspiracy in everything. Maybe she needed a resort stay of her own, but is a nice beach front padded cell.
Cabrillo: What threat Captain? He was medically cleared on the ‘Oumuamua and then released to Starfleet Intelligence.
Michele started pacing the floor just outside the turbolift, looking down at the floor as if deep in thought. Her brain was trying to wrap itself around the idea of how to prove that Grant was a Zet spy.
Winters: The Zet knew we’d come for a Starfleet Captain being held prisoner. (beat) They lured us there, then instead of finding the Caboto’s Captain you find the ships first officer. Treated well and unharmed. The Zet put up a good show of force, but they made a mistake. If he was a valuable asset, they would not have used lethal force.
Cabrillo: Sorry, but you’re not making sense Captain. If he were their spy why would they try to kill him?
Winters: They weren’t TK. They simply were making it look like they were. They wanted us all to think he was of no value. Lethal force made you and your team move to extraction faster and not look back.
Cabrillo: Then Jack’s actions took them by surprise? They could not have planned on him coming back at them with explosives.
Michele looked at TK and realized that although she was still very mad at Jack, they had a greater issue on hand to deal with. If her train of thought was even close to being right, Starfleet had a Zet spy loose in the Alpha Quadrant.
Winters: This conversation stays between us. You understand.
TK looked at Michele and seriously thought about a smart remark but decided against it this time.
Cabrillo: Sure, I’m sure I’ll forget all about it by the time I get back to Engineering.
Michele stepped up to TK and smiled.
Winters: Good, because I’ll be in Engineering with you and if you have not forgot about this conversation, I’ll know.
oO This is why I stay away from the weird ones. Oo TK, shook his head in a gentle agreement and turned to face the turbolift. The doors hissed open and he stepped in before Michele could say anything more. As the doors closed Michele stood there thinking about who and how to approach this new revelation she’d had. If Cabrillo thought she was crazy so might everyone else. She’d have to find some evidence or someone who shared her fear of the situation as she saw it.
[End of Scene]
Captain Michele Winters
Acting Chief Tactical Officer
USS Octavia E. Butler
T239901JK1
&
Lieutenant jg TK Cabrillo
Engineering Officer
USS Octavia E. Butler
T239901JK1