2Lt. Ithri Sh'shelor - "Keep Watch"
Amanda Nordstrom
((Marine Intelligence Office, Gator Deck, OEB))
Walker said something about begging. Promontory said something about them being all friends. Neither of the statements made any sense to the Andorian who simply levelled her emotionless gaze at the two, though her antennae told a different story. They split their attention, one arched at the man, the other at the woman, bent slightly. What they spoke was strange, and she tried to fathom it, failed, and elected, instead, to explain what she meant by a vok.
Sh’shelor: On Andoria, they are large sea creatures with mighty jaws, very dangerous. Apex predators, I think, is the term. They will eat you.
Walker cast a glance at Promontory, as if they shared something. Had they been communicating in some sort of secret code? Was that why she hadn’t understood what they said? She wouldn’t put it past them - they were both intelligence officers. What Walker said next was just as equally puzzling.
Walker: Sharks.
Promontory: The information is like a shark?
Ithri stared at both of them, blinking only once. Yes, it had to be some sort of code.
Walker: Of course, the question is what are they circling- and what do they want to do with it if they get it.
Promontory: So these groups are indicative of a larger issue? And whatever the sharks are circling—that’s what we need to figure out. Before we… become chum?
Sh’shelor: I do not understand this code.
Ithri finally pointed out, looking between the two people who had thus far used words that weren’t unusual mixed with words that were, and certainly alluded to something she didn’t quite get. Sharks? Circling? Chum?
Sh’shelor: But of the other, yes. There is something bigger here, I think. Something is becoming bigger. But I am not sure what you mean by becoming chum.
Walker: These organisations and individuals are undoubtedly planning for something- and they’ve been doing it since before the Flotilla was assigned here.
Promontory: Or reacting to someone else who is planning for something.
Ithri paused, then nodded again. They only had periphery evidence to anything thus far, and while there were patterns and suspicions, they couldn’t create a definitive picture, only guess at one.
Sh’shelor: There is the question of who it is behind this.
Walker: History tells us that whenever a great empire falls into ruin, there will be a number of rump states that try to carry on its legacy: Soissons, Rum, Qara Khitai, the Romulan Free State… the United Dominion of Planets. :: beat :: They never last and they always fall. The UDP is no different- and I think the sharks are circling, ready to swoop in and fill the power vacuum.
Ithri tilted her head to one side, then the other as she considered Walker’s words. She wasn’t certain she agreed with that, but Promontory wanted more information, so he inquired further.
Promontory: So are you saying we shouldn’t worry about this—that it will all come to naught anyway?
Sh’shelor: Or that the UDP will not last long.
It was more a statement than a question, because Walker had sounded quite certain in her speaking.
Promontory: I also wouldn’t count the UDP out just yet. While they're fledgling, I think they might have some staying power. This crew has had a number of run-ins with them in recent years and I don’t think that they’re going anywhere for a while.
Sh’shelor: It is possible they may, but it is possible they may not. Their future is not decided yet. We should not underestimate them.
Ithri knew how dangerous that could be, and the UDP had proven a fickle foe. At first, interactions with them had been contentious. Lately, it had been almost amiable. It was as if they simply followed the wind where it blew. Maybe that was exactly what they were doing.
Walker: Response.
Promontory: True. (beat) But it’s a big universe; rare and unlikely things happen all the time.
Sh’shelor: Yes. This is true. We do not know the future.
Technically, they might figure out a way to go to the future and see what would happen, but then they could come to the past and change it all. The Andorian doubted anyone could see what was to come and fight the temptation to change it once they returned to their own time. Had she visited the future when she was younger, she had no doubt she would have changed the course of her life.
Walker: Response.
Promontory: I think all we can do now is continue to monitor the situation and see what else we can learn.
Sh’shelor: That is why I brought this up. I wish to watch, and warn. We need to see what will happen and where it leads.
Some might say it could be nothing, but she doubted that was the case. Subtle as it was, the transactions and sudden emergence of organisations was too controlled to simply be the normal course of economy in the quadrant.
Promontory/Walker: Response.
Sh’shelor: If I may, I wish to personally pursue this.
After all, she had been the one to notice, at least on the OEB, and had brought it to the attention of her superiors. It only made sense for someone who had seen the beginning to follow along as it developed.
Promontory/Walker: Response.
Sh’shelor: My concern is not only that these are transactions, but what they may be buying, especially when I see some of who is behind them and these organisations.
A bigger picture hung upon the wall, but they only had bits and pieces, and not even enough to put together a framework. However, Ithri knew that those behind them were well equipped with war and mercenary dealings. She did not wish to make an avalanche out of a snowball, but she also did not wish to simply dismiss it.
Promontory/Walker: Response.
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2Lt Ithri Sh'shelor Marine Intelligence Officer USS 'Oumuamua M239008AD0
