L.T. Confidential pt1

Posted on 27 Jan 2013 @ 9:26pm by

3,413 words; about a 17 minute read

Mission: Episode 03 - Frontier
Location: USS Galileo - Deck 2, Holodeck 2
Timeline: MD01 2130

[ON]

Jeremy stopped at the command panel and let out the breath he'd been holding. Fortunately for him the communication packets were much improved than even ten years ago when they started doing holographic communications so what he was about to do took up only twice the normal resources of a regular subspace communication. He'd planned it for late at night for two reasons - it would allow a greater chance of a holodeck being free and less need for the sciences division to need the extra computer resources for their surveys and studies. Which also worked out as the ship was still hurtling towards the Rojar system. Normally he could use subspace but he wanted a bit more than that with this conversation. He didn't know exactly how long it had been since he'd last seen Ahndyl, but knew it was too long. It would be good to be able to see - and touch - one of his few trusted friends.

"Computer, initiate program Stone Theta Adam David John one three three one eight one four three John David Adam Stone."

"Program is loaded, enter when ready."

Jeremy knelt down in front of Sidi. "Ahndyl is a good friend, and she's the one who's going to work to make sure you, and all your brothers and sister security canines, will be treated with the courtesy and respect you deserve, so I need you to be good and make a really good impression on her, okay, boy?"

Sidi licked his muzzle and seemed to smile. Jeremy stood, taking that to mean he understood and would do his best. Though, really, Jeremy had no doubt that Sidi would win Ahndyl over. He wasn't sure if Bajorans had dogs, or anything like dogs, but Sidi was a charmer for those he liked. Jeremy still hadn't figured out what criteria he used for those he didn't like. He could understand Quinn, their meeting was part of a hostile situation, but the Engineer seemed nice enough. Sidi took to Dr. Dhuinn much quicker than Jeremy had. He knew he didn't need to worry about Sidi winning over Ahndyl, that would be a given. He just worried about the fallout he'd been receiving from everyone else regarding his decision to take up the fight to make sure working dogs were given the consideration due to them. That first conversation with Captain Saalm still galled him. To have Sidi so summarily dismissed just because people didn't like his species.

And he was the one that people said was a bigot.

Knowing that Ahndyl waited, he stepped forward and into the holodeck. "Computer secure archway," he ordered, locking the holodeck from accidental (or purposeful) intrusion. Now someone would have to do a security override to come into the room, an action that Jeremy would be notified of far in advance of the doors opening and allowing others into the program. He'd be able to have the program shut down before they entered. His holodeck time was private and nobody else's concern. Well, except for when he used it to train Sidi and himself to be a better canine team. To help keep the illusion that he was just out for a little bit of training, he remained in the sweatshirt and sweat pants he'd been wearing from his workout earlier. His commbadge was safely tucked in a pocket, and he was pretty sure that his appearance would be unremarkable. The few people he passed in the halls were more drawn to Sidi than him anyway.

"Jeremy," Ahndyl said, standing as he entered. He smiled as he crossed to her, taking her into a hug. Her redgold hair was done up in several layers, with a few strands of lazy curls framing a small, pixie face with just a smattering of freckling along her cheeks and across the Bajoran ridges of her nose. Deep brown eyes roamed over him, checking for differences since the last time they were able to be in the same room together, rather than just on subspace channels. "You look good, put on some more weight I see."

He shrugged. "My medication got switched. I seems to work better for the irritation and doesn't make me as tired. I've been able to get back to my workouts. How about you? You've changed your hair color."

She laughed, "No, I didn't."

"You did, it's more copper than last time I saw you, and it's an artificial tint so dont try to tell me it's from being in the sun or something like that."

"Who is this handsome fella?" she said, kneeling down to get a better look at Sidi. "Jeremy, you're right, he's absolutely beautiful. And he's trained for search and rescue?"

Sidi went to the woman and sniffed, then sniffed again. His tail went rigid ad he tried to figure out why light-woman would have no shadow or scent. But he was in the no scent room again. He's been here with Alpha many times and the room always smelled the same - except for the lingering scent of others that had been in the room but left. Sidi could see objects - what appeared to be a soft couch and chair, the table in front of the couch, curtains, walls. Everything to make it seem like this was an 'inside' place, the problem was that he couldn't 'smell' anything and that bothered him. Dogs didn't do well based on sight alone. Smell was very important to them. But, he knew - in a very serious way - this room did not exist. But her touch on him felt real enough and he enjoyed that. He would put up with no-smell room for a while if alpha let others continue to rub him like this.

Jeremy nodded, pleased. He had hoped for just that reaction. If she saw Sidi and fell in love with him, it would help to melt a lot of her reluctance about pursuing this course of action. "He's very smart, too. Smartest dog I've ever seen. Well, that I can remember." He smiled at the old joke between them. "He's been so easy to train with. I just wish I was picking it up as quickly as he does." He shook his head. Sidi seemed made for this while Jeremy struggled through it, but there was no denying that Sidi deserved the accolades that were in his file. Though, he did tend to get bored too easily while they were on the holodeck working on their scent tracking skills. "I wanted you to meet him, so you can see how important it is that he be given the same consideration as any other member of the crew. Really, Starfleet allows Hortas and Gorns and all sorts of other, odd, creatures into their ranks and it would be considered a disciplinary offense for a captain to speak of them the way Saalm did Sidi."
"C'mon, I had dinner waiting on us," she said as she led him to the table. Jeremy appreciated the guest quarters she'd been assigned. Even though he was now a senior officer, the VIP quarters on the larger ships still put his own rooms to shame. Though it was a little too cluttered for his tastes - too many potted plants and uninspired art on the walls. To many things that had no useful purpose.

"I've already eaten," he said as he sat at the table, noticing the salad in front of his place.

"You sure about that?" she asked, sounding doubtful. Jeremy nodded and flicked his wrist to bring up the information on the PADD.

"I had meatball sandwich, open face, with crispy, golden crinkle cut steak fries and a side of coleslaw with a large glass of unsweetened ice tea."

"So you're not hungry right now?" Ahndyl asked, laying a hand on his arm and speaking softly. "Because I made sure there was enough for two. There's even Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake for dessert."

"Very sure," Jeremy said, "but also, holodeck food is nothing but empty calories. Despite whatever healthy thing you order up, it's just solid light photons. I'm good without it."
Ahndyl sighed. She'd tried too many times to explain to him that the food of a holodeck comes from the replicators and is created as the situation requires or ordered. She put aside her salad plate and lifted the cover to the bowl of rothka. Picking up the traditional eating sticks, she carefully picked up a piece of the dark green meat found among the noodle like nest.

Sidi continued not to like this place. He became so bored here. There was nothing of interest to smell, except for Alpha. Even what the no-smell woman ate had no smell to it. Like it didn't exist. The plate in front of Alpha smelled good though - strange, but good. He whined a little, hoping Alpha would give in this time. He also wished Alpha would leave here and go where the silly ducks were. They were fun. He would find them and chase them! Silly ducks, flying away instead of playing. He roamed the room, looking for something solid and real. Except for alpha there was...wait...his nose shuffled to the floor as he followed one wall. Somewhere, in here, was another smell - it was that of Alpha but reminded Sidi of the soft place to sleep. But that wasn't in this place of nosmell. It was back in their den. Sidi didn't like this place. He didn't like Alpha bringing him here. He harumphed as he came back and sat at Alpha's knee, asking - no begging - to be taken to a place that smelled good. Or at all. Alpha rubbed his head, stroking behind his ears like he liked.

"What do I need to do now to start this process?" Jeremy asked, watching as Ahndyl picked through the noodles in the bowl in front of her for the dark green meat. He eyed it suspiciously, noticing how it appeared slightly undercooked.

Ahndyl sighed as she chewed. "Jeremy," she said, starting softly. "You realize nobody is going to take this suit seriously. You're wanting to sue Starfleet for discriminating against an animal."

Jeremy frowned as he poked the salad on the plate in front of him. He looked over at Sidi, catching the dog's brown eyes and holding them for a moment. It wasn't fair that he could be treated so poorly. Jeremy wanted to make sure to do something about that, make it so that working dogs like Sidi had rights, clearly defined rights that meant they weren't dependant on the vagaries of good will from superior officers. "Why should that matter? He's sentient. He's alive. He goes through the same process as any other member of Starfleet to become a member of a crew. So, he needs a reasonable accommodation, that's provided for in the Disabilities Act - or as a natural function of his species. Why should it matter that he's thought of as an 'animal'?"

"Do you hear yourself, Jeremy? You're arguing that a dog is a full member of Starfleet."

"But he is!" Jeremy said trying to keep from getting frustrated. This was Ahndyl, not some of the thousands of other people who looked at him as if he were crazy, retarded or stupid. She understood. She'd been there. He lowered his head and tried not to shake it. She was one of the few people who knew him from before and still stayed with him through all these years. Other than his family, Jeremy didn't know a single friend he had from that time. It was always possible that he didn't have any friends from that time, that maybe he hadn't changed so much....but he doubted that was the case. "What's the difference? He gets selected, tested and if he passes those tests, he goes into training, for years, to learn his specialized role. Then he gets assigned to a supervisor and specific duties and sent out for the good of Starfleet. He holds rank and-"

"Wait, what?" she asked, setting down the eating sticks. "You mean, he's got a rank?"

"Yes," Jeremy said. "It's an old tradition that remains. He's considered a lieutenant because I'm a junior lieutenant. I'm not supposed to discuss that with the crew, though, the Captain thinks it would confuse the crew and undermine my position as Security Chief. But that's not the point. Someone needs to stand up for them and make it so that their contributions to Starfleet are recognized." He tried to keep himself calm. If anyone could find a way to help him, Ahndyl would be that person.

"Jeremy,' she said, leaning forward and taking his hand, feeling the warmth of it. She hated that he hid his eyes even from her. They were, she always thought, one of his best features. Second only to his smile, which she hardly ever saw anymore. She was aware, however, that she was one of the few people he was comfortable enough to let down his walls. At one time he flashed it as easily as most people breathed. But captivity changes people. Torture changes people. She suspected it was the Federation's betrayal that had finally killed his smile though.
"I'm worried. This is a case of someone tipping at windmills. You told me about the conversation with your captain, I feel there were several things in that meeting that shouldn't have happened. It's clear to me she unfairly singled you out for harsher punishment because of your ....condition. I could have a Disabiliy Act violation claim filed by tomorrow, if you'd just give me the word."
Jeremy pulled away as he stood and went to the window, staring out at holographic stars as they drifted past. "I can't, Ahndyl, I've told you I can't do that."
"Jeremy, you're exactly the person those laws were passed to protect!"
"I'm not disabled!" he said, almost shouting. He heard the soft whine from Sidi and turned, leaning against the plasteel windows and trying for a more moderate tone. "I'm not disabled and I can't start saying that I am now. Otherwise they'll use that as an excuse to come after me again. They'll 'retire' me and claim it's because of my disabilities. They'll say they're giving me full honors and pension but we both know what'll come of it."

"Would it be so bad if they did? I left and I'm much happier."

Jeremy sighed. How many times would he have to have this conversation tonight? It never changed. He had nothing other than Starfleet. He couldn't do anything other than Starfleet and was too young to be 'retired'. "I'm not worried about me. I'm worried about Sidi and the other canines. I can protect myself, they can't. Because people only think of them as pets, or as pieces of equipment. They're not."

Ahndyl went to him, wrapping her arms around his waist, her face came only as high as his shoulder blades. Resting her chin against the taut thrum of his back, she whispered to him. "I have to tell you, I've made some phone calls. You're father is resistant to the idea. He doesn't want to authorize the required payments. Mulgrew is concerned about this."

"I know," Jeremy said, folding his hands over hers. "I talked to both of them earlier. But, since you mention my father, I also need to have the conservatorship disssolved.

"It served its purpose but it's past time that I don't rely on others to take care of my affairs. I shouldn't have to ask my father for an allowance. It's my money and if I want to support working dog rights then I shouldn't need his permission to do it."

Ahndyl turned him around and forced him to look at her, but kept her hands on his waist. "Jeremy, the conservatorship was set up to make sure that you were protected."

"But that was a long time ago. Back before I...before I got better," he said, still ashamed to think about what life was like back then. "I'm better now. I've been better for more than five years now. It's my money! I want to do this!"

Ahndyl sighed again. "Jeremy, what's your bank account number? How much do you have in the accounts? How much do you contribute weekly? What's the rate of interest and is it compounding? What's a mutual fund?"

"I don't know," Jeremy admitted, sounding weak and defeated. "But I could learn, I could find out and take care of it myself."

"What happens on your bad days, Jeremy? What happens when you don't even remember you have the accounts?"

He shook his head, his eyes taking on a shine. "I shouldn't have to ask my parents for anything. I'm thirty-eight years old! I've been a grown adult for two decades. I'm not a child to have to be taken care of."

"No," Ahndyl answered, "you aren't. But that doesn't mean you don't need help with certain things. You're parents were more than willing to take on that responsibility because they love you. Just because you're having a disagreement, now, doesn't mean they don't want what's best for you. We all do. Jeremy, this lawsuit you want, that's making it hard for us to keep doing it though."

"You do it," Jeremy suddenly said. "You're not my father and I don't have to ask you for my money. Have the court appoint you the conservator. I trust you with it. You won't make me feel like a child."

"Jeremy, that's not...I'm your friend but...I can't be in charge of your money or the affairs of your life. I know you mean well, and you're hurting. But, Jeremy, is this really about a dog and not what the captain did to you? Not about what's happening on that ship?"

He turned away, his vision blurring. "She didn't do anything that I'm not used to. Nobody's done anything different. I told Mulgrew the same thing. He thinks I'm projecting my frustrations at my own unfair treatment onto this issue as a means of drawing attention to my frustrations without violating my standard of not being 'disabled'."

"Is he right?" she asked.

He sighed as he turned back to her. "Please, Ahndyl, I need this. For him." He glanced past her at Sidi, sitting at the edge of the table, sniffing at the discarded salad. He looked away as he noticed Jeremy watching him.

"Give me one reason, Jeremy, one reason that this isn't the craziest thing you ever asked me. If you can do that I'll look into it and see what can be done."

Jeremy swallowed as he stared at the floor. His jaw clenched as he looked around the room making sure it was just the three of them. He patted his thigh to get Sidi to come to him then his chest. Sidi jumped onto his hind legs, wrapping his forelegs around Jeremy's waist. "Because I can't lose him," he said, wanting to smile as he ruffled Sidi's fur. "Because, Ahndyl, he makes things better for me. I don't know why, or how, but he's helping me." He kept looking at the dog. "I need to make it better for him because he makes it better for me."

Ahndy''s face softened as she let out a sigh. She never considered he'd have a reason that would make sense. At least one that'll make sense for him. "I'll look into it, Jeremy. But I'm not making any promises. And it's probably going to get expernsive."

Jeremy nodded and then frowned. "Can I afford it?"

Ahndyl let out a little bark of laughter at that. "I think so, yes."

Jeremy merely nodded. "I don't want my father in control of my life anymore," he said. "If someone has to be, let it be someone who isn't trying to use his position to control what I do. Maybe Alexander or Mulgrew?"

"I'll look into that as well. But, Jeremy, there are no promises here. It'd be easier for me to bring a suit on your behalf rather than that of a dog."

[OFF]

'Ahndyl' NPC
Civilian legal specialist

LTjg Jeremy Stone
Chief Security/Tactical Officer/K9
USS Galileo

Sidous MWD 7223
Security Canine unit
USS Galileo

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