Read Star Trek: Secrets – Page 5
“Hey Leon!” An older, but chipper voice came through the still opening airlock to the station. Despite not being able to see who it was on the other side, he recognized it as the engineering chief, Commander O’Donnell.
Once he was completely revealed, Leon gave a nod to the station commander and stepped through into the docking corridor. “How are you doing Sean?”
Leon could feel an invisible storm of energy around Sean and watched as the commander swayed his weight from foot to foot. He was surprised that Sean had come and met him, and not wanting to insult a powerful ally, he shot him a smile.
“I’m doing well. I would ask if you want to store any gear, but I’m sure you want to see your ship.”
The station was a few degrees warmer than Leon enjoyed, and the air was a bit stale. He looked at Sean, and noted the dirt and scuffs on his uniform. It was also covered in deep creases and wrinkles, signifying that he either hadn’t had time to get his uniforms pressed lately, or that he had worn the same uniform multiple days in a row. “Keeping busy?”
As the two men walked side by side down the hallway, Sean filled in Leon about the long hours he and his team had put in to try to complete the Raven on time. “I think you’ll enjoy her. We have put every advancement into it that we could. There is more experimental equipment on that ship than any other ever created. You will need a good engineer. I’ve done my best, but I can’t promise everything will work perfectly all the time.”
Leon stopped in short of the turbolift doors and Sean did the same. “I’ll have an ensign, Marissa Leigh, as my engineer. Her file looks good. Know anything about her?” Inside his mind, he knew that Sean knew about ensign Leigh, but he wanted to see what kind of information his colleague hand over.
“Marissa, eh?” Sean paused, and Leon could tell that he was considering what to say next. “She is smart, but I’m surprised they didn’t give you someone with a bit more engineering experience. Has she even been assigned to a ship before?”
“She was assigned to one of the Red Squad kids on a Defiant class ship assigned to the Beta quadrant before they disbanded Red Squad, so she does have some engineering experience.” Leon was sure that Sean knew all of this, and as he spoke, there was something that changed in Sean’s expression. It took him a moment to figure out the reason for the change, and as he did, he felt genuine surprise. “Did you think it would be you?”
For a split second, Commander O’Donnell looked like he had been knocked off his feet as he rocked backwards on his heels before steadying himself. “Didn’t you know I applied?”
“I wasn’t given any choice in who my crew would be. If I had, I can assure you that my first choice would have been you.” Leon lied right to Sean’s face. He knew that Sean’s connection to this station allowed him access to technology and information that other agents couldn’t acquire. There were many missions where Sean was the key pawn in his successful plan.
“Thanks. I appreciate that.”
The turbolift door opened, and the two men stepped inside.
Malcolm's Ramblings 