life's blood

[warpfairy]

They're not near Cardassian Union space.

But then, they're not near Federation space either. This ship has as much right to be in this system as they do.

It makes Isabella nervous, anyway, and she's just about to suggest leaving and coming back another time, when the Prometheus is hailed.

They're armed. She can't warp inside a solar system.

She answers the hail.

"Hello, Federation vessel," says one of the three visible Cardassians in bad but intelligible English. "What're you doing out here alone?"

Isabella swallows. "This is the deep space survey vessel Prometheus," she begins.

The computer lets her know that they're charging weapons.

"We have no hostile intention," she says.

Comments

[alicornucopia]

Kelvok doesn't say anything, but he makes an eloquently skeptical face.

[dream_me_up]

Lalita grins.

"Stranger things have happened."

[alicornucopia]

Skepticalface!

[dream_me_up]

He laughs.

"Okay," he says, "time for me to get back to my ship. Do me a favour and sit quietly out of sight while I let my friend know I'm coming, won't you?"

[alicornucopia]

Kelvok finds a place to sit that isn't in view of the other party during hailings.

[dream_me_up]

And Lalita makes contact with the Prometheus.

[warpfairy]

Isabella is still a mask of calm, sitting in her captain's chair, serenely responding to the hail. "Hello."

[dream_me_up]

"I've disabled this ship's weapons systems," he says in Vulcan. "I'm going to return to the Prometheus and then we can all leave. Okay?"

[warpfairy]

"Yes."

[dream_me_up]

"See you soon," he says, and cuts contact.

To Kelvok, in Cardassian: "Off I go. Don't forget me."

[alicornucopia]

"Impossible," mutters Kelvok under his breath.

[dream_me_up]

He giggles as he sets up the transporter.

[warpfairy]

Isabella is still sitting in her chair when he arrives. She has plotted a course to the next system she had lined up for survey.

[dream_me_up]

When he materializes on her ship, he is just barely not smiling anymore.

"We can go now," he says.

[warpfairy]

She sets the Prometheus on its course in silence.

[dream_me_up]

Lalita finds somewhere to put his stolen weapons.

[warpfairy]

Isabella makes no comment. On the weapons, on Lalita having taken them, on anything.

[dream_me_up]

At this point, he doesn't really expect her to.

He can wait.

[warpfairy]

Flying, flying. The soft music Isabella put on earlier when she was getting dressed comes to an end. She queues up something else in a similar vein, neutrally, and on it comes.

[dream_me_up]

Lalita continues not to say anything.

[warpfairy]

Isabella allows the music to lapse into silence after the next collection is through, and she reads a little, and then she goes to bed.

[dream_me_up]

Lalita... doesn't go to bed.

[warpfairy]

Isabella is up ten hours later. She takes another shower. She changes outfits again. She comes out and sits in her chair and puts on music. She reads the news.

[dream_me_up]

Lalita is sleeping in the copilot's chair during all of this.

[warpfairy]

Isabella keeps the music respectfully soft and inputs her commands to the ship computer nonverbally when possible.