Saying 'No' With Style

Posted on Mon Feb 1st, 2021 @ 11:44pm by Cailus Griffin

Mission: The Gauntlet
Location: Cailus/Shae's Temporary Quarters, Carnwennan Station
Timeline: Current

It was an inevitable rule of life: communications (especially subspace communications) always came at the most inopportune times. It was a law of the universe. The call would come when when Cailus was asleep, when he was in the shower, when he was thoroughly occupied with Shae, when he was doing combat training on the holodeck, any time that was simply not convenient. Cailus had long ago resigned himself to that universal law, but it aggravated him nevertheless.

Today, for instance: the subspace comm call couldn't come when Cailus was working at his desk, eating dinner or watching old Martian dramas. Instead, it had to come when Eoin woke up and demanded his father's attention in the way that all babies instincitly knew: he began crying after having made a substantial mess in his diaper. Cailus had just picked Eoin up out of the bassinette, his nose wrinkling, when the distinctive two-tone bell rang, announcing an incoming subspace call.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you planned this," Cailus grumbled to his baby son, holding him gingerly as he brought him over to a table in the main room. Between Eoin and his sister, the table was getting plenty of use, so Shae had quite quickly declared it to be the dedicated "poop table" soon after they'd arrived on the station. Unfortunately, neither Shae nor Eva were present, the two of them at a pool for Eva's physical therapy. Thus, Cailus was left to answer the call in the most awkward of circumstances.

He set Eoin down on the table, the baby still crying loudly, then began preparing the various things he'd need. As he worked, Cailus said "Computer, audio only on this end. Identify the origin of the subspace communication."

The computer's artificial feminine voice was as smooth as ever. "Starfleet Intelligence, Beijing, Earth."

Cailus sighed, glancing at Eoin, whose crying had faded away upon being set down on the table. "You definitely planned this," he muttered sourly at the clueless baby. "Computer, accept the call." As he laid out a blanket and waited for the computer to connect the call, he paused as he glanced at Eoin again, and very slowly, Cailus smiled. "Computer, belay my last. Give me a two-way video feed."

The monitor in the wall to Cailus's side changed from the generic Starfleet symbol to a youthful Andorian woman at a desk, with a vast city sprawled below in the window behind her. Her office was clearly high up. Her uniform undershirt was coloured black, a rare thing indeed for anyone to see, three golden pips marking her as a commander. The woman smiled, her antennae widening, but when she actually realised what she was seeing, her jaw dropped. For a good few seconds, she didn't say anything.

In fairness, few official Starfleet communications began with being greeted by a baby's bare bum.

Eventually the commander regained some composure, clearing her throat. "Ah hem! Commander Griffin, I...er...I'm sorry, I appear to have caught you at a bad time."

Cailua didn't appear bothered in the slightest, working to change Eoin's diaper a with the same efficiency that he used to change a phaser's power cell. "Not at all, Commander," he replied politely as he worked. Eoin, thankfully, was proving cooperative. "You know that this isn't a secure channel?"

The Andorian Intelligence officer, Jumsin, shook her head. "The encryption is very sophisticated and is sufficient for second-hand reference to Menelax, Mister Griffin, which is all we need. It's historical record that there was a cover-up at Menelax, anyway, so there's no point hiding that. You can talk about your recent activities as much as you like." She winced as Cailus discarded Eoin's soiled diaper in the replicator, the diaper disappearing in a whirl of blue sparks. "That's why I'm calling. I would visit you directly, Commander, if it didn't take a month to get to Carnwennan at high warp."

"Right," Cailus grumbled. He started cleaning Eoin up as he talked. "Commander, what my wife and I did had nothing whatsoever to do with Menelax. Shae doesn't suspect a thing, nor would she care even if she knew. The people we attacked almost certainly didn't know either, or else they wouldn't have tried so damn hard to kill me. There has been no security breach. The operation-gah, Eoin!" Cailus blocked his face as the baby merrily unleashed an arc of pee into the air, only just missing his father.

Jumsin grinned, struggling not to laugh. "Okay, Commander, I believe you. I am still concerned that it might have been a trap to capture you. The hallmarks were there."

"Then it was a terrible trap," Cailus grumbled as he (again) began cleaning up. "That base was big enough to hold two hundred people, and none of them escaped that place. The explosion wiped out everything within a two hundred kilometer radius and they had no escape craft. Besides, Shae and Eva are a damn sight more valuable than me."

There was a noticeable pause then, and Cailus glanced at the screen with concern. Jumsin seemed uncomfortable, her antennae curling forward. "That...leads me to another thing I wanted to talk to you about, Commander. I know that things were different a hundred years ago, but you understand the situation, yes? You are a valuable asset to Starfleet and to Intelligence in particular. Besides your knowledge about Menelax, your expertise in ground combat against the Tholian military is invaluable. More, you aren't just valuable for your skills and knowledge, but in terms of what you represent. The Tholians haven't forgotten the Butcher."

The last statement, spoken with casual cruelty, drained every bit of compassion from Cailus. He glared at the screen in barely restrained fury, his eyes wide and unblinking, ignoring Eoin. "Commander Jumsin, if you ever use that word again, I will make you regret it. You don't have the right to use that word."

Jumsin stiffened then, matching Cailus's anger with her own. "Are you threatening me Lieutenant Commander?"

"You're damned right I am, sir," Cailus answered coldly. "Now get on it. I know there's more"

To her credit, Jumsin recovered quickly. "Mister Griffin, I have been directed to express our concern about your recent actions. You recklessly endangered your life and your career. As much as we sympathise, we expect you to remember your duty from this point forward. You promised to remain in Starfleet for as long as the Menelax project remained relevant and your recent actions could result in your discharge from the service, where we cannot protect you nor call upon you if the Federation needs you."

"Wouldn't that be a damned shame," Cailus said bitterly. He surprised even himself with his attitude, especially towards a superior officer, but after everything that had happened, his patience for such nonsense had evaporated. "I'll keep your secret, Commander, but only to preserve the lives that would be lost if the truth became known. That said, don't you dare tell me to place the Federation's political interests over my family. This whole blasted thing should've come out a long time ago. The Starfleet C-in-C and the President herself promised us that it'd be fifty years until they declassified it, maximum, but then I wake up ninety years later and you're still sitting on the damn thing."

Jumsin scowled, her normal youthful and beautiful appearance making her anger look out-of-place. "Mister Griffin, this is not optional. You are hereby ordered to do whatever it takes to remain in Starfleet. Avoid the court martial if you can. If your wife's discharge saves your career, do it. I don't care if you have to testify against your wife to save your career, just do whatever it takes. The Federation needs you. Millions of lives still depend on you. You understand that ninety three years ago, so you should understand that now. You made a vow."

Before Cailus could respond, he was preempted by loud rancid squelch from the other person in the conversation. Eoin's fart continued at length, leaving the two adults in stunned silence, before he finished with two short toots. The baby yawned, seemingly quite done.

Cailus recovered first, looking up from Eoin back to the screen. "My son has given you my answer, Commander. I hope it sinks in. Computer, end communication." The screen flicked off abruptly, and with a grin, Cailus glanced down at Eoin as he finally put on the new diaper. With that, he picked up the baby, kissing him gently on the forehead.

"That's my boy," he said proudly.

 

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