Stardate: 80424:1800
Title: The Jig
Author: Ravien Lox
Time: Shortly before "Hardly Refreshed"
Scene: The Relentless


=/\= Deck 6 - Staff Room =/\=

When the Science staff meeting was over, Maxine approached Ravien separately.

"Ensign Lox," she said.

"Yes Lieutenant?"

"I see you didn't take any shore leave yet. Are you so eager to get back to the void?"

Ravien shuddered visibly in answer, reflecting on his multiple near-death experiences. This caused the Lieutenant to laugh, albeit sympathetically.

"Well I have a special order for you from Starbase 9's science division."

Ravien flinched. "What?"

"You mean to say, 'Pardon me, Ma'am.' Right?"

At this Ravien stood a little straighter and asked his question in a manner more befitting an officer.

"Well," she explained, "just as the Captain ordered you to work with Relly on intradimensional drive, Starfleet has gone over our reports with particular scrutiny. They want to debrief you personally, since you were the one who worked most closely with the drive data we received from the Caretakers."

Ravien nodded. "Do I have an appointment?"

"Yes. The Captain recently contacted me to say her own debriefing has been a little drawn out, but they've given you two hours time to give them a special report." She handed him a datapadd. "The details are in here; you better get moving - it starts in twenty minutes."


=/\= USS Relentless - Corridor 6d =/\=

Twenty minutes was more than enough to download his work on the drive data into the datapadd and take a special transporter trip to the Science Division headquarters. It proved, however, that he was somewhat hindered by the Relentless A. I., who appeared to walk at his side as he was in transit to the turbolift. This time the strange little hologram wore a laboratory coat and thick eye protectors from the 22nd century.

"Shall I assist you in the debriefing?" she asked casually, as was her wont with the Relentless crew. Ravien considered her behaviour an all too familiar affectation, similar to the actions of other supposedly intelligent computer systems, such as the android Data or the Voyager doctor, whatever his name was.

"No," he said curtly.

The A.I. was silent for a moment. "The Captain did order us to work together on this project," she said.

"Yes, but these orders are from Starbase," he replied. "They do not include meetings with a holographic projection."

"My name is Relly," she said.

Ravien entered the turbolift without answering.


=/\= Starbase 9 - Science Division =/\=

"There he is," various eccentric members of starbase staff said as Ravien entered the complex, the firmglass doors to the starbase debriefing room opening and closing behind him.

"Welcome to 9's science division, Ensign Lox," said Lieutenant Nagama, the highest ranking officer in the room. "As you can imagine we're pressed for time".

"I understand that all too well," Lox answered, taking the seat that Nagama gestured to.

After a brief pause, the Lieutenant tented her fingers and began.

"I'll get straight to the point," she said. "Immediately after this briefing the Relentless will be undertaking an ultra-secret mission of the utmost importance. As you know the Federation has been assailed by a number of converging threats and has almost been forced into a war with a previously unknown alien race. Fortunately we're not the only ones, as these vessels," she said, flicking the viewscreen to a shot of several types of streamlined, heavily armed vessels with arrowhead forward sections, "have also made incursions into Romulan and Klingon space. They use low-powered weapons, but they penetrate our shields like hot skewers poking into jam."

Ravien piqued up. "So it's likely that this race is alien to our galaxy, or more likely to our universe."

She grunted. "If that were the case it would be classified. Essentially. Well, on a completely unrelated note," she said sarcastically, now that the jig was up, "I want you to give me a brief assessment of your ship's recent intradimensional experience, and explain to me your preliminary recommendations. It's too bad you didn't bring the Relentless computer with you; we have holo-projectors you know."

Ravien, characteristic of Betazeds, began his explanation without answering unnecessary things.


=================
Ensign Ravien Lox
Science Officer
USS Relentless
NCC-11966
=================