From: Katrina L. Browne (kbrowne_at_wellesley.edu)
Date: Sun Jul 08 2007 - 00:31:49 PDT
-=(^)=- “Idle Conversation” Con’t From: “Making an Impression” -=(^)=- Location: GATEWAY STATION 2 Stardate: 2.70707.2116 Scene: Detention Center—Alpha Eishnala looked at the other woman as she lay down on the spartan cot behind a force field that produced a gentle rhythmic glow in time with the power being shunted through it via EPS conduits. Though the Ambassador sat behind the shimmering energy barrier in what many would have considered a compromising and humiliating position, the Bolian/Human hybrid possessed an innate sense of grace that radiated even under those conditions. And while the new Security officer did not approve of many of the things she had just minutes before gleaned from the diplomats personal file, the Andorian officer nonetheless began to respect this woman’s strength. But she had a job to do, and Ambassador Bonviva was clearly a “talker”, every crime investigators dream. It didn’t matter if a suspect told the truth or lied. As long as an investigator could keep a witness talking it gave them something to go off, something to double check that might lead to new clues and new witnesses. And Eishnala just knew that the Ambassador couldn’t and wouldn’t stay silent for long. She was too cheeky by nature. Walking over to an observation desk on the opposite side of the room from the force field, Eishnala sat and picked up a P.A.D.D. while keying it into the GATEWAY’s database in a quest to find something to read to pass the time. The Lieutenant elected not to work on “work”, as it were, because an interrogation took a lot of mental focus. Before Eishnala had gotten halfway through a series of titles that sounded like bad interspecies romance novels, Xana spoke up, “So when *is* lunch?” Though the Sec/Tac didn’t look up from her bad, she directed her nearest antenna towards the Bolian woman. “I thought you were going to nap, *Ms.* Bonviva,” Eishnala purposefully ignored the woman’s diplomatic rank. The Ambassador, turned on her side with one hand resting on her cheek, studied the other woman who was quite clearly trying to ignore her. “I didn’t picture you as being slow, Lieutenant. I thought we had already gone over the finer points of diplomatic protocol.” The antenna not directed at the Ambassador swiveled back at the insult, but the Andorian’s facial expressions remained unchanged as she addressed her rival, “*Ms.* Bonviva, I think you should get used to that form of address. One generally gets their diplomatic titles stripped from them when they are convicted of a felony.” Xana laughed, “You’re being a bit presumptuous, don’t you think?” The Lieutenant selected what looked like a promising novel, something about the Vulcan Time of Awakening, before answering, “No, I don’t. I’m trying to read though and you’re trying to nap.” The Bolian woman shifted her legs a little as the bed was too small for someone of her stature too lay down on comfortably. That fact was partially by design. There were ways beyond placing someone between two force fields and open space to stress a prisoner, and many of them were considerably more legal. The Ambassador then responded after she had found another position that would at least be temporarily comfortable, “If my company bothers you so much, I’m certain you have an office somewhere in which you can get your work done, Lieutenant. That way you wouldn’t need to steal the one that belongs to a lowly petty officer…unless of course I’m considered such a valuable prisoner with such a high likelihood of flight risk that I need to be overseen by a Lieutenant. On your way out, do shut off the lights.” The daughter of a leading political figure recognized what the Ambassador was trying to do—goad her opponent so she wouldn’t think clearly. Eishnala addressed the remark in much a similar fashion, a sign to an observant political mind that she knew the game too: “Despite your parsec wide ego, I assure you that you are neither that valuable not that likely to escape. My office is currently in a state of disarray and the *lowly* petty officer is assigned to crowd control. And unlike one of your lackeys, I will not be ordered around.” The Andorian woman than add, “Computer, raise light levels by 15%.” The Computer indicated that it had received the order before washing the room in even more light. It had been light in the room before, now it would have been almost painful for human eyes. “While you’re at it computer, decrease the ambient temperature by ten degrees.” The Ambassador was half tempted to give the other woman an incredulous look, but thought the better of it, knowing full well that that would simply satisfy the woman in the yellow uniform. With an affected air of cheeriness, she did, however, ask, “Are you trying to freeze me to get me to talk? I don’t see how that’s much different than suspending someone between two force fields and space. Except space is a *lot* colder.” Eishnala pressed the section of the P.A.D.D. screen that indicated she wanted the page to change over and then answered her prisoner, “I assure you, *Ms.* Bonviva, I’m not attempting to freeze you. It was simply to warm in this room for *my* comfort. And to your second point, even if I was trying to ‘freeze’ you a little it would be *very* different from what *you* did. There is little chance of physical damage to you at this temperature, unlike being subjected to space. But then attempted murder does seem to be a favorite pastime of yours, so I can see why you seem to see it all around you.” “And the lights?” Lieutenant Kor feigned innocence that both she and the Ambassador knew was fake, “Needed them to read. I hope they don’t bother you too much, but considering your impressive list of torture episodes, I doubt they will much.” “Quite,” Xana said as she ran a hand through her light hair to press it behind her ear and out of her face. “But then you’re not versed in torture so there’s little surprise that your first mild attempt would be…I think ‘pathetic’ is a good descriptor.” “I assure you, Ms. Bonviva, that if I wanted to use extra-legal means to extract a confession from you, you would not call the attempt pathetic. My people invented a device during our early wars and conflicts with the Vulcans. It sounds very similar to the one used on you…Dampens the ability to control emotion…Tends to cause permanent neurological damage, especially among telepathic species…” Eishnala listed off the list of effects it could have. “What is this? A threat?” the Ambassador asked, sitting up to look at the other woman who still refused to lift her gaze from her pages. Lieutenant Kor finally decided that this was the right time to make eye contact. The Andorian security officer shrugged before addressing the question, “Idle conversation.” She smiled before adding, “Nothing more. But tell me about threats since you’re not going to let me read. What do you think makes a good one? I imagine in your line of work that you would be quite studied on their application. Do you find you need a certain physicality to make a threat credible?” -=(^)=- NRPG: Will she talk… Tag: Sarah. If I’m butchering Xana, do tell. -=(^)=- Katrina Browne (formerly Kat Chappell) Lieutenant Eishnala sh’Kor Chief of Security GATEWAY STATION From HyperNews_at_youth.net
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Sun Feb 17 2008 - 03:10:16 PST