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Posted by Lieutenant Commander Peter Sigmundsson (Chief Intelligence Officer) in The Heorot - the return of Kara Nakuto

Posted by Civilian Kara Nakuto (Consultant, Former CO) in The Heorot - the return of Kara Nakuto

The half-Klingon settled back against the bar and drained her glass before refilling it to the brim.
“Commander Tzai,” she repeated the name, as if the act would usher with it all of the answers they sought. “So, you destroy their mission and in return they destroy your life? Our lives?”

Her thoughts were frantic and jumbled. It was becoming more difficult by the minute to make sense of anything.

“Peter,” she said finally, “is returning this favour the reason why you are here?” The reason you were assigned to this crew?”

• Kara Nakuto (Consultant)

Peter scratched his chin contemplatingly “I’m not sure, after my commendations I was given my choice of assignments that’s when I came across the Viking, understanding how officers get here I know that it’s unlikely that it would come across my desk without being nudged there by someone.” He took another sip of his drink “I don’t know what they want me to do if it’s anything like the previous work I’ve done for them…” He hesitated and allowed himself an immediate second sip “My expertise and talents are rare even amongst military specialists within the Federation, whatever I’ll be asked to do it will without a doubt involve a body count.

Peter

Nakuto moved to the throne-like chair at the head of the table. It was no longer hers to claim, being unofficially reserved for the captain of the ship, but she doubted that Peter would report her for languishing in some casual nostalgia. Settling into it as she often did in days gone by, the half-Klingon planted her feet on the long, oaken table, and studied Sigmundsson once again.

“So you have received no further communication from them since arriving here?” she asked, her question punctuated by a large swallow of bloodwine. “Do you have a…” she reached for the most appropriate phrase, “a name to contact? A number to call? Or does communication come in one direction only?”

Peter simply shook his head, as far as he knew they never gave such information, preferring to make contact than the other way around.

If the CIO’s suspicions were correct and Section 31 were indeed the puppeteers of this tragic and terrifying tale, then Nakuto considered herself to have gained a powerful advantage in Peter Sigmundsson. If the shadowy organisation intended to use him as an undercover agent then his honesty with her allowed her the opportunity to do the same. However, unlike the Section, who had forced this mantle upon him without a choice, Kara knew she would do absolutely nothing without his explicit consent. She cared for the towering Icelander more than she could bear to admit and would never deliberately place him in danger. Although that choice was no longer hers to make alone…

“Peter,” she continued, cautiously, “I would ask you, as a friend and as your former captain, to please share with me any communications that you receive from them. Especially if what they ask you to do is something that goes against your beliefs and your training as a starfleet officer. They may believe that they have you trapped here, but it is my belief that we are in a good position to return the fight to them. If that is what you so desire, of course.”

• Kara Nakuto (Consultant)

He was quiet for a good while, to be frank, he’d hoped something like this would happen. He could not… no would not put his family at risk dealing with something like this but Kara, she was probably already at risk, within their crosshairs. It also helped that he could trust her “Do you remember when we first met ten years ago?” he asked without waiting for an answer “I was a lieutenant just back to the Fleet after a decade out, you were a Commander and Acting Captain of the Curie, the first thing you asked me to do was set up a training operation to, and I quote ‘see firsthand what kind of warriors I have onboard my ship’” He said with a half-smile “That’s not a very common Starfleet way of thinking. I would be more than happy to share whatever it is I learn from them with you, I have as much experience out there in the real world as I have within the Fleet and I know what kind of people we’re dealing with, we’ll need allies to rid ourselves of them.

Peter

The memory returned almost instantly. Her first command. The innocence and hopefulness of those days seemed almost impossible to accept now. A trick to force her into believing that she did have the courage and the strength to lead a crew. Of course, her time in command of the Viking was sure to slay any such beliefs. Still, as she replayed the training operation in her mind, a wide grin spread across her face.

“Ha! I knew from that moment that you would be a worthy companion, Peter Sigmundsson! And it is an opinion that the years have not changed. We are similar, you and I. Determined to fulfill our duties and complete our missions, but willing to…seek out unorthodox methods to do so, if the situation demands it.”

She drained the remnants of her glass and sat forward in her seat, her elbows coming to rest on the table’s heavy, scarred surface.
“However, this crew has changed immensely since my last visit and, yourself, Lt Stone and Ensign Luna are the only ones I currently know and trust. I would…appreciate anything you can tell me on the others. Especially our Captain and First Officer. Might they have been placed here under similar circumstances to yourself?”

• Kara Nakuto (Consultant)