241407.xx ¦¦ JL Doctor Scarlet Rogers & Lieutenant Commander Tierney Rinehart ¦¦ What If?

Posted on 241408.10 @ 5:26pm by Lieutenant Scarlet Rogers MD & Commander Tierney Rinehart

Doctor Rogers was pacing like a tiger in captivity. She was waiting for some sort of food, which was late, once again. Considering the amount of hate people must have had for her, she thought this was just them amusing themselves. They were entertained by the watching desperation and frustration. This was a game to them, Scarlet was convinced. All the ginger woman was waiting for was the thumbs up from Caesar in order to allow her death to amuse the crowd in the Colosseum of the brig. Anything was possible this far out. It was already made clear that Star Fleet protocol wasn't being followed by the way Scarlet was being treated in comparison to Lucas.

It had taken some time, some string pulling, but most time. Hours, really, of pouring through logs and communications. Everything from strange calls to Orion hotlines to top secret command frequency communications -- but finally it was found. It stood out like a sore thumb, hidden by the obscurity of the tag associated to the caller, but once that had been over looked? Bingo. It was there. The content, of course, was questionable. A Doctor calling for the request of assistance and advice from a member of the once maligned Vanguard now run by a Vulcan many whispered was truly more of a Romulan in spite of the good he'd done. People, she reminded herself, abhor what they can't control, categorize or easily reference. Vokar was in the same league as she; an outcast and an anomaly.

While it implicated one thing, it cleared another. Sometime during it's transmission another frequency outside of the Enterprise had been opened, a bug that caused the briefest squelch of static that only the most trained and tuned ears would have perceived as the hitchhiker took what wasn't theirs to have and the gig, her gig, was up. Tierney was quick to transfer the to two PADDs; one she hid in her quarters for later, the other that she stowed away for the journey down to the brig. And now she stood in front of the force field, willowy despite her meager height, and watching her friend. "I have your alibi." She said, matter-of-factly. "Captains Rhodes isn't going to like it. I don't really like it, but it is what it is."

Scarlet paused and looked to the voice, "I was hoping you were my waiter for this evening not the barer of potentially bad news in a sugar coating."

"Yes, well unfortunately I can only play one role at a time." Tierney replied, running her fingers through her hair. "I have one word for you. Vokar."

"What about him?" she asked concerned, "Is he ok?"

A slender soft strawberry eyebrow arched high, "You tell me." She responded, fishing out the PADD and holding it up. "You contacted him recently."

"I know I did, but I felt uncomfortable about his response so didn't pursue contact any more," Scarlet shrugged, "Why? What's happened?"

Tierney sighed and shook the PADD gently, "Your message was intercepted on it's way to Vokar. The person who intercepted it would know where we are and where Vokar is. so there's no telling if he's shared the same onslaught we have or not."

"You need to tell Thelin as a matter of urgency," Scarlet said after a sharp intake of breath, putting her hand to her mouth in shock.

The intel officer nodded, "He's my next stop since it came from Thelin's PADD. I need to cover our bases. It could get ugly, even if it does exonerate you."

"Thelin is innocent when it comes to his treason charges," Scarlet panicked a little, "This is all some kind of mistake. May I ask a favour for when you see him?"

"I know he is, Scarlet." Another sigh blew, the situation slowly wrapping it's fingers across the pretty little star-child's throat. "Anything."

"I need him," Scarlet's eyes weld up a bit but she blinked them back, "Is there anyway you could bring him here and drop the forcefield for five minute, I just need him to hold me," Scarlet smiled a little, "I love him. I need him. I know that this is really hurting him too, Andorian connection."

"Scarlet, I ca..." She paused, looking at her friend and the tears that threatened to spill. Love. A four letter word that she herself had only just started to truly touch on the meaning of. She smiled a small, sorry little smile, her shoulders drooping. "Five minutes. That's all I can give you."

"It will just be five minutes, I swear," Scarlet smiled grateful, "Thank you so much."

"Don't thank me, Scarlet. It's not something to thank me for since I'm not even really sure why I'm doing it." The starling answered truthfully, running the possibilities through her thoughts and fact checking with her heart. The damned thing would be her end, of that she was certain. Things were so much easier when she ignored human emotion and simply allowed herself to live happy go lucky in near solitude.

"Tierney, I'm innocent, please don't make it sound like I am a worthless prisoner and not a friend in need," Scarlet looked a little hurt at the statement just made by the starling.