Doctoring the Manifest

Posted on Sunday February 28th, 2021 @ 14:26 hours by Mayterial Droz & Lozen Nachtnebel

Mission: Safe Passage
Location: Main computer core, S.S. Fawkes
Timeline: 1 hour before making port in orbit of Betazed
1112 words - 2.2 OF Standard Post Measure

With both Hirral and his creation dealt with, Mayterial had to make sure that all the paperwork was in order for their docking with the Betazed orbital station. She couldn't take any risks, especially on her home planet. People would know what to look out for with her. She didn't know if the red flags were still showing up in the systems but most people that had anything to do with import and export around there would know the name of the ship and its disgraced Captain.

"How's the work progressing, Miss Nachtnebel?" she asked the back of the head of her Quartermaster.

This damn bucket needs a complete overhaul, En thought. Aloud, she said, "The port transducer is still flagged by the computer, I've sent it off to engineering for their inspection. The dock's not going to let us in unless that gets fixed... but I think it's probably just a signal malfunction from one of the original Cardassian circuits." She tried not to lean too hard into the implication that the whole ship was coming apart at the seams.

Mayterial sighed, wondering why she had ever coveted this particular freighter. Then again it was already well past its century mark, and it was only meant to last for 100 years. It was almost inspiring to think about all the things this vessel must've went through, all the things that got shipped in its hull.

"Otherwise, it's all good. I have the docking manifest sorted out, all nice and official. And... all the items that need to be kept out of sight should escape the radar." Some small part of her mind marveled at how slow language could be to change; the last time radar mattered for the average person was three centuries past, but the word still slipped into everyday speech. If it works, don't break it.

"Good to know." May looked around the old computer core for a moment, it had been a huge pain to get everything properly integrated with a UFP system two years back, "perhaps we can find some upgrades on the surface of our old homestead," Mayterial didn't really know much about Lozen, except that she was also part Betazoid. Though it was unclear to her if she had ever lived on their shared ancestor's home planet.

It took Lo a moment to figure out what May meant. "Oh! Right, Betazed." She thought of the pictures she had seen of the world, so similar to Earth yet so different as well; bright greens and blues and the sharp white of clouds from orbit, but all configured differently than her own concept of 'home.' She shrugged, "My mother was betazoid. I've never been."

Sufficiently distracted from her final check of the manifest, she put the tablet aside and looked over her shoulder at May. The Fawkes' captain remained an enigma to Lo.
"I take it you grew up here, though?"

May nodded, she was here all the way through the Dominion occupation, "Yeah, left when I was eighteen," she shook her head a bit, still a slight buzz from the drink Kala had shared with her, "it'll be nice for you to visit I guess," she wasn't really chomping at the bit herself, but she'd have to manage to stay out of trouble for the duration, "anything you need the Captain to sign off on?"

Lo considered the comment, started to go with the rote, "I'm sure it will be nice to be planetside..." when she remembered the convention. Her smile became a lot more genuine. In response to May's question, Lo picked the tablet back up and held it out, "Just this leave slip. I'll be joining Alex and Kari for a day when we land."

"Oh, you too huh," Mayterial noted and smiled, "I think we all deserve some time off," she pressed her thumb on the button to approve the leave day. She knew that every day they spent in dock was one that technically cost them money, but her crew needed a rest. Betazed was as good a place as any.

"Thanks." Lo smiled at the other woman and found herself wondering just what the fiery betazoid would be doing for her bit of relaxation. "You have something nice planned, too, I hope?"

"Need to deliver a cat, will probably try and find an old club that I used to go to," Mayterial shrugged a bit, she didn't have any major plans other than avoiding her family.

"Well, I'm sure some R&R will do us all good." Lo glanced at the bulkheads of the computer core, the Cardassian aesthetic reflected in the deepest levels of the ship's design. Funny, how a place so alien to her could so quickly begin to feel like home. "I'll be sure to meet with the harbormaster before heading to leave. Want to make sure we're fully stocked for..." She trailed off, wondering what their next job would be. Whatever their next mission turned out to be, Lo hoped that it avoided intersections with highly illegal technology. She felt a guilty twinge at the illicit accessing of her old Captain's Starfleet record a few days prior. "Is, uh, anything lined up?"

May shook her head a bit, "Not really, I'm sure something will come through, I still have a lot of contacts here." Most of those were shady as fuck, but some of them might actually be willing and able to provide them with some proper, legitimate, work. "So, yeah, better get fully stocked. We had to go to Risa with Hirral, so that's off the table for now. The quadrant is our oyster."

"I guess I'll hope for a pearl, then," Lo said with a small smile. She picked up her PADD again, waved the tablet in a broad gesture meant to encompass the whole ship. "I'll get this finished up before we dock. Ship-shape and to-order."

"Thank you, Miss Nachtnebel," Mayterial gave an appreciative nod before stepping away from the centre of the room, turning on the heels of her leather boots and stepping out of the room. She knew she was asking something from her crew that was going against their moral code, but they also understood what the consequences might be if they didn't. None of them wanted to have to deal with the moral dilemma of trying to figure out how much of a 'person' Liliah really was. Now all that was needed was to get the hologram to go along with all of this. She really hoped Kala's influence and rapport with the light-being was as good as she thought it was.