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Ragitsu Grand Master

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Re: Ctrl+V

 

I'm saying that if the choice is between someone like Bale' date=' who can act but on his best day will not even come close to the behemoth Batman in the comics (plus OMG, Bale's height is below Batman's 6 foot 3, or whatever his real height is), and a giant hulking pro-wrestler who will look just like the comics but can't act...I'd pick Bale. That's me.[/quote']

 

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Riker nodded and tapped his communicator, now fastened to his shirt. "Riker to Enterprise," he said.

 

"Enterprise here."

 

"Two to beam up."

 

"Locked on, Commander."

 

"Energize."

 

Once again, I experienced the disorientating sensation of my surroundings disappearing and then reappearing somewhere entirely different. I stared around the transporter room, thinking it felt like years since I ha been here. Nothing had changed, of course, except for man standing behind the controls.

 

Will hopped down off the pad and I followed suit, following him out the door and into the hallway. I was immediately surrounded by the sleek lines and brown carpeting that reminded me so much of my previous journeys down hallways like this one.

 

"I've assigned you the same quarters you had last time," Will told me as we walked. "We can get cleaned up and then Captain Picard wants to see you."

 

I was thankful for the immediate meeting with Picard. I wanted to find out more about this mission I had agreed to. There was no going back now but I should know what I had gotten myself into.

 

Will stepped into the turbolift and I followed, automatically saying "Deck 8" as soon as I had entered. I glanced over to see Will smiling at me. "What?"

 

"It's good to have you back."

 

A small smiled crossed my lips. "Yeah," I agreed and as Riker showed me to my new, or old, quarters, I had to believe it. The Enterprise wasn't home, not like it was for Will, but I liked it here.

 

Back in my quarters, I gazed out the window for a minute and then turned to the bedroom mirror. It was true, I needed to clean up. I couldn't keep clean on Karos VII, no one could as dust was everywhere. Clean clothes and warm showers on the Enterprise would hopefully help that.

 

I didn't want to take much time so I washed up and replicated clean clothes. Glancing at myself in the mirror, I ran fingers through my hair. It'd been growing some over the past six months and I'd let it go, not bothering to hurry it up or shift it shorter. Now, though, I was soon to be a long way from Karos VII. I shrugged, made my hair short and lime green, and exited my quarters. Wills were just to the left and he came to the door as soon as I hit the bell. As soon as the door opened, he stared at me.

 

"You ready?" I asked him. I noticed he was back in his red and black uniform, straight and unwrinkled, with black shoes shined and communicator fastened on.

 

"Yes. Why the hair?"

 

I stepped aside to let him out and we started toward the turbolift. "You mean, why didn't I make myself taller?" I waved my hand. "New quarter, new hair. Might as well change it all at once."

 

I stepped into the turbolift and we rode to the bridge in silence. When the doors opened, I looked out on the Enterprise's Bridge. I had only seen it once before and I hadn't been in much of a position to admire it. I did so now as I stepped out of the turbolift. Someone I didn't know was standing at Tactical, which wasn't surprising as I knew maybe five members of the crew. As I followed Riker down toward a door on the left, I recognized Commander Data sitting in the Captain's chair. He stood up when he saw Will but was waved back down as we passed through the door.

 

We came into the small room off the Bridge, more comfortable-looking than the austere bridge and conference room had been. I noted there was a couch to the right and a table bearing knickknacks, but my main attention was drawn to the desk straight ahead, where the Captain of the Enterprise was sitting. When we entered, he looked up from the screen he was viewing and then stood.

 

"Welcome back, Miss Lawrence," he said, tugging down his shirt hem. "Thank you, Number One." Will nodded and left, while Picard gestured for me to sit. I took a seat, crossing my legs in front of me. As I situated myself, my trepidation rose. I had relaxed a little earlier, but I still had the hollow pang of pear inside me. It grew now.

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Sean smiled as he started sizing up the men from the shadows. He knew they didn't want to be friends. Numbers were in favor of the ruffians. Two behind were a threat but not the primary threat. The one with the switch blade was the first to step out in front he was confident.

 

The third was clearly the leader. That left the second one in front as his target. The fact the second was holding a kitchen knife was confirmation that he was the weakest. Sean waits and watches his target as they come closer. When one tries to start talking Sean jolts forward at the weak one and tries to grab the front of his wife beater. I have to make myself their first target. If this works it should give the others pause, really hope Kris's guess about gun powder was right. As he runs he calls back, "Jake keep the two in the back busy!"

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You walk in a room,

A woman can feel the heat.

One look is a guarantee

Nights could be long and sweet.

The message is clear

Like nothing I've ever known.

But the more that I hear,

Forget about long-range plans

'Cause this man's got his own.

 

To get mixed up with a man who says never

May be big trouble, but then

I just could be the woman to take you

And make you never say never again.

 

Never, never say never again.

Never, never say never again.

Never, never say never again.

Never, never say never again.

 

You've got all the moves.

Ah, but baby I've got them too.

No matter your attitude or your mood

I'll come through.

The touch of your voice.

The feel of your eyes on me.

You leave me no choice.

Though I know there's danger there

I don't care, let it be.

 

To get it bad with a man who says never

May have no future, but then

I just could be the woman to reach you

And teach you to never say never again.

 

I'll beg you.

I'll get you.

I'll reach you.

I'll teach you.

I'll take you.

I'll make you.

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Re: Ctrl+V

 

...Ugh' date=' Mary Sue.[/quote']

 

"I must apologize for bringing you into this, Miss Lawrence," Picard started off. "You have no obligation to us."

 

"It's fine," I told him. "I want to help."

 

"Hmmm." Picard leaned back in his chair thoughtfully and then said, "The current situation is getting worse. Thank you for agreeing to come so quickly. Hopefully we can work out a compromise soon."

 

I agreed, although I was less hopeful than him. "I haven't been told much about the situation." I only knew what Riker had told me, which really wasn't much. Not nearly enough if they expected me to negotiate for me. I still found the very idea preposterous.

 

"Of course. I'll have the full history sent to your quarters but I can brief you on the basics.

 

"The Sandorian wormhole was used by the Federation to colonize a planet five-hundred light-years away, Minos III. Minos III was thriving until six months ago when a Class 3 comet struck the southern hemisphere of the planet and destroyed the ecosphere. The colony survived and opted to remain on Minos III, but they require constant supply ships until they complete the terraforming process."

 

"Why didn't they just move the colony?" I asked, thinking that would be an easier option.

 

"A valid question. The colonists had claimed Minos III as their home and refused to abandon it. And the process went smoothly until just over two weeks ago when a fleet of Sandorian vessels surrounded the wormhole and claimed it as their own. They've been demanding tribute from alls hips passing through it."

 

I raised an eyebrow. When I left Sandor, it was still relatively primitive in regard to space travel. They had accomplished achieving warp speed, but still limited their exploration to our own solar system. Ship production was low and weapons systems were limited to weak phasers. Apparently, they had decided to up their conquests.

 

"Is anyone paying?" I asked Picard.

 

He nodded. "In the past two weeks, four different species have paid, mainly so as to avoid conflict. The Sandorian government is demanding weapons technology from the Federation, which we cannot supply."

 

"So you've tried negotiation and that didn't work," I finished. "Would the Federation really attack Sandor?" I had no problem with the Federation shuffling aside a few Sandorian ships but it seemed out of character. The Federation protected their own but I had seldom heard of them mounting an outright attack.

 

Picard raised his eyebrows. "If necessary," was his curt reply. "Sandor has no official claim to the wormhole as it is not within their solar system and they have breached interstellar law by refusing to allow humanitarian aide or even a rescue mission to be conducted. All of our attempts to negotiate have failed. We were sent terms by way of a subspace signal with instructions to deliver the tribute. We've attempted to reply over the same channel but have been ignored and all hails to their government have been blocked or ignored, as well. Minos III can survive perhaps another week or two but then they will begin to starve.

 

"If we cannot negotiate, we must resort to force. Sandor is not powerful but they have many allies who would come to their defense. If we go through the wormhole, we could start a war."

 

I looked at the Enterprise's Captain, struck by the enormity of the situation. Picard was widely-respected as a good negotiator, even I had heard of him while on Karos VII, but he could find no way to defuse the current situation. The fact that they had come to me for help showed just how desperate they really where.

 

"What makes you think I can help?" I asked bluntly, hoping Picard could explain my intended role better than Riker.

 

"We're hoping you can establish contact. We know some of our hails are being received so they may respond to you. If not, you may have more luck finding governmental executives to contact." Picard leaned forward. "I realize this may seem futile, but we have exhausted all other avenues."

 

I nodded to him. "I'll do everything I can," I promised. "I don't have any experiences negotiating, though."

 

"Once you've established contact, we will conduct the negotiations. All you have to do is get them to agree to the meeting, which will require more instinct than skill."

 

I nodded again. "You should know that I haven't been on Sandor in over ten years, Captain. Just because I'm from the same species doesn't mean they'll listen to me."

 

"Just do your best," Picard said. He stood and tugged on his shirt once again. "There'll be briefing tomorrow about the mission. In the meantime, do you want an escort?"

 

"No, thanks." The last thing I wanted was to be followed around by some yellow-shirted security guard.

 

Picard nodded. "You're welcome to wander the ship, then, but please stay away from the restricted areas."

 

"Of course."

 

I turned toward the door, dismissed, but Picard's voice called me back. "Oh, Miss Lawrence." I turned to see the Captain smiling. "I love the hair."

 

I smiled back at him, nodded, and then left his ready room. Back on the Bridge, I found Will in the captain's chair and Data at the Ops station. Captain Picard remained behind, no doubt to continue strategizing. I, for one, had no desire to continue thinking about our upcoming encounter. I was growing tired, for although it was just after 1600, it was already growing late on Karos VII.

 

Will stood when he saw me but I shook my head, instead going over to the turbolift. I didn't need him to escort me to my quarters and he probably had more important duties to perform. I, on the other hand, had nothing to do except to think.

 

Alone again in my quarters, I took the time to shower and replicate several pairs of clothes. After I'd finished and changed, I realized that, in the busyness of the past few hours, I had neglected to eat dinner. This, too, proved a welcome distraction as the replicator gave me endless choices in place of the normal boring meals I usually had.

 

The computer informed me it was 1705 when I lay down in the bed. Clean and full, I no longer had anything to distract me from the plane we were now hurtling toward. The stars streaking past the windows of the main room told me we were flying at warp, already on our way to Sandor. Even thinking the name upset me, for so many more reasons than I could name. I hadn't thought of the place in six months, had been able to entirely move on, and now I was going back. I wasn't frightened, exactly, not of being caged as I had been before. There were not any cages on Sandor that could hold me now, for their institutions had been walled in by brainwashing just as much as real walls. And I certainly wasn't afraid of anyone on the planet.

 

No, I was more afraid of myself than I was of Sandor. More afraid of how I would react when faced with my homeworld once again. I'd spent years recovering, running, and trying to forget and I had thought I'd managed to free myself from the past but now I wasn't so sure. Sandor still held too many memories.

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