Prelude to an Assassination

Posted on Tue Jul 21st, 2015 @ 12:48am by Ensign Corrine Steiner & Enlisted Cadet Jasmine [P: Steiner]

Mission: Blooming Friendships
Location: Quarters, SB332
Timeline: Late night

[ON]

Ens. Steiner hadn't experienced her strange dreams for a good stretch of time, now. However, they were to return with a vengeance. The night following her day of high anxieties rolled not with mere glimpses, but long and lingering dreams.

Corrine saw Jasmine sitting with another cadet in the galley. It must have been a training day. Everything seemed lively and normal except her lunch companion. He looked to be a Betazoid, one increasingly ill at ease. Jasmine noticed, "What's wrong?"

The young man gave a slow, searching shake of the head. His expression was pained, "I don't know! I'm getting that sick, cold feeling again!"

"You only get that when you're around me, don't you?"

"Well, I didn't used to, but I do now! But that's the crazy part! I don't sense anything malevolent coming from you!"

"And it's not anyone else in the area?"

"No, I feel good about the people around us! Wait. Now that bad feeling is fading. It's... I feel better now. Just like at starbase."

The Shokirian surmised, "That confirms my fears."

"What fears? Jaz, we need to report this!"

"I already have." She arose with a smile, "You enjoy your lunch, free of my dark little shadow." She then asked, "Is our training schedule still on track?"

He shrugged, "I think so."

"Good."

The Betazoid seemed surprised, "You're not worried at all, are you?"

She shook her head, "Not really. Catch you tonight."

This scene faded away, displaced by another dream. Ens. Steiner recognized the training scenario, asteroid navigation and searches. It was fairly routine, but it was a timed test. Jasmine appeared to handle small craft quite comfortably. Corrine's perspective went to another cockpit, whereupon she was stabbed with panic. It was the telepath who had attacked her on USS Carthage. Now he was after her friend. He carried a commando's capture kit, one which included a number of serum hypos. She recognized some of them from years ago, a truth serum pack. Others looked more ominous with their safety caps.

As the stalker closed in, Jasmine lit burners and made a run for it. Her pursuer was much faster and more maneuverable, though. As the telepath and his pilot armed weapons and jammed communications, the Shokirian did the unexpected. Rather than follow the logical choice of attempting evasion through the asteroids, she cleared the field and brought her training shuttle to a complete stop. Inside, Corrine could see Jasmine stare warily at the predator as he drew near and prepared to short out her shields.

From inside the hostile cockpit, however, the pilot looked sharply at his instruments in alarm, "Contact! High speed warp trace!"

The telepath ordered, "Identify!"

"Unknown!"

"Use backdoor codes! Force their IFF to announce!"

"Not working! It's a raider!"

Those were his last words. With Jasmine's shuttle parked patiently, the attacker flashed by. The telepath's shuttle exploded from a perfectly executed attack pass.

=/Roost to Flight Three, come in!\=

Jasmine answered, "Flight Three, responding."

=/We lost both your transponder and your diagnostic feed! What happened? We thought you might have hit an asteroid!\=

"Technical glitch, Sir. Am resuming my run."

Corrine tossed and turned in her dream. Once more, she saw Jasmine again, this time down in Samanthia Akiashiro's 'The Dive'. She appeared to be quietly enjoying a fruit smoothie. As she sipped at her straw, her eyes discretely turned towards a distant table. At making eye contact with the Klingon Gob'kick, she gave him a very slight, subtle nod. He returned it.

In the dream, Jasmine got up to leave. On her way out, though, she stopped. Puzzled, she slowly surveyed the surroundings. Corrine shook her head, asking herself, ~You can even sense me dreaming about you?~

Corrine awakened to the sound of her door chime, drenched in perspiration. Jasmine entered, "Oh, Corrie! The dreams are back?"

It took a few moments for her to answer. "Yeah. They're back."

"The prophetic situation, do we need to warn anybody about pending events?"

Corrie stared with pursed lips. After an almost awkwardly long pause, she shook her head tensely. "No. It'll work itself out."

[OFF]

---------------------

Ens. Corrine Steiner
Cadet Jasmine [P: Steiner]

Starbase 332
Pegasus Fleet