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"Delay Tactics"
[previous post was "Bump on the Head" by the honorable Jayson]
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Setting: MASQUERADE DREAMS, Poolside

Stardate: 30152.0845


With the recital over an hour away, the acting ExO / ILO knew that she had ample time to check on Ensign Stark and his improvised diversionary tactic.  Shar'El had not been surprised that the Operations Officer had stepped forward when the call for help was made, especially given that it directly dealt with the ANUBIS' Chief of Security.


As much as Ensign Stark might have wanted to deny it, even to himself, it was becoming increasingly obvious that he had developed a soft spot for the woman and her hair changing ways.  As much as Starfleet frowned upon relationships between officers, the Acting ExO / ILO could not find any fault in this particular one; Ya'Han and Jayson having become more than simple shipmates through whatever relationship had developed between them.


Onboard a regular Starfleet ship, such a relationship could be looked upon as a hinderance to the performance of an crewman's duties, one that would open certain weaknesses that would not have been there otherwise.  Onboard an Intel vessel though, one working well beyond the normal boundaries set to the rest of the fleet, such close inter-personal links between members of the crew could prove to be an immeasurable asset.  Through dealing with the coldest and harshest types the galaxy could create, Intel officers could easily be affected by an unfortunate side effect; that of becoming detached from their emotions and those working with them.  It was because of this that the Acting ExO / ILO believed strongly that such relationships had been a good thing, permitting these people to somehow hold onto the core of their humanity.


That said though, allowing for any external show of emotions could prove deadly in this line of work, so Shar'El remained unemotional and uninterested as she caught from the corner of her eye the man in question as he stumbled away from the pool with the assistance of the MASQUERADE DREAMS' Doctor.  With the communications channel fully opened, everyone could follow the man's progress as well as that of Doctor Mizore and Ensign Ya'Han.  The reason for this had been a simple one; should any sort of trouble happen, every undercover officer of the USS ANUBIS would be made aware of it instantly, and act accordingly if needed.


=/\= No, I can walk, =/\= Jayson Stark said, likely in response to the ship's Doctor having offered some sort of alternate and quicker way to get to the infirmary.


As great as the subdermal communication system had been, it possessed one weakness, that of having everyone limited to hear only what a member of their team could say.  Still, such a limitation had been easily contoured with a simple repeating of what had been said by people of interest or stating out loud things that were taking place around them.  After all it had not been so uncommon to have people talking to themselves about the world around them.


=/\= The scans are taking longer than I had anticipated, =/\= Doctor Mizore said only a few seconds later, the cold tone of her voice hinting to the CMO having been less than happy with the progress of what would have been an easy task while onboard the ANUBIS.


=/\= I have Ensign Stark in sight and will provide you with as much time as I can, =/\= the voice of Ensign T'Leia was heard next, the newest member of the ANUBIS' crew having taking it upon herself to help in a yet undetermined manner.  =/\= Please forgive me, but I was hoping that you would be able to direct me to where the Science Symposium will be taking place.  I would very much like to be there early so as to secure a good seat for the event. =/\=


Shar'El smiled inwardly.  Although she had lost sight of Ensign Stark and the ship's Doctor, the Acting ExO / ILO could easily imagine the scene as it played out.  Likely, Andromeda had made sure that no other crew member of the MASQUERADE DREAMS had been close enough forcing the Doctor to take the time to help another passenger.


Doing his best to insure that this latest diversion would take as long as possible, Ensign Stark remained perfectly still and quiet, not wanting to give the Ship's Doctor any reason to speed up his giving the directions to the grand conference hall.


=/\= Thank you very much for having taken the time to answer my query, =/\= Ensign T'Leia said after a short silence.  =/\= Would you happen to know who the guest speaker or speakers will be.  I was told by a friend that Doctor Professor Kor-Kavo would be in attendance to this symposium and I am most interested in her theories on parallel universes and their shared quantum signatures. =/\=


A short and pleasant hum was heard through the subdermal communication link, one that everyone had been quick to assign to the ANUBIS' resident specialist on all things scientific.  Had this Doctor Professor Kor-Kavo, who had been mentioned by Ensign T'Leia, had actually been on board the MASQUERADE DREAMS there would not have been any doubts that Lt. Commander Maya would have already reserved her seat to the symposium.


Unfortunately for the Shillian, this had been nothing more than another delay tactic, one that seemed to be relatively effective as Andromeda could be heard stating her disappointment at the absence of scientist she had mentioned.


=/\= I can walk. The rest was nice though, but I can walk. =/\= Jayson said next confirming that Andromeda's intervention had come to an end and that the Doctor and his patient were about to resume their journey to the ship's infirmary.


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Tiffany Reeve


Lieutenant Commander Shar'El
Acting Executive Officer / Intel Liaison Officer
USS ANUBIS