Of Weevils and Other Nasty Things

[Cmdr JFarrington 0]

Cmdr JFarrington, Atty for the Prosecution

Case 1196032: Starfleet Intelligence vs Captain Muon Quark

Sky Harbor Aegis, Stardate 5008011.1

Temporary assignment from USS Manticore

 

Of Weevils and Other Nasty Things

 

Main Entry: wee•vil

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English wevel, from Old English wifel; akin to Old High German wibil beetle, Old English wefan to weave

: any of a superfamily (Curculionoidea) of beetles which have the head prolonged into a more or less distinct snout and which include many that are injurious especially as larvae to nuts, fruit, and grain or to living plants. The egg hatches in a few days into a soft, white, legless, fleshy grub which feeds on the interior of the grain kernel. The grub changes to a naked white pupa and later emerges as an adult beetle.

Translation: Admiral Forrester

 

Jami couldn’t have said it any better herself. Black Ops had a name for people in Intel like Forrester – weevil – and the satchel that Ensign Garrett had just delivered had Weevil written all over it. Those who purported to work for the good of the Federation but had hidden agendas were pests whose larvae infiltrated seeds meant for the propagation of sustenance and, when hatched, ultimately destroyed the entire crop. Unfortunately the fate of the Federation often rested on choosing between the lesser of two weevils – a horrible pun, but an accurate assessment, and a more than adequate epithet. In actuality the word Classified glared back under the amber light of Jami’s quarters, but it may as well have said Weevil.

 

Soft. White. Legless. Yep, that was Forrester.

 

She’d never met the man, but scuttlebutt travels fast through Intel and Black Ops circles – especially scuttlebutt about admirals and higher – and Jami was Black Ops. Forrester was not someone she would ever trust, but not someone she wanted to cross, either. Friends in high places on both sides of the line, and all that. He hated Ferengi – for whatever reason – and several other non-human species, but beyond that she hadn’t a clue why he was out to get Captain Quark.

 

Jami eyed the envelope, then Ensign Garrett, who cowered in the doorway wondering what to do. Forrester had used her as a go-between because he had something he wanted to openly hide. That is, he wanted the package stamped Classified to be paraded through Sky Harbor Aegis – much as a banner would be carried before battle – but he did not want one of his own to display it so he chose one of Aegis’s most lowly, thereby furthering the degradation.

 

Poor kid. Engineering. Probably assigned to Aegis. Garrett looked like she’d been snatched from her chief out of a J-tube somewhere judging from the smudge on her face and the rumpled jumpsuit that hugged her tiny body. Having been ordered to deliver a classified document she shouldn’t even have known about, Garrett was clearly confused and understandably embarrassed as she finally turned to leave.

 

Damn fleshy grub.

 

So, Jami had been hijacked for a court martial while on leave. Typical. But that’s how they operated. Pressure. Intimidation. Coercion. Blind-side. Slam-dunk. Hijack an unsuspecting officer, preferably in Black Ops, and preferably a pay-grade or two above the opposition. An officer in Black Ops stood a good chance of having the same agenda as one in SF Intel, but not necessarily. It was obviously a chance they were willing to take. Forester’s only possible motive for hijacking Jami was his mistaken belief that she would rubber-stamp his agenda. Or maybe – just maybe – he wanted to drag Manticore into it?

 

Bad move.

 

The only way for Jami to survive was to do her job to the best of her ability – and to get to the bottom of the situation through discreet back-channels without blowing everything apart. Discreet back-channels being Manticore’s own SF Intel officer, who just happened to be allergic to weevils.

 

Given the time-frame of less than an hour before the court martial convened, she had to do some fast hijacking of her own, which on a starbase shouldn’t be too difficult. Jami figured she’d better run into someone soon, and she did. Literally. By chance? Hopefully. She wasn’t sure, but at this point she would take whomever she could get, and her previous experience with Lt Arch Angel had been first rate. And he came pretty highly recommended.

 

She and Angel secured their tiny preparation room and poured over the documents as quickly as possible. Failure to obey an order or regulation might fly. Conduct unbecoming – yeah, maybe. Jami had a few of those thrown at her; sh*t happens when you’re in deep space too long. False statements. Improper hazarding of vessel . . .

 

Conspiracy? Gimme a break.

 

Considering the circumstances they would ask for continuance, knowing the defense would anyway. They would also ask for an Article 32 hearing to determine the viability of the charges. Hell, they might even move for dismissal.

 

Nah. That’s up to defense. Anyway, it’d probably get Forrester’s nose out of joint, and Manticore didn’t need any more opposition than it already had.