A Summons From The Past...

Posted on Wed Jun 3rd, 2015 @ 8:12am by Captain Jack Solomon & Admiral Deela T'Lar

1,633 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Episode 88 - Memories Lost, Trouble Found
Location: Jack's Quarters
Timeline: MD2, 1100hrs

After returning from the Hunster II Mission, Jack had debriefed his part of the mission as a personal log aboard the Ark Royal and headed back to his quarters. The mission had been a success and it reminded him how he enjoyed being a part of the command team again.

As he unpacked his things back in his quarters, he was reminded of the thrill of being XO to Commander Coleman and how he missed that feeling. He smiled as he loved to have worked alongside L'Verrem, Takabe and Phoenix and being a part of the solution. That gave him a pride he'd missed a lot and his confidence came springing back.

Once unpacked, Jack took a shower and then put on a fresh uniform, but instead of his duty jacket, he wore a waistcoat, needing to feel a little less duty bound before going back on duty. He ordered a raktajino from the replicator and once he took it, he sat down in his armchair with a recurring thought going over in his mind.

Before leaving for Hunster II, Jack had received a message from his ex-partner, Talia Rendar. A woman who once, long ago he had loved and cherished before she framed him for murder and then pursued him across the stars to try and kill him for knowing she had set him up, as well as his knowledge of the location of the Galactic Sangral, something he hadn't thought about in a long while. Last time they had met, she was leading a group of rebel Jem'Hadar and Klingon warriors looking for the device and she'd tortured him to try and extract its location from him...with no success.

He reached over to the drawer unit next to him and opened it, pulling out the PADD that held her original message. He opened the message and read it again:

"Hello Beloved. It's been awhile since we've been in touch. I think we need to talk again. I hope life on a starbase is treating you well. I'll see you soon. Talia."

Jack sat back for a moment, wondering why now she would choose to get in touch and what this would mean. Years had passed since there last meeting. Suddenly the PADD beeped again, showing a new message received. Jack sat up and looked around his quarters, wondering how she knew he was reading her message. Talia always had that knack of knowing. He pressed his thumb on the new message ident.

"Hello Beloved. Congratulations on your last mission... I hear you saved a lot of lives. Well it's now my turn to help you with yours." He read out loud.

"Several years ago, you served on Korriban where you were setup by a Section 31 Agent for an accident and for deaths that were not your fault."

"After a period of putting my affairs in order for my own selfish reasons, I am now prepared to meet with you under friendly truce to give you something that will right this wrong for you and hopefully restore your good name and reputation. After all we have been through my Beloved, I want to do something right for you and try to right one of my wrongs." He finished, stopping for a second.

Jack sat back and wondered why Talia would now do this for him. What had happened for her to do something like this and help him out with a past issue.

He read on.

"I'm also aware of the time you spent held captive with the Borg and I know that the same party was responsible. What I have will be vital to you to use as you wish. Come to the coordinates specified as soon as you can and I'll be waiting. Yours, Talia."

Jack checked the location data in the message and made sure of the data was correct. He finished his drink and sat back. He knew that he had to go and meet Talia but he was also well aware of how devious and cunning she was and to go and meet her would play into her hands... But to find out who and why he was setup by Section 31 was a chance to good to pass up, a chance to right wrongs made by others.

Jack locked the PADD and decided he needed to speak to a friendly face he could trust.

"=/\= Solomon to T'Lar, are you available to talk?" Jack asked as he tapped his combadge.

"=/\= I will be in twenty minutes. Meet me in my office and we will talk."

"=/\= Understood, I'll be there in 20 minutes. Thank you, Solomon out," Jack finished. He sat down next to the computer terminal in his quarters and accessed the logs of the USS Wildcat through his own personal logs, downloading anything that involved his dealings with Talia and her group to back up his need for a runabout.

Once he had all the information he needed, Jack picked up his PADD and made his way to the Admiral's quarters. Once he arrived, he pressed the door chime to enter.

Deela looked towards the door, "Enter." She put down what she was reading and waited for her guest to walk in.

Jack walked in and presented himself to T'Lar in her office before explaining his reason for being there.

"Admiral, I apologise for interrupting you, but I have a request I wanted to approach you about. I have need of a Runabout...And yourself... For a private matter," he began.

Realising how that sounded to himself, Jack hurriedly carried on, placing his PADD on her desk.

"A few weeks ago, I was contacted by a woman called Talia Rendar. Several years ago I had a relationship with her, however she tried to frame me for her father's murder and has since tried to kill me on various occasions whilst I served on the Wildcat," he began.

"She contacted me recently explaining she has evidence that I was setup by Section 31 Agent Andrea Milano for the Korriban Incident and for my assignment to on the USS Valkyrie. She's requested I meet with her to receive this information," he finished, hoping his explanation was simple and easy to follow.

T'Lar processed the information, "So...you want to meet up with a woman who tried to kill you and frame you? Where is the logic in that? She has proven that she cannot be trusted. How do you know that this isn't another one of her traps?"

Jack nodded as she explained her point of view and it was a valid one from somebody who didn't know Talia. But Jack had a gut feeling about this.

"To be honest, I don't...but normally, if Talia is going to make an attempt on my life, she doesn't talk as long as she has in these last two messages. She'll just go ahead and do something about it..." he explained, pausing for a moment.

"Something about this is different, I just have feeling that something has changed with her and this is something I have to see through," Jack finished, feeling strongly that there might some closure to his history with Talia.

T'Lar observed him for a moment, "If you feel that strong about about it, then I will trust your judgement." She could sense how important this was to him, "I would suggest that you do not meet her alone. Do you have a plan of action?"

Jack smiled for a second as she asked the question. He had thought ahead on this one. "I have a plan for this meeting. I intend to take a Runabout to the meeting place that is armed with a cloaking device. The Delta Flyer class we used during the Essex's last mission is still armed with the one I fitted on board and that should allow safe and undetected passage to the meeting," he explained to her.

Then Jack straightened himself before making his next request to the Admiral.

"Admiral, I'd like to request that you accompany me on this personal mission. To be honest, if there any former Wildcat officers on board, I would ask them in a heartbeat. But there isn't and you're one of the few people on board I trust to ask to do this.... I wasn't sure who else to approach," Jack admitted, his head falling slightly as he made his admission.

She thought about it but only briefly. She nodded, "Okay. I will accompany you. I will have to clear it with Admiral Bremer but that should not be a problem. When are you planning to leave?"

"As soon as possible," Jack answered immediately. "If there was anyone else that I thought could be of use I would invite them, knowing that a Flyer-Class Runabout can hold a crew of four, but I dont want to give Talia a chance to take advantage of the situation with extra bodies," he explained.

"Agreed. If this is a trap, it is better to not put anyone else in danger. Give me some time to make arrangements for my children and then we will leave to meet her."

"No problem. I'll go a prep the Runabout for departure," Jack advised her before turning to leave. Before he left the room, Jack turned around. "Thank you, Admiral. This means a lot to me," he finished.

"You are welcome but there is no need to thank me. You would do the same for me." She gave him a smile although she wasn't happy about the situation, "Once I find out when we can depart, I will let you know." She picked up the PADD on her desk and began looking at it. When she heard the door close, she put it down as she exhaled. The feeling of worry came over her...

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