Lieutenant (JG) Jorge Nunez (USS Marathon)

Creativity Award

For coming up with an ingenious method of communicating with imprisoned crew members. Chapter 8: Red Storm Rising – Making Contact C ON: Ensign Vanessa Jackson's first two messages to contact the USS Trafalgar had gone to obvious choices. The infiltration specialist and a Marine Staff Sergeant. For her third message, she wanted to try someone less obvious, just in case the other two had been monitored. It was her hope that three messages to three different people would be less obvious than three messages to the same person. She'd spent a lot of time on the shuttle to Star base 10 going over the Trafalgar's personnel. Now she mentally sifted through the names, trying to think of someone not as obvious. The Chief Medical Officer. She quickly addressed the third message to Lieutenant JG Jorge Nunez aboard the Trafalgar. "Vanessa Jackson and Valkris Chang are aboard the New Orleans. Need help. Ship is in the Paulson Nebula. Captained by Jackson Matthews." Afraid something had happened to the last two messages, she used the best encryption program she had to scatter and hide additional data within the message. This time, she included information on a program that left a small hole in the New Orleans' shields. A hole big enough to transport someone inside the ship undetected. [USS Trafalgar] Jorge was just getting out of the shower when his computer began beeping. He quickly wrapped a towel around his waist and activated the computer. It was text only. It spoke of an Ensign named Jackson and a Marine Lieutenant called Chang being held aboard the New Orleans. And that wasn't all. Jack was the captain. The Paulson Nebula. Nunez had to think quickly. Who else had gotten this? Good thing he automatically recorded all his messages. But first things first. He prepared to send out a broad message to the Paulson Nebula at large but stopped. What should he say? He then began to compose something. Message for Carlos Nunez - - Congratulations on your promotion to Chief Security Officer. Remember that Cousins Mateo and Juan ran away from home? Turns out Mateo wanted to join a ship and Juan tried to stop him. They're on a cargo ship now. Just not sure where this ship is or what it's called. Rosa is doing well. She's now a General Manager on board Deep Space Nine. She wants to eventually open her own place. She's pretty good at it, too. Diego isn't doing so well. He's been trying to avoid the counselor when she's the one he needs to talk to in the first place. He went on and on about Diego for two pages, for whoever would find it. Hopefully she would find the hints left inside. Signing off, he signed it Yours Truly, Dr Jorge Nunez. He sat back. Hopefully no one would think anything of it other than his contact. He looked at the console. One little touch is all it would take to send it and be on its way. He sent it. He then tapped his com badge. =A= Nunez to Captain Connor. Please come to my quarters in five minutes. It's urgent. =A= Connor looked around the bridge. =A= Doctor? = Connor said, trying to sound friendly. This was a most unusual request. = I am currently on duty. It would be much better for me, if you would come to my Ready Room. You are capable of coming to my Ready Room, are you not? = Jorge looked down at his towel. =A= Uh....I will be soon. =A= [Stellar Cartography, New Orleans] Vanessa got the message. At first she wasn't sure what it meant, but when she saw the name at the bottom she smiled. Dr. Jorge Nunez. She carefully re-reads the message. Carlos Nunez, Chief of Security. Mateo and Juan. Jack Matthews? Rosa, Deep Space Nine. She wasn't sure about that last bit, but she'd go over it again later. She wanted to send another message, but just then someone walked into the room. She hid the message while she continued to work on her nanites. "So, Ensign Vanessa Jackson, formerly of Star fleet, I trust your messages were received?" A cold voice asked in an almost jovial way. Flagg stood behind her and folded his arms across his chest. "Did you really think you could pull that one over on me? Ouch I'm hurt." Vanessa spun around, startled. She hadn't sensed him enter the room and that scared her. She quickly composed herself and answered his first question. "I don't think so. All I got back was someone's letter to his brother. And it was sent to the general area, not to me." At least the message HAD come as a casual letter. She ignored the second question as being rhetorical. He wouldn't like her answer anyway. She strengthened her mental shields to prevent him from reading her thoughts and looked down, pretending to be submissive. Flagg smiled... He reached out and took her chin softly in his hand. "My child do not shy away from me... You have done nothing that I have not foreseen or expected. Your message was received. And it was received by the exact people I wanted it to be received by. But I have come to discuss my erstwhile apprentice and what we both expect of you." Vanessa's mind was racing. He WANTED the Trafalgar to get the message? She looked up at him cautiously, trying to keep the fear at bay. "What do you expect of me?" she asked quietly. "Well now that is the question..." Flagg sat down and crossed his legs. The heels of his boots scrapping against the carpeting. "You see... I've known for quite a while that there would be three people joining us before we have our glorious day against the Trafalgar.. and that one of those three would give a clue to our formidable opponent. but now that it has occurred... I do not know what to do with you and your friends from the shuttle... I really have no use for the three of you... so why should I keep you?" He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Now it wasn't so long ago that I had a..." He stopped Not so long ago? Three centuries... not so long? "That I had a companion that had been promised to me... but apparently that did not work out so much or so well. And I think that you might have been sent here by Fate for that reason." Vanessa mentally sorted through her options. There had to be a way out of this. She was sure it wouldn't 'work out' with her, either. "What makes you think that? And what does it have to do with your apprentice? You said you wanted to discuss him and what I could do for both of you." Live now to fight later, she reminded herself. "Well what you can do for me... we will discuss in a more private setting." His voice came from behind her where he was now suddenly. He gently turned her around to face him... pulling her close to him... "As for my apprentice? Well he is an interesting case... I have given him a direct neural connection to the ship's main computer core. Soon he will be able to control this ship with a blink of an eye. turning him and this ship almost into one evolved being. He will BE the New Orleans. and what I need from you is a way to sever that connection permanently should the need arise. and at the same time be totally devastating and debilitating to him should he fail me." He moved even closer to her... "Do you think you can do that? Can you be that devious and evil?" He smiled... "I know you can be... and I know you want to be... you want to shed this ridiculous coil of morality that never really has suited you." Vanessa liked her "coil of morality" and preferred that it stay right where it was. She looked at Flagg and gave him a devious smile. "I can do that... for the right price." In her head ran the mantra, live now, fight later; live now, fight later. "I will need some time with the computer -- and information on how the neural interface works," she said softly. Flagg pulled her into an embrace... "What price are you thinking of?" He whispered into her ear. Vanessa forced herself to relax, the mantra continuing in her mind. "Mmmmm... I'll have to think about it." She chuckled. "There are so many choices." Flagg reached out and waved his hand over the science terminal. Electric surges spiked through the console... causing all the information about the neural interface to appear on the readouts. "Don't think too long...” He smiled. He caressed her cheek... a small current of electricity cascaded out of his hand... "I am a patient man... but patience begins to run out after three-hundred years." "Thank you." Vanessa whispered, returning his smile. "I will get started immediately -- and I won't take too long to make my decision." She was eager to learn exactly how the neural interface worked, and how she could turn that knowledge to her advantage. [USS Trafalgar] Jorge strode onto the bridge. His hair was wet and messy, and his face was unshaven, more so than usual. It gave him the look of having almost a full beard. His feet were also bare and his shirt was sticking to him because he was still wet. He looked more like a bum than a Starfleet doctor. He rang the chime to the ready room but didn't wait for the captain to answer. He just strode right in. "Captain!" Connor stood up from her chair behind her desk. "Doctor!" She said, trying not to smile. "You look like you've been hit by an El Nino. What is the meaning of all this?" Jorge took a couple of deep breaths to slow his breathing. "Captain. I just received a message from an Ens Vanessa Jackson and 2Lt Valkris Chang. She said they were on the New Orleans in the Paulson Nebula, and..." He hesitated. "Take a seat," Connor commanded as she stirred the doctor towards her couch and took a seat herself. "They were on the New Orleans?" She asked. "They have escaped?" Nunez looked surprised. "Conoces que ellas están allí?" In his shock, he reverted to his native tongue. "English, please Doctor." Connor said sounding frustrated. Jorge visibly shook himself. "You know they're there? And no, they haven't escaped. Jack is there. Apparently he switched sides." Connor took a deep breathe. "We had to deliver those much needed medical supplies to Gamma Hydra. We will be at SB 10 in the morning. I have members of the Trafalgar crew on SB10 investigating." Connor began to explain. "Your message is one of three we have received so far. Frankly, I believe that this is all a rather large trap." This news disturbed Jorge greatly. "What do you intend to do? We can't just let those two women sit there with Jack Matthews and Dios knows what kind of people!" "We are not going to abandon them." Connor said, sounding confident. "We will arrive at SB10 as scheduled. We will resupply and pick up our new personnel. Then we will proceed with caution to the coordinates given in that message." Jorge quieted a little, but not much. "I sent a message back. I don't know if Jack would think anything of it, but she had to know her message got through." He felt the need to defend himself, if only because he knew he was not exactly the right person to contact when you were in trouble. When in trouble, you called Security, not the doctor. "You are worried about what you think Jackson Matthews will do to this woman if she is caught sending messages, yet you send a reply?" Connor asked. She did not await an answer. "I would fear Flagg if I were you Doctor. IF Jackson Matthews is alive on this ship and IF he is indeed its Commanding Officer, then the monster you should fear is not the one who stands out in the light but the one who lurks in the shadows." She looked into Nunez's eyes, not sure if he understood. "You are dismissed Doctor. And I will trust you to keep this little conversation quite." Nunez nodded, chastised, but taking it as he should. She was right; it had been a foolish thing to do. He sighed and got up, heading to shave and comb his hair as well as dry off. On the way to his quarters, he wondered, what horrific things were happening to those two women at this very moment because of his stupidity. OFF: