ILLUMINARRPG: (1-1300) Lt. Michael Weston

[Al Muir]

Mission: Prelude

Day: 1

Stardate: 2446.03.23


(Mars Complex - SFI Office - SFI -  Lt. Michael Weston - 1300)


Michael had wanted to go to Earth with Quinna, but that was going to have to wait . They needed some alone time, but before he could enjoy that he knew that he needed to take care of some business at the SFI Center. The center hadn’t changed much since his last visit there. It had been his only visit. It didn’t usually fit into his itinerary as a field operative to check in with command regularly. Quite often one op led to the next.


He walked through a room of cubicles that had people sitting at desks. Some were on comms, some were doing research. Suddenly a voice called out from across the room.


“Michael Weston? Is that really you?  I figured you’d be dead by now.”


Michael recognized the voice and the tone and took a heavy sigh as he turned to see a man walking, more like swaggering, towards him. He had platinum blonde hai and dark eyes that Michael had always had trouble trusting.


“Hello Harvey,” Michael said. How you enjoying office work.”


“It ain’t as exciting as field work,” Harvey replied, “but at least I don’t have someone trying to kill me every week.”


The two men shook hands, both giving the other a vice grip squeeze. Harvey broke the contact and shook his head, “Damn Michael, I was sorry to hear about your burn notice.”


Michael shrugged, “Working on getting it all straightened out.”  He looked at the mother man flexing his hand to get the blood flowing in it again. “Looks like desk work has made you soft, Harv.”


“I still manage to keep busy,” Harvey said. “Once in a while the director will throw me an assignment where I don’t have to be undercover. But it’s the posh life most of the time. Is that why you’re here? Trying to come home?


Michael shook his head,””No, no, no, that lifestyle would have putting a phaser to overload and throw it down my pants in a week.”


Harvey laughed, “Yeah, I could see that. You’d probably do it in my office so it could take my whole unit with you. You always did things in a spectacular way.”


“Yeah, I’m just here to see the director,” Michael said.


“Won’t keep you then,” Harvey said with a huge smile. “Damn it’s good to see you. Alive.”


“Good to be alive Harv,” Michael said and moved to a stair case.


He climbed the stairs and headed to a set of double doors. Woman sat at a desk to the side. She looked up at the sound of footsteps and squeezed when she saw Weston walking towards him. Jumping out of her seat she came around the desk and threw her arms around Weston.


“Michael,” she cried, “am I glad to see you. Alive. I’ve been so worried about you.”


Michael smiled and returned the hug saying, “Hello Penny. I’m glad to see you alive too.”


She stepped back and held him at arms length, “Well you look pretty good for someone who got burned so bad.”


“I’m feeling pretty good too,” Michael replied. “I’ve managed to land on my feet.”


“So I heard,” she she said softly. “The Illuminar?  Sounds a little dull.”


“I manage to keep it interesting,” Michael said and left it at that.


“We’ll he’s expecting you,” Penny said, getting serious. “Been ready since he heard the Illuminar was in orbit.  You better go right in.”


Michael nodded as the doors opened. He walked into the director’s office.


(Mars Complex - SFI Director’s Office - SFI -  Lt Michael Weston - 1315)


“Weston,” Director Avril Haines said as she crossed the office to shake Michael’s hand. “You took you sweet time coming to see me.


“I wasn’t sure how welcome I’d be, Director,” Weston admitted. “Since I am, apparently, still a persona non grata, in most of the universe.”


Haines frowned and returned to her desk, offering a chair to Michael. “Yeah, I am sorry about that. On your last op your name became synonymous with bad intel. The truth of the matter is that someone made a convincing claim that you had crossed over.”


“So you just hung me out to dry?” Michael said in disbelief.


Haines looked at him straight in the eye, “You know the rules Michael. You invented many of them. And rule number one is if you have been compromised then you are on your own.”


Michael dropped into his seat with a harumph. “And now?”


Haines ran her fingers through her dark hair. She was young for the director’s position, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t seen her share of action. “Now, let’s just say that I don't believe you’ve been turned. Your buddy Sekal has added some weight to that. But you are still compromised. To be honest, you’ve found yourself a sweet gig, Michael, where you’re relatively safe, and have become accepted.”


She stood up with her hands out, “And look at you, in a uniform and an official rank in the fleet. Almost a solid citizen. What is this universe coming to.”


Michael had to smile, “Safe, Avril?  Is that what spending a year in an alternate universe is? But I get it. From field op to agent afloat. I take it this is not going to end soon.”


Avril sat on the corner of her desk. Michael could see how she got her position. She could be quite disarming when she put her mind to it.


“At best, there’ll be an investigation and you’ll be cleared,” the Director said. “That’s if you stay here. Worst case scenario, the investigation goes badly and you wind up in a Federation prison in a corner of the Galaxy and never be heard from again, or dead.  Again, that’s if you stay here.”


“Or stay on the Illuminar and enjoy my freedom,” Michael said.


“And the privileges that go with it, Lieutenant,” Haines added. “And I understand you have a girlfriend. Does she know everything about you?”


“She knows enough,” he said. “How did you know…?”


“Michael, Michael, Michael, I know everything,” Haines said with an enigmatic smile. “I thought you knew that already.”


“Sometimes I forget,” Weston smiled.


“So I’ve read all the official reports,” Haines said, “but I want first hand intel. Tell me about your last year.”


Michael spent the next two hours talking with Director Haines. By the time he left he was tired and ready for some Quinna time.


(reply none)

(posted by Al)

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