Editing Sub Rosa (section)

===Stardate: 2407.03.15===

(USS Boudicca - Personal Quarters - Champlain CO - Captain Susan Rivers & Guest - 2345)

Susan had transferred most of the belongings that had remained on the Boudicca over to the Kitty Hawk, and had returned for one last box before handing the quarters over to Commander Stakes. She thought dryly that very likely Stakes would not appreciate the transfer at this time of night, but at least the quarters would be ready for him tomorrow. She had already cleared out the FOs office, deeming that more important.

She had arranged to meet Leonal in ten minutes; he too was clearing his quarters and she figured ten minutes was all she needed to finish up here.

When she entered her former quarters she stood for a moment looking round. It would be hard leaving this ship; it had once been her first command and she had in some ways welcomed the chance to return. But now she had to leave her again, probably for good this time.

A beep at her console interrupted the thoughts and she went to see what it was. An incoming message marked as urgent and for her eyes only from Ohlssen. She entered her codename and after a moment's thought the retrieval codes. She read the message and her eyes narrowed, her hand going to her commbadge to contact Sevant.

"I really wouldn't, Captain. It would really p*** me off if I had to shoot you now, before I get what I need from you," a toneless metallic voice said from the bedroom door behind her. "Now place your phaser on the desk and step away from it. Towards the centre of the room."

"Casely," she said flatly, as she did as he asked, her other hand pressing three keys as she turned and the message vanished as she moved where he had told her. "Or whatever your name really is."

An unpleasant smile crossed his face but the phaser he was holding never wavered as he stepped into the room. "So that's what your urgent message was about."

"Yes. It seems Casely's body finally turned up where you or your friends hid it. Theory is he died before that attack on his quarters, when his voice box was supposed to be damaged. That's when you replaced him, isn't it? Medical records substituted, but the one thing you couldn't match was his voice print. So you had to do something about that, didn't you. I hope it hurt," she said unpleasantly, her eyes locking with his. "Because it was all for nothing."

"Not quite," he sneered. "I did manage to create some havoc as StratOps. And if I get rid of you, I can buy myself enough time to get away."

Susan stared at him. "You're mad," she said. "You'd never get off the ship."

As she looked his face changed grotesquely, morphing in front of her until she saw herself standing there.

"I think I will," her voice said back. "You see, Captain, your source was... mistaken. I'm a Vendorian and I substituted myself for Casely *after* his voice box was replaced. But by the time they find that out in the autopsy, it'll be too late. You'll be dead, and I'll be... someone else. Or maybe I'll be Captain Rivers, with a whole ship full of people to command. That would be fun. And so much more useful than that arrogant idiot Casely turned out to be."

It put the phaser down and reached out to her with both hands. Instinctively Susan backed away until she came up short against the sofa.

"Come, come, it won't hurt... much," the shapeshifter said. "All I want are your memories and your personality. Everything that makes you... you."

The door to the quarters opened and...


(USS Boudicca - Personal Quarters - Champlain CO Captain Susan Rivers, Champlain MCO Major Drizzt and unknown Vendorian - 2351)

"You know, it's a sad statement on society when…" Drizzt said flippantly as he stepped in the door. He stopped when he saw she had company however, but something wasn't 'quite' right. His first reaction when the person turned around was immediate… he pulled his phaser from his shoulder-holster in a fluid motion while dropping the bag he'd been carrying. There were TWO Susan Rivers standing in front of him, one backed into a corner and one who had just turned to look at him.

The Andorian's antenna twitched as he took a step to the side, "Somebody is going to start explaining, now." He said in a tone that couldn't have been more different then when he'd first stepped in the door. His phaser was loosely trained between the two; it wouldn't take but a quarter heartbeat to re-target it. He made sure to keep moving sideways as he said,  "Sooner rather then later."

"I'm glad you're here, Leonal," the shapeshifter said, a split second before Susan could speak. "It's Casely - he - it - was a shapeshfter And a spy! The real Casely is dead. When I challenged him he - just changed into me! Shoot him!"

Susan looked at Leonal levelly. "True enough," she said. "Except *that* is Casely, or was his form. But don't take my word. Shoot us both," she said. "Don't take the risk. Leave it to Caskie to find a way to tell between us."

Drizzt's antenna twitched again, their heat-patterns were exactly the same and nothing else really identified them. Everything he could sense about them said that both were the same person. There might have been some deep philosophical point to that, but the Marine in him didn't care a fig at the moment. He came to a halt with his forefinger caressing the trigger to his phaser. "Lets make this simple. What's our private pet-name for eachother, the one never used in public?"

Susan flung the Vendorian a triumphant glance. "Well?" she said. "Why don't you tell him?" She looked back at Leonal, the ghost of a smile in her eyes despite the situation. "Ashke, make up your mind and shoot one of us, or both of us, huh?"

Leonal looked at the one who had spoken for just a moment before the second, the one who had turned to face him, suddenly lunged. Drizzt’s finger twitched, and a phaser-beam took the creature straight in the face. The creature crumpled and slid another few inches before coming to a halt, not to far from Drizzt’s feet. The Marine kept his phaser loosely trained at the body as he looked back up, however. His face was still a mask, after being attacked by one Rivers- he wasn’t yet inclined to trust the second one.

Susan sat down on the sofa abruptly. "You took your time to decide between us," she said, her flippant tone not quite hiding the relief she felt. "But eventually you made the right choice. On the other hand, I suppose I'd say that if you made the wrong choice." She gave a small smile and then sighed. "And now, I suppose, comes the clear-up."

She carefully skirted around the dead alien went over to her terminal and brought up the message from Ohlsson again. "Computer, where is Captain Sevant?"

[Captain Sevant is in his quarters]

"Is he alone?"

[Affirmative]

"Open a secure channel to Captain Sevant."

[Secure channel open]

"Captain Sevant, I'm sorry to disturb you so late but I need you to come to my quarters immediately.  I think I've found what I've been looking for."

(USS Boudicca - Personal Quarters - Captain Sevant - 2356)

The comms sprang to life unexpectedly. =^=Captain Sevant, I'm sorry to disturb you so late but I need you to come to my quarters immediately.  I think I've found what I've been looking for.=^=

Sevant, who was sitting at a small Vulcan shrine and meditating, opened his
eyes. "Acknowledged." He said quickly. He pulled his phaser-holster off a
chair as he passed it and stepped out of the doors in haste. 


(USS Boudicca - Rivers Personal Quarters - Capt Sevant - 2359)

Sevant stepped into the doors to River's personal quarters and immediately
came to a halt. The first thing that caught his attention was the body on
the floor, and Mr. Drizzt standing guard over it. He looked grim enough,
that was for sure. 

The Captain quirked an eyebrow and gestured to the body, looking for an
explanation.