[Fanfic] Surprise (Ad Astra Weekly Challenge)

[spacedogfromspace]

Surprise

Ad Astra Weekly Challenge

Ijeoma confronts Galan about some suspicious activity caught on camera.

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Fandom(s): Star Trek JEM
Character(s): Ijeoma Okoro, Galan
Tags: Genfic, Ficlet

Rating: General Audiences
Content Warnings: N/A
Word Count: 700
Type: Oneshot, Standalone

Collection: Ad Astra Weekly Challenges

Weekly Writing Challenges on Ad Astra

Prompt #2: Sex, Lies, and Videotape (or two out of three)

I went with just the lies and videotape part. ;)

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Captain Ijeoma Okoro leaned back in her ergonomic chair, eyes locked to her computer screen. She let her head rest against the back of the chair, steepling her fingers in front of her as she thought. After a long, slow blink, she reached forward and tapped a single key on her keyboard, playing the security footage for the sixtieth time.

It was under a minute long, cut and enhanced by one of her security officers and delivered to her. And while she commended the officer for his findings, she was entirely unsure of what to make of them. What she was seeing didn't make sense. Or maybe she just didn't want to believe her eyes.

There was a chirp, indicating that someone was requesting permission to join her in her ready room. "Enter," she said without taking her eyes from the screen. She knew who it was. She had called for him.

"Captain," the tall Romulan nodded respectfully as he entered, then stood just inside the doorway. "You wanted to see me?"

Ijeoma nodded curtly towards the chair opposite her. "Sit down, Galan."

Galan's eyebrows twitched upward in surprise at her uncharacteristically grim tone, but he did as he was asked and settled down in his designated seat, studying Ijeoma with curiosity from across her desk.

"Galan, what were you doing in the cargo bay last night at 04:30?" Ijeoma asked plainly. "You were neither authorized to be there, nor to remove anything from it."

"Captain," Galan said, looking surprised at the accusation. "I am very aware of my authorizations and I would never-"

Ijeoma turned her computer monitor so he could see the still image of him carrying a box out of cargo bay.

Galan opened his mouth, but no words came. He closed his mouth for a moment to think before asking, "who alerted you to this?"

Ijeoma's eyes narrowed. "It doesn't matter," she said coolly. "Now, I've allowed you residence aboard my ship, and I have personally vouched for you to Federation suits who didn't want you on this this side of the neutral zone at all. If you don't have a good explanation for this, if I find out you've been-"

"Captain, please," Galan said calmly, raising a palm to stop her. "Your warnings are unnecessary. I assure you that none of my activities have been untoward."

"I want to believe you," the Captain said. "But you just attempted to lie to me when I asked you a direct question. What were you doing last night?"

Galan grimaced. "Unfortunately, I can't tell you that," he said. "I apologize. But I swear on my life-"

He was cut off by a hard, narrowed stare from Ijeoma. "Galan," she warned. "I don't like it when my crew lies to me—"

"I'm not lying."

"—or omits details when asked for them. You can either tell me what you were doing, or I can have security review last night's footage and track you to wherever it was you were going with those supplies."

Galan paled a bit, and twitched nervously in his seat. "Look, Captain," he pleaded. "Meet me in Observatory Three at six o'clock tonight. Everything will be explained then."

"This is sounding awfully suspicious."

"I know. But you have to trust me on this."

There was a long pause, then Ijeoma sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping. "Fine," she gave in. "I really hope I don't regret this."

Galan smiled at her. "Oh, Captain, you won't."

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At six o'clock Ijeoma stepped into Observatory Three, chest tight with worry about what she possibly could have allowed to happen by putting her trust in Galan. She stopped short just inside the door. The lights were all off, and when the door shut behind her she was plunged into pitch darkness.

"Galan?" she called.

Suddenly, the lights came on, revealing a room full of people. "Surprise!" they shouted in gleeful unison. The room was decorated in festive steamers and balloons, and a banner hung across the back wall proclaiming, 'Happy Birthday Captain.'

Ijeoma started. She had forgotten. Spotting Galan, she raised her eyebrows at him in a query. He smiled and shrugged as if he had nothing to do with it.

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