The Pirate Connection
Posted on Sat Nov 15th, 2025 @ 1:50am by Captain Erik Norsgaard & Lieutenant JG Caitlyn MacRae
1,085 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission:
Wolf in the Fold: Hide and Seek
Location: Turbolift | USS Thunderbird
Finally, everything was ready.
Ahead of the rendezvous with the Cardassians, which would see twenty former prisoners brought aboard the Thunderbird, preparations had to be made. Those people, once given the all clear by the medical staff, needed quarters - somewhere to call home for the duration of their stay. And while Lieutenant Caitlin MacRae imagined anything would be an improvement over Cardassian ‘hospitality, the Operations Officer wanted to ensure everything was perfect.
It had been a difficult ask, yet they had ensured a grouping of quarters which would allow all of their guests to reside in one area of the ship. And each one had been thoroughly cleaned, while maintenance teams had ensured all was in perfect working order. The replicators had been updated to ensure a range of Bajoran dishes were available while also ensuring the typical restrictions remained in place - as was protocol for guests.
Completing her walk through, MacRae sent an update to Lieutenant Malbrooke who had mentioned wanting to make an early start to his shift on the Bridge. They had not expected any issues, yet they did not want to take any chances. Satisfied all was in place she looked down the last room and headed for the turbolift, turning her attention to the next order of business as she waited for the lift to arrive. When it did, she found the lift already occupied, and she offered a nod and warm smile as she stepped inside. “Captain.”
"Lieutenant," Norsgaard answered though, as greetings went, it was his least favorite. Acknowledgement of rank held nothing of the individual and he preferred to know what was what with his crew. Still, annoyance faded as he took in the diminutive individual standing beside him, taking a better look at her as things started to click into place. "You look like a pirate I once knew," he murmured, his deep voice pitched so that it carried to her and no further.
“Amazingly, I get that a lot more than you might think,” she replied with a hint of amusement as the lift slowed. She stepped aside to let an engineer, weighed down with equipment, move past. The doors closed with a barely audible whoosh before the lift resumed its journey, carrying its last two passengers onwards. “Have you dealt with them a lot? Pirates, I mean.”
"Enough," Norsgaard said, flashing a smile, "that I'm not going to be invited to any of the pirate dinner parties. You?"
“Now you say that but pirate dinner parties can be quite entertaining,” she countered, “or so I’ve heard,” MacRae noted, grinning up at him. “And after pirates, transporting Bajorans should be a change of pace. I actually just finished a walk through of the quarters our team has assigned them,” she added, tapping on the PaDD and handing it over. When he moved to take it she held onto it a moment longer, Torn about saying more until the turbolift slowed to a halt. Because there was a lot to say.
“This is my stop,” she realised, gesturing to the PaDD. “Please, keep it. You must have your hands full but if you have any questions or think of anything we’ve missed, I will be happy to help.”
As Norsgaard accepted the PADD, he answered, "Bajorans tend to be a humorless, angry lot, at the best of times, and pirates ... well ..." He winked as he took the PADD, "I hear they know how to have a good time." He waived the PADD as she stepped out. "I"ll be sure to look this over."
“Don’t believe everything you hear, Sir,” she warned, but with clear warmth in her voice. As the doors began to close she sighed, making a list minute decision to squeeze back in through the narrowing gap. “That used to be easier… I guess this will be a gym night…” As she spoke the doors closed and the lift resumed its journey - at least for a few seconds. “Computer, halt,” MacRae called out, feeling the near instant response as the lift came to an almost instant stop. While the computer waited patiently, she offered Norsgaard an apologetic smile. “I know you will have important places to be but I want you to know I found out where I was being assigned an hour before I was to board a shuttle to get here. But I should have reached out.”
"Yes," Norsgaard answered, "you should have. I assume there's a problem if you're here ..."
“Maybe I’m here to tell you I adopted unicorns and life is now full of cute puppies and rainbows,” she suggested, with absolutely zero conviction to her words. She sighed. “Fine… yes, there is a problem. And it is not just that these uniforms itch too much, by the way…”
She stopped, took a breath. Where to begin?
“I am sure you are aware of the Maquis, and the growing number of people within the Federation and Starfleet sympathetic to their cause?“. It was largely a rhetorical question, she had personally issued some of the briefings which made their way out across the fleet. “To put it simply, intel suggests there is at least one Maquis sympathiser aboard this ship. My mission is to find out who, especially if they intend to sabotage this mission. There is a lot more to tell you, but perhaps we can resume this conversation in a more secure location? It is about Captain Gray.”
"Alright. Well, you'd be noticed coming to my Ready Room and we want to keep this quiet ... so ... how about you meet me in my quarters later," Erik said. "After the shift is over?"
Caitlyn nodded. “Perfect. And I’m sorry, again. But it is really good to see you.”
"And you," Norsgaard said. "Computer, stop at the next floor." As the turbolift came to a halt, he added, "I'll see you later then."
Caitlyn nodded as the lift reached the next deck, the doors opening. “Admit it, it’s always a little more interesting when I’m around,” she teased as she stepped out. “Now, if you will excuse me, all this work has made me hungr6.”
With a parting wave as the doors closed she turned on her heels, debating on where to start. As much as a snack sounded tempting, it would have to wait. First, she needed to find Lieutenant Dragos…
Captain Erik Norsgaard
Commanding Officer
USS Thunderbird
Lt.JG Caitlyn MacRae
Operations Officer
USS Thunderbird
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