Private Briefing

Posted on Tue Oct 21st, 2025 @ 7:12am by Lieutenant Commander Lyra Cassiel & Petty Officer 2nd Class Jasper Branson & Lieutenant Commander Andrei Petrov & Petty Officer 1st Class Jackie King
Edited on on Tue Oct 21st, 2025 @ 7:12am

Mission: S1 Episode 9: Annihilation Protocol
Location: XO's Office
Timeline: Date 2372-02-23 at 1315
3175 words - 6.4 OF Standard Post Measure

Lyra had left Ivan in the shuttlebay to do as she had promised, reviewing the information about the ship, the shuttle, and the weapon. She made her reports, sending them to both Ivan and Andrei for their review, but she picked up the necessary PADDs from her desk and left the security office with them. “Simmons, I’m going to the XO’s office. You’re in charge.”

“Yes, sir.” Simmons replied dutifully.

She made her way from her office to the turbolift, her arms crossed under her chest. She didn’t particularly want to dine with Jetrel, but she had been able to identify his attraction to her just as easily as Ivan had. It wouldn’t have been the first time she flaunted her body to secure a better deal from a weak minded man and it likely wouldn’t be the last, but she was quite aware Andrei hadn’t exactly enjoyed the activity despite it having made them filthy rich. She stepped off the turbolift and headed to his office, stepping inside the receiving room where Jackie and Jasper were sitting.

“Afternoon.” Lyra greeted. “Is he alone?”

“Besides the train of sluts in science blues? Yeah, he is.” Jackie said, turning her eyes up to Lyra as she entered. “Do I need my earplugs, because I left them in my quarters this morning.”

“I could have sworn it was gold hoes day.” Lyra mused and then stepped closer to Jackie’s desk, looking down at the woman. “Ah, don’t play coy, Jackie, I know you like to listen… at least to certain parts.”

“He’s pretty good, but I could do better, ma’am.” Jackie said, her confidence infectious and attractive. She seemed totally unafraid to deliver the line. “So maybe I listen a bit. It’s not a crime.”

“Keep your devil fingers away, woman.” Lyra replied playfully, wiggling her own fingers toward Jackie and sharing a laugh with her. “I make no promises on the noises that will certainly ensue. You’ll just have to be surprised.”

She turned from Jackie to Jasper then, the smile waning just slightly, but still pleasant. “Jasper.”

“Hey.” He greeted pleasantly and nodded to her. “He really shouldn’t be too busy in there.”

“Good.” Lyra said and moved confidently toward Andrei’s office door and opened it, her eyes immediately falling on him as she stepped inside. “Commander.”

Andrei was behind his desk staring at his computer screen. His jacket was unzipped and his patch sat on the desk In front of him. When the door opened, he looked up slowly.

“Ah, Lyra. Come in.” He said, leaning back in his chair and watching her. “I was just reading your report.”

“I thought you might be.” She said pleasantly, the door closing behind her as she moved to take the seat opposite of Andrei. She sat down comfortably, but didn’t move to make it casual. “How far did you get?”

“I’m most of the way through your section on the weapon specs. It’s an impressive bit of technology.” Andrei said, maintaining his own professionalism. “Why do I find myself waiting for the other shoe to drop here?”

“Several shoes, I’m afraid.” Lyra admitted, placing the PADDs down on the desk while she faced him. “Jetrel is a thief, for starters. He stole his ship and the weapon from his government. Now while that isn’t necessarily a dealbreaker, it is certainly cause for caution given our experiences in this quadrant, in my opinion.”

“But he likely did so for profit, yes? And came directly to us because he figured we’re the most likely ones to pay big money for it.” Andrei said, but somehow he didn’t sound convinced. “Did you find anything to suggest otherwise?”

“Not yet.” She paused before continuing, her dark eyes meeting his mismatched gaze. “Did the captain inform you how he wants to handle the negotiations?”

“I haven’t had the pleasure of speaking to my father since the two of you left the Bridge.” Andrei said with a largely unreadable expression. He didn’t seem frustrated or jealous however. “Do tell.”

Lyra pursed her lips, annoyed. There was no reason for Ivan to not tell Andrei other than to duck his son’s potential ire and have it leveled at her instead. “Your father wants to work with me in this matter and leave the paperwork to you.”

Andrei blinked twice, quickly, but didn’t react other than that.

“For what reason?”

“He wants to ‘get to know me’.” Lyra replied, watching Andrei’s face intently.

Andrei looked at her for several more seconds that way until a slow grin started to form on his face.

“For what reason?” He asked again, some amusement in his tone.

There were several jokes she wanted to make, peasant and crass, but Andrei could be particularly volatile about his family - especially his mother - so she went with the less fun option. “Probably to make sure I’m fit to pop out your babies.”

“That seems unlikely to me. I’m sure he would trust me to make that determination myself.” Andrei said, shaking his head. “Knowing my father, it’s either something better or worse.”

“Oh? What do you think, then?” Lyra asked, now genuinely curious as to her lover’s assessment of the situation.

“Either he wants to get to know you in anticipation of you being his daughter in law or he wants to take your inventory to give you my job.” Andrei said with a chuckle again. “Perhaps both.”

Lyra placed her hand to her chest in mock shock. “Ah, you’ve figured it out. Yes, I am attempting to steal your job. Damn. Well, guess I can’t do that anymore. You’re just too good.”

She smiled at him, clearly teasing.

“There’s something about banging my boss that’s attractive to me.” He said, placing a finger on his lips. “It’s likely nothing, in all seriousness. Just keep me in the loop. That’s all I ask.”

“It certainly makes mundane meetings far more entertaining; I have a wealth of experience in the matter.” She smirked, touching her foot to his leg just briefly under the desk, but not doing anything more. “You know I will. That wasn’t exactly the last shoe though, I’m afraid.”

“Well, that’s unfortunate. Go on then.” Andrei said, seeming just as patient as before.

“Jetrel expressed… interest in me that could work to our advantage and extended a dinner invitation to me that the captain would like me to take him up on to see what can be done about negotiating a fair price for the weapon.” Lyra replied, her eyes remaining on Andrei’s face.

Andrei’s face lost all signs of amusement right away. He looked at her with a hint of irritation, directed not at her but at his father.

“So he wants to use you as bait; meat for the man to drool over?” He asked, knowing the answer.

“Yes, and while I said I would need to talk to you about attending the dinner if I felt it would be advantageous to us, he didn’t seem to indicate that saying no was really an option.” She slid a gloved hand over the surface of his desk idly.

Andrei’s frustration wasn’t hard to read, but it also wasn’t overwhelming. He sighed and lifted his eyebrows.

“It wouldn’t be the first time one of us had to turn on the charm to get what we wanted, would it?” He asked, watching her closely.

“No, it wouldn’t. It worked rather well for us on Sikaris before, perhaps it will work out just as well here.” It was clear she wasn’t enthused by the idea of sharing a meal with the alien man, but also that she understood the benefits of doing so.

“You have my blessing. Just keep in mind that I’ll kill him if he touches you.” He said casually before leaning back further in his chair. “Any other shoes?”

“No, I think I’m all out for now.” She paused a beat to consider and make sure, and then her head shifted just slightly. “I could see about bringing Julius along; cite some sort of cultural thing about it being inappropriate for us to be alone.”

She would have picked Corvin, of course, but Andrei had asked her to not bring him on Sikaris when she had done something similar, and she reasoned that distaste would still be there. She respected him enough to agree.

“If the Haakonian tries anything stupid, at least I’d know he’d pay for it swiftly with Julius there.” Andreu responded, thinking about the head of their Shadow Squad. He was an effective fighter and, truthfully, someone he trusted not to pursue his woman in any meaningful way.

Lyra’s face remained as it was, but she was mildly annoyed by him seeming to indicate she couldn’t handle it on her own. Did he still hold Banea against her? See her as weak? He wouldn’t have fared any better in the situation that had landed her in the hands of the Numiri. “Of course he would.”

Andrei nodded then, his eyes moving back to his screen for a moment.

“The impressment is going well, by the way. Many of the Vidiians have been perfectly willing to join us as slaves rather than die. Something of a surprise to me considering their behavior before.”

“That is interesting.” Lyra mused, watching him. “Though I do hope a light hand won’t be taken with them just because they are willing. They’ve proven they can’t be trusted as a race - as have all the others we have encountered, really.”

“The same regime is planned for all of them, the same as the Vidiians on Rynall. It worked well for them there.” He answered. “Don’t worry about that, Love.”

“Alright, Darling.” She replied with a smile and seemed to accept it. “Do you want to go over the rest of the reports together?”

“Since you’re here.” he said, by way of answering her question without actually doing so. He started leaving through the report again and was silent for several seconds. When he happened upon a section that prompted desire for more information, he looked up at her. “Tours of their ship? Is he trying to lay all of their technology bare to us?”

“I thought you might find that interesting. I certainly did.” Lyra leaned in, smirking with a dark glint in her eye. “Steal from the thief himself, why not?”

“Surely he’s not this stupid.” Andrei said, shaking his head and smiling passively. “Let’s get Kit over there to study their systems, at least. Perhaps, in the end, they’ll make a good addition to the Fleet.”

“I doubt we could keep her away. You know how excited she gets around new technology.” Lyra chuckled and shook her head slightly.

“Most of these devices have a vibrate setting, after all.” Andrei retorted with a laugh. I’d like closer scans of the Metreone device.”

Lyra joined him in the laugh, it was one of Kit’s favorite things to joke about - though she was only usually half joking, Lyra knew. When Andrei made his wishes known about the device, she nodded. “That was at the top of my list for when I get over there, though I thought perhaps we might like to go together.”

“I’d like that.” Andrei said simply with a smile. “Besides, the Haakonians haven’t seen anything like us before anyway.”

“Perhaps we should have sex in Jetrel’s bed for good measure while we are over there.” Lyra mused, her expression mockingly pensive over the idea.

“Yes, but..after we purchase the weapon. Otherwise, the man may be less inclined to give us the discount and we’ll have to take it the hard way.” Andrei said, then grinned. “Actually, that sounds rather the more fun option, doesn’t it?”

“You do like it hard…” Lyra grinned in return, devious and hinting.

“I tend to, yes.” Andrei said, returning her expression with one to match. “So do you., Love.”

“You do make it delightful, Darling.” She held eye contact with him while she reached over and picked up one of the PADDs she had brought with her. “Now about this warship…”

“Ah, yes, the opportunity waiting to be seized. What of it?” He asked, pulling up the scans the operations department had compiled into a simple report. “She looks well armed..could make an excellent addition if circumstances allow.”

“I thought so too, though I’m not sure I would trust the current captain to stick to our interests wholly and without question. Not as he is.” She noted and glanced up from the PADD. “But I’m sure he could be educated if need be.”

“We’ve gotten rather good at teaching those lessons.” Andrei said, eying her with calm confidence. They were speaking the same language, and they both knew it. “We can get an idea of their defensive habits during our visits. Perhaps we’ll even be able to understand the motivations of the crew more fully.”

“It will be interesting to say the least. Hopefully our people remember to not let their guard down if they visit the ship, though. A friendly, unfamiliar face can be so dangerous in even good circumstances, out here where it seems that everywhere we turn is an enemy, it will be even more alluring.” She reached up to brush a bit of hair from her skin, her long fingers caressing the skin of her lithesome neck. Even with such a small movement, she was the picture of beauty and grace.

“I’ll be sure to remind them of that fact. It would be a shame for us to reveal some weakness or sensitive detail that would give any of our enemies a foothold.” He responded, rapping his fingers on the desk in a pattern. “Is there anything else noteworthy you’d like to discuss?”

“Nothing of note, though visitation schedules should be drawn up for those interested in visiting our new allies. I’m happy to help you set those up if you’d like.” She offered, lifting her dark eyes to him again.

“We could spend the next half hour doing that or..we could spend it in more entertaining pursuits.” He said, a flash of intensity playing in his visible eye. “Work or pleasure, Commander?”

Lyra looked at him for a moment as if she were really considering her options. After a few beats, she stood up and rounded his desk, and when he naturally turned his chair to open himself to her as he was so used to doing, she slid down into his lap, though sat sideways so she could drape her long legs over one arm of the chair while her back was against the other and her body leaned into his chest. She then picked up the PADD sitting on the desk and looked at it.

“We should definitely have a few security personnel with any group going over…”

“It would make for a harder target than sending over a bundle of scientists, Terran or not.” He commented, his fingers moving to her firm, shapely leg and moving along its length. “And it wouldn’t hurt to gather information from everyone who came back…put together a clear picture of all of our observations.”

Lyra hummed a brief agreement, enjoying the feeling of his fingers moving along her leg. “We should make sure we are only sending our more physically capable women over, but no one should be alone on the ship unless it is absolutely necessary and only with permission from a senior officer.”

“I doubt that’s necessary if we make sure they’re paired off with stronger officers and security.” He responded. “I’d like to say the Hakonians wouldn’t dare harm them, but I've been in the Delta Quadrant long enough to have learned that lesson.”

“We can hope for the best, but I’m sure we’ll be disappointed.” Lyra shrugged and shifted slightly, the motion naturally causing her to rub up against his more sensitive areas. “Shall we go over together?”

“Yes, we should bring an entourage. More of a chance to get into trouble.” He said, his hand moving over to her stomach and circling there. “Someone from engineering..someone from Sickbay and science. We could learn a great deal.”

“Kit and Ocara would be my suggestions.” Lyra offered, leaning into him and resting her head on his shoulder and her long eyelashes tickling the skin of his neck. “Kit can hold her own well enough.”

“We can bring Julius along too. Between the two of us, the Hakonians will think twice before messing with us.” Andrei said, and then kissed her forehead.

Lyra lowered the PADD back to the desk and her hand found his chest instead. “It sounds like a perfect plan, Commander. Well thought.”

Her lips found his neck more pointedly, and she traced lingering kisses down his skin. “Jackie had a request out front.”

“Did she?” He asked, his curiosity merely a matter of acting. He closed his eyes as she kissed his neck, his hand moving up to her breast boldly. “And what was that?”

“Mm… well, really I suppose it was more of a challenge.” Lyra pulled her head back and allowed Andrei to see her pondering expression. “We were discussing the quality of sounds that sometimes come from this room… Jackie thinks she could do better than you.”

“Does she?” He asked, grinning at that suggestion. “Impossible. She hardly has the equipment. Or the stamina.”

He leaned in and kissed her neck next, teasing her smooth skin with his lips.

“See, I think that too, but she seems very, very confident in the ability of her devil fingers.” Lyra replied, her voice matter of fact but her eyes lidding at his attention.

“It’s been quite a while since you became acquainted with mine, I think.” He said, his fingers moving to unlatch her belt. He kissed her neck again before nibbling at her ear. “I think you could stand to be reintroduced.”

“Mmm… well I couldn’t possibly say no to that. I suppose Jackie will just have to listen and receive her education.” Lyra chuckled softly, her voice low with her desire for him. Her fingers touched his jaw gently, coaxing him up to kiss her lips. They did not often mix business with pleasure, but these meetings were generally an exception - at least once business was mostly done.

“Class is in session.” He said with a chuckle, and then his hands moved to free her from every layer of clothing that kept his skilled fingers from their goal.

END