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Invasion by Travis Anderson
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| A new era for the team develops as a universe finds its need for a Starfleet Special Investigation Division. The same team in a different reality. |
Chapter One
Several star systems were abandoned to further consolidate forces in an effort to stop the invading drive. The invasive probe sent to Sigma Iotia II was completely destroyed and all avenues of escape blocked. But the original J-class starbase dubbed Fleet Base One was lifeless now, with all hands lost. Two Iotian ships required extensive repairs afterwards. But the suicide mission seemed aimed at killing Oxmyx. They hadn't known she'd withdrawn from the system in her Galaxy-class flagship. The Planetary Boss was safely tucked away at 492 IV.
Kracko had established terms to keep the Breen on their side of the border. So, she withdrew everything but two patrol ships and raced towards home from Kalendra Sector. But she and her fleet were days away. The Home Fleet stayed in place seeing as how the Iridians penetrated that far during their initial thirst for action. That left the three fleets gathering at separate locations to to counter attack against the Iridians. Even before their ships met the Iridians in open conflict, Kracko convinced Oxmyx to invoke the mutual protection clauses of their treaties with the Bajoran Republic and Cardassian Union.
The Ascendancy stepped in to guard the Bajoran colonies in the Alpha and Gamma Quadrants. That freed up General Anara's Militia Colonial Defense Forces to deploy en masse. Supreme Legate Ocett sent two Cardassian Guard fleets. Kracko forced the issue and Oxmyx swallowed her immense pride and formally requested aid from the United Federation of Planets. The Federation Council asked Starfleet Intelligence for its assessment of the Iridian threat. Admiral Alynna Nechayev delivered it to the Intelligence and Security Subcommittee personally.
"You've known about the threat but haven't attempted to counter it?" Councilor Qward asked.
"We have, within the limited scope of what we're allowed to do since the Mars Massacre," Nechayev answered evenly, "We've gathered intelligence. Assessed the threat. Positioned fleet assets and covertly strengthened allies."
"Starfleet Security and Federation Security have only been reporting potential domestic threats," another Councilor stated.
"And I have a task force assigned to dealing with those threats under one of my best commanders," Nechayev promised them, "But the rest of the galaxy didn't just go away. With all of our internal strife lately, the Federation appears more vulnerable than it has since the Dominion withdrew. Furthering our reluctance to leave our own borders has emboldened determined foes."
"I thought we'd dealt with the Iridians," Qward complained.
"No, they merely withdrew after taking revenge for the death of Bertram Sindis. He was more important to them than his cover story let on," Nechayev told them, "Subsequent evidence all suggests their advance scout was their most important strategist."
"And what would your recommendation be, Admiral?" Qward wondered.
"Put us on a war footing and deploy a fleet to assist the Iotians. They aren't formal allies but they could be. That would give us greater diplomatic leverage over them afterwards," Nechayev explained, "If the Iridians don't agree to allow our forces to mediate and attack us, then their intention of going to war with us is laid bare. We're then freed by that attack to declare war and properly defend ourselves."
"Commodore Oh spoke with us an hour ago," Qward told her, "Her recommendation was to let the Iotians lose a greater part of their fleet before accepting any entreaties to assist them. Therefore insuring us military and diplomatic leverage when we go to eventual tables."
"And that is a definition of imperialism," Nechayev disturbed by the fact they were even considering it, "Imperialistic ambitions cost us Bajor's membership and lost unnecessary lives against Bajor and Cardassia. Don't go there again. Intervene to mediate now before the Iridians can reinforce their holdings."
"And what becomes of Deep Space Four?" another councilor asked, "The Enforcers have blockaded it."
"And they'll certainly attempt to take it if they feel we won't defend it," Nechayev replied, "We have forces in position near the Iotian border ready intervene and show the Iridians our Federation will not stand by and let neighbors be invaded and enemy footholds be established at our own peril. Learn a lesson or two from the Dominion allying itself with the Cardassians and then the Breen."
"We did not ask here for a lecture," Qward snapped.
"But evidently you need a lesson in recent history," Nechayev retorted, "The Iotians are at least willing to negotiate with us. The Iridians are conquering dictators. No race successfully invaded by them is ever heard from again."
"We'll take your recommendation under consideration," Qward closed the sessions and dismissed everyone. He noticed Nechayev was lingering, "A word, Admiral?"
"I'm still at your disposal," Nechayev replied.
"My home planet is in the path the Iridians are likely to take in an invasion, whether it be now or a year from now. They will come and my people will suffer for it," Qward reminded her, "How ready is Starfleet to defend us?"
"Fleet Admiral Akaar has been pulling resources from over-patrolled areas for months to place them near the border. Reserve fleets have been put on alert and placed as a series of barriers between Iotian space and Sector 01. We're at a war footing now, deployment-wise. What we need is an official consent to ramp production up to meet wartime demands," Nechayev informed him.
"I'll push this through committee. But there are still those that would have benefited from Cell 51's unofficial seizure of government that will vote against common sense measures to spite Starfleet. I suppose we're about to learn how many of them there are," Qward told her and left the chamber.
Nechayev had other plans in store for the reluctant voters. Ro had been quite efficient at determining who backed extremist causes from the perch of the Federation Council. Nechayev had held the list tightly. Now, it was time to give it to Federation Security and let them deal with the evidence.
"These are time intensive requests too," Liu pointed out, "The supplying of the ships distributed throughout the Federation will be a nightmare."
"I'd say half of these were manufactured but they're simply emergencies that were allowed to run amok," Korepanova grated.
"Even the regular security contractors in our employ are maxed out because of increased Orion Syndicate piracy efforts and other cartels suddenly going to overdrive activity-wise," Riker said sourly, "The Iridians knew just who to pay and had it planned as to when."
"Did Pike deliver the contract offer that Macen and Rockford accepted?" Korepanova asked.
"Pike was shut out of the loop," Riker told her, "Which isn't unusual since they work directly for Forger. The timing of their deployment is just damn curious."
"You know Starfleet Command still specifically banned them from intervening on behalf of the Iotians. Yet, as soon as they learned from Ro about the invasion at DS3, Forger sends them a contract?" Riker asked, "I think she wanted them hired for some secret project before Starfleet could forbid it."
"But we know for certain they didn't head for Iotian space," Korepanova said, "Shannon Forger updated her company log from a position inside the Alpha Quadrant headed away from the Beta Quadrant where everything happening."
"I don't get it either," Riker admitted.
"Pull up a star chart of the Obsidian's location when Shannon made her report," Lisea Danan, the station XO and the Sciences Officer, said as she overheard while exiting the turbolift.
"Here's the sector map," Liu said as the main screen displayed it.
"Broaden it to a six sector display," Danan was a former stellar cartographer among other things. She pointed away from the signal's origin, "That's neutral space occupied by a Federation Protectorate that they're hardly even concerning themselves with."
"And?" Riker didn't see the point yet.
"Trace a plot course from that sector back to the Kalendra Sector," Danan instructed.
"It's almost a straight line," Riker finally noticed, "But they can't be hired by Starfleet to assist the Iotians."
"But, they can be hired privately by the Bajoran Militia, who dispatched the entire Colonial Defense Forces to aid Kracko's fleets," Korepanova had caught on, "And that sector makes a perfect rendezvous in the Bajorans' path."
"The Cardassian Guard is catching up to them through the same route after traversing the Bajor Sector," Liu skimmed over Bajoran Intelligence's latest briefings, "All Iotian aid is being funneled through the Free Haven system into the Kalendra Sector."
"I thought the Breen were threatening the Kalendrans," Riker recalled, "That's why they built up a presence to begin with."
"According to this briefing, Kracko made a deal with them before receiving news of the invasion. Breen privateers can still traverse the sector and do trade but they're restricted from piracy. Using the Kalendra Sector, they can reach out to neutral systems unprotected by either Federation."
"Except for these systems that are Federation Protectorates," Danan pointed at the systems charts, "That's puts them in collision with Starfleet."
"The Iotians wouldn't have cared until several hours ago," Riker reminded her.
"Deeprika Amoor's Intelligence Unit just weighed in," Korepanova told them, "According to Starfleet Intelligence, Nechayev briefed the Federation Council Intelligence and Security Subcommittee on the merits of the requested mediation efforts. Commodore Oh gave a differing perspective before Nechayev briefed the Councilors."
"Let me guess, Oh's proposal was hold the intervention and bring the Iotians to their knees," Riker said sourly.
"That's the gist of it," Korepanova conceded, "But, the subcommittee pushed Nechayev's motion before the entire Council. It seems Federation Security received anonymous information on scandals involving key Councilors that were considered members of the opposition to the measure."
"Nechayev's been holding on to that for just such an opportunity," Danan smirked.
"So, someone explain to me why the Militia would hire the Obsidian to join their forces when a surveyor has already been proven to be useless against Iridian Enforcers?" Riker asked, "The ship was lost against them and the entire crew killed."
"But the ship's sensors are longer ranged and more sensitive than anything being fielded by any other participant," Danan reminded him, "They might not be playing a combat role."
Riker's comm badge chirped and he tapped, "This is Riker."
"I need to meet with you, Captain," Sakonna's voice came through the channel.
"This is a secure station channel. How did you access it?" Riker was angry.
"That is irrelevant. What is relevant is that I have a request and a proposal for you," Sakonna said placidly.
"I'm not interested," Riker snorted.
"It would aid the common cause underway now," Sakonna replied.
"We're not involved. Or hadn't you been informed?" Riker grated.
"Your company is not currently involved in any conflicts. Mine is. I have certain operations underway that will assist in deterring the Iridian Enforcers. Therefore, I require your cooperation," Sakonna told him. "Meet me at the Coffee Spot and bring Commander Danan. I will discuss matters in detail there."
"A little public for you, isn't it?" Riker sarcastically quipped.
"In fact, I am a regular customer of the establishment. If you feel threatened, we can meet at Quark's where Annabeth Frink will provide personal security," Sakonna replied to his resistance.
"We'll see you there," Danan quickly replied.
"What the hell?" Riker asked, "How the hell can Frink provide 'personal security'?"
"All the shops and vendors on the Promenade are allowed to implement personal security upgrades to the standardized locks provided. Frink has a targeted auto defense phaser system in place," Danan told him, "It can't be set any higher than 'stun'."
"That's a helluva upgrade," Riker stated.
"A lot of business transactions get done at Quark's," Danan replied, "Many get done at the Coffee Spot. But Nick Claus and Roberta Rolands personally manage security there."
"I guess since we're not involved in any crises right now, we should meet Sakonna and hear her BS," Riker conceded to the impromptu meeting Danan had arranged.
"When was the assay office occupied?" Riker asked Danan as they approached Quark's.
"New customers took it over last week," Danan said enigmatically. Since the station had originally been designed as an ore processing site, an assay office came on spec. Since no mining operations were underway in the system and all the ore processing equipment had never been installed in favor of industrial replicators, the office's small size and safe lined walls would have required extensive retrofitting for even the least space intensive endeavor.
"They changed the locks in a hurry," Riker made a mental note to discuss them with Gerrit Gren. All personalized locks and security systems were supposed to be on file with Station Security, accessible only by the Chief of Security and the Station Commander.
Gerrit was in place as Station Security had a loose perimeter around Quark's. Riker asked about the upgrades at the assay office. Gerrit shrugged, "No one filed any access override paperwork with me. They have a corporate waiver on file."
"Who signed off on the waiver?" Riker was irritated by the seeming overreach.
"Kathy Tyrol herself,'"Gerrit replied, "I ran it through the station's systems twice. It's valid."
Tyrol had made a point to remind Riker recently that while he commanded the station, Outbound Ventures owned it. And that she was the Chief Executive Officer of said corporation. The Promenade, while patrolled and secured under his authority, was corporate territory in that they approved business occupation and licenses. Celeste Rockford had given over corporate control of her detective agencies to Tyrol as well.
"Is Sakonna inside?" Riker asked.
"She called you from there," Gerrit told him, "Frink answered questioning by sharing that Sakonna entered the bar thirty minutes ago and has met with a cavalcade of people. All ex-Maquis."
Frink had been the lead bartender and manager of the Old Biddy on Ronara Prime. There she oversaw traders doing business and steered intelligence regarding them to Ro Laren. All while consumed with unrequited love for Aric Tulley. Macen had learned of Frink's subsequent unhappy marriage and divorce and her intention to move to Bajor. He'd diverted her to Serenity where she and Tulley were reunited and the love between them was no longer unrequited. As the new owner and operator of the Quark's franchise on the station, she'd resumed her old role.
"Did Frink name anyone?" Riker asked.
"She had a convenient memory lapse and said her interior security system is faulty and hasn't recorded comings and goings for weeks," Gerrit shrugged, "They're obvious lies but we're under Barrinor's jurisdiction and the laws favor businesses. It would take a lot more than suspicion that she's lying to get a warrant."
"A fact which enabled Miranda Wells for so long," Danan reminded Riker. It had taken Wells' personally threatening Radil Jenrya acting her capacity as Deputy Chief of Security to land Wells in a holding cell and get a search warrant for Quark's. Her office had been a goldmine of contraband and records of illicit trades and sales. Given the choice between prison time on Odin and permanent exile, Wells had departed for the Gamma Quadrant and Waypoint Station.
"Sakonna's procession of meets ended by the time we were in place," Gerrit told him, "We have the exterior monitors' footage but we can't verify anyone of meeting with Sakonna."
"I wonder why she'd be here instead of wherever her covert headquarters is?" Riker wondered.
"Captain, she rents the assay office," Gerrit told him, "We'd easily track whoever went in and out of there. As it stands, only Sakonna herself, Hakatay, and Agent Delain have been seen going in and out."
"Ziva Delain?" Riker almost choked, "Our resident Cardassian Information Bureau agent?"
He turned on Danan, "You knew she rented that office."
"I did," Danan told him, "But like Gerrit said, you'd need overwhelming evidence to obtain a search warrant."
"The corridor in front of the assay office is monitored?" Riker asked Gerrit.
"It is," the Bajoran answered, "But, the footage doesn't reveal anything. Sakonna is obviously working her angle out of Quark's."
"Which the entrance of is also under observation," Riker made that a point.
"If you're think that we can pull arrest warrants for clientele and use that as a pretext, you have to remember, Barrinor has no legal enforcement agreements with any other sovereign state actor. No extradition and no enforcement or cooperation with outsiders," Gerrit reminded him, "Which is why, given its guaranteed neutrality, Barrinor is a retirement haven for criminal kingpins and cartel leaders. Wealth buys prestige and position on Barrinor."
"I want to have a word with Frink before we sit with Sakonna," Riker declared.
"Back off, Captain," Frink warned a hostile Riker, "You earned a lot of respect for sacrificing yourself for your Maquis crew. I'm betting Lazon II and the Cardassian prison on Kodosh II were hell. But, you wouldn't have had to surrender at all if you'd used the Defiant to actually attack the Cardassians instead of running a top secret Starfleet style mission to expose the Obsidian Order's secret naval yards."
"The idea was to pit the Cardassian Guard against the Obsidian Order," Riker grated.
"Well, you ended up sending friends of mine to Federation penal colonies," Frink replied angrily, "So, whoever comes in here to conduct legal business is welcome. I won't watch them for you. And don't bother inserting Station Security officers in instead of my usual suppliers. I know every face in Security and I know my suppliers and their backup delivery men and women. The Cardies pulled that trick all the time when I ran the Old Biddy."
"How do you know Sakonna is dealing with legal business?" Riker asked.
"She told me she was," Frink said, "That's good enough for me. She and everyone she meets with don't break local laws and those are the ones I'm obligated to."
"Let it go," Danan advised Riker.
They went and sat across from Sakonna. She wore her Vulcan facade of logical placidity well, "Did you find your conversation with Annabeth Frink illuminating?"
"Why am I here?" Riker asked her.
"It is a public arena," Sakonna told him, "I assumed you'd be more comfortable in such a setting rather than joining me in the former assay office where you'd likely feel trapped in some way. You also declined my invitation for coffee because you felt too exposed. Your deployment of Station Security suggests I was correct."
"Tom is still upset about how he found out about your operation," Danan explained.
"He is upset because he feels his moment of vulnerability regrading station matters was exploited," Sakonna stated, "It is understandable."
"Don't pretend to know me," Riker grated.
"Captain, your Starfleet record is easily accessed. Your time with the Maquis is nearly legendary. Several members of Ro Laren and Brin Macen's war time efforts have confided in me regarding your assistance to them. Your corporate records have been available to me upon request. I believe I have gathered enough information to understand many of your diving motives," Sakonna told him, "My operation doesn't offend your morality. It offends your sense of authority aboard this station."
"She has you," Danan chuckled.
"You and Commander Ro acted greatly affronted by the possibilities of what I might be accomplishing or undertaking. Yet, you both exuded a sense of relief that my actions had been undertaken. You cannot have both realities, Captain. It will drive you into madness," Sakonna advised him, "Commander Ro was sensible enough to realize I operate outside fo her jurisdiction. Therefore I am outside of her realm of responsibility. What she does or doe not know about my operations protects her. The same holds true for you since you deem it necessary to report to Starfleet."
"I give Starfleet information pertaining to our operations," Riker replied, "I only give them what they need to know."
"And my department isn't one of them," Sakonna quickly replied, "My assets do not interfere with Starfleet affairs. In fact, we assist them greatly."
"So you say," Riker allowed, "You said you had a request and a proposition. Let's hear them."
"I understand your need to display consequences for breaking corporate protocols. But I require Captain Noble and her crews' participation in an operation," Sakonna told him, "I would like them released from the holding cells so they can undertake said mission."
"That's your request?" Riker snorted, "Denied."
"My proposal is that if you release them I will divulge their mission parameters and its necessity," Sakonna told him.
"You tell me the mission and why it's so important I should release prisoners from the holding cells early," Riker countered.
"I expected this outcome," Sakonna replied. She slid over the padd that placed on the table next to her tea, "Once a year, Grimes Armaments Black Sales Division holds a mass market sale outside of the Federation. Items are sold to the highest bidder. This year, a Starfleet cipher is being offered for sale."
Danan gasped and Riker looked puzzled, "You mean a code breaker?"
"I mean, the code breaker," Sakonna stressed, "All of Starfleet Communications encryption and their cipher keys are recorded on specialized portable data cores to be able to be plugged into a starship or planet based computer to upload this data. Whoever purchases the cipher key will have access to all of Starfleet's current encryption protocols and the means to break any newer updates since the key is utilized in generating new codes."
"Why isn't Starfleet Security on the hunt for this cipher key?" Riker asked.
"They are unaware that Grimes Armaments made a copy of one of their cipher keys," Sakonna told him, "Starfleet was advised but simply took Baroness Estella Grimes assurance that it wasn't true at face value. Internal inventories proved that Starfleet wasn't missing an original. Commodore Oh called off the audit."
"Why do you need Noble so badly?" Riker asked.
"One of her duties with the Orion Syndicate was purchasing at the event and trafficking the illegal arms back to Orion. She's known to the Grimes people," Sakonna told him bluntly.
"We're still talking about Chris Noble? My former Gamma Watch Duty Officer?," Riker asked more pointedly.
"Everyone has a past, Captain. Most Maquis certainly have a more colorful past than yourself," Sakonna drolly replied.
"All right," Riker sighed, "I'll inform Gerrit to process the discharges. I'll contact drydock and have the Solstice prepped for departure."
"I already processed that request with the Yard Master. The ship is ready. All it requires now is a crew," Sakonna told him.
She could tell this also irritated Riker but he didn't pursue it. Instead he asked another question, "Will you be needing Locarno for this?"
"Nicholas Locarno will serve a better role as Flight Operations Officer aboard the station for now," Sakonna assured him, "Despite his enthusiasm, Locarno is a limited value asset."
"And it keeps his kids with a father while Sito is galavanting about," Danan offered a different perspective.
"There is logic in this as well," Sakonna allowed.
"You can stop using Quark's as a secret meeting spot if you want," Riker decided, "I'll call off surveillance of your office. I'm certain you can brief your assets better in there."
"Indeed," Sakonna was slightly surprised, "Does this mean you have accepted the situation?"
"I really don't have choice, do I?" Riker responded.
"In actuality, you do not," Sakonna agreed, "But accepting that as a fact is a step."
"A step forward, you mean," Riker added to her statement.
"A step towards recognizing the situation is best suited for your own protection," Sakonna told him, "Living in denial of that strains your abilities to effectively lead your actual commands."
I'll be checking in with Ro to see how accurate your assessment of her current position is," Riker told her, "But our business is done for now."
He excused himself and left Quark's. Danan quickly followed him, "That was abrupt."
"Sakonna is a Vulcan. She'll get over it," Riker told her, "And I didn't make any points with Frink today."
He led her to the Security Office where he processed Noble and her crews' early releases. He left before they were freed, "Sakonna will manage to let them know they're summoned."
"You're begrudgingly accepting the situation," Danan observed, "You can't change it so you'll try and make it work for you."
"The sane devil's deal Ro came to," Riker told her, "I already spoke with her. I knew her position before Sakonna asked to meet with me. But now I know Sakonna doesn't have eyes and ears on Deep Space Three."
"Sakonna all but admitted to and Ro that she operates outside the Federation," Danan reminded him.
"She implied that. But Hakatay let slip that they have people inside extremist groups. Why would they bother with terrorist groups outside the Federation?" Riker asked, "Ro has been receiving anonymous tips from insiders that lead Starfleet Intelligence to making arrests while domestic terrorist groups attempt to strike."
"So, they're helping Starfleet," Danan posited.
"Sakonna just said they didn't interfere with Starfleet operations," Riker reminded her, "She didn't say a word about assisting them. Ro told me it makes sense. Ex-Maquis would be highly prized recruits for these groups."
"Like the Confederacy of Worlds relied on Maquis leadership," Danan recalled.
"Before Starfleet was ordered to occupy their colonies and reintegrate them into the Federation's control," Riker said dismally, "A position that has never been reversed or apologized for."
"The Romulans retained a foothold on one colony," Danan stated, "That colony was the ostensible reason Starfleet was ordered take action."
"It was an invasion, pure and simple," Riker said as they entered the turbolift, "Ops."
"This attitude is new," Danan remarked.
"I made my peace with Starfleet and the Federation until now," Riker said bitterly, "But now Starfleet Command has us doing busy work while the Iridian Enforcers are bearing down on the Federation."
"At least we're not in the direct path of the invasion forces," Danan was relieved by that fact.
"Which merely buys us time," Riker replied, "But if the Iotians are conquered, where we will we get our ordnance to mount a sustained defense?"
"I guess the future is being decided by the Federation Council," Danan said sadly.
"And the measure passes with a narrow majority," the Speaker for the Council announced after reading the computerized vote tally, "Mr. President, we're placing the Federation on a war footing and allowing Starfleet to intervene to mediate between the Iotian Federation and the Iridian Enforcers."
"I'll inform Admiral Akaar immediately," the President departed the chamber. He knew the measure only passed because of the startling arrests made by Federation Security along accusations of corruption and acting as foreign agents that had detained over a dozen Councilors. He knew, as the entire Federation Council had realized by now, that the information coming to light had been politically motivated to insure the passage of the measure. The Representatives from the affected worlds whose Councilors had been detained were swayed by the action. Enough of them had voted against their Councilor's expressed proxy vote to ensure the legislation went through. Deftly avoiding their inclusion in the mounting investigations.
The President despised the method used to gain passage but he appreciated the fact that the threat would exposed as such immediately, while Starfleet could mount an adequate response to deter the Iridians before they crossed the Iotian border. He knew Vice Admiral Robert Tavar Johnson had drawn the mediator duties. The USS Intrepid would be leading a task force into Sigma Iotia II to display Starfleet's resolve. The question on everyone's mind was how the Iridians would greet them.
Starfleet had referred her to Admiral Johnson to prepare for the talks, "My position is final and absolute."
"And it's backed by interstellar law. The Iridians acted with no provocation and no warning. Starfleet's position matches yours. We have the full support of the Federation Council to end these talks in your favor," Johnson's image on the screen promised.
"I was under the impression the Federation Council considered us a threat," Oxmyx had to point out.
"Hopefully that imagery and talking points will change for the better as a result of our assisting you," Johnson offered.
"In other words, my people will owe the Federation of Planets a debt they intend to collect," Oxmyx almost chuckled at the transactional nature of the assistance.
"The Federation Diplomatic Corps will take over all and any negotiations once the military matters are settled. I can safely tell you that Starfleet is poised for a robust defense of the Iotian Federation. I understand you have the Bajoran Militia and Cardassian Guard coming to your assistance as well," Johnson was fishing.
"Our allies are sending help, if that's what you mean," Oxmyx replied, "I haven't been given details of their strength and numbers. I was simply told by Fleet Boss Kracko that every available ship has been deployed in our favor."
"Intelligence on the Enforcers is limited. But we are aware that they're critically low on necessary resources. We think inspired their invasion. The first time they crossed borders into the Beta Quadrant it was a retaliation for the death of one of their senior officers. We found them capable and highly motivated then. If the rumors are true and they're desperate, your terms will be rejected out of hand," Johnson warned her.
"I expect nothing less," Oxmyx admitted, "This will be settled militarily."
"Is there any room to offer to sell commodities the Enforcers require to hasten their acceptance of a withdrawal?" Johnson asked.
"I've never heard a bribe described so tastefully," Oxmyx did chuckle this time, "I'm open to honest sales in favor of all out warfare. But the exchanges will be at fair market value."
"You grant your member planets favored trading nation status so they receive commodities at reduced prices. Could you extend that label to the Iridians?" Johnson inquired.
"And there's the suggested bribe," Oxmyx said coldly, "The Iridians pay as any other client would or they seek succor elsewhere."
"Let me be blunt, can you afford to win militarily?" Johnson asked.
"Our client members were offered a level of protection against this type of threat. I can't go back on those promises or our entire system unravels. We take back every planet or die trying," Oxmyx said with conviction.
Johnson revised his opinion of the Iotian Federation, "Then that will be our mutual goal."
Oxmyx had recognized the moment of change in Johnson. Her people had modeled themselves after gangsters. But gangsters also struck deals and they honored them. The Iotian Federation was built on a protection scheme model. If they couldn't deliver on that contracted promise, then the Iotian Federation wouldn't exist. The Federation Council and Starfleet had always assumed it was a scam to generate latinum. They'd never considered it an honest commitment. Now at least, Bob Johnson knew differently.
Kracko met up with another Iotian Starfleet fleet. It had been held in reserve to bolster her growing force as she took patrol ships off of their assigned lanes and absorbed them into her fleet as she transgressed across her own home territory. Two other Iotian fleets had engaged the Iridians. Both had been forced to retreat in the face of heavy losses. But the Enforcers' progress had been blunted. Owing to their own heavy losses and damages, they'd halted their advance at Beta III.
Kracko had received Oxmyx's request that she hold off attacking the Iridians until the Bajorans and Cardassians had joined her forces. Oxmyx had also agreed to meet with an Iridian delegate as the UFP Starfleet moved a task force into Sigma Iotia II's star system. Oxmyx admitted the task were for show only. It gave Kracko time to reinforce and tempted the Enforcers to strike at Sigma Iotia II while Starfleet was defending it.
The Enforcers had failed to kill Oxmyx already. They wouldn't waste a second opportunity to deal a blow against her personally. The Enforcers were a model the Iotians had considered following. But Oxmyx and Kracko changed the direction of the Iotian Federation. So, the Iridians were full blown gangsters who only knew intimidation tactics. They didn't realize they'd corrupted their business model and driven themselves into the ground. No star systems surrounding the Iridian Enforcement Zone would deal or trade with them.
Oxmyx didn't need total victory all at once. Bleeding the enemy dry would secure her terms of surrender. The Iridians were all in. They had no reserves to draw upon because they'd committed everything to this invasion. Oxmyx and Kracko had seen the signs even from afar. But they'd met heavier resistance than expected already. They hadn't calculated on losing so many capital ships so soon in their quest to drive to Earth. The size of Johnson's task force also exceeded their expectations by far.
The harsher Oxmyx's terms were, the more desperate the Iridians would become. Desperate enough perhaps to mount an all out assault with every ship they had all at once. Once that failed, the Iridians would no longer be a threatening force. Which would leave their former territorial zone open to exploitation. It was an extreme gamble by a race of extremists. Bertram Sindis was a case study in their cultural psychology. His death provoked an over-reactive response. Oxmyx understood sending a forceful message. But the Iridians had taken it too far and devastated their own holdings.
She looked forward to seeing how they'd try kill her at the mediation talks.
"But it's always an adventure," Forger smiled back, "I'm surprised General Anara didn't field this one."
"So was the General," Wyn admitted, "But General Kira demanded she stay at Free Haven Port."
General Kira Nerys was the Chairperson of the Joint Chiefs Staff of the Bajoran Militia. She was the one Militia officer that outranked Anara. When the Commander of the Militia gave an order, you didn't argue its finer points if it was lawful and made sense.
"It looks like the entire Colonial Defense Forces are here," Forger had read the sensor data on the ships' ID transponders.
"The Ascendancy relieved us in the Gamma Quadrant while the System Defense Force took up our Alpha Quadrant patrols," Wyn explained.
"Castellan Garan and Supreme Legate Ocett freed up two fleets," Forger reminded Wyn, "So they're taking this very seriously as well."
Rekena Garan was the duly elected Castellan of the Detepa Council. Malyn Ocett had been Garan's choice for Supreme Legate. That decision had cost the Cardassian Guard old school loyalists who fed into Gul Maret and Gul Macet's attempted coup. They'd claimed, among other things, that Bajor legally belonged to the Cardassian Union to that day. The withdrawal and end of the Occupation had been illegal not the Occupation itself.
Forger wondered who Ocett had placed in command of the fleets. It would require a legate to oversee two Cardassian Guard Orders. The remaining legates had proven loyal to the Detepa Council during the coup. But few of them had led a combat mission in decades. More to the point, she wondered what use her surveyor command would prove to be in a combat role.
"You won't be seeing direct action," Wyn told her when asked that question, "You'll be our eyes and ears before we go into action."
"That's a huge leap of faith," Forger told her.
"You forget my sister commands the ship Neela travels in. Neela has made friends with Angelique Kerber and Bailey Smith. Without stating specifics, she implied to Mesa that the pair could acquire any information she needed or wanted from any source," Wyn told her.
"And you think that between our enhanced sensors and comm receivers we can pick up Enforcer chatter from a safe distance to determine the strength and deployment of the enemy before you attack," Forger understood now.
"That's the idea at least. Kracko is holding off from a counter attack until she's reinforced. We'll test that theory afterwards," Wyn admitted.
"We have one problem. Kerber and Smith got called away by Oxmyx. Macen and Rockford's team is headed to Sigma Iotia II. They left in their runabout before we entered this sector. They're joining Starfleet's mediation task force," Forger advised her, "We'll do the best we can. My people are good but you're right, Kerber and Smith are our computer and encryption gurus."
"Then I guess your services aren't required. Good luck with the Iotian contract," Wyn sighed off.
"So, we're done before we started," Joelle Jones said from the XO's seat beside Forger's.
"Aglaia, set course to overtake the Corsair. We can dock them in the hangar bay and take them to Sigma Iotia II ourselves, it seems," Forger instructed the CONN Officer before turning towards OPS, "Zimbalist, alert Macen that we're coming for them."
Edwin Zimbalist complied. Forger addressed Jaycee Miller at Tactical, "Keep a lookout for strange ships. Especially potential Orion vessels. Gomer may still be working with the Iridians."
"Ebert signaled back. They're dropping out of warp. I've sent their position to the CONN," Zimbalist informed Forger.
"Thanks. Aglaia, go to maximum warp," Forger instructed, "We can cruise to the Iotians and save max warp for later after we pick up our people."
"I love to go to maximum warp," Aglaia grinned. Forger feared their Platonian pilot was an action junkie.
"According to Colonel Wyn, the operatives we were hoping would be aboard weren't," Kira answered rather sternly, "Apparently Commander Macen and Detective Rockford deployed their team to Sigma Iotia II at Oxmyx's request."
Forger wanted to grind her teeth. Johnson and his task force were still the only authorized Starfleet response to the invasion. She knew Macen's retainer with Starfleet allowed him to take on private clients at his discretion but hiring on with Oxmyx at that precise moment would be sen as a political statement by Starfleet Command.
"I'm sorry about the confusion. They're independent contractors and weren't working for me so I have no recourse to sway them otherwise," Forger explained to Kira.
"I know they listen to you. Perhaps some persuasion would get them to call it off?" Kira wondered.
"Admiral Johnson is acting as Starfleet's authority in the situation. I'll contact him to get his input and make him aware of the team and ship's imminent arrival," Forger offered.
"I wasn't aware Starfleet was already at Sigma Iotia II," Kira admitted.
"The task force was already assembled before the invasion took place," Forger explained, "They were just awaiting orders to cross the border."
"Without knowing if the Federation Council would approve it," Kira noted.
"The Admiralty had faith the Federation Council could be persuaded to be reasonable about this," Forger explained.
"Having influential opposition leaders arrested on corruption charges tends to sway votes," Kira smirked.
"I have no idea of how or why Federation Security swooped in when they did. I wasn't even aware they were investigating Councilors," Forger admitted.
"We both know you can thank Admiral Nechayev for that," Kira signed off.
Forger knew Kira was right. She also knew certain Bajoran officers that had stayed with Starfleet after the war ended and the internment ended as well reported to Bajoran Intelligence. Nechayev allowed it because the Bajoran Republic was still a Federation ally. But the Federation Council and rising admirals within Starfleet seemed determined to screw the pooch on that alliance. Losing Deep Space Nine and access to the Wormhole would hamper Starfleet operations in the Gamma Quadrant. Commodore Saavik led the exploration force while Captain Elias Vaughn oversaw to Starfleet's deterrence patrols along the agreed upon Dominion border. The Dominion had opened the border to trade but neither side's militaries could cross the border.
Vorta Facilitators handled diplomacy between the Dominion and the Federation. Facilitators also had an embassy on Bajor. They notably avoided talks with the Cardassians. Paid informants with access to Breen space reported that the Dominion had a diplomatic mission with the Breen. The same reports came from Tzenkethi space.
The Karemma were trading the Federation again. They were much shrewder negotiators now. They also did business with the Ferengi. Quark still abided by his forced profit sharing deal with the Karemma over his "patented" drinks replicator. But he'd begun selling off franchises to be independently owned but keep his name. The buyout fee was enormous but circumvented his franchise fee sharing deal with Karemma. Annabeth Frink was the first owner to buy Quark out. Others were following her example.
Operating as a distributor and liquor supplier to the former franchises was even more profitable that the fees he'd charged them to exclusively purchase from. Some Quark's even had working kitchens to supplement their replicators. For higher prices, people could purchase fresh food cooked at the establishment. Frink had invented that model and other owners and franchisees quickly followed her lead. Quark quickly adapted and became a food wholesaler.
As a franchiser, Quark had charged fixed prices for commodities. Now, he competed in an open market. He'd proven he still had the lobes for business by adding his wholesaler businesses for drinks and organics foods. Quark had slyly stumbled on to the fact that most of the former DMZ wolds now completely occupied by the Cardassians maintained most of their agricultural practices. But their crop and animal harvest yields outpaced their purchase orders. So, Quark bought the excess at reduced prices since the Cardassian lek underperformed against latinum in money markets. That enabled Quark to underbid his competitors in most of the contracts he fielded with the Quark's bars that were now independently owned.
Forger knew Quark had also invested in Cardassian startups during the Reconstruction period. Now those industries and businesses were on solid and profit generating footholds. He'd quietly done the same on Bajor after the Occupation ended so he'd learned when to expect short and long term returns. Quark had business dealings with the Iotians. So, she reached to him before contacting Johnson.
Quark wore a gloating smile on her viewer that she wanted to slap off his face, "Quark, I need a word."
"Certainly, Admiral. Anything for Starfleet," Quark told her.
"I need to know why Oxmyx hired Brin Macen and Celeste Rockford," Forger told him.
"Goodbye," Quark went to deactivate his comp/comm.
"Quark!" Forger yelled at the screen but it went blank before reverting to the Federation symbol. Still cursing Quark's name, she contacted Johnson. She knew, he at least, would talk to her. Besides being intertwined professionals, they were also a couple. Johnson's look of joy at seeing her contrasted sharply with her sustained irritation.
"Who did what?" Johnson mirthfully asked.
"I just had the universe's shortest conversation with Quark," Forger told him, her bad mood already lifting.
"Deep Space Nine Quark?" Johnson sounded amazed and rightfully so. Normally, Quark engaged in banter or a sales pitch. Usually both.
"The very one," she described her experience. Johnson looked puzzled.
"Oxmyx hasn't mentioned bringing Brin and Celeste aboard," he told her.
"She certainly hadn't briefed the Bajoran Militia on it," Forger replied, "Kira was irritated but restrained. She's going to yell at someone at Outbound Ventures."
"It won't do her any good. Macen and Rockford own the company. They don't work for it," Johnson pointed out, "Haven't you read the employment divestment terms they drew up after signing on with the Special Investigations Division?"
"No, actually," Forger sheepishly admitted.
"When you hire them, you employ them directly. Not Outbound Ventures," Johnson explained.
"Why did you look into it?" Forger wondered.
"When they went to the Confederacy of Worlds, I looked into potential legal ramifications that could harm the company. That's when Tyrol told me they don't work for the company. Your sister and her crew do but Macen and Rockford's team are private contractors in every sense of the word," Johnson explained.
"Which is why Shannon and the crew began wearing the corporate uniform while the team doesn't," Forger finally understood the reasoning behind that.
"The SID contracted crews are paramilitary forces. And they wear separate uniforms from the regular contractors. But Macen and Rockford and their team aren't affiliated with either," Johnson shrugged.
"How will this effect your negotiations?" Forger asked.
"You're assuming there will be any negotiations. Oxmyx is assuming that the Iridians will simply use an open corridor to Sigma Iotia II as a second opportunity to try and kill her," Johnson said unhappily.
"You have to admit, it fits the Enforcers mentality and practices," Forger reminded him.
"Have you read Ro's latest threat assessment? She suggests that the Iridians are funding terrorist and extremists groups across the Federation through the Orion Syndicate. She found evidence in a recent raid on a cell that they were planning a coordinated uprising with other groups and cells to attack government and Starfleet installations all at the same time once the Iridians attacked us directly," Johnson told her.
"Actually, I just finished my latest situation report for the Admiralty. I haven't caught up on my briefings yet," Forger admitted.
"It's a must read. She'll be asking you to assign SID teams to it," Johnson predicted.
"Anything would be better than the bullshit assignments Starfleet Command demanded I undertake," Forger snorted.
"Trust me. Nechayev will be pushing hard to get your contractors reassigned," Johnson assured her.
"If the Enforcers preemptively attack, are your crews ready for it?" Forger worried.
"Akaar assigned me veteran captains. They're ready for a direct strike rather than a negotiating team," Johnson assured her.
"Nechayev is summoning me," Forger noted the note from her aide, Ambril Delori, "I need to take her."
"Get ready to be contacting your operations team and then Chris Pike," Johnson chuckled, "Afterwards, actually read Ro's report. It's chilling."
"I promise I will," Forger signed off and switched comm channels, "Alynna, this is an actual surprise. I was just speaking with Bob. He said to expect your call."
"I know you were talking to him. He probably told you what I want to discuss. I know you've been drafting reports so you haven't read Commander Ro's threat assessment. I also know that you already know I need teams redirected to counter these threats," Nechayev told her.
"And how exactly do you know so much?" Forger stiffened.
"Commander Ambril told me," Nechayev told her, "She said you were in conference with Johnson, so I assumed he'd have warned you by now. I don't have spies in your division."
"What do you need?" Forger asked her.
"I just sent you mission assignments. I need you to draft contracts and copy the mission assignments and then send them to Pike on Serenity Station. I'm certain this will alleviate Captain Riker's frustrations at being benched," Nechayev said drolly.
Forger put Nechayev in a small window on her display while she pulled up assignment orders, "My God. This will redeploy the entire Outbound Ventures SID contractors."
"I'm well aware. Those are just the assignments my own agents and Starfleet Security can't cover," Nechayev warned her, "This is huge."
"What about Federation Security?" Forger inquired, "Can't they assist?"
"They aren't equipped for this level of terrorism. They weren't even aware of the scope of the threat. Ro admits she's only scratched the surface. The last few years have opened doors of discontent and extremism among the citizens of the Federation the likes of which we've never seen before," Nechayev warned her protege.
"This sophistication hasn't been seen since the Terra Prime movement and then the Maquis," Forger confessed, "That was a big gap in between."
"I know. Ro believes that the Enforcers have helped fund and train these groups. Right under our noses," Nechayev grew angry.
"Captain Chakotay mentioned that the Orion Syndicate has been helping the Enforcers," Forger reminded her, "Their smuggling efforts prove they can penetrate Federation security and move people across borders and onto planets even when they're fugitives or recognizable outlaws."
"The Syndicate has been in bed with the Iridians ever since Sindis took it over. Even after his death, they must have retained close ties," Nechayev surmised.
"It'll take time to reposition most of the ships that are required. Let me get on that ASAP so we'll have a response ready even if they arrive too late to prevent the terror strike," Forger requested.
"Do what you need to," Nechayev signed off.
Forger knew Macen would decline any offer she made to him right now. It wasn't often that he would choose someone else over Bajoran interests. But the Iotians were the Bajorans' interest in the affair. Oxmyx must have given him a compelling reason to shift assignments. Per Kira's comments, it also seemed Colonel Wyn was being pithy when she dismissed Shannon's ship and crew. She forwarded the assignment list and contract orders to her operations team. They'd prepare everything for Outbound Ventures. Afterwards, Riker, Korepanova, and Liu would deal with matters. She pulled Ro's report up and began to study it. As Johnson had warned, it was chilling.
Clancy had prepared the Federation to repel any invader after the Mars Massacre. Now Forger had to wonder if the cause had been internal. That the synthetics that were blamed didn't malfunction all at once but they'd been reprogrammed to lash out and kill every living being on Mars and destroy the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards. It certainly made more sense than Clancy and Oh's manufacturing defect theory. The investigation was closed. The Synthetics Ban was law. Legally, the matter was resolved. But Forger knew she could unofficially look into it from her opposing point of view.
Pike brought the contracted assignment list to Serenity's Ops Center. Riker only perused the first few assignments and wore a victorious smile, "About damn time. Thanks, Chris"
He walked her out of his office and headed to Korepanova's station, "Recall every ship. We have real work to do now."
He used the padd to transfer copies of the orders to her station, "I see what you mean. I'll alert Kris. But why an all out recall?"
"Because we need everybody fully stocked and armed. This will be ugly," Riker told her, "It'll be Starfleet versus groups like the Maquis all over again. But these groups will be willing to kill the Federation's responders."
"I'll have Amoor's department coordinate with Ro's. We'll know everything she does before anyone set s out," Korepanova promised.
"This will test everyone," Riker warned her, "It'll push limits they didn't know they had."
"They'll know it when you tell them," Korepanova advised him, "They listen to you."
"Sometimes I don't know why," Riker confessed, "Especially after the past few months."
Korepanova wore a sympathetic smile, "That was station business you lapsed on. Fleet personnel hang on your every word."
"No pressure then," he ruefully grinned.
"Just be the best version of yourself. The rest of it will work itself out," she promised, "Right now, I need Liu over here with us so we can determine where to send who."
"Liu, you have a moment?' Riker called to her station, "We have new mission priorities. One's that actually matter."
She hurried over, "I'm definitely all in. What's the situation?"
"Situations," Riker told her, "We're going full deployment against terrorists across the Federation planning coordinated terror strikes planets once the Iridians attack Starfleet."
"I thought we were benched," Liu stated, "Why the change up?"
"Because they're more bad guys than Starfleet can handle alone," Riker answered.
"Because they can't handle a domestic crisis in the middle of an interstellar one," Korepanova snorted, "We dealt with both as Maquis."
"With extremely limited resources," Liu added. The death of Elijah Waters at the hands of Section 31 had put all courier hiring and logistical planning on Liu's shoulders alone. The Maquis needed the latinum from the courier jobs and the employment put them legitimately in range of their actual targets.
Macen had only told Ro that Waters was a former rear admiral with Starfleet Intelligence that came out of retirement to be Macen's handler on the Maquis assignment. The goal was to direct the Maquis against Starfleet's Cardassian targets. Hiring Maquis to place them in range of their targets had been Waters' brainchild. Luther Sloan and John Browder had objected so Browder killed Waters. No one at S31 had counted on Liu carrying on alone.
Liu had been an officer with Starfleet Logistics before being recruited by Waters. That's how she learned Internal Affairs was monitoring her for favorable comments she'd made about the Maquis cause. Starfleet suddenly felt a police state. She resigned her commission and relocated to Kalandra to help Waters form the Demilitarized Zone Courier and Freight Commission business. They'd hired n regular staff to supply and support legitimate traders supplying the colonies. Macen provided a list of Maquis contacts to approach about hiring their cell members for actual contracts to place them within striking distance of the targets.
As Macen predicted, it was an easy sell. Te Maquis needed the hard currency provided and they also needed the actual work to bypass security measures and avoid further scrutiny. The operation went so smoothly it caught Section 31's intention. Sloan had no grievance with the Maquis cause or its members. But Director Fowler worried that the settlers might grow to successful and invite a retaliatory strike that wouldn't end within the DMZ boundaries, The Klingons' war with Cardassia provided them that success despite Waters' death. As Fowler predicted, Dukat went to extremes to enlist the Dominion's aid to eradicate the Maquis and enslave the colonial populations.
Liu had hunkered down and been missed by the Jem'Hadar when they scoured Kalandra before Starfleet pushed them back. Macen and the Odyssey crew found her and relocated her to Deep Space Nine when it became liberated. There she joined Korepanova to start a new Architect Project to plan and guide Ro and Macen's behind enemy lines missions. Liu was presented a full pardon as was Korepanova after her release from a penal colony. Ro and Macen had made that part of their terms of service.
Luckily, most of the Outbound Ventures SID fleet hadn't even arrived at their penal assignments for Starfleet Command and were easily recalled. The others were grateful for real work that actually mattered. They were reassembled in the Brsknir system by the time the Obsidian joined Starfleet and the Iotian Starfleet at Sigma Iotia II.
Riker assembled the captains and first officers in the Promenade where he spoke from the upper deck, "These may be the important assignments you'll ever receive. These terror groups have to stopped. Many of you won't arrive at your assigned location in time to do so. But you can find and apprehend the sons of bitches that carry out the attacks. Admiral Forger shares my belief in all of you. You can get the jobs done. Just be true to yourselves and your crews and you'll win the day. Now, get going because the clock is ticking even now."
"Kris and Sveta will be sad they missed such a stirring speech," Danan said from where she stood nearby.
"I couldn't BS them. I had to tell the truth," Riker said, "Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to bear the losses these planets are going to suffer."
"Amanda Forger and Alynna Nechayev are that certain the attack on the Federation is that imminent?" Danan asked.
"Nechayev already advised Akaar to move in the secondary fleet to the border," Riker shared, "The projected entry point is at the Iotians' Fleet Base 3. There's only two patrol ships in the sector while the rest have been pulled away either to defend Oxmyx or join Kracko."
"Kracko will know that the Enforcers are looking for a weak link to invade the Federation. She just handed it to them," Danan scowled.
"It was no accident," Riker confirmed her suspicion, "She's intentionally involving us in their war."
"That won't sit well with Starfleet Command," Danan predicted.
"Trust me, it hasn't," Riker told her, "I should get back to Ops. I know you're neck deep in former Section 31 projects. So, get to it."
He kissed her and went straight for the turbolift. She waited to call another lift ramp. The Sciences Division had labs in the central core but well beneath the Promenade in case an experiment proved explosive. She lingered on what Kracko had done. Oxmyx had called for Macen and Rockford's presence. Bob Johnson and Jim McKinley had a task force to lead. Why did Oxmyx need an investigative team?
Oxmyx greeted Vice Admiral Johnson at the transporter room. With him was Ian Delaney and a Security team as well as Johnson' aide, Ensign Reeva DeBoer. DeBoer's midshipman cruise had been with Johnson as an aide. He'd recommended her for the permanent posting after her Starfleet Academy graduation. She'd received top marks but had missed the threshold to graduate a Lieutenant JG.
"Planetary Boss Oxmyx, I didn't expect you to negotiate in such...alluring attire," Johnson admitted. Oxmyx wore a black leather minidress with extensive cutouts over her chest, stomach, sides and her dress was slit to her hips. It obvious to all she was sans undergarments of any kind.
"They say 'dress to kill'," Oxmyx smirked.
"I know we're aboard your fleet's only Galaxy-class starship, but is killing really what we're here for?" Johnson was already dismayed by the display.
"I find distractions help negotiators give away more than they originally intended to," Oxmyx's smirk widened, "Like now. You were going to insist I change into something more fitting with your sense of decorum. Perhaps the Iridians will feel the same way. But Bertram Sindis visited my planet to speak with my father. His eyes wandered to his gun molls quite frequently because they were provocatively dressed. For a man rumored to be asexual, he was quite aroused. Our negotiations ended in mutually beneficial arrangement rather than capitulating to the new head of the Orion Syndicate."
"I can't imagine what your gun molls will be wearing then. Or not," Johnson attempted to make light of the situation, "I understand we're meeting in your version of Ten Forward?"
"Why Admiral, I assure you, Jaxa, Adoni, Kenda, and Livi will be hardly noticed," Oxmyx said slyly. He knew it for the lie it was. Delaney preceded him in the lounge. The gun molls were slightly more modest but they needed to be to hide their weaponry. Jaxa, Kenda and Livi wore skimpy dresses but far less revealing than Oxmyx's attire. Adoni appeared to be content to just play billiards by herself but her eyes were on everyone and everything. She wore brown leather pants and distinctly open white shirt reveling her torso. Often, when she bowed to take aim at the cue ball, her breasts were exposed. A detail for the Iridians to notice, no doubt. He had no idea of where the women hid their weaponry but he was willing to bet the amount of it would put Delaney's Security detail you shame.
"Commander, the room is clean," Ensign Brad Turner, one of Lt. Commander Ian Delaney's proteges, reported to him after sweeping it with a tricorder.
"Don't you trust me, Admiral?" Oxmyx asked with alarm.
"Not with the way you've exposed Fleet Base 3 and our mutual border," Johnson told brusquely.
"An incentive for your head to be in the game. No one likes a negotiator who doesn't have skin in the game itself," Oxmyx said with a wider smirk.
"I was already vested in the interests of both our governments," Johnson replied sternly, "Starfleet Command thinks this is a simply a ploy to force us into your war."
"Then make certain the talks don't fail," Oxmyx turned and went to the bar to pour herself a drink.
"Straight from Commander Massoli," Johnson told him. Lt. Commander Jennifer Marie Massoli was the Intrepid's Intelligence Officer and Captain McKinley's paramour.
"The Federation Council has updated your talking points," DeBoer handed him the revised padd.
"I'm beginning to think I should have brought Commander Grace with us," Johnson said ruefully.
Lt. Commander Hannah Grace was the Alpha Squadron's Lead but she was secretly a Kelvan, with all the gifts that implied. Starfleet was unaware of her actual ancestry. Delaney knew it because she was his wife. She trusted the Senior Staff enough for him to share her secret status with them.
An Iotian Starfleet Security officer arrived, "The Iridians have boarded."
"Then show them in," Oxmyx looked victorious already. Johnson now knew the talks would be brief and doomed to failure. Oxmyx wasn't in a mood to negotiate. She was staging a confidence game. He, Starfleet, and the Federation were merely pawns to help her get what she wanted.
Oxmyx retrieved a data slate from the cleared table they assigned to sit at. She made a few notations and went back to leaning back against the bar counter while nursing her drink. Only two Enforcers accompanied the delegate, named Valec Syndic. They obviously felt confident in their ability to kill everyone in the room if ordered to. Johnson didn't rattle their belief though he felt they were overly optimistic.
Oxmyx's attire and that of her gun molls had the intended affect upon Syndic and even his guards. He wasn't certain how Iridian genitalia worked but he wasn't certain they were all aroused and trying to hide it. Syndic took too long appraising Oxmyx. His expression wasn't the look of a negotiator but of a sexual predator. He almost looked disappointed and denied.
""I am Varec Syndic, I speak for the Iridian Enforcers," he stated boldly to get back on track.
"Take a seat," Oxmyx offered, "This is Vice Admiral Robert Tavar Johnson of the United Federation of Planets' Starfleet. You'll recognize that he brought his own Security detail. My own guards are less auspicious."
There was that hungry look again as Syndic took his seat. The guards remained standing at his shoulders, "This won't take long, I presume."
"And why would you presume that?" Johnson asked.
"I am here to accept both of your peoples' surrenders, am I not?" Syndic chuckled, "Or do you still foolishly believe you can stop us?"
"We aren't part of your conflict," Johnson clarified, "I'm acting as a neutral third-party."
"How disappointing," Syndic said drolly, "I had hoped to spare your Starfleet the indignity of defeat."
"Before we begin, let me open with a brief statement of intent," Oxmyx cut Johnson's intended reply off, "I understand you came seeking certain valuable resources that have become exceedingly scarce in your worlds. My people are willing to trade them to you for fair market discounted value if you withdraw from all of our worlds. Immediately if not sooner."
He laughed, "But we're winning. You need our protection. Our price is total obedience and handover of all your resources."
"That isn't how protection works. First, there has to be a need for it and then there has to be a collective bargain for it. We have neither," Oxmyx replied.
"You have a need and I just gave you our bargain. It's non-negotiable," Syndic grew bored already.
"And who do we need protecting from?" Oxmyx asked.
"The Federation of Planets," Syndic sneered, "They've been planning their own invasion."
"I suppose you have proof?" Oxmyx asked as Johnson bristled.
"I told you. That's proof enough," Syndic replied.
"We at least pass for humans so I can assure you we're well aware of the Federation Council's deliberations on the matter," Oxmyx told him, "If we require your services in the future, we may discuss terms."
"I told you the terms," Syndic grew short tempered, "You need a lesson in respecting your betters."
"First, I have to meet one," Oxmyx retorted, "Bertram Sindis was much better at this. At least he didn't lose his temper."
Syndic said one word, "Transport."
A transporter caught him and his assistants but failed part way through. The guards were rendered heaps of mangled flesh. Syndic himself was mangled but would survive. Sparks flew from overloaded EPS conduits and the ship vibrated. Johnson was on his feet and Delaney's team had their phasers drawn. Oxmyx impossibly drew a comm badge from somewhere in her dress.
"Security, the package is delivered," she said into it. She faced Johnson, "That was an antimatter bomb to simultaneously transported and detonated aboard my ship as Syndic and his party departed."
"How did you know?' Johnson inquired.
She slid data slate across the table, "You wondered why I summoned Commander Macen and Detective Rockford? Now you know why."
A warning she'd received as the Iridians beamed aboard was the last message received. Her reply had been to her flag captain to raise shields the moment another transporter effect took place, which would be momentarily, "When their previous preemptive strike on this system failed to kill me, I'd wondered how they would try this time. So, I hired investigators to determine how."
Oxmyx snapped her fingers and her gun molls formed up to escort her, "You might to come with me, Admiral. You can't communicate with your ship anyway. The only communications going in and out of my ship are Iotian signals."
"You just put us in your war," he complained. As he walked beside her although she led the way.
"They were going to attack you anyway. You heard him," Oxmyx shrugged.
"Because you opened up the star system Fleet Base 3 is in," he asserted.
"They were going through that system regardless," Oxmyx assured him, "I just saved the lives of most of the patrol and put them to work here and with Kracko. Besides, they haven't attacked us here, yet."
"Why is that?" Johnson noticed that the ship was on red alert but there wasn't the usual deck plate vibrations of struck shields, phasers firing, and torpedo launchers being engaged.
"Because I'm holding their Supreme Leader," Oxmyx chuckled evilly, "Iridians always place their top leadership in harm's way."
"You saw that man. He won't survive much longer," Johnson warned her.
"My people won't let him die," she promised him, "You can't torture a dead man."
"Tell me you're joking," Johnson pleaded.
"I never joke about torture. It's distasteful," Oxmyx replied evenly, "I can't end this on my terms without him calling off his forces. That ends well for me and for your Federation."
Delaney was still Johnson and Jaxa was with Oxmyx as the rest of the security details waited for another turbolift car. The reached a guarded door at the center of the saucer section, "Your man waits behind."
She saw Johnson's worry, "Don't worry, Jaxa will be out here as well."
The door's would only open to her biosignature. Inside was an office space with a vast array of monitors across every wall, "From here I can monitor every part of the Iotian Federation. Look to these monitor banks. These are resistance fighters still fighting the Enforcers on their home planets. And here is a map of our Federation with the positioning of every ship and Fleet Base. The blue dots are ours and the red dots are the Iridians."
"My God, you're one solar system apart at that bottleneck where you have most of your ships," Johnson realized.
"And the Enforcers don't even realize Kracko has assembled the Bajoran Militia and Cardassia Guard there to assist her," Oxmyx said proudly.
"Is that Deep Space Four?' Johnson asked as he pointed out a nearby system close to the bottleneck exiting the Enforcer Zone.
"It is. Syndic pulled most of the blockade away. Captain Benteen called in her two patrol ships to engage the enemy. The station is defending itself quite well on its own while the starships duel it out."
"You're cutting their rear off," Johnson realized.
"Kracko's idea. We're relieving your DS4 while we're at it. Then Kracko will move downstream following their ships while we'll push upstream and take them between us," Oxmyx stated.
"You're assuming Starfleet will help you," Johnson hadn't ruled out saying 'no' yet.
"Take a look passed the border at Fleet Base 3's location. You're already at war," Oxmyx pointed him towards the tactical display of the battle, "I'm sorry it was necessary to split their forces for our plan to work. But they always intended to simply roll through us to attack you. We just proved more resistant than they expected."
"How do you know any of this?" Johnson asked, "It's not like you can infiltrate one of your people groups in as an Iridian."
"The Enforcers maintained their ties with the Orion Syndicate even after the end of the Bajoran-Orion conflict. Gomer is happily selling me intelligence on them," Oxmyx smirked again, "She finds them judgmental concerning the Syndicate's business practices. Like Sindis himself, they planned to eradicate the Syndicate once they establish themselves in the Beta and Alpha Quadrants."
"And this green dot moving away from us back towards the Federation?" Johnson asked.
"The Obsidian," Oxmyx told him, "I assured Macen and Rockford they could look for the mastermind of the terror plot against the Federation once they gave me the assassination method."
"What terror plot?" Johnson's blood ran cold.
"I suppose Starfleet kept you out of the loop so you'd stay focused on unbiased work here. Let me tell you what just occurred across one hundred and fifty Federation planets," Oxmyx had no trace of humor about her now.
"So, what I'm looking for exactly?" Galen 3 wondered after the description was given to him.
"A Q ship," Macen said again, "An armed freighter. But this one will be an unknown origin and design. It'll also have an excess of communications arrays."
"A ship with the capability of boosting signals pushed trough the Federation comm networks so that every Federation planet receives the same signal at the same time," Rockford tried that approach.
"And this signal was already sent?" Galen 3 asked.
"Unfortunately, yes," Macen said angrily, "But they'll be awaiting updates on the results of what happened after the signal was received. So, they'll be moving slowly."
"Not that any freighter not owned by Harri Mudd ever goes swiftly," Joelle Jones said ruefully from behind them, "The news is coming in. It's bad. All of it is bad."
"How many attempts were averted?" Rockford asked.
"Ro has Captain Forger on her screen in her Ready Room," Jones told them, "She'd like you both to join them."
Macen and Rockford exchanged a look and prepared for the worst sort of news. It was even worse than they expected. Forger was still in shock, "Not one effort was thwarted?"
"Starfleet mobilized too slowly and the SID teams weren't contracted until it was too late for any of them to even assume their station," Ro explained from the wall monitor as she could spot Macen and Rockford joining them.
"So, this a Mars Massacre writ large?" Forger asked.
"In depth of complete penetration of the security forces," Ro answered, "But nowhere near the scale on individual terms. It's the collective shock of the simultaneous strikes that will have the largest impact on the cultural psyches."
"But thanks to Oxmyx, we know an Iridian freighter passed through the Iotian Federation during the first hours of the invasion," Macen told Ro, "Gomer supplied the knowledge that the freighter's crew were behind coordinating the attacks. They made all the necessary contacts through go-betweens over the months leading to the invasion and this freighter and her command crew were responsible for directing the attacks and their aftermath."
"There's an aftermath?" Ro asked.
"Precision strikes against Starfleet and Federation Security targets of opportunities born out of the confusion and emergency responses," Rockford explained.
"None of my contacts ever mentioned that," Ro admitted.
"They didn't know. The Iridians added that detail after arriving on Federation space and assuming command, communications, and control," Macen told her, "My own people learned of it beforehand but couldn't report it in until the strike was underway."
"Now I'm actually happy your vigilante and vendetta groups are out there," Ro confessed.
"Why is Gomer suddenly so chatty?" Forger asked.
"One of the Orion Houses agreed to participate in the strikes and stage a coup of the Syndicate," Rockford told her, "Gomer got their instruction outlet wired before the new command ship sent its briefing that it would direct individualized strike packages to every participant."
"But Gomer can only monitor the instructions given to the Orions," Ro understood the unfortunate implication.
"The Iridians are far too versed in this for it to be a new tactic they employ. It's probably their strategy for convincing worlds they need the protection provided by the Enforcers in the first place," Macen surmised.
"So, they enslave populations to save them from themselves," Ro understood all too well. It was a Cardassian playbook as well. The Cardassian Guard had approached Bajor in the guise of protectors as well. The increased markets made Bajor prosperous for a while before the Cardassians assumed direct control of the planet for its multitude of resources.
"Our advantage is the ship has to outlay tremendous subspace transmissions to boost their instructions speedily through the Federation Comm Network," Rockford told Ro, "First we detect the signal and then we trace it to its source."
"These are Enforcers. Even disguised as a civilian ship they'll be heavily armed," Ro warned them.
"We're well aware," Forger said ruefully, "But with the Iridians actively attacking Starfleet now and the SID deployed hunting terrorist cells, we're the only ship left to look for them."
"Not quite true. And, you could relieve me of a headache by taking on a partner," Ro said.
"You have someone specific in mind," Rockford noted.
"I do. Contact Neela and get her the hell away from hunting the Cult of Pah-wraith members that struck on Endiss IV," Ro requested, "The further away she is, the less likely she is to take matters into her own hands and get in our way."
"That's fairly near here," Macen observed, "But still a stretch for Neela and her merry band."
"She gets found out here and she'll never make it out of Federation space without being arrested," Ro told him.
"I didn't know you cared," Rockford teased.
"I thinks she's a delusional sociopath. But, the Bajorans love her like a religious icon. Her arrest could be the final straw that breaks between Bajor and the Federation," Ro advised them.
"I'll tell her you said that," Macen grinned.
"Someone has to," Ro snorted.
"That's the gist of it," Christina Noble confirmed for him.
"And the Orion Syndicate will already have reps there?" Tulley asked.
"Of course," Noble confirmed that as well.
"So, why would anyone let you in?" Tulley asked.
"The buyers owe me for spotting several fake weapons systems Grimes tried pushing off on people," Noble told him, "Gomer would've had their heads for buying duds."
"They still owe you for sparing them some grief?" Tulley asked.
"No, their heads on literal silver platters served up before the Syndicate Houses," Noble corrected his vision of things, "I never called in the debt. So, they'll bring us on into their entourage and let us win the bid on the cipher."
"Won't they have an unlimited budget if this is so important?" Tulley wondered.
"Gomer will have a price limit," Noble assured him, "Sakonna gave us an unlimited budget. Of course, after we buy it, we have too live long enough to collect it and get home with it."
"Because most of the potential buyers will thinks it's economics to save money by killing us taking it from us," Tulley understood that part clearly.
"I'll bring Lacey and Sito down with me as my personal escort," Noble told him, "You'll keep the ship ready to warp out of the system as soon as we're back aboard."
"Who'll be at CONN?" Tulley asked.
"Hendryks can run the CONN from OPS until Sito gets back to her station," Noble told him, "Just like you'll be manning Tactical until Lacey returns to her post."
"And this is the sole reason we were released from the holding cells early?" Tulley hated to believe it.
"I'm the only one the Syndicate would let run this gambit," Noble told him, "But all debts will be paid after today."
"Won't Gomer be pissed she missed out on the cipher?" Tulley didn't want a death mark placed on their heads.
"Gomer owes me for more than spotting bogus weapons systems," Noble cryptically told him, "But like I said, all debts will be repaid after this."
"What did you do? Save her life?" Tulley asked.
"Several times over," Noble admitted, "But losing a deal like this will square our ledger."
"Damn, Chris. How high up in the Syndicate did you rise?" Tulley was impressed.
"Let's just say I was much more than a Gamma Watch Duty Officer," Noble let it be with that.
"The Prophets are testing me," Neela said after Macen made his request for her to assist him.
"How so?" he asked. He'd asked Rockford to sit out of a pickup's range because he said Neela was guarded around her. So, he didn't want her presence known to the Bajoran.
"I have leads on the Cultists that struck out on the colonists on Endiss IV. But obviously, their masters are the priority target. But I could lose track of the individuals involved if I leave now," Neela explained.
"Give them up to Ro. She'll see they serve life sentences," Macen promised her.
"Ro Laren is hardly Orthodox. She doesn't understand how vile the mere existence of these Cultists is," Neela told him.
"They're now terrorists that struck a Federation colony. Ro will see that and make certain the perpetrators never leave their prison alive," Macen promised her.
"Give me the sector coordinates you wish us to search," Neela relented.
"I'll also send you Ro's contact information," Macen told her.
"I already have that," Neela told him. Ro and Neela were on opposing sides of how best to deal with the Cult of the Pah-wraith. It made sense she'd keep tabs on Ro.
"The sector hosts a Federation comm relay station. It's manned but only has a single tech aboard," Macen explained, "The Iridians will attempt to be as close as possible while avoiding the station's sensors and defensive sensor grid."
"That narrows the search grid considerably," Neela was relieved.
"When, not if, we find them, do not engage. Deep Space Three has a ship standing by to go to whatever position we report," Macen instructed her.
"Deep Space Three was spared the redeployments to meet the Iridian threat?" Neela was surprised.
"Commodore Reyes' Border Zone patrols were reinforced in case of any Romulan interest in the disarray," Macen explained, "Starfleet Command has been readying itself for this moment for weeks now. Even the Home Fleet was put on strategic alert and amassed at Sector 001 to deflect any suicide run at Earth like they did at Fleet Base 1 and Sigma Iotia II."
"Anara has kept me briefed on the attack and her response," Neela explained.
"Colonel Wyn and the Fist of the Prophets are probably seeing action now with the rest of the Militia Colonial Defense forces," Macen advised her.
"Colonel Wyn has a special assignment to prove to Captain Benteen and Starfleet that the Militia is still their ally," Neela told him. Macen knew Erika Benteen's command had been blockaded. He also got the sense from Neela that Wyn wasn't employing her full forces to relieve Benteen. Starfleet still had two patrol ships in the sector that Benteen had ordered to remain still until summoned.
Oxmyx had shared her and Kracko's operations plan. While he didn't appreciate their entrapping the Intrepid crew, it was an elegant solution. With the Enforcer's split into separate fleets, they'd have to pull their rearguard off of DS4, or at least as much as they could spare and still expect to hold the station. Oxmyx's commanders would squeeze the Enforcers at Sigma Iotia II into retreating as Kracko drove through the reinforcements. Since the Federation was also under attack, Johnson's task force would assist them to shorten the war effort. Even without Colonel Wyn, the Cardassian Guard had two Orders to work beside Wyn's remaining forces.
When the invasion ended, the two Federations would have their first honest conversation in a century. Oxmyx and Kracko's guile would be apparent to all concerned. The Cardassians wouldn't help the Iotians' cause with the Federation Council but the Bajoran Republic would lend them credibility they'd previously lacked in the Councilors' minds.
The danger of tracking down a ship with a massive subspace radio array was that it also detected subspace carrier waves. The Q ship would detect the signals passing between the Obsidian and the Razor's Edge. Smith had devised an encryption language uniquely specific to the two ships' interactions. Neither used it with any other starship or entity. The odds of the Iridians having purchased signal intercepts between them and having cracked the code was next to nonexistent. Still, they would only communicate sparingly when absolutely necessary.
"We'll see you soon," Neela promised Macen, She signed off and Rockford frowned.
"She really doesn't see any value in a Cultist's life," she said despairingly.
"Nope," Macen agreed.
"And that doesn't bother you at all?" Rockford had to ask.
"I worked with people that felt the same way about Cardassians," Macen shrugged, "Sometimes you simply use the tools you have."
"You did everything possible to stop Eddington's plans. Ro even went to Starfleet before his biogenic campaign began," Rockford pointed out.
"I was talking about Tulley. Everyone in the cell knew he'd turned xenophobe when it came to Cardassians," Macen explained, "But we worked with him to curb his murderous intentions."
"And he still betrayed Ro and absconded with the cell's new recruits to join Eddington," Rockford hated to remind him, "There's a reason Tulley ended up on a penal colony for a lengthy stretch."
"Aric was lucky to still be alive when Sisko pulled him out of the Badlands," Macen told her, "If Rebecca Sullivan hadn't had some basic medical training, Tulley would've died. Between that and Eddington's forced sacrifice after inspiring Dukat to enlist in the Dominion, he had a lot to think about regarding life decisions while imprisoned."
"I agree he isn't the man your former crew described to me," Rockford conceded, "He isn't even the man Ro describes. But, he's still an archetype of where Neela seems to be headed."
"Tulley was a product of personal racism. Neela is a product of her faith and her contact with the Prophets," Macen told her, "They demanded a war with the Pah-wraiths' followers and Neela is complying."
"A little too giddily in my opinion," Rockford warned him.
"Other than her friendship with Anara, Neela divested herself of every facet of her old life outside of her faith and duties to the Prophets after leaving prison," Macen counseled her, "That kind of devotion lends itself to extremism."
"Sounds familiar," Rockford said darkly, "Your own extremist tendencies have been coming out stronger lately. They led you to the Maquis but you buried them for a while afterwards. Now, using Sakonna, they're back in play."
"You know using my past isn't an effective tool," Macen shrugged.
"Not when my own is just as bloody," Rockford let that go, "I know. But Starfleet Command sicced Ro on you for a reason. Given the contents of her report, they won't let it go."
"You will note that Ro avoided linking Neela to me," Macen had observed.
"That was a glaring omission. It was also hardly accidental," Rockford admitted, "She also could have pressed Sakonna harder. From what Tom Riker said, Hakatay was giving the game away."
"Kathy Tyrol pulled Outbound Ventures financials for Starfleet Security yesterday," Macen told her, "I expect they'll audit the Rockford Detective Agencies next."
"I guess our incorporating the Black Ops Department as a separate company with Sakonna leading it was smart after all," Rockford admitted, "The only paper trail to it is the endowment Tyrol contributes our profit to."
"But the endowment is handled by Barrinor's banking cartels. So, Commodore Oh will never be able to force them into revealing where those funds go to next," Macen grinned.
"Won't Oh find it odd that we draw salaries as well as each earning fifteen percent of corporate profits?" Rockford asked.
"She'll certainly make it an issue but as an investigator, you know how common that practice is," Macen reminded her, "Even in the 'cashless' Federation. Look at the Grimes sisters."
"I'd rather not be compared to them," Rockford shuddered. One of her investigators had discovered the Grimes sisters' loosely held secret. They'd been involved in an incestual love affair since their teens. Outsiders brought into share sex with them signed nondisclosure agreements that were forcibly, and lethally, enforced. Their current recruiting tactic was simply the notoriety of having shared sexual congress with them together.
"Humans have a long history of eugenic minded practices of keeping bloodlines 'pure'. Generally they end producing raving madmen and women. The fact that the Grimes sisters enjoy a lesbian relationship cuts down that possibility in absolute terms. It also calls into question the applicability of human laws against incest," Macen had looked into it as a potential weapon to use against the sisters, "They've also turned it from a social stigma to a secret to share with them in a conspiracy to scandalize 'polite' society."
"You looked into this for a potential prosecution," Rockford realized.
"Enough to get investigators into their lives and company finances further than Federation Security has been willing go so far," Macen admitted.
"How would that get anyone further into the books?" Rockford wondered.
"There's no Grimes' heir," Macen pointed out, "Oxmyx and Kracko hired a geneticist to combine their DNA into an offspring Oxmyx can bring to term. What if the Grimes sister had the same plan?"
"That would violate the Federation's eugenics ban," Rockford realized, "They'd be genetically engineering a son or daughter."
"A daughter in both cases," Macen said, "It's the purest and easiest genetic expression given both donors' gender."
"How do you know Oxmyx and Kracko are exploring this option?" Rockford asked.
"They sent a request for a list of the best legal and illegal geneticists in and beyond the Federation," Macen told her, "Kathy Tyrol billed them for the research and sent a list. They've alluded to the fact that they owe the future of the dynasties to Outbound Ventures in private messages to Tyrol. Kathy recently shared with me. Oxmyx recently reported to her their daughters are incubating in artificial wombs."
"Pregnancy without being pregnant," Rockford sounded skeptical.
"It's a proven technology," Macen told her, "The Romulans have used it with military officers for centuries."
"And the Grimes sisters?" Rockford asked.
"Have apparently approached many of the same geneticists operating outside the Federation," Macen informed her, "Sakonna is tracking the requests and whoever takes the offer."
"Why not employ the same people as Oxmyx and Kracko?" Rockford wondered, "If they've already proven successful?"
"They haven't yet. The babies still need to come to term without genetic complications," Macen told her, "The scientists are on an exclusive contract so they can't hire out to other clients. The Grimes don't appear willing to wait another ten months, the normal Iotian gestation time," Macen stated.
"And their impatience might make them sloppy," Rockford hoped.
"Grimes Armaments is supposedly under Federation Security review. But the appointed CEO, Marko Vilnius, admits there are divisions and areas of the company neither he nor Federation Security have access to. Since Starfleet is so dependent upon Grimes Armaments, everyone looks the other way," Macen summarized,
"But neither Baronesses Estella or Stefi Grimes have been divested of their interests in the company. Since their involvement is direct rather than through a blind trust, they have an outsized say in the family fortunes extending over Vilnius' head," Rockford continued the deductive summary, "Estella's hands on approach with her majority stake in Solarian Security Systems has removed her from Federation Security's suspect pool but we know she and Stefi collaborate."
"On everything, including making illegally produced babies," Macen capped it off.
"Just as we know Solarian and Grimes Armaments collaborate on multiple projects with little to no legal scrutiny," Rockford groaned.
"As long as our favorite Director of Starfleet Security won't revoke Solarian's Letters of Marque, Federation Security won't look very deeply into their operations outside the Federation," Macen regretted, "Despite those being the very type of operations that placed the company under Federation Security review."
"I quietly reached out to Bob Johnson to get in touch with Ed Noyce. Oh was Noyce's chosen heir but since he still retains his security clearances despite being retired, Bob asked him to review Oh's conduct and decisions so far," Rockford revealed.
"And you blamed me for keeping secrets before," Macen chided her.
"Ro's report had just come out and I didn't want any blowback coming at you," she explained, "Noyce himself voiced some concerns to Johnson. He's quietly reviewing her record since becoming Director. Her vetting before her promotion satisfied him. But he's seen disturbing trends in her decision making and actions since her promotion and replacing him as Director."
"Any word from Noyce since he began looking into Oh?" Macen asked.
"No, and Bob was going to look into it before the Iridians invaded the Iotian Federation," Rockford told him.
"Has he considered looking in former Section 31 black sites?" Macen asked.
"You're kidding, right?" Rockford wondered.
"She can't use Cardassians prisons anymore now that she betrayed them and set the Cardassian Union up for an invasion," Macen explained his reasoning, "The SID supposedly has all the locations of the Section 31 prison sites. What if Oh has access to ones Amanda Forger is unaware of?"
"You specified Forger but left Nechayev out," Rockford specifically noted.
"I think if Oh knows about them, Alynna revealed their location to her," Macen said grimly.
"This is a cosmically bad idea," Tulley got in one final protest before Noble, Sito, and Lacey beamed down to the "Marketplace of Mass Destruction", as it was billed this year. Estella Grimes had always used whimsical names for the gathering. Stefi, it seemed, was carrying on the tradition.
"Gomer signed off on the plan," Noble reminded him, "The Orion Syndicate will let us win the auction and not pirate us afterwards."
"That leaves every other criminal cartel and terrorist group on the planet setting up ambushes to get the cipher from us," Tulley reminded her.
"You need more faith in the crew," Noble grinned, "Energize."
Heidi Darcy operated the transporter, "My wife would light into you for doubting we can pull this off."
"Your wife is a civilian engineer for a cruise line," Tulley reminded her.,
"And cruise ships face pirates every time they go out," Darcy told him, "That's why they have such massive shield and comm arrays. So they can call for help through any jamming and hold out until help arrives."
"We're in a neutral sector. So, Starfleet won't spare any ships to help us out," Tulley grimly complained, "We're out here on our own."
"I doubt Sakonna offered us up as bait for every criminal bidding at this market," Darcy said confidently, "Have a little faith."
Darcy exited the Transporter Room. Emjin Thool would be in shortly to standby for Noble's extraction request. He'd been assisting Tom Eckles with routine maintenance which drew Darcy up for this moment. For their expected flight for life, Darcy was more necessary to Engineering operations than Thool. Though the Bolian did provide an extra pair eyes and hands.
Tulley had always suffered from mission jitters. But he'd utterly relied on Ro's capability to get them out of any scrape. Noble had been Tulley's subordinate in the Maquis cell on Ronara Prime. Now, she was captain of the ship. He still wasn't aware of why that was or the circumstances and experience that had led to that decision. What Tulley did understand was that when he went into a life of seclusion on Izar after being released from a penal colony, Noble had been very active with the Orion Syndicate. Doing what, even she wouldn't say. But it placed Gomer in Noble's debt several times over. Debts Noble had cashed in en masse for this mission.
Whatever doubts Tulley had, he endeavored to set them aside. Noble had gambled a lot on this endeavor. A lot favors and debts she could have used for personal advantage. But the Chris Noble he remembered from the Maquis wouldn't have done so. Apparently, despite the differing life experiences, he'd changed more than she had. He found that oddly comforting. He'd needed more changes than she had.
Noble, Sito, and Lacey materialized at the specified transporter platform guarded by Solarian Security Systems mercenaries. Marcela, her the Orion Acquisitions Officer, met her with her entourage fo technical experts. Marcela stood out from the diverse crowd by wearing a brown leather jacket and neon pink crop top with brown leather pants and boots. The others all wore black leather. Marcela also bleached her hair platinum blonde while the others wore varying shades of different colors.
Marcela smirked after the three were scanned by Solarian contractors, "Bajoran military sidearms. I could fetch a hefty price for those."
"We'll keep them. Thanks," Noble replied, "How have you been?"
"Ever since you landed me this gig life has been one profitable turn after another," Marcela admitted, "Of course, everyone else in my House was executed for that weapons deal you pointed was nothing but useless junk, but your recommendation swayed Gomer when you pointed out I'd been trying to tell everyone involved the merch was faked."
"You survived the Blood Queen's reign of terror," Noble said proudly.
"I was too valuable to the Syndicate to purge," Marcela admitted, "So, I was kept on."
"When is the final auction?" Noble asked.
"In six hours. You made it just in time for me to clear your credentials with Grimes Armaments," Marcela told her, "They still have you on record as a Syndicate buyer. As usual, they've held out the priciest and best materials for the end. The cipher in question is the final offering. It's expected to go for a billion bars of latinum. I hope you have the budget."
"Price isn't an object for my client," Noble told her, "So, the sacrifice will be worth it."
"We expected the Romulans to send an entourage to bid on the cipher. They're strangely absent," Marcela pointed out.
"Like they don't need one," Noble caught her meaning.
"Your escorts hardly look disreputable," Marcela chuckled.
"I knew them or of them from my Maquis days. I found them in the Kalendra Sector before the Iotians took control," Noble explained the cover story.
"That explains why they fell off the Federation's grid after the Dominion War ended," Marcela accepted the story despite knowing it was completely fabricated, "Sito Jaxa, in particular, looks recovered from her ordeals in Cardassian prisons. Starfleet attempted to monitor her after her resignation following her liberation. The vaunted Starfleet Security failed to do so. It was rumored Vice Admiral Edward Noyce actually knew Sito's whereabouts and didn't share them with either his superiors or subordinates."
"You're fishing," Noble chided her friend.
"You came out of retirement and you and your crew assisted the Bajoran Militia and Outbound Ventures resolve the Raasian standoff. Now, you're here with an unlimited budget? Someone enticed you off of Izar. Who was it?" Marcela asked.
"Old friends," Noble told her, "Leave it at that."
"Solarian ran the usual background checks on your crew," Marcela told her, "We paid to see them. You've assembled, with the exception of Sito, a band of your fellow gallant freedom fighters. Only you lack a cause. Or do you?"
"I cashed in all my debts for this," Noble sternly reminded her, "After this, the Orion Houses and Gomer don't owe me anything. But they'll have to buy answers about my business dealings."
"You're still Chris Noble," Marcela laughed, "I was afraid you'd lost your edge for this type of transaction."
"Just show me what you've acquired so far," Noble requested, "My employer won't be told anything. It's not part of their purview. They don't care who buys what so long as I leave with the cipher."
"You sound like a Maquis again," Marcela noted, "Like when you first joined the Syndicate."
"Sometimes life is cyclical," Noble replied as they went on their tour of openly displayed death dealing merchandise.
"Stefi Grimes unveiled the company's latest starship line. They're predators. She sold a dozen already and the number of orders is being held secret," Marcela told her, "As is the customer list."
"How have they shaked down the prototype?" Noble wondered.
"Solarian was sold the first dozen production models. They've already reported success with them in combat," Marcela told her, "The Grimes sisters have not only gotten into the business of supplying arms for wars but sending troops to prosecute them."
"And Federation Security is unaware," Noble groaned.
"They're well aware," Marcela shared, "From the Director down, Federation Security looks the other way for handsome kickbacks. That was for free by the way. It hurts our business models."
"Then why tell me?" Noble asked.
"I think you can tell your friends in the Militia or Outbound Ventures and they can pass the word to Starfleet," Marcela told her, "It doesn't matter how Starfleet learns as long as they do."
"And you're assuming they'll listen," Noble noticed.
"Colonel Wyn and Captain Gardner followed your plan at Raas despite their contrary orders," Marcela had been given everything the Orions knew about Noble since her departure and sudden reappearance in their affairs, "If nothing else, Sito can impose upon Captain Riker. I assume they're still close?"
"I'm not with Outbound Ventures. They listened because I made sense," Noble told her.
"We checked the corporate employee records. Your crew is missing from them," Marcela agreed, "But you have a lot of former friends that are on the payroll. We've acquired Commander Ro's inquiry into Macen. We know he's building a private force for himself. A 'former Maquis vigilante squad', as Ro put it. Macen maintains ties with Starfleet. You're maintaining ties to Macen. Gomer thought it just made sense that Macen might be attempting to buy his way back into Starfleet's graces."
"And she accepted my deal anyway?" Noble was curious as to why.
"Like you said, it wipes a lot of slates clean," Marcela told her, "Besides which, the Syndicate can't afford the cipher. It's not our main interest. We're more interested in who the bidders will be. Perhaps they'll be cultivated as future clients."
"The Iridian Enforcers would pay handsomely for it," Noble pointed out.
"They can't afford the war they've started," Marcela laughed again, "They're hoping for a quick, cheap victory so they plunder enough to reimburse themselves for their troubles. So far, the Iotians have proven more resistant than they ever estimated. They're taking heavy losses they can't imaginably afford. Yet they can't return home empty handed."
"So, they're literally falling on their swords," Noble caught the implication.
"Just like Chang and his faction wanted for the Klingon Empire after Praxis," Marcela mirthfully said.
The Iotian Starfleet's allied push on the Enforcers rear had taken the Iridians by surprise. Kracko's strategy of thinning other fleets to look imperiled and driven the Enforcers to split their forces and push against Sigma Iotia II and the Home Fleet and Starfleet's task force there as well as the Starfleet's Fifth Fleet at the border near Fleet Base 4. But the plan had been complicated by an unseen variable. The Iridians weren't engaging the forces at Sigma Iotia II. So, the rear guard, rather than flee to regroup with their invasion fleet, were standing and fighting system by system. Kracko hoped Colonel Wyn was having greater success.
"Two more Enforcer ships have entered the system from points unknown," Captain Horst Mendel, the Fist of the Prophets' XO, reported to Colonel Wyn.
"They were the hunters looking for Benteen's sector patrol," Wyn realized immediately, "What is the tactical situation?"
"Until now, it favored Starfleet," Sergeant Bol Farin answered, "The Prometheus-class has the ability to divide for a multi-vector assault."
"And she's dividing up now," Lieutenant Crispus Alva, the helmsman sitting beside Bol. Remarked.
"The other ship is an Akira-class," Bol informed the Colonel in his role Navigator/Weapons Officer, "She's not a carrier model but they're formidable starships."
"The type you'd expect from a station pinned between the Iridian Enforcer Zone and the Romulan Border Zone," Crispus mentioned.
"The ships seem evenly matched now," Horst mentioned, "At least for now but the station itself is starting take damage as its defenses weaken."
"They saved the heaviest ship for the station," Wyn observed, "Let's see how they do against us."
"Shields are up and weapons are targeted," Bol announced.
"Open fire at will," Wyn ordered, "Crispus get us between that ship and the station."
"Won't that limit the station's ability to support us?" Horst sounded worried.
"With luck, it'll buy them time to make needed repairs," Wyn told him, "Then we can arrange a crossfire."
"Get all repair crews double timing it," Benteen ordered, "They're buying us time to repair our defenses. Once they're at full strength again, we can signal the Bajorans and set up intersecting fields of fire."
"Not that I'm ungrateful, but the what the hell is a Bajoran ship doing out here?" the Weapons Officer asked.
"Tipping the scales in our favor," Benteen smiled.
"Why haven't they opened fire?" Delaney's relief at Tactical aboard the Intrepid asked, "That bomb was obviously meant to destroy the Iotian flagship."
"Oxmyx has something or someone they want back," McKinley theorized, "Any luck yet reaching Admiral Johnson and his Security detail?"
"The signal's jammed from inside the ship," the relief told him.
Commander Jonathan Striker, the ship's XO, returned from the Intelligence office, "Massoli thinks she knows why we're at a stalemate."
Striker had been Starfleet Intelligence before switching tracks to Command so McKinley listened as Striker offered the theory derived, "Oxmyx is holding their Supreme Leader."
"Meaning?" McKinley asked.
"Get Doctor Sikorsky up here," McKinley told a lower decker. Jim McKinley and Andreja Sikorsky had been a couple aboard the previous Galaxy-class starship USS Intrepid. She'd stayed on Chief Medical Officer despite the breakup and Johnson and McKinley's promotions. McKinley was the Captain now.
"Why bring in Sikorsky?" Striker asked, "And why not simply use a comm badge?"
"Because I want her tools to display how badly a body would be mangled yet survive an interrupted transport sequence," McKinley told him.
"I can't stand by and let you torture Syndic," Johnson was angrily arguing with Oxmyx in her expansive office suite.
"This is sovereign Iotian territory. Your own Prime Directive forbids you from interfering in my affairs of state," Oxmyx chided him.
"You intertwined affairs of state when you aided and abetted an invasion of the Federation," Johnson snapped back.
"My forces and Fleet Base 4 held their ground against the Enforcers when they went to cross the border," Oxmyx retorted, "Your own fleet's sensor logs will bear that out. You heard from Syndic himself when he advised the Federation to spare itself a war by simply surrendering."
"That could have been bluster," Johnson retorted.
"Sindis didn't bluster. I doubt Syndic does either," Oxmyx snorted, "This cease fire won't hold much longer before they give up hope on recovering Syndic alive. I give it twenty more minutes before they cease waiting for a ransom demand."
She stormed out of the office. Her gun molls struggled to keep up. Johnson followed their wake with Delaney and the Security detail wondering what was happening. Ship's Security stopped them outside the brig.
"You aren't cleared," the Chief of Security told them. Two more officers flanked him with phasers in their hands.
Johnson held Delaney back, "She's damnably right. The Prime Directive gives us absolutely no leverage or jurisdiction here. Just hope they invested in soundproofing the corridor."
"Well played, Madame," Syndic grimaced a facsimile of a smile despite the agony he was obviously in.
"Give me the abort code and I'll end this," Oxmyx told him reasonably.
"You think you can hurt me enough to divulge a state secret?" Syndic rasped.
"I know I can," Oxmyx promised. Pain unlike that even Syndic had inflicted upon others over his decades of Enforce service coursed through him. Then ended. The Iotian doctors made certain to stabilize him enough to go through it again.
"That was a taste," Oxmyx warned him, "I can make that your ever present reality."
"What is this machine I'm in called?" Syndic marveled at its capacity.
"It's an Agony Booth. It's not of this universe. You never grow accustomed to the pain because the nerves being afflicted constantly shift and change. My people will keep you fed and hydrated for as long as you can survive," Oxmyx told him, "Or, you can give me the abort code and you'll go down in history as the greatest traitor the Enforcers have ever known. And you'll do so gratefully."
"And you'll kill me afterwards?" he hoped.
"Afterwards, you can atone for your dishonor with your own kind," Oxmyx pledged, "So, the stain won't be absolute."
The following twenty minutes were the longest of Syndic's life but as promised, he broke. He gave her abort code and which chain of his DNA authenticated it. The doctors quickly extracted the necessary chain code. Then he was prepped for transport to his flagship. Oxmyx strode by Johnson his detail and went to the turbolift to head for the bridge. Johnson was amazed when stretcher bearing orderlies took a living Syndic to the Transporter Room. They didn't realize his own people would now actually kill him to atone for his betrayal. But until they received him, he remained in command.
The ship's captain broadcast in the clear so every ship in the system would receive the broadcast. A simple code word with a DNA marker attached was transmitted. Soon, the Iridian flagship signaled the fleet's joint surrender. They also dispatched transporter coordinates to return Syndic to. The flagship also piggybacked the Iotians' comm array to signal the other fleet and stalled starships under fire. Kracko accepted the wave of surrenders coming from the Enforcer ships. Captain Benteen did the same for her sector, rescuing the Enforcers from what seemed assured destruction. Vice Admiral Kathryn Janeway did the honors for Starfleet at the Iotian border with the Federation. Though she did have questions regarding the sudden change of intentions.
The one Iridian ship that didn't receive the abort signal was the communications and command ship despite its augmented subspace transceiver. Starfleet had resumed jamming most non-diplomatic signals out of the Iotian Federation. So, Starfleet's subspace array station didn't receive a signal to boost. For that crew, running the ongoing terrorist campaign across the Federation was still a priority.
Admiral Johnson was invited to the flagship's bridge. Oxmyx looked quite pleased with herself, "The Iridians will now negotiate in actual faith."
"Why do I suspect a coup took place?" Johnson asked.
"What matters is that the new Supreme Leader counseled against this folly. She's willing to come to terms to secure the resources her Enforcer Zone has depleted and requires," Oxmyx told him, "I've reopened communications so you can contact your support ship and update Starfleet Command and receive new instructions for negotiating priorities."
Johnson stepped away, out of earshot of the crew and his privacy enforced by Delaney and turner's detail. After speaking a much relieved McKinley, he learned the details of Sikorsky and Massoli's investigations. He also learned he would be joined by Vice Admiral Janeway and the Fifth Fleet escorting the stewing Enforcer crews.
Johnson was surprised when Kracko appeared in the system. She'd given joint control of her allied fleet to Colonel Wyn. Captain Benteen was singing the Bajoran Militia's praises to Starfleet Command. Kracko's flag captain updated Oxmyx's flag captain as to the status of the remaining Iridian ships. It seemed the Iridians wouldn't have been able to further their ambitions even without the purloined abort code.
"You knew they couldn't possibly win if Starfleet became involved," Johnson said.
"I suspected and so did Kracko," Oxmyx admitted, "They were gambling everything. Now they pay the debts they incurred along the way."
"They're resource ravaged. How can they possibly pay war debts?" Johnson asked.
"And you call yourself a negotiator," Oxmyx scoffed.
Marcela smirked as one bidder after another winnowed away until only Noble was left as the sure winner, "I hope this was worth it for you."
"It will be," Noble promised.
"The Syndicate won't attack you to get the cipher from you as you travel to wherever you're headed next. Neither will we protect you," Marcela stipulated.
"Fair enough," Noble rose out of her seat and started for the payout kiosk. Marcel verbally stopped, "Not that way. Stefi Grimes wants to personally meet the winner, receive payment, and hand over the data crystal. This is a big win for her. She wants to celebrate it."
"The bar?" Noble knew Grimes' reputation.
"The bar," Marcela confirmed it.
The indoor bar appeared inhabited by customers. Noble knew the truth. Everyone present was Grimes' personal security. She sat at a table wearing a red mini- sweaterdress with a case on the floor next to her. On the table before her was a transaction padd. She smirked as Noble took a seat opposite her.
"Captain Christina Noble, so good to meet you," Grimes still looked victorious, "My payment transfer?"
Noble double checked the exclusive terms and the payment amount before authorizing the latinum transfer. Grimes' smirk grew as she studied the result when the padd was returned to her, "Barrinor instantly transferred the funds. Your employer must have great faith in you to give access to such largess."
"I'll have to ask them when I deliver," Noble told her, "Can I have my property now?"
Grimes hefted the case and placed on the table before Noble, "Every headhunter you outbid will be after you now. For a fee, I can arrange for Solarian to escort you to safety."
"So, they can report back to you and Estella where we went to deliver," Noble shook her head, "No, thank you."
"Gomer and Marcela made it clear you were t be treated as a Syndicate buyer but that you also an independent operator. Looking for work after this?" Grimes asked.
"My calendar is full," Noble opened the case to verify the cipher was in it. Her tricorder ran specialized scan to make certain it was properly encoded. It was. She shut the case and stood, "Thank you for a smooth transaction."
"Meaning?" Grimes stiffened.
"You could have made this harder and tried to sneak a tracker in. Instead, you still upheld your end despite your ravenous curiosity," Noble told her.
"Most of my customers would devote their full attention to killing me if I tried something like that. I don't have the patience to put up with such idiocy," Grimes elected to admit.
"Your cease fire extends throughout the system. I expect Solarian to uphold it," Noble reminded Grimes.
"They will," Grimes told her, "It's only good business."
Tulley manned the Tactical station on the bridge had Hendryks was scanning the system. Tulley looked concerned, "Several players already exited the system. Presumably to set up their ambush points."
"Most of them will fight over the best territories to strike from," Noble predicted, "Most of these groups compete with one another for resources and clients. They'll be all too happy to start up shooting matches with each other."
Lacey arrived to relieve Tulley. Tulley made another observation, "You never told us where we're handing the cipher off."
"In case someone broke the cease fire or Solarian didn't enforce it," Noble told him, "Sito, make your course Deep Space Three. We have a date with Ro."
"That's actually pretty close," Sito warmed to the idea, "That shortens the distance in between here and where we can get killed at."
"If it helps ease anyone's mind, I alerted the Fenris Rangers to the fact that every criminal cartel in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants was in their patrol sector. They'll be bounty hunting," Noble revealed.
"Which just leaves us dealing with the zealots," Tulley appreciated that.
"Unfortunately, they are the zealots," Noble grimaced, "Break orbit and head out at maximum warp."
"Which has been upgraded with the rest of the ship," Sito grinned.
"Commander, we're starting our search grid in the subsectors surrounding the relay station. They can detect us," Forger warned Macen.
"I don't care if they can. The only ship we can't let detect us is the Iridian controller ship," Macen reminded her.
"We'll start looking," Forger assured him.
Chapter Two
"That's the dumbest choice," Shade chided him, "It's too obvious."
"It's so obvious everyone will overlook it," Lee argued back.
"Are we getting live transmission feed data from the station?" Burrows asked. He and Daggit had joined them as well.
"Bailey and Angelique quietly patched us in," Macen told them.
"In order to have avoided detection, they're piggybacking regular transmissions made at regular intervals," Forte told them, "That means the monitoring satellites surrounding the Iotian border."
"And the station crew is so bored and negligent, the signals get pushed beyond the station in myriad directions without being detected," Rockford snorted.
"It's manned by one guy or gal," Shade put forth, "I'd be too bored to care as well."
"Or maybe the attendant is dead," Daggit put forth, "Has anyone attempted direct contact or has the station challenged us?"
Macen queried Forger and got negative to both after a few minutes time. The ship redirected itself towards the station. Forger halted their progress beyond the Oort cloud.
She personally reported to the Situation Center.
"There's an unknown type of ship beside the station," she reported, "But its enhancements match what we're looking for."
"Odds are they simply took the station to save from having to hide themselves from it," Rockford postulated.
"We've only taken visuals. We haven't actively scanned the system. But our passive sensors show exactly the signal piggybacking you all predicted," Forger told them,
"Or at least one of us predicted," Forte snorted.
"Neela's ETA?" Macen asked.
"Within the hour," Forger answered, "It certainly panned out that this was the given rendezvous point."
"Neela chose this spot. So, luck might not have anything to do with it," Macen shrugged.
"Right," Forger deadpanned, "I'll be on the bridge."
"Kerber and Smith are filtering out the transmissions. They're blocking the routine traffic from our screens and just giving us the updates to the terror cells," Rockford noted.
"To bad we couldn't alert Commander Ro," Forte said glumly.
"Why can't we?" Lee asked.
"Because the Starfleet subspace comm array is channeled so that if we transmit openly our signal will automatically be routed through the station before it's sent on to the comm buoy networks and other relay stations," Burrows explained.
"There has to be a way to bypass sending it through the station," Shade countered.
"We could send a signal straight to the nearest buoy but the time lag could be minutes or hours. That's why the relay stations are in place. They have the power to transmit with more gain than we do," Macen told her.
"Could we blockade the station's signals with our own comm buoys?" Daggit wondered.
"We don't have enough of them," Macen told him, "The station is transmitting in every direction but the Iotian border."
"You told Neela to simply find them and report it in," Rockford reminded him.
"We didn't count on the station itself being occupied territory. We expected a friendly in there to pass messages along to Deep Space Three and Starfleet Command," Macen reminded her right back.
"It sounds like we'll be taking the ship and the station," Daggit noted.
"That depends on how far they're willing to bluff. If we can get inside the station's defenses then we stand a chance of retaking it. Until we run an active scan of their ship, we have no idea of how heavily armed it is or isn't," Macen reminded him.
"We did this every other day in the Dominion War," Daggit recalled.
"That was with Cardassian technology and stations," Macen replied, "Those were known variables. The Dominion relay stations we breached nearly destroyed us."
"But we got the necessary intelligence for allied forces to destroy the stations at minimal cost," Daggit said, "The first time is the unknown. Afterwards, the secrets are already revealed."
"You just want to conduct a boarding action," Burrows accused.
"Damn straight I do. They probably killed the comm tech on that station. That shouldn't go unaddressed," Daggit said heatedly.
"Which is why we're waiting for the Razor's Edge before approaching," Macen told him, "If this does turn into a boarding action, then we'll need the support the crew can provide."
"Brin, this isn't the Asimov commanded by Ro Laren with eight Angosian Augment commandos aboard. Neela has three constables," Rockford counseled him.
"Her command staff includes two Special Forces officers," Macen reminded her of that.
"Jelena Kovic and Abby Collins have been training the Security team aboard for this type of action under Tony and I's supervision," Daggit mentioned.
"You mean 'instigation'," Rockford accused.
"They're ready," Burrows promised.
"And while you're taking back the station, what about the Q-ship?" Lee asked, "They won't sit back and do nothing."
"And in typical Iridian fashion, it may outgun both our ships," Macen made plain.
"Then we divide and conquer," Daggit offered, "We have a runabout. Let's use it."
"Prep a mission plan. Get Ebert's input. Have it ready to present to us and Captain Forger within the hour. If it's workable, we'll present it to Neela and Major Wyn," Macen offered, "But its a contingency, not our main priority."
Daggit and Burrows dismissed themselves to gather Ebert and join Kovic and Collins for a planning session. Rockford was still concerned, "How will they get the station's schematics without accessing the Data Net?"
"It's a standard relay station. We have the specs on file," Macen told her, "This way they feel useful and if we have to resort to boarding the station, we'll be ready to."
"I'd like Harri to sit in with us," Rockford admitted, "She has more experience at scouting and boarding ships."
"Harri Mudd? Pirate at large? Tell me it isn't so," Macen quipped.
"I'm calling her in, smart ass," she told him.
"I don't know about weapons ports from this picture but this ship is heavily armored," Mudd told them, "There's no external phaser strips or disruptor cannons but they could emerge from the armor on these might be ports I've outlined," Mudd had doctored a copy of the image on a screen, "One thing is obvious, they can project a real time signal across five sectors."
"They'd be reminiscent of the United Earth Starfleet NX-class' phase cannon ports," Macen mused.
"Whatever they are, this is hybrid tech," Mudd explained, "They stole a lot of components and modules to make this."
"From where?' Rockford asked.
"The Iotians," Macen answered, "Probably sold to them by the Orion Syndicate."
"You're kidding me," Rockford deadpanned.
"Almost all new Iotian starship production is modular," Macen had observed, "These module types are consistent with designs from their Econo and Standard Class catalogs."
"So, it literally could be a NX-class type weapons system," Lee mentioned.
"From this distance with just visuals and no active scans, this ship could do anything," Mudd warned them.
"What about a sensor probe?" Shade asked.
"It'd be tracked back to here," Mudd told her.
"They'd also know we were observing them before we approached," Macen added.
"That too," Mudd concurred, "You want them sitting fat and happy thinking we're buying whatever story they're peddling. Which we won't be."
"The Iridians are too practiced at this type of activity. I think it's their regular playbook," Rockford mentioned.
"I agree," Macen told her, "The orders they're sending aren't military campaign orders. They're out and out terror campaign planning."
"I had Kerber and Smith route some of the responding traffic," Rockford had several padds spread across the small table at the side of the room, "Outbound Ventures is assisting Starfleet in terror response and apprehension."
"It seems Starfleet Command can be persuaded to use the SID the way it designed to be used," Macen grimly chuckled.
"Riker's people are working with local enforcement and my agencies where they're present," Rockford reported, "That last bit seems to have been Lees' idea."
Macen knew that Lisea Danan's own Maquis experience as his XO aboard the Odyssey had taught her lot about terror campaigns versus paramilitary activity. In a terror campaign, you used every available resource to run the terrorists into the ground. Since they'd be largely undisciplined compared to soldiers, they'd get sloppier the longer they ran.
"If the Iridians are commanding and controlling the terror groups and they have access to all the communications from our side, couldn't they just keep the terror cells ahead of our people?' Forte asked.
"They seem to be at a limited capacity," Macen observed, "They don't want to tip off they have access to a relay station."
Forger and Joelle Jones came inside. Jones looked frustrated, "You wanted to see us?"
"When we make our approach run, we'll be pretending to believe everything coming the station and the ship. The second they make us, transmit a distress call to Deep Space Three. Commodore Reyes has two starships standing by to assist us," Macen told them.
"Reyes spared two ships?' Forger was surprised, "I thought the Border Zone was on high alert."
"I slipped Ro an encrypted message telling her what we were doing and why. She convinced Reyes to authorize an intervention. The two ships are in the neighboring sector," Macen explained.
"And you're still involving the Razor's Edge?" Forger was surprised.
"That part was actually Ro's idea. She has a cover story for them," Macen assured her.
"And this will help steer away Starfleet Security's suspicions?" Jones asked.
"We're hoping, at least," Rockford added.
"Starfleet Security and Commander Ro have a helluva point. Neela is invading Federation space to kill Federation citizens," Forger pointed out.
"Yeah, religious fanatics bent on killing everyone else in the universe," Jones snorted, "I say let her kill them before they do unto us."
Unlike most in the room, Forger came up through the Starfleet ranks before a senior officer blackened her record with false allegations of sexual misconduct. Amanda Forger hadn't been allowed to investigate the incident despite being in Internal Affairs. Shannon laid it out simply, her commanding officer knew she was a pre-op trans and wanted a fetish sexual session with her. When she refused, he accused her of offering sexual favors in exchange for rapid promotion. It was "he said/she said" testimony exchange since their comm badges and all interior recorders in his Ready Room magically failed the record the incident. But he was a Starfleet captain and she was lt. commander Tactical Officer pushing to to achieve her own command some day. The recorder blackout tarnished the captain's testimony but the black mark on Forger's record remained. She resigned rather than accept that she'd never earn her own command. Amanda steered Forger to Macen.
Forger had achieved getting her own command as well a grim satisfaction that the captain that accused her was eventually charged with misconduct in an IA sting operation and lost his command and was permanently demoted. JAG was reevaluating all of his accusations and charges of misconduct. Starfleet had reached out to Forger and offered her her commission back with a promotion to commander and an exec position. She'd informed them she was content to command the Obsidian.
"Daggit and Kovic came up with this as a backup plan," he handed Forger and Jones each a padd.
"This would entail the entire Security company," Forger noted at first glance.
"Which is only one reason I can't sign off on it. They're your people," Macen told her.
"He's talking about practically emptying Neela's ship," Jones saw.
"It's an extreme reaction," Rockford agreed, "But, we could be dealing with an extreme situation aboard the station."
"Would we have to liberate the station?" Forger asked, "Starfleet is intervening."
"And we could inspect the station after they retake it," Macen agreed, "I already voiced my doubts and concerns with them. But they need to hear from you because you're Kovic and Collins' captain."
"So, Daggit and Burrows know you're against it?" Forger asked.
"I allowed them the exercise because they would've gone behind my back and done it anyway. They also know I regarded it as a last ditch resort. I still think it's a last gasp measure," Macen told her, "Call it a 'revenge squad' at that point."
"I'll weigh in and kill this thing," Forger promised him.
Forger and Jones' comm badges chirped at the same time. Jones thumbed towards the door, "I'll handle this."
Forger left for the Security Office while Jones tapped her badge, "Jones here."
"The Razor's Edge just arrived. They transmitting a tight beam signal for Commander Macen," Miller reported.
"Put it through," Jones ordered.
"Commander, we've arrived as scheduled. I see you've spotted the problem," Major Wyn Mesa appeared on the main monitor.
"We assume they've taken the station by force," Macen told her.
"You mentioned we'd receive support. Is that still the case?" Wyn asked.
"Starfleet has two starships in the neighboring sector at our beck and call," Macen told her.
"You'll understand if I'm skeptical," Wyn said derisively.
"Commander Ro and Commodore Alfonso Reyes promised them to me. I trust them both with my life. Do you trust me?" Macen asked.
"I do," Wyn assured him.
"Then trust that the ships are awaiting our summons," Macen told her.
"Why not call them in now?" Wyn asked.
"If they have the station, they could destroy it before we can retake it. The intelligence of where and who they're signaling is invaluable," Macen explained.
"So, what's the plan?" Wyn asked.
"We each an approach playing civilian traffic checking in with the relay station. We need to find out how they'll react and how they'll explain their presence," Macen told her.
"And if they try to blow us up?" Wyn snorted.
"We shoot back. But we try to retake the station intact and with its records intact," Macen instructed.
"Well, I haven't been a target in days. I suppose I'm due," Wyn said with gallows humor.
"Captain Forger will coordinate the approaches," Macen told the Major, "My people will be trying to access both the station and the ship's records."
"Give Kerber and Smith my regards. I'll wait for Forger's plan. It's weird though. They should have surrendered by now," Wyn told him.
"Why's that?" Jones blurted the question.
"My sister contacted me before we wee within signal reach of this relay. She said Oxmyx ended the invasion. The Iridians have a new Supreme Leader who ended the war with both the Iotians and Starfleet. They're settling the peace terms now," Wyn explained.
"But Starfleet blocks signals coming from the Iotian Federation," Macen realized, "So, they didn't receive the order to surrender."
"Meru used a Bajoran code so the signal blockers allowed it through, I guess," Wyn said.
"But the blockers stop any foreign signal they don't recognize as coming from Starfleet or an ally like the Militia," Rockford groaned.
"I doubt these Iridians will accept any evidence of the facts from us," Wyn lamented.
"Standby for Captain Forger's instructions. I need a word with her first," Macen told Wyn. The Major signed off.
Jones smirked, "Headed for the Security Office, I suppose?"
"Things drastically changed," Macen said on his way out. Rockford quickly caught up with him. Jones returned to the bridge.
"We have another setup," Hendryks warned Noble, "Same as before, raiders coming in from behind us and an interceptor along our projected course."
"Same plan as the last three attempts. We drop out of warp and get them fighting each other and resume course at warp speed," Noble instructed.
"Your Orion friend was right. These guys hate each other more than they care to cooperate long enough to get the prize of a lifetime," Lacey snorted.
"Their ideologies are probably nearly identical. It took the Cardassian Occupation to get Bajoran factions to cooperate rather than argue jots and tittles," Sito pointed out.
"How far do we have to go?" Noble asked.
"Too far," Sito told her, "Eventually we'll be intercepted by someone that was fast enough to stake out a system by themselves without any competitors."
"At least no one knew where we'd heading towards," Tulley pointed out, "Or we'd be facing even more numbers."
"We are back in Federation space," Hendryks pointed out, "We could send a distress call to the sector patrols ships."
"That would blow our cover," Noble sighed, "Right now we have a chance to eventually elude all pursuit and safely arrive at Deep Space Three unseen."
"I don't see why asking for Starfleet help would be a bad thing," Sito admitted.
"The first thing Starfleet will ask is why is everyone after us," Tulley told her, "Then they'd arrest us for having the cipher key."
"Good point," Sito frowned.
"Drop out of warp. It's time to play our same game," Noble told them, "This time hail the raider pursuing us."
"You're on, voice only," Hendryks told her.
"Attention, you might as well pack it up. We already surrendered to the raider intercepting us. I doubt they'll let you have the cipher to share. Maybe you could take it up with them?" Noble broadcast.
"A lot of subspace chatter between the ships," Hendryks smirked, "They're falling for it. They're maneuvering towards each other with targeting sensors locking on."
"And they're firing," Lacey laughed, "These morons always seem to fall for it."
"Give them a few to forget about us and then resume at maximum warp," Noble instructed.
"Our luck won't hold," Tulley warned Noble.
"I know. But we'll use the tactic for as long as it works," Noble replied.
Vice Admiral Janeway joined Johnson in the flagship's Ten Forward. She took in the view of Oxmyx flaunting herself and her gun molls. Kracko, at least, wore a Iridian Starfleet admiral's uniform. Colonel Wyn and Legate Fergan were also present.
"Why are representative of the Bajoran Militia and Cardassian Guard attending?" Janeway asked Johnson.
"Kracko insisted," Johnson told her, "That's all I was told."
"I read your report summary. It seems Oxmyx played us all," Janeway said grimly, "I suppose we were lucky the new Iridian Supreme Commander seems to be a moderate concerning the fighting."
"I wonder," Johnson confessed, "How much 'luck' was involved in that outcome?"
"You suspect collusion between Oxmyx and the Iridians?" Janeway quietly asked.
"I believe that the Enforcers fully expected to steamroll through the Iotian Federation and make major footholds in the Federation before they were forced into negotiating," Johnson explained in a whisper, "But I also have to wonder how the Iridians underestimated Iotian capabilities so badly."
"The Iridians don't resemble any Federation race. They stand out in the Iotian Federation as well," Janeway pointed out.
"But they were buying intelligence from the Orions. The Syndicate acted on their behalf in several matters," Johnson pointed out, "Starfleet knew that. So, why would Gomer so badly skew the information regarding Iotian capabilities?"
"You think it was a plot to invite the Iridians to invade?" Janeway was surprised.
"The Iotian Federation is hemmed in in the Alpha Quadrant and this side of the Beta Quadrant. They're having difficulties opening new markets in the Deeper Beta Quadrant in direct competition with the Federation. But a resource and defense starved Enforcer Zone would be a prime market and grant them access to the Delta Quadrant," Johnson summarized his working theory.
"That's one hell of a theory," Janeway mentioned.
"It was also open the Enforcer Zone to outside traders," Johnson said, "Making the Iotians seem far more reasonable than the Iridians. There's no downside other than the losses they suffered on combat. The conscription quotas they'd impose upon their new 'member world clients' would more than make up for those."
Ten Forward's doors opened and two armed Enforcer guards entered followed by a black haired, gray skinned woman wearing polished Enforcer body armor and navy-blue uniform. Johnson snorted, "I take it this is Syndic's replacement."
The woman made a dismissive gesture and her escorts retreated into the background to join Delaney's detail and Janeway's own two-man escort. The gun molls remained in the background surrounding the negotiating table. Colonel Wyn and Legate Fergan held back while Oxmyx and Kracko met with the new Supreme Leader.
"Supreme Leader Ozempia Zandic, it's a pleasure to meet a reasonable intellect," Oxmyx warmly greeted her.
"I've read over your proposed terms," Zandic told her directly, "I can agree to them. Now, all that awaits is negotiating with all the other concerned parties."
Oxmyx summoned Johnson, Janeway, Wyn, and Fergan. Everyone took a seat at the table as prearranged by the Iotians. Kracko sat to Oxmyx's right hand but Zandic was at her left. Beside Zandic was Wyn and tha Fergan. Johnson sat to Kracko's right and Janeway to his beside Fergan. Everything seemed designed to distance Starfleet from Zandic. Janeway had to admit Zandic's opening statement hinted at a larger conspiracy.
"As an opening statement, I'd like to express my regret at Syndic's decision to invade your territories. As the Klingon Empire once faced an existential crisis after the Praxis incident, so to did my people and our Zone planets. Syndic's solution was our outdated method for solving our escalating crises. Rather than trade, we would take. We can no longer afford a military solution to our life threatening problems. It is time we began to negotiate and open to trade relations," Zandic said.
"You say that with practiced ease," Johnson pointed out, "I take it you and Syndic had a similar discussion."
"Several discussions on the matter, in fact." Zandic told him, "I disagreed with his ultimate decision, but an Enforcer does not question the chain of command. And he was its pinnacle."
"Until now," Janeway pointed out.
"Oxmyx's solution to the invasion caused Syndic to betray our people. He was dealt with according to our traditions," Zandic ignored the slight in Janeway's tone, "As his next in command, I am now the Supreme Leader and the voice of the Iridian Enforcers and their peoples."
"You invaded the Federation and cost Starfleet numerous lives and material losses. How do you propose to be made accountable for those matters?" Johnson inquired.
"I must take this opportunity to state that the Enforcers have surrendered to the Iotian Starfleet. In addition, the Enforcer Zone has been annexed by the Iotian Federation. The Enforcers ceased to exist as both an agency and a government. For further discussions, I defer to the Iotian Federation's leadership, Oxmyx," Zandic told them.
"The conveniences keep building up, Madame Oxmyx," Johnson stated.
"We offered the Enforcer Zone relief and protection. That's what responsible governments do," Oxmyx told him, "The Enforcers as a military construct are no longer necessary to maintaining peace and security. Their officers and enlisted will be incorporated into our Starfleet after transitional training."
"And how do you propose to allocate war reparations?" Janeway asked, "The Iridians admittedly have nothing to offer."
"The Enforcer Zone will be allocated as a free trade zone," Oxmyx explained, "That opens it to bids from Federation companies and traders that wish to assist in the reconstruction process that will be beginning."
"And you'll be funding this 'reconstruction' project as a massive scale?" Janeway asked.
"That's why we'll need outside expertise and labor to complete it," Kracko told them.
"What's the ask here?" Johnson bluntly got to it, "You and your government never grant concessions. You want something in return."
"We want to open the mutual borders to free trade. Both ways," Oxmyx told him.
"You'll grant us access to your markets if we open ours to yours," Johnson understood, "What's the angle I'm missing?"
"We want you to lift the sanction against military and arms sales in the Federation markets," Oxmyx said flatly.
"That will take an act from the Federation Council," Janeway advised Oxmyx, "We can't change policy."
"But you can advocate for the change," Kracko put forward.
"Why should we?" Johnson asked, "And let's cut through the usual diplomatic and trade negotiation bullshit."
"We'll accept a gradual opening of mutual markets as we accept bids for reconstruction efforts in the former Enforcer Zone," Oxmyx spelled it out, "But this trade war has had a one-sided beneficiary. We want a piece of the action."
"You sound like your ancestor," Janeway told her, "Bella Oxmyx would be proud. But neither of us is Captain James T. Kirk. You'll have to be more persuasive."
"We stepped in when Starfleet abandoned its obligations towards its Protectorates. We sold starships and ordnance and provided training to those planets. Now, that Federation policy has shifted, we're cut off from our customers," Kracko pointed out, "The ill will is aimed squarely at the Federation and your Starfleet. Return our access to our customer base and we begin exploring mutually beneficial trade transactions."
Johnson knew Kracko had identified a major crisis facing the Federation Diplomatic Corps. Those affected worlds were still unhappy at being neglected in the first place. Now, they were enraged that they were denied access to the suppliers that helped them meet their security needs. Kracko's proposal would be a winner for everyone involved. Except for the fact that it potentially drew those worlds away from the Federation's sphere influence into the Iotians'. Which is why the Federation Council had closed the border.
"I can endorse the idea to the Federation Council," Johnson agreed., "It would alleviate many of the grievances the Protectorate planets and regions are expressing."
"Admiral Janeway?" Oxmyx asked.
"I find it reprehensible that you're holding the fate of those in the Enforcer Zone hostage for your negotiating demands," Janeway declared, "But I see no issues with returning your access to the Protectorates. Non-military and arms trade with the Federation itself would be welcomed."
"It still doesn't address the recompense for the lives and material lost to the Enforcers' invasion of Federation space and the seeming culpability of Iotian forces in encouraging the move," Johnson expressed.
"Nor does it address the lives lost and material damages made to our two sector patrol ships and Fleet Base 4 in defending our mutual border," Kracko reminded him.
"A border that had been greatly reinforced before the bulk of the ship were redeployed," Janeway said coldly.
"They were needed for the defense of Sigma Iotia II and for my rearguard action," Kracko was unapologetic, "There was no guarantee that any negotiations would end the hostilities rather than provoke a direct assault on my home planet."
"The task force assigned to my participation was meant to discourage such an attack," Johnson reminded them.
"Yet Syndic himself told you that the Enforcers always meant to attack your Federation," Oxmyx reminded him, "What makes you think your task force would persuade him otherwise?"
"Syndic's standing order was to attack both Starfleets in this system," Zandic informed Johnson and Janeway, "The invasion near Fleet Base 4 had always been planned as well. Your Starfleet's presence was never anticipated. It was thought several worlds could be taken and held hostage before your Starfleet intervened. Syndic's plan was only delayed by Oxmyx's quick thinking in interrupting his transport and the delivery of the bomb intended to destroy this flagship. How she manged to learn of the plan is still unknown to us. The other intelligence she'd gathered on our situation proved to me and my subordinates that the Iotians had always been ahead of our plans."
Johnson knew that Oxmyx's trove of intelligence on the Iridians had been supplied by the Obsidian. But outing the contractor wouldn't reinforce the Iotians' position and might encourage Zandic to reinitiate hostilities. The surveyor's presence and departure had barely been acknowledged by the Enforcers. It was now apparent they hadn't detected Kerber and Smith's incursion into their systems. He'd brief Janeway in private.
"That avoids answering the direct question," Janeway replied.
"I understand Starfleet's strategic reliance on Grimes Armaments is preventing Federation Security from properly enforcing legal sanctions against the company and its owners," Oxmyx suddenly diverged, "We could supply your Starfleet with comparable photon torpedoes and phaser coils at cost for a negotiated period of time so that your law enforcement agencies could do their duties."
"You have that capacity?' Johnson hadn't been briefed.
"We manufacture them for our own forces. They aren't available for public consumption," Kracko told him, "But we can assume production quotas to supplement your needs to reduce your reliance upon Grimes in order to repay the Enforcers' debts and to allow your Starfleet to ramp up their production plants under construction. The Federation Council's decision to nationalize the bulk of ordnance production will take time to implement. In the meantime, we can assist at reduced pricing since we'll sell at production costs."
"Helping reduce the competition from Grimes Armaments in wider markets," Janeway pointed out, "Your 'generosity' is self-serving."
"And your Federation's aid programs aren't a massive 'hearts and minds' campaign to win favor among affected populations?" Oxmyx snorted.
"We could debate semantics until we die of old age," Johnson intervened, "But let's just agree that the United Federation of Planets isn't as transactionally motivated as the Iotian Federation."
"Another aspect of opening ties would be the establishment of formal diplomatic relations," Oxmyx explained, "We would include the exchange of Cultural Observers as part of the diplomatic missions."
"You haven't allowed Federation Cultural Observers to Sigma Iotia II since the turn of the century," Janeway pointed, "A dispute over Kirk's negotiated cut in GDP which the Federation reinvested in Iotian cultural missions."
"Yes, we objected to paying you to try and reprogram our society," Oxmyx knew the family lore behind the decision, "We'd learned what needed to know about your Federation and adapted it to our cultural model."
"You became interstellar gangsters selling a protection racket," Janeway accused.
"A model which has evolved over time to an actual consortium of shared values and mutual protection," Kracko snapped back, "Or, hadn't you bothered to learn that while you spied on us?"
"You want to talk about espionage?' Janeway retorted, "What about your own efforts to penetrate levels of Federation society?"
"Let's reset the conversation," Johnson insisted, "Do you have a formalized list of proposals we can present to Starfleet Command and the Federation Council?"
An aide handed the admirals data slates. Oxmyx told them, "All the details are outlined here. It includes a scaled plan to increase trade between our stellar nations as well as immediate unlimited access to the Protectorate regions."
"Another point, since we have a peaceful resolution to the crisis, your Starfleet can withdraw all vessels except for your personal support ships," Kracko stated.
"And the Bajorans and Cardassians?" Janeway asked.
"Are relocating their damaged ships to a construction yard for repairs," Kracko replied, "The bulk of their forces will be returning home."
"And the Enforcer ships?" Johnson asked.
"Will be reporting to Iotian fleet yards for decommissioning," Zandic told him, "The ships too damaged to withdrew from your Federation will be scuttled."
"Colonel Wyn, you have to understand the diplomatic bind you placed upon the Federation by assisting the Iotians," Janeway stressed, "We're compelled to assist in your defense but we will not automatically support your decisions to engage in offensive actions."
"Which is why we have mutual defense pacts with the Cardassian Union and Iotian Federation," Wyn replied, "Because the Federation is fickle. They deem when it's fit to assist us...or choose to attack us without cause."
"The Federation repaid the Bajoran Republic and reset diplomatic and defense relations with Bajor," Janeway reminded her.
"Blood money doesn't restore lost Bajoran lives or provide comfort for tens of thousands of Bajorans deported from the Federation," Wyn grated, "Or those you purged from your Starfleet. We'd thought the days of Bajorans being interned in refugee camps had ended until the Federation rounded our people up."
"A stain on the Federation's history to be certain," Johnson offered, "But they were extraordinary circumstances."
"Circumstances you repeated in the very next election cycle," Fergan scoffed, "Only this time your targeted Romulans. It seems the Federation isn't as embracing of outsiders as it once was."
"We aren't here to make Cardassian propaganda points," Janeway sighed.
"Unless there are any other proposals to be made or discussed in depth, we'll review what you've given us and forward everything onto Starfleet Command and the Federation Council with our recommendations," Johnson intervened again.
"I believe your participation is at an end for today," Oxmyx agreed, "I look forward to any replies your government decides to make."
As the Starfleet contingent was escorted to the transporter rooms, Johnson suggested to Janeway, "I believe a private consultation is warranted."
"I have a feeling you want to conduct business aboard the Intrepid," Janeway noted.
"You can disperse the Fifth Fleet from there and contact your flag captain," Johnson reminded her, "And I've had my staff working on potential responses."
"You had an open channel during the talks," Janeway realized.
"To my aide, Ensign DeBoer. I had her sent back to the ship before you arrived," Johnson explained, "And trust me, I was only able to maintain the channel with the Iotians' consent. They have a built-in signal blocker to disable all comm badges and devices other than their own when they employ it."
"I'd like to know what Oxmyx is offering the Bajorans and Cardassians for their continued support," Janeway admitted.
"You make them sound mercenary," Johnson accused.
"I wouldn't have thought it of the Bajorans until today," Janeway confessed before they were beamed away, "The Bajoran officers and crewmen that served under me were exemplary."
"A betrayal, an invasion, and internment camps can change people's perceptions of the Federation," Johnson said after they materialized aboard the Intrepid.
"We've dealt with those issues," Janeway sounded less than confident though.
"Have we? A majority of Federation citizens backed every measure taken and the wars. Then they elected a president based on promises of interning and deporting Romulan refugees," Johnson said sadly, "I'm afraid the Federation is at a tipping point and the old guard is losing support."
"The Mars Massacre traumatized a generation that vaguely remembers the Dominion War from childhood," Janeway pointed, "And we have a command officer corps that rose during the war. Their rise in the ranks was often accelerated due to wartime losses. So, that experience shapes every command decision."
"And most of the actual captains of that period are the Admiralty now," Johnson acknowledged, "But the Commodores and Rear Admirals of today waiting to take over Starfleet Command are also traumatized by war and the massacre. They just won't admit it."
"We're outliers now," Janeway admitted to him, "I was set to retire before the Mars incident. I thought I'd given Starfleet everything I could. Now, I know I'm defending the values of the Federation and Starfleet I was raised in so they're not forgotten and abandoned."
"It'll be interesting to see how an increasingly transactional Federation Council reacts to the proposals from the only transactional Iotian Federation," Johnson admitted.
"You think the proposals will change policy," Janeway realized.
"I think the Iotian Starfleet's offer to supply ordnance at cost and steer Starfleet away from Grimes Armaments will sway policy decisions," Johnson confessed, "With our hard currency levels at record lows and our going into debt to pay foreigners will weigh heavily in the decision making. There's also the matter of the non-aggression pact offered by Oxmyx to sweeten the deal making."
"I hadn't read that far into the proposals," Janeway confessed with surprise, "How will it affect their mutual defense treat with Cardassia?"
"They'll defend the Cardassian Union from Federation aggression," Johnson recalled the stipulation, "But, they won't assist in Cardassian aggression. The same holds true with the Bajoran Republic and the Ascendancy."
"That's an unexpected coup," Janeway admitted.
"Not really, when you think about it. The Enforcer Zone Reconstruction will take up resources and time the Iotians could otherwise pit towards increasing fleet yard production," Johnson told her, "It buys them time from potential Federation aggression to replace their wartime losses and fortify their new holdings."
"So, it's strategic rather than in the spirit of cooperation and friendship," Janeway sighed, "Very Iotian of them."
"The Federation Council hawks will see it as containment of the Iotian Federation and the doves will see the value of peace accords," Johnson predicted, "I think this will sail through committee to a full vote within days rather than months. Even Councilors in the Grimes sisters' pockets will have a hard time justifying voting against it."
"God help us all," Janeway groaned.
"We have a raider intercepting us," Hendryks warned Noble, "She's built for speed over combat."
"But her weaponry is potent enough," Lacey warned.
"They're firing photon torpedoes," Sito warned.
"Drop out of warp and go evasive," Noble ordered.
"Shields are up and weapons armed," Lacey reported as the subspace wake of the torpedoes shook the ship.
"They've come out of warp," Hendryks advised Noble.
"They're firing another brace of torpedoes," Lacey reported.
"Sito," Noble urged responsive action. The Solstice pinwheeled around the torpedoes' flight path. Lacey fired the forward torpedo tubes at the opposing ship. The raider evaded at the last moment but while avoiding one torpedo's flight path, the proximity fuse detonated the other.
"That got their attention," Lacey said with satisfaction, "Locking and firing phasers."
"Their shields held but they're weakened. This ship is built for speed and quick attacks against civilian grade foes," Hendryks assessed, "That's probably why they haven't made any demands. They're used to gutting freighters and plundering them."
"Firing again," Lacey announced, "Our new targeting system is tracking their evasion attempts. They don't seem very nimble for a raider."
"That ship is half warp drive. Minimal hold capacity, There's hardly any crew," Hendryks told everyone.
"For pirates, they're not very good at this," Tulley remarked.
"I don't think piracy is their day job," Noble told him, "I think this probably one of the terror groups. They hit soft targets and plunder the resources they were sent after. We're in a practically unknown vessel type. They didn't know how much fight we could up."
"They've ceased firing torpedoes and their phasers are only Type VII," Lacey reported.
"They're probably out of torpedoes," Sito guessed.
"Cripple them. They can call the local Starfleet sector patrol for assistance. Let them try and explain their weaponry," Noble instructed.
Lacey used torpedoes to breach the raider's shields and cripple its drive section, "They won't be following us."
"Resume course and set for cruising speed," Noble ordered, "I rather doubt anyone else got this far out ahead of us."
"I'll alert Ops to clear your passage. Encounter any trouble?" Ro asked.
"Frequently and often. Fortunately, they were all rivals and easily tricked into vying against each other and forgetting about us," Noble explained the trip in a sentence, "Sakonna is offering this up as a peace gesture."
"She said your group wouldn't be operating in Federation space," Ro scowled.
"Our actual operation was in a neutral system chosen by Stefi Grimes. Our trip here involved Federation space by necessity," Noble reminded her.
"I'll need copies of your sensor logs and witness statements about the auction and what was made available for sale. And any sensor logs you have on the buyers' ships," Ro told her.
"Already copied as well as sensor logs from every encounter on our way here," Noble promised, "We aren't your enemy."
"You'd never be my personal enemy. But you could prove to be a hindrance to Starfleet and the Federation," Ro clarified.
"Sakonna isn't Michael Eddington," Tulley interjected, "We won't be employing extremist methodology."
"We'll see, won't we?" Ro signed off.
"I can't believe that was Ro Laren," Tulley gasped.
"We never met Ro as a full on Starfleet officer until now," Noble reminded him, "The same dedication she applied to the Maquis is now applied to her Starfleet duties."
"Thool and I got a preview during the Dominion War. Just be grateful she hasn't decided we're a threat and she's hunting us," Hendryks told them,
"Eckles, Darcy, and I were there as well. Different ship but a shared mission. Ro could get very...intense," Lacey advised them, "It was like having another Angosian Augment around at times."
"I suppose we hand this off and try to avoid further scrutiny then," Noble sighed.
The Obsidian cruised through the system's Oort cloud. She registered the station and the ship's sensors separately. Both players remained cool under the collar. Zimbalist reported the station was hailing them.
"On screen," Forger instructed.
"It's voice only," Zimbalist told her, "Supposed 'technical issues'."
"Don't they have station engineers on these things?" Jones asked.
"Or Operations officers," Forger told her, "Play along and put them through. Greetings, I'm Captain Forger of the survey ship Obsidian. We're registered out of Barrinor. We'll be doing some near system survey work and are reporting our presence to Starfleet as instructed."
"Permission denied," the voice said back.
"I could forward our permits," Forger replied smoothly.
"Permission is still denied. Your permits are revoked. Come back later," the voice insisted.
"My engineering team is well trained. They could assist you with your technical issues," Forger offered cheerfully.
"I'm already receiving all the assistance I require. My assistants, however, value their privacy," the voice told her.
"Surely they can't expect to empty an inhabited sector?" Forger asked.
"Reverse course and return to Barrinor," the voice ordered them.
"The Enforcer ship is moving off," Miller told her, "They haven't charged weapons are activated targeting sensors but they're distancing themselves from the relay station to give themselves options."
"We're almost there," Jones read her tactical display.
"Aglaia, bump us in there with a full impulse burn and then hug that station's hull so they can't target us," Forger snap ordered.
It all happened before the Enforcer ship or the relay station boarders could react. Then it was too late. The Razor's Edge came barreling into the system. The station raised its shields reflexively.
"Telrik, beam the boarding party over," Forger ordered the Transporter Chief.
In the end, Daggit and Burrows were assigned the Gamma Watch Security Team minus Abby Collins. She stayed aboard to help Kovic repel the Enforcers the station would be beaming over. The ship also launched the Corsair while she circled the station, making certain to stay to close to engage weapons. Having the runabout loose as well only confused matters further for the Enforcer manning the defense systems.
The Enforcer Captain had come aboard to personally oversee the operation. The OPS ensign assigned to the station had been killed during the boarding action. The Captain transmitted his final set of orders before organizing a defensive stand. Only, the boarders didn't beam aboard the Habitat Module. Instead, they set about overriding everything from Engineering. The turbolift and weapons systems were the first things to be deactivated. The Iridians would have to use the crawl spaces to get at the invaders.
"They know their jobs," Parva shushed him.
"You weren't part of the original plan," Daggit told his wife.
"I know. I just make every plan better," the Orion smirked at him, "Tony and the team can guard the tubes. You can guard me. Will that make you happier?"
Her comm badge chirped, "Well, it's about time."
She reactivated the systems in the Ops module but left the turbolifts down. Now, the second team could secure the data that Ro would want.
"They didn't even leave a rearguard behind," Rockford said with disappointment.
"That's disappointing?" Lee asked.
"It's unprofessional," Rockford sniffed. She signaled Parva. The computers returned to life. Lee, Shade, and Forte attached the data spikes and Kerber and Smith began sifting through com logs from aboard the ship.
"I don't think proper soldiers get these assignments," Macen told her, "These are probably military washouts."
"They certainly react to threats like terrorists," Rockford said, "All or nothing. One big overreaction."
"Signal the Razor's Edge and tell them to clear the space between themselves and the station. Then order the Obsidian to flank the Enforcer ship as we designate the Iridian ship a threat and the auto defenses take over. Let Mudd and Ebert know the situation as well," Rockford contacted the ships while Macen adjusted the defense system.
"The Obsidian and Corsair are assisting us in boxing in the ship," Lieutenant Griff Goring reported to Major Wyn, "The station is now targeting it."
Wyn always admired her XO's capacity for understatement. Due to their having a single crewman and being posted in isolation, relay stations were designed to defend themselves against numerical superiority. Right now, the station had a single, boxed-in target. They were discovering that ship did have weapons ports. They opened so phaser cannons could emerge. They fired pulse bursts.
Wyn noted how the station's defense system operator was instructing the automated system to respond. Rather than damage habitable portions of the ship and transceiver arrays, the station was focused on the drive systems. Wyn had to assume that after they lost warp and impulse capacity, the crew would surrender.
Wyn was surprised when the Obsidian opened surgical fire as well to hasten the process. Even with the drive section in ruins and the warp core shut down, the crew refused to surrender. She had the sense that if the impulse reactor hadn't scrammed under the onslaught that the crew would've instigated a self-destruct protocol by now. But the ship was a lifeless hulk. It even lacked life support. Tech Corporal Javi Tem at Communications couldn't push a signal through. Wyn began to worry.
She turned to Tech Corporal Katts Killian at Sensors, "Is anyone alive over there?"
"They just vented atmosphere," Katts blurted, "There's bodies ejecting from the airlocks."
"That's a bad way to go," Corporal Wes Culin at the CONN said grimly.
Sergeant Ferris Grev at Tactical studied his sensors, "I'm detecting small scale explosions within the ship. They couldn't scuttle it but they are using antipersonnel charges to sabotage it,"
"Javi, contact the Obsidian and tell them in case they're missing this," Wyn ordered.
Javi did so and then replied sadly, "Zimbalist reports they tried to transport a few bodies aboard. They had to return them to space before they materialized because the Iridians are wearing suicide bomber vests."
"True believers," Griff noted.
"Alert Macen aboard the station," Wyn instructed Javi, "His teams need to know what they're up against."
"Still glad you came with?" Daggit asked Parva as they sheltered behind the warp core.
"Is that supposed to be humor?" Parva asked, "That's a breakthrough in your mental conditioning."
"These Iridians are the ones that are conditioned," Daggit observed, "The first wave faked surrounding so they could blow themselves and the bulk of the Security team up."
Macen contacted them and Daggit grimly answered, "We're a little busy here."
"I'm guessing you were faced with suicide bombers," Macen told them.
"Good guess," Daggit was surprised. Macen explained the crews' disposition.
Burrows and the remaining Security guard were pushing the Iridians into a cluster. Their Captain was forcing them apart at the cost of their own lives. Daggit fired his grenade launcher at the ones that were as clustered as they'd be. The photon charge blew several of them apart. The others were wounded by backlash, the Captain included.
Burrows and Daggit advanced on them while the Security guard switched to protecting Parva. They kicked away dropped weapons. The Captain stirred and reached for his back up pistol. Burrows put his katana blade through the alien's hand.
"You'll live despite your own best efforts," Burrows warned him.
"Never," the man bit down on an implant in a tooth and a micro charge blew out his skull.
"These people are nuts," Burrows mentioned.
"They're as fanatical as they causes they assist," Daggit said grimly, "It's probably a job requirement."
He reported the loss of all enemy personnel. Macen's reply was also dispirited, "Have Parva secure the Engineering space and join us in the Habitat Module."
She reactivated the turbolift. Macen dismissed the Security guard back to the ship for medical treatment. Kovic sent a recovery team for the rest of the Beta Watch. Kerber and Smith personally beamed aboard.
"Well, the data spikes are properly inserted," Kerber scowled.
"So, it's software," Smith sounded annoyed. They hadn't received any data yet so they wanted to inspect the equipment itself, "Prove useful. Scan for signs of equipment replacement or recent displacement."
Rockford nodded her assent to discourage dissent. Lee was the first to report something irregular, "I have heavy Iridian DNA traces at the access panel."
Parva opened it up, "Frinx. They've replaced half the isolinear chips that were here."
"So, it isn't software that's affected. It's the firmware the software rides upon," Kerber sounded discouraged, "This will slow us."
"It also demonstrates a previously unknown familiarity with Federation technology," Parva said sourly.
Macen's comm badge chirped and it was Forger, "Starfleet managed to join us."
"Tell them we're managing a crime scene. Contact your sister and get us authorized to run point on it," Macen instructed.
"And the Razor's Edge?" Forger inquired.
"Tell the ranking Starfleet captain that they're part of the investigative team," Macen told her, "Ro's temporary credentials should be enough to back that up."
"And the Corsair?" Forger inquired further.
"Tell them to dock with the station," Macen instructed her, "We'll need every ship running with the investigation on this one."
"Except for Starfleet," Forger snickered.
"Send our thanks to Commodore Reyes and get Ro here immediately," Macen requested, "She needs to see this personally."
"Will do," Forger assured him.
"Prepare the ensign's remains and contact Starfleet and ask which ship they went them sent to," Macen told Burrows, "List cause of death as particle beam weaponry used by the Iridian boarding party. If they get uppity, send them the enemy corpses as well to satisfy their curiosity."
Forger replied back, "Starfleet is seizing control of the command and control ship. Apparently Ro wants it impounded."
"Then give it to Starfleet. Our investigation is here anyways," Macen told her.
"Ro is setting out. Her ETA is thirty minutes," Forger advised him.
"Have Galen 3 and the scientific team standing by to receive evidence," Macen told her, "Telrik should get ready for site to site transports to and from the station as well as to the Razor's Edge."
"He'll be happy to have something official to do," Forger chuckled. The Tellarite transporter chief literally lived in the Transporter Room.
McKinley stopped by Johnson's office, "Bob, you have a minute?"
"Don't you have enough to commanding a starship is hostile territory?" Johnson chuckled.
"That's just it. The Iridians and Iotian Starfleet have complied with every term they laid out. The Bajoran Militia and Cardassian Guard ships have already departed. Kracko even dispersed the Home Fleet across the sector. They really are acting as if its already over," McKinley pointed out.
"Except for us, it is for them. Zandic got exactly what she wanted," Johnson told him with a sigh, "It just took Syndic's murder to get away with it."
"You suspect collusion," McKinley noted.
"I think the Iotians were too prepared for what came at them," Johnson replied, "And the Iridians took a blind eye to systems that were obviously in danger of enemy forces amassing in."
"If the Federation Council shifts policy as Oxmyx offered?" McKinley asked.
"Then she'll have won every aspect of this action," Johnson said bitterly.
"But we can't prove a thing," McKinley knew. Massoli and Striker had been trying to for hours.
"Without an expert witness coming forward, there's no proof whatsoever. Even circumstantially, the Iotians could have been tipped off by the Orion Syndicate," Johnson said.
"That is is the likeliest point of contact," McKinley told him what Striker and Massoli had proven so far, "The Orions did build up their presence prior to the invasion. Oxmyx even exchanged high level conferences with Gomer. We tapped into the local comm array to get that much. But there are no recordings of what was said."
"Macen alerted me that the Iotians were upgrading the Orions' ships while the Syndicate was still at war with Bajor. A clear violation of their mutual defense pact," Johnson told McKinley, "He buried that fact rather than report it to leverage assistance from Kracko on another matter. If we can establish that link, we might be able to probe deeper. We know with certainty the Enforcers hired the Syndicate to engage as proxies throughout the quadrants prior to the military action. But if we connect that Gomer acted as a proxy for Zandic prior to the invasion, we can establish this was all staged."
"That's a lot of evidence to quietly gather covertly and we don't have much time to do it in," McKinley warned the admiral.
"Probably less than we suspect," Johnson said dourly.
"I'll loop Delaney into the investigation," McKinley told him, "But I don't hold out many hopes."
"What about Hannah Grace?" Johnson asked.
"I thought we agreed she'd live as a human aboard ship. Using her Kelvan abilities might get noticed," McKinley reminded him.
"Am I missing something?" McKinley asked.
"Caplan confided with me that Johnson has created a few 'unorthodox' software patches for systems aboard the ship. She was involved in the Intrepid's construction. She's a systems designer as well as an engineer," Johnson told him.
"Why hasn't Caplan approached me about this?" McKinley was irritated.
"Because, as a starship captain you'd have to put Johnson on report and have her undo her creative patchwork," Johnson was amused by the situation, "However, an admiral could grant exceptions to the modifications. Any admiral would do. I just happen to be aboard."
"I never thought Caplan would sneak passed me like this," McKinley was disappointed in his Chief Engineer.
Johnson handed him a padd, "Here's a copy of all the authorizations I made. Caplan assured me the ship is running beyond rated efficiency because of Johnson's handiwork."
"I'll look into these and have a dressing down with Caplan," McKinley promised.
"Go easy on him, Jim. He didn't want to put you in bind where he'd be requesting you disobey regulations to keep the patchwork in place," Johnson told him.
"It still warrants my immediate attention," McKinley said irritably and left. Johnson had warned Caplan that he would inform McKinley of how he'd proceeded to work around his CO. Caplan just asked for enough time to gather data to verify that Johnson's work needed saving. Bob Johnson hoped he'd Caplan and Emily Johnson enough of lifeline.
Noble sat in the briefing room behind the bridge module. Sakonna had updated their orders. A terror cell was proving elusive for Starfleet Security. Noble knew the planet and had contacts with fringe groups there. She didn't appreciate it but Sakonna's request was logical to the extreme. Now, she just had to break it to the crew. Sito in particular had been looking forward to reuniting with Nick Locarno and their children on Serenity. This would put an indefinite hold in that. Heavy a weary sigh, Noble returned to the bridge and prepared to make her shipwide announcement.
Ro arrived at the relay station in Deep Space Three's Mission Scout. Starfleet examined the gutted corpse of the Iridian ship while Ro reported to the station itself. Reyes' starship captain had been pacified by Admiral Forger's declaring the SID team the point in the investigation aboard the station. Ro groaned when she saw who all was in attendance aboard the station within the crime scene.
"Really?" she asked Macen.
The three Militia Constables that rode aboard the Razor's Edge had joined Rockford's detectives in scouring the Habitat Module and the Engineering Deck. Parva had summoned a team from the Obsidian to assist her own inquiries. Her own deputy, Gilan, came with them. Edwin Zimbalist was adding his expertise to Kerber and Smith's investigation of the Iridian isolinear chips that had been inserted in the station's Operating Systems. Daggit secured Engineering while Burrows stood sentry in the Habitat Module. That left Neela, Mudd, and Ebert out of place it seemed to Ro.
"Angelique, Bailey, and Edwin replaced the firmware with standard Starfleet chips. Celeste and I compiled a list of everyone the Iridians were communicating with," he handed her a padd, "This includes their locations and comms."
"So, why the joint operation?" Ro asked.
"The Iridians made contact with more than simple terror cells," Macen told her, "We've even uncovered evidence they held in-person meetings here."
"Which meant they always intended to take over this station," Ro concluded.'
"We have the station back to Starfleet specs," Macen assured her, "But decoding the Enforcers replacement firmware is proving more difficult than usual."
"They hijacked the station and its purpose with their own operating system," Ro summarized what they knew so far, "But we can't determine what that purpose was yet."
"But we've learned it involved Starfleet Communications on Earth," Macen warned her.
"I knew you have a skewed sense of humor. So, I'll assume tat was a joke," Ro groaned.
"The Iridians were sending regular progress reports encrypted in the same protocol the terror cells were using," Macen told her, "Someone, or several people, in Starfleet already have the information I just gave you."
"Maybe it's a Cell 51 loyalist we haven't identified yet,"" Ro desperately offered, "Someone loyal to Elena Kita."
"Kita is a bio weapons designer. No terrorist used bio weapons," Macen replied, "The reports to Starfleet Command are tailored to enhance a sense of threat. The Enforcers informed Starfleet of their plans to invade the Iotian Federation months ago, long before Chakotay warned us and clued us in to their ties with the Orion Syndicate. We traced signals back to four months ago. It offered the Enforcers the opportunity to carve up the Iotian territories and provide an existential but unreal threat to the Federation. But they postured as one."
"These date back to when Kirsten Clancy commanded Starfleet Communications," Ro pointed out, "She was promoted and transferred to Starfleet Operations shortly after these offers began."
"And they're tailored to Clancy's strategic policies," Macen pointed out.
"I doubt there's a smoking gun in Starfleet Communications' traffic logs," Ro grimaced.
"The records will have been disposed of," Macen agreed, "But Clancy endorsed Chakotay's report. She helped push through the fleet redeployments."
"Hardly incriminating," Ro snorted, "Every policy hawk endorsed the fleet responses."
"But Starfleet Command as a whole didn't embrace the response until Starfleet Intelligence made several breakthrough signal intercepts out of Deep Space Four and Deep Space Rive along the Enforcer Zone border," Macen reminded her.
"Bob Johnson has been reporting from Sigma Iotia II," Ro told him, "There's been a change in Iridian leadership. A Supreme Commander named Syndic was forced by Oxmyx to end the invasion. He was executed by how own people upon his return to them A new leader named Zandic was put forward. She unconditionally surrendered to the Iotians."
"Oxmyx was convinced that the Iridians would try to destroy her ship during the negotiations. She called us in to determine how," Macen advised Ro, "We did. Then we were sent here. Ozmyx is obviously trafficking in inside information."
"This 'Zandic'?" Ro asked.
"Probably," Macen conceded, "But the Orions were the likely go-between. The question is: who was giving Gomer her instructions on the Iridian side of things?"
"Johnson privately floated similar theories to Nechayev, Forger, and myself," Ro told him, "He thinks the invasion was a staged coup to get the Iotians to take over the Enforcer Zone. She offered a non-aggression pact and border concessions to sweeten the deal regarding war reparations without any actual payments."
"Let me guess, the systems the Iotians illegally bought from Ardra," Macen said grimly.
"The very same," Ro confirmed, "There are trade offers and opening markets to both sides."
"The very thing Oxmyx has always been after but the Federation Diplomatic Corps labeled them a rogue state," Macen told her, "Everything played into Oxmyx's ambitions."
"Admiral Janeway was in command of the Fifth Fleet when the Enforcers crossed the border and attacked. Starfleet Security's latest assessment said that wasn't possible," Ro explained to him.
"Because Commodore Oh had inside information of her own saying the Iridians had no intention of attacking," Macen replied, "I doubt she was the recipient of the signals but she had knowledge gleaned from them."
"And we already learned Admiral T'Lara of JAG won't even consider prosecutions against Oh and Clancy," Ro said bitterly.
"How is the counter-terror campaign going?" Macen asked her.
"Starfleet Intelligence managed to thwart or deter over a dozen attacks," Ro said with relief, "Starfleet Security managed two and bungled a dozen."
"So, Oh isn't receiving the updates or she'd be using them to promote her Division," Macen concluded.
"The SID managed to stop a few dozen attempts but with most others the ships arrived after the fact. They're in investigative and apprehension modes now," Ro commended outbound Ventures.
"Sakonna managed to tip off most of the captains and crews as to who the players are," Macen mentioned.
"Your band of vigilantes scored a coup Starfleet wasn't aware of needing addressing," Ro sighed, "Chris Noble delivered an encryption cipher key we didn't know was missing."
"How did she acquire it?" Macen was impressed.
"Noble convinced Gomer to let her win the auction Baroness Stefi Grimes was holding in neutral space selling illegal weaponry to the highest bidders," Ro told him.
"I imagine that set the program's budget back quite a bit," Macen groaned.
"I have possession of the cipher key, so its existence is proven. How it ended up in Grimes' hands is up to Starfleet Security to uncover," Ro told him.
"Isn't Starfleet Communications tasked with securing and installing cipher keys?" Macen asked.
"You're pointing at Clancy again," Ro cut him off, "It won't happen even if she did it."
"We have something," Rockford interrupted them, "Starfleet's criminal database came up empty on different DNA traces we detected but the Militia had them on file."
"The Militia had them when Starfleet couldn't detain them for anything?" Ro was puzzled.
"During the troubles between the Bajoran Republic and the Orions Syndicate, any Orion ship in the Bajor Sector was subject to search and seizure. That included taking DNA samples to put on file for future reference." Rockford explained.
"That would be completely illegal in the Federation," Ro chuckled, "Thank god for Bajoran laws being more flexible."
Constable Odon Fendic was running the Constabulary's contribution to the effort, "We've identified several races through their DNA. Most of the individuals have managed to stay out Federation Security and Starfleet databases. But we identified an Orion captain and are running down a Nalori using our criminal database."
"Do I have to start guessing?" Ro asked, "You have the floor, Constable."
"The Orion is one Captain Gwyn. She was last seen at Waypoint Station. Obviously, the cessation in hostilities allowed her to return from the Gamma Quadrant," Odon reported, "The Nalori is harder to pin down."
"Because the Nalori are a rare race where almost every genetic marker is identical between individuals," Ro recalled from her training.
"The computer is running the match down," Odon told her, "But it will take time."
"How certain are you that this individual will even be in your database?" Ro inquired.
"Few Nalori turn into criminals," Odon told her, "And I doubt a civic minded citizen would be meeting with Iridians during an invasion and terror campaign."
"Good points," Ro acknowledged, "I can put out an alert on Captain Gwyn. Every starship and starbase will be looking for her in connection to questions regarding the murder on this station and its takeover."
"Odon, can you come here?' Neela sounded distracted.
Macen, Rockford and Ro came with him. Odon saw her studying a panel with great scrutiny, "Can I help you?"
"Scan this panel for Bajoran DNA," she requested.
"I've got a hit," Odon sounded surprised, "I'm linking it to the ship's computer. I already have a positive ID."
"Gelt Merrit, correct?' Neela asked.
"I'd ask how you knew but I'm beyond that now," Odon sighed.
"Care to clue us in?" Ro asked snippily.
"Gelt is in command of Empok Nor," Neela told them, "The Orions obviously smuggled him passed the blockades."
"So, he's a leader in the Cult of the Pah-wraiths. How does being here fit into their dogma?" Ro asked.
"Independently, it wouldn't mean much. But factor in a known Orion pirate captain, a Nalori criminal, and a terrorist leadership cell and you have a mix for an attempt to liberate Empok Nor," Neela predicted, "Starfleet barely maintains a presence there on your side of the border. The Militia ships will be in reduced numbers to support the liberation effort on behalf of the Iotians."
"Another plot within a plot," Rockford scowled.
"I forwarded the last orders sent by the Iridians at this station onto the field commanders. Every instruction had already been carried out," Ro told them, "We bought time with the station no longer broadcasting but all the extremist groups will go back to operating on their accord within hours."
"We can alert General Kira using the station," Macen Assured Neela, "Kira will alert Anara and Colonel Wyn."
"Wyn is too far away to get back in time and Anara has no forces left to deploy. It's on the System Defense Force now," Neela told them.
"We don't know the timing of the attack or if there will even be one," Ro interjected.
"Gelt wouldn't leave the safety of his station otherwise," Neela scolded her, "He's one of the most wanted men in the Bajor Sector."
"Well, I hate to disillusion you but none of the Cultist in the Federation or Cardassian space struck during this mass terror campaign," Ro snorted, "They're not the literal threat you make them out to be."
"They're waiting for Gelt's signal. There will be a second wave of mass coordinated attacks made by the Cultists when he's ready to move on Empok Nor," Neela warned Ro.
"What's so important on that derelict station worth fighting over?' Ro asked.
"Dukat's half-Bajoran son," Macen reminded her, "He's a religious icon to them. If he gets freed from the station, then they can raise him up in secret to lead them in an insurgent campaign spanning worlds."
"You actually buy into all of this?" Ro was surprised.
"I'm afraid I'm a convert as well," Rockford sighed, "I've seen too many threats coming from the Cult of the Pah-wraith. And their religious zealotry just amplifies their threat."
"We might never make it in time to prevent anything but my ship needs to leave," Neela pleaded with Macen.
"Go," he relented.
"I'm half surprised you're not lighting out with them," Ro admitted.
"Finding Gwyn and the Nalori are a better way to expend effort," he replied.
"Your access to the Militia database is leaving," Ro said dryly.
"I have multiple points of access to Militia records," Macen assured her, "Odon will share the DNA with us before he leaves."
Rockford's padd pinged, "Got it."
"Send it to Agent Delain," Macen referred to the Cardassian Information Bureau agent, Ziva Delain, stationed on Serenity.
"You expect the CIB to run this down for you?" Ro was surprised.
"Delain has access to the Militia database as well as her native records," Macen explained, "If the Nalori was detained and processed in Cardassian space, they'll have a record of it."
"I remember the advantages of being an interested third-party," Ro confessed, "But I'm not Maquis anymore."
"I have greater reach now than I ever had as a Maquis," Macen told her, "I'm sending a data set request to sources in the Star Empire."
"You have contacts with the Romulans?" Ro yelped.
"Unofficially," Macen warned her, "A contact of a contact."
"The backup systems they glossed over kicked in and maintained the record keeping," Zimbalist said.
"I finally identified the language the firmware was written in," Smith explained her input, "It's an extinct trading dialect out of vogue with modern traders. But apparently it's still widespread in the Enforcer Zone."
"Because they move in and freeze a planet's development where it's at," Ro snorted.
"You're just lucky I'd encountered it at all," Smith advised Ro, "It's several hundred years out of favor."
"That means humans never encountered it," Ro pointed out, "Where are you from again?"
"That's beside the point," Kerber interjected as Smith went into silent mode, "What's pertinent is that because humans dictate most of the programming languages used in LCARS, the incompatablity worked to our favor."
"You say humans like you aren't one despite your names and background records," Ro observed.
"Amanda Forger herself signed off on Angelique and Bailey's background checks," Macen reminded her, "That should satisfy you."
"Sure, why not?" Ro threw her hands up, "I just let a murderer loose to go kill more people."
Ro's own padd pinged, "What the hell?"
She checked the newest files, "I'll be damned. Captain Gwyn is nearby. She was holed up at Deep Space Four while the Iridians blockaded the station. Captain Benteen put a hold on her departure."
"Then let's join the party," Macen began sending recall summons to his people. Ro interrupted him.
"You have a report to file about this situation?" Ro asked.
"It was in your in-box before you arrived," Rockford told her, "Other than a Neela's input, we'd concluded our investigation an hour ago. The explanation of why the foreign isolinear chips failed was a lingering mystery but one we could've solved en route to DS4."
"Alfonso is sending an enlisted engineer to man the station until Starfleet sends a replacement," Ro told them referring to Commodore Reyes, "This sector is under his authority."
"You can oversee the investigation into the transceiver ship after we've gone. The crew did their best to scuttle it without any power," Macen told her.
"I have a forensics team coming," Ro told him, "Whatever secrets it still holds, we'll learn them."
"Some of them may prove damning," Macen warned her.
"I'll submit what I find to Admiral T'Lara. Maybe JAG will take up the case," Ro didn't sound hopeful.
Telrik happily retrieved all of the Obsidian's personnel, "Greetings Commander, Detective. I take it we have a new destination?"
"Got it in one," Macen grinned as he and Rockford exited. They'd remained aboard the relay station while the others returned to the surveyor to give Ro a piece of advice. It had certainly surprised her.
"Admiral Johnson?" Ensign DeBoer was in his doorway.
"Come in, Reeva," Johnson assured her it was safe.
"Commander Massoli handed over some intercepted diplomatic chatter. I've been reviewing it for her," DeBoer revealed.
"And you found a discrepancy," Johnson predicted.
"Fleet Boss Kracko relocated the Enforcer fleet to decommission it. The Iotian Starfleet Fleet Yard at 492 IV received them. Their assessment has been that the Enforcers stood no chance whatsoever of accomplishing their stated goals," DeBoer told him, "But that isn't the weird part. Supreme Leader Zandic is transmitting in the clear on Iotian channels to the Enforcer Zone worlds. But there's an encrypted signal buried in the transmission. The computer can't make heads or tails of it. Commanders Striker, Delaney, and Massoli are tackling it but it it doesn't seem based on any known language."
"So, Zandic's story that Syndic was a die hard committed to total conquest or death seems shaky now," Johnson surmised.
"Why commit to an invasion you know you can't win?" DeBoer asked, "Even granting that we understand little about the Enforcer culture, we know they were militarily savvy enough to conquer a swathe of space."
"I agree. With everything," Johnson admitted to her, "I think Syndic was set up to take a fall so Zandic could ascend. A certain backdoor channel with the Orion Syndicate shared that Zandic was the point of contact between the Orions and the Iridians. So, she became the funnel for all the intelligence the Syndicate fed the Enforcers."
"How did you get that information?' DeBoer was astonished.
"A friend of a friend," Johnson would only say, "Better yet, I just received a cipher for a particularly fiendish encryption based on an extinct language. Hand that to Massoli and let her try it out."
She accepted the isolinear chip containing Smith's cipher for Iridian encryptions. He knew Massoli would be astonished the ensign was the one to hand them the solution to their problem. That bafflement would delay them from connecting the receiver of the key being him. Officially, the SID wasn't allowed access to the diplomatic effort. His reaching out to Macen and Rockford broke regulations. But his outreach to Ro had given him the source of the answer he needed. So, regulations be damned.
He was expecting a transmission from Janeway. Contacts in Starfleet Operations had warned him Janeway was being deployed. Clancy despised both Janeway and Johnson for defying her illegal orders to wage a war against Bajor and Cardassia. The Federation had invaded the sovereign territories of both governments. That went against the Starfleet Charter and the Federation Charter, both of which Johnson and Janeway had both sworn to uphold. Dozens of captains and their crews defied Starfleet and supported the Bajorans. Janeway had joined Johnson and others in defending the Kalendra Sector from the Breen and Tzenkethi using the opportunity to enter the sector and cross over the Bajoran border at Fair Haven. Defending a neutral system was seen as insubordinate as actively engaging fellow Starfleet starships to Clancy.
Clancy had survived as Fleet Admiral through successive Presidential administrations that forbade her from purging Starfleet's ranks of captains deemed insufficiently loyal to her. Clancy herself survived several investigations into her and was demoted over "conduct unbecoming", a slap on the wrist by the JAG, Admiral T'Lara, who deemed a full blown court martial into the other matters wasn't sustainable for the "good of the service" as Starfleet rebuilt public trust. So, Clancy escaped prosecution on a technicality. But the charges were still filed. T'Lara held that over Clancy's head.
Ro had confided to Johnson about the signals being sent to Starfleet Communications. Every order issued, every plan conceived and carried out, had been sent to Starfleet Command. Instead of acting on the intelligence, the officer receiving the data had remained silent while the public was rocked once again by violent acts. Ro could only assume it fit into some sort of ideological box. Johnson didn't agree. The terror attacks would shape Federation policy and Starfleet's reaction to them. Ideology didn't fit into it so much as ambition. With Akaar and Jellico both standing down within the next year, the situation created a vacuum idealized for one officer in particular to fill. Johnson just couldn't believe Clancy was that ambitious. It fit the puzzle but how could a Starfleet officer conspire in this?
Johnson truly didn't recognize the agency he'd given his life to anymore. There were only a few familiar faces still on duty. They'd accept promotion or retirement soon enough. While Starfleet Command needed their temperate wisdom, how could they thrive in a Starfleet run by Clancy? How could they accept a Fleet Admiral who willingly conspired with terrorists to further her own career? Did she even recognize the line between morality and immorality? Or what legal orders consisted of versus illegal directives?
Johnson knew that he, personally, couldn't surrender. He'd fight for Starfleet's honor until he was dead or stripped of his commission. Amanda Forger and Alfonso Reyes were flag officers that would stand by him in this. He had to believe Commodore Elizabeth Shelby would as well. Janeway was a pillar of resistance still but she'd already considered retirement. How much more would she tolerate before she too retired? Actually this time.
Their conference was quick and perfunctory. Janeway knew all too well she was being removed from the board. Johnson's presence was retained because it would seem odd to remove Starfleet's chief diplomatic officer from a peace negotiation. But he was at the mercy of the Federation Council now. DeBoer kept him apprised of the sessions the Council was undertaking to advance the treaty discussions. Oxmyx's proposal had survived the subcommittee on foreign affairs largely intact. Now, it was going before the full Council for debate and ratification or dismissal.
The door chimed and he allowed the petitioner access. He was expecting one of the investigators to challenge him, but all three came instead. He quipped, "You're missing Lieutenant Johnson."
"Where did you get the cipher from?" Massoli was quick to ask.
"Friends I wasn't authorized to brief," Johnson told her, "They'd recently cracked the cipher at a Starfleet Communications Relay Station an Iridian crew had taken over, Commander Ro Laren pointed me in their direction."
"Since Ro and our mutual friends travel in rarified circles, I think we can all agree that we're unaware of any breach of protocol," Striker spoke first.
"I don't know where the cipher came from and I don't care to," Delaney grinned.
"I just want to know where the hell that language came from," Massoli insisted on learning.
"It's an extinct trader's tongue that died out five hundred years ago," Johnson told them what little he knew about it, "One of Macen's people recognized it and created the translation matrix."
"That has Bailey Smith written all over it," Striker said appreciatively.
"Why did the Iridians take over a relay station?" Delaney asked. Johnson told them what Ro had reported. She'd also reported that Starfleet and the SID were having trouble tracking the remaining terrorists down. But they were going to ground so they were unable to act out any longer. He avoided the Starfleet Communications connection.
"They supported a unified mass terror attack but knew invading us was futile then they did anyway," Striker pondered the events, "It doesn't make any strategic sense."
"The terror angle does," Massoli corrected him, "It draws our forces away from the Iotian border."
"But they badly underestimated the Iotians ability to resist and call upon allies," Delaney said, "That assessment error is so egregious it has to have been done deliberately."
"We uncovered that Zandic was the point person for intelligence gathering from the Orion Syndicate," Striker reminded him, "The evidence suggests she underplayed the Iotians' hand. But why grab the top seat when you're about to hand over the government?"
"Unless that was the entire point of the exercise," Massoli stated, "The Orions scouted for the Iridians. They also maintained a heavy presence in this system. We have evidence of comm traffic between Oxmyx and Gomer herself."
"You think Gomer passed on messages from Zandic and back again," Delaney connected her suggestion.
"A theory that explains every thing but we lack a shred of evidence for," Johnson said sourly, "Nothing to sway the Federation Council's vote one way or the other."
"Can't we ask mutual 'friends' to look into Oxmyx's dealings?" Striker asked, "We have contacts within both Outbound Ventures and the Bajoran Militia. The Iotian Starfleet maintains close ties with both."
"And both would imperil their necessary relations with the Iotian Federation on our behalf. I'm not willing to risk that for them," Johnson advised the group.
"Starfleet obviously wants Janeway out of the way of any deal," Massoli mentioned, having noted the Dauntless-A's departure, "So, what is it she learned?'
"She isn't aware of having any inside information," Johnson frowned.
"She might know far more than she currently realizes," Delaney told him, "Most witnesses aren't aware of the extent of their knowledge until expertly questioned."
"Let me set up a joint conference," Johnson got busy.
"Captain Gwyn, we've become aware that you might by assisting certain Bajoran religious elements," Macen told her over the comm connection, "Any details you provide me while incentivize me to convince Captain Benteen to send you on your way."
"And why would I tell you?" Gwyn asked.
"Because I know the Cultists never paid up. I'll cover their debt in exchange for the information," Macen offered.
"You already seem well informed," Gwyn admitted.
"Gomer admitted the Cult owed you latinum for a private arrangement. She wasn't privy to the details but was owed a percentage of the take. A percentage of zero is still zero," Macen told her.
"Very true. And Gomer infamously protects the Syndicate's interests in House affairs and her own private commissions as well," Gwyn admitted.
"You're implying Gomer bears responsibility for your deal," Macen realized.
"I'm saying she made the introductions," Gwyn laughed.
"Send your transfer information and I'll authorize the funds transfer," Macen offered.
"Making you more trustworthy than my former clients?" Gwyn smirked at the exercise. But was effective when he immediately distributed the funds. She sent several files in reply and signed off. Macen contacted Benteen and Gwyn immediate departure clearance.
"I think you made a friend," Rockford had already copied the files and was going through them to designate portions to send to each of her detectives. The Obsidian was en route to Empok Nor. Forger had agreed the Razor's Edge shouldn't be sent alone.
"The Nalori make sense now," Macen announced..
"Wait! I haven't gotten that far yet!" Rockford protested.
"Nalor is providing military assistance in exchange for latinum transfers and other raw resources," Macen explained.
"Nalor wouldn't risk war with the Federation," Rockford scoffed.
"Nalor would risk war with Bajor," Macen corrected her, "Because they sit in neutral space between the Federation and the Taurus Reach. The Federation and the Klingons won't let the Militia prosecute a war against them and they know it."
"Where are these resources coming from?" Rockford had caught up to that part of the long list of documents.
"The list of donors is primarily made up of Cardassian corporations," Macen pointed out.
"Cultists? I find that hard to believe," Rockford admitted.
"So, do I. But this also makes up a donor list to Macet and Maret," Macen cross referenced material provided previously by the CIB, "They still want to disrupt Bajoran politics in exchange for access to Bajoran resources."
"Ocett needs this list," Rockford urged him.
"Already sent through Delain," Macen told her, "No reason she shouldn't receive credit for it."
"Garan is going to regret sparing them before this," Rockford predicted.
"The good Castellan's offer was predicated on their avoiding Cardassian and Bajoran politics from now on. I'd day they effectively broke their end of the bargain," Macen chuckled evilly.
"You can still be so Maquis," Rockford rolled her eyes.
"These men paid for some of Maret's worst atrocities in the Dorvan Sector and on Bajor while Dukat was Prefect," Macen replied, "So, forgive my lack of empathy."
"I have no idea they have what's coming to them," Rockford conceded, "It's just that you still take so much pleasure in it."
"Like your quiet hobby of looking into Tarsus Wars criminal trials?" Macen asked.
Rockford blushed, "So, you caught me."
"Sakonna forwarded a request from Ro," Macen smirked, "It seems after Noble helped with the cipher key, she requested Noble's help with tracking down a terror cell on Izar that's completely eluding the SID crew sent there."
"So, the peace offering worked?" Rockford wondered.
"More like an armistice was established," Macen shared, "That was Sakonna's assessment anyway."
"It'll take time for any ships from Nalor to reach Empok Nor," Rockford studied warp speed charts.
"Which plays into Bajor's favor," Macen replied, "Colonel Wyn's fastest ships can reach the station by the time her sister and we do."
"Do we have any legal sanction whatsoever?" Rockford asked.
"General Kira hired us to scout out the Nalori forces and report on them before they reach Republic or nearby neutral space," he told her.
"Starfleet is so distracted, they'll hardly question small groups or individual Nalori ship movements," Rockford sighed.
Macen's private channel began chirping and the screen identified Johnson as the caller, "Bob Johnson is using the secure channel for emergencies."
"Well? Put him on!" Rockford demanded. The conversation was quite enlightening.
Days passed slowly for everyone involved. Zandic's hidden communications ceased almost as soon as the Intrepid crew received the cipher. It seemed to strongly indicate that the Iotians had cultivated sources inside of Starfleet. Or the Iridians' source/s were still in place at Starfleet Communications. The station's comm logs could be pulled by anyone assigned to the Division. Johnson and Ro had spoken openly on Starfleet channels. Something Ro openly cursed about now.
Ro had returned to Deep Space Three to resume her post there. She ran her counter terrorist unit off the station. She had the liberty to do so from anywhere. She chose DS3 because of Reyes. Romantic entanglements were hard enough for Ro without distance being a factor. Sharing a space station between partners seemed an ideal solution.
Reyes checked into Ro's office, "You were missing lunch, so I brought it here."
Ro groaned and stretched her kinked neck, "I'm sorry. We're running down a fresh set of leads on several planets."
"Anything promising?" Reyes asked as he took a set and handed her boxed food.
"We won't know until we run with it," Ro admitted, "Half the SID crews nabbed cells but I doubt they arrested everybody. But Starfleet Command reassigned them to other tasks already anyway. Starfleet Security and Starfleet Intelligence assets are relieving most of the others."
"Seems someone wants them gone," Reyes remarked.
"The cases they're being assigned to are strategically important. So, they fit the Division's portfolio and Security and Intelligence have freed up assets," Ro admitted.
"But you smell something foul in the water," Reyes knew her too well it seemed.
"Commodore Oh is sniffing around Izar," Ro said grimly, "The SID ship may have been reassigned but Chris Noble's people are still there looking into things."
"Even after loudly swearing you'd never trust or employ vigilantes after the Maquis ended," Reyes chuckled.
"I was desperate," Ro grimaced.
"Ro Laren learns humility and asks for help?" Reyes chuckled, "Perhaps the impossible can happen."
"Keep that up and you aren't getting any ever again," Ro threatened.
"Look, the people on that ship are former, and could be still be, friends. I say trust them the way you used to," Reyes advised her.
"I'm not sure my job can allow that anymore," Ro said despondently.
"There's always room to trust people," Reyes offered her comfort, "But you have to choose to use it."
"I can't let Oh know about them," Ro had decided, "She'd charge them with obstruction at the least."
"So, you've reached decision?" Reyes asked.
"I told Chris to wrap the terror cell up for Oh's people and deliver them without ever being seen," Ro told him, "Now, you're complicit in vigilante activity."
"My great-grandfather released Starfleet secrets to the general public to expose a morally questionable operation," Reyes reminded her, "I think this hardly counts as being a court-martial offense."
"Did anyone from Starfleet ever hunt him down while he was in hiding?" Ro asked.
"T'Prynn managed it. She'd transferred from Starfleet Intelligence into Starfleet Special Operations Command. She found him. But they were colleagues. He was one of the people that were actually closest to being a friend that she had. She simply wanted to make certain he was okay. And to muddy the waters for any further Starfleet investigations into the matter. She reported him dead," Reyes told her.
"How do you know he was still alive when she found him?" Ro asked.
"T'Prynn became friends with Elias Vaughn," Reyes shared, "He shared her account of the event with me. Former Commodore Diego Reyes lived a long time and died in obscurity."
"And now you're Commodore Reyes," Ro grinned.
"Now we just have to see if I disobey orders and end my career in disgrace," Reyes employed gallows humor.
"I won't let that happen to you," Ro suddenly promised with all due solemnity.
"Laren, Starfleet Command is changing the guard. You're going to have some hard choices ahead. Choices about who your friends are and who they should be," Reyes warned her.
"What are you trying to tell me?" Ro worried.
"You might have to appear to be loyal to one set of officers and obeying certain directives while truly remaining faithful to loved ones," Reyes told her, "I'm saying you may have to infiltrate Starfleet the way you did the Maquis in order to hep save Starfleet from itself."
"Where is this coming from?" Ro asked.
"I figured out the trap you set when Admiral Johnson contacted you. You spoke about the compromised relay station providing real time updates to Starfleet Communications in the Iridian encryption. You also told Johnson Macen could provide the cipher. Which presumably he did. Johnson just contacted me to tell me that Zandic has cut all communication employing the encryption. Now, an Iotian code we haven't cracked yet is embedded in the official signals she's sending to the Enforcer Zone," Reyes told her.
"And Johnson contacted you directly rather than me why?" Ro wondered.
"He obviously wants me in on whatever this is," Reyes replied, "You told me once you have an encryption for important messages to Macen, Rockford, Riker, Nechayev, Johnson, Vaughn, and Forger that Starfleet won't be able to beat any time soon. Why broadcast in the clear regarding a possible mole in Starfleet unless you wanted the mole to inform Zandic her communications were compromised?"
"We cracked all the Iotian codes months ago," Ro gloated, "Zandic thinks her communiques are safely protected but we have them decided as soon as she sends them."
"So, you played the mole," Reyes chuckled, pleased with the results, "Any idea of who it is?"
"I haven't made any progress in determining who they are," Ro said glumly.
"They? You're certain?" Reyes asked.
"It's a dummy account unassigned to any particular officer or crewmen. But it's being accessed twenty-four hours a day," Ro said, "My spyware told me that much. The account was deleted after they discovered my worm."
"You think they traced it back to you?" Reyes asked.
"Even if they did, are they going to report me for spying on their illegal account receiving information from an enemy that attacked Starfleet forces and Federation citizens?" Ro asked.
"They might pay another type of visit," Reyes warned her.
"I survived years of Cardassian and Dominion assassins. I think I can handle a Starfleet officer," Ro snorted, "Any news on the peace talks?"
"I've been ordered to stand down from alert status," Reyes told her, "The Romulans are obviously ignoring events. The Iridans are now the Iotians responsibility. The Iotians resumed normal patrol routes and sent a task force under Kracko into the Enforcer Zone according to Captain McKinley from Sigma Iotia II. They're maneuvering in plain sight. The Bajorans and Cardassians are long gone."
"It's a shell game. They're keeping us distracted by all the movements to keep us from looking what they're actually doing," Ro told him, "Zandic has been ordering her people to diffuse the planetary core bombs they planted in all of their worlds."
"No one wonder no one ever resisted them," Reyes was aghast.
"Oxmyx magically has a relief convoy already headed into the Enforcer Zone. Pretty quick reaction time for a need that was just revealed a few days ago,." Ro said sourly, "This whole thing has been a con game. Zandic needed to ascend the ranks to formally surrender. Oxmys needed a war by a third party that would surrender to her that was fighting against the Federation to send her proposed non-aggression and trade treaty."
"Admiral Johnson sends the same regards," Reyes told her, "The formal report is in your box. But I read the summaries he sent Starfleet. He asserts we've been played from the beginning."
"Any word how that has been received by Starfleet Command?" Ro asked.
"Akaar dutifully briefed the President. They reported it to te Federation Council. The council resumed its debate over the treaty term," Reyes said, "Ambassadors from several different worlds have weighed in as well. I'm afraid certain Councilors will use this as a spite vote."
"Meaning?" Ro asked.
"The first vote already happened. The Council made amendments and changed certain terms and sent it back to Oxmyx for review," Reyes told her, "But the gist of it is that if she agrees to the changes or negotiates further, the Federation Council will ratify the treaty."
"Even if the whole thing was staged for their benefit?" Ro was angered by the politicians once again. It was another betrayal on the scale of the DMZ and the ceded territories.
"The Council has been wanting to solve the apparent Iotian problem that was developing from the rivalry between Federations," Reyes explained to her, "They think this will contain them and secure Federation borders."
"Then they're bigger idiots than I already assumed. And that says a lot. It just moves the future conflict into the Delta Quadrant," Ro vented her anger.
"They aren't looking that far ahead," Reyes confessed, "The Delta Quadrant is a developing frontier and not many ships have been assigned to exploring it yet. It's a tomorrow issue. Clancy's presence in Starfleet Operations is being felt. She's pulled most Commodore Saavik's exploration forces out of the Gamma Quadrant to reinforce patrols in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. She's effectively ceding the Gamma Quadrant to the Dominion and the Bajorans."
"And then she'll blame my people for the lost opportunity," Ro predicted.
"A safe bet," Reyes admitted.
"I see what you mean about saving Starfleet from itself," Ro understood now.
"As a flag office, I've been thrown headfirst into Starfleet politics. Things look ugly for the next few years," Reyes warned her.
"That's a cheerful thought," Ro grumped.
"You always prefer honesty," Reyes reminded her.
"I wish I could be there when Johnson gives Oxmyx the Federation's reply," Ro admitted, "Her reaction will be telling."
Oxmys had expected the Federation to amend portions of her proposal. But she hadn't expected so many. She frowned a she continued reading the altered terms, "This is a temporary treaty. Renewable in five years."
"That gives us both time to assess each other as trading partners," Johnson replied, "Lasting trading agreements can be made in the interim but a non-aggression treaty is temporary until we see more of your cultural exchanges especially in light of absorbing so much new territory."
"You're punishing us because the Iridians surrendered to us rather than you?" Oxmyx was astounded, "They invaded our territories far more extensively than yours."
"They're elements of the conflict that seems staged, quite frankly. As though the outcome was known in advance," Johnson explained.
"I'll be making a few revisions of my own and sending it to you you tomorrow," Oxmyx decided, "You and your Security detail know your way to the transporter room by now."
Johnson disguised his anger at being so rudely dismissed. Delaney, though, could see the hidden fury in Johnson's eyes as he exited Oxmyx's office aboard her flagship. He held his tongue until they were back aboard the Intrepid. There, McKinley waited for them in the transporter room. He registered Johnson's reaction as well.
"Did she admit it?" McKinley asked.
"Not in words but in her dismissive attitude. I should have expected no less from a woman that eliminated all of her Familias' rivals to seize control of the entire Iotian government. The woman's ruthless. She willingly sacrificed lives to achieve her victory," Johnson vented at last.
"Did she accept the counter proposal?" McKinley inquired.
"She'll be giving me her revisions tomorrow," Johnson said angrily.
"Any news on our redeployment yet?" Delaney asked.
"We're here indefinitely," McKinley said sourly, "Starfleet Command has decided this is the best use of our talents."
DeBoer arrive, "Admiral, there are urgent messages for you from Admiral Janeway. It seems the Nalori have sent a fleet of warships through Federation space."
"And no one thought to stop them?' Delaney was disappointed yet again.
"They wouldn't if the ships were sent piecemeal or individually over time," McKinley told him, "Did the Admiral mention their destination?"
"Admiral Janeway reported that the Nalori always listed the Bajor Sector as their destination," DeBoer told them.
"I need to speak with her immediately," Johnson decided.
"I need to contact Captain Vaughn and Genera Kira," McKinley also went into action.
"I'll touch bases with Commanders Striker and Massoli and see if Zandic or Oxmyx have been sending any messages to the Nalori," Delaney volunteered.
"Nalor sits next to the Taurus Reach," McKinley recalled, "What imperialistic interests could the Nalori have with Bajor?"
"Striker and Massoli can reach out to their contacts and see if anyone knows anything," Delaney assured him.
"And if they don't?" McKinley grimly asked.
"Then I'm guessing the Bajorans will have a legitimate complaint that the Federation stepped aside and allowed an invasion fleet trough our territory to strike Bajoran territory," Delaney shared McKinley's dimmed outlook.
"Is that them?' Tulley asked Noble. They were in New Seattle, the capital of Izar. They'd been working former contacts with ex-Maquis to get information on radicalized groups on the planet. Two forest rangers that had been former members of Ro's cell were a treasure trove of data. Liam Hemingway and Natalie Donner had spotted and tracked down to observe and report on several instances of training programs underway in Izar's dense forests. Despite the woodland settings, the pair had recognized preparation for urban combat.
Unlike most of the Federation planets that had been caught up by terrorist violence, Izar was still being affected. It was an irony that Section 31 had maintained a training base on the planet connected to Starfleet's former Advanced Tactical Training Center. Starfleet had moved the training operations to a different planet once Section 31's camp was made known to Starfleet Intelligence and Security. The precise location of the new training center was only known to command staff of Starfleet Special Operations Command.
Noble had wondered why the terror cells didn't simply utilize the abandoned facilities until her arrival back on Izar. They were guarded by Starfleet Security. Apparently Cell 51's own usage of the sites after Section 31 was shut down had prioritized security at them. But that security came at the price of loosening planetary security. Hemmingway and Donner's reports went unheeded until the terrorist campaign began two weeks ago.
Hemingway and Donner were both agitated over Starfleet's assumption of their involvement in the terror cells simply because of their Maquis past. Oh's people had them pulled from their remote station and reassigned to the ranger's headquarters in New Seattle where they could be easily monitored. It hadn't taken much for the pair to slip their security detail and report to Noble and Tulley. They handed over copies of every report and the video files capturing the training efforts. Like the couple, Noble and Tulley recognized the training style. It had been developed by a peer of theirs.
"That's the action brigade team that's been planting bombs across the city. The other cells aren't as active or as effective. Starfleet Security has picked up several of them," Noble recalled for him, "But I'm thinking this group answers directly to the planet's top commander hidden as a simple brigade commander here in New Seattle."
"You still think it's him, don't you?" Tulley asked.
"Every operation has his ear mark," Noble sighed, "Right down to every target selection."
Local law enforcement, Federation Security, and Starfleet Security outposts had all been heavily targeted and damaged in the attacks. This week, the target list had expanded to political targets. They'd been staged to appear randomly selected. But Noble and Tulley saw the pattern. Key response coordinators from different angles of the planetary response chieftains had been targeted to differing degrees of success. Meanwhile, an upstart political party attached to the terrorists had been agitating for negotiations with the terror group. Its leader was none other than the hidden commander they sought to apprehend.
"Hennessy absorbed a lot of lessons from Ro and his time in the Maquis on Ronara Prime," Noble said dismally, "And as a political figure in Parliament, he's afforded the same security as the rest of the politicians on Izar."
"Well, they've seemed really effective as Hennessy's political rivals get picked off one by one," Tulley said sardonically, "There's only been three assassinations successfully thwarted if you don't count the half-assed effort to kill Tom himself."
"You know as well as I do that was completely staged," Noble said grimly, "Tom picked out a bunch of kids that recently recruited into New Seattle's brigade and gave them the chance to be heroes of the movement."
"The Cardies would have swept this group up already," Tulley assessed the faults in the scouts they were watching.
"Everyone is watching supposedly 'more important' targets," Noble reminded him, "Which leaves the city's replicator master network unobserved."
"Finally, they're planting the charges now," Tulley was relieved. The stakeout was almost over, "Can I call it in now?"
"Use a public comm booth. I saw one two blocks down the street," Noble told him, "Claim to be from the terror cell."
"And disable the monitor before I approach it," Tulley groaned,"It's been awhile but not forever."
Noble continued to take holo images of the group and their vehicle. She was curious what Hendryks would make of the registration. Would it be a fake or a stolen vehicle? She found it hard to believe a group that had eluded Starfleet Security and a SID crew would be stupid enough to drive a personal transport.
The group left and Tulley returned, "The dispatcher sounded suitably scared."
They beamed back aboard the Solstice, which was in orbit over Izar. Ostensibly, they were negotiating a contract with a private client. Their lingering was beginning to arouse suspicion among Starfleet Security. They were now sending requests for the client's name and whereabouts. Thool seemed pleased that neither Noble nor Tulley were in custody.
"Starfleet is getting nosy," he warned them, "They're tired of excuses."
"Unless we're official suspects, they can't demand a client list," Noble soothed the Bolian's concerns.
They returned to the bridge to find Lacey practicing targeting a nearby yacht. Noble smirked, "Having fun?"
"It's a Syndicate yacht," Lacey replied, "Guess where Hennessy will run to when he's outed."
"What do you have for me, Elfi?" Noble asked her OPS Officer.
"Public polling shows a seismic shift in the political landscape. Tom's party has gone from a fringe group to polling major numbers now that special elections are being called to fill the vacant seats.," Hendryks told her, "And with the lock downs in place, campaigning even for the regularly scheduled elections is down to Data Net broadcasting and press interviews."
"Let me guess, Hennessy has a media genius on his staff," Noble groaned.
"He presents himself as an outsider to the extremists but the only man that can bring them to the table for talks," Hendryks told her.
"Of course he can. He's their leader," Noble said grimly, "How can the authorities not seem to know his past?"
"They know," Hendryks told her, "It was an issue during his first election campaign. He touted his pardon and early release from the penal colony as a sign he'd reformed."
"Instead of a negotiated pardon thanks to Ro," Noble grimaced, "He's a public figure and has been for ten years. How can no one know his actual affiliation with the terrorists?"
"No one has a clue who the commander is," Hendryks' research had shown, "But he was suspected of being the New Seattle brigade commander. The investigation didn't go anywhere and was dropped. All the witness testimony came from secret recordings of dead witnesses confessing their part in insurrectionist activities. Hennessy evaded charges through claiming their naming him as mere 'hearsay' and 'guesses'. The courts bought it."
"So, his position gives him immunity because no one can prove a link between him and the terrorists," Noble summed it, "And he completely denies all affiliation. Merely that his party advances similar goals as the terrorists are demanding concessions towards. He and his party can end the terror campaign if elected to a majority and bring the terrorists to the negotiating table to pursue their demands peacefully. So, with everything that's been happening, the voters are eating the message up."
"Basically," Hendryks said sadly, "The thing is, the terrorists demands are hardly reasonable. They cater to a niche group and would create the very injustices they claim they're suffering from."
"Do unto rather than be done unto," Noble summarized the thinking, "How did Hennessy ever buy into this load of shuk?"
"I don't think it's ideology with him," Hendryks told her, "He's pushing to become named Prime Minister. If he gets a majority, it'll happen."
"Schedule a meet with Hemmingway and Donner again," Noble requested, "I need insight into what happened between their capture and their pardons released them."
"You don't think it's a simple power grab?" Sito asked from the next seat while manning the CONN station.
"I think it's revenge," Noble told her.
"We can't keep slipping our surveillance," Hemmingway complained, "It makes them even more certain we're guilty."
"I understand," Noble said as she offered them seats at her table in the cafe she frequenting, "I just need some insights."
"We've told you everything we observed," Donner insisted.
"What happened to you after the Counter Terrorist Task Force arrested you?" Noble got to it, "Why does Tom Hennessy want revenge against the Federation so badly he's trying to take over a member world?"
Hemmingway was angered, "We don't talk about that."
"It's about time you do," Noble replied, "Because it inspired Tom Hennessy to create a terrorist group simply to advance a political career aimed at hurting the Federation."
"Starfleet and Federation Security provided agents," Donner reminded her, "But they were under Cardassian control."
"So, the Cardies tortured you before handing you back to the Federation as agreed," Noble saw it now.
"They didn't even interrogate us," Hemmingway grated, "It was merely for sport."
"And the reason to hate the Federation in particular?" Noble asked.
"They watched," Donner said sadly, "They wouldn't allow the Spoonheads to kill us but everything short of that was fair game."
"So, you three and Tulley all came to Izar," Noble caught up, "Tulley had been arrested by Starfleet separately so he didn't undergo the same treatment. He didn't even know you three were on the planet. You two joined the rangers based on your previous careers and disappeared in the woods. Hennessy just got angrier."
"We turned him down when he asked to us to become brigade commanders," Donner told her.
"So, you've always known he's the commander of the terrorist group as a whole as well as New Seattle's brigade commander," Noble understood now, "You didn't say anything before you because you don't want to testify against Tom."
"Which you're about ask us to do," Hemmingway accused.
"No, I'll leave that decision up to you," Noble said, "But, I will still buy you lunch for your troubles in getting here."
"This is the Federation. Food is free," Hemmingway snorted.
"Replicated food is free," Noble corrected him, "Latinum gets you real, fresh food."
An hour later, Hemmingway made a confession, "I admit, I thought you'd pressure or guilt trip us through the meal. But you manged to update us as to everyone's lives since we last communicated with the group. I'm impressed."
"I want to do it," Donner suddenly announced, "These people getting killed aren't Cardassians or occupiers. They're not even military invaders of any kind. They're just people doing their duty or having a different political opinion. We had plenty of differences of opinion in the Maquis and we never resorted to murder to settle them. Hennessy is out of his frinxing mind."
"Well, to be fair, we never looked deep enough into a few suspicious deaths to prove it wasn't another cell settling a difference of opinion," Hemmingway reminded her, "But I agree. Tom Hennessy is way out of bounds."
"And you decided just in time," Noble grinned, "Your Starfleet handlers just found you. I'd prefer to be left out of this. Just tell them you have information for the prosecution and you're willing to testify. I assume you have records of Hennessy's approach to you?"
"They've been our insurance to keep him from trying to kill us," Donner told her.
"We'll be standing by over the next few days," Noble promised, "If Hennessy slips the noose, we'll deal with him."
"How?' Hemmingway asked.
"There's an Orion Syndicate casino yacht in orbit. Presumably he'll run there to escape arrest. I've made arrangements with the Syndicate to dispose of Hennessy quietly if he does," Noble avoided details, "If he finds another route off planet, both the Syndicate and Sakonna will be looking for him. How long he lives after he's found depends on who finds him first."
"Well, Starfleet is getting impatient," Hemmingway said ruefully, "So, we'll cut this short."
"Thanks for jogging us back into the right path," Donner told her.
"Nat, Liam, Hennessy may try a revenge hit against you in the event of his arrest or death," Noble warned them, "Take precautions."
"We haven't forgotten our lessons from our previous life," Hemmingway promised.
"No matter what our pardons stipulate," Donner smirked.
"Just why did Sakonna ask you to come here?" Hemmingway asked.
"Actually, Ro did," Noble told him, "In a completely unofficial capacity."
"I guess she hasn't gone as all Starfleet as we'd worried about," Donner smiled at the news. They surrendered themselves afterwards. Judging by the officers' animated reactions and the immediate beam out, Hemmingway and Donner really were willing to testify against Hennessy. Noble decided to return to the ship and alert the crew to the development.
Chapter Three
"Something on your mind, Mesa?" Neela asked Major Wyn.
"The thought of working with my sister is always depressing," Wyn admitted, "Meru is my younger sister yet she outranks me."
"You knew that promotions in the Special Forces happened much slower than any other service in the Militia," Neela reminded her, 'Yet you accepted that when you transferred in."
"Sometimes I think I should've stayed a Bajoran Intelligence operative," Wyn confessed, "Then Meru couldn't gloat."
"Yet you have far more service citations and medals than she does despite her elevated rank," Neela pointed out, "And you're entrusted with facets of Bajoran security that outweigh hers."
"Try telling Colonel Wyn that," Wyn snorted.
"I'll have a word with Anara," Neela promised, "She can't offer details of your present assignment with me but she can end this idiotic rivalry."
"General Anara is one of the few people Meru would believe about it," Wyn admitted.
"How far away are we from Empok Nor?" Neela asked.
"We reached the blockade from the Bajor Sector's side two hours ago. As expected, the System Defense Force only had two ships posted to the blockade. Starfleet's presence on their border is even more dismal," Wyn complained, "I asked to meet with you because Admiral Johnson of Starfleet alerted General Kira that the Nalori have dispatched their entire military fleet to Empok Nor."
"What possible interest could the Nalori have with the Cultists?' Neela had to wonder.
"Johnson believes it's purely mercenary," Wyn explained, "The Orions brokered the deal."
"And the Federation just allowed an invasion force through their territory?" Neela thought it too coincidental.
"Admiral Janeway theorized Starfleet didn't take notice because of the Iridian threat and the Nalori only sent one or two ships through their border at a time," Wyn gave her the official theory.
"Because it couldn't have anything to do with Admiral Kirsten Clancy being the Director of Starfleet Operations and nursing a grudge against our people," Neela said sourly.
"Not officially," Wyn had to smirk at Neela's sarcasm, "It's listed as an 'oversight'."
"Which just happens to benefit Clancy's private vendetta," Neela said shortly.
"The Nalori should begin amassing their forces within the next day or two," Wyn advised Neela, "Which is also Meru's ETA."
"Has she alerted you to how many ships she's bringing with her?' Neela was curious.
"Most of the Colonial Defense Forces are resuming their usual patrols," Wyn admitted, "That will relieve the Ascendant in the Gamma Quadrant and reinforce the Bajoran system with the return of the System Defense Force in case the Nalori change targets."
"So, she's basically avoiding the question," Neela surmised.
"In a major way," Wyn sighed.
"How advanced are the Nalori ships?" Neela inquired further.
"They're less advanced than the Militia ships but they have numbers on their side," Wyn regretted.
"I believe your sister is too reliant on her own personal command," Neela warned, "Having the most advanced ship in our forces may have gone to her head."
"You should General Anara that as well," Wyn suggested.
"I plan to. Right now," Neela excused herself from Wyn's box-like Ready Room.
Wyn returned to the bridge to relieve Griff of command, "Any sign of the Nalori arriving yet?"
"Katts can't determine from this range if she's detecting actual ships arriving or their sensor ghosts," Griff told her.
"Or both," Wyn said begrudgingly, "We could move closer."
"If they're arrivals then active sensors will give us away," Griff reminded her.
"But thanks to our upgrades, our passives are second to none," Wyn dutifully reminded him in return.
"This system is in the Bajor Sector. The neighboring system we're studying is in Federation space. They system adjoining ours is neutral space where Empok Nor resides," Griff laid it out, "Where's Starfleet in all of this?"
"Javi, warn Neela we're going comms dark," Wyn instructed her Communications Officer, "Katts, you have an idea of how to monitor the system once we enter it?"
"Before we enter, we go passive on the navigation sensors. I'll tie them into my board and watch subspace ripples indicating ships dropping out of warp," Katts explained, "Assuming of course that Wes can guide us in visually."
"Cold, Katts. Very cold," Wes chuckled, "I can do a warp speed micro burst to get us to that system's outer edge. We can enter on impulse and assume a stationary position at the system's inner edge."
"We'll have to power down non-essential systems to avoid broadcasting our position," Griff reminded Wyn, "Which will delay any reponse we make towards actual detection."
"We'll have to risk it," Wyn acknowledged his concerns, "When they assemble, we'll exit the system at maximum warp broadcasting our findings on every channel available. That will alert the Militia and Starfleet both."
"Neela reports her conversation with General Anara has concluded," Javi told her.
"Now we go in," Wyn decided.
"I want to be absolutely clear on this topic," Captain Elias Vaughn, CO of Deep Space Nine, stated for Admiral Clancy's image on his screen, "We're not deterring the Nalori forces from entering Bajoran space or breaching the joint blockade to reach Empok Nor? In fact, we're withdrawing Starfleet's presence from the blockade?"
"That's correct, Captain Vaughn," Clancy said smugly.
"Can I see the counter signatures on these orders?" Vaughn asked, "The station is the hub center for the Cult of the Pah-wraiths, which was been deemed an extremist threat to the Federation by Starfleet Intelligence. That was why we entered into the joint blockade in the first place. I'd like to know if they've been reclassified as a non-threatening."
"I gave you your orders, Captain. I've already redeployed the starships assigned to the blockade. They aren't needed anymore," Clancy said coldly.
"I'd still like to verify their authenticity," Vaughn told her in reply, "So far, they reek of illegality."
"I think you've been in Bajoran space too long, Captain. You don't see the issues clearly anymore. I'd worry about a transfer to a different command rather than placing ships in an unnecessary duty," Clancy told him.
"I can refuse a transfer," Vaughn reminded her.
"But it can easily be arranged for you to either accept the transfer to a different command, to a desk here at Starfleet Command, or file your retirement papers," Clancy's smugness returned.
"You know Starfleet's ongoing presence in the Bajor Sector is reliant on my commanding Deep Space Nine," Vaughn countered, "Are you ready to concede the Wormhole?"
"I'm prepared to concede the entire Gamma Quadrant," Clancy warned him.
"There's no room for personal retribution in strategic decisions, Admiral," Vaughn told her bluntly.
"Unless the retribution fits into the strategic policies," Clancy laughed and signed off. Vaughn felt she'd given her fair warning. He wondered how she'd feel about his response when he drafted a summary and forwarded the conversation on to the President and the Secretary for Starfleet. Fleet Admiral's were appointed when the need for them arose. Clancy would need the President and Secretary's support when Jellico stood down. If she poisoned the well beforehand, she could only blame herself for her failure to rise.
"I'm sorry, but Tom Hennessy hasn't beamed aboard," the Syndicate yacht's captain reported to Noble.
"Thanks anyway. The bounty is still effect," Noble assured her. After the screen reverted to the orbital scenery, Noble asked Hendryks, "Starfleet Security is certain he's off planet?"
"The arrest warrant went out and Hennessy's security detail clashed with Starfleet," Hendryks scrolled through old reports, "He hasn't been seen since. It's unlikely they would have missed him for this long. Liam and Nat's testimony led them to several brigade commanders across the planet based on Hennessy's communications. Several flipped on Hennessy and the group to lessen prison time."
"And Hemmingway and Donner's status?" Tulley inquired.
"Returned to their ranger outpost," Hendryks happily reported, "Unless Hennessy is brought in for trial, their part is done."
"Sito, break orbit and set course for Rigel X," Noble instructed.
"You think he'd run to the heart of the Federation?" Tulley was surprised by the call.
"Let's just say, it wouldn't surprise me as much as it seems to surprise you," Noble said cryptically.
"How much longer is this expected to take?" McKinley asked Johnson in the Admirals' office.
"At least both sides are actually negotiating instead of writing blank checks," Johnson shrugged, "I was afraid the Federation Council would just blindly accept Oxmyx's terms at face value."
"Is anyone listening to our narrative?' McKinley asked.
"Our narrative still has a distinct lack of solid evidence," Johnson said ruefully, "But the implications of the timelines and results have been enough to prompt closer scrutiny of the terms of the treaty."
"Ro Laren's evidence of Iridian guidance of the terror campaign is on solid footing," McKinley was happy that had worked out.
"And that swayed more Councilors than any reports we made," Johnson ruefully admitted, "Elias Vaughn's latest personal update is disturbing on several levels."
"You think Clancy will make good on her threat to transfer Vaughn?" McKinley asked.
"I think she can restrict his command to just the Defiant and redeploy him elsewhere and abandon Deep Space Nine," Johnson stated, "She'll blame that happening on the Militia."
"God forbid she ever take personal responsibility for something bad happening as a result of her decision making," McKinley soured.
Johnson's comp/comm chimed, "And now the Federation Council has responded to the Oxmyx;s latest proposal amendments."
He signaled DeBoer to get him aboard Oxmyx's flagship to deliver the treaty proposal revision, "The good Planetary Boss isn't as cordial as when we first arrived. She's grown impatient."
"I can't blame her," McKinley confessed, "Another small fleet of Java-class freighters left today. They were headed towards the Enforcer Zone."
"Like we've said all along, the Iotian response to the Iridian relief request is too well prepared in advance. There's no possible way for the Iotian Starfleet to have compiled all the necessary components this quickly. They've been tipped off to what was needed well in advance," Johnson said dourly, "Lives were lost in this play acting on all sides. That's the worst outcome of it all."
"We've intercepted reports coming from near Turkanis," McKinley apprised Johnson, "It seems Ishtashra Yar has a new set of confederates to go rogue with. The Terrans that betrayed Oxmyx and Kracko have joined forces with Yar. Ishara Yar is still playacting loyalty to the Iotians to keep them off of her colony but only this new expansion into the Enforcer Zone is keeping military forces from occupying Turkanis and the older Yar knows it."
"Maybe that will moderate Ishtashra's alliance with the Terrans," Johnson hoped but obviously doubted it.
"I doubt anything moderates Yar," McKinley shared Johnson's personal opinion.
"And nothing but death will moderate the Terrans. So, quite a partnership has been formed," Johnson said grimly as he loaded the new proposal terms onto one Oxmyx's data slates she'd given to use for the purpose. Despite the Iotians' technical breakthroughs in starship design, their computers were still a generation behind the Federation's LCARS systems. The Iotians were operating off of systems that echoed the mid-24th century for Starfleet, "I'm off to see the Evil Queen."
"Persuasively suggest to her she's received all the concessions she's likely to get and stalling further will inspire the Federation Council to start rescinding concessions from the proposal terms," McKinley suggested.
"I planned to do so. For all our sanities' sake," Johnson confessed as he exited his office to get his itinerary from DeBoer. He was pleased to learn Oxmyx had cleared her schedule. It seemed she wanted it to be over with as well.
Oxmyx awaited him with her gun molls in the transporter room. She gave the proposal a cursory glance. She knew all the terms that had been bartered for in the last rendition of the proposal, "Nothing changed."
"Nothing will," Johnson hadn't skimmed it himself but it seemed the Federation Council had already lost patience in the process, "These are the terms. There's only agreeing to them or rejecting them altogether."
"Fine," Oxmyx grew terse, "I accept. But I still protest the limited nature of the binding terms of the treaty. I'm trying to secure our common border. Not give each side incentive to start an arms race in preparation for a future conflict."
"The Council doubled the term limits to ten years," Johnson reminded her, "You have to admit that each side needs to prove good faith to the other before committing fully to a permanently binding treaty."
"It's a non-aggression and trade treaty," Oxmyx sighed, "It's nowhere close to being a mutual defense pact."
"Which our side would never agree to," Johnson fairly warned her, "Not until our own relations with the Cardassian Union improve."
"Try to avoid invading them and things will work out," Oxmyx snorted.
"I'm authorized to sign on behalf of the Federation, Do you want an official ceremony?" Johnson asked.
"We'll make a mutual appearance announcing the treaty being signed. We can just finalize it right here and now," Oxmyx decided.
They both thumb printed the treaty terms on the data slate and on his padd he'd brought along in case Oxmyx opted to sign the treaty. It would go into effect as soon as they both updated their individual government data nets. Oxmyx looked wearied.
"Give me a schedule of when to make the official announcement with you and then we'll depart," Johnson told her.
"It didn't have to be this hard," Oxmyx complained.
"Then you should try to do so without manipulating your intended partners and sacrificing lives to achieve your goals," Johnson said sourly.
"The invasion was going to happen regardless of what I did," Oxmyx advised him, "Did I steer the outcome? Of course. You would have too. But Syndic was bent on invading our territory before grabbing yours. You knew this already. That's why you staged fleets near the our common border. Yet you lecture me on cutting the best deal to insure the fewest lives were lost in the process? Your Federation was willing to sacrifice mine to the Enforcers to buy yourself time to prepare yourselves for the inevitable conflict. I just sped that portion up."
Johnson had no reply. In many ways, the Council had debated doing just that before agreeing to moderate talks. Even that decision had nearly been forced upon the politicians by Starfleet. Those same Councilors saw the eradication of the Iotian Starfleet as merely dealing with an unwanted rival. Regardless of the responsibility Earth and the Federation bore for shaping Iotian culture. It had just shaped itself into something the federation regretted creating.
"I'll see you at the announcement," Johnson and Delaney stepped back onto the transporter pads. It seemed Oxmyx wasn't the winner Johnson had thought she'd been. She'd been a victim of Syndic's blind ambitions as well. Zandic had just provided her with an out.
Forger contacted Parva in Engineering, "Light up all systems. We're leaving in a hurry."
"About damn time," Parva growled back.
"Zimbalist, light them up with every sensor pallet we have. Jaycee, standby on potential firing solutions. Aglaia, this is your moment to shine. Get us through them and out of the system to join up with Colonel Wyn's Militia forces," Forger rolled out the long awaited orders. They'd been station keeping for days.
"Assuming the good Colonel and her ships are even there to begin with," Jones complained.
The starship launched itself at the Nalori ships which were taken completely by surprise as Aglaia aggressively maneuvered through their formation. As soon as they were clear, Forger made the call, "Maximum warp. Now!"
"What the frinx?" Katts yelped, "Some subspace wave just passed us."
"I see it too," Wes' nav sensor display was till running, "They're all going to warp."
"The Obsidian is broadcasting the Nalori ship types, armament specs and numbers," Javi happily reported, "They've been in the solar system this whole time."
"And a lot closer to them, it seems," Griff begrudgingly admired their effort.
"Engineering, power us up. It seems we have to play catch up," Wyn ordered, "Wes, plot our course to Empok Nor."
"We're not joining the blockade?' Griff was confused.
"We aren't officially Militia forces," Wyn reminded him, "But we can intercept anyone that gets by Meru."
"I don't think we'll be alone there," Ferris said, "The Obsidian isn't Militia either. And they're more invested in our mission rather than Colonel Wyn's."
"They do fund us far more than the Militia does," Griff grudgingly admitted that time.
"Besides what Neela takes from the Cultists' coffers," Wyn smirked.
"I'm registering a massive explosion in the our sector," Ferris said with some alarm, "Colonel Wyn seems to have mined the system and it closed around the Obsidian and activated it in their wake. The Nalori triggered the minefield. It dropped them out of warp."
"And punched a hole for us to get through," Wyn said approvingly, "Wes, implement course and go to maximum warp."
Colonel Wyn had indeed mined the system in coordination with Captain Forger's efforts. She'd brought along two Constitution (refit)-class starships and two Asia (refit) -class ships alongside her Enterprise-class Fist of the Prophets. The three leading Nalori ships that activated the minefield had been crippled or utterly destroyed. The antimatter detonation shock wave through subspace had dropped the other six Nalori ships out of warp. As Neela had estimated, Colonel Wyn underestimated her foes versus her overblown projection of her force's own strength.
Two Nalori warships got passed the engaged Militia starships. Colonel Wyn was managing the crisis of her creation and desperately hoping Forger could stop two ships at once. But she knew that was asking to much of her ally. So, Sergeant Bol's report that another starship had slipped passed them all but was an older, United Earth Federation model starship, the Colonel heartened. She knew Wyn Mesa had just tilted the odds in their favor.
"The Obsidian is engaged with one Nalori ship but the other is approaching Empok Nor," Katts warned.
"They're approaching transporter range," Ferris advised Wyn.
"Fire a brace of torpedoes," Wyn ordered. Ferris launched four.
"They could hit the station," he advised the Major.
"Good," she wore a predatory smile, "Then they'll have to raise shields."
"The Nalori are maneuvering to engage us," Wes called out, "The station's shields are up and holding."
"Now we'll confirm or deny they've rearmed the weapons systems," Griff pointed out.
The station fired torpedoes at both allied ships. Wyn wore a grim smirk, "That answers that."
"Well, this just got interesting," Wes said tersely as he evaded phaser fire from both the Nalori warship and the station. Ferris concentrated his fire on the warship. It was the real threat. Remove the warship and the residents of the station would be stranded there. The Obsidian crew obviously had the same designs.
Ferris studied the Nalori ship. Though it was outdated compared to modern Starfleet vessels, it was still an upgrade from their own ship. Macen's foresight had given them reinforced shields and phaser banks rather than phase cannons. They could also launch modern torpedoes. Though the surveyor operating with them was a modern vessel, it was still outgunned by the warship. But the Obsidian had the advantage in torpedo technology and phaser strips versus phaser banks. The smaller science vessel was far more maneuverable and had a skilled pilot guiding it.
The Razor's Edge had additional RCS thrusters installed to make her maneuver better and quicker than her original design specs. It had become obvious to her crew that Harri Mudd had been shortsighted in giving to them before Tom Eckles, Heidi Darcy, and Chris Lacey had modernized and adapted the ship to a new level of performance. Wes and Ferris worked as a team to provide ideal targeting solutions. Tech Sergeant Gren Taru and Tech Corporal Wills Fani kept Engineering battened down as the shields were beginning to border on overload upon certain phaser strikes. Doctor Lens Frenic and Nurse Kenji Nola stood by for the worst. Neela and her attached team of constables had little to do but await the outcome.
The Obsidian sheered a warp nacelle off of its opponent. The crippled starship lost main power as it ejected its warp core. The detonation battered every ship and the station as well. Forger immediately went on the attack as her crew recovered more quickly than the remaining Nalori vessel. Wyn made a decision.
"Ferris, switch targets. I want the station's defenses taken down," the Major ordered.
Empok Nor still only had its original weapons sails and shield generators that had been repaired and replenished. The shields were its greatest strength. Ferris seriously doubted he could accomplish his assigned task, "Major, we don't have enough torpedoes to drop their shields."
"We'll ask Captain Forger for assistance," Wyn replied back.
"They might not fire on a civilian station without cause," Ferris reminded her, "Their mission isn't the station."
"It isn't ours either, quite frankly," Griff told her.
"Excuse me?" Wyn retorted.
"Major, the Militia keeps the Cultists bottled in here because it's a holy site to them. They won't abandon it. The Syndicate could smuggle out Duket's son at any time it wants," Griff explained his reasoning, "This is a feint meant to distract us from something else very real."
The turbolift doors opened and Neela emerged, "Let it go, Major."
"But..." Wyn futilely protested.
"Pull back and assist Captain Forger. The Nalori are the threat. Not the Cultists on the station. They're the draw," Neela told her.
"You're the Mission Commander," Wyn sighed, "Wes, evasive action. Bring us to bear on the Nalori warship. Ferris, target them."
"Take heart, Major. This is because we're needed elsewhere far more badly," Neela assured her.
"You have a lead to follow?' Wyn asked.
"From Anara," Neela explained, "There's a Cultist cell operating on Kalendra IIa. The Iotian Federation has given the Militia the rights to clear it out. The Republic has been negotiating for clearance to act against them. The Iotians finally agreed to it."
"I take it the Iotians are thanking us for assisting them," Wyn surmised.
"Among other sundry things," Neela said, "The other matters are for the Republic's Ministers negotiating the trade off."
The Razor's Edge added its phaser firepower to the Obsidian's. The Nalori warship's shields didn't last much longer and several strikes to their engineering hull crippled the ship. Wes and Ferris were congratulating each other when Javi interrupted, "I'm receiving a distress call from the Fist of the Prophets."
"Wes, set course and go to warp," Wyn urgently ordered, "Javi, alert Captain Forger."
The Razor's Edge exited the system at warp speed and dropped into the neighboring solar system some light years away. It was quickly apparent that the two ships the Nalori had sent ahead to Empok Nor were really light cruisers. They heavy cruisers had remained behind to face the Militia forces under Colonel Wyn. This hadn't gone well for the two Asia-class refits.
The Shield in the Prophets had been damaged enough it appeared her main power was out and auxiliary power hadn't been engaged yet. The Security in the Prophets, her sister ship, was positioned between the Nalori cruiser and the stricken vessel. The Razor's Edge was making a drive at the Nalori's aft quarter.
"Their rear shields are damaged," Katts reported, "It appears the Nalori concentrated firepower on Militia light cruiser while allowing the other to attack with minimal interference."
"Ferris, fire a brace of torpedoes at the Nalori ship. Get their attention," Wyn instructed, "Then follow through with phaser fire. Wes, bring us on a near pass of their secondary hull. Afterwards bring us about to directly reengage them."
"The Nalori are taking additional damage. The Obsidian fired torpedoes and is following us through our course," Katts alerted Wyn.
"We have their attention. What do we do with it?" Griff asked.
"Keep them from noticing the Security in the Prophets while she presses her attack again," Wyn told him, "We're also buying time for the Shield in the Prophets to restore power."
"And reactivate her torpedo launchers," Griff appreciated that aspect.
"The Nalori are a weapons tech generation behind the Federation but a generation ahead of Militia ships," Katts observed.
"Which is why their phaser banks and shields are comparable to ours versus the Militia's," Ferris interjected between shots, "But only because this ship was completely redesigned and the upgrades are hidden beneath a retrograde hull."
"I prefer 'vintage'," Katts chided him.
"It's a two century-year old design," Ferris glowered.
"Which has been extensively modernized," Katts replied, "As you just so inelegantly stated."
"Enough," Wyn groaned, "You'll distract him."
"I haven't begun to distract him," Katts said.
"Okay then, moving on," Griff was slightly embarrassed by the shift in tone. Shipboard gossip was Katts and Wes were a couple. So, where did Ferris fit into it? Or was Katts merely provoking universal uncertainty? If so, why?
"The Obsidian is moving off," Katts was startled.
"I had an outgoing transmission a few seconds ago," Javi told them, "Neela signaled Captain Forger."
"Katts?" Wyn sought an explanation.
"The Obsidian is moving towards the Fist of the Prophets. The Fist's shields are nearly down as she's taking heavy damage. She's certainly needs the assistance," Katts explained.
"Status of the other ships?" Wyn knew Neela had contacted Forger rather than alert her because Meru was her sister and would prove distracting.
Katts intently studied her senor hood's display, "The Triumph of the Prophets and the Temple of the Prophets are both disabled but so are their Nalori counterparts," Katts told her.
"Making it a race for repairs and assistance," Griff said grimly.
"Then we win the race for them," Wyn decided.
"Boo-wah!" Miller crowed as explosions ripped through the Nalori warship's secondary hull and lights went out across her. The warp nacelles plasma fields stopped glowing as they weren't energized anymore, "Their shields are completely down and they've lost main power."
"Just in time for the Bajoran ship to restore aux power and reinforce shields," Zimbalist noted, "So, no one will be beaming across."
"Give me a sitrep on the remaining Nalori ship," Forger instructed.
"They're down as well," Miller happily stated, "One light cruiser has restored aux power and shields."
"Making us and the light cruisers the dominant players in the system," Jones was pleased with that development.
"Major Wyn sends her compliments and thanks," Zimbalist told them, "But Neela is ordering them off to Kalendra."
"They'll need replenishment," Forger frowned, "They used up most of their torpedo complement."
"We're one to talk," Miller snorted.
"Warp back to Empok Nor. We'll tractor those light cruisers here," Forger decided, "Signal the Bajorans and tell them we'll be back in a few."
"Any word from Colonel Wyn yet?" Jones suddenly asked.
"She's 'not available'," Zimbalist reported the official line.
"I bet," Jones snarked, "I'd be embarrassed too."
"Here we are, Sector 001," Lieutenant Alessandro Pedrossi said from the USS Intrepid's CONN station.
"You make it sound like there was a doubt we'd make it back," Striker chuckled.
"I doubted Starfleet would let us come back," Pedrossi told him.
"He's got a point," Delaney said from Tactical.
"You make it sound like we're unloved," Striker was amused.
"Just unwanted," Delaney remarked.
McKinley emerged from his Ready Room, "Prepare to set a new course."
"What?" Striker yelped.
"We have new deployment orders," McKinley explained.
"Told you," Pedrossi snickered.
"And they waited until we were back in the Sol system to tell us?' Striker was irked.
"Obviously," McKinley said dryly.
Delaney grinned, "Hannah lost the bet. She said they'd wait until we were back in Spacedock before giving us new orders."
"Robert took her side on that," Liefers grinned as well. Caplan owed her two weeks on Risa now. If they ever got a chance to take leave again.
McKinley and Caplan had settled the dispute regrading the ship's modifications. He'd demonstrated their performance increases without compromising safety margins, despite official warnings. It seemed Emily Johnson had managed to out think the ASDB after all. But McKinley had put Caplan on report for going outside the chain of command to authorize the changes.
"Set course for Rigel. Apparently the Orions are brewing trouble there," McKinley told them.
"And they need Admiral Johnson to resolve a local matter in the heart of the Federation?' Striker didn't buy it.
"Admiral Clancy agrees with your skepticism. But the Orions have asked for Johnson by name," McKinley told him.
"Must be some kind of trouble," Delaney muttered.
"Starfleet agrees, Mr. Delaney," McKinley had overheard the comment.
"Understood," Delaney said crisply. The Senior Staff was a family of sorts but they were still all fellow professionals. An occasional reminder was needed to reinforce that perspective.
"Any idea of what this about?" Striker asked.
"Massoli is gathering all available data," McKinley sighed, "The Admiral is getting a classified brief from Starfleet Intelligence that may or may not be shared with us."
"We should at least get a redacted version," Striker said intently, "We'll need it to prepare contingency plans."
"This has a bitter air of being half assed," McKinley told him, "I think Starfleet Operations is making it up as they go."
"Clancy is more reactive than proactive," Striker mused, "And her proactive measures are usually overreactions to prior incidents."
"Agreed, so how did she end up in the post again?" McKinley asked.
"She's obviously being groomed for being Starfleet Commander again," Striker said unhappily, "Her exile in Starfleet Communications is over."
"And yet another scandal is unfolding in Starfleet Communications while under Clancy's watch. The Iridians developed a mole there during her tenure. A mole we know is still reporting to them and now the Iotians on their behalf," McKinley laid it out.
"Commodore Oh would bury that," Delaney predicted.
"Which is probably why she hasn't been informed," McKinley revealed.
Kira waited by her screen rather impatiently. Clancy had been called away from their discussion for an urgent matter. The Admiral seemed too pleased with herself when she returned to Kira's screen, "General."
Kira noted the lack of even a polite apology, "You were discussing transferring Captain Vaughn from Deep Space Nine. The Bajoran Ministry and the Militia have made our positions on that matter clear."
"Starfleet doesn't assign personnel according to the dictates of foreign governments. Vaughn as been at that station for over a decade. Doctor Bashir even longer. Master Chief O'Brien's expertise is needed elsewhere as well. Starfleet needs them relocated now," Clancy gloated.
"Breaking up the band won't change the fact they'll still refuse to obey illegal orders," Kira retorted.
"Blunt as ever, General. It makes this decision making process so much easier to justify," Clancy was smugger than ever now.
"We made it clear that Starfleet's presence was only tolerated if we vet the commanding officer being assigned. We won't tolerate another Commander Lavelle," Kira warned her.
"Duly noted and ignored. Starfleet will post anyone we deem fit to," Clancy chuckled maliciously.
"You're willing to sacrifice a strategic advantage for spite?" Kira was dismayed.
"I call it an object lesson," Clancy replied.
"You're a fool," Kira grated.
"Shall I inform Admiral Akaar the Militia refuses to seat our proposed commanding officer for Deep Space Nine?" Clancy provoked Kira further.
"The candidate is completely unacceptable to Bajoran security concerns," Kira snorted, "Her last installation command was the internment camp Bajoran Federation citizens were sent to during your stupid war."
"Pity. It was nice working with your people while it lasted," Clancy signed off.
Kira sighed. Her contacts in Starfleet Command told her that Clancy was a leading candidate for Fleet Admiral again when Jellico stood down after replacing Akaar at the end of the month. Clancy had seriously entertained plans to militarily occupy Bajor. Apparently Commodore Oh had convinced her their experience would be different than the Cardassian Guard's. They'd learn otherwise. An occupation was an occupation no matter by whom.
Clancy's choice to command DS9 would operate to aid an abet that ambition. Of course Kira couldn't approve it. Her next transmission was with Elias Vaughn. It was the end of several eras in a single conversation. Bashir and Sarina Douglas were being transferred to Earth. O'Brien and Keiko were also returning to Earth. Nog was staying with Vaughn. It seemed Captain Vaughn would retain command of the Defiant. The ship was being transferred to Deep Space Four's command area. It seemed the collapse of the Enforcer Zone was actually a security interest now.
Vaughn told her that Commodore Saavik and her Gamma Quadrant exploration force has all been recalled to the Alpha Quadrant, "It's been an honor, Nerys."
"It isn't over yet, Elias. I promise you that," Kira told him.
"You think Odo can contain the Dominion from crossing the border?' Vaughn inquired.
"If anyone can, it's Odo," Kira assured him.
"Starfleet is suspending support patrols. The closest starbase will be Starbase 375," Vaughn warned her.
"Where Admiral Ross is living out his exile," Kira sighed, "But your friend, Captain Freeman, still commands the station?"
"They'll be scraping Ignatius out of there," Vaughn chuckled, "Ross defends him. So, Clancy will have to weigh risking Ross' compliance with getting rid of Freeman."
"He's been in Starfleet almost as long as you," Kira recalled.
"He went to Starfleet Academy twenty ears after I graduated," Vaughn told her again, "He's been Starbase 375's CO since 2369."
"The same year Bajor was liberated," Kira acknowledged, "Starfleet was assigning officers invested in Commander Sisko's mission at Deep Space Nine and defending Bajor from Cardassia."
"Freeman's politics haven't changed. I think that's why Ross demands he stay in place. As the Dominion War easily showed, Ross can place his flag offices on any starbase. But he and Freeman have a good working relationship. Not unlike the same dynamic he shared with Captain Sisko," Vaughn admitted.
"I never saw Sisko retiring when he returned from the Celestial Temple," Kira admitted, "I thought he'd simply resume command of the station."
"He said the Prophets showed him his destiny was on Bajor," Vaughn recalled.
"They also told him he'd find no rest there," Kira remembered all too well.
"Meaning?" Vaughn was concerned now.
"I have no idea. Visions from the Prophets aren't my area of expertise," Kira ruefully admitted.
"I'll keep in touch. We're supposed to vacate the station in seventy-two hours' time. Since you're an allied force, we don't have to strip all the Starfleet modifications made to the station. I got Akaar to back that, at least," Vaughn advised her.
"I'll be there for the handover ceremony," Kira promised, "That way I can say my goodbyes."
"I'll be handing over the command codes to Colonel Cenn, if he's still your choice to take over," Vaughn told her.
"You wouldn't?" Kira asked.
"Cenn is more than ready for the job. He's in command of the bulk of the forces aboard the station and runs Ops. But Lavelle and Starfleet's latest decisions have polarized him," Vaughn warned her.
"Cenn is no Circle isolationist," Kira pledged.
"But he is very reciprocal," Vaughn had noted.
"I'll keep it mind," Kira said with some concern. Vaughn wouldn't have mentioned it if he weren't concerned. The Federation may be lowering its commitment to Bajor but internal relations between Militia officers and Starfleet officers would be encouraged by her staff. Certain Starfleet officers still felt the same way regarding the reverse. Those informal contacts could affect policy decisions later on.
"I'm sorry, Elias. I have a General Staff meeting in ten minutes," Kira said sorrowfully.
"And I have a withdrawal to oversee," He was equally saddened. Kira's promotion and transfer to Bajor had been the beginning of the end, it seemed now.
"What do you mean 'you don't know'?" Johnson was startled by Amanda Forger's reply to his inquiry.
"I mean, I really don't know," Forger told him, "Macen and Rockford took the Corsair out with the team and weren't heard from again while my sister studied the Nalori threat to Empok Nor."
"That was over a week ago," Johnson lamented, "They could be halfway to anywhere by now."
"I haven't needed to contact them, so I haven't pried into their business," Forger confessed.
"And Shannon has no idea of what they're up to?" Johnson sought clarification.
"She had her mission and they had theirs. Whatever 'it' is," Forger shrugged.
"I swear. Sometimes I think you give them too much rope," Johnson complained.
"Bob, whatever they're up to, they'll have good reason to be," Forger reasoned it out.
"In this climate, good reasons aren't always enough," Johnson warned her.
"Why are you going to Rigel X anyway, and why do you need a SID team?" Forger asked.
"Not any team. A team that has Arianna Forte as a member," Johnson said grievously.
"Care to elaborate?" Forger was irked by the vagueness of the conversation.
"Ro Laren sent us to Rigel X. An Orion Syndicate raider captain agreed to hand over details of terrorist operations within the Federation in exchange for a sit down with Forte," Johnson explained, "I was specifically asked for to broker the exchange."
"That's all very specific," Forger noted.
"And all interdependent," Johnson lamented.
"Why hasn't Ro asked Macen himself?" Forger wondered.
"She tried. But they're unresponsive," Johnson complained.
"And you wondered if I had a backup backdoor channel?" Forger understood now.
"I can hope," Johnson admitted.
"I can try something but there are no guarantees," Forger offered, "But there's nothing more to try than Ro already has."
"I'll owe you," Johnson promised.
"You already do," Forger signed off. He owed dinner already. They'd been scheduled to go out together upon his return. That wasn't as imminent now. Ro had access to Maquis channels using encryptions developed by T'Kir. Forger had T'Kir's encryptions developed while she worked for the SID. Either one was supposed to be guaranteed to reach Macen and Rockford. If they really weren't answering, there had to be a reason. Gambling that they were at least monitoring the incoming messages, she laid out Johnson's plight. That was the best she could do.
Ebert, Smith, and Kerber had remained with the runabout while the rest of the team went out. Kerber and Smith invaded the planet's networks and had eyes everywhere. Since they weren't hindered by civil rights guarantees of privacy, they expanded their searches to every monitored corner of Rigel X. Rockford took their message while Macen dealt with Noble and Tulley.
"And you believe Hennessy is still following Maquis script?" Macen sounded skeptical.
"His trail shows he's following our old cell evacuation plan if we needed to escape the DMZ for a while," Noble explained her reasoning, "That trail led here."
"Ro never planned on coming this far into the Federation," Macen tod her.
"Eddington did," Tulley replied, "Most of the steps he's taken since Izar follow old plans Eddington arranged for."
"And what's on Rigel X?" Macen asked.
"Not a what. A 'who'," Noble replied, "Rebecca Sullivan."
"Her bolt hole was here," Tulley told him.
"You're assuming she'd stay here," Macen warned them.
"This was the rally point," Tulley explained, "Any Maquis on the run were to come here eventually and get reorganized."
"You think she'll still be following script?" Macen asked.
"She's Eddington's widow," Noble said.
"Point taken," Macen sighed.
"That was Kerber and Smith," Rockford explained as she rejoined them, "Apparently Ro wants us on Rigel X."
"Lucky her," Macen quipped.
"Lucky for Bob Johnson," Rockford corrected him, "He's the one directly handling her request."
"Why?" Macen looked pained.
Rockford explained the request, "So, I'm taking Lee, Shade, and Forte and meeting with Johnson."
"Does he know we're here yet?" Macen asked.
"Not yet," Rockford shared.
"Don't let him know what the rest of us are up to," Macen requested, "As a planetary official on Izar, Hennessy could've cultivated Starfleet contacts. I don't want him knowing we're on Rigel X."
"Discretion is my middle name," Rockford teased.
"Angosians don't have middle names," Macen replied.
"Damn straight," she walked off to gather her detectives for their mission.
"What about Federation Security?" Tulley asked, "Do you think Hennessy would have agents looking out for him?"
"I know who to ask," Macen promised.
"Which means they'll be watching you now," Macen knew.
"Occupational hazard," Darque replied.
"How far do you think these agents will go to cover Hennessy's tracks?" Macen inquired further.
"I think I'll find out firsthand," Darque said mirthfully.
"Keep living dangerously, Darque," Macen grinned.
"Always and forever," Darque signed off.
"Rockford made off with her team," Daggit reported to Macen, "The rest of us are standing by."
"What have Smith and Kerber uncovered?" Macen asked.
"Captain Noble was right. There is a terrorist network here in Rigel X," Daggit confirmed, "Your Hennessy has gone underground but they've confirmed members of the network as active in their cells."
"And Rebecca Sullivan?" Macen asked about her.
"A digital ghost," Daggit grimaced, "However she's involved, it isn't present on any computer or network on the planet."
"Eddington taught her well," Macen sighed, "It seems she's the mysterious leader of the network after all."
"Parva is wondering why she came along," Daggit warned him, "She needs work to occupy herself."
"I need her to design and fabricate a working tracking device that can be remotely planted and detected," Macen gave her a project.
"Doesn't Starfleet build models like that?" Daggit asked him.
"They're all countermeasured," Macen told him, "I need an original design someone trained by Starfleet Security can't anticipate. She can contact the Solstice to use there fabricator. Tell Smith and Kerber to transfer to the ship and use its Data Womb. I'm sure Elfi Hendryks will share it."
Daggit delivered the instructions and returned, "You look like you're scheming up something."
"I need to talk to Noble," Macen decided, "It's time we put boots on the ground."
"I like the sound of that," Daggit was feeling restless as well.
After dividing territories on Rigel X, the team split up as did Noble's ground force. Kerber and Smith were dedicated surveillance assets from aboard the Solstice in its Data Womb. Parva was in Engineering collaborating with Eckles and Darcy while Thool assisted in the fabrication of parts and assembly. Noble and Lacey worked together while Tulley was teamed with Daggit. Macen and Ebert teamed up as Mudd and Burrows were assigned to work together.
They essentially conducted pub crawls through the cities they were beamed into. Ebert was surprised to be selected as a teammate. Macen grinned, "I assumed you knew your way around places like these."
"I've done my time," Ebert admitted. After the Dominion War ended and Ebert was cut loose with a pardon for her Maquis activities, she'd become a smuggler. Her family's freight company had sold after their deaths and she'd banked the latinum. Macen had paid the Odyssey crew out of the fees they collected for freelance information gathering. She'd saved enough to buy a small, fast ship. So, she went freelance.
"They've arrived," Macen said quietly.
"No one showed up at the other bars," Ebert warned him.
"These are definite marks," Macen assured her, "If you know what to look for, they scream 'terrorist ' all over.."
"How many of them are there?" Ebert asked.
"Six of them so far," Macen glibly told her.
"Jesus, they'll massacre us if they catch us following them," Ebert blurted.
"That's why we have an open comm line. To guide Parva to her target," Macen was still relaxed.
"How is this supposed to work?" Ebert asked. Each team had only received a single briefing regarding Parva's invention. In their case, Macen had received it while Ebert played lookout while Macen was briefed on what expect.
"Parva created an addition to the transporter sensors. She can pinpoint comm badges from orbit and reprogram them to emit a constant signal the ship can track," Macen explained.
"So, Angelique and Bailey do the actual tracking while we receive directions on where to go," Ebert understood now, "And Starfleet never thought of this?"
"They probably have and dismissed the idea on invasion of privacy concerns," Macen shrugged.
"I take it this also allows us to record every conversation they have over their comm badges," Ebert said drolly.
"Hence the invasion of privacy concerns," Macen chuckled.
His comm badge chirped twice, "She has them. Now the Data Team can track them wherever they go."
"I wonder how the others are faring," Ebert idly said.
"Too bad we can't ask them," Macen agreed. Traders in port rarely spoke with their ships while at a pub. To be seen in deep conversation with a comm badge was to invite suspicion of being law enforcement. The Maquis had repeatedly caught infiltrators doing the same.
The evening took an unexpected turn when Elfi Hendryks entered through the entrance and went to the bar counter to order a drink. Spotting Macen and Ebert, she casually waved to them. They beckoned for her to join them as if it had always been planned despite the surprise. Hendryks pulled up a stool and sat down at their small table.
"Sorry for the surprise entrance," Hendryks told them, "Captain Noble believes she found Rebecca Sullivan."
"Se wants a coordinated raid?" Macen asked.
"That's the ask," Hendryks told him.
The terror group finished their ales and packed it in for the evening. Hendryks watched them go, "Angelique and Bailey will track them thanks to Parva."
"All right," Macen conceded, "Let's step outside so we can use the transporter."
They were beamed away after exiting the tavern. A scout for the terror group watched them as they disappeared. Then he went to warn the others.
The two teams were reunited after being sent to separate ships. Noble looked chagrined, "Why are we wearing SID uniforms?"
"Because this is a SID operation," Macen told her, "It became one when Ro hired us."
"But I thought the whole point was to get us off of Outbound Ventures' payroll," Noble argued.
"And you are. You're independent contractors who've been SID vetted. You're subcontracting on this case," Macen grinned.
"This is why you had us keep the uniforms," Noble grimaced, "They'll see us coming from kilometers away."
"Which is why we're going in first," Macen told her, "And Ebert and Mudd will provide air support."
"But you aren't wearing SID uniforms," Lacey complained.
"We're the undercover warrant squad," Macen told them and Tulley, "We breach their perimeter. You make the arrests. People don't argue about false arrests to people in uniform."
"Where is Parva?" Tulley asked.
"Aboard the Corsair, in uniform," Daggit answered, "We have a single detention cell. She's there to greet its future occupant."
"You're taking a prisoner?" Noble asked.
"Sullivan herself," Macen informed her, "We have special questions to ask her. We can ask questions you're not cleared for"
"Won't carrying Bajoran weapons give up the fact we aren't Starfleet?' Lacey wondered.
"People under fire usually don't have time to parse the legalities," Burrows chuckled.
"Everyone have enough power packs for their rifles and sidearms?' Macen asked sharply.
"As stipulated," Noble said confidently.
"Why is he carrying a grenade launcher?' Tulley inquired of Daggit's weapon.
"This'll soften them up,' Daggit said grimly.
"These aren't Cardassian, remember?" Noble asked.
"No, they're worse," Macen said coldly, "Everyone get into position."
"They'll have a rear entrance," Noble said warily.
"It's covered," Macen promised her, "I wouldn't want to exit out the rear door."
"Their sentry just moved off," Daggit observed, "His habit is eating away at him."
The three men moved in formation towards the building Rebecca Sullivan lived in and housed a terror cell operations group. They planned the worldwide terror campaign from there as well as further action throughout the Rigel system. Rigel X was one of the most lawless planets in the Federation. Criminals of all types vanished out sight on it. Others, like Sullivan and her followers, didn't lay low but continued to draw attention.
"They have a habit?" Tulley asked Noble.
"Let me check," Noble comm badged Hendryks, "Elfi, what 'habit' is Macen talking about?"
"Smith and Kerber uncovered illegal drug sales from local Syndicate dealers to suspected members of the terror cells. They're all wired on speedbalks," Hendryks reported back.
"Are they still on the ship?" Noble asked.
"They beamed back to the Corsair twenty minutes ago," Hendryks informed her.
"Nice to be informed," Noble closed the circuit, "I think Kerber and Smith have the rear exit covered."
"What can computer experts do?" Tulley scoffed.
"If Macen trusts them with it, they're more they seem to be," Lacey promised.
"How so?" Noble inquired.
"You weren't with us in the war," Lacey continued, "Daggit was. I've seen how people like him operate. I know how Macen plans covert ops. If he trusts them to cover that door. No one will get through it alive."
"Jesus," Noble blurted, "Has this always been true?"
"Macen was trained by the same people that trained Ro," Lacey shared a secret.
"I've seen it," Tulley confided, "When Ro and I would go off with Odyssey crew, he and T'Kir worked the ground with us. He's an agent, not just a spy."
"What about Danan?" Noble asked.
"A scientist. But a Starfleet trained scientist, so she could fight," Tulley recalled.
"She was also decent with starship combat tactics," Lacey remembered.
The sounds of phaser fire, explosions, and screams erupted into the night. Noble shook her head, "What did we just unleash?"
"Contact right!" Daggit opened fire on their right flank.
Macen and Burrows, also armed with Militia issue phaser rifles opened fire on targets of opportunity that presented themselves. Daggit held his pump action grenade launcher in reserve. Burrows had a katana strapped his body armored back as a melee weapons. Macen had a single photon grenade clipped to his gun belt.
The terror cell displayed a measure of discipline but they were used to going up against poorly trained local law enforcement and Federation Security agents essentially serving penal posting. They lacked the same discipline even the worst Maquis cell had displayed. Sullivan's training standards had obviously lowered over time.
The cell's security detail threw everyone at the front to engage the obvious threat in order to try and smuggle Sullivan out the back. Three cell members exited the rear before phaser beams struck them in the head.
"Sniper!" a fourth yelled before another particle beam burned the better part of his head away. Sullivan quickly retreated out of sight into the home. The casual killing of her men indicated that it wasn't law enforcement or Starfleet her people were engaged with. The Orion Syndicate made good latinum dividends from them so they wouldn't cut off a funding stream. This was something new and different. But who?
"Nice going," Kerber was spotting for Smith who laid prone atop a building two blocks away. It was the highest point within a kilometer. If Smith allowed it, a cell member could reach the other side of the street from the rear exit and escape her sights. Taunting the foe wasn't in her job description. She was supposed to keep them contained indoors.
She fired again as a terrorist peeked around the door's frame. The phaser burst burned away his face, "Let's see them risk that again."
"You're enjoying yourself," Kerber noted, "You miss field work."
"Occasionally," Smith admitted as she fired again to take out someone near the floor trying to look out, "But not usually."
"The curtain to the window just drew back," Kerber advised her.
"It's a distraction to try and get someone out the door," Smith predicted.
The window oped and a shooter thrust a Type II Starfleet cobra phaser out of it and began laying down fire. Kerber emitted a sad chuckle, "They don't have anywhere near the range needed."
Smith fired as a bodyguard attempted to lead Sullivan out. The first burst hollowed out the guard's chest. The second shot, made while Sullivan dove for the doorway, hit her lower leg.
"You're slipping, Princess," Kerber accused.
Smith tilted the rifle and killed the phaser shooter then aimed at the doorway again, "Macen wants that one alive."
"She'll probably lose the leg," Kerber noted.
"The Federation gives away biosynthetic prostheses all the time," Smith was indifferent. The policies on their native Ardana IV restricted such limb and organ replacements to the rarified elites on Stratos. The very elites Smith, as Maarta, had been raised to one day lead. She'd known since childhood that her ideas of reform would never be accepted and lead to her own demise. So, she went to the surface and joined the Troglyte Underground and fought for their liberation from her peers. Kerber and Smith had come into existence years later when they'd been force to flee Ardana IV at the Underground's request because the entire planet had been immobilized against the two freedom fighters. Even Troglytes were hunting them instead of applauding them.
"Now to up the game," Smith switched her scope to sensor mode. The oversized sight now allowed her to see through walls. Two people stood guard while a third treated Sullivan's leg wound. Smith shot through the wall to kill the guards in quick succession. The medic dragged Sullivan behind another wall that Smith couldn't see through. She kept her sight on the corner that led to the rear entrance. Predictably, a terrorist peeked around to lose his or her face. No one tried again after that.
"How long 'till they surrender?" Kerber asked for an opinion.
"This group is particularly stubborn. They won't give up until Daggit begins opening fire with his grenade launcher," Smith predicted.
"Never argue with the Princess," Kerber chuckled.
"Will you stop calling me that?" Smith groaned on schedule.
"They actually managed to pin us down," Burrows was actually impressed for a change. The beginning had been a free for all exchange of fire. The terror cell had seemingly no regard for potential civilian casualties. The ones inside the home were more careful. They also more heavily armed. They were employing an old style squad assault weapon to hold the trio back. After a bit, it was the only weapon firing.
"The power cell won't last much longer at this rate of fire," Burrows predicted.
"They'll be attempting a break out," Macen advised him.
The squad assault weapon ceased fire and two terrorists made a break for it. Burrows shot them and Daggit pumped a grenade into his launcher's chamber and fired at the entrance. The front door and frame detonated. The shrapnel took out the squad assault weapon team at the neighboring window. Daggit racked another round and fired it into the main window, targeting the primary living space in the house. It gutted the wall and the living room. A third round went at the wall behind where that one had stood.
The loss of load bearing walls caused a partial collapse of the upstairs. Several scorched mean and women cast their weapons aside and raised their hands in surrender. Macen and the others held position while Noble's team was called in. It wasn't until the survivors were in binders and admittedly disarmed before Macen took his team in.
Sullivan was going into shock when they found her. Macen placed a generic comm badge on her, "Macen to Corsair. Lock on to target comm badge and beam the prisoner aboard."
"She needs medical attention," Noble accused as Sullivan vanished.
"Which is why we brought a medical suite and a doctor," Macen grinned.
Seeing Sullivan was in a bad way, Parva activated the mobile emitter and Tessa, the EMH member of the team appeared, "How long have I been out?"
"Too long," Parva confided, "But you have a patient."
"We're in Federation space, aren't we?" Tessa asked, "That's why I've been deactived for so long."
"You guessed it," Parva helped move Sullivan into the medical module assigned to the runabout.
"I've got this," Tessa told Parva as the Orion engineer's comm badge began chirping.
Parva fielded Smith and Kerber's transport request. Parva wore a grim smile, "I take it our patient was your work?"
"Leg wound?" Smith asked.
"Exactly," Parva told her.
"She's lucky I was told to spare her," Smith shrugged as she began making her way to the aft compartment to stow her rifle on the way in the armory.
"She'll lose the leg from the looks of it," Parva called back.
"Too bad," Smith was still indifferent.
Parva sighed and returned to the two pad transporter.
"You'll want to get your prisoners in your brig before law enforcement decides to finally intervene," Macen told Noble.
"Where am I taking them?" Noble asked pointedly.
"Deep Space Three," Macen instructed, "I know you just came from there but Ro wants the prisoners delivered to her. I'll give Sullivan as well once I've renditioned her."
"That's a fancy word for torture," Noble complained.
"I won't have to use torture," Macen confided, "She'll give up what I want without anyone touching her."
"Why would she do that?" Noble asked.
"Because I'm going to tell her the truth," Macen grinned, "And it will set her free."
Rockford and her detectives were directed by Starfleet to a seedy shuttleport. There, a single Peregrine-class fighter figured as the lone Starfleet vessel. Lee expressed everyone's surprise, "This just got more interesting."
"Didn't it though?" Delaney left the shadows accompanied by Grace.
"What brings the happy couple to Rigel X?" Rockford asked merrily.
"Captain McKinley wanted me to be your liaison and Hannah refused to fly a shuttle," Delaney chuckled.
"Would you, given the choice?' Grace asked.
"You're asking the wrong ground pounder," Rockford reminded her, "I hate all forms of space travel."
"Yet you live on a space station," Grace reminded her.
"A hard fought compromise," Rockford admitted.
"I was told I was specifically asked for in this meeting?" Forte refocused them.
"Captain Kale won't deal with anyone else,." Delaney warned her.
"Miranda Kale?" Forte groaned.
"You do know her," Delaney realized.
"She can't take 'no' for an answer," Forte grated.
Delaney looked decidedly puzzled so Shade explained, "She's an ex."
"Your ex commands a Syndicate raider," Delaney pointed out.
"So, she's bragged about," Forte snorted.
"She also offered to hand over records of terror cells buying arms from Syndicate sources," Delaney replied, "If Admiral Johnson brokers a deal after she gets ten minutes alone with you."
"Kale won't give you any records. This is just blackmail to get at me again," Forte predicted.
"The Admiral already agreed to the terms," Grace warned Forte.
"Don't I get a say in my own life?' Forte asked.
"Of course you do," Grace promised.
Delaney gave Grace a glare. Forte heaved a sigh, "Then I refuse."
"I respect that," Grace told her.
"I don't," Delaney retorted, "There are too many lives this might affect if you agree to it."
"I'd stand down," Rockford advised him.
"Or what, exactly?" Delaney asked.
"Or, despite years of friendship, I'll feed you your perfect teeth," Rockford warned him, "Admiral Johnson can make any promise or deal he wants. But Adrianna is a free citizen guaranteed the freedom of choice to whom she does or does not meet with. Starfleet has an issue with that? Declare martial law first and see how well the citizens of Rigel X receive that news."
"You can't do this," Delaney argued.
"Then arrest us," Rockford told him, "And we'll fight any bogus charges you come up with to hold us on."
"Ian, you can't," Grace warned him.
"Wait here," Delaney called for a beam up to the Intrepid.
"He'll contact McKinley then Commodore Oh. The Captain will recognize your position but Starfleet Security is a different animal not that Noyce is gone. I'd disappear while you still can," Grace advised them.
"Thank you, Hannah," Rockford expressed relief.
"Ian told me about your Hannah Grace. Totally different life story with me," Grace assured her, "I hope this proves that."
"You didn't have to," Rockford promised, "It was already obvious."
The detectives disappeared into the city's warrens. Delaney returned with Turner and two arrest squads. Grace was dismayed, "Ian, you know what Celeste is. You can't detain her."
"I can with your help," Delaney requested.
"I'm not going to. This is fascist bullshit and you know it," Grace replied, "Starfleet doesn't force people to attend meetings they refuse to go to."
"Commodore Oh disagreed. And she outranks McKinley," Delaney shrugged.
"Does Admiral Johnson know about this?" Grace asked.
"I'm certain the Captain will brief him," Delaney started dispatching Security officers in every direction from the shuttleport. He was surprised to hear antigrav generators engage as the fighter lifted off the tarmac. Impulse engines engaged and the fighter streaked off across the horizon. He knew Grace was disappointed in him over this. But she, like Forte, had lost sight of the bigger picture. Kale's information could track down numerous terror groups and save untold lives. That was his mission.
"You were right," Lee observed the shuttleport tarmac from the rooftop perch they were upon, "Delaney deployed Starfleet Security to find us."
"McKinley didn't order this and neither did Johnson," Rockford knew them too well, "Commodore Oh ordered the witch hunt."
"I thought Delaney was your friend," Shade complained, "Why's he turning against us?"
"Delaney's an idealist. He honestly believes that Arianna has to meet with Kale. Regardless of her choice or desire not to," Rockford explained, "It's a 'greater good' scenario in his mind."
"And frinx what I want?" Forte was indignant.
"Basically," Rockford sighed, "They'll establish a perimeter that they think we could traveled in by foot. Then he'll call down more officers and begin sweeping rooftops."
"So, where do we go from here?' Lee asked.
"The last place they'll look," Rockford smiled.
Hours passed by and Lacey and Tulley beamed back aboard the Solstice with prisoners. Noble came next with the last if the survivors taken into custody. She'd called Federation Security to tend to the wounded. With the ambulatory prisoners in the brig Tulley volunteered to watch over them while Noble and Lacey returned to the bridge.
"You have guests waiting in te Briefing Room," Hendryks advised Noble when she exited the turbolift.
"Why?" Noble asked.
"They said they'd explain to you," Hendryks shrugged, "No one told me anything so far."
Noble was surprised to find Rockford and her detectives waiting inside for her, "Mind telling me why you're aboard?"
"Starfleet is trying to arrest us on trumped up charges so they can violate Arianna's civil rights," Rockford explained,
"So, why not return to your runabout?" Noble asked.
"They'll look there," Rockford explained, "They don't know this ship type after the refit or its allegiance. You're registered as independent contractors with no affiliation to us or Outbound Ventures."
"Yet, he made us wear the uniforms anyway," Noble sighed.
"You're still SID vetted," Rockford explained, "We made certain of that."
"So are you but you guys never wear the uniform," Noble complained.
"Admiral Forger not only gave us an exception, she insisted we never wear the uniform," Rockford grinned.
"I kind of learned why tonight," Noble flopped into a chair.
"What was your target?" Rockford asked.
"We located Rebecca Sullivan. Macen took her into custody. He said he would would rendition her without torturing her. No details on how that works," Noble snorted, "His team dropped a lot of bodies we signaled Federation Security to come clean up. Funny thing is, while the shooting was underway, they didn't even bother to send a patrol unit."
"You suspect they're on Sullivan's payroll," Rockford noted.
"Stands to reason," Noble remarked, "Rigel X is seen as a professional penal posting. Like Starbase 80 was until the quantum reality portal opened. Disgruntled law enforcement agents are just as likely to be corrupt as not."
"Captain, we have trouble," Hendryks announced over the intercom.
"Coming?" Noble asked Rockford.
"Captain, this order is idiotic," Liefers protested.
"It also comes from the Director of Starfleet Security," McKinley sighed, "Until we get a countermanding order from a superior officer, it stands."
"Delaney reported Grace launching but she never returned so Alpha Squadron is missing its leader," Liefers told him.
"Launch Beta Squadron then,' McKinley shrugged, "They're always complaining that they want more action."
"I have the Corsair on sensors," the Tactical relief reported, "They seem to be headed for the shuttleport."
"Then they won't mind being escorted to a landing," McKinley hoped.
"This is going to end baldy," Liefers warned him.
"Just launch your squadron," McKinley grated, knowing she was right. Johnson was meeting with Captain Kale. He was out the chain of command to override Oh's orders. McKinley attempted to contact other flag officers to reverse the decision before it was too late.
"Are they seriously launching fighters?" Noble was aghast.
"They're after the Corsair. They think we're aboard," Rockford deduced.
"I thought these people were your friends," Noble was puzzled.
"They are. That's why the starship hasn't opened fire," Rockford said grimly.
"I have the runabout on sensors. A fighter has already reached them," Hendryks told them.
"That was pretty damn fast, even for Starfleet," Noble griped.
"That one is a friendly," Rockford promised her with a smirk.
"A Starfleet fighter is hailing us," Ebert told Macen.
"It has to be Hannah. But why?" Macen wondered, "Put her on."
"Attention Corsair. You have to follow me back to the shuttleport under escort to land there," Grace told them.
"Could you clarify why?" Macen asked.
"Commodore Oh has authorized the detention of Detective Rockford and her squad," Grace explained, "The Intrepid will be rolling fighters any minute now to ground you. I can safely escort you in."
"I have a better idea. Let's take this directly to Captain McKinley," Macen suggested.
"I strongly advise against that," Grace replied.
"Follow us or not, Commander Grace," Macen shrugged and cut the comm line.
"This'll be awkward," Mudd complained.
"Good," Macen gloated, "It'll give Celeste time to get to wherever it is she wants to go to."
"Why are we always the bait?" Mudd complained.
"Because we grab attention when we want to. And we definitely want to right now," Macen told her, "I'm sure of it. Celeste is on to something Starfleet doesn't want known."
"Giving them a black eye will make it worth, I suppose," Mudd sighed in resignation.
"That's the spirit, Harri," Ebert enthused.
"God, I love that man," Rockford stated, "He read my mind. Get Thool to the transporter room. My team is going back down."
"The other fighters are intercepting them. They might get shot down," Noble warned her.
"Hannah won't let that happen," Rockford grinned as she summoned her detectives to the turbolift.
"I repeat, this is Alpha Lead. Do not fire on target. I have them in custody and am escorting them back to the Intrepid," Grace repeated over comms. Beta Lead wanted a name for himself. So, if Oh had ordered them to fire on the Corsair to force compliance with the planetary landing, he would have done so already. Instead, he was consulting with Liefers. Grace could only hope Liz Liefers didn't call her bluff.
"Alpha Lead, this Flight Operations. You and your escort party have been cleared for the primary hangar bay. Beta Squadron has been recalled to the fighter bay," Liefers informed her. Liefers obviously understood that Beta Lead would need distance from Grace to swallow his pride. The Intrepid's primary shuttle bay was a quarter of a non-carrier variant's bay size. Adding a Danube-class runabout alongside her fighter stretched the bay's capacity. The two Type 6 shuttles normally stored there were being quickly moved aside to make room.
"Copy that, Flight Operations," Grace said crisply. She couldn't say much else for the official log recordings. She'd express her personal thanks to Liefers later in private. As Grace cycled down her fighter's systems, Delaney led Turner and a Starfleet Security detail to the hangar bay. She'd deduced Macen's plan to pull Delaney and the bulk of his sentries off of Rigel X by diverting to the ship. Her husband wasn't an idiot by any means. He had to know he was being played. But, he was also a loyal friend to the SID team so he was going along with it.
Delaney waited for the Corsair's main hatch to open. Only it didn't. He waited for several minutes before losing patience. Grace opened her cockpit and stepped out of her fighter, "Take a deep breath before you regret something."
"I regret this whole thing," Delaney confided, "Oh is out of her goddamn mind."
"Be sure to put that in your official report," Grace snickered.
Delaney tapped his comm badge, "I know you're listening. Open up and step out so we can inspect the vessel."
"Come back with a search warrant," Macen replied before cutting comms off.
"Sonuvabitch. He's going to make us jump through the hoops?" Delaney was frustrated.
"The longer he stalls the better legal position he can arrange for them," Grace reminded him.
"Turner, request a search warrant," Delaney ordered his protege.
"Rockford isn't aboard, is she?" Delaney quietly inquired.
"I hope not," Grace wasn't certain.
"I hope not too. I'd hate for Oh to get her way on this," Delaney quietly confided with his wife.
"Is Tessa's mobile emitter stashed?" Macen asked Parva.
"They'll never look where I put it," she answered.
"Sullivan is stable and unconscious," Burrows told him coming out of the brig module, "I dosed her to keep her under for hours."
When Delaney reports her injury, Sikorsky will intervene," Macen predicted, "I need you and Daggit to provide a security escort for the prisoner."
"Andreja will call for Security," Parva reminded him.
"And the resultant standoff will further distract from Oh's original orders," Macen shrugged, "Mission accomplished."
"You couldn't reach Admiral Forger?" Parva inquired.
"I left a message with Ambril. Amanda was in a briefing with other SID agents," Macen told her, "I also got through to Ro who is bumping things up to Nechayev."
"Will Delaney play along with our distraction?" Burrows wondered.
"He has been so far," Macen reminded him, "Sending an ensign to request a search warrant will slow things down with Starfleet Security headquarters."
"Turner's back with the warrant," Ebert warned Macen from the cockpit.
"Oh wants this bad enough," Macen grimaced, "Everyone, disembark and keep your hands clear from your sidearms."
Macen opened the hatch. The Security detail drew their phasers but didn't aim them. Some were new transfers to the ship and were unfamiliar with the SID. Daggit and Burrows particularly unnerved them. Burrows had taken the extra step of keeping his katana strapped to his back. Kerber and Smith were the only ones that appeared unarmed though that was far from the truth and Delaney knew it.
"Where are Celeste Rockford, Arianna Forte, Lee Kang, and Shade?' Delaney asked Macen.
"You'd actually know better than I would," Macen quipped.
"You're telling me this is everyone aboard?" Delaney asked.
"We have a prisoner named Rebecca Sullivan. She's in the brig module," Macen explained.
"Search the ship," Delaney ordered.
Turner led the search and came up empty, "He's right. They have a prisoner. Her leg is in a bad way."
"Transfer her to Sickbay," Delaney instructed.
"My people stay with her," Macen countered, "And before you quote Starfleet regs, she's an SID target. We captured her and are taking her to Deep Space Three for questioning by Starfleet Intelligence."
Delaney knew Ro was at DS3 and what her mandate was, "I'll arrange for it."
"Or, you could simply release us now," Macen suggested.
"I wish I could. But I can't have you leaving the planet with your detectives with you," Delaney sounded grieved, "My orders are to escort you to the recreational facilities under guard."
"Doctor Sikorsky is going to love your guards guarding my guards," Macen jested.
"She'll adapt," Delaney replied, "She has no choice."
"All of you get the frinx out of my Sickbay," Sikorsky demanded.
"Doctor, we need to make certain that any statements made by the prisoner are recorded for Starfleet Intelligence," Daggit replied, "Even those made under sedation."
"I'm not a credible witness?" Sikorsky scoffed.
"Not under these circumstances," Burrows replied.
"Fine," Sikorsky turned to the Starfleet Security detail, "Out. They stay. You go."
"Doctor!" a Master Chief protested.
"Tell Delaney his ass his barred from my Sickbay as well," Sikorsky told them, "Now go!"
She ushered the SID agents deeper into Sickbay, "Now, what is this really about?"
"We're being detained because Starfleet Security doesn't want us learning something," Daggit told her, "In order to do that, they have to detain our detective squad."
"There's more to it," Sikorsky warned them, "A Captain Kale of the Orion Syndicate is offering implicating data in exchange for a one on one with Forte."
She led them to the surgical unit, "Now stand there out of the way while I amputate."
"Is that necessary?" Burrows asked.
"Whoever shot her made certain to destroy the major nerves in the thigh. I have to remove the leg to secure a biosynthetic prosthetic to the clean nerves above the particle beam burn through," Sikorsky explained, "It was either the worst shot in history or the most surgical application of a high powered rifle."
Daggit and Burrows exchanged knowing looks. Sikorsky added, "And I don't want to know which it is."
Mudd was enjoying shots from the bar when McKinley and Striker entered it. Delaney escorted them. Grace sat at the table with Ebert, Macen, Parva, Kerber, and Smith.
"Commander Grace, could you excuse us?" McKinley asked.
"I don't think so," Grace replied coolly.
"I could make it an order," McKinley said sternly.
"And you'd have to put me in the brig for insubordination," Grace replied.
"I see," McKinley sighed. Striker brought up chairs for the Captain, himself, and Delaney, "Commodore Oh is behind this. Nechayev and Forger haven't replied back to my requests for a countermanding order. The SID hasn't even confirmed your official duties here."
"Where's Johnson?" Macen asked directly.
"The Admiral is undertaking delicate negotiations," Striker replied.
"I don't recall asking you, Commander," Macen retorted.
"He's right," McKinley answered, "Bob is out of touch. We haven't heard from his Security detail in hours."
"And you're wasting time with us?" Ebert was irked.
"The Admiral has a panic button hidden on him. Any trouble and he signals us and we beam him out of there," Delaney explained.
"Why are you even here?" Macen asked.
"The Orions asked to negotiate with Johnson personally," McKinley told them, "It was their demand."
"Whose demand?" Parva asked.
"Captain Miranda Kale. She's a raider commander ready to hand over lists of terror cells buying weapons from the Syndicate," Striker explained.
"You've been duped," Macen warned them, "Kale works directly for Gomer. Gomer would never release that data. She would, however, kidnap Johnson for the right client."
"Have the panic button located and beamed aboard," McKinley ordered Striker. The bespectacled XO departed giving orders over his comm badge.
McKinley's comm badge chirped moments later and he tapped, "McKinley, go."
"Someone has the Admiral," Striker reported, "They knew about the panic button. A security team deployed to the site we transported the button from but reports our escort teams is dead."
"Any sign of Kale's raider?" McKinley was on his feet and headed for the exit to return to the bridge.
"It managed to depart the system undetected," Striker grimly reported.
"You already know I did," Macen chuckled.
"I have Captain Kale in custody, if Delaney is interested," Rockford informed him.
"I'd say that's a distinct possibility," Macen grinned at the gaping Delaney.
"Tell him to call off the dogs and I'll trade her to him," Rockford offered.
"He agrees," Macen answered for Delaney, "It's the best deal he'll get."
Delaney had to concede that much.
Rockford held Kale prisoner while she and her team were beamed aboard the Intrepid. They remanded Kale to Starfleet's custody. Ensign Turner was assigned to placing Kale in the brig. Delaney was left alone with the Rockford and her squad.
"I pulled back against Commodore Oh's orders as much as I could without being obvious," Delaney explained.
"The gaps in coverage led us to Kale," Rockford thanked him, "You did some good, Commander."
"You should thank Hannah," Delaney demurred, "She provided the distraction for you to escape the dragnet and got the rest of your team aboard."
"Kale doesn't seem very concerned about being apprehended," Lee had noted already.
"She's not," Forte told him, "Her end game has her being released from custody."
"Why would Starfleet Command agree to her release?" Delaney wondered.
"She knows who the mole inside Starfleet Communications is," Rockford told him, "She'll barter her silence in exchange for a release."
"Macen brought in a prisoner as well," Delaney told them as he led them out of the transporter room, "She lost her leg. Someone with a very high powered particle beam weapon nearly blew it off."
"We weren't there so we can't tell you who the shooter was," Rockford reminded him.
"Not that we would anyway," Shade snorted. Like Mudd, Shade's criminal background clouded her perspective regarding law enforcement. Delaney shook his head as he brought them to the ship's lounge. Rockford received a very tender and passionate greeting.
"I should stay away more often," Rockford jested after the kiss broke off.
"Commander Macen, Doctor Sikorsky says your prisoner is awake now," Delaney interrupted.
"Coming with?" Macen asked Rockford.
"Wouldn't miss it," She smirked.
They were brought to Sickbay. Daggit and Burrows were relieved to join the others in the lounge. Sullivan recognized Macen.
"Michael said you might come after us some day," Sullivan sullenly confessed.
"Eddington died saving you," Macen reminded her, "So, he isn't saying anything these days."
"Michael is with me," Sullivan insisted, "He helped me plan everything."
Sikorsky summoned a counselor. Sullivan spoke on, "We planned everything together. Have you captured him? He won't make it easy to find him. He travels the planet and to other worlds."
"We'll be back. Rest easy," Macen moved away and Rockford came with him. Sikorsky sighed, 'She's delusional."
"It's more imbedded than that," Rockford warned her, "Check her travel logs. She'll report those as being Eddington's journeys."
"She's using him as an alias?" Sikorsky asked.
"She thinks she's Eddington at those times," Rockford explained.
"With all the losses of those days, she could have developed a separate personality to cope with the pain," Sikorsky agreed.
"Not just any personality. She took on her husband's identity," Rockford advised her, "That alternate identity has the answers Ro needs."
"You're still insistent on taking her back into custody?" Sikorsky was skeptical, "She obviously needs treatment."
"She needs to be incarcerated and receive treatment," Macen amended her statement, "Deep Space Three has longer term treatment options available and the resources to bring out the alternate personality."
"You're not taking her there in a runabout," Sikorsky demanded.
"Doctor Sikorsky, are Commander Macen and Detective Rockford still with you?" McKinley asked over her comm badge.
"Yes," Sikorsky wondered why he needed to know.
"Delaney will bring them to the bridge. Prep the prisoner for transport," McKinley ordered.
"Our ride is here," Macen grinned.
Captain Forger and Jones came aboard on an invitation from McKinley and Striker. They met with Macen and Rockford in a crowded Ready Room. McKinley was seated behind his desk and Striker stood beside him, "Admiral Forger has sent orders."
"That sounds like Mandy," Forger snickered.
"We're to accompany you to Deep Space Three," Striker announced, "After the prisoner transfers, you will accompany us to look for Admiral Johnson."
"The Admiral is missing?" Jones was surprised.
"He was taken by Orions," Striker clarified.
"They traded Kale for Johnson," Macen told them, "Now, Gomer is demanding Kale's release."
"Fickle," Jones quipped.
"Why exactly are assigned to this?" Forger asked.
"You have in roads to both Gomer and Kale Starfleet lacks," Striker said stiffly.
"Translation is: the Orion Syndicate will deal with us rather than Starfleet," Rockford said.
"You stated that there would be prisoner transfers to DS3. That's a plural and we only have two prisoners. Kale is one of them," Macen reminded the officers.
"Kale is being remanded to Deep Space Three while we negotiate Admiral Johnson's return," McKinley spoke up.
"This isn't Gomer,' Macen told them, "This is someone else's planning."
"Who?" Striker asked.
"Who has Johnson made an enemy of recently?" Macen inquired.
"The entire Iotian Federation and the Iridian Enforcers," McKinley told them.
"Now we're talking," Rockford told them.
"I can assure you neither I nor any of my people are involved I such a plan," Oxmyx promised Macen over his monitor screen.
"Does that include Kracko?" he inquired to be certain.
"Kracko is leading the relief and assessment in the Enforcer Zone," Oxmyx replied.
"Are all the Iridian Enforcers accounted for?" Macen asked further.
"I can look into that. The Enforcers were disbanded and incorporated into our Starfleet," Oxmyx assured him.
"But it's possible that agents and assets involving the Orion Syndicate never returned when recalled," Macen pointed out.
"As I said, I'll look into it," Oxmyx pledged. The screen went dark at that point as communications were cut.
"She's not happy," Rockford pointed out.
"I wouldn't be either," Macen admitted, "She was told the Enforcers' house was in order. Obviously it's not."
"You left Noble and crew behind," Rockford reminded him.
"They're still after Tom Hennessy," Macen replied, "Sullivan was a lead. Their mission is still ongoing."
Tom Hennessy himself had ordered a drink at the bar. His chosen haunt for the night was on a separate continent from Sullivan's house. Federation Security was securing the scene for Starfleet Intelligence to arrive. The agents were more than happy to hand over jurisdiction rather having to conduct their own investigation. The sole Federation Security agent allowed into the home was the newly arrived Brittany Darque. Darque was coordinating with Ro.
Hennessy had used his government credentials to get onto Rigel X. He'd disappeared after that. Sullivan's pipeline had given him new identification and rewritten his ID credentials on the planet's systems. An inquiry to Federation Security would show him as "Frederick Engles". Starfleet records were unaffected by the alterations as were the records abroad across the rest of the Federation. Hennessy would have to buy credentials wherever he went from Rigel X.
His original plan, if discovered, he would lay over at Rigel X and then connect to the Confederacy of Worlds. Only, the Federation now occupied those worlds. The Border Zone still had opportunities to make a new life for himself. With his skill set, he could depose a local warlord and take over. The only thorn in his side then would be the Fenris Rangers. Hennessy was so certain he's lost all pursuers that he'd relaxed and wasn't checking the room for potential hostiles.
So, the taser web that attached itself to his back came as a complete surprise. An Orion bounty hunter knelt next to him and emptied his pockets of all his latinum, "You won't be needing these."
She placed a generic comm badge on him and tapped it twice. He felt the familiar tug of an annular confinement beam before the transporter effect took him away. The Orion paid for two bottles of top shelf liquor. She stepped outside before beaming aboard her ship.
Hennessy had been drug off of the transporter pads and left on the deck, "Saara! Really?"
"I'm not your maid!" Saara yelled back from the warp core.
The hunter contacted Noble, "I have your prey. Shall we discuss an exchange?"
"Give me your coordinates and I'll beam aboard to authorize the latinum transfer for the bounty," Noble replied.
Minutes later, Noble materialized on the ship's transporter pad. She looked around, "You could certainly use the bounty."
"Don't insult my ship or I add surcharges," the hunter advised her.
"Point taken," Noble saw Hennessy still lying on the deck. The taser web on his back kept him immobilized at its lower setting. The power wouldn't last much longer. Noble made a decision.
"Remove the web," she requested. She roved the binders hanging from her belt. She also drew her phaser pistol, "Will you do the honors?"
She tossed the binders to the Orion. She retrieved her taser web and clamped the binders on Hennessy's wrists. Noble asked her, "You have a name?'
"Shakora," the hunter answered.
"Good work Shakora. I'll keep you in mind for personal transactions," Noble thumbprinted the padd Shakora handed her.
"Okay, Tom. Time to get up," Noble kicked at Hennessy's leg to motivate him.
"What happened to you? We were on the same side," Hennessy complained as he struggled to rise to his feet.
"I don't kill kids. You do," Noble made it plain for him.
"Messages. Everyone of them. Their families were connected to the government. They needed to know we could get to them anywhere we chose to," Hennessy spouted his own propaganda.
"Yeah, I read one of your manifestos. That was the preface," Noble aimed her phaser at his head, "Now get on the transporter pad."
"So what if you stun me?" Hennessy asked.
"Even stun setting kills at this range, dipshit," Noble reminded him.
"Go ahead. Martyr me," Hennessy dared her.
"I don't think you actually want to die. Like most leaders sending out terror troops, you want the rewards it brings without getting personally involved. You've had taste of the rewards of high office. The only higher you could've gotten was planetary governor or being a Federation Councilor," Noble told him.
Hennessy stalled but got onto the transporter pad. Noble stepped beside him with her phaser still aimed at him, "I have people waiting to greet you."
"Did we get the payday?" Saara asked coming out from the drive section.
"We got it," Shakora promised her, "Now, we celebrate."
She got out the two bottles she'd purchased at the bar, "And we do it right."
"Like there weren't Cardassian children on the worlds Eddington used biogenic weapons on," Hennessy scoffed, "You were part of that campaign, Aric."
"And I have nightmares about it every night," Tulley admitted, "What about you?"
"I sleep the sleep of the righteous," Hennessy laughed.
Noble held Tulley back, "It won't do any good."
"Chris Lacey, did you ever go post-op?" Hennessy sneered.
"Wouldn't you like to know," Lacey chided him, "Get up. Tulley and I are taking you to the brig. Play nice and he won't hit you again."
"What's with the uniforms? You think you've joined Starfleet?" Hennessy mocked them.
"Feel free to muzzle him," Noble allowed them.
"Orion pirates kidnapped Admiral Johnson. They're off to rescue him," Hendryks explained.
"Do you have a mole on their ship?" Noble was surprised.
"Angelique and Bailey told me," Hendryks shared, "In case we get caught up in it later."
"Good point," Noble grunted, "Sito, inform Engineering we'll be at max cruising speed until we reach Izar."
"I'll warn them," Sito grinned.
"And plot a course from Izar to Serenity Station. Assuming we get to go there," Noble sighed.
Sakonna appeared in Riker's office, "You asked for me, Captain?"
"I need to know what you have the Solstice doing," Riker told her, "Starfleet has sent her in several areas of where breakouts of violence and terrorism occurred. Federation Security reports crewmen in SID uniform at the scene without my having assigned anyone to it."
"You are unaware of the Solstice crew's distinction?" Sakonna asked.
"Obviously," Riker said drolly.
"Captain Noble and her crew are all SID vetted and approved for missions by Admiral Forger's offices," Sakonna explained, "They are independent contractors who subcontract to Outbound Ventures for particular SID cases."
"Cases I'm apparently unaware of," Riker said sourly.
"They are working at Commander Ro's behest," Sakonna told him, "It was considered wise to put some distance between them and the corporation."
"Why would Ro want to protect us?" Riker asked.
"For the same reasons Commander Macen and Detective Rockford are independent contractors who work directly for Admiral Forger,' Sakonna replied.
"That might be so but Captain Forger and her crew work for me," Riker reminded Sakonna.
"I am unaware of their exact status. But I am certain it is unique among all of your starship crews," Sakonna replied placidly, "But these discussions are not why you summoned me."
"I need your help with a personal matter," Riker admitted, "I've uncovered evidence of a Romulan plot against my twin and Deanna. They can't know about it or its intervention."
"Give me your evidence and I will dispatch agents to protect them," Sakonna readily said.
"They'll be up against Tal Shiar specialists," Riker warned her.,
"It would not be the first time," Sakonna took the offered padd and rose to exit. Riker was left pondering her words. When did the Maquis face off against the Tal Shiar?
"On the face of it, it doesn't make any strategic sense to kidnap Bob Johnson," Rockford scrolled through the available data on her padd as she joined the Detective Squad in the Situation Room. Shade, Lee and Forte were also diving into all available data concerning Johnson's recent activity.
"What if it wasn't strategy?" Forte pondered, "What if it was just personal?"
"Go on," Rockford encouraged her.
"The Iridians made a backdoor deal to replace their leader and absorb the Enforcer Zone," Forte revisited the timeline, "Johnson was sent in to mediate between them unaware of the agreement that had already been struck. But, the Iridian plan was to involve the Federation in their reconstruction. Johnson's efforts slowed the Federation Council from giving the Iotians what they wanted and they only received a portion of the deal they attempted to broker. In the meantime, Federation business interests and humanitarian efforts are only slowly approaching the Iotians regarding efforts to alleviate the problems in the Enforcer Zone."
"So, someone blames Johnson for that?" Lee asked.
"It's a solid motive," Shade liked what she was hearing.
"If Johnson were to reverse his cautionary position to the Federation Council, trade would begin to be encouraged at an accelerated pace," Forte pointed out.
"The border would be opened and traders would explore new markets in Iotian space," Lee continued the thread, "And into the Enforcer Zone."
"And Iotian traders will find new markets in the Federation," Forte pointed out as well.
"So, we're looking for someone who stands to gain the most by opening the border," Rockford clarified the question, "Someone who had established ties with both the Orion Syndicate and the terror networks."
"According to Johnson's own notes, that would be Ozempia Zandic. The last Supreme Leader before ceding control over to Oxmyx," Shade read off, "We have no information on what role she plays in the Iotian Federation now."
"She just became the biggest crime lord in the Enforcer Zone," Rockford suggested, "She gets a share of every strip of latinum that comes into it."
She tossed a padd onto Forte's desk, "There's the Iotian Federation's official announcement of making Zandic the boss of the Enforcer Zone. Every planet in it answers to her. Ultimately, she answers to Oxmyx."
"Where is Zandic now?" Lee wondered.
"No one seem to know," Rockford shared, "She hasn't been or heard from in days."
"How did you get this information?" Lee asked.
"Outbound Ventures has cultivated working relationships with the Iotian Starfleet," Rockford explained, "I simply reached out to the right people with the right questions."
"You already suspected Zandic?" Shade asked.
"Things we learned at the comm relay station indicated Zandic's participation in those events. Oxmyx all but confirmed for Johnson that Zandic orchestrated everything the Enforcers did with the Syndicate and terror cells," Rockford explained, "Oxmyx confirmed it to Johnson. But his reports and logs were above your clearance levels. So, I wanted independent confirmation that it was the right trail."
"I thought we had unlimited access," Lee frowned.
"No one has unlimited access. Not even the President of the Federation," Rockford retorted.
"Then how did you gain access to the files?" Lee inquired.
"Brin and I share a rarefied access level granted to us by Admiral Nechayev and Admiral Forger," Rockford explained, "Let's say, we know what they know."
"That's unheard of with civilian contractors," Forte mentioned.
"Which is why it's still unheard of," Rockford grinned.
"If Zandic is running a rogue operation, will the Iotians even help us?" Shade asked.
"We're exploring that option right now," Rockford promised them.
"I'm sorry. I have no idea of where Ozempia Zandic has gone to," Oxmyx freely admitted.
"But if you were to guess?" Macen asked her image.
"Zandic seemed less than pleased by the actual results of her arrangement with our Federation, She referred to the Orion Syndicate as being a superior model to our Federation several times before her disappearance," Oxmyx shared.
"You think she'll challenge Gomer for leadership," Macen deduced.
"It's no secret several Orion Houses still resent Gomer's rise to power. Both of them," Oxmyx shrugged.
"And a few still reminisce about the 'glory days' under Bertram Sindis," Macen groaned.
"Zandic is seen as a second coming of Sindis," Oxmyx warned him.
"I personally ended Sindis," Macen reminded her.
"At what cost?" Oxmyx had to remind him. T'Kir had been the casualty that Macen couldn't endure. It had taken him over a year to put himself back together again. Rockford had held the team together without him as part of it. She'd helped him restore himself. That was when they became more than mere friends. They'd become partners.
"That won't happen again," Macen assured her.
"You're working with Starfleet. That's a mistake. They don't have the stomach for what needs to be done," Oxmyx warned him.
"I'll arrange it so Gomer gets the satisfaction of plunging the blade in," Macen promised her.
"That will satisfy her. I want the body to demonstrate to all the Iridians the price of betrayal," Oxmyx told him.
"I'll make the arrangements," Macen promised.
The monitor went dark and Macen leaned back in his office chair. With a sigh, he contacted Gomer. The bargaining didn't take long. She well aware of Zandic's influence on the Houses. She was also pointedly aware of the failures of her assassins to deal with the problem. Though it grated on her to make a deal with Starfleet, Zandic was outside of Orion space. So, betraying her position didn't violate Orion sovereignty.
In the end, Macen was surprised Oxmyx didn't know where Zandic had gone. But then again, Turkanis was practically an independent world from the rest of the Iotian Federation. It also opened up new problems for the Obsidian and the Intrepid. The Iotian Starfleet had given three starships to the colonists on Turkanis. They were independent commands from the Starfleet. Now, apparently, the Terrans aboard the ISS Scalphunter had joined forces with them. That pitted two against one odds and the Terran ship was nothing short of a pocket battleship.
Macen hailed McKinley, "We need to change course. I know where Zandic is holding Bob."
"I won't ask how. But where?" McKinley replied.
"Turkanis, inside of Iotian Federation space," Macen told him, "Celeste and I should beam aboard so we can brief on what to expect there."
"Why does this sound bad?" McKinley asked.
"Because it is," Macen had to admit.
"Actual frinxing Terrans?" Striker exclaimed, "You have to be shitting me!"
"And you steered them to the Iotians rather than take them into custody and turn them over to Starfleet?" McKinley was dismayed.
"You've seen the sensor logs of their ship. We were in no position to take anyone into custody," Macen retorted, "Even the Intrepid would have a hard time breaking through their defenses. Your only advantage is in your fighter wings."
"Which is why I was called in," Liefers realized.
"This a blend of Intrepid-class and Defiant-class designs merged together," Caplan said appreciatively, "Starfleet could learn a few things from this ship."
"Except that it's sized as an escort rather than a tactical responder," Delaney noted.
"It's a predator," Forger clarified for them, "Our surveyor, need I remind you, isn't equipped to go against something like this."
"We've uploaded profiles we've made on Ishtashra Yer and her commanders. Section 31 had personnel jackets on the Terrans, but they're out of date," Rockford led them to them, "You'll also find data on their commands."
"Mid-24th Century ships," Caplan observed, "The very types the Iotians have personally moved away from from but still export."
"Thanks to our negotiated limits on production of Starfleet type ships from the 24th Century," McKinley reminded them.
"It still doesn't explain why the Iotians went to all original designs for their own fleet," Massoli was bothered by that fact.
"Because of the kill switches," Parva told them, "Every later model starship the Iotians produce has a kill switch built into the warp core. They can neutralize any later model starship they constructed."
"How did you discover that?" Massoli asked.
"Kracko actually told us," Macen explained, "Our engineering staff removed all of the kill switches from our purchases."
"Your corporation hasn't purchased any of the public offering original designs, have they?" McKinley asked.
"Admiral Forger may not prohibit us from acquiring starships from wherever we will, but she does insist they meet Starfleet specs," Forger referred to her own sister's mandate.
"I didn't realize you were involved in fleet procurement," Striker admitted.
"I'm not. But I talk to people who are," Forger told him.
"The big question remains unanswered. What does Zandic want from Bob Johnson?" Rockford asked.
"I have a bigger question," McKinley confessed, "Why hasn't Starfleet Operations approved our rescue attempt?"
"You're running rogue?" Macen was surprised.
"We haven't been given orders to respond in any way," Striker answered.
"We dropped a buoy transmitting our ID transponder for the comm network to place us still at Rigel X. Starfleet Command seems happy to keep us there indefinitely," Delaney explained.
"Our inquiries on how to respond to Admiral Johnson's captivity went as high as Admiral Clancy and died there," McKinley grated.
"It's no secret Clancy and Johnson still don't see eye to eye since the Bajoran war," Massoli said.
"Clancy accused us and Bob of treason," McKinley vividly recalled.
"Even though Perez was a Cell 51 plant, even she acknowledged the wars were unjust and called them off and prohibited Starfleet from taking action against those that refused to follow Clancy's illegal orders," Striker recalled.
"But Clancy is mounting a comeback to being Fleet Admiral," McKinley warned everyone, "She may feel unfettered this next time."
"We'll worry about that when it happens," Liefers suggested, "I need to know more about ISS Scalphunter."
They began a planning session in earnest at that point.
"I thought I knew him," Thool said unsteadily, "But now he wants to kill me."
"He wants to kill all of us. But he'll never get the chance to again," Tulley told him.
"We're to report in to Serenity Station," Noble promised them, "No interruptions this time."
"I'll be glad to see Annabeth again," Tulley admitted.
"It took you two so long to get together. Nothing's breaking you apart on my watch," Noble chuckled.
"Doctor Lens, please report to the transporter room," Javi requested, "Medical emergency underway."
Constable Odon Fendic and Deputy Constable Maru Gel were trying to stem Deputy Constable Varis Cinway's bleeding. Neela stood aside as they worked with the emergency medical kit Tech Corporal Wills Fani had given them. Wills was the Engineer's Mate and typically handled transporter duties. She hadn't expected a nearly gutted Varis to come aboard.
Doctor Lens Frenic and Nurse Kenji Nola arrived. They'd brought an antigrav stretcher and additional med kits. Odon helped Maru get Varis onto the stretcher. Kenji worked to stabilize him. She injected an IV into him and started up the blood synthesizer for a transfusion.
"What happened?" Lens asked as they pulled the stretcher to Sickbay.
"A Cultist had a backup knife we weren't expecting," Odon told him.
"The cut is deep but we should be able to regenerate all the organs," Lens assured him, "The danger is the blood loss."
Lens and Kenji brought Varis into Sickbay and barred all visitors. Maru was distraught, "I searched them. And he still had a knife."
"A well hidden knife, obviously," Odon tried to comfort her.
Neela stood silently by. Odon challenged her silence, "Any comments?"
"At this point, all I can do is pray," Neela said sadly.
"They were expecting us," Odon reminded her, "Why?"
"Because someone we trusted betrayed us," Neela said grimly, "I'll be in the temple. Anyone is welcome to join me."
As she had expected, only Katts joined her there. Wes had to pilot the ship back to Serenity. They were the only Orthodox faithful that ever joined her in the temple space. Neela was postponing the talk she had to have with Wyn. It would have a bad outcome.
Maru tentatively entered the temple space. It was small storage room converted into a sanctuary of sorts. Neela blew the candles out as Katts rose to return to the bridge.
"It wasn't your fault," Neela assured the deputy.
"Varis is out of surgery. The Doctor expects a full recovery," Maru said gratefully.
"Odon is trying to teach you a valuable lesson. You can't account for every variable in conflict," Neela told her.
"I was surprised we merely arrested them," Maru admitted, "Usually the tactics we use are more extreme."
"Anara asked that I hand the Cultists over to the Iotian Starfleet," Neela shrugged, "It was the price of our admittance to Kalendra a."
"I heard we're en route to Free Haven Port," Maru said hopefully, "Does that mean we may layover at Bajor?"
"Seeing home again would do the crew good," Neela admitted, "I won't be traveling with you there. You all can return to Free Haven Port to rejoin me, if you will.":
"Of course we will," Maru insisted.
"You'll have to ride on Militia transports to Bajor and back again," Neela told her, "The Razor's Edge can't be seen by Deep Space Nine."
"Starfleet is withdrawing from the Bajor Sector," Maru reminded her.
"But they all aren't gone quite yet," Neela pointed out.
"I don't think I've ever seen Quark so sentimental before," Vaughn quietly admitted to Kira, "He catered this banquet at cost."
"He really doesn't want you to go," Kira told him, "I feel the same way."
"This is why Sisko retired to the Active Reserves," Vaughn said begrudgingly, "He doesn't have to go where he's told to."
"The Emissary is still guiding us from what the Prophets revealed to him before returning him to us," Kira said with a note of pride, "Before he stayed in the Celestial Temple, he would've gone anywhere Starfleet sent him. Now, his place is on Bajor."
"And Starfleet won't call him up unless they're desperate," Vaughn admitted.
Kira had already said her goodbyes to the departing Doctor Julian Bashir and Lt. Commander Sarina Douglas. Master Chief Miles O'Brien and Keiko were riding on the same transport to Earth so it had be\en an emotional roller coaster for Kira. Lt. Commander Jefferson Blackmer had handed over the Security Office to the Constable assigned to the station's security. Only the Defiant crew were still aboard.
Nog was the only truly familiar face to Kira. Lt. Commander Prynn Tenmei was Vaughn's daughter but even after ten years, she was still a stranger to Kira.
"Have they thought about what they'll rename the station to?" Vaughn inquired, "It won't be a Starfleet Deep Space station anymore when we depart."
"There've been a lot of idiotic suggestions," Kira admitted, "Castellan Rekena Garan made the strongest case to both honor the sacrifice my people made on this station and reflect on our alliance with the Cardassians by renaming it Terok Nor again."
"I take it that has the most support," Vaughn was surprised.
"It's time we finally made the station a part of our history we want to remember while not forgetting the past," Kira said somberly.
"Have you thought about moving your flag here?" Vaughn was curious.
"All my reasons to are leaving," Kira said sadly, "This is Colonel Cenn's command now. He doesn't need me underfoot."
A chime went off that resounded through the room. Vaughn heaved a heavy sigh, "That''s our summons to depart."
Kira tightly hugged Vaughn, "Take care Elias. You'll always have a home on Bajor."
"I might take you up on that in a few more years, Nerys," Vaughn confessed, "I'm getting too old to fight politics. I just want to do my duty without fear of reprisal from Starfleet Command."
"The Reconstruction Committee in the Ministry managed to restore all property claims from before the Occupation to their original family holders. I have a house that I've never revisited. You're always welcome to stay there," Kira told him.
"I'll keep it in mind," Vaughn said appreciatively.
"Take care. Captain Benteen will be lucky to have you in her sector," Kira said proudly.
"Deep Space Four will never replace Deep Space Nine in my memory," Vaughn swore.
The Starfleet officers and enlisted said their final farewells and reported to the Docking Ring. Quark stood beside Kira on the upper level of the Promenade to watch the starship Defiant depart for perhaps the last time. Tenmei did a barrel roll between pylons as a last flourish.
"I suppose you won't be coming back," Quark said sadly.
"Every era ends, Quark. Even ours," Kira departed to get to her scoutship scheduled to return to Bajor. Quark had thought the last time everyone seemed to leave it was the end. But they'd enjoyed a reunion after Sisko returned. But having Sam Lavelle as the station's commander had broken Bajor's trust in Starfleet. The Federation's betrayal and declaration of war against the Republic had been the death knell of a slow, agonizing demise of relations. Quark supposed he'd have to break in the new Militia officers taking Starfleet's place.
"Elias just left Deep Space Nine for Deep Space Four," Macen told Rockford.
"Starfleet really pulled out?" Rockford thought it was the dumbest decision the Federation had ever made.
"Commodore Saavik's exploration force came through piecemeal over the last week," Macen sighed, "Starfleet no longer maintains a presence on the Gamma Quadrant."
"Clancy certainly has it in for the Bajorans. But why?" Rockford has suspicions but thought Macen might have additional insights.
"They resisted Starfleet. What was supposed to be an easy victory became a defeat," Macen recalled, "Clancy can't forgive that. With Starfleet out of the Gamma Quadrant and the Bajor Sector, the Dominion could roll through Bajor and Cardassia before Starfleet has any reason to respond."
"That's what I thought too," Rockford was disappointed.
"Clancy believes Starfleet can than defeat three perceived enemies in one fell swoop," Macen said grimly, "Kira and Anara aren't idiots. They see it coming."
"What about the rest of the General Staff?" Rockford hadn't kept track of them.
"All risen through the ranks of the restored Militia. They'd been young Resistance fighters when the Cardassians withdrew. So, they learned guerrilla tactics as well strategy and conventional tactics from Starfleet," Macen answered, "Starfleet trained them to fight an invader like themselves. Clancy doesn't seem to appreciate that. She thought by relieving all Bajoran officers from their duties during the war, she'd eliminate a Fifth Column. Instead, her own eager but inexperienced commanders failed her."
"Because everyone with experience refused to obey orders to attack," Rockford relished that.
"I'm still surprised Akaar and Jellico approved the withdrawal from Bajor," Macen admitted.
"Unless they were ordered to by the civilian government," Rockford pointed out.
A chime went off and Macen frowned, "That's odd. We're dropping out warp and we haven't even entered Iotian space yet."
"We had appointment at Deep Space Three, if you recall," Rockford teased him.
Chapter Four
Reyes made time to greet Macen, Rockford, McKinley, and Striker as they handed over Sullivan. Sikorsky had come along a swell to stipulate certain requirements of treatment from Ro.
Reyes wore a warm smile, "I understand you're headed back into Iotian space?"
"Zandic kidnapped Admiral Johnson," McKinley said gravely.
"I hadn't heard," Reyes admitted.
"Starfleet Command is pretending it didn't happen," Striker explained, "We were ordered to stay on station at Rigel X."
"That obviously didn't happen," Reyes grinned.
"According to Starfleet, we're still there. We rigged a transponder beacon to give our ID code to any querying comm stations," McKinley explained.
Ro joined the group with Sikorsky at her side, "Admiral Nechayev briefed my on Johnson's disposition. Unfortunately, no one has claimed responsibility or made demands."
"Meanwhile, Starfleet covers it up," Sikorsky was exasperated.
"We can't advertise admirals going missing," Ro replied.
"We have another prisoner ready for transfer to your custody," Macen told Reyes, "An Orion raider captain was involved with Johnson's apprehension. Gomer wants her returned but I told her she couldn't have Captain Kale until we had Johnson back."
"Our brig awaits," Reyes happily told them.
Daggit and Burrows escorted Kale to them. Reyes summoned a Security detail. Rockford warned him, "She's from Miri. So, expect anything and everything from her."
Security hustled Kale off. Conversation resumed with Reyes asking, "Where are you headed for?"
"Turkanis," Macen told him.
"Even the Iotian Starfleet won't go there and they're supposedly allies," Ro snorted, "Not since those Terrans you let loose took residence there."
"I didn't let anyone loose. I had no means of containing them," Macen scowled.
"We've already covered that ground and determined he should have contacted Starfleet to let them know Terrans had breached the quantum barrier," McKinley spared Macen the lecture again, "Now Starfleet knows and we can do something about it."
"Oxmyx and Kracko have given you free rein to deal with Turkanis and the Terrans?" Reyes was intrigued.
"They realized it's in their best interests," Striker smirked.
"Our monitor buoys have reported heavier traffic into the Turkanis system. Some of it is Romulan," Reyes warned them.
"This just keeps getting better," Sikorsky groaned.
"Imagine my own surprise to discover I had a half-Romulan niece born to a sister that was impossibly aboard the Enterprise-C," Yar replied back.
"Temporal and quantum mechanics were never my strongest suit," Sela chuckled, "In the interim, your daughter has indebted herself to me. Debts, now those I know how to manage."
"What is it you want from Ishtashra?" Yar groaned.
"Just an introduction. I understand you've sided with some Terrans stranded in our universe. I'd like to make them a proposal," Sela explained.
"What kind of deal could they expect from the Director of the Tal Shiar?" Yar wondered.
"A very lucrative one," Sela said slyly.
"I expect there to be profit sharing," Yar demanded.
"I can arrange for an introduction fee," Sela agreed, "After that, it depends on how well Ishtashra performs her assigned tasks."
"You want to use her," Yar didn't approve.
"I want to use everyone," Sela chuckled, "But this would play into her usual strengths."
"Terrans aren't your typical humans. They're more like survivors from Turkana IV," Yar advised her.
"I'm well aware. Section 31 kept us apprised of developments in the Terrans' Universe," Sela explained, "Frankly, I never believed the Terran Rebellion would reunite with the existent remnant Terran Empire and emerge victorious."
"These Terrans volunteered to be stranded in our universe. They killed the conscripted crew the Iotian Starfleet assigned them. They've taken on conscripts from Turkanis," Yar explained, "They literally run a slave ship."
"Then they don't disappoint," Sela smiled.
"What's the arrangement for Zandic's capture?" Reyes asked.
"Gomer wants her. That was the exchange for her location," Macen explained.
"Orion justice is hardly justice at all," Reyes protested.
"Starfleet doesn't want to prosecute," McKinley told him, "They'd have to admit Johnson was taken in order to prosecute his kidnapper."
"I'm good with handing her to Gomer," Ro spoke up.
"Laren!" Reyes chided her.
"It'll still be a form of justice. Just not Federation branded justice," Ro shrugged.
"You're all right with this?" Reyes asked McKinley, Striker, and Sikorsky.
"To be clear, we're running a rogue operation to rescue a Starfleet admiral," McKinley reminded him, "Everything is on the table."
"I'm five by five," Striker admitted.
"I dislike it but the circumstances demand it," Sikorsky relented.
"I'd offer to help but then I'd have to officially acknowledge your presence here," Reyes admitted.
"I know someone close enough to help," Ro offered up, "And they're discreet."
The ships and crews got underway again. The Obsidian's slower rate of travel hindered them but they couldn't separate. The Intrepid would be overwhelmed if it confronted four starships by itself even with two fighter wings. Massoli put extra time into determining the best locations for using the solar system to their advantage. Iotian signal intercepts were fruitless. The Iotian Starfleet boycotted the system. Even though Turkanis lay within the Iotian Federation's borders, it was left to its own devices now. Which proved problematic for major starship repairs.
Massoli did find signal intercepts indicating the Turkanis ships were in need of repairs and refits. Further investigation also showed that Ishtashra Yar and her captains were bargaining for ordnance and phaser coil replacements that the Iotian Starfleet wasn't providing. She presented these facts to McKinley, Striker, Liefers, Delaney, Forger, Jones, Miller, Macen, and Rockford.
"That might be the lure Zandic is using to buy their support," Macen pondered.
"I thought s much myself," Massoli admitted.
"Couldn't the Orion Syndicate or the Ferengi Alliance simply provide the arms?" Liefers asked.
"The Ferengi are Federation membership candidates," Striker reminded her, "So, that limits who the can sell to."
"What about Grimes Armaments?" Delaney asked, "We know they have a black market sales division."
"No Grimes freighters could make this far without being spotted by Starfleet patrols," McKinley told him.
"That still leaves the Syndicate," Miller was the one to remind them.
"Gomer gave us a list of the Orion Houses supporting Zandic. None of them are major arms distributors or smugglers," Rockford said.
"So, what advantages do they give Zandic?'McKinley asked.,
"The list is made up of Houses that specialize in the drug and sex trades as well as assassinations," Macen told him, "So, they offer latinum and threats to Gomer's security."
"As well idiotic grunts like the Blue Orions," Rockford shrugged.
"If Captain Yar's ships are in need of ordnance and repairs, that might even the odds," Forger surmised.
"The Iotian Starfleet is sealing up the system," Macen promised them, "Oxmyx wants them dealt with."
"Why not go in themselves?" McKinley grated.
"Because, unlike Starfleet, Oxmyx admitted to receiving a ransom demand for Bob," Rockford stated.
Massoli's padd pinged and she read it, "Well, the mystery is over. I had Commander Ro send me any details that came out of Starfleet Command regarding the issue. Starfleet Intelligence has been ordered to treat it as a terrorist incident. They're won't be any negotiating but intelligence gathering has been authorized. The details of what happened are still classified and not being broadly communicated to the fleet."
"So, Starfleet Intelligence can look for the Admiral but the rest of Starfleet isn't allowed to?' Striker was indignant.
"Commodore Oh is overseeing the operation personally," Massoli regretted saying.
"Bob's a dead man unless we intervene," McKinley said gravely.
"It still begs the question, what use is a Starfleet admiral to a former Iridian warlord that's out of power?' Jones asked.
"Are they mistreating you, Admiral Johnson?" Zandic asked as she entered the detention center. Johnson had been relocated to Turkanis upon arrival.
"Ishara Yar at least knows it's in her best interests to keep me healthy," Johnson replied.
"It's always been in mine as well," Zandic admitted, "I simply need you to deliver several messages to Starfleet and the Federation Council on my behalf. I've seen your diplomatic skills firsthand. I know how persuasive you can be when motivated to be."
"Anything I say upon my release will be suspect as being said under duress," Johnson reminded her.
"Which is why there isn't any," Zandic told him, "Believe me, you'd be aware of it if there were any."
"Why not negotiate directly with Starfleet Command," Johnson asked.
"They refused to acknowledge me even after all I gave them," Zandic told him, "Now, they've labeled me a terrorist and refuse to negotiate terms with me. That leaves you as my messenger."
"What have you done for Starfleet?' Johnson asked.
"That isn't for you to worry about," Zandic chided him, "Shall we get to business?"
"It'll help pass the time," Johnson agreed.
"Commodore Mirita, congratulations on the promotion," Macen told the image on his screen.
"I'm not certain yet if congratulations or funeral notices are appropriate," Mirita replied back.
"You feel intentionally sidelined?' Macen was curious.
"They definitely need my experience here as Fleet Operations but the admiral that had this posting before me was managing before I arrived," Mirita shared.
"You weren't given an option regarding promotion, were you?" Macen deduced.
"No, several of us were promoted against our own wishes. Everyone of us was made a Chief of Staff," Mirita admitted.
"And your starships were decommissioned," Macen noted.
"They were cleaning house in advance of the Iridian invasion," Mirita told him.
"I suspected as much. Why do you believe so?" Macen asked her.
"Because we would've recognized Kracko was giving away territory that could have been defended. We would've spoken out. But as Chiefs of Staff restricted to Fleet Base 1 and away from the field of action, our protests could easily be ignored," Mirita complained.
That fit in with Macen's personal take, "Thank you for confirming a few suspicions."
"Anything that helps get me out of here," Mirita told him.
"I can't make promises," he admitted.
Rockford had silently sat in, "That confirms it."
"Bob Johnson had already concluded it was staged invasion," Macen sighed, "Maybe that's why he was taken."
"He can't simply rewrite his reports and summations. Especially since anything he dictates right after his release will be assessed for signs of duress," Rockford knew the drill.
"And Zandic has to realize that," Macen stated, "So, why still kidnap a Starfleet admiral?"
"It sends a message," Rockford told him, "Maybe to whoever is receiving information through Starfleet Communications."
"I think that line of contact has been broken if Zandic needs to rely on taking Bob," Macen surmised.
"Maybe Zandic wants to cut a deal with Johnson," Rockford suggested, "She feels betrayed by the Orions and Iotians alike. Her deal with Starfleet didn't pan out. So, she cuts a new deal with a more reputable player."
"And maybe gives up her first contact," Macen found that idea agreeable.
"We can hope," Rockford told him, "But we have to keep Zandic away from Oh or she'll 'disappear' to never be seen ro heard from again."
"We might not be able to ever arrange that and give her over to testify," Macen said grimly, "To testify at a court-martial or a civilian court, she'd have to be in custody and Starfleet Security could manage to gain access to her."
"We might reach an impasse then," Rockford frowned, "If Zandic is slated to simply disappear before testifying, then we can't turn her over. But the Federation's idiotic insistence that testimony be presented live hinders us from doing that very thing."
"Not if we can arrange for JAG to accept live testimony from a separate location," Macen suddenly thought, "We can trust Commodore Reyes or Captain Benteen to protect Zandic from harm and place her under Starfleet required testimony conditions during the court-martial."
"But how could we circumvent Oh taking custody of Zandic?" Rockford wondered. Starfleet was Macen's specialty, not hers.
"A JAG officer could place Zandic is protective custody and specify who is on the detail," Macen explained, "It's in the regs but rarely invoked."
"Which is why you place her at DS3 or DS4," Rockford understood now.
"It just takes the right prosecutor. And I know the perfect one to volunteer to take the case," Macen grinned, "You know her too."
"Senecka," Rockford grinned with him.
"Michelle Prentiss could be chosen to be her lead investigator," Macen explained, "They worked well together investigating Clancy and Oh before T'Lara shut everything down."
"That could happen again," Rockford warned him.
"It depends on who Zandic names as her conspirator," Macen reminded her.
"Macen just bounced an idea off of me," Reyes told Ro over dinner.
"Will it get you in trouble?" Ro groaned.
"It adheres to regs. But it might make enemies out of Oh and Clancy," Reyes admitted.
"They're already enemies," Ro snorted.
"If McKinley's group captures Zandic, they want to hold her on the station. The JAG prosecutor would elicit her testimony under JAG supervision," Reyes told her.
"I thought regulations demanded the witness be present in the courtroom of the presiding Judge Advocate General officer," Ro admitted.
"It seems Starfleet, because of the great distances between starships and starbases back in the day allowed transmitted testimony under prescribed circumstances. We have our own JAG corps aboard and an officer has already volunteered to get testimony out of Zandic," Reyes explained.
"That's if she gets captured," Ro said, "Sindis didn't allow that to happen to himself. Zandic assumed his role at the very end."
"But if we can delay Gomer taking custody, Zandic could name the Starfleet Communications conspirator she's been feeding information to," Reyes was hopeful.
"Gomer is a hard woman to appease. If she expect Zandic handed over to her immediately, that's what she'll demand," Ro warned him.
"I thought she and Macen had a working relationship," Reyes admitted.
"It's more work than relationship. They pursue mutual goals and maintain a detente of mutually assured destruction," Ro sighed.
"Yet, he's actively sabotaging her operations," Reyes noted.
"Through a black bag vigilante operation that shouldn't able to be traced back to him or Celeste," Ro said grimly, "But Gomer has eyes and ears everywhere. Even inside Outbound Ventures."
"I've decided to help if I can," Reyes told her.
"That could have long term consequences," Ro warned him again.
"Diego Reyes died in exile for doing the right thing," Reyes shrugged, "I should be so lucky if Clancy and Oh start a vendetta."
Ro knew she couldn't change his mind so she didn't bother trying. Instead she decided to try and spot whatever came at Reyes s a result of his decision. If she got ahead of it, she could minimize the damage.
"We've dropped out of warp," Macen warned Rockford, "And we're not in Iotian space yet."
"You need to come to the bridge," Forger advised them.
They exited the turbolift to see an old, outdated Orion scoutship in the main viewer. Forger turned to face them, "It seems Gomer wants to be a part of this."
"Who is she talking to?" Rockford asked.
"Captain McKinley," Jones snorted, "We're being updated but Gomer is aboard the Intrepid to cut a deal."
"And you're not invited," Forger made clear, "That was the first demand to negotiate."
"She can't get the guarantees that Zandic will end up with her in the end so she's turning to Starfleet to make certain it happens," Macen said proudly, "She's learning after all."
"Um...she's still the enemy, right?" Rockford asked.
"Of course," Macen assured her, "But you have to admire it when your enemy makes personal growth."
"No, I don't," Rockford replied.
"I'm with her on this," Jones put forth.
"It is counterproductive to the cause," Forger stated.
"I need to know what is happening over there," Macen changed the subject.
"We could have Kerber and Smith tap their systems," Forger suggested.
"Delaney and Massoli will be expecting that. Security and the OPS division will be on high alert," Rockford derailed that idea.
"Get me Hannah Grace," Macen instructed Zimbalist.
"I wish I could say this entirely unexpected," Grace told Macen and Rockford's image on her screen.
"You may have walked away, but Section 31 habits die hard," Macen reminded her.
"You can't easily tap into the ship's internal monitors whereas you assume I have the system wired," Grace said begrudgingly.
"Are we wrong?" Rockford inquired.
"No, but Ian and Massoli don't know about it," Grace chuckled, "I prefer keeping it that way."
"Hannah, it's a big ask. But we need to know what Gomer is demanding," Macen told her.
"Ian told me your Hannah Grace never left Section 31 and betrayed you all. He never talks about how that ended. But I know it ended. I can read it off of him," Grace told them.
"It ended badly and Delaney was scarred from it," Macen replied.
"I guess that's all I'll get," Grace shrugged.
"It's all you need. You're not that same woman," Macen told her.
"I'll do this for T'Kir's memory. She told me to rejoin Starfleet and be with Ian. However my new Ian came to me, I'm grateful. We've never been happier. This could risk that," Grace warned them, "I'll explain how you asked me for it."
"We'll gladly shoulder the blame," Rockford promised her.
"They're holed up in the Conference Room. I'll send you a direct feed," Grace signed off.
"This is a big ask," Rockford advised Macen, "Delaney and Grace were in a rough patch before the crossover."
"She'd hidden that she was Kelvan from that Delaney. Our Ian already knew it," Macen reminded her.
"But this could open the same kind of wound," Rockford told him.
"Not if she's as sneaky as our Grace was," Macen said confidently.
The feed began and the meeting was already underway.
"I came here alone, in good faith. I expect the same in return," Gomer replied.
"Starfleet can agree to transfer Zandic to your custody after she testifies in our internal investigation," Striker had checked Federation law, "Orion has no formal extradition treaty with the Federation, but Zandic won't officially be our prisoner."
"You intend to have Macen detain her?" Gomer inquired.
"Yes," Delaney answered, "That satisfies Starfleet regs and Federation law."
"That's unacceptable. I'll detain Zandic and force her cooperation with your investigation. Then I'll take her," Gomer replied.
"Testimony offered under duress is inadmissable," McKinley pointed out.
"It won't seem to be under duress," Gomer promised, "It'll be a fair transaction for her preferred future."
"That's still duress under Federation law," McKinley grated.
"And how do you suppose Macen will make her talk?" Gomer snapped at them.
"It won't be through the treat of torture," McKinley promised.
"How well do you think you know Macen?' Gomer asked, "He's ex-Maquis. He has a far more casual relationship with violence than Starfleet."
"We know he served behind enemy lines with an Angosian commando team with Ro Laren during the Dominion War," Striker replied.
"And do you know how they accomplished their 'impossible' missions?' Gomer snorted, "The Vorta named Kilana thought she had them tamed. In order to to insure she still thought that after every mission, they couldn't leave witnesses behind to implicate them. How Starfleet is that? And that's while he was officially still an officer in Starfleet Intelligence. He's freelance now. Consider how that liberates his choices."
"You seem to know a lot about those missions," Delaney pointed out.
"Ever hear of pillow talk?" Gomer smirked.
McKinley, Striker, and Delaney couldn't share that the Macen they knew wasn't the same one who'd slept with Gomer. Recent evidence within the Orion Syndicate indicated Gomer suspected it as well. She didn't know how or why but so far the Orions hadn't connected quantum reality crossovers with the changes yet.
Starfleet and Starbase 80 monitored the quantum reality gateway. All travelers between universes were registered and monitored. The officers knew they, and several others, would be implicated if the unregistered crossover were to be discovered. Questions regarding the fate of those they'd replaced couldn't be answered.
"I know Macen. I've known him for years. He isn't Starfleet anymore and uses that to his advantage. God knows he breaks enough regulations but he achieves results without having to beat answers out of people," McKinley said strongly.
"He assisted you the first time you faced Cell 51," Gomer mused, "It's too bad you and Admiral Johnson didn't know that James Fowler's own son was the leader."
"We didn't know what had been done to Jack Fowler," Striker lamented, "Or, we would've freed him from Section 31 year sago."
"Except, his positronic brain would violate the anti-synthetics ban. You'd have to kill him by turning his mind off," Gomer laughed, "You Starfleet types have too many rules. It's no wonder people run circles around you."
"If your negotiating tactic is to anger us, you've succeeded," McKinley warned her.
"I guarantee Zandic will testify for you. What happens to her afterwards is Orion justice," Gomer told them, "Accept that offer or I walk and you lose Zandic."
"We'll still get Zandic without you," Delaney pointed out.
"But she'll never testify. You can't offer her anything that will compel her to. I can," Gomer promised.
"And that is?" McKinley asked.
"For me alone to know," Gomer replied, "Though Macen and Rockford may guess it."
"We need Zandic to identify her mole in Starfleet Communications," Striker reminded his captain.
"Internal Affairs hasn't found the link yet," Delaney advised McKinley.
"You have a deal," McKinley relented, "But Zandic or no Zandic, we get Admiral Johnson back intact."
"Of course. Wouldn't have it any other way," Gomer shrugged indifferently, "It was Captain Kale that wanted Johnson involved. She saw him as a conduit to Adrianna Forte. I've advised her to forget about her."
The Intrepid officers were unaware of Kale's recent reunion with Forte. They didn't even know who Miranda Kale was. Gomer used that ignorance to her advantage, "I will want Captain Kale returned to me as soon as possible."
"Captain Kale was involved in Admiral Johnson's abduction," McKinley protested.
"Nonsense. Kale just wanted leverage to get Forte to Rigel X. Johnson was taken by renegade Houses backing Zandic's play for my position," Gomer replied, "Kale getting Johnson to Rigel X and his kidnapping there are coincidental."
"Captain Kale offered Starfleet intelligence in exchange for arranging a meeting with Forte. We did our part. Kale is being debriefed," Striker replied. Massoli was tracking that effort. According the Staff Intelligence Officer ta Deep Space Three Kale hadn't given anything up. She claimed she'd never actually met with Forte despite her arrival on the planet. The fact that had been Forte's decision didn't move Kale.
Gomer smirked, "Kale will never give anything up. You might as well cut her loose sooner rather than later."
"You assist in Johnson's recovery and we'll revisit Kale's disposition," McKinley offered.
"Very well," Gomer conceded that much, "As a visiting head of state, I demand the diplomatic suite of quarters reserved on this ship. My security detail with take the VIP quarters next to them," Gomer said.
"You came aboard alone," Striker reminded her.
"If I'm staying, I want my personal security aboard with me. Commander Delaney's guards can stare at my guards if it makes you happier," Gomer replied.
"Have them beamed aboard," McKinley told Striker, "Commander Delaney, do set up a security detail to monitor our guests."
"See? We're working together already," Gomer smirked.
Striker and Delaney escorted Gomer out. McKinley looked miserable before straightening himself up and heading back to the bridge.
The feed ended and Grace's face reappeared, "That's everything. Please ask Captain McKinley about any other details you want to know."
"Thank you, Hannah," Macen said with heartfelt gratitude.
"Gomer is playing a long game," Rockford noted, "It involves Kale."
"It does seem she holds some importance to the Orion Syndicate beyond being a simple raider captain," Macen admitted.
"Kale needs to get over Forte," Forger snorted, "They called them exes for a reason."
"Unless Forte plays into Kale's importance," Jones mused.
"Say that again," Rockford asked. Jones did and Rockford snapped her fingers, "I have to ask Arianna about this."
"I'll be asking McKinley is we're taking on a partner and see how he answers," Macen told her as they entered the turbolift.
"Pedrossi just signaled," Aglaia told Forger, "We're getting back underway."
"But into what?" Jones miserably asked.
"I don't know," Forger said glumly, "Lately the answer is never good."
"We seriously going up against a Terran warship?" Jones whispered the question.
"It hasn't been confirmed yet but everyone is saying they aligned themselves with Ishtashra Yar," Forger said grimly, "And we all know how much she loves us."
"The Iotians are using this to get us to do their dirty work," Jones angrily hissed.
'Undeniably," Forger shrugged, "But that's Iotians for you. We want Admiral Johnson returned. So, we'll sweep up for the Iotians."
"I appreciate that we have fighters are on our side but what practical use are they actually?" Jones asked.
"Never let Liz Liefers or Hannah Grace hear you ask that," Forger advised her, "Not if you want to leave the room alive."
"Why is everyone on tiptoes about Hannah Grace?" Jones asked, "Is it just because she's former Section 31?"
"Not my secret to share," Forger said resolutely, "But it's a game changer."
"Sometimes working with you people is aggravating," Jones grated.
"Isn't it though?" Forger brightened.
"And that's the complete update, Admiral. I know you were hoping for something more concrete and groundbreaking," McKinley told Rear Admiral Amanda Forger's image.
"I know you're doing your best. We all are," Forger replied.
"I know you and Bob have grown close lately," McKinley said, "I promise you we'll get him back."
"I know he'll come back. That's why I sent insurance in with you," Forger admitted.
"That sounds like you don't completely trust us to handle the job," McKinley felt slighted.
"Your expertise was with Cell 51. No one could beat them but your crew and Bob Johnson. Macen dealt with Sindis. He'll deal with Zandic as well if it comes to that," Forger told him.
"I thought we wanted Zandic alive," McKinley replied.
"We do and we will get her alive. But she won't necessarily be whole," Forger said sternly.
"Gomer alluded to that," McKinley was disturbed.
"You should've listened," Forger said.
"The Special Investigation Division was meant to be held accountable by the brass. Not run rogue like Section 31," McKinley restated its purpose.
"I know my own Division's mandate. I also know that contractors are used when regulations aren't necessarily the best response," Forger said with a hint of anger lacing her voice.
"Perhaps you should consider bringing Starfleet Special Operations Command in to more situations," McKinley suggested.
"And SOC answers to Oh. Outbound Ventures and the other contractors answer to me. I prefer that over revealing my hand to Oh," Forger reminded him.
"Perhaps we've misjudged Commodore Oh. Admiral Noyce trusted her with his position as Director of Starfleet Security," McKinley replied.
"Oh has been involved in or around too many dirty deals. She still has a list of prisoners that vanished under her watch. They reappeared in a Cardassian prison just to disappear again at Deep Space Nine without any records of their departing," Forger reminded him of those events that were a prelude to a set of wars.
"You don't need to remind me she's drawn occupation plans for Bajor," McKinley told her, "I disagree with her politics but she keeps slipping out from under investigations."
"Because she has everything on everyone. I think she's gathering intelligence to blackmail every flag officer in Starfleet Command and number of starship and starbase commanders," Forger explained.
"What makes you think that?" McKinley thought she was getting paranoid.
"Because Nechayev and I have been finding Romulan spy tech in various offices and command postings. We can't prove Oh is behind it but we can prove it's negligence on her part for allowing it," Forger told him.
"My god," McKinley gasped.
"We find the spy tech. Starfleet Security does a sweep and magically it's back again when we scan for it," Forger told him.
"That is too coincidental. But why hasn't anyone launched an investigation?" McKinley asked.
"Oh controls all the investigative mechanisms and JAG won't authorize an independent investigation by Starfleet Intelligence without conclusive proof it's Starfleet Security replacing the spy tech on Oh's orders," Forger grated.
"And Starfleet Security has become a cult of personality built around Oh. They'll rationalize any action she orders them to take," McKinley realized the depth of what they were against.
"So, I'll be keeping my non-Starfleet assets," Forger told him resolutely.
"I see your point," McKinley relented, "Does Bob know about all this?"
"Of course. But it doesn't affect your command directly so he's keeping a lid on it until I authorize him to speak about it," Forger told him.
"I guess that day came," McKinley sighed.
"That it did. A word of advice, Captain? Don't question my judgment in how my investigation get undertaken. Even my civilian operatives live under a strict code of conduct. That's why they're in uniform," Forger told him.
"Except for Macen's team," McKinley pointed out.
"They play a special role for Starfleet. One that I can't afford to lose by making them wear the SID civilian uniform," Forger told him and cut the transmission.
McKinley had to check twice to make certain they weren't cut off by outside forces. Apparently the Admiral was done explaining herself for today. Suddenly he was glad Johnson and Forger seemed be getting closer every day. Johnson would rein in Forger's darker impulses. He suspected she knew it as well.
"Chris, it's good to have you back," Roberta Rolands brought Noble her favorite coffee blend. Then she gave a mug to Hendryks, "Nice to see you safe and sound, Elfi."
"Likewise," Hendryks toasted her with her mug.
"I notice she didn't make us pay," Noble realized.
"You're my guest so you drink for free," Hendryks explained.
"Are you two...?" Noble asked.
"No, someone hacked into their accounting system and was placing fake inventory orders to unknown accounts. I traced back to the crooks and they were arrested and the funds returned," Hendryks told her, "Giving me free coffee is cheaper than the thefts."
"Whatever works," Noble said.
"So, have you gotten in touch with Joel Osmont yet?" Hendryks asked leadingly.
"How did you...?" Noble blurted.
"I've known you since we were in the Maquis together. I can identify when you give someone 'the look'," Hendryks chuckled.
"You tell anyone else I'm looking and I'll end you," Noble playfully warned her.
"I see Annabeth is taking the rest of the day off," Hendryks nodded towards the door where Frink and Tulley were making a beeline for the Crossover Bridge closest to their quarters in the Habitat Ring, "They seem to have priorities."
"Getting them together was an ordeal. It took over a decade," Noble groaned.
"Which is why you shouldn't repeat that history with Osmont," Hendryks refused to let it go.
"Joel and I talk all the time. We come here for coffee and Quark's for drinks," Noble protested.
"But, you haven't told him you're into him," Hendryks predicted, "Or am I wrong?'
"He hasn't said anything either," Noble said sullenly.
"It's a modern age. Make a move," Hendryks told her, "Or stay miserable."
"What about you?" Noble turned it around.
"I'm very sexually satisfied," Hendryks laughed.
"But no romantic partners in sight?" Noble asked.
"I'm pretty much polyamorous," Hendryks told her, "I maintain relationships with several partners at once."
"If that suits you," Noble shrugged.
"I'm good with it. Better than when I tried monogamy," Hendryks shared, "The constant cycles of betrayal grew tedious. So, I gave up on single partner relationships."
"That sounds great for sex but don't you have anyone to confide in?" Noble wondered.
"That's what friends are for," Hendryks smirked, "Oh look, Osmont just walked in. I think I'll be going now."
Hendryks made a point of pointing Osmont in Noble's direction. Rolands was quick to deliver his coffee. He looked confused, "Roberta has never delivered my coffee before. Especially before I ordered it."
"I think we've been ambushed," Noble sighed.
"Really? Why?' Osmont asked.
Noble explained her feelings towards him. Osmont looked relieved, "I was so afraid I was the only one feeling that between us. I'm glad your friends seemed to have set this up."
"You know I'm blacklisted with Captain Riker, right?" Noble wanted to make certain.
"So?" Osmont asked, "He forgave me for covering your 'departure' from Ops while you were still the Duty Officer. You took half the damn watch with you from every department. He got over it. Macen and Sakonna didn't give him a choice."
"So, you're his OPS Officer on the Indomitable and the Gamma Watch OPS Officer in Station Ops. There's a chance he might take it out on you if you spend more time with me," Noble warned him.
"The Captain isn't like that. Besides, Commander Danan would shoot him if he were," Osmont jested, "I'm safe enough."
"Then let's talk about how to spend time together," Noble suggested, "We aren't on the Gamma Watch together anymore. I have weird and unexpected deployments. So, how do we make this work?"
"One day at a time," Osmont suggested, "Just like any other relationship."
He hesitated, "I understand you still wear the uniform at times."
"My crew is still SID vetted and contracted at times. But we don't work for Outbound Ventures anymore," Noble explained, "We're independent subcontractors."
Osmont sighed, "I wish we deployed more. Captain Riker's primary duty is to the station. But members of his starship command want to go out."
"Has anyone considered deploying the ship under the XO's command?" Noble asked.
"Captain Riker wants the ship here as a deterrent," Osmont frowned.
"Riker is essentially an unpromoted Fleet Admiral. He has no business taking starships out. There's a small squadron of Emden-class escorts defending this star system. An extra Ambassador-class ship won't make much difference," Noble advised him.
"You think I should talk to the Captain about this," Osmont realized.
"I think you're unhappy in your duties and I think Riker needs to make a choice. Is he the station commander and fleet admiral or is he a single starship commander?" Noble stated, "He won't listen to me anymore but he might listen to his own crew."
"I think we're going to have some challenges in this budding relationship regarding work ethos," Osmont realized, But, I'll talk to the Senior Staff officers from the ship. Once we have a consensus, we'll approach Captain Riker."
"As it should be," Noble agreed, "Just leave me out of any discussions. My name will poison your chances."
"Why do you think that?" Osmont asked.
"I'm supposed to be serving a thirty-day stint in the holding cells for going AWOL. I was released on a technicality. Riker hasn't let that go," Noble warned him.
Gerrit Gren approached their table, "Captain Noble, Captain Riker would like a word with you and your crew."
"Visit me in the detention cells," Noble gave Osmont a wan smile.
Gerrit and his Security detail escorted Noble out of the Coffee Spot. Osmont began to reassess Captain Riker as a commander. Especially his obsession with retaining command of a starship that rarely deployed. And even then, it wasn't under his personal command every time.
Noble and the others were behind force fields in the detention center attached to the Security Office when Riker arrived, "I told you you'd serve your sentence no matter what deals Sakonna made with Admiral Forger."
"This is petty, Tom," Noble told him. "We did good work while we were released."
"Forger sent her compliments to reassure me she made the right decision. Now, I'm making the right decision for the station and the starship crews. If we don't have absolute respect for the chain of command, we'll become anarchists with starships," Riker warned her.
"May I remind you the bulk of your crews left Starfleet because they chafed under the chain of command's rigidity? You make that mistake here, you'll lose them as well," Noble warned him, "And the Maquis officers will resign as well."
"Dammit, Chris! You forced this by going AWOL with a crew against orders and stealing two starships," Riker snarled, "That can't be left unpunished."
"We aren't even part of Outbound Ventures anymore! We haven't violated any station regs. The only charges you can bring against us to hold us here are civil charges of theft. Except that Outbound Ventures ceded ownership of the starships in question to the commanders in question," Noble laid it out for him, "You want to play this out in Barrinor's court system? Fine, we'll play. But you open yourself and the corporation up to wrongful arrest and detention civil suits."
"I see Sakonna has been coaching you," Riker scowled.
"Talk to the corporate lawyers. We'll give you six hours to release us or we talk to our own barristers about civil lawsuits and criminal injunctions in response. You'll be handing the press and Starfleet the story they want," Noble advised him.
"I forgot I was dealing with the oh-so clever Chris Noble," Riker sneered, "Kalita told me all about you during the Defiant mission planning. She wanted you to be a part of it. But Ro objected. She needed you for other missions. I'm grateful to her now."
"Let it go, Riker. Kathy Tyrol will tell you the same," Noble told him.
"We'll see, won't we?" Riker asked, "In the meantime, enjoy Security's hospitality."
Outside the Detention Center, Gerrit advised Riker, "We're using every cell we have and they're overcrowded. We don't have extras for a nightly drunk tank necessities."
"I'm off to talk to the damn lawyers and the CEO. Noble's too confident in the outcome. I want to her sweat it out until I get an official verdict of our jurisdiction and legal options," Riker told him, "Hold the drunks in cargo bays of you need to."
"Yes, sir," Gerrit said sarcastically.
"Don't start with me, Chief," Riker warned him, "Or I can have you on the first transport back to Bajor."
"Personally, I'd like to see you try. My entire Security force will resign if you try that crap. You can fire me with reason according to corporate policy and station regs but not for supposed personal disloyalty," Gerrit warned him.
Riker blinked, "I do so sound like a tin tyrant, don't I?"
"I'd rather not say," Gerrit replied diplomatically.
"What Noble and Locarno did just gets under my skin. And it seems any chance to rectify the situation according to corporate regs is denied to me," Riker lamented.
"It's near impossible to punish ex-employees by corporate standards," Gerrit advised him, "I'm sure the Head Office will confirm that."
"What about property theft? They took two starships without any authorization," Riker grasped at straws.
"I checked the ownership registrations. The day before, the Solstice and the Nova were transferred to Noble and Locarno's personal ownership. Someone saw this coming," Gerrit told him.
"But they disobeyed direct orders and went AWOL," Riker complained.
"And they were fired for it," Gerrit reminded him, "That was their punishment. Except for Locarno, who was actually promoted for it by Tyrol herself. Need I remind you you yourself went AWOL from Starfleet to join the Maquis?"
"Are you morally comparing Sakonna's apparent dirty tricks squad with Maquis?" Riker asked.
"Every member seems to be a former Maquis. That can't be coincidence," Gerrit reminded him, "Every supposed asset that comes and goes from her and Hakatay's office checks out as a former Maquis."
"Then why is everything about them a secret?" Riker posed the pertinent question in his mind.
"I assume it's to protect us and our commitments with Starfleet," Gerrit told him, "Fortunately, as Station Security, I don't have that headache. But you do. The less you know about what they do, the more insulated from it you are."
"You sound like a Resistance fighter again," Riker said ruefully.
"Old habits and all that," Gerrit chuckled.
"What has Sito gotten into?" Riker fretted.
"Whatever it is, she seemed happy to resign as one of my Deputy Chiefs to hare off and do it," Gerrit told him.
"But why? She had a life here," Riker was still puzzled.
"To be honest, Sito was never happy being on the station full-time," Gerrit told him, "She joined Starfleet to see the galaxy and help people. I can only assume she thinks she can do that now."
"I'm off to shake the tree and see what falls out of it. Detain the prisoners until you hear otherwise from me," Riker told him. Then he went for the turbolift to access the corporate portion of the station. Gerrit didn't wish him luck. It was dead on arrival issue. Riker just refused to acknowledge that.
"Aren't you even going to consult a lawyer?' Riker was angered with Kathy Tyrol.
"All the legalities concerning the people you've detained were pre-determined before they left the corporation," Tyrol told him evenly, holding her own temper in check, "Even this detention scenario you've dreamed up was anticipated and accounted for. You have no standing under corporate regs, station regs, or Barrinoran law. They know it. I advise you to release them before their deadline expires."
"And if I ignore your advice?' Riker asked.
"My advice can be construed as a direct order from your employer. Think of it as civilian oversight over Starfleet if it makes you feel better. Defy our position on this and you'll face all the legal consequences alone."
"I used to think you had my back and the back of our people," Riker said angrily.
"I do, Captain. But I also have the entire corporation and every employee to think of. This is your Maquis mission all over again. This time, turn back before bad things happen to you," Tyrol warned him, "You have a good life here and you're an excellent station commander and fleet commander. Don't throw that away on a personal vendetta."
"I have another hour to debate it," Riker left her office abruptly. Tyrol hated doing it, but she called the Sciences Department and asked to speak with Lisea Danan. Danan was her last best hope to talk sense into Riker before he unraveled everything they'd built.
"Hey, sailor. New in town?" Danan asked from Riker's office door.
"Tyrol sent you, didn't she?" Riker was irked.
"She gave me the corporate legal perspective. She also gave me the legal standing of the prisoners you're holding. Tom, you have nothing to hold them on. Chris Noble told you as much. You should be glad she even gave you a deadline instead pursuing a legal battle right away," Danan told her husband, "This is just personal with you. You have to let go of it."
"Would you tell Brin that?" Riker asked.
"And he'd listen. He knew I was the brakes when he went of the rails. You're off the rails here, Tom. You're risking more than just a legal battle. You're risking your career and your life on this station," Danan told him, "If you won't protect yourself, do it for me. I want to stay on here."
"That's playing dirty," Riker sighed.
"That's a winning strategy. Normally, you'd have one right now. Instead, you're hoping that keeping them in detention will blow over, It won't. Not with Noble involved," Danan warned him, "Sometimes it seemed she held the Ronaran Maquis cell together just as much as Ro Laren did. When Ro went off on solo adventures with Tulley and us, Noble commanded the cell in her absence. She pulled off a lot of vital victories. If Tyrol told you every thing has been accounted for, then every response you're making is anticipated and planned for," Danan warned him, "Your only hope at this point is to let her go and leave them alone to Sakonna."
"How does this not twist you up inside?" Riker asked.
"You joined the Maquis to plan a Starfleet mission using a Starfleet starship," Danan scolded him, "I joined and fought for an insurgency. Now, you're commanding a smaller, looser version of Starfleet. I'm warning you now that Sakonna and her agents are still fighting an insurgency. You leave and their operations alone and they'll leave yours alone."
Riker contacted Gerrit, "Release the prisoners. With my apologies."
He looked directly at Danan, "Happy now?"
"I'll help make you happier about it. You just need to adjust," Danan promised him.
"Gerrit told me Sito was happy to leave Security and join Noble's crew," Riker said sadly, "I never saw that coming."
"Jaxa only joined Security to stay in your periphery. Now, she has a chance to do what she actually wanted all along." Danan sympathized with him.
"She did admit to me once that she was sorry we ever left the Iron Boots behind," Riker recalled.
"Now, she can live those type of days out again. She'd appreciate your blessing on this. But she'll do it without just as well. It'll just weigh on her instead," Danan coached Riker, "You'll give it to her if you were every truly her friend."
"I'll stop by her quarters after my watch and give her my blessing," Riker conceded, "All I've wanted for her was to be safe and happy."
"Safe doesn't make her happy," Danan shared with him, "It's time to embrace that aspect of her."
"So, what did Tyrol interrupt in your secret lab?" Riker asked.
"I was reviewing genetic modification logs Section 31 had kept. Did you know they designed an attack tribble?" Danan was surprised, "They'd also kept the secret tribbles were benign until human DNA was spliced into them. That created their rapid reproductive cycle."
"Who was that stupid? That breaks human genetic laws," Riker was furious.
"A Starfleet scientist that felt overlooked. He ended being killed by his own creations when they multiplied so fast they took every square inch of a starship and crushed him. The rest of the crew abandoned ship. Section 31 covered it up."
"Admiral Forger is carrying on that tradition," Riker groused, "She has access to all of Section 31's records in her headquarters. Yet there hasn't been a single public disclosure."
"But there have been massive disclosures throughout Starfleet Command," Danan assured him, "Nechayev and Forger have teams that do nothing but go through Section 31 archives and summarize their finding for the Admiralty."
"But not the elected government," Riker said dismally.
"I've been told there are files that would upend the Federation Council if the facts were ever known," Danan told him, "Some secrets are meant to stay buried."
"Did you learn that life lesson in Starfleet or as a Maquis?" Riker wondered.
"Through every lifetime Danan as lived," she replied, "Some of its hosts saw upheavals that nearly devastated governments because of leaked secrets or the mere belief there were secrets being kept."
"You think that would happen to the Federation?" Riker asked.
"I think we've already to the brink three times in the last two years. The Federation and its peoples need time to rebuild trust in each other," Danan explained her philosophy, "Our uniqueness was played off into creating divisions. We need to rebuild common again. Glutting the worlds with Section 31's hidden archival knowledge would only widen the divisions."
"That's based on what you've seen?" Riker asked.
"From what little I've seen and what little Ro has seen and shared with me," Danan told him, "I'm sorry, but there are things we've learned you're not cleared for."
"Starfleet gave me a 'Top Secret' clearance level," Riker argued.
"Yes, they did. For fleet operations with the SID," Danan replied sadly, "Macen, Rockford, Ro, Vaughn, and I have clearance levels that go far beyond that. We've clearance for data that commodores and most rear admirals can't access."
"Forger is only a rear admiral," Riker pointed out.
"But her position grants her clearance to levels rivaled only by fleet admirals," Danan shrugged, "It is what it is."
"So, Forger has unlimited access?" Riker asked.
"Essentially," Danan told him, "But that only extends to official matters. For private comms and logs she still needs a warrant from JAG."
"At least she answers to someone," Riker felt relief.
"Commodore Oh and Rear Admiral Forger are the lowest ranked officers with the greatest purview and clearances," Danan told him.
"Other than Admiral Nechayev, they hold the security of Starfleet and the Federation in their hands," Riker grasped it with horror.
"And Nechayev is ready to file her retirement papers," Danan warned him.
"Who will replace her?" Riker was aghast.
"Her natural choice would be Ro. But Ro's Starfleet rehabilitation deal prohibits her promotion above her current rank," Danan told him, "Captain Erika Benteen is a dark horse."
"Benteen could be a hard sell with some admirals because of her connection to Leyton," Riker recalled Benteen advance and demotion in rank before being restored to captain to assume command of Deep Space Four. He also knew Macen and many of his Starfleet friends and acquaintances considered her an ally. Her position between the Romulan Border Zone, the Federation, and the newly Iotian acquired Enforcer Zone put her in an even more strategic position. That would heighten her profile with Starfleet Command.
"Actually, her former connection to Leyton makes her a perfect candidate," Danan replied, "She understands the ins and outs of intelligence gathering and covert operations. Her strategic command utilizes that knowledge. Reyes is another contender now that he's been promoted to flag rank."
"And Reyes is another ally," Riker approved of the choice.
"Nechayev assumed command of Starfleet Intelligence when Admiral Pavel Chekov finally retired. She was his handpicked successor. Considering Chekov's advanced age at the time, Nechayev will be quite young to retire," Danan remarked.
"The Sulu family has a tradition of starship command." Riker noted, "They always refuse flag rank."
"Considering Captains Montgomery Scott and James T. Kirk are currently serving in Starfleet after strange arrivals in the current era, family tradition is hardly noticeable," Dana replied. "None of Chekov's family went into Starfleet. It's said his son eventually wants to run for Federation President. Right now, he's rising through Earth's political ranks."
"I remember he opposed the Synthetics Ban. He said the problem wasn't that easy to defuse. That the programming error came from specific programmers, that it wasn't inherent in all synthetics. As proven by the fact that only the Martian synthetics went rogue that day," Riker recalled Chekov's platform.
"Unfortunately, Fleet Admiral Clancy's quick fix of endorsing the ban swayed the Federation Council," Danan sighed, "Hence the Tessa problem when they extended the ban to sentient holograms," Danan grated.
"Vic Fontaine and the Doctor had to go on the run," Riker reminded, "Fortunately, Vic was able to return to Deep Space Nine when the Bajoran Militia asserted sole authority over it."
"The Doctor from Voyager was lest seen in the Deeper Beta Quadrant," Danan sighed, "Such a waste."
"Vaughn and Starfleet already evacuated from DS9. Colonel Cenn is in complete control of it for the Militia," Riker ruefully knew, "The Bajorans are debating what to rename it."
"Starfleet is close to completing Deep Space Ten," Danan said miserably, "It's out in the Deeper Beta Quadrant."
"Deep Space K-7 was decommissioned as starbase. I understand a private concern took over operations," Riker had a report somewhere.
"Deep Space One and Two were decommissioned," Dana told him, "Plans are being drawn up to shut down Deep Space Three and Four."
"Has Starfleet Command been taken over by complete idiots?" Riker was angered.
"Deep Space Four will eventually be replaced by a Deep Space Eleven Station and Deep Space Five will be replaced by a Deep Space Twelve," Danan knew from Ro, "DS3 is simply a casualty of shifting political winds."
"How far are these replacement plans along?" Riker asked,
"They've already began planning to move Spacedock and redesignate it the new Starfleet Museum," Danan told him, "They have a completely new design for its replacement."
"And who becomes the caretaker of the museum?" Riker asked.
"Geordi Laforge will be promoted to commodore and assume command of it," Danan said sadly, "Command of the USS Challenger will go to another Starfleet Corps of Engineers specialist."
"Removing one of Clancy's vocal opponents," Riker groused.
"But as a flag officer with his reputation and influence, he can make a difference even from a museum," Danan hoped.
"That's what Picard thought when he accepted promotion. Afterwards, Starfleet Command happily accepted his resignation to silence him," Riker reminded her, "Will and Deanna chose seclusion so they're not influencing anyone anymore."
"Thad's death and raising Kestra changed their priorities. It would happen to us if we had children," Danan warned him.
"I guess we'll never know, will we?" Riker asked her.
"You know my position on children," Danan said sadly, "I'll live on through the Danan symbiot. I never wanted to be a mother and I still don't."
"And I don't want anything to threaten my career here," Riker agreed, "Will refused command for years and only held it for a few years before standing down. I won't do that."
"Still, the Titan became legendary in a short span of time under his command," Danan reminded him.
"Will is admittedly a better starship commander than I am," Riker lamented losing two commands, "But I've proven myself here."
"That you have," Danan agreed, "So, let's keep it that way. Stay away from Sakonna and especially Chris Noble."
"I will if they do the same," Riker pledged, "But they begin interfering in SID operations and I will deal with them."
"And at that point, you'll have Forger's backing," Danan promised him.
"What about Brin and Celeste?" Riker asked.
"I honestly don't know," Danan admitted.
"We're dropping out of warp," Macen alerted the visiting Rockford.
"We have bridge feed and sensor data streaming to the Situation Center," Kerber announced over comms from the Data Womb she and Smith occupied.
They entered the Situation Center to find Daggit and Burrows already present as the detectives began sorting out sensor feeds,. Lee made a rueful assessment, "It looks like they've been expecting us."
"Captain McKinley is hailing Yar," Forte told them.
"Kerber and Smith will tap the transmission," Shade predicted. McKinley and Ishtashra Yar appeared on a split screen display, "What did I tell you?"
"Advise Miller to keep her eyes on the Scalphunter," Macen told them.
"Will do," Forte got to it.
"Captain Yar, is it? I want to parlay," McKinley told Yar's image on his screen.
"You want to negotiate and you show up with Macen?" Yar sneered.
"Commander Macen and Detective Rockford are consulting on this case but it remains a Starfleet matter. I'm the voice that matters," McKinley told her, "I want Admiral Johnson returned to us."
"I don't have any Starfleet admirals laying around. So, go away," Yar retorted.
"Evidence says you're harboring Ozmepia Zandic. Zandic is holding Johnson," McKinley spelled it out.
"I'll have to verify that," Yar signed off.
"She'll deny it, of course," Gomer advised him from beyond the visual pickup's range.
"Why?" Striker asked.
"To provoke a fight," Gomer explained, "The Terrans have been convincing Yar she needs to defeat Starfleet starships to prove her dominance to negotiate with Oxmyx and Kracko. They favor Macen and Rockford, so random Starfleet ships beside, they're the actual targets."
"And Zandic provided the bait," Delaney complained.
"Now, you see how the machinations are intertwined. Everyone has goals. So long as they're mutually beneficial the alliance will hold," Gomer told them, "You need to make it costly so the alliance fragments."
"But they object to the Obsidian's presence," McKinley returned to that point.
"Because Yar was right. Oxmyx and Kracko favor them. Their deaths will count against them in any talks," Gomer said.
"All ships have raised their shields and armed their weapons," Delaney warned the command staff.
"Liefers, roll your fighters,"McKinley ordered, "Raise shields and arm weapons. Begin targeting but hold fire until ordered."
"This just got real," Jones warned Forger, "They launched fighters after raising shields and beginning weapons tracks."
"We'd do the same if we had fighters," Forger shrugged, "Jaycee, focus on the Terrans, they're the primary threat."
"They're returning the favor," Miller advised her captain.
"They have the advantage in range," Jones reminded Forger. Everyone on the bridge had studied the Scalphunter's scans taken when they'd first encountered the starship.
"They dismantled the so-called 'spore drive'," Zimbalist was studying the new scans in comparison to the originals. They seem to have made more crews' quarters."
"We are showing a number of Iotian Federation races' bio signs aboard now," Galen 3 said from the Sciences Station.
"Commodore Mirita shared information on the Iotian Starfleet outfitting the Terrans with conscripted crewmen," Forger reminded them all.
"I doubt they're still willing crewmen," Jones snorted.
"Slaves don't make the most efficient crews," Forger grimly remarked, "That could prove advantageous."
"Not if the slaves know their proper place," Aglaia was Platonian. Slavery was still practiced on her home planet.
"We can debate that at length after this is finished," Miller promised her.
"I look forward to proving you wrong," Aglaia smirked.
"I wonder what they're thinking?" Jones admitted.
"How to murder us all. What else?' Forger quipped.
"It might just be more nuanced," Jones suggested.
"How nuanced do Terrans get? They're parodies of real people," Forger snorted.
"We might actually need their help," the Chief Engineer, Adijaya Budi, argued, "We're alone without support."
"But an essential facet of our mission here was to establish a beachhead for conquest," Tomoe Gozen, his deputy, argued with him.
"Our ionized transporters can't cross the quantum boundary anymore. That quantum portal near Klingon space disrupted the fabric between our universes," Tao Gozen reminded her sister, "We had to salvage the last remnants of a spore drive to crossover. We have no more spores. We're trapped."
"What you call a trap I call an immense opportunity," Luis Gomez told her.
"We can build anew Terran Empire," Marissa Torres insisted.
"That's a fever dream," Wei Soo-long warned her, "We can't conquer a universe with a single warship."
"We're Terrans. We can conquer anyone no matter the odds," Tea Carrera insisted.
"So goes the official propaganda," Lebeauf retorted, "But the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance nearly brought us to our knees. If hadn't been for the Terran Rebellion in occupied territories, we would've never retaken our own space."
"The Emperor rewarded their leaders," Perez reminded him, "Smiley O'Brien, Michael Eddington, and Luthor Sloan even gained cultural concessions regarding alien rights."
"Duras and Dukat's last gasp at power was sending the Intendants Kira and Ro here. The natives actually killed Ro and we executed Kira. Regent Duras surrendered Klingon territory to the Empire. Dukat died before Damar surrendered the Cardassian Empire to our forces," Gomez proudly boasted.
"You're afraid!" Perez accused Lebeauf.
"Unlike you, I don't let my ambition delude me over my chances of success," Lebeauf snarled back at her, "Starfleet and the Iotians proved to be more resilient than we assumed. The entire history of this universe defies our logic."
"The Iotians gave us access to the Federation databases they've bene tapping for a century," Wei reminded them, "We've all noticed how the United Federation of Planets, long reviled by the Terran Empire, has overcome even greater odds and challenges than the Empire ever has, This isn't a simple snatch and grab of a universe. It requires an entirely new rethinking of how to approach it."
"Which is what Macen wanted us to learn by sending us to the Iotians," Tao Gozen argued, "They're the most like us and they've made cultural, strategic, and tactical concessions to deal with the other Federation."
"That's presumptive," Torres retorted, "Macen is another weakling destined to be conquered."
"Then why is his ship here now?" Budi asked, "He's obviously working with Starfleet. But why?"
"Budi, Tomoe Gozen, return to Engineering. Gomez, release the slaves and return them to their posts," Lebeauf ordered, "Unless anyone is challenging me to be captain, I'm still in command."
"For now," Perez snorted, "We have the power of a Defiant-class warship. We should use it accordingly."
"Or, we could be smart about this and not become Starfleet's next target," Tao Gozen suggested.
"You're not worthy to be called a Terran," Carrera accused.
"We need that beachhead," Wei riposted, "Turkanis could be it."
"Our fleet can't enter the quantum portal because this Starfleet maintains a fleet to defend it," Tomoe Gozen grumbled.
"So, we create our own," Budi suggested, "It was artificially created. We simply recreate that creation process. But, we need a staging area and resources to do it."
"So, Turkanis it is," Lebeauf agreed to it.
"Captain Yar is hailing again," Delaney grated.
"Let's see how she lies to us now," McKinley sighed.
"Captain McKinley, I spoke with the Planetary Governor. No one has seen or heard anything about an Iridian named Zandic or an admiral named Johnson," Yar smirked.
"You just overplayed your hand," Striker advised her, "We never mentioned Ozemoia Zandic was Iridian."
Yar tried to bluff her way through it, "You certainly did to. We have it recorded."
"Then play it back for us," Striker shrugged.
"Leave Turkanis space. Or we'll call in the Iotian Starfleet to help protect our territory," Yar threatened.
"We all know they're not coming," McKinley said sternly, "Surrender Zandic and return Admiral Johnson or we'll do it by force, if need be."
Yar ended the transmission. Massoli reported from her office, "She's communicating with someone in orbit that must be cloaked. There are no ships on sensors."
"It wouldn't be Klingons," Delaney said.
"But Sela is Yar's cousin," Striker reminded them, "Maybe they patched up familial relations."
"We have a Romulan Warbird decloaking and breaking orbit," Delaney announced.
"What are its intentions?' McKinley asked.
"It's going to warp and exiting the system," Delaney sounded as surprised as he was, "Wait! The Terran ship just went to warp as well."
"Keep an eye on our aft," Striker recommended.
"Yar's ships are all going to impulse straight at us with weapons targeted," Delaney informed them, "They're firing."
"Return fire," McKinley ordered, "Liefers, your squadrons are free to engage."
"Alpha Squadron, stay on your wingman and run combat sorties against enemy vessels," Grace ordered her squadron, "Follow me in."
She got double taps on comm badges that equaled the other eleven members of her squadron. Beta Squad Lead would be saying the same with the same results. During combat operations, her badge was open to her entire squadron and theirs with each other. To signal the carrier or the any other ship, they needed to use the fighter's comm array.. Grace didn't like the way things were developing. The two most powerful warships in theater had just departed? That didn't make sense. The Romulans, at least, might have attempting to maintain the fragile peace between the Star Empire and the Federation. Relations had been even more fraught since Starfleet abandoned the evacuation efforts to save millions of Romulan colonists' lives. The change of policy had reversed all thaws in relations since Shinzon's defeat and death.
With the Terrans' departure, that still left the Barrows, Dillinger, and Capo in play. None of them were rated above a light cruiser. The ISS Capo was Yar's ship. McKinley wanted the Intrepid to engage her. Grace led Alpha Squadron against the Barrows. Beta Squadron engaged the Dillinger.
The captains and crews were a diverse lot. A mix of survivors from Turkana IV and Federation based security contractors that had been detained by Starfleet and vanished, rescued from a Cardassian prison and vanished from DS9, and now ended up at Turkanis. Grace knew there were a lot of questions that needed answering. So, they had to take the ships and crews as intact as possible. And in the confusion of the battle waged by a starship and two fighter wings, the Obsidian made its way to Turkanis orbit.
The plan hadn't been expected to work so easily. Everyone had expected the Terrans to stand their ground. McKinley would have focused on them instead while Forger dealt with Yar. While Terrans weren't known from backing down from fights, they were known for duplicity. Even the Terran Rebellion had excelled at it. As a lure back to Operations, Fowler had allowed Grace to retain her Section 31 security clearance. So it made a perverse sense that Smiley's top generals were Sloan and Eddington.
Grace led sorties against the ISS Barrows. She had no idea its senior officers were all ex-security contractors. The ship itself was an analogue to a Renaissance-class Federation starship. She had no intelligence to work with regarding Captain Yelera, the XO named Srrrsss, and the Tactical 1st named Jerena. As a Kelvan, she felt the human domination of Starfleet's ranks even though everyone presumed she was human. So, the knowledge that all three enemy officers were non-humans might have changed her approach in retrospect.
Peregrine-class fighters had a dual seated cockpit. Typically manned a pilot and Weapons Systems Officer. Replacements for the class were designed and moving into being prototype stage. The fighter type itself was nearly thirty years old. Grace was unique in that she handled both flying and the weapons.
The fighters had twin pulse phaser cannons and twin micro photon torpedo launchers. Each torpedo launcher and a six round magazine. Facing a dozen so-equipped fighters taxed even a mid-24th Century design light cruiser. The starship class had been been produced at Starfleet shipyards to complement the Ambassador-class of starship. The Federation had decommissioned all remaining starships in the class following the Dominion War.
Grace and her squadron concentrated fire on the weapons systems and Engineering section. Once the shields were sufficiently weakened, phaser strikes to the secondary hull forced Captain Yelera to surrender. Grace was secretly pleased to see someone of Yelera's race in command of a Federation type starship. The surrender went smoothly and the fighters remained in motion surrounding the starship at every vector and vantage point. Grace reported her success with Liefers. It seemed Beta Squadron had also overcome the ISS Dillinger.
Defeating the Apollo-class starship had depleted Beta Squadron of every torpedo they'd loaded. Beta Squadron was dependent on Captain M'retz keeping her word. The Caitian still had partial main power. The crews' repairs were far less difficult than those faced by the Barrows. Grace offered to rotate in her squadron two fighters at a time until Alpha and Beta Squadrons were switched around. Liefers made it an order.
Friendly competition between squadrons had always existed.. But lately the friction was angry. Sending Beta Squadron out to engage Grace and the SID team had chafed many Alpha Squadron pilots and wizzoes, as the weapons systems officers were referred to as. Beta Lead resisted the order but complied to eventually follow the chain of command. Liefers scheduled a dual briefing to get the squadrons to cut out the schoolyard bullshit.
"What a typical bully," Striker chuckled at Yar's tactics, "Push back and she folds."
"A Himalaya-class is still something to take with caution," McKinley advised his XO.
Pedrossi handled the starship like a fighter craft. Years of coordinating allowed Delaney the ability anticipate Pedrossi's movements and target the enemy through the maneuvers. Yar's former gang members turned pirates had no scope of how to respond as the ship was increasingly damaged. When they lost main power. Yar surrendered.
"You made a wise choice," McKinley told her disgruntled image, "Keep your shields down and weapon systems deactivated and we'll all get along."
"You're going to burn in a warp core breach," Yar promised him.
"Your cousin and the Terrans didn't seem to care enough about you to assist you. Reflect on that," McKinley said before cutting the transmission.
"Commander Liefers, what's the status of your flight wings?" McKinley asked.
"All wings reported success. They only endured minor damages to some fighters. I'd like to start bringing in two fighter, one from each squadron, at the same time to replenish their torpedo magazines and inspect any damages," Liefers replied.
"Good thinking. Get it underway," McKinley told her, "Delaney, make certain our aft is protected while the shields are down in that quarter to receive fighters."
"Yes, sir," Delaney said crisply.
"Now, what the hell is the SID up to?" McKinley asked the rhetorical question on everyone's mind.
"I've got an Iridian life sign," Galen 3 announced on Obsidian's bridge.
"Quit gloating and transfer the damn coordinates to Telrik," Jones snapped at him. A sullen Galen 3 complied.
"Send this down first," Daggit armed a stun grenade and placed it on a transporter pad. Telrik beamed it down to the coordinates the Sciences station had supplied.
Telrik studied his targeting sensors, "It definitely went off."
Macen drew his pistol and assumed a ready stance on a pad. Burrows and Daggit did the same facing different directions with their rifles poised. Rockford made up the fourth piece with her pistol drawn.
She looked toward Lee, Shade, and Forte, "Stand by for our signal."
When Rockford's attention was faced forward again Macen instructed Telrik to engage the transporter. The room they beamed into was filled with fallen bodies. But neither Ishara Yar nor Zandic were among them.
"She bolted," Burrows said.
Rockford had her tricorder active, "She's nearby in a room filled with human life signs."
"They're probably using the Admiral as a human shield," Daggit predicted.
"Have Telrik send down the second package into Yar's office," Macen instructed.
"Even a low yield photon grenade is going to kill people," Daggit wore a bandoleer filled with them for his launcher. Lee had been given one to activate and set on a transporter pad if requested to.
"Johnson, Yar, and Zandic will be at the head of the pack to stop our breach. The rear of the room will be filled with bodyguards," Macen told him, "The blast will knock everyone down but Yar, Zandic, and especially Johnson, will escape serious injury."
Daggit made the call. The team prepped to burst into the outer corridor and head for Yar's expansive office at the end of the hallway. They heard the blast and the building shook. Cries of pain and screams of agony emitted from the office as the SID breach team went forward. The sliding door was blown off into the hallway.
Daggit entered first followed by Burrows. Macen and Rockford went in to collect Johnson, Yar, and Zandic. The trio were sprawled across the floor but had escaped most potential injuries. The crowd of security personnel had absorbed the blast. Rockford summoned the Detective Squad to secure the trio and bring them back aboard the ship. Kovic and Collins would take Yar and Zandic into custody while Johnson was returned to the Intrepid.
"Do we have anything salvageable?" Macen asked.
"The crystal core to Yar's personal computer seems to be partially isolated from the tower's main core. It's detachable and survived the blast," Rockford happily told him.
"Grab it and let's get out of here," he urged her.
Telrik greeted them when they returned, "Security has our two prisoners in the brig an' Tessa is checkin' ' em out. Admiral Johnson is aboard the Intrepid. I've heard that Doctor Sikorsky wants ta slice and dice you lot."
"I could've told you Andreja would be irate about trying to blow Bob up," Rockford smirked at Macen.
"But I didn't blow him up, did I?' Macen asked drolly.
"You got lucky," Rockford sing-songed and headed for the turbolift to hand off the computer core to Kerber and Smith so they could break the encryption. Her team would analyze the data.
"She's right," Burrows conceded, "You couldn't distinguish which human life sign was Johnson. If he'd been placed in the rear, he'd be dead now."
"How many hostage rescues did you participate in when you were SOC?" Daggit asked.
Burrows felt constrained by his oaths to Starfleet to divulge much about his years with Starfleet Special Operations Command, "Officially, I was part of four."
"Including the others you can't discuss, how many times did the hostage takers not display the hostage as a shield when confronted at the endgame?" Daggit asked.
"Okay, it was a simple deduction. But it can always change. There are variables related to which race takes the hostage and their cultural mandates," Burrows told him.
"Which is true. But we've faced Sindis which was before your time with us," Macen reminded him, "Iridians always lead from the front and they always display their trophies to taunt you. We lost T'Kir, Joachim Dracas, and Gantz to Sindis. I wasn't going to lose Johnson to Zandic."
"Okay, I'll accept that," Burrows headed for the Armory attached to the Security Office.
"Tony joined after you revamped the team," Daggit told Macen, "He's never experienced the number of losses we endured beforehand. He never saw Parva brain damaged. He wasn't here for Kort's breakdown or Radil's off the rails response. He missed all of the drama around Captain Forger. We have history he'll never fully comprehend. Let him off easy because of that."
"You've become a wise man, Rab Daggit," Macen clapped his shoulder, "When we first met, during the Dominion War, you would've been the one that literally would've taken Tony's head off."
"Do we have any idea of when we're departing this system yet?" Daggit asked.
"No, and I have no idea of when the Terrans will return," Macen admitted.
"What exactly are we holding a Planetary Governor on?" Daggit wondered.
"Aiding and abetting a kidnapping and hostage situation involving a Starfleet flag officer," Macen shrugged, "Admiral Forger wanted her in custody. I don't specifically know why yet."
Macen's comm badge chirped. He tapped it on its position on his belt, "Macen, go."
"Captain McKinley strongly urges you and Celeste to go aboard the Intrepid. Apparently Admiral Johnson wants words with you two," Forger told him.
"Ask Celeste to meet me in the Transporter Room. And ask nicely," Macen requested.
"In other words, she's expecting this blow back," Forger said accusingly.
"Thank you, Shannon. Out," Macen turned to Daggit, "Looks like I'm staying here."
"I'll visit Engineering and tell Parva you're getting reamed. She'll devise an escape method if they put you both in the brig," Daggit promised before he walked away.
"Hopefully , it won't come to that," Macen muttered.
But they nearly were tossed into the brig. Doctor Sikorsky made a fine argument for it. Delaney weighed in with her opinion, deeming beaming even a rifle launched photon grenade was too dangerous to beam into a space with a hostage in it. Striker objected to the idea. He agreed with Macen's logic in doing so, that Johnson wouldn't be caught in the dangerous part of the blast radius owing to Zandic's ego and commonalities between hostage situations. But it was McKinley's decision to make. With Johnson awake, he decided to gain the Admiral's perspective.
"You've looked better,' McKinley told him at his bedside. He wouldn't be released from Sickbay for another twenty-four hours. Sikorsky wanted him observation for that long.
"I'm sure Amanda will agree with you when I contact her," Johnson chuckled though the body-wide bruising made it painful, "I imagine you want me to weigh in on arresting Macen and Rockford."
"They almost killed you," McKinley sternly pointed out.
"Jim, if you decide to arrest anyone, it was Macen's decision. Rockford wouldn't make that call any more," Johnson advised him.
"So, you agree with Andreja's position?" McKinley asked.
"Not remotely. They did liberate me and all the bruising was a result of their hospitality," Johnson shared, "I told Andreja as much but she's fixated on the damn grenade."
"They beat you? It was torture for an interrogation?" McKinley wanted specifics to add to the growing list charges against Zandic.
"They beat me just to beat me while Zandic drank wine and watched with a smile," Johnson replayed the incidents in his mind.
"Let me get Sikorsky over here," McKinley stepped away. Johnson replayed his statement for the doctor. McKinley gave Sikorsky an assessing look, "You know the bruising outdated the grenade detonation yet you never mentioned it in your argument. Why?"
"Because it was a shitty move," Sikorsky told him angrily, "An entire room full of living people are now dead because Macen wanted a shortcut."
A firefight would've killed just as many people and threatened his team's lives," McKinley rebutted her statement, "It also would have put the Admiral in Zandic's crosshairs. She would've executed him just to make a point. Just like Sindis would and did."
"I understood the argument for independent contractors working for Starfleet at first. But this group is getting out of hand," Sikorsky accused them, "They're unaccountable."
"There is where you're wrong," Johnson said with a heavy sigh, "Amanda knows everything about their operations, for Starfleet and foreign powers."
"How?" Sikorsky asked before the ship's captain could, "Does she have informants aboard?"
"She doesn't need them," Johnson said wearily, "And I can't reveal how she knows without violating the Official Secrets Accords."
"And we're not to tell them that," McKinley caught that implication.
"Amanda needs the leverage to steer them away from catastrophic decision making," Johnson explained.
"That means she knows the truth about a lot of things surrounding those two that are mysteriously happening," Sikorsky realized, "And Admiral Forger is allowing them to continue."
"I'm afraid so. For the sake of interstellar security," Johnson told her gravely.
"Why does the SID sound more and more like Section 31?" Sikorsky asked.
"C'mon Andreja, the SID is still hardly S31 or Cell 51, for that matter. Macen's team personally helped us with Cell 51 twice and helped apprehend James Fowler. That dismantled Section 31," McKinley sharply reminded her.
"That was our history. This place has a vastly different version of events," Sikorsky warned him, "Here, Fowler was taken in by Admiral Noyce sending in SOC. Section 31 was dismantled by order of Starfleet Command, the President, the Secretary for Starfleet and a Federation Council resolution. This version of the SID was built on Section 31's skeleton. Starfleet and the Federation just wanted a prettier and public face on their dirty ops section."
"Amanda and Alynna are fighting to keep the SID from simply replacing Section 31 by becoming a revamped version of it," Johnson assured her, "But sometimes drastic measures are required. So, certain assets need to be free to act outside the normal parameters of Starfleet."
"Which is why those assets rarely operate within Federation territories," McKinley did his own reminding.
"Outbound Ventures' SID assets operate within certain regulatory statutes and regulations given them by Starfleet. Other operatives act outside of those definitions," Johnson was growing wearier by the moment.
Sikorsky intervened, "I'm giving you something to help you sleep. We'll see how you're doing in eight to ten hours when you reawaken."
"Do the right thing here, Jim," Johnson advised McKinley before drifting off to pharmaceutically induced sleep.
"You're going to let it go, aren't you?" Sikorsky sounded resigned.
"I believe Admiral Forger would've ordered us to take agents into custody if she believed it was necessary," McKinley replied.
"Don't let friendships cloud your professional judgment," Sikorsky advised him.
"I'm not. I'm trusting in the chain of command," McKinley reassured her despite her disagreeing with his decision. He returned to the waiting group, "Commander Macen, I'm not pursuing charges against you. You can thank Admirals Johnson and Forger for that. Doctor Sikorsky and Lt. Commander Delaney made a strong against you. Commander Striker's defense, while compelling, lacked legal weight. The admirals' ongoing condoning your actions and methods, and the fact we're not in Federation space, made my decision for me."
He turned to Rockford, "You weren't in tactical command of the squad that liberated Admiral Johnson, so you, Daggit, and Burrows wouldn't face charges except as accessories. Given your record of service to Starfleet and the Federation, you'd only get probation."
"Thank you so much," Rockford's tone dripped disdain.
"This isn't personal," McKinley promised them, "But working beside Starfleet means a different level of accountability then when you work alone."
His comm badge went off and he answered it, "McKinley here."
"How much longer are my pilots staying on station?" Liefers asked.
"Have they all been replenished?' he asked in return.
"They've all been rearmed as ordered," Liefers confirmed for him.
"Inform the squadrons they may have to escort us at warp until a recovery operation can begin in Federation space," McKinley warned her.
"Aye, Captain," Liefers signed off.
Gomer and two of her escorts entered Sickbay, "I believe you're holding my property."
"Take it outside my Sickbay," Sikorsky growled.
"Of course," Gomer nodded her acquiescence.
Chapter Five
Outside in the corridor, McKinley told them, "We'll take this to a briefing room."
Delaney's security detail assigned to Gomer and her security detail walked the corridor with them. The guards remained outside while Delaney assumed command of them. Striker returned to the bridge to oversee the ongoing operations. Macen and Rockford went in with the Captain and Gomer.
"Where is Zandic?" Gomer demanded without sitting down.
"We have her," Macen told her, "And we're keeping to our original bargain regarding her."
"Wait a minute. You already had bargain with Macen?' McKinley was angry, "Then why the farce of brokering a deal with us?"
"I was hoping to get better terms," Gomer smirked, "Sometimes it pays off to shop around."
"We're taking Yar and Zandic to Deep Space Three. Starfleet JAG already has a prosecutor and a specially assigned investigative team there to receive her. At that time, you'll get Captain Kale back. Starfleet will release Zandic to your custody after they're done with her."
"You always have been a stickler regarding our bargains," Gomer sighed.
"That's pretty much the same deal I offered," McKinley still irked.
"I was hoping you'd budge in your desperation to free Johnson," Gomer admitted.
McKinley swatted his offending comm badge, "What?"
"Captain Yar just learned we have her mother," Striker told him.
"Get Pedrossi to plot a course for Federation space. Have Liefers get her squadrons to escort us there," McKinley ordered.
"Will do," Striker chuckled.
"Now we're down to kidnapping planetary leaders?" Gomer snickered.
"Governor Yar is wanted in connection of several crimes in the Federation and against Federation citizens," McKinley informed her, "We just never had the Iotians' permission to take her into custody before."
"Yes, Oxmyx can be so fickle," Gomer snickered.
"Do we have further business?" McKinley asked her.
"Johnson realy is the diplomatic one, isn't he?" Gomer poked the bear.
"I'll be on the bridge. Commander Delaney will be delighted to escort you and your minders back to your assigned quarters," McKinley departed then to have a word with Delaney and head to the nearest turbolift.
"Was it something I said?' Gomer laughed.
"More like what you are," Rockford said blandly.
"Ever the cutting wit, Detective?" Gomer asked.
"It keeps me sane," Rockford shrugged.
"I wonder if it actually works," Gomer said.
"Is this the part where you remind me that you tried to kill me?" Rockford asked, "Because that would be a huge mistake."
"You had me handed over to the Iotians for that," Gomer replied drolly, "I paid my dues. Why else would you agree to help restore me to the head of the Orion Syndicate?"
"Because were the least worst choice compared to the Blood Queen's other rivals," Rockford angrily shared.
"And the truth will set us all free," Gomer said with satisfaction, "That question has haunted me for months now. Now, I can sleep better."
"You know as well as we do that Starfleet won't simply release an Iridian Enforcer Supreme Commander," Macen advised Gomer.
"No, they'll try to tame her for their purposes," Gomer sneered, ""Much like they did with Emperor Georgiou."
"Georgiou actually had a hand in shaping Rachel Garret into the legendary captain that she was," Macen pointed out, "And you're not even supposed to know about Georgiou being Terran."
"Latinum opens many files," Gomer snickered, "You opened a few for me in your time."
"Nothing that sensitive," Macen rebutted her.
"Sensitivity is the eye of the beholder," Gomer sing-songed.
Rockford sighed, "You've been blackmailing Federation officials using information we provided."
"Maybe she's the brains," Gomer smirked.
"We're equally the brains,": Rockford told her confidently.
"The fem believes it, so it must be true," Gomer said with some appreciation. She would've hated to have overestimated Macen, "Anyhoo, none of the data is traceable back to you. So, don't make it so."
Rockford gave an imploring look towards Macen. He shrugged, "It's done. If it truly becomes an issue, Starfleet or Federation Security will deal with it."
"That's the pragmatist I do business with," Gomer cheered, "Now, about Zandic?"
"Like we agreed, factions within Starfleet will try to recruit her," Macen said somberly, "When that backfires, we'll bring her to you. Or, we'll point you in the right direction."
"I understand the Iotians have Terran issues all their own. Care to elaborate?' Gomer teasingly asked, "'Cause I understand you're in the know."
"You do realize the last people we'd steer you towards would be Terrans?" Rockford asked.
Gomer shrugged, "Never hurts to ask."
Delaney entered, "Chair Gomer, it's time for you to be elsewhere."
"They actually call you by your title?" Rockford sounded impressed, "How is the proverbial chair?"
"I still use Robhurt B'nner's," Gomer answered, "Daveed B'nner's was too big for me. Bertram Sindis thought it was to ostentatious and the Blood Queen thought it wasn't gaudy enough. The Houses admire that I still hold the House B'nner in respect and care for the family members."
"We can't beam you back to the Obsidian until we drop out of warp," Delaney apologized.
"The laws of physics suck," Rockford faux complained.
"Sometimes," Delaney agreed, "Hannah can't dock until we're out of subspace."
"Poor baby," Gomer snickered.
"Just tell me where you want to go," Delaney said wearily.
"Welcome to Deep Space Four, Captain Vaughn," Captain Erika Benteen offered him her hand as he entered her office.
"I saw the Lakota docked when we came in. I take it you received special dispensation to keep her commissioned," Vaughn chuckled. Starfleet had finally decommissioned the last of the Excelsior-, Oberth-, and Miranda-classes.
"Well, the Lakota has special modifications that exceed anything a standard ship of her class can compare to," Benteen smiled warmly. The starship had been her first command. The USS Lakota was the last Excelsior (refit) -class in active Federation service, "I'm sorry about what happened to Deep Space Nine. They should assign you to Deep Space Five to support the Delta Quadrant explorations. Admiral Rager is serving penal duty there."
Rear Admiral Elizabeth "Betts" Rager had backed the wrong side too many times in the recent political upheavals. DS5 was about as far from Starfleet Command as you could get without being in Bajoran space. Though Deep Spaces Six and Seven were in the Deeper Beta Quadrant. They were the major starbases beyond Gorn and Klingon space along with Starbase Bravo in Thallonian territory. Deep Space Eight was near Tholian space. Deep Space Ten was being built beyond Tholian borders and the Taurus Reach.
"The Brass may keep that in mind," Vaughn smiled.
"So, your orders as regards this command came through just before you arrived," Benteen told him, "Besides general sector protection, the Iotian Starfleet is allowing Starfleet's presence in the opened Enforcer Zone. That's where you'll be deploying. Four California-class ships will be going in as well as relief effort crews. Two additional capital ships will be accompanying you in entering."
"So, I will get some exploration in," Vaughn was gratified. He'd made a point of taking the Defiant out to further explore the Alpha Quadrant beyond the contentious border corridor between the Cardassians and the Breen. It also showed the flag to help cement the idea that the corridor should remain unclaimed.
"The Second Contact Specialists are each bringing in a remotely controlled Texas-class automated support tender," Benteen told him, "It seems they found a use for the vessels sans AI."
"Because the natives in the Enforcer Zone are so resource starved and presumably impoverished in other way, they're sending in second contact teams for first contacts?' Vaughn found it curious.
"Your crew and the fellow capital ship crews will make first contacts and assess relief effort needs. Then the second contact teams will follow your wake," Benteen explained how it would work, "DS4 will be standing by to assist however necessary and be your home port of call."
"If this is supposed to be considered banishment, it's exactly what I've wanted since I left SOC," Vaughn admitted, "That's why I stayed Station XO for so long. As the Defiant's captain I could go out and address real needs and support exploration efforts."
"I could put in your request to be demoted," Benteen laughed, "My XO is moving up the chain to take her own first command."
"Not a chance," Vaughn grinned, "Since you and the station already have the Lakota, they'd reassigned the Defiant. I like that ship."
"Well, your orders currently stand. I can contact Kracko and tell her you're headed into the Enforcer Zone," Benteen offered.
"I appreciate that," Vaughn smiled broadly, "But my ship is a small one with few amenities. So, I promised the crew at least twenty-four hours aboard your station."
"We'll manage to handle you in the meantime," Benteen grinned, "You should stop by my quarters after watch change. I was getting takeout. I could order for two."
"What kind of food?" Vaughn asked.
"It's a surprise," Benteen smirked, "You said you wanted to be an explorer."
"Point taken. I'll see you soon then," Vaughn knew watch change was due in fifteen minutes.
Major Wyn blew passed Anara's staffers to force the door open and enter the meeting her sister had been seemingly dragged into. The Colonel was even more startled than the General, "Mesa! What are you doing?"
"Protecting you!" Major Wyn told her.
"I don't need protection from anyone," Colonel Wyn said sternly.
"Major, care to explain?" Anara asked her.
Major Wyn explained how she felt something was off surrounding Neela. So, she'd followed her to Anara's Flag Officer office suites. Anara and Neela had obviously been agitated when they exited the offices. Wyn Meru also looked greatly disturbed when they returned with her.
"I have a Cultist informant aboard my ship," Colonel Wyn said with exasperation, "How am I supposed to react? By being giddy?"
"Meru, I'm sorry. I just thought you were in some kind of trouble. Which is a ridiculous concept, but it happens,' Major Wyn replied.
"As long as you're still on the station, Major Wyn, you can help us," Anara decided with a nod from Neela, "But to do so, you'll have to wear Regular Forces Militia uniform dress code. Our Quartermaster can get you sorted out."
"I'll tell you everything on the way there," Colonel Wyn escorted Major Wyn out.
"No operation planning to speak of?" Anara sighed.
"They'll have a plan to put into place before they ever get a chance to return," Neela promised, "Of course, that could be several hours from now. They'll want to tour each other's commands."
"I'm getting off duty in ten minutes," Anara told Neela, "Want to get a bite?"
"I always make time for you, you know that," Neela replied.
"Rumor around here is we're a couple," Anara groaned.
"It could certainly seem that way to some. Especially with you not taking gentlemen callers," Neela told her.
"I have men. All over Free Haven," Anara said defensively.
"Then invite a few to the station," Neela recommended, "Pick your favorite five and have them come at different times across the next five weeks. One a week. That should keep everyone happy and you can finally choose one or none and start over."
"Listen to you giving out relational advice," Anara teased her, "Have you finally met someone? Do I know him or her?"
"I really shouldn't even entertain the thought," Neela sighed.
"Forbidden love. The best kind," Anara said conspiratorially, "You'll have to explain over dinner. My treat even if it will lubricate the truth out of you."
"Why do I feel like several bottles of Spring Wine will be involved?' Neela asked.
"Because the Prophets bless you with prophetic visions," Anara replied, "And, it loosens you up a bit."
"I didn't know I needed loosening," Neela admitted.
"Ever since you got out of prison you've been guarded. Doubly so since jumping ten years into the future and into a different quantum universe," Anara groaned, "I'm still the me you probably knew from wherever. You're certainly the same Neela. Relax a little and trust me again."
"It's Katts Killian," Neela blurted.
"Your sensor operator?" Anara was surprised, "You don't normally fall for women."
"Katts and I visit our temple and pray together a lot," Neela told her.
"I'm seeing it now. She's from a stricter Orthodox order and very committed to the faith," Anara already knew knowing Neela's type.
"She tried dating Wes Culin, our pilot, but he was too liberal for her," Neela told her, "So, he started dating Javi Tem. Who is publicly embarrassing him by making overtures towards other men aboard the ship."
"She feels ignored. He just needs to spend real quality time with her more often and they'll be fine," Anara looked defensive upon seeing Neela's reaction, "What? I was a colonel in command of my own starship. These dramas happen. You should see how many happen on a station. Tell me about Katts later tonight over drinks and dinner."
"Which you go off duty in five minutes," Neela teased her.
"Frinx it, I'll set a bad example today," Anara exited her office and obviously expected Neela to follow.
"All fighters recovered and being prepped for maintenance rearming and any necessary refueling," Liefers reported to McKinley, "I'll be headed to The Squad Room to debrief the wing commanders."
"Commander Liefers, ask Beta Lead about the role munitions played in his campaign today," McKinley instructed.
Delaney returned to the bridge and Striker grinned, "Commander Delaney, I need you to report to the Squad Room to sweep Lt. Commander Grace off of her feet. It'd better be epic, Mister."
"Ensign Turner is in charge of the Security detail that just returned Gomer to her quarters," Delaney reported while departing.
"Commander, please see Commander Macen and Detective Rockford to the transporter room and back to their ship," McKinley said heavily.
"You're not coming?" Striker was surprised.
"I have a lot to think about," McKinley admitted.
"Jim must be pissed at us," Rockford said to Macen after they left Telrik behind in the transporter room.
"I think Bob mentioned some things to him," Macen said, "We'll discuss some day."
Rockford knew the code. They returned to their quarters and Macen began an independent audio file of them having sex, "I remember making this one. An eventful day."
They spoke in hushed whispers as Macen replied, "Amanda doesn't know Bailey and Angelique found out she had the Starfleet Corps of Engineers hard wire this entire ship as a surveillance platform when they upgraded the shields and sensor pallets."
"I still can't believe we can't disable it," Rockford quietly groaned.
"It would tip our hand," Macen reminded.
"As we've discussed so many times it's burned into my brain," Rockford rolled her eyes. Crew bedrooms at least were devoid of video logs, "What about the Corsair?"
"I wondered when you'd get around to asking," Macen admitted. It was a rare oversight on her part, "The flight logs automatically download to the Obsidian's main computer when she docks. But she can't monitor us off any vessel."
"You're certain the station is safe?" she worried.
"No Starfleet crew or Federation contractor has done work on the station," Macen explained. He saw she doubted him, "Cardan made it a building contract stipulation we outsource repairs and upgrades to mainly Cardassian firms."
"So, all the defensive upgrades Riker just made were also done by Cardassians?" Rockford didn't believe Cardan's idiocy, "Cardan had to know they'd report him to the Cardassia Guard for breaching your and T'Kir's weapons and defensive capability terms you signed with them."
"He had to. Yet, his loyalty to Tom was so great, he did it anyway," Macen softly sighed. Cardan had been the station's construction manager and stayed aboard as Chief of Operations. The still untested Zerinda may have come highly recommended by the Cardassian Guard, and Agent Ziva Delain personally vouched for the Romulan, but she was new variable in play aboard Serenity.
"Wait for it," Rockford smirked after several more minutes of discreet conversation. The sounds of momentous climaxes filled the room, "We should do this more often."
Macen knew what Forger didn't. Rockford's comment was double-edged. It was about actually having sex and using the files to cover up covert conversations. Forger had to think they already frinxed like rabbits in perpetual heat. They waited an appropriate amount of time before exiting the visual blind spot.
"Why hasn't Forger figured out Smith and Kerber's secret yet?" Rockford suddenly asked. If it was already blown, there was no point in keeping secret outside the bedroom.. The Ardanans' history was discussed throughout the ship by those that knew it.
"They planted an undetected tapeworm into the program so that they edit all references to their past before the ship sends its report to Starfleet," Macen shrugged, "Angelique and Bailey like getting playful with the misdirection."
"They would," Rockford groaned, "I take it we're headed to the brig?"
"Yar needs to cut a deal to get cut loose at our next stop," Macen reminded her, "And Zandic is becoming a more interesting problem with Gomer's willingness to let Starfleet have access to her. Even temporary access has to be advantageous for her to allow it at all."
"But how?" Rockford asked, "It's not like Zandic or Gomer will simply tell us?"
"Won't they?" Macen asked with a smirk.
"Listeners," Rockford groaned.
"Planetary Governor Ishara Yar, a pleasure as always," Macen smiled at her.
"Why is the pleasure always yours?" Yar asked.
"Starfleet was allowed to take you by Oxmyx. Why would she authorize destabilizing Turkanis? Especially now?" Rockford asked.
"You're asking the wrong Yar," Yar said bitterly, "Obviously, Ishtashra cut a better deal."
"Actually, your daughter attempted to pursue us. But her warp drive failed under the stress after temporary repairs," Macen told her, "Why would she try that unless she was attempting to recover you?"
Yar looked puzzled, "I don't know."
"Why did the Terrans abandon your defense before hostilities broke out?" Rockford inquired.
Yar looked dismayed, "Because they cut the deal with Oxmyx."
"Now that makes sense," Macen nodded, "Lebeauf is out to carve a Terran Empire starting with the Iotian Federation. But he needs to lull Oxmyx and Kracko into complacency to do so."
"Why Sigma Iotia II?" Yar asked, "They aren't human."
"They barely consider humans to be genetically compatible to Terrans," Rockford shared, "Turkanis has a large enough human population to form an inner circle army for their imperial ambitions."
"Someone would have had to broker a deal," Yar rebutted her assumption.
"I'd guess your fellow prisoner did that," Macen leaned his head in the direction of Zandic's cell, "Zandic is still on chummy terms with Oxmyx."
"She promised me Turkanis would become the most prominent world within the Iotian Federation," Yar said with savage fury.
"If the Terrans have their way, she's right," Rockford slipped the verbal blade into Yar's ribs.
"You said you'd let me go if we struck a bargain. What are you thinking?" Yar asked urgently.
"We want you to do exactly what it is you're already thinking about. Impede the Terrans in any way you can. Make their takeover as hostile as possible. You've won one guerrilla war. It's time to win another one," Macen instructed, "We'll drop you off on the next space faring planet on our current course."
"Will you let me out of the brig, at least?" Yar asked.
"We have to make a show of it for Zandic. You understand," Rockford said consolingly.
"Put me in the cell with her," Yar asked for, "I'll end it quick."
"I've fought Iridian Enforcers," Macen reminded her, "You're too out of condition to successfully kill her."
"By the way, are we ever going to discuss setting off a photon grenade in my office?' Yar asked.
"Nope," Macen smirked. The couple moved to Zandic's cell, "Ozempia Zandic. The once and future Supreme Leader of the Iridian Enforcer Zone."
"That title no longer exists and the Iridian Enforcers disbanded. Those willing to joined the Iotian Starfleet," Zandic said with a sly smile.
"A perfect Fifth Column to work with dismantling the Iotian Starfleet from within when you make your return there," Rockford theorized.
"I have nothing to return to," Zandic pitied them, "Or, can' t you see that?"
"Explain it to us," Macen told her, 'Convince us of it."
"Any loyal Iridian would kill me on sight," Zandic gloated, "No Supreme Leader has ever ordered a surrender much less disbanded the Enforcers. To do one much less both is so culturally taboo that we've fought wars with horrendous costs until we overcame the foe. This tie, there was no overcoming. Just losses. I saved my people and they'll hunt me throughout galaxy for it."
"So, it's not a long term takeover scheme. It's a messianic complex," Rockford duly noted.
"Call it what you will, Detective Rockford. It worked. My people will get the resources they need to survive. Hundreds of client planets will receive the same and be rebuilt," Zandic smirked again.
"How is it you never developed replicator technology?" Macen asked her.
"We never even developed synthesizers," Zandic snorted, "Manpower intensive arms production kept the client planets subordinate to us. They farmed for us. We lived strictly for military service."
"Which is why so many Iridians signed up with the Iotian Starfleet," Rockford understood now, "They have no other marketable skills. And your arrogance prevented you from creating a self-sufficient society."
"Precisely," Zandic was pleased they understood now, "There is nothing sustainable about that societal model. Bertram Sindis knew it and was cast out of the Zone for it. He chose to forge a criminal empire to turn it into a literal territorial one to show us the error of our ways. But he died before his dream reached fruition."
"He didn't die soon enough," Macen said coldly.
"That's an understandable position considering what he cost you personally. But, it doomed my people to invading the Iotian Federation," Zandic said sadly.
"Why is Gomer willing to hand you over to Starfleet?" Rockford asked, "And what does she want from you?"
"The same thing Starfleet will want. My skills that made me Supreme Leader of the Enforcers," Zandic laughed lightly, "Both Starfleet and the Orion Syndicate are beginning to realize the necessity of long term planning. Oh, and don't refer to Starfleet's meager ten-year plans as long term strategizing. I'm talking one hundred years and beyond."
"Long term planning didn't save your people," Macen noted.
"Yes, it did. It just wasn't orthodox planning that saved them," Zandic boasted.
"Thank you for your time," Macen said. Rockford followed him out of the cell bay.
"Was she lying?" she asked.
"Not yet. But I saw in her eyes she was as forthright as she is going to be," Macen explained, "This is similar to her original endgame agenda after surrendering the Enforcer Zone to the Iotian Federation."
"She literally wanted to be captured by Starfleet?" Rockford asked.
"And then to Gomer," Macen concurred, "She wants to create endgames for both of them."
"You'll warn, Bob?" Rockford pleaded.
"Of course," Macen reassured her, "But by the time he takes my signal, Starfleet Command will already be ordering him to take her to Earth. They'll double up and order Jim to do it as well in case Bob falters."
"What about JAG?" Rockford asked.
"Will simply slow down Zandic's transfer to Starfleet Command," Macen said sadly.
"Sucks to be us," Rockford commiserated.
The contact with Johnson and McKinley went as expected. Starfleet Command had obviously issued the orders the SID team expected to come through. Macen and Rockford's decision to release Yar at a nearby planet on their route to Deep Space Three agitated McKinley. Macen welcomed the Captain to send down a Security detachment to re-arrest her on misdemeanor charges and bring her before a judge at DS3. McKinley knew it was a waste of time and resources. But he did call ahead to Federation Security to see if they'd pursue it. They declined.
Johnson had obviously been recently briefed by Admiral Forger. He, in turn, had briefed McKinley and Striker. So, everyone was aware of Zandic's declarations. Johnson shook his head on screen as Macen rejected a Starfleet Security extradition request for Zandic.
"May I ask why?" McKinley seemed resigned rather than angered.
"More than one officer and division within Starfleet wants access to Zandic. Some would use her to escape scrutiny by JAG and IA," Macen told him, "You have to answer to Admiral Clancy. So does Johnson. But, Ro only answers to Nechayev. Only Akaar outranks the pair of them. So, I'll turn her over to Ro and no other Starfleet officer."
"We did agree upon that. But the situation has changed," McKinley said.
"Only in the fact Clancy and Oh took personal interests in the matter," Macen shrugged, "My decision stands."
"I could contact Admiral Forger," McKinley reminded him.
"Who do you think arranged for Commanders Senecka and Prentiss to be waiting for Zandic at Deep Space Three?" Macen asked.
"And if Commodore Reyes has orders to transfer Zandic straight to Earth?" McKinley asked.
"Then Ro will bump it up the chain of command and Akaar will decide the matter," Macen told him.
"It seems you've covered all your bases," McKinley admitted.
"Actually, Forger and Nechayev did that," Macen admitted.
"Hopefully, this'll play out like we all want it to," McKinley admitted, "Unless Commodore Oh has handpicked officers waiting for Zandic at Deep Space Three."
"I'm never surrendering prisoners over to Oh's handpicked' teams again," Macen warned them, "Not after the last clusterfrinx."
"We all believe Oh and Clancy were complicit in launching Starfleet's unjust wars with the Bajorans and the Cardassians. I'm certain no one would expect you to repeat that opening gambit knowing that," Johnson intervened.
"We'll see. Won't we?' Macen posed the question no one had an answer for.
A Nebula-class starship, the only one in the Iotian Starfleet's inventory, was on the Defiant's main screen before being replaced by a smiling Kracko, "Captain Vaughn, your reputation and that of your entire crew do precede you."
"Thank you, Fleet Boss. We're honored to be greeted into the Enforcer Zone by you personally," Vaughn told her.
"You're the first UFP Starfleet starship to arrive. I decided to make this overture to your crew alone," Kracko admitted.
"Like I stated, we're honored. But why single us out?" Vaughn asked.
"Because of your steadfast loyalty to the Bajorans. As our allies, the Bajoran Republic has come to our aid and we to theirs. You've been with them for ten years. They'd still have you if your Starfleet would allow it," Kracko explained.
"Thank you. I find your own commitment to Bajor refreshing," Vaughn confessed, "I'll admit your refit programs with the Orion Syndicate's fleet had me worried."
"Projects that began well before Bajor and Orion went to war," Kracko promised him.
"Yet, you could've used them as diplomatic leverage to bring a swifter end to the war," Vaughn chided her.
"The role of interstellar power is new to my people and many in our Federation. We're learning how to wield that influence as we go," Kracko told him.
"Fair enough," Vaughn chuckled, "Any destinations of note to be aware of ahead of us?"
"Every planet our fleet has visited is tragedy in its own right. It seems we were inadequately prepared even with warning beforehand," Kracko said sadly.
"That was our understanding from Admiral Johnson's reports from the negotiations," Vaughn admitted, "I'd hoped for a bright spot somewhere."
"Sorry to disappoint," Kracko said sadly.
"We'll see you out there then?" Vaughn asked.
"Unfortunately, I've been called back to Fleet Base 1 to oversee repairs and coordinate further relief efforts," Kracko said with obvious disappointment. Vaughn could understand a desk bound commander feeling wanderlust.
"Just think of the people you'll be helping," Vaughn suggested, "Even if it's remotely."
"So, that's how you survived ten years at Deep Space Nine," Kracko chuckled, "We'll see each other again, Captain. Count on it."
Vaughn felt it was inevitable now, "Commander Tenmei, take us in."
Prynn Tenmei set course for the nearest star system. She wondered how her over centenarian father seemed to get every woman he met melt. Even the lesbians. She assumed her mother had never stood a chance against the Vaughn charm campaign.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" Ishtashra Yar yelled at Lebeauf in the wreckage of her mother's office.
"I just told you, I'm the Emperor of Turkanis. Soon enough, of the Iotian territories," Lebeauf thought maybe she was hard of hearing. He'd certainly made himself plain enough.
"My mother is still alive," Yar argued, "She's the Planetary Governor."
"She can remain Governor, under my leadership," Lebeauf replied, "You doubt our ability to carry out our plans? Terrans began with just Terra. Then we took Vulcan. Afterwards Tellar and Andoria fell before us. As the centuries followed, races after races fell beneath our heels. It started with a single world recuperating from the Fifth World War."
"Earth only had three World Wars," Yar argued, "The last being the Eugenics War."
"Different universe, remember?" Lebeauf sneered, "We have five World Wars. Three of which involved nuclear weapons."
"And your Zefram Cochrane still manage to make a Phoenix warp ship?" Yar was surprised.
"And the idiotic Vulcans came and we killed them and reverse engineered their technology. Using their own navigation charts, we went to Vulcan and it was our first conquest," Lebeauf gloried in the history.
"If your Terran Empire was so all powerful, why did their need to be a Terran Rebellion against the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance?" Yar threw back at him.
"The Terran Empire still held Sectors 01, 02, 03, and 05. They couldn't break us completely. After the Rebels took the Regent Worf, we broke free of the blockade and headed to a seemingly worthless system where Emperor Tiberius Kirk had secreted away a hidden shipyard. While the Alliance grew fat and compliant, Terran engineers developed next generation starships," Lebeauf gloated, "With the Regent Duras turning on Supreme Legate Dukat, the Terran Rebellion at Terok Nor deployed their Defiant-class starships in support of ours. Emperor Georgiou had destroyed Qo'nos with a bomb planted at its core. Duras' forces quickly fell before the Empire. The destruction of Cardassia Prime convinced the new Supreme Legate, Damar, to surrender."
"So, what happened to the Rebels?" Yar asked.
"The Emperor made O'Brien, Sloan, and Eddington Generals overseeing Bajor, Setlick III, and Ronara Prime," Lebeauf told her, "Smiley O'Brien became the new Prefect of Bajor. He had enough goodwill with the Bajorans to achieve a smooth transition into the Empire. Luther Sloan and Michael Eddington had to fight Cardassian insurgents on their worlds. But they'd learned how to fight them by first being them."
"Now, will you oppose me?" Lebeauf drew his dagger, "Go ahead, try for the phaser on your hip. Let's see who's faster."
Ya moved her hand well away from her phaser. Lebeauf laughed evilly, "You have no stomach for a fair fight. You're pirate scum. Which will serve my interests. Take your three starships. Prey upon the relief convoys heading into the Enforcer Zone."
"Those convoys will have escorts," Yar reminded him.
"I'm counting on it," Lebeauf told her, "I expect Oxmyx and Kracko to send pairs of ships here to deal with you. Pairs we will take over and assign prize crews to. Many of the Iotians' conscripts will side with us against their officers."
"Is that why you made your conscripts your slaves?" Yar sneered this time.
"We did so because it's the natural order of things. You humans will learn this," Lebeauf promised her, "Eventually, you'll adopt Terran ways just as the Iotians largely have."
"You actually respect the Iotians for that?" Yar was surprised.
"They parrot everything. However, in this universe they blended the technologies of your weakling Federation with the strengths of the human Mafia. Where they're failing is they're forgetting what made them strong to begin with," Lebeauf told her, "In the end, they'll serve us, just as they always should have."
"It'll take weeks to fix everything that went blooey on our ships. If we still access to Iotian Starfleet parts, we could do it in half the time," Yar explained to him.
"Then, we'll get you tender ships," Lebeauf decided, "To demonstrate that we will provide for our new Empire. You'll have your repair tenders and their stockpiles of parts and equipment. Then, we'll take ordnance tenders to restock your magazines and replace yoru phaser coils. Afterwards, you'll have no more excuses and you'll bring us those convoy ships or be executed and be replaced as captain."
"We'll get you your plunder," Yar vowed, "Once our ships are back to specs."
"We'll see t it," Lebeauf also promised, "And then we'll see what you're truly made of."
"They're where?" Riker asked Korepanova to repeat herself.
"Headed to Deep Space Three to transfer a prisoner," Korepanova explained where the Obsidian was why they were there.
"Admiral Forger has to know that," Riker rubbed his bearded chin, "So, why send a personal mission request when she usually only personally deals with Macen and Rockford?"
"To get our attention?" Liu called form her station.
"Who do we have in that area?" Riker asked.
Korepanova pulled up the appropriate star charts, "Fleet Captain Sarai Mikaela Gellar and the Watcher are leading Captains Tyler, Conners and Kendall in the Galavant, El Cid, and Chaser."
"Those are all pre-refit Constitution-class starships," Riker groaned.
"The area in question is filled a cluster of just developed warp drive cultures," Liu added to the explanation, "We're escorting cultural observers and technical and medical teams there all the time."
"Why does the Admiral care so much?" Riker asked.
"The natives are acquiring advanced technology beyond their own ability to produce," Korepanova told him, "She needs to find out who is equipping them black market style."
"Anyone have eyes on the Harry Mudds?" Riker asked.
"Still on their penal colonies. They won't be released for decades," Korepanova told him, "Mudd Kenra is also still in prison on Bajor."
"That still leaves our two favorites: Thadiun Okona and Pytor Boromov." Riker said grimly.
"Boromov is directly linked to Grimes Armaments these days and Okona has been running contraband over the Border Zone into and out of Romulan space," Korepanova knocked them off of the list.
"The Iotians?" Riker asked. They were the last of the usual suspects.
"The planets in question all rejected overtures from the Iotian Federation," Korepanova told him.
"Then why the over brimming concern?" Riker had to ask.
"The Romulans are also making overtures," Korepanova explained, "The Star Empire has launched a major diplomatic mission to the region."
"Those ships can't handle Romulan warships," Riker said with some alarm.
"Not modern warships," Korepanova smirkeed, "The Imperial Navy has agreed to stay out of the region in a deal with Starfleet. Which also explains why Federation starships aren't going in to conduct the investigation."
"You said 'modern' Romulan ships. What exactly are we sending them into?" Riker wondered.
"Romulan privateers," Korepanova answered, "Utilizing old Klingon D7s, T'Liss-class Birds of Prey, and T'Varo-class Birds of Prey."
"T'Varo-class?" Riker yelped, "Those are Earth-Romulan War vintage."
"All ships retired and decommissioned from the Imperial Navy," Liu interjected, "Privateer Guilds attract young cadets that want to advance through the ranks to command faster than the traditional Imperial Navy."
"Some privateer commanders also get recruited back into the Imperial Navy," Korepanova said drolly. Liu had made a hobby of grilling Zerinda regarding old Imperial Navy ships and their fates. The privateer guilds had especially captured Liu's imagination. Starfleet had no paramilitary equivalent within the Federation.
"Are they standing by for orders?' Riker asked.
"It's that or recall them," Korepanova told him.
"They've enough supplies to undertake a six-month tour if need be," Liu actually injected her job into the conversation.
"The ships were made for five-year exploration missions with minimal resupply," Korepanova's voice was dry enough to turn a beach into the Sahara.
"Send the orders," Riker told her, "Gellar is experienced enough to deal with Romulan security contractors."
Gellar had commanded a starship that undertook missions inserting SOC forces behind hostile lines and borders for nearly ten years at the rank of Commander. That command experience was redacted from her official file. So, when she was up for promotion, she was passed over for lack of command experience and offered an XO slot. Gellar had resigned and joined Outbound Ventures instead.
"How deeply does Forger's interest in this case run?" Riker asked one final question.
"The contract orders were issued by Forger's personal office. Even Pike had to verify the counter signature to be certain they came directly from Forger," Korepanova told him, "So, you can assume she's hip deep in it."
"Damn," Riker sighed, "Signal Captain Forger. Tell her to stress to the SID team they need to wrap things up because they'll be needed elsewhere."
"You're sure about that?" Liu asked.
"Whenever Amanda Forger sends people on a mission herself, the shit storm that follows is epic," Riker said dispairingly, "Check mission logs and locations. We need someone in that area for when it goes south we can move some artillery into position."
"We have the Quantum finishing a tour near there," Korepanova had looked it up earlier, "She won't finish her assignment for another week tops. But afterwards she can move into position."
"The Quantum?" Riker was unfamiliar with the ship," Do I know her and her captain?"
"She's a Palegic-class. One of the newest vessel types we have," Korepanova explained, "Yrina Darr is her captain."
"I don't remember any Captain Darr," Riker admitted.
"You'd know if you'd met her. She pretty distinctive around here," Liu said, "She's one of the few alien captains in the company."
"She's former Starfleet?' Riker asked.
"No," Korepanova started laughing, "Furthest thing from it. Her planet has a coalition of several worlds under their control. They've rejected every overture the Federation has made to access their territory, even as a goodwill gesture. Yrina said her people are pretty paranoid compared to everyone except for the Breen and the Romulans."
"You seem to know her," Riker pointed out.
"Yrina was a member of an insurgency inside the coalition. Finally, the price on her head grew so large even her fellow fighters were weighing in on cashing her in. So, she left their space. The Federation surprised her for being welcoming of everyone, regardless of where they're from. Or at least, they were until the Mars Massacre."
"That still doesn't explain your connection to her," Riker pointed out.
"She ended up on the border with Cardassia. She settled on a colony in the Dorvan Sector. Needless to say, when the Federation handed the sector to the Cardassians in the treaty, she wasn't happy about it," Korepanova grinned.
"So, she's another Maquis," Riker understood now.
"She was captured by Starfleet in Federation space running guns early on," Korepanova said sadly, "She's understandably distinctive so she stands out in a line up."
"A line up?" Riker had to ask.
"She was sort of committing piracy while she was acquiring the guns," Korepanova snickered, "She served two consecutive penal sentences. One for terrorism and one for piracy. They were going simply deport her but she requested political asylum," Korepanova told him, "Someone listened."
"Back in the day," Riker said ruefully.
"Anyway, Yrina and I kept in touch as she wandered the Federation looking for a new home to settle on," Korepanova told him, "When I came on here, I recommended it to her. It took a while to tie up a few loose ends but she finally let herself get recruited."
"How good is she? Is she qualified to be a starship captain? Riker asked.
"They have an older version of the Kobyoshi Maru scenario simulator on Odin. They run command candidates through it," Korepanova smiled wide.
"Why are you smiling?" Riker dreaded the answer.
"She's only the second person to fairly beat the test," Korepanova bragged up her friend.
"Second? Who was the first? And why haven't I heard about any of this?" Riker asked.
"The use a holographic crew and the results are confidential," Korepanova told him, "But, I oversee the grading of the test. So, I know who passes and fails. Passing being a relative term graded upon how well the candidate accepted the conditions of the test and reacted to it."
"So, they passed but didn't beat the scenario," Riker thought he understood.
"No, they actually beat the simulation at its own game," Korepanova was dying to tell him who and how, he could tell.
"How?" Riker finally asked.
"The blew up the Federation transport. The deuterium ignited and blew up the Klingon triad of ships. Then the captain orders their starship back to Federation space," Korepanova said giddily.
"They blew up civilians and that's passing the test?" Riker was appalled, "And how old is this version? It's still fighting Klingons?"
"The age of the scenario doesn't change the potential for the outcome. It's still supposed to be a no-win scenario. But two people beat it," Korepanova was almost manic.
"And I know this other person?" Riker asked.
"You were his XO," Korepanova gushed, "You had to see the signs he could do that and beat the conditions of the test."
"You're telling me Brin Macen, of all people, defeated that test?" Riker was stunned and still appalled, "He casually blew up a civilian deuterium tanker with three hundred passengers?"
"And won!" Korepanova was close to screaming the answer.
"And you're saying your friend, with no advance knowledge or hints, derived at the same solution?" Riker couldn't believe it.
"Exactly!" Korepanova was light headed from being giddy.
"It's monstrous," Riker said flatly.
"It's strategy. The ability to make the hard calls when needed to," Korepanova pointed at his chest, "The lacking quality that cost you three starship commands."
"Careful," he warned her, "I'm not the one advocating sociopathic behavior as the ultimate strategic gambit."
"I didn't say it was the ultimate gambit," Korepanova was incensed, "But a great commander knows when to cut losses and make those losses work to their greatest advantage. You had know Macen was like that."
"I know we debated all the time because he seemed to think the crew was expendable in the name of the mission," Riker grated, "So, I left."
"And two starship commands later, you assumed command of this station. You even had the honor of naming it," Korepanova recalled, "Why did you choose 'Serenity'?"
"Outbound Ventures had just began expanding its fleet from one to eight," Riker told her, "We had a brand new station and more captains and crews. Once the expansion started, it seemed it would never end. Everyone needed a peaceful place to unwind after assignments. So, I chose to make this place as serene as possible for its residents and visitors."
"And it was here, unlike your twin, you found your greatest successes and strengths," Korepanova told him, "That's why you're station and fleet commander but not a starship captain put there with the fleet."
"That was the most backhanded compliment I've ever received," Riker confessed.
"I've delivered worse," Korepanova softly laughed.
"You're right about Will. He would hate it here. Being moored to a single place," Riker shared.
"Yet, he and his wife have gone planet side for the sake of their daughter,"she pointed out.
"People change their lives for their kids. After losing Thad, they would do anything, including uproot their careers and settle down for Kestra. Or so I'm told," Riker admitted.
"You hear that from your twin?" Korepanova asked.
"From Lees, actually," Riker grinned.
"Sir? Can I speak with you? In private?' Osmont had arrived at Ops early to discuss matters with Riker. Korepanova's discussion with Riker couldn't have been more timely. He took Osmont to her.
"Alert Commander Bennet that she's taking the Indomitable out to assist Captain Yar's support mission for our four reassigned ships," Riker told her.
"You're sending Lisa Bennet out by herself?" Korepanova was surprised, "You're actually deploying the Indomitable? Without you?"
"You're disappointed?" he was surprised.
"I'm delighted!" she exclaimed.
Riker was flummoxed so she explained, "We have a capital ship at our disposal yet it just stays docked at the station. With the defensive upgrades and the fact we have four escort type starships patrolling the system, we don't need the ship here. We do need her out there."
"No one ever said anything before now," Riker lamented.
"Yes, we did," Korepanova snapped at him, "You were just ridiculously being an ass about keeping her here."
"Self expression isn't one of your problems, is it?" Riker ruefully asked.
"No, it isn't. Can you imagine what kind of environment I found Starfleet Command all those years?" Korepanova asked in return.
"And you still made lt. commander before you resigned," Riker said, "How is that?"
"Because I was always right. They couldn't bust me back for being right," Korepanova said proudly.
"And yet, here we all are," Riker said ruefully.
"You sound like you actually miss Starfleet," Korepanova pointed out.
"I miss aspects of it," Riker admitted, "What I said about Will and being moored down? That applies to me at times too, still after all these years. I thought once I'd escaped eight years of confinement and meager survival I'd never land in one spot again. And yet here I am."
"So, the ship was an illusion of being able to just fly off on a whim," Korepanova understood that now.
"It wasn't the first dream of mine to die. It won't be the last," Riker said, rueful again.
"I can call in te Senior Staff and alert the Indomitable's crew to ready for departure," Osmont volunteered, "I'll also alert my relief I'll be off station for awhile."
"I haven't seen him this eager since..." Korepanova faltered.
"The last time we took the Indomitable out," Riker regretted having to say.
"So, do we promote Bennet?" Korepanova wasn't sure she should poke that bear just yet.
"Let her try command out," Riker told her, "I trusted her to be my Exec. But that meant letting her assume command for limited durations or in the event of my incapacitation. Not full time."
"You don't think she's ready," she replied.
"I'm not sure yet," Riker corrected her statement.
"Never taking the ship out would never prove if she were ready," Korepanova had to say, "And placing a new captain over her could prove to provide unnecessary tensions."
"You know why Starfleet discharged her, don't you?" Riker asked.
"Insubordination," she answered.
"They convicted in the court-martial on the lesser charge in exchange for a 'guilty' plea rather than go for the mutiny charges," Riker explained.
"Damn. There would be unwanted tensions," Korepanova said, "She'd have to go off the ship if a new CO were brought aboard."
"Exactly," Riker conceded.
Osmont returned like an eager puppy, "Everyone has been alerted."
Riker had forgotten how effective of a starship OPS Officer Osmont was. As the Gamma Watch OPS Officer, he'd seemed less than enthused. Riker had come to realize after spotting Noble and Osmont together in the Coffee Spot earlier while he took a break that Osmont only enthusiasm for Ops duties came from sharing time with Noble. Between Korepanova's frank talk with him and seeing Osmont with Noble, Riker had readily listened to the younger mans impassioned plea that Noble had obviously put up to.
Korepanova briefed the arrived Indomitable Senior Staff as to their upcoming mission. Bennet seemed relieved to leave the station. She had even less tolerance for station life than Osmont. Her duties included oversight of the drydock facility. Hardly challenging for someone aspiring to starship command. Bennett did seem slightly disgruntled at her apparent lack of promotion.
As Riker expected, she stayed behind at Ops while the crew reported to the Indomitable. He ushered her into his office for the privacy, "Don't bother sitting. You need to report to the ship soon enough."
"But not 'my' command?" Bennett pointedly asked.
"Not yet," Riker told her, "Maybe soon."
"That's bullshit!" Bennett snarled, "I've proven myself. How much longer will I have to be jumping through hoops because of my Starfleet court-martial?"
"Until you can respect the chain of command and accept orders as given," Riker leaned into his desk towards her to force his opinion into her, "Standard hiring practice isn't to accept officers or enlisted convicted in a court-martial and discharged."
"Macen..." Bennett began.
"Was demoted when he was court-martialled, not discharged. He voluntarily retired form Starfleet after eighty years of service," Riker cut her off, "So don't use him as an excuse."
"And what about yourself?" Bennett asked.
"I went AWOL and Starfleet let it go after I served time in Cardassian labor camps and prisons," Riker grated, "They chose not to chase me and prosecute. I formally filed a resignation anyway. They accepted without qualms."
"And Commander Danan?" Bennett retorted.
"Resigned from Starfleet without ever facing charges," Riker was irritated at having to defined his wife.
"She was a Maquis," Bennett said as though a court-martial was inevitable or deserved.
"If you have a problem with ex-Maquis, you're in the wrong place," Riker told her woefully, "Because you're incredibly outnumbered by them. But go ahead, declare a one-woman war against them and see how safe you feel after leaving this office."
"Did you just threaten me?" Bennettt asked.
"I warned you. There's a distinctive difference. I advise you lose that attitude or you'll lose your job much less a chance at your own command. That can be considered a threat," Riker told her bluntly.
"You're jealous," Bennett declared, "That's why you're holding me back."
"Excuse me?' Riker asked.
"You lost three starship commands out from beneath you before assuming command of this station when it went online. I haven't. I'm the superior commander. You're so jealous you won't let me have my own command," Bennett gloated.
"You've never lost a command because you've never had one. I'm hoping you'll never suffer that tragedy. Your ego suggests otherwise," Riker advised her.
"So, am I still going on this mission?' Bennett asked.
"If you can find it within yourself to accept it," Riker said tersely, "This will be a prime opportunity to prove yourself. Something you've done a piss poor job of during this conversation."
"I'll accept it just to prove how worthless you are," Bennett stormed out. Riker's shoulders sagged as he propped himself up on his desk by his outstretched arms. Korepanova entered.
"That seemed to go well," she snarked.
"Inform Caity Floss she'll be looking for command and exec candidates for the Indomitable," Riker told her.
"You're firing her?" Korepanova was surprised, "But you just sent her on the mission."
"A last ditch effort to prove herself worthy of a menial station-side assignment. She's finished as a starship officer," Riker told her, "I'll inform Personnel."
"That's an actual cruel trick to play," Korepanova warned him.
"We don't have time to assign a different commanding officer to the ship. And you yourself said she'll be needed out there," Riker reminded her, "Unless your friend Darr can handle the situation alone if it escalates."
"Even with Bennett, Yrina can't fight off the Imperial Navy if the Romulans decide to deploy forces there," Korepanova argued.
"Because there won't be any civilian deuterium tankers to blow up?" Riker sniped.
"Another new low," Korepanova told him, "Care to to sink to the deck?"
"You're right," he sighed heavily, "I don't know Darr at all. I'll pull up her file and assessments. I'll try to determine how necessary the Indomitable will be to the mission. In the meantime, try to find something else for her to do and divert a different ship, with an experienced commander, to the scene."
"Should I pull a rabbit out of my ass at the same time?" Korepanova asked.
"Just try," Riker pleaded, "Please?'
Korepanova turned to exit and then called over her shoulder, "You know Admiral Forger will send the Obsidian in as well, right?"
"If you don't expect two capital ships to hold against the Romulans, how do you expect a surveyor?" Riker asked in return.
"Good point," she sighed and left. From his office, Riker could see the Ambassador-class Indomitable docked at Upper Pylon 3. Eventually, she unmoored and maneuvered away from the docking port. Applying her impulse engines, she left the periphery of the station and headed off to exit the solar system.
Korepanova returned an hour later, "I managed a miracle. Bennett and the crew will be relieving a dual ship assignment. Those ships will join Darr in reinforcing Gellar's investigation and holding the cluster if the Romulan privateers get hostile."
"And who are the commanders?" Riker was hopeful once again.
"Captains Liam Kirk and Sheridan Swift," Korepanova presented a padd to him with the pertinent data, "Kirk commands an Asis (refit) -class and Swift commands a Wanderer-class starship. They're the Statehood and the Lightning, respectively."
"I thought Kirk commanded a Constitution (refit) -class," Riker mused.
"That's Liam's older brother, Chris," Korepanova corrected him.
"We have two Kirk's?" Riker was surprised to learn.
"The same way Sam Kirk served at the same time as James T. Kirk. Sam's son, Peter, is Chris and Liam's grandfather," Korepanova told him, "Sam isn't as well known because he was a Sciences officer and he resigned early to become a colonist."
"And died because of it," Riker recalled that history, "Only Peter survived."
"Peter Kirk became a starbase commander, didn't he?" Riker couldn't quite remember.
"Yes, he commanded Starbase G-4 after it went online until he retired," Korepanova confirmed it.
Riker copied the data to pull Liam and Chris Kirk's files, "I see these two surrounded by women all the time."
"They are easy on the eyes," Korepanova said.
"You too?" Riker groaned.
"I'm completely happy with Edwin," Korepanova told him, "But I'm not blind either."
"I'm sure Zimbalist will be relieved to hear it," Riker chuckled.
"First, he has to survive long enough to return here," Korepanova said fretfully.
"You know something not in the assignment brief?" Riker asked.
"I asked Chris Pike to send me any additional information she could grab. She was locked out. So, she sent me to a Lt. Commander Ambril Delori. Commander Ambril is Admiral Forger's personal aide. She let slip the fact this is surrounding a Red Directive," Korepanova explained her unease.
"Commander Ambril could be court-martialled for saying that much," Riker understood now, "I've never encountered a Red or Omega Directive before. I know both are the highest priority for Starfleet. So, the question is: why is Forger including us in addressing a Red Directive?"
"Delori answered that question," Korepanova shared, "Despite the security precautions regarding the situation, she said Macen is the reason. Apparently, he's addressed two Red Directives before this."
"Even in an eighty-year career, being assigned to two Red Directives is unheard of," Riker didn't buy it, "They're maybe a once in a lifetime event. Even then, the odds are staggered against it."
"Macen is over four hundred years old," Korepanova reminded him, "Only Arianna Forte is older than him on this station and in this company."
"I met another El-Aurian named Guinan," Riker recalled, "She was even older than that by two or three hundred years. She visited Earth for the first time in the late 19th Century."
"You also have to recall Macen's training. People like him and Captain Vaughn are likelier to be assigned to a Red Directive than an average Starfleet officer. Hell, there's a good chance Tony Burrows has even been assigned to one," Korepanova argued.
"You think they're more common than generally known," Riker realized.
"I can't address that directly but remember, I was a strategist with Starfleet Operations my entire Starfleet career," Korepanova pointed out.
"My God, you're saying they happen frequently," Riker realized.
"What I'm saying is that selective Starfleet assets are likelier to deal with them than generally known or acknowledged by Starfleet Command," Korepanova managed to evade the question.
"Your background is why Ambril shared what she did," Riker also realized.
"Commander Ambril is far more than an assistant. She's the Chief of Staff for the SID," Korepanova shared, "That's on record. She's also the front door you have to get through to reach Admiral Forger."
"I'm just now realizing I know nothing about who we most frequently contract with," Riker confessed.
"The world thinks SID headquarters is a Data Archive," Korepanova told him, "Just like they thought it was when it was under Section 31's command."
"And the SPYards relocated to Section 31's Jupiter drydocks," Riker knew, "It's too bad about how many projects of theirs were lost during the Mars Massacre and the destruction of the Utopia Planitia Yards."
"The Advanced Starship Design Bureau also relocated to their secondary location," Korepanova pointed out, "The loss of their prototypes set Starfleet designs back a decade while they rebuild and begin testing their new classes of ships and warp drives."
"I'm the Outbound Ventures SID Fleet Commander and you know about what's happening in Starfleet than I do," Riker confessed.
"That time in Starfleet Operations was well spent making connections throughout Starfleet Command. It helped while I ran the Architect Program as well," Korepanova shared.
"I thought you had a pair of brass ones to plan and strategize Maquis operations from aboard Deep Space Nine in a public office," Riker chuckled.
"The Bajoran Militia were actual clients," Korepanova reminded him, "We had liaison officers and everything."
"Which is why the Militia was able to convince Starfleet to let them run Ro and Macen's behind enemy lines campaign," Riker knew from being there with them on occasion. Macen had set Riker up with hos own Bonaventure-class starship, the SS Iron Boots, and helped him establish a company in the Kalendra Sector in neutral space.
"So, you're aware of what Red Directives Macen was assigned to?" Riker asked.
"One was before my time," Korepanova revealed that much, "The other one I still can't discuss. It'll remain classified until the 29th Century."
"You have to be shitting me," Riker was stunned.
"No, I shit you not. It'll be classified for five hundred years," Korepanova assured him, "Starfleet takes these things very seriously. They still haven't declassified the very first Red Directive that Captain Jonathan Archer addressed. The 23rd Century saw a zenith of them. I can admit that most of the 24th Century ones so far have been cleaning up messes from the last century. One the rare original ones involved the fate of the Enterprise-C."
"Meaning how Tasha Yar ended up in the 2350s," Riker understood.
"That's the closest thing to a declassified Red Directive," Korepanova promised him, "It's rather difficult to classify Sela's existence and past and seal it up for five hundred years."
"Does anyone know how Yar ended up in the past after she'd already died in the present?" Riker asked.
"Now, that part is classified," Korepanova told him, "And that part also bites."
"So, Forger was all right with us sending in 23rd Century tech starships?" Riker asked, "Are they part of this Red Directive?"
"The directive involves something in that area. But Gellar and her crews are on an independent investigative mission," Korepanova shared, "That's all I know. I swear."
"It seems you and Ambril got chatty," Riker observed.
"She's one of the few Bajorans left in Starfleet after the war and Bajor's expulsion from the Federation," Korepanova revealed, "So, she's a bit of a social outcast in Starfleet right now. Ro at least has Reyes. Ambril seems adrift. All she has is her duties. That's no way to live. I did it for the Maquis. It's a cold and lonely existence."
"But now you have Zimbalist," Riker reminded her.
"And with Edwin constantly deploying, sometimes I still feel alone," Korepanova admitted.
"That's one aspect of starship crew life I don't miss. I enjoy going to my quarters and having Lees join me every night," Riker happily smiled, "I never thought I'd meet someone more special than Deanna Troi. For Will, it worked out that way. For me, it's Lisea Danan and no one else."
"You would've made Lees' decade if she'd heard that.," Korepanova said with awe.
"I've made certain she knows every day," Riker gushed.
"You're one of the good ones," Korepanova said wistfully.
"I've lived a life of deprivation. I'm grateful for anything and everything I have now," Riker shared, "And I'm certain Edwin Zimbalist feels the same way about you."
"How could you know that?" she inquired curiously.
"I've sen him look at you," Riker told her, "Every time he does, it makes his day all over again."
"For a stubborn jackass over some things, you're surprisingly insightful on other topics," Korepanova chuckled.
"I do what I can," he teased.
"Anyway, I have Swift and Kirk routed to assist Darr," Korepanova got back on topic, "The Indomitable will arrive at their present location in two days. They're departing within the hour. The prate group they've been engaging is in retreat. A two day lapse in coverage was agreed to by the locals because they feel safe enough for it right now."
"And if it bites us in the ass?" Riker grew concerned, "Pirates smell blood in the water. Just ask the Fenris Rangers."
"We made the locals sign a consent waiver. I offered to leave the ships in place until they were relieved. But the local governments are felling a tad cocky," Korepanova explained, "So, legally, we're covered. I warned them, I offered them continued protection, and they dismissed the ideas."
"That is arrogant presumption," Riker agreed.
"I just said it nicer," Korepanova verbally jousted with him.
"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Riker asked, "It's watch change."
"Our quarters feel awfully bleak and lonely without Edwin to share them with," Korepanova told him.
"You'll join Lees and me for dinner and drinks afterwards," Riker decided, "And, I won't accept a refusal."
"I'll agree if Kris Liu can join us as well," the Russian counter-offered.
"Go tell her she's invited as well," Riker agreed, "I'll go pick up Lees at her Sciences Section and meet you at the new Caitian restaurant."
Korepanova looked dubious, "Caitians are like Klingons. They don't cook their meat. And meat is the mainstay of their diet."
"It'll be an adventure," Riker told her.
"I've eaten fair share of raw meat on Setlick III during the Border Wars," she reminded him, "It's old school for me. It's Liu I'd worry about balking."
"She'll be fine," Riker promised her, "I have to go now. Tell the maitre 'd that you're included in my reservation."
"They'll balk," Korepanova warned him.
"Remind them I granted them the lease on the station," Riker grinned.
"That should do it," she smirked.
Shannon Forger was delighted to discover her sister, Amanda, was on Deep Space Three when they handed Zandic over to Ro, Senecka, and Prentiss. Macen and Rockford weren't encouraged. Especially when they were taken by the elder Forger to a secure room. Every precaution knew to the Federation now sealed that room from eavesdropping.
"I don't like the tone of this," Rockford admitted.
"It's about to get far, far worse," Macen had endured this severity of protocol twice before.
"So, you've guessed," Forger said sternly.
"Guessed what?" Rockford asked.
"I'm invoking a Red Directive," Forger told her.
"That's what's worse," Macen glared at Forger, "I've done this for Starfleet. Twice now."
"What the hell is a 'Red Directive'?" Rockford angrily asked.
"The most sensitive and secure dire situation that can occur threatening Federation security," Forger explained, "The matters are classified from the public and fellow Starfleet officers for five hundred yeas."
"What the frinx?" Rockford yelped.
"I'm Starfleet anymore," Macen reminded her.
"But you're ideally suited to the mission," Forger told him, "I can forcibly draft you back into Starfleet and reactivate your commission, if I have to."
"Holy frinx," Rockford gasped.
"I was 'ideally suited' both times before," Macen reminded her, "And both situations were nearly catastrophic."
"But they weren't," Forger knew, "Because you made certain they weren't."
"What were the situations?" Rockford asked.
"I can't discuss those events," Forger told her.
"I'll tell her anyway," Macen warned her.
"It's on you then," Forger waved her hands of it.
"You recall the histories of the original NCC-1701 Enterprise five-year mission?" Macen asked.
"They were famous even on Angosia," Rockford admitted.
"Kirk and his crew encountered a being named Trelane," Macen prodded her memory.
"He was child that like a Q," Rockford remembered, "His parents chastised him for toying with the starship and crew."
"Fifty years later, Trelane returned to our dimension and wreaked havoc. It turned out, he'd murdered his parents in a fit of pique. And his tantrum raged across solar systems. Some of them were inhabited," Macen told her the unknown history, "I was sent in to kill him."
"You?" Rockford didn't believe him.
"My people have killed Q," Macen reminded her of the secret history of the El-Aurians, "I was trained in how to do it. And, at the time, I was the only El-Aurian in Starfleet."
"How did Starfleet even know you could?" Rockford had to ask. Macen certainly hadn't shared those facts with the Federation.
"Guinan revealed it when Trelane's rampage became widely known," Forger explained, "Brin accomplished the mission and Starfleet relief missions were launched to help rebuild what was lost. But, we couldn't restore the millions of lives lost."
"But you didn't know about the Q yet," Rockford pointed out.
"A salient fact that Guinan omitted. She just said that her people had methods for dealing with such beings. She pointed Starfleet to Macen," Forger explained, "And to be blunt, you weren't ordered to kill him. Just contain him."
"You've reviewed the records of what he did," Macen said angrily, "And he wasn't being talked down. Starfleet Medical has records on file of the genetic mutations he created. He personally ended three civilizations that way."
"Frinx," Rockford said.
"Yes, it was a pretty frinxed up situation. One that only ended because Brin killed Trelane," Forger said, "After Trelane refused to undo the damages he'd inflicted and was attempting to do worse."
"And the second?" Rockford couldn't believe it could get worse.
"You know that Hannah Grace is really Hannoi of the Kelvans," Macen prodded her memory again, "What you don't know is that their leader, Parvac, began agitating for a xenocidal war like they'd waged in the Andromeda Galaxy."
"And you were called in to deal with him," Rockford realized, "And you killed him,"
"In gladiatorial combat," Macen had done so on 492 IV when captured by the Nova Romans as well, "Seeing their leader killed by what they thought was a 'mere human' derailed their ambitions."
"But you were already out of Starfleet by then," Rockford recalled his own personal history.
"Just like now," Forger reminded them both, "Celeste, since Brin will tell everything you anyway, I'm including you in this briefing and on this assignment."
"I'm not certain whether to be slightly grateful or snap your neck," Rockford admitted.
"You'll still feel that way when I'm done," Forger promised. As it turned out she was right. But Macen convinced Forger to let him bring in some unique help.
"I promised Shannon I'd share dinner with her before I sent you back out," Forger told them, "You depart in the morning. I'd enjoy your time with Ro and Reyes while you can."
"Why does that sound like last rites?" Rockford bemoaned.
Deep Space Three had a new immersive experience restaurant. The holographic environment made you see and feel like you on a street side cafe on Earth or a major Federation colony world densely populated by humans. In honor of Admiral Forger, the owners chose a London setting for the evening.
"This is the last time I burrow an outfit from you," Amanda felt exposed by Shannon's pick of clothing. It was a leather bandage dress with extensive body cutouts with a few strategically placed lace overlays to avoid breaking local laws on self-exposure.
"Too bad," Shannon snickered because I'm sending you off with an outfit that will pop Bob Johnson's eyes out of their sockets."
"Hopefully it's actually made out of fabric," Amanda complained.
"It is," Shannon assured her, "With a lot of lace in the right places."
"I hate you. I'll never wear it," Amanda pledged.
"You'll do it for Bob," Shannon predicted.
"That's Admiral Johnson to you," Amanda scolded her.
"Mandy, he's practically family," Shannon protested, "The last time you dated someone for this long, you married the guy."
"And he tried to kill me and paralyzed me from the waist down," Amanda reminded her.
"You got better," Shannon pointed at her waist.
"I cheated. They gave me a prototype chip to connect the upper and lower portions of my spinal cord that weren't damaged," Amanda chided her.
"It doesn't matter how you did it, you got better," Shannon insisted on framing it that way.
"Starfleet Medical has no record of my spinal injury or my getting the chip implanted," Amanda hissed, "Do you know how much bullshit I had to spin to explain it away. Nechayev had to get involved and create fake travel records and medical reports like she does with operatives."
"So, you're a secret agent now," Shannon grinned.
"We're all damn lucky they didn't conduct a quantum variance scan. The fact that I'm not from this universe would've come out. And the witch hunt that followed would have swallowed you up too," Amanda explained her reasons for scolding her sister.
"Don't give Commodore Oh any ideas," Shannon advised her.
During the course of the meal, which calmed down considerably, several male customers of different races came by to compliment their appearance. Shannon glowed. Amanda felt awkward because she was used to people only seeing the uniform. Maybe she would wear Shannon's frinxing outfit on her next date with Bob Johnson. She wanted him to see a lot more than her uniform.
"I don't suppose you can tell me anything about whatever mission you assigned to Macen and Rockford," Shannon sighed.
"I can tell you where you're going and that you'll support," Amanda assured her. She gave her the stellar coordinates and sector number, "I've rustled up some specific Starfleet support as well Outbound Ventures presence in the area. The complicating factor is the Romulan presence in the same sector."
"Romulans?" Shannon groaned, "Again?"
"They're feeling expanionist since the Hobus disaster, losing Romulus, and its closest colonies," Amanda reminded her of the interstellar politics involved.
"Maybe if Starfleet had kept the frinxing word and rescued those colonists there wouldn't such a drive to expand towards the other side of the Beta Quadrant where there's no Border Zone," Shannon huffed.
"I agree," Amanda said.
"With what part?" Shannon was stunned.
"With all of it," Amanda admitted.
"That's a first. You've never completely agreed with me before," Shannon accused.
"Not true, I completely agreed with you that you needed to address your stim addiction," Amanda pointed out.
"Medical and lifestyle emergencies and interventions don't count," Shannon retorted.
"I agreed with you when you decided to undergo SRS," Amanda said.
"You'd been pushing me towards surgery since I was a teen," Shannon dismissed that as well, "My decision was just wish fulfillment for you."
"Then we can agree that we always disagree," Amanda offered.
"But you just completely, without reservations, agreed with me," Shannon pushed back, "So, that doesn't count anymore either."
"God, this is like when I was in high school and you were still in grade school," Amanda groaned.
"Great, isn't it?" Shannon grinned, "And admit it, you're enjoying the attention that dress is getting you."
"So, we agree again," Amanda hesitantly offered, "I will wear whatever you give me to get Bob's complete attention."
"He'll be putty in your hands when I'm done," Shannon promised., "Who knows, maybe you'll even propose to him."
"Why are you so sure we're at that place yet?" Amanda had to ask.
"Well, I already knew Bob professionally but you arranged social settings so I could observe him with you. He met Dad. Which you've brought one other guy to him. The same one you divorced and he put you in a hoverchair," Shannon explained her reasoning, "That pump is primed. He's holding back because he was the same and reservation you do because he's been burned before as well. You're both in Starfleet and you're both flag officers, so you know the life you'd be building together."
"And what about you?" Amanda asked her.
"I still haven't met anyone I want to commit to, if ever," Shannon confessed, "There's one thing I miss after SRS."
"Really? What's that?" Amanda asked.
"When a guy discovered I was hung like a moose," Shannon laughed.
"That scared off a lot of men," Amanda laughed as well.
"Pussies," Shannon snorted, "Couldn't take the fact the women with them had a clit bigger than their dick. Shame on them."
"That just proved they weren't right for you," Amanda told her.
"Damn skippy," Shannon laughed again, "We should do this more often."
"You were just discussing our lives and what to expect from them," Amanda chided Shannon.
"Not the whole dinner part, though it's nice too. Us, agreeing with each other. That's pretty new and I like it," Shannon confessed.
"I never told you before, but I agreed with you resigning from Starfleet. Your captain was a predator. It took a few more years for IA to catch him at it but they hung him," Amanda shared, "They would've reevaluated all your performance reviews in light of his bias. But you would've had to endure unnecessary years of stigma attached to your record in-between."
"Where is this suddenly coming from?" Shannon wondered.
"You're genuinely happy now. And you performed a miracle even Thomas Riker couldn't pull off," Amanda told her, "Macen trusts you enough he relinquished command duties."
"Thanks," Shannon said with heartfelt pleasure, "I knew you didn't disagree with my resignation and you persuaded Macen to give me the job as Tactical Officer in the first place. But, you'd never admitted you were proud of me before."
"Shannon, you came back from a stim habit to successfully assume command and thrive without drugs," Amanda told her, "That alone would impress me. But, I see the work you do in your reports and Macen's commendations."
"About the paperwork, I thought going private sector relieved you of that tedium," Shannon playfully complained.
"Not when you contract with Starfleet," Amanda chuckled, "Just be glad I don't make you file in triplicate with different styled but the same questions."
"Then I really would have to relapse and go back on stims," Shannon jested. She received a withering glare, "I'm joking."
"Not something to joke about," Amanda said sternly, "You almost died. All the firefights and engagements you'd been in and I'd always known you were coming back. But that moment, when they took you in for treatment, I knew I could lose my pain in the ass forever."
"Mandy, I'll always be an addict. Every day, I'll think about relapsing and the price of sobriety. But every day, I know better than to do it. When you're on stims, you're out of control. It feels like the exact opposite at the time but you aren't. The stims are. I'll never give up control of my own body and mind again."
"And that's why I'm so proud of you," Amanda admitted, "And you talk about me. You're thriving under all this attention."
"Why not? Surgeries and hormone replacements have given me the perfect body and peroxide has given me the perfect hair. Why shouldn't I embrace the attention I receive as a result?" Shannon laughed again.
"You certainly do draw attention," Amanda almost sounded jealous.
"Look Big Sister, you hid behind a uniform your entire life," Shannon told her bluntly, "When you're not on duty, flaunt what you've got. You've got a killer body and you don't look your age."
"Gee, thanks," Amanda said flatly.
"What I'm saying is guys here think you're a hottie. Guys everywhere would if you dressed up a bit. Not like you're always in uniform," Shannon told her.
"You're making a helluva case for it," Amanda sighed.
"Look, Bob already looks at you affectionately. If you want him to look at you and get aroused, you have to dress the part," Shannon said sternly.
"I never thought I'd be taking sex tips from my transgender sister," Amanda said, "Especially from a sister who's ten years younger than I am."
"Just 'cause I'm TS doesn't mean I don't know how to have sex," Shannon lectured her, "I've probably enjoyed far more creative sex than you've ever imagined."
"I'll take your word for it," Amanda held her off there.
"You are such a prude," Shannon chuckled, "Even in secondary school and afterwards. It was like puberty left you untouched. Me? I touched everything."
"Repeatedly," Amanda groaned.
"I have a healthy libido. You should try just feeding yours once in a while," Shannon lectured her.
"Okay, the conversation is over," Amanda flagged a waiter.
"Jesus, Amanda. I had to work my ass off and undergo multiple procedures and hormone distribution implants to get what you got naturally. Don't squander that gift," Shannon urged her.
"I'm not," Amanda told her, "I want Bob. I'll get him. He wants me too. He just needs a little stimuli to get passed his final hurdle."
"Now that is my sister," Shannon applauded her.
"I won't be able to see you off tomorrow morning," Amanda told Shannon, " Commanders Ro, Senecka, and Prentiss want my input in Zandic's interrogation."
"She's incredibly chatty," Shannon told her, "She tells you everything about everything except what matters."
"I take it Macen tried at her," Amanda guessed.
"He cut it short," Shannon warned her, "He could tell she was about."
"But to we'll see what she has to play with tomorrow," Amanda told her, "She's in the brig considering her options."
"She'll just start lying. She'd been as forthcoming as she was going to get. She seems to think she has the upper hand on us. And she's willing to wait it out to play that hand," Shannon warned her.
"We'll see what she's playing with tomorrow. Right now, she's sitting tight in the brig considering the few options that were given to her by JAG," Amanda shared.
"Time is on her side," Shannon warned Amanda, "Admiral Clancy and Commodore Oh have a mutual asset with Zandic in Starfleet Communications. You want to uncover who it and who is protecting them and who they answer to. Zandic knows Clancy and Oh will give her what she wants to preserve their own secrets."
"We can't threaten with force," Amanda reminded her former Tactical Officer sister.
"No, but you can threaten to hand her over to the Orion Syndicate," Shannon advised her, "Gomer wants her. Macen promised she'd get a chance at her. And Zandic doesn't want it to happen."
"Macen cut a custody and extradition deal with Gomer?" it was the first Amanda had heard of it.
"Gomer is playing a long game. Zandic can serve whatever pitiful sentence that Starfleet throws at her and then Macen delivers her to the Orions," Shannon laid it out.
"And if she asks for political asylum and it gets granted?" Amanda asked her.
"It doesn't matter. Macen keeps his word," Shannon reminded her.
"Shit! This totally revamps our strategy," Amanda complained.
"Mandy, Oh and Clancy are coming for her," Shannon warned the elder Forger, "Clancy was still head of Starfleet Communications when Zandic began sending and receiving classified data. Oh will protect her. You can't tell me she didn't know it was happening on her watch."
"I know. But we need proof to take to Admiral T'Lara to let us actually prosecute her this time. No more of these cover ups for 'the good of the service' bullshit," Amanda was angered now, "Macen had no right to negotiate terms with Gomer."
"He's a private citizen. You can't tell him who he can and can't talk to. He'll talk to them anyway just because you told him not to," Shannon sighed.
"I can if he commissioned officer again," Amanda told her, "I warned him I could reactivate him."
"You can?" Shannon was drawn short by that.
"A flag officer can grant a provisional rank to anyone and I can use emergency powers to reactivate an existing commission," Amanda told her.
"Macen and Starfleet aren't a good mix. Not anymore," Shannon advised Amanda.
"So, I see first hand this time," Amanda complained, "I just got an earful from Jim McKinley over Macen setting off a photon grenade in a room full of people, including Bob Johnson."
"That was overblown," Shannon promised.
"But he did it," Amanda pointed out.
"My crew helped him with my permission," Shannon revealed.
"My god. He's turned you too," Amanda exclaimed.
"I didn't 'turn' anywhere. He explained the logistics of the plan. My Sciences Officer confirmed the estimated position and calculated blast radius. It went off without a hitch," Shannon boasted, "And we captured Zandic and Ishara Yar at the same time as freeing Bob Johnson."
"So, where the hell is Yar?" Amanda had to ask.
"Back to Turkanis to raise an insurgency against the Terrans that took over in her absence," Shannon said it as though it were an every day matter.
"How can you say these things and stay so calm?" Amanda finally asked.
"I've been outside of the Federation for years now. The rest of the galaxy isn't a paradise. And the people that paradises betray you," Shannon stated.
"You can't just give up," Amanda told her, "Someone has to fight for ideals."
"A fight which you're losing," Shannon shrugged, "In the meantime, we deal with very bad people. We take them out and protect their victims."
"You sound like a Fenris Ranger," Amanda accused.
"I've met some Fenris Rangers," Shannon shared, "Most are as idealistic as you. Others have been corrupted by a disdain for justice."
"You mean they line their pockets," Amanda huffed.
"They're what passes for law and order in the Quiris Sector," Shannon reminded her, "So, accept that for now."
"We have reports that Seven of Nine joined up with the Fenris Rangers," Amanda sounded disappointed.
"Starfleet locked her out and shes an idealist like you. So, she went where she could help," Shannon told her, "Even if Starfleet shut us out, we'd continue our work."
"Starfleet would stop you," Amanda promised.
"Mandy, how often are we actually in Federation space?" Shannon asked, "We'd get by in neutral systems and working for the Bajoran Militia, the Cardassian Guard, and the Iotian Starfleet."
"Bob told me you showed up at Sigma Iotia II during the last battle before the surrender," Amanda scolded her, "You had no business there."
"Oxmyx was a client and she knew there's be an attempt on her life. She hired us to find how, when, and why," Shannon told her, "The same things we do for you."
"The whole thing was staged," Amanda complained.
"So it turned out," Shannon shrugged, "Does it surprise me Oxmyx was willing to sacrifice starships, crews, and installations to achieve her goal? Not at all. Have you met the woman?" Shannon asked, "She worked with the Intendents Ro and Kira."
"And dispatched that Alliance fleet that caused so many diplomatic relations disasters," Amanda recalled, "People actually believed the Cardassians had sided with us and the Klingons. They never wondered why there were only two Federation starships among dozens of Galor-class and K'tinga-class cruisers."
"At least the Intendants left all their starships behind in this universe when they retreated to the Terran Universe," Shannon found a bright spot.
"How is that a good thing? They left them with the Iotians," Amanda grumbled.
"Who provided a list of buyers for all the Cardassian and Klingon vessels. Oxmyx and Kracko divvied up the Galaxy-clas and Nebula-class starships," Shannon told her.
"You know who bought every starship?" Amanda was surprised the Iotians would give up that list.
"Macen has people watching them," Shannon conspired with her sister for a moment, "I'm not supposed to know that."
"I already know," Amanda whispered back.
"Ro made an issue of it," Shannon shrugged, "But Starfleet never came looking for us, so I guess it was a whitewash."
The older Forger knew differently.
The Obsidian departed on schedule. Zimbalist had spent his free time talking to Korepanova. Macen and Rockford spent the time with Ro and Reyes as Forger had suggested. Even Tessa and Galen 3 had a story from the night out. Tessa had carefully hidden her mobile emitter so no one realized she was an EMH banned by law. Burrows had to carry Mudd back to the ship.
All he would say was, "It was a very exciting night."
Kerber and Smith couldn't risk leaving the ship. DS3 was near Ardana IV. Ardanan traders came through the starbase regularly. Smith would be instantly recognized by them. Ebert stayed with them rather than going on shore leave. Kerber taught Ebert a Troglyte drinking game. Over the course of many shots, Ebert let it it slip that she was bisexual. Kerber didn't take it well. None of them had been aboard when Hal Dracas was arrested by Troglyte clan authorities, taken back to Ardana IV, and executed for being homosexual. Clan customs clearly defined gender roles and the sexual roles of them
Ebert felt wounded when she left Kerber's cabin. If they were on Ardana IV, Kerber would kill Ebert without a thought over her revelation. As the ship departed to pass by both Deep Space Four and Deep Space Five, They'd skirt around the established former Neutral Zone reestablished as the Border Zone and enter the Deeper Beta Quadrant from the "border" of the Delta Quadrant. Macen warned captain Forger and Jones not to stray to closely to the Delta Quadrant along a certain course setting..
El-Auria, assimilated by the Borg, lay on that heading. Everyone knew Macen grew agitated they they crossed into the Deeper Beta Quadrant by traveling around the Romulan Star Empire. The Borg rarely crossed into the Beta Quadrant or the Alpha Quadrant these days. The Artifact was the last know Borg Cube to appear. It had been crippled from within. The Borg's connection with the Queen lost. The Romulans allowed the Federation scientific access to the Artifact in exchange for the ex-Borg named Hugh to apply his expertise on the subject. As a former drone, he'd been inside many such cubes. Hugh's price for participation was the emancipation of the drones inside.
The Romulans and the Federation both were harvesting unseen before technology. They finally had access to a functional transwarp drive. The Cube had weaponry and shields beyond anything either party could replicate at that time. The standard propulsion had also been a mystery. Cub's possessed no known drive systems. For their bulk, they were also highly maneuverable. They learned that Borg vessels utilized magnetic and gravitic forces to propel their vehicles at sublight. They could stop or turn swiftly because they used natural forces extending from the system's primary and its planets. There was no need for something as clumsy and time consuming as a RCS thruster.
The Starfleet Corps of Engineers and the Advanced Starship Design Bureau were ecstatic. Officers like Commodore Elizabeth Shelby needed more convincing. Fleet Admiral Leonard James Akaar advised caution. The Alpha Quadrant Theater Commander, Admiral Edward Jellico, joined him in this. Others such as the Starfleet Intelligence Director, Admiral Nechayev, simply weren't consulted. But, Admiral Clancy and Commodore Oh were huge fans of the program and wished to it expanded and accelerated.
Vaughn sent Macen a message from the Enforcer Zone went Benteen informed the Defiant's captain that the Obsidian was passing by DS4, "Brin, you old dog. You shoud've told me you were coming by."
"Congratulations on your new mission. I know how much you've wanted an exploration mission under your belt," Macen replied.
"It might be my last command," Vaughn shrugged, "So, I'll make it count."
"Starfleet abandoning the Gamma Quadrant and the Bajor Sector are huge strategic mistakes," Macen pointed out.
"So, I argued. But Admiral Clancy and Commodore Oh rebutted with a statement about diverting 'unnecessary resources' to both with the Bajoran Militia at adequate force levels," Vaughn sighed.
"But at least you got your dream job from it," Macen tried to find light at the end of the very dark tunnel.
"The Defiant isn't suited for long term deployments. She's a warship. But that's why Deep Space Four is our new port of call. I heard they diverted Captain Chakotay and the USS Voyager-A and Captain Kirk and the USS Pulse from the Delta Quadrant," Vaughn said skeptically.
"Isn't the Pulse one of the new Protostar-class ships?" Macen asked.
"It might seem a little beneath Kirk's experience but her speed allows her to return from the Delta Quadrant at a rapid pace," Vaughn explained.
"Captain Morgan Bateman certainly proved 23rd Century Starfleet officers can be retrained and made valuable contributors," Macen stated.
"They reassigned Harry Kim from Kirk's command. They promoted Kim but kept as an XO aboard a separate command," Vaughn told Macen.
"Why?' he had to ask.
"Apparently they want Kim closer to Starfleet Command," Vaughn explained.
"They assigned Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres to the SPYards," Macen noted.
"And Vice Admiral Janeway has been kept busy with one goose chase after another. All of these orders have been pushed through by Clancy," Vaughn had noticed.
"So, redeploying Chakotay and Kirk might be a bid to bring them to heel," Macen mused.
"Looks that way," Vaughn agreed.
"Good luck with that," Macen snorted, "Kirk and Chakotay aren't ones to be leashed by Starfleet Command."
"Neither is Kathryn Janeway. Which is why Clancy has her on the borders, one after another. Her current assignment is to over see the protective detail of Deep Space Ten as it goes operational," Vaughn gave Macen the latest update.
"Is Robyn Lefler still slated to command the station?" Macen asked.
"She is. And she's a student of Mackenzie Calhoun. So, you can imagine how rule oriented she'll be," Vaughn chuckled.
"I miss my old rivalry with Mac sometimes. I've met Lefler. Clancy won't know what to do with her," Macen also chuckled.
"So, we're assuming it's a foregone conclusion that Clancy will be Fleet Admiral again in a year's time?' Vaughn asked.
"The writing on the wall is already written," Macen sighed.
"I might have to retire," Vaughn said grimly.
"You won't," Macen predicted, "It would be letting Clancy win. You'll either die in command or be so feeble they drag you away from the center seat."
"Having command of the Defiant since I became XO of Deep Space Nine has been a dream come true. The Enforcer Zone mission is just an expansion of that wish fulfillment. I've been in for less than a week and made two first contacts," Vaughn admitted.
"How is working with the Iotian Starfleet?" Macen had to ask.
"They're surprisingly professional. They take their role here seriously,," Vaughn confessed.
"Kracko has really turned them around. And letting member races join the command staffs has also broadened the Iotians' horizons," Macen shared.
"We'll be seeing firsthand just how broad that's become," Vaughn told him.
"Elias, you're beginning to break up," Macen warned him, "You're getting too far from a Federation comm buoy or relay station"
"I've noticed, The Iotian Starfleet is due to patch us into their network but they're still establishing one in the Enforcer Zone," Vaughn stated.
"I'll see you at Deep Space Four soon enough," Macen promised.
"I'll hold you to that," Vaughn warned him. He cut the connection from his end. It was apparent he didn't know about the Red Directive. He would soon enough if Macen failed to achieve its goal. Vaughn was next in line to assume its responsibilities.
The ship passed Deep Space Five without acknowledgment from Admiral Rager. Rager was a Clancy loyalist that blamed Macen and Rockford among many others for her temporary demotion. Rager was so busy casting blame about, it was little wonder she hadn't assumed personal responsibility for her own banishment from Starfleet Command. She expected to assume command of Starfleet Operations upon Clancy's ascension back to the Fleet Admiral's office. Admiral Duncan McNeil might survive as the Beta Quadrant Theater Commander. But it was too soon to tell. The Alpha Quadrant Theater Command would be filled with a Clancy loyalist. Rager half expected the assignment.
All efforts to reinstate and promote Benjamin Sisko and install him as Gamma Quadrant Theater Commander had ended abruptly. Sisko had rebuffed several offers already. But as tension between Bajor and the Federation rose, Sisko had begun to express interest in the role. Now, it was too late for any of it. And Clancy would prevent Captain Sisko's reinstatement at all costs. Vice Admiral Bill Ross was banned from the promotions lists but he still oversaw the Bajoran and Cardassian borders from the Starbase 375 in the Kalandra Sector near the similarly named Kalendra Sector. The formerly neutral sector bordering the Bajorans, the Breen, and the Tzenkethi was now Iotian Federation space. Clancy couldn't rely on Ross' blind obedience since the Bajoran War failed.
Captain Ignatius Freeman, Starbase 375's commanding officer, was even more politically unreliable in Clancy's viewpoint. He was nearly as old as Vaughn and had served in Starfleet for seventy years. Her presented a Starfleet Clancy wanted buried. Her Starfleet wasn't expansionist or interventionist. It was isolationist with a touch of imperialism thrown in considering her ongoing obsession with acquiring Bajor by military force. She also wanted the Cardassians and the Iotians crushed under foot. Bringing their territories under Federation control and occupation would secure the Federation's borders from threats they hadn't even met yet.
Clancy's ambitions began to unravel as she was finally looped into the current Red Directive. She didn't understand how the SID's minimalist response would be effective. Akaar gave her insight by clearing her to access Macen's previous Red Directive missions. The threats that had been presented didn't make her blood run cold. It was the fact that they had been addressed at all. They were also addressed by someone outside of her political and operational control. A variable like that couldn't be allowed continued freedom. Clancy quietly approached Commodore Oh for a solution to their mutual problem. Oh proposed yet another illegal solution. Yet, it seemed to be the best pathway towards success. So, Clancy authorized it on her own authority.
It took nine days in total for the Obsidian to near its assigned sector. They were still a day away when Macen and Rockford called Forger and Galen 3 into Astrometrics. Macen pointed at stellar map that Starfleet long range probes had provided of the area outside of the affected sector.
"This sector is where we're headed. These are the solar systems that the SID is currently involved with. The Romulans have sent privateers and a diplomatic mission into them. This system, highlighted in red, is charted as uninhabited. It's also the likeliest place for the Romulans to amass a fleet invade the rest of the sector despite the explicit agreement with Starfleet not send in the Imperial Navy," Macen described what they were facing there, "Our current course takes us by that system. I want to drop out of warp when we reach and proceed it high impulse. In order to justify to watching eyes, we'll approach maximum warp. Our slowdown we'll seem to be to reset our engines. We'll exit at Warp 5.
"You want us to scan the system?" Galen 3 asked eagerly.
"Quite the contrary. I don't even want navigational scans of the near space we'll be traveling in at impulse," Macen told them, "Any active scans will be deemed provocative."
"You're convinced the Romulans are in there," Forger realized, "So, why the farce?"
"To reinforce the look that we are unaware of them," Macen told her, "We will monitor for subspace comms while traversing the neighboring empty space."
"We wouldn't be able to detect anything in the system," Forger complained.
"But they could communicate with ships outside the system," Rockford reminded her.
"Standard Imperial Naval doctrine is to remain comms silent when cloaked. And they'd have to be cloaked to avoid detection," Forger argued.
"Unless they're so overconfident they feel they break doctrine," Rockford replied, "Which is why we'll reinforce their certainty they're undetected."
"We can do it," Forger relented, "But, it's pretty pointless."
"We'll send our findings to Starfleet after we reach our intended systems," Macen promised, "Starfleet can then reconsider their response to a potential violation of the agreement."
"Captain Gellar and her ships have been investigating tech smuggling for a week now," Forger reminded them, "They're already in that territory. We're not part of that mission, are we?"
"No, we'll assist them as needed. But our primary mission tales us elsewhere," Macen explained.
"Galen 3 will remain here and utilize passive sensors only to detect subspace carrier waves," Macen instructed.
"Romulan don't break doctrine," Forger sighed, "But we'll humor you since you're the Mission Commander."
"Thank you," Macen acknowledged the give, "Hopefully it is a flight of fancy."
Forger exited and Rockford addressed Galen 3, "Record any transmissions you detect ans forward them to the Data Womb. Understood?"
"Perfectly," Galen 3 promised.
"We'll leave you to it to prepare," Macen told him and the couple left.
"All right. Time for a flight of fancy," Forger said distastefully, "Aglaia, drop us out of subspace and proceed towards our destination at full impulse."
"This is fun," Jones grimaced.
"Astrometrics, anything?" Forger asked over comms.
"There are active transmissions emitted from the star system to target points near us. I assume they're cloaked ships. I'm recording and forwarding as instructed," Galen 3 was excited.
"I'll be damned," Forger said under breath, "The Imperial Navy is overconfident about this."
Jones studied the carrier waves, "Without the enhanced sensors the ASDB gave us, we'd never detect such low frequency subspace transmissions."
"That's why they're so confident they can transmit freely to their cloaked ships," Forger understood now.
"Time to warp speed in fifteen minutes," Aglaia started the clock.
Jones sent a text message to Engineering, "Gilan and Parva are definitely using the time to do routine maintenance after maximum warp for the maximum time."
"Let them know the clock is running before we resume cruising speed at Warp 5," Forger ordered. When they were away again, the delayed watch change occurred. Clara Bell received her instructions from Jones after being briefed by Aglaia as assumed the CONN. Forger reported to Macen.
"So, what did we learn?" she inquired.
"Not much yet," he told her, "We pinpointed the positions of three Romulan ships boxing us in. They were using a technique known ELF."
"ELF?" Forger hadn't heard of it.
"Extra Low Frequency transmissions. Submarines used them to penetrate the water and transmit messages without using so much power the transmissions were traceable back to them," Macen explained, "The Romulans seem to thin they've achieved the same results in subspace carrier waves."
"Obviously they haven't," Forger snorted.
"A regular Starfleet vessel would never have detected those signals. Our sensor pallets are ASDB and SPYards custom builds that haven't been issued to fleet vessels yet," Macen advised her.
"Galen 3 managed to intercept and record them," Forger almost asked.
"Kerber and Smith are looking at them now," Macen shared, "Bailey shared that they aren't using typical Imperial Naval encryption. They're more likely to be Tal Shiar codes."
"I thought Sela had restricted the Tal Shiar from military operations," Forger mentioned.
"She has. That doesn't mean she won't provide security consultation and support for a top secret mission," Macen told her.
"We're underway again. Jones will be contacting Captain Gellar to request a rendezvous and a local situation report," Forger told him.
"Starfleet did manage to persuade the locals to allow comm buoys in their space," Macen recalled, "Works to our advantage at least."
"So, you'll be able to warn Starfleet the Romulans are poised to enter the sector," Forger offered.
"As soon as we're in range of the first buoy we near," Macen promised.
It took nearly day to arrange a rendezvous with the Watcher. Captain Gellar was met at the Transporter Room when Telrik beamed her aboard by Macen and Rockford.
"It's good to see you again, Captain Gellar."
She smiled, "It's good to be seen."
"Captain Forger will be joining us in Astrometrics," Rockford told her, "On the way there we were hoping for a progress report."
"The investigation is going slowly," Gellar frowned, "Most of the so-called 'cooperative' governments don't wish to share with Starfleet assigned investigators where they're receiving the new tech from.. The Romulan presence also hampers our efforts as they diplomatically and militarily try to pressure planets into signing to be Star Empire vassal states."
"The privateers' presence was agreed to on a non-military basis," Rockford pointed out.
"Someone forgot to the Romulans that," Gellar said angrily, "They've nearly engaged us every day at every world we visit. And, they have the raw numbers to represent real threats."
"Let me guess, three to one odds" Macen asked.
"Exactly," Gellar leaped onto that point, "We deploy individually while they stalk us in trios."
"How advanced are their ships?" Macen inquired.
"Mainly T'Liss-class Birds of Prey, modified D-7-class Klingon made ships, and even T'Varo-class Birds of Prey," Gellar told him, "Other than numbers, we're more than evenly matched."
"Era wise, you're technologically even or superior," Macen considered that, "That indicates that the Romulans have reactivated all 24th Century era starships back into service. Since the privateers are lacking anything produced since 2270, I'd say they've recommissioned ships that far back."
"Why does that concern us?' Rockford asked.
"Starfleet has encountered nothing but Warbird models and scoutships since reaching Deeper Beta Quadrant sectors near the Star Empire's borders. They've wondered how they can maintain interior control an d defense of the Empire with their best assets on the front lines. The fear was that with the loss of the Utopia Planitia Yards, construction rates had fallen below the Romulans despite their losing what they did the Hobus shockwave," Macen explained, "Now, it seems to be an illusion."
"Because otherwise the privateers would be equipped with more advanced retired ships," Gellar understood.
"The Klingons have begun selling of decommissioned K'tinga-class cruisers they're retired," Macen told them, "Romulan policy prevent the privateers from acquiring vessel sand arms from the Klingon Empire. They can only shop domestic products."
"Not that the Klingons would sell to Romulans anyway," Rockford pointed out.
"But they would sell to Federation citizens and firms as well as Ferengi now that Ferenginar's territory is a Federation membership candidate alliance."
"We've ruled out Ferengi and Iotian sources for the advanced tech entering the sector," Gellar told them, "But we haven't ruled out private smugglers or Federation sources."
"What about the Orion Syndicate?' Rockford asked.
"They've sent in embassy ships but no freighters or armed cruisers and raiders," Gellar found that odd as well.
A short turbolift ride one deck later, they soon entered the Astrometrics chamber. Forger awaited them as promised. Macen and Rockford couldn't share the nature of the Red Directive with her but they could warn her of the conditions they would endure soon enough.
"That's the sector all right," Gellar began inputting data, "Those are the planets we've made initial contact with. These are the precise coordinates of where we encountered Romulan resistance. And this is the quarantine area."
"No one told me about any quarantined planets," Forger complained and glared at the mission couple.
"Starfleet declared a quarantine just after we arrived. The number of affected planets are growing. Instead of one world now there are thirteen and counting. Whatever is the cause, it's spreading," Gellar note, "How Starfleet knows the planets are affected is unknown to us."
"Every planet in this sector has a Federation cultural observation team on it," Macen explained, "They reported the arrival of the cause of the quarantine."
"Which is?" Gellar asked.
"They won't talk about it," Forger grumbled, "They won't even tell their team what it is."
"That sounds unusual," Gellar noted.
"It is," Macen assured her, "But there's nothing usual about these circumstances."
"What if you told us?" Forger asked.
"Then your sister would be placing you in lifetime confinement on an isolated world beside us," Rockford told her.
"Jesus, Mandy put you up to this?" Forger gasped, "And we're what? Just potential collateral damage?"
"Something like that," Macen concurred with her assessment.
"Sometimes I hate my frinxing sister," Forger admitted.
"You can only truly hate those you love," Gellar chimed in, reminding them she was still present.
"Captain Gellar, Captain Riker assures me he has support coming your way. Starfleet has also informed me they have a response for when the Imperial Navy enters the sector," Macen told her.
"That doesn't sound like an 'if' scenario," Gellar remarked.
"It isn't," Forger told her.
"I'm familiar with the commanders of at least two response vessels. The third I'm already aware of has changed command staff and crew after running afoul of Starfleet's racial diversity programs," Macen told her, "The other ships have also undergone complete restaffing of the senior officers. Admiral Forger has promised me that are at least two more assets coming to assist."
"And us?" Forger asked.
"Collateral damage," Rockford grimly reminded her.
"And Captain Gellar's update indicates we now have two targets instead of just one," Macen was also discouraged.
"Targets?" Gellar caught that particular phrasing, "That implies assassination not capture."
"I can't explain what we're up to, but you aren't wrong," Macen sighed.
"But why?" Forger asked.
"Because your sister is forcing us to," Rockford told unhappily.
"Starfleet doesn't assassinate targets," Forger accused.
"I've done it twice already for Starfleet," Macen admitted, "Section 31 wasn't an aberration. They just mainstreamed the outlier orders."
"I don't think I even want to know, after all," Gellar confessed.
"Neither do I," Forger said, "But I'm stuck along for the ride."
"Think of it an invasion scenario," Macen suggested, "They're two beings invading this sector and taking control of planetary populations one by one."
"How do you know they're singular beings?" Forger asked.
"The cultural observers got that much out to Starfleet before they went comms silent," Rockford explained, "We know who and what we're up against. How to respond is the variable. Starfleet wants terminations to end the threat."
"But, the aliens in question have lived amicably with other life forms before and for a known century," Macen added, "But they didn't remain docile. Fortunately, we have profiles of the potential subjects."
"How?" Gellar asked.
"They were on Earth thousands of years ago," Rockford told them.
Chapter Six
The Commander of the Deathblow was akin to rank as Gellar herself. Tekana was Sela's favorite privateer operative. They'd worked together since before the Dominion invaded. Tekana had been originally hired by Sela to assist her in getting her mentor liberated from Kodosh II. Tom Riker had come along for the ride. It seemed their fates had been intertwined ever since.
Now, Riker's underlings threatened her latest undertaking for the Imperial Navy. Ambassador Aurelian was touring planets touting alliances with the Star Empire. Her political baggage was Senator Eldanak, though being half-human, her voice carried weight in the new Imperial Senate. Even Praetor Tal'aura was wary of her influence among the remaining colony worlds. Empress Taralin was also brought along for publicity purposes. The Imperial dynasty had no real power in the Star Empire. But the people loved their royal leaders. Taralin's role in society was to espouse whatever the Praetor, Proconsul, and the Senate scripted for her..
Aurelian was Tal'aura's cousin. As an Ambassador at large, she was the voice of the Praetor towards new worlds. But, Aurelian had her own ambitions as well. Taralin watched her closely as did Eldanak. The Empress and the Senator were aligned in the effort to reduce the power of the Praetor and the Proconsul and restore it to the Senate. Eldanak was even willing to restore limited powers to the Imperial lineage.
Tekana had her own ambitions. This assignment as Fleet Commander was the first step towards and actual Imperial Navy command. She, like the other privateer officers had graduated from one of the naval academies. But promotions were swifter among the privateer companies. Select commanders would be given Fleet commands if they proved themselves to the Imperial Naval ranks. Working for Sela had put the light on Tekana's career so the Imperial Navy was watching her, assessing her, considering her. She wasn't allowed to fail.
But she had rivals among her own ranks. Commander Solara second guessed every decision and tried to sow doubt about every order Tekana gave. Solara had her own Imperial Fleet aspirations. Aelynn, the most experienced of them all, had risen through privateer ranks to assume command of her Bird of Prey. She was half-human like Senator Eldanak. Her sister had been an Imperial Fleet officer. She'd even reached flag rank but died on the Romulus when the Hobus supernova's shock wave ravaged the Star Empire.
Commander P'ris' mother, a high ranking Tal Shiar agent, had also perished on Romulus. Danaris had started out as a boarding party leader before eventually assuming command of her D-7 cruiser. There many others involved, of course, but those were the most influential commanders under Tekana's command. Each led a small trio of starships shadowing the SID crews. Or, in Danaris' case, shepherding the diplomatic officers from planet to planet.
The two Outbound Ventures' starships had exited the system. The Romulans had to decloak in order to engage their warp drives. Fortunately for them, Iotian built Constitution-class starships left a distinctive warp trail to follow. Not that following them was difficult. The four starships simply visited every inhabited planet in the sector along their path. The Star Empire wanted the sector for its own because it was unusually highly populated and the Empire needed more slave laborers. It was also resource rich. So, there was a dual goal in mind here.
Six privateer ships under Tekana's command had been sent to a corner of the sector boundaries and went silent. They weren't responding to signals and had missed every check-in. The security contractors hired by the SID hadn't neared that area, so Tekana was satisfied they weren't involved. But apparent loss of six ships and commanders dealt a harsh blow to their mission capabilities. Capabilities that seemed needed now that Outbound Ventures seemed to be sending in more ships of a more advanced nature.
"The system Captain Gellar assigned us to seems empty other than native traffic," the XO informed her CO.
"Not that we'd be aware of any Romulans anyway," Darr replied, "They would've cloaked as soon as they detected our approach. We weren't very subtle about it."
"True, we don't even have solid numbers of how many Romulan privateers there are operating in this sector," Landau admitted.
"Have you signaled Gellar to inform her of our arrival?" Darr asked.
"Just about to," Landau shared, "I wanted to look at the tactical situation first."
"ETA on the Lightning?" Darr inquired.
"She should be arriving at her assigned star system as well," Landau informed her.
The Wanderer-class vessel had arrived indeed. Sheridan Swift was the youngest captain in the Outbound Ventures fleet. Liam Kirk had enjoyed that distinction until she joined up. Swift's XO was handling informing the Watcher they'd arrived. Swift was amazed they'd let her select Billie Eiling as her XO. She was even younger than Swift. Kirk himself would be arriving soon enough. The Statehood was slower and less advanced. She was an Iotian built Asia (refit)-class. So high warp speeds weren't an option for her. But Kirk had set out days before Darr and Swift. So, he should be in position any minute now.
Master Chief Hector Hernandez was giving Kirk grief about pushing warp drive so hard for so long. His own XO, Michelle Vandenburg, joined in as well. Liam Kirk opened a channel to Engineering and addressed them both while Vandenburg stood beside him.
"I understand your concerns regarding the warp drive. But we made a concentrated effort to arrive when our cohorts would as well. That being said, we accomplished out task. Carry on," Kirk signed off.
"There's no signs of Romulan activities," Vandenburg happily reported.
"Not they wouldn't have cloaked as soon as we neared the system nor would we be able to detect them if they were," Kirk squelched her mood.
"You robbed me of my happy thought," Vandenburg accused.
"You can fly to Neverland when we're done here," Kirk replied, "Is the investigative team ready to deploy?"
"As soon as we make orbit. I'll take them down while you speak with the planetary officials," Vandenburg told him, "You're certain you don't want a Security detail?"
"I don't want this to look like a military operation," Kirk replied, "We're invited guests of a cooperating people. They sounded just as alarmed by the situation as Starfleet is. It seems the local criminals are the one stockpiling advanced tech."
"For a black market or crime?" Vandenburg asked.
"You forget, every government also has dissidents," Kirk replied, "Whatever reason the criminals are collecting the advanced tech for, it has the local government scared out of their wits."
"Hopefully we can help," Vandenburg grew more resolved.
"That is the hope," Kirk agreed.
"Better than yours, I hear," Smythe's British accent matched her own, "We rooted out all the buyers but still couldn't get anyone to talk about who the sellers are."
Conners scowled, "That's the seventh planet we've had the same outcome on,"
"How did the local government take it?" Smythe inquired.
"I think whoever supplied the weapons and other gear was helping stage a coup," Conners told him, "The elect opposition part is very antagonistic. Perhaps they're adapting political discourse into political violence?"
"Each planet we've been to has a dissident party in its government. And each seems to be radicalizing," Smythe had observed.
"The Romulans are aiding and abetting, without any doubt. But I don't think they're actively arming the dissidents either. It would make enslaving them more difficult if they were practiced insurgents," Conners opined.
"Has our support arrived?" Smythe was hopeful, "This is long, slow slog."
"Captains Darr, Swift and Liam Kirk reported in already. They've assumed their first duty stations. They've been duly warned of the situations we've encountered thus far," Conners told him.
"Eventually, we'll catch a break," Smythe promised her. But even he was beginning to have doubts regarding it.
"You were beginning to worry me," Tyler admitted.
"I was wrapping up with the planetary law enforcement officials," Chorus sighed.
"Let me, you were able to track down the buyers but the actual distributors," Tyler already knew the pattern.
"Your supposition that it was all regarding intended political violence was the correct one," Chorus told her captain as they left the transporter room to catch the turbolift to the bridge. They were already past due for their next stop. The Federation cultural observers there had issued a priority distress call while Chorus' investigation was underway. No other starship was close enough to respond as swiftly as the Galavant could, "I'm afraid our lack of time let most of the dissidents escape capture."
"The Federation still has teams on the planet. They'll contact us again if the situation warrants it again," Tyler assured her.
"I wonder if the other crews are having such a difficult time?" Chorus bleakly asked.
"About that," Tyler brought her up to speed. Neither was in a good mood when they reached the bridge.
"I know that look," Kendall sighed.
"Same story every time," Collins grated, "I don't know why they're all so loyal to the seller."
"There has to be a payout we haven't discovered yet," Kendall stated.
"But we can't get anyone to cop to it. They all rant about the same political nonsense and profess martyrdom and persecution," Collins groaned, "I'm sick of it."
"There be some merit to it on a few of the planets we've visited so far," Kendall warned her, "Even the Federation cultural teams have advised Starfleet and the Federation of the roughshod tactics the ruling majorities will employ to insure they remain the majority. I've had back from all the others. The same holds true across the planetary spectrums. Especially with the imperial or single party dynasties."
"Those are the planets I hate assisting," Collins confessed, "We're essentially cracking down on freedom fighters."
"But we don't know if they're actually any better intended than the ruling parties," Kendall reminded, "Since this is a Starfleet contract, we can't interfere in local politics. All we can do is try to stem the tide of technological development tampering."
"Sometimes I hate the Prime Directive," Collins confessed.
"But, it's the rule our contracts are built on," Kendall reminded her as the turbolift doors opened to reveal the bridge, "Get ready. We're moving on to repeat the same results."
"God help us," Collins complained.
Captain Darr beamed down just after a Romulan privateer D-7 decloaked over the world they now orbited. It also made an orbital insertion behind the Quantum. Sensors recorded a large party of Romulans beaming to the surface. Darr dismayed her own crew by demanding to beam down alone and unguarded.
When she was brought before the planet's Presider and his Counselors, she met Ambassador Aurelian, Senator Eldanak, and Empress Taralin. So, Darr was the first outsider to learn that Eldanak wasn't actually a natural blonde. Most of her blonde hair had grown out and been cut. But wisps of it remained still. Aurelian's eyes were filled with disdain upon seeing her in uniform. Eldanak and Taralin were curious, trying to deduce where Darr came from.
"Captain Darr, you're in time to join us," the Presider welcomed her. The Federation observation team was seated at the side of the room away from the leaders. It seems they were merely witnesses, not presenters, "Are you familiar with our other esteemed guests?"
"Not in the slightest," Darr admitted. Introductions were made.
"My own," Darr jousted with her.
"Darr is a Romulan name," Eldanak stated.
"Small galaxy, isn't it?" Darr replied.
"Why we informed an interloper would be interfering our negotiations?" Aurelian demanded to know.
"Captain Darr's arrival wasn't set for a specific date or time. Nor was she expected until recently," the Presider answered, "Do not presume to judge us for your obvious contempt for other races."
"My people respect strength, Presider," Eldanak intervened, "Which you have shown."
"It seems your Senator is more diplomatic than your Ambassador, Empress Taralin," the Presider chided her.
Aurelian would recall that remark when she reported Taralin's impudence to Tal'aura, "Presider, we came in good faith."
"So did Captain Darr," the Presider warned her.
"Unlike the Romulan mission here, I have no political agenda," Darr advised everyone, "I'm here about a law enforcement issue."
"And we gladly accept your assistance in it," the Presider told her, "You may send down your teams."
"Thank you," Darr tapped her comm badge, "One to transport."
"Perhaps Commander Danaris could help you instead," Aurelian offered.
"Despite your thinking, these are neutral security contractors, not military forces whose presence could turn into an occupation," the Presider advised Aurelian, "Rumors of alliances with the Romulan Star Empire have reached even our remote ears."
"Then let us work to dispel your worries," Aurelian said smoothly.
"You may go," the Presider told her.
"Excuse me?" Aurelian was angered.
"Your role is finished here. We will discuss matters with the Senator and Empress directly," the Presider had decided.
"They do not speak for the Praetor," Aurelian warned him, "Nothing they promise you is binding."
"Either you leave alone or all together," the Presider was adamant.
"I'll leave, but these negotiations are invalidated by my absence," Aurelian warned him.
"All the more reason for you to leave," the Presider told her. Aurelian beamed away and the Presider chuckled, "Now, tell me what's really going on here?"
"Are you simply wasting my time?" Danaris asked coldly.
"We're both going to be here for some time. I like assessing my would-be antagonists," Darr told her.
"You think you can do that over a screen?" Danaris mocked her.
"I've done it with far less," Darr told her, "You're commanding a museum piece against an unknown commander. Don't test me."
The transmission was cut by Darr, "Let's see how she reacts to that."
"They dismissed you?" Danaris found it humorous, "It's about time someone did."
"They're pompous and rude beyond measure," Aurelian declared.
"Have you looked in any mirrors lately?" Danaris asked.
"I'll have you broken in rank for your impudence!" Aurelian snarled.
"Except, I'm not Imperial Navy. You can't use your family connection to the Praetor to have me demoted," Danaris chuckled, "Face it, all you'll find here is truth."
"What is it with with starship commanders today?" Aurelian angrily lamented.
"I take it you met the opposing captain on the surface," Danaris realized, "What race is she? I don't recognize her species."
"Whatever planet she came from, it isn't in the Federation," Aurelian had noted, "I don't know what she is."
"This could turn into a problem," Danaris warned her.
"Why? Because some green skinned peasant opposes you?" Aurelian demanded to know.
"Because we don't know her cultural background. We have no idea of her motivations or drives. What does she find morally compatible with actions? What is she willing to do to achieve victory?" Danaris snarled at her, "I've faced Outbound Ventures before. The only reason I'm alive is a sniper didn't take into account that Romulan hearts are where a human liver resides. That's the kind of miscalculation that gets us killed. That's the unknown variable this captain represents."
"You think she'd attack a Romulan diplomatic mission?" Aurelian scoffed.
"I simply don't know. And I need to find out quickly. She knows her vessel outguns mine two to one. Her shields are more advanced and her warp drive is nearly twice as fast," Danaris warned Aurelian, "We can't win a battle. But we can outwit a known captain."
"I'll contact Director Sela and find out everything the Tal Shiar has on her race. She can't be a complete unknown. I should be able to get a personal file on her as well. She obviously sheltered in the Federation, so they'll likely have records of her," Aurelian offered.
"Now, that is using your influence for a useful purpose," Danaris applauded her decision making, "Now get to it."
"I am not your lackey," Aurelian sniffed.
"Nor, are you my better despite your pretentions," Danaris scoffed, "I'm a necessity to your mission. I can leave you on any world I so choose. I'm certain your cousin wouldn't mind stranding you upon one for a time to quell your ambitions."
"Senator Eldanak and Empress Taralin are alone with this planet's Presider," Aurelian protested, "I must see to them."
"What is it they could offer that terrifies you so much?" Danaris asked.
"The truth behind our mission here," Aurelian told her flatly, "You and your entire guild are temporary proxies until the Imperial Fleet invades this sector. Starfleet is nearly out of response range in the sectors beyond. We'll have consolidated control before they can reach us."
"Fleet Admiral Tomolak and Director Sela certainly didn't apprise Guild Commander Rejak of any such plans." Danaris replied.
"It's a private endeavor. Your guild was hired to approach the planets and allow me to assess their willingness to host Romulan bases that we would eventually launching invasions from," Aurelian snorted, "I convinced certain commanders not waste our time with such maneuvering."
"In other words, establishing your own private empire to negotiate better positioning within the Star Empire's political structure," Danaris sighed. She snapped her fingers, "Centurion, arrest the Ambassador and have her detained an under guard."
Danaris' next move was to alert Tekana to Aurelian's ambitions and how they would play out, "You have to inform Guild Commander Rejak and have him warn Admiral Tomolak and Director Sela."
"We could negotiate a separate deal with Aurelian," Tekana suggested.
"I'll contact Rejak myself and inform him of your breach of contract with Tomolak and Sela," Danaris warned her.
"Of course I won't actually do it. My standing in the Guild is needed for my application to naval command," Tekana sighed.
"You need to alert Commanders P'ris, Aelynn, and Solaris to this situation as well. They need to be warned of upcoming events," Danaris insisted.
"You can deal with that will I speak with Rejak," Tekana told her.
"I arrested Aurelian on charges of treason," Danaris informed Tekana, "She blatantly admitted to attempting to carve out her own empire in order to heighten her status within the Star Empire."
"Your crew overheard this?" Tekana asked.
"Every bridge crewman and my Centurion," Danaris answered.
"Commander Danaris, withdraw the Senator and Empress and make for imperial space. You need to be across that border when Aurelian's allies come for her," Tekana advised her.
"I'll travel an unspecified route so you aren't compromised with them," Danaris pledged.
"I assumed the destruction of the Hobus star would unite our people and prevent anymore attempts like Shinzon's. It seems I was wrong," Tekana lamented.
"I'll get underway immediately," Danaris told Tekana and broke comms. She contacted Rejak herself. Tekana's initial ambivalence worried her. Both the Senator and the Empress were relieved to learn Aurelian was in the brig. They too were ready to testify before the Senate against the Ambassador.
Tekana knew from Rejak's delay that Danaris had already informed him in case she wouldn't do it herself. Her subsequent contacts with the fleet commanders also told her Danaris had been busy. At least when she'd done so with them it was under her orders. Solaris was interestingly unflappable about the situation. Aelynn and P'ris were greatly disturbed by the planned unsanctioned invasion. Rejak was consulting their employers. When Admiral Tomolak and Director Sela reached a consensus, Rejak would deliver it to Tekana.
"Red alert! Full stop!" Gellar ordered as three Romulan ships decloaked around her. There were two D-7 cruisers and a T'Liss-class Bird of Prey.
"They're hailing," Gia Manfredi reported from Communications.
"On screen," Gellar responded.
She recognized Tekana even though she'd changed her hair color and style. Instead of a natural red dye, she'd gone to a neon red velvet in an ombre effect that made it plain it wasn't natural. Instead of the straight back hairstyle she'd always worn before, her hair was messily tousled and tied into a sloppy ponytail. She dressed in a black military fatigues with a black turtleneck underneath. The new Guild uniform.
"Commander Tekana, we meet again," Gellar remarked.
"You still recognize me? I thought humans thought all Romulans looked alike," Tekana snarked.
"You have a distinctive look even though you altered it," Gellar replied.
"It's time we talked," Tekana told her.
"About your spying on us at every stop or about your hidden invasion fleet?" Gellar asked. She saw that shook Tekana up.
"How did you know about that? I just learned myself," she demanded to know.
"Maybe we just have better ways to collect intelligence on rogue Romulan operations," Gellar took a guess based on Tekana's tells.
"Fleet Admiral Tomolak hasn't authorized any incursion into this sector. The Praetor and the Senate only authorized a diplomatic mission. We were sent as security and as scouts," Tekana confessed.
"For a future invasion," Gellar didn't ask.
"Yes. If it was deemed necessary for the Star Empire," Tekana never wavered,.
"And now?" Gellar asked, "Why contact me now?"
"Because when they come, you'll need our assistance," Tekana told her, "We've been ordered to assist you in defending this sector."
"That's a surprise," Gellar readily admitted.
"There are more to come," Tekana promised.
"I don't like it either but Fleet Captain Gellar called for all vessels to rendezvous at very precise coordinates," Swift explained to her.
"Everyone?" Eiling asked.
"Captains Darr and Kirk are included as well as her previous assets," Swift explained en route to the bridge, "Apparently, there's some larger issue at hand."
"Larger than our pretext for being here?" Eiling was skeptical.
"Rogue Romulan commanders are massing forces to illegally invade this sector. Starfleet already dispatched a response that's en route. Seemingly, the Imperial Navy is doing the same to work alongside Starfleet," Swift told her.
"And us?" Eiling asked.
"We're working with the privateers scouting the system to provide intelligence for Starfleet and the Imperial Navy," Swift shrugged, "Who knows what else?'
"My week just got weirder," Eiling admitted.
"All of our weeks have," Swift complained.
"You verified the orders?" Landau had to ask Darr.
"Twice," the Captain admitted, "Riker and Korepanova both signed off on Gellar's orders."
"These coordinates place us closer to Federation space than Star Empire space," Landau noted.
"We're rendezvousing with Starfleet support that was dispatched before our orders were altered," Darr told her, "Say that isn't suspect."
"Gellar and her original force were here for over two weeks," Landau recounted, "How long has Starfleet known about this 'rogue faction' of Romulan forces?"
"No one is saying," Darr told her, "But given the math, Starfleet has placing starships in easy response range for that same amount of time."
"So, now the Imperial Navy is suddenly friendly?'Landau had her doubts.
"More like allies of convenience," Darr explained, "Tomolak and Sela don't want another Shinzon episode and are willing to work with Starfleet to prevent it. Meanwhile, Starfleet is working to render this sector neutral in order to keep the Romulans out of it."
"I didn't believe the locals wanted to be neutral," Landau confessed.
"I don't think anyone gives a damn what the locals want in this game," Darr sighed.
"Do we know who Starfleet sent?" Landau asked.
"Gellar doesn't have a frinxing clue. She was told to meet Starfleet ships at these coordinates," Darr growled, "They better have sent someone experienced."
The Orion command officer, Commander Torbin Gimme, had been only one of a small handful of candidates offered to Limerick as his XO. Since the Hood conducted operations solely for Starfleet Intelligence, he had to be vetted for a certain profile to be compatible with covert operations. Limerick had chosen Gimme but was still feeling the Commander out.
The Flight Operations Officer was a newly promoted Verity Jones, the only veteran Senior Staff Officer still aboard. Jones had been promoted from being Rascal Lead, the squadron commander, to being their overwatch. Limerick had pushed Jones to accept he promotion for his sake. Commander Jones wasn't comfortable being out of the cockpit yet but she was adapting.
Captains Chakotay and James T. Kirk were no strangers to covert ops. But Clancy had pulled them off of explorations missions in the Delta Quadrant that recently been canceled. Though Chakotay's experience with alternate timelines bothered Starfleet just as Kirk's recovery during the Veridian III salvage of the Enterprise-D's primary hull also raised alarms. Kirk was obviously from a different quantum universe. Which raised further alarms about the mysteries of the Nexus Ribbon even before the Quantum Wormhole became existent and fixed in this universe.
Kirk's survival in his universe in the encounter with Soran hadn't ended with his recovery from Veridian III with Picard and the Enterprise crew. Instead, an echoing flash of light like that that brought him out of the Nexus onto Veridian III, he found himself alone near his own grave. When Starfleet came to remove the body, they'd been alarmed to find Kirk alive next to his own remains.
Kirk had been retrained in 24th Century technology and Starfleet regulations and protocols but sent on a scouting mission into the Delta Quadrant ahead of Chakotay's mission aboard the Protostar prototype. Chakotay repeatedly found evidence of human first contact with species near the border. The mysterious "Captain Quirk" turned out be James T. Kirk. After he proved adept at adapting to modern life, Kirk was returned to a command of his own. Clancy was among those at Starfleet Command that balked at giving Kirk command of a capital ship. An exploration mission aboard a smaller, Protostar-class surveyor seemed to be an acceptable compromise.
Kirk had been delighted to reunite with the aged Doctor Leonard McCoy before his extended life ended and Ambassador Spock before his own disappearance in a singularity. Captain Montgomery Scott was alive and well in that era. Scotty had adapted a new Starfleet training program to acquaint Starfleet Cadets with retrograde duotronic equipment since the Iotians were proliferating starships based on the technology copied from the Federation's own technical historical records on the public Data Nets.
Scott commanded a replica of the original Constitution-class NCC-1701 USS Enterprise. This one registered as the Enterprise-M. Scotty was having a gay old time taking cadets out for semester long training cruises to ground them in the basics of older technologies they would frequently encounter in the current climate. Captain Morgan Bateman and his crew were also from Kirk's era. Bateman's crew had either retired or adapted to new postings across Starfleet. Bateman himself was given command of the Akira-class USS Honshu. Limerick also found himself aided by Captain Bateman and his crew.
Captain Temjin Bolo was a complete unknown to Limerick despite his now commanding the USS Monitor. The Bolian was a stranger to him. Nechayev herself had selected Bolo for the command. Bolo, in turn, had selected his Senior Staff from the short list Starfleet Intelligence provided him and his officers selected their subordinates. Bolo had been promoted after commanding a starship dedicated to ferrying around, inserting, and extracting SOC units from hostile territories. Commander Sarai Mikaela Gellar would have been Nechayev's first choice for command but the Bureau of Personnel had transferred her back to the regular fleet and ignored her decade of command experience to offer her a seven year slot as an XO. Nechayev suspected that BuPers had been manipulated into humiliating Gellar into resigning.
Nechayev released Bolo's unredacted service jacket to Limerick. Bolo was a competent officer but the Elven could see why Nechayev would've preferred Gellar. Gellar was making a name herself in the SID commanding an old Constitution-class starship. He could only imagine what she would've accomplished with a Defiant-class under her command. Gellar was adaptable to fluid situations in a way Bolo would never be.
Take her acceptance of a proposed alliance with Commander Tekana's privateers. Limerick had already field objections from Bolo regarding cooperating with the privateers and the Imperial Navy. At least his old friend, Pine, kept an open mind. Chakotay, Kirk, and Bateman knew that unusual circumstances called for unusual solutions.
"Commander Tekana mentioned that she has three primary subordinates. Have them all invited to come aboard. Contact Captain Gellar had have everyone of her commanding officers from each ship brought aboard as well as our Starfleet COs," Limerick instructed.
"What about their executive officers?" Gimme asked.
"You'll be exclusive in that regard. The invitations are for commanding officers alone," Limerick detailed the scope of the instructions. However, I want you and Commander Jones representing our ship beside me."
"Establishing dominance over the Romulans," Gimme grasped it.
"Better now than later," Limerick admitted to his ploy.
Gellar, Kendall, Conner, and Tyler were pleased to meet Liam Kirk, Darr, and Swift. Some of them had met Kirk before but none had met with Darr or Swift. Since Lieutenant Browning's Security detail was told to hold every SID captain in the transporter room until they all aboard, they were afforded a moment to greet one another. Then the detail took them to Limerick's briefing room. The Romulan Commanders underwent the same treatment. Tekana, P'ris, Aelynn, and Solaris were already present before Limerick, Gimme, and Jones entered.
"Who we released without interrogating," Kirk reminded her, "We didn't even negotiate a prisoner exchange as a show of good faith."
"You wouldn't have broken her anyway," Tekana snorted, "Your fame comes from your employing our stratagems and tactics against us."
"Your planting a human Tal Shiar agent on my ship was your revenge," Kirk replied, "No one knew you'd taken human prisoners in the war a century before that."
"I'm hardly Imperial Navy or Tal Shiar, Captain. Though I frequently work for both," Tekana replied.
"That's a Northerner trait. They pushed most Southerners off Romulus and out of the Imperial Navy," Solaris snorted, "So, more Southerners survived the Hobus shock wave on colony worlds than the arrogant Northerners. We're all of Southern stock except for that one. But she's half-human so she passes as one of us."
Solaris had singled out Aelynn. Limerick noted that not one single privateer had left their hair coloring completely natural. Tekana wore her red velvet hair. Solaris' bob was dye dipped green. Aelynn was bleached platinum white blonde. P'ris was the closest to a natural coloring for a Romulan yet even her braids ended in purple tips. No one representing Starfleet that was present knew that Talena P'ris was the daughter of Commander Talera P'ris, a renowned Tal Shiar agent that had died on Romulus when it was destroyed.
Thanks to Romulans' extended life spans compared to humans, no one could determine their ages. Just as no Romulan present could determine Limerick's gender or age. Elvens lived even longer than Vulcans or Romulans. Few Elvens left their sanctuary planets to participate in Federation life. The Elvens, like the Metrons, were so far advanced compared the Federation or its rivals that neutrality was the best the Elven Havens or the Metron Confederacy could offer them.
The Elvens had attempted to colonize Northern Europe and the Isles and inspired the myths regarding elves, fairies, and pixies, but they eventually left Earth and destroyed all traces of their culture as they fled humanity. They retreated as the Platonians departed Earth as well. The Elvens had been mightily surprised when the Federation, led by humans, reached the Havens and reached out diplomatically to them. The lost connection the Elvens, like the Platonians, was re-established. But neither races wished to join the United Federation of Planets. But singular representatives of both races left their worlds behind and integrated with the Federation. The price was self-inflicted exile.
Merry Limerick, like Aglaia aboard the Obsidian, could never return home. They were self-branded exiles who were permanently banished from their cultures. Limerick and those like him that chose exile from paradise wanted to help a cooperative entity like the Federation grow and prosper. They'd never seen the like before. Aglaia and other Platonians that left simply wanted to explore the stars and other worlds, forsaking their mental powers derived from the fruit that grow on their home world. But, their immune systems were no longer suppressed.
"You obviously are asserting your authority here by presenting your Executive Officer and another while restricting the rest of us to merely ourselves," Tekana pointed out.
"Commander Gimme, you're dismissed," Limerick changed his mind, "I'll brief you later."
"And your other officer?" P'ris asked about.
"Commander Jones is the Flight Operations Officer for Rascal Squadron. If they're to be engaged, and they will be, she needs to be in the planning session," Limerick replied.
"Now that we're gathered, perhaps now is the time to share the full extent of what we're facing," Chakotay suggested.
"One of our commanders and ships was assigned to ferrying around a diplomatic entourage. It consisted of Ambassador at large Aurelian, Senator Eldanak, and Empress Taralin. Aurelian is the Praetor's cousin and feels she's entitled to a more glorious role within the Star Empire. Praetor Tal'aura disagrees. So Aurelian assembled like-minded commanders within the Imperial Navy to seize this sector of space and create a miniature empire for Aurelian to bargain herself to greater glory within the Star Empire," Tekana explained, "Fleet Admiral Tomolak and Director Sela have assembled a response that is currently underway but the rogue faction is likelier to strike before the Navy gets here."
"And you're willing to fight fellow Romulans?" Kirk asked.
"Hopefully, we won't have to," Aelynn told them, "We have a message to broadcast from Admiral Tomolak to the subcommanders of every affected vessel to seize control and detain their rebellious commanders."
"That might work on some of them," Darr stated, "But the vast majority are likely to remain complicit."
"In which case, we can advise on Romulan tactics and we've been given ciphers to intercept their coded transmissions and forward them to you," Tekana told them.
"Some help is better than no help," Liam Kirk tried to stay optimistic.
"There will still be a lag in actual intelligence," Swift complained.
"We can't expect them to hand over classified ciphers," Gellar reminded them, "No matter how cooperative the Imperial Navy and Tal Shiar appear to be just now."
"We wouldn't do it," Conner agreed.
"And if they betray us?" Bolo asked.
"It's a leap of faith kind of thing," Prine opined.
"Our forces worked together against the Dominion and Shinzon," Limerick reminded them all, "It's not unheard of."
"Why are a few rogue commanders such a threat to the Senate?" Kirk asked.
"Because the reconstituted Senate relies on the Navy and Tal Shiar for legitimacy. Even the Empress is relied upon to endorse the Senate despite the Imperial line having no actual political power. But the people need to see the new Senate deferred to as the rulers of the Star Empire. Even a few rogue commanders could upset that new balance," Aelynn explained when Tekana wouldn't.
"But we're not talking about just a 'few', are we?' Chakotay sharply inquired.
"No, we're not," Tekana admitted, "This is what we do know."
"We're at the quarantine zone," Forger reported to Macen and Rockford when they came to her Ready Room, "How do we proceed?"
Macen handed her a padd, "These are the coordinates and final reports of the Federation cultural observers on the planet Renfri. The quarantine was extended to include that world. Starfleet has reason to believe the invader is still pacifying the population and hasn't moved on yet. The same applies for the other invader but this target is closer to our relative position."
"What should we expect going in?" Forger asked.
"These beings have the ability to project tractor forces with displays of physical constructs. Don't be surprised of the ship is frozen in place before we beam down to deal with the threat," Macen told her.
"You make it sound like they're known to Starfleet," Forger stated.
"They are. They've remained relatively passive until now," Rockford told her, "If we can't talk them down then we're here to neutralize them. Thereby sending a message to their brethren."
"If they're known, then they should have a response already," Forger frowned.
"As was stated, the beings have been neutral for thousands of years, including the last one hundred after their rediscovery. Starfleet doesn't want to provoke a retaliatory response. So, they've sent us instead," Macen told her.
"You said you've done this twice before," Forger recalled, "Why you?"
"I'm uniquely qualified," Macen said sadly. The couple exited the Ready Room and left the bridge to go their quarters. There, Macen retrieved a case from his closet. Unlocking it, there was cloth bundle inside. Removing the cloth revealed a sword inside a scabbard.
"That's it then?" Rockford asked.
"The last of its kind," Macen told her, "Handed down through my Order for thousands of years."
"The so-called 'god-killer'," Rockford said with some trepidation.
"It was forged to kill Q," Macen drew the blade, "It happens to work on Kelvans as well."
"If it can kill Q, couldn't it kill Prophets and Pah-wraiths?" Rockford asked.
"Yes," Macen bluntly answered.
"They let you keep it?" Rockford wondered about the wisdom behind that decision.
"It was still aboard when we recovered this Obsidian," Macen told her, "I used it when I left to kill Parvac."
"I assumed that trip was about your missions with Angelique and Bailey settling Tracy's old scores. I never realized you were on a top secret Starfleet mission," Rockford confessed.
"That was rather the point to avoid getting you arrested for knowing at all," Macen told her, "You know Admiral Forger has the whole ship as her surveillance platform."
"You know she still has audio recorders in our bedroom," Rockford reminded him, "You just tipped off that we've known all along."
"It's about time she learned that," Macen shrugged. He sheathed the golden blade and then strapped it to his back.
"There's something other worldly about that thing," Rockford shuddered.
"It's made of quantum matter. It can literally tear holes in universes," Macen warned her, "It takes special training to wield it."
"You're the last one with the training," Rockford reminded him.
"That's why I took on apprentices. My own people may not be willing to hand down the ways of a Seeker of Truth, but I'm willing to teach anyone that proves themselves worthy of the role," Macen reminded her in turn, "Knowing how to, and when to, use this weapon is part of that burden. Guarding it from misuse is the other half of it."
They geared up with conventional weaponry before setting off for the transporter room. There, Telrik was surprised to see Macen wearing the sword again, "I haven't seen that in awhile."
"You've seen it once," Macen sighed.
"An' that was a while ago," Telrik refused to back down. He wasn't as typically argumentative as your usual Tellarite but he was twice as stubborn, "Goin' to battle, are you?"
"I hope not," Rockford admitted, "But we have to be prepared for one."
"Say no more," Telrik told them, "Where am I'm sendin' you?"
"We're going to orbit a planet very soon. Target the largest gathering of life forms," Macen told him, "That should be the place."
"Just you two then?" Telrik grew concerned.
"You can't tell the others our location," Rockford advised him, "Not even Captain Forger can know."
"If our life signs go out or we lose comms, tell Forger to evacuate if she can," Macen instructed.
Macen's comm. Badge chirped and he tapped it. An alarmed Forger was on the other end, "A giant frinxing green hand just took hold of the ship!"
"Now you know what we're up against," Macen told her, "Telrik, beam us down."
"Captain, I advise we take the Romulan intell with a grain of salt," Gimme told his captain.
"You don't trust our supposed allies," Limerick noted with some approval and some caution, "This appears personal for you."
"I was the first member of my generation in my family to join Starfleet," Gimme admitted, "No one had joined since the Federation was founded. I had an ancestor who disappeared in the Earth-Romulan War. Now, we know that they could have survived and been held captive. Hell, one of the privateer commanders is half-human."
"So, in your estimation, we should trust her the least?" Limerick asked.
"Her human parent was brainwashed by the Romulans. He or she may have even been a Tal Shiar agent," Gimme was frustrated.
"Commander, I can't go into specifics, but Starfleet has assured me that Commander Aelynn is to be trusted. It's the others that we need to doubt," Limerick shared.
"The Staff Intelligence Officer's department briefed me on all the commanders. Nothing unusual was said about Aelynn," Gimme told him.
"It's above their grade and clearance," Captain Limerick replied, "Commanders Tekana and Solaris are ambitious and favored by Sela. That makes them dangerous."
"Am I cleared for this information?" Gimme asked.
"The basics," Limerick replied, "I have an advanced security clearance owing to my experience and years in service to Starfleet Intelligence."
"And Commander Jones?" Gimme sound envious.
"Same status as you," Limerick told him.
"What about our SID contractors?" Gimme wondered.
"That depends on what Admiral Forger clears them for," Limerick told him, "Not our division or our concern."
"Captain Gellar was a promoted lt. commander in Starfleet and vanished for ten years. Then she reappeared and resigned," Gimme had studied what he could of the SID commanding officers.
"That means covert ops," Limerick chuckled, "Gellar's story is unfortunate. She commanded a starship for those ten years but was transferred back to the main fleet and offered an XO slot instead of her own command. Nechayev wanted her in command of the Monitor ratther than Bolo. Most feel that was sabotaged by someone influencing BuPers."
"But why would someone do that?" Gimme asked.
"You've obviously been keeping your head down regarding Starfleet Command's political in-fighting since the Mars Massacre," Limerick observed with some surprise, "There are factional and ideological rivalries between members of the Admiralty and Divisions maintained by Starfleet."
"I just try to uphold my paths and do my duty," Gimme told him.
"And when your assigned duties violate your oaths to the Federation Charter and Starfleet Charter?" Limerick asked.
"Then I refuse to obey those orders," Gimme told him.
"It's amazing you've been recently promoted then," Limerick opined;
"I was serving on a starbase in the Beta Quadrant when the wars broke out. I didn't have to object to any orders because none pertained to the illegal war efforts," Gimme explained.
"Don't ask, don't tell," Limerick understood, "A lot of Maquis sympathizers went undetected the same way."
"Dare I ask where you fell on the issues?' Gimme wondered.
"You'd best not to," Limerick chuckled.
"You didn't tell Starfleet we already have a cipher for the Romulans' encryptions," Kendall accused Gellar.
"And give it away in front of Tekana and her commanders?' Gellar snorted.
"It was the best move. This way we can track the veracity of Tekana's efforts to assist us," Tyler agreed with Gellar's call.
"We can warn Limerick and the others when Tekana deviates from the actual Romulan chatter," Conner pointed out.
"Do we inform Liam Kirk, Darr, and Swift?" Kendall asked.
"They share our encryption and ciphers but Macen gave us the Romulan codes. Even Riker hasn't instructed us to hand them over," Gellar replied.
"We're staggered throughout the sector to serve as command and control. Limerick is taking a chance trusting Tekana's suggestion that the Romulans will engage in a four pronged invasion at these coordinates," Kendall complained.
"It does make sense though. The Romulans prefer shock and awe when subterfuge is abandoned," Conner admitted.
"Tekana and Solaris are only trying to score points with Tomolak. But Sela will never let them join the Imperial Navy while she finds them useful," Tyler replied.
"Agreed. They know it but they still compete to try and alter that condition," Gellar sighed, "All of our privateer commanders are completely Unorthodox. The rules may be changing in the Star Empire but the military is the slowest to change."
"I think it's a relief to see Romulans without the same stupid haircut," Conner said.
"I like the hair coloring choices," Tyler admitted.
"All the more reason to carefully watch them. They're strange compared to what the Imperial Navy has to offer us. That makes them unpredictable," Kendall warned.
"Its Captain Limerick's battle to lead," Gellar reminded them, "We deal with support and verification. If the privateers betray us, then its up to us to deal with them."
"This is that Apollo thing all over again, isn't it?" Jones asked Forger.
"Looks like," Forger was somewhat in awe of the forces in play here.
"And Macen and Rockford are just going to kill a god or goddess?' Jones scoffed.
"That's the plan," Forger shrugged.
The couple materialized outside the public square where thousands had been gathered. A woman in Greek armor brandishing a shield and spear had a sword strapped to her hip. The locals bowed before her, as she duly intended.
"Athena, goddess of wisdom and war," Macen noted.
"Self-proclaimed goddess. Just like the being called Apollo claimed when Kirk found him," Rockford retorted.
"Let's introduce ourselves," Macen suggested.
"Just like that?" Rockford was dubious of the approach.
"Just like that," Macen started his approach. Rockford caught up.
"This is your stupidest idea yet," Rockford grumbled.
"You there!" Athena pointed her spear at them, "Are you human?"
"Not precisely," Macen replied, "But we know a lot of them."
Athena strode her away through the parting crowd to confront them, "Zeus recently made contact with your people again. I hear he fathered a child. Is this true?"
"By all accounts. The child is grown now," Macen told her.
"Zeus has defied our laws then," Athena scowled.
"You're not exactly obeying them either," Rockford nodded at the prostrating natives.
"We hungered. So, we have fed on these creatures' devotion," Athena told them, "Is it not in our self interest to survive?"
"You can do it without conquest," Rockford argued, "Adoration can come from befriending someone and helping them instead out of fear."
"Apollo thought as much once. Now, he is no more," Athena accused them.
"You're sated," Macen noted, "Time to return home."
"We'll decide when it's time to return," Athena said proudly.
"That's been taken out of your hands," Macen warned her, "I represent a party offering you a chance to willingly withdraw."
"And when I refuse?" Athena scoffed.
"I've been authorized to kill you if I must," he warned her, "Turn back and don't force the issue."
"You think you can kil la god?" Athena laughed at him.
"We both know you have abilities amplified by an external source. Our starship has locked onto that source by now and is prepared to fire. You'll facing us on your own power alone," Macen advised her.
"You have no such plan," Athena scoffed again. Rockford tapped her comm badge once. The Obsidian opened fire with its phasers upon the signal and destroyed Athena's power supply. The giant green hand vanished.
"It seems you learned from the encounter with Apollo," Athena gave them grudging acknowledgment, "But you still lack the power to destroy me. Apollo took his own life. I will not."
Macen drew the godkiller, "I only need this."
Athena froze, "That's impossible. Not even Hephaestus can forge such a blade."
"My people have," Macen told her, "And we mastered using them against the Q."
"The Borg destroyed your kind," Athena felt fear for the first time in thousands of years.
"Not all of us," Macen promised her, "And some of us still remember the old ways."
Athena assumed a martial stance with her spear held aimed at Macen's chest her shield tucked in tight to protect her body. It occurred to Rockford Macen's summary of Athena's skills was apparently accurate and not just hyperbole. She moved unnoticed to the assembled and cowering crowds.
"Go! Get back to your homes and stay off the streets!" she instructed. Starfleet had already translated their language and updated their linguistic databases that the SID then gave to Outbound Ventures. Civic defenders and law enforcement directed civilians away from the scene while maintaining order. A group of apparent civic leaders approached her.
"We hoped Starfleet would come," one admitted, "But why aren't there more of you?"
"Starfleet is proceeding with caution. So they sent in specialists first," Rockford tried to encourage them.
"Starfleet has specialists for this type of thing?" another civic elder was amazed.
"Starfleet seems to cover just about everything," Rockford herself was amazed by that.
Athena thrust her spear forward but found her target easily evaded her. She'd assumed in an age where most humanoids had developed firearms or energy weapons, they would have lost the sensibilities involved with bladed weaponry. That didn't seem to be the case. She recognized that every movement Macen made was premeditated and based as a measure to counter what she was doing. He was gauging her and she felt toyed with.
Still, the would-be goddess kept her head. Unlike Ares, Athena didn't surrender to her rage or emotional swings in battle. He was more powerful but she was steadier and ultimately won more battles because of it. The humans had named a city after her. Ares couldn't lay claim to that.
In one unexcited fluid motion, Macen cut her apparently bronze spear in half. Another indication that the weapon was what it appeared to be. The metals her armor and weaponry were forged from appeared to be bronze but were an alloy unknown to human metallurgy. She drew her sword. It was thicker and denser than her spear had been. She estimated it could hold out better. Perhaps even grant her the time to deliver a killing stroke.
Her shield stopped his sword and her thrust and parry forced him back. She took the brief opportunity to view the damage done to her shield. It was gouged. Several more exchanges like that had her casting her ruined shield aside. It was nearly split down the middle.
"You can still walk away," Macen advised her, "You're purported to be wise above all else. Is this fight wise?"
"It will be after I kill you and claim your weapon as my own," while Athena never let anger overwhelm her during battle, her pride remained a thorn in her side.
They engaged in a flurry of swordplay. Athena had faced Earth's champions in battle or trained some of them at Zeus' behest. She hadn't expected to encounter such a being in this far flung date. She had no idea Macen practiced meditative sword fighting against holographic masters from hundreds of worlds. He knew techniques and styles of fighting Athena hadn't encountered even her long life span.
They were equally met for the longest time. Even the goddess was tiring. Then she felt a piercing pain in her chest. She looked down to discover Macen had thrust the godkiller through her breast plate into where her core energy matrix resided. Athena found it amazing and extremely painful as her the matrix that her being was disrupted and her bonds severed by the quantum matter of the sword. She estimated she might survive if he withdrew the sword from her being. He seemed to know it too because he buried it deeper into her.
"Well played," Athena congratulated him.
"Now, I'll discover Apolo's truth," she vanished in an energy disruption wave that didn't harm anyone or anything but instead seemed to make everyone feel an electric current run through them.
"That was...different," Rockford admitted as Macen sheathed the sword, "I think that thing is well named."
"There's still the other one," Macen said grimly, "Maybe they'll listen to reason rather than fight."
"Do you think they'll be somehow aware of this one's death?" Rockford asked.
"They all knew Apollo committed suicide," Macen shrugged, "So, I'm guessing target number two will be expecting us."
"She knew about your people too," Rockford pointed out, "Even your past with the Q."
"They stayed neutral in the conflict even though the Q asked them to choose a side," Macen told her.
"How many races like this are there?" Rockford worried.
"Fewer every day," Macen told her, "Most have moved on to different planes of existence. Then there are those imprisoned in this universe."
"Is this the being Kirk and crew met when Sybok took then through the barrier around that planet impossibly orbiting the massive singularity at the center of the galaxy?" she asked.
"It's called the One," Macen told her, "It played off of a planet's origin myths for thousands of years, moving on from one to another pretending to be whatever monotheistic god a group believed in. It demanded obedience and worship. It inspired holy wars to insure it would receive them. Eventually the elder races tired of the One and confined it."
"Even the Q?" she found it hard to believe.
"The Q led the charge," Macen assured her.
"That, I'll never believe," Rockford snorted. Her comm. Badge vegan to chirp and she tapped it on her belt, "We're fine, Shannon. Tell Telrik to beam us up now."
Moments later, the annular confinement beam took hold of them and they dematerialized to reappear aboard the ship where Telrik jovially greeted them, "What the frinx was that energy wave? The targeting sensors went nuts. I lost my lock on you f'r a moment."
"You'd never believe it anyway," Rockford promised him, "We might being seeing to again in the worst case scenario."
"I couldn't make out what it was near you. Never say nuthin' like it before. Was it alive?" Telrik inquired.
"Yes, she was," Macen said grimly, "Now she isn't."
"Oh, one of those missions," Telrik dimmed his enthusiasm.
Another comm badge chirped. This time it was Macen that answered his. Forger asked her obvious question, "Are we headed to the second target site?"
"ASAP," Macen replied, "I'd just as soon finish this and get an update from Captain Riker about our other situation in this sector."
"Copy that," Forger signed off and got the ship underway.
"We'll get an estimate of how long it'll take to get there any minute now," Rockford reminded him, "How about we grab a bite in the Mess Hall?"
"First lesson of combat: rest and eat when you can," Macen chuckled.
"The others will start asking questions as soon as we make a public appearance," Rockford warned, "They'll have questions."
"And we won't have answers," Macen glumly reminded her.
"What the hell is a 'Red Directive'?" Parva blurted the question as the SID team gathered together to confront Macen and Rockford in the Mess Hall.
Macen was annoyed, "Something you could be imprisoned for even asking about, So keep the indignation down."
"Do I even have to ask?" Rockford groaned.
"Kerber and Smith told us all after you beamed down," Daggit gave them the answer they expected.
"And they ducked out rather than attend," Macen groaned.
"They figured you'd want to bitch them out private-like," Mudd offered.
"We know what you fought down there," Daggit told them, "The giant green hand gave it away."
"'Cept me," Mudd admitted, "They had to fill me in on that history lesson."
"It's grade school lessons," Ebert told her.
"Like I went to school," Mudd rolled her eyes.
"So, which one was it?" Burrows got to specifics.
"Athena," Rockford told them. She shrugged at Macen's glare, "They'll figure it out anyway."
"You really don't believe that was a goddess?" Shade was skeptical.
"The Greeks on Earth and other planets thought so," Macen replied, "That's what counts."
"How do you kill a being that powerful?" Lee asked.
"And what's with the sword?" Parva pointed.
"You beat me to asking about it," Tessa sulked.
"Which part of 'I can't talk about any of it' do you not get?" Macen asked.
"You've done this before," Daggit guessed and knew it to be true, "This isn't your first Red Directive."
Forte studied Rockford, "But it's your first."
"Guilty as charged," Rockford conceded.
"Because it's the first one he's been assigned to since you married," Forte further surmised.
"And he would have told you about it anyway. So, you were added to the assignment," Ebert understood now.
"I was happier not knowing," Mudd confessed.
"Harri," Burrows chided her.
"What? It's true," Mudd countered.
"But you told someone else," Forte was still studying Macen and Rockford, "Someone outside the team."
"Now I'm insulted," Parva decided.
"I think I am too," Tessa greed with that assessment.
"She wouldn't risk it," Daggit decided.
"Who wouldn't risk what?" Burrows wanted to know.
"Neela, stupid," Mudd rolled her eyes, "They told her."
"Rab's almost right," Ebert insisted, "She shouldn't risk it. She'd have to pass through Deep Space Five's jurisdiction. Admiral Rager wants Neela's head on a pike."
"Unless she was smuggled through that much Federation space," Mudd brightened.
"Captain Vaughn would do it but he's already busy," Ebert stabbed at it.
"They wouldn't need to hitch a ride," Mudd said drolly, "They'd just have to reduce the crew and take a Federation shuttle or runabout."
"But the Razor's Edge would still have to be seen operating in and around the Bajor Sector," Ebert was getting it Mudd noted, "So, they couldn't take very many crewmen."
"For a hop this long, you'd need four," Burrows added into the conversation, "People with flight training but nonessential to their primary starship."
"It would have to be registered in the Federation," Forte continued the though exercise, "Something known to Starfleet or they could easily call up. An impounded ship?"
"The Militia impounds small and support craft all the time," Lee recalled.
"Major Wyn could easily get access to one," Shade realized.
"Leaving Griff in command while she escorts Neela. Because Major Wyn wouldn't be left behind," Parva spoke up.
"Katts and Javi are qualified bridge officers so they'd have flight control training," Ebert assessed, "And Sensors and Communications wouldn't be a priority on a milk run."
"They'd want a ship with legs but also hidden firepower," Daggit spoke up.
"But why draw them in and not us?" Tessa sounded hurt.
"Neela's connection to the Prophets works both ways. They guide her but they also protect her in order for her to serve their purposes," Macen said, "So, while we dealt with one threat, they could observe the nature of the second."
"You knew what you were facing before we ever got here," Burrows realized.
"We were fully briefed at Deep Space Three by Admiral Forger," Rockford admitted.
"That still doesn't explain the sword," Parva pointed out.
"It'll have to do for now," Macen replied.
It took an hour at Warp 6 to reach the last planet landed upon by Athena's kin. Forger wasn't surprised to see another giant green hand gripping a ship in orbit. But this time it held a civilian Federation runabout, "Prepare for full stop."
The ship lurched as it an invisible force that also manifested as a green hand gripping the primary hull, "Someone tell Macen and Rockford we've arrived."
"We're being hailed," Zimbalist told Forger.
"Don't tell me it's from the planet," Forger said.
"Negative. It's from the runabout," he replied from OPS.
"Jaycee, begin a target sweep. Look for the specified power emissions again and target them. Fire when you have them locked," Forger instructed, "Put the hail on screen."
Javi appeared and she quickly transferred the signal to Major Wyn. The Militia Special Forces officer looked as frustrated as Forger felt, "Let me guess, Neela went down to the surface and you're instructed to stay behind with no explanation of why a giant hand is holding you in place."
"That about sums it up," Wyn admitted, "We don't even know why we're here."
"Some top secret mission or something like that," Forger told her, "I was told my own sister would lock me away in isolation forever if I kept asking questions."
"But Neela was told," Wyn was as disgruntled as Forger over that.
"It's news to me too," Forger admitted.
"We've been underway with no clear orders for a week We finally arrive and get immobilized and Neela goes down by herself to face Prophets know what," Wyn vented.
"Macen and Rockford should be on the surface by now. They at least know what's going on," Forger told her, "They already dealt with something on a nearby planet. I was told it's a nearly identical threat on the planet. Something that has Starfleet so scared they quarantined every planet these whatever has set foot on."
"For our safety or to keep the knowledge isolated?" Wyn asked.
"This happened before in Starfleet's history. So, we have an idea of what they're facing," Forger told her.
"And that would be?" Wyn grew impatient.
"A self professed god being that once worshiped on Earth," Forger told her.
"So, your version of the Prophets?" Wyn asked.
"Kind of, except decidedly hostile if denied what they want," Forger explained.
"Pah-wraiths then," Wyn decided.
"Maybe somewhere in between. Anyway, we've had both good and bad relations with these beings in modern times," Forger told her, "I'm guessing the last one we just encountered turned hostile. Somehow it was dealt with."
"Dealt with how?" Wyn asked.
"I don't know how, but they killed it," Forger replied.
"Neela told us that she'd learned there was a weapon that could Pah-wraiths. But if it can kill them, then the Prophets are in danger as well," Wyn realized.
"Maybe that's why she's here. To learn about and to ease her concerns," Forger offered.
"I hope so," Wyn was still concerned. Forger didn't blame her. Humanity's ancestors had worshiped these beings and by unknown means, Macen and Rockford had killed one. The Bajorans had a right to fear for their gods' safety.
"Commander Macen and Detective Rockford," Neela came out of the alcove she was hidden in, "I'd hoped you'd arrive shortly."
"Have you seen it yet?" Rockford asked.
"She appears to be a human female but has demonstrated powers far beyond humans' ability to produce," Neela told her, "She's aware of my presence but hasn't located me yet though she's forcing segments of the native population to hunt me."
"A hunt?" Macen was intrigued by the tactic, "Is she armed?"
"Yes, with what humans call a bow and arrows," Neela told them.
"Artemis," Macen scowled, "The goddess of the hunt and Apollo's twin sister."
"Apollo? As in the so-called god that committed suicide rather than face isolation?" Rockford asked.
"The very one," Macen confirmed it.
"Is that helpful?" Neela asked.
"Artemis may bear Starfleet a grudge," Macen advised her.
"Is this it?" Neela pointed at the hilt of the sword strapped to his back.
"It is," Macen told her, "It's been carefully preserved for thousands of years and hidden away in my care."
"Can it be recreated?" Neela asked him.
"Not by any science still known to anyone," Macen answered, "And I won't destroy the last one that exists."
"But it can be destroyed?" Neela asked.
"Doing so is an art in itself. You risk tearing a hole in existence," Macen warned her.
"But, you won't live forever to protect it," Neela scowled.
"I intend to pass it down to a worthy successor. I'm training up a corps of replacements in my Order. They in turn will train acolytes. Eventually, I'll choose one to pass the sword along to. They'll continue the tradition," Macen promised her.
"The Prophets are aware," Neela told them, "They assure me you and your disciples don't pose a threat. But it has a name, yes?"
"The godkiller," Macen told her.
"Named things live up to their titles," Neela warned him, "They always serve their ultimate purpose they were crafted for and named to do. I fear for the Prophets."
"The Wormhole aliens exist simultaneously in the past, present, and future, right?" Rockford asked, "Don't you think they'd know if there was an actual threat to them?"
"There are...pivot points in linear time they can't accurately see beyond," Neela confessed, "Kai Winn exploited one of these to alter the Prophets' predictions of a battle between their champion and the Pah-wraith's chosen. She denied Bajor its golden age by ending the contest before it concluded."
"So, the timeline they'd witnessed changed," Macen understood now, "Introducing variables they now had to account for in their dealings with Bajor. That's why we were all selected as agents for them."
"Yes," Neela simply agreed without further elaboration.
"You're afraid they wouldn't see their own deaths coming," Rockford also understood now.
It was obvious now that this potential fallibility of her gods was a crisis of faith for Neela, "Yes."
"I knew I'd find you," Artemis boasted as the huntress came at them with an arrow nocked to her bowstring. She drew it back, aimed, and released. The arrow missed the evading targets and struck a nearby wall. It began to glow as it absorbed energy.
"On the deck!" Rockford yelled.
The wall exploded and an energy wave washed over the trio covering themselves from harm. A phaser burst from the sky detonated Artemis' external power source. The explosion could be felt from their location. Her next arrow planted in the street as her targets rolled clear. No energy was absorbed and no detonations forthcoming. Artemis scowled.
"I'll still kill you for what happened to my brother," she vowed.
"Gotta do better than that," Rockford rolled up one knee and took aim with her pistol and expertly shot Artemis in the shoulder. The goddess winced. Macen also opened fire and Neela joined in. Under the combined pressure of three particle beam weapons, Artemis cane to her knees. Her eyes were livid with hate.
"Now you kill me like you killed him?" Artemis asked.
"No one killed Apollo," Macen promised, "He'd lost contact with you all. He thought you'd left this plane. He simply gave and did what he though you'd already done before him. But before he did, he impregnated a human woman named Caroline Palamas. She had a child and she did as we'll. Apollo's grandson is a Starfleet officer aboard a starship in Thallonian space. His name is Mark McHenry. He has many of your gifts."
"Why are you sharing this?" Artemis asked.
"You don't need to die here today. Surrender these planets and go find your grandnephew," Macen offered.
"Athena turned you down," Artemis already knew, "You killed her for it."
"You know I can. I don't want to. I want to reunite your family," Macen promised.
"I release our holds on these worlds," Artemis bargained.
"Do you need McHenry's coordinates?" Macen asked.
Artemis smirked, "I am the goddess of the hunt for a reason."
She vanished afterwards. Rockford looked nonplussed, "That pegged out my weird shit-o-meter."
"You killed one and spared the other," Neela noted, "Care to elaborate?"
"Athena was about warfare, conquest, and domination. Her pride wouldn't let her let go of her conquests. Artemis was seeking a connection to replace that of her twin. Maybe McHenry can give her part of that," Macen shrugged, "We won't know until later."
"It seems the Prophets entrust you with this weapons and your future choices for it. So, I will too," Neela accepted her gods' desires at their face, "Major Wyn must be going mad from boredom by now. I should return and get her back to her command and our usual mission."
Rockford contacted Telrik after Neela beamed away. They weren't aboard the ship for long when Tessa appeared before them, "I'm the duly sent ambassador to tell you to report to the team or we'll kick your asses."
"I have this to seal away and Captain Forger to inform we can get underway," Macen told her, "Then I'm all yours."
"I'll go soften the blow," Rockford volunteered. Macen returned the godkiller to storage and reported Admiral Forger. The Federation cultural advisers were already reporting the changes since Athena's death and Artemis' surrender. The Red Directive was signed off on. Macen went to the bridge to personally consult Captain Forger.
"Some other corner of nowhere you want us to go to next?" she asked.
"Both your sister and Tom Riker mentioned upheaval in this sector," Macen told her, "Let's go be of some help to people."
Fleet Commander Tedara had been mentored by Tomolak himself. She was his prized protégé. She knew if this venture failed, her storied career was ended. She faced execution or worse. But, if the campaign were a success, the Star Empire would absorb another Romulan Empire. Aurelian could negotiate her higher place in society and Tedara and her commanders would be gloried by the Imperial Navy. Tedara would be looking to join the admiralty.
So, finding Starfleet already in the sector in violation of the agreement startled Tedara. Captain Limerick hailed her, "Commander, we were informed of your plans prior to your egress. We're here to resume the mutual exclusion of military forces in this sector."
"Where is Ambassador Aurelian?" Tedara demanded to know.
"Elsewhere, I'm told," Limerick replied.
"And Senator Eldanak and Empress Taralin?" Tedara asked.
"I believe they're the ones holding Ambassador Aurelian in custody," Limerick noted.
Tedara cut communications, "Get me Commander Tekana. Someone locate Commander Danaris' ship. The Klingon imports had trouble with sustained cloaking even using our cloaks. The Klingons were still perfecting their own cloaking devices."
"We're detecting older model cloaking fields," her Subcommander told her, "With the Starfleet vessels."
"Order the privateer scum to decloak immediately," Tedara demanded.
"Commander Tekana is hailing," the Subcommander told her.
"On my screen," Tedara snarled.
"Commander Tedara, surely this as much as a surprise to you as it is to me," Tekana opened the dialogue with.
"You're saying you're betraying the Star Empire under duress?" Tedara scoffed.
"I'm acting under orders from Fleet Admiral Tomolak and Director Sela. It seems your planned conquest of this sector and installation of Aurelian as its Empress alarmed more people that Starfleet," Tekana explained.
"Where is Aurelian?" Tedara asked.
"Commander Danaris should have reached Imperial space by now. She's delivering the real traitor to the incoming Imperial Fleet forces," Tekana was happy to explain.
"You fool! Aurelian could have handed us this sector with no resistance," Tedara snarled again.
"Apparently Fleet Command, the Tal Shiar, the Senate, and the Praetor feel differently," Tekana nonchalantly shrugged.
"Have you given them our communications encryptions?' Tedara wanted to know.
"I wasn't ordered to so I haven't. Not that I would obey that order," Tekana answered truthfully.
"Move away from their vessels. I intend to fight it out," Tadara warned Tekana.
"You know the Fleet is against this. You'll be confirmed as a rogue commander," Tekana made Tedara second guess herself.
"I hold the advantage in numbers. I'll never get this opportunity again," Tedara declared.
"They're clear," the Subcommander informed her Tadara ordered her ships to go on the offensive. Starfleet responded almost instantly. She received a report they were receiving communications relayed from the rear.
She called the Tal Shiar's Captain's List to see who commanded her opposing starships. Some of the names dismayed her. Only Captain Bolo seemed a dullard. Kirk was legendary and Chakotay nearly so. Sela ruefully acknowledged Limerick and Pine's expertise as well as Bateman's. Three new starships entered the fray as they dropped out of warp.
"Is that an actual Asia-class refit?' the Subcommander scoffed. Tedara warned him to keep his focus on the Lightning and the Quantum rather than the Statehood.
"Those are corporate registrations rather than Starfleet," Tedara advised everyone, "I believe they're contractors for the famed Special Investigations Division of Starfleet."
"Fighters rolling in," the Subcommander said gravely, "They were hidden behind a moon until called for."
"It seems Captain Limerick is full of surprises today," Tedara scowled, "Starfleet responds to our every move as though they knew it were coming."
"The privateer lied?" the Subcommander accusingly asked.
"I have no doubt she'd refuse an actual order to hand over the secrets to our communications. But Starfleet is responding with enough lag for our privateers to be intercepting our signals and relaying our operational orders and tactical calls," Tedara told him, "Tomolak ordered that much cooperation, at least."
"We're undone," the Subcommander said woefully.
"Indeed we are," Tedara agreed.
The rogue commanders sued for peace. Captain Limerick's only demand was that they leave the sector. His forces would withdraw as well, to be confirmed for the Senate by Fleet Commander Tekana. Commander Danaris would return with the new diplomatic envoy. The SID would resume their investigations. Tekana, Aelynn, P'ris, and Solaris would resume haranguing the SID starships.
Captains Kirk and Chakotay joined Limerick. Kirk was the most outspoken, "It's a mistake to leave that system unmonitored."
"SID contractors are monitoring it," Limerick reminded him, "And Commander Tedara and her confederates can't return to the Star Empire without being shackled and brought before the Senate and Imperial Fleet for staged trials. She and her fellow rogue commanders will choose to flee. Which means we'll deal with them after they do."
"I have word from my contacts on Serenity Station that Brin Macen and Celeste Rockford are about to assist Fleet Captain Gellar's inquiries," Chakotay said with confidence in them and their team.
Kirk brightened upon hearing, "Macen and Rockford and proved formidable investigators."
"That they have," Limerick agreed. Having met them once, he was quite impressed with their deductive skills and their ability to hide contraband in plain sight. He would have been surprised ot learn that in another place-time he and Captain Prine frequently collaborated with Macen going back to Macen's commanding starships.
When Macen allowed Tom Eckles, Heidi Darcy, and Chris Lacey fulfill personal dreams of refitting and upgrading the Blackbird-class scoutship, he'd given the Solstice to Chris Noble for her to own and command. But his first command had been a ship of the class, the SS Odyssey, the former USS Tiberius. He was far from done with them. The Bajorans had recovered the stolen USS Zuerich from where the Terrans had abandoned her in favor of the newly arrived ISS Scalphunter. Macen had acquired the starship from them and re-registered her as the Odyssey.
Eckles and Darcy called "foul" but it was already done. A prize crew had delivered her while they were facing the Red Directive. The Obsidian was a gem of a ship. But she was known as carrying Starfleet contracted investigators. The Odyssey could get them in and out of conspicuous places inconspicuously.
"Why do you trust Macen so much with so little experience with him?" Limerick asked Kirk. Chakotay at least had shared Maquis experiences.
"I trust my gut," Kirk said bluntly, "Forty plus years of Starfleet experience tells me he's competent and trustworthy. His entire team is."
"Yet, you won't even wear current Starfleet uniform," Limerick chuckled.
"I told the quartermasters the new materials make me chafe," Kirk asserted with a grin, "I don't see anyone lecturing Captain Scott for doing the same."
"Captain Scott also teaches a retrograde technology course on a semester long immersive training cruise," Chakotay reminded him, "Not a state of the art starship like some in this room."
"I admire Scotty's effort. But, I've respected every effort he's undertaken," Kirk told him, "With the Iotians pumping out Starfleet ships into anyone that has latinum hands, we're encountering more and more people and planets with a single starship or a collection of them based on our duotronic and early isolinear technology. If new officers and enlisted are expected to render aid to such ships, it's best to know how to do so from practical experience."
"Gentlemen, I have your new orders after this mission concludes," Limerick hand each captain a padd, "Essentially they're routes to explore in the Greater Beta Quadrant to counter the Romulan Empire's apparent sole access to them. Other operations are slowing Iotian sales efforts and expansion of their 'Federation' protection racket. Countering the Orion Syndicate is a priority again."
"Captain Freeman may have opened diplomatic relations with the Orions but we can't ignore their criminal enterprises forever," Chakotay approved of that aspect it seemed.
"This 'Gomer' seems hellbent on restoring the Syndicate's operations to their full capacity," Kirk agreed, "And First Contact missions were what I signed up for."
"The Romulans still loathe you for stealing one of their cloaking devices," Limerick chuckled, "The news that you'd returned from the Nexus created a great debate in the Senate whether to post a bounty on you. And it seems you have a history with the new Diplomatic Envoy the Senate dispatched to sell becoming a Romulan vassal planet."
"Really? Who?" Kirk was actually startled that someone from his past would be available given over ninety years had passed since he'd been a known Starfleet captain.
"Caitlin Darr," Limerick explained, "You met her in the Nimbus III hostage situation."
"She seemed ot be idealistic. I can't imagine that being a selling point in the Romulan Empire," Kirk admitted.
"Her idealism is precisely the reason she was chosen, or so Starfleet Intelligence is led to believe. With Aurelian removed from the privileged pecking order, Darr is the Senate's choice to represent the Star Empire to unsuspecting civilizations," Limerick told him.
"So, we have an actual salesman reporting to the Senate," Chakotay was sizing up their potential rival.
"Empress Taralin is still being kept from the capital planet, Caligula, as well as Senator Eldanak," Limerick told them, "You'll find full bios and psychological profiles included in your deployment packages."
"I would have thought the Imperial family had died on Romulus," Kirk frowned.
"Taralin was one of the last links in the geneology and happened to live on a colony world far from the Hobus shock wave. She was so far down the line of succession it took a disaster like the Hobus supernova to make her inherit the throne," Limerick explained.
"Why do the Romulans even retain an Imperial family when the Praetor, Proconsul, and the Senate actually rule?" Chakotay inquired.
"People like their symbols. Even if they're figureheads," Kirk explained, "Earth maintained several Royal dynasties for centuries as heads of state but they were essentially average citizens that lived publicly funded lavish lifestyles. All because of tradition."
Kirk knew Chakotay had been and raised on Dorvan V. His ancestors had left Earth in the early 23rd century to find a world ot populate to maintain such valued ancestral traditions. Chakotay had never been to Earth until he applied to and was accepted at Starfleet Academy. His father disapproved. He was one of the settlers killed when the Cardassians committed genocide on Dorvan V to clear the way for there merely being Cardassian colonists.
"I can accept that," Chakotay nodded, "But why send the Empress out into a scouting party? Why not cloister her and bring her out for public occasions?"
"That's how the Imperial Family on Romulus ended up perishing," Limerick reminded them, "The Praetor, in a dual ambition, removes a symbol with a legitimate claim of authority while the Praetor's is built on the sheer fact she survived the Hobus disaster. The second purpose is the Empress is purportedly very likable. So, she represents a side of the Star Empire Tal'aura wishes to exploit. Senator Eldanak is a similar case study."
"How so?" Kirk was intrigued.
"Eldanak is one of four Senators to have been off of Romulus when the star went supernova. Only, Eldanak is the only Senator from a world still in existence. The others either represented districts on Romulus or nearby colony worlds. Their sole claim to authority is that they were previously elected to the Senate. Tal'aura is one of those as well," Limerick shared, "Eldanak and Taralin are living representatives of the fact the Senate leadership has no actual claim to be senators at all. Something Eldanak has spoken out publicly about. Her appeal to the remaining citizens is to eject Tal'aura and her followers from the Senate and elect a Praetor from the Senators elected by surviving colony worlds."
"I can see why she's unpopular with the current administration," Kirk chuckled.
"She's also half-human. Which is an affront to Tal'aura and her ilk," Limerick told them.
"I was told they'd moved the human slaves off of Romulus and distributed them throughout the Star Empire," Chakotay told them.
"True enough. Humans have even gained civil rights on certain colonies. Eldanak is considered infected by such sentiment since she comes from a world that granted citizenship to its human population," Limerick had been apprised before departing on the current mission.
"So, explain what is currently happening," Kirk requested, "I feel like we're late arrivals."
"A privateer Commander, Danaris, has delivered Aurelian to Fleet Admiral Tomolak's custody. She in turn received Ambassador Darr. She already Senator Eldanak and Empress Taralin aboard. They're returning to this sector to wave the flag and hopefully plant it on a some worlds," Limerick explained to them, "The SID was called in by Starfleet Intelligence when Federation Cultural Observers began spotting advanced technology on worlds that couldn't have produced it yet. In some cases by over a hundred years by the standard development rates."
"So, they're investigating where it's coming from," Chakotay understood now, "But why send captains and crews in dutronic based starships?"
"Because the privateer guild hired to protect and ferry the ambassadorial team around used that state of technology or even earlier types of starships dating back to the Earth-Romulan War," Limerick explained, "The Romulans accepted that bargain. Now the SID has to explain why they sent in more advanced ships. I suppose they'll have to renegotiate the entire arrangement."
"Captain Limerick, the Imperial Fleet has arrived in the neighboring sector," Gimme signaled his captain.
"Keep me posted. Out," Limerick cut his XO off.
"Shouldn't we respond?" Chakotay asked.
"He's drawing their commander out," Kirk nodded approvingly.
"I have the Monitor and Merrimack patrolling together. You two will join the Pulse and Voyager on a patrol. The Honshu will join the Hood," Limerick told them, "You'll note that the only border we won't be patrolling is the space between the sectors occupied by Romulans. It's always been assumed the Imperial Navy can track their own. That will force the rogues towards one our patrols."
"Without a tachyon net, they'll be cloaked and undetected," Chakotay pointed out.
"You really think they'll simply withdraw without firing a shot?" Kirk chuckled, "Romulans change over time but not in that way. Ambushes are their life's blood."
"You dealt the first Romulan incursion passed the Neutral Zone after the Earth-Romulan War," Chakotay recalled.
"That Commander was efficiently ruthless. He was testing out the Romulans' first plasma torpedoes. It seems they abandoned those sometime after I went into the Nexus," Kirk mused.
"The Klingons discovered they were so volatile they were stored exclusively in a forward magazine," Chakotay explained the history, "A precise shot could blow the entire forward hull apart."
"The Romulans and Klingons were still cooperating before the Praxis incident," Kirk told him, "I 'departed' before the Khitomer Accords were drawn up and signed. Spock was leading the negotiating team alongside Curzon Dax."
"Have you met Captain Ezri Dax?" Chakotay asked.
Kirk smiled, "I've had the pleasure. The Trill weren't open about symbiots yet so I had no idea that Dax had passed through five previous hosts by then."
"Many doubted Captain Dax's promotion was appropriate at the time," Limerick recalled the recent history, "But Jadzia Dax had proven herself as the temporary captain of the Defiant during the Dominion War. Ezri herself was only the 2nd Officer when the Aventine's captain killed but the First Officer had committed mutiny. For a good cause to defy orders ot attack the Bajorans. But it was an inappropriate means to an end. Dax's record after assuming command proved she was the right choice for the center seat. She even had Commander Bowers restored as XO."
"Admiral T'Lara empathized with Bower's cause. She'd already allowed that he alone to stand court-martial for the mutiny," Chakotay had followed the case.
"Trust me, sometimes being busted back in rank is the best thing," Kirk chuckled, "Bowers needs seasoning to learn how to achieve his ends within a framework that avoids a court-martial."
"He'll never earn his own command now," Limerick shared, "He's poisoned at BuPers."
"Has someone explained that to Bowers?" Chakotay worried.
"It has been," Limerick told them, "He'd rather serve without advancement then sit on the sidelines."
"Good man," Kirk approved.
"Sam is one of the best," Limerick agreed.
"You sound personal," Chakotay noted.
"Sam Bowers is one of the few that doesn't get jarred by my races' appearance seeming to belie our gender or affirm it," Limerick smiled, "He's completely accepting of the different."
"Starfleet at its finest," Chakotay approved, "My tribe on Dorvan V felt that embracing the different was a sacred duty. With all the various Native Americans tribes on the colony, our elders often served as intermediaries. Despite some overlapping traditions most tribes held to differing ways of life. We sought to meet them as equals, embracing the differences rather than try to simply accept them or blind ourselves to them."
"That belief sent my people into the stars thousands of years ago. We even established an outpost on your Earth," Limerick reminded them, "Humans were less...cordial then."
"We really begin our patrol now that the Imperial Fleet is here," Kirk reminded them, "Commander Tedara will stay long enough to gauge the fleet commander's mood. Then she and her forces will make a break for it."
"I can see why you're considered such a tactician, Kirk," Limerick confessed, "It's not often a man lives up to the legend."
"The legend made far more and yet far less mistakes," Kirk chuckled he rose and headed for the exit. Chakotay followed while saying farewell. He and Limerick at least a limited past. Chakotay had been an instructor at Advanced Tactical Training while Ro Laren attended. He'd resigned before her graduation to join the Maquis. Limerick had been a rare commanding officer to go through and graduate after commanding a starship. It was to prepare him to command the USS Hood at Starfleet Intelligence's convenience.
Alec Prine, the other veteran SI CO, had earned command of the USS Merrimack as soon as her keel was laid. Prine himself had been granted the privilege of christening her. Captain Hev, the newly minted Bajoran captain of the other Defiant-class ship going into Intelligence service had looked up maritime history and christened his ship the USS Monitor to get under Prine's skin. Prine prided himself on being an "old fashioned Southern gentleman". So, in an act of Northern Aggression, Hev had thrown a gauntlet.
Hev had eventually gone renegade, partially for Nechayev's benefit and partially at her cost. When the Monitor was recaptured, even she was tired if granting clemency. It was bad enough Hev had broke major regulations in place since the loss of the Constitution-class USS Intrepid to assemble a single species crew. Vulcan alone had an exemption waiver. Many Vulcans still found it difficult to serve along side other racial crewmen. For every T'Pol, Spock, Saavik, Vorik, and Tuvok there were hundreds of Vulcans that had great difficulty adapting.
Prine would have Bolo well in hand by now. And their starships had the raw power to defend themselves and the speed to withdraw if they needed to. Chakotay and Kirk had proven their team building in the Delta Quadrant. Limerick simply wanted to work with Bateson and the crew of the USS Honshu. The Akira-class starship's captain and crew had a reputation as crisis managers par excellence. Like Kirk, Limerick wanted to test that vaunted reputation. It was also idle curiosity o see of Starfleet had lost some element of itself after their era leading up to the staggering losses in the chain of command fighting the Dominion. The replacements for those losses were directly responsible for illegally prosecuting wars against the Bajoran Republic and Cardassian Union but also of being humiliated doing so.
"Captain, I was about to request your presence. Fleet Commander Aldek wishes to speak with you regarding Commander Tedara and her renegades," Gimme shifted out of the center seat and moved to its immediate right.
"On screen," Limerick specified. The hard grizzled veteran that stared back at them did so with an eye whited out and four vertical scars tracing above and below the eye. Starfleet Medical knew that the Romulans could treat such impairments with optical implants like those Captain Geordi LaForge still wore while Starfleet Medical perfected optic nerve repairs capable of granting him his natural eyesight. A blessing he'd only enjoyed at Ba'Ku and the Briar Patch.
"I'm Fleet Commander Aldek. If you encounter Commander Tedara, you may defend yourselves or render assistance ot any she may be attacking, but if you apprehend her you will extradite her to us. It has already been arranged with your Starfleet Command," the Romulan got straight to business.
"You also think she poses a local threat?" Limerick sough clarification.
"I think she wanted to conquer dirt farmers who can barely achieve warp speed on their, prop up a preening idiot, and consider a diplomatic and military coup to negotiate for prestige within the Star Empire. I think she's a fool. But a dangerous one since her ambitions haven't been fulfilled," Aldek explained himself and the Imperial position.
"And the Praetor and the Senate's position on Special Investigation Division activities?" Limerick asked.
"If you're asking f they can keep their more capable vessels inside the sector, given our numerical advantage, the Senate will concede to adding one of them to your tally. But only one, so have them choose carefully. I retain veto rights over the choice," Aldek told him.
"They've chosen the Nova-class surveyor, SS Obsidian," Limerick knew already.
"Commander Tekana didn't report the presence of a surveyor ship," Aldek thought it a trick.
"It's en route. It had other business in the quarantined sections of the sector. The quarantine has been lifted for both sides," Limerick explained.
"I approve of the choice," Aldek signed off.
"Contact Captain Thomas Riker aboard Serenity Station. I want Captains Darr, Swift, and Liam Kirk reassigned ot me," Limerick instructed, "We'll add the Statehood to our patrol with the Honshu. The Lightning can join the Pulse and the Voyager. The Quantum can bolster the Merrimack and Monitor. Transmit rendezvous coordinates appropriate for each patrol and send them along to Riker. Lieutenant Zool, coordinate with the Honshu's CONN and get our patrol underway."
"Voyager and the Pulse are already underway," Lieutenant Marjorie Dusk reported from OPS.
"Captain, about our escort?" Jones asked from Flight Operations.
"Do as you'd advised. Launch Rascals One through Six. We'll rotate them on a continuous basis with Rascals Seven through Twelve," Limerick agreed to her earlier recommendation, "The Hood and the Statehood are the oldest model starships in the theater we'll be operating. Having continual fighter support could prove optimizing."
Gimme looked soured. Limerick knew the XO was jealous of the fluid relationship he had Commander Jones. But Verity Jones had begun as Rascal One and stayed in that post as she rose three ranks until reaching her current grade. Most of Rascal Squadron had moved on to Lead postings in other squadrons or accepted Flight Operations postings at starbases. Fighter pilots were one Starfleet designation you could grow out of with age. Special Operations Command was another. Elias Vaughn reaching one hundred years old as SOC field commander was unheard before he did it. But his vitality had remained that of a man half his age.
Eventually Vaughn's bones gave out before the rest of his body did. His brittle bones were coated with a polymer that purported ot be unbreakable but Vaughn knew there was no such thing. But the recuperation period after the procedure had began to slow him down. His physical fitness evals began to drop with each passing year. Vaughn finally had his dream command. That of an exploratory starship.
Even Tenmei agreed with the wisdom of her father finally accepting promotion and removing himself from field assignments. That's what XO's were for. They'd lost Deep Space Nine due to Starfleet's shortsightedness. But at least they'd kept the assembled USS Defiant crew together. They'd only needed to bring aboard a new CMO and nursing and medic staff. They'd received those transfers at Deep Space Four.
Captain Benteen had a preview of what would happen at Deep Space Nine when the medical team arrived a week before their starship they were assigned to. Accounting for transit times, the medical staff had been en route longer than the negotiating over administrative control of the station had been underway. Benteen knew then that the talks had been sabotaged by Starfleet Command from the very beginning.
"We're approaching the Watcher's current position," Aglaia announced, "ETA seven minutes out."
"Drop out of warp," Forger decided. It added time ot their rendezvous but the sudden stiffening of Miller's back alerted Forger there was a problem ahead, "Jaycee?"
"The Watcher is surrounded by Romulan ships. Classic three prong Romulan ambush," Miller described the scene.
"First give me a tactical display of the system and the put the show on the viewer," Forger instructed. The display first showed a stellar cartographical map of the solar system with each interstellar craft on display. The locals were wisely staying away from the apparent confrontation over the sole inhabited planet. Switching the viewer to a forward view as Aglaia began slowing their approach, Gellar's starship was confronted by a Bird-of-Prey and two converted D-7s.
"This is weird," Miller announced, "No one has their shields up or weapons systems armed. It's like a staring contest."
"Are they reacting to our presence?" Joelle Jones asked.
"Another converted D-7 declaoking in front of us," Miller announced before the slight blurring evaporated and solidified into a starship, "Weapons offline and shields down."
"Full stop," Forger ordered, "Stay ready to activate defenses but don't do it without provocation."
"We're being hailed," Zimbalist told the command crew.
"Why not put it on screen?" Jones half-jested.
"Let me know which ship is transmitting," Forger requested of Zimbalist.
Tekana appeared seated at her command seat in an alcove off of the seatless bridge. Forger already knew which ship was broadcasting. D-7s had captain's chairs and seated stations. The T'Liss-class ran lean, "Commander Tekana. Why am I never surprised? But, you have drastically altered your hair coloring."
"Captain Forger, flippant as ever," Tekana smiled at the trading of barbs, "Captain Gellar told us you were coming."
"Have we struck a conciliatory tone then?' Forger asked.
"After a fashion. Your Federation Cultural Observers are on every inhabited world in this sector preaching the evils of the Star Empire," Tekana playfully jested, "Meanwhile our diplomatic entourage is traveling about singing the empire's praises. You're here to identify the source of what you consider contraband technology transfers. We're to be seen and make certain no one makes hasty accusations that the Star Empire is behind it all."
"But are you innocent?" Forger asked nicely.
"The transfers began long before we arrived," Tekana snorted.
"So I've been told," Forger agreed with privateer's sentiment, "So, that clears your guild. Not every Romulan. You have criminals the same as us."
"The mighty and benevolent Federation has criminals? Really?" Tekana played faux shocked ot hear it.
"Yes, the Imperial Fleet has been complaining about smugglers for as long as the Federation and Star Empire maintain diplomatic relations. Happy?" Forger groaned.
"Ecstatic," Tekana smirked.
"So, where is Captain Gellar?" Forger asked.
"On the surface. Apparently her Exec made a profound discovery. Your arrival couldn't be better timed," Tekana told her.
"Am I going deaf or were you just completely gracious?" Forger asked.
"Your hearing must be faulty," Tekana chuckled.
"Can I enter orbit or not?" Forger asked with a smile. Tekana was always a potential enemy, even with her declared intentions. One word to the guild she belonged to and the privateers would quickly begin a hostile action.
"I'll single my fellow commander to let you pass," Tekana offered.
"Thank you," Forger ended the link, "Zimbalist, get a hold of every SID ship in this sector and determine their status," Forger instructed, "Aglaia, insert us into standard orbit as soon as we clear to navigate."
"There's no way that bucket beamed Gellar down from this distance," Jones pointed out.
"Which means the Watcher was in orbit at one point. I think this negotiated standoff is to insure the Romulans' way to control the narrative of whatever Gellar's crew has found on the surface."
"Do you think Tekana has any idea of what they found?" Jones asked.
"I have no idea. I've never seen her this jovial before," Forger admitted, "Whatever Gellar unearthed, it doesn't affect the Romulan agenda."
"All ships reporting similar situations," Zimbalist broke in.
"Alert Macen and Rockford. They need to prep to go down there and find out what the hell is going on here," Forger clued Zimbalist in to his next task.
"Ever wish you could go down too?" Jones asked.
"Nope," Forger admitted.
"I used to. I got over it after remembering how Macen operates. Rockford is just as bad," Jones opined, "Ro actually led the efforts Macen's crew participated in. But also ran solo ops. That included with other cells other than Ro's. They were damned successful but they also took on odds that shouldn't have played in their favor. It cost Ro bodies."
"And Macen?" Forger wondered about the Maquis days and the crew of the SS Odyssey.
"He only let T'Kir and Danan leave the ship on ops. A lot of times, Dana got left behind too," Jones told her, "There was no amount of trouble Macen and T'Kir wouldn't get into."
"I remember that. That never changed," Forger chuckled.
"Celeste Rockford is more professional but she's still as impulsive as Macen. Just, as Annika Ryst, she was one of the single best mercenaries in the business," Jones explained.
"T'Kir objected to Rockford joining the team," Forger let her known, "She once told Hannah Grace that she could tell Macen and Rockford were too much alike for their own good."
"She was psychic. You think she ever saw the future? That she would die and he and Rockford would get together?" Jones asked.
"No one ever knew about if T'Kir could see the future. Other than temporally translinear aliens, I don't think anyone can," Forger admitted.
"It was just a thought," Jones admitted.
"But given their whole existence being shaped by the Prophets through the Nexus," Jones had planted a seed of doubt in Forger's mind. Macen had encountered and faced the Prophets during the Dominion War. There's was no telling what he learned or was told then. Neither he nor Neela would speak of it. Had they reached out to T'Kir to let her know what would happen? It certainly seemed they could manifest anywhere given Sisko and Neela's experiences.
"Um, Captain? That Bajoran runabout Major Wyn was in? It's here for some reason," Zimbalist told them, "It's making a landing on the planet."
Forger sighed, "Signal the Hangar Chief. Prepare to launch the Corsair."
"You sure about that?" Jones asked.
"You want to wager on it?" Forger placidly inquired.
"Nope," Jones decided.
Chapter Seven
"Wasn't it though?" Mudd smirked from beside her in the cockpit at OPS.
"You're getting predictable," Rockford sing-songed as she headed to the aft cabin. Her detectives awaited her there. Tessa and Parva were back there as well. Smith and Kerber remained in their Data Womb. Daggit sat in the other open seat while Burrows manned the console just before the transporter pads.
"I didn't say anything," Burrows said defensively as Macen stared passed the man's shoulder to watch his wife pass through the corridor between mission modules to reach the cabin.
"It's a good thing it was Forger," Daggit told Macen, "We need that coordination. We may be a detached unit but my platoon was as well when you and Ro led our covert mission behind enemy lines. Working together like an actual crew as best we could saved our lives countess times."
"For foot soldiers and commandos you adapted quickly," Macen acknowledged the point.
"Forger started out as the ship's Tactical Officer before replacing Tom Riker XO and you as captain. She's a had a few years to learn your quirks. If she can anticipate little things like this, she can also anticipate what she needs to help us in a crisis," Daggit finished his thought, "I have to ask though, why is Parva coming with us?"
"We might need her engineering expertise to identify tech and where it's from," Macen told him, "The Cultural Observers aren't trained to and none of Gellar's captains have mentioned doing so."
"But they may have already," Daggit said.
"Is there a reason you don't want her along on what is purportedly a peaceful planet?" Macen asked.
"Parva has experienced some...mood swings lately," Daggit cautiously said.
"Meaning side effects from her genetic enhancements," Macen clarified.
Daggit nodded and Macen had to remind him, "You knew the risks when she underwent the modifications. If she starts to pose a problem or a threat to the mission or the crew, she's sidelined. Even from Engineering."
"Only Gilan has noticed it in Engineering. He said it's little things. Sudden sparks of irritation or bouts of manic creativity," Daggit was loathe to say.
"There are reason those type of enhancements are illegal in Federation space. I've kept her genetic status from Admiral Forger. But if it becomes obvious, I have to suspend her to protect the team," Macen warned him, "Luckily, actually by design, we're based outside the Federation. So, people like Parva and Tessa can have lives. Tessa is easier to hide. Amanda knows she's an EMH. She just doesn't care about Tessa being an Artificial Holographic Lifeform or that we have a mobile emitter."
"Dr. Zimmerman and Reg Barclay were happy to supply is with a replica of the Doctor's," Daggit recalled.
"One of their first successfully reversed engineered copies," Macen concurred, "The deal was, in exchange, we keep an ear out for the Doctor."
"Why not an 'eye'?" Daggit asked.
"Despite his original programming, the Doctor considers himself an operatic virtuoso. We'll find him because of his singing rather than his medical skills," Macen pointed out.
"I'm glad Vic Fontaine was able to return to Deep Space Nine," Daggit confessed, "Though, I miss his show."
"Or whatever the Bajorans end up calling the station now," Macen shrugged, "But the mere fact the Bajoran Militia owns the station saved Vic's presence there."
"Whatever works, man," Mudd interjected.
"Harri!" Ebert was scandalized.
"Like you weren't listening in too," Mudd batted aside the objection.
"At least I don't show off about it," Ebert retorted.
"You're the little frinxing fly on the wall, Tracy Ebert. It's no wonder you get along so well with Bailey Smith and Angelique Kerber," Mudd accused.
Macen thought about revealing that whole ship was wired to spy on them for the SID. He decided it was time to. He had Ebert put him on open channel throughout the runabout once they'd launched and were descending through the planet's atmosphere. The fallout was predictably outraged and chaotic.
"What the frinxing hell?" Parva was the first to charge into cockpit, "Forger knows about my genetic modifications?"
"No," Macen told her.
"What about me?' Tessa was standing right behind Parva.
"There, she doesn't care," Macen assured her, "Smith and Kerber scrub the data regarding our actual secrets. It's automated into the very system used to spy on us."
"She watches us have sex?" Burrows was angry.
"Kinda kinky," Mudd grinned.
"The bedroom recorders are audio only," Macen told him.
"Still kinky," Mudd snickered, "I didn't think she had it in her."
"Bailey and Angelique use filters so Forger's staff never see you say or hears you say anything within a certain proscribed list of topics," Macen told them. He was still shipwide, So Rockford had managed to restrain her detective team from storming the cockpit.
"How long have you and Celeste known?" Parva asked coldly.
"Ever since the system was installed. Our Data Team ran a very discreet diagnostic Starfleet can't detect to find our modifications and driving software operating the system."
"And it uploads every time we draw near a comm buoy or relay station?" Daggit asked.
"That's their plan anyway. The scrubbing takes place real time. So none of you are compromised in any way," Macen promised them, "There would have been official protests from The Powers That Be if you had been."
"In other words, Forger would've kicked us to the curb by now," Burrows grasped it.
"That's the essentials of it," Macen told them.
"But why us?" Ebert asked, "And why now? Even before we transferred universes we worked for Forger. She knows we're trustworthy."
"But Starfleet Command doubts we're loyal to Starfleet Command after our siding with the Bajorans on several issues and defying Starfleet edicts to free the Federation from autocrats." Macen unhappily told them, "Ro was sent to personally investigate me. From witness testimony from Riker and Danan, I'm compromised in Starfleet Command's version of things."
"The Skipper turned you in?" Ebert was aghast.
"Ro is a commander in Starfleet Intelligence now. She had to choose between loyalty to Starfleet or to me," Macen told wearily, "Apparently, she chose Starfleet."
"But you did the opposite for her!" Ebert protested.
"Which is probably why I received an unbiased treatment," Macen told her, "I wasn't portrayed as an enemy of the Federation. I'm just beholden to Starfleet Command. They're looking for a brand of personal loyalty to the Starfleet Commander. Someone that will accept and obey any order given."
"Even Ro Laren won't do that," Mudd snorted.
"Especially not Ro Laren," Macen concurred, "So, we still have a friend inside Starfleet. But, she had to appear loyal to Starfleet while she toned down the narrative."
"Meaning?" Mudd wondered.
"She learned about Sakonna's section," Macen sighed.
"I thought even Captain Riker was oblivious," Ebert mentioned.
"I sure as hell am," Parva growled.
"And for your own sake, those that don't already know, should never bring the topic up again," Macen warned them, "Starfleet is taking a dim view of our independent project outside of Outbound Ventures."
"Then why does she know?" Mudd glared at Ebert.
"Because Tracy knows everyone in the section," Macen told her, "They'd confide in her anyway. So, Celeste and I simply got there first."
"This is why the station is swimming in ex-Maquis," Daggit surmised, "You're running an independent black ops group."
"I prefer the term 'vigilante' but essentially you're right," Macen said cautiously, "But, even knowing that, you can't know the target list or operational details. A lot of people are undercover within certain criminal cartels."
"Ro clued Starfleet in and they're shutting your little operation down?" Mudd was surprised.
"All Ro discovered was that we operate outside Federation space," Macen told her.
"Do you operate within Federation space?" Mudd asked rather pointedly.
"It depends on the situation and the target," Macen shrugged, "Borders are imaginary anyway."
"You two squirrels risked your lives and freedom to protect an imaginary DMZ," Mudd retorted.
"Bring that up, why don't you?" Ebert grumbled, "We'd almost won because of the Klingon War and then the Dominion stomped all over us."
"And you enlisted with him and went back to it," Mudd pointed a finger at Daggit.
"Technically, Starfleet recruited us. Angosia was granted Federation membership in exchange for our service," Daggit said stiffly.
"'Cept certain Augments, like Annika Ryst, were smart enough to get the hell of Dodge rather than sign up on Starfleet's dotted line," Mudd snarked, "How many of your platoon returned alive?"
"All of us," Daggit said proudly, "Though it got hairy all the time."
"With Ro and this nut bar in command, I don't doubt it," Mudd remarked staring at Macen, "But how many of you stayed in Starfleet?"
"All of us," Daggit told her.
"Really? How come I didn't know that?" Mudd asked.
"I was the only officer. So, I qualified when the Picard needed a new Tactical Officer. The rest of the platoon integrated into Noyce's Starfleet Security or joined SOC," Daggit shared.
"He doesn't tell many people any of that," Parva confessed, "We were married before he shared it with me."
"What about this history?" Mudd inquired.
"Different story," Daggit said sadly, "Everyone survived but scattered rather than return to Angosia. I went to work with Macen when he began security contracting."
"How the hell does Hannah Grace fit into any of this?" Mudd suddenly diverted, "Here, she's Starfleet and a friendly?"
"Here, Section 31 never blackmailed her into joining. The Section 31 records the SID inherited lacked any data linking Hannah to the Kelvans," Macen explained, "But after the war, so she still went independent for a time. Which is how we all met. She still met Ian Delaney on a contract. But here, she rejoined Starfleet and Liz Liefers pushed through her transfer request to the Intrepid."
"And they still married and Delaney had no clue she's a Kelvan?" Parva asked.
"Nary a one," Macen told her, "When Ian integrated into this universe, he revealed that he knew Hannah's secret to her. The previous Delaney and Grace were having marital issues. Largely swirling around her secret. But having him know reopened doors. And since this Grace isn't a Section 31 mole, they can have a happy ever after. Provided they live long enough."
"We're landing if anyone still cares," Ebert announced.
Holy frinx! That went by fast," Mudd blurted.
"Some of us still paid attention to what was around us," Ebert blew her a raspberry.
"I assume you alerted Captain Gellar to our arrival?" Macen asked Ebert.
"Captain Forger told her we were coming. I gave her our landing coordinates," Ebert explained, "I also spotted our Bajoran friends on the landing platforms."
"Why did Neela and Wyn come back?" Rockford asked as she came forward from the aft cabin.
"I intend to find out," Macen promised her.
"Someone needs to make a hole so we can open the damn hatch!" Burrows demanded. Burrows and Daggit took up position at the hatch with their rifles gripped and ready to be aimed. The hatch slid open. The air itself was spicy.
"Is that cinnamon?" Burrows asked after he and Daggit had secured the hatchway. Daggit signaled inside so the others would begin to exit the runabout.
Tessa scanned the air, "It's similar. It seems to permeate the atmosphere.
"She isn't wrong," Gellar was approaching with two Security enlisted crewman as an escort, "This is largely a desert planet. The spice is imbedded in the sands. You just missed a sandstorm. The spice will stay in the air for hours afterwards."
"You haven't been here long enough to know that," Lee stated.
"I have good local guide," Gellar grinned, "Follow me. Some friends of yours of a Bajoran persuasion arrived earlier saying you'd be coming."
"You said you'd found something? Clues related to the tech sellers," Rockford got on mission.
"Commander Lupus made the discovery. Frankly, he scared the shit out of the locals. So, he asked me to switch places with him to calm them down.," Gellar chuckled, "Apparently humans look less threatening. You'll understand better when you meet a local. There's a guide party up ahead. You'll know when you see it."
The newly arrived SID team instantly understood what Gellar was speaking of when they spotted their guides to be. They were evolved from a rodent species. They resembled, for lack of better terminology, like giant mice. Lupus was descended from a predatory lupine species. So, his making the locals jittery was an evolutionary throwback reaction.
"Good call switching out," Rockford told Gellar.
They were warmly greeted but the guide leader had to ask, "Why is our purchasing advanced technology upsetting you?"
"It upends social evolution," Tessa explained, "You gain access to technology that can split society apart into the franchised and the disenfranchised. That could lead to a revolution."
"How long ago did your people discover warp technology?" Macen asked. As a former A&A Officer, he was trained to pursue this type of inquiry.
"Just one hundred cycles ago," the guide leader, named Quirrel, answered, "Why is that relevant?"
"How advanced is your warp technology?" Parva asked, "How fast can you go?"
"According the scales your Federation Cultural Observers showed us, we can reach what you dubbed 'Warp 5'," Quirrel answered.
"So, you achieved interstellar travel?" Parva asked further.
"We can traverse our designated sector within days instead weeks or months like we did before. We have two ships exploring deeper space," Quirrel explained.
"They're most advanced race the Federation has encountered within the sector. The remarkable thing is every inhabited planet has reached warp technology," Gellar stated.
"I doubt that's coincidental," Macen decided, "Is it, Quirrel?"
"What d you mean?" Quirrel sounded nervous.
"You outpaced your neighbors technologically. You've been traveling throughout the sector since you achieved Warp 2. That would require months to traverse the sector. The fact you know how the Star Empire and the Federation have agreed to designate the sector's borders makes me inclined to think you've not only been peddling technology, you've been purchasing it as well," Macen described his theory.
"Spice is our primary export," Quireel argued.
"Now it is. Before it was warp technology. That's why all the neighboring planets are at the same equivalent. It's as far as you've taken them. You want to maintain your technical superiority," Macen concluded.
"We've committed no crime," Quirrel was quite agitated by now.
"No, no local laws or customs have been violated. Just a general rule of thumb the Federation and Starfleet learned the hard way. Similar outreaches by the United Earth Starfleet yielded us the Iotian Federation and the Ekosian Nazi regime," Macen knew the references were getting through despite logic suggesting they shouldn't, "But you already know these names and cautionary tales. You've been coached in them."
"I think you should leave our planet," Quirrel strongly suggested.
"Commander Lupus was on to you," Gellar broke in, "He was about to uncover who your own supplier is."
"Why is it that Lupus and our Orion engineer make you nervous but you see humans as potential allies?" Macen asked.
"Her people threatened us. They wanted our spice at a ridiculously low price. We would starve on what they wanted to pay for it," Quirrel lashed verbally at Parva, "They threatened to come back an enslave us."
Parva sighed, "Well there's your proof the Syndicate is slave trading again. No matter what Gomer claims," Parva said dourly, "And in case you haven't noticed, I'm not that kind of Orion. I was their slave and I escaped. So, I oppose them."
"Someone offered to protect you from the Orion Syndicate," Rockford stated, "Who was it?"
"They're all around you in space," Quirrel revealed.
"So, you hired a privateer guild from the Star Empire to protect you," Gellar summarized, "Who is selling advanced technology to these unsuspecting worlds?"
"We don't buy trinkets like the others," Quirrel straightened up and showed his race had spines after all, "We're buying weaponry to defend ourselves. The Romulans cost too much."
"But the privateers caught on to that ambition, didn't the?' Rockford pushed him further, "So, they're essentially blockading this sector."
"Yes! But we still get shipments smuggled through," Quirrel snapped back at her. "We arm every interstellar vessel we have when they return for resupply."
"Just tell us who is selling you weaponry and we'll leave you in peace," Macen offered.
"We only deal with one human. Over subspace radio. His name is Boromov," Quirrel told them.
"Pytor Boromov?" Macen asked sharply.
"I didn't know he had two names," Quirrel confessed.
"Does he look like this?" Tessa asked and a mug shut pulled up on her tricirder screen.
"Yes, that's the human," Quirrel confirmed it.
"Here we go again," Macen said sourly.
"The Federation isn't getting the job done," Rockford complained, "They let Boromov go and he assumed a role inside Grimes Armaments. He needs to be put down."
"Whoa Cowgirl. We just can't start executing bad people because they're bad," Gellar argued, "There is this concept called 'due process'."
"Frinx due process. It brought us here again. Same scenario. Same man behind it," Rockford was livid, "When does it end in your perfect Federation?"
"Despite the name, you're not human, are you?" Gellar slowly realized.
"I'm Angosian. An Augmented soldier," Rockford revealed to her, "My kind know how to deal with traitors and warfare."
"We need to inform Commander Tekana," Gellar switched tactics.
"Tekana is well aware of Boromov's involvement. That's why she hasn't hindered your investigation. She even aided you in stopping a Romulan invasion. Tekana wants to see Boromov hang for smuggling into a sector that the privateers are paid to patrol," Macen told her, "It's a stain on their reputation."
"And in that business, reputation is everything," Rockford warned Gellar, "Have you ever heard of Annika Ryst?"
"She's an infamous mercenary. A favorite of the Orion Syndicate. She is wanted across the Federation and other wolds for crimes against life," Gellar recalled the wanted notices SOC regularly updated.
"I was Annika Ryst," Rockford shared, "So I know what I'm talking about."
"My God," Gellar stepped back.
"Easy, Captain," Macen saw Gellar's hand drift toward the phaser on her hip, "I wouldn't do that."
Burrows and Daggit now had their rifles trained on Gellar's escorts. Macen spoke softly to Gellar, "Everyone comes from somewhere. Sometimes that place is a dark one. But People can change. If they choose to. Boromov has been offered chance after chance with penal colony stints that aren't stringent enough for the crimes he's committed. Celeste is right. The Federation's judicial system has failed Boromov. It's time for new options."
"So what then?" Gellar coldly asked.
"We find another judicial system to bring Boromov before," Rockford suggested, "The Romulans seem to want him."
"So do the Cardassians and Bajorans," Macen added to the list.
"The Romulans and the Cardassians would be guaranteed death sentences," Gellar protested.
"The Bajorans would put him in trial for the deaths of the Plantation colonists," Rockford reminded her, "All three colonies."
"And the Bajorans still hold to a death penalty for murderers," Macen said grimly.
While Gellar processed that, she waved her Security team down. Daggit and Burrows lowered their rifles. Quirrel pointed out the arrival of the guides leading the Bajoran party to them.
"I thought you'd be halfway to Deep Space Five by now," Macen admitted.
"We were diverted," Neela said cryptically.
"For whatever reason, it spooked her," Wyn added. Javi and Katts just looked happy to actually be visiting a new world instead of staying behind on the Razor's Edge. Neela almost looked devoid of escorts without her usual company of constables.
"And you couldn't rely on the security of Militia encryption in subspace radio transmission," Rockford understood.
"Yah, the Tal Shiar would've spent the entire Dominion War breaking those current codes and keeping up with the new ones," Mudd offered.
"So, Bajoran Intelligence keeps warning the Militia," Javi replied. As a Communications Officer, she had to stay abreast of the latest encryption protocols and ciphers, "Our impounded runabout hardly uses any of our own signal codes. Though it had some Orion encryption ciphers."
"Which will be added into evidence against the owner," Wyn promised.
"You don't think the Militia Constabulary found them?" Lee was surprised. Bajoran constables were among the best in the galaxy.
"I barely found them and I was specifically looking for them," Javi stated, "Anyone outside of a highly trained Comm Officer would've missed them entirely."
"Even Constable Odo had limits," Ebert reminded Macen. Limits the Maquis had exploited. It took Odo working with Major Kira to uncover that the Militia had hired the Architect Program as strategic consultants. The Architect was based off of DS9. Odo and Kira wanted to know what the humans had been hired to do. What they discovered was that Sveta Korepanova and her female team of strategists were running most of the Maquis missions from Deep Space Nine. The Militia was covertly supporting the Kohn Ma and other renegade Resistance groups that hadn't laid down arms after Occupation ended. Instead, they joined the Maquis in their own struggles against Cardassian occupations.
Odo arrested Korepanova and her Architect planners. The Militia major and lieutenant assigned as liaison officers were simply reassigned rather than joining the officers on the station. Out of simple curiosity, Kira had looked the officers up after making General of the Chiefs of Staff. Both Militia officers had been sent on covert ops missions to actively train and support former Resistance cells that hadn't been based on Bajor or its colonies. Most of those worlds had become planets within the Demilitarized Zone with the Federation or were within the ceded ot the Cardassian Union Dorvan Sector.
Cardassia had mightily groaned that they gave up planets to the Federation as well as the Federation ceding the entire Dorvan Sector and relinquishing any administrative control over the DMZ. In sum total they'd surrendered three Subject Worlds they'd strip mined to near inhabitability. They'd offered the system Empok Nor was located in but they had mined those worlds to barren lifelessness. Unlike the Federation, who would either tow a starbase to a new location or dismantle it, the Cardassian had merely booby trapped their abandoned ore processing station and left behind "zombie" protectors.
"What would Bajor charge Pytor Boromov with?" Macen asked, "Assuming they had custody?"
"The deaths of thirty thousand Bajorans," Wyn easily said. Obviously the thought of exfiltrating Boromov from Federation space had been floated within Special Forces ranks, "But the fact that he's a Federation citizen would complicate the sentencing if he were proven guilty."
"How so?" Gellar was intrigued by that fact.
"I was given clemency to reduce my sentencing from death to twenty years imprionment by the Arbitrator because the Federation and Starfleet insisted upon it. Since I'd killed a Starfleet engineer, the judiciary took the requests into serious consideration," Neela explained.
"You obviously never served a twenty year sentence," Gellar scoffed.
"I was pardoned in exchange for services rendered to the Bajoran Republic and to Kai Winn," Neela explained.
"So, if the Federation made a stink again, Boromov could be spared a death sentence?" Gellar asked.
"He can only serve one out of thirty thousand life sentences," Katts stated, "He'd be sent to a hard labor camp. We kept a few from the Occupation days. They're replete with Cardassian comforts."
"Honestly?" Wyn asked, "Executing him would be kinder."
"Andorian and Klingon justice is hardly any cleaner from your perspective. And they're readily embraced by the Federation," Macen reminded Gellar, "The Ardanans still practice apartheid and the Federation allies itself with them."
"Ask Commander Tekana what the Star Empire would do with Boromov," Rockford suggested, "And let us know. You have three penal candidates. You get to pick one. We'll follow your lead on it."
"You'll be stopping the smuggling?' Quirrel protested.
"You'll have to stay ahead of the competition on your own merits," Parva snorted.
Gellar recalled her investigators combing the planet. The Watcher was then summoned using a comm beacon. The newly arrived SID team said its farewells to Neela and her compatriots.
"She's a beaut," Mudd admired the runabout close up, "What's her name?"
Wyn shrugged, "We just call it 'the runabout'."
"I can only imagine the name you would've come up with for your own ship if I hadn't named it before giving it to Neela," Mudd said drolly.
"Neela named the Ark of the Prophets. So, I'm certain she would have met your exalted expectations," Katts snickered.
"What do you do again?" Mudd wanted to know while Ebert chortled.
"I'm a Scan Specialist," Katts answered.
"Then go scan something," Mudd said irritably.
"You two get aboard and get the ship ready for travel," Wyn instructed Javi and Katts.
"We should make sure Parva, Daggit, and Burrows don't throw something out of alignment aboard the Corsair," Ebert suggested to Mudd.
"I'm telling Parva you said that," Mudd gloated.
"You would,' Ebert sighed. She at least knew the three detectives and Tessa would stay out of her cockpit.
"You face dangers ahead," Neela warned Macen and Rockford, "The Prophets didn't tell me what, but you'll be faced against Starfleet."
"That's what you came back to tell us?" Rockford thought the message benign enough to transmit.
"You know more. They shared something specific," Macen knew from the slightest tremor in Neela's voice.
"Boromov is somewhere very secure," Neela warned them, "But faces from your past are no longer assigned to the area you knew to be at."
"How do you know they're from my specific past?' Macen inquired.
"The Prophets assuming their faces told me that much," Neela confessed.
"Did you recognize any of them?' Rockford wanted to know.
"No, but they were two Starfleet captains and commodore. The captains, a man and a woman, each had a scar on their faces. The woman commodore was very self-assured and in command of one of Starfleet's new quantum drive equipped starships. She's married to the man with the scar. He had violet eyes. I'd rarely seen that before. Only from people from Xenex."
"Mac liberated Xenex before joining Starfleet," Macen sighed.
"You do know them then?" Neela asked.
"The man is Captain Mackenzie Calhoun of the USS Excalibur-A. The other Captain is Captain Katerina Mueller of the USS Trident. The Commodore can only be Elizabeth Shelby," Macen said grimly, "One of the most formidable groupings in Starfleet."
"Did the Thallonian Republic kick Starfleet out of their space?' Rockford asked.
"I did some research while passing through Federation space. The Thallonian and their worlds petitioned for Federation membership. They've been granted candidate status. According to records available from Starfleet obtained at Deep Space Four, the captains and commodore have been moved to a new assignment after successfully guiding the Thallonians to this juncture. Their reassignment is meant to be an official reward rather than a punishment," Neela told what she knew.
"For Shelby, it will be," Macen said, "But for Mac and Kat, anywhere closer to Starfleet Command is a punishment."
"How worried should you actually be?" Neela wondered.
"You know about Starfleet Academy's Kobyoshi Maru test?" Rockford asked.
"Yes," Neela said simply.
"Mac is the only cadet to fairly beat it," Macen warned her.
"I've heard rumors that you have beaten as well," Neela shared.
"I found out later through Admiral Forger that both of us used the same strategy and tactic to do so," Macen told her, "Nechayev ran us as rivals when we were both part of Starfleet Intelligence."
"Why did Amanda care that you took the test recently?" Rockford asked.
"She suggested to Tyrol and Floss that I take it as a testimony to our version's effectiveness as a command officer candidacy screen," Macen told her.
"You told me they asked you to take it but hushed it up about Forger," Rockford slightly chided him.
"That was a recent revelation to me from Kathy," Macen told her, "Recent enough to have been while we were underway."
He could see the message got through. They'd been under scrutiny the entire time. The recent additions to their preliminary mission had extended service hours as while as time away from the privacy of the station. The topic of the test obtained by Outbound Ventures and taken by Macen wasn't scrubbed by the Data Team's filters.
"Is that important?' Neela asked.
"Ask us again when we're all back on Serenity," Rockford suggested.
"All right," Neela frowned.
"Katts and Javi have the runabout ready to lift off," Wyn reported in, "We go now or become permanent residents if I know Romulans."
Rockford hugged Neela, "Take care and don't drive each other crazy."
"Her and Katts always praying could drive someone crazy," Wyn accused, "It gives our beloved Mission Commander visions."
"You had other visions during the voyage?" Macen asked.
"As was suggested earlier, ask me later," Neela said.
Macen Rockford arrived inside the Corsair to discover Ebert and Parva had undertaken a blown out shouting match. Daggit had Parva corralled in a mission module while Tessa was giving her a sedative. Burrows was guarding the corridor between modules. Ebert and Muss were resetting their stations to their preferred LCARS layouts.
"I'll check in back," Rockford volunteered.
Macen went to the cockpit, "Trouble?"
"The ship's Chief Engineer is a menace to behold," Mudd sneered.
"She reset everything to yard standards. Completely wiped our presets," Ebert growled. To get her upset had taken Parva doing quite a bit of time consuming damage, "We won't get everything back to normal until we're docked and she's off the ship."
"And stays off the damn ship," Mudd snapped. The private understanding had always been the Corsair was Ebert's domain. With Mudd's ready assistance, she modified systems and enhanced others without supervision or needing permission. They graced Parva with the same leeway aboard the Obsidian.
"I've never changed a single setting aboard the Obsidian," Ebert was still scowling as she engaged the antigravs to lift them off of the landing pad, "And she's never frinxed with my setup. What the hell is into her?"
"You know," Macen said grimly, "Her behavior is getting more erratic."
"That's why genetic enhancements are frinxing illegal," Mudd groused.
"Rab and Parva were desperate. I understand that. I just don't know if they and we can live with consequences of their decision," Macen sighed.
"I have the Hangar Chief," Ebert interjected, "We're cleared to dock."
Rockford came forward, "Tessa' sedative is working. Parva is calmed down. Tessa was relieved of her shipboard duties by Tessa. Parva's fine with it for now. But Tessa has to report the fact to Shannon. That includes explaining why."
"We might as well head to the bridge. Shannon is going to demand an explanation from us," Macen said wearily.
"Rab has declared that he won't go on duty until Parva does," Rockford warned him, "That means we're down one tactical specialist."
"We don't know Boromov's security yet. We might not need Rab," Macen said hopefully.
"We're never that lucky," Rockford reminded him, "And Rab Daggit is as stubborn as you are."
"We also need to warn Shannon about potential Starfleet interference," Rockford told him, "It's not fair to send her in blind."
"No, it's not. So we won't," Macen told her.
"I don't like that look," Rockford admitted.
"You won't like the why behind it either," Macen promised her, "And we'll have some help."
"How?" Rockford asked.
"I'm calling in Chris Noble to help us," Macen revealed.
"Does this mean what I'm beginning to regret thinking what I think it means?" Rockford plaintively asked.
"We're taking the Odyssey out," Macen grinned.
"Yes!" Ebert fist pumped.
"Just shoot my coffin into a star now," Mudd groaned.
"So, my Chief Engineer is indefinitely sidelined because she has been genetically enhanced. Quite illegally, I might add, and no one ever bothered to warn me? Does that sum it up?" Forger asked coldly.
"Gilan and Celine Jones can easily handle Engineering but I'm giving the crew time off and Parva and Daggit medical leave," Macen told her.
"The ship needs a refit anyway according to Parva," Forger admitted, "But why the respite?"
"Because there's no rest for the wicked," Rockford groaned.
"That contradicts getting time off," Forger pointed out.
"The Obsidian crew will get the time and the ship can undergo any and all maintenance Parva, Gilan, and Jones recommended," Macen assured her, "Meanwhile, the team will take the Odyssey out and complete this mission."
"I thought Gellar said the mission is over. Mystery solved," Forger told them, "Riker already recalled them back to Serenity."
"But we have to deal with the source of the mystery," Macen told her, "Pytor Boromov is back to old tricks from his new office at Grimes Armaments."
"Or, not at his office," Rockford muddied the waters further.
"Most of the bridge crew has a score to settle with Boromov as well," Forger reminded, "Why bench us?"
"Neela told us that Starfleet might be protecting Boromov," Macen advised her, "I don't want the crew up against Starfleet."
"It's never stopped us before," Forger pointed out.
"The opposition is likely to consist of Commodore Shelby, Captain Calhoun, and Captain Mueller," Rockford revealed.
"Seriously? Are you suicidal?' Forger yelped.
"Shelby has a new flag command," Macen warned her, "Something equipped with a quantum slipstream drive."
"That includes the Vesta-class and the new Dauntless-class," Forger warned them, "Neither of which you want to try and outrun or outgun."
"Janeway has a Dauntless-class as her flag command. That might be Starfleet's new policy," Macen mused.
"This isn't a joke," Forger cautioned him, "What are you going travel in if not the Obsidian?"
"He wants to take his new toy out and test drive it," Rockford bellyached.
"The Odyssey? Seriously? A Blackbird-class scout from the turn of the century?" Forger asked with a fright, "You are suicidal. Even with Shelby's ship in the picture, you're up against two Galaxy-class starships with crack crews and commanders."
"He's bringing Chris Noble and her into it as well," Rockford explained.
"I don't care how modernized Eckles, Darcy, and Lacey made the Solstice, it's not up to this task," Forger complained, "I doubt many ships in Outbound Ventures' inventory can."
"Which also why I'm not using any Outbound Ventures ships," Macen told her, "If we're challenged, it's a rogue op outside of corporate interests or participation."
"Does Noble know about this yet?" Forger asked.
"Nope," Macen happily said.
"She'll turn you down if she's smart," Forger warned him.
"She'll want in," Macen predicted, "She has an old debt to settle with Boromov."
"She must if you're this confident," Forger sighed, "When can I have my Chief Engineer back?"
"When Tessa clears her for duty," Rockford replied.
"And if she can't?" Forger asked, "If the genetic enhancement is flawed and she's becoming unstable, she may never be able to return to the ship."
"We faced that before and survived," Macen reminded her.
"But this time it'll cost you Daggit as well," Forger stated.
"I know," Macen said dourly.
"Nechayev and Oh are colluding on whatever project Shelby is overseeing. It does involve Grimes Armaments but no trail leads back to the Grimes sisters. However, some talkative smugglers Federation Security swept up pointed their appendages at Boromov," Forger told them.
"So, Stefi Grimes is magically absolved?" Rockford doubted it and it showed.
"Boromov's scam was his own. But, the deliveries he and Stefi Grimes are planning to use to field test weaponry developed by the Grimes' company is being sponsored by Starfleet. Even I'm not supposed to know that," Forger briefed them.
"Grimes Armaments are under Federation Security oversight," Macen reminded everyone, "How can Starfleet be managing a secret weapons test without them knowing?"
"That's Stefi Grimes' whole corporate division's responsibilities. Estella Grimes is funneling all the assets through Solarian Security, where she runs the Board of Directors. On record, Solarian and Grimes Armaments are under contract with Starfleet to secure a sector near Gorn Hegemony space," Forger explained.
"I take it this sector is outside of where Cestus III resides," Rockford noted the political stellar geography.
"The unrelenting hostility of the Gorn was only ended by a treaty a young Captain Jean-Luc Picard, commanding the USS Stargazer, brokered with the oversight of the Metron Confederacy. That treaty is due to expire soon. No one knows if the Metrons will back another diplomatic effort or if they'll help enforce it. The Metrons are the race the Gorn seem to fear," Forger pointed out the pressing of the treaty being renewed.
"No one is even certain of what a Metron actually looks like," Rockford replied, "They always seem to appear before an audience an an idealized version of that audience. The Metron descendants we met in the Gamma Quadrant certainly put on the show."
"Yes, they did. And yes, they do," Macen told them.
"Your incident report included that the El-Aurians helped recruit the Metrons into the alliance against the Skaarians. Are you saying your people actually know what the Metrons look like?' Forger was instantly curious.
"The Metrons are a composite race," Macen shared with them, "They're a Confederacy for a reason. There are a dozen races identified as 'Metron'. They use holography to disguise themselves from each other to insure an egalitarian state. When two Metrons meet, their psycho-reactive sensors provide a template for one Metron to appear as the same race as the other Metron. And before you ask how the primary Metron is chosen, they appear differently to each other. Unless they're visiting a Metron home world then they appear as that dominant species while everyone on that planet reflects back whatever individual race the other Metron is from."
"It was once theorized the Breen did the same through ther armor and voice coders. But Starfleet Intelligence agents managed to debunk that premise right before they died confirming the truth but no actual racial profile was able to be transmitted," Forger told them.
"You don't care to share any hidden details about the Breen, do you?" Rockford said sarcastically.
"My people never charted Breen territory," Macen told them, "The Expeditionary Forces sent into that territory never returned or filed a field report. They charted several civilizations around the Breen homeworld but no reports cane after they landed on the Breen world."
"The Breen employ a mode of biotech in building their ships. Their warp core suppression weapon is especially biologically based. The Star Empire, Klingon Empire, and Federation received intact sample from destroyed and disabled Breen ships in Cardassian space," Forger reminded them.
"But the Imperial Navy is immune to the weapon because they don't use matter/antimatter destruction to power their vessels. They employ artificial singularities," Rockford knew all too well, "And the malfunction of a single Klingon cruiser immunized their ship so that variance was incorporated into all Klingon and Starfleet vessels. The Breen never managed to recalibrate the suppressor."
"The use of singularities is similarly based on how Starfleet adapted using protostar drive systems. They're very like old human fission reactor power systems. The fission reactors heated water into steam that drove generators while simultaneously cooling the reactor's fuel rods. Eventually the water would become radioactive through exposure and have to be disposed of. At the time, burying it was seen as a useful means of doing so. The environmental impacts be damned," Macen recalled.
"Fortunately for such concerns, neither the Romulan drive systems or our protostar technology rely on steam engines," Forger snickered.
"Is it sage to assume, Starfleet shared the suppressor technology with Grimes Armaments in an attempt to reverse engineer such a system?" Rockford asked.
"Yes and no. Picard's encounter with So'na in the Briar Patch taught Starfleet it needed a better way of dealing with isolytic weapons than dropping warp cores into them," Forger revealed.
"So, Starfleet and Grimes are developing a subspace tear suppressor," Macen considered the possibilities.
"Precisely," Forger confirmed what she'd learned so far.
"Isolytic weapons are banned by the 3rd Khitomer Accords. Even the Romulans and Tholians signed on," Rockford recalled, "The So'na are a rare exception of races and interstellar powers that didn't sign on to the treaty banning them."
"The Gorn also abstained. Long range sensors have detected subspace tears randomly developing in Gorn space. Only, Starfleet Intelligence doubts they're random at all," Forger reported to them.
"They believe the Gorn are testing isolytic weapons," Macen understood the urgency now, "But after everything that's happened and been revealed lately, Starfleet still trusts Grimes Armaments with Breen suppressor tech?"
"They've been reverse engineering and adapting the design for over ten years. The Baronesses weren't even in control of the company when the project started. But the Baron's death five years ago put Estella and Stefi in control of the company," Forger reminded them both.
"Estella had Stefi's position while the Baron was still alive. She tried to cut a deal with the Dominion," Macen told her.
"So Nechayev told me. Commander Ro wrote an illuminating report to supplement yours," Forger told him.
"And she added the details we agreed to suppress at the time of my original report during the war," Macen groaned.
"Which included Baroness Estella Grimes' presence at that conclave," Forger pointedly asserted.
"Estella was to stoned to effectively negotiate a deal with any Vortas and her father's company was vital to Starfleet's war effort," Macen explained the omission, "So, we gave her a stern lecture and probation."
"What you gave her was the Vorta's supply box of ketracil white meant for the Jem'Hadar guarding the conclave," now Forger was dealing out the stern lecture.
"The Jem'Hadar were all dead and bribing Estella's cooperation in avoiding future contact with the Dominion seemed the best play at the time," Macen shrugged.
"Macen, you were a serving Starfleet officer. And yet, you dealt her illegal narcotics to buy her silence," Forger scolded him.
"It paid off. Grimes never approached the Dominion again," Macen asserted back at her.
"It was a gamble based on a crime," Forger retorted.
"We were posing as criminals to begin with. That's why Kilana hired us," Macen replied.
"You got lucky. You're out of uniform now, so you can't be charged under Starfleet regs. Ro has immunity given her by Admiral T'Lara. But Starfleet Security could refer you to Federation Security," Forger complained.
"Except that the civilian statute of limitations on a narcotics trafficking charge ran out four years ago," Macen grinned, "And Estella Grimes was well aware that if it was discovered she'd dealt with the Dominion afterwards, she'd be facing two charges of treason. We made certain her yacht captain would inform her of such when she came down from the high she was on."
"But, it discredits you further in the eyes of Starfleet Command. Ro made them aware that you're running operations outside of Outbound Ventures' corporate control. That made Clancy and Oh very anxious," Forger warned them.
"Except Clancy isn't the Fleet Admiral yet. So, all she can do as Director of Starfleet Operations is refuse to cooperate with me and the SID vetted captains and crews," Macen interjected, "And she's compelled by Starfleet regulations to allow starship captains to assist vessels in trouble."
"You're playing a dangerous game here," Forger warned him yet again.
"We've always been playing a dangerous game. Only this time it isn't Jellico who's being obtuse," Rockford told her.
"Kathy Tyrol handed over the corporate ledgers when Starfleet Security requested them on all SID related matters. The fact you're both investing all your corporate profits in a private equity fund worries Commodore Oh. Starfleet Command wants to know why you only draw a salary from your own corporations," Forger shared.
"They want to know if we're financing a private army outside of Outbound Ventures," Macen said directly, "And, if I'll personally be loyal to Clancy if she reattains Fleet Command."
"Essentially," Forger admitted, "And Ro's report indicates you are financing operatives outside of Outbound Ventures' control."
"No, and no," Macen easily replied, "The Federation has nothing to fear from our operations. It's certainly no army or fleet.
"The what is it?" Forger asked specifically.
"It's private," Rockford said before Macen could even attempt to answer, "You've trusted us with the fate of the Federation on occasion. You'll just simply have to trust our intentions now."
"You specified the 'Federation had nothing fear'. What about Starfleet?" Forger asked.
"That all depends on if we have something to fear from Starfleet," Macen quickly answered.
"That could be construed as a threat by certain parties," Forger said uneasily.
"Is it? It's reciprocal. Nothing more. Nothing less," Rockford replied.
"Since the Mars Massacre, Starfleet has certain officers like Clancy that demand superiority rather than being on parity," Forger counseled them, "It isn't safe to provoke them."
"That works both ways," Macen replied coolly.
"I'm sending the coordinates of the facility Boromov is staging from. I assume you already know about Grimes' protective detail," Forger said.
"A step down for Shelby, Mac, and Kat," Macen said sternly.
"You're not even supposed to know they're assigned to the border patrol," Forger grated.
"Don't warn them we're coming," Rockford asked of her.
"They'll instantly recognize your ship or its captain once they're challenged," Forger warned them.
"That's why we'll be in a different ship with a different captain," Macen signed off before Forger could reply. He refused to acknowledge her repeated attempts at communication.
"I assume you're assuming command of the Odyssey," Rockford said without a doubt, "Any of the Starfleet COs will recognize you," Rockford warned him.
"But they won't recognize you so swiftly," Macen grinned.
"That's a gamble," Rockford frowned.
"They certainly won't know Chris Noble," Macen chuckled.
"So, you'll call me to the Bridge to play captain?" she asked.
"You'll already be on the bridge. Burrows has to man Tactical in Daggit's absence. That will place you at the Science station running our long range sensors," Macen warned her.
"I'm not starship operations cleared," Rockford now scowled.
"You're trained in using battlefield sensors. These older models aren't much different. They just have a further range," Macen assured her, "You're more than equipped to take over the post."
"I assume Rab and Parva are staying behind," Rockford guessed again.
"Yup. Until Tessa clears her for duty. And Tessa is coming with us so she won't be able to clear Parva until some time after we return," Macen explained.
"So, who will be running Engineering?" she had to ask.
Macen grinned, "I already have a plan and a recruit in mind."
"Jaxa told me she's shipping out on a special mission involving your guys," Locarno referred to his wife, Sito Jaxa. She'd man the Solstice's CONN station.
"Well, most of us are going," Rockford clarified. Daggit and Parva were still subdued. Parva by Tessa's meds and Daggit by his wife's growing instabilities because of the flaws in her genetic enhancements. They'd traveled into the Border Zone right after it stopped being the Neutral Zone between the Federation and the Star Empire.
"Need any help?" Locarno eagerly asked, "The Nova and crew are ready to deploy at a moment's notice."
"Sorry, Nick," Macen said, "Sakonna has other plans for you and your crew. You'll be taking over Captain Noble's assignment."
The padd on the OPS station's seat beeped loudly and Locarno raced through the arrived text, "I'll be damned. You called it just as she sent the orders."
"It was timed to be that way," Rockford said drolly.
"My crew is already aboard," she reported, "We're headed as agreed. We'll take up station outside the assigned sector via a detour to Cestus III. You're certain you want Darcy to come with you?"
"She knows the warp and systems as well as Tom Eckles," Macen answered.
"But she's never flown solo," Noble reminded him.
"She won't be this time," Rockford promised, "He's got some harebrained scheme to recruit a Chief Engineer."
"Who?" Noble wondered.
"He won't say," Rockford was obviously irritated by that fact.
"From where?" Noble tried a different tact.
"He won't tell me that either," Rockford was definitely irked by it.
"It's a surprise," Macen promised.
"Darcy is packed and ready to join your people at the airlock at the specified time," Noble told them, "Her wife is headed out as well. So there won't be any interruption of their regular two weeks together."
Darcy had married an engineer from a cruise line company. She served as an engineer aboard a liner for a two week cruise and then had two weeks off. Unfortunately sometimes she returned to Serenity and faced empty quarters as Darcy was assigned to a mission. They both understood the necessity but it was still a disappointment when it occurred.
"We'll see you out there," Macen told her, "Now, we get to face Tom's reaction to my proposal."
"So, we snatching somebody up from the Serenity Operations' crew?" Rockford wondered as the lift began to ascend.
"Someone he won't even miss," Macen gave her that much.
Riker's reaction was exactly what Macen had expected, "You want to take Zerinda out on a mission?"
"Her probationary period has ended. You've called a team of Militia engineers assigned to Terok Nor to inspect her personal work as well as worked she delegated and inspected before signing off on it. You've placed Zerinda on administrative leave while doing so. Why you need three weeks to do it in is beyond me, frankly. But she won't be doing anything for three weeks," Macen explained himself, "She'll be bored so she'll accept my invitation."
"And Tyrol approved this?" Riker was irritated. He'd wanted to bench the Romulan as punishment for being placed at her post without going through him. He'd decided to keep her on but still wanted to prove a point about the chain of command.
"She'd rather pay to be productive than sit at Quark's drinking Romulan ale for three weeks," Rockford threw in for good measure guessing at Tyrol's motives.
"How did you know about Zerinda's administrative leave and my calling in Militia engineers? And how do you already know the Militia restored the Terok Nor name to the station?" Riker inquired, "The FNS just reported it this morning, local time."
"Agent Delain and Kathy Tyrol both briefed me regarding your plan for Zerinda," Macen told him, "Everyone agreed it is a waste of her time and talent."
"And you want to put an Imperial Naval engineer in a Starfleet starship?" Riker scoffed.
"It's a design first put into service on 2315. Starfleet stopped building them in 2325 and the class was completely decommissioned in 2368. I think the Imperial Navy and Tal Shiar know everything there is to know about them already," Macen said drolly.
"Zerinda is under my command as station CO. You need my release for her to go TDY on a field op. Why would I give it?" Riker asked.
"Because you bought all your extra weapons and defensive upgrades from Grimes Armaments despite a corporate policy not to do business with the Grimes family interests," Macen said coldly, "You also broke the contract I had with the Cardassian Guard regarding that matter and got Merik Cardan returned to Cardassia Prime to live out his days doing menial labor. I think you owe it to Cardan to let me borrow Zerinda."
The doors to Riker's office opened unbidden. Only Lisea Danan had that authority, "What have I missed so far? Is Tom pouting because you want take Zerinda off the station while he punishes her for imaginary crimes?"
"Lees," Riker groaned.
"You must've caught Chris Noble on her way out," Rockford guessed.
"Close, I ran into Heidi Darcy. Who is far more willing to talk secrets with me than Chris Noble," Danan told her, "You and I are headed to the Odyssey so I can brief on how to operate the Science Station as you'll need to."
"Lees!" Riker complained.
"Oh, hush up. I spent three years on that type of station. It was literal life or death. Celeste needs a primer," Danan told him, "This Odyssey may have begun as the USS Zuerich rather than the USS Tiberius, but even the Solstice began life as the USS Panther before her complete redesign. Tracy Ebert practically spent her teenage years aboard the original Odyssey of the ship class."
"She was twenty when the Dominion War ended and the ship was impounded," Macen recollected.
"We're leaving now," Danan announced for Rockford's benefit as well, "Brin can pack for the two of you. Tom, willingly give him what he wants. You will in the end anyway."
Rockford surprised herself by blindly following the Trill scientists out. Macen turned back to Riker,. "Well?"
"There's no arguing with her," Riker sighed, "And we will if I deny your request."
"Thank you for being reasonable," Macen rose from his seat.
"Wait," Riker requested, "Why can't you use your usual ship and crew?"
"Because this time, we may be up against Starfleet," Macen told honestly, "And I don't want to implicate Outbound Ventures or threaten the SID contracts. Your work is too important."
"My work?" Riker was startled by that phrasing, "It was your work that began this project."
"Let's just say, my work has expanded beyond, but still includes, the SID," Macen told him, "I have Admiral Forger's consent to go after Pytor Boromov under Starfleet's nose. But only because he egregiously violated the Prime Directive once again."
"You think Starfleet is unaware of that?" Riker asked.
"Starfleet Security and Starfleet Intelligence are well aware. But they're shielding him all the same for Baroness Estella Grimes and her sister, Stefi. Because they think Grimes Armaments has created a game changer when it comes to coping with isolytic weaponry," Macen explained, "They can continue that work without Boromov. In the end, he's still just a gunrunner supporting insurgencies and rebel causes and arming autocracies in many forms."
"The Militia engineers will only be here inspecting Zerinda's work for a week. A week will be spent re-assessing her assessments of Cardan's installation work regarding the defense grid," Riker confessed.
"And the third week?" Macen grew stern.
"I was hoping to persuade a qualified engineer to go private sector and work for us," Riker explained.
"Sometimes you're complete idiot," Macen told Riker, "Make your pitches. I'm instructing Tyrol to reject any offers you make regarding supplementing Zerinda's role as Chief of Operations."
"I thought you were never going to interfere with my command decisions," Riker said angrily.
"I've never had to doubt yours until now," Macen exited the office to let Riker ponder that parting remark. He knew Rockford would back his position because they'd obviously approved of Zerinda as Chief of Operations for Serenity. Which also meant they did a deep dive into her background and qualifications beyond Delain's sales pitch when she delivered Zerinda to them. That apparent trust was backed by the fact that Rockford, though surprised by Macen's request, supported it. Riker contacted Gerrit to have him collect Agent Delain so Riker could discuss the matter more fully in the Security Office.
"I know you're off duty for the next three weeks. How would like to get off the station and do something dangerous?" Macen asked the Romulan.
"Yes," Zerinda didn't even hesitate.
"Meet Heidi Darcy," Macen introduced them, "She'll be your deputy in Engineering for the duration of our outing. We'll make introductions with everyone else aboard the shuttle."
The others arrived and reported into waiting shuttle. Macen made the introductions as promised. Zerinda was surprised to finally meet the reclusive Smith and Kerber. Even aboard the station, they kept to themselves. She was even more surprised to transfer to the Odyssey rather than the Obsidian. From the view ports in the gantry leading the scoutship, she could see the surveyor in a drydock.
"How many ships do you personally own?" she asked Macen.
"Three," Macen honestly answered, "Besides the two obvious ships I also own a Ju'day-class raider for work even more undercover than we're presently undertaking. As for the Odyssey, Darcy will show you around. She has five years aboard one these ships as experience. There's five decks so its hard to get lost."
"Why go undercover?" Zerinda asked.
"Because the criminal we're apprehending is protected by Starfleet," Macen told her bluntly, "We have help. But we all face criminal charges for upholding the law, in this case."
"I am totally in for this," Zerinda vowed.
"You'll fit right in," Macen promised, "Now you two find quarters, there's enough for everyone. Then report to Engineering. The Drydock engineers warmed up the warp core but I need you two to monitor it as we get underway."
Macen headed for the captain's quarters and dropped off his and Rockford's luggage before reporting to the bridge. There, he found Ebert already at the CONN looking excited. Mudd was checking out OPS with a scowl. Burrows was getting familiar with Tactical. Dana was concluding her dills with Rockford.
"Does she pass muster?" Macen asked Danan.
"She's a natural. Her Angosian military instructors were thorough," Danan smiled, "See you all when you get back."
Danan headed straight for the airlock and sealed it behind herself. When the gantry airlock registered as sealed it withdrew. The Odyssey was now on internal power and life support. Danan stood witness as the namesake for their Maquis starship got underway under impulse power. She moved as it did and at the shuttle airlock she could watch as the Odyssey went to warp speed out of the system. A routinely scheduled shuttle ferried people ot the drydock either to report for duty or to report to their ships to get underway as well on a new assignment. Rockford had explained the new task ahead of them. Danan wished them well. Between the Solstice and the Odyssey, all of Danan's oldest surviving Maquis friends were deployed on the same mission.
"We can leave Engineering now so I can give you the 'grand tour'," Darcy laughed.
"I forgot that Starfleet used to build single deck Engineering spaces," Zerinda chuckled, "I assume the anti-deuterium is still below us and the deuterium tanks above."
"Precisely." Darcy nodded with appreciation of Zerinda's knowledge of Federation starship design, "The warp core actually extends above and below one deck apiece."
"Before the Imperial Navy switched to artificial singularity drives, our warp cores were very similar in design," Zerinda explained, "Privateer guilds still utilize our oldest decommissioned starships like this one."
"Macen originally acquired a model of this class when they were first decommissioned," Darcy explained, "I served with him for five years aboard a starship that was re-registered as a ship with the same name."
"The Federation allows that?" Zerinda was surprised, "No Alpha and beyond designator?"
"Just Starfleet does that," Darcy explained, "C'mon, I'll explain further as we tour. Right now we're on Deck Four. Deck Five is for antimatter storage and a portion of the deflector dish. We only go down there for routine maintenance and damage control."
"You're a hologram?" Zerinda was surprised upon seeing the mobile emitter on Tessa's sleeve.
"Born and bred," Tessa laughed, "Pun intended. I uploaded all available Vulcan medical files and those Kort received from the Cardassians regarding your health history and recent medical exam on Serenity."
"Yes, the Klingon doctor. Or so they call him," Zerinda scowled.
"Everybody hates Kort's lack of bedside manner," Tessa snickered, "But he's an excellent doctor. I was actually activated to be his assistant. Then, I replaced him aboard the Obsidian. Now, I can go anywhere. But they installed holo emitters in Sickbay so I don't have to use my mobile's power cell up. It's wirelessly recharging here inside."
"What other modification upgrades have been made?" Zerinda asked.
"Just the computer core and the LCARS operating consoles. Everything else is original vintage," Darcy told her.
"I examined the MSD in Engineering while we deployed," Zerinda admitted, "I saw that the ship is capable of Warp 8 for twelve hours. That's impressive for a design that's this old and compact."
"She was Starfleet's fastest ship of her size. Even the Nova-class can't exceed Warp 8," Darcy stated, "So, scouts and surveyors of this relative size still can't outperform her speed. It takes an escort type vessel like a Defiant-class to be faster."
"It was nice meeting you, Tessa," Zerinda prompted a move away, "I hope to see you outside these walls again."
"Nobody wants to have to visit Sickbay," Tessa faux sighed.
"Precisely," Zerinda laughed.
"Next, we head to Deck Two. The galley is up there as well as crew's quarters and additional storage," Darcy described things to come as they entered the turbolift, "The specs rate the ship as having three officers and twenty-two enlisted personnel as a crew so, there's quarters for everyone. Aboard the original Odyssey, the enlisted racks were still in place. But there was only seven of us so we each got private quarters."
"How many are assigned to enlisted quarters?' Zerinda asked as they began to tour Deck Two.
"Petty officers and above got private quarters. So, there were four crewmen quarters with four bunks apiece," Darcy shared, "That left three officers' quarters and three Petty officer quarters. Usually a Senior Petty Officer or Master Chief Petty Officer ran Engineering. One petty officer for the Transporter Room. And one petty officer assigned to Security. The officers included the captain, executive officer and ship's chief medical officer. Everyone else was enlisted. The XO had an active service role as well as command duties."
"What stations are on the Bridge?" Zerinda wondered.
"They'd gone to having a CONN, OPS, Tactical, and Science Stations by that time," Darcy explained, "And a traditional center seat for the captain. At the rear of the bridge module is a briefing that doubled a ready room. It was the forerunner of the Galaxy-class' Battle Bridge."
"I see," Zerinda noted that they passed the Computer core on Both Decks Two and Three. Beyond it on Deck Two were additional enlisted quarters. Only, one was secured by a genetic scanner, "Why the additional security on this room?"
"Why have one on the Solstice too. That's the ship I normally serve on," Darcy told her, "I'm afraid you're not cleared to know what's inside. It isn't on the MSD. It's completely secured and classified."
"Ziva told me about you redesigned a ship of this class into a new new refit design altogether akin to the famed Constitution-class' refit," Zerinda referred to Agent Delain by her first name.
"The Asia-class actually pioneered both the original and refit Constitution-class," Darcy reminded Zerinda, "But they only refit three Asia-classes."
"And the SS Waylaid is one of those original three," Zerinda knew, "Why do some of Outbound Ventures' starships have the SS designation before registered name and others lack it?" Zerinda was confused on that point.
"The SS is for civilian Federation registrations. The others are registered to Barrinor," Darcy explained, "Just like Starfleet utilizes the USS designator. It separates Starfleet from civilian vessels."
"The Iotians copied your designators with a slight adjustment," Zerinda chuckled, "Just like they copied your starships."
"But the separate Federations negotiated a settlement where the Iotian Starfleet only builds so many analogs of Starfleet vessels per annum. They've actually began building their own original designs. Very few of which are for sale," Darcy added.
"But I understand that the Iotians have permission to build unlimited numbers of Starfleet duotronic technology based starships and their Starfleet precursors as sales items," Zerinda challenged that early assertion.
"That's very true," Darcy conceded.
"The Bajoran Militia has begun purchasing such duotronic starships again as well as their isolinear replacements.," Zerinda reported.
"I suppose you learned that from Agent Delain?" Darcy smirked.
"Yes, Starfleet feels smugly superior to duatronic based starships," Zerinda mused, "So, they granted the Iotian variant Starfleet unlimited sales of such ships to civilizations near and far."
"Well, I know from experience that duotronic starships are still a threat to modern starships. This ship has Type VIII phaser banks which replaced the Type VII phasers of the original isolinear design starships and refits," Darcy pointed out what Zerinda had seen on the Master Systems Display, "So, even though she's a turn of the century isolinear design, she still pack a punch. Those older starships the Iotians have free rein to sell still have Type I through VI phase cannons and phaser banks."
"I would love to go aboard a NX-class starship," Zerinda admitted, "They and their refits caused so much damage to our T'Varo Birds of Prey."
"No one realized your people had taken Starfleet personnel and colonists as prisoners yet," Darcy said, "Not until some humans born on your Star Empire served as spies for the Tal Shiar."
"Some humans were still slaves because they rejected the Star Empire as their home," Zerinda said sadly, "Most of those humans were sent away from Romulus before the Hobus supernova. But, many descendants did embrace the Star Empire as home and became valued assets to the Imperial Navy and Tal Shiar. Caitlin Darr and Sela represent hybrids that faithfully serve the Star Empire."
"Sela because of some strange temporal anomaly surrounding the destruction of the USS Enterprise-C," Darcy pointed out as she led Zerinda into the galley.
"That ship fought there early designs of our Warbirds and held back the attack on Khitomer until Klingon reinforcements arrived. That secured your treaty with their Empire," Zerinda pointed out, "Our forces rescued the survivors because they'd fought so valiantly."
"The Federation abandoned my colony and many others ot the Cardassians," Darcy said harshly, "So, I don't recognize the Federation as 'mine'."
"I forgot so many of you were ex-Maquis," Zerinda said apologetically, "And yes, the Cardassians can be callous and cruel. But as the Bajorans have finally recognized, there is also a nobility to them. They are faithful allies as long as you don't betray their own interests or security like the Dominion did."
"Which explains Delain's loyalty to you personally," Darcy told her, "Want a snack? This ship uses a synthesizer rather than replicators. We only have a juice, coffee, or tea synthesizer station in Engineering."
"I've discovered 'coffee'," Zerinda admitted, "Romulans brought the tea from Vulcan with us and it grows on certain colonies still after losing Romulus."
"Did you come from Romulus itself?" Darcy asked.
"No, but my colony home world was destroyed in the Hobus shock wave," Zerinda confessed, "Apparently I have some distant relatives still alive on other colonies but I've never met them and I can't now. But I knew that when I defected. What's regrettable is that the Tal Shiar targeted my family afterwards."
"They did?" Darcy was alarmed.
"The families of defectors frequently face official retaliation as a price for raising an un-Orthodox child," Zerinda explained, "But I understand Tal'aura is relaxing the strictures of Orthodoxy as Praetor. She's discovering what the Tal Shiar has always known, the outer colonies are less strict in enforcing Orthodoxy then Romulus and the near colonies were."
"We've heard rumors of challenges to Tal'aura and the other two surviving Senators because they were chosen from Romulus and it no longer exists," Darcy shared.
"I've heard the same rumors in depth thanks to Ziva," Zerinda told Darcy.
"So, maybe there's a chance you could return home?" Darcy asked.
"Not as long as Donatra is Proconsul, Tomolak is Fleet Commander, and Sela leads the Tal Shiar. None of them would ever forgive my choosing to remain to continue Reconstruction in the Cardassian Union after the Star Empire withdrew its support. I would still face charges for insubordination and being AWOL by the Imperial Navy even if they erased the political charge of treason," Zerinda said wearily.
They stepped out to return the turbolift on their journey back ot Engineering, "Why did you?"
"I admired the Cardassians' strength in the face of adversity. They're a proud people like my own. But they dismantled the Obsidian Order and revived the Detepa Council and created the role of Castellan to represent the Cardassian people. Average people, not just military or intelligence services' interests. That's something my people are just starting to learn as Caligula replaced Romulus as the capital planet," Zerinda told her, "The colonial Senators are duly elected, not just nobility inheriting seats. The colonies used to send representatives that advocated for their worlds but had no voting authority."
"So, you like democracy?" Darcy was surprised to hear, "But I thought there was still a Romulan Emperor."
"The Imperial Family has no real authority in actuality. The Praetor and Proconsul would both have to die to allow the Imperial Family to take control," Zerinda revealed to her, "But, the last remaining Imperial, Empress Taralin, refused to seize power while Tal'aura was assembling a new Senate. Senator Eldanak made a motion to dismiss Tal'aura and the last remaining Senators from Romulus but the vote narrowly lost and Eldanak was punished by making her the Senate''s 'diplomatic envoy' touring with the Empress to new worlds the Star Empire wants to annex."
"I'm surprised to hear a Romulan Empress refused to take control," Darcy admitted.
"Taralin was born and raised in a hinter colony. She'd never been to Romulus and was so far down the line of ascension, she would never have become Empress under normal circumstances," Zerinda told her, "Taralin has no ambitions of reigning. But she did campaign to be a Senator for her world."
"Did she win?" Darcy asked.
"Yes, she's quite the political activist on her colony," Zerinda laughed, "But Tal'aura found an ancient statute that a member of the Imperial Family is excluded from being a Senator. They either reign or fade into obscurity and are brought out for patriotic spectacles."
"She doesn't sound the type ot accept that role," Darcy said.
"No, she isn't yet that's the role assigned to her," Zerinda explained, "That's why the Empress and Senator Eldanak are both outside the Star Empire, representing its interests instead alongside an ambassador proper."
"Why does she settle for that?" Darcy wondered, "Couldn't she effectively seize control legally?"
"The Codes do so are written on the ancient scrolls after a weak Emperor allowed the Praetor of the Senate to assume executive powers," Zerinda recalled her history lessons as a youth, "Since then, the Emperor or Empress reigns but in practice the Praetor and Proconsul rule as the primary and secondary."
"Could Donatra take power?" Darcy inquired, "She seems less a hard liner than Tal'aura."
"Donatra's attitude towards the Federation changed when Starfleet abandoned the relocation effort," Zerinda explained, "And, the Proconsul is second in power but appointed by the Praetor. So, through a death or act of violence a Proconsul could seize the government but would still have to be validated by a Senate confirmation vote to become the new Praetor."
"You're awfully well informed," Darcy noted.
"The Cardassian Information Bureau frequently consulted with me regarding Romulan diplomacy and political upheavals," Zerinda explained, "But nothing related to the military. That my Rubicon."
"Which is how you met Agent Delain," Darcy understood now, "You've studied human history."
"It seemed prudent. I'm suspended from my duties as Chief of Operations for three weeks while Riker seeks to 'teach' me command protocol runs exclusively through him," Zerinda sighed, "So, how long are we deployed for?"
"When Captain Noble asked me if I'd come aboard the Odyssey, she said the mission called for a three week window," Darcy told her.
"So, you're a substitute as well?" Zerinda was surprised, "Commander Macen seemed so familiar with you."
"Those five years aboard a Blackbird-class scout I mentioned earlier?" Darcy stated, "It was under Captain Macen's command."
"And aboard this vessel he's the captain?' Zerinda sought clarification.
"Yes. I actually have no idea who is second in command," Darcy confessed, "Detective Rockford has the corporate clout as co-owner but she has no starship command experience."
"Someone once told me Rockford is Angosian yet she has a human name. How does that happen?" Zerinda asked.
"Detective Rockford is a former Angosian Augment. An elite specialist assassin from what I've been told. 'Rockford' is an assumed name," Darcy explained.
"And what is her real name?" Zerinda asked.
"Annika Ryst," Darcy answered, "Ever hear of her?"
Zerinda gasped, "She's legendary both among my people and the Cardassians. How did she end up here? With a new name?"
"She assumed the identity at the same time she undertook specialized missions for top bidders. Her reputation as both a mercenary assassin and detective grew separately. She was hired by the Orion Syndicate to kill Captain Macen and his former wife, T'Kir," Darcy explained.
"He married a Vulcan?" Zerinda was confused, "And then a former enemy?"
"T'Kir was raised on colony filled with followers of Sybok and Romulan defectors. The Cardies killed them all. T'Kir kinda snapped afterwards. She spent the Dominion War in a psychiatric prison on earth," Darcy explained, "She tried to kill Captain Macen in a jealous rage. So, she was locked away for two years. Then, the Captain broke her out and eventually married her four years later."
"He seems drawn to danger," Zerinda assessed.
"You have no idea," Darcy chuckled, "The only threat he hasn't gone after is the Borg. They assimilated most of his people. And he hates spiders. Has a phobia about them."
"He isn't human either?" Zerinda wanted to know.
"He's El-Aurian," Darcy revealed, "You have to be very careful what you say around him. His people's reputation as 'Listeners' is well earned."
"So, talk to me. Why go blonde? You hardly seem like a Sela fan," Darcy asked her.
"It seemed very unOrthodox, so why not?" Zerinda chuckled.
"And the centimeters of naturally dark roots and undercut hair?" Darcy was also curious to know about that.
"To make certain everyone knows I'm not modeling myself after Sela," Zerinda laughed.
"It's working," Darcy joined in the laughter. The turbolift doors opened amid the laughter and Macen and Rockford stepped out.
"It's good to know you'll at least get along," Rockford happily noted.
"We've only met once," Zerinda held out her hand to shake Rockford's, "I know neither of us is human but this is the appropriate gesture, correct?"
Rockford gripped Zelinda's hand and also noted that while it was a firm grip her Romulan strength wouldn't be applied to crush human's hand, "Good grip. Nicley balanced."
"I've been practicing," Zerinda admitted, "My staff have grown weary of it."
"Sounds like you want to stay on with the station crew," Macen was pleased, "Which is good because the company director and I have conspired to thwart any efforts made by Captain Riker ot oust you. You're probation is done. Discrete inquiries to your co-workers and staffers show you're dedicated, fair, and competent. Something we need to replace Merik Cardan as Chief of Operations."
"I understand Cardan's efforts to stay in Riker's good graces. It took time for the staff to forgive me for simply being Romulan. A Cardassian is a hard fit within the station walls because of the ex-Maquis like yourselves," Zerinda shared.
Rockford held up her hands, "I was never a Maquis."
"Yet you were infamous in your own way," Zerinda duly reminded her, "Your professional reputation of your old life reached even to Cardassia Prime."
"I wish I could say I was proud?" Rockford hedged.
"It's hard to break military indoctrination. Doubly so when you've been behaviorally and physically programmed for service," Zerinda offered a way out, "You seem to have escaped your mental bonds whereas I've seen that Rab Daggit has not done so yet."
"You've been studying everyone," Macen observed.
"It's a cultural legacy to appraise your potential adversaries," Zerinda admitted, "Just as it is to keep many secrets to yourself."
"No wonder you and Agent Delain get along so well," Darcy broke the increasingly somber mood.
"Your Orion engineer, she's unstable, isn't she?" Zerinda asked.
"It's getting out," Rockford sing-songed to Macen.
"In her way," Macen admitted, "That's why you're here now."
"But why choose me, a literal stranger?" Zerinda was curious.
"You have the prerequisite skills and talent," Macen told her.
"You also wanted to observe me quite closely," Zerinda replied, "I don't take offense. If I'd built a space station that contained so many lives precious to me, I'd also want to learn about its caretaker."
"She's just like you," Darcy quipped.
"Strategy is a Romulan's life's blood. Every move and decision we make is strategized to enhance our cultural standing and acquire power over others," Zerinda admitted, "It was something I chose to abandon. Yet, I find myself still obeying some of its tenets."
"That's why you chose Cardassia. Because you saw a kindhsip within its culture," Macen told her, "Ziva Delain explained your background in Cardassian space and your trail over the last ten years or so. They protected you as long as they could and Delain chose us to protect you. I wanted to see why she did so."
"And your assessment?" Zerinda asked.
"Still forthcoming," Macen told her.
"Very Romulan of you, Captain," Zerinda chuckled.
"Why is it every Vulcan and Romulan in your sphere favors leather?" Darcy asked Macen.
Zerinda chose a black leather jacket and pants matched with a red leather crop top. It made quiet the impression. Macen interpreted for Darcy, "Her colors actually represent the human caste within Romulan society. Green denotes the Tal Shiar. Gray denotes your typical Romulan military member. Black denotes the unifier of every Romulan citizen. That's why privateer uniforms are black. The leather itself denotes durability and resilience in the face of adversity."
"Darcy explained to me your previous wife was raised among Romulan defectors as well as the teachings of Sybok," Zerinda applauded his insight, "It seems she learned her lessons well and was a good a good mentor for you."
"You know about Sybok?" Rockford was surprised.
"Spock's half brother and the most infamous Vulcan heretic?" Zerinda laughed, "Of course every Romulan is familiar with him."
"And what do you think about unification with Vulcan?" Macen inquired.
"I think our Vulcan brothers and sisters need lessons in accepting outside thinking," Zerinda told him, "Until that day occurs and both Vulcans and Romulans can lay aside their own versions of Orthodoxy, to embrace the other, unification is just a dream."
"And you utterly reject Orthodoxy?" Rockford was curious again.
"I think it serves its own purpose as long as it isn't unyielding to circumstances," Zeridna pointed out.
"Like the decision to withdraw from Cardassian reconstruction?" Macen asked.
"A charitable example," Zerinda shrugged, "But there are so many other examples of inflexibility on both the parts of my people and the Vuicans. Even the much touted Federation is hamstrung by its dogmas."
"Which is why you embraced the culture developing on Serenity," Macen approved.
"A society built by castaways attempts to embrace the other as much as it can. But even such a society is not without its internal flaws," Zerinda said.
"Or its own prejudices carried over from its past lives," Rockford agreed with the summation.
"Can we keep her?" Darcy asked.
"It seems you have two defenders now," Macen chuckled.
"The Bajorans you shelter are their own brand of extremists," Zerinda had noticed, "And you favor them."
"I shelter a lot of people," Macen replied, "For a lot of different reasons."
"You seem to collect people, Brin Macen and Celeste Rockford. Why have I been added to the collection as well?" Zerinda wondered.
"And who told you you'd been added?" Rockford asked.
"I wouldn't be here otherwise," Zerinda stated, "In the heart of your family."
"She has you there," Darcy elbowed Macen.
"It seems she's family too, even from a different ship," Zerinda observed.
"And one just like this one," Darcy beamed.
"I think you'll fit right in," Macen decided.
"Me too," Rockford agreed with that assessment, "C'mon, it's time to really meet the others."
"Will Tessa be included?" Zerinda asked.
"So, you've made two friends already," Rockford approved of her choices, "Heidi, man the fort. Zerinda will be getting coffee in Sickbay."
On the turbolift, Zerinda confessed something, "Darcy seems unaware of the chain of command. Who is the Executive Officer?"
"Certainly not me. I hate starships and being on them," Rockford told her, "In my other life I just rode on them to be dropped behind enemy lines."
"Tony Burrows is the my second on this trip," Macen told her, "He's on the bridge right now. I'll call in Tracy Ebert and Harri Mudd down separately."
"Mr. Burrows seems quite intense," Zerinda had noted on the shuttle ride and first meeting him.
"He's a former Starfleet Special Operations Command officer. He was medically discharged," Rockford explained, "He still regrets that. A mutual friend recommended him to us. Tony's been part of our backbone ever since."
"Mudd is a criminal name," Zerinda knew.
"Harri's different. She never really became a true criminal. She mostly played the part of con artist and smuggler," Rockford explained, "She threw away her criminal career ot save my life. So, I brought her into the fold."
"Tracy was part of the crew Darcy was part of. She with us for five years. Started in the Maquis as our pilot at age fifteen. Grew up in the war. Went independent when Starfleet refused to restore her Federation citizenship. There was a trauma in her past. We made it right by her so she could move on with her life," Macen explained.
"And she rejoined your crew?" Zerinda found that amazing, "Such loyalty."
"And a sense of restored purpose," Rockford pointed out, "Tracy had just been drifting and existing. Now, she's alive again."
Zerinda paused as the lift doors opened, "When Darcy showed me around the ship, two of your people seemed to be missing. The MSD revealed that there are four active stations on the bridge. But even then, that only accounted for five people, including you two. That left two unaccounted for. The two women in the strange attire."
"It's just vintage," Rockford told her, "They like it."
"I have to assume they're hidden away in the locked quarters that require a genetic scan to open the door," Zerinda laid it out.
"They are," Macen confirmed it for her, "Their work is especially sensitive. You aren't cleared to enter that room. Only Angelique Kerber, Bailey Smith, Celeste and myself are cleared to go inside it."
"But you also forget about my three detectives," Rockford pointed out.
"Not at all," Zerinda replied, "They're in the aft bridge Briefing Room. They brought aboard their own computers independent of the ship's. So, they're engaged in sensitive work as well."
"Well, they're in the Galley now," Rockford told her, "I'll move them to Sickbay so Tessa doesn't have to use her mobile emitter yet."
"Kerber and Smith will join you separately," Macen confided, "They're very private."
Tessa hugged Zerinda as soon as she entered Sickbay. Macen laughed,"You two did hit off right away."
"Everyone's coming in!" Tessa gleefully noticed. Lee, Shade, and Forte came in. Lee was studiously watching Zerinda's every move and expresion. She felt like he was Tal Shiar but with mercy. Shade seemed different somehow and so did Forte. Lee was definitely human but not from Earth. Shade and Forte just felt off somehow.
"You were a security officer of some kind before enlisting," Zerinda made her deductions, "But neither of you are human despite appearances."
"I'm Fabrini," Shade confessed, "But I was exiled form Yolanda."
"Then you were a criminal?" Zerinda asked.
"Yes," Shade admitted, "A very good one."
"Yet, you're here now," Zerinda saw the contradiction clearly now.
"It's a better life," Shade shrugged.
"And you, you seem human in many ways but there's something savage inside of you," Zerinda watched her closely.
"I'm from Miri. I was cured of the plague and brought to Earth to study civilization and be civilize again. I'm over four hundred years old but I hardly look it. I'm older than Macen, but just barely," Forte confessed.
"And how civilized are you now?" Zerinda cautiously asked.
"Enough to get by," Forte shrugged it off but Zerinda knew that one bore watching closely.
"Break time's over. Back to work. I'll see you later, Zerinda. Make certain Darcy gets a break too," Rockford left with her squad to return to the bridge's aft module.
"I'll relieve Burrows and he and Mudd will join you here," Macen told her.
"Why pair them together?" Zerinda asked.
"It'll be obvious when you see them," Macen chuckled.
And it was. Mudd was egregious but courteous all at once. Burrows was as intense as she'd noted earlier but he softened himself for Mudd. They were obviously in love and paired up. Zerinda notice that everyone went about armed except for Darcy. They all wore phasers strapped to their legs or holstered on their hips. Burrows even wore a tactical ablative armor vest. Mudd was a black leather affecionado as well. But instead of a red leather crop top, Mudd wore a black leather brassiere. Mudd also bleached her own black hair platinum white blonde like Zerinda but wore it long in a wild, tangled mane. Burrows shaved his bald and was clean shaven.
"I'm with Tessa. We should keep you around," Mudd granted Zerinda, "We need another rebel around here."
"Almost everyone but Lee Kang are rebels," Burrows reminded.
"Aw, shut up. You always got your whitey tighties in a bunch," Mudd scoffed as she punched his arm.
Zerinda could tell that Burrows could easily have blocked the punch and broken her arm but he good naturedly took it with a smile. Besides, Mudd would've emasculated him with the knife she secretly carried. Burrows also openly wore a combat knife. He seemed to have the grace of a sword fighter as well. Knife fighting was taught to Romulan children as a discipline.
They left to return to the bridge and then Ebert arrived. Zerinda was still surprised to see someone wearing spectacles in that day and age. She said as much and the pilot chuckled, "I'm allergic to Retinax and I'm ineligible for surgical correction or implants because of a genetic disorder that also causes the myopia. Besides, I love my Heads Up Display functions in my lenses. It gives me an advantage whenever I'm piloting because I never have to look away from the viewer to review navigation sensor data."
"Captain Macen and Darcy mentioned that you joined his crew at age fifteen in the Maquis in the ship with the same name and registration as its primary pilot," Zerinda mentioned.
"Primary?' Ebert laughed, "I was the only pilot."
"Truly?" Zerinda was surprised.
"Oh, the Captain and Lisea Danan could pilot shuttles and runabouts fairly well but they're semi-automated in most cases. The original Odyssey lacked any automation. Starships of that era didn't come equipped with computer piloting," Ebert explained, "So, this one lacks it as well. Harri is a skilled pilot and I can run OPS in a pinch, so we're doubled up."
"And in the Maquis?" Zerinda asked, "Who ran the other stations?"
"Lees Danan ran the Sciences Station. Chris Lacey operated Tactical. T'Kir was OPS. I was obviously, the pilot. Tom Eckles and Darcy ran Engineering. Eckles was the Chief Engineer and Heidi was his Engineer's Mate," Ebert explained, "That made up the entire crew."
"No locked away specialists?" Zerinda inquired.
"No," Ebert chuckled, "Angelique and Bailey are some of the newest additions to the family."
"Is this the same Lisea Danan as on Serenity?" Zerinda asked.
"Yup," Ebert confirmed it, "She first bleached her hair blonde and styled it to hide she was a Trill back then."
"Why does she do that?" Zerinda asked.
"Back in the Maquis, the Symiosis Commission would've taken the Dana symbiot from her as a criminal influence. It would've killed her," Ebert said sadly, "Nowadays it's because Trill symbiot hunters are always trying to find symbiots or parasites and take them from their hosts."
"Parasites?" Zerinda was unfamiliar with parasite hunters.
"They first invaded Federation xpace back in 2366. Got to the highest levels of Starfleet and the government," Ebert explained, "Turned out they were originally native to Trill before they and their hosts were driven off planet. They went outside of what is now Federation space. Their new planet was found again and infested hosts returned to the Bajor Sector and tried to breed on Bajor in 2376 during the Cardassian Reconstruction effort. Evidently, the parasites saw an opportunity to infest both the Bajorans and Cardassians during all the confusion after the war."
"We were unaware," Zerinda spoke on behalf of the Star Empire's Imperial Navy.
"Starfleet and the Militia kept it very quiet. But the Kalendra Sector where I was at after the Dominion War ended was pipeline for parasites headed to Bajor and the Kalandra Sector," Ebert shared, "So, everyone in the sector became aware of the infested underground railway."
"Why is there a Kalendra and Kalandra Sector?" Zerinda had to wonder.
"Kalandra drove rebels away a century or two before it became part of the Federation and the exiled Kalandrans went to Kalendra A and colonized it. They just twisted their name a little and established themselves as the dominant race in the Sector," Ebert only knew part of the history, "Neither side openly talks about it. The Kalandra Sector hosts Starbase 375 and was a vital outpost fighting the Dominion. The effort to retake Deep Space Nine was launched from there. The Kalendra Sector remained neutral during the war and the ones that recently followed it."
"Only, the sector recently joined the Iotian Federation," Zerinda pointed out.
"A few incursions from the Breen and Tzenkethi will do that to people," Ebert wore a humorless smile, "For good reason."
"My people have a saying, 'Never trust a Breen'," Zerinda admitted.
"Both peoples are supremacists," Ebert snorted.
"People say that about my my people as well," Zerinda sighed, "There sadly is some merit to it."
"They said that about the Cardies before the wars," Ebert pointed out, "Disaster has a way of changing cultures. The Hobus supernova has drastically affected the Romulans as well."
"But maybe in a bad way," Zerinda said sadly, "The hard liners have retrenched after opening up to the Federation after Shinzon. The colonies, though the backbone of the remaining Star Empire, are marginalized by the remaining Senators from Romulus and the lost nearest colonies."
"I understand your people hunted down and killed every last Reman after the Hobus event," Ebert said with a tinge of anger.
"The Remans went mad after the loss of Remus," Zerinda defended the choice though she hadn't been a participant since still being in Cardassian space, "Even after their losses after Shinzon's coup, the Remans remained a potent threat to their own cousins."
"How did Remans become Remans?" Ebert asked a question posed by most of the Federation.
"When the original criminals were sent to the dilithium mines on Remus, they were genetically adapted to survive and even thrive there," Zerinda explained, "Eventually, the radiation mutated them even further over the centuries."
"How many humans ended up on Remus besides Shinzon?" Ebert asked somewhat coldly.
"Too many," Zerinda admitted.
Ebert's comm badge chirped, "That's my cue. It's been enlightening."
"Truly," Zerinda stated. Ebert was the closest she'd come to rejection since her arrival aboard the new Odyssey. Yet, the pilot wanted to give her a chance at acceptance. But there was past trauma, she could tell. It seemed, from Macen and Rockford's earlier comments, Tracy Ebert's life had been a string of them.
Kerber and Smith were the last to present themselves. They were interestingly different than any of the others. Like Forte, they were inherently dangerous. Smith was quietly cool and calculating. Zerinda had never felt so scrutinized since leaving her home colony and the Imperial Navy. Kerber was more outgoing but just as large a threat. Their mannerisms suggested they'd been confidantes and friends for decades. Yet, there were striking cultural differences between them as well. Zerinda knew instinctively they weren't human but she had no idea where they came from.
They passed as human. Most humans would never look passe their facade. Their human names were obviously adopted. Smith had an almost regal bearing, she'd been raised like the nobility on Romulus. Power politics was a game well known to her it seemed by her attitudes. Yet, she was much kinder and deferential than any Romulan noble. Kerber's digs at her, calling her the "Princess" obviously irked Smith but despite her protests she knew the truth behind the name calling.
Kerber was another story. She was very much a commoner of a type known to imperial dynasties. Zerinda felt an underlying kinship with her for that. Despite her bred in aloofness, Smith felt it as well. The pair seemed more the fugitive rebels than even the former Maquis aboard the starship. Smith, despite her toned down regal bearing, had rejected her core upbringing even more than Zerinda had.
Their banter was light and Zerinda finally asked, "What is it with your fashions?"
Kerber wore a black leather jacket, which Zerinda had grown to expect leather jackets from this crew, but underneath she wore a silver minidress. That was uncommon for a crewman of any ship. Smith wore a gray blazer and slacks with a black blouse underneath. It was very demure yet professional looking for human fashions. But she also wore a wide brimmed gray fedora which Zerinda had never seen the likes of before. Zerinda had quietly been amused at the fact that Ebert emulated Macen and Rockford's style of dress.
"It's my hat isn't it?' Smith was amused.
"Partially," Zerinda eyed Kerber's dress. Shade had worn a black leather sleeveless spaghetti strapped minidress but with her bleached platinum white bangs framing her face and black lipstick, the Fabrini had seemed natural in it. Kerber felt natural in hers as well but it was an odd note for someone attempting to pass as human, "Neither of you are human, as well as Shade, Forte, Macen, and Rockford, despite all appearances aside."
Smith went cold. Kerber seemed amused, "Well, that didn't take long."
"We don't discuss that," Smith said tersely. Kerber quieted down. It seemed Kerber felt a deference to her friend. And they were friends despite their obvious social standing differences. Zerinda felt as though they'd been friends since childhood, their bond and familiarity were so close. They also weren't lovers. That much was certain.
"Trust me, as a Romulan, I understand the need to keep secrets," Zerinda promised, "I don't even want an explanation. I was just making an observation. If you want to continue passing as humans, you need to work better on your skills at doing so with non-humans."
"Meaning?' Kerber was geatly amused by that remark.
"Humans are culturally blind as long as you look like one of them," Zerinda stated, "The have such differences among themselves, they just accept oddities as natural for their species. Outsiders look more closely since we look at the general similarities between human cultures more than we embrace the differences between them. Ebert, Darcy, Burrows, Mudd, and Lee are all human. Diverse yet commonly connected despite not one of them being from Earth itself."
"You sound like Macen," Kerber snorted.
"He was an Anthropology and Archaeology Officer for his people and Starfleet before he joined Starfleet Intelligence," Smith reminded her.
"Yeah, yeah, the myth of the A&A Officer lives on," Kerber was dismissive. Yet, that provided a new insight for Zerinda.
"I didn't know that about him," she said.
"Which part?' Kerber was surprised.
"Any of it," Zerinda confessed, "Ziva alluded to parts of it but never confirmed or denied any parts of it."
"Frinxing spies. Always the same," Kerber scoffed again.
"Yet, you both owe Captain Macen a great deal. It's obvious," Zerinda told them, "Yet, neither of you are used to him being the captain."
"Commander Macen doesn't command the Obsidian. Captain Forger does," Smith clarified, "Macen is the Mission Commander."
"So, in reality, he's still in command," Zerinda pointed out.
"Oh yeah," Kerber chuckled.
"But he and Forger work well together. Unlike he and Captain Riker from all accounts," Smith quietly stated.
"Now that, I completely understand and relate to," Zerinda shared.
Zerinda's comm badge she'd been assigned chirped and she tapped, "Zerinda."
"I'm due to be relieved for my break," Darcy's voice reminded her.
"I'm coming," Zerinda sighed, "It's been very interesting to meet both of you. I'll check in in with you later, Tessa."
"It's been fun to watch your reactions as you met everyone," Tessa confessed.
"How so?" Zerinda asked, "You've been behind me the entire time."
"But I'm connected to Sickbay's bio sensors," Tessa giggled, "Your involuntary reflexes and reactions are very interesting."
"Indeed," Smith quietly concurred.
"I suppose should be going now," Zerinda felt exposed and vulnerable all of a sudden. Like prey before a predator. Smith fostered that feeling with her studious scrutiny. Kerber did so at a lesser degree but no less dangerous. Tessa's sensor trick felt like a cheat.
Upon arrival in Engineering, Darcy quickly asked, "How'd it go?"
"It was...revealing," Zerinda mused.
"Isn't it always? I'll be back in fifteen," Darcy headed off, leaving Zerinda with her own thoughts and reflections. She took the time to review the systems in greater depth. If she were to be caretaker of this ship, she needed to know the ship intimately.
Chapter Eight
The bridge had been abuzz with commentary about Zerinda for twenty minutes. Macen finally ended the discussion, "We all came from somewhere. And most of us have a lot to hide. Keep that in mind."
"Did T'Kir ever go blonde again?" Ebert asked.
"Twice. It never stuck," Macen replied.
"I knew it!" Ebert crowed over her apparent victory.
"How so?" Mudd was curious.
"She always talked about doing it and even tried it once when we were all on the original Odyssey," Ebert shared.
"Why?" Mudd asked.
"Because of Lees. She started bleaching her hair when she joined the Maquis. T'Kir was always so jealous of her," Ebert explained.
"I know. She stabbed me because of it," Macen said drolly.
"Now, that I have to hear about," Mudd chortled, "Did you just marry any woman that tried to kill you?"
"No, it's a very long list," Macen said dryly.
"You've had a long lifetime," Burrows pointed out, "You could piss a lot of women off."
The Briefing Room door slid open and Rockford stepped out and paused, "What am I missing?"
"Discussing all the women that Macen married because they tried kill him," Mudd snickered.
"Have you mentioned Arinae yet?" Rockford asked.
Macen groaned, "Thanks for that. And for the record, she didn't try to kill me until we were reunited after I'd married T'Kir and everyone thought she was dead."
"So, what happened to her?" Mudd was riveted.
"He killed her," Rockford said.
"She wanted me to," Macen reminded her.
"You were married before T'Kir?" Ebert sounded surprised.
"Back when I was with the Survey Corps," Macen explained, "She didn't leave El-Auria with our group. So, everyone thought she'd been assimilated."
"How were ya reunite?" Mudd was still spellbound.
"She was heading up a Section 31 secret project to clone Jem'Hadar loyal to Starfleet. She was holding Tom Riker trying to figure out how to replicate the transporter accident twinned he and Will Riker. She wanted to photocopy a Jem'Hadar that was successfully imprinted without using cloning cylinders," Macen described what had occurred, "We thought Riker was dead so when he got a message out, we came for him."
"Ya seemed to think a lot of people were dead," Mudd snickered again.
"And Section 31 knew she was alive and she never contacted you?" Ebert was shocked.
"We'd been apart for a century by then. We were estranged even before the Borg came for us," Macen told her.
"But Section 31 never contacted you either?" Ebert pressed on.
"James Fowler and I hadn't made our accord yet. So, we were still pretty adversarial then," Macen explained further, "This was even before we'd encounter Jack Fowler's Cell 51. We didn't learn he was behind in that first conflict that Bob Johnson and Jim McKinley led us through."
"But you, T'Kir, and Elias Vaughn played crucial roles as well," Rockford reminded him to complete the historical details.
"Captain Vaughn was there too?" Ebert asked.
"He was still a commander and recently made XO at DS9," Rockford filled in the gap.
"So, just everyone joined the party?" Mudd inquired.
"That's when we first Boromov," Macen said grimly, "Just before the Intrepid launched. We first met Ian Delaney. Hannah Grace made the first contact with him."
"Love at first sight," Mudd chortled.
"More like love at first blow," Macen corrected her assumption.
"That sounds familiar," Rockford chuckled.
"When we fell in love, we were friends by then," Macen amended her comment as well.
"But something made you bring her into the corporation and merge the two so she'd join the team," Burrows stated.
"I even led it for a year and then another," Rockford groaned, "First, he was on a penal colony with T'Kir. Then, he was on sabbatical after T'Kir's death."
"A shukload of drama before any of us came along," Mudd realized.
"You have no idea," Macen told her, "Tracy can tell you literal war stories before the SID was even conceived of."
"But there was a gap of several years before I was recruited," Ebert reminded Mudd.
"Rab and Parva can fill you in on those years. Rab was there from the very beginning and Parva joined early on. Everyone else left or died," Macen said sadly.
"Hannah Grace was there at the beginning too," Ebert remembered replacing Grace.
"This is a different Hannah," Macen had to counsel her, "So, her memories are different as well."
"And then there's Clara Bell," Ebert touted, "She filled in for a while with Ro during the Dominion War. She's crew on the Obsidian now."
"She joined Ro from the original Waylaid crew," Macen explained, "She originally served under Joelle Jones' command."
"Yeah," Ebert said ruefully, "We didn't like her much back then."
"She had a different hair color every time she joined up," Macen mused.
"Say what?" Mudd was intrigued again.
"She was a platinum white blonde like all of Captain Jones' crew," Ebert began the explanation, "Then her hair was neon pink for the war. Now, she's a redhead."
"Shuk, that's a lotta hair colors," Mudd remarked.
"We don't know how many she had in the ten years between the Dominion War and being recruited by Forger and Jones," Macen stated.
"Jeez, you had to remind me," Ebert groaned.
"Aglaia certainly took to her," Rockford had noticed.
"She'd didn't like any relief pilots but me until Bell came back," Ebert had also noticed.
"You miss piloting starships," Macen knew.
"The Corsair is fun to fly but a starship is always better than a runabout," Ebert concurred.
"But I need you on the team," Macen pointed out, "Even when you're not flying."
"But sometimes I wonder why," Ebert admitted.
"You're the one that brought Anara and Neela back into my life," Macen said.
"Old universe," Rockford clarified.
"Okay, I'll give you that one," Ebert conceded.
"I got a much better ship outta the whole quantum reality switcharoo," Mudd chortled.
"And you gave Neela one that you actually paid for rather than our company buying a Bajoran freighter for you to play with," Rockford quipped.
"Look, the Freehold can outrun the Razor's Edge any day," Mudd got defensive, "And I don't 'play' with her."
"The Freehold can only outrun the Razor's Edge for fifteen minutes," Ebert scolded Mudd.
"But that distance factor makes all the difference," Mudd snickered.
"I give up," Ebert hung her head in sorrow.
"Harri, Tony, get some sleep. You need to take the next watch in nine more hours. We'll run twelve hour watches until we reach our destination," Macen advised them.
"We know you're sharing quarters so don't spend all your time having sex," Rockford also counseled them.
Macen tapped the comm badge on his belt. Like all SID comm badges, it doubled as a Federation Marshall's badge, "Macen to Darcy."
"Darcy," the Engineer's Mate replied.
"Get some rest for the nine hours when you relieve Zerinda," Macen instructed, "We'll run twelve hour watches."
"Copy that," Darcy cheerfully acknowledged.
"I'll have Lee and Shade stand down until Arianna and I sit a full watch," Rockford told Macen, "I want people on our problem for twenty-four hours a day."
"Tracy and I will be here on the bridge if we're needed," Macen told her.
"Are Bailey and Angelique splitting up?" Ebert asked.
"They're running their own scheduling," Macen informed her, "They're preparing countermeasures to deal with Captains Calhoun and Mueller as well as Commodore Shelby."
"The Solstice will get their first but not by much," Ebert told them, "Eckles and Darcy couldn't boost the speed without an entirely new warp core."
"Which they received," Macen frowned, "The core should've exceeded the power estimates needed to break Warp 8."
"Since they kept some internal parts from when it was still a Blackbird-class, Noble decided to forgo enhancing the maximum warp speed," Ebert explained, "They have new nacelles and a new warp but they kept the integral warp drive. So, they maintained their limits."
"They never told us that," Rockford was puzzled.
"So, where does the excess power feed to?" Macen wanted to understand.
"The shield emitters and phasers," Ebert explained, "They upgraded to modern standard shields and Type X phaser strips. But they kept the original torpedo launchers since the Iotians have a contract to replenish those."
"Logistically that's wise. But I let them run the project. I expected a complete rebuild," Macen said, "They literally created a new class of scoutship."
"Are you mad?" Ebert wondered.
"No, just confused a to why they didn't specify those items in their reports," Macen said.
"Sakonna probably hid the line item throwbacks," Rockford suggested, "They did have a budget."
"True, I just expected better price negotiations for the items they received to refit the ship," Macen admitted.
"The reports stated that they split the acquisitions between the Ferengi and the Federation. Even the Federation is starving for hard currency right now," Rockford replied to the lament, "They'd raise the prices on regulated technology."
"Even with Chris' SID security clearance," Macen understood all too well, "Oh would see to it."
"Anyway, don't bite Lee and Shade on their way out," Rockford requested.
"Who bites anyone?" Macen asked.
"They've seen you in action," Rockford told him, "They know you're a special kind of crazy."
"That's why we love you," Ebert consoled him.
"You just fly the ship," Macen instructed, "I'll deal with this misconception."
"Play nice," Rockford scolded him.
"When am I not nice?" Macen asked.
"Try every time you blow somebody up. Or detonate a photon grenade in a room with a hostage that you're trying to rescue," Ebert replied.
"You weren't even there," Macen rebutted her declaration.
"I was. That was a ballsy move. And stupid," Rockford admonished him, "Now we have major fallout with Bob Johnson, Jim McKinley and the entire Intrepid crew. You know how much influence Johnson has with Amanda Forger."
"I've never seen her in love. Not even with her shuk for brains ex-husband," Macen admitted.
"You said he paralyzed her," Rockford recalled, "That would dampen any romantic inclinations."
"How is she walking now?" Ebert asked.
"A prototype spinal implant that bypasses the broken parts of her spinal cord and shunts the information past it to her lower extremities," Macen explained, "Technology Starfleet Medical hasn't developed yet in this quantum reality."
"Starfleet has to know about it. She went through a routine examination recently," Rockford mentioned.
"She came up with a cock and bull story about how she was injured on a skiing trip and a biomedical engineer that had been researching a similar tech but died in a shuttle accident. Nechayev provided those details to Starfleet Medical," Macen told her.
"She avoided a quantum signature scan," Rockford was relieved, "That's the most important part."
"Tom Riker was already a different quantum level from his twin, Will," Macen said, "He might show up as even more differentiated than before. They'd probably ignore it."
"And when they scanned Danan?" Ebert asked.
"She'd be looking at potential deportation for not registering with Starbase 80," Rockford told her, "Captain Freeman is pretty damn strict about those protocols she developed."
"We'd all face that. Only there's no universe to go back to," Macen explained.
"And, the Quantum Wormhole is collapsing. Solving part of Starfleet and our problem with it existing," Rockford enjoyed telling Ebert.
"But we could face potential detention for lying to Starfleet about our origins," Macen warned Ebert.
"Or, they could ship us all off to the Terran Universe. It's still the closest linked universe to this one," Rockford grimaced.
"For how long?" Ebert asked.
"What?" Macen started to question something in his mind.
"How long will the universes connect?" Ebert asked, "You and Neela think our universe doesn't even exist anymore. The quantum wormhole is collapsing. Does that mean travel between quantum realities is ending? Are the universes widening apart?"
"You have to become something more," Macen said as if in a trance.
"Excuse me?" Rockford was beginning to worry.
"The first time I met the Prophets," he was still seemingly elsewhere, "They said, 'You have to become something more'. That's why we're here."
"Care to explain that?" Rockford asked.
"We were all pulled from our universe. Or universes. That's still possible," Macen was beginning to connect with all the pieces that had been scattered before them, "Neela said there were four Prime Universes. But if they are separating, that would make only one a Prime Universe. The Prophets and other higher beings are shifting their focus to that universe. That single universe. Because it's the original before the deviations that created the alternate universes happened. So, we're not the only ones that have been collected."
"Really?" Ebert was fascinated.
"Tell Lee and Shade to get some rest and your scheduling decision. Then join me in Sickbay," Macen told Rockford, "Tracy, you have the bridge. Call me if you need me."
He headed for the turbolift. Ebert shook her head, "I haven't seen that since we met the Prophets."
"You met them too?" Rockford was startled.
"Everyone on the Odyssey and Asimov did," Ebert told her, "The Skipper won't ever talk about it. But it changed her mind about a lot of things. Daggit too. That's why he stayed in Starfleet."
"What did they say to you?" Rockford asked.
"That my past would be dealt with," Ebert said, "And it was. Thanks to the Captain, Angelique and Bailey. Even my then-future and present past was dealt with. They knew when I didn't."
"That's how Brin and Neela speak of them," Rockford shuddered, "Reverently."
"I don't believe the Captain believes they're gods. Just a higher evolved life form," Ebert assured her, "But he does believe in God."
"I don't understand how," Rockford confessed.
"You either do or you don't," Ebert shrugged, "Obviously neither of you hold it against the other."
"A saving grace from the faithful, I suppose," Rockford confessed, "He isn't a complete zealot."
"Like Neela?" Ebert chuckled.
"To name one," Rockford sighed, "I'd better attend to my people then find out why my husband fled to Sickbay."
"That was more purposeful than fearful," Ebert had noted, "He thinks he's on to something."
"I know," Rockford acknowledged, "But I can't imagine what came out of that conversation."
"With him? You never know," Ebert told her, "I've got something on nav sensors. Let me check it out."
"Problem?" Rockford asked, "I could man sensors for you."
"Just several Iotian starships in Federation space," Ebert sounded confused, "I don't know why they're this far out from home."
"I'll tell Brin when I see him in a few minutes," Rockford promised before entering the Briefing Room. She joined Lee and Shade in their exit and departure in the turbolift.
Ebert studied the sensor scans again. The Iotians were on a parallel course and matching speed. They'd slowed when they detected the Odyssey. Ebert wasn't certain she liked that. She hoped Macen could sort it out with them.
Rockford entered Sickbay, "What's so mysteriously important?"
"Can I tell her?" Tessa eagerly asked.
"Be my guest," Macen allowed.
"Commander Macen had me run a quantum signature scan of him," Tessa shared, "The results were amazing!"
"How?" Rockford was skeptical.
"There's no variance between him and the ship," Tessa gushed.
"That should be technically impossible," Rockford was even more skeptical now.
"I know!" Tessa said gleefully, "So, I used our access to Starfleet Medical to peruse Captain Kirk's medical files. Starfleet accepted him not despite his coming from a different universe but because they couldn't prove he was from one. I also looked up Admiral Forger's files. They did run a scan when they detected the implant. It came up with the same results I got here and now."
"How can that happen?" Rockford asked.
"Technically Picard and Kirk created a new quantum reality in the Prime Universe with the Nexus. But it seems that's why the Prophets used it to transfer everybody in and out," Macen explained, "Because it seems to adapt everyone to the reality they're entering into. Picard showed no variance afterwards. Kirk doesn't and he's an identical match for the remains the recovery teams brought back from Veridian III."
"So Starfleet, in its infinite wisdom, can't solve the mystery so they brought him into the fold to study and watch him?" Rockford asked.
"Pretty much," Tessa happily said.
"That must scare the shuk out of Starfleet Command," Rockford mused.
"Undoubtedly," Macen agreed, "So, that explains the rigidity of Captain Freeman's protocols."
"By the way, Tracy just detected Iotians nearby," Rockford told him, "It seems to bother her."
"They are far into Federation space at this point," Macen understood why, "Supposedly the Federations are normalizing relations but I doubt the Federation would appreciate the Iotian Starfleet cruising through its territory."
"The timing is also off," Rockford admitted, "Boromov is distributing arms in the Deeper Beta Quadrant, infringing on Iotian trade in the area, and they're not going to respond?"
"I'll need you on sensors while I contact them," Macen told her.
"I offered but Tracy shot me down," Rockford groaned.
"She's stubborn," Macen shrugged.
"I wonder who she picked that up from?' Rockford asked, "Growing into adulthood around you and Ro."
"Stubbornness kept her alive after the she survived a gang rape by a Cardassian Guard crew," Macen allowed.
"Which you helped bring closure to," Rockford granted him, "With Bailey and Angelique's help."
"But Tracy did act alone when she confronted her first attackers," Macen reminded her, "The rest weren't as important to her or as galvanizing in her life. They just perpetuated the cycle. So, she didn't mind that we dealt with them ourselves."
"Has she said anything to you?" Rockford asked Tessa, "You don't seem surprised by anything we're saying."
"I can tell you she has seen me in my capacity as ship's psychiatrist. I can't talk about what she has or hasn't said," Tessa reminded her.
"True enough," Macen said, "Let's go check some suspicious Iotians."
Tessa knew Ebert had been eternally grateful for the efforts on her behalf. She'd confronted and literally killed her demons. Going through a violent life, it was very cathartic for her. She'd probably wouldn't ever had closure otherwise. It made Tessa sad.
Macen took OPS and hailed the Iotian starships, "They're stubbornly refusing communications."
"This is weird," Rockford told them as she scanned the vessels, "They're showing an Iotian type registration but they're not original Iotian designs, which their fleet supposedly entirely switched over to. And they're unflagged."
"To get around the construction limits the Federation imposed on them," Macen knew, "What vessel types are they?"
"Vessel type singular. Numbers plural," Rockford told him, "One ship class repeated three times."
"I knew that," Ebert reminded her.
"One vessel type?" Macen worried now.
"Defiant-class. Something they're supposedly not building or had access to the designs," Rockford told him.
"But they had access to Indendants Kira and Ro," Macen sighed, "They probably stole the plans from the Terran Empire."
"The way the Terran Resistance stole them from Starfleet," Ebert chimed in.
"Smiley O'Brien's strategy worked well enough. Building those class of ships allowed the Resistance to capture Regent Worf and make the hole in the Alliance the remnants of the Terran Empire used to break through their blockades," Macen gave them credit for that.
"I'm running their transponders again," Macen said.
"They're clearly running ISS registry tags," Rockford told him.
"But the names aren't standard Iotian registries," Macen pointed out. "We have the ISS Vengeance, the ISS Retaliation, and the ISS Overlord. Those sound distinctly..."
"Terran," Ebert grimaced.
"They could be Iotians running a bluff," Rockford suggested, "To shift blame towards the Terran Empire."
"Especially if they are tracking us and know where we're headed," Ebert added to the theory.
"They also have NCC number registries like Terran ships share with Starfleet vessels," Macen allowed, "Which would seem to verify the ruse, if it is one."
"I wonder what Miss Kracko would say about it," Rockford hinted.
"Let's find out," Macen agreed with the strategy.
Kracko seemed flummoxed, "It seems our gambit hasn't paid off as well as we'd like it to."
"Why are you even running it?' Macen asked.
"To achieve the same goal as you are attempting to," Kracko readily told him.
"How do you even know what we're doing?" Macen asked.
"We have sources," Kracko wouldn't say.
"This is off the corporate books," Macen told her, "So, your source isn't in our company."
"Perhaps not," Kracko would only say.
"You know I can't allow your ships to engage Federation starships," Macen advised her.
"Pity," Kracko signed off.
"Whoa!" Ebert yelped, "Those ships just went to Warp 9!"
"Zerinda, we're going to maximum warp for as long as we can," Macen warned the engineer.
"Understood," she replied over comms.
"I'll be hiding in the Briefing Room," Rockford slid away from the Sciences Station.
"Engaging at Warp 8," Ebert told Macen, "You know we'll never catch them. They'll beat us there by at least a day."
"I have to warn Amanda she has an Iotian mole in her division," Macen grimaced.
"Oh, that'll go over well," Ebert told him.
"She's already conflicted about letting us grab Boromov out from underneath Starfleet protection, "Maybe having an Iotian raid and spy will change her mind."
"I doubt it," Ebert said dourly.
"I have a what and they're doing what?" Forger was incensed.
"Someone is selling you out," Macen promised her, "Or someone inside Starfleet Intelligence or Starfleet Security. The SID is jointly overseen by both."
"I'll deal with that later," Forger closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Tell me more about these Iotian warships."
"They're disguised as Terran warships," Macen told her and transmitted the registries, "They won't receive or transmit any communications. Kracko and Oxmyx will probably deny any knowledge or affiliation with them."
Forger was studying the Odyssey's sensor logs that Macen had transmitted, "Do you have the comm logs?"
"We don't keep comm logs on covert missions aboard the Odyssey," Macen reminded her of standing protocol, "Which their insider told them about. That's why Kracko was happy to confess."
"She won't receive any communications from you now," Forger already knew.
"They know they'll be recorded this time around," Macen confirmed her idea.
"I'll warn Shelby. I have to wonder why Kracko and Oxmyx was suddenly risk this when they just opened relations with the Federation," Forger confessed.
"Do you have any idea of what kind of starship serves as Shelby's flag command?" Macen inquired again.
"Alynna and Oh have blocked any access to outsiders to any record of their deployment," Forger advised him, "You don't send a flag officer in with just three starships."
"You also don't assign officers like Shelby, Mac, and Kat to babysitting duties," Macen replied.
"Shelby will follow lawful orders. Calhoun and Mueller can be persuaded to do anything they can justify in their moral code. That's why Nechayev would recommend them. But for the rest of any task force, Oh would want loyalists," Forger informed him, "I compiled a list of probables."
"But Shelby, Calhoun and Mueller were also picked because of their strategic and tactical wherewithal," Macen stated, "They're some of the best still serving."
"But the Iotains have damn Defiant-class escorts now. That will change a lot of thinking regarding them," Forger advised Macen.
"They'd already built a Galaxy- and Nebula-class starships. They also reverse engineered Cell 51's Enterprise-class starships. Starfleet has to stop underestimating their technical capabilities. They have an entire fleet of newly designed starshp types that we know nothing about despite recording some of them in combat," Macen warned Forger, "They're not offering those up for sale either. They want them to remain secret."
"Which is part of the reason Captain Vaughn and our second contact teams are going into the Enforcer Zone now that the Iotians have annexed it from the Iridians," Forger explained the rationale regarding Vaughn's newest assignment after Starfleet handed over administrative oversight completely from Deep Space Nine. The greatest show of Bajoran affiliation with the Cardassians was renaming the station Terok Nor.
"Captain Benteen is supporting Elias with everything at her disposal, as well," Macen reminded her.
"Erika Benteen was a victim of Starfleet politics when she demoted back to Commander to take the partial fall for Admiral Leyton. I used the think we'd outgrown that nonsense but I've learned otherwise," Forger wearily sighed.
"It's a different Starfleet these days," Macen reminded her through the double meaning, "But we have good news on that front. I'm sending an encoded message now."
Forger knew that meant to use Smith and Kerber's unique cipher assigned to her. After opening the uploaded message transferred to a personal padd that never left her possession, Forger gasped upon reading Tessa's findings, "That's why Starfleet Medical didn't report me or investigate us."
"Mystery solved," Macen chuckled, "You and Alynna applied Occam's Razor to the problem and assumed Starfleet Medical hadn't run a variance scan. Instead, they had but found no discrepancy."
"It would take a JAG, Starfleet Security or Internal Affairs investigation to open these records. We just never thought about co-opting a friendly doctor," Forger confessed.
"They don't come friendlier than Tessa," Macen chuckled.
"Since you practically burned your bridge with Andreja Sikorsky," Forger chided him.
"It is what it is," Macen shrugged.
"You're lucky Bob Johnson, Jim McKinley, and Jonathan Striker are still taking your side. Hannah Grace intervened with Ian Delaney on your behalf. But the Intrepid's senior officers are split down the middle in their current opinion of you and your methods," Forger warned him.
"Sometimes the best decisions are the most divisive ones," Macen drolly replied, "And that one was a crowd pleaser."
"No, it wasn't," Forger said sternly, "Even I can't defend your thought processes on that call."
"I knew Bob would live," Macen said.
"You had no way of knowing that with one hundred percent certainty," Forger accused.
"I was ninety percent certain he'd survive a precisely placed grenade blast versus a head on charge into an awaiting ambush with him as a human shield," Macen was irritated now, "I'll take those odds over the less than fifty percent certainty of a live extraction with the secondary option."
"So Striker and Grace argued. McKinley and Delaney were eventually swayed and Admiral Johnson relented as well," Forger told him, "But it was dicey. Sikorsky still won't budge."
"And Caplan, Liefers, and Pedrossi?" Macen inquired.
"You caused Liefers and Caplan's first major lover's spat," Forger grimly stated, "Pedrossi gave you the benefit of the doubt while Striker plead your case."
"Hannah swayed Liz then," Macen admitted, "Pilots understand major risk factors and steps in minimizing them."
"Liefers is a pilot. She moved up the ranks to Flight Operations Officer," Forger reminded him.
"Which is why she'd be easy to sway," Macen goaded her, "And she and Hannah are the same rank despite positions in the chain of command."
"You're hopeless," Forger groaned.
"Tracy, that's your cue," Macen grinned.
"And that's why we love him," Ebert happily chimed in.
"Just be warned, Sikorsky filed an incendiary report regarding Admiral Johnson's injuries and how they were sustained," Forger advised him, "Expect further fallout from Starfleet Command."
"Copy that," Macen said evenly.
"My staff detected and disabled Romulan listening devices and data taps in our systems and offices," Forger also advised, "They're model as those found in Clancy's offices when she was Fleet Admiral."
"Senecka and Prentiss tried pinning those on Oh," Macen recalled.
"With little success to show for after Admiral T'Lara summarily dismissed the case against Clancy. Afterwards, Oh used her position to shut down any further investigation into how they got there," Forger reminded him.
"Very self-serving if she were the guilty party," Macen stated.
"Akaar chalked up to Oh's personal loyalty to Clancy," Forger sounded dour.
"You don't sound convinced either," Macen pointed out.
"Like you said, it's awfully damn convenient. It's also a complete violation of standard protocol. Oh pointed to the Tal Shiar, fingered some hapless crewman that served in Maintenance n the building and called it good," Forger replied, "IA is investigating and not finding corroborating evidence to support Starfleet Security's conclusions."
"What kind of evidence did Security supposedly find?" Macen asked.
"There is a latinum and other funds transfer into the crewman's personal account," Forger admitted, "But she maintains she doesn't know where the fund came from or why. Furthermore, the credit trail ends at Barrinor and the banking cartels won't divulge who made the transfers."
"They never will," Macen counseled her, "Discretion and confidence is their byword. It's what they built their financial empire on."
"Even Swiss banks relented to official investigations after over a century of political pressure from within and externally. Before the United Earth happened and the Federation went cashless," Forger stated.
"The Switzerland Canton of Earth is still the banking hub for Sector 01 and beyond," Macen knew.
"We were taught Earth's cantons used to be independent nations before the United Earth was finalized following First Contact," Ebert interjected.
"In most cases," Forger confirmed it, "But some larger nations were collections of smaller states or provinces. They were separated into individual cantons after Earth's unification."
"With a few exceptions like the reunification of the two Korean nations," Macen put forth.
"Yes, the divided Korea did survive inside the Eastern Coalition," Forger conceded, "But the North and South reunited following the worldwide Eugenics Wars."
"Everyone united after the final world war and First Contact," Ebert said.
"Too true. But, I need to contact Shelby and alert that the Iotians are on their way," Forger conceded.
"Suspected Iotians," Macen warned her, "You can't give away who they are without fully revealing how you obtained the information which would compromise our effort to reach Boromov."
"I can report sightings and movements of unknown Starfleet type starships of unknown origin," Forger concluded.
"They'll pass through Alfonso Reyes' command sectors. So, alert him to report sightings," Macen suggested.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear recommend falsifying a report," Forger sighed.
"Just ask him if there were any strange sightings in his command area. Someone will have reported those ships blazing through," Macen clarified.
"Good enough," that seemed to satisfy Forger as she signed off.
"That ended well enough," Ebert said.
"Except, if the Iotians attack before we enter the system, Starfleet will be on high alert when we arrive," Macen sighed, "And they will be as soon as Amanda warns Shelby."
"So, we're screwed," Ebert was downcast.
"Essentially," Macen agreed in spirit.
Major Wyn, Neela, Katts and Javi were back aboard the Razor's Edge. Lieutenant Griff seemed relieved to be turning command back to Wyn, "She's all yours."
"Command not suiting you?" Wyn grinned.
"I prefer it in smaller doses," Griff confessed.
"We ended up scraping by in a firefight with an Orion raider," Ferris explained Griff's sudden reluctance to assume command, "We took the worst of it. We just got the ship certified to deploy before you returned to Free Haven Port."
"But I got us out of there before Tech Sergeant Gren came up from Engineering and killed us all," Wes stated from the CONN about their Chief Engineer, Gren Taru.
"It was actually Wills I was afraid of," Griff referred ot Tech Corporal Wills Fani, Gren's deputy.
"It seems you really can't live without us," Javi laughed as she lit up the Communications Station..
"I've always known it," Katts asserted as she retook her Sensor Station.
"What's with the old starships?" Javi inquired, "I thought we'd refit all of them."
"The First Minister and the General Staff decided they'd slow down any intruders long enough for more advanced ships to reinforce them," Ferris kept up with the Militia chatter, "Greater numbers at half the cost since the Iotians agreed to build limitations on any isolinear based ship designs. Now there's a highest bidder waiting queue for the more advanced vessel types."
"But?" Wyn could hear it in his voice.
"But, they can build unlimited duotronic based vessel types. So, for valued customers like the Militia, they're offering steep discounts on the older tech type ships," Ferris shrugged, "Basic economics to keep us buying."
Wyn found it odd that discounts on starships and ordnance were becoming necessary again. While the interstellar market for warp capable Bajoran made freighters was at a record high, the market would eventually become glutted. Furthermore, the Bajoran Republic's economy floated two fiat currencies. The Bajoran lek had been introduced by the Cardassians in order to pay Guard troops on Bajor. The Bajoran lek, like its Cardassian counterpart it was named after, was backed by hard currency latinum reserves. It was traded in interstellar currency markets and its value changed. The Bajoran lira wasn't backed by hard currency so it was meant for domestic spending only.
The Bajoran lek was currently at record high values because the Republic had invested latinum reparation payments from the Federation into its financial reserves. Which after the rapid expanse of the Militia's forces and starship assets it meant there was still currency in the reserves to pay out lek expenditures. Unlike the Federation, which was running budget deficits for the first time in its history, the Republic still maintained a balanced budget. But cost cutting measures were being implemented Kara Gena's Treasury Ministry after rogue religious orders had defaulted on loans valued at billions of leks. Not only was the hard currency backed monies lent out and spent without repayment but estimated returns of millions of leks in interest payments were defaulted on as well.
The influx of former Bajoran settlers in the Federation returning to the Republic had offset the population losses on the colonies from the rogues vedeks detonating the planetary warp core powered utility stations. The projected crop shortfalls necessitated diverting government funds towards replicator systems to feed the expanded population. The loss of thirty thousand colonists per devastated colonies couldn't be set right by the trials of the surviving vedeks or the population boom.
Militia recruitment was up across the board. The Colonial Defenses Forces and Militia Scouts required the most personnel off of Bajor. They also required the largest influx of starships. New colonial settlements projects brought on by the Scouts' reports of habitable planets needed defenses on both the ground and in space. Fortunately, most of the recruits were former Starfleet enlisted or officers that suffered cashiering during Starfleet's purge and detention of Bajoran personnel when the Federation invaded the Bajor, Cardassia and Dorvan Sectors. Most Bajorans interned in camps left the Federation to return to their ancestral home.
The colonial settlers wanted new colonies to settle upon. The urbane dwellers wanted to settle in Bajor's largest cities. The Ministry's handing out and installing replicators in every home on Bajor and the colonies meant the citizenry didn't to rely on subsistence living. Otherwise Bajor's crop exports would fail to feed its own people rather than deliver to its largest customer bases in the Cardassian Union and Iotian Federation. That would deprive the farmers of earning Cardassian leks and Iotian dollars, both backed by hard currency and worth far more than the otherwise useless domestic lira.
Exports had fueled a market renaissance on Bajor and its colonies. The Ascendancy was growing import market as well. The Iotians were especially eager to import food and goods to spread across the Enforcer Zone. The Cardassian were luxury goods purchasers, their markets were selective and niche. The loss of the four Plantation worlds wouldn't affect their market suppliers' output and deliveries. The Bajoran Occupation had created Cardassian appetites for Bajoran fruits and vegetables as well as spun fiber items.
The colonies in the Bajor Sector were beginning to be self-sufficient. Even the meager Valo colonies were growing to be independent. Bajor was constructing a second G-class starbase there. Prophets Landing had received the first. Free Haven Port was the first and only J-class starbase and the headquarters for General Anara's Colonial Defense Forces Command. Waypoint Station in the Gamma Quadrant was a K-class support station for the branching colonies on the other side of the Wormhole. Plans for another J-class starbase to be built on the border between Bajoran and Ascendant territories was in development.
The Iotian contractors were receiving engineering support from the Militia. The System Defense Force was now pared down to four starships staging out of Terok Nor. General Kira's flag command, the Shield of the Prophets, was the only Iotian designed starship in Militia service. Anara's flag command, the Fist of the Prophets, was the only other advanced Federation contemporary ship in service. The Iotian Starfleet had gifted them each with their respective starship commands. The Shield of the Prophets remained in orbit of Bajor unless deployed on defense of the system. The Fist ran regular patrol routes across the colonial territories under Colonel Wyn's command.
The four other System Defense Force ships were Excelsior-class refits. The Colonial Defense Forces had absorbed the other ships of the class. Now, with the influx of new older model starships, the Colonial Defense Forces and Militia Scouts wee doubling in size and reach. Starfleet's withdrawal of exploratory efforts in the Gamma Quadrant opened new routes of exploration for the Scouts. To supplement the Archer- and Kremlin-class scoutships, the Militia General Staff had endorsed deploying older model Asia- and Constitution-class light and heavy cruisers on exploration missions akin to the old "Five Year Mission" plans Starfleet had once employed. Mercury-class frigates would join supplemental patrols alongside Asia- and Constitution-class starships and their refitted versions.
The Ascendant would cooperate in joint missions inside their own space and border security between the two interstellar powers. The peoples' mutual histories and religion solidifying their trust of one another. Both sides had worked in support of one another since they're discovery of one another and the tragedy that brought them together. Those events had also brought Iliana Ghemor to faith in the Prophets and choosing the reality of her role as Emissary rather then fictional version she'd crafted. Macen and Neela had been pivotal in those events. The Prophets had instructed Sisko to endorse Ghemor as well.
The turbolift doors opened and Neela exited, "Are we ready to get underway?"
"We just received our clearance to depart," Javi informed her and Wyn, "Engineering reports we're on internal power and life support."
"I've cleared all moorings and am ready to file our exit vector," Wes told them.
"Anara told me of your mishaps," Neela mention to Griff. His cheeks colored at her use of the plural. Ferris and Wes hadn't given that away.
"The boys have stories tell," Katts gloated.
"The Orion raider you encountered has been spotted running the blockade around Empok Nor," Neela informed Griff and Wyn, "We're to pursue and learn where they go to next."
"You're afraid they smuggled Dukat's son off of the station," Wyn already knew.
"No Orion ships have been directly linked to the station or the blockade before. The Syndicate has relied on third parties to do their smuggling," Neela frowned, "This an untoward escalation. I want to know why."
"The let's find out for you," Wyn assumed her place at the center seat, "Plot your course, Corporal."
Neela handed Wyn the crews' incident reports to the Militia while the foursome were away, "I'm told these are informative reading."
She exited and Wyn eyeballed Griff, "Any spoilers for me?"
"It's all there," Griff was downcast. Ferris and Wes were subdued as well.
Wyn read a disclaimer fronting the reports, "It says here there are discrepancies between the reports. Big ones. General Anara was going to subject you three to bio reader tests to ascertain the complete accounting of facts."
"It seems you should've coordinated together to get your bullshuk stories straight," Katts snickered.
"What speed should I implement once we're clear of the inner system?" Wes changed the subject.
"Warp 4. Javi, warn Gren we're doing maximum warp for as long as we can sustain it before dropping to a lower cruising speed," Wyn instructed.
"We can do an emergency Warp 5," Wes reminded her.
"I'd rather spare the newly repaired warp drive that until we need to have an actual emergency," Wyn downplayed the need, "Katts, the raider will be long gone by the time we arrive. Can you track any Orion warp signatures exiting the system?"
"Our sensor upgrades are enough I should be able to still detect a faint remnant of a signature. Especially if they came out at warp velocities," Katts answered.
"The ships in the blockade will point us in the right direction to look in," Ferris added to her confidence.
"Lieutenant, I have some reading to do," Wyn rose out of her seat, "Man the bridge."
Wyn excused herself to the two seat, one table Ready Room behind the bridge module. Katts look to him, "You really should have just told her."
"Told her what?" Griff was bothered by the remark.
"By whatever you're trying to hide from her," Javi retorted.
Three days later, Starfleet comm channels still weren't reporting any attacks on Starfleet vessels. The Tholians were engaging the Klingons and they were enjoying themselves too much to call in Starfleet. The Empire wanted the Taurus Reach as much they wanted the conflict. The Tholian Assembly wanted to keep the remnants of Shedai technology out of Klingon hands. The Federation had given up colonizing the Reach after the loss of the Vanguard starbase in an existential crisis in 2267.
"I have the Solstice on my hood," Rockford had been scanning for the responsive transponder ID. A query signal accompanied her sensor waves. Mudd, Burrow and Darcy had been given fours of rest before they were return to their respective posts in five.
"Hail them," Macen instructed.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Mudd said flippantly as she did so.
Noble appeared on the main viewer, "Nice of you to join us. We arrived on station eight hours ago. We've been holding ever since."
"Any sign of Starfleet?" Macen asked.
"They've patrolled the sector border twice since we arrived," Noble told him.
"So, they're on high alert. Any sign of the Iotians?" Macen inquired.
"Not since we arrived. They could have been and gone by now," Noble answered.
"Not likely. Shelby is a stickler for regulations. If her task force came under attack, she'd have to report it. Starfleet Command has been conspicuously quiet regarding any provocations," Macen told her, "Even from the Gorn that they're supposed to be a countermeasure against."
"You never mentioned Gorn before," Noble sounded irritated.
"We've received further updates while you under subspace radio silence," Macen told her, "The facility we're going is developing a countermeasure against isolytic weapons.. Or at least that's Grimes Armaments was contracted to do."
"You don't sound convinced," Noble noted.
"I'm convinced the contract is real enough. I have doubts that Grimes is actually pursuing it given Boromov's activities in the Deeper Beta Quadrant," Macen told her, "They're supposed to field test their design soon. That's why they're in neutral space. They have to set off a weapon to counter it."
"Even Grimes is banned from manufacturing an isolytic weapon by the Third Khitomer Accords," Noble replied.
"But the S'ona aren't signatories and they had a stockpile of them," Macen informed her.
"Starfleet is certain the Gorn are developing isolytic weapons? Other than a warp detonation, what could stop an isolytic wave?" Noble asked.
"Grimes Armaments was given Breen suppressor technology," Macen revealed to her, "They're trying to adapt it to suppress more than warp cores."
"Starfleet and the Klingons solved the damper problem," Noble pointed out.
"By accident," Macen said grimly, "Grimes' CEO and board of Directors know most other stellar nations don't have access to the modification specs needed to thwart the damper. Civilian craft of every known species are still vulnerable. Additionally, isolytic weapons damping tech would be priceless as a defense contracting tool for Grimes."
"Does that include us? Our ships were either decommissioned a decade before the war or even longer before then or constructed by the Iotians. They don't have the specs. Do they?" Noble suddenly worried.
"That's right. Starfleet specifically denied the specifications to security contractors," Macen told her, "I'm beginning to see why. Starfleet Command wants exclusive rights to damping weapons."
"The Breen can still modify the original design," Noble contested that notion.
"Now the Breen know an adjustment to warp core matter/antimatter balances can stop their 'super' weapon from functioning. It would only a slight matter of time for races already knowledgeable in the original variance factors to find a way doing the same again," Macen assured her, "The Breen have given up on that weapon."
"How can you be so certain?" Noble asked.
"Because they would've used it again against the Iotian Starfleet," Macen said simply.
"You're forgetting something," Mudd interrupted the conversation, "Grimes can earn even more latinum selling the weapons and the countermeasure illegally on the black markets."
"She has a major point," Rockford concurred.
"Or even a countermeasure countermeasure," Mudd suggested.
"Or Starfleet's countermeasure could be made to be ineffective against a certain type of isolytic weaponry," Rockford added to the discussion.
"We can't stop their technical research," Macen advised them, "We can arrest Boromov on weapons proliferation and Prime Directive violations. We can't interfere with the research itself. Besides they already have a working prototype. That's why they're out here. The Gorn will detect the isolytic signature and the damping field used to seal the subspace rupture."
"Making the Gorn likelier to abandon their own weapons research," Noble understood now.
"We have a ship nearing the border," Mudd warned everyone as Elfi Hendryks did the same for Noble aboard the Solstice, "It's a Starfleet starship. I make her to be an Akira-class."
"She's going to warp," Burrows from Tactical.
"Swipe her transponder ID," Macen requested.
"Got it!" Burrows Burrows basked in his success, "I doubt she noticed our query. She's the USS Dauntless."
"That's Sarah Divine's command," Rockford recalled.
"Which could or couldn't be a problem," Macen said ruefully.
"Whoa! I'm pickin' up all sortsa Starfleet comm chatter now," Mudd told them, "Those Iotians have engaged Starfleet."
"Alert Captain Noble. We're making our run on Grimes' facility," Macen instructed, "Maximum warp."
"Sito is locked on my navigation plot," Ebert told as she engaged the warp engines.
"We're at maximum warp," Sito told Noble, "Coordinates are locked."
Noble downloaded all the information she could the star system they headed towards, "Tulley, Lacey look at this."
She called up copies of the files to their stations. Tulley skimmed through the salient points quicker than Lacey had so he commented first "This a mess. There's no way we just slip in and out."
"What I find the oddest is the Iotians waited until now to strike when they have probably been on station since before we even arrived," Lacey stated.
"You're suggesting they waited until the Odyssey arrived. But how could they know when that happened? Almost to the minute?" Sito asked, "How is that possible?"
"When we received our briefing packages on the Iotians, it mentioned that before they allied with the Terrans they'd previously been allied with the Terrans' enemies, the Alliance," Lacey pointed out.
"The Terran Universe Ro and Kira are the ones that provided the Iotians with designs for advanced starships. That included building Cardassian and Klingon designs."
"Or they could've just bought a black market Klingon cloaking device," Tulley applied the most likely scenario, "Otherwise the Iotians would've started using cloaking devices on all their own ships."
"I don't think the Iotians would sell cloaking devices," Sito told them, "Captain Riker and I did business with them he was CO of the Iron Boots. They're very pragmatic."
"You sound like you had a crush on one of them," Lacey snorted.
"You did!" Hendryks saw Sito's blush.
"I'd just escaped a maximum security prison run by Cardassians," Sito defensively retorted, "The Cardassians notoriously raped female prisoners."
"Did they at least provide birth control?" Lacey asked.
"No, they didn't," Sito grimly grated, "And they didn't want hybrid children being born. Rather than give us abortion pills, they beat us until the fetus died and we miscarried."
"My God," Hendryks said quietly.
"Now, you know why people from my colony hated the Spoonheads so much," Tulley grimly told her.
"You and an Iotian," Lacey shook her head in disapproval.
"It was a different Starfleet ten years ago. They still relied on duotronic technology copied frpm the Federation's past," Sito explained., "They were less gangster back then. It wasn't until they started building a new fleet out of isolinear technology that they perfected their business model by initially selling 22nd Century pre-duotronnic starships. They had just started selling duotronic based starships and the Militia was the first bulk customer."
"Eddington actually got Ro to help steal decommissioned Starfleet starships from that era," Tulley admitted.
"I remember," Hendryks replied, "The systems were all nearly compatible with our regular raiders."
"That's how out of date our equipment was," Noble told Sito.
"Captain Rike's first command was a Bonaventure class that followed the NX-refit series," Sito reminded them.
"Older than anything we stole from the Terra Nova Depot," Hendryks told Sito.
"Joelle Jones traded her Q-ship for an Earth Starfleet NV-class," Tulley remarked.
"Except hers wasn't specially modified by Harri Mudd like Neela's," Noble said appreciatively..
"You sound like admire her," Tulley was quick to point out.
"I disagreed with Eddington and Jones' entire philosophy towards warfare," Noble pointed out, "But they weren't our enemies. Ro did everything she could to reconcile without participating in indiscriminate terrorism."
"The Maquis were terrorist. Plain and simple," Tulley shrugged.
"Maybe you became a terrorist," Hendryks replied, "But while you were still with us, you were an insurgent. "
"The difference being?" Tulley snorted.
"A terrorist strikes civilian, political and military targets indiscriminately," Sito clarified, "An insurgency fight an occupier while focusing on political and military targets alone.
The very definition Ro gave to us," Noble reminded Tulley.,
"Yeah, but I got so twisted up with hate I wanted every Cardassian dead," Tulley admitted ruefully.
"A lot of Bajorans had to process those feelings after the Cardassian withdrew," Sito told him, "I still have family on Bajor. Some of them still can't believe how Bajor and Cardassia have reconciled."
"Macen certainly has," Tulley grimaced.
"It's a good thing, moron," Lacey snorted at him, "Otherwise we'd still be fighting Starfleet on behalf of Bajor."
"Sito, what's our ETA?" Noble changed the subject and got the crew back on mission.
"Seven minutes until we reach the outer edge of the target system," Sito answered.
"Shields up and arm weapons," Noble ordered, "Elfi, prepare to take scans of the area."
"That'll probably trip alarms," Hendryks warned her.
"Our dropping of subspace will probably trip every alarm in the system," Noble rebutted her.
"True enough," Hendryks sighed.
"Dropping to impulse in the outer system," Ebert reported, "Solstice is right on us.
"What gives?" Mudd squawked.
"Sakonna's action plan was for Noble and her crew to act as SID officers arresting us for espionage," Macen told her.
"Thaaat's why the wore SID colors," Mudd understood now.
"Thwe plan is that Bailey and Angelique will access Grimes' facility computers and wreak havoc," Rockford explained, "Meanwhile, we go down and apprehend Boromov."
"Just like that?" Mudd asked, "He's gotta have corporate security."
"Point in fact, Grimes Armaments had contracted Solarian Security Services to act as corporate police and bodyguards," Rockford's detectives had unearthed. "Elfi is running a system wide scan," Mudd yelped, "That'll alert Starfleet and Grimes to our comin' in hot."
"They already know," Ebert told her, "We set off scores of sentry buoys when we dropped out of warp. We have unmanned interceptors inbound."
"I've got them," Burrows promised her. He unleashed the phaser banks and the drones were destroyed. Burrows was confused, "They're not even shielded."
"They're just meant to learn what they're facing," Macen explained.
"They're hailing both ships on broadband subspace comm channels," Mudd told them.
"Don't reply," Macen instructed, "This is Noble's show now."
"And, they're hailing us on general frequencies," Hendryks reported from her OPS Station.
"Put whoever it is on the main viewer," Noble instructed.
A man in an old styled Earth military uniform pre-dating the Eugenics War appeared on the screen, "What the duece are you playing at? This is restricted territory."
"This is neutral territory," Noble reminded him, "Unless you're a sovereign government inhabiting a barren planetoid."
"Are you a type of Starfleet?" the officer asked.
"Of a type. I'm a contractor with the Starfleet Special Investigations Division," Noble fed him the line, "I caught this ship making a run from Federation space through this sector and pursued it. It led us to this sector. After we put a boarding party and prize crew aboard her, your nav and comm buoys led us here."
"Why have you brought criminals to us?" the officer asked.
"We don't have the brig capacity to detain the entire crew even with two ships. They're merely scouts."
"Who are these criminals?" the officer asked.
"Maquis fugitives," Noble told him, "The Federation posted substantial bounty on them a decade ago. The reward offer was never rescinded. If you can help us detain them, then you can fifty percent of the reward."
"Solarian Security Services is not a bounty hunting operation," the officer sniffed.
"Neither are they typically bodyguards," Noble replied, "Yet here you are."
"And you as well," the officer sneered.
"The SID contracted me to locate them," Noble informed him, "I fulfilled that contract. The reward is secondary to me and my crew. I just need access to temporary detention facilities or assistance in holding them aboard their ship while I await Starfleet's arrival."
"Starfleet isn't in the habit of releasing decommissioned starships to just anyone," the officer replied, "Who are they, specifically this time?"
"Tahna Los and the members of the former Kojn Ma," Noble explained,
"They are wanted," the officer was almost staggered, "By the Cardassians and the Bajorans alike as well as Starfleet."
"I'm Captain Chris Noble," she said ot him, "And you are?"
"Major Emmett DeVos," he explained, "Formerly of DeVos Security."
"Look Major," Noble sounded exasperated, "My crew is smaller than my ship. We've spared everyone we could to detaining the Bajorans. I'll subcontract Solarian to detain them further. I've contacted the SID and they assure me starship support is underway. But it'll take time to reach us. Time I can't afford on my own. These are desperate people. I can only imagine the fate of whoever originally owned this scoutship."
Someone handed DeVos a padd and he scrutinized it before looking back at the pickup, "It seems you're ex-Maquis as well, Captain."
"I did my stint on a penal colony and worked my way back into Starfleet's graces," Noble told him, "I was thoroughly vetted by Starfleet Security. I'm an independent operator that needs my contracting ability with Starfleet rigorously maintained. Look, I'll give the entire reward as the fee for using your detention facilities."
"I'll have to clear with my superiors but I think they'll take you up on the proposal once they verify the facts you've presented," DeVos signed off.
"Tulley, you're up," Noble told him, "Thool will meet you in the transporter room."
The turbolift doors on the Odyssey's bridge opened ot reveal Aric Tulley emerging from the lift car. Macen grinned, "Tulley, it's usually a pleasure to see you."
"Likewise," Tulley stated, "I'm here to relieve you?"
"I need you aboard for the second phase of the operation," Macen told him, "Now we're just waiting on Captain Noble's signal. Celeste, gather your team. Burrows with me. Tulley, you'll man Tactical and be in command at the same time."
"What the hell about me?" Mudd blurted, "I'm a captain."
Everyone just looked at her while Rockford exited to gather up her detective team. Ebert broke the ice, "The Freehold isn't exactly a starship."
"Like this rinky dink ship is?" Mudd was affronted.
"Harri!" Ebert scolded her and protectively shielded her CONN station.
"Oh, for the luvva..." Mudd groaned.
"Captain Mudd, Solarian and Major DeVos will be expecting to see a member of Captain Noble's crew commanding this ship should they contact us directly. Unless you'd like to wear this uniform, that leaves me in command," Tulley told her.
"No, thank you. And why didn't anyone lead with that?" Mudd was irritated.
"Do we need to?" Macen was amused by it all. Ebert's protective attitude towards the ship was very telling.
"Why don't you defend me or somethin'?" Mudd asked Burrows.
"The last time I did you called me 'sexist'," he stoically pointed out.
"He's got you, Harri," Ebert smirked.
"Ah, shut up," Mudd grumbled.
"There, there, it'll be okay, little camper," Ebert snickered.
"What the frinx does that even mean?" Mudd was exasperated.
"My dad used to say it when we were kids," Ebert shrugged.
Mudd knew Ebert rarely spoke about her murdered family. She understood complicated relations with family. She'd had helped get her father, brother, and half-sister imprisoned. Of course she felt her father was manipulative bastard and her brother a despicable idiot. She'd only just met her half-Bajoran sister but Mudd Kenra had made quite the distasteful impression already.
Intellectually, Ebert understood her family had been helpless to stop their own murders and her gang rape by the crew of a Lakat-class Cardassian frigate. But emotionally, her trauma induced a sense of revulsion around them for not protecting her. Mudd's traumatic childhood had been a result of life and death situations Mudd's father had placed her in. It was either survive or die by any means necessary.
Mudd had proven the financially successful member of the clan since Harcourt Fenton Mudd himself. She'd even outshone him. Mudd Kenra was fast rising competitor to the top slot when she'd been detained, convicted, and imprisoned. Harry Mudd IV had to partner with Harry Mudd III just to survive. He was an inept criminal like Harry Mudd II had been. Marry Mudd III had forced his children to learn criminal trades to surpass his legend.
Lee, Forte and Shade emerged with Rockford from the Briefing Room to witness these events. Mudd conceded the point, "Sucks to be us."
"Tulley, you're in command now," Macen warned him.
"How will you know when beam down?" Tulley asked.
"It'll be obvious even from orbit," Macen grinned.
"That turbolift is too small for six people," Burrows complained as they stocked up on power cells and other munitions in the Armory. Rockford and Burrows selected rifles to go along with their sidearms. Burrows also strapped on his sword to his ablative body armor. Darcy awaited them in the Transporter Room.
"Zerinda has Engineering locked down and under control. "We're at full power with warp drive on standby and prepped for immediate use," she reported, "She's as good as Tom with these engines which surprised me since most modern Romulan starships use those artificial singularity drives. But, she knows her warp cores."
"And fusion cores by all reports coming out of Serenity," Macen chuckled, "Making it hard for Tom Riker to justify releasing her from her contract."
"That would a huge mistake. She's gifted at her chosen trade," Darcy opined, "She's another Chief O'Brien."
"Master of all trades., eh?" Macen was impressed by that assessment, "O'Brien probably the most versatile engineer Starfleet ever produced."
"And he's enlisted," Rockford pointed out. Unlike Daggit, she'd been enlisted personnel in Angosia's war against Tarsus. Still, she'd been one of the highest ranked sergeants in the service, Augment or not. But her particular augmentation made her an infiltration and assassination specialist that worked alone. Teamwork did not come naturally to her.
"So, where do I beam you to? The complex is shielded and the atmosphere isn't breathable," Darcy read her sensors.
"Wait for it," Macen advised her.
"Soooo, what are we waiting for?" Mudd inquired.
"The base has the only breathable air and its shields are up. Conceivably, Macen has a way to lower the shields and keep them down," Tulley suggested.
"Look! The lights on the planet are going out," Ebert noted.
"Hot damn! The shields are down!" Mudd exclaimed, "They lost all power."
"I'll admit, that's impressive," Tulley said begrudgingly.
"Commander, you're clear to beam down now," Kerber's voice came over the intercom.
"They've lost power across the entire manufacturing facility," Darcy was impressed.
"That's our insertion point," Rockford scrolled the targeting sensors back to a particular location Darcy had passed.
"The power's down and the emergency generators are offline," Darcy pointed out, "How will you see?"
"With these," Macen put on what appeared to be sunglasses. A tricorder clipped to his utility belt was switched. All the team members put them and activated their tricorders. Then they all drew their weapons and set them for stun. They had six members for six transporter pads, "Standby for our signal for an extraction. Remember, there will be seven of us at that point. It'll take two transports to exfiltrate us all."
"Your site is uninhabited," Darcy stood by.
"Energize," Macen ordered. They workd turned to white then it became darkness. The sensor glasses allowed to use night vision to see through Stygian black. A scrolling read out like Ebert's HUD appeared in their vision. Their weapons were tied into the display. Wherever the phase emitters were aimed were bracketed in a roving target sight, "Tony, take point. I'll be right behind you. Celeste, you're rearguard."
"Good call, Shade," Rockford congratulated her detective. Shade had been a professional thief before "seeing the light" and joining Rockford Detective Agencies after Rockford tracked her down. It had been her suggestion to stockpile sensor glasses. They'd been a vital tool in her former profession.
"Move out," Macen instructed. The tricorders scanned ahead for life signs and were tied into Kerber and Smith's updating sensor maps of the facility. Or so the team thought.
Smith and Kerber reported to the Transporter Room to Darcy's surprise, "Hello ladies."
"We need to be here," Smith scrolled the targeting sensors to a separate location. Other than Militia issue phaser pistols that were standard issue for Outbound Ventures' personnel, all the seemed to carry was portable computers in cases.
Darcy studied the cases they carried. They had an odd addition to the sides. They stored more than standard computers, "Are those power cells? Because without any power, you won't be extracting any data."
"You caught us. Good for you." Kerber said drolly, "Now, will you beam us down or do we do it ourselves?"
The bleached blonde Asian bristled, "Of course I can do it."
"Then do it," Kerber moved to a transporter pad. Smith looked a little sorry for Kerber's abuse of Darcy but kept her own tongue. Kerber landed a last shot, "You will beam us back aboard won't you?"
Darcy didn't say a word as she engaged the transporter. It was afterwards that she muttered, "Not unless I have to."
The report greatly disturbed Ishuk. Mandy Morris was still relatively junior among her peers but Cera Neva, Martin Agman, and Sarah Divine were veteran Starfleet captains. And that meant examples of Steamrunner-, Saber-, Norway-, and Akira-classes of starships were neutralized, "What's the word from Captains Harris and Sttaak?"
Vark Harris commanded the Obena-class USS Eire and Hiram Sttaak commanded the Parliament-class USS Legislature. Both were cutting edge starships like the Fearless herself. Doolittle looked aggrieved, "They've taken a pounding. Without the Dauntless' fighter wings to relieve them, they'd be crippled too."
"And the Excalibur and Trident?" Ichus asked.
"Hardly damaged by comparison," Doolittle sounded impressed. The two starships were both Galaxy-class vessels. The oldest designs in the task force. But they had the most experienced commanders of all. Captains Mackenzie Calhoun and Katerina Mueller had commanded their vessels throughout the decades' long and oftentimes violent transition of the Thallonian Empire into a representative government. Commodore Shelby had been the Trident's first commanding officer before her promotion to flag rank.
"Any luck tracking down the registration numbers on those Defiant-classes?" Ishuk inquired.
"Lending credence to their identities as Terran vessels," Ishuk said grimly, "They certainly fight like Terrans."
Explosions from quantum torpedoes ripped through the Eire and Legislature. Pulse phaser barrages knocked the exterior and interior lighting of the starships out. Ishuk lost his temper, "Goddammit! What are Calhoun and Mueller doing?"
"Look!" Doolittle pointed at the viewer. The "Terran" starships went to maximum warp. The Excalibur-A and Trident went in pursuit of them.
"Standby quantum drive," Ishuk ordered.
"Belay that order!" Shelby announced as she exited the her flag office attached to the bridge module, "Have the surviving fighters provide a screen for these ships and plot us a quantum slipstream tunnel back to Regarin V."
"Commodore?" Ishuk was surprised.
"Major DeVos reported the arrival of a SID starship in pursuit of Maquis terrorists still wanted for crimes against the Federation," Shelby explained, "I lost contact with DeVos just seconds ago."
"They could be more Terrans," Doolittle postulated.
"Admiral Forger confirmed they're hers," Shelby replied, "However, the loss of communications can't be explained by jamming or natural causes. They simply cut off communications. Recall the Excalibur and Trident and have them proceed back to Regarin at best possible speed."
"We can certainly handle a ship full of Maquis," Ishuk sounded insulted.
"But what if it's a Gorn probe?" Shelby asked him, "A lone starship, even ours, wouldn't be able to repulse multiple Gorn warships."
"You heard the Commodore!" Doolittle announced with the captain's consent. Not that the chain of command left him much choice in the matter.
"That better have come from Eppy herself," Calhoun grated.
"The order is verified as coming from the Commodore," Vernow confirmed it, "Captain Mueller has also received the order to withdraw."
"Sometimes I liked it better when my wife was my XO rather than a flag officer," Calhoun admitted.
"To be fair, you're lucky to still be a captain," Vernow shared with him, "So is Mueller."
"Eppy won't be done until she's Fleet Commander," Calhoun predicted, "We'll see how she reacts to still being married to a mere captain then."
"The Fearless engaged her quantum slipstream drive," Mark McHenry reported from the CONN, "She'll be on the scene in minutes."
"And without support," Calhoun stated, "Meaning we could've maintained our pursuit of the Terran vessels to ascertain their true identities."
"We have our orders, Captain," Vernow reminded him.
"Don't we always?" Calhoun said bitterly.
"We've emerged from slipstream," Doolittle reported to Nemo, "Detecting an unknown class of vessel moving to intercept."
"Full magnification. I want that starship identified," Shelby ordered.
"It's a scoutcraft of some kind," Nemo assessed, "A cousin to a Blackbird-class perhaps?"
"No one on record makes that type of vessel," Shelby said direly, "Someone went to a lot of trouble to build her."
"They're hailing," Doolittle announced, "On Starfleet coded frequencies."
"Put them on screen," Nemo decided before Shelby could,
"This is Captain Christina Noble of the starship Solstice. We're Starfleet Special Investigations Division contractors. Please confirm with Rear Admiral Amanda Forger," Noble told them straightaway.
"Get on it," Shelby told the command crew despite her just saying confirmed SID assets were on the scene, "I'll deal with Forger. You find out why Captain Noble is running interference from us getting to Regarin."
Kerber double tapped her comm badge to signal she and Smith were in place. With even secondary power sources out, the temperature in the Solarian Security Systems and Grimes Armaments facility were dropping swiftly. Kerber and Smith quickly hooked their portable generators into the computer core and tapped their own portable computers into it as well.
"The system is trying to reboot itself," Smith advised Kerber.
"Reduce power by twenty percent," Kerber instructed, "We want the core on standby. If it reaches out to the facility systems and finds them shut down, the defenses will go up."
"I've mapped the core's language roots and transferred the data to your screen," Smith told her, "They're using commercial security software. You'll find it easy to bypass."
"Not quite," Kerber frowned, "They've encrypted the evidence we're after in an unknown code."
Smith reviewed it, "That's Romulan architecture. It's a Tal Shiar firewall."
"What's a Federation arms supplier doing with a Tal Shiar firewall?" Kerber asked.
"It's adaptive. It's overwriting itself with new code as we translate and penetrate the older code," Smith looked intrigued.
"This was supposed to be a snatch and grab, Princess. Not a puzzle box for you to unlock," Kerber scowled.
"You always want an easy solution," Smith lectured her, "Sometimes puzzles are exactly what are needed."
"What are you doing?" Kerber asked.
"I'm attaching isolinear tags to the core and its housing along with our equipment. Then, Darcy can transport the whole assembly to a cargo bay where we can construct a false environment for the core to stretch into and believe it's in control," Smith told her.
"We can't get caught holding on to this core," Kerber reminded her.
"You never worried this much in the tunnels on Ardana IV," Smith chided her.
"Look where that got us," Kerber complained, "Permanent exile. Even our own people won't accept us back for fear of your uncle's forces."
"I need you to be fearless again," Smith told her lifelong friend, "Like when we were children and you risked everything tell me the truth about the history of Stratos and the Troglytes."
"I'm with you until the end," Kerber promised.
"Signal Darcy," Smith ordered, "Tell her to begin sequencing transports."
"You can't be investigating my operation," Shelby raged at Forger.
"I can and I am," Forger replied calmly.
"Were those Terrans part of your operation?" Shelby demanded to know.
"No, and I honestly have no idea if they're truly Terrans or not. They never registered with Captain Freeman and Starbase 80," Forger told her.
"So, these Maquis prisoners never existed? They're more of your agents?" Shelby hated having to ask.
"We needed a pretext to approach. Both of those starships in the system are Special Investigation Division ships and crews," Forger told her.
"Why are you investigating at all?" Shelby asked, "This operation is a priority for Starfleet Operations."
"And Grimes Armaments is offering up improved isolytic weaponry proofed against their countermeasure. They're expanding the very arms race Starfleet is trying to derail," Forger told Shelby.
"You have proof of that?" Shelby asked.
"Pytor Boromov is on site with Grimes Armaments. We have weapons manifests detailing advanced weaponry he was offering to pre-warp cultures. Including isolytic weapons designed to defeat countermeasures. That threw us because we didn't even know countermeasures existed until then," Forger explained, "I have a warrant detail on the dwarf planet to arrest Boromov. Afterwards, with your cooperation, they can look into Grimes' records to see what offerings they're distributing."
"And if I object?" Shelby asked.
"You won't until you contact Vice Admiral Clancy to receive updated orders given this development. Weigh her words carefully," Forger signed off.
Shelby did exactly that. The conversation devolved into Clancy having a screaming fit. Shelby's new orders weren't to her liking. She knew she'd have an even harder time selling them to Calhoun and Mueller. An off the cuff remark by Clancy had Shelby worried for Forger's own safety. The entire incident seemed to have unhinged Clancy.
"Lock the building down, even the public sections," Forger ordered Lt. Commander Ambril Delori, "Evacuate non-essential personnel through the emergency transporter pads then lock them down as well."
"Who are expecting to intrude on headquarters?' Ambril asked.
"Starfleet Security," Forger told her, "I expect Commodore Oh to pit every available Security officer in the sector against us."
"What about our friends in the lower levels?" Ambril asked.
"I'll advise M to seal off the 0 Sections from any access," Forger told her, "They'll remain the Fleet Admiral and Secretary for Starfleet's secret."
"How do you suppose they'll present surrounding us and isolating a Data Archive to the public?" Ambril asked.
"I assume the Ministry for Information will become involved," Forger told her aide, "Clancy championed retaining them for just this reason."
"I can only isolate the London Data Archive housing the Special Investigations Divison temporarily on the order of Starfleet Operations," Oh warned Clancy, "I will require further authorization to breach the building."
"Admiral T'Lara has denied me an injunction to shut the SID down," Clancy fumed, "I lack 'sufficient evidence' to grant an emergency injunction halting all SID operations are even warranting an Internal Affairs and JAG joint investigation. I need you to rip open the SID and find me just cause to shut them down permanently."
"I will also require sufficient evidence to justify that level of investigation," Oh coldly replied.
"Forger is delving into Starfleet's arrangement with Grimes Armaments to develop isoytic countermeasures," Clancy told her, "They have to be stopped now. Before they discover Grimes is selling illegal arms proofed against the very countermeasure we've developed to stop the Gorn."
"Yet Commodore Shelby seemed certain that is the very evidence the SID is using to conduct the investigation into the business dealings," Oh replied, "It is best to withdraw and regroup to maintain plausible deniability rather than persist in salvaging the already compromised work."
"I want London cut off from Starfleet," Clancy ordered, "I will have Forger arrested for interfering in my operations."
"This is too personal for you," Oh advised her, "It is better to sacrifice a pawn than needlessly lose the queen."
"Then who would you recommend?" Clancy asked.
"Vice Admiral Rager has been recently recalled to Starfleet Command after her tenure at Deep Space Five. She is a loyalist to your vision of Starfleet's future. Let her lead the purge," Oh recommended.
"Betts Rager would fall on her sword for me and for Starfleet's future," Clancy mused, "Very well, contact her and inform her she needs to authorize your redeployments and actions in London."
"And when Fleet Admiral Akaar becomes aware of these actions?" Oh asked.
"Tell Rager to have an answer concerning the SID's treasonous interference in Starfleet Operations' matters," Clancy told her, "I want to be sanitized from this."
"That is in Starfleet's best interest," Oh agreed. Or, at least in Oh's best interest as the Tal Shiar's most highly paced agent. Clancy was a willing puppet in Oh's plans. If she regained her position as Starfleet Commander, Oh would be poised as the chief confidante to Starfleet's Fleet Admiral. Through her position as Director of Starfleet Security, Oh had begun the process of infiltrating disguised Romulan agents into Starfleet Security. Starfleet Intelligence, Special Operations Command, and the SID were among the few Starfleet institutions where Oh and her fellow agents had limited access. But, if she could cripple the operations of even one division today, it would bolster her ongoing efforts.
"What's the word, Commodore?" Nemo asked the emerging flag officer.
"Contradictory," Shelby complained, "Each side is accusing the other of running illegal operations."
"What about the chain of command?" Doolittle asked.
"Clancy outranks Forger, so Starfleet Operations retains the chain of command. But, Forger claims to have evidence Grimes Armaments is engaged in illegal weapons sales counter to our purposes being here," Shelby told them, "The SID has an arrest warrant squad on the base."
"A base so classified even we're denied access to?" Nemo asked.
"We're here to defend the base and its occupants," Doolittle argued, "Have we received any of this so-called 'evidence'?"
"Perhaps Captain Noble will be forthcoming," Nemo suggested reasonably.
"Or she could fabricate implicating documents to justify illegal actions," Doolittle argued.
"You're opposed to this investigation?" Nemo asked.
"I'm opposed ot covert operations," Doolittle told her CO, "Starfleet operates openly. Divisions like Starfleet Intelligence, SOC, and the SID can be replaced or folded into Starfleet Security where they'd be open to scrutiny. No more secrets and definitely no more lies. Admiral Clancy wants us to shut this investigation down? I say we obey the ranking officer with clearly defined objectives and detain these renegades."
"This whole operation was covert," Nemo advised Doolittle, "So, you're rationale needs improving. Officially, not one of our ships is assigned to this subsector."
"The Federation Council Oversight Committee is unaware that Grimes Armaments was given isolytic and Breen biotech to experiment with," Shelby went further, "When I received this oversight assignment, I looked into who knew about it. It's off the books. The President and Secretary for Starfleet are unaware of it as are any Federation Council budgetary oversight committees. Admiral Clancy and Starfleet Operations are running the exact type of black ops project you're advocating against when siding to defend it from scrutiny."
"Captain! Multiple warp signatures in-bound. Computer makes them as Gorn type dreadnoughts. ETA in twelve minutes," the Tactical Officer announced.
"Captain Noble replied she's defending the Grimes site," the OPS Officer reported, "The Excalibur and Trident have just dropped out of warp and are taking up defensive positions."
"Our orders are explicit. We must repel the Gorn," Doolittle reminded her superiors.
"I think the Gorn received an invitation. And since this is a neutral sector, we have no right to ask them to depart," Shelby warned her, "Now we practice some of those diplomatic arts that younger officers seem to have forgotten during the Dominion War."
"Who would invite the Gorn to a weapons test designed to neuter their own weapons?" Doolittle asked.
"Read Pytor Boromov's file if you survive this," Shelby told her, "This fits his profile perfectly. I want Calhoun and Mueller on my screens in my flag office, now."
"Starfleet is issuing a sector-wide alert," Tulley told Noble, "They don't know if this is a Gorn expansion of territory or how exactly the Hegemony will justify entering the sector."
"Stay on the security feeds," Noble told him, "Starfleet can't justify holding this system without acknowledging Grimes Armaments' presence here."
"There was a subspace transmission beamed from this system to Gorn space before Smith and Kerber knocked the power out," Hendryks told Noble.
"A transmission they replied two with three dreadnoughts and three heavy cruisers," Sito added, "That isn't a casual inquiry into what's occurring here."
"It's a response to a Starfleet task force," Noble replied, "Meeting Starfleet on equal footing."
"But now the task force isn't here," Lacey reminded them, "Alpha imperatives will drive them to take the system by force."
"The warrior caste at least," Noble agreed, "But there may others represented."
"These are Gorn," Tulley grimaced, "They send the warrior caste ahead on all occasions."
"But why did they cross the border at all?" Lacey asked, "No one has ever claimed this space because there are no habitable planets and no mineral resources worth extracting."
"I told you that someone here sent them a signal," Hendryks reminded her, "This is exactly why Forger authorized Macen to arrest Boromov."
"Which should have been done by now," Noble double checked the mission timer, "What's keeping them?"
"What's with Solarian troops wearing heavy armor?" Shade complained.
"They're expecting a Gorn attack," Burrows explained it to her, "Despite all the obvious secrecy surrounding the project. Solarian is armed with weapons specific to fighting Gorn forces."
"Their first reaction at losing power should have been evacuating the prototypes," Macen acknowledged, "Instead, they're building defensive layers."
"And prepping for a Gorn doomsday arrival," Rockford said unhappily, "What do they know that we're missing?"
"We have problems arriving," Forte warned them. She had a linked device that Smith and Kerber could update their progress, "Several Gorn warships will be in the system inside of nine minutes."
"They have the capability to evacuate," Macen returned to that point, "So, why make a stand?"
They felt the transporter take hold and found themselves aboard the Odyssey where Darcy looked worried, "I need to get to Zerinda."
"Go," Macen allowed it, "We need eyes on Boromov."
"We'll manage that," Rockford pledged her team to the task.
"Now, we calm Ebert down," Macen told Mudd and Burrows. Tulley arrived to transport back to his own ship.
Their arrival on the bridge had a calming effect, if marginally. Ebert warned Macen, "Noble has been hailing. She wants to know how this changes our objective."
"It doesn't," Macen replied, "It just complicates it."
"Kerber and Smith beamed aboard Grimes' entire computer core," Lacey warned him, "They have it rigged in the cargo bay. They've hardwired in their Data Womb to it. They said they needed direct access to overcome the Tal Shiar encryption to the project files are protected by."
"Frinxin' Romulans?' Mudd yelped from OPS, "How messy does this get?"
"The Gorn have dropped out of subspace," Burrows reported from Tactical.
"Put them on screen," Macen instructed.
"They're acting like they own the place," Ebert growled.
"It's a neutral sector," Macen reminded her, "They have every right to be here as well as Starfleet does. Probably with as many nefarious intentions."
"Now would be a good time to have a Starfleet task force on hand," Mudd quipped, "Just saying."
"They came in with shields up and weapons hot," Burrows told them, "Shelby had Starfleet raise shields but not armed weapons just yet."
"Captain Noble?" Macen asked him.
"Has followed our lead in doing nothing sane yet," Burrows grumbled.
"We need our shields down to beam Boromov up when he's located," Macen told Burrows, "Raising our defenses makes us look oppositional. The Gorn aren't here to fight Solarian Security Systems. So long as they believe we're aligned with Grimes Armaments they'll overlook our presence."
"How can you safely say that?" Mudd asked.
"The Gorn didn't cross the border until Grimes' systems broadcast a signal towards the border as we cut the power. It was a fail safe signal," Macen reminded Mudd, "Double check your systems. They recorded the comm burst."
"Damn," Mudd grumbled, "The beacon that sent the signal is still live. It has to be independently powered."
"A portable beacon,": Burrows realized, "It's location is shielded by transporter inhibitors."
"Boromov's offices," Macen predicted, "Solarian is prepping for the Gorns' arrival. But they're invited guests. Boromov will give them landing coordinates near his position. Best case, he drops the inhibitors long enough to beam him out."
"Transport inhibitors are active at a separate location," Burrows reported.
"The isolytic dampers," Macen explained, "Rather than evacuate the product, it' s on hand for a quick sale."
"It isn't proven it even works," Ebert protested.
"But even an unproven prototype would allow the Gorn an advantage in developing a workaround," Macen told her, "And set back Starfleet's efforts by years."
"So, everything was staged to get the Gorn a free pass to supposedly 'raid' the factory," Mudd admired the efficiency of the plan.
"Kracko was hired to distract Starfleet," Macen said with grudging admiration, "Grimes had to have hired the ships before the Enforcer invasion."
"So, they were held out of the defense forces?" Burrows asked, "That's an odd choice for a people that fought the final battle in their home system."
"But we learned the Iridians were always going to surrender," Ebert reminded him.
"Yeah, Oxmyx and Kracko were setting the stage for the double cross that gave them the Enforcer Zone," Mudd reeled, "It was a con years in the making."
"Grimes had that long at least to set this stage," Macen realized, "They were given the Breen damper tech at the end of the war. The focus on isolytic weapons came about because of evidence of Gorn weapons tests that started five years ago. Those tests were close enough to the border to be detected. Grimes set up this workshop directly after the first detonations were detected."
"What are you thinking?" Ebert asked.
"Boromov always intended on selling out the tech and illegally selling isolytic weapons proofed against Grimes' own damper. That part we already know. The missing piece was Grimes giving the Gorn the original damper tech," Macen concluded, "Starfleet would assume responsibility for the loss and Grimes would retain the blueprints and go into production selling to all sides while collecting latinum from the Federation for a theft that was actually a sale."
"That's too slick even for Boromov," Mudd told him.
"I'm very certain the Grimes sisters are shuk deep in this," Macen told her, "Estella and Stefi are legally barred from operating within their own company but we know Estella has Boromov as her proxy and Stefi runs an illegal arms sales division that doesn't officially exist. Marko Vilnius has no idea any of this is happening. He'll just file the appropriate paperwork when the claims are made unaware that Boromov betrayed the Federation. If we hadn't cut the power, they would've had to have staged a power loss. That's why they were already so prepared for one."
"So, we actually helped them," Burrows was dismayed.
"We forced their hand," Macen said grimly, "Their timing is off and they didn't expect us to be witnesses or for Solarian to recall Commodore Shelby."
"And they sure as shuk don't know Smith and Kerber have their Romulan secured data core," Mudd interjected.
"The Gorn know the deal is blown. They might surrender to their base impulses," Macen warned them.
"Can I raise shields now?" Burrows asked.
"No," Macen grated, "We have to let Boromov reveal himself."
"Can I raise shields yet?" Lacey sounded worried to Noble.
"When we get word to from Macen," Noble replied.
"He won't until he has Boromov," Lacey complained, "Meanwhile, we're undefended targets."
"The Gorn are ignoring us," Tulley had noted, "Without word from the surface, they think we're supposed to be here."
"Or at least we're a planned change of plans," Hendryks stated.
"Let's hope they stay with that assumption," Sito said warily as the Gorn ships bore down on the lifeless dwarf planet.
"Eckles, how are you Thool doing with going straight to warp?" Noble commed Engineering.
"We're set for it. Even with the defense systems up all you'll need is a course heading and you can jump straight to Warp 1 and accelerate from there," Eckles reported back.
"Sito, plot us a least time course for Federation space. Once we're in warp, go to maximum speed as soon as the drive will allow," Noble instructed her.
"We'll have to make a partial slingshot around the planetoid to escape the Gorn blockade and Starfleet but it'll be plotted and ready for your command," Sito promised, "Ebert just confirmed a parallel course with me. The Odyssey will exit beside us."
"Which is much as I guess we can expect as far as messages for now," Noble grunted.
"The Gorn have split into two forces. One dreadnought is approaching while the others are headed towards Starfleet," Lacey told Noble, "The approaching Gorn have lowered their shields but kept weapons hot."
"Their transporter targeting sensors are sweeping the Grimes facility," Hendryks told Noble, "But, they're not beaming anyone down."
"Lucky them," Tulley said grimly.
"Or is it luck?" Noble asked.
The same news made it to Shelby. The Commodore scowled, "Not that we could prevent a ground assault but the fact they aren't engaging in one is disturbing. Any response to our hails?"
"They're signaling now. Universal translator is engaged," Doolittle promised her. A Gorn's visage appeared on the main screen.
"I'm Commodore Elizabeth Shelby," she introduced herself and asserted her authority, "Can I ask why you're in this system?"
"Protecting my species," the Gorn admiral answered, "Why do you plot our demise?"
"You've been misinformed," Shelby assured him, "We're here in neutral space to avoid threatening you."
"You are here for weapons to negate recent advances my people have made. Deny it if you can," the Gorn hissed at her.
"And you're own interests in the system?" Shelby asked.
"To deny you an advantage over our deterrent. The Federation and the Metrons have hemmed us in for too long. We will rightfully expand our territory again. It is our right to survive," the admiral snapped at her.
"No one is threatening your survival," Shelby asserted.
"You deny us additional hunting grounds. We are starving," the Gorn insisted.
"Surely you can replicate protein sources," Shelby suggested.
"Gorn biology requires fresh meat to survive. Replicated supplements cannot sustain us. We are dying," the Gorn snarled.
"A war won't insure your survival either. Work with our peoples and we'll find a way to save you," Shelby offered.
"Peace brought us starvation. War will provide meat. You have been warned," the Gorn cut communications.
"Communication from Captain Calhoun," Nemo told her, "He points out they haven't actually started a war yet with an unprovoked attack."
"Which means there's still an off ramp," Shelby realized.
"They've positioned themselves between us and the Grimes factory planetoid," Doolittle pointed out.
"They're daring us to intervene," Nemo realized.
"But they're not landing forces to search the factories?" Shelby asked.
"Not that we can tell," Doolittle admitted.
"I don't think they have to," Shelby told her, "I think they're getting invited for the grand tour."
"I'm getting a pulse beacon from the shielded office," Mudd said excitedly, "One human life sign standing beside it. The transport inhibitors are off line."
"Operate the transporter by remote. Have Boromov beamed up. Burrows, meet him there and take him straight to the brig and then get back here," Macen instructed, "Tracy, signal Sito. We're engaging as soon as Harri confirms Boromov is aboard."
"He is," Mudd said proudly.
"Go!" Macen instructed.
"Why the hell did we just go to warp?" Rockford asked as she and her detectives exited the Briefing Room.
"Excellent timing. Will you please relieve Tony at the Brig and begin questioning Boromov?" Macen asked of her team, "Forger wants a statement if we can get one."
"What about the Gorn?" Rockford asked him, "They can outrun us."
"Hopefully Shelby has them distracted," Macen said wishfully.
"What the hell?" Shelby muttered as the SID ships shot around the dwarf planet and went to warp. The Gorn dreadnought stayed in its orbit as it landed forces into the Grimes factory. She knew the sudden departure would send the Gorn ground commander into a frenzy that Solarian couldn't possibly defend against. As it was, the Gorn ships were now blocking Starfleet's any and every approach towards the Grimes facility.
"Hail the Gorn commander," Shelby ordered.
"They closed hailing frequencies," Doolittle reported, "And they're jamming transmissions to the civilian site."
"Wait, they've submitted an intention to annex the sector as demanded by treaty. But they're only allowing seventy-two hours to evacuate Federation citizens and personnel from the area," Nemo read from his screen.
"Instead of the obligatory two weeks," Shelby grumped, "Which means they got part of what they came for. Otherwise they'd kill everyone present and go hunting."
"And doesn't give Grimes personnel time to dismantle their foundries," Nemo stated.
"The factories are still powerless," Doolittle pulled up a sensor reading, "But the fusion reactors are still in independent operation."
"Meaning the computer core isn't operating the site's EPS system," Shelby snapped her fingers, "Because the core is missing. That's why the Gorn want the factory intact. They may have captured the six damper prototypes but with the Federation retaining the core, we can simply build new ones."
"We don't have the core," Doolittle sounded confused.
"The SID does, Commander," Nemo drolly spelled it out.
"And they just ran?" Doolittle was affronted.
"They secured Federation secrets and presumably arrested the traitor, Boromov," Shelby told her, "They had no capability to deal with the Gorn, so they accomplished their mission as best they could. I have a distinct feeling the Terran attack was coordinated by Boromov to keep this system clear for the Gorn to freely enter undetected."
"If they were Terrans," Nemo countered, "We have no definitive proof."
"For now, order the Excalibur and Trident to begin evacuating the Grimes and Solarian employees. The Gorn have given us time to do so. Alert the task force to make way with repairs for an evacuation before the time limit expires," Shelby ordered.
"We're giving them this sector?' Doolittle was outraged.
"It isn't our sector to defend," Shelby harshly reminded her, "The Federation isn't going to war over an unclaimed resource barren sector. This factory never officially existed. Starfleet Operations isn't going to argue for defending what isn't there."
"And if Grimes attempts to retake the system?" Nemo asked.
"They can't afford to," Shelby decided.
"Mr. Boromov, you're already facing life imprisonment on a series of charges with damning proof against you," Rockford warned him, "They say confession is good for the soul. If you want to spare your employers, now is the time to spin the narrative to protect the Grimes sisters. Fall on your sword and they'll probably buy the courts to grant you measures of leniency in prison."
"I don't know who you're referring to. The Grimes sisters are barred from direct connections with their family company," Boromov smirked, "And I'm certain I can beat any circumstantial evidence you deem 'damning'."
"You think you can hide what we pull from the factory computer core? The fact it's shielded by a Tal Shiar encryption is damning enough. But we'll get around that fire wall and uncover the full extent of your deal with the Gorn," Rockford warned him, "You can still get ahead of the narrative we'll uncover."
"You think you'll retrieve evidence from the factory core?' Boromov laughed, "If it really is shielded by Tal Shiar firewalls then you'll never penetrate them. And then you'll be looking over your shoulders for Gorn hunters looking for the very same core. It's obvious they wanted to steal our prototype technology to counter their isolytic research."
"It's even more obvious you hired an attack on Starfleet to distract them from the Gorn coming to collect your top secret research," Rockford told him.
"Pure conjecture," Boromov smugly told her, "You'll never be able to prove anything."
"High treason charges open a lot of doors of how far an investigation can go and how deeply they can probe," Rockford advised him, "You want to risk that?"
"My lawyers will eat these charges alive," Boromov laughed.
"You're assuming you'll have lawyers that you or your sponsors selected," Rockford chuckled in reply, "Dangerous assumptions can get you imprisoned for life or extradited to planets that still have a death penalty."
"I'll offer a deal. Testimony in exchange for clemency," Boromov offered.
"Try for a reduced sentence and JAG will probably negotiate," Rockford told him, "Then, the civilian courts will want their own pound of flesh."
"I can give them everything going back to when I joined Grimes Armaments," Boromov boasted, "And dirt on Solarian's role in Grimes' dealings."
"Recorders off," Rockford ordered the computer, "Answer one question and I'll insure you live to testify."
"I was wondering if you'd cut that deal," Boromov chuckled.
"Was Estella and Stefi Grimes directly involved in these deals?" Rockford asked.
"They're involved in every deal, despite Marko Vilnius' pretensions," Boromov told her.
"Recorders on," Rockford commanded, "Your offer and request will be forwarded to Starfleet before we arrive at a starbase."
"I recommend Deep Space Three," Boromov told her, "I stand my best chance at surviving for a fair trial under Commodore Reyes' command jurisdiction. And then there's your special relationship with Commander Ro, of course."
"Duly noted," Rockford told him.
"The Gorn don't seem to be pursuing," Noble's image said to Macen.
"Shelby will deal with that situation. Mac will make certain everyone gets out alive," Macen told her.
"You have a lot of faith in Calhoun," Noble sounded skeptical.
"As much as I have in Elias Vaughn," Macen admitted.
"Sito tells me we've set course for Deep Space Three," Noble told him.
"At Boromov's request actually. He seems to think he'll survive long enough to go to trial under Reyes' watch," Macen admitted.
"Good bet," Noble agreed, "What's next?"
"You get time off before Sakonna assigns you another task," Macen promised her, "Your crew has earned a break."
"They'd hate to admit it but they prefer missions over manning the station. I know I do. Even Sito is happier," Noble assured him.
"As long as they're short term missions," Macen clarified the point she left unspoken.
"Tulley and Sito especially," Noble admitted.
"Heidi Darcy also likes to be aboard Serenity when her wife gets her two weeks off," Macen reminded her, "And you and Joel Osmont just came out with your mutual feelings."
"How the hell did you find out already?" Noble exclaimed.
"Celeste and I saw it coming months ago," Macen chuckled, "How do you think you manned the same watch on Serenity? Riker had other plans for you."
"You sneaky sonuvabitch," Noble accused.
"Test out the relationship before you start hurling accusations," Macen suggested before signing off. He exited the briefing room to retake the bridge, "We're still on course and on time?"
"Our ETA and course remain the same," Ebert promised him.
"I want time off when we get back," Mudd demanded, "The rest of the Obsidian crew got time off. We deserve some."
"And hopefully Daggit and Parva can rejoin us then," Burrows fervently wished.
"I sincerely hope so," Macen confessed.
"I presume you're the infamous Captain N," Vaughn told the redhead woman in the white with gold trimming uniform, "Odd uniform choice for a member of the Iotian Starfleet."
"Nike Noor at yor service.. You must Captain Vaughn," she easily replied, "And you should've seen my Terran Starfleet uniform. Of course, I was a genetic male then. That's why I escaped the Terran universe. To be my authentic self while the Empire restricted gender transition."
"A terraforming specialty seems on odd choice for a Terran officer, Captain Noor," Vaughn admitted. He was also surprised she was transgender. She was exceptionally attractive.
"You hadn't seen what the Empire had done to its own territories before the Alliance dismembered most of the Terran Empire. Even before the Empire reconstituted itself with joining forces with the Terran Rebellion, rebuilding worlds and transforming Class-K adaptable worlds was a high priority," she told him, "And everyone just calls me Captain N."
"The Iotians Federation seems to be collecting illegal Terran migrants and technology," Vaughn said carefully.
"I came through the Quantum Wormhole and applied for asylum and gender transition. I received one permanent change of status while only being granted temporary refugee status in your Federation. Sending me home would be a death sentence. So, I looked elsewhere. The Iotians were quietly gathering a terraforming team and needed a leader in the field. So, here I am now in the Enforcer Zone," Captain N shared.
"And you were given command of a Wanderer-class starship," Vaughn stated, "That's an impressive command within the Iotian Starfleet."
"She suits our purposes nicely," Captain N admitted, "Plus, she's sexy as hell. Her name is the ISS Victory."
"A standout name in the Iotian fleet," Vaughn admitted.
"I'm named for the goddess of victory. I thought it appropriate," Captain N smirked.
"How many other Terrans have you met in the Iotian Federation?" Vaughn asked.
"None," Captain N sounded disappointed that he would ask, "And if any of them learned I was transgender and from the Terran Universe, they'd try to kill me. So, I'll avoid contacting any, thank you. I was told you were interested in our work in the Enforcer Zone, not about how many Terrans might be in the Iotian Federation."
"I've visited several worlds where you set up terraforming or regenerating processes," Vaughn told her, "The techniques seem more advanced than anything Starfleet or the Federation currently has."
"Terran scientists had to quickly grapple the decline of our worlds and had far fewer obstacles to conducting experimental research," Captain N told him, "I'm considered a premier innovator in the field."
"I can see why," Vaughn admitted, "And the other questions came from my superiors."
"So, you already knew my past?" captain N asked.
"No, I wasn't told. I was just told to ask those questions. I'm sorry if I offended you," Vaughn told her.
"You didn't offend as much as disappoint," Captain N admitted, "I cleared my schedule to answer your questions. If you still have any worth answering, my afternoon is free,"
"Like I said, what I've reported and shown my superiors has them stumbling over each other with questions," Vaughn told her as he pulled a padd out of his pocket, "A little assistance to keep questions and answers straight."
"Somehow I doubt very much your memory is going," Captain N said.
"I am over one hundred and ten years old. So, I am slowing," Vaughn confessed.
"But I can tell it's not in the ways that count," Captain N said, "Now, If you'll walk beside me, we can begin."
"The Terran contract went sideways," Kracko warned Oxmyx, "Macen already knew they came out of our space."
"But he can't prove anything. Without proof, the other Starfleet won't act and their Federation won't want to give up its new trade agreements with us," Oxmyx gloated.
"But our forces effectively declared war," Kracko protested, "You always knew I disapproved of this plan."
"You'll have to trust me, lover. Just like you trusted me to handle the Enforcers' imminent invasion," Oxmyx urged Kracko.
"But we suffered twice as many casualties as predicted. It'll take us unwanted time to replace assets and recruit and train personnel," Kracko complained, "And our territorial responsibilities just doubled."
"But we field tested our starship prototypes. Now, we now know which ones to produce and which designs to cut from production," Oxmyx looked for the win.
"But we can't defend new members of our Federation without more ships and crews," Kracko warned her, "Your expansion plans into the Deeper Beta Quadrant and now the Delta Quadrant didn't allow for our actual losses."
"We just defeated the Enforcers. Who'll challenge us in the short term while we rebuild?" Oxmyx asked.
"You're moving us into unknown territories. The unknown is exactly what you can't plan for," Kracko said grimly.
"I recalled you standing at my side at our victory gala. You're dressed beautifully. You're my partner and my worthy consort. You also just led the Starfleet to victory. Now look the part. I'll make it worth your while when we're alone," Oxmyx promised her. Kracko loved Oxmyx. She'd been in love with her most of her own life. But she was beginning not to trust her.
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 | Last modified: 04 Apr 2026 http://fiction.ex-astris-scientia.org/rebirth-invasion.htm |