A dangerous game on so many levels. Faltayne is going to find that he's gotten himself into something that he won't be able to extricate himself from--not without paying a heavy price. He wants in--he better be careful what he wishes for...
Things are going to start happening very suddenly now. It's intensional. CHAPTER 11 Supplemental IRW Fothmar, MainBridge Running Under Cloak in the Outmarches “What’s the status of the target?” asked Commander P’nav as he assumed the center seat. Dulas reported from his port station, “The Sovereign is traveling at low warp. Its shields are down and its weapons are not active.” “Good. We’ll be able to disable them with our first volley.” He addressed his pilot, “Set our approach vector.” ***** Supplemental USS Philadelphia, MainBridge In the Neutral Zone Despite the nature of some of their missions, the Philly was still a Starfleet vessel – more or less. Collins sat in the command seat while he put the finishing touches on a mission status report. After a moment, he got up and handed the padd to his Saurian communications officer. “Go ahead and transmit this to Admiral Amasov.” The deceptively normal-looking captain didn’t quite make it back when the officer at tactical called out, “D’deridex decloaking!” Only a fraction of a second passed before Commander H’gaws stood and pressed his compin. A second later he disappeared in the transporter effect. Even before his first officer faded, Collins looked over to the tactical chief, “Get ready.” At the same moment, the ship rocked from torpedo impacts. ***** Supplemental USS Independence, Executive Officer’s Office In the Neutral Zone “Lieutenant Faltyne,” said bin Nadal by way of greeting, “What can I do for you?” The Andorian was comfortable here, but he was still considered new. He didn’t know if he had earned the trust he solicited. At this point, it didn’t matter. He was going to find out one way or the other. “Sir,” he began, “I found out what Captain Collins did at New Sydney. I saw a description from a victim. It was Collins…but you already know that, don’t you, Sir?” Karim’s light-heartedness faded. He considered his next words carefully, “What do you want from me, Lieutenant?” Jonin started saying what he been planning to say for the last several minutes, “Sir, I have no delusions about the more…shady aspects of Starfleet. In most cases, I’m sure it’s justified. But I want to know why this man was allowed to go free.” The Persian interlaced his fingers and placed them on his desk. He thought for a moment. A part of him didn’t want to shake his…loyalty…his beliefs about the type of world he lived in. Bin Nadal noted the change in Sintina since she became aware of these dark secrets. With a sigh, he said, “It’s a complicated situation.” “Who’s protecting him?” asked Faltyne a bit more forcefully, but still well within professional limits. Karim was honest, if not giving a full disclosure. He had learned his lesson with Wo’toth. “That’s part of the problem. We don’t know exactly.” Insistent, the security chief asked, “Who is ‘we?’” The question sent chills down Karim’s spine. He made a mental note to research Faltyne’s history more thoroughly in the near future. ‘Could he be working with them?’ Bin Nadal sat straighter, “I’m not prepared to answer that question, Lieutenant.” The Andorian began to protest, “Sir…” Red alert klaxons stopped him in mid-sentence. It was followed with Aurelia’s voice, “Senior officers to the bridge.” ***** Supplemental USS Independence, MainBridge In the Neutral Zone Bin Nadal and Faltyne felt the distinctive shift into subspace while they exited the lift to the bridge. Aurelia didn’t waste time briefing them, “The Philly is under attack.” She looked to Ensign Weston at the helm, “ETA?” The young ensign made one-eye contact, “Fifty-one minutes.” For an instant, she wondered if Weston had ever flown in real combat before. She didn’t think so. At any rate, now was no time to worry about it. Sintina said, “Bridge to Engineering.” “This is Windslow, ma’am.” “I need more speed, Commander.” “I can get it up to nine point eight four, but that’s it, Captain.” “I’ll take it.” She prompted Weston for an update. He checked, “Forty-two minutes, Captain.” Karim chimed in, “We should’ve kept a tighter formation. It’ll be over in forty minutes.” There was a crisp harshness to her voice, “Too late to bitch, now.” She turned aft, “Jonin, long range scans. I want to know what’s going on.” “Aye.” “The Odaus is also en route,” the security officer added. A second later, a tactical overlay appeared on the main viewer. Faltyne began to relay sensor information, “The Philadelphia has been forced out of warp. It looks like the Fothmar isn’t following up. She’s recloaked.” He looked up with a bit of relief, “It was just a hit and run.” “Open a channel to the Philly,” ordered Aurelia. Collins responded a moment later. She was pleased to see him a bit shaken. “Captain Aurelia,” he said, “I’m afraid our response time wasn’t that great. He caught us with our shields down.” “What’s your status?” He glanced down, “Our plasma transfer conduits are offline. We’re still not sure how bad the…” The transmission fizzled out. “What happened?” Aurelia demanded to anyone with an answer. Both the tactical and science stations received the news. The Andorian hesitated less in reporting it than the Asian. “She’s gone,” he vacantly said. A silence permeated the bridge a moment. Faltyne elaborated, “There was a matter/anti-matter explosion at their location.” “The damage must have destabilized their core,” surmised Karim. Aurelia looked up. There was no satisfaction in her eyes, “Scan again. Maybe they ejected it before…” There was no need to finish the sentence. Faltyne buckled down and did as he was ordered, “I’m reading some debris. It looks like most of it was vaporized.” “Ma’am,” offered Science Officer Tang, “we have to get closer to be sure there are no survivors.” “Survivors from a warp core breach?” grimly jibed Weston. Karim stated, “It’s been know to happen,” referencing the former Independence. Most of the command crew and many others survived, but only because they were in a nacelle. Everyone else let the comment slide. An indicator beeped at the comm. station. Soma reported, “Ma’am, the Odaus is hailing.” Still in a dazed from recent events, she nodded, “On screen.” Commander Hanora didn’t seem very grief stricken. She started with, “Captain, we’ve been able to track the course the Fothmar took. If we stay in close enough, we’ll be able to track him as long as he stays at warp, but we must proceed now!” Before Sintina responded, bin Nadal ordered to mute the communication. Kimula did. He whispered to Aurelia, “Remember our mission.” She spat back in a hushed voice, “He just killed a ship load of people. Let’s track his ass down and…” “You’re losing perspective, Tina,” he continued to delay her wrath, “Remember who was on that ship, he just did us a favor.” “A favor? What about the people on that ship that had nothing to do with 31? What about them, Karim? Did they deserve to die?” The retort took the wind out of his sails. He continued with more reservation, “We have to get to P’nav. We know where his going. We have to…” “We don’t have to do shit!” she snapped for all to hear. Everyone stopped their duties for a split second before remembering they had to look like they didn’t hear it. She noticed the glances. She forced herself to control her breathing. Karim was right. She had to think about the big picture here. Besides, it was fairly obvious to any starship veteran; the enemy commander had no intention of destroying the vessel. Finally, she realized this was on opportunity to ditch the Odaus. With a long, deep sigh, she reasserted herself. She gestured Kimula to de-mute. Aurelia said to her counterpart, “Proceed without us. We’re obligated to search for survivors from the Philadelphia.” Hanora nodded reverently, “I understand.” “Good hunting,” Sintina offered. The Romulan commander acknowledged and closed the channel. END OF CHAPTER 11
Collins is one ruthless piece of....work! Granted, many of the crew of the Philly weren't exactly sterling citizens, but still...
Yeah right ... the Philly just blew up with Collins and all hands on board. I'm not buying it. And whatever is really going on, it aint gonna be good for Aurelia and company.
Somehow i doubt Collins did the noble thing nor do I think he was caught with his pants down so easily. Then again maybe he was but he's just such a slippery b****** one can't put anything past him. We wait in joyful anticipation for whatever comes next ...
Nothing is as it seems. Collins did not just vanish into the ether, likely ejected some debris, faked a core breach and then cloaked the ship.
Agreed, he’s too slick to be taken out so quickly. He’d also need plausible deniability and stealth to execute whatever horrific plan he’s hatched.
As always, I'd like to thank my readers. So...thanks! CHAPTER 12 Supplemental IRW Fothmar, MainBridge Running Under Cloak in the Outmarches “I wanted them disabled, only!” The normally very mild commander yelled to his tactical officer. Dulas came back with, “The torpedoes hit their mark exactly, Sir.” He searched his mind for an explanation. P’nav was a forgiving man, but not that forgiving. “Perhaps our intelligence of the layout of those ships is inaccurate.” “Fvadt,” P’nav cursed. “This will complicate things.” His eyes fell on his tactical officer. The younger Romulan seemed genuinely concerned for his immediate future. The commander let a tense moment exist. It was good for the centurion. “Very well. Evade the Odaus, and then return to our non-direct course.” ***** Supplemental USS Independence, Captain’s Ready Room In the Neutral Zone “Right now, I really don’t care what information that man has,” Sintina griped. “This has gotten way out of hand.” Karim knew the best thing to do right now was agree, so he did. She continued, “Accident or not, a ship load of scum or not, P’nav needs to answer for what he’s done.” “I don’t know that he will,” ventured the first officer, “I was under the impression Nechayev was going to protect him in exchange for…” “I’m tired of this shit, Karim. I really am. Do you realize how much outrage the destruction of the Philly is causing back home? How much pressure there is for me to get him?” complained Aurelia. She finally sat after pacing, “I never wanted to get sucked into this.” A wave of guilt washed over bin Nadal. He understood the implication, even if it went unsaid. A quiet moment later Windslow’s voice could be heard in the room, “Captain, we’ve completed all the scans we could.” “And?” The hesitation preempted his verbal answer, “No life signs.” She took a second before responding, “Understood. Anything else?” “It will take awhile to review all the data. I’ll have a full report in a few hours.” “Alright, Aurelia out.” She looked up under her brow, “Set a course for Beta Pictoris. It’s time to meet this Commander P’nav.” He nodded, “I suggest we take an indirect course, so the Odaus…” “No,” stated Aurelia with finality, “Take a direct course.” Karim considered objecting. But he fully understood how thin Sintina’s patience was stretched. If he pushed her, she’d push back…and start doing things out of spite. He couldn’t stop a disapproving grimace, however. With a slight bow, he exited. ***** Supplemental IRW Fothmar, Commander’s Suite Running Under Cloak in the Outmarches As the door slid shut behind him, the Romulan commander ordered, as if out of habit, “Secure these quarters.” A confirmation tone sounded. P’nav’s set’leth, a pet resembling an unnaturally muscular Terran house cat, greeted him with a deep purr. The elder man crossed the room and laid down on a couch. One hand fell on his forehead, the other stroked the set’leth, whom jumped on his stomach the moment he went down. It was obviously their routine. “Play Thue’s fourth symphony,” he said. A second later, very soothing music began. A few minutes later, the set’leth could prompt his master to pet him no more. P’nav was asleep. He dreamt of powerful hands around his throat. ***** Supplemental IRW Fothmar, Sub-Commander’s Office Running Under Cloak in the Outmarches Xil was working late, as he always did. He was well known to the crew to be a compulsive administrator. While reviewing the latest diagnostic reports, a message came in from the commander. ***** Supplemental IRW Fothmar, Outside the Commander’s Suite Running Under Cloak in the Outmarches It was the third time Sub-Commander Xil pressed the enunciator. He was nearly in a frenzy. He had enough waiting, “Computer, unlock Commander P’nav’s quarters. Security code…” The entrance slid open. P’nav, looking rather irritated, blocked the gap. Xil felt intense relief, “Commander, are you alright?” “Of course, forgive me if I seem out of sorts. My sub-commander felt it necessary to wake me in the middle of the night.” The light jibe served to calm Xil, “I was concerned. I received this message and I wanted to make sure you were alright.” He held up a padd with the information. “I’m sorry, I send so many messages in the course of the day, which one are you referring to?” His mind still racing, Xil handed over the padd, “This one, Sir. The one explaining…” As the elder Romulan examined the data, the sub-commander got an uneasy feeling. It was a simple enough thing at first, P’nav’s set’leth, HHirl, wasn’t trying to run out. That damn animal took every opportunity to escape. There was a running joke about it on the ship. Xil cursed himself when his mind caught up. He took a step back and said, “Computer, locate Commander P’nav using his bio-signature.” The old Romulan looked up at him with a malevolent glare. “Commander P’nav’s bio-signature is not located on the ship.” Before his eyes, P’nav morphed into a large, primitive, lizard-like humanoid. The creature had razor sharp claws. Xil didn’t have time to yell. The reptile grabbed his head like a melon and threw him inside the suite. The doors slid shut. Muffled screams could be heard seconds later. They didn’t last long. END OF CHAPTER 12
Nice, didn't see that one coming. This thing is clearly not going to pan out the way the principle players predicted. Now, who is the P'nav doppleganger and what is his game. And what happend to Philly and Collins and what will Aurelia do about all this? ... We'll see.
Actually thought this story was all a bit too straight-forward. You needed some sort of plot device to try and keep the readers guessing and second guessing themsleves. [sic] My head hurts - but I enjoy the pain for without the pain there would be no gain. Great fun and curve balls all over the place. You're never sure of your footing where an Indy story is concerned. The only person who is sure of anything is bin Nadel in that he has learned to read Aurelia so well after all this time and knows her temperment. But it still remains as to what she intends to do and her XO may find himself with different motivations to his CO as their tangles with S31 continue.
Didn't see that one coming! Talk about your plot twists. And its looking like Aurelia has had her fill of both sides in this cloak and dagger game--and she's got a point--it's getting to the point where they're almost looking alike.
Please believe me, I'm not throwing curve ball for the sake of throwing curve balls. There is reason behind my madness. CHAPTER 13 Karim took his uniform jacket off as he entered his quarters. He plopped down in a chair and allowed some tensions of the day to fade. It didn’t take long, however, before his mind became active again. He loved the intrigue he found himself in. It was exiting. He was fighting the good fight against forces that wish to undermine the Federation Constitution. It was a noble effort, he thought. Sintina didn’t share his enthusiasm. She never really paid attention to politics. Despite some of her reckless actions, she did value order. She needed it. He knew, on some level, she blamed him for throwing her life into chaos. He said to no one, “Maybe I’m the reckless one.” He activated Fednet and searched for newscasts mentioning the Philadelphia in the last day. There were several hours worth of coverage. It was a big story. He picked one. “This incident is the first time a Romulan ship has been responsible for the destruction of a Starfleet ship since the Norkan Campaign. The Federation Council and several planetary governments have condemned the attack. The Imperial Senate has issued a statement claiming the vessel is commanded by a mentally unstable captain and possibly under alien influence. This has not been confirmed by any other source. There is already one Starfleet vessel searching for the Warbird. It is likely additional ships will be added to the search. Since the aggressor is thought to be in the Neutral Zone, a fleet build up in the area might make the situation even more dangerous than it already is.” The XO turned the display off. He cursed in Farsi. ***** Supplemental IRW Fothmar, MainBridge Running Under Cloak in the Neutral Zone P’nav strode onto the command deck. Immediately he began, “Centurion Dulas, I want a ship wide lock down of all non-essential personnel.” “Sir?” “Sub-Commander Xil attacked me in my quarters. I was forced to vaporize him.” The revelation nearly caused the security chief to stumble, “Why, sir? What happened?” “Isn’t it obvious? Xil was a Tal Shiar operative. He found out about my mission and tried to stop me.” “What?” Dulas was bewildered for a moment, before finding his courage, “Sir, I must demand you tell us what this is all about, now.” “Quite right, Centurion,” nodded P’nav, “Since you are now acting first officer I must take you into my confidence. Join me in the wardroom.” A moment later, the two were alone in the adjacent room. P’nav sat down and offered Dulas a chair. “I prefer to stand, sir.” P’nav noticed the security chief rested his hand on his disruptor. He started, “Do you remember how the Empire entered the Dominion War?” “Of course, Senator Vreenak’s shuttle was destroyed by the Dominion after he got evidence they were planning to invade Romulus.” “Yes, that’s what everyone believes, but it’s not true,” calmly stated the elder Romulan. He continued after a pause, “I learned from Koval that the Tal Shair knew the evidence was fabricated.” Still not off his guard, Dulas asked, “Fabricated by who?” P’nav rapped his fingers on the table before rejoining, “By the Tal Shiar itself. They faked the evidence and blew up the senator’s shuttle.” Dulas was stunned. “But why?” he demanded. The Commander stood and began to pace, “To lie us into a war they wanted, they needed.” He went on, “Do you know how many people in the Tal Shair wanted revenge for their failure to destroy the Founder homeworld?” He stepped closer to Dulas, “They lied to the Romulan people to get their way.” “I…I find that hard to believe,” he stumbled. “The Guard lost over a million people during the war…over half our fleet was destroyed. What monsters would…could…” he words faded. “My mission,” continued P’nav, “is to find other military leaders willing to do what needs to be done to right that wrong; to punish our leaders for their deception.” He placed a hand on the centurion’s shoulder, “If I should die, you must do what you can. Find Commanders willing to listen. I suggest you start with Suran, Toreth, or Donatra, they have no love for the Tal Shiar.” Unwilling to accept what his commander told him, Dulas pleaded, “Sir, is there any evidence of this?” He produced a data device, “This is the original, unedited Tal Shair report of the explosion. As a show of how much faith I have in you, you keep that. Show others, this information must get out.” “I…will review if immediately, sir.” The aged Romulan nodded, “Good, good.” He added, “Now, take us to the Beta Pictoris system. We will hide there until there is less pressure on us.” “Yes, sir.” The centurion exited. Once alone, P’nav grinned. Thing were going even better than he originally planned. ***** Supplemental USS Independence, MainBridge Entering the Beta Pictoris Proto-System On the main viewer, Beta Pictoris resembled a mini-spiral galaxy. Instead of super massive black hole in the center of it, there was a newly formed star. The dust and stellar gasses hadn’t yet coalesced into anything bigger than large asteroids. “Weston,” said Aurelia once they dropped out of warp, “Take us to these coordinates.” She punched in some data on his console. “Enter the cloud at one-third impulse.” She knew, with a reminder from Windslow, the impulse manifolds would overheat if they went any faster. She added, “Deflectors to maximum.” “Aye, ma’am,” confirmed the young ensign. The captain went over to mission ops, where Karim sat. She leaned in close, “I hope this son of a bitch is worth it.” Without giving him time to respond, she walked away and assumed the center seat. END OF CHAPTER 13
Interesting that this P'nav is claiming the Tal Shiar blew up the shuttle, and not Garak. I'll be very interested in seeing if that's your universe's official explanation, or if it's a lie...
Can't figure out yet what P'nav's endgame might be. Something tells me however that someway or other, Indy will factor in heavily. Interesting look into Karim's motivations. He sees himself as a noble fighter for truth and justice. A dangerous sentiment in a galaxy which predominately painted in shades of gray.
Dnoth-just read last 3 chapters-felling a little Monty Burns-ish. "Excellent work, Smithers." That was a great ride. The sub-commander's death threw me-and the phrasing was great! This is really turning into one of your best (that I've read).