Hello all,
This is a little teaser for my latest work on the Border Service cutter U.S.S. Silverfin. It follows on a few weeks from the events of "The Ties That Bind".
I hope you enjoy it.
* * * * *
Chapter 1
Office of Rear Admiral T’Rona, Star Station Freedom
Tamsen System, Talarian Border
Stardate: 55201.1 (March 15th, 2378)
Rear Admiral T’Rona, Commander of the Third Border Cutter Squadron, sat in her office looking over the latest reports on the Squadron’s anti-smuggling operations—the largest such mission that had been undertaken since before the Dominion War had broken out. The operation had lasted for seven weeks and had been officially concluded, but during that time the four teams had searched eighty-nine ships, seized thirty-seven that were transporting contraband, whilst the actions of the U.S.S. Silverfin had uncovered the reappearance of the Chanok—a brutal species banned from Federation territory over a century ago, who now appeared to have a considerable involvement in the illegal activities along the Talarian border. A very successful mission. She had noted several commendations for crewmembers that had performer above and beyond the call of duty during the time.
Of the eight ships involved in the operation, both Aerie-Class patrol scouts as well as the Silverfin would be putting in for crew R&R as the ships were re-supplied, whilst the U.S.S. Lobo would need some repairs after chasing a Ferengi merchantman into a asteroid belt—fortunately no on had been injured and they had secured the ship, which had been carrying Ketracel White, Zyth-Raan B and various other narcotics. She had already spoken with Lieutenant Commander Greta Weir, the Squadron Maintenance Officer, who said that the Lobo would be back on active duty in five days. Whilst Squadron Quartermaster Henry Mitchell assured her that the Silverfin, H’krii and K’Shod would all be restocked within a few hours of docking—though all three ships had a minimum of seventy-two hours R&R at Star Station Freedom, the Talarian Incursion the previous year showed that they needed to be ready for any situation as quickly as possible.
Before she could dwell on the events of last year the intercom chirped. “Kasan to T’Rona,” came the voice of her attaché, Lieutenant JG Azaal Kasan, a highly efficient young Trill who had held the post since the beginning of the year.
“Go ahead Lieutenant.”
“Admiral, you have an incoming transmission from Starfleet Headquarters, the office of Vice Admiral Bouvier.”
Deirdre Bouvier was the Border Service Commander, although she had never served a single day on a Cutter or a Star Station—something T’Rona found most illogical for someone in her position (T’Rona herself had spent forty-nine years on Cutters before she’d accepted her promotion to the admiralty). However, Bouvier was the ranking officer and T’Rona respected the chain of command, even if she did not personally agree with Starfleet’s decision.
“Thank you Lieutenant. Put her through.”
On her screen the image of the Border Service logo replaced the report she had been reading, a moment later it was replaced with the severe visage of Bouvier. “Admiral,” T’Rona said by way of greeting.
“Rear Admiral,” Bouvier began, “I trust that your crack down on smuggling was successful.”
“Yes sir. I was in the process of reviewing and compiling the reports for you.”
“As soon as possible Rear Admiral,” she stated, then glanced at a PADD lying on her desk. “I have been looking over the Third Squadron complement and decided to redeploy several ships.”
T’Rona’s right eyebrow lifted, the closest she got to an expression of total shock and disbelief. “Admiral that may not be advisable—given the actions of the Talarians last year. We lost two cutters and two others were severely damaged. Had it not been for elements of the Fifth Fleet on tactical manoeuvres in the region, their incursion into Federation space would have been far more severe.
“Our present deployment may only have minimal effectiveness if they attack in force, with their improved weaponry,” she finished, though going by the stern expression on Bouvier’s already pinched face, she suspected that her logic would not be heeded.
“Rear Admiral, their attempted invasion was a year ago and in all that time they have shown no signs of trying again. Your Squadron will be returned to its previous levels, and the other ships will be reassigned.”
“Sir, there was no signs of aggression prior to their incursion fifty-four weeks ago. Although my Intelligence Officer is being extremely fastidious in monitoring their movements, there is always the chance that they will act out with the realms of probability and ‘blindside’ us once again.”
“We repelled them before Rear Admiral, we will do so again,” she said with an edge to her voice. “This isn’t a consultation, it’s an order.”
T’Rona held back her continued argument; she knew that there would be no chance of convincing the Vice Admiral, now that her mind was made up. “What ships will be redeployed?”
“The Medusa and Thunderbird will remain with the Squadron, to replace the T’Vor and Cyclops. But the Hercules, K’Shod, Lobo, Satyr and Kukui are all being redeployed—effective immediately.”
Removing the four cutters and one scout would return the Third Squadron down to its previous level before the incursion. Though it had proved to be sufficient during peacetime, the attack last year (now combined with the re-emergence of the Chanok) showed that the hostile forces in the region were testing the strength and capabilities of the Federation. She told Bouvier as much.
“Admiral, this may not be the time to reduce our forces in the region. We must also follow up on the Starfleet technology and weaponry that was being smuggled by the Orion freighter Xeros—which battlefields the equipment was scavenged from and its ultimate destination.”
That brought Bouvier up short, and she seemed to mull over the point T’Rona had made. There was every chance that the Starfleet Criminal Investigative Service or Starfleet Intelligence would be given the assignment, but in order to get fast results a thorough knowledge of the region would be needed—and no one could beat the Border Cutter in that regard.
“Other squadrons are in need of those ships,” Bouvier mused.
“I understand that, sir. However, reassigning all five ships may be presumptuous, given recent development. May I suggest that the Third Squadron retains the K’Shod and Kukui whilst the other three ships are reassigned. Not only were the weapons and hardware heading into neutral space in this region, but the two battlefields from which the equipment was scavenged are both within close proximity to our patrol routes.”
She saw that Bouvier didn’t like the suggestion; however T’Rona knew it to be the best compromise available. “A scout could be sent to inspect each site and monitor them for any further non-sanctioned salvaging operations, whilst the Kukui has the speed and capabilities needed to tackle the last remnants of this smuggling operation.”
“I will consider leaving the K’Shod under your command, however Rear Admiral Fitzharris has asked for additional ships for the Fourth Squadron, so I was planning on dispatching the Kukui to Star Station Destiny.”
That didn’t surprise T’Rona. Quentin Fitzharris, her peer with the Fourth Squadron, was one of Bouvier’s strongest allies among the Border Service command structure, and as such got special treatment from the Vice Admiral.
For her part, T’Rona raised an eyebrow in a surprised manner. “I was unaware that there were any increasing hostilities or workload for the Four Squadron.”
That seemed to flummox Bouvier. “There isn’t at present,” she admitted slowly.
In reality, relations between the Federation and the Gorn Hegemony were vastly improving, following an incident during the war, when a Starfleet ship helped safeguard the First Descendant (their equivalent of a crown prince) from an assassin sent by the Orion Syndicate—Starfleet Intelligence suspected that the hit had been ordered by the Dominion, but there was no proof to support their suspicious. Though the Gorn hadn’t allied with the UFP in the conflict, things in the immediate region had quietened down considerably.
“I see,” she replied simply, though her tone spoke volumes.
Bouvier’s eyes narrowed as she scrutinised her. T’Rona held her stare levelly, her stoic exterior never slipping, though Bouvier seemed to be going through a variety of different emotions, annoyance and irritation being most prominent. Though T’Rona was lower in rank, she had more years of service under her belt and made sure to keep a close eye on what was happening within the Border Service and the Cutter Squadrons. Bouvier was determined to restructure the Service, with Squadron Commander’s and cutter Captain’s who would tow her line. T’Rona had spent ninety-two years in Starfleet, sixty-three of which were with the Border Service (the last eleven of which as a flag officer), so she knew the intricacies of the system and how it worked, and could spot an opportunistic member of the brass when she met one. Her long service history afforded her many contacts across every level of Starfleet, so she could see the way things were going back at Headquarters and what that would mean for the Border Service.
It was a dangerous path she was on, but she made sure that she couldn’t be considered disobedient or insubordinate in her suggestion or the pitch of her voice. Bouvier seemed to be trying to think of way to regain control of the conversation, as it was obvious that she had already decided what she wanted and T’Rona was going against her script.
“With our current tension with the Talarians, the re-emergence of the Chanok and these scavengers working within our area of operational area, the presence on a new Sequoia-Class would show those involved that Starfleet takes the defence of this area seriously,” she stated dispassionately.
The muscles in Bouvier’s jaw clenched and flexed, whilst she continued to scowl at T’Rona. After a long moment the Border Service Commander finally relented with the slightest of nods. “Very well Rear Admiral. I will allow the Third Squadron to retain the Kukui as well as the K’Shod,” she quickly added in an almost threatening tone, “for now.
“Though if the SCIS or Intel opt to lead the investigation, then they will be reassigned,” she finished
“Understood sir,” T’Rona replied with a nod.
“I’ll speak with SCIS and Intel personally. I will contact you when a decision has been reached. Bouvier out.” With that the screen reverted back to the Border Service logo, before displaying the report she had originally been studying.
The conversation had gone as well as could be expected. T’Rona had known that she wouldn’t be able to retain her expanded force forever, though she had expected a greater presence in the region for longer than a year. The Hercules was on loan from the First Squadron that patrolled the Romulan Neutral Zone—just like all the other Apollo-Class cutters—whilst the Lobo and Satyr would be rotated onto another Squadron to provide further cover (whilst other ships underwent refit or upgrades). She was determined however to at least hold onto the K’Shod and Kukui, as both crews had begun to settle and had established good professional and personal relationships with the other cutter crews, as well as the staff onboard Freedom.
Part of commanding a Squadron was to look out for its best interests, to keep if functioning at peak efficiency with whatever resources were at hand, so T’Rona wasn’t about to give up two ships that would be of more use to her in a region that needed the extra eyes, ears and muscle. Now that she had retained them, she was determined to keep them. In order to do that however, she would have to ask for support from the SCIS and SI representatives on Freedom.
She tapped the direct comm link that connected her office with the outer anteroom. “Lieutenant, have Commanders Macintosh and Drizuk report to my office on the double.”
“Yes sir,” the Trill promptly replied.
T’Rona closed down the report on her screen and brought up the details on the freighter Xeros, the cargo they had been carrying and the analysis that both the Silverfin’s Chief Engineer had conducted, as well as that of Commander Weir, and the reports that Intelligence Officer Macintosh and Drizuk (the SCIS team leader that had been assigned for the smuggling crackdown) had filed during their investigations. They had proven to work well together, and before Drizuk was transferred to another sector, she wanted to make use of him and his team. She would ensure that both the SCIS and Starfleet Intelligence supported her belief that the Border Service was best suited to lead the investigation—with their full support of course.
* * * * *
This is a little teaser for my latest work on the Border Service cutter U.S.S. Silverfin. It follows on a few weeks from the events of "The Ties That Bind".
I hope you enjoy it.
* * * * *
Chapter 1
Office of Rear Admiral T’Rona, Star Station Freedom
Tamsen System, Talarian Border
Stardate: 55201.1 (March 15th, 2378)
Rear Admiral T’Rona, Commander of the Third Border Cutter Squadron, sat in her office looking over the latest reports on the Squadron’s anti-smuggling operations—the largest such mission that had been undertaken since before the Dominion War had broken out. The operation had lasted for seven weeks and had been officially concluded, but during that time the four teams had searched eighty-nine ships, seized thirty-seven that were transporting contraband, whilst the actions of the U.S.S. Silverfin had uncovered the reappearance of the Chanok—a brutal species banned from Federation territory over a century ago, who now appeared to have a considerable involvement in the illegal activities along the Talarian border. A very successful mission. She had noted several commendations for crewmembers that had performer above and beyond the call of duty during the time.
Of the eight ships involved in the operation, both Aerie-Class patrol scouts as well as the Silverfin would be putting in for crew R&R as the ships were re-supplied, whilst the U.S.S. Lobo would need some repairs after chasing a Ferengi merchantman into a asteroid belt—fortunately no on had been injured and they had secured the ship, which had been carrying Ketracel White, Zyth-Raan B and various other narcotics. She had already spoken with Lieutenant Commander Greta Weir, the Squadron Maintenance Officer, who said that the Lobo would be back on active duty in five days. Whilst Squadron Quartermaster Henry Mitchell assured her that the Silverfin, H’krii and K’Shod would all be restocked within a few hours of docking—though all three ships had a minimum of seventy-two hours R&R at Star Station Freedom, the Talarian Incursion the previous year showed that they needed to be ready for any situation as quickly as possible.
Before she could dwell on the events of last year the intercom chirped. “Kasan to T’Rona,” came the voice of her attaché, Lieutenant JG Azaal Kasan, a highly efficient young Trill who had held the post since the beginning of the year.
“Go ahead Lieutenant.”
“Admiral, you have an incoming transmission from Starfleet Headquarters, the office of Vice Admiral Bouvier.”
Deirdre Bouvier was the Border Service Commander, although she had never served a single day on a Cutter or a Star Station—something T’Rona found most illogical for someone in her position (T’Rona herself had spent forty-nine years on Cutters before she’d accepted her promotion to the admiralty). However, Bouvier was the ranking officer and T’Rona respected the chain of command, even if she did not personally agree with Starfleet’s decision.
“Thank you Lieutenant. Put her through.”
On her screen the image of the Border Service logo replaced the report she had been reading, a moment later it was replaced with the severe visage of Bouvier. “Admiral,” T’Rona said by way of greeting.
“Rear Admiral,” Bouvier began, “I trust that your crack down on smuggling was successful.”
“Yes sir. I was in the process of reviewing and compiling the reports for you.”
“As soon as possible Rear Admiral,” she stated, then glanced at a PADD lying on her desk. “I have been looking over the Third Squadron complement and decided to redeploy several ships.”
T’Rona’s right eyebrow lifted, the closest she got to an expression of total shock and disbelief. “Admiral that may not be advisable—given the actions of the Talarians last year. We lost two cutters and two others were severely damaged. Had it not been for elements of the Fifth Fleet on tactical manoeuvres in the region, their incursion into Federation space would have been far more severe.
“Our present deployment may only have minimal effectiveness if they attack in force, with their improved weaponry,” she finished, though going by the stern expression on Bouvier’s already pinched face, she suspected that her logic would not be heeded.
“Rear Admiral, their attempted invasion was a year ago and in all that time they have shown no signs of trying again. Your Squadron will be returned to its previous levels, and the other ships will be reassigned.”
“Sir, there was no signs of aggression prior to their incursion fifty-four weeks ago. Although my Intelligence Officer is being extremely fastidious in monitoring their movements, there is always the chance that they will act out with the realms of probability and ‘blindside’ us once again.”
“We repelled them before Rear Admiral, we will do so again,” she said with an edge to her voice. “This isn’t a consultation, it’s an order.”
T’Rona held back her continued argument; she knew that there would be no chance of convincing the Vice Admiral, now that her mind was made up. “What ships will be redeployed?”
“The Medusa and Thunderbird will remain with the Squadron, to replace the T’Vor and Cyclops. But the Hercules, K’Shod, Lobo, Satyr and Kukui are all being redeployed—effective immediately.”
Removing the four cutters and one scout would return the Third Squadron down to its previous level before the incursion. Though it had proved to be sufficient during peacetime, the attack last year (now combined with the re-emergence of the Chanok) showed that the hostile forces in the region were testing the strength and capabilities of the Federation. She told Bouvier as much.
“Admiral, this may not be the time to reduce our forces in the region. We must also follow up on the Starfleet technology and weaponry that was being smuggled by the Orion freighter Xeros—which battlefields the equipment was scavenged from and its ultimate destination.”
That brought Bouvier up short, and she seemed to mull over the point T’Rona had made. There was every chance that the Starfleet Criminal Investigative Service or Starfleet Intelligence would be given the assignment, but in order to get fast results a thorough knowledge of the region would be needed—and no one could beat the Border Cutter in that regard.
“Other squadrons are in need of those ships,” Bouvier mused.
“I understand that, sir. However, reassigning all five ships may be presumptuous, given recent development. May I suggest that the Third Squadron retains the K’Shod and Kukui whilst the other three ships are reassigned. Not only were the weapons and hardware heading into neutral space in this region, but the two battlefields from which the equipment was scavenged are both within close proximity to our patrol routes.”
She saw that Bouvier didn’t like the suggestion; however T’Rona knew it to be the best compromise available. “A scout could be sent to inspect each site and monitor them for any further non-sanctioned salvaging operations, whilst the Kukui has the speed and capabilities needed to tackle the last remnants of this smuggling operation.”
“I will consider leaving the K’Shod under your command, however Rear Admiral Fitzharris has asked for additional ships for the Fourth Squadron, so I was planning on dispatching the Kukui to Star Station Destiny.”
That didn’t surprise T’Rona. Quentin Fitzharris, her peer with the Fourth Squadron, was one of Bouvier’s strongest allies among the Border Service command structure, and as such got special treatment from the Vice Admiral.
For her part, T’Rona raised an eyebrow in a surprised manner. “I was unaware that there were any increasing hostilities or workload for the Four Squadron.”
That seemed to flummox Bouvier. “There isn’t at present,” she admitted slowly.
In reality, relations between the Federation and the Gorn Hegemony were vastly improving, following an incident during the war, when a Starfleet ship helped safeguard the First Descendant (their equivalent of a crown prince) from an assassin sent by the Orion Syndicate—Starfleet Intelligence suspected that the hit had been ordered by the Dominion, but there was no proof to support their suspicious. Though the Gorn hadn’t allied with the UFP in the conflict, things in the immediate region had quietened down considerably.
“I see,” she replied simply, though her tone spoke volumes.
Bouvier’s eyes narrowed as she scrutinised her. T’Rona held her stare levelly, her stoic exterior never slipping, though Bouvier seemed to be going through a variety of different emotions, annoyance and irritation being most prominent. Though T’Rona was lower in rank, she had more years of service under her belt and made sure to keep a close eye on what was happening within the Border Service and the Cutter Squadrons. Bouvier was determined to restructure the Service, with Squadron Commander’s and cutter Captain’s who would tow her line. T’Rona had spent ninety-two years in Starfleet, sixty-three of which were with the Border Service (the last eleven of which as a flag officer), so she knew the intricacies of the system and how it worked, and could spot an opportunistic member of the brass when she met one. Her long service history afforded her many contacts across every level of Starfleet, so she could see the way things were going back at Headquarters and what that would mean for the Border Service.
It was a dangerous path she was on, but she made sure that she couldn’t be considered disobedient or insubordinate in her suggestion or the pitch of her voice. Bouvier seemed to be trying to think of way to regain control of the conversation, as it was obvious that she had already decided what she wanted and T’Rona was going against her script.
“With our current tension with the Talarians, the re-emergence of the Chanok and these scavengers working within our area of operational area, the presence on a new Sequoia-Class would show those involved that Starfleet takes the defence of this area seriously,” she stated dispassionately.
The muscles in Bouvier’s jaw clenched and flexed, whilst she continued to scowl at T’Rona. After a long moment the Border Service Commander finally relented with the slightest of nods. “Very well Rear Admiral. I will allow the Third Squadron to retain the Kukui as well as the K’Shod,” she quickly added in an almost threatening tone, “for now.
“Though if the SCIS or Intel opt to lead the investigation, then they will be reassigned,” she finished
“Understood sir,” T’Rona replied with a nod.
“I’ll speak with SCIS and Intel personally. I will contact you when a decision has been reached. Bouvier out.” With that the screen reverted back to the Border Service logo, before displaying the report she had originally been studying.
The conversation had gone as well as could be expected. T’Rona had known that she wouldn’t be able to retain her expanded force forever, though she had expected a greater presence in the region for longer than a year. The Hercules was on loan from the First Squadron that patrolled the Romulan Neutral Zone—just like all the other Apollo-Class cutters—whilst the Lobo and Satyr would be rotated onto another Squadron to provide further cover (whilst other ships underwent refit or upgrades). She was determined however to at least hold onto the K’Shod and Kukui, as both crews had begun to settle and had established good professional and personal relationships with the other cutter crews, as well as the staff onboard Freedom.
Part of commanding a Squadron was to look out for its best interests, to keep if functioning at peak efficiency with whatever resources were at hand, so T’Rona wasn’t about to give up two ships that would be of more use to her in a region that needed the extra eyes, ears and muscle. Now that she had retained them, she was determined to keep them. In order to do that however, she would have to ask for support from the SCIS and SI representatives on Freedom.
She tapped the direct comm link that connected her office with the outer anteroom. “Lieutenant, have Commanders Macintosh and Drizuk report to my office on the double.”
“Yes sir,” the Trill promptly replied.
T’Rona closed down the report on her screen and brought up the details on the freighter Xeros, the cargo they had been carrying and the analysis that both the Silverfin’s Chief Engineer had conducted, as well as that of Commander Weir, and the reports that Intelligence Officer Macintosh and Drizuk (the SCIS team leader that had been assigned for the smuggling crackdown) had filed during their investigations. They had proven to work well together, and before Drizuk was transferred to another sector, she wanted to make use of him and his team. She would ensure that both the SCIS and Starfleet Intelligence supported her belief that the Border Service was best suited to lead the investigation—with their full support of course.
* * * * *
Last edited:
You have a gift for writing engaging dialogue in even the most mundane of settings. Looks like the quiet is about to end with the summons to the Squadron Commander's office. So much for Leijten's and Hank's date.
