Admiral Melvin Schwarzkopf was worried. More so than he had ever been since beginning this enterprise of his.
And there had been much to worry about.
The freshly minted flag officer had faced stiff opposition to his plan both from Starfleet Command and within the Federation Council and understandingly so.
His plan had been a bold one. Negotiate a treaty with Tiaita, a somewhat isolated world in an inaccessible part of space close to the Cardassian border. A world that had only discovered matter/anti-matter fusion less than a year ago and was yet to build its first warp-capable starship. It was also a world Starfleet knew very little about, except for the fact that the system itself was a miner’s dream come true, filled with asteroids densely packed with dilithium and a dozen other minerals which were necessary for building starships.
A recent and thorough mapping had revealed that the entire sector, nick-named Twin Pulsars, could be crisscrossed through narrow corridors which allowed the creation of stable warp fields despite the heavy radiation coming from the two powerful celestial objects dominating the sector.
Some of those corridors would lead straight to the Cardassian border, allowing Starfleet to strike against their enemy at their weakest spot.
The plan was good. The execution was going to be a problem. The Federation had always prided itself in thorough research before offering their much coveted treaties which often times culminated in full Federation membership. But in this case there hadn’t been much time to be thorough. The war with the Dominion was brining the Federation one step closer to its demise with each passing day and Schwarzkopf knew this. Thankfully the hawks in the council understood this as well and his motion to fast-track his plan was eventually granted by a tiny majority after weeks of endless lobbying.
It had been a small price to pay. Now that the treaty was signed things had to move fast. Resources were scarce and Schwarzkopf had to make do with what was available. He had been given a small fleet of freighters and just one starship for protection and assistance.
That starship had been a Border Service cutter named
Bluefin under the command of Captain Joseph Akinola. Schwarzkopf had come very close to abandoning his entire plan when he had learned of this. As far as he was concerned there could not have been a worse choice of vessel for this operation. In fact he would have preferred a Klingon Bird-of-Prey filled with a blood-thirsty crew over the
Bluefin.
This was ironic really considering that Akinola and
Bluefin were largely responsible for his promotion to admiral. Schwarzkopf had absolutely no desire whatsoever to thank them for it. Instead he saw them as yet another piece of proof that some malicious elements within the Federation were actively trying to destroy his plan before it even had a chance to get started. Somebody wanted him to fail and not just on a professional level. Ultimately by being against him they were also against the survival of the Federation and that made him more determined than ever before to see this thing through.
He had pulled the few remaining strings that he had and managed to get a second ship – a proper, regular fleet cruiser – assigned to this mission. That way he could avoid having to deal with
Bluefin, face the ghosts of his past and more importantly deny victory to his enemies.
And yet after all this was said and done, Schwarzkopf was still worried.
“Your Eminence, I’ve had another look at your military budget and quite frankly the numbers are causing me a bit of concern. Last cycle alone you spend nearly forty-eight percent of your entire budget on your armed forces, including the acquisition of more troops, equipment and research and development of new weapons systems.”
Schwarzkopf sat in the lavishly decorated office of Prias Olgrun-Tia, the spiritual and political leader of his world. Olgrun was an elderly statesman and yet at seventy-five he was one of the youngest priases Tiaita had ever elected. He had only officially taken office a few months ago but had already pledged to bring his people out of century-long misery created by old traditions and an unwillingness of the ruling elite to embrace progress.
Olgrun-Tia had aggressively supported the government’s fledging warp program and had been the strongest supporter for the Federation treaty. Schwarzkopf saw him as exactly the right man to build the delicate bridge between the old backward looking elite and those ready to establish Tiaita as a member of the intergalactic community.
“A cultural misunderstanding,” explained Simas Sindron-Tia, the other man present in the office. Sindron was the leader of the Council of Tia, the main ruling body of the planet, making him the second most powerful man on Tiaita. He was much more difficult to read for Schwarzkopf. The slightly-heavy set man didn’t speak much in front of him and preferred to keep his discussions with the prias in private. The admiral could sense a certain reluctance in Sindron. An unvoiced concern about the future of his world. And while he most clearly belonged to the old guard he had never openly disagreed with the Simas. At least not when Schwarzkopf had been present.
“Our military is perhaps not entirely what you believe it to be,” he continued.
The admiral looked puzzled.
“Would you consider your Starfleet a military?” he asked.
“No,” Schwarzkopf responded automatically. “But we take on that function when required.”
“So do our forces,” Sindron explained with a smile which hinted that he wasn’t being completely honest and that he understood perfectly that Schwarzkopf hadn’t been either. “They protect our citizens and police our streets, they assist locals during times of natural calamities and famine and they build houses and places of worship.”
The admiral was not entirely satisfied with this answer and turned back towards the prias. “What about this so-called New Light movement?”
An almost panicked expression crossed the prias’ facial features. “They are … they are a minor group of insurgents. A group of ragtag rebels who wish to disrupt decent people’s lives by placing bombs in temples and public places.”
Schwarzkopf leaned forward, trying to cut some of the space between himself and Olgrun who sat behind his enormous wooden desk. “With all due respect, your Eminence, but in our experience, whenever a planetary leader refers to ragtag rebels it later turns out to be a mighty understatement.”
The prias shot a concerned glance towards Sindron and then looked back to the admiral. He took a small breath before speaking again. “You are right, Admiral. I did understate the situation and I would be lying if I didn’t admit that this movement has not been a problem to us for quite some time. The truth is that they do not accept our way of life and are determined to destroy it. But I can guarantee you that they will be dealt with,” he said and then looked at Sindron again. “Soon.”
The simas nodded.
Schwarzkopf squirmed in his seat slightly, uncomfortable.
“Admiral … Mel, we have come too far together to be deterred now by a destructive element that cares nothing for the greater good of Tiaita,” the prias said softly. His eyes taking on a nearly pleading expression.
“Yes, your Eminence,” Schwarzkopf said with a resigned sigh, “we have indeed come too far. And we have both staked our reputations on this alliance by ratifying a treaty without really knowing much about each other. We are both in desperate situations and at the time that made us perfect allies but I must warn you, there will be some on my side and certainly on yours who will fight against what we are trying to achieve. The time to allow them to succeed in deterring us has now passed, we must see this through to the end.”
The leader of Tiaita silently studied the man opposite him for a moment, realizing perhaps for the first time that he was as desperate for his people as he was for his. The Starfleet admiral who had come to them a few months ago and appeared like a grandiose hero and emissary of the Brothers was himself in a situation as compromised as he was in himself. Perhaps that was the reason Olgrun-Tia had been able to respect this man as much as he had.
He nodded slowly. “My faith in the Brothers will give me the strength to face those against us, my friend. I am convinced beyond any doubt that we will succeed in saving both our people.”
“I hope you are right. Now there is only one more thing we need to weather before we can truly celebrate our alliance. A starship will arrive here in less than two days time to assist in providing your people the help that they need. But there could also be questions and I need you to be prepared for them.”
“Another ship,” asked Sindron. “I do not understand, I thought you already had as ship in orbit.”
Schwarzkopf nodded. “Yes, the
Bluefin,” he said and his voice making no secret of how he felt about it. “Let’s just say that they are not appropriate for what is required. They are part of what we call the Border Service and not properly equipped to render assistance to an entire world.”
But the simas was sure he could detect something else. “You sound as if you have a history with that ship of yours.”
Schwarzkopf shot the man an icy glare. “Yes I do and I prefer not to speak of it here.
Eagle will take care of anything you need once she arrives.”
“But you foresee problems,” asked Olgrun-Tia.
“There shouldn’t be any. Just make sure you deal with your terrorists quickly and make
Eagle’s crew feel comfortable and give them no reason to mistrust you. After all they’re coming here to help you.”
The simas nodded. “We are a hospitable people, Admiral. We will make every effort for everyone to see so with their own eyes.”
“Thank you, you Eminence. I shall speak to you again before they arrive,” he said, stood and dipped his shoulders slightly which was considered to be a respectful bow on Tiaita.
“The Brother’s Blessings be upon thee,” the prias said just before the admiral left the office.
Not a moment later the simas stood forward, knowing that Olgrun would want to address him.
He was not mistaken. “Schwarzkopf has learned too much about the New Light in the little time he has been here,” said Olgrun immediately. “How is that possible?”
“He was thorough in his research, your Eminence and he has been given little restrictions. I am surprised he has not learned more.”
The prias turned in his chair to look out over the capital city below him. The prias’ office was located on the top floor of the Holy Tower, the highest building in the city. It had been created to ensure that the leader of Tiaita would be closest to the Brothers at all times. Nobody was allowed to build a structure that could rival the Holy Tower in height.
“You know how much we need him and the Federation if we want any hope of lifting our people out of poverty and misery. I have promised the people a great change and I will not fail them, Simas. On the streets they speak of me as if I was the Anointed One, the one man to restore greatness and prosperity to the children of Tiaita,” he said and turned to face the younger man again. “And maybe they are right, maybe I have been sent here by the Brothers to bring the change that has been foretold. But I cannot do it alone.”
“I understand, your Eminence.”
“The New Light is all that stands in the way of our destiny.”
Sindron nodded solemnly. “They are a plague on this world, your Eminence. I will rid us of them for once and for all.”
The prias’ eyes opened wider and it wasn’t because he liked what he heard. At least not entirely. “We must tread carefully now. We will be watched by those who will judge us and determine our future.”
“You should not worry about the Federation, your Eminence. You have heard the admiral. They need us as much as we need them, perhaps more. They will give us what we require in turn for allowing them to mine the minerals they desire. They are battling for their very existence, like a wounded animal facing a much stronger beast. They will do whatever they must to survive.”
“I’m sure you are right. But let us now give them reason to doubt our commitment to this treaty. Give them what they want but make sure they do not learn too much about our struggle with the Ait rebels.”
“As you wish,” he said and dipped his shoulders while stepping backwards.
“Brother’s Blessings be upon thee, my friend.”
_ _ _ _
