The Star Eagle Adventures IV: All The Sinners, Saints
- Thread starter CeJay
- Start date
There are so many ways this could all go wrong that I've lost count. Great job of managing the different plot threads. Adding Star back into the mix is bound to create more trouble.
Great writing!
Great writing!
Oh I don't trust the Admiral - leaving the bridge - what for? As for Star's attempts I think they are likely to cause even greater trouble. Great
Not a good situation--but typical--the radicals and the moderates are splitting and the radicals are getting ready to make their move--just like most revolutions.
The good news for now was that Eagle had seemingly stood down. Her weapons and shields powered down, the massive vessel had made no further aggressive moves against his ship or the stallion which was just about to enter Tiaita’s atmosphere.
Akinola did not allow himself to relax however. He knew this wasn’t going to be over yet. Not with Schwarzkopf calling the shots.
He was fully cognizant of what he had done. He had disobeyed an order from a direct superior and it mattered little that Schwarzkopf was not a Border Service officer. No court martial in the galaxy was going to make that distinction, not while there was a war going on.
Akinola was under no illusions. A court martial was going to be unavoidable at this point and for a brief moment he chuckled at the inescapable irony of it all. His last encounter with Schwarzkopf had resulted in all too similar consequences. Only that back then it had been the insufferable Tazla Star who had infuriated Schwarzkopf by disregarding his orders. It had of course been Schwarzkopf who had pushed hardest for the subsequent court martial. But instead of being a principle witness, this time, Akinola would be the one sitting in the defendant’s chair.
He tried to ignore the comparisons between his actions and those of Star. He had never learned nor did he particularly care what had led the Trill to do what she had done. One thing was clear however. If it was between a court marital and abandoning T’Ser, the decision was not something he had to think about twice.
“Sir, I’m detecting a security breach in progress,” said Bane from his station at ops.
Akinola pushed all his distracting thoughts aside and focused on the Australian lieutenant. “What kind of security breach?”
“I’m not sure,” he said with obvious irritation as his fingers began to dance faster and faster over his controls. “It’s as if somebody is trying to get access to our computer core. Externally.”
That was more than enough to ring a couple of dozen alarm bells in the skipper’s head. He stood and approached Bane. “Can you block them out?”
“We have multiple security barriers in place for exactly this kind of situation,” he said with mounting nervousness in his tone. “But whoever is behind this, they know exactly what they’re doing. I don’t know if I can keep them out.”
The skipper glanced towards the view screen. The Starfleet ship was sitting unassumingly in orbit without a single offensive or defensive system activated. But appearances were misleading. “It’s Eagle. They’re trying to find out where McBride is going.”
Bane’s fingers were not moving fast enough. “I … I don’t think I can stop them, sir. They’ve already broken through four barriers with relative ease. Another two and they’ll have full read access to the core.”
“Talk about being violated,” said Delta Simms from the engineering station.
Akinola turned to look at the Alabama native. “How can we stop them?”
“Short of shutting down the core? I don’t know. We’d need somebody with some serious computer skills. The best person for the job I can think of is Lieutenant T’Ser.”
Akinola rubbed his forehead. He couldn’t allow Eagle to find out where they were going. Not yet. It would allow them to easily intercept his stallion before it ever had a chance to retrieve T’Ser. “Then we need to shut down the core.”
At that Simms’ eyes bulged. “Sir, that is not a good idea. Besides, it’s not like we can just flick a switch and turn it off. It needs to be booted down in an orderly fashion or we might risk data loss or worse, physical damage to the core hardware itself.”
“We’re down to our last security barrier,” said Bane. He hadn’t given up on stopping the intruder but he didn’t stand a chance. Slowing down their progress was all he could hope to achieve.
The skipper was not going to have it. He stepped closer to the engineering officer. “Cut the power to the core.”
There were a few things no engineering officer ever wanted to hear. Pushing their engines beyond their design specifications was one. Shutting down all power to the main computer core, the brain of a starship, ranked as a close second. She hesitated for a moment. “Sir, we do that and we’ll be defenseless. No shields, no phasers or torpedoes.”
“Delta, this is not a battle we can win with phasers or torpedoes,” he said calmly. “Now, cut the power.”
She nodded and went to work.
Bane let out a loud sigh and then lifted his hands off his board. “They’re in.”
“Delta.”
“Gralt is gonna have me for breakfast for doing this,” she said, closed her eyes and hit one last panel.
The bridge was plunged into darkness.
One by one, every single station died.
Akinola could not remember the last time he had seen his command center this lifeless.
It lasted for all but one second. Then the emergency lighting came back on.
The computer stations however remained dark and unresponsive.
Bane, with no more controls to monitor or manipulate, swiveled around. “Now what?”
Simms had already removed the maintenance panel beneath the engineering station to fiddle with the EPS and ODN conduits within. “The backup core should have kicked in by now,” she said, halfway buried inside the hatch. “Emergency power is back so that shouldn’t be the problem. The electromagnetic feedback might have short-circuited some of the conduits when we pulled the plug. I pray that’s the worst of it.”
“Delta,” said Akinola when he noticed a tiny flicker on the engineering station.
Simms pulled herself out and looked at the screen. A small dot was flashing in the upper left corner of the otherwise empty screen as if it was awaiting to be given a command. A smile came to her lips. “It’s a sign of life.”
Akinola sat back down in his chair. “How long until we can restore normal operations?”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure. To be honest I’ve never pulled the plug on a computer core before. It’ll probably take a couple of hours just to stop Gralt from cursing.”
“Get down to engineering and make sure to cut that time in half,” he said. “Also, I want to know how much information Eagle was able to get away with before we shut down the core.” He turned away in his chair to face the nonfunctional view screen, fully aware that for the moment Bluefin would not be in a condition to do much of anything. He had done about as much as he could.
From here on in, McBride and his team were on their own.
Akinola did not allow himself to relax however. He knew this wasn’t going to be over yet. Not with Schwarzkopf calling the shots.
He was fully cognizant of what he had done. He had disobeyed an order from a direct superior and it mattered little that Schwarzkopf was not a Border Service officer. No court martial in the galaxy was going to make that distinction, not while there was a war going on.
Akinola was under no illusions. A court martial was going to be unavoidable at this point and for a brief moment he chuckled at the inescapable irony of it all. His last encounter with Schwarzkopf had resulted in all too similar consequences. Only that back then it had been the insufferable Tazla Star who had infuriated Schwarzkopf by disregarding his orders. It had of course been Schwarzkopf who had pushed hardest for the subsequent court martial. But instead of being a principle witness, this time, Akinola would be the one sitting in the defendant’s chair.
He tried to ignore the comparisons between his actions and those of Star. He had never learned nor did he particularly care what had led the Trill to do what she had done. One thing was clear however. If it was between a court marital and abandoning T’Ser, the decision was not something he had to think about twice.
“Sir, I’m detecting a security breach in progress,” said Bane from his station at ops.
Akinola pushed all his distracting thoughts aside and focused on the Australian lieutenant. “What kind of security breach?”
“I’m not sure,” he said with obvious irritation as his fingers began to dance faster and faster over his controls. “It’s as if somebody is trying to get access to our computer core. Externally.”
That was more than enough to ring a couple of dozen alarm bells in the skipper’s head. He stood and approached Bane. “Can you block them out?”
“We have multiple security barriers in place for exactly this kind of situation,” he said with mounting nervousness in his tone. “But whoever is behind this, they know exactly what they’re doing. I don’t know if I can keep them out.”
The skipper glanced towards the view screen. The Starfleet ship was sitting unassumingly in orbit without a single offensive or defensive system activated. But appearances were misleading. “It’s Eagle. They’re trying to find out where McBride is going.”
Bane’s fingers were not moving fast enough. “I … I don’t think I can stop them, sir. They’ve already broken through four barriers with relative ease. Another two and they’ll have full read access to the core.”
“Talk about being violated,” said Delta Simms from the engineering station.
Akinola turned to look at the Alabama native. “How can we stop them?”
“Short of shutting down the core? I don’t know. We’d need somebody with some serious computer skills. The best person for the job I can think of is Lieutenant T’Ser.”
Akinola rubbed his forehead. He couldn’t allow Eagle to find out where they were going. Not yet. It would allow them to easily intercept his stallion before it ever had a chance to retrieve T’Ser. “Then we need to shut down the core.”
At that Simms’ eyes bulged. “Sir, that is not a good idea. Besides, it’s not like we can just flick a switch and turn it off. It needs to be booted down in an orderly fashion or we might risk data loss or worse, physical damage to the core hardware itself.”
“We’re down to our last security barrier,” said Bane. He hadn’t given up on stopping the intruder but he didn’t stand a chance. Slowing down their progress was all he could hope to achieve.
The skipper was not going to have it. He stepped closer to the engineering officer. “Cut the power to the core.”
There were a few things no engineering officer ever wanted to hear. Pushing their engines beyond their design specifications was one. Shutting down all power to the main computer core, the brain of a starship, ranked as a close second. She hesitated for a moment. “Sir, we do that and we’ll be defenseless. No shields, no phasers or torpedoes.”
“Delta, this is not a battle we can win with phasers or torpedoes,” he said calmly. “Now, cut the power.”
She nodded and went to work.
Bane let out a loud sigh and then lifted his hands off his board. “They’re in.”
“Delta.”
“Gralt is gonna have me for breakfast for doing this,” she said, closed her eyes and hit one last panel.
The bridge was plunged into darkness.
One by one, every single station died.
Akinola could not remember the last time he had seen his command center this lifeless.
It lasted for all but one second. Then the emergency lighting came back on.
The computer stations however remained dark and unresponsive.
Bane, with no more controls to monitor or manipulate, swiveled around. “Now what?”
Simms had already removed the maintenance panel beneath the engineering station to fiddle with the EPS and ODN conduits within. “The backup core should have kicked in by now,” she said, halfway buried inside the hatch. “Emergency power is back so that shouldn’t be the problem. The electromagnetic feedback might have short-circuited some of the conduits when we pulled the plug. I pray that’s the worst of it.”
“Delta,” said Akinola when he noticed a tiny flicker on the engineering station.
Simms pulled herself out and looked at the screen. A small dot was flashing in the upper left corner of the otherwise empty screen as if it was awaiting to be given a command. A smile came to her lips. “It’s a sign of life.”
Akinola sat back down in his chair. “How long until we can restore normal operations?”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure. To be honest I’ve never pulled the plug on a computer core before. It’ll probably take a couple of hours just to stop Gralt from cursing.”
“Get down to engineering and make sure to cut that time in half,” he said. “Also, I want to know how much information Eagle was able to get away with before we shut down the core.” He turned away in his chair to face the nonfunctional view screen, fully aware that for the moment Bluefin would not be in a condition to do much of anything. He had done about as much as he could.
From here on in, McBride and his team were on their own.
* * *
I wouldn't want to be within earshot of Gralt. I think my ears would bleed. 
It had to be a desperate situation for Akinola to risk such damage to his own ship. Hopefully, the core was shut down before Shwarzkopf could ascertain McBride's destination.
Now Bluefin is down for the count, at least temporarily. McBride's rescue team is totally on its own. What will Captain Owens do if/when Schwarzkopf escalates the situation once more?
This just gets better and better!
It had to be a desperate situation for Akinola to risk such damage to his own ship. Hopefully, the core was shut down before Shwarzkopf could ascertain McBride's destination.
Now Bluefin is down for the count, at least temporarily. McBride's rescue team is totally on its own. What will Captain Owens do if/when Schwarzkopf escalates the situation once more?
This just gets better and better!
This is just excellent story telling which ratched the tension up and complicated the situation more and more. Great
I agree wholeheartedly with mirandafave here--you're spinning quite the yarn, CeJay. Joseph's been effectively taken out of play, at least temporarily, this has to be the worst thing for him--now all he can do is hope for the best.
Commander Tazla Star and Major Cesar Wasco were the first to materialize on board the runabout Nebuchadrezzar.
They promptly stepped off the two-person transporter platform to allow the next pair to arrive. Nora Laas and Marines Sergeant Shin-Ja Moon appeared moments later. The Bajoran security chief took up position next to Wasco and Star while Moon headed for the back compartment to allow for sufficient room.
This continued for the next two-and-a half minutes until a total of fifteen Marines had materialized on the runabout. Star wanted to take no chances and originally had wanted to request more of Eagle’s one hundred fifty man-strong compliment but had soon realized that it would have been impractical, considering that they were on a tight schedule if they held out any hope in catching up with the Border Service stallion. They were wasting too much time as it was.
Before the last two Marines had even completely reassembled, Star moved towards the front of the cockpit where their Andorian pilot, Srena had been watching the embarkation with some fascination.
“Ensign, do you have fix on our target?”
The young officer turned back around to face her station. “They’ve just entered the lower atmosphere and are approaching the northern pole. Sensor interference is growing, I’m not sure how long we’ll be able to track them.”
“Can you catch up with them?”
The blue skinned woman nodded. “Sure. But I would have to take her in using a much steeper entry angle. It’s not exactly a recommended procedure,” she said with a little gleam in her eye. Like every true pilot she delighted in performing non recommended procedures.
“Whatever it takes, Ensign. Just don’t lose them.”
“Oh, don’t you worry sir, It’ll be a hot day on Andor before I’ll let them slip away,” she said and then immediately went to work, firing up the engines and putting the runabout on a direct course for the atmosphere below.
Nora Laas had taken one of the back seats in the cockpit without saying as much as a word. In fact the security chief had barely opened her mouth since she had met up with Star in Eagle’s transporter room. The first officer had not wanted to take her along. She knew perfectly well that nobody on Eagle trusted her but Nora had been outright hostile ever since she had been first introduced. And she could see the same hostility in her eyes now.
Star was well aware that Nora Laas could possibly become a major problem not just to her ability to perform efficiently as Eagle’s first officer but possibly also pose a threat to her more clandestine mission.
Under normal circumstances, that was to say, if she was just another first officer, she would not have put up with anyone questioning her authority in any manner. She would have made sure to put a stop to it, even if it meant relieving the security chief of her position. But she was not any other first officer. In her tenuous situation she was pretty certain that the rest of the crew and most importantly, the captain himself, would most likely side with Nora Laas on any argument that would emerge. In fact Owens had already shown his willingness to allow his security chief to defy her.
She decided to try and ignore the fiery Bajoran as best as she could and instead focus on Major Wasco who had shown very little personal stake in Eagle’s recent personnel changes.
“Major, there is a very real possibility that we will have to engage the Border Service in combat. Do you foresee any problems with that?”
“If you are concerned about the loyalty of me and my men, Commander, you will not have to worry. We’re Marines. We’re trained to follow orders,” he said in a crisp tone which was devoid of any subtext or hidden implications. It was simply a fact.
Star found this refreshing. She shot a quick look at Nora, hoping that the major’s assertion would rub off on her. Nora didn’t appear as if she was even listening.
“I suggest everybody finds something to hang on to,” said Srena. “We’re about to hit the atmosphere at about twenty thousand kph more than we should,” she added with an unmistakable playful tone in her voice.
The occupants followed the advice and not a moment too soon. The small ship began to lurch and buckle like a bull, dead set to throw its riders off its back. The viewports began to glow bright red as they shot towards the planet below no unlike a falling star.
Star grimaced slightly and managed to pull herself to the forward station, reaching for the pilot’s seat to keep her steady. “You certain she can take this?”
“Oh sure, it might get a little hot in here and I’d recommend everybody stays away from the bulkheads for a while but we should make it through,” she said with a smirk.
The Trill women didn’t particularly appreciate the ensign’s attitude but kept her piece for now. If she could deliver, she deserved some leeway.
And deliver she did. Within two minutes theNebuchadrezzar was clear of the upper atmosphere and Tiaitan’s bright blue sky opened up before them. A few hundred feet below Star could make out a little speck which was rapidly growing as they closed in. She soon recognized it for what it was.
“The stallion,” she said. “Well done, Ensign. Put us right behind them.”
The pilot nodded and leveled out the ship once they had dropped to the same altitude. The slightly smaller and bulkier vessel was just a few hundred meters in front now. “They’ve detected us and are increasing velocity. I’m matching speed.”
“Hail them, Ensign.”
Srena activated the com system but then shook her head. “They’re not responding.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me,” said Nora.
Star opened a channel herself. “Nebuchadrezzar to Bluefin support vessel. You are in violation of Tiaitan air space and direct orders by a superior officer. Return to your vessel immediately or we will be forced to take action.”
She waited a few moments but silence would remain the only reply she would get.
The Bajoran chuckled quietly. “Was that your plan, Commander? Ask them nicely to turn around? Well played.”
Angrily Star turned to look at the security chief. “What’s your suggestion?”
“You asking me for my help, Commander?”
“No,” Star said coolly. “I’m asking for you to do your job and recommend a course of action.”
Nora stood as if to challenge Star. The Bajoran was about an inch shorter than the first officer but somehow she managed to tower over her nevertheless. “Shoot them down.”
“I see,” said Star. “And I suppose the captain’s orders not to destroy them are of no consequence to you.”
“I didn’t say anything about destroying them, Commander, I said shooting them down. Take out their engines and force them to land.”
But Star shook her head. “What if they crash into a mountain range? I’m not willing to take that risk, Lieutenant.”
“Your sudden concern for sentient life is touching,” said Nora and sat back down. “You wanted a recommendation and I gave you one.”
“Major Wasco,” said Star and looked at the Marine. “We might have no choice but to get into a ground combat situation. Your thoughts?”
“I wouldn’t recommend it.”
“Are you saying that you and your men can’t take them?”
Wasco shook his head. “No, we can take them. But I know how the Border Service likes to fight. Do not underestimate them, they have plenty of practice taking on ruthless Orion pirates and the scum of the galaxy. They’re trained to hit fast and hard. If we try to engage them directly they will respond in kind and I can promise you, that will not be pretty.”
Star sighed.
“I told you,” said Nora. “Shoot them down now and you won’t have to worry about a nasty ground battle.”
The first officer faced forward again to look out of the viewport. She was supposed to stop them without bloodshed. Those were her orders and that was what she had promised she would do. If she wanted to make any inroads with Owens and win his trust she needed to find a way to do exactly that. But now the chances of accomplishing this were rapidly deteriorating.
And then there was the other problem. It was pretty clear why Schwarzkopf wanted the Bluefinteam stopped. He needed to keep the New Light movement and their struggle a secret from Starfleet. He couldn’t allow for his mission to fall apart because the Federation Council would get cold feet after realizing that they had gotten involved with a world at war with itself.
Altee on the other hand wanted the New Light to succeed in order to end the civil war, take over the government and hopefully replace it with a more tolerant society more compatible with Federation ideology. But just like Schwarzkopf, he too, couldn’t allow for things to be blown wide open. Like Schwarzkopf he wanted all this to happen without anyone ever learning of his direct involvement. This meant that her real boss was about as interested in saving those abducted crewmembers as Schwarzkopf was. It meant she couldn’t allow the rescue team to succeed.
It was all part of a dangerous and twisted game which left Star with precious little options.
They promptly stepped off the two-person transporter platform to allow the next pair to arrive. Nora Laas and Marines Sergeant Shin-Ja Moon appeared moments later. The Bajoran security chief took up position next to Wasco and Star while Moon headed for the back compartment to allow for sufficient room.
This continued for the next two-and-a half minutes until a total of fifteen Marines had materialized on the runabout. Star wanted to take no chances and originally had wanted to request more of Eagle’s one hundred fifty man-strong compliment but had soon realized that it would have been impractical, considering that they were on a tight schedule if they held out any hope in catching up with the Border Service stallion. They were wasting too much time as it was.
Before the last two Marines had even completely reassembled, Star moved towards the front of the cockpit where their Andorian pilot, Srena had been watching the embarkation with some fascination.
“Ensign, do you have fix on our target?”
The young officer turned back around to face her station. “They’ve just entered the lower atmosphere and are approaching the northern pole. Sensor interference is growing, I’m not sure how long we’ll be able to track them.”
“Can you catch up with them?”
The blue skinned woman nodded. “Sure. But I would have to take her in using a much steeper entry angle. It’s not exactly a recommended procedure,” she said with a little gleam in her eye. Like every true pilot she delighted in performing non recommended procedures.
“Whatever it takes, Ensign. Just don’t lose them.”
“Oh, don’t you worry sir, It’ll be a hot day on Andor before I’ll let them slip away,” she said and then immediately went to work, firing up the engines and putting the runabout on a direct course for the atmosphere below.
Nora Laas had taken one of the back seats in the cockpit without saying as much as a word. In fact the security chief had barely opened her mouth since she had met up with Star in Eagle’s transporter room. The first officer had not wanted to take her along. She knew perfectly well that nobody on Eagle trusted her but Nora had been outright hostile ever since she had been first introduced. And she could see the same hostility in her eyes now.
Star was well aware that Nora Laas could possibly become a major problem not just to her ability to perform efficiently as Eagle’s first officer but possibly also pose a threat to her more clandestine mission.
Under normal circumstances, that was to say, if she was just another first officer, she would not have put up with anyone questioning her authority in any manner. She would have made sure to put a stop to it, even if it meant relieving the security chief of her position. But she was not any other first officer. In her tenuous situation she was pretty certain that the rest of the crew and most importantly, the captain himself, would most likely side with Nora Laas on any argument that would emerge. In fact Owens had already shown his willingness to allow his security chief to defy her.
She decided to try and ignore the fiery Bajoran as best as she could and instead focus on Major Wasco who had shown very little personal stake in Eagle’s recent personnel changes.
“Major, there is a very real possibility that we will have to engage the Border Service in combat. Do you foresee any problems with that?”
“If you are concerned about the loyalty of me and my men, Commander, you will not have to worry. We’re Marines. We’re trained to follow orders,” he said in a crisp tone which was devoid of any subtext or hidden implications. It was simply a fact.
Star found this refreshing. She shot a quick look at Nora, hoping that the major’s assertion would rub off on her. Nora didn’t appear as if she was even listening.
“I suggest everybody finds something to hang on to,” said Srena. “We’re about to hit the atmosphere at about twenty thousand kph more than we should,” she added with an unmistakable playful tone in her voice.
The occupants followed the advice and not a moment too soon. The small ship began to lurch and buckle like a bull, dead set to throw its riders off its back. The viewports began to glow bright red as they shot towards the planet below no unlike a falling star.
Star grimaced slightly and managed to pull herself to the forward station, reaching for the pilot’s seat to keep her steady. “You certain she can take this?”
“Oh sure, it might get a little hot in here and I’d recommend everybody stays away from the bulkheads for a while but we should make it through,” she said with a smirk.
The Trill women didn’t particularly appreciate the ensign’s attitude but kept her piece for now. If she could deliver, she deserved some leeway.
And deliver she did. Within two minutes theNebuchadrezzar was clear of the upper atmosphere and Tiaitan’s bright blue sky opened up before them. A few hundred feet below Star could make out a little speck which was rapidly growing as they closed in. She soon recognized it for what it was.
“The stallion,” she said. “Well done, Ensign. Put us right behind them.”
The pilot nodded and leveled out the ship once they had dropped to the same altitude. The slightly smaller and bulkier vessel was just a few hundred meters in front now. “They’ve detected us and are increasing velocity. I’m matching speed.”
“Hail them, Ensign.”
Srena activated the com system but then shook her head. “They’re not responding.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me,” said Nora.
Star opened a channel herself. “Nebuchadrezzar to Bluefin support vessel. You are in violation of Tiaitan air space and direct orders by a superior officer. Return to your vessel immediately or we will be forced to take action.”
She waited a few moments but silence would remain the only reply she would get.
The Bajoran chuckled quietly. “Was that your plan, Commander? Ask them nicely to turn around? Well played.”
Angrily Star turned to look at the security chief. “What’s your suggestion?”
“You asking me for my help, Commander?”
“No,” Star said coolly. “I’m asking for you to do your job and recommend a course of action.”
Nora stood as if to challenge Star. The Bajoran was about an inch shorter than the first officer but somehow she managed to tower over her nevertheless. “Shoot them down.”
“I see,” said Star. “And I suppose the captain’s orders not to destroy them are of no consequence to you.”
“I didn’t say anything about destroying them, Commander, I said shooting them down. Take out their engines and force them to land.”
But Star shook her head. “What if they crash into a mountain range? I’m not willing to take that risk, Lieutenant.”
“Your sudden concern for sentient life is touching,” said Nora and sat back down. “You wanted a recommendation and I gave you one.”
“Major Wasco,” said Star and looked at the Marine. “We might have no choice but to get into a ground combat situation. Your thoughts?”
“I wouldn’t recommend it.”
“Are you saying that you and your men can’t take them?”
Wasco shook his head. “No, we can take them. But I know how the Border Service likes to fight. Do not underestimate them, they have plenty of practice taking on ruthless Orion pirates and the scum of the galaxy. They’re trained to hit fast and hard. If we try to engage them directly they will respond in kind and I can promise you, that will not be pretty.”
Star sighed.
“I told you,” said Nora. “Shoot them down now and you won’t have to worry about a nasty ground battle.”
The first officer faced forward again to look out of the viewport. She was supposed to stop them without bloodshed. Those were her orders and that was what she had promised she would do. If she wanted to make any inroads with Owens and win his trust she needed to find a way to do exactly that. But now the chances of accomplishing this were rapidly deteriorating.
And then there was the other problem. It was pretty clear why Schwarzkopf wanted the Bluefinteam stopped. He needed to keep the New Light movement and their struggle a secret from Starfleet. He couldn’t allow for his mission to fall apart because the Federation Council would get cold feet after realizing that they had gotten involved with a world at war with itself.
Altee on the other hand wanted the New Light to succeed in order to end the civil war, take over the government and hopefully replace it with a more tolerant society more compatible with Federation ideology. But just like Schwarzkopf, he too, couldn’t allow for things to be blown wide open. Like Schwarzkopf he wanted all this to happen without anyone ever learning of his direct involvement. This meant that her real boss was about as interested in saving those abducted crewmembers as Schwarzkopf was. It meant she couldn’t allow the rescue team to succeed.
It was all part of a dangerous and twisted game which left Star with precious little options.
* * *
A dangerous and twisted game indeed for all concerned. Star is quite cornered in her options seeing as how she has divided loyalties. So her next course of action is anyone's guess but I don't fancy there chances much.
I hope Akinola paid the insurance premiums of that Stallion. 
I've got a funny feeling it's going to get dinged up.
I've got a funny feeling it's going to get dinged up.
This is going to get ugly--Owens and Akinola are two men who under normal circumstances should be good friends but, thanks to the machinations of admirals and subordinates could end up fierce enemies.
Commander Xylion entered the observation lounge with a padd in hand.
“Ah, Commander, any luck?” asked Schwarzkopf immediately. He sat at the head of the conference table in front of a desktop computer.
The Vulcan stepped up to him. “I’m afraid Bluefin managed to shut down their main computer core before I could download all data you had requested.”
The admiral looked visibly upset. “So you got nothing?”
“I was not able to extract all the data and therefore I am not able to determine the exact location where Captain Akinola believes Doctor Wenera and Lieutenant T’Ser are being held.”
Schwarzkopf looked impatient. “But you found something?”
Xylion nodded fractionally and handed the padd to the admiral. “Based on the data available I have been able to approximate an area of one-hundred twenty-five square kilometers which I now believe contains the exact destination of Bluefin’s rescue team.”
He took the padd and looked the information over with a frown. “One-hundred twenty-five? That’s not really going to help us now, is it?”
“Perhaps it will. I have analyzed the area and found that it is sparsely populated. Further comparison with cartographic information and orbital scans show three possible settlements in the area.”
Schwarzkopf looked up. “You think our people are being held in one of those three settlements?”
“That would be the logical conclusion to my findings.”
“Very well,” said Schwarzkopf. “That’s better than nothing at all, Commander. Thank you.”
“Sir, may I ask what you intend to do with this information?”
The frown returned onto the flag officer’s face. “You may not, Commander. You have done your part. Dismissed,” he said and focused his attention on the desktop computer.
“Sir, you are of course aware that I will have to inform Captain Owens of my findings as well.”
With an annoyed sigh, Schwarzkopf looked up again. “That won’t be necessary Commander, I will fill in the Captain in due time. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have urgent business to attend to.”
The Vulcan officer turned and left the observation lounge.
Schwarzkopf had no illusions that the science officer would keep this knowledge to himself. If Owens hadn’t learned of it already he would surely know soon. Of course it mattered little. It just meant that Schwarzkopf had to move fast.
He activated the computer and entered the necessary commands to open a secure line. Within a few moments the face of Simas Oldar-Tia greeted him. The man put on a large smile that never reached his eyes, leaving little doubt that Tiaita’s second most powerful figure didn’t care too much for the human.
“Admiral Schwarzkopf, it is a pleasure as always. How can I be of service,” the simas said in a tone which bordered on sarcasm.
“I was hoping to speak to the Prias,” said Schwarzkopf, slightly annoyed to have been delegated to speak to the simas instead. He didn’t particularly care for the man either.
“The Prias is presently unavailable. However, I am fully authorized to speak in his stead. You may feel confident in bringing any issues relating to Tiaita to my attention and I will promise you I will deal with them appropriately.”
“Very well. As you may be aware, a Starfleet vessel has entered your atmosphere a few minutes ago. This vessel is acting without my approval and will be stopped.”
A grin came over Oldar’s face. “Without your approval? How fascinating. Are you implying you have lost control over your own people?”
Schwarzkopf did not like the apparent pleasure the simas seemed to draw from this. “Rest assured that I have everything under control. The vessel will be stopped.”
“And where, if I may ask, is this vessel headed?”
“They believe that they have discovered the location at which our people are being held.”
Oldar’s smile vanished and he drew closer to the screen. “In that case you should attempt to find out what they know so that we can take action. Surely you are aware that your people interfering directly would only complicate matters unnecessarily.”
“Yes, I’m fully aware of this,” he replied with barely masked annoyance. “We have not been able to identify their exact destination but we have narrowed it down to three possible settlements. I’m sending you the coordinates now.” Schwarzkopf uploaded the data Xylion had provided him onto the desktop computer and then forwarded it to Oldar-Tia on the surface.
The man nodded to acknowledge receipt. “I will prepare our military immediately,” he said, as he looked over the coordinates. Then he glanced back at the admiral. “I suggest you ensure your people come nowhere near those places.”
“You do not need to tell me how to do my job. And simas, I trust your troops will do their uttermost to attempt to safely recover our missing crewmembers.”
Oldar dismissively waved his hand. “I can make no promises,” he said, barely paying any more attention to the admiral and then terminated the connection.
Mel Schwarzkopf leaned back in his chair and stared at the now empty screen.
“God have mercy on my soul.”
“Ah, Commander, any luck?” asked Schwarzkopf immediately. He sat at the head of the conference table in front of a desktop computer.
The Vulcan stepped up to him. “I’m afraid Bluefin managed to shut down their main computer core before I could download all data you had requested.”
The admiral looked visibly upset. “So you got nothing?”
“I was not able to extract all the data and therefore I am not able to determine the exact location where Captain Akinola believes Doctor Wenera and Lieutenant T’Ser are being held.”
Schwarzkopf looked impatient. “But you found something?”
Xylion nodded fractionally and handed the padd to the admiral. “Based on the data available I have been able to approximate an area of one-hundred twenty-five square kilometers which I now believe contains the exact destination of Bluefin’s rescue team.”
He took the padd and looked the information over with a frown. “One-hundred twenty-five? That’s not really going to help us now, is it?”
“Perhaps it will. I have analyzed the area and found that it is sparsely populated. Further comparison with cartographic information and orbital scans show three possible settlements in the area.”
Schwarzkopf looked up. “You think our people are being held in one of those three settlements?”
“That would be the logical conclusion to my findings.”
“Very well,” said Schwarzkopf. “That’s better than nothing at all, Commander. Thank you.”
“Sir, may I ask what you intend to do with this information?”
The frown returned onto the flag officer’s face. “You may not, Commander. You have done your part. Dismissed,” he said and focused his attention on the desktop computer.
“Sir, you are of course aware that I will have to inform Captain Owens of my findings as well.”
With an annoyed sigh, Schwarzkopf looked up again. “That won’t be necessary Commander, I will fill in the Captain in due time. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have urgent business to attend to.”
The Vulcan officer turned and left the observation lounge.
Schwarzkopf had no illusions that the science officer would keep this knowledge to himself. If Owens hadn’t learned of it already he would surely know soon. Of course it mattered little. It just meant that Schwarzkopf had to move fast.
He activated the computer and entered the necessary commands to open a secure line. Within a few moments the face of Simas Oldar-Tia greeted him. The man put on a large smile that never reached his eyes, leaving little doubt that Tiaita’s second most powerful figure didn’t care too much for the human.
“Admiral Schwarzkopf, it is a pleasure as always. How can I be of service,” the simas said in a tone which bordered on sarcasm.
“I was hoping to speak to the Prias,” said Schwarzkopf, slightly annoyed to have been delegated to speak to the simas instead. He didn’t particularly care for the man either.
“The Prias is presently unavailable. However, I am fully authorized to speak in his stead. You may feel confident in bringing any issues relating to Tiaita to my attention and I will promise you I will deal with them appropriately.”
“Very well. As you may be aware, a Starfleet vessel has entered your atmosphere a few minutes ago. This vessel is acting without my approval and will be stopped.”
A grin came over Oldar’s face. “Without your approval? How fascinating. Are you implying you have lost control over your own people?”
Schwarzkopf did not like the apparent pleasure the simas seemed to draw from this. “Rest assured that I have everything under control. The vessel will be stopped.”
“And where, if I may ask, is this vessel headed?”
“They believe that they have discovered the location at which our people are being held.”
Oldar’s smile vanished and he drew closer to the screen. “In that case you should attempt to find out what they know so that we can take action. Surely you are aware that your people interfering directly would only complicate matters unnecessarily.”
“Yes, I’m fully aware of this,” he replied with barely masked annoyance. “We have not been able to identify their exact destination but we have narrowed it down to three possible settlements. I’m sending you the coordinates now.” Schwarzkopf uploaded the data Xylion had provided him onto the desktop computer and then forwarded it to Oldar-Tia on the surface.
The man nodded to acknowledge receipt. “I will prepare our military immediately,” he said, as he looked over the coordinates. Then he glanced back at the admiral. “I suggest you ensure your people come nowhere near those places.”
“You do not need to tell me how to do my job. And simas, I trust your troops will do their uttermost to attempt to safely recover our missing crewmembers.”
Oldar dismissively waved his hand. “I can make no promises,” he said, barely paying any more attention to the admiral and then terminated the connection.
Mel Schwarzkopf leaned back in his chair and stared at the now empty screen.
“God have mercy on my soul.”
__ __ __ __
Ouch Mistral! Oh but you do have a point. The Admiral is now playing a deadly games with a whole bunch of Federation lives and the lives of the rebels too. He doesn't care much but to have his problems erradicated. An ill-conceived move on his part. Akinola will blow his top when he discovers this. But it'll be up to Owens to act fast on this one considering Akinola is dead in the water currently. I'll be interested in what his reaction is going to be.
I repeat myself, I know . . .
I really, really despise Schwarzkopf. Maybe you could write in a part where he encounters Solly Brin in a dark alley on a rainy night?
Please?
I really, really despise Schwarzkopf. Maybe you could write in a part where he encounters Solly Brin in a dark alley on a rainy night?
Please?
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