Rendezvous - Part III - Peeking Behind the Veil

Posted on Tue Feb 27th, 2024 @ 9:43pm by Captain Robert Burke & Commander Vincent 'Vin' Salvatore & Lieutenant Commander Lachlan Lamont & Lieutenant Ryssa Dari & Lieutenant JG Austin Faust

1,565 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: EPISODE 1: SHAKEDOWN
Location: Archanis System - USS Cato - USS Hecate
Timeline: MD029 1320 hours

::ON::

[Mallard]

The Mallard maneuvered its way to the Hecate's shuttle bay and made its slow approached. The shuttle made the necessary adjustments as it entered the bay and landed in the designated area. The team made locked out all the consoles and data before making their way to the rear of the shuttle and awaited the security escort.

Lieutenant Commander Lachlan Lamont arrived to act as security escort. It was part of his duties that he took a lot of pride in. For one, it meant ensuring the ship was secure and to keep an eye on any wandering guests. He positioned himself near the rear ramp as it began serve as an exit.

"Welcome aboard," proclaimed Lachlan.

Vincent stepped down the ramp first, wearing a unique looking shoulder holster for his hand phaser, before approached the team. He removed his phaser first, handing it to one of the security officers, before handing the lead officer a PADD with the Starfleet Command insignia on it which verified his orders. "My people could use a hot mean and their own quarters. As for me, your Captain has asked me to meet him in the Briefing Room. So, if you'll lead the way, boys." He said as he gestured toward the shuttle bay door.

Lachlan gave a nod to two of his security guards that flanked his side. "Your men will be shown to quarters and provided adequate accommodations" replied Lachlan. He returned his attention to the tablet. "Right. Let's escort you to the Briefing Room. Right this way" added Lachlan.

[Briefing Room]

Burke looked up from the seat he had taken at the head of the Briefing Room's table as the door opened. He had spent a few moments contemplating the deceptively calm space outside the viewports. In truth, it was roiling with radiation, lashing against the ship's shields and limiting her sensors to a dangerously small envelope around them. A matter only emphasised by the Mallard appearing nearly on top of us.

The doors to the Briefing Room opened as Vincent was escorted into the room. He held onto a pleasant smile and, upon seeing Captain Burke, approached him with his hand out. "Captain? Commander Vincent Salvatore, Starfleet Intelligence. Pleasure, Sir."

'The pleasure is mine, Commander,' Burke replied, getting to his feet as the younger man walked in. 'And what can we do for Starfleet Intelligence today?'

He took a second to look around the room, a PADD tucked under his arm, before asking Burke. "Can we have the room, please?"

Nodding, Burke indicated the Security Officer was dismissed.

"First, I apologize for approaching you unexpectedly. My team and I were currently assigned in this sector to intercept messages to analyze them for possible Federation threats. The Mallard is one of several shuttle crafts designed with special shield's that prevent it from being scanned by sensors so we can sit in wait without being detected." Vincent removed the PADD from under his arm and tapped on it to unlock the file revealing his current orders and the message he received to assist the Hecate. He held it out to Burke as he continued. His Old Brooklyn accent beginning to bleed through a bit. "We received orders to assist you once we intercepted information regarding the attack on the Cato. 'Fraid this isn't you're standard drive by, Captain. Orion Syndicate don't seem pleased with the Accord and might be using this looking to shift control in their favor."

Arching an eyebrow, Burke whistled softly. 'I suppose now's the perfect time for that play. The Klingons are in disarray after Praxis, the Chancellor weak. Starfleet can't cover everything.' He sighed, waving a hand in the air, 'Syndicate success would set back our progress in the border areas back by what, sixty years or so?'

'It's unfortunate that Command didn't furnish us with the relevant data on the Syndicate. Or perhaps they did and instructed our Chief Intelligence Officer to keep it on a need-to-know.' Indicating the system outside the viewport, Burke asked 'are they planning on striking the Communications Relay on Archanis IV?'

"It would be like killing the runner between two crews who are trying to make peace." Vincent replied quickly, smirking slightly as he felt he needed to explain a bit. "A runner was commonly used on my planet as a messenger between two gangs that were trying to make peace after a huge series of losses. The runner would, of course, run between one crew to another acting as the voice of the boss. Sometimes two runners would meet somewhere in the middle to relay what they were told to say and return. Think of it as a very old school means of communications before any kind of device was invented." He remembered having to do it from time to time for his brother back on is home planet before he was taken. "Killing that relay would sever communications between a lot of Klingon occupied territories and ships in that area. Not to mention, Deep Space K-7, would have no means of communicating for assistance if attacked." He looked at Burke and replied cautiously. "If it were me, destroying the relay combined with a combined attack, would cripple a chuck of the Klingon Empire's territory. It would also delay any response to the Federation for assistance which would give them a reason to reconsider the Alliance." He shrugged slightly. "My two cents, Captain."

'An ambitious move for the Orions,' Burke grinned wolfishly, 'and here we thought that it would be peace in our time.' He looked to the screen behind them that showed the small convoy. 'I've been worried that the Orions would be homing in on our position, concentrating on the convoy to be able to take the components we have for the operating base near Praxis.'

'I had no idea they'd be willing to take out a Federation Comms Relay.' Switching the feeds, he brought up a detailed breakdown of the Hiawatha frigates. 'I've been assured by our Away Team that the damage to the convoy should be done with soon - a matter of hours. Once the Cato is mobile, it will be easier to defend the transports. Even in this radiation soup.'

'A preliminary plan then, repair the transports and send them on the way to the border, and have the Hecate warp out to deep space in order to find the Orion ships. Simple, effective.'

Vincent stood there in silence, his mind racing with thoughts of home and the constant fights between crews, it felt similar to this situation. Where there was one crew struggling for position, there was another in its shadows waiting for their moment. Sometimes it was a crew acting as a friend and just waiting for their moment to turn. Others, it was one looking to pick up the pieces because they saw the potential downfall before others did. The constant struggle for position, and the fight to keep it, was always in the back of everyone's minds when you were in a group like that.

"Never underestimate the frenzy you get when blood hits the water, Captain," he replied simply. "If the Federation has to take a hit in order for the Syndicate to pull ahead in this tug of war for power, be assure the Orion's wont have a problem pulling that trigger." Vincent crossed his arms over his chest as he nodded his head. "I believe I can help provide an advantage. You spoke earlier of your Chief of Intelligence not being forthcoming with their data on the Syndicate. I will be happy to provide everything I have which includes ship configurations and reports that reveal similar attack patterns. Also, I would recommend utilizing the Mallard if you like. As I said, its shields, are designed to mask it from sensors. They could act as a warning system or a scout for the transports. If you set the shuttle ahead of them, they could potentially act as an early warning system and allow the convoy to adjust their course to compensate or prepare to defend themselves."

Looking back to the screen, Burke considered the situation. After a long few moments of silence, Burke nodded. 'That seems prudent, considering the circumstances. How long before you can have - '

Burke was cut off by the proximity alarm sounding again. Eyes wide, Burke looked at Salvatore as he opened the comm to the Bridge.

'Dari, report!'

"Orion ships, sir. They just dropped out of warp. Counting three so far," Ryssa replied. She half expected there to be more any moment.

'Signal Red Alert!' Burke called as he marched towards the door. Brushing past the younger Intelligence Officer, he motioned for him to follow, 'if we can't launch the Mallard, you're welcome to contribute from the Bridge,' he told Salvatore, tone curt.

[To be Continued ...]

::OFF::

Captain Robert Burke
Commanding Officer
USS Hecate

Commander Vincent 'Vin' Salvatore
Executive and Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Hecate

Lieutenant Commander Jeremiah 'James' McEntyre Jr
Chief Medical Officer
USS Hecate

Lieutenant Commander Lachlan Lamont
Chief Security Officer
USS Hecate

Lieutenant Ryssa Dari
Chief Science Officer
USS Hecate

Lieutenant (JG) Austin Faust
Chief Operations Officer
USS Hecate

 

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