Episode 4
Classified
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Back to the story
Chapter 1
{Sickbay}
Marina puttered around a bit, straightening things out before
she left
and went to her quarters. She quickly grabbed the bag of gear
she had packed
that morning and went down to the holodeck. Within a few moments
she had
changed her clothes and began ascending the rock face. It was
one of her
favorite programs, and as she climbed her mind cleared. The
setting was out
doors, in a wooded area and no matter how high she climbed the temperature
would remain at 69 degrees on the old Fahrenheit measurements that she had been
taught as a small child.
She thought about home, the ship, and her lack of activity. She should
participate more but bad experiences in the past made her hesitant of getting
too involved. Her hand slipped off the rock and she swiveled forward to clutch
at the rock and to keep her balance. After regaining her finger hold she
continued up the rock face and decided against any more deep thought. When she
finally reached the top some 30 minuets later she was calm. She felt a pleasant
pull on the muscles in her arms, and she was totally relaxed.
"Computer, Lake." She said, the simple command in the program
immediately changing the view far below where she had started her climb from
one of a scrub forest into one of a lake, probably 3 square kilometers in size,
of crystal clear water. From prior knowledge she knew that it was half a
kilometer deep in places, and that it sloped gently deeper from the banks.
Except in one place that was, the one right below her. There it was 20 meters
deep. She removed her climbing harness and shoes, and then the pants she had
been wearing as part of it. Underneath she had on her bathing suit. Knowing
that it was perfectly safe because the safety protocols were on, she backed up
a few meters and then took a running jump off the ledge, diving over the edge
towards the body of water below. Climbing might be fun, but this was the real
adrenaline rush. Falling took a little time, though it was still only a matter
of seconds, and though if she had done that anywhere besides the holodeck her
neck, back, and entire body probably would have been broken, the settings of
the holodeck allowed that it was safe and painless, though she did feel the
slap and pressure of entering the water at such a high velocity. The force of
her impact did take her over halfway to the bottom of the lake, and she kept
her eyes open as she swam to the surface. She then began to just swim around,
then to float. After a while she swam over to a near by bank and then climbed
out. She ended the program, picked up and stowed her gear again, dried off, got
dressed again, and left.
When she got back to her quarters she showered and changed again, then
read her mail and wrote a letter to her family. Then she left again and went
down to the 2 story lounge for supper. Perhaps there she would find some
company.
Back to Top
Chapter 2
{Captain's Ready Room}
Priscilla covered her face with her hands for a few
moments to let her
eyes
rest. For a fleeting moment she almost made herself
believe that when
she
removed her hands all the PADDs stacked on her desk
would be gone. She
knew
it wasn't true, yet when she opened her eyes to look
she couldn't help
but
sigh heavily. The PADDs were piling up faster than
she could go
through them.
Priscilla poured herself a new cup of tea and reached
for the next
PADD. She
barely read through the second paragraph before
shaking her head in
disappointment. (I can't believe this is happening,)
she thought. She
discarded the PADD for another, scanned through it,
and repeated the
process
a couple times. Soon she found herself not even
reading them, but only
looking at who had written each and judging the
length. (I really
should be
reading everything,) she chastised herself.
"But it's all just the same posturing, name calling,
and finger
pointing,
only with different styles!" she argued aloud with
herself. Disgusted,
she
stood and paced for a minute. Finally she collected a
few key PADDs
she felt
had some relevant information on them and headed out
onto the Bridge.
{Bridge}
Yuri looked up as Priscilla entered, trying to judge
her mood, perhaps
even
her thoughts. Other than a well hidden look of
annoyance that only
shined
in her eyes, he couldn't discern much. He knew she
had been working
for the
last few days as a mediator between the Admirals in
the sector. Had it
been
him, he would have given up on them after the first
day. He couldn't
quite
understand how she was able to put up with all the
politicking and
diplomacy.
At times he might even swear she enjoyed such things.
As she offered
him a
PADD from the small pile she was carrying, he was sure
this was not one
of
those times.
"How is it going between them?" he asked, accepting
the PADD.
"From bad to worse," she replied. She handed him a
second PADD, keyed
up to
a specific section of text as she continued: "The
investigation has
spread
to all levels and all branches of Starfleet Command.
I believe the
Chief of
Starfleet Operations is about to order West, Star, and
Seldon
temporarily
relieved of duty, pending the outcome of the
investigation."
He nodded as he listened and looked over the two
PADDs. When he was
done,
she handed him a third and they began to discuss it
all. Just then, an
officer approached with a new PADD for the Captain.
She accepted it
with a
"Thank You" and glanced at it as she spoke with Yuri.
The PADD indicated its contents were for Lt.
Stembridge. She
immediately
called the officer back.
"Why did you give this to me?"
"I was directed to give it to you if I could not
immediately find Lt.
Stembridge," she replied.
"He's not here. He began personal leave two days
ago," she informed
the
officer, handing the PADD back. The officer almost
had hold of it when
Priscilla noticed the mark of Starfleet Intelligence
on it and pulled
the
PADD back. She tried to open the message, and was
prompted for her
command
code. She entered it, and apparently the PADD was set
to give her
access as
the message appeared. She read it fully, then
rechecked everything on
it,
confused.
"This message was written five days ago," she said to
the officer with
authority intentionally in voice. "Why did it take so
long to get
here?"
"I- I- I don't know," she stammered. She was just on
mail duty, she
hadn't
expected an interrogation. Realizing that, Priscilla
softened her
expression.
"Better late than never, I suppose," she replied.
"Thank you, you're
dismissed."
The officer nodded once and left. Except for the new
message,
Priscilla
handed the rest of the PADDS she was carrying to Yuri
before heading
back to
her ready room.
{Captain's Ready Room - Minutes later}
"Finally," Priscilla commented to the man that
appeared on her screen.
"We had to be sure this channel was secure, Captain,"
the man replied,
reminding her that she didn't have rank on him.
Not that he had rank on her either. "Captain," she
began, reminding
him of
the same. "I understand the need for secrecy, but I
don't understand
this,"
she said holding up the PADD that had been meant for
Stembridge.
"And what is that?" he asked.
"This," she explained looking through it again, "is a
message from
you-"
"Me?" he interrupted, knowing he hadn't sent her any
messages recently.
"Not you specifically," she replied with a touch of
sarcasm. "You as
in
Starfleet Intelligence. This message is for my
Intelligence Officer,
revoking his undercover orders."
"Alright," the other Captain said, leaning back.
"That seems pretty
straight
forward. What don't you understand about it?"
Priscilla restrained herself from rolling her eyes, or
gritting her
teeth.
"Because it was sent to him five days ago but only
arrive five minutes
ago!"
The other Captain shifted in his chair. Hardly the
reaction Priscilla
expected.
"By your tone, I take it he left before receiving
that."
"Two days ago," Priscilla replied.
"I see..."
Priscilla only waited a couple seconds before
prompting her counterpart
for
an explanation. "Why did this happen?"
The man pursed his lips as he thought of the best way
to answer her
question.
"I don't know what exactly caused the delay," he
said.
"You're evading something," Priscilla commented to
him.
"What do you mean?" he asked innocently.
"Cut the act, Captain. I know how to read body
language and I know
you.
There's something you're not telling me. And the fact
that you seemed
more
nervous than surprised to her my officer is missing-
you know
something, and
it worries me."
"You have every right to be worried Captain," was his
only response.
Priscilla leaned forward. "Robert," she began, taking
the conversation
from
official to personal. "You owe me a favor, and not a
very small one.
If I
have to, I'll call it in on this."
"Priscilla, please."
"Where's my officer, Robert? What happened?"
"I really shouldn't..."
"Robert!" she demanded.
"Alright, alright," he finally acquiesced. "Look, you
know what's
going on
in the top brass."
"Yeeesss," she agreed with suspicion.
"It's bigger than many know. Every department is
being affected.
Orders,
transfers, messages, and other things have been held
up or lost during
the
"upheaval." Even Intelligence is feeling the
effects."
"Wait a minute, are you saying you *lost* my
intelligence officer?"
"In a manner of speaking."
"In an actual manner!" she exclaimed in disbelief.
Robert sighed. She
suddenly had a realization. "There's more... isn't
there."
Robert nodded slowly and lowered his voice for some
reason. "He isn't
the
only officer who's gotten lost in the shuffle. Some
didn't get caught
before
they went on their missions, some didn't get picked up
when they were
supposed to..."
"How many?" she asked quietly.
"All in all there are at least a dozen unaccounted
for," he replied.
"A dozen?" she asked with a measure of surprise.
"At least," he confirmed. "Three of which were
working on the same
"project"
as Lt. Stembridge. Two that were supposed to be
replaced, and Lt.
Stembridge and another who were supposed to replace
them."
"What's going to happen to them?" she asked.
"Unknown," he replied.
"Why?"
"Typically, undercover operatives will lay low until
they are
retrieved."
"But?" Priscilla asked. She felt like she was
pulling teeth, but at
least
she was getting answers.
"The last report Intelligence received on this project
was a week ago
from
one of the two undercover operatives already in place.
The only part
that
was able to be recovered from the garbled message was
that some sort of
hostility had broken out. We believe they are in
deadly danger if they
are
discovered."
"So go get them," Priscilla said, suggesting the
seemingly obvious.
"It's not that simple, Priscilla," he said shaking his
head.
"Starfleet
can't just waltz in and pick them up. Intelligence
don't have the
resources
in that area to mount a secret rescue attempt, and no
one up there will
give
authorization for us to use anything else."
"So that's it?" she asked.
"I'm afraid so."
"You're not even going to try?"
"There's nothing I can do. No one's listening,
they're all dealing
with the
investigation. I'm very sorry for the loss of your
officer-"
"Robert, don't patronize me," she said with resignment
in her voice.
"Before we say good bye. I must remind you that all
this information
is
classified," he warned.
"I know, Captain, I know," she said nodding.
"It was good to hear from you, Captain," Robert said
officially. "Next
time
let's see if we can make it under better
circumstances."
"Agreed," Priscilla replied.
{Bridge - Morning of the next day}
"Report," Priscilla ordered as she approached her
station.
"We have just cleared starbase and are getting under
way," Yuri
replied,
relinquishing the command chair.
"Very good. Conn, set course for the
Cardassian-Federation
demilitarized
zone, Warp factor 5."
"Aye, Captain," Ryan replied, her hands moving across
her console.
Yuri and Priscilla sat down at the same time.
"Our orders, Captain?" Yuri asked.
"Deep space patrol, beginning at the demilitarized
zone. Command is
worried
that with everything going on in the Admiralty,
someone might try to
make a
move. They want a minor show of force in all key
areas, just to let
the
other powers know that we are still operating normally
and keeping an
eye on
them."
"Of course," Yuri replied. "More posturing."
Priscilla stifled a laugh, but not the smile.
"Engage," she said to
Ryan.
{Astrometrics - Later that day}
After her Bridge shift had ended, Priscilla had headed
directly to
Astrometrics. She entered and looked around. There
was only one
person on
duty, as expected. Ensign Alls Ryuk looked up.
"Captain!" he said surprised. "Can I help you?"
"Yes. Border patrol gets old very fast. I was
wondering if there is
anything of scientific note along our route that we
might be interested
in
checking out while we're out there. Just to have
something to look
forward
to," she explained.
"Ah, yes," he replied with a smile. For the next
couple of hours he
happily
went through the possibilities with her. They looked
at the data on
many
anomalies, nebulas, and star systems and came up with
several
possibilities
of things that had yet to be explored.
Satisfied with their findings, Priscilla left the
Ensign with a smile
and a
"Thank You."
{Conference Room - 0900 hours}
Priscilla took her seat and looked around the table at
her senior
staff. As
usual everyone was present for the daily meeting,
except her
Intelligence
Officer. She sat quietly while everyone gave their
department's, the
crew's,
and the ship's statuses. Then it was her turn. She
stood and turned
on the
viewer in the wall, calling up a star chart.
"Lt. Cmdr. Sable, when you return to your station I
want you to set
course
for this nebula," she said pointing.
"That's a very uninteresting nebula," Ryan commented.
"We already know
everything about it. May I ask why we're going
there?"
"You may," Priscilla replied. "We are going there to
keep our
civilians
safe."
"Sir?" half the staff around the table asked, the rest
bestowing
confused
looks upon her.
Priscilla sat down before she began her explanation.
"What I am about
to
tell you will not leave this room until are mission is
underway."
"Aren't we already on our mission, Captain?" Yuri
asked.
"The one I arranged for Starfleet to give us, yes,"
she replied. Then
she
recounted the information she had gained from her
conversation with
Starfleet
Intelligence. Her staff sat in a mixture of shock and
disbelief.
"Lieutenant Stembridge was sent to pose as a Talarian
for
reconnaissance
purposes, to gather information and keep an eye on
them. All we know
is that
he and his partner are, or possibly already have
unknowingly walked
into a
dangerous and potentially deadly situation. One that
two other
officers are
already in the middle of," she finished.
"I take it you intend to do something about that,"
Yuri said.
"Yes Commander, I do," Priscilla replied. "These
officers were lost in
a
beurocratic shuffle. It's appalling. Status and
position has become
more
important than the lives of our own people! I won't
stand for it. So
I'm
going to take the Griffin to bring those officers
back." She paused
for a
moment to let her words sink in.
"This mission is completely unauthorized. Our
objective is to somehow
find
and contact the Intelligence officers without blowing
their covers, AND
gather all information possible on whatever is going
on in this place
to
bring back to Starfleet. We are a Special Operations
ship, so this
shouldn't
be *too* hard. If any of you don't agree with me, I
will leave you
with the
saucer section."
She looked around the table, awaiting a response.
Hearing no objection, and with a confirming nod from
Ivanof, She continued.
"Here's the plan," Priscilla said turning back to the
star chart.
"Where
supposed to be out of direct communications range
while on patrol, so
no one
will be expecting to be able to contact us. The ship
will be separated
to
keep the civilians safe. The saucer section will be
left in this
nebula to
keep it undetectable on long range sensors, and will
be ordered to keep
communications silence for two weeks or until the star
drive section
returns,
whichever comes first." She turned back to face her
senior staff.
"The most direct route to Talarian space is through
the Demilitarized
zone.
And crossing into Talarian space, while not an
automatic act of war,
can
provoke one. Therefore, once we drop off the saucer
section, the star
drive
section will be running under the TCD during the
entire mission.
"Lieutenant McInnis, leave three of your staff on the
saucer section.
Otherwise your primary responsibility is keeping all
systems running,
especially the TCD and weapons. We *cannot* be seen.
"Lieutenant Travin, none of your staff is to remain on
the saucer
section.
We may need every Security trained officer we can get.
Some will
probably be
going undercover. Security on the saucer section will
be taken over by
command staff. Brief them on anything they need to
know.
"Doctor O'Roarke, leave three of your staff on the
saucer section, and
appoint civilians as support staff if necessary. But
your primary
concern is
to learn Talarian physiology. Also figure out how to
make someone
look, and
if possible detect, as one. We may have to send some
people
undercover.
"Commander Daem, your primary responsibility is to go
through the data
in the
computer and learn as much about the Talarians as
possible. Their
society,
their habits, what makes them tick. If we go
undercover, we need to
know how
to act.
"Commander Sable, choose one other officer besides
yourself. The two
of you
will be responsible for piloting the star drive
section and making sure
we
avoid all possibilities of detection.
"Commander Ivanof, you and I have preparation work to
do. And remember
people, not a word of this to any who do not need to
know to accomplish
the
mission. Those who come on the star drive section
will be told once
we've
separated."
Priscilla looked around at her staff, knowing they
would work to the
best of
their abilities. "Dismissed."
{Battle Bridge, 13:00 Hours}
The nebula's blue and purple clouds coursed over the
Griffin’s hull as she entered the nebula. On the
Battle Bridge, Priscilla was preparing to see which of
her senior staff would stay behind. None had objected
in the conference room, but she wouldn’t blame anyone
if they did not report before separation. After all,
this was a mission that could get most of her crew
court marshaled.
As the computer quietly chimed the hour the doors to
the turbolift opened. Ivanof, followed by Travin,
Sable, McInnis, Daem, and O’Roarke entered the battle
bridge.
“Captain. All senior staff and divisions reporting
for duty,” said Ivanof.
“Then Commander. Take us out of the nebula.”
“Aye sir. Commander Sable. Initiate saucer
separation on my mark,” said Ivanof.
“Saucer section states all stations ready.”
“Initiate separation sequence. Lt. McInnis, once we
are clear of the Saucer, engage the TCD.” As Ivanof
completed his statement they all could feel the
vibration as the clamps disconnected and the inertial
dampers modulate for the difference in the masses of
the two ships.
“TCD engaged,” McInnis stated. “Operating within
normal parameters, Commander.”
“Excellent. Captain. What course?” said Ivanof.
“I have been monitoring the border scans between the
federation and the Talarians. The least populated
quadrant is along course 203 mark 45. Set course.
Lt. McInnis, do we have a limit on our warp speed with
the TCD engaged?”
“I would recommend warp 5 commander. We should only
use higher speeds as an escape tactic. Which if we
need to use those speeds we’ve been detected anyway.”
“Very well. Helm, Warp five. Engage.”
The Griffin leaped out of the nebula en route to
reclaim the Federation’s forgotten.
Back to Top
Chapter 3
{Personal Quarters of Ryan Sable}
The letter from her father lay lonely upon her desk like a
single, fallen leaf.
The words gazing up expectantly as though in wait for the sky to
fall and
cover them from knowledge, yet remaining cherished and
protected; their message
bittersweet. From her seat, placed at an angle to the desk, Ryan
was silent in
a recondite and intensive pondering, her eyes sealed to the
shining surface of
the padd, the proverbial mirror of all her sorrow.
"My Dearest Ryan . . .
My Dearest Baby Girl . . .
My Precious Little Ryan,
I have the last picture of you, with Mom, with me. It's cracked, faded now.
I can still see you both smiling in it; Mom's holding you close.... Your
hair was curly, resting on shoulders ... a beautiful sandy blonde. Do you
still look the same? It's been so long...so long since I...left. You were
just starting at the Academy then. I was so proud of you, am so proud. My
precious child. How much have you grown? I have missed so much; I have missed
you so much!
Times have grown slow and difficult since I lost contact with you. I
remember the day before I entered that wormhole. The one the Acari had
stumbled on all those years ago. We both knew there was a chance that we
would lose contact . . . I tried to come back, tried to get back through . .
. But I was captured, a prisoner of war. There was not a day that passed
without fear that I had caused you to despair; believing that I was lost to
you forever . . . Dead. That I left you alone in the world . . .
I was rescued by Predire Kuaren. The base in which I was kept was under
siege for eleven years before they surrendered. I joined the Predire's
forces, and in exchange she gave me supplies and her services to aide the
search for your mother. It took six long years of empty leads ... but I've
finally found her! And she is alive! She is being held in BaraDemnor, the
stronghold of Strur . . .
I am sure that Predire Emir has told you of Predire Kuaren's fate . . . but
not how it occurred . . . I asked her to give me the means to secretly break
into BaraDemnor, but she refused. Instead, she lead an assault against the
fortress. I tried to convince her otherwise, but she was determined . . .
We were turned back, and the Predire Kuaren was slain by Strur . . . And
your mother still remains trapped within BaraDemnor . . .
Predire Kuaren was a great leader, Ryan. I am sad for the loss, but Predire
Emir is far more troubled than I. I can see it in his face. It was a hard
blow against their people.
I am gathering together more men and supplies. I am going to get your mother
out of that place. I have asked Predire Emir for his help, but he seems
reluctant. I do not blame him, he has many lives to protect. He is the
Predire now. But with or without his help, I will have you and your mother
back in my arms ... I know the time is not far off now, that we will be
together again, soon. I can feel it. Do not give up hope . . . I have not.
You have always been within my thoughts and heart . . . Remember you are my
precious little baby girl, my only daughter . . .
I love you, always.
Daddy"
It had been nearly two decades since the last time Ryan had seen his face or
heard his voice, and the memories she still had were fading from her grasp.
She picked up the padd, trying to recreate his voice in her head, reading the
letter to herself again and again until she knew her heart might burst
against the frustration and sorrow. Weary, she brushed a hand through her
soft brunette hair, the few blonde strands that remained melting into the
warm chestnut color. She stood solemnly, leaving the padd behind her on the
desk and walked slowly to the windows, the stars whispering past in rainbows.
Her father was far away, lost in the depths of those stars and his sorrows,
determined to rescue her mother; and yet here, she now found herself rushing
to the rescue of others, her own misery refreshed, her resolve strong. Like
father ... like daughter ...
Back to Top
Chapter 4
{Briefing Room, Star Drive}
Jaquelle had gotten to the briefing room early to program
visuals of her
report. She always thought "show and tell" was more interesting
than the
"talking head" approach, especially in a report as long as hers.
She had spent
all of her time since the Captain's briefing on the report. It
had taken her
mind off of the last conversation she had with Stembridge.
She had wanted to talk to Captain Myst about his observation
concerning the
captain, but Captain Myst had been thrown immediately into the
role of
mediator. Jaquelle could sense that she was having a difficult time and chose
to wait to talk with her. Then Stembridge had been quickly reassigned which
bothered Jaquelle even more. And now he was "lost."
Lt. McInnis, as always was the first person into the room. He was mildly
surprise to see Jaquelle there before him.
"Good morning, Lt." Jaquelle said as she looked up from her thoughts.
"Counselor," he responded as he went straight to his seat. Jaquelle sensed
that he was almost intentionally avoiding her. Before she could think about
why, others came into the room and she quickly finished her input. Last into
the room, as always was Captain Myst.
"Commander, I see you are ready for your report, please" Captain Myst
motioned for her to begin. Jaquelle handed both Capt. Myst and Commander
Ivanof a copy of her full research on padds before she started. She then
called up a picture of Talaria and the star field surrounding the area to the
view screen.
"The Talarians are a space-faring race whose home planet, Talaria is a
Class-M world located in the Alpha Quadrant whose space borders the Cardassian
and Federation's," Daem stated. "They are a formidable warrior race, with a
long and proud history, and have achieved a level of technological
sophistication not far short of Starfleet's. The first
encounter between the Federation and the Talarians occurred in the 2350's
during the Galen Border Conflicts. At that time, the Talarians launched
attacks against a number of the Federation colonies located in the disputed
zone." Jaquelle changed the view to the location of the colonies. "These
skirmishes culminated in an attack on the Federation colony, Galen IV. The
hostilities ended when the federation and the Talarians reached a peace
agreement."
"Physically, the Talarians are humanoid," Jaquelle flashes a picture of
them on the screen. "But they are characterized by different types of
physiognomy. The dominant strand of the race resembles humans in most
respects. The males have receding hairlines, while both sexes feature cranial
ridges and bumps that start at the forehead, continue back over the top of the
head and end at the base of the neck. Most adult males also exhibit facial
hair."(ST:TNG Suddenly Human)
"Another Talarian type looks strikingly different," Jaquelle said while
changing the picture. "This indicates that there are either different races
inhabiting the same planet or interspecies breeding. These humanoids are
hairless, and exhibit cranial ridges that cover much of the face as well as the
head. In addition, they have four nostrils, one pair situated above the other.
(ST:DS9: "Improbable Cause")
"I have plotted the features of both for you Dr. to help in developing
disguises." Jaquelle hands a padd to Dr. O'Roarke. "I suggest you use the
dominant race." Jaquelle changes the picture, that zooms to highlighted areas
as she talks about them.
"The Talarian military uniforms comprise black pants and shirts, with a
padded brown over mantle worn as an outer jacket. Youths wear a jacket that
finishes at the waist, while adults usually wear a longer version. Rank is
displayed on the right shoulder. Talarians always wear gloves in order to
prevent direct contact with alien species."
Jaquelle handed a padd to Lt. Travin. "The Talarians possess a strong
military, but their ships are typically smaller and less powerful than
Galaxy-class starships." Jaquelle put up a picture of the Talarian warship,
changing screens to show the features as she discusses them. "Talarian
warships," she continued, "feature an array of weapons including neutral
particle weapons, high energy x-ray lasers, and merculite rockets."
Jaquelle changed the picture. "The Talarians also have small Observation
Craft that are just larger that a shuttle craft." She changed the picture
again. "We also know that the freighter Batris had a Talarian registry." (ST:TNG: "Heart of Glory") Jaquelle hands a padd with engine
configurations to Lt. McInnis.
"Even when outgunned, the Talarians are formidable warriors. They are as
comfortable using proven military strategy, such as the classic attack posture
of triangular envelopment, as with more guerrilla-style tactics. In an example
of this, the Talarians during the Galen Border Conflicts, abandoned observation
craft, rigged them to self-destruct with a subspace proximity detonator, and
then sent out a general distress call. The detonator is undetectable by scans,
and the ship would self-destruct when someone
beamed aboard. This tactic was extremely successful and claimed 219 lives in
the course of three days." Jaquelle handed Sable a padd. "These are the
attack formations they have been known to use, and all we know concerning
modifications needed to scans, I'm sure you will develop more.
"The Talarian society is rigidly patriarchal. The females of the species
are always subservient to the males. No female can outrank a male in the
Talarian military, and, indeed, females are not in evidence in the various
groups encountered by Starfleet." Jaquelle looked at Captain Myst and the
others. "Captain, I'm afraid that this means you will not be able to command
any undercover operation, and most important, Lt. Travin cannot outwardly be in
charge of security."
Jaquelle continued. "Males are brought up to be warriors. Most young men
face dangerous physical challenges as part of organized games, as well as
individually. It is not uncommon for young males to have sustained many
serious injuries by the time they reach adulthood. From an early age,
Talarians are taught that pain does not matter, and that passing physical tests
and gaining approval are everything.
"When they turn 14, Talarian males are considered to have reached the Age
of Decision. They then undergo a serious initiation rite, after which they are
free to make their own decisions in life. Most males enter the military where
they undergo intense training. They are sent out in small groups in
observation starships to fend for themselves, and are set a series of mission
objectives to accomplish.
"As far as the way they tick, Captain." Jaquelle was just getting her
second wind. "Young Talarians are taught to be ruthless to their enemies.
They are also taught that surrender is not an alternative, and that any belief
worth having is worth fighting to the death over. The Talarians are used to a
bivouac style of military living, and prefer simple hammock-style bedding to
more conventional beds and mattresses. They like dark surroundings, and speak
little to outsiders. The Talarian military reflects the warrior codes of the
society and the rules for behavior are stringent. For example, attacking a
superior officer is an offense punishable by death."
"Whoa," Commander Ivanof commented. "They sound extremely savage." Lt.
McInnis just thought that possibly it was lucky he was not a member of the
Talarian military.
"Not at all, Commander," Jaquelle responded. "In fact they are very
sensitive, and capable of great love and tenderness, often showing affection by
touching forehead to forehead. In particular, the bond between father and son
is very strong. The race places such importance on the paternal role that
Talarian custom dictates that a victor may claim the son of a slain enemy as
one of his own family.
"The bond between unrelated Talarians can be almost as strong as that
between family. Young males often view other males as brothers, and can become
agitated and distressed when separated from their group. They mourn the
separation as a loss equivalent to death. During a period of separation or
mourning, the Talarians often practice the B'Nar; a rhythmic, high pitched
wailing that is accompanied by a rocking motion." Jaquelle started playing
some of the wailing softly and then let it rise to the normal heightened
sound of the B'Nar.
After a moment she screamed over the sound, "This can last for hours."
Jaquelle stopped the sound and looked around. "Any questions?" No one
responded. "Oh too bad, because there is also this quirky little legal case
concerning the Talarians, but I suppose I'll leave that to you for some bedtime
reading. I've included it on your padds," she said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Galactic Court for Race Name Conflict Resolution
(known as GalCouRaNaConRes, for short).
On stardate 31324, lawyers argued "Tarellians vs. Tarellians" before
Arbiter Bud Thlooszwir. The Tarellians (hereafter known as Tarellians A) were a
dying race, infected by their own bio-genetically engineered virus (OFF SEE
ST:TNG "Haven" ON). The other Tarellians (known to us as Talarians, hereafter
known as Tarellians B) were a warlike race, vibrant and strong. During the
closing statements, the Tarellian B lawyer argued masterfully that it was a
waste of money for the Tarellian B people to change their name when the
Tarellian A race was dying out anyway. He sited precedence from "Fimpla vs.
Fimpla," "Nidstfo vs. Nidstfo" and "Zstadreinofrosmoi vs.
Zstadreinofrosmoi." After listening to all sides, however, Arbiter Thlooszwir
compassionately ruled in favor of the Tarellian A race. Tarellian B
begrudgingly adopted the name "Talarian."
Two years later, the Altsians destroyed the last known Tarellian vessel.
Immediately, the Talarians filled once more for the name, 'Tarellian.' In fact,
they made their request the day before the Altsians destroyed the last
Tarellian vessel. (Surprisingly, no one has questioned the Talarians on this
point.) Since he didn't think any Tarellians still existed, Arbiter Bud
Thlooszwir approved the Talarian request as his last act before retirement.
The Talarians became Tarellians once again. (Interestingly, sources on Terelus
2 indicate that the newly renamed Tarellians never bothered to change any of
their internal publications to "Talarian." They seemed to know they would soon
be changing back).
The final chapter in this story began when the Enterprise came in contact
with a Tarellian A vessel. After Dr. Wyatt Miller healed the last survivors,
these Tarellians petitioned again to get their name back from the Tarellians
who had become Talarians but recently changed back to Tarellians.
Incredibly, the Arbiter who inherited the case, Oops Gavelnod, ruled in
favor of the eight survivors of Tarellian A race. Suspicion later increased
when Arbiter Gavelnod suddenly resigned and declared he was becoming a
representative for Galaxy-Way. The Tarellian B lawyer appealed the ruling but
the governing body of GalCouRaNaConRes determined that Arbiter Gavelnod's last
ruling should stand so the Tarellians who had become Talarians but recently
changed back to Tarellians became Talarians once again.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to Top
Chapter 5
Rinali looked once again at her reflection in the mirror,
checking its
movements against her own, just to be sure. She had never been
"disguised"
before and she wasn't certain that she liked it. She raised her
eyebrows and
watched the skin around her new cranial ridges contort in a very
natural
fashion. Dr. O'Roarke had done an impeccable job.
This new mission was not a particularly appealing one from a
just-promoted officer's point of view. Normally, Rinali would
have been quick
to challenge any captain who would dare to defy Starfleet. But
this was an
unusual situation. Starfleet was in disarray for reasons that Rinali didn't
really understand and hadn't bothered to ask about it. In her mind, the
admiralty's job was to coordinate the efforts of the ships, keep the peace, and
make decisions when necessary. Right now, the admiralty was acting as
hindrance to necessary actions. Rinali did not object to defying them under
these circumstances.
She did, of course, have qualms about posing as a species in which she
would be regarded as an inferior. Captain Myst had foreseen this problem and
made a point to speak with Rinali about it.
"I realize this won't be easy for you," the captain had told her.
"Before we actually go undercover, we should work out some way to keep you in
command of security without it appearing that way."
The actual assignments for the mission, including who would be in
command, hadn't been decided yet. But Rinali had prepared a PADD containing
basic information she thought important and the research she had done on
Talarian fighting tactics for her temporary successor. She had also sent
everything she could find on Talarian ship combat to Lt. McInnis, just so he
would know what they might be up against.
It was going to be a tough mission. And normally, Rinali would have
been in a dark mood about taking on the role of subservient female. But in
spite of the possible danger ahead, Rinali remained in a good mood. Trosk's
words were still fresh in her mind and more than anything that had come before,
they affirmed that she was not merely accepted, but outright welcomed in her
adoptive family. No temporary role she would play could outweigh the strength
of those words. Rinali knew her place in the world.
Back to Top
Chapter 6
{Talaria, somewhere}
Stembridge dove into the relative safety provided by the
not-so-sturdy cover
his partner had taken refuge behind moments before. He narrowly
avoided the
weapons' fire that seemed determined to take his head,
sacrificing his shoulder
to the rock solid ground instead. His entire arm screamed pain
in protest to
the landing before going numb. But that was the least of his
worries at the
moment.
"What the hell are they firing at us for!?!" he exclaimed to his partner.
"I wish I knew!" was the other man's bewildered reply. "We have to get out of
here!"
"Really?" Stembridge asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. His partner threw
him back a dirty look in reply.
"Come on," the other man ordered, "the city's this way."
{City Center}
"Dead Astern," one Talarian said quietly to another standing next to him. The
second casually scanned around as if he was looking for someone in particular,
but unable to find that person.
"Are you sure they're not Talarian?" the second asked only loud enough for the
taller Talarian at his side to hear.
"Absolutely," was the reply. "Do you disagree?"
"No. But I'm not so sure I agree either."
"Then let's make you sure and find out," the taller replied. "Come on."
The two Talarians looked around one last time, the taller shrugged to the
other, and they headed off from their street corner as if someone had missed an
appointment with them. They walked side by side, not too quickly or too
slowly, conversing in low voices. As they approached the area the taller had
indicated minutes before, two figures the two Talarians had questioned the
identity of snapped to attention.
"At least they know how to act around rank," the taller observed to the second
Talarian, who simply nodded professionally. They both turned to face the two
other men.
"Lost?" The taller Talarian asked of them.
Stembridge looked to his partner, clearly deferring an answer to him.
"No sir," he replied.
"Then you can explain your presence in this restricted area fast enough to keep
you alive," the shorter, and higher ranking, Talarian stated flatly.
"Yes sir," he replied, and began to fabricate a hopefully believable answer.
"My partner and I-"
"At ease Lieutenant," the taller man interrupted with a wave of his hand.
Stembridge's partner reflexively put his hands behind his back and stood with
his feet apart before he realized what he was doing. Stembridge looked warily
at the taller Talarian trying to judge if he could take the man despite his
lame arm, as it seemed things were about to come down to a physical
confrontation... again. How did the Talarian know they would respond to that
rank title, or even what it was?
"You were right," the higher ranking Talarian said quietly. "Starfleet."
"How?-", "Who are you?", Stembridge and his partner asked softly, hoping for
the best and fearing the worst.
"Your predecessors," the taller Talarian said. "Now hush up and follow us," he
ordered.
"You have to get off the streets before you're discovered," the second Talarian
explained, "or you'll be a lot worse off than just a dislocated shoulder," he
said nodding towards Stembridge's limp arm.
Stembridge and his partner looked at each other as the two undercover Talarian
officers turned heel and headed off. They quickly followed after.
{Casual Restaurant in the city}
After the four had settled into a private booth and given their orders,
Stembridge's partner looked across the table.
"What happened?" he asked.
"We're not sure," the shorter man replied. "But our lookout post was destroyed
in the riot that ensued... along with your identities."
"Great, just great," Stembridge's partner said with a shake of his head.
"As far as I've been informed, even the local government isn't certain of all
the factors at play right now. In an attempt to keep riots within the city to
a minimum, certain areas have been restricted to those of varying ranks and
there is a night curfew in place. But outside the city is anyone's guess.
It's almost at the point of constant fighting going on."
"We barely got out a message to Command before we had to abandon everything,"
the taller officer added. "But we did make sure there was nothing to be found
that might indicate a Starfleet presence here. So imagine our surprise when we
hear that there might be undercover operatives from an alien government." He
looked from Stembridge to Stembridge's partner with raised eyebrows. "At least
they don't know what outsider race to look for. Yet."
"Hey, *you* were supposed to meet us and brief us on this part of the mission,"
Stembridge countered.
"*YOU* weren't supposed to come!" the shorter officer retorted. "Now keep your
voices down!" Then he lowered his own. "We know our message was received, it
was even acknowledged by the independent relay."
"You're lucky we were even still here to find you first!" the taller man added
as forcefully as his whisper would allow.
"What do you mean?" Stembridge's partner asked.
"Our out *and* the emergency pickup we requested both failed to meet us a week
ago," the shorter man explained.
"So we're stuck with no out, no way to communicate with Command, and unknown
forces attacking random people for unknown reasons?" Stembridge's partner asked
as a confirmation summary of what he had just been told.
"And only two identities between the four of us for dealing with officials
within the city," Stembridge added.
"What I don't understand is why Command sent you two even after receiving our
message," the shorter officer mused.
"And why our contacts failed to meet us," the taller officer tossed in.
"Something strange is going on," Stembridge commented.
"In many places, it seems," shorter man replied.
Back to Top
Chapter 7
{Battle Bridge}
Jaquelle had been busy in the past few days. She along with Lt.
Travin
were conducting sessions in the holodecks to train crew who
might be sent to
Talaria. In addition, Dr. O'Roarke's work in plastic surgery had
made so
many look like Talarians that even when they were encountered in
the
corridors of the ship, crew members were almost treated as if
they were
Talarians.
Today, Jaquelle sat on the battle bridge for hours. Just
monitoring the
emotions of the crew, the space in front of her, even the ship itself. It
was different, the Griffin that is... colder, quieter, something. Then again
what they were traveling in wasn't really the ship at all. They had left the
saucer section behind, along with a lot of the compliment of the ship. And
they were traveling with a strange type of cloak that changed the very soul
of the ship.
Jaquelle found that she really had not experienced the boredom that
usually accompanies long stretches on the bridge when the ship was on route
to an assignment. Instead her mind was drifting back to the last
conversation she had with Stembridge. He had not been very flattering about
the ability of the Captain to command. At that time she thought it was a
conflict between Stembridge and Commander Ivanof. Now she had questions.
Why was she not consulted about the transfer of Stembridge? After all next
to Ivanof, the crew was her responsibility. If there was a problem she
should have been brought in to mediate. And transfers just shouldn't be made
without at least a notification to her.
And now there was this unauthorized mission. The crew had readily
followed the Captain. Maybe because of their training, maybe because Captain
Myst had been a fine first officer on the Griffin and many including Jaquelle
had been a part of that crew, so of course they would follow her. Others who
had not served with her, knew of her through those who had. But there were
doubts among even some of the highest in the ranks. They had been usually
quiet and guarded in the past few days, but Jaquelle could sense their
doubts. What Captain Myst was doing flies in the face of the actions of any
captain dedicated to Starfleet. Jaquelle knew she had to talk with the
Captain, and it had to be today. The ship was scheduled to be in Talarian
space with in the next 24 hours.
Commander Ivanof was currently in charge on the bridge. Jaquelle decided
this was not the place to contact the Captain, but now might be a good time
to talk to her. She stood up, silently nodded to Ivanof and left for the
turbo lift. When she got to her office, Jaquelle asked:
"Computer, where is Captain Myst?"
"Captain Myst is in Astrophysics," came the same cold voice of the
computer.
Jaquelle reasoned that she should not talk with her there but that there was
no reason not to contact her.
"Captain Myst, Counselor Daem here," Jaquelle said aloud.
"Yes Counselor," came back the voice of Captain Myst.
"At your convenience, my I talk with you in the conference room?"
Jaquelle queried.
Captain Myst hesitated for a second then answered,
"Can I meet you in about an hour?"
"That would be fine," Jaquelle answered.
Jaquelle returned to the bridge. As she was about to resume her seat, Lt.
Commander Sable turned to Ivanof with a surprised look on her face:
"We have an incoming message."
Back to Top
Chapter 8
{Griffin, Battle Bridge}
"How can we have an incoming message?" Priscilla asked as she
stepped out of
the star drive section's small turbolift and headed to her
chair.
"It's from the saucer section," Ivanof replied, relaying the
information Sable
had just given him.
"We're running silent, and so are they..." Priscilla thought
aloud.
"If we answer it, we risk revealing our presence to the
Talarians," Ivanof
observed. Priscilla looked at him.
"... but they know that, so it must be important," she finished. "On screen,"
she ordered, "and let's hope there aren't any Talarians paying attention."
The bridge of the saucer section filled the view screen. The Ensign sitting at
the ops station looked up, seemingly a bit nervous. The Lieutenant in command
stood up from the command chair and began speaking.
"Captain, I know we're supposed to observe communication silence, but we
received a priority one encrypted communication for you a couple hours ago. It
was sent in our general direction, not specifically to the ship, so they don't
know where we are or if we received it. But it's flagged all over with how
important it is, and it's from Intelligence. I thought it worth the risk to
send it to you."
"Very well," Priscilla answered. "Send it, and quickly, the less we're in
contact the less the risk of detection."
"Receiving a transmission," Sable said almost immediately.
"Transmission complete," she said a couple seconds later.
"Cut communications," Priscilla ordered as she moved to sit in her chair to
read the message.
{Two hours later, Conference Room}
"Thanks to the communication from a friend of mine at Intelligence," Priscilla
began, "we now know where the first two officers were stationed and what their
Talarian identities are. The message also contained where the rendezvous point
for the officers was supposed to be. If they're smart, Stembridge and his
partner are probably not near there any more, but it's one place to start. The
other two places are the location of the lookout post they had established and
the homes of their assumed identities." Priscilla held out a PADD to Rinali.
"Lt. Travin, divide your people into three teams and assign one of these three
locations to each." Then she turned to Jaquelle. "Commander Deam?"
"Everyone has gone through my training and can act at least well enough to pass
as Talarian," she reported.
"Good," Priscilla replied with an approving nod. "Lieutenant O'Roarke?"
"Everyone who's going down has spent at least 12 hours as a Talarian by now,"
she reported.
"Good," Priscilla replied. "Commander Sable, how long until we arrive?"
"Five hours," she replied.
"Okay people, let's be ready. I want to be in and out and have those men home
in time for supper."
{Five hours later}
Despite occasional problems with the power demand the TCD placed on the ship,
and with only one scare of it possibly failing, the star drive of the Griffin
slipped silently and unnoticed into orbit around Talaria.
After finding suitable transport sites out of sight on the surface, the away
teams were sent down. One by one they began to report in. The first saying
the lookout post was utterly destroyed, there was even no trace of anything or
anyone Starfleet ever being there. The second saying the rendezvous site was
almost directly in the middle of hostile territory. While none of that away
team had been killed, a couple sustained injuries. They also stated they were
careful to not kill any of those firing on them, and they were sure they had
not been discovered. The third away team reported that no one was answering at
any of the homes, however their tricorders clearly indicated there were two,
and only two, people in one of the homes, both human.
Priscilla ordered the two humans beamed up, who turned out to be Stembridge and
his partner. After being updated by the two of them, Priscilla allowed them to
go back down and, since they had a week or so worth's of experience in the
city, each lead an away team in search for the other two officers.
Things went very smoothly. All the away teams and the four officers were
recovered, with only moderate injuries, and without revealing the presence of
Starfleet. The Intelligence officers did mention that there were more than
rumors going around of an alien presence on the planet, however they firmly
believed it was not any federation race. Other than that, they flat out
refused to give Priscilla any information they had gathered, such as what
aliens were being uncovered. But knowing that Talarians are partially
xenophobic, it followed that such discoveries were leading to open hostilities.
The star drive section immediately headed back to Federation space. Once it
reached the nebula the saucer section was waiting in, the two parts docked back
into a whole ship. It wasn't until that moment that the tension surrounding
the whole mission was lifted and people began to feel normal again.
Before the Griffin finished its "patrol" of the Cardassian-Federation Demilitarized
zone border she returnied to starbase. There the ship dropped off the four
Intelligence Officers to be debriefed by members of Starfleet Intelligence and
Starfleet Security who had been sent to debrief them. At the same time,
Priscilla was personally "invited" to a meeting to discuss her actions in
taking the Griffin on its unauthorized mission.
When she arrived, she was pleasantly surprised to find Robert waiting for her.
"Don't worry about anything," he said.
"How's that?" she asked with a smile.
"We've let Command know that your were acting under our direct orders," he said
simply.
"It's very kind of Intelligence to do that for me," she replied. "But why?"
"Because we needed to know what was going on on Talaria and you and your crew
not only provided that for us, but you also returned all our officers safely.
They're good men, we'd have hated to loose them."
Priscilla nodded thoughtfully. "I'm glad everything's worked out. I just have
one question."
"And what's that?"
"How did you know what I was doing?"
Robert laughed. "Because I know you, Priscilla. You were pissed when you
talked to me. I knew you wouldn't be able to just let things sit, you'd have
to try and help somehow. It just took me a while to figure out what your best
option was."
"Well, thank you for the information you sent, even though it risked
everything. It was extremely helpful."
"You're Welcome," Robert replied.
Back to Top