Armed Truce (part 2)

Posted on Thu Aug 30th, 2012 @ 1:22pm by Colonel Damon Raine & Commodore Samantha York & Commander Alexandra Vance

1,103 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: The Enemy Within: Lying in Wait
Location: Captain's Ready Room

[CONTINUED]

[OLD]

"Do we know the cause of the crash? Was it attacked or a mechanical malfunction?" she inquired. Ships simply did not fall out of the sky, ninety-five percent of the time if a ship went down foul play was involved.

"We don't know. All we know is they sent out a distress call and then we lost all communication. Two Intel ships went to investigate. They, too, are missing."

[NEW]

"Intelligence ships?!" she said with a hint of concern. Such an occurrence was a rarity for even one ship let alone a pair. The commander's of the vessels were trained to observe and avoid detection despite lacking a cloak. This was no simple malfunction, foul play was now a certainty.

"Ma'am, ships of that nature simply do not disappear into thin air. I suggest we go to red alert when we approach the planet. I am positive foul play is involved and we are facing an enemy force. Without the ship or scans of the area I cannot determine who, but I can assure you someone is responsible."

Damon considered her words. "I think I'm inclined to agree. We have nothing to lose by going in on a heightened alert status." He honestly thought it was excessive, however, it wouldn't hurt for him to start showing support for an arrangement Starfleet had already put in place.

Alexandra turned and looked at the Captain. She was not expecting him to side with her so quickly and unchallenged. She turned her gaze back to the Commodore almost as quickly as she had placed them upon Raine.

"There is no indication in the distress call that they were under attack. All we know is that their systems failed and they went down," Sam said, looking from Damon to Alexandra. "We go in under yellow alert. We'll have shields up and weapons ready but unless we get further Intel, there's no justification for your concerns. Remember that Tiberius IV has sandstorms, high winds and sand that will interfere with any and all scans. The other two ships could just as easily have fallen prey to the hostile environment."

"As a precaution, it might be a good idea to leave behind any personnel not assigned to duty shifts at the shipyard. No use having non-coms putting their safety on the line for a mission like this, especially considering Starfleet’s losses so far." Damon suggested.

"No justification?" Alexandra replied in a sharp tone. "Commodore what more do you need? Another Dominion War? Part of intelligence is risk assessment, Intelligence Commanders assess a situation before entering it and would not enter a hostile environment putting their ships or lives on the line unless such an asset would give the enemy a great tactical advantage. The [i]Columbia[/i] would be far less an asset to the enemy than two ships carrying a great deal of Starfleet's most confidential information. Mistakes are expected of freshmen, but a Commander you have a better chance of stabilizing the Omega Particle and having two make the same error. The Borg will join a peace conference before that happens."

"Where is your evidence, Commander? Where the message stating the ship was under attack? We do not go into every unknown situation with shields up and guns blazing. At yellow alert we will be at the ready. We will be prepared if we need to act quickly. Going to red alert at this time is unwarranted."

"The ships wouldn't call out in distress ma'am. Otherwise you and every other vessel and the area would know of their presence. Sending out a distress call is almost like handing a Romulan your intelligence. You might as well just drop the defense grid for them! Unfortunately we are not given the luxury of calling out for help like you might be accustomed too, our cargo is usually far too valuable to be entrusted to the 'nearest vessel' which as you and I know is not always carrying the federation flag. I am not suggesting we enter the battle with guns blazing, I am suggesting we take the element of surprise from the enemy." she said, her tone carrying increasing levels of irritation.

"Enough." Sam's voice was quiet but firm. "You've made your point. Beating it with a stick will not change my opinion of the situation or your ability to act rationally in a crisis. We go in under yellow alert. If you have an issue with that, we'll deal with it later. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal..." Vance replied coldly irritated by the Commodore's remark. She knew nothing about Alexandra yet she already made such a bold statement. [i]Typical politician...[/i] she said to herself.

"I am not a politician. I'm a scientist," Sam stated. "And a Betazoid. I generally don't read the thoughts of others, but you were a bit loud. Just a precaution, Commander. We'll put this down to the stress of the day. Let's hope your abrasive behavior is due to that as well. Otherwise, this will be a long tour -- for both of us."

Alexandra's eyes instantly were drawn to York's. How could I have been so stupid? Get a grip of yourself.... she thought to herself suppressing them from outside intrusion. "I will try not to yell next time ma'am." she replied flatly.

"Don't patronize me, either," Sam snapped back. "Now, shall we move to the bridge and get underway? I'm sure we will have oodles of time to argue jots and tittles later."

"Aye ma'am..." she replied quizzically not knowing what a jot or a tittle was. She was also unaware of an oodle being a unit of measurement. She would be sure to research the terms whenever she found time to study useless facts....the Borg peace conference would provide the perfect venue.

"After you, ladies." Damon said with crossed arms. It was going to take some coaching before these two started to get along.

Alexandra rose from the couch and stood herself just beyond Damon turning to the CO waiting for her to lead the way onto the bridge.

Sam cast a quick glance at Damon, not sure what to make of his reaction to this recent news. There would be time later to talk with him privately. She then glanced at her new XO. The woman would take some getting used to. If she didn't lock her in the brig first.

Sam took a deep breath and walked out the door and onto the bridge.


OFF


Commodore Samantha York
Commanding Officer

Captain Damon Raine
Mission Advisor

Commodore Alexandra Vance
Executive Officer

 

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