The Chessboard

Posted on 09/07/2022 @ 7:32am by Lieutenant Daynah Ral & Captain Cara Letsul & Rear Admiral Thomas Rice
Edited on on 09/08/2022 @ 4:59am

1,982 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Mini Mission: When The Cat's Away
Location: Conference Room - Command Tier Deck 6 - Poseidon Station
Timeline: MD005 0000

A matter of two hours had passed since Admiral Rice had ordered her to muster all she could and it seemed like an eternity had passed. She managed to contact everyone she could, call in every favor she had, and few that Ral had and she still felt like it was not enough. But it would have to be and she knew it. She stood and stared at the fleet deployment, and battle readiness plans she had made. This was what she trained for and knew best, yet she felt lost. Her usually perfect hair was disheveled and hung about her shoulders instead of the usual tight pony tail. Her uniform was half unzipped and her eyes were bloodshot. The umpteenth cup of rachtijino sat on the table nearby. Daynah took one last look at the screen and she knew for good or ilk Command would have to be made aware of what to expect in the next sixteen hours. She tapped her comm badge. "Commander Letsul, Commodore Rice meet me in the Conference Room. I think you should see this..."

Cara tapped on her commbadge, "Will be there soon. I will be bringing in another person with me."

She tapped on her commbadge, "Commander Fleming meet us in the Conference room, on the double." this something that she felt that Astrid needed to be in on.

Astrid developed a puzzled look on her face. She could hear the apparent concern in Cara’s voice. She also never ignored an order from her superior “I am on my way Commander!” she said as she turned from her current path and made her way back to the stations conference room.

She wasn’t sure what was happening but it seemed to be something big. She made it just in time to meet Cara at the entrance. “What’s going on you sound worried.”

Tom looked up from the holographic view screen. Reviewing Federation assets in the area, he was attempting to muster whatever he could. "The Breen fleet is making good time no doubt they are pushing their systems to the limit," he turned to face the Officers. "Lieutenant," he looked to Ral, "contact your counterpart on Empok Nor, they are a ways away but let's see if they can afford to send some extra help."

"Cara," he took notice of Commander Fleming, "Commander Letsul, what's the status of our vessel in dock?"

"The USS Paramount is already prepped, and the same for the SS Adventuras." Cara responded, "It seems that they are normally prepared and ready to respond at the drop of a hat. Word is also spreading to the civilian ships willing to assist."

Daynah punched up the holo of the fleet and its movements. She had already done all the homework as it were, and now it was time for her to show it off. "Sirs, if I may be so bold, I have been through all of this and have the results. It seems that when the Breen fleet arrives, we will have USS Paramount and SS Adventuras. I have spoken with Captain Kidd of the USS Artemis, and he will push off from dock within the hour to take up station keeping. The ship is skeleton crewed, but she is armed, and Luna Class is nothing to shake a stick at. Ambassador Loval has offered his ship the Glan'To for defense as part of the Federation/Romulan mutual defense pact of 2374. With your permission, we can have the Glan'To engage cloak and take up a position outside the system. When the Breen arrive, the Romulans can decloak and flank them from the rear." She paused to allow what she had said to sink in and to zoom the holo in.

Daynah continued to outline what she had learned and what she had done. She was in her element and loved every minute of what she was doing. "Admiral, I have been in contact with General Sobel in command of the Marines out of Empok Nor. He can have his fighters here quickly. However, at their best speed and with the assistance of the Bajoran wormhole they will arrive roughly two hours after the fight begins. The General stated that they are already in motion..." With a few clicks of the button the zoomed in image expanded to show the greater star map and travel times of various ships. "The USS Tomahawk is currently at Betazed and Captain Varis states he can be here in 24 hours. Captain Rutherford of the Majestic and Captain Jones of the Merlin both state that they are too far away to assist. Captain Malbrooke of the Pioneer is currently on the Romulan border. He said that he could be here in 30 hours if needed. It seems the fleet is spread thin three starships, and a Romulan Warbird is what we have." Daynah had hoped that she did not overstep. Within her, the memories and voice of Alaryc Ral a former Starfleet Captain said that she was fine. People did not want to beat around the bush when it came to a situation like this.

"Quite impressive, Lieutenant," Rice nodded, he couldn't admit it, but he liked the sound of the term Admiral, even if he wasn't an Admiral, at least in his own eyes. "At this point, I am open to any ideas, and given the serious nature of this don't wait for permission," he paused, "within reason, Lieutenant, this is your area if you see an opportunity take it."

"Fleming," he stopped realizing he didn't know this Officer, "I want you in charge of getting as many of these civilians off the station as possible. Control the panic and attempt to keep the chaos at bay," he reminded her, "they will be scared but assure them that we will get past this and they will be home before they know it."

Astrid had never helped in a mass stations evac, though she had been trained to do so. She nodded and began jotting some notes down on her PADD. "It will be done, Sir. Commander, I will need some station assets to help with this evacuation."

"You will have them Astrid, I will get some people to assist you on what is needing to do." Cara already entering names who will be able to assist.

"Cara," he was done with ranks, "the station and her assets are yours; coordinate with Lieutenant Ral. Your place will be in Ops, and please make sure these people know what's at stake here."

"Yes Commodore" Cara replied, her mind going into more professional mode.

"I have alerted Captain Vek and Master Sergeant Schiano. The Kingsmen have gone to DEFCON Two and stand ready for as needed. A plan is being worked on for the Kingsmen to board a Breen vessel and take it over. Boots on the ground as it is said...." While Daynah was in all her glory doing what she was trained to do. Ral's thoughts came unbidden into her mind. Specifically the thoughts of Jazra, the images of Betazed being taken by the Dominion which included Breen forces. It showed her exactly what the Breen do to prisoners. The power of these images caused her to stumble for a moment and she reached up to her forehead.

Cara reached out a steadying hand, placing it upon Daynah's shoulder. "Just take a few deep breaths." she said soothingly. Then she looked at Astrid, "There will be a few people who are willing to help. I'll send them in your direction."

Astrid nodded though she was a bit hesitant about this evac. This type of thing could cause issues even for the best officer. She took a deep breath as she decided what to do.

"I am not going to lie; this will test everyone here on the station," Tom replied, "from their files, many of them have never dealt with a situation like this. Don't assume anyone knows; ask questions, and make sure they understand their parts. When in doubt, if it's about the station, filter it through Commander Letsul. If it relates to the fleet, send it to Ral. Cara," he paused, "you and her will have to work very well together."

He looked to Cara, "before the shit hits the fan, I wanna see this Captain Vek and Master Sergeant Schiano," he paused, "Patton is a good leader, but he isn't here, and neither is their XO. Call me paranoid, but I just wanna make sure." He sighed, "I also don't need any territorial crap from this General Sobel. They may be his Marines, but they are on our station."

"I will make sure they come up to see you. Sirs if I may do we know why the Breen are committing so much forces to this attack. I know we have had minor skirmishes with them. But what happened to cause them to step up?" Daynah addressed the question to everyone in the room.

"I am planning on finding out from the Intelligence Team to see if they may have some information on that. Its the best thing solution I can offer. And there is that Commander Dragos who had brought the information about the upcoming attack. She may have information as well. Therefore guess I will be speaking to Commander Feshau and her team to find out." Cara stated. She was in professional thinking mode as this was a state of emergency.

Cara looked towards Astrid. "Any comments you wish to add to this?"

While Cara waited for Astrid's answer she tapped on her commbadge, "Captain Vek and Master Sergeant Schiano, this is Commander Letsul, Commodore Rice would like to see you in his office, ASAP."

Skol had been working on the fortifications of the Station due to the information he had received when he got the urgent call from the Commander. He tapped his wrist "On my way, Commander." He said as he immediately headed for the Commodore's office. He arrived and saluted upon entry.

Tom wasn't sure he was ready for this, but like it or not, he didn't have a choice. He rubbed his temples as Cara called for the Marines. He knew their position, and how they would react, he just needed that peace of mind.

Cara continued to make more notes. So many things that needed to be done, thankfully she's done this before.

"We are going to have to loan some Engineering teams to the Artemis as they are not ready for launch. However, if we can assist in the last minute installation of certain systems, they can be launched and on station keeping within three hours." Daynah added.

"Contact Commander Joah," Rice didn't wait for Cara, "I am sure he can spare some folks to assist."

Daynah acknowledged the Admiral's order. "The last shuttle that is being allowed to dock has arrived, and I believe some of the Artemis' crew is aboard. Perhaps their Chief Engineer is among them."

"Good," Tom replied, "everyone has their orders, let's make this work and come home safe." Tom wasn't much for speeches, he just looked around the room. "I mean it, everyone goes home today."

Daynah stared at the ever-changing grid of ships and asset indicators on the big map. She half heard what the Admiral had said, but it was the last sentence that hit her. Everyone goes home... I am home and it is going to stay that way. she thought. Internally Ral had gone into battle mode as well, and Daynah's mind was awash with thousands of different scenarios. The Trill would draw from the centuries that Ral lived through to make sure that Poseidon lasted the night.

---

Lieutenant Daynah Ral
Strategic Operations Officer
Poseidon Station

Commander Cara Letsul
Poseidon Operations Commander
Chief Counselor

Commodore Thomas Rice
Sector Commander

Lt. Commander Astrid Fleming
Poseidon Operations Executive Officer
Night Watch Duty Officer

 

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