The End of The Trail Part I

Posted on 07/10/2024 @ 5:09pm by Colonel Jack Patton & Sergeant Audie Fitch & Sergeant Lance Faraday & Civilian David Scarlet & Lieutenant T'ra Na'vassa & 1st Lieutenant Anthony Hill & 1st Lieutenant Baaru Ixalia & Lieutenant Phyllis D'lar
Edited on on 07/10/2024 @ 5:10pm

3,116 words; about a 16 minute read

Mission: Mission 24: The Kingsmen: Duality
Location: Somewhere In Romulan Space
Timeline: MD011 0930 hrs

Minutes had passed since the channel with Poseidon had closed and Jack sat in the command chair of the Klingon ship and stewed. Within him was the feeling of loss, that they had failed, the feeling of duty to complete the mission, and strongest was the feeling of vengeance. He turned to everyone on the Bridge who had gathered around to see the message. "Stations!" the order came with an edge of violence in the tone. His crew scattered to their posts.

"Lieutenant D'Lar set a course to follow the trail indicated by Lieutenant H'ros and engage at maximum warp." Jack began to issue orders to everyone they came rapidly and with a sharp edge that would bilk no discussion. "Captain Scarlett raise the shields and arm all disruptor banks. D'quan engage the cloaking device. ghe''or Hoch latlh'e' Qapla (Alert status one. Vengeance is ours. Success!) Everyone else I want you to prepare for boarding actions of all known Romulan ships and installations. We do not know what we are up against. So stealth will be key." Jack turned back forward and with a wave of his hand he spoke. "Lets get to it." The Bird of Prey jumped to warp.

"Aye, sir," Phyllis replied, settling into her seat. She had time to get familiar with the ship's personality and was looking forward to seeing how she performed at maximum warp. She laid in a course and prepared to ease away from the Pioneer. She'd lost enough friends and comrades over the centuries that she'd become adept at compartmentalization. But the murder of Harrington was still hard to swallow.

Scarlet nodded grimly. This had turned from a rescue mission into something else entirely. He could feel the sadness and the anger from those around him, it was palpable wave washing over him. "Aye sir." He said as he followed the commands of the Colonel.

He didn't know Harrington, or the team, but he knew enough about loss or comrades and friends to know the man was considered both by a lot of these people. Outsider or not, Scarlet would do what he had to so they got their justice.

Anthony got straight into action after hearing Jack's words. Whereas he hadn't given him an order specifically he took to trying to get as much free power to the shields and disruptors that he could so if a fire fight was the outcome then maybe they'd last a little longer. He thanked God the ship was tough and quick because a fight with a Romulan warbird... one lucky hit and you never knew.

Harrington was dead! They had made good on their threat and changed the Mission of the Kingsmen from one of rescue to one of recovery which would entail a fight, that much seemed obvious, How that would unfold was as yet unknown to the explosives non-com. But if the pointy-eared Pinheads wanted a fight, well, they dialled up the right people to oblige them!

T'ra watched with the others as the Romulan transmission played on like a nightmare and showing the execution. " It seems that there is a new political faction that want to start a war with the Federation. If this faction is supported by the senate, then we're going to have a very difficult time in recovering the body.

"However." T'ra continued. "If they are a fringe faction that has few followers or no government backing, the senate may throw them under the bus to avoid conflict with the Federation. I'll do my best to learn which one we're dealing with. Once we get closer to the neutral zone, I'll change into my disguise in case it's needed."

"He's not..." Audie muttered under her breath, although she had no reason to believe the facts weren't true. Of course, like everyone, she didn't want Harrington to be dead, and certainly, faking his death had the potential to make the rescuers reckless, prone to mistakes of passion, and they needed to avoid that, especially if Harrington really was still alive. And if he wasn't... hid murders would soon regret their choices in life!

Lance whipped his head around to look at the Medic, that was certainly something the Pinheads just might do to infuriate the Federation, fake the whole thing, have the Federation launch an attack, and therefore, be the aggressors!

T'ra looked towards Audie and smiled. " You brought up a very valid point Sergeant. I don't believe that the leadership of the Star Empire would want a conflict currently as they are rebuilding. But there may be a small faction that would want the federation to be the attacker to unify the Romulan people against the federation to fight back. "

She glanced over to where the Klingons were. " I mean no disrespect but merely offer this as a possibility. Say my former people pissed off a Klingon house and planted false information after learning about Harrington's death and used it as an excuse to support and ally in attacking the Romulans. Or it could be the Cardassians, As they have been know to backstab an ally as well.

" Oh and before I forget, I offer this advice. If we're going to kill someone on this mission, then take out several using blade weapons only and take they're disruptors and use those. Phasers have a distinctive signature that can be easily traced back to the Federation. This mission is about stealth and recovery. " Stated T'ra.

Faraday grinned and said, "Wouldn't have it any other way." Though he had several sidearms, he did not possess a Romulan disruptor. Every weapon had a distinctive signature, and if targets were eliminated with their own weapons, no matter what anyone thought, they could not prove anything. And, one didn't leave the weapon behind once used.

" Before we leave I'll make my way to sickbay and have the doctor change my features a bit so as not to set off any security programs. It will be bothersome to do, but the mission comes first. We all come back together or not at all. I believe that is one of your motto's? Leave no man behind? Very admirable. " stated T'ra.

Sorceress kept her focus on the viewscreen and her controls while she listened to the chatter around her. The ship handled a bit like a truck in its maneuverability, so she mentally ran over what she knew of Klingon ships in case they did have to fight.

"Yeah, you could say that, but that's no motto, it is what we do," Faraday stated. "Okay then, I'll just grab my away bag of tricks in case we need to light the place up, you never know how these things'll go til' you get there.

T'ra made her way to Sickbay and entered and was greeted by Varu. " What do you want here Romulan? My experiences with some of your people have been less then pleasant. " Stated Varu.

" Romulan by birth yes, I am a Federation citizen now. I knew what I was doing when I defected and I have no regrets. " Said T'ra. She laid a PaDD down with an image on it of a Romulan female. " I just need a few alterations for the mission, In fact the very success of this mission may depend on how well your able to do your job Klingon. "

Varu glanced at the picture. "I'm a Doctor not a miracle worker. So tell me, did they kill your family after you defected?" enquired Varu.

" No, My father disavowed me to protect his career and family. Now can we just get this done? We don't have a lot of time left and we need to hurry. "

" Fine, fine. You children have no patience. " About a half hour later the task was completed. " Alright, the task is complete, you could pass for either a Romulan or a Tellerite, either way you should pass muster. " Said the Klingon with a wicked grin.

"Tell you what, If we survive this mission I'll give you a bottle of Romulan Ale after we get back to the station and AFTER I'm changed back to my normal appearance."

"If you live Romulan, I'll accept your offer. Now get out of my sickbay and do your damn job."

With that said T'ra went back to her quarters and returned to the bridge after she had changed into her Tal Shiar Uniform.

The backpack contained several explosive charges, a spare phaser, four grenades, electronic, gas, incendiary, and explosive. spare battery packs, and detonators. Two rebreathers, eye protection, a knife, along with the necessary tools needed to set explosives. once in hand, he headed back to join the others.

T'ra returned to the bridge after her features had been altered and in her Romulan uniform. " Has there been any changes since I've departed the bridge? " T'ra inquired.

Scarlet still bristled when T'ra came back onto the bridge. The uniform itself put him on edge, and rightfully so from his experiences. Still, he tried not to pay much attention and instead focused on his console.

The ion trail they'd been following faded and then disappeared. Phyllis checked to make sure they were still looking for the same ion trail, in case there was some sort of sensor glitch, but they were still working. How had the ship masked its trail, she wondered. Then she began a systematic search of the area for any signs of the Romulan ship. And then she found it. "They're not heading for Romulan space," she informed Patton. "They've veered off into the former neutral zone." She checked the new trajectory and what was in its path. "The only thing out that way is Moore's Star."

"You got that right," Lance said, "There's nothing in the M class planets, one K, if memory serves. Couple of gas balls, nothing sustainable. So maybe they plan to drop the body on that K class." It was a thought, he surmised that might be the reason for veering off into the former neutral zone, or perhaps they were playing hide and seek, or setting up an ambush. Sometimes, Romulans made no sense at all.

"Did you say a K class planet?" Asked T'ra. "So all you see is an unremarkable rock with limited water, Small animals and some insect life and no advanced lifeforms, correct? " Not waiting for and answer she continued. "Years ago when I defected from the Romulan Star Empire I ran several Tal Shiar cells, When ships passed by the planet and didn't even slow to look in our direction. We operated from underground bases with shielding to cover the energy output, it takes a lot of work to keep the shielding intact, so would someone kindly scan that rock before we're blown out of the sky?"

The news from everyone brightened Jack from the doldrums of searching. "Sorceress set a course to intercept. Lets get a scan of that planet as the Lieutenant suggests. Everyone else prepare for infiltration. I am open to suggestions on how we can pull this off. Our objective here depends upon how devious the Romulans are. If Harrington is really dead we need to bring back some sort of proof. According to the footage we have he was disintegrated. However, if the footage was faked and he is alive then we need to find him. So, lets get to it."

Phyllis nodded and laid in the course correction. She agreed with T'ra that the system looked promising. Romulan ships didn't head into the neutral zone for no reason.

"Yep, scouted a K once, not this one. As long as you have some form of oxygen and water it's not bad, I mean people could exist there, not that many would want to." Faraday offered. "Maybe the pinheads plan to dump Harrington there to die. Maybe they didn't execute him after all."

A guess at best, but a possibility, at least as far as he was concerned.

T'ra spoke up once again. " And if this ship has a passive scan setting, which I'm sure it does. Then I suggest we use it. We'll have to get closer range wise of course, but since we're cloaked that shouldn't be a problem. " She watched the crew as they worked. " You know there are still some in the Star Empire that feel nothing but contempt for the Federation. Why you ask? Because the Federation is like someone doing fencing sword style. Back and forth on a straight line and always predictable, and not like martial artist who move in more circular patterns. They are going to look for an opening to get in behind you and take you down, keep that in mind while your down there if you'd like to live. "

Faraday listened, the idea of the Federation always being predictable would certainly hold water in his estimation, which of course, may not hold true for the Knights. He would find out soon enough, though he had his doubts about their predictability. That just did not fit what he had seen so far.

"Good thing we're not all Federation then isn't it." Scarlet muttered under his breath.

"Seriously? Fencing, predictable? I don't think you've seen a lot of fencing, Lieutenant. No disrespect. From what I've witnessed, fencing is certainly unpredictable, as is martial arts. I agree with that part, but men with a rapier, not like they're hacking away with a simitar or a broad sword." Lance contradicted, "It is more like a dance where you don't know your partners next move as is martial arts."

T'ra looked to the speaker. " Earth history. The Spaniards were some of the best fencers in the world at the time they invaded the Philippines and occupied them for over a century. They were superior in their technology over the people in the Philippines with their ships, guns, cannons and swords. The tribal people had daggers, machetes and ratan sticks and staffs. But their chieftain went out and studied the way the Spaniards fought and came up with a fighting style that countered every move that the Spaniards had and trained his warriors, who then were sent out to train other tribes in the fighting style which is known as Escrima. Before the Spaniards knew it there was a army that kicked them out of the country. "

"Yes yes, the story is well known, or at least was. People have adapted to invaders for centuries. It's no different now. Sure, there are things we do that are predictable, but not as many as they might believe." Faraday agreed.

"And as I stated before, there are those in the star empire that believe that the federation is to predictable. Yes I defected from the star empire and became a Federation citizen and work to help strength it because there are things I've seen on the fringes of space that make me worry and I know that there will come a day when the federation, the Klingons and the star empire will have to unite to survive. My warning was to keep you alert since we're going into the Romulans backyard and they have the home field advantage. I'd like to see everyone of you return from this mission, is that wrong of me?"

"Yes the Star Empire believes, or a good number of them think we are predictable. I say we are not! We can improvise, adapt, and, overcome. That's an old Marine Corps slogan that's really a way of life." Faraday stated. "It is what we do, how we tend to prevail. Understand, I meant no disrespect, just a different point of view on this deal."

Phyllis wanted to roll her eyes, but refrained. She'd heard this argument--or a thousand variations of it--for centuries. So she tuned out the banter and focused her attention on the station ahead, her mind going over a dozen different scenarios they might encounter once they got there. How well did the ship handle Newtonian physics? She really needed to spend more time on the holodeck flying non-Federation ships.

Then Faraday grinned, "No matter what they think, no matter what they say, the pinheads are in for a real surprise in dealing with us. At least that's how I look at it. They have to beat us first, and that just ain't no easy task."

Jack glanced over his shoulder at the conversation that went on. It was interesting to see how the different personalities worked out. He was informed that they approached the system known as Moore's star, and the ship dropped to impulse speeds. "Passive scans only. Let me know what's out there."

Moving over to one of the unmanned stations, Ixalia brought up the ships sensor data, "nothing overly interesting, a few rocky planets and a gas giant or two" she said, as the data came in, "hmm? Well that's interesting. It seems there's a strange energy signature coming from the third planet. While it is M class, it's nothing overly special, it's Uninhabited."

Jack stroked his chin as he pondered whether or not scanning that signature directly would be a good idea. They needed to know all they could however, the stealth is what is needed as well. "Right everyone... Any idea on how we can scan that energy and still keep the element of surprise?"

"Any way to drop a probe onto the planet without it being detected? If it's shielded, it might not be noticed until it reaches the surface," Phyllis asked. "Might be able to get some readings on the way down."

"We could shoot the probe off then cut its thrusters and let it drift?" Ixalia suggested.

"Could work." Anthony chimed in. "I can install dampening field emitters on the probe to mask it's approach, or make it appear as if it is some form of space debris. That way if anyone scans it, it'll appear as we want it."

"I like the idea if it looking like space debris," Phyllis said, nodding. "I'm sure they see plenty of that."

"Right get done like it was yesterday." Jack replied as he stared at the viewscreen.

To Be Continued...

Colonel Jack 'Blackjack' Patton
Commanding Officer, The Kingsmen
Executive Officer, Poseidon Station

First Lieutenant Anthony "Spitfire" Hill
Platoon CO, The Castle
The Kingsmen
Poseidon Station

Acting Captain Scarlet
Weapons Specialist
The Kingsmen
Poseidon Station

Sergeant Lance "Lethal" Faraday
Demolitions Specialist
The Kingsmen
Poseidon Station

Lieutenant Phyllis "Sorceress" D'lar
Pilot
The Kingsmen
Poseidon Station

Sgt. Audie "Magic Hands" Fitch
Medic
The Kingsmen
Poseidon Station

Lieutenant T'ra Na'vassa
Chief Security & Tactical Officer, DTI Herodotus
Assistant Chief Intelligence Officer
Poseidon Station

First Lieutenant Baaru "Ivy" Ixalia
RECONN Platoon CO
The Kingsmen
Poseidon Station

 

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