A Complication of Things

Posted on Tue Mar 19th, 2024 @ 10:00pm by Colonel Josiah McEntyre & Sub-Commander T'shir & Major Arjut'Pelan sh'Kohlaka

1,474 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: First Deployment
Location: Unicorn - Bridge - Ready Room
Timeline: 24 Hours Before Launch

Josh read the message and reread it again. It shouldn't have been possible, but there it was in plain text, clear as day. A complication and a new front in the barely month old war.

His mission now got even more complicated as he pressed the comm panel on his desk.

"On the 1MC from Commanding Officer with compliments to XO Gunnar, Sub Commander T'shir and Major Pel. Report to CO Ready Room, ASAP"

He said, announcing it over the main ship intercomm channel.

Pel had just stepped out of the shower. It wasn't entirely different from the Andorian mechanism but it still felt... alien. No matter. Human technology got the job done and her duty was to see it done well. If that meant weird shower units, then so be it.

She had only stepped out and begun to towel off before the colonel's order came through. The ASAP sounded important. Rather than dress, Pel threw her robe around herself and let her loose hair drape where it may around her shoulders. Whatever was going on meant that clothes could wait.

Striding through the Unicorn's decks toward the bridge in her robe garnered a few odd looks and whispered comments, but Pel ignored them with a canny smirk. Humans. The Andorians were a proud people with a long and glorious history of military traditions, but emergencies were emergencies. Getting hung up on attire in the middle of a battle was perhaps one of the most foolish observations Pel had made of humans and it was no end of amusement for her to see human soldiers flinch at their dress violations being identified.

Presently, Pel entered the Ready Room and cinched the drawstring around her robe tighter in the name of modesty but all it accomplished was accenting her hourglass figure. "I came as soon as I could," Pel said, tossing her damp her behind her shoulders with a flick of her wrists to continue air-drying. "What's the situation?"

Josiah blinked in surprise and dumbfoundness of the Major in her robe, dripping over the deck.

“Well…I see we’re dressin’ informally, Major. This will make things easier, I need you to tap the Andorian Imperial Guard. Let me make that explicitly clear, I need any information no matter how classified it may be on the actual fleet positions of the Romulans.”

Josiah handed her the PADD with the report he’d read.

“Starfleet Intelligence and MACO StratInt both double confirmed this report. Denobula surrendered to the Romulan Fleet 2 weeks ago! This message was sent by Dr. Jermey Lucus, formally of Cold Station 12. I want to know why Earth is only now learning of this!”

He said to the Andorian with a bit of an angry streak in his voice.

After reviewing the MACO report, Pel suppressed her amusement and politely handed the PADD back to Josiah. This could have waited until she got dressed. Probably after she had eaten as well.

"Denobulan space was abandoned before that," Pel said plainly. "With their home world being virtually adjacent to known Romulan space and cut off from reinforcements, the Imperial Guard elected to position Andorian fleets in more strategically vital sectors." She gave Josiah a particularly pointed look that belied the smirk she kept up. "You're welcome."

“I’m welcome? For the Andorian Guard abandoning 12 BILLION PEOPLE TO THE JACKBOOTS OF THE ROMULANS!”

Josiah was smiling but was very furious.

"12 billion Denobulans, 12 billion Andorians, or 12 billion humans," Pel said, matching his smile with her own, though her eyes were filled with the dispassion of a generational military tactician. "If you wish for the Imperial Guard to change its strategy, I can certainly pass that up the chain of command." Her smile fell flat, though her mouth still ticked up in vestiges of her perennial smirk. "Denobula was indefensible. High Command made their decision and kept it classified in order to keep the Romulan forces bulwarked there and not reinforcing other theaters. Retaking Berengaria and halting the Romulan advance toward our home sectors unfortunately made Denobula a necessary sacrifice for the moment." She tilted her head from one side to the other. "Was there anything else?"

T'shir walked calmly into the ready room as the Colonel raised his voice at Major sh'Kohlaka, and was able to observe the entirety of her response. Though many human social customs were alien to T'shir, the Colonel's anger and the Major's dispassionate response were not difficult for T'shir to read. Her own people distrusted the Andorians for hundreds of years for good reason, and the present alliance was a cautious one and born out of a common enemy, and not mutual respect.

“Sub Commander, good! I was just telling the Major here, as I’ll tell you. Denobula surrendered to the Romulans. They were overran about two weeks ago according to this message from Dr. Lucas who was there from Cold Station 12."

"Two weeks," T'lenn repeated calmly. "That is a significant delay in information relay. Do we have any information about why they did not contact Starfleet for assistance when the Imperial Guard retreated?"

"Repositioned," Pel quietly corrected.

“Apparently according to the message it happened quite quickly before anyone even realized. The Vulcan Argosy squadron stationed there for the IMF conference defense, was decimated before they could even warn the ground. President Trexa capitulated as soon as the first Romulan soldiers arrived.”

Josiah paused before continuing.

“As for the delay of the transmission, it was due to the Romulan Blockade. The courier only managed to get into range of the Echo 6 Subspace Relay last night.”

"Does your SigInt suggest this poses any material effect to our current operation?" Pel asked. "If not, then I request permission to get dressed."

T'lenn glanced disapprovingly at the major's attire, something she had not intended on acknowledging. "Perhaps you should have dressed before leaving your quarters. I'm sure the Colonel and the rest of the crew would have appreciated the effort even dressing would have delayed your arrival." Turning back to the Colonel, T'lenn asked "Are we being asked to intervene Colonel?"

"In a manner of speaking. We've been asked to locate several HVTs on Berengeria who stayed behind to let the others escape. One of them in particular is of vital importance to the War Effort."

Josiah turns his monitor around, a striking Blonde Haired woman stared at them with a detailed file.

"We've been asked to retrieve Brigadier Thames, commanding 5th MACOs"

"Is there proof of life?" Pel asked flatly, completely ignoring the Vulcan. If the colonel wanted to let the code-talker speak for him on his own ship, that was between the two of them. "We can reconfigure the plan of attack according to their last known whereabouts."

"How may I assist, Colonel?" T'shir asked pointedly. If there was work to be done to ease the Colonel's burden she would take on any tasks needed and delegate as appropriate.

"T'shir, I need you to talk to your superiors in the Vulcan Argosy, see if they can provide us with recent movements from the Berengerian Sectors."

Josiah turns to the Andorian

"From what reports that MACO have from the survivors of Berengeria Colony and Salem One, some of 5th MACOs remained behind for the rest to escape. Brigadier Thames was one of them and the highest ranking survivor, along with, I hope, my brother, Major John McEntyre of 1st Company."

"I'm afraid that isn't much to go off of," Pel replied. "Romulans are known to use dedicated interrogation facilities specifically staffed for that purpose. Do we have confirmation that your HPT is still on Berengaria? She could have been shipped off to gods know where."

"Last we heard, from the troopers that arrived with Major Ishikawa, Thames, Major McEntyre, and a..."

Josiah looked through the paperwork again.

"Captain Edison, along with 50 or so volunteers, stayed behind to cover the evacuation. Presumably they're still alive."

T'shir indicated she was about to speak with a subtle gesture with her head. "I will speak with the Vulcan Argosy. Anything else, Colonel?"

"No Sub-Commander, thank you. Please let me know when you have a reply from the Argosy."

Josiah Replied.

"I will brief the Major Ishikawa, unless you wish to do it," Pel said in peace offering. For a strategist, the colonel didn't seem to understand the price of war. But perhaps he would yet prove a good soldier and see his mission through. No one could ask for more than that.

"It'd be good for you and Major Ishikawa to get along. Let me know if you have any issues. Otherwise, thank you both. That'll be all"

OFF:

Colonel Josiah McEntyre
Commanding Officer
Unicorn NX-151

Sub-Commander T'Shir
Officer of the Watch/Chief Communications Officer
Unicorn NX-151

Major Arjut'Pelan sh'Kohlaka
Chief Strategic Intelligence Officer/MACO Officer
Unicorn NX-151

RSS Feed