10 Star Trek SID Cat & Mouse
Six hours after intervening, the Hood recovered her fighters and departed Atrocitus' solar system. Leaving at Warp 6, the Hood allowed the escorts to push out ahead. The gun slinging starships would be a fair match for any enemy ships encountered. The Hood was only fifteen minutes behind the Monitor and the Merrimack so she could rapidly reinforce their efforts with her own armament and her fighter wing.
The Troy still hadn't restored auxiliary power upon her siblings' departure. Minutes dragged on and became several hours before Limerick's Tactical Officer, Lt. Wreshander ch'Aya, turned away from his board. The Andorian looked stricken.
Havelick was prowling around the bridge while Limerick exuded calm from the center seat. She saw Shan's distress and loudly inquired as to its nature. The Andorian informed the XO that he was receiving a distress call from the Troy. Havelick demanded that he put it on speakers.
Captain Eneryo could be heard shouting at whoever was listening to assist them. Screams could be heard behind her voice. There was a final series of screams and the signal died.
"There's nothing else, Commander," Shan reported with a ragged voice.
Limerick rose and surveyed his crew. Guilt shone on every face. They were all looking to him. Verity Jones carefully studied him. She'd been with the crew longer than anyone other than Havelick. She was also a commanding officer, albeit of a fighter wing. She knew the agony that Limerick must be feeling.
Limerick noted her empathetic gaze and nodded in her direction. That left Cho at OPS and Sanders at CONN. The other occupants of the bridge looked shell-shocked. Limerick knew he had to act or the crew would consume itself in its grief.
"The commander and crew of the Troy made their choice. Rather than exit an occupied system, they chose to risk it all for a crippled vessel. I would hope that this crew would not do likewise in similar circumstances. A ship is an object. It was once wisely said, 'Risk is our business.' And it is but I would trust that we would not take foolish risks for vainglorious causes. The remnant of the Troy's crew knew that this would probably be their fate. They knew that we could not support them yet they opted to go it alone. We will honor their memory and choose to overlook the rashness of their final choices. Carry on."
He turned to Havelick, "Commander, you have the bridge."
With that, Limerick went to his Ready Room, let the door close behind him, and he slumped behind his desk. The message light on his computer console flashed and Shan paged him, "Captain, you have a message coming in from the Merrimack."
"I'll take it in here," Limerick replied. He activated the screen and it went from its standard UFP symbol to an image of Captain Alec Prine looking very concerned.
"What can I do for you, Alec?" Limerick asked. He and Prine had worked closely together for years as Starfleet Intelligence's dedicated troubleshooters. Captain Hev Callas of the Monitor fleshed out their little group.
"I think the question is: what can I do for you, Merry?" Prine stipulated.
"I don't think that…" Limerick was suddenly cut off by Prine's sharp retort.
"Cut the crap, Merry. It was your call to leave Eneryo and her band of lunatics behind. That's got to be eating you up inside," Prine guessed.
Limerick sighed and sagged even further, "You have no idea."
"Look, Paige is running things over here and I can spare a few minutes but I think you have someone aboard that you really need to talk to," Prine suggested.
"I'm sure Counselor Wedge's staff is probably overloaded right now," Limerick replied.
"I'm not thinking of your ship's counseling staff," Prine dryly replied, "Right now you have a certain 'Listener' aboard. I think he could do wonders."
"Macen?" Limerick suddenly realized who Prine was referring to. Prine nodded and Limerick blurted out, "How could he help?"
Prine was decidedly amused, "Brin Macen lost his entire civilization, an entire insurrection, a career, several starships, and his wives. I think he could help you with coping."
Limerick mulled it over. After getting over Prine's usage of the term wives he began seeing the human's point. Macen had been dealing with life and death struggles for over eighty years that he knew of. As a commanding officer, he'd helped his people navigate the Delta and Beta Quadrants, he'd led an intel unit in the Maquis, he'd lost at least three aforementioned starships, and he'd endured losses at a highly personal level. Yet he kept going. He dealt with the losses and hadn't let them stop him. Rather, the misfortunes had caused him to flourish.
"I think I will talk to him. Thank you, Alec," Limerick decided.
"You can thank me by freeing up a member of your counseling staff and sending them my way," Prine requested.
"I'll talk to Lt. Wedge and see what I can arrange. Do you think Hev needs a counselor as well?" Limerick wondered.
Prine shook his head, "His crew is entirely Bajoran and they're all among the faithful. That got them through their time on the Resistance and I'm sure it'll do for now. Once we return to port I'll recommend to Hev that his people get assessed. He won't like it but he'll see it's done."
"I see," Limerick said with a tone that voiced his disapproval.
Prine grinned, "Rein in your prejudices, Merry. The Bajorans may be religious but they're also warm, caring people. Without their faith their culture never would have survived the Cardassian Occupation."
"I'll reserve judgment and bow before your expertise," Limerick slyly deferred.
"You're such an ass," Prine laughed.
Limerick playfully sniffed, "I am also senior in grade so you should be more respectful."
"That'll be the day," Prine scoffed, "Take care, Merry. Talk to Macen."
The screen reverted to the UFP seal and Limerick thought about it. Picard swore by the Guinan's skills. The El-Aurian bartender had left the civilian Starfleet Support Services Agency after the destruction of the Enterprise-D but she'd recently taken a position in an establishment located within Deep Space 3. She'd spent the intervening years at a bar called Sanguine on Beta IV.
Guinan had left Beta IV following the massive Borg invasion of four years ago. The colony had been destroyed by the Collective and only a handful of survivors had escaped destruction. While the Federation sought to rebuild the colony, Guinan had been severely shaken by her second near death encounter with the Borg. She'd departed for DS3 and never looked back.
The station's CO, Captain Alfonso Reyes, adored Guinan and sang her praises…sometimes quiet literally much to the chagrin of his paramour, Ro Laren. Ro was a close personal friend of Guinan's and made a point of seeing her every time she visited the station. Guinan in turn had toured Ro's commands, both old and new. Ro and Guinan had conspiratorially shared the opinion that the new, Bajoran designed station was a vast improvement over the Cardassian built Terok Nor turned Deep Space 9.
Limerick was familiar with Reyes. Reyes' grandfather was the infamous Commodore Diego Reyes of Starbase 47, also known as Vanguard, who violated the State Secrets Act and divulged the true mission of the Taurus Reach expansion. The uncensored account of Starfleet's encounter with the Shedai and Reyes' own authorization of the use of General Order 24 against the aliens had resulted in the extermination of all life on an M-class planet and the eradication of a Federation colony.
Diego Reyes had been court-martialed, stripped of rank, and sentenced to the New Zealand Penal Colony on Earth. The Klingons had liberated him, the Orions had given him sanctuary, and Lt. T'Prynn of Starfleet intelligence had arranged for his exile to Caldos. Alfonso Reyes had followed in his grandfather's footsteps, the first Reyes to enter Starfleet after the elder Reyes' fall from grace.
Alfonso Reyes had served aboard starships and space stations. He preferred space stations. His administrative talents made him a natural candidate for a station command of his own. As a Commander he'd led Starbase 52 for two years until he was promoted to Captain and offered any open slot that he desired. Commodore Westlake was stepping down at DS3 so Reyes leapt at the opportunity to serve there.
Deep Space 3 sat at the edge of the Federation's coreward frontier and it straddled the Romulan Neutral Zone. Life was rarely boring. Unlike his lady love, Reyes didn't have personal command of an auxiliary starship. Instead he had command authority over three starships assigned to his territory. They conducted exploration missions, colonial support missions, provided law enforcement, and protected the station. Reyes was more than happy with the arrangement since he knew he was out of his league on the bridge of a starship.
Given all of that, Reyes had surprised Limerick by not only seeking Guinan's advice but also heeding it on most occasions. The Elvin knew that Reyes was heavily influenced by Ro. Rumor had it the El-Aurian had only skipped out on moving to Deep Space 9 because of Quark. The Ferengi bar owner had become an institution aboard the station. He'd arrived while the Cardassians still administered the station and had stayed until its destruction. It was common knowledge that he'd already secured a billet aboard the new Prophet-class station.
Quark's had acquired such a reputation that the owner had been able to franchise his name. Of course, it helped that his brother was the Grand Nagus but it was also because Quark honestly cared about his patrons. Of course, a patron who felt appreciated was looser with their latinum. And Quark had a bottom line after all.
But Guinan had felt compelled to avoid competing with Quark so she'd enlisted Ro's help in seeking a new residence. Ro had guided her to DS3 and history had begun. Carrying letters of recommendation from Captains Picard and Riker as well as securing a personal appearance by Ro, Reyes had been persuaded to "suggest" to the owner of La Salsa that she hire Guinan. The owner had done so and now gratefully let Reyes and Ro dine for free.
Reyes had talked Limerick's curved ear off about Guinan. The Elvin knew all the usual fanciful tales about El-Aurians but there were so few of them left that he'd never encountered one for himself until he met Macen. Limerick had to admit that there was something to the man. Something that reminded him of the Elvin Elders. Elvins were a long lived race but they were in a separate class from El-Aurians. Limerick was over three hundred years old and was beginning to feel his age while Macen beat that by over a century and he was still in his prime.
But it was Macen's eyes that had seized Limerick's attention upon their first meeting. Macen's were alight with arcane knowledge. Macen knew things that he wasn't telling and his eyes twinkled with delight at the thought. They also shone with the clear light of experience. Macen had seen things no sentient deserved to see and yet he'd witnessed them and grown from them. Limerick could use that right now.
"Computer, locate Brin Macen," Limerick instructed.
The SID team's comm badges had been tied into the comm network and the Obsidian crewmen had been issued guest badges. The computer located Macen in the VIP quarters assigned to Riker and Danan. The Obsidian CO, along with the SID CO and the Starfleet captains, had been assigned to the VIP cabins aboard. Guthrie had declined one and had opted for the crew bunks set up in the cargo bays. The married couples had objected to the group arrangements but they'd basically been told to stow it until they arrived at Bajor.
The Hood, Monitor, and Merrimack had been ordered to the Bajoran Sector. Ro had fought the Enforcers to a near standstill but some of the Iridian ships made it through the wormhole. Admiral Jellico, acting as Starfleet C-in-C, ordered her to implode the wormhole despite the danger to the aliens dwelling within its realm. The so-called "Prophets" had once "removed" a Dominion fleet at Benjamin Sisko's request but there was no telling if they would do so again especially now that the Prophets no longer considered Sisko their Emissary.
Ro did as she was ordered and the wormhole permanently closed with a miasmic discharge of energy. The potential threat from the Dominion had been averted. From a practical point of view, it was no longer necessary to move DS9 out of Bajoran orbit and place it at the mouth of a wormhole that no longer existed. This meant the commerce directed at the station would also spill over to Bajor far more easily than before.
The Hood and her escorts had a thirteen hour transit before they reached Bajor. DS9 was up and running while engineering teams put in the finishing touches across the station. Admiral Leonard James Akaar, who'd overseen Ro's defense of the wormhole, was conducting an after action briefing aboard the station. Surviving elements of the Ninth Fleet would be present just as the Seventh Fleet would be represented. The Cardassians, Klingons, and Ferengi would all be there. Realistically Akaar, as Alpha Theater Commander, was seeking information so he could prosecute the next stage of this conflict. Limerick had learned Admiral Johnson and Ambassador Picard would be in attendance as well.
Limerick shoved aside the dark thoughts of war. All out conflict could still be averted. After all, that had been Johnson and Picard's mission. Of course, the Iridians had struck during the negotiations. Limerick dimly recalled something in human history of a group attacking another group at a location called Pearl Harbor during peace talks. He couldn't remember the nations states involved but he had visited the memorial while at the Academy on Earth.
As Limerick dimly recalled, the resultant conflict had yielded earth's Violent Atomic Age that had ended with their Third World War shortly before First Contact with the Vulcans. The war against the Dominion had not spurred the use of biogenic agents or other weapons of mass destruction but the Maquis conflict had. How Sisko had gotten away with unleashing a biogenic weapon, even in response to the Maquis' previous use of one, was beyond Limerick.
The Borg conflict had resulted in the proliferation of transphasic weapons. Like the slipstream drive, these weapons were entirely the purview of the Federation but it was only a matter of time before her allies, and her enemies, gained access to the technologies as well. Amongst the allies, the Cardassian Union was pressing hard and fast for technology transfers. Meanwhile, the Typhon Pact's best minds were working on the problem as well.
Limerick tried to shove such concerns aside for at least a few moments. He stepped out of his Ready Room and quietly conferred with Havelick and then he entered the turbolift and proceeded to Deck Five Section Eight. There, he found the cabin assigned to Tom Riker and his wife. If he'd known what was transpiring inside, he may have hesitated before touching the door chime.
"You want me to what?" Riker couldn't believe his ears, "You honestly want me to take over command of Serenity?"
"Yes," Macen calmly affirmed the request.
"It's a space station!" Riker yelped.
"I am aware of that," Macen dryly reminded him.
Danan and Rockford were staying very quiet. Danan remained silent because she knew Riker had to make this decision of his own accord. Rockford just felt Macen was better qualified to persuade Riker than she was. Her own history with the starship captain was rather turbulent owing to their conflicts while she led the SID team.
"I'm a starship captain," Riker insisted.
"But will you accept a starship command right now?" Macen asked as if he already knew the answer.
Riker blinked. The question caught him cold and Macen knew it. Riker looked to Danan with an imploring gaze. She smiled her encouragement but she already knew the answer as well.
"No," Riker admitted defeat, "Not yet." He shook his head in disgust, "Dammit."
"That's what I thought," Macen said in a neutral tone, "Tom, you're too vital of an asset to let lie around while you get your head back together and take command of another ship. Zyrain is gone and Serenity needs a new CO."
"But it's a civilian post," Riker countered.
"In case you hadn't noticed, Captain, you're also a civilian," Macen chuckled. Seeing a glint of acknowledgement in Riker's eyes, he pressed on, "Kathy and I agree that P'ris' presence and the Romulans' hard on for her militarizes the situation aboard Serenity. It has also become glaringly apparent that the station CO should also be familiar with the rigors that the Outbound Ventures crews face every day." Macen paused for effect and then added, "I'm not asking you to take permanent command. When you're ready to move on, we'll find a replacement for you and transfer you to a ship."
Macen suddenly smiled slyly, "And just so you know, the Indomitable has been assigned as the station's permanent protector. You'd be in command of her."
Riker suddenly smiled. He'd briefly commanded the Indie before his return to the Obsidian as her captain. The Indie had been constructed in an era where the "Escorts" weren't dedicated warships but rather smaller ships designed to draw fire off of the ships of the line. She was a tough little cookie and could slog it out with ships three times her size.
"I think I could live with that," Riker admitted. He began to seriously consider the option, "Who would be XO? Is Shannon going to be available?"
"Shannon already has a posting," Macen said gently.
"With whom?" Riker indignantly wanted to know.
"She's the newly appointed Exec aboard the Solstice," Macen supplied the answer.
"The Solstice?" it took Riker a moment to recall that Macen had arranged for a replacement for the first vessel that bore that name. She was even of the same class and had the same adaptations as the original. She was also Macen's personal command. He pointed at the El-Aurian, "Your ship?"
"Yup," Macen proudly said.
"Does she know what she's getting into?" Riker asked with some dismay.
Macen smirked, "She did serve as my XO for a couple of years before I was, shall we say, relieved of command?" Seeing that Riker's concerns were not alleviated, he pressed on; "Shannon's father ran the shipyards that designed and produced the Blackbird-class. She's been weaned on stories about them."
Riker had to grudgingly concede that there were plenty of those. The scoutships had served on the frontier between the Cardassian Union and the Federation during the Border Wars. When the war with the Tzenkethi broke out, the scouts served at the forefront of that conflict as well. Despite their small size, they were in fact twenty meters shorter than the Defiant-class ships; they were rugged and highly formidable. It had taken a ship class the caliber of the Saber-class to replace them.
Macen had first gained control of a Blackbird-class scout with the civilian registry of the NDR-17017 SS Odyssey when he stole the ship from a Section 31 bone yard. That move had begun the brief conflict between himself and S31. The Odyssey served as Macen's command throughout the bulk of the Maquis conflict. She'd been pressed into Starfleet service as the SID's first undercover vessel. She'd also been subsequently destroyed on her first mission.
Macen's team had briefly utilized a Ju'day-class raider such as those used by Chakotay, Michael Eddington, and Ro Laren. It was then that Riker had been brought into the team as the ship's captain. That vessel too had been destroyed. The original Solstice had been brought into play at that point. She'd died rescuing Macen and T'Kir from the Orion Syndicate. She'd been replaced not only by a namesake but also by the Obsidian.
The Obsidian became the team's primary asset while the Solstice was subsequently relegated to secondary duties as Macen's personal ship. She'd seen action in the Cell 51 crisis and occasionally when Macen took her on a jaunt. Riker knew of Starfleet's desperate recommissioning of any and all vessels they could lay their hands on. Intellectually he'd known that their getting a new vessel was a slim hope. It just seemed strange to have the Solstice back in action again.
"Can I at least have Parva as my Chief of Operations?" Riker whined.
"Nope," Macen grinned.
"Gilan?" Riker was getting desperate now.
"`Fraid not," Macen lipped off, "Let me save you some time. Besides the aforementioned staff, Jaycee and Edwin have also signed on."
Riker just stared at him. Macen offered him a bone, "At least Gerrit Gren is available for Chief of Security. The station needs a new chief now that Delequoi is retiring."
"Gee, thanks," Riker grumbled.
"Chris is available for Chief of Operations," Macen reminded him.
Frankly, Riker had never considered Christino ard'Vret. The Andorian rubbed him the wrong way. But Parva sang his praises so he couldn't be all bad.
"I'll take it under consideration. Now what about an Exec?" Riker wondered.
Macen and Rockford looked at Danan. She gaped at them. When her husband added the weight of his imploring gaze she held up her hands in awarding gesture, "Ohhh no. I'm done with that bull crap. I'm a scientist, specifically I'm a stellar cartographer, leave it at that."
"The only problem is that Serenity's home system is pretty much mapped out. So is everything around it until you hit the Black Cluster and the Breen Confederacy," Macen sagely reminded her.
Danan gave him a cold glare and then she met Riker's eyes. She heaved her shoulders and sighed, "All right, damn you. I'll do it.
Riker rose and swept her up into a bear hug. After extricating herself from his embrace she distanced herself from him. Stabbing a finger into his chest she declared, "But you're doing your own goddamn paperwork."
"Of course," he said blithely.
She shot him the stink eye, "Don't 'of course' me. Shannon told me what kind of shape the personnel records were in when she took over."
He held up his hands in surrender, "Hey, I was First Officer and pretty much the acting Captain before she took over. I didn't have time to keep meticulous files."
"Yeah, yeah," Danan said scornfully, "Somehow Shannon manages to."
"Well, Shannon is…unusual in several areas," Riker said defensively.
"Here we go again," Danan rolled her eyes.
"What?" Riker was trying to figure out what he'd said.
"Never mind. As long as you're not judging her by her penis," Danan asserted.
"I never thought I'd hear anyone say that," Riker muttered.
"Thomas William Riker!" Danan scolded him.
Riker hung his head. There were some days when he just couldn't win. James T. Kirk was dead wrong. There were no win scenarios.
The door chimed and Riker opened it and Limerick stood outside, "Am I interrupting?"
"No," Riker gratefully replied even as Danan said, "Yes," from within the quarters.
"How can I help you?" Riker inquired.
"Actually I'm looking for Commander Macen," Limerick hesitated.
"Actually, he's taking command of a ship so he'd be 'Captain' again," Riker said helpfully.
"I see, but is he inside?" Limerick asked.
Macen shouldered past Riker, "How can I help you, Merry?"
"Do you have time to talk?" Limerick wondered.
"I have nothing but," Macen replied, "Shall we move to your quarters?"
Limerick nodded, "I think that would be best."
"After you," Macen smiled and then he turned and addressed the occupants of the VIP cabin, "Try to leave him alive, ladies."
The door closed and Riker turned around to realize that Rockford had suddenly taken Danan's side and they both looked as though they wanted to rip him a new one. He looked towards the ceiling, "No one said it would be easy."