Chapter 11
General Ralaa Asserts His Authority
Stardate 2366.067
"Commander, you present a compelling argument. I think we all agree we should at least hear your proposal. You say you have a plan to invade Federation space undetected?"
"Not quite councilor. There is not an insignificant chance of our mission being discovered. I believe however, I have a contingency plan in place that will handle that possibility."
"Not insignificant?" said Admiral Sarine. "What exactly does that mean?"
"I estimate the initial incursion has a 30% chance of being detected."
"Initial?! How many ships are you planning on sending on this mission?"
"There will be four ships initially, and ten sent later. The group of four will be crewed by the four families. As far as they know, they will have persuaded me of the 'righteousness' of their cause and I have secretly arranged the resources for their mission to Federation space. They will think that I have made sure their mission is kept secret from the council."
"And how were you planning on doing that? Four war birds complete with a crew is pretty hard to hide. And come to think of it, who exactly is it you are trying to hide the ships from now that you have told us?"
"It is imperative councilor, that the four families think this is their operation. If they suspect in any way that there is high council involvement, they will know they are being set up and will never embark on the mission in the first place. Furthermore, I felt it important we keep this operation within the military. The rest of the High Council is too weak for such a bold move. If we told them, we would have a much more difficult time discovering exactly what Starfleet is up to at the system in question. To answer your second question, the ships will be hidden in plain sight. There are currently eight ships in for repairs and routine maintenance at the yards. As you know, all of our ships rotate in and out of the yards regularly. Further, it's not unusual for them to be sent from there on all kinds of missions. Four ships will be sent to handle the problems in sector five."
"That's in the area where this planet is." Said Sarine.
"Yes, but on our side of the border."
"We just got some reporting on that. Something about unrest in one of the systems out that way. I think the governor there requested a show of force to help put it down. Routine stuff. Intelligence suggested we send ten ships if I remember…"
The General paused. His eyes widened as realization dawned. He smiled.
"And who is the governor?"
"A member of the four families. He was recently appointed after an unfortunate accident befell his predecessor at the hand of the "rebels" there."
Each of the officers reacted differently to this news. Admiral Sarine with grudging admiration, the General again with amusement, and Admiral Valdran with obvious anger he had not been consulted as head of Intelligence.
"And presumably once this rebellion is quelled, you figure the ships will be free to engage in this adventure of yours and no one will be the wiser?"
"Very succinctly put Admiral Valdran. I could not have said it better myself."
"Well you seem to have forgotten one thing," he said smiling.
"And what would that be councilor?"
"As soon as the ships are no longer needed, that fact will be reported to the rest of the high council. They will expect those ships to be posted near the planet in case the rebels reassert themselves, not gallivanting across the neutral zone."
"Councilor, there isn't really a rebellion on the planet. As far as the people on the planet can tell, it's business as usual. They were told there was a fact-finding mission scheduled for one of our military installations in the system. The details of it, of course, could not be disclosed for security reasons. That mission, as far as everyone of significance on the planet knows, is indefinite, and crucially, scheduled to take place far away from any prying eyes on or near the planet. The governor and a handful of his trusted aides are the sole people who know the true details of what we plan to do. All of them are members of the four families and committed to the real mission."
"No rebellion?"
Admiral Valdran looked at the other councilors as if he is about to object further to the Commander's subterfuge but then realized the other two had realized this from the start.
"Do you have any other questions or concerns councilor?
"Not at this time," he said grumpily.
"So, we've got four ships, who, when they are far enough away from Romulus, will divert to Federation space. Once there, they will debrief the outpost we set up a week ago on the outskirts of the system, and then head to the planet. They will be cloaked all the way and place operatives on the surface. The operatives will neutralize the Federation scientists and bring our own scientists in to examine the ruins."
"How will they prevent the scientists from alerting the Enterprise to the attack?"
"The Enterprise is not expected to arrive in system for an additional four days. The families will be there in one. Even if the Enterprise was in orbit, the nebula degrades ship-to-shore communications to the point where specialized, very powerful equipment is needed for the scientists to talk to ships in orbit. Consequently, communication is kept to a minimum and it's not unusual for the scientists to go for a day or two without talking to their ships. The Federation is not expecting any problems so security will be minimal. It will be no problem for our people to first compromise the equipment and then subdue the scientific team. Even if there are Federation people away from the site they will not have a means of raising the alarm. Once our people are in control, they will have a maximum of two days to find out what they can."
"Wait," said the General. "Did I just hear you say the four ships will arrive at the planet in one day?"
"Yes."
"So you have already dispatched the families to Federation space without our approval."
This last was not a question.
"Yes General. Given how fast things were moving, I thought it prudent…"
"To keep this operation from us so we could not prevent you from initiating it in the first place. I am not unfamiliar with boldness S'Talla, but I must warn you that you are playing a dangerous game here. Your actions so far are easily enough for us to order your execution as well as every member of those families you are so fond of. We will allow you to finish, but the potential benefit had better not only be significant, but more or less guaranteed. I hope we understand each other."
"Entirely General."
"So back to our discussion, is two days enough time for the families to find anything of significance?"
"Not for our purposes, no."
"What do you mean?"
"The families, as you know, are obsessed with finding the origins of our race. They plan to take pictures and recordings of all the hieroglyphs they can for later detailed examination. In addition, they plan to extract as much information as they can from the scientists there in the 48-hour window they have before they have to make their escape. It is important to note however, that their key objective is very different from ours. They know nothing of Starfleet's suspicion that there may be advanced technologies to be had there. They are aware of the myths of course, but they, like most of us, do not take them seriously."
"What if they find out about it from the scientists?"
"Unlikely, as my sources are reasonably sure they have yet to find anything significant. In addition, even if Starfleet has found something, the scientists will be very unwilling to tell a Romulan they had found anything. Even if we managed to find out they really were on to something, our people only have 48 hours before the people in orbit will start sending search parties. They cannot stay longer without seriously compromising their ability to escape and therefore their entire purpose of being there in the first place. No, even if they found out that advanced technology existed, they could not stay to search for it."
"Then the obvious question of course is, what are your plans to find this technology?" Said Admiral Sarine.
Admiral Valdran had been getting more anxious as S'Talla spoke and jumped in.
"I want to know who these sources of yours are! This whole operation seems more like a trap than anything else!"
"A trap? To what purpose councilor?"
"To drag us into a war with the Federation! At the very least, if this operation is not successful, our necks will be on the line!"
"I am not sure who would have such a motive councilor." The Commander said reasonably. "Besides, this is a secret mission initiated by dissident factions within the empire. You and your fellow councilors, "know" nothing about the operation and can completely deny you had anything to do with it. Furthermore, when you did find out about it, you immediately dispatched a larger fleet to bring them back. That is, of course, if you agree to go ahead with my plan."
Admiral Valdran was about to raise further objections when the General cut him off.
"Enough councilor! Perhaps we should listen to what our young man has to say. He seems to have thought this through pretty thoroughly."
"Thank you General. Once the families' ships have cleared Romulan space, the additional fleet will be dispatched. We will park at the outpost and await further instructions. My sources will let me know when the families are on planet, at which time, I will lead the other ships in system and make our presence known to the Federation. We will let them know that rebel elements have infiltrated their system, and that we are there to bring them to justice and to ensure our peaceful relations with the Federation continue. To make sure that no rebels escape, we will insist that no ships leave the system until we have completed a thorough search of the planet, nebula, and all of the space around it. I know that in addition to the Enterprise, Starfleet only has about three other ships in the system, all scientific vessels. There may be a few more ships roaming the nebula, but they will be no match for the ten vessels we will deploy. I expect we will be able to maintain a tense truce for a week or two under the guise of rounding up the rebel factions. That will be enough time for us to complete our exploration of the ruins and surrounding area for any of the technologies we suspect might be there. "
"And you think just two weeks will be enough?"
"The short answer is yes. The longer answer is that it will have to be. The nearest Starfleet reinforcements of any significance are two weeks away at maximum warp. Although the nebula prevents any kind of deep space communication, and we will be looking for any ships that will try to run our blockade, theoretically there are any number of ways the Federation people could get a message out. To prevent a serious confrontation that really could spark a war, we need to be well away from the system before those reinforcements can arrive. Now to be fair, we will be sending many times the number of people one would normally use for this type of exploration, and they will all be experts in ancient civilizations and technologies."
"That report I got a few days ago about a gathering of scientists? A conference of some sort?" Admiral Valdran commented.
"To discuss the latest research into the weaponization of ancient technologies. Yes, it was hard to disguise a group that large. I was hoping the council would just not care too much about such a gathering."
"And you even managed to tell the truth; in a manner of speaking at least. Clever." The General said admiringly.
S'Talla nodded, acknowledging the compliment.
"It seems you have thought of everything Commander."
You are most kind Admiral Valdran. I endeavor to serve the council to the best of my ability."
The General paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. The moment of truth S'Talla thought. He was about to find out if he would live past the next five minutes.
"I must say Commander, that I do share some of the same concerns as my esteemed colleague. When I hear a plan as purportedly as perfect as this, it just raises too many red flags."
"I can assure you General, I have thought of all possible contingencies. Would you like me to go over them for you?"
"That will not be necessary. I am sure you have prepared quite convincing arguments to refute every conceivable concern we could possibly raise. The fact remains that no plan survives first contact with the enemy. You are a senior military commander; you should know that. How can you know, for example, for a certainty, how many ships you will be facing?"
"My sources within the very heart of Starfleet report a limited contingent…"
Admiral Sarine spoke up.
"We have been fooled by Starfleet before Commander. What makes you so sure your "sources" are not luring you into a trap to destroy the fleet and significantly weaken our power in this sector?"
Admiral Valdran piled on.
"And that's another thing. Who are these "sources" you keep referring to? I have been in charge of intelligence matters for quite a few years now, and none of my spies have reported anything about this, and even if they did it would not be with anywhere near the detail you seem to be privy to. In my experience, insights into enemy activities are seldom as precise as you are telling us. Ship numbers, personnel deployments and meetings? I think it's time you shared with us where you are getting this information."
The meeting was not going in the direction S'Talla had hoped. He didn't want to reveal that his "source" was none other than Admiral Ruwon. As a member of the four families, these men would definitely not find her credible.
"Councilors, let us review. Admiral Valdran, even your network has picked up on the fact that there is significant activity centered on the system we have been talking about yes? And further, there is no doubt that the expedition the families mounted found strong evidence of our origins there. Don't believe me? Fine, I'll give you the name of the person who led the mission. Go ahead and torture the truth out of her if you doubt me. You also know the myths about advanced technologies our ancestors possessed. This alone should be enough to implement my plan if you are truly loyal to the empire. None of this information has anything to do with my "sources" you are so scornful of."
He paused to let that sink in.
"Now think about it gentlemen. Add in what my network has revealed and we are potentially facing a significant threat from the Federation."
He stopped speaking and waited for their reaction.
They all stared at him, unmoved. Well at least they have yet to call the guards to take me away he thought.
Admiral Valdran said quietly.
"Who is your spy S'Talla?"
"I cannot tell you that at this time."
"Commander, I find that unacceptable," said the General.
"I knew it! He has no source!" Admiral Valdran said.
Admiral Sarine, ever the calm and reasonable one said.
"Young man. You cannot expect us to commit this many resources solely on your word."
"I think we have wasted enough time. Let's execute this ughnen right now!"
"Councilors please! The empire is in danger. Think of the riches we will receive when we acquire the new technology!"
"Technology we can be assured of if we 'trust' your sources; which you refuse to divulge."
"I can assure you Admiral…"
"We are not interested in your assurances S'Talla. General, if you will not have this man executed, I will! Guards!"
The General had been mostly sitting back contemplating S'Talla while his Admirals argued with him.
"Gentlemen! Let's all calm down. Commander, my fellow councilors are correct, we cannot allow you to lead an expedition into Federation space."
S'Talla started feeling desperate. The fate of the families themselves depended on this mission going forward, but could not without the approval of these three men.
"Councilor I beg of you! Please do not disallow this mission!"
"Thank you General. Not going to happen S'Talla!" Admiral Valdran directed at the Commander. "Guards!"
The General interrupted.
"Oh it's going to happen alright."
Everyone stopped and stared at General Ralaa, not sure what to say.
"Thank you General," said S'Talla, relieved.
"You're just not going to lead it."
He paused for a second.
"I am."
S'Talla became desperate all over again. This was a contingency he definitely had not thought of.
"But General, a mission such as this is not without some danger and would take you away from more important…"
"Or we could go with Admiral Valdran's plan. He motioned for the guards who had just made their appearance to step forward.
Commander S'Talla looked at the approaching guards, then at Valdran's smiling face, then back at the General. Live to fight another day.
"I look forward to serving under your command General Ralaa."
