Alpha quadrant
B'hava'el System
Tempasa Militia Base, Bajor
Headquarters of the 3rd Infantry Division, 7th Battalion
Captain Bhan Larina stood outside the office of her battalion commander, Lt. Colonel Jena Kareen, and took a deep breath. In her three years as a company commander, she had never been summoned to Colonel Jena's office like this before.
She was facing the door, staring at the insignia of the Bajoran militia without seeing it, wondering what this could be about. Finally, she decided that it was better to find out than speculate, and pressed the console to indicate that she was at the door. She heard the gruff, "Enter," from the other side, and was still staring at the insignia as the doors slid open.
"Captain Bhan. Have a seat," Colonel Jena said in his usual manner, which was neither inviting nor intimidating, just there. He appeared to be finishing a report, and left her sitting there in silence as he did so. Scare tactics, Captain Bhan told herself. That's all he's doing, letting you know he's more important than you. So she waited patiently for him to finish and tell her why she was sitting there.
After a few minutes, he turned to her. "So, how have you been, Captain?" he asked, almost conversationally.
"I've been well, Colonel. Thank you," she replied formally.
"I've been studying reports from your company, and while I can see some areas for improvement, I'm overall pleased with the performance," he said, getting to the point.
"Thank you, sir," Bhan replied, not sure where this was leading.
"You have engaged the enemy on the ground three times in the past six months, is that correct?" he asked.
"Four, sir," Bhan replied. "Twice on Tareillias IV, and one time each on Miasoc II and Yegna VIII."
"I see," he muttered as he made a note on his PADD. "And you reached your objective all four times?"
"Yes, sir." He nodded his understanding before beginning.
"This war has put Bajor in a slightly awkward position," he started. "Technically, we're not part of the Federation, but we do have a military alliance with them, which we have been honoring. Recently, Starfleet has begun making changes in their fighting strategy. This war is different than any other Starfleet has been involved in, due to the high number of ground invasions. They aren't very well trained in ground combat, but we are. They've asked us to extend our alliance in that regard."
"If they need training for ground combat, why are you talking to me?" Bhan asked. "Kejal Company is the most successful in the Infantry. We're needed on the front lines. I don't have time to train a group of raw Starfleet recruits."
"They don't want training," Jena replied flatly. "They've asked for units to fight with them. They made the request at the top, and it got sent down to me. Our battalion has had more encounters with the enemy than any other in the entire Militia, and of the companies I command, yours has the best record. As a result, I am sending you to Starfleet."
Bhan wasn't exactly following the conversation. "Sending us to Starfleet? How does this work, sir?" she asked.
Jena sighed, but not from impatience, and it became apparent that he wasn't quite sure, either. "Your company will not be detached from the battalion, but you will enjoy more autonomy. You will be stationed aboard the U.S.S. James T. Kirk, and will be dispatched for ground combat when necessary."
"So we are still part of the Bajoran Militia, and still part of 7th Battalion?" Bhan asked, "But we'll take our orders from a Starfleet captain?"
"Yes," Jena said bluntly. He held up a hand to stop further questions. "I know it's not perfect, Captain, but it's the best solution we could come up with. The Starfleet captain will be on site and will have a better idea of the situation than I; it would make no sense for your orders to come through me. As I said, you will enjoy a certain amount of autonomy. This includes the right to refuse engaging the enemy when the objective is not clear or not attainable. I urge you, however, to use this right carefully. You don't want the reputation as one who avoids combat."
"I understand, sir," Bhan replied. That wouldn't be a problem—everyone in the Militia knew that the commanding officer of Kejal Company was more likely to find combat than avoid it. "When do we leave?"
"The Kirk is scheduled to arrive at Bajor in three weeks. You have that time to prepare your troops. As I understand it, quarters for the officers and berths for the soldiers have already been set aside, and are separate than those used by the Starfleet crew. You will still be allowed to train your soldiers as you see fit, and don't have to go by any Starfleet schedule." He paused here, seeming to collect his thoughts. "I know this is different, Captain, and we're still working the kinks out, but I hope for the sake of our future with the Federation, we can figure out how to make it work."
"As do I, sir," Bhan replied.
He nodded his understanding. "That's all, Captain. I've arranged for all of the intelligence we have on this agreement to be delivered to your office. Good luck." And with another nod, she was dismissed.