Chapter Text
The last six hours had proved especially busy for the crew of Gibraltar. However, aside from the bustle of cargo offloading operations, their time in orbit had proved blessedly incident free.
Ramirez entered the transporter room in time to see Sandhurst and the rest of the away team regain physical cohesion. Their faces were grim as they stepped down off the platform. “ Bad?” she asked.
Sandhurst sighed. “Bad enough. Their government is in shambles, and the infrastructure damage has set their post-Dominion recovery efforts back nearly a year.” The away team members surrendered their sidearms, tricorders and other gear to the transporter chief and then stepped into the corridor. “We spoke with the nominal head of government, the former minister of civil affairs.”
“However,” Pell added, “there are at least a dozen different individuals or factions claiming leadership status at the moment. Figuring out who’s really in charge is going to take some work.”
“Any idea who’s behind the attacks?” the exec asked as Taiee trudged past. The nurse practitioner and her assistant hefting a large trunk filled with Velk data crystals containing much of the species’ accumulated medical knowledge.
Pell frowned. “That depends on who you ask. Some parties are convinced it’s the Dominion, while others point to homegrown separatist groups or regional crime syndicates. Since no one has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks, there are no definitive answers.”
The team members began to drift off, some heading to get something to eat, others returning to their duty posts. The captain halted Lar’ragos in his tracks, “Not so fast, Pava.” The El-Aurian turned back, looking pensive.
Sandhurst shifted his focus back to Ramirez and inquired, “Status of our cargo transfer?”
“Ahead of schedule. We’ll be completed within the next three hours.”
“Excellent,” Sandhurst remarked without much enthusiasm. “When we’re finished with that, we’ll remain on station here while Pell and I work to try and cobble together some kind of governing coalition. I’m not holding out much hope, but we’ve got to at least make an effort.”
“Aye, sir.” Ramirez inclined her head in the direction of Taiee. “Once the lieutenant uploads the Velk medical database and syncs the information with the EMH program, we’ll be ready to start bringing up casualties from the surface for treatment.”
“Very well, keep me apprised, Commander.” Sandhurst pivoted on his heel, heading off down the corridor as he called back to Lar’ragos. “Walk with me, Lieutenant.” Lar’ragos appeared reluctant, but nonetheless moved to catch up with him as Sandhurst rounded the corner.
As Sandhurst stepped into the turbolift alcove and pressed the call button, he took a moment to inspect his friend. “You want to tell me what’s going on with you? I haven’t seen you this keyed up in a while.”
Lar’ragos spent a moment staring at the floor before meeting Sandhurst’s gaze. "I’m not sure, actually. I’m just… off.”
The lift car arrived, and they stepped aboard. Sandhurst selected Deck 5, senior officer’s quarters. “How so?”
“It’s difficult to explain. My abilities are… well, they feel scrambled somehow. I’m having trouble reading people and situations with my usual insight.” He looked uncommonly self-conscious. “And when I’m not in possession of my ‘cheats,’ I have a tendency to become a bit… edgy.”
Sandhurst considered that admission for a moment before he remarked, “That subspace weapon the Orions tried to use on us in the Pierosh system last year put you in a coma for three days. If I’m understanding Shanthi correctly, whatever was used to destroy our task force was several orders of magnitude more powerful. Do you think that might have something to do with it?”
Lar’ragos shrugged with his hands. "It’s the only thing I can think of that makes any sense.”
The lift arrived at its destination, but Sandhurst did not move to exit the car. “Pava, special perceptions or no, I need you at my side right now. More than that, I need you focused and steady. If we’re facing something the Dominion has set in motion, I’ll be counting on your experience and training to help guide us through it.”
The lieutenant nodded distractedly. “I understand, sir. I apologize for my outburst planetside.” He took a deep breath. “I’ll get my head on straight, Captain. I promise.”
Sandhurst gripped the smaller man’s shoulder. “See that you do.” With that, he walked out of the lift, leaving Lar’ragos to struggle with his doubts.
*****
The large viewscreen in the briefing room now contained live images of over a dozen ‘delegates,’ who claimed, some even legitimately, to have leadership standing among the Velk population. Sandhurst and Pell sat side-by-side, facing the viewer with assorted padds crowding the table top in front of them.
Sandhurst marveled at Pell’s patience with the squabbling factions, as well as her ability to cite fundamental similarities between some of the groups that had already led to more than one coalition being formed before their eyes. Time and again, Pell interrupted the delegates’ quarreling to remind them that their planet was in crisis, and that quibbling over minutia would be of benefit to no one.
“I would call attention to the fact that your military is rudderless at present,” Pell prodded an obstinate officer who held the analogous rank to a colonel in the Bajoran militia. “If an invasion of your world is forthcoming, your military must be united under a single banner in order to function.”
This, unfortunately, incited another barrage of claims, allegations, and arguments in regard to which civilian body would be placed in charge of the planet’s armed services. Sandhurst muted the audio pickup and leaned in to whisper to Pell, “I’ve got to take a break. Otherwise, I may start targeting their cities from orbit.”
“Fine by me,” she returned after an exasperated sigh. “So long as Prelate Voulst and his little band of constitutionalists are the first to fall.”
Sandhurst suppressed a wry smirk as he reactivated the audio. “Delegates, again we thank you for your continued cooperation and input. A brief recess is in order before we continue this discussion.”
“How is it you get to decide when we break for a recess?” squawked one of the representatives, a disagreeable religious figure much reviled by the others.
“I’m the one with the starship,” Sandhurst deadpanned as he severed the communications link. “Oh… thank the Prophets” he breathed as the screen darkened. He rested his head on his folded arms atop the table. “Ojana, I don’t know how you do it.”
“Sedatives,” she replied. “You’d be surprised how much crap you can put up with when you’re floating on five cc’s of ambizine.”
He laughed. “I’m glad you can maintain a sense of humor.”
She reached over to rub his back with one hand. “Growing up in refugee camps helps a person distinguish importance from impudence. Most of the early rounds of negotiation are for show. Once they’ve postured sufficiently, they’ll start concentrating on where their individual groups will end up in this new leadership hierarchy.”
The door chimed, and Pell quickly reeled in her hand as Sandhurst sat up straight in his chair. “Enter.”
Ramirez stepped into the room and glanced at the deactivated viewer before moving over to the table. “Taking a break, sir?”
“Thankfully yes,” Sandhurst affirmed. “What’s going on?”
“Three issues that require your attention, sir. First, a Velk sentry outpost has reported what they believe to be a large warship inbound from the direction of a local stellar cluster. Their scans proved indeterminate as to specifics, due to the growing subspace interference in this region. That leads in to the second subject, that being Shanthi believes the communications blackout zone is actually growing, radiating outward from the point of detonation. He estimates that in another two hours, we won’t even be able to contact the surface from orbit.”
Sandhurst’s expression darkened. “That makes sense. Destroy the Federation task force and simultaneously garble the region’s communications to mask an attack on the planet from the oncoming warship.”
“Lar’ragos agrees with you, Captain,” Ramirez said, sharing that view herself. “He’s recommending going to red alert and moving to intercept the oncoming vessel.”
Sandhurst blew out a long breath as he mulled that over. “Just us? If that’s a Dominion battle cruiser on route, that’d constitute the galaxy’s shortest intercept ever.”
“The Velk are offering to send a squadron of their patrol craft along with us,” Ramirez informed him.
“You said three issues,” Pell pointed out. “What’s the third one, Liana?”
Ramirez moved to the viewer and linked the screen to the ship’s memory database. “This newscast was sent to us from someone on the surface using an untraceable civilian transceiver array. Obviously, someone down there thought we’d find it interesting.”
An image appeared there, overlaid with Velk text that the computer translated into Federation standard script. The scrolling undercarriage on the image read, Velk Envoy to Federation Spotted Aboard Matroba Trade Station. “This image was apparently taken sixteen hours after the destruction of our task force,” Ramirez elaborated. The jumpy, grainy image showed someone who certainly appeared to be Envoy Jivin Sharm being hustled through a crowded concourse aboard a bustling space station by two unnaturally large Velk.
‘Or…’ Sandhurst thought with a sudden thrill of recognition, ‘…two average sized Jem’Hadar.’
“Someone managed to abduct Sharm out from under our noses?” Pell asked, her voice laden with skepticism.
“That,” Ramirez countered, “or the Envoy Sharm we had aboard the Nagasaki was a Changeling.”
“Where is this Matroba trade station?” the captain solicited.
“It’s the primary trade outpost for commerce between Velkohn and the Bog,” Ramirez replied crisply. “It’s four lightyears from here. ETA at Warp 8 is thirty-four hours.”
Sandhurst rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly. “How many ships can the Velk assemble on short notice?”
“Given current circumstances, perhaps twelve. Their maximum speed is Warp 6, and their armaments are on par with late 23rd century Federation technology.”
Sandhurst looked morose as he weighed his options in silence while his XO and second officer looked on. Finally, he announced his decision. “Commander, set all hands to battle stations and make arrangements for the Velk squadron to form up with us. We’ll lead the intercept with the oncoming vessel. Provided we survive that encounter, we’ll set course for the trade station and investigate the possible sighting of Envoy Sharm.”
Pell appeared stymied. “And the delegates?”
He cocked his head apologetically and Sandhurst offered, “You’ve got thirty minutes to explain the situation and convince them to cooperate amongst themselves. Tell them that if whatever ship is bearing down on this system gets past us, it will quickly become their problem. That ought to underscore the severity of their situation for them.”
Pell nodded reluctantly as she made peace with that decision. “Yes, sir.”
Sandhurst stood and headed for the door with Ramirez following in his wake. “Let’s go make nice with the neighbors, Exec.”
*****