Artemis: Dr. Jarok, I presume
Dori
Everyone had been briefed on what was going on. The shuttles were prepared, and several security officers had been practicing with the personal cloaking devices for the last two and a half days. Artemis was coming up to the rendezvous point, and all that was needed was for the layer of plans that had been made to be put into action.
Patricia was sitting at her station, making sure everything was set with the shuttles, the security personnel were ready and briefed, everything was set to hopefully go smoothly. Patricia looked at the Captain and gave him a tight smile.
“Ten minutes until the rendezvous Captain. Security and Shuttle Bay report ready to launch and carry out the plan.”
“Ready from Security,” Harry confirmed.
“Tactical ready and standing by,” Bela added.
The Captain looked around the bridge from his chair. “Has this plan been practiced Commander?” He asked, addressing trish. “Our margin for error is slim at best.”
Patricia gave him a confident smile.
“We spent all yesterday running sims in the holodeck. We’ve got it down pat. But in all fairness, there is still a margin for error, but it’s as small as I could make it sir.”
“Good.” He said “Cmdr Bella. Anything on sensors at all?”
“That small blip is still there, just sitting here,” Bela growled. It irritated her no end that she couldn’t narrow it down more.
“Dam cloaking devices?” Henna uttered “bring us to yellow alert.”
“Aye sir - computer, yellow alert,” Bela said.
“Look sharp people.” Henna said “any movement bring us to red alert. Have we made contact with the transport?”
“Yes, sir,” Benina said. “They say they’re ready.”
“Helm do we have their current coordinates? As I believe they have been moving around.” Henna asked
“Aye sir. The helm has them and we’re moving to intercept.” Patricia replied quickly.
“Excellent. Bring us to 20 kilometres of their starboard Bose and hold for my orders.”
“Moving to 20 kilometers off their starboard, Captain.” there was a long pause as the helmsman maneuvered the ship. “And holding for orders.”
“Bela, open a secure channel.”
“Channel open air,” Bela confirmed.
Henna stood from his chair and looked around the bridge. “Romulan vessel, this is Captain Jonathan Henna aboard the Artemis.”
After a few seconds a voice came over the bridge main speakers. “Artemis, this is the Romulan vessel Vendor. Your passenger is standing by.”
“Acknowledged.” Henna made the mute gesture to Bela who muted the channel. “Anything out of the ordinary.”
“No sir, still nothing,” Bela said, face tense.
“Good, bridge to Lt Kirk.”
“Kirk here.”
“Lt, our guest will be coming aboard shortly. Are we ready.”
“Yes sir. Upon arrival Dr Jarok will be taken to sickbay to confirm identity.”
“Understood.” Henna said “stand by.” He nodded at Bella who reopened the channel. “Vendor, on my signal drop your cloak and begin transport. Cmdr Bela, you too.”
“Be ready for transport in three… two… MARK,” Bela called, nodding to the captain.
On queue. Both vessels decloked. Henna braced for the next thing however,
“Kirk to bridge. Transport compete.”
Henna shot a look at Piper then at Bela as he returned to the chair. “Helm, warp 9 get us out of here. Bela get us back under cloak and full sensor scan.”
“Aye sir, cloak at capacity, beginning full sensor sweep,” Bela called a moment later.
Henna looked at Trish. “Was our intel faulty?”
Trish was watching her panel, getting the results of the sweep at the same time. She frowned and shook her head.
“No sir, it was spot on. But it just seems too easy doesn’t it?”
“It was too easy. Why tell us there is a fleet of ships waiting then do nothing.” Henna said “get down to
Sickbay and make sure all is as it should be. We’ll stay at yellow alert for the moment but under cloak and at warp tracking us will be difficult.”
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Where the Artemis had been, four Romulan warbirds uncloaked, their hulls shimmering into the visible light spectrum. On the bridge of one, the Romulan who’d interacted with Beverly and Kairn hailed the encoded frequency he’d been given by the crazy woman. Her face flickered up onto the main viewer.
“Wow, you look like shit. Poison sucks, huh?” Beverly said, a wicked grin on her face. Behind her, Kairn stood with his arms crossed, face like stone.
“The Artemis has picked up the Doctor, just as we arranged. We intercepted the Vendor before the handoff, and Jarok has been firmly instructed of her goals. However, we have no way to track the Federation vessel with their cloaking technology. Jarok is…”
“Doctor.”
The Romulan leader paused, arching an eyebrow at Beverly.
“It’s Doctor Jarok. Have some damn respect. And stop with the monologuing, it’s so…” she waved her hands around. “...boring. Fucking boring!”
“I’ll send you Artemis' current heading and speed. Follow behind, but out of any normal pattern. Modulate your cloaking emitter frequency input bands with the instructions I send you, that should keep you fairly invisible to them. When I send updates, follow them. I’ll park you in front of the Artemis, pull them out of warp, and then you show up. Jarok should have modulated the shields by then and you’ll be clear to wipe the Artemis off the map.”
Beverly looked down at a cup of tea, still steaming. She picked it up and sipped it, as if she wasn’t on a communication channel with the Romulan rogue faction.
“You have another….matter….to settle.”
“Hm? Oh...yes. That. Kairn, be a doll and send the man his second dose of anti-venom? He’s looking a bit green around the gills. One more dose after that and he’ll be good as new. If he gets the job done.” Kairn nodded, heading off-screen. Beverly narrowed her gaze on the Romulan.
“Don’t fail me. Go.” The screen went dark, and the ship received the heading and speed to follow. Moments later, the four warbirds zipped into warp, following after the Artemis based on the received instructions.
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“You never told me you could track cloaked ships.” Kairn commented, stepping back into the bridge of the small vessel Beverly called home. It still felt foreign to him.
“Little trick I picked up from this ship, actually. I think one of your own, a Vulcan if you can believe it, figured out the science as well. Same principle, but he has to do it the hard way. This baby can just….do it.” She patted the console where she sat in the Captain's seat.
“How do you plan to pull the Artemis out of warp?” Kairn asked, coming to stand next to Beverly.
“Simple. What’s the one thing any Federation vessel will always stop for?” Beverly eyed Kairn, a smile sliding onto her face.
“Distress signal.” They said in unison. Then broke into laughter as the ship darted into warp.
TBC