Leera Dakora: The Spirit of Betazed (Part 2)
Robin Hopper
((OOC – Thanks for the patience on this one y’all. It’s been a crazy week! That said, don’t feel beholden to wait on me, or anyone else for that matter. Please remember and practice the 48/72 hr rule to move things forward in your scenes. We’re all empowered, from Ensign up, to create the story in any direction that’s inclusive of our fellow players! ❤))
((Later – Downstairs; BZR Hideout aka “The Nerve Center” - Medara, Betazed ~2376))
Leera sipped the mug of Jestral tea cupped in her hands. Much of the warmth had fled from it already, but its calming effect was nonetheless welcome. Her dark eyes darted from one face to another, taking stock of the unexpected ‘new blood’ in their ranks. With their Starfleet uniforms on, replaced by clothes that once belonged to Vostro, her… Well, what was he now? The father of her children, at least, that much was certain. Beyond that, she’d heard no news since the Dominion cut off contact with the rest of the quadrant.
She set the mug down on atop a crate and, with it, her thoughts of family – moving forward to join the others at the planning table. There, a rudimentary holo display showed the same area across the bay that she’d identified on the old paper map upstairs for Talos, only this rendition showed far greater detail; the topography, the new facilities, and the various connected service grids (power, water, waste) that ran to them.
Dwayx: Let’s make this quick. ::He looked around from his seated position on one of the crates.:: We have some new faces around here, as you may have noticed.
Zarek: Oh, I’ve noticed. Hope these last longer than our last group…
Leera shot Zarek a dirty look, accompanied by a telepathic reminder to mind his manners. Nothing which would have been detected by any of the others, but it seemed to work well enough, as Zarek simply let the comment go, explored no further.
Dwayx: This is a different situation, Zarek, and you know that. ::He gestured toward the Starfleet Officers.:: Savel, Chevalier, Ares; Would each stand and tell the group what special skills you bring to the table?
For all his personal flaws, Leera couldn’t deny that Nieran was fair – and his technical skills balanced her ability to manage the myriad conflicting personalities of their group. When the cell’s former leader, Lwaryx, had been killed she had expected him to take charge, fill her shoes… Why he didn’t, Leera still wasn’t sure. Maybe, as a man, he just didn’t feel comfortable in a position of authority… Maybe he didn’t want the target on his back…
((OOC – As a reminder for those unfamiliar, Betazed is a traditionally matriarchal society.))
Whatever the case, she’d found herself in the unenviable position of ‘leader’ and now, he was her de facto ‘second’ – an arrangement which seemed to suit him fine. Except when he disagreed with her.
Chevalier: Ensign Chevalier, Jaseb. Starfleet Operations. Trained in small unit combat behind the line of contact, weaponry chemistry, and combat medicine. Graduated in the field of cybernetic and system engineering.
Leera glanced at Dwayx. If what the long-haired human said was true, then there were many ways he could prove helpful to their cause.
Leera: ::Telepathically:: ~~ There you are, Nieran. I’m sure you can find some way to apply those skills, hmm? ~~
As someone with a background in engineering, she wondered if he might be able to reverse engineer some of the captured technology they’d acquired, or perhaps even help directly in their mission of sabotage…
Dwayx: ~~ Response? ~~
Next to stand was the short-haired Vulcan.
Savel: I am Ensign Savel. Starfleet Security. My Starfleet training includes various forms of combat, tactics, survival techniques, first aid, and computer-based security systems. Prior to Starfleet, I was a Deputy Inspector with the Vulcan Ministry of Justice. My training there focused on investigations and information retrieval.
That, too, could be helpful. The Dominion, for all their cruelty, also managed to keep their troops and subjects exceedingly loyal. Captured Jem’Hadar rarely, if ever, gave up their masters secrets – and the few Cardassians they had encountered were similarly convinced that death was preferable to betraying the Dominion… Someone who could find other ways to access that information might finally give the resistance a much-needed advantage.
Talos spoke next, and she listened intently, curious what his career had been like. The answer he provided was not quite what she had expected.
Dakora: Response
With Talos– No, Ares, she reminded herself– now introduced, that meant it was time for her to speak now. This was the part of the resistance movement she loathed… Fighting the whitebloods and the Vorta was one thing, keeping their cell alive and strong and working together smoothly was another – yet knowing a room full of eyes, ears, and minds was trained on her, waiting for her to speak and tell them what to do… Somehow that never got any easier.
Leera: ::Clearing her throat:: Thank the Four for bringing you here to us now, in our hour of need. And thank you also, for choosing to help us… Let’s make use of the time we have, shall we? ::Indicating the holo display:: These are the ketracel white facilities constructed across Medara Bay from here. Already, nearly 15,000 doses of the white are produced there every week. We think they’re planning on increasing those figures in the near future.
Each Jem’Hadar soldier required about two doses of the white every 72 hours. That meant that these facilities alone were able to sustain nearly seven thousand whiteblood troops. Nobody knew exactly how many Jem’Hadar were in the alpha quadrant, but surely more were being bred every day – enough to demand additional production.
Dakora/Savel/Chevalier/Dwayx: Response
Leera: When the Federation and Klingons managed to destroy the Dominion’s primary production centers near the Cardassian border, we all thought the tide of this war was changing. Instead, they shifted their focus to holding this ‘claimed territory’, making Betazed essential to their war effort through the construction of these plants. ::To Dwayx:: Nieran, you’ve seen them firsthand…
She hoped his experience working in the plants could help illuminate how they were run and operated, provide an overview of the security measures in place, and any weaknesses…
Dwayx: Response
Dakora/Savel/Chevalier: Response
Leera: All of which brings us to the crux of things. It’s clear that we’re losing the war. Not just the fight here on Betazed, but the fight for the entire Alpha Quadrant. Which means, we have to do what we can to help – and the biggest difference we can make right now, as a planet, is to destroy those facilities. It won’t be easy, but there are some… structural flaws in the construction of the buildings; Concessions made in the name of expediency. We need to exploit those weaknesses.
She gave each of the Starfleet officers a knowing look, hoping they were beginning to see how their particular skillsets might factor into making this critical operation a success.
Dakora/Savel/Chevalier/Dwayx: Response
((OOC Please feel empowered to continue building on this – detailing some of the challenges they’ll face, or adding additional layers to the overall challenge!))
TBC
