Commander Margaret Walker: A Pawn in the Machine

[Michael Meir-Wright]

(( Security division conference room, Deck 7, USS Octavia E. Butler ))

In her years as an expert in the Gamma Quadrant, it had become clear to Walker that the region was a powder keg and that it would only take the smallest spark to set off a devastating explosion of chaos. Things were still precarious in the wake of the Dominion’s effective collapse- the last thing that anybody needed was the Zet causing yet more instability.

Kessler: All of their questions where tailored to ones specific race or allegiance. Everything they asked me was about Starfleet, the Federation and humans.

As the Director of Intelligence considered the man’s response, something else occurred to her. The Zet had been implicated in a bombing several months earlier, around the time of Kessler’s capture. There was no hard evidence besides some ancillary witness statements- but that had been enough for the few operatives Starfleet had in the Gamma Quadrant to make a report. 

She decided to take a proverbial gamble.

Walker: Did anybody you interacted with mention Yansamin Anchorage? :: beat:: The neutral station on the outskirts of Esh-O space.

Kessler: Yansamin Anchorage? (thinking) No, it does not sound familiar.

Walker: I see.

She masked her disappointment well, but took solace in the fact that Avander Promontory had seen fit to cajole a Boslic trader by the name of Nanjjii into service as an asset. The information broker had been the target of the attack and had been forced to relocate her business elsewhere. At last report she had been working to obtain a decommissioned Dosi frigate that she planned to convert into a mobile base of operations. She made a note on her PADD to reach out to the woman.

Kessler leaned forward, his mouth curling into a knowing smile. She appraised him curiously.

Kessler: Maybe this is where I come to work for you Commander. I have an asset on the ground at Itech’man facility right now.

Walker raised an eyebrow dubiously. The fact that he had not led with that did not sit well, but she was prepared to at least hear the man out.

Walker: An asset? :: she repeated, not bothering to hide her scepticism. ::

Kessler: K9 is still at Itech’man and is actively collecting data of Zet communications and ease dropping on the Zet personal conversations. We just need to retrieve him and take a look at the last 5 months of data he has collected.

She suspected she knew where this was going.

Walker: K9?

Kessler: My apologies. K9 is a side project we developed on the ‘Oumuamua. All of it’s data should be in the ships computer. Nothing top secret, but an asset nonetheless.

Walker: And let me guess- :: she interjected.:: -it happens to be in the form of a dog?

It would not the first time that Starfleet had weaponised holography. A team at Jupiter Station had experimented with a variety of holographic programs disguised as fauna to unobtrusively gather intelligence. None of them had ever been cleared for field work as the technology was somewhat limited and drew large amounts of power that could be easily traced.

Kessler: Response.

Walker: I see. :: she said again. :: Can you remotely retrieve the data this program has gathered?

Kessler: Response.

Walker: I will consider it.

She already knew that if she greenlit such a mission, Kessler would not be part of the extraction team. It was far too risky- especially since the Zet were likely hunting him now he was a fugitive in their eyes. Walker looked back at the notes she had made, and her mind quickly turned back to the fact that Kessler was not alone in his escape attempt.

Walker: For the time being, however- :: she  continued :: - I want to come back to the Rekarian, Radek. The two of you obviously came to trust one another, otherwise you would not have broken out of captivity together. What did the two of you discuss? Did you ever get a sense that they were hiding something? Did they seem interested in you and your work in Starfleet?

By now, the Director was fairly confident that Kessler had not been compromised by the Zet. His biometric readings had indicated no deception and he had been forthcoming with information. However, the circumstances surrounding Radek coming into his orbit and the fact that the Zet just happened Kessler’s father’s aero shuttle lying around in their hangar bay were simply too contrived to be convenient.

If he’s not a Zet agent, then perhaps he is a pawn.

It would not be the first time a hostile power had allowed a prisoner to “escape” as part of a larger operation against the Federation or Starfleet. The idea was a disturbing one- and it merited investigating. Walker hoped that Kessler would be amenable to assist.

Kessler: Response.

—

Commander Margaret Walker

Director of Intelligece

Gamma Flotilla Expeditionary Task Force

assigned to:

USS Octavia E. Butler

C239203TW0