LtJg Lera Michaels - The Kokopelli Alternative

[steve...@yahoo.com]

((Stellar Cartography, Deck 16, USS Khitomer, in orbit of Alpha Trionus II))

Michaels: My choice would be through this relatively empty region here. Away from the main used routes and not spectacularly greater distance. :: she stared at the far edge of the display. :: Now that is interesting.

Hobart: What is?

Michaels: The flashing red spheres at the edge of the display are two listening stations that are off-line. There is a very low probability that they are both suffering ordinary technical difficulties. If it were my decision as a Lattice Alliance commander, I would have avoided those stations. Another commander, an Alliance commander, might have chosen to destroy them.

Hobart nodded in her general direction.

Hobart: It's far enough out to fit our timeline.

Michaels: Our timeline? I suppose. It probably indicates that there are multiple ships at work. A small group taking out the listening stations to avoid detection of the main group. Perhaps the small group precedes the larger one.

Hobart: I see at least three routes from there to here, if they're avoiding our patrols and civilian lanes. Show me the rest of what we've got out there.

Michaels: Of course.

Lera began calling up additional display items. Planetoids not associated with stars. All of the stars in the region. Every known communication source of every type. It bordered on being too much data but the net effect was that the three routes became more obvious. The display shifted to emphasize the three routes Commander Hobart had identified. Lera wondered if the Alliance knew this much about this sector of Federation space. Which data points would be unknown to them? How could they take advantage of that lack of knowledge?

Michaels: The three routes are close together here. We could position our probes to cover all three routes.

Hobart nodded and continued studying the display tracing the possible routes Finally he pointed out a red bit of light that represented a remote science station.

Hobart: If they take the least circuitous route, they'll likely black-out this post here… tomorrow.

Lera frowned. There was something that felt off about the Commander's assessment but she struggled to identify a flaw. There was still the issue that had bothered her earlier. How could a Lattice Alliance taskforce have gotten to Alpha Trionus II without being detected? The time travelers would have mentioned cloaking devices if the Alliance had them. Trans-dimensional navigation was still theoretically possible. If the Alliance had that then the Federation was doomed already so that was out. How could the Alliance hope to be undetected if they were taking out stations? Surely, she and Commander Hobart were not the first to notice this.

Michaels: Assuming the two stations were disabled by a single task force, your timing is correct. But... But taking out the stations would certainly attract our attention making a surprise attack impossible. :: Lera shook her head. :: Unless attracting our attention was what they intended. Getting to the prison undetected. Getting away unchallenged. The whole attack was almost like it was magic. ::beat:: Magic. That is it. That is how they did it.

Hobart: Response

Michaels: Stage magic. The magician gets you to believe the illusion by getting you to look the wrong way. Misdirection. What if taking out the listening stations is not the main thrust but a feint? A diversion. There are not many things the alliance could do that would attract our attention more than launching an attack. Or pretending to launch an attack. Knocking out listening stations would be a logical first step. It would be the equivalent of shouting "Look over here!" And while Starfleet is focused on the feint, they sneak around on an alternate route over here and carry out the real surprise attack.

Hobart: Response

Lera went back to the control console and adjusted the controls once more. The pathways were almost like tunnels through the web of golden arrows representing the ships in the region. Pink lines connected formed a web between the navaids, the stations. A tangled light grey blob with what appeared to be tendrils spreading out in several directions nearly filled one of the three tunnels.

Lera stepped back and favored Commander Hobart with a half smile.

Michaels: The grey shape is the Kokopelli Cloud. A dark nebula that someone Terran thought looked like the mythological character Kokopelli. I do not see the resemblance. It is dark because it obscures starlight and sensor signals and there are no stars being formed in it. It is not a perfect cloak, but it would make accurate detection and determination of the size of the force more difficult. That is the route I would take. Somewhat longer than the other alternatives but easier to maintain the element of surprise.

Hobart: Response

Tags/TBC

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LtJg Lera Michaels

Engineering Officer
USS Khitomer
K240106LM2