JP: Lt. Jack Kessler, Lt. Avander Promontory, Lt JG TK Cabrillo, Cmdr. Etan Iljor, Cmdr. Lia Rouiancet, Lt. V’Kel Kel - Kessler's Gambit - Thresish PART 3
Michael Meir-Wright
((Foxy Lady, Approaching Thresish, Zet Space)) - PART 3
Up to this point the Foxy Lady had made its way from the ‘Oumuamua to Zet Space without any contact with any other vessels. The smooth sailing as it were thus far had Jack on edge though. Nothing clandestine ever went smoothly so he knew the hiccup for the mission was coming. He sat in the rear compartment studying the data Avander had been able to decrypt and the odd reference to the prisoner called “Kessler”. The transfer of this prisoner was to take place in a week so Jack knew time was not a huge key player at the moment. What he did not like was the singular use of the name. Was this his father or his mother? And where was the other.
Jack rubbed his temples as a slight headache crept in. The stress of this mission was building and the pressure he placed on himself to get his parents back was steadily increasing moment by moment.
Jack looked up and across the compartment to two other members of this team that he had not expected or ever envisioned having on the team. Commander Etan, the ship’s first officer, had agreed to accompany them after Commander Rouiancet’s request.. Jack welcomed the Commander's experience and abilities in this venture. The other occupant was Lieutenant jg TK Cabrillo. One of the ship’s engineers cross trained in Tactical had been working on the Foxy Lady as a side project when Jack stumbled aboard with all of their equipment. No one was supposed to have been on the freighter but Cabrillo had been and once he realized that there was a secret operation about to launch there was no getting him off the Foxy Lady. Truth be told Jack was happy to have an engineer aboard. Ideally he would have preferred to have had Corelli but TK had worked with Jack much more often and in Tactical so Jack knew his ability and his attitude very well.
Kessler: Penny for your thoughts Commander.
When he had been asked to join the thoroughly unofficial mission of mercy, Iljor had not needed so much as a second to think about his answer. Though he had not been present for the mission where Kessler’s parents had gone missing, he knew the depths that the disappearance had had upon the Chief Tactical Officer. If there was anything they could do to expedite their safe return then he would do it. No question about it.
Of course that was before he knew Lieutenant Cabrillo was a snorer. A particularly vociferous one at that.
Etan: If I had any thoughts to you give, Lieutenant I would- but as it is- I can’t hear myself think- :: he jerked his thumb over his shoulder, pointing in the direction of Lieutenant Cabrillo.::
Cabrillo: ::snoring, fast asleep::
The engineer’s timely punctuation drew an eye roll from the First Officer and a mirthless chuckle. There was little to do during the voyage and Iljor had hoped to catch up on some light reading. Cabrillo’s nighttime vocality had put that idea to bed, ironically.
When the moment passed, Iljor turned his bleary eyes upon Kessler, regarding him earnestly.
Etan: How are you holding up, Jack?
Kessler: I’m just trying to stay focused on step one right now and not get too far ahead of myself.
Avander was disassembling his modified TR-116 rifle. The micro-transporter could be particularly finicky, and he wanted to ensure it was operating at peak capacity. He half-listened to the conversation between Iljor and Jack.
Etan: I can’t imagine what this must be like for you, all this uncertainty. :: beat :: If there is anything else I can do… :: he trailed off, leaving his meaning as plain as the noses on their faces. ::
Rouiancet: (with a brief shake of her head) I don’t think you need to doubt yourself, Commander. You’ll know what to do when the time comes.
Promontory: There’s not much more to do at this point. The plan is solid.
That, too. Lia hadn’t wanted to say that, exactly, but she agreed with Avander. They’d all likely need to be a little useless, at least to begin with.
Kessler: I just keep feeling like I am missing something here in the plan.
Rouiancet: Is there something in particular you think we’re not ready for? It’d be hard to anticipate everything, but…
Again, as Lia trailed off, Avander spoke up to give voice to what she’d been thinking.
Promontory: We could go mad trying to plan for every contingency. (beat) We’ll have to make allowances, but let’s not overthink it before we see what we’re dealing with.
Etan: He’s right. :: he said, his eyes flitting from the intelligence officer back to the chief of tactical. :: No good will come from second guessing yourself. :: beat :: Try and get some sleep, Jack. If Cabrillo can anyone c-
Cabrillo should have known trying to get any sleep was going to be limited in this small freighter and the talking between the officers provided no such quiet place to finish his nap.
Cabrillo: And yet I forgot to pack ear plugs. ::sitting up and sliding his back up against the bulkhead::
Etan: Likewise. :: he muttered, glowering at the engineer. ::
V’Len overheard the man’s comment as he returned to the rear of the ship. He had been in the Foxy Lady’s cockpit, making sure that their course speed and other important parameters were still set correctly. Vomek, Toxin and Lahndon had made great strides in rehabilitating the freighter. The fuel valve system had been integrated so there was no need to “shift” valves to increase and decrease speed. The inside was cleaner and the replicator worked with a broader menu. The inside still smelt of grease and stale air. The environmental systems were apparently not yet a priority.
Kel: ::smiling at Cabrillo:: You could try the cockpit. I just did a systems check and all is quiet
Jack smiled at the engineer who had never been part of this plan but now that he was here could prove useful.
Kessler: Cabrillo ::tossing the PADD to him:: What am I missing.
Kel: If it’s a strong tractor/repulsor beam don’t worry about it. Looks like Nilsen and company added one or modified one the ship already had. Controllable from the observation pod on the starboard side.
Rouiancet: That gives us a lot of options, should we need them.
As the others spoke up Jack watched TK as he looked through the information on the PADD. His attention sifting through the data as if looking for that proverbial needle in a haystack.
Cabrillo: ::looking up from the PADD:: Lieutenant Promontory is right. The plan is solid. ::beat:: The only thing I see that you forgot is a squad of Marines.
Of course Jack had thought about the Marines but this was a more delicate matter and brute force was not called for at this time. The Marines in Jack’s opinion were a sledge hammer to a mission that required a fine tooth comb.
Kessler: ::laughing:: Seriously, the whole planet would know we were here if we brought the Marines along.
Etan: Especially if we brought along Maxwell. :: he added with a chortle. ::
Avander had been surprised that Jack hadn’t enlisted Michele Winters. They were close and she had come to the ‘Oumuamua because she was also invested in the Kessler’s fate. Perhaps it was precisely because of that closeness that Jack hadn’t suggested it.
Promontory: We might have done alright with one or two of the Marines. Not all of them are merely foot soldiers.
The mention of the Marines reminded V’Len of his recent encounter with Ithri Sh’shelor, an Andorian who was so much like his previous host’s wife Millie that it was highly unsettling. They had a great deal in common and V’Len might almost have guessed that they were related except that Ithri was from clan Isitor and Milli from clan Aldin.
Kel: ::walking to the replicator:: Burrito stuff
A plate appeared in the replicator. Yes, burrito stuff was a classic.
Jack turned back to his equipment bags and stood up. Opening the four bags he started laying weapons out on the table in front of them. Most notable were the Jem’Hadar plasma rifles. He also included plasma pistols for each person as well as Cardassian stun grenades and several different types of bladed knives from other species in the Gamma quadrant.
Kessler: ::looking up at everyone:: Aside from Avander’s TR-116 everything here I was able to acquire through a trade at Port Coray. A Cardassian who’s found a new home here in the Gamma quadrant. Nothing here can be traced back to us or the Federation. I even had him use a Romulan pulse generator to recharge all the weapons and the reserve power supplies. Nothing will trace back to Starfleet except our bodies.
Kel: ::smiling at Jack:: And here I didn't think you had a penchant for the macabre. ::taking a bite::
Avander was impressed with the cache. That was quite a lot of contraband to have collected.
Promontory: ::looking across the table:: The only thing Federation here is you!
Etan: I won’t ask how many regulations you broke getting all this. :: he intoned, eye all of the physician’s loot. :: Although I suspect it’s enough to give Colonel Greaves a heart attack. :: he added, peering across the table at Kel. ::
Kel: ::eyeing Etan:: Naw, he’s pretty tough.
Rouiancet: (brief shake of her head) You never know. Even someone like the colonel...
Promontory: Seriously Jack, how long have you been working on this, we only just got the intelligence decrypted about your folks?
Jack looked at Etan and then to V’Len and the burrito he had just replicated. Looking back to Avander, Jack held a straight face as he thought about all the weapons and the prep that had already been done.
Kessler: Ummm, let’s just say this has been a thought since the day the Caboto disappeared.
Etan: I’m impressed.
Cabrillo: It’s been a while since I have seen one of these babies ::picking up the plasma rifle:: are they sighted in?
Promontory: Well, I can set up a range in the cargo hold. (beat) It’s not ideal, but I’d feel better if we got some hours with these new weapons before we might have to use them.
Kessler: Makes sense to me.
Cabrillo: I can help set that up.
Rouiancet: (with a nod) Practice would definitely be a good idea.
Kel: ::looking at Jack:: Have you checked to see how far out we are? Believe it or not, Rox and I traveled pretty close to this area on our way back to the Oumuamua.
Etan: Anything you can tell us about the region?
Cabrillo: Don’t look at me, I’m the engineer here not the tour guide.
TK grinned but he also really had not idea what was out this far or what to expect.
Lia, as the strategic operations officer of the ‘Oumuamua – and now the Foxy Lady – ought to know the answer to Commander Etan’s question, but she wasn’t sure that she knew much more than the rest of the group. Thankfully, Doctor Kel started things off.
Kel: Not very much. We found several M-Class planets with ruins, but no technology or intelligent life.
Rouiancet: I counsel wariness about the Zet. The analyses I’ve seen have all included extended warnings about their potential activity for all ships of the task force. (beat) If there are ruins nearby, I’d be curious to know more.
The mention of ruins caught Iljor’s attention and he straightened in his seat. He might have been a First Officer, but he was still an archaeologist at heart and he longed for an honest day’s work in the trenches of a digsite. The thought of discovering ancient technology or the remnant of a long lost civilisation was extraordinarily enticing.
Etan: Ruins? Mind if I take a look at those logs when we get to the ‘Oumuamua? :: he enquired, his imagination already firing at the thought of what they might find.::
Avander smiled at their First Officer. He was like a giddy school boy who couldn’t disguise his excitement.
Promontory: ::encouragingly:: Could give us a better sense of the regional powers and the backdrop they’re operating from. (beat) I assume these pre-dated the Dominion?
But that couldn’t be right, Avander quickly considered. The Dominion had, apparently, been millenniums old. oO But… Oo his mind continued to work oO …that doesn’t mean they were at their maximum size that whole time. Maybe the ruins became ruined when a civilization was conquered by the Dominion! Oo Perhaps Avander would have to join Iljor in some more investigations.
Cabrillo: Maybe we could find some cool hidden technology that the Dominion missed or could find something more valuable?
TK was not an archaeologist by any definition and digging around ruins was not really something he thought would be fun. Although after spending a day on Denali station he had gained an appreciation for what ‘could have been left behind’ and what could be used to benefit them.
Kessler: Anything that could lead to a tactical advantage is worth investigating in my books.
Rouiancet: (another nod) Agreed. We may need all the help we can get.
Kel: You’ll like this Jack, the structures we found looked like those Scottish Brochs you find on the Shetlands and the Hebrides.
Etan: Structures? :: he asked, now intensely interested. ::
Kessler: ::folding his arms across his chest:: Really, now that is interesting and something I would like to see.
Iljor leaned forward.
Etan: Any sign of an advanced civilisation?
Kel: Nothing technology wise, looked like it had all been stripped. This area had to have been the seat of some kind of space faring civilization. The structures are too similar for it to be a coincidence.
Etan: Archaeological data on this region is almost non-existant. Of course, that doesn’t mean there wasn’t an advanced species here at some point- just that we haven’t discovered evidence. Yet. :: it was all so tantalising, almost enough to make him forget where they were out here. Almost. ::
Promontory: Perhaps we can swing by on the way out. (beat, then sardonically) If we’re not being chased.
Jack looked at Avander and uncrossed his arms and reached for the fourth and final bag sitting on the table. Opening it he pulled two sphere’s about eighteen inches in diameter out of the bag and sat them on the table.
Cabrillo: ::letting out a whistle:: Oh Jackie boy where did you get thumpers from?
Jack looked over and grinned at Cabrillo, the engineer was clever and knew his tech much better that than Jack had thought.
Kessler: ::looking around the table:: If we are being chased, we deploy these and go dark. They have a four minute warp jump ability and will transmit the same warp signature of this vessel. ::looking at V’Len:: As soon as you showed up with the Lady I knew what ship I was using when this mission came up.
Kel: Maybe we could use them as a hideout if we’re being pursued.
TK nodded at the Doctors recommendation and looked around the table.
Cabrillo: Could be the best place to hide and for all we know there could be local structures in the surrounding geological structures that might help hide us from prying sensor scans.
Kessler: ::nodding:: I like it as a fall back but let’s try and not have anyone chasing us in this thing. I don’t like the idea of playing cat and mouse with the Zet.
Lieutenant Jack Kessler
Chief Tactical Officer
USS Oumuamua
T239901JK1
Lt Avander Promontory
Intelligence Officer
USS Oumuamua
O239910AP4
Lieutenant jg TK Cabrillo
Engineering Officer
USS Oumuamua
T239901JK1
Commander Etan Iljor
Executive Officer
USS Oumuamua
NCC 81226
C239203TW0
Commander Lia Rouiancet
Strategic Operations Officer
USS 'Oumuamua
V238208LV0
he/him/his (player) & she/her/hers (this character)
Lieutenant V’Len Kel
Chief Medical Officer
USS Oumuamua NCC-81226
T239811VK2
He/Him (character and player)