Commodore Kalianna Nicholotti - Help is On the Way

[Marissa Jeffrey]

((Captain's Ready Room, USS Excalibur - A))

There had been a number of times where the balance of the galaxy, and more lives than she could count, balanced on the edge of a blade. That blade, perhaps in this case, was the Sword. The unofficial nickname for her ship, the Excalibur, Kali prepared to make a choice that could swing that sword in one direction or another based on the limited information she had. 

On one side there was the garbled data and radio silence coming from Earth. Something had clearly transpired and it was not only big, but potentially catastrophic. On the other side she had what she could see in front of her, which was very real, very alive for the moment, and very much in need of backup. Kali could swing the Sword in that direction and hopefully shift the tides in their favor. 

What that would do if the worst happened back home was to be left for the future versions of all of them to worry about. She gave the men on her screen a leveled look even as her thoughts raced in too many directions to follow. 

Nicholotti: =/\= Wake the masses and hold the line. We are on our way. =/\=

If there was relief in the two that responded, none of them paid much mind. There was a silent thread of thought that they all clearly understood, and it did not need to be vocalized.

Niac:  =/\= We'll try not to get up to too much trouble before you arrive, Commodore.  And...thank you, ma'am.  It's good to know there are still a few officers out there I can rely on.  Captain Shayne...you ready to take the Khitomer into a fight? =/\=

Though the raven-haired commodore felt the very same, the time for sentiments was later, after they saved the galaxy.

Shayne: =/\=  Always, Captain Niac. Always. =/\= 

Nicholotti: =/\= Just save a few shots for me. You know how long it's been since we've fired anything? =/\=

If truth were to be told, Kali had been one to rely far more on diplomacy than firepower anyways. Having been called pacifist, coward, and a number of other names on account of her willingness to stand between the arms of others rather than run in with guns blazing had never stopped her from falling back to this ideal. Still, like most things there was a time and a place for even guns and this was it.

Niac:  =/\= Alright, we'll need a day to get our final supplies on board anyway...I'm going to send both of you everything in the Ronin's databases from our first encounter with the Alliance.  We haven't been able to come up with a way of neutralizing their Sencha-wave advantage but they've got plenty of conventional assets we can destroy just fine.  We go to this system, wreck the ever living hell out of any Alliance resources we find there and then run back over the boarder before they know what hit them. They come after us we'll have a few surprises waiting for them at Thirty Three. =/\=

Shayne: =/\=  We’ll coordinate priority targets and bug out before they can regroup. =/\= 

Kali raised an eyebrow. The last she had heard, the administrator of the station had refused any weaponry and claimed that the station stood on some foundation of peace, with the idea of Starfleet backup to be a good enough deterrent. Anyone who had been there knew better, but she made a mental note to thank whoever talked some sense into the man.

Nicholotti: =/\= I'll get that as fast as we can, but keep me informed of the status of your plans. =/\=

There was a familiar look in the Trill captain's eyes that Kali had seen before; while not in the mirror, per se, logs that she had reviewed of her own before the incident that sent her to her death had shown a similar look from time to time. It was a dangerous thing to come into the view of such a gaze and for the shortest, almost miniscule moment, she felt sorry for the Alliance.

Niac: =/\= I've got a few ideas...I'll start working up something and send it to both of you inside the hour. If Ash...uh, Commander MacKenna isn't awake already and listening to this entire conversation I'd suggest putting her to work on the strategic picture immediately. We need contingencies and alternatives if this doesn't go the way we hope it will.  =/\=

Kali nodded. She'd worked with the woman before and knew that her brilliance could only help them in this instance. 

Shayne: =/\= We’ll also have to coordinate with the shipping in the region. We don’t want them caught up in this. =/\=

Time grew short, and while they were already on their way, she knew that the two men had to get moving as well. 

Nicholotti: =/\= Get done what you need to, time is not something we have much of. I'll see you soon. =/\=

Sitting up, she offered one last look to each of the captains on the screen before killing the channel. Slumping back in the chair she listened to the steady hum of the deck beneath her as the Sword sliced through the slipstream. Behind her the colors coalesced into a cloud of beauty as a sunrise before a storm, offering the perfect peaceful backdrop to the wall length aquarium.

While the rest of the galaxy held its breath, her fish drifted as if not a thing was wrong.

TBC

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Commodore Kalianna Nicholotti

Commanding Officer

USS Excalibur - A

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