Lt. Cmdr. Alieth - Split (part I)
Alieth
((Stellar Cartography, Science Lab Complex, Decks 10-11, USS Ronin, Outside the J-0922A System))
The probes that had been deployed had discovered that there were
not one cloaked area in the J-0922A system, but two. The first, the
larger one, contained what appeared to be a massive communications
station, plus six frigates that had been arranged to form a sort of
Tholian grid to charge something... (up their weapons? Or be used as
a weapon? They weren't sure yet) before they deployed the fighters
that were currently hunting the Ronin. The second, much smaller and
deeper in the system, had another station, much smaller, as far as
they knew unmanned and which, in all likelihood, was a weapon or,
more likely, a weapon platform.
All this, in addition to the absence of the large fleet they had expected, the absence of the larger vessels they had previously encountered and, frankly, the almost suicidal actions of the first ships they had encountered, meant that the petite Vulcan could only wonder if this was anything but normal. She had already speculated to her subordinates that this might be a decoy, for what and why, she was unsure yet, but her dark eyes kept scanning the incomplete puzzle in front of her in the Holotank in search of an answer. As she did so, she relayed to the captain what they had gathered so far, and her suspicion. Despite the seven decks that separated her from the Bridge's central chair, she could feel the frown forming on the gruff Trill's face. It was a mirror image of it on her own face, after all.
Stellar Cartography's tense conversation stopped with the entrance
of the medical department's newest acquisition, who was met with the
flawed bedside manners the Vulcan had displayed her entire career.
The other two officers present, both tense and concentrated, didn't
help make the young blonde Trill's job any easier either.
Syrex: Lt Commander Alieth, as you are more susceptible, you should go first.
The young ensign repeated almost for the second time, emphasizing her mission there. The Commander pulled a notch more of a frown, and repeated curtly the word she had uttered earlier.
Alieth: Proceed
The doctor reached
over and pressed a hypospray against her neck. The device released an
eerie hissing sound. The stinging sensation and subsequent tingle in
her skin, the coldness in the area of inoculation (as was always the
case for someone acclimatized to temperatures far higher than what
Starfleet considered standard) were familiar to Alieth but, at the
same time, displeasing, as every time she was not the one inoculating
herself. A fact she had not been able to shake off in the years since
she had left medicine.
At least she was able to suppress the
urge to rub her neck to get rid of the uncomfortable sensation.
As
the spotted doctor made her way down the stairs to the lower deck of
the lab, the Romulan's voice rose again, to add a new piece to the
puzzle they were facing.
Raedai: I have data from the second field... I was wrong, it's not a ship.
On the Holotank popped up a small box displaying the direct feed from the probes. The image was hazy, static interference interrupted the view. Despite this, it was clear it was a weapons platform of some description.
Lorana: :: to Raedai :: It's perfect for a full assault launch … except …
Lieutenant JG finished the sentence as if he was reading the Caitian's mind.
Raedai: I detect no life signs. Maybe that's why Sencha radiation is different... they don't have to protect their crew.
Lorana: No … it's emptied.
There was a pause in which Alieth stopped the few seconds of feed available to them, those few in which the spindle-shaped structure could be more or less identified. The image was so distorted, it was impossible to make out external features that would confirm or deny that it had ever been manned.
Alieth: Unfortunately, we cannot say who is correct, based on the available evidence.
It was not something that she was keen to admit, as solving puzzles was one of her strongest drives, and, given the dangerous nature of this situation, that might well remain unresolved.
Raedai: It's going to fire, the emitter is huge, it can affect both ships.
Lorana: I think it's a false …
Before Alieth could mediate in the argument, there was a cheerful whistle, and the captain's sullen voice reached through Comms.
Niac: =/\= Bridge to Stellar Cartography. Lt. Cmdr. Alieth, break off your observations on the target system and launch a new series of probes aft...are there any ion trails or other signs of vessels departing the system in the last day? =/\=
The commander
blinked slowly, once, then twice. Next, her hands hovered quickly
over her console, and two probes that had been on standby were
launched through the aft section. In a few seconds, their green
trails appeared in the Holotank, and, soon, the same console the
Vulcan had used returned the specific information the Captain had
requested. Some details they had not previously been searching for,
expecting, as they were, to find an entire flotilla in the system.
Alieth: =/\= Confirmed, there are ion trails suggesting that at least a dozen large spacecraft departed the system approximately twenty hours ago. The trails are quite degraded, so I cannot be sure of the presence or not of smaller ships in the group. =/\=
The frown on the petite commander's face deepened: they had all overlooked the basics in their interest in searching for information about the Sencha Wave and their weapons, a mistake they couldn't afford to make. And one that she could not forgive herself. Before her mind could beat herself up over that mistake, the voice of the walking beard snapped her out of her distress.
Niac: =/\= Can you project their course? =/\=
Once again, the Vulcan's hands moved across her screen, and the Holotank promptly displayed all the possible routes along which the convoy of Alliance starships could have headed. Given the time that had passed since the time of departure, the range was quite broad, but it was still possible to pinpoint the sector of the Isles where they were most likely to be headed.
Alieth: =/\= There is a 78.578% chance that the Flotilla is heading towards sector Alpha 113. =/\=
Not much more needed to be said. Sector Alpha 113 contained a large portion of empty space within the lsles, with a penchant for minor stardust events produced by a scattering nebula. A handful of young, uninhabitable or primitive star systems.... and in the heart of it all, waltzing along the invisible tension of the different gravitational forces that surrounded it, Deep Space 33.
Niac: =/\= Understood, Commander. Refine your projections as much as you can, try to give us an approximate force composition based on the size of the signature. Bridge out. =/\=
Luxa felt a snap inside of her. All the events that led to this moment; The superstructure, the events of Alieth nodded silently, rested her hands on the console and looked down at the data unrolling on the display, lighting up her face in an ominous fashion. The slender fingers pressed against the rounded edge until the pads acquired a greenish hue.
Lorana: Commander … we can't just leave … :: looks to the holotank :: This might be our only opportunity to learn more about what the alliance have done with Sencha Niac's research and how they got it in the first place?
Alieth: You have heard the captain. Our mission has changed, we must focus on analysing the trails of the vessels that have left the system.
Raedai: Responses
The Vulcan spoke in a soft tone, but anyone who had worked with her for any length of time, or who knew Vulcans intimately, could hear the tension in her voice. The disappointment, the guilt.
The young doctor, silent till that moment, had traversed her way down to the bottom of the lab, approached the Romulan Lieutenant and interrupted.
Syrex: You next, Lieutenant Raedai, May I proceed?
Raedai: Response
Syrex: Thank you, please hold still…
As the ensign worked, Lorana suddenly turn around to look up to where Alieth stood.
Lorana: This whole time we've done exactly what they expect, Commander! And I know that you agree with me … somewhere.
Alieth narrowed her eyes, the frown she wore impossible to deepen much more than it had so far.
Lorana: We can stay behind. I'll stay behind myself if that's what it takes!
[[Tags! TBC in part 2]]
Lieutenant Commander Alieth
Chief Science Officer & 2O
E239702A10
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