Meanwhile in the badlands...
Posted on Sun Feb 25th, 2018 @ 7:47pm by Commodore Tyler Malbrooke
Edited on on Thu May 31st, 2018 @ 9:40pm
850 words; about a 4 minute read
Mission:
Episode 2 - The Enemy Within
Location: Undisclosed Location
Timeline: MD004 1030 hrs
Tags: SD 71378.1030
Bernadette shook her head. She could over hear the pair of Maquis to her left talking about an fantastical attack plan and she thought their enthusiasm was ridiculous. Like any other Maquis member she dreamed of a day when the Cardassians were pushed back into their reptilian holes. Ignoring the remainder of their conversation she return her attention to the ops console.
She had spent the better part of the last few days starting at the readouts and logs of the station. Her Starfleet Security background made her perfect for standing watch of the proximity of the station in the Badlands. Resting her elbow on the console the Bajoran blew a clump of hair out of her face as she continued to watch the nothing that was happening.
Bernadette let out a sigh and almost didn't hear the indicator when the sensors picked up a ship. With a jolt she stood up straight and began the necessary key strokes to begin identifying the ship. " Merde " the ancient french rolled off her tongue. French was the language her brain operated in when shit began to hit the fan. "Sir, we are picking up a federation ship." She called out to Ayala from where she was standing. "Intrepid class, USS Pioneer. Based on our latest intel the ship is based out of Empok Nor."
Michael Ayala heard her report as he stood at the center console in Ops. "Thank you Bernie. But I am not worried. Intrepid Class you say?" He laughed heartily. "Either they don't know we are here or they just want me to succeed." Ayala thought about the years that he spent on Voyager and remembered all of the flaws that the class had. "Bernie scramble the fighters. Let's send out a welcoming party for our new friends."
The Bajoran looked at her leader with a feigned disinterest as he spoke. She had been serving under him for three years and in that time she had grown to respect his decisions but this one...felt wrong. "Uh, if they haven't detected us yet, why give away our position?" She asked as she tapped the screens readying the instructions to the fighter. If she knew Ayala the way she thought she did he would insist and she would comply. One might wonder as to why she would even question him, but it was her nature.
Ayala walked over to Bernadette's station. "You scramble the fighters and tell them to attack only the Pioneer's starboard, ventral shielding. That will keep the Pioneer coming as starboard ventral is not important. What will it give us, well it will give us time to build a boarding party to take the Pioneer. With her secondary processors down, she will not be able to self destruct. I want those fighters to tag and go. Attack and retreat luring the Pioneer here after all we are the big fish. When the day is over I expect to have an Intrepid Class Starship and a whole lot of dead starfleet officers." Ayala smiled at the Bajoran and gave her a little wink as if to say a plan is always in place.
Bernedette was unmoved by the wink. She tapped the commands and did as she was told. "Fighters are scrambled." Her looked over the read outs. "Eight minutes until the fighters reach the Pioneer's location." The Bajoran wanted to do something say something. There was nothing to say to Ayala that would change his mind, but she would have to see if she could get a message to the Pioneer undetected. She wouldn't have those officer's deaths on her conscious.
Ayala turned away from the Bajoran, and greeted the two new arrivals. One of the Maquis raiders had just returned the stations two top scientists both Cardassian. Both of these scientists came highly recommended by those above Michael. "Redek, Vulat welcome back. I hope the journey was a good one. Come let us go down to Engineering and have a look at your hard labors. The launch date comes soon." The two Cardassians nodded their heads with broad smiles as they walked with Ayala. "Bernadette you have Ops. So as I was saying..." Ayala shouted over his shoulder and then turned to his companions and his voice faded as the lift took the three men down.
The Bajorian simply bowed her head in acknowledgment of the man she respected so much. She watched as he disappeared in the lift and with no fan fair she began punching in commands into the Ops control. What wasn't known was that Bernadette had gotten Ayala's command codes months ago, she had never used them until now. Now she used them an would betray the man that trusted her to save the lives of a Federation vessel. She tapped in an encrypted code and sent it to the USS Pioneer. She had to hope that someone in Intel was listening.
A Joint Post By
Bernadette Freise
Guest Star, USS Pioneer
Michael Ayala
New Maquis Command