Chaotic Cardassian Continuity
Posted on Sun Jul 22nd, 2018 @ 10:27pm by
Edited on on Mon Jul 23rd, 2018 @ 8:35pm
890 words; about a 4 minute read
Mission:
Episode 4 - The Sum of Our Parts
Location: Approach to Pioneer
Timeline: MD001 0815 hrs
Jati had been given a Hideki class patrol ship to fly towards Empok Nor. The small vessel could be flown by a single person and was supposed to be delivered to the station anyway. It suited Jati fine, as it meant several days alone and away from other influences. She'd get the chance to meditate.
She wasn't certain how to feel about her new assignment. It wasn't what she had requested, she wanted somewhere remote where she could focus on pure research. That was what she was trained for, and what she was passionate about. She did not understand why the politicians had instead decided to make her a liaison officer.
She hadn't even been a member of a fighting unit before. Her military rank of Glen was entirely ceremonial, a formality required for some of the research data access she had. Not that anyone in Starfleet needed to know that part. She figured it'd be hard enough as it was to earn any kind of respectful standing among the crew she was supposed to join.
But it wasn't all bad. At least the government hadn't inadvertently chosen someone who wasn't in favour of working with Starfleet. That could have caused any number of problems Jati didn't want to begin to imagine. She wasn't sure what she'd actually be doing on a Federation starship, what kind of access or what kind of a welcome she'd receive, but at least she wasn't one who set out to hurt their fledgling alliance.
Jati hoped for a warm welcome, Cardassians hated the cold. She was determined not to come across as standoffish or obstinate. She had to pretend she was actually pleased to be there. She understood Starfleet personnel worked hard for a posting aboard a starship, and the Intrepid class was only a few decades old and, Jati figured, still a prestigious posting. Arriving with an obvious attitude of wanting to be somewhere else was a sure way to raise animosities from the crew.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a blinking on her console. She had set the computer to display visual signals of any system alerts in addition to playing the sounds. As she was alone, she had turned off her artificial ears to tune out the engine noise and the constant bleeping of the consoles. The quiet helped her think.
A distress signal, and only a little out of the way of where she was going. The computer identified it as an allied signal and she decided to investigate. She did not expect to run into any hostiles in this area of space, so even a small Hideki with one crewmember might be able to do some good, she figured. She'd certainly be able to evacuate a few people from a ship that had containment trouble, if that was all.
She chuckled to herself. Wasn't responding to distress signals the thing Starfleet was supposed to be doing? Maybe they'd even appreciate if their new liaison officer showed some initiative in this area. Jati turned her ears back on and decided to listen
to the details.
The image of a bleeding Cardassian man appeared on the screen. Consoles were exploding all around him. "This is Dr Tavik Zojal to any ship in the area. We need immediate assistance..." The signal garbled and his sentence was cut short, replaced only with static. "...explosion imminent..." More static and the sounds of explosions. "...Possible irrevocable damage to Cardassia and surrounding worlds. Repeat immediate assistance required..." Then the message cut out.
Jati sat up straight. That had certainly caught her attention. She triangulated the source of the signal and changed course to intercept. She pushed the engines of her tiny craft to the maximum she thought they could safely handle without having a trained engineer monitoring the equipment. She wasn't confident she'd be able to handle that kind of emergency herself.
Once on course, Jati relayed the message she had received straight home to Central Command. Someone else might have done so before but she figured with a content of that nature, one should not treat it dismissively. She knew not whether she'd be the first to arrive or join an ongoing relief effort, and she started training every available sensor on the source of the transmission.
Frustratingly, there was not much to be found out. For one, there was plenty of sensor interference, and in Jati's personal opinion, the sensor suite the Hideki was equipped with sucked. She was used to much more responsive, better calibrated and sensitive equipment. But then, the Hideki was a patrol ship designed to intercept smugglers and levy import duties. Hidekis were employed as scouts at times but Jati couldn't expect the tiny little boat to function as a true surveyor. As such, the sensor data told her nothing. She had a few hours before arrival.
She figured she'd best eat. Who knew when she'd get another chance to do that once she arrived. She turned to the replicator to request a quick but nourishing meal that would last her for several hours in preparation of what was to come, but when she touched the plate she saw a blinding flash, then lost consciousness.
Glen Jati Niall
Cardassian Liaison Officer/Assistant Chief Science Officer, USS Pioneer
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