The Sins Of The Father
Posted on Tue Sep 17th, 2019 @ 3:13am by Commodore Tyler Malbrooke
Edited on on Tue Sep 17th, 2019 @ 3:15am
1,700 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
Episode 8 - The Silence
Location: Captain's Ready Room - Deck 1 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD003 1100 hrs
It took a few days but finally Tyler had received the word that he had been waiting for. They had gotten a hold of Hadir Prenar. Tyler had the call routed into the ready room, and when he sat down behind his desk the image of the Cardassian was already on the screen.
"Commander Prenar you are a hard man to get a hold of." Tyler said with a broad smile. He thought to make small talk first before jumping right into the Cardassian's family life. He had read through Hadir's file and saw that the Cardassian had been through a lot. Tyler did not want to add to those troubles.
"Indeed sir. If you don't mind I prefer to be blunt. Admiral Sepandiyar ordered me to contact you right away. He said you had some urgent news. But I must say that you have me at a loss. I cannot imagine what information you would have." His brilliant green eyes flashed and showed now evidence of the worry that lay beneath. Hadir knew the mission of the Pioneer took it into Cardassian space.
"Commander Prenar I need to know what you do. That is what you know about your family. Your father is alive and he seems to be working with a Bajoran/Cardassian hybrid. If we do not learn what we can about him and his motives the peace initiative with your people may come to a quick end." Tyler replied and then sipped his coffee.
"My father..." Hadir began and his voice trailed off as the thought of the man he hated and had thought dead all these years is actually alive. Hadir quickly got a hold of himself and continued. "Captain I think it best for you to tell me what you know and then perhaps I can assist you."
Tyler nodded in agreement. "Over the past month we have learned that Gul Typhon Prenar has reformed the Obsidian Order. They are working with a terrorist organization known as the New Maquis which is being led by former Admiral Rodney Leyton. It seems that their goal is to start an all-out war with Cardassia. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. About two weeks ago we engaged the Obsidian Order as they attempted a coup on Cardassia Prime."
At the mention of the coup Hadir leaned closer to the comm screen. It was quite clear that the Captain had his undivided attention. "What coup are you referring to? Captain I believe you should tell me everything. I know that it could get both of us in trouble, however, if I am to help in any way I should know."
Tyler nodded his agreement with the Cardassian. "Since our arrival here at Empok Nor things have never been what they seemed. We quickly discovered that the government on Cardassia Prime was hanging by a thread and that anything threatened to topple them at any moment. A group calling itself the New Maquis seemed to be the cause of most if not all of the issues for Cardassia. So we began to pursue them and force them from Cardassian space. However, that pursuit was cut short as we lost sight of the head of that organization. Former Admiral Rodney Leyton..."
Hadir jumped in cutting the Captain off. "You said Leyton... We have been tracking him for years. The most recent break in the case came about two years ago when we discovered that outdated Cardassian encryption was being used to send him messages from Cardassian space. We could not figure out who sent those messages."
"Well allow me to put that puzzle piece into place. The closer we got on his trail the farther it seemed Cardassia would push us away. This included luring us to a temporal experiment, which they knew was critical and would explode. My crew and I lost a year of our lives to the blasted time stream. When we returned we quickly found out who was pulling the strings again on Cardassia Prime, and that was the Obsidian Order and your father. It seems that he has been at large since the Dominion War ended and hiding in Breen space. He has now rebuilt a small fleet and is pushing for war and a return of the Order. He has gained some allies and followers on the home world. We are not sure if these people actually follow him or have been brainwashed. But either way he is a force to be reckoned with. This brings me to the current situation. The Pioneer has been dispatched on a survey mission, one that the CDF could take care of easily. This leaves Empok Nor vulnerable and I for suspect that something is going to happen. I would like to know if you have any insights into what your father might do here." Tyler recapped all that had happened in the past two years, the ups and the downs. Now that it was all laid out like that he saw a pattern he was now sure that something was going to happen.
Hadir exhaled forcefully through his nose, and his emerald eyes bore deep into Tyler even through the computer screen. “Now if all that you say is certain, then Empok Nor is already lost. My suggestion is to get back to the station and assist in an evacuation. My father does not plan the long game. He will take the station especially as there are no reinforcements…”
It was Tyler’s turn to interrupt. “But there is an entire battalion of Marines. There is no way that the little resources Typhon has could get through that.”
Hadir chuckled a moment. “Captain forgive me but you seem to underestimate the battle tactics of Cardassians. We do not fight fair. That Battalion will not be there when Typhon arrives. They will be off defending against a red herring. When they return the station will be lost. It is for this reason that I believe you should return with all due haste. Save the Battalion and as many members of the station personnel as you can. Then regroup and return to reclaim the station. Typhon would not be prepared for retaliation that quickly. I suspect he is planning on Starfleet backing off after the station falls. After all at that point it is an internal Cardassian matter.”
Hadir paused for a moment in thought, in fact both men sat pensive and silent for about two minutes. Then Hadir broke the silence. “As for Leyton he is most likely a puppet for Typhon. The Order is using him and his people as an ends to a means. They can sow descent and make little attacks here and there against Federation assets. The hope is to distract and weaken the Federation assets in the area. I doubt that Typhon has any use for these people beyond that. My suggestion there is see if you can get these New Maquis to join the fight against the Obsidian Order. For if the Order wins they will not stop with driving the Federation out of Cardassian space, they will continue until not only are they restored but they are the supreme power in the quadrant.”
Tyler leaned back in his chair as he let everything the Cardassian had to say sink in. “What if anything is your father’s weakness.”
Without thinking Hadir replied. “His hubris, he always thinks he has won before the battle is over.”
Tyler smiled as he thought that was a trait of all dictators. There was something else that nagged at Tyler’s thoughts and he had to tell Hadir. “Commander I am not sure how to tell you this. But you have a sister. The name that she used when we encountered her was Shoshanah Prenar. She is of Bajoran and Cardassian blood and she us absolutely ruthless. This is something that you should know. I feel you should also be prepared for if we succeed in everything that you are talking about your father and sister will be dead.”
There was another silence here as Hadir let those words sink in. “Captain if you succeed my mother and I will be free. Perhaps I will even be allowed to return to my home world.”
Both men nodded at each other as they each realized how similar the other was. “Captain I bid you good luck and happy hunting.” Hadir said with slight grin.
“Thank you Commander I will keep you informed as best as I can. I appreciate all of the help and the candor. I am truly sorry that it has come to this. However, I hope to greet you at Empok Nor in the coming months. Pioneer out!”
Hadir smiled and Tyler’s screen returned to the seal of the Federation. He ran his hand through his hair. He took a mental note to have the Counselor aboard the Alexander talk with Hadir. The fact that the Cardassian did not respond to having a sister that he did not know he had struck Tyler as odd. The debate to disobey orders had begun internally and what made Tyler scared the most was that he thought that the side of remaining on mission had already won. He talked aloud to himself. “If everything Hadir said was true, then the station was already lost. Further loss of life and damage to the Pioneer was not worth the risk. There is also no proof that the station is under attack just gut feelings. I think it best to talk with Quinn and have everything ready as a precaution. But remain on mission for the time being. At least the crew will be explorers one last time before they become soldiers.”
He sat on the couch and watched the stars pass the ship. Tyler Malbrooke was sick of the fighting he wanted to explore, wanted this mission, and wanted peace.
A Joint Post By
Captain Tyler Malbrooke
Commanding Officer, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Commander Hadir Prenar
Chief Strategic Operations Officer, USS Alexander
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