She Who Remains
Posted on Thu May 16th, 2019 @ 10:45am by Captain Jelane 'Firefly' Shiqwue & Brigadier General Francis 'Judge' Sobel & Glinn Kalim
Edited on on Thu May 16th, 2019 @ 1:42pm
2,220 words; about a 11 minute read
Mission:
Episode 6 - Old Habits Die Hard
Location: Empok Nor
Timeline: MD005 1145 hrs
The past ten minutes were a blur for Jelane. The fighter bays had just come online a day ago and already Alert One Fighters were being launched. It seemed that an unidentified pod had come into the stations airspace. Firefly led her squadron from to their patrol zone. The Pod read on the scanners, but there was no transponder. If this was Starfleet or even Federation we would know by now. she thought. "Alright team keep a tight formation and your eyes peeled. Call out any sightings. This is Firefly calling Empok Nor actual. Any help that we can get on id'ing this thing." She closed the internal channel and opened an external one. "Unidentified vessel you are entering sovereign Cardassian space. Identify yourself or you will be fired upon."
Frank was really trying not to irritate the Cardassian Operations team while surveying the center and seeing how things were done. When Captain Shiqwue's call came in he winced slightly and glanced toward the station's XO, who had already fixed a charry black eye his way. Frank gestured an apology and Kalim gave him a smirk.
"Focus long range sensors on that object," the Cardassian ordered. On the main viewer a rather sad looking pod could be seen flying at an odd angle to what it's normal flight path would be. It was in a controlled flight, just...not orientated properly.
"General Sobel," Kalim asked, and Frank assumed it was for his opinion.
"Doesn't necessarily look threatening, but who's to say. I'm just here to observe," Sobel commented.
"Empok Nor actual to Firefly," the Cardassian's voice oozed. "Maybe I can help you. That craft doesn't immediately pose a threat. Monitor and do a flyby if possible to determine it's intentions. We're clearing the immediate flight path of all traffic but I don't want it getting within 50 kilometers of the station."
"Acknowledged... Firefly to all fighters spin out weapons hot. Do not fire unless fired upon or the order is given. I repeat weapons hot but hold fire." Jelane spoke into her mic confidently but her voice hid a nervousness that welled inside her. One by one all the pilots checked in and acknowledged the order.
Her sweaty face held us stressed, but determined expression as she moved a hand through her matted hair. It was white with purple highlights, but was growing in blonde at the roots. She danced from one part of the alien pod to the other, pressing buttons that were meant to open communications. Soon, she accepted that the system had been disabled by the labor camp guards to prevent prisoners like her from sneaking aboard and using it to contact help. They had also disabled the engines, but some quick work from her put that right.
"Damnit!" She exclaimed, slamming her fist on the console before moving back to the helm.
Firefly led her squadron on an intercept course for the unknown. She decided that the best course of action would be to spread the fighters out in a web formation and trap the pod. Each and every one of them had a shot at spotting the bogey. However, if was Firefly that got it, and her jaw dropped as she saw the Cardassian design of the craft. There was no doubt about it this was a Cardassian escape pod. She activated her data recorder as she was sure that command would want to see this. "Unidentified vessel this is your final warning you have entered sovereign Cardassian space and are in violation of Cardassian law. Identify yourself or be fired upon." As she spoke Jelane noticed the severe damage to the craft and decided to add something to the normal intercept greeting. "If you are unable to respond via communications, come all stop to my port side. Execute that maneuver and it will be taken as an acknowledgement." Now there was nothing for it except to wait.
Ingrid furrowed her brow. The transmission was fuzzy and she could barely hear what the person on the other end was saying, but she'd heard enough to be relatively confident of what the order had been. Wordlessly, she extended her hand toward the manual throttle in the old pod. She noticed how dirty her hands were and how chipped her once exquisitely manicured nails had become. She'd spent many stressful nights biting them down. With those dirty hands, she drew the throttle back and took a nervous breath as the pod gradually came to a stop.
Jelane let out a sigh of relief, she did not want to start a war. "Unidentified vessel. We are going to tractor you to Empok Nor. Any resistance to the tractor beam will be taken as an aggressive act." She engaged her tractor beam and set a course for the station. "Firefly to the swarm, return to the hive. Firefly to Empok Nor actual. We have the bogey in custody and are returning to the station with them in tractor. Be advised the bogey is a Cardassian made escape pod."
Kalim straightened and looked toward the Marine General who was looking at him. Touching his communications controls, Kalim said "Then perhaps this is a rescue mission. You are cleared for approach, docking in Bay 34."
Turning to the general who was still quiet, Kalim finally asked "Well? What do you think, General"
"I think you are correct about a rescue mission, one way or another Glinn. I also think I'd like to be there when they land to see what kind of Easter Egg we have?"
The Cardassian nodded and ushered Sobel toward the lift. As they stepped on and the lift began to move, he couldn't resist. "Easter Egg?"
Jelane guided her fighter to a stop on the flight deck, with the Cardssian pod behind. Before she even stepped out of her fighter she saw the security detail on standby. The station's XO and General Sobel were there as well. As quickly as she could Jelane leaped from the figther and put her hands out. "Let me take care of this. Just standby, something tells me that this is a misunderstanding. Trust me sirs." She started to head toward the Cardassian pod.
Kalim looked at Sobel and was content to allow the General to make the call at this point.
"Implicitly, Marine. Get it done," was Sobel's only comment as he watched calmly. Frank was confident that Firefly could handle almost any situation.
If things went wrong, they had the security team.
If things went really wrong, he had five marines in power armor standing by.
Ingrid pressed her hand on a large orange button at the back of the pod and the door blasted open rapidly, though no metal, either solid or in fragments, escaped from the entrance. When the smoke of the blast cleared, she stopped through the protal and leapt a small distance onto the deck. Her white hair was dirty with blonde roots, her clothing was filthy and in tatters. Her clothes were so ripped, in fact, that it almost seemed as though they had been given to her that way on purpose; this inference made more sense when one noticed the extremely attractive body underneath. Her tattoos, which were placed artfully over her entire body, were darker for having been caked with dirt and sweat for a long time.
She looked around at the room's inhabitants without speaking for several long beats, then she answered their unasked question. "Lieutenant Ingrid Hollister, Chief Flight Control Officer, USS Fearless. Service Number HR-15126."
Jelane reached through the smoke and grabbed the other woman's hand. The Bajoran pilot was slightly taken aback as she saw the human woman before her. She knew the name, when she took the assignment on Empok Nor Jelane was briefed on the Fearless and it's crew. It seemed someone in Intel thought the ship was hijacked. "Lieutenant I am Captain Jelane of the Stafleet Marine Corps. Welcome to Empok Nor. I don't know how to tell you this but you are supposed to be dead."
Ingrid didn't respond to the information, choosing instead just to look at her with a saddened expression. She had suspected they had given up hope on her. She suspected she was the only survivor, after all, and under such unpredictable circumstances.
Jelane escorted Ingrid over to the General and the Glinn. "Lieutenant I would like to introduce Brigadier General Francis Sobel in command of the Marines on the station, and Glinn Kalim of the Cardassian Defense Fleet the station's Executive Officer. Gentlemen this is Lieutenant Ingrid Hollister the Flight Control Officer of the USS Fearless."
Kalim looked behind Jelane and Hollister, curiosity in his eyes then focused on Hollister. "Interesting. A Federation officer, from a ship reported lost arriving in a Cardassian escape pod. This must be quite a tale." The last was directed to Sobel.
Frank nodded, "Indeed. A tale I would like to hear myself. But the Lieutenant should be seen by medical and then she can be interviewed. Glinn Kalim if you'll brief Captain Hood and have security escort her to medical, we can get to the bottom of this."
Jelane nodded to the two superior officers. "When you are ready I can have someone escort the Lieutenant to medical. Glinn we will need your authorization to perform a search of the pod." The Bajoran did not know what mud she had just stepped into but she planned to keep her boots clean.
Ingrid didn't like it when people spoke about her right in front of her, but she had gotten used to it on the penal colony. The Cardassians were famous for that sort of thing, and she'd suspected Glinn Kalim was no different. She'd had an abusive ex-husband from his planet and many many oppressors since then. It was fair to say she wasn't a fan of Cardassians. Of course, one had been quite nice to her on the Fearless, but he was probably dead now; that's how this galaxy was, it seems. That's how things seemed to go for her.
Eyeing the Marine pilot, Glinn Kalim nodded. "I shall, how do you say it, have my people call your people within the hour and they can go through the pod together. I'm sure the Captain would prefer to head the investigation, but I'm equally sure he would welcome your people to observe and aid us in the inspection."
Jelane stepped away to give the officers some time to chat. She was sure that they had much to discus before the Lieutenant would be taken to medical.
Kali looked at the General and stated, "Operations is currently back tracking the pod based on trajectory. We'll map that with pod's information and find out where the Lieutenant came from, to collaborate her story."
"As a matter of course," Sobel said flatly. "Based on the Lieutenant Hollisters appearance and given she arrived in a Cardassian escape pod, I'm guessing there's more than a Cardassian rescue mission to the story."
Kalim's face hardened then and he snapped, "That's for the evidence to bare out I would say, General. Unless you're making an acquisition which I would very much like to clarify."
Frank pointed at the pod and then twisted his hand to make an open palmed gesture towards Hollister. "This young officer is making me wonder just what else we don't know is going on out there. It's obvious something happened. I hope we can find out exactly what before it's standing on our chests with something sharp in it's hand."
Kali brought his hands up then, "And you're going to use this...whatever it may be...as another excuse to start flashing your brigade around. Which will alarm trade and civilian populations."
Sobel scowled at the Cardassian then, "This isn't really the place for this. I'll not just wait for something to fall on my head, however." Turning he looked at Hollister again and then beckoned her and the Marine Captain over. "Lieutenant, from your bearing, the last thing you need is to listen to two brass hats argue. Firefly will see that you're taken care of. Don't worry about a thing."
When she was summonsed Jelane fell into step next to Ingrid. "Listen Lieutenant you have to forgive all that bluster. A lot has changed around these parts. The sector is on the edge of war, the New Maquis and the Obsidian Order are wreaking havoc. You came home just at the wrong moment." She smirked "You can call me Jelane or Firefly if you wish."
"Ingrid." the other woman responded, following close beside Jelane, her hands in her barely functional pockets. "And I'd like a shower, if that's alright."
A Joint Post By
Captain Jelane 'Firefly' Shiqwue
Commander Air Group, 2738th Marine Fighter Squadron
Empok Nor
Lieutenant Ingrid Hollister
Chief Flight Control Officer, USS Pioneer
Brigadier General Francis Sobel
Commanding Officer, 258th Starfleet Marine Expeditionary Brigade
Empok Nor
Glinn Kalim
Executive Officer, Empok Nor
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