Finale

Posted on Sun Oct 15, 2017 @ 5:45pm by Commodore Michael Aravan & Captain Madelina Weisz

Mission: Strange Matter
Location: Ready Room
Timeline: MD 30 || 0900 Hours

"Open a channel to the Romulan ship," Michael ordered as he came to his feet and went to the front of the Command platform that was the centerpiece of the bridge. The holographic viewscreen displayed the haughty Romulan Commander Dukuma of the Eraiko and he inclined his head.

"Commander Dukuma," he greeted her. "I'm pleased that you haven't opened fire on us this time."

"If you plan on wasting my time," the female Romulan said with a sneer. "You will have spoken too soon. Why have you called me here?"

"It involves what was found on the Science vessel," Michael began. He had no intentions of revealing everything, but he had to throw the Romulans something. "It was a hostile lifeform that killed the crew. It had the ability to create viruses that drove people insane or killed them instantly and when the crew released it from its containment, it attacked them."

"What proof do you have of this, Commodore?" Dukuma asked. She looked off to the side and shook her head before she looked back at the screen.

"We had time to study it and saw what it was capable of first hand," he said. "We attempted to communicate with it and it said its mission was the eradication of life. It had been engineered in an alternate universe and your science ship had send a probe through a temporal rip. When the probe returned, it had the lifeform with it and they attempted to learn what was on the other side of the rip. The lifeform didn't give them a chance."

"Again, Commodore Aravan, what proof do you have? The Science vessel is also gone. What explanation do you have for that?" The Romulan Commander asked.

"It was taken into a Graviton Ellipse," Michael said. "It was attracted to a dark matter asteroid and came out of subspace. Your Science vessel was in the path. As for proof, open a channel and I'll send you the proof as well as a cure for the virus in the event that you encounter it again."

Dukuma made a gesture and then nodded. Without the Science vessel, there was no way to know if the Federation had stolen Romulan secrets. "If we detect anything other than that, you should prepare yourself for a fight. You have felt the bite of the Eraiko and you know our cloak prevents us from being spotted on your tachyon grid."

Michael's eyes narrowed as he sent the data on the virus and cure as well as the lifeform footage that had been taken in Medical. "Threats aren't necessary, Commander Dukuma," he said. "Unlike the Breen ship showing up and claiming we were in Typon Pact territory. It's a bit of a jump from here to Breen space, isn't it?"

"The new Romulan Republic is allied with the Typhon Pact," Dukuma said with a slight smile when she saw the Federation Commodore's eyes. She knew the Eraiko could give the Triumphant a run for the latinum in a fight and she wasn't afraid to use it. The knowledge that she had given him about their cloak wasn't just a bluff but she hadn't told him that the Eraiko could also fire while cloaked.

"New Romulan Republic?" Michael arched an eyebrow. "At last report, your people have scattered to the four corners of the galaxy and no one can agree who the Empress or Emperor should be, and when you do, they usually end up with a knife in their backs."

"Times change, Commodore," the Romulan said. "And so do fortunes. The Republic is part of the Typhon Pact and you would do well to keep your distance." She glanced down and looked at something, then back up at him. "My Science officer confirms what you sent is real enough, but will require time to study it. Our business here is done, Commodore."

As the screen went blank, Michael sighed. He would have to alert Starfleet and then see what their new orders were. After that, anything was possible and he hoped that the Typhon Pact was as unsteady as reports had claimed and even if they were, a Romulan people who had begun to unite again could easily present a challenge once more.

He filled his coffee mug but set it on the desk and tapped his combadge. =^=Aravan to Weisz. I need to see you in my ready room, Commander.=^=

=^=On my way,=^= Maddy answered before she tapped her combadge to end the link between the two of them. She leaned back in her chair and gave a mental groan. It all just seemed to be never ending, but this was exactly what she signed up for when she became a member of Command. And, if she was completely honest with herself, she loved it... even with the constant stress and wonder.

The redhead rose to her feet and reached for her tea. She had no intentions of leaving it behind, and even sipped it as she made her way to the Commodore's office. Once the Commander stopped outside of the door, she extended a hand to touch the sensor for the chime and waited to be granted entry.

The door slid open and Michael looked at her. "Coffee?" he asked her as he gestured towards the fresh pot.

"Let's see how my tea works out first," the redhead said as she settled down in one of the chairs once she was inside. Now, it was time to get down to business. "What's going on? Please, tell me we haven't already been drafted for a new mission when we've barely just completed our last one."

"No, not yet anyway," the Commodore said as he finally picked his coffee up and took a drink. "I spoke to Commander Dukuma of the Eraiko. Even after I gave her proof of the life form and cure for the virus, she was still suspicious and demanding. Not to mention the loss of the Science ship. She informed me that there's a new Romulan Republic and that they're part of the Typhon Pact. Any incursions into Romulan space, of which they're trying to claim the Gavarian Corridor, will be met with hostility. The Breen are sending ships to back their claim as are other members of the Pact."

"Well, this just gets better and better, doesn't it?" Maddy mused with the shake of her head. "There's not enough tea or coffee in the quadrant."

"No, there isn't. I suspect that once I report to Starfleet HQ that they're going to want us to stay in this area and gather intelligence," Michael said. "Frankly, I'd rather get back into Federation space and get backup, but when you're a flagship, you are the backup."

"Early retirement is looking better and better, but we both know how long that would last. If Starfleet HQ wants us to stay in the area, then that's what we'll do," she said, rising to her feet to place her nearly full cup of tea in the recycler. As much as she wanted to drink it, it was bound to leave a bitter taste in her mouth. "Like every situation we come up against, we'll deal with it."

"We always do," the ship commander said with a weary sigh. "I think my wife and kids are going to sound an intruder alert when they see me. I can't remember the last time I was back in our quarters."

Maddy shook her head. "I somehow doubt that. Spencer knows you lead a demanding professional life, and based on what I've seen over the years, she doesn't hold it against you. Your wife is a saint, Michael. The things she deals with... I'm not so sure I'd be so forgiving if I was in her position. I'd like to think I would be, but I just don't know."

"She is," he agreed. "The kids, not so much. What would you do if Barnes got called to Earth to serve at Starfleet HQ?"

"I would go with him... no questions," the redhead replied without hesitation.

Michael gave a chuckle, but knew she wasn't kidding. "Since I'ma Commodore now, I'll have better luck at keeping him and you here on the ship unless one or both of you transfers off. Suggestions on what to do about the possibilities are if we have to stay here?"

"Try to keep everyone alive," she said. "You're asking me a question that I can't really answer. If we're tasked with having to stay here, that's what we'll do. Anything else will depend entirely on situations we happen to get thrown into."

"What do you think about deploying the Victorious under cloak and have them head back just in case?" Michael asked her. "It's back from the Marine mission. Speaking of, I need to get a debriefing from Major Patrova. Colonel S'er'in'e got serious hurt and is in Medical now. Gage gave me a thumbnail summary, but he wasn't in charge of the teams."

"I don't think we need to separate the crew anymore even if we have the means to do it," Commander Weisz stated. "Of course, you're the CO, so you get to make the final call on that. As far as a debriefing goes, give her a little time. I think she's a bit sweet on our resident Caitian, and if he was injured, she's likely to want to spend some time with him."

"You're my Exec for a reason, Maddy," he said. "I value your opinions and if you think we shouldn't separate the crew again, I won't. As for the Major and Colonel, I'll give her twenty-four hours."

"I think she would appreciate that. I know I would if Tom got hurt, and that's mostly because I'd want to take care of him," she said, sounding a bit surprised by her own words. Maddy wasn't much of a nurturer, but then she loved the Master Chief much more than she'd ever loved anyone in her entire life. He was the end of the line for her... now and always... and she hadn't been kidding when she said she was going to marry him someday. "If that were to ever happen, though, don't put it past me to have a bed put in my office for him. That would happen in a heartbeat."

"I'd heard you and he spent shore leave together, but I didn't know it was that series, Maddy," Michael said. "I would ask if you've been hit on the head recently, but I like my coffee cups outside of my body. I'm happy finally found someone that you're happy with. As for the bed in your office, well...that might be going a bit far. How about having Rho take over your duties while you take care of Barnes instead?"

"That could work, too, but thankfully, Tom is healthy and uninjured," she said with a smile, thanking the stars that he was okay. "And thank you. I wasn't necessarily looking to let anyone into my life, but Master Chief Barnes came along and changed everything."

"You find surprises where they're least expected," he said before he finished his coffee and took the cup to the recycler. "As for me, I have to talk to Starfleet HQ now and see what they want us doing next."

"Keep me informed. I have to get back in my office and go over reports," the XO said, rising to her feet.

"Will do," Michael said. "In the meantime, we're going to put in at Deep Space Ten and wait for Zahara to catch up. I hope she chooses to. She's been a great asset since her release."

"She has been, and I hope she chooses to come back, too," Maddy said. "We'll know soon enough."

"That we will," he agreed. "At any rate, I'll contact you as soon as I know what Starfleet has in store for us. I'll let you get to your reports."

"These should be fun. I'll forward them to you as soon as I have them compiled into some kind of order," Maddy stated. "In the meantime, try not to work too hard." With that, she turned and made her way toward the door.