Controlled Chaos

Posted on Sun Mar 29th, 2020 @ 7:50pm by Lieutenant Sianae T'aimne & Commander Areinnye t’Vraen
Edited on on Sun Mar 29th, 2020 @ 7:53pm

816 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Prologue: Before the Inferno
Location: IRW Dominus
Timeline: 228611.15

“Commander, may I enter?” Sianae stood at the door of Commander Areinnye’s ready room, her hand on the switch that would open the door.

“Yes Lieutenant, come in.” Areinnye replied. She sat at her desk, cradling a cup of hot broth and examining the data from the recently explored planets.

“Course adjusted, Commander. The estimated arrival time is now t-minus twenty one hours” Sianae said, turning to the woman at the desk, “And I have just gotten reports from engineering that the sensor array is acting up. They’re hoping to conduct a scan of the binary star system when we arrive tomorrow.”

“Have the Engineers given an estimated time for repairs? Timing is crucial here” said the Commander. She sipped her drink as she listened to the Ship Controller

“They say it may take anywhere from eight to twelve hours, assuming we can have at least three personnel working at the same time” Sianae glanced down at her PADD, nodding to herself briefly before looking back at the Commander.

“Lieutenant, might I remind you that this ship has a crew of over three thousand. Of which over two hundred are engineering specialists. I expect that sensor palette to be repaired and ready for use in six hours.” She said in a warning tone.

Sianae looked up quickly, “Yes, Commander, I believe that will be possible. I will go confirm it with engineering to ensure the array is completed in under six hours.”

“Just a moment, Lieutenant” Areinnye said, her face softening slightly. “You’ve been one of my officers for quite some time now. I believe I can trust you. Am I correct, Sianae?” She asked.

Sianae met Arainnye’s eyes, lowering her hand holding the PADD until it rested by her side. “Yes, Commander. In any way you may require my assistance or trust, I can guarantee you will have it.” She felt a tinge of nerve wash over her at the question, but refused to let any of it become apparent on her face. Romulans did not become nervous, she told herself, shoving any fear she had from her mind.


Areinnye paused, taking a breath and pinching the bridge of her nose. It had been a struggle, all this planning. And it was likely to be much more of a struggle to implement the plan.

“As you know, Hobus is going to destroy a large portion of the empire, including Romulus herself. The government is going to do nothing but bicker and save themselves. I don’t intend to die a brave, thoughtless fool of a citizen. Do you?” Areinnye inquired.

“No, Commander, I do not. I believe that as much as our duty is to Romulus and the government, we have duty to ourselves, to self preservation.” Sianae replied. Perhaps this was out of line, she thought, but it was the blunt truth as well. She glanced at Areinnye’s face briefly in an attempt to gauge her reaction, but finding nothing, looked away.

“I intend to escape. Not just myself, but a group of us. I would like you to assist me in this escape. And in return, you and your family will also survive. But, I don’t need to explain what will happen if we are caught” she cautioned, sliding her now-empty mug in front of her.

“That would indeed be disastrous,” Lieutenant T’amine said, “I would like to assist you. You have my complete confidence, and any way I can help you. I can imagine the escape will be difficult, although I assume you already have a plan” her voice trailed off.

“Yes, and that is why we must act quickly. It’s too risky to bring you all together, so I’m contacting each of you separately. Do not discuss this with anyone...And Lieutenant?..”

“Yes, Commander?”

“Your family, or anyone you love and trust completely should get themselves to the Kestral spaceport on Rator III. For the medical transport” Areinnye finished, dismissively.

“Understood. I will tell them,” Sianae paused, turning back for a second to Areinnye, “Is there any way I may assist you at this time?”

“We need the data from these planetary surveys. And I need eyes on the crew. Dismissed, Lieutenant.” Said the Commander.

“Yes, Commander.” Sianae pivoted, and left the Commander’s ready room.

The surveys would be easily accessible, and she could quite easily delegate the task to any number of the science officers on board. The Commander’s words echoed in Sianae’s head as she walked briskly down to engineering. Engineering… Sianae realized with a start that she’d nearly forgotten to alert the engineers on the new deadline for the repairs on the array. It was true, since the knowledge of Hobus decimating a part of the empire, Sianae had wanted to find a way out of a uselessly loyal death. Thankfully, now, she had one.

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