Absolute Candor

Posted on Tue Mar 9th, 2021 @ 10:35pm by Lieutenant Hatham tr'Krotash & Colonel Sehan t'Varis

1,151 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Chapter III: The Hunt is On
Location: Commander's Quarters, I.R.W. Ourainavassa
Timeline: 238702.06

It was getting late, but Raven was still at work. After the briefing had concluded, she had contacted Commander Jameson of the U.S.S. Amelia, who had confirmed again that he would be available to provide backup for the operation against the Vulture. He would have his ship park on the very edge of the neutral zone, and, if called upon, rush to the mission area at maximum warp. After she had gone over the details with Jameson, she had then gone over the plan again and again, making sure she hadn't missed anything. Finally satisfied that everything was as prepared as it could be, she had gone back to her quarters, taken Eavy for a stroll around the hydroponics bay, and gone back to wait for Hatham. She knew the Romulan was wary of some aspects of the plan, especially the role their new crewmember from the mirror universe was to play, which was why she had asked him to come see her.

Having escaped an irate doctor, though thankfully one whose ire was (primarily) directed elsewhere, Hatham arrived at the Colonel's quarters. He straightened, preparing himself as he waited for her answer the door signal. Best case, she wanted him to put in place the exact sort of safeguards he had been discussing with their own Rogers; worst case, the Colonel was angry that even if he didn't openly object, he hadn't exactly been enthusiastic about the mission plan.

When the door chime rang, Raven had just gotten herself a coffee from the replicator. She admitted him, and sat on one of the armchairs in her generous living area. "Hatham," she said, as the Romulan entered, "Good to see you. Please, take a seat."

"Now, I noticed your unease during the briefing. I assume it is to do with the responsibility I have given to Commander Rogers. Have you made your preparations to stop her from stealing the ship?"

Good. They were on the same page. Hatham relaxed very slightly as he took a chair. "Most of them. Others will have been implemented within the next few hours," he reported. "If I may, Colonel, why put her in a position with that much responsibility? She's an unknown."

"Excellent. Why put her in such a position? Two reasons. We need an experienced tactical officer for the mission, and she fits that description quite nicely. The other reason is simple." Raven smirked as she took a sip from her coffee. "By the way, feel free to help yourself from the replicator. No, the other reason I gave her responsibility was to test her. You are right, she very much is an unknown. What she told us so far pretty much matches the intelligence we already had. Her motives, however, remain to be seen. Let me be frank with you, Sublieutenant. The reason why I gave her this much authority without taking any precautions is that I knew I could trust you and Major Rogers to take them instead. That way, I will not appear suspicious of her, while at the same time not risking losing my ship to her. There is one failsafe that my father had installed into the vessel, which is that same shutdown code we used against the pirates when we took her. I was always prepared to use it, if the need arose. However, knowing that you would go and do exactly what your duty is, to ensure the security and safety of this crew and this ship, has allowed me to somewhat let my guard down towards our guest."

As she spoke, Eavy had come to sit on her lap, and she patted her pet's head as she paused for a moment. "I will not ask you specifics of the preparations you have made. I do not wish to be in a position where I could possibly let any of them slip."

Hatham nodded, appreciating her caution. "I did not speak up in the meeting because while she would expect a Romulan to be unhappy about a stranger placed at Tac, there was no reason to state it overtly and given her reason to come after me. If there's reason to draw her out between now and our arrival, I can provoke her, but for now, taking out vulture is the priority." He paused a moment. "My only concern then is how do we know she isn't working with him? We know very little about Vulture, and a battle can be won or lost on a seemingly minor error in judgment by someone running tactical."

The Colonel smiled. "I had considered that, too. However, I see little reason to believe she is working with our enemy. If, however, I am proven wrong, I am sure that either your own preparations or my own trusty Sabre will rectify that swiftly." Her smile grew wider as she looked at the weapon hanging from the wall nearby. "Lieutenant Lynn is working with the Chief Engineer on reverse-engineering the firing mechanism. I believe that in this day and age, projectile weapons can bring a major tactical advantage. But back to the matter at hand. I hope I was able to clear up any worries you had about my assignment of Commander Rogers. Is there anything else you wish to speak to me about, while you are here? And remember, I may have a Tal Shiar badge on my jacket, but this is not a Romulan vessel. You can speak your mind freely."

Hatham was not entirely reassured on that point, particularly if Raven might be off the ship with a boarding party when an 'error in judgment' was made. However, he'd laid the best countermeasures he could; Vulture might get a chance to escape, but Commander Rogers would not have control of the ship for long. "It is a fine weapon," he said looking admiringly at the Sabre. "You might ask the Dosadi for advice too. They use dual energy and plasma projectile weapons."

Leaning forward, he looked directly at the Colonel. "I appreciate the invitation to speak freely, but neither you nor I are Qowat Milat. I will tell you my position as well as is needful: Commander Rogers is a Terran, or claims to be. I strongly suspect that what she says is paramount for the timeline or universe or whatever, is the destruction of my race. The moment it is clear to me that that is the case, I will kill her."

Raven looked Hatham in the eye. "Sublieutenant, as you know, I am half-Romulan myself. I attended Starfleet Academy, I was on track to become a Starfleet officer. Should it turn out that she and those she works with plan to commit genocide, I will do all I can to stop that from happening. You have my word on that."

Hatham inclined his head in acknowledgment. "I'm glad I'll have your approval then."

RSS Feed