From jeffj@baudelaire.princeton.edu Mon Jun 8 20:13:55 1998 Date: Mon, 1 Jun 1998 21:49:00 -0600 From: "Jeffrey J. Jenkins" To: INDIGO FLEET List Serve Subject: [INDIGO] SB OMEGA: The Enemy Within ---OFFICIAL INDIGO FLEET TRANSMISSION--- Date: Mon, 1 Jun 1998 23:47:25 -0400 (EDT) From: "Jeffrey J. Jenkins" Subject: [INDIGO] SB OMEGA: The Enemy Within USS NOVA, Bridge FMD 6.1701 "What is going on, commander?" demanaded the younger Brooks. "Why can't we raise the base." "Unknown, the source of the problem seems to be on their end. It's strange. They messages that I'm getting from the base seem to indicate that they have acknowledge out presense in the system and given us permission to dock. But they ignore your message totally. It is almost as if they are getting a different message than the one that we are sending," concluded Fairboune. "We need to get their quickly and get this straightened out then, before we are too late to do any good." SB OMEGA FMD 6.2315 "Commodore Royan, I appologize for interrupting your medical survey of the base and inquiry into the health care delivery system along the fronter, but we may need your expertise in triage in the fleet soon and I want you to be at this meeting," said Brooks. "I'm not certain whether you have had the chance to meet all of the people here, so I will introduce them briefly. "Rear Admiral James Phaser," said the admiral indicating the tall, grey-haired Terrab, "is the second in command of INDIGO Fleet. "Captain Dieje is this base's commander." The two and a quarter meter (7' 4.5"), grey skinned, eyed, and haired nodded to the commodore. Had Royan not met the captain when he was executive officer of Starbase KAPPA in RED Fleet, he might have presented an imposing figure. However, she knew him to be both open and friendly. "Lieutenant Colonel Sorill," said the admiral indicating the rather short Vulcan dressed in a marine uniform, "is my staff adjutant." He left out, 'and one of the best killers in the galaxy.' The admiral wasn't sure if the commodore had ever heard of Sorill referred to as his pet thug or whether she knew anything about his service record. He didn't have time to care about that, either. Sorill was efficient in the extreme as an adjutant and a good friend. "Lieutenant Commander Martel is the TACFLEET Liason to INDIGO Fleet," said the admiral reaching the last and second youngest officer seated at the table. He was only a few years older than the commodore. The commander gave her a fetching smile. Royan felt very out of place in the high level fleet command meeting. She'd been pushed into a position of command as a young officer, but the commodore had never been in the middle of what appeared to be shaping up to be the largest war that the Federation had fought since the Cardassian War. The Dalriadan Alliance seemed determined and this was their home ground. Unlike the defense against the Borg and Dominion in the First and Second Battles of GAMMA, this war would be fought where Federation support was a long way off and the enemy had short supply lines to defend. The young commodore steeled herself against the emotions of those in the room. Martel was trying to project and air of calm confidence, but his nervousness was evident to the Betazoid. More unnerving was the almost fidgetting nervousness of Rear Admiral Phaser. Royan didn't probe more deeply, but he was clearly disturbed by the wholr situation. She presumed that it was the same sort of sense of wrongness that she had always felt in similar situations. He was an explorer, trained to search the galaxy in peace to gather knowledge. She was a healer, trained to help people not to kill. The last two individuals in the room were even more disturbing to the Betazoid. Admiral Brooks had stopped projecting his normally warm and open persona. His face was grim and his surface throughts were determined. He had doubts of the ability to turn back an Alliance attack, but he would not give up without a fight. He professed the belief that the Federation could overcome the Dalriadan advantages in time. However, the lack of time available was clearly on his mind. He was one of the most decorated combat veterans in the Federation, a brilliant starship captain in his time and a tactician with few equals. He had played an instrumental role in the Second Battle of GAMMA and even helped to convince the Romulans to assist in turning back the Dominion attack through the Herod wormhole. If he was uncertain about victory, how poor must the chances for a Federation victory truly be? Sorill was even more disturbing for a Betazoid however. He was almost always grim and serious, though Royan had seen him taking an almost sadistic pleasure in grilling a young officer who had made a foolish mistake. The colonel had pulled the officer aside, so that others would not see what he was doing or hear his words, but Royan had followed and waited just around the corner in the corridor as the Vulcan had berated the courage and sense of duty of the ensign. By the time that he had let the young officer finally flee from his tongue lashing, the young man was nearly in tears. What was more disturbing was the look the colonel had given her as he walked passed her. The Vulcan grinned and half-bowed to his audience. She wasn't sure quite how he had known that she was there. Her own exceptional mental abilities should have shielded the presense of her mind from a Vulcan, since most of their abilities were close range of even touch as opposed to line of sight. However, she had the distinct impression that he had known that she had been there all along. Worse, his mind was a completely blank slate to her. She could sense absolutely nothing from the Vulcan. That sort of void always bothered a Betazoid. With such a loose cannon as Colonel Sorill, it was even more disturbing. "Commdore," said Brooks a bit louder than he had before, noted Royan's backbrain which had heard him ask the question the first time. "I don't know what we can really do, admiral. The region is spead out and you've got very little in the way of medical ships in this region. There are colonies that barely have adequate medical supplies for their daily needs because of their isolation. Not a single HIPPOCRATES or NIGHTINGALE is assigned to the fleet. You've got some GALAXY and ENDEAVOUR-class ships that have enough spare internal volume to convert for medical use." "But that takes time and materials that we don't have," stated Sorill coldly. "Not to mention that they already have us outmanned and outgunned at every turn so far in this war." "Unfortunately, commodore, the colonel is correct. Until we stop the Dalriada, we need to concentrate on triage and keeping this fleet and effective fighting unit. Unless we actually can fight this war on a level footing it won't matter. [Admiral,] came a voice over the intercom, [pardon the interruption, sir. There is an incoming signal from NOVA. It is your son,] stated the communcations officer. 'What in the hell?' thought Brooks. As far as he knew, Villiers was still in command of NOVA and his son was still being treated at Star Fleet Medical for a breakdown after Jennifer's death. Somehow he knew that Roland had something to do with the whole thing, but there wasn't time to consider what precisely his nephew had done or what he would do when he caught up with the old spymaster. "Put him through," ordered the admiral. "Belay that," said Phaser. All eyes turned to the rear admiral.... --- Respectfully, Vice Admiral John R. Brooks CINCINDIGO /---------------------------------------------------------------------\ | Jeffrey J. Jenkins | "Fortune is not on the | | http://baudelaire.princeton.edu/jeffj/ | side of the faint-hearted. | | mailto:jeffj@baudelaire.princeton.edu | -Sophocles, Phaedra. | \---------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Copyright 1998, Jeffrey J. Jenkins, All rights reserved. | \-------------------------------------------------------------/ ***This message sent by an official member of Indigo Fleet*** Are you also posting your message to the newsgroup?!!! ---END TRANSMISSION---