Ambush! (Part 1)

Posted on Sun Dec 17th, 2023 @ 5:53pm by Commander Patricia Cooke & Lieutenant Charlotte E. "Charlie" Yeager & I-400 & Boso Gane & Oko Gane & Lieutenant Commander Tsukasa Izumi & Lieutenant Commander Drauc ie-Jia'anKahr & Lieutenant Commander Lahki Bakshi Dr & Major Achilles Aurelius & Lieutenant Akira Kogami & Lieutenant JG Eradaar Ezazzan & Lieutenant JG Danielle Sidney
Edited on on Sun Dec 17th, 2023 @ 5:56pm

1,131 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: From the Inside

Previously, on Star Trek: Missouri:

"Captain, I am detecting a power surge coming from within the Asteroid belt." The Operations officer reported. "The power readings match perfectly for a Ferengi orbital mining facility of 2370s design."

"That's got to be our guy:" Patricia said. "Drop the cloak and raise the shields. Go to red alert. Yeager, take us in!"

Yeager worked effortlessly to trade out the cloaking device for the shields.

"Cloak dropping... Shields up." She reported. "Taking us into the asteroid belt."

And now, the continuation:

[Klawe's facility]

Klawe led his unexpected guests to his storeroom, where the vast majority of the mined Dilithium was kept.

"It is with this rock that I shall build my monument..." The mechanical woman said as she accepted a sample from Klawe. "Dilithium."

The mechanical woman then handed the sample to her female Hebitian associate.

"Everyone thinks Heartfilia is the cat's meow, but HW-35 has plenty of riches, too:" Klawe explained. "The Dilithium you see here, a tiny amount of the total Dilithium estimated to exist here, is worth billions!"

The mechanical woman closed her eyes for a moment, as if pondering something:

"And now, so are you:" She said.

The PADD Klawe's guard was holding suddenly began going off: The Ferengi looked at the PADD as vast amounts of Dilithium were deposited.

"It's all available under your... Dummy holdings? Finance is so weird..." The mechanical woman muttered. "But, as the old Ferengi proverb goes, keep your friends rich and your enemies rich and then wait to find out which is which."

The proverb was familiar to Klawe: A it had recently been recited to him by a Starfleet Officer.

"Cooke." He said.

"What?"

"Patricia Cooke of the Sandusky once said that... To me." Klawe explained before a similarity clicked that he hadn't previously noted. "You're a new kind of Iona."

"What?" The mechanical woman seemed angered by this. "I am not-!"

She grabbed Klawe's arm. Klawe's guard began to draw his disruptor, but the male Hebitian tapped one of his ridges and the guard stood down.

"I am not:" The mechanical woman said. "You think I'm one of the Federation's puppets? One of their 'hollow men'? I mean, look at me? Do I look like Iona? Cooke is nothing!"

The mechanical woman brought her other arm down so hard on Klawe's that it dislodged the Ferengi's arm. Klawe staggered back after bellowing in pain.

"Ooh, I'm sorry..." The mechanical woman said. "I'm s- Ohh, I'm sure that's going to buff out. I'm sorry, it's just, I don't understand: Don't compare me to Iona!"

The mechanical woman then kicked Klawe down a stairwell.

"It's a thing with me:" She said. "Cooke, the Federation; they're a sickness!"

It was at this moment that several transporter beams appeared in front of the mechanical woman, and an away team from the Missouri beamed in, led by Commander Patricia Cooke.

"You know, I-400: I was thinking the same thing, but for you." Patricia said, having heard the last part of I-400's statement as the transport finished.

Eradaar Ezazzan, a six foot and eight inch tall Gorn, materialized beside Commander Cooke. As the ships Chief Counselor, she wasn't intended to ever be on the front lines. However, with the unique set of lessons and skills developed on the USS Poseidon as a Cadet and eventually Starfleet Academy Graduate, her list of professions were many. For example, she had been taught protocol for security and medical responses. To that end, she beamed in with a medical bag on hand as well as a hand phaser. Her silver, reptilian eyes glared menacingly - however unintentionally - at the opposing party.

She said nothing as she gauged the response of those around her, and her Commanders. She then noticed the injured Ferengi just visible along the stairwell. She also noticed the obstacle in their way.

"Commander?" she briefly inquired, hinting toward the injured. She had been brought along to assist, after all. Then again, maybe she was required for security only.

The male Hebitian stepped in front of the stairwell entrance.

"I don't think they intend to let us pass without going through them..." Patricia commented.

"Ah, Patricia Cooke:" I-400 said. "God's righteous woman. I can't physically throw up in my mouth, but if I could..."

"Ah, I see she learned sarcasm," Akira retorted. "Always a valuable trait to have."

"Aye, Commander," Eradaar replied in a snort following the brief exchange. If her job meant going through someone, then so be it. She pulled out her phaser, but she didn't really need it. Much like Klingons, Gorn were capable of extreme physical feats. That said, it didn't preclude to the necessity for it. Eradaar had always been one to shy away from a fight. Until it was absolutely necessary, that is.

"Step out of the way," the newly assigned Chief Counselor said to the Hebitian. She recognized the species from her studies.

"I'd do it," the Betazed doctor said. "I don't know about YOU, but I personally don't want to be at the other end of a goddamn Gorn," Lahki said, phaser out, set to stun, but ready to move. She was a doctor, yes, but she was Starfleet first, and she would protect her Captain and the ship.

They were the original inhabitants of Cardassia. She had discussed that history with her then-cadet friend, Hapam Rajam, a Cardassian refugee turned Starfleet Officer. They, along with the rest of their Cadet group, had shared both extensive and intimate stories of what they knew of their cultures. Hapam always seemed regretful of Hebitian history, almost as if it was deserving to be a warning of how brutal an Empire could become. Cardassia was theirs until catastrophic climate change nearly killed them all off. Then the militant Cardassians enslaved them, using them for labor - those who were left.

Eradaar stepped forward another talon, her tail behind her thrashed briefly before going deathly still. Her eyes were focused on the Hebitian, but her peripheral was open to surprises. She gently lowered her phaser a bit. "I need to help him," she emphasized, hinting toward the Ferengi who most likely was near death by now.

"When your captain allows us to take possession of our legally-obtained Dilithium, you may pass." The Hebitian responded.

"Can't let that happen:" Patricia said. "Not until we know what you plan to do with it."

"Oh, I'm so glad you asked, because I wanted to take the next five minutes to monologue about my evil plan:" I-400 said.

To be continued...

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