Regrouping
Posted on Jun 23, 2017 @ 12:50am by Captain Michael Turlogh Kane
Mission: The Romulan Way
"REGROUPING"
(Continued from "What Would You Do If You Knew You Couldn't Fail?")
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Captain's log, supplemental - and to our diplomatic function with the Shai'Dan's senior officers continues. It seems to be going as well as can be expected - nobody has insulted anyone else, and the conversations, although guarded, do seem genuine. I am especially pleased with the attitude of Commander Jaron - although Lieutenant Von informs me that he is acting under orders and isn't especially pleased to be here, he is nevertheless speaking the language of diplomacy well enough...
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Location: USS Phoenix, en route to Romulus
Stardate: 2.[17]0622.2050
Scene: The Vulgar Tribble
It wasn't quite a party, but it had gotten more relaxed. Everyone was too professional to let their guard down, but the conversations were flowing well enough as both Romulan and Federation attendees realises that there would, in fact, be no war tonight. The food was being eaten, the ale was being drank, and Michael Turlogh Kane was pleased enough. If it weren't for the whole 'being escorted to Romulus' thing, he might even crack a smile.
He had left Jaron alone for a moment, and as soon as he did, Deleem had moved away from Jake Crichton and one to his commanding officer's side. The two of them were speaking quietly to one another by the viewport. When Kane looked around for his erstwhile Executive Officer, he saw Jake alternately looking at a bottle of brown stuff like it was his best friend, and back around the room like he was guilty of something.
Lieutenant Byte approached. The android had kept a low profile all evening, remaining in the background and simply observing. It wasn't that Byte was anti-social, but it was the cautious sort, and inclined towards accumulating as much data as possible on something before deciding on a course of action. {{Captain Kane.}}
"Good evening, Lieutenant," said Kane. "You're enjoying yourself?"
Byte cocked its head like a bird, and a look of confusion spread over its features. {{I don't believe so, sir. I came to make a report.}}
"Regarding what?"
Byte lowered its voice. {{Captain, I have been monitoring our course ever since we got underway with the Shai'Dan, using the co-ordinates where we met them as a reference point. We have been proceeding at a steady speed of warp seven, but we are not travelling directly for Romulus.}}
Kane frowned. "Explain."
{{According to my navigational calculations, a direct course to Romulus from our origin point would have seen us passing close to several known populated Romulan star systems. However, sensors indicate that we are much farther from those systems than we ought to be. When I examined the course we are currently on, and then projected it forward, I reached a conclusion. Captain, the Romulans are deliberately taking a course that keeps us clear of populated star systems.}}
Kane put his glass of Romulan ale down on the bar. He'd lost his taste for it a while ago. "I see." He paused. "I suppose it stands to reason. The closer we travel to those star systems, the more data we could accumulate on our sensors, right?"
{{Yes, Captain.}}
"They're being very cautious, Mister Byte." Kane looked across the room and made eye contact with Jaron and Deleem. The Romulans stopped talking, and Jaron raised his glass politely, giving Kane a smile. Kane inclined his head in reply. "If we passed too close to those systems, we could gain military intelligence - planets, populations, locations of starbases, perhaps even comms chatter outlining what's going on. If the shoe was on the other foot, what would we do?"
Byte was frowning. {{The shoe - ?}} Then its face creased with something akin to delight. {{Ah! An idiomatic question, asking what would the Federation do if the roles were reversed. I see what you mean, Captain.}}
"I see what you mean too, Mister Byte. After all, they haven't told us what they're doing, have they?"
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Scene: Jaron and Deleem, a short distance away
"How I wish this torture would end," grated Jaron, as he smiled through gritted teeth and lifted up his glass of Romulan ale - which, if was being honest, was the best thing about the evening so far. It was all so *forced*. It wasn't natural, it was all a duplicitous game, and it was not very Romulan.
"Shall we make our excuses and leave?" asked Deleem.
Jaron have him an irritated look. "Of course we shall not make our excuses and leave. We shall stay until it is plain that the evening has drawn to a natural end. Besides, you don't want to drag Herut away from them, do you? That Tal'Shiar dog is having the time of his life."
"True enough." Deleem paused a moment, looking around the room. "So, this is the Federation dreadnought that has made all existing starships obsolete."
Jaron sipped his ale slowly. "It is impressive. I cannot help but think of it burning in space."
Deleem chuckled. "Yes, Commander."
"But now is not the time for war," continued Jaron. He looked across the room at the Betazoid officer he met earlier. "Do you see that one? The Betazoid male?"
"I see him," said Deleem distastefully. Betazoids made Romulans rather uncomfortable. It wasn't necessarily the telepathy that they disliked - Deleem was sure that, on the day that the Empire sundered Betazed and enslaved its people, some use would be found for that particular psionic power - but Romulans had spent centuries eschewing anything that even smacked of Vulcan, including any hint of psionics. "He was speaking to you earlier."
"He told me that he had served on one of our spy ships inside the Dominion for six years." Jaron paused for effect. "He told me that the name of the ship's commander was Nevar."
Deleem looked startled. "Nevar? You mean the - "
"It is too much of a coincidence, is it not?" said Jaron. "I did read Nevar's report following the mission, but now I know for sure of the link between him and one of the Phoenix's officers. Very interesting."
"Will you tell the Praetor when we arrive home?"
Jaron sipped his ale again. "I will think about it."
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NRPG: Another short one. Just wait until we get to Romulus. The grimdark has gone on ahead and is waiting for us there...
Jerome McKee
the Soul of Captain Michael Turlogh Kane
Commanding Officer
USS PHOENIX
"He speaks an infinite deal of nothing!"
- Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice", Act 1, Scene 1.117
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