Subterfuge in Motion

Posted on Fri Sep 19th, 2025 @ 6:45pm by Major Marcus Ming & Lieutenant JG Nix Doa-Harain & Lieutenant Commander Angel Blake & Lieutenant JG Esessa Sh’ivhohlol & Master Warrant Officer Yerin Di'Ara & Staff Sergeant Lacey Burkett

3,163 words; about a 16 minute read

Mission: Mission 9: When the Stars Went Silent
Location: Briefing Room two
Timeline: 3 Hours after SNAFU

Marcus reviewed his documentation one last time including the page authorizing the mission. His mission. He'd moved to briefing room two to review the plan one last time for good measure.

Taking a slow, meditative breath, he exhaled before tapping his badge and speaking, "This is Major Ming. Will the following personnel please report to briefing toom two: Lt. Angel Blake, Lieutenant Esessa Sh'ivhohlol, Lietenant Nix Doa-Harain, Lieutenant Abara, MWO Yerin Di'Ara and Staff Seargeant Lacey Burkett. Again, please report to briefing room two immediately for mission briefing. Ming Out!

Sh’iv had been meditating in her quarters when the call came. With a muted grunt, she rose, wincing as the motion tugged at healing muscles. She snatched up her uniform jacket, shrugging it on as she strode out the door. Several minutes later, she stepped into the flight briefing room.

“Sir,” she said simply, taking her usual seat. Her lone antenna swept the air. The absence of its twin still unsettled her, like hearing half a conversation or walking with one boot off. Meditation helped, but the nausea had a way of creeping in when she least expected it. Still, she wasn’t the first Andorian to lose part of herself in this war. And she wouldn’t be the last. There was no time for self-pity. The fight went on.

Yerin was just finishing helping another nurse with a consult when a familiar voice suddenly emanated from her combadge almost surprising the younger nurse she was with. After making sure the woman and their patient was fine, she detoured to the nurse's station to let them know she was going to be away for a meeting before washing up and heading for the nearest turbolift lobby.

She finally remembered who he was after she connected the name with her memory. Major Ming was the Starfighter Wing Commander, and someone she'd already met previously when she was treating Lieutenant Sh'ivhohlol of the injuries she sustained from battle.

It wasn't her first time being in a mission briefing, she was a combat medic after all and knew how to take lives as well as saving them. But she was very intrigued because normally it was the security chief or the Marine CO who would require her services.

Guess she was gonna find out what the deal was when she got there.

As she made her way to the venue and stepped inside, seeing there were already people there, all officers. She quickly found the man who summoned her for the meeting and introduced herself, still wearing her teal scrubs. "Greetings, Major. I'm Master Warrant Officer Yerin Di'Ara, reporting as ordered."

It was a briefing so she could have just gone straight to her seat, but she was still newly integrated into the Denver's crew officially and she wasn't familiar with what the senior officers were like, so she felt it was better to err on the side of caution.

Angel had no such qualms. The Cyborg cared as much for courtesy and keeping feathers unruffled as she did about the feelings of the many Jem'hadar and Vorta she had brutally killed over the preceeding few months. She brushed past the Warrant Officer with a not unfriendly greeting and claimed a seat, scanning the room, her gaze finally landing on Marcus, whom she offered an upwards nod of acknowledgement. Her manner as ever was a mix of nonchelance with a side of a thunderous scowl, just for good measure.

The anti-Angel managed to bolster the mood of the room from being dragged down by Angel's aura of disdain as she walked in.

"Major, Lieutenant." Staff Sergaent Burkett offered the two department heads a respectful greeting before offering Yerin a huge grin as she spied her hovering.

"Well hey there, cutie pie!" She enthused, laying a friendly freckled hand on the medic's arm. "Y'all wanna sit next to me? Come on! Let's see what the Major here's got cookin' for us huh?"

Seeing how everyone else was just heading straight to their seats, it seemed that it was understood that they'd be more casual here, so Yerin relaxed and offered a greeting to the other officers, including her former patient and Angel who just walked in.

Then came Lacey who made her grin with the use of an affectation that seemed to slip so easily from the southern woman's tongue like morning dew on a flower petal. The Orlanian medic offered a wave as she got pulled her to her corner; an invitation she happily accepted as she sat down while waiting for the others to arrive.

Next to come in was a large, dark skinned human with a shaved head. He made his way over to sit next to Sh'iv as he said to Ming in his deep basso, "I t'ink ya bumped yer head bossman. I be an ensign still."

Marcus reached into his pocket and tossed it to the big man. He grinned and said, "You've been on my wing for almost longer than I can remember. Consider it kudos since I can't offer sainthoods and thanks for mostly keeping my ass unscorched out there."

Abara looked at the Knight's CO then inside the box. He took the hollow pip out and started to fix it to his collar by touch as he said, "Yer daft boss.....But thank ye. Nice of ya to notice."

Both men shared a grin. He glanced around and said, "Since we are still short one might as well get another past due oversight taken care of..."

Major Ming turned to his XO and said, "Lieutenant....You're a credit to the Andorian reputation for unquestioned bravery and dedication. Next fighter you scrap so willfully might just get docked out of your pay. You're an invaluable part of the Knights, and selfless courage earned you this."

He withdrew a full pip out of the same pocket Abara's box and held it out before saying, "Let's get that half pip off and try this full one out for a look-see. I've also put in for the Starfleet 'purple heart' since you got hurt so bad saving the hide of a member of your flight."

Sh'iv bowed her head, her cheeks turning a shade of purple. "I had expended all my weapons. I couldn't do nothing and watch you get flamed, sir."

Marcus swapped out the outer pips to replace the hallow pip stepped back then grinned, He added, "Two full pips look good on you Sh'iv. Congratulations....You really did earn it."

"Thank you sir."

It was then Lt. Doa-Harain entered in his full 1.8 meter Efrosian grandeur. He paused inside the door, peering around the room through his glasses for a brief moment, and said, "I do hope I am not late."

MIng managed to keep a poker face worthy of the Federation Grand Series of Poker as he said, "Not at all. We were just a moment or two from starting. Please, take a seat, Lieutenant."

The intel specialist took a seat as instructed. The Major gave everyone a minute to center before he took the proverbial center stage and cleared his throat. Once he had everyone's attention, he said, "Thank you all for coming. As most, if not all, of you know, The Federation's not quite knocking this one through the field goals. Rebecca had me put a plan together in the hopes of gathering the needed intel to begin to turn the tables in this damned war. Based on some rather deep dives into the intel pool, I think we have a very likely winner."

He held up a hand to forestall any comments as he continued, "As some know quite well, intelligence can be straightforward, or it's bits of info paired with a Ouija board and good wishes. It's closer to the former than the latter .... which means it's pretty solid. The Dominion is working to establish themselves on Vulcan. It's a habit I'll be pleased to end. Toward that end..."

Marcus pulled up the star charts around Vulcan. He pointed out one spacelane. He said, "The Dominion tends to be very smart. They do tend to fall into smug habits sometimes. They're solidifying their base on Vulcan. They've got a guarded spacelane going from their consolidated territory to Vulcan.

Sh’iv narrowed her eyes, antennae twitching with restrained fury. “That’s to be expected. The Vulcans won’t offer much resistance. But the Dominion is stretched thin and shifting resources off Betazed to reinforce Vulcan, Tellar, and Andoria—making it vulnerable, especially with the planetary resistance. Still, it remains firmly within Dominion-controlled space. It might as well be in the Delta Quadrant.”

She crossed her arms. “Andoria especially. My people don’t accept defeat easily. The cold alone is enough to slow down Dominion movements. The Cardassians have never adapted well to sub-zero conditions. If we strike, it should be there. At least... in my opinion."

"Very good points. This leads to mention an interesting find," Marcus continued.

Mr. Doa-Harain and the intel department found some useful information since things have settled a little. Apparently, our friends from the Dominion are sketchy about sending transmissions so close to Federation space. We've picked up decreased traffic in the general neighborhood and, although they hid it well, they seem to be sending ships along two specific space lanes from their previously held territory to Vulcan. Between the increasingly consistent ship traffic and decreased signal detection, it's believed that data is being sent via ship. Mr. Doa-Harain and a couple of colleagues have noticed a pattern appearing. They're doing a good job, but as our cryptology expert said, they're trying a little bit too hard. The Major's mouth quirked up on the left a bit in amusement at the sentiment as he gave the Efrosian a respectful nod.

The Marine Pilot didn't pause for any longer than necessary and went on, "Based on their pattern so far, this will put either a courier vessel or a fighter on this spacelane by this rogue planet in a bit under 18 and a half hours. My plan is fairly straightforward. Set up behind the rogue planet, which, as a volcanic class G, will help mask us from their approach, bushwhack 'em, board, extract our information post haste, and get the hell out of Dodge before the Dominion is any the wiser. We have a Warhammer class runabout for this mission, as it's more appropriate than a Danube. In a perfect universe, we'd tow the enemy ship back to have intel and security comb over it, but that is extremely unlikely to be a viable choice, so we'll aim it at one of the many sizable lava oceans to dispose of the evidence once we get whatever we can get out of the databanks."

His eyes fell to each officer in the room as he mentioned them a heartbeat later, "Sh'iv and Abara will be the pilot and co-pilot/sensor officer, respectively. While on ship I'll assist on sensors and man the weapons....Sh'iv will stand in on weps and quick depart standby while I lead the mission. Blake, I tapped you for your security and combat experience....While Sh'iv is my XO on the ship, you'll be my 1st during the boarding action. I won't lie -- Your cybernetic enhancements may come in useful as well. Sergeant Burkette ... You're record is top notch both for service and combat talent. I'll apologize to your boss when we get back for stealing you away. Lt. Doa-Harain will be extracting our data for transport, while MWO DI'Ara will be our combat medic in case shit goes south. Your personality, skill, and training profiles best matched this mission, which is why you all were tapped by me to join this party. Questions so far?"

Sh'iv cocked her head and drummed her fingers softly on the table, the nail tips making nearly inaudible clicks.

Yerin listened intently throughout the whole briefing, wondering whether this was going to be a ground op or a boarding assault. Either of the two reasons were really the only times when her services were required as a shipborne combat medic.

It didn't take long for her to get her answer.

An unsupported covert boarding assault on a Jem Hadar comms ship. It was beyond ambitious, perhaps even crazy and maybe even reckless, but such was the nature of ad hoc operations. And if the intel was correct, she didn't blame them for wanting to carry out this desperate action while they still had the chance. They were at the brink of annihilation. Anything that could turn the tide and perhaps even give them a fighting chance at allowing people to survive the aftermath was still something worth taking a look at.

Considering how things gradually then quickly became desperate the more the war progressed, Yerin wasn't a stranger to being involved in these kinds of plans back on the Bellerophon. If she could help out then she'd be glad to do so. But she needed more information. So when they gave the opportunity for questions, she wanted to ask the biggest one in her mind.

"Major, do we have any information about the kind of opposition we're expecting to go up against?" She queried. "I mean I get it, we're exploiting an opportunity so it can't be helped, but I can't imagine the Dominion would leave a ship that vital to their war effort without adequate security."

"Valid points. We'll be escorted by the three Knights not on our Warhammer class. Knight 4 will be leading Knight 6 and the new Knight 3 as escorts. Small ships but easier to go fast and hard to detect. It'll be one Valkyrie and two Peregrines. We'll need the two sluggers we have ready plus the Vakyrie is more maneuverable with better offensive as well as defensive weapons than a Sparrow. I'd hoped we'd be able to make use of a Defiant class or even another wing but there are none we can shanghai for even a brief mission. Worse case scenerio I can transfer Mr. Abara to take over another Valkyrie. As of right now we have five slots availble left on or main ship. I'll work with Lieutenant Blake and SSgt Burkett to round those out," Ming answered.

He paused before going on, "If they employ an attack ship for this run we're likely to be outnumbered at least two, maybe three, to one. It'll take a lot of luck and even more tenacity for this one but we've got a solid gameplan with contingencies enough we have better than even odds I think. I aim to ensure our mixed security / marine contingent is loaded for bear."

Marcus grinned, "We'll be armed with two directed EMP warheads to knock out their systems so we can board them. We'll also bring portable gear to power up the computer while we do our work. We'll do what we have to to get the odds in our favor as it were. Other questions anyone?"

"We might be able to adjust our power signatures to mimic a Dominion or Cardassian ship. Anyone speak Cardassian?" Sh'iv asked.

Yerin raised her hand. "My Lakarian accent is not very polished but I can do a passable Hebitian over comms."

She noted all the additional information outlined by the Major but she was still apprehensive about the mission. All she knew was what the hardware and force composition they have going in. She had no clue if they were attacking a skiff, a cruiser, or a battleship if they were quite so adventurous. Each target had different variables that could affect the density of their contact and that density directly affects casualties she would have to deal with during the operation.

"And yes sir, understood," said the Orlanian medic. "Though could I have any kind of estimate on the force density of the enemy? What kind of opposition are we dealing with? Estimated size of the enemy force onboard? How large or small is the target vessel? How far away is our objective from the breach point? I would like to know since it directly affects what I need to prepare and how to prepare them."

Marcus allowed the exchange to happen. Once his turn came back, he responded, "Shi'v: The plan calls for running silent with cloaked emissions. A toggle command allowing us to switch to a Cardassian signature would be useful though, so I'd be very much okay with setting that up as an alternative. Gods know we'll need all the assets we can manage."

The major turned his gaze and added, "Good question, Warrant Officer Di'Ara. We've spotted two vessel types in use for these operations by the Dominion. First is one we've had a fair amount of experience with, and that is the Hideki class Cardassion Scout. The other option will be a Jem'Hadar Fighter. Their patterns are still irregular enough that it's going to be a dice throw. Best case, it'll be the Cardassian ship with around 30 Cardassians on board. Otherwise, we'd be looking at, at most, 1 Vorta and upwards of 40 Jem'Hadar. Intel says they are most likely working at less than full staffing, trying to hold down the Vulcan population. We'll be playing it as if they're fully staffed, but it's better than even odds that they're at 60% staffing or less."

Marcus paused to let it soak in before moving on more soberly than before, "I have selected both the best people and the best equipment we have available for this mission. The fleet is scattered in attempts to protect as much of the Federation as it can, but we're struggling at almost every turn. We need to get the freshest intel possible if there is any hope of changing that. We've got a surprise on our side with some very solid aces up our sleeves, which may not guarantee this mission's success, but it sure as shit improves the odds. That and....Well....Failure is no longer an option. Call me crazy, but I think we can do this. We've got proven gear, proven ships, and by the gods, the most proven people we could hope for."

"Just make sure I have a spare fighter," Sh'iv said with a self-deprecatory grin.

"We're still paying off your old one XO. We'll get your replacement soon though. As it is I am glad to have you and Abara at the helm. Wiether or not you'll se a bit of action is yet to be seen. Any other questions regarding the mission," Ming asked while looking at the collected officers (and warrant officer).

Sh'iv shook her head.

Marcus looked around for a moment and when no questions came he nodded and said, "Alright. Six hours till go time. Get in a cat nap, medidate, do what you need to do to get ready. Meet in the main launch bay in five hours from now. We'll finish the last minute stuff and get this ball rolling. Until then....Dismissed!"

 

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