"Be Careful What You Wish For..."
(Previous Post was Tallulah's "At the Principal's Office"
==========
Stardate: 603123.0130
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Simmons' Personal Quarters
After his debriefing with Admiral Koneki, Captain James Simmons had
returned to the ANUBIS one frayed nerve away from a screaming fit. Under
normal circumstances, the CO of the USS ANUBIS was calm, cool, and collected. Even under the most extreme pressure, the CO had gained a well earned reputation of being able to keep things steady and always know and act on the strategic situation. That is why he was in his present position. Being CO of a super secret Intel ship was not for the rash. However, the latest mission had not gone well and neither had the debriefing. James was having trouble with the concept of "crap happens" when things went wrong related to his crew.
His betrothed, Lt. Clora Sul, a Bajoran member of the ANUBIS' CNS
department, had seen the look before and took matters into her own hands upon
James' return. She had insisted that they spend some time in a holodeck. James was in no condition to fight, so the last 2 hours had been spent on a beautiful river bank on BAJOR. The picnic had been a great success for both their mental and physical health. The couple had returned to their bedroom quarters for more 'private' activity.
"Come on James... it is way past your bedtime," Sul said in an
inviting voice, hinting that she had more than sleep on her mind. As a CNS, Sul knew how therapeutic physical activities of this sort could be, and on a more personal level she missed having her future husband next to her. Being the captain of a ship did take a lot of time out of his schedule. She knew of the stress and wanted to make the best of the time they could share together.
Although James appeared visibly tired, the smile that formed on his
lips showed that he had not at all been against the suggestion made by his
fiancée. Slowly, the CO of the ANUBIS turned towards the woman laying on their bed and removed his shirt, casting aside the identity of a Federation Captain in order to leave behind nothing more than a simple man who had been ready to enjoy a simple pleasure. That was until the sound of an incoming communication echoed throughout the room.
"James... let it go... whoever it is will still be there tomorrow
morning." Clora suggested as she lovingly wrapped her arms around the man's
neck, recognizing the look in his eyes for what is was.
The partially undressed man gazed into the tender eyes of the Bajoran
woman laying on her back, the sound of the chime echoing throughout the room
relentlessly. After several attempts to ignore the maddening sound, James finally gave in, to his fiancée’s visible disappointment. Lt. Clora Sul silently swore to herself that she would kill whoever had placed the call if this was not a matter of the utmost importance and urgency.
"Simmons here, go ahead," James acknowledged as he hit the button on
the support frame of the monitor on the table.
[/\] Apologies Captain, but Admiral Koneki is requesting your presence
in his office. It is important and requires you to report immediately. [/\]
Allyson, the Admiral's secretary and receptionist to the admin section of the
NEW ALEXANDRIA complex said in a calm and absolutely pleasant tone. It
was very hard to be angry at the woman for interrupting them. After all, it had not been her doing. Instead, James would reserve his irritation for Admiral Koneki himself.
"I'm on my way, Simmons out." The CO of the ANUBIS terminated the
communication and turned to face the wrath of the Bajoran still in their bed.
"You can't jump each and every time he calls for you," Clora pointed
out as she watched James reach down for his dress shirt and put it back
against the bare flesh of his chest.
"He is an Admiral and I am a mere Captian. As much as I may not like
it, it's part of the job. Deep down you know that as well as I. Sometimes
reality stinks, but it is reality." James leaned over and kissed his fiancée
on the forehead wordlessly promising her that he would make it up to her at some point. He owed her at least 20 of these make up sessions. At some point, the cycle would have to stop.
"Are you telling me that if you were an Admiral, you would not jump to
his every whim and commands?" the CNS teased, knowing her future husband all too well.
"Maybe, maybe not, but I would be able to pass the buck down to someone else... like the poor soul that would take my place as Captain." The CO of the ANUBIS chuckled as he left the room trying to imagine himself as a Federation Officer sitting anywhere else other than on the bridge of his ship. He left Sul with one last warning. "Be careful what you wish for, my dear. If I am ever promoted into 'flying a desk', we would have a large quantity of time to spend together."
"That is a problem I believe I would enjoy solving, my love," she
answered as the door closed behind James. He had re-entered the world of Intel.
==========
James arrived in the waiting area just in time to see a female officer
he thought he recognized as Admiral Chaste Kenth stepping into the
corridor leading to the office of the base's CO. If the NEW ALEXANDRIA's SOO had been also summoned here in the middle of the proverbial night, the situation had to be grave, a fact that only partially helped Simmons deal with his own frustration at having been called here at a most inopportune time.
"Good morning Captain, can I bring you a cup of coffee, or maybe some
tea to help you start the day on a brighter note?" the receptionist offered
as bright and cheerful as ever. Seeing Allyson this happy and cheerful at such an unholy hour only reinforced the concerns of the ANUBIS' CO that there
had been something wrong with that woman. Something drastically wrong.
"I'm fine Allyson. Thank you." James bit his tongue so he did not
walk over and demand she tell him what was going on. Even if he had asked, she didn't know. He knew he would have to wait, so he paced in the room. His
traditional way of using nervous energy and trying to return to his calm patient Captain's persona.
After a few minutes, a muffled signal reached the desk of the
receptionist who immediately acknowledged it and turned her attention towards the pacing man in the waiting area.
"Captain Simmons, Admiral Koneki is ready for you now."
"Thank you Allyson, I know the way to his office," James answered
anticipating her next question. **Time to get some answers** he thought to himself.
==========
As James entered the office, he caught a brief picture of what appeared to be a female senior officer leaving the room by another exit. The officer had her hands restrained behind her back and was being escorted by two members of the base security staff. Admiral Koneki was watching the officer leave when he realized James had entered the room.
"Before you ask, that was Admiral Kenth..."
"... I saw her earlier, the base SOO. What is..."
Admiral Koneki cut off James' obvious question by raising his hand and
then handing the senior officer a PADD. "You should sit down before reading that, Captain. The answers to several questions are in that report."
James took the PADD but didn't look down. Instead he locked eyes with
the Admiral searching for... something. James didn't like the situation, but he couldn't get a read from the Admiral. Since Koneki was head of an Intel base, that wasn't a surprise. After a period of time, Koneki ended the stare off by gesturing to James to take a seat. "I understand this is a little awkward, but we won't be able to properly discuss your future until you read that report." Koneki sat down behind his desk and James took a seat opposite the CO of NEW ALEXANDRIA. He decided that he had no choice but to read the report.
What he read caused a roller coaster of reactions from rage, to sympathy, to confusion, to sadness. The report started with a description of Admiral Chaste Kenth's career from a cadet at the Academy through several postings on ships and staff positions. The career was very distinguished in the fields of Intel, Security, and Strategic Operations. She had caught Admiral Koneki's attention when she managed to out maneuver a group of Romulan agents and destroyed an illegal bio-weapons facility and pinned the blame on the senior officials running the facility. A very deft piece of spy craft.
Then the story turned sour as the report focused on her personal
life. Along the way, Chaste had been involved in three failed marriages that produced five children. They ranged in age from 14 to 27 and were in the custody of either the ex-husbands or the Admiral's relatives. One daughter, Tasha, now 22, had rebelled against both Admiral Kenth and her Betazoid father. One bad decision led to another and she ended up being sold to Orion pirates where she was enslaved. Her masters learned of her empathetic abilities and forced her to employ them so she could "better please" her clients.
Eventually, her Orion masters learned of Tasha's connection to Admiral
Kenth and sold her story to Cardassian agents. Because Chaste was looking for Tasha and the Cardassian's were looking for Chaste, they eventually "found" each other. Long story short, for the past six months, Admiral Kenth had been giving the Cardassians info in exchange for Tasha's safety. The identification of Captain Simmons was supposed to win Tasha's release. The mission failed from the Cardassian's point of view, so Tasha is still a slave.
After finishing reading the report, James put the PADD on Koneki's
desk, leaned back in his chair and let out a long slow deep breath. "Who are the Cardassian agents, and what do they want with me?"
"The who is the same amature bunch that fouled up the TANGIERS ORBITAL
mission. Admiral Kenth tipped them off to the mission. Why is unknown at this point. Do you have any ideas? Any Cardassian that you really made mad?" Koneki asked.
James leaned forward and rubbed his now tired eyes. "I can't think of
anyone now, but I'll review my mission history for something."
"Our analysts haven't found anything yet, either," Koneki added.
"When do we go after Tasha?" James asked.
"What?" Koneki responded. That was not the reaction he had expected.
"When does the ANUBIS leave to retrieve the Admiral's daughter?" James
said slowly to insure that Koneki didn't miss a word.
"You don't. The ANUBIS is going to go after the crew of the MERCURY.
Tasha is on her own," Koneki said coldly. "Why do you want to risk exposure by mounting a rescue mission?"
James almost jumped out of his chair but he quickly regained his
control. "Can we at least keep her alive by feeding the Cardassians low level info? Perhaps we can trace the information flow to the source of the problem?" James asked.
Koneki thought about the suggestion and decided to use it to lead into
why this meeting had been called in the first place. "How would that work,
exactly?"
"Have Chaste give up her contact protocols, we use them to feed intel
and trace the information flow. Use a mix of good and bad info to smoke out the users of the info," James said thinking quickly.
"Sounds like the start of a plan. Run with it," Koneki said.
"Run with it, Admiral?" James asked. "I remember you telling me that
the ANUBIS was going to go after the crew of the MERCURY."
Koneki smiled. "Your memory is not failing you Captain. Humor an old
Admiral for a moment. Take the assignment on a hypothetical basis. What
would you do?"
"First, I would question Kenth and get all of her contacts and find
out what info has been passed in the past six months," James said thinking out loud.
"Compromised info is done. Method of delivery is known and the
contact protocol will be known in a couple of hours. Continue Captain," Koneki answered. "Next?"
"Uh... next I would assess the nature of the information and make
plans based on feeding similar but not completely true information to keep the
daughter alive. I would delay any big operations due to fear on our end that suspicion would be raised," James continued.
"Good. Keeps them on the hook, doesn't compromise us too much, and
keeps the daughter alive. End game?" Koneki asked.
"Regain their trust for a big mission and turn it into a trap," James
finished.
"Excellent. I knew you had a talent for this. How would you like to
do it full time as the new SOO, Commodore?" Koneki asked dropping 2 hand grenades into James' lap at the same time.
James re-engaged the Admiral in a stare down to assess the motives of
the man and to buy time to gather his thoughts. Admiral Koneki was known for his directness and fierce loyalty to his subordinates. James knew this was a big opportunity, but he needed to define the opportunity and some of the consequences.
"First, I need to ask some questions. Who gets the ANUBIS?" While he
was her CO, James' first duty was to the welfare of his ship.
"Soon to be Captain Sabrina Rikar. Next?"
"OK, define the role of the SOO," James asked.
"Report directly to me. You will have a staff of a few senior
officers to lead teams of personnel in Intel analysis, Tactical planning, Strategic assessment, and Administration. You will be given authority to organize and execute missions up to but not including the use of the SCARAB class ships. You will be given discretion to staff the ships and transfer personnel on and off of any ship with my approval. A mission involving those 4 ships or any of their crew will have to go through me. Any other questions?" Koneki answered.
"Just to be clear, I will have authority to organize and execute
tactical missions?" James asked.
"Correct."
"No looking over my shoulder or interference?" James prodded.
"You will submit after action reports, regularly brief me on your
activities, and report any strategic information gathered. I normally have a senior staff meeting 0700 every morning to discuss the previous day's events and to give/receive updates on ongoing missions. You will also have a planning responsibility when the capital ships are involved. Anything else?"
"Yes, I will need to arrange a wedding and a multi-day honeymoon
before I start," James said.
"You have 48 hours to execute your wedding on this facility and
another 48 for the honeymoon. Your destination must be pre-approved by me personally and you will go with a pilot and a bodyguard. The four of you will go under false identity that this base will provide. No contact with anyone who knows your true identity. After that, I expect to see you here fully engaged in your new position," Koneki answered. The Admiral had obviously anticipated this 'request' from James.
"Good. I expect to be briefed on any and all info gathered from
Kenth. The next series of contacts are critical to our success and the life of Tasha," James said.
"Lt. Clora will not appreciate you working while panning a wedding,
Commodore," Koneki said. He reached into a drawer on the side of his desk and
withdrew a small box. He passed it to James.
The newly promoted Admiral opened it and found the insignia of a
Commodore. One pip in a bar. First level of Admiralty. James changed his insignia and placed his Captain's pips in the box.
"Those look good on you. Shouldn't take you too long to add to
those," Koneki said. "Against Lt. Clora's objections, I'll feed you the Intel we get from Kenth. Good luck and dismissed."
James stood from his chair and came to attention. "Don't worry about
me, Admiral. You have made the false assumption that I am needed for the wedding plans. I will not be involved by her choice. I will be free to plan the sting operation." The new SOO then turned and left the office with a large smile on his face.
==========
Commodore Simmons left the office with several thoughts in his head
all related to how he was going to explain this turn of events to the ANUBIS crew and most importantly to his beloved Sul. He was so distracted that he almost ran over Commander Rikar.
"James, look out!" the red-headed ExO of the ANUBIS shouted.
James spun out of harm's way but was forced to fall awkwardly into one
of the chairs normally used by personnel waiting to see the Admiral. James
recovered his composure and started laughing. "Sorry Sabrina, I'm a little
distracted." James stood and tested his limbs. All seemed to be OK. "Are you OK?" he asked the ExO of the ANUBIS.
"I'm fine, uh ..." She was about to call James Captain, but noticed
the new rank insignia on his neck. "Commodore? Did I miss something?"
James thought about telling her the story, but decided not to break
protocol and let Admiral Koneki fill her in. "You have missed several somethings that Koneki will explain. See you on the bridge, Sabrina." He then turned and left the waiting room leaving a confused starfleet officer.
========== 2005 post #250
Stardate: 603123.0145
Setting NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section A, Level 6, Administrative Wing Waiting Room
Stardate: 603123.0150
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Admiral Koneki's Office
Stardate: 603123.0200
Setting: Koneki's waiting room
Michael Reed {doriengard@ma.rr.com}
Commodore James T. Simmons
Strategic Operations Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA
