"Executive Reaction"
Previous Post: "An Unexpected Pep Talk"
/\/\/\
Stardate: 60324.0845
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Serenna's Quarters
Looking at the banner of the Romulan Intelligence Agency that hung on the wall over her work desk, the Romulan/Terran hybrid found herself thinking back to their last mission and how it had led them to discover what had truly happened to the MERCURY and its crew. Triggering a wide range of responses from everyone made aware of the situation, the find had in one way or another marked the crew of the SFI ship ANUBIS, some taking it in general as a feeling of disgust for what had been done against a ship of the fleet they belonged to, or as personal as an assault on a close friend or member of an immediate family. Serenna's initial reaction had been more like the first until she read a specific name on the ship's crew manifest.
Seeking revenge was not the way of the Intel trained XO who had never allowed her personal emotions to cloud her judgement or actions, but that did not stop the Romulan/Terran hybrid from desiring some sort of retribution for the wrong that had been committed against the valiant crew of the MERCURY. Thinking of another fellow classmate with whom she had shared many adventures and hardships with, Serenna could understand how David felt and why he had been so bent on seeking revenge. Understanding the CEO did not mean that the XO supported or even agreed with the engineer's or his methods, but she did find herself standing on the same side of the proverbial line looking onto the evil that stared back at them from the other side.
Looking ahead to the most probable conclusions that would come to pass from their rescue mission, the Romulan/Terran hybrid found that she would be sharing something more with the CEO; a feeling of disappointment. Rescuing the crew of the MERCURY would be a major accomplishment but would fail in bringing those who had fallen in the line of duty back to those who had called them friends or family. Ending the plans of Zulot and T'Preel once and for all would save countless others from sharing in this unsavory fate, but it would do nothing to undo the harm that the two criminals had already inflicted on so many others.
Focussing on insuring that the future would be a better and safer place had to be the one and only goal of the ANUBIS and its crew or else they would fall into the traps set by the all encompassing need for revenge, a need that would lead down a path that could only end in an unleashing of a darkness that would match or even surpass that of the evil they were meant to stop. Keeping the balance between fighting this evil and becoming like it was delicate, but it was necessary to allow each and every member of the crew to be able to feel a sense of positive accomplishment once the mission would be accomplished.
Knowing that rest would not come easy and that there would not be enough time for her to get into a frame of mind that would focus onto something other than the mission and its goal, the Romulan/Terran hybrid decided that she would do better on the bridge even if her duty shift had ended. Being the ship's XO meant that following duty schedules came in at a distant second to doing what needed to be done, a rule that the former COO had followed well before she had advanced to the rank and position that were now hers.
/\/\/\
/\/\/\
Stardate: 60324.0900
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bridge
Flashing a smile the likes of which the XO had never seen before, the ANUBIS' new Sec/Tac seemed more than happy to see the Romulan/Terran hybrid arrive on the bridge. Suspecting that she might have been too obvious about her relief with no longer being the one in charge, Ens. Eva fell back onto her duties with haste. "Ship systems are all working within established parameters; sensors have not picked up anything that could be interpreted as a threat."
Nodding her understanding, the XO went to her station and ran a quick scan of the rest of the ship, her experience as a Sec/Tac officer having made her be in the habit of verifying the ship's tactical status first hand, a habit that she had maintained even as the ANUBIS' COO and one that she intended to continue as its XO.
Having confirmed that there had been nothing but empty space between the ANUBIS and their destination, at least as far as the long-range sensors could tell, the Romulan/Terran hybrid turned her attention to the main view screen and the streaking stars that could be seen on it.
/\/\/\
/\/\/\
Stardate: 60324.1030
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Bridge
Following the return of the CSciO and CO to the bridge, the XO had still found herself in charge of the bridge due to Rikar's quick escape into her Ready Room. Glancing at Eva, the Romulan/Terran hybrid saw a mixture of disappointment and distrust reflecting in the woman's eyes when she had watched the captain return to the bridge before almost immediately vanish into her office. Thinking that this was something worth keeping in the back of her mind, Serenna made a mental note to bring this up to Rikar.
Trying to think of a way that she would broche the subject with the CO, the Romulan/Terran hybrid noticed a change in the expression of the Sec/Tac officer, one that indicated a change in their situation. Confirming the XO's suspicions, Eva reported on what the sensors had discovered. "Commander, long-range sensors are picking up a modulated transmission coming from the general area that was reported as the MERCURY's last known coordinates."
Turning towards the CSciO in response to the announcement, the XO hoped that Maya had already started analyzing the transmission they had picked up to see if she would be able to supply more information. Providing what she believed to be the most likely possibility, the Romulan/Terran hybrid spoke. "Could it be the MERCURY's emergency transponder?"
Shaking her head the CSciO dismissed that possibility almost before the XO had finished saying it, the explanation for this coming as only the Shillian could deliver it. "The modulation is completely wrong, the only way that this signal could come from a Starfleet ship would be if it was over a century old, of course the signal could have been sent by another race but there is a high level of similarity between that signal and the one used by older Starfleet ships. I doubt that Starfleet would have equipped the GUNDAM-Class ships with such an ancient a communication's transponder, so the possibilities that the signal came from the MERCURY are remote at best. Multi-spectrum analysis of the signal shows it to have an out-of-phase amplitude which clearly shows it to be from a source other than Starfleet, a discrepancy that I doubt other ships would have been able to make since our sensors are much more sensitive and accurate than anything else in the fleet."
Looking at her tactical readouts, Ens. Doratheva added her opinion to what the CSciO had already said. "Sounds like the perfect trap, making it look like an ancient ship is out there in the middle of nowhere."
Taking in all that had been so far said, the XO nodded once again. "Looks like we might just have found the reason why the MERCURY was so far off course. They were responding as any other Federation ship would have and headed directly into a trap."
Feeling her pulse increasing with each passing second, Eva looked at the Romulan/Terran hybrid mentally preparing herself for what she was certain would follow and voicing one of her concerns. "After what happened to the MERCURY, why would they leave the trap there?"
Activating the ANUBIS' alert status, the XO replied with the only answer she could. "I don't know, but I am sure we'll find out soon enough. RED ALERT! Captain Rikar to the bridge."
/\/\/\
/\/\/\
Serena Switt {serena1141@yahoo.com.au}
Lieutenant Commander Serenna 2005 post #281
Executive Officer
USS ANUBIS
