Past Prologue, Part 1
Posted on Fri Nov 30, 2018 @ 10:25am by Commander Caleb Ryan
Edited on on Wed Dec 19, 2018 @ 11:08am
2,130 words; about a 11 minute read
Mission:
Things Past
Location: USS Winchester/Romulan Neutral Zone
Timeline: FLASHBACK: 2375/Toward the end of the Dominion War
Captain Artemis Pierce paced the bridge of the USS Winchester in the dim glow of the yellow alert lights. There was a tense hush on the bridge of the small Saber-class ship, only the occasional bleep of a console breaking the silence. On the forward view screen was the tumble of rocky planetary debris that formed the ring of Itshat VII, an outer gas giant on the edge of the system.
“Status?” Pierce asked yet again, the young captain pausing in his pacing to look back at his Tellarite tactical officer.
“Same as before, Captain,” Lieutenant Tasash said waspishly. “All nonessential systems powered down.”
Artemis didn’t take it personally, knowing that Tellarites tended to dislike politeness and loved to argue.
“We don’t want to be detected,” Artemis said again. One would think this would get easier each time he went out. But the young captain didn’t want to let his uneasiness infect his crew, so he had learned quickly to mask his emotions with a steely façade.
“We will not be, sir,” Lt. T’Eden, his Vulcan operations officer, said. “We are well within the distortion radius of the radiolithic particles in this planet’s rings.”
Artemis nodded. The plan was flawless. But then no plan ever survived contact with the enemy.
“Call me if anything changes,” Pierce said. “I’ll be in my ready room.”
Back in the privacy of his office Artemis let himself relax. He was young for a command, but then Starfleet Intelligence tended toward that direction, its recruits young, fearless, and not yet jaded. And old spies tended to be…rare. He knew it was more than that, of course. He was self-aware enough to know he was more than the confident, brash, and arrogant young captain he appeared to be.
Maybe that was why things had been sitting ill with him lately. Something seemed…off, and he couldn’t put his finger on it. The young Australian hated that feeling, that itch that refused to be scratched and kept him awake at night.
Artemis stopped at his desk and picked up the holo-pic of a young woman, a beautiful brunette. “So what would you think of me now, Maggie?” he asked. He knew he would never get an answer. His older sister Marguerite had disappeared with the USS Roanoke on a survey mission of the Gamma Quadrant when the war broke out. No trace had ever been found of the Steamrunner-class vessel, and all hands were presumed dead.
“Captain, I’m picking up an ultra-low frequency signal on the predetermined channel,” came T’Eden’s voice over the comm. “It’s the away team. They’re inbound in a Romulan shuttle.”
“Good,” Artemis said with relief. “Have them park the shuttle in the rings and then beam them over. I will meet them at the transporter room.”
“Yes, sir.”
As Pierce exited his ready room, he saw his XO Laroci th’Odoro exiting the turbolift. “Commander, with me,” he said. “T’Eden, you have the bridge,” he told his second officer.
The Vulcan nodded and stepped down to the command chair while the Andorian stopped by the turbolift to await the captain. “I heard they’re back,” Laroci said.
“Yes,” Artemis said. “Transporter Room 1,” he told the lift.
The two officers walked into the transporter room and Pierce wasn’t surprised to find Natalya Ivanova already there.
“Have they reported if they were successful?” the beautiful redheaded intelligence officer asked.
“We’ve maintained radio silence,” Pierce said. “We’ll know as soon as they are aboard.”
“I’ve got them, sir,” the Trill transporter operator said.
“Energize.”
There was the familiar hum of the transporter effect and then two figures coalesced on the platform. The two couldn’t be more dissimilar. The first was male, short and stocky with the broad shoulders and short, thick legs of a wrestler. He was dressed completely in black tactical gear and even his face was covered. There was no insignia of any kind on him.
The other was a complete contrast. The tall and willowy female had long green hair that cascaded down her back. Her skin and eyes were green as well and her ears were pointed. And she wore nothing but a bed sheet stained green with blood. All three officers instinctively inhaled and Artemis felt her scent stirring his blood. He fought against the effect she had on him, but couldn’t help offering her a smile. He noted the similar look on Natalya’s face, though Laroci seemed less than pleased at the sight of her.
The shorter figure reached up and pulled off his mask, revealing the broad, ruggedly handsome features of a Latino male. “Mission accomplished, sir,” he said. “Your plan to get me inside worked perfectly.” He grinned at his nearly naked companion. “He took the bait hook, line, and sinker.”
“It was nothing,” the green alien demurred. “He was quite proficient, actually.”
“Ensign…” Laroci glared at her.
“Proof, Private?” Natalya asked, looking to the Human male.
“I think the proof is all over my wardrobe,” the green alien woman smirked.
“Enough, Ensign!” Laroci snapped at her.
The alien glared at the Andorian and was about to speak again when Artemis interrupted warningly. “Mira’ni…”
The woman quickly snapped her mouth closed.
“Well, Private Calis?”
The short man pulled a small vial out of the pocket of his vest and a large Jem’Hadar combat knife from the back of his belt. He handed them over to the captain. The knife was still covered in dried green Romulan blood. Artemis held up the vial and looked at the severed Romulan finger inside.
“Very good, Private!” Natalya said. “I’ll bring that down to Medical to confirm identity.”
“Not yet,” Artemis said, closing his fist around the vial. He handed the knife to Natalya. “Private Calis, Ensign Mira’ni, go write your mission reports, clean up, and get some rack time. Ensign Mira’ni, I believe you have the conn in four hours.”
“Yes, sir,” Mira’ni nodded, stepping down off the platform, one long, bare leg slipping out tantalizingly from the sheet.
Artemis caught himself staring and pulled his gaze away. “Dismissed, Private, Ensign. Commander, you have the bridge. Bring us around to the shadow side of the planet and take us back to Federation space at best possible speed. It’s time we got back in contact with Starfleet and reported our success. Lieutenant, my office.” Artemis turned and left.
Natalya gazed after the tense back of the captain and shrugged. “Private, drop this off at Medical on your way,” she said, handing him the Jem’Hadar knife before she headed after Pierce.
Artemis was waiting for Ivanova when she entered his ready room. “What is this?” Artemis asked when the door had closed. He set the vial with the finger on the table.
Natalya looked at the captain with confusion. “That had better be Senator Vyrak’s finger,” she said.
Pierce nodded. He opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out three more vials, setting them upright to the left of the new vial. Each had a finger inside, though long since desiccated past visual identification.
Natalya looked at Artemis curiously, though her features were schooled.
“Those are our last three missions,” Artemis said. “Three missions to assassinate changelings posing as civilians and politicians in important positions of power.” He picked up the first vial and set it forward on the desk toward Ivanova. “Klingon.” The second finger was moved forward. “Andorian.” And finally the newest. “Romulan.”
“What are you trying to get at, Captain?” Natalya crossed her arms over her chest defensively.
“None of these were changelings!” Artemis realized his voice had risen and he modulated it back down to normal tones. “None of them have reverted to liquid separated from the body.”
“You read the intelligence reports I give you, Captain,” Ivanova said. “The changelings are infected with a mutagenic virus that disallows a return to liquid form—“
“None of these are showing the signs of the virus, either,” Pierce snapped. “I’ve seen that tame changeling they have on Deep Space Nine. He’s a mess! These?” Artemis picked up the first finger. “This is just rotten!”
Natalya stiffened, her hands going to her hips. “What are you implying, Captain? Sometimes we get bad intel. You know that.”
“One time is an accident, Lieutenant. Twice is a coincidence. Three times? That’s a conspiracy.”
Natalya scowled. She picked up the first finger. “Minister K’empor was in secret talks behind our backs attempting to make a deal with the Dominion for Klingon sovereignty in the event of the eventual Dominion takeover of the quadrant.” She picked up the second. “Anatol sh’Tark was using his position as a defense contractor to sell Federation military secrets to the Dominion via the Lissepians. Including the damn schematics for the mines closing the wormhole! He fled to the Breen when discovered, along with a whole cache of secrets, which we retrieved. And Senator Vyrak was the leading proponent of Romulan withdrawal from the war!”
“All of which definitely make them suspect, yes,” Artemis agreed. “Did Starfleet Intelligence confirm their identities?”
“You know how difficult it is to ferret out a changeling,” Natalya said, tossing the fingers aside.
“Don’t evade my question, Lieutenant!”
“Does it really matter?” Natalya asked smugly. “Enemies of the Federation are dead and the Federation is safer for it.”
Artemis frowned. He couldn’t deny that, he knew. “Yes, it is,” he finally admitted. “But I don’t like being kept in the dark. And not all of the crew will agree with you. How long do you think before Dr. DeSatu figures it out?” he asked. “If she hasn’t already.”
Artemis straightened up. “Lieutenant—“ He broke off. “Natalya,” he said, slipping into informality, “I allow you and Section 31 to operate on this ship under my command because I believe you have the best interests of the Federation at heart, despite some of your methods. Should that ever change, I will become your worst nightmare.”
Natalya’s green eyes widened in shock.
Pierce smiled. “You didn’t think I knew,” he observed. “You forget, I was a protégé of Admiral Leyton. I wasn’t on Earth for Leyton’s coup, but my career took its licks regardless. Admiral Islington offered me this command because he knew my prospects for advancement were limited and he thought I would be grateful – and I am. But do not think I am some naïve, wet behind the ears young hotshot out here Captain Kirk-ing the galaxy. I learned long ago not to let the Federation pabulum brainwash me into torpidity. We need monsters like us on the walls to keep the worse monsters out so that the rest of the citizenry can live their insipid lives of pleasure and ease worry-free, unaware of the darkness outside the window waiting to devour them. They can’t handle the truth. They are children. But don’t think for one minute that because I allow you to operate that I am some puppet for you and Section 31 to pull the strings and make jump.”
Ivanova gazed into the intense blue stare of Artemis’ piercing gaze and swallowed. “That was never our intent…sir,” she said. “Islington wanted me to keep an eye on you, assess you for possible recruitment as an asset.”
“I know what Islington wants,” Pierce said. “I am no one’s asset, to be played with and discarded when I’m too much of a liability. If anything, you and Islington are the liabilities. You’ve overextended and exposed Section 31’s existence to the rest of Starfleet Intelligence. And when this war is over and the politicians and do-gooders have time to think and breathe again, some white knight paladin is going to come riding in to cut the black, dark heart right out of us and make our job that much harder.”
Natalya’s green eyes narrowed. “Is that a threat, Artemis?” she said.
Pierce laughed. “Hardly. I’m not a white knight,” he reminded. “Call it an…augury, if you wish,” he said. “And maybe you should have a plan for when the hellfire comes raining down on us all.”
TBC
Captain Artemis Pierce
Commanding Officer
USS Winchester
NPC Caleb Ryan
Lieutenant Tasash
Chief Tactical Officer
USS Winchester
NPC Caleb Ryan
Lieutenant T’Eden
Chief Operations Officer/Second Officer
USS Winchester
NPC Caleb Ryan
Commander Laroci th’Ordoro
Executive Officer
USS Winchester
NPC Caleb Ryan
Lieutenant Natalya Ivanova
Chief Intelligence Officer/Section 31 Operative
USS Winchester
NPC Caleb Ryan
Ensign Keesmaat Mira’ni
Flight Officer
USS Winchester
NPC Caleb Ryan
Private Juan Calis
Marine
USS Winchester
NPC Caleb Ryan
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