Possible Asset

Posted on Mon Jan 14, 2019 @ 1:37pm by Commander Caleb Ryan & Civilian 'Key Holder' Dorian Gabriel

1,428 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Things Past
Location: Starfleet Command Headquarters
Timeline: 2375

Lt. Natalya Ivanova’s long legs easily kept stride with the tall Admiral Esteban Islington beside her. Her red hair, pulled back in a tight ponytail, bobbed with each step. She studied the El-Aurian’s profile, his youthful, angelic face with fine white hair and clear blue eyes that seemed to bely the twenty-something appearance. His fine jaw was tight. He wasn’t happy.

“You still haven’t gotten me those assets, Nat,” Islington said in his clipped accent.

Natalya bit her tongue. She despised that nickname. But one didn’t correct a man as powerful as Admiral Islington, a man who was best mates with your father. “Pierce doesn’t let them out of his sight, sir,” she said, her own clipped Russian accent coming out with her annoyance, despite her having done her best to try and eradicate it. “He even requisitioned quarters for them adjacent to his own.”

“He let them out of secure containment?” Islington looked at Natalya with shock as they paused to call a turbolift.

Natalya gave a curt nod. “When it comes to those assets, Captain Pierce has proven most...intractable.”

Islington sighed. “Those assets are our last link to Project Echo. He destroyed all of our data. Without those experiments, we can’t restart production.”

“Sir, I told you we shouldn’t have farmed the project out to the Syndicate. But restarting the project isn’t feasible right now. You did order him to destroy everything, to prevent the Council--”

Islington sighed and rubbed his eyes as they stepped into the lift. “You’re right. The Council investigation. We need to eliminate all vestiges of Echo, cut our losses, and provide deniability. Pierce did us that, at least, by eliminating the data. But there are still loose ends.”

Natalya bit her lower lip. “I am pretty sure if you try and...eliminate the assets, Pierce will march straight to the Federation Council Intelligence Oversight Committee and tell everything he knows.”

Islington cursed and punched the wall panel of the lift. Natalya lifted an eyebrow. Islington never lost his temper like that. “This damned witch hunt! We can’t operate under this kind of scrutiny!”

Natalya faced straight ahead again. “Perhaps we shouldn’t, then,” she said. “Send everyone underground. Lie low until the heat wears off.” She paused. “Give them a scapegoat.”

Islington looked at Natalya sharply. “You have someone in mind?”

The Russian operative didn’t say anything as the lift doors opened, depositing them into the busy corridor outside of the conference room. It was crowded with admirals, politicians, and aides, and Islington put on a smile and slipped into politician mode.

Natalya slipped on a smile as well and stepped into the maelstrom of Federation and Starfleet politics.

***

Natalya sat bored through the meeting. She was there as Islington’s aide. She had brought him reports of the situation in Cardassia, and helped him parse what information to share with the politicians, and now he and other heads of Starfleet Intelligence were briefing the Council Select Committee on Reconstruction. Damn politicians couldn’t call anything what it actually was -- an occupation.

Her presence here wasn’t strictly necessary. It was more for appearance and to play fetch if the admiral barked. But Islington had a mind like a steel trap. He never forgot anything and could handle himself without his aide to coddle him. So she got up and headed to the back of the room to get some tea. She poured herself a cup and eyed the various pastries, bagels, and fruits set out for the Select Committee.

"I guess you didn't run fast enough, huh?" Dorian said to the woman that stood off to his side. He smirked at the confused expression that painted her face. "I'm guessing they had to drag you to this boring meeting kicking and screaming like the rest of us non-brass?" he said as he took another sip from his cup.

"All of this brain power here, sitting in one room arguing over useless information while ignoring the real problem going on right now," he said bitterly.

“And what, do you think, is that?” Natalya asked, brushing a strand of red hair from her gorgeous green eyes as she studied the young officer beside her, those eyes running over him appraisingly. He wasn’t wrong. She hadn’t expected to be playing lackey when she had returned to Earth from Cardassia for a very personal and private debrief with Admiral Islington. She glanced across the room as the admiral went into a harangue about the dangers of vigilantism within the ranks of Starfleet posed by Section 31 and smiled at the irony.

"Cardassia, of course," Dorian responded. "They lost hundreds of thousands of civilians, but their military still remained intact. The Treaty of Bajor required Cardassia to cease all hostility and convert to peacekeeping and reconstruction efforts, but," Dorian said as he lowered his voice, "some of the guls have taken an interest in finding and converting Dominion and Breen technology lost or simply abandoned from the war," he said as he looked back towards the brass.

Natalya raised an eyebrow. The man certainly had his ear to the ground. And it was something Section 31 wanted to exploit, but with the Council investigations it was difficult to do so without attracting attention.

“And you know this how?” Natalya asked, playing dumb for the moment.

"I have my sources," he said with a slight smirk. "But that's not important." He said, waiving away the question. "What is important is the convenient rerouting of various Cardassian units to obscure parts of Cardassia," Dorian said. "Cardassia Prime was the center of the Dominion's attack, yet numerous small level support battalions have been transferred to Cardassia IV's moon of Sitar. They claim that it is for the purpose of establishing a medical facility, but I'm willing to bet a month's pay there is more going on within that so-called facility that the brain-trust here is completely ignoring," he said before taking another sip.

“I see,” Natalya commented. Yes, they had noted that. It was subtle, and believable in the chaos that was Cardassia at the moment. “Have you written this up yet?” she asked. “Sent it up the chain?”

"Of course I have, but nobody has the stomach to confront Cardassia for fear of some kind of insurgent rebellion being born," Dorian said, referencing the repeated warnings he had received from his own chain of command when he addressed the suspicious actions on behalf of what used to constitute the Cardassian military. "They don't want to address the possibility that Cardassia is maintaining weapons cache, especially with Dominion contraband," he said strongly. "It would interfere with the Federation Council's goal of someday welcoming those spoonheads as a UFP member," he said spitefully.

Natalya gave a laugh. “That will never happen,” she said. “Even the most cooperative Cardassian has too much national pride for that. That is fantasy thinking.” She sipped her tea and then picked up a napkin. She fished out a pen and wrote something. “Why don’t you bring me your report,” she told Dorian. “This is my quarters assignment.” She folded the napkin and slipped it into his pocket. “I’d like to see it.” She gave him a coy smile.

"Pride? What pride do those spoonheads have? They will do anything to survive. Now that they have to depend upon the Federation for everything from border pirates all the way down to food replicators, they're no more stronger than a Rakellian eel," Dorian said as he reached for the napkin that had been placed in his pocket in an obvious manner.

Dorian took the napkin and smirked as he looked at the woman. "I guess I'll be talking to you later?" he said as he noticed Admiral Yukvan of Domestic Intelligence Section preparing to leave. "I didn't get your name."

“Natalya,” she said coyly, letting her Russian accent color her words as she brushed back her silky red hair from her green eyes. “Lieutenant Natalya Ivanova. Chief Intelligence Officer of the USS Winchester.” She offered her delicate hand to Dorian. “And I hope to see you tonight, Ensign Gabriel.”

Dorian smiled. "It looks like I'll be following-up with you, ma'am," he said with a smile as he turned and began to follow Admiral Yukvan out of the conference room.

FIN

Ensign Dorian Gabriel
Intelligence Attache
Starfleet Command

Lieutenant Natalya Ivanova
Chief Intelligence Officer/Section 31
USS Winchester
NPC Caleb Ryan

Admiral Esteban Islington
Starfleet Intelligence/Section 31
NPC Caleb Ryan

 

RSS Feed