Meeting of the Minds Pt 1

Posted on Sun Mar 16, 2025 @ 3:14pm by Lieutenant Annora Tessaro

554 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Tergum In Tempus
Location: Security Office/ Maintence Bay
Timeline: 32 Hrs prior to attack

On:

“For now, we'll leave out the Command Staff. If I find anything, I'll let you know."

Tessaro had no doubt the Colonel believed the intelligence, but she wanted to verify it herself. She pressed the intercom button on her console.

"Yeoman Edinger, I need a meeting with someone from Intel—sooner rather than later. Preferably someone knowledgeable about the Cardassians."
"Aye, Ma’am."

As Edinger worked his magic, Tessaro dug through Starfleet’s standard databases and recent news reports from the border. They weren’t likely to provide definitive proof, but together, they might reveal something previously overlooked.

Less than 30 minutes later, her door chime sounded.

"Come in," she said, looking up to see an Andorian Petty Officer in Intel gray.

"Thank you for coming. I won’t keep you long, but I have some questions."

She briefly considered how detailed to make her questions before deciding to keep things general.

"Is there any concern about a Cardassian retaliation due to us evicting them from the station?"

Nithar’s antennae dipped slightly.
"They’re certainly not happy about it, which isn’t surprising. They’ve filed a formal protest, but it’s unlikely to gain traction. If you mean military action, that would almost certainly provoke an equal response from Starfleet, and possibly the Klingons. The station and planet are too valuable for the Federation to let them fall into Cardassian hands."

So far, nothing Tessaro didn’t already know.
"I understand the politics. But if they were planning something, would we see warning signs? If so, what would they be?"

Nithar’s antennae twitched slightly at the sharper question.
"I anticipated that and did some quick research before coming down. There’s no ‘smoking gun,’ as you humans say. No unexpected fleet buildup, and no increase in hostile rhetoric. That said, we’re close enough to the border that if they did act, we wouldn’t get much warning." He studied her for a moment. "May I ask what’s prompted your concern?"

Tessaro wasn’t sure what to make of his response, though she was impressed he had anticipated her line of questioning.
"Nothing specific. Just a nagging feeling I missed something. It’s probably nothing. I appreciate your time."

The Andorian stood. "Understood. It’s part of the job, Lieutenant. I’ll have my team do another sweep—call it a training exercise for the junior staff. I’ll let you know if we find anything."

Tessaro shook his hand. "Much obliged. Thanks again."

As the doors closed behind him, she remained standing. Something was missing—a piece of the puzzle she couldn’t quite place. Lt. Wells wasn’t one to fabricate something this serious, and Colonel Means trusted her enough to reach out. Yet, the usual sources showed no signs of an imminent threat to DS5 or Pangea.

She had just started a second pass through the databases when a message popped up on her screen:

In 15 minutes, meet me at the Arboretum’s purple gazebo. For the river bends twice.
—Helena Wells

Tessaro stared at the message. If it was genuine, it might answer as many questions as it raised.
She sent a confirmation, grabbed her gear, and headed for the door.
"Edinger, I’ll be out for a bit. Reach me on comms if needed."


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