Reflections
Posted on Sun Jan 24th, 2021 @ 3:18am by Captain Liarra Von
Edited on on Sun Jan 24th, 2021 @ 3:19am
Mission:
Who Watches The Watchers
Location: Captain's Quarters
The words of General Lowe echoed through Liarra’s head as she retired to her quarters. "There have been a number of 'incidents' that I have read in official logs that have caused a great deal of concern as to the leadership and management of this base." There certainly have been a number of incidents since Liarra took command of the station. But did her actions, or lack thereof, really make those situations worse? It was a question that Liarra had been struggling with for years as she second guessed every decision she had ever made. And now she had a member of the brass investigating further.
“Computer, sets lights to 40%,” Liarra announced to her empty quarters. After her meeting with Lowe earlier that afternoon, she wasn’t in the mood for a lot of light. “I need some mood music too. Play Lar’s Sonata Number Seven, played by Niri Von.” The silence was replaced by a sombre rendition of a piece of Trill classical music, played by Von’s fourth host, Niri. Liarra never really cared for classical music before she was joined, but since then hearing Niri play the violin gave her some comfort and calmed her nerves. Not that it was enough to make her feel better right now. But every little bit helped.
Liarra slipped out of her uniform jacket and tossed it on the back of her desk chair and went to the small bar at the back of her quarters. She selected a tumbler and poured a glass of Saurian brandy. It was a perk of her position, a position that she was worried she wouldn’t have much longer.
Sipping her drink, Liarra took a seat next to her window and watched the planet rotate below her. For the last several years this view has been hers every night. It was hard to imagine that there was a chance that it could all be gone. Lowe had a reputation of always getting his man, or woman. If he had already come this far with his investigation, then it was likely that he already had something on them. And he wasn’t going to stop until he brought them to justice.
But what exactly was it that he had on them? Liarra wondered. Her mind started to wander as she thought back over the ‘incidents’ that had occurred under her command. Even the circumstances of her taking command were suspect. It was a trial by fire, with the station in the midst of a crisis in the immediate aftermath of a Sojourner terrorist attack. A bomb smuggled aboard the station left thousands dead, including Liarra’s friend and mentor, Captain Alexander Gunning. But surely General Lowe wasn’t blaming her for that. Not only was she not in command, but she wasn’t even on the station at the time. She was away on the Carthage, playing the role of the Sojourners in war game exercises. And at the request of Starfleet.
Liarra kicked off her boots and curled her legs up under her. She leaned against the cool surface of the transparent aluminum window and took another sip of her brandy. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to get lost in Niri’s playing. Liarra had never been musically talented before she was joined, but thanks largely in part to Niri, she had developed a healthy interest. Like Niri before her, Liarra found the sound of the strings to be calming.
Von’s thoughts strayed away from the sound of the music and she thought of one of her first missions after taking command. In the midst of the Sojourner crisis, she was tasked with leading a diplomatic mission to Myaz. After the Sojourner leader, Vaishaa, convinced the Ritorians to side with her cause, Starfleet was getting desperate for allies to stem the tide of this growing alliance. The Myaz wouldn’t have offered much in the way of military support, but they did have a lot of resources. Liarra was sent with the Carthage to lead negotiations for the Federation to convince the Myza sovereign to side with them over the Sojourners. What she didn’t count on was Vaishaa showing up right after they arrived. Formal negotiations turned informal in a hurry, and the situation nearly devolved into a shouting matching between Von and Vaishaa. The Myaz decided to side with neither of them, which in the end would have still been a minor victory for the Federation. But Vaishaa ordered the occupation of the capital and declared the planet for the Sojourners. Von and her team were taken hostage, and only barely escaped due to a daring raid by the marines accompanying the mission aboard the Carthage.
Sometimes that battle feels so long ago, while other times it feels like only yesterday. Could Liarra have been more accommodating to the Myaz? Should she have been more aggressive against Vaishaa? Should she have stood up to the Sojourners and tried to stop them from taking Myaz? If she had, maybe she would have prevented the Sojourner attack on Three-Three-Two.
What became known as The Battle of Archa IV was one of Liarra’s greatest tests. The majority of the Sojourner fleet, with Vaishaa at its head, pushed into Federation space to assault the Archan system. Only Three-Three-Two stood in their way. The Sojourners laid siege to the station, forcing the starbase to become a fortress for several hours until reinforcements from Cestus III could arrive. All was nearly lost when the Sojourner ships breached the main dock. Fighters entered the dock’s inner chamber, and had they not been thwarted by the station’s own fighter wing, could have severely disrupted the station’s structural integrity and its ability to fight the attacking starships outside. With the station’s defenses on the verge of collapse, Von was moments away from surrendering, hoping that she could at least spare the lives of her crew and the civilians under her care. But just before she could give the order, the Starfleet reinforcements arrived and routed the remaining Sojourner ships. Vaishaa’s flagship was destroyed during that final fight.
That moment of weakness still haunts Liarra. That moment just before she gave the order to hail Vaishaa’s ship. Just before she admitted defeat. Even had the reinforcements arrived a moment later, she still would have given the order. She still would have lost the respect of her crew for giving in. Still, the defenders ultimately held out, and saw the end of the Sojourner threat. The Ritorians, who had pledged an alliance with the Sojourners, betrayed their allies and seized all Sojourner territory for themselves. While Vaishaa was out playing warlord, the Ritorian Confederacy doubled their territory in one swift stroke. With the Federation now dealing with a recognized government, and not an upstart terrorist organization, Starfleet was less enthused about taking action. And ever since the Ritorians had been stronger than ever, much to the surprise of everyone involved.
Liarra took another sip of her brandy while the planet she almost surrendered rotated below her. She often wondered if the Archans knew how close they came to defeat that day. Still, the planet was a welcome, and comforting sight. There was a time when Liarra thought that she may never see the planet again, but not for any of the reasons she might have thought.
It wasn’t that long ago that the starbase was faced with an unimaginable threat. A seemingly random ion storm passing through space made its way across the Archan sector, with Three-Three-Two right in its path. With little to do but to batten down the hatches, the station prepared for the coming storm. But appearances were deceiving, and the storm hid a dangerous secret. Hidden in the swirls of ionized gas and electricity was the mouth of a wormhole, dragged along with the storm. Once it had seemed to leave the station behind, the crew was stunned to find that they were very far from home. The wormhole had dropped them off on the far side of the Beta Quadrant, without a planet in sight.
Liarra gave the order to send her garrison ships, along with a few volunteering starships, to scout ahead and extend the range of the station’s sensors. The intent was for them to get their bearings, but what they discovered was far graver. The far reaches of the Beta Quadrant was home to a race of spaceborne insectoids. The discovery of these creatures resulted in the destruction of the USS Carthage and the loss of all hands. While Liarra could not have predicted that they would have found something so deadly on their mission, she still feels partially responsible for sending the crew of the Carthage to their deaths. And as a result of the swarm's ability to travel through subspace and detect a ship’s warp trail, they were able to follow that trail right back to the station. The swarm nearly ripped the station apart before Von made the risky decision to attract the wormhole back to their current position, pulling the station through. It was a gamble that the other side of the wormhole would leave them close to Archa IV. It was an even bigger gamble that the station would survive another trip. Liarra felt that it was a calculated risk, but it was also one that was made in desperation.
Liarra tried to shake the thoughts from her head. It wasn’t going to do anyone any good to dwell on the past. Especially not when she was facing investigation, or worse. Von emptied her tumbler in a final drink, the brown liquor leaving a light burning sensation as it flowed down her throat. She wasn’t sure what Lowe was after exactly, or to what incidents he was referring. But in Liarra’s mind, there were plenty to choose from. All Lowe had to do was take his pick.
She let out a long sigh. At this point there was little she could do to change anything. What was past was past, and if there was a reckoning to come, the best she could do was prepare to face it with dignity.
Fleet Captain Liarra Von
Commanding Officer
Starbase 332
