The Number's on the Fridge

Posted on Mon Jul 7th, 2014 @ 10:06am by Captain Liarra Von & Commander Brian Ratchford

Mission: Aggressive Negotiations
Location: Commanding Officer's Office
Timeline: MD01, 1030 hours

"Station Ops to Commander Ratchford."

Brian tapped his combadge as the call came over the speakers in his quarters. He'd pulled an extra shift the night before making sure that the next set of materials and supplies for the station repairs were properly arranged. It would be another few weeks before they would arrive, but the fabrication facilities on Renavi II were getting the large hull segments put together ready for transport. Since he'd been up a lot later than normal, he'd arranged the duty shifts so that he could get started this morning a little later than normal. "Ratchford here," he said, as he zipped his jacket up.

"Captain Von wants to see you in her office, Commander."

"On my way." Doing one more quick check around his quarters for anything he may have forgotten, he turned and made his way out of the door and towards the turbolift. Ordering it to take up to Ops, the ride was swift, and it wasn't long before he was strolling across the expansive operations centre to the glass doors of the captain's office, and pressing the control to sound the chime.

Liarra was finishing up a few reassignments on her PADD when she heard the chime. "Come in," she said, without even looking up.

"You called for me, Captain?" Brian asked, stepping through the doors and stopping just past the point of the door's sensor range, so that they would seal shut behind him again.

She did look up when she heard Ratchford's voice. "Ah, yes. Please have a seat, Commander," she said, gesturing to the chair across from her. "I just spoke with Admiral Quinn a short time ago. It looks like the Sojourners have been busy."

"When have they not?" Ratchford answered, moving to take what had become his default seat in the office over the past few weeks - just to the left of Von's desk, and closer to the window out into space. "If it's not one system they're annexing, they're blockading another. What is it they've done this time?" He mentally kicked himself now for allowing such a late start to the day. Normally he'd have been able to sit down and go through the sector security reports by now so that he could be on the same page as her - or at least, as close to the same page as his commander's access level permitted him to be.

"Good point. They've hit another three systems. The Sojourners took Kintara and N'Vec, and the Ritorians took Amolla. From what I've heard, none of them have put up much of a fight." Liarra handed a PADD to Ratchford. "Here are some details. Initial reports suggest that there were a lot of refugees fleeing just before the attacks. They've spread out pretty far, but I wouldn't be surprised if we get a few ships this way."

"That's not good," the XO commented. "There isn't a lot of places for them to go around here - at least not without having to pay rates to the Ferengi on Mira." He paused as he glanced up from the PADD, but fore letting it rest on his leg as he turned his attention back to the captain upon making a little revelation. "But that's not why you called me here."

"Unfortunately, Cestus thinks that the Sojourners may be making a, get this, diplomatic move with the Myaz Sovereignty, maybe trying to bring them into their alliance with the Ritorians."

"The Myaz? What do they want from them? It's not as if they have any sort of a strategic location, nor a significant military." He left unvoiced the more discomforting question; why the diplomacy, when the Sojourners could just take what they want by force, as they had so many times in the past year?

Liarra shrugged. "Your guess why is as good as mine. Quinn thinks it might be because of some suspected terraforming technology, or it could just be the extra territory. The important thing is that whatever it is the Sojourners want, Starfleet doesn't want them to have it. For that reason, they're sending me and a team from the Carthage to open up relations and try to dissuade them from joining the Sojourners."

"I'd offer to bring the Jackal along as backup, but I have a feeling that with the refugees from Kintara, N'Vec and Amolla likely on their way, we're going to need her here on patrol." An influx of refugee ships would be a perfect opportunity for the Sojourners to sneak a ship of their own in amongst the traffic, and cause havoc on the station; especially with the still-exposed damage. "When do you leave?"

"You're right. The Jackal should stay behind. The report didn't expect more than a handful of ships, nothing we can't handle, but I want to be safe anyway. Besides, if this is going to be a diplomatic mission, coming in with too many teeth bared could be seen as too aggressive. But don't think for a second that I'm going in unprepared. I want to have Griffiths bring along a team of marines, just in case. We shouldn't need them, but you know me, I feel naked without a phaser at my side." Liarra gestured her hand to wave them along to the next part of the conversation. "As for when we leave, I'm afraid that's today. I know it doesn't give us a lot of time to prepare, but the Myaz have given Starfleet a very short window in which to act. That's why I'm going. Cestus doesn't have time to put together a real diplomatic team."

"Oh, come now captain. You're a Starfleet officer! A one-woman diplomatic team with several lifetimes of experience. Who else could they possibly send?" The big grin on the commander's face left no doubt that he was fully aware of the captain's dislike for diplomacy, and preference for more direct action.

"Unfortunately none of those lifetimes were spent as an ambassador. But I appreciate the sentiment. I knew I might be getting myself into something like this as soon as I put on the uniform. But that doesn't mean I have to like it." Von shrugged. "Still, we have a job to do. I think I'm going to have Doctor Reed come along as well. Maybe she'll have some insight on the party across the table from us that will be useful. Any other suggestions?"

"I'd recommend you take De'Havean along with you, too. The Carthage isn't the Jackal when it comes to manoeuvres, but she can do wonders with a helm console. If you get into trouble out there, I wouldn't want you out there with any other pilot."

Captain Von nodded along with Ratchford's suggestion. "That's a good idea. I've worked with the Ensign back when I was in command of the Jackal. I'll have her join us. Hopefully you can get by without her for a little while."

"I think you need her more than we do right now," Brian answered. "We'll make do," he assured her.

"Well, I better get things ready to go. We don't have much time on this one. Have Intelligence send me everything we know on the Myaz and Sojourners so we can prepare on the way. Other than that, the station is yours. I'll even let you use the office. Just promise that you don't break anything worse than it already is while I'm gone," Liarra added with a cynical laugh.

"I'll try not to redecorate too much," the commander smirked.

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Captain Liarra Von
Commanding Officer

Commander Brian Ratchford
Executive Officer