The return

Posted on Wed Dec 7th, 2011 @ 1:33pm by Captain qeraQ' & Admiral Ricky Wegener

Mission: Sections of the Delta Quadrant
Location: Starbase 900

The trip back from Divitia had been quiet and the departure without fanfare. The message to the President's office informing them of the completions had been acknowledged but without further comment or contact. The Hammond had made good speed back to the station slightly behind the Takei, and qeraQ' had taken his time before disembarking, ensuring that the ship's systems were correctly shut down and that the orders for replenishment and system checks were in place. The station crew were more than capable of all this, but he felt the need for some kind of closure after the past weeks. A part of him was also putting off the inevitable, the report to Admiral Wegener. He hated the idea that he had not managed to secure a victory, to save the planet and bring a new ally to the station.

As he left the ship through the main airlock he began the walk to his quarters to freshen up before the meeting, but never made it to the turbolift. Wegener stood waiting at the exit, his face unreadable.

"Sir, I was about to come and report."

"I assumed as much," Rick said, his face unchanged. "There are, however, a few things that you need to brought up to speed on. You can tell me about Divitia in a bit." He started walking and assumed his XO would be following. "It's been a little wild here, of late. Our Chief Diplomatic Officer was kidnapped, and only just recently found; the Divitian Speaker was victim to at least one assassination attempt, if not more; the civilian sector, down in the Cherry Pit, seem to have grown their own criminal element that is now wreaking havoc--also kidnapping the Chief of Security and possibly responsible for the stabbing of our CMO; and, last but absolutely not the least, Hangar 51 fell victim to an explosive device that killed several and injured several more." They stepped onto a turbolift and began their rise to the area of the first officer's quarters. "It's still classified as a possible terrorist event, with both the criminals in the Pit and, as much as I hate to say it, Section 31 agents as suspects. Numerous crews are working the problem, but it just seems like the wild, untamed Delta Quadrant has turned into the Wild West of Earth's history."

"It sounds like an eventful few weeks, but this is the first I have heard about section 31 in the Delta Quadrant. If they are on the station then our problems may only just be beginning. It is the security situation that worries me more, kidnappings and explosions have no place on a Starbase no matter where it is located. How much do we know about the criminal organisations?"

"Commander Hawke and her crew are working on it," Rick said as the lift stopped and deposited them in another corridor. "She's working an angle now that may be of some help in finding the ringleader and cutting the head off of the snake. As for Section 31, the debacle with Archadia III that got some of the Arizona crew imprisoned, and the Melbourne crew wrapping it up, seems to have started with them. The Archadian government thought that they were speaking to someone on 900 when they were actually speaking to an agent of 31. Apparently their whole plan was to piss the Archadians off so much that they kicked us out of the area of space, which would have left us with no choice but to move the entire task force back through the gate."

"I will liaise with Commanders Hawke and Zeferino to see what more we can do, perhaps a few of the civilians that we are more friendly with can give us some additional information." he paused considering the conversation he had had with Jackson Banning on first arriving at the station. "How many casualties were caused by the explosion?"

"We're looking at 14 dead and now 82 injured."

"We will need to be more vigilant on all fronts. While I know that you will not like the idea, we may need to impose a curfew or restrict the movement of some of the civilians to gain control of the situation."

"I had thought about that myself," Rick replied. "However, I'd like to give Intel and Security just a bit more time to deal with it and see if they can get it under control."

By now they had reached qeraQ's quarters and he paused before activating the door. He felt he needed to discuss the elephant in the room, the Divitia issue.

"We were not successful in our mission, Admiral, despite the best efforts of the crew we failed to achieve our aims through my inability to find an agreeable political solution. This was my fault alone and I should bear the dishonour it brings rather than my crew."

"Yeah, shame on you," Ricky said sarcastically. When he saw the look qeraQ' gave him, he knew he had to elaborate. "I've read your initial report. You did everything you could to help them. If they were unwilling, despite the dirty deeds of the Council members, then you can't force their hand. There is no dishonor in being unable to change minds of those who won't listen."

"it was my job to make them listen. I was too hard, too direct..."

"Commander," Ricky said, standing in his doorway, "you may have successfully changed the minds of a few, but a group that large...well, it's impossible to think that you can make every one of them see your way. Over time, maybe they'll come around, but for them it may simply be too late." He paused. "You did your job and you did it well. I see no issue there."

"The Divitian's have requested a diplomatic presence... Perhaps that will allow us to make further progress in the future."

"We'll be more than happy to oblige their request," Rick said. "I'm sure we can get someone assigned out there that will be able to work well with them."

"Very well, I will arrange to meet with Hawke tomorrow for an update, and Commander Zeferino as well if she had recovered. If you will excuse me I will report to you at 0900 tomorrow morning for a more thorough debrief."

The Admiral nodded. "Get some rest. Tomorrow will be a busy day for us."

qeraQ' was relieved to enter his quarters. They were sparse, with many of his belongings only having arrived from the academy in San Francisco after he had departed from the base to Divitia. Now he was greeted with unpacked boxes, and they would also have to wait until later. For now the only thing that called him was a sonic shower followed by a drink. He would wake early and only then consider the full report that he would make to the Admiral.