Time To Reveal

Posted on Wed Feb 27th, 2013 @ 5:49am by Admiral Lucius Hawke & Major Patrick Smith & Melanippe III

Mission: The Struggle Within
Location: Archadia III

* * * Admiral Hawke’s Office * * *

As the doors to the outer office slid open, Kai looked up from her view screen. Lt. Smith isn’t who she’d expected but she smiled, nonetheless.

“Welcome Lt. Smith. You wish to see Admiral Hawke?”

“Indeed I do. I have something rather important that he needs to see that my folks brought me,” he answered deliberately giving just enough to let Kai know he needed in asap.

Kai nodded and send word in to Lucius. When the Chief of Intel says he has something urgent, it gets attention. “Go right on in Lieutenant.” She pressed the panel on her desk and the inner doors opened.

“Thank you,” Patrick said as he walked into the office. Stopping inside the door allowing them to close behind him he addressed the Admiral. “Admiral Hawke. I have something you may wish to see regarding the Archadians.”

“Come in Lt. Smith, have a seat.” He motioned to the seat before his desk. “And let’s get to it.”

Pat took the seat opposite and slide several padds towards it. “To fill you in on the behind the scenes we have had an agent get close to the Prime Minister’s man, Veist. Things went to plan right up until she ordered them both killed and they fled. After a struggle during the rescue Veist was killed, and therein shortly after an agent recovered these in his house in a hidden room.”

Lucius reached for the padds and scanned them quickly. A deep frown settled on his face as the basic plans became clear. “I’ll study these in more detail of course, but it appears that time is of the essence. We’ll need to see the Queen and I suspect you are concerned that a delay may ruin it all?”

“Definitely. If the Prime Minister suspects that she is compromised she will activate any contingency plans and we should assume that she does. I do however understand that you need to get this right when you approach their Queen.”

Lucius nodded once more, still looking over the padds. “From what I can see here, I don’t think that will be an issue, even considering her scepticism at times. Will you be going along?”

“I am indeed,” Patrick replied. “I have had a bit more time to read over them along with knowing a lot of what’s been collected throughout the operation so I hope that I can provide the facts as you need them.”

“Good.” Lucius laid the pad down and regarded Patrick. “We leave in fifteen minutes.” He touched the comm panel on his desk. “Kai, notify Commander Sakkath that Lt. Smith and I are paying a visit to the Queen, and that it is urgent. I am sending him some intel that he needs to see immediately, so alert him that it’s on its way.” He closed the comm and looked back to Patrick. We’ll take your ship.”

“My ship works well. It’s down in one of the more secure marine bays at the moment until I can move it back for my cover so its nice and close. After you Sir,” He said as he stood up and moved towards the door.

Lucius sent the intel reports to Sakkath, then to Oz, and rose. “Things are going to be interesting, Lieutenant. And once we’re done, there’s something you and I need to discuss as well.” They exited his office and with a nod to Kai, they were underway. “Let’s do this.”

Patrick followed the Admiral from his office and led the way down to the hanger curious about what the Admiral has to talk to him about.

* * * The Queens Chambers * * *

Melanippe had been summoned, which was an oddity for her. No one summoned the Queen--it was always the other way around. However, there was always one group of people who seemed to think that she was their beck-and-call-girl.

“Admiral Hawke,” she said, a bit perturbed. “What is so important that you have disturbed my rest?”

Lucius bowed as protocol demanded, then waited for Melanippe to sit. Once she’s indicated that they should as well, he did so. “My apologies, your Highness, but it could not wait. You are aware of the events surrounding the Prime MInister’s assistant?”

“I have been advised of the situation, yes,” she replied. “What does that have to do with me? I certainly didn’t kill him.”

“No, that’s been handled with the Prime Minister. It’s her that we’ve come about tonight. Following his death, the woman he’d taken as a wife was going through the house and discovered a hidden room that contained some very damning information that you need to be aware of immediately. Given the late hour, it is my hope that your Prime MInister is asleep and has not heard of our arrival.” He rose and carried the padd to her.

Her initial reaction was to dismiss this information off hand, but then she remembered that they had been telling the truth about her life being in danger. It was worth a look, and once she did, she got goosebumps and her body felt cold. “All of this has been verified? This man actually did these things, and plans for the rest are in effect?”

“Yes.” Lucius nodded. “And as I understand it, he confessed to his mate before his death about some of his involvement, but Lt. Smith can verify that. He was there when his body was returned and the story told. The bulk of this information was found later today and those of us here are the only ones who know.”

“I can indeed confirm that. I can also let you know that someone attempted to assassinate Veist before he fled the planet. While we have no evidence of who on that one I rather suspect it was the Prime Minister. Although as we cannot run on suspicions we can confirm what is on these padds. Everything fits in perfectly with what has happened here on the planet,” Smith reported.

Melanippe sat quietly as she read through the information presented before her. It was almost uncomfortable for the Admiral and the intelligence officer to simply stand by while she read through it all. Finally, after almost fifteen minutes of reading, she set the PADDs down and looked at Lucius. Then, a strange thing happened. She began laughing. And not the tittery little ‘I’m the Queen and I find that simply amusing’ laugh she was known to use in front of her people. No, this was a full-on belly laugh, maybe even a guffaw.

When she calmed down a bit, she answered the question that was pasted on both of the Starfleet men’s faces. “Oh, whoo! I’m sorry, Admiral, Lieutenant, but I find this just a bit funny, and something I have wished for for many, many years. It’s no secret that Aegina and I have been enemies since we were both in Parliament, and that she wanted to be Prime Minister and Queen. I’m not at all surprised by this, but I am surprised that I now hold everything that I need to remove her from her position and,” she paused and smiled eerily, “have her put to death.”

Lucius nodded slowly. “And it solves the question of all the Section 31 activity that played hell with us as well. It will also save your life, Your Highness, and avoid a complete uprooting of your political system. How you deal with Aegina is your business of course, but I’d suggest moving now. She’s smart and she will know it’s only a matter of time before this comes to light. She’s a flight risk.”

Again, she took a moment to think about her next move. According to the information she’d been given, some of her own guard were loyal to Aegina instead of Melanippe, so she had to take that into consideration. There were only a few names listed from the Queen’s Guard, so she couldn’t be entirely sure who all was and wasn’t loyal. But she had to take that chance and she had to move now.

Looking at the large clock on the wall she noted the time as being just after 2200 hours. “We should move now,” she finally said. “However, I would like to make a formal request from our government to the Federation--one that I don’t have time to make in writing.”

“Very well, let’s hear it.” Lucius shot a glance to Patrick, then returned his attention to the Queen.

“Since this whole ordeal runs right through the government and security forces, I would like two things to happen.” She held up one finger. “First, I formally request that your marines be on hand to take Aegina and all parties involved in this,” she said as she held up a PADD, “into custody. Knowing some of the names on here, they may very well put up a fight and I just can’t trust my own, right now, to do what has to be done. Secondly,” she said, holding up another finger, “I want you, Admiral, to read ten of my personal guard. I need to know if those ten are with me and, if they are, they are to be on hand at each place your marines go to effect an arrest. Just to make sure that everyone sees an official from the palace there. It will keep them from thinking that you’re here to invade and what not.”

Lucius would have preferred to have Rick involved in this decision but with him gone, there was no time to wait. “Very well, I agree. We’ll do the reading here in your presence, then I would prefer that you be somewhere safe until it’s over.”

“In that case, other than the ten going with your marines, may I suggest that you assign personnel here as well? To keep the Queen’s Guard in their barracks until after this is all said and done--and to keep an eye on me, I suppose. We’ll have to check all of them afterward, to see who is, and was always, loyal. The rest will face prosecution immediately.”

Lucius nodded, then looked to Patrick. “Notify Colonel Travis. I want him and his men on their way immediately. Then call Commander Sakkath and Lt. Commander Zeferino, inform them of this development. And once that is done, I want you in the air, Lieutenant, in case she slips away. If she does, take her down.” He turned back to Melanippe finally. “Let’s summon your guard.”

“Aye aye Sir,” Patrick responded before taking a step back and walking away so that he could make the call. =/\=Smith to Lt. Colonel Travis. We require marines down on the planet surface for security purposes. I am transmitting the details to your console now,=/\= he informed the Marine commander as he typed up all that was needed onto his own padd.

Walking back to the Admiral and the Queen he excused himself, “The Marines have been notified and are gearing up. If you’ll excuse me I need to get back to my ship. Your Highness,” he said with a stoop of the head in recognition before leaving.

* * *

After the marines had been notified, Lt. Colonel Travis arrived forty minutes later with two platoons of marines, almost fifty personnel. Their large transport runabouts landed, with permission from the Queen herself, right next to the palace with many onlookers gawking. Melanippe knew that this would catch many of the Archadians off guard, and potentially create panic, so she made a point of being out there with Admiral Hawke to greet the marine commander herself. She put on a grand show and, as instructed, Travis was to give her all the respect that she deserved.

It didn’t take long for Lucius to sort out ten of the Queen’s Guard that were completely loyal to her. Those ten were then divvied up to squads of the marines, making sure that the Queen’s personnel were in full, traditional garb so as to be easily recognized by the Archadian populace. Once that was sorted, Travis and his squad leaders had been given a list of six individuals that were primary suspects. After they were in custody, there were at least a dozen more involved with lesser crimes, but still required to be picked up.

All in all, the entire sweep lasted less than an hour. Because of the time of day, most were caught off guard and had no idea that a force of Starfleet Marines, with one of the Queen’s Own, would be knocking down their doors in a quick and dirty raid. In the time it took Travis to get his marines to the planet, Melanippe had jotted down an official order for Admiral Hawke to sign off on. It included the request for Starfleet’s assistance, the reason why, directed which personnel were included in crimes against the Crown and to what extreme the marines could execute their royal warrants. Since Melanippe was taking most of this personally, she ordered their apprehension ‘with extreme prejudice’.

Despite Lucius’ objections, the Queen wanted to be on hand for the apprehension of Aegina. Once the unit had forced their way inside, cleared the residence and had restrained Aegina, all with the Prime Minister’s very vocal objection, Melanippe made sure that she was standing at the door as her own guard escorted the PM out. The Queen said nothing, but the smile on her face was as wide as the Chesire Cat’s.

*******************

Admiral Lucius Hawke
Getting Down To Business

Queen Melanippe III
Revenge is Best Served in a Cold Jail Cell

Lt. Patrick Smith
Bringer of Aegina’s padd-shaped bullet