Call Me
Posted on Thu Oct 22nd, 2020 @ 4:02am by Lieutenant Bonnie "Bon-Bon" Durnell
Mission:
Diplomatic Masquerade
Location: USS Liberty
Timeline: Orbit of Orias III
Gul Maccet sat on the bridge of his warbird, his warbird. The thought of how he had come this far despite the adverse conditions laid out before him. His glory hungry older brother had nothing on Maccet, cut down in his prime by a piece of rebellious garbage. In fact that moment became a defining moment for Maccet’s rise through the ranks, that moment and then the next bringing about his downfall. All perpetuated by a single insufferable insect of a woman.
But he had a plan. He had the upper hand and now he held the power. The mistakes of his brother and his own younger self would no longer impact his future. The days of sniffing the dirt in a Federation Penal Colony were over. He grinned at the thought that the cards were now in his hands. The team on Oriad III would extract her team, one she would obviously send below. And he would arrive, with armed escorts.
“How is our deception holding out?” He asked one of the forward operators.
“Warp signature mask is holding. As far as the Liberty knows there is only one ship on their way to the planet. The other warbirds will arrive on the other side of the planet and remain hidden there out of sensor range until called upon as requested, sir.”
“Thank you Mr. exposition.” Machete responded using a term he had picked up while in that penal colony. He wasn’t exactly sure what it meant, but it felt good to say. “Time until arrival?”
“Five minutes.”
“Alright. Coordinate the warp drop. I will be preparing for a dinner party. “ He said in a snide and underhanded tone. Those around him chuckled at the idea.
Perspective. The starfield and the ugly planet churned just outside the forward window, a dry brown sort of ball with nothing notable of interest. Since her conversation with Remal, Bonnie had finished her daily tasks and decided to relax with a technical manual in the forward lounge. Not being a member of the upper echelon meant less responsibility and the right to avoid fancy shindigs such as the meeting with the Cardassians.
This gave her time to reflect; on basically everything. Rumors had circulated since the away team came back from the surface. They had found plastics, a cup and some dinnerware. This meant a population capable of composite materials. More importantly there was a signal. Any governing population capable of electric manipulation can create a radio wave, but it took one with knowledge of advanced composites, possibly even computer knowledge to send that message into deep space.
She thought about the possibilities. An underground society, power sources, food and other resources. Even waste extraction crossed her mind. The ability to sustain a society large enough to progress far enough to create a radio signal wasn’t unheard of but they were damned rare. No, she gathered, this was more than likely a setup of some sort, a political posturing maneuver which she was not to be a part of. Political arenas were a place that irked her inner self since her father had told her stories.
Stories of Earth’s history, the politics and control of large corporations held at one time almost brought the planet to its knees in a chokehold of consumer driven waste, all in the name of profits. She, as a young girl, had never understood the amount of industrial waste even as her father explained that much of the waste was a result on the individual human level. They had policies in place, but little enforcement. Most of the problem due simply to the fact there was no profit in the recycling process.
As a child, the more she thought about such things, the more her father reminded her that we as a species have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go. This above all gave her the encouragement to be a better person. The universe was vast, but a planet and its resources are often finite. Even with advanced replicators and recyclers, sometimes the resources must come from off-world. There was always a source of energy, renewable or otherwise which provided for the sustainability of life. Humans learned the hard way. She pondered if the people on Orias III had met their fate the same way.
She looked up as a ship came out of warp and moved into position just off the bow. The delegations were about to begin. She pulled out her PADD, a quick mental thought crossing her mind. ‘Why had the ground team not discovered the source of the signal?’ She monitored as the Cardassians signaled the Liberty and took note of the communications frequencies, then pulled up the signal data from the original call for help.
What she saw made her eyes light up in interest. She downed her drink, then removed herself from the lounge. She had information to share with her CO. This meant possibly crashing a party. What does one wear when crashing a party?
TBC
