Gamma Mission

[Mark]

USS Ravage - Ten Forward Lounge

Commander Sinclair sat at one of the tables closest to the viewport, enjoying the last of his lunch. As he popped the last of the shrimp into his mouth, he saw his former assistant, Lieutenant Burke enter the lounge and look around. Spotting him at his table, Burke made a beeline over. Sinclair suddenly wished that he would have eaten in his quarters. Burke had been his assistant for his entire stint as Chief Engineer on the Ravage, and Sinclair DID consider him a friend, but the man could be a royal pain in the ass from time to time. When word of Sinclair's promotion first came through, Burke had assumed that he was a shoe-in for the Chief Engineer's position, and as such, began throwing his weight around, as Burke believed in a more disciplined style of leadership, often mentioning to Sinclair that when it was HIS turn, he'd run a much tighter ship, than was Sinclair's rather casual style. That was the problem as far as Sinclair was concerned. Burke just didn't have the qualifications to be a Chief Engineer yet, or the attitude to go along with it. There were several courses which required completion before one was eligible to serve as a department head. Once upon a time, officers had to return to the Academy for one year courses, but now, in this day and age of holodecks, it was quite simple, if a little time consuming to complete these courses. Burke, while being a gifted engineer with a lot of potential, lacked the drive to complete even these simple requirements. If the man couldn't find time to meet these qualifications, how could he be counted on to complete the more mundane duties of a Chief Engineer, such as duty rosters, performance reviews, and so forth. Which was why, both Sinclair and the Captain considered McDuff a gift from the gods themselves.

With a silent sigh, Sinclair looked up at Burke who had approached his table, with a PADD in hand.

"Hey there Brian," Sinclair said "What can I do for you?"

Burke handed Sinclair the PADD, and replied, "It's my formal protest of the appointment of an NCO as a department head over a standing and competent officer. I've filed an appeal with Starfleet Command, which will be transmitted as soon as we return to the Alpha Quadrant, as well as a request for a transfer."

Keeping his expression neutral, Sinclair said, "That's a big decision, Brian. Why don't you take some time and think about it?"

"There's nothing to think about, Commander." Burke insisted "I insist you present this to Captain Lewis at once."

"I see." Sinclair said, with a small smile, "In that case, your protest is noted, and your request denied."

With a stunned expression, Burke said "You don't have that kind of authority."

Sinclair affected a look of innocent surprise, "Actually Brian, I do. But this doesn't come from me. Master Chief McDuff spoke to the Captain about your attitude already, and the Captain predicted that you would react like this. So, HE said, and I quote, accepting the chain of command is something every officer must learn to do before he can ever hope to move up in that chain of command. Let's help Mr. Burke learn that lesson. He stays where he is."

Burke looked like he was barely restraining himself from taking a swing at Sinclair as he spun on his heel and stormed away.

Shaking his head, Sinclair responded to empty air, "Dismissed".
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
USS Ravage - Main Engineering

McDuff looked around Engineering approvingly. With only a few exceptions, this department ran like a well oiled machine. That said a lot to him about Commander Sinclair's abilities, and bumped his respect for the man up a couple of notches. Ravage was one of the newer Nebulas in the fleet, with all sorts of upgrades and newer systems that the last Nebula he served on, the Phoenix didn't have. He had already had his signature tertiary bypasses installed, as well as the phaser backup, which would allow the ships phasers to fire from impulse power or emergency power, if needed.

Hearing the hiss of the turbolift, he glanced over and saw Lt. Burke exit the lift. McDuff felt his blood pressure begin to rise as he looked at the borderline insubordinate officer, who nonchalantly walked over to the plasma intake relays.

McDuff approached Burke, and said, "Mr. Burke, are you feeling ok?"

Burke looked back over his shoulder and answered, "Yeah, why?"

"Because that was one of the longest head breaks I've ever seen." McDuff replied.

With a shrug, Burke turned back to his console.

McDuff pitched his voice perfectly, so that Burke could hear him as clear as day, but anybody else attempting to overhear there conversation would be unable to do so, "Burke, if you ever walk out of my Engineering room again without permission, you won't walk back in."

Burke continued to ignore him.

McDuff continued "And if you want to complain to the Captain or the XO, you do it on your own time Mister, not on mine."

Again, Burke ignored him.

Time for a lesson in humility McDuff thought. Walking back to his main systems display, McDuff announced "Alright, boys and girls, before we end up in the soup out there, I want those plasma manifolds scrubbed clean. Mr. Burke, why don't you take care of that one, personally?"

Burke looked over his shoulder, "Sorry, Master Chief. I'm busy. I'll have Lars do it."

Rolling his eyes heavenward, McDuff replied, "Burke, if I wanted Lars to do it, I would have ordered HER to do it myself. Now Mister, I gave you an order and I expect you to follow it."

With an obstinate grin, Burke replied, "Sorry. Like I said, I'm busy. Commander Sinclair was always adamant about wanting these relays checked liked clockwork."

"Enough is enough" McDuff thought to himself as he approached Burke. Putting his hand firmly on Burke's shoulder, McDuff said "Lieutenant, step away from the console, I'm relieving you of "

McDuff never got to finish his order. Burke spun and knocked McDuff's hand off his shoulder with his right arm, then followed through with a left cross, knocking the old man to the floor. Burke stood over McDuff with his face flushed red, clenching and unclenching his fists, as somebody in the background could be heard calling security. McDuff gingerly tested his jaw, narrowed his eyes, and then kicked with everything he had with both legs. His left foot connected solidly with Burke's right kneecap, and a loud pop echoed through Engineering, at the same time McDuff's right foot landed squarely in Burke's crotch. The man screamed in main as he fell to the deck in terrible pain, trying to clutch both his leg and his groin.

McDuff climbed back to his feet and tapped his combadge "McDuff to Captain Lewis and Commander Sinclair. I need you both in Engineering at once."

[Tsukiyumi]

As Devi's face hit the mat, stars bloomed across her vision. An instant later, Uzume's knee pressed into the back of her neck, and Devi screeched as her arm was twisted behind her back.

Uzume let go at once, leaping to her feet, and rolling Devi on her back, " Are you okay? I didn't mean to " Devi cut her off with a wave of her hand. She rubbed her throbbing shoulder gingerly as Uzume helped her to her feet.

" I told you not to hold back. If I'm going to learn, I want to learn the right way," She raised her good arm, and dropped into one of the fighting stances Uzume had taught her, " That's an order, Leia."

Uzume circled to Devi's left, in a loose stance Devi hadn't seen yet. They stalked one another for a moment, feet padding quietly on the straw mats of the simulated Japanese dojo. Devi saw a brief opening, and kicked high, her leg flashing toward Uzume's head.

As her face struck the mat again, Devi tasted blood in her mouth. Uzume had easily taken her other leg from under her, and flung her to the floor. She grunted as Uzume rolled her over, and pinned her arms behind her head, their faces a few centimeters apart. A small bead of sweat fell from one of Uzume's slight brow ridges onto Devi's lips; her long brown hair flowed around Devi's head.

" What's this position called?" she asked, smiling up at Uzume's big, dark eyes. Uzume grinned, and kissed her lightly on the lips.

" It's called the 'you don't get up until I say' position " Her eyes were full of mischief as she leaned in for another kiss.

The comm. chirped, " Lieutenant Uzume, there's a situation in Engineering you may want to deal with yourself."

Uzume sighed, " I'm on my way, Dalton. Should I bring a phaser?"

The man on the other end chuckled, " No ma'am. You should be able to handle it with one of those looks of yours." She gave one of 'those looks' toward the high wooden crossbeams of the dojo's ceiling as she answered.

" Watch yourself, Dalton I'll be there in a moment." She smiled wistfully down at Devi as she stood, careful to mind her offended shoulder as she helped her up again.

" We'll finish this later. Or maybe we'll just go skinny dipping," Uzume laughed as Devi adjusted her uniform, " Computer, arch."

The archway appeared on the opposite side of the dojo, some fifty feet away.

" I thought they solved that problem " Uzume smirked. They giggled at each other as they stared toward the exit.

" Race you." Devi whispered, and they sprinted toward the arch.


*** *** ***


Devi met Captain Lewis on the turbolift a few minutes later; he gave a quizzical look at her mussed hair and swollen lip, but refrained from commenting. A small twist of a smile at the corner of his mouth said he wanted to.

" Captain," she began, after sending the turbolift on its way, " May I ask, what do you intend to do about this? I know it's a major breach of protocol, but we're pretty short on experienced personnel in Engineering as it is. I could lend a hand down there, but I can't replace a dedicated officer."

He nodded, " I need you where you are, Commander No, I need Burke's skills utilized, one way or another." The set of his jaw, and the firm expression in his eyes reminded her of Captain Thompson when he'd already reached a decision. She nodded in return, and kept silent the rest of the way to the brig.

As they stepped in, Uzume stood to attention on the left of the cell. Burke was fuming, pacing back and forth; Devi was glad to see Uzume hadn't 'accidentally' broken his legs on the way down here. At the sight of Captain Lewis, he paused, stalking to the edge of the forcefield.

" Captain, I can expl " Lewis cut him off abruptly, pointing a finger sternly in warning.

" No explanation required, crewman," He paused to let that sink in; Burke's face dropped as the implication registered, " This is not a Klingon ship. I won't have officers attacking department heads over personal ambitions or grudges."

Burke opened his mouth to protest, but Lewis continued, " You will receive a permanent black mark on your record, and be reduced in rank to crewman until I decide you've paid your debt to Chief McDuff and learned proper respect for the chain of command. Report to Engineering for your new assignment at 0400. Lieutenant Uzume here will make sure you report on time - I'd advise you to do as she says." He winked in her direction, and she grinned, remaining at attention.

With that, he turned and briskly left the brig; Devi followed close behind, sparing a quick glance at Uzume, who met her eyes with a sly smile.

" We have a lot of preparations to make for the coming mission, Devi. I'll need your attention on the task of modifying the sensors to operate more efficiently in that nebula," he remarked as they re-entered the turbolift, " Please coordinate with Commander Sinclair for any additional resources you may need."

Devi nodded, " Of course, Captain. I already have a few ideas to increase sensor resolution."

He nodded back, " Very good. And, Commander, I don't need my Chief Operations Officer in sickbay. If you're going to spar with an ex Romulan assassin, get some more practice, okay?"

Devi's jaw dropped, but she recovered her composure after a moment.

[Mikey]

As D'tyra left the shuttlebay, Grr'lek hurried to catch up. "Does this mean my conviction has been overturned?" he asked sardonically.

She grinned humorlessly at the irony. "As you may have gathered from my speech, Romulus is changing - or, at least, needs to. The Reman insurgency has taught some of us that suppression and xenophobia are not the only policies, nor the best. You will not be convicted on my ship merely for the fact of not being Romulan. After all, nobody's perfect." D'tyra smiled again, this time with more warmth.

"Thank you for that, commander."

"Besides," she continued, "we're spearheading an integrated fleet. I'll need my liaison officer."

"Always happy to help," Grr'lek commented.

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

Mikey stood at the head of the table in the Daystrom's conference room. "Our mission will be overwatch and support for the recon units headed for the nebula facility. We are not charging into battle, but we must be prepared for that eventuality. I want readiness reports filed with Cmdr. Hewer within three hours. Moncano - we are going to be some days away from base and on site for an unknown period of time; make sure the quantum torp magazines are full to the brim, and that fighters are ready for immediate deployment."

"Aye, sir." Any thought Moncano had of asking questions was immediately dissipated by Mikey's businesslike tone.

"Thank you," Mikey continued. "Dr. Holmes?"

"Hmm?" The doctor looked up and said disinterestedly, "Yes, yes, you'll get your report on time."

"I trust I will," Mikey answered with a pointed look at Holmes. "However, what I wanted to tell you is to make sure you are prepared to take on overflow casualties should the need arise."

"This isn't exactly a hospital ship," Holmes replied with a sneer.

"Interestingly enough," Mikey said with slightly more steel in his voice, "I didn't ask for your assessment of our facilities. Lt. Cmdr. Ge'haan will assist you with space and supplies; Mr. Nijhoff can help you with availability of emergency personnel. Questions?" Dr. Holmes raised his hand and Mikey continued, "Just get it done, doctor. Dismissed." Mikey thought for a moment, then turned to and added, "Darel? See if you can raise the Lacron. I'd like to speak with Commander D'tyra."

[Mark]

USS Daystrom - Sickbay - Ship's Night

Holmes sat on the couch in his office with a look of discontent on his face, as he tossed a tennis ball against the far wall, watched it bounce against the floor, and then back to him. Sometimes such mind numbing monotony helped him stop thinking for a change. It was a curse he'd had all of his life, one that he understood most people with his level of genius suffered from. He couldn't turn his brain off most times. He used to take a heavy does of sedatives when he was younger, but they just weren't having the same affect anymore. Besides, deep down he HATED depending on anything, including pharmaceuticals, especially since what happened to his leg. It really did make him feel handicapped. Tonight was worse than most. It must be the upcoming battle. Little did the Captain know that Sickbay, as well as cargo bays 1, 2, and 3 had been set up to handle massive casualties BEFORE the mission briefing. Holmes smiled slightly to himself. Arguing with that overgrown smurf of a captain was more fun that he ever thought. Most of the Captains he had served under had either felt the need to quickly transfer him off of their ships, did their level best to ignore him, or, as happened at Starfleet Medical, just put up with him, till he did something so outrageous that they just snapped. This fellow was a bit different. He put up with Holmes to an extent, like the time Holmes showed up on the bridge minus his pants again, and the Captain simply twitched with antennae and suggested the good Doctor get some sun. Occasionally, Mr. Blue would even fire back with something of his own, like the time Holmes found himself stuck in a turbolift for over an hour, with the power to the inertial dampeners reduced, speeding from one corner of the ship to the other, and when the door FINALLY opened, found the Captain standing there with a dead pan expression and calmly announced "Your floor, I believe, Doctor." But there were lines that the Captain wouldn't let him cross, and Holmes found it refreshing yet frustrating to serve under someone who he couldn't bully.

Holmes was just managing to hit the point where he could lay back and catch a short nap when he heard the doors to sickbay swish open, and a voice call "Hello? Anyone here?"

With a grunt and a curse, Holmes grabbed his cane and pulled himself to his feet. He limped out into the exam area, to find Lieutenant Hiroto waiting for him, again.

"What is it now?" Holmes snapped.

"I've got a new symptom." The officer replied, "I've developed a twitch in my neck." And as if on cue, which it surely was, his head began snapping to the left every couple of seconds.

"Hiroto" Holmes growled. "I haven't slept in two days. I was just about to nod off and you're waking me up with this nonsense, AGAIN?"

"But Doctor ." The blue shirt tried to respond.

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY SICKBAY!!!" Holmes yelled.

The junior science officer, instead of looking intimidated, developed a calculated look on his face. "Doctor," he began calmly, any pretense of a tick forgotten "According to regulations, you are REQIRED to provide me with medical attention as I may require it. Are you refusing to do so?"

Holmes was hands down one of the, if not the finest diagnostician in Starfleet today, and as such, he immediately figured out what was wrong with this young snot. He was a coward. Holmes had taking the liberty of hacking into the ship's counselor's record of her sessions with this fellow, and learned that he had joined Starfleet simply for the education, and by hacking the man's personal logs had learned that he had already accepted a job offer to go to work for a Trill mining company as their Chief Geologist, receiving VERY lucrative pay and benefits. His resignation was refused, as the Daystrom had just been selected for this mission. Now, since the destruction of the Pegasus, he had been doing his level best to be transferred to the station, before the Daystrom set out into a hostile situation herself. It seemed that this fellow had been snooping in the medical database, and decided to try and convince Holmes that he had, miraculously contracted, Riley's Disease, most likely because medical testing couldn't DISPROVE Riley's. Little did he know that Riley's was a genetic condition that can be traced back to birth, and even though you couldn't prove someone didn't have Riley's there WERE certain markers in the DNA which are what lead a Doctor to hypothesize Riley's in the first place. This idiot obviously read up on the symptoms, and no further.

Holmes was fed up. He replied in a mild voice, "Absolutely not, Lieutenant. I will begin treatment at once, as you OBVIOUSLY suffer from Riley's Disease."

Holmes loaded a hypospray and noted the look of satisfaction on the man's face. Then, with a soft hiss, he administered the shot in the fellow's neck.

"Of course, if I'm wrong, that shot is going to make you VERY sick, as the chemicals are designed to bond with the antibodies triggered by Riley's." Holmes told him, "They are designed to boost the strength of those antibodies. If they're not present, then the chemicals are going to have a DIFFERENT reaction. We have to administer treatment for several days. If it works, then I'll approve your transfer to the station, because you'll need to be more closely monitored than you can be here."

Suddenly, a burbling sound emanated from Hiroto's midsection, as the man grabbed his stomach. With a face that was going somewhat pale, he said "Thank you, Doctor.", then quickly left.

Holmes suddenly felt much better than he had in days. He decided to go back to his quarters, because he finally felt that he could get some sleep. However, Mr. Hiroto won't be sleeping anytime soon. Not with the huge dose of laxatives that Holmes had just pumped into him.

Whistling, he slowly limped back to his quarters.

[Sonic Glitch]

It had been a long day for Sinclair. Barely his first day and he had already dealt with a personnel crisis in engineering, several diagnostics of the sensor suites, and several complaints from the engineering crew about their new chief. On top of all that, the captain had invited him to a dinner meeting to discuss his first day.
"Sir. I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing."
Lewis smiled slightly, he recalled saying something similar to Captain Ruhalter after his first day on the job.
"What makes you say that Commander?"
"Sir. I'm not like the rest of my family. I didn't enter the service looking for a command position.."
Lewis cut him off, "I never said you did commander, but from my experience you are the best qualified for the job.
"Sir, I'm an engineer. I work with computers, not people."
"Ok, 1st thing, call me Matt, then things will be much easier. 2nd thing, you're better with people than you think. I've seen what you're department does, you have one of the most efficient departments on the ship. You're better at this administration thing then you think."
Sinclair opened his mouth to protest but Lewis cut him off,
"You think of yourself as an engineer so be an engineer. Diagnose problems, think of who under your command is qualified enough to fix it, and send them to do it. That's what you do down in engineering right?"
Jordan opened his mouth to disagree but realized his captain was right. The problems of supervising a crew of 750 really wasn't that different from engineering. "Thank you sir I never thought of it that way."
"Just remember the 3 rules of command, Rule number 1. Jordan: the Captain is always right. Rule number 2: unless he's wrong, and Rule number 3: When in doubt, see rule number 1." Lewis said with a smile. "And now," he said getting up, "there's something you should know. Follow me." Lewis got up and exited into the corridor. Sinclair followed wondering, "What have I got myself into?"

[Mikey]

D'tyra glanced casually around the bridge of the Daystrom as Mikey led her toward his ready room. "Thank you for coming," he said as he offered her a seat.

"Thank you for your hospitality and your... openness," D'tyra replied.

Mikey chuckled. "There are far more tempting targets for espionage than an out-of-date torpedo boat like this. In any event, I think the days of us being able to settle into easy prejudices are long gone."

"I had a similar conversation recently." D'tyra peered at the Andorian intently. "Did you invite me here to discuss the spirit of a new era of cooperation?" she asked with a small smile playing on her lips.

Mikey laughed openly this time. "I'm afraid you give me too much credit. I'm a simple officer, not a philosopher or visionary. No, I asked you here to discuss the terribly more mundane matter of the details of our deployment."

D'tyra relaxed in her chair. "Don't discredit yourself." She glanced around the room at Mikey's martial trophies, the artwork, and the cultural artifacts, and continued, "You're obviously a man of varied interests. Besides, I've learned to value the philosophy of 'simple' people of experience over that of 'visionaries' who know nothing of the galaxy."

"I don't know about that," Mikey answered, rising, "but I certainly won't be called an ungracious host." He crossed to the replicator. "Can I get you anything?"

"Thank you, but no. I have matters to attend. As to our deployment: while both the Lacron and the Klingon ship have cloaks, our sensors are more sophisticated. I'd imagined that we'd run reconnaissance, with the Klingons as close support and you as overwatch. Now that it comes to mind, can Krem be trusted after his previous performance?"

"You can bet on it. I'll handle him," Mikey said with his engaging yet predatory smile. "Can I trust YOU to remain on mission, and to not give in to an emotional and misguided quest for revenge... again?"

"A regrettable lapse," D'tyra replied evenly. "You have my word that you may so trust me."

Mikey looked intently at the Romulan commander for a moment and said, "I believe I may. I am in agreement as to the disposition of our ships; the Daystrom has a range of auxiliary craft which may be of use, though."

"I'd suggest we wait to see if the nebula would sufficiently mask the shuttles' signatures."

"Very good. I won't keep you any longer, then." Mikey rose and extended his hand, which D'tyra accepted. "Thanks again. It's been a pleasure, Commander." She nodded and left as Mikey studied her retreating back. The Romulan commander had certainly given Mikey reason to indeed reconsider his preconceptions. Shaking his head to clear it of his reverie, Mikey hit the intercom and called, "Darel, please get me a private channel to Captain Krem of the IKS Karam."

After a few moments, a Klingon face appeared on Mikey's desktop screen. "Who... you!" Krem roared. "If you think you're going to tell me how to run my ship, blueskin..."

"Not at all, captain," Mikey interrupted. "In fact, I'm glad to see my request has been honored."

"Your request?" The Klingon's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"To have you and the Karam as the Klingon component of our task group, of course," Mikey answered with a broad smile.

Krem's anger and suspicion gave way completely to confusion. "You made it clear that you were unhappy with my performance on the last mission," he said stiffly.

"I was, but that was surely an isolated mistake," Mikey commented magnanimously. "You certainly wouldn't be the captain of the Karam if you were in the habit of making bad decisions. I have no doubt that you possess the honor, ability, and grell'nors to redeem yourself from that mistake."

Krem straightened in his seat and pounded a meaty fist on the table or front of him. "You won't find the Karam lacking! We'll die before abandoning our position. Qa'plah, Captain W'trisk."

"Qa'plah." What easily-manipulated tools the Klingons are, Mikey thought as he closed the comm channel. Striding into the bridge he called, "Set a course for the nebula, warp 7. Transmit course to the Lacron and the Karam, and engage."

[Mark]

USS Ravage - Walking down the Ship's Corridors

Captain Lewis began, "Sometimes Jordan, a ship's Command Officers have access to certain information that the rest of the crew, or even the senior officers are unaware of. As my first officer, you're going to have to know ALMOST everything that I know. Your security clearance on this ship will be exceeded only by my own, and, in some cases, will equal it. So, just in case something happens to me, you can step in with a full knowledge of what's going on, so as to hopefully not miss a beat."

With a rueful grin, Sinclair replied "God forbid. I'll admit I was one of the best in my year in the mission and tactical simulator, but I'm QUITE aware of how different a holodeck is from real life.

At that the Captain had to laugh. With a shake of his head he said, "Then, Commander, you are one up on several CAPTAINS that I'm acquainted with. But seriously Jordan, sometimes the things we know are a curse, and because of security reasons, we can't even discuss them with the ships counselor. But, other times, I have to admit, that I enjoy knowing things the rest of you don't. It makes me feel like a kid with a secret."

The two entered a turbolift and Captain Lewis ordered "Cargo Bay Five". With a soft woosh, the lift set into motion.

"Commander, I am about to share something that is both of a highly classified nature, and quite cool as well."

With a raised eyebrow Sinclair asked "And this secret has something to do spare warp coils for the shuttles and two dozen crates of self sealing stembolts?"

The turbolift came to a stop and with a soft hiss the doors slid open. Again with his easy laugh Captain Lewis said, "Not quite."

As they approached cargo bay 5, Sinclair noticed the amusement slowly fade from the Captain's face, and his expression became carefully neutral.

Gesturing towards the door, Lewis said "After you, Commander."

With a nod, Sinclair stepped to the door and when it didn't open, he hit the manual button. The computer replied "Access Restricted"

With a frown, Sinclair decided to try out his brand new security code, "Computer, override lockout. Authorization Sinclair, Epsilon Theta, 6-9"

With that the heavy metal doors parted and both officers entered the cargo bay, with Sinclair in the lead. After the doors closed behind them, Captain Lewis announced in a raised voice, "This is him"

Three feet in front of Sinclair, the form of a Jem'Hadar warrior unshouded, and in a deep voice said, "Commander Sinclair I presume."

Sinclair's expression was one of shock, followed by a moment of speechlessness.

Captain Lewis began, "Commander, this is the best kept secret in our fleet. This is "

"Taran'atar." Sinclair interrupted.

With an expression of surprise on his face, Captain Lewis said "You never cease to amaze me, Jordan. How did you know that?"

With a sheepish grin, "It really wasn't hard sir. If any of the Dominion proper's Jem'Hadar were on board, they'd be under armed escort, and certainly wouldn't be kept secret. There is no reason why we'd have a Jem'Hadar from the renegade faction on board, so that either leaves a cosmetically altered operative, which if that were the case, would most likely be on the Valkyrie, because of her speed, OR this is happens to be a Jem'Hadar that we trust. And since my brother used to serve on DS9, I've heard about Taran'atar."

With a growing smile, Captain Lewis said, "Jordan, I really can't put into words how impressed I am right now. You're absolutely right. You see? You're a natural at this."

"What I don't understand," Sinclair said, "is why, I have to admit."

"That's why you're here, Commander." Lewis replied, "You need to know what I know, just in case. Taran'atar could be an invaluable asset, and Captain Tusk and I have come up with a way to make the best use of him ."

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
USS Paladin - Turbolift

"And who is that, Lieutenant?" Rochey rumbled.

By way of answer, Mark tapped his combadge, "Mark to Lt. Ritan. Mark to Lt. Ritan, please respond."

When no answer was forthcoming, Mark addressed the computer this time, "Computer, locate Lt. Ritan."

In its feminine voice, the computer replied "Lt. Ritan is currently in the Science Lab."

Catching on to the situation, Rochey ordered, "Computer disregard previous destination. Take us to the Science Lab."

The lift halted and then shifted direction, speeding towards the forequarter of the saucer section.

"Lieutenant," Rochey growled, "What makes you think it's Mr. Ritan?"

"He has the physical training and strength for it, Sir." Mark replied.

Rochey replied, "Hardly a logical reason."

With a neutral expression, Mark said, "Then call it a hunch, Sir."

Sounding amused, Rochey responded "I didn't think Vulcan's HAD hunches."

Looking at the big Tholian, Mark finally said for the first time in his life completely without regret, "I'm not a Vulcan, Sir."

With that, the turbolift doors swished open, and both officers barreled down to the Science Lab. As they approached, they saw the door partially open, with an arm sticking out, preventing the door from closing completely. Mark, having taken the lesson from Commander Vaughn to heart, tapped his combadge to call for back up, only to find it was not functional.

"There must be some kind of local scrambler to keep the victims from calling for help." Rochey observed.

With a mighty heave, the two officers forced the partially open door the rest of the way open, revealing the arm to belong to Commander Teaos, who, although had a horrible bruise on his forehead, was obviously breathing.

The inside of the lab was something straight out of a horror vid. The lab was smashed. Pieces of ruined equipment lay strewn all over the place. The huge Brikar officer had Dr. Torak suspended in mid air by the throat, and the Doctors face was beginning to turn an emerald green.

"Tar!!!" Mark yelled as Rochey hurtled through the doorway and slammed bodily into the huge Brikar. The force of the impact knocked the Vulcan loose, and sent him tumbling to the floor, gasping for breath. Catching his balance, Lt. Ritan swung with a back hand to the Tholian's head, grazing him, but not before the insect like officer wrapped all six legs around the Brikar. Just as Mark's phaser cleared it's holster, the Brikar tore the Tholian loose and bodily lifted him over his head. Without thinking, Mark snapped off a shot, which hit Lt. Ritan center mass in his chest, but only stumbled the enraged giant. Mark realized that his phaser was set to stun, which would only make behemoth angrier. As he quickly adjusted the setting on this weapon, Ritan threw Rochey bodily into Mark, knocking them both down and sending Mark's phaser tumbling off somewhere into the room.

As the two officers went down, Tar turned his back and went to grab the Vulcan scientist again. Rochey shook his head, obviously stunned, as Mark rolled to his feet and with a running leap vaulted onto the Brikar's back. Tar stumbled under the unexpected weight as Mark reached up and attempted to bring the big man down with a neck pinch .only to find out that the neck pinch didn't seem to affect Brikars!!!!

Ritan reached over his shoulder and grabbed Mark by the arm that was attempting to bring him down, and forcefully flipped Mark to the ground in front of him. The sound of Mark's shoulder dislocating was audible throughout the room as Mark paled, and fought to hold on to consciousness.

Gritting his teeth in pain, Mark gasped, "Why Tar? Why would you do this?"

Tar replied, "I told you! I will ALWAYS have your back Mark! I owe your father that much. I'll even protect you from yourself. Now STAY DOWN!!!"

Struggling to his feet, Mark said "I can't let you kill him, Tar. No matter what he's done."

"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR SAYING!!!!" the giant roared. "I KNOW WHAT HE IS AND WHAT HE'S DONE!!! HE'S THE ONE WHO ."

With a whine, Mark watched a bright energy bolt pierce the Brikar through his abdomen. He staggered once, when another shot hit him in the chest, dropping him like a rock. Looking behind the fallen giant, Mark saw Commander Teaos looking on in shock at Mark's phaser which he held in his hand, and the fallen Brikar on the floor, before his eyes rolled back up into his head and he once again passed out.

[Sionnach Glic]

"Good work, Lieutenant." Rochey said, getting back to his feet and prodding the body with a claw to make sure it was, in fact, dead. "Are you hurt?" He added.

"I think my shoulder might be dislocated." Mark replied, trying carefuly to move the limb.

"Right. Get down to sickbay. I'll head back to the bridge to inform the captain and get a cleanup crew down here." The commander said, indicating the various wrecked lab equipment scattered around the room. Glancing over at the unconcious form of Teaos, he added "I'll get a medical team to collect him, too."

"Yes Sir." Mark answered, heading for the door.

"And Lieutenant?" Rochey called before Mark could leave.

"Sir?"

"That was some good deducing, and some good work in general. I'll be recomending you for a commendation over this."

[Mikey]

The Lacron and the Karam faded from the Daystrom's sensors as their cloaks engaged, and the three ships dropped out of warp. Mikey called from the command chair, "Lt. Sternson - determine maximum distance at which we can monitor the edge of the nebula but remain outside passive scans from the station. Relay that position to the helm."

"It'll be an educated guess at best," she answered with a frown.

"Then make it a good one. Helm, station keeping at that position," Mikey replied. "Lt. Moncano - shields up, phasers ready."

"Shields are up, phasers and all tubes-" Moncano began.

"No torpedoes for now, lieutenant," Mikey interrupted quietly but steadily. "They'd alert every ship in the sector and point the way right to us. Phaser detection will be muffled by the nebula."

"Aye, sir," Moncano shrugged.

Ge'haan called, "90 seconds out of warp."

Mikey's antennae bristled as he steepled his fingers. "They'll be entering the nebula, then. All hands to battle stations... and wait."

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

In the dim light of the Romulan bridge now in cloaked mode, Grr'lek looked around and couldn't help but admire the cool, collected intensity of the crew. A Starfleet crew handled a tight spot with reflex and adrenaline; this Romulan crew seemed the exact opposite. Even though they'd been inside the nebula for over seven minutes, the Romulans went about their duties as if they were charting a common comet cloud. At last, N'yatra spoke up. "Final sweep complete."

"Very good," D'tyra answered. "Exit the nebula the same way we entered, one-quarter-"

"Three contacts, bearing 129.5 az +28, approaching at one-half impulse," announced the tac officer.

"How... ?" murmured D'tyra.

"Our wake in the dust clouds," answered Grr'lek unbidden. "They don't know what we are, just that something's moving."

D'tyra studied the image on the viewscreen for a moment and said, "All stop. Helm, course 000 az -90, thrusters only. Once we've cleared the bottom of the nebula, resume course for the rendezvous point at one-half impulse." Grr'lek grinned at the commander's cunning; they would literally drop out of the nebula, letting their pursuers pass right over them.

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

"Captain! Three Jem'hadar attack craft emerging from the nebula," Moncano barked with just a hint of hysteria. "'They've altered course to intercept us."

"Onscreen," Mikey ordered. They're searching; they haven't found the Lacron, he continued to himself. "Phasers, lieutenant - scatter them, but make damn sure you hit the nebula behind them."

"Sir?"

"It'll disrupt comms to the station and prevent a signature from the destroyed ships." If Krem has the discipline, Mikey thought, his antennae lowering unconsciously. Three phaser beams lanced from the Daystrom, wending through the Jem'hadar formation and igniting rampant discharges and arcs in the nebula beyond. As the attack ships adopted a circular evasive route toward the Daystrom, a spectral outline emerged from the nebula. It coalesced into the form of the de-cloaking IKS Karam and poured a blistering salvo of disruptor fire into the closest Jem'hadar ship.

Mikey smiled the smile of a winning gambler and said, "Phasers at will, lieutenant." The second attack ship lurched as the Daystrom's barrage tore off a nacelle. The old cruiser shuddered slightly at the Jem'hadars' return fire, then unleashed another gout of energy which breached the bug ship's hull and left it floating dead in space. Meanwhile, the Karam had dispatched its first target and then pummeled the third attack ship with a torpedo spread which caused the little ship to explode almost at once.

"Captain Krem for you, sir," Ge'haan said as Mikey directed Moncano to finish off the disabled Jem'hadar ship.

"Good hunting," said the image of the Klingon from the viewscreen.

"I'm glad I could count on you, captain," Mikey replied. Krem gave a lopsided smile, then saluted by pounding his right hand on his chest and cut the channel. To Ge'haan Mikey said, "Get me the Lacron."

Commander D'tyra smirked slightly and said, "Thanks for clearing the exits, captain. We have what we came for. Shall we?"

"Of course," Mikey grinned back, and the three ships leapt to warp.

[Thorin]

"Hewer to W'trisk, we're approaching the taskforce."

"On my way," spoke Mikey as he walked out of his readyroom clutching several PADDs, "Commander Ge'haan you have the bridge."

The captain and his second in command strode into the turbolift, and Jon handed Mikey another PADD, "The latest readiness reports. All deparments are up to scratch and informed about the situation. Apart from a minor deviation in the ventral shield grid from those polaron beams we're as good for a fight as the day she was built." Jon proudly patted the lift wall.

Mikey quickly scanned over Jon's concluding report, casually nodded, and handed it back, "Deck 6."

The turbolift doors opened and the two men walked across a corridor into the transporter room. The transporter chief greeted them and opened up the internal comms to the bridge. "Jenkins requesting confirmation for transport."

The reply from the bridge came from the instantly recognisable voice of Lieutenant Commander Ge'haan, "Confirmed, the USS Daystrom is dropping to sublight."

"Understood," the Chief turned to Captain W'Trisk, "The USS Paladin is ready for your arrival sir."

The senior officers took up position on the pads, "Energize."



On the Paladin Commander Rochey 'welcomed' them as they rematerialised on another pad.

"Rochey to Teaos, we have the last of them. Re-engage warp and signal the rest of the taskforce to do likewise," the Tholian paused and eyed the Daystrom's officers, "Captain W'Trisk, Commander Hewer, welcome to the Paladin. Please follow me, the Commadore is awaiting your arrival."

Jon walked through the corridors which were far narrower than ones he was use to - of course, it saved room for more important things - but he still somehow felt at home on a ship of such collosal power and beauty, his days at tactical on Akiras and Sovereigns not forgotten. Imagine getting a first assignment on this, he thought, as he watched a young ensign pass by, who probably came the top in his class at the academy. Eventually they came to a turbolift and entered.

At the end of the vertical journey the doors opened and at least 14 heads turned their way. They stepped into a large room with a circular desk in the middle. One end of the room, slightly darkened, held one of the large holographic projectors and above it was projections of all the ships in the taskforce along with their specifications. Built into the centre of the table was another projector, and above that was a gridded hologram of the nebula and probable ship locations.

Commodore Grayling spoke to the group, "Captain W'Trisk and Commander Hewer, please take some seats. Now, latest reports from the Lacron indicate the largest contingent of Dominion ships to be here, stationed around, and even on, an asteroid," the central holographic display zoomed in to the asteroid, "However, that's not our main concern on the tactical side of things. Subspace disruption scans have picked up a large, manoeuvrable mass in the nebula, consistent with the density of a Dominion Battleship and several Battlecruisers."

Krem, the Klingon captain, gave a triumphant smile, excited at the prospect of such glorious battle. All the other officers sat in a state of concentration, but not at all frightened.

"If that battleship gets you in her sights you're in for a tough fight," The admiral nodded, "Captain Fletcher."

Fletcher took to the floor and the central display changed to a cross-sectional projection of the Paladin's phaser lance. "This thing will rip through most shields and hull like tissue paper. This battleship is in a different ballpark, though. The Paladin is a damn good match for her, but you can be sure as hell this isn't going to a be a straight fight. The Dominion are probably going to know about her and they're going to be pounding her with everything. We're going to need some distractions - Captain W'Trisk."

"All our fighters can be deployed in under 20 seconds. Now in that nebula with those attack ships after them they won't last long, but we've come up with a plan. Whether it'd work in action or not remains to be seen," Mikey beckoned Jon to continue.

"The shields on our fighters aren't great, but with a few hit and runs they could deal some real damage. The hitting isn't a problem, but running for cover is," the large projection at the end of the room changed to a massive hologram of the Daystrom and her shield bubble, and the fighters whizzing about besides her. "We're proposing using the shields of the Daystrom to act as cover for the fighters - they can come in and out at anytime, using a preset frequency. With carefully planned hits, the fighters should be able to take out enough attack ships without a worry to themselves. The Daystrom's shields shouldn't have too many problems with the bugs' polaron beams. If we do come into contact with that battleship, I'm sure we could send a few volleys of quantum torpedoes her way too."

The Commodore stood up again, "Good work. Remember though, this is a last resort. We're going for a peaceful resolution if available. Regardless, hope for the best," he took a moment to look around the room before making eye contact again, "And plan for the worst."

[Reliant121]

"The plan that has been developed to protect the Federation fighters is impressive. Unorthodox, i will admit, but impressive all the same. What of the other ships of the fleet? Are they to protect the Paladin or to engage some of the enemy vessels?" D'Tyra asked, standing rigidly toward Commadore Grayling. The aged commander shifted his weight onto his other foot, saying that he wasn't exactly sure of that detail. D'tyra stifled a slight grin.

"All remaining ships will do both tasks, Commander. The main objective is to protect the Paladin, she will be the big guns. None of our other ships come close to being able to fight off that Battleship, and we are going to need our leviathan to counter theirs. That said, the battlecruisers are going to be an issue as well, meaning some of the fleet are going to need to break away. I leave it each captains discretion to work out which they need be doing, commander. I'm sure you can come up with the plan of action, and adapt on the fly." The commodore caste her a withering look as he finished, and she returned it with just as much strength. Seemingly satisfied, he excused himself to talk to some of the starfleet captains. She shrugged, and walked over to the window.

She saw the Ravage and the Lacron in rough formation, making a pass around the station. It was an odd sight for her, seeing one of the empire's former enemies flying so close to her own warship. 10 years ago, and her disruptors would be pouring into the exposed bridge of the Nebula class ship drifting before her own craft. It was somewhat surreal to her. But surreal in a good way, she supposed.

Her deliberations were cut short by a bright light splashing across the screen. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust, scanning the window for the source of flash. Then she saw it. A green trail trickling from the starboard nacelle of the Lacron, tracing her path across the sky. A second explosion rippled out from the port wing, knocking the ship into a lazy drift downward, heading on a collision course for the Ravage.

Suddenly, the Ravage shot forward, powering into a sharp impulse turn to starboard. The large cruiser slid straight over the window, her navigational deflector shimmering in the black of space, casting rays of blue into the room. Before anyone could even turn to the commander, she was out of the door and heading headlong down the corridor, her destination: the transporter room.


_________

D'tyra's figure materialized on the transporter pad. Just as her shape took full form, and the embrace of the shimmering green light let loose its grip, she thundered out of the room. a heavy klaxon was sounding in the background, and the lighting all down the bending and twisting corridor was dead. A centurion of a higher rank, Mi'serna was there to greet her.

"Commander....It was sabotage! There is only one explanation for that form of damage, and it didnt come from an external device," He said gravely. D'tyra at once thought of the ships resident guest.

"Grr'lek?" she asked softly. He shook his head.

"he doesnt have clearance to enter those areas. Whats more, it was a Romulan plasma grenade. There was only one person unaccounted for with access to that kind of weaponry. He showed her the PADD he was carrying.

"N'yatra." D'Tyra hissed.

[Mark]

USS Ravage - Main Bridge

Sinclair sat in the captain's chair with a bemused smile on his face. He could still hear Captain Lewis's voice as he headed towards the turbolift for the fleet command meeting.

The Captain had said with a wry grin, "Jordan, you have the conn."

"Aye, Sir." Jordan replied, moving over to the center seat.

"And Jordan, while I'm gone, don't crash my ship." Lewis joked.

That got a chuckle from Patel, O'Carroll, and Uzume. Sinclair replied, flushing slightly with embarrassment "I'll try not to, sir."

Laughing, Lewis had stepped into the lift and headed for the transporter room.

Suddenly, Sinclair was snapped out of his reverie by a sudden rocking of the ship.

Without really thinking about it, Sinclair barked his first real order, "Report!"

Patel instantly responded, "Commander, I've just picked up an explosion from the Lacron. Coming from they're starboard nacelle!"

O'Carroll reported from his position, "Sir, they appear to be out of control. They're now on a collision course with us."

Sinclair jumped to his feet, "Yellow alert! Devi, shields up! Lorcan, break hard to starboard. Full impulse!

Everyone on the bridge grabbed onto something as O'Carroll executed the sharp turn, until the inertial dampeners were able to catch up.

Patel's voice again snapped out urgently, "I've picked up a second explosion from the Lacron sir. This time from they're port wing."

"Larcon, take us to maximum safe transporter distance and hold us there," Sinclair ordered, "just in case anything else over there blows up. Devi, hail them. Find out if they need any help. Leia, do me a favor. Call sickbay and engineering and have them be ready in case they DO need help.

All three officers immediately began carrying out his orders, impressing Sinclair with the efficiency and speed with which they completed them. It was something he'd never paid attention to before, but suddenly meant a whole lot more to him.

"Sir," Patel reported "The Lacron reports that they have everything under control, and don't require any assistance at this time."

Taking a deep breath, Sinclair ordered "Stand down yellow alert. Resume previous course and speed. Nice work everyone."

At that, Uzume began laughing out loud. Sinclair spun in his chair to look at the Security Chief in confusion.

"Sorry sir," she said, wiping the corner of her eye, "But I couldn't help remember the Captain's last order before he left. Didn't he say, don't crash my ship?"

O'Carroll turned around in his chair with a grin and said, "And we didn't. We DID come kind of close though."

With a smile, Sinclair replied "My grandfather used to say, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades."

Patel smirked and said "You DO realize the first time the Captain left you alone, you almost scratched the paint, don't you."

With his most charming and insolent smile, Sinclair replied, "I won't tell if you won't."

With a general laugh, the bridge crew resumed their duties.

[Mikey]

"Subcommander N'yatra has been confined to quarters," Grr'lek informed D'tyra as she entered the bridge.

"Get her up here!" D'tyra bellowed. "And get me damage reports and damage control team progress." The ops officer began reading status reports, drawing a few terse comments from the commander. After a few moments, a pair of centurions appeared flanking a glaring N'yatra. D'tyra swiveled in her seat, regarded N'yatra coldly for a moment, and said, "I could have expected many things from you, N'yatra. Treason is not one of those things."

The subcommander drew herself up pridefully. "Everything I have ever done has been done for the Empire," she said.

"Incoming message from the Daystrom," Grr'lek interrupted. "They're prepared to offer assistance if we require it."

"See?" N'yatra seethed. "They are trying to make us dependent on them!"

Grr'lek turned slowly toward the angry young woman. "Once again, your preconceptions cloud your reasoning. The message continues: 'While I'm sure you can effect your own repairs, I'd hate to see you miss the mission because of time constraints. I'd certainly want you there, and I'm sure the commander would like to see the Jem'hadar again.'"

D'tyra smiled slightly. "Interesting," she said to N'yatra, "that this Federation captain seems to regard my interests more than my own first officer." Turning back to the viewscreen she said to nobody in particular, "Take her away. Open a channel to the Daystrom." As Mikey's blue visage appeared she said, "Thank you for your generous offer, captain. I'd appreciate any assistance." N'yatra spluttered as the guards dragged her off the bridge.

Mikey grinned. "It's not an entirely selfless offer. I want you around to watch my aft quarter, commander. I'll have engineering teams transport immediately."

"I'd be happy to watch your aft quarter," D'tyra replied, her eyes glinting.

"Good to know." Mikey laughed genuinely, then continued, "But back to business. As to your question during the briefing: I have Captain Krem on." D'tyra nodded, and Mikey made a gesture. The viewscreen image divided and Krem's face appeared. Mikey went on, "We have a plan in place for dealing with the battleship and the attack ships. It seems it will fall to you to engage and draw off the cruisers."

A beep sounded behind D'tyra; she said, "It appears that your crew has arrived. Thanks again, captain - Lacron out."

On the Daystrom's bridge, the image of Captain Krem leaned forward and took on a serious cast. "You allowed me to redeem my honor, and you fought valiantly at my side, Captain W'trisk. I won't forget that. You and I will drink toasts over many dead enemies!"

"You know what?" Mikey said, his antennae perking up. "I look forward to that."

[Lt. Staplic]

-Marine Debriefing Room: Captain Tusk, 1st Battalion Commandeers including Captain Kane, Black Ops Company Commandeer, many platoon leaders including Lt. Corrin, and Lt. Cix present-

"We will soon be underway for the attack on the Rouge Factions facility." The captain said. "Now, the plan is to have the Paladin, Daystrom, and our other 'big guns' to lead the attack on the station. Now we're assuming that the Faction is at least half-way competent, in which case they know an attack will be comming. Our job is to ambush the ambushers. The Valkyrie and Ravage will engage the ambushing forces before they cause to much damage to the main attack force who will then regroup and help us take them down. In the mean time, the companies of the first Battalion will be transported on to different ships attacking to destablize them from the inside. If all goes accroding to plan, you should be able to gather some key information about the ships, take out their power systems, or warp core, and transport out before any serious complication occur. Any questions?"

"How will we be devided?" Asked the Black ops commandeer

"That will depend on how many ships we have to fight. As of right now, we're assuming we'll be able to send the platoons intact, with a squad or so of black ops soldiers to gather the intellegence."

"And what of the Valkyrie's security dietail?" Cix asked.

"They will stay aboard along with most of the remaining Marines, some will be transported to the Ravage, and will defend the ship should any Jemmies attempt to invade.

A sour look enveloped Cix's face, he'd hoped to take part in the raid, but he quickly reminded himself of the necessity to defend the ship, and relaxed.

"No more questions, Dismissed." The captain said.

Cix stood to leave when the Black ops commander approached him.

"Don't sweat it, Cix, we have been doing this a while, we can do it with out you." He said

"Was it that obvious?" Cix asked somewhat ashamed.

"When the captain said you'd be staying behind you looked like a kid that found out Santa wasn't a real person." The Commander jested.

"Curious," Cix said, "How easily my dissappointment shows, yet whenever I try and smile I look like I'm plotting your demise."

The commander laughed then slapped Cix on the back and left.

[Tsukiyumi]

" Lorcan really is a fantastic pilot..." Uzume purred into Devi's ear. She wrapped her arms around Devi's waist from behind, and smiled at her in the mirror.

" He's one of the best." Devi replied, using the cellular rejuvenator on the corners of her eyes; Uzume moved one of her hands upwards. Devi absently brushed it away.

" He sure performed well today; this isn't the most maneuverable ship... He's not going to try to out-maneuver me, is he?" Devi paused, squinching her face at Uzume's reflection.

" Of course not. We haven't been together in years," she turned around; grabbed Uzume's shoulders, " I am with you. I love you. I've given you no reason to doubt that, so why are you upset?"

Uzume's brow furrowed, and she drew in close, " I am not upset, Devi. I just don't want to go into this with any doubts. You're the best reason to survive I can think of..."

Her gaze met the floor; Devi lifted her chin back up with her finger, " Vice versa, my beloved. And, your skin feels wonderful. Softest thing I've ever touched." She kissed Uzume's brow between her slight ridges, and strode to the wardrobe.

" You'd better get dressed as well; I don't think the Captain would care for us showing up naked to the briefing."

" I'm sure he wouldn't mind too much, regardless of his protests to the contrary." she laughed as she bent to retrieve her uniform pants from the floor.

Devi smiled, pulling her uniform over her shoulders. "No reason to flaunt this, Leia."

The communicator badge fit snugly on her breast, and she combed her fingers through her hair, deciding to let it down for once, like Uzume's. " Do I look presentable?" she asked, straightening her form-fitting uniform. Uzume's was ship-shape already.

" You look beautiful. And ready to do your job." she said, fastening her phaser to her right hip. Her Ka-Bar was already fastened to the other. Devi grinned at her, rushed over and planted a kiss on her lips.

" Let's do this, then."


*** *** ***

" Here is the outermost arm of this side of the nebula. We'll be positioned here," the screen zoomed to show a corner of the violet-colored nebula, and Lewis continued, " ...at the inside edge of the arm. With luck, any enemy reinforcements will pass us by heading for the main fleet, and we'll hit them from the rear. Priority would be to neutralize any ambush, and if possible, to capture one of the ships. Any questions?" Uzume raised her hand. Lewis motioned her to speak.

" I've been informed that a contingent of Marines will be transferring over from the Valkyrie. I wanted to state that, while we certainly don't need their help, a few extra warriors are quite welcome." she stood at attention until Lewis nodded for her to sit.

" What role would the auxillary craft play in this... reverse ambush?" Lorcan asked, then flushed, and slowly raised his hand. A few officers laughed at his awkwardness.

Captain Lewis smirked, " None. I'll only launch our shuttles into combat as a last resort. You'd only need to worry about getting us into firing position, Lorcan."

Lorcan smirked, " That would be easy, Captain. It's dodging their torpedoes that'd be a real trick." The assembled staff burst into laughter at that, some of it uneasy. Lewis raised a hand.

" I have the utmost confidence in this crew; I know you'll all do better than expected. I want all of you home safely, but the Jem'Hadar aren't going to make that easy. Do your part, help the person next to you, and I know we can win this one. Dismissed." The department heads filed out, leaving only Captain Lewis, Commander Sinclair, Devi, Uzume, Lorcan and Chief McDuff standing around the wide table. Lorcan fidgeted with his uniform for a moment before Lewis spoke again.

" Chief McDuff, are the modifications for nebula operations online?" he turned to the old, seasoned engineer as he modified a few details on his PADD.

McDuff laughed, " Had that finished three hours ago, Captain. I've had my staff polishing the deck and refitting all replicatable parts, sir." Lewis and Devi laughed with him.

"Good," the captain said, heading for the door. He paused, turning for a moment, " Lorcan, did you ever serve in the Marines?"

O'Carroll paused for a second, then straightened, "Sir, yes sir. Until they found out I could fly, sir."

Lewis nodded, " Come with me; Commander Sinclair and I will need some help getting these jarheads briefed." Lorcan followed the two out the door, and McDuff followed, after tipping an imaginary hat to the two ladies. Uzume grinned at him.

" At least no one asked about us," she said, sliding her arm around Devi's waist. Devi grinned, and kissed Uzume briefly on the lips.

" Yeah, for once we all have something else to talk about."