Well-Kept Secrets, Part 2

Posted on Sat 14th Sep, 2024 @ 12:24am by Commander Geraldine "Geri" Severide & Captain Gordon Francis & Commander Paul Graves PsyD

1,366 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: The Phoenix Gamble
Location: Main Ops
Timeline: MD-1, 2035

Previously, on Starbase 109:

Francis spoke again, but quieter. "Things are getting complicated in this sector, and I don't particularly like the notion of this unofficial business with a non-Federation starship, especially one with cryptic instructions that smell a lot like Sec 31."

He took another sip. "You're sure this IBEX whatcha-muhavit is a ship? The way it's referred to in the file, it could be a ship, a dog house, or some new form of banana."

Geri showed him the specs in the file, “250 by 150 by 75. 100,000 metric tons. Shielded from internal sensors, disabled external sensors on approach, and look at the Second Star. It’s a converted Excelsior class Starship, apparently repurposed for civilian merchant usage. It’s under lease from Starfleet technically and I know they’ve got assets on board likely ensuring these strictures are met there, too. They weren’t the closest, but they were non-fleet, who can follow orders. They tow it here, we hide it, and I bet, you have eyes-only instructions which will release only when they get here.”

She held up a padd to his face and the padd chimed.

“Or I can have our intrepid comms officer image the file in a quantum partition and we can view it now.”

A moment passed. Entaaro was working silently without prompt. Geri had come to see him in a new, very useful light as of late.

Two more files emerged; the text file generated on automatic recognition:

-Hello, Captain Francis. This contact has come at a moment of great need for assets of great value to the Federation. This message will generate once the Second Star is within one hour of arrival. If you have followed instructions to this point you will have prepared a berth for our asset vessel.

The ship is a part of a program which spans to the days of the first colonies of Earth. We predate the Federation and outlasted the cold wars of Earth. We are an invention by several crews of the early Jupiter lunar colonies to appoint individuals with impeccable ethics to operate independently and make decisions which benefit life and foster the development of Humanity. Our mandate has been absorbed into a matrix of intelligence communities through the proxy of Starfleet Intelligence.

In three hundred years, we have not allowed our operational existence to be leaked.

It is our total invisibility which affords us our greatest ability.

Your decision is to help us or pass this into the file of secrets you are ordered to keep. You have been selected as your position, profile, and age create a likely candidate for our program.

This is neither cloak and dagger nor high crimes and espionage. The IBEX serves the Federation, but it does not answer to anyone. They must remain isolated, they must remain secret. All who serve aboard are sworn to secrecy. We are not assassins, we are the answer to prayers which have gone unsaid, or have never been heard.

The IBEX is in a critical state. Repairs, refits, recruiting new crew are your mission. We will need your highest-ranking officers read in to a small degree to provide support to the crew; psychological and medical distress are in dire states.

Refusal will come at no penalty except the loss of life for a crew following orders. Please, Captain Francis. We trust you to do the right thing.

The other file was a series of blue prints.
https://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/uss-saladin-destroyer-scout.php

"This is getting bigger by the minute. Commander Severide, with Commander T'Venderath currently away on extended leave, I am in need of an interim first officer. I'm giving you the job as of now. My first order to you is to oversee preparations for the arrival of the Second Star and IBEX. I want Docking Bay 2 ready as soon as humanly possible."

Geri blinked heavily, stunned but pleased all the same. She had wanted a bigger bite of the pie, this was a good start.

“Thank you sir. Before I carry out your orders may I remind you we triggered that message early. The Second Star is performing the rescue likely as we speak and should arrive within the next four to seven hours by my estimates."

"Still, I'm not one to procrastinate, Commander," Francis replied. "Are we able to contact the Second Star?"

"As far as we can tell they are not replying to messages," Geri replied, "but we do have them on Long Range Sensors traveling our way at Warp Eight. Thunderchild will be dispatched away from station. No Alert Status. Shall we tag in our CMO? and I’d recommend Dr. Graves as well he has proven capable of confidentiality.”

"That's fine. I'll be joining the fracas as well, once they arrive," Francis said. "Another thing: Starbase walls have very large ears. We need rumor control... as in, control of the rumors. Am I understood?"

“Yes sir. I’ll have disinformation agents start obfuscation immediately. We will need engineers, and I have an idea for that, too. Several months ago, four robotic life forms came onboard to our station. They were fleeing a pirate outfit on the Antero. It got attacked, and they barely made it here. They have been laying low so far and mostly up to their own devices. Dr. Graves has told us they mean no harm; the Antero credits them as impeccable crew, and they have expressed a desire to earn their keep. As an experiment our Medical department is also running a program utilizing drones for medical applications. Rather than read in more people we could utilize them, erase memory from their work or add and remove memory components for the duration? That leaves the parties aware of the full situation to just the two of us.”

"I'd like to see these 'robotic life forms' before I make that decision," Francis said, curious and very suspicious as to what exactly she meant. "I'm not sure exactly how that could work out. In the mean time, find me some Engineering officers, perhaps some young blood about due for promotion. Having some of our own people may do us a lot of good."

"Understood sir, I will arrange an immediate meeting with you and Ensign Bikram. He oversees the medical drones and has been acting as a contact for the Vertiform robots we took on from Antero. We will obfuscate around the Second Star's arrival as a dignitary using decoy ship logs to cover their tracks on a classified diplomatic mission. Second Star will be seen as a decoy itinerary. Similarly, we will be experiencing severe EPS relay issues in Docking bay 2 within the hour and needing to overhaul the habitat ring adjacent for repairs."

She looked to the Captain expectantly. Despite his consternation, she loved this sort of game play.

The Captain wore a big grin. "I'm impressed, Commander! Perhaps I should start calling you Radar!"

"I wish I knew how that was a compliment sir, but thank you. These preparations will be done within the next few hours. I can keep you up to speed as we approach the approximate window of their arrival. Are we keeping this in-house for now, sir? Or should we involve our assets in Intelligence to verify?"

"Keep it tight," Francis said, his voice now a little soft. "Doing that might give us a little advantage in the future. Make sure no mention of it goes into anyone's official logs."

Geri understood and agreed, if what they said was true. A group dedicated to Federation ideals outside of Starfleet was a compelling change of the landscape. Earth intelligence, not Starfleet intelligence, but humans who had operated in the shadows with utmost care. That they flew an old two-hundred-year-old cruiser was evidence of their alliance with Starfleet, but how had she never heard of them? Did they stay in the dark permanently, was that why this difficulty in securing their rescue was undertaken?

"Aye sir, I am also curious and willing to play the game. If they are who they say they are, I am frankly stunned."

"You and me both, Commander," said Francis with a slight, sly grin.

-TBC-

 

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