The Phoenix Gambit

Posted on Nov 30, 2015 @ 6:01pm by Captain Michael Turlogh Kane

Mission: Civil War

"THE PHOENIX GAMBIT"

(Continued from "Interphase")

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"Every battle is won [and lost] before it is fought."
- Sun Tzu, "The Art of War"

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Captain's Log, supplemental - something is happening aboard the Demeter. She has broken her orbit of Elandipole and is heading for the Neo-Essentialist battle-line. Following an alert from Vice-President Sardak, the Phoenix is moving to intercept, but we may well be too late...

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Location: USS Phoenix
Stardate: [2.15]1130.2200
Scene: Bridge


Michael Turlogh Kane stood between Byte and Russ BaShen, watching the crisis unfold on the main viewer. Against the colourful backdrop of the blue waterworld of Elandipole and its distant yellow sun, the silvery hull of Demeter was moving from right to left, its impulse engines ablaze as she headed away from safety and into the arc of the Neo-Essentialist guns. The Zhukov and Pendragon were in pursuit, but the older Ambassador-class ship was falling behind and the Pendragon seemed to be afflicted with some malfunction, fading in and out of view. Only the Phoenix would be able to intercept her in time.

In time for what? he reminded himself. Nobody knew what was going on. Vice-President Sardak had been the picture of Vulcan calm when he had alerted Kane to the Demeter's sudden movement, but the meaning of his words was plain - President P'Trell was acting in a manner not sanctioned by or notified to his senior colleagues.

The yellow alert bars of the Phoenix shone on and off like eyes blinking rapidly in disbelief, and Kane kept shifting his own vision on the viewscreen - right to the oncoming Demeter, Pendragon, and Zhukov, and left to the USS Century, its distinct outline clearly visible against the backdrop of the starfield.

Then, it happened.

"The Century is moving forward," reported Barton from Tactical. "She's set an intercept course for the Demeter."

Kane swore aloud, turning the air blue. "Is she under escort?"

Barton's brow was furrowed as he read off the data stream on his display. "Negative. She's moving forward alone."

"That may be a tactical error," said Aerdan quietly, coming to Kane's shoulder. "This might be a good time to initiate a first strike."

Kane looked sidelong at his ExO. "If we open fire, this situation could get out of control very quickly." He turned back to the viewscreen. "Until we get President P'Trell on comms, we have no way of knowing what's happening over there." He took a breath, released it. "Sometimes in chess, you move your strongest pieces first."

"I've always favoured the fortress defence myself," said Aerdan wryly, returning to his seat.

"I know exactly how you feel, Commander." Kane looked down at the android Ops officer. "Time to intercept, Mister Byte?"

{{Three minutes, eighteen seconds, sir.}} The gray-skinned android looked up at Kane. {{The Century will be right behind us, sir.}}

Kane set his jaw hard. A confrontation of some sort was imminent.

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Location: USS Demeter
Scene: Bridge


Selyara paced the floor of her brig cell like a caged sehlat. She flexed her fingers murderously, thinking furiously about what was happening and how she could get out of it. The Demeter's brig was deserted - there was no-one around for her to vent her frustrations to, so she confined herself to trying to think clearly.

The confrontation between the two fleets was going to hit an impasse soon. Marxx's deadline would never reach zero - either the maniac officers under him would contrive some exchange of shipboard phaser fire that would escalate into a full-on battle, or some idiot on the Starfleet side would make some sort of bungle that would put them into a position where battle was the only option.

Something was wrong with President P'Trell. It was as plain as the two antennae that stuck up from his blue skull. He had used his authority to seize the chronoton artifact from the Pendragon, and had manipulated her into giving up her information on the Neo-Essentialist officers in Starfleet. Now he was taking the Demeter off on some crazy attempt to negotiate with the Neo-Essentialists, a proposition so foolish as to be hardly believable. Why would any fleet commander, especially one as experienced as Dexter Marxx, negotiate from a position of strength after issuing an ultimatum? Marxx's fleet had them completely outgunned - only a miracle could save the rebel fleet if this turned into a fleet battle.

"Why do you even care about them?" she yelled aloud, her own exasperation getting the better of her. If there was one thing that Selyara loathed, it was being manipulated, being a pawn in someone else's game. The Orions had destroyed her Starfleet career by doing it, Edgerton had gotten her involved in this mess by targetting her, and now she was stuck in the middle of a situation not of her own making, where politics and the threat of violence contrived to threaten her safety.

She closed her eyes and tried to centre herself. When she opened them again, Alexander Towers was standing outside her cell. The sparkling blue glow of the forcefield warped his features, made them run like water.

"What do you want?" she snapped.

Towers reached up with his right hand and manipulated the control panel. In a flash, the forcefield came down, and he stood before her, solid again. "To give you that subspace call I promised," he said.

"You might be too late!" Selyara exclaimed, moving forward quickly. She exited the cell and ran across to the brig control station. "Can I access subspace communications from here?"

Towers was at her shoulder. "Not without my authorisation code," he said, reaching down and activating the desktop monitor. His fingers worked quickly, moving through the computer's outer menus and opening a hailing frequency. When an authorisation prompt appeared on the screen, he entered it quickly -

- and realised that Selyara's warm hand was on his.

Alexander Towers crumpled to the floor in a heap as the force of Selyara's thinkstrike bludgeoned him into unconsciousness. Selyara reached down and tore the communicator from his green uniform. "Goodnight, Colonel," she spat, and turned her attention back to the comms panel. "This is Selyara calling USS Phoenix - come in, Phoenix..."

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Location: USS Century, on an intercept course for the Demeter
Scene: Bridge


Like his counterpoint on the bridge of the Phoenix, Dexter Marxx was watching the playing pieces begin their opening moves in the dance of death. Everyone around him was focused at the task at hand, especially his unfathomable ExO, Ronald Heydrich, who was poring over the data stream at the bridge's Tactical station.

Satisfied with what he saw, Heydrich moved down the dais to come stand at Marxx's shoulder. Apparently nonplussed by the fact that he was over a head shorter than the Vegan, Heydrich folded his arms and inclined his head toward the oncoming starships. "The Demeter is moving toward us. The Zhukov and Phoenix are in pursuit. However, only the Phoenix will intercept her before we enter weapons range."

Marxx turned the full force of his glittering violet eyes on the Terran. "You'd better be right about the Demeter having important information for us, Commander. We know nothing about that ship except that Thoris P'Trell is aboard it."

Heydrich smiled smugly. "That's all we need to know about it, Admiral."

"If you know something you're not telling me - "

Heydrich looked up at the Vegan. For the first time, Marxx saw outright defiance in his eyes. He spoke quietly, so that the other bridge officers could not hear. "You have not been told everything, Admiral, I'll freely admit that, but you have been told everything you need to know. Admiral Edgerton was specific in his orders to you - engage the rebel fleet - and that is what you are to do. But you weren't the only one he gave instructions to. He was also specific in his orders to me." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Do you fucking well understand me now, old man?"

Marxx felt a shiver down his spine. He looked around at the bridge crew, but they were all looking down at their work stations. A pit of worry opened in his stomach - were they ignoring this exchange between Heydrich and he out of professional courtesy, or was it something else? Were they carrying out their own orders, order that ultimately had nothing to do with whatever he said?

By the All-Father, he wondered, who was really in charge on this bridge?

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Location: USS Phoenix
Scene: Bridge


Kane put his hands behind his back and squeezed so hard his knuckles turned white. The Century had moved clear of the bulk of the Neo-Essentialist fleet now, but her imposing outline had been replaced by the hulls of the USS Monarch and USS Imperial, the two Sovereign-class battleships in the Neo-Essentialist fleet, and their destroyer escorts. Compared to their collective firepower, the Phoenix, Demeter and Zhukov were as defenceless chessboard pawns before a rampaging queen.

{{Now entering the Century's weapons range,}} reported Byte.

"Monitor her closely, Mister Byte. Be ready to activate shields if it looks like she's arming her weapons systems." Kane turned to Barton. "No response from the Demeter?"

Barton shook his head. "I'm hailing on all channels, and sensors don't indicate a problem with their communications systems."

"They're ignoring us," stated Aerdan.

Kane looked back at the Century and Demeter. The pressure weighed down on him - was it a defection, or had the Demeter been taken over by Neo-Essentialists? And why the hell wasn't Thoris responding to hails? He had to know that the Phoenix wouldn't just let him bring the Demeter into the Neo-Essentialists' weapons range without some sort of response.

"Captain!" exclaimed Barton. "Receiving a subspace message from the Demeter - it's Selyara!"

"On screen!"

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Location: USS Demeter
Scene: Brig


Selyara's heart leaped when Kane's face filled up her viewer. As soon as it did so, the computer chimed an alarm - a tracer programme was running in the background. She cursed inwardly - those on the Demeter's bridge had become aware of her transmission.

{{Selyara,}} Kane said. {{What's happening over there?}}

"We don't have much time to talk, Michael," she said. "This transmission could be cut at any moment. Thoris has seized the chronoton artifact and is moving the Demeter forward to open negotiations with Marxx, only nobody here knows anything about it! He's not acting with the agreement of Sardak or Martine or Towers or anyone else - it's all him, do you understand?"

{{Why don't they stop him?}}

"He's not doing anything illegal, and he's still the president!" she exclaimed. "Michael, listen! I'm on the Demeter because Thoris summoned me here. He ordered me to give him all the information I had on the Neo-Essentialists within Starfleet. Do you understand? Thoris knows everything and he's got his hands on the chronoton artifact!"

{{Selyara, we have to get you back. If anything happens to you, that information will be lost! You need to - }}

"There's no time!" she said. "I've got my own plans and they don't include Starfleet or the Neo-Essentialists. Goodbye, Michael, we won't meet again anytime soon. Stop Thoris if you can - if Marxx gets his hands on the artifact and the information, it's all ov - " She stopped as the screen went blank.

Selyara snatched a tricorder from the desk, then turned and bolted for the door just as it opened. Two gold-collared security officers - a black Terran woman and a blue Andorian man - with drawn phasers burst through the doorway. Selyara spun on her right heel, delivering a lightning-fast roundhouse kick to the Andorian's jaw, breaking it with a crack and sending him sprawling unconscious to the floor. The Terran yelled and turned to fire, but Selyara was faster. She reached out and grasped the black woman's face, feeling the power of her thinkstrike slam into the woman's mind. The security officer sagged into a wet heap and collapsed, eyes open but staring emptily at the ceiling.

Selyara picked up their phasers and looked out into the corridor. Seeing it empty, she moved, just as the red alert klaxons blared into life all around her.

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Location: USS Century
Scene: Bridge


"Now entering the Phoenix's weapons range," reported the Tellarite tactical officer.

"Now we find out if you're right," said Marxx to Heydrich.

The blond Terran was still staring fixedly at the viewscreen. "We should have brought the Monarch and Imperial along to engage the Phoenix, Admiral," he said. "Your weak new rules of engagement may hamper this operation."

"If you had told me the stakes - "

"I'm telling you now, and only because the danger is imminent." Heydrich turned to Marxx. "There is a deep-cover agent aboard the Demeter. His codename is Subject Blue. His mission is to learn as much information as possible regarding the starship Pendragon - how it managed to travel through time, who is in command, what information from the future it possesses. Based on the fact that the Demeter is moving forward under its own power toward us, I take it that Subject Blue has completed his mission and needs extraction."

"And Subject Blue's information will give us a tactical advantage?" rumbled Marxx.

"Subject Blue's information led us to this solar system, Admiral. The rebels have no idea who he is. Oh, they have their suspicions by now, but once again, they are far too late."

Marxx had never felt more helpless. All the reasons he was aboard the Century, the reasons that he had thought were primary, were in fact not that important at all. He fleetingly remembered shaking Richard Edgerton's hand at the press conference, how good it all felt to pull the uniform on again, recalled the clicking of all the holo-cameras, the FedNews special feature that trumpeted him as the man who would save the Federation from the terrorist threat. One man's terrorist was another's freedom fighter, and now Marxx could see that he was surrounded not by black-and-white absolutes, but by shades of gray so murky and indistinct that he may as well have been blind.

By the All-Father, he thought, has the galaxy moved on and left me behind? For the first time since he had left the deserts of Kesir-Tosharra, Dexter Marxx truly felt the weight of his years.

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Location: USS Demeter
Scene: Bridge


Thoris P'Trell stood up as Lieutenant Fanail announced that the Demeter was within weapons range of the Century. "The Phoenix is continuing to hail us," said the Efrosian, an undercurrent of concern in his voice. "Shouldn't we answer them?"

"No." Thoris moved from the centre seat to the Tactical station. "Are our shields still down?"

"Yes, Mister President."

"Good. I don't want to appear hostile." Thoris ran his eye over the data stream. Nonchalantly, he began keying a series of co-ordinates into the tactical computer, and tied them into a hailing message.

Fanail watched him curiously. "I can do that for you, sir."

"No need," murmured Thoris absently.

The nearby turbolift doors hissed open, and Sardak and Marie-Claire Martine stepped onto the bridge. They took a look around for a moment, seeing Thoris standing at the Tactical station. "Mister President!" exclaimed Marine. "Vice-President Sardak and I must speak with you urgently!"

Lieutenant Fanail frowned. "Those are the co-ordinates of our cargo bay," he said to Thoris in confusion.

"Are you sending a transmission to the Century?" asked Sardak. "Thoris, what are you doing?"

Thoris stepped back, a calm smile on his face. "Going home."

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Location: USS Phoenix
Scene: Bridge


Kane's mind was awhirl as he processed Selyara's warning. Her words, including her goodbye, hit him hard. Aerdan came to his shoulder as, on the main viewscreen, the Century and the Demeter got closer, and closer.

"What is the President doing?" asked Aerdan. "He seized the chronoton artifact under false pretences. He brow-beat Selyara into giving up her information on the Neo-Essentialist flag officers in Starfleet. Now he's attempting to open negotiations with - "

Utter panic erupted from Kane's stomach as he realised what was happening. "That's not what he's doing!" he cried in alarm. He slapped Russ on the shoulder. "Lieutenant BaShen, prepare to launch Operation Gambit. Now!"

"Aye, Captain." Russ and Barton stepped away from their positions, and Pierrepoint and Silsby quickly slipped into their places.

Kane watched them move to the turbolift. "Step carefully, gentlemen," he said. "This whole thing could blow up into a bloodbath with one wrong move. Don't be the ones to make it."

The turbolift doors hissed shut on the grim faces of Barton and Russ.

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Location: USS Demeter
Scene: Turbolift -> Shuttlebay


Selyara thought she had been lucky so far, but she quickly realised that luck had nothing to do with it. The Demeter was rudderless, captained by a man whose ultimate ambition had nothing to do with neutralising intruder alerts on his own ship.

The turbolift doors opened. Two more gold-collared Demeter security officers - Terran males - were waiting for her, lurking in nearby doorways, and she ducked to one side as they fired into the turbolift, the orange lances of their phasers throwing up a shower of sparks as they impacted upon the turbolift wall behind him, frying her shadow.

Selyara rolled forward, a phaser in each hand, shooting right and left as she passed the doorways, her own stun shots finding their marks and leaving two more crumpled heaps in her wake.

She sprinted down the hallway as the two men hit the deck, bursting into the shuttlebay. A terrified shuttle technician looked up in alarm, but Selyara blasted him in the chest with a stun shot and he collapsed over the nacelle of the shuttlepod he was working on. She dropped one phaser on his unconscious form and took out her tricorder, making a beeline for the nearest open Runabout. With a fatalistic sense of satisfaction, she noted the Runabout's name stencilled on its side - USS Athena - continuing the naming pattern of the Demeter. Athena, she knew, was among other things, an ancient Terran goddess of strategy.

Inside the Runabout, she interfaced with the main computer as she started up the engines. The Pendragon was far behind, but she was close enough to be within range of the Athena's comms system. The readings were strange, fading in and out, but there was enough of a subspace signature left for her purposes.

Hacking into the Demeter's computer, she opened the shuttlebay doors behind a forcefield, protecting the luckless technician from being sucked out into the vacuum. Powering up the Athena, she turned to Runabout around. In a moment, she was free of the Demeter.

Nearby, the gigantic hulls of the Century and the Phoenix loomed over her like Titans poring over a chessboard. She activated the main computer and interfaced with the Pendragon's computer, initiating the backdoor programme she had placed in its database when she had toured it with Michael and Aerdan.

The data stream began immediately. Nineteen years of future-data was disgorged from the Pendragon's memory banks and soaked up like a sponge by the Athena. The amount of data was enormous, and almost filled up the Runabout's memory, but the space was there.

Selyara bided her time as the data transfer continued, knowing that nobody paid attention to the little pawns on the board when the juggernaut queens were moving.

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Location: USS Century
Scene: Bridge


"Message from the Demeter," reported the Tellarite tactical officer. "Co-ordinates, sir."

Marxx wasn't sure who the Tellarite was speaking to - himself or Heydrich. He found himself trailing his ExO to the tactical station. The information on the data stream was amazing - according to the transmission, the Pendragon's chronoton artifact was located in the Demeter's cargo bay, and her shields were down. Subject Blue had also given his own co-ordinates and indicated that he had further information standing by.

Heydrich looked at him triumphantly. "Well, Admiral?"

Marxx nodded. "Energise the transporter."

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Location: USS Demeter
Scene: Bridge


"Mister President!" exclaimed Sardak, starting up the dais that led to the Tactical station, but he stopped dead when the familiar whine of a transporter beam engulfed Thoris, enveloping him in a cobalt pillar of light, whisking him away.

A moment later, both Thoris P'Trell and the chronoton artifact were gone.

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Location: USS Phoenix
Scene: Bridge


{{A site-to-site transport has been initiated on the Century,}} reported Byte. {{Captain, they are beaming both President P'Trell and the chronoton artifact off the Demeter.}}

"Extend our shields around the Demeter!" exclaimed Kane. "Stop the transport!"

{{Unable to comply,}} said Byte his deathly calm voice. {{Transport completed.}}

"Message from the Century," said Silsby at Tactical.

Kane nodded at him, and the main viewer winked into life. Instead of the two starships, it showed the Century's bridge. Directly in front of him was Admiral Marxx. At his right shoulder was a blonde Human Kane hadn't seen before, and at his left shoulder stood Thoris P'Trell.

{{Captain Kane,}} intoned Marxx. {{I am changing the conditions of my ultimatum. You now have only one hour to surrender. I repeat, you now have only sixty minutes to surrender or I will blow you all out of the stars.}}

The screen winked off, leaving a shocked silence on the bridge of the Phoenix before Kane broke it.

"Kane to BaShen."

[[BaShen here.]]

"Our timetable has changed. We now only have one hour before the ultimatum expires. Are you ready, Lieutenant?"

[[Lieutenant Barton and Major Thytos are with me. We're ready, Captain. Is the word given?]]

Kane's voice was so hard he could have driven nails with it. "The word is given, Lieutenant. Initiate Operation Gambit." He turned to face the rest of the bridge crew. "Battle stations. If we're about to go to war, then let's get ready for a hell of a fight."

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Location: USS Century
Scene: Bridge


Dexter Marxx watched as Ronald Heydrich confirmed the result of the transporter. "Transport complete," the ExO said. "The chronoton artifact is aboard."

Marxx nodded, looking now at the Andorian who had just beamed aboard the Century. The Andorian held up a PADD. "Everything they know about us," he grinned.

Us? wondered Marxx, but a quick glance at Heydrich confirmed that the ExO knew what was going on. "I'll be in my quarters," he said. "When the hour is up, we'll open fire and get this dirty business over with."

Heydrich nodded at him, satisfied. The blonde man turned to the Andorian. "Your mission has been a total success. Welcome aboard the USS Century... Subject Blue."

Thoris P'Trell smiled. "Thank you, Commander. Federation First."

Dexter Marxx let the turbolift doors close upon him, feeling like a puppet that nobody needed anymore.

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NRPG: Come on, you all knew he was Subject Blue! Anyway - Thoris and the chronoton artifact are aboard the Century. Selyara is in the Athena stealing her data. Marxx has retreated to his quarters is dismay as his role in this farce has become clear. Although we (the readers) know that the Century's (and the Neo-Essentialist fleet's) crew is largely composed of enlisted Starfleet personnel being led by Neo-Essentialist officers, Marxx doesn't know that. He still thinks that Edgerton's government is the legitimate one, and that the Neo-Essentialist fleet is the real Starfleet. We now also only have one hour to deadline, so whatever you're going to do, do it quickly!

Limited backposting now, please - you can backpost a scene if you need to in order to set up your post, but again, each post should end with advancing the clock!

ALIX: Now you can finish Selyara's story!

DALE/CHRIS/ALIX: Looking forward to seeing what Operation Gambit brings. Remember Kane's warning, though - this whole thing could turn into a godawful bloodbath if one of you makes a wrong move. Tens of thousand of innocent people will be killed in a space battle. That might be unavoidable, but will your characters do what they can to avoid it? Take the story where you must!


Jerome McKee
the Soul of Captain Michael Turlogh Kane
Commanding Officer
USS PHOENIX


"He speaks an infinite deal of nothing!"
- Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice", Act 1, Scene 1.113

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