That Thing You Do
Posted on Jun 07, 2017 @ 2:22am by Commander Jacob Crichton
Edited on on Jun 07, 2017 @ 2:23am
Mission: The Romulan Way
= That Thing You Do =
(cont’d from “No Perfect Moment”)
LOCATION: USS PHOENIX
SCENE: Bridge
STARDATE: [2.17] 0606.2219
Kane had retired to his ready room to contact Starfleet Command, leaving Jake once more in charge on the bridge. The image of the Valdore-class Warbird was still displayed on the main viewer; Jake turned his back on it and moved to where Jasmine Yu was standing at tactical.
“You’re keeping an eye on them?” he asked.
“Monitoring their power distribution, shields, and weapon systems,” Jasmine said. “If they get up to anything, I’ll know.”
“Anything suspicious so far?”
“No sir,” Jasmine said. “Do you think they might be serious?”
Jake rubbed at his cheek absentmindedly with the back of his hand. “Hard to say. I don’t think they’d start a war by walking up to the biggest, meanest ship in the fleet and poking it in the eye, so I’m sure they’re not going to try anything here.”
“But if we follow them into Romulan space?”
“That’s where my certainty runs out, lieutenant,” Jake said. He turned now and moved to where Cantor Von was seated, at the Ops station. The Betazoid lieutenant looked up at him; to Jake, he didn’t seem as worried as the rest of the crew, though that was understandable given his recent assignment in close-proximity with Romulan officers. Jake could only hope that Von’s successful dealings with the Romulans would serve as an example for the rest of their interaction.
“Any other ships in range?” Jake asked.
“None, sir,” Von said. “I’m also running a long-range sweep for tachyons, tetryons, and chronitons, any particles known to be generated as a byproduct of standard cloaking technology. So far, no sign of anyone else nearby, cloaked or otherwise.”
“Good, good.” Jake cleared his throat, staring up at the image of the Warbird on the main viewer. “And what about, uh, *other* means?”
Von turned to look at him. “Sir?”
“You know,” Jake said, looking back him. “That thing.”
Von quirked an eyebrow. “Thing, sir?”
“I don’t know if I’m allowed to… look, I know you know what I mean.”
“Are you asking me about my telepathic abilities, Commander?”
“Yeah,” Jake said. “I don’t think I can, like, *order* you to read somebody’s mind, but…”
“Have you read the Articles of Command, sir?” Von asked, glancing up at Jake with a slight smile.
“I skimmed them,” said Jake. “So. Anything on that front?”
“Nothing you don’t already know,” Von said. “They’re tense, and they’re waiting to see what we do next.”
“That’s it? You don’t know what they’re planning?”
“My ‘thing’ doesn’t quite work that way,” said Von. “Anyway, I think it’s rude to go looting the thoughts of potential allies.”
Jake frowned at the image of the Warbird on the main viewer. “What about potential enemies?”
“I thought you were a peacenik, sir. That’s what Major Thytos says, anyway. Why are you so determined to find some fault with the Romulans’ offer?”
“Because I’m a peacenik who’s been shot at before,” Jake said. “If the Romulans really want peace, I’ll start organizing the parades myself. But until we know for sure, I’m less interested in what they say than I am in what their guns are pointed at while they say it.”
“Understood, sir,” Von nodded. “If there’s so much as a peep from the sensors, you’ll be the first to know.”
“Thank you, lieutenant,” Jake said.
Jake hadn’t mentioned his conversation with Heck from the other day to anyone aboard the PHOENIX. The possibility that Romulan Warbirds might be operating behind Federation lines was weighing on his mind, but it had only been a theory. Heck was in a position to know what kind of activity was happening along the Romulan border, but ultimately his suspicions were only a theory, and one that Starfleet Command was almost certainly aware of themselves. It wouldn’t do any good to start spreading rumors, not when tensions were already so high.
But as Jake looked at the Valdore Warbird, the same type of ship they’d used to decimate Bolarus, he couldn’t stop thinking about what Heck Solorzano had told him. If the Romulans were planning to attack, they could position themselves near valuable targets and strike serious blows to Starfleet’s infrastructure before anyone knew what was happening. And it wouldn’t hurt the Romulans’ odds to have the Federation flagship trapped behind their lines and surrounded by enemy warships, either.
Jake wasn’t sure if Starfleet Command would actually accept the Romulans’ offer, but he found himself hoping they wouldn’t. As much as he hoped for peace, Jake had a bad feeling about all of this.
=[/\]=
NRPG: Hope I did okay with Cantor and Jasmine!
Shawn Putnam
A.k.a.
Jake Crichton
Executive Officer
USS PHOENIX
