The Commodore and the Flotilla

Posted on Thursday, 4 June 2020 - 10:54am by Captain Barret Stillwater

Mission: Operation: Iktomi
Location: USS Standing Bear | Deck 01 | Commanding Officer's Suite
Timeline: MD 0

Arrival at the space station had come a few hours sooner than Commander Barret Stillwater had initially anticipated, a little extra power to the engines had cut some time down on their journey and the transition to Commanding Officer had gone more smoothly than he had anticipated as well albeit that was easier given the woman he was replacing went into her assignment with the hope that it would be short-lived. Formalities were scheduled to occur later in the evening. Stillwater was still going over reports and some intriguing mission information from within his Ready Room when the chime rang. He immediately acknowledged the unexpected guest, pulled up the holographic panel display, and no sooner had he granted entry did he stiffen.

It was like seeing a ghost. One he thought was long since exorcized, but no amount of prayer nor sage for smudging could rid him of her. “Corrine,” he said as if no time had passed from their last encounter, but time had passed. Both had grown and climbed the ranks through where Stillwater had retired and left Starfleet, Corrine had apparently plowed through. She walked right into the room and stood at the replicator ordering herself a tea and giving the man a quick undressing.

“They have the decency to dispatch a Starship to the god damn Triangle Sector, search far and wide, pinpoint you down to our backyard of Prairie and you have the audacity not to shave in my presence?” Corrine replied shaking her head. “It’s Commodore now, by the way. You’ve been gone too long” she added.

“My condolences to Starfleet. I knew they were desperate to get me back into the Captain’s chair, but I did not know they were so desperate to place you behind a desk, Commodore” Barret Stillwater replied. “Last time I saw you…” he said trailing off to a memory.

She interjected and demolished his dreamscape, leveling it swiftly. “I had your ass pinned against the proverbial wall as I recall. You somehow managed to slither away from my grasp” she said. “I almost had your commission, Barret” she added.

He scoffed. “You only had me as far as you wanted me. If I remember correctly, I only slithered away because you had a few missteps in making your case. We never made it into a courtroom” he added. “Convenient that evidence just seemed to get lost in the shuffle” he finished.

“Indeed, it was…most unfortunate” she replied. “You can relax now. Too much time has passed, and I am not interested in bringing up a bygone forgotten era” added the commodore who walked over to the sofa and took a seat. “My days working for Internal Affairs are long since gone. I am on your team now” she stated.

Stillwater joined her on the sofa. “I did not know you were ever not on my team. I knew your reputation as an Internal Affairs investigator, Corrine. You rarely did not drop charges or not pursue a formal court case” he added. “The JAG office loved you. At least the prosecutors did.”

“All sides feared me” she responded, taking a sip of tea. “Not bad. It’s not a Devil’s Downfall, but it is good.” The woman looked at Stillwater with a piercing gage. “As I was saying, I am on your team now. At least for the time being. I work for Starfleet Operations Support Services. I had been working closely with Rear Admiral William Kelly prior to his resignation, but I was reallocated elsewhere. That is what brings me here.”

Commander Stillwater perked a bit. It was somewhat comforting to know that he was not on Commodore Corrine Pembroke’s chopping block at least for the time being. He was also genuinely interested in who she was working under now and why she was at the station.

She sat the teacup down and pressed on. “Vice Admiral Raitchaak, Sector 007 Commander is being granted command of a flotilla of starships. I need not refresh your memory of how south border patrol went when we were focused on the Romulan relocation efforts. Piracy increased over the years and marauders are in pig heaven, no offense to the Tellarites or Admiral Raitchaak” she stated.

“I see. Tellar having a bit of a pirate problem” replied.

“Commander, I do not believe you understand the gravity of this situation” Pembroke replied immediately. She stood from the sofa and proceeded over the man’s desk, activating the holo display and dimmed the room’s illumination. A holo map took shape, and the Captain’s Ready Room quickly transition into a makeshift war room just like that. “It is not just Tellar, Barret. It is everything. We are not talking a small infestation of piracy; we are talking about a network…a syndicate potentially” she added.

“Orions” came his reply.

She nodded. “Very likely. Starfleet Security certainly has been suggesting the Orions are behind it, but Starfleet Intelligence has been slow to come to an agreement. Vice Admiral Raitchaak is under an immense amount of pressure from the Federation Secretary of Transportation to present results, immediate action needs to be taken. For the past several months, activity has increased, and the marauders have gotten more brazen. They are strategically attacking along vital Federation trade routes. Commander, we need those trade routes to be as prosperous as possible right now. We still have not recovered from the synth attack that took out Utopia Planitia” she asserted.

Stillwater hung his head. So many lives lost he thought to himself. “How far-stretching are we talking about. You said ‘flotilla,’ but by the tone of your voice and description of the situation it sounds like we need a Task Force, if not a small armada.”

Corrine scoffed. “Yeah, if we had the ships to spare” she countered. “We do not” she added quickly. “Corvettes and frigates are being cobbled together for this, Commander. The USS Fontana is being added to the flotilla. This problem spans dozens of sectors. Luxury cruisers going to and fro Risa are being attacked. The USS Astraea is working a separate matter entirely towards the Delta Triangle, tracking down a Cardassian War Criminal. Unfortunately, that is part of the reason why we do not have the resources to put towards this matter; however, we believe black market dealers may be operating in the Delta Triangle and have asked for the Astraea to look into the matter as well.”

Commander Barret Stillwater was taken aback by the message dump of information. “Standing Bear,” he replied to the woman. “I have plans to change the name of the USS Fontana to Standing Bear. I have put the request in already and plan to conduct the ceremony for it tonight unofficially.” He cleared his throat. “Targeting Risa? A little malice in wonderland” he added.

Corrine shook her head and waved dismissively. “I will see to it that the request is granted. It will be a logistical nightmare dealing with a starship with an identity issue” she added. “You can call it the Good ship lollipop for all I care, but your orders are clear. As soon as your crew has had some brief shore leave and the Standing Bear is ready to proceed, you will be placed on the border along the Federation’s southern border. Additional assignment detail will be made available, but Starfleet Intelligence is presently working on a lead. We may need to discretely dispatch an away team.”

Stillwater nodded. “Understood, Commodore” he replied and walked with her towards the doorway of his Ready Room. “Will Vice Admiral Raitchaak be contacting us from Tellar?”

Commodore Pembroke shook her head. “No, the Admiral has felt the need to see to this personally, Commander. He has been given command of a starship and will be heading into the trade routes along Tellar. So, I will likely be your point of contact…I look forward to working with you. On the same team this time of course.”

 

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