Intel Meeting (Part I)

Posted on Monday, 30 November 2020 - 12:15pm by Captain Barret Stillwater & Lieutenant T'Lanna Vali & Lieutenant JG Adrianna Eberhardt
Edited on on Monday, 30 November 2020 - 12:22pm

Mission: Operation: Ouroboros
Location: Earth: San Francisco

The materialization of the two women into the room caused Admiral T'Arev to raise a brow and gesture to seating. "Please, be seated and we shall conduct this intel briefing."

“Yes, Admiral.” T’Lanna nodded and smiled at Adrianna and Barret as she took a seat and made herself as comfortable as she could.

Adrianna nodded, having only just found a place to change into uniform. She held her head low to avoid questions about the face, but did offer a small smile to T'Lanna before replying, "Si, Admiral." She wandered over and sat down.

Commander Stillwater took a seat. "Something bothering you more than this ordeal with the weather grid, Admiral?" Stillwater asked.

Though the Admiral did not agree with the Commander's word choice, she pushed forward. "As I had previously said, when your other officers were present, the president plans on addressing the Federation on the Parisian palace grounds. It goes without saying that security is heightened, but Starfleet intel has reason to believe that there is a serious threat on the president's life."

Adrianna looked up finally and looked confused. "With all due respect, Admiral, what is different from usual? A high power figure will always have a serious threat. It is a political thing. Whether this solar system or another, it is always the same."

"Politics matter, Petty Officer," Stillwater shot back. "Perhaps more than they truly should, but nevertheless, they matter. Right now, politics and optics are of the utmost importance. When President Nanietta Bacco was killed, it shook the Federation to its core. It caused backlash and changed the trajectory of the Cardassians. Without her in power, the restraints we had on Cardassia in lifted a bit. Right now? We are on the verge of core instability of the Federation. The Andorians were already looking to leave, the Tellarites had been threatening similar actions. Hatred and resentment towards Romulans is at an all time high, and we lost Mars... Utopia Planitia is gone."

Admiral T'Arev asserted herself into the conversation. "Without Utopia Planitia, the Federation has lost its strength. Starship production has significantly decreased and we have had to spread ourselves thinner and thinner," she noted. "The USS Standing Bear's recent assignments along our borders has shown those vulnerabilities, the increased piracy, the smuggling." The Vulcan shook her head. "If this threat against the president ends tragically, it could change everything. We are nearing the end of their term, change is in the air nevertheless, but their death would change what happens in the weeks and months to come."

Commander Stillwater breathed heavily and shook his head. "One of the up and coming candidates," he said, looking at Adrianna. "There was not a pathway for victory for them before, but with the increased hostilities towards the Romulan refugees, they have a pathway. If they were to be elected, we would have a Federation President pushing for the removal and relocation on Romulan refugees from Earth and other Federation planets. They want to place the Romulans on L class planets with bare necessities and leave them to survive on their own."

“So where does this leave us Admiral?” T’Lanna looked at T’Arev. “I take it you have a plan for us or we wouldn’t be sitting here now.” She looked at Stillwater then back at the Admiral.

"We have taken the necessary security precautions," the admiral said. "What we need you for is to hunt the hunter. We believe that the Federation Venus Orbital Weapons Depot is part of the plot. We understand your crew is technically here on leave, Commander, but we would appreciate you looking into matters."

Stillwater nodded. "I can gather a few people and head over there to poke around a bit, but why ask me?" inquired Stillwater. "There are several starships currently in the Sol section, including the Crazy Horse, as I recall."

The Admiral gave an approving nod of confirmation. "The Crazy Horse, Malibu, and several others," she said. "All capable Commanding Officers with fine crews, but most of them are young, inexperienced, and do not have a full deck of cards are to work with." She retrieved a PaDD from the table and handed it over to him. "Project Widowmaker," she said crisply.

Adrianna's ears pricked up at that name and she shifted uncomfortably. Way to stay positive, she thought to herself. "You want us to become hunters of hunters? With a name like widow maker am I to assume we're to not set to stun?" she asked, knowing the answer, but felt the need to clarify, especially with her habits kicking in from being near home. "The last Project Widowmaker I was on, was prior to Starfleet and it didn't leave witnesses." Her tone was cold, but honest.

“You want to make our crew hunt down these people and kill them!?” T’Lanna looked shocked at the whole idea. “Exactly where do I figure in this? I’m no assassin.”

Adrianna raised a brow then winced at a shooting pain from her injury. She then looked to T'Lanna, "No one is saying you will be pulling the trigger, or that it isn't just a metaphor..." She looked to the admiral. "Right? Our hands are staying clean? My hands have already had their fair share and I don't want any more."

Commander Stillwater scoffed and looked at Adrianna. "It certainly is not a name you put on something pleasant," he said. "Project Widowmaker goes back to my days aboard the USS Lakota as Chief Intelligence Officer," explained Stillwater. "We were one of the few starships equipped with TR-116s, James Leyton was the CO at the time. We were training to use them."

Adrianna let a smirk tug at her lips before saying to the admiral, "What us it you need?"

Admiral T'Arev looked at Adrianna specifically. "Your family," the Vulcan said sternly with a brow raised. "They may know something about some of the outstanding threats my intelligence officers are working on. Any information that you can get from them would be beneficial."

Adrianna let the words linger a moment as she mulled it over, as if it was a question for help, not a command. "Please don't take offence, Sir, but I was in Rome, with my face covered, and still got recognised. I've just had to run from Italy because there is a bounty worth more in proof of death. I still have contacts, and I still plan on visiting my mother, but I'd imagine Starfleet ransacked all notes from my father's office and I highly doubt my brothers would have allowed the secret offices to keep documents in. But I value my life."

"Very well."

"I'll see what I can do, but I will not jeopardise my life or those around me." Adrianna sighed, though evident she was scared. It was a feeling she had never shown before, not outwardly, not since a child.

The admiral looked at Vali. "Your expertise will be most useful in creating a profile of this potential assassin. The more we know about who they are, even abstractly, can provide us a silhouette of them."

T’Lanna nodded. “I’ll do my upmost to provide whatever information I can, Admiral”

"You," she said, looking at Commander Stillwater. "You will need to go to the weapons depot. You will know what to look for. You will know what should be and what is not."

Stillwater nodded. It was vague, not as precise as a Vulcan typically was, but as someone who served as an Intel officer in the past, he understood the shrouding. Commander Stillwater knew what he needed to do; snoop around the facility. "I have a small team in mind, Admiral. We will see to it that this is conducted without incident."

"That would be logical, Commander."

Stillwater winked at the Admiral. "Don't think I forgot, Admiral, you a very special day coming up" he said to her. He saw the blank expression on her face shift ever so slightly to one of mild concern. "You and your husband are celebrating your what hundred and fiftieth anniversary?"

The Admiral nodded. "Indeed," she replied. "One hundred and fifty-one days since his participation at our koon-ut-kal-if-fee."

"Excellent, my timing wasn't off then. I've been saving something for a special occasion or a gift, and I believe it will be perfect," said Stillwater standing and tapping his commbadge. "Stillwater to Petty Officer Grol," he said calling for his Yeoman. "Be a good yeoman and grab me something from cargo bay one...I have a storage container with personal contents. There's a bottle of 2020 rosé from Château Pape Clément, can you retrieve it and beam down to Starfleet HQ and join us in Admiral T'Arev's conference room?"

Grol who'd been cringing at the latest reports startled at the sound of Stillwater's vice. "Aye sir." He tapped back, "Right away." He shut down his computer and headed out. After that little errand he'd have to see Soral. These new developments were interesting.