Act Two, Scene Two

[Akirapryde]

Stardate: 53832.94
Just outside of the system: UIH-0351
USS Thunderchild, NCC-63549
4th Fleet Command Briefing, Admiral's Briefing
Briefing Room of the USS Thunderchild

The main briefing room was filled with the command staff of the USS Thunderchild and Admiral Tate's official staff. In attendance via subspace communications are the senior staff of every ship within the 4th Fleet. The topics of the briefing was the fugitive Seònaid Melville, the stolen runabout USS Susquehanna and the current situation within the Cardassian Union. The tension of the situation could be felt by everyone in the room. Admiral Tate set the tone as he explained what was at stake. Seona had threaten an attack on the Cardassia Union and spoken of some unnamed traitor within the ranks of Starfleet. Starfleet Command has made its position clear through Admiral Tate. The fugitive can not be allowed to carry out her attack on any Cardassian world. Even if that meant killing the fugitive, she must be stopped at all costs.

Commander Gevan sh'Faila, stood by a large screen as she pointed out sections of Cardassian space. Her female Andorian features seemed to glow through her Starfleet uniform. Her long white hair hung down past her shoulder blades. Despite her natural attractions as a female, her mannerism and tone was completely professional. Her antennas moved about slowly as she spoke, "despite what our sensors are telling us, we don't believe that the fugitive is within this system anymore. Further more, after reviewing all the available data and considering the Fugitive's goals and abilities we have realized that the fugitive will most likely make a run for Cardassia Prime via the Badlands."

Commander sh'Faila shifted the map from a full view of the Cardassian Union to the region of space known as the Badlands. Everyone in the briefing knew what the Badlands were. It was a region of space located in Sector 04-70 of the Alpha Quadrant. A segment of the border between the United Federation of Planets and the Cardassian Union which was located in this region. The Badlands were known for intense plasma storms and gravitational anomalies. For this reason, it was commonly avoided by most interstellar traffic. It was prefect for small craft to use to cross the boarder without much detection. Due to war losses, there are limited ships currently patrolling the badlands. Because of this, this region of space has become a haven for black market pirates and smugglers.

Commander sh'Faila continued, "that is if we can not stop her before she reaches this area. If she reaches the Badlands, then stopping her plans will become much harder for us. She could easily strike any number of Cardassian worlds with little warning." She paused to allow her male counterpart to speak.

Commanders Thorta th'Regda stepped forward as he motioned at the changing map. The new map showed the UIH-0351 system and the markings of the ships in the area. "While we concede that the fugitive might still be in the system. It doesn't make tactical sense for her to remain here. But in the off chance that she has not managed to escape this system we most contain her within this security zone. However we must warn the Admiral and the 4th Fleet not to become fixed to the fact that she must be here. Based off of what we have seen, the fugitive has shown a remarkable ability to adapt to the ever changing situation within this pursuit. This has made her far more formidable than expected."

"This is correct" Commander sh'Faila followed up with and added, "While all the evidence suggests that the fugitive has remained within system. It would be wise to conduct a search beyond this region of space as if she has somehow already found a way to escape."

Captain Kailash Sharma of the USS Valley Forge spoke up. "With all due respect to the Admiral's strategic advisers" he said with a bit of harshness in his voice. It was clear that he didn't agree with their assessment. "We put a full powered torpedo in to the Susquehanna's nose." The view screen focused on him and his command staff for all to see. Captain Sharma was a dark tanned human who was born on the Indian continent of Earth. His thick English accent rang through as he talked. "Our own sensor data showed that the impact all but crippled the runabout. Even if the ship avoid critical damage, our own tactical officer has assured us that the ship would be crippled beyond field repairs." He said over a subspace communication link from the bridge of his own ship on the other side of the system. He continued, "Hell when our shuttles were in pursuit of the runabout, she was only able to manage a speed of speed of .0629c" he explained pointing out the speed that was just over one quarter impulse. "If it wasn't for that asteroid field this chase would have been over right then and there. The fact is, she need to set down to conduct major repairs. Repairs that will take days if not weeks to complete. My shuttles have been closely watching the only two planets in system with any measurable atmosphere. Once the Susquehanna lands, this chase will be over."

Captain Luce Beauchene of the USS Potemkin followed up with her own statement, "we have been scanning the system since our shuttles lost contact with the fugitive." The view screen changed to show her own bridge so that everyone can watch her give her own statement. Her Russian accent was hard to ignore. Like Captain Sharma and many of the other commanders of the 4th Fleet, she earned her command during the hight of the Dominion War. Of all of the commanders of the 4th, Captain Beauchene was one of the most skill military officers of the fleet. That was right behind Captain Campbell, who is recognized as the most brilliant strategic mind in the entire 4th Fleet. Maybe even in all of Starfleet. Unlike the majority of the Captains of Starfleet, the Commanding officers of 4th Fleet were nearly made up of officers with a strong military background and combat experience. This made the fleet prefect for combat situations and why they were assigned to the volatile region of the Cardassian Union. "We can see the energy signature of the Susquehanna popping up in the asteroid field. We know that she is hiding in there somewhere. Admiral, why can't we just rush the field and capture the stolen runabout? We need to put this to an end."

Admiral Tate looked down as if to consider the question before he spoke. Finally he lifted his head up as he slowly stood up from his chair, "I won't lie to any of you. I feel that in the last encounter we got off lucky. Had the Susquehanna wanted to push her attack, we could have suffered heavy losses. I take full responsibility for that. We were arrogant in both our planning and actions. I will not underestimated this fugitive again. We will do this by the numbers. Listen to me carefully because I want each of you to understand this. It is my order that we conduct ourselves in such a way that we don't rush head long in to any encounter with this fugitive. I want no unnecessary risks!" he paused a moment to take a breath before adding, "I am not so sure that she has managed to escape this system. As long as she is contained, we wont need to act recklessly."

It was clear to Captain Campbell, that Commander Bonham didn't like the situation or the Admiral's words. Captain Campbell knew that Admiral Tate and Commander Bonham had history. That history started during the failed Velos Operation. Commander Bonham at the time was in charge of leading the evacuation shuttles during the invasion. As Cardassian and Dominion resistance grew, the order was given to halt further attempts to rescue a besieged marine unit. Bonham disobeyed the order and led a handful of shuttles on a last attempt to rescue the survivors. While they were able to rescue an addition forty seven personnel, two shuttles were lost in the operation. It was if the Cardassian leaders had read Commander Bonham's mind. The fight in to the landing zone was brutal and much worse leaving. The trip pushed the pilots of the shuttles to their limits. The fact that the remaining three shuttles and Bonham's runabout made it back was a testament to Bonham's leadership ability and piloting skills.

Bonham spent the next several weeks in the brig for disobeying orders. Tate lead the charges against Bonham and wanted to drive the man out of Starfleet. Despite the fact that the eighteen personnel who took part in the unauthorized mission all volunteered for the mission at Bonham's request, Bonham accepted full responsibility for the mission and the three lives that were lost as a result of it. At the time, Bonham had out ranked Campbell. After the hearing, Bonham faced the loss of his rank and a career ending letter of reprimand in his personnel file. Had it not been for later actions during the Dominion War, Bonham's career in Starfleet would have been finished.

Since that event, the two Starfleet officers maintained a kind of cold war between themselves. They respected each other enough keep their issues out of further professional encounters. In fact it was Admiral Tate that suggested that Bonham over saw the refit of the Thunderchild. But behind closed doors, Tate simply doesn't trust Bonham. Nor has the Admiral forgave the hot headed pilot for the deaths. Outside of Bonham and Tate, Captain Campbell is one of a very few who knows of the bad blood between the two men. This fact is a testament to both mans' ability to maintain their professionalism in keeping the issue between them silent.

Commander Bonham held his tongue as the Admiral continued, "Now that the Thunderchild is here, we will use her fighters to track and isolate the runabout for the capture. Lets box her in and cut off her chances to flee. As long as we can contain the fugitive here, we have all the time in the world. With that said, I am not blind to the possibility that the fugitive has indeed managed to escape the system. But I want to hear more." He motioned for the Andorians to continue as he took his seat.

Commander sh'Faila nodded, "Admiral, you must be carefully. The evidence around this fugitive's behavior does not suggest that she would take to hiding out while we encircled her. Remaining hidden within this system would not support the her goals and only will end in her capture. Neither of us can believe that this is where she had planned to end the chase. We suspect that this is why she chose this system to have her encounter with us. To ensure that she had a path to escape should things go wrong."

"That is ludicrous" Captain Sharma spoke up again. "There is no supportive evidence that the Susquehanna has managed to escape this system. While there IS sensor data from more than a dozen contacts that would support that she has in fact remained within the system. Clearly crippled by our encounter." Captain Sharma has been known for being hot headed and it was this trait that managed to save his ship during many battles. Captain Sharma would be considered the standard officer from the Dominion War. Many within the Federation have stressed their concerns that Starfleet was becoming too populated with warriors and less like those officers who were explorers. Captain Sharma is just one example of those battle hardened warriors that some worry about.

Commanders th'Regda nodded as his counterpart allowed him to defend their statement, "we do not dispute what you have said. However the absent of data does not mean that the fugitive has not found a way to escape undetected. We urge that the commanding officers of the search ships do not become fixed on the illusion that the fugitive must be in this system. It is just as likely, if not more likely, that she has already escaped undetected."

"With all respects to the commanding officers" Commander sh'Faila said calmly, "We are only trying to point out a base line that has already been shown to be a truth. This fugitive has shown a remarkable ability to surprise us at each turn," she said as her male counterpart stepped back and allowed her to continue. "Captains of the 4th Fleet. If we do not start to learn from our own mistakes that were birthed out of our own over-confidences, than this fugitive will continue to surprise us. The chances of causalities will then drastically increase."

The room fell silent as the words were taken to heart. The pair of Andorians moved from the large main screen as Admiral Tate slowly stood up once more. There was a since of weight on his shoulders as he moved from the back of the room towards the main screen. He paused a moment to study the map carefully. "Each of you have offered up sound arguments to support your own positions here. However, as I said we can not afford to underestimate this fugitive again. Alpha Squadron" he said speaking of the three Excelsior class ships and the Thunderchild, "will remain here and continue our search of this system for the fugitive. Thanks to the arrival of the Thunderchild and her fighter wings, we have more than enough support to find the fugitive if she is hiding here. The rest of the search ships, continue along your current search grids. Lets act as if she is here and at the same time that she has escaped. We have the resources to do both, so lets do just that."

On that he turned to Brigadier Kaho, "Brigadier Kaho, can you have your Birds of Prey patrol the space near the Badlands?" With a nod from the Klingon, the Admiral turned back to the rest of the briefing. "Moving on to the next topic, allow me to point out the political situation within the Cardassian Union and how this is effecting our efforts. AND more importantly," he paused just a moment to take a breath. "How our efforts are effecting the political situation within the Cardassian Union. The political situation within the Cardassian Union is shaky at best. I have assurances from Garak that his government will assist us in stopping the fugitive once she crosses in to Cardassian space. However if his ships spots the Susquehanna within their space, then I can not promise her safe capture. I can not tell you how important it is that we stop her from crossing in to Cardassian space. Because of this, I have ordered two thirds of the 4th fleet to patrol regions within the Cardassian Union that she could use as approaches and the rest will be searching the Federation side of the boarder. She can not be allowed to cross. And IF she does, we have to find her first." he motioned to Captain Phillips, "For more information about the social issues of the Cardassian Union, Captain Phillips."

Captain Phillips nodded as he moved forward and replaced Admiral Tate at the center of the briefing, "Thank you, Sir" he said with more than a hint of respect in his voice. Admiral Tate moved to sit down once more. Captain Phillips and Admiral Tate went back nearly thirty years, even before Starfleet. They had been best of friends and have served together on over a dozen ships. Captain Phillips followed his best friend all the way to the top. Their friendship was well known within and beyond the 4th Fleet. Behind closed doors, Captain Phillips was one of the Admiral's closest advisors right behind Captain Campbell. "Allow me to introduce Korinas" he said as the image on the screen shifted to that of a Cardassian female. "Starfleet Intelligence has named her one of the most politically dangerous figures within the current Cardassian Government. Her previous connections to the Obsidian Order is only the tip of the ice berg. She currently sits on the Detapa Council and has been a outspoken voice against the Cardassian-Federation Alliance for nearly a year."

He paused allowing the map to change reflecting a system within Cardassian Space, "Three months ago, acting on a tip, Starfleet sent the USS Venture to investigate the Orias system. It was rumored that a radical group were amassing warships within the Orias system. These same rumors hinted at an attempt to launch a coup against the Detapa Council by that very same radical group. The USS Venture was prevented from entering the system by a pair of Cardassian Warships. The situation was resolved when the Detapa Council ordered their ships to stand down and allow the USS Venture to search the system. The tip turned out to be a red haring as the USS Venture found no evidence of any warships or build up within the system. Korinas has been using the incident during a number of speeches to fuel the flames against the Alliance and against an increase of Starfleet ships within Cardassian space. Starfleet Intelligence suspects that Korinas had some how managed to orchestrate the incident with the intentions of using it to fuel dissent against Starfleet within the Union."

Captain Phillips paused a moment before continuing. "As it stands right now, Starfleet Intelligence can confirm that at least ten former loyal Cardassian warships have switched their loyalties to Korinas. Should she make a move on the Detapa Council, the Council would be able to count at least four times as many ships. The remaining ships would most likely want to remain out of any power struggle during a conflict. It is suspected that they would offer their loyalty to the victor. Starfleet Intelligence also suspects that Korinas has agents aboard Deep Space Nine where Starfleet has been organizing the relief efforts. It is important that you remember that Korinas is not some fringe radical figure. She is manipulative, intelligent and a member of the Detapa Council. She has risen through the ranks of the Obsidian Order on her cunning and ability to survive. She has some popular support among the average Cardassian. Enough support and influence that she can not be ignored. Though it must be noted that it was through her help that Starfleet has been able to help some hard to reach communities. These are the reasons that make her very dangerous."

Admiral Tate nodded and motioned for Captain Phillips to have a seat, "Thank you Captain. Now before we have any more questions or statements. Commander V'rol, I would like a assessment of this fugitive's personal combat abilities. What will our boarding parties have to face when they make an attempt to apprehend her. Also, I don't want anyone to forget that we are dealing with a woman who is a hero to the Federation. This person has served the Federation with honor and courage. She is more than just some fugitive. Lets allow Captain Campbell to put a face on this fugitive."