Chapter 3: Good Tides and Fair Winds (part 5)

Chapter 3: Good Tides and Fair Winds (part 5)

The medical crewman hadn't taken long to ensure that the former security officer Drake was stable enough to be moved and then loaded him on an anti-grav stretcher for the trip down to the brig. The phalanx of security members, still armed with phaser rifles, surrounded the unconscious prisoner and at its head was Brian Archer. This was not the first dangerous prisoner Archer had escorted.

As the tactical officer on the Neptune after the Battle of Betazed, he had personally imprisoned and interrogated a Cardassian field commander. It had taken him nearly two weeks to break the Cardassian, but he suspected that Drake while clever would not take nearly as long. Brian had improved his interrogation techniques while working for Section 31, but he wasn't sure that using those techniques would sit well with Captain Sterling, and it would reveal much more about his dealings with the Federation's shadow organization. As they arrived at the brig they were met by the towering half-Klingon warden Lieutenant Kurgan.

"Mister Kurgan," Brian greeted him "I have a guest for you."

"So I've heard." Kurgan responded, "Holding cell two is ready for him."
Archer nodded and motioned to the group and the medical crewman pushed the stretcher into the cell and then with assistance from some of the security officers they moved the motionless Drake to the cot in the cell.

"And he'll be alright?" Brian asked the crewman

"When he wakes up he'll have a headache, but otherwise he'll be fine."

"Can you wake him now?"

"I can, but I don't recommend it."

"Wake him, I want to talk to him."

"Sir really, I...”

"I said wake him, or did I stutter?"

"Aye Sir," the crewman said knowing there was no point in arguing with the Icarus' security officer.

The crewman pulled a hypo from his kit, injected Drake in the arm, and stepped out of the cell. The force field activated and after a moment Drake moaned and started to stir slowly.

"Welcome to the brig traitor." Brian practically growled at Drake

Drake was silent for a moment and then chuckled "I am no traitor, not to my true people."

"You're human, the Romulans are not your people. They used you to achieve their ends and likely would have killed you when they were done with you."

"You Starfleet types, so sure of yourselves, you'll get nothing from me Archer."

"We'll see about that...who are you working for? The Tal Shiar? The Romulan military? What else have you done to the ship?"

Drake laughed again "You're going to have to do better than that Commander, or should I say Agent Archer."

Brian's face flushed and he started toward the cell.

"Deactivate the field," he said to Kurgan

Just then Cassie grabbed his arm "This isn't a good idea, Brian" she hissed in his ear "It doesn't matter what he thinks he knows."

Brian stopped and looked over at Cassie and his features softened. She was right, he was a Starfleet officer and no matter what Drake said nothing was going to change that. He looked back at Drake who was now sitting up with a smug expression on his face.

"What else have you done to this ship? Who are you working for?" Archer repeated but Drake simply stared at him. "I looked at your record, I know your parents were killed and I now know you were raised by Romulans. Tell me is that why you're their lackey, because they killed your family?"

Drake's smug expression faded at Archer's words "I am no one's lackey Federation lap dog. I act of my own accord."

"Believe that if you want, but as I said whichever Romulans are holding your leash are merely using you as a means to an end. Then they will put you down like a diseased animal."

"My people did more for me than any human ever has!"

"Even your parents?"

Drake fumed and started toward the force field and Archer smiled

"That's a level eight security force field. I'd stop if I were you, oh and don't think of trying to disable it. Those circuits are tamper proof and even if you could manage to deactivate it I'm sure Mister Kurgan would have no problem showing you the error of your ways."

From behind archer, the half-Klingon smiled a toothy smile at the saboteur, and Drake glared at all of them.

"It doesn't matter, your mission is doomed to failure, and there is nothing you can do about it."

Doomed? You use the word as if you never experienced the feeling Archer. As for doing anything about this ...?"

Being as how the communication was open, Drake took a step back from the force field and, looking directly at Archer, spoke to the computer.

"Computer. Vent atmosphere from security deck."

His intent was obvious. Brian, Kurgan, Cassie and the other crewmen in the detention center would be falling to their knees and grabbing their throats as the atmosphere vented out of the detention room around them, while John would be partially protected by the force field and conditions inside his cell would be slowed considerably. He intended to give them all a taste of vacuum before verbally commanding the computer to restore conditions to normal.

"I have no inclination to kill anyone Agent Archer, but do not test my resolve. This diplomatic attempt of your Federation is, to use your word ... doomed!"

But, even as the atmosphere began to vent and the security officers present looked frantic, the computer of the Icarus was working.

"Life support access detected from unauthorized location, security safety protocol activated, and restoration of normal atmosphere commencing." the monotone voice said aloud.

As Brian caught his breath back, he glared at Drake.

"Computer, restrict all computer access including verbal commands from prisoner John Drake. Authorization Archer November-xray-zero-zero-one."

"Command accepted."

Brian nodded with satisfaction and then looked at Drake again.

"Time for you to take a nap. Computer, flood holding cell two with anesthezine gas, thirty percent concentration authorization Archer November-xray-zero-zero-one."

"Command accepted."

The computer complied with Brian's command and the holding cell filled with anesthezine rendering the prisoner unconscious within seconds. Brian then looked back at Kurgan

"Lieutenant, if he wakes up feel free to put him out again."

"Aye Sir."

Brian then looked at the remaining security personnel.

"You're all dismissed except for the two of you," he said pointing at two petty officers. "Take position outside the door. No one gets in except the Captain, the XO, me, or the counselor. You have phaser rifles; if anyone argues with you, use them."

The two guards nodded and Brian now turned and addressed Cassie and the medical crewman who were still waiting patiently.

"Crewman, you can go back to medical, the computer will monitor his vitals. Cassie, I'm going back to the bridge, where I belong. See that our teams are where they're supposed to be."

"I'm on it."

As Brian and the remainder of the group exited the brig, Brian tapped his combadge.

"Archer to Pasqual, our guest is...resting...in the brig. You're welcome to take a crack at him if you like. I'd personally rather launch him out an airlock but that's not my call. I'm headed back to the bridge."

''Might be just the right thing to do, Mister Archer,'' Pasqual answered him directly into his ear while crossing his path from outside the detention area.

* * *

As the counselor acknowledged the Captain’s ‘request’ and entered the turbolift to meet up with the saboteur, Sterling breathed another sigh of relief.

Despite the counselor’s many apparent skills, he continued responding to the Captain as if he were simply a rookie fresh out of Starfleet Academy who was merely ignoring the severity of the potential core breach. Pasqual, who by nature or perhaps previous circumstances and experiences, seemed very suspicious and quite quick to judgment in regards to all of the senior officer’s capabilities and qualifications aboard the Icarus. He was going to need to learn to trust Sterling’s multitasking approach to dealing with situations; even emergency scenarios like the one that just transpired.

Sterling was a bit concerned that the counselor could not see that he was handling his responsibly as the Captain of the Icarus effectively and not ignoring the crew and the ship as Pasqual implied. Yet despite these concerns, Sterling was optimistic that the counselor could be a decisive component in helping to settle in this new crew and assist on many levels in this challenging mission to Khii; that is once he began to perceive himself as an integral part of this crew and not its detached primary critic.

Sterling then called down to main Engineering.

“Engineering, we need full impulse and warp drive as soon as possible. Coordinate your teams and let us get this resolved pronto. Bring in Science teams as well if needed. Notify me immediately when they are available”.

Then, the assistant Tactical and Security officer Cassandra Strider, turned to him:

“Captain Sterling, there seems to be something blocking our access codes. I’ve tried several different application sequences yet none seems to be working.”

Then a message came in from Lieutenant Commander Doctor Soryk from sickbay dealing with a similar problem. As messages from various departments began to stream in, Sterling surmised where this was all emanating from.

He signaled an acknowledgement to the remaining bridge officers as he activated his combadge to contact the counselor once again.

“Mister Pasqual, it would seem that our busy saboteur also managed to code in some type of algorithm into our computer system that is preventing our junior officers from gaining computer access. See what you can find out about this as our computer teams work on by-passing his voice command protocols. Sterling out.”

Never a dull moment is there? The Captain thought to himself.

Why does he cut off communication before I can even answer him? he sighed before tapping open the channel again with his own combadge.

''Pasqual to Captain Sterling; Sir, your command codes should override any other command input into the computer by anyone else and have you order a clean up. If not... disable audio commands manually and let everyone use manual controls to operate... and our own experts isolate and purge the faulty programming.''

As his eyes returned to his PADD where he was brushing up on Drake's personal file, something suddenly occurred to him.

How come the Captain knows that I know how to bypass computers?

"Yes thank you Mister Pasqual. Our computer teams are working on a ship-wide computer reset and over-ride now as we speak. I just want you to be aware of this situation and see if you are able to determine how he was able to inflict so much potential sabotage in various systems throughout the ship and in such a brief amount of time. This will allow us to see weaknesses in our security protocols and remedy them immediately.”

''With all due respect, Captain Sir, these are the area of expertise of Lieutenant Commander Archer or Chief Engineer Hanson,'' answered the counselor with a patient tone he did not felt. ''If you are asking for any socio-psychological explanation from me however, well there are only two possibilities, Captain Sir: he has several accomplices on board... or the simpler and most probable explanation: he was free to roam the whole ship because he was an accredited security officer.''

Even through the comm channel, he could feel the reaction of his commanding officer at his last assessment; and so, he made it even clearer:

''As Klingons borrowed from the Arabs of Earth, Captain Sir: a thousand throats can be cut in one night by a running man with a knife.''

“Yes, Mister Pasqual, but only to those throats that are attached to ears that do not hear and eyes that do not perceive the activity occurring around them… regardless of their position.”

The Orion rolled eyes upward.

In one night... it means that they are asleep... almost explained Ray to the obviously clueless Captain. But doing so, especially over intraship channels, would go too far, even for him. So he ignored it but made a mental note to educate the Captain later in the fine art of listening

Sterling then paused for a moment as he reflected on Pasqual’s prior statement.

“Hold one moment Counselor” the Captain stated as he stood up from the center seat and headed back to his Ready Room toward the aft section of deck 1. This conversation was not one to broadcast on the bridge to curious ears.

Arriving to his security of his Ready Room he continued:

“Must I also be required to paint you a simple picture to show you why I am calling on you of all personnel to meet with our saboteur? Are you not familiar with the old Earth adage of good cop/bad cop?''

Without waiting for a response, he continued.

"Lieutenant Commander Archer is already conducting his version of the interrogation with Mister Drake in his role as the harsh and unsympathetic bad cop. Once he has concluded his round with the prisoner, then it will be your turn to meet with this individual… evoking your own specialized brand of personal wit and charm to eventually bring down his trained and skillful resistance to a level in which he’ll want to open up about his cause and justification for his actions.”

Sterling then proceeded to cut to the chase.

“I’m sure that that with your mastery of trickery and deception that you have so skillfully demonstrated throughout your career that he will begin to perceive you, even in the slightest degree, as a sympathetic ear to his cause. This coupled with you very perceptive nature should allow you to extrapolate information that he may not even realize that he is subtly divulging.”

Concluding he stated “To be honest, Mister Pasqual, I’m not sure what if anything that we’ll actually find out from your efforts, but any information that you are able to garner is certainly better than having no information at all. I also see this as another opportunity for you pull out and test those skills of yours that will be of paramount importance in working with our delegates on board and in the upcoming summit. Think of this as a professional challenge from your Captain, Mister Pasqual. Show me what you can produce from this opportunity.”

By the time the Captain had resettled into his office, Ray had already reached the detention area and isolated himself also inside a vacated room. He preached to himself by example as he politely and patiently listened to the long-winded talk of his commanding officer and waited for him to finish before replying:

''I hear and obey, Captain Sir. But... may I speak candidly here, Sir?''

Sterling quietly sighed again, wondering if he was going to hear Pasqual argue or protest once again about why he shouldn’t be the one to talk to the saboteur. For an individual that seems prideful regarding his unique counselor abilities, he certainly seemed hell-bent on not following this simple command… given and explained in even greater detail than should be necessary, and applying them to this prisoner. It seems to Sterling that a bit of arrogance and feelings of superiorly are at times eclipsing the very function of his role as a ship’s counselor.

Get over yourself Counselor and just do as you have been asked to do! He thought to himself.

Nevertheless, he replied “Okay Counselor, proceed with what you have to say.”

Pasqual immediately sensed the heightened tension and growing impatience in the tone of voice.

Good; he's starting to think and is ready to listen. You might get through this yet, Captain Sir! he thought.

But outloud and in the privacy of his isolated room he said instead:

''Sir; first, the good cop-bad cop simplistic routine works only with emotionally fragile people. The way he foiled our security measures alone, it is clear that this man is a trained operative. He will laugh in our faces when we will go into such theatrics; or worse, use them against us.''

He paused so that he could let the man keep listening and thinking and not take refuge again behind his pips. Then he went on:

''Second; evoking my own wit and charm to bring down his trained and skillful resistance, as you put it, will not be done by playing twenty questions. It will require time. And when I say time, I mean at best days, possibly weeks and even months; time we simply do not have. There is a vital mission already waiting for us.''

Understand now why ordering an interrogation in the mere minutes before a core breach was futile? He asked silently of the man, hoping he was still listening and thinking and asking himself that very question now.

After a moment, he resumed his explanation.

''Third; there is no significant information we can get from him that we cannot already deduce. An interrogation would only, possibly, confirm such deductions... but again, we do not have the time to do so, and then also the time needed to verify his claims afterwards. Without such verification, any interrogation will be no more valid than those deductions.''

Ray again paused to let the words sink in. Then he added:

''Lastly; keeping him on board serves no purpose and endangers the ship and the mission. he tried to take control of the ship's computer, the whole ship, moments ago... We are barely minutes away from the Starbase; he should be released there to Starfleet security. They can take all their time interrogating him and transmit anything significant to us while we are on our way... without further delay, Sir.

His tone became deadly serious.

''Because... everything he did, up to your fixation on him, was aimed at one specific goal: distracting and delaying us.''

At this point Sterling was now exasperated with trying to explain and reason with the Counselor. All he apparently wanted to do was continue to rationalize why he shouldn’t even try to speak to him.

After another deep breath, he concluded his exchange.

“I was not requesting that you merely play twenty questions with the prisoner as you so dismissively imply Counselor. I suppose perhaps that I thought that this would be the type challenge that you would readily accept and excel at… or at least attempt, not merely dismiss it as some sort of useless amateur theatrics. But since you have clearly expressed and predetermined that there is no chance whatsoever for you to gain any information of value from the potential exchange, I dismiss you from the responsibility. Sterling out,”

What a waste of my time this whole endeavor was the Captain realized. You Counselor… also caused distraction and delay in this process by simply not even trying, and instead dragging out this procedure with a series of perceived justifications.

He walked over to his leather chair and sat down. He then sent a message to Admiral Kelek at Starbase 39 that they had apprehended the saboteur and that they would be turning him over to Starbase security once they had temporarily re-docked again. The Admiral then contacted him and inquired what information they gathered about the saboteur thus far. Sterling briefly explained the scenario that had transpired, and without hesitation the Admiral assured him that they would diligently work at procuring information from the prisoner. He then informed Sterling that he would have the security detail in place and ready to take possession of the saboteur the moment that they arrived.

Once the impromptu conference concluded, the Captain got up and walked out of the Ready Room and went back to the main bridge. Sitting down in the center seat, he contacted engineering again.

“Engineering; what is the current status of our impulse engines and warp drive”

“Hanson here Captain… Full impulse is now available and the warp drive will be fully accessible within about fifteen minutes… Sir”

A smile worked its way across the Captains face. He had heard of the accident suffered by his chief engineer and felt relieved that he was again back on his feet so soon.

“Excellent, Mister Hanson… please carry on! Sterling out.”

This is what he needed: an officer who gets the job done and doesn’t waste his time explaining to him why he can’t do it.

Sterling then turned slightly and informed the Romulan helm officer.

“Mister Falcar, take us back to Starbase 39. We have a package to deliver.” He stated with the slightest of a smirk veiled across his face.

“Full impulse power for now Sub-Lieutenant… Engage!”

Brian returned to the bridge as the Icarus accelerated to full impulse. Without a word to the bridge crew, he went back to the tactical station and relieved the crewman manning the post. From there, he began to examine the ship's computer files to find out exactly what Drake, if that was even his real name, had done to the ship's computer.

While Brian wasn't a computer expert, he had gained enough experience over his time with Section 31 that he knew what he was looking for. It took him nearly an hour of combing through subroutines to locate that series of commands that had allowed Drake to maintain his access to the ship. Finally after isolating the subroutine, Brian noted that it was encrypted, rather than spending hours or days trying to break the encryption it would be far easier to initiate a dump of the primary computer core while one of the secondary cores managed the ship's systems. At the same time, he figured he needed to accomplish a few other things first.

He sent a note to Cassie to take Cadet Thran and search Drake's quarters thoroughly; then he ordered Lieutenant Callen to take over the coordination of the security teams. Brian had the Icarus entire security department spread across the ship securing and search her vital spaces. When he'd detailed those two items, he finally addressed Captain Sterling.

"Captain, I'd like to dump the ship's primary computer core and reset it. Our trouble maker was using some sort of encrypted subroutine to maintain his computer access. It may also explain some of the other computer problems we've been having. One of the secondary cores will maintain ship's functions while the dump and reset is in progress."

He listened carefully to the details of the proposition presented by the Security Chief before responding.

“Absolutely Mister Archer…see to it. Let’s eliminate all residue of sabotage before we proceed on with our actual mission. Hopefully, this time without any type of internal tampering interfering with our progress.”

Sterling then added:

“Thank you again, Lieutenant Commander, for you thoroughness throughout this process. We should however now have more secure safeguards in place after going through this arduous experience... so that we won’t have to deal with a similar situation in the future.”

Several decks down, hearing the tone of voice and the words of his Captain and the way he simply dismissed him and his offered expertise, Ray exited the detention area. He sighed, but no one could say if it was either from relief or disappointment…or both.

Without looking or speaking to anyone, the Orion went back to the main bridge, all the while typing on his PADD until he reached the command center of the Icarus.

Once there, he went straight to the Captain's chair, presented him his PADD and stood at formal attention.

Protocol required that he brings no personal concerns out in the open before other officers. This was for the commanding officer alone.

It was his formal request for an immediate transfer upon arriving at Starbase 39.

Captain Sterling accepted the PADD from the Counselor who stood at attention by his side.

As he read the brief message, it was clear that they had truly gotten off on the wrong foot.

It was time to rectify this situation, or at least try to resolve it in some workable capacity before he would summarily dismiss the Counselor back to some unknown fate.

He looked up at the Counselor and stated quietly “May I have a word with you Mr. Pasqual?

The Orion hybrid stood ramrod straight, looking far away, unblinking.

''Of course, Sir.''

His face was set in marble and his voice as icy as a Vulcan's. He stepped back to allow the commanding officer of the Icarus to step down from his command chair and lead him to his office.

As Sterling re-entered his Ready Room, he chose this time to take a seat in front of his desk rather than behind it. He turned it toward the other chair rather than in the original side-by-side position and distanced it within a reasonable proximity to allow for a face-to-face conversation.

It did not go unnoticed on the ship counselor that the commanding officer genuinely tried to get closer, figuratively and literally, to his bridge officer. The gesture surprised him somewhat for its warmth, although not for its courage as that much Ray had already understood of the man. But Ray had expected him to sit with authority behind his desk and lecture him about discipline and respect and anything else that would have covered the last incident between them. The stars had seen him in this scene often enough in the past.

But not this time.

It was a rare occurrence indeed that Ray Quinn Pasqual was genuinely surprised. This was one of them.

As Sterling sat down, he looked at the Counselor and after a brief moment began his conversation.

“One of the many challenges that we faced coming aboard this ship and thrust into this situation, Mister Pasqual, is that we as officers have not had an opportunity to know how we each work, operate, and interact professionally together. We each have a Starfleet file describing our history, experiences, service records, promotions, and in some cases disciplinary situations. Yet this is only one aspect of who we are, and to a degree, these perceptions are mostly in the eyes of those evaluating us and adding to our tale. Yet as we both realize, there is inevitably much more to any given officer than any record reflects. Having only one official meeting and several impromptu discussions… we are also still rather unfamiliar with each other."

Obviously, said the green-skinned man's eyes.

He did not interrupt the Captain as he spoke. Not just out of deference to his rank and respect to his position; but to really listen to the man; what his words said and what they truly meant.

Sterling inhaled deeply yet quietly before continuing.

"So… as we were trying to get situated and tie up a multitude of loose ends... from nowhere, we are thrust into a crisis situation… as we are then acting and reacting according to our perceived set of priorities. We had yet to establish an effective modus operandi from which to proceed and therefore there was no fluid synchronization established for any of us to refer to as a basis. Yet in retrospect, I can see that you were trying to offer guidance and suggestions even though at the time it did seem from my view that it appeared a bit uncooperative. I take responsibility for this misconception, and therefore I would recommend to you that you reflect on and reconsider the transfer that you just presented. From what I understood from Admiral Kelek, this position offered you an opportunity out of the brig and into a vital role as an officer on this ship. Even though we are still relative strangers, I have seen already that you are too accomplished as an officer to have your talents wasted somewhere in the confides of some Starbase prison. I would venture that you could find your place and role within this ship if you choose to stay, but at the same time, I will not stand in your way if you truly want to leave."

It took a moment for Ray to digest it all. There was a lot in this long statement; much more than he had ever thought or expected. And so, he stood straight in his chair and took also a deep breath before addressing his commanding officer.

''Captain Sterling; there is nothing to dispute in your words. Honestly, I am surprised by your efforts at understanding where most Captains, and with reason, would simply bring down their authority to either dismiss me or coerce me. Fact is, I was expecting one or the other. You are proving me wrong. I can now see now why you, of all available officers in the fleet, were chosen for this delicate mission. You might lack some command experience... but you certainly have all the best qualities of a leader and a diplomat.''

He knew he was blunt; but this was not the time for tiptoeing talk anymore. But he made a pause to let things simmer down a bit before continuing:

''Captain; I am more than willing to stay as your ship's counselor. The question is: are you willing to have a ship counselor? And if so, are you willing to have me as your ship counselor?''

He gestured vaguely at the terminal on the Captain's desk.

''You have seen my Starfleet record. I have a long history of butting heads with rules and people. What it doesn't say is why.''

Looking back at the Captain, he explained then:

''More than a few individuals, even Captains, or officers like our charming doctor to name one you know, are not willing to admit it when they might be making a bad decision, even less being told they did so or afraid to consider advice if there is a risk that they might. That is why not so many ships have a counselor on board... and why Starfleet wants them aboard. A Captain makes the ship fly straight and true; so does the XO with the crew. The counselor makes sure the Captain does. That is what the very word ''counselor'' means: to counsel the Captain, make him reflect on his decisions. But counsel is lost if it is not sought out before making a decision or dismissed afterwards just out of pride. I know; I've seen it often enough, since I do not shy from my responsibilities... as you have seen.''

His piercing eyes bore straight into those of Sterling as he finished:

''Yours is the final word, Captain Sir. I acknowledge and accept that. But if you dismiss me only because those I offer are not an echo of yours, if you dismiss my expertise only because you want things your way... then, you should dismiss me altogether from this crew. Because, on this ship or any other, I will be a counselor... and I do not intend to back down from that position. Doing so would make me useless to you and this ship. And you deserve better... Captain Sterling Sir.''

Sterling listened attentively to the Counselor’s response. His words were carefully selected and straight to the point; yet conveyed an undeniable sense of honor, integrity, respect and appreciation. Sterling was genuinely impressed.

Why aren’t these characteristics included in some capacity in this officer’s Starfleet records? He wondered to himself.

He realized that this was something that at some point in the future needed to be rectified.

As he looked intently at the Counselor, he said:

“That is the critical question isn’t it, Mister Pasqual? Am I willing to accept guidance from a counselor?”

He pondered this for a moment. Accepting this position as the Captain of the Icarus and as he began to prepare for the mission, he initially assumed that counselor’s role would be to see to the needs of the crew and possibly assist with the needs of the delegates. He hadn’t really contemplated the potential value that such a position and person could have on him in his role as the commander of this vessel: that is until now.

He smiled somewhat sheepishly as he state:

“What I have learned from our encounters thus far so far, Mister Pasqual, is that sometimes I don’t even know or recognize what it is that I need… until it is presented to me… and in this particular case, until I am about to lose it.”

''Human nature, Sir, commented Ray with a half-smile; which curiously enough is so like so many others out there. I know; I myself got two of them.''

Sterling then added:

“I may be a bit stubborn at times Counselor, but I am no fool. I realize that I would be little more than a dullard to turn away the opportunity to have someone skilled and experienced to discuss important decisions with throughout this mission and beyond.”

''Sir, I am not here to look over your shoulder and provide approbation to every decision you make. You are the Captain. But I should be there to question things if and when they will be needed to be questioned. Not by me, but by you, Sir. I provide counsel, not directions. That is your job, Captain Sir.''

The commanding officer of the Icarus then looked closely at the counselor.

“Thank you Counselor" Sterling added sincerely.

Then without a pause he continued "Therefore, to answer your first question, I am not only willing to have a counselor on this ship, I would now demand Starfleet to have one posted here… if there were not one already present.”

With a slight smirk he then added:

“In regards to accepting you and your advice as the ship’s counselor… Well, Mister Pasqual, I don’t believe that there could possibly be another person throughout Starfleet to fill this role to the level and capacity in which you would. Therefore, I’d truly be honored to have to remain as our counselor.”

''High praise coming from you, Sir... especially considering that I have yet to prove it; if not to you, then to the rest of the crew and the fleet. But the honor will be mine to try... if you will let me.''

Sterling then added with a bit of a twinkle in his eye:

“Provided that we agree that although I vow to always listen carefully to your advice, perspectives and recommendations, you can understand and accept that there may actually be an occasion when I may choose to proceed otherwise.”

The Orion hybrid smiled.

''Captain's prerogative.''

Despite the smile, he sounded very serious.

''You even have the right to change your mind or to make it up without giving any reason or explanation, Captain; because you are the Captain. My role with you, beyond assessing your psychological and emotional fitness like any member of the crew, is to remind you of things, to offer options and to help you put things into perspective if and when you need it. Because, in the end, it is all up to you, Captain Sterling Sir''

Sterling nodded affirmatively and then smiled a bit adding “Having a voice of reason and an outside perspective available throughout this mission alone Mr. Pasqual will be an endowment well beyond my initial expectations of accepting this role.”

He then sat back for a moment and silently released an abundance of tension that had unknowingly been building up internally since he had first step foot onto the bridge of the Icarus. It was a moment that he actually realized the monumental position that he had been placed in and an epiphany that his chances for succeeding in any aspect within this role had just increased ten-fold.

With a sincere smile and great relief, he reached his right hand out to the Counselor and stated “Thank you Mr. Pasqual. I truly look forward to working together through these great difficulties that will most likely be waiting ahead.”

Ray reached out to exchange the handshake with his commanding officer with a smile.

''I might still be one of those difficulties, Captain Sir; but one you will be able to deal with now.''

Then his stare grew harder.

''Now... about our... unwelcomed guest; from him, I can tell you this: someone in the Romulan Empire wants to derail this mission towards a specific purpose; and this someone most probably has sympathizers in the Federation... even in Starfleet.''

Sterling’s mood turned somewhat more somber as he nodded; acknowledging that this was merely the beginning of their imminent challenges.

“Given our current circumstance and in light of your speculation Counselor… what would your recommended course of action be as we head back toward Starbase 39… and then once we depart again?” the Captain inquired; curious to see what the counselor might have in mind.

''We need to pool our officers on this while we proceed on our mission, Sir. The only thing I myself can recommend for now, Sir, is to get rid of our troublemaker quick and then get as fast as possible to our rendezvous. It is obvious now that whoever is behind this wanted to delay us, not simply stop us. There is a plan here and it goes beyond just preventing the peace talks to occur.''

He smiled again but there was a shark-like quality to that smile when he finished:

''They wanted to throw off our timetable; now let us throw off theirs.''

“A reasonable analysis and suggestion Counselor” Sterling confirmed. “Admiral Kelek is already preparing a Starbase security team for our arrival.”

Just then, a message came to the Captain from Engineering.
“Captain Sterling,” the eager voice of Lieutenant Jeremy Mitchell on the other side of the shipcom began.

“Continue Lieutenant” Sterling insisted.

“Sir, warp engines are now fully operational. Warp speed is available at your command!”

Sterling smirked as he looked at Pasqual. ‘Well Lieutenant… just in time for us to slow down as we arrive at Spacedock.”

“Sir?” the puzzled engineer responded.

With a subtle grin Sterling then replied “Thank you Mr. Mitchell…and your team for returning our warp engines back on line. Be ready to fully engage them… that is when we exit Starbase 39 once again. Sterling out.”

He then looked at Pasqual and rhetorically asked “Now what was that that you were saying about timing?”