Chapter 5: Game Plan (part 4)

Chapter 5: Game Plan (part 4)

Archer returned to the Icarus tactical station where he sat down next to Cassie Strider who was sitting in the assistant tactical chair. He turned to his friend and partner with a grim expression on his face.

"How is the training going?"

Cassie smirked "Callen and Thran have met with off shift ops and medical personnel. They'll do engineering later."

"Good."

"Brian, what's wrong," Cassie asked quietly clearly concerned with Brian's demeanor

"I just have a bad feeling Cass..."

"About what?"

"About this whole situation. The saboteur, the ambushes...we're walking into a trap and I don't think there's anything we can do about it. There isn't a tactical officer in the entire fleet that would want to be on this ship right now."

Cassie smiled "Maybe that's why Janeway sent you."

"I'm serious Cassie, I don't know what's waiting for us, but I know it's going to get worse before it gets better. At least during the war I knew we could win. Admiral Ross, Captain Sisko, I believed in them and in their plans."

"Are you saying you don't believe in the captain?"

"I don't know...I don't know him well enough. This is his first command, and I think Starfleet is making a mistake sending just one ship. They should have sent the entire damn second fleet and they sent one ship. The deck is stacked against us Cass, and I don't think we're going to like how the cards are going to fall."

"What about Duron, and the Romulan?"

"Duron I trust...the Romulans...you remember what Stone used to say?" he asked referring to their former Section 31 handler

Cassie frowned and then nodded in rememberance "Never trust a Romulan."

"Exactly."

"We did save his life," she reminded him

"True I suppose," Brian conceded "I guess we'll find out soon enough..."

"For what it’s worth," Cassie said "I hope your wrong."

"Me too, now, let's see about setting up a point defense phaser program. It will help us pick off slow moving plasma torpedoes, and fighters."

The two tactical officers set to work trying to give the Icarus a fighting chance, if nothing else.

* * *

As he went back to the communication station, Pasqual overheard the security chief and his assistant. Not that he tried to eavesdrop; but if he was a counselor, it was because he was attentive... and had keen sight and hearing.
But he did not say anything. Morale was also his responsibility.

He knew this man Archer would not let his doubt spill over to the rest of the crew, at least not beyond his close collaborators, also trained in keeping things closed up. And Ray, as a professional therapist, could do so just as well. But then, he could not help but cross eyes for a moment with Archer and a flash of shared apprehension passed briefly between them.

There was nothing they could do... except being ready to mop up afterwards... That is, If they survived, not just a much more cunning, experienced and probably now well prepared enemy, but their own captain as well.

The counselor was a trained, experienced specialist in psychology and behavior; he saw how Sterling was so overwhelmed by his new responsiblities given so swiftly that he was misjudging the whole situation, his allies, his enemies, even his ship and his own officers. Sterling was an emotional, take-charge kind of officer, much like Benjamin Sisko had been, but who fancied himself a rational, team-working commander like Jean-Luc Picard; but he was not. He was not at all ready and willing to ask and use the expertise of his senior officers to build plans and make decisions; in his mind, healready knew all that mattered, had all the facts, had all theright answers and asked only for approval,not help and even less discussion.

His renewed hostility towards his own counselor daring, again, to point out any weakness in his reasoning, any lack of information from his part, especially when even his own tactical Chief supported Ray's arguments, plainly showed it.

Despite following strict protocol to do his job in the most professional and thorough manner possible, Ray had seen in every hardening line of Sterling's face, every darkening flash of his eyes, every shortening intake of his breath, how his words were only met with disdain and haughtiness; rejection and hostility in every rationalisation, every evasion, every contradiction the captain voiced in return. How dare he, a lieutenant Commander, dispute the genius of his finely elaborated plans? How dare he, a counselor, offer any analysis and recommendation and so question the validity of his masterful plan? Howdare he, an officer thrice demoted, question his commanding officer's judgment with his commander'sown words and misconceptions?

It was not what the counselor said that irritated Sterling; it was the mere fact that he said it.

And there was nothing Ray could do about it. Sterling was not psychologically unfit for duty simply because it was his way or the highway. Hewas thecaptain; it was hisright to simply order them whatever he judged adequate;his prerogative to accept or reject, seek or ignore the expertise around him, even if only to follow his gut. His job was solely to make the decisions any wayhe best saw fit and assumeall the responsibility of them.

Starfleet Command, but especially facts, would say if he was right or wrong in doing so.

Nevertheless, this simulacrum of consulting procedure, when he clearly loathed being disputed, when he only saw arrogance and confrontation when only insight and advice was offered, might just have been to get reassurance or admiration from others; whatever the psychological need behind it, it had been a complete waste of time; worse, a deterrent to morale and efficiency... and further proof of his lack of maturity as a starship commander.

Now, Pasqual could only hope that he would grow up before contact with the enemy.

For all their sake.

* * *

The massive warship dropped out of warp behind the third moon of the Khii planet. A class three natural satellite, it's mass covered the ensuing activity of Sa'arvik and the two air wings. Opening fire, the huge battle cruiser destroyed the visible orbital weapons platform's guarding the system. Within second's, the hangars opened and fifteen Reman Scorpion class fighter's streaked out to destroy the other three platforms surrounding the planet.

As this occurred, the first air wing streaked into view, dropping out of warp and then got underway toward the other two moons of the planet using a micro-warp jump to appear alongside these orbital platforms. Within four minutes of entering the Khii system,all heavy platforms guarding the planet were destroyed, and Sa'aevik got underway toward the planet Khii
itself, her Scorpion fighter's now re-grouped and riding a combat air patrol around their parent ship.

"Sub-commander, send the signal."

An ensuing pulse twitched out and all the Romulan mines surrounding the planet went inert and had their command algorithms re-coded and re-activated. Now under Sa'arvik's control, he ordered them dispersed into new, much more distant orbits, where they re-cloaked and awaited any unwary ships that approached the planet. Satisfied, Sa'arvik then ordered the next phase of his trap.

"Send to wing one: Commence deployment."

The air wing of eighteen Jem'Hadar attack fighters, original complement of the re-named IRW Sienae, swarmed forward and deployed their cargo of Houdinis; Dominion sub-space mines that appeared randomly out of hiding. Eighty mines dropped from each fighter and streaked into the atmosphere below, scattering randomly throughout Khii's biosphere. The large former Dominion battle cruiser, refurbished on Ferenginaar, also dropped an additional fifteen hundred of the anti-personnel mines into the planetary atmosphere below. Once done, the Scorpions swarmed back aboard her and the Sienae re-cloaked and got underway to take up station somewhere nearby.

The attack ships warped out of the system, but remained light seconds away on stand-by, cloaked in squadrons of three surrounding the system.

There was now a nasty surprise awaiting any peace delegates trying to get into the Khii system, and further surprises awaited any unlucky transport beams that intersected a hidden Houdini mine circling everywhere on the planet.