Resolve in the Dark

Posted on Wed Oct 14th, 2026 @ 6:01pm by Captain Remy Johansen & Major (Aendeh) Toval & Ensign Zera Leyar & Sub-Commander (erei'Riov) Minatha ir'Ra'tleihfi i'Liorae-sihaer & Lieutenant (Erein) R’heveh s’Hei
Edited on on Sun Oct 25th, 2026 @ 2:32pm

2,227 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: Maintenance and Recovery
Location: Praetorian Warbird Vindex
Timeline: November 3. 2026, MD02 (the aftermath)

Minatha had been a flurry of orders and movement the last couple of days since the pounding that Astrea had given the Vindex; the sturdy old bird had survived just fine but there were many repairs to be done. Internally she was just glad that the conflict was over for now; She would never openly admit it but she was "fond of the old tug" as the humans would have put it. She sat in her seat on the bridge; waiting for a report that was nearly an hour overdue and her mind was spinning as she had heard nothing from Admiral Rixx or Tal Shiar Command and to some degree that was concerning.

Finally the console in her chair chimed, alerting her to a new report being submitted; unfortunately not the one that she had been expecting. Instead it was from Engineering where the Singularity Core had been vaguely unstable for the last day during repairs. She opened a comms channel to Engineering as she scanned through the report. She wanted the news fast; not at the speed she could read.

Several decks below and aft, Lieutenant Vranak, the ship's Engineer, was leaning halfway inside an access hatch, holding an omni-spanner in one hand, a diagnostic scanner in the other, and a tiny pen light between his teeth. He spit the light out when he realized the channel was open. Of course Minatha would want a brief verbal report and not a more detailed written version. He should have known. "Commander, radiation levels are contained and back down within the safety range. Magnetic stasis is holding. Impulse manifold is up and running at normal temperature and pressure. Repair to the main sensor array is progressing at a satisfactory pace. Estimate no more than thirty minutes to full combat capability."

"Make it twenty" came the cold response; Minatha was not displeased but anxious to be completely operational. She terminated the channel, cutting her Engineers last words short and focusing her attention on the console again; she pulled up a star chart; searching it as the realization that though there was no apparent pursuit that the Vindex' sensors had been damaged enough to cause disturbances in scans. With their repairs complete the Vindex could finally return to listening in on Astrea and the news surrounding the Accords.

After a few long moments of searching she found what she was looking for; a communications relay that would be carrying the messages to and from the various Starfleet ships at Barisa Prime. She looked up from her console and to the helm. "Helm; you have coordinates for a nearby communications relay; get us moving under sublight engines and maintain our cloak. Once we are out of range of these asteroids take us to warp 2."

R’heveh i’Mhiessan s’Hei stood at the Tactical station, tugged at his checkerboard uniform, feeling the shoulder pads better settle into place, aiding him in giving the powerful and imposing silhouette he fancied he had. The Vindex had taken a beating, but had given as good as she could, and had lived to tell the tale. The faint spiderwebbing of green cuts across his cheek bore witness to his part in the struggle. 'Should we prepare for hostilities Sub-Commander?'

Minatha stared at the Tactical officer slightly dumbfounded for a long moment before answering. "We should always be prepared for hostilities at a moments notice. However; we are idle and under repair at the moment. Maintain readiness."

Suppressing an eye roll, R'heveh nodded in response. 'Maintaining readiness,' he replied in a tightly controlled tone. The Vindex performs admirably with the exception of her commander, he griped to himself. Of course he was prepared for hostilities, but moving the ship to an active footing would make things simpler. He smiled inwardly, Minatha was slipping, R'heveh felt, and he intended to take full advantage of it when she fell.

Almost as if she had heard the thought her voice sharpened and became staccato. "Don't forget that weapons being brought into readiness gives off a measure of radiation that can be picked up through our cloak and shields alike. At the first sign of trouble ready weapons and bring us to combat readiness."

'As you command, erei'Riov,' R'heveh replied, frustratingly pausing bringing the weapons to readiness as they remained under cloak. Taking out the comms relay would bloody the Federation's nose, and he was out for blood, to show them they could never be complacent before the Romulans. He flexed his shoulders, trying to relieve the knot that was growing between the blades. This could be a long cycle.

Major Toval stepped out of the turbolift and surveyed the bridge.

"Subcommander, sensor data is unable to fully verify the destruction of the weapon," he said in his typical neutral tone. "Or that the shuttle was completely destroyed."

Seated at the helm station was a younger female Romulan with chin-length jet-black hair that shone in the green-hued lights of the Vindex's bridge. While her features appeared delicate and almost bird-like, her deep-set eyes seemed constantly narrowed and suspicious. Toval knew her as Shiret--Centurion Shiret.

"Coordinates laid in to the relay station, Subcommander. Moving at sublight speed."

The helm officer glanced over at Jopal, the operations officer, unsure whether their commander would welcome Toval's update.

"Do we have drones left operational? Perhaps some that are within range to receive commands?" Minatha asked; tone quiet as she fought not to shake her head. "I want proof that we achieved our goal."

"Within range, yes Sub-Commander. But not without risking giving away too much of our telemetry," Toval replied. "Astrea stayed to do an active sensor sweep, and support vessels are almost in range to relieve her."

"Can we send a coded signal to those remaining out to initiate an automatic sweep for the shuttle debris and ensure it is destroyed? After we send it we should get underway back to our rendezvous." Minatha raised a brow; she was certain that the drones could be used as a decoy to ensure the Vindex made a clean getaway.

"It is possible, Commander," Toval replied. "Not without risks, but I will do it."

"If necessary take a shuttle to see it done; plenty of shuttle traffic in the area currently." Minatha raised a brow at him; expecting some form of resistance against the order. It was not uncommon but Toval occasionally gave her pushback. And, usually; it was for a good reason.

Toval acknowledged the order with a simple and subtle turn of his head in her direction and continued working at his console. He preferred to not be on her kill list today.

Another alert graced Minatha's console. An arrival in the transporter room.

Minatha looked to a Centurion and motioned them toward the door to the bridge. "Go escort our guest from the transporter room." Her tone was cold and tense as ever and she watched the centurion snap a salute and leave the bridge.

Only a minute later, a new guest appeared on the bridge. The Bajoran spy posted on the Astrea. The only name he went by on the Vindex was Koran. He didn't care for rank, and only Minatha knew his real name. It took about a year to prove himself to her, and another two years to encourage her and Toval to trust him with his particular skillset. He was in swim trunks and a shirt with a nauseating pattern only suitable for a beach environment. A layer of sunscreen and sweat from the warmth on Barisa Prime produced a slight sheen on his skin. On the surface, his communicator and a strategically-calibrated tricorder sat with his things inside a changing room. To the Astrea, that's where he was. Everyone had been too busy outside in the sun to notice the sound of a transporter beam.

His blue-grey eyes settled on the command chair and its occupant. He wasn't looking forward to this.

"I have only a few minutes, Sub-Commander," Koran began. From his pocket, he presented a data chip. "I've tracked the whereabouts of my partner, as she was captured by Starfleet. At present, it is too risky for me to extract her, not unless you want another fight with the Astrea."

"Ah; Koran. I've been expecting you. Give us a full report; everybody on the bridge can know the stakes of failure." She clapped her hands together; the sound sharp in the relative silence of the bridge.

Despite the sugar-coated lethality of Minatha's words, Koran kept his expression neutral. "The scientist failed to neutralise the target." He didn't care to learn the names of his peers aboard the Vindex. If anything, it granted him as much plausible deniability as them knowing him by an alias. He just knew that the civilian in charge of the weapon was caught up in his own ego. "He took too long, and that goddamn Vulcan who interfered last time was able to stabilise her. Furthermore, the attempted use of the weapon triggered a security lockdown because they believed there were infiltrators aboard. My partner was captured, and I barely got away myself."

He held up the data chip. "The Astrea's scans showed they were searching for a cloaked ship, found it, and fired at it." As if to prove a point, a subtle groan of metal came from somewhere deep within the Vindex's core. "They knew the Vindex was in the area. You all got lucky." He tossed the chip onto the nearest console. "The only good thing that came out of this was that it did disrupt the Accords."

The stink of the man filled R'heveh's nostrils, offending his delicate Romulan sensibilities. He pulled a face behind him, quickly returning to his customary glower as he reflected just how unfortunate it was that they were dependent on such ilk to work for them. Still, he conceded sniffily, Koran had done good work for them over the past few years. But a Romulan could do better.

Minatha glanced around the bridge; gauging the faces of those around her. After a moment she addressed Koran. "You may not be able to rescue your fellow spy... but can you get poison into her meals or drinks in the brig? I do not want any loose ends that might lead to further risk to our mission."

Koran turned his focus onto Minatha. "Of course. I can make it look like a fatal allergic reaction." It would be a shame, because she'd proven herself to be a worthy partner only to let herself be arrested. Despite a fairly masked expression, his eyes did narrow slightly. "I don't tolerate mistakes. She would have redeemed herself if she had gotten killed and took a few of those soul-suckers with her."

"Then see it done. You have tarried too long here and you have work to do. Don't get caught, Koran... You have been a valuable asset thus far. Don't let the status quo change." Minatha nodded; arching her fingers to stretch them briefly before letting her hands drop back to her sides.

"I don't get caught, Subcommander. You will know when the job is done." With a simple nod, Koran turned to his escort before the two left for the transporter room. The data chip he brought was still on the console he'd tossed it onto.

As Koran exited the bridge, R'heveh breathed easier. He found that the atmospheric scrubbers often had trouble clearing the stench of yikh from the air, and it would be a while before he'd regain his equilibrium. To concentrate his mind, he rehearsed the power-up sequence of the forward disruptor array.

Minatha watched him go; he was a good agent but even he did not have her full trust; it was a deadly mistake to give complete trust in the Tal Shiar and she was far from one to let herself be exposed. She turned her gaze to R'heveh and addressed him. "Track him through the ship and ensure he actually departs us. Once he is gone bring us to battle readiness."

Flashing a smile, R'heveh nodded his understanding, keying the internal sensors to Kovac's bio-signs. Knowing that their own sensors were ... lacking in comparison to some others, he also tasked two uhlans to follow in the spy's wake with all necessary subtlety. 'Done, as ordered,' he barked out in confirmation. 'The eel won't slip their net.'

---

Sub-Commander Minatha ir'Ra'tleihfi i'Liorae-sihaer
Commander Officer
PWB Vindex
Tal Shiar
(NPC of Alexandra Blackstone)


Major Toval
Executive Officer
PWB Vindex
Tal Shiar
written by Dorsainvil (retired) and Johansen


Lt. Commander Ryan Keel
Chief of Diplomatic Intelligence
USS Astrea
(As R'heveh s'Hel)


Ensign Zera Leyar
Operations Officer
USS Astrea
(NPC of Jezra Siv; As Koran)

 

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