Hidden Agendas

Literary Challenge 11 - Hidden Agendas

A certain measure of righteousness
A certain amount of force
A certain degree of determination
Daring on a different course
--- RUSH, "One Little Victory", Vapor Trails

Kathryn sat in her ready-room chair and squirmed to be comfortable. She looked to the desk comp, a United Federation of Planets logo looking back at her. Under the logo an icon blinked. Turning to the viewport on the right, she patted her regulation-bun coif as if pushing down a stray hair, then pulled at her jacket to straighten out non-existent wrinkles. Sighing heavily, Kathryn decided to wait a few more seconds to gather her thoughts. The man she was about to talk to had given special orders for her to follow. She was about to give him bad news and he had a reputation for not appreciating such news from captains of the fleet.

Pressing the activation icon, a human male appeared with distinctly Asian features. His skin was darker than expected without the wrinkles that would normally define his age. Yet the silver streaks in his otherwise black hair above his ears betrayed his seniority. Another shock of silver washed over the front crest of his hairline and flowed toward the top of his head. The man's eyes were steel blue and his lips perpetually frowned. He shifted in his chair and brought both hands together to intertwine his aged hands. The skin on his hands suggested he worked manual labor for several decades, but Kathryn knew he had been an Admiral in Starfleet for over half his life.

"Admiral Kurita, I am ready with my report."

The Admiral simply nodded. A small part of Kathryn's soul wanted to say anything else than what she knew had to be said.

"Camus II needs to stay quarantined."

Takashi Kurita's frown deepened. "Your orders were to find a way to lift the quarantine." His baritone voice, coupled to his thick Japanese accent, pierced Kathryn's resolve, but did not destroy it. She knew she was right and that confidence shielded her from Kurita's persona.

Kathryn nodded. "Yes, sir. As you are aware, Camus II was an archaeological survey site of an ancient civilization. Then Captain Kirk's revelation of events from the survey team's mysterious deaths in 2269 prompted the planet to be quarantined. Per your orders, I accompanied the Away Team to corroborate the last reports Starfleet received and to determine if Starfleet can use Camus II as an evacuation destination from, or counter-offensive launch point to, the Bajoran Wormhole.

"It's been over a century since Kirk's visit. What did you find?"

"The Federation site experienced heavy damage from environmental factors and neglect. The life-swapping alien artifacts were still intact and functional." Kathryn cleared her throat. "I lost my Tactical Chief in that discovery." She bit the inside of her lower lip just enough to feel it without showing Kurita. He would not be interested in the details, but Karl Melango was a good officer. Although his handling of the artifact may have been reckless, the visual state of the artifact betrayed it's potential. His life force was literally drained from his body and the event did not look peaceful.

Kurita responded as Kathryn expected. "So the loss of one life suggests a continued quarantine around an entire star system." It was not a question.

Kathryn sat back into her chair, more relaxed with her position in the discussion. "Yes, sir. The artifacts and surrounding ruins seemed inert and ancient enough to be safe. Orbital and local scans did not reveal any active energy source. Karl ... the officer acted with reasonable precautions based on that data. His loss suggests further items, and possibly the entire site, is dangerous enough to require highly sensitive attention. More than Solaris is equipped to handle."

"But a whole star system?"

"Admiral, based on my experience, locally the risk is too great."

Takashi 's affect was blank. Kathryn sensed he was expecting more information and she breathed quickly. "Furthermore, I suggest it will be easier to maintain the current quarantine instead of changing it based on this mission."

"Explain."

"To be blunt, Admiral, the quadrant has known to avoid this system for over one-hundred years ... nothing needs to change officially. Unless other actions are ordered, of course."

A smile grew on Takshi's face, to Kathryn's surprise. "Captain Beringer, given what you know, do you have any recommendation you did not place in your report?"

Kathryn sighed and looked away to think. Camus II was a dead planet and the civilization was utterly ruined, presumably by their own technology. The life-energy transfer devices were abundant and looked inconspicuous like a vase or other decoration. Without an energy signature, Karl's death from the mechanism was a shock to the team and they evacuated without further investigation. If Kurita was fishing for out-of-the-box thinking to lift the quarantine, then Kathryn would oblige.

"Captain Cortez with USS Zurich has experienced staff with the best archaeology suites equipped. I didn't make the recommendation officially because it's more appropriate for others to order Cortez to Camus II." Kathryn shrugged casually as she reached past reasonable alternatives, "that or destroy the ruins using the experimental javelin lance weapon on board the USS Titanicus. But that would cause extreme destruction to the surface."

Kurita nodded. "Interesting suggestions, Captain." He lifted a finger briefly from his clasped hands. "The Titanicus is still field testing and any non-classified reports should be disregarded."

Kathryn knew what that meant and the Admiral was not subtle. "Yes, sir."

The Admiral unclasped his hands and leaned back in his chair. His demeanor suddenly became relaxed. "Your insight to the matter is appreciated. We have new orders for Solaris. Expect them within the hour. Command out." The image suddenly switched to the logo of the UFP.

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Cast:
Kathryn Beringer - Rachel Nichols
Takashi Kurita - Ken Watanabe