Station #47: Hidden Surprise

Posted on Tue Nov 5th, 2024 @ 10:13pm by Taavis {SF Capt. Ret.} {S.S. Harbinger}

Mission: FINAL JUDGEMENT
Location: various
Timeline: Current

ON:

Having been dropped at a colony world off the beaten path, connecting with her contact there, and then boarding a 'civilian' runabout, Taavis eased back in the co-pilot's seat as the pilot flew them to the next location. The central hub for Intelligence work by not only a Starfleet group, Invictus, but also a hub for Federation Intelligence. It took several hours and neither Taavis nor her pilot seemed willing to engage in small talk. She had a lot on her mind as how to best approach her new life on M-69. Sureth and David Wallace would be those she dealt with, mainly, but there were others she could count on. Bjorgo, O'Connell, Callaghan, Green, and a few others. She was not under the command of Wallace, as she was no longer Starfleet, but they were both Intel in their own right and needed to bounce off of one another.

Dropping from warp just outside of a rather dark star system with no appreciable planets worth mentioning, Taavis began to tap keys and look to the data provided by the sensors. The star here was a white dwarf, so it burned colder than other stars unless up close. It was a system full of gas giants, one of which was the size of Jupiter, and as her pilot drove through the system, it seemed to be their final destination. As they approached the massive gas giant, the pilot finally spoke up as he looked over at his guest with a crooked grin. "Don't shit yourself with what I'm about to do. Clench the armrests and trust this is what we need to do."

"If you say so," Taavis replied, not sure as to what he meant. If not for Vulcan discipline then her anxiety would have been apparent to the outside observer. As it were, she held her mud, gripped the armrests, and prepared for whatever the pilot had in mind.

Accelerating to full impulse the pilot drove straight at the gas giant, as if to pierce it head on instead of entering the atmosphere as they should. Everything in Taavis wanted to rip him from the seat, toss him aside, and take over. But, as he had said, this needed to be done and she was to trust in what was happening. She was far from soiling her undies, but this did seem a bit suicidal. Again, calling on Vulcan discipline, Taavis got her body under control, even allowing her hands to relax. After a few minutes they plunged into the gas giant, the gaseous atmosphere lasting about thirty seconds before they broke through to an open inner space; a bubble within the false gas giant. The pilot slowed their speed, and even as he did, Taavis could see a Borg sphere directly ahead. Unlike other Borg vessels, lit up with their sickly green lighting, this one had the white and yellow lights of standard personnel.

"Did you pinch a hole in your seat, Miss?" The pilot chuckled.

"Almost," Taavis responded, grinning in return. "I have to admit it did catch me off-guard. Had you not warned me, you'd be dead."

The man nodded a few times. "Admiral Stone said you might react badly if I surprised you. So, I gave you warning. Thanks for not tearing my head off with your bare hands."

Taavis, now relaxing even further, gave him a smile. "Don't mention it. So, is this our final destination?"

"That it is." The pilot continued to move toward the Borg sphere turned into a base.

TBC

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