RP Log: A Thought Experiment
| Roleplay Log | |
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Location(s):
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Stardate:
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| 2022-08-09 23:25 | |
- Captain's Ready Room <USS Buran NX-96400>
- The Captain's ready room is separated by a low railing and a small step, into two sections. The lower tier, the same level the entry door, is for more formal meetings with the Captain, and includes a wooden desk with a single chair on the far side.
- The raised tier has a long sofa along the outer bulkhead just below a window. A small glass oval coffee table is in front of the sofa. A food replicator is also available along the far bulkhead.
T'Shaav is standing near her viewscreen, though what's on it isn't clear, as she's blocking it. She's set out a tray with a small catnip, a water, and a Vulcan tea on it. Apparently you are meant to get a choice. "Come in, Ensign, sit down," she says without turning around, making some final adjustment to her viewscreen.
The Caitian enters running clawed fingers through her mane, apparently trying to settle it into place after either sleeping or having her head in some ship guts somewhere. "Thanks, sir." She does as she's bidden, perching on the edge of the chair and taking the catnip water in one hand. "What can I do for you?"
The Vulcan turns and walks to another chair, not behind her desk. The viewscreen is actually blank at the moment. "The situation on deck 4," she says. "Where do matters stand. Is deck 4 completely habitable once more following the decompression incident?"
"It's patched up for the most part, sir," Znaiyu says. "We won't have any pressure or atmosphere leaks if we head out now, if that's what you mean." She sips at the catnip. "I think there are still some small repairs to be done but they're internal. Bulkheads, some circuitry, that sort of thing. I don't know if Lieutenant LePage wants to look it all over personally, but the last reports that came in look good to me, sir."
T'Shaav nods. "Very well." A beat. Her expression doesn't change at all, but she appears to be considering her words. "Ensign. Junior officers can sometimes be overlooked because they are new and inexperienced, and they can be treated, therefore, as though they have little of substance to contribute to a given situation. I view the matter differently. Sometimes, the lack of experience in the realities of Fleet life lends someone the fresh perspective necessary to generate ideas that can be useful. So, I am going to pose you a problem, and my only requirement is that you consider it and give me your candid answer. This is not a test, but it will be a thought exercise. Am I being clear?"
"Crystal clear," Znaiyu says at once. Quite unintimidated, she leans forward, ears pricked and whiskers quivering with suppressed enthusiasm. "Go ahead, I'm all ears."
T'Shaav steeples her fingers. "Very well. In this exercise, you are a starship commander of higher rank. A captain, if you prefer. An officer under your command is being held by hostile forces in hostile territory during peacetime without any open hostility existing. your mission is simple. Locate and retrieve him, preferably without fomenting a fullscale interstellar incident." A beat. "How would you do this?"
"By stealth," Znaiyu says. "Question is how possible that is with what I hypothetically have at my command. The Cardassians ..." She pauses, unable to hide a sly smile as she amends, "I mean, our hostile foreign power ... knows we have some cloaks available, but can't detect them yet. Is that right?" She looks like she's still thinking a plan through, but pauses for the answer to that question first.
"In theory, that is still correct," the Vulcan allows.
"So then our biggest problem would be transporting our crewmember away without raising alarm," Znaiyu muses. "I think going in undercover would be more trouble than its worth, unless there's a possibility that our captive is going to be sold again. If not, then I would looking into approaching directly under cloak and attempting to camouflage our transporter signal. Weather patterns can play hell with transporter locks, but they can also do a fair job of muddling up traces of a transporter signal and that could allow us enough time to slip away before they could even really begin looking." She bites her lip, sharp canines appearing for a moment. "Or we go for a trade."
"A trade?" T'Shaav inquires. Her face gives nothing away as to her thoughts concerning what has been said.
The visible moment of hesitation is pretty rare for the Caitian, but it's very obvious. She covers it with a drink of her catnip, and then decides to go ahead and dive into the deep end. "I don't really understand how all of these problems we're having right now are connected," she says. "/I/ thought the gravimetric phenomena we're been tracking down were linked to the Cardassians. After what happened in system recently, that doesn't seem like it's the case anymore. So I was just thinking. From their reactions, I'd guess we already have more info on it than they do, and we haven't really even /begun/ digging into what we do have yet. What I mean to say is, we have leads on an active threat to the Cardassian Union. Maybe if we can convince them - unofficially, of course - that we can help them solve their mysterious exploding ship problem, they might - totally unofficially - fail to notice an odd transporter signal or a missing captive they shouldn't have had in the first place." She puts her glass down and spreads her hands, facial muscles tightening for a moment before she makes an effort to relax again. "I just can't help but consider that they're less likely to want to fight us if we've got some good will built up in the meantime."
"Intriguing," the Vulcan says. "The Phoenix crew located a group of Sorions on Volan Three, suggesting that the scientist we were all interested in is there. Volan is in Cardassian space. Therefore, for what you suggest to be true, it posits a splinter group or unofficial element operating from within Cardassian space."
"Isn't Commander Coil being held there as well?" Znaiyu says. "If that's the case, maybe the official Cardassian government will be even more willing to lend a hand - or turn a blind eye, anyway. They get rid of a splinter faction they might not be fond of, they can spin it so they look good to their people, and they don't risk any of their own actual assets. We'd run a risk to ourselves if something went really, really wrong, but I think having the Cardassians at least theoretically behind us is a smarter idea than trying to escape wholly without detection. That's a bigger risk and if it fails, there's not much that would stop the Cardassians from calling it a breach of the peace."
"There is some logic to that notion," the Vulcan replies. "At last report, Commander Coil was being held aboard a Cardassian warship in the Volan system. A warship with its shields raised. We do not, of course, know whether he is still aboard."
"So then ..." Znaiyu tugs a whisker thoughtfully. "This hypothetical splinter group is probably not the group who has him. Is that a logical assumption to make do you suppose?"
"That assumption would fit the known facts to date," the Vulcan says. "Intelligence to date suggests that the Cardassian military per se purchased him from the intermediaries who abducted him."
"Well then," Znaiyu says, and her tail quivers lightly behind her with growing confidence in the thought. "We just have to convince the military that getting rid of their splinter cell is worth more to them than whatever Commander Coil can offer. Since this third party has an undetectible weapon that can destroy a ship of any size, practically in an instant, at some range, and disappear again ..." She wrinkles her nose. "If I was their government, I would give it some serious thought."
"And what, precisely, do we have to trade?" She says. "You have witnessed many encounters."
"Right now ..." Znaiyu thinks about this, emptying her glass as she does. "We're rich in raw data, like I said before, sir. Even that could be a jumping-off point for them. But I think we could likely do better. LePage and I have been combing the data specifically searching for a way to detect the anomalies that proceed the weapon's effects and we if we have a bit more time, I know we'll have something concrete on that. Again, that on its own could save the Cardassians lots of equipment even if they don't trust us to offer anything more." She taps a claw against the rim of the glass. "If we wanted, we might even be able to lure the ship with the weapon into a trap. Not that I'm exactly for offering the Cardassians that technology on a platter, but the possibility is there. Since our third party is trying to set Starfleet and the Cardassians against each other, it shouldn't be too difficult to give them cause to show up again, provided we have Cardassian cooperation in secret. But that's all a little too hypothetical, I suppose."
"It does become speculative and hypothetical," she says. "Yet the premise remains. Traid what we know concerning the weapon and its functionality in exchange for our science officer."
"Exactly," Znaiyu nods her head rapidly. "I think it's possible, sir. I think it might be the best option we have, especially if we don't want to run the risk of upsetting the peace, such as it is."
"Assuming," the Vulcan says, "that the Cardassians admit to having our officer. Not an admission that favors them. Unless you are again thinking of an extraction."
"I don't really expect a direct admission," Znaiyu says. "More ... a willingness to look away from an anomaly or two around the Volan system. They don't need to /admit/ they have him if they know we know. All we need them to actually do is not put their whole heart into tracking him down again when he goes missing. They can blame the whole loss of Coil on bureaucracy, or a sensor malfunction, or some scapegoat being drunk on duty, and never have to admit anything directly to us or even to the majority of their citizens." She grins. "Diplomacy can be handy sometimes."
The Vulcan considers. "To use a popular expression, officer thinking, Ensign," she says. "Nothing is certain, but I perceive the merrit of your suggestion, as we are dealing with beings who are fundamentally illogical."
The cat being smiles broadly, and the quiet purring that vibrates through her chest, almost unable to be heard, seems to be automatic. It adds a lazy contentment to her words when she says, "I'm glad you think so, sir. I just know that I'd rather have Coil back sooner than later. And with as little extra damage as possible."
The Vulcan appears lost in thought, which is to say, she doesn't answer. After about ten seconds she says quietly, "Thank you, Ensign, that will be all." A beat. "But before you retire, load the power profile called, Docked. We are burning entirely too much fuel on these power settings while in port."
Still smiling, Znaiyu gets to her feet and salutes. "Good to see you like this again, sir," she says. And honestly really seems to mean it, too. "I'll get the power loadout changed right away. If you need anything else ..." she tugs at her commbadge, "you know where to find me."
T'Shaav nods, moving to her desk and calling up a series of rappidly scrolling data.