Road to Razmena

Posted on 05 Oct 2016 @ 3:07am by Lieutenant Commander Camila Di Pasquale & Captain Harvey Geisler

3,499 words; about a 17 minute read

Mission: Click Three Times
Location: Captain's Mess
Timeline: MD 8 || 1300 Hours

Lieutenant Camila Di Pasquale, former Chief of Security and now Acting Executive Officer of the USS Black HAwk had a PADD in her right hand and a look of utter disgruntlement on her face. She debated asking the computer for the location of the Captain but changed her mind and tapped her combadge with her free hand. =^=Lieutenant Di Pasquale to Captain Geisler. Do you have a moment, Sir?=^=

Having finished his training session with Joey, and just about to sit down in the Captain's Mess for a warm meal, the first cooked meal since before the midnight wake up call, it took just about everything to keep himself from frowning at the Acting XO's voice. Still, Harvey wasn't about to let the steaming pasta, covered in broccoli, carrots and olive oil go to waste or go cold. If she needed to meet with him, she'd have to join him for lunch. Tapping his badge, he asked, "What is it, Lieutenant?"

=^=I'd like to meet with you as soon as you're available to begin to gather information on Razmena, Sir,=^= Camila said as she checked a chrono as she paced back and forth down one corridor and back. She felt as if she had been thrust into a situation blind and didn't even have an enemy that she could target.

Harvey nodded, though she couldn't see it. "Have you eaten, yet?" he asked over the channel.

The question made Camila pause and she tried to remember if she had or not, then decided that she hadn't. =^=No, Sir,=^= she responded, wondering about the relevancy of the question.

"Then join me in the Captain's Mess," he replied to her. "Geisler out." Instantly, he tapped his badge again and requested another bowl of pasta from the galley. Hopefully, the Lieutenant and the meal would arrive at the same time, if not close enough together. While he waited, Harvey left his own bowl untouched.

The Captain's Mess? Camila wondered, then realized that she was interrupting his meal, probably one of the few hot ones that he'd had since who knew when? She shook her head at her lousy timing and headed for the nearest turbolift and requested deck five. Maybe she'd actually get some better fare there than they served at the Officer's Mess or even Talon's and decided that she wouldn't bring up the business of Razmena unless he broached the subject.

When the turbolift came to a halt, the honey blonde haired woman stepped out and headed down the corridor until she arrived at the private domain that few had been invited to. She checked her uniform, then entered. "Sir," she said politely as she noticed the bowls of pasta sitting in front of him and realized that she had been right and she had interrupted his lunch. "If this is a bad time, Captain..."

"Of course not," Harvey said, gesturing to the extra bowl that had just arrived. "I'm used to handling ship business over lunch. Have a seat."

Camila made her way over and took the offered seat before she looked at the pasta, then up at him. "I'm Italian by birth, Sir," she said. "Meal time was never a time for business unless you wanted cracked with a spoon. I promise not to do that to you, though."

Harvey chuckled, picking up his fork and taking the first bite. "It comes with the territory," he told her. "I envy the Captain who gets to eat in solitude."

"Those four pips give you the right to say two simple words, Captain," Camila pointed out as she reached for her fork and sampled a bite. "Not bad, but I'd go for a garlic asiago alfredo with this."

"And what would those be?" Harvey said, trying to not allow his primal instincts to take over and immediately consume the entire bowl. "Go away? Not now?" he guessed.

"Get out," she said. "Two of the simplest, most direct words that convey exactly what you mean in no uncertain terms. Dismissed is the friendlier and more economic way to say it."

"Indeed," Harvey replied with a singular word of his own. He could carry on the debate, but he was certain neither of them had time for that today. "So... Razmena." No sooner had he said the name of the space station, he ate another fork-full of pasta.

Camila laid the PADD on the table and took another bite of the pasta, but waited until she had chewed and swallowed before she responded. "There's less information on this place than there is in a guide on how to raise a rock, Captain."

He nodded slowly. "It's probably just as well," the Captain told her. "This is an alternate reality. If this facility even exists, we'll be lucky."

"Sir, in our meeting, you said there were no original members of the away team still on the ship,," Camila started. "Lieutenant Stuart was on the original team."

The Captain blinked. "Lieutenant Stuart?" he repeated. "Honestly, this ship has seen so much turnover since I took command, I must have forgotten that she'd gone to the station. Have you had the chance to debrief her?"

"No, Sir," Camila said and took another bite of her pasta. "You wanted me to talk to you before I started anything."

He nodded, having glazed over that detail from last night. "I imagine we're walking into something that would make the Orions and Ferengi collectively jealous. And, no one knows who we are, much less what we are and what we represent. So, let's start there. Your first thoughts?"

"Considering we have no idea what is going to be there, if it's going to be there, what type of currency..." she paused and activated the PADD to reference something. "Correction, the last away team used some type of crystal as currency, but there's no mention of what kind. I strongly suggest that the away team be heavy on Security and you have eyes implanted in the back of everyone's head."

"I doubt I'm ready for that," Harvey replied, completely sarcastic. "Or any human having four eyes for that matter." Sighing, he added, "I've already asked Lieutenant Corwin to pull together the best of the best. As for currency, i don't suppose you've remembered any of the lessons at the academy during the lectures on first contact scenarios."

"Find a cultural common ground and build from there," Camila said after taking another bite of the pasta. "Culture is key when it comes to learning everything about a person. What forms of speech they use, what is acceptable and what isn't, what is needed versus what they have. There's a lot of variables to be considered. From what I read about Razmena in these reports, it's a bustling station with a wide variety of species and a huge marketplace and a lot of bars. The odds are good that we'll be able to barter for whatever we need, but the problem is will we be getting what we pay for?"

"We're going to have to trust something," Harvey said. "And we're not planning on staying, so as long as whatever we acquire will help us recover the Cochrane and make it home... that's good enough for me. Besides, information is the priority. We're not completely in the dark, as we know Karemma are involved."

"This D'rimo we encountered said he represents the Confederation," Camila pointed out. "That could mean the Karemma as a whole are a part of it, whatever it is. I don't like this at all. We're going in circles and all I can do is make the same suggestions." She slapped the PADD on the table and eyed the pasta that she no longer had a hunger for. "Some Executive Officer I am."

"The Karemma were also part of the Dominion," Harvey reasoned. "I haven't heard back from Commander Walsh yet, but if there's one thing we can rule out, it's the Dominion." He set down his fork as memories of his struggle with the Gamma Quadrant power came to the forefront. "Let's run with that. And while I remember your suggestions, we have to be absolutely careful with what we do in this... whatever this is. The less we leave behind, the better."

"There's also the matter of the Cochrane and what the Confederation already has from it and the crew," Camila said, hoping against hope that Temerant was alright. "We may end up leaving a bigger footprint than intended the way things stand and the way it's looking...we have have to leave an even bigger one."

He nodded. "You have a point." He picked up his fork and had another bite, thinking all the while. "Assuming I approve the use of probes, where would we send them, and how can we keep them -- and us -- secure while they're in use?"

"Out," she said simply. "We don't know where we are and we're going to need as many sensor readings as we can in every direction. As for keeping them secure, strip down any identifying marks and put self destruct codes on them that require our authorization to disarm. The moment they're intercepted the self destruct sequence would start and vaporize the probe if the codes aren't entered in five seconds."

"That's reasonable." Harvey thought about it a bit more. "We should send them at planets we know, like Teplan." He grunted, thinking about the sick truth behind his next rhetorical question, "Can you imagine what Teplan would have been like without the Dominion? No blight to subdue them? That way, we can at least learn more about what is different here."

"We may gain allies if they aren't under the same conditions here," Camila said after a moment of thought. "They had technology and were spacefaring before the Dominion. If they resisted this Confederation and are still friendly, they could give us a key that we need to fill in our knowledge games of this...reality."

"It's a shame Teplan's in the opposite direction," he lamented. "Still, proceed with the probes, starting with eight. Send six towards locations we would expect in our timeline. The other two, send... somewhere. They should serve as a distraction in case something is intercepted. In the meantime, we hold our course for Razmena. What do you think about showing up uniformed?"

She made a notation in the PADD for the probes before she looked back up at him. "Out of the question, Captain," she said. "We don't want to look like organized and trained when we go there unless it's posing as mercenaries. They'll immediately target us just for standing out and we don't want that kind of trouble without a lot more information than we have."

"I'm glad we agree on that," Harvey said, setting his fork down on the empty bowl. "I was thinking about that earlier today for many of the same reasons. I'm also thinking subdermal communicators and heavily armed security. I want people to think twice before wanting to take advantage of us."

"Agreed," Camila said. "I also suggest personal transporter armbands in the event the Mississippi isn't able to get to you in time. In addition, we have a few confiscated weapons that crewmembers have brought aboard and I have a weapon of my own in the armory which would be very effective. I would suggest taking those instead of standard Type II phasers."

"Armbands it is, as long as they're hidden from view." Harvey asked, moving the bowl aside and leaning forward. "What's this about confiscated weapons?"

"Lieutenant Rykov had a improvised Romulan disruptor she had made and turned in to me," Camila said. "I filed a report about it at the time it happened and stored it in the armory along with a pair of twin Cardassian disruptors which Chief Belkor surrendered voluntarily and they are legitimate. Lieutenant Corwin has a collection of firearms as well which would come in handy."

She looked at his hands for a moment and noted how strong they looked, then nodded. "I'd be honored if you'd take Bertha with you, Sir," she said. "She's a .454 magnum with a twenty millimeter grenade launcher under the barrell. I have an assortment of fragmentation, incendiary and stun grenades that go with her."

"Bertha?" Harvey repeated upon realizing he was talking about a firearm that didn't use an energy cell. "That ought to be rather effective in the field. How are the grenades carried? Bandolier or a special belt?" Shaking his head, he circled back to the confiscated firearms, remembering the twin disruptors his former Chief Engineer, Lieutenant Dicon, preferred to carry. "It's incredible how many people in Starfleet prefer a bit of variety as to the standard Type-II."

"In a special belt," Camila said. "Easy access and easy to load, but she can only fire one at a time so make that shot count. Of course, a .454 magnum round can punch a hole through ten feet of soft material with no problem, so if you need to use the grenade launcher, I'd suggest using it on something solid. The reason so many personnel use other types of firearms is because we've learned. The Borg adapted to our phasers too quickly. Power cells run dry. A projectile weapon...well, all you have to do is reload if the first six rounds didn't do the trick."

Harvey nodded, carefully listening to every word. "I'll have to spend some time with Bertha soon. If I'm going to carry it on the station, I've gotta know how to use it. Same with everyone else. They're going to need time with their weapons. We can't afford to show up, only for things to go south and we can't work our gear."

"We should be able to replicate some body armor as well," Camila said. "I spoke with Lieutenant Marion and she said that Operations had used quite a bit of material from the Chimera for the replicators. At the very least, I would suggest a type of armor with a high graphene content that can absorb varying degrees of energy as well a a ceramic alloy base for other types of projectile weapons."

"I have a feeling there's a fine line between showing up armed and showing up looking to take over," Harvey remarked. "Have that armor designed around some clothing, today, if possible. I want everyone to get used to wearing it since we'll need to appear well adjusted to how we look and operate. As for Razmena itself, we'll probably just have to go with the flow, seeing how we'll have no idea really what to expect."

"I'll get on it and the armory right away, but how many members of the away team do you plan on and other than Lieutenant Corwin, who have you selected? The armor is going to have to be customized," Camila said.

"Doctor Kij, Lieutenant Marion," Harvey replied. "Lieutenant Langston, of course. I've been considering taking Warrant Officer Tanika for her empathic abilities. And, Commander Walsh is supposed to be assigning two pilots for the escort duty. Has Lieutenant Corwin given you her recommendations for the security detachment?"

"She said that Ensign Hollingsworth and Chief Gutierrez would make a good addition. Gutierrez is half Betazoid and a strong empath," Camila said. "That brings the total up to seven, not counting the escorts, Sir. Six if you don't count Lieutenant Langston. I assume he'll be staying on the Mississippi?"

"I haven't decided," Harvey replied. "Between Joey and Jayla and Lieutenant Marion, I don't want to look like I'm escorted by a harem." While there was a smirk on his face when he said that, his tone was completely serious. Regardless, I don't want anyone in uniforms and ready for everything."

"I'll get on it, Captain," she said as she made additional notes on her PADD. "I sincerely hope that Operations doesn't give me any issues about heavy use of the replicators and materials that will be needed for the clothing."

"I'm sure Lieutenant Marion is concerned about resources," Harvey said, having to stop himself from saying Commander Bast. "And rightfully so. This mission is certainly about survival, but we need to do what we need to do on Razmena if we're going to be successful. Anything we need to do to make that work..." Harvey looked down at the empty bowl. "Even if it means going back to ration bars for a while."

Camila shuddered at the thought of ration bars. "I'll urge efficiency, Sir," she assured him. "Anything other than ration bars." She started to get up, but ended up sitting down again. "Can I be blunt with you?"

Harvey raised an eyebrow at the request, and at the sight of her attempting to rise and subsequently abort. "Go ahead," he said, his tone a bit cautious.

"The crew is tired, Sir," Camila said. "You can see it in their faces, in their postures and in the time it takes them to react. Oh, they'll keep going because they have to, but at the rate we've been going, I couldn't tell you how much longer they'll be able to. We need to put in for a real shore leave as soon as we get room to breathe."

"I know," Harvey said with a sigh of his own. "We can't rest now. There's no telling who will sneak up on us if we do, nor is it fair to our crewmates who are in custody. We have to get through this first. Not for ourselves, but for them. For the Cochrane."

"I'm aware of that, Captain," she said. "I was just putting in my two credits." She glanced at the biomonitor on her arm and gave a sad chuckle. "I'm surprised this hasn't gone off two hundred times since I left sickbay yesterday morning. Was it only yesterday?"

"Feels like we've lived several months in the last few days," he observed. "Personally, I'm hoping this is all some kind of bad dream. Wishful thinking, right?"

"I've been on the ship for two months and it feels like I've done two years already," Camila said. "Even our 'shore leave' turned into a nightmare. I've heard and put down rumors that the Black Hawk is cursed. We need a latinum lining for once."

"We're not cursed," Harvey said, defending his ship. "Just victims of circumstance. We just need to hang on, and I know it's easier said than done."

"I know and I'm sure that we'll pull through," she said as she dug into her pasta once more. "We don't have a choice."

The Captain nodded, though he did so reluctantly. He leaned back in his chair and picked up his water which was now at room temperature. "So, where did we leave things?" he asked, knowing that their meeting had run quite the gamut. "No uniforms, replicating body armor, different weapons, hope for the best and prepare for the worst?"

"Walk in like you own the place," Camila said. "If anyone shows fear in a place like that, odds are good you'll all be turned into slaves and I'll have to come in firing with the ship." She glanced at the PADD. "Razema is roughly the size of Deep Space Nine, except it has docking bays instead of rings, but I don't plan on taking the Black Hawk in. It has enough firepower to defend itself against a raid, too."

"All the more reason to play our cards close to our chest," Harvey nodded, recalling his own visage of the station. "We shouldn't have any fighter patrols while the Black Hawk sits nearby. We'll pull them out if we need them."

"Got it," she said as she finished her pasta and glanced at the empty bowl with a rueful expression. "You may want to replicate a bowl or two of that for later in case we end up on rations again, Sir. As for me, I need to get a total number of Security personnel from Lieutenant Corwin and get the clothing together."

Camila's bowl was actually the last of it, but he wasn't going to tell her that. "I think I'll do that," he said instead. "I'm sure the number shouldn't be an issue. I'm more worried about coming up with enough weapons for everyone, not to mention actually having enough tradable goods to get the information we seek."

"We'll have it, Sir," Camila said as she got up and took her bowl to the recycler. "Thank you for lunch, Captain. If you'll excuse me, I need to get to Operations and start the ball rolling."

The Captain nodded to excuse her. He had a few things to attend to of his own as well. "Let me know if you need anything."

"Will do, Sir," she said and gave him a smile before she headed out.

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