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"Whispered Voices"
[Previous Post: "Headaches Are Minor"]
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<<Understanding is a three-edged sword.>>
- Ambassador Kosh

Setting: VALLA ROYAL, Guest Quarters
Stardate: 63075.1600

The sound of the chime made the man dressed in a high-end suit who had been sitting on a lonesome chair in the middle of the room stand and approach the door.

"Enter," the man offered as he stood almost at attention in front of the door, his voice almost overly pleasant, as if it hid some dark insincerity.

"Mister Mortan?" An official of the VALLA ROYAL orbital station inquired, obviously having been sent to this location on a specific task.

"Yes," the man replied with the same overly pleasantness in his voice.  "How may I help you?"

"Here is the information you requested," the official explained as he handed Mr. Mortan a small PADD.  "Will you be needing anything else, Sir?"

Mortan accepted the PADD with a smile along with a gentle bow of his head as a show of gratitude.  "No, thank you, that will be all."

As soon as the door closed, Mortan returned to the seat from which he had stood and quickly perused the content of the data PADD.  When he lowered the device, having read all of the information it contained, a strange and odd whispering filled the room, as if dozens of invisible beings had been murmuring all at the same time.

"Yes it is intact," Mortan replied to a question that only he had understood.

As if acknowledging the answer given, the sound of barely audible whispered voice filled the room once again.

"No, I believe that taking it now would be a mistake," Mortan explained, obviously able to understand these whispers as if they had been any other normal language.  "It is the perfect bate to draw them here."

Again the room filled with more whispered voices which caused the sitting man to grin softly.

"It has already been taken care of, we will not have to wait long."

--==(/\)==--
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section A, Level 6, Administrative Center
Stardate: 63075.1630

Erik stepped into the office of Admiral Koniki, having been ushered in by Allyson the moment that he had arrived.  If the tone of urgency in the Admiral's voice had not been enough to raise a few flags for the Native American, the lack of casual friendliness from the Administration Center's receptionist had made it clear that something had changed.

"Thank you for coming so quickly," the Admiral offered, as if the PARADOX's CO had truly been in a position not to act as he had done.  "As of right now, you are in temporary command of the USS HATHOR, the ANUBIS not being ready for active duty and the PARADOX not being what is needed at this time, at least not yet.  You and your team, comprised of whichever member of the ANUBIS' crew you deem ready for active duty, will be leaving at 0500 for the VALLA ROYAL orbital station."

"I'm guessing there has been some unexpected development in the situation?" Morningstar sighed, not overly thrilled with the idea of this mission having suddenly been shifted into high gear.  The fact that he had been placed in command of a vessel possessing a cloaking device made it clear that time had been against them and that a normal Intel approach had been out of the question.

"The 'package' was picked up amongst the debris salvaged from the explosion of the XANTUL," the Admiral explained with a distinct tone of frustration in his voice.  "Everything is being held in a secured location pending the end of their investigation.  We have to act quickly before someone recognizes it for what it is."

"You are suspecting that the Tal'Shiar is already aware of this," Erik offered having read Ensign's Mitshiba's report on her findings, the implosion devise suspected of being the cause of the destruction of the Bolian freighter having been a favorite of the Romulan Intel agency.

"Let's just say that the situation has become far more troublesome than it should have been," Koniki growled as he turned his attention back on the docked SCARAB-Class vessel.  "Get your team ready and briefed, you are leaving at 0500."

Erik nodded having understood by the Admiral's tone that he had been dismissed and ordered to get this mission underway without delay.

--==(/\)==--
Francois Charette

Lieutenant Elan Talak Fairborn
Chief Engineering Officer
USS ANUBIS

AND

Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA

Also

Captain Erik Morningstar
Commanding Officer
USS PARADOX