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"Plans Within Plans"
Previous post "Acquisition"
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"You are transparent. I see many things. I see plans within plans."
- Oberon, Dune

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Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Section I-1, A dark room
Stardate: 30152.1250

Perfect absolute darkness. That was the one and only way to describe the inside of this location, a single room hidden deep inside the NEW ALEXANDRIA complex, and one which only a select few knew the existence of as well as its content.

"There is a 79.4 percent probability that he will not be able to act in time to stop the attack," a soft spoken female voice said, hinting that the total darkness of the room had been occupied by some sort of living entity.  The event targeted by the stated odds had been something very specific although the words used had been rather vague.

"The odds drop to 62.1 percent if he runs into any of his former shipmates," another voice continued, the intonation and cadence of the words making it clear that the two voices had been closely related in some way, like sisters.

"Plans within plans," a third voice, equally similar to the previous two, added.  "I see a 92.6 percent probability that the Admiral was never actually planning on stopping the attack.  It is far more likely that he hopes this event will be some sort of catalyst, one that will change the crew in forcing them to face what they did not wish to see."

"I see the presence of the Nylaan royal on board increasing the probabilities of the mission reaching a complete failure point to 27.4 percent," the first voice added, the three unseen sisters obviously communicating in ways that stretched far beyond the normal reach of human senses.

"Complete failure will only happen if the crew responds negatively to both the attack and the discovery of his presence on board," the third voice stated.  "The odds of this happening are 9.2 percent. It is far more likely that the Captain will rally those under his command as he has done countless times before for to address the unexpected chaos and use all available resources to his advantage.  When taking everything into account, including the appointment of a new Executive Officer, the probabilities of the crew becoming a more effective entity is 92.1 percent.  The attack may not be stopped, but the final result will likely be what the Admiral had intended it to be from the very start."

"Agreed," the other two sisters voiced at the exact same time before stillness returned to the darkness that filled so completely the hidden, secret room.  With the theoretical probabilities debate completed, the voices retreated back to their individual silence.

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Setting: MASQUERADE DREAMS, Room 23-040
Stardate: 30152.1310

The guest room had not been the largest the vessel could offer, but it had been one of the more elegant, a detail that pleased and very well suited the Pythron merchant.  Two separate bedrooms stood on either side of the imposing living area, Drask and Ye'Lan sharing one while the other was at the disposal of the two Hupyrian bodyguards who took turns claiming the single bed when not out in public.

"My sweet little one," the Pythron merchant said as he took a gentle hold of the Nylaan woman's chin.  "How absolutely fortunate I was to run into you the way I did," he added, his voice having gradually shifted from tender to almost devious.

Fear reflected in the eyes of the emerald-hair woman who dared not move.  In the public's eye Ye'Lan had been an enticing and charming companion to the merchant, happily following him and fulfilling his every wishes.  Privately though the Nylaan entertainer had been nothing more than a possession to be used as he wished.  The fact that she belonged to the famed race from NYLA IV had opened up a great deal of possibilities to Drask and forever sealed the woman's fate beneath his demanding heel. 

"She might actually be of royal blood, the similarities in the features are impossible to ignore, but she is not Ya'Jun," the woman stated, her eyes forced to meet those of her owner, his hold on her chin having only grown in strength over the last few seconds.

"Do you truly believe me to be that stupid?" Drask angrily demanded as he shoved the woman down onto the nearest couch in one swift move.  "I know that she is not Ya'Jun, but through her we will be able to flush that royal brat out.  I honestly do not care *who* or *what* she is, but right now we need her to bait the trap.  If we make it know that we have found the daughter of the mighty and powerful High Sovereign of NYLA IV it will draw out that curious little diva to see who it is we actually have.  Once Ya'Jun comes out from hiding to satiate her curiosity we will have her exactly were we need her to be - in our grasp."

"What if Ya'Jun doesn't show?" Ye'Lan nervously asked, barely able to contain the fear that her owner had instilled in her over the years.

"If the Nylaan royal brat doesn't show, you might end up with a new friend," the Pythron merchant said as he looked down upon the cowering woman next to him imagining there being two green haired women at his mercy instead of only one.  "That or I might just replace you by whoever that other Nylaan is if you disappoint me further.  I know several people who would be more than happy to acquire someone like you, and I can assure you that they will not be as caring as I have been."

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Setting: MASQUERADE DREAMS, Promenade Deck
Stardate: 30152.1330

Ya'Han and Sonja casually made their way down the spacious deck, rather pleased to have left the apparently love-struct Ferengi merchant Bruk behind. For a brief moment the two women were able to forget their woes and worries in order to enjoy the sights and sounds of this particular location of the Risian Cruise Liner.

=/\= The scans have finally been completed, sorry for the delay, =/\= ANI reported through the subdermal communication network, instantly drawing everyone's attention.  =/\= Sensors were able to confirm the presence of two Nylaan females on board, as well as one anomaly. =/\=

=/\= One anomaly? =/\= The Native American repeated asking for clarification while dreading another complication being added to their current situation, one that they had been told had been nothing more than a restful Intel gathering exercise.

=/\= I knew that there was something weird about you Ya'Han, =/\= Ensign Stark interrupted with, not having wanted to waste such a perfect opportunity to take a playful shot at the Chief of Security. =/\= Maybe it's that weird tasting makeup of yours. =/\=

"I think he likes you," the redhead Engineer snickered quietly as she gently elbow-nudged her travelling companion

=/\= The anomaly is independent of the two confirmed Nylaan readings, =/\= the Avatar detailed, actually causing people to have more questions than answers at this point.

=/\= Could it be due to some sort of a genetic half-bread? =/\= Doctor Mizore hesitantly offered as a possible explanation.  As a Medical Officer, she had been in a perfect position to understand the possible biological complexities of such mixed background individuals.

"Very unlikely," Ya'Han said as she turned to look at Sonja as if the undercover Sec/Tac Officer had been speaking to her and not the entire undercover crew of the USS ANUBIS.  "Because of our unique genetic make-up, there are only a few specific races whom having children with is possible, and even those present very high risks.  My people as a whole sees this as a way of maintaining the purity of the race."

Sonja looked back at Ya'Han, the latest revelation indicating that the Nylaan woman had given up far more than she had previously mentioned.  Although there had still been a great many ways for the Chief of Security to have a family of her own, the option of carrying an offspring had pretty much been taken away from her because of the decision she had made many years ago.

=/\= If we go under the assumption that Ya'Jun is actually on board the MASQUERADE DREAMS, it would be reasonable to believe that she has found some way to hide from such biological scans.  Some sort of genetic inhibitor could, in theory, mask her specific and unique heritage thus leaving us with the two confirmed readings already mentioned, =/\= Maya explained, the CSciO having already worked out a scientific reason to explain what had and had not been found.  =/\= Of course that does not preclude the possibility of some sort of spacial, subspace or even dimensional interference which could disrupt the sensors and create some sort of out-of-phase echo. =/\=

=/\= Great, =/\= Eve sighed, easily imagining what their Commanding Officer had been feeling. =/\= That means we are no closer to confirm if the anomaly is Ya'Jun or if this is just a glitch in the sensors. =/\=

=/\= Maybe not.  It would be a logical course of action for Ya'Jun to do her very best to hide from anyone looking for her, =/\= Andromeda stated, her Vulcan heritage all too clear in her words and tone.  =/\= If we are capable of confirming the status of the sensors, we could confirm with a certain level of accuracy that the anomaly is in fact someone of possible interest to us. =/\=

=/\= Looks like we are back to our original plan, =/\= The Native American offered with a faint sigh.  =/\= ANI, run a full diagnostic on the sensors, the rest of us will keep your eyes open and do our best to find out as much as possible on anything being talked about. Maybe one of us will get lucky. =/\=

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Setting: MASQUERADE DREAMS, Rear Observation Deck
Stardate: 30152.1345

With the results of the scan having been less than helpful, Shar'El decided to take a walk and search for answers the best way she knew how.  Although limited to a line-of-sight field, the method used by the Ullian had been much faster and accurate than any other used by the rest of the undercover team of the ANUBIS.

Granted so far her success had been less than noteworthy as the memories she had been able to sample had dealt with nothing remotely of interest to the shadowy world of Intel.  Voices and images overlapped as the acting First Officer scanned the gathered passengers until one specific memory caught her full attention.

~ Remember, it is set to go off at 1400 exactly. Don't be anywhere near it when it does. ~

Shar'El quickly looked at the numerous passengers who had been directly in her field of vision.  The task had become so monotonous that the Ullian had been on autopilot and not actually registering the person whose memories she had been scanning.  After a few seconds, the acting First Officer noted a single figure hastily making his way through the crowd.  As she fell behind him, doing her best to remain within line-of-sight, Shar'El peered into the individual's mind in the hopes of finding an explanation for what she had picked up earlier.

Strange images flashed through her mind in rapid succession, each one painting a much darker picture than the Ullian could have expected.  Just as she had been ready to inform the rest of the undercover team of her discovery, Shar'El was knocked clean off her feet as she collided with a massive humanoid form which had appeared out of nowhere.

"I am truly sorry about that Miss," the Hirogen politely stated as he offered a helping hand to the fallen woman.  "It was not my intent to be in your way.  That said, may I ask as to the reason for your apparent hurry?"

Shar'El had wanted to leave the massive creature being and quickly resume her tracking, but it soon became evident that the individual had vanished in one of the corridors leaving the Ullian with no way of tracking him.  Instinctively the angered undercover acting First Officer glared at the giant and looked into his mind.  Mere seconds later the Ullian picked up something that she had never expected to find - a memory that dealt with the ANUBIS and its Captain.

"Are you alright Miss?" the Hirogen asked with concern, fearing that maybe he had injured her in some way and that this would be reported back to his shift supervisor.  After all, as a member of the maintenance crew of the MASQUERADE DREAMS it had not been in any way acceptable for him to run into a guest. let alone injure one.

Not ready to let this go, Shar'El drilled into the hunter's mind to uncover what his link to the ANUBIS and Captain Morningstar had been.  As she did so, the Ullian came across several more recent memories dealing with NEW ALEXANDRIA and its CO; Admiral Charles M. Koniki.

"Erik, do you know a Hirogen named Uxtar?" Shar'El inquired, her whispered voice loud enough for the hunter to hear it.

=/\= That was a while back. He was taken off the ANUBIS and sent on some special assignment by Admiral Koniki, why? =/\= The Native American replied, not at all understanding where that question had come from.

"Well, he is here standing in front of me," the acting First Officer stated as she accepted the Hirogen's assistance to get back onto her feet before continuing, "but we have a bigger problem. There is a man on board the MASQUERADE DREAMS with a bomb which is set to detonate at 1400 precisely."

=/\= Well, there goes our vacation, =/\= Jayson huffed, not sounding half as disappointed as some might have expected anyone to be.

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

Captain Erik Morningstar
Commanding Officer
USS ANUBIS, NCC 18501

AND

Lt. Commander Elan Fairborn
Robotics Engineering Officer
NEW ALEXANDRIA