Snapdragons: Feinting Deception

Posted on Sat Jul 9th, 2022 @ 5:23pm by Lieutenant Percival Bálor Ph.D & Lieutenant Commander Anahera Chernova
Edited on on Sat Jul 9th, 2022 @ 9:46pm

903 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: The Bandits of Black Rain
Location: USS Ontario | Deck 02 | Corridor to Turbolift

On the second deck of the USS Ontario, several corridors were lined with residential sections of crew quarters for senior and junior officers, including the quarters for several members of Captain Elijah Michaels' senior staff. The shuttles had returned and each member of the away team and retrieval team had returned and checked out by the ship's physician and medical personnel. Percy had spent some of his time back taking a sonic shower and then a brief reflective stint on deck eleven in the ship's chapel before swinging by deck seven to check on his plants.

It was on deck two that he observed Lieutenant Commander Chernova stepping out of her quarters, dressed in uniform, and heading down the corridor leading to a turbolift that would take her back up to deck one. Going back to the bridge he deduced, and crept along the corridor keeping a bit of distance from the woman.

She was the Security Chief of the USS Ontario, tailing her as he did, Percy knew that undoubtedly knew someone was behind her. He knew better than to try to take her down with a direct barraging. He may have had a bit of a weight advantage on her, but she was more nimble, more athletic, and could defend herself well in a hand-to-hand conflict.

When she had reached the turbolift and summoned the lift for arrival, Percy saw the opportunity. It would likely be a minute or two for the lift to come up from one of the lower decks, longer if it was at one of the lowest points of the starship.

Percy reached into his pocket and tossed a small coin to Anahera's right as her crept over and up along the left side of the woman and she turned, naturally to her right. He was hoping that she would not hurt him too much, but he went for it nonetheless, with a gardening trow in his other hand, he was getting ready to gently press the point against her.

Out of instinct Anahera grabbed the Lieutenant's wrist and began to squeeze it. Once she'd heard the trow hit the floor, she turned and asked. "Lieutenant Balor, why did you attack me?"

"Because," Percy said. "I could" he added his tone even keel as his eyes locked onto the woman and he cocked his head a bit. "When I tossed that coin to your right side, you turned towards the commotion that I caused" he explained to her.

Gesturing to the trow that had fallen to the decking. "When you did that, what happened, Commander? You turned and what?"

"I left myself open to your attack." Anahera replied.

Percy nodded. "It if I were a Klingon attack cruiser, one that could easily demolish starships, even if I were slightly damaged, what is the likelihood that a Federation shuttle would evade me?"

"Extremely unlikely, even with an excellent pilot, like Siren." Anahera replied.

"There's a damaged Oberth class starship that the USS Ontario is on its way to get closer to, Commander, and conveniently a Mutara class nebula is situated very near by."

"Ambush." Anahera said. "Someone's setting us up."

Percy was glad they were on the same page. "Commander Vetur is too intelligent to go into this blindly. I'm sure she's been scanning that nebula and the immediate area thoroughly, but a nebula like that? Ionized gasses, interference with our sensor systems. A ship could be sitting in that nebula just waiting, as blind to us as we are to them I'd wager, yet there is likely a ship if not more than one in that nebula."

The Chief Science Officer thought for a moment. "Anahera, if I wanted to know when a Federation starship was close and vulnerable, but my sensors were about as dull as an Efrosian in the dark, what would help to see what was happening outside of the nebula?"

"A scout." Anahera said. "Someone to inform you when to spring the trap."

"Which is what concerns me," Percy replied. "And you can bet your Admiral Ackbar that this is a trap. I'm just worried that scout is not on some hidden ship."

"Indeed." Anahera said. "They could be on the Manatee itself, they're not actually a Starfleet crew. It would be easy for a pirate to infiltrate the crew."

"Yes, I would," Percy agreed. "An inside job would make a lot easier to monitor space traffic, whoever the Manatee interacted with. The other alternative is one you are not going to like either."

"The crew of the Manatee are in on it?" Anahera asked.

"Or one of our own" Percy said grimly. "Whichever the case is, that Klingon cruiser feinted a retreat, and the S.S. Manatee is the bait in a trap."

"Well, we best to the Bridge." Anahera said.

Grace wouldn't be pleased he told himself. "You go on ahead," Percy said. "Just be careful and watch that nebula. Something is in there, and be careful of who you trust." Percy had been put on 'light duty and was still dressed in floral print and denim. It was not what one wore to the Bridge. "I've got a theory to work out..." Percy finished, picking up the gardening trow and sprinting off.


OFF:

Lieutenant Commander Anahera Chernova
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Ontario

&

Lieutenant Percival Bálor
Chief Science Officer
USS Ontario

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