The Admiral's Gambit

Posted on Mon May 27, 2019 @ 5:01pm by Admiral Zachary O'Connell & Rear Admiral John Breckenridge

Mission: Refits and Reviews
Location: Deep Space 10
Timeline: MD 5 || 0900 Hours

Being Admiralty had its advantages.

Admiral Zachary O’Connell’s last few years had been quite eventful. The Consortium. Task Force 72. Terrorists. A shady Breen/Tzenkethi/Talarian Alliance. So many other little things that added up to quite the considerable whole. Zachary hadn’t been allowed to travel alone at all. Wherever he went, additional security and logistical personnel followed, or sometimes preceded him. Even in his personal quarters he wasn’t alone, though the fact that he was just with his wife and son served to help him relax.

But today was different. Gone were the shackles of the past. Developments in the Alpha Quadrant dictated that an experienced tactician take charge of cultivating the Alpha Quadrant’s development, which freed Zachary up to do what he did best… be unique. New fleet, new orders, and all of it classified and with special privilege.

He had boarded the Excelsior-class USS Lakota as a passenger, cloaked in civilian attire. His wife and child were still on Starbase 72, keeping up appearances, and would join him as soon as it was possible. Their absence allowed him to keep to himself in his quarters aboard a ship that only the Captain and select senior staff members knew he was on board. And, just as easily as he boarded the Lakota, he disembarked, wearing a long overcoat which amazingly concealed his uniform. He breezed through the Cardassian-built Deep Space 10 corridors and made it to a turboshaft that would take him to Ops. Alone in the lift, he removed his overcoat, choosing to drape it over his arm much like someone who had entered an establishment after coming in from the rain.

Before long, the turbo lift slowed to a stop in the busy Ops center. O’Connell made no move to step forward, choosing to admire the Cardassian design all while waiting to see when he’d be noticed.

A Yeoman in Command red shot to his feet as if fired from a propulsion cannon when the sight of boxed pips filled his narrow worldview. An obvious human, but one who almost magically summoned a PADD to his hand and was three steps away from his desk and approaching O'Connell in almost stop motion speed. "Admiral on deck!" a voice boomed which should not have belonged to such an ordinary person.

Other Yeomans stopped what they were doing in the office and several Lieutenant Commanders jumped so ramrod straight that Zach could have used them as levels.

Zach smirked. The four-day transit had been proven worthwhile as he'd donned his civilian attire strictly for this reason. "At ease," he gently said, stepping aside as to clear a path to the turbolift should it be needed. "Yeoman, I'm looking for Admiral Breckenridge," he addressed the yeoman who was inbound on Zachary's position.

"Sir, yes, sir!" the professional Yes, er, Yeoman said. "Right this way, Sir!" He did an prompt about face that was nearly as smooth as a Changeling shifting to be facing the other way and marched towards the office at the top of the stairs. There, he entered his authorization code and stepped aside for the Amiral. "Rear Admiral Breckenridge, Admiral ..." he realized that he hadn't gotten O'Connell's name.

"Admiral what?" John asked from his desk as his door opened, but no one was immediately visible. "Deke? Deke?"

Deke looked like he wanted to be shot out of a torpedo bay by the side of Breckenridge's office door where he stared at O'Connell like a Targ in the torch lights.

Still smirking, Admiral O'Connell stepped around the threshold, now in plain view of Breckenridge. "Hello, John."

John's concern about his Yeoman evaporated when he saw Zachary O'Connell enter his office and came to his feet. "Admiral O'Connell," he said as his memory refreshed him on who was in his office. "Welcome to Deep Space Ten. That board on your collar keeps growing every time I see you."

"I'm amazed the collar is still upright with all of the weight on it." Chuckling at his own joke, Zachary turned and extended his overcoat to the yeoman. "Mind placing that somewhere safe for now? I don't think I'll be needing it for a while."

Deke took the rain coat and promptly vanished with a "Sir, yes, Sir!" trailing in his wake.

"That's because it has you backing it up," John countered. "Coffee, tea, Andorian Ale? Have a seat and tell me what brings you to my neck of the woods, Admiral."

"You know," Zachary said, taking a quick look around the Prefect's office, "I think I'll go for an Andorian Ale this time." The Admiral had never been one to drink on the job, but today was different. "I'm not sure if you've heard yet or not, but Task Force 72 belongs to someone else now. Starfleet no longer thought I was the man for the job."

Breckenridge headed for a side bar and poured two generous portions of the blue liquid and brought them back, offering Zach one. "One for you, and one that I'm probably going to need. Did they finally saddle you into taking a desk at Starfleet Command?"

"Thank you," Zach said with a nod as he accepted the glass. He took a sip of the ale, finding its flavor to dance on top of his tastebuds as he approached the couch. "And, thankfully, no. In spite of everything going on, Starfleet's pulling together some resources in preparation for a few different projects. I've been ordered to pull it all together."

"A new task force or some other kind of project?" John queried. He noted that O'Connell had yet to tell him to call him anything other than Admiral, but at least he wasn't calling him Ensign and demanding tea.

Zach chuckled before taking another sip of the ale. "Can't talk too much about it, really. Suffice it to say that the future isn't all sunshine and rainbows. The Federation's surrounded on all fronts, and it wants to get a look beyond the horizon. So, frontier stations, like yours, get scheduled for random security checks, and I get to try and pull as much of the best and the brightest together as I can."

"Afraid we're fresh out of the brightest and the best here," John said a bit quickly. He had worked hard to get the people he wanted who would accept a frontier posting or in his division at all. "As far as sunshine and rainbows, if I ever see that, I'll know that we're living in a holodeck and being fed lots of shit."

"Given how easily I slipped onto Deep Space 10," Zachary suggested before taking another sip, "it's probably safe to say that you're right about the lack of the best and brightest."

John bristled, but calmed himself with a shot of the Andorian Ale. It would be a cold day before he let himself be nettled. "Then I guess you won't be finding what you're looking for, doesn't it?"

"I'll be frank, John." Zachary leaned forward and placed his half-full glass on the table in front of them. "Whatever happens will happen in waves. You have a good team here on Deep Space 10, at least from what your reports tell me. Now's not the time to shake up a station on the border. But what I'm after today isn't on your station. Rather, it's docked."

"Docked?" John asked while pulling up a list of ships at the station. "There's the USS Lakota, USS Iditarod and the USS Triumphant docked here now. Unless you have your eye on some of the little fish buzzing around."

"The Lakota brought me here." Zachary smirked. "Captain T'pau has already expressed her disappointment at my drafting her Executive Officer and Chief Science. Triumphant's next on my list. I have a few new Vesta's and Century's, and the last I heard there's a Captain that needs a ship."

"You'll be hard pressed to get any crew from the Triumphant, Admiral," John said. "Commodore Aravan runs it tight and has busted his hump getting them assembled. Most of them have been with him since the ship first left dry dock." He didn't mention Weisz, the Captain that Zach was talking about. He had put the fourth pip on her and even argued with her about having her own command.

Zachary smirked and picked up his glass. "Even Riker took the Titan. Loyalty or not, nothing can last forever. I'm sure even you would like to have a few good crewmates from your past around you right about now."

"After what, fifteen years of living in Picard's shadow?" John countered. "And yeah, I'd love to have a few of the ones I've sailed the celestial heavens around me, but they've all moved on while I've planted tap routes at a frontier base that gets wild and wooly." His tone hardened just a little. "I also like having flagships on call in the event that one or a few of the enemy that surrounds the Federation decides to come calling. You know more than I do about the turmoil that's going on. Given that, would you want to give up some crew in favor of someone you don't know coming aboard your ship to stir up the nest?"

"You know I wouldn't." Zachary placed the glass back down on the table. "I've had a lot of crappy missions in my day, even after the Dominion War. Viral outbreaks, the Consortium, this terrorist group, and now what I'm having to prepare for. No one wants another 359, but you and I both know that's the price of the uniform."

Zachary paused for a moment before picking up his glass for an actual swig of the remaining liquid. "Of course, for officers, it's a luxury. They get some chance to choose what they do and don't accept. Rumor has it, the Triumphant has something... well, someone... that isn't around for twenty sectors in any direction. I need a solid Master Chief to help pull this thing together, and Triumphant's got one. I'm here to pick him up."

"There's a reason it's got that, too," Breckenridge said as he polished off his ale and poured himself another without offering O'Connell one. "Did you happen to miss the term flagship that I mentioned in regards to the ship you want to cherry pick from? That's a prime assignment for a lot of officers and enlisted. They don't just request to transfer there, they get asked if they want to transfer there. As in hand picked by Starfleet Command."

"Are you suggesting that I'm ignorant, Rear Admiral?" Zachary asked, his voice remaining calm. "Flagship or not, the Triumphant is one of thousands of ships in Starfleet, and many of those enjoy the same premium assignments your Odyssey class is used to."

"Not at all, Sir," John said in a neutral tone. "I'm merely one man giving my opinion and not implying that you aren't aware of the status of the ship and her commanding officer. He's done a lot for the Federation and hasn't called in any favors to get that boxed pip on his collar. Word has it that he'd be a Vice Admiral by now if he wasn't a valuable asset in the field."

"Aravan's in the same company of you and I." Zachary finished his drink and rose from the couch, straightening his jacket and belt as he did. "There are days when I'd rather be back in the engine room of the Delphinus. Times were simpler then, far less complicated."

"I can't tell you what to do or what not to do, Zach," John said softly. "But I'll wish you luck in getting his crew to jump ship. I already tried with Weisz when I promoted her and my people on board have noted that the Master Chief you have in mind and her have been seen together a few times out and about on the ship."

Zachary grunted. The fraternization could be a stumbling block indeed. "Well, if they are a package deal, then this might actually be easier than either of us think."

"Weisz is very loyal to Aravan," John said. "I couldn't get her to accept her own ship, and with Barnes as the Chief Engineer of the Triumphant with all the bells and whistles that Engineering offers, you'll have to make them both a very sweet deal."

The Admiral nodded slowly. "Well, I certainly will take that under advisement. Thank you for the ale. While I'm sure your staff is abuzz with my surprise arrival, I've leave it up to you whether or not you warn Aravan I'm coming. He's my next stop."

"Nah. He'll appreciate the surprise visit. I heard he's just recovered from surgery for a brain tumor and may still be recovering while the refit is going on."

"A tumor?" Zachary was surprised. He hadn't heard of tumors occurring in Starfleet officers very often. "Perhaps Aravan is a rarer breed than the rest of us. Again, thank you for the ale, John. I'm sure we'll see each other again before the Lakota has to leave."

"Just what my people tell me, Zach," John said. "Good luck on the Triumphant and go easy on Aravan. He's a good kid."

Zachary smiled before turning and leaving the office. There was much for him to do, and he wasn't going to take no for an answer.