An Appropriate Response

Posted on Fri Apr 29th, 2022 @ 3:01am by Captain Calypso Skyie & Captain Natalya Markova

Mission: Pirates! (Or Yo Ho Ho And A Bottle Of Yum)
Location: Penweather's Quarters

The surroundings were luxurious, one of the perks of being 'Commodore' Penweather, not to mention having the money and influence to be able to afford the nicer things in life, just not enough to retire. Of course, given the expansion of the former Captain's quarters, he'd also had room to put in a full tactical suite as well so he could plan out his next moves from the comfort of... Home.

But Bex had assured him that this Markova woman was the real deal. Sure, it had taken some persuading in the way that only Bexley could manage to convince him of just about anything she wanted to. Someone truly betrayed by the same Starfleet that had betrayed him for doing precisely what they'd wanted him to do. He'd come up in the Fleet before the Dominion War, then taken command of a small Defiant-class ship during it and served with quite a distinctive nature. Chin'Toka and the Second battle of Chin'Toka had seen him destroy no fewer than five enemy ships, including a transport of Cardassian origin that had tried to dupe him with a false surrender.

And yet the Admiralty had 'rewarded' his faithful service with a warning and then after the War had 'been unable to find him a command' and forcefully retired him. He'd gone into the merchant trade until he found that he could make more money by intercepting other people's cargos and disposing of them. He'd put together a small little squadron before, then seen it taken apart before moving out this direction and restarting it. Now, it appeared that Starfleet had decided to send the remnants of the the crew that had cornered him before back out to try to take him down a notch, but he had a wild card.

Natalya Markova, someone kicked off of that bitch's own ship because of something minor, most likely, but who'd been in a position to know plans. And so here he stood again, facing the stars in the very quarters of the ship that he'd ambushed himself, as he waited for Natalya to arrive.

Nat stood outside the man's quarters, flanked by guards. She took a breath. A second one. A third. Something about this man creeped her out. He wasn't just after profit. He was after revenge. She had seen the gleam in his eyes at the thought. Had seen the manic excitement at the prospect of meeting Cally again... and blowing her out of the stars. This man would go to any length to ensure victory. That scared her.

Bex had refused to share anything from her wardrobe - Nat could understand. The woman had earned it. She had, however, given Nat access to the Replicator. So, Nat stood outside Commodore Penweather's quarters in a pair of absolute black jeans that clung to her legs, a crop top that was tight on her arms, and loose as it hung at her midriff. Her hair pulled back into a tight, high ponytail, and makeup to set off her eyes.

She reached out, and tapped the door chime, letting him know she was there.

"Enter." He announced regally, turning as his 'guest' entered with the two guards peeling off to stand inside the door, ready to intervene should the woman do something suicidal, like attack their boss. He glanced up and down her body, examining what she'd chosen to wear with his instructions to 'dress appropriately' to see how she'd decided to respond to it.

He put a small smile on his face at the results. Nothing that was apparently intended to seduce him, but nothing that would indicate a desire to be the Marine she had been. He gestured to the table in the corner, which had what appeared to be fresh fruit and some platters with cold cuts on it, the makings of a sandwich bar, and of course several drink options including alcohol available, "Might I interest you in something to eat or drink, Natalya?" He asked in a voice that oozed kindness.

Nat offered the man a gracious smile, and even a little curtsey. Not meant to mock, but simply to reciprocate his offer. "Why thank you." She stepped to the battle, filled a plate with a selection of food items, picked up a drink, and took a seat - unbidden- on the couch. Not too close, yet not too far away. "I assume," she began, balancing the plate on her knees, "that owing to the fact you have neither thrown me in the brig, or out an airlock, that you have confirmed my information?"

“Enough of it to consider it highly likely to be accurate.” He glanced at the chrono on the wall, “About twenty-six hours ago, Chimera departed under the name ‘Aegean Sea’ from Starbase 614, by herself, in a different direction. But the shipping schedule states that ‘Aegean Sea’ is due back within the week with a shipment of consumables.” His head cocked to the side as he examined her again, “Do you know why she chose that particular moniker for her disguise?” His tone of voice indicated curiosity, but his look suggested he knew the answer already but wondered if Natalya herself knew.

Nat looked into the middle distance for a moment. She knew exactly why, from Cally's PADD, but was trying to put on an air of thought. "I believe the original registration for the hull was USS Aegir, before it was re-designated 'Chimera'. She has likely pulled Aegean Sea from that."

“Just as my sources detail.” Damien strode over to the table himself and plucked a few grapes from the luxuriant spread, “So tell me, Natalya, do you know what this ‘highly valuable’ cargo consists of? Obviously Skyie intends on dropping her add on cargo pods as she springs her ambush, but will she keep it on her own ship rather than on the freighters? I think that’ll depend on what it is.”

"Well, she is planning a trip back to Dexic. I am unsure on the level of your sources, but Dexic is a protectorate of the Federation, not a full member. This cargo trip is & essentially- State-level bribery to help ease the internal political turmoil, and help the Dexicans open more formal channels with the Federation." Nat took a sip of her drink, and nodded in approval. "Very nice. I would surmise the cargo will likely be industrial Replicators, provisions, general supplies. Though are talking a plenary scale. So while the items may not be worth a lot, the sheer scale would result in quite the profit, no?"

Another look crossed Penweather’s face, which he erased almost immediately as he popped a grape into his mouth and chewed slowly, savoring the sweetness, “Assuming I can find someone willing to purchase a planetary-sized supply source, which mind you is far more difficult than offloading a freighter of ore, or luxury items or even the ship itself.”

He paced away a few steps with another grape, then half-shrugged, “Or, I could use it all myself when I relocate after this operation. Use them to find a small planet to call my own, set it up as a colony and start over as an independent nation and recruit colonists..”

Nat made a sound of comprehension. She could see his plan forming. "Free of rules. Free of orders, and regulations. Free to live as you wish." She nodded. "I can see the appeal." The scary thing is, she *could* see the appeal of it.

“Natalya, I don’t hate the Federation or even Starfleet itself. I’ve been working to have my vengeance on certain people, those that served on the court martial board when I was kicked out.” He made a throwaway gesture, “Captain Taylor I had considered a friend before she made the pronouncement of my guilt, so I had to lure her into a trap to… Eliminate her. If you remember how Admiral Basloc died? Rest assured that shuttle accident was nothing of the sort. Commodore Iestrelli? Her ship was found in pieces near a gravitational anomaly. It didn’t end up there by accident.” He smirked, “I just have one more name on my list, but I’m afraid Commodore Everly isn’t going to come out from behind her desk anytime soon.” He approached her and went to a knee in front of her, curiosity on his face, “What are the odds we could actually capture Chimera?”

That caught Nat off guard. She watched this man carefully, thinking rapidly. "I once slept with one of the Engineers. He commented the port nacelle could were always more glitchy than the starboard ones. You know how engineers can be, always talking through their problems, even in bed. Anyway. Target the port nacelle. You might have a chance to knock out their Warp Drive. No chance to flee. If you..." Nat paused, not sure how well received this would be. "If you are willing to trust me. I can help train your people. I can help take a team to assault the Chimera. Board her, capture the precious Captain Skyie, and present her to you "

Nat held up both hands, a gesture of submission. "If you don't trust me that far, I totally understand. I wanna see the bitch suffer. I want her to know who is taking her captive. I want to rip her rank insignia off, as she did to me. Think about it. Commodore Everley Every could get a video of dear Captain Skyie. Bound. Gagged. Tortured. You could give the good Commodore a ..." Nat's expression turned into a positively sadistic grin. "'Dead'-line to meet you, or else... Well... Cally may well be meeting her own very soon."

“No.” The rebuke was soft, but firm, “I have my own insertion team and it’s too late to get you to fit into it. If I can take the ship, I’ll give you Skyie, just make sure someone cleaned up your mess. But I want the ship intact. Load her with fissibles, dock her at the station and Boom.” He smiled broadly, “If Everly would come out instead, I’d spare the station, but I can’t afford to give her enough warning to predict my plan. Is there anyone on board Chimera that you believe may be willing to join my merry band of adventurers? Otherwise, I may need to dispose of the crew one way or another.”

"Very well." Nat wasn't going to try and push the latter. Not when her life was riding on every decision. "Was there anything else you needed... Or wanted?" She offered an inviting smile.

“Absolutely.” He crooked a finger with a smirk as he wandered over to a large table and tapped a button, bringing up a large hologram of a starship, a Luna-class starship, then gestured to it, making sure to leave at least a couple feet away from her at all times. The hull stripped away at the tap of another key, leaving a translucent map of the inside where three different bright dots appeared, then branched off, tracing paths to the bridge, engineering and the security armory. “As you can see, there’s already a plan in place to capture the ship if the opportunity arises, but since you were actually there, you can tell me if my assault team commander made any mistakes?”

Nat set the plate of food aside and rose. She made sure to keep her hands in sight at all times, and took a path to the hologram that wouldn't put herself between the man and the guards. "Near perfect." She mused studying the plan. "This one here to the armoury. I would recommend this way." A lone finger entered the holographic image, tracing a new, slightly longer path. "I know. It's longer. More time on board, more time for the crew to respond. However, the new route will allow you to better avoids the cargobays. Here, here, and here." Her finger pointed to each one in turn. "They were modified to house the marine unit, and all associated weapons and equipment. You wanna not tangle to the Gunny if you can avoid it."

“Hmm..” The ‘Commodore’ leaned forward to the hologram, following the new tracing, “I’ll introduce you to Major Glaswan, but I would still prefer to keep you aboard Oracle, unless you can neutralize this… Gunny. If I can keep your presence on board from the Federation, I’ve got a use for you that would be better.” He raised an eyebrow, “How are you at flying small ships, like a shuttle or something the size of the Pearl?”

Nat gave a genuine wince at his words. "It took me three attempts to pass my Shuttle proficiency. I don't like flying, but I 'can' if absolutely necessary." She still had some issues with shuttles, and transports. "This Major Glaswan. Former Marine?"

"Yes, he was a battalion commander for a few years before retiring with the drawdown of the Corps after the Dominion showed they were holding to their terms of the peace treaty." He shrugged, "He's done a fair job of handling my reaction forces, although he's had to build them back up again. I've got about fifty people in that force, so I may need to forego trying to take Chimera... I've got a few days to decide on that." He straightened up, "So, what to do about you? As I said, I don't want to have you officially associated with my operation, not because you wouldn't be an asset, but because you could be a bigger asset without being directly involved."

He stepped away from the hologram, "You see, I have a few ladies that act for me in public, gathering information, making certain deals. Bexley you know already," He gave her a knowing smile, "Daria you'll probably meet in a few days and Yleris and Fiona aren't due back for a couple weeks each. Each of them has earned my trust in various ways, but each is also worth their weight in latinum for what they can provide me. Having a fifth added to that could be useful, unless you actively desired a more active role in my operation."

Nat hedged her response to his offer. "Let us deal with the Chimera. Then we can discuss a... longer-term arrangement." Her eyes fell back to the hologram, thinking. "Would you wish to make communications contact with the Chimera? If so, it would be best for me to not be on the Bridge for the event, so as to keep my involvement a secret. While it is still true that dead men do not tell tales, it would be difficult to ensure the 'entire' crew is wiped out, without destroying the ship."

"That won't be a problem so long as you aren't in the image and don't say anything." Damien shrugged, "Besides, I'll probably have Bex keep you entertained while we're actually engaging them, off the bridge. I prefer to have it nice and orderly so as not to cause confusion."

"That works for me." Nat tried not to sound too eager at the prospect of being entertained by Bex.

"In that case..." Penweather considered something, then dismissed the though, "Natalya, is there anything else you believe I need to know about Chimera or her Captain or Executive Officer that I haven't already spoken about?"

"Nothing immediately comes to mind." Nat answered. It was actually an honest answer. "If I do think of something, I'll get word to you, sir." The last word was devoid of sarcasm. It was merely addressing the master of a ship. Pirate or not, criminal or not, he had command of this ship.

"In that case, I'll set you loose back to Bex." He smiled at the slight joke, "Feel free to grab anything from the table you see that you'd like, I've got more than enough for myself. Perhaps use the holodeck if you feel the need for it, number six is open for special rewards for the crew, but I believe it's open for the next twenty-four hours."

Nat refilled her plate with food, and inclined her head in thanks. "I have to say, having the chance to have a one-to-one with you like this has certainly helped me feel more positive about my arrival here. You are dedicated, and focused. You will have earned your victory." She made her way to the door, wanting to bring her plate of delectables to Bex.

"Why thank you, Natalya, I hope you have a pleasant evening." He gave her a winning smile, and the guards followed her out.