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Ambassador Moose

The Calm Before the Storm

Somewhere In Romulan Space...

Stardate 10110.07

 

A normal person would have been uncomfortable by the slow movement of the stars. Normal people were used to traveling at high warp speed and took comfort from the quick smears of light that streaked past them. But they had to be jaded space travelers to ever consider any warp speed 'slow'. Although the stars were drifting instead of shooting past the viewport, Benai Varden was relaxed.

 

He was so relaxed that a normal person would have checked him for life signs. He had lowered his pulse to 12 beats per minute; his lungs filled with air once every dozen heartbeats. Moset and Melora achieved their rest state through mental concentration; their current J'har Setti tournament having lasted three days. But Varden was the Prime of their triad and needed no external focus. He had mastered the traditional disciplines. He would need them.

 

He felt, more than heard, the new heartbeat that swelled from the background and joined the one that had beat steady time outside his chamber for the past six hours. The two merged rhythmically for a moment, the stronger beat matching the tired one, until it crept ahead filling the space between the other pulses exactly. Eventually, it crept ahead again until they returned to perfect synchronization. This rotating melody continued for two minutes until the weaker beat faded away and the stronger beat kept time alone. The changing of the guard was complete. Tor Duva had relieved Jaqo Ren from the sound of things.

 

Varden respected the efficiency of the Paktaran crew. The changing of the guard had occurred at exactly the anticipated moment. And he could tell from the stars that the course and speed he had dictated had been adhered to exactly. Captain Logoss ran an exemplary Starship. Varden could have made good use of them in other circumstances. It was a waste to dispose of such a unique and valuable resource. But the resources he was trying to preserve were each one more unique and valuable than the one before it. As much as he would have preferred otherwise, he could not anticipate and end to this scenario that would allow him to keep them all. Regrettably, sacrifices would have to be made. And it was all because of Christopher Moose.

 

The Federation Ambassador was one of the most unique individuals Varden had ever encountered, and that was saying quite a lot. Yet his uniqueness was not easily identifiable. He was not unusually smart, although he was more clever than most. Nor was he physically astounding, in spite of the accident that had left him with a body as near perfect as human anatomy could get.

 

But in spite of his lack of obvious talents, Moose was the man who had maneuvered the Coalition into openly acknowledging their existence to the Federation. He had unearthed both parts of the Revelation Device, which had been abandoned for seventy-five years, and placed them in the hands of the only Klingon capable of detonating it. After witnessing the destruction of the Klingon's planetoid, he next traced the technology first to Axia, and then across Romulan space all the way to Paktar. The Coalition Board of Directors had rearranged their agenda to interview him personally, an honor that Varden still aspired towards. This was no ordinary human.

 

What made Christopher Moose unique was that he always seemed to be in the middle of things. Cultures based on faith would claim that he had a destiny. Instead, Varden looked at it as an instinct. Moose knew what mattered, even when others did not. Moose was not self-aware enough to know this, and he couldn't explain why he was drawn towards something anymore that Euclid could prove his basic postulates of Geometry. Moose's intuition always drew him towards historic events and surrounds him with extraordinary people. Combine that with a stubborn determination to control events, and only a total incompetent could avoid success. Moose had by no means been the most skilled Captain in the Starfleet, but he had managed to change the scope of the Federation forever.

 

Which led Varden to this wonderfully ripe predicament, which was also the most bountiful opportunity he had ever imagined. The Federation Embassy was originally intended as a way to neutralize Moose's activities. The best way to protect the flock from a wolf has always been to keep him in plain sight within the sheep pen. But true to form, the Ambassador managed to surround himself with the extraordinary.

 

To begin with, there was the stowaway. David Quest had telepathic abilities, yet he had managed to survive the jump through folded space without the protection of telepathic dampeners. Granted, the boy was in a coma, but he was still alive. No other telepath was in a condition to make that claim. Even the Federation's Betazoid delegate had perished, and a level 5 shield had protected him. At the young age of 13, David had become unique in the galaxy. Unfortunately for him, that made him a commodity; one that would soon be the property of the Paktaran government.

 

As if the boy wasn't prize enough, there was Rowan Moderi. Whether by instinct or by blind luck, when Moose assisted in her escape from Paktar right out from under the nose of her overbearing husband, he had foiled years of meticulous planning and training. Gio Moderi was exposed to the Counsel as an incompetent bully, and his plans for Axia were ruined. Now Rowan was returning, freely and of her own will. And by coincidence, Moose was once again in the middle of one of the Coalition's most important research projects.

 

It was clear that Moose was unaware of her abilities, otherwise he would not have asked about the availability of Coalition telepaths to help David. Yet in spite of Rowan's desire to keep secret about her gifts, Varden's sensors indicated that she had shut off her personal telepathic dampener in order to reach out to the boy. It was good to know that she would compromise herself given the right circumstances. She could be influenced. That fact would ultimately help them manipulate her provided she survived the journey to Coalition space. Varden would have to ensure her survival.

 

But if survival came down to making a choice, which way would Varden go? Both Rowan and David were ripe with potential, as was Moose himself. If they were successful in aligning Moose to the Coalition agenda, they would have the means to annex the entire Federation. The Romulan and Klingon empires would surely follow right behind. Half the galaxy would belong to the Coalition, making it the largest empire in recorded history.

 

Varden considered the other members of the Federation Delegation; the dual-life form Terza Gio, the stoic Marine leader Kathryn O'Malley ... he didn't know what made them special yet, but he knew that they were. That was the thing about postulates, they didn't have to be proven; you accepted them as truth. The fact that these people were working with Moose spoke to their uniqueness. If natural selection had eliminated the Betazoid, then the others had earned their survival. Even the ubiquitous Attaché Bleeth had to have more talents than her good looks or vapid demeanor implied. If not, Moose would have left her behind on the Arcadia.

 

In addition to ensuring that the Delegation arrived on Paktar, Varden had to make sure they didn't leave. The shortest journey from Federation space to Paktar took 97 days unless you went directly through the Romulan Empire. The Romulans had grown weak since the Dominion War. Not only did Moose go through Romulan space to reach Paktar, he went home the same way. The course they were on presently had traveled within 40 light years of Romulus itself without receiving so much as a scan. The Delegation's contact with the Federation must be slow and controlled; response time must be hindered. This route must be closed permanently.

 

Suppose that the Romulans were to discover the Paktaran Starship within their borders. They would have to secure the vessel. If the Paktarans escaped the encounter, the Romulans would likely follow them home. Although the Paktaran Defense Force was no match for the Romulan fleet, Paktar was now a member of the Coalition. They would be forced to defend the planet or loose other, stronger members. The Romulans wouldn't stand a chance against Coalition weaponry, and if the Empire fell, there would be no reason for the Federation to bypass their space. The Romulan Empire had a purpose, albeit temporarily, and once again had ensured its survival.

 

If on the other hand, the Romulans were to destroy the trespasser in their home space, they would feel their point had been made. They would increase security on this particular traffic route; especially if they knew the Federation was somehow involved, but likely see no reason to pursue their adversary. No other ship would ever follow this path. And since the Federation has not yet perfected their own flux drive, they would not be able to jump across the void the way a Coalition ship was able. Reinforcements would be forced to take the long road. The agenda of the Coalition would be met.

 

Reveal the presence of the Federation Delegation... deliver them safely to Paktar...

 

Unfortunately, in every scenario Varden could envision, the Paktar ship and it's crew would be destroyed. Regrettably, sacrifices would have to be made.

 

Amb Moose, for Prime Varden

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