Fracturing More Than Subspace

[Sorehl 0]

The following is a joint log recounting the conversation between Sorehl and Corizon in the Excalbur conference room during the last sim, addressing the subspace weapon.

 

Corizon walked toward the conference room just aft of the Excalibur bridge, with Sorehl a few paces behind. He assumed it must be important if the starbase commander was requesting a private meeting with him.

 

The Vulcan didn’t even wait till they got there. “Captain,” he began, “I noted that your plans after arriving at the Expanse are somewhat... non-specific in your report."

 

Ah-Windu stepped through the doors as the opened, then gestured toward the conference table. He cleared his throat. “Non-specific?” he asked, non-committally.

 

Sorehl regarding him briefly, then phrased his statement again. “It lacks a description of your tactical plan for drawing in and overpowering a Scorpiad ship, referring only to…” he glanced aside, as if accessing the text from some invisible display, “a weapon under development.” He looked back.

 

The response was quick. “It involves classified material."

 

Sorehl blinked. “Yes, classified material,” he repeated. “That would be the non-specific part.”

 

Corizon considered briefly, weighing his next statement for only a moment, then presented it matter-of-factly, almost bluntly. “It's a subspace weapon.”

 

The Vulcan stared evenly in response. For a moment, it actually seemed he did not know what to say next. He tilted his head slightly, “I beg your pardon, Captain?"

 

“You did want to know, I assume?" he replied, turning toward the viewport. Senior officers hated to be left out of secrets; Corizon hoped he’d just avoided a drawn-out demand for information.

 

Sorehl glanced toward the conference door, as if to verify that it was closed. “I may not be nuanced in the intricacies of humor, but I don't believe that constitutes funny, Captain."

 

The Excalibur executive officer turned around sternly. “It wasn't supposed to be.”

 

“Forgive my ignorance,” the Vulcan countered, “but it would be logical to assume you must be joking. Subspace weapons are expressly prohibited by the Second Khitomer Accords…”

 

“That’s correct,” he interrupted. Corizon knew where this was going. His conversation with Craven was still fresh in his mind.

 

Sorehl continued, “...because they represent an unstable, unpredictable effect on subspace."

 

Ah-Windu felt fatigue and irritation at the base of his ears. “That's also correct,” he practically sighed.

 

The Vulcan allowed a raised eyebrow to express his reaction. “On what basis do you presume to violate interstellar law and signed agreements?”

 

“Under order of the Federation Security Council,” Corizon explained again, “I am empowered to take whatever action I feel is required to protect the Alpha Quadrant." His ears were cocked back and he heard the smooth, solid sound of his steady voice. “And I am willing to do whatever I must to carry out that directive, Captain."

 

Sorehl regarded the Daemon for a moment, clear evidence of calculation behind his eyes. “Whatever you feel is required?” The emphasis on the third word betrayed his concern.

 

Corizon nodded. “The plan is fairly simply…”

 

But the starbase commander no longer seemed interested in the plan. “By what logic do you destroy the Alpla Quadrant in order to save it?”

 

Ah-Windu continued, as if uninterrupted. “Inside the expanse, Merlin will behave as a lightning rod for the gravitational wells.”

 

“Merlin,” Sorehl repeated flatly. “Your clever moniker for the violation of treaty?”

 

Corizon was in no mood to be baited. “ATAG’s, actually,” he answered, invoking the name of the little-known organization he’d worked for. “In theory, it will cause a gravitiation well to form around the Scorpiad ship, trapping it..."

 

The Vulcan raised his index finger, as if to point something out. “In theory?” he challenged. “That is precisely the problem with subspace weapons. Theory and prediction tend not to hold.”

 

“It has been tested, Captain,” Corizon offered.

 

Sorehl was well aware of subspace weaponry testing that had occurred before the ban. He wondered if the Daemon was aware of the disastrous failures that had prompted the moratorium signed by seven Alpha Quadrant powers. Casually, he wondered if this plan was being hidden from the Klingons and Romulans, two of those signatories. Even their approval would not absolve the restriction. “Captain,” he urged, stepping closer, “the Expanse has its own unique and dangerous subspace properties."

 

“I'm aware...” Corizon answered dismissively. His expression softened before he added, “The authorization is actually to interdict the wormhole.”

 

Sorehl could not constrain the arch of his eyebrow. “The wormhole is Bajoran territory and of deep religious significance to them. Have we even advised them?”

 

“No,” Corizon answered bluntly. “The safety of the Quadrant...” he trailed off.

 

Sorehl stood beside him, looking out the viewport as well. “This would seem to be a sandstorm that won’t stay in the urn,” he noted, citing the Vulcan idiom.

 

Corizon felt his guard go down as he sighed loudly. “Frankly, captain, I am at a loss for ideas. We need to retake the wormhole, but the only way to do that is to find out more information about not only what they're doing, but about the Scorpiads themselves."

 

The Vulcan clasped his hands behind his back. “I understand your dilemna,” he admitted. “I have been a weapons developer in the past, as well. But we should not limit our options.” He paused. “Nor should we commit ourselves to actions that cannot be retracted. I caution you, captain, not to move so certainly on use of a subspace weapon."

 

“If you have a better way to capture a Scorpiad Ship,” the Excalibur exec pressed, “I welcome it.”

 

Sorehl continued to look out the viewport, past the Camelot umbilical connect and toward the Idran system. “I have no doubt of the superiority of your tactical planning,” he conceded, “but it may be time to solicit other ideas from our capable staffs. There are always possibilities.”

 

Corizon glanced toward the Vulcan. “As I said, present me with a better solution, and I will gladly consider it."

 

The other captain rounded on him this time. “With all due respect, captain,” his tone firmer that before, “a little less of the secret planning would do well to invite suggestions."

 

Corizon shook his head. “Old habits die hard.” He looked out toward where Sorehl had been gazing just moments before. “What good is it to protect the Federation, if we destroy the values it stands for in the proccess?"

 

Sorehl noted the words had mirrored his own thoughts. “A valid concern,” he agreed. “I fully concur with your efforts, but I do not believe matters are desperate enough to warrant such escalation.” His thoughts turned to the biological agent the Federation had aimed at the Founders – a turning point in the war. Sorehl remembered that, in an illusory reality forced on him by Semil, he had imagined sanctioning the use of protomatter torpedoes against Cardassian colonies. Neither thought deterred his resolve. “Let me try,” he offered, “to present other options.”

 

Corizon narrowed his eyes. Whether in anger or skepticism, Sorehl could not tell. “Go on, then,” he directed. “You don’t have much time.”

Edited August 6, 2006 by Sorehl