Through the Bird's Eye

[STSF Precip 0]

"Interrogation and investigative report findings from the Echo Lab Facility sir." The junior officer handed Commander

Gravous the data plate and quickly departed.

 

Gravous read the report and marveled what it appears the Federation had pulled off. And much to the chagrin of the Tal Shiar Officer it wasn't clear yet exaclty what the Federation was doing.

 

It was one thing to insert an operative or two, but a dozen? An entire team?, Undetected to the medical crisis facility dealing with the plague that so threatened his people? The team had left two centurions dead, a missing doctor; and a disruptor blasted lab in their wake.

 

It would of been easy to say the Federation was just making good on it's work. Planting a deadly virus weeks earlier via a caputured operative..which rapidly spread through some of the ranks of the Tal Shair to the general population. It was an act the Tal Shair had concluded would significantly weaken the Romulan Star Empire to peace talks with the Federation. At least that's what his superiors believed. Gravous did not.

 

"Subcommander T`dos....remind me of my favorite axiom regarding the United Federation of Planets, please"

 

T'dos nearby on the bridge of the Warbird Corvus quickly replied.."The United Federation of Planets is an organization of pacifists who act through diplomacy of the most heavy handed means"

 

"Thank you Subcommander". His axiom conflicted with his superior's beliefs that the Federation was responsible for the deadly plague. Biowarfare is not "diplomacy". There was another race that excelled in bio-engineering and that race was the Klingons. Gravous forced himself not to spit on the deck of his ship at the thought of what they had done in his mind.

 

"Heavy handed means" could however apply to the Federation inserting a covert operations team of such a size and scope to analyize what was happening on Romulus and determine if it was a threat to their own security. That would require a Starship to deliver the team through the neutral zone, and onto Romulus.

That had to be done by a cloaked vessel. Tal Shiar intelligence had the names of two possible vessels in the Federation fleet..that had the capability.

 

Gravous looked at the file plates....USS Manticore and USS Babylon. The Federation's most covert operating vessels. But yet two different commanders...one an up and comming officer...aggressive. The other more experienced, tactful. The Empire had dealt with Manticore and her crew years earlier, and they had proved most resilient to interrogation. The Babylon was a newer vessel yet to be deployed in the Federation fleet..

 

Gravous reclined in his command chair. It all pointed to Manticore except one critical thing. A source within the Inspector General's office of the Federation collaberated reports of Manticore's commanding officer..Admiral Atragon being severely injured in some sort of a collision involving Manticore and another Federation vessel. Manticore, Gravous surmised upon reading the report...would be out of commission. Her senior officer...unable to lead a team of such a daring event.

 

So the Babylon was the vessel Gravous concluded that had inserted the covert team into Romulan Space. And based on the file of this officer..one Adriane Wolf...Babylon was probably cloaked very near Romulus awaiting the arrival of the stolen Transport on the ground.

 

"Commander Gravous! Pursuit craft have lost the Shuttle on their scopes" Subcommander T`dos literally screamed across the deck.

 

"Acknowldeged..Ready Battlestations and begin an all out scan of the Area the shuttle disappeared in" Gravous replied calmly. "My Guess is we shall find one overconfident starship right in orbit of Romulus, with a "veruul" of a Federation Captain wanting a promotion for this act."

 

T`dos nodded and complied with the orders as Gravous spun his chair around. Adrian Wolfe..prepare to have your up and coming career ended in plain sight of Romulus.

 

The Tal Shair Commander grinned in anticipation of the event, snd interrogating Adrian Wolfe beyond the limits.