Relief Efforts

[Joe Manning 0]

As Qob's airlock seal closed around Verbistul's docking arm, Joe opened a shipwide channel on his ODRI. "I want engineering, medical, and the full security detail on that ship. The shuttle is waiting for you in Verbistul's shuttle bay; Shane can show you the way."

 

The return of the Capricorn and the Lucky Hand had thrown a wrench in the reconnaissance mission on the Zoalus IV surface, a mission which was otherwise going fairly well. When Joe had asked Holstrum to arrange a rendezvous with his raider buddies on the Constellation class ship, he'd hoped that a meeting would be arranged away from Zoalus, preferably once a secure site had been set up on Zoalus. Capricorn's impromptu arrival, trailed by their (presumed) attackers on the -other- mercenary vessel, had forced Joe into a scramble.

 

If anyone -- the raiders, the other mercs, both -- had hostile intentions, then the team on the surface was in a terribly precarious position. Their existence simply could not be given away; the Capricorn would easily be capable of holding them hostage by locking a phaser array on their position and threatening to scorch the earth they stood on. Radio silence needed to be maintained, which meant that Joe could not be kept apprised of the team's progress or any potential dangers and Troy could not advise their next moves. In fact, Qob could not even actively scan the team's position, for any undue interest in the planet's surface would no doubt prompt the raiders to make scans of their own.

 

So Joe was preparing to send a group of potential (but not so easily taken) hostages right into Capricorn's shuttle bay. It would be a risky gambit. Joe was banking on the raiders being both willing to negotiate and truly desperate for the aid that the shuttle team could provide. They would not proceed without insurance -- Byblos would bring a strong armed presence over, and Qob's disruptors would threaten to further emphasize the raiders' need for aid -- and the team on the surface would be shielded from any more danger than they were already contending with.

 

The Lucky Hand was an enigma that Joe was choosing not to address directly at the moment. For the moment, their apparent desire for raider blood was sated and they were cooperating in keeping a weapons lock on the Capricorn. Their quasi-pirate Captain was a continuing source of agitation, however, and Joe would need to have a conversation with her sooner than later. Joe would have to assume, for the moment, that she had not made some sort of clandestine deal with Capricorn's crew, even as he continued considering cards that he could play against her in case she proved treacherous.

 

It would be a tense situation between the three ships, and the presence of wild cards like Shane and Byblos on the relief team could present a complication from the worst possible direction. Joe would need a calming influence on the Capricorn, even if the calming influence was in total disagreement about the sensibility of the plan. He turned to look at the sensor station. "Troy, I want you to lead the team over there."