In Plain Sight

[Chirakis 1]

The opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.

~Sun Tzu, The Art of War

 

In Plain Sight

 

 

sur·viv·al: The state or fact of continuing to live or exist.

 

For Chirakis Kirel, commanding officer of Sky Harbor Aegis, evading drunken, marauding Cardassian overlords in the mining colony in which she was born, dodging HoD GoragH’s highly-trained, bloodthirsty crew for two weeks after her ‘liberation,’ and successfully infiltrating LtCdr Michael Eddington’s terrorist cell, taught her how to survive. She was fully capable of survival, of taking care of herself, armed or unarmed, though she would argue that she was never unarmed.

 

Of course, this did not mean she had no weakness; it meant that she was acutely aware of her weakness and had a profound respect for her enemy’s ability to use it against her. It was her firm belief that any skilled warrior can defeat an enemy in battle, but to defeat the enemy without going to battle, to know one’s opponent intimately, to consider his finest points and make them work against him requires more skill and patience, and is infinitely more rewarding. Unfortunately, all too often your enemy and your friend were one and the same.

 

For this reason, Kirel had developed a habit of wandering the station. First-hand observation went beyond security footage and allowed her to gain personal insight into the concerns, desires, and societal structure of the populace, and most especially allowed her to gauge the political undercurrents and any divisions, no matter how slight, that may exist. Now, as Drakor skimmed the surface of Ankami Prime, the full implications of her observations during her time on the station became excruciatingly clear.

 

The image of SI-5 operative t’Pak occupied most of Drakor’s cockpit monitor. There was more activity behind the Vulcan operative than usual: 3D screens streaming data, tactical displays of Aegis and its environs, all monitored by twice as many personnel than normal. As t’Pak reported the latest twist on the strange communications emanating from the vicinity of Sky Harbor Aegis, a subtle shift of her eyes betrayed an anxiety unusual for a Vulcan.

 

“Of course none of this is certain,” she said. “It is more of a data construct, though the possibility becomes stronger with every intercepted communication. We cannot be sure without an operative on site.”

 

“My first?” asked Kirel on a sharp intake of breath. She referred to SI-5 operative Resssk, who had been left behind to monitor the station while she was away.

 

“Withdrawn and occupied with a situation elsewhere.”

 

“Convenient. Command is absent and the operative left to cover the station has been withdrawn. The director?”

 

“Consulting with our allies. His question to you is ‘have you any data that would confirm or deny the possibility of this situation?’” T’Pak, as Kirel, avoided all mention of names, groups, places or the specifics of the situation, subspace security being tenuous at best in times of crisis, no matter how elaborate the encryption. Yet, strangely enough, they both hoped someone would be listening in.

 

“Our escorthas also intercepted messages - not to the degree that you have, but enough to warrant concern. I will have them forward the communications. Have we no contacts on the station?”

 

“We do. However, they have been very quiet.”

 

A glance out the canopy caught the last rays of sunset as Drakor obediently changed vectors for a final pass. “Understood,” she said as her gaze returned to the screen. “Good day.”

 

Her image replaced by the SI-5 logo, Kirel keyed the regional comm system.

 

“Number One, meet me on Revenge and contact Captain Ramson. We have something to discuss.”