Changing Tide

[Chirakis 1]

Changing Tide
Chirakis Kirel

“In about 30 minutes the Admiralty will be reading a letter. You can expect an unhappy call shortly after.  Feel free to ignore them as long as you need while you resolve the ongoing search.  When you do talk to them they will undoubtedly have orders for you.  As of this moment, you take command of this station.  I will be departing with a Romulan expedition.  The latest Aegean Class ship is ready to launch and I will be on it.”
~Kallah Ramson 

The silence in Command and Control was palpable, as if the universe stood still.  Kirel had rendered Captain Ramson all honors at her departure, but when the command lift doors closed an indescribable sense of finality descended, accompanied by mixed emotions, primarily unbelief.

“As you were,” she said, then stepped to her console to reset Aegis’s command codes and  suspend all but emergency calls to herself and Commander Coleridge.  “Neither you nor I will be bothered by the admiralty,” she said quietly as she passed Commander Coleridge.  He seemed relieved, as was Kirel.  Their primary focus would be the ongoing  situation.  Everything else would take second place until Nei’rrh, Shuttle Warren, Argos II, and all hands were safely returned to Aegis.  The admiralty would have to wait.  

Not long ago Kirel had been jerked unceremoniously from her position as an operative in Starfleet Intelligence Section 5 to command Sky Harbor Aegis. Her nomadic existence had come to an abrupt halt. As an operative, she and her team worked on the fringes of galactic society, monitoring various groups and situations under the radar. It was taken for granted that, unless otherwise directed, her contact with headquarters would be minimal.  Operating procedure was left to her discretion and oversight by superiors was nominal.  Moving to Sky Harbor Aegis put her under the scrutiny of her superiors, the Federation, and the Joint Allied Powers.  She did not realize then that Aegis was on the fringe of Joint Allied Space.  There would be little difference between SI-5 and Aegis.

A quiet ping followed by a low tone drew her attention to an encrypted message, which she promptly ignored.  There more pressing things to consider.  More important.  

On second thought, she could stand and stare at a screen that had not changed in the past hour, or she could read the….

There came another ping followed by a low tone.  And another.  And another. Like a combadge snagged in a uniform, it was persistent and aggravating enough that Kirel decided to answer.

SI-5 Director Torak’s message contained one of the most profane examples of Federation Standard that she had ever heard.  Some words were indecipherable.  Apparently, Starfleet Admiral Korczaq “was not about to release that Bajoran” to SI-5, and Director Torak insisted that “his operative was worth more than any two-bit Starfleet admiral.”  The exchange reminded Kirel of Timothy Resplexa and Cibyl Korajon’s 
Did not!  Did too!  
Did not!!!  Did TOO!!! 
Did  NOT, did NOT, DID NOT!!!  
DID TOO, DID TOO, DID TOO!!!

As she blanked her private screen and removed the encryption key, she wondered if they had faced off.  Knowing the director and the admiral, she supposed that if they had not already, they would eventually.

Leading an SI-5 team had its perks, but commanding a station on the edge of known space, far from admirals and directors, had its own share.  On Aegis, she could choose to ignore whomever she wanted to. They put her here. They would have to deal with it.

After slipping her encryption key into a secure pocket, she suspended their calls, then stepped away and smiled. Only slightly. But it was, indeed, a smile.