| Reunion (cont'd) |
| �You said the attack would be done from within, sir,� Lieutenant Talaj said to the captain, getting him back on track. �You mean as in someone from UNSF?� �Yes,� Mansel responded, a somber expression on his face. �The attack will be conducted by Admiral Damian Hicks.� He waited for a second or two to listen to the murmur mill about the table. Everyone knew Admiral Hicks was an ass, but at times he was so loveable that people found it hard to resist him. That, however wasn�t the case for Mansel. He and his merry band of hecklers took great pleasure in making as many jokes as they possibly could at Hicks�s expense. Mansel suddenly wondered if Hicks remembered any of the nicknames that he was stuck with during his three year tenure at the Academy. �Hicks is attempting to defect to the Imperial Navy,� Commander Vaughn continued, having been already briefed earlier by Mansel as they had made their way to the bridge. �With him, he could take countless UNSF secrets, as well our entire supply of protomatter. We must, by all means, ensure that this doesn�t happen.� �Kinda awkward that they give us this for our maiden voyage,� piped up Lieutenant Commander Fleury, rubbing his chin as his brows creased together in a mean scowl. �I mean, we�re right off the lot.� �Hicks himself is a starship captain,� Mansel responded from his place at the head of the table. �He commands an Intrepid class ship. The next best thing to an Intrepid class ship is�� �A Sovereign class vessel.� Fleury finished the sentence. �Correct,� said Mansel. �And since the Sovereign is away on a special assignment, and we�re the only other Sovereign class ship in the entire UNSF fleet, we�re the only reasonable choice. That and the fact that I have history with Hicks.� �What�s your dealings with Hicks?� Lieutenant Commander Serena asked from her position not too far away from Mansel. �I was buddies with him at the Academy�somewhat,� Mansel replied with slight hesitation. �We weren�t always seeing on the same level, but we still got along together pretty good.� �So they�ve sent you to kill a friend,� stated Lieutenant Ingle. �Well that blows the big one.� �That�s the business we�re in, Ingle, don�t forget it,� said Mansel. �Now we�ve got three days to come up with a plan on how to stop Hicks from hijacking the station and deny him from defecting. Suggestions?� �Are there any ships guarding the station?� Lieutenant Commander Serena asked him. At least for some sort of frontline defense against an initial attack.� �Yes and no,� answered Commander Vaughn, fielding the question for Mansel. �There is a ship, the Wraither-C that has been sent do �training exercises� near the station. If anything goes wrong there, the Wraither will be quick to respond.� As Mansel and his crew were pondering their course of action, the acting Communications officer interrupted the meeting. �A message from Intel, sir,� the Lieutenant stated. �According to cover message, this is sensitive information. For certain eyes and ears only.� The starship captain nodded. �Thank you, Lieutenant. Back to your positions, everyone. Maybe this information will shed some new light on the subject. We can plan from there. TJ, you stay,� he said to the Commander as he got up to leave. �You�ve got the clearance.� As soon as the last person had left, Mansel sat down at his desk, Vaughn leaning over his shoulder. Mansel put in his authorization code and the screen changed from the UNSF logo to an image of none other than Major Makeisha Lee. Seeing the Intelligence agent-- and his ex fianc�e-- always caught off Mansel off guard. A brief glance back at Vaughn, Mansel could see that he could barely contain his amusement at the circumstances. �Captain Mansel,� Major Lee started, �we�ve got new information on Admiral Hicks. We intercepted his last communiqu�, and he still plans on defecting to the Imperial side in a little less than three days. Also, he�s noticed the Wraither in place, conducting their training exercises; he�s becoming suspicious of them. They have opted to stay in place and continue with the operation, though. �More importantly, we�ve managed to find one of his contacts on the planet Raous, near the space station.� �Any attempts being made to get this guy?� Mansel asked immediately. �One is in the works as we speak,� the Major replied. �Someone will be inserted within a few hours; as soon as he gets the info, we�ll forward the information to you.� �So what�s our part?� asked Commander Vaughn. �Where do we fit into all this?� �Your part is to stay out, Commander,� the Intelligence officer replied. �Let us handle this. Just make sure the Explorer is far from Raous. We don�t want Admiral Hicks getting suspicious; that might blow the whole op. No antics, Mansel,� she said, focusing her attention back on the Captain. �No wild stunts, you hear me?� �I hear you,� the starship captain replied with a forced smile. �We�ll hang around here until we hear word from your boy.� �Good,� Major Lee replied. �Is there anything else we can do for you?� |
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