S:5 E:12 - Dominion Rising

[M'Nia]

[Commander Nira Said | Holodeck Two | Deck Six | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

"This. Isn't. Working."

Nira sighed in disgruntlement. "Allah's sake, I'm wondering if we even know damn well enough. We only know the layout because of our walking around Deep Space Nine. We don't know enough. And I get that even the computer doesn't trust us, either, Mister Mackenzie," added Nira, "but where the hell did the Orion come from? Besides, it's us in Breen suits who are supposed to be escorting you, not Orions. Plus our Caitian 'ambassador.'"

Since returning to the station, they began to conduct their drills. At first, they've decided on the sneak-aboard tactic. No matter what they're trying, it wasn't working. The idea of having to beam onto Cloten's ship at the right time just didn't look practical to Nira.

Hearing the Captain call in, she replied, "Not an honest-to-Allah good thing. Whatever you're practicing, Captain, it's even worse down here. I don't think the idea of beaming aboard Cloten's ship at the right time will work. Besides, I'm starting to wonder if we should just have a far advance notice and just wait on Cloten's ship. I mean, the materials he's providing is coming from it. For all we know, he has some accommodation reservations for us. Let's see about hauling his furry [spoiler]ass [/spoiler]over aboard and talk things over with him later. I think we should consider practicing our routes in the areas of the station."

Nira turned at the sound of a voice and saw Ensign M'Nia enter. She had to admit, looking closer at her, she looked gorgeous as far as Caitians look. The Caitian equal to Nira, perhaps.

"Excuse me a moment, Captain, our new teammember has arrived," she said, then disconnected.

"Welcome, Ensign," said Nira. "So, the plan is, your role is to play a fellow prisoner alongside Mister Mackenzie, playing the part of the son of the commanding officer of Deep Space Nine. You, Ensign, are going to portray a Caitian ambassador, or somebody in the Caitian inner circle who would have information on Starfleet that will get the attention of the Breen and their pirate friends. Computer, mission PADD."

The last she had instructed the holodeck to conjure up, and she handed it to M'Nia.

"This PADD is a simulation of the information you'll be carrying," Nira explained. "Inside are details of fleet movements on this side of the Federation border. In actuality, not only are the fleet movements fake, the files inside the PADD will also have malware hidden in its data designed to connect to Melek Nor's database, then will link to our own ships to be uploaded. Additionally, it will also be carrying a Cascade Virus that will be primed to take down their computers when the time is right. The First Officer of the Discovery will also be carrying a similar PADD that he'll be taking with him into the Breen station he and his team will be infiltrating, a copy of your 'information,' as it were."

This was what Nira had in mind as she was thinking things over just after returning to Challenger, but before starting the simulations. She had passed on messages to Captain Galloway and to Captain Tekin and Commander tr'Lhoell on the idea, as well as to confer with their Chief Engineers on creating that device and compressing it into a PADD.

Nira looked around at her forming team so far. At least the Breen suits those designated to be disguised in were all holographic. Also, their support from DS9 still haven't arrived yet.

Then again, they probably don't have to join in, not when they have the station layout memorized, Nira thought to herself.

Beckoning for Zhuk to come over, Nira said, "This is Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas, or Zhuk for short. He'll be playing a sort of mercenary who's the 'brains' behind the 'plot,' and will have enlisted Breen mercenaries to help him and then to join with Deej Cloten in bringing them over to the base of Cardassian pirates, Melek Nor. And he'll have enlisted a lot of Breen mercenaries, at that."

"Nice to meet you Zhuk. I'm M'nia. So I assume I am to be reluctant to give away anything or how do I play this?" she looked over at Nira. She was gorgeous, no doubt about it. Unfortunately Nira was a commander and M'nia an ensign fresh out of the academy. Oh well, she can dream!

[Zhukdrashar Mrekrerhas]

Lieutenant Junior Grade Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Holodeck Two | Deck Six | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

"Nice to meet you Zhuk. I'm M'nia. So I assume I am to be reluctant to give away anything or how do I play this?" she looked over at Nira. She was gorgeous, no doubt about it. Unfortunately Nira was a commander and M'nia an ensign fresh out of the academy. Oh well, she can dream!

[Commander Nira Said | Holodeck Two | Deck Six | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

"This. Isn't. Working."

Nira sighed in disgruntlement. "Allah's sake, I'm wondering if we even know damn well enough. We only know the layout because of our walking around Deep Space Nine. We don't know enough. And I get that even the computer doesn't trust us, either, Mister Mackenzie," added Nira, "but where the hell did the Orion come from? Besides, it's us in Breen suits who are supposed to be escorting you, not Orions. Plus our Caitian 'ambassador.'"

Since returning to the station, they began to conduct their drills. At first, they've decided on the sneak-aboard tactic. No matter what they're trying, it wasn't working. The idea of having to beam onto Cloten's ship at the right time just didn't look practical to Nira.

Hearing the Captain call in, she replied, "Not an honest-to-Allah good thing. Whatever you're practicing, Captain, it's even worse down here. I don't think the idea of beaming aboard Cloten's ship at the right time will work. Besides, I'm starting to wonder if we should just have a far advance notice and just wait on Cloten's ship. I mean, the materials he's providing is coming from it. For all we know, he has some accommodation reservations for us. Let's see about hauling his furry [spoiler]ass [/spoiler]over aboard and talk things over with him later. I think we should consider practicing our routes in the areas of the station."

Nira turned at the sound of a voice and saw Ensign M'Nia enter. She had to admit, looking closer at her, she looked gorgeous as far as Caitians look. The Caitian equal to Nira, perhaps.

"Excuse me a moment, Captain, our new teammember has arrived," she said, then disconnected.

"Welcome, Ensign," said Nira. "So, the plan is, your role is to play a fellow prisoner alongside Mister Mackenzie, playing the part of the son of the commanding officer of Deep Space Nine. You, Ensign, are going to portray a Caitian ambassador, or somebody in the Caitian inner circle who would have information on Starfleet that will get the attention of the Breen and their pirate friends. Computer, mission PADD."

The last she had instructed the holodeck to conjure up, and she handed it to M'Nia.

"This PADD is a simulation of the information you'll be carrying," Nira explained. "Inside are details of fleet movements on this side of the Federation border. In actuality, not only are the fleet movements fake, the files inside the PADD will also have malware hidden in its data designed to connect to Melek Nor's database, then will link to our own ships to be uploaded. Additionally, it will also be carrying a Cascade Virus that will be primed to take down their computers when the time is right. The First Officer of the Discovery will also be carrying a similar PADD that he'll be taking with him into the Breen station he and his team will be infiltrating, a copy of your 'information,' as it were."

This was what Nira had in mind as she was thinking things over just after returning to Challenger, but before starting the simulations. She had passed on messages to Captain Galloway and to Captain Tekin and Commander tr'Lhoell on the idea, as well as to confer with their Chief Engineers on creating that device and compressing it into a PADD.

Nira looked around at her forming team so far. At least the Breen suits those designated to be disguised in were all holographic. Also, their support from DS9 still haven't arrived yet.

Then again, they probably don't have to join in, not when they have the station layout memorized, Nira thought to herself.

Beckoning for Zhuk to come over, Nira said, "This is Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas, or Zhuk for short. He'll be playing a sort of mercenary who's the 'brains' behind the 'plot,' and will have enlisted Breen mercenaries to help him and then to join with Deej Cloten in bringing them over to the base of Cardassian pirates, Melek Nor. And he'll have enlisted a lot of Breen mercenaries, at that."

Zhukdra'shar approached as instructed, and offered M'nia a nod in acknowledgment, followed by a little smile. That said, he was a bit surprised to see her once more greeting him as if it was the first time they met. He didn't show it, of course, but he was pretty sure that he had already presented himself. Maybe, she was being polite in front of Lieutenant Commander Said, something that he could certainly understand. She didn't knew it, after all.

"It is a pleasure, M'nia."

Things had turned out much different than what he had been expecting with this 'play' at hand. He had been expecting to be the Caitian ambassador alongside M'nia, or maybe as an aide. But, now he was back to being a mercenary. Not that it was an unpleasant role to act as, of course. But he wanted to be given a chance to show his repertoire and his acting skills. For now, though, he remained silent and instead showcased his new outfit.

He wore what seemed to be a khaki jumpsuit, with an accompanying dark vest, that had many pockets, a bandolier, and of course, an eyepatch that had been placed on his left eye. Underneath, he wore an ocular sensor, just like the last time. And, to boot things off, he had the perfect backstory to accompany his character.

With a big grin, as he posed in place, he proceeded to speak with a gruff accent, "'Tis a pleasure to meet'cha darlin'. Name's H'Riss~ Hang out 'ere much?"

[M'Nia]

"Very nice Zhuk! Rrr, maybe you should have been on stage! You look and sound the part! So I am to play a caitian ambassador. I think I can do that. Fortunately most non caitians can't tell our age by looking at us so they wouldn't know I'm actually a bit young to be an ambassador. I wanna say this ought to be fun but it sounds like very serious business." her tail flicked back and forth as she took all this in!

[Nira Said]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian made a sour face at Nira's report of difficulties with the away team part of the mission. Everything about this mission felt off to him and the drills were not making him feel any better about how things would go when it was actually happening.

"Understood Commander. We'll each run through one more simulation and if'n things nae improve, were ta meet in the conference room ta come up with summat better than what we have now. Galloway out."

Lieutenant Junior Grade Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Holodeck Two | Deck Six | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Zhukdra'shar approached as instructed, and offered M'nia a nod in acknowledgment, followed by a little smile. That said, he was a bit surprised to see her once more greeting him as if it was the first time they met. He didn't show it, of course, but he was pretty sure that he had already presented himself. Maybe, she was being polite in front of Lieutenant Commander Said, something that he could certainly understand. She didn't knew it, after all.

"It is a pleasure, M'nia."

Things had turned out much different than what he had been expecting with this 'play' at hand. He had been expecting to be the Caitian ambassador alongside M'nia, or maybe as an aide. But, now he was back to being a mercenary. Not that it was an unpleasant role to act as, of course. But he wanted to be given a chance to show his repertoire and his acting skills. For now, though, he remained silent and instead showcased his new outfit.

He wore what seemed to be a khaki jumpsuit, with an accompanying dark vest, that had many pockets, a bandolier, and of course, an eyepatch that had been placed on his left eye. Underneath, he wore an ocular sensor, just like the last time. And, to boot things off, he had the perfect backstory to accompany his character.

With a big grin, as he posed in place, he proceeded to speak with a gruff accent, "'Tis a pleasure to meet'cha darlin'. Name's H'Riss~ Hang out 'ere much?"

"Very nice Zhuk! Rrr, maybe you should have been on stage! You look and sound the part! So I am to play a caitian ambassador. I think I can do that. Fortunately most non caitians can't tell our age by looking at us so they wouldn't know I'm actually a bit young to be an ambassador. I wanna say this ought to be fun but it sounds like very serious business." her tail flicked back and forth as she took all this in!

[Commander Nira Said | Holodeck Two | Deck Six | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

"Understood, Captain," said Nira. "Said out."

Looking over at Zhuk, Nira smiled and said, "Way to get into character, Zhuk." Then to M'Nia, she said, "Yes, that would make absolute sense, Ensign..."

She looked around and could see that their two attaches still have not arrived yet. She had just tapped her comm badge when they entered.

"Hullo and what ho!" called Commander Belvedere, as Commander O'Brien trailed behind him.

"Ah, glad you could make it, Commanders," said Nira. "Everybody, these are our attaches assigned to help us, loaned to us from Deep Space Nine. Commander Belvedere and Commander O'Brien."

"All right, so how have you been managing?" asked Molly.

"So far? Lousily. Even when we were getting to know the layout of Deep Space Nine," said Nira.

"Well, I do know the layout longer than you, particularly since I lived there when I was younger."

"Right. Well, at the moment, we're planning a boarding scenario when we beam onto Cloten's ship at the right time," Nira started to explain, only to be hushed up by Belvedere.

"Commander, considering how accommodating Cloten has been in being privy to his information," he said, "can't we just talk to him to let us aboard?"

Now there's another somebody who thinks reaching out to Cloten is a better idea, thought Nira.

"You may have a point," Nira said. "We don't have enough information. Still...let's run through this scenario once, now that we have our layout experts aboard..."

[Deej Cloten | Ready Room | Deck One | S.S. Abandon-All-Hope]

All business as usual. Just a simple call and a notification from the Syndicate smuggling fleet hauling Borg salvage that they'll be arriving in the Bajor system in less than a day, and Cloten will meet them in proximity to the Bajoran moon Derna.

Cloten sighed sharply and took a swig of Romulan Ale from a bottle half his size. What the hell kind of mess did he get himself into in the last few days? The way things were going, Cloten was wondering if he was better off pulling off a rip-off of Quark's in Katra Station. He had a good thing going with the Borg tech, even if he was surprised by how much of that crap was being snatched up by Cardassians. But now, Starfleet wasn't just hoping to shut it down, they're bringing in a fleet with the first accumulation of starships this close to Cardassian space since the Dominion War.

Rather than let the questions piss him off, Cloten decided to just get well and truly drunk; his own wine cellar put in a bigger kick than Quark's booze ever had. Just as he was ready to get his second swig, one of his crew, a Nausicaan, appeared.

"Boss," he growled. "The Starship Challenger is calling for you."

"Sheeeee..." Cloten's curse was changed into a whimper at the last moment, then he growled, "What about?"

"The command officers wish to meet with you. And they also said that if you're not over soon, they might just see if they can't bring in Commodore LaForge...They wouldn't, would they?"

"It's a bluff, but it works," Cloten said with a shrug. It was true, even if he rarely got the threat of having to be brought to, or if there was a summons, for old man Geordi LaForge. He still gets nightmares about his eyes...

"I'm on my way."

[Deej Cloten | Transporter Room One | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Cloten arrived alone with a familiar Security officer waiting for him. Cloten wouldn't have minding bringing his own escort, but he left most of his thugs behind on Ferenginar when he fled from the Moogie gang, including all of his Orions. Besides, if he came alone, at least he'll indicate he's not looking for trouble.

"Hello again, baby-face," Cloten said resignedly. "Let's get this over with."

[Nira Said]

First Officer's Log, supplemental. The expected smuggling fleet, after less than a day of waiting, has been reported to arrive in the outskirts of the Bajor system. After a little negotiation with Cloten, both teams are waiting in his ship with our disguises ready, and we are prepared for the first step in our infiltration.

[Commander Nira Said | Cargo Bay One | S.S. Abandon-All-Hope]

"œAbout time it got here," said Nira as she was putting on her Breen suit. She looked around and could see how nervous the teams were. Either that or they were scowling with varied negative emotions, ranging from disgusted to disgruntled, at Cloten's decor, particularly after spending half a day aboard after drills.

It was partly out of the fact how Cloten can demonstrate how much of a genocidal maniac he can look, at least when it came to Antican-Selay relations, what with the Selay skulls and bones often decorating"¦well, almost every part of the ship. Luckily, only Cloten's quarters and those of his guests - which used to be the senior officer quarters - were decorated with Selay leather beds. The two infiltration teams were temporarily quartered in what used to be the enlisted quarters, though it was obvious it was the quarters for his thugs, and it showed, judging from the smell and the filthiness. Her own quarters Cloten gave her, Nira wasn't sure what was staining the walls, and she in all Allah-to-goodness didn't want to know. The attaches from Deep Space Nine still remained in their usual quarters until they were ready and they beamed over.

Now that the fleet had arrived, Nira was sure everybody wanted to be off as fast as possible, though it was up to both the First Officers of Challenger and Discovery to keep the patience.

"œSmells nicer in this suit than the rest of the dahm ship," sneered Molly O'Brien as she put on her helmet.

"œThe smell is the least of it," snapped Rebecca Sisko. "œThe number of indications of crimes committed I counted between here and the transporter room, they could be enough to put away the little psycho from now until Sol goes nova."

Only Commander Belvedere shrugged as he got his suit on, smiling as he got ready. Alone of the teams, Nira still felt nothing out of him. He was confusing, or if he was shielding thoughts, he had a damn good mind shield. Then she noticed him shaking.

"œNervous, plenty, Commander?" she asked.

"œOh, don't mind me," Belvedere said. "œMedication can last me for a while. Hopefully it won't take too long."

"œMedication?" asked Nira.

"œSlight internal condition as a child. Long as I keep taking my medicines, I can be okay. Sometimes I like to test myself by going without long periods."

Nira frowned in befuddlement, then looked over at Zhuk, M'Nia and Mackenzie with pity. None of them were going to be wearing the suits, given the parts they're playing. Then at Jael, Dranik, Gohun, Counselor Willard and Ensign Lorut for Commander tr'Lhoell's team, then at her own team, those who will be in Breen suits. When Kina and McNair had some issues to take care of, Nira had to change her team around at the last minute, replacing them with Doctor Fellows and Lieutenant Savar. Nira felt a little better that her Imzadi was a part of the team, it made her feel reassured. Doctor Fellows was particularly more open when it came to sparing medical personnel, especially since CMOs came on away missions as well.

Nira never saw much of Doctor Fellows, but she liked her. She reflected briefly that she should've assigned her on her first ever away team as First Officer, as opposed to Head Nurse Chloe Davies, given her past relationship with Lahr"¦then again, Nira reflected that she was unaware of their relationship and how it broke apart, being new. She then returned to reality and turned to Discovery's XO.

"œGot your"¦information?" she asked Commander tr'Lhoell, holding up her PADD, which will be containing the false files, along with the payload of viruses ready to be unloaded into the respective computers of the bases to be infiltrated.

[Deej Cloten | Bridge | S.S. Abandon-All-Hope]

Cloten looked up as four Breen appeared with the two "œprisoners," along with "œH'Riss," who was really the same Caitian posing as Nira's bodyguard. Of course, Cloten knew who it really was under the suits. The two starships' First Officers, plus two bigwigs from Deep Space Nine. These were going to be the spokesmen of the Breen.

"œWell. Here we are," said a Breen who looks more like one Cloten knew. "œHubs" was a Breen mercenary Cloten had known before his untimely demise led Cloten to acquire his suit. Of course, Cloten had plenty of Breen suits in his armory in the event his thugs needed disguises when working in Breen space.

"œI can understand you okay," Cloten said. "œAnd other Breen should."

Cloten was especially impressed by how the Romulan conjured up translators that can understand, and if need be, can also cause the voice filters to speak Breen. He was glad for that; none of the suits he had came with translators.

"œHail the lead ship, boys," Cloten said.

The captain of the lead ship, a heavily scarred Andorian, leered from the viewscreen.

"œCloten," he drawled. "œRoohz, I thought you were going to be late."

"œYou took your damn time getting here, bug," snapped Cloten.

"œGood," muttered the Andorian. "œHope you got the stuff for the old man to go with the crap we've been hauling."

"œThat and a lot more," said Cloten, stepping aside to show the Breen and their prisoners, with H'Riss.

"œWhat's this?"

"œMeet H'Riss, and his fellow comrades from Breen," said Cloten. "œThey've brought us something that can bring in a little extra profit."

"œI thought you didn't take slaves, Cloten," said the Andorian.

"œI don't," sneered Cloten. "œThey're the result of a snatch job. The Caitian woman here has something that can be of very special interest to the old man. Along with the kid."

"œHe the son of somebody important?" he asked.

"œVery."

"œWell, that's perfectly fine," the Andorian said with a shrug. "œI guess that's why the Syndicate picks shifty Andorians when working with the Breen. Okay, let's bring "˜em to Melek Nor, then."

[Lieutenant Commander T'Kel | Bridge | Deck One | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

From the moon's shadow, where the Challenger, the Discovery, and the Valiant were lying in wait, T'Kel was watching Cloten's ship and the smuggling fleet from her sensors.

"œCaptain," she said, "œThe fleet is moving off. They're setting course to the system we're expecting."

[Kyan Mackenzie]

"Hello again, baby-face," Cloten said resignedly. "Let's get this over with."

Kyan had dismissed the transporter technician after she'd qued up the sequence. So when Deej Cloten materialized on the padd, he found  himself alone in the transporter room with Katra's former Security Chief, who sat perched on the railing in front of the console. He was unarmed, having come straight from the holodeck, but that wasn't something that the Antican smuggler would have suspected, given how infrequently it actually occurred. The Only smiled at Cloten's greeting and hopped off the railing.

"Sure." He replied casually. "But first, we need tae have a talk about something." Kyan's eyes narrowed and his voice took on an edge that was evident even with his pre-pubescent pitch. "Da computer seems tae think yer gonna betray us so it does." He shrugged. "Ah course....I 'm not after believing it so, since I know ye." He paused and made eye contact with  loten before going on. "But if the computer has the right of it...and you ARE after switching sides on us....not that ye are of course...but...if you did......"

He thought about leaving the threat unspoken. After all, Cloten knew what he was going to say. But then Kyan was about as subtle as a Klingon in a bar brawl.

"I'll fookin kill ya before ye see any of the money they'd be paying ya." He deadpanned before switching gears and returning to his more casual demeanor. "So we got that out of the way...let's go see  Commander Said!"

:: Bridge 1 | S.S. Abandon All Hope ::

Kyan relaxed when the Andorian was replaced on the screen by his ship and the inky black void of space. It had taken him a while to nail down the "scared kid" look, but apparantly it was convincing enough. The real test would be if he had to speak, since his own inflections were vastly different than those of his "father", Captain Vaughn. Hopefully he wouldn't need to try his American accent.

"Welp" he offered to his Caitian "captor"..."There's part one finished so, and now it's on to frying pan so it is!"

[M'Nia]

"Yes, here we go. Hope this works. May K'tal bless me and watch over me!" she took a deep breath, "Ok let's go!" She offered up her hands if he wanted to put her in any kind of restraints or anything.

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger -  Deck 16 - Crew Lounge]

After hours spent crawling around in the nacelle personnel transfer conduit, Lahr was famished when it came time for his break.   His 'goose egg' was still tender to the touch but no longer throbbing with each movement of his head.

As he sat down, the Andorian overheard other crew members at another table talking amongst themselves mention that the Away Team had finally beamed over to Cloten's ship and that the ruse was about to begin.   Lahr worried about his friends and shipmates assigned to the team.

From what the Commander had said, when he backed out, Zhuk was going to be playing his 'mastermind' role.  He was glad for that.  Zhuk deserved to get a little recognition.  Lahr just hoped Cloten wasn't going to double cross them like he had the last time on Ferenginar.  The more he thought about it the more concerned he grew.

In an attempt to distract himself from his worry, Lahr thought he would maybe check in on Myne... er rather Melly.  Unlike himself, she had seemed  distraught at being pulled from the team.

"Computer. Open a comm to Ensign M...uh... " his voice trailed off trying to recall how her name was pronounced. It was one of the more challenging human names he'd ever heard and he'd only heard it the once.... so remembering it was rather difficult.

"There is no Ensign M'Uh registered in Starfleet. Please specify recipient."

Lahr rolled his eyes. "Computer. Cancel." He then opened his PADD to the ship's roster and began searching the ship's Science personnel until he found one Ensign Melly Pwllgwngyll.  A-ha!  That had to be her.

Rather than try to verbalize the name that only had a single vowel, Lahr simple messaged her.

To: Ensign Melly Pwllgwngyll
From: CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret

Hey MP,
I'm on break in the Deck 16 Crew Lounge. If you feel like some company, join me.... or I could go to you if you aren't feeling like too much company.

[Lina Knight]

Lina after getting the all clear about the drill would relax before heading back to her usual station feeling a bit relieved, you could never be too sure about drills. Sometimes it's just a drill sometimes it really is an emergency.

[Ian Galloway]

[Lieutenant Commander T'Kel | Bridge | Deck One | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

From the moon's shadow, where the Challenger, the Discovery, and the Valiant were lying in wait, T'Kel was watching Cloten's ship and the smuggling fleet from her sensors.

"œCaptain," she said, "œThe fleet is moving off. They're setting course to the system we're expecting."

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

"Acknowledged Commander. Mister Espada, match speed and bearin'. We'll follow the leader for now."

Ian replied absently. He'd seen the results of Nira's holodeck runs of the mission and the poor outcomes had only added to his list of concerns on how badly he felt things were going to go. All he could pin his hopes on was the ability of Starfleet personnel to adjust to circumstances on the fly and some how, figure out a way to succeed.

"I smell a lot of if comin' off this plan."

He muttered softly.

[Zhukdrashar Mrekrerhas]

[Lieutenant Junior Grade Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Holodeck Two | Deck Six | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

"Very nice Zhuk! Rrr, maybe you should have been on stage! You look and sound the part! So I am to play a caitian ambassador. I think I can do that. Fortunately most non caitians can't tell our age by looking at us so they wouldn't know I'm actually a bit young to be an ambassador. I wanna say this ought to be fun but it sounds like very serious business." her tail flicked back and forth as she took all this in!

[Commander Nira Said | Holodeck Two | Deck Six | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

"Understood, Captain," said Nira. "Said out."

Looking over at Zhuk, Nira smiled and said, "Way to get into character, Zhuk." Then to M'Nia, she said, "Yes, that would make absolute sense, Ensign..."

She looked around and could see that their two attaches still have not arrived yet. She had just tapped her comm badge when they entered.

"Hullo and what ho!" called Commander Belvedere, as Commander O'Brien trailed behind him.

"Ah, glad you could make it, Commanders," said Nira. "Everybody, these are our attaches assigned to help us, loaned to us from Deep Space Nine. Commander Belvedere and Commander O'Brien."

"All right, so how have you been managing?" asked Molly.

"So far? Lousily. Even when we were getting to know the layout of Deep Space Nine," said Nira.

"Well, I do know the layout longer than you, particularly since I lived there when I was younger."

"Right. Well, at the moment, we're planning a boarding scenario when we beam onto Cloten's ship at the right time," Nira started to explain, only to be hushed up by Belvedere.

"Commander, considering how accommodating Cloten has been in being privy to his information," he said, "can't we just talk to him to let us aboard?"

Now there's another somebody who thinks reaching out to Cloten is a better idea, thought Nira.

"You may have a point," Nira said. "We don't have enough information. Still...let's run through this scenario once, now that we have our layout experts aboard..."

Zhuk's tail swished from side to side, after the praises from M'nia and Lieutenant Commander Said. It was always a good day when his talents were recognized. However, at M'nia's comment, he still thought about offering some confidence to her. After all, she was a critical part of the operation.

"Thank you. I greatly appreciate your kind comments. I must say, however, that you mustn't sell yourself short, M'nia. Just remember to try and feel yourself as the character you playing. Shift your emotions to match the setting, and voilÁ¡! You should have it in the proverbial bag."

He took a glance when Commander Beldevere and Commander O'Brien came into view and were announced by Nira. He offered them a polite nod towards them, to acknowledge their presence, and make them feel welcome.

First Officer's Log, supplemental. The expected smuggling fleet, after less than a day of waiting, has been reported to arrive in the outskirts of the Bajor system. After a little negotiation with Cloten, both teams are waiting in his ship with our disguises ready, and we are prepared for the first step in our infiltration.

[Commander Nira Said | Cargo Bay One | S.S. Abandon-All-Hope]

"œAbout time it got here," said Nira as she was putting on her Breen suit. She looked around and could see how nervous the teams were. Either that or they were scowling with varied negative emotions, ranging from disgusted to disgruntled, at Cloten's decor, particularly after spending half a day aboard after drills.

It was partly out of the fact how Cloten can demonstrate how much of a genocidal maniac he can look, at least when it came to Antican-Selay relations, what with the Selay skulls and bones often decorating"¦well, almost every part of the ship. Luckily, only Cloten's quarters and those of his guests - which used to be the senior officer quarters - were decorated with Selay leather beds. The two infiltration teams were temporarily quartered in what used to be the enlisted quarters, though it was obvious it was the quarters for his thugs, and it showed, judging from the smell and the filthiness. Her own quarters Cloten gave her, Nira wasn't sure what was staining the walls, and she in all Allah-to-goodness didn't want to know. The attaches from Deep Space Nine still remained in their usual quarters until they were ready and they beamed over.

Now that the fleet had arrived, Nira was sure everybody wanted to be off as fast as possible, though it was up to both the First Officers of Challenger and Discovery to keep the patience.

"œSmells nicer in this suit than the rest of the dahm ship," sneered Molly O'Brien as she put on her helmet.

"œThe smell is the least of it," snapped Rebecca Sisko. "œThe number of indications of crimes committed I counted between here and the transporter room, they could be enough to put away the little psycho from now until Sol goes nova."

Only Commander Belvedere shrugged as he got his suit on, smiling as he got ready. Alone of the teams, Nira still felt nothing out of him. He was confusing, or if he was shielding thoughts, he had a damn good mind shield. Then she noticed him shaking.

"œNervous, plenty, Commander?" she asked.

"œOh, don't mind me," Belvedere said. "œMedication can last me for a while. Hopefully it won't take too long."

"œMedication?" asked Nira.

"œSlight internal condition as a child. Long as I keep taking my medicines, I can be okay. Sometimes I like to test myself by going without long periods."

Nira frowned in befuddlement, then looked over at Zhuk, M'Nia and Mackenzie with pity. None of them were going to be wearing the suits, given the parts they're playing. Then at Jael, Dranik, Gohun, Counselor Willard and Ensign Lorut for Commander tr'Lhoell's team, then at her own team, those who will be in Breen suits. When Kina and McNair had some issues to take care of, Nira had to change her team around at the last minute, replacing them with Doctor Fellows and Lieutenant Savar. Nira felt a little better that her Imzadi was a part of the team, it made her feel reassured. Doctor Fellows was particularly more open when it came to sparing medical personnel, especially since CMOs came on away missions as well.

Nira never saw much of Doctor Fellows, but she liked her. She reflected briefly that she should've assigned her on her first ever away team as First Officer, as opposed to Head Nurse Chloe Davies, given her past relationship with Lahr"¦then again, Nira reflected that she was unaware of their relationship and how it broke apart, being new. She then returned to reality and turned to Discovery's XO.

"œGot your"¦information?" she asked Commander tr'Lhoell, holding up her PADD, which will be containing the false files, along with the payload of viruses ready to be unloaded into the respective computers of the bases to be infiltrated.

[Deej Cloten | Bridge | S.S. Abandon-All-Hope]

Cloten looked up as four Breen appeared with the two "œprisoners," along with "œH'Riss," who was really the same Caitian posing as Nira's bodyguard. Of course, Cloten knew who it really was under the suits. The two starships' First Officers, plus two bigwigs from Deep Space Nine. These were going to be the spokesmen of the Breen.

"œWell. Here we are," said a Breen who looks more like one Cloten knew. "œHubs" was a Breen mercenary Cloten had known before his untimely demise led Cloten to acquire his suit. Of course, Cloten had plenty of Breen suits in his armory in the event his thugs needed disguises when working in Breen space.

"œI can understand you okay," Cloten said. "œAnd other Breen should."

Cloten was especially impressed by how the Romulan conjured up translators that can understand, and if need be, can also cause the voice filters to speak Breen. He was glad for that; none of the suits he had came with translators.

"œHail the lead ship, boys," Cloten said.

The captain of the lead ship, a heavily scarred Andorian, leered from the viewscreen.

"œCloten," he drawled. "œRoohz, I thought you were going to be late."

"œYou took your damn time getting here, bug," snapped Cloten.

"œGood," muttered the Andorian. "œHope you got the stuff for the old man to go with the crap we've been hauling."

"œThat and a lot more," said Cloten, stepping aside to show the Breen and their prisoners, with H'Riss.

"œWhat's this?"

"œMeet H'Riss, and his fellow comrades from Breen," said Cloten. "œThey've brought us something that can bring in a little extra profit."

"œI thought you didn't take slaves, Cloten," said the Andorian.

"œI don't," sneered Cloten. "œThey're the result of a snatch job. The Caitian woman here has something that can be of very special interest to the old man. Along with the kid."

"œHe the son of somebody important?" he asked.

"œVery."

"œWell, that's perfectly fine," the Andorian said with a shrug. "œI guess that's why the Syndicate picks shifty Andorians when working with the Breen. Okay, let's bring "˜em to Melek Nor, then."

[Lieutenant Commander T'Kel | Bridge | Deck One | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

From the moon's shadow, where the Challenger, the Discovery, and the Valiant were lying in wait, T'Kel was watching Cloten's ship and the smuggling fleet from her sensors.

"œCaptain," she said, "œThe fleet is moving off. They're setting course to the system we're expecting."

[Lieutenant Junior Grade Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas, posing as Mercenary H'Riss | Cargo Bay One | S.S. Abandon All Hope]

Zhukdra'shar took a look around the bay as he got used to the smell. It was offensive to his sensitive Caitian nose, and he absolutely hated it. He had to admit, he did not expect to be back into Cloten's ship, ever. Let alone so soon, so it was a bit jarring to be there. He tried his best to put on a brave face for Nira, offering a smirk and a nod.

Finally, they walked over to where Cloten was, with Zhuk doing his best to appear as his character, 'H'Riss'. It was unfortunate that he probably wouldn't fool him disguised as the opposite of 'T'Riss', whom he had been posing as for the previous mission, as he acted as Nira's bodyguard. In any case, he had a story prepared of two Caitian mercenaries, brothers that would place the Kzinti to shame in ferocity and cunning. Yes, that was a perfect story, he thought~

As he was introduced to the heavily scarred Andorian, he offered a big grin, as he grabbed M'nia by the arm and pulled her closer to him, showing her off with one of his hands, somewhat roughly. For emphasis purposes, and to better sell the act. After the conversation ended, Zhuk gave her an apologetic shrug, hoping that she would understand.

Well. Things seemed to be underway. And quite nicely, he supposed.

[Ian Galloway]

First Officer's Log, supplemental. The expected smuggling fleet, after less than a day of waiting, has been reported to arrive in the outskirts of the Bajor system. After a little negotiation with Cloten, both teams are waiting in his ship with our disguises ready, and we are prepared for the first step in our infiltration.

[Commander Nira Said | Cargo Bay One | S.S. Abandon-All-Hope]

"œAbout time it got here," said Nira as she was putting on her Breen suit. She looked around and could see how nervous the teams were. Either that or they were scowling with varied negative emotions, ranging from disgusted to disgruntled, at Cloten's decor, particularly after spending half a day aboard after drills.

It was partly out of the fact how Cloten can demonstrate how much of a genocidal maniac he can look, at least when it came to Antican-Selay relations, what with the Selay skulls and bones often decorating"¦well, almost every part of the ship. Luckily, only Cloten's quarters and those of his guests - which used to be the senior officer quarters - were decorated with Selay leather beds. The two infiltration teams were temporarily quartered in what used to be the enlisted quarters, though it was obvious it was the quarters for his thugs, and it showed, judging from the smell and the filthiness. Her own quarters Cloten gave her, Nira wasn't sure what was staining the walls, and she in all Allah-to-goodness didn't want to know. The attaches from Deep Space Nine still remained in their usual quarters until they were ready and they beamed over.

Now that the fleet had arrived, Nira was sure everybody wanted to be off as fast as possible, though it was up to both the First Officers of Challenger and Discovery to keep the patience.

"œSmells nicer in this suit than the rest of the dahm ship," sneered Molly O'Brien as she put on her helmet.

"œThe smell is the least of it," snapped Rebecca Sisko. "œThe number of indications of crimes committed I counted between here and the transporter room, they could be enough to put away the little psycho from now until Sol goes nova."

Only Commander Belvedere shrugged as he got his suit on, smiling as he got ready. Alone of the teams, Nira still felt nothing out of him. He was confusing, or if he was shielding thoughts, he had a damn good mind shield. Then she noticed him shaking.

"œNervous, plenty, Commander?" she asked.

"œOh, don't mind me," Belvedere said. "œMedication can last me for a while. Hopefully it won't take too long."

"œMedication?" asked Nira.

"œSlight internal condition as a child. Long as I keep taking my medicines, I can be okay. Sometimes I like to test myself by going without long periods."

Nira frowned in befuddlement, then looked over at Zhuk, M'Nia and Mackenzie with pity. None of them were going to be wearing the suits, given the parts they're playing. Then at Jael, Dranik, Gohun, Counselor Willard and Ensign Lorut for Commander tr'Lhoell's team, then at her own team, those who will be in Breen suits. When Kina and McNair had some issues to take care of, Nira had to change her team around at the last minute, replacing them with Doctor Fellows and Lieutenant Savar. Nira felt a little better that her Imzadi was a part of the team, it made her feel reassured. Doctor Fellows was particularly more open when it came to sparing medical personnel, especially since CMOs came on away missions as well.

Nira never saw much of Doctor Fellows, but she liked her. She reflected briefly that she should've assigned her on her first ever away team as First Officer, as opposed to Head Nurse Chloe Davies, given her past relationship with Lahr"¦then again, Nira reflected that she was unaware of their relationship and how it broke apart, being new. She then returned to reality and turned to Discovery's XO.

"œGot your"¦information?" she asked Commander tr'Lhoell, holding up her PADD, which will be containing the false files, along with the payload of viruses ready to be unloaded into the respective computers of the bases to be infiltrated.

[Deej Cloten | Bridge | S.S. Abandon-All-Hope]

Cloten looked up as four Breen appeared with the two "œprisoners," along with "œH'Riss," who was really the same Caitian posing as Nira's bodyguard. Of course, Cloten knew who it really was under the suits. The two starships' First Officers, plus two bigwigs from Deep Space Nine. These were going to be the spokesmen of the Breen.

"œWell. Here we are," said a Breen who looks more like one Cloten knew. "œHubs" was a Breen mercenary Cloten had known before his untimely demise led Cloten to acquire his suit. Of course, Cloten had plenty of Breen suits in his armory in the event his thugs needed disguises when working in Breen space.

"œI can understand you okay," Cloten said. "œAnd other Breen should."

Cloten was especially impressed by how the Romulan conjured up translators that can understand, and if need be, can also cause the voice filters to speak Breen. He was glad for that; none of the suits he had came with translators.

"œHail the lead ship, boys," Cloten said.

The captain of the lead ship, a heavily scarred Andorian, leered from the viewscreen.

"œCloten," he drawled. "œRoohz, I thought you were going to be late."

"œYou took your damn time getting here, bug," snapped Cloten.

"œGood," muttered the Andorian. "œHope you got the stuff for the old man to go with the crap we've been hauling."

"œThat and a lot more," said Cloten, stepping aside to show the Breen and their prisoners, with H'Riss.

"œWhat's this?"

"œMeet H'Riss, and his fellow comrades from Breen," said Cloten. "œThey've brought us something that can bring in a little extra profit."

"œI thought you didn't take slaves, Cloten," said the Andorian.

"œI don't," sneered Cloten. "œThey're the result of a snatch job. The Caitian woman here has something that can be of very special interest to the old man. Along with the kid."

"œHe the son of somebody important?" he asked.

"œVery."

"œWell, that's perfectly fine," the Andorian said with a shrug. "œI guess that's why the Syndicate picks shifty Andorians when working with the Breen. Okay, let's bring "˜em to Melek Nor, then."

[Lieutenant Commander T'Kel | Bridge | Deck One | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

From the moon's shadow, where the Challenger, the Discovery, and the Valiant were lying in wait, T'Kel was watching Cloten's ship and the smuggling fleet from her sensors.

"œCaptain," she said, "œThe fleet is moving off. They're setting course to the system we're expecting."

[Lieutenant Jessica Fellows - Cargo Bay One - S.S. Abandon-All-Hope]

Jess stood quietly among the others in the away team and listened as they bantered and complained. She hadn't been on an away mission in a long time and, tru5h be told, she was a little nervous. So, rather than tip her hand, she figured she'd say as little as possible and wait until she was needed. Which she hoped she would not be.

[M'Nia]

[Lieutenant Junior Grade Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Holodeck Two | Deck Six | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Zhuk's tail swished from side to side, after the praises from M'nia and Lieutenant Commander Said. It was always a good day when his talents were recognized. However, at M'nia's comment, he still thought about offering some confidence to her. After all, she was a critical part of the operation.

"Thank you. I greatly appreciate your kind comments. I must say, however, that you mustn't sell yourself short, M'nia. Just remember to try and feel yourself as the character you playing. Shift your emotions to match the setting, and voilÁ¡! You should have it in the proverbial bag."

"Thanks Zhuk. I'll remember that!"

He took a glance when Commander Beldevere and Commander O'Brien came into view and were announced by Nira. He offered them a polite nod towards them, to acknowledge their presence, and make them feel welcome.

[Lieutenant Junior Grade Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas, posing as Mercenary H'Riss | Cargo Bay One | S.S. Abandon All Hope]

Zhukdra'shar took a look around the bay as he got used to the smell. It was offensive to his sensitive Caitian nose, and he absolutely hated it. He had to admit, he did not expect to be back into Cloten's ship, ever. Let alone so soon, so it was a bit jarring to be there. He tried his best to put on a brave face for Nira, offering a smirk and a nod.

Finally, they walked over to where Cloten was, with Zhuk doing his best to appear as his character, 'H'Riss'. It was unfortunate that he probably wouldn't fool him disguised as the opposite of 'T'Riss', whom he had been posing as for the previous mission, as he acted as Nira's bodyguard. In any case, he had a story prepared of two Caitian mercenaries, brothers that would place the Kzinti to shame in ferocity and cunning. Yes, that was a perfect story, he thought~

As he was introduced to the heavily scarred Andorian, he offered a big grin, as he grabbed M'nia by the arm and pulled her closer to him, showing her off with one of his hands, somewhat roughly. For emphasis purposes, and to better sell the act. After the conversation ended, Zhuk gave her an apologetic shrug, hoping that she would understand.

Well. Things seemed to be underway. And quite nicely, he supposed.

M'nia did indeed understand. She trusted Zhuk not to seriously hurt her but he had to make it look good. "Roowrr!" she said as he shoved her. It was all part of the act. "How dare you lay your hands on me! I am an ambasador!"

[Nira Said]

Kyan had dismissed the transporter technician after she'd qued up the sequence. So when Deej Cloten materialized on the padd, he found  himself alone in the transporter room with Katra's former Security Chief, who sat perched on the railing in front of the console. He was unarmed, having come straight from the holodeck, but that wasn't something that the Antican smuggler would have suspected, given how infrequently it actually occurred. The Only smiled at Cloten's greeting and hopped off the railing.

"Sure." He replied casually. "But first, we need tae have a talk about something." Kyan's eyes narrowed and his voice took on an edge that was evident even with his pre-pubescent pitch. "Da computer seems tae think yer gonna betray us so it does." He shrugged. "Ah course....I 'm not after believing it so, since I know ye." He paused and made eye contact with  loten before going on. "But if the computer has the right of it...and you ARE after switching sides on us....not that ye are of course...but...if you did......"

He thought about leaving the threat unspoken. After all, Cloten knew what he was going to say. But then Kyan was about as subtle as a Klingon in a bar brawl.

"I'll fookin kill ya before ye see any of the money they'd be paying ya." He deadpanned before switching gears and returning to his more casual demeanor. "So we got that out of the way...let's go see  Commander Said!"

:: Bridge 1 | S.S. Abandon All Hope ::

Kyan relaxed when the Andorian was replaced on the screen by his ship and the inky black void of space. It had taken him a while to nail down the "scared kid" look, but apparantly it was convincing enough. The real test would be if he had to speak, since his own inflections were vastly different than those of his "father", Captain Vaughn. Hopefully he wouldn't need to try his American accent.

"Welp" he offered to his Caitian "captor"..."There's part one finished so, and now it's on to frying pan so it is!"

[BEFORE BOARDING]
[Deej Cloten | Transporter Room One | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

"You'll kill me?" he said. "Tell me something I don't know, baby-face. But even the computer knows I could betray you? That's a first."

[Commander Nira Said | First Officer's Ready Room | Deck One | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Nira looked up and nodded appreciatively at the sight of Mackenzie and Cloten. "Thank you very much, Mister Mackenzie. Let Captain Galloway know our guest has arrived and that we're meeting in my ready room."

"You called?" asked Cloten.

"Yes, but hold on a moment," said Nira. Once Captain Galloway arrived, she elaborated. "Okay, Captain, seeing as how our infiltration practices are doing poorly so far, I have an idea to discuss with Mister Cloten. I feel it would be best to be put aboard Cloten's ship rather than sneak aboard."

"Do you now?" asked Cloten.

"Well, it would make sense," continued Nira. "After all, Cloten has the suits."

"Well, if you want to stick around, we can get your teams some berths," said Cloten. "It ain't gonna be pretty."

"I believe you, I've seen inside your ship," said Nira, curling her lip.

"You were only visiting briefly. This ain't gonna be brief," Cloten sneered.

[Lieutenant Jessica Fellows - Cargo Bay One - S.S. Abandon-All-Hope]

Jess stood quietly among the others in the away team and listened as they bantered and complained. She hadn't been on an away mission in a long time and, tru5h be told, she was a little nervous. So, rather than tip her hand, she figured she'd say as little as possible and wait until she was needed. Which she hoped she would not be.

[Lieutenant Junior Grade Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas, posing as Mercenary H'Riss | Cargo Bay One | S.S. Abandon All Hope]

Zhukdra'shar took a look around the bay as he got used to the smell. It was offensive to his sensitive Caitian nose, and he absolutely hated it. He had to admit, he did not expect to be back into Cloten's ship, ever. Let alone so soon, so it was a bit jarring to be there. He tried his best to put on a brave face for Nira, offering a smirk and a nod.

Finally, they walked over to where Cloten was, with Zhuk doing his best to appear as his character, 'H'Riss'. It was unfortunate that he probably wouldn't fool him disguised as the opposite of 'T'Riss', whom he had been posing as for the previous mission, as he acted as Nira's bodyguard. In any case, he had a story prepared of two Caitian mercenaries, brothers that would place the Kzinti to shame in ferocity and cunning. Yes, that was a perfect story, he thought~

As he was introduced to the heavily scarred Andorian, he offered a big grin, as he grabbed M'nia by the arm and pulled her closer to him, showing her off with one of his hands, somewhat roughly. For emphasis purposes, and to better sell the act. After the conversation ended, Zhuk gave her an apologetic shrug, hoping that she would understand.

Well. Things seemed to be underway. And quite nicely, he supposed.

M'nia did indeed understand. She trusted Zhuk not to seriously hurt her but he had to make it look good. "Roowrr!" she said as he shoved her. It was all part of the act. "How dare you lay your hands on me! I am an ambasador!"

[Commander Nira Said | Cargo Bay One >- Bridge | S.S. Abandon-All-Hope]

Cloten was certainly right about how it wasn't pretty. As she inspected the team, she told Savar in a whisper, "When we get back from this, Imzadi, we are having a good long shower."

Savar nodded. With his Vulcan sense of smell, he just kept wrinkling his nose like he was going to sneeze at any time. Nira then looked at Doctor Fellows and gave a reassuring nod. "It's okay, we won't be too long on this ship, Doctor," she said.

At the bridge, she looked on at the performance Zhuk and M'Nia gave, as did Mackenzie. They were playing their parts well. Now it was her turn to "perform."

"Then I advise you cooperate, Ambassador," said "Hubs," voice electronically amplified. "The same goes for you, boy. Don't try to make things worse for you than it already is."

"Otherwise, you could end up in a bit of trouble," said another Breen that Nira remembered was Belvedere. Oh, he was really good at being threatening.

[Ian Galloway]

[BEFORE BOARDING]
[Deej Cloten | Transporter Room One | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

"You'll kill me?" he said. "Tell me something I don't know, baby-face. But even the computer knows I could betray you? That's a first."

[Commander Nira Said | First Officer's Ready Room | Deck One | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Nira looked up and nodded appreciatively at the sight of Mackenzie and Cloten. "Thank you very much, Mister Mackenzie. Let Captain Galloway know our guest has arrived and that we're meeting in my ready room."

"You called?" asked Cloten.

"Yes, but hold on a moment," said Nira. Once Captain Galloway arrived, she elaborated. "Okay, Captain, seeing as how our infiltration practices are doing poorly so far, I have an idea to discuss with Mister Cloten. I feel it would be best to be put aboard Cloten's ship rather than sneak aboard."

"Do you now?" asked Cloten.

"Well, it would make sense," continued Nira. "After all, Cloten has the suits."

"Well, if you want to stick around, we can get your teams some berths," said Cloten. "It ain't gonna be pretty."

"I believe you, I've seen inside your ship," said Nira, curling her lip.

"You were only visiting briefly. This ain't gonna be brief," Cloten sneered.[Commander Nira Said | Cargo Bay One >- Bridge | S.S. Abandon-All-Hope]

Cloten was certainly right about how it wasn't pretty. As she inspected the team, she told Savar in a whisper, "When we get back from this, Imzadi, we are having a good long shower."

Savar nodded. With his Vulcan sense of smell, he just kept wrinkling his nose like he was going to sneeze at any time. Nira then looked at Doctor Fellows and gave a reassuring nod. "It's okay, we won't be too long on this ship, Doctor," she said.

At the bridge, she looked on at the performance Zhuk and M'Nia gave, as did Mackenzie. They were playing their parts well. Now it was her turn to "perform."

"Then I advise you cooperate, Ambassador," said "Hubs," voice electronically amplified. "The same goes for you, boy. Don't try to make things worse for you than it already is."

"Otherwise, you could end up in a bit of trouble," said another Breen that Nira remembered was Belvedere. Oh, he was really good at being threatening.

Mr.

[Briefing Room - USS Challenger]

Ian was not happy. Nira's report on the holodeck simulations of the station were not going well. If this mission wasn't so important, he'd try to get it called off, but the last thing the Quadrant needed was a resurgent Dominion.

"Very well, looks like we will have ta rely on Mister Cloten for transportation as well as a lure. Carry on Commander, we'll keep a close eye on things as they develop and will do all we can ta support your mission."