<2384, USS Infinity, En Route to the Bridge, 1010 hours>
Alexis walked through the same corridors she had many times before. Yet this time was different. She had been summoned to the Captain’s Ready Room. It didn’t happened all that often. She’d tried to fly under the sensors, but maybe somehow word got out. She half expected to see her department head on the Bridge waiting for her.
She stepped into the turbolift. “Bridge.” The lift whirred to life. A few seconds later, it arrived at its destination and the doors opened.
Alexis walked out onto the Bridge. She couldn’t figure out what Captain Van Pelt wanted with her. As she approached the door to the Ready Room, she got an uneasy feeling. She rang the door chime.
“Come on in,” answered Captain Van Pelt.
Alexis entered and saw a Commander in Intel gray sitting across the desk from Van Pelt.
“Ensign Rho,” he began, “this is Commander Jonah O’ Boyle from Starfleet Intelligence.” The Commander stood and extended his hand for Alexis to shake it.
She stared at it for a second, and then shook it. “Sir.”
O’ Boyle looked at her solemnly, “Ensign Rho…I’ve heard good things about you. Captain Van Pelt tells me you’re a good Intel Officer.”
“The Captain is a smart man, sir,” she replied. Her face betrayed no emotion.
O’ Boyle turned to Van Pelt. “Is there a place Ensign Rho and I can speak in private?”
“Right in here, Commander.” Van Pelt walked out the door.
Commander O’ Boyle walked around the desk and sat down in Van Pelt’s chair. At the same time Ensign Rho was sitting down in the chair opposite the desk.
Alexis always liked to control the conversation…if she could. “How can I help you today, Commander?”
“Always to the point, with you isn’t it? Well…we have an emergency extraction mission on Cardassia and I need a person with your talents and morals on my team, Miss Rho. Are you up for it?”
Alexis grinned mischievously. “Of course.” She paused. “SI didn’t assign a Psionics Specialist to your team?”
O’ Boyle grinned. “Per my request.” He slid a PADD across the desk. “Here are the specifics. I’ll brief Captain Van Pelt. Be in the Main Shuttle Bay tomorrow morning. We leave at 0700.” He got up to leave.
Alexis continued scanning the PADD as she stood. “Sir?” she said questioningly.
“What is it Miss Rho?”
“Senior Chief Petty Officer Raul, J’Nara Raul...a Bajoran?”
O’ Boyle smiled. “Yes, this mission requires a ghost.”
“Why?”
“Need to know.”
“How do you plan to cover my abilities?”
“Don't worry, it's taken care of.” He grinned.
“And the whole nose and earring thing?” asked Alexis.
“We’ll take care of that tomorrow once we reach the rendezvous point.
“Who are we meeting?” asked Alexis.
“The USS Tau’ri,” answered O’ Boyle. “Oh, and you’ll have to change your hairstyle, too,” he added.
“Fine. See you in the morning.” Oh well, welcome to the Fleet’s Intel department, she thought.
Commander O’ Boyle nodded and left ready room. Alexis was only seconds behind.
A Ghost of a Chance
Moderators: Tournneau, Korath, Kersare
A Ghost of a Chance
Lieutenant JG Alexis Rho
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
"My mind is the only sanctuary that has not been stolen from me. People have tried to breach it before, but I've learned to defend it vigorously, for I am only safe with my innermost thoughts."
Re: A Ghost of a Chance
<2384, Emergency Extraction of an SI Informant, Mission Day 2, Cardassia, 1847 hours>
Ensign Rho, or Chief Raul, looked at her team leader, Commander O’ Boyle, and nodded. She and CWO2 Kramer were to stay in hiding until he gave the order. She absentmindedly ran her finger down the ridges of her nose; the Doc had certainly done a bang-up job. She just couldn’t get used to that stinking earring flopping around.
She had noticed that O’ Boyle’s, Johnson’s and Reyya’s undercover appearances looked so much like Cardassian soldiers it was unreal. The three were poised on the edge of the forest, near some underbrush, waiting for Kramer to give the signal that no one was coming. Alexis watched Kramer as he carefully studied the tricorder. He immediately jerked his head up and signaled O’ Boyle. Team Cardassian left the cover of the underbrush, checked the immediate area, and began heading toward the complex.
Kramer put away his tricorder and looked at the three dead Cardassians laying on the ground next to Alexis. “Shame,” he whispered. “They were such nice fellas.” He grinned.
Alexis cocked her head to the side. “Yeah. Too bad they wouldn’t give up the information voluntarily.” She was trained like all the other Psionics Specialists in Starfleet Intelligence. She could still remember the words…‘use your abilities appropriately for intelligence gathering purposes. Do not abuse your powers or the enemy. Use your abilities as harmlessly as possible.’ Typically, Ullians have strong moral and ethical principles against abusing their powers. However, Alexis overcame that weakness long ago. She was getting a certain reputation among a few individuals within SI’s ranks who had no problem looking the other way. For this, she was thankful -- someone finally recognized her potential. Although at times like this, she had to keep it hidden. Getting what they needed, and a few memories that might help along the way, and passing them to O’ Boyle wasn’t exactly what she expected. But she still got to do what she’d been waiting to do.
“He had way too much fun probing their minds. I’m just glad he’s on our side. Right Raul?” replied Kramer.
Alexis brought her hand up and placed her finger on her lips. “I hear footsteps,” she whispered.
Kramer froze. The last thing he wanted was to be the failed part of ‘mission failed.’ He slowly brought out his tricorder to confirm what Alexis heard.
Twilight had arrived and the setting sun light was no longer filtering down through the branches. That made Alexis feel a little safer. They heard the crunch of dried grass under boots. The footfalls were heavy. Alexis knew they didn’t belong to the rest of their team. Just in case there was a telepath with them, she immediately started masking the mental energies that she and Kramer were putting out. She put out feelers and found two minds just as hard as the ones from which she’d extracted information earlier. She tried to sense the Commander. He was nowhere around, which was good. Two Cardassians paused. A bead of sweat ran down the back of her neck. She could hear what they were saying.
“So, who do you think it is?”
“I have no idea.”
“I didn’t ask if you knew. I asked who you thought.”
The one turned to his buddy. “I think the Obsidian Order is doing what they do best, looking for something that doesn’t exist.”
His buddy jerked his head around. “Words like those will get you killed!”
“Relax, there’s no one out here but us. Besides, what would a spy do out here?”
“You really don’t know what those scientists do in the complex, do you?”
“No, and I don’t really care. I’m just supposed to guard them.”
Enough is enough, thought Alexis. She gave the soldiers a slight mental nudge that they should finish their patrol. As if on cue, they started walking away. She and Kramer let out a long breath.
Ensign Rho, or Chief Raul, looked at her team leader, Commander O’ Boyle, and nodded. She and CWO2 Kramer were to stay in hiding until he gave the order. She absentmindedly ran her finger down the ridges of her nose; the Doc had certainly done a bang-up job. She just couldn’t get used to that stinking earring flopping around.
She had noticed that O’ Boyle’s, Johnson’s and Reyya’s undercover appearances looked so much like Cardassian soldiers it was unreal. The three were poised on the edge of the forest, near some underbrush, waiting for Kramer to give the signal that no one was coming. Alexis watched Kramer as he carefully studied the tricorder. He immediately jerked his head up and signaled O’ Boyle. Team Cardassian left the cover of the underbrush, checked the immediate area, and began heading toward the complex.
Kramer put away his tricorder and looked at the three dead Cardassians laying on the ground next to Alexis. “Shame,” he whispered. “They were such nice fellas.” He grinned.
Alexis cocked her head to the side. “Yeah. Too bad they wouldn’t give up the information voluntarily.” She was trained like all the other Psionics Specialists in Starfleet Intelligence. She could still remember the words…‘use your abilities appropriately for intelligence gathering purposes. Do not abuse your powers or the enemy. Use your abilities as harmlessly as possible.’ Typically, Ullians have strong moral and ethical principles against abusing their powers. However, Alexis overcame that weakness long ago. She was getting a certain reputation among a few individuals within SI’s ranks who had no problem looking the other way. For this, she was thankful -- someone finally recognized her potential. Although at times like this, she had to keep it hidden. Getting what they needed, and a few memories that might help along the way, and passing them to O’ Boyle wasn’t exactly what she expected. But she still got to do what she’d been waiting to do.
“He had way too much fun probing their minds. I’m just glad he’s on our side. Right Raul?” replied Kramer.
Alexis brought her hand up and placed her finger on her lips. “I hear footsteps,” she whispered.
Kramer froze. The last thing he wanted was to be the failed part of ‘mission failed.’ He slowly brought out his tricorder to confirm what Alexis heard.
Twilight had arrived and the setting sun light was no longer filtering down through the branches. That made Alexis feel a little safer. They heard the crunch of dried grass under boots. The footfalls were heavy. Alexis knew they didn’t belong to the rest of their team. Just in case there was a telepath with them, she immediately started masking the mental energies that she and Kramer were putting out. She put out feelers and found two minds just as hard as the ones from which she’d extracted information earlier. She tried to sense the Commander. He was nowhere around, which was good. Two Cardassians paused. A bead of sweat ran down the back of her neck. She could hear what they were saying.
“So, who do you think it is?”
“I have no idea.”
“I didn’t ask if you knew. I asked who you thought.”
The one turned to his buddy. “I think the Obsidian Order is doing what they do best, looking for something that doesn’t exist.”
His buddy jerked his head around. “Words like those will get you killed!”
“Relax, there’s no one out here but us. Besides, what would a spy do out here?”
“You really don’t know what those scientists do in the complex, do you?”
“No, and I don’t really care. I’m just supposed to guard them.”
Enough is enough, thought Alexis. She gave the soldiers a slight mental nudge that they should finish their patrol. As if on cue, they started walking away. She and Kramer let out a long breath.
Lieutenant JG Alexis Rho
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
"My mind is the only sanctuary that has not been stolen from me. People have tried to breach it before, but I've learned to defend it vigorously, for I am only safe with my innermost thoughts."
Re: A Ghost of a Chance
<2384, Emergency Extraction, Day 2, Cardassia, the remote Tarkal Research Facility, 1913 hours>
“Tarkal is coming into sight, sir,” said Lt. Johnson. He slipped his hands into his pockets to make sure the phaser and energy knife were well placed and quickly accessible.
“Yes,” replied O’ Boyle. “But remember, we’re only gathering information. We infiltrate later tonight.” He turned to Reyya, “Make sure you’re ready to scan. Johnson, visual.”
Johnson and Reyya nodded.
As they approached the Tarkal Facility, the security lights came on. O’ Boyle looked up at the sky…it was getting dark. “Right on schedule,” he whispered. They got closer and saw that there weren’t as many guards posted on the outer perimeter as they thought.
“Strange,” remarked Reyya in a whisper, “I thought there were supposed to be at least a dozen more out here.”
Johnson answered, “That’s what the report said. Maybe we caught them in the middle of shift change?” he suggested.
“Possible,” said O’ Boyle. He paused. “But something isn’t right.”
“That famous gut of yours, boss?” said Johnson.
O’ Boyle nodded. A look of concern crossed his face. “Let’s do what we came here to do and get back to Kramer and Raul. I don’t like the looks of this.”
The team walked as close to the outer perimeter as they dared. Reyya fell into step behind her teammates. O’ Boyle and Johnson closed ranks to hide Reyya. She slipped her hand in her pocket and pulled out the ‘spycorder’ to start taking readings. O’ Boyle and Johnson were making mental notes of entrances, gates, guards, windows, and hiding places. The five guards that were left behind moved to the edges of the perimeter fence. O’ Boyle caught their eyes and nodded. They moved back…only slightly.
“Sir, I’m picking up an energy surge…top floor, east corner,” said Reyya.
“What kind of energy surge?” asked O’ Boyle.
“It’s…wait…it’s gone. That doesn’t make any sense.”
They stopped. “Let me see.” He turned his back to the facility.
Reyya handed the spycorder to O’ Boyle. He looked at the readings and noticed that about a dozen Cardassian life signs were in the same general area. “Reyya, did they give us a bio signature for the informant for comparison?”
“Aye, sir. It’s right here.” She tapped a couple of buttons and brought up a small inset with the information on it. O’ Boyle looked at the two scans. He shoved the spycorder back into Reyya’s hands.
“I know why there aren’t but a handful of guards out here. They’re all posted around that east room on the top floor. The same room where our informant is being held. They know.”
Johnson and Reyya waited. They knew mission wasn’t over, just altered. They couldn’t leave the informant in Cardassian hands. He was too important to Starfleet Intelligence. They had to get him out.
O’ Boyle tapped his subcutaneous communicator. “O’ Boyle to Kramer. They’ve found him. The mission is a hot-go. You and Raul get here ASAP. We’ll take out the guards and wait. MOVE IT! O’ Boyle out.”
He turned to his team and smiled. “We’re already dressed for the party.”
“Tarkal is coming into sight, sir,” said Lt. Johnson. He slipped his hands into his pockets to make sure the phaser and energy knife were well placed and quickly accessible.
“Yes,” replied O’ Boyle. “But remember, we’re only gathering information. We infiltrate later tonight.” He turned to Reyya, “Make sure you’re ready to scan. Johnson, visual.”
Johnson and Reyya nodded.
As they approached the Tarkal Facility, the security lights came on. O’ Boyle looked up at the sky…it was getting dark. “Right on schedule,” he whispered. They got closer and saw that there weren’t as many guards posted on the outer perimeter as they thought.
“Strange,” remarked Reyya in a whisper, “I thought there were supposed to be at least a dozen more out here.”
Johnson answered, “That’s what the report said. Maybe we caught them in the middle of shift change?” he suggested.
“Possible,” said O’ Boyle. He paused. “But something isn’t right.”
“That famous gut of yours, boss?” said Johnson.
O’ Boyle nodded. A look of concern crossed his face. “Let’s do what we came here to do and get back to Kramer and Raul. I don’t like the looks of this.”
The team walked as close to the outer perimeter as they dared. Reyya fell into step behind her teammates. O’ Boyle and Johnson closed ranks to hide Reyya. She slipped her hand in her pocket and pulled out the ‘spycorder’ to start taking readings. O’ Boyle and Johnson were making mental notes of entrances, gates, guards, windows, and hiding places. The five guards that were left behind moved to the edges of the perimeter fence. O’ Boyle caught their eyes and nodded. They moved back…only slightly.
“Sir, I’m picking up an energy surge…top floor, east corner,” said Reyya.
“What kind of energy surge?” asked O’ Boyle.
“It’s…wait…it’s gone. That doesn’t make any sense.”
They stopped. “Let me see.” He turned his back to the facility.
Reyya handed the spycorder to O’ Boyle. He looked at the readings and noticed that about a dozen Cardassian life signs were in the same general area. “Reyya, did they give us a bio signature for the informant for comparison?”
“Aye, sir. It’s right here.” She tapped a couple of buttons and brought up a small inset with the information on it. O’ Boyle looked at the two scans. He shoved the spycorder back into Reyya’s hands.
“I know why there aren’t but a handful of guards out here. They’re all posted around that east room on the top floor. The same room where our informant is being held. They know.”
Johnson and Reyya waited. They knew mission wasn’t over, just altered. They couldn’t leave the informant in Cardassian hands. He was too important to Starfleet Intelligence. They had to get him out.
O’ Boyle tapped his subcutaneous communicator. “O’ Boyle to Kramer. They’ve found him. The mission is a hot-go. You and Raul get here ASAP. We’ll take out the guards and wait. MOVE IT! O’ Boyle out.”
He turned to his team and smiled. “We’re already dressed for the party.”
Lieutenant JG Alexis Rho
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
"My mind is the only sanctuary that has not been stolen from me. People have tried to breach it before, but I've learned to defend it vigorously, for I am only safe with my innermost thoughts."
Re: A Ghost of a Chance
<2384, Emergency Extraction, Day 2, Cardassia, Forest Cover, 1934 hours>
Kramer and Rho decided to use the forest as cover for as long as they could. They made their way to the edge and moved as fast the underbrush would allow toward the Tarkal Research Facility. It was dark enough that Kramer kept tripping over dirty, great roots sticking up out of the ground. Alexis made sure to let him lead so she could take note of where the forest’s natural obstacles were.
They neared the forest’s edge and stopped. The perimeter lighting cast an orange glow over the ridge in front of them. The darkness would cover them until they reached the light’s boundary. After that, they were on their own. Kramer drew his phaser and motioned to his partner to do the same. Alexis did so. Kramer held up his hand made a countdown with his fingers. At zero, the both sprinted towards what they suspected was the entrance or front gate. The two crested the ridge and saw three Cardassian soldiers standing amidst five bodies. One waved Kramer and Rho over. It was O’ Boyle.
Kramer was a few steps ahead of Rho. Breathing slightly heavier than normal, he asked, “What’s the plan, sir?”
O’ Boyle gestured behind himself, “As you can see the front door is wide open. I’ve already alerted the Tau’ri as to our situation. They have a constant transporter lock on us. We get in, grab our target, and get out. All as inconspicuous as possible. Understood?”
Everyone nodded and O’ Boyle continued. “Reyya, you and Johnson take the outside. If anyone asks, the other three were sent to search the forest for possible intruders. Kramer, take cover around the back corner and monitor the rear exits. Raul, you’re with me. We’re going in. Everybody clear on their jobs?”
“Aye, sir,” unanimously answered the team. Kramer took off around the corner while everyone else disposed of the bodies in typical Intel fashion. Afterwards, O’ Boyle and Alexis entered the building. Johnson and Reyya took up positions on either side of the door.
When they were far enough away from the entrance, O’ Boyle turned to his partner. “You ready, Rho?”
The edge of her mouth curled into a slight grin, “I love my job.”
“Too much I’d say.”
“Let’s just do it. Life aboard the Infinity is boring enough. I don’t need idle chatter now.”
O’ Boyle nodded.
Surprisingly enough, the hallways were empty. They didn’t run into a Cardassian until they rounded a corner to start up the stairs. “What have we here?” he asked.
“A Starfleet stooge,” replied O’ Boyle. “I caught her sneaking around in the shadows just outside the security light’s range. I sent three of the front guards to search the woods.”
“The Order was right. They did send someone to retrieve the good doctor. Apparently he’s a spy after all. Take her to the room next to his. Most of the security is up there anyway.”
“I will. You should report that Starfleet has spies in the immediate area. My three guards may not be enough.”
“Yes.” He went down the hall and into a room. A few seconds later, seven security persons rushed down the stairs and toward front entrance.
Alexis followed O’ Boyle up the stairs. “I still sense quite a few minds up there. I suspect several of them are Obsidian Order. They’re pretty guarded in their thoughts.” She hesitated, “Sir, I can repeat the earlier events if necessary.”
“Not at the moment, Rho. Right now, just put a great deal of fear into the soldier’s minds. Make them think that the members of the Order in there are out to get them.”
“That I can do.” They topped the stairs and moved off to one side. It took a few minutes, but Alexis did her job. Which was evidenced by the sudden noise and upheaval in the room opposite the wall they were leaned against. The door flew open and an Obsidian Order operative flew out, dead from distruptor fire. A few shots hit the wall opposite the door, leaving black burn marks behind. As O’ Boyle and Rho were waiting for the sound of the fighting to subside, Johnson, Reyya, and Kramer topped the stairs.
“Sir,” announced Johnson, “we stayed in the woods as long as we could. More Cardassians kept showing up.”
“Alright,” said O’ Boyle. “We need a safe extraction. Is he still alive?”
Kramer whipped out his spycorder and did a quick scan. “Aye, sir. He’s alive.”
“Then in we go,” announced O’ Boyle.
In a blaze of glory and a hail of phaser fire, the Cardassians fell, dead at the feet of Starfleet Intelligence. O’ Boyle ordered his trusty three to escort the doctor scientist out the back of the building and to the meeting point. He and Raul had some clean-up to take care of.
“What do you mean clean-up? Just blow the place into the next quadrant. Isn’t that SI SOP?” said Rho.
“Yes,” replied O’ Boyle, “but J’Nara Raul dies at the end of this mission. Weren’t you aware of that?”
“NO!” screamed Rho. “That wasn’t in your briefing!”
“Take it easy, Alexis. You don’t die, Raul does. The USS Tau’ri will beam you to the cargo bay after I fake a fight with a Cardassian we missed earlier. He “shoots” Raul and her body is disintegrated in the explosion.”
Ensign Alexis Rho was fuming by now. “You tell Starfleet Intelligence to stuff it down their throats! I REFUSE to allow those bureaucrats to kill off my undercover ghost! Senior Chief Petty Officer J’Nara Raul stays! And if you or they have anything to say about it, put it in my file with all the other negative comments! It can make friends and eventually have a whole family of little negative comments running around!” Alexis paused to take a few needed breaths. She used this little break in her ranting to probe O’ Boyle’s mind for the reason he would keep this from her.
She looked him dead in the eyes, cocked her head to the left, and tossed her hair over shoulder. “Of course, Chief Raul could fade away into the paperwork just as Commander O’ Boyle will do.”
O’ Boyle glared at Alexis. “Blasted Ullian!” he exclaimed. “You weren’t supposed to get in my head!”
“And you weren’t supposed to keep secrets from Starfleet Intelligence agents!” retorted Alexis.
“Fine then! Come on.” O’ Boyle tossed a timed explosive device into the center of the room. “You can keep your precious J’Nara. We’ve got three minutes.”
“Right behind you…‘Commander,’” said Alexis.
O’ Boyle said something under his breath and Alexis grinned.
They made it back to the rest of the team and transported to the USS Tau’ri before the entire Tarkal Research Facility went up in a bright flash. The doctor was safe.
Kramer and Rho decided to use the forest as cover for as long as they could. They made their way to the edge and moved as fast the underbrush would allow toward the Tarkal Research Facility. It was dark enough that Kramer kept tripping over dirty, great roots sticking up out of the ground. Alexis made sure to let him lead so she could take note of where the forest’s natural obstacles were.
They neared the forest’s edge and stopped. The perimeter lighting cast an orange glow over the ridge in front of them. The darkness would cover them until they reached the light’s boundary. After that, they were on their own. Kramer drew his phaser and motioned to his partner to do the same. Alexis did so. Kramer held up his hand made a countdown with his fingers. At zero, the both sprinted towards what they suspected was the entrance or front gate. The two crested the ridge and saw three Cardassian soldiers standing amidst five bodies. One waved Kramer and Rho over. It was O’ Boyle.
Kramer was a few steps ahead of Rho. Breathing slightly heavier than normal, he asked, “What’s the plan, sir?”
O’ Boyle gestured behind himself, “As you can see the front door is wide open. I’ve already alerted the Tau’ri as to our situation. They have a constant transporter lock on us. We get in, grab our target, and get out. All as inconspicuous as possible. Understood?”
Everyone nodded and O’ Boyle continued. “Reyya, you and Johnson take the outside. If anyone asks, the other three were sent to search the forest for possible intruders. Kramer, take cover around the back corner and monitor the rear exits. Raul, you’re with me. We’re going in. Everybody clear on their jobs?”
“Aye, sir,” unanimously answered the team. Kramer took off around the corner while everyone else disposed of the bodies in typical Intel fashion. Afterwards, O’ Boyle and Alexis entered the building. Johnson and Reyya took up positions on either side of the door.
When they were far enough away from the entrance, O’ Boyle turned to his partner. “You ready, Rho?”
The edge of her mouth curled into a slight grin, “I love my job.”
“Too much I’d say.”
“Let’s just do it. Life aboard the Infinity is boring enough. I don’t need idle chatter now.”
O’ Boyle nodded.
Surprisingly enough, the hallways were empty. They didn’t run into a Cardassian until they rounded a corner to start up the stairs. “What have we here?” he asked.
“A Starfleet stooge,” replied O’ Boyle. “I caught her sneaking around in the shadows just outside the security light’s range. I sent three of the front guards to search the woods.”
“The Order was right. They did send someone to retrieve the good doctor. Apparently he’s a spy after all. Take her to the room next to his. Most of the security is up there anyway.”
“I will. You should report that Starfleet has spies in the immediate area. My three guards may not be enough.”
“Yes.” He went down the hall and into a room. A few seconds later, seven security persons rushed down the stairs and toward front entrance.
Alexis followed O’ Boyle up the stairs. “I still sense quite a few minds up there. I suspect several of them are Obsidian Order. They’re pretty guarded in their thoughts.” She hesitated, “Sir, I can repeat the earlier events if necessary.”
“Not at the moment, Rho. Right now, just put a great deal of fear into the soldier’s minds. Make them think that the members of the Order in there are out to get them.”
“That I can do.” They topped the stairs and moved off to one side. It took a few minutes, but Alexis did her job. Which was evidenced by the sudden noise and upheaval in the room opposite the wall they were leaned against. The door flew open and an Obsidian Order operative flew out, dead from distruptor fire. A few shots hit the wall opposite the door, leaving black burn marks behind. As O’ Boyle and Rho were waiting for the sound of the fighting to subside, Johnson, Reyya, and Kramer topped the stairs.
“Sir,” announced Johnson, “we stayed in the woods as long as we could. More Cardassians kept showing up.”
“Alright,” said O’ Boyle. “We need a safe extraction. Is he still alive?”
Kramer whipped out his spycorder and did a quick scan. “Aye, sir. He’s alive.”
“Then in we go,” announced O’ Boyle.
In a blaze of glory and a hail of phaser fire, the Cardassians fell, dead at the feet of Starfleet Intelligence. O’ Boyle ordered his trusty three to escort the doctor scientist out the back of the building and to the meeting point. He and Raul had some clean-up to take care of.
“What do you mean clean-up? Just blow the place into the next quadrant. Isn’t that SI SOP?” said Rho.
“Yes,” replied O’ Boyle, “but J’Nara Raul dies at the end of this mission. Weren’t you aware of that?”
“NO!” screamed Rho. “That wasn’t in your briefing!”
“Take it easy, Alexis. You don’t die, Raul does. The USS Tau’ri will beam you to the cargo bay after I fake a fight with a Cardassian we missed earlier. He “shoots” Raul and her body is disintegrated in the explosion.”
Ensign Alexis Rho was fuming by now. “You tell Starfleet Intelligence to stuff it down their throats! I REFUSE to allow those bureaucrats to kill off my undercover ghost! Senior Chief Petty Officer J’Nara Raul stays! And if you or they have anything to say about it, put it in my file with all the other negative comments! It can make friends and eventually have a whole family of little negative comments running around!” Alexis paused to take a few needed breaths. She used this little break in her ranting to probe O’ Boyle’s mind for the reason he would keep this from her.
She looked him dead in the eyes, cocked her head to the left, and tossed her hair over shoulder. “Of course, Chief Raul could fade away into the paperwork just as Commander O’ Boyle will do.”
O’ Boyle glared at Alexis. “Blasted Ullian!” he exclaimed. “You weren’t supposed to get in my head!”
“And you weren’t supposed to keep secrets from Starfleet Intelligence agents!” retorted Alexis.
“Fine then! Come on.” O’ Boyle tossed a timed explosive device into the center of the room. “You can keep your precious J’Nara. We’ve got three minutes.”
“Right behind you…‘Commander,’” said Alexis.
O’ Boyle said something under his breath and Alexis grinned.
They made it back to the rest of the team and transported to the USS Tau’ri before the entire Tarkal Research Facility went up in a bright flash. The doctor was safe.
Lieutenant JG Alexis Rho
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A
"My mind is the only sanctuary that has not been stolen from me. People have tried to breach it before, but I've learned to defend it vigorously, for I am only safe with my innermost thoughts."