Cloak and Dagger

Posted on Fri Apr 4th, 2025 @ 5:20pm by Captain David Hawkins & Corporal Zul'arra (Hawkins) & Commander Raiden Kosugi & Lieutenant Edruj Daughter of Thrawn & Lieutenant JG Spencer Griffith-Bailey & Cadet Third Class Aarfa Barakzay & Captain Callisi Verra & Sergeant Trent Busby (Kosugi)

Mission: The Gamma Expanse
Location: USS Aquila (Captain's Yacht)
3125 words - 6.3 OF Standard Post Measure

/// ON ///

The Aquila glided silently through the asteroid field, her hull blending seamlessly with the void as the crew executed their approach with precision. The cloaked structure loomed ahead, its faint outline barely discernible against the shifting backdrop of space. It was massive—far larger than they had anticipated. Whatever this place was, it wasn’t just a hidden outpost; it was a fortress.

Hawkins narrowed his eyes as he studied the readings flickering across his console. “That’s no small station,” he muttered, more to himself than to the crew. “It’s a damn starbase.”

Zul’arra’s fingers danced across her controls, refining the sensor analysis as she murmured, “Power readings are erratic. Systems are in low power mode, but there’s a massive energy signature coming from deeper inside.” She paused, ears twitching. “This place should be dead, but something is very much alive in there.”

Edruj scanned the starbase more to see if she could get a schematic of sorts put together. What she found was something entirely different. "It is possible that this starbase is cloaked. That would be why we were unable to detect it from a distance. The power readings that the Corporal is detecting is consistent with a ship that is cloaked and trying to keep its concealment. To the best of my knowledge, a starbase has never been cloaked before. The amount of power alone that it would take would be immense. The good news is, if it is cloaked there would be minimal shielding and therefore an easy target."

"Aye sir, bringing her in nice and safe. Quiet too," Spencer nodded, bringing the vessel into dock with minimal effort and full concentration, disengaging when needed. He'd never piloted this before and it was a nice bit of a change. "All yours, Cap."

Hawkins stood, rolling his shoulders as he surveyed the scene beyond the viewport. “Alright,” he said, his voice a low command. “We’re here. Spencer, sit us down, everyone else, gear up and let's get going."

Edruj holstered a phaser and shouldered a small engineering kit. She rather liked taking a kit on all away missions. One never knew when it may come in handy. Her daktagh was also holstered on her belt. As she watched the ship glide into a landing hatch she thought that today was indeed a good day to die.

Callisi was on standby in case Spencer didn't think they could handle the landing. The gut instinct of a pilot is, well, to be ready to pilot. The landing was smooth and clean, damn near professional. "Clean landing." she complimented, a rare moment from the cyclopean rabbitess before she checked her sidearm charge and level. At the moment, set to stun. High stun, but stun still. On her hip was a simple knife, solid tang through and through. No serration or any fancy decoration... it was just a simple sharp piece of metal. It was meant to do one thing, and to that end, it was engineered to perfection.

Laced up, boots ready. She reached around her neck and pulled out a set of hexagonal tags. The writing was alien but the intent was clear: Dog tags. A small ritual, bringing them up to give them a gentle touch to her forehead before tucking them back under her neckline. Ears up, she took the few steps to the 'ready line', and gave Hawkins a nod. Cool, clean, professional... this was FAR from Callisi's first drop. "Junbei," she said, her language alien but the intent clear: Ready.

Aarfa checked her gear, especially her phaser. It was still strange to have been selected for a mission like this as a cadet, but then nothing about her cadet experience had really been normal so far. There was however also a sense of pride - no matter her rocky introduction to the crew, she must have proven herself in the assault on the Trinity to have been tapped for this. She just hoped she would prove worthy here as well.

Ensign Gregory Peck, medical personnel, was finishing up the prep work for going off the Captain's yacht and into what ever situation the away team might be getting into. Medical bag, which had hypo sprays, surgical tools, gloves, and masks. He straightened out his outfit, which was black with the exception of a blue stripe designating him as being in medical. He went to the bridge to check on the status of their destination. He stood near the others, waiting for the yacht to land.

Trent was ready and he found it strange that something big as a station is cloaked. He looked over towards Edruj, giving a nod. He looked to Aarfa next, "You will do well I know you will."

"Thank you," she mouthed, with a small nod, appreciative of the vote of confidence.

The dim glow of the cockpit’s control panels reflected off the glossy black of Captain David Hawkins' tactical gear. His marine uniform was a stark black, contrasted by a single strip of command red that crossed the chest of his Starfleet combat gear. His eyes scanned the room as he stepped into the command cockpit of the Gladiator’s captain's yacht, the Aquila, his presence commanding immediate attention from the crew.

Before him, the ship dropped out of warp, the stars around them snapping back into their distant, stationary positions. They were deep in the void, between solar systems, a region of space so remote that even stray asteroids drifted aimlessly without purpose.

Hawkins settled into his command seat, his jaw set as he surveyed the vast emptiness on the view port. Asteroids floated lazily in the distance, forming a sparse field of debris. For a moment, all seemed quiet. Then, a sudden series of beeps cut through the silence.

The helm and Ops stations lit up, the familiar chirp of the sensor array signaling their breakthrough. Newly promoted Lieutenant J.G. Spencer Griffith-Bailey, was sitting in the pilot seat while his Klingon, Chief Engineer, Lieutenant Edruj was at the Ops seat. What they'd been searching for the last week had finally appeared on their monitors.

"Sounds like we got something," David spoke up, a mix of relief and caution in the tone. Hawkins didn’t need a detailed report. He had been waiting for this moment since they started the mission.

Edruj's hands moved across the console and she smiled. "Indeed we have. The harmonics match the signal we have been searching for. Although we would need a closer look to confirm."

"Head in," he ordered, his voice firm and controlled. His gaze remained locked on the viewport as the captain’s yacht adjusted its course. The engines hummed louder, nudging them closer to whatever lay ahead, hidden amidst the drifting asteroids.

He glanced at the monitor to his right, confirming the approach vector. The tension in the cockpit was palpable, the air thick with anticipation. Whatever they were closing in on was elusive—almost ghostly—but Hawkins’ instincts told him they were close, perhaps too close to something they'd regret finding.

Zel'arra, seated at her secondary station, worked silently, her hands moving deftly across the controls. Her canine companion, Meeka, sat attentively at her feet, eyes alert, ears twitching slightly with each subtle shift in the ship’s vibrations. The canine was a shadow of her handler, focused, disciplined, and ready.

Hawkins cast a glance toward Zel'arra, his voice low but steady. "Zul'arra, keep an eye on that sensor anomaly. I don't want any surprises."

She nodded, not taking her eyes off the screen. "Understood, Captain," she replied, her voice carrying the same professional calm that he’d come to rely on. Her fingers danced across her console, tightening the focus on the anomaly.

Meeka shifted, letting out a low, almost imperceptible growl, her sharp instincts picking up on something subtle, something just beyond the reach of the ship’s sensors.

Hawkins noticed the shift in the canine’s posture, his brows knitting. He knew better than to ignore Meeka’s reactions. "What is it?" he asked, his voice quiet but sharp.

Meeka looked over at Hawkins and adjusted ever so slightly, but knew her place was to stay by Zul'arra unless freed to do otherwise.

The atmosphere in the cockpit shifted as the crew subtly adjusted, tension running through the air like a low hum. Hawkins leaned forward slightly, his gaze narrowing on the asteroid field ahead. Whatever was out there, it wouldn’t stay hidden much longer.

Callisi occupied the only chair she felt marginally comfortable with in this situation: Co Pilot. There was a matter of wounded pride at being the Second Chair, but she took it more to mean Federation Pilots Need Aces To Help Them, so she took that to heart. "Asteroids ahead, expect gravitic turbulence." She announced softly, knowing full well that Federation systems normally could handle a little G-Sheer, but also not entirely sure how low-power of a stealth approach this shuttle was taking.

"Adjust to vector two five mark one, should be smoother between two of the larger masses." she advised Spencer. The cyclopean rabbitess hadn't met the newest pilot yet, so for now, she simply assumed they didn't know more than the basics. To her, their Three began yesterday.

Edruj watched her scanners as they glided down toward the landing site. Her head tilted as something caught her eye. "Captain there is something down there. Readings indicate something large and possibly a cloak. Not sure what it is, but whatever it is there is a large amount of power coming from it."

"We going dark?" Callisi asked, never taking her eyes... eye... off the controls.

Trent had taken position standing in an unoccupied space, keeping silent. Just watching and observing. He glanced around at those on the bridge. Then turned his attention back to the direction they were heading.

Hawkins leaned back slightly, his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze fixed on the viewport. The asteroid field ahead stretched like a maze of shadows and drifting rock, concealing whatever mysteries or threats lay beyond. His expression was sharp, calculating, but a flicker of exasperation broke through as he processed the stream of reports.

“Our informant said this was to be expected,” he said, his tone steady but edged with a hint of sarcasm. “Let’s go dark and adjust our course. This isn’t a race—it’s a hunt. Somewhere out there is a subtle marker we’re supposed to be looking for, and I don’t want to miss it because we got too eager.”

He turned his attention toward Edruj’s console, the faintest twitch of a smirk playing at his lips. “A cloak with a power surge, huh? That’s sloppy, but it’s something. We should be able to pick up on it, even through a cloak. Focus on isolating that signature.”

Hawkins shifted his gaze to Callisi, nodding toward her station. “Callisi, keep an eye on the approach. That marker might not be there for long, so stay sharp. We’ll only get one shot at this.”

His voice dropped slightly, taking on a colder edge as his eyes narrowed at the asteroid field. “Everyone else, stay focused and prepare for quick deployment. We’re walking into the unknown, and I don’t want to end up as space debris because we got careless.”

Trent glanced over towards Zu'Lara then towards the others. He also was mentally preparing himself for immediate action when the Captain's Yacht got to wherever they were going to.

Zul'arra’s ears twitched slightly as her hands moved deftly over the console, adjusting sensor parameters with precision. She didn’t glance up from her station but responded evenly, her voice calm and measured.

Her eyes briefly flicked to Trent, offering him a nod of acknowledgment before her attention snapped back to the task at hand. “We’ll be ready when the time comes,” she stated as she patted canine partner's head briefly as a way to reassure her.

Edruj kept her eyes on the power outputs on this... whatever it was. "The power on whatever this is, is massive. It seems that we are heading down in the general direction of this thing. Recommend we go active sensors for a better look. For all we know we could be flying into an ambush." She hated the idea of ambushes they were without honor. However, not everyone was Klingon.

A nod from the rabbitess, "Yes Shipmaster." she slipped right back into her old ways, dead serious meant dead business. "I have my focus. Updates in ten." The Ts'usugi apparently used an echo based string of command structure. The captain would, in theory, tell the XO, who would give the order, and then the order would be repeated. Her updates would be regular. Precise. Callisi was a professional, her reports clockwork. She was a machine.

As the Aquila settled within the barely lit confines of the massive, unknown starbase’s shuttle bay, Hawkins wasted no time. He tapped at his wrist communicator, sending a coded subspace burst straight to the USS Gladiator.

=^=Gladiator, this is Hawkins. We've docked at the designated location. Unknown structure is a fully operational, cloaked starbase. Power fluctuations detected within. Bring the task group in on our subspace beacon and prepare for rapid deployment. Tactical alert. Hawkins out.=^=

The message shot through subspace, reaching the Gladiator and diverting the task group straight to their location. Now, they just had to hold their ground.

Zul’arra’s ears twitched as she analyzed the readings. “Captain, the weapon signatures in this shuttle bay indicate recent combat. Scorch marks, plasma burns... someone fought here, and not long ago.”

Hawkins nodded, gripping his rifle tighter as he stepped down the ramp. The air was thick, heavy with the acrid scent of burnt circuitry and residual ozone from spent energy weapons. The flickering emergency lighting cast long, eerie shadows along the cavernous bay, stretching over dormant shuttles and maintenance scaffolding.

“Eyes sharp,” Hawkins commanded, his voice low but firm. “Secure the area, watch the corners. We move as a unit.”

Trent synced with Aarfa, trusting the cadet's instincts. he was at the opposite wall,from Hawkins on the floor he saw some refuse of things that had been dropped, as if someone were in a hurry to leave. They looked like it had been there for sometime. He felt a slight chill, this reminding Trent of other scenarios he had come across. like a derelict ship.

Quietly he spoke for Aarfa to hear, "I don't like this, not one bit. This is a station, normally having a large population. Where did everyone go?"

The initial Federation contact team had once described Aarfa's people as 'digital' in how they could go to instant intensity, and it was not far wrong in the way she had responded to the moment they'd entered the space. Eyes attuned to movement in low light swept the scene, even as her ears pricked for any sound not tied to those with her, and more than anything else, her keen nose was alive with the scents - stale air, weapon-scorched metal, old blood... and something else, faint. "I don't know, but I'm not sure all of them are gone."

Ensign Peck kept in step with Edruj, Spencer and Callisi. These three were more experienced than he was, his determination though was to be here to take care of the wounded. Hopefully there won't be.

Callisi didn't take her eyes... eye... off the front. She knew there was a medic behind her, so she simply reached a hand back. Not to comfort him or hold his hand and tell him things be alright, but to corral his movements and keep him behind her. Behind her was a safe place for him. "Stay close." she said softly, not wanting him to scamper too far. "If things go hot, get down." she advised. Sometimes the safest thing to do in a firefight was just duck.

Ensign Peck nodded doing as what he had been told.

As they moved the faint scent grew stronger, and Aarfa lifted her head, pulling air through her nostrils. "The scent isn't clear enough to identify, but someone is here, and alive."

Zul’arra moved in sync with him, her weapon at the ready, Meeka stalking silently at her side. The canine’s ears perked, nose twitching as she caught something on the stale air. A soft growl rumbled in her throat, but she remained disciplined, awaiting her handler’s command.

The team spread out, methodically sweeping the perimeter. Hawkins knelt beside a fallen console, brushing his fingers over the scorch marks. The patterns suggested concentrated disruptor fire. Whoever had attacked here had meant business.

“What do you make of this?” Hawkins asked, motioning her over.

The marine officer crouched beside him, keen eyes tracing the battle damage. “This wasn’t a random firefight. The shots are focused, controlled. Someone was trying to hold this position... or take it by force.”

Hawkins exhaled sharply. “Then we’re not alone.”

Meeka let out a soft whine, stepping toward the large hangar doors at the far end of the bay. The metal surface bore the same battle scars, a jagged line of burns where someone had attempted to force them open.

"Weapons hot and take defensive positions!" Captain Hawkins ordered quickly as he raised his rifle.

Callisi brought her hands in, holding the readied phaser close to her form. Closer to her meant it was less likely to be disarmed. She took a step, moving to provide cover for the medic. She offered a nod of readiness, but said nothing.

Aarfa held her phaser at ready, eyes focused on the door, though an ear cocked toward Meeka. It was strange working with an earth canine - a being with even better olfactory senses but lacking the ability to communicate directly. It some ways, there was a sense of otherness, almost uncanny valley that she felt around the dog, and yet also strange a pang of fellow feeling.


As the team reached the towering doors, Hawkins signaled for cover positions. Weapons ready, tense silence stretched as he reached for the control panel.

The door hissed open.

A lone figure stood beyond the threshold, his silhouette outlined by the dim emergency lights beyond. Clad in tattered Marine combat gear, his posture was unmistakably defiant despite the signs of battle etched into his armor. Quickly, Meeka rushed up to him and whined in excitement.

“About damn time,” Lt. Colonel Hayter drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “I was starting to think you forgot about me.”


~ TO BE CONTINUED ~