Post #263: Precious Cargo

Posted on Tue May 13th, 2025 @ 4:53am by Major Charlotte Thrace

560 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Secrets
Timeline: current

To say that the exterior of DS9 looked bad was to flatter the interior, which looked an awful lot like the interior of Obsidian had looked when the crew had still been clearing rubble out of the way, still been repairing the exterior hull, patching the holes and all the rest of it. For Charlotte though this was still the same station that she'd grown up on, it was the same school founded by Keiko O'Brien where she'd started learning, the same promenade that she'd run around like a playground, the same Quark's where she'd matched wits with the Ferengi, the same racquetball court where she'd played a few games, the same command centre where she'd begun her journey to the academy. However now the corridors were a hive of activity though likely of a sort that had never been imagined in the context of the base - Quark's was now a funeral pyre where the bodies of the dead were being burned, the wounded were being moved onto the Angel and treated while the rest of the crew were loading everything they could onto the Angel, everything that they knew they'd need in the Delta Quadrant.

The strangest of items that fell into that category though wasn't Starfleet in origin, it wasn't weapons or equipment, no they were something far more significant to the Bajoran people - the orbs of the Prophets, all ten of them sat on pedestals in the quarters on the Angel that Charlotte had essentially marked as her territory mainly for this reason. Looking at each of the Orb's casings she could see the names Contemplation, Prophecy and Change, Wisdom, Courage, Peace, Sacrifice, Time, Memory, Possibilities and Emissary. She'd never seen all ten in the same place before. She wasn't alone in the room both the First Minister of Bajor and the Kai were present as well.

"A sight to see for sure." the Kai said "All the orbs together, quite sad that it takes this to make it happen."
"I know." Charlotte said "And I thank you Eminence for trusting what's left of Starfleet with them as neither you or I wish to see them end up back in Cardassian hands from where they will likely disappear."
"You've got a long road ahead of you by the sounds of it." the First Minister said
"I know." Charlotte said "It's hard to believe that I was the one saying it to my Captain not that long ago. The Federation is going to lose the Alpha Quadrant, it's going to get carved up between a number of different factions. You beat the Cardassians once you can beat them again, we'll find a way of supporting you as best we can when we get set up. Do not lose hope."
"I don't plan to." the First Minister said "You've got a plan though right?"
"The beginnings of one and it's a bit of a longshot." Charlotte said

An hour or so later Charlotte was back sitting in the command chair on the Angel's bridge they'd been fast, they'd been thorough, they had nearly everything they needed. "Where's the base?" she asked
"An hour out." came the answer.
"Let's make sure we're ready to get underway by the time they get here, we don't want any delays from here." Charlotte said

************

Major Charlotte Thrace
Marine CO
Starbase Obsidian

 

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