"Storming The Castle" - Part 1 - Cpt Sebastian Ascari, Cpt Ramius, Cpt Akina, Adm Valtren

Posted on 241408.13 @ 6:14am by Commodore Sebastian Ascari

Mission: Insurrection [Fleet Plot]
Location: USS Corsair
Timeline: Current

“Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.” - Sun Tzu, The Art of War

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Conference Room - USS Corsair


A swirl of blue particles quickly gave way to a mug of hot coffee. “Admiral, care for a mug?”

“Please”, Admiral Valtren stated from his seat at the conference table. Captain Akina replicated another cup and passed it to the admiral before taking a seat at the table. “Ramius?”

“No thank you”, Captain Taverain Ramius stated gazing out of one of the large conference windows his hands folded behind his back.

The doors to the conference room opened as Captain Sebastian Ascari entered holding onto an assortment of padds. “My apologies for keeping you waiting gentlemen. Thank you all for coming this morning.”

Ramius turned at the director’s appearance and made his way to his chair at the head of the table as Ascari took his own seat.

“As you know we have had some time to analyze the extensive intelligence assets and networks of the information broker Zephyr. I admit that if the Federation was not in the state it is currently in now I would be quite troubled by someone of her abilities were I still the fleet intelligence director.”

“For the record”, Ramius interrupted, “You are still the intelligence director despite the current situation. I don’t think it wise to for any of us to begin thinking we are anything less than the positions and ranks we hold. It’s bad for morale and our cause to say or act as if the paradigm has permanently shifted.”

Ascari nodded. “Well stated captain. You are correct. After everything that has happened it’s easy to forget one’s station in the midst of so much chaos.”

“Well I just have the feeling that I wouldn’t get along with the person who replaced you Ascari”, Ramius stated with an impish grin. “You just want to decommission my starship. The replacement director could want a bit more than that so I think I’ll stick with you for the time being.”

Ascari’s expression fell flat. Captain Ramius never passed an opportunity to remind him about his attempts to decommission the USS Corsair. As much as he disliked certain aspects of the situation, Ramius was correct. Speaking about himself as a former director was a valid point despite the captain couching it in unnecessary wit.

“Well that’s refreshing news”, Ascari replied. “I’m glad we’re all on the same side at present.”

“Gentlemen”, Admiral Valtren stated. “Let’s stick to the matter at hand. Now isn’t the time for wit or banter.” He shot a disapproving look at Ramius who simply folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. Ramius remained bitter over repeated attempts to have his ship and command pulled out from beneath him prior to the calamities on Earth. Valtren knew Ramius seldom passed a chance to remind Director Ascari of this fact, but he was confident Ramius bore no special ill will toward the man. Ramius’s barbed comments were a form of subtle revenge intended only to irritate. Despite the mild hostility that existed between both men they were both committed to the same goals and cause. They didn’t necessarily have to like each other to accomplish those goals.


Ascari cleared his throat. “As I was saying, Zephyr’s assets and intelligence networks have proved to be invaluable. We now have operational eyes and ears spanning wide swaths of Federation territory and beyond. This also comes with the added bonus of not being under the purview of Starfleet. For the moment these new found sources are unknown to our enemies.”

“I told you she was valuable”, Akina stated with a smug expression.

“Someone remind me to pin a medal on him so I don’t have to keep listening to this”, Ramius stated rubbing his temples. “We were fortunate and you were lucky. It isn’t as if you saved civilization.”

“Lucky”, Akina replied elevating his voice. “You have no idea what I had to do to cultivate her as a contact and information source!”

“I have some idea”, Ramius answered with a tiny grin. “How about we let the director continue.”

“Fine.” Akina crossed his arms expressing his displeasure. “And I should get a medal”, he muttered under his breath.

“As I was saying”, Ascari stated again with a sigh eying both the captains, “We’ve obtained a significant amount of intelligence. Our enemies at home are frantically attempting to consolidate their grip on power. No easy task given the various entities with which they must contend. There are fractures within the Federation membership. The Vulcans are deeply suspicious of the new President and council. I have contacts within Vulcan security and I’ve been told relations with Earth are frosty.”

“Can we use that to our advantage”, Akina asked.

“Perhaps, but it is premature. Despite the positive news, the Vulcans are caught in the web. They cannot simply walk away from the Federation so easily without providing fodder to its new masters. If they tried it would simply provide more ammunition for the current government to use in its propaganda. Who knows, it could even serve as a pretext for them to launch an attack and attempt to bring the Vulcans under their thumb.”

“They wouldn’t dare.”

“Wouldn’t they if given the chance”, Ascari asked. “They have already taken Earth and the council by force. They have already demonstrated their abilities and convictions.”

“You may have a point”, Akina conceded. “Still, one can hardly conceive of such a thing.”

“Well said. A month ago I would have thought you mad had you attempted to warn me of the events that have come to pass. Times have changed. The game has changed and as such we must change if we are to fight. And fight we shall. It is time for us to go on the offensive.”

Ramius looked up meeting the eyes of the others in the conference room at the mention of offensive action.

“Unless Zephyr had a private army somewhere in that dungeon of hers I doubt her information networks are poignant enough to allow one starship to go on the attack. That said, I am interested to hear more.”

“As am I”, Admiral Valtren stated his voice echoing the concern of Captain Ramius.

“As Ramius has stated it is difficult for us to engage the enemy in a set piece battle. Their resources and influence is too great. However, we can still strike back where they are vulnerable. Currently, our enemies seek to consolidate their power and expand their influence. They accomplish this through propaganda, news, diplomacy, and intimidation. However, their grasp on power is not yet iron clad. Doubt still exists and it is the weapon we must wield at present.

If we can damage their confidence, deal them a dozen minor setbacks, we can grow the seeds of doubt, mistrust, division, and more with member worlds and perhaps even the people, directly.”

“What’s your plan sir”, Ramius stated jumping directly to the point. “I am sure you’ve given this careful thought. Let’s skip the pep talk and get straight to the heart of matters.”

Ascari hid his displeasure at Ramius’s trademark directness. “As you wish. The council and Starfleet are too busy running about chasing anything and everything it considers a threat. That includes rogue Starships, Admiral Malone, planets and colonies that haven’t pledged their support or are considered a problem, and remnants of Triad forces. They’ve spread themselves quite thin.”

Ascari tapped several commands into one of his padds. A hologram of the quadrant appeared at the center of the table.

“This represents communications networks throughout the Alpha quadrant. Everything from apple pie recipes, to news and programming, to classified Starfleet communiques travel through these networks. We’ve learned that one of the central hubs is currently only lightly defended. It would seem the new Federation overlords have too much on their plates to handle protecting core infrastructure. If we can move here”, he stated pointing to a blue dot on the hologram, “and successfully commandeer this communications hub we can disrupt 10-20 percent of their communications capacity in the Alpha Quadrant.”

“Interesting”, Valtren stated. “If we could broadcast our own propaganda while disrupting civilian traffic that will have a dual effect of demonstrating our abilities to the populace at large, and causing civil unrest assuming of course any of this is possible. We might also inject malicious software into the network to cause further damage with direct access to the core. However, primary network nodes are heavily fortified to prevent just such an attack sir. Even with light defenses obtaining access to a core network node won’t be easy. Any hint of subterfuge and the systems reroute traffic automatically to other nodes thereby robbing us of our prize. Surprise and stealth would need to be ironclad. I’m not certain that such a feat is possible.”

“It is certainly a risky plan”, Ramius stated examining the holographic network. “However the payoff would be significant if we can do it. Having access to even a part of the core communications network would be a coup in and of itself. It would indeed rattle public opinion and show that those in power are not as strong and composed as they would have everyone believe.”

“It is a fool’s errand”, Akina stated. “Core network facilities are fortresses for a reason – to keep our enemies and others from doing exactly what we are now discussing!”

“Starfleet never accounted for us, or for the Corsair”, Ramius answered with a smile. “We happen to have the best and brightest misfits in the entire galaxy in one place aboard this ship. Network defenses are constructed along the premise of defending against an outsider. Defenses are lighter from within given the premise that Starfleet would never attempt to attack itself. There is an implicit trust that exists that might be exploited.”

“Precisely”, Ascari stated. “They have yet to consider the precarious nature of their security situation nor can they simply erect defenses overnight. The time to strike is now!”

“How do we storm the castle”, Akina asked. “It has a formidable moat, archers, boiling oil, and at least a handful of well-trained knights. Asking politely won’t get them to lower the drawbridge. Last I checked we don’t have any Trojan Horse’s either.”

“That isn’t entirely accurate”, the Admiral responded. “They must lower their defenses to receive supplies. Supplies are delivered on schedule and are often contracted out to freighters and supply vessels. They aren’t always Starfleet.”

Valtren rubbed his chin as the cogs within the man’s mind rapidly turned. “We do still retain the capability to break some communication codes. They have slowly begun to institute new encoding and transmission measures, but many of them are based on existing standards. It will take them sometime to institute a full replacement of existing communication protections. If we could intercept or covertly obtain current authorization codes it would be possible to use those and lower Captain Akina’s metaphorical drawbridge.”

“Are you suggesting we steal a freighter Admiral?”

“Steal is such a harsh word. I prefer borrow.”

Akina drummed his fingers on the cool surface of the conference table. He had significant doubts about the plans that were taking form around him.

“A missing freighter won’t draw suspicion?”

“No”, Valtren answered. “It won’t be missed as long as it is intercepted enroute to resupply the communications facility which is located here on the outer edge of this asteroid belt.”

“Assuming we can obtain the proper codes and crack their communications, locate and commandeer a supply freighter without being detected or reported, navigate an asteroid field that provides a natural deterrent to attack, and assuming our codes work and they let us in through the front door – what then? What do we do once inside? Security is just as robust inside as it is outside.”

“Impersonating the resupply crew will only get us so far”, Ramius stated concurring with Akina. “We will need a detailed infiltration plan to get to anything more than a cargo hold.”

“I vote against infiltration. The risks are too great. I prefer stuffing this stolen freighter bow to stern with tri-cobalt and piloting the ship in remotely. One button. Kaboom. Communication networks are moderately disrupted for a sizable period of time.”

Ascari finally weighed in. “Captain Akina, destroying the station will accomplish nothing. They would simply reroute traffic in a matter of days. The goal is to seize it. Once we have it we can tap into the heart of their operations. We can use our intelligence assets to collect information and intelligence from under their noses. If we can ascertain their strengths and weaknesses and understand their goals, objectives, and current initiatives then they become vulnerable. We can turn their own communications systems against them sewing chaos and havoc in their ranks, diverting starships and supplies, and slowing or stopping their plans. Then and only then once our usefulness for the station plays out and our hand is exposed would we consider sabotaging or destroying the station.”

“How long do you intend to keep up this ruse? Days, weeks? It won’t take taken them long to identify our little plot and dispatch a military force to retake the station once they realize their exposure potential. This has to be a smash and grab job. We get in, we take what intelligence we can gather as quickly as we can, sabotage what we can, and get out. The Corsair can take out the station with a few photons once the defenses are disabled and then we disappear. Hit and run, no traces, no one knows we were there.”

“Unacceptable”, Ascari stated. “I won’t take the lives of those Starfleet officers aboard that station unnecessarily. They are not our direct adversaries. They are fellow officers who are caught up in an ugly state of affairs who are doing their best to follow orders under difficult if not impossible circumstances. No. I refuse to sacrifice them!”

“Director, respectfully, we are at war sir! We cannot wage war without some collateral damage!”

“Perhaps a compromise is in order”, Valtren interjected. “We can still accomplish our goals without taking any lives. The asteroid houses the communications core here.” He pointed to the hologram zooming into the asteroid field displaying a large, oblong rock floating in a sea of rocky debris. Once the freighter is inside their docking bay we are past a majority of their defensive systems. What remains are the internal security systems and personnel. I managed to abscond with a large sum of information when we departed Earth that was dumped from intelligence databanks. We have the technical, defensive, and security layouts of this facility. We know their protocols and procedures. We know what systems are used, their vulnerabilities, and how to exploit them. An internal attack is feasible with a properly constructed plan. I have a few ideas for eliminating the need for casualties.

The crux of this plan is obtaining a supply freighter undamaged and without triggering suspicion. That will be our toughest challenge.”

Akina leaned back in his chair. “If I am going to lead the boarding parties and agree to this insanity we do things my way. I’m not risking my life or those under my command on a half-baked plan.”

“Then you agree”, Ascari asked.

“I agree to see what you three come up with. I won’t commit to anything until the entire plan is reviewed and then reviewed again. I’m not thrilled with this concept, however if we can weaken our enemy and strengthen our position as a result then perhaps the risks are worth it. We need to be cautious. If we fail as a result of a desire to achieve fast victories then we have sacrificed much and gained nothing.”

Valtren nodded. “We should remain cautious, but we cannot sit quiet forever. I agree we need to take some action while we still have the initiative. The longer we wait the longer we risk being relegated to the shadows without form, function, or power. The enemy needs to feel our presence while remaining blind to it.”

“I concur”, Ramius stated from his chair. “I’ll have Commander Novada begin looking into the logistics. We need to ascertain which freighters and suppliers are responsible for the station’s regular resupply runs. Once we have that information we can intercept and decode the requisite communications and codes. Then we have the matter of quickly commandeering the freighter without allowing them to get off a distress signal and without injuring the crew. I agree with Ascari. There is no need to take our fight to the innocent for now. We can achieve our aims without deadly force.”

“I hope you’re right Ramius”, Ascari stated flatly.

“Very well gentlemen. I believe we all have our work cut out for us. Let us get to it then.”

The four men nodded, stood, and made their way out of conference room.

“Castles, Trojan Horses, boiling oil? Do you fancy us as knights of the round table as well Akina”, Ramius asked in jest as the men left the room.

“The intelligence director who would be king. I just don’t think we should rush into this”, Akina stated with a low voice.

“Since when did you worry about rushing in where angels fear to tread?”

“Since the Federation fell into the tenth level of hell…that’s when.”

“We’re going to have to roll the dice Zane”, Ramius stated. “If not now, when? We all knew this wouldn’t be easy…hell it may ultimately be a fool’s errand in the end, but we owe it to ourselves and to the citizens of the Federation and those who have sacrificed so much to see this through.”

“I know we’re playing against a stacked deck with a bad hand of cards, but I’d like to have a gun ready when the shooting starts and have at least a slim chance of walking or limping away when the gun smoke clears.”

“I agree. I wouldn't dare send you into a situation unarmed. I would not want to make this a fair fight now would I?”

Akina flashed a tiny grin. “I’m not sure I’m that good.”

“You’re better than good. You’re the best. Why else do you think I put up with your insufferable prattle? Now battle off and assemble your knights and squires for a glorious campaign Sir Akina!”

Akina rubbed his temples. He should have never used medieval metaphors. They were only ammunition for Ramius and his twisted sense of humor.


~ To Be Continued ~


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Captain Taverain Ramius
CO, USS Corsair

Captain Zane Akina
Intelligence Operative

Admiral James Valtren
Starfleet Intelligence

Captain Sebastian Ascari
(Former) Director, Starfleet Intelligence