POV Log: Livia Merteuil, OMEGA Operative, Bishops and Krill

Posted on 241708.13 @ 2:17am by Fleet Admiral Cerywyn

Mission: https://starfleet.ucip.org/index.php/sim/missions/id/9
Location: Various
Timeline: SD 241708.12

Livia Mertuil drummed her fingers absently on the stainless steel metal desk in her office. The cold and emotionless steel suited her personality. There was no color anywhere – just the cold matte surface of the steel desk and cabinets. When she actually needed to sit, there was an adjustable stool under the desk. For the most part though, she preferred to stand. She was looking over the reports that her ‘generals’ were sending back. Each one had begun maneuvers in their areas as she had directed. So far, OMEGA command was pleased with the results. Attacks so far were but the opening of the maw of the beast – the attacked were like krill to a humpback whale – the smallest of prey to serve the needs of the mighty.

From the Alpha Quadrant, Niahm Raistrick reported that so far their raids on the smaller planetoids’ trade and cargo vessels had been successful. They’d managed to destroy 3 along the furthest edge of Cardassian / unexplored space. There had been no opposition. Niahm Raistrick did note that it did seem that there was an increased presence of Cardassian patrol vessels. Raistrick and his team had adjusted their own movements as a result and moved deeper into the expanse of unexplored space.

Next, Livia reviewed the report from Tazo Durr. His report was terse and to the point. “Done.” She shook her head. She wasn’t really in the mood for cryptic comments and no explanations. “Done” could mean any number of things. She could only hazard to guess that “Done” in this case means he was carrying out his orders. She tapped the screen a moment and shifted her perspective to the DQ. The little blips on the screen indicated the positioning of Tazo’s forces. The Hirogen was on the outer edge of Hirogen / Borg / unexplored space. Livia frowned slightly. The one thing the OMEGA did not want was interference by the Borg – in any form. She sent Tazo updated coordinates and ordered him to pull back a bit and regroup just outside of Space Station Cyrga’s sensor range. There was a fairly good-sized asteroid belt that would offer them a bit more protection.

Lastly, she moved on to Yanos Makus’ report. Makus almost suffered from being long winded. She had to wade through a ton of wasted words just to find the tidbits she needed. If anything, anyone piggy backing the signal would find the report so dull and boring they’d never finish the whole thing. His forces were doing much the same as his counterparts and there had been a few close calls with a couple of Federation starships but those had been redirected simply enough. The most notable aspect of his report is that Yanos had managed to get in and out of several small colonies on Brax and Stakoros. He’d even managed to take a fair sized ‘haul’ of Mizianite that should come in useful later on. Livia had to note that he might be the most useful of the bunch. She updated his mission and ordered that he proceed to move along the fringes of the Dominion border worlds and larger presence of Federation ships in and around his region.

She closed the last of the reports – a calculating smile played across her face. Things were moving along nicely – not without a few kinks here and there but she had a way of removing those kinks. They never lasted long and were never missed. As she thought about the reports she surveyed the mental chessboard of the current game she was playing. It was time to make the next move. Her pawns for the moment were safe as they were. The next move in this particular chess game was to cause unease amongst the local population along various borders / fronts. It was time to use the Bishops. In the game of chess, bishops can only move diagonally and can’t jump over another chess piece. The move is successful only if the bishop is able take over their enemy’s space by knocking them out of it. Whatever move Livia chose to make now, it needed to roll like a wave that continually gains momentum right until it crashes on the shore. She tapped the screen and pulled up the map where by she could view all 4 quadrants. At the moment, all of OMEGA’s actions had been in fringe locations while they worked out the kinks. But, she needed a distraction – something that would keep busy body Starfleet eyes from paying attention, keep the Federation off balance and be enough of an issue that even the Legion forces spread across the quadrants would be forced to divide their attention.

In the Gamma Quadrant that was easy enough. Torad IV was far enough away from normal Federation or fleet traffic, located deep in an asteroid belt. There were several botanical scientist stationed there because of the strange properties of it’s myriad botanical specimens. There were nominal protections to keep the Federation scientists safe but it a rather small contingent nonetheless. Besides, who would really be all that interested in a few plants here and there? Asteroids were easy enough to direct off course. Impact points designed to cause the most amount of damage had been located and even now OMEGA’s forces waited for confirmation.

Shifting her attention briefly to the Delta Quadrant she pulled up the details on Dedestris. Some said the planet was beautiful and it was home to a thriving artisan culture. The planet’s surface was also responsible for the propagation of a very delicate flower from which an equally delicate fabric was created. The flower, which blooms only in moonlight, is one the planet’s largest exports and a stable basis for the planet’s economy. The Sikarians in particular have a fondness for the fabric as its light-weight makes it ideal for warmer climes. A small change in the Dedestris’ atmosphere could prove catastrophic financially and agriculturally for the population – not permanently of course but enough that humanitarian aide would be required and successful misdirection achieved.

The Alpha Quadrant would need a different approach – there was far too much traffic between major powers and Federation member worlds for something truly catastrophic – the ripple effect could set up a catastrophe that could be of historic proportions. The Talarian Empire, she mused, could prove enough of a thorn to be distracting. They had been before and internecine conflict within could easily be fueled from without especially with the right people on the ground. The perfect man for the job was already in place. He seemed to breed discord and strife wherever he went. He could start a feud with a look. Setting him loose there would be like absently tossing a fire onto dry tinder.

The Beta Quadrant would likewise require a different approach but only in so far as the fact that nature would be doing most of the work. Barradas III was home to several archeological ruins along with more recent colonial efforts – refugees from one conflict or another along with Federation, Klingon and Romulan archeologists. Calder II was also home to archeological ruins but was more tightly controlled by the Federation ever since mercenaries had attacked decades earlier. Then, there was YaDalla. OMEGA’s scientist had observed over, as had the colony’s own scientist, over the last year that a pretty deep fault line runs from pole to pole beneath the planetary surface. YaDalla was more water than solid landmasses, although there was land, water was it’s most abundant resource. Where the land could, huge trees that had taken centuries in growing rose high and dug deep root systems that far into the bedrock below. Like Barradas, YaDalla had been occupied at one point or the other by all three major powers and had more recently become an easy refuge for refugees fleeing the conflict between Romulans and the Federation. OMEGA already had operatives on the ground on YaDalla. Some were in the process of feeling out the local politicians and others were mingling about as lost souls seeking refuge. Having learned it’s lesson in their last encounter with Starfleet officers, OMEGA had this time-inserted officers not in the upper echelons but in the rank and file. Foot soldiers were far easier to control than arrogant brass that sought to rise above his betters. She turned her attention back to the science reports. As with most planets, the planet ‘surface’ or crust was comprised of plates that were always moving and colliding with one another. Most such movements passed unnoticed by the naked eye but at times the movements were colossal and resulted in damaging earthquakes and tsunami that could over-wash the century trees. While the trees remained standing, the structures built into the trees were destroyed and loss of life could be great. So far, earthquakes on YaDalla had been minor and most passed unnoticed. The last quake of any magnitude had occurred a year ago and even it was small compared to archeological findings in the ruins that indicated YaDalla had once survived a natural disaster of such magnitude that it had washed away the landscape and forever altered the surface of the planet. Pressure readings, while nothing like that scale, were rising and were clearly indicating that a major quake was imminent. A missed report here, an overlooked request there coupled could leave the planet’s inhabitants in a precarious position. An increase in the amount of carbon dioxide at the right junction could induce seismic activity that could then cause triggering earthquakes in a rippling fashion. The seismic activity would in turn trigger tsunamis along multiple shorelines.

As she put all the pieces in each hot-zone in motion she weighed the odds alongside other scenarios until she was satisfied that the acts in each in which OMEGA’s forces were operating would be taken as naturally occurring. The information was soon distributed to the right hands that would bring the plan to fruition. There would be no report back. Success would be measured by the response made as the threads unfolded in the designated areas. Livia was not a patient person and she did not suffer waiting idly by. This plan was as much OMEGA’s test of her as it was OMEGAs test of the moment.