"Jaeneva" <evengstr@...> wrote to sb22@...:

=/\= SB22 =/\=

A few hours after he spoke with Commodore Malone, Commodore Acheson sat at
his desk at SB 22 and opened another channel to the Intrepid. Now it was
time to talk to Commander Kestral, to ensure that she knew about the
temporary command situation. He waited for a reply from the Intrepid,
sipping at a cup of coffee.

Elise had remained in the reception hall long enough to ensure that Fraizer
had the cleanup well in hand before retreating to her quarters to wait for
Beta Command's verdict. She'd withheld the impulse to contact them herself
and report on what had occurred. She was taking a risk there. She knew
Malone would report his failure, but the more time passed, the more chance
the delegates would have to calm down planetside. She didn't think it was
likely, but at the same time, she couldn't discount the possibility.

She didn't have to wait long. An hour after having gotten there, her
commbadge went off. "Rover to Kestral, you have a communication from
Commodore Acheson."

"Route it to my quarters Lieutenant." The replied, already moving to sit in
front of her desk. She had already stripped out of the formal uniform and
was back in a form fitting duty uniform.

Acheson's eyes widened as he looked at Commander Kestral's uniform through
the viewscreen. The curves of her body were clearly visible through the
tight uniform and Nathan wasn't prepared for the distraction. He faced the
burden of being an old man, but he wasn't dead. "Commander, I am Commodore
Acheson, the Second Fleet Commander. I don't believe we've met. Have you
spoken to Commodore Malone?"

"Not since he left the holodeck before reporting the... situation to you,
Commodore." She answered politely, with just a hint of concern to her voice.
She had deliberately dropped mention of Malone's visit to the holodeck. She
assumed Beta Command would have expected an immediate report. That Malone
had delayed it should make matters worse for him. "Although I am unsure why
you are contacting me? I assume the Intrepid is to report back to Starbase
22."

Acheson shook his head and took a moment to look down, to check the PADD he
wrote containing the orders. "Negative, Commander. Commodore Malone is being
temporarily sent to Starbase 22 to answer questions regarding the Columbrian
incident. You will be in command of the Intrepid until he returns. I am
ordering the Intrepid to proceed to the Xeres system along the Romulan
border. The Romulans recently placed a few more warbirds on the border, so I
want to bring the Intrepid in to restore a balance of power at the neutral
zone."

Both eyebrows shot up in genuine surprise, masking the flash of triumph in
her eyes. She had expected the Intrepid would be detained for weeks, but
this surpassed all expectation! That the orders took her nowhere near the
Vanguard cell didn't matter, no one else on the ship would be privy to the
orders. What mattered was the Intrepid was now hers! She could barely
contain her excitement at the ease of her success, and could only hope that
Acheson would interpret it as shock. "We'll report to the Xeres system
immediately then Commodore. How long do you expect to detain Commodore
Malone?"

"It's hard to say, Commander. I suspect he'll be gone anywhere from 10 to 14
days, including the time to travel to Starbase 22 and back to the Intrepid.
I hope that the Starfleet Command representative won't detain him longer,
but that is always a possibility. However, I trust that you can adequately
command the Intrepid in his absense."

"We'll leave the Qualor sector immediately then Commodore. I'll even give
you the bonus of not starting any wars while we're there." She smiled
slightly at the implication. Wherever Malone went, war followed, and she
wanted Acheson reminded of that fact.

Nathan nodded. "I should hope not, Commander. The Second Fleet has enough
problems with the Krivaldi, the Romulans, and the Vanguard. I expect that
the Intrepid won't create any more of them. Good luck on your mission,
Acheson out." He closed the channel and returned to a PADD.

Elise stared at the Federation logo as the grin she had been holding back
broke through. Her mission was nearly complete now, and the need to
celebrate was almost overwhelming. Her thoughts turned to Caldwell, he
would be an ideal companion to celebrate with, and after she'd informed the
second officer of her choice in executive officer, Caldwell would have no
reason to question a little celebration on the heels of his Commanding
Officer's disgrace.