((Observation Lounge, USS Discovery-B))

TOR'EL: Well, maybe they know the federation, but they have been lucky to have
attacked us in your space. Huge ships or not, the Saurian Empire would not exist
right now if it had been any nearer to the Empire.

STRUNTZ: Not sure how long their luck will hold.

FORD: There is too many variables.

GINSBERG: Precisely. This makes my job more difficult as you can imagine,
Gentleman. We are now negotiating for our people and the Genurans. There is
more, included in the Genuran's report is just before they were evacuated from
the Genuran system the Saurians were producing ships on a massive scale. The
exact number of ships and what the Saurians are preparing to do with them is
unclear. The Genurans did say that new ships were being built at an alarming
rate and they don't know how. According to them the Saurian Empire does not have
this kind of production capability.

:: The news about the number of ships that the Saurians could have did not do
anything to improve the mood.::

GINSBERG: As you can see Gentleman this is why Star Fleet and the Council have
taken precautions with so many ships for the evacuation. As a matter of fact as
soon as we learned of this new information Star Fleet has decided to bolster the
fleet around Star Base 285 just in case. It is our job right now to try and
avoid war this is why we must be at least be somewhat accommodating to the
Saurians.

BLUEHEART: Call me the king of wishful thinking, but perhaps the Saurians are
building these massive ships of theirs to evacuate fellow Saurians to a new home
world, and leave the Genurans behind to fend for themselves, this at a cost of
eliminating anybody or anything that stands in their path.

:: There was a moment of silence, while everybody got used to the news. Then
Waltas spoke::

WALTAS: Captain Tor'el, Ambassador, I have an idea.

TOR'EL: Go on, Captain.

:: The Ambassador listened intently. ::

WALTAS: The Saurians have not detected our presence in the system yet, and
although our intelligence is sketchy I don't believe they possess cloaking
technology. To cloak ships of that mass would be unimaginable. What if we sent
the two cloaked birds of prey on a little scouting mission? To see what we're up
against.

TOR'EL: Actually, the fact they don't have cloaking technology doesn't mean they
can't detect cloaked ships. But I'd agree on that, at least to see what are we
up against.

BLUEHEART: :Wouldn't a large ship like the Bird of Prey be detectable - cloaked
or otherwise - at such close proximity to the colony? :

TOR'EL: Actually, a Bird of Prey isn't that big. But you are right, we could be
detected if we got too close.

WALTAS: We have possession of a small...scout ship of our own. She has her own
cloak. Our Chief Tactical Officer is trained to fly her. She could survey the
colony while the Birds of Prey scout the Borlin system. It would give us a
competitive edge.

TOR'EL: Do the Romu... well, never mind.

:: The Ambassador raised an eyebrow, she wasn't sure how having this technology
was legal… the treaty of Algeron came to mind. She made a mental note of it in
case this turned into a treaty violation. ::

oO I hope I am not going to have to clean up any messes. We are already on thin
ice with the Romulans. Oo

WALTAS: We can continue to the colony, hover over the magnetic pole and launch
the scout. It should hide the signature long enough to launch the scout.

TOR'EL: Actually, captain, you can't enter an atmosphera with a cloaked ship.
You have no shields, and anyway the heat accumulating in your hull could make
you detectable to anyone. So the scout must leave the Discovery uncloaked, enter
the atmosphera making it's signal in the magnetic field and then engage cloak.
But... it can be done. And Counselor Blueheart here is right. It is impossible
to do that with a ship the size of a Bird of Prey.

oO I see why your father honors you. Oo

:: Captain Ford wasn't convinced this was going to work. His distrust of Captain
Waltas began to congeal but not yet solid. ::

FORD: This is Absurd! Ambassador you can't possibly be thinken that taking a
piece of hardly legal technology behind enemy lines and pray to high heaven they
don't see us comin, that in itself could cost us war.

WALTAS: Captain, I realize your point but we've been caught flat-footed here. If
a Federation ambassador has sketchy information that means that we're
practically going in blind. I don't do that and I won't risk the lives of my
crew as well as yours and Captains Tor'el and Struntz if we have an opportunity
for some intelligence gathering.

:: Captain Ford's accent got very thick. ::

FORD: So were gona sit back and hope ya crew know what they doin with da Romulan
shuttle?! What if you cause us war, Captain? I know from experience with da
Dominion who didn't use cloaking because they didn't need it! You beda hope to
god you know what ya doin!

GINSBERG: Captains! :: Urging Ford and an agitated Waltas to calm down. :: This
is unbecoming of Federation Officers.

FORD: Forgive me Ambassador.

WALTAS: Captain I would very much like your support in this effort.

FORD: Captain Waltas, I don't like your plan and I think its half baked. But if
ya orda me to, ill do it.

WALTAS: Very well. Then consider it an order. The Poseidon and Achilles will
remain on station at Borlin VI. Discovery will take position around the pole and
launch the scout ship along with the Birds of Prey. ::Turning:: The Federation
has no direct control over Klingon ships, Captain Tor'el. Do you support this?

TOR'EL: I must say something. If they ever know of this, if they ever suspect,
it will mean war. ::He paused for a moment, looking at their reactions. :: As
long as you know what you are risking, yes, I support this. I wouldn't like to
go there blindly. One last thing. I am willing to assume they haven't faced any
cloaked ship, ever. So if they don't expect them even to exist, it would be wise
not to give them any hint. From now on, no ship will cloak or uncloak here until
there is a battle. The Qul'Vaj will keep decloaked. I'll signal the other two to
keep under cloak. Anything else?

:: Other than his earlier comments Struntz had remained relatively quite taking
in what was being said. The orders from himself and his ship were quite simply,
they were to simply sit and wait. While he was sure that this would probably not
go down well with some of his crew it was probably the right call.::

GINSBERG: Then it is settled?

STRUNTZ: So for the moment orders Achilles and Poseidon are to sit around and
wait for the Saurians to come to the colony?

ANYONE: reply

STRUNTZ: Do we have any reports of recent activity other than the attack on the
transport? Do want to know the timeframes we will be looking at before
encountering the Saurians.

GINSBERG: Only an infrance, all signals are being jammed at the source of the
colony. It is conceivable that the Saurians are already tending the planet. Like
most hostage negotiations you keep your hostages where you can see them.

:: Red claxons sounded the halls of the Discovery. Something was up. It was the
Ambassador's guess they found the Saurians or they found us. ::



Tag/TBA


Susan Ginsberg
Ambassador
United Federation of planets

&

Captain Henry Ford
C.O.
USS Poseidon