Epiphanies in the Night

Epiphanies in the Night

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.CS

Based on Star Trek/Deep Space Nine created by
Gene Roddenberry, Rick Berman and Michael Piller

Cavalier Squadron was created by ThunderChyld and Ruahforever

"Epiphanies in the night"

(Trials by Fire, Part 3 of 6)

Author's Note:

This story begins during the end of the Narendra War, or more specifically Stardate 59214.7. 

Sisko’s Restaurant
Kendra City, Kendra Province | Bajor
Stardate 59214.7

Captain Shelby Karrell was sitting at the round table with fellow officers, Teresa Lynn the Captain of USS Firehawk, her tactical officer Commander Dwayne Johnson, Captain Rex Savage and several others.  One officer who had been there at this time, was another officer who would soon make an appearance.

"There she is..."  The male voice said.

"Is that Captain Karrell?" Another voice asked while sitting at a different table.

"The same.  She's been in the fleet for a long time.  She had a very distinguished combat record during the Dominion and Narendra War.  After she was aboard the starship Saratoga as it's captain, the ship was reassigned as she wanted a much smaller crew.  She is one of the few that wanted a Defiant-class ship..."

"Really?"

"She remarked to Admiral Price that she wanted a ship with some teeth and speed under her...So, they gave her Lyric."

"A ship that befit her overall..."

"Right..."

"Anything else I should know about?"

"She loves violets, the color purple, and she is a New Yorker..."

"What else do you know about her?"

"She was married once, then divorced. Its been almost twelve years, but yeah, she got divorced and focused solely on her career."

"Intriguing..."

The first man who was much older with graying hair looked at his companion.  "You will need to infiltrate her ship and remain there until you hear back from me.  You will serve as her tactical and XO aboard Lyric--effective immediately."  The man slid a padd to the much younger man.

"What is our goal here?"

"For now--observation. I think that she and her crew will become part of something much bigger than we all thought initially...  We don't know yet, but your orders are to simply observe and follow her orders as a good XO should.  I will make sure that when the time is right, you are notified that a change has taken place...  Understood?"

"Yeah...  When do I have a say about my own destiny?"  The younger man sneered as he collected his padd.

The older man brought him closer, "When we deem it fit..."  When he said that, the younger man's need to discuss this further was squelched, especially with a phaser pointed at him from below the table set on kill.

The older man continued, "Marcus, you will make a great operative--but until you can prove yourself, your destiny, belongs to 31.  Now, go and introduce yourself to her.  The arrangements have already been made."  The older man withdrew and powered down his phaser and returned to celebrating.

All of this made Marcus Cole sick.  Running back and forth between Section 31 and Starfleet has made him hate how he got to this point in the first place. Before the Dominion War, he was assigned to USS Wellington as a tactical specialist. When on a mission near the Romulan Neutral Zone, he piloted a runabout to the surface to do reconiassance.  It was on that mission that he was blamed for losing everyone on the team.  That mark on his record has never come off.  Section 31 took notice of this and recruited him.  Luther Sloan recruited him for this position as a way to help bolster 31's operatives. 

Sloan realized that he was very good at his job.  Once Sloan was eliminated, Marcus' ties to 31 were over or so he thought.  He was then recruited again by Ben Austin (the very same who stole USS Toronto during the early stages of the Narendra War.)

Austin used his career and his family against him to re-draft him in.  Marcus' father William Cole the captain of the Merrimack was threatened that if Marcus didn't rejoin 31, there would be an operative aboard his father's ship that would eliminate him.  Marcus had no choice.

Now, once again a pawn for 31 he has to play the XO role aboard Lyric.  "Great..."  he thought as he approached their table moments later.

While at the same table along side Teresa, Shelby Karrell was sitting and watching what took place and smiled.  She looked around to her right side and noticed that her new tactical officer Marcus Cole sat next to her.  He had an uncanny resemblence to an actor she used to watch on the holodeck some time ago.  He had dark hair, brown eyes, and a small moustache, and a slight goatee.  Even though she found him to be an excellent officer according to his personnel files, she also found him to be quite attractive.  Shelby, who was wearing a royal blue dress to this affair, looked very beautiful. Her hair was done up, and straightened.  Her shoulder length brown hair had flecks of gray in it, but it did not detract from her overall looks.  She took care of herself very well.