--Part 6

Posted on Fri Mar 17th, 2023 @ 12:07pm by Lieutenant Commander Diane Doctrine

Mission: Starship Side Quest
Location: USS Garagin
Timeline: after Resolution arrives at starbase

USS Garagin - Bridge

"... great, we'll look forward to seeing you." Then the line was abruptly cut off.

Diane's brow wrinkled in thought. They cut the connection faster than was usually considered polite. Perhaps the vice admiral's staff was busy? There was no way to know but she smiled inwardly at the success of getting an appointment to see the vice admiral that Finchley detested.

This was only going to get more interesting.

Next she accessed the Garagin's inter-comm. "Diane to Finchley and Kilbane. We have an appointment at the Vice Admiral's office in one week." She waited for their replies.

"A week!" Finchley said incredulously, "over my dead body."

Kilbane looked at him and replied, "If that's what the Vice Admirals office said, then that's what they said."

Finchley walked across to the nearest intercom panel and slapped his hand on the button. "This is Kerr, you get back on the line to the Vice Admirals office and you tell them to tell the Vice Admiral I said 'The Ironhorse'. Tell them to tell him the meeting will take place twenty four hours from now, and not a second more. Further, tell them to tell him that if he doesn't take the meeting, his reckoning has come and even he won't be able to stop it. Once you get the answer back from them, you tell me if it's a go ahead or not."

Diane wasn't entirely surprised at Finchley's outburst but she was taken aback by him adding a codeword. She hated not knowing the entirety of the situation she'd gotten herself into, a habit from being in intelligence for years. "All right, I'll let you know. Give me a few to re-establish contact."

"What's 'The Ironhorse'?" Kilbane asked.

"An insurance policy I took out a number of years back, just in case this day ever came," Finchley replied, "Don't ask me anything else, I don't want you implicated in any matters that'll be forthcoming."

Kilbane held up his hands in a 'surrender' posture. "Not me Bird, I've learned long ago to let things go where you're concerned."

Finchley snorted a derisive laugh. "By long ago, do you mean like an hour ago?"

Kilbane just smiled "Well, an hour and a half."

Up on the bridge, Diane fired up the comm-array once more. The conversation with the vice admiral's aide was rather curt and it didn't look like she was getting anywhere. Then she mentioned 'The Ironhorse'. The expression on the aide's face looked doubtful. "One moment please," he said.

Moments later, the vice admiral himself was on the screen. "Is Finchley Kerr with you?" he asked taciturnly.

"He is," Diane answered.

"Get him." the vice admiral's mouth was a thin, flat line.

After muting the long distance call, Diane announced on the Gagarin's inter-com, "Finchley, you're needed on the bridge. There's a vice admiral on the line that wishes to speak to you."

"I'll bet he does" Finchley replied after hitting the button on the intercom "I'll be there shortly Sir."

Looking at Kilbane he asked "Coming?"

"To see the showdown at the OK Gagarin coral...wild horses Bird, wild horses" Kilbane replied.

The two of them set off and shortly arrived on the bridge. Finchley walked down to join Diane in front of the screen, whilst Kilbane sat in a seat just off to the side, really wishing he had popcorn to eat whilst the upcoming 'joust' too place.

"Vice Admiral" Finchley nodded "thank you for actually showing your face" Finchley said.

"Let's cut the bullshit and get down to it son" the Vice Admiral replied sharply.

"I'm not your son, in fact, as you're actually dead to me, you're no relation at all, but yes, let's get down to it" Finchley began his reply back "You'll agree to meet with myself, Commander Doctrine and Professor Kilbane twenty four hours from now, and at that meeting, you'll hand over everything you have on the USS Gagarin and all materials connecting it to finding an Orb of the Prophets."

"Oh I will, will I?" the Vice Admiral said.

"Yes, yes you will, and you'll do it graciously and with a smile on your face you haggard old fuck," Finchley said.

"I see you've lost none of your wit and charm 'Chief Warrant Officer Kerr', please don't stand on ceremony on my account," the VA replied.

"The only thing I'll be standing on is your head if you don't do what I just said," Finchley replied.

"And what makes you think I'm going to do that?" the VA said "What you think you know of 'The Ironhorse'?"

"Oh, I don't think I know, I'm one hundred percent certain of what I know," Finchley said, now crossing his arms "You see, I've found 'Gadriel', and you know what that means, don't you?"

The expression on the Vice Admirals face changed to one of disbelief and then anger "How did you find 'Gadriel', that's impossible!"

"No, it's not, and how I found 'Gadriel' is immaterial to this discussion, I've found it, that's all you need to know," Finchley said, "And if that information was to get out, and SGHQ found out what really happened on 'The Ironhorse', you'd be finished, washed up, sank without a trace. We'll be at your office in twenty four hours, have the information ready. Oh, and if you're thinking of sending anyone to try and retrieve 'Gadriel', don't bother, it's safe, somewhere you'll never find it, plus, there's a twenty five hour timer release information set up, so unless I switch it off...you get the picture. Kerr out!" and he reached to cut the link off.

"Now wait a min..." the Vice Admiral began to say, but got no further as the link closed.

Finchley turned to Diane and Kilbane. "Twenty four hours then, and just to be on the safe side, update your wills if you've made one."

Diane's eye twitched in a bit of aggravation, "Finchley, I have a son back on our own ship. I will do you grave harm if I don't seem him again. I think it's high time I get an explanation of what I'm wrapped up in here. Security clearances be damned!"

"You have a son, then don't come to this meeting," Finchley replied, "He's your priority, not this!"

"If you want the truth about the Gagarin, and how it relates to this situation and the Dominion war, then update your will like I said," Finchley replied, "The choice is yours, but make it quickly, I'm not hanging around."

Diane's brow wrinkled. It looked like she might say something angrily. It seemed clear to her now Finchley either didn't need or didn't want her help and he was having no sympathy or empathy about the entire situation. Fine. She spoke in a normal tone with narrowed eyes, "I'll wait then."

"That's fine Commander" Finchley replied "Kilbane can furnish you with what we get from the Vice Admiral when he returns."

He looked at Kilbane "Last chance for you to back out as well."

"No, I'm coming, I wouldn't miss this for anything" Kilbane replied.

"Ok then, let's get going" Finchley said "We need to pack." He looked at Diane, nodded and said "Commander" then left along with Kilbane.

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TBC in Part 7