Mexican Standoff

noun

Informal: Sometimes Offensive.

1. a stalemate or impasse; a confrontation that neither side can win.

There’s a certain sense of satisfaction that comes with disposing of an enemy and getting what one desires.

Commander Navain of the Romulan Free States Navy was basking in the ebullient glow of that sensation, as he toyed with the download module in his hands and considered the shifting winds of fortune.

It is said that we often give our enemies the means for our own destruction, a truism so undeniably apt for the confluence of events that presented Navain with the perfect opportunity to dispose of the Tal Shiar agent that had terrorized his crew and proved such a thorn in his side for so long.

Navain had detested Major Silak with every ounce of his being to its core, but like most survivors of the fall of Romulus, he had been indoctrinated from birth to live in fear of the omnipresent secret police apparatus of the Romulan State.

The joint security/intelligence apparatus had survived the destruction of their homeworld and (if it was at all possible), became even more authoritarian and totalitarian in their zeal to preserve what remained of the once-mighty Star Empire.

Silak was typical of a regime that engaged in covert operations to suppress internal dissent and root out political, ideological and social dissidence and perpetuate the dictatorial doctrine of the Free States through subterfuge, violence, forced – disappearance, torture and murder .

It was perhaps the ultimate irony that any State that seeks to subjugate their people via such means, almost universally succeeds in planting the seeds of dissent and fostering a culture of passive resistance from those that it enforces their will upon. Normally the only thing preventing the subjugated from rising up and taking vengeance on their tormentors was the threat of reprisal.

Within their own regime it was vital that a totalitarian central political authority such as the Romulan Free States empower their security forces with enough coercing capacity to enforce internal order and conduct to ensure external defence.

Equally important to their survival, however, they must control that capacity, to ensure it was not turned against them.

Major Silak had stoked the resentment and ire that smoldered deep within Commander Navain and had been undone by her own sense of superiority. The Tal Shiar agent, blinded by her own ambition and hubris, had failed to recognize just how exposed she was standing on the surface of the Hellworld where she had sacrificed so many of the Rihanhansu’s crew.

The Repository was the key to her victory. Conversely it was also the key to her undoing.

The Major had been so blinded by the martial-potential that the memory – engrams invested within the informational substrate of the storage device represented, that her mind was firmly fixated on the accolade and cachet that returning such a prize would bring her in terms of personal aggrandizement and promotion – that she failed to recognize that her most dangerous enemy was Navain himself.

The Commander smiled thinly as he imagined the shock & outrage on Silak’s face when she realised the extent of her betrayal and the completeness of her defeat. He would have given almost anything to be there to see it, he thought as he turned the download module in his hands.

Almost anything.

There was no end, it would seem, to extent of the Romulan’s natural racial – proclivity towards deceit and duplicity.

Yes, he had taken an incredible risk in striking against the Major when she was at her most vulnerable, an act that would normally be inconceivable. The threat of retaliation was the perpetual rod with which the Tal Shiar used to cow the populace, yet the Hellworld was so remote and so intrinsically lethal that Commander Navain was more than reasonably confident that he could explain her demise to his superiors without exposing himself unduly to suspicion and reprisal.

He was sure that none aboard the Rihanhansu harbored much sympathy for the Torturer or would overly mourn her passing. Even one who sought to gain advantage by betraying his actions for personal gain, would in turn fall under suspicion by the Tal Shiar and suffer retribution themselves. One of the few advantages of the Police State was that it persecuted everyone without discrimination and was strangely democratic in this way.

Besides, once the Commander handed the Repository over to his superiors in the high command, not only could he expect promotion and elevation of status, but the Navy would enjoy a considerable rise in prestige and be able to rub the triumph in the face of the Tal Shiar. Another typifying factor of an authoritarian regime was the tendency to encourage competition through fragmentation and exclusivity, dividing powers among their competing security apparatuses to prevent any single agency from amassing enough political power to carry out a coup.

A thought that made his betrayal of the Major even so much more satisfying.

So, then it was with a sense of considerable irritation, that Commander Navain’s festive mood was interrupted by a sudden report from his Tactical Officer that would threaten to derail his good cheer entirely.

“Commander! We’re reading a launch from the surface!” Sub-lieutenant T’maekh called out with urgency.

Navain’s dark eyebrows steepled and met in the middle of his ridged forehead.

“Identify!” He barked.

“It appears to be the Starfleet vessel, Sir.” T’maekh confirmed as he studied the incoming data.

“Impossible ! She was destroyed ! Onscreen!” Navain snapped, if the Federation and her allies were made aware of what had transpired here, his treachery would ultimately be revealed and all he had achieved would be undone.

There was nowhere within the Shackleton Expanse, the Beta Quadrant or beyond where he might escape the vengeance of the Tal Shiar.

The main viewscreen switched from the forward view of space and acquired the target, quickly zooming in until the incoming ship could be seen clearly. It was the small Starfleet escort that had bloodied their nose and then descended in a flame of re-entry some 8 days previously. Navain had assumed that the crippled craft had naturally been destroyed upon impact with the planet’s surface and now had reason to curse his reticence to confirm the kill.

A mistake he was absolutely resolved to rectify in the next few minutes.

With the Rihanhansu still cloaked, it would be a matter of child’s play to finish what he had started and reduce the Starfleet ship to a thin smear of atoms, destined to ride the upper atmosphere of the Hellworld for eternity.

From what he could see onscreen, the Escort had been dealt grievous damage during their initial encounter. The Commander resolved to make that damage catastrophic and thus remove this troublesome element from his victory, but he was nothing but cautious.

“Tactical. Scan the target. I want a full rundown of her tactical capabilities and threat assessment immediately!” Navain ordered. Whilst he remained invisible to his enemy, he could afford to exercise caution and bide his time, until the perfect moment to strike presented itself.

It was not long before the Sub-lieutenant confirmed his suspicions.

“Target has sustained considerable damage sir.” T’maekh smiled, sensing the prospect of a quick kill.

“She’s making way on quarter impulse. There’s considerable damage to her port nacelle, which appears to be non – operational. That means she probably can’t sustain a stable field and go to warp. She does have shields up, Commander, the signature confirms multiphasic shield capability, but with the damage profile she’ll be unlikely to retain field integrity for long under sustained fire. Her torpedo tubes all appear to be damaged and she appears to have some of her phasic – arrays compromised.”

Navain nodded. This was to be only a momentarial interruption to his plans. He resolved to remove that problem permanently.

“Very good, Sub-lieutenant. Prepare the main forward disruptor array for….” The Commander began to order, when he was interrupted by his Communications Officer.

“Sir!” Uhlan N’alae reported. “We are being hailed by the Commander of the Federation vessel. All channels.”

Commander Navain sat back in his command chair and considered this new development.

That the communique had been sent broadcast on all channels and not directed implicitly towards the Rihanhansu told him that the Starfleet Captain had no idea of the Warbirds actual position. Safe in the knowledge that he retained the element of surprise, hence the upper hand, the cautious Romulan Naval officer began to evaluate what his opponent sought to achieve from this overture to negotiate?

He had just to give the order and the Starfleet vessel (and any chance of tying him to Major Silak’s murder) would be reduced to dust in the void.

Yet, despite his overabundance of caution, he stayed his hand and did not yet give the order. What if there was something here he had not anticipated? What would induce the Starfleet CO to such desperate action? Did she possess a piece of the puzzle that Navain had failed to account for? Or was it exactly as it seemed? A desperate bid to buy a few more precious seconds of life?

But to do what?

“Tactical. Perform a full tactical sensor sweep of the surrounding volume.” The Commander pursed his lips, trying to fathom his opponents reasoning and find some sliver of logic in her unorthodox actions.

“Scan’s negative. No contacts, bar the Starfleet vessel. We are alone sir.” T’maekh nodded in affirmation.

Navain frowned. There was some element at play here that he couldn’t quite factor and that lack of confidence disturbed the taciturn commander to his core.

“Just what are you playing at Captain?” Commander Navain mused to himself.

Whatever their game, it would cost him nothing to return the hail and find out. Whilst actually firing his weapons would require the Rihanhansu to drop her cloak and betray her position, Navain was sure that he could finish the Escort in short order. Until then his vessel could stalk the wounded Starfleet ship like a raptor in the night, her cloaking device rendering her invisible to the electromagnetic spectrum and hostile sensors like a wraith riding the fog.

An indulgence perhaps (hadn’t his mother always scolded him when he played with is food?), but one the Commander felt that he could indulge in safety and still be able to depart this accursed system and bear the prize of the Repository back to his superiors without issue.

“Very well.” Navain decided and instructed his comms officer, “Open a channel and respond to their hail. Audio only.”

“Channel open, Sir.” N’alae nodded.

“To the Starfleet Vessel. This is Commander Navain of the RFSV Rihanhansu. Congratulations on your unlikely survival, Captain. A state of affairs that, I assure you, I will remedy but shortly.” The Free States CO sent to the incoming ship.

There was a short pause, then the audio feed crackled to life and a strong, sure female voice filled the bridge of the Warbird.

“RFSV Rihanhansu, this is Lieutenant – Commander Lane Hanley, commanding the USS Kirk. Commander Navain, you and your crew are responsible for hostile actions leading to the deaths of both Federation and Republic personnel and the destruction and attempted destruction of sovereign vessels. These actions are in direct violation of the Treaty of Algeron to which you are a co-signatory and constitute criminal action. You are hereby ordered to drop your shields and prepare to be boarded and taken into custody.”

Commander Navain tilted his head back and let out an uproarious laugh.

The fucking BALLS on this woman!

Wiping a tear of genuine amusement from his eyes, Navain replied to the brash young Starfleet Captain with a witheringly dismissive tone.

“As much as I respect your pluck, Commander Hanley, I’m afraid that the charges you level are quite baseless and without merit. The Treaty of which you speak was signed between your United Federation of Planets and the Romulan Star Empire, prohibiting Starfleet from developing cloaking technology and reinforcing the Romulan Neutral Zone.””

Commander Navain’s face hardened and his tone took on an ominous aspect. This preposterous woman was obviously bluffing; it was plain for all to see and his patience with this farce had worn thin and he wished to get his ship underway.

“I really would have thought that Starfleet might have taught its cadets some of the basics about recent Galactic history, especially due to their obsequious attempts to curry favour and steal influence during their so – called evacuation of Romulus.”

“The Romulan Star Empire is gone, Captain. As is the Neutral Zone and with it the legal basis for your argument and claims of criminality. The Treaty of Algeron is no more compelling than your peoples misguided alliance with the dissidents and traitors that call themselves the Republic.”

“The Shackleton Expanse is the ‘New Frontier’’ and it will be claimed by the hands of TRUE Romulans.” Navain warned imperiously.

“You are a fool, Lieutenant – Commander Hanley. And now you will die a fool !”

Commander Navain cut the comm – channel from the control installed in the arm of his command – chair and turned to order Sub-lieutenant T’maekh.

Enough was enough. This idiocy ended here and now.

“Tactical! Prepare to disengage the cloaking device and target the Starfleet vessel! FIRE AT WILL!!!”