Night Moves

Posted on Sun Jun 1, 2025 @ 9:20am by Commander Jack Aeyers & Lieutenant Matt Hartley

2,480 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: 1. Trouble Brewing
Location: Operations Centre, Starbase Icarus
Timeline: Mission Day 1, 0300 Hours

ON

"Lieutenant, we've got a Talarian freighter on the perimeter; no documentation lodged and not cleared for docking. They're coming in hot on a collision course!"

"They're not answering hails."

"They're inside the shield perimeter. Our defences will be ineffective if they impact."

"Preparing tractor beams."

"Phasers ready."

Matt Hartley looked from the orbital control display to the viewscreen as voices came in surround sound. A yellow-hulled cargoship jettisoned murky iridescent trails of plasma as it sped toward the station. The Talarians had become notorious for kamikaze runs against their enemies, even the Federation, and this situation had left the nightshift reeling.

"Yeoman, get a hold of Captain Tel, get her up here now," Hartley called. The ship was getting closer by the moment. He had to make a call, no one else was going to make it for him. "Hail the Talarians again, and scan their cargo hold, I want to know exactly what is aboard that ship."

"Still no reply, sir."

"Cargo scans are inconclusive."

"Twenty seconds to impact."

"Okay," Hartley let out a slow breath. It was a flip of a coin. Phasers, risk destroying them in a fiery explosion. Tractor beams, risk them still slamming into the side of the superstructure. "Deploy tractor beams, bring them to a complete stop. We'll capture them and bring them into a docking port."

"Aye, sir."

"Ten seconds to impact. Nine seconds."

With a white knuckle grip, Hartley watched as the starbase tractor emitters reached out like a lifeline.

"Five seconds."

The blue beams reached the vessel. Caught in the glowing tractor rays, the vessel screamed to a halt, dragged along for only a moment before stopping cold.

"Capture complete," The Ensign at tactical reported.

A silence fell over the room. Crisis was averted. Hartley's shoulders dropped. That was close.

"Ensign Iac," Hartley turned to the young Saurian woman at tactical, "Ensure the Talarian ship is secure and co-ordinate with flight control to bring it in to Docking Bay 17. Have security meet them, I want a top to bottom customs search of that ship. If they pass, we can investigate the technical fault and offer them repairs. I'd like an explanation for my incident report to the captain."

"Yes, Lieutenant," Iac replied, her glossy purple scales catching the light as she spun to her console.

Matt was given a moment to collect his thoughts. He undid the flap on his uniform and took a moment to dab the perspiration from his forehead. The tension had left him in a cold sweat.

"Lieutenant Hartley," The duty yeoman called quietly, disturbing the moment of peace. She pulled Matt aside as she entered the central area of the operations centre. "I haven't been able to raise Captain Tel."

"Still?" Matt replied, pursing his lips.

"Yessir."

He made sure to avoid mentioning he'd not been in contact with the Captain since he started his watch five hours ago. It was an unusual break in protocol. That was starting to become commonplace. Yet, there was no need to worry the junior staff or make unfounded comments. "Reach out to the Captain's yeoman, see if they can raise her."

The Yeoman's brow furrowed, "Aye." With that, she rushed off.

"Petty Officer," Hartley called to the silver haired man watching the sensors. "Do you have the USS Tantanoola on sensors yet?"

The gentleman checked his computer, studying the readout for a moment, "Yessir. ETA is about six hours."

"Damn," Matt muttered under his breath. That meant the base's executive officer, Commander Aeyers, was a long way off. His temporary starship assignment had only worsened the staff shortages in the base's leadership structure. It had also gotten Matt out of orbital control and into the watch rotation at Ops more often. He had to be thankful for small mercies. "Coms, when you get a moment, can you raise Commander Aeyers on the Tantanoola? I'd like to speak with him."

Hartley made his way up to tactical. He watched over Iac's shoulder as she performed checks and scans that would expedite the safe docking of the Talarian vessel.

Iac worked away, her claws flicking across the console, but she couldn't help but feel as though she was being watched. She felt her irritation flaring, and instead of giving her superior a piece of her mind, she put a quick pause on her work and spun around. She sighed. She was a mustang officer, with previous service as a Chief Petty Officer on Icarus before earning her commission. She knew when someone was running on fumes. "Lieutenant... Matt, I've got this under control. You've already pulled a shift in dock control, and now here. Perhaps you might want to take a break for a moment. Grab a refreshment?"

Matt considered this for a moment. There wasn't a lot he could do until the logistical cogs began turning once the search teams boarded the Talarian ship. "Alright. You've got ops."

Hartley hated the idea of leaving Icarus' command centre so soon after a critical incident, but he was starting to feel it to his bones. The rostering had left his body aching and his mind cluttered. Leaving the ops centre through a large central door, he followed a corridor until he ended up at a junction. Through here, crew came through in drips and drabs, passing from one area to the next. And, from the corner of his eye, he noticed something wasn't quite right.

A Cardassian, in civilian clothes, was trying to flag down a passing officer. Despite appearing calm, patient and deliberately non-confrontational, maroon-clad personnel of all stripes avoided the Cardassian man like he carried a contagion. He was hardly what the Starfleet briefings had made the Cardassians out to be; he didn't seem to have a murderous glint in his eye, an iota of cunning or a secret agenda. He just wanted to talk to someone.

"E-excuse me," The Cardassian called, reaching limply for the arm of a passing Vulcan Ensign, who sidestepped as if she was dodging a tackle. She shot him a look and kept moving. Another officer passed. "E-excuse me, could I ask you a question."

No one was interested in hearing it. Matt was shocked security hadn't arrived and dragged him off yet. No doubt they'd be here soon, and Matt had promised himself a coffee. There was no point in getting involved in something that didn't concern him.

And sure enough, he found himself a quiet corner with a table and chair near a replicator. He sipped his coffee, penning a quick communique to Aeyers to alert him to the nightmare he'd likely be stepping into; leadership challenges, manpower shortages, a Captain who didn't seem interested in coming out of her quarters to anything short of the station reactor going critical. But something else seemed to be gnawing at him, causing him a subtle distress that he just couldn't shake that appeared out of nowhere.

Matt looked at the time, the five minutes he'd allowed himself was up. Duty called once again. He stood and backtracked through those corridors.

Hartley heard it again. He stopped in his tracks.

"Excuse me," The Cardassian man called again to another passing officer. And again, like he was avoided like he radiated danger.

Matt found himself staring, pitying the man. He stepped toward the Cardassian, his legs carrying him whether he wanted to go there or not. He couldn't believe what came out of his mouth next, "Sir, can I be of assistance?"

"Oh, finally, t-thank you, uh," The man stumbled. He was probably just amazed that someone deigned to talk to him. "M-my name is Gil Menol Eizor of the Fourth Order, I-I was hoping to talk to someone about my daughter."

Oh... it was this guy. Matt had heard about this guy.

"Lieutenant Matt Hartley," The officer extended his hand toward the Eizor. The Cardassian looked down at the outstretched human hand unusually, though reached out and clasped it. Matt noticed the man's hand was slightly warm as he shook it, not ice cold like he'd been told to expect.

"Are you in command here?" Eizor asked.

"Uh... no, not really," Matt replied uneasily. "I'm just a watch officer, I'm in charge for the shift. Listen, I'm probably not the guy you need to be speaking with."

"Could you take me to a superior?" Eizor enquired, behind the timid demeanour was a demand. "My daughter..."

"Your daughter..."

"Yes, she's here... on the base. She was taken from me. I'm... I'm worried she's been hurt. Have you heard anything about a Cardassian girl arriving here?"

Matt gave the Gil an uneasy look. He wasn't even sure if a military officer was allowed to be on a Federation starbase. "I'm sorry, Eizor, but I haven't heard anything. But you could make an appointment with a member of our senior staff, I'm sure--"

"Yes, I've tried to speak with your... Captain Tel," He replied with a hint of frustration. "I've had no luck."

"Join the club," Matt muttered. He could see the desperation, the heartache in the man's eyes. If this was some sort of trick, it was a bloody weird one.

"Please, Lieutenant," The father grabbed Matt by his arm, "I'm... I... I just want my girl. Please, she's all I have. If I can't have her back, I... I don't know what I will do."

Matt glanced down at the hand on his arm and back up to the man's desperate face. He took a breath. "Listen, Eizor, how long have you been here on the base?"

"Three days."

"Three days," Matt repeated quietly. He was astonished the man had not been apprehended and tossed out an airlock yet. "I'm sure you could stay for a day more. I'll talk to my superior, Commander Aeyers, he may be able to talk to you."

"Commander Aeyers," Eizor repeated thoughtfully. If he'd had a notepad, he would've written it down. "When can I see him?"

"I'm... y'know... I'm honestly not sure. Today?" Matt replied. "Until then, maybe... lay low."

"Lay low?" Eizor replied curiously.

"Yeah, like..." Matt paused. "Well, if a human was on a Cardassian starbase--"

"Oh, I see." Eizor replied. "And you are... Lieutenant Hartley... yes?"

"Yeah." Matt knew that was going to be filed away in the Cardassian's steel trap of a brain, too. They were infamous for their memory skills. If Eizor didn't catch Commander Aeyers, there was no question Matt would be seeing the Cardassian again.

"I'll let the Commander know you want to see him," Matt replied. "But right now, I need to return to my post."

"Of course. I will... 'lay low'," The meek Cardassian almost seemed amusing when using human colloquialisms. It humanised an otherwise implacable enemy. Everyone out here had a story of a time they came face-to-face with a Cardassian who wanted them dead.

"Good day, Mister Eizor," Matt smiled.

"Good day, Mister Hartley," Eizor returned. "And... thank you."

Matt knew that Aeyers was going to kill him.

|First Officer's Ready Room
|Four Hours Later

"Matthew," Aeyers said slowly, leaning back in his big comfy leather desk chair, his hands clasped over his slightly-too-round stomach. He had a pleasant look upon his face, calm, placid, his lips slightly pursed. The Commander's breath controlled, his blinking slow. His son played with toys in the corner, stars gently twinkled through the window behind him. Jack tilted his head, as if deciding whether to laugh or throttle the boy wonder standing before him, "I'm going to kill you."

"Yessir." Matt choked, eyes front. He waited a moment. "I was just trying to help--"

"Help?" Aeyers stood up and shook his head. He let out a chuckle as he rounded his desk. The Commander pulled up just short of the junior officer, standing close enough for the kid to feel him breathing down his neck. "Oh, you've helped."

"Is that not our job, sir?"

Jack let that hang in the air for a moment. He considered the younger man's words. He sighed and stepped back slowly, perching himself on the edge of his desk. He watched Zach playing with his Redshirt Rob action figures. He imagined, just for a second, how he'd feel if he'd lost his boy. The knot that formed in his stomach wasn't pleasant. "Okay, so this Cardassian guy... he says he's lost his daughter and she 'may' be here on the starbase. Is there any evidence to suggest this might be the case?"

"I've checked crew manifests, passenger logs, arrivals, departures--"

"I thought you might've."

"I'll admit I'm at a loss to locate her," Matt admitted. "Aside from Eizor, we haven't had a Cardassian, or one of their ships, come within cooee of Icarus in two weeks."

"Have you considered he might be playing us?"

"But why?"

"Intelligence gathering, mental illness, hallucinogenics," Aeyers shrugged, "We both know the Cardassian mind works in strange ways. He could just as easily have had a snootful of some rubbish the Red Owls peddled."

"He seemed pretty coherent to me," Matt asserted. The Lieutenant sighed. "Sir, I wouldn't have brought this to you if I didn't think there was something to it."

"Okay," Jack relented. "You got yourself into this mess. Keep digging. If you can turn anything concrete up, I'll consider meeting with this guy. But," Aeyers held up a stern finger, "You are not to drag anyone else into this or use any personnel in this quest of yours. We're stretched to the limit."

"Aye," Matt sighed. Another job to do.

"Speaking of which," Aeyers began, rounding his desk, "You haven't spoken to Captain Tel since your communique?"

"No, sir," Matt replied heavily.

Jack bit his tongue. "You haven't discussed this with her?"

"No, sir."

"Okay." Jack sighed. Incidents were starting to pile up, and people were starting to make demands about the base's CO. "As I understand it, the situation with the Talarian cargo ship has been handed off to security. I read your report, you handled that well."

"Thank you, sir."

"Situations like that... they're not easy." Jack nodded. "Unless there's anything else?"

"No, Commander."

"Okay," Aeyers smiled. "Dismissed."

With that, the Lieutenant spun on his heel and left the office. The junior officer had left Jack standing behind his desk watching his son play. Again, his mind drifted to the boy, his one undeniable vulnerability. He went to Zach, sat by him,
and picked up an action figure. He joined Zach in his play, their action figures dodging imaginary laser beams in a make believe duel.

Laughing and playing with his boy, even between meetings about the most serious of topics reminded Jack how he loved his boy fiercely. And the way Zach looked at him, as if his dad had hung the stars, made the hardened officer feel whole.

Not just like a father, but a dad. To have that taken away would destroy him.

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