The Common Good

Posted on Mon Jul 13th, 2026 @ 1:32am by Captain Violet Bluegarden & Captain Mikoto Misaka

1,129 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Preparations
Location: Ready Room
Timeline: After 'The Argus Array Incident'

After dealing with Eila, Mikoto needed to talk to Captain Bluegarden. After thinking it over, she finally made the call.

The connection was established, and Violet's image appeared to Mikoto.

"Captain Misaka." She greeted dryly. "I've informed Starfleet Command of our diversion, and they're going to pass the word along to the Bajoran Republic that their delivery is going to be delayed. Unless you desire to be rid of us, we ain't going nowhere until those weapons are found."

"You should know, that after my discussion with my first officer. She made some damn fine points about the current situation Captain." Misaka replied. "I will admit that the Ermiana is my first command, and that even though I've been her CO from day one, I an still a newbie when it comes to Captains." She paused for a moment and took a long deep breath. "Also, between us I let my emotions get the better of me. So, I would like to suggest that we start again? I am way over my head in this... and..." she glanced off to the side for a brief moment then looked back at Violet. "Could use your help. Please?"

A long, uncomfortable silence fell over the call. At last, Violet seemed to reach for something on her desk before flicking it into the air. A small red and white ball entered and left the frame followed by the sound of Violet catching it out of frame before she finally spoke:

"Captain, you're not the only one who's new to this Captain business." Violet replied. "I'll admit that I wasn't expecting to replace Captain Hill. Figured they'd bring in somebody else, and I'd remain first officer. These past... Almost five weeks have been quite the adjustment period for me. One thing I have learned, though, is to trust your first officer. The time I've known Commander Redcorn; he's made some calls I didn't agree with at first, but they made sense once he explained himself..."

Violet glanced down before returning her gaze to meet Mikoto.

"You and I are more alike than either of us care to admit, and we could stand a lot to learn from each other through cooperation instead of petty rivalry." Violet admitted. "Which is why the Little Rock's services are at your disposal, Captain."

Mikoto nodded. "Thankyou for understanding. I also want to apologise for how I have treated you and your crew. It... wasn't my best moment." She added.

"It's water that's long under the bridge and is probably in the Gulf by now." Violet replied.

"So, lets get down to business. We have less than twenty four hours to find that Cardassian ship and get those weapons back. Deep Space Nine needs them urgently. I have no idea how much of a threat this "Dominion" actually is, but what I do know is that they have already destroyed a Galaxy Class starship for even looking at their territory." Mikoto explained. "I hate to admit it, but if those weapons can fortify that old Cardassian space station, then its going to become a first line of defence. One which we need to fortify."

"One thing I learned in the Border Wars is how the sp-Cardassians- move their troops around." Violet said, catching the offensive slur she was about to say before fully saying it. "I could take a look at your sensor logs from the moment those weapons were taken and tell you if it's even remotely a Cardassian tactic. Couldn't tell you if it's a "Dominion" one, but we need to understand what exactly happened before we can come up with a plan to find those weapons."

"I'll send you those sensor logs now." Mikoto replied. A few seconds later they had been transferred to Violets console. "I'll be honest, I wasn't stationed in this area during the border wars. My assignment was on the otherside of Federation space." She explained. "We're only here to fill the gap in the fleet that the Odyssey left after this 'Dominion' destroyed her."

"The wars are how I came to be called 'The Big Bruise.'" Violet explained as she began to go over the Ermiana's sensor logs. "I've seen firsthand what the spoo-Cardassians are capable of, and that's why I sympathize with the Bajoran cause. Because I believe that atrocities like what they describe happened."

"I can't speak for the Bajorans. I've never actually visited Bajor." Mikoto replied. "Regardless, we know that Starfleet and Cardassian technology is vastly incompatible. So I can't fathom why they would want or need these weapons, its not like they lack or need..." a sudden realisation came across her, stopping her in her tracks. Her face dropped.

It was at this time that Violet also seemed to have a revelation.

"Just what I thought:" She declared. "Captain, these sensor logs describe something beyond the tactics of the regular Cardassian military. That probably doesn't rule out the Obsidian Order, but a more believable culprit might be those 'Maquis' terrorists that have cropped up in recent years. Now, I don't know too much about them; all I know is what Captain Hill told me, and let's just say his words should be taken with a grain of salt."

Mikoto ran a hand through her hair. "And I happen to know that the Maquis did manage to get their hands on a Cardassian ship recently." She paused. "Bear with me a moment..."

She tapped on her computer console. She then let out a long groan. Finally her eyes met Violets. "I ran a comparison. Its a match." She let out a sigh. "I think our best shot is to chase them down. Whats your naximum speed?"

"Engineering's been doing some work to squeeze some extra power from our engines." Violet explained. "Supposedly, we can do Warp 9.5 for twelve hours. We've never pushed the old girl that hard for that long, though."

"Then I suggest that we make a beeline for The Badlands. They have a headstart, so we're going to have to catchup. Ermiana is faster, so we'll go on ahead." Mikoto said in response.

"We'll try to keep up as best as we can." Violet nodded. "I'll be speaking with engineering on ways we can maintain our maximum speed for longer."

"Lets not waste any moment longer." Mikoto said. "I'll have destination co-ordinates sent to you shortly. Right now, we need to get moving." She added. "I'll see you out there." In that moment she reached out and terminated the channel. Wasting no time, she swung around in her chair and rushed out of her ready room back onto the bridge.

Posting by:

Captain Mikoto Misaka
Commanding Officer
USS Ermiana

Captain Violet Bluegarden
Commanding Officer
USS Little Rock

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