Lockdown at Tavrik III: The Cavalry Arrives

Posted on Wed Jan 21st, 2026 @ 9:59pm by Commodore Stephen MacCaffery

2,181 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: The Tavrik Accord: Orchestrated Chaos
Location: Temporary Command Bungalow / Orbit of Tavrik III
Timeline: OOC Note: This takes place after Stephen talks to Sidra and before Frankenstein .

Time: Day 2, 0100 Hours (Two Hours Post-Murder),

The channel to Admiral MacLaren closed. The holographic field shrank to a single blue point, then disappeared.

Stephen MacCaffery sat in the silence, the humid air heavy on his skin. His mind wrestled with a lingering sense of guilt, a haunting whisper from the back of his consciousness. He was consumed by a persistent doubt about the choices he would soon make, wondering if he could ever wash away the stains. Outside, rain hammered the window, sounding like gravel against the glass. He looked at his hands. They were steady, but he still felt the ghost of the scrubbing brush and the heat of the water he used to wash away the memory of the medical bay.

He had authority and a mandate. Now he needed force behind him.

He stood up, his linen shirt sticking to his back, and walked to the tactical table in the center of the room. It was a standard Federation field unit, marked by past missions, but now upgraded with a sensor-dampening generator.

"Computer," Stephen said, his voice finding the hard, flat timbre of the JAG officer once more. "Initiate Secure Holographic Triad. Designation: Gamma-Black. Encrypt to Captain McKinney on the Valley Forge. And..."

He paused, checking the chronometer.

"And to Captain Darius Chen, USS Tempest. System perimeter coordinates."

"Processing," the computer replied. "Quantum encryption active. Establishing an entangled link."

Stephen waited. He needed to find out if help had arrived.

---

Two Million Kilometers Above the Orbital Plane

The universe didn’t just open for the U.S.S. Tempest. It ripped apart.

Captain Darius Chen didn’t blink during the transition. The Inquiry-class Heavy Cruiser hovered for a moment between subspace and normal space. The hull groaned, a deep sound through the deck, as the inertial dampeners struggled with the sudden stop from warp.

Then subspace snapped shut like a steel door.

"Transition nominal," Lieutenant Commander Vane called from Ops, his hands flying across the glass interface of his console. "One-point-nine million kilometers above the ecliptic. We are clear of warp-shear and secondary plasma bleed. Local frame is stable."

Chen braced himself for the transition, leaning forward and gripping his chair, waiting for the deck to stop shaking.

"Threat picture," Chen ordered. He wasn't interested in summaries; he wanted the raw data.

"The system is a mess, Captain," Vane reported, his voice tense as he worked through the data. "The primary star is unstable, with multiple CMEs. Charged particles are flooding Tavrik III’s upper atmosphere. Industrial pollution is making scans difficult. I can’t get clear readings below fifteen thousand meters."

"Push the arrays," Chen said. "Burn them out if you have to. Tactical?"

The Tactical Officer, a Tellarite named Gral, grunted. "Acquiring... one Federation starship in synchronous orbit. U.S.S. Valley Forge, Constitution-III class. Shield harmonics are elevated. Weapon systems on hot-standby. She's running active sensor sweeps."

"And the other one?" Chen asked.

"One contact," Gral confirmed. "Vethari diplomatic cruiser, V.C.S. Gilded Hand. She's holding a trailing orbit, three thousand kilometers off Valley Forge's port quarter. High inclination. Power signatures suggest she could achieve combat posture in under five seconds."

Chen looked at the main holographic viewer. The tactical plot showed moving vectors and gravity wells. The two ships orbited each other, making small, careful adjustments that only looked casual to someone not paying attention.

"Ghost contacts?" Chen asked.

"Debris band is lit up," Vane said. "Micro-sats. Distributed jamming nodes. They're networked with the Vethari vessel, creating a blanket of white-noise interference across the lower bands."

"They're blocking our view," Chen said quietly. "They thought someone less prepared would show up."

"Captain," Comms interrupted. "Priority One signal. Quantum encryption, Flag Circuit. It's Commodore MacCaffery. He's requesting immediate integration into a command triad."

Chen stood and straightened his tunic out of habit.

"On screen? No, put it to the holographic tank. Let’s go say hello."

---

Command Bungalow, Island Chain Seven

The air in the bungalow shimmered as the photon emitters struggled with the thick atmosphere.

First, Captain Edson McKinney appeared. The Commanding Officer of the Valley Forge looked exhausted. Deep lines marked his face, and though his uniform was neat, his skin looked pale under the amber alert lights of his bridge.

Background noise came through: bridge chatter and the steady sound of a Red Alert klaxon. The Valley Forge had been on its own for six hours.

Then, Captain Darius Chen flickered into existence to Stephen’s right.

He stood with his hands behind his back, calm and precise. The Tempest’s bridge behind him looked new and cold, designed for efficiency and combat, with sharp angles and tactical displays.

Chen looked ready for action, focused and alert.

"Captain Chen," Stephen said, his voice rougher than he intended. "Welcome to the mud."

"Commodore," Chen replied, offering a sharp nod. "We made the transit in just under seven hours. Tempest is at perimeter station. Admiral MacLaren’s orders were explicit: you required a wall. She sent you something with teeth."

"We need more than a wall, Darius," McKinney said, his voice tinny through the interference. "We need a cage. The situation has... deteriorated."

"The Admiral's briefing mentioned political pressure," Chen noted, his eyes scanning Stephen’s disheveled appearance, the linen shirt, the sweat, the lack of rank insignia. "It did not mention Starfleet ordnance being indexed against a diplomatic partner."

"They stopped being a partner three hours ago," Stephen said.

He stepped into the center of the holo-projection, the light highlighting the sharp lines of his face.

"Three hours ago, Kaldari Councilman Thess Kalon suffered a massive cerebral event. Our medical systems isolated a neurotoxin. Programmable. Engineered specifically for Kaldari physiology. It unzipped his cellular bonds like a zipper ripping down DNA."

Stephen swiped his hand over the table, bringing up Sato’s autopsy data. A 3D model of the toxin spun between them, showing a complex and dangerous molecule.

"This is state-level technology," Stephen said, his voice cold. "Not black market. Not synthesized in a cave. This is the kind of work that happens in a capital city facility with an infinite budget."

"And you're pointing at the Gilded Hand," Chen said. It wasn't a question.

"Envoy Sella Tharn has been positioning herself as the Kaldari's indispensable military ally," Stephen explained. "Thess Kalon told her 'no' in front of witnesses. And within an hour of his death, the Gilded Hand started broadcasting 'humanitarian assistance' offers."

"They're testing your fire discipline," Chen said quietly. "They want to know if you'll escalate."

"They already know I will," Stephen said. "The question is whether I'll do it alone."

McKinney leaned forward in his command chair. "What do you need, Stephen?"

Stephen took a breath. He knew this was a risk. This was when a diplomatic mission became a siege.

"I need the Tempest to establish a perimeter interdiction net around this entire system," Stephen said. "I am declaring a planetary quarantine under Federation Emergency Health Protocols."

He saw McKinney’s eyebrows shoot up. "Health protocols? JAG will have a field day."

"Let them," Stephen snapped. "Officially, we are responding to a potential contagion vector. We cannot rule out transmission. Under those conditions, I am authorized to restrict all traffic. It gives us legal cover, tactical justification, and enough gray area that the lawyers will be arguing about it for months."

He glanced at the map.

"The Valley Forge handles orbital command and control," Stephen ordered. "Edson, you maintain shield coverage over the island complex and Ashmark Landing. You run the transporter interlocks. You stay between me and the sky."

"Understood," McKinney nodded. "We're already holding hard locks on the surface."

Stephen turned to the hologram of Chen. "The Tempest takes the outer shell. Perimeter interdiction. Layered. Tight. Impossible to slip through without your permission."

Chen was already working through the tactics. Stephen could see him thinking through the calculations.

"The Gilded Hand tries to launch shuttles, you block them with hard EM barrier grids or tractor interference," Stephen continued. "They try to break orbit, you disable their engines. You do not fire first. But you make it abundantly clear that if they twitch wrong, they lose the hand."

"That's colorful," Chen said, a ghost of a smile touching his lips. "Assuming they get the metaphor."

"If they don't, you have my permission to be literal," Stephen said.

"Strategic objectives?" McKinney asked. "Lay it out for me..."

"First: Isolate the surface," Stephen listed, counting off on his fingers. "The conference complex, the Kaldari colony, every Vethari contact point, everything goes dark except for authorized Starfleet traffic. I need time to work the crime scene without Sella Tharn landing a retrieval team on my head."

"Second: Recalibrate the predator hierarchy," Stephen said, looking directly at Chen. "The Vethari came to Tavrik III, assuming they were dealing with a single support cruiser. They think they can bully the Valley Forge because Edson is split between planetary support and logistics."

"They're not used to two ships on the board," Chen noted. "They're not used to a hunter that doesn't have anything to defend except a kill box."

"Exactly. Show them that assumption was a mistake."

Chen tapped a control on his console.

"Setting up the perimeter interdiction now. High elliptical patrols, with anchor points at natural choke points. We’ll use tachyon sweeps to catch their jamming systems and turn them against them. If they wanted confusion, we’ll give them more than they can handle."

"Once the net is live, monitor for long-range transmissions," McKinney added, his exhaustion replaced by operational clarity. "Anything the Gilded Hand tries to send past the perimeter gets jammed, logged, or rerouted. We don't cut them off from talking; that looks like an act of war. But we make sure we hear every word."

"And if they call for help?" Chen asked..

"Then you jam it," Stephen said mercilessly. "Not subtly. I want them to understand that the door closed the moment Tempest hit the perimeter."

The storm outside grew stronger. A flash of lightning lit up the bungalow, briefly making the holograms fade.

"Rules of engagement," Chen said. "Every blockade needs rules."

"No shooting without provocation," Stephen defined. "You don't fire first. You don't trigger first. You don't escalate unless they escalate. But, and this is critical, you make it obvious that if they escalate, the response will be overwhelming. They need to understand this is not a boarding action. This is us saying 'no'."

"And the diplomatic fallout?" McKinney asked..

"My problem," Stephen said. "I'll file the reports. I'll let the lawyers burn their calorie count. But right now, I need them blind and boxed."

"Consider it done," Chen said quietly.

"Execute," Stephen said. His voice was both commanding and hopeful. "Bring the net up. Tighten the box."

"Transmitting integration protocols to Valley Forge now," Chen said. "Once Captain McKinney confirms, we go active. The Gilded Hand will understand what just happened approximately thirty seconds before her captain finishes reading the diplomatic note you're about to send."

"And gentlemen," Stephen added, leaning over the console. "If Envoy Sella Tharn hails either of you, you put her through directly to me. I want her to hear it from my voice. I want her to understand exactly who locked the door."

"Aye, sir," Chen said. "Tempest out."

" Valley Forge standing by for integration," McKinney said. "We'll keep you alive down there, Stephen. On my word."

The holograms faded.

First, Chen’s command center faded into points of light. Then McKinney disappeared, the red alert lights dimming. Finally, the projection field shut down.

Stephen was alone again.

He walked to the window. The storm hid the ships from view, but he knew they were out there.

Above the atmosphere, the blockade was taking shape. The Tempest moved into position, setting up patrol routes. The Valley Forge strengthened its defenses.

He had taken a risk with two starships and the full authority of the Federation. If he was wrong, they would all be replaced. If he was right, Sella Tharn would learn that some doors, once closed, could not be forced open. Outside, the storm persisted, rain now dancing like gravel against the glass, a constant reminder of the choices that lay ahead.

Stephen turned back to the room. The silence was absolute, save for the rain.

He picked up the PADD containing Sato's toxicology report. He picked up the secure datachip with Sidra's warning about Indi Hawk.

He had set the trap. Now he needed to find what was inside.

He tapped his comm badge.

"MacCaffery to Lieutenant Khorev."

"Khorev here, sir."

"Assemble the team in the main annex. Sato, T'Lana, if she's beamed down, and the senior Hazard Team lead. We're briefing in ten minutes."

"Aye, sir."

Stephen grabbed a fresh tunic from the locker. He didn't bother with the dress uniform this time. He pulled on a standard field jacket, utilitarian, armored, serious.

The diplomat was gone. The investigator was on the clock.

End Log

Commodore Stephen James MacCaffery
Federation Special Envoy
Tavrik III

 

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