"I do not know about this idea of yours. I did not like it when M'Rrenn mentioned it earlier, and I still do not like it now. You are asking that I allow one of Starfleet Command's top tier officers go on what is really a military mission. This is not something that I will decide in a moment....." He paused again, but this time it appeared as if he were staring right through her.
"I will have a decision at our meeting later today. Do you have anything else that I should consider before I begin making my decision? he asked neutrally.
"Yes, actually. I just got done speaking to Captain Black, and I'm awarrre that he's been keeping you prrrivately inforrrmed. But has he told you about his gut feeling, one that I am inclined to trrrust farrr morrre than a drrry starrrile intel rrreporrt?"
(resp?)
"Sirrr, if this is what he suspects, a majorrr invasion in the worrrks and planned forrr sometime between six months and a yearrr frrrom now, the fleet will not be rrready. No matterrr how many rrreforrms you initiate, the physical fact is that the fleet is not and will not be prrreparred forrr a confrrrontation on the magnitude that this has the potential to be. Now, we both know that the help of the Klingons will be invaluable, but they have interrrnal prrroblems of theirrr own rrright now, and if these felines have been scouting us, they've been scouting the Klingons. In fact, I can guess as much frrrom the converrrsation I had today with a High Council memberrr."
(resp?)
"The point is, sirrr, that with highly trrrained special ops, we might be able to delay this invasion until you can get the fleet back to wherrre it needs to be to rrrespond to such a confrrrontation. That means two things. Firrrst, I need to get spec ops into high gearrr. I have the means now, but I need yourrr perrrmission to implement them. Secondly, it rrrequirrres trrraining, and frrrankly, sirrr, forrr a joint mission with Klingons, I'm the only one who can do it and trrrain them both in feline tactics and strrrategy. With the help of otherrr Mikan, we can develop melee tactics forrr the grrround trrroops and you'll have a seniorrr rrreliable officerrr in the field, something you'rrre shorrrt on rrright now." That was just a statement of fact - so much fractiousness was around, it was hard to know who was on what side, especially the field commanders.
(resp?)
"And the Klingons and Captain Black have rrrequested it," she added quietly. She'd saved the trump card for last.
(resp?)
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"Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith,
let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it."
--Abraham Lincoln, February 27, 1860
