–I fear, Admiral, that we may be setting too difficult a task to our mysterious attackers,†S’Tonn worried in his own stoic manner as he watched through the small viewport the workbees digging and welding on the small moon’s surface.
–Klingons won’t back down from a challenge,†N’Vel said with confidence she didn’t totally feel. The last Strategic Command meeting had gone like most had recently: the K'Prek had crowed about new roundups, new crackdowns, and the frail, old Praetor had retreated into his vestments. N’Vel had kept quiet--perhaps the reason there were no further assassination attempts against her--and the whole affair had gone on in a fog of gloomy resignation at the fact that the Tal Shiar had won.
Not if I can make this work…
But first she had to make it work.
–They could simply bombard the moon from a safe distance,†S’Tonn pointed out. –The weapon would be useless.â€
–That’s why we’re burrowing so deeply,†N’Vel answered, watching the blips of light from the torches and burners in the icy vacuum beneath them. –We need them to see this moon as a hollow maze.â€
–At last the reason you re-assigned all those Imperial mining teams makes itself know,†S’Tonn said. He was trying not to sound impressed, N’Vel knew.
–Indeed.†We needed a big hollow in that moon, and now we have it. The ship or ships attacking us will have to come into a sub-orbital position to target the transponder. Since we control where the illusory target is going to be, we control their attack vector.â€
–Meaning we can give the cannon a clear shot,†S’Tonn said. –It’s an ambitious plan, I give you that, Admiral.â€
–Ambition is the fire that forges the blade, Commander. And in these days, we need a very strong, very sharp blade.â€
–Yes,†S’Tonn affirmed. I did hear that the V-Six project was officially killed.â€
N’Vel flinched. The Wing of Vengeance was to be her new flagship, built in the same run as a dozen new Stargliders. Now, it was in pieces, hanging in an abandoned shipyard. It would only be a matter of time before the Tal’Shiar’s minions plucked the bones of those ships. –While we protect our borders with century-old drones,†she said bitterly. –I will not let this empire collapse, S’Tonn. Not because of some over-ambitious intelligence operatives.â€Â
–No,†S’Tonn said, looking out the viewport at the massive plasma cannon being hauled toward the moon. –I don’t believe you will.â€