Re: ST, the Undiscovered Country, redeux. Complete with John Ford Klin
Kirk strode onto the bridge six hours later, feeling a bit more human than he had the night before. One thing he had gotten accustomed to in the past eight years was regular hours. At this stage of his life, all-nighters really took their toll. Everyone else was already present, looking to him as one for leadership, guidance, and answers. He was the captain- those were the things it was his job to provide. He stepped down to the command station and took the center seat. “Lieutenant T’Val, let’s see that torpedo hit one more time,” he said. She nodded, actuating the library computer. The viewscreen shifted from realtime to recorded playback, and once again they were looking at Kronos. As they watched, a photon torpedo arced gracefully up and struck her amidships. “Hold,” Kirk snapped at the point the explosion began to blossom. The picture froze, and there was complete, somber silence on the bridge for several moments, broken only by Demora Sulu.
“It was Enterprise,” she said in a small voice. “We fired.”
Scott’s face screwed up angrily. “That is not possible! All weapons are visually accounted for! Sir!” he added, with a quick nod at Kirk, who said nothing.
Spock had been pacing back by the science station, but now he made his way down in front of the helm console and leaned against the railing, still looking at the viewscreen. “One of my ancestors maintained that once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”
“Meaning what, sir?” asked Lieutenant Castillae.
“Meaning that if the Enterprise did not fire those torpedoes, then somebody else did.”
“Who?” asked Scott. “That bloody Klingon garbage scow
dinnae fire on herself, and there were no other ships present.
“Just before the attack, we registered a very large surge of neutron radiation.”
“Not from us!” Scott claimed.
“A surge that size could only have come from another ship,” Demora said with authority.
“The Kronos?” asked T‘Val.
“Too far away,“ Spock countered. “No, very near us. Perhaps beneath us.”
“But if there was another ship beneath us, both we and the Klingons would have detected her,” Scott countered.
“Would we?” Spock asked cryptically. He stopped his pacing, looking back over the helm console at all of them.
“A bird of prey,” T’Val said softly.
Spock nodded. “A bird of prey.”
“A bird of prey cannae fire when she’s cloaked,” Scott reminded them.
“All things being equal, I would be forced to agree, Mister Scott. However, all things are not equal. This one can.”
“We may not be able to detect her presence,” Kirk finally said, “but can we prove that she was here?”
“Problematic at best, admiral. If she is at least similar to the typical configuration, she is small and would leave very little trace of herself. Between the plasma exhausts left behind by Enterprise and Kronos, coupled with the energy disturbances caused by weapons fire, it is doubtful we’ll be able to detect anything that would prove conclusive.”
“Doubtful at these coordinates, Mister Spock,” Ensign Sulu cut in, “but what about our course prior to the attack? We were moving in a straight line at constant warp velocity. That ship would have had to creep on up, snuggle in under us, and match velocity. If we backtrack our original course we might find something.”
“Officer thinking, ensign,” Kirk replied. “Plot a course back toward the Neutral Zone. Warp two until we are past the point where the first shot occurred, then proceed at full impulse. Mister Spock, I’ll want detailed sensor scans.”
“Of course, admiral,” Spock replied. “I’m going to put Commander Talrev on that task. He was my science officer during our initial trials, and scheduled to resume those duties under Captain Harriman. I will be otherwise occupied.”
“Very well,” Kirk replied.
“Course laid in, admiral,” Sulu added.
“Warp two,” Kirk ordered. “Mister Scott, I have a task for you as well. If we assume that Mister Spock is correct about the bird of prey, then there is a Klingon vessel out there that has the capability to fire while cloaked. I need a countermeasure, Scotty- a way to detect such a vessel under combat conditions. I think we may need one before this is all through. Don‘t necessarily limit yourself to equipment we have on board, either. If there is a piece of technology out there you think will do the trick, I want to know about it.”
“I’ll get right on it, admiral.”
“Mister Spock, please join me in sickbay. Lieutenant T’Val, you have the conn.”
“Aye, sir,” she replied.
“Admiral, may I ask what you are planning?” Spock once they were enclosed in the lift. “While this search for evidence falls in line with the orders given us by Starfleet, it hardly addresses the problem of what to do about General Chang.”
“I’m working on it,” Kirk assured him. “We need to kill a little time anyway. I can’t make my next move until the Klingons contact the Federation Council.”
“They may not contact them at all, Jim,” Spock replied. “Sonok’s advice, while strategically sound, leaves us in a vacuum.”
“If there is no contact by the time we‘re finished loitering around here, I think I may have you contact Azetbur directly. Sometimes you have to beat the grass to startle the snakes. In the meantime, I need you to find out who the mole aboard our ship is. I don’t believe for a minute that we’ve accounted for all the rats.”
“Nor I, sir,” Spock replied. “That was the task I alluded to on the bridge. There is only one other officer aboard with a computer rating matching my own. I set him up in lab one last night after we left Sonok‘s quarters, and I’ll be joining him shortly.” Spock’s voice took on the grave tone of a mortally offended Vulcan. “It was a grave error for anyone aboard this ship to think that they could falsify computer records and hide it from me.”
Kirk halted the lift. “You already know who it is, don’t you?” he asked incredulously.
“I have a suspicion,” Spock allowed. “Admiral, that is all I’m prepared to say at this time. You’ll have an answer soon. It‘s going to take a day or two.”
“Very well, Mister Spock. I leave the matter in your capable hands.” Kirk re-engaged the lift. A few minutes later found them in sickbay, where Doctor McCoy and ship’s surgeon Doctor Zhen were chatting over hot coffee. “Well gentlemen,” Kirk said as he strode in purposefully. “You two appear to be having a relaxing morning.”
“Good morning, Jim,” McCoy said. Zhen echoed the greeting a little more formally. “Are you here about Burke and Sandoval?”
“Yes. Anything interesting turn up in the data?”
“Not really, admiral. What you see is what you get.”
“The identities of both men are verified by DNA analysis, sir,” Zhen added. “Without the bodies we could not do a full analysis, but Dr. McCoy got pretty thorough scans of the remains. No traces of drugs in their bloodstreams that we could detect, and based on the short examination he was able to make, no evidence of mind-tampering of any kind. Both men were human, apparently healthy, and acting of their own accord. That’s the medical analysis, so far as it goes.”
“One thought did occur to me, Jim,” McCoy added. “Two humans boarding a Klingon warship by themselves was a pretty ballsy thing to do, if you ask me. Under normal circumstances, they’d have been cut to shreds long before getting anywhere near the chancellor. Based on what we saw, these two beamed almost to his exact location aboard Kronos. Now I don’t see how they possibly could have done that without some pretty solid inside information.”
“So you think they were assisted by someone aboard the Klingon cruiser?” Kirk asked.
“It’s the only thing that makes any sense,” McCoy shrugged. “Would you have known where to beam to find someone aboard their ship?”
Spock raised an eyebrow. “An astute observation, doctor. In fact, it ties in with what we already know. I shall factor that into my investigation.”
“Glad to be of help, Spock. On that happy note, is there any clue as to why Burke and Sandoval would do this, or for who?” McCoy asked.
“We’re chasing down a lead or two,” Kirk replied cryptically. A sudden thought occurred to him. “Bones, have you seen Carol this morning?”
McCoy smiled his old country doctor smile. “Had breakfast with her about two hours ago, admiral. She told me to tell you she’s fine; no ill effects from being attacked by Klingons, and she’s still working on her pet project. She knows you’re up to your ass in…well, y’know,” he finished sheepishly. “So Jim, I take it you’ve talked to Starfleet. Just how much trouble are we in?”
“The typical amount,” Kirk replied. “We just assassinated the chancellor of the Klingon High Council, and the entire Klingon fleet will probably be coming across the Neutral Zone for blood inside a month.” Kirk headed for the door.
“Another day at the office, eh?” McCoy mumbled. “Uhh, Jim? What are you planning to do about it?”
Kirk paused, and looked expectantly at Spock. The Vulcan turned to McCoy with his typically serious demeanor. “We are going to stab General Chang in the liver.”
McCoy stared after them as the doors swished shut, absolutely speechless.
15
Kirk strode onto the bridge six hours later, feeling a bit more human than he had the night before. One thing he had gotten accustomed to in the past eight years was regular hours. At this stage of his life, all-nighters really took their toll. Everyone else was already present, looking to him as one for leadership, guidance, and answers. He was the captain- those were the things it was his job to provide. He stepped down to the command station and took the center seat. “Lieutenant T’Val, let’s see that torpedo hit one more time,” he said. She nodded, actuating the library computer. The viewscreen shifted from realtime to recorded playback, and once again they were looking at Kronos. As they watched, a photon torpedo arced gracefully up and struck her amidships. “Hold,” Kirk snapped at the point the explosion began to blossom. The picture froze, and there was complete, somber silence on the bridge for several moments, broken only by Demora Sulu.
“It was Enterprise,” she said in a small voice. “We fired.”
Scott’s face screwed up angrily. “That is not possible! All weapons are visually accounted for! Sir!” he added, with a quick nod at Kirk, who said nothing.
Spock had been pacing back by the science station, but now he made his way down in front of the helm console and leaned against the railing, still looking at the viewscreen. “One of my ancestors maintained that once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”
“Meaning what, sir?” asked Lieutenant Castillae.
“Meaning that if the Enterprise did not fire those torpedoes, then somebody else did.”
“Who?” asked Scott. “That bloody Klingon garbage scow
dinnae fire on herself, and there were no other ships present.
“Just before the attack, we registered a very large surge of neutron radiation.”
“Not from us!” Scott claimed.
“A surge that size could only have come from another ship,” Demora said with authority.
“The Kronos?” asked T‘Val.
“Too far away,“ Spock countered. “No, very near us. Perhaps beneath us.”
“But if there was another ship beneath us, both we and the Klingons would have detected her,” Scott countered.
“Would we?” Spock asked cryptically. He stopped his pacing, looking back over the helm console at all of them.
“A bird of prey,” T’Val said softly.
Spock nodded. “A bird of prey.”
“A bird of prey cannae fire when she’s cloaked,” Scott reminded them.
“All things being equal, I would be forced to agree, Mister Scott. However, all things are not equal. This one can.”
“We may not be able to detect her presence,” Kirk finally said, “but can we prove that she was here?”
“Problematic at best, admiral. If she is at least similar to the typical configuration, she is small and would leave very little trace of herself. Between the plasma exhausts left behind by Enterprise and Kronos, coupled with the energy disturbances caused by weapons fire, it is doubtful we’ll be able to detect anything that would prove conclusive.”
“Doubtful at these coordinates, Mister Spock,” Ensign Sulu cut in, “but what about our course prior to the attack? We were moving in a straight line at constant warp velocity. That ship would have had to creep on up, snuggle in under us, and match velocity. If we backtrack our original course we might find something.”
“Officer thinking, ensign,” Kirk replied. “Plot a course back toward the Neutral Zone. Warp two until we are past the point where the first shot occurred, then proceed at full impulse. Mister Spock, I’ll want detailed sensor scans.”
“Of course, admiral,” Spock replied. “I’m going to put Commander Talrev on that task. He was my science officer during our initial trials, and scheduled to resume those duties under Captain Harriman. I will be otherwise occupied.”
“Very well,” Kirk replied.
“Course laid in, admiral,” Sulu added.
“Warp two,” Kirk ordered. “Mister Scott, I have a task for you as well. If we assume that Mister Spock is correct about the bird of prey, then there is a Klingon vessel out there that has the capability to fire while cloaked. I need a countermeasure, Scotty- a way to detect such a vessel under combat conditions. I think we may need one before this is all through. Don‘t necessarily limit yourself to equipment we have on board, either. If there is a piece of technology out there you think will do the trick, I want to know about it.”
“I’ll get right on it, admiral.”
“Mister Spock, please join me in sickbay. Lieutenant T’Val, you have the conn.”
“Aye, sir,” she replied.
“Admiral, may I ask what you are planning?” Spock once they were enclosed in the lift. “While this search for evidence falls in line with the orders given us by Starfleet, it hardly addresses the problem of what to do about General Chang.”
“I’m working on it,” Kirk assured him. “We need to kill a little time anyway. I can’t make my next move until the Klingons contact the Federation Council.”
“They may not contact them at all, Jim,” Spock replied. “Sonok’s advice, while strategically sound, leaves us in a vacuum.”
“If there is no contact by the time we‘re finished loitering around here, I think I may have you contact Azetbur directly. Sometimes you have to beat the grass to startle the snakes. In the meantime, I need you to find out who the mole aboard our ship is. I don’t believe for a minute that we’ve accounted for all the rats.”
“Nor I, sir,” Spock replied. “That was the task I alluded to on the bridge. There is only one other officer aboard with a computer rating matching my own. I set him up in lab one last night after we left Sonok‘s quarters, and I’ll be joining him shortly.” Spock’s voice took on the grave tone of a mortally offended Vulcan. “It was a grave error for anyone aboard this ship to think that they could falsify computer records and hide it from me.”
Kirk halted the lift. “You already know who it is, don’t you?” he asked incredulously.
“I have a suspicion,” Spock allowed. “Admiral, that is all I’m prepared to say at this time. You’ll have an answer soon. It‘s going to take a day or two.”
“Very well, Mister Spock. I leave the matter in your capable hands.” Kirk re-engaged the lift. A few minutes later found them in sickbay, where Doctor McCoy and ship’s surgeon Doctor Zhen were chatting over hot coffee. “Well gentlemen,” Kirk said as he strode in purposefully. “You two appear to be having a relaxing morning.”
“Good morning, Jim,” McCoy said. Zhen echoed the greeting a little more formally. “Are you here about Burke and Sandoval?”
“Yes. Anything interesting turn up in the data?”
“Not really, admiral. What you see is what you get.”
“The identities of both men are verified by DNA analysis, sir,” Zhen added. “Without the bodies we could not do a full analysis, but Dr. McCoy got pretty thorough scans of the remains. No traces of drugs in their bloodstreams that we could detect, and based on the short examination he was able to make, no evidence of mind-tampering of any kind. Both men were human, apparently healthy, and acting of their own accord. That’s the medical analysis, so far as it goes.”
“One thought did occur to me, Jim,” McCoy added. “Two humans boarding a Klingon warship by themselves was a pretty ballsy thing to do, if you ask me. Under normal circumstances, they’d have been cut to shreds long before getting anywhere near the chancellor. Based on what we saw, these two beamed almost to his exact location aboard Kronos. Now I don’t see how they possibly could have done that without some pretty solid inside information.”
“So you think they were assisted by someone aboard the Klingon cruiser?” Kirk asked.
“It’s the only thing that makes any sense,” McCoy shrugged. “Would you have known where to beam to find someone aboard their ship?”
Spock raised an eyebrow. “An astute observation, doctor. In fact, it ties in with what we already know. I shall factor that into my investigation.”
“Glad to be of help, Spock. On that happy note, is there any clue as to why Burke and Sandoval would do this, or for who?” McCoy asked.
“We’re chasing down a lead or two,” Kirk replied cryptically. A sudden thought occurred to him. “Bones, have you seen Carol this morning?”
McCoy smiled his old country doctor smile. “Had breakfast with her about two hours ago, admiral. She told me to tell you she’s fine; no ill effects from being attacked by Klingons, and she’s still working on her pet project. She knows you’re up to your ass in…well, y’know,” he finished sheepishly. “So Jim, I take it you’ve talked to Starfleet. Just how much trouble are we in?”
“The typical amount,” Kirk replied. “We just assassinated the chancellor of the Klingon High Council, and the entire Klingon fleet will probably be coming across the Neutral Zone for blood inside a month.” Kirk headed for the door.
“Another day at the office, eh?” McCoy mumbled. “Uhh, Jim? What are you planning to do about it?”
Kirk paused, and looked expectantly at Spock. The Vulcan turned to McCoy with his typically serious demeanor. “We are going to stab General Chang in the liver.”
McCoy stared after them as the doors swished shut, absolutely speechless.
So I probably missed stuff. 
