September/October Challenge Entry: "Caught 'Twixt Dawn and Shadow"

[Cobalt Frost]

Author's note: This challenge entry takes place after the events detailed in "And Ask the Ghosts if Truth Matters" (https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/jul...y-and-ask-the-ghosts-if-truth-matters.308692/). The prologue occurs five days after, the epilogue ten days after the prologue, and the chapters take place at no particular point over the course of the ten days that Challenger is in drydock.

 

[Cobalt Frost]

Prologue
"Abject Normality"

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

USS Challenger, NCC 86218, location Drydock 3, Newport News Orbital Shipyards, Earth
Five days after the Concordia Incident

“Come in,” said Gabriel. Connie stepped into the ready room, blue and white wide-brimmed hat in one hand and an oversized engineering PADD in the other. She was wearing a bright yellow sundress.

Connie paused to listen, and frowned at the music Gabriel had playing. “What are you listening to?”

“Henry Mancini.”

“Who?”

“It’s called music, Commander. You should try it sometime.”

Connie ignored the comment, stepping over to the desk and handing Gabriel the PADD.

"Lt. Garcia-Shapirez and the engineering Alpha Team tracked down that phase variance that was plaguing the tractor beam systems. She assures me that the problem has been permanently resolved."

Gabriel gave the information displayed on the PADD a cursory glance before setting it on his desk. "With the Flynn-Fletcher boys working for her, not to mention the rest of the team, I've no doubt it's been fixed.” He gave Connie a quick once-over.

"Unless that's a uniform variant I've not seen, I assume you're eager to start your shore leave. What’s on the agenda?"

"If you must know, I'm going to visit my grandmother, in Japan."

Gabriel tilted his head slightly as if in thought. "I've never been to Japan. I understand it's a remarkable country."

"It is," said Connie, her frown deepening. "Due respect, sir, don't get any ideas. Besides, after what happened during that little ‘detour’ through the Nakira Maze on the way back from Concordia, I deserve some peace and quiet."

"I’m sure the crew and refugees on board the Gutenberg will be happy to apologize for delaying your shore leave by a day. Oh, and don't worry, Commander, I'm not going to horn in on your leave. I'm a big boy; I'm sure I can find something or other to amuse myself for the next week and a half." He turned his attention back to the engineering PADD; after a long moment, he looked back up at Connie. "Was there something else, Commander?"

"I was..." Her lips tightened. "Ah, no sir."

"Best hurry along then, before that transporter beam leaves without you," Gabriel said, waving dismissively towards the door. He resumed reading on the PADD.

Connie opened her mouth to bite off a caustic comment, but – deciding she really didn’t want to get into another shouting match – instead spun on her heel and left without a word. Gabriel's eyes flicked up as the door hissed shut; a moment later, he turned the music back up, and Connie was all-but-forgotten.

 

[Cobalt Frost]

Chapter One
"Permanent Vacation"

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

USS Challenger, outside Cetacean Ops

Dr. Lorien Ari was engrossed in her PADD and didn't notice the turbolift slowing; the hiss of the doors opening snapped her out of her reverie. The turbolift doors slid open and Lt. Mokul stepped in. He was barefoot, wearing only a pair of knee-length board shorts with a beach towel tossed casually over one shoulder. His normally tousled black hair was.. well, it was still tousled, but it was rather wet. Lorien took a slightly longer than appropriate look at the Romulan's chiseled physique, though Mokul didn't seem to notice, or if he did, it didn't bother him. Come to think of it, Lorien remarked to herself, as she turned her attention towards his face, there really wasn't much of anything that seemed to bother him. Mokul was remarkably unflappable.

"The pool is on deck 16," she said teasingly.

"Yeah, but I don't like the feel of the water. Besides, Ha'arsui and I were swapping surf stories." Mokul grinned. "He's a real hot dog. Next time we visit Seareach, we're going to hit the waves together. It'll be bodacious."

"Why not go surfing together here on Earth?"

"Ha'arsui has relatives near Alaska that he'll be visiting," Mokul said. "And he said something about salmon."

"What are your plans for shore leave, Lieutenant?"

"Surfing. I'm looking at weather and ocean current patterns for this time of year to decide if the best surf will be at Diamond Head or off the Great Barrier Reef. Tough call; both look like righteous choices."

"I've never known a Romulan to be so.. chill."

"We're a passionate people, no doubt. But I've learned.. well, it would be a lot easier to show you."

"Show me?"

Mokul looked over at Dr. Ari, lost for a moment in the dark pools of her Betazoid eyes. "What are your plans for shore leave, Dr. Ari?"

"To be honest, I'd not thought much about it," she smiled. She waved the PADD. "I've been wrapped up in clearing out some old files."

"Come with me, get a little beach therapy."

She thought for a moment. "Why not?" she shrugged.

"Pack light. Swimwear, something light and casual when we're not in the water, a few essentials. I'll meet you in shuttlebay two."

"Where are you going?"

"To get my stick."

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

USS Challenger, shuttlebay two

As Lorien stepped into the shuttlebay, she saw Mokul sealing a specialized cargo pod that was mounted to the top of a type-21 shuttle.

"What's in the pod?" she asked, setting her small bag down.

"My stick."

"Stick?"

"Surfboard," Mokul said. "We surfers have our own lingo."

"You keep a surfboard here on Challenger."

"Several. All handcrafted. This one's my favorite, though, an authentic Hobie Alter longboard from earth, vintage 1953. She's never let me down."

"What about me?"

"We'll rent you one when we get to the beach. I think we'll go to Le’ahi - Diamond Head."

"Hawai'i, nice. And you're going to teach me how to surf."

"Well, I'm going to try. Easy to learn but hard to master, as they say..." He looked over at her, a mischievous look in his eyes. "You can swim, I hope?"

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

As the shuttle descended towards Hawai'i, Mokul and Lorien engaged in casual conversation.

"It's all like an ocean, Doc. Time, space, life... it ebbs, it flows... We can use it, but we can't control it; we can only control how we react to what's thrown at us. Respect it, honor it, and it'll reward you, but ignore it, abuse it, exploit it..." He shrugged. "Wipeout."

"So you pilot as if you're surfing, using the natural phenomena of space to get the most performance out of your craft?"

"Well, Challenger is totally a surfboard..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Some time later

In a rare lull in the surf, Lorien and Mokul sat on their boards, talking.

"Out of all the places I've been, Diamond Head has the bluest, clearest water I've seen. It's rare that it's calm like this, but there's a profound lesson here."

"Which is?"

"When we're calm, at one with the world around us, it's then that we can see with the sharpest focus. Such moments are fleeting, but worth striving for and taking advantage of when they occur.

"Look," Mokul said, indicating the water around them. Lorien did so for a long moment, a smile teasing the edges of her lips.

"It's like I can see forever.. where I'm going, where I've been.. and the clarity. It's astounding."

"Totally." He sighed, smiling at the same time. "But it doesn't last, so you have to keep chasing it. Like the perfect ride." Mokul said, turning his board away from the island. He started paddling towards the open ocean, and Lorien followed suit. Shortly, she felt the change in the sea's motion that she'd quickly learned indicated a wave was forming.

"It's going to be a big one," grinned Mokul as he positioned himself. "Do you think you can ride it, wahine?"

"Watch me."

It was, as Mokul had predicted, a big one. Mokul took the lead, paddling perpendicular to the wave, then rising to his feet in a smooth, practiced motion. Lorien was not quite as smooth, but got up without too much trouble. They raced ahead of the wave, its thunder like the roar of a freight train behind them. Mokul cut back across the face of the wave so he could fall into the tunnel of water it formed and 'shoot the curl'. Lorien managed to keep ahead of the wave, letting Mokul's motions guide her.

A few minutes later, they lay on the large blanket they'd spread on the beach, their boards stuck in the sand behind them. The surfboards cast lengthening shadows as the sun slowly sank into the western sea.

"That was incredible. Just.. wow."

"Not bad for a gremmie. Keep it up, you'll be a full-fledged Betty in no time."

"That's Doctor Betty to you, mister." They both laughed. Lorien sat up, turning her dark eyes to Mokul. "Seriously though, thank you. That was an experience I'll not soon forget. And Romulans are a passionate people, though the lesson was delivered in a rather roundabout but thoroughly fascinating manner.

"I've heard Betazoids can be pretty passionate too," Mokul remarked lazily.

"We can," said Lorien, abruptly straddling Mokul and kissing him. "Now, it's my turn to show you..."

 

[Cobalt Frost]

Chapter Two
"Warning Shot"

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Red alert!” Connie barked. “All hands, battle stations!” The bridge lights shifted to red and the alert klaxons started wailing. “How the Hell did we miss the launch?”

“No idea, Commander,” replied Lt. Priest as she jumped over a railing and slid into the tactical pit seat. “Combat holographics online, weapons hot. Challenger is cleared for action.”

“Blessed Hell!” Connie swore. “I’ll have someone’s head for this!”

“Recriminations later, Commander,” said Gabriel as he stepped out of the turbolift and tugged on his uniform jacket. "Kill that noise, and let’s deal with the situation at hand.” The klaxons cut off instantly. As he took the center seat that Connie had just vacated, Gabriel turned his attention to Lt. Priest.

“Talk to me, Goose.”

“Multiple contacts, making a hard burn for high orbit,” she said, ignoring what she assumed was another of Gabriel’s oddball quotes. “I count 19 craft.”

Gabriel turned to Connie. “Get all our birds in the air,” he said curtly. As she turned to relay the order to Challenger’s CAG, Gabriel called to Lt. Avallios.

“Squawk on repeat, all channels, all frequencies: Alter your course and return to the surface. We will fire on any ships attempting to breach the Branson-Bezos Limit.”

“No idea if we’re getting through,” said Avallios, “but we’re broadcasting.”

“Challenger,” Gabriel hissed. “Countdown, bogies’ time to the Limit.”

One minute, replied the ship’s computer.

“The interference is fluctuating!” called Avallios. He jabbed at his console. “Still can’t tell if we’re getting though. One of them seems to be trying to transmit something…”

“Can you piggyback on that, warn them off?” Connie asked.

“Encryption I’ve never seen before…” Avallios’ fingers danced. “Not enough time to crack it.”

Thirty seconds.

“Fire a warning shot,” Gabriel ordered. At the shot, six ships fell off; several of Challenger’s fighters swooped in to shadow them to the surface.

“Thirteen ships remain,” Connie stated.

“Lt. Priest, disable their engines.”

“No good, sir. Their momentum will carry them over the Limit.”

Ten seconds.

Gabriel swore softly in Celvan'nath. The Universal Translator didn’t catch it, but Avallios’ eyes widened at Gabriel’s choice of invective. "Lieutenant, destroy those ships."

Lt. Priest bit off a curt "aye, sir" as she targeted the thirteen Concordian ships and opened fire. Challenger's ventral saucer phaser arrays lit up, ruby beams lancing out in quick succession. Nine of the ships blossomed into fireballs of silent death, but four craft were able to breach the Branson-Bezos limit.

"Shit."

The scene around Lt. Priest froze, and Challenger's voice stated flatly, "Simulation failed. Elapsed time from order to weapons fire 4.72 seconds."

"Shit!" Erika stomped a foot in frustration. “Run it again.”

Simulation failed. Elapsed time 4.54 seconds.

“Shit! Run it again.”

Simulation failed. Elapsed time 4.88 seconds.

"Shit. Run it again."

Simulation failed. Elapsed time: 4.53 seconds.

"Shit. Run it again."

Simulation failed. Elapsed time 5.08 seconds.

"Shit! Run it again."

Simulation failed. Elapsed time 4.46 seconds.

"Shit. Run it again."

Simulation failed. Elapsed time 5.23 seconds

There was a long silence, then: Would you like to rerun the simulation?

"How long have I been here?"

Approximately four hours standard.

"Average time elapsed for the simulations I've run?"

4.78 seconds.

"What was the best time?"

4.46 seconds. The lowest number of ships that breach the Branson-Bezos Limit is three.

"What is the probability that I'll improve on either score?"

Minimal. I'm sorry, Lieutenant. Lt. Priest spun and stabbed an angry finger at the holographic Capt. Frost.

"How in the f&%k did HE manage to target and destroy those 13 Concordian ships in less than two seconds? It just doesn't make sense." She stalked over to the command chair and stared the hologram straight in the face.

"How did you do it?!?" she yelled. Her voice echoed through the holographic bridge.

"Replay as it occurred," she said quietly. There was a slight blur as the hologram reset. Erika focused intently on Gabriel's face as the scenario played out.

"...transfer tactical control to conn, aye" she heard herself say. She saw Gabriel blink twice, but she noticed something else.. "Stop, rewind five seconds, slow to 1/16 speed." Gabriel's eyes darted across the tactical display in front of him, and Erika realized he was somehow individually targeting each Concordian ship. She pulled up data-logs from the Incident: each ship was tagged with a phaser lock at his merest glance, targeted with clinical, no, inhuman precision and destroyed the same way when Challenger opened fire.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

"I think Gabriel Frost is an Augment," Erika stated flatly. Adm. Durham cocked an eyebrow disbelievingly. Lt. Priest stood at 'parade rest' in front of Durham's masive black tritanium desk. while the Admiral relaxed with a chilled glass of Romulan ale.

"Indeed. And, ah, how did you come to this particular conclusion?" She showed him what she'd discovered on the holodeck.

"I've known Gabriel and his family for a long time," Adm. Durham said. "Hell, they're descended from 'Bulldog' Bateson! I can guarantee there's been no illegal genetic augmentation to Gabriel or any member of his family."

"Then how? His tactical scores from the academy are, well, calling them pitiful would be generous."

Durham's face remained impassive. "Taking things a bit personally, aren't we Lieutenant? I know your own scores are extremely impressive, but..."

"But what Frost did is.. well, coming from him, impossible!"

"I do not care to be interrupted, Lieutenant," Durham said coldly. "Gabriel's Academy performances were.. lacking in some areas, but he's since taken great pains to improve in those areas that needed it. I wouldn't have put him where I did otherwise.

"Also, you seem to forget that he designed Challenger's computer's operating parameters, not to mention the ship itself. He has, shall we say, a special relationship with Challenger. Rather unique, actually. It's all classified well beyond your pay grade." Durham coughed. "You'll forget I said that.

"Regardless of what Capt. Frost is or is not, the simple fact remains that he is your commanding officer, and I expect you to comport yourself accordingly." Durham paused, lowered his voice. "Except in such circumstances as you have been individually briefed on.

"Am I clear, Lieutenant?" Erika snapped to attention.

"Crystal, sir. My apologies for bothering you."

"This one's free, Lt. Priest." Durham's voice went from neutrally warm to void-cold in a nanosecond. "The next one will cost you." He took a sip of the Romulan ale, grimacing slightly as it went down.

"Stay off the holodeck, Lieutenant, and go enjoy the rest of your shore leave. Dismissed."

 

[Cobalt Frost]

Chapter Three
"And What the Shadows Yet Conceal"

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Tombstone, Arizona, Earth

Tombstone, Arizona (about thirty miles north of the Mexican border) was still a tourist trap, even in the 24th century. However, and rather fortuitously, the town and the famous Crystal Palace Saloon was sparsely populated at the moment.

"You are a rat bastard, havin' me meet you here." Kayleigh Holliday slugged the Jynnan tonnyx in front of her and deftly refilled her glass, all without taking her eyes off the man seated across from her.

"This location is closest to the Slide." He had an odd accent, sounding like a Briton who'd had an extended stay in America, or vice versa. He was dressed very professionally, though his suit was of a design that seemed just shy of out of date and a step out of fashion.

"Bullshit. Flagstaff is closest to the Slide, since Radiator Springs doesn't exist anymore in this timeline. But you and the other Minutemen seem to love gettin' your jollies by makin' jokes about my ancestry." She emptied and refilled her glass again. "So I'm descended from Doc Holliday, so the Hell what. Havin' me meet you in Tombstone - Tombstone, of all places - is low-hangin' fruit."

"We think our last meeting in Flagstaff was observed by the Royalists."

"And this is your idea of inconspicuous?"

"They'll think it too absurd for us to actually do it."

"Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night."

The gentleman scowled. "Do I have to remind you..."

"No," she interrupted. Her eyes flashed with a sad anger. "No, you really don't."

He changed the subject somewhat. "You missed your last two reports, and the one before that was significantly delayed."

"Yeah, bein' on the other side of the freakin' galaxy will do that." Drink, refill. "And the Celvani really don't share any sort of information with anyone not named Gabriel Frost." She slid an isolinear chip across the table. "I very nearly got killed gettin' this."

The man took the chip and inserted it into a device that looked like a knockoff of a tricorder, and took a minute to review the data. "That's all?"

"Next time, I'll let myself get killed, and you can interrogate my corpse." Drink, refill. She sighed. "If you combine that info with the last batch, it should go a long way towards makin' the Weapon."

"I'm not certain it'll be enough."

"It'll have to be, at least for a while. Sweet Jesus, your boys cooked up the Slide.. shouldn't be too much of a stretch to make the Weapon."

"There are.. complications."

"You ain't just whistlin' Dixie, brother." Drink, refill. "Considerin' that he's, shall we say, sensitive to temporal matters, it's a hell of a trick keepin' Capt. Frost unaware." Drink, refill. "I'm doin' my best, I swear."

"The Council is not as, ah, confident of your efforts. There are suggestions that you've gone native." He looked around, tried to sound sympathetic. "After seeing this timeline, I could understand."

"I'll rip the nuts off anyone who says I'm not committed," she hissed vehemently. "I know what's at stake. Speakin' of which..."

The man touched a button on his not-quite-tricorder, and a small monochromatic hologram appeared. It was a young girl, wearing a simple (read: threadbare secondhand) dress. She bore a strong resemblance to Kayleigh.

"Hi mommy. I miss you!! I wish you could come home, but they say you're doin' important work for us. I know you'll do your best." The girl's eyes began to tear. "I gotta go. I love you!" The hologram winked out.

Kayleigh quickly wiped her own tears away. "Thank you," she whispered.

"You know what we need, and what you have to get for us. We can't change our timeline's past, but we can make a free future. But our window is closing."

"I'm tryin', dammit. God knows I'm tryin'."

The gentleman's device chimed. "I need to be going," he said. "Please see that your next report is delivered in a timely manner." He nodded in farewell, and left the Saloon. Kayleigh imagined she heard the sound of the Slide as it carried him back to her native timeline.

"Yeah," she said to herself, taking another drink. Her eyes were still wet. "I'll get right on that."

 

[Cobalt Frost]

Chapter Four
"A Step Towards Yesterday"

* * * * * * * * * * * *

“Come in, Cadet.”

The knock had been timid, but then, that wasn’t unusual. Despite the small brass plaque with precise black letters that read ‘PLEASE KNOCK’, people seemed hesitant to do so, or to do so with any significant force. Perhaps it was the nature of the door itself, lacquered Japanese cherry wood – the real thing, not replicated – with bright brass hinges and a well-worn but equally bright round brass doorknob. Such a door was rather unusual in any location, doubly so in the Rachel Garrett Faculty Office Annex on the campus of Starfleet Academy. Perhaps it was the larger brass plaque above the ‘PLEASE KNOCK’ that read, in equally precise black letters, ‘PROFESSOR SATO TATSUYA, XENOLINGUISTICS’, and the reputation for unyielding strictness that the name carried around campus. After all, nearly everyone who came to Prof. Sato’s door was a cadet, always young and often ‘wet-behind-the-ears’, as the saying went, and intimidated to one degree or another by the Professor.

The door opened slowly, revealing an attractive though somewhat mousey humanoid female, dressed in a casual outfit of Celvani origin.

"Actually, it's Lieutenant, sir. Lieutenant Rio Duran."

"Ah, Lieutenant Riovantra Duran'dhal." Prof. Sato smiled. "I remember you. This is quite an unexpected pleasure. Challenger's assigned area of operations is rather a far ways away."

Rio returned the smile. "We had to, had to return to the Newport News yards for some, some unexpected refitting. It seems Captain Frost put the ship - and, and her crew, admittedly - through tougher paces, paces than anticipated." She frowned slightly in contemplation. "We've had, had some tough scrapes, and lost some good, good people."

"Undoubtedly," Tatsuya replied. "Such is the nature of your chosen profession. And with Capt. Frost being a figure of prophecy to your people, that will most certainly bring additional attention."

"Hei, that's, that's very true. But I am, I am privileged to serve with the Third Traveller."

"Since you aren't in uniform, Lt., I'm assuming that Challenger's crew has the opportunity for shore leave whilst the ship is tended to?"

Rio nodded. "Hei." She reached into the large messenger bag she had slung over her shoulder. "Which reminds, reminds me. I have something for you." Rio pulled a book from the bag. It was on the smaller side, but very thick, and obviously of considerable age.

"This is the Irami Alentar, a tome, tome of Celvani lore." Her eyes twinkled with amusement. "What you would, would call myth and legend, legend, we call history."

"All a matter of perspective."

"Either way, I'm sure you'll find, find it most fascinating." She proffered the book, which Tatsuya took reverently. "The cover is designed, designed to resemble the storied Corvander's Gate, innermost bastion of the, the Celven'thal ren Artharos, the Haven.

"If you, you recall, when I visited before leaving, leaving the Academy, I'd mentioned one, one of our sayings."

"Ah yes. 'Between the hammer and the anvil, the sword is forged'."

"This book holds the tale, tale of the origin of that saying, and many, many other stories besides. This, this copy was penned in the years shortly after, after the Second, Second Dragonwar, so..."

"How old?" he whispered.

Rio took a moment to do some silent calculations. "...six, six thousand years, give or take a few decades."

Tatsuya moved to hand the book back. "I cannot possibly accept such a gift."

"Consider, consider it a long-term loan, then. The tales herein are, are known the length, length and breadth of Celvanos. As you read, read and study, perhaps you, you will find insights into your own, own culture. At the, the very least, you will find the linguistic aspect of the book, book to be most intriguing."

Tatsuya unhooked the worn silver latches and opened the book, turning the pages as delicately as if they were butterfly wings. The script was fading by varying degrees in several spots, but not enough to render the text unreadable. He very gently rubbed a corner of one of the pages between his thumb and middle finger.

"Is it.. paper, or a vellum of some sort?"

"The pages, pages are paper from the ironwood tree, tree. They have been, been treated with a mithranium-infused solution to, to preserve them over the years. We Celvani are gifted with, with very long lives, and it wouldn't, wouldn't do to have our books fall, fall apart too quickly."

Tatsuya took a long moment to study the text on the pages he'd opened to. There was more than a passing similarity to medieval illuminated texts. Absolutely incredible, he thought. "This is a form of Celvan'nath that I'm unfamiliar with," he remarked.

"Much like, like Earth's languages, the grammatical conventions of Celvan'nath have, have evolved over time and have been, been affected by geopolitical concerns. This, this tome was written by a distant ancestor, ancestor of mine as our family, family was migrating to Crystelliar Trye." Rio fished a slightly larger, decidedly more modern book out of her bag.

"This will help, help you understand the particularities of, of the writing in the book. Though," she said, "I suspect, suspect you'll get more enjoyment out of the, the challenge of deciphering the stories for yourself."

"You are quite correct in your suspicion, Lt." He took a long look at the volume in his hands, noting the astounding amount of detail on the cover. "And rest assured, I will treat this as the treasure it most certainly is."

Rio smiled. "Hei, I know you will." Tatsuya bowed deeply.

"Domo arigato gozaimasu," he said. "I cannot thank you enough.

"Could I, however, persuade you to stay for lunch, Lieutenant?" he said. "I know you said the story of your hammer and anvil saying is in this book, but I would be most honored to hear it told, and in your native tongue." He smiled again, a bit sheepishly. "I would appreciate the practice."

"It would, would be my pleasure, professor..."

 

[Cobalt Frost]

Epilogue
"Night Falls, and There is Silence"

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

USS Challenger, NCC 86218, location Drydock 3, Newport News Orbital Shipyards, Earth
Ten days later

"What in creation are you listening to now?"

"Apologies, Commander. I'll submit my music library to you for approval as soon as I can. It's Gershwin, by the by."

"I come back to the ship after ten days, and you're still in that chair with the same PADD in your hand. Don't tell me you were here or on the holodeck..?" Gabriel gave Connie the half-smile that irritated her something fierce. "Blessed Hell, Captain, did you actually even leave the ship?"

"I did." He paused retrospectively. "I'm still not sure if it was a good idea or not."

Connie shook her head slightly while rolling her eyes. "I don't want to know."

"I wasn't going to tell you," he said coolly. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence.

Gabriel set the PADD on his desk and cut off the music. "Get settled quickly, please. I need a report on ship and crew status within one half-hour standard, and issue an Urgent recall to any personnel currently not on board."

"Sir?"

"I know we'd promised the crew an additional two days of leave, but there's a situation at Takkin Gauto that requires our attention. Challenger needs to be under weigh in 6 hours standard, less if possible." A hard flint crossed Gabriel's eyes. "Less is ideal, Commander."

"What do I tell people when they ask why?" Connie asked, a touch more sharply than she'd meant to.

"Tell them it's an order from their godsdamned commanding officer," Gabriel bit off harshly, as he stood. "Command staff will be briefed en route. We..." A non-Starfleet-standard tone sounded, interrupting Gabriel. He tabbed a control on his desk, and a voice began speaking rapid-fire in a sharp language she'd never heard. It sounded female, thought Connie, though she couldn’t be certain; it did however have an almost musical quality. Gabriel's jaw tightened. Once the voice had finished, Gabriel barked a guttural sound that Connie could only assume was a reply; it was followed by the chirp that indicated the comm line had closed.

Gabriel reached behind him and retrieved his well-worn ma'asti leather holster, buckling it around his waist before taking his Celvani thrustergun from a secured desk drawer. He paused for a brief moment, his eyes closed, and then strode purposefully for the ready room door.

"I have a matter I have to attend to before we depart," he said tersely, sliding the antique but still deadly weapon into its holster, "but I'll be back very shortly." Connie stood silently for a moment; before she could reply, Gabriel fixed her with a hard glare.

"You have your orders, Commander. Make it happen."

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Kanryou

 

[Robert Bruce Scott]

Hard to beat a surfing romulan, but the scene with Professor Sato was superb. I particularly liked the details about Lt. Duran's speaking pattern. Conveys verisimilitude and character very efficiently.

Also liking the mysterious Captain Frost and the closing sequence.

Thanks!! rbs

 

[admiralelm11]

You have a pretty interesting crew. I wouldn't mind reading more about them and their missions.

 

[Cobalt Frost]

Hard to beat a surfing romulan, but the scene with Professor Sato was superb. I particularly liked the details about Lt. Duran's speaking pattern. Conveys verisimilitude and character very efficiently.

Also liking the mysterious Captain Frost and the closing sequence.

Thanks!! rbs

From the first time we meet Rio Duran and Professor Sato: “Do you know, Ensign” he continued, “your home province of Crystelliar Trye and my home country of Japan share the convention of family name first, then given name? Well, the Bajorans do too, and a dozen other races that I can think of. Although, in your case – where you’re from, that is – it’s only the female names that follow the convention. Most unusual. So, what can I do for you?”

And thank you for noticing her speech pattern. I was inspired by the way Jeff Goldblum speaks, lol.

 

[Cobalt Frost]

You have a pretty interesting crew. I wouldn't mind reading more about them and their missions.

Glad you like the challenge entry! I direct you to the following, a rough reading order of their adventures :

https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/star-trek-flight-of-the-challenger-reading-order.308708/