Finally getting caught up after the tumult of the past few weeks... An intriguing philosophical debate between Karim and Neale--one that Karim will be thinking about for some time. As for Windslow, as was pointed out, it's all up to him--he's hit rock bottom, so it's either up or out. Killian and Aurelia both got tagged--Aurelia through her impetuousness and Killian through bad breaks--but they'll be able to live and fight another day.
EPILOUGE Supplemental USS Independence, MainBridge Near the Maluria System The dark-skinned Vulcan female reported from the tactical podium, “Captain, we’re in weapon’s range of the Nausicaan pirates.” A dark delight shined in Aurelia’s eyes. It had taken them several hours to get to this point. The Orion-made vessel held a constant course and speed as they intercepted her. It was odd, but Sintina had little choice but to catch and board the ship. If it was a trick or a distraction…well…it would not make her a happy camper. She ordered, “Standard photons. Bring them out of warp.” Two dots of shimmering red light impacted the aft side of the raider. The first eliminated what little shielding existed. The second obliterated their port nacelle. The ship returned to normal space. Aurelia stood, “Drop to impulse. Take us into transporter range. Security teams standby.” She relieved Virak at tactical so she could lead the boarding party. The captain reported to the bridge officers, “I’m not reading any power spikes from their weapons. It looks like they’ve either given up,” she went on ominously, “or it’s another red herring.” ***** Supplemental Nausicaan Hi’ought Ship Raiik Near the Maluria System Virak and the security teams beamed on board. One team materialized in engineering; she led the team hitting the bridge. The air was stale in the Nausicaan ship. It was poorly lit and the ship made noises indicating it required substantial maintenance. As her eyes adjusted, she began seeing bodies. There were four of them strewn over the command center. Some had disruptor wounds; others had knife injuries. None moved. She gestured for her team to establish a perimeter. Then, she heard labored breathing. It was shallow, but rapid. The Vulcan followed the noise, her phaser at the ready. It took her to a bulkhead a few meters away. As she neared, the report from the other team came in, “Sir, all we have down here are corpses.” “Understood. Continue to sweep the ship.” There, sitting against the wall, was a Nausicaan. His appearance was slightly different than the others. His eyes were unnaturally wide and his breathing seemed more like a high velocity machine than biological. He was sweaty and covered in blood. There was a knife in his hand, but he made no attempt to threaten her with it. It appeared as if he couldn’t move even if he had wanted to. She neared him, “What occurred here?” He made a guttural noise. In it was the word, “Vengeance.” “Am I to understand that you single-handedly killed the crew?” His mandible widened and some blood spittled out. The Vulcan could hear the Nausicaan’s heart throb with a suicidal pace. She tapped her compin, “Virak to Independence. Please send a medical team to the raider vessel.” “Is the ship secure?” It was Aurelia’s voice. “My location is. There is a survivor on the bridge, however…” The Nausicaan grabbed her arm suddenly. Though, she didn’t believe it was a threatening gesture. His eyes were wild. He said, “Long live the Kyluk Empi..” There was an audible pop. The rapid heartbeat stopped. His grip loosened. His eyes dulled. “Lieutenant?” prompted the captain. The Vulcan hid her reaction well. She went on, “I have a correction to my report, Ma’am. There are no survivors.” ***** Stardate: 53615.7 (13 Aug 2376) USS Independence, Counselor’s Office Nearing the Maluria System “Enter,” called Kimula. She was a bit taken back when Sintina strode in. The captain tried to look nonchalant. It wasn’t working. “I’ve a…been thinking,” Sintina started, “You’re the most annoying friend I’ve ever had.” The Andorian smiled, “You’re just pissed that you missed out on all the action on this mission.” She grinned, “That too.” The captain sighed and ran her fingers through the contained waterfall next to the bulkhead. She looked at Kimula, “So are we alright?” The counselor smirked. This was Sintina’s way to make up, but without addressing the core issue. She had done it before. Kimula nodded, “Until the next time we get into it.” “Good enough.” ***** Supplemental Federation Mine Maluria VID The mining station was surprisingly well lit. Though, this wasn’t the mine itself, just the support complex. The Coridan security chief caught up with his captain in the corridor, “The Independence has arrived on station, Sir.” “Good,” rejoined Killian, “I just received an interesting report from our repair team at the mine. It’s why I called you here.” “Sir?” The veteran captain continued walking toward the administrator’s office, “I don’t expect any trouble. Just back me up if need be.” Killian strode through the open door and didn’t stop until he was inches away from the Saurian manager, Junti. “My engineering team found your transmissions to the Nausicaan pirates.” It took a moment for the Saurian to understand what he was taking about. He blinked nervously several times before responding, “I…I had no choice. If I didn’t give them a portion of our gallicite, they would have killed us!” Killian and Veril were unmoved. Junti continued, near hysterics, “We couldn’t defend ourselves without the weapons we are installing now! I made the deal with the Hi’ought so they would leave us alone.” He added with irony, “They didn’t even attack us. The Kyluk did!” The Starfleet captain calmly stated, “I’m not talking about the communication involving the extortion from the Hi’ought. I’m talking about your communiqué to the Kyluk.” Junti froze. Killian continued, “You made a deal with the Kyluk, didn’t you? If they attacked your mine, the Federation would have to provide you with armaments. That would solve your Hi’ought problem, wouldn’t it?” The Saurian began to breath heavy. “And the Kyluk are always up for undermining the Hi’ouhgt,” the captain concluded. Junti pleaded his case, “But I did it for the mine. No one was hurt in the attack…I…I did what had to be done.” Killian didn’t allow himself to be moved. He realized Junti’s actions set certain things into motion. The result was a damaged starship and dead officers. He finally said, “I’m not here to judge you. I’m just here to arrest you.” ***** Supplemental USS Independence, First Officers Quarters In Orbit of Maluria VID Windslow entered his quarters with a limp. His wife and two sons were in the living room. They stared at him for a moment. He looked back. Jeff began to retreat to his room as always. “Wait,” said Ethan. He repeated it softer, “Please wait.” Jeff stopped. “I’m sorry,” began Ethan. He took a deep breath and continued, “I know saying ‘sorry’ doesn’t cut it anymore. I…I’ve been selfish.” At that, Jeff turned. Paul, the youngest was sitting on his mother’s lap. Susan’s eyes watered. He went on, “I’ve been so…consumed with self-pity that I didn’t consider…I didn’t want to think about how I’ve been hurting you…all of you.” Now, tears formed from his eyes. “I didn’t want to hurt any of you. I…I haven’t been a very good dad lately.” Paul and Jeff began tearing up. Ethan wiped at a tear, “I want to do better…I’m going to be better.” ***** Supplemental Nausicaan Kyluk Ship Tahin Deep Space “Where are they?” cried out the gunner, Gryth. The crew had sold out to the Hi’ought Juhin Wi’jawk. To ensure they would attack the Federation freighter and cause a distraction, Wi’jawk implanted the crew with a bio-explosive that would go off in three days. The Juhin promised to give them that antidote once they had the stolen ore. The time of their rendezvous had come and gone. “Starfleet must have killed him,” said another. “The Hi’ought bastard has tricked us! We’re all gonna die!” “I will not wait for the end like some diseased dog,” commented Gryth. He looked to the engineer, “Set the self destruct. We will not die by Hi’ought hands!” END OF “THE TOLTEC”
Crikey! A bit sudden in the ending and the fate of the Nausicaans came a little out of left field. Unless of course this is a particular fiend you might visit in the future. Anyway, seems Windslow made some progress on his own part whereas Sinita and Nadel appear to dance their same ole dance. But hey, it works.
Windslow hit rock bottom and has begun his climb back up; Sintina still has a lot to learn; and some interesting dynamics amongst the Nausicaans. I liked how you fleshed out the Nausicaans in this story--made them more than simply grunting thugs. Now...what's next?
I thought this ending was a bit rushed too, but then of course you could argue that I tend to make things a lot longer than they need to be. I really liked Virak's (RIP) reaction on the Nausicaan ship ... "Strike that ... no survivors." Just way cooler and Vulcan like. Overall a very interesting story with a number of aspects going for it (some I didn't totally understand) and certainly important for the continued growth of Windslow who had some seriously embarrassing moments in this. Probably not my favorite Indy story but definetly solid work. Looking forward to what you have in store for us next.
Huh? That's my first reaction upon reading the epilogue. Given that this story started several months ago and that I'm unfamiliar with the intricacies of Nausicaan factions, I totally don't understand what happened. Windslow's healing process also kicked off quite suddenly for me. I'm not connecting how that death triggered Windslow's realization that he needs to be more present. I guess I might need to re-read the entire story to better appreciate it.
Unfortunately, I probably did rush it. I was ready for this story to be over. I'm afraid lowered quality was the result. I'm not sure what's next. I'm not feeling particularly inspired by Trek lately. I think I might toy around with an original science fiction story that's been in the back of my head for awhile. None the less, thanks for reading and commenting.
I think we've all been guilty of rushing an ending at one time or another. The trick is often to make it a cliffhanger. I enjoyed this one and I wish you luck with the original story. That said, people can still keep up with Captain Aurelia and co, at least in part, in my Pytheas series - they will soon be making an appearance.