Captain Serge Mykel Chekov is a pretty big deal - Pavel's grandson, now senior captain in the fleet. You'll get to meet him much later. I suspect you'll like Red... Blunt like a sledge-hammer. Thanks again!! rbs
Star Trek Hunter Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle
- Thread starter Robert Bruce Scott
- Start date
Captain Serge Mykel Chekov is a pretty big deal - Pavel's grandson, now senior captain in the fleet. You'll get to meet him much later. I suspect you'll like Red... Blunt like a sledge-hammer. Thanks again!! rbs
Review 12.7 - Shran's obviously excelled at his Andorian/S31 interrogation training... The calmer he is, the more he freaks out his prisoners.
Glad you're enjoying that cold old man... Thanks!!! rbs
Red does know how to make an entrance... Glad you got a kick out of her! Thanks!! rbs
Star Trek Hunter
Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle
Scene 9: Standing Order
12.9
Standing Order
Standing Order
After eleven days - each 11.5 hours - the andorians in the courtroom were starting to look exhausted. The andorian day was 23 hours long, leaving only 11.5 hours for rest and sleep. Dr. Tali Shae was older than most of the other andorians in the courtroom. The strain was beginning to show on Justice Minerva Irons - the fine lines of aging on her face becoming more ingrained - her internal movement through her Tai Chi regimen becoming more visible as she shifted her weight. Never before had she accepted steroid treatments to improve her stamina and reduce the pain in her joints, but there was no way she could have endured the strain without them now.
Of the people in the room, only Commander David Pepper appeared to be completely at ease, unfazed by days on end of standing on a hard marble floor in a freezing courtroom. If he could have given some of his superhuman strength, stamina and poise to his captain, he would have done so in a heartbeat.
To an outside observer, to the andorians in this room, Minerva Irons might appear simply stoic and dispassionate. Pep knew her well enough to see the unimaginable pain she was suppressing. They had done this only a few years before and Irons had gotten through eighteen days of silence without showing any visible stress.
Pep could only hope she would soon see the sign she was waiting for, but given the reports he was hearing, or more importantly the reports he wasn’t hearing, that didn’t seem likely.
Although she was in no small amount of discomfort herself, Dr. Tali Shae was more concerned about Justice Irons. She did not appear about to fall over at this minute, but her distress was clear enough to her doctor. At her age she should not be putting her system under this kind of stress.
Irons was putting on a good show - an amazing show. But unlike her first officer, her doctor knew what her vital signs were. The justice had taken very good care of herself, but age was finally winning - softening her bones, weakening her joints, reducing blood flow to her muscles… Dr. Tali Shae grimaced as she could see Irons fighting off muscle spasms, stretching gently to relieve cramps. But there was no question as to whether it was worth it. Irons had given her entire life to the Federation and Tali was committed to doing the same.
For Dr. Tali Shae there was no conflict. She had been raised to give her life for the empire and had found a larger calling in the federation. Her role was to provide Irons the treatments and drugs she needed to make it through this negotiation, even as those same drugs did lasting damage. That was the price for preventing a chaotic imperial succession that might jeapardize the Andorian Empire's alignment within the Federation and Irons and Shae were both well aware of this price and willing to pay it.
12.9 (of 19)
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Star Trek Hunter
Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle
Scene 10: Breaking the Ice
12.10
Breaking the Ice
Breaking the Ice
The wagon had landed on the ice several thousand kilometers away from its target - a castle in the southern polar region of Andoria. A castle with outer walls of ice that were in many places fifteen meters thick.
Andorian castles in the polar regions were often constructed of ice or more commonly, had an outer shell of ice. There were several reasons for this - aside from being an abundantly available and extremely malleable building material, ice provided superb camouflage - visual and thermal - in a wilderness of gigantic, permanent glaciers and ice covered mountains.
Chief Flight Specialist Dewayne Guth had landed the wagon on a slight gradient and had maintained forward velocity, allowing the wagon to slide downhill, at a speed of about 100 kph - sliding across a thin film of ice melted by the wagon's heat until, without being powered, it came to rest less than a thousand kilometers from its target.
“So this time it is not a trap?” Tactical Specialist Belo Rys was concerned for her younger half-siblings and her cousin. She had also become rather attached to her new commanding officer - Ensign Tolon Reeves was charming, funny and clearly cared deeply about his squad.
“Never assume that we are not walking into a trap,” Tolon replied. “This is a highly guarded facility. There are layers of security and no doubt dozens of traps. That said, these people are not expecting us. Everyone is expecting us to try to rescue Dauphin Sin th’Ravonette. I don’t think anyone expects us to try to rescue Dauphin Sin Shav.”
“It’s not Dauphin Sin Shav who needs rescuing,” said Investigator Buttans Ngumbo. “His children are the hostages.”
Tolon smiled. “I just really want to know how Investigator Shran obtained all this detailed information so quickly.”
“No, you really don’t.” Buttans had a serious expression.
Tolon looked at Buttans quizzically.
“Trust me. You’ll sleep better.”
“Okay sir,” said Midshipman Tammy Brazil. “Everyone is in position.”
Ensign Tolon activated the viewer in the rear staging area of the wagon. Investigator Buttans and Tolon’s tactical squad watched as he checked the target area thoroughly for any signs of movement or readiness for the impending attack. Considering the maneuvers currently going on just above this moon’s atmosphere, the resources and attentions of the various royal families were currently engaged.
Tolon reflected only for a moment that this mission was a lot of responsibility for a Star Fleet ensign and wondered briefly why Tauk had not assigned this mission to Lt. T’Lon. She had experience running missions like this - but she had been an ensign when those had been assigned to her.
Ensign Tolon took a deep breath. “It looks clean. Let’s go!”
Flight Specialists Joey Chin and Winnifreid Salazaar, on receiving the “go” from Ensign Tolon, slowly and carefully brought their interceptors out of the planetary debris gathered in the eastern LaGrange point of the planet Rings. The Andorian Imperial Guard maintained significant intelligence assets in the LaGrange points throughout their home moon system. Investigator Shran had provided information about whom to bribe to look the other way so that the two Star Fleet long range interceptors could take up those camouflaged positions.
With their interceptors now free of the debris field, Chin and Salazaar engaged their ships’ warp jump capability using the coordinates that Chief Guth was providing from the wagon.
Of course the andorians had taken precautions to make sure interceptors couldn’t simply do what Chin and Salazaar were about to do. A low level shield was in place - not enough to prevent most vessels from moving through, but it would cause anything moving fast and certainly at warp to crash. Deflector shields work on frequencies and the lower the intensity, the fewer the frequencies - which made it easier for Chief Guth to analyze the frequencies and, at the precise moment needed, counter them with a focused projection of the wagon’s shields - effectively nullifying them.
The Hunter’s two interceptors appeared just over the castle and, using targeting information provided by Guth, destroyed in rapid succession, the castle’s phase cannon, shield emitter and power systems.
An attack of this nature was sure to draw reprisals, and neither the wagon nor the interceptors could remain in the area. The andorian royal house that owned this castle also owned interceptors, which were almost certainly already on their way. Guth brought the wagon into the air and at an altitude of 200 meters, along with the interceptors, jumped to warp and left the area.
A few hundred meters from the castle, six small patches of snowy ice moved slowly across the snowy ice.
12.10 (of 19)
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I have to go back through this, but I love what I've read so far. As always, your attention to detail is fantastic.
And Andorians are my favorite ST alien, so you had me at "Shran".
I'll leave more feedback soon, once I have the time to properly absorb the plot specifics. You're writing doesn't encourage speed reading!
And Andorians are my favorite ST alien, so you had me at "Shran".
I'll leave more feedback soon, once I have the time to properly absorb the plot specifics. You're writing doesn't encourage speed reading!
Thanks for the kind words! And enjoy the half-human/half-andorian descendent of Commander Shran...
Star Trek Hunter
Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle
Scene 11: Battle over Rings
12.11
Battle over Rings
Battle over Rings
Lt. Kenny Dolphin poked his head into the nearly empty ground operations center. “Tauk, we have a fight brewing out there. Can you spare T’Lon?”
Rather than speaking (the director of ground operations was increasingly relying on non-verbal communication) Lt. Tauk caught 2nd Lt. T’Lon’s eye, pointed his thumb at Dolphin and returned his attention to his workstation.
As T’Lon joined Dolphin in the corridor between ground ops and the bridge, Dolphin was using the communication system. “Ethan Phillips.”
“Sir?” came the ensign’s voice over the comm.
“How long have you and Doctor Moon been on the tactical unit?”
“Um… fourteen hours?”
“Get out of there and get at least four hours sack time, Ethan,” Dolphin said. “That’s an order. Doctor Moon, please don’t make me give you the same order…”
The hatch leading to the tactical unit could be accessed from both inside the bridge or the hallway directly behind the bridge. Phillips and Moon exited through the hallway.
“Good night Ethan, Salek,” Dolphin said.
Both replied rather quietly and shyly - “Good night, sir.”
Dolphin took the pilot seat on the tactical unit. T’Lon was in the tactical/navigator station a few inches to Dolphin’s right. The tactical unit’s command chair behind them was vacant.
“So I take it you now have sex with any woman who asks?” T’Lon was setting up the tactical screens to her preferences.
“You didn’t even ask,” Dolphin replied. He took a breath. “When I was at Harvard, I was the most famous man in the galaxy. Unbelievably beautiful women more or less threw themselves at me. I was trying to put my marriage back together and had two baby daughters I didn’t want to lose. Linda and I had gotten married when I was 18…”
“So now you’re making up for lost time?”
“Well, Commander Red is stunning. And she has this thing about bagging the most notorious pilot she can find just before battle so she can carry his or her mojo into battle with her. She says it gets her in the mood for a fight.” Dolphin looked over at T’Lon. “Looks like you’re in the mood for a fight too.”
T’Lon returned his gaze. “I don’t have such emotions.”
For a long moment they just looked at each other.
Piercing blue eyes.
Smoky brown eyes.
Then:
“Bullshit!”
T’Lon smirked and snorted in spite of herself, then smiled.
“Now you’re ready for a fight,” Dolphin said. He looked down to his left and raised his right hand.
T’Lon briefly clasped his hand.
At that moment, Lt. Commander Mlady’s voice came over the comm system: “Launch tactical!”
Commander Red’s instincts and training for squadron-based combat were accurate and thorough and at first her battle plan worked flawlessly… The U.S.S. Vox, the U.S.S. Intrepid and the U.S.S. Valiant all stayed out of the fight. These were larger, more heavily armed space vessels and were sidelined to prevent any of the 18 Andorian Imperial Guard vessels currently stationed in the system from getting involved in the fight.
The U.S.S. Hunter, the U.S.S. Prowler and their respective tactical units formed a large box to contain nearly 40 House Shav interceptors and prevent them from flanking Commander Red’s smaller, less heavily armed Star Fleet long range interceptors - and Commander Red’s squadron only numbered 28. The two interceptors from the U.S.S. Prowler brought that number up to 30.
Commander Red’s strategy was to trap the larger, heavier House Shav force within the moon’s gravity well. As long as they were trapped, outflanked and outgunned, the House Shav pilots seemed unwilling to open fire. This battle was all about positioning and keeping the andorian interceptors corralled.
On one of the corners of this box, Kenny Dolphin thought things were going too smoothly.
“It’s a trap… It’s a trap… Don’t fall for it…” Dolphin kept saying quietly. Then he saw it.
One of the Andorian Imperial Guard heavy cruisers had gradually been drifting closer. Its forward phaser opened up into the scrum, obliterating one Star Fleet interceptor and grazing the aft of another, causing its power to fail - it was Commander Red’s interceptor.
“Tractor beam?” Dolphin knew the tactical unit was nowhere near close enough to rescue Red’s interceptor. Her tiny spacecraft spun quickly out of control and crashed into Andoria’s atmosphere, exploding into thousands of pieces in the moon’s sky.
A whining whirring noise grew in intensity and then faded in the tactical unit’s cramped bridge as T’Lon beamed Commander Red into the vacant command chair directly behind her and Lt. Dolphin. T’Lon turned to look at Red.
“She does look more than a little like me,” T’Lon said. “Smaller, a little older and darker…”
Without turning to look, Dolphin touched the top of his right ear, brushed it with his finger. “And there’s that.. vulcan ear thing…”
Commander Red was still charged on adrenaline from her close call with death. “Oh… You must be the vulcan that…”
“2nd Lieutenant T’Lon, this is Commander Red,” Dolphin interrupted. “Welcome to the U.S.S. Hunter’s tactical unit, Commander. What would you like to do now?”
“This is your boat, Lieutenant,” Red responded. “I’m just along for the ride.”
Dolphin turned his attention to the pilot console. “T’Lon, open a channel to - what is that ship?”
“Ravonnelle. Channel open.”
“Imperial Guard Vessel Ravonnelle, this is Lieutenant Kenneth Dolphin. I am headed straight for your warp core. Get your cruiser out of my sky or I’m going to burn it out of my sky. End transmission.” Dolphin set his course directly for the Andorian Guard vessel’s mid-section.
T’Lon turned to look at Dolphin as if he were insane. “What are you doing?”
“Making a point.”
T’Lon turned to look at the cruiser swiftly growing larger in the tactical unit’s viewscreen. “It’s bigger than we are,” she said quietly.
“I noticed,” Dolphin responded equally quietly. He gritted his teeth as the cruiser filled the viewscreen, his voice starting to quake nervously…. “Come on….”
Suddenly the cruiser was gone and the Hunter’s tactical unit flew through space where only a second ago the cruiser’s warp core had been - the Andorian war ship had gone to warp and fled the system.
A wedge of six Star Fleet interceptors had formed up behind the tactical unit and followed it through the wake of the Andorian ship.
Commander Red slapped the top of Dolphin’s head - hard. “Hot Damn!! You’re crazier than I am!!!”
“Ow!!!” Dolphin responded.
T’Lon switched the viewscreen to an aft view. More of Red’s squadron were forming up in a wedge behind the tactical unit as Dolphin brought it around toward the fleeing House Shav interceptors. “I don’t think they know you’re alive, sir,” T’Lon said.
“Don’t tell them,” Commander Red said. “They’re pissed. They want payback. Make use of that.”
“Open a channel,” said Dolphin. Then: “Commander Red’s squadron, this is Lieutenant Dolphin in the U.S.S. Hunter’s tactical unit. Form up behind me. House Shav has gotten out of the box. We’re going to drive them out of the frying pan and into the fire - they’re escaping Andoria’s gravity well. We’re going to trap them in the gravity well of the planet Rings. Prepare to break and corral them on my mark but do not get between them and Rings.”
The wedge behind the Hunter’s tactical unit widened as they chased the House Shav interceptors away from their homemoon of Andoria toward the gas giant their moon orbited.
“Squadron Break! Hunter, Prowler - a little help keeping these birds in their cage? U.S.S. Vox, please approach to take on prisoners,” Dolphin said.
Dolphin broke upward to form one corner of the square grid with the U.S.S. Hunter, the U.S.S. Prowler and the Prowler’s tactical unit forming the other corners. The Star Fleet interceptors formed a broad grid in between, trapping the House Shav interceptors. With the planet to their back, the House Shav interceptors could not accelerate quickly enough to avoid getting burned by concentrated phaser fire.
Given the intensity of the gas giant’s gravity well, time was moving slightly slower for the House Shav interceptors than for the Star Fleet vessels tracking them from a higher orbit. This gave Star Fleet a crucial advantage at keeping their adversary boxed in – they would be able to detect the andorian warp drive systems coming on-line in time to prevent the andorians from going to warp. Once again trapped, the andorian pilots remained unwilling to open fire. Star Fleet had won this battle without firing a shot.
“Put me through to all ships,” Dolphin said.
T’Lon hit the switch, then turned to look at him.
“House Shav squadron, this is Lieutenant Kenneth Dolphin. Stabilize your orbits, power down your interceptors and prepare to be beamed aboard the U.S.S. Vox. If any of you try to destroy your vessel, I will have your squadron leader’s antennae for trophies. Your interceptors just became my interceptors. Dolphin out.”
Dolphin turned to look at Commander Red. “Do you know how to fly an andorian interceptor?”
“Do I know how to fly an andor… What do you think I am? 12?”
Dolphin laughed. “How about the one with the purple shield painted on the nose? I think that’s the squadron commander’s bird.”
“Kenny,” said T’Lon, “That isn’t a shield…”
“Ohhh,” said Red, “Squadron commander’s female… I’ll take it…”
“If it’s not a shield, what is it?” Dolphin asked.
T’Lon and Red both looked at him deadpan.
“Look more closely, Kenny,” T’Lon said. She enlarged the view as the Vox completed beaming the andorian pilots out of their interceptors.
Dolphin looked at the image painted on the nose of the craft for several seconds, then suddenly turned bright red.
Commander Red smiled at T’Lon and said, “He’s cute when he gets like that, isn’t he?”
T’Lon responded by tilting her head and raising her eyebrows.
“Care to beam me over to that thing?” Red asked. “Time to let my squadron know I’m still alive…”
12.11 (of 19)
Part of the fun of exploring an elderly character - physiological changes and personality changes that happen as the body and brain start to fail. I wrote Irons with the idea of Michelle Yeoh Choo Kheng in the role - I think she would have a blast with it. Particularly considering the changes that lie ahead...
Thanks!! rbs
Star Trek Hunter
Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle
Scene 12: The Daughters of Sin
12.12
The Daughters of Sin
The Daughters of Sin
The girls’ caretakers had ushered them into the large room in the lowest level of the castle. They had only been here once before - when they had first been brought to this place three years previously. Isethia had grown into a precocious pre-teen and had quickly become aware that she and her sister were prisoners, not just overprotected guests, even though this place belonged to their relatives. Ipitil was now a very protected seven-year-old. Both girls were unusually pale - their skin almost as white as their hair. Each girl had a dedicated young female companion who served as teacher, nursemaid, bodyguard and custodian. Jhessith was overly dedicated to Ipitil, but was allowed to continue in her role under the oversight of Shressa – who understood more precisely what was expected of her and her cousin.
No one had been expecting an attack on this castle – hidden, out of the way, with no strategic value. The attack had been precise, lightning fast and devastating. All electrical power was out throughout the castle, meaning no life support, no food replication, and most importantly, no protection – shield or phaser cannon. That did not mean the castle was entirely defenseless. The ice had strong magnetized strips, making beaming in or out impossible except for the castle’s transporter room. And with the power knocked out, that room was equally useless. The attack had also been thorough – backup battery systems and generators had also been destroyed. Whoever had attacked, they obviously had superb intelligence.
Shressa had no idea how many people had been killed or injured, but she had no doubt there had been some people in those areas during the attack. She kept a close eye on Isethia. Shressa had always maintained an emotional distance between herself and her charge because she knew a day like this might come.
The walls in this part of the compound were too thick for the sound of fighting to make it in and radio signals were being jammed, so Shressa was entirely reliant on the guards outside the door for news. Nearly five hours after the initial attack, the door guard gave the all clear signal – a series of knocks. In addition to the girls there were three house guards in this room. One of the guards unlocked and opened the door – then dropped her phase pistol and crumpled to the floor. Two dark-skinned bajorans ducked and rolled into the room and came up firing, rendering the other two guards unconsious.
Shressa knew she was not going to survive this encounter, but she had one thing left to do and it would not go undone. She swept out her knife and raced toward Isethia. From the corner of her eye, she saw her cousin, Jhessith, draw her knife as well. Perhaps she did understand her responsibility after all. Before she could reach Isethia, Shressa felt a dull pain in the back of her neck and an incredibly loud crunch. Her arms and legs would no longer do what she was telling them.
Shressa crumpled to the floor. She had failed to kill her charge as was her responsibility, but she had given her last effort to that duty.
Jhessith, after throwing her knife at her cousin, fell to her knees, hands raised. A fire fight was going on out in the hallway. Four more intruders ducked into the room and closed and locked the door behind them. One was clearly cardassian, the other three were much harder to place. She guessed they were part cardassian, but the wrong color – more tan than gray. Ipitil ran into Jhessith’s arms and hugged her, crying in terror.
The three strange-looking cardassians unslung large, cylindrical objects from their backs, each with a built-in tripod. The tall, very dark bajoran gently ushered Isethia toward Jhessith. Isethia was also terrified, but seemed to understand that this was a rescue. The three cylinders were set up in a triangle around Isethia, Jhessith and Ipitil. The six intruders joined them inside this triangle and at the touch of a switch, a glowing band of light connected the top of each of the cylinders to the other two, creating a glowing triangular ribbon of light.
In the next moment the room dissolved and Jhessith found herself being ushered off a crowded transporter pad in a crowded room, Isethia and Ipitil clinging to her. The two dark-skinned bajorans accompanied them into a lift, then from it, through a hallway and into an office where a bolian and another bajoran, both clad in black uniforms, awaited.
12.12 (of 19)
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Glad you're enjoying! Lt. Tauk doesn't have time to coddle his junior officers - he needs them to step up. He figures he only has a few months to live - if that long.
Thanks!! rbs
Star Trek Hunter
Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle
Scene 13: Sin Interred
12.13
Sin Interred
Sin Interred
2nd Lt. T’Lon and Midshipman Sif beamed down to the coordinates Lynhart Shran had given them. A unit of eight Andorian Imperial Guard troops were waiting along with the old investigator in a warehouse in Reitel, a northern suburb of the Andorian capital. Three other andorians in civilian clothing were also present – their expressions ranging from annoyance to disgust. The room smelled like rotting flesh.
T’Lon closed her eyes for a moment to adjust to the stench. Next to her, Dr. Sif tried hard not to retch.
“It’s not all that bad, young one,” Shran said to Sif. “Just think back to your academy training. The victorious dead are warehoused here. Do not shame them.” Shran looked pointedly at the civilians, each of whom was extremely well dressed.
“Just so that I do not overstep my boundaries, Investigator, am I to understand you are still on leave?” asked T’Lon.
“At the moment, it’s Eliminator, First Class, Lieutenant. And I appreciate the question. For now, we should address each other as members of allied military forces. I am on temporary reactivated status with the Andorian Imperial Guard. And if my detective skills have not failed me, this warehouse contains what you have been looking for. But neither I, nor these guardsmen are authorized to look for it. I just ran across it by random chance while assessing my assigned targets. I suggest you set your tricorders to detect airborne decaying DNA fragments. You might want to begin your search with this stack behind me.”
Midshipman Sif made some adjustments on her tricorder, then pointed her tricorder toward T’Lon’s tricorder – synchronizing them. The vulcan and the trill set to analyzing a stack of boxes made from a substance that resembled wood. Almost immediately, Dr. Sif put her hand on one of the boxes and said, “This one.”
Shran turned to the guard unit and said, “Coreguide, would you and your unit assist our Star Fleet friends and retrieve this box?”
One of the three civilians blurted, “What have you asked us here for?”
Shran turned his attention to the angry andorian. “I asked your house to send a witness. And I did not select you. Your house selected you. Now do the job your house sent you here to do.”
“I am not afraid of you, you half-breed assassin,” the andorian retorted.
Another of the three civilians turned toward him and said, “You should be...”
During this discussion, the Guard unit had moved several boxes and pulled out the one Dr. Sif had pointed to. They pried the box open to reveal a dead andorian inside with no obvious wounds.
Dr. Sif ran her tricorder over the body. “Poison,” she said. She pressed the sensor of the tricorder against the dead andorian’s neck, then nodded at Shran.
“Witnesses please step forward and witness,” Shran said.
One of the witnesses gasped. Another said, “That’s him.” The angry andorian only got angrier.
“Lieutenant T’Lon,” said Shran, gesturing toward the dead andorian, “May I present the heir of House th’Ravonet and the presumptive emperor, the Dauphin Sin th’Ravonet…”
T’Lon turned toward the angry andorian, who was the House th’Ravonet representative. “I am authorized to require this body for forensic examination. You, as the th’Ravonet representative, will accompany the body to our ship and remain with it throughout examination to verify chain of custody.”
“You can make no such requirement of me.”
“I do not need to. Your house makes that requirement of you. The witnesses from House Shav and House zh’Ithirith are welcome and invited to attend.” T’Lon turned to the imperial guardsman Shran had earlier addressed. “Coreguide, can you come or detail some of your guardsmen to come as well? The Federation would prefer to have a few impartial witnesses.”
The coreguide responded by counting off two of his soldiers. “Shyl, Osab with me. The rest of you with Eliminator Shran.”
12.13 (of 19)
Star Trek Hunter
Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle
Scene 14: See No Sin
12.14
See No Sin
See No Sin
After a thorough medical screening, which the two young girls endured largely with Jhessith’s support and encouragement, they were ushered from the small surgery back into the medical office. A tall, snow white andorian was waiting for them.
“SIBOB!!”
Isethia ran to the andorian and he caught her in his arms, lifting her easily. It was clear from his movements, particularly his head movement and his eyes that he was profoundly blind. The pupils and irises of his eyes were only partly formed - his eyes remained motionless in their sockets. It was equally clear that this did not hinder him at all in recognizing the girls or understanding the space around him. “Isethia…”
The younger girl was clinging to Jhessith, an expression of mingled fear and wonder on her face. “Sibob?”
The andorian set the older girl down and settled to his haunches. “Ipitil…” The younger girl’s expression changed to one of unvarnished joy. She detached herself from her caretaker and ran into the blind andorian’s arms, buried her face in his chest.
After a moment, he stood again and turned toward Ensign Tolon. “I have you to thank for my daughters.”
Lt. Tauk entered the room.
“I was there and it was my team, along with Investigator Buttans, who brought them out.” Tolon clasped Buttans’ shoulder. “But the rescue was authorized by Lieutenant Commander Mlady.”
“Your daughters are in good health,” said Dr. Jazz. “They have not spent enough time out of doors and their blood shows a slight lack of some important enzymes. But with a normal, heathy schedule of outdoor activities, that should easily be corrected.”
Lt. Cmdr. Mlady entered the room. The blind andorian turned to greet her.
“I am told I have you to thank for rescuing my daughters. Many andorian children need rescue. But you chose to rescue mine.”
Mlady gave the blind man a long, evaluating look before she responded. “We have started the process. But it is up to Andoria to look after his own children. In my opinion, and that of others whom I respect, that means rescuing those other children is your responsibility.”
“And you have cleared the path for me.” He turned toward Jhessith. “You are a member of my family. You always have been. And I can tell you paid an awful price to protect my daughters. What is your name, child?”
“I am Jhessith.”
“Jhessith, there is no safer place than this place for now. I have a job even more terrible than yours. I must pit my family against my family. Far too many of them have forgotten what it means to be andorian and that lesson will inevitably be taught in blood. Will you look after my daughters here until I return for them?”
Jhessith was visibly relieved and overcome with emotion – almost unable to speak. “Always..” she managed.
“Then you will be as a daughter to me.” He turned his blind eyes toward Mlady. “Lieutenant Commander, I must visit my family members who are imprisoned aboard the U.S.S. Vox. I must see who among them remembers the meaning of loyalty and honor. Will you please introduce me to her captain?”
12.14 (of 19)
Star Trek Hunter
Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle
Scene 15: The Study of Sin
12.15
The Study of Sin
The Study of Sin
Dr. Sif and Dr. Napoleon Boles set about conducting an autopsy in the large surgery with an audience - the representatives from the three royal houses and the three imperial guardsmen attended, watching closely on the forensic monitors. Before they were finished, the blind andorian joined them, along with Lt. Tauk, 2nd Lt. T’Lon and Lt. Cmdr. Mlady.
“Please forgive us for walking you through the evidence step by step,” said Dr. Sif in her light, girlish voice. “We want to make the case thoroughly. First, there is no doubt that the Dauphin, Sin th’Ravonet, was poisoned. However we also have evidence that he was held prisoner in the infamous Ice Hole, owned by House Shav.”
“Your lies will not be…” started the House Shav representative, starting to draw his knife only to find the blind andorian’s hand grasping his wrist.
“We are guests in this place,” he said. There was a forcefulness in his precise enunciation - an echoing sound to his voice even when speaking quietly. “A royal representative interrupting a Star Fleet scientist and accusing her of lies is an unacceptable breach of protocol. I must be able to assure all of the houses that their representatives behave appropriately. Do you not agree?”
The House Shav representative looked at the blind andorian with a mixture of awe and terror. His antennae seemed to droop in deference. “Yes, Dauphin. Please forgive me.”
Lt. Tauk slowly removed his hand from the hand phaser at his belt.
“Please continue, Dr. Sif,” the blind andorian said. “There will be no further interruptions.”
Sif seemed considerably shaken. “At this time, I would like to turn the presentation over to Dr. Boles.”
Napoleon Boles put his hand on Sif’s shoulder, squeezed gently, then turned to the andorians. His skin was much darker blue than theirs.
“We sent a team to the Ice Hole. It had been recently shut down and has now been destroyed. But one of our team members had the presence of mind to collect samples of the aglimoss growing in the hole. As you know, andorians digest aglimoss slowly and it leaves a residue in the upper liver that gradually becomes toxic unless they are also consuming oroins, which counteract the aglimoss toxins. Aglimoss produces unique toxins depending on where it is grown and the toxins from the samples we collected in the Ice Hole are identical to those found in the Dauphin’s upper liver.”
“However, we also found partially digested oroins in his stomach,” the half-bolian epidemiologist continued. “These were not the varieties commonly found growing in the polar regions, but were imported from offworld - the colony of Avradega, which is largely under the control of House th’Ravonet. This seems to indicate that the Dauphin had somehow recently been recovered by House th’Ravonet.”
“Finally, the poison that killed the Dauphin was pardo - a poison commonly used by House zh’Ithirith. However, the dosage and the ingredients are not consistent with plants commonly available to House zh’Ithirith. This pardo was made with race seed instead of srakin seed. Race seed is grown only on Corvin Island, which is th’Ravonet territory. And race seed is not as effective an ingredient, requiring a much larger dosage - which would be consistent with the amount of pardo we found in the Dauphin’s blood stream.”
The blind andorian turned his antennae toward Dr. Boles. “What are your conclusions?”
“You just heard them,” Boles responded flatly. “However, we can surmise, based on this evidence, that the Dauphin was clearly the prisoner of House Shav until no more than 15 days ago, at which time it appears he returned to his territory, only to be poisoned no less than 11 days ago by a poison made from materials local to th’Ravonet territory.”
12.15 (of 19)
Author's note: Dauphin is a gender-neutral title that designates a prince who is eligible to become emperor. Technically, Dauphin Sin th'Ravonet is no longer eligible, considering that he's dead... Dauphin Sin Shav is eligible even though he is aenar.
Sin is a common male andorian given name (like Garr among bajorans or John among humans.)
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Review 12.11 - Well, that's the first space combat with sexual tension scene I think I've read in a Star Trek story! 
I loved the setup, the tactics, and the antics onboard the tactical unit. There's poor Dolphin, with two of his lovers at his side, making combat awkward as hell for the poor guy.
I've got to say that it's fascinating that the Andorians actually permit Starfleet interference/diplomacy in their dynastic struggles, but I suppose having a well-armed referee keeps the bloodshed to a minimum.
I loved the setup, the tactics, and the antics onboard the tactical unit. There's poor Dolphin, with two of his lovers at his side, making combat awkward as hell for the poor guy. I've got to say that it's fascinating that the Andorians actually permit Starfleet interference/diplomacy in their dynastic struggles, but I suppose having a well-armed referee keeps the bloodshed to a minimum.
Review 12.11 - Well, that's the first space combat with sexual tension scene I think I've read in a Star Trek story!
I've got to say that it's fascinating that the Andorians actually permit Starfleet interference/diplomacy in their dynastic struggles, but I suppose having a well-armed referee keeps the bloodshed to a minimum.
Thanks for the kind words!! I thought you might get a kick out of that...
A previous empress, while on her deathbed, set the Federation succession mediation up, enshrined it into Andorian law and got it written into the Federation Charter - all to prevent her son from becoming the next emperor. (Jonathan Archer was the first mediator...)
Thanks!! rbs
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