Star Trek Hunter Episode 26: Rain Over Rising Sun

[Robert Bruce Scott]

Continued from Episode 25: I Dream of Shiva

Star Trek Hunter
Episode 26: Rain Over Rising Sun

Episode 26 – Rain Over Rising Sun​

“There is a pendulum in human culture that has historically swung between poles of individual freedom and community responsibility. At one extreme lurks the scourge of Social Darwinism. At the other awaits the prison of social conformity. The former ennobles the greed of aristocrats and oligarchs and justifies the privation they inflict on the bulk of humanity. The latter ennobles the hubris of priesthoods and justifies their enforcement of dogma that seeks to enslave the bulk of humanity.

“The science of ethics seeks to tame both extremes by emphasizing corporate responsibility for human welfare equivalently with the individual’s responsibility for the consequences of their actions. It is in this tension between these polarizing ethical ideologies that humanity can find freedom from the tyrannies of corruption and authoritarianism.”

Dr. Kenny Dolphin – Fundamentals of Federation Ethics





Crew of the U.S.S. Hunter: (Ship's Interactive Holographic Avatar - Hunter)

Captain Kenneth Dolphin.
Chief Executive Officer – Lt. Commander Napoleon Boles.
Chief Operations Officer - Lt. Commander Gaia Gamor.
.
Medical Director – Lt. Jazz Sam Sinder.

Asst. Medical Director – 2nd Lt. Gabriella Griff.

Ensign Sif.

Forensic Specialist - Midshipman Kunto Wekesa (nickname Kit).
Forensic Specialist – Midshipman Raaven.
Emergency Medical Hologram - Dr. Raj.
Tactical Medical Hologram - Dr. Kim.​

.
Director of Flight Operations – Lt. Grorher.

Asst. Flight Dir. - 2nd Lt. Leonarda Marks.

Navigator Johanna Imex.
Navigator Auqa’rh’lth (pronounced “Aka-ruh-ulth”. In the klingon language, apostrophes indicate glottal stops.)​

Ensign Chelna Zusa.

Chief Flight Specialist Thyssi zh’Qaoleq (last name rhymes with Chocolate).
Flight Specialist Dih Terri.
Flight Specialist Winnifreid Salazaar.
Flight Specialist Jennifer Hopper.​

.
Director of Ground Operations - Lt. T’Lon.

Asst. Ground Ops Dir. - 2nd Lt. Tolon Reeves.

Chief Tactical Specialist Rumi Grace.
Tactical Specialist Dasare Eba (rhymes with Cabaret Nina).
Tactical Specialist Veri Geki.
Tactical Specialist Ranni Neivi.​

Ensign Eykirros Jones (nickname is Ike Jones).

Investigator Buttans Ngumbo.
Special Agent Anana Lynarr, Trantor Police Intelligence Division (temporary assignment).​

.
Director of Engineering - Lt. Moon Sun Salek.

Asst. Engineering Dir. - 2nd Lt. Sun Ho Hui.

Midshipman Carlos Datsun.
Transporter Engineer Dragomut.​

Ensign Geoffrey Horatio Alstars.

Chief Flight Engineer Yolanda Thomas.
Flight Engineer Thomas Hobbs.
Flight Engineer Tomos.
Flight Engineer Kerry Gibbon.​

 

[Robert Bruce Scott]

All of Star Trek Hunter on Trek BBS:

Episode 1: Flash Forward
Episode 2: The Colony of New Hope
Episode 3: Breakfast Serial
Episode 4: Run to Earth
Episode 5: The Fires of Pon Farr
Episode 6: Breakfast Killer #2
Episode 7: The Great Mushroom
Episode 8: The Bolian Web
Episode 9: The Library
Episode 10: The Philosopher
Episode 11: Intersections and Reunions
Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle
Episode 13: The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling
Episode 14: When Death Comes
Episode 15: A Stitch in Spacetime
Episode 16: Slavers
Episode 17: Terms of Surrender
Episode 18: World on Fire
Episode 19: The Ivonovic Commission
Episode 20: Survival
Episode 21: The Enemy of My Enemy
Episode 22: Sacrifice
Episode 23: JAG Wars
Episode 24: A Trillian Problem
Episode 25: I Dream of Shiva
Episode 26: Rain Over Rising Sun (You are Here)
Episode 27: Sword of Destiny (Not yet published on Trek BBS)
Episode 28: The Covenant (Series Finale)

And more on Ad Astra:

Star Trek Hunter: Rock of Ages

Star Beagle Adventures Episode 1: Eye of the Beholder

 

[Robert Bruce Scott]

Star Trek Hunter
Episode 26: Rain Over Rising Sun
Scene 1: Band on the Run

26.1
Band on the Run​

Rain pelted down as two andorians and six humans burst out of a room onto the second floor veranda of an apartment building and took off running opposite directions along the 2nd floor veranda and ran down the stairs at either end.

“HALT!!” shouted Ensign Eykirros Jones from the 3rd floor veranda. She started running down one of the staircases with Investigator Buttans Ngumbo right behind her. Special Agent Anana Lynarr ran for the stairs at the other end. As Jones scampered down the stairs, Buttans, behind her, vaulted over the rail and landed on two of the fleeing suspects who had just reached ground level, bringing both to the ground under him. He had locator pins in each hand and stabbed each with them - the pins entered their clothing and went about a half-inch into their skin, drawing blood, which activated the pins. Buttans rolled and came to his feet and took off after Lynarr and Jones.

One of the men Buttans had landed on sat up, plucked the pin from his shoulder and threw it several feet away. The other lay dazed and barely moved as the rain pelted him. Seconds later the familiar whine of a transporter could be heard as both men were beamed away. The locator pin one of the men had removed and thrown several feet away was also beamed up.


The incessant downpour caused clothing – even Ensign Jones’ resilient Star Fleet uniform – to cling and drag, slowing everyone’s movements except for the andorians, whose scant clothing seemed entirely waterproof. They ran through one of the many city parks that were interconnected throughout the Soda Toer Archipelago by footbridges spanning over the water between the islands of the archipelago. Lights shone out from the windows of thousands of tall buildings that made the archipelago appear similar to Seoul, Korea in some areas, Singapore in others, marking Soda Toer on Rising Sun as one of the most beautiful cities in the Federation.

Buttans ran unimpeded by his clothing – the back of his blue suit jacket split, as did the seams of his slacks, allowing powerful, ropy muscles room to move freely. He flashed past his smaller female companions, then outstripped his human prey, running past them as they gazed in astonishment. Two of these men stopped in confusion, only to be tagged with locator pins as Jones and Lynarr ran past them in pursuit of their remaining human quarry.

One man reached around to his back to remove the locator pin and tossed it several feet away – it did not matter. The device had sampled and relayed his DNA to the U.S.S. Hunter, in orbit, and he was beamed into an individual brig unit, as was his more confused companion.


The fleeing andorians, far faster than humans, ran without concern for pursuit. They scrambled easily over a 10’ fence that separated the street from the yard of a series of warehouses. Buttans was able to leap and grasp the top of the fence, effectively levering his body over it in a single, fluid move and landed on his feet, still running.

Both andorians had paused and were working together to lift a manhole cover out of the concrete. Their antennae went up in unison as they realized they were still being pursued. One of the andorians stood up just as the heavy circular iron manhole cover rolled and clattered, clanging, to the pavement. He drew his phaser – too late as Buttans leapt neatly over the manhole to tackle him. The other andorian quickly scampered down the ladder inside the manhole.

Buttans stood up, leaving a locater pin in the semi-conscious andorian he had tackled. By now, his blue suit was shredded, hanging in wet rags from his body. He reached behind his back and drew an enormous andorian revolver from its holster near the small of his back and with both hands aimed it into the manhole, angling it at the walls and fired three rounds. The report of the antique weapon drowned out the sounds of thunder, rain and the background sounds of the city and the gun kicked harder than a bajoran boxer mule – its explosive rounds created lightning inside the manhole and doubled the volume of each shot as the roar of the explosions echoed back up out of the manhole.

Buttans holstered the antique revolver he had inherited from his late partner, Lynhart Shran. He gripped the ladder inside the manhole and slid down – a very long distance. As the ringing in his ears subsided, he could hear the remaining andorian howling in pain. The wounded andorian didn’t notice Buttans’ presence until the half-bajoran/half Maasai investigator was right on top of him. Buttans stepped on the andorian’s hand as he made a move toward the phaser at his belt.

“Dragomut, this one’s wounded. Beam him directly to medical. Sam – got a live one coming your way – better sedate him,” Buttans said. He bent down and drove a locator pin into one of the andorian’s many wounds and relieved him of his phase pistol.


Rain was still pelting down into the manhole. Buttans took a few steps to get out of the rain as the remaining andorian was beamed up.

The communicator embedded in Buttans’ chest brought Ensign Jones’ voice. “Ngumbo, where are you?”

“In a tunnel in the warehouse district. By the looks of it, a mechanical tunnel.”

“The andorians?”

“I caught them. One is in the brig. I hurt the other one pretty badly. I made sure to miss him, but it looks like he caught quite a bit of shrapnel and at least one of his legs was badly broken. Sam was on standby, so he should pull through. How about your end – did you get the rest of them?”

“Two of them got away. They were just too fast for us,” Jones replied.

“Well,” Buttans responded, “we got the andorians. I think they might have more interesting things to say. Six out of eight in a dead run through the rain with only the three of us… That’s pretty good.”

“The other two will alert the remainder of their cell and word will spread. This investigation won’t be quite so easy now,” said Jones.

“That’s assuming we haven’t busted up their cell entirely,” said Lynarr.

“I’ve heard you do a great interview, boss,” Buttans replied. “I’m looking forward to it. If you can get our blue friends with the antennae to talk, they may have a lot to tell us. I’m willing to bet they’re either weapons suppliers or trainers. Either way, they are the most likely to be able to give us more, much, much more about these terrorist cells and what they’re planning…”

26.1 (of 22)​

 

[admiralelm11]

I have a list to go through when Time is found. Here, Time! Here, Time! Come out, Time!

All of Star Trek Hunter on Trek BBS:

Episode 1: Flash Forward
Episode 2: The Colony of New Hope
Episode 3: Breakfast Serial
Episode 4: Run to Earth
Episode 5: The Fires of Pon Farr
Episode 6: Breakfast Killer #2
Episode 7: The Great Mushroom
Episode 8: The Bolian Web
Episode 9: The Library
Episode 10: The Philosopher
Episode 11: Intersections and Reunions
Episode 12: Prisoner in the Ice Castle
Episode 13: The 15,000 Cities of Cun Ling
Episode 14: When Death Comes
Episode 15: A Stitch in Spacetime
Episode 16: Slavers
Episode 17: Terms of Surrender
Episode 18: World on Fire
Episode 19: The Ivonovic Commission
Episode 20: Survival
Episode 21: The Enemy of My Enemy
Episode 22: Sacrifice
Episode 23: JAG Wars
Episode 24: A Trillian Problem
Episode 25: I Dream of Shiva
Episode 26: Rain Over Rising Sun (You are Here)
Episode 27: Sword of Destiny (Not yet published on Trek BBS)
Episode 28: The Covenant (Series Finale)

And more on Ad Astra:

Star Trek Hunter: Rock of Ages

Star Beagle Adventures Episode 1: Eye of the Beholder

 

[Will The Serious]

Nice action packed scene. You don't wanna £u|< with Buttans.

A little Dirty Harry action with the most powerful Andorian handgun in the Quadrant, "seeing as it can blow yer head clean off."

-Will

 

[Robert Bruce Scott]

I have a list to go through when Time is found. Here, Time! Here, Time! Come out, Time!

We do everything for the time being - a mythical beast that seems to appear only in common parlance. Time flies, on the other hand, are pernicious pests that always get away from you and multiply beyond your control...

A little Dirty Harry action with the most powerful Andorian handgun in the Quadrant, "seeing as it can blow yer head clean off."

"You gotta ask yourself a question: "Do I feel lucky?" Well... do you... Punk?"

Glad you got a kick out of this scene!

Thanks!! rbs

 

[Robert Bruce Scott]

Star Trek Hunter
Episode 26: Rain Over Rising Sun
Scene 2: Dreaming of Canada

26.2
Dreaming of Canada​

Johnny Canada, Deputy Director of Field Operations for the Trantor Police Intelligence Division, had catalogued 18 separate types of dreams being used by Shiva. Dreams to make new converts. Dreams to consecrate new priests. Dreams to set dogma. Dreams to change dogma. Even the dream to introduce Sela to the nikamsitiri. And dreams to teach the nikamsitiri the Romulan language, teach them about romulan culture and explain the price the romulans would exact for the salvation of their race.

In his 20 years working in intelligence, Johnny had never gained intelligence as quickly or so astounding as what he was learning now. Giant talking crows that the romulans were already arming with disruptors, a savage religion already spread over most of Saketh - a religion that included blood sacrifice.

All of this meant that he was now working all the time. The nature of his job was such that he would work from the moment he got up until he dropped from exhaustion, only to do the same the next day. Now Johnny was at least going to bed at a regular time, but only so he could go from working while awake to working while asleep.


But tonight he opened the miniature door through which he could see Shiva’s world and saw only darkness. This was unlike her. Shiva kept regular sleep hours. This wasn’t the empty darkness of an empty room… This was the blackness of something on the other side of the wall blocking his view. This was the way Johnny had observed all of the dreams Shiva created - through a peephole in the wall.

Johnny felt the hair on the back of his neck starting to stand up. Chills ran up his spine. He whirled to see Shiva, in her feminine guise, standing behind him. For a long, terrifying moment, they looked into each other’s eyes. Then Shiva opened her mouth and Remma, in her guise as a winged mogu mogo, leapt out toward Johnny’s mouth. Johnny put his hand in front of his mouth and Remma twined around his arm and used her stinger to sting him in the stomach and started burrowing her stinger into him.

Johnny gripped her tail just above the stinger and whipped her back out at her master. Remma changed back into her native form as a romulan. Instinctively, Johnny held on to her wrist. But his feathers weren’t strong or flexible enough to wrap around Remma’s wrist. Remma transformed once again into a flying snake. Now in the form of one of the nikamsitiri, Johnny lost himself in a vast flock of nikamsitiri, which unexpectedly provided him the opportunity to learn their language.

Shiva and Remma worked their way through the flock, asking the nikamsitiri which of them was Johnny, but he was well disguised and nikamsitiri were curious about him and did not betray his location. The nikamsitiri were not obedient to authority in the way that humans, romulans and hemra were - they made their decisions in far more communal ways.

As punishment, Shiva turned the entire flock into humans in mid-air, causing them to fall to their deaths. Johnny quickly equipped this falling mass of humanity with parachutes and caused them all to look identical to himself. A few hundred Johnnys had already fallen to their deaths, but thousands more parachuted out of the sky to land safely on solid ground that Shiva turned to water, causing the Johnnys to struggle with their parachutes until Johnny transformed them into deep sea eels, giving them the dual benefit of being able to easily slip free of the parachutes and to leap onto Shiva with a massive electrical attack.


Shiva transformed Remma into a sword, cut a hole in the water into some other reality and made good her escape.


Johnny Canada was stunned. He allowed the nikamsitiri to transform first into flying fish, then as they leapt out of the water and into the air, to retake their normal forms as gigantic crows with mottled gray and black feathers - from there to fly off into their own dreams. But not all of them did. Five of them remained with him. Johnny landed on the ground and resumed his human form. One of the nikamsitiri landed near him. Others landed heavily in the tree limbs nearby and above him.

“What are you?” asked the bird.

“I suppose to you, romulans, humans, hemra, vulcans - we are all so similar that the differences between us are difficult for you to distinguish. But above all of that, we are individuals. I am Johnny.”

“Urk. But there are many of us with that name,” said the bird.

“And there are millions, perhaps billions of my kind with the name John.”

“Then how are you different from all the other Johnnys?”

“I assume the same way that you are different from all the other Urks,” Johnny replied. “The name is just, you know, a marker. A place to collect memories of a certain set of behaviors. You’re the Urk that talks to me.”

“So the other Johnnys wouldn’t use my people to escape from a monster at the risk of our lives?”

“What would Urk do in desperation? Would you use my people?”

“I would not use my own people. And yet you are to become my people. Would you have done this to yours?”

“I don’t know. When I drew all of you here, I didn’t realize I was flying among your actual people,” said Johnny. “This dream machine that we reach out to - it’s far, far more powerful than I had thought.”

“But Shiva… brought Sela to us. Sela, who rescues us. But Shiva was willing to kill us to get to you,” said Urk.

“And when I realized you were actual nikamsitiri…” Johnny started.

“You fought for us,” Urk concluded. “Your people are treacherous. Dangerous. Complicated. And now we are being trained to fight for you - to kill some of you on behalf of others. Can you imagine being saved from a certain doom by some birds only to be brought into their service to kill other birds?”

“Our goal, mine, Shiva’s, even Sela’s although she probably doesn’t realize it yet, is to save us all,” said Johnny. “All of us, monkeys and birds, and fish - we’ve encountered intelligent fish… We’re trying to save all of us. It’s just really, really hard to do.”

“I don’t understand,” said Urk.

“I wish I could explain it,” said Johnny. “That doom that is coming to your planet, the gamma wave front that kills everything in its path… That doom is coming for us all. A lot of people don’t recognize it, or they’re in denial, or they think their momentary greeds are somehow more significant. This dream may have seemed like a nightmare. But the real nightmare is to get all these people looking beyond themselves and momentary opportunities for gain. Especially when they don’t want to admit to themselves just how big and intractable the disaster we are facing is. And what the price for solving it will be - and it is going to be a terrible price…”

26.2 (of 22)​

 

[Will The Serious]

“There is a pendulum in human culture that has historically swung between poles of individual freedom and community responsibility. At one extreme lurks the scourge of Social Darwinism. At the other awaits the prison of social conformity. The former ennobles the greed of aristocrats and oligarchs and justifies the privation they inflict on the bulk of humanity. The latter ennobles the hubris of priesthoods and justifies their enforcement of dogma that seeks to enslave the bulk of humanity.

“The science of ethics seeks to tame both extremes by emphasizing corporate responsibility for human welfare equivalently with the individual’s responsibility for the consequences of their actions. It is in this tension between these polarizing ethical ideologies that humanity can find freedom from the tyrannies of corruption and authoritarianism.”

The cycle of exploitation vs freedom, possession vs community, is often due to the human desire to be important.

In a free economy/government/society, there will be those who gain status, wealth, power because they are lucky or they are hard workers or they are driven and smart. Those people then seek to change the way the world is organized in order to solidify and grow their status/wealth/power. The first step is to remove the opportunity of freedom and reduce the chance for fair competition. Often, this is done under the guise of fairness for all, but with the rules regulated by the fewest people in power as possible.

doom is coming for us all. A lot of people don’t recognize it, or they’re in denial, or they think their momentary greeds are somehow more significant.

Then there are the apathetic who do what they want, assured that others, more qualified, are committed to solving the problem for them. They stay home and build their estates while their neighbors march off to beat back the enemy for them.

-Will

 

[Robert Bruce Scott]

Star Trek Hunter
Episode 26: Rain Over Rising Sun
Scene 3: The Back Room

26.3
The Back Room​

After having beamed back aboard and showered, the investigations group returned to the U.S.S. Hunter’s Ground Operations Center, located a few meters behind the ship’s bridge.

“I had heard you could run, but I’ve never seen anything like that,” said Ensign Jones. “You literally shredded your clothes.”

“Running in the rain is pleasant,” Investigator Buttans rejoined, “unless you are wearing clothing.”

“I’ve never heard of anyone, human, bajoran, vulcan who could catch an andorian,” Special Agent Anana Lynarr observed. “They are running machines…”

“Legend has it that the cheetah taught the Maasai how to run, the lion taught us how to hunt, the baboon taught us how to fight and the elephant taught us wisdom. But during the great repopulation at the end of the 21st Century, we had to restart the natural cycle of the Serengeti-Mara largely with zoo animals. So the Maasai had to teach the cheetah how to run, the lion how to hunt, the baboon how to fight. But we never needed to teach the elephants anything,” Buttans Ngumbo said with a smile.

Ensign Eykirros Jones idly traced a finger through the brain-like crenellations on her forehead that mimicked her enlarged neo-cortex. “Let’s allow our human catch to stew. Best to interview the andorians before they regain too much of their strength. Ngumbo, they’re going to be terrified of you. I’d like you in the corner of the room. Just sit there, don’t move too much, help create the atmosphere. You won’t need to try to act scary. The more genuine you are, the more you will frighten them. By catching them in a foot race, you just blew a great big hole in their concept of the order of things.”

The ensign turned toward the bolian special agent on loan from the Trantor Police Intelligence Division. “Anana, I want you to stay here and watch on monitors. You would get a better read watching them through the glass, but they’re andorians. They would be aware of your presence…”


The U.S.S. Hunter’s interview room had been added as an afterthought, made from a medical storage room at the back of deck 3. It was smaller than average for such a room with a very small table between two sets of chairs. There was not a standard viewing room, but an adjacent brig unit had been modified so that a wall panel could be removed to reveal the one-way mirror that looked into the interview room. Both rooms could only be accessed from the large surgery that took up the majority of deck 3.


When Jones and Buttans walked into medical, they were greeted by Dr. Jazz Sam Sinder, the U.S.S. Hunter’s Medical Director.

“Ensign, Investigator, we came across something interesting… you will want to see this.” Dr. Jazz led the group into the small surgery. Both beds were occupied - one by the injured andorian, whose injuries appeared to be quite extensive. The other was one of the humans Buttans had landed on and tagged. Both were apparently unconscious, but strapped to the beds per protocol. “This fellow right here…” the bajoran doctor tapped the apparently slumbering human prisoner. “Not human. He’s actually a klingon surgically altered to look like a human.”

“Dr. Jazz, are any of the others conscious?” asked Ensign Jones.

“In their individual cells,” Jazz answered.

“We need to check them now and put them all under,” said Investigator Buttans Ngumbo.

“Suicide watch, all of them,” Jones added.

“Kit,” said Jazz, “I need you to check on all the prisoners. Hit them with anesthetize gas and get them unconscious as fast as possible. Suicide watch.” Dr. Jazz was already headed from the small surgery into the large surgery, around which the brig cells were arranged. “Dr. Raj, report to the small surgery and make sure our guests remain unconscious.”

As they entered the main surgery, Dr. Kunto Wekesa was checking four of the brig units. He turned to report. “We have three humans and one andorian, all alive and…” He checked a tablet he was holding, held up four fingers, then three, then two… “And unconscious.”

Dr. Jazz retrieved a medical tricorder, headed toward one of the brig units. “Which one do you want to interview first?”

“The andorian,” Jones replied.

Dr. Jazz turned to Dr. Wekesa. “Kit, I think this is your area of expertise… I need you to thoroughly check out the andorian for suicide devices - false teeth, hidden garrotes, explosives, poisons…”

“When you’ve cleared him,” said Ensign Jones, “I want him to wake up in the back room in shackles. Buttans and I will be in there with him.”


About ten minutes later, a groggy andorian wearing only running shorts and soft gray shoes came to consciousness in a dark room. Ensign Eykirros Jones’ black uniform was almost indistinguishable from the darkness except for the thin gold piping around the collar and cuffs, which emphasized her hands and her face. Her pale blue prisoner tried to make a brave face, but every time he looked into her eyes, he found them flat – emotionless – inscrutable.

“You are not Earth First,” said Jones. “You’re not Andoria First either, considering your head is, for the moment, still connected to your body. You aren’t fat enough to be a weapons merchant.”

“You won’t get anything from me…” the andorian started.

Jones let out a girlish sigh. “Ah, your first lie.” In the darkness, the crenellations on her forehead seemed to glow just a little. She let the silence do its work.

The andorian’s antennae stretched – spreading out slightly, then flexing back – but he could not tear his eyes away from the crenellations on her forehead. They seemed to ripple slightly – like worms crawling just under her skin. He began to tremble slightly, eyes widening with fear. He nearly jumped out of his skin when Buttans Ngumbo, seated behind him, suddenly leaned forward and whispered hoarsely: “Give us your name!”

“Bohr Ch’okianon!” The andorian clapped his hands to his ears and his temples. “Get out of my head!!”

“Bohr Ch’okianon,” said Jones. “You do not have to speak. What you do say will be used against you in court under Federation law. If you are also a citizen of the Andorian Empire, you are also subject to Andorian Imperial law.”

“You cannot use telepathy to look into my mind!” The andorian held his head firmly with his fingertips – as if that action could shut out a telepathic intruder.

Investigator Buttans responded. “Telepathic evidence is actionable, but not probative. And we will be taking action…”

“And those actions, even though based on telepathic evidence, are, in and of themselves, along with their results, probative,” Jones added. “Take a moment and think things through, Bohr Ch’okianon. Federation law takes precedent over Andorian law when you are within the Federation but outside of the empire’s borders – as you are right now. Think about whether you would prefer to be prosecuted under Federation law or Andorian Imperial law.” Jones fell silent again and simply looked at her andorian prisoner. After a moment, the crenellations in her forehead seemed to writhe again – moving like worms under her skin.

The prisoner turned suddenly and looked at Buttans. The investigator was dressed all in black. His skin was almost as black. In the corner of the darkened room, he was almost invisible except for his eyes, which seemed to glow. He was still, relaxed but alert – like a panther. The andorian shuddered and looked away, only to look at him again. Then finally, “How did you catch me?”


“I am faster than you are,” Buttans replied. His voice was soft, but full of menace. “And far stronger.”


The andorian looked back at Jones – her forehead was alive as with worms crawling under the skin – her eyes locked on her target. He clapped his hands to his temples again. “Stop it! I’ll tell you!!”

“You’re a trainer, special tactics, Zero G and low G combat, secure facility infiltration…”

“Yes! I train people how to take over satellite systems using ground-based and space-based assault…”

“You have been training Earth First. What did they want you to teach them?”

“How to take the satellite defense network offline…”

“It is an andorian system. You officially work for the Avradega Satellite Defense Research Institute. But ASDRI does not know you are a traitor…”

“They don’t know…” the andorian replied.

Ensign Jones gave another girlish sigh. Her eyes softened just for a moment “And there is your second lie. Someone in ASDRI knows. Someone high up. Who?”

“I don’t know her name. I just hear her voice. She sends me instructions in audio files…”

26.3 (of 22)​

 

[Bynar0110]

Looks like I have lot catching up to do.

 

[Will The Serious]

So, who's a powerful female psychic who's been very active at sending dreams and stirring pots, lately?

-Will

 

[Robert Bruce Scott]

Looks like I have lot catching up to do.

I think just the last two scenes in Episode 25, which are fairly short, and the three scenes published here. I'll probably publish 26.4 tomorrow, but it's really short.

 

[Robert Bruce Scott]

Star Trek Hunter
Episode 26: Rain Over Rising Sun
Scene 4: Ushi

26.4
Ushi​

On the New Romulus Planetary Ecology Research Space Station #1, 1st Proconsul Vruncleel of the New Romulus Senate and United Earth Governments Chief Counsel Ushi Irons were standing at the safety railing of a cliff overlooking the Regar Sea Orbital Research Basin as it filled with water and wildlife being siphoned from the U.S.S. Ark.

“I understand romulans have been moving oceans through spaceships for hundreds of years,” intoned the newly appointed head of state for the UEG.

“It took more than a little convincing to goad the Senate into authorizing the sharing of our bio life hydraulic technology with the Federation,” said Vruncleel. “Even though it is so clearly to our benefit. As it turns out, despite the vast gulf in our technologies, your solutions to these problems were extremely similar to ours.”

“It appears the range of solutions for this particular set of problems is severely narrow,” Ushi responded. “But as I understand it, the primary advantage from your assistance was not so much with solving the big problems, but rather with the depth of failsafe devices and procedures. We benefitted enormously from your centuries of trial and error.”

“From our mistakes, that is?” Vruncleel raised an eyebrow.

“How better to learn than from another’s failures?” Ushi drawled. He stroked his long, wispy white beard and flicked the bottom of it to the right.

“Then there is so much that we can learn from you,” Vruncleel retorted.

“And it is vitally important that you do,” said Ushi. “When it comes to the important and the deadly, we rarely fail to fail…”

Vruncleel turned and summoned a servant, who brought a tray with two glasses. One held romulan ale. The other held ice water. The top diplomat for New Romulus on Vulcan handed the water to Chief Counsel Ushi Irons. “Then let us drink to a frank exchange of each of our unique parades of follies…”

26.4 (of 22)​

 

[Will The Serious]

“Then let us drink to a frank exchange of each of our unique parades of follies…”

I couldn't have said it better myself.

-Will

 

[Robert Bruce Scott]

Star Trek Hunter
Episode 26: Rain Over Rising Sun
Scene 5: Saoron

26.5
Saoron​

In a warm bed in a large stateroom in the People’s Palace in Laikan on Andoria, lay the shriveled and ancient Premiere of the Vulcan High Command in Exile, Saoron. His trusted advisor, T’Haru Gonzalez, lay next to him, her arms around him to keep him warm. Despite the warmth of the room, the tiny, ancient, bald vulcan shivered, never quite reaching consciousness. Other advisors and relatives were in the room, as were a few andorian bureaucrats.

Gradually, Saoron’s shivering grew less. He unconsciously nestled back into T’Haru’s arms, then rolled over to face her and nestled his tiny, wrinkled bald head under her chin. His breathing grew less and less labored, and then finally stopped altogether. T’Haru held her mentor for several minutes, waiting, until she was certain there was no life left in him. Then she stepped out of the bed and got dressed.

A small cot was brought to the bedside and the ancient vulcan’s body was transferred to the cot and placed in the middle of the room. First T’Haru Gonzalez, then, one by one, every other person in the room, including the andorians, placed a hand on his body until the tiny body was covered with hands. Each person touching the body could feel several different vulcans attempting to meld with Saoron’s mind, but there was no mind left to meld with.

With this final verification of his passing, the various family members, fellow workers and friends in the room stepped back. A pair of death technicians quickly and carefully wrapped the body, then removed it for the reclamation ceremony.

T’Haru spoke: “As Premiere Saoron’s primary advisor and assistant, it falls to me to inform you that Saoron considered himself to be of Andoria now and it is the soil of Andoria that his remains should enrich…”

26.5 (of 22)​

 

[Will The Serious]

A true demonstration of commitment to an ideal. Saoron makes the greatest move to embrace another species as an equal and inclusive. Nice.

Perhapse other leaders will learn from him and take the next step, to recognize no difference between Andorian soil, Vulcan soil, and Romulan soil...; at least politically and socially.

-Will

 

[Robert Bruce Scott]

A true demonstration of commitment to an ideal. Saoron makes the greatest move to embrace another species as an equal and inclusive. Nice.

Perhapse other leaders will learn from him and take the next step, to recognize no difference between Andorian soil, Vulcan soil, and Romulan soil...; at least politically and socially.

I'm really gratified Saoron's idealism came through. He is one of the quiet heroes of the series. Thanks for the kind words and ongoing reviews!! rbs

 

[Robert Bruce Scott]

Star Trek Hunter
Episode 26: Rain Over Rising Sun
Scene 6: Sound Reasons

26.6
Sound Reasons​

“So how much of what we just got is probative?” Investigator Buttans Ngumbo asked as he and Ensign Eykirros Jones rejoined Special Agent Anana Lynarr in the U.S.S. Hunter’s Ground Operations Center in the back of deck 8.

“All of it,” Jones replied.

“But telepathy…” Buttans objected.

“I’m not telepathic. To my knowledge, no kitarrans are. And I’m only half. Humans generally aren’t telepathic either,” Jones rejoined.

“Okay – so how did you know he was a Low G/Zero G trainer and works for ASDRI?” asked Lynarr.

“The second flows from the first. You can tell he’s skilled in Low G by the way he moves,” Jones answered. “If you train in Low G all the time, you pick up certain movements. If you travel a lot, they become more pronounced. Our artificial gravity is set for 1G – Earth standard – which is just a little lighter than Rising Sun and considerably heavier than Avradega or Andoria. The way he was moving around in his chair – he was testing the grav setting and adjusting to it, preparing himself for combat. You can see Rumi Grace and her team doing that all the time. Our 2nd officer, Lieutenant Commander Gamor does it too. So why would someone that skilled in Low G be out here except to train Earth First for Low G/Zero G missions? And the only targets around here worth going to all that trouble for would be either the planetary defense grid or the weather control grid, which is controlled by the Vulcan Science Academy.”

“If you want to get past vulcan security,” Jones continued, “you hire a vulcan. The planetary defense satellites are andorian. If you want to get past andorian security…”

“Hire an andorian,” Lynarr said.

“And he’s useless if he doesn’t know the most recent system upgrades,” Jones added.

“So he would need to be a current employee of the Avradega Satellite Defense Research Institute,” Buttans concluded. “But what was all that business happening on your forehead?”

“Anana, did you see anything unusual about my forehead on the viewscreen?” Jones asked.

“Like what?” Lynarr responded.

“You would know if you saw it,” said Buttans.

“It’s because she didn’t have the sound turned up enough,” Jones replied. “What you saw was caused by very low sound frequencies interfering with your visual processing. With significant training, I’ve learned how to cook up some really powerful optical illusions with my voice. But the simpler the illusion, the more effective.”

“Very interesting ability,” commented the U.S.S. Hunter’s Director of Ground Operations, Lt. T’Lon, who had been working at her desk at the back of the room. “I would keep quiet about that ability – it isn’t something that is widely known about kitarrans. Do you have enough to update our COO?”

“Don’t you want to hear about it first?” asked Jones.

“There is no point in doing the same work twice, Ensign,” said T’Lon. “If you’re ready for me, you’re ready for Gaia.”

“We are ready, sir,” Jones responded.

Lt. T’Lon looked at her screen for a few moments, then looked up. “I have reserved the Executive Conference room for us right now. Please proceed to the room,” she said, then looked into her screen again. “Director Moon,” she added.

“T’Lon?” came Lt. Moon’s voice over the comm system.

“Salek, Can you join the ground operations department and Lieutenant Commander Gamor in the Executive Conference Room?”

“Give me a moment to batten down a couple of things down here and I’ll be right with you,” Moon replied.

26.6 (of 22)​

 

[Will The Serious]

“It’s because she didn’t have the sound turned up enough,” Jones replied. “What you saw was caused by very low sound frequencies interfering with your visual processing. With significant training, I’ve learned how to cook up some really powerful optical illusions with my voice. But the simpler the illusion, the more effective.”

How very interesting. An audible form of hypnosis, or can sound be used to distort light or the eye's perception of it? I like this idea.

-Will

 

[Robert Bruce Scott]

How very interesting. An audible form of hypnosis, or can sound be used to distort light or the eye's perception of it?

It interrupts the occipital nerves - not so much the eye's perception, but the brain's interpretation of what the eye sees.

Thanks!! rbs