Star Trek: Intrepid - The Double Edge

[Galen4]

Star Trek: Intrepid - The Double Edge Chapter 2

Chapter 2 continued​

Reeve turned from the Operations panel. “Admiral, Captain …new telemetry from our probe. We have another storm entering the system. She’s coming in as a Category Eight.”

Jellico glanced up from his panel. “Let’s see it.”

“Yes sir!” Reeve was so eager to please that had he saluted, it wouldn’t have looked out of place.

A tactical overlay of the system blinked on the main viewer. A rotating sphere was moving across the orbital grid of Kalandra Three, following a trail of marching arrows that ended near the Kokala Nebula.

“Looks like this new front is coming just when we estimated it would----and following our predicted path.” Hiroko said. “Strange that so many ion storms are drawn here. It’s like Kokala is a magnet for them.”

Jellico glared at the screen. “But look at the velocity. This one is traveling faster than we expected.” He consulted the panel before him. “It’s going to cut right through the course of our runabouts. Our pilots will have a hell of a time staying ahead of that thing. And the ionic radiation will probably make them visible to sensors.”

He jumped to his feet, instantly coming to a decision. “Captain Hiroko, I’m pushing back our time table by two hours. We get under way at zero one hundred. Tell Excelsior and Ambassador wings to submit new readiness reports for their vessels every 30 minutes. I want repairs complete by launch time. See that they get whatever resources they need.” He began gesturing in short, karate chop movements. “Inform Zorek that I want him to create a rotating formation which favors our lame ducks. I want a revised strategy in exactly 45 minutes.”

“Yes, sir. But, “ She began carefully, “our four damaged ships could be a serious hindrance. They won’t be at 100 percent in just two hours. And we’re already outnumbered as it is.”

Jellico had begun to walk away, but stopped short at her remark. He looked surprised, then annoyed. “I’m well of aware of that, Captain. But I want to take down that Dominion warship before it completes refueling. We need the element of surprise.” He waived at the main viewer. ”We’ll lose that if our runabouts are discovered early.”

It was the perfect time for a nice big cup of shut the hell up. Unfortunately, Hiroko had a bad habit of badgering her superior officers, challenging their reasoning with aggressive overtures. Given this masochistic tendency, she often thought it miraculous that her career lived on.

“Respectfully, Admiral…we should consider taking the extra two hours to get our remaining ships into the best possible condition. We’ll still be within our intercept window. I would suggest----“

“Captain, I’m not interested in your suggestions at the moment. Follow my orders and be sure the other squadron commanders do the same. It’s not open for discussion. Just get it done.”

Hiroko stiffened. “Yes sir.”

Jellico lingered long enough to convey his disapproval, then moved briskly into a turbo lift and disappeared.

As Hiroko went about fulfilling her deliverables, unwelcome thoughts cycled through the back of her mind. Foremost was her concern about the mission’s outcome. If the Kokala Nebula wasn’t destroyed as planned, Tango Fleet would be forced into a wholly one sided battle----just as they had been at Archer IV, where over 24 starships had been lost.

Her personal feelings were even more worrisome. One of the two runabouts slinking towards Kokala held two officers from Legacy.

And one of those two officers was Legacy’s tactical specialist, Sonya Kantrovitch.

The woman Hiroko loved.

They hadn’t wanted a relationship, but their mutual attraction grew despite their intentions. They had kept it under the radar at first, sneaking around like teenagers, telling themselves it was a passing infatuation that wouldn’t interfere with their duties.

Over the course of two years the “passing infatuation” blossomed into love. Eventually Hiroko decided she was setting a bad example, and came clean with her crew.

From then on, they knew that serving together was a short-lived arrangement. Hiroko had begun to worry excessively about Kantrovitch whenever she was performing hazardous duties----which was a constant given the war. Each instance was becoming more difficult for the captain, and detracted from her command decisions.

It was Kantrovitch who pushed for a transfer. Not just to another ship, but another task force.

“That’s overkill, Babe.” Hiroko had told her over dinner a week ago.

“Is it?” Kantrovitch had asked through her heavy Russian accent. She put her fork down. “If I’m here, you’ll be keeping tabs on whatever ship I’m posted to. It would be too distracting for you. You know this is true.”

Hiroko folded her arms defensively. “Give me some credit, Sonya. I am a starship commander, after all. You don’t have to live in a different quadrant just so I can do my job. As for keeping tabs on your ship, I’ll be doing that no matter where you are. Distance is not the issue.”

“What is the issue, then?”

Hiroko examined her plate of food, which was quickly growing cold. “We wouldn’t see each other.” She declared heavily. “Hardly ever, anyway.”

Kantrovitch reached over and unfolded Hiroko’s arms, taking both of her hands in her own. “Listen to me, Caroline. When the war is over, I want to marry you.” She was characteristically direct with the statement. “I’ll retire and live aboard the Legacy as a civilian. How is that?”

Hiroko was stunned. “Marriage? Well, I would love to; you know we’ve discussed it before. But Sonya…” She squeezed her hands. “Your career…I would never ask you to throw it away for me.”

She didn’t bother to add that a voluntary retirement was probably unrealistic. Given Starfleet’s losses and personnel shortage, stopgap orders would no doubt remain long after the war’s conclusion.

But it was the sentiment that counted here.

Kantrovitch seemed amused, clearly enjoying Hiroko’s reaction. “I’m throwing away nothing, dear. You are a command officer, a career woman. While I have wanted out of Starfleet for some time.” She shrugged. “But I had nothing to entice me.” She caressed Hiroko’s cheek. “Now I have the universe before me.”

“You’re…you’re sure about this?” Her throat tightened.

“Yes. Starfleet has given me much, but…I will be honest.”

Hiroko smiled invitingly.

“I’ve always wanted to be a political cartoonist.”

Now, as Hiroko sat dispensing orders, a familiar doubt surfaced. She wondered again if Kantrovitch had volunteered for such a dangerous assignment because she was such a good pilot and tactical officer----or because she was resisting Hiroko’s protectiveness.

The captain looked pensively at the main viewer and the dark crescent of Kalandra Five, only visible because of computer enhancement.

She could only hope that Kantrovitch wasn’t out there for all the wrong reasons.

Sonya, I’m not ready to lose you. We haven’t had enough time together. So come back to me, okay? Hiroko pleaded silently.

Just please come back…

 

[TheLoneRedshirt]

I'm enjoying this very much thus far! The prologue was tragic yet engaging. Obviously, there is more to this tale than a single battle in the Dominion War.

You've hinted at so many things that can go wrong, chief among them unleashing a Genesis wave into the nebula. And what of this mysterious nebula that attracts such fierce ion storms?

Great character work too. Jellico's bellicose personality is spot-on, a great contrast to Aubrey's brashness. This is promising to be a tremendous story!

 

[Galen4]

I'm enjoying this very much thus far! The prologue was tragic yet engaging. Obviously, there is more to this tale than a single battle in the Dominion War.

You've hinted at so many things that can go wrong, chief among them unleashing a Genesis wave into the nebula. And what of this mysterious nebula that attracts such fierce ion storms?

Great character work too. Jellico's bellicose personality is spot-on, a great contrast to Aubrey's brashness. This is promising to be a tremendous story!

Thanks, LR!
Jellico isn't easy to write, so I'm happy to come even come close.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Looking good.

Just one quibble. It's "Ferengi"

 

[Galen4]

Looking good.

Just one quibble. It's "Ferengi"

Whoops. I used a bad source when I verfified the spelling.
Corrected. And thanks.

 

[mirandafave]

Wow. Quite an interesting nad indeed ominious beginning to the story. The O’lantia are defeated despite their strengths and advantages. Worst still, for some reason they revert back to their stone age level, which may be the result of some further machination on the part of their enemy. Their enemy remains unknown and seem pretty formidable. It should be interesting to see where this is going to take our 'intrepid' explorers.

 

[mirandafave]

Well the introduction of the Intrepid crew is off to an interesting start. The banter and word play between CMO and Counsellor was entertaining as well as illuminating revealing many pertinent facts about our captain. He has garnered fame in the course of the war but a fame he does not seek or relish. Even Jellico appears to know of Aubrey's winning charm and ways. Of course, when the man talks of double edges and putting a dangerous plan in front of other starships commanders one knows they are dealing with a tactician, a keen mind, but one that likes to play it risky. Nice introduction to characters and begins to give a feel for the story and crew.

 

[mirandafave]

Ok so a genesis device weapon being fired into a mysterious nebula shows the type of gambits Starfleet is willing to take in war time. Once upon a time this would have had more than Intrepid's Operations Officer, Lt. Douglas Pal showing a guilty conscience about the act they are about to commit. Compare his attitude to that of his best friend Adol and to Jellico's willingness to use the weapon in the first place you can see just how much the war is taking a toll on Starfleet - the cost of lives and moral principles too.
You've used good choices of characters to explore the situations and to add an emotional investment to the story. Everything has a feel of hanging in the air awaiting some sort of disaster. I wonder what it will be. I figure the nebula is connected to the enemy that took out the O’lantia. Hence the ion storms that are attracted to it - maybe a long ago weapon or a sleeping enemy. That's my two pennies worth. Great stuff.


P.S. Congratulations [if that's the right word] on becoming a part of the United Trek universe. Things were already interesting over there and now they are about to get a whole lot more interesting.

 

[Mistral]

This is a great read. Love what you are doing with the Admiral-I can see Ronny Cox as i read. Genesis used sensibly in a story-what a concept. Most writers shy away from it altogether. Bold on your part to include it. Bravo!

 

[Galen4]

Ok so a genesis device weapon being fired into a mysterious nebula shows the type of gambits Starfleet is willing to take in war time. Once upon a time this would have had more than Intrepid's Operations Officer, Lt. Douglas Pal showing a guilty conscience about the act they are about to commit. Compare his attitude to that of his best friend Adol and to Jellico's willingness to use the weapon in the first place you can see just how much the war is taking a toll on Starfleet - the cost of lives and moral principles too.
You've used good choices of characters to explore the situations and to add an emotional investment to the story. Everything has a feel of hanging in the air awaiting some sort of disaster. I wonder what it will be. I figure the nebula is connected to the enemy that took out the O’lantia. Hence the ion storms that are attracted to it - maybe a long ago weapon or a sleeping enemy. That's my two pennies worth. Great stuff.


P.S. Congratulations [if that's the right word] on becoming a part of the United Trek universe. Things were already interesting over there and now they are about to get a whole lot more interesting.

And thank you for taking the time to write so many comments. Including the reviews you brought over from Ad Astra.

Also, I appreciate the support regarding my entry into United Trek. It's a heck of talent pool to keep up with..whew.

 

[Galen4]

This is a great read. Love what you are doing with the Admiral-I can see Ronny Cox as i read. Genesis used sensibly in a story-what a concept. Most writers shy away from it altogether. Bold on your part to include it. Bravo!

Much appreciated.
Even if Genesis has been used a lot in other stories, I'm glad that I can generate interest with my own twist.
More to come!

 

[Mistral]

This is a great read. Love what you are doing with the Admiral-I can see Ronny Cox as i read. Genesis used sensibly in a story-what a concept. Most writers shy away from it altogether. Bold on your part to include it. Bravo!

Much appreciated.
Even if Genesis has been used a lot in other stories, I'm glad that I can generate interest with my own twist.
More to come!

I like the way you're using it-most often its mis-handled by fan writers.

 

[Dnoth]

I'm just getting familiar with your crew here. I like Aubrey and i agree your Jellico is right on. "Chain of Command" was actually playing in the background as I read it. Definitely the same guy.

I look forward to see what these creatures are and if indeed they use the Genesis device.

Obviously Betazed will fall, but it will be interesting to see their efforts.

 

[Gibraltar]

I too think you’ve nailed Jellico spot on, highlighting his arrogance, while also underscoring his intelligence and decisiveness.

Aubrey’s taking a huge gamble here by playing with forbidden technologies. Even if this risky plan works, heaven forbid the Dominion is tempted to reply in kind with something equally horrific against the Federation and its allies.

The brief scene with Captain Hiroko reflecting on her concern for her fiancé was poignant and touching. I hope it doesn’t presage disaster for one or both of them… but as our characters well know, war is hell.

Marvelous character work and plotting.

 

[Galen4]

Thanks for the supportive comments. I'm pleased that my Jellico is agreeable with those who know the character well. Cannon characters are always the most challenging, because it's tough to get them to "ring true".

 

[CeJay]

Ah yes, familiarity is settling in again. I won't spoil anything but if memory serves correct, things will become very interesting here, very soon.

And don't you just hate it when writers press all the right emotional buttons, make us care for the characters and their relationships only to put them all into horrible danger? Oh well, risk is their business, somebody important once said.

A terrific story so far which is only going to get better.

 

[Galen4]

Chapter 3​

Runabout Montreal
Approaching Kokala Nebula

Lt. Commander Sonya Kantrovitch brushed a lock of red hair from her eyes and considered Legacy’s Master Chief Petty Officer. “It is moving faster than we predicted.” She agreed stoically.

Loker was grim. The Bolian brought up the data from the ion storm that was gaining on them and put it up on the side monitor. “You could say that, Commander. And at that velocity it could overtake us. Can we outrun it?”

“Category Eight.” Kantrovitch added dismally. “And yes. We can outrun it, but only barely.” Because of her heavy Russian accent, her pronunciation of “we” came out as “vee”.

Loker rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Are you sure we can’t jump to warp long enough to launch Genesis? The torpedo’s sustainer engine would carry it the remainder of the way…”

She lowered her head, as if observing him over the rim of invisible spectacles. “Tsk, tsk. Chief, you know better. We are much too close. Were you sleeping during the mission briefing?”

“No, ma’am.” He set a lopsided grin into place. “But I plan to sleep now, if you don’t mind. Just wake me when this is over.”

Kantrovitch internalized any amusement she might have felt. She looked over his shoulder fastidiously at the wall monitor. “The storm creates more than one problem for us. Its intensity could make us visible to sensors.”

The timing might as well have been scripted. No sooner had Kantrovitch uttered her dire warning than the ship’s proximity alarm went off.

Loker shot forward in his chair and began checking his data screen at once. With dread, he could see three sensor returns on the passive long range scan.

He was angrier than he was scared. “How? We kept our power curve below the threshold. The Federation sensor net shouldn’t have detected us!”

“The ion storm, as I said. The electromagnetic wash is charging our hull. We are glowing like a Christmas tree.”

Loker clacked his teeth together anxiously as he observed the sensor contacts grow larger. “Three Jem’Hadar fighters inbound. Closing fast.” He resisted the urge for wishful thinking. “They see us, all right.” He consulted a different screen. “Estimating weapons range in four minutes, 19 seconds.”

Kantrovitch took the news in stride. “Mr. Loker, raise shields. Power up the ship to maximum and set auxiliary reserves for automatic feed to the shields. ” She punched out a short sequence on her board. “I am executing evasive pattern Delta Standard.”

Loker’s hands danced over his interface. “Commander…Delta Standard is nearly a straight line.”

“We have little room to move. We are caught between the ion storm and enemy fighters. We are sandwich.”

Loker blinked rapidly, his personal mannerism to express amusement. “Yes. We are about to become a sandwich, ma’am.” He gave her a fast glimpse, hoping for salvation. “Can you get us through?”

A thundering blast shook the runabout. Sparks flew out of two rear stations.

“YA!” Loker yelled. “Direct hit to portside forward! Shields at 54 percent. They shouldn’t have been in range yet!”

Kantrovitch scanned the Genesis status board, to make sure it escaped damage. She was relieved to find it free of harm. “It would appear that our intelligence on Dominion ships is out of date.”

They were hit again. This time a shower of burning embers and plastiglass rained over them as the bulkhead monitors blew out. Somewhere behind them, a small fire burned.

“Warp core is down! Shields at 22 percent and falling.” Loker looked wildly at his status board. “We have a plasma leak on the starboard nacelle.”

“Chief…stand by to initiate a polarized tachyon burst on my order.” Kantrovitch instructed.

Loker set up the procedure, already guessing what she had in mind. But he was perplexed by her obvious error. “Commander, we don’t have the power to disrupt the Jem’Hadar’s shields.”

She didn’t bother with a response. The fighters were looming big through the view port as they bore down on the Montreal.

They hit the runabout twice more on the way in. Fire suppression gas blew out through five different ruptures. The interior lights went out and a spider web of fractures spread across the forward window.

“We have superstructure damage!” Loker bellowed. “Shields now at 12 percent!”

Kantrovitch held her course stubbornly.

Because the Montreal was nearly at full speed when the attack started, Kantrovitch was able to kick the impulse engines into maximum velocity with very little extra energy.

The lead fighter was now so close they would have been able to see the pilots if there were windows.

At the last minute, she pulled the runabout hard to port.

Loker threw up his hands in shock.

Collision course! There was no time to protest. His mind had only a split second to register that he was about to die.

Except that Kantrovitch wasn’t planning for either of them to die just yet. She knew that Jem’Hadar pilots often did Kamikaze style attacks, but only if there was a tactical advantage in it. She gambled they wouldn’t waste a fighter and its crew to destroy a mere runabout.

The Dominion fighter banked away to avoid the impact. Kantrovitch matched the maneuver, taking the runabout directly under the other ship’s belly. She handed helm control off to the computer at that point, since only it could perform the instantaneous course corrections needed to stay alongside the enemy craft.

“NOW!” She yelled.

Montreal’s deflector began a rotating burst of charges tachyons. The beam was weak, but was only meters away from the fighter’s shield boundary…

Loker’s face was rendered in astonishment. “It’s working! I don’t believe it’s working! Their shields have thinned out just above us!”

Kantrovitch heard her cue. She keyed up the phasers, and then riddled the Jem’Hadar’s undercarriage with a volley of shots at point blank range.

She didn’t hover to admire her handiwork. Montreal slammed on her braking thrusters to create a gap between the vessels.

Loker and Kantrovitch both watched the fighter zoom past them, leaking plasma and debris from its slashed under belly.

Their reward came soon after.

They saw overlapping flashes, and then the Dominion warshship lost its starboard wing in a scintillating burst of light.

 

[Galen4]

Chapter 3 Continued​

“YAH-HA-HA!” The Bolian crowed in triumph. “Didn’t expect that now, DID YOU?” He looked across at his superior officer as though she could walk on water. “Great job, Commander!”

Kantrovitch coughed loudly into the crook of her elbow, as smoke filled the cabin from flashed out equipment. “Arm the Genesis weapon.” She rasped.

Loker grinned as he looked at the sensor board, watching the two remaining fighters come about and start their attack run. “Well, it’s a waste to launch at them instead of the nebula, but at least----“

His smile fell away as understanding caught up with him. Using Genesis as a weapon would make escape impossible for them as well as their enemy.

“Understood.” He replied thickly. He began typing in the arming sequence.

“Zero out the timer and give detonation control to both of us.”

He complied, but couldn’t contain himself. “Commander…why did you do it? If you thought it was hopeless, why did you take on that fighter? You must have known it wouldn’t accomplish anything.”

Kantrovitch laughed softly. “You’re a good man, Chief. And you are correct. It was foolhardy.”

“Then why?” He persisted.

A cruel smile played over her lips. Her accent became thicker than usual, as it often did whenever she was boiling mad or feeling bloodthirsty. “Because…I just vonted to make them BLEED first.”

So this was it. She wasn’t offering anything else from her bag of tricks.

Loker wrestled with disbelief. He had been so sure that they were going to make it. An odd sense of detachment began to overtake him, as though these events were happening to someone else.

It seemed like a bad dream. He half expected to wake up in his bunk aboard Legacy at any moment. He could almost see himself in the Enlisted Mess, talking to his comrades the next morning, as he studied his duty manifest for the day. Hey, you guys aren’t going to believe the wild dream I had last night, he would tell them.

A status indicator quickly returned him to the moment. It blared a single word in red letters:

COMITT​

The runabout lurched wildly as another blast ripped into the small ship.

Loker was hammered by flaming shrapnel as the rear transporter console and several layers of bulkhead erupted behind him.

The cockpit was now a smoking ruin. The Montreal’s shields had been obliterated and the air was nearly opaque with toxic gas. Half the interior was ablaze.

Only the heavily shielded Genesis console was operating. She verified it was still working, and then stole a last glance at Loker. She saw him laying face down on his burning console, a shard of metal wedged deeply into the base of this skull. She wished his spirit a good journey.

Perhaps the fighters were close enough, perhaps they weren’t. But she was out of time. Her life was now measured in seconds.

She reached out and began to depress the triggering button…

Sonya Kantrovitch lived a lifetime within the blink of an eye. All that should have been unfolded before her with hellish clarity. She saw herself and Caroline Hiroko, years in the future, celebrating at Caroline’s retirement party.

She saw Hiroko come into Kantrovitch’s future art studio, waving a PADD before her, excitedly reporting that the adoption papers had come through.

She saw them together as old women, holding hands in the park at Tyco City…

The Montreal and its occupants dissolved into a cascading wave of subatomic particles. The spherical wave front inflated at the speed of light, encompassing all three Jem’Hadar fighters and disassociating them on contact.

The Genesis wave continued to march outward, consuming the few hydrogen atoms and trace gases that were present. Eventually the reaction began to starve as it ran out of fuel to sustain its momentum.

By the time the ion storm passed through the region, there was nothing left.

It was as if all four vessels, and the sentient life within them, had never existed at all.

 

[Galen4]

Chapter 3​

continued


***​

USS Legacy
Orbiting Kalandra Five

Hiroko dove out of her command chair and arrived at the OPS station in three quick steps. “Ensign, get me coordinates. Right now!”

As Reeve checked his data, Hiroko looked grimly at the graphic before her. The visual signature of the Genesis wave was unmistakable.

“Admiral to the bridge!” She called out intensely.

“I have the coordinates,” Reeve declared. “Detonation occurred outside the nebula.” With tones of restrained solace he added, “No damage to Kokala Ma’am.”

“Verify which runabout that was, Ensign.” A cold rock was beginning to form in Hiroko’s stomach.

When Reeve’s response came a moment later, it was barely audible. “The Montreal, Ma’am. It has to be. The Chin Ho is approaching from a completely different vector.”

Hiroko squeezed her eyes shut. The deck seemed to tilt under her feet. Myoho-renge-kyo, she chanted silently, fighting for control.

Jellico burst onto the bridge at that moment.

Anticipating the coming order, Reeve put the data up on the main viewer. Overlaid against a pattern of hexagons, a balloon inflated quickly, but its expansion slowed to a crawl almost at once.

“Not close enough.” Jellico made the statement into a curse, shaking his head at the viewer. “Did the Genesis wave do any damage at all?”

Legacy’s first officer, Lt. Commander Wo’Hal, was a serious young Efrosian who had just joined the ship a month ago, after his predecessor was promoted. He knew that his captain just had the wind knocked out of her. She seemed as still and lifeless as a sculpture. “They may have fallen short of the nebula sir, but they took three Dominion fighters with them when they went.” He had covered for Hiroko unctuously.

No one breathed the obvious. There was only one reason that a premature detonation could have occurred. The runabout crews were under orders to avoid capture at any cost. Genesis might or might not make the Dominion more dangerous----but it was a question to which no one wanted an answer.

Around Legacy’s bridge, faces dropped in mourning. Loker and Kantrovitch had each been well-respected members of the ship’s community. They had had friends.

Many friends.

“It looks like the sand just ran out of our hour glass, wouldn’t you say, Captain?” The admiral harrumphed. He was nearly vibrating with contained energy.

“Yes, sir.” Hiroko said woodenly. She stared at the forward viewer with dead eyes.

Jellico did a subtle double take, finally reading her taught face.

He understood immediately.

“Captain, please inform the fleet that we’ll be getting under way in a matter of minutes.” His tone was surprisingly gentle. “Have all ships stand by to interlink with Nagasaki. And put Zorek through to your ready room.” He moved off, observing the rock like posture of Hiroko over his shoulder.

Once again, Wo’Hal suavely interceded for his captain. “We’ll see to it, sir.”

Everyone on the bridge avoided looking Hiroko’s way. They tended to their stations with steadfast concentration.

Hiroko walked back to her chair and sat down, smoothly crossing her legs. Her expression now seemed as inscrutable as a Vulcan’s. “Ensign Reeve, monitor the nebula’s dead zone closely for any activity. I want to know the instant enemy forces appear.”

Commander Wo’Hal bent in Hiroko’s direction, beaming empathy from beneath his shock of white hair. “Captain,” He whispered, “I want you to know that Sonya meant---“

She held up a finger to silence the Efrosian’s sympathetic eulogy. “I need you to open a channel to the fleet.”

“Yes Ma’am.” Wo’Hal hesitated, keeping a consolatory gaze upon her. He had wanted her to know that despite her command responsibilities, she wasn’t alone. Her crewmates----her second family aboard Legacy----would be there for her. She need not suffer in isolation.

But there was no time.

There was time for so very little these days.

He sat back and dispensed orders to the tactical officer behind him, wondering when and if another opportunity would appear----or if his captain would meet her end before hearing a single word of comfort.

Beside him and unseen, Hiroko’s lower lip began to tremble. She bit down on it savagely.

By the time she addressed the fleet, she was steady and composed.

***​

USS Legacy
Captain’s Ready Room

Zorek was the picture of a dissatisfied parent, admonishing his child. “I wish again to reiterate the inherent risks in what we are about to attempt, Admiral.” He almost scowled as he looked out at Jellico from the tabletop viewer. “We will be executing a controlled warp jump to travel across a region of space that is, in astronomical terms, an infinitesimally small distance. Such a maneuver would be daunting for a single vessel. But there is danger involved for a contingent of ships moving in concert, particularly while keeping a tight formation.”

Jellico’s intention had been to make sure Zorek’s people were prepared for an immediate launch, not to have a debate. Impatience simmered under his words. “There’s no need for a review of the mission plan, Captain. We’ve already covered this ground. We’ll have helm control for all ships slaved to Nagasaki during the maneuver, as we agreed before. That should allow us to move in unison the instant your people get a sensor fix on the enemy fleet.”

Zorek raised a bushy eyebrow. “We are still plagued by variables beyond our control. Foremost is the individual performance of each vessel’s warp core. Success hinges on the entirety of our fleet accelerating to warp speed then down shifting to sublight in a matter of seconds----to arrive upon precise coordinates. If even one of our vessels is off its respective mark by a decimal point, the fleet could experience catastrophic collisions.”

The statuary Vulcan was the only subordinate in the galaxy who could get away with speaking to Jellico as though he were a reckless cadet. The admiral closed his eyes in one of those “so-help-me-God” sort of expressions. “An acceptable risk if it allows us to drop right into the Dominion’s lap.” He rumbled. “And we’re out of options.”

“Not entirely.” Zorek corrected. “There is the other runabout.”

Jellico sighed dismissively. “Let me be candid. Aubrey’s people don’t have a chance in hell, and we both know it. Kantrovitch was the best we had, and if she couldn’t get the job done, the other crew certainly won’t either. Not with the enemy about to leave the nebula at any moment.” He cocked his head at the ceiling. “And certainly not with a Category Eight ion storm lighting up the system.”

“It would be prudent for our damaged ships to execute their maneuvers separately and under their own control. If they jump after the fleet, it might alleviate some of the risk poised by sluggish warp cores.”

Jellico examined the tabletop for a moment before nodding. “I agree. I’ll send out new orders. Modify our formation accordingly and copy the fleet on the changes. Let’s get on with it, Captain.”

Zorek’s timbre became auspicious. “Admiral, while it is unlikely that our second runabout will succeed, it is not impossible.”

“From your mouth to God’s ear, Captain. Jellico out.” The admiral switched off the terminal. Before leaving the room, he spared a quick, hopeful glance out the window.

 

[Galen4]

Chapter 3 continued

***​

USS Intrepid
Orbiting Kalandra Five

Captain Jason Aubrey took another bite of his croissant and acknowledged his tactical offer, Lt. Rodriguez, with a bob of his head.

“So I think we’ve covered most of the tactical simulations, sir. They include all the data from our last battle at Archer IV.”

Aubrey swallowed his food. “Good…just make sure the hanger deck is cleared in case we get backed into a corner out there. If so, I’ll want those shuttles ready to go before the order leaves my mouth.”

Rodriguez wiped his increasingly wet brow. “They will be, sir.”

The captain straightened up from where he had been leaning over the tactical podium. He patted Rodriguez’s shoulder. “You’ll do fine. Just remember to breath. Adol couldn’t have picked a better replacement.”

The young Latino man repaid the compliment with a smile, but inwardly he wished the Andorian would magically appear to relive him of this burden. Rodriguez had never manned tactical during combat----and this was hardly the conflict upon which he would have chosen to cut his teeth.

Turning away, the captain paused to look around the auxiliary bridge with pride. He noted how his crew was efficiently tying up final preparations for the coming ordeal.

He also noticed how much more immaculate the room was compared to its counterpart topside.

During combat operations, Aubrey preferred to direct his vessel from this secondary bridge, nestled within Deck Five, because it offered better protection for his command staff. The main bridge was a stand-alone structure atop the saucer module, and he considered it too vulnerable a target.

The Intrepid was an upgraded Excelsior model, which sported state of the art systems and an enhanced weapons package. After her initial decommissioning, the ship had become a guinea pig for Starfleet’s Project Renaissance, which sought to maximize the Excelsior line to its full potential. Because of this, Intrepid was an odd blend of old and new science. She also had firepower that put her on equal footing with a Galaxy class starship.

It all looked great on paper----but her extreme makeover left Intrepid dangerously overpowered for a ship of her class, creating multiple performance issues. Had it not been for the war, the ship would never have returned to active service.

Because of his ship’s tactical superiority and Aubrey’s strategic talent, Jellico had given him command of the Excelsior Wing. He accepted the responsibility, but would have preferred to focus on his own vessel and crew.

“Captain, here are the latest readiness briefings from the Excelsior Wing.” Commander Shantok, an attractive Vulcan woman with high cheekbones and jet-black hair, handed Aubrey a PADD. “Kursk, Richardson, Conestoga and the Reckoning are operating at 90 percent efficiency and show combat readiness. However…”

Aubrey skimmed over the report, seeing the object of her concern. “I was afraid of this. Repairs to Argentina and Dionysus are going slowly. They’ll still be running at half power by the time we get under way.” He gave the PADD back to her. “What’s the problem over there? Do they need me to assign more personnel?”

“Captains Fleishman and Happel have assured me it is not a question of extra bodies, sir. Rather, it is the delicacy of the work being performed. The Argentina is reseating three portside shield generators. The Dionysus crew is rerouting their primary EPS grid. Both endeavors require methodical execution.”

He grimaced. “I’m assuming they can’t get their cores back to full power any faster, either?”

“Due to the calibration time needed for the injector manifolds, four hours is the minimum, regardless of manpower.”

“So any way we slice it, they’ll be under par when we move out.”

Shantok remained impassive. “Yes. However, Captain Zorek’s new formation strategy is efficient and will allow us to gain maximum usage from both ships.”

The pride in her voice was unmistakable. At least, it was to Aubrey. He was one of the few who knew the source of that pride…

Shantok was an interspecies mix. Her father had been a fugitive Betazoid criminal who had consummated with Shantok’s mother, a Vulcan Priestess, while she was hiding him from the authorities.

Given the circumstances of Shantok’s conception, her mother’s family had been shamed to learn of her birth. She wasn’t officially ostracized, but as she grew older, reasons were conveniently found----all of them quite logical of course----to isolate her from the family.

In the meantime, her mother was unable to bear the condemnation of her peers and her family, and fled Vulcan, leaving her daughter to her own devices.

Vulcan and Betazoid genes together made for a formidable combination. As a young girl, Shantok’s telepathic abilities quickly grew beyond her control. In despair, she applied herself rigorously to the teaching of Surak, hoping to block the storm of outside thoughts that continuously assailed her. But without family guidance and support, her path to tranquility became a rocky road. And the Vulcan Masters she found on her own had been lacking to say the least.

She eventually came to understand it was because they weren’t trying very hard. The stigma of her birth----and the dangerous psionic gift that came with it----had made her a de facto outcast by the time she reached her 14th birthday.

It had been Zorek who took Shantok in hand and allowed her to harness the tempest, rather than rage against it. Only through his dedicated training was she able to find peace. With his support she finally gave herself permission to demand respect, from others and herself.