Stargate: First Contact
- Thread starter BrotherBenny
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Oops...Romulans! Now, how are Christopher and Co. going to get out of this?
Alien vessel
February 8th 1990
T minus 9 hours 44 minutes
‘This is not good,’ the alien said, bringing a sidearm to bear.
‘Definitely not for you,’ Christopher said and fired three shots from his P90 into the alien’s chest.
Solkar stepped back at the noise of the gun and then knelt in front of the body. ‘It would appear as though this alien is at least Vulcanoid in ancestry.’
‘Surak says that this is a Romulan,’ Christopher said in a dispassionate tone. ‘The noise will surely bring more of them.’
Cochrane looked around. ‘We can leave him here and take the elevator to the shuttle deck. We are in a hurry.’
‘Indeed,’ Solkar replied. ‘Remove him from the turbolift, please.’
Sloane sighed. ‘Don’t like dead bodies? There’ll be plenty more before this is all over,’ she said as she single-handedly hauled the dead Romulan from the turbolift. ‘Shall we go?’
They all stepped in and Solkar pressed the button for the shuttlebay, studiously ignoring the green blood pooling on the deck carpeting. When the doors opened again, they found themselves in another corridor, this one with large doors at the other end.
‘The hangar, I presume?’ Christopher asked.
‘We call it a shuttlebay,’ Solkar replied. ‘But yes, you are correct. It contains conveyances to get us off this vessel.’
‘A yes would have sufficed,’ Cochrane muttered.
‘Doc, since you’ve shown your skills to be pretty good, do you think you can override any security lockouts we might find?’
‘I’ll have to, won’t I, if we want to get out of here.’
‘Optimism is illogical,’ Solkar replied evenly. ‘Either we will succeed in leaving this vessel or we will not.’
‘Vulcans,’ Cochrane cursed, thinking of the man he knew back on Earth.
Solkar raised an eyebrow but said nothing as the group approached the large doors. As they got within two feet of them, they opened, revealing a cramped hangar in which four craft sat in rows of two.
‘Does anyone know how to fly?’ Sloane asked with a smirk.
‘I can pilot anything that flies,’ Christopher replied with a grin.
‘You are not familiar with this technology.’
‘Up, down, forward, reverse, it’s the same on all birds.’
Sloane sighed. ‘They won’t get the reference, sir.’
Christopher grinned. ‘Doesn’t matter, how many can these ships hold?’
‘Enough for us all to escape,’ Solkar said archly, ‘provided that we do it soon.’
‘Keep your ears on,’ Christopher said and opened the hatch in one of the craft.
He whistled in appreciation and the others joined him. ‘Can we go? We’re supposed to be meeting T’Pau at the rendezvous point.’
Sloane sighed as she glanced at Cochrane. It sounded like he had a thing for the alien woman. ‘He’s right, we should get moving.’
The group took seats in the Romulan shuttle and Christopher took the pilot’s chair. He stared at the controls for a few seconds and then began to run through a preflight sequence as though he was familiar with the vessel.
‘Surak again?’ Sloane asked from the co-pilot’s chair.
Christopher nodded. ‘He knows a lot more than he’s letting on about the Romulans.’
‘Have we been pulled into the middle of a family feud?’ Sloane asked as the alien craft rose from the deck and pivoted toward the hangar door.
‘It would appear so and it would seem that Surak now has a plan for us, but I have no idea what he’s doing.’
‘And he won’t leave your head?’
‘Nope.’
‘Why aren’t we leaving?’ Cochrane asked.
‘The Romulans have sealed the hangar door.’
‘Then blast it.’
Christopher glanced back at Cochrane. ‘Good idea.’
Christopher activated the weapons and fired a disruptor blast. The hangar door exploded outward, sending shards of metal in every direction. Before the Romulans could do anything, Christopher flew the shuttle out into space and engaged the cloaking device that he didn’t even know was there.
‘How are we going to get past the Vulcan ships?’ Solkar asked.
‘This shuttle is equipped with a cloaking device, rendering us invisible to the Vulcans through scanning and the naked eye,’ Christopher answered in Surak’s voice.
‘Sir?’ Sloane said.
‘Surak has taken complete control of his body,’ Solkar stated with a raised eyebrow.
Sloane looked at him. ‘Why?’
‘I need to make sure that the Kir’Shara is not put into the wrong hands. Colonel Christopher was starting to resist. It was logical that I take this step in order to ensure the safety and continuation of the Vulcan people.’
Solkar nodded. ‘“The needs of the many...”’ he began.
‘“Outweigh the needs of the one.”’ Christopher/Surak finished.
‘What does that mean?’
‘It means that until I am sure the Kir’Shara is safe and the Vulcan people are once again following my teachings, I will keep this body.’
Sloane sighed. ‘Just thought you should know, he really likes his meat.’
Cochrane chuckled. ‘He’s gonna be pissed when you give his body back.’
Christopher/Surak raised an eyebrow. ‘That may be the case, but at this moment in time, it is imperative that we rendezvous with T’Pau and the remaining Syrrannites.’
Cochrane suddenly had this feeling that something was very wrong and communicated it to Sloane via a look. Sloane nodded and tried to relinquish the co-pilot’s chair. Christopher/Surak used one hand to hold her in place.
Solkar spoke and his voice was raised two octaves higher than usual. ‘You are not Surak. He would never behave in such a manner.’
‘I am Surak, just not the Surak you supposedly remember.’
‘The Romulans have coerced his katra,’ Cochrane replied.
Solkar turned to him. ‘Explain?’
‘Surak said that he has travelled. I believe he travelled to the Romulan homeworld and his katra was discovered. He was brainwashed, in a manner of speaking, and then returned home to fulfil the Romulans’ plan.’
‘A logical assumption, and one that fits the available evidence,’ Solkar agreed. ‘The question remains on how to prevent the rendezvous.’
Sloane had been moving her hands under the co-pilot’s console and discovered their salvation. ‘With this,’ she said and pointed the handheld disruptor at Christopher/Surak.
‘You would not kill your commanding officer to prevent me from completing my mission,’ he said.
‘Search his memories, you’ll find that I will do whatever it takes for my mission to succeed,’ she countered.
Sloane fired.
February 8th 1990
T minus 9 hours 44 minutes
‘This is not good,’ the alien said, bringing a sidearm to bear.
‘Definitely not for you,’ Christopher said and fired three shots from his P90 into the alien’s chest.
Solkar stepped back at the noise of the gun and then knelt in front of the body. ‘It would appear as though this alien is at least Vulcanoid in ancestry.’
‘Surak says that this is a Romulan,’ Christopher said in a dispassionate tone. ‘The noise will surely bring more of them.’
Cochrane looked around. ‘We can leave him here and take the elevator to the shuttle deck. We are in a hurry.’
‘Indeed,’ Solkar replied. ‘Remove him from the turbolift, please.’
Sloane sighed. ‘Don’t like dead bodies? There’ll be plenty more before this is all over,’ she said as she single-handedly hauled the dead Romulan from the turbolift. ‘Shall we go?’
They all stepped in and Solkar pressed the button for the shuttlebay, studiously ignoring the green blood pooling on the deck carpeting. When the doors opened again, they found themselves in another corridor, this one with large doors at the other end.
‘The hangar, I presume?’ Christopher asked.
‘We call it a shuttlebay,’ Solkar replied. ‘But yes, you are correct. It contains conveyances to get us off this vessel.’
‘A yes would have sufficed,’ Cochrane muttered.
‘Doc, since you’ve shown your skills to be pretty good, do you think you can override any security lockouts we might find?’
‘I’ll have to, won’t I, if we want to get out of here.’
‘Optimism is illogical,’ Solkar replied evenly. ‘Either we will succeed in leaving this vessel or we will not.’
‘Vulcans,’ Cochrane cursed, thinking of the man he knew back on Earth.
Solkar raised an eyebrow but said nothing as the group approached the large doors. As they got within two feet of them, they opened, revealing a cramped hangar in which four craft sat in rows of two.
‘Does anyone know how to fly?’ Sloane asked with a smirk.
‘I can pilot anything that flies,’ Christopher replied with a grin.
‘You are not familiar with this technology.’
‘Up, down, forward, reverse, it’s the same on all birds.’
Sloane sighed. ‘They won’t get the reference, sir.’
Christopher grinned. ‘Doesn’t matter, how many can these ships hold?’
‘Enough for us all to escape,’ Solkar said archly, ‘provided that we do it soon.’
‘Keep your ears on,’ Christopher said and opened the hatch in one of the craft.
He whistled in appreciation and the others joined him. ‘Can we go? We’re supposed to be meeting T’Pau at the rendezvous point.’
Sloane sighed as she glanced at Cochrane. It sounded like he had a thing for the alien woman. ‘He’s right, we should get moving.’
The group took seats in the Romulan shuttle and Christopher took the pilot’s chair. He stared at the controls for a few seconds and then began to run through a preflight sequence as though he was familiar with the vessel.
‘Surak again?’ Sloane asked from the co-pilot’s chair.
Christopher nodded. ‘He knows a lot more than he’s letting on about the Romulans.’
‘Have we been pulled into the middle of a family feud?’ Sloane asked as the alien craft rose from the deck and pivoted toward the hangar door.
‘It would appear so and it would seem that Surak now has a plan for us, but I have no idea what he’s doing.’
‘And he won’t leave your head?’
‘Nope.’
‘Why aren’t we leaving?’ Cochrane asked.
‘The Romulans have sealed the hangar door.’
‘Then blast it.’
Christopher glanced back at Cochrane. ‘Good idea.’
Christopher activated the weapons and fired a disruptor blast. The hangar door exploded outward, sending shards of metal in every direction. Before the Romulans could do anything, Christopher flew the shuttle out into space and engaged the cloaking device that he didn’t even know was there.
‘How are we going to get past the Vulcan ships?’ Solkar asked.
‘This shuttle is equipped with a cloaking device, rendering us invisible to the Vulcans through scanning and the naked eye,’ Christopher answered in Surak’s voice.
‘Sir?’ Sloane said.
‘Surak has taken complete control of his body,’ Solkar stated with a raised eyebrow.
Sloane looked at him. ‘Why?’
‘I need to make sure that the Kir’Shara is not put into the wrong hands. Colonel Christopher was starting to resist. It was logical that I take this step in order to ensure the safety and continuation of the Vulcan people.’
Solkar nodded. ‘“The needs of the many...”’ he began.
‘“Outweigh the needs of the one.”’ Christopher/Surak finished.
‘What does that mean?’
‘It means that until I am sure the Kir’Shara is safe and the Vulcan people are once again following my teachings, I will keep this body.’
Sloane sighed. ‘Just thought you should know, he really likes his meat.’
Cochrane chuckled. ‘He’s gonna be pissed when you give his body back.’
Christopher/Surak raised an eyebrow. ‘That may be the case, but at this moment in time, it is imperative that we rendezvous with T’Pau and the remaining Syrrannites.’
Cochrane suddenly had this feeling that something was very wrong and communicated it to Sloane via a look. Sloane nodded and tried to relinquish the co-pilot’s chair. Christopher/Surak used one hand to hold her in place.
Solkar spoke and his voice was raised two octaves higher than usual. ‘You are not Surak. He would never behave in such a manner.’
‘I am Surak, just not the Surak you supposedly remember.’
‘The Romulans have coerced his katra,’ Cochrane replied.
Solkar turned to him. ‘Explain?’
‘Surak said that he has travelled. I believe he travelled to the Romulan homeworld and his katra was discovered. He was brainwashed, in a manner of speaking, and then returned home to fulfil the Romulans’ plan.’
‘A logical assumption, and one that fits the available evidence,’ Solkar agreed. ‘The question remains on how to prevent the rendezvous.’
Sloane had been moving her hands under the co-pilot’s console and discovered their salvation. ‘With this,’ she said and pointed the handheld disruptor at Christopher/Surak.
‘You would not kill your commanding officer to prevent me from completing my mission,’ he said.
‘Search his memories, you’ll find that I will do whatever it takes for my mission to succeed,’ she countered.
Sloane fired.
Nice! A katra double-cross! IIRC, these Romulan disruptors don't have stun settings...
Romulan shuttle
February 8th 1990
T minus 7 hours 02 minutes
Solkar activated one of the smaller screens in the shuttle and everyone watched the Romulan vessel explode as a quartet of Vulcan ships converged on it. The Vulcan ships immediately peeled away from the carnage and headed in their direction, back to the planet and presumably their regular patrol routes.
‘There has to be another Romulan ship out here somewhere, and I’ll bet it’s cloaked,’ Sloane said as she tended Christopher’s wounds.
‘A logical assumption, but we are unable to detect them until they decloak,’ T’Pol replied. ‘There is nothing we can do.’
Cochrane looked up from the padd he was working on. ‘There’s always something you can do. On Earth, there are nation states who have been at war with one another for decades and they fight dirty, using guerrilla tactics, hitting a number of small targets to attack the greater whole.’
Solkar raised an eyebrow. ‘Vulcans are pacifists.’
‘Then why do you have such powerful vessels?’ Sloane countered before Cochrane could ask the same question.
‘For defensive purposes, the galaxy is a dangerous place.’
‘Who are you trying to convince?’ Cochrane asked.
‘Will he live?’ T’Pol asked, glancing at the colonel’s prone figure.
‘The disruptor blast didn’t kill him, though it should have. It is possible that Surak’s katra took the blunt of the impact. I’m sorry.’
‘An interesting theory,’ Solkar added. ‘Although it would explain much. Your apology is unnecessary. If Surak has indeed been corrupted then there may be a much larger problem at hand.’
‘Meaning?’
‘T’Pau melded with him and he may have corrupted her as well. She is carrying the Kir’Shara.’
‘Captain T’Mir to Syrrannites. T’Pau has given the Kir’Shara to us and turned herself in as an enemy of the State. You would be wise to follow her example,’ a woman’s voice sputtered over the speaker.
‘Would she do that?’
‘Only if there was no other alternative,’ T’Pol replied. ‘V’Las has been making impressive inroads into the High Command in recent months, reassigning commanding officers loyal to him to the newer vessels.’
‘Sounds like he’s planning something.’
‘What?’
‘I think he’s trying to eradicate the Syrrannites, he considers you rebels doesn’t he? A holdover from an earlier time?’ Cochrane asked.
‘That is true,’ Solkar agreed. ‘What does he hope to achieve?’
‘It would be logical to eliminate anyone who could challenge him if he were planning to change our society from what it is.’
‘Could he be working with the Romulans?’ Sloane asked as Christopher stirred.
Solkar was about to answer when the shuttle suddenly rocked. He held on and brought it back under control but was not able to save the cloak.
‘What was that?’ Cochrane asked.
‘They knew what part of the vessel to attack,’ T’Pol replied. ‘I believe it is a logical assumption that V’Las is working with the Romulans.’
‘To do what? Destabilise your society?’ Cochrane asked.
‘Make it ripe for occupation.’
‘The Sundered Cousins are returning home to seek revenge on those who cast them out.’
‘And they used the katra of the man who orchestrated their removal to do it. A brilliant strategy.’
‘We have lost the cloak and need somewhere safe to regroup,’ Solkar interrupted.
‘Do you have a moon?’
‘Vulcan has no lunar satellites.’
‘Any other planets in this system remotely habitable?’
‘Yes, but they will have been co-opted by V’Las.’
‘The Romulan shuttle is more manoeuvrable than the Vulcan ships but I do not believe we are capable of outrunning them.’
‘If we knew where T’Pau was, could we rescue her?’ Christopher asked as he sat up.
Sloane pumped him full of painkillers.
‘She will be held in the meeting chamber of the High Command.’
‘Does this vessel have those transporter things that the larger vessel did?’
‘Yes, and faster-than-light capability.’
Sloane, Christopher and Cochrane shared a look between them that was completely in sync. ‘Then we have a plan,’ Christopher said.
‘What do you propose?’
Christopher and Sloane outlined their plan as the Vulcans listened in. Solkar was doing an admirable job of avoiding the Vulcan pursuit but he was not a pilot. Christopher was and even in his current condition was able to fly rings around the Vulcan ships, literally and figuratively. The shuttle headed toward the edge of the system where an asteroid field would hide them for a while. Christopher piloted the into the asteroid field and kept an eye on the small screen which Solkar was now manning. Three of the Vulcan ships had given up the pursuit when they entered the field but there was still one and it was blasting the larger asteroids as if it were playing a game. He avoided the larger asteroids and flew deeper into the field, taking note of any opening which might conceal them.
‘We need to double back,’ Sloane said, ‘and do it without that Vulcan ship catching us.’
‘We should wait,’ T’Pol suggested.
‘For how long? If V’Las is intent on eradicating the Syrrannites he’s not going to let an alien shuttle with what remains of their leadership get away.’
Solkar agreed with Cochrane’s assertions. ‘Then an amendment to the plan is needed.’
‘What did you have in mind?’
‘A frontal assault on the ship. We attack and then head for Vulcan. After rescuing T’Pau we go to warp.’
‘Every available ship would be following our warp trail,’ T’Pol said. ‘I believe I can mask it sufficiently to make them doubt its veracity.’
‘Let’s go,’ Christopher replied as he rolled and flipped the shuttle until it was aimed directly at the Vulcan ship.
The shuttle continued to fly at the larger vessel and when there was mere metres before impact, Christopher pulled away and made a turn for Vulcan. The cruiser took a moment to turn but was quickly in pursuit and gaining ground fast. The colonel saw that they would only have one shot at this as he took the shuttle into the atmosphere. The Vulcan ship held position in the upper atmosphere but it soon clear that whether it could follow or not was irrelevant. There were six shuttles waiting for them in the lower atmosphere.
‘They’re armed,’ Solkar said and surprise coloured his tone.
February 8th 1990
T minus 7 hours 02 minutes
Solkar activated one of the smaller screens in the shuttle and everyone watched the Romulan vessel explode as a quartet of Vulcan ships converged on it. The Vulcan ships immediately peeled away from the carnage and headed in their direction, back to the planet and presumably their regular patrol routes.
‘There has to be another Romulan ship out here somewhere, and I’ll bet it’s cloaked,’ Sloane said as she tended Christopher’s wounds.
‘A logical assumption, but we are unable to detect them until they decloak,’ T’Pol replied. ‘There is nothing we can do.’
Cochrane looked up from the padd he was working on. ‘There’s always something you can do. On Earth, there are nation states who have been at war with one another for decades and they fight dirty, using guerrilla tactics, hitting a number of small targets to attack the greater whole.’
Solkar raised an eyebrow. ‘Vulcans are pacifists.’
‘Then why do you have such powerful vessels?’ Sloane countered before Cochrane could ask the same question.
‘For defensive purposes, the galaxy is a dangerous place.’
‘Who are you trying to convince?’ Cochrane asked.
‘Will he live?’ T’Pol asked, glancing at the colonel’s prone figure.
‘The disruptor blast didn’t kill him, though it should have. It is possible that Surak’s katra took the blunt of the impact. I’m sorry.’
‘An interesting theory,’ Solkar added. ‘Although it would explain much. Your apology is unnecessary. If Surak has indeed been corrupted then there may be a much larger problem at hand.’
‘Meaning?’
‘T’Pau melded with him and he may have corrupted her as well. She is carrying the Kir’Shara.’
‘Captain T’Mir to Syrrannites. T’Pau has given the Kir’Shara to us and turned herself in as an enemy of the State. You would be wise to follow her example,’ a woman’s voice sputtered over the speaker.
‘Would she do that?’
‘Only if there was no other alternative,’ T’Pol replied. ‘V’Las has been making impressive inroads into the High Command in recent months, reassigning commanding officers loyal to him to the newer vessels.’
‘Sounds like he’s planning something.’
‘What?’
‘I think he’s trying to eradicate the Syrrannites, he considers you rebels doesn’t he? A holdover from an earlier time?’ Cochrane asked.
‘That is true,’ Solkar agreed. ‘What does he hope to achieve?’
‘It would be logical to eliminate anyone who could challenge him if he were planning to change our society from what it is.’
‘Could he be working with the Romulans?’ Sloane asked as Christopher stirred.
Solkar was about to answer when the shuttle suddenly rocked. He held on and brought it back under control but was not able to save the cloak.
‘What was that?’ Cochrane asked.
‘They knew what part of the vessel to attack,’ T’Pol replied. ‘I believe it is a logical assumption that V’Las is working with the Romulans.’
‘To do what? Destabilise your society?’ Cochrane asked.
‘Make it ripe for occupation.’
‘The Sundered Cousins are returning home to seek revenge on those who cast them out.’
‘And they used the katra of the man who orchestrated their removal to do it. A brilliant strategy.’
‘We have lost the cloak and need somewhere safe to regroup,’ Solkar interrupted.
‘Do you have a moon?’
‘Vulcan has no lunar satellites.’
‘Any other planets in this system remotely habitable?’
‘Yes, but they will have been co-opted by V’Las.’
‘The Romulan shuttle is more manoeuvrable than the Vulcan ships but I do not believe we are capable of outrunning them.’
‘If we knew where T’Pau was, could we rescue her?’ Christopher asked as he sat up.
Sloane pumped him full of painkillers.
‘She will be held in the meeting chamber of the High Command.’
‘Does this vessel have those transporter things that the larger vessel did?’
‘Yes, and faster-than-light capability.’
Sloane, Christopher and Cochrane shared a look between them that was completely in sync. ‘Then we have a plan,’ Christopher said.
‘What do you propose?’
Christopher and Sloane outlined their plan as the Vulcans listened in. Solkar was doing an admirable job of avoiding the Vulcan pursuit but he was not a pilot. Christopher was and even in his current condition was able to fly rings around the Vulcan ships, literally and figuratively. The shuttle headed toward the edge of the system where an asteroid field would hide them for a while. Christopher piloted the into the asteroid field and kept an eye on the small screen which Solkar was now manning. Three of the Vulcan ships had given up the pursuit when they entered the field but there was still one and it was blasting the larger asteroids as if it were playing a game. He avoided the larger asteroids and flew deeper into the field, taking note of any opening which might conceal them.
‘We need to double back,’ Sloane said, ‘and do it without that Vulcan ship catching us.’
‘We should wait,’ T’Pol suggested.
‘For how long? If V’Las is intent on eradicating the Syrrannites he’s not going to let an alien shuttle with what remains of their leadership get away.’
Solkar agreed with Cochrane’s assertions. ‘Then an amendment to the plan is needed.’
‘What did you have in mind?’
‘A frontal assault on the ship. We attack and then head for Vulcan. After rescuing T’Pau we go to warp.’
‘Every available ship would be following our warp trail,’ T’Pol said. ‘I believe I can mask it sufficiently to make them doubt its veracity.’
‘Let’s go,’ Christopher replied as he rolled and flipped the shuttle until it was aimed directly at the Vulcan ship.
The shuttle continued to fly at the larger vessel and when there was mere metres before impact, Christopher pulled away and made a turn for Vulcan. The cruiser took a moment to turn but was quickly in pursuit and gaining ground fast. The colonel saw that they would only have one shot at this as he took the shuttle into the atmosphere. The Vulcan ship held position in the upper atmosphere but it soon clear that whether it could follow or not was irrelevant. There were six shuttles waiting for them in the lower atmosphere.
‘They’re armed,’ Solkar said and surprise coloured his tone.
The Romulans have planned this out well--of course, the wild cards here are Christopher and his people--it'll be interesting seeing how they work their way out of this mess...
Romulan shuttle
February 9th 1990
T minus 4 hours 19 minutes
Christopher sighed. ‘Don’t your shuttles normally have weapons?’
‘I do not recognise these vessels. They are an addition to the standard complement,’ Solkar replied.
‘Great, just great,’ Cochrane muttered.
‘We should concentrate on getting through them, picking up T’Pau and getting out of here. We don’t even know what weapons this ship has.’
‘Disruptors only, which are usually more powerful than Vulcan phasers,’ Christopher said and when he got a strange look from Sloane, added, ‘I still have his knowledge, even if his katra is gone.’
‘Do you know how to use the weapons?’ Solkar asked. ‘They are in weapons range.’
Christopher pointed to a large console by T’Pol. ‘That’s the weapons console. The five green buttons are the firing controls for the individual disruptor arrays, or you can program a sequence into the computer.’
‘I prefer manual targeting,’ T’Pol replied and turned toward the console.
‘The lead shuttle is firing,’ Sloane said as the first of the ships made a strafing run at them.
‘I’m not stopping or deviating, make sure you keep them behind us. If they flank us, we’re dead,’ Christopher ordered as he took the shuttle through the clouds toward the capital city and the government headquarters.
‘I am a pacifist, but I am not incapable of firing weapons.’
‘You’ll have to aim to kill, not to hurt or maim. We cannot give them a second chance,’ he replied as the shuttle rattled.
‘Acknowledged,’ T’Pol replied as green bolts of energy flew from the shuttle’s disruptor banks.
The lead Vulcan shuttle was instantly damaged by the onslaught and veered off. Another two came in and T’Pol’s firing pattern pushed them back, and the fourth and fifth vessels only just managed to avoid getting hit by their compatriots.
‘Who’s manning the transporter controls?’
‘I am,’ Solkar answered.
‘As soon as you have her, get her out of there. I don’t know how much more this shuttle can take. We’re approaching ShiKahr City now.’
‘It is the tallest building,’ T’Pol reminded him absently.
‘Thirty seconds,’ Christopher said as T’Pol destroyed one of the shuttles.
The Romulan shuttle descended fast through the remaining clouds and almost glided past the High Command tower before pulling up and heading back into space. They could all hear the telltale sound of the transporter as it cycled through.
‘Welcome aboard the Bounty,’ Cochrane said as T’Pau sat down in the sole unoccupied seat. She still held the Kir’Shara.
‘What happened?’ she asked and Solkar filled her in quickly.
‘I thought V’Las would have taken the Kir’Shara from you,’ Sloane said.
‘He tried but none of the High Command guards would dare touch it. I managed to run and was hoping to escape before you got me. I believe we now have only one option.’
‘Which is?’ T’Pol asked, sceptical.
‘To find a safe haven, translate the text into modern Vulcan and upload it to the Vulcan comnet.’
‘I would suggest leaving it in its original form,’ Cochrane said. ‘On Earth, historians take great pride in translating old works for themselves.’
‘Pride is an emotion.’
‘How many ships are on us?’ Christopher asked T’Pol.
‘None, they have broken off their attack.’
‘Pride may be an emotion, but is it logical for you to do the work for your people? Will they not have a greater appreciation for the work if they translate it themselves? It will have a greater impact on them.’
T’Pau shared a look with T’Pol and Solkar. ‘Where is our safe haven?’
‘You might want to take a look at this,’ Sloane said and activated a main screen above the pilot’s console.
There were five Romulan warbirds and four Vulcan ships engaged in combat, none taking any notice of the small shuttle as it emerged from the atmosphere. Christopher angled the shuttle toward the Vulcan sun and used its radiation to mask the warp trail. The shuttle’s nacelles glowed green and it jumped into warp.
‘Where are we going?’ T’Pau asked again.
‘Earth,’ Christopher replied. ‘It is the one place that no one will think to look since they have no idea it even exists.’
‘According to my knowledge of High Command trade routes, there is a Vulcan vessel that will be passing close to your solar system in a few hours, perhaps we should contact them,’ Solkar told them.
‘Why?’ Cochrane asked.
‘Because this shuttle looks dangerous,’ Christopher answered. ‘I’m assuming that the Vulcan vessel does not?’
‘It is a freighter, nothing more.’
‘Alright, we’ll contact them. But I suggest doing so from a neutral planet. That way, we can keep this vessel for use later on, if we need it,’ Christopher replied. ‘Do you have any planets in mind?’
‘There is a trade complex on Rigel X,’ T’Pol informed him. ‘I believe it will be suitable for our purposes.’
‘Does anyone speak Rigellian?’ Sloane asked.
‘No, but our translators can assist with basic conversation.’
‘We’re running out of time, we should head straight back to Earth,’ Cochrane said.
‘The general will give us a little extra time,’ Sloane replied.
‘What about the satellites? They’ll pick us up as we land and the government and military will be swarming all over the place.’
‘We can blind the satellites for a few minutes, long enough to land the ship.’
‘Where is Rigel?’
‘I can take over from here, Colonel,’ Solkar said. ‘I’ve been there eleven times before. You need to rest.’
Christopher nodded. ‘Take good care of her,’ he murmured as he stood and almost stumbled.
‘We need something to eat, is there anything here that’s edible?’
‘Some kind of ration packs,’ Cochrane muttered from the rear.
‘Guess they’ll have to do,’ Sloane replied. ‘Bring them out here.’
‘What are we going to find on Rigel?’
‘Species you have never encountered before, unusual things,’ Christopher replied as he drifted off to sleep.
‘He’s weak and I don’t know what I can give him.’
‘Let him sleep, that will be suitable for now. It will take us approximately two days to reach the planet from here.’
‘I don’t think the General will give us that much time.’
‘We’ll do what we can,’ Christopher replied as Solkar changed course.
February 9th 1990
T minus 4 hours 19 minutes
Christopher sighed. ‘Don’t your shuttles normally have weapons?’
‘I do not recognise these vessels. They are an addition to the standard complement,’ Solkar replied.
‘Great, just great,’ Cochrane muttered.
‘We should concentrate on getting through them, picking up T’Pau and getting out of here. We don’t even know what weapons this ship has.’
‘Disruptors only, which are usually more powerful than Vulcan phasers,’ Christopher said and when he got a strange look from Sloane, added, ‘I still have his knowledge, even if his katra is gone.’
‘Do you know how to use the weapons?’ Solkar asked. ‘They are in weapons range.’
Christopher pointed to a large console by T’Pol. ‘That’s the weapons console. The five green buttons are the firing controls for the individual disruptor arrays, or you can program a sequence into the computer.’
‘I prefer manual targeting,’ T’Pol replied and turned toward the console.
‘The lead shuttle is firing,’ Sloane said as the first of the ships made a strafing run at them.
‘I’m not stopping or deviating, make sure you keep them behind us. If they flank us, we’re dead,’ Christopher ordered as he took the shuttle through the clouds toward the capital city and the government headquarters.
‘I am a pacifist, but I am not incapable of firing weapons.’
‘You’ll have to aim to kill, not to hurt or maim. We cannot give them a second chance,’ he replied as the shuttle rattled.
‘Acknowledged,’ T’Pol replied as green bolts of energy flew from the shuttle’s disruptor banks.
The lead Vulcan shuttle was instantly damaged by the onslaught and veered off. Another two came in and T’Pol’s firing pattern pushed them back, and the fourth and fifth vessels only just managed to avoid getting hit by their compatriots.
‘Who’s manning the transporter controls?’
‘I am,’ Solkar answered.
‘As soon as you have her, get her out of there. I don’t know how much more this shuttle can take. We’re approaching ShiKahr City now.’
‘It is the tallest building,’ T’Pol reminded him absently.
‘Thirty seconds,’ Christopher said as T’Pol destroyed one of the shuttles.
The Romulan shuttle descended fast through the remaining clouds and almost glided past the High Command tower before pulling up and heading back into space. They could all hear the telltale sound of the transporter as it cycled through.
‘Welcome aboard the Bounty,’ Cochrane said as T’Pau sat down in the sole unoccupied seat. She still held the Kir’Shara.
‘What happened?’ she asked and Solkar filled her in quickly.
‘I thought V’Las would have taken the Kir’Shara from you,’ Sloane said.
‘He tried but none of the High Command guards would dare touch it. I managed to run and was hoping to escape before you got me. I believe we now have only one option.’
‘Which is?’ T’Pol asked, sceptical.
‘To find a safe haven, translate the text into modern Vulcan and upload it to the Vulcan comnet.’
‘I would suggest leaving it in its original form,’ Cochrane said. ‘On Earth, historians take great pride in translating old works for themselves.’
‘Pride is an emotion.’
‘How many ships are on us?’ Christopher asked T’Pol.
‘None, they have broken off their attack.’
‘Pride may be an emotion, but is it logical for you to do the work for your people? Will they not have a greater appreciation for the work if they translate it themselves? It will have a greater impact on them.’
T’Pau shared a look with T’Pol and Solkar. ‘Where is our safe haven?’
‘You might want to take a look at this,’ Sloane said and activated a main screen above the pilot’s console.
There were five Romulan warbirds and four Vulcan ships engaged in combat, none taking any notice of the small shuttle as it emerged from the atmosphere. Christopher angled the shuttle toward the Vulcan sun and used its radiation to mask the warp trail. The shuttle’s nacelles glowed green and it jumped into warp.
‘Where are we going?’ T’Pau asked again.
‘Earth,’ Christopher replied. ‘It is the one place that no one will think to look since they have no idea it even exists.’
‘According to my knowledge of High Command trade routes, there is a Vulcan vessel that will be passing close to your solar system in a few hours, perhaps we should contact them,’ Solkar told them.
‘Why?’ Cochrane asked.
‘Because this shuttle looks dangerous,’ Christopher answered. ‘I’m assuming that the Vulcan vessel does not?’
‘It is a freighter, nothing more.’
‘Alright, we’ll contact them. But I suggest doing so from a neutral planet. That way, we can keep this vessel for use later on, if we need it,’ Christopher replied. ‘Do you have any planets in mind?’
‘There is a trade complex on Rigel X,’ T’Pol informed him. ‘I believe it will be suitable for our purposes.’
‘Does anyone speak Rigellian?’ Sloane asked.
‘No, but our translators can assist with basic conversation.’
‘We’re running out of time, we should head straight back to Earth,’ Cochrane said.
‘The general will give us a little extra time,’ Sloane replied.
‘What about the satellites? They’ll pick us up as we land and the government and military will be swarming all over the place.’
‘We can blind the satellites for a few minutes, long enough to land the ship.’
‘Where is Rigel?’
‘I can take over from here, Colonel,’ Solkar said. ‘I’ve been there eleven times before. You need to rest.’
Christopher nodded. ‘Take good care of her,’ he murmured as he stood and almost stumbled.
‘We need something to eat, is there anything here that’s edible?’
‘Some kind of ration packs,’ Cochrane muttered from the rear.
‘Guess they’ll have to do,’ Sloane replied. ‘Bring them out here.’
‘What are we going to find on Rigel?’
‘Species you have never encountered before, unusual things,’ Christopher replied as he drifted off to sleep.
‘He’s weak and I don’t know what I can give him.’
‘Let him sleep, that will be suitable for now. It will take us approximately two days to reach the planet from here.’
‘I don’t think the General will give us that much time.’
‘We’ll do what we can,’ Christopher replied as Solkar changed course.
Another very important point--keeping the text in its original Vulcan gives it more of an air of authenticity. While Vulcans aren't supposed to lie, they have been known to take...creative...liberties with the truth when expediency dictates.
And now it's off to Rigel...
And now it's off to Rigel...
Trade complex
Rigel X
February 11th 1990
T plus 2 days 3 hours
The Romulan shuttle descended through the dense cloud-rich atmosphere of the planet orbiting the blue giant and Solkar landed it neatly on their assigned platform. Over the last two days, Colonel Christopher had slowly recovered from what should have been a fatal disruptor blast while Zefram Cochrane had finished working on the stargate address. Captain Sloane had taken lessons from Solkar in piloting and from T’Pol in speaking Rigellian. T’Pau had secreted herself in a corner downloading the contents of the Kir’Shara onto a padd, and made no attempt to communicate with anyone outside of accepting the occasional ration bar or canteen of barely-palatable water. The idea of stopping here was to contact the Vulcan freighter and hitch a ride to Earth without tipping off the Romulans. It was not going to be an easy task, but then few things in life were.
To be able to contact the freighter, they needed to get credits to use the public subspace array, and since neither group had any, they would have to barter something. Raiding the shuttle for anything of value had proved useless, except for the damaged cloaking device which T’Pol had disconnected and attempted to repair. Although her efforts were unsuccessful, the device now looked as though it worked and Christopher hoped that this would be enough to get them their desperately-needed credits. If the worst came to the worst, they could always sell the shuttle itself, but that was a last resort. It was decided that Sloane and T’Pol would go, since they looked sufficiently non-threatening but could easily defend themselves if the need arose. In the meantime, the rest of them would prepare for travel back to Earth, home and safe haven for new allies.
‘I don’t see a Cash Converters anywhere,’ Sloane muttered softly.
‘What is that?’ T’Pol asked.
‘A place on Earth where you can exchange anything for money, regardless of its actual value.’
‘I believe there is a similar place here. This device is quite valuable, but we will sell it far below market price so the vendor can sell it for a profit.’
‘Some things never change, no matter where you are.’
‘We are approaching the bazaar,’ the Vulcan woman told her human companion as various noises and aromas assaulted their ears and noses. ‘Do not speak unless addressed directly.’
Sloane bristled. ‘Why not?’
‘Your looks and accent will certainly mark you as an outsider and you are of a species none of them will have seen before,’ T’Pol answered in that annoying monotone of hers. ‘Do not let emotion cloud your logic.’
‘No need to be so condescending. I’m not an obtuse child,’ Sloane shot back and T’Pol raised an eyebrow.
‘Indeed,’ she murmured as the two of them strolled quickly and purposefully past stalls selling live animals, animated plant life and unusual vials of colourful liquids.
Sloane looked around in curiosity at everything, absorbing the look of new species, the interactions between them and the various items they carried. T’Pol guided her through the maze of stalls and vendors until they came to another section of the trade complex. This one did not sell foodstuffs or anything exotic, it sold technology. Hardware and software from a variety of different sources.
Sloane suddenly stopped at one stall and gaped at a piece of technology sitting there.
‘Is there a problem?’ T’Pol asked.
‘This is Pioneer 10, one of our early space probes.’
T’Pol raised an eyebrow. ‘Perhaps we could pick it up on the way back. We should find the vendor we are looking for around the next corner.’
‘Sure,’ Sloane reluctantly agreed and followed T’Pol.
They rounded the corner and spied a squat-looking alien with rust-coloured skin and oversized ears, sharp teeth and bright clothes. While Sloane stood and gaped at the comical creature, T’Pol approached and produced the cloaking device. Neither could understand one another but the alien creature handed over a padd which clearly had a figure on it. T’Pol took it, made an amendment and passed it back. The creature almost squealed in pain but made another alteration. They passed the padd back and forth until the alien relented and handed over a large pouch. T’Pol passed the device to it and then returned to Sloane’s side.
‘We should have more than enough for your probe as well as barter to make the call. We should return to the...what did you call the vessel...Bounty?’
Sloane grinned. ‘It is an old story on my world, but Bounty has become a name for vessels stolen or appropriated from their legal owners.’
‘It is apt,’ was T’Pol’s simple reply.
The duo bought the probe for more than it was worth to the vendor and Sloane contacted Solkar to have it beamed aboard. They returned to the ship and it was up to Christopher and Solkar to make the call to the Vulcan freighter. Inside the main concourse, there were several booths and the two of them purchased time in one of them. Solkar placed the call and a stern-looking Vulcan answered.
‘Can I help you?’
‘My name is Solkar, I wish to ask for passage.’
‘We carry cargo, not passengers.’
‘I have a very valuable cargo, in addition to some interesting passengers. We require transport to a Minshara-class world in the Orion arm.’
‘Which planet?’
‘It is designated FGR-439 on our star charts.’
The Vulcan consulted his chart. ‘It is listed as a stage three civilisation, not approachable.’
Solkar turned to Christopher, who stepped into view. ‘As you can see, Captain, my people have made it off-world.’
The Captain nodded. ‘Then it would be logical to return you to your world. You are calling from Rigel? We will arrive in eleven point three hours.’
‘That went well,’ Christopher muttered as the screen blanked.
‘We will be safe as long as the Romulans do not detect our warp trail.’
‘Sloane to Christopher.’
‘Go ahead, Captain.’
‘We’ve got company, apparently, two Romulan vessels have just entered the system.’
‘We’ll be right there,’ the colonel replied. ‘Murphy’s Law.’
‘I am not familiar with that scientific principle.’
‘It is an idiom. It means everything tends to go wrong all at once.’
Solkar nodded as he ran. ‘Intriguing.’
‘Prepare for immediate take-off, we’ll have to run.’
‘Acknowledged.’
‘Where to, exactly?’ Solkar asked.
‘The freighter. We know approximately where they are, so we can rendezvous with them.’
‘Let us hope they arrive in time to assist.’
Rigel X
February 11th 1990
T plus 2 days 3 hours
The Romulan shuttle descended through the dense cloud-rich atmosphere of the planet orbiting the blue giant and Solkar landed it neatly on their assigned platform. Over the last two days, Colonel Christopher had slowly recovered from what should have been a fatal disruptor blast while Zefram Cochrane had finished working on the stargate address. Captain Sloane had taken lessons from Solkar in piloting and from T’Pol in speaking Rigellian. T’Pau had secreted herself in a corner downloading the contents of the Kir’Shara onto a padd, and made no attempt to communicate with anyone outside of accepting the occasional ration bar or canteen of barely-palatable water. The idea of stopping here was to contact the Vulcan freighter and hitch a ride to Earth without tipping off the Romulans. It was not going to be an easy task, but then few things in life were.
To be able to contact the freighter, they needed to get credits to use the public subspace array, and since neither group had any, they would have to barter something. Raiding the shuttle for anything of value had proved useless, except for the damaged cloaking device which T’Pol had disconnected and attempted to repair. Although her efforts were unsuccessful, the device now looked as though it worked and Christopher hoped that this would be enough to get them their desperately-needed credits. If the worst came to the worst, they could always sell the shuttle itself, but that was a last resort. It was decided that Sloane and T’Pol would go, since they looked sufficiently non-threatening but could easily defend themselves if the need arose. In the meantime, the rest of them would prepare for travel back to Earth, home and safe haven for new allies.
‘I don’t see a Cash Converters anywhere,’ Sloane muttered softly.
‘What is that?’ T’Pol asked.
‘A place on Earth where you can exchange anything for money, regardless of its actual value.’
‘I believe there is a similar place here. This device is quite valuable, but we will sell it far below market price so the vendor can sell it for a profit.’
‘Some things never change, no matter where you are.’
‘We are approaching the bazaar,’ the Vulcan woman told her human companion as various noises and aromas assaulted their ears and noses. ‘Do not speak unless addressed directly.’
Sloane bristled. ‘Why not?’
‘Your looks and accent will certainly mark you as an outsider and you are of a species none of them will have seen before,’ T’Pol answered in that annoying monotone of hers. ‘Do not let emotion cloud your logic.’
‘No need to be so condescending. I’m not an obtuse child,’ Sloane shot back and T’Pol raised an eyebrow.
‘Indeed,’ she murmured as the two of them strolled quickly and purposefully past stalls selling live animals, animated plant life and unusual vials of colourful liquids.
Sloane looked around in curiosity at everything, absorbing the look of new species, the interactions between them and the various items they carried. T’Pol guided her through the maze of stalls and vendors until they came to another section of the trade complex. This one did not sell foodstuffs or anything exotic, it sold technology. Hardware and software from a variety of different sources.
Sloane suddenly stopped at one stall and gaped at a piece of technology sitting there.
‘Is there a problem?’ T’Pol asked.
‘This is Pioneer 10, one of our early space probes.’
T’Pol raised an eyebrow. ‘Perhaps we could pick it up on the way back. We should find the vendor we are looking for around the next corner.’
‘Sure,’ Sloane reluctantly agreed and followed T’Pol.
They rounded the corner and spied a squat-looking alien with rust-coloured skin and oversized ears, sharp teeth and bright clothes. While Sloane stood and gaped at the comical creature, T’Pol approached and produced the cloaking device. Neither could understand one another but the alien creature handed over a padd which clearly had a figure on it. T’Pol took it, made an amendment and passed it back. The creature almost squealed in pain but made another alteration. They passed the padd back and forth until the alien relented and handed over a large pouch. T’Pol passed the device to it and then returned to Sloane’s side.
‘We should have more than enough for your probe as well as barter to make the call. We should return to the...what did you call the vessel...Bounty?’
Sloane grinned. ‘It is an old story on my world, but Bounty has become a name for vessels stolen or appropriated from their legal owners.’
‘It is apt,’ was T’Pol’s simple reply.
The duo bought the probe for more than it was worth to the vendor and Sloane contacted Solkar to have it beamed aboard. They returned to the ship and it was up to Christopher and Solkar to make the call to the Vulcan freighter. Inside the main concourse, there were several booths and the two of them purchased time in one of them. Solkar placed the call and a stern-looking Vulcan answered.
‘Can I help you?’
‘My name is Solkar, I wish to ask for passage.’
‘We carry cargo, not passengers.’
‘I have a very valuable cargo, in addition to some interesting passengers. We require transport to a Minshara-class world in the Orion arm.’
‘Which planet?’
‘It is designated FGR-439 on our star charts.’
The Vulcan consulted his chart. ‘It is listed as a stage three civilisation, not approachable.’
Solkar turned to Christopher, who stepped into view. ‘As you can see, Captain, my people have made it off-world.’
The Captain nodded. ‘Then it would be logical to return you to your world. You are calling from Rigel? We will arrive in eleven point three hours.’
‘That went well,’ Christopher muttered as the screen blanked.
‘We will be safe as long as the Romulans do not detect our warp trail.’
‘Sloane to Christopher.’
‘Go ahead, Captain.’
‘We’ve got company, apparently, two Romulan vessels have just entered the system.’
‘We’ll be right there,’ the colonel replied. ‘Murphy’s Law.’
‘I am not familiar with that scientific principle.’
‘It is an idiom. It means everything tends to go wrong all at once.’
Solkar nodded as he ran. ‘Intriguing.’
‘Prepare for immediate take-off, we’ll have to run.’
‘Acknowledged.’
‘Where to, exactly?’ Solkar asked.
‘The freighter. We know approximately where they are, so we can rendezvous with them.’
‘Let us hope they arrive in time to assist.’
Shuttlecraft Bounty
Rigel system
February 11th 1990
T plus 2 days 9 hours
Colonel Shaun Christopher tried to ignore the constant bleating of the alarms and the chirping of a communications system he couldn’t answer. The two Romulan vessels were running weapons hot but had thus far chosen not to engage, which scared him more than if they had just attacked. It wasn’t affecting just him though.
‘Why don’t they attack and get it over with?’ Sloane asked, her impatience shining through over her professionalism.
‘They are waiting for something,’ T’Pol said.
‘I think they know we have the Kir’Shara and want us alive,’ Cochrane said. ‘Otherwise, they would have just blown us out of the sky.’
‘He has a point,’ Sloane muttered.
‘I think it’s time we stopped running,’ Christopher said and activated the communications system. ‘This is Colonel Shaun Christopher of the United States Air Force. Identify yourselves.’
No image appeared on the screen, but a harsh voice issued through the speakers. ‘I am Commander Valdore of the Imperial Romulan Warbird Mogai. You are in possession of military technology and personnel. Surrender or be destroyed.’
Christopher sighed. ‘We are waiting for a vessel to rendezvous with us. I will be glad to hand over your shuttle at that time. However, there are no Romulans on board this vessel.’
Valdore raised his voice. ‘You cannot know that.’
Sloane nodded to Christopher regarding his current strategy. ‘I have seen what you look like. Your brethren from Vulcan are willing to forgive your past transgressions and welcome you back home.’
‘You’re right about one thing, Colonel. Our cousins will welcome us home, or they will die. Vulcan will once again be ruled by those who wield power, not weakness,’ Valdore retorted.
‘Vulcans are not weak, Commander, merely cautious. While you use brute force or skulk around in the shadows, we plan ahead and make you pay for your deceit. Your forces orbiting Vulcan have been destroyed and your landing teams are contained.’
‘What little you know, thief. Your precious High Command has been disbanded and Overseer V’Las has dropped all pretence of his Vulcan ancestry.’
‘He’s Romulan?’ T’Pau asked, raising an eyebrow.
‘So it would seem,’ Solkar replied.
‘You are all Vulcans,’ Christopher told the Romulan commander. ‘Perhaps we could negotiate a peace.’
‘No peace,’ Valdore stated. ‘Surrender your stolen craft and you will not be harmed.’
‘He wants the Kir’Shara, you should give it to him,’ Cochrane said. ‘It isn’t worth your life.’
‘Two more vessels approaching,’ Solkar told them. ‘They’re Vulcan.’
‘Loyal to whom?’ Sloane asked.
The question was answered as the two Vulcan ships immediately opened fire on the Romulans, who quickly fled to warp. Christopher was about to open a channel to the ships when Solkar held up a hand and made a cursory scan of the newcomers. His eyebrows sunk closer to his eyes in what Christopher assumed was the Vulcan equivalent of a frown.
‘Well?’
‘The ships may be Vulcan, but something is not right.’
‘I get that feeling as well, have we been hailed?’
‘No, we have not,’ Solkar replied. ‘This is most unusual.’
‘Is there anyone aboard?’ Cochrane asked. ‘Maybe they’re being controlled remotely.’
Solkar ran a more detailed scan. ‘It would appear that they are indeed being controlled remotely. We should attempt to rendezvous with the freighter. These Vulcan ships will no doubt we close behind at all times.’
‘I don’t want to be the cause of any deaths,’ T’Pau stated. ‘If those Vulcan ships catch up to the freighter...’
‘It will be destroyed,’ Christopher finished. ‘I am aware of that. However, in order to keep you save, we must get back to Earth.’
‘You can be protected there,’ Sloane agreed.
‘What about the rest of the Vulcan people?’
‘They will be save as long as the Romulans know that they don’t have the Kir’Shara.’
‘V’Las knows I have it. I have to be the one he catches.’
‘No one is surrendering on my watch. If the Romulans want it so badly, they’ll have to capture us first and they really don’t seem to want to do it. So there’s something else at play here.’
‘They don’t need to capture us,’ Cochrane said.
‘Why not?’
‘They know where we are at all times anyway. This is one of their ships, it must have a tracking device on board somewhere.’
Christopher smiled. ‘Excellent. Let’s find it, I have a plan that will put them off our track for a long time.’
T’Pol raised an eyebrow, an affectation that was beginning to grate on Sloane’s nerves. ‘Indeed?’
While Christopher continued to pilot the shuttle toward the freighter at warp three, the small ship’s fastest speed, the others searched every nook and cranny for the hidden transmitter. They pulled open hatches and lockers, but still they found nothing. After a few minutes to regroup and rethink, T’Pol and Sloane went aft to the engine compartment to make a more in-depth search. It was nearly an hour before he heard, simultaneous expressions of exultation.
‘Fascinating,’ T’Pol said.
‘Gotcha,’ Sloane added. They both returned to the forward section and held the small device aloft. ‘It was hooked in directly to the sublight engines, but it has its own power supply.’
Christopher smiled. ‘Fantastic. This flying crate still has missiles, right?’
‘Microtorpedoes,’ Solkar corrected.
‘A minor difference. Take out the ordnance and put that in there instead, then jettison it toward the nearest star system.’
‘They will soon discover the ploy,’ T’Pol replied.
‘Not if you add a magnetic pull to the torpedo. Then it will attract metallic ores and such which are present in every star system and the mass will increase.’
‘Until it reaches maximum entropy and crushes the torpedo,’ T’Pau added.
‘Pessimists,’ Sloane muttered. ‘By that time we’ll be halfway to Earth.’
‘Vulcans are realists, not pessimists. You humans on the other hand tend to be more gregarious and spontaneous with little forward thinking,’ T’Pau countered.
‘We’re still alive aren’t we?’ asked Cochrane. ‘If you hadn’t met us you wouldn’t have known of the traitor in your midst and would probably all be dead by now. What you call spontaneity, we call improvisation. It allows us to use our previous experience to make snap judgements when it unusual or deadly situations.’
‘Stop arguing and get to work on that torpedo!’ Christopher snapped.
Rigel system
February 11th 1990
T plus 2 days 9 hours
Colonel Shaun Christopher tried to ignore the constant bleating of the alarms and the chirping of a communications system he couldn’t answer. The two Romulan vessels were running weapons hot but had thus far chosen not to engage, which scared him more than if they had just attacked. It wasn’t affecting just him though.
‘Why don’t they attack and get it over with?’ Sloane asked, her impatience shining through over her professionalism.
‘They are waiting for something,’ T’Pol said.
‘I think they know we have the Kir’Shara and want us alive,’ Cochrane said. ‘Otherwise, they would have just blown us out of the sky.’
‘He has a point,’ Sloane muttered.
‘I think it’s time we stopped running,’ Christopher said and activated the communications system. ‘This is Colonel Shaun Christopher of the United States Air Force. Identify yourselves.’
No image appeared on the screen, but a harsh voice issued through the speakers. ‘I am Commander Valdore of the Imperial Romulan Warbird Mogai. You are in possession of military technology and personnel. Surrender or be destroyed.’
Christopher sighed. ‘We are waiting for a vessel to rendezvous with us. I will be glad to hand over your shuttle at that time. However, there are no Romulans on board this vessel.’
Valdore raised his voice. ‘You cannot know that.’
Sloane nodded to Christopher regarding his current strategy. ‘I have seen what you look like. Your brethren from Vulcan are willing to forgive your past transgressions and welcome you back home.’
‘You’re right about one thing, Colonel. Our cousins will welcome us home, or they will die. Vulcan will once again be ruled by those who wield power, not weakness,’ Valdore retorted.
‘Vulcans are not weak, Commander, merely cautious. While you use brute force or skulk around in the shadows, we plan ahead and make you pay for your deceit. Your forces orbiting Vulcan have been destroyed and your landing teams are contained.’
‘What little you know, thief. Your precious High Command has been disbanded and Overseer V’Las has dropped all pretence of his Vulcan ancestry.’
‘He’s Romulan?’ T’Pau asked, raising an eyebrow.
‘So it would seem,’ Solkar replied.
‘You are all Vulcans,’ Christopher told the Romulan commander. ‘Perhaps we could negotiate a peace.’
‘No peace,’ Valdore stated. ‘Surrender your stolen craft and you will not be harmed.’
‘He wants the Kir’Shara, you should give it to him,’ Cochrane said. ‘It isn’t worth your life.’
‘Two more vessels approaching,’ Solkar told them. ‘They’re Vulcan.’
‘Loyal to whom?’ Sloane asked.
The question was answered as the two Vulcan ships immediately opened fire on the Romulans, who quickly fled to warp. Christopher was about to open a channel to the ships when Solkar held up a hand and made a cursory scan of the newcomers. His eyebrows sunk closer to his eyes in what Christopher assumed was the Vulcan equivalent of a frown.
‘Well?’
‘The ships may be Vulcan, but something is not right.’
‘I get that feeling as well, have we been hailed?’
‘No, we have not,’ Solkar replied. ‘This is most unusual.’
‘Is there anyone aboard?’ Cochrane asked. ‘Maybe they’re being controlled remotely.’
Solkar ran a more detailed scan. ‘It would appear that they are indeed being controlled remotely. We should attempt to rendezvous with the freighter. These Vulcan ships will no doubt we close behind at all times.’
‘I don’t want to be the cause of any deaths,’ T’Pau stated. ‘If those Vulcan ships catch up to the freighter...’
‘It will be destroyed,’ Christopher finished. ‘I am aware of that. However, in order to keep you save, we must get back to Earth.’
‘You can be protected there,’ Sloane agreed.
‘What about the rest of the Vulcan people?’
‘They will be save as long as the Romulans know that they don’t have the Kir’Shara.’
‘V’Las knows I have it. I have to be the one he catches.’
‘No one is surrendering on my watch. If the Romulans want it so badly, they’ll have to capture us first and they really don’t seem to want to do it. So there’s something else at play here.’
‘They don’t need to capture us,’ Cochrane said.
‘Why not?’
‘They know where we are at all times anyway. This is one of their ships, it must have a tracking device on board somewhere.’
Christopher smiled. ‘Excellent. Let’s find it, I have a plan that will put them off our track for a long time.’
T’Pol raised an eyebrow, an affectation that was beginning to grate on Sloane’s nerves. ‘Indeed?’
While Christopher continued to pilot the shuttle toward the freighter at warp three, the small ship’s fastest speed, the others searched every nook and cranny for the hidden transmitter. They pulled open hatches and lockers, but still they found nothing. After a few minutes to regroup and rethink, T’Pol and Sloane went aft to the engine compartment to make a more in-depth search. It was nearly an hour before he heard, simultaneous expressions of exultation.
‘Fascinating,’ T’Pol said.
‘Gotcha,’ Sloane added. They both returned to the forward section and held the small device aloft. ‘It was hooked in directly to the sublight engines, but it has its own power supply.’
Christopher smiled. ‘Fantastic. This flying crate still has missiles, right?’
‘Microtorpedoes,’ Solkar corrected.
‘A minor difference. Take out the ordnance and put that in there instead, then jettison it toward the nearest star system.’
‘They will soon discover the ploy,’ T’Pol replied.
‘Not if you add a magnetic pull to the torpedo. Then it will attract metallic ores and such which are present in every star system and the mass will increase.’
‘Until it reaches maximum entropy and crushes the torpedo,’ T’Pau added.
‘Pessimists,’ Sloane muttered. ‘By that time we’ll be halfway to Earth.’
‘Vulcans are realists, not pessimists. You humans on the other hand tend to be more gregarious and spontaneous with little forward thinking,’ T’Pau countered.
‘We’re still alive aren’t we?’ asked Cochrane. ‘If you hadn’t met us you wouldn’t have known of the traitor in your midst and would probably all be dead by now. What you call spontaneity, we call improvisation. It allows us to use our previous experience to make snap judgements when it unusual or deadly situations.’
‘Stop arguing and get to work on that torpedo!’ Christopher snapped.
The pace is picking up nicely here as its looking like T'Pau and the other Vulcans are going to learn a few things about humans and the advantages of being able to think fast on the fly.
Remote-controlled by the Romulan V'Las, head of the Vulcan High Command.
Shuttlecraft Bounty
February 11th 1990
T plus 2 days 13 hours
T’Pau continued to work on downloading the Kir’Shara and translating it into modern Vulcan for herself while Doctor Cochrane amassed a number of other stargate addresses which could be travelled to. Christopher continued to pilot the shuttle while Solkar watched the sensors for enemy craft. T’Pol and Sloane were busy in the rear of the shuttle taking the torpedo apart and replacing the explosive warhead with the transmitter and a damaged electromagnetic coil capable of attracting metallic mass. It would be activated automatically once the torpedo was ten million kilometres from the shuttle.
‘How are you two doing back there?’ Christopher asked, poking his head through the doorway. ‘Solkar’s driving for a while,’ he added at Sloane’s look.
‘We’re almost done,’ Sloane answered. ‘We just need to upload the navigation package.’
‘Excellent, maybe we’ll get through this after all.’
‘If I may ask, Colonel, why are you assisting in this venture?’ T’Pol asked.
‘The short answer is I’m a Air Force officer. It’s what we do. The longer answer is that I can’t abide bullies, never have and never will.’
T’Pol nodded, but didn’t quite understand.
Sloane jumped in as she put the casing back on. ‘What he means to say, is that it goes against our nature to see people being oppressed in any form.’
‘An interesting ideology.’
‘Not everyone thinks the way we do, some believe and act in ways that are considered to be the polar opposite, which is why we are trained in the first place. If you’re ready with that torpedo, then we should launch it. There’s no telling how close the Romulans are.’
‘You’d know if they were close,’ Sloane said to her commanding officer. ‘You still have Surak’s knowledge, remember?’
‘They will stay cloaked until they are ready to attack. It is their way,’ he muttered as if it wasn’t really himself talking. He shook his head and blinked. ‘Are you ready?’
They nodded. ‘We are ready,’ T’Pol confirmed.
‘Load the torpedo and then get back to the cockpit. I want us all together when we fire it.’
‘Aye sir.’
Christopher returned to the cockpit himself as the two women went about their task. ‘Solkar, where is the nearest star system?’
‘Less than a light year. We will have to change course and increase speed if the torpedo is to make it into the system. We can then resume our original heading for the freighter.’
‘We have to consider the possibility that the freighter has already been boarded and its crew executed,’ Cochrane spoke up.
T’Pau raised an eyebrow, questioning whether he was a pessimist. ‘We must believe that the freighter crew are still operating independently from Vulcan and the Romulans.’
T’Pol and Sloane rejoined them and took their seats. ‘Let’s go.’
Solkar adjusted the shuttle’s course. ‘Due to our increase in speed we will experience some turbulence for seven point six minutes. I will then fire the torpedo and resume our original course and speed.’
‘Let’s get on with it then,’ Christopher replied. ‘The Romulans are waiting for our next move. Let’s not disappoint them.’
‘What will happen if they continue to follow us and not the torpedo?’ T’Pol asked.
‘Then we’ll know that they have been watching us visually and not using the transmitter,’ the colonel replied. ‘I would actually like to get back home, so shall we get this done?’
‘Torpedo is ready,’ Solkar informed him.
‘Adjust course and speed.’
‘Making the course correction now, increasing speed to warp three-point-six-seven.’
The shuttle shuddered as it was pushed beyond the limits of what it was designed for. According to the specifications they had found, the shuttle was supposed to be capable of a maximum of warp three-point-two, -point-four in emergencies and this excursion was pushing them beyond even that. The shaking and rattling was getting worse and the hull began to creak.
‘Structural integrity is nearing its limits and the inertial dampers are running too hot,’ T’Pol said from her seat. ‘We should slow down.’
‘Fire!’
The hull creaked ominously as the torpedo was shot through the launcher toward its target.
‘Take us back to our previous course and speed.’
‘Acknowledged,’ Solkar replied and the shuttle settled down, no longer shaking its occupants.
‘How long until we rendezvous with the freighter?’
‘Another four point two hours,’ T’Pau answered. ‘We should prepare ourselves for their arrival. Vulcan captains do not like to be kept waiting.’
‘We’ll make the transfer as fast as possible. I have no wish to be caught by the Romulans again,’ Christopher said. ‘But we can leave a few surprises for them.’
‘Booby traps?’ Sloane asked. ‘Isn’t that overkill?’
‘Not really, but we’ll make them non-lethal.’
‘They will consider it weak,’ Solkar replied. ‘If your knowledge about them is to be taken literally.’
‘He has a point,’ Cochrane chimed in.
‘Yes, he does, and my knowledge about the Romulans comes from Surak himself, so I would say it is trustworthy, even if his soul was corrupted. It is all we have to go on and a faulty premise is better than nothing at all in this case.’
‘Is there anything on sensors?’ T’Pau asked as she put her padd down.
‘Not at present, not even the freighter, although we should be picking it up by now,’ T’Pol answered.
Christopher sat in the co-pilot’s seat. ‘Try contacting them.’
‘Wait,’ T’Pol held up a hand. ‘We are receiving a transmission. It is in Old High Vulcan. A diplomatic channel.’
‘Well?’
‘It is the freighter. They are waiting behind a large moon until the Romulans pass by. They are advising us to find cover.’
‘The nearest cover is where we sent that torpedo. There’s nothing but open space between them and us now,’ Cochrane said.
‘There is a nebula. We can wait out the Romulans in there,’ Solkar added.
‘Our sensors and shields would be useless.’
‘As would theirs, were they to come looking for us.’
‘It’s the best we have for now. Let’s go.’
February 11th 1990
T plus 2 days 13 hours
T’Pau continued to work on downloading the Kir’Shara and translating it into modern Vulcan for herself while Doctor Cochrane amassed a number of other stargate addresses which could be travelled to. Christopher continued to pilot the shuttle while Solkar watched the sensors for enemy craft. T’Pol and Sloane were busy in the rear of the shuttle taking the torpedo apart and replacing the explosive warhead with the transmitter and a damaged electromagnetic coil capable of attracting metallic mass. It would be activated automatically once the torpedo was ten million kilometres from the shuttle.
‘How are you two doing back there?’ Christopher asked, poking his head through the doorway. ‘Solkar’s driving for a while,’ he added at Sloane’s look.
‘We’re almost done,’ Sloane answered. ‘We just need to upload the navigation package.’
‘Excellent, maybe we’ll get through this after all.’
‘If I may ask, Colonel, why are you assisting in this venture?’ T’Pol asked.
‘The short answer is I’m a Air Force officer. It’s what we do. The longer answer is that I can’t abide bullies, never have and never will.’
T’Pol nodded, but didn’t quite understand.
Sloane jumped in as she put the casing back on. ‘What he means to say, is that it goes against our nature to see people being oppressed in any form.’
‘An interesting ideology.’
‘Not everyone thinks the way we do, some believe and act in ways that are considered to be the polar opposite, which is why we are trained in the first place. If you’re ready with that torpedo, then we should launch it. There’s no telling how close the Romulans are.’
‘You’d know if they were close,’ Sloane said to her commanding officer. ‘You still have Surak’s knowledge, remember?’
‘They will stay cloaked until they are ready to attack. It is their way,’ he muttered as if it wasn’t really himself talking. He shook his head and blinked. ‘Are you ready?’
They nodded. ‘We are ready,’ T’Pol confirmed.
‘Load the torpedo and then get back to the cockpit. I want us all together when we fire it.’
‘Aye sir.’
Christopher returned to the cockpit himself as the two women went about their task. ‘Solkar, where is the nearest star system?’
‘Less than a light year. We will have to change course and increase speed if the torpedo is to make it into the system. We can then resume our original heading for the freighter.’
‘We have to consider the possibility that the freighter has already been boarded and its crew executed,’ Cochrane spoke up.
T’Pau raised an eyebrow, questioning whether he was a pessimist. ‘We must believe that the freighter crew are still operating independently from Vulcan and the Romulans.’
T’Pol and Sloane rejoined them and took their seats. ‘Let’s go.’
Solkar adjusted the shuttle’s course. ‘Due to our increase in speed we will experience some turbulence for seven point six minutes. I will then fire the torpedo and resume our original course and speed.’
‘Let’s get on with it then,’ Christopher replied. ‘The Romulans are waiting for our next move. Let’s not disappoint them.’
‘What will happen if they continue to follow us and not the torpedo?’ T’Pol asked.
‘Then we’ll know that they have been watching us visually and not using the transmitter,’ the colonel replied. ‘I would actually like to get back home, so shall we get this done?’
‘Torpedo is ready,’ Solkar informed him.
‘Adjust course and speed.’
‘Making the course correction now, increasing speed to warp three-point-six-seven.’
The shuttle shuddered as it was pushed beyond the limits of what it was designed for. According to the specifications they had found, the shuttle was supposed to be capable of a maximum of warp three-point-two, -point-four in emergencies and this excursion was pushing them beyond even that. The shaking and rattling was getting worse and the hull began to creak.
‘Structural integrity is nearing its limits and the inertial dampers are running too hot,’ T’Pol said from her seat. ‘We should slow down.’
‘Fire!’
The hull creaked ominously as the torpedo was shot through the launcher toward its target.
‘Take us back to our previous course and speed.’
‘Acknowledged,’ Solkar replied and the shuttle settled down, no longer shaking its occupants.
‘How long until we rendezvous with the freighter?’
‘Another four point two hours,’ T’Pau answered. ‘We should prepare ourselves for their arrival. Vulcan captains do not like to be kept waiting.’
‘We’ll make the transfer as fast as possible. I have no wish to be caught by the Romulans again,’ Christopher said. ‘But we can leave a few surprises for them.’
‘Booby traps?’ Sloane asked. ‘Isn’t that overkill?’
‘Not really, but we’ll make them non-lethal.’
‘They will consider it weak,’ Solkar replied. ‘If your knowledge about them is to be taken literally.’
‘He has a point,’ Cochrane chimed in.
‘Yes, he does, and my knowledge about the Romulans comes from Surak himself, so I would say it is trustworthy, even if his soul was corrupted. It is all we have to go on and a faulty premise is better than nothing at all in this case.’
‘Is there anything on sensors?’ T’Pau asked as she put her padd down.
‘Not at present, not even the freighter, although we should be picking it up by now,’ T’Pol answered.
Christopher sat in the co-pilot’s seat. ‘Try contacting them.’
‘Wait,’ T’Pol held up a hand. ‘We are receiving a transmission. It is in Old High Vulcan. A diplomatic channel.’
‘Well?’
‘It is the freighter. They are waiting behind a large moon until the Romulans pass by. They are advising us to find cover.’
‘The nearest cover is where we sent that torpedo. There’s nothing but open space between them and us now,’ Cochrane said.
‘There is a nebula. We can wait out the Romulans in there,’ Solkar added.
‘Our sensors and shields would be useless.’
‘As would theirs, were they to come looking for us.’
‘It’s the best we have for now. Let’s go.’
Nothing like a game of cat and mouse--unless you're the mouse that is! Hopefully, the Romulans will take the bait...
Stargate: First Contact is going on a short hiatus while real life throws a few curve balls.
It will be back within the next month if all goes well.
It will be back within the next month if all goes well.
