Ties that Bind: Part 6
Her lips turning up into an icy grin as she observed the scout ship containing her two erstwhile employees through her warbird’s viewscreen, Commander Sela queried, “Sensor technician! Are we far enough from the space station and any other vessels to avoid detection?”
His face illuminated by the green glow given off by the scanner, the Romulan technician crisply replied, “No vessels within scanning range, Commander.”
“Excellent…” Sela’s grin grew even icier as she ordered in a calm, emotionless voice, “Weapons Officer, target the scout ship. Destroy it.”
“Yes, Commander.” The Romulan Centurion acknowledged as the D’Deridex class warbird decloaked before her prey, twin green disruptor beams lancing out from its head, immediately impacting on the barely shielded scout craft, giving the poor Dopterian and his Bardeezan companion just enough time to utter a single loud, “NO!!” as their tiny vessel disappeared in a fireball through which the warbird emerged unscathed.
Smiling smugly in satisfaction at a job well done, Commander Sela addressed her helmsman, “Resume cloak and set course for Pullock V—maximum warp.” Maintaining her icy grin, the blonde hybrid spoke in a low, inaudible whisper, “Now it’s time to see whether my trust in my unwitting allies has been well placed or not…”
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“Hi Andrew!” Alyssa Ogawa beamed as the image of her husband came through the viewscreen, “I just called to see how you and Noah are holding up.”
“We’re doing just fine, Honey.” Andrew replied with a smile of his own as he held up the couple’s year old child. Looking down on his son, Andrew cooed, “Wave to your Mommy, Noah.”
“Hi Baby…” Alyssa waved back, her eyes tearing up.
“Honey…” Andrew interjected, seeing his wife’s reaction, “Is everything ok?”
“Yeah…” Alyssa assured, nodding her head, “It’s just…I miss you both so much.”
“We miss you too, Alyssa,” Andrew replied and then asked, “Do you think you’ll be coming home soon?”
“I’m not sure,” The Japanese nurse answered honestly. “I hope so.”
“We do too.” Her husband responded gravely and then changed the subject, “So…what’s Deep Space Nine like?”
“Well…” Alyssa drawled, “Things are still pretty tense around here since the Klingons attacked. The damage has been cleaned up and all…but…well…the people here are still kinda nervous…”
“That’s understandable…” Andrew replied with a nod of the head, “…with the Klingons canceling the Khitomer Accords and a shooting war going on between them and the Cardassians, I have to admit to being more than a little worried myself.” A grave expression overtaking his face, he then asked, “Are you sure everything’s ok with you?”
“Yeah…” Alyssa quickly replied as she recognized her husband’s worried countenance, “Everything’s fine.” Smiling, she quickly added, “I’m going to be all right and I’ll be home soon…promise.”
“I’m keeping you to that promise, Dear.” Andrew answered back and then, with a regretful look, added, “I’m afraid we have to go now, Love.”
“I do too.” Alyssa responded, “I love you dear…” and then gave a quick wave and blew a kiss, “Love you too, Noah…”
“We love you too, Honey…” Andrew replied, “Come home soon.”
Brushing the tears away from her eyes, Alyssa finished packing the non-issue hiking gear that she had replicated earlier and, zipping shut the carry pack and slipping the pack’s sling over her shoulder, exited her quarters to begin what she hoped would not be a one-way trip.
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“Ready to go, Sam?” Ensign Django called out.
“Yeah...just a moment, Maria,” The roguishly handsome Canadian helmsman answered back as he finished the last of his packing. Appearing moments later, he regarded the dusky skinned petite young woman standing before him, the carry strap to her pack slung over her shoulder. “Let’s go…” He simply said as the pair walked side by side down the corridor towards Runabout Pad “A” and the Loire.
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Catching up to the quickly striding Klingon warrior, bath’leth slung across his back, mek’leth sheathed at his waist, Jadzia Dax queried in a level tone, “Are you sure about this, Worf? They’re awful young. You sure you don’t want me or the Chief to go with you?”
Looking down at the Trill science officer, Worf managed a quick grin, “They are young…but they’re quite able. Thank you for offering, though.”
“Ok…if you insist” Dax grudgingly conceded and then added a heartfelt, “Qapla’”
Nodding his head once in acknowledgement, Worf proceeded down the corridor, joining up with first Maria and Sam. Walking together, the trio then met up with Alyssa becoming a foursome. Together, they strode silently towards the pad where their runabout waited. Taking a deep breath, Sam regarded his comrades, looking each of them in the eye. “Ok…last chance for anyone to change their minds…”
Entering the runabout first, Ensign Django called back, “Let’s get this show on the road.”
“Agreed.” Worf simply stated as he entered the small craft.
“Sam…” Alyssa said in a soft voice, placing her hand on her old friend’s shoulder, “Jaxa’s waiting…”
Nodding his head grimly, Lavelle joined his companions in the runabout. Taking his position in the pilot’s chair, he activated the comm. “Loire to Operations…request permission to depart.”
Placing his hand on the communication’s officer’s shoulder and shaking his head, Captain Sisko spoke, “Loire…permission granted. Good luck and come back soon.”
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As she strode on to the bridge, Elizabeth sighed with gratitude as her operations officer, Lt. Anara Rysyl, presented her with a steaming hot cup of coffee. “Thank you, Mr. Rysyl. That was just what I needed.” The captain remarked in that languorous voice that Jadon Tol, the Sutherland’s chief engineer had once described, with a leer, as being the Captain’s ‘I just got laid’ tone.
“Did you enjoy yourself last night, Sir?” Jadon asked in a perfectly deadpan voice from his bridge station. “I hear Rome in the holodeck is pretty this time of year.”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Liz riposted with a wicked grin as she took a sip of her coffee, savoring the aroma as the warm fluid rejuvenated her. Turning to her first officer, the captain inquired, “Anything to report, Commander?”
“No, Sir.” Commander Hobson replied in his usual patrician voice. “We are on course towards the Federation-Cardassian border as per orders and should rendezvous with the Defiant in seventy-two standard hours.”
“Very good,” Shelby acknowledged as she made her way to her ready room. “Maintain course and speed until further notice.” Then, after entering her office and taking her seat, the Sutherland’s captain activated the computer monitor on her desk, “Computer…” Liz ordered, “Connect me with Captain Jean-Luc Picard at Starfleet Academy on Earth.”
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“Next stop Persis IV!” Sam declared as he punched the course in on the runabout’s navigational computer.
“’Bout time we got this show on the road!” Maria groused as she got out of the co-pilot’s seat and made her way to the replicator. “Espresso…double shot,” she ordered. Taking the demitasse out of its alcove, Django inhaled the aromatic fragrance. “Just the thing…” she sighed as she took a sip of the strong brew. Turning her head towards Sam, she queried, “What’s Persis IV like?”
Shaking his head, Sam replied as he put the information up on a computer screen, “It’s a K Class planet…one settlement under a pressure dome…” His lips turning down into a frown, he observed, “It’s a good thing we brought some latinum with us…the Orion Syndicate pretty much controls everything there.”
“Lovely place,” Maria jibed as she sipped her espresso.
With a low growl, Worf asked, “What do we know about this contact that the tailor talked to you about?”
“Garak gave me this isolinear rod…” Lavelle replied as he stuck the rod in an open data slot, “…let’s see what it says.”
The image of a dark haired human male, approximately thirty years old, wearing a red and black Starfleet uniform appeared on the computer screen. “Lynn Pierson, formerly lieutenant commander…last duty posting USS Devonshire.” Lavelle read further until, pointing to the screen, he exclaimed, “Take a look at this! He served on the USS Phoenix under Captain Benjamin Maxwell on Stardate 44429.6.” Lavelle read aloud his voice now barely above a whisper.
Turning towards her former Enterprise shipmate, Alyssa recalled, “I remember—you were still in the Academy at the time. Captain Maxwell claimed that the Cardassians were rearming. He destroyed two Cardassian ships and was about to attack another when the Enterprise intervened.”
“You are correct, Lieutenant.” Worf reminisced. “I was on the bridge when it happened. Captain Maxwell wanted the Captain to send a boarding party to the Cardassian ship. He claimed that it was carrying arms, but Gul Macet wouldn’t grant permission for Captain Picard to board and search it. Captain Maxwell wanted to attack, causing Captain Picard to…” The Klingon warrior grimaced, “…come to the aid of the Cardassians.”
“Yeah…” Nurse Ogawa sighed, “If it hadn’t been for Chief O’Brien talking Captain Maxwell down, we might have had to fire upon the Phoenix.”
“Was the freighter carrying arms?” Lavelle asked.
“We don’t know.” Worf admitted, “But Captain Picard suspected that it did. He gave Gul Macet a warning and took Captain Maxwell into custody.”
“Figures…” Django said with a sarcastic snort, “Picard frinxed up.”
“What did you say, Ensign?” Worf asked pointedly, glaring down at the dark skinned woman.
“You heard me,” Maria countered, matching the Klingon glare for glare. “Picard screwed up. Maxwell was right, Picard knew it, and he still let the Cardassians get away with it…” Shaking her head in disbelief, the fiery tempered Brazilian continued her diatribe. “Picard deliberately lets the Cardies get away with murder…while Maxwell rots in the New Zealand Penal Colony because he had the guts to try to do something about it.”
Her eyes pleading with the burly Klingon to allow her to speak, Alyssa looked into Maria’s eyes. “You’ve got Captain Picard all wrong if you think that….” Taking a deep breath, she explained, “If he’d have done that, we’d be in a war with the Cardassians right now.”
“Alyssa’s got a point, Maria…” Sam intervened speaking quickly to avoid yet another exchange between the two strong willed women. “If he’d have gone along with Maxwell, he’d have had to fire on Macet’s ship and that would have started the war all over again.”
“Maybe it would have been better.” Maria countered, “At least we would have had it out once and for all.”
Surprising the headstrong ensign, Worf actually nodded his head thoughtfully before replying, “Perhaps you are right, Ensign…”
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“Good morning, Captain Shelby…” Captain Jean-Luc Picard, cup of Earl Grey tea in hand, greeted, as he smiled paternally at the petite young captain looking at him in his viewscreen.
“Morning, Captain Picard…” Liz greeted back in a flat tone as she took a sip from her own cup of coffee.
“Rough night last night?” Jean-Luc gently inquired as he noticed both the voice and bleary eyed expression of his fellow starship captain.
“Anything but…” Liz, replied, a wicked grin coming to her face as she gently shook her head. “Just broke in a new holodeck program last night. I’m just not what you’d call a morning person.”
“I see…” Picard, well aware of Captain Shelby’s reputation for her rather exuberant and hedonistic lifestyle, remarked, his own lips turned up into a prim smile before getting quickly to the point, “I want to thank you for contacting me…I was about to call you.” Taking a deep breath, he stated, “Counselor Troi concurs with your counselor’s recommendations and has agreed to rendezvous with the Sutherland in the border area.”
“Excellent.” Liz responded, striking an optimistic tone. “Counselor Freedman is looking forward to working with her.” Setting down her coffee cup, she added in a slightly prayerful voice, “If everything goes well, I hope between the two of them they can help Ensign Sito.”
“I do too…” Picard concurred, adding his prayers to those of his fellow captain’s. His smile returning, Jean-Luc continued, “The counselor and Commander Data…”
“Commander Data?” Liz interjected, the android officer’s name taking her off guard.
“Yes…” Picard replied. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, “Is there a problem with that? With all that’s going on in the border area, I felt it would be safer for the counselor to have someone accompanying her and, as Commander Data is currently free and has had some experience with the Sutherland, I thought it would be a good idea to have him join her…”
“I see…” Liz drawled. Then, putting the best face possible on the situation, she stated in a definitive voice, “No…there’s no problem.” Setting down her coffee cup, she added, “Thank you for letting me know,” the subtext of her statement, being, You should have let me know about this first. Forcing a smile to her face, Liz concluded the conversation, “Well...Captain…unless there’s anything else…I’d better get busy…”
“I understand, Captain. There’s never enough time on a starship, is there?” He remarked somewhat envious of the blonde captain’s responsibilities. Taking a deep breath, Jean-Luc concluded the conversation, “In any event, thank you for all you’re doing. Commander Data and Counselor Troi have taken the runabout Amazon and should be in touch with you soon to set up a rendezvous.”
“We’ll be waiting for them.” Liz assured as she shut off the transmission. Looking into the blank monitor, Picard’s lips turned down into a worried frown as he pondered Shelby’s reaction towards Commander Data’s accompanying Deanna to the Sutherland. “Computer…” He ordered, “Retrieve Commander Data’s official log entries for his time in command on the USS Sutherland, Stardate 45020.4 and the current personnel roster for the Sutherland.”
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“I can’t believe you’re agreeing with her, Commander…” Nurse Ogawa exclaimed, her face reflecting her surprise. “To deliberately choose to go to war…”
“The Cardassians have repeatedly broken the treaty,” Worf declared. “They tortured the Captain…”
“And are probably torturing Jaxa right now, Alyssa while we’re squabbling…” Sam interrupted somewhat peevishly and then, taking a deep breath, attempted to deflect the argument. “Why don’t we table this discussion for now? I think you guys might want to hear this…” Reading from the record displayed on the computer he noted, “Pierson resigned his commission a year ago and has since been tied into Maquis and a variety of other criminal activities acting as a sometime facilitator for the Orion Syndicate.”
Gritting his teeth, Worf growled, “So he is a terrorist and a criminal.”
“Maybe…” Sam agreed, “But we’re going to have to deal with him if we want to get Jaxa.”
“I wonder what he’s going to want…” Alyssa asked, her brow furrowed with worry.
“Whatever it is…” Sam replied, “I have a feeling we’re not going to like it.”
“Well…whatever it is…” Maria smirked as she picked up a padd containing the weekend edition of the Federation News Service, “It’s going to have to wait until I get out of the little ensigns’ room. I’ve got to go take a Starfleet Command.”
“Yeah…well…this time don’t forget to tell the computer to scrub the air in there when you’re done,” Sam quipped as Maria, turning her back on the handsome helmsman, bent over slightly and lifted her skirt to reveal her firm well rounded tush.
“Kiss my ass, Sam!”
“Any time, Maria!” The roguish helmsman shouted back to the amused chuckles of the other two in the runabout she exited the control room.
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“Thanks for coming in, Max…” Shelby said as she motioned for the Sutherland’s counselor to take a seat on the other side of the desk opposite her.
“Thanks, Captain…” The wiry psychologist replied as he sat down. Taking a moment to regard his superior officer’s taut facial expression, he gently probed, “So…how did it go with Captain Picard…”
Forcing a smile to her face, Liz joked, “You sure you’re not part Betazoid, Max?”
Laughing, Max riposted, “Try playing bridge sometime with Jadon and Commander Hobson on the other team…you either get pretty good at reading body language with those two or you get your clock cleaned.”
Her smile turning into a chuckle, Liz quipped, “I’m going to have to do something about that before our bridge tournament. I’m teamed up with Dr. Murakawa.”
“She’s a good player…” The ship’s counselor observed before, his smile vanishing, he got down to business, “So…what’s the problem, Captain?”
Shelby’s smile disappearing as well, the captain declared, “It’s a good news…bad news situation, Max.” Taking a deep breath, she began, “The good news is that Counselor Troi is on the way and will meet up with us at our rendezvous point with the Defiant.”
“That is good news…” Max observed, “So…what’s the bad news?”
“The bad news…” Liz stated with a sigh, “Is that Commander Data is accompanying her.”
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“I don’t know, Sam…” Alyssa said with a frown glancing towards the rear of the runabout where Ensign Django had withdrawn earlier. “I’m not sure what to think of Maria. She seems so…”
“Undisciplined.” Worf asserted, yet with a twinkle in his eye betraying a growing fondness for the hot-tempered ensign.
“Just like Ro Laren?” Sam quipped with a half grin.
“The two do seem to have…” The Klingon admitted with a chuckle, “…a great deal in common.”
“What’s her problem with Captain Picard though?” Ogawa asked as she took a cup of hot tea out of the replicator slot.
“You know…” Lavelle said cocking his head to the left, “…she’s never told me.” Taking a deep breath, he addressed his former Enterprise shipmates in a more serious tone, “But I do know that there are some bad feelings between some of us on the Suthy’s crew towards the Enterprise in general and Captain Picard in particular.”
“Why?” Alyssa queried, genuinely mystified as to why the crew of the Sutherland would harbor any ill thoughts at all towards the flagship of the Federation or its famous captain.
“It’s funny…” Sam remarked with a wry grin, “A few months ago, when I first came on board the Sutherland, I asked the same question.”
“So…” Alyssa pressed, “…what did they tell you?”
His smile vanishing, the Canadian helmsman answered, “There’s a bunch of stuff—mostly little things...” he clarified, “…but it’s the sort of stuff that can really pile up and become a problem if you let it.” He then took a deep breath before continuing his narrative, “But there is one item—and it’s a big one. Some of the crew…especially those that were around at the time…didn’t…and still don’t…like the way that Captain Picard put Mr. Data in command of the Sutherland over Commander Hobson during the Klingon Civil War. They believe that the commander got the raw end of the deal because Captain Picard was playing favorites.”
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“I see…” Max vocalized as he glanced towards the replicator. Receiving an affirmative nod from his commanding officer in response to his unspoken request, the swarthy ship’s counselor walked to the replicator. Ordering two coffees, he picked the steaming mugs up out of the replicator alcove. Returning to his captain’s desk, he gave her one of the mugs as he went back to his seat. “Do you really think there’ll be a problem?”
Pondering the question for a few moments, Liz took a sip from her coffee before slowly replying, “No…not really. They’re both professionals…they won’t let what happened in the past get in the way of their jobs.”
“So…what’s the big deal?” Max pressed, taking a sip from his mug. Flashing a slight smile, the counselor continued, “You know…this actually might be a blessing in disguise.”
“Perhaps…” Shelby thoughtfully replied, “It would give all parties a chance to get any tensions out in the open and resolve them once and for all…”
With a beatific nod of his head, the ship’s counselor cautioned, “True…but the situation will need to be carefully managed otherwise it could easily make things worse.” Taking a deep breath, he then pointed out, “You know, Commander Data might not even realize that there is a problem here…”
“Good point.” Liz concurred. “He might not really understand why there might still be some resentment towards him by some on the crew.” Taking another sip of her coffee she then asked, “Any ideas on how to handle that?”
“Yeah…” Max smiled, “I think Deanna Troi can help us a lot here too...”
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“That’s ridiculous!” Alyssa exclaimed shaking her head in disbelief while Worf sat quietly listening. Maria, who was at that moment at the point of ordering the door to the tiny main bridge to open, stopped immediately on hearing the last few remarks. Standing quietly, she listened intently from behind the door as she heard her shipmate speak.
Shrugging his shoulders, Sam replied, “A few months ago, I’d have agreed with you, Alyssa. But now that I’ve been off the Enterprise a while and gotten to hear the other side…I think Hobby’s got good reason to gripe.” A thoughtful look on his face, Lavelle continued, “Quite a few of us on the Sutherland feel like Captain Picard was playing favorites then…that by doing what he did he sent a message to us that we weren’t as good as the people on the Big E…that we couldn’t do the job on our own. That we had to have someone from the Enterprise there to supervise us.” On the other side of the door, a smile crossed Django’s lips as she noted how Sam, in his defense of Commander Hobson and the Sutherland had used the terms ‘we’ and ‘us’ to describe himself, the ship and its crew.
A shocked look on her face, Nurse Ogawa, also taking note of Sam’s use of ‘us’ and ‘we’, exclaimed, “Are you trying to say that Captain Picard didn’t think that the officers and crew on the Sutherland were capable of doing their job?”
Taking a deep breath, Lavelle answered back in a placating voice, “No, Alyssa…that’s not what I’m saying. I can’t say for sure what the captain was thinking. What I’m trying to tell you though is that some people on the Sutherland feel that’s what Captain Picard thinks of them—that’s how they see it.”
“I think I understand.” Worf interjected, much to the surprise of the others in the control room—as well as of the young woman listening in from the other side of the door. Turning towards Alyssa, the Klingon smiled down warmly at the Japanese woman, “Nurse Ogawa…you haven’t been away from the Enterprise that long…”
“I’ve been away just as long as you have.” Alyssa protested.
Shaking his head kindly, Worf demurred, surprisingly loquacious, “But you are now at Starfleet Medical working directly under Dr. Crusher and with most of the Enterprise medical staff. For the most part, you haven’t had to deal that much with the rest of Starfleet out in the field until now, so you’ve been shielded. That affects how you see the Captain and the Enterprise. Mr. Lavelle and I…because we’ve been away from Earth and mostly away from the rest of the Enterprise crew…”
“Chief O’Brien’s stationed with you though?” Alyssa pointed out, albeit with much less enthusiasm than before.
“True…” Worf conceded, “…but he hasn’t had much contact with the Enterprise and its crew for over three years and, I have a feeling that if he were here, he would probably agree with Mr. Lavelle and I.”
“What Mr. Worf is trying to say…” Sam picked up, “…is that being away from the Enterprise and Captain Picard has given us a different…a broader…perspective.”
“Correct.” Worf responded and then reluctantly concluded, “And what I and Chief O’Brien have found and what Mr. Lavelle has also discovered is that while many in Starfleet respect both the Enterprise and Captain Picard, there are also many who do not like either.”
“I’m not sure I see where you’re coming from…” Alyssa weakly protested, unconvinced, “So that’s why Ensign Django doesn’t like me…”
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