Thanks. There won't be any quick resolution between T'Ser and Sarnek. Maybe in a future story they'll bury the hatchet (hopefully not in each other's head!)
Tales of the USS Bluefin - 2: Storms and Shadows
- Thread starter TheLoneRedshirt
- Start date
Well, Sarnek wins this round--T'Ser lost her cool. And the mystery deepens--clues and red herrings abound. 
Good stuff.
Good stuff.
As the crew of the Bluefin sought the mysterious wormhole in the wrong place, the Tal Shiar scout ship came through the wormhole and into the Molari Badlands, far from the searching border cutter.
"Scan for other vessels," ordered Sub-Commder Voladek.
T'Vash checked her instruments and smiled. "No vessels within scanning range. Apparently, our sleeper agent's subterfuge was successful."
"Yes," said Tor'dex, "But they will soon discover their mistake and resume their search for the wormhole."
"Let them," said Voladek, "We will be elsewhere." He straightened in the command chair. "Set a course for Verex III." He smiled a menacing smile. "Lortho Elix believes himself safe from us. He is badly mistaken. Tor'dex! Best speed through the Badlands, then maximum warp to the Orion's homeworld."
The scout ship picked up speed, heading out of the Badlands.
********************************
Captain Akinola entered the bridge to see a cadre of his senior officers gathered around the sensor station. Lt. Bane was seated, deeply focused on something. Ensign Vashtee stood to the side, a look of puzzlement and frustration on her face. Commander Strauss and Lt. Commander Gralt were having an animated conversation while T'Ser looked over Bane's shoulders.
Akinola strode up to the group. "So what's so important that you had to wake me from the best sleep I've had in days?"
Strauss spoke up. "Sorry, sir, but we've got a strange problem. Apparently, someone has tampered with our sensor logs. The coordinates they indicate for the wormhole are incorrect."
Akinola frowned. "Tampered? You better explain!"
Lt. Bane turned from the sensors. "Sir? Do you remember how I was confused by our coordinates when we arrived on station? I just figured I was tired, but it seems I was right - we are not where the wormhole first appeared. The sensor logs should always be correct, unless someone deliberately tampers with them."
"And how hard is it to do that?" asked the captain.
T'Ser spoke up. "It's not all that easy, captain. You have to bypass a number of security protocols to even access the log files - then to make the changes would require considerable knowledge of programming code."
Akinola considered this. "Who on board could do that?"
T'Ser furrowed her brow in thought, "Well, I could. So could Gralt, Lt. Bane, and Chief Dylyx. Those are the ones I know of that would have the necessary knowledge and access. But there could be others with the know-how of whom we're not aware. And that doesn't begin to answer why someone would do it!
"Have you discovered any more sabotage?" asked Akinola, quietly.
The other officers looked uncomfortable. Akinola had said the "s-word" that, thus far, had been unspoken. Finally, Strauss spoke up. "Captain, we've been focusing on the sensor logs, but I've asked Gralt to begin a check of all the ship's systems - just in case."
"Good. Listen, people. We don't know who did this, and maybe not all of the reasons. But we do know somebody wanted to keep us from finding that wormhole, or at least delay us." Akinola looked from face to face, as if searching for something. "I don't want to think that someone on this ship is a saboteur, but we have to accept that possibility. From now on, I want at least two of you monitoring the computer logs at all times. If anything out of the ordinary happens, I want to know about it immediately, understood?"
There were murmurs of assent all around. Lt. Bane spoke up, "Sir? I think I can remember the actual coordinates, or at least pretty close, where we first encountered the wormhole traces."
"Okay, Nigel. Pass those on to the navigator and let's get there ASAP. Gralt? Is there anything we can do to beef up security on critical systems?"
The Telarite chief engineer, rubbed his snout. "Yeah, there's a few things we can do - rotate access codes, limit access to fewer terminals, set some stickies . . ."
"Stickies?" asked Akinola, puzzled.
"They are little software traps that indicate whether someone has been messing with the code. The perp wouldn't know, but we would! I'll get on it." He ambled off, focused on his task.
Akinola turned back to the remaining officers. "Commander Strauss, let's make best speed to the coordinates that Mr. Bane remembers. T'Ser, work with Mr. Bane and check the rest of the sensor logs for any anomolies. I'll be in my quarters."
*********************************
Admiral Morgan Bateson received his unexpected visitor with a mix of distrust and curiosity."Commander Chalmer, what can I do for you?" Bateson asked of the Section 31 operative.
Chalmer, wearing civilian clothes rather than a Starfleet uniform, made himself comfortable in one of Bateson's guest chairs. "Actually, admiral, I may be able to do something for you. Or, at least shine some light on some things that have been puzzling you."
Bateson kept his poker face. "And how would you know what's been puzzling me, Mr. Chalmer?"
"Your recent request for additional ships in the sector following the Bluefin's run-in with Krell and your report of a previously unknown wormhole. Needless to say, that caught our attention."
"Okay," admitted Bateson. "I can see how that would interest intelligence. But what 'light' can you shine for me."
Chalmer steepled his fingers. "Understand, admiral, that this is highly classified. In fact, my superiors debated whether to pass this along. In the end, it was felt that you are in a 'need to know' position."
Bateson was tiring of the spy dramatics. "Mr. Chalmer, please get to the point."
Chalmer was unfazed by Bateson's impatience. "Admiral, what would you say if I told you that the Orion Syndicate has kidnapped the daughter of the Romulan Praetor?"
For a moment, Bateson was speechless. Then his speech became unprintable.
******************************
The Romulan scout ship dropped from warp as it entered the Verex system.
"Engage cloaking device at level two, maintain full sublight to Verex III," said Voladek. "Begin scanning for Lortho Elix's ship, the Treshmaran ."
"Sub-commander, do you think he's keeping her on the ship?" asked T'Vash.
"Unknown. Most likely she is being held on the third planet. It has served as their base of operations for their slaving operations for centuries."
"It's a big planet," observed Tor'dex.
"All the more reason to take Elix - alive. He will lead us to the Praetor's daughter," said Voladek.
"And if he does not?" asked T'Vash.
"Then we take Elix back to the Praetor. In which case, Elix will wish that we had killed him."
"Scan for other vessels," ordered Sub-Commder Voladek.
T'Vash checked her instruments and smiled. "No vessels within scanning range. Apparently, our sleeper agent's subterfuge was successful."
"Yes," said Tor'dex, "But they will soon discover their mistake and resume their search for the wormhole."
"Let them," said Voladek, "We will be elsewhere." He straightened in the command chair. "Set a course for Verex III." He smiled a menacing smile. "Lortho Elix believes himself safe from us. He is badly mistaken. Tor'dex! Best speed through the Badlands, then maximum warp to the Orion's homeworld."
The scout ship picked up speed, heading out of the Badlands.
********************************
Captain Akinola entered the bridge to see a cadre of his senior officers gathered around the sensor station. Lt. Bane was seated, deeply focused on something. Ensign Vashtee stood to the side, a look of puzzlement and frustration on her face. Commander Strauss and Lt. Commander Gralt were having an animated conversation while T'Ser looked over Bane's shoulders.
Akinola strode up to the group. "So what's so important that you had to wake me from the best sleep I've had in days?"
Strauss spoke up. "Sorry, sir, but we've got a strange problem. Apparently, someone has tampered with our sensor logs. The coordinates they indicate for the wormhole are incorrect."
Akinola frowned. "Tampered? You better explain!"
Lt. Bane turned from the sensors. "Sir? Do you remember how I was confused by our coordinates when we arrived on station? I just figured I was tired, but it seems I was right - we are not where the wormhole first appeared. The sensor logs should always be correct, unless someone deliberately tampers with them."
"And how hard is it to do that?" asked the captain.
T'Ser spoke up. "It's not all that easy, captain. You have to bypass a number of security protocols to even access the log files - then to make the changes would require considerable knowledge of programming code."
Akinola considered this. "Who on board could do that?"
T'Ser furrowed her brow in thought, "Well, I could. So could Gralt, Lt. Bane, and Chief Dylyx. Those are the ones I know of that would have the necessary knowledge and access. But there could be others with the know-how of whom we're not aware. And that doesn't begin to answer why someone would do it!
"Have you discovered any more sabotage?" asked Akinola, quietly.
The other officers looked uncomfortable. Akinola had said the "s-word" that, thus far, had been unspoken. Finally, Strauss spoke up. "Captain, we've been focusing on the sensor logs, but I've asked Gralt to begin a check of all the ship's systems - just in case."
"Good. Listen, people. We don't know who did this, and maybe not all of the reasons. But we do know somebody wanted to keep us from finding that wormhole, or at least delay us." Akinola looked from face to face, as if searching for something. "I don't want to think that someone on this ship is a saboteur, but we have to accept that possibility. From now on, I want at least two of you monitoring the computer logs at all times. If anything out of the ordinary happens, I want to know about it immediately, understood?"
There were murmurs of assent all around. Lt. Bane spoke up, "Sir? I think I can remember the actual coordinates, or at least pretty close, where we first encountered the wormhole traces."
"Okay, Nigel. Pass those on to the navigator and let's get there ASAP. Gralt? Is there anything we can do to beef up security on critical systems?"
The Telarite chief engineer, rubbed his snout. "Yeah, there's a few things we can do - rotate access codes, limit access to fewer terminals, set some stickies . . ."
"Stickies?" asked Akinola, puzzled.
"They are little software traps that indicate whether someone has been messing with the code. The perp wouldn't know, but we would! I'll get on it." He ambled off, focused on his task.
Akinola turned back to the remaining officers. "Commander Strauss, let's make best speed to the coordinates that Mr. Bane remembers. T'Ser, work with Mr. Bane and check the rest of the sensor logs for any anomolies. I'll be in my quarters."
*********************************
Admiral Morgan Bateson received his unexpected visitor with a mix of distrust and curiosity."Commander Chalmer, what can I do for you?" Bateson asked of the Section 31 operative.
Chalmer, wearing civilian clothes rather than a Starfleet uniform, made himself comfortable in one of Bateson's guest chairs. "Actually, admiral, I may be able to do something for you. Or, at least shine some light on some things that have been puzzling you."
Bateson kept his poker face. "And how would you know what's been puzzling me, Mr. Chalmer?"
"Your recent request for additional ships in the sector following the Bluefin's run-in with Krell and your report of a previously unknown wormhole. Needless to say, that caught our attention."
"Okay," admitted Bateson. "I can see how that would interest intelligence. But what 'light' can you shine for me."
Chalmer steepled his fingers. "Understand, admiral, that this is highly classified. In fact, my superiors debated whether to pass this along. In the end, it was felt that you are in a 'need to know' position."
Bateson was tiring of the spy dramatics. "Mr. Chalmer, please get to the point."
Chalmer was unfazed by Bateson's impatience. "Admiral, what would you say if I told you that the Orion Syndicate has kidnapped the daughter of the Romulan Praetor?"
For a moment, Bateson was speechless. Then his speech became unprintable.
******************************
The Romulan scout ship dropped from warp as it entered the Verex system.
"Engage cloaking device at level two, maintain full sublight to Verex III," said Voladek. "Begin scanning for Lortho Elix's ship, the Treshmaran ."
"Sub-commander, do you think he's keeping her on the ship?" asked T'Vash.
"Unknown. Most likely she is being held on the third planet. It has served as their base of operations for their slaving operations for centuries."
"It's a big planet," observed Tor'dex.
"All the more reason to take Elix - alive. He will lead us to the Praetor's daughter," said Voladek.
"And if he does not?" asked T'Vash.
"Then we take Elix back to the Praetor. In which case, Elix will wish that we had killed him."
You’re really upping the tension level here, as well as providing us with plenty of terrific character interactions. Interesting that Section 31 would operate so brazenly, with one of their operatives deigning to speak on-the-record with a Border Service admiral. Does Bateson know with whom he’s actually dealing, or does he simply see Chalmer as a Starfleet Intelligence officer?
As for who the mysterious saboteur is, I have my theories, but I appreciate that you’ve yet to clue us in to exactly who it is.
As for the Orions, all I can say is… what the hell where they thinking?!
As for who the mysterious saboteur is, I have my theories, but I appreciate that you’ve yet to clue us in to exactly who it is.
As for the Orions, all I can say is… what the hell where they thinking?!
Admiral Bateson was incredulous. "Let me get this straight, Chalmer. The Orion Syndicate managed to kidnap the daughter of the Romulan Praetor? That's simply unbelievable! How could they do it, and why?"
"I'm afraid the how is still a bit of a mystery, but the why . . . well, that's fairly easy. This gambit will give the involved Syndicate family a huge reputation boost, not just in this sector but throughout the quadrant. They probably believe that the Romulans have no option but to pay the ransom - giving the Syndicate family huge financial resources and a large boost to their self-image. In the Syndicate's view, the Romulans can't make a military move - this sector is on the opposite side of Federation space from the neutral zone. And they also figured, correctly, that the Roms would not enlist our help."
"Why not?" interupted Bateson.
"Romulan pride, mostly. You'd be surprised to learn that the Syndicate has a fairly sophisticated intelligence network of their own. They've read the Romulan reaction correctly . . . up to a point," said Chalmer.
"And that point would be?" asked Bateson.
"They are correct from a tactical standpoint. The Praetor will not risk war with the Federation to mount a military operation in our territory. But the syndicate has underestimated the Romulans' other methods - stealth, misdirection, patience. We have strong reason to believe that the Romulans are, even now, attempting a covert operation against this Syndicate family to rescue the Praetor's daughter and to extract retribution."
Bateson nodded. The events of the past two months were beginning to make sense. "Perhaps the Roms thought we could make the job easier for them - if we thought the Orions had destroyed the Kilimanjaro, for example."
Chalmer inclined his head. "That would seem to be the case. Fortunately, one of your cutters was in the right place at the right time and broke up that plan. Now it appears that the Roms are taking a more direct, but riskier approach."
Bateson finished the thought. "They're sending a cloaked ship through some sort of artificial wormhole, aren't they?"
Chalmer did not answer the question directly. "It would be in the best interests of the Federation if none of this came out publicly. Our relations with the Romulans, though perhaps not at their best, are at least stable. If we send a fleet of starships into this sector on a seek and destroy mission, well . . ." Chalmer paused momentarily, then continued. "If, however, a lone ship, say, one of your cutters, could make contact with the Romulans, even offer assistance, it could help the situation come to a more amicable conclusion for both of our governments."
Bateson was not happy with that idea. "We're the border service, Chalmer, not some covert spy agency. We don't do assassinations or espionage."
"And you wouldn't have to," said Chalmer smoothly, "Your mission is to provide assistance, is it not? If your ship can expedite the Romulans in recovering this girl and, perhaps, learn something about the wormhole in the process, we'll have a succesful end to this affair."
"Chalmer, I know enough that when the intelligence service says something's going to be easy, it's usually anything but." Bateson glared at the Section 31 agent a moment longer before continuing. "Okay, we'll play along with your game, but I'm bringing Captain Akinola into the loop. I will not send him into this mess blindfolded!"
Chalmer did not look pleased at this, but, seeing the look on Bateson's face, did not argue.
*****************************
"Crikey! Look 'ere ma'am! Someone's pokin' into the system again!" Lt. Bane's Australian accent was more pronounced, probably due to his excitement. He looked up at T'Ser from the display. "Accordin' to Mr. Gralt's "sticky," our friend is accessing a terminal in Jeffries tube 4, level 6."
T'Ser tapped her com badge. "Commander T'Ser to security . . ."
*********************************
Senior Chief Brin and three security crewmen stealthily approached the Jeffries tube where their suspected saboteur was at work. The area was dim, but they could see well enough without visual aides. Brin used hand signals to place the rest of the security detail in position. He then double checked his own phaser, making sure it was set for heavy stun. He took a calming breath then cautiously entered the Jeffries tube.
************************************
The cloaked Romulan scout ship entered orbit around Verex III. Many ships orbited the infamous planet. Many were Orion Syndicate ships, other were personal or commercial ships from many worlds. The Tal Shiar agents watched their sensors intently, looking for signs of their target, the Troshmaran . Finally, after two hours of searching, a smile played across the face of Tor'dex. He looked up at the other two agents. "I've got him!"
*************************************
Chief Brin moved carefully into the Jeffries tube. He paused at a junction, listening intently. Sure enough, someone was there, just around the corner from him. Brin could hear him breathing and make out a shadow from some small source of light. With his phaser at the ready, he eased around the corner.
A figure was hunched over a terminal station. He must have sensed Brin's presence because he suddenly whirled on him. In the dimness, Brin could just make out some object in the other's hand. He pressed the firing stud of the phaser. Immediately, the cramped crawlway was illuminated by an eerie blue light as the phaser emitted its characteristic warbling cry. The shadowy figure grunted and crumpled to the deck.
Instantly, Brin tapped his com badge. "Security detail, move in - man down!" He moved closer, still cautious, and turned the figure where he could view his face.
Though the lighting was poor, Brin's breath caught in his throat. Lying before him, with a small flashlight still clutched in his hand, was a very familiar form.
"I'm afraid the how is still a bit of a mystery, but the why . . . well, that's fairly easy. This gambit will give the involved Syndicate family a huge reputation boost, not just in this sector but throughout the quadrant. They probably believe that the Romulans have no option but to pay the ransom - giving the Syndicate family huge financial resources and a large boost to their self-image. In the Syndicate's view, the Romulans can't make a military move - this sector is on the opposite side of Federation space from the neutral zone. And they also figured, correctly, that the Roms would not enlist our help."
"Why not?" interupted Bateson.
"Romulan pride, mostly. You'd be surprised to learn that the Syndicate has a fairly sophisticated intelligence network of their own. They've read the Romulan reaction correctly . . . up to a point," said Chalmer.
"And that point would be?" asked Bateson.
"They are correct from a tactical standpoint. The Praetor will not risk war with the Federation to mount a military operation in our territory. But the syndicate has underestimated the Romulans' other methods - stealth, misdirection, patience. We have strong reason to believe that the Romulans are, even now, attempting a covert operation against this Syndicate family to rescue the Praetor's daughter and to extract retribution."
Bateson nodded. The events of the past two months were beginning to make sense. "Perhaps the Roms thought we could make the job easier for them - if we thought the Orions had destroyed the Kilimanjaro, for example."
Chalmer inclined his head. "That would seem to be the case. Fortunately, one of your cutters was in the right place at the right time and broke up that plan. Now it appears that the Roms are taking a more direct, but riskier approach."
Bateson finished the thought. "They're sending a cloaked ship through some sort of artificial wormhole, aren't they?"
Chalmer did not answer the question directly. "It would be in the best interests of the Federation if none of this came out publicly. Our relations with the Romulans, though perhaps not at their best, are at least stable. If we send a fleet of starships into this sector on a seek and destroy mission, well . . ." Chalmer paused momentarily, then continued. "If, however, a lone ship, say, one of your cutters, could make contact with the Romulans, even offer assistance, it could help the situation come to a more amicable conclusion for both of our governments."
Bateson was not happy with that idea. "We're the border service, Chalmer, not some covert spy agency. We don't do assassinations or espionage."
"And you wouldn't have to," said Chalmer smoothly, "Your mission is to provide assistance, is it not? If your ship can expedite the Romulans in recovering this girl and, perhaps, learn something about the wormhole in the process, we'll have a succesful end to this affair."
"Chalmer, I know enough that when the intelligence service says something's going to be easy, it's usually anything but." Bateson glared at the Section 31 agent a moment longer before continuing. "Okay, we'll play along with your game, but I'm bringing Captain Akinola into the loop. I will not send him into this mess blindfolded!"
Chalmer did not look pleased at this, but, seeing the look on Bateson's face, did not argue.
*****************************
"Crikey! Look 'ere ma'am! Someone's pokin' into the system again!" Lt. Bane's Australian accent was more pronounced, probably due to his excitement. He looked up at T'Ser from the display. "Accordin' to Mr. Gralt's "sticky," our friend is accessing a terminal in Jeffries tube 4, level 6."
T'Ser tapped her com badge. "Commander T'Ser to security . . ."
*********************************
Senior Chief Brin and three security crewmen stealthily approached the Jeffries tube where their suspected saboteur was at work. The area was dim, but they could see well enough without visual aides. Brin used hand signals to place the rest of the security detail in position. He then double checked his own phaser, making sure it was set for heavy stun. He took a calming breath then cautiously entered the Jeffries tube.
************************************
The cloaked Romulan scout ship entered orbit around Verex III. Many ships orbited the infamous planet. Many were Orion Syndicate ships, other were personal or commercial ships from many worlds. The Tal Shiar agents watched their sensors intently, looking for signs of their target, the Troshmaran . Finally, after two hours of searching, a smile played across the face of Tor'dex. He looked up at the other two agents. "I've got him!"
*************************************
Chief Brin moved carefully into the Jeffries tube. He paused at a junction, listening intently. Sure enough, someone was there, just around the corner from him. Brin could hear him breathing and make out a shadow from some small source of light. With his phaser at the ready, he eased around the corner.
A figure was hunched over a terminal station. He must have sensed Brin's presence because he suddenly whirled on him. In the dimness, Brin could just make out some object in the other's hand. He pressed the firing stud of the phaser. Immediately, the cramped crawlway was illuminated by an eerie blue light as the phaser emitted its characteristic warbling cry. The shadowy figure grunted and crumpled to the deck.
Instantly, Brin tapped his com badge. "Security detail, move in - man down!" He moved closer, still cautious, and turned the figure where he could view his face.
Though the lighting was poor, Brin's breath caught in his throat. Lying before him, with a small flashlight still clutched in his hand, was a very familiar form.
Oh, come on! What kinda cliffhanger is this? Now we have to wait till the next installment to find out who the sleeper is? How frustrating.
Hurry please
I love the plot by the way and I wonder how Akinola and the crew will react to the news. Will they work with the Romulans and be able to look past the Kilimanjaro accident (and the sleeper) ... not easily, that's for damn sure.
Hurry please
I love the plot by the way and I wonder how Akinola and the crew will react to the news. Will they work with the Romulans and be able to look past the Kilimanjaro accident (and the sleeper) ... not easily, that's for damn sure.
Thanks, all, for the comments!
I hope you find the resolution interesting.
And, Cejay, I almost revealed the sleeper at the end of this segment, but edited just before posting. I don't know why I do things like that.
I hope you find the resolution interesting.
And, Cejay, I almost revealed the sleeper at the end of this segment, but edited just before posting. I don't know why I do things like that.
You're evil Redshirt, simply evil! And the Orion Syndicate...or rather that particular family...just made the biggest mistake of its life! The Romulans can be incredibly creative as regards taking vengeance as I have a feeling the Orions are about to find out.
Now, to see if I was right or not about the sleeper...
Now, to see if I was right or not about the sleeper...
The cloaked Romulan scout ship took up a position just astern of Lortho Elix's ship, the Toshmaran .
Sub-commander Voladek turned to Tor'dex, "Anything?"
"They are running with shields up, but I am reading 27 Orion life forms, no Romulans."
Voladek grunted. "We never expected this to be easy. Very well. T'Vash - prepare to scramble their weapons and shields and beam over the stun grenades."
********************************
On board the Toshmaran, the Orion pilot frowned at his boards. "Supreme! We are being scanned."
Lothar Elix shifted his ample body around on his command throne. "Who is scanning us? Where are they?"
The pilot worked his controls frantically. "I can not find the source. It is coming from aft of us, but there are no ships there."
"Fool!" shouted Elix. "It must be a cloaked ship! Prepare to fire phasers, wide dispersal."
*********************************
The Orion phaser fire was deflected easily by the shields of the Romulan scout ship. T'Vash smiled, "They are nothing, if not predictable." Using the Orions phasers against them, she instigated a feedback loop which overwhelmed their weapons and their shields. "Too bad this does not work against more powerful defenses," she observed. T'Vash then deactivated the cloaking device and engaged the transporter.
******************************
The Pilot was nearly in panic. "Supreme! A ship is decloaking immediately behind us."
Elix looked at the viewscreen at the green ship that suddenly appeared. Though he did not recognize the ship, he had no doubt as to who occupied it. "Fire, you idiot! Destroy that ship!"
The pilot frantically attempted to fire their phasers, to no avail. "Weapons and shields are down!"
Elix was about to order the pilot to engage their engines and flee the scout ship, when a wavering hum filled the small flight deck. He looked on, frozen in fear, as two small, round objects suddenly materialized. Red lights blinked on the stun grenades. Elix had only a moment to recognize the objects before everything went very bright, then very dark.
*****************************************
T'Ser nearly collided with Commander Strauss as she hurried to sick bay. "Did you hear? . . ." began T'Ser.
"Yeah, but I'm having a hard time believing it," replied Strauss, grimly. "Come on!"
The two officers entered sickbay together. Chief Brin was standing by a bio-bed, he turned to look at them. A mixture of sorrow and anger clouded his face. "Commanders, I . . ." His voice tailed off and he looked back down at the figure in the bed. T'Ser and Strauss joined him.
His face was pale and drawn, and, though still unconscious, his arms and legs were bound. T'Ser frowned at Brin. "Is that really necessary?"
"It is," said a familiar voice. T'Ser turned to see Captain Akinola, leaning against the far wall with arms crossed, his face a mask. "I ordered it."
Neither T'Ser nor Strauss responded, but turned instead to look again at the still form of Dr. Calvin Baxter.
************************************
At first, everything was blurry to Elix. He felt dizzy and nauseous. He tried to wipe his forhead but he found he could not move his arms. This alarmed him and he strained harder to make out his surroundings.
Elix could make out greenish gray walls and that he was restrained in some sort of hard, metal chair. He was firmly held in place, though there were no signs of straps or ropes. He realized that he was not alone.
"Hello, Lothar," said a calm, quiet voice.
"Who's there? Who are you?" Elix decided the situation called for bluster. "Whoever you are, you've made the worst mistake of your life! If you don't release me immediately, your lives will be forfeit! My family will hunt you down and skin you slowly!"
The shadowy figure made a tsking sound. "Lortho, surely an Orion prince such as yourself can be more imaginative than that. Such practices are archaic and often ineffectice." The figure leaned in, revealing the face of a smiling Romulan. "I, on the other hand, know some truly unique and inventive ways of inflicting pain."
Voladek paused as the truth of the situatioin began to dawn on Elix. He leaned in closer to Elix and spoke again in the same calm, quiet manner, "Now, Lortho, where is the Praetor's daughter? Where is T'Lera?"
************************************
T'Ser was aghast. She turned to Brin. "Chief, are your sure that Doc was jacking the system? Couldn't he have been in the Jeffries tube for some other reason?"
Akinola interupted, "T'ser."
She looked at him, a stricken look on her face. "I just can't believe that Dr. Baxter could do anything like this. He's served faithfully in Starfleet for 50 years."
"I'm having a hard time with this too. But the evidence is damning. This time, he tried to infiltrate our defensive systems. That's serious, T'Ser. I have no choice but to treat this in a serious manner." Akinola looked at the medic who was standing by. "Wake him."
The young corpsman looked startled. "Sir?"
"Give him something to wake him up. I want to talk to him, now," said Akinola, calmly but firmly.
The corpsman might have argued, but there was something in Akinola's face that made him hold his tongue. He checked a hypospray, dialed in a mild stimulant, and pressed it against Baxter's neck.
Almost immediately, Baxter began to grimace and moaned softly. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes, squinting somewhat at the light. He finally focused on Captain Akinola. "Joseph? What's happening?" He tried to sit up, but the combination of dizziness and the restraints caused him to lay back down. He paused, slowly regaining his senses. He calmly asked, "Why am I in a bio-bed, under restraints?"
Akinola replied, "You're recovering from a stun shot from a phaser."
"I must still be dreaming," Baxter said. "This is all so strange." He tugged gingerly at the restraints. "But these feel real." He paused, then with more emotion, "For God's sake, what's going on?"
"Calvin, you were caught in a Jeffries tube, hacking in to our defense systems. The best we can tell, you were attempting to override our shields and disable our weapons," Akinola paused. "Why don't you tell us what's going on."
Baxter looked genuinely confused, "Captain, I have no idea what you are talking about! I wouldn't know how to do that and I certainly wouldn't even if I could!"
Akinola was about to respond when T'Ser interrupted. "Doctor, what is the last thing you remember?"
Baxter frowned. "I remember finishing my shift here in sickbay, I left Corpsman Menendez in charge. I went to my quarters before going to eat . . ." Baxter stopped, a confused look now coming over his face. He looked around at the gathered officers, shaking his head slightly. "I don't remember anything after going to my quarters."
Akinola stared at Baxter for several, long moments. "Calvin, I've known you for seven years and, to my knowledge, you've never lied to me. But you must know, this is a huge problem. You've been caught red-handed engaged in espionage against this ship and this crew."
Baxter shook his head. "This must just be the same bad dream."
"What dream?" asked T'Ser.
Baxter looked at her, a pleading expression on his face. "T'Ser, I've dreamed that I've been exploring the ship, doing things with computers that I don't understand. Then I wake up in bed. I couldn't have been doing any of this . . . could I?" He looked again at Akinola.
Akinola wore a look of deep sadness on his face. "Calvin, this has happened twice. I don't know," he shook his head, "that Starfleet is going to accept that you were just 'sleep walking.'" A pause, "Hell, I don't know that I can believe that myself."
T'Ser turned to Akinola. "There is a way we might find out what really happened."
*********************************
Perspiration beaded on Lortho Elix's brow, but he stubbornly refused to say anything to the Romulan.
Voladek shook his head. "Really, Lortho, this is such a waste of time and effort. You have the information I want and you shall give it to me."
"Why don't you fornicate with a Horta!" spat Elix.
Voladek ignored Elix, instead he produced a small, innocuous looking cylinder. "This is a most interesting invention that has just been made available to us. Quite remarkable, really! With it, I can transport any part of your body somewhere else - even onto or in your body. I simply adjust the focus of the beam, like so . . ." He twisted a portion of the device, "Then, I set return settings. I can transport your heart out of your body and in to your lap, for example. But, rather than waste time talking, why don't I show you!" He placed the device squarely into Elix's crotch. "How would you like a new appendage on your forehead?"
*************************************
Voladek entered the cramped bridge of the Romulan vessel. Tor'dex raised an eyebrow and asked, "Did he talk?"
Voladek smiled, "Oh yes, he was most informative. Unfortunately, he does not know exactly where T'Lera is. But he did give us the coordinates of the compound where she must be." He took the "torture" cylinder that he was carrying, and twisted off the top. As he did so, steam rose from the opening. He looked at the other two agents and asked, "Tea?"
**********************************
Sarnek answered the chime to his quarters. "You may enter." His eyebrow crept up as he saw his visitor standing in the doorway.
"Lt. Sarnek, I would ask something of you," said T'Ser, formally.
Sub-commander Voladek turned to Tor'dex, "Anything?"
"They are running with shields up, but I am reading 27 Orion life forms, no Romulans."
Voladek grunted. "We never expected this to be easy. Very well. T'Vash - prepare to scramble their weapons and shields and beam over the stun grenades."
********************************
On board the Toshmaran, the Orion pilot frowned at his boards. "Supreme! We are being scanned."
Lothar Elix shifted his ample body around on his command throne. "Who is scanning us? Where are they?"
The pilot worked his controls frantically. "I can not find the source. It is coming from aft of us, but there are no ships there."
"Fool!" shouted Elix. "It must be a cloaked ship! Prepare to fire phasers, wide dispersal."
*********************************
The Orion phaser fire was deflected easily by the shields of the Romulan scout ship. T'Vash smiled, "They are nothing, if not predictable." Using the Orions phasers against them, she instigated a feedback loop which overwhelmed their weapons and their shields. "Too bad this does not work against more powerful defenses," she observed. T'Vash then deactivated the cloaking device and engaged the transporter.
******************************
The Pilot was nearly in panic. "Supreme! A ship is decloaking immediately behind us."
Elix looked at the viewscreen at the green ship that suddenly appeared. Though he did not recognize the ship, he had no doubt as to who occupied it. "Fire, you idiot! Destroy that ship!"
The pilot frantically attempted to fire their phasers, to no avail. "Weapons and shields are down!"
Elix was about to order the pilot to engage their engines and flee the scout ship, when a wavering hum filled the small flight deck. He looked on, frozen in fear, as two small, round objects suddenly materialized. Red lights blinked on the stun grenades. Elix had only a moment to recognize the objects before everything went very bright, then very dark.
*****************************************
T'Ser nearly collided with Commander Strauss as she hurried to sick bay. "Did you hear? . . ." began T'Ser.
"Yeah, but I'm having a hard time believing it," replied Strauss, grimly. "Come on!"
The two officers entered sickbay together. Chief Brin was standing by a bio-bed, he turned to look at them. A mixture of sorrow and anger clouded his face. "Commanders, I . . ." His voice tailed off and he looked back down at the figure in the bed. T'Ser and Strauss joined him.
His face was pale and drawn, and, though still unconscious, his arms and legs were bound. T'Ser frowned at Brin. "Is that really necessary?"
"It is," said a familiar voice. T'Ser turned to see Captain Akinola, leaning against the far wall with arms crossed, his face a mask. "I ordered it."
Neither T'Ser nor Strauss responded, but turned instead to look again at the still form of Dr. Calvin Baxter.
************************************
At first, everything was blurry to Elix. He felt dizzy and nauseous. He tried to wipe his forhead but he found he could not move his arms. This alarmed him and he strained harder to make out his surroundings.
Elix could make out greenish gray walls and that he was restrained in some sort of hard, metal chair. He was firmly held in place, though there were no signs of straps or ropes. He realized that he was not alone.
"Hello, Lothar," said a calm, quiet voice.
"Who's there? Who are you?" Elix decided the situation called for bluster. "Whoever you are, you've made the worst mistake of your life! If you don't release me immediately, your lives will be forfeit! My family will hunt you down and skin you slowly!"
The shadowy figure made a tsking sound. "Lortho, surely an Orion prince such as yourself can be more imaginative than that. Such practices are archaic and often ineffectice." The figure leaned in, revealing the face of a smiling Romulan. "I, on the other hand, know some truly unique and inventive ways of inflicting pain."
Voladek paused as the truth of the situatioin began to dawn on Elix. He leaned in closer to Elix and spoke again in the same calm, quiet manner, "Now, Lortho, where is the Praetor's daughter? Where is T'Lera?"
************************************
T'Ser was aghast. She turned to Brin. "Chief, are your sure that Doc was jacking the system? Couldn't he have been in the Jeffries tube for some other reason?"
Akinola interupted, "T'ser."
She looked at him, a stricken look on her face. "I just can't believe that Dr. Baxter could do anything like this. He's served faithfully in Starfleet for 50 years."
"I'm having a hard time with this too. But the evidence is damning. This time, he tried to infiltrate our defensive systems. That's serious, T'Ser. I have no choice but to treat this in a serious manner." Akinola looked at the medic who was standing by. "Wake him."
The young corpsman looked startled. "Sir?"
"Give him something to wake him up. I want to talk to him, now," said Akinola, calmly but firmly.
The corpsman might have argued, but there was something in Akinola's face that made him hold his tongue. He checked a hypospray, dialed in a mild stimulant, and pressed it against Baxter's neck.
Almost immediately, Baxter began to grimace and moaned softly. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes, squinting somewhat at the light. He finally focused on Captain Akinola. "Joseph? What's happening?" He tried to sit up, but the combination of dizziness and the restraints caused him to lay back down. He paused, slowly regaining his senses. He calmly asked, "Why am I in a bio-bed, under restraints?"
Akinola replied, "You're recovering from a stun shot from a phaser."
"I must still be dreaming," Baxter said. "This is all so strange." He tugged gingerly at the restraints. "But these feel real." He paused, then with more emotion, "For God's sake, what's going on?"
"Calvin, you were caught in a Jeffries tube, hacking in to our defense systems. The best we can tell, you were attempting to override our shields and disable our weapons," Akinola paused. "Why don't you tell us what's going on."
Baxter looked genuinely confused, "Captain, I have no idea what you are talking about! I wouldn't know how to do that and I certainly wouldn't even if I could!"
Akinola was about to respond when T'Ser interrupted. "Doctor, what is the last thing you remember?"
Baxter frowned. "I remember finishing my shift here in sickbay, I left Corpsman Menendez in charge. I went to my quarters before going to eat . . ." Baxter stopped, a confused look now coming over his face. He looked around at the gathered officers, shaking his head slightly. "I don't remember anything after going to my quarters."
Akinola stared at Baxter for several, long moments. "Calvin, I've known you for seven years and, to my knowledge, you've never lied to me. But you must know, this is a huge problem. You've been caught red-handed engaged in espionage against this ship and this crew."
Baxter shook his head. "This must just be the same bad dream."
"What dream?" asked T'Ser.
Baxter looked at her, a pleading expression on his face. "T'Ser, I've dreamed that I've been exploring the ship, doing things with computers that I don't understand. Then I wake up in bed. I couldn't have been doing any of this . . . could I?" He looked again at Akinola.
Akinola wore a look of deep sadness on his face. "Calvin, this has happened twice. I don't know," he shook his head, "that Starfleet is going to accept that you were just 'sleep walking.'" A pause, "Hell, I don't know that I can believe that myself."
T'Ser turned to Akinola. "There is a way we might find out what really happened."
*********************************
Perspiration beaded on Lortho Elix's brow, but he stubbornly refused to say anything to the Romulan.
Voladek shook his head. "Really, Lortho, this is such a waste of time and effort. You have the information I want and you shall give it to me."
"Why don't you fornicate with a Horta!" spat Elix.
Voladek ignored Elix, instead he produced a small, innocuous looking cylinder. "This is a most interesting invention that has just been made available to us. Quite remarkable, really! With it, I can transport any part of your body somewhere else - even onto or in your body. I simply adjust the focus of the beam, like so . . ." He twisted a portion of the device, "Then, I set return settings. I can transport your heart out of your body and in to your lap, for example. But, rather than waste time talking, why don't I show you!" He placed the device squarely into Elix's crotch. "How would you like a new appendage on your forehead?"
*************************************
Voladek entered the cramped bridge of the Romulan vessel. Tor'dex raised an eyebrow and asked, "Did he talk?"
Voladek smiled, "Oh yes, he was most informative. Unfortunately, he does not know exactly where T'Lera is. But he did give us the coordinates of the compound where she must be." He took the "torture" cylinder that he was carrying, and twisted off the top. As he did so, steam rose from the opening. He looked at the other two agents and asked, "Tea?"
**********************************
Sarnek answered the chime to his quarters. "You may enter." His eyebrow crept up as he saw his visitor standing in the doorway.
"Lt. Sarnek, I would ask something of you," said T'Ser, formally.
Oh well, the man in the rumpled trenchcoat and the smelly cigar guessed wrong--still, it does make sense for it to be Doc Baxter.
I like Voladek! Although you really couldn't blame ol' Lortho for breaking here.
And T'Ser knows when to call in someone's help--even if she can't stand that someone.
Very nicely done!
I like Voladek!
Although you really couldn't blame ol' Lortho for breaking here.And T'Ser knows when to call in someone's help--even if she can't stand that someone.
Very nicely done!
Seconded.
I'm really enjoying this series, so keep it up!
I'm really enjoying this series, so keep it up!
Sarneck stood stiffly, arms positioned behind his back. "And what is it you would have me do, commander?"
"I believe that Dr. Baxter has been forced to do things against his nature - things that may have been implanted deeply into his subconscious mind," said T'Ser.
Sarnek frowned slightly, "You believe this, but have no proof, I take it."
"No. But Dr. Baxter has served Starfleet and the federation for half a century. He has served honorably and with distinction. It is not . . . logical, that he would do anything contrary to the ideals he has so long upheld."
Again, Sarnek's eyebrow shot up. "You speak of logic? You rejected that path years ago. Do you hope to sway me by suddenly embracing the Vulcan ideal?"
T'Ser held her temper in check. "Sarnek, even humans understand and often employ logic." She took a step forward. "I am not asking this for me. I am asking for Dr. Baxter. You have not had the opportunity to get to know him as well as I, but I believe you would find him worthy of your assistance."
Sarnek held her gaze for a long, uncomfortable moment before speaking. "You would have me meld with him?"
"It is the only way we can discover the truth, Sarnek."
"I am not an adept, commander. My knowledge and experience are limited."
"But you have the requisite training that I do not have. I know I am asking much of you, Sarnek, but . . ."
Sarnek interrupted, "Before I answer, I must know two things. First, is Dr. Baxter willing?"
"Yes, I explained the process, although he has heard of it. He is willing to submit to the meld."
Sarnek nodded. "My second question is this - why did you reject my brother?"
The question caught T'Ser off guard. Part of her was angered that he would dare use the question as a bargaining chip, while part of her understood his need to know. She closed her eyes for a moment and breathed out. "Sarnek, I did not reject your brother. One cannot reject what one has never met or knows. My family rejected ancient dogma that we did not want controlling our lives. In your eyes we are V'tosh ka'tur. But we simply wanted to live our lives in freedom and peace. We chose to walk a different path than most Vulcans. But isn't that difference another aspect of IDIC?"
Sarnek did not answer her question directly. He stood deep in thought before speaking. "I will need privacy with the doctor to conduct the meld. You should also have a corpsman ready to administer 10cc's of Lexorin to him afterwards. If someone has truly tampered with his mind, there is danger that I may make the situation worse."
"Thank you," T'Ser said simply.
"Do not thank me, commander. There is no guarantee that I will be successful."
***************************************
"Bridge to Captain Akinola."
Akinola tapped his com badge. "Akinola, go ahead."
"Sir, you have a priority one communication incoming."
"Acknowledged, pipe it to my quarters."
*******************************
"Sub-commander? I have located the compound," said T'Vash.
"Good. Now let's see if these codes work so we can beam down. Tor'dex, get our stealth suits, hand scanners and sidearms. T'Vash, you will remain on the ship. If we do not report back in two hours, you are to return to Romulus at maximum speed and turn Elix over to the Praetor."
"Understood."
*****************************
"Admiral, with all due respect, that's bullshit!"
Admiral Bateson's face showed that he did not entirely disagree with Akinola's comment. "Captain, I know it stinks to high heaven, but it gives us a chance to bring this to a close."
"Sir, there's a good chance that the Roms are behind sabotage on this ship! And now the intelligence guys want us to help them? We are being played like a violin!"
On the viewer, Bateson folded his hands, a sign that his mind was made up. "Captain, I sympathize with your plight and your feelings. My feelings are similar, but we've got to set those aside for now. You have your orders. As to Dr. Baxter, well, let's see what your Lt. Sarnek can do. Personally, I don't have much sympathy for Baxter, but he's one of your officers, so I'll give you some latitude. But understand this, captain. Unless he has some rock solid reasons behind his actions, he'll probably live out the rest of his life on a prison colony. Bateson out."
The image of Admiral Bateson was replaced by the Border Service insignia. Akinola simply stared at the screen, frustrated. "Damn!" he said, softly.
************************************
Lt. Sarnek stood by Dr. Baxter's bio-bed. "Doctor, you do realize that this may accomplish nothing. It may, in fact, cause you additional mental trauma. Do you understand and accept this?"
Dr. Baxter held Sarnek's gaze. "Anything is better than not knowing what I've done or why I've done it. Do what you need to do, Sarnek."
Sarnek nodded. "Very well. Let us begin." He steepled his hands for a moment, in deep concentration. With his eyes still closed he came close to Baxter, placing his fingers on key pressure points on Baxter's face and head. "My mind to your mind . . ." he murmured.
****************************
Captain Akinola strode purposefully onto the bridge. Commander Strauss relinquished the center seat. "What are our orders, captain?"
"XO, it seems that our orders are to assist the Romulans in a hostage rescue." Akinola had to suppress a smile at the shocked expression on the petite commander's face. "However, our orders are not explicit as to how we are to do that. So, based on what I do know, set a course to the Verex system."
Strauss blanched. "The Verex system? That's the Orion system - outside of Federation space."
"I'm well aware of that, commander. Navigator, plot our course. Helm, ahead warp 6."
The Bluefin spun gracefully on her vertical axis, then shot into warp with a flash of light.
******************************
Sarnek began the tedious journey into the mind of Dr. Calvin Baxter. He found a mind of contrasts - orderly and disciplined, yet emotional and somewhat eccentric. The contrasts were both fascinating and disturbing to Sarnek, who had never melded with anyone besides another Vulcan.
Sarnek began to sense resistance as he probed Baxter's memories. He moved cautiously, not wanting Baxter to withdraw into himself. Ever so carefully, Sarnek began to sift through layers of recent memories. What he discovered was puzzling to him. There seemed to be two sets of memories that paralleled each other. One set embodied Baxter's normal ship-board routine and were in the forefront of his concious mind. Another set lurked below the surface in his deeper sub-conscious. It was these memories that disturbed Sarnek and, the deeper he probed, the more disturbing they became. As Sarnek began to focus on these hidden memories, he sensed Baxter's pulse and respiration increasing. Sarnek paused, taking the anxiety and fear into his own mind. Baxter began to relax, so Sarnek moved deeper and deeper into Baxter's memories. Sarnek was aware that he, too, was beginning to feel distress, but he pressed on.
Sarnek finally came to the penultimate memory that was locked away from Baxter's conscious mind. Here, Sarnek found the answer for which he had been seeking. As Sarnek began to carefully withdraw, he spoke/thought to Baxter about the dark place, purposefully hidden in his sub-conscious - "Forget! . . ."
******************************
"I believe that Dr. Baxter has been forced to do things against his nature - things that may have been implanted deeply into his subconscious mind," said T'Ser.
Sarnek frowned slightly, "You believe this, but have no proof, I take it."
"No. But Dr. Baxter has served Starfleet and the federation for half a century. He has served honorably and with distinction. It is not . . . logical, that he would do anything contrary to the ideals he has so long upheld."
Again, Sarnek's eyebrow shot up. "You speak of logic? You rejected that path years ago. Do you hope to sway me by suddenly embracing the Vulcan ideal?"
T'Ser held her temper in check. "Sarnek, even humans understand and often employ logic." She took a step forward. "I am not asking this for me. I am asking for Dr. Baxter. You have not had the opportunity to get to know him as well as I, but I believe you would find him worthy of your assistance."
Sarnek held her gaze for a long, uncomfortable moment before speaking. "You would have me meld with him?"
"It is the only way we can discover the truth, Sarnek."
"I am not an adept, commander. My knowledge and experience are limited."
"But you have the requisite training that I do not have. I know I am asking much of you, Sarnek, but . . ."
Sarnek interrupted, "Before I answer, I must know two things. First, is Dr. Baxter willing?"
"Yes, I explained the process, although he has heard of it. He is willing to submit to the meld."
Sarnek nodded. "My second question is this - why did you reject my brother?"
The question caught T'Ser off guard. Part of her was angered that he would dare use the question as a bargaining chip, while part of her understood his need to know. She closed her eyes for a moment and breathed out. "Sarnek, I did not reject your brother. One cannot reject what one has never met or knows. My family rejected ancient dogma that we did not want controlling our lives. In your eyes we are V'tosh ka'tur. But we simply wanted to live our lives in freedom and peace. We chose to walk a different path than most Vulcans. But isn't that difference another aspect of IDIC?"
Sarnek did not answer her question directly. He stood deep in thought before speaking. "I will need privacy with the doctor to conduct the meld. You should also have a corpsman ready to administer 10cc's of Lexorin to him afterwards. If someone has truly tampered with his mind, there is danger that I may make the situation worse."
"Thank you," T'Ser said simply.
"Do not thank me, commander. There is no guarantee that I will be successful."
***************************************
"Bridge to Captain Akinola."
Akinola tapped his com badge. "Akinola, go ahead."
"Sir, you have a priority one communication incoming."
"Acknowledged, pipe it to my quarters."
*******************************
"Sub-commander? I have located the compound," said T'Vash.
"Good. Now let's see if these codes work so we can beam down. Tor'dex, get our stealth suits, hand scanners and sidearms. T'Vash, you will remain on the ship. If we do not report back in two hours, you are to return to Romulus at maximum speed and turn Elix over to the Praetor."
"Understood."
*****************************
"Admiral, with all due respect, that's bullshit!"
Admiral Bateson's face showed that he did not entirely disagree with Akinola's comment. "Captain, I know it stinks to high heaven, but it gives us a chance to bring this to a close."
"Sir, there's a good chance that the Roms are behind sabotage on this ship! And now the intelligence guys want us to help them? We are being played like a violin!"
On the viewer, Bateson folded his hands, a sign that his mind was made up. "Captain, I sympathize with your plight and your feelings. My feelings are similar, but we've got to set those aside for now. You have your orders. As to Dr. Baxter, well, let's see what your Lt. Sarnek can do. Personally, I don't have much sympathy for Baxter, but he's one of your officers, so I'll give you some latitude. But understand this, captain. Unless he has some rock solid reasons behind his actions, he'll probably live out the rest of his life on a prison colony. Bateson out."
The image of Admiral Bateson was replaced by the Border Service insignia. Akinola simply stared at the screen, frustrated. "Damn!" he said, softly.
************************************
Lt. Sarnek stood by Dr. Baxter's bio-bed. "Doctor, you do realize that this may accomplish nothing. It may, in fact, cause you additional mental trauma. Do you understand and accept this?"
Dr. Baxter held Sarnek's gaze. "Anything is better than not knowing what I've done or why I've done it. Do what you need to do, Sarnek."
Sarnek nodded. "Very well. Let us begin." He steepled his hands for a moment, in deep concentration. With his eyes still closed he came close to Baxter, placing his fingers on key pressure points on Baxter's face and head. "My mind to your mind . . ." he murmured.
****************************
Captain Akinola strode purposefully onto the bridge. Commander Strauss relinquished the center seat. "What are our orders, captain?"
"XO, it seems that our orders are to assist the Romulans in a hostage rescue." Akinola had to suppress a smile at the shocked expression on the petite commander's face. "However, our orders are not explicit as to how we are to do that. So, based on what I do know, set a course to the Verex system."
Strauss blanched. "The Verex system? That's the Orion system - outside of Federation space."
"I'm well aware of that, commander. Navigator, plot our course. Helm, ahead warp 6."
The Bluefin spun gracefully on her vertical axis, then shot into warp with a flash of light.
******************************
Sarnek began the tedious journey into the mind of Dr. Calvin Baxter. He found a mind of contrasts - orderly and disciplined, yet emotional and somewhat eccentric. The contrasts were both fascinating and disturbing to Sarnek, who had never melded with anyone besides another Vulcan.
Sarnek began to sense resistance as he probed Baxter's memories. He moved cautiously, not wanting Baxter to withdraw into himself. Ever so carefully, Sarnek began to sift through layers of recent memories. What he discovered was puzzling to him. There seemed to be two sets of memories that paralleled each other. One set embodied Baxter's normal ship-board routine and were in the forefront of his concious mind. Another set lurked below the surface in his deeper sub-conscious. It was these memories that disturbed Sarnek and, the deeper he probed, the more disturbing they became. As Sarnek began to focus on these hidden memories, he sensed Baxter's pulse and respiration increasing. Sarnek paused, taking the anxiety and fear into his own mind. Baxter began to relax, so Sarnek moved deeper and deeper into Baxter's memories. Sarnek was aware that he, too, was beginning to feel distress, but he pressed on.
Sarnek finally came to the penultimate memory that was locked away from Baxter's conscious mind. Here, Sarnek found the answer for which he had been seeking. As Sarnek began to carefully withdraw, he spoke/thought to Baxter about the dark place, purposefully hidden in his sub-conscious - "Forget! . . ."
******************************
A good scene between T'Ser and Sarnek: T'Ser gains his cooperation and at the same time perhaps gives him something to consider. As for Baxter--once it comes out that he's not acting of his own volition, that should keep him away from a penal colony--but he is going to be a long time healing.
Nice character work here.
Nice character work here.
Thanks, David. And yes, the healing process for Dr. Baxter will take some time, as will any real reconciliation between T'Ser and Sarnek.
Dr Baxter, eh? Nope, didn't see that one coming. I wonder how he will get over this nightmare.
I like how you treat the Romulans here. They are serious of course - but you infuse them with just a bit of playful humor which is makes them a lot of fun to read. The torture scene for example.
Akinola and the crew aren't happy about their orders and it be interesting to see how they will end up 'assisting' the Romulans.
Good stuff!
I like how you treat the Romulans here. They are serious of course - but you infuse them with just a bit of playful humor which is makes them a lot of fun to read. The torture scene for example.
Akinola and the crew aren't happy about their orders and it be interesting to see how they will end up 'assisting' the Romulans.
Good stuff!
Sarnek exited sickbay to meet with Akinola, Strauss and T'Ser. He looked gaunt and his skin had an unhealthy yellowish pallor. Akinola almost reached out to support Sarnek, but stopped as Sarnek straightened and appeared to rally himself.
"It is done," Sarnek said simply.
"Let's go to the wardroom. You look like you need to sit down," said Akinola.
A few moments later, the four officers were seated at the wardroom table. Cookie stuck his head in to see if they wanted to eat, but Akinola shook his head. "Just bring some water for Lt. Sarnek, please," said the captain. Cookie brought back a pitcher of water with four glasses, then left them alone.
Akinola allowed Sarnek to take a drink of water before asking, "Sarnek, what did you learn."
Sarnek regarded his glass of water a moment before answering. "Captain, in most instances, a mind-meld is a very private affair. But this . . . is a most different situation." He looked up at the other three. "There is no question that someone has tampered with Dr. Baxter's mind."
Akinola looked grim. "Could you tell who did it, or when?"
"Who? Oh, it was the Romulans, that is certain. As to when, it happened forty years ago, when Dr. Baxter was a young officer, serving on the USS Endeavour. He was a surgical resident on the ship as they patrolled the Neutral Zone. He was kidnapped while on shore-leave on Flasquil'a - a non-aligned planet near the zone. It seems that the Romulans had Tal Shiar agents on the planet and occasionally kidnapped Starfleet officers. In Dr. Baxter's case, they just kept him for three days - long enough to hide the memory of his abduction and 'condition' him to respond to them at the time of their choosing. Since he returned to the ship before his leave time was over, no one was the wiser."
"Were you able to reverse the conditioning?" asked T'Ser.
"I believe so. However, he still must deal with the guilt he feels over his actions, as unfounded as those feelings may be." Sarnek paused. "I am certainly not qualified to help him in that regard."
"Sarnek, is he still a threat to this ship?" asked Akinola.
"No sir. I was successful in eliminating the conditioning from his mind. However, as I stated, his overall mental state is somewhat precarious. In time, and with qualified counseling, he should recover."
Akinola nodded, a relieved expression on his face. "Thank you lieutenant - well done! Now, go get some rest. You've earned it."
Sarnek rose and inclined his head, then left for his quarters. Akinola looked at Strauss and T'Ser. "We will get him the help he needs, that I promise. First, though, we've got to find these Romulan agents."
"What will we do when we find them?" asked Strauss.
"That depends on them," replied Akinola.
************************************
Voladek and Tor'dex materialized in a wooded area outside the slave compound. "At least we know the code worked," observed Tor'dex."
"Yes. If it hadn't, we wouldn't know anything at all," Voladek said, dryly." He looked at his scanner and frowned. "The walls are made of a material that is impervious to my scanner. We'll have to get inside before we can scan for T'Lera."
The Tal Shiar agents moved slowly under the cover of darkness along the tree line. Their stealth suits gave them a certain degree of protection against Orion sensor sweeps. While the suits did not hide them completely, they would appear as some small life-form unless directly targeted. Finally, they came to an entry to the compound. Two Orion sentries stood guard.
Using hand signals, Voladek directed Tor'dex to use his small dart gun, rather than his disruptor. Tor'dex fired twice and both guards collapsed. They made their way quickly to the prone figures and searched them. One had an electronic key, which they used to gain entrance into the compound.
"We won't have much time before the sentries are discovered," whispered Voladek. "We'll have to move quickly."
Again, Voladek checked his scanner. This time, he was able to locate a Romulan life sign, two levels down. He motioned for Tor'dex to follow. They moved quickly, disruptors at the ready.
******************************
On the cloaked Romulan ship, T'Vash noticed with alarm that another Orion vessel with the same markings as the Toshmaran was moving toward her postion.
"This isn't good," she muttered to herself. The other ship would soon discover that the crew of the Toshamran were dead, killed by poison gas after Lortho Elix had been abducted. While the cloak protected her for now, more Orion ships would make evasion and escape much more difficult.
*****************************
Akinola looked at the drawn face of his friend. "Calvin, how are you feeling?"
"I'm not sure, really. Part of me thinks I'm still in a dream, part of me is all too aware of what I've done."
"Listen Calvin, this is not about what you've done, it's about what the Romulans did to you. That was not your fault!"
"Perhaps, perhaps. But that does not alter the consequences of my actions," said Baxter.
Akinola sighed. "Doc, thankfully we discovered what you were doing before any harm was done. We know it wasn't your fault - you're no spy! You're the victim of a kidnapping and a brutal mental assault." He patted Baxter on the shoulder. "You're going to be okay, Doc. We're going to see to that."
A tear slid down Baxter's face. He took a shaky breath, "I wish I had your confidence, Joseph."
***********************************
"Here! Behind this door." Voladek pointed to a heavy metal door set in the stone wall.
Tor'dex took the electronic key from the sentry and tried it on the lock. But, instead of the door opening, klaxons began to sound.
Tor'dex cursed. He drew his disruptor and aimed at the lock. "Stand back!" he warned. He pulled the trigger and a beam of red energy surged from the gun.
A significant portion of the door vaporized in a flash of light and heat. Tor'dex kicked the door inward. In the distance, they could hear running footfalls and shouting.
The room was dim and stuffy. The walls were bare stone with blue mold growing on them. There were no furnishings except for a bed and a toilet. On the bed lay a Romulan female, wearing some sort of restraining garment. She appeared to be unconscious. Voladek pulled his daggar and began to cut her loose from her restraints. He saw that her face was bruised and there was a cut above one eye. Anger flared within him, but he did not allow himself the luxury of giving into it. He turned to Tor'dex. "Situation?"
Tor'dex checked his scanner. "At least 12 coming, energy weapons charged. We don't have more than one minute."
Voladek keyed his communicator, "T'Vash - three to transport, immediately!"
T'Vash responded, "Sub-commander, we have company up here!"
Voladek exchanged a look with Tor'dex. "Understood. Bring weapons on-line, drop the cloak and shields and beam us up."
"It looks like we are going to have to fight our way out," he said to Tor'dex.
"It is done," Sarnek said simply.
"Let's go to the wardroom. You look like you need to sit down," said Akinola.
A few moments later, the four officers were seated at the wardroom table. Cookie stuck his head in to see if they wanted to eat, but Akinola shook his head. "Just bring some water for Lt. Sarnek, please," said the captain. Cookie brought back a pitcher of water with four glasses, then left them alone.
Akinola allowed Sarnek to take a drink of water before asking, "Sarnek, what did you learn."
Sarnek regarded his glass of water a moment before answering. "Captain, in most instances, a mind-meld is a very private affair. But this . . . is a most different situation." He looked up at the other three. "There is no question that someone has tampered with Dr. Baxter's mind."
Akinola looked grim. "Could you tell who did it, or when?"
"Who? Oh, it was the Romulans, that is certain. As to when, it happened forty years ago, when Dr. Baxter was a young officer, serving on the USS Endeavour. He was a surgical resident on the ship as they patrolled the Neutral Zone. He was kidnapped while on shore-leave on Flasquil'a - a non-aligned planet near the zone. It seems that the Romulans had Tal Shiar agents on the planet and occasionally kidnapped Starfleet officers. In Dr. Baxter's case, they just kept him for three days - long enough to hide the memory of his abduction and 'condition' him to respond to them at the time of their choosing. Since he returned to the ship before his leave time was over, no one was the wiser."
"Were you able to reverse the conditioning?" asked T'Ser.
"I believe so. However, he still must deal with the guilt he feels over his actions, as unfounded as those feelings may be." Sarnek paused. "I am certainly not qualified to help him in that regard."
"Sarnek, is he still a threat to this ship?" asked Akinola.
"No sir. I was successful in eliminating the conditioning from his mind. However, as I stated, his overall mental state is somewhat precarious. In time, and with qualified counseling, he should recover."
Akinola nodded, a relieved expression on his face. "Thank you lieutenant - well done! Now, go get some rest. You've earned it."
Sarnek rose and inclined his head, then left for his quarters. Akinola looked at Strauss and T'Ser. "We will get him the help he needs, that I promise. First, though, we've got to find these Romulan agents."
"What will we do when we find them?" asked Strauss.
"That depends on them," replied Akinola.
************************************
Voladek and Tor'dex materialized in a wooded area outside the slave compound. "At least we know the code worked," observed Tor'dex."
"Yes. If it hadn't, we wouldn't know anything at all," Voladek said, dryly." He looked at his scanner and frowned. "The walls are made of a material that is impervious to my scanner. We'll have to get inside before we can scan for T'Lera."
The Tal Shiar agents moved slowly under the cover of darkness along the tree line. Their stealth suits gave them a certain degree of protection against Orion sensor sweeps. While the suits did not hide them completely, they would appear as some small life-form unless directly targeted. Finally, they came to an entry to the compound. Two Orion sentries stood guard.
Using hand signals, Voladek directed Tor'dex to use his small dart gun, rather than his disruptor. Tor'dex fired twice and both guards collapsed. They made their way quickly to the prone figures and searched them. One had an electronic key, which they used to gain entrance into the compound.
"We won't have much time before the sentries are discovered," whispered Voladek. "We'll have to move quickly."
Again, Voladek checked his scanner. This time, he was able to locate a Romulan life sign, two levels down. He motioned for Tor'dex to follow. They moved quickly, disruptors at the ready.
******************************
On the cloaked Romulan ship, T'Vash noticed with alarm that another Orion vessel with the same markings as the Toshmaran was moving toward her postion.
"This isn't good," she muttered to herself. The other ship would soon discover that the crew of the Toshamran were dead, killed by poison gas after Lortho Elix had been abducted. While the cloak protected her for now, more Orion ships would make evasion and escape much more difficult.
*****************************
Akinola looked at the drawn face of his friend. "Calvin, how are you feeling?"
"I'm not sure, really. Part of me thinks I'm still in a dream, part of me is all too aware of what I've done."
"Listen Calvin, this is not about what you've done, it's about what the Romulans did to you. That was not your fault!"
"Perhaps, perhaps. But that does not alter the consequences of my actions," said Baxter.
Akinola sighed. "Doc, thankfully we discovered what you were doing before any harm was done. We know it wasn't your fault - you're no spy! You're the victim of a kidnapping and a brutal mental assault." He patted Baxter on the shoulder. "You're going to be okay, Doc. We're going to see to that."
A tear slid down Baxter's face. He took a shaky breath, "I wish I had your confidence, Joseph."
***********************************
"Here! Behind this door." Voladek pointed to a heavy metal door set in the stone wall.
Tor'dex took the electronic key from the sentry and tried it on the lock. But, instead of the door opening, klaxons began to sound.
Tor'dex cursed. He drew his disruptor and aimed at the lock. "Stand back!" he warned. He pulled the trigger and a beam of red energy surged from the gun.
A significant portion of the door vaporized in a flash of light and heat. Tor'dex kicked the door inward. In the distance, they could hear running footfalls and shouting.
The room was dim and stuffy. The walls were bare stone with blue mold growing on them. There were no furnishings except for a bed and a toilet. On the bed lay a Romulan female, wearing some sort of restraining garment. She appeared to be unconscious. Voladek pulled his daggar and began to cut her loose from her restraints. He saw that her face was bruised and there was a cut above one eye. Anger flared within him, but he did not allow himself the luxury of giving into it. He turned to Tor'dex. "Situation?"
Tor'dex checked his scanner. "At least 12 coming, energy weapons charged. We don't have more than one minute."
Voladek keyed his communicator, "T'Vash - three to transport, immediately!"
T'Vash responded, "Sub-commander, we have company up here!"
Voladek exchanged a look with Tor'dex. "Understood. Bring weapons on-line, drop the cloak and shields and beam us up."
"It looks like we are going to have to fight our way out," he said to Tor'dex.
Well, you certainly had me fooled. Baxter wasn’t even on my radar screen! I thought Akinola might be a little too obvious a choice, especially due to the deliberately misleading bread crumbs you’d left for us to follow, but the potential agony it would have created in the crew would have been worth it.
And now you’ve got me rooting for the Romulans, what’s up with that?
Terrific story, keeping it coming.
And now you’ve got me rooting for the Romulans, what’s up with that?
Terrific story, keeping it coming.
I'm in agreement with Gibraltar in that I do like your portrayal of the Romulans here--while most definitely the aggrieved party, they'll be damned if they're going to ask Starfleet for help.
And as for the Orions, to paraphrase the little boy from "Sixth Sense": I see dead Orions...Lots of dead Orions.
And as for the Orions, to paraphrase the little boy from "Sixth Sense": I see dead Orions...Lots of dead Orions.
Even as Voladek felt his feet materialize on the small transporter platform, he felt an ominous shudder in the deck. He turned to Tor'dex. See to T'Lera. Make sure she's stable, then get to the bridge quickly." The ship shook again, this time more violently. "It would seem our operation is no longer covert."
************************
Akinola sat in the semi-darkness of his ready room, staring out the viewport at the stars. The door chime buzzed. "Enter!" he said.
Commander Strauss walked in and stood before his desk at parade rest. Akinola nearly smiled. He had come to recognize his young XO's body language. She was clearly unhappy. He spoke first, "Commander, why don't you sit down. We're not on the Academy parade grounds."
Inga blushed slightly. It always irritated her when the captain made a dig at her Academy training. Akinola had come up through the ranks and received a field-commission years ago. She understood and even respected that. But for some reason, he had a certain degree of contempt for the Academy, which was incomprehensible to her. She set those thoughts aside. "Captain, why are we headed for the Verex system? The Romulans are bound to return to the Molari Badlands - we have a better chance of intercepting them there."
Akinola nodded. "That's probably true, commander. But I have a hunch that the Roms are going to stir up a hornets' nest when they attempt to rescue that girl. They may have a cloaking device, but they'll have to lower it to use their transporter and to fire weapons. When they do, the Orions will pick them up and might get lucky. If so, they'll need our help."
Strauss frowned and crossed her arms. "Permission to speak freely, sir?"
"Go ahead."
"Captain, why the hell are we helping the Romulans? They were responsible, at least indirectly for the destruction of the Kilimanjaro." They kidnapped Dr. Baxter and turned him into a mole. They've violated our territory . . . Mein Gott! We ought to be helping the Orions blow them out of the sky!" Strauss caught herself and attempted to regain her composure.
Akinola wore a neutral expression but nodded his head. "Inga, everything you said I agree with. But we do have our orders. They may be bitter and hard to swallow. I shared my sentiments with Admiral Bateson just as you have shared with me, but in the end, I said 'aye, aye, sir" and left it there. I'm a pretty simple man, Inga. I'm no diplomat. I'll never captain a ship of the line. Part of my job is search and rescue and this fits in those parameters. I may not like who we're rescuing, but that's besides the point."
Strauss kept her arms folded. "And that's it? We just ride in like the cavalry, rescue the Romulans and send them on their merry way?"
Akinola stared back at Strauss. "Commander, I hope it will be that easy."
******************************
As Voladek seated himself, the scout ship shuddered again. "T'Vash - report!"
T'Vash kept her attention on her controls as she answered. "The Orion gunner is either very lucky or very good. In the short time I dropped our cloak and shields to beam you up, he's disabled our cloaking device as well as our counter-measures. We have 70% shields and disruptors."
Voladek cursed quietly. "Very well, bring us to full power, set an evasive course out of the system and back to the Badlands."
T'Vash remarked, "Acknowledged. However, we are now out-numbered and out-gunned."
"Noted." He studied the tactical viewer, considering. "T'Vash, target the Toshmaran. When the lead ship gets close to it, fire all disruptors."
T'Vash acknowledged the order, while still plotting their course. The lead Orion raider, emboldened by their initial success, began to bear down on the Romulan ship. It proved to be a fatal mistake.
As the Raider came abreast of the drifting Toshmaran, T'Vash unleashed a volley of disruptor fire at the unshielded derelict. The Toshmaran exploded in a spectacular display of light and debris as its warp core imploded and ignited like a small sun. The attacking Raider was caught in the blast effect, its shields overwhelmed by the massive energy wave. It likewise succumbed, exploding in similar fashion.
On the Romulan ship, Voladek gave a grunt of satisfaction but quickly noted the second Raider closing within firing range. The tactical viewer also indicated two other Raiders just emerging from the event horizon of the planet. "T'Vash, engage engines - now!"
The small scout ship moved swiftly, breaking orbit and heading outbound from the Verex system. The Orion ships immediately pursued. Voladek noted this on the viewer. "Time until we can jump to warp?"
T'Vash frowned. "The three gas giants in this system have very large gravity wells. We have to get past them first. Estimate twenty minutes until we are clear."
Voladek grimaced. "In twenty minutes we very well may be dead."
************************
On the bridge of the USS Bluefin, Captain Akinola squinted at the viewscreen, willing the Verex system to come into view. "Time until we reach the Verex system," he asked.
Bralus, the Bolian helmsman checked his board. "Twelve minutes, sir."
"Good. Commander T'Ser, I want sensors on full active. I want everyone to know we're here and for us to know who's gonna be at the dance."
"Acknowledged."
"Commander Strauss, I want shields up and weapons hot. Tubes loaded with Mark 22 torpedoes."
Strauss turned from the tactical station. "Mark 22's sir?"
"That's right commander. I don't want to go to war against the Orions, just slow them down," said Akinola.
Strauss acknowledged the order and relayed it to the torpedo gang on deck 8. The Mark 22 "rat trap" torpedoes were specially designed to blind sensors and destabilize warp fields without physically damaging a ship. They were often utilized by border cutters in interdiction efforts where arrest rather than destruction was the goal.
T'Ser stared intently into the sensor hood. "Captain, I am picking up a small scout ship, moving in an erratic manner heading on a bearing out of the Verex system." She paused a moment, then added. "Three Raider-class Orion vessels are in pursuit and closing!"
Akinola barked, "Tactical on viewer!" The starfield was replaced by a grid and flashing indicators notating the other ships. The Romulan ship was a yellow blip while three red blips followed. The distance between was shrinking quickly. "Navigator, plot an intercept course for those Raiders. I want us between them and that Romulan tub. Helm, get us in as close as possible at maximum warp, then drop us down to one quarter impulse, bow-on to the Raiders."
The bridge crew carried out their orders quickly and efficiently as the Bluefin burned through sub-space.
***********************
Tor'dex joined his colleagues on the bridge. Voladek turned to him. "How is she?"
"Her vital signs are stable but she's still unconscious. I detected traces of a sedative in her system. Most of her physical wounds are superficial. However . . ." he paused, his voice caught with sudden emotion, "she has been . . . violated."
For a few moments the only sound on the tiny bridge was the chirp of instruments and the faint hum of the environmental unit. Voladek then nodded. "Thank you Tor'dex. Now, please take your station. Our lead over the Orions is diminishing. If we can make it to the perimeter of the system, we can outrun them at warp. If not, well . . . it has been an honor to serve with both of you."
Tor'dex was about to reply when T'Vash spoke up with alarm. "Sub-commander! A Federation vessel has dropped out of warp just astern of us!"
The three Romulans watched the viewscreen in surprise as a Federation Border Cutter took up station between them and the on-coming Orion Raiders. Voladek spoke, puzzlement in his voice, "Now what the s'hrenta are they doing?"
*****************************
"Orion vessels. This is the USS Bluefin. Stand down and break off your pursuit." Akinola boomed in his command voice.
The screen shimmered to the view of a rather ugly Orion male. His red face was covered with scars of rank and honor, his skin mottled with age. "This is Grand Supreme Tranji Elix of the Kaijupran. You are in our system, human! You have no jurisdiction here. Now, get your ship out of our way - my son has been abducted and is on that ship! I intend to get him back!"
Akinola was unfazed. "We both know that your son is not the only kidnapping victim on that ship, so drop the act. Break off and I promise to do everything in my power to get Lortho back." With that, T'Ser and Strauss looked at the captain with surprise.
The old Orion said something in his own tongue, then spoke again to Akinola. "We do not need or want your help, human. This is a family matter. You would do well to remember that."
Chief Brin had been quietly sitting at the engineering station to this point. By some unspoken signal from the captain, he rose and spoke. "You speak of family, you karq' torspa vrelo!. You shamed your family name 30 years ago when you murdered my father, your own brother!. Now you bring shame to our people again. To me, you are grolusk ni mofuu shralisk." With this Solly made a sign, tapping his left eye and left ear.
The elder Elix roared in anger and the channel was cut. Akinola turned to Chief Brin. "Damn, Solly - I think you pissed him off!" The captain turned back to the screen and smiled coldly. "Good."
Strauss spoke up. "The Orion ships have changed course toward us and are assuming an attack formation. They are charging weapons!"
"Bring it on," said Akinola, calmly.
************************
Akinola sat in the semi-darkness of his ready room, staring out the viewport at the stars. The door chime buzzed. "Enter!" he said.
Commander Strauss walked in and stood before his desk at parade rest. Akinola nearly smiled. He had come to recognize his young XO's body language. She was clearly unhappy. He spoke first, "Commander, why don't you sit down. We're not on the Academy parade grounds."
Inga blushed slightly. It always irritated her when the captain made a dig at her Academy training. Akinola had come up through the ranks and received a field-commission years ago. She understood and even respected that. But for some reason, he had a certain degree of contempt for the Academy, which was incomprehensible to her. She set those thoughts aside. "Captain, why are we headed for the Verex system? The Romulans are bound to return to the Molari Badlands - we have a better chance of intercepting them there."
Akinola nodded. "That's probably true, commander. But I have a hunch that the Roms are going to stir up a hornets' nest when they attempt to rescue that girl. They may have a cloaking device, but they'll have to lower it to use their transporter and to fire weapons. When they do, the Orions will pick them up and might get lucky. If so, they'll need our help."
Strauss frowned and crossed her arms. "Permission to speak freely, sir?"
"Go ahead."
"Captain, why the hell are we helping the Romulans? They were responsible, at least indirectly for the destruction of the Kilimanjaro." They kidnapped Dr. Baxter and turned him into a mole. They've violated our territory . . . Mein Gott! We ought to be helping the Orions blow them out of the sky!" Strauss caught herself and attempted to regain her composure.
Akinola wore a neutral expression but nodded his head. "Inga, everything you said I agree with. But we do have our orders. They may be bitter and hard to swallow. I shared my sentiments with Admiral Bateson just as you have shared with me, but in the end, I said 'aye, aye, sir" and left it there. I'm a pretty simple man, Inga. I'm no diplomat. I'll never captain a ship of the line. Part of my job is search and rescue and this fits in those parameters. I may not like who we're rescuing, but that's besides the point."
Strauss kept her arms folded. "And that's it? We just ride in like the cavalry, rescue the Romulans and send them on their merry way?"
Akinola stared back at Strauss. "Commander, I hope it will be that easy."
******************************
As Voladek seated himself, the scout ship shuddered again. "T'Vash - report!"
T'Vash kept her attention on her controls as she answered. "The Orion gunner is either very lucky or very good. In the short time I dropped our cloak and shields to beam you up, he's disabled our cloaking device as well as our counter-measures. We have 70% shields and disruptors."
Voladek cursed quietly. "Very well, bring us to full power, set an evasive course out of the system and back to the Badlands."
T'Vash remarked, "Acknowledged. However, we are now out-numbered and out-gunned."
"Noted." He studied the tactical viewer, considering. "T'Vash, target the Toshmaran. When the lead ship gets close to it, fire all disruptors."
T'Vash acknowledged the order, while still plotting their course. The lead Orion raider, emboldened by their initial success, began to bear down on the Romulan ship. It proved to be a fatal mistake.
As the Raider came abreast of the drifting Toshmaran, T'Vash unleashed a volley of disruptor fire at the unshielded derelict. The Toshmaran exploded in a spectacular display of light and debris as its warp core imploded and ignited like a small sun. The attacking Raider was caught in the blast effect, its shields overwhelmed by the massive energy wave. It likewise succumbed, exploding in similar fashion.
On the Romulan ship, Voladek gave a grunt of satisfaction but quickly noted the second Raider closing within firing range. The tactical viewer also indicated two other Raiders just emerging from the event horizon of the planet. "T'Vash, engage engines - now!"
The small scout ship moved swiftly, breaking orbit and heading outbound from the Verex system. The Orion ships immediately pursued. Voladek noted this on the viewer. "Time until we can jump to warp?"
T'Vash frowned. "The three gas giants in this system have very large gravity wells. We have to get past them first. Estimate twenty minutes until we are clear."
Voladek grimaced. "In twenty minutes we very well may be dead."
************************
On the bridge of the USS Bluefin, Captain Akinola squinted at the viewscreen, willing the Verex system to come into view. "Time until we reach the Verex system," he asked.
Bralus, the Bolian helmsman checked his board. "Twelve minutes, sir."
"Good. Commander T'Ser, I want sensors on full active. I want everyone to know we're here and for us to know who's gonna be at the dance."
"Acknowledged."
"Commander Strauss, I want shields up and weapons hot. Tubes loaded with Mark 22 torpedoes."
Strauss turned from the tactical station. "Mark 22's sir?"
"That's right commander. I don't want to go to war against the Orions, just slow them down," said Akinola.
Strauss acknowledged the order and relayed it to the torpedo gang on deck 8. The Mark 22 "rat trap" torpedoes were specially designed to blind sensors and destabilize warp fields without physically damaging a ship. They were often utilized by border cutters in interdiction efforts where arrest rather than destruction was the goal.
T'Ser stared intently into the sensor hood. "Captain, I am picking up a small scout ship, moving in an erratic manner heading on a bearing out of the Verex system." She paused a moment, then added. "Three Raider-class Orion vessels are in pursuit and closing!"
Akinola barked, "Tactical on viewer!" The starfield was replaced by a grid and flashing indicators notating the other ships. The Romulan ship was a yellow blip while three red blips followed. The distance between was shrinking quickly. "Navigator, plot an intercept course for those Raiders. I want us between them and that Romulan tub. Helm, get us in as close as possible at maximum warp, then drop us down to one quarter impulse, bow-on to the Raiders."
The bridge crew carried out their orders quickly and efficiently as the Bluefin burned through sub-space.
***********************
Tor'dex joined his colleagues on the bridge. Voladek turned to him. "How is she?"
"Her vital signs are stable but she's still unconscious. I detected traces of a sedative in her system. Most of her physical wounds are superficial. However . . ." he paused, his voice caught with sudden emotion, "she has been . . . violated."
For a few moments the only sound on the tiny bridge was the chirp of instruments and the faint hum of the environmental unit. Voladek then nodded. "Thank you Tor'dex. Now, please take your station. Our lead over the Orions is diminishing. If we can make it to the perimeter of the system, we can outrun them at warp. If not, well . . . it has been an honor to serve with both of you."
Tor'dex was about to reply when T'Vash spoke up with alarm. "Sub-commander! A Federation vessel has dropped out of warp just astern of us!"
The three Romulans watched the viewscreen in surprise as a Federation Border Cutter took up station between them and the on-coming Orion Raiders. Voladek spoke, puzzlement in his voice, "Now what the s'hrenta are they doing?"
*****************************
"Orion vessels. This is the USS Bluefin. Stand down and break off your pursuit." Akinola boomed in his command voice.
The screen shimmered to the view of a rather ugly Orion male. His red face was covered with scars of rank and honor, his skin mottled with age. "This is Grand Supreme Tranji Elix of the Kaijupran. You are in our system, human! You have no jurisdiction here. Now, get your ship out of our way - my son has been abducted and is on that ship! I intend to get him back!"
Akinola was unfazed. "We both know that your son is not the only kidnapping victim on that ship, so drop the act. Break off and I promise to do everything in my power to get Lortho back." With that, T'Ser and Strauss looked at the captain with surprise.
The old Orion said something in his own tongue, then spoke again to Akinola. "We do not need or want your help, human. This is a family matter. You would do well to remember that."
Chief Brin had been quietly sitting at the engineering station to this point. By some unspoken signal from the captain, he rose and spoke. "You speak of family, you karq' torspa vrelo!. You shamed your family name 30 years ago when you murdered my father, your own brother!. Now you bring shame to our people again. To me, you are grolusk ni mofuu shralisk." With this Solly made a sign, tapping his left eye and left ear.
The elder Elix roared in anger and the channel was cut. Akinola turned to Chief Brin. "Damn, Solly - I think you pissed him off!" The captain turned back to the screen and smiled coldly. "Good."
Strauss spoke up. "The Orion ships have changed course toward us and are assuming an attack formation. They are charging weapons!"
"Bring it on," said Akinola, calmly.
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