Chapter Seven
Stardate 54258.9 (14 April 2377)
USS Bluefin
Sector 04341 – Near the Lesser Riven nebula
Officers’ Wardroom
Inga gazed at Nigel with affection. She had deep feelings for the brash Australian officer, but she knew that there were elements of his past that still remained a mystery to her. Of course, she knew he had several intense but brief romantic relationships with other women in past years, but she had never before pried into the details.
Now, her position as Executive Officer forced her to delve more into Nigel’s past than she really wanted. To learn more about the temperament and judgment of an officer under her charge (in this case, K'lira Rune) trumped personal feelings. She had to know whether Lt. (j.g.) Rune was a responsible officer who had made a terrible mistake, or was she a loose cannon who played by her own rules.
She reached across the table and grasped his hand. “Nigel, tell me what happened that day.”
Bane smiled, but there was a tinge of sadness to it. He nodded, “Alright – you need to know, I understand that. I just hope it won’t . . . you know . . .”
Inga squeezed his hand. “Change things between us?” she finished. She squeezed his hand and smiled at him. “Don’t worry about that, Nigel. I don’t hold your past against you.”
He nodded, accepting her words and he seemed to relax a bit. His brows knit slightly as he gathered his thoughts.
“Like I told you, K’lira and I enjoyed flirting with each other. I enjoyed her company and, well, she liked to hang out with me as well. But I didn’t really realize how strongly she felt about me, until things went really, really wrong on that boarding mission.”
Strauss listened intently, not wanting to break his train of thought.
Nigel took a breath and continued. “We were patrolling when we picked up a vessel emerging from the Badlands. They were running without a transponder, so the Captain ordered us in to investigate. Turns out it was a pirate ship and they had attacked a Merchant Service vessel, stolen what they could from the manifest and taken a dozen of the merchant crew as hostages.”
Bane’s eyes seemed to grow distant as the memories flooded back. “We pursued the blighters for five hours – they gave us quite a run, I’ll give ‘em that. Finally, we got close enough to launch a couple of rat-traps which brought ‘em to a quick stop. The Captain ordered up boarding parties. I was in a group with Commander McBride, Lt. Fralk, Lt. Rune, and a couple of crewman. Senior Chief Brin was in another group with Lt. Caruso and T’Ser – Caruso’s the one who later transferred to the regular fleet and was killed in the war.”
He paused a moment, getting back on track. “Lt. Caruso’s team beamed over to the bridge and immediately got caught in a fire-fight. This bunch of pirates had no intention of giving up quietly. We beamed into engineering and were able to gain control pretty quickly. We had to kill two of the pirates but the others gave up in short order. That’s when I think we let our guard down a bit. Or, I should say, I did.”
Nigel swallowed and Inga noticed a sheen of perspiration on Bane’s forehead. He cleared his throat, whether out of distress or embarrassment, Inga could not tell.
“I was putting restraints on one of the perps, when another pirate suddenly appears. I swear, to this day I don’t know where he came from. He’s got a Merchant Service officer by the throat and a disruptor to the poor sod’s head. The pirate is screaming at us – not making much sense, but his intent was clear – back off, or he kills the hostage.”
“To say I was caught with my knickers down would be an understatement. I’d holstered my phaser and had no cover at all. The bloody pirate suddenly realized he’s got a clear shot at a Border Dog and he begins to smile. Gawd, what an ugly set of teeth in that bloke’s scabby head! I heard McBride and Lt. Rune shout at the pirate at about the same time – warning him to stand down. Scabby keeps brandishing the disruptor, using his hostage as a shield. That’s when K’lira begins to . . .”
He paused, reliving that dreadful moment, a look of anxiety and sadness on his face.
“Nigel . . . it’s alright. Take your time,” encouraged Inga.
“She broke cover and walked out into the clear. McBride was about to have kittens! The Commander warned her off and began to scream at her, to ‘back off’ and ‘stand-down’ and such, but she ignored the XO and aimed a phaser carbine at the pirate. Scabby-face just grins bigger and aims his disruptor right back at me, taunting Lt. Rune, saying that I would die first.”
Bane looked up at Inga, his eyes large and dark. “I honestly thought it was the end for me, Inga. I knew he was going to pull the trigger.”
“What happened?” she asked, softly.
“Lt. Rune fired first,” he said, his voice somewhat distant. “It was a bonzer shot, Inga – caught ‘ol ugly right in the head. He dropped like he’d kissed a Cappelan Power Cat. The hostage staggered a bit, but he seemed alright – just scared to death. Or so we thought.”
Nigel looked down at the table for a moment. “I was shaking like a twig in a gale, couldn’t move for a few seconds. To be honest, the next few minutes were kind of a blur. Our blokes came out of the woodwork. A corpsman went to check on the pirate and the Merchant Service officer just kind of stood there, looking stunned but otherwise okay. K’lira was heading my way when McBride ran over and just unloaded on her! God, Inga, I never saw Commander McBride so angry before nor since!”
“What did Lt. Rune do?” asked Strauss.
Bane snorted, his lips twisting into a rueful smile. “She unloaded a few choice Orion curses on him – I understood a few of them, but I won’t repeat them. The XO relieved her of duty on the spot and sent her back to the ship. At that point, she probably would have received an official reprimand and ship-board punishment, but that’s probably all.”
“But?” prodded Inga.
“But,” sighed Nigel, “The Merchant Service officer suddenly collapses. Corpsman Rice ran over and checked him. Next thing I know, she’s calling for an emergency beam-out directly to sickbay.”
Bane rubbed his face and shook his head slightly. “Poor bloke had a massive heart attack. Dr. Baxter said he was probably dead before he hit the floor. Doc did all he could but, well, our sickbay’s not as advanced as a ship of the line or a starbase. Even then, he probably wouldn’t have made it.”
Inga shook her head in sympathy. “And Lt. Rune was implicated in his death.”
Bane nodded. “Yeah – she was already up shi . . ., in hot water for disobeying the XO and insubordination. But I think if it had ended there, the Skipper would have handled it – though it wouldn’t have been pleasant for her.”
Strauss grimaced, trying to imagine such a meeting with Captain Akinola and deciding she didn’t want to know. “No doubt. But the merchant officer’s death changed all that.”
“Oh yeah. I imagine you know most of the rest from her personnel file – the inquest, the general court martial, etc. She barely avoided a dishonorable discharge and time at the New Zealand penal colony . . . or worse. Instead, they reduced her one grade in rank and banished her from ship duty for four years. All of her commendations and awards were stripped from her record. I doubt she’ll ever advance beyond lieutenant.”
Inga frowned slightly. “But why didn’t she get discharged? I mean, she was implicated in the merchant officer’s death, right?”
“True enough. But her record had been exemplary up to that point. She had some strong advocates on her behalf – T’Ser, the Skipper . . . and me. She did probably save my life, after all.”
“At the expense of a civilian life,” murmured Strauss. She quickly looked at Bane, her eyes widening. “Oh, Nigel, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it like . . .”
Bane waved a hand. “It’s alright, Inga. And you’re right. She made the wrong call. But . . . well, I can’t help but feel grateful to her, regardless of what she did.”
“But why the rift with Solly?” asked Inga. “I mean, he wasn’t there when it went down – he was on the pirate ship’s bridge, right?”
“Yeah, but he took it pretty hard, Inga. He refused to come forward as a character witness during the proceedings, said it would be . . . ‘inappropriate.’ More than that, I think he was very disappointed in her conduct, probably as much about her mouthing off at Commander McBride than her taking the shot at that slimy bastard of a pirate!”
Inga nodded, conceding the point. “Okay, I can believe that. But still, didn’t he try to help her at all? Encourage her in any way?”
Bane cocked his head at Strauss. “We are talking about Solly Brin here – right? Brin is a top-notch NCO and a down-right scary bastard in a fight, but as to relationships . . .he’s not exactly the warm and fuzzy type.”
Inga absently chewed on her thumbnail in thought. “No, I suppose not. But dammit, this is his daughter, Nigel, or step-daughter, or near-daughter or whatever . . . That should count for something!
He shrugged. “Orions can be odd ducks at times.”
“I suppose you’re right,” said Strauss, still troubled. She forced a smile and squeezed Bane’s hand. “Thanks for opening up to me. It must have been difficult.”
Nigel lifted her hand and kissed it. “Anything for the XO,” he said with a wink.
* * *
Stardate 54258.9 (14 April 2377)
USS Finback
Sector 04341 – Near the Lesser Riven nebula
The initial away team from the Scamp materialized on the bridge of the cutter, Finback. Captain Rodenko gazed around the dimly lit bridge. It appeared completely intact and undamaged, save for a lack of power. And the lack of her crew.
Assistant Engineer, Lt. Ali bin Salaam made his way to the engineering station, shaking his head as he gazed at the console.
“Tactile controls . . . switches . . . this looks like something from a museum!” he exclaimed.
Rodenko walked over to the young officer. “The Albacore- class has been through two major refits since this ship disappeared, Lieutenant. The technology may be dated, but it worked just fine when I served on this ship. Surely you don’t think that I belong in a museum as well?”
“No sir!” answered bin Salaam quickly. He continued to scan the console, running his fingers over the familiar, yet different pattern of readouts. He tentatively pressed four toggle switches and the console came to life, at least partially. Other bridge displays whirred to life also, giving the bridge a greater level of illumination, though the main lights were still dark.
“Auxiliary power is still available,” the Arab officer murmured in wonder. “The fusion reactors should be back up in a few minutes and we’ll have lights and environmental back up.”
Rodenko nodded in approval. “Good. Well done, Ali.” He rubbed his arms, the chill on the darkened ship penetrating the heavy field-jacket he wore. “Let’s get this ship warmed up and we’ll begin a deck by deck inspection.”
He turned to the other four members of the away team – an ensign, a CPO and four crewmen. “While we wait, look but for now, do not touch! When power is restored, we will document every control panel, check every read-out, and test every system. After that, we will access the computer logs and scan every millimeter of this ship – inside and out. I intend to find out what happened here!”
The Russian Captain walked around the rail to the lower control pit, which contained the nav/helm console and the command chair. He ran his hand over the leather-covered chair – not markedly different from his own seat on the Scamp. Glancing at his fingers, he noted that no dust had accumulated on the chair. It could have been vacated mere moments ago.
Rodenko absently rubbed his hands together as the rest of the away team wandered the bridge, gawking at the obsolete controls while they waited for power to be restored.
So! he thought, We have the ship . . . but where is the crew?
* * *
Stardate 54258.9 (14 April 2377)
SS Eku
Sector 04341 – Near the Lesser Riven nebula
Akinola pulled his phaser from his hip and joined Solly by the galley door. He pressed a finger to his lips and gestured for the others to remain still.
Solly used hand signals, indicating for Akinola to focus on the left side of the corridor while he took the right. Akinola nodded in agreement. Solly then held up four fingers, then used them to count down to zero.
The Captain and the Senior Chief sprang into the dim corridor, phasers leveled. Several meters aft, a pair of green eyes glowed in the gloom.
“Meow?”
Akinola blinked, then noticed Solly tense – preparing to fire. He reached over and pulled the burly Orion’s arm down.
“Stand down, Solly – it’s okay!”
Solly’s yellow eyes glowed suspiciously. “What the frak is that, Skipper?”
A rather plump, gray cat strolled up to the two men and sat on the deck, regarding them curiously. “Meow,” it said, as if explaining the obvious to the red Orion.
“That,” said Akinola, placing his phaser back on his hip, “is Mr. Fluff.”
* * *
Dr. Castille ran his medical scanner over Mr. Fluff as the large, gray feline purred from his perch on the table. Akinola had located some of the cat’s food in a cabinet and the cat was eating with gusto. Castille flipped the scanner shut and crossed his arms.
“I’m not a veterinarian, but best I can tell, this cat is about three years old and in excellent shape, except for being about five pounds over-weight.”
Akinola rubbed his chin, pleased yet disturbed by this new discovery. “Mr. Fluff was my sister’s cat," he said, wistfully, "Mom wouldn’t allow him to sleep with Melody, but he usually ended up with her anyway. He pretty much had the run of the ship. When Melody and I . . . left the ship, we didn’t have time to take him with us.”
He reached over and rubbed the cat’s ears, eliciting even louder purring from the feline. “Mr. Fluff, I wish you could talk to us and tell us where you’ve been all these decades,” he said softly, “and, why you haven’t aged a day.”
Finishing its meal, the gray cat hopped nimbly from the table and began to intertwine itself around Senior Chief Brin’s legs. Solly frowned, obviously uncomfortable with this behavior.
Delta smiled at Solly’s discomfiture. “What’s wrong, Senior? Don’t you like cats?”
“Dunno,” he said, still eyeing the cat warily. “How do they taste?”
* * *
Captain Akinola took Dr. Castille and Lt. Rune to check the bridge while Solly accompanied Lt. Commander Simms to engineering.
To Akinola, the bridge seemed smaller than he remembered. You were a foot shorter, Joseph – the scale has changed, he thought.
Calling the control center of the Eku a bridge was a bit of an overstatement. There were, in fact, only three stations in the cramped compartment. Two fairly comfortable looking swivel chairs were located at the helm and at a general systems panel. An ancient navigational plotter took up space in the aft portion of the area.
“All of the system busses are open,” remarked Rune, shining her light on the operations board. “Must have been some sort of power surge.”
Akinola tapped his combadge. “Akinola to Commander Simms.”
“Simms, go ahead, sir.”
“We’ve got evidence of a power surge up here. After you check the core and the reactor, see if you can get power up and we’ll do a system reset up here.”
“Yes sir. I’m looking at the core now. Containment is fine and the inter-mix chamber is empty, so there’s no risk of back-flush when we start her up. I’ll check the fusion reactor and the fuel pods next, along with the EPS couplings. If there are no surprises, we should be able to restore power within the hour.”
“Thanks, Delta. Keep us posted.”
Dr. Castille was perusing the ship’s controls with a mix of interest and amazement.
“I don’t know the first thing about operating a ship, but this doesn’t look like it could possibly do the job,” he remarked.
“Doctor, at least the first part of that statement was accurate,” said Akinola, annoyed.
The Captain took a seat at the helm, running his fingers over the familiar control surfaces. He smiled, remembering the times his father allowed him some “bootleg” hours piloting the ship when he was as young as eight. By the time he was thirteen, he had logged hundreds of star hours piloting the vessel. It was common practice on boomer ships, though technically a violation of several Federation statutes. Still, it was the accepted way that most boomers learned to run their family-owned ships.
On a whim, he suddenly rose from his seat. “You two stay here and wait on Delta to get the power up.” He began to make his way down the ladder to the main corridor.
“Where are you going?” asked Dr. Castille, warily.
“I’m going to check out my old quarters. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
* * *
Delta closed her tri-corder, a look of satisfaction on her face. “She’s in remarkable shape!” she said, in admiration of the elderly ship. “The Skipper’s family obviously took good care of her.”
She stood, hands on hips looking around the cramped but immaculate engineering space. Everything had checked out within acceptable tolerances. The only flaw she found was a slight leak in the inner lining of the deuterium tank. The outer containment vessel was sound, however, so the leak posed no hazard, save for causing a few sensor glitches.
Delta suddenly realized that she was alone in the compartment. Puzzled, she called out, “Senior Chief? Where'd you go?”
“Out here in the corridor,” came his reply. “Come here, Commander – I found something you should see.” There was an ominous tone to his voice.
Frowning, Delta stepped through the knee-knocker hatch into the corridor. Solly was shining his light on an object lying on the deck. She knelt beside him.
“What is that?” she asked, puzzled, as she pulled out her tri-corder.
“Don’t bother. I already scanned it,” he said in that same ominous tone. He reached down and picked up the small, metallic object. It was dark gray in color, bordering on black, a circle of some exotic alloy that looked totally out of place on the Eku. He handed it to Simms.
She held it in her palm, the metal inexplicably warm in contrast to the still chilly atmosphere of the freighter.
“So, what did your scanner tell you?” she asked, intrigued.
His yellow eyes glowed with malevolence. “It’s Borg.”
* * *
Which is a very good thing for the reader--not so good for the characters. 
What the hell-is the Eku bait? 
