The Pebbled Sea

[BrotherBenny]

Re: The Pebbled Sea - CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER EIGHT

Alien vessel, stardate 57270.9
Doctor Arlon Maxx was as surprised as anybody could be when Lieutenant Parker had entered sickbay and sealed it while she told him a story that even the captain didn’t know. Then she walked out and the captain had called him and asked him to return to the alien vessel. He knew why of course, but feigned ignorance until he arrived by transporter since the vessel’s shields were now down. When Parker gestured for him to enter the cargo bay, he learned more about the phenotypes of the alien races than he thought he ever would. Of the thirty-three corpses, eight were reptilian, five were insectoid, seven were primate, six were arboreal and seven were avian.

‘All of them were killed by a phaser on heavy kill, confirmed by tricorder,’ Maxx told Parker, indicating the burns to their bodies.

‘Ryan McNamara, I’m placing you under arrest for the murders of thirty-three alien life forms,’ Parker said and gestured for two of his colleagues to take him back to the ship. ‘Put him in the brig on suicide watch, permanent surveillance.’

‘Aye sir,’ the security officer said.

‘It wasn’t my fault. I couldn’t know that heavy stun would kill them.’

‘They were killed with a level thirteen setting, Lieutenant. That is not heavy stun.’ Maxx rounded on the man. ‘We could have gotten a lot of information from these people had we interrogated them.’

‘You can learn from their corpses,’ McNamara said, no longer carrying on the pretence of ignorance.

‘Did you at least learn what they call themselves?’ Parker asked, hoping that some good would come out of this mess.

He glared at her but relented. ‘The primate language is similar to ours. He called this base sovereign Cha’lav territory.’

Parker would have jumped for joy had she been alone. When she arrived in the past, Admiral Flintoff asked for a little benign information that could be classified so that when Captain Astar discovered who they were, Starfleet could be seen to not be completely ignorant.

‘Alright, let’s get back to the ship. We got what we came for.’

‘Lieutenant, I would like to take a body of each phenotype to study.’

‘You’ll have to ask the Captain, Doctor.’

‘Maxx to Astar.’

‘Go ahead, Doctor.’

‘I would like to get one body from each phenotype in stasis to perform an autopsy. We may not get another chance to study them in such detail.’

‘Lieutenant Parker, what is your opinion on the subject.’

‘I agree with the Doctor, sir. We may not get another chance,’ she answered. In her timeline, it wasn’t until 2581 before they were able to have a complete collection of specimens. In one fell swoop, they had got most of them and it was only 2380. Hopefully the war would never happen this time.

‘Permission granted, Doctor. I will have the morgue prepared for you.’

‘Thank you, Captain, Maxx out.’

Parker almost cursed. Her presence alone could not have caused the discrepancy between the previously-recorded history of the Federation-Cha’lav war and this one but the Andorian who transported before her could have. It made sense now. When the unknown Cha’lav woman, from a phenotype she had never seen before, shot up the controls, the system must have reset to its previous target period, the same period that the Andorian had beamed to. Since the Andorian was now a decade ahead of her and seemed to be expediting the previous sequence of events, she would have to catch up somehow.

‘Lieutenant, I don’t think you need to be here for this,’ Maxx said to her and she nodded, stepping back through the gateway.

‘Xeris, is there any way to destroy this gateway so that neither the Cha’lav nor the Resoto can use it again?’

‘It’s possible, but I’d like to study the technology.’

‘Take as many detailed scans as you can, but I will present my proposition to the Captain and I am sure she will approve it. This device is far too dangerous to be kept active. Hopefully we’ll find a way to disable the Cha’lav’s entire gateway network to prevent any more covert incursions.’

‘And what about the overt incursions?’ the Romulan engineer asked.

‘That’s what quantum torpedoes are for, Commander.’

He smiled. ‘I like the way you think.’

‘I am part-Klingon, and I have a warrior’s heart beating inside me. Battle is glorious.’

‘Indeed it is.’



The future
Admiral Dexx watched the events of the history he knew change and sighed. He had hoped that the damage done by the Andorian could be repaired but Parker hadn’t been as successful as he had hoped in assimilating into the past. She was a remarkable force of nature but the Cha’lav had not been idle during the years before and after the Dominion War. Using the knowledge that the Andorian had given them, they made changes to their body armour and technology. It was thankful that technology could not be taken through their temporal transporters or else they could have been given an advantage that was insurmountable.

‘Your little scheme worked.’

Dexx turned to the woman who shot him, now without the alien make-up. ‘You were right about the failsafe, but I don’t know if she can complete her mission.’

‘She has only been at it for ten years subjective time, and will probably feel that the last decade had been wasted since the Department of Temporal Investigations in her time are every bit as stupid as they are in ours.’

‘I never did know the full story.’

‘No one does; only bits and pieces, but we must have faith that she will find the Andorian before the Cha’lav discover that we have sent our own person back in time. We have lost the war in our time, but the Cha’lav weren’t happy with their victory. Even now there are skirmishes and a rebellion has formed. Parker must do what she can to prevent the Cha’lav from another victory. Then she can hunt the Andorian.’

‘I like the idea of that, in principle, but she hasn’t made any big strides.’

‘You underestimate her. She has specimens of most of the Cha’lav species, and her very presence has changed history.’

‘Why then is our present unchanged?’

The woman shrugged. ‘Perhaps the large concentrations of chronometric radiation are preventing the large scale changes from taking effect. I have noticed a few small ones though.’

‘Such as?’

‘The Betazoid homeworld reappeared a few days ago.’

Dexx’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. ‘I would have said that’s a large change.’

‘So would I, but the Temporal Exploration Commission disagree.’

‘Who are they?’

She blinked and noticed that the temporal shield still flickered around his body. ‘I thought you were going to deactivate it?’

‘I was, but I want to stay immune from the changes as long as possible.’

‘The TEC are the ones allowing you to observe the past and letting me keep track of the changes.’

‘The present is changing rapidly, in our favour.’

‘For now, Admiral, for now.’

 

[BrotherBenny]

Re: The Pebbled Sea - CHAPTER EIGHT

USS Dauntless, stardate 57274.1
Captain Leza Astar consoled Melex as he sat by the torpedo casing that held his late wife. He had reluctantly agreed to let Doctor Maxx perform an autopsy after learning that it would be conducted holographically, and the doctor had learned a lot about the progression of the disease, including the sequence of anatomical failures that led to death. Privately, Astar wondered whether her godson actually had the skills to deal with this viral pandemic, but he was a genius with genetics and at the moment, the galaxy’s only hope of staving off a total disaster and the deaths of trillions. He had isolated the prion which the Cha’lav had created, and was already testing a number of antiviruses that he had designed himself to combat the threat. Astar was relatively confident in her chief medical officer’s ability but she wanted him to have help and the only person in the known galaxy who could give it to him was Doctor Julian Bashir, a genetically enhanced human currently stationed on Deep Space Nine in the Bajor sector, half a galaxy away. The information had been sent, but whether they would receive any helpful response before the situation deteriorated was anyone’s guess.

Astar’s combadge chirped for attention and she stepped away from the grieving Denobulan. ‘Astar here, go ahead.’

‘Captain, I have some promising results for some of the humanoid species, but none of the antiviruses are working against High Lord Yannik. He is the leader of three hundred million people, how do I tell him that he can’t go home?’

She wasn’t sure she could answer that question. ‘Isn’t his body producing any antibodies at all?’

‘The prion was designed to prevent the body fighting back. The body doesn’t even realise it’s been infected. The antiviruses I’m creating are tailored to each species, like the prion itself, but I’m not as good at this as the Cha’lav are. I believe I can cure most of these aliens, but High Lord Yannik is the most difficult. If I had other canine DNA I might be able to reverse engineer something.’

‘Of all the species on the Dauntless, are there none that evolved from canines?’

‘No sir, I’ve already thought of that.’

‘What have you told him?’

‘I said that if he goes home, he could wipe out his entire species.’

‘Exactly like that?’

‘Yes sir, I was plain with him.’

‘And what was his response?’

‘That I was incapable of fulfilling my duties and his personal physician would find a cure and eat me for lunch.’

Astar stifled a laugh and cleared her throat. ‘Just do the best you can, Arlon. No one expects you to be perfect.’

‘Sir, if I make a mistake on this one, three hundred million people die.’

‘That’s a defeatist attitude and I won’t stand for it. What are the chances of curing the species you’ve developed the antiviruses for so far?’

‘Eighty-three percent, but I need to get it to at least ninety-eight-point-six percent to make sure that the species will survive with minimal losses.’

‘How many is minimal?’

‘One in every million of any given population.’

‘That is still quite high.’

‘Better than them all being dead.’

Astar couldn’t argue with that. ‘Keep me apprised, Astar out.’

She knew that Maxx would do his very best to find a cure to the virus or disease or whatever it was. She turned back to see Melex sobbing with his hand on his wife’s coffin. He looked vulnerable but she knew that he was anything but. From the biography she’d read about the man, she knew that his mother was a Federation diplomat and he had been a Starfleet officer, but resigned when his mother ascended to the Federation Council. Since then he had got married and moved away from his mother’s influence to begin a new life and family. All that was now a moot point since his wife was dead and he was infected with a disease that could kill his mother and every other Denobulan that he came into contact with.

‘Captain, can your doctor cure me?’

‘He’s working on a solution; he’ll probably be able to cure most of you.’

‘What about the ones he can’t cure?’

‘They will have to stay isolated from the rest of their species for the rest of their lives.’

‘Or until Starfleet Medical can find a cure,’ he said. ‘Your doctor is not infallible.’

‘No, he isn’t, but at the moment he is the only hope you have of being able to take her body back to Denobula Triaxa.’

Melex nodded in silent rebuke. ‘I meant no offence, Captain, but I’m not used to being in a situation where I am not in control.’

‘As the captain of a starship, I feel like that all the time. I have to rely on my crew to do their jobs and not micromanage everything. They know what they’re doing and I have to respect that if I want anything done.’

‘I’m glad I didn’t go on the command track.’

Astar smiled. ‘You could have done, Melex. Several tutors at the Academy, and a number of your department heads and commanding officers believed that you were command material.’

‘I left Starfleet, and my mother, so I could begin a new life. I don’t agree with my species’ polygamy, which was why my mother was always interfering in my life. Once I realised that I had found the right person in Ellan I told my mother what was happening and she accepted my decision. To make sure she couldn’t interfere, I left.’

‘It was our loss, Melex.’

The Denobulan nodded mutely. ‘Maybe it was, but look what happened. Maybe my mother was right.’

Astar hated to disparage anyone’s parentage, but she felt that he needed to hear some encouragement. ‘Your mother may have been right, or wrong, but you took your own path and she should have accepted that. What has happened is not your fault, not the fault of anyone but the Cha’lav.’

Melex smiled wanly and stood up, leaving his wife’s coffin unattended. ‘Thank you, Captain, but I would like to be alone now if you don’t mind. I need to do some thinking.’

‘Of course,’ she replied and exited the cargo bay ahead of him.

He went toward his guest quarters and she headed for sickbay, intending to have more of a chat with her godson regarding his work on curing the majority of the species on board the ship.

‘Captain Astar to the bridge please,’ Wright suddenly barked over the comm as the ship went to red alert status.

‘I’m on my way, Commander, what is going on?’

‘High Lord Yannik just released a dozen escape pods and jumped to warp.’

‘Where the hell is he going?’

‘Home.’

The word hung in the air as Astar rode the turbolift to the bridge. ‘Astar to Maxx, please tell me you found a cure for High Lord Yannik?’

‘Sorry, Captain, I’m still working on his blood work. Why do you ask?’

‘He just went to warp, heading home.’

Astar winced as Maxx let out a string of Bolian curses he should have been too young to know. ‘Captain, we have to stop him.’

‘We will, you have my word. Wright, beam the escape pods into the shuttlebays, cargo bays and anywhere you can find space, and then go to maximum warp. We have to catch that ship.’

‘Already on it, sir,’ Wright replied. ‘Bringing the last of them aboard now.’

‘Have security personnel escort them all to sickbay, and seal off the deck.’

‘Aye sir, Wright out.’

Astar felt the ship jump to warp as the turbolift deposited her on the bridge. ‘Did we have any of our people over there?’

‘No sir, only the alien species, all of which are now aboard our ship.’

Astar muttered a curse of her own. ‘Estimated time to intercept?’ she asked Larson at the helm.

He looked back at her with an expression that bordered on the terrifying. ‘I don’t know what speed that ship is capable of, sir, but we’re not catching them.’

‘Astar to engineering. Xeris, I need everything you can get out of those engines, and more.’

‘Captain, we’re already at maximum.’

Astar was in no mood to mollycoddle this particular officer. ‘I chose you as my chief engineer because I know you can do the impossible. Get us as close to transwarp as you can. We need to catch Yannik’s ship before he reaches his homeworld and wipes out his species.’

‘On it, Captain, Xeris out.’

‘Gonzales, get me Commander Dhrex, priority one.’

The Dauntless began to shake as the engines went into overdrive.

‘I have the Commander for you, sir.’

‘Commander, how close are you to Resoto Prime?’

‘About sixteen hours, why?’ Dhrex asked.

‘Yannik is infected and he’s heading home, it’s doubtful that we’ll be able to catch him.’

‘Maximum warp, Ensign sh’Felen, now! We’ll do the best we can, Captain, Dhrex out.’

Astar sank back into her chair.

‘We couldn’t have foreseen this,’ Wright said.

‘We should have done,’ she replied. ‘You have the conn, Commander. I’ll be in my ready room, trying to get Commander Logan to give us some help.’

‘Aye sir.’

 

[BrotherBenny]

Re: The Pebbled Sea - CHAPTER EIGHT

Starbase 535, stardate 57274.3
Commander Lionel Logan stared at the blank screen. From what he knew about Captain Astar, he was sure that she was not the sort of person to cry wolf. He entered a sequence of commands and within seconds a Starfleet officer appeared on the screen. He had blond hair, blue eyes and wore the uniform of a Commander, but he had never served as anything more than a second officer on a starship.

‘This had better be important, Lionel.’

‘Martin, I wouldn’t have called you if it wasn’t,’ Logan replied. ‘I’ve just received word that one of the infected people is heading home on an alien starship that is faster than both of ours. I really need some help out here.’

‘I’m sorry, but I only had the authorisation to send a shuttle out there with my officer. She should be arriving any moment if she’s on time.’

‘Remind me again why Starfleet Intelligence is sending an agent out here, Martin.’

‘That’s Commander Madden to you, Commander Logan,’ he said suddenly. ‘I have to go. Give my officer everything you have, and run everything through her. She will remain on Starbase 535 until this situation is resolved.’

‘Who is she?’

‘I can’t reveal that over an open channel, not even this one, Madden out.’

‘Commander, there’s a shuttle inbound, the pilot is refusing to identify herself and requesting that you greet her upon landing,’ the Chief said.

‘Send her to landing bay seven. I’ll meet her there, Logan out.’

Logan hurried from his office toward the turbolift and noticed Aulyffke approaching him again. ‘I don’t have time right now, Ambassador.’

‘You are here to expedite our entry into the Federation, Commander. I would think that I would be the most important person for you to spend time with.’

‘Normally, I would agree, but I have a number of things going on at the moment that, quite frankly, are more important than your entry into the Federation.’

Aulyffke followed him into the turbolift. ‘You may be right, but unless you stop this disagreement from devolving into civil war, there might not be a Kursica to gain entry into the Federation.’

‘I have been keeping an eye on the arguments, Aulyffke, and it isn’t as bad as you’re making it out to be. Your new government needs to take a softer hand in the negotiations. You know that I can’t interfere. Now, if you’ll excuse me I have a problem to deal with.’

‘As you wish,’ the Kursican replied and stayed in the turbolift as Logan stepped out.

Logan stopped in his tracks as he turned the corner. Standing by the door to the landing bay was a woman who had supposedly been killed in the line of duty a decade ago.

‘Welcome aboard Starbase 535, Lieutenant.’

‘Thank you, Commander. I’d like to be fully briefed on the current situation.’

‘Does the Captain know that you’re still alive?’

‘No, and he won’t until I’m ready for him to know. You will divulge nothing of my existence to him, nor any other member of my former crew.’

‘You’ve grown up quite a bit.’

‘I had to in my line of work. Intelligence is different to run-of-the-mill Starfleet.’

‘I’m sure it is, but right now I really need some help.’

‘Then brief me,’ the Bajoran woman said brusquely.

‘Yes ma’am,’ Logan replied, letting her talk to him like that because her security clearance was higher than his, much higher.

When he was finished, she closed her eyes for a moment and breathed deeply. ‘I need to contact Starfleet Command immediately, and I need to do it in private.’

‘You can use spare officer’s quarters.’

‘Thank you, Commander, would you mind leading the way.’

‘Not at all, Lieutenant, this way please.’ He led the woman to a dead end corridor where there was a door on either side. ‘Either one will suit your needs.’

‘I’ll take this one,’ she entered the suite on the left hand side and left Logan in the corridor. ‘I will contact you if I need further information, Commander, thank you.’

Logan nodded and headed back the way he came.


Admiral Drew Flintoff drew his eyebrows together in thought and the Bajoran thought it looked somewhat comical but said nothing. After all, she needed his help if she was to complete her mission for Starfleet Intelligence, her last hopefully. After ten years of cover identities, it would be nice to finally use her own again, but before that happened Flintoff had to be taken care off. The man had become too sloppy and she had no desire to see him lose his commission over this nonsense, not after such a distinguished career in the fleet.

‘What do you want me to do?’ he asked eventually.

‘I want you to contact your informant on the Dauntless, and have her contact me directly. I will be her new handler.’

‘Lieutenant, I appreciate that this comes from above my clearance, but could you at least tell me why I’m being sidelined.’

‘You’ve become sloppy, Admiral. The Klingons picked up your last communication and Chancellor Martok has sent a bird of prey to investigate the Kursican sector. As it is, the Romulans are poking their noses into the Starbase. Intelligence believes that this mission has become too overt and they want to make it go away quietly. Since I am now on site, I will be taking over as handler. You will receive your new orders by the end of the business day.’

‘I just hope you know what you’re letting yourself in for, Lieutenant, Flintoff out.’

‘So do I, Admiral, so do I,’ she muttered sotto voce.

Turning to the padd beside her, the Bajoran intelligence agent looked over everything that the Department of Temporal Investigations had been able to provide, plus the supplemental information provided by Flintoff and his contact from the future, as well as some other information which had come from an as yet unidentified source. She intended to grill the contact when the Dauntless returned to the starbase to find out the real story.

Her console chirped and she entered her authorisation code.

‘Lieutenant K’Tyra Parker, reporting as ordered.’

‘Lieutenant, I will make this brief since the Klingons and Romulans may be listening in. As soon as you return to Starbase 535, I wish to see you in my office. Commander Logan will direct you.’

‘What is this regarding, sir?’

‘Your mission in the Kursican sector. Starbase 535 out.’

She enjoyed being cryptic and although one person here knew who she was, the others shouldn’t until she was ready. Knowing that Starfleet Intelligence would probably ask her to stay made her keep her plans close to her chest until she was ready, and that would come very soon—she hoped. Since she now had time to kill, as the Dauntless would not returning for a good day or two, and she was fully briefed on the current situation, the Bajoran decided to check up on her friends. Her duties during the war had prevented her from seeing what had happened to her friends and colleagues from the Enterprise, and of the millions of people who had died, she knew that some of her friends would be among them. The first ones to check were her Academy classmates and she learned some surprising information, which was only accessible because of her exceptionally high security clearance.

As the lists of the dead scrolled across her screen, she cried tears for every one she knew personally and prayed to the Prophets for the rest, that their souls would return to their respective afterlives.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Re: The Pebbled Sea - CHAPTER EIGHT

Sorry for the delay, but here is the last section of chapter eight. I hope to start posting chapter nine next monday (9/17/07)


USS Weisskopf, stardate 57275.5
Commander Dhrex held on to his chair as the ship shook around him. His officers often had drinks or snacks on the bridge, and he allowed them the luxury as they didn’t go into battle that often, but none did today as anything that wasn’t battened down would hit something or someone. The Nova class of starship had a maximum speed of warp eight, but modifications made to some during the war had pushed that up to an impressive eight point eight; though the ship’s superstructure hadn’t received the necessary upgrades. He was closer to Resoto by a few dozen light years, but even with the extra speed he had at his disposal he didn’t think he’d make it in time, and he doubted that the Dauntless would either.

‘Where’s Locarno? I thought he’d be complaining by now.’

‘He elected to remain on DN-646 to assist with the repairs, said he needed something to do,’ Banks answered.

‘What about Hajar?’

‘She also stayed behind sir, refused to leave until she figured out how the antimatter caused the damage.’

‘How many people did we actually leave on that lump of ore?’

‘Six, sir, two more scientists and two security personnel.’

‘Inform them that we’ll return as soon as we’re able.’

‘Aye sir.’

The Weisskopf shuddered more violently than it had in the last twelve hours and the lights dimmed to minimum, without returning to normal levels after several moments.

‘Dhrex to engineering, what the hell is happening down there?’

‘I’m shutting down as much as possible to provide extra power for the structural integrity field, if I don’t the only thing that will make it to Resoto will be debris,’ Lieutenant Cain Johnson replied testily.

‘You could have warned me,’ Dhrex shot back.

‘You would have said no and we would have had an argument.’

‘Point taken, Lieutenant. Is there anything else we can do to get more speed?’

‘No sir, we’re at warp eight-point-nine-three now, and pieces of the outer hull are flaking off.’

Dhrex sighed. ‘Estimated time to intercept?’

Sh’Felen turned to look at him. ‘We’re not going to make it, sir. I have the alien vessel on long range sensors, and they will reach Resoto two hours before us.’

‘Contact the Dauntless and inform Captain Astar that we’re too far away and have to slow down.’

‘Aye sir,’ Banks replied. ‘Is there nothing we can do to stop them?’

Dhrex considered the question. ‘Would Ynelavii weapons be any use against that ship?’

‘No sir, ours might only just be enough.’

‘Then the answer is no, there’s nothing we can do except damage control when we arrive. Sh’Felen, slow to warp-eight-point-five, and tell me how late we’ll be.’

‘Eight point five, aye sir. We’ll arrive at Resoto three point two hours later than High Lord Yannik.’

‘He could infect hundreds of people in that time,’ Dhrex murmured. ‘Get First Prime Gexin for me, I want to ask her for a favour.’

‘Sir, I’m only able to reach a Regent Dolan.’

‘On screen.’

‘I’m Regent Dolan, leader of the Ynelavii Cooperative. How can I help you?’

‘I am Commander Dhrex of the Federation starship Weisskopf. I thought First Prime Gexin was your planetary leader.’

‘The First Prime has been assassinated. I have taken over her duties until the next election, Commander. How can I help you?’

‘There is an alien vessel approaching the Resoto system, the same one that attacked before. However, it is now under the command of High Lord Yannik and he has been infected with a disease that will kill his entire species. I would like to ask your ships to prevent him reaching Resoto Prime by any means necessary.’

Dolan smiled wanly. ‘While I have no love for the Resoto, I am a scientist and harming life goes against every tenet I hold dear. I will try to prevent him reaching his planet, but my vessels are likely to be attacked if they realise that the High Lord is aboard that vessel.’

‘Can you jam their communications?’

Dolan nodded. ‘This will cause some problems, Commander. I have also not heard from the warship I sent to look for the vessel.’

‘The Oxelus is returning at best speed, Regent. I hope to explain everything when the situation has been resolved.’

‘Thank you, Commander. I will order my ships to the Resoto system immediately. They should arrive within two hours.’

‘Thank you, Regent, Dhrex out.’

‘It’ll be close, sir.’

‘We may be causing a war by doing this, but if it works we’ll save millions.’

‘Captain Astar wishes to speak with you, sir,’ Banks said.

‘Put her through.’

‘Commander, what’s going on?’

‘I’ve asked the Ynelavii to help us as they are closer. Apparently their First Prime has been assassinated. How far behind you is the Oxelus?’

‘About an hour behind,’ Astar answered. ‘I take it you are aware of the hostility between these two races?’

‘Yes ma’am, but allowing three hundred million people to die without doing something to save them is not something I can live with.’

Astar nodded. ‘Let’s hope that they can get there in time.’

‘It will be close, Captain.’

‘Very well, you’ll be there about three hours before us, Commander. If there is any chance of stopping the spread of this thing, I want you to do everything you can, even if it means vaporising part of the crust.’

‘Captain?’

‘If a few million who might be infected have to die to prevent tens of million dying, then it has to be done. This is a numbers thing, Commander. We won’t have any choice in the matter if we want to save those people.’

‘Aye sir.’

‘I’ll be in touch, Astar out.’

‘Just what I needed,’ Dhrex muttered. ‘Ensign, punch it up to maximum warp. I want to make sure that we don’t have to kill any of them ourselves.’

‘Aye sir, warp eight-point-eight.’

‘Time to intercept?’

‘Two point one hours later than the alien vessel.’

Dhrex sighed. Maybe Astar was right and he would have to kill a few million. He knew in his head that it was the right thing to do, but that didn’t make it any easier for his morals to swallow.

 

[DavidFalkayn]

Re: The Pebbled Sea - CHAPTER EIGHT

Things are ratcheting up here. Kill a few million people and maybe save the galaxy in the future or maybe not; or do nothing and people live now, but you put the future and possibly hundreds or thousands of billions in jeopardy? Hard choice.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Re: The Pebbled Sea - CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER NINE

USS Dauntless, Resoto Prime, stardate 57275.9
‘Captain’s log, supplemental; we have arrived in orbit of the Resoto homeworld to find a devastating sight. Debris litters the planet’s high orbit and evidence suggests both Ynelavii and Resoto vessels have been destroyed. Commander Dhrex and his security teams aboard the Weisskopf have confirmed that the Cha’lav vessel, under High Lord Yannik’s command, was responsible for the destruction of the combined fleet.

Of a far greater import is the news from the surface that a number of people in the capital city have come down with a virus that resembles the Resoto influenza virus, albeit an extremely fatal one. At least thirty people are known to have died in the last three hours and hundreds more are sick. Doctor Maxx has asked to take a full medical complement down to the surface and I have reluctantly denied his request, even though it is likely that none of his personnel would be infected. I cannot sanction such a mission but I am fully aware that my lack of action will result in the total destruction of an entire civilisation.’

‘Captain, incoming transmission from Starbase 535, it’s Commander Logan.’

‘I’ll take it in my ready room,’ Astar replied and headed off the bridge.

‘Aye sir,’ Gonzales muttered.

Astar knew what was coming and braced herself for the inevitable argument she would have with the former Enterprise chief engineer.

‘You denied his request?’

Astar leaned forward in her chair. ‘Yes sir, I denied his request. Even with the full resources of my security forces at their disposal, Maxx and the other medical personnel would be completely outnumbered.’

‘So you’re placing your crew’s safety above that of a dying population?’ Logan asked, distaste colouring his tone.

‘Commander Dhrex refused to vaporise the capital city on my orders. It may have killed millions but it would have saved the populace. That is no longer possible since the outbreak has spread across the continent. Thousands are being infected every minute and hundreds are dying. Maxx no longer believes he can devise a cure, which is why he advised High Lord Yannik not to return home.’

Logan nodded. ‘Commander Dhrex has issued a formal complaint against you, Captain, citing a violation of the Prime Directive.’

‘I did not violate the Prime Directive. I was providing humanitarian aid to those in distress. I should cite him for disobeying a direct order from a superior officer.’

‘General Order 24 has not been used in over a century.’

‘I did not ask him to obliterate the planet, I asked him to contain the virus by eliminating its immediate breeding ground, and in this case it was the capital city.’

‘Semantics, Captain Astar.’

‘What is not in dispute is that the majority of the Ynelavii fleet and the entirety of the Resoto fleet has been destroyed. The Cha’lav, whatever their reasons for doing this, have destabilised the political structure of this section of the galaxy, Commander. The Resoto are dying and there is nothing that I or anyone else can do for them now. The planet should be quarantined under General Order Seven.’

‘I don’t think that’s still on the books,’ Logan replied.

‘Then call Command and check,’ Astar told him. ‘Regent Dolan, the new head of the Ynelavii Cooperative, has asked for a Federation representative to begin a petition for their entry into the Federation. How’s it going with the Kursicans?’

Logan sighed at her change of subject but she was technically superior in rank if not position. ‘They won’t be ready any time soon, but the Ynelavii might, how far is Ynelav from here?’

‘Six light years; I hope you’re not thinking of moving that station.’

‘It wouldn’t even make it out of orbit, Captain. To the subject at hand, I’m ordering you to send your doctor down there to try and find a cure.’

Astar narrowed her eyes and set her jaw. ‘I officially protest that order and refuse to comply. You can bring me up on whatever charges you like, Commander, but Resoto is a dead world. It’s time that we left it well enough alone and got on with the mission.’

‘Which mission would that be, Captain? Learning more about the Cha’lav or exploring the sector?’

‘Both, Commander. Astar out.’

As the screen blanked, Astar leaned back in her chair and sighed. She may have just ended her career, but she believed she was in the right and would gladly face a discharge if they ordered her to send Arlon or any officer down to that planet.

‘Captain, we’re receiving a hail from the Weisskopf.’

‘Patch it through, Commander.’

‘Captain, I’ve been ordered to Ynelav Four to meet with Regent Dolan regarding their petition for Federation membership, do you need me for anything else?’

‘No, thank you, Commander. I believe we can handle it from here. Good luck.’

‘Thank you, sir, Dhrex out.’

She returned to the bridge to see Wright pacing as a number of images were on the viewscreen, each showing Resoto cities and the panic that was ensuing as large numbers of them looted, pillaged or just died in the streets.

‘Why are we watching this?’ she asked her exec.

‘We’re watching the results of your orders, Captain,’ Wright answered. ‘Hundreds are dying every hour now that the virus has reached the general population.’

‘Commander, my ready room, now.’

‘No sir,’ Wright turned on her. ‘Whatever you have to say, you can say it here, where everyone can hear.’

Astar tugged her uniform down and straightened up. ‘Fine, then listen, all of you. The Cha’lav killed the Resoto, not us. We could spend the next week down there trying to find a cure until the streets are littered with the dead, until there are no more Resoto. Doctor Maxx does not think he can find a cure for them, not with their canine DNA, because he has nothing to go on, no data from which to work. He still wants to go down there even though the odds of finding a cure are so slim that a Vulcan would have trouble quantifying it. I think our time would be better spent on finding that Cha’lav vessel and pulling it apart. I think we should learn as much as we can about the Cha’lav so that we can stop them doing whatever it is they have come to do and make sure that we send them back.’

A smile tugged at Wright’s lips as he turned to Gonzales. ‘You heard the Captain, let’s get moving. Scan the planets and moons on this system until you find something, I doubt that the Cha’lav’s transporters are that much better than ours otherwise they wouldn’t need that nice little gateway.’

‘Captain, can you come down here,’ Maxx called from sickbay.

‘I’m on my way, Doctor. Wright, you have the conn.’

Astar wondered what the doctor had called her about as the last time they spoke he was planning on doing complete autopsies on the Cha’lav specimens collected from their space station somewhere. She reached sickbay in less than two minutes and found security posted inside and outside.

‘What’s the problem, Arlon?’

‘I’ve completed my preliminary work on the canine DNA of the Resoto, and I know why I won’t be able to find a cure.’

‘I’m listening.’

‘The Resoto did not evolve naturally from canines into humanoids. They were engineered at some point in the distant past. I doubt any of their records even hints at that. The reason I can’t find a cure is because they don’t have the thymus gland, common to all vertebrate animals across the galaxy. Without it, I can’t manufacture an antibody because their bodies don’t produce them. Whatever the Cha’lav did to make this virus work, they did a good job. There’s no way I can reverse it before the entire population is wiped out, I don’t even know if I could do it with all of Starfleet Medical helping.’

Astar listened with growing dread. ‘I want you to put all of that into your report and sent it to Commander Logan at Starbase 535 immediately.’

‘I’ll do it now, are you alright, Leza?’

Astar smiled. ‘I’m fine, Arlon. Just a little tired. How are the autopsies coming?’

He shrugged. ‘I decided to do the avian first, since I’ve never seen a humanoid-avian species before, except in the holograms of the Xindi and other such species.’

‘There are Skorr in Starfleet.’

‘I’ve never seen one, sir, but what I found was quite interesting. They are closest to Terran hawks in their genetics and I’m not aware of any Bolian or Trill avians like that.’

‘Is that the interesting part?’

‘No, the interesting part is that from their genetic profile, it appears as though the avians are actually the oldest of the Cha’lav species. Humans use about three percent of their genetic code, Trill use almost six—eight if their joined—and Bolians use four percent. The Cha’lav avians use closer to fifty-three percent of their genetic code, and I have absolutely no idea what the rest is used for. I could assume that the ancient genes that most humanoid species never use are still needed for the Cha’lav avians; and maybe the other species as well.’

‘Is that how you determined their age?’

‘No,’ Maxx answered. ‘I know how old each of the species in the Federation is, and I used that knowledge to create an approximate age for the avians. However, that only works if they originated in our galaxy. If they originated somewhere else, then I would have no idea, since I would likely know nothing of that galaxy or how life evolved in it.’

‘So in other words, you’ve discovered that the avian species might be the oldest of all the Cha’lav species, and they use more of their genetic code than any humanoid species in the known galaxy?’

‘Yes sir.’

‘Thank you, Doctor. Let me know when you have something we can use against them.’

‘I will not try to create any bioweapons.’

‘I’m not asking you to, what makes you think I am?’

‘What other reason could a study of their bodies give us?’

Astar sighed. ‘A study of their bodies may provide us with useful information about the kind of foods they eat, what air they breathe and tolerances to heat and cold, plus dozens more besides. What we learn about them today could be beneficial in the long run and may prevent a war.’

Maxx nodded and turned back to his console. Astar shook her head at her doctor’s naïveté and returned to the bridge where Wright was still trying to find the alien ship.

‘Captain on the bridge!’ Gonzales yelled as the turbolift doors opened.

‘I’m not a fan of that particular regulation, Commander,’ Astar replied. ‘Please discontinue it.’

‘Aye sir,’ the tactical officer said, disappointment in her tone.

‘Any luck, Commander?’ Astar asked her executive officer.

He shook his head. ‘No sir, we’re not picking up anything at all.’

She narrowed her eyes at the viewscreen and then turned to Gonzales again. ‘Commander, you said that the hull of that ship was made of something that our sensors couldn’t penetrate.’

‘That’s right, sir.’

‘Then why don’t we use the astrometrics laboratory to look for something that we can’t see?’

Wright slapped his forehead. ‘Of course, wide-band active scans across the entire system should be able to detect everything, and what appears as a whole is the ship.’

‘Captain, we cannot scan the entire system at once, it would need to be conducted in sections.’

Astar smiled. ‘Technology has moved on a little, Commander. Initialise and launch the Sensor Probe Reconnaissance Array.’

‘Aye sir,’ Gonzales replied and her fingers flew across the console.

Just below the secondary deflector dish, a section of the hull retracted and five class-9 probe cases emerged, spreading out and engaging micro-impulse engines. The SPRA sensor network was designed to augment the upgraded astrometrics lab and provide total sensor coverage of a given at the same time, making it difficult for anything to hide, especially an alien ship whose crew had no idea that anyone was looking for them.

‘It will take approximately twelve minutes for the probes to reach their optimum scanning range,’ Lieutenant Mahtani said.

‘Lieutenant?’

‘Gonzales called me to the bridge, sir. I designed the SPRA network with Doctor Nathan Bridger before he died.’

‘Doctor Bridger?’

‘Yes sir. His ancestor developed the Wireless Sea Knowledge Retrieval Satellites, or “Whiskers,” that a number of submersible vehicles used in the second decade of the twenty-first century.’

Astar shook her head in bewilderment. She knew all about the supposed happenings of the short-lived political entity known as the United Earth Oceans and some historians believed that the Macronesian Alliance was the precursor to the Eastern Coalition.

‘Is that historical fact, Lieutenant, or the ravings of a deluded man?’ Wright asked. ‘Bridger is known for his flights of fancy.’

‘Like Doctor Cochrane and his crazy story about cybernetic creatures from the future who tried to stop the launch of the Phoenix, sir?’ Mahtani asked.

‘He has a point there, Commander,’ Astar smiled at the scowl her first officer exhibited. ‘However it came about, the SPRA network is a prototype sensor system that Starfleet Research and Development asked that we test out. There are more than forty ships exploring the galaxy that are serving as test-beds for new technology before they are rolled out across the fleet. Commander, I want you to coordinate the search for the Cha’lav vessel while I have another word with Commander Logan and try to keep this mess in perspective.’

‘Aye sir,’ Wright replied as Astar entered her ready room.

He wondered how much longer he could keep up the pretence here since this particular captain knew that something wasn’t right with him. He knew it wasn’t his fault per se, and he also knew that he had to keep it up until an opportunity came along to sort things out, and so far, in ten years, one hadn’t.

‘How long before the probes are in position?’

‘Three minutes, sir.’

‘Excellent, prepare for a full-system scan, maximum power.’

‘That will deplete our reserves significantly, sir,’ Mahtani said.

‘The warp core can handle what we need, Lieutenant.’

‘Aye sir,’ Mahtani replied and turned to the science console to relay orders to engineering.

 

[TheLoneRedshirt]

Re: The Pebbled Sea - CHAPTER NINE

Just got caught up with your story - great stuff! You've really built in a lot of tension. Looking forward to how this plays out. :thumbsup:

 

[fleetcaptain]

Re: The Pebbled Sea - CHAPTER NINE

I just got caught up too and this has been interesting so far. I can see there is a lot of ties to the old Trition series that was done. I was just surprised about you adding Seaquest into the mix. I think its kind of funny how you did that. It's interesting through.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Re: The Pebbled Sea - CHAPTER NINE

Science Ministry, Ynelav IV, stardate 57276.2
After the activity of the last few hours, Regent Dolan was convinced that the rebellion was not just the few dozen malcontents which First Prime Gexin had been sprouting for months but a well organised, heavily armed, and densely populated movement. Colonel Rokan had remained behind to coordinate the search for the rebels and was now caught in their net. He’d disappeared and no one had seen him for some time. The two people, besides himself, who were the highest ranked in their respective fields and ran different areas of Ynelavii life were now in the room with him. Seated to his right was the current head of the planet’s mainstream and only official clergy, High Adept Qalas, and the leader of the armed forces and Militia Elite, General Allak. Allak had only returned from chasing the alien craft a few hours ago and his tale of the devastation that greeted him when he reached Resoto was terrible, but since Starfleet had dealt with that particular matter now, he could get back to thinking about his own planet’s problems.

‘General, Colonel Rokan has disappeared and the last time he saw First Prime Gexin, she was alive. His report stated that he left her with medics but I’ve seen no evidence of that. The only medics in the area were outside.’

‘With all due respect, Regent, don’t you think that it’s possible the “medics” he saw were rebels and they killed Gexin once Rokan left to try to deal with the rebels? This government has suffered a major attack and a full three quarters have been killed. The people are calling for blood, and at this point whether it is ours or the rebels’ probably doesn’t matter all that much. The only way to find out what really happened is to capture the rebel leaders and interrogate them.’

‘Without torture,’ Dolan cautioned.

‘Now is not the time to play it safe, sir.’

‘Now is the best time to play it safe. We will not become primitives just because a group of malcontents have dealt us a crippling blow. Find the rebel leaders and interrogate them. Find Colonel Rokan and then perhaps we’ll learn what really happened to the First Prime. Colonel Ferok can take over the day-to-day running of the Militia. I want this to be your top priority.’

Allak nodded, scratching his beard. ‘I’ll get on it right away, Regent. If you’ll forgive my hurried exit, Adept,’ he added and touched a control on his wrist. He vanished in a pillar of light.

‘The youth today are always in a rush,’ Qalas muttered.

‘Adept, please, no more of your rhetoric. I asked you here not to debate the follies of youth, but to seek your advice on the state of the people’s faith. I know that to be an effective leader I must look after their spiritual wellbeing as well as their mental and physical wellbeing and that of society.’

‘The people’s faith is under my jurisdiction, Regent,’ Qalas said plainly. ‘And since you are not a believer, I don’t think that you have a right to undertake the responsibility.’

‘That is precisely what I want to discuss with you. The people’s faith is fractured, and I think that to unite them I must know that faith. I want you to teach me.’

Qalas chuckled. ‘I cannot teach you if you do not truly believe. Besides, only the Seer can unite the people.’

‘The Seer?’ Dolan asked, slightly incredulously.

Qalas frowned. ‘If you were at all familiar with religious doctrine, you would know that the Seer was chosen by the Prophet Yotanu in the First Age to lead our people into the Second Age. The scripture is clear on the matter. “In every Age there is a chosen one. A Seer will emerge from the darkest days of the Twilight to lead the people into a new Dawn.” The first lines of the Seer Scrolls, the most ancient teachings we have.’

‘I thought you were of the Nelanii sect?’

‘I am, but I am also of the belief that the Seer sect and the Nelanii sect are merely a divergence of a viewpoint.’

Dolan sighed. ‘Is there any way to recognise the Seer?’

Qalas knitted his brows in thought. His features were pale from spending thousands of hours in the shrine outside the city, out of the sunlight. It was a common medical complaint among the clergy, but they said they suffered for the spiritual good of the people. ‘The Seer will be able to read the Seer Scrolls. All we are working from is a translation made thousands of years ago, but the Seer will be able to read the original text.’

‘But how do we know who the Seer is? How will we recognise him?’

‘I cannot tell you, because I don’t know. The Lesser Scrolls only advise us that the Seer will provide guidance and he will emerge in a dark time.’

‘I do not want to imagine a time darker than what we face now.’

‘I think it is time I immersed myself in the teachings of Yotanu so that I might in fact be able to recognise the Seer when he comes.’

‘Am I converting you, Regent?’

Dolan favoured the priest with a wry smile. ‘Let’s just say that I’m discovering a scientific curiosity about the religious aspect of the people I must now lead.’

‘It is a start.’

‘Thank you, Adept. Since I’m new at this, could you please try to explain to me in as secular a manner as possible what exactly the religion brings to the people.’

Qalas considered his next words carefully. ‘Everyone needs to believe in something bigger than themselves. For you, that belief manifests itself as a belief in science. For others, it is belief in a Prophet, a man from the past who supposedly heard the words of God.’

‘Supposedly?’

‘I do not believe blindly, Regent; I read the scripture and interpret it as best I can. Our language has evolved since then and many words written then do not have the same meanings today.’

‘So your faith is as much scientific as religious?’

‘I suppose you could interpret it that way,’ the Adept said diplomatically. While Dolan was essentially correct, it was not nice to hear it said so plainly, though the priest knew that he meant no malice by it. He was expressing his faith the only way he knew how, through science.

‘I understand the need for people to believe in something more, but how does religion satisfy that need.’

‘It gives them something to cling to when things go wrong.’

‘So they can take comfort in the fact that God is always there to protect them and give them help?’

‘Something like that, yes.’

Dolan shook his head. ‘At least now I understand why some of the more fervent religious people in the city spout so much rhetoric.’

‘They’re not always trying to convert people.’

‘But they often become violent when confronted with alternative viewpoints.’

Qalas shrugged. ‘Unfortunately.’

‘I believe that the rebels are an ultra-aggressive faction, Adept. There is evidence to suggest that they believe in a literal interpretation of the scripture, not taking into account the fact that the language has changed.’

‘How are they organised?’

‘Into cells, like any good terrorist network.’

‘But they don’t consider themselves terrorists.’

‘Of course not, they consider themselves saviours.’

‘Hmmm, I don’t suppose you know who their leaders are?’

‘We haven’t been able to ascertain that yet, no, but we do have suspicions,’ Dolan replied and noticed that Qalas was on the verge of saying something. ‘Do you know who they might be?’

‘I cannot break my vows, Regent,’ the priest finally said with reluctance.

Dolan’s visage darkened with immediate rage. ‘Your First Prime is dead, most of the government have been killed or maimed, and the government headquarters has been destroyed. Here you sit, telling me that you know who the rebel leaders are, and you won’t tell me who they are? What happened to your sense of duty?’

Qalas trembled with his own rage, but he spoke in measured tones. ‘My duty is to the people. I cannot reveal what was said to me in the sanctity of the Confession, any more than you could tell me what was said in a closed session of the Council.’

Dolan had to admit the truth of this, but he wasn’t going to lose this argument. ‘Adept, the rebels represent a danger to us all. Whether they are religious zealots or simply people with grievances, they are far too well armed to be ignored. A number of key government employees were involved in this attack and we must discover who they are, and who the rebels are, if we are to return to our normal way of life.’

‘That will never happen, Regent. Our normal way of life was fighting the Resoto and it has been for centuries. The Resoto are dying and we have no one left to fight. In times past, before we were united, that meant internecine squabbling and civil war. Your duty must be to prevent that from happening.’

‘If that is indeed the case, Adept, and I believe you are right, then I must know who the rebel leaders are. If I can stop them from causing any more attacks, I may be able to bring them into the fold and stop a civil war before it starts.’ There was a knock at the door. ‘Come in.’

‘Regent, I’m afraid new measures need to be put in place.’

‘Is there a problem, General?’

Allak nodded and his expression was grave. ‘I’m afraid that Minister Furan has left the building and admitted to the people that he is the leader of the rebellion. He is declaring the Navalo region a haven for the disenfranchised.’

‘What?’ Dolan jumped up in anger.

Allak swallowed. ‘Furan has rallied a number of people to his cause, Regent. They are travelling to Navalo as we speak, where Furan tells them that they can live without fear of attack from the government. He is calling it the last free city on Ynelav.’

Dolan narrowed his eyes at the priest. ‘Is Furan the only rebel leader?’

‘I cannot reveal that information.’

‘Fine, then you will be arrested for treason. General, I want a proclamation sent out to all areas. All religious gatherings are suspended until further notice. Use the Oxelus if you have to, but I want the Navalo region levelled.’

‘The wine growers will never recover from that, Regent,’ Allak replied. ‘The Navalo Slopes are the world’s finest wine-producing region.’

Dolan grumbled disapproval at his own actions. ‘Disregard my last order. I assume you have been keeping tabs on rebel strongholds?’

‘Of course, Regent; but we don’t have the evidence to bring them in for questioning.’

‘I’m declaring a state of emergency, and suspending the Rules of Detention. Arrest any rebel you find and interrogate them. I want to know exactly what is so special about the Navalo region and what Furan has done to prevent our interference, if anything.’

‘Yes sir,’ Allak replied, turned on his heel, and left.

‘I will take my leave of you, Regent,’ Qalas said, standing.

‘You are still under arrest.’

‘On what charge?’

‘Treason,’ Dolan reiterated. ‘By refusing to reveal the identity of an enemy combatant, you become one.’

‘I don’t recall that in the Ynelavii Legal Charter.’

‘You should read the Amendments more often, Adept. The Seventeenth Amendment states that in States of Emergency and War, certain legal traditions will be suspended to limit bloodshed. It goes on to list those traditions, and among them are the Rules of Detention and its associated Writs.’

‘You are committing a grave act by arresting me, Regent. The people will never forgive you.’

Dolan smiled. ‘You revealed to me that you believe in the Seer scrolls, Adept. The people have always ascertained that the Seer sect is false. You have fallen from grace. I, on the other hand, have suddenly developed an interest in uniting the people under this secular banner.’

‘You’ll never succeed, Regent. The people will resist change.’

‘When I unveil the Seer, and get an actual translation of the Seer scrolls, you will see that the people will accept change. Resistance to new ideas always happens, but the strong ideas will prevail, and I will keep you in prison long enough to see that change happen.’

‘The people will destroy you, and this civilisation will fall before the Seer is found. Remember, Regent, the Seer will emerge from the twilight. We have not yet reached that, and we may never reach that stage if the people resist change. Change caused the fall of the last Age of Civilisation.’


Resoto vessel Guxendur, Resoto system, stardate 57276.8
High Lord Yannik prowled the corridors of his new ship seeking out a single member of his species who was still alive. In under a day, all the military, government and medical personnel he’d invited aboard had been afflicted by this virus that the Starfleet doctor said he couldn’t cure. Hours later, the first of them had started dying and he knew that the doctor had been correct. Only one person had returned to the planet below and his people were dying by the thousands. He had doomed the Resoto. Only those living off-world were spared, and they were few and far between. He had even ordered the destruction of his own ships when they prevented him getting home, more needless killing. There was no one alive on this ship. Even the medical personnel who had secreted themselves in the isolation wards were dying, when they shouldn’t have been infected. It was too late.

‘High Lord Yannik, this is Captain Astar of the Federation starship Dauntless. Please respond.’

‘I can hear you, Captain. What do you want?’

‘I will be destroying your ship if you do not surrender it immediately.’

‘My people are dead, by my hand, Captain. You can have this ship if you want it. I’m venting all areas to the vacuum of space. In my last act, I will kill myself and this virus.’

‘There is no need to commit suicide, Yannik.’

‘I cannot be cured and I will not infect the remaining off-world Resoto with this plague. Let me do this, Captain. I implore you.’

‘As you wish,’ Astar replied reluctantly. ‘We will remain here until the vessel has been…cleansed.’

‘Thank you, Captain, Yannik out.’

At least he would now be able to die with what little dignity he had left. Returning to the bridge, Yannik opened all the bulkhead doors and then the airlocks. He felt himself pulled through the corridors of the ship, bouncing off bulkheads until he mercifully lost consciousness.

Yannik slipped out of the ship by the port airlock on the top deck and floated away. The airlocks suddenly clicked back into place and the bulkhead doors closed, returning the ship to its previous state. A single sensor came online and detected no lifesigns aboard. That activated a number of dormant and rarely used subroutines which in turn initialised a preset computer programme. The ship’s engines started up and it began to move under its own power, heading for the galactic rim.

The ship slowed almost to full stop and shuddered as the Dauntless snagged it with a tractor beam. Eight people beamed over to the bridge in EV suits and began to power down all systems. The ship, sensing that its last-resort programme had been interrupted, sent out a distress call that went unnoticed by all the Starfleet personnel aboard the alien vessel.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Re: The Pebbled Sea - CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER TEN

USS Dauntless, Resoto system, stardate 57276.8
Captain Astar and the rest of the bridge crew watched as the bodies of dozens of dead Resoto were flushed into space by the tug of vacuum. There was nothing that any of them could do for Yannik or the dead, but she ship they could use. It would provide a fantastic opportunity to learn about the Cha’lav and maybe reverse engineer their technology. Commander Wright was staring at something on the console between their seats and frowning. He entered a few commands and then looked up sharply.

‘Sir, it’s starting to move under its own power,’ Gonzales said.

‘Get a tractor beam on that ship, now!’ Wright ordered.

‘Plot its trajectory,’ Astar added.

‘According to the astrometrics computer, the ship was heading for the galactic rim,’ Larson said from the helm. ‘The hull structure would be able to withstand the Galactic Barrier.’

‘I want an away team over there to tell me what powered that ship up and why it was heading to the rim. I’d like to know what kind of hull that thing is constructed from and why it looks like one of our ships. This will be our best opportunity to learn about that ship.’

‘What do we do then, sir?’ Gonzales asked.

‘Then we tow it to Starbase 535 and let Commander Logan’s engineers take the ship apart if they have to. If we have any hope of stopping the Cha’lav from whatever they have planned, we’ll need that ship.’

‘I’d like to lead that away team, Captain,’ Wright said. ‘I would like Commander Xeris and two of his best engineers, and four security personnel, including Lieutenant Parker. ’

Astar nodded. ‘Good selection, Commander; I’ll leave it in your capable hands.’

‘Thank you, sir,’ Wright replied and touched the console. ‘Wright to Xeris, bring two of your engineers and meet me in transporter room two. Lieutenant Parker, bring a three-person security team with you to transporter room two, we’re going over to the Cha’lav vessel.’

‘Aye sir,’ Parker replied.

‘On my way,’ Xeris responded.

‘Shouldn’t Doctor Maxx be joining you?’ Gonzales asked.

‘There’s nothing left alive over there, Commander,’ Wright replied. ‘Every room was exposed to the vacuum of space.’

‘Something started the engines,’ she muttered.

‘And we’re going to find out what it was.’

‘Wear environmental suits just in case there are any toxins over there, Commander,’ Astar instructed.

‘Aye sir.’

‘Keep an open tricorder link, sir. I’d like you to record as much data as you can, just in case.’

‘We’ll be careful.’

‘Dismissed, Commander; you need to get to the transporter room.’

Wright nodded and headed for the turbolift.

‘Recall the SPRA sensors, Gonzales. We don’t need them now.’

‘Aye sir, recalling…There’s a problem, sir. I’m only receiving telemetry from four of the probes. The fifth appears to be caught in something.’

‘On screen.’

The image of the Cha’lav cruiser was replaced by that of the SPRA probe protruding from what appeared to be a tear in space.

‘Sensors, what is that?’

‘It is exactly what it appears to be, Captain,’ Mahtani said from the science console. ‘It is a spatial rupture.’

‘Leading to where?’

‘Something’s emerging, sir.’

‘Go to yellow alert and tell the away team that they are to continue with their preparations for beaming over.’

‘Aye sir.’

‘It is a vessel of some kind, Captain,’ Gonzales said. ‘Eleven metres in length, six metres wide and four in height.’

‘It looks like a large torpedo casing,’ Larson said.

‘Can we spare the power for a second tractor beam?’

‘Engineering reports it is possible for a limited period,’ Mahtani answered, coordinating with them.

‘Maintain sensors on the pod and engage the tractor beam.’

The pod’s momentum changed as it was caught by the Dauntless and appeared to hover before it changed direction and tried to pull away. After a few seconds it stopped moving all together, held by the tractor beam.

‘Can you make out any markings, Commander?’ Astar asked Gonzales.

‘No sir, there appears to be nothing on the outer hull at all. No markings, no airlock of any kind, not even an opening.’

Astar frowned. She had enough on her plate with the Cha’lav and making sure her first officer didn’t kill her. And she still had McNamara in the brig. ‘Hail them, let’s see if there’s something internally.’

‘Aye sir, hailing them on all frequencies.’

‘Commander Wright reports the away team is ready to beam across, sir,’ Mahtani interrupted. They’re all in space suits and ready to go on your order.’

‘No response, Captain.’

‘Astar to transporter room two, you’re clear for transport. Good hunting.’

‘Thank you sir, Wright out.’

‘Can we scan the interior?’ Talen asked from Ops, having stayed uncharacteristically silent until this point.

‘Are you alright, Lieutenant?’ Astar asked.

‘Yes sir, something about this seems to be a little unnerving.’

‘Can you pull our probe back?’

‘Yes sir, it was freed when the pod emerged.’

‘Captain, that’s not a pod, it’s a bomb!’ Mahtani said suddenly.

‘Explain.’

‘Do you remember the dreadnoughts that the Cardassians used during the Bajoran Occupation and the Dominion War?’

‘Smart bombs, programmed to seek a target on its own and detonate, without risking any Cardassian lives. Efficient and brutal.’

‘I recommend we increase our distance and destroy it, sir,’ Gonzales interjected, not happy with the device sitting so close.

‘Not yet, Commander. I’d like to learn a little more about, before it blows up.’

Gonzales gritted her teeth. ‘Aye sir.’

‘Scan the interior, maximum sensor gain.’

‘Aye sir, scanning.’

‘Are we picking up anything?’ Astar asked after a moment.

‘Yes sir, we’re picking up a life form of some kind.’

‘Beam it into sickbay, into a level six security field. Have security meet us there,’ Astar replied. ‘Gonzales, you have the conn.’

‘Aye sir,’ the tactical officer replied as the captain headed for the turbolift.

‘Sir, Commander Wright reports safe beam over to the Cha’lav vessel,’ Talen said from operations.

‘Thank you, Lieutenant. Please continue to monitor them. As soon as trouble even looks like its starting, beam them back.’

‘Aye sir.’


Cha’lav vessel, stardate 57276.7
Commander Aaron Wright and the others beamed into what was the bridge of the alien vessel. Xeris immediately headed for the engine room with his two engineers and Parker’s three security personnel took point. Wright and Parker remained on the bridge and while the first officer looked around, Parker walked over to a specific console and began tapping out a command string. Wright surreptitiously observed her, making a mental note to inform the captain of the security chief’s familiarity with such an alien vessel, and in doing so did not notice a blinking light that operated for precisely eleven seconds before shutting down.

‘Lieutenant, do you know what you’re doing?’

‘I observed High Lord Yannik while I was here, sir,’ she answered, covering herself.

‘Hmmm,’ Wright replied, not believing a word of it. ‘Have you discovered anything useful?’

‘Yes sir, Parker to Dauntless.’

‘Go ahead, Lieutenant,’ Gonzales answered.

‘Sir, prepare an isolated section of the computer core, I’m going to dump the Cha’lav database into it.’

‘Talen’s working on it.’

‘You were able to access it?’ Wright asked.

‘Yes sir. As I said, I observed Yannik.’

Wright chose not to push the issue, but did notice her tap a few more commands into the console before Talen came back to them. ‘Lieutenant, I’m sending the isolated segments to you now, feel free to download the database any time.’

Parker grinned. ‘Downloading now.’

‘This should provide a lot of useful information, good work. Gonzales out.’

‘Xeris to Wright.’

‘Yes, Commander?’

‘The engines on this ship are similar to the quantum slipstream drive that Voyager discovered in the Delta Quadrant, but they are far more sophisticated.’

‘How so?’

‘I’m looking at a screen that is full of numbers, and it appears that one particular function of this drive is to open a rift in subspace and travel through subspace itself before opening another rift to exit.’

‘Isn’t that dangerous?’ Parker asked.

‘To us, yes, but the Cha’lav are not like us, are they? With this information, we could find out where they come from.’

‘How?’

‘By taking the ship there,’ Xeris answered.

Wright chuckled. ‘I like the idea of that as well, Commander, but if we suggest it to the Captain, she would have to pass it up the chain of command. It could take months before the mission is given the go ahead.’

‘So let’s make a start on it,’ the engineer replied. ‘The more we learn about the Cha’lav now, the more prepared we’ll be when we meet them in battle.’

‘You sounded almost Klingon when you said that,’ Parker said.

‘I’ll try not to take that as an insult,’ Xeris retorted. ‘I’m taking as many scans of the engines as I can.’

‘Don’t bother, Commander,’ Parker interrupted. ‘We’re downloading the entire Cha’lav database into our computer core.’

‘Oh,’ he sounded disappointed. ‘Well, what do you suggest I do with my engineers?’

‘Try to determine how the engines work, it would be nice if we could send it under its own power back to Starbase 535,’ Wright suggested.

‘Aye aye, sir,’ the chief engineer replied sourly.

Wright chuckled. ‘How are we coming with the data dump, Lieutenant?’

‘About sixty percent complete, sir. I think it would be wise for us to wait for it to be complete before doing anything else.’

‘And what do you suggest we do in the meantime?’

‘Explore other sections of the ship. There may be something which could explain why this ship looks like the designs that we use.’

‘Well, since most captain’s ready rooms or quarters hold abstracts or models of past vessels to hold the name, or that they’ve served on or commanded, we might find something,’ Wright grasped her meaning. ‘Since you seem to know your way around this vessel, can you tell me if there is a ready room?’

Parker pointed to the right of the command chair. ‘The ready room on this class is through there, just like on the Olympic-class ships.’

Wright raised an eyebrow but walked toward the door. Parker followed and they both gasped in surprise when the doors slid apart to reveal a ready very similar to that of Federation ships, but with a much darker feel to it. The colours were dark and one of the two lights in the room illuminated what they had been hoping to see. Along one bulkhead were models of seven vessels, all bearing similarities to Federation ships from the past. Wright was particularly taken with the largest of the models which resembled a Galaxy-class starship, albeit with a few modifications.

‘That looks like a warship,’ Parker said. ‘Look at the shuttlebays; they look more like landing platforms. I think this was a troop carrier, not a family ship.’

Wright nodded in agreement. ‘The Cha’lav would seem to be some kind of antithesis to the Federation, more so than the Dominion.’

‘And they have developed ship designs that while similar to ours, are also quite different.’

‘In what way?’

‘We place our bridges in a fairly vulnerable position, at the top of the ship. The Cha’lav bridge, if you hadn’t noticed, is actually close to the very centre of the ship and well protected from space.’

Wright frowned. ‘What is at the top of the ship?’

‘Weapons emplacements.’

‘Makes sense, I suppose. Do you know why we place our bridges at the top of the ship?’

‘No, it has always seemed tactically unsound.’

‘In Earth’s twentieth century, our largest seafaring ships, aircraft carriers, had what they called the conning tower at the top of the ship. I guess humanity is a little sentimental on that score.’

‘It is still tactically unsound.’

‘Perhaps, but that’s the way it is.’

Parker sighed in resignation.

‘Xeris to Wright.’

‘Yes, Commander?’

‘We have figured out how the engines work, but I think there is little chance of them actually working.’

‘Why is that?’

‘When High Lord Yannik vented the ship, he also vented the cargo bays. The ore that powers this drive needs to be carefully monitored to keep it stable, much like antimatter. Whatever is floating out there at the moment would be useless.’

‘So we’ll have to tow the ship back ourselves?’

‘Yes sir.’

‘I guess that’s our job done then,’ Wright said. ‘Lieutenant, how long until the data dump is completed?’

‘Thirty seconds, sir.’

‘We beam back in forty seconds, people, be ready.’

 

[DavidFalkayn]

Re: The Pebbled Sea - CHAPTER 10

We're getting a bit more of an understanding of the Cha'lev--they bear remarkable similarities to the Federation except for being more militaristic in ship design and they possess more advanced propulsion. Another layer to the mystery--very nicely done.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Re: The Pebbled Sea - CHAPTER 10

USS Dauntless, stardate 57276.9
The life form beamed aboard from the alien pod looked like no species anyone on board had come into contact with before. It was a two-metre-tall triped with tentacle-like appendages halfway up the torso, and a startlingly humanoid face. The creature did nothing to alarm anyone as Captain Astar and a security team escorted it to sickbay. Once there, the creature dislocated its central leg to sit on the biobed comfortably and waited for the doctor to examine it.

‘Well?’ Astar asked for the third time that hour.

‘Captain, the universal translator is working and we can understand his language, just as he can understand ours. He is completely healthy by the same standards that I would judge even our non-humanoid crewmen. Rashal is no danger to this crew or this ship.’

‘Can you be sure of that?’

‘Any more than another race could be sure that you were not a threat when you were first observed?’

‘Point taken, Doctor; what have you learned about him?’

‘He comes from a world called Eeroth and is a Fahir, one of two sentient species native to that world. His ship was on patrol at the edge of Eerothian territory when he was attacked by a Cha’lav scout ship. The Dahrek ship, the other native species, joined in the attack and his ship was damaged. Rashal has been drifting in his pod for more than one Standard year. He doesn’t know where he is or where is homeworld is in relation to us.’

‘You appear to have learned quite a bit.’

‘I have needed to gain his trust and talking about my life caused him to open up. Some of what he has told me about his homeworld is disturbing, and reminiscent of what happened on Earth in the seventeenth to twentieth centuries.’

Astar tried to think about her Earth history and could only think of the worst events, not long running problems, but she nodded all the same, intending to look up the information later. ‘Well, we can’t return him home at the moment. He’ll have to come with us back to Starbase 535.’

‘That will be fine, Captain,’ Rashal replied in a lyrical tone.

Astar turned to face him. ‘I apologise, not speaking to you directly was rude.’

‘It is quite alright, Captain. I am used to such treatment on my homeworld. I expect it.’

Astar frowned. ‘Such behaviour is beneath us, Rashal. The cultures represented on this vessel, and in all of the Federation and Starfleet, value individuality and tolerance above all else. I fear that I have not made a good first impression.’

Rashal smiled, his human-looking teeth making it an odd gesture in a being as alien as he was. ‘Quite the contrary. My treatment since being retrieved from my escape pod has been most gracious. I fully expected to be imprisoned and badly-treated. Such is the expectation of my people on Dahrek-controlled lands and worlds.’

‘Do the Fahir not have lands and worlds?’

‘We do, though our worlds and lands are not as numerous. The Dahrek control almost three quarters of the homeworld and a little over half of all the worlds we have colonised or conquered.’

‘Conquered?’

‘I speak as an Eerothian, Captain. The Fahir favour colonisation and peaceful coexistence with native populations. The Dahrek conquer worlds and take slaves.’

‘I see,’ she replied and at once understood Maxx’s reference to Earth. The white people from the West conquering the Eastern world in several periods and displacing their less advanced brethren.

‘Wright to Astar.’

‘Go ahead, Commander.’

‘We’re back aboard, sir. The engines cannot be started so we must tow the vessel back to the Starbase ourselves. We’ve also downloaded the entire Cha’lav database to study.’

‘Excellent. Set a course for Starbase 535 and prepare to get underway. Beam the Eerothian escape pod into cargo bay three.’

‘Aye sir, Wright out.’

‘You have also fought the Cha’lav?’

‘We have been fighting them for a little over a week, but they have caused many problems in that time, and been responsible for many deaths.’

‘I wish you all the luck in stopping them, Captain. I hope that the arrival of a common enemy may force my peoples to work together.’

‘Did you not say that the Dahrek vessel also fired on you?’

Rashal nodded. ‘I did, but I can only assume that once my vessel was destroyed, the Cha’lav would have turned on them, unless they are looking for an alliance.’

‘I don’t think so, somehow,’ Astar replied. ‘The Cha’lav seems interested only in destabilising political alliances, not creating them.’

‘It would destabilise the entire sector if they were to ally with the Dahreki Dominance. The Fahira Alliance would be destroyed and all our worlds would fall to the Dominance.’

‘Are your ships not as powerful?’

‘No, but they are a match for most Dahreki vessels. The Cha’lav are far more powerful and if they choose to ally with the Dahreki, my people will be killed.’

‘Hopefully when this current crisis is over, we’ll be able to return you to your people so you can warn them.’

‘I would appreciate that, Captain.’

‘Wright to Astar.’

‘Are we ready to depart, Commander?’

‘Yes sir, all stations report ready for departure. The Eeroth escape pod has been secured in cargo bay two and a level six forcefield has been erected around it. I felt it a necessary security precaution.’

‘Good work, Commander. I would have done the same. Has our science team begun work on the Cha’lav database?’

‘Yes sir, Lieutenant Mahtani has assembled everyone with any scientific knowledge of linguistics and cryptology.’

‘Then take us to Starbase 535, warp six.’

‘Aye sir, Wright out.’

Astar heard the nacelles move into position and imagined that she could feel the increase in speed as the Dauntless jumped to warp. She couldn’t of course, had she been able to, it would have been the last thing she felt before becoming a smudge on the bulkhead in sickbay.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Re: The Pebbled Sea - CHAPTER 10

Asteroid DN-646, stardate 57277.6
Lieutenant Commander Jean Hajar stood up and dusted herself off. The antimatter storage pods were losing integrity and there was nothing she could do about it. One pod had already destroyed asteroid DN-612 and there were dozens of pods on this lump of rock. She had spent the last eighteen hours trying to figure out why that pod failed and why these were failing. There was no power drain that her tricorder or the Weisskopf’s sensors could detect and she didn’t detect any sabotage. After almost a day of scanning, poking and prodding, she had been able to find nothing to explain the loss of integrity to the antimatter shielding. The other scientists and security personnel left here with her had been evacuating the scientists to other asteroids in the belt. She didn’t think it would do any good since the antimatter detonation would most likely destroy this section of the asteroid belt and the damage would be increased a thousand-fold by the dilithium ore that riddled the belt. The only good thing that she had found on this asteroid was that Nicholas Locarno, who had dogged her every step since being beamed aboard, was nowhere to be found. However, since she didn’t know anyone here, and needed something to eat, she decided to seek him out.

She found him in the asteroid’s shuttle bay, working on an antimatter freighter that looked ready for the junkyard. Beyond him lay a dozen shuttles and small craft of various sizes all of which were being loaded with personnel and belongings of the three hundred people from the mining outpost. They weren’t going to be enough; there were still about sixty people who would be left behind. Hajar watched Locarno’s jerky movements as he fixed something in place on the underside of the massive freighter. He slid out and pulled himself up, wiping his hands on a rag, and then turned to face her, not in the least surprised to see her standing there.

‘How long have you been watching me?’

‘A few minutes, I wondered if you’d like to get something to eat.’

He nodded. ‘You figured it out yet?’

She shook her head and frowned. ‘There’s nothing wrong with the pods and there’s nothing causing a power drain. The pods are just losing integrity.’

‘How long do we have?’

‘A few hours at most,’ she replied.

‘And you still want to have something to eat?’

‘I haven’t eaten anything in almost eighteen hours.’

‘Fair enough, I could use the break.’

‘What are you working on that heap of junk for?’

‘From the outside it might look like a pile of rusting bulkheads, but inside it is structurally sound.’

‘You’re not planning to fly this thing?’ she asked incredulously.

‘You know that I can fly anything,’ Locarno replied. ‘And besides, we need to get the rest of the people out of here somehow.’ Then he grinned. ‘The miners said if I can get them out of here I can keep it. It’s no good for hauling antimatter in its current condition.’

Hajar scowled. ‘So you’re doing this for yourself.’

‘Hey!’ he shot back. ‘If I don’t get it working, then no one will survive. Commander Dhrex left you Starfleeters here to figure what went wrong in the first place. Then you figured out that the whole place is going to blow and I’ve been trying to fix this ship up so we can get out of here.’

‘I’m sorry, but you’re still getting something out of this.’

His mind went elsewhere for a moment and then his eyes focused and he grabbed her shoulders. ‘The engines on this ship are fine, ready to fly. How much antimatter can it store? We can move as much as possible from the pods into the ship. It could buy us more time.’

Hajar shook her head. ‘The freighter can hold about 15 pods worth, it’s a guzzler but it’s meant to have a heavy storage capacity. That still leaves over twenty pods to explode.’

‘What if we pushed the antimatter storage tank to maximum and pushed as much into the reaction chamber as possible?’

Hajar concentrated. ‘Another eight pods, maybe. If we take the pods that are closer to destabilising, we should have enough time to get far enough away.’

‘I’ll keep fixing the ship; you bring the pods through and get as much help as you can.’

‘What’s wrong with this thing anyway?’

‘Stabilisers and thrusters are busted, shields are almost non-existent and the pop gun phasers have no charge because the battery is depleted.’

‘In other words, it’s going to be a rough ride?’

‘I think I just said that.’

Hajar scowled and then rushed off, leaving Locarno to increase his speed in fixing the ship. She grabbed the other Starfleet personnel and told them what they were doing.

‘Commander, wasn’t he drummed out the Academy?’

‘What does that have to do with this plan? Do you want to die here?’

‘No ma’am, but I’m not sure I trust him.’

‘You don’t have to, I do.’

‘I think you’re making a mistake, sir.’

‘If you have a better suggestion, I’m listening.’

None of them did.

‘Right then, this is an order. Find every antigrav you can and get twenty three antimatter pods into the shuttle bay. Once you’re done, move the rest of the pods into the most central section of the base. Then get to the freighter.’

‘Aye sir,’ they replied and scattered.

Hajar went straight to the storage bay and marked the pods which had the lowest integrity. There was a marked loss in the pods closest to the outer shell of the base and she resolved to move them first. The antigravs would prevent further loss to some degree but if Locarno was wrong, or her calculations were even slightly incorrect, then all bets were off. The scientists and security personnel came back with twenty of the base’s remaining personnel as the others were helping fill up the shuttles, and an antigrav for each one. She sent all but one of them to the shuttle bay with an antimatter pod and the last one helped her load up a pod to move into the control centre, at the very core of the complex.

‘Can you handle this yourself? I’ll send the others to help you shortly. I need to start loading these onto the freighter.’

‘I can do it, Commander. Thank you for saving our lives.’

‘Wait until we’re out of the belt before you say that. This is the easy part. Mister Locarno has the hard part, flying us all out of here.’

‘Is it true he was kicked out of the Academy?’

She nodded. ‘But don’t worry; he’s the best pilot here.’

The young miner nodded and moved off with the pod.

Hajar swore that if Locarno got her killed she would haunt him through every afterlife. She sprinted through the complex and stopped dead in her tracks as she saw Locarno painting the name on the side of the freighter. She sighed in resignation and stood silently while he finished. When he stood back to admire his work, she cleared her throat and he turned to face her, somewhat sheepishly it seemed.

‘Kolvoord II?’ she asked.

‘The first one was destroyed, and I thought that since I would be keeping this one, I had better name it right.’

‘And it still serves to remind you of what you have lost?’

‘And what I have gained. I spoke with Boothby last time I was on Earth. He believed that I acted in the best traditions of a Starfleet officer by facing the consequences and ending my dream. I never believed him but I have been given a second chance to make my living in space, and that’s what I do.’

‘I have heard others say exactly the same thing about you, Nick, and I never believed it either. Come on, we’d better get this antimatter aboard otherwise this rust bucket will never take off.’

Locarno looked at her surprise and then headed up the ramp after her. ‘I’ve been inspecting the systems on board and they’re somewhat antiquated, but they’ll get us out of here. I’ll need six months in a dry dock to retrofit her and make her truly spaceworthy again.’

‘But she will fly?’

Locarno gave her a forlorn look. ‘I thought we’d been through this. I can fly anything.’

Hajar held her hands up in surrender. ‘Can you transfer the antimatter or do you need my help?’

‘I can manage, but I’ll need some help. We have a lot of pods to transfer.’

‘Alright, I’m going to the control room to see if I can buy us some more time. I fear we have an hour at most.’

‘Warning, antimatter containment down to fifty percent,’ the computer’s feminine voice intoned.

‘Maybe less,’ Hajar amended.

‘Go!’ Locarno pushed her toward the corridor and the ramp.

Hajar ran for the control room and almost collided with the miner.

‘Are we leaving now? The last shuttle is gone.’

‘Gather everyone together and get them into the freighter. We’ll leave as soon as the antimatter is aboard.’

The miner, barely into his twenties, looked like he was about to say something and changed his mind, sprinting out of the control room.

‘Computer, what is the estimated time to antimatter containment failure?’

‘Antimatter containment failure will occur in forty-seven minutes, eleven seconds.’

‘Damn,’ she muttered and tried not to think about the pods crowding the room as she closed and sealed all the bulkhead doors between her and the shuttle bay, except one route. She tapped her combadge. ‘Hajar to Locarno, do you have a transporter?’

‘I do, but I don’t think the fusion generators provide enough power for it. The warp engine connections have been severed.’

Hajar muttered an oath under her breath. ‘I’m gonna be running for it real quick. Be ready to go straight away.’

‘How long do we have?’

‘Forty-five minutes, but I want to take as much time as possible to…’

‘Warning, antimatter containment fields are down to thirty percent.’

Hajar consulted her tricorder. ‘I’m coming now, the containment fields are fluctuating. I have no idea how much time is left.’

‘Move, Commander. There’s no more time.’

‘Computer, engage program Hajar-Escape-1, mark.’

The control room bulkhead started to slide shut and she ducked under it and started to run. The bulkheads were all closing in sequence and she would need to run faster if she was going to make it.

‘Come on, Jean, I can’t keep the door open for much longer. The computer is venting the atmosphere from the entire base.’

‘Safety feature,’ Hajar muttered, breathless.

She turned the corner into the last corridor and saw the bulkhead less than a metre off the floor. She dived for it and pulled her feet through as it slammed into the deck. Picking herself up again, she ran up the ramp and hit the close button.

‘I’m in.’

‘Lifting off, come and join me, Commander.’

Hajar caught her breath as she reached the cockpit and saw the asteroid field open up. There were hundreds of thousands of kilometres between some of the asteroids, but that was all going to change. Something had totally screwed up the antimatter containment in the pods and she hoped that it wasn’t going to do the same to the containment on board.

‘Engaging impulse engines, full speed.’

‘Is that safe?’ she asked, sitting down.

‘Not in the least, but when that antimatter explosion hits us, we’ll need every burst of speed, and even I’m not crazy enough to go to warp in an asteroid field.’

‘Computer, aft view.’

‘Sorry, no computer that sophisticated on here,’ Locarno apologised. ‘Told you it was old,’ he added as he hit a switch.

One of the monitors showed an aft view as the asteroid exploded. Locarno kept one eye on the path ahead and the other on the screen beside him that told him the danger. Alarm klaxons started wailing and Hajar gasped as the explosive shockwave hit them. The Kolvoord II was tossed around and the bulkheads groaned but Locarno turned her into the wave, riding the shockwave like a surfer.

It was over in moments, but it felt like a lifetime.

‘Can we go to warp yet?’ Hajar asked.

‘We can, but the best this bucket can do in its present condition is warp three. It’ll take us a while to get back to Starbase 535.’

‘Then let’s get a move on, we’d best meet up with the other shuttles and form a convoy. Safety in numbers.’

Locarno nodded. ‘On that subject, do you think you can reconnect the warp engines to the major systems? Shields, transporters and weapons.’

‘Were the shields knocked out?’

‘No, I connected them to the impulse engines, probably burned the damned things out.’

Hajar frowned. ‘That might pose a problem.’

‘One thing at a time. We’re out of danger and heading home,’ he said as he engaged the warp drive.

The century-old freighter shuddered as it built up speed and then slipped easily into warp. Hajar looked over at Locarno and wondered if he had been redeemed by his time in the great unknown. It had happened before.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Re: Your Choice

I’ve decided to make this series a little interactive.

So here are your two choices for book two of the Starship Dauntless series.

Option A

Tasked with returning the Eerothian to his homeworld, Captain Astar and the crew of the Dauntless must traverse a region of space that makes the Cardassian Badlands seem like child’s play. But they discover that the Kursican Badlands are even more dangerous than they appear at first glance for an ancient evil that has become embedded in local myth has awakened to seek revenge on its captors. Astar and her crew must send the creature back to sleep and reach Eeroth before the Cha’lav are able to destabilise another region of space and get one step closer to taking complete control of the galaxy.

Option B

Tasked with returning the Eerothian to his homeworld, Captain Astar and the crew of the Dauntless are pulled into the Mirror universe and hunted by both the Terran Resistance and the deadly Vorta Imperium. Terok Nor has been destroyed and the Vorta are hunting down their former masters, the Founders. Captain Astar learns that in order to stop the Resistance from destroying her ship, she must rescue one of their most dangerous generals from deep within Imperium territory. The identity of that man leads the crew of the Dauntless to question each other and Astar must rescue this man, prevent a mutiny, and find a way to return home.

Make your decision (the deadline is Wednesday October 17th, 11:59pm) and I will write chapter eleven and the epilogue to reflect your choice.

 

[DavidFalkayn]

Re: Your Choice

This is definitely an epic tale. To be honest, I went with the first choice. I think your strength is in universe creation--you do a great job in fleshing out new and original races and cultures and settings and the Mirror Universe is a bit jejune. Still, it's your story--go with what works best for you.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Re: Your Choice

DavidFalkayn said:
This is definitely an epic tale. To be honest, I went with the first choice. I think your strength is in universe creation--you do a great job in fleshing out new and original races and cultures and settings

Thanks for the kind words, David. I really enjoy creating new races and the Ynelavii are really such fun to write. The Eeroth will be a little harder, but if it's easy, what's the point?

The Mirror Universe is a bit jejune. Still, it's your story--go with what works best for you.

Yeah, therein lies the rub. I need to write both stories for the series to go ahead, and I'd really like to write both of them next. I was hoping that there would be a clear winner that would help me to decide.

Still, Wednesday is not yet upon us. I will be writing the MU story and I promise you, it will not be caricaturish like the MUDS9 episodes were. This will be a true mirror look at the crew of my ship and some familiar MUDS9 as I think they should be.

Both stories are being plotted out and a decision will be made.

Watch this space.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Re: The Decision

Since there were only two votes, one for each option, I get the deciding vote as the writer.

Option A will be the second Dauntless novel, and Option B will be the third - because the series really needs both to go forward. I hope to have the first part of Chapter 11 posted by next weekend, provided that real life doesn't interfere.

Watch this space!

 

[TheLoneRedshirt]

Re: The Decision

I was late in voting but I also went with option A. I am glad that you'll get around to the mirror universe story too.

Great job with "The Pebbled Sea." Like David said, you do a great job in creating new races and scenarios that set your work apart - I'm looking forward to more! :thumbsup:

 

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Starbase 535, stardate 57278.3
Lieutenant K’Tyra Parker had been dreading this moment since the communication came in over the regular channel. Commander Logan had directed her to an unused section of the Starbase and left her outside what appeared to be guest quarters of a sort. She pressed the buzzer and waited. A few minutes passed and the door opened to reveal a hardened Bajoran woman. It was the same woman who had spoken with her over subspace, but this time she looked a little less formal, wearing the open jacket variation of the uniform. The woman gestured for Parker to enter and she did, reluctantly.

‘I assume you know why you are here?’ the Bajoran asked.

‘Something to do with the Cha’lav incursion,’ Parker answered.

‘Admiral Flintoff has been reassigned to his standard duties. I will be your liaison with Starfleet Intelligence.’

‘I don’t work for Starfleet Intelligence.’

‘You do now. Flintoff was caught by the Klingons and they are sending a vessel to investigate. The Romulans are already poking their noses in, but they are not a threat since Subcommander Sokal is no longer affiliated with the Rihannsu Empire. Starfleet Intelligence believes that the Cha’lav are the gravest threat this galaxy has ever known and your presence confirms it. Since I am unable to go undercover for this mission as a member of the Weisskopf or Dauntless crews, or as part of the Starbase’s personnel, I will have come out from deep cover and let everyone know I am still alive. It is not an ideal situation, but your cover will still be intact.’

‘It is a flimsy cover, and Captain Astar already suspects something, as does Commander Wright.’

The Bajoran snorted. ‘Wright is not your concern. He is being closely monitored by us and will not pose a threat to your assignment. Astar is another matter, but being chief of security is the best position for you since it allows you access to the majority of away missions where you can conduct your clandestine work. Now, tell me what you have discovered about the Cha’lav that was not in your admittedly-detailed initial reports.’

‘Captain Astar and the crew have helped to identify more phenotypes than even I was aware of, and we have discovered a little about their ship design, which is eerily similar to ours, but with a more militaristic and imperial configuration. The largest boons however, have come from the Cha’lav bodies in stasis aboard the Dauntless and the complete database downloaded from the ship we brought back.’

‘The bodies have been transferred to a hidden location aboard the Starbase and the database has also been copied and downloaded. I will be working with a small team of personnel on deciphering and translating the database while you continue your mission.’

‘I have one thing to tell you, about Captain Drummond. While he remains alive, he remains a security risk to the Federation. The Cha’lav have sophisticated mind-altering techniques, and among them is the alien waveform that has penetrated his consciousness. He is fighting them off admirably, but he should be removed from active duty. I suggest he be transferred to the sickbay aboard the Starbase where he can be closely monitored at all times.’

‘Drummond has already been transferred to the same hidden location as the bodies and database. What can you tell me about Lieutenant Ryan McNamara?’

‘He has become mentally unstable and there is no evidence of Cha’lav involvement. As a security officer, it is my recommendation that he be incarcerated in a maximum security facility.’

‘He will be, because of his crimes, but he did provide you with a lot more information than you had previously. That will be taken into account.’

‘It shouldn’t be.’

‘I agree, but the Starfleet JAG disagrees.’

‘What happens to me now?’

‘Now? You go back to the Dauntless as the chief of security and keep chipping away at the Cha’lav each time they try to destabilise a system.’

‘We should see what trouble they have caused in the Eerothian system and return Rashal to his people.’

‘I have already made the recommendation to Starfleet Intelligence. They will pass it through the chain of command. There is still the matter of Captain Astar’s refusal to help the Resoto, and the resulting extinction of their species.’

‘There are a few Resoto that live off-world, Lieutenant. They survived the extinction of their homeworld.’

‘Indeed, but reports from the Weisskopf indicate that they have become pirates and are attacking any vessel they think they can pillage.’

‘We’ll stop them, we always do,’ Parker replied offhandedly.

The Bajoran smiled. ‘I’ve been doing it for years, Lieutenant Parker. But it’s time I came out of the cold. My name is Sito Jaxa, formerly a security officer aboard the Enterprise-D.’

‘We have a lot in common.’

‘Both being security officers aboard an Enterprise? That is not enough to make us friends. I have a job to do, and that job is to make sure that you do what you can, using all means available to you, to prevent the Cha’lav from their large-scale invasion of this galaxy. You have already prevented them from committing genocide to the majority of races in this sector, which I count as a good thing. However, if I remember your report correctly, that is only part of their “phase one plan” which includes destabilising as much of the galaxy’s political make-up as they can.’

‘That’s accurate, sir.’

‘And their second phase is to take over the minds of a number of key personnel to “aid in the subjugation or annihilation of species which stand in their way.” Does that cover it, Lieutenant?’

Parker nodded grimly. ‘Yes sir.’

‘Then I suggest that you make your intentions clear to Captain Astar and Commander Wright so that they can assist you. Admiral Flintoff’s edict of strict need-to-know cost a lot of lives this time. Those losses are unacceptable and I intend to minimise those losses in the future. Do you have anything to add?’

‘I don’t trust Commander Wright. There is something about him that I can’t put my finger on, but I get bad vibes from him.’

‘I know all about him, Lieutenant, but Starfleet Intelligence has their own plans—which even I’m not privy too. Dismissed.’

Parker stood, nodded, and exited Sito’s quarters, knowing that she had just dodged a very big bullet.



Elsewhere on the starbase, the crew of the Dauntless were enjoying a few hours of shore leave. But Captain Astar had been summoned to Commander Logan’s office as soon as her ship docked and she was now waiting for what was going to be a not-so-pleasant chewing out, when Logan returned from whatever errand he had sent Lieutenant Parker on. Astar watched the Operations crew scurry around issuing and receiving orders, but it was another member of her crew that she was interested in. Ensign Faragas, her new deputy chief of security, had taken Lieutenant McNamara to the starbase’s brig where he would await his court-martial for the murder of thirty-three alien life forms. She sat in one of the relatively comfortable chairs and then stood moments later when Commander Logan entered Ops.

‘Follow me, Captain,’ he said as he entered his office. ‘I apparently have no idea what is going on under my own nose since Starfleet Command have just informed me that a Chancellor-class Klingon vessel is on its way to our little corner of the galaxy. The Romulans are still around looking for something and now I have a Starfleet Intelligence agent running around that no one is supposed to know about. But you’re not here to know about that, those are my headaches.’

‘Commander, what am I doing here?’

‘First of all, I’m placing a reprimand in your permanent file for your handling of the Resoto crisis,’ he held up his hand. ‘Before you tell me there was no possible way you could have cured them, I agree. I’ve spoken with Doctor Bashir on Deep Space Nine, Doctor Crusher on the Enterprise and the Head of Starfleet Medical. They all agree that even your genius doctor could not have created a cure in the time available. However, that said, you should have made a greater effort to prevent High Lord Yannik from returning to his homeworld.’

‘So I’m reprimanded, I’ll live with it,’ Astar replied. ‘I made a judgement call and I was wrong. I will have to live with those deaths on my hands for the rest of my lives. Now, what is going to happen to Lieutenant McNamara?’

‘He will be court-martialled. If he’s found guilty he will probably be sentenced to life imprisonment at a maximum security facility.’

‘I didn’t think we had many of those left.’

‘We don’t, because we don’t have many prisoners that warrant maximum-security. In fact, the only one that is currently operational which is operated solely by Starfleet is on 61 Virginis Two, known as the Sundancer penal colony, nicknamed “Supermax” by its inhabitants. Once you’re in, you don’t get out.’

‘And if he’s innocent?’

‘He’ll be reassigned to another vessel after a period of leave.’

‘I’d rather we skipped the court-martial and sent him straight to Sundancer. I know he’s guilty.’

‘Perhaps he is, but we still have a legal system and we’ll use it, is that understood?’

‘Yes sir.’

‘Good to hear. I’ve read your report on the Eeroth, and I have my people swarming all over that Cha’lav ship you brought us as a gift. I’ve sent your query up the chain of command but I have to warn you, it could take months before you get a response.’

‘I expected as much,’ she acknowledged. ‘I take it you want us you return Rashal to his homeworld?’

‘In time, he is being debriefed at the moment.’

‘Trying to learn about his people or the Cha’lav?’

‘Both, actually, but the Cha’lav threat is clearly apparent now. Command and Intelligence want this kept on a need-to-know basis only. On a lighter note, your field commission for Sheena Gonzales has been approved by the powers that be. Command agrees that Lieutenant Parker should continue in her role as chief of security until a new position can be found for her. They’re not entirely happy with her performance in this crisis, but they’re giving her another chance.’

Astar didn’t voice the question as to who it was that wasn’t impressed with Parker’s performance, but she was sure she knew who it was. ‘Gonzales will be glad to know that. I think Parker already knows her situation.’

‘How long before the Dauntless can leave?’

‘A few hours, immediately if necessary. Is there something you want us to do?’

‘As you know, the Weisskopf was diverted to the Ynelav system after the Resoto system and left a few personnel on board asteroid DN-646. Our long-range sensors picked up a number of small vessels fleeing and then a massive antimatter explosion a few hours ago. We’ve not been able to contact any of the vessels or the Starfleet personnel which were left behind. I’d like you to head over there and find out what happened to them.’

‘I’ll recall my people, Commander.’

‘Thank you, Captain, dismissed.’

Astar exited Logan’s office and tapped her combadge, calling her executive officer.

‘Captain?’

‘Recall the crew from shore leave, we have a new assignment.’

‘Already?’

‘Yes, Commander, already. Recall the crew and set a course for asteroid DN-646. I expect to leave within the hour.’

‘Aye sir, I’ll recall the crew immediately.’

‘Good, Astar out.’

She moved to the turbolift and the doors had almost closed when the red alert klaxon sounded. She halted the doors as Logan emerged from his office.

‘Captain, your officer has escaped custody.’

Astar bit back a Trill curse and slapped her combadge. ‘All Dauntless personnel, Lieutenant McNamara has escaped custody. Be on the lookout but do not approach. He is armed and dangerous. Astar out.’

‘He might not be armed, Captain,’ Logan said.

‘If he escaped from your armed security personnel then he has taken a weapon. Find his biosignature and beam him into the brig.’

Logan looked ready to argue but Astar saw the look in his eyes and she knew that he would follow her orders. ‘You know him better than I do.’

‘Astar to Wright, have we got anyone in astrometrics?’

‘I’m in astrometrics, Captain. McNamara must be in a shielded location, I can’t find his biosignature anywhere.’

Astar looked at Logan. ‘What shielded locations are there on this starbase?’

Logan shrugged, ‘I’ll have to ask Aulyffke, this is his territory.’

‘McNamara to Astar, I wouldn’t suggest trying to find me, Captain. You won’t be able to.’

‘We have people scouring every nanometre of the starbase, Lieutenant, you can’t hide forever.’

‘I don’t need to.’

Logan stepped closer to her and whispered in her ear. ‘He killed two security officers and wounded three. My security chief has given orders to neutralise him by any means necessary.’

‘Rescind those orders, Commander.’

‘I didn’t give them. Your man has an impressive list of charges against him, Captain. I’m not inclined to go against my security chief. He knows his job.’

‘He is still a Starfleet officer and a sentient being.’

‘He is an escaped prisoner who will kill to stay free.’

‘Astar to McNamara. Ryan, the security personnel have orders to shoot to kill.’

‘That’s nice, I was planning to do the same. First you give my job to a half-breed and then you arrest me for killing the enemy. Now I’m being hunted for escaping from a cell I’m not supposed to be in.’

‘Ryan, give yourself up to a member of our crew and I promise you that you will not be harmed.’

‘You can’t promise that, Captain, and I’m not inclined to believe you in any case.’

‘Wright to Astar, I’ve found him. He’s making his way to an auxiliary shuttlebay.’

‘Send a team to intercept him, stun only.’

‘Aye sir, Wright out.’

‘Ryan, please tell me where you are.’

‘You know where I am, Captain. But I don’t think you’ll…’

‘Ryan!’

‘Target neutralised,’ a man’s voice said over the comm system. ‘He’s been stunned, Captain Astar.’

‘Take him to the brig, put him in a restraint field and increase the strength of the forcefield. That should stop him escaping again.’

‘Until his court-martial at least.’

‘We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.’

‘Wright to Astar, the crew are all aboard.’

‘I’ll be there momentarily, prepare to engage at maximum warp as soon as we clear the starbase, Astar out.’

‘I’m sorry about your security officer, Captain. It appears as though Supermax will be his new home for the foreseeable future.’

‘So it appears. Extend my sympathies to the families of the deceased officers.’

‘I will do.’

‘I’ll be back with the Weisskopf’s officers as soon as I can be.’

‘Of that I have no doubt, Captain.’

Astar nodded and entered the turbolift. This time there was no alert klaxon to interfere. The Dauntless would be back and Astar knew that she would be returning the Eeroth to his homeworld eventually, though hopefully it would be sooner rather than later since the Cha’lav were known to be in the area.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Re: Chapter 11

Civilian freighter Kolvoord II, the Kursican sector, stardate 57280.1
Nick Locarno returned to the pilot’s seat, relieving Lieutenant Commander Hajar. He saw that the shields had been reconstituted and what weapons he did have were able to be used, but the impulse engines were still offline. They’d been travelling at low warp for about twenty hours and sensors had picked up no sign of any Federation ship other than the convoy of shuttles, runabouts and freighters. It was at times like this that he would have given anything to have remained at the Academy and become a Starfleet officer. He had barely been making ends meet even out here where his lone freighter had been a lifeline to some of the Federation colonies and allies.

‘You’re worried, aren’t you?’ Hajar asked from the seat behind him.

‘Aren’t you?’ he replied.

‘Of course, but I’m trying not to let it show. Now that we’re clear of the asteroid the antimatter pods are safe. We made it and we’re heading home. You shouldn’t be too worried.’

‘I’m worried and I can’t tell you why. Something just doesn’t feel right.’

Hajar smiled grimly. ‘You should trust your instincts. You know what happened last time you ignored them.’

He nodded and his features hardened. ‘It changed my life forever. Have every vessel with weapons form a diamond around the others with me at its head.’

‘There aren’t enough ships.’

‘Make it a very tight diamond. We’re about to be attacked.’

‘How do you…?’

‘Just make the formation, please!’

Hajar nodded and seconds later the proximity klaxon sounded. ‘Two Resoto ships are coming out of warp, weapons hot.’

‘Hail them, tell them we’re mining refugees.’

Hajar did as she was asked, but after several seconds reported, ‘no response.’

‘Raise shields and ready phasers.’

‘They won’t do much damage.’

‘Not alone, no, but the runabouts have fairly good phasers and hopefully a couple of microtorpedoes.’

‘How do you know about that?’

‘I hear things,’ Locarno replied. ‘Send a distress call on Federation frequencies.’

‘They’re firing,’ she called out as the freighter bucked like an angry donkey.

‘Return fire. Use your training.’

Hajar nodded and targeted the lead Resoto vessel’s weapons emplacements. Her shots were well placed because the shield envelope collapsed. Two of the runabouts broke formation and fired their more powerful phasers. One of the Resoto vessel’s nacelles exploded and the ship veered off, leaving just one for the convoy to deal with. It dived toward the break in the upper quadrant of the diamond but two microtorpedoes blew its engines off.

‘Nice coordination,’ Locarno muttered.

‘It is what we’re trained for. I’d just like to know what the Resoto are doing attacking us.’

‘Perhaps we’ll find out when we return to the Starbase, but I’ll bet it has something to do with their homeworld being wiped out. They no longer have an infrastructure.’

Hajar blinked in surprise. ‘You continue to amaze me, Nick. You never seemed to take anything in at the Academy.’

‘I’ve grown up a lot since then, and pick up amazing information flying across the galaxy to the same places all the time. It reminds me of those holodocumentaries about the twenty-second century warp-three freighters.’

‘Like the Horizon,’ Hajar recalled. ‘I remember you telling me stories.’

‘The Fortunate stories were my favourite,’ Locarno replied. ‘How are we doing with those impulse engines?’

‘I have no idea if I’ll be able to fix them,’ Hajar replied. ‘It really isn’t my speciality.’

‘Alright, we’ll have to hope that a starship comes along to help us then, won’t we?’

‘I didn’t say I wouldn’t try,’ Hajar retorted. ‘I did take the engineering extension course at the Academy.’

‘What was it like staying there after what happened?’

Hajar looked into space for a moment before answering. ‘It was hard. I managed to reclaim some of my friends but I had a lot of catching up to do. I had to retake that year, just as Jaxa did. She had it even harder than I did, but we both made it through in the end. I talked to her when I had the chance.’

‘I wish we had never done that damned stunt,’ Locarno muttered angrily. ‘Wesley was right to tell the truth.’

‘He nearly didn’t,’ Hajar said. ‘It was Captain Picard who talked him into it.’

Locarno shook his head. ‘Picard only confirmed what Wesley knew he should do. Had I come forward to start with and taken responsibility, I might have just been able to keep my place in the Academy. Starfleet can be awfully forgiving.’

‘I know; they gave a full pardon to all the former Starfleet Maquis.’

‘I heard about that, a number of them returned to Starfleet or went back to the colonies.’

‘I know of a few who are actually on Cardassia helping them to rebuild. Ironic, isn’t it?’

Locarno smiled. ‘The war made a lot of people remember what was truly important in life, helping each other.’

The proximity alarm sounded and Hajar’s eyes snapped toward the small screen. ‘A vessel is slowing to match speed with us. The sensors identify it as…Starfleet, the USS Dauntless.’

‘Thank god for that.’

‘This is Captain Astar of the Federation starship Dauntless, do you require assistance?’

‘This is Nicholas Locarno of the freighter Kolvoord. Our impulse engines are damaged and I have a lot of frightened and hungry people here.’

‘Are there any Starfleet officers with you, Mister Locarno?’

‘Lieutenant Commander Jean Hajar from the Weisskopf, Captain,’ Hajar replied. ‘We all survived the destruction of the asteroid.’

‘I’m glad to hear it, and I know Commander Dhrex will be as well. If you’d like to beam over, we’ll get you settled in to more comfortable accommodations until we reach Starbase 535.’

Hajar looked over at Locarno who just returned her gaze, his face unreadable. ‘Thank you, Captain, but I will remain here for the time being. Is there any chance of sending an engineer over to help with the engines?’

‘My chief engineer will be over in just a moment, Astar out.’

‘You could have gone to the Dauntless; it’s a lot more comfortable over there than it is here.’

She smiled. ‘I know, but I’m beginning to like your company again, Nick. It took me a long time to recover from the Starburst and to stop hating you for nearly destroying my career, but I realised that I didn’t have to go along with it. What happened is firmly in the past and now it’s time to look toward the future.’

‘I’m not interrupting anything am I?’ a male voice asked from the rear of the cramped bridge.

Both turned to face him and Locarno’s eyes widened. ‘I didn’t know there were Romulans in Starfleet.’

‘I’m the first full-blooded Romulan, though I believe there are now a number of full- and half-blood Romulans in the fleet and at the Academy,’ Xeris replied. ‘The end of the war and the recent turmoil on ch’Rihan has broken down many of the old rivalries.’

‘Well, I’m glad you’re here if you can help me fix the impulse engines. I don’t want to fly around at warp for the rest of my life.’

‘I’ll see what I can do.’

‘Thanks.’

‘Commander Hajar, can you assist?’

Locarno turned back to the controls so she nodded. ‘It couldn’t hurt to have an extra pair of hands.’

Now that he was left alone, Locarno had time to think about what he was going to do. He had a new freighter and after some time in dock where he hoped Commander Logan’s engineers would give it a major overhaul, he had to decide what to do. Originally he’d left the core worlds to make a living ferrying cargo and the occasional passenger between the starbase and the various colonies, but the increase in hostilities between some of the cultures out here made him reconsider. He could always get a job with a particular colony. The New Tokyo colony could probably use a freighter on hand—after all, it was the largest in the sector.

‘Xeris to Locarno, your engines are working for now, but I suggest you stop at the starbase for an overhaul.’

‘Thank you, Commander. I was planning the same thing. This ship hasn’t been overhauled for about twenty years and if I want to stay in business, I’ll need it working in top condition.’

‘I’ll speak with the starbase engineers to make you a top priority,’ the Romulan engineer added. ‘Saving all those lives was a good turn.’

‘I only did what any decent person would do.’

‘Believe me when I tell you this that there really aren’t all that many like you outside of Starfleet.’

‘That means a lot, Commander, thank you.’

‘I’ll be returning to the Dauntless shortly, along with any wounded you have here. Is there anything you need?’

‘Some food would be appreciated, even the ration packs.’

Xeris chuckled. ‘I’ll see what I can do, Xeris out.’

‘“There really aren’t many like you”’ Hajar taunted as she sat in the co-pilot’s chair. ‘He has no idea.’

A smile crawled across Locarno’s face. ‘I’ve long since come to terms with people knowing what I did and treating me differently for it. I’m sure he knows exactly what I did. Captain Astar probably told him or he looked up the name. Most people at the Academy know who I am and what happened. It really doesn’t bother me any more.’

Hajar rested a hand on his shoulder. ‘It should bother you. What you did, what we did, was tragic and wrong. But we’ve both learned from it, and changed as people. The last time I saw you at the Academy, you were getting drunk after being expelled. Now look at you, you’re carrying refugees from a mining colony and looking for ways to make yourself useful, a functioning member of society.’

‘You make that sound noble, it really isn’t. We needed to get off that rock and I had the expertise to help us do it.’

‘Whatever,’ she said. ‘If you don’t mind, I’ll be heading to the Dauntless. I’d really like a shower and a good sleep.’

‘Sure, see you back at the starbase.’