Chapter Twenty-Eight
USS Pytheas
Kursican sector
Stardate 55266.8 (April 8, 2378)
Aaron Wright knew that Astar had treated him with nothing but respect and exactly like what he was, her second in command, but he still felt that she didn't trust him and was holding something back from her last conversation with Commander Logan. At this present moment they were standing on the bridge of the Intrepid-class starship waiting for Logan to get back to them. They had been speaking with him regarding their deployment in the Kursican sector when he was suddenly called away. The ship's second officer and operations manager, Lieutenant Talen, was standing by his console looking worried and his antennae were almost flat against his head, a sign that he recognised all too well.
‘Talen, are you alright?’ Wright asked.
‘Something’s wrong,’ the Andorian replied. ‘We should increase speed.’
Astar snapped her head round to stare at him. ‘What is wrong, Lieutenant?’
‘I’m not sure, sir, but I have the sense that something isn't right.’
‘Get Logan back on the line, now!’
Seconds later, the commander’s face appeared on the main viewscreen and he did not look happy. ‘Yes, Captain?’
‘My operations manager tells me that something’s wrong, let’s hear it.’
Logan glared at Talen but returned his gaze to Astar. ‘You know that the Weisskopf has found the alien vessel responsible for the kidnappings and picked up Miles Murdoch as well. There is a Ynelavii vessel preparing to blow up the alien ship and Commander Dhrex informed me that the Denobulan prisoner on board thinks that everyone might have been infected with some kind of biological agent which will kill anyone of their own species. He has specifically requested your “genius doctor”.’
‘We’ll increase our speed, Commander, Astar out.’
‘Increase to maximum warp,’ Wright ordered.
‘Warp nine point nine nine two,’ Larson called from the conn. 'We'll be able to maintain this for seventy two hours, Captain, but I wouldn't recommend more than twelve.'
'How long before we reach the Weisskopf?’ Astar asked.
'We're still almost a full day away, Captain,' Larson answered.
'Then we keep this speed up as long as we can,' she replied and turned to the tactical station. ‘Lieutenant Parker, Commander, my ready room, now.’
Parker left her station and headed for the ready room with Astar and Wright just behind. Astar entered first, followed by Wright and then Parker. Once inside, Astar sat behind her desk and Wright took one of the remaining chairs.
‘You can stand, Lieutenant.’
‘Sir?’
‘I heard the gasp you made when Commander Logan mentioned the biological agent, so tell me what you know.’
‘I don’t know anything, Captain. But that many people infected, they could wipe out entire populations.’
Wright smiled. ‘Lieutenant Commander, you didn’t cover your tracks well enough. I traced your communication to Starfleet during radio silence.’
‘Do you mind telling us what it was about, and who you were talking to?’ Astar asked, angry now.
Parker stood up straight and tugged her uniform down. ‘I’m afraid that’s classified information, Captain.’
‘I am your commanding officer, Commander. Who classified the information and why?’
‘I’m afraid that is also classified, sir.’
‘Excuse me? What is your security clearance?’
Parker swallowed, she knew she couldn’t get out of answering that question. ‘Level nineteen.’
‘That’s almost as high as the Commander-in-Chief of Starfleet.’
‘This is an important mission, Captain. I can only reveal supplemental information to what you find out on your own.’
Astar bristled. ‘Information about what?’
‘That’s classified.’
‘We’re not getting anywhere with this line of questioning,’ Wright said. ‘Commander, since we’re on the question of your role in this mission, can you tell me about the information contained in your service record?’
‘It is true to some degree.’
‘Including the fact that you served on the Enterprise in security?’
‘Yes sir.’
‘Which Enterprise?’
‘Sir?’
‘You state that you served on the Enterprise, I’m asking you which one.’
‘And if you tell me that’s classified, I’ll demote you to chief of security.’
Parker considered her options. She could not reveal which starship she’d served on without revealing a lot more about her past, and if she did become chief of security it would be her role to beam over to the alien vessel they were approaching to protect the doctor from any problems while he did his work. It was a good deal actually, even if she did get demoted.
‘I’m afraid that’s classified information.’
Astar nodded and tapped her combadge. ‘Lieutenant Gonzales, please report to my ready room.’
‘On my way, sir.’
‘Dismissed, Lieutenant Parker. Please report to security.’
‘Aye sir,’ Parker replied and took the hollow pip from her uniform, placing it on the desk and leaving the ready room.
Astar looked at Wright. ‘I can’t help feeling that I played directly into her hands.’
‘Perhaps so, but at least this way we’ll probably find out what is going on.’
The door chimed. ‘Come in.’
‘You asked to see me, sir?’ Lieutenant Sheena Gonzales said.
‘As of this moment, Lieutenant Commander Parker has demoted to the rank of Lieutenant and been reassigned as chief of security. That makes you my new tactical officer, Lieutenant Commander,’ Astar said and pointed to the hollow pip on the desk.
‘Sir?’
‘You’ve been promoted, take your station.’
‘Aye sir,’ Gonzales said and left the room.
‘Did you need to promote her as well?’
‘I felt like it, besides, it is supposed to be a punishment for Parker and when she sees that Gonzales has been promoted, it might make her see sense.’
‘I don’t think that will happen,’ Wright replied. ‘She has an agenda that she’s following, and she’s following someone else’s orders. Whatever is going on out here, she is in the thick of it.’
‘But is she working against us because she’s the cause or the effect?’
USS Pytheas
Kursican sector
Stardate 55266.8 (April 8, 2378)
Aaron Wright knew that Astar had treated him with nothing but respect and exactly like what he was, her second in command, but he still felt that she didn't trust him and was holding something back from her last conversation with Commander Logan. At this present moment they were standing on the bridge of the Intrepid-class starship waiting for Logan to get back to them. They had been speaking with him regarding their deployment in the Kursican sector when he was suddenly called away. The ship's second officer and operations manager, Lieutenant Talen, was standing by his console looking worried and his antennae were almost flat against his head, a sign that he recognised all too well.
‘Talen, are you alright?’ Wright asked.
‘Something’s wrong,’ the Andorian replied. ‘We should increase speed.’
Astar snapped her head round to stare at him. ‘What is wrong, Lieutenant?’
‘I’m not sure, sir, but I have the sense that something isn't right.’
‘Get Logan back on the line, now!’
Seconds later, the commander’s face appeared on the main viewscreen and he did not look happy. ‘Yes, Captain?’
‘My operations manager tells me that something’s wrong, let’s hear it.’
Logan glared at Talen but returned his gaze to Astar. ‘You know that the Weisskopf has found the alien vessel responsible for the kidnappings and picked up Miles Murdoch as well. There is a Ynelavii vessel preparing to blow up the alien ship and Commander Dhrex informed me that the Denobulan prisoner on board thinks that everyone might have been infected with some kind of biological agent which will kill anyone of their own species. He has specifically requested your “genius doctor”.’
‘We’ll increase our speed, Commander, Astar out.’
‘Increase to maximum warp,’ Wright ordered.
‘Warp nine point nine nine two,’ Larson called from the conn. 'We'll be able to maintain this for seventy two hours, Captain, but I wouldn't recommend more than twelve.'
'How long before we reach the Weisskopf?’ Astar asked.
'We're still almost a full day away, Captain,' Larson answered.
'Then we keep this speed up as long as we can,' she replied and turned to the tactical station. ‘Lieutenant Parker, Commander, my ready room, now.’
Parker left her station and headed for the ready room with Astar and Wright just behind. Astar entered first, followed by Wright and then Parker. Once inside, Astar sat behind her desk and Wright took one of the remaining chairs.
‘You can stand, Lieutenant.’
‘Sir?’
‘I heard the gasp you made when Commander Logan mentioned the biological agent, so tell me what you know.’
‘I don’t know anything, Captain. But that many people infected, they could wipe out entire populations.’
Wright smiled. ‘Lieutenant Commander, you didn’t cover your tracks well enough. I traced your communication to Starfleet during radio silence.’
‘Do you mind telling us what it was about, and who you were talking to?’ Astar asked, angry now.
Parker stood up straight and tugged her uniform down. ‘I’m afraid that’s classified information, Captain.’
‘I am your commanding officer, Commander. Who classified the information and why?’
‘I’m afraid that is also classified, sir.’
‘Excuse me? What is your security clearance?’
Parker swallowed, she knew she couldn’t get out of answering that question. ‘Level nineteen.’
‘That’s almost as high as the Commander-in-Chief of Starfleet.’
‘This is an important mission, Captain. I can only reveal supplemental information to what you find out on your own.’
Astar bristled. ‘Information about what?’
‘That’s classified.’
‘We’re not getting anywhere with this line of questioning,’ Wright said. ‘Commander, since we’re on the question of your role in this mission, can you tell me about the information contained in your service record?’
‘It is true to some degree.’
‘Including the fact that you served on the Enterprise in security?’
‘Yes sir.’
‘Which Enterprise?’
‘Sir?’
‘You state that you served on the Enterprise, I’m asking you which one.’
‘And if you tell me that’s classified, I’ll demote you to chief of security.’
Parker considered her options. She could not reveal which starship she’d served on without revealing a lot more about her past, and if she did become chief of security it would be her role to beam over to the alien vessel they were approaching to protect the doctor from any problems while he did his work. It was a good deal actually, even if she did get demoted.
‘I’m afraid that’s classified information.’
Astar nodded and tapped her combadge. ‘Lieutenant Gonzales, please report to my ready room.’
‘On my way, sir.’
‘Dismissed, Lieutenant Parker. Please report to security.’
‘Aye sir,’ Parker replied and took the hollow pip from her uniform, placing it on the desk and leaving the ready room.
Astar looked at Wright. ‘I can’t help feeling that I played directly into her hands.’
‘Perhaps so, but at least this way we’ll probably find out what is going on.’
The door chimed. ‘Come in.’
‘You asked to see me, sir?’ Lieutenant Sheena Gonzales said.
‘As of this moment, Lieutenant Commander Parker has demoted to the rank of Lieutenant and been reassigned as chief of security. That makes you my new tactical officer, Lieutenant Commander,’ Astar said and pointed to the hollow pip on the desk.
‘Sir?’
‘You’ve been promoted, take your station.’
‘Aye sir,’ Gonzales said and left the room.
‘Did you need to promote her as well?’
‘I felt like it, besides, it is supposed to be a punishment for Parker and when she sees that Gonzales has been promoted, it might make her see sense.’
‘I don’t think that will happen,’ Wright replied. ‘She has an agenda that she’s following, and she’s following someone else’s orders. Whatever is going on out here, she is in the thick of it.’
‘But is she working against us because she’s the cause or the effect?’
