STAR TREK

CITADELEpisode 7: “Helping Hands”

By John H. Harris and Jack Elmlinger

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Star Trek is the property of CBS/Paramount Pictures Corporation, and is used only to indicate that the events of this story take place in the same overall continuity as canonical Star Trek. No copyright infringement is intended.

“Helping Hands”, Episode 7 of the STAR TREK: CITADEL fan fiction project, cba2015 by John H. Harris and Jack Elmlinger under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 International license.

This work may be reproduced and distributed freely, so long as it is done so in full and this rights/disclaimer notice is included. Published by the authors in the United States of America.

Captain T.J. McCormack had done a lot of things for Starfleet, but he’d never imagined he’d be asked to do this. Much less asked by the Superintendent of Starfleet Academy.

“Sir! I’m a teacher, not a game show host!”“Teej,” Admiral Heather Mayer answered, “you’ve done every job in Starfleet PR. You’re perfect for it.”McCormack looked across the desk at his superior, still not quite getting it. “But a reality show?”“Don’t ask me who’s cockamamie idea it was, but the Intarans are getting volunteers by the tens of thousands, and

somebody had the idea of making the selection process public.”“I’m not the only one, surely.”Mayer sighed. “No,” she conceded, “but you were suggested by the senior captain on station.”“Who’s that?”“Yineth Nikara, of the Ernst Ruska.”“Never heard of him.”Mayer’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Really? You just sent your star pupil to him.”McCormack was taken aback. “Huh? He got Breezy?”“With Captain Harris’ blessing, apparently.”“But we just had a baby…”“I’m told there are excellent childcare facilities at Gwalior Base.” She stood up, forcing the captain to his own feet.

“Break the news to Andi and the girls, and pack your stuff for a six-month assignment. The Tampa departs Friday morning.”“Aye, Admiral.”With that, Mayer turned and left the office.A reality show host???

“You’re not serious.”“I’m afraid I am, Babe. I know it’s not much warning.”“You do remember what happened the last time we boarded a starship.”“Oh, yes, but when Starfleet says go, we go.”“I just hate leaving my students like this.”“So do I. Still, we should break the news to Millie.”“Yes. She’ll probably want to bring Furball along.”“Of course she will.”“I’ll go break the news…”

Prophets, why did I make such a recommendation to Starfleet? Yineth asked himself as he read the dispatch from San Francisco. He had read it three times, yet he was still in awe. With the Kumari’s departure, he had assumed the role of task force commander, and the Bajoran didn’t think that anyone back on Earth would take him seriously.

And on one of my public relations suggestions, of all things… he mused. What was I drinking when I sent this one in? Maybe I should be drinking more of it.

“You’ve got to see this,” he told his First Officer. Commander Henry Nash reached over from the opposite side of the desk and accepted the PADD from him. Today

was their weekly meeting over ship’s matters and the Ernst Ruska’s involvement with the task force. “This is actually a quite ingenious idea of yours, sir.” “You’re not just saying that for the hell of it, are you?” “No, sir,” the commander said, taking a sip of his Orange Darjeeling tea. “Granted, the original idea did come from

Kodo, and Nadaira did help you refine it.”“Hmph… Ever hear of this Captain McCormack?” “Not much. Isn’t he an Academy instructor?” “Yes, in fact…” Yineth leaned back in his chair, “I’ve got another ingenious idea.” He tapped his combadge. “Yineth

to Lieutenant Breeze.” “Breeze here,” a feminine voice answered him. “Lieutenant, report to my ready room, please. “Aye, sir.” “Breeze?” Nash asked. “That’s an unusual name. Is she from a colony world?” “No,” Yineth said, picking up another PADD and examining it. “She’s from the Gamma Quadrant.”

That response almost made the commander spit out his drink. “Say what?” he asked, dabbing at his chin with a napkin. “Did you just say ‘Gamma Quadrant’? As in where the Dominion comes from?”

“I did, Henry. Apparently, she’s one of Captain Harris’ protégés.” He looked up from his PADD. “She was also one of Captain McCormack’s students at the Academy. You didn’t read the files, did you?”

“I haven’t had a chance to.”The captain was about to say more when the door chime sounded. “Enter,” he called out, granting the visitor access to

his inner sanctum. The doors parted and a young, obsidian-haired woman walked in. As expected, she was attired in a Starfleet uniform,

nearly identical to that which both men wore, though her gold collar bore one gold pip and one with a black center. But what caught Nash’s attention were the distinctive features, especially the ears.

“Lieutenant Jantha Breeze, reporting as ordered, sir,” the Vorta said, snapping to attention as she reached the open spot in front of Yineth’s desk.

“At ease, Lieutenant. This is the First Officer, Commander Henry Nash.” “Commander.” “Lieutenant,” Nash replied, fighting to keep his temper.“At ease, Lieutenant,” the Bajoran said, motioning for her to sit down. “I understand that you only recently joined us

from Starbase 128, aboard the Potomac, yes?” “Yes, sir. This would have been my field year, but the Academy staff figured that, since I’ve undergone so much

remedial training, it was safe to skip that and assign me as a graduate.” “I see. Your specialty is communications, yes?”“Yes, Captain.”“And would you, for the commander’s benefit, explain how you came to join Starfleet?”“Of course, Sir. Simply put, I am a… gift to the Federation from the Founders. I was quite literally grown to serve the

Federation in the same way others of my kind serve them. Indeed, I am likely the first… free Vorta in several thousand years, with none of the restrictions others of my kind have. I’m even able to taste as a human does, rather than only kava nuts and rippleberries, and I’m told I have the keenest eyesight of any Vorta in history. After meeting Captain Harris, I determined that I could best serve the Federation as a member of Starfleet, so I requested he sponsor me to Starfleet Academy, which he did. I found I had a gift for communications, and chose it as my major soon after.”

“So you must be familiar with Captain McCormack.” “Yes, sir,” the Vorta lieutenant confirmed, her face growing with confusion. “He was my faculty advisor once I

finished remedial culture training. Has something happened to him?”“Yes,” Yineth said, keeping a straight face. “I’m afraid he’s stolen the Enterprise and he plans to go back in time and

blow up Qo’noS.” “That sounds very unlike him, Sir.” Yineth and Nash smiled, the latter chuckling at his commanding officer’s joke. Breeze’s expression, by contrast, was

rather un-amused, bordering on stern. By the Prophets, this kid is uptight, the Bajoran thought. “Indeed, Lieutenant. We were just having a little fun with you. In fact, you’ll be able to see him soon enough.” “Really?” Breeze asked with surprise. “Captain McCormack,” Nash started to explain, “has been assigned to Gwalior Base for the next six months. His

assignment is part of a public relations campaign with the Intaran government. You see, Captain Yineth had the good fortune to expand upon a suggestion by the Prime Councilor about the Sentinel.”

“I’m not familiar with that vessel, Commander.” “She’s an Armidale-class frigate that the Federation handed over to the Intarans just before you arrived.” The Vorta nodded, assimilating the information as easily as a Borg drone. “Because of your past involvement with

Captain McCormack,” Yineth added, “I’m assigning you as his assistant during his stay here.” “Sir, my duties in communications—”“Can be performed by others during your absence, Lieutenant. This is more important.”

“Andi, have you seen my PADD?” “It’s where you left it on the table, honey!” Departure day was always difficult for the McCormack family. There was last minute packing. There was scheduling

with the Academy transporter station. And there was ‘putting the house to sleep’ as they called it, which was usually the worst part.

Oy! the captain thought as he retrieved his PADD from the kitchen table. It’s always bad, but this is worse.

His wife, Andrea, was putting coats on the girls and seeing to their baggage. She was like a Marine gunnery sergeant when it came to managing her husband and kids for The Big Move, as she called it. Temporary though it may be, it was still a big change in their lives.

“Tattok to Captain McCormack.” “McCormack here,” T.J. said, tapping his combadge. “Of your time, a moment, I ask, Captain,” the Horrusi Vice-Chief of Starfleet Operations said over the commlink. “Uh, Admiral, I don’t have a lot of—”“Busy, busy… know this, I do. However, a moment, I do need.”“Of course, sir. Should I come to—” He was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a blue pillar in his kitchen. A moment later, The Little Green Gnome,

as he was affectionately called around Starfleet, appeared before him. “Ah, good morning, sir! I’m afraid you caught us in shambles.” “Worry not, Captain. To see you again, my heart, it does good.” Tattok looked around the house, sniffing and staring

before he turned his attention back to the captain. “Ready, are you? All needed things packed? Your classes, taken care of, they are?”

“Yes, sir. My classes are covered and –”“An imposition, I know, this assignment is. Your family, to relocate them… impressive, you are.” “Thank you, sir.” Tattok nodded, looking at the PADD in McCormack’s hand. “Ready, are you?” “Well, sir, when I signed up, I didn’t think I would be a friggin’ reality show host.” Tattok laughed, a smile forming on his face. With the rough exterior that the Horrusi presented to everyone over the

years, the captain didn’t know whether to be spooked or surprised by his behavior. “Your transport, the Tampa. Waiting for you, she is, yes?”

“Yes, sir,” McCormack confirmed with a nod. The U.S.S. Tampa, NCC-77335, was one of the newest Intrepid class starships to leave the construction yards at Utopia Planitia. The voyage to Intar would be her first mission.

“Captain D’k’worsch, selected to command, she was. Know her, do you?” “I can’t say I do. I understand she’s an Aurelian?” “Yes, an Aurelian, soon to lay, she is. A leave of absence, taken, she has.” “So who’s the captain?” Tattok’s eyes met his. “Hoping, I am, for this voyage, you would be.”“Um… Admiral, I’ve never been a starship captain. I’ve never even been a first officer.”“Understand this, I do. However, credibility, it will lend you for your… hosting.”Just then, Andi appeared at the door. “The girls are ready whenever you—Oh! Admiral Tattok, this is a surprise.”“Apologize, I do, Lady McCormack,” the Horrusi replied. “A special request, of your husband, I have. Lend credence

to his assignment on Intar, it will.”“Oh?”“I’ve apparently been given the Tampa for the duration,” T.J. said, still not quite believing it himself.“Overdue, it is, yes? And suited to a science vessel, I believe he is.”“Absolutely, Admiral. But the Intrepid class isn’t fitted out for families as part of the standard compliment.”“True, but modified, the ship’s engineers have, the captain’s quarters. A mother, Captain D’k’worsch will be, when

returns, she does.”“I see. In any case, we’re ready to go when you are,” Andrea said, addressing her husband.“Then delay you, I shall not. Look forward, I do, to your ‘reality show’. Proud, I am sure, you will do Starfleet.”“I sure hope so, Admiral,” T.J. replied.“To all of you, ‘Out far and Onward, yet’.” He then tapped his commbadge and was swept away in a shower of blue

light.

“USS Tampa, arriving,” the computer announced a moment after the McCormack family materialized in the Intrepid class starship’s number one transporter room.

“Permission to come aboard?” T.J. asked, as was Starfleet tradition when boarding a starship for the first time.“Granted, Sir,” the officer standing in front of the transporter console replied. “Welcome aboard, Captain. I’m

Commander Samnah’Afwhaun, First Officer.”“Thank you, Commander. I’m T.J. McCormack. This is my wife, Andrea, and my daughters, Millie and Beatrix.”“You look like a llama,” Millie said, looking up at the Zhamorean.

“Millie!” Andrea snapped.The ivory-furred alien chuckled. “It’s quite alright, Ma’am. In fact, my species did evolve from an animal that looks

remarkably like your Terran llama.”“Still, it’s quite rude, Commander. What should you say, Millie?”“Sorry, Sir,” the little girl replied, suitably chastened.“You are forgiven, Miss McCormack,” the commander replied. “Captain, if you and your family would follow me, I’ll

conduct you to your quarters myself.”“Actually, Commander, don’t we have a bit of ceremony to undertake first?”“Change of Command is scheduled for 18:00 hours, though Captain D’k’worsch has already departed.”“Already departed?”“Yes, Sir. There was a complication and she was transferred to Starfleet Medical this morning. ”“I see. In that case, lead on, Commander.”

The department heads had gathered in the ship’s mess, dressed in full formals. As the doors parted to admit Afwhaun and the McCormacks, dressed in their own finery, a young security guard blew an electronic boatswain’s whistle before calling, “Command Officer, arriving!”

Instantly, the line of officers snapped to attention.“Attention to orders!” the first officer called as she and T.J. stepped behind the podium that had been placed in front of

the large windows for the ceremony.T.J. then read from the PADD someone had placed on the podium. “To Captain T.J. McCormack, Stardate 56165.

You are hereby requested and required to assume command of starship USS Tampa as of this date. Signed Vice Admiral Tattok, Vice-Chief of Starfleet Operations.

“Computer, confirm command code transfer.”“Command code transfer authorized at 10:02 hours, this date. USS Tampa now under the command of Captain

Terrance Joseph McCormack.”“And that,” the new commanding officer said, pointing to the hidden speakers in the overhead, “is the last time anyone

will hear my given name. For the record, I am T.J. McCormack, and this is my wife, Andrea, and daughters Millie and Beatrix. Until this morning, I was, and will be again after this assignment, the chief communications instructor at the Academy. A few of you look familiar, so I will assume you’ve taken at least one of my courses.

“I know this change of command was rather sudden. Believe me, it was as much of a surprise to me as it is to you, especially since this is my first command assignment of any kind. Since this is my first command, I will be relying on all of you to help me through any rough spots. Hopefully, this mission to Intar will be uneventful, and we can help them select a crew for the three starships we’ve given them.”

“If I may, Captain, I’d like to introduce the department heads.“Chief Engineer, Lieutenant Yvehlleru zh’Mori.”“Captain,” the Andorian zhen said, greeting the new captain. “All systems are nominal and ready for deployment.”“That’s good to know, Lieutenant.”“Operations officer and second officer, Lieutenant Pinjas Keransen.”“Welcome aboard, Captain,” the reptilian Gnalish said.“Thank you, Mr. Keransen.”“Flight Control officer, Lieutenant Hiro Nagala.”“Konbanwa, kyaputen. Notte yōkoso,” the man said, executing a traditional bow.“Chūi o arigatōgozaimasu,” T.J. replied, returning the bow. “Anata wa Nihon kara kita nodesu ka?”“No, Sir. I’m from New Hokkaido.”“I see. From what I understand, your symbiotic bacteria reacts rather violently to Intaran food.”“Yes, Sir. Doctor Baker has devised what he calls a ‘super antacid’ so that I’ll be able to eat Intaran food.”“Very well.”“And this is Doctor Baker…”

“Captain on the bridge!”T.J. rolled his eyes at the old tradition. While being an instructor at Starfleet Academy had its share of military

ceremony, he definitely didn’t miss the quirks that went with service aboard a starship.“Thank you, Mr. Cockburn,” he said, addressing the ship’s tactical officer, “but it’s not necessary to announce my

arrival. Unlike other ships, this bridge is small enough for everyone to see who steps off the turbolift.”

And small is right, he added to himself. John’s ship makes this one look like a dinghy!“Aye-aye, Sir.”“Good morning, everyone,” T.J. continued, stepping down to the command area as the first officer rose from his seat.A ragged chorus of replies came from the various stations around the bridge.“Good morning, Sir,” Afwhaun said.“And how’s the ship this morning? Everyone on board who should be?”“Yes, Sir. The lady from the Daystrom Institute boarded early this morning and has been shown to guest quarters.”“Lady? I wasn’t aware of any lady.”“Dr. T’Sen is being sent to replace two members of the Obelisk Investigation Team that were, unfortunately, killed

during a Tzenkethi raid on the Nancy Hedford.”“I see. Remind me to invite her to dinner tonight, would you?”“Of course, Captain.”T.J. eyed the captain’s chair for a long moment, feeling the full weight of command settle onto him. The Little Green

Gnome is insane, he thought for the tenth time that morning as he slowly lowered himself into it. While it wasn’t an actual ‘center seat’, it did provide a commanding view. What is the galaxy coming to?

Touching a button on the chair, which had been slightly redesigned from those on earlier ships of the class, he opened a channel to engineering. “Miss zh’Mori, how are things down in the donkshop?”

“Sir?”Wow, T.J. thought, tough crowd. “Are we ready for departure?”“Yes, Sir. Thrusters, impulse and warp are operational and ready at your command.”“Thank you. McCormack out.” Closing the channel, he turned to the executive officer. “Number One, would you get

us underway, please?”“Aye, Sir. Lieutenant Cockburn, open a channel to the dockmaster.”“Aye, Sir. Channel open.”“Spacedock control, Tampa, ready for departure.”“Tampa, you are clear for departure. Spacedoors open in ten seconds… mark.”“Aft thrusters,” Nagala reported from the forward console.“Thank you, Mr. Nagala, but we’re going to pull a Jim Kirk instead.”Every face turned to stare at the captain.“Say again, Sir?”“One-quarter impulse, Mr. Nagala.” He then pointed at the screen. “Right through those doors.”“Aye, Sir.” Turning back to his station, he quickly programmed the course and speed. “Ready, Captain.”“Belay that last. Make it half impulse.”“Captain… Are you sure?” Afwhaun asked. “The regulations do state thrusters only inside spacedock.”“Would you rather we go full?” T.J. asked in return.The Zhamorean thought about it for a long moment. “You heard the captain. Half impulse, Mr. Nagala.”“Aye, Sir. Half impulse, on your command.”“Engage.”

From his office overlooking the east spacedoors, Vice Admiral Tattok laughed as the Tampa shot out like a bullet from an antique firearm.

Yes, he thought, a good choice, I made. Impressive, he already is.Of course, Tattok had pulled the same trick with his first command, and had nearly lost that command because of it.Tapping his commbadge, he called, “Dockmaster, Tattok, this is.”“Go ahead, Sir.”“The Tampa, have you called yet?”“I was just about to, Sir.”“Hmm… An unorthodox departure, this time, Captain McCormack is entitled, yes?”“Admiral, I…agree. In fact, somebody ought to amend that old regulation.”“A case-by-case basis, I believe, is best. To her mission, we will leave the Tampa. Tattok out.”

They expect us to pick a starship crew from this bunch? Master Gunnery Sergeant Nalarithren ch'Dalvis thought, watching the group of Intaran recruits march across the parade field. More like waddled, actually.

“I know what you’re thinking, Gunny,” the Intaran Master Sergeant remarked, walking up to him, “but I’m sure we’ll surprise you.”

“I’m sure you’re right,” the Andorian answered, “but it’s going to take a while to wrap my brain around it.” He turned to regard the large man. “I don’t think we’ve been introduced.”

“Attlesea Puget,” the Intaran answered, shaking hands with the marine. “I’m the base senior NCO. Call me Top.”“Nalarithren ch’Dalvis, 214th Federation Marines. My friends call me Nala.” He then nodded out at the drilling

recruits. “But those people are going to call me ‘That Blue Bastard’.”The two non-commissioned officers laughed. “I can’t really say I like how it’s being done, but we’re getting

volunteers from all over the planet.”“Yeah, it’s definitely going to be different.”“Have you met that guy they’re sending to host it?” Puget asked.“McCormack? No, but I’ve heard a lot about him. If anyone can make it work, he can.” He looked at the groups on

the parade ground again. “But what I wouldn’t give for a couple of smoke grenades right now.”“I know what you mean… and I think I have an idea.” Reaching into a pocket, the Intaran pulled out a comm unit and

quickly punched in a short code.“Base Ops.”“This is Puget.”“Yeah, Top. What can we do for ya?”“I think it’s time for a surprise defense drill.”“Hang on a second. Need to clear it with the general.”“I don’t think he’ll mind.”Apparently, he didn’t, for it was only seconds later that sirens began wailing throughout the base.

“I’ve got it,” Andi called a moment after the door chime tweeted. At her touch on the small panel next to it, the door to the captain’s quarters puffed open to reveal a statuesque woman bearing a large, covered bowl. While her clothing was classic Vulcan, the expression on her face was anything but: She was smiling.

“Good evening, Mrs. McCormack,” the woman said. “I’m T’Sen.”“Of course, Doctor T’Sen. Please, come in.”“Thank you,” the Vulcan replied, stepping across the threshold. “I hope you don’t mind, but I brought a taco salad for

tonight’s dinner.”“Thank you. I’ve never had vegetarian taco salad before.”“Oh, it’s not vegetarian. It’s a Terran recipe. I was raised on Earth, and most Vulcan-born would consider me V’tosh

ka’tur, though I would consider myself more a follower of Ambassador Spock’s views on emotion.”“What’s this?” the captain said, entering from the dining area.“The ambassador wrote, in a message to the Elders at Gol, that one need not purge one’s emotions in order to master

them. Indeed, for some, the path to mastery lies in experiencing them, albeit with enough control to keep them from gaining dominance.”

“Interesting. I’ve never considered any pure Vulcans would adopt that attitude.”“There is the occasional movement, known to the Elders as V’tosh ka’tur, or ‘Vulcans without Logic’. They are

generally ostracized by the Vulcan public. My family moved to Earth to practice a modified version of this philosophy, based on the writings of Ambassador Spock.”

“Interesting. So how do you feel about Ratatouille?”“It’s one of my favorite dishes. As I was about to explain to your wife, my family’s beliefs allow us to consume animal

protein, but we treat it as a side dish, rather than the main course as humans do. Thus, the taco salad.”“I see. In that case, dinner is served.”

The enigmatic alien known only as “The Stig” walked onto the bridge of the UIS Sentinel. He looked around, the Earth-normal light filtered by the shaded breathing helmet he wore. At every station, training officers were teaching Intarans how to operate the various panels and consoles. Even the captain, Erias Sloe, was accompanied by Daileyr Kayn, the Intaran Sea Forces captain who had been named to command the vessel, once it was fully crewed and trained up. Of course, Kayn wasn’t a complete neophyte, having commanded the recently returned Intaran explorer Voivonna Namree-Zaye.

“Good morning, Commander,” Kayn said, greeting the Stig. “Sleep well?”“Yes, Captain Kayn, thank you.”“Good! I’ve been informed that Colonel Yenin will be beaming up today. Would you mind showing her around?”

“Not at all, Sir. It would be my honor… but is she not still undergoing treatment for cancer?”“She finished the course last night, and has been certified as completely cancer-free.”“I see.”“So how are the crew candidates shaping up?” Sloe asked.“Quite well, Sir, though I continue to wonder at the use of a televised competition to make the final decision.”“Actually,” the Trill captain remarked, “there’s a certain logic to it. Already, there are Intarans all over the planet

volunteering for military service, in hopes of being assigned to one of these ships. By showing what is expected of them; by showing that even elite soldiers, sailors and airmen don’t even make the cut, we can perhaps reduce that number. Indeed, Starfleet makes its training and selection methods public for exactly that reason.”

“We’re just giving it some ‘bells and whistles’, if I understand the idiom correctly,” Kayn added.“Yes, that’s it,” Sloe informed him.“Captain,” the Intaran officer at the communications console said, turning to face the officers, “signal from the surface

for you. It’s UIN.”“On screen, please,” Sloe ordered. “This is Sentinel. Go ahead.”“Ah, Captain Sloe. I’m glad I caught you and Captain Kayn together.”“Of course, Mr. Hanirou. How can we help you?”“I wanted to run a title sequence past you. It’s preliminary, of course. The voice-over will be done by your Captain

McCormack, once he arrives, and we’ll film the actual footage on the first day. In fact, for the first episode, we’ll do it live.”“So why run this past us, and not him?”“The Tampa is still on Starfleet standard time, and it’s the middle of the night for him.”The Trill glanced up at the chronometer, noting the time on the left side. “So it is. I can’t guarantee I’ll be much help,

but go ahead and run it.”Instantly, the main screen went black, and then slowly brightened with a set of computer-generated images.

“Captain, computer just flagged something on the EM scanners.”McCormack turned his seat to regard the tactical station. “Can you identify it?”“It seems to be some sort of signal, but the data rate is off.”“Could it be some sort of binary or continuous wave keying?”“No, Sir. It’s definitely more complex than that, but… The bandwidth looks like a video signal.”The captain rose from his seat and stepped up to the station. “Try running it through the universal translator.”A moment later, the two officers saw the result.“Emergency stop! Take us out of warp!”The ship groaned as it tore itself out of subspace.“Reading all stop, Captain,” Nagala reported.“Full sensor sweep, Mr. Colt. There’s a ship in distress out there, and we need to find it.”“Aye, Sir.”

He didn’t want to admit it, but Yhivanis Ragiker was ready to give up hope. It had been two weeks since the ship had been attacked and lost warp drive, taking the hyperwave radio transmitter with it. They’d had a recorded distress signal going out from the lightspeed radio ever since, but there had been little hope of a reply.

So he’d ordered a course set for the nearest system likely to have a habitable planet, and begun a steady acceleration.But they all knew they’d run out of consumables long before reaching it. Still, he had to keep up appearances. So, like every morning, he climbed out of his bunk, showered, dressed, and

headed to the mess hall for a breakfast that was much smaller than it had been only days before.“Morning, Commander,” Nili, the ship’s head cook, said as Ragiker stepped up to what was usually a fairly elaborate

buffet. On that particular morning, however, it held only seagrass toast, fried gorti eggs and nif slices. “Two of each, I’m afraid, per your orders.”

“It’s enough,” the commander replied as he picked up a plate and began assembling a breakfast sandwich. “We need to make these supplies last, just in case.”

“Do you really think someone will hear us?” the young woman asked.“I certainly hope so, Nili, because the alternative is unthinkable.”“On the upside, we do have plenty of tanzila.”“There is that. I’ll talk to you later.”

Carrying his plate over to the beverage table, he deftly filled a mug with tanzila and then headed over to his usual seat at the windows.

“Got him!” Colt called. “Bearing one-two-eight mark six.” A moment later, the science officer turned to face McCormack. “Captain, arrangement reads as Intaran.”

“Are you sure?”“Yes, Sir. It matches the last update perfectly.”“What’s his speed?” Samnah’Afwhaun asked.“Point… eight-five C. That would explain the data rate distortion. They’re under a relativity factor of one point nine.”“We should be able to reinforce their structural integrity long enough to slow them to a stop, Captain,” the first officer

suggested. “Mr. Keransen, opinion?”The Gnalish operations officer studied this information on his own console. “It’ll be tricky timing, but we should be

able to. He’ll have to cut his engines, though.”“Then let’s ask them to do so. Open a channel,” the captain ordered.

“Bridge to Commander Ragiker, urgent!”Swallowing the last bite of his breakfast, Ragiker rose and crossed the compartment to the intercom panel.“This is Ragiker.”“Commander, we’re receiving a signal from someone identifying themselves as a Federation Starship. They’re

offering assistance.”“Didn’t we put in at one of their colonies not too long ago?”“Yes, Sir. About four months ago.”Ragiker considered the offer, weighing the possibility that it was actually their attacker, returned to finish them off.

But the Federation had a reputation for assisting those in need. Indeed, even now, they were back home, helping to fend off the Tzenkethi. All of it ran through his mind in the time it took to blink.

“Advise them of our situation. I’m on my way up. Ragiker, clear.”Nili, having heard the conversation, quipped, “I’ll make a fresh pot.”“I’ll ask them if they can spare some provisions,” the commander said before heading out.

“Unfortunately,” the Intaran officer said from the main screen, “our inertial dampeners went along with the warp drive and hyperwave. Gravity is functional, but any quick braking, and we’d end up as bloody smears on the forward bulkheads.”

“That will complicate things a bit,” McCormack quipped. “Can you compensate for that, Mr. Keransen?”“We can still do it, but it will take a series of short pulses, rather than just grabbing them. About forty should do it, but

we’ll have to make a warp microjump each time.”Just then, another officer stepped into frame on the screen.“Working things out, are you?” the newcomer asked. “I’m Yhivanis Ragiker, commander of the Krental. Thank you

for responding to our signal.”“We’re always happy to help, Commander. I’m Captain T.J. McCormack, temporarily commanding the Federation

Starship Tampa. My bridge crew and I have been discussing a way to slow you down, but he said he needed your order to cut engines.”

“Of course, Captain. We’ll do so immediately.”“Thank you. You might also want to advise your crew to secure any loose items. How are you on provisions?”“We’ve had to tighten up on rations, so we could use some. We’re certainly willing to trade for it.”“That’s not necessary, Commander. We have plenty to spare.”“Are you sure?”McCormack chuckled. “You’ll understand when you see how a replicator works. Stand by. We’ll contact you again

when we’re ready.”“Would it help if we reverse engines between pulses? I know it won’t be much, but…”“I think that would be counter-productive. Once we’ve slowed you down enough to permit beaming, we’ll send over a

crew to help repair your systems.”“Thank you again, Captain. We’re standing by. Krental, clear.”

As the screen changed to the multicolored flower design of the Intaran government, the captain touched a button on the arm of his chair. “Engineering, this is McCormack. Miss zh’Mori, we’re going to be making about forty warp microjumps and quick tractor beam pulses. Are the engines up to it?”

The intercom was silent for several seconds. “In a row?” the Andorian chief engineer asked. “Without a cooldown? Just warp-tractor-warp-tractor-warp-tractor?”

“That is the general idea.”“Sounds like you’re trying to warp tow something that isn’t at warp.”“As a matter of fact,” McCormack drawled, “that’s exactly what we’re trying to do.”“That sounds like a rather stupid thing to do.”McCormack stared down at the intercom panel. “I didn’t ask if it was stupid. I want to know if the ship can handle it.

We’re got an Intaran ship that needs our help, and a series of short warp tows is the only way to do it.”The intercom was silent for several more seconds before a chastened engineer replied. “Sorry, Captain. I guess that

last series of lectures by Captain Scott rubbed off a bit too much on me. We can handle it, but I’d appreciate if you could give us a bit of a cooldown now and then.”

“I’ll see what we can do. We’ll also need a repair team. How soon can you have one assembled?”“Give me twenty minutes, Captain. I’ll wake up the bravo watch guys.”“Works for me. Let me know when you’re ready for the first tow.”“We’re ready now.”“Very well. McCormack out.”

“All decks report ready, Commander.”“Thank you. Tampa, this is Krental. We’re ready.”“Understood. First tow will be three point six G for eight seconds.”“All decks, brace for acceleration!”The ship groaned as the tractor beam snagged them, and everything lurched forward.“Now I remember why I hated launch training,” the ship’s science officer grumbled.As quickly as the deceleration began, it ended, returning everything to normal gravity.“Velocity report?” Ragiker asked from where he had braced himself against the plot table.“Our velocity has slowed by one point three percent, Commander.”“Here comes the next tow.”

It took twenty-six tows to slow the Krental to the point where a repair team could beam over. Ragiker met them personally in the mess hall.

“Commander Ragiker?”“That’s right. Welcome aboard Krental.”“Thank you, Sir. I’m Lieutenant Neville, assistant chief engineer aboard the Tampa.”“A pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant. Can we offer you and your team a cup of tanzila before you get started?”“No, thank you, Sir. We’re good, but we did bring some provisions with us.” He indicated a large, cubical object

which materialized with the team. “This is a portable replicator. It doesn’t have a lot of material, but it should be able to feed your crew until we can rig something more permanent.”

“Oh, thank the Maker!” Nili called, rushing over. “You don’t know how happy that makes me, Lieutenant. I was afraid I might have a riot on my hands when I announce what’s for lunch.”

“This is Nili, our head cook.”“An honor, Ma’am. This thing might just put you out of business, and if we need to restock it, we can easily link it to

your waste reclamation tanks.”“What?” Nili asked, her head jerking up from the control panel.Ragiker laughed. “Nature does it all the time, Nili. I suspect this mechanism just speeds up the process.”“Pretty much, Commander. This tech can convert any material into its component atoms and then rearrange it into

anything you can think of.” He reached over and tapped a button on top. “May I offer you a sandwich, Commander?”“I’d love one, thank you.”The lieutenant turned to Nili. “Ma’am?”“I’ll have whatever the commander has.”“Your discretion, Lieutenant,” Ragiker added.“Pastrami on rye with Swiss cheese and mustard, cut in half on the diagonal.”

A moment later, the requested item appeared in the machine’s alcove, complete with plate and napkins. Picking up the plate, he presented it to the two Intarans. “As we say on Earth, Bon Appetit.”

With a bit of trepidation on their faces, Nili and Ragiker each picked up half of the sandwich and took a bite.Nili’s eyes went wide, and she began chewing with a determination none of the Starfleet people had never before seen.“What is it you call this?”“The meat is called pastrami. It’s usually made from beef which is brined, then dried, seasoned with herbs and then

smoked.”“It’s remarkably like enfil,” the commander remarked.“That’s what I was about to say.”“Lieutenant, please excuse me for a moment.” He then walked over to the intercom panel. “Bridge, this is Ragiker.

Sound mess call. All off-duty personnel. Pass the word not to overdo it, though. We’ll be relaxing the rationing as repairs progress.”

“Understood, Commander. Any chance we could get something sent up here?”“Plate of pastrami sandwiches?” Nili suggested when the commander cast a silent question at her.“Good enough. Nili will send something up. Ragiker out.”Stuffing the rest of his half-sandwich into his mouth, the Intaran officer silently invited the engineering team to follow

him.

“Neville to Tampa.”McCormack thumbed open the pickup on his chair. “Go ahead, Mr. Neville.”“We’ve finished our damage assessment, Captain. Damage is consistent with a pirate attack, most likely one of the

smaller Orion families. The intermix chamber looks good, but the control systems took a feedback surge.”“So there’s no damage to the warp drive itself?”“None that we can see, Sir. The warp coils look good, but with the control damage, there’s no way to regulate the

system. And the inertial dampening field coils are toast.”“Think you can jury rig something to replace them?” McCormack asked.“I’ve got an idea, but I need to run it past Roo.”“Roo?”“Lt. zh’Mori.”Touching another button on the arm of his chair, McCormack opened the direct link to engineering. “McCormack to

zh’Mori.”“Go ahead, Captain.”“Mr. Neville has an idea he needs to run past you.”“What up, Artie?”“Think we can rig a block of grav plates to serve as an IDF generator?”There was a long pause from engineering before the reply. “You’d have to baby it, and it’d blow out if they tried to go

to warp… but it would let us haul them to a stop, where we can rig up something better.”“Then let’s make it happen,” the captain ordered.“Artie, how many grav plates do you need?”“Ah… Just send over that box we have in cargo bay two. That should be enough to rig it up.”“I’m on it. Thank you, Miss zh’Mori. Bridge to cargo bay two.”“Go ahead, Bridge.”“This is the captain. You’ve got a box of replacement gravity plates I need sent over to the Krental.”“Uh… Got it, Captain. Where do you want it, Sir?”“Target Lt. Neville’s commbadge. Put it in the closest open area.”“Aye, Sir. I have the target…”“They’re here, Captain. Oh, and you might want to send over some more portable replicators. I hear there’s a run on

pastrami. Neville out.”McCormack looked around the bridge, seeing the various expressions on the faces around him. “Cargo bay two, do

you have any you can send over?”“Yes, Sir. We’ll send five more right away.”“I’m sure the Intarans will appreciate it. McCormack out.”“Suddenly,” Colt quipped, “I have a craving for pastrami.”

“Orions?” Yineth Nikara asked. “We haven’t seen them anywhere near here… but I wouldn’t put it past the Syndicate to try to market chetarin to the Tzenkethi. Recommendations, Captain McCormack?”

The man on the screen heaved a sigh. “I’m just a communications instructor on a sabbatical. All this tactical stuff is a bit outside my field, despite my bridge qualifications.”

“So how are you enjoying your first command, Captain?”“Captain Yineth, I am either in way over my head… or I’m never going back to the Academy.”The Bajoran chuckled. “I think we’re going to get along just fine. By the way, the name’s Nik.”“T.J. Think we should send a report to Admiral Mecum?”Yineth considered the request. While his time with the Bajoran resistance taught him to be as self-sufficient as

possible, he knew a report would need to be filed.“Yes. I’ll let you handle that side of things, and I’ll let General Rentoshi know. In the meantime, continue the repairs

on the Krental, and escort them home as soon as possible.”“You got it, Boss. By the way, send my regards to Lieutenant Breeze.”“Will do, T.J. I’ve assigned her as your liaison. Yineth out.”As McCormack’s image was replaced by the END TRANSMISSION graphic, the commander of the flotilla leaned

back and groaned.“I did not need to hear that,” he said, not sure whether he was addressing himself, the Prophets, or the Universe in

general.

The Starfleet-issue computer terminal bleeped in the distinctive pattern of a call from the commander of Gwalior Base.Aram Kodo looked over at the terminal, not expecting the direct call.At least they’re not beaming directly into the office, he thought, activating the screen.“Sorry to disturb you, Prime Councilor,” General An Rentoshi said as his image blinked into existence, “but I thought

you’d want to know. Starfleet has found the Krental. She’s been attacked.”Kodo sat up, the chair automatically adjusting. “The Tzenkethi?”“No, Sir. The report from Captain McCormack states that it was most likely Orion pirates.”“McCormack, you say? Isn’t he the one who will be hosting the selection program?”“Yes, Sir. Apparently, they’ve put him in command of the Tampa, as well.”“I see. Send me a copy of the report, General. I’ll take a look at it as soon as I have a free moment.”“Right away, Prime Councilor.”“Thank you for letting me know. Kodo out.”A few seconds later, the e-mail indicator appeared at the corner of the screen, and Kodo brought up the information. A

quick skim of the document had him pushing the call button on the internal communications panel.“Yes, Prime Councilor?”“Do I have any public appearances today, Licha?” the leader of the Intaran government asked.“Only two, Sir. You have a speech to the World Heritage Council and a speech at the Air and Space Museum this

afternoon.”“Perfect. If you would, ask the press office to inform the networks that I have news about the Krental that I’ll be

announcing at the museum speech.”“Of course, Prime Councilor.”“And alert the speechwriters. I’ll meet with them over lunch.”“Yes, Sir. Do you want anyone from the military or Starfleet there?”“No,” Kodo said, slowly, considering the question, “but call Jack, over at the embassy. He may want to send someone

to explain who these Orions are.”“I’ll make the call myself.”“Thank you, Licha.”

“Explain the Orions?” Jack Elmlinger asked.“That’s what the Prime Councilor’s secretary said,” Leslie Caruthers answered.Jack rubbed his temples. He was getting less and less sleep lately, and it was starting to take its toll on him. “So what

do they want to know? Their psychology? Their methods? How they sell their women as slaves?”“All of the above, I suspect. If you like, I can take care of it myself. I’ve read all of the position papers you’ve written

on them.”“No, I’ll do it—”

“With all due respect, Mr. Ambassador,” Caruthers said, interrupting him, “you’re far too tired for that kind of thing. If I may be so bold, you should take the rest of the day off, go home and get some rest.”

“She’s right, Mr. Ambassador,” Rilaar, Jack’s omnipresent Selay bodyguard, added from where he sat. “And, having dealt with the Orions myself, I am far more qualified to give the Prime Councilor a briefing on them.”

“You’d leave me?” the ambassador asked, feigning separation anxiety.Rilaar hissed a laugh. “I have vetted the police officers assigned to assist me. I trust them to keep you safe long

enough for me to give the briefing.”“Do we need to call your sister?” Caruthers asked.Jack knew when he was beaten. “No, I’ll head home at lunch. And I think Leslie should do the briefing, Rilaar.

Remember, the Intarans tend to conduct business over meals, and knowing Kodo, he’d likely offer you some poggles.”“I hadn’t considered that, but you’re right. The Prime Councilor is rightly renowned for his hospitality.”“Besides, if I’m going to be forced to rest, I suspect Millie will insist you do, too. What about the next relief convoy?

Yineth said the industrial replicators the farming communities have been asking for were on their way.”“The Tampa has some portable replicators for the relief centers, and the container ship Moonshine has a full load of

industrial replicators, courtesy of the Ferengi,” Caruthers replied.“Remind me to buy DaiMon Wirrt a beer.”“I’ll send him a keg.”“Even better…”

“Ah, Miss Caruthers!” Kodo said, shaking hands with the Federation Attaché. “Thank you for coming. I’ve asked the kitchen to prepare some light vegan dishes.”

“That is very considerate of you, Prime Councilor. Thank you.”“Please, have a seat. I believe you have some information on these… Orions?”“General information only. At this time, we have no way of knowing exactly which Orion vessel or family was behind

the attack on your vessel.”“Fair enough. I’d like to provide whatever information we do have.”“Of course, Prime Councilor.”After introductions were made around the table, the house stewards served each of them a small salad. As promised,

that which was served to Caruthers was vegan-friendly, topped by a vegetable oil-based dressing.“Miss Caruthers, the floor is yours.”“Thank you, Prime Councilor. The Orions are a warp-capable species, which have the reputation of being the largest

criminal organization in the known galaxy. They practice extortion, assassination, kidnapping and theft, along with their most notorious activity, the trafficking of forced labor. Females are especially prized as sexual slaves. You were quite fortunate not to have had members of the Krental’s crew taken.”

“So these Orions are criminals?” one of the speechwriters asked.“For the most part. There are a small number of legitimate traders, but they are a definite minority in Orion society.”“What sort of technology base are we talking about?” another of the speechwriters asked.“Orion technology varies greatly, depending on the specific group’s power and wealth. Based on Captain

McCormack’s report, it is likely Krental was attacked by a vessel belonging to a lesser Orion family or affiliated group. It is important to point out that, as your vessel was able to fight off the pirate vessel with relatively little damage, the Orions will consider the raid a failure. In Orion culture, failure to complete an operation requires a suicide, so it is likely that the offending vessel has self-destructed with all hands.”

“What is the Federation’s position on these Orions?” Kodo asked.“Starfleet does its best to control piracy, but most freight lines are encouraged to maintain their own security forces in

areas prone to pirate operations.”“With ships as fast and heavily armed as you have,” another of the speechwriters asked, “and you can’t control these

pirates?”Caruthers cast the man a deadpan look. “There is an axiom which every species discovers when it develops the science

of astronomy: ‘Space is Big’.”The Intaran was properly chastened as the rest of the table laughed.

“That’s got it,” Arthur Neville said, snapping the access panel into place. “It won’t be pretty, but it should work.”“Amazing,” Rintilen Obah drawled, shaking her head. “It never would have occurred to me to use gravity plates as an

emergency inertial dampener array.”

“Well, we’ve been at it about two hundred years longer than you have. You would have thought of it eventually.” He then tapped his commbadge. “Neville to Tampa. We’re ready here.”

“Engineering to bridge,” Obah said into the comm panel as Neville reported in. “We’re ready down here. If this works, Tampa should be able to haul us to a stop with a single tow.”

“And if it doesn’t,” somebody on the bridge answered, “we’ll all end up as bloody smears.”“It’ll work!” Neville called. “We won’t be putting that much stress on the system.”“How much are we talking?” Ragiker asked, from the bridge.“Oh, around four hundred gravities for… maybe ten seconds.”“Then let’s do it.”

“Captain McCormack, we’re ready to proceed over here.”“All right, Everybody,” the Tampa’s captain ordered, “let’s haul these folks to a stop. Engineering, we’re going to

need full power on the tractor beam.”“You’ll have it, Captain.”“Mr. Nagala, put us in front of them.”“Aye, Sir. Microjump in five, four, three, two, one…”On the main screen, the stars stretched and immediately snapped back to points.“Tractor beam on,” Keransen announced. “We have the target… zero relative speed!”“All stop!” McCormack ordered.“Engines answering all stop, Captain.”McCormack stood up. “Well done, everyone! Let’s go get these people home, shall we?”

“…and so we dedicate this new wing of the United Air and Space Museum to recognize a new era in the exploration and utilization of space: The era of the warp drive.”

The audience applauded with courtesy, if not gusto, as was the expectation when dealing with government speeches, and it died down quickly.

“And now, to deliver a few words, we welcome Prime Councilor Aram Kodo.”To the sound of another round of polite applause, Kodo took his place at the podium as his speech appeared on the

holographic prompter before him.“From an early age, I was taught that documenting history is one of the most important acts an Intaran can undertake.

And so places like this become the repository of what it is to be an Intaran.“When the very first Intarans were placed on this world, they were told that this world would be a refuge; a place where

our human civilizations could develop and mature. But they were also told that this world is not our place of origin. As the Commandments state, ‘Life here began out there.’ From the stars we came, and, with the development of warp drive, to the stars we have finally returned.”

The applause that met this line was more heartfelt, and lasted several seconds longer.“However, this return to the stars is not without danger. We find our world under siege, and our exploration vessels

under attack. Just this morning, we received a report that the Exploration Cruiser Krental was attacked by Orion Pirates. Krental was able to drive off these attackers, most likely a minor Orion criminal family, with limited technology, but at the cost of its warp drive.

“Though we have found dangers among the stars, we have also found friends and benefactors. We know of the Krental’s fate because a Federation starship is assisting them with repairs. Thanks to our Federation friends, Krental will bring her crew home.”

The dignitaries were the first to rise to their feet, and even the reporters covering the ceremony joined in the applause that greeted this bit of information.

“And so, let us make this new museum section not just a place to tell the story of our own return to the stars, but let us make it a place to learn of, from and about the friends, partners and yes, foes we have and will make as a result of that return.

“My fellow Intarans, I welcome you to the Hall of Starships. May it forever be a place of learning.”

“Intaran Exploration Vessel Krental, Arriving.”“Commander Ragiker, welcome aboard the Tampa.”“Thank you, Captain. I must say, that is a very different way to travel.”McCormack smiled. “You get used to it. This is my wife, Andrea, and I’ll introduce you to our daughters later.”“You bring your families along?” Ragiker asked, stepping down from the transporter platform.

“Not generally on a ship as small as this,” Andi remarked, “but we’re something of a special case.”“There are ships where families are not only welcomed, but encouraged, such as one of those currently helping to

protect Intar from the Tzenkethi.”“Amazing.”“If you’ll come with us, I’ll show you around.”“Of course, Captain.”As they headed out into the corridor, Andi asked, “So how long have you been out on your mission?”“Eight months, not counting the six weeks we spent at relativistic speed.”“That means you’ve been gone over a year,” T.J. advised his Intaran counterpart.“I’ll take a year over never going home any day.”“True. We’ll start with the bridge. I think you’ll find it interesting.”“Of that, I have no doubt.”“I’ll go get the girls and meet you in the captain’s mess.”“Okay. Commander, let’s head this way.”

Camille and Kennerly McKenna had always been fascinated by the diversity of plant life on the many planets they’d visited growing up on various starships, so it was almost inevitable that the identical twins would specialize in botany when they were accepted to the Academy together.

Thus, even though they were only aboard for transport to their new assignment on Intar, the two ensigns happily stood watches in Tampa’s arboretum. Originally, the Intrepid class had been designed without one, but the logs and reports from the starship Voyager, arguably the most famous of the Tampa’s sisters, had convinced Starfleet’s designers that even small ships needed many of the amenities commonly found on larger ones.

It was a nice location, at the forward end of deck 3, having replaced a set of VIP quarters. It also had some of the largest windows on the ship, which afforded a panoramic view of space ahead of them. At the moment, that view was dominated by the relatively antique-looking form of the Krental.

“Here’s that chameleon rose bush Lt. Parker asked for,” Camille said, entering from her trip to cargo bay two.“Oh, good. I’ve got the bed ready for it,” her sister, Kennerly, answered.“Where is Parker, anyway?”“Sickbay. The Markonian whomper put up a fight.”“Sometimes I wonder why Captain Janeway decided to bring all those Delta Quadrant plants home with her.”“As if you wouldn’t have?”“Good point. Oh, look. I think the rose likes the view.”Kennerly looked up from where she was loosely packing the soil around the plant and smiled at the bright golden

blossoms. “You’re right. It’s positively glowing.”Just then, one of the two sets of doors puffed open, and the captain’s voice preceded him into the compartment.“And here we have our little bit of nature, the arboretum. I apologize for the state of things. We haven’t had a chance

to plant everything quite yet.”“I’m just amazed you have the space for something like this,” the large man with him said, a look of near awe on his

face. “Even on our space stations, we barely have room for hydroponics bays.”“Well, we’ve discovered that there’s always a need for nature, even way out here. Besides,” McCormack quipped,

leading his guest over to where the two women stood, “our botanists would be rather bored without such a place. Good morning, Ladies.”

“Good morning, Captain,” the twins chorused.“We were just planting the chameleon roses for Lieutenant Parker.”“He should be back shortly. The Markonian whomper sprained his wrist.”“Markonian whomper?” the large visitor asked.“It’s a plant Voyager brought back from the Delta Quadrant,” Camille answered. “I’m Camille McKenna; my sister,

Kennerly. We’ve been assigned to Intar to help remove chetarin from your plant life.”“Yhivanis Ragiker. I command that thing out there.” His face took on a slightly confused look, mixed with concern.

“What do you mean, remove chetarin?”“That’s why the Tzenkethi are so interested in Intar,” McCormack explained. “Apparently, it affects various species

the way various drugs do, and it becomes a very powerful methamphetamine in Tzenkethi biochemistry.”“While the biochemistry team, led by Doctor…” Kennerly looked at her sister, having forgotten the name she was

about to utter.

“Meav,” Camille supplied. “While they look for a way to engineer chetarin out of native Intaran plants, we’ll be coming at it from the other side by finding Terran and other plants that can be introduced and take over the various ecological niches without producing chetarin.”

“We usually try to avoid introducing competing species, but Intar is a special case. Obviously, we’ll use full quarantine measures until we’re sure we won’t be damaging the Intaran ecosystem.”

“I see,” Ragiker replied. “I’ll have to look in on Jarre when we get back. We went through space service training together.”

“The ladies are also rather accomplished musicians,” McCormack added. “They gave an outstanding performance at the Academy not long ago.”

“Thank you, Captain!” Camille responded. “I didn’t know you’d attended.”“Oh, yes.”“In that case, you two should be extremely popular,” Ragiker remarked. “We Intarans treat the performing arts the way

other cultures treat things like professional sports.”“Think of it, Girls,” the captain said, doing his best impression of a talent agent. “Stadium shows!”All four of them laughed at the mental image.

“Morning, Top!”Attlesea Puget looked up from the PADD and smiled. “G’mornin’, Nala. Just get in from your run?”“Weights this morning” the Andorian replied, sliding into the chair across the table from the Intaran NCO.“Ah, that’s part of my own routine. I use biking for my cardio.”ch’Dalvis nodded as he applied a deep blue sauce to his scrambled kitai eggs.“What is that?” Puget asked.“This? Hot sauce. Made from a rather potent ice pepper, though this bottle was replicated.”“I’ve never seen blue hot sauce before.”“Different chemistry on Andoria, my friend, but I’m told it tastes the same.”“Mind if I try a bit?”“Knock yourself out.” As Puget applied several drops of the bright blue sauce to his own breakfast, the Federation

Marine nodded toward the PADD. “Cut list?”“Yeah. These are the top two hundred and fifty. I’m actually surprised at a couple of the celebrity volunteers.”Picking up the PADD, ch’Dalvis looked over the list. “Well, you were right when you said they’d surprise me. Most

of them took everything we dished out. More than a few of them actually ate it up. For instance, this actor… Delan Kayi. I could actually see him as officer material. His marksmanship scores are better than mine.”

“Doesn’t really surprise me. Most of his roles are military, and he takes it very seriously.” He then took a bite of sausage and immediately reached for the tall glass of juice he’d poured himself. “Good Maker! What’s in that, fusion plasma?”

ch’Dalvis chuckled. “No, just a whole lot of capsaicin. About three million on the Scoville scale.”“Almost as bad as that stuff those Klingons offered me last week.”“So when do we tell the recruits?”“This afternoon. I’m told the Tampa will be a few days late, so everyone will have a bit of a rest until then.”The Marine thought for several seconds, idly chewing on the pale green toast he’d been served. “Maybe not.”“You’ve got an idea?”“How do you feel about a camping trip?”

“All trainees, fall in on the parade ground, on the double!”Ch’Dalvis and Puget waited as the Intarans gathered on the parade field and sorted themselves into their training

platoons.“Dalaan,” the Andorian barked, addressing the last person to arrive, “what took you so long?”“Head call, Master Gunnery Sergeant!” the squat, round woman answered. Despite her shape, she had proven herself

to be one of the more versatile of the trainees.“Understood. Look around you, people! You’ll notice there are fewer of you today. That’s because we had the final

mass cut this morning. Congratulations on making it this far.”He waited for a few whoops and other congratulatory sounds and gestures to be exchanged.

“But you’ll also notice that there are still too many of you for the three crews we need. So, you can still wash out. Only now, you will wash out as individuals. No more shuffles, no more group changes. Your aptitude scores have determined your final training group placement, and, by extension, the colors you wear.

“So what now?” He paused, letting the people in front of him ponder that question. “We’re going camping. Where?”He pointed straight up.

Nadaira Sosseym was preparing for her production meeting when the comm unit lit up with the triangular logo of Gwalior Base. That, in and of itself, wasn’t unusual, since the public relations office made it a point to keep the media informed of goings on there.

But it was unusual to see Base Operations as the origin point for the direct call, and Nad’s curiosity piqued as she picked up the handset.

“Nadaira Sosseym,” she said, knowing that her video image was visible to the caller.The small screen lit up with the face of what Nadaira recognized as a Deltan.“Sorry to disturb you, Miss Sosseym,” the strikingly beautiful alien woman said. “I’m Warrant Officer Kilana.”“Of course, Warrant Officer. How can I help you?”“There is a subspace transmission for you, Ma’am. Should I patch it through or take a message?”Nad checked the desk chronograph, seeing that the meeting wouldn’t begin for another hour.“I can take it now. Thank you.”“Of course. Please be advised that the subspace delay is point three-six seconds. Transferring now.”The face which replaced the hairless woman was the last one she ever expected to see, despite knowing that the Krental

had been found.“Vani,” she breathed.“Hello, Nad.”“Um…”“I’m sorry to call you at work, but I had to let you know I’m okay. Captain McCormack has been giving me a tour of

the Tampa. This is an amazing ship. Way beyond anything we have, and he says some of the other ships are even more impressive.”

“I’ve seen them.”“Really?”“Um… yeah. I’ve spent some time on the Ernst Ruska.” She felt decidedly uncomfortable with the direction the

conversation was going. “Perhaps we can discuss it more when you get home.”“Yeah. It’s good to see you. I know we called it off, but I’ve thought about you every day. I’ll be home soon, and we’ll

talk.”“I have a production meeting.”“Then I won’t keep you. Ragiker, clear.”A moment later, the screen changed to the Starfleet seal before going dark.Feeling a tear well up in her eye, Nadaira dropped the handset back into its cradle.

“What up, Artie?”“Huh?” Arthur Neville replied, looking up from the tricorder he held. Then, seeing zh’Mori, his face brightened. “Oh,

hey, Roo. Just cross-referencing these circuit pathways. The computers are so much toast, but we shouldn’t have any problem interfacing a couple portable cores to take over.”

“Good. Now, who’s the chief?”“That would be me,” a squat, round woman who reminded zh’Mori of a rock troll, said, sticking out a hand. “Rintilen

Obah, chief engineer. Call me Rin.”Shaking the proffered hand, the Andorian answered, “Yvehlleru zh’Mori, call me Roo. Let’s have a look at that inertial

dampener array. Hopefully, between the two of us, we can build something that’ll let this ship get back to warp, else we’ll have to offload everything and bring out a recovery ship, which could take quite a while.”

“Yeah, I’d rather not have to do that. It’s over this way.”She led the lieutenant over to the jury-rigged grav plates. “It’s amazing that this thing worked.”“Yeah, but I’m going to have to have a look at the old unit if we’re going to build a new one.”“It’s over here. Took me twenty minutes to stop crying when it went. Built the damn thing myself.”“Really? Let’s see what the tricorder says…”Opening the instrument, Roo did a quick molecular and construction scan, finding the arrangement familiar.

“Oh, yeah. This looks like a pretty standard type three. We can have a new one ready to install in about six hours. The installation itself should take only an hour or two, and it’ll be better than new.”

“Really?” Rin asked. “How much of an improvement?”“Oh… Maybe around a third.”“Damn. What are we waiting for?”Snapping the tricorder shut, Roo tapped her commbadge. “zh’Mori to Tampa. Two to beam over.”“Wait, aren’t we going to be using theeaaaahhh, sweet Preserrr…”A moment later, the last light of the transporter beam dissipated.

“General? Captain Yineth for you, Sir.”“Come on in, Nik! Sorry I haven’t been up lately, but all this administrative work has been keeping me glued to this

chair.”“I know what you mean, Sir,” Yineth Nikara said, shaking hands with his Intaran counterpart. “I finally needed to

beam down just to get a change of scenery.”The two men laughed as Yineth took a seat.“I assume you’ve heard about the Krental?” An Rentoshi asked.“Yes. In fact, that’s part of why I beamed down. I’m wondering if we might poach a few of the crew for the exchange

program, and the engineers over on the Blount Island have a few new ideas for upgrades. I’ve even heard rumors of taking her to the nearest shipyard and completely rebuilding her.”

“Now that is ambitious, but I’m not sure we could spare her for that long.”“True, every ship we can add to the flotilla helps bolster system defense, but she could do it a whole lot better with

upgraded systems.”Rentoshi sat back in his chair, weighing the options. “I’ll run it up the chain of command here. Will you do the same

on the Starfleet side?”“Of course. Right now, it’s just an idea, but I’ll see if there are any yards willing to help out. Under FDD 2248, they

ought to be able to upgrade her to Daedalus or even early Constitution-class tech. No quantum torpedoes, but just about everything short of that.”

“That will certainly help us. We’ve had good results from our own photon torpedo research, so we should be able to start producing them in a year or so.”

“That’ll take a load off the Blount Island,” Yineth answered. “They’re so busy producing torpedo replacements that they’ve had to put some of the base construction on hold.”

“Fortunately, we’ve been able to bring in local construction firms to help out… and the damn unions that go with them. Do you people still have those, or can we look forward to their eventual demise?” the general asked.

“They pop up from time to time, but they’re not the political machines you have here, though they were once. They don’t usually last long.”

“Well, that’s one reason I stayed in the military.” He paused, regarding the Bajoran captain. “Have you had lunch yet? I was about to head home for something, and I’m sure Rina would enjoy having you over. She might even try that hasperat recipe you gave her.”

“I think I’d enjoy that.”“Then let’s go.”

“Aw, sweet Maker!”Ch’Dalvis turned to look at the pressure tent where the disgusted cry originated.“What happened?” he asked.“Raja farted!”Next to him, in his bulkier Intaran pressure suit, Puget chuckled.“It’s not funny, Top! It stinks in here!”“Suck it up, Karini. If this were a survival situation, you wouldn’t be complaining.”“My eyes are watering!”“Hey! You know I get gassy,” came the voice of the offending Raja. “Maybe we can switch the air scrubbers to high

for a few seconds.”“That’s not what we’re here for,” the Federation Marine reminded them. “Besides, you just have to smell a fart. I

have to feel mine until I can change these undergarments.”“Wait,” Puget asked, “don’t your suits have waste extractors?”

“Emergency suits don’t, so I disabled it.”“What kind of idiot would do that?” asked another voice.Puget was about to reprimand the asker, but stopped and traded a grin with the Andorian as they heard another of the

trainees reply.“That’s no idiot, Hantaro,” the voice of Mari Dalaan said from their suit radios, “that’s a Marine.”

“Colt to Captain McCormack,” the voice of the Tampa’s science officer called from the commbadge.With a tap, T.J. McCormack accepted the call. “Go ahead, Mr. Colt.”“Sir, we may have found the Orions’ warp trail. At least Dr. T’Sen thinks it could be. It’s badly degraded, but it

certainly heads in the right direction.”McCormack looked over at Ragiker, then around at the other Intarans on the bridge of the Krental. Every face looked

back with the same expression: a desire to know what happened to their attackers.“Prepare and launch a class eight probe, Mr. Colt. Let’s find out where that warp trail goes.”“Aye, Sir. She’ll be ready within the hour.”“Very well. McCormack out.”“Do you think you’ll be able to find them?” Samed Erilon, Krental’s pilot, asked.“I don’t know, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they did.”“So what’s next?” Chasol Proodon, the ship’s navigator, asked.“I guess we finish repairs and proceed home,” Ragiker answered. “It’s not like we can do much to help.”McCormack was about to say something when the door opened to admit Ensigns McKenna.“Oh, sorry. We were looking for your science officer,” Camille said. “Permission to enter, Commander?”“Of course. People, this is Camille and Kennerly McKenna. They’re botanists, assigned to help remove chetarin from

the Intaran biosphere. They’re also musicians, or so I’ve heard. You’re looking for Mr. Swehae, who is right here.”Swehae was a dark-hued Nectem with a ready smile. “Nice to finally meet you two face to face. So, what do you think

of our hydroponics bay?”It was Kennerly who answered. “Not much different than what we use, really, but then, hydroponic science is

essentially the same no matter how it’s applied. We should be able to replace the food plant stocks with Terran varieties and force grow them a bit.”

“Of course,” Camille added, “with the replicators, they aren’t really necessary.”“That’s a good point,” Ragiker said. “Perhaps we don’t need to replace them.”“Or maybe you could use more decorative plants instead,” McCormack suggested.“Hmm…” Swehae mused. “That wouldn’t be a bad idea, actually. The oxygen scrubbers have been showing a bit of

strain as we’ve used the food plants. Of course, they’re designed to take up the load, but having some plants available would help the system.”

“Mint would probably work well for that,” Kennerly suggested.“But they’d have to keep a watch on it. It tends to be rather invasive,” her sister warned.“True, but that new hybrid Boothby developed before he died should work well.”“I’d heard the Federation Botanical Congress was going to name that variety after him,” the Tampa’s captain remarked.“Oh, they did. The taxonomic name is Mentha Boothbius,” Kennerly confirmed. “And, since it’s an aromatic, it could

provide a bit of aromatherapy.”“Aromatherapy?” Swehae asked. “I’ve never heard that term before.”“It’s used as alternative medicine in many Federation cultures. Amongst humans, mint is often used by mental health

practitioners to reduce stress, elevate mood and even treat clinical depression.”“Of course, most of that effect comes from the fact that it just smells good,” Camille added.Ragiker looked around at his top officers. “Any objections? I think we could all use a bit of mood elevation right

now.” Hearing none, he turned back to the twin botanists. “Looks like you’ve got some planting to do. Have you consulted with our own ship’s botanist?”

“Yes. Miss Dodol was quite helpful.”“Then, if the captain has no objection…”“Not at all. In fact, consider it an order, ladies.”Both women snapped to attention and chorused, “Aye, Sir.”“And, if it’s not too much of an imposition,” Ragiker added, “might we ask the honor of a performance this evening? I

know it’s not much of an advance notice.”The two women looked at each other, exchanging thoughts with a glance as only identical twins can.

“We’d be delighted to perform, Commander,” Camille answered.“Excellent! In that case, we won’t keep you any longer.”“Aye, Sir.”

“Welcome back. We’re now joined by our all-star panel: Retired starship pilot Grai Imraha, now Vice President of the Aslani Trade Commission; Aman Yonas, Unity Bureau Chief of Woyohaan News; Captain Roberto Vallejo, acting consular officer at Gwalior base; and joining us by hyperwave is reporter Christopher Serrie of the Federation News Service.

“Christopher, I understand you’re on your way to Intar to do a series of reports on us and the Gwalior Flotilla. Is the Federation’s population interested in what’s happening out here?”

There was a short delay as the subspace signals made their way to Serrie’s ship and back.“Many in the Federation are interested. History has shown, time and again, that small events lead to larger ones.

Now, I don’t mean to belittle what is happening out there by calling it a small event, but to something the size of the Federation, it is.

“That said, not just Federation policy but one of the cornerstones of what has become the Federation’s culture is that we are willing to provide assistance to anyone who asks for it, so long as we aren’t interfering with their internal politics.

“Also, most people in the Federation have a fascination with new cultures. To quote Starfleet’s charter, ‘New Worlds and New Civilizations’. I’m sure Captain Vallejo will back me up on this. You are as many of us once were. You’re just now taking your first steps out into the galaxy, and for us, it’s like watching a toddler run for the first time.”

“Captain? Do you agree?”“I do. Even though your technology is… antiquated to us, the sense of wonder is unmistakable. Just the requests

we’ve received at the base from civic organizations, trade groups, schools, municipal governments and a plethora of others, for not just Starfleet, but any Federation citizens to come and speak, has shown that you are just as eager to meet and learn about us as we are to meet and learn about you. That’s why, when given the choice of this job or staying with what is essentially a crippled ship, I made the decision I did.”

“Speaking of ships, Starfleet has given us one ship, and has promised two more. How much of a difference do you think they’ll make?” the host asked.

“Oh, they’ll make a definite impact. Every ship we can bring here to Intar is one more ship to help defeat the Tzenkethi blockade. Eventually, their resources will be stretched so thinly that they’ll have no choice but to leave you alone.”

“And what about the way we’re showing the training? Some people are calling it excessive.”“Space,” Imraha answered, “is a dangerous place. Despite all of the technology we’ve developed, spaceships and

starships are just glorified tin cans, containing a tiny bit of what it takes to keep us alive: air, water, gravity, heat… If you lose any of those, you die. It’s better to learn how to deal with that here, close to home, rather than out facing the Tzenkethi or among the stars. What’s happened to the Krental shows where planners have overlooked certain needs. If we’re going to be out there, we have to learn how to survive and deal with the dangers. It’s better for all of us to learn, and that’s what the training program will do.”

“If I might add, Mirkuta, Starfleet has been making their training methods public for centuries. I’ve been though much of it myself, as a journalist who has been embedded with Starfleet. People need to see what goes into crewing a starship, else we might not be able to find those with the temperament or drive to follow that path. By the same token, seeing the training can also deter the wrong kind of person, instead channeling them into more productive and satisfying careers… such as journalism.”

“Aman? What do you say to that?”“I agree. We’ve seen documentary shows about all sorts of careers, including military service, here on Intar, and

Christopher is correct. I wanted to be a patrolman when I was young, but learning what they face on the job every day convinced me that it wasn’t for me. Instead, I went into first finance and later journalism, and I’ve been very happy doing both.”

“Three seconds each, are you looking forward to seeing the show?” the host asked. “Captain?”“Absolutely.”“Pilot?”“Wishing I were there with them every second.”“Aman?”“I’ll likely watch the highlights, but probably not follow it as close as most.”“What about you, Christopher?”“I’m looking forward to seeing it.”“Next up, we’ll talk about UINN anchor Nadaira Sosseym’s interview with Tzenkethi Flight Captain Nack…”

“So what do you think?” Brevik Karan asked, looking across his desk at the two engineers. One was Intaran, like him. The other, from Starfleet, was about as alien as anything he’d ever met.

It was the Intaran, Alida Flaiddre, who answered. “I’m sure the people out on the Tampa could come up with something that would work, but not real sure how well it would. Our hardware is… antique, compared to what they have. Sure, we can establish a static warp field to allow for FTL computing, but when you come right down to it, it’s still ultimately binary code. I’d recommend sending a computer specialist out there with a fresh copy that a Starfleet team could tweak to work with their cores.”

“Commander, do you agree?” Karan asked.Bob M’Rowri heaved a sigh. “I feel like I’m betraying the honor of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers by saying this,

but… Yeah. We’ve got some of the best code monkeys in the galaxy, and some of them love to tinker with old-style equipment, but… It’s going to take someone better than what we have on that ship to write a whole new operating system in under a month, even with the Tampa’s computer to help. Oh, they could certainly jury rig something to run it, and Starfleet hardware can talk to damn near any computer system, but that kind of setup isn’t really capable of handling the hybrid software they’d have to use. That’s much of the reason we’re replacing the control systems on the Namree-Zaye with a stripped-down version of LCARS.”

“So who do we send? And how?”“Hammersley or Espero could make it out there in about thirty hours. They’re built for long duration at high speed,”

the Starfleet engineer answered. “A runabout would take longer, if one of those ships isn’t available.”“As for who,” Flaiddre added, “there’s only one person I can think of who could handle such a rapid reinstallation on

an essentially virgin system.” She heaved her own sigh. “Thing is, she’s never been to space, and I hesitate to send her in her current condition.”

“I don’t think we have much choice,” Karan countered. “I’ll call General Rentoshi.”

“Rina, you outdo yourself every time I stop in,” Yineth Nikara remarked, dropping his napkin onto the freshly cleaned plate in front of him. Looking over at the general, he continued, “You weren’t kidding when you said I should try Kavalera casserole.”

“The holta peppers are what make it. In fact, these particular ones are direct from Kaya and Bering’s farm.”“Really? I’m going to have to beam over there and buy some.”“Oh, no you won’t!” Rina replied. “With everything you’ve done for this planet, they’ll give you as many as you need

for free.”“Now, now, Love,” An Rentoshi reminded his wife, “if Nik wants to buy some, that’s his prerogative. After all, that’s

why they started printing that scrip.”“Besides, I could probably afford to buy their entire crop. Starship captains get paid an almost obscene amount,” Nik

added.“General Rentoshi,” the computer suddenly announced, “there is a call for you from ISA Headquarters in Unity.

Administrator Karan.”“Go,” Rina said. “I’ll take care of the dishes.”“I’ll take it in my office. Please advise the administrator that Captain Yineth is with me.”“Acknowledged.”As Rina began clearing the table, the two men headed back to the office.Sitting down behind the desk, Rentoshi activated the speaker on the Intaran comm unit on the desk. “How can we help

you, Administrator Karan?”“Just wanted to give you a heads-up. We’ve been looking over the reports from the Krental here, and we’re going to

need to send a computer expert out there. Can you spare a fast ship for a couple of days? One of the Defiant class ships would be best.”

“Nik?”Yineth nodded. “The blockade seems to be behaving itself, and Nack hasn’t returned to give them updated orders.

They’d be stupid to try following them, so… yeah. We can spare a ship. Espero is out reminding the Tzenkethi what they’re up against, so I’d send Hammersley.”

“I’ll let Commander McCune know. How soon can you have your expert ready to beam up?”“She should be ready in… four hours?”“Send me the particulars, Mr. Karan,” Yineth requested. “I’ll brief Captain McCormack.”

“Captain, signal coming in from Intar. Captain Yineth.”Rising from his seat, T.J. McCormack straightened his uniform. “I’ll take it in my readyroom, Mr. Keransen. You

have the bridge.”“Aye, Sir.”Letting the door close behind him, the captain walked over and took a seat at the desk, activating the desk unit in a

smooth, practiced motion.“Nik! What can I do ya for?”“Just wanted to give you a heads-up, T.J.. We’re sending you an Intaran computer expert with a copy of a hybrid

operating system we’ve put together for the Chu’thankhor class, like the Krental. It’s only a rescue build, but it should get that ship home. The Hammersley should reach you in about thirty-five hours, barring any tangles with the Tzenkethi on the way out of the system.”

“We should have everything ready by then. How are the trainees?”The Bajoran laughed. “They’re eating it up. They did the last mass cut a few days ago, and they’re doing long-

duration space survival up on the moon. A team of them actually had a leak in their pressure tent during the night, but none of them remembered sealing it. My gunny said they must have fixed it in their sleep.”

McCormack chuckled. “Well, they do drill those procedures into us until there’s no thinking behind it.”“That’s true.”Changing the subject, McCormack said, “We may have a line on the Orions who attacked the Krental. My science

officer and a passenger from the Daystrom Institute are tracking a probe we launched along a degraded warp trail. We’re hoping, between the two of them, they can hang onto it and follow it back to its origin.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t lead into Tzenkethi space, else we’ll likely see more of them.”“So far, it doesn’t appear to be, but you never know with Orions. They’ll work for just about anybody.”“This is true. Still, keep me informed, as well as Admiral Mecum. He may want to shuffle things around a bit.”“Will do.”

Suadela Tesfalem was, to all intents and purposes, a hacker. She’d pulled off some of the most famous data breaches in Intaran history.

But that all came to an end when she tried to hack the software that was being developed for Intar’s first starships.Facing a prison term of most of her life, she had offered her services to the ISA. Brevik Karan, knowing talent when he

saw it, made a deal with the prosecutors to allow her to become what, during Earth’s late 20th and 21st centuries, was known as a ‘White Hat’ hacker.

Getting caught had been the best moment of her life, for it was the day she first met her husband, though it would be nearly a year before they were to meet in person.

He had joined ISA in the hope that, someday, he would be sent out on one of those starships. She had no such ambition. Yet, they meshed perfectly, and quickly realized that each had found themselves in the other.

Thus, when her husband entered their shared lab carrying a bundle of red and black cloth, her heart soared. “Senay, you got your reds!” she cried, standing up to embrace him.“No, I didn’t,” he whispered.“What do you mean?” she asked, confusion replacing her elation.He held the bundle out to her. “These are yours.”“Mine?”Senay nodded. “They need you out on the Krental. They’re sending you out with the alpha of the new operating

system.”“The alpha?” Suadela squeaked. “But that’s just a basic engine and navigation build. It’s just a…”“Rescue build. Krental lost her computers when the Orions attacked. The engineers on the scene have installed a

portable computer core, but they need the software to tie our control systems into their computer. They say it’s the only way to get her back to warp in anything less than three months.”

“And they need me to install and tweak it.”Senay gave his wife a wan smile. “You are the best coder on the planet. If anything goes wrong, they’ll need your

speed and smarts.”“What about my meeting with Chief Costa?”“I’ll handle it, and before you ask, they say it’s perfectly safe.”He proffered the uniform again. This time, she took it.“How soon?” she asked.

“I packed a bag for you,” he answered, nodding toward the suitcase at the door. “Hammersley is ready to beam you up as soon as you’re ready.”

Kaki Badelt didn’t like having the Hammersley pulled off its patrol route, but she understood the need for a fast ship to take the Intaran computer specialist out to the stranded Krental. Thus, as any good first officer would, she headed to the transporter room to greet the new arrival.

Falling into step with her, Ensign Setek remarked, “I assume the Intarans found a specialist.”“Yes, ET. Apparently, she’s the best hacker on the planet.”ET rose an eyebrow. “Interesting that you would employ that term. ‘Hackers’ are generally considered to be of a…

less than legal persuasion.”“From the bio they sent, she was, but Administrator Karan gave her the option to either come work for him or spend the

rest of her life in jail.”“A logical course of action, though not without risk.”“From what everyone I’ve talked with says, she’s been a model worker. Of course, finding a husband as a result of it

might have something to do with it.”“Ah.”Badelt chuckled. “Welcome to the human race, ET.”“I would prefer not to accept that particular welcome.”“Care to do the honors?”“Very well.” Stepping up to the console, he quickly keyed in the comm code they had been provided with. After a

quick series of tones, a high contralto voice replied.“This is Suadela Tesfalem.”“This is USS Hammersley,” Setek replied. “We are ready to beam you aboard.”The woman at the other end of the connection heaved a sigh. “I’m ready whenever you are.”“I have your location. Stand by for transport. Hammersley out.”He was answered by the distinctive tone of an ended call.“At your command, X.”Badelt nodded, giving ET her clearance to energize.

As the transporter beam dissipated around Suadela, her stomach protested. She knew it would be different, but she didn’t think it would have been that disorienting.

Stepping down from the platform, she intended to request permission to board.Instead, she felt her stomach heave.Setek caught the brunt of it, but his Vulcan training held true. Ignoring the vomit suddenly dripping from the front of

his uniform, he tapped his commbadge.“Setek to sickbay. A medic is needed at the transporter.”“Cancel that, ET,” Badelt said, countermanding the request. She then turned back to the horrified-looking Intaran.

“How far along?”“X?” the Vulcan asked.“I didn’t have time to warn you. Beaming is especially hard when you’re pregnant.”“Three months. I thought the morning sickness had passed,” Suadela answered.“That wasn’t morning sickness. The transporter just gave you an old-fashioned case of space sickness.” She looked

over at Setek. “Clean yourself up, ET. I’ll show Ms. Tesfalem to her quarters.”“Aye, X. I will also call for someone to clean the… runoff.”“Oh, please, let me do that,” Suadela said, completely embarrassed by what she’d caused.“Absolutely not. You’re our guest, and you couldn’t help it. Take off, ET.”The Vulcan didn’t need to be told twice.“I’m Kaki Badelt, first officer,” the lieutenant said, offering her hand. “Call me X.”“X?”“Short for Executive Officer.”“Ah.” She suddenly felt another wave of nausea, but was able to fight it down.“We just went to warp.”“Not even in space five minutes, and I’m already going faster than light. Amazing.” Taking the other woman’s hand,

she introduced herself. “Suadela Tesfalem.”

“Welcome aboard. Let’s go this way.”As they started away from the transporter, Suadela asked, “How did you know I was pregnant?”“I’ve been through it… but I lost mine. Miscarriage in the fourth month.”“I’m sorry.”“It happens.”

“Well,” zh’Mori announced, gently snapping the last piece into the new inertial dampening unit, “it’s finished.”“Incredible. It took me three years to build that thing, and here you do it in six hours.”“It’s just a matter of tech. You’ll be able to do it in time.”“Not in my lifetime.”“Let’s go test it, shall we?”“How?” Rin asked.Deftly attaching a pair of antigrav units to the sides of the assembly, Roo answered, “Probe housing. We just fit this

into a class eight probe, and we can test it by remote.” Taking hold of one of the handles, she looked at her Intaran counterpart. “Care to take the other side? Forward torpedo bay is two decks up.”

“Oh, sure. Sorry.”Leading the way, the Andorian looked over at her counterpart.“So you helped build your ship, eh?”“Yeah, and I was on the design team, too. I actually designed the warp core with my parents.”“Oh, how I envy you.”“Me? Why would somebody like you envy me?”“You’re here at the very beginning. Your Zefram Cochrane is still alive!”Obah looked over at zh’Mori. “Zefram Cochrane?”“The man who discovered warp drive… well, Earth’s version, which is generally considered the prototype for what we

use today.”“My father did that.”Zh’Mori nearly tripped over her own feet.“Your father developed your warp drive?”“He came up with the hardware. My mother developed the equations.”“You have got to introduce me to them when we get to Intar…”

“Whoa!”“What?” T’Sen asked, turning from the lateral sensor readout.“We just lost telemetry,” Colt answered, starting a diagnostic.“A malfunction?”“No. The probe’s not there.” He looked up from the console. “It’s been destroyed.”T’Sen stepped around the console to stand next to him. “We should review the last few seconds of telemetry. It may

show us what happened.”“Good idea. I’ll throw it up on the big screen.”It took only a moment to see what had happened.Colt tapped his commbadge. “Colt to Captain McCormack.”“Go ahead, Mr. Colt.”“Sir, the probe has been destroyed by an Orion raider. We managed to get a good look at it, though.”There was a pause at the other end of the connection.“Commander Ragiker and I are on our way. We’ll be bringing some scans the engineers were able to salvage.

McCormack out.”

Five minutes later, Yhivanis Ragiker looked at something he never again wanted to see.“That’s it, or at least a ship of the same class,” he pronounced. “And you say this is one of their low-tech ships?”“I’m afraid so, Commander,” McCormack said. “But now that we know where it went, we may be able to find out who

funded them.”“I’m pretty sure the Prime Councilor will want them brought to Intar for trial.”“Well, that’s something for the politicians and diplomats to discuss. I’m just a communications officer with a superior

who thinks I’m cut out to command a starship.”

“You seem to be doing well so far,” Colt quipped. “Send this to Admiral Mecum, Sir?”“And Captain Yineth. If it does turn out they’re working for the Tzenkethi, the flotilla should be ready.”

“Tea, Lapsang Souchong, hot, double-sweet.”With a characteristic whirr, the ordered beverage appeared on the replicator platform. A moment later, the captain

gently picked it up and moved it to his desk.He was, quite possibly, the oldest starship captain in Starfleet, physically speaking. Being a human well past the

century mark without the help of technology or time travel, he’d served with many of Starfleet’s most legendary officers, from James T. Kirk himself to John Harriman and Demora Sulu to Rachel Garrett and Jean-Luc Picard.

But, while many of them moved up into the admiralty, the captain always found a way to stay in a captain’s chair.The USS London, which he had commanded from the moment she’d been certified warp-capable, was his tenth starship

command.“Bridge to Captain.”Andrew Elmlinger tapped his commbadge. “Go ahead, Mr. th’Raeq.”“Priority signal from Starbase 128. Admiral Mecum for you, Sir.”“I’ll take it in here, Exec,” Elmlinger replied, placing the teacup back onto its saucer.A moment later, the multi-purpose computer/comm unit unfolded from its stored configuration. Once it was fully

upright, the screen lit up with first the Federation seal, then the face of Thomas Mecum.“Hello, Sir,” Mecum said, starting the conversation.“Thom, how long have you been an admiral?”“Long enough, but you’ll always rate a ‘Sir’ from me. You were my first captain, after all.”Elmlinger chuckled. “You wouldn’t have sent a priority signal if you simply wanted to discuss old times. What’s on

your mind?”“The Intar situation.”Several months before, the planet Intar had sent word to the Federation that it required assistance to keep the Tzenkethi

from raiding their planet. Only later did they learn why. In response, a joint base had been established, and a Federation ambassador had been assigned.

“How’s my son doing in the ambassador’s chair?” the captain asked.“Remarkably well, but that’s not why I called. As you know, the Intarans have declared most of their exploration ships

lost to the Tzenkethi, yes?”“Yes. Six have been confirmed lost, if I remember correctly.”“Leaving two. Their flagship, the Voivonna Namree-Zaye, arrived some weeks ago. The Tampa has found and is

currently assisting the other surviving vessel, the Krental. She was attacked by Orion pirates.”Elmlinger considered the admiral’s words, thinking back to the time when Thomas Mecum had been a snot-nosed

ensign. “Interesting. How did they manage to fight the Orions off? The Intarans just recently developed warp drive.”“Krental expended her thermonuclear torpedoes in the encounter. Unfortunately, the Orions blew out their computer

core and inertial dampener. Tampa’s engineers are helping them replace both of those.”“So what do you need London for?”“Tampa’s science officer, assisted by a researcher from the Daystrom Institute who’s on her way to join the Obelisk

Investigation Team, has managed to track the raider’s warp trail, despite its degradation. The Intarans want the crew of that ship for trial.”

Elmlinger picked up his cup and took a sip of his tea. “They do understand that Federation courts generally trump those of planetary governments, even for allied powers and protectorates, don’t they?”

“Yes, and they are willing to conduct the trial under Federation law and procedure, but they’re adamant that, since it was one of their ships that was attacked, it should be conducted on Intar. Find the raider, arrest the crew and bring them to Intar for trial. The warp trail has been traced to somewhere near the Cimbak system.”

“Cimbak? Oh, joy. It’s been a while since I’ve been to an Orion stronghold.”“You’re the only Joker I have left in my deck, Sir. I need a big ship and an experienced captain. You’re it.”“Very well, Thom. We’ll check it out.”“Thank you, Captain. Keep me informed, would you?”“Of course. You don’t mind if I let my son know, as well, do you? He is, after all, our man at the Intaran capitol.”“Absolutely, yes. I’ll check in on you later.”“I look forward to it. Elmlinger out.”

Sorelan th’Raeq rose from the captain’s chair a moment after Elmlinger emerged from his readyroom.“All systems nominal, Captain.”“Good. We may need them. Helm, set course for the Cimbak system, maximum warp.”“Cimbak?” asked the ship’s counselor, Olga Bagdanovitch, asked. “Isn’t that a stronghold for the Orion Syndicate?”“Indeed it is, Counselor. We have a raider to find and a crew to arrest. One of the minor clans attacked an Intaran

explorer, and they want the crew for trial.”“Under Intaran law?”“No, under Federation law. I raised the same observation with Admiral Mecum, but the Intarans are adamant about

having the trial on their planet. As it was one of their ships that was attacked, they do have that prerogative,” the captain reminded his officers.

He then looked over at the sciences consoles.“Mr. Roldan, you should have some sensor readings from the Tampa. We’ll need to match them up to whatever ships

we encounter. I’m not sure if the Intarans have provided any, but if they have, they should be in that packet.”The science officer quickly checked through the received packets and nodded.“I’ve got it, Sir. The warp signature is pretty degraded, but the visual and signals scans, though a bit primitive, should

be enough to match up.”“Very well. Let’s head for Cimbak.”“Course laid in, Captain,” the helmsman reported.“Engage.”

The compartment filled with applause.“Thank you. For our last song, we’d like to do a piece recognized as the first song written by a Human/Vulcan team,

Jason Wilson and T’Naya. To help us, please welcome Lieutenant Salvek.”Accompanied by another round of applause, the young Vulcan stepped up onto the stage. As he took a seat between

the twin botanists, he placed a finely-crafted Vulcan lyre over his right shoulder. Casting a glance to each of the ladies in turn, he silently counted two measures, setting the tempo. He then began playing.

I see blood in the treesVast deep blue seasAnd I think of the red Vulcan skies.

I see water in so many formsFrom lakes and streams to thunderstormsAnd I think of the red Vulcan skies.

And I think of the red Vulcan skies.

Coming in with her electric harp, Camille added a counterpoint to Salvek’s lyre, as Kennerly sang the next verse.

I see blood on the landSorrow in the sandAnd I think of the blue Terran skies

I see buildings carved from red sandstoneDesert towns that they call homeAnd I think of the blue Terran skies

And I think of the blue Terran skies

Playing a bridge, the two instrumentalists wove what would normally be dissonant chords together into a complimentary sound. Arpeggios based on completely different scales spun against and around, each lending a bit to the other to form a pleasant whole.

Then, together, Kennerly and Salvek sang again.

But the same old stars shine down at night

Supporting worlds teeming with lifeIncluding two which make us long for homeAnd the black connects the two of usLiving far from our home dustMaking a home on worlds so far away

The final verse, they traded.

I saw red at dawn and felt at homeA blue sunset when the coolness comes

And together.

And I know now these are the right skies

And I know now these are the right skies…Applause filled the compartment as Captain McCormack joined the three performers on stage.“Aren’t they wonderful?” he asked, ever the emcee. “On Vulcan Lyre, Lieutenant Salvek, one of the ship’s Armory

Officers, and on both electric and acoustic harps, our visiting botanists, Ensigns Camille and Kennerly McKenna!”Another round of applause filled the compartment as the three performers bowed to the audience.“Please,” McCormack continued as the applause ended, “feel free to mingle, use the replicators, whatever you like.

After all, this evening is our way of helping your morale.”“Wonderful performance, all of you!” Ragiker gushed as he joined the others on the stage. “But I’m not quite sure

what to make of the lyrics.”“How so, Commander?” Salvek asked.“Well, to the best of my understanding, humanoid blood tends to be red, yet leaves are generally green.”“Vulcan blood is based on copper, rather than iron. As copper turns green as it oxidizes…”“Ah, yes. Forgive me, Lieutenant. As I am constantly reminded, my people have taken only our first few tentative

steps out into space.”“There is nothing to forgive, Sir, as I have not been offended. I do thank you for your compliment, though.”“Of course, Mr. Salvek… yet you seem rather… dismissive of it.”McCormack chuckled. “You’ll find most Vulcans that way, Vani. Or rather undemonstrative. Vulcans are taught to

control their emotions, lest their emotions control them. Vulcan philosophy is based on logic, instead.”“Though not all Vulcans follow the path of emotional suppression,” another voice said, drawing their attention.“Doctor T’Sen,” the captain remarked, greeting the civilian scientist. “I didn’t notice you in the audience.”“I arrived late, Captain. My apologies.”“Have you met Lieutenant Salvek and Ensigns McKenna?”“I have not had that pleasure, Captain.” Raising her hand in the traditional split-finger salute, she first greeted her

fellow Vulcan. “Peace and long life to you, Lieutenant.”“Live long and prosper, Doctor. By your openness concerning emotion, I assume you are V’tosh ka’tur?”“Not in the modern sense. My family follows the philosophical teachings of Ambassador Spock. Of course, being

raised on Earth likely had some influence.”“Interesting. Working with humans has often led me to contemplate the logic of such a philosophical alternative.”“Perhaps we may discuss it later.”“I am at your disposal, Doctor.”T’Sen acknowledged the lieutenant with a nod. An instant later, her face lit up as she turned her attention to the

identical flaxen-haired women.However, just as she was about to speak, she was interrupted by McCormack’s commbadge.“Bridge to Captain McCormack.”Tapping the commbadge, the captain replied, “Go ahead, Bridge.”“Picking up an incoming vessel, Sir. Preliminary scans show it as Ferengi, but they did sell some Marauders to the

Syndicate.”“Then let’s play it safe. Go to yellow alert, and let’s extend shields around the Krental. That way, we’ll be able to

beam personnel while still giving them some protection.”

“Aye, Sir.”“I’m on my way. McCormack out.” Giving a quick smile to Ragiker and the others, he added, “Sorry about that, but

duty calls.”“Go, Captain. I’ll pass the word among my people.”

“You heard the man,” Lt. Commander Pinjas Keransen said. “Yellow alert.”“Aye, Sir.”Keransen slowly paced in front of the command area, his reptilian eyes glancing at each station in turn.“Range, Mr. Cockburn?”“One point two million kilometers and closing.”Keransen flicked his tongue, tasting the air.“Shield status?”“Holding steady around both ships.”Turning to his own station, he addressed the young Bolian who had relieved him so the captain and first officer could

attend the performance.“Any response to our hails, Ensign?”“No, Sir. Just an automatic acknowledgement with a stand by tag.”“So we’re putting each other on hold. Wonderful.”“At least there’s no over-amplified music,” the ensign quipped, earning her a chuckle from the Gnalish. Keransen tried

his best to remain professional, but the girl reminded him too much of his own daughter, an engineer back home on Gnala.Just then, the turbolift doors whoosed open, admitting Captain McCormack and Commander Afwhaun.“Anything from them?” McCormack asked.“Just the automatic response. I think they’re waiting for you,” Keransen answered, returning to the operations station.“Then let’s try again, now that I’m here. Open hailing frequencies.”“Frequencies open, Sir.”Turning to face the main screen, on which the approaching ship was pictured, McCormack called out.“Ferengi vessel, this is Captain T.J. McCormack, temporarily in command of the Federation starship Tampa. Please

state your intentions.”There were several seconds of silence before the operations console emitted a series of beeps.“Visual response, Captain,” Keransen reported.“On screen.”A moment later, the screen changed to show a more or less standard Ferengi bridge, but McCormack did notice that the

Ferengi Alliance logo had been replaced with the Ferengi words for unchained commerce.“Federation ship Tampa, I am DaiMon Lorr, commanding the Unchained Commerce. We were informed that the

vessel you are currently assisting had been listed as a derelict. We are here to claim salvage rights.”“I see. Obviously, you are mistaken. The vessel is damaged, but fully manned. Per Starfleet policy, we are lending

assistance.“May I ask who gave you that information?”The view on the screen expanded slightly, revealing a dark green, thick-muscled Orion.“I did, Human. I am Haran-Tur, and I claim that vessel’s crew as property under Orion law.”“This is Federation space, Haran-Tur,” McCormack reminded the two on the screen. “Orion law does not apply. That

ship is under Starfleet protection.”“Are you prepared to die to defend slaves?”The Orion stopped at a gesture from the Ferengi.“We wish no conflict, Captain,” Lorr said. “But we will have that ship.”“The Ferengi Alliance—”“We are true Ferengi! That… communist has washed away everything Ferengi culture is based on! You will give us

our property, or we will destroy you! You have ten minutes to decide.”Abruptly, the screen returned to its forward visual.“Well,” McCormack said, dropping into the captain’s chair, “they seem rather upset.” He looked up at the operations

station. “Mr. Keransen, send an encrypted signal to the Hammersley. Advise them of our situation and request they increase speed, if they can.”

“Aye, Captain.”

McCormack then pushed the intercom button on the arm of his chair. “McCormack to mess hall. Someone please advise our Intaran guests that we may be going into combat shortly. Out.”

“Shall I sound red alert, Captain?” Cockburn asked, his hand poised over the relevant part of his console.“Not quite yet, Mr. Cockburn. Begin charging phasers and load torpedo bays, but do it slowly. Maybe we can sneak

up on their sensors.”Slowly, a smile spread across the tactical officer’s face. “Gotcha, Boss. Five minute slow charge, Aye.”

“Yellow Alert. All key personnel to stations. Repeat: Yellow Alert. All key personnel to stations.”Suadela Tesfalem woke at the sound of the computer’s voice. Rolling out of the bunk she had been assigned, she

touched the small square that was placed at the corner of the display screen that filled much of the wall above the equally small desk, bringing the ship status display to life.

“Computer,” she stated, having learned that Federation computers were generally speech-activated, “what is the reason for the yellow alert?”

“USS Tampa has requested assistance. Hammersley has accelerated to maximum speed in order to minimize time to rendezvous.”

“Revised estimate?”“Thirty-eight minutes.”“Where is my station, should the ship enter combat?”The question had not occurred to Suadela, but her husband had informed her of the importance of knowing such

information as they had walked out to the beam-up area. In hindsight, she was glad he had.“Sickbay is the most shielded part of this vessel. It is suggested you report there or remain in quarters.”“Acknowledged. I am reporting to sickbay. Please advise relevant personnel.”“Acknowledged.”Suadela, having slept in her uniform trousers, quickly pulled on her top and slipped her feet into the soft shoes that had

come with the clothes before heading out the door.The designers of the Defiant class had made it easy for people to find their way around the ship. Each critical section

had colored stripes in the decking which led to it. A red stripe led to the bridge. A gold one terminated in engineering.Knowing that it led to sickbay, Suadela followed the blue stripe aft.

“Shields?” Lt. Commander Michael McCune asked.“Full power,” Setek reported. “Phasers and torpedo launchers ready at your command.”“Time to intercept.”“Twenty-six minutes,” Lieutenant, j.g. Harnell Jones answered. “Speed holding steady at warp nine point nine eight.

We are flat out, Boss.”“Any word from Tampa?”“No, Sir,” Lieutenant Kaki Badelt replied. “Captain McCormack is trying to defuse the situation.”“I would expect no less from him, X. Please advise them of our revised ETA.”“Aye, Sir.”

“Doctor, could you use some help?”Dr. Michelle Hobbs looked up from the surgical tray she was checking over.“Ms. Tesfalem, isn’t it?”“That’s right. The computer suggested I report here, since it’s the most protected part of the ship.”“Well, since you’re here, I could use the help checking these surgical packs.” She called up a diagram of the standard

surgical pack on one of the screens. “Just compare these to that, and set aside any that don’t match.”“I can do that.”“Meanwhile, I’ll get the triage area set up.”

“DaiMon! Sensors are picking up vessels ahead.”Renn looked over at the ship’s science officer. “Can you pull identity tags?”“Yes, DaiMon. One is Federation, one Ferengi… and one Intaran.”“Are they underway?”“No, DaiMon. I am reading shields on our vessel and the Federation one.”

That surprised Renn. Since Grand Nagus Zek had allied the Ferengi Alliance with the Federation, and especially since his successor, Grand Nagus Rom, had announced his intention for the Alliance to eventually join the Federation, the two fleets had behaved cordially with each other.

Trusting his lobes, he made a decision.“Prepare for battle. There is something wrong there.”“Yes, DaiMon… but who will we be fighting?”“I don’t know yet. Hail all three vessels.”“Yes, DaiMon,” the ship’s communications officer replied, carrying out the order.A moment later, the screen changed to show the three bridges of the ships in question.“I am DaiMon Renn of the Ferengi vessel Shelaki. To whom am I speaking?”“Captain T.J. McCormack, USS Tampa.”“Commander Yhivanis Ragiker, IES Krental.”“This is the Unchained Commerce. I am DaiMon Lorr. We claim the Intaran vessel as salvage. Our… associates

claim the crew as property.”Hisses sounded from nearly every mouth on the bridge.“That is a violation of the Twelfth Rule of Acquisition!” Renn hissed. “People are customers! Not property!”“We are no longer bound by the laws of the Alliance!” Lorr hissed right back. “We are true Ferengi!”“If you are dealing in slaves, then you are not Ferengi! You are pirates, and you will be treated like pirates!” He then

shifted his eyes to the two humans. “I offer assistance to you, McCormack. How do you wish us to proceed?”

McCormack looked over his shoulder at Cockburn, silently asking the status of the weapons.In reply, the tactical officer nodded.“DaiMon Lorr,” the captain announced, turning back to face the screen, “if you would care to scan this vessel again,

you will see that our weapons are fully charged and locked onto your most vital systems. I’m sure you could do some damage, but not before the Shelaki enters weapons range and opens fire.

“Therefore, you are left with only two options that will let you live.”He paused, letting the words sink in.“You may withdraw… or you may surrender.”It was Haran-Tur who answered.“NEVER! We will destroy you all first, and we will take our property!”A moment later, the Orion grabbed the Ferengi by the throat and threw him out of the Unchained Commerce’s

captain’s chair. That done, he assumed the seat himself.“All weapons, open fire!”“And here we go,” McCormack sighed as Tampa rocked with the impact of the first salvo. “Return fire, phasers and

torpedoes.”“Aye, Sir,” Cockburn replied. “Firing now.”

The House of Caladi had held the throne of Aslan, in one way or another, for nearly two centuries, and had been instrumental in the establishment of the current Constitutional Monarchy, voluntarily renouncing their political power, though reserving some, albeit seldom-used, rights for times of emergency. This made them similar to most of the royal families throughout the Federation, such as the British and Japanese royal families on Earth or the Andorian Emperor.

In return, they were officially recognized as Aslan’s “first family” and were respected as the keepers of Aslani culture. Indeed, many of the family’s holdings were museums dedicated to Aslani culture and history. In fact, the Royal Family had been one of the major contributors to the construction of the ‘Hall of Starships’ where Prime Councilor Kodo had announced the finding of the Krental only the previous day.

Also, like other royal houses throughout the Federation, the House of Caladi had a long military tradition, both openly and in secret.

Mari Dalaan was one such ‘secret’ royal officer. When she had applied for the competition to crew the Sentinel, the King agreed that her true identity be kept hidden until she either washed out or was formally accepted as a crewmember. Of course, being one of the most-photographed women on Intar made that more an affectation than an actual attempt at anonymity. Starfleet, though, respected her wishes, and had treated her no differently than any of the other candidates.

Thus, it came as a surprise when the computer announced, “Miss Dalaan, there is an incoming transmission for you. Please report to Base Operations.”

“Acknowledged. I’m on my way.”

Rolling out of her bunk, she grabbed her Air Forces cap, cast a smile at her roommate, and headed out.

“Mari Dalaan,” she announced several minutes later, as she stopped at the duty officer’s desk, just inside the main door of the Base Operations center. “I was sent for?”

“Ah, Your Highness,” Jeff Wilcox called from near the center of the expansive room.Dalaan’s head whipped around. Very few had addressed her by her royal title since she’d joined the military, and

Wilcox was the first alien to recognize the fact that she was a member of the Aslani Royal Family.“Begging your pardon, Sir, but I don’t use that form of address when on duty.”“Granted,” Wilcox said, coming out from behind the bank of Federation-supplied monitoring equipment, “but I’m told

this is an Aslani matter.”That concerned Dalaan. “Has something happened?”“Not that I’m aware of. We’ve set you up in the readyroom, right over here.”Wilcox led Dalaan over to the readyroom door, which stood open for them.“Have a seat behind the desk, and I’ll give you some privacy.”“Thank you, Commander Wilcox.”With a smile, the Starfleet officer closed the door, leaving her alone in the small office.Activating the desk terminal, she saw the last person she expected.“Father!”“Hello, Mari,” Minik III, King of Aslan, Preserver of Aslani Culture and History, and Protector of the Liberties of the

Aslani People (to give him his full title), answered from the screen. “You look well. How has the selection process been going?”

“It’s been good,” Dalaan answered.“I thought you’d still be on the moon.”“We came back last night. We start training flights on Starfleet shuttlecraft tomorrow. I drew Ensign Stirling as my

instructor.”“Really? An excellent choice. I’ve had the pleasure of flying with her myself, once or twice.”“Yes, I know.” She paused, wondering at all the preliminaries. Minik was known for being far more direct.

“Commander Wilcox said this was an Aslani matter?”“Yes. I have an official request I would like you to pass on to Starfleet for me.”“Me? Why not go through the embassy at Unity?”“You are already on the base, my dear.”“Point taken. What would you like me to ask?”“I was quite impressed, back during the base dedication ceremony, when the Hammersley landed on the parade field.

Captain Harris did say that, though starships are born in space, some are capable of landing on a planet’s surface and returning. Would you happen to know if the ship assisting the Krental… what was it’s name again?”

“The Tampa. It’s an Intrepid-class starship, and yes, it is landing-capable. Starship recognition was one of the first things they taught us after we arrived to begin training.”

“Excellent! Since Commander Ragiker is one of our citizens, I believe an investiture is in order. Both for him, for leading his crew through their troubles, and for the commander of the Tampa, as thanks for rendering assistance.”

“The former, of course, but there may be a problem with the latter. While Federation officers are permitted to receive investitures, from what I’ve learned from officers here who studied under him at Starfleet Academy, he tends to eschew such honors.”

“Oh,” the king replied, deflating a bit. Then an idea struck him. “What about some sort of military honor? Something symbolic, yet uniquely Aslani.”

“Well, we did stop issuing several medals following unification. Perhaps we could resurrect one or two. The Silver Izurde would fit, as it was presented to officers who came to the assistance of vessels at sea.”

“Hmm… Gold for the commander, I think, and silver for those of his crew instrumental in making repairs.”“Now that you mention it, the Gold Izurde would be more appropriate. After all, if the Tampa hadn’t found them, it’s

unlikely any of them would have survived to reach a habitable planet.”“Indeed. How large of a field will the ship need for its landing?”“Well, she’s around three hundred and fifty meters long, slightly under a hundred and fifty wide… Aetaz Castle would

be ideal.”“Then, as the Starfleet captains might say, Make it so!”“Aye-aye, Father!”

“And while you are doing that, I believe I shall put in a call to the Prime Councilor… Do you think Starfleet might allow me use of a transporter?”

“That might be pushing things. I’ll give your request to Commander Wilcox, who will forward it both to General Rentoshi and Admiral Mecum.”

“I can ask no more. Thank you, Mari. Reg Aslan, Minik, clear.”

Dalaan found Wilcox back at his post when she opened the door.“Commander,” she said, “I have a request from the King. I trust you will forward it to the relevant persons?”“Of course. What can Starfleet do for Aslan?”“We ask that the Tampa be allowed to land at Aetaz Castle, so that the King may reward her captain and crew. We’re

reviving a defunct award, the Gold and Silver Izurde, which was awarded to ship captains and crews who rendered aid to vessels in distress at sea. Gold for Captain McCormack and silver for those of the crew who were instrumental in Krental’s repairs. Commander Ragiker, as an Aslani citizen, will be invested in recognition of his leadership during the ship’s… emergency.”

Wilcox was silent for several seconds as he processed what the young woman had asked. Finally, he nodded.“It seems appropriate. I’ll forward the King’s request. Captain Yineth and Ambassador Elmlinger should be advised,

as well.” He paused. “I’m actually surprised your father didn’t consider a knighthood for Captain McCormack.”“He did, but I advised against it. From what I’ve learned, he would likely have refused such an honor.”“I’ve never met him, myself, but Captain Harris considers him a friend. You did the right thing, I think. Thank you,

Miss Dalaan. Dismissed.”“Aye-aye, Sir!”Wilcox chuckled. “You don’t have to be that formal with me. A single aye will suffice.”“Understood, Sir. I’ll return to quarters now.”

“Approaching Cimbak II, Captain,” the flight control officer announced.“Slow to impulse,” Andrew Elmlinger ordered. “Mr. Capper, hail the planetary director, would you?”“Aye, Sir,” the ship’s security chief replied. “Channel open, and we are receiving a reply.”“On main screen.”A moment later, the forward screen changed to show the office of an Orion Clan Lord. The outright ostentatiousness

put the captain in mind of King Xerxes, from a movie from the early twenty-first century he’d once seen.But the face of the grizzled Orion pirate was familiar.“This is Orion space,” Praekdan Dakkan growled from the screen. “Your presence is not welcome here.”“Really? You seemed to tolerate us well enough during the war.”“Leave, Elmlinger! Or must we destroy that pretty vessel of yours?”“Oh, come on, Praekdan,” Andrew drawled, feigning indifference. “You know your ships are no match for me, and

even if they were, your captains are incompetent.” He leaned forward. “Besides, I am here on a matter of contract.”The Orion matched Andrew’s pose, suddenly interested. “Contract? What sort of contract?”“The sort that prohibits Orion vessels from attacking ships belonging to Federation protectorates.” He then nodded to

th’Raeq, who transmitted the visual logs they had been sent from the Tampa. “Do you recognize that ship?”Dakkan’s face darkened, flushing to a deep forest green.“Haran-Tur,” he snarled. “A disgusting upstart clan that has caused nothing but misery since it set up operations

here. They’ve been worming their way into nearly everything, with unvarying incompetence.”“So where might I find this particular vessel?”Dakkan sighed. Andrew couldn’t tell if it was from resignation, exasperation or satisfaction. He then began rapidly

typing on the desk in front of him.“At these coordinates, but Haran-Tur himself is not there. He left aboard a Ferengi vessel some days ago, when the

ship returned.”“I see. You won’t mind if we send an away team to take the ship and arrest the crew, would you?”Dakkan’s lip curled at the question, but it seemed as if it opened up a way to get rid of the thorn in his side.“The crew is yours, but the ship is Orion property.”Andrew looked around at his bridge crew, silently gauging their expressions.“Fair enough. Prepare a prize crew, and we’ll let you know when we’re done. Elmlinger out.”A moment later, the screen returned to forward visual.

“Well,” Andrew said, rising from his chair, “that went better than expected. Conn, plot us a nice, slow intercept course. No need to rush up on them, but be ready should they decide to make a hasty retreat. Commander, assemble a boarding party. Full ship seizure package.”

“Aye, Sir.”“And have them meet me in transporter room three in one hour.”The Andorian turned to face his captain.“Sir?”“I’ll be leading the boarding myself.” He saw his first officer take a breath, and beat him to it. “Do you have a

problem with that, Mr. th’Raeq?”“As a matter of fact, I do. You’re far to valuable to go into what is likely going to be a shooting match.”“Oh, I have no intention of shooting at them, Commander. I’ll be heading over to talk to them, which makes it a

diplomatic matter. Your objection is noted. If I’m needed, I’ll be in my quarters, changing clothes.”

Lieutenant Milaani Tanzen was waiting outside his quarters.The young Orion woman had joined the ship five years before, following her graduation from Starfleet Academy. She

hadn’t been the first Orion to attend, but had been the first to graduate near the top of her class.Andrew had first met her on Baxsis, an Orion base comprised of little more than a bunch of asteroids that had been tied

together with pressure tubes and domes, turning them into a large space station.Starfleet had sent the starship Abernathy to capture the base, which it did with relative ease.But it had not been without casualties, including an Orion slave woman who had been feeding information to Starfleet

Intelligence and the pirate whose heart she had won.Sekaara Tanzen’s last wish, as she lay dying in Andrew Elmlinger’s arms, was that the Starfleet captain make sure that

her daughter was raised in the Federation, away from the crime and degradation that was the Orion lifestyle.So Andrew had adopted the child and raised her himself. When she reached the physical equivalent of an eighteen-

year-old human, she requested and was given an appointment to Starfleet Academy.Reaching past her, Andrew keyed in the door’s lock code.“What can I do for you, Lieutenant?” he asked, silently inviting her to preceded him.“I’d like to be assigned to the boarding party,” Milaani replied, turning and stepping across the threshold.“What makes you think this would be any different from any other ship seizure?” the captain asked, heading for the

bedroom section, where he opened the closet.“These are Orions, Father, and so am I. I know the way they think far better than you do. You don’t really think

Dakkan will let you just beam aboard and arrest the crew, do you?”“Why the hell not? This particular clan has been a thorn in his side, and I’ve volunteered to pull it out, at least

partially. If anything, I expect him to owe me one.”He then pulled out a uniform that surprised Milaani: combat blacks. Worn more often by marines and dedicated

ground troops than those assigned starship duty, they included a low-power personal forcefield and metallic threads throughout, the combination of which provided at least some protection from directed energy weapons… such as Orion disruptors.

“You’re not just making this request because I’m going, are you?” he asked, dropping the specialized uniform onto the bed and unfastening the front of his tunic.

Milaani considered her answer. There was definitely a fair amount of protectiveness. The woman had always been fiercely loyal to her adoptive father, even to the point of defending him from his three biological children when they had felt abandoned by his career choices. But that wasn’t her primary reason.

“No, Sir, though I won’t deny it’s not a consideration. I just think you should play the best card in your deck, and in this case, that’s me.”

“Damn me for teaching you poker,” Andrew said to himself as he pulled off his boots, followed by his trousers.“Besides, it’ll throw them off to see one of their own in the party.”“Milaani, you may be an Orion by biology, but you’re my daughter. You’re also a Starfleet officer, which makes you

part of a much bigger family full of people who value you and your abilities.”“Much bigger like Jack and Jacen?” the security officer quipped.“Laugh all you want, Little Green. Jacen’s reserve commission has been activated while he’s teaching at North Star,

and Jack is a full ambassador now. Let’s see you do as well when you’re their age.”They shared a laugh as Andrew sealed the front of his combat uniform.

They were halfway to the transporter room when the red alert sounded.Tapping his commbadge, Elmlinger called the bridge.“They’re climbing out of orbit, Captain… and they just went to warp!”“Get after them, Commander. I’m on my way up.”“Well, I guess that takes care of the boarding,” Milaani quipped.“You sound happy,” the captain remarked, summoning a turbolift.“Just happy you’re not leading the team.”“Well, at least you’re honest about it.” The two stepped into the lift. “Bridge, priority.”“I was ready to knock you out to keep you from going.”Andrew cast a sidelong look at his adopted daughter. “You’re welcome to try.”Her reply was cut short by the opening of the turbolift doors.“Report,” he ordered, walking onto the bridge.“Steady on course 216 mark 14, warp eight. We are closing on him,” Sorelan th’Raeq replied, rising from the captain’s

chair. “We’ll be in weapons range in four minutes.”“Very well,” Andrew said, taking the seat. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something wasn’t quite right. He

looked first to the right, then to his left.“I may be on the high side of a hundred years old, but I seem to recall that tactical should be manned when at general

quarters. Where’s Mr. Capper?”“Um, emergency head call, Sir,” the first officer answered. “I figured we were far enough away. I planned to assume

the position myself, if needed.”“Understandable.” He looked over at Tanzen. “Milaani, dear, take tactical, would you? You can coordinate with

Lieutenant Capper when he’s done in the head.”“Works for me,” the Orion remarked, bringing up the portside console’s interface.“Speaking of Capper, shouldn’t he be back yet?”“He said it was probably the Kaltorian chili he had for lunch,” th’Raeq answered.Andrew looked over at his first officer with a look of shock peppered with mirth.“Kaltorian chili? He’ll be in there for hours!” Heaving a sighing chuckle, the captain returned his attention to the

forward screen. “I do hope he activated the vacuum system, rather than the water feed.”“Amen to that,” Milaani said, under her breath. “I can smell it from here.”Ignoring his adoptive daughter’s remark, Andrew asked, “What’s on this course?”“Not all that much. Olmerak, the Tomyn system, Starbase 128, but nothing on this direct course. Eventually, we’d

enter Tzenkethi space.”“You forgot one, Commander. Intar. I think I know where they’re going. Milaani, be a dear and open a channel,

would you?”“Aye, Sir. Channel open.”“Orion vessel, this is Captain Andrew Elmlinger of the Federation Starship London. Heave to and prepare to be

boarded.”The Orion reply was a disruptor blast. Fortunately, London’s shields had been raised when the ship went to red alert.“Looks like they want to play,” th’Raeq remarked.“Indeed. Phasers, return fire. Target weapons and engines.”On the screen, the gold lances of phaser fire impacted on the Orion vessel’s shields.“They’re attempting to accelerate, Captain,” the science watch officer reported, turning from his station.“Accelerate as needed to maintain closure,” Andrew ordered. “Fire again, please.”A second volley of phaser fire leapt between the ships, but this time, an explosion blossomed on the Orion’s hull.“Got his aft weapons array,” Milaani reported. “He’s not slowing.”“Then let’s give them an opportunity to do so. Open a visual channel, please.”A moment later, the main screen changed to show the tiny bridge of the Orion raider.“What is this?” he asked. “You have a slave on your crew?!”“There are no slaves here!” Andrew snapped, standing up. “Lieutenant Tanzen is a member of my crew. You will

address me!”“I do not address old men, Elmlinger. I will speak to the slave.”“You will speak to me or I will blast you from the sky.”“I’d listen to him,” Milaani added, just above the volume needed to know she’d be heard by the Orion captain. “My

finger is on the firing button.”

The Orion captain raised an eyebrow. “Indeed? You show fire, little slave.” His gaze shifted to Andrew. “How much do you want for her? I would enjoy breaking her.”

“Who wants to know?” Andrew asked, changing tack.“I am Daran-Sur of the Orion vessel Haddis. Name your price for your slave, Captain.”“She’s not my slave, Daran-Sur,” Andrew responded. “She’s my tactical officer. Now, unless you’d like to learn just

how good of a tactical officer she is… I suggest you heave to and prepare to be boarded.”“I invite you to… make me.”Andrew stared at the screen for several seconds before turning to his green-skinned daughter, seated at the tactical

console.“Milaani, my dear,” he said, returning to his seat, “take that thing out of my sky.”“Gladly, Father. Quantum torpedoes, full spread.”

“Their shields are down!”“Tractor beam!” T.J. McCormack ordered. “Phasers, take out those weapon arrays.”“Aye, Sir. Targets locked and… firing.”Tampa rocked again as the Ferengi/Orion vessel fired.“Ms. Afwhaun, I would appreciate it if you would lead an away team over there to take control of that ship.”“Right away, Captain. Mr. Cockburn, alert transporter room one,” the first officer replied, adding the order as she

headed for the turbolift.“Stun only!” McCormack called over his shoulder as the turbolift doors puffed closed.

Dalaan was nearly back to quarters when she encountered Master Sergeant Puget.“Miss Dalaan,” he said, “I need you to do a favor for me.”“Of course, Top,” she answered, snapping to attention.“Let everybody in there,” he ordered, nodding toward the barracks she was about to enter, “know that I want them at

the transporter center in thirty minutes. We’re all beaming up to the Blount Island.”“Sir?”“A freighter managed to run the blockade with parts to build a Federation-style drydock. They want some help putting

it together.”“Aye-aye, Top, but, from what I understand, those frames are put together like big Torcheen sets. A crew of twenty

could put one together.”“And a crew of twenty will, but you’re all going to have simulator runs first, and that takes a holodeck. Pass the word,

Trainee. On your way.”“Aye-aye, Top!”Breaking into a jog, Dalaan charged up the ramp into the barracks.Inside, she found Bram Karini relaxing in the entryway.“Karini!” she said. “Top wants us all over at the transporter center, on the double. Can you pass the word down here?”“Of course,” the young sea forces lieutenant answered, shoving his e-reader into his pocket. “Where are we going?”“The Blount Island. Apparently, a few of us are going to build a new drydock.”“Did he say which ones?”“No. We’re doing simulator runs.”“Oh, wonderful…”

“Their shields are down,” Milaani reported.“Let’s end this,” Andrew ordered. “Transporter rooms, beam the survivors to the brig.”“Aye, Sir,” the first officer responded, relaying the captain’s orders.“Once they’re aboard, destroy that ship, please.”Milaani paused. “Umm… You told Dakkan he was welcome to the ship.”Anthony turned to regard his adoptive daughter, a mischievous glint in his eye.“Did I? I guess we’ll just have to disappoint him.”“You love having a target on your back, don’t you?” she asked, rhetorically, as she programmed the phaser barrage.“That’s it, Captain,” th’Raeq reported. “Transporter rooms report all Orion crew have been beamed to the brig.”“Then let’s end this. Milaani… fire.”

“Hey, Chris! You gotta see this.”Christopher Serrie poked his head into the communications compartment a moment after the call. “What’s up, Tico?”“We just picked this up on the Starfleet Guard channel.”Serrie’s eyebrows went up as he saw the face on the screen. “What’s he doing in command?”“Beats me, but he just pounded the crap out of that Ferengi ship.”“You been recording this?”Tico looked up at the reporter. “You have to ask?”Suddenly, Serrie jumped, his eyes going wide. “Holy shit!”Tico’s head snapped back to the screen. “G’day’t!”“We gotta call this in.” Leaning back out into the packet ship’s bridge, he called, “Kari! Get a bearing on any ships in

the area. We just saw one of our guys sliced by an Orion pirate.”“Our guys?”“Starfleet. Took her right arm clean off.”“Aw, crap. What am I looking for?” Kari, the ship’s titular captain/helmsman, asked.“Looks like an Intrepid, so it’s probably the Tampa.”“Got it. Altering course to intercept.”“We probably ought to call it in to Intar, as well. Tampa is assisting one of their ships,” Tico added, his hand hovering

over a bank of communications controls.Serrie thought for a moment before nodding. “You’re right. Go to whoever will take us. If they all want us, set up a

pool feed.”“You got it.”“I’ll be in the studio.”

“Bridge to Captain Yineth.”His eyes snapped open instantly, a reflex borne from time in the Bajoran Resistance and honed by his time at the

Academy.McCormack was right. Her voice is like a refreshing breeze.Rolling to his right, he reached across and activated the intercom with his left hand.“Yineth here. What is it, Mr. Breeze?”“There’s a news signal coming in you should see, Sir. All the networks downside are running it.”He groaned slightly as he sat up on the edge of the bed. He’d decided to take a nap after his weekly sparring match.

Colby had matched him up with a Salumid this time, and the bruises his tentacles had left still ached.“What’s the origin, Lieutenant?”“FNS Brit Hume, Sir. They’re livecasting a running battle between a combined Orion and Ferengi crew and the

Tampa’s boarding party.”“Oh, bloody hell…”Rising from the bed, he padded over to his desk, activating the terminal as he sat down.“…we don’t know how many Orions and Ferengi have been killed or injured, but we do know that at least one member

of the Starfleet boarding party is a casualty. As a reminder, these images are coming from Starfleet and are unedited. We have added a short delay so we can cut away should anything of a sensitive nature happen.

“Recapping, a Starfleet boarding party is in the process of taking control of what is apparently a mixed Ferengi and Orion crew, but is meeting a great deal of resistance, mostly from the Orions…”

“Mr. Breeze, are the planetary leaders calling?”“Surprisingly no, Captain. Those that have apparently understand that there’s really nothing we can do.”“Very well. Still, I’m on my way up. I should at least check in with General Rentoshi about this.”“I’ll get him on the line for you, Sir.”“Thanks, Breezy. Yineth out.”

“Is this really what we have to look forward to?” Rina Rentoshi asked her husband. “Sometimes it seems like half the galaxy wants us gone… or worse.”

“Not quite that much, Love,” General An Rentoshi answered, pausing in his packing. He’d been meaning to visit several of the smaller bases around the world that had become part of FOB Gwalior, and the need to keep his flight time current provided him the perfect opportunity. “Just a few.”

“You’re a real ray of sunshine,” she retorted, turning back to the information wall, where the live feed from the Brit Hume played out.

The general was about to ask where he’d put something he wanted to pack when the base computer addressed him.“General Rentoshi, there is an incoming call for you. USS Ernst Ruska.”“Might as well put it up here, Computer.”A moment later, the wall screen changed to show a young officer neither Intaran had ever seen. She had long, dark

hair, which she wore in a ponytail, and ears that had a truly interesting shape. Despite her clear alienness, Rentoshi’s initial thought was that she reminded him of his daughter.

“Oh!” she said, as the living room appeared on her screen. “I’m sorry to have caught you at home, General.”“Not a problem, Miss…”“Breeze, Sir. Lieutenant, j.g. Jantha Breeze, assistant communications officer.”“Nice to meet you, Miss Breeze. An Rentoshi, my wife Rina.”“Hello!” Rina called, giving a little wave.“An honor, Sir, Ma’am. I assume you’re watching the news?”“You mean the running battle on board that scow that wants to steal our ship and enslave our crew? It’s in the upper

left corner of the screen here.”“Understood, Sir. Captain Yineth wants to check in with you about it. I think he’s wondering if you have any orders

for us up here. He’s currently on his way to the bridge.”“Tell him not to bother. It’s not like there’s anything we can do, especially with that blockade out there.”Spotting the item he had been looking for, he tucked it into the top of his flight bag before zipping it closed.“Aye, Sir. If I may, General, it looks like you’re preparing to travel. We are in a position where we can beam you up.”“No, Lieutenant, that’s not necessary. I need to keep my flight time up. I’ll grab a shuttlecraft and come up that way.”“Understood, Sir. I’ll let the captain know.”“Very well. Anything else, Lieutenant?”“No, Sir.”“I’ll be up in about an hour. Rentoshi, clear.”As the screen returned to the news feed, the computer asked, “Will you need transportation to the airbase,

General?”“No, I’ll ride my scooter.”“Acknowledged. Base operations has been notified.”The general picked up his flight bag and bent down to kiss his wife. “I’ll be back in a few days.”“You’d better be. I like this house.”

“Time.”“Three minutes.”“ET, I want full safeties on the targeting sensors. I don’t want to risk friendly fire.”“Aye, Sir.”“X, get me Tampa.”A moment later, Captain T.J. McCormack’s voice came from the speakers embedded in the captain’s chair.“Thanks for showing up, guys!”“Our pleasure. Where do you need us?”“We’ve got a boarding party fighting their way to the bridge. Take out their engine systems so they can’t run.”“On it. You heard the man, Buffer. Target that ship and fire.”It took only a single volley from the Hammersley’s pulse phasers, combined with the well-placed shot from the Shelaki.“His engine systems are disabled,” Setek reported.“Thank you, ET. What else do you need, Captain?”“That should do it, Hammersley. Now we wait for the boarding party.”“How’s your officer?”“I’d rather not put the details out on an open channel.”“Understood.”“Boss, that newsie is putting out a general hail. They’re looking for somebody to give them an update.”“I’d better handle that,” McCormack answered. “After all, I used to deal with reporters for a living…”“I appreciate that. I’m a lawyer, not a PR officer.”

“We’re now joined by Captain T.J. McCormack, commanding the starship Tampa. Captain, the first question is obvious: What’s the situation?”

McCormack sat back in his readyroom chair, projecting an air of confidence he had developed during his time dealing with the public.

“Our boarding party has met with some resistance, and there have been injuries on both sides, but I have confidence that we will take the pirates into custody in a matter of minutes.”

“I understand one of those injuries was to the officer leading the boarding party.”“Yes, my first officer, Commander Samnah’Afwhaun. She’s been beamed to sickbay, and Dr.

Baker reports that she should make a full recovery, though she will need to have a bio-mimetic arm fitted.”

“And how are the Intarans reacting?” Christopher Serrie asked.“They’re a bit tense, as is to be expected. I’d be lying if I said my own crew wasn’t, but having

met Commander Ragiker, I’m sure he’ll keep them together.”McCormack was about to say more, but was interrupted by the sound of the door chime.“Come!”The door puffed open, and Cockburn poked his head in.“Captain, we’ve taken the ship. Haran-Tur tried to off himself, but we got him.”“Excellent, Mr. Cockburn,” the captain replied. “Please advise the repair crews to resume their

work.”“Aye, Sir.”“And there you have it. With Hammersley’s arrival, we should have Krental headed home in a

few days, if not hours, and we’ll deliver the pirates to the proper authorities for trial.”“Thank you for your time, Captain T.J. McCormack…”

“…and we’re clear. Thanks again, Captain.”“No problem, Chris. In fact, if you’d like to beam over, I’m sure Vani would be happy to grant an interview.”“I’d love to! Let us freshen up, and we’ll be over in about ten minutes.”“Works for me. McCormack out.”

“Well, now that the fireworks are over, let’s go test that inertial dampener.”“Works for me.”As they headed out of engineering, Rin couldn’t help but cast a glance over her shoulder at the warp core.“My parents would consider that warp core a true piece of art,” she quipped, turning back to look where she was going.Roo chuckled. “You think this one’s pretty, you should see what we have on our big ships. They’re about three times

as big.”“Amazing. So where did we stash that thing?”“It’s this way, the maintenance closet just this side of transporter room two.”As they approached the transporter room, they ran into Lt. Colt, who was escorting another Intaran.“Suadela!”Rin ran up to the computer specialist and the two women threw their arms around each other.“Rin! Oh, it’s so good to see you.”Breaking the embrace, Rin held Suadela at arm’s length. “What brings you out here?”In response, Suadela pulled a small box from her pocket.“I have an alpha of a new operating system I’m helping Starfleet develop for our ships. It’s just a rescue build, but it

should get you home.”“In fact,” Colt added, “we were just heading down to Engineering to give Mrs. Tesfalem a chance to do a couple of

tweaks before we load it.”“Well, in that case, perhaps we should trade escortees,” the Andorian remarked. “You don’t mind, do you?”“Not at all,” Rin answered. “In fact, I’ve been looking for an excuse.”“An excuse?”“To listen to that amazing voice of yours.”“Looks like you’ve got an admirer, Mr. Colt,” Roo teased.The science officer looked the Intaran engineer from head to toe and back, a half-smile slowly spreading across his

face.

“Perhaps I do.”

“So how are they looking?” the Stig asked the pilots observing the trainees going through the holodeck simulations.“So far,” Warrant Officer Chet Baxter, arguably the Blount Island’s best work bee pilot, remarked, “they’re not looking

so good. Most of them are making transition mistakes. Banking turns, mostly.”“Like a pilot flying an atmospheric craft?” the Stig asked.“Exactly. There are a couple of naturals, though.”“Dalaan, for one,” Jenna Stirling added, nodding toward the monitor. “She started rough, but once she realized she’s in

zero gravity, she started flying it like she’s been doing it her whole life.”“It looks like she’s enjoying herself, too. I seem to recall reading a notation in a certain ensign’s file remarkably

similar…”Stirling grinned over her shoulder at the helmeted alien.“Carry on, you two.”“Aye, Sir,” Baxter answered. “Let’s throw a curve. Who do you think will panic…”

“I want to thank you again for everything you’ve done for us. It’s been nothing short of amazing how quickly we’ve gotten everything repaired.”

T.J. McCormack waved off his Intaran counterpart’s praise.“Think nothing of it. It’s part of why we’re out here.”Ragiker paused at one of the portable replicators.“Can I offer you anything, T.J.? Nili’s programmed in some of our more popular dishes.”“No, thanks. I won’t be hungry for several hours.”“Tanzila, then? Still got plenty.”“Naah. I’ve been running on so much coffee that my wife has started slipping me decaf.”“De-caf?” Ragiker asked, sounding out the unfamiliar term.“Decaffeinated. Caffeine is the mild stimulant in things like coffee and tea. I’m sure there’s a similar form of tanzila

on the market.”“Oh, yes. Now I understand. The doc tries that on me now and then, but I can always taste the difference.”The two men shared a laugh, but were interrupted by the intercom alert tone.“Bridge to Ragiker.”Stepping over to the panel, the Intaran accepted the incoming call.“This is Ragiker.”“Commander, we’re receiving a transmission from another Federation ship, the USS London.”The commander turned back to McCormack.“Another one of the flotilla?”McCormack shook his head.“Is there a visual component, Mr. Sedeke?”“Yes, Sir.”“Put it on the screen down here. Also, ask Commander McCune to join us here in the wardroom, if you would.”There was a pause before the communications technician responded.“He’s on his way, Sir.”“Thank you. Ragiker, clear.”A moment later, the large screen at the end of the compartment lit up with the face of the London’s captain. There was

some static, and the picture pixilated from time to time.“Krental, are you receiving?”“This is Yhivanis Ragiker, commanding Krental. We’re reading you, Captain.”“Ah, Commander. It seems communications are a bit hashed in the area. Anthony Elmlinger, commanding USS

London. I’d like to report that we caught the ruffians who attacked you, and we’re on our way to Intar to deliver them to your authorities for trial and incarceration.”

“Your government agreed to that?” Ragiker asked. “Wouldn’t Federation law trump ours, since it happened in your territory?”

“Actually, it does,” Michael McCune said, having heard Ragiker’s question as he entered the compartment, “but it’s the responsibility of the attacked ship’s planet of registry to conduct the actual trial. Michael McCune, commanding Hammersley. Good to see you again, Captain.”

“Mike! I didn’t know you were out here.”“We’re part of the flotilla, but we were needed to bring out a computer specialist who knows this ship’s systems.”“Really? You’ll have to take me out for drinks when you get back.”“First round will be on me, Captain,” Ragiker answered.Just then, the door puffed open to reveal Rin and Colt.“Sorry to interrupt, everyone,” Rin said. “Commander, we’ve finished installing the new inertial dampener, and we’ll

be warp capable as soon as Suadela finishes with the computers.”“Suadela?” McCormack asked.“Suadela Tesfalem. She’s the Intaran computer specialist we brought out.”“The hacker?” Ragiker asked, accusingly.“She’s the best coder on Intar, Commander. You may not like what she did in the past, but we need her. Besides, she’s

gone completely legitimate… and she’s one of my closest friends. I’ll vouch for her.”“Very well,” Ragiker responded, nodding. “I apologize, Rin. I know she had a hand in writing the code for the ship’s

systems, so I have no reason to hold her past against her. Let me know when we’ll be ready to set out.”“Yes, Sir.”“A white hat, eh?” Anthony Elmlinger remarked as the engineer and science officer left. “I have a couple of those on

my own crew. They do come in handy, now and again. Anyway, I look forward to seeing you all at Intar. Elmlinger, out.”A moment later, the screen went dark.

“Lots of warnings,” Suadela Tesfalem remarked, “but no errors.” She then looked up at the blue-skinned, white-haired alien with the slowly waving antennae and smiled. “Looks like we have a successful installation.”

“Now for the smoke test?”“The what?”Roo chuckled. “Old Earth legend. Electronics don’t actually run on electricity or electroplasma; they run on smoke. If

you let the smoke out, they stop working.”Suadela gaped for a moment before dissolving in laughter.“That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard, because it’s so true. I’ve made so many things smoke over the years…”“So have I,” the Andorian answered, starting to giggle, herself. “You don’t specialize in engineering without having

caused your fair share of mayhem.”“Isn’t that the truth? Let’s go run the engine controls through diagnostics.”

Mari Dalaan was tired when she and a dozen of her fellow trainees walked out of the holodeck, but she was almost giddy from the experience of flying the work bee, if only in simulation.

“Well done, everyone,” Jenna Stirling said, greeting the group just outside the doors.“Well done?” Karini asked. “I collided with Pakaie!”“True, but nobody was killed.” She cocked her thumb over her shoulder. “Head to the transporter room. They’ll beam

you back down to the base.”Instantly, the trainees snapped to attention. “Aye, Ma’am!” they chorused, before starting off in the indicated direction.“Mari,” Jenna said, holding up a hand to stop the Intaran woman, “got a minute?”“Of course, Ensign.”“This isn’t for the cameras, Mari. Call me Jenna.”“Very well. What’s up?”“I just wanted to let you know that Starfleet has approved your father’s request to have Tampa land at… um… Where

was it again?”“Aetaz Castle. It’s one of my family’s ancestral homes, and still used for ceremonial functions.”“Ah. I was wondering if you’d care to head down with me to break the good news in person.”“I’d love to.”“Great. In fact, why don’t we fly down? There are a couple of Orcus fighters that need to be delivered. Care to help

out with a ferry flight?”“You’d trust me with one of your fighters?” Mari asked.“They’re trusting me with one. Why not?”Slowly, grins spread across both women’s faces.“Let’s get you a flight suit.”

As they walked down the corridor, Mari cast a sidelong glance at Jenna.“Did you always want to be a pilot?” the Intaran asked.“Not always. I originally wanted to teach kindergarten.”“Kinder… what?”Jenna chuckled. “That’s what we call the first year of a child’s schooling. It emphasizes basic skills, socialization,

mostly through play rather than structured classwork.”“Rather apt, given this bunch,” Mari observed, tossing her head back to indicate the rest of the trainees, who had gone

the other direction.“Now that you mention it… Anyway, I was all ready to pursue the required fields: psychology, early childhood

education, curriculum development… and then my class took a field trip to Earth Spacedock, where I sat at the controls of a shuttle for the first time. That moment put me on a completely different course.” She looked over at Mari. “What about you?”

“Family business. Even though Aslan doesn’t have its own military forces anymore, members of the Royal Family are expected to serve, and there are units that are traditionally associated with certain members. I always liked flying, so I figured the air force would be the right fit.”

“Interesting.”“I saw combat before you folks arrived. There was one particular fight over Baxtima, when a raider showed up…

Damn things shot one wing off. I had to punch out over downtown.”“I hope your fighter didn’t cause much damage.”“No, it went down in Queen’s Park. Broke a lot of windows when the fuel cells blew, but nobody got hurt.”“That’s a relief. Here we are.”As they approached the door marked SHUTTLEBAY OPERATIONS, it quietly puffed open, revealing a desk and

what looked like an advanced locker room.“Afternoon, Chief,” Jenna said, greeting the warrant officer manning the desk. “I’m here for those fighters that just

came out of maintenance.”“I thought those were 214’s.”“214?” Mari asked.“The Blacksheep,” the chief answered. “They’re embarked over on the Ruska.”“These are spares,” Jenna explained, pressing her palm to the reader plate. “CAG needs them for PR flights. Major

Raskin has signed off on it.”“Well, that explains the nose recongifure,” the chief observed, checking the computer readout. “Looks like you’re

cleared, Ensign. Who’s your friend, here?”“Mari Dalaan, Intaran Air Force,” the other woman answered, extending her hand.“Nice to meet you. Tom Cowan.”“Relax, Tom. I’m a fully-qualified pilot.”“Oh, I have no doubt about that, Ma’am. I’m just not sure about your qualifications on this craft.”“That’s why she’s flying wing with me,” Jenna explained. “Besides, fighters have a standard layout that haven’t really

changed in centuries, and Intarans use the same layout. She’ll be fine.”“If you say so, Ma’am. Your orders have been verified, and you’re clear to proceed.”“Thank you, Chief.”“Thanks, Tom.”As they walked toward the locker room area, Jenna leaned over and murmured, “You enjoyed that, didn’t you?”“Immensely,” Mari replied, eliciting a chuckle. “Too skinny, though.”Jenna shrugged.“Speaking of skinny, do you have a flight suit big enough for me?”“Of course.” They then stopped in front of a replicator terminal.“Computer, two sets of standard fighter flight gear, sized for females in this compartment.”“Please stand by for sizing scan.”“Sizing scan?”“Whenever someone not in the computer’s memory needs a piece of clothing, the computer does a sizing scan,” Jenna

explained.“But I should already be in the system. I’ve gotten clothes from the base replicators.”“Computer, did you hear that?”“Checking. Match found. Sizing scan cancelled.”

A moment later, two of the alcoves lit up as the requested items appeared in a sparkle of quantum energy.“That one’s yours,” Jenna said, picking up her bundle.“How can you tell?”In reply, Jenna turned the helmet to let Mari see the name emblazoned across the visor shield.“Phelba?”“Don’t ask. Just be happy you haven’t had a callsign hung on you yet.”“If I understand the reference, I have. ‘Princess’ isn’t just my title.”“Ouch.”

“Thank you for having us aboard, Commander,” the reporter said, stepping forward from where he and his cameraman had just materialized. “Chris Serrie, Federation News Service. This is my camera operator, Focor Bydox.”

“A pleasure, Gentlemen,” the Intaran answered, shaking hands with the two Federation men. “Vani Ragiker, IES Krental. We’ve prepared a place in the wardroom.”

“Lead on, Commander. While we walk, I’d like to get some background.”“Of course.”“Let’s start with the ship.”“Well, Krental is a Chu’thankor class explorer, the fourth of the seven that I’m told made it out of the frames before the

Tzenkethi attacked. She launched just over a year ago… subjectively speaking. With the time dilation, it’s just over two years. We took about two months to work up the crew and then set out toward what you call the Denobula Sector. We actually visited several Federation colonies, mostly Denobulan.”

“Is Krental a person, animal, attribute?”“The Krental is a bird. A very large hunting bird. It lives on fish, mostly, and hunts by gliding above coastal waters,

and diving into schools of small fish it spots.”“Sort of like the Terran Kingfisher?” Bydox suggested.“Kingfishers aren’t very big, though,” Serrie countered.“I’ll show you when we get to the wardroom. There’s a holograph that dominates the wall opposite the forward

windows. In fact, here we are.”“Oh,” Bydox said, upon seeing the painting, “an eagle.”“Not just an eagle,” Serrie countered. “That’s a Bald Eagle.”“Something significant about that?” Ragiker asked.“One of Earth’s old nations, the United States of America, had the Bald Eagle as its official bird. ‘Eagle’ was also the

name of the first manned craft to land on Earth’s moon.”“Interesting. It’s the Aslani national bird, as well. In fact, that’s why I chose it as the name for this ship.” He then

indicated the table that had been set up in the corner. “Anyway, I thought we could use this table here. Before we start, would you gents care for something from the replicator?”

“No, thank you.”“Perhaps some tanzila? That’s the one staple we do have plenty of. It’s usually our way to conduct business over

meals, but I’ve learned that we’re something of an outlier in that regard.”“Actually, I am looking forward to trying some,” the reporter answered. “After all, it seems to have the highest

concentration of the compound the Tzenkethi are after.”“Yes, I did hear something about that in the last dispatch from home…”

“Oh, I have got to get me one of these!” Mari Dalaan said, closing the formation as the last vestiges of re-entry ionization dissipated from around the Orcus-class fighter she flew.

“You might just get one, if the rumors floating around Kalmiko are true,” Jenna Stirling answered.Dalaan was about to ask what the Starfleet pilot meant when the scan warning panel began flashing.“Don’t look now,” she said, “but I think somebody has taken an interest in us.”“I see them,” Jenna’s voice answered through the headphones integrated into her flight helmet.“Incoming signal. Planetary guard frequency,” the fighter’s computer reported.“Let’s hear it.”“…arfleet fighters, you’re a bit off course for an approach to Citadel. Please state your intentions.”“Pilot calling Starfleet fighters, please identify,” Dalaan replied.“Aslan one-three squadron, Callsigns Neebok and Chapo. Who the hode are you?”“Relax, boys. It’s me, Princess.”

“Princess?” the other of the intercepting Intaran pilots asked. “What are you doing flying a Starfleet fighter?”“Flying down to visit my father. I’m flying wing for Ensign Stirling.”“Nobody told us you’d be coming down.”“Sorry about that,” Jenna answered. “It was a last-second idea. You boys gonna escort us in or try to shoot us

down?”Her question was met with a bit longer of a silence than Dalaan expected.“Uh… Guys, you haven’t answered the lady.”“Relax, Princess. Just reporting in. Switch over to Alpha Control frequency, and we’ll escort you in. By the way,

we’re coming up on your left side.”Dalaan looked to her left to see the two Intaran fighters match velocity. She then reached forward and tuned the comm

panel to the indicated frequency, which she knew would also show up on Jenna’s panel.“Neebok, how about you slide over on Phelba’s right? We’ll fly a four-finger down to Baxtima.”“Phelba? Who’s that?”“That’s me,” Jenna answered. “I’ll tell you the story when we get to where we’re going.”“Understood,” the lead Intaran pilot answered, pulling up and doing a slow roll before settling down into the indicated

position.“Nice,” Jenna remarked. “Smooth execution. Do I see a couple of kill stars on your nose?”“Yes, Ma’am. Took down two assisting your Captain Harris.”“He wasn’t my captain. I served under Picard…”

“C’mon, Baby. Let momma see you run with no errors.”While the rescue build had installed without any errors, several of the diagnostic checks hadn’t gone as well, so

Suadela Tesfalem and Yvehlleru zh’Mori found themselves back in Tampa’s computer lab.“Do you always talk to a computer like that?” the Andorian asked.“Practicing for motherhood, I guess,” the Intaran answered. “Come on… Yes! No errors, no warnings.”“Now to isolate the patches,” zh’Mori said. “Fortunately, the computer can do that. Computer, analyze changes and

produce software patch.”The panel emitted a series of tones before answering, “Working. Requested task will take approximately three

hours.”“Will the patch fit on a standard isolinear chip?”“Affirmative.”“Then we’ve got three hours to kill.” She looked over at Suadela. “Have you seen a holodeck yet?”“A what?”“I’ll take that as a no. Come on. You’ll love this.”

“So, I guess the million-credit question is, ‘When did you know you were in trouble?’”“When our warp computer went,” Yhivanis Ragiker answered. “I’m sure we could have rebuilt our inertial

dampeners. I’m sure one of my engineers would have hit on the fix using the gravity plates, but there was no way we could have reprogrammed the warp control computer.” He looked off to the side, his eyes focusing on something only he could see. “It sort of makes me wonder how many other ships might be out there, slowly drifting toward the nearest star with a crew that starved to death.”

“Now there’s a thought I’d rather not have,” Mari Dalaan remarked from the door.Minik turned in his chair, his face brightening. “Mari! You should have told me you were coming.”“I wanted to surprise you, Father. I believe you know Ensign Stirling.”“A pleasure to see you again, Your Majesty,” the Starfleet pilot added, with a bow.“Oh, please,” the king of Aslan said, rising to his feet, “there’s no need for such formality here, Miss Stirling. Come,

be welcome here at Montamerr Palace.” His smile faltered slightly as he noticed what they were wearing. “But that flight suit looks rather uncomfortable. Did you bring a uniform?”

“No, Sir. It’s actually much more comfortable than it looks. I was planning to beam back to Citadel later.”“You’re wearing flight gear, but you’re beaming back to Citadel?”“We delivered a pair of Orcus-class fighters to Queen Shimani base,” Mari explained.“And we have a message for you from Starfleet,” Jenna added.“The request for landing the Tampa...”“Approved.”

Minik’s gaze went to his daughter. “Really?”“Captain McCormack is being given the appropriate orders as we speak.”“Then we must tell your mother.”“Where is she, anyway?”“Where else would she be? The clinic, of course.”“Clinic?” Jenna asked.Minik smiled, wistfully.“I was touring a free clinic for the city’s poor when I saw this amazing woman setting a boy’s arm. Two years later, we

were married… just after I became king.”“And when we returned from our wedding tour,” a feminine voice said from the door behind them, “we turned the front

guard house into a clinic, where everyone; rich, poor and all between, can come and receive care.”“Mother!”“Hello, Mari. I heard the fighters fly over. There’s only one person who could be that low above these grounds, so I

came straightaway. You must be Ensign Stirling.”“Yes, Your Majesty. Jenna Stirling.”“Oh, no! ‘Your Majesty’ is strictly for ceremonies. Dr. Dalaan will do, or even Aile, if you like.”“Understood, Ma’am.”“We were just bringing news that Starfleet has approved landing the Tampa at Aetaz.”“That’s wonderful news!”“And apropos,” Minik added, “given that I was just watching an interview with Commander Ragiker… which makes

me wonder something. Miss Stirling, how does Starfleet deal with what the commander said?”“We’re not really supposed to say, but… The official story about why Federation starships carry auto-destruct systems

is to prevent capture by hostile forces, but it’s also considered a way to… prevent something like what happened to Krental.”“Perhaps it might be a good idea to do something similar with our own ships,” the queen remarked. “It would be

merciful, at least.”“That’s the consensus, but we do try everything we can possibly think of before taking that step.”“…and, if everything checks out, we’ll be home in a week.”

“Doctor, she’s crashing!”Jason Baker was out of his chair and around the desk before he knew he was in motion.“Report!” he snapped, entering the main sickbay area.“Some sort of interruption in autonomic nerve function. Scans aren’t picking up a cause.”“Bastard must have used some kind of poison on that blade. Cortical stimulators, now!”The nurse had the small devices placed in under a second, as Baker checked the nerve scans.“Full charge. I need to see where the impulse stops.”Afwhaun jerked as the impulse was fired into her brain.“Son of a… It’s a medullar suppressor. We need to isolate the functions.”“Doctor, her neural activity is dropping too fast.”Realizing the nurse was right, Baker heaved a sigh.

“Enter!”Baker heaved another sigh as he stepped through the now open door to the captain’s readyroom.“Doctor?” McCormack said, leaning back in his seat. “Something wrong?”“I’m afraid so, Captain. Commander Samnah’Afwhaun has died.”McCormack lost his smile instantly.“Some sort of neural toxin. If I had to guess, I’d say it was engineered.”“Engineered?” the captain asked, snapping upright.“It targeted her medulla oblongata and attacked the cells there. This stuff is so new, the sensors never even knew it was

there.”“Son of a… If he wasn’t already dead, I’d kill that bastard myself.”“Somebody had to have developed it,” the doctor added. “It might be worth talking to the prisoners.”McCormack nodded. “You know death is always a possibility, but I never thought it would be so soon on my first

command.”“Don’t beat yourself up, Captain. It wasn’t your fault.”

“It sure as hell is, Doctor! I sent her over there.”“You followed procedure. There’s a reason regulations are written the way they are.”McCormack let out a sigh. “I know, and I’d have done it again… but it still hurts.”“Yeah, it hurt us, too. I had to watch her last breath, knowing there was nothing I could do.”“Sorry, Doc. I just… didn’t expect all this. I’m just a temporary captain, after all.” Leaning back, he wiped a hand

down his face. “Why the hell did I let that green gnome talk me into this?”“Tattok? Have you ever heard of anyone telling him no?”“Actually, there is one person who flat out refused him. Picard. Tattok wanted to promote him after that mission to

Romulus, but he wouldn’t leave the Enterprise.”“Oh yeah. Anyway, I’ll start an autopsy. Maybe I can figure out the poison. I’ll be damned if I lose anybody else to

it.”“Very well. Thank you, Doctor. Oh, if Keransen is on duty, send him in, would you?”“Of course, Captain.”The Gnalish signaled for entry moments after the doctor departed.“Enter.”“You wanted to see me, Captain?”“Yes, Lieutenant. Did the doctor tell you?”“Tell me what, Sir?”McCormack heaved another sigh.“We lost Commander Afwhaun. That means you’re acting first officer.”“Oh, Dear Gods… I thought the doc said she was okay.”“Some sort of poison.”“Son of a… I ought to go down to the brig and beat some answers out of Haran-Tur.”“Like hell you will!” McCormack snapped. “We’re better than that. He’ll get his after he’s tried and convicted. While

the trial will be under Federation law, the penalty is local, and I’ve been informed that piracy is a capitol crime on Intar.”“Of course, Captain. Shall I inform the crew?”“Yes. I’ll inform Starfleet and the Intarans myself.”“Aye-aye, Sir.”“Thank you… Number One.”

“Dear Maker, this is amazing!” Suadela Tesfalem said, looking around at the icy landscape around them. “Where did you say this was, again?”

“Andoria, the Liai Glacier, to be exact,” Yvehlleru zh’Mori answered. “I grew up in the ice caves below us.”“You lived underground?”“Everything lives underground here. I’ve adjusted the environmental controls so we can walk around in the open.

Back home, it rarely gets above the freezing point of water, and then only in the height of summer and only for a week or so each year. The cities are connected by tunnels stretching for thousands of kilometers.”

“Amazing. I’d build a house here, just for this view.”Just then, the door appeared and ground open.“Hey! You’re poaching our… Oh, sorry, Lieutenant.”“Oh, are we using your time? I was just showing Ms. Tesfalem the holodeck, and the computer said it would be free

for an hour.”Zh’Mori then noticed the look on the twin botanists’ faces.“What’s wrong?” the Andorian asked.“You haven’t heard?” Camille McKenna asked.“Heard what?” Suadela asked, picking up on the woman’s tone.“The blade that injured commander Afwhaun was poisoned,” Kennerly, Camille’s twin sister, answered. “She’s dead.”Zh’Mori seemed to deflate before them. “Aw, damn… She’s the one who got me this post.”The twins traded a look, and, almost in unison, nodded.“You’re welcome to stay. We were going to play some Velocity, but we can do that later.”“Oh, we’d never…”“Nonsense!” Camille assured the Intaran. “You’re a guest, and it’s only right that you take priority.”“Then I insist you two stay, as well,” Suadela announced, looking to zh’Mori for confirmation. Almost immediately,

the chief engineer nodded.

“The computer still needs a couple of hours to prepare the patches for Krental’s computers,” she said. “But the Northern Wastes of Andoria hardly seems a relaxing locale.”

“Actually,” Kennerly mused, slowly looking around, “I think we can use it. Computer, give us a… ski chalet in the traditional Swiss style. Brick fireplace, traditional furnishings, and use current setting as exterior.”

Instantly, the setting changed. They were now located in a cozy Swiss-style chalet, complete with a warm fire in the fireplace. Out the window, the planet Andor dominated the sky.

“Oh, now this is almost exactly what I envisioned,” Suadela said. “Glad you like it. Please, have a seat.” “Thank you.”

“What the hell am I doing here?” T.J. McCormack asked. He’d meant it as a rhetorical question, but his daughter answered him anyway.

“You’re the captain, Daddy.”“Yeah, I am… but maybe I shouldn’t be.”“It’s not the first time we’ve lost someone in action,” Andrea observed, joining him at the window.“But it is the first time someone died because of my orders.”“Oh, Love, it wasn’t your fault. How were you to know they’d be using poison?”“That’s just it, Babe,” T.J. answered, his eyes haunted, “I didn’t think they’d put up a fight at all. I really thought it

would just be a simple operation.” He took a deep breath and turned to the window, seeing Krental floating beyond.“I could take her losing the arm,” he continued. “In this day and age, that’s not all that much of an injury. Hell, any

competent doc could attach a bio-mimetic in a matter of hours… but I really wasn’t ready for this. I’m no warrior. I’ve been in Starfleet for close to twenty years, and I’ve seen combat, and even had to give comrades mercy, but...”

“But this time was different.”“Yeah. You almost need to expect death out here, but I don’t understand why this one’s hitting so hard. I mean, we

barely even met the woman.”Andi put her arms around her husband.“It’s who you are, Love. That’s what makes you so good at your job. And Tattok wouldn’t have put you here if he

didn’t think you could do it.”“I know, Babe. But Tattok assigned me to a milk run, a ferrying mission, really. I’m a PR officer, not a line captain…

and I need to let some people know that’s where I belong.”

“So there’s now a murder charge, as well as piracy?”“Yes, Prime Councilor,” Ragiker confirmed from the Federation-supplied screen. “While murder doesn’t carry the

death penalty under Federation law… in fact, no crime carries such a penalty under Federation law, it’s fortunate that the penalty phase will be conducted under Intaran law.”

Aram Kodo found himself slowly nodding.“Would you happen to know the methods of execution used by the Orions?”“No, Sir. We are, from what I’ve seen, expected to utilize our own methods.”“Very well. I’ll put out a call for lawyers. Kodo, clear.”As the screen went dark, the Prime Councilor looked over at Jack Elmlinger, the Federation’s ambassador to Intar.“You don’t approve,” the dark-skinned man said, addressing the Terran.“It’s not really for me to say.”“Oh, come on, Jack. You’ve got an opinion about everything.”“Not officially, I don’t,” the Terran answered. “The Federation has no death penalty, but we do recognize the right of

member worlds to use it in certain circumstances.”“Such as?” Kodo asked.“A number of worlds, most notably Andoria, and to an extent Vulcan, practice trial by combat.”“Really? I’ll admit, I haven’t met many Vulcans, but they don’t strike me as a particularly violent race.”“Normally, they’re not, but when Vulcans mate, they lose their emotional control. I’ll send a cultural primer for you to

peruse at your leisure,” Elmlinger replied.“What about capital punishment?” the Prime Councilor wondered. “I’ve never really supported its use, but there are a

few crimes where it’s still applied.”“Such is the case on the few Federation planets where it’s still on the books. Really, it’s limited to especially heinous

murders. Serial killers are those most often put to death, but there have been cases where Orion slavers have been executed.”

Kodo nodded again. “I’ve only signed one death warrant, and that was a naval officer who killed thirty-four children in port cities all over the world.”

“It would be up to you to sign the warrant if the jury imposes the sentence.”“I know. Were it up to me,” the Prime Councilor said, “I’d commute such a sentence to life imprisonment, but I think

I’d be impeached if I did that.”“Then we should hope they don’t impose a death sentence,” Jack remarked.

“Communications to Admiral Tattok.”Tapping his commbadge, the Horrusi answered, “Tattok, this is.”“Incoming call for you from Starbase 128, Sir. Admiral Mecum.”“Take it, I will.”A moment later, the desk terminal unfolded itself as Thomas Mecum appeared on the screen.“Thomas, my heart good, it does, to see you again.”“Good to see you, too, Tattok,” the human answered, “but I’m afraid I have some bad news for you from the Tampa.

They lost Commander Samnah’Afwhaun in a boarding action against an Orion ship.”“Aware of this, I was not. What happened?”“Some sort of poison, according to the autopsy. But that’s not why I’m calling.”“Oh?”“I just got off the comm with McCormack. He’s asked to be relieved.”Tattok nodded, sorry to hear the news.“Understandable, it is. With command, never been comfortable, he has. Relief he shall have, but maintain command,

he shall, until arrives, it does.”“I’ll let him know.”“Tattok out.”As Mecum’s face faded from the screen, the Horrusi leaned back and sighed.“Unfortunate, this is,” he said to himself. “A field command, required is, for the Academy Superintendent…”

“Ladies,” zh’Mori said, “thank you. I think I needed to talk about what Commander Afwhaun meant to me. I’d served with her since I graduated from the Academy. It’s going to be hard saying goodbye.”

“It always is,” Camille answered. “There was a training accident during our senior year that killed two instructors and fifteen cadets.”

“That’s terrible!” Suadela Tesfalem said. “What happened?”“Nobody really knows. They were doing lifepod training, and something vented the atmosphere from it. It landed

right on target, but they found all seventeen dead inside. Three of them were from our training cadre.”“The investigators finally ruled it an accident, likely from a micro-meteor strike,” Kennerly added as the four of them

slowly walked down the corridor.“Anyway,” the Andorian engineer said, noticing the chronographic readout on the bulkhead, “the patch should be

ready, so the two of us need to go collect it and beam over to the Krental.”“Thank you again, Ladies,” Tesfalem added, “both for your holodeck time and your companionship. I hope we can do

it again when I get home. I think my husband would like you.”“I’m sure we’ll have plenty of opportunity,” Kennerly remarked.It took only a few seconds to walk from the holodeck to the nearest turbolift, which opened to reveal T’Sen.“Good afternoon, Ladies,” the Vulcan archeologist said with a smile completely uncharacteristic of her species.

“Going down?”“Heading to the computer lab, actually,” Tampa’s chief engineer replied leading Suadela into the lift. “Hopefully,

we’ve squashed the last of the bugs in the control build for Krental.”“Ah, yes. Lieutenant Nysonen said something about that.”“Computer lab,” the Androian said to the turbolift controls before asking, “Nysonen?”“Krental’s ship’s historian. With all the downtime that the science departments have, I took the opportunity to increase

my knowledge of Intaran history. You have a very rich and diverse cultural history, and while the number of wars is consistent with most humanoid cultures, their severity was much less than that of other worlds. You never suffered the religious conflicts that caused the most death on other planets.”

“Probably because we know who put us on Intar, and why,” Suadela remarked.

“Indeed. All of the known Preserver-seeded cultures report that they were open and upfront about who they were and the reasons for transplanting the seed group. Like you, many of them incorporated their landings and diasporas into not only their religions, but their histories. It is interesting to note that yours is the most technologically-advanced of the Preserver-seeded worlds so far identified, though there is some debate as whether Magna Roma might have been seeded by the Preservers.”

“Well, they did tell us to seek each other out and grow together. I guess we took it to heart.” The Intaran then extended her hand. “I’m Suadela Tesfalem.”

“A pleasure to meet you. I’m T’Sen.”“Dr. T’Sen is from the Daystrom Institute, one of the Federation’s most respected research organizations,” Roo

explained.“Really?” Suadela asked. “What’s your field?”“I’m primary a historian, but I also hold degrees in archeology, anthropology and paleontology.”“My cousin is a paleontologist. I should introduce you when we get to Intar.”“I would enjoy such a meeting. But what of your own specialty?”“Hacking?”“I wouldn’t call it that,” Roo remarked.“I would,” Suadela retorted. “I’ve broken into practically every computer system on the planet. I watched over three

hundred major vidnovels before they even left their various studios. They never should have recut Three Become One. It would have made twice as much.”

“And you’re admitting it?” T’Sen asked.Suadela gave the two aliens a sheepish grin. “A misspent youth. When I went to work for ISA, one of the conditions

was a full pardon. In return, I agree not to break into secured systems unless the owners ask me to. I’ve hacked the Defense Forces a few times to test new systems, and I have a standing challenge from the Intelligence Directorate. I’ve managed to crack seven of the last eight schemes, but the current one is being a pain in the backside. I’ll crack it, eventually. Probably about the time this little one debuts.”

“Ah, yes. Congratulations.”“Thank you.”Just then, the turbolift slowed to a stop and the doors puffed apart.“This is our stop. Have a good afternoon, Doctor,” Roo said, leading Suadela out.“You too. Nice meeting you, Ms. Tesfalem.”

“Miss Stirling, it has been a joy having your with us, if only for a few hours.”“I enjoyed my visit, Sir. You have quite a home here,” Jenna Stirling answered. “It has wonderful acoustics, for one

thing.”“Then you must return to perform sometime!” the king answered, ever his boisterous self. “I may even perform with

you. I’ve been known to play the spagoren now and then.”“I think I’d enjoy that, Sir. Perhaps at Aetaz Castle?”“That would be a wonderful idea,” the queen said. “But what would you play? I’m not sure we have any music in

common.”“I’m sure we can come up with something,” Jenna replied. “Starfleet trains us to be quick studies.”“I’m sure you and Mari will come up with something. She knows my repertoire as well as anyone does.”“In that case, I should probably beam back to Citadel with you,” Mari remarked.“You probably should anyway. Even though the training schedule is light for the week, Gunny Nala might pull

something,” Jenna answered.“Good point.” She turned to her parents with a shrug. “I guess I’ll see you at Aetaz.”“Your training is more important,” the king reminded his daughter.“Actually… I’m having second thoughts about that. Serving on board the Sentinel, that is.”“Huh?” Jenna asked.“Something you said on the way down, about the rumors at Kalmiko.”“Oh… We can talk about that later. Doctor, Sir, with your permission, we’ll take our leave.”“Of course, Miss Stirling, but know that you are always welcome here.”The two pilots took a few steps as Jenna tapped the commbadge she had attached to the front of her flight suit.“This is Ensign Stirling. Is there anyone in position to beam two to Gwalior base?”“This is Sentinel. We can handle that, if you don’t mind us using it for some training.”

“Training?”“You don’t think the ship’s captain should know how to run a transporter?” a new voice asked.“Um… Sorry, Commander Kayn. We didn’t know it was you. Pilot Dalaan and I are ready, at your convenience, Sir.”“I have you. Trans-beaming coordinates set, and… energizing.”A moment later, the two young women were swept away with the blue light of the transporter effect.“I wonder what she meant,” Minik remarked.“Whatever it is, I’m sure Mari will surprise us. She always has had a knack for that…”

“Chris! What brings you over?” T.J. McCormack asked as Christopher Serrie stepped into the readyroom.“Thought I’d check in, maybe get a sound byte or two from you before filing my report.”McCormack heaved a sigh. “Don’t know if I can help you with that,” he said, “but come on in and have a seat.”The two men had known each other since the start of the Dominion War, when McCormack had taken over as one of

Starfleet’s official spokesmen. While neither considered the other a friend, they weren’t far from it.“Coffee?” the captain asked, stepping out from behind his desk.“How about Andorian tea?”“Cold or slush?”“Cold is fine. It’s not quite warm enough for slush form.”“Computer, two Andorian teas, ten degrees above freeze point.”Instantly, two tall glasses seated within a spiral handle appeared.“Thanks,” the reporter said, accepting one of the glasses. “So what are the plans concerning Commander

Samnah’Afwhaun?”“Her instructions call for a small, simple burial. Just the department heads, really.” He took a sip from the glass he

held, looking out the window. “I’m just trying to find a suitable compartment. I don’t want to tie up the bridge or any of the public spaces, and the holodecks…”

“What about the Quarterdeck?” Serrie asked.“Quarterdeck? I didn’t know this ship had one.”“Deck three, section nine. Didn’t you see it on your inspection tour?”“I beamed aboard.” After a moment, he nodded. “It would be the perfect spot, though.” He then tapped his

commbadge, opening a channel. “McCormack to bridge.”“Keransen here, Sir.”“Mr. Keransen, poll the senior staff. I want to know the best time for a memorial service for Commander Afwhaun.”“Aye, Sir. I’ll advise you as soon as I have a time.”“Thank you. Out.”“You should probably invite Commander Ragiker, as well.”The captain nodded again as the Gnalish’s voice came over the intercom.“Bridge to Captain McCormack.”“Go ahead, Mr. Keransen.”“The senior staff is available at your convenience, Sir.”“Thank you. Call Krental and invite Commander Ragiker to beam over at his earliest opportunity. Once he’s aboard,

advise the aft torpedo bay that they will be launching Afwuhaun’s burial tube. The ceremony will be held on the Quarterdeck.”“I assume you want everyone in dress whites?”“Yes. Also, advise Ensigns McKenna and Commander McCune, as well.”“Aye, Sir. If you don’t mind me saying, I’m glad the Ferengi left with their ships. I’m sure DaiMon Renn would have

complained that we weren’t making any profit from the ceremony.”The two men in the readyroom chuckled.“Do you want to cover it?” the captain asked.Serrie considered the question before shaking his head.“Not unless you want me to,” he said. “We can use stock or shoot it from the Brit Hume. I’ll be sure to mention her in

the package.”“That’ll be fine, and thanks. Might want to delay the mention until her family has been contacted.”“Of course. What about your wife and Dr. T’Sen?”“Andi hates funerals, and T’Sen… Keransen, invite Dr. T’Sen, but make it clear she’s at liberty to decline.”“Aye, Sir… and she has. She’s working on something in astrometrics.”

“Thank you, Mr. Keransen. I’ll be heading to my quarters to change presently. Mr. Serrie will be beaming back to his Dispatch Boat shortly.”

“Understood.”“McCormack out.”Serrie chugged his tea from long practice and rose, setting the empty glass on the table in front of him. “I’ll go brief

my people. Call me when you’re ready?”McCormack nodded. “I’m sure the folks on Intar will appreciate the pictures.”“I just wish we weren’t in a position to do it. See you on Intar?”“As soon as Krental is ready, we’ll escort her there.”

Gunnery Sergeant Ch’Dalvis was waiting.“Took you long enough to get back,” the Andorian said. As an NCO, he was required to defer to Jenna, but it was clear

that he didn’t like having to wait for them.“Sorry, Gunny,” the Starfleet pilot replied. “The Aslani king insisted we stay for the afternoon.”“I see, Ma’am. However, we do have a schedule to keep, and Miss Dalaan has missed the afternoon session.”“Actually, Sir, I’d like to withdraw from the training program.”“Withdraw? You’re on the short list for Chief Helmsman,” the marine informed her.“I understand that, Sir. While conning a starship is a great honor, recent events have convinced me that my talents

would be better utilized elsewhere… such as a joint fighter squadron.”“I see. General Rentoshi is off-base at the moment. Commanders Wilcox and Richards will need to sign off on your

withdrawal.”“Then, with your permission, I will go see both of them.”“Granted.” He then held out his hand. “It’s been an honor teaching you, Pilot Mari Dalaan.”The Intaran took the offered hand and gave it hearty shake.“It’s been an honor to be your student, Gunny.”“Knowing the CAG,” Jenna remarked, “he’ll be in his office for several more hours. Let’s go see Commander Wilcox

first.”

“Withdraw?”“Yes, Sir. I feel my place is not aboard the Sentinel.”Wilcox regarded the two women who stood in front of him.“May I ask why?” he asked.“We’ve, uh, heard some rumors, Commander,” Jenna answered. “There’s talk at the airbase of new fighters being

brought in for a joint orbital defense wing.”Wilcox smiled and shook his head.“The only thing that moves faster than warp ten… You didn’t hear this from me, but the rumors are true. The Drexler

is on her way here with a full wing of those new Mako-class fighters. You’ll have to talk to Commander Richards for the details.”

“He’s our next stop, Sir,” Dalaan informed the base XO.“Then I won’t keep you. I’ll sign off on your withdrawal if he does.”“Understood, Sir. By your leave?”“Dismissed.”

To Jenna’s surprise, when she called Commander Richards, she and Dalaan were directed not to his office, but to his apartment in Kalmiko Tower, which had become the de facto Senior Officers’ quarters for most of the Starfleet personnel.

“So what brings you two to seek me out?” the senior pilot asked as he poured the first of three cups of coffee. “I’m not directly involved with the crew training program. I’m just in charge of Starfleet’s small craft here.”

“Yes, Sir,” Mari Dalaan replied, “and that’s the reason I’m here. I’d like to withdraw from the Sentinel crew training program, Commander. Instead, I’d like to begin preparatory advanced flight training.”

Richards stopped his pouring and turned to the Intaran pilot.“Preparatory to what?”“Flying one of the new fighters that will be arriving aboard the Drexler, Sir.”“You keep that piece of information to yourself!” Richards snapped. “We don’t want anything giving the Tzenkethi

even a hint of what we’re up to. That goes for both of you.”

“Understood, Sir!” the two women answered.“Good.” Offering the first cup to Dalaan, he addressed Jenna. “Since you’re here with her, Phelba, I assume you’re

endorsing the request.”“Yes, CAG. She’s the best pilot in the whole program. I may be just an ensign, but, with respect, Sir, you’ve got me

filling a lieutenant’s billet, and that includes recruiting.”Richards chuckled. “Yes, you are; yes, I have, and yes, it does. That’s why I’ve put you in for a second pip. The

promotion list won’t be out for a couple of months, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re on it.”Jenna was surprised, to say the least. She knew her time in grade wasn’t enough to qualify her for one, and she said as

much. “Phelba, I’ve got forty pilots under my command, ranging from ensigns fresh out of the Academy like you, despite

your time aboard the Enterprise, to a couple of senior lieutenants, and you’re the best of them, bar none. True, you don’t have much experience in fighters, but the kills you scored in The Battle tell me you’ve got what it takes not just to fly fighters, but lead a squadron.”

“Congratulations, Phelba,” Dalaan said.“Don’t congratulate me yet, Princess,” Jenna countered, “because if I’m going to lead the squadron, I’m going to need

a nut two.”“A what?”The CAG chuckled. “Old United States Navy shorthand that Starfleet adopted. You’ve noticed our planes carry

numbers on the wings, nose and tail that are different than the registries of the starships they come from.”“Yes, Sir.”“We call those modex numbers. They identify individual aircraft within a squadron or wing. Used to be, they also

indicated the role of that aircraft, but modern starfighters are so multipurpose that it doesn’t make much sense.“Anyway, when a Starfleet pilot talks about a nut, he means a zero in that number. I, as CAG, am assigned a craft with

a modex ending in double zero, or ‘double nuts’. A squadron leader’s bird gets a modex ending in 01.”“So, by extension, that pilot’s deputy would get 02.”“And all three jobs are more administration than flying, I’m afraid,” Richards confirmed. “Of course, whether you get

the position or not will depend on how well you perform. I read your file when you were recommended for the Sentinel crew, and you’re going to need more spaceflight time.” He paused to think for a few seconds, taking a sip of his coffee as he did so.

“Phelba,” he said, “how would you like a copilot for the next couple of weeks?”“I think I’d enjoy it. It would certainly relieve the boredom of all these cargo distribution flights I’ve been doing

between simulator runs lately.”“In that case,” the Lieutenant Commander said, reaching across the table to shake the Intaran pilot’s hand, “welcome to

Combined Flight Ops, Princess.”

When he stepped out of his quarters, the predominantly red Space Service uniform Yhivanis Ragiker normally wore was gone. In it’s place was the deep blue formal dress uniform of the Royal Aslani Navy.

To a Terran, it would resemble something out of the 18th or 19th century. Tasseled epaulets bore his rank, as did gold stripes at each cuff, and gold braid decorated the front of the starched and pressed coat. Beneath, he wore a white waistcoat with a high, rigid collar, also decorated with gold braid.

As was traditional all over Intar, he wore a black sash that covered his medals, to honor the fallen comrade he had been asked to help send to the Maker.

“You look good, Com— Captain.”“It’s okay, Samed. I’d hoped never to use this sash on this mission. I guess we can only thank the Maker that it wasn’t

for one of us.”“So Say One, So Say Three, So Say All,” the ship’s Nectem pilot agreed, using the traditional ending to a prayer to the

Maker.“Did you ask about the ceremony?” Ragiker asked as the two men started down the corridor toward the wardroom.“Yes, and I was told that it would be a simple ceremony. I’ve already arranged to feed it to all screens here aboard

Krental.”“Good. She fell defending us. It’s only right we’re all able to see her sent to the Maker.”“Agreed.”As they reached the open doors of the wardroom, a call he’d ordered never given rang out.“Attention on deck!”

It was one of the Starfleet people, recognizing the meaning of the formals he wore, who have given the command, and he nodded his gratitude to the young alien.

“Thank you, Crewman,” the Intaran commander said. “I generally prefer to dispense with military formalities, especially here… but today warrants an exception.” He looked around, spotting Lieutenant Arthur Neville standing next to Rintilen Obah.

“Ship status, Lieutenant Neville?” he asked. While he trusted his own chief engineer completely, he wanted to know if Starfleet considered his vessel ready to return home.

“All systems ready, Commander,” the Tampa’s Assistant Chief Engineer replied. “Federation cores have been fully integrated and are running the rescue operating system as expected. Gravity, inertial dampening and structural integrity systems have been repaired, as has supbspace radio.”

“Excellent.” He slowly turned a full circle, making eye contact with every person in the compartment. “You have all done exemplary work, and I and my crew are eternally grateful. I will inform Captain McCormack that the repairs are complete and we can set course for home at his convenience. I thank you all. Please inform Tampa that I’m ready.”

“Aye, Sir,” Neville replied, tapping his commbadge. “Neville to Tampa, Commander Ragiker is ready to beam over. One meter in front of me.”

“We have him,” the duty transporter officer answered. “Energizing.”Over the following five seconds, the blue transporter beam swept Yhivanis Ragiker from the deck of the Krental.

Captain T.J. McCormack was the last to arrive on the quarterdeck. As the doors ground shut behind him, he looked at the assembled officers, knowing that the proceedings were being sent to Intar live. He then began a speech he had delivered only twice in his life, yet knew as intimately as any Starfleet officer.

“Since the first nations arose on our various worlds, soldiers have answered the call of their peoples with a simple phrase, ‘Here I am’.

“From rocks and spears to firearms to nuclear missiles to phasers and photon torpedoes, still they answer the call, ‘Here I am’.”

He slowly walked between the lines of officers, reaching McCune and Ragiker, who flanked a simply, yet meticulously, decorated table.

“Today, we bid farewell to our honored dead with a simple gesture. The Missing Comrade’s Table began as a way to remember those taken as prisoners of war or those declared missing in action. In the four centuries it has existed, it has evolved into a way to remember comrades in arms who cannot be with us for whatever reason.

“The plain white tablecloth represents the purity of their response to the call. It represents the words ‘Here I am’.“The empty chair represents the missing or departed soldier. To us, here, it represents Commander Samnah’Afwhaun.“The round table shows that our memory of her is unending.“A copy of the Articles of Federation and the Federation Constitution, with the flag atop it, signify the ideals we

volunteer to defend.“A black napkin represents the emptiness left by our comrade’s absence. The Rainbow Heart medal is in honor of the

sacrifice made.“A red Terran Rose represents the family and friends left behind. The black ribbon tied around the vase represents

their grief and mourning, for they cannot be here with us to do so.“The yellow candle and its golden ribbon signify the hope for a joyous reunion in whatever lies beyond this life. It is

our hope that we will see our fallen comrade once again.“The cli’tai, a Zhamorean fruit, represents our comrade’s bitter fate, and the salt represents the tears of all whom her

life has touched.“And finally, the empty glass, placed upside-down, represents the fact that Afwhaun can never again join us in even

something as simple as drinking a toast. But it is also our vow to her that, whenever we do, we will remember her, and we will drink a toast in memory of she who gave her life in service to our Intaran friends, us, her Starfleet comrades, and the United Federation of Planets.”

With parade-ground precision, the captain turned on his heel and slowly, using exactly twenty-one steps, returned to the other end of the quarterdeck. With a second perfect about-face, he slammed his heel to the deck, straightening to rigid attention. A moment later, those assembled, as one, turned to face aft and snapped to.

“And with these words, we commend the body of Commander Samnah’Afwhaun, Executive Officer, USS Tampa, to the black, and through that black space to the warmth and light of an unnamed star, secure in the knowledge that her light will shine throughout the universe.”

Though the hand salute had been almost completely abandoned by Starfleet, at Keransen’s call of, “Present, ARMS!” all but two of those assembled executed the gesture, raising their right hands to their right temples, their palms tilted slightly inward. Only Ragiker’s salute was different, in that his hand was turned palm outward, as in the old British Army.

The only two who didn’t stand at attention or salute were Ensigns Camille and Kennerly McKenna. Instead, they began a rendition on identical harps of a song that had become traditional for military funerals: Amazing Grace.

Though their rendition was instrumental, the relief tactical officer used it to time the launch of the burial tube. As the first verse ended, he touched the button marked FIRE, and the tube left the ship on a streak of light, heading for that nearby star.

As the song ended and the engines of the burial tube burned out, Keransen called, “Order, ARMS!”Captain T.J. McCormack stood rock still for a count of five before speaking.“Commander Ragiker informs me that Krental is again warp-capable. Both ships will set course and speed for the Intar

system at his discretion. Dismissed!”

“Well,” Mari Dalaan said as she and Jenna Stirling stepped aboard the elevator that would take them down to the surface level of Kalmiko Tower, “I’m glad I didn’t recycle that flight suit. So what’s next?”

“I don’t have any flights until day after tomorrow, so we should have some drinks. I know this great place not far from here.”

“Or we could beam back to Baxtima and go to my favorite place.”“Back to the Palace?”“No, but I have access to a very special pub. It’s reserved only for pilots of the Royal Flight.”“Really?”“Only forty of us currently. You’ll be the forty-first.”“You’ve sold me.” Tapping her commbadge, she called out, “Stirling to any Starfleet ship. Can someone handle a

trans-beaming to a specific location in Baxtima?”“This is Ernst Ruska. We can handle that. Where do you want to go?”“Can you locate the Royal Flight Club?” Dalaan asked. “It’s at the northern end of King Stilgar Road.”“Umm… That’s on the grounds of Baxtima Air Forces Base. Didn’t you two just come from there?”“Yes, but we’re going back. We’ll need a return trip to the Citadel JBOQ later.”“Fair enough… Now I’m getting a restricted area alert.”“Put us down outside,” Jenna ordered. “We’ve got clearance to get in.”“Okay, but if you get arrested, your flight home is your own responsibility.”The two women laughed as the transporter beam swept them out of the elevator.

Four Days Later

“Approaching Intar system, Captain.”“Any sign of Tzenkethi?” McCormack asked.“Multiple contacts, but the closest is… at double our weapons range,” Cockburn reported.“There is, however, a large contact holding station along our course, Captain,” Colt added. “She’s at the outer edge of

the system’s Oort cloud.”“That would be the Ernst Ruska, I believe,” McCormack. “She’s just a bit smaller than a Galaxy-class ship, so it’s not

surprising you’ve picked her up.”“Getting an IFF… Confirmed, Sir. It’s the Ernst Ruska.”“They’re hailing,” Keransen called from the operations console. He and McCormack had agreed that it wouldn’t be

right for him to serve watches in the first officer’s chair.“On screen,” the captain ordered.A moment later, the screen changed to show a large, dark-skinned, silver-haired man seated in the captain’s chair.“You’re not Nik,” McCormack quipped.The man smiled.“Obviously not, Captain McCormack. Aram Kodo, Prime Councilor of Intar.”“Of course, Sir. Captain T.J. McCormack, USS Tampa. If I might ask, Prime Councilor… What are you doing in

Ernst Ruska’s captain’s chair?”The shot on the screen widened out to show Yineth Nikara seated at the starboard tactical station, just over Kodo’s

right shoulder.

“When a planetary head of state asks for a seat, you don’t send him to the back of the bridge,” the Bajoran remarked.“Good point. John’s bridge didn’t have any extra seats, either.”“Captain, Krental wants in on the conversation,” Keransen reported.“By all means, Mr. Keransen.”A moment later, the screen split, showing Krental’s bridge on the left side.“Prime Councilor,” Ragiker said, as surprised as McCormack had been. “You didn’t have to come out to meet us.”“Prime Councilor’s prerogative, Commander,” Kodo said, his voice as deep as space itself. “I hitched a ride out to

inspect your crew and ship, since you’ll be going down to Aetaz Castle with Captain McCormack.”“Understood, Sir.”“Of course,” Yineth added, “we also had to plow the road for you.”“And we appreciate that. Will you be beaming directly to Krental, or would you care to inspect Tampa first?”“I’ll visit your ship once you’ve landed at Aetaz, I think.”“Understood. Should we head on in, or should we stop and wait for the inspection? We’ll have to establish orbit

before we can land.”“Head on in, T.J.,” Yineth suggested. “We’ll be along shortly.”“Understood. See you in a bit.”

As Tampa swept around Intar in an orbit some degrees off the planet’s equator, McCormack stepped out of the readyroom, a PADD in his hand.

“Are we ready, Hiro?” he asked, stepping up to the flight control console.“Yes, Sir. Approaching optimum descent point. I’ll make it as smooth as your little girl’s bottom.”Looking askance at the New Hokkaidan, he retorted, “Say that again after you have one of your own.”“Sorry, Sir. All flight control systems ready for landing.”“Thank you.” He then turned toward his own seat, but paused as his eyes fell upon the first officer’s chair.“She’d have understood, T.J.”His eyes rose to meet those of his fellow starship captain.“Probably, but she should have been here for this, Vani. Have the seat. It might get a bit bumpy.”“Not if I have anything to do with it,” Nagala quipped, eliciting a wave of chuckles from around the bridge.“Then let’s get to it,” McCormack said, settling into his chair. Consulting the PADD, he called out. “Engineering, take

the warp core offline and vent the drive plasma.”“Aye, Sir,” the duty engineer replied from the station to his right. “Warp core is offline… plasma has been vented. All

available power has been routed to atmospheric thrusters.” The young woman turned to face the captain. “We’re ready, Sir.”Touching the shipwide intercom button on the arm of his chair, McCormack then called out, “All decks, this is the

captain. Set condition blue throughout the ship. Report readiness to tactical. Repeat, set condition blue throughout the ship. McCormack out.”

Behind him, at tactical, Lt. Matthew Cockburn acknowledged a rapid series of calls, as each deck and division reported in.

“All decks ready, Sir.”“Thank you, Mr. Cockburn. Mr. Keransen, bring the landing struts online. Ensign, set inertial dampers to maximum.”A moment later, both officers reported the assigned tasks complete.“All right, Mr. Nagala, take us down.”“Aye, Sir. Beginning descent.”

“Good Morning, Aslan! And it is a glorious morning here at Aetaz Castle, where we are awaiting the arrival of the Federation starship Tampa, which is descending from orbit to land right here at this Royal residence.

“I’m Tula Maskyn, here with Pova Tilan. We hope you’re having a wonderful morning as we are not only awaiting a starship landing, but an investiture ceremony.”

“That’s right, Tula, and I have some interesting facts about the Tampa. She’s an Intrepid-class ship, built mainly for scientific missions, with a crew of one hundred forty. She will be, by far, the largest ship ever to land on Intar, weighing in at seven hundred thousand metric tons. To put that into perspective, that’s the size of a small aircraft carrier.

“By contrast, the two Defiant-class ships that have become something of a fixture in Citadel mass only three hundred fifty-five thousand metric tons and a crew of fifty. That’s roughly equivalent to a heavy cruiser.”

“It makes one wonder what sort of damage the landing struts might cause to the grounds, seeing how much the Hammersley did when she landed outside the Tribunal Chambers last month.”

“I’m sure that, if there is any, the Starfleet Corps of Engineers will be as quick and cheerful to repair it. That is, if the King doesn’t just make ponds out of them.”

The two anchors shared a chuckle.“Speaking of the King, he’s been keeping everyone entertained this morning with selections

from various composers on the spagoren,” Maskyn continued.“And we’ve also heard violin selections from Ensign Jenna Stirling, and we’re told there will be

a duet,” Tilan added. “We’re also told that there will be an announcement about Princess Mari’s future. Ever since she abruptly withdrew from the Sentinel program, the rumor mill has been working overtime coming up with reasons as to why. We may very well find out today.”

Suddenly, Maskyn intently listened to her earpiece.“Yes… Alright, the escort craft from the Royal Flight have rendezvoused with the Tampa and…

do we have images? Yes, we have imagery from one of the chase planes.”The view changed to show the imagery from the chase plane, showing the massive starship

descending toward a layer of wispy cirrus clouds. Through some of the windows, people could be seen seated on various items of fixed furniture.

“Do we have audio?” Maskyn asked. “Yes, we have air to ground. Let’s listen.”“Switching to one-one-six dot two. Thank you, Unity. Have a good morning.”“I believe that was the voice of Captain McCormack,” Tilan remarked as McCormack’s service

file image slid into the frame from the right. A moment later, it slid back offscreen.“Good morning, Altia Center, this is USS Tampa, passing through flight level two-four-zero for

flight level one-five-zero.”“Tampa, Altia Center. It is my honor to welcome you to our airspace. Continue descent at

your discretion. Your flightpath is clear. Nearest traffic is one Genzan 224 at bearing zero-three-one.”

“Safe distance. No need to alter descent.”“I believe that voice was the ship’s science officer, Lieutenant Michael Colt.”An inset slid into the frame from the right side, showing Colt’s service image. A few seconds

later, it slid back offscreen.“Once again, these images are coming to you live from one of the chase aircraft escorting the

Federation starship Tampa to its landing here at Aetaz Castle.”“Right now, we have with us Starfleet Lieutenant Jantha Breeze, one of the Ernst Ruska’s

communications officers. Thank you for joining us, Lieutenant.”“It’s my pleasure to be here,” the alien officer answered, her voice fitting her name.“So what can you tell us about what’s happening right now? What was the significance of

Lieutenant Colt’s report?”“Well, as you know, any craft moving through atmosphere at supersonic speeds creates what’s

known as a mach cone, where the pressure waves created by the craft’s passage merge and form a cone trailing behind the craft. The larger and heavier the craft, the stronger these pressure waves are, to the point where they can rip apart conventional aircraft if they’re too close.

“You’ll notice that the chase aircraft are taking care not to wander into the space just off the aft quarters. Those trailing Tampa are actually inside the mach cone, while those abeam are just outside it.”

“What about on board? Who’s the busiest person right now?” Tilan asked.“That’s a very good question, because most of the crew is actually locked down in their

quarters for safety reasons. When a ship goes to condition blue for landing, most mission operations are stopped. Science labs are prepped and secured, as are the mess hall, arboretum, shuttlebay, cargo operations and anything not required for the landing. Obviously, sickbay is prepared for possible injuries, should there be severe turbulence, engineering is busy monitoring ship’s systems, and the captain, of course, because he has to keep all of it in his head, moment to moment.

“But the busies person, right now, has to the flight control officer, Lieutenant Hiro Nagala. I know Hiro personally. He was an upperclassman when I first started at the Academy, and he tutored me in emergency flight operations. He’s the one actually flying the ship. While the ship’s computer does a lot of the work, Hiro’s job is, moment to moment, balancing atmospheric thrusters, impulse engines and reaction control systems to keep the ship on flightpath and in the correct orientation.”

“We’re now getting images from the carrier Stilgar, just off the Thorkon Islands in the Placidus Ocean. She doesn’t look like much from this angle.”

“Looks can be deceiving,” Breeze replied. “Tampa is actually following a slightly eastward trajectory so as to pass directly over Baxtima and will then slowly turn northwest to approach and land here at Aetaz, passing over much of the island in the process. If all goes to plan, she’ll drop to subsonic speed just before reaching Baxtima in… thirty-two minutes.”

“Then let’s go to a break, pay a few bills and we’ll pick it up on the other side. This is ANB with coverage of the landing of the USS Tampa. We’ll be back right after this.”

“Landing struts deployed,” Keransen reported from the Operations station.“Adjust inertial dampers to match planetary gravity,” McCormack ordered.“Aye, Sir. Adjusting to one point zero zero two five g’s… Inertial dampers set, Captain.”“Very well. Put us on the ground, Hiro.”“Aye, Sir. Beginning final descent. Five hundred meters… four hundred… three hundred… two hundred… one-

fifty… one hundred meters… eighty… sixty… fifty… forty… thirty… twenty-five… twenty… fifteen… ten, nine, eight… seven… six… five meters… four… three meters… two meters… contact! Thrust to zero. Exhaust secured.” Nagala then turned his chair so he could comfortably look back at the command area. “Landing complete, Captain.”

“I didn’t even feel it,” Ragiker remarked, rising from the first officer’s chair.Nagala grinned. “Told ya I’d make it smooth.”“So you did, Lieutenant.” He then tapped a button on the arm of his chair. “Engineering, this the captain. Secure from

flight status and extend the planetfall turboshaft.”“Aye, Sir,” zh’Mori replied. “All engine systems are secure, and planetfall shaft has been extended. You can depart

the ship anytime, Skipper.”“Thank you, Miss zh’Mori,” McCormack answered as he and Ragiker stood at the center of the bridge.“Ready, T.J.?” the Intaran asked.“As I’ll ever be.”The two starship captains grinned at each other.“Let’s go introduce you to the King.”

THE END