Star Trek Reliant PART II:

Star Trek: Reliant Created by Ryan A. Keeton

Based on Star Trek By Gene Rodenberry

1

Dramatis Personae Captain Arryn Steele- At age 32 he is the youngest captain in Starfleet. Given command of the U.S.S. Reliant as a reward for his heroic actions as first officer aboard the U.S.S. Gorkon during the Dominion War, he is ever conscious of the fact that many in Starfleet believe he has gained his position because his father is the Admiral in charge of the Starfleet Diplomatic Corps. These same people don‟t realize that he has been estranged from his father for years. A quick thinker, Captain Steele is at his best when the stakes are high. Although trained for diplomacy, as all Starfleet Officers are, he prefers action to words and turned down a posting to a larger Galaxy Class ship so that he could command a combat vessel, a decision that has strained the bonds between he and his father even further.

Commander Dearra Kiljian- Hailing from the planet Betazed, Dearra was recruited into Starfleet Intelligence as a Lieutenant jg and did information analysis for Starfleet Command during the Dominion War, despite the fact that she requested on numerous occasions to be reassigned to the front lines. She now feels that she will have to work twice as hard to prove worthy of her posting as first officer. A shrewd judge of character and practical in all situations, Dearra is not above using somewhat less than honorable methods to accomplish her mission or to protect her ship and her crew. To her, honor is a quaint notion that gets people killed most of the time.

Lt. Commander Harry Kim- After seven years in the Delta Quadrant as part of the historic Voyager mission, Harry Kim spent two years at Starfleet Headquarters working on Admiral Janeway‟s staff. Eager to get back out into space, he leapt at the opportunity to become the Tactical and Second Officer aboard the Reliant under Captain Steele. He has matured greatly from the eager ensign that he was and shows great command potential. Captain Steele has taken an interest in Kim and as a result, the two have become fast friends.

Dr. T‟kim- Half Vulcan and half Romulan, T‟kim grew up in Shikar City on Vulcan before attending the Vulcan Science Academy for Medicine. She then became part of the Federation Interspecies Medical Exchange and studied xenobiology on Earth. At the young age of seventy six she holds two doctorate degrees: one in interspecies medicine and one in interspecies psychology. Unlike other Vulcans, T‟kim has found a natural balance between her logical side and her emotional side.

2

Lt. Jennifer Sandara- Not much is known about the early history of Lieutenant Sandara. What is known is that she was accepted to Starfleet Academy‟s prestigious engineering school at the age of sixteen, instead of the normal age of eighteen. Considered a prodigy by many, she has worked hard to be the best engineer in Starfleet. Having served under on the U.S.S. Enterprise for five years, her Chief Engineer, Commander Geordi LaForge felt that she was ready for the challenge of being the chief engineer of her own ship. While she is a genius when it comes to the mechanics of a starship, her one flaw is in her interpersonal skills: she is more at home with a tech manual and a hydro-spanner than with a group of people. Nevertheless, Captain Steele has great confidence in her and works to mentor her in the arts of leadership.

1LT Aidan Jax- Lt. Jax is an enigma to many. A Starfleet Marine who hails from the world of Artemis Prime, he is one of the descendants of the genetic super men who survived the eugenics wars and were exiled from Earth. Standing at seven feet tall and possessing a mass of three hundred pounds of solid muscle, he is an imposing and intimidating figure for even the most hard of heart. Embracing his people‟s warrior culture, he endeavors to be the best Marine he can be. In charge of not only ships security, but the detachment of thirty Starfleet Marines who call the Reliant home, he is forthright and honest and one of the quietest members of the crew… unless he‟s angry.

LTjg Nog- The first Ferengi in Starfleet, Nog earned his commission during the last year of the Dominion War. After hearing about his exploits, Captain Steele put in a personal request to Colonel Kira aboard Deep Space 9 to have Nog reassigned to the Reliant as helmsman. She agreed and Nog eagerly accepted. Tempered by the fires of war, yet still enthusiastic about his career, Captain Steele sees great potential in Nog and does his best to bring it out whenever he can.

U.S.S. Reliant NCC 51293The fifty seventh Defiant class vessel ever constructed, she is an upgrade to the original Defiant design based on the after action reports of the Defiant class ships that served in the Dominion War. Equipped with a Federation cloaking device that is now allowed to be used in the Alpha Quadrant, the Reliant has a weapons load with twice the power of the original design, including four universal turret mounted pulsed phase cannons that can allow the Reliant to project its massive firepower in 360 degrees. These turrets are controlled a periscope targeting device that lowers down from the ceiling in the weapons station at the back of the bridge and is manned by the ships tactical officer. The Reliant also features the ablative armor design that Captain Sisko added to the original Defiant, as well as improved warp and shield capabilities. In addition to this, the Reliant is also almost twice as large as the original Defiant in order to accommodate a standard Starfleet Marine detachment as well as two assault shuttles used for boarding ships and ferrying troops from one place to another. The Ships‟ motto:

“Sic Semper Tyranus” 3

NIMBUS III, HALCYON SECTOR, ALPHA QUADRANT On the border between the Federation, Romulan and Klingon Empires The Prince was not happy, that much Ordon Nas could sense from his position kneeling upon the floor in front of the Prince‟s throne. It was like a cold fog had descended on the room and was threatening to leach all of the life from its occupants. “So,” the Dark Prince began ominously, “the Federation is now in possession of a case of Ketracel White that can be traced back to you on Roclaw.” “Yes, my prince.” Ordon replied, not daring to take his eyes from the floor. “How did this failure occur?” “One of my workers failed to offload the crate.” Ordon replied nervously. “He has since been punished.” The Prince nodded, his bright blue eyes dimming as he blinked slowly. “A good start. Now the question is: what do I do with you?” Ordon remained silent because he knew that the prince had already decided his fate. Groveling or begging now would only make him look weak and he refused to be weak in front of anyone, especially the prince. If he was going to die, he would at least do so with his dignity intact. The prince watched him closely, his bright red eyes never moving from his target. Finally, he pronounced his sentence. “You have only one chance to redeem yourself, Ordon. I want you to move your base to Qua‟nacht Two and be operational in three days. Leave nothing behind but the wind howling through the rocks.” “Yes, my prince.” Ordon replied as relief washed over him. “I won‟t fail you.” The prince smiled. “See that you don‟t.”

4

Ordon stood and bowed, then turned and left the room with all haste. The Prince and his body guards watched him leave before a tall Romulan male with long black hair entered and bowed. “My Prince, the Exarch commands you to make contact immediately.” The prince touched a button on his throne and then moved down steps to where a small platform was rising out of the floor. “Leave me.” He commanded brusquely. The Nausicaan guards and the Romulan all bowed and left the room quickly. No sooner was the door shut behind them than the prince stepped onto the platform and bowed down on both knees, his forehead touching the floor. Above him the image of a tall and powerfully built man, his face also obscured by a cowl but with the same blazing red eyes, stood with his arms folded across his chest. He looked down on the prince but said nothing for a long moment. “Speak, my son.” His deep voice finally boomed. “Holy Father,” the Prince said, “I abase myself before thee and ask what thou would command of thy humble servant?” “You serve with honor, Prince Norq‟adin,” the Exarch spoke the ritual reply as his image gestured benevolently, “now rise and tell me of your progress.” “Everything is proceeding apace, Celestial Wisdom.” The Prince said as he stood and faced the hologram of his master. “We have begun the creation of an army here and have made impressive inroads with our infiltrators. We now have operatives in every major crime organization in this region of space.” “Very good.” The Exarch commended. “What of the military assessments I asked of you?” “Complete, Dread Lord. I await your signal to transmit them to you.” “Do so now.” The Prince touched a control on the wristband that he had concealed under his cloak and a small electronic beep sounded as images of Federation, Klingon, Romulan and Ferengi warships began to appear around the Exarch along with attached notes.” “It would appear that while the Klingon and Romulan empires are rebuilding at impressive rates, the Federation is lagging behind.” The Exarch commented as he read the assessments. “Yes, Holy Father. The Federation Council doesn‟t believe that a major external threat exists now with the recently signed peace treaties between them, the Romulans and the Klingons. They are more concerned with getting back to their mission of science and discovery.” The Prince reported. “A noble endeavor, but foolhardy. Is it possible that we overestimated the threat that the Federation poses?” 5

“I do not believe so, Celestial Wisdom. The Federation has an impressive manufacturing and scientific infrastructure. It would not take them long to get on a war footing if attacked, which is why we must strike hard, fast and with no warning. If the Federation are given enough time to recover they will mobilize and unite this part of the galaxy against us, making it all the more difficult to accomplish our holy crusade.” “Difficult, but not impossible?” “Nothing is impossible for us, Holy Father. Du bec Borathui!” The Prince said as he snapped his fists across his chest in salute. The Exarch nodded in satisfaction. “I am sending Archbishop Bal‟azar to you. He will act as your advisor as well as minister to your everlasting soul.” The Prince was taken aback momentarily. “Holy Father, have I failed you?” “No, my son. You have done an extraordinary service under the most difficult of conditions.” The Exarch soothed. “For too long you have worked alone in the wastelands of the universe, almost eighteen standard cycles since the failure of Archbishop Aldo‟quan. Now you stand upon a mountain of success, built by you alone, where he failed with numerous resources at his disposal. I simply feel that it is time that your soul was ministered to.” “I am honored, Celestial Wisdom, that you would send an Archbishop to tend my weary soul.” The Prince said, but inside he felt different. He knew from hard worn experience that the hierarchy of the Borath Communion was a twisted and ruthless political web. He also knew that Archbishop T‟mar Bal‟azar was family to the disgraced Archbishop Aldo‟quan, who had died in his failure to infiltrate the Federation. Aldo‟quan‟s entire family had suffered the disgrace of that failure. It spoke to Bal‟azar‟s political acumen that he hadn‟t been consumed, much less flourished, after that incident. Bal‟azar‟s family had been of High Order before the downfall and Norq‟adin had no doubt that Bal‟azar intended to restore it by coming to the place of his family‟s greatest failure and redeeming himself and Norq‟adin didn‟t mind that, so long as it didn‟t come at his expense. “When can I expect the Archbishop?” he asked. “He should be passing through the Eye of Elegos in the next few days.” The Exarch replied. “He will then proceed to you at haste.” The Prince nodded. “I eagerly await his presence.” The Exarch nodded and his image winked out. Slowly, the Prince made his way back to his throne and sat down taking a deep breath. Things were definitely becoming interesting.

6

DETENTION CENTER STARBASE 44 HALCYON SECTOR, FEDERATION / ROMULAN / KLINGON BORDER REGION Captain Arryn Steele continued to stare at the viewscreen that displayed the image of his brother and an Andorian that he immediately recognized as Shran, sitting in a holding cell. Both men looked irritated and uncomfortable and Arryn was inclined to leave him that way but he knew that he needed to find out where his brother had gotten the Ketracel White from. Besides, he had left them there all night already. “Okay,” he sighed to the security crewman guarding the block, “I might as well get this over with. Open it up.” The crewman complied and Arryn entered to see his brother and Shran both standing up with anxious expressions. Jacen‟s, however, screwed into one of impatience as soon as he caught sight of him. “Oh great!” he threw his hands up in the air in frustration. “If I would have known they were going to send you I would have turned myself into the God Damned Romulans!” “Nice to see you too, Jacen.” Arryn replied drily as he turned to Shran. “Still hanging around with this guy eh?” Shran shrugged. “He‟s cheap to feed and already housebroken.” Steele fought the urge to smile. Shran and Jacen had been best of friends since before their stint in the academy, although his father had never approved of the Andorian. In fact, the Admiral had promptly blamed his influence over his older son when they had both been expelled from the academy for cheating on their finals. “So you want to tell me where you got this?” Arryn asked as he held up the vial of White. “I assume you read the report. Everything‟s in there.” Jacen said icily as he turned his back on his brother. “Look Jacen, I‟m trying to help you here so why don‟t you stop being an ass and tell me what the hell is going on?” Arryn snarled. “Why? So you can run back to dear old dad and tell him his son screwed up yet again?”

7

Arryn shook his head. “You‟re never going to let that go are you?” “You mean the fact that you ratted out your own brother? No, probably not.” “You were selling the key to the final exam, Jacen! You‟re lucky all I did was report you for having it.” “Oh yeah, so lucky that they decided I was cheating and expelled me!” “Chee’ rok too!” Shran exclaimed in Andorian. “That was fifteen gol’ram years ago! Now will both of you shut the hell up about it?” Arryn and Jacen both remained silent for a long moment but it was Jacen who broke it by turning around and facing his younger brother. “He‟s right. We need to fix this and fast.” Arryn nodded as he reached out and touched the keypad to deactivate the force field holding them in. “Come with me and let‟s talk about it.” “Come with you?” Jacen asked. “Yeah, you‟ve been released into my custody.” Arryn replied. “Your custody?” Jacen and Shran both asked. Arryn smiled impishly. “You‟re still under arrest. All I did was talk the Commodore into releasing you guys to me while I investigate this.” Jacen followed Arryn out the door, casting a sidelong glance at his partner, and saw they were both thinking the same thing. Run for it. That thought disappeared instantly though, as Shran nearly ran into a mountain of a human male dressed in the black and red uniform of the Starfleet Marine Corps and wearing the rank of a lieutenant. Looking around, Jacen saw an entire squad of Marines, all armed and staring right back at him. He looked at his younger brother with an appreciative nod. “I see you run with a tough crowd these days.” “The toughest.” The lieutenant rumbled. “Lieutenant Jax and his Marines will escort you to your ship so you can grab a kit before we depart. Clothes and toiletries only, though.” Arryn explained with a smirk. “And just where are we going?” Jacen asked. “Where else? Back to Roclaw to track down that shipment of Ketracel White.” Arryn replied as he turned to face Lt. Jax. “Be quick about it Mister Jax, we leave in an hour.” “Aye sir.” Jax replied as he gestured to Jacen, “Lead the way, captain.” 8

Jacen chuckled. It was obvious that Jax didn‟t think much of him but he didn‟t care. It was his chance to get aboard his ship and maybe escape. “Oh, and Aidan?” Arryn called out as he began to walk away, “If he tries to escape, break his legs.” Jax smiled. “Aye sir.” Jacen and Shran looked at each other and knew they were in trouble. *** MEDICAL CENTER STARBASE 44 HALCYON SECTOR, FEDERATION / ROMULAN / KLINGON BORDER REGION Dr. T‟kim examined the patient before her, a Tellarite male with multiple contusions and abrasions, with a trained eye and skilled hand as she deftly moved the dermal regenerator across his abdomen to repair the wounds there. “I‟d be better off having my Denebian Slime Devil work on me than you!” the cantankerous Tellarite complained. “You would be better off not attempting to wrestle your Denebian Slime Devil. Even a Klingon has enough sense to know that.” T‟kim replied as she continued her work unfazed. The Tellarite looked stunned for a moment and then burst out laughing at the top of his lungs. “A Vulcan with a sense of humor! Who would have thought such a thing possible?” T‟kim arched an eyebrow. “If you don‟t restrain yourself I will have to sedate you and then you will see the full extent of my sense of humor.” The Tellarite looked as if he was trying to decide whether or not to heed her advice when a human wearing a Starfleet uniform and the rank of captain entered. “I‟d listen to her. Her sense of humor is rather- sharp.” T‟kim looked up and Arryn smiled at her. “Long time, Doctor.” “Indeed.” She replied returning to her work. “Am I to assume that you are here for something other than medical treatment?” “Yes.” Arryn replied as he took a seat. “Although I have had this pain—” “Why are you here?” T‟kim interrupted. “To collect my new ship‟s surgeon.” Arryn replied. This stopped T‟kim cold. “You are the captain of the Reliant?” 9

Arryn held up his hands in a surrender gesture. “Guilty as charged.” T‟kim‟s face showed consternation as she resumed her work. “Had I known this I would have requested another assignment.” “I know, which is why I didn‟t relay the information to you.” “So you intentionally deceived me.” She replied icily. “A typical tactic for you: deceive someone so you get what you want.” “That‟s not fair.” Arryn protested, “I had no choice in that situation.” “You led me to believe that you did.” “At the time I thought I did.” “So you are saying that you were only mistaken in telling me that you could guarantee to be assigned to the Excelsior with me?” the doctor asked skeptically. “I thought my dad would—” “So, as always, your father is to blame?” Arryn was struck speechless by the pointed question and remained silent for a long time as his face darkened with anger. “Very well doctor.” He finally said as he struggled to keep his voice neutral and professional. “Consider your request for another assignment approved. I‟ll tell Commodore Shallak that he can keep you.” With that, the captain spun on his heel and walked from the Medical Center with as much grace as he could muster. T‟kim watched as he left and kept her face impassive but inside she was torn. She knew that it was cruel to bring up his rift with his father but the truth was the truth. Arryn had been a womanizer during his days in the academy and she had done her best to avoid him but he had been persistent, even going so far as to learn how to make Vulcan Plomeek soup and serve it to her while she had been studying to pass her psychology exams. They had started spending time together and eventually became intimate. When they had graduated together, he had been assigned for six months as the liaison for the incoming freshman class. He had promised that upon completion of the assignment he would join her aboard the Excelsior and that they would consider marriage. That had never happened. Arryn had impressed Captain Stedman of the U.S.S. Hikaru Sulu during the summer session as he trained the incoming cadets on the basics needed to be a Starfleet officer. Stedman had thought that Arryn had definite leadership potential and had offered him a position as a bridge officer, which Arryn had accepted. They had said goodbye via subspace and never spoken again until he had walked into her medical center just moments before. 10

The logical part of her accepted that he had made the smart career decision. After all, he had been fast tracked to promotion because of his auspicious start under Captain Stedman. The emotional part of her, however, felt like she had been betrayed. Illogical, to be sure, since he had tried to get his father to reassign her to the Sulu, but to no avail. It was the Romulan part of her heritage where her intense emotions were generated and Romulans weren‟t known for being the forgiving type. As she watched the doors slide shut behind Arryn she couldn‟t help but feel that maybe a door had finally been closed for good on a part of her life that had been both good and bad and that maybe it wasn‟t such a bad thing. Maybe. BRIDGE U.S.S. RELIANT STARBASE 44, HALCYON SECTOR “Good morning, Commander.” Harry Kim said as Dearra Kiljian entered the bridge. “Good morning, Mister Kim.” She replied as she made her way to the captain‟s chair. “Anything worth reporting?” “No sir. All of the updates and comm. traffic from the graveyard watch has been uploaded to your pad.” Harry replied as he stifled a yawn. “Long night?” Dearra asked. Harry nodded. “I was going to go aboard station and check out some of the shops on their promenade but--” this time he could help himself yawning, “I‟m beat” Dearra smiled as memories of some of the all nighters she pulled at Starfleet Intelligence during the war came to mind. “You‟re relieved, Mister Kim. Get some sleep.” “Aye sir.” he said as he tapped a code into the arm panel of the captain‟s chair. “Attention all hands: Commence shift change. The First Officer has the bridge. Commander Kim stands relieved.” The computer voice announced. Harry rolled his eyes. “I hate that thing.” Dearra smirked. “I kind of like it” Harry just shook his head and walked off the bridge as Dearra took her seat in the captain‟s chair and began poring over the reports from the night shift. “Looks like a quiet night.” She said to no one in particular as she continued to read.

11

Suddenly though, her heart felt like it stopped and chill went down her spine as she spied a code in one of the regular communiqués that grabbed her attention. It was a report on ship activity in the sector from Starfleet Intelligence. There was nothing out of the ordinary in it except for a sequence of letters and numbers in the code that addressed it to the Reliant, a sequence only she would know. Keeping her face impassive she stood and made her way towards the door. To the ensign on helm watch she said “I‟ll be out doing my rounds. You have the bridge.” She didn‟t wait for her to respond. Quickly Dearra made her way to her quarters and, once inside, locked the door. “Computer,” she said, “Initiate White Protocol one-seven-seven.” “Working.” The computer‟s female voice responded. “Protocol enacted.” Dearra sat down behind her desk and quickly activated her desk terminal. “Open subspace channel sixty six point five and transmit the following code.” She said as she typed in the code she had read on her pad. For a long moment her viewscreen only displayed static but finally the face of a man appeared. He was human, with graying hair, a faded red goatee and a tanned complexion. All in all, someone who looked more like a gentle grandfather than the type of person who had moved interstellar empires with a well placed word… Or phaser shot. But the eyes give it away she thought. His eyes remind me that this is a man who has killed before without thought or remorse. I can never forget that. “Hello Dearra.” The man‟s gentle voice said, snapping her out of her thoughts. “I got your message, James. What do you want?” she asked impatiently. “Succinct as ever.” The man called James replied with a smirk. “We‟ve heard about your captain‟s mission.” “And?” “We have an assignment for you.” Dearra sighed. “What is it?” “Nothing big, just intelligence gathering.” James replied. It wasn‟t hard for Dearra to guess at where the conversation was heading. “You want me to spy on my captain and report in to you?” “We just want to be kept informed of the mission.” James said easily, “We think there might be more to it than just someone manufacturing Ketracel White.” 12

“I can do that.” Dearra replied after a moment of thought. “But remember our agreement. If you ask me to do anything against my captain or this crew—” James smiled. “Dearra, have I ever lied to you? I‟m a man of my word.” She nodded and closed the channel. “Computer: Report on White Protocol one-sevenseven.” “Your transmission and logs pertaining to it have been deleted.” The computer replied. “Very well, discontinue protocol.” “Protocol discontinued.” Standing up she powered off her terminal and made her way out of the door to continue her rounds. However, she couldn‟t shake the premonition that something was coming. Something bad.

13

ENLISTED CREW QUARTERS U.S.S. RELIANT STARBASE 44, HALCYON SECTOR Jacen looked around the cramped double occupancy bunk room that would serve as he and Shran‟s home for the next few days and frowned. “Not exactly a four star suite.” “Perhaps the brig would better suit your tastes?” Lt. Jax rumbled. Jacen turned and looked up to the towering giant. “You don‟t like me very much, do you Lieutenant?” Jax smiled menacingly. “I like you just fine. It is smugglers and pirates I find contemptible.” “Ah.” Jacen replied with a smirk. “So it‟s my occupation that you dislike?” “You are from the lowest of castes and a traitor to your honorable bloodline.” The hulking Marine growled. “On my world, your brother could have had you executed for your dishonor.” “Hah!” Jacen laughed out loud. “Maybe you should ask your captain about his experiences with your world.” Jax leaned closer. “I know of his experiences. He is well regarded among many of the great houses.” Jacen rolled his eyes. “Of course, he‟s the outlander who won a name of honor. Yet another thing my perfect brother can be proud of.” “If I were not a Starfleet Marine I would eviscerate you where you stand for your contempt of a Kodori Warrior.” Jax snarled. “As it is I am already worried that I will never get the stench of you off of my uniform.” Jacen smiled and backed into the room before offering an overly gracious bow. “We aim to please, Mister Jax.” The Lieutenant paid him no mind as he keyed the door closed and then activated the lock. “Way to go, pink skin.” Shran said as he flopped down on his bunk. “You sure do have a talent for pissing people off.” 14

Jacen laughed. “That lunk? That‟s the one thing my father was right about: his culture is a bunch of genetically engineered thugs with a barely civilized society. If it weren‟t for the fact that the Federation would pounce on them like a pack of wolves, they would have already tried to strike out and conquer the entire Alpha Quadrant.” Shran‟s antennae went up in surprise. “So they are human augments?” “They‟re a distant throwback to what we once were, a reminder about our not so tidy past.” Jacen replied as he lay down on his bunk. “I thought that all of the Augments were killed at the end of the Eugenics Wars?” Jacen shook his head. “Some escaped, like Kahn Noonian Singh, but Kodor was founded by a group of dissident augments who didn‟t believe like the others. They felt that the „madness‟ that was infecting their brothers was due to human hatred of their kind. They left shortly before World War Three and settled their planet to escape Earth and the wars that they knew were coming.” “Sounds like they were the smart ones.” Shran commented. “They were cowards, nothing more.” Jacen replied as he closed his eyes. “I‟m going to get some sleep.” Shran nodded and closed his eyes as well. “Yeah pink skin, I think we‟re going to need it.” BRIDGE U.S.S. RELIANT STARBASE 44, HALCYON SECTOR Nog entered the bridge with a smile and relieved the ensign sitting at the helm. After a cursory examination he saw that all was in order and turned to face Commander Kiljian. “Can you believe it? I actually found a restaurant that served Ferengi tube grubs!” “Sounds like you had a good time, lieutenant.” Dearra said absently as she continued reading the ships status reports. “They weren‟t as good as my uncle‟s place on Deep Space Nine, but it‟s been a while since I was able to have Ferengi food so I was just happy to find a place that serves it.” “Any port in a storm.” Dearra commented. Nog was about to reply when he suddenly stood to attention. “Captain on the bridge!” Dearra looked up to find Captain Steele looking frustrated but alert as he strode onto the bridge. “Report.”

15

“All personnel granted shore leave have been recalled, per your orders and the ship is prepared for departure.” Dearra replied as she stood and moved from the captain‟s chair to a place beside it. “Good. Contact flight operations and request a departure slot.” Steele ordered. “On it sir.” Nog replied as he turned to carry out the captain‟s orders. “Where‟s Mister Kim?” The captain asked. “He took the graveyard shift.” The X.O. explained. “I‟m letting him sleep.” Steele nodded. “Fair enough, we can get underway without him. What about the rest of the crew additions?” “The last members of the engineering staff boarded last night and all of the medical staff came aboard an hour ago, except for our Doctor.” Dearra reported. “We‟ll have to make due until we get back.” Steele said taking his seat. “Departure stations.” “We‟re going on active duty without a ships surgeon?” Dearra asked, unsure if she had heard him correctly. Steele‟s fixed her with an intense look that said this wasn‟t the time to discuss it. “You have a problem with that, Commander?” Dearra shook her head. “No sir.” “Glad to hear it.” Steele replied turning to the helm. “Mister Nog, seal all hatches and standby to release docking clamps.” “Permission to come aboard?” Steele froze in place at the sound of the familiar voice but shook off his surprise slowly as he turned in his chair to see Doctor T‟kim standing in the doorway. “Doctor.” He said as he rose to greet her. “I wasn‟t aware you would be joining us on this trip.” “My services are at your disposal, if you will have me.” T‟kim replied impassively. They continued to lock eyes for a long moment, each feeling the tension in the other but it was Steele who broke it first. “Of course, Doctor, welcome aboard.” T‟kim drew herself up, the Vulcan equivalent of a sigh of relief, and Steele realized for the first time that she had been anticipating his rejection. “With your permission sir, I will stow my gear and report to sickbay.” “Carry on.” Steele replied formally.

16

Dearra watched the doctor turn and gracefully exit the bridge but not before noticing the lingering look the captain gave her as she walked out the door. It didn‟t take the use of her Betazoid senses to tell that there were strong emotions between the two of them. “X.O., get me the dock master.” Steele commanded, snapping her out of her thoughts. Dearra opened the channel. “You‟re on sir.” “Starbase forty four this is U.S.S. Reliant requesting permission to depart.” Steele said. On the screen in front of him the lights on the corners of the hangar doors that protected the Reliant from space and provided a sealed enclosure for atmosphere while she was docked began to flash red indicating that they were about to open. “Reliant, this is flight operations. We‟re downloading your departure instructions to your helm now. Stand by for port gates.” The male voice of the flight controller replied. “Reliant confirms and we are standing by.” Steele looked around the bridge as the crew went about their business and was satisfied with what he saw. All around him his crew were beginning to bond and form friendships that would become important in the days and weeks to come as they set out on their mission to secure the frontier. On the screen in front of him the hangar doors slide open to reveal the black vista of space beyond them. “Nog?” Steele asked. “Departure course laid in sir.” the Ferengi replied, anticipating his question. “Good man.” “Reliant, this is flight ops: You are cleared for departure. Safe journey and come home soon.” Steele smiled. “Reliant confirms. Mister Nog, clear all moorings and release docking clamps.” Nog‟s fingers flew over his terminal like a master musician playing his instrument. “Moorings cleared, docking clamps released, thrusters at station keeping, sir.” “Very well.” Steele said turning to Dearra. “X.O., would you do the honors?” Dearra was caught by surprise. “Sir?” Steele stood and gestured to the captain‟s chair. “Never piloted a ship out of dock before right?” “Correct sir.” Dearra answered as she stood and made her way towards the chair.

17

“First time for everything, Commander.” Steele replied. “Just try not to scratch the paint.” Dearra nodded, the humor of the comment totally lost on her in her nervousness. Steele watched her for a moment and then folded his hands behind his back and faced towards the screen. “Take her out, Mister Kiljian.” “Aye sir.” Dearra replied nervously. “Mister Nog: aft thrusters ahead half.” “Aft thrusters ahead half, aye sir.” Nog replied as he worked the controls. On the screen, the walls of the massive hangar began to slip past them as the mighty ship got under way, however it took only a moment until only the view of open space encompassed them and Starbase 44 was falling behind. “We are clear and free to navigate.” Nog reported. “Course heading, Captain?” Dearra asked as she looked up at Steele. “Set a course for the planet Roclaw.” Steele ordered. “Make your course one-three-eight mark two-one-four and stand by to go to warp.” Dearra commanded as she referenced the star chart on the data pad attached to the captains‟ chair. “How fast do you want to get there, sir?” Steele looked down and smirked at her. She got the hint. “Course laid in sir.” Nog reported. “Very well. Cloak the ship and take us to warp seven.” Dearra commanded. “Cloak the ship, aye sir.” the crewman at tactical answered. As Nog activated the warp drive the powerful warp engines deep inside the ship, began to whine as massive amounts of energy began pouring through them, distorting space around them and allowing the ship to travel at speeds faster than even light itself. Dearra watched on the screen in front of them as the stars turned to streaks of light as the Reliant shot off at warp seven across the galaxy. “We are stable at warp seven.” Nog reported. “Good work, commander.” Steele said. “You have the con. I‟ll be in my ready room if you need me.” “Aye sir.” Dearra replied as she breathed a sigh of relief. “I have the con.” **

18

NIMBUS III, HALCYON SECTOR, ALPHA QUADRANT Sluubas entered the throne room calmly and made his way to the foot of the Prince‟s throne where he bent his knee and knelt, patiently awaiting a command from his dread lord. It had been several weeks since his conversion and while he found the presence of the other to be disturbing at times, he also knew a peace and sense of purpose unlike he had ever known before. “Rise and report.” The Prince commanded. “The facility has been moved as you commanded, Dread Lord.” Sluubas said as he rose to his feet. “And Ordon Nas?” “Eliminated.” Sluubas said. “How was it done?” The Prince asked. Sluubas smiled. “He was staked to the ground outside a fleshworm colony and consumed alive while his former subordinates observed. The demonstration was most effective.” The Prince nodded his head approvingly. “Good. Sometimes such demonstrations are necessary to properly motivate your subordinates.” “Yes, my lord.” Sluubas agreed. “I have left Colonel Hark in charge of the project. He was natural to replace Ordon since he has been supervising the combat training of our soldiers and he appreciates the need for discipline within our ranks.” “A disciplined mind, awakened to the truth of the universe, is the most powerful of weapons in the arsenal of crusade.” The Prince recited from the Borath Book of Truth. “A Sharpened sword is only as deadly as the hand that wields it.” Sluubas replied reverently. The Prince smiled. “You know the verses of the book. Truly, you have come a long way since your conversion.” “Indeed he has.” A voice said from the shadows. Sluubas spun, his weapon drawn and his eyes looking for a target as a shadow seemed to melt from the darkness and make its way to where he stood. The Prince, unfazed by the new presence, held his hand up and gestured for Sluubas to lower his weapon, which he did obediently. 19

The new presence in the room wore a long purple robe made of a velvet like material with golden trim around the cuffs of the sleeves. Also like the Prince, his hood was drawn up so that his face was covered in shadow, his glowing red eyes the only feature visible in the darkness. “Your Acolyte has learned much, Prince Norq‟adin. You are to be praised for your efforts in his conversion.” The Prince ignored the compliment. “You are early. The Holy Father said you would not be here for several days.” “I was fortunate to finish my duties in the Gamma Quadrant early and chose to join you here with haste. I apologize if my presence has caused any inconvenience.” The Prince shook his head. “Your presence is not an inconvenience.” He knew that any admission that could be construed as being surprised or unprepared would be seized upon as weakness. “I would have liked to have prepared a reception in your honor, however. After all, it is a momentous day when an Archbishop of The Way sets foot in the Alpha Quadrant.” “No such honors are necessary, Dread Lord.” The Archbishop said easily. “I am but a humble servant of The Way. Besides, I prefer to move with quiet discretion.” “The wise man says little, listens much, moves with silence and strikes without warning.” Sluubas intoned. “Very good, Acolyte.” The Archbishop complimented. “Again he shows signs of excellent training, my Prince.” The Prince inclined his head in acknowledgement and the gestured to Sluubas. “You may go. Return to your duties and inform me of your progress.” Sluubas bowed deeply. “As you command, Dread Lord.” Both men watched the Ferengi leave before continuing their discussion in their native tongue. “Explain yourself.” The Prince commanded. “I have no need to explain myself to you.” The Archbishop replied. “You forget your place.” The Prince hissed. “I am a March Prince, ordained and sanctified by the Exarch himself!” The Archbishop seemed unfazed. “And I am an Archbishop of The Way, chosen by the universe and born to noble blood. I am inviolate, untouchable by any but an ordained Soul Judge. You are nothing but a low born opportunist who betrayed someone of higher station for his own gain.” The Prince shot to his feet and was face to face with the Archbishop in the blink of an eye but the holy man didn‟t flinch. He only smiled. “Strike me, I dare you. Do it, and watch what happens.”

20

The Prince trembled with anger but stepped back from the Archbishop and folded his arms. “While you are here you are free to go about your duties but your prerogative of command is revoked.” “You cannot—” “You‟re wrong, Archbishop. As the March Prince of a territory in contention I am authorized by law to take any actions I feel necessary to further the goals of the Communion and I feel that your influence would work counter to the plans I have set in motion here, plans that the Exarch himself has given his blessing to. Therefore you will be allowed to spiritually advise here only. Understood?” “I will consult the patrician council on this.” The Archbishop growled. “That is your prerogative but you will have to travel back to the Gamma Quadrant to do so. Mission security dictates that only absolutely essential hyperpulse transmissions be allowed.” The Prince folded his arms across his chest in satisfaction. “You‟ve thought of everything haven‟t you?” The Archbishop asked, his anger barely concealed. “You didn‟t think that I would allow you to come here and usurp all that I have done, did you? You couldn‟t possibly be that stupid.” The Prince chided. “Now, our mission here is to prepare the sector of space as a base of operations for the crusade to come. So long as you keep this goal in mind and work towards it you will earn glory for your name and your family.” “As your lackey.” “Better that than a traitor.” The Prince said. “Now, do I have your pledge of allegiance or do I leave you to the wilderness?” The Archbishop fixed Norq‟adin with a withering glare for a long moment but finally he closes his eyes, dropped to his knee and offered his hand. “I pledge myself to your cause, Dread Lord.” The Prince smiled. “Good. Now rise Archbishop Bal‟azar, and let us contemplate a future where this galaxy is subjugated under the righteous hand of the Borath.”

21

MAIN ENGINEERING U.S.S. RELIANT EN ROUTE TO THE JANOS SECTOR

Nog entered the main engineering section of the Reliant and once again was amazed by how much different it was from the ship he had begun his career on. The engine room was easily twice the size of the original Defiant with more personnel and power than that long lost ship as well. “Can I help you sir?” asked a young Xindi humanoid wearing an engineering uniform and the rank of Chief Petty Officer. “Yes Chief, I‟m looking for Lieutenant Commander Sandara. Can you tell me where she is?” Nog asked. “In her office sir.” the Chief replied pointing to the small office cubicle off of the main engineering floor. “Thank you Chief. Carry on.” Nog said, dismissing him and moving off toward Sandara‟s office. He found the engineer behind her desk with the door open, reviewing the gun camera footage of the confrontation with the unknown vessel that the Reliant had encountered on her shakedown cruise. Straightening himself up, he knocked and awaited her reply. “Come on.” She absently said, never taking her eyes from the screen. Nog entered, pulled out a small box and, placing it on her desk, waited for her to look up. She didn‟t. He waited for several long moments before he finally spoke. “Something wrong, sir?” “You can see it, can‟t you?” she asked, her eyes still glued to the display screen, “See what?” “Look.” She said pointing at the image of the ship. “Right there, do you see it? Just before the last hit.” 22

Nog looked closer as the phaser pulses closed in on their target in slow motion. Then he saw it. “They vented plasma before they got hit.” “Exactly.” Sandara said leaning back in her chair. “They had it planned out from the beginning. They wanted us to find them.” “But why?” Nog asked. “That‟s what I‟d like to know.” Sandara replied gravely and Nog saw a look in her eyes that said she would find out if it was the last thing she did. For a moment he wondered why she would be up in arms so much about a band of Orion pirates but he let the question go as she shut off the viewscreen and turned to him. “You didn‟t come down here to watch gun camera footage with me so what can I do for you, lieutenant?” she asked. “Oh,” Nog stammered as he pushed the small box he had placed on her desk towards her. “I, uh, brought these for you.” Sandara picked up the box and eyed it skeptically. “Bolian chocolates? Please don‟t tell me you‟re asking me out on a date—” “No!” Nog protested quickly, “It‟s not like that. I mean, not that you aren‟t an attractive female, but—” “Get to the point.” Sandara said impatiently. “I had an idea about how to increase efficiency in the helm controls and make the ship more responsive at sub-light speeds. I just wanted to ask for your help in developing it before I show it to the captain is all.” He explained. Sandara looked at him suspiciously for a long moment, not sure whether to believe him or not. “Please Commander, this is a chance to show the captain that I can be more than just a helmsman. I want him to know that I can be valuable in other areas too! After all, I have training in engineering-” “Are you trying to take my job, Lieutenant?” Sandara arched her eyebrow in mock seriousness. “No sir! I just—” Sandara held up a hand and smirked. “I believe you, Lieutenant.” Nog breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, sir.” Sandara nodded. “Bring your notes with you to the mess hall tonight at eighteen hundred and I‟ll look them over with you.”

23

“Yes sir, and thank you!” Nog replied enthusiastically, turning to leave. “Wait.” Sandara said stopping him cold. “Before you go, explain the chocolates.” Nog smiled. “Ferengi rule of acquisition number ninety four: Always butter up a potential client.” Sandara smiled. “Nice. See you at eighteen hundred.” ***

ENLISTED QUARTERS U.S.S. RELIANT EN ROUTE TO THE JANOS SECTOR

Arryn Steele leaned back and rubbed his eyes as he took a break from reading the deluge of reports he had to sort through on a daily basis. It had been several hours since they had set out for Roclaw and all had been quiet, not that he had expected anything different. A small part of him was disappointed though as some action would have given him an excuse to escape the paperwork he dreaded so much. Turning around he touched a button on the replicator in the wall and ordered a drink. “Iced tea, un-sweet.” The machine hummed and a moment later a large glass of iced tea appeared in the alcove. Grabbing it he raised the glass to his lips and took a long pull of the cold bitter liquid, enjoying the chill it gave him as it went down his throat. His enjoyment was interrupted though as Commander Kiljian‟s voice came across the ships comm system. “Yellow alert. All hands to action stations. Captain Steele to the bridge.” Setting the glass down he stood and straightened his uniform as he made his way out the door of his small ready room. “Captain on the bridge.” One of the bridge crew announced. Dearra stood from the captain‟s chair and faced Steele. “We‟re about to come out of warp sir but we‟re picking up a ship on long range sensors.” “Have you identified it?” The captain asked as he took a seat in his chair. “Not yet, we‟re still out of range.” “What‟s it doing?” “Nothing sir, just sitting in orbit.” Nog reported from the helm. 24

“I got a bad feeling about this.” Steele said as he mulled the situation over. “Roclaw is about as backwater as it gets, not exactly a place where a ship would stop off and take in the view.” “A good place to hide though.” Dearra said. Steele nodded. “My thoughts exactly. Red alert.” The alert klaxons on the bridge switched from yellow to red and began to blare casting an eerie glow as they did. All around the ship crewmen found themselves dashing to their posts and preparing for combat, some of them still in their night clothes. On the bridge, Captain Steele watched as his senior officers efficiently took their posts, including a bleary eyed Harry Kim who took over the tactical position from one of his junior lieutenants. “Mister Jax, have a squad of Marines escort my brother and his associate to the bridge. His input might be useful on this.” The Captain commanded. Jax nodded and set out from the bridge to comply. “X.O., Can we get an I.D. on that vessel yet?” “Coming through now, sir. It‟s--” Kiljian double checked her readings and turned to look at the captain. “It‟s our friends from the earlier encounter.” “Time to intercept?” Steele asked as he turned to Harry. “Ninety seconds sir.” the tactical officer replied. Steele smiled. “Good. What are our friends doing?” “They‟re settling into a low geosynchronous orbit above the planet.” Harry said. Jacen Steele entered the bridge followed by Shran and two Marines, both armed. He looked at his brother in the captains‟ chair and a scowl crossed his face. “You bring me up here so you could brag?” Arryn touched his armrest controls and the image of the enemy vessel appeared on screen. “What can you tell me about that?” he asked. Jacen‟s scowl evaporated and he let out a low whistle. “Orion destroyer, Ochoga class. Twin torpedo launchers forward and aft. Fifteen phaser banks with multiple independent tracking systems. The best firepower money can buy and illegal as hell in the Federation.” “That would match the energy readings I‟m getting from her, sir.” Kim confirmed. “That ship is a predator.” “That‟s exactly what Ochoga means in Orion.” Said Sandara from her position.

25

“Okay so it sounds like a pretty even match except that they don‟t know we‟re coming.” Steele turned to his helm officer. “How long until we intercept?” “Two minutes sir.” Nog replied, never taking his eyes from his controls. “Increase to warp nine.” Steele ordered. “Sir, at that speed our cloak might not be one hundred percent effective.” Sandara warned. “Thirty seconds until intercept.” Nog announced. “Stand by shields and weapons.” Steele commanded turning to Jax. “Get a squad down to the transporter and stand by. I still want to try and take her intact if possible.” “Aye sir.” he replied as he stood and moved out with his fellow Marines. “So you‟re going to just pop in and slug it out with these guys?” Jacen asked. “That‟s the plan.” Steele replied. “We‟ll have the element of surprise on our side. We hit them hard in the first pass before they get their shields up and we might be able to scare them into surrendering without much of a fight.” Jacen nodded. “That‟s a good plan- if you‟re fighting Cardassians. But these are Orion pirates. They don‟t surrender and catching them by surprise is harder than you think.” “Drop us to impulse, Nog.” Steele said as he faced his brother. “What do you mean--” BANG! Suddenly the ship bucked hard and tossed many of the crew to the floor. Alarms began to scream and pressure seals ruptured spilling gasses into the atmosphere. “Report!” Steele shouted over the din of noise. “Something hit the port nacelle sir! We‟re venting drive plasma. Wrap drive is offline as well as the cloak.” Sandara reported. “What the hell hit us?” Dearra demanded as she tended to wounded crewmen on the bridge. “A gravitic mine.” Kim reported. A sudden sense of dread crawled up Arryn‟s spine at the thought of a gravitic mine. Outlawed by all of the major powers, gravitic mines were attracted to with gravity, including the artificial gravity plating inside a ship. Once it sensed that it was close to a gravity signature it detonated sending hundreds of tiny warheads out to cause further damage. They were indiscriminate killers. “This is what I meant by being difficult to catch by surprise.” Jacen commented quietly. 26

“Run a sensor scan for more of them and tell me what our friends are doing.” Arryn said, ignoring his brother‟s comment. “They‟re powering weapons sir.” Kim reported. “Shields.” Steele commanded. “Our port side shields are down. All others at seventy five percent.” Steele turned to his chief engineer. “Sandara, are we still in any shape to slug it out with these guys?” She shook her head. “Sir, our warp drive is offline, our shields are fluctuating, the cloak is non-functional and I have blown EPS conduits across the entire port side.” “I‟ll take that as a no. Damn it, I don‟t like running from a fight.” Steele cursed as he accepted the situation for what it was. “We don‟t have a choice though. Nog, back us—” “Sir, the enemy ship has opened fire on the colony!” Dearra said, her voice belaying her alarm. “What!?” Steele exclaimed standing. “On screen!” On the viewscreen he saw the vicious Orion ship of war directing its green pulses of deadly energy to the planet below and he knew there was no turning back. “How many?” Steele asked and Dearra knew immediately what he wanted to know. “Four thousand two hundred and twenty five.” She replied. He knew it would be suicide to go up against the vessel in the Reliant‟s current shape. He knew that it would be putting not only his life, but the life of every single member of his crew at risk. He knew what would happen to any survivors too. Still, he didn‟t flinch. “Sandara, what‟s the best speed you can give me?” he asked quietly. “Three quarter impulse sir.” she replied. “Nog, at that speed, how long will it take us to close on the enemy vessel?” “Two minutes sir.” the Ferengi replied. Steele looked around the bridge and locked eyes with each of his officers. In their eyes he saw that they knew what he was about to do and he saw a resolve that matched his own “Mister Nog, beast speed to intercept. Sandara, you have two minutes to do what you can.” “Aye sir.” they both replied.

27

Taking another look at the enemy ship, now looming closer on the viewscreen, Steele made the decision that every captain in Starfleet dreaded. “X.O., send out a general distress call. We‟re going to need help before we‟re done.” ***

“Ok, listen up!” Sandara said as she burst into the engine room. “I want two teams on the port side rerouting and sealing every EPS breach you find. Tyson, I want you and Helmar to get down to the shield generators on the port side and get them operational. The rest of you, I want to get on damage control and restore as many combat systems as possible.” “How much time do we have sir?” Tyson asked. “Two minutes, now go!” The crew burst into action as Sandara went to her office and pulled up the sensor scans of the enemy ship that she had been studying earlier. Her fingers worked quickly as she tore into the power readings looking for a weakness. “Sir, we have an overpressure warning in the impulse drive.” A crewman said poking his head into her office. Immediately she brought up the readout on the impulse drive and identified the problem. “We‟re getting a backflow in the discharge system, the exhaust manifolds must be damaged. Open them all the way and purge the system, then keep your eyes on it. If it backs up again repeat the procedure.” The crewman responded but she ignored him, already back to studying the enemy ship. “Come on, damn you. I know you‟re here somewhere.” The view of the ship rotated slowly on the screen and she watched carefully looking for the one weakness she suspected that the ship might have. I have to find it. We won’t survive if I don’t. Suddenly the ship lurched and alarms began to scream on the engineering status display. She didn‟t need to contact the bridge to know what had happened. They had engaged the enemy. ***

28

“Near miss, starboard side.” Dearra reported as the Reliant juked to port to avoid another torpedo. “Five hundred meters.” “We‟re still two thousand kilometers out from weapons range. How are they getting so close to us?” Nog asked worriedly. “They‟re just shooting in the dark lieutenant, our weapons outrange them by five hundred kilometers.” Dearra said. “The settlements‟ shields are down to fifteen percent.” Kim reported, “They won‟t hold much longer.” “Understood.” Steele acknowledged. “Stay focused, Nog. I need your head in the fight right now.” “Yes sir.” Nog replied, turning his attention back to his station. “Engineering to bridge-” Sandara‟s voice said over the loudspeaker, “Full impulse power has been restored but I‟ve had to reroute most of the portside EPS grid so try not to give me too many bumps.” “No promises but good work. Keep at it.” Steele said closing the line. “Nog, full impulse.” “Full impulse, aye.” Nog repeated. “Thirty seconds to weapons range.” Harry reported as he scanned through the targeting periscope. “Forward pulse cannons charged and ready, forward torpedo launchers standing by.” “Load quantum torpedoes in all tubes and lock weapons onto their engines.” Steele commanded. “Quantum torpedoes sir?” Dearra asked. “I thought you wanted to take them intact?” “Last resort only.” Steele quickly replied. “Starfleet tactics won‟t work with these guys, Arryn. You‟re going to have to--” Jacen said contemptuously. “Thank you captain, your opinion is noted.” Arryn cut him off brusquely. Jacen‟s eyes went wide with anger and surprise. “Well excuse me, captain! I thought I was here to help, not bear witness to your glory! Gods alive, the ego you have…”

29

“I don‟t have time for this,” Arryn said shaking his head, “Jax, escort our guests back to their quarters.” “You little shit.” Jacen said as he leaned down and got in Arryn‟s face. “You don‟t realize yet that you‟re dealing with an enemy who doesn‟t fight like you do! If you go in using traditional tactics you‟re going to get us all killed!” Arryn stood and shoved his brother back hard. “Get the hell off of my bridge!” Both Arryn and Jacen looked ready to lunge at each other but Shran stepped between the two brothers and held out his arms to keep them apart. “Will both of you put away that gagnaram Steele pride for a moment and listen?” Both men stood staring each other in the face as Shran turned to Arryn. “Your brother is right. You won‟t win this fight thinking like a Starfleet officer. You‟re going to have to fight dirty and he knows how.” He then wheeled on Jacen. “We‟re trying to save people from dying down there but all you want to do is start a fight someone who has trying to mend fences with you over stuff that happened years ago! Stop being such an ass and start talking.” The bridge was silent as the two brothers stared each other down. The tension in the room was so thick it could be cut with a phaser. Dearra made ready to intercede but found it unnecessary as both brothers suddenly burst out in laughter. “Gagnaram?” Jacen asked his friend. “Does that even translate into English?” Arryn followed. Shran smiled. “It does but you wouldn‟t like it.” “I‟ll take your word for it then.” Arryn replied as he offered his hand to his brother. “Peace?” Jacen looked at it for a long moment before taking it with a firm grip. “For now. When this is over though, you and I are getting into the cage.” “Sir, the settlements‟ shields have collapsed!” Kim announced. Arryn‟s smile faded. “Deal. Now let‟s get to work.” Taking his seat again he saw the ship looming large in the viewscreen. “Range?” “Five hundred until firing, sir.” Kim replied. “Suggestions?” Arryn asked turning to his brother. “Find and target their cargo hold.” Jacen replied. “Their cargo hold? Why?”

30

Jacen smiled. “They‟re pirates, captain. Whatever they‟re doing, it‟s all for the loot. If they‟re in danger of losing that—” “They might back off.” Arryn completed the thought. “Kim, you heard the man. Target their cargo hold and stand by with one quantum torpedo.” “Sir, one torpedo will weaken their shields but not penetrate.” Kim warned. “It‟ll let them know we‟re serious.” Arryn said. “Might even scare them off.” “Or it might piss them off.” Jacen countered. “Either way, we‟re in for a fight.” “Weapons range sir.” Dearra announced. “By all means then, open fire.” The Reliant opened up with her pulse phasers, their unleashed power slamming into the enemy ship so hard that their entire shield grid sparkled with the effort to repulse them, followed closely by a white hot spark of energy that was the signature of a quantum torpedo. It impacted along the underside of the hull and made the shields flicker and go dim for a moment as scorch marks appeared on the hull. On the screen, the ship stopped its barrage of the now defenseless settlement below and trained her guns on the Reliant. “If you wanted their attention sir, you succeeded.” Nog quipped. “Mister Kim, open up with everything you have on their cargo hold. Nog, evasive maneuvers.” *** The ship shuddered, pounded again by a merciless barrage from the enemy Orion vessel, and Jennifer Sandara watched as three new flashing red warning lights appeared on her engineering status board indicating yet another system that had been rendered inoperative by the enemy. “Engineering to bridge-” she said tapping her com badge, “that last hit took out the primary forward EPS junction and the starboard torpedo launcher.” “Sir! Hull breach on deck four, section ten.” A crewman shouted. “We now have six hull breaches in various locations across the dorsal section of the ship. Force fields are in place and holding for the moment but our emergency doors aren‟t sealing. I need some time to get crews up there to manually do it.” “Understood. I‟ll give you as much time as I can but you‟re going to have to hurry.” Steele replied, his voice garbled and full of static. 31

“Acknowledged.” Sandara said closing the link and bracing herself as the ship shuddered again. “The impulse manifold just took another hit sir! Pressure in the exhaust is 32 and rising.” A Bolian ensign nicknamed „Mac‟ announced. “Damn it.” Sandara cursed quietly. “We need an extra manifold--” Then it hit her like a brick in the forehead. “That‟s it!” she said pulling up the scan of the enemy vessel that she had been studying earlier. “What‟s it?” the Bolian asked. “Orion ships have always had a problem venting their impulse exhaust. It‟s a design flaw they suffer for having over powered engines.” Sandara crowed as she began looking at the engine section. “When I saw these scans earlier I wondered why they weren‟t having that problem with the engine putting out as much power as our scans detected. It‟s because they added an extra exhaust manifold!” “How is that a vulnerability?”Mac asked. “Because you have to carefully place the exhaust manifold for an impulse drive. It has to have an almost direct route from the engine to the exhaust or else the gasses will back up. Most of the time they‟re placed near the back of the ship where they aren‟t vulnerable to attack.” “But the manifolds on this one are huge. So if there‟s another one--” Mac said as he caught on to her line of thought. “It‟s vulnerable.” Sandara finished for him. “And there it is!” “That‟s just a thermal vent.” Mac said as he spied over her shoulder. “Look at the heat readings on it! That‟s no thermal vent.” Sandara countered. “Engineering to bridge!” *** The bridge was organized chaos as a haze of smoke drifted through the air and spark flew at random from different exposed wires. “Where are they Nog?” Steele asked as he struggled to remain in his command chair. “Still with us sir.” the beleaguered Ferengi helmsman replied as he wiped a drop of blood from a cut to his forehead. “They‟re firing again!” Kim shouted from the tactical station. “Aft torpedoes!” Steele commanded, “Nog, evasive starboard!” The ship shuddered as she fired off a quick succession of torpedoes from the rear launcher, all of which missed as the Orion ship veered off and looped around for another attack. 32

“Mister Nog, you need to get to sickbay.” Said Doctor T‟kim as she ran a medical tricorder over his wound. “Sorry doc, I‟m a bit busy right now.” The Ferengi replied as he struggled to keep the ship in a tight turn. “You have a concussion to your frontal lobe, lieutenant. If I don‟t get you to sickbay--” The doctor countered. “I‟m the best pilot on the ship. If I leave my post our chances of dying go up and I‟m a Ferengi which means I am extremely allergic to that, so if you‟ll excuse me doctor…” T‟kim considered relieving and forcing him to go to sickbay but she decided against it as the ship shuddered from another near miss. “Very well but you come see me the moment this is over.” Nog nodded but said nothing as he concentrated on keeping the enemy vessel from getting weapons lock on them. “Engineering to bridge!” Sandara‟s voice cut into the chaos. “Don‟t tell me we lost something else.” Steele groaned as he activated the com unit in his chair. “Go ahead.” “Sir, I‟m sending you some target data. Fire on it and we might have a chance.” Sandara said. Steele was about to ask how she had figured out a weakness to the ship but thought better of it. “Send it.” A moment later Harry‟s console beeped and he saw exactly what she had been looking at. “Got it sir. Nog, on my mark adjust your pitch ninety degrees up.” “Up?” “Mark! Do it Nog!” Acting quickly Nog adjusted the ships heading and sank back in his seat as the inertial dampers on the bridge fought to compensate for the massive G forces being exerted against it. “Now, come about one eighty!” Kim said This time Nog didn‟t ask, he just complied twisting the ship hard over and coming straight down at the enemy vessel. Steele watched as two quantum torpedoes streaked away and slammed into the top of the enemy ships‟ engine section. The Orion ship shuddered hard under the impact and her engines flickered and for a moment Steele dared to hope they were dead in the water. That hope was dashed though as her engines roared back to life. 33

“The enemy vessel is turning sir.” Kim reported. “Sir, we can‟t take another hit.” Dearra said. Arryn Steele took a deep breath and prepared to give the order to abandon ship when suddenly the Orions turned away and went to warp. Arryn stared, blinking at the empty screen for a long moment. “I guess we hit them harder than we thought.” He said finally. “No sir, I don‟t think that‟s what made them run.” Jax replied, his eyes fixed on his sensor readout. Arryn was about to ask why when the loudspeakers crackled to life. “U.S.S. Reliant, this is Enterprise responding to your distress call.” Said the unmistakable voice of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Arryn let out a sigh of relief and opened a channel. “Enterprise, this is Reliant- you have impeccable timing, Captain.” “Glad to be of service. What‟s your status?” Picard asked. “We‟re in rough shape but we‟ll survive. The settlement on the planet, however, took heavy damage from an orbital bombardment. I suspect that they have heavy casualties and need the help more than we do.” Steele said. “Understood. I‟m dispatching medical teams to the surface now. Will you be requiring any assistance?” Picard replied. Steele looked around at the rough state of his bridge. “We could use a couple of engineering teams, if you can spare them.” “I‟ll have them transport over immediately.” Picard replied. “Much obliged, captain.” With that the link was cut and Arryn watched on the viewscreen as the Enterprise soared into orbit and began delivering aid to planet below. He started as he felt a hand on his shoulder and looking up he saw Jacen smiling down at him. “Good job little brother.” He said as he turned to leave the bridge. “Maybe you‟re not so bad after all.” Arryn watched him go and shook his head with a wistful smile. ***

34

Arryn Steele and Jean-Luc Picard stood side by side on a small hilltop as the sun set over the ruins of what had once been a thriving colony. Now, it was all ash and ruin. Below them, medical teams set up makeshift hospitals in prefab buildings as search teams scoured what was left for survivors. It was disheartening to look at and Arryn felt a profound sense of sadness and anger washing over him. “Two thousand people dead.” He said his eyes never leaving the scene of carnage before him. “Two thousand people, and for what?” “That is the question, captain,” Picard quietly replied, “and one we must find an answer for.” “My Chief Engineer found something in the rubble of the main impact zone that could explain it.” Steele said, handing Picard a data pad. Picard examined it and his eyes went wide with shock. “Is she sure about this?” Steele nodded. “I haven‟t known Sandara long but I do know that she doesn‟t say anything until she‟s one hundred percent sure. If that‟s what she says it is, then I believe her.” Picard handed the pad back to Steele and took a long deep breath. “If she‟s right then we have a more serious problem than we thought.” “She‟s right, captain,” Steele affirmed, “which means that someone was growing Jem Hedar soldiers here.” Picard nodded, accepting the truth of the situation. “And by the size of the complex that was destroyed, they could have been growing thousands of them. That’s why this colony was wiped out: to erase any trace of what they had been doing here.” Steele nodded. “I think that this situation just got a whole lot more dangerous.” Picard turned and looked at Steele, his eyes reflecting the emotions in his own soul, and said “Captain, I sincerely hope you are wrong in all of this because if you‟re right…” he took a deep breath as he contemplated the consequences. Steele nodded, understanding full well what Picard was thinking. “If I‟m right, it could mean war.”

35