This story is set in 2367 just before the start of the Klingon Civil war
Chapter 1Lt Corspa Azenarr the tall blue skinned Andorian stepped out of the transporter feeling a slight vibration in the air around her making her antennae quiver. Hastily she scrutinised her surroundings seeing a human officer at the console. Nervously her hand went to the scar on her cheek the result of an Uhsaan duel as a teenager.
"When you're ready?" his voice held amusement.
Corspa blushed. "Sorry about that."
The man smiled. "Step along now. Someone will be here to get you acquainted."
On cue the doors to the transporter room slicked open. Standing in the entrance was a familiar face from her past the very woman that had encouraged her all through those turbulent years at the academy, her best friend. Hilti Silverleaf was tall her skin a greeny-grey, her eyes slitted like that of a lizard and her long hair a darker shade of auburn. Corspa noted the insignia on her friend's lapel.
"Hilti? Is that you?"
The newcomer smiled. "Is that the proper way to address a superior officer?"
Corspa straightened up. "Lieutenant Azenarr reporting for duty!"
"This way Lieutenant." Corspa followed her friend out.
Once in the corridor Hilti turned and hugged her friend. "Good to see you.
Corspa stepped back and regarded her friend. "When did you get promoted to Commander?"
"Captain N'Avelle's recommendation. I know the Cavell's only a Miranda Class cruiser but his word seems to carry far." Hilti smiled. "Besides it gave me the opportunity to recommend you, the second best tactical officer at the academy. Come I'll show you the accommodation."
Corspa followed her into the bowls of the ship.
Scrutinising her quarters Corspa hadn't expected it to be so cramped. Just enough space for two bunks and a couple of storage cabinets.
"I wasn't expecting it to be so small. I bet yours are bigger."
Hilti laughed. "You're looking at it."
Corspa regarded her friend. " This a is it? Why?"
"Space is a premium on the Cavell we've got a lot of experimental equipment aboard and that takes up room." Hilti smiled. "Besides it quieter down here. Still it's not too bad with you here. It's been three years since we graduated and we've three years to gossip to catch up on."
Relaxing in her quarters before her assignment Corspa thought over the past three weeks. In that time she had seen little of her friend. Still she kept herself busy.
Heading to Engineering she spotted an ensign outside the doors to the computer core. Corspa glanced at him to her eyes he seemed to be acting odd.
"Ensign?"
The man jumped at her call. "Lieutenant?"
Once he had turned around Corspa could get a better look at him. A Vulcan she thought then with over three hundred people on board she wasn't going to remember everyone's names. "What are you doing?"
"Repairs to the core console panel."
It sounded logical to her. Then as she was heading to Engineering she thought should ask Lieutenant Commander B'Ekarr the Chief Engineer just for reassurance. Yet in her mind she thought it odd for him to be here at this time. It wasn't until she reached the doors to Engineering that she realised what had been bugging her. The ensign didn't have his tool kit.
The door to Engineering slid open and Corspa stared at the warp core the tall glowing structure dominated Engineering. A gruff sounding voice called to her.
"Lt Azenarr over here." It was Lieutenant Commander B'Ekarr the half-Klingon Chief Engineer.
"Reporting for duty Sir!" She hesitated. "Sir?" Thinking of the incident outside the computer core then decided not to say anything. "Nothing sir!"
"Take that console over there and we'll start the simulation."
"What are we simulating?"
"A warp core breech under combat conditions."
Ltc B'Ekarr tapped a button on her console. "Begin."
Corspa spent three hours working hard finding herself taking a liking to the gruff voiced Lt Commander.
Finally to B'Ekarr's satisfaction the simulation ended and Corspa asked the question that was bothering her. "Do know who ordered repairs to the computer core access panel?"
"Repairs what repairs?" B'Ekarr demanded.
"An ensign was working on it as I was passing."
B'Ekarr frowned making her wrinkled forehead seem even more wrinkled. "Wasn't authorised by me?" She shrugged. "It could have been one of the other shifts I haven't had the time to check through the maintenance logs. I wouldn't worry, many think this old ship is on its last legs, should have retired the old gal years ago. I reckon She's got years of life still in her." B'Ekarr patted the bulkhead beside her familiarly. "There's always something that's going wrong yet she still ticks along. The trouble is with so many repairs I never have time to keep the logs updated."
B'Ekarr's answered Corspa question but she was still uncertain. "Perhaps." She said to herself. "I'm just imagining things. She headed to the commissary to get herself a drink before her next assignment.
Meanwhile… on the Bridge. Hilti looked up from her console and across to Captain N'Avelle seated in his captain's chair as always the human seemed lost in his thoughts.
"Captain?"
"Problem Number One?"
"I'm picking up some unusual readings?" She replied one eye on her console her fingers tapping across its surface trying to triangulate the position of the readings a frown deepening across her face.
"Readings?"
"A tight beam communication, the trouble is that it is emanating from within the ship."
"Where?"
"Computer core level 2."
Captain N'Avelle sat up straight. "Send a security team down there immediately!"
"Aye Captain." She pressed a button on her station. "Bridge to Security."
"Security here!" A voice answered over the comm channel. "Send a team to the computer core level 2. Silverleaf out!"
Minutes ticked by before they received an answer.
"Security to Bridge."
"Go ahead Security."
"There's something attached to the core shall we remove it?" Hilti looked across to her captain. "Orders?"
"See to it Number One."
"Aye Captain."
Reaching the core she waved the security team back, all humans they looked at her their faces blank. She pulled her tricorder
Out and scanned the panel in front of her. "Do you know who accessed the core last?"
"Yes sir?" One of the security team said and swallowed hard. "Lieutenant Azenarr."
Hilti stared hard at the human. "You said what?" Her voice going icy cold.
He spoke again firmer this time. "Corspa Azenarr. Hers was the last code the system registered." He handed her a PADD with the data from the access panel on it.
Hilti tapped her comm badge and called the captain with the security findings deep with her mind was the doubt that Corspa had done this.
"Find out where Lieutenant Azenarr is and detain her." Captain replied an uncharacteristic tremble in his voice.
As much as Hilti hated that order she was bound by duty to do so. Taking a deep breath she entered the core sweeping the area with her tricorder. There attached to the core was a monitoring device. Quickly she identified it as of Romulan origin. "Oh Corspa?" She whispered. "What have you got yourself into?" Hating herself for the doubts in her mind. Corspa would have never done a thing like this. But then there was Corspa's father's involvement with a Romulan scientist but that was years ago. Her father had been given a Tal Shiar concealable disrupter and intern had passed it on to his daughter. Currently Corspa's disrupter was locked in the armoury.
A figure moved in Corspa's quarters and opened her personal locker quickly adding things to it before exiting making sure no one saw.
Corspa sat in the commissary drinking a coffee. Not an Andorian beverage but as someone had once told her it was an acquired taste one she liked. She heard the doors slick open and turned to find herself looking at a security team.
"Lieutenant Azenarr please come with us."
Corspa stood and followed outside she saw Hilti.
"Commander?"
"Oh Corspa I'm really so sorry about this?"
Corspa had this sinking feeling. "About what?"
Hilti turned to the security team. "Escort the Lieutenant to the brig."
Corspa stared hard at her former friend. "I haven't done anything!" Her protests fell on deaf ears. Rather than make a scene here Andorian pride wouldn't let her do that she allowed the security team take her to the brig. As she passed Hilti she uttered. "You and I are finished."
Of all the things Corspa could have said this was the worst. Her heart full of pain Hilti headed back to the bridge.
As she lay on the bed in the brig Corspa bitterly contemplated her future. She couldn't believe the charges laid against her. The worst of it was that someone she considered a close friend had levelled them at her. Her crime spying for the Romulans. She knew her father had been friends with a Romulan scientist but that was years ago before she joined Starfleet even before… She touched the scar on her cheek she had fought a duel for her honour. Stuck in here there was no way for her to dispute the charges.
Hilti's mind was full of doubts. She entered the Captain's ready room. He was already seated a couple of items on his desk.
"I know she was your friend." He stated. "But these were in her locker." Indicating the items in front of him.
"You do realise I shared quarters with Corspa?"
"I'm well aware of that!" Captain N'Avelle snapped in an agressive manner.
She looked at him then looked down at the items on the desk. "Corspa would never have these!" Seeing a Romulan tricorder and disrupter. Corspa does own a Tal Shiar disrupter but this isn't it she thought, her friend carried it all though the years at the academy. Corspa's little disrupter was safety ensconced in the armoury.
"So how do you explain how they ended up in her locker?"
"Someone put them there!"
"You friendship with that traitor is clouding you judgement!" The captain growled. "Dismissed!"
Hilti left determined to find the truth and angry with her captain. The only one that could rationalise the captain's bizarre behaviour was the Chief Engineer. She found her in her quarters. B'Ekarr stood as soon as Hilti entered.
"I heard about young Corspa. I really thought she would go far. I didn't think it was all the way to Romulus."
"She's innocent!" Hilti protested.
"I believe you." B'Ekarr replied. "But getting angry won't help you here!"
Hilti calmed down. "Taren seems to think Corspa's guilty and won't budge on that? You know reasons why?"
"Yes it's a long story."
"If it will help Corspa any information will be vital."
"You won't know he never talks about it. The Romulans killed his wife. Her ship strayed into the Neutral Zone and the Romulans attacked it. What you won't hear and this is the worst of it. The ship was only badly damaged, the crew launched escape pods and the Romulan commander used them for target practice."
Coloured drained from Hilti's face. "Oh no!" She whispered unable to voice the horror she felt.
"The Cavell and another Starfleet ship answered their distress call. I was only an ensign at the time. But it effected him badly."
Hilti now understood why but freeing her friend was another matter without proof. "Corspa has been framed!"
"Yes I know that!" B'Ekarr consoled Hilti her tones different from her normal gruff voice. "Gather the other department heads and we'll work something out." B'Ekarr regarded the first officer. "Best we leave the captain out of the loop until we have irrefutable proof."
Hilti was surprised by the response from her fellow officers as they gathered in the conference room all with thing in mind to find the traitor.
"I'll go through the sensor logs for the last six months." Lt Bri Norton the half-Cardassian Comms Officer volunteered.
"Thanks!" Hilti replied.
"While I will search the medical records." Doc Merrill remarked looking to the others seated around the conference table. "It is the logical place to start." Her monotoned voice belying her Vulcan heritage.
B'Ekarr remembered something Corspa had mentioned to her in passing. "I'll must check the repair logs. Lieutenant Azenarr told me that someone was working on the access panel to the computer core."
"Please do so." Hilti said thoughtfully. "And my task?"
"Correlate our data and present it to the captain. We don't have a lot of time the USS Venture is on the way to rendezvous with us." Bri told them all.
"If that's it let's get to our tasks. Dismissed!"
Lt Norton examined the sensor logs from the Comms console deep with the ship. He considered this his territory. The closer he looked the more he scowled. Someone had been systematically altering the logs for that last six months. Well before Lt Corspa had boarded the ship. "Norton to Hilti I have something for you." Carefully he sent the data to Hilti's PADD.
Doctor Merrill consulted the records for every member of her crew yet she was troubled. One of the records was incomplete. There was no logical reason for this she scrutinised the records of a regular basis and yet this record remained uncompleted. She picked up her medical tricorder and headed out determined to find answers. An hour later she was back infirmary with the hair sample she had collected, carefully placing it into the analyser. Staring at the results her eyes narrowed. "Why didn't I see this before?" It would be illogical to get angry but that was exactly what she was feeling at the moment. She punched the button on the comm panel. "Merrill to Hilti sending data now."
Guilt was what was going through her mind as B'Ekarr regarded the repair logs on the screen in front of her, that and the willingness to rip out a throat. "No!" She growled and thudded the console hard struggling hard to reign in the temper her Klingon half was showing. "Corspa was with me when the core was accessed. Someone had accessed the computer core using Corspa's access codes but at the time she had been with her running through a warp core breech simulation. She looked again finding more anomalies. One time was when she was certain she was practising with the Bat'leth with Hilti someone had accessed the ships system using her codes. She grew angry. "How dare they! Dishonourable!" She yelled. Calming herself down she sent her data to Hilti.
Hilti considered her data. She had to act quickly. "Computer locate Ensign Ha'vek."
"Ensign Ha'vek is outside the corridor to cargo bay three." The computer's voice intoned.
"Is he on assignment?"
"Ensign Ha'vek is not on any assignment."
Hilti tapped her console. "Security meet me outside cargo bay three!" She hurried out and headed for the armoury.
She reached the cargo bay just to see Ensign Ha'vek enter the cargo bay. "Computer lock access to cargo bay three. Security override Silverleaf…" she rattled off her security code. Thanking her stars she had changed it before heading out the traitor wouldn't have had time to learn it yet. "Lock out controls to cargo bay three transporter." He was trapped. Two security men rushed up to her.
"Commander?"
Hilti noted these were the same two that had arrested Corspa. "I've trapped the true traitor in here do not let anyone enter or leave without my permission."
"Aye."
Hilti called Captain N'Avelle over the Comms system explaining what she had found. He came at a rush his face going bleak as Hilti presented him with the data that had been collected. "We've had a Romulan agent aboard for the last six months and there you were to condemn at a innocent woman without checking your facts." She couldn't express her own guilt at failing to believe her friend. Little wonder Corspa felt betrayed.
"Commander unlock the doors."
Hilti did so noting both security men had their hands on their phasers ready to draw them in an instance. She found herself doing the same.
Slowly Ensign Ha'vek emerged. He took note of the security officers and both Captain N'Avelle and Commander Silverleaf. "I see I'm undone." He remarked laconically.
Captain N'Avelle seethed with anger. "How could you!" He spluttered.
"It so easy to fool you humans." Ha'vek answered contemptuously.
Captain N'Avelle would have surged forward his fingers going for Ha'vek's throat had he not met an immovable object in the form of Hilti.
"Search him and throw him in the brig." She released her grip of Captain N'Avelle arm. "So I can release Corspa."
Captain N'Avelle shook himself. "Yes please do so. I got apologies to make."
"I think we all have." Hilti's hope was that Corspa wouldn't hold a grudge.
Corspa regarded her friend coldly. "I said I was innocent but you didn't believe me."
"I don't know how I'll make this up." Hilti pleaded with her friend.
"I want to see the traitor go."
"Granted."
Corspa felt a rush of satisfaction as she watched the traitor be beamed across to the USS Venture. As the effects of the transporter faded away she turned to Hilti. "You reckon we can start over?"
With relief in her heart Hilti answered. "Sure, you still haven't told me about those two drunken Bolians and the shuttle while you were stationed at Starbase 74."
For the first time since her ordeal Corspa smiled. "Now that's a whole different story."