Chapter 2
Moments later, the captain and his first officer strode onto the bridge. Almost immediately, Lt. Niznik Vox relinquished the captain's chair to Tynen. Then the joined Trill officer, Tynen's May/December lover when the Vox symbiont had been joined with a woman named Jezri, walked to his navigation console. Meanwhile, the captain took his seat while V'Lar's long legs carried her over to the science station near the turbo-lift entrance.
Currently, the bridge was manned by the Alpha shift. On the other side of the deck in-line with Vox's station, Ensign Lanei Rager operated her helm console. Behind the captain, Lt. Etana Mazan, the ship's Ktarian Tactical Officer, managed the functions on her panel.
Tynen then cleared his throat, drawing his crew's attention. "Vox…report."
"All systems are normal, captain."
He nodded and asked with a barely concealed snort, "What is the current status of the fleet?" Although an optimist by nature, even he'd admit it was quite a stretch to call the motley collection of in-system starships a 'fleet.' With the exception of the Valkyrie and the Miranda-class Mako, his units consisted of two underpowered destroyers, a pair of frigates, a single perimeter action ship—the fleet's answer to the larger version of the Klingon Bird of Prey, an Oberth-class survey ship, two tiny long-range scouts, and a pair of Starfleet cargo vessels.
Then his musings were cut short by Vox when he reported, "The Light Brigade is holding station in the rings of Regulus VI under silent running protocols per your instructions."
Tynen smiled at Vox's play on words. The 'light' in question foreshadowed the brilliance resulting from the uncontrolled annihilation of matter with antimatter as the result of a photon torpedo barrage. Between them, the Mako, the Soyuz-class frigate Billings, the Loknar-class Jezar, and the Oberth-class Copernicus could launch eighteen torpedoes in one volley, more than enough to destroy or cripple four of the big Minbari war cruisers.
"Amongst all that debris, they should be as hard to find as a needle in a haystack even if the Minbari's sensors are as good as ours," Chief Sharkey, the bridge support technician, observed.
"Let's hope so," Tynen said as he silently offered thanks to his old War College professor, the wily Acaltha, for the inspiration. "If they decide to come back and finish the job, I'm betting they won't know about Silva's flotilla until he blasts them straight to hell."
"Minbari . . . say hello to my lil' friends!" Vox drawled in a barely passable imitation of the character Scarface from an ancient Terran video they'd seen during the last movie night.
Tynen hid a smile when he sensed that V'Lar's boiling point had finally reached its limit. "Lt. Vox," the Vulcan drawled coolly, "if you have finished making a mockery of the superior thespian abilities of Alfredo James Pacino with your misguided attempt at so-called humor…"
Vox noticeably slumped in his seat at that. "Aye, sir," he grumbled.
"Please continue with your report, Vox."
"Yes, sir. The destroyers Callisto and Azrael are shadowing the Nightingale and the Dehner while the medical frigates maintain standard orbits above the colony."
"They know they'll need to keep on their toes and react rapidly to any signs of spatial anomalies?"
"Yes, captain."
"Good. Anything else?"
"Well, the Colombo, the Edmund Fitzgerald, and the colony ship continue to unload freight and construction material with the help of the Corps of Engineers contingent. Meanwhile, the two Archer-class scouts are stationed at opposite ends of the system's Oort cloud and in position to serve as our rapid reaction force. Finally, that new perimeter action ship, the Echo, is in formation with the Val."
Tynen nodded. "We're the bait. If the Minbari show up, the Echo and the Val will attempt to draw them away from the planet. Etana, we'll use the Kaufman Retrograde maneuver to pound them from a distance while they try to chase us down. That should set them up to be flanked by Silva's group."
Just then, Mazan's panel chirped for her attention. Glancing down at it, she announced, "Captain, we are receiving a subspace transmission from Starfleet Command. Sir, it is Admiral Mendez."
"I'll take it in my ready room, lieutenant."
Tynen stood up, crossed the bridge and entered his office. Then he took a seat behind his desk and activated his terminal. "Tynen here, admiral."
Admiral Mendez's face appeared on the captain's screen looking less tense than it had a few days ago when he'd ordered the Valkyrie to speed to Regulus. "Hello, Jay. Have you managed to turn Regulus into a deathtrap for the Minbari if they decide to darken our doorstep again?"
"Yes, sir. I'm sure we'd give them a warm welcome this time around."
A thin smile flashed across the admiral's face. "I'd just bet you would. However, it looks like those devils have decided to take their bat and ball and go home. We think they believe they've destroyed the major Earth Alliance colony in the Alpha Quadrant and are returning to their side of the galaxy to finish off the duplicate Earth."
"We can't let that happen, admiral!"
"I couldn't agree with you more. I wanted you to know the Klingon Imperial Navy and Starfleet are working together to send an expeditionary force of a hundred or so starships in the first wave to try and hold down the fort at the duplicate Earth's area of operation. Some of those ships, under the command of Admiral Kirk, General Kor, and General Chang, will conduct reconnaissance attacks in force into Minbari space to keep the enemy off-balance. Meanwhile, the bulk of the expeditionary force shall proceed to the Alliance Earth system to mount a spirited defense. In the meantime, both the Federation and the Klingons intend to fully mobilize so we both can prepare an invasion fleet and secure our borders from potential Romulan incursions. We plan to send several thousand vessels from both of our fleets to Alliance Earth space soon."
Tynen nodded and narrowed his eyes at the screen. "I take it you're not telling me this just to pass the time, sir."
Mendez sighed then leaned toward the camera. "No, Jay, I'm not. In three days, Klingon warships will arrive in the Regulus system escorting a small convoy of heavy freighters filled with relief supplies and construction material to help the colonists there. So make certain none of your people do anything stupid to antagonize them."
"I'm on top of it, admiral."
"Good, son. Now some of their light vessels will remain behind with several of your light units. However, two of their battlecruisers and four of their Birds of Prey are assigned to travel to the subspace channel that leads to Alliance Earth space. You are to form a task force with the Valkyrie, the Echo, the Mako, the Jezar, the Nightingale, and the scout ship T'Pol along with those Klingon vessels I mentioned previously and proceed to the rendezvous point. You'll be in command of your task force until you are relieved by Admiral Tapin, the expeditionary force commander. Once you've arrived, dock with a tender to restock your ship before the expeditionary force enters the channel. Jay, you'll need to cast off one week from today."
The captain stared grimly at the image of his superior officer. So the Valkyrie was going to war. Well, she was aptly named for it. "Aye, sir."
"Now, a day after the Klingons arrive at Regulus, the USS Axanar, a Kolm-An-class Assault Ship, shall warp in and transfer a MACO platoon to the Valkyrie. That'll bring your MACO complement up to a full battery of 108 soldiers. Of course, your Major Vanderweg shall remain as the overall commander of the entire battery."
"Yes, sir," Jason acknowledged.
"However, the Axanar won't join your task force. She'll join the invasion fleet that'll leave sometime after the expeditionary force."
"I understand, admiral."
"Good. Well, do you have any questions at this time?"
"No, sir."
Mendez slowly nodded. "Well then—oh, Jay, something else has come up. A Predator-class destroyer on its way from the Dobhran Sector to Regulus was forced to prematurely drop out of warp due to the gravitational field of an immense structure, something along the lines of a Dyson Sphere. That vessel doesn't possess the capabilities or personnel to study the structure but her science officer believes that thing is nearly two hundred million miles in diameter!"
"Wow!" Tynen whispered to himself. Both V'Lar and Rex, his Chief Science Officer, would love to play with something like that!
"Jay, send the Copernicus." Then the admiral inserted a data rod in his console and pressed a button. "I've just relayed the pertinent information on the structure to you. Transfer all of those files to the survey vessel."
"Aye, aye, sir! When do you want her to leave?"
"After the Klingon forces have arrived at Regulus. The Predator has already left the sphere to proceed to the expeditionary rendezvous point and I want Starfleet to maintain its claim on it before any of the Klingons crossing the Neutral Zone run across the thing."
"Very good, sir."
"I suppose that's all for now. Keep up the good work, Jay. We'll talk again before you leave Regulus. Give my regards to your crew for me."
"Will do, admiral."
"See you soon. Mendez out," the flag officer said. Then the screen went black.
After the call had ended, Tynen sat at his desk, lost in thought for awhile before the entry chime to his door sounded. "Come," he said.
The door to his office slid open to reveal Ensign Rager. He smiled and said, "Hello, Lanei."
She gave him a nervous smile and crept into his ready room. "Sir . . . I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment. Is this a good time?"
"Of course, it is," he answered and indicated she should take the seat across from him. "What would you like to discuss?"
She squirmed a bit in her chair before she seemed to have settled on what she wanted to say. "Captain, are we going to fight the Minbari in their space?"
He regarded her stoically for a moment before he asked, "Do you mean 'we' as in the crew of the Valkyrie or the royal 'we' as in Starfleet as a whole?"
"I mean the crew of the Valkyrie."
He carefully considered what he should tell her for several seconds before he decided to simply give it to her straight. "Yes, Lanei. I've just been told by Admiral Mendez the Valkyrie is to engage the Minbari on the other side of the galaxy."
"B-but . . . why us, sir?" she asked. "Why did the Minbari do this terrible thing?"
He simply shrugged. "I'll answer your second question first. The simple reason is because we're Human. Starfleet believes the Minbari thought Regulus was a colony of a duplicate Earth that's located on their side of the galaxy. They wanted to eliminate Regulus as a possible threat to them because they are at war with that other Earth."
"So these Minbari don't realize ours is a different Earth altogether?"
"Yes," Tynen said. "Now, for your first question—one of Starfleet's mandates is to protect the member worlds and colonies of the United Federation of Planets. We had twenty thousand brothers and sisters who gave their lives trying to defend the citizens of the Regulus colonies from people who had no cause to harm us. The Minbari killed those Starfleet crewmen and nearly killed all the colonists. We don't have the power to bring all of those people back; however, we do have the power to seek justice on their behalf."
He then stood up and crossed over to his window to look upon a murdered world. He'd been to the Regulus III city of New London once a few years ago. He recalled the elevated walkways that teamed with people going about their lives, busily discussing advances in science or arguing about various theories of philosophy. New London had been a place where people had put down roots, built homes, raised their children.
Now, New London was nothing but an obscenely grotesque graveyard of epic proportions.
"Sir…"
He heard the question in her voice.
"The Minbari," he added, "never tried to communicate with us; they didn't accept the colonists' cries of surrender; they just killed as many people as they could. Neither the Romulans nor the Klingons would commit genocide against a helpless population, yet the Minbari have no qualms about it."
He turned to face her. "We need to stop them, Lanei. We need to show them that civilized people do not behave in such a manner. You, me, your shipmates…we have the means and the ability to do what needs to be done but only if we work together. I don't like war. I seek to understand people…to discuss our differences, to learn from them and their cultures. I don't want to kill anyone."
"Yet, sometimes in the defense of life, we must be willing to kill. Some of us won't make it back to our homes, our families. But Starfleet will make certain that most of us still have homes and families here when we return to the Alpha Quadrant. So, ensign, can your brothers and sisters count on you? Can I count on you?"
Without hesitation, she sprang up from her chair and snapped to attention. "Aye, aye, sir!"
He smiled. "I know you won't let us down, Lanei. If that's all, why don't you go and take a break for a little while. Oh, please keep our talk just between us until I make the announcement about our expedition to Alliance Earth space, all right?"
"Yes, sir!" Then she paused for a moment and said softly with her confident smile back in form, "Thank you, captain."
He nodded. "Then carry on, ensign!" he snapped as she turned smartly and marched right out the door.
#
Maybe I shouldn't have laid it on so thick. Maybe I should have told Lanei she'd every right to be frightened. Said, "Maybe you've got the good sense to recognize you're too young to die in the depths of outer space, fruitlessly attempting to draw your last breath from relentless vacuum as your eyes flash dry." Because if I had, I might've found the courage to do the noble thing, sent V'Lar to study the Dyson Sphere so she'd receive the scientific honors that'd go with it.
But I didn't. Because in my heart, I knew I was too weak to face the coming storm without her.
#
He entered his music room and jumped a little when he found V'Lar already there waiting for him. Her statuesque figure sat cross-legged on his couch as she read a PADD. As he watched her, he heaved a sigh. Her serene beauty always managed to steal his breath away. She must have heard him then and glanced up from her PADD. Not the kind of man to look a gift horse in the mouth, Jason took shameless advantage of the situation by leaning over to kiss her.
"Can you stay for awhile?" he asked, noting that she'd taken off her shoes and appeared to be relaxed . . . well, at least for a Vulcan.
She looked up at him with her 'mildly bemused' glint in her eyes. "I believe so. If necessary, tomorrow, I shall meet with more crewmen who wish to address their concerns regarding our orders to travel to Alliance Earth space."
"If you'd like," he said over his shoulder as he placed an ancient George Benson album on his turntable, switched on the device, and lowered the stylus onto the record, "I can help take on some of them for you."
"I do not believe your aid shall be required; however, I will keep your offer in mind."
He simply nodded because he had complete confidence in her.
Although, at first, she'd been as stiff as the typical Vulcan when she'd first come aboard, the crew had warmed up considerably to V'Lar over the past year. Now, she was sought out by more members of their crew for chats than him. Apparently, she seemed more approachable to them than the captain even though they both were 188 centimeters tall and towered over a majority of the people on the Valkyrie.
However, all of that could wait until tomorrow. For now, he just wanted to spend some time with his other half.
After the Valkyrie had left the Tellun system for Yridia, the new lovers had proceeded to explore the boundaries of their connection. As per their previously established routine, they'd continued to dine together, accompanied each other to the ship's weekly movie night, and listened to his stereo system in his private room off to the side of the arboretum. They'd also been careful to avoid kissing or touching in plain sight even after she'd taught him the only sign of affection Vulcans considered appropriate for public displays; the caress of two fingers between mates and lovers. In private, though, she'd been surprisingly demonstrative toward him.
Now, Tynen flopped down heavily onto the couch, kicked off his shoes, and leaned back against a few pillows. "I'm happy you're here, love," he said as he placed both of his hands behind his head and sighed. As he started to relax and unwind, he examined her face while she continued to read and shifted slightly to press his leg against hers. In response, she set her PADD down on the sofa and leaned back to rest her head on his shoulder.
"Ever since we have arrived here, we have had little time to experience a more personal . . . form of discourse," she whispered. Then she caressed his nose with hers before she lowered her mouth to claim his.
He deepened the kiss for a moment before he withdrew and whispered, "It's been a few days."
"It has been three days, twenty hours, ten minutes, and thirty-six seconds," she noted for the record.
"Really?" he asked offhandedly, his attention focused on gently nipping one of her earlobes with his teeth. "You know, you really taste good . . ." he murmured. As his nose pressed against her neck, he noticed she wore a light perfume – something she'd hardly ever done for as long as he'd known her. So he decided to lathe the base of her neck with his tongue and gather her bouquet. He savored her; she completely intoxicated him.
As he continued to worship her, she purred loudly like some great jungle cat. Soon, her hand roamed across the muscles of his chest before it swept down below his waist. He moaned in her ear and the sound must have set off something deep and primeval. The next thing he knew, both of them were shirtless. His upper body was bare and hers was only partially covered by her Starfleet standard issue bra.
Seconds later, she took him by surprise when she nudged her nose against his breast bone and flared her nostrils, inhaling his aroma. Then she growled lowly. "I have your scent, Jason Tynen; it ignites a fire inside me that can be quenched only by you." Suddenly her mouth latched onto his neck, causing his eyes to roll up inside his head. V'Lar then slipped her fingers along the side of his face and initiated their first mind meld.
In his mind, he saw her basking beneath him as trade winds spurred by the warmth he generated caressed her skin. As his heat circulated throughout her body, she moaned.
'Yes,' she telepathically called out, encouraging him.
Soon, the gentle nibbling of her teeth transformed into a suckling that left small bruises on his neck while her nails clawed the skin of his back. Then she moaned hoarsely. "Aisha."
That was all she wrote. When she'd said whatever the hell she'd said, he had to join with her. Dominantly, he pressed his fingers to her temple and whispered, "My mind to your mind."
'This cannot be!' her mind shouted to his soul. 'You are human!'
'What does it matter?' he silently told her. 'I am yours.' Then he whispered both in her mind and out loud, 'You and I have become one, V'Lar,' and when his fingers intertwined with hers, she trembled in his arms.
Moments later, he gently removed his digits from her temple and attempted to catch his breath when he noticed the dazed look on her face. "Love, are you all right?"
She stared into space and muttered, "That was unanticipated." Then with eyes ablaze with amazement, she whispered his name and pressed her body firmly against him.
#
He wakened and glanced down to find her on her side with her head resting upon his chest. Apparently, she'd fallen asleep immediately after they'd completed their mind meld.
At first he smiled at the sight of her. Then doubts made his mind whirl. What had they done? Would everything be fine... after this night? Would she be all right? Would they survive this?
He knew he could never deny his feelings for her. But he'd never dreamed he'd experienced anything like what had happened minutes ago. Why just the thought of it all made his head hurt a little.
'Go to sleep, Jason.'
His eyes shot wide open at that. 'What?' he thought.
'Beloved, sleep...now.'
'V'Lar?'
'Yes, aisha?'
He tilted his head toward her and whispered, "Are you talking to me, V'Lar?"
"I am," she noted, her voice expressing mild bemusement.
"In my mind?"
'Yes.' In fact, her voice in his head sounded kind of…forceful and...sexy, causing a lazy grin to dawn on his face.
Then he tried to formulate a question. "But...how?"
"Vulcans can hear the thoughts and feel the emotions of a bondmate."
"You can do that with a human?"
She glanced away from him for a moment and he knew she was uncertain about something. Then she said, "Although a few Vulcans have mated with other species, to do so is quite rare. In most cases, a Vulcan is unable to maintain a link with the non-Vulcan mate outside of a meld. It has been proven that humans were not capable of sharing thoughts with us once the meld was severed."
"But earlier...I heard your warning not to say anything to Tevik. That occurred outside a meld."
"Yes," she agreed.
"So, you're telling me we can share thoughts despite the belief by your people I'm incapable of doing so under these circumstances?"
"Yes."
"Do you have a theory on how this happened?"
"At the present time...I do not," she stated. "However, regardless of how this link was established, you have inadvertently evolved the state of our relationship."
"Oh, right! Let's blame the poor, dumb human for this mess!" he teased.
She pointedly ignored him and morphed into her Vulcan-science-geek mode. "Jason, how do you feel about me?"
"I love you."
She closed her eyes for several beats then opened them to gaze serenely at his face. "I … cherish thee, Jason, more than I have anyone else."
He hugged her close as his heart felt like it was going to explode. "I know."
"However, this bond has taken us to the next phase of our relationship," she explained as a furrow formed between her slanted brows.
"The 'next phase,' you say?"
"Yes."
"Such as...?"
"Betrothal," she whispered. "Your intermediary, normally your father, must ask Salar for his permission to allow you to become my bondmate. Undoubtedly, my father will determine you are an adequate suitor and approve the joining of our houses."
He looked at her as if she was crazy. He really didn't know how his dad would take this, his first born marrying a Vulcan. And what about Salar, the esteemed Federation Ambassador from the planet Vulcan? "Undoubtedly?" he murmured.
"Yes, Jason. He holds you in the highest regard; after all, you saved the life of his only daughter and you rescued both the life and honor of his only son after my brother had been framed for a murder he did not commit."
Although his doubts were quieted somewhat by her reasoning, he still wasn't convinced. I mean it's a universal constant; no father ever trusts any guy who wants to do the 'wild thing' with daddy's little girl! he mused. Look, it was one thing to be grateful to an undeserving cad for saving your daughter's life; it was another to be fine with allowing the undeserving cad to marry her!
She brought him out of his funk when she added, "My father will also discern upon your father's assurances that you could endure the trials of Pon Farr."
"Pon Farr?"
She sent a flood of thoughts his way: the madness, the blood fever, the mating. Images of crazed Vulcans desperately yearning to breed were revealed to him. 'Once I have begun my Pon Farr, we would bond completely. Then you would become my...lifemate.'
The arching of his brow mimicked that of a Vulcan's. "I see," he said, though he truly didn't. When she responded with the arching of her own brow, he sighed deeply. "V'Lar...I'm completely devoted to you," he admitted. "I love you and if this is the tradition of your people, I'll do it."
The adoration he felt from her touched him profoundly. His V'Lar was not a maudlin woman, yet when she revealed her emotions to him, they reminded him of the Mississippi River, serene yet deep. Although it was difficult for her to say the words, her thoughts demonstrated she loved him intensely.
He kissed her once again and she responded eagerly. Then he broke the kiss and asked, "V'Lar...what does the word 'aisha' mean?"
"It means 'beloved,'" she whispered.
He smiled. "I am yours, aisha. I don't want to hide. I want it out in the open. Of course, we'd be discrete and the epitome of professionalism while we're on duty but I want us to live together as husband and wife."
"It would please me for us to be together in such a way as well."
He nodded. "All right, I'll break the news to Admiral Mendez. Somehow, I think it might be good to have the old man in our corner."
"I agree as well, my beloved. However, we should first contact our fathers and relay our tidings to them. Once my father's permission is granted, we would legally be considered bondmates under Vulcan law."
"Alright," he agreed. Then a naughty thought flashed through his mind. He wondered if she'd be interested in another bout of 'bonding.'
'That would please me,' she thought to him while she leaned in for another kiss.
That was exactly what he wanted to hear…even if he hadn't really 'heard' it.
#
The captain grinned both at the memory of the Koon-ut So'lik, their betrothal, and how his dad had risen to the occasion and come through for him with V'Lar's father. Actually, both he and his bondmate had been somewhat stunned by how fast their fathers had apparently become bosom buddies, but as it had turned out, other affairs had forced them to turn their attention elsewhere.
As he contemplated those events, his smile faded.
What's the old saying? 'Every silver lining has its cloud?' Well, ours turned out to be very dark, indeed.
#
