52
Macen and the rest were beamed up to the Solstice's transporter room. The Blackbird-class' primary hull design dated back to 2318. The SPYards had recently built Macen's Blackbird from the keel up. Although its exterior matched that of its predecessors, the Solstice boasted capabilities never conceived of by those early engineers. They made the diminutive scoutship a match for a starship in a limited engagement.
Hal Dracas, affectionately known as the Chief, manned the transporter console, "Good to see you back in one piece." Dracas remarked dryly.
"It was no problem." Macen replied with a shrug, "Just some petty thugs."
"His only close call was with me." T'Kir declared and took hold of Macen's arm, leaning into him.
Dracas witnessed this tender gesture and was moved despite his reputation as the gruff old man of the group. It was true that Dracas was at least twenty years older than any other member of the team, excluding Macen and T'Kir. He shuddered to think that T'Kir was ten years older than he was and yet retained a youthfulness he didn't recall ever having. A childhood spent as a Troglyte on Ardanna IV was not an experience that Dracas would recommend to any sentient in the galaxy.
Dracas had been raised, as the bulk of Troglyte children were, in the mines. Thanks to progressive innovations made since the fateful visit by James T. Kirk and the Enterprise, Troglytes were now able to receive educations and move offworld if they secured gainful employment. Dracas had left as a teenager to join Starfleet. Recruited as an enlisted man, Dracas displayed a grasp of advanced engineering principles while still in training.
Upon completion of his training, Dracas was sent to an advanced engineering course. Next came courses on starship design and repair. He was assigned to the Utopia Planetia Yards upon graduating all of his training programs. He worked in the Yards for ten years before being transferred to the Advanced Starship Design Bureau.
At the ASDB, Dracas worked on classified projects. He was literally building prototypes of tomorrow's starships today. He spent fifteen contented years with the Bureau before his next challenge arrived. It arrived in the form of Admiral Alynna Nechayev.
Nechayev simply asked Dracas if there were anything more he wanted out of life. Dracas hesitantly admitted he'd like to see the fruits of his labour realised now not when he was an old man. Nechayev smiled and said he could do that. There was, she said, a division of Starfleet where the ASDB's concepts were transformed into reality. Dracas was hooked and his transfer to the SPYards was assured.
Dracas' motive behind his move from the SPYards to Macen's SID team was a little more mysterious. Dracas had simply said it was time for him to venture into the field and Macen had merely nodded and accepted the engineer's reasoning. Dracas signed aboard as the most private member of the team but, as was to be revealed, he was far from the only one with secrets. Even after all the team had been put through, Dracas still spent the bulk of his time alone. His only true friend among his teammates was Rab Daggit.
Now Dracas stood before his CO and his teammates clad in brown coveralls. They were of a type popular amongst Starfleet engineers in the 2260s. Underneath, he visibly wore an olive drab tee shirt. Like the rest of the team, Dracas wore a utility belt. Unlike the rest of the team, his was filled with tools and diagnostic equipment. He carried no weaponry while aboard ship.
Dracas himself bore the effects of age well. His thick hair was silver grey and worn in choppy spikes. His brown eyes glittered with intelligence. Dracas was the shortest male member of the team but that did little to affect his confidence. Although physically the most advanced in years, Dracas maintained his physical condition through a special exercise regime developed by Daggit for him.
"Kort said he'd be joining you in the cargo bay to assist in the transfer of the prisoners." Dracas informed Macen, "He mentioned something about checking on the prisoners' condition."
"Which is Kort-speak for 'Let's kick `em while they're down'." Macen sighed and turned back towards Daggit and Radil, "We'd better go rescue the soon to be victims from our mad doctor."
Macen, T'Kir, Daggit and Radil arrived in the Cargo Bay to find Kort tapping one of their prisoners with a booted foot. Macen cleared his throat and Kort guiltily stepped away. It was a difficult thing to do to make a grown Klingon warrior, or warrior-medic in this case, look like an embarrassed six-year old child, but Macen succeeded. Kirk, on the other hand, put as much distance between herself and the Klingon as she could.
Kort was an enigma. Dishonoured and exiled from the Klingon Empire, he was also the most honourable Klingon Macen had ever met. Kort took his duties, and his oath to perform them, very gravely. Kort's biggest problem was that he couldn't control himself when he drank.
Alcohol was at the root of why Kort had been banished from the Empire. Although a specialist in combat medicine, Kort had been called upon to treat Chancellor Gowron's prized targs who had been wounded in a hunting accident. Sodden with drink, Kort was unable to save the beasts and was in turn arrested for their "murder". A short, and one-sided, trial before the High Council stripped Kort of House and name and forever banished him from the Empire.
Kort stumbled about the Federation before being recruited to work for Starfleet Intelligence by Admiral Nechayev. She knew of Kort's past and more importantly, his skills. Soon, Kort was serving as a medic for many of Intelligence's covert operations. When the Gulag mission came about and Macen requested a replacement for the mole that had infiltrated his crew in place of the real Chief Medical Officer, Kort came first to mind. Macen won Kort's undying loyalty within moments of his arrival and the exile found a home.
Despite his working for Starfleet, Kort had never surrendered his Klingon armour. It was stripped of clan insignia but it was still his. He wore it as his daily uniform. His only concession to being an employee of Outbound Ventures, and a member of the SID team, was his carrying a Bajoran phaser on his belt.
Kort was ruggedly handsome for a Klingon. He had a scar on his left cheek that made for an interesting conversation piece. He'd received it in battle against the Jem'Hadar. It was a topic he didn't enjoy discussing.
Standing beside Kort, and looking as though she wished she were anywhere else, was the crew's latest addition. Jamie Kirk was formerly Captain Kirk of the Iotian Starfleet. She'd been instrumental in convincing the Iotians to aid Tom Riker in his assault on Magna Roma. She'd also led the Iotian forces to victory over the Romans. Then had come the demands to reparations.
The Magna Romans had revolted at the notion of reparation payments to a foreign power and the newly installed government was powerless to stem this popular uprising. When the Iotians dispatched more forces to acquire their demands by any means necessary, the Romans met them with force. Even Nova Roma's traditional enemies
aided her in this struggle. The foreign aggressor was beaten back at a heavy cost and the Iotians limped home in disgrace. It was the first time they had faced defeat.
Jamie Kirk was selected as a scapegoat. The contention was that if she had not involved them in Roman affairs in the beginning, the subsequent policy mistakes and strategic errors would not have occurred. Kirk said nothing in her own defence, believing that her record and her intentions spoke for themselves. She was thrown out of the service and it was quietly suggested that she leave Iotian space.
Kirk purchased a small scoutcraft and set out for the Federation. During the initial Roman campaign, she and Riker had paired up. The relationship looked to have promised, the only obstacle had been their respective duties. That obstacle had been removed from her life. She planned to find Riker and continue where they'd left off while she struggled to put together a new life.
Armed with the knowledge that Riker had worked for a security and expeditionary outfit called Outbound Ventures, she tracked down the company to its home base on Barrinor. Kirk arrived to find that Captain Macen and crew were out on an assignment. She scheduled the first available appointment and returned to her ship to await word of the Solstice's return. While lying in her bunk, her mind replayed the image of the strange look the office manager had given her when Kirk had left a message for Tom Riker.
Kirk waited for two weeks for the Solstice's return. It took another three days for her to receive the comm signal informing her of her impending meeting with Brin Macen the following day. Kirk barely slept that night and rose early to prepare for her appointment.
Kirk arrived at the Outbound Ventures offices to find Christine Pike, the office manager, sitting behind her desk. Pike motioned for Kirk to take a seat in the waiting area and activated a comm circuit and began speaking in hushed tones. Macen appeared a moment later. He smiled and shook her hand.
"Captain, it's good to see you again."
Kirk was surprised, and a little flattered, that Macen remembered her. The two only met briefly in the days following the fall of the Nova Roman emperor. They'd liased for some after action reports and then parted ways. The warmth in which he'd made his opening remark made her feel it was sincere.
"Thank you, Captain," Kirk replied, "but please, just call me Jamie. I'm no longer with the Iotian Starfleet."
"By choice?" Macen inquired.
"It was," Kirk paused then pressed forward, "it was the best accommodation for all concerned."
"I see." Macen said and Kirk believed that he did. His powers of perception seemed to penetrate her, "Would you care to step back into my office to discuss whatever brought you here to Barrinor?"
"I'd be delighted." Kirk said and followed him through the doors he'd emerged from. Beyond lay a corridor leading to several other doors. The end of the corridor ended in a massive set of double doors. He stopped before a door with several sensor panels lining the door's edges.
Macen placed his palm against one panel. Next he stepped forward for a retina scan. Finally, he entered a code in a wall-mounted keyboard. The door slid open to reveal a Vulcan women that looked to be in her late twenties, but given the longevity of the race was probably far older than she appeared.
"I hope there's a good reason for this break-in, T'Kir." Macen said sternly but without any rancour.
"I've told you we need to tighten up the security measures and I've just proven it." she said proudly.
"You had an advantage." Macen replied, "You helped install and program this equipment."
"But I didn't know your key code." T'Kir said, "That was a snap to break."
"If you couldn't, I'd have to fire you."
She looked stunned, "You can't fire me. I'm your girlfriend."
"Out." Macen ordered.
"Fine." T'Kir huffed and got off his desk. On her way out she called back to Kirk, "Nice to see you again."
"Was that a Vulcan?" Kirk asked in disbelief.
"My one and only." Macen confirmed and took a seat behind his desk.
Kirk took a seat opposite him, "And what she said is true? You and she are a couple?"
"Yup." Macen said happily, "Wouldn't have it any other way."
He leaned forward, "Now, why don't we talk about why you're here."
And Kirk told him about the events following his team's departure from Roman space. She spoke of the Iotians' response and subsequent expulsion from Magna Roma. Next she described her court-martial and unofficial exile from Iotian territory. Finally, she told him of her brief relationship with Tom Riker and her hopes of rekindling the romantic fires that had once burned brightly.
Macen's face fell, "Fates! I wish I'd known. I could have told you sooner."
Kirk sat there in shock as Macen detailed the events surrounding Riker's death. As he spoke, Macen sensed that Riker had been Kirk's last toehold on hope. He couldn't abandon her to the vagaries awaiting her in the Alpha Quadrant. There was an alternative. It would just take some working around her knowledge gaps.
The Iotians had achieved a technological sophistication roughly equivalent to the latter half of the Federation's 23rd century. That meant Kirk was roughly a century behind the SID team. If he was to offer her a position on the team, and he knew he was about to, it would be with caveat that Kirk spend a great deal of her off duty hours studying. She leapt at the chance when the offer came.
Christine Pike drew up the employment contracts, casting a speculative eye Macen's way. The fact that Pike doubled as the company's SID liaison fuelled her scepticism. Macen gave her a dismissive eye roll and took Kirk back into the company complex to meet her new teammates. He escorted her back through the massive double doors and revealed to her the massive hangar complex. Situated within the complex, parked atop hydraulic lifts were the Solstice, the Danube-class runabout Corsair, and the Skylark-class scout Idiot's Delight.
Kirk went through the introductions on autopilot. Her eyes were fixed squarely on the Solstice. Macen understood her captivation. The scoutship was a thing of beauty. A fusion of the Excelsior and Ambassador-class designs, the Solstice was only 104 metres in length and was designed to be operated by a handful of crewmen. Heavily armed for her size, the Solstice lived up to the reputation the Blackbird-class ships had carved out during the Border Wars.
It was swiftly revealed that Kirk's background in the Operations division of the Iotian Starfleet would serve her well. The Iotians were on the verge of developing isolinear technology. Kirk's familiarity with the Iotian design efforts made her a quick study regarding engineering applications. The fact that she was a quick study aided her in swiftly grasping the other topics that were thrown at her. In order to make things more uniform, Macen had signed Kirk up for the Starfleet Academy prepatory course.
Kirk's hazel eyes surveyed the task at hand and she ran a hand through her sandy brown hair. Her hair was shortest on the sides and back and was a longer "mop" atop her head. The style had been all the fashion in the Federation during the 2260s. Kirk's thin lips readily curved into a smile. Her face was topped off by a pert little nose that seemed to compliment her petite size and height.
In the present though, she was paired up with Daggit and hauling unconscious criminals to the brig. Radil teamed up with Kort and Macen was, of course, matched with T'Kir. Despite the inherent difficulties with moving an inert body, the transfer went swiftly and smoothly. Afterwards, Kirk stood watch over the unconscious prisoners while Radil visited the armoury and stored her phaser cannon. Afterwards, Radil relieved Kirk.
Macen was grooming Kirk to be his second in command. She would essentially assume tactical command of the Solstice at that point. Macen would remain Mission Commander and would dictate the overall strategy the team pursued. It was a moment she yearned for. All she had to do is complete all her damned schooling. Kirk sighed and returned to her cabin for more studying.
The turbolift doors opened and Macen, T'Kir and Daggit emptied out onto the bridge. Lisea Danan rose out of the centre seat, deferring to Macen's presence. Hannah Grace excitedly leaned over as T'Kir took her station next to Grace's.
"Was it fun?" Grace whispered conspiratorially as T'Kir pinned her hair back, tucking stray strands behind her delicately curved ears.
"Always."
"Did the Captain get all protective?"
"Yes." T'Kir answered with smug satisfaction, "Of course, he won't admit it."
Grace sighed, "He loves you so much."
T'Kir squeezed her hand, "Your day will come, Hannah."
"I doubt it." Grace replied bitterly.
T'Kir had to admit to herself that the odds looked pretty bleak right now. They were much higher before Grace revealed she wasn't even human, appearances aside. She was a member of a mysterious extragalactic race known as the Kelvans. If Grace had been upfront with that information, she wouldn't be facing the questioning glances of some of her teammates or Starfleet's ire.
Grace had come to the SID by way of the 54th Fighter Squadron. Grace had reported to the squadron directly out of the Academy. She'd served in the final months of the Dominion War. This participation included being directly involved in the final campaigns against the Dominion and Cardassia.
Having established a spotless record filled with exploits of extraordinary accomplishments, Grace was approached by Starfleet Intelligence. Grace accepted Admiral Nechayev's invitation and was immediately put to work piloting a Pathfinder-class courier. Grace soon found herself assigned to the prototype USS Odyssey. Grace was the relief pilot under the command of one Lieutenant Julia D'arte.
During the course of the mission, D'arte was exposed as a Section 31 mole. Grace assumed her duties and assisted Lisea Danan in dealing with the orbital forces sent to interdict the Odyssey. Macen beamed to the surface and revealed the existence of the Gulag and forced the Federation Council to take action. When the dust settled and Macen was tasked with recruiting the first SID team, Grace was asked to join up.
Unbeknownst to her teammates, Grace was a riddle laden with secrets. Besides hiding her ultimate identity and vocation as a Kelvan scout, Grace had been a member of Section 31. Recruited while still in the Academy, she'd performed minor functions for the covert agency until her acceptance of Macen's invitation to join the SID. She held that loyalty in much higher esteem than her perfunctory allegiance to Section 31.
Grace had transmitted a message to her handler tendering her resignation. He'd sought her out and taken her prisoner in order to negotiate a deal with Macen. Macen arrived and bargained for Grace's release from Section 31's clutches in exchange for a limited non-interference pact. Macen overlooked Grace's indiscretion in withholding her previous associations yet she still held fast to her final secret.
That secret came to light when Grace was forced to reveal her true nature, thereby saving her teammates from a mutinous crew. Macen's absence from the ship precluded his expressing an opinion regarding the whole event. As it was, most of Grace's teammates now regarded her with suspicion and more than a little fear. Once again it took Macen's continued acceptance of Grace to smooth matters over with the crew. Some resentment lingered and there was a general feeling that there were still surprises yet to come.
Grace possessed a round face with full lips and a broad nose. Her eyes were chocolate brown and shown with her zest for life. Her blond hair was cut in a bob that just reached midway between her cheekbones and her jaw.
On the other hand, the general consensus was that Lisea Danan possessed no secrets. Her return to the team had initially been heralded. Her time with the team since had only reinforced their high estimation of her. It why she kept her one secret hidden. It could potentially tear the team apart.
Danan lived in fear of discovery. Although she marvelled at T'Kir's recovery and progress, Danan feared her most of all. In lieu of confession, Danan buried herself in penitent acts. She acted as the unofficial ship's counsellor for most of the crew. Eight lifetimes of experience granted her remarkable insight into the nature of problems.
When Danan originally left the group, it had been because her relationship with Macen had just ended. Although it had ended on good terms, she didn't feel capable of dealing with him on a daily basis. She'd resigned from Starfleet and joined the Daystrom Institute. After years with the Maquis and covert operations work for Starfleet, the life of an ordinary researcher swiftly lost its appeal.
After her captivity on Magna Roma ended, Danan petitioned Macen to come and work for Outbound Ventures. He hired her and she was brought on as a scientific consultant. Danan expected to utilise her skills over the course of difficult cases. She'd never expected to become the team's acting executive officer after the loss of Tom Riker.
It was a role Danan was uncomfortable with. She tutored Jamie Kirk whenever their duty schedules allowed it. She was relieved to find out how bright Kirk was. Danan couldn't wait until she passed the reins of command to Kirk.
As far as Danan's physical description was concerned, she was the tallest female crewmember, taller than Dracas and on equal footing with Kort. However, Macen and Daggit still overshadowed her. Her eyes were sea green. Danan changed her naturally dark brown hair to a golden blonde. Her altered colour contrasted the dark spots that lined her face and body for Danan was a Trill and a host of a symbiot.
"We're set to make way for DS9." Danan reported.
"Then get underway." Macen ordered, "And Lees? Could you man the fort up here for a bit longer?"
Danan gave him a quizzical look and Macen's face adopted a wry expression, "Radil was shaken up by our experience down there. I think it has something to do with confronting members of the Orion Syndicate."
"Shouldn't I..?"
Macen shook his head, "I think this one requires a CO's touch."
"All right." Danan dubiously relented, "Call if you need me."
"Always."
Macen entered the brig to find Radil seated at the desk situated before the two security cells. Radil was leaned forward with her chin propped up in the palm of her hand. Her other hand was twirling her phaser atop the desk. He'd hoped to find her using the desk's computer to catch up on some reading or news but instead she was looking bored and hungry for a target.
"How are they?" Macen inquired.
"They're just starting to stir." came a surprisingly mild reply from the normally acerbic Radil. Her posture and gaze remained fixed.
"Could we speak out in the corridor for a moment?" Macen requested.
Radil glanced towards him, then back to the cells.
"Even if they manage to escape from the cells, their only escape route will take them right to us." Macen assured her.
Radil shrugged her shoulders and rose from her seat. She holstered her phaser and followed Macen out into the corridor. Both of them took up positions that offered them a clear field of fire of the brig door. An uncomfortable moment of silence passed while Macen determined what it was he should say.
"Look, Jenrya, I'll be blunt." he opted for the direct approach, "I know confronting agents of the Orion Syndicate was difficult for you."
"It was fine." Radil insisted.
"No." Macen replied firmly, "It wasn't. I know. I know how badly it twisted you up inside. It's why you're sitting in there ready to shoot the first person that recognises you."
Macen saw her rally for a defiant denial and then she subsided, almost deflating in on herself, "So, what if you're right?"
"Then I'd suggest recalling Jamie to relieve you." Macen suggested, "And I'd spend the time I have off talking to someone I trust about what's going on."
She mulled his words over and then slowly nodded, "Would you happen to know if Kort's on-duty right now?"
"Kort writes his own schedule." Macen said with a smile, "He said he was headed for the gym when we finished with the prisoner transfer. With luck you can still catch him there."
Radil hesitated then spoke, "Thank you."
"No problem." he replied, "Glad to help."
"I'm beginning to think I've been too critical about this team and you in particular."
Macen chuckled, "I won't argue but this is why we give and receive second chances."
"I'll keep that in mind." Radil said thoughtfully.
"Get going." Macen ordered, "I can hold the fort here until Jamie arrives.
Radil suddenly kissed Macen on the cheek, "For your kindness, just don't tell T'Kir. I don't need that mindwitch sifting around in my brain out of jealousy."
"My lips and thoughts are sealed." he promised and she left. Macen tapped his comm badge, "Jamie?"
"Yeah?" she sounded frustrated.
"How about a study break?"
"Doing what?"
"I've got a little job for you…"
