Chapter four - Tell me your truth

Captains office. Day 40.

Max Cook was interrupted in his thoughts by a knock at the door.

"Come in." he stated and put down the pad he was holding.

The first officer entered, asking: "You got a minute? I think we need to talk". Jane said. Max nodded.

"So..." Jane blurted out: "Is there something about us entering Klingon space that I need to know about?"

Cook chose his words carefully: "I may have or may not have a beef with the Klingons".

Jane waited for him to continue, when he didn't reply, she asked: "Want to share?"

"Not really".

"I think you should tell the crew on the bridge, they have a right to know".

"It's propably nothing".

"Why don't you let them decide?"

"It's a personal matter".

"A personal matter involving Klingons? Come on, captain".

Max was getting frustrated. "Enough!" He wasn't going to spill his guts to this lady. He hadn't even told Jack. And they had known each other for ages.

"You know that I could ask Starfleet".

"By all means, ask Starfleet, but this conversation is over. Get out!"

Max was pissed. But he wasn't proud that he had lost his cool and thrown his first officer out, this was bad for morale. And Jane would keep on digging. And the truth would come out. Shit, he needs to talk with Jack about what happened.

Later on.

"Max, you have pissed the lady of. I hear she is bringing havoc in the day shift". Jack said.

"Take a seat", Max heared himself say: "You need to sit down for this."

Jack went pale. "It's Alice, isn't it?" Max swore, how had he forgotten about Alice.

"No, Jack. It's not about Alice".

"Are you sick, mate?" Jack asked worried. This wasn't going well.

"Jack, would you just listen to me!" Max went on: "There's something I haven't told you about...hell, anyone for that matter."

"Go on".

"I crashed the USS Servant on Kronos".

"That's not news".

"Yeah, but I didn't tell you everything".

"Max...What are you saying?"

"To state it simply. I...may have been on a Klingon base making steel, a work camp really, as a prisoner and...escaped...I blew up the whole camp...and Klingon space is not...I'm not expecting a warm welcome." It was the hardest sentences in his life. He felt sick to his stomach.

"Klingon work camp? What do they do with prisoners at..." Jack went pale. "Never mind, I have a vivid imagination".

"Jane got on to me, somehow. I...threw her out of the office".

"Mature of you, captain".

The bridge. Day 41.

"Try hailing them". There was no answer.

"The scanners show lifeforms on board". The science officer informed them.

The captain gestured he wanted a channel open and tried: "Unknown Starfleet vessel. This is the starship Trespasser. Please respond". Once again they where greeted by silence.

"On screen." The captain said.

In front of him was an image of the Starfleet vessel.

"Magnify." Max said.

"Aye, captain".

In the magnified picture you could clearly see the name of the vessel. It read: "USS Servant". Max went cold to the bone.

"What the hell?" Max said, walked as near the screen he possible could and looked again. Had he finally gone mad? He had waited for that to happen.

"Captain?" his pilot asked unknowing "Anyone you know?"

"It's my ship. I crashed it at Kronos five years ago. Stick, I suggest you get to full impulse immediately and get out of here NOW!" Max could hear the fear in his voice.

Stick did as he was told. The vessel gained full impulse. And lost power.

"Engineering". The captain called out, sitting down in his chair. "Jack, we need to get the power back".

"We are working on it as we speak. It seem to be a core related issue. What's going on?"

"We've got the USS Servant on screen". Whatever thoughts where running to his friends head remained unknown. There was no answer. Cook knew it was a sign of work beeing done.

Max commanded the crew to be ready when the engines back online. What the hell where they supposed to do while waiting beside the ghost from his past. Cook decided against all common sense.

"I'll take an away team. Stick, you have the bridge." His science officer gave him an displeased look. It occured to Captain Cook that he owed some explanation to his bridge crew. "If someone's going over to that ship, it's me." He said and disappeared inside the elevator.