Chapter 10
The Outpost personnel had sat in the brig overnight and most of the morning, and they were beginning to wonder when they might see daylight again. Commander Orr had tested the electromagnetic field that sealed the door early on, and found it formidable. He did not wish to test the two guards posted outside of each of the cells, for fear he might get shot. Of all of his staff, Orr was worried about one man and one woman. They were relatively new to the Outpost, a husband and wife team who gave up starship postings in order to be guaranteed the chance to serve together. At this moment, they were seated together over in the corner, whispering between themselves and glancing in his direction. He might as well stop this fight before it got started. Orr rose and walked in their direction.
"Ensign Ruggiero."
"Commander," he fairly spat the word, as though it was distasteful to him.
"Is there a problem?"
"No, there's no problem. We're locked in a brig on a Federation starship, headed who knows where, to stand trial for who knows what. Besides that, there's a crazed Vulcan who has no compunction about killing us to get the information they need to locate their crew. No, no problem at all." Ruggiero's tone dripped sarcasm.
"So far, they've found nothing. If they had found something, they would be down here faster than you can say "lickety split". If you play it cool, and don't give them any information, they can't charge us with anything. They have no proof."
"Listen, Commander, I have no clue what kind of game you are playing with these people, or what kind of deal you have with their abductors, but my husband and I want no part of it." He froze, and Lieutenant Junior Grade, Anna Rugierro knew she had come close to the truth. While she was talking to Commander Orr, her husband Brian walked to the door of the cell and called to one of the guards. Ensign Henderson walked to the door.
"I wish to speak to the Captain of this ship. I have information about what happened on the Outpost, but I will only speak to the Capt—" At that moment, most of the rest of his cell mates attacked Ruggiero from behind, and Commander Orr held his wife, while one or two others kicked and punched her. Henderson called for help, and he and Lieutenant J. G. Edmund Taylor drew their phasers and cut off the electromagnetic field that secured their prisoners. They swept the cell with their phasers, stunning everyone inside. When everyone was stunned, they pulled the couple out of the cell, and turned the field back on. He made a note to himself to call sickbay later and let them know that their prisoners would be suffering the after effects of heavy phaser stun. Ensign Ruggiero started coming around almost immediately. He was underneath a pile of other people when they were stunned, and therefore only got the residual effects of it. Grimacing with the signature stun headache, he closed his eyes briefly and then said, "I will only speak to the Captain about what I know. I don't want the Vulcan anywhere near me or my wife." He looked down at his wife, then back up at the two guards. "What happened to her?"
"Unfortunately, we had to stun her to stun the man holding her. She should come around in a few moments."
"I need to tell you, when she went through the stun test at the Academy, she woke up hard, and almost stopped breathing, as though she was allergic to phaser stun. Doc never found an allergy, though, so we aren't sure if it was an isolated incident brought on because she was slightly under the weather when it happened, or if it might be a more regular occurrence for which there is no explanation except her unique chemistry." Every cadet going through the Academy had to be stunned, so they would know and understand the effects of the weapon they were using on others. Usually, stunning someone did them no physical harm except for temporary paralysis, and waking up to the effects of after stun was one hundred times worse than the worst moderate hangover, but a bad headache, nausea, and the general feeling that death was near was usually all there was to it. Occasionally, there were other problems.
"We will keep an eye on her. Help us get her in there, and then you can have a seat, and we will call the Captain. The guard indicated a cell two or three doors down from the two the rest of the Outpost personnel were using. Ruggiero picked up his wife's arms, while Henderson picked up her feet. They carried her into the cell, while Ryan held his phaser on them, as regulations required. The two men laid her out on the floor, putting a small pillow under her head, and then her husband sat down on the bench behind her. Henderson backed out of the room and Ryan engaged the magnetic field to keep them inside. Moving to the comm unit on the wall, they activated it and called Acting Captain Scott.
" here."
"Captain, two members of the Outpost personnel wish to speak with you. They say they have some information about the abduction of the landing party. We've separated them from the rest of the brig population, because they were attacked by other members of the Outpost crew while asking us to call you."
"Aye. Escort them to Briefing Room 2, and then call Spock to meet us there."
The guard hesitated, thinking he knew how what he was about to have to say was going to be taken. Scott heard silence on the other end of the open connection, and said, "Is there a problem, Lieutenant?"
"Well, sir, one of the two crew members who asked for you is unconscious. She was hit with a stun blast when we stunned the rest of the group, and they are refusing to talk to anyone except the Captain."
"Have you reported it to sickbay?"
"No sir. Reporting as soon as we are finished."
"We are finished. When she wakes, escort them to Briefing Room 2 and call me. I will meet you there."
(0o0)
Doctor McCoy knelt beside the unconscious woman, working to get her to wake up. She was breathing and seemed stable, but she had been unconscious much longer than normal for a stun blast. Briefly he registered the pain in his knees from the hard steel floor of the brig. I'm getting too old for this. Based on her weight and height, she could only handle two cc's of cordrazine, at the most. He gave her one, and sat back for a moment to see what happened. Nothing. He injected her with another, and a moment later, her eyes fluttered open.
"Well, hello there. I am Doctor McCoy, Chief Medical Officer of the Starship Enterprise. You gave us quite a scare, Miss Ruggiero." He helped her sit up, and her husband came around and knelt on the other side of her. She clasped his hand, and looked at the doctor.
"What happened?"
"The guards tell me they had to stun you because you and your husband were being attacked by the other members of the Outpost crew. When you are recovered enough to walk, we will escort you to a briefing room, so you can tell the Captain what you know. He handed her two green pills and a glass of water. "These will help the headache and the nausea. Just sit there for a few minutes and let yourself recover." Leaving her in the capable hands of her husband, who clearly had done this before, he rose and moved over to the guards. "Why don't you call Mister Scott and Spock and tell them we are almost ready, and will meet them in five minutes."
"They didn't want Spock there."
"I may need his help, if there are further problems. Call him."
"Yes, sir."
(0o0)
Mister Spock was working in Science lab 13, preparing some equipment for their investigation of the Outpost. He was interrupted by the whistle of the comm link on the desk. Answering the hail, he said, "Spock here."
"Mister Spock, this is Ensign Garrovick from security. Mister Scott asked me to call you and requests you meet him and Doctor McCoy in Briefing Room 2 in ten minutes. Two of the Outpost personnel have some information regarding the abduction of the landing party, and he would like to have you there." That remark was greeted with dead silence for a long moment. Finally, he said, "We will postpone beam down of the landing party until this matter is resolved. Inform Mister Scott that I will be there, and inform the rest of the landing party to stand by for further instructions. They are to be ready to leave at a moment's notice."
"Yes, sir."
Spock made his way to Briefing Room 2, where Commander Scott was waiting for him. He sat in his customary place, waiting silently with fingers steepled in front of him. A few minutes later, the doors whooshed open again to admit two security guards, a handsome young man with something of a baby face, and Doctor McCoy, supporting a small young woman who seemed to be unsteady on her feet. The young man caught sight of Spock seated at Scott's right and said, "Stay away from us, you damn Vulcan freak."
Scott's face turned scarlet with anger and embarrassment. He said, "Ye watch yer mouth er I'll court martial ye. As it is, ye can consider yerself oon report. Mister Spock is the first officer of this ship, and he holds the rank of Commander, which makes him yer superior officer. While ye are aboord the Enterprise, ye'll show your betters the respect they deserve. Es thot clear?"
The young man shrank backwards in the face of the big Scotsman's anger as though he had been slapped, and when he spoke, his voice was meek. "But Captain, he wants to kill us," the young man said, unable to help himself. McCoy touched the man's arm and practically dragged him to a seat. To the young man's surprise, Mister Scott burst out laughing.
"Mister Spock is from one of the most peaceful races in the galaxy. Why in space would you think he wanted to kill you?"
"He said so, down on the Outpost."
"Not precisely, Ensign." He glanced at Scott. "May I explain, Captain?"
"Of course, Mister Spock. Please do."
"I am a Vulcan, Ensign. I act on logic. On the Outpost, you were all presenting a united front, and we were not getting the answers we needed. I found it logical to remind your people that Vulcans have ways of getting the information they want, and that those ways are not always pleasant, and can sometimes even be fatal to other races, especially humans. I never said I planned to kill anyone."
McCoy added, "He won't harm you unless there is a logical reason to do so, such as there would be if you were threatening us or withholding information. Since you aren't, you have nothing to worry about." Brian Ruggiero didn't seem especially convinced, but he subsided and sat down next to his wife at the table. After a moment's pause, Scott said, "Tell us yer names, and what this is all aboot."
"I am Ensign Brian Ruggiero. This is my wife, Lieutenant Junior Grade Anna Ruggiero. I caught a glimpse of the ship that dropped your crew off on the Outpost, and my wife overheard part of a conversation that seemed to relate."
"What kind of ship?"
"I don't know. It was just a ship. I've never seen one like it before."
"Would you be able to identify this ship if you saw it again?
"I think so."
"Good, then we'll have Mister Spock show you the schematics of every ship known to the Federation, until you find the one you saw." Scott turned to the woman sitting next to her husband, and said, "You say you overheard a conversation about our people?"
"Not exactly about your people, and not a whole conversation, only snatches of it."
"All right. Do you know who was having this conversation, and with whom?"
"It was between Commander Orr and someone else. I am not sure who. Someone who wasn't part of the Outpost.
"What did they say to one another?"
"Well, they asked to speak to Commander Orr, and then when he answered they told him they had the cargo he had requested. He asked about the price, and they named some astronomical amount. He completed the wire transfer of credits while they were on the phone. I saw him working on it when I glanced over to see if the call was finished. I recorded the conversation because I knew it might be important, but when we were brought aboard, I was unable to bring it with me. It is back in our quarters on the Outpost."
"All right. We will look for it there. Is there any other information you wish to give us?"
"No."
"Doctor McCoy, does Lieutenant Ruggiero need sickbay?"
"Well, both need the physicals they would get as Starfleet personnel at any new posting, even if it is temporary. And I would like to do some other tests. That can wait, if you need them for some other purpose."
"No. Take them there now, and keep them there until you have finished all of the tests you deem necessary. Then, have the quartermaster assign them quarters on the ship." He looked at the young couple. "I would advise you to follow Doctor McCoy's orders, lest you end up in more trouble."
"Captain, can you tell me what we can expect to happen to us?"
"Well, ye'll hae to face the consequences for the way ye spake to a superior officer, but if ye behave yerselves, the report and requisite slap on the wrist will cover it, I think. After that, it'll be up ta Starfleet ta decide whether ye go back ta the Outpost or nae."
McCoy took Anna Ruggiero by the arm and guided her out the door, saying, "Come on. Let's get you both down to sickbay. We'll worry about the rest of it as it comes."