Starfleet Command Headquarters, stardate 50606.52
Cpt. Farrell was waiting for Adm. Jenkins to come back into the office. She had received a transmission from Starfleet Command just a few days ago, recalling the USS Kenya to Earth to fulfill a diplomatic mission. She was aware that the USS Comet had also been recalled, but wasn't entirely aware of the nature of the mission.
She still hadn't fully forgiven Cpt. Vargas for having taken away her Chief Medical Officer, though she hadn't had any problems with Dr. P'Val; however she knew that whatever resentments she could still have, her duties were more important. Besides, this would be the last mission of the Kenya before decommission, after having served 13 years on the fleet (5 of them under her command), and she wanted to get a smaller craft, maybe one of the new Intrepid Class starships, or one of the elegant Akira Class escorts.
Adm. Jenkins came into the office, followed by Axel. She stood up and greeted them both.
"Cpt. Vargas" said Cpt. Farrell, stretching out her hand.
"Please, Captain. Call me Axel" said Axel, shaking her hand.
"Captains, please, have a seat" asked Adm. Jenkins.
"I heard you've had one big starter, Axel" said Cpt. Farrell while sitting down.
"You have no idea" replied Axel. "Romulans, giant flesh-eating bugs, an Axanar freighter with hull breach, assisting a Vulcan cruiser with an imminent warp core overload…"
"Yeah, it's like that when you begin… ends up getting dull in the end".
"Well, Captain" said Adm. Jenkins. "Things might get interesting for you again".
"What happened, Admiral?" asked Axel.
"The Denobulan ambassador must return to Denobula tomorrow, but we have received reports of what seems to be Gorn pirates, attacking any vessel that comes across them".
"Gorn pirates?" asked Cpt. Farrell. "We haven't heard from the Gorn since the Metrons drove them away from Cestus III, over a century ago".
"Not entirely true" said Adm. Jenkins.
"You bet it isn't true" said Axel, standing up and turning around.
"What is it?" asked Cpt. Farrell.
"It was nearly 8 years ago" said Adm. Jenkins. "The USS Arlington had been assigned to resolve a hostage situation on Rigel 10".
"The bastards had intercepted a Cardassian transport and captured the whole crew" said Axel. "We were sent to Rigel 10, where the Gorn had landed with their hostages, to attempt to rescue the Cardassians. We succeeded, but just before we got transported back into the Arlington one of the Gorn grabbed me and tossed me to the floor. Mi senior officer, Lcdr. William Welch, attacked the Gorn and ordered me to escape.
"Of course, I didn't comply, but tried reached for my phaser gun instead, just when a Gorn grabbed him and they both got transported. I was beamed back to the Arlington before I could react and we couldn't follow the Gorn, as they had damaged our port nacelle".
The three of them fell silent for a few minutes, and then Adm. Jenkins spoke up again:
"Our intelligence has informed us that the Gorn are patrolling the sector, so we don't want to risk the Ambassador to fall to an ambush".
"So, our mission will be to escort the Ambassador's ship back to Denobula?" asked Cpt. Farrell.
"Exactly" said Adm. Jenkins. "It is imperative that the Ambassador doesn't suffer any harm during the way".
"How fast can the Ambassador's ship go?" asked Axel. "Denobula is nearly a 2 weeks away from here, and that's traveling at warp 8".
"The Ambassador's ship can go up to warp 9, but try not to exceed warp 8 unless strictly necessary" said Adm. Jenkins.
After discussing some regulations, they ended the meeting and left the office.
Axel was walking down the hallway to his temporary quarters when Cpt. Farrell came up to him.
"Are you sure you'll be able to handle this mission?" she asked.
"I may be young, but not incapable" replied Axel, slightly offended.
"I'm not talking about your age, Axel, I'm talking about Regulation 619" she said.
"I don't have any emotional issues, if that's what you mean. We just need to focus on this mission and get Ambassador Tropp back to Denobula safely".
Cpt. Farrell nodded and returned to her quarters, leaving Axel lost in his thoughts.
Axel woke up in the middle of the night, shaken. It had been some time since he had any nightmares about the abduction of Lcdr. Welch. He looked at the time: 03:56. He went to the washroom and rinsed his face with some cold water, went to his LCARS terminal and accessed the mission briefing:
Ambassador Tropp was one of the most powerful men on Denobula. Along with his second wife, he had come to Earth seeking to invite some young college students on a once in a lifetime opportunity, going to Denobula to continue their studies for one Earth year. Negotiations had been suspended, however, when he received news that an unknown faction had attempted to bomb the Denobulan Senate.
Starfleet intelligence had detected then the Gorn scouts patrolling the space between Earth and Denobula, so they had issued the order for a heavy escort on the Ambassador.
Axel was feeling dizzy, so he tried hailing Amy, who was also in her quarters:
"Axel?" she answered his hail.
"Hi Amy" greeted Axel, when he saw her face on the screen.
"Axel, it's 4 in the morning, what's wrong?"
"Sorry, I'm not feeling well" he thought for a moment. "I may not be suited to command this mission".
"What?" she asked in surprise, now fully waking up. "Why would you say that?"
"I want vengeance on the Gorn, for abducting Lcdr. Welch. And Regulation 619 states that…"
"Don't you dare" she interrupted him abruptly. "Father would be ashamed if he heard you say that, you know? You have barely been in command of the Comet for one month; it wouldn't cause a good impression on the crew if you backed away now".
"What should I do, then?"
"Buck up, and stop being such a child" she said, and smiled at him.
"Thanks Doc" he replied, smiling back.
"We're off-duty, don't call me Doc" she said, and ended the transmission.
USS Comet, NCC-271279, leaving orbit from Earth
Captain's log, stardate 50609.4
We've left orbit along with the Kenya and the Ambassador's transport. We shall be engaging warp 8 as soon as we get clearance. Let's hope we don't encounter any Gorn pirates on the way, but if we do I just hope we can take them all out before they do.
"Captain, we're clear to go" announced Jenna.
"Thank you. Signal Cpt. Farrell and the Denobulans. Henry, take us to warp 8" said Axel.
The three starships engaged warp speed and, after a few minutes, they were out of Sol system.
"Stay on yellow alert at all times and keep track of any strange readings on long-range sensors" ordered Axel.
"Sir, the Kenya is proposing that they cover the back of the Denobulan transport, and we stay ahead" said Jenna.
"We would then have a blind spot on each side. Tell them that we can cover the Ambassador better if we maintain a triangular formation. Besides, any enemy ships are more likely to come from the front".
Jenna nodded and sent the response to the Kenya.
Captain's log, stardate 50620.36
It's been 4 days since we left Earth. So far we haven't found any hostiles on the way. We have invited the Denobulan Ambassador to the Comet to have lunch with me and my senior officers, so we're expecting to drop out of warp for a few minutes to bring him aboard and then we'll reassume course to Denobula.
I invited Cpt. Farrell as well, but she kindly decided to refuse.
Axel, Cdr. Markus, Lt. Soto and Amy were waiting in the transporter room to greet Ambassador Tropp. When he and his wife were beamed aboard Axel stepped forward and stretched out his hand.
"Ambassador, Mrs. Tropp, it's and honor to have you here. Welcome to the Comet".
"The pleasure is all ours, Captain!" replied the Ambassador, with that deep smile that only Denobulans could manage, and taking Axel's hand. "Please, call me Tropp".
"It is indeed" agreed Mrs. Tropp, shaking Axel's hand as well and winking an eye at him. "Please, call me Asha".
"Indeed I will" nodded Axel with a smile. "These are Commander Joe Markus, my science officer; Lieutenant Gale Soto, my Tactical Officer; and this is my sister, also the ship's Chief Medical Officer, Doctor Amy Vargas".
"Oh, a doctor" said Mrs. Tropp in amusement. "My third husband is a medic back in Denobula. I would like you to meet him when we get there; he's a fine interesting scholar. You would really like him".
"Oh, yes, he is indeed" said Ambassador Tropp with another smile. "Mi first wife and I have a son who just started studies to become a medic as well. I haven't seen them in a few months so I'm very excited about seeing them when we get there".
"That would be nice" smiled Amy to Mrs. Tropp, feeling awkward. "I'll be looking forward to it".
They walked the Denobulans to Axel's personal dining room and were served with both Denobulan and Human dishes.
"We're almost halfway to Denobula" said Axel. "We're being followed closely by the Kenya so if anything comes up we will handle it smoothly".
"I won't' worry at all then" said the Ambassador with a smile. "I'm quite sure we will be able to resolve the issue in Denobula as well. It's not the first time it happens, so we have previous experience".
"Is it normal for you to get these kinds of threats?" asked Lt. Soto.
"My husband is a very influential man in Denobula" said Mrs. Tropp. "There are some radicals that think that his way of conducting interplanetary relations isn't the right one, so they try to convince him to leave his position. It's not the first time this happens".
"Do you think it could have anything to do with the Gorn pirates that have been sighted in this region?" asked Cdr. Markus.
"Nonsense" replied the Ambassador, dismissing the theory. "Pirates are just pirates; these are just a group of people who aren't happy with their situation".
"Is there any way we can assist?" asked Axel.
"Don't bother, Captain" replied the Ambassador, still smiling. "You're doing a lot now just by taking us there and inviting us to dinner. We can handle the situation".
"Are you sure?" asked Axel raising an eyebrow. "Last time someone said that, they were under Romulan siege".
"Nothing like that, no Captain" said the Ambassador while chuckling. "As my dear wife said, it's not the first time".
"You can still count on us for anything" said Axel.
"Thank you very much, Captain" smiled the Ambassador, finishing his dinner and standing up. "If you don't mind Captain, we would like to return to our ship. Thank you so much for your hospitality. Dinner was delicious".
"My pleasure, Ambassador" replied Axel while everyone else stood up. "Allow me to walk you back to the transporter room".
Then, they heard the explosion.
USS Kenya, NCC-85795
"WHERE THE HELL DID THAT COME FROM!?" shouted Cpt. Farrell.
"They must have acquired some form of cloaking device!" replied a crewman from the sensor terminal. "They began to appear out of nowhere!"
"Hail the Comet!" yelled Cpt. Farrell.
"They're hailing us already" replied the Communications Officer.
"On screen".
The damaged Denobulan Transport disappeared from view and was replaced by Axel's agitated face.
"Cpt. Farrell, what happened? We didn't pick up anything!" he said.
"We must drop out of warp" replied Cpt. Farrell. "We're surrounded".
"Agreed" replied Axel. "We will take care of the Ambassador and his wife. Let's blast those cold blooded creatures into hell".
USS Comet, NCC-271279
The three ships dropped out of warp, followed by a swarm of at least 7 Gorn ships. Both Federation ships began a circling pattern surrounding the Denobulan ship, while firing at the Gorn that were coming in from every direction. Suddenly, about 5 more ships de-cloaked and began firing as well.
"Fire! Blast them out of the way!" yelled Axel.
"There's too many of them! We must get out of here!" replied Lt. Soto.
"We won't run. They will just follow us".
"Captain, the Kenya is losing weapons" signaled Cdr. Markus.
Suddenly, all of the Gorn ships targeted the Denobulan transport and destroyed it.
"NOOOO!" cried Mrs. Tropp from the door of the bridge, where she had been standing with Amy and the Ambassador".
"Amy, take them to my quarters" ordered Axel.
"Sir, they stopped firing and are now hailing us" said Jenna.
"On screen" ordered Axel turning around.
The sight of the lizard-like creature that appeared on screen made Axel sit on his chair. It was him, the same Gorn that had attacked him and then taken Lcdr. Welch so many years ago. He didn't know how, but he was sure of it.
"Look who we've got here" said the Gorn with irony. "I thought I would never see you again, boy".
"You… YOU!" yelled Axel.
"I wanted to mock the captain who thought could overrun the Gorn and I get the chance of mocking you also for being an incompetent and coward who beams out when his superior officer is in danger".
"What did you do to him?" asked Axel, boiling in rage, while everyone else stared at him.
"He was useless to us, so we handed him over to the Orions. We got a fair price for him. Sorry, captain, but our job here is done".
The transmission ended and Axel saw the Gorn ships warping out.
"Plot a pursuit course!" ordered Axel to Henry.
"Captain, we must assist the Kenya. They got heavy damage" said Lt. Soto.
"Pursuit course!" yelled Axel again.
"Axel!" yelled Amy. "Axel, stop! We have the Ambassador and we must take him to Denobula. Don't let your anger cloud your judgment".
Axel turned around, ready to retort, and saw everyone staring at him. Cdr. Markus was on his feet, looking at him with stern eyes.
"Axel, don't…" said Amy.
Axel sat down and swept his hand over his face. He then looked at Jenna and signaled her to hail the Kenya, and ordered a beaming party to assist with the repairs, then, he left the bridge, while leaving Cdr. Markus in charge. Amy followed him.
"Axel…" she said.
"Don't…" he interrupted. "I told you I wasn't fit for this mission. I almost ruined everything".
Amy kept her silence.
"I almost endangered the crew and the Ambassador, leaving a vulnerable fellow starship behind. I've lost my credibility".
"No, you haven't. And stop acting like a weakling" said Amy. "Cdr. Markus almost invoked Regulation 619, but he didn't… nobody did… because we believe in you".
"Thanks…" said Axel, unsure. "Where's the Ambassador?"
Captain's log, stardate 50655.98
After finishing with the repairs on the Kenya, we reassumed course to Denobula. Once we reached our destination, Ambassador Tropp went to his office and, as he promised, managed to put a stop to the conflict, for now.
We decided to stay for a few days, while Amy visited Mrs. Tropp's third husband, a Denobulan doctor named Grolik.
"I've never felt more uncomfortable in all my life" said Amy when she got back to the Comet. "Dr. Grolik spent half of the time cuddling with Mrs. Tropp, or Mrs. Grolik… with Asha, and the other half hitting on me… IN FRONT OF HIS WIFE! And she didn't even seem to care!"
"Well…" said Axel, trying to suppress the desire to laugh at his sister, "Denobulans are indeed more liberal in terms of marital possessiveness. They don't feel jealousy as we do".
"Well… he was actually kinda hot, you know, for a Denobulan" she admitted while blushing a bit.
Axel couldn't resist anymore and started laughing so hard that Amy couldn't help but laugh as well.
After a brief conversation with Cpt. Farrell, both starships went different ways into space.
Romulus
The Gorn captain entered the chamber where Noma was waiting for him. The Romulan was sharpening the edge of his sword, acting like if he hadn't noticed the Gorn coming into the room. His shoulder, which had gotten hurt back on Phoenix Prime when the Federation spoiled his plans, was now covered by a biomechanical implant that allowed his shoulder junction to work properly.
The Romulan guards outside the room closed the door and locked it, leaving Noma and the Gorn captain alone.
"The Ambassador escaped" said Noma with a soft, cold voice.
"We didn't know he had been transported to the Federation ship" replied the Gorn captain.
"I gave you the stealth technology so you could destroy them all, not so you could brag and then leave the prize behind" said Noma, walking closer to the Gorn. "Do you want me to kill your family?"
"It won't happen again, I promise" said the Gorn.
"No… it won't…" replied Noma, and with a swift move he cut the Gorn's head before he could realize what had happened. In orbit, a fleet of Warbirds was destroying what was left of the Gorn pirates.
He had thought that hiring mercenaries would be helpful, as he wouldn't be able to directly involve the Empire in any dark affairs. Nobody would be able to prove that the order to plant a bomb on Denobula and then try to kill the Ambassador on his way home had come from him. He had made a big mistake, not doing the job himself, but he wouldn't make the same mistake again.