Title: Power Games
Author: ZenosParadox
Category: Action/Adventure
Rating: PG-13
Summary: RS, Tu, A. Reed and Sato have fun with Bukah and Gurtag's latest cargo. 5 chapters.
Warning: Sensitive material in the last chapter. Have tissues ready.
Disclaimer: The character names belong to Paramount. This fiction was written solely for personal enjoyment.
POWER GAMES
CHAPTER 1: OLD FRIENDS
"Captain, I'm detecting weapons fire in the perimeter of the solar system." Lieutenant Malcolm Reed reported to Captain Jonathan Archer from his position on the bridge.
"My scans indicate the vessel under fire cannot adequately defend itself, Captain." Sub-commander T'Pol moved to the console against the wall to verify her statements. "It is severely outgunned."
"Sir, I've intercepted a transmission from the ship under attack to the raiders. It's Bukah; the ship is the Light Bringer." Ensign Hoshi Sato turned to Archer. "She insists they carry nothing worth looting."
Archer sat up straight in his chair. "Lieutenant, I think we need to give our friends a hand. Bring weapons on line. Travis, let's intercept these raiders before they do more damage to the ship."
Archer then turned to the comm link to say, "Commander Tucker, we'll need you at your station on the bridge. We've got some old friends to rescue."
"I'm on my way, Cap'n."
-----
As soon as Enterprise dropped out of warp, the raiders began targeting the Starfleet vessel. The phase cannons in the Armory returned fire.
"Two direct hits on the raiders, sir," reported Reed with a bit of elation. He did enjoy the shooting back part of his job.
"Sir, the raiders are transmitting an audio-only message." Sato was quiet as the UT ran through the translation. "Captain, they say there's plenty of bounty on the Light Bringer for both of us. They are willing to share."
Archer was offended at the suggestion he'd be a mercenary. What could the Light Bringer possibly have that warranted a bounty? Bukah and Gurtag had been atypical Klingons as they adopted the ways of the Seekers, but their isolation from Klingon society was voluntary. He spoke sternly to the raiders.
"This is Captain Archer. The answer to your offer is no. Now, leave the sector while you still can."
"The raiders are leaving, Captain," said T'Pol. "There has been extensive damage to the Light Bringer."
"The pattern of weapons fire indicates the raiders were out to disable the ship, Captain." Reed's voice sounded as proficient and cold as T'Pol's had been.
"Hoshi, open a channel. Tell Bukah we're ready to help," said Archer.
"This is the Enterprise to the Light Bringer. Bukah, Captain Archer says we're ready to help. Can you maneuver your ship?" Sato waited patiently for a response.
"We have no helm control. There's been a breach and we are unable to stop the loss of oxygen. We must evacuate our passengers. We have twenty children with us."
The officers on the bridge exchanged glances. Children? Twenty of them? They heard Tucker whisper under his breath, "Them Klingons work fast."
"Bukah, did you say you have children on board?" Archer wanted this verified.
"Yes, Captain Archer." The bridge crew then heard the male Klingon voice. "I cannot maneuver the ship. I can only stop us from spinning."
"Travis, get us in position to dock with their ship. Stand by, Gurtag. We'll do the maneuvering and clamps from here. Just extend your docking tunnel. I'll have Dr. Phlox ready with a medical team."
"We thank you for your help, Captain Archer."
-----
Travis was able to bring the Enterprise along side the Light Bringer. Archer saw that Mayweather made that very difficult maneuver look easy. The helmsman gave a quick glance over his shoulder to see Archer nodding in satisfaction. "We've docked with the Light Bringer, Captain. I've activated the clamps."
"Bukah, Gurtag, bring the children to the docking hatch. We'll have it open by the time you get there." Archer waited for the affirmative, but was interrupted before he could relay further orders.
"Hold on, there. Something's wrong! The pressure's dropping too fast. I can't get our hatch to open." Tucker began tapping commands on the console. "I've dropped the pressure in the docking tube to match their pressure. As soon as the hatch is open, I'll start dumping as much oxygen in there as possible. We gotta get them out of that ship NOW."
"There has been another breach on the Light Bringer, Captain. I am uncertain that the Enterprise can supply sufficient oxygen to keep the docking tunnel pressurized." The Vulcan looked at the Captain, but included Tucker in her gaze.
"I can't keep enough pressure in that tunnel because the airflow would be too strong to work against. There's not gonna be a lot of oxygen in there when we get to them, Cap'n. We need to move them into our ship as fast as possible. I'll set up the room adjacent to the docking tube as a makeshift transfer chamber. Once we get them all in the Enterprise, I'll seal it off so we can increase the pressure on our side." Tucker rose.
"I'll get a security team to help carry the children to sickbay. We'll use oxygen tanks and masks; we don't have time to suit up with EVs." Reed was already tapping the orders into his console.
"Sir, I can translate into Klingon directly. I expect children of all cultures might be distressed by the circumstances. I'd best go with security," said Sato as she and Reed rose.
Archer stifled a smile at the face of the impending calamity. It was nice to know he didn't have to bark orders when the need was so obvious. "Proceed to your assignments, then. Travis, make sure we stay as steady as possible. We don't want any of our movements to complicate matters.
"Aye, sir," said Mayweather with a look of determination on his face. Flying a ship in open space was a breeze compared to keeping it in a specific orientation against a ship that was venting air as strongly as the Light Bringer was. It was like hanging on to a deflating balloon. He wasn't about to let his crew down.
"Doctor Phlox, please prepare sickbay for patients who need to be treated for oxygen deprivation. Oh, and expect twenty Klingon children."
"Captain, did you say TWENTY children?" Phlox' voice sounded quite enthusiastic at the prospect.
"Yes, and if you have any ideas about how we can accommodate them, let me know." Archer sat back and tried to wait patiently for his officers to do their job. He finally gave up, turned to T'Pol and said, "I'll be waiting with Phlox in sickbay. You have the bridge."
*****
Author Notes:
Written April 27, 2003, and posted at LD. 16 pages, 5 chapters. Sequel to Power Couplings. Revised from original story to enhance a bit of romance.
No reviews are necessary. I thank you for taking the time to read the story.
Author: ZenosParadox
Category: Action/Adventure
Rating: PG-13
Summary: RS, Tu, A. Reed and Sato have fun with Bukah and Gurtag's latest cargo. 5 chapters.
Warning: Sensitive material in the last chapter. Have tissues ready.
Disclaimer: The character names belong to Paramount. This fiction was written solely for personal enjoyment.
POWER GAMES
CHAPTER 1: OLD FRIENDS
"Captain, I'm detecting weapons fire in the perimeter of the solar system." Lieutenant Malcolm Reed reported to Captain Jonathan Archer from his position on the bridge.
"My scans indicate the vessel under fire cannot adequately defend itself, Captain." Sub-commander T'Pol moved to the console against the wall to verify her statements. "It is severely outgunned."
"Sir, I've intercepted a transmission from the ship under attack to the raiders. It's Bukah; the ship is the Light Bringer." Ensign Hoshi Sato turned to Archer. "She insists they carry nothing worth looting."
Archer sat up straight in his chair. "Lieutenant, I think we need to give our friends a hand. Bring weapons on line. Travis, let's intercept these raiders before they do more damage to the ship."
Archer then turned to the comm link to say, "Commander Tucker, we'll need you at your station on the bridge. We've got some old friends to rescue."
"I'm on my way, Cap'n."
-----
As soon as Enterprise dropped out of warp, the raiders began targeting the Starfleet vessel. The phase cannons in the Armory returned fire.
"Two direct hits on the raiders, sir," reported Reed with a bit of elation. He did enjoy the shooting back part of his job.
"Sir, the raiders are transmitting an audio-only message." Sato was quiet as the UT ran through the translation. "Captain, they say there's plenty of bounty on the Light Bringer for both of us. They are willing to share."
Archer was offended at the suggestion he'd be a mercenary. What could the Light Bringer possibly have that warranted a bounty? Bukah and Gurtag had been atypical Klingons as they adopted the ways of the Seekers, but their isolation from Klingon society was voluntary. He spoke sternly to the raiders.
"This is Captain Archer. The answer to your offer is no. Now, leave the sector while you still can."
"The raiders are leaving, Captain," said T'Pol. "There has been extensive damage to the Light Bringer."
"The pattern of weapons fire indicates the raiders were out to disable the ship, Captain." Reed's voice sounded as proficient and cold as T'Pol's had been.
"Hoshi, open a channel. Tell Bukah we're ready to help," said Archer.
"This is the Enterprise to the Light Bringer. Bukah, Captain Archer says we're ready to help. Can you maneuver your ship?" Sato waited patiently for a response.
"We have no helm control. There's been a breach and we are unable to stop the loss of oxygen. We must evacuate our passengers. We have twenty children with us."
The officers on the bridge exchanged glances. Children? Twenty of them? They heard Tucker whisper under his breath, "Them Klingons work fast."
"Bukah, did you say you have children on board?" Archer wanted this verified.
"Yes, Captain Archer." The bridge crew then heard the male Klingon voice. "I cannot maneuver the ship. I can only stop us from spinning."
"Travis, get us in position to dock with their ship. Stand by, Gurtag. We'll do the maneuvering and clamps from here. Just extend your docking tunnel. I'll have Dr. Phlox ready with a medical team."
"We thank you for your help, Captain Archer."
-----
Travis was able to bring the Enterprise along side the Light Bringer. Archer saw that Mayweather made that very difficult maneuver look easy. The helmsman gave a quick glance over his shoulder to see Archer nodding in satisfaction. "We've docked with the Light Bringer, Captain. I've activated the clamps."
"Bukah, Gurtag, bring the children to the docking hatch. We'll have it open by the time you get there." Archer waited for the affirmative, but was interrupted before he could relay further orders.
"Hold on, there. Something's wrong! The pressure's dropping too fast. I can't get our hatch to open." Tucker began tapping commands on the console. "I've dropped the pressure in the docking tube to match their pressure. As soon as the hatch is open, I'll start dumping as much oxygen in there as possible. We gotta get them out of that ship NOW."
"There has been another breach on the Light Bringer, Captain. I am uncertain that the Enterprise can supply sufficient oxygen to keep the docking tunnel pressurized." The Vulcan looked at the Captain, but included Tucker in her gaze.
"I can't keep enough pressure in that tunnel because the airflow would be too strong to work against. There's not gonna be a lot of oxygen in there when we get to them, Cap'n. We need to move them into our ship as fast as possible. I'll set up the room adjacent to the docking tube as a makeshift transfer chamber. Once we get them all in the Enterprise, I'll seal it off so we can increase the pressure on our side." Tucker rose.
"I'll get a security team to help carry the children to sickbay. We'll use oxygen tanks and masks; we don't have time to suit up with EVs." Reed was already tapping the orders into his console.
"Sir, I can translate into Klingon directly. I expect children of all cultures might be distressed by the circumstances. I'd best go with security," said Sato as she and Reed rose.
Archer stifled a smile at the face of the impending calamity. It was nice to know he didn't have to bark orders when the need was so obvious. "Proceed to your assignments, then. Travis, make sure we stay as steady as possible. We don't want any of our movements to complicate matters.
"Aye, sir," said Mayweather with a look of determination on his face. Flying a ship in open space was a breeze compared to keeping it in a specific orientation against a ship that was venting air as strongly as the Light Bringer was. It was like hanging on to a deflating balloon. He wasn't about to let his crew down.
"Doctor Phlox, please prepare sickbay for patients who need to be treated for oxygen deprivation. Oh, and expect twenty Klingon children."
"Captain, did you say TWENTY children?" Phlox' voice sounded quite enthusiastic at the prospect.
"Yes, and if you have any ideas about how we can accommodate them, let me know." Archer sat back and tried to wait patiently for his officers to do their job. He finally gave up, turned to T'Pol and said, "I'll be waiting with Phlox in sickbay. You have the bridge."
*****
Author Notes:
Written April 27, 2003, and posted at LD. 16 pages, 5 chapters. Sequel to Power Couplings. Revised from original story to enhance a bit of romance.
No reviews are necessary. I thank you for taking the time to read the story.