Star Trek: Maximillian
Beyond the Final Frontier
Chapter 5: Conflict
What has come before:
A mysterious and undetectable object has emerged into the far reaches of the Alpha Quadrant, and has fired the first shots in what could become an interstellar war. To make matters worse, this unpredictable adversary has set it's target as the sun of Sector 001. Sol.
A Battle-weary Federation, already half destroyed from the losses against the Dominion and Borg incursions, has sent one ship to meet up with a small task force escorting the object through space. As they meet the object, a volley is fired from every ship but the Maximillian, and the object responds in kind, annihilating the other vessels but leaving the Maximillian unharmed. A communication comes through, charging the crew as 'observers'. And as the object moves toward Gorn space, the Maximillian has no choice but to follow…
"I'm afraid I don't have any answers for you, yet. I have been in contact with Starfleet Command, and their orders are to continue the 'escort'."
Captain S'Quid Tai Septaric spoke slowly and cautiously, careful not to let her emotions overwhelm her. As a Klingon, her blood cried out for vengeance, the destruction of the object, giving revenge for those Klingons already lost by the recent events. But she kept reminding herself that first and foremost, she had made a commitment to Starfleet, and she would abide by their laws and regulations before she succumbed to her base instincts.
However, her first officer and brother, Commander Kragnar, did not share her opinions. "There is no time. We must find a way to destroy this…thing before it gets closer to our space."
Septaric shook her head. "This can't get any more out of hand. This already has cost hundreds of lives, and my gut is that this isn't the object's fault."
"How can it not be? Even if we forget the carnage that just occurred, the observatory was destroyed merely on a whim!" The rest of the Command Staff, finding it hard to get used to the Klingon 'discussion', sat quietly in their chairs. The Admirals in the room, Lyon and Morris, were biding their time until they were ready to step in, should things become out of control even further. Blobbin had decided to take this opportunity to oversee the bridge, and had done so with gusto, morphing his colors into a close approximation of a Roman Centurion, and had secretly replicated a whip, in case anyone on the bridge dared to question his authority. At this revelation, Lyon had grabbed the whip and cracked it at Blobbin, who then split into fifteen miniature Blobbins, stuck their tounges out at Lyon simultaneously, and then pudged away quickly. Morris made a mental note to find a punishment that didn't make Blobbin giggle, but so far nothing had worked as it had intended.
Lyon allowed himself a chuckle, taking his mind off the seriousness of the situation, but his mind quickly returned to the object as he caught a glimpse of it out the window. He glared at it maddeningly, staring at it's familiar shape, and he allowed himself a quick memory, of his days as a Captain, into the unknown, taking up secret plans…He wrenched himself away from the window and back to the 'discussion'. There was no time for this.
The argument continued. Septaric sighed as she spoke. "Their scans were invasive, they may have been perceived as a threat…"
"And the destruction of hundreds would be allowed?"
"We must find a way to answer them, to communicate. I will not.."
"TALK? How many more ships, Sister? How many more bloodlines will end before you admit that the all mighty fleet's ideals have failed?" Kragnar stood up, and came around behind her, whispering in her ear. "I know you can feel it, sister. The call for vengeance, your bloodlust…You are Klingon…you must admit it to yourself…"
"I will NOT base my decisions on personal feelings of anger. I base my decisions on fact. Right or wrong, I will continue on this route." Septaric let a bit of a growl, a small challenge enter her voice. She had come to realize that Kragnar was jeopardizing the mission, that choosing family for her 2nd in command may not have been the best idea…but they had worked so well together in the past! Knowing his anger, she decided to give him enough leeway to let it out, rather than face tougher times ahead. "Speak freely, brother."
He stared at her, snarling as he spoke. "Then you are exactly what our family has said. You are another Worf…." He walked out of the room, and whispered to her under his breath. "You are a coward."
She visibly recoiled at the accusation, and he had left after the seconds it took her to recover. Lyon chose this moment to finish the staff meeting.
"I have also spoken to Starfleet…and am aware of their position on this matter. However, I believe they may not know what we are dealing with here. Therefore, I am issuing new orders. We will continue the 'escort', but we will work to find ways to detect the vessel…and destroy it, if this is the case." He scanned the crew, and was relieved that his businesslike closing had seemed to take most of the tension out of the room. He continued. "Captain Septaric, you will work closely with your crew to develop a way to scan them. Lieutenant Kelvok will head that team. Commander Kragnar will head up the team tasked to find options to destroy the vessel. Commander Starblade, you will work with me on a special operation: Trying to unlock what you know about this thing. Lieutenant Thomas, I need you to polish engineering up. We'll need every miniscule bit of power you can coax out of her." He stopped, pleased with his defusing of the situation.
Septaric scanned the room. "You have your orders, dismissed." As she watched them quickly file out of the room, ready to get to work, she looked at Lyon.
"I trust, Captain, that Kragnar can be reined in?" Admiral Lyon spoke, watching Admiral Morris silently move out of the room.
Septaric nodded. "He's always had a temper…but a big fan of justice…but if he won't see my side of things…" She pounded the table with her fist.
"He's not stupid, Captain. He will. He must. A ship needs a strong Command Staff." Lyon walked around the room, glancing at the gold ships, representing the past vessels. He idly ran his fingers over the Nebula-Class model as he spoke. "This ship has always had a family, Captain. We have always functioned as though we were one, and because of that togetherness we are all still alive." He continued on, staring at the model. "And if the family falls…so goes the ship." He closed his eyes, trying to drown out the past that threatened to overtake him. He breathed, and looked at Septaric.
"Admiral…you said…that they don't know what we're dealing with…Admiral, what are we dealing with?"
He pulled himself together and gave an easy answer, one that he had used many times before. "I can't say."
"I can't do my job without knowing all the information there is to know, especially in a case like this. Is there something you're not telling me?"
"…Let's just say it wouldn't change things, Captain." He nodded quickly, and then moved out the door, leaving Captain Septaric to stare at the object, moving silently, swiftly.
And the Gorn worlds grew closer with every second…
The lights were blinking, and the alarms were sounding. Yet all was clear in his mind. He was focused, and had drowned out everything, including the yelling of the Admiral, rushing towards his station. There was no reward without risk,, he had heard somewhere. And the rewards mankind, indeed the whole universe, would receive from this simple act of defiance, would far outweigh the risks to himself, or this tiny station…
The white light on the screen was blinding, and the darkness came to claim the Captain…
The young Captain Lyon.
Beyond the Final Frontier
Chapter 5: Conflict
What has come before:
A mysterious and undetectable object has emerged into the far reaches of the Alpha Quadrant, and has fired the first shots in what could become an interstellar war. To make matters worse, this unpredictable adversary has set it's target as the sun of Sector 001. Sol.
A Battle-weary Federation, already half destroyed from the losses against the Dominion and Borg incursions, has sent one ship to meet up with a small task force escorting the object through space. As they meet the object, a volley is fired from every ship but the Maximillian, and the object responds in kind, annihilating the other vessels but leaving the Maximillian unharmed. A communication comes through, charging the crew as 'observers'. And as the object moves toward Gorn space, the Maximillian has no choice but to follow…
"I'm afraid I don't have any answers for you, yet. I have been in contact with Starfleet Command, and their orders are to continue the 'escort'."
Captain S'Quid Tai Septaric spoke slowly and cautiously, careful not to let her emotions overwhelm her. As a Klingon, her blood cried out for vengeance, the destruction of the object, giving revenge for those Klingons already lost by the recent events. But she kept reminding herself that first and foremost, she had made a commitment to Starfleet, and she would abide by their laws and regulations before she succumbed to her base instincts.
However, her first officer and brother, Commander Kragnar, did not share her opinions. "There is no time. We must find a way to destroy this…thing before it gets closer to our space."
Septaric shook her head. "This can't get any more out of hand. This already has cost hundreds of lives, and my gut is that this isn't the object's fault."
"How can it not be? Even if we forget the carnage that just occurred, the observatory was destroyed merely on a whim!" The rest of the Command Staff, finding it hard to get used to the Klingon 'discussion', sat quietly in their chairs. The Admirals in the room, Lyon and Morris, were biding their time until they were ready to step in, should things become out of control even further. Blobbin had decided to take this opportunity to oversee the bridge, and had done so with gusto, morphing his colors into a close approximation of a Roman Centurion, and had secretly replicated a whip, in case anyone on the bridge dared to question his authority. At this revelation, Lyon had grabbed the whip and cracked it at Blobbin, who then split into fifteen miniature Blobbins, stuck their tounges out at Lyon simultaneously, and then pudged away quickly. Morris made a mental note to find a punishment that didn't make Blobbin giggle, but so far nothing had worked as it had intended.
Lyon allowed himself a chuckle, taking his mind off the seriousness of the situation, but his mind quickly returned to the object as he caught a glimpse of it out the window. He glared at it maddeningly, staring at it's familiar shape, and he allowed himself a quick memory, of his days as a Captain, into the unknown, taking up secret plans…He wrenched himself away from the window and back to the 'discussion'. There was no time for this.
The argument continued. Septaric sighed as she spoke. "Their scans were invasive, they may have been perceived as a threat…"
"And the destruction of hundreds would be allowed?"
"We must find a way to answer them, to communicate. I will not.."
"TALK? How many more ships, Sister? How many more bloodlines will end before you admit that the all mighty fleet's ideals have failed?" Kragnar stood up, and came around behind her, whispering in her ear. "I know you can feel it, sister. The call for vengeance, your bloodlust…You are Klingon…you must admit it to yourself…"
"I will NOT base my decisions on personal feelings of anger. I base my decisions on fact. Right or wrong, I will continue on this route." Septaric let a bit of a growl, a small challenge enter her voice. She had come to realize that Kragnar was jeopardizing the mission, that choosing family for her 2nd in command may not have been the best idea…but they had worked so well together in the past! Knowing his anger, she decided to give him enough leeway to let it out, rather than face tougher times ahead. "Speak freely, brother."
He stared at her, snarling as he spoke. "Then you are exactly what our family has said. You are another Worf…." He walked out of the room, and whispered to her under his breath. "You are a coward."
She visibly recoiled at the accusation, and he had left after the seconds it took her to recover. Lyon chose this moment to finish the staff meeting.
"I have also spoken to Starfleet…and am aware of their position on this matter. However, I believe they may not know what we are dealing with here. Therefore, I am issuing new orders. We will continue the 'escort', but we will work to find ways to detect the vessel…and destroy it, if this is the case." He scanned the crew, and was relieved that his businesslike closing had seemed to take most of the tension out of the room. He continued. "Captain Septaric, you will work closely with your crew to develop a way to scan them. Lieutenant Kelvok will head that team. Commander Kragnar will head up the team tasked to find options to destroy the vessel. Commander Starblade, you will work with me on a special operation: Trying to unlock what you know about this thing. Lieutenant Thomas, I need you to polish engineering up. We'll need every miniscule bit of power you can coax out of her." He stopped, pleased with his defusing of the situation.
Septaric scanned the room. "You have your orders, dismissed." As she watched them quickly file out of the room, ready to get to work, she looked at Lyon.
"I trust, Captain, that Kragnar can be reined in?" Admiral Lyon spoke, watching Admiral Morris silently move out of the room.
Septaric nodded. "He's always had a temper…but a big fan of justice…but if he won't see my side of things…" She pounded the table with her fist.
"He's not stupid, Captain. He will. He must. A ship needs a strong Command Staff." Lyon walked around the room, glancing at the gold ships, representing the past vessels. He idly ran his fingers over the Nebula-Class model as he spoke. "This ship has always had a family, Captain. We have always functioned as though we were one, and because of that togetherness we are all still alive." He continued on, staring at the model. "And if the family falls…so goes the ship." He closed his eyes, trying to drown out the past that threatened to overtake him. He breathed, and looked at Septaric.
"Admiral…you said…that they don't know what we're dealing with…Admiral, what are we dealing with?"
He pulled himself together and gave an easy answer, one that he had used many times before. "I can't say."
"I can't do my job without knowing all the information there is to know, especially in a case like this. Is there something you're not telling me?"
"…Let's just say it wouldn't change things, Captain." He nodded quickly, and then moved out the door, leaving Captain Septaric to stare at the object, moving silently, swiftly.
And the Gorn worlds grew closer with every second…
The lights were blinking, and the alarms were sounding. Yet all was clear in his mind. He was focused, and had drowned out everything, including the yelling of the Admiral, rushing towards his station. There was no reward without risk,, he had heard somewhere. And the rewards mankind, indeed the whole universe, would receive from this simple act of defiance, would far outweigh the risks to himself, or this tiny station…
The white light on the screen was blinding, and the darkness came to claim the Captain…
The young Captain Lyon.
