ACT I
"Standing in the Mist"
Written by
Man of Trek Lore
Station Log, Stardate 60205.4
Commander Kaori Nakajima, Recording and Commanding. Captain McGawan has left for his scheduled appoointment with Governor Marcus Giavani on the Morias Four colony. Meanwhile, here on the station, the Captain has left me with a little... problem...
"Six cases, and not a case more."
Nakajima nearly grimaced at the stout Ferengi, who had managed to cause so much trouble coming onto the station, that Lieutenant Tao Xan Nu Wing had to come with a small security detatchment, just to keep things in proper order. "I'm sorry, but eight cases was on the request form we filled out with your company," Nakajima said. "We even paid in full, in advance, for them."
"My dear hu-mon female," the Ferengi said, "I need to be compensated for my part of the transfer, as well."
"Didn't you hear what I just said? We paid IN FULL," Nakajima barked back. "How can you not understand me with big dumb looking ears like that?"
"Hey!" the Ferengi said, taking that personally. "No need to insult me, Commander. I was just trying to make—"
"Save it," Nakajima said. "We'll take the six. But I will be filing an official protest with your employer."
"So... no compensation?"
Nakajima shook her head with an evil smerk. "NO compensation."
The Ferengi sighed. "Okay, fine. If I don't get compensated, then you don't get ANY cases."
"Why you little-!"
Wing stepped between Nakajima and the Ferengi, before Nakajima could put her hands around his neck. "Now is not the time." To the Ferengi, Wing said: "How much compensation are you seeking?"
"Hmm, let me think..." It didn't take a while. "Ah! One indsutrial replicator aughdda do it."
"NOW who's being unreasonable?" Wing wondered aloud. "How about a counter offer. All eight cases for, let's say... twelve strips of gold- pressed latinum?"
"Done," the Ferengi said. "You can have the money transferred directly to my personal account on Ferenganar. If you'll just press your thumb print here..."
"Sorry buddy," Wing said. "Cash only. But only AFTER the supplies are aboard, IN FULL, no screwing around."
"Okay, okay, fine! You can come get them, they're in my cargo hold," the Ferengi said. "But I want your word that you will pay me my latanum."
"Yeah yeah," Nakajima said.
The Ferengi folded his hands. "It was a pleasure to do business with you." And with that, he scampered off.
Once he disappeared, Nakajima leaned over to Wing. "You really know how to set someone up for disappointement."
"Eh?"
"I mean," Nakajima cleared, "you promised him a lot of money... that you don't have. I hope he realizes you don't intend to pay him."
Wing, confused, turned to Nakajima. "What are you talking about? I have every intention of paying him, once the supplies are aboard."
"You're... not joking?"
"I have no sense of humor, remember?"
"And I thought I was supposed to be the dry one around here."
"You wish," Wing said. "Now, can I get the Commander's help to inspect the cargo?"
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Nakajima said.
Soon after McGawan set the Runabout Ohio down on the rooftop of the Starfleet Morias Four Operations Center, in New Hope City, McGawan met with Governor Marcus Giavani in the main lobby. Giavani was a short, stout, and fat man, dressed in a black coat, which was over a white turtleneck sweater, and black pants. Neat and official... for a mafia don.
"Ey!" Giavani said in almost a shout. "Nice to finally meetchya. Governa' Marcucio Giavani. But my friends call me 'Marcus.'"
The men shook hands. "Captain Bruce McGawan. I have no friends."
"What? I ain't eva' heardda succha thing. Butchya got one now. The tram station is just down da street," Giavani explained. "We can get to talkin' business once we get to the ranch."
"Sounds fine to me," McGawan said. "Can you give me just one moment though?"
"Sure, no problem," Giavani said with a smile. "I'll be waitin' right here."
McGawan nodded, and quickly walked to the reception desk. He handed the receptionist, a Starfleet human female junior officer, with North American blond hair, an iscolinear chip. She inserted it, and accessed it quickly. "Is there anything extra you need before your departure, Captain?"
McGawan shook his head. "No. But if you gotta phaser, I could certainly use one."
"Why, Sir?"
McGawan eyeballed behind him. "Because I may need to shoot myself. I think I just walked into 'The Godfather, Part Two'."
The receptionist smerked. "He's a unique character, Sir. But, he's a good guy. You'll be okay, Captain. I promise." The data transfers were complete. She handed the chip back to McGawan. "Present this to me, or to the receptionist, when you depart, and we'll have your ship ready to go."
McGawan nodded. "Thank you, Crewman."
With that, McGawan rejoined Giavani, and left the operations center.
The tram station was an elevated rail station, with a high-speed maglev train rail that extended into the mountains beyond the city. Within moments, a slow-moving four-car tram stopped at the station, which Giavani and McGawan boarded.
After taking seats, the tram quickly left the city, and within moments, was in the tunnels in the mountains. It didn't take long before the tram quickly screamed into an open area, which offered a spectacular view of a cape, and a setting sun.
If McGawan was into taking pictures, this would have been a good time to ask someone else to do it for him.
"This planet is remarkable," McGawan did manage to pull out of his ass, however. "It's amazing how far colony worlds can go in just a few centuries."
"This rail line connects twelve cities all over this continent," Giavani explained. "This train came out of the New Hope Terminal, which you can transfer to what we call the Maganum Line. That line connects to the southernmost continent, and continues to Oceanus Port, where you can go to the other continents on the planet. The system is really quite astonishingly efficient."
"I'd love to take a trip on the Maganum Line someday," McGawan said. "I've always had a thing for trains."
"You won't be disappointed here," Giavani promised. "That is certain."
"So, where are we going?"
"Lekenstown," Giavani said. "It's a small community, just about an hour out of New Hope City."
"You don't stay in the Governor's Mansion?"
Giavani shook his head. "There is no mansion," he explained. "Governors live in their home towns, and come to work every week, just like everyone else. I just get more media attention than the average person."
The conversation was quite dull, even for McGawan's taste. He didn't record it in his mind, as the tram, finally, came to a slow stop inside what looked to be a major station. "This station is Lekenstown," the computer announced. "For the Hordon, Rodney, and Nakashyura Lines, please change trains here at Lekenstown."
Lekenstown was a small town indeed, nestled in a valley on a meadow plain. There were some small roads, lots of houses, and some small shops around the station. A black hovercar met McGawan and Giavani outside of the station.
The drive to the Giavani house was about ten minutes. The drive took them through a pretty, and green, wooded area, long a road, on the foothill of a mountain. The road curved again, and came back down the foothill, and came upto a smaller section of town, which had a single shop and a few houses.
The Giavani house was good-sized brown and green home, with a grey roof. The house, an old American-style home on the outside, was situated behind some trees, along a long driveway. The driver stopped right in front of the front door, and let Giavani and McGawan out.
Three women met the two men. One was about as hold as Giavani, himself, but more slender and outstanding. Being about sixty-some-odd years old, it seemed that the woman aged more gracefully than Giavani did. Both Giavani and the woman kissed in greeting.
The other two women were a lot younger. One, with flowing brown hair down to her shoulders, wearing a red turtleneck sleeveless shirt and black pants, looked to be about five or ten years younger than McGawan. The other girl was about twenty or so.
"Ah," Giavani said, "girls, this is Captain Bruce McGawan, the new commanda of the starbase. Bruce, these are my daughters Jennifer," indicating the older daughter, "and Maria," indicating the younger daughter. And, indicating the older woman, "And last, but certainly not least, this is Bethany, my wife."
McGawan nodded only. However, Jennifer stepped down and extended her hand to McGawan. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you," she said with a smile.
Reluctantly, McGawan shook the woman's hand. Jennifer Giavani's grip was tight, almost manly. McGawan was a bit impressed. "Yeah... a pleasure..."
Breaking up the moment, Marcus cleared his throat. "Now that everyone knows everyone, let's eat. I'm sta-vin' hea'."
Meanwhile, Nakajima found herself in the midst of a departemental crisis. She sat in her office, reading a padd, which explained a small mechanical function, that started on the Gulfstream, and made its way into level five's power grid.
Still no one has been able to figure out what the hell is wrong on Level Five, and it was getting Nakajima very frustrated!
Just as her headache began to grow, a call chime sounded. She put the padd down, and took a deep breath, attempting to control the emotional craving to lash out and kill whoever was behind the door. "Come," she finally said.
The door opened to reveal Lieutenant Commander Harry Kim. He brought in a new padd.
To that, Nakajima said: "Oh great. Just what I need now... a new problem."
"Actually," Kim said, presenting the padd, "it may make your day a little bit easier, Sir. I may have found the problem on level five."
Nakajima read the padd over. "You're kidding?" she said, still reading it. "We have... cockroaches?"
"Apparently, a small overload in the EPS grid, some five months ago, caused the South African cockroach containment case, in the bioresearch lab, to break, unleasing the whorde into the power grid," Kim summarized. "The bad news is," Kim continued, "it's going to take at least a full week to get rid of them all, and then begin to repair the damage the cockroaches did to the power grid."
"How did the malfunction on the Gulfstream interupt power on level five?" Nakajima wondered.
"The power grid on that level is so badly damaged, that any thing connected to the station's power system, once something happens to it, will kill the power on level five," Kim explained. "There IS a slight chance that the cockroaches could spread to other sections of the station, but for right now, there is still ample room on level five for them to breed. We can start as soon as you approve the plan."
"You want to exterminate the cockroaches?"
Kim nodded. "That's the general idea. Even if contained, they will still mate and break free again."
"Cut the snake's head off to kill the body?"
"I hope," Kim said.
"I have a better idea," Nakajima said. "Gather all of the cockroaches, and have Daimon Nark sent to my office once you're done. I think a certain Ferengi might want to buy a case of Romulan Ale from us."
"You can't be serious, Sir?"
"I am," Nakajima said. "It's much better a solution than outright killing living creatures... even if they are outright nasty."
Kim nodded. "Understood, Commander. I can have teams get started right away."
"Do it," Nakajima said. "And Mister Kim? Good work."
"Thank you, Commander."
As Kim left, Nakajima desired to make a note. "Computer, begin recording."
Commander Nakajima, Personal Log. Supplemental. It's hard to believe that a breed of insect, one that has been on Earth far earlier than man, has been able to be a pest to us, and follow us into space. Cockroaches? That's downright gross!
END OF ACT I
"Standing in the Mist"
Written by
Man of Trek Lore
Station Log, Stardate 60205.4
Commander Kaori Nakajima, Recording and Commanding. Captain McGawan has left for his scheduled appoointment with Governor Marcus Giavani on the Morias Four colony. Meanwhile, here on the station, the Captain has left me with a little... problem...
"Six cases, and not a case more."
Nakajima nearly grimaced at the stout Ferengi, who had managed to cause so much trouble coming onto the station, that Lieutenant Tao Xan Nu Wing had to come with a small security detatchment, just to keep things in proper order. "I'm sorry, but eight cases was on the request form we filled out with your company," Nakajima said. "We even paid in full, in advance, for them."
"My dear hu-mon female," the Ferengi said, "I need to be compensated for my part of the transfer, as well."
"Didn't you hear what I just said? We paid IN FULL," Nakajima barked back. "How can you not understand me with big dumb looking ears like that?"
"Hey!" the Ferengi said, taking that personally. "No need to insult me, Commander. I was just trying to make—"
"Save it," Nakajima said. "We'll take the six. But I will be filing an official protest with your employer."
"So... no compensation?"
Nakajima shook her head with an evil smerk. "NO compensation."
The Ferengi sighed. "Okay, fine. If I don't get compensated, then you don't get ANY cases."
"Why you little-!"
Wing stepped between Nakajima and the Ferengi, before Nakajima could put her hands around his neck. "Now is not the time." To the Ferengi, Wing said: "How much compensation are you seeking?"
"Hmm, let me think..." It didn't take a while. "Ah! One indsutrial replicator aughdda do it."
"NOW who's being unreasonable?" Wing wondered aloud. "How about a counter offer. All eight cases for, let's say... twelve strips of gold- pressed latinum?"
"Done," the Ferengi said. "You can have the money transferred directly to my personal account on Ferenganar. If you'll just press your thumb print here..."
"Sorry buddy," Wing said. "Cash only. But only AFTER the supplies are aboard, IN FULL, no screwing around."
"Okay, okay, fine! You can come get them, they're in my cargo hold," the Ferengi said. "But I want your word that you will pay me my latanum."
"Yeah yeah," Nakajima said.
The Ferengi folded his hands. "It was a pleasure to do business with you." And with that, he scampered off.
Once he disappeared, Nakajima leaned over to Wing. "You really know how to set someone up for disappointement."
"Eh?"
"I mean," Nakajima cleared, "you promised him a lot of money... that you don't have. I hope he realizes you don't intend to pay him."
Wing, confused, turned to Nakajima. "What are you talking about? I have every intention of paying him, once the supplies are aboard."
"You're... not joking?"
"I have no sense of humor, remember?"
"And I thought I was supposed to be the dry one around here."
"You wish," Wing said. "Now, can I get the Commander's help to inspect the cargo?"
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Nakajima said.
Soon after McGawan set the Runabout Ohio down on the rooftop of the Starfleet Morias Four Operations Center, in New Hope City, McGawan met with Governor Marcus Giavani in the main lobby. Giavani was a short, stout, and fat man, dressed in a black coat, which was over a white turtleneck sweater, and black pants. Neat and official... for a mafia don.
"Ey!" Giavani said in almost a shout. "Nice to finally meetchya. Governa' Marcucio Giavani. But my friends call me 'Marcus.'"
The men shook hands. "Captain Bruce McGawan. I have no friends."
"What? I ain't eva' heardda succha thing. Butchya got one now. The tram station is just down da street," Giavani explained. "We can get to talkin' business once we get to the ranch."
"Sounds fine to me," McGawan said. "Can you give me just one moment though?"
"Sure, no problem," Giavani said with a smile. "I'll be waitin' right here."
McGawan nodded, and quickly walked to the reception desk. He handed the receptionist, a Starfleet human female junior officer, with North American blond hair, an iscolinear chip. She inserted it, and accessed it quickly. "Is there anything extra you need before your departure, Captain?"
McGawan shook his head. "No. But if you gotta phaser, I could certainly use one."
"Why, Sir?"
McGawan eyeballed behind him. "Because I may need to shoot myself. I think I just walked into 'The Godfather, Part Two'."
The receptionist smerked. "He's a unique character, Sir. But, he's a good guy. You'll be okay, Captain. I promise." The data transfers were complete. She handed the chip back to McGawan. "Present this to me, or to the receptionist, when you depart, and we'll have your ship ready to go."
McGawan nodded. "Thank you, Crewman."
With that, McGawan rejoined Giavani, and left the operations center.
The tram station was an elevated rail station, with a high-speed maglev train rail that extended into the mountains beyond the city. Within moments, a slow-moving four-car tram stopped at the station, which Giavani and McGawan boarded.
After taking seats, the tram quickly left the city, and within moments, was in the tunnels in the mountains. It didn't take long before the tram quickly screamed into an open area, which offered a spectacular view of a cape, and a setting sun.
If McGawan was into taking pictures, this would have been a good time to ask someone else to do it for him.
"This planet is remarkable," McGawan did manage to pull out of his ass, however. "It's amazing how far colony worlds can go in just a few centuries."
"This rail line connects twelve cities all over this continent," Giavani explained. "This train came out of the New Hope Terminal, which you can transfer to what we call the Maganum Line. That line connects to the southernmost continent, and continues to Oceanus Port, where you can go to the other continents on the planet. The system is really quite astonishingly efficient."
"I'd love to take a trip on the Maganum Line someday," McGawan said. "I've always had a thing for trains."
"You won't be disappointed here," Giavani promised. "That is certain."
"So, where are we going?"
"Lekenstown," Giavani said. "It's a small community, just about an hour out of New Hope City."
"You don't stay in the Governor's Mansion?"
Giavani shook his head. "There is no mansion," he explained. "Governors live in their home towns, and come to work every week, just like everyone else. I just get more media attention than the average person."
The conversation was quite dull, even for McGawan's taste. He didn't record it in his mind, as the tram, finally, came to a slow stop inside what looked to be a major station. "This station is Lekenstown," the computer announced. "For the Hordon, Rodney, and Nakashyura Lines, please change trains here at Lekenstown."
Lekenstown was a small town indeed, nestled in a valley on a meadow plain. There were some small roads, lots of houses, and some small shops around the station. A black hovercar met McGawan and Giavani outside of the station.
The drive to the Giavani house was about ten minutes. The drive took them through a pretty, and green, wooded area, long a road, on the foothill of a mountain. The road curved again, and came back down the foothill, and came upto a smaller section of town, which had a single shop and a few houses.
The Giavani house was good-sized brown and green home, with a grey roof. The house, an old American-style home on the outside, was situated behind some trees, along a long driveway. The driver stopped right in front of the front door, and let Giavani and McGawan out.
Three women met the two men. One was about as hold as Giavani, himself, but more slender and outstanding. Being about sixty-some-odd years old, it seemed that the woman aged more gracefully than Giavani did. Both Giavani and the woman kissed in greeting.
The other two women were a lot younger. One, with flowing brown hair down to her shoulders, wearing a red turtleneck sleeveless shirt and black pants, looked to be about five or ten years younger than McGawan. The other girl was about twenty or so.
"Ah," Giavani said, "girls, this is Captain Bruce McGawan, the new commanda of the starbase. Bruce, these are my daughters Jennifer," indicating the older daughter, "and Maria," indicating the younger daughter. And, indicating the older woman, "And last, but certainly not least, this is Bethany, my wife."
McGawan nodded only. However, Jennifer stepped down and extended her hand to McGawan. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you," she said with a smile.
Reluctantly, McGawan shook the woman's hand. Jennifer Giavani's grip was tight, almost manly. McGawan was a bit impressed. "Yeah... a pleasure..."
Breaking up the moment, Marcus cleared his throat. "Now that everyone knows everyone, let's eat. I'm sta-vin' hea'."
Meanwhile, Nakajima found herself in the midst of a departemental crisis. She sat in her office, reading a padd, which explained a small mechanical function, that started on the Gulfstream, and made its way into level five's power grid.
Still no one has been able to figure out what the hell is wrong on Level Five, and it was getting Nakajima very frustrated!
Just as her headache began to grow, a call chime sounded. She put the padd down, and took a deep breath, attempting to control the emotional craving to lash out and kill whoever was behind the door. "Come," she finally said.
The door opened to reveal Lieutenant Commander Harry Kim. He brought in a new padd.
To that, Nakajima said: "Oh great. Just what I need now... a new problem."
"Actually," Kim said, presenting the padd, "it may make your day a little bit easier, Sir. I may have found the problem on level five."
Nakajima read the padd over. "You're kidding?" she said, still reading it. "We have... cockroaches?"
"Apparently, a small overload in the EPS grid, some five months ago, caused the South African cockroach containment case, in the bioresearch lab, to break, unleasing the whorde into the power grid," Kim summarized. "The bad news is," Kim continued, "it's going to take at least a full week to get rid of them all, and then begin to repair the damage the cockroaches did to the power grid."
"How did the malfunction on the Gulfstream interupt power on level five?" Nakajima wondered.
"The power grid on that level is so badly damaged, that any thing connected to the station's power system, once something happens to it, will kill the power on level five," Kim explained. "There IS a slight chance that the cockroaches could spread to other sections of the station, but for right now, there is still ample room on level five for them to breed. We can start as soon as you approve the plan."
"You want to exterminate the cockroaches?"
Kim nodded. "That's the general idea. Even if contained, they will still mate and break free again."
"Cut the snake's head off to kill the body?"
"I hope," Kim said.
"I have a better idea," Nakajima said. "Gather all of the cockroaches, and have Daimon Nark sent to my office once you're done. I think a certain Ferengi might want to buy a case of Romulan Ale from us."
"You can't be serious, Sir?"
"I am," Nakajima said. "It's much better a solution than outright killing living creatures... even if they are outright nasty."
Kim nodded. "Understood, Commander. I can have teams get started right away."
"Do it," Nakajima said. "And Mister Kim? Good work."
"Thank you, Commander."
As Kim left, Nakajima desired to make a note. "Computer, begin recording."
Commander Nakajima, Personal Log. Supplemental. It's hard to believe that a breed of insect, one that has been on Earth far earlier than man, has been able to be a pest to us, and follow us into space. Cockroaches? That's downright gross!
END OF ACT I