ACT I

"Fist of the North Star"

GUEST STARRING

T'Kur

Nicolai Daniels

Jennifer O'Riley

SPECIAL GUEST

Admiral Kathryn Janeway

WRITTEN BY

Man of Trek Lore

Station Log, Stardate 60445.1

The U.S.S. Wellington has docked with the starbase to deliver a very important admiral from Starfleet Command. Apparently, Starfleet feels I need a little bit of "babysitting" for the time being...

A few hours after Daniels' arrival log was received at SB248, the second airlock, which sat at the end of a long corridor, yawned open. Two guards stepped out, as did Admiral Kathryn Janeway. Waiting for her, at attention, was Lieutenant Tao Xan Nu Wing, and two more guards. "Admiral Janeway," Wing greeted, "welcome to Starbase 248."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Janeway said. "I'm glad to be here. However, this isn't a social call, so I would like to get down to business, if you don't mind."

"Of course, Admiral."

"Where is Captain McGawan?"

"Oh?" Wing had to remember the cover for McGawan. "He's... busy."

"Oh? Busy with what?" Janeway asked, slowly.

"Well," Wing said, losing the will to keep up the cover, "he's busy," he said... "...hiding from you, Admiral."

"I didn't think I was that intimidating," Janeway said with a lighthearted smile. "In either case, would you be so kind as to take me to him?"

"Umm... well..."

"Yes?"

"It's just that..." Wing trailed off, before giving in. "...I'm too weak to cover for the Captain. This way, Admiral."

"Why thank you, Lieutenant."

The small Japanese-style two-story house sit just off the main road, outside of Nagoya City, in the town of Anjo. Before going in, T'Kur took Kaori around the back of the house, to where two small rice patties sat. In one of the patties, a Japanese man, wearing a t-shirt, black-boots, and a pointed hat, worked, tending to some rice grass that was just planted during Golden Week... last week.

Hearing the rustling in the grass, the man looked up from his work, seeing T'Kur and Kaori come to him. He put the tool he was using down, and stepped onto the grass ridge. He dusted the dirt off of his hands with his pants, and tipped his hat. "Okaeri." ("Welcome home.")

"Tadaima," ("I'm home,") Kaori said, giving her father a hug. "Genki?" ("How've you been?")

"Maa-maa," ("I've been better.") her father, Jyunia Nakajima, replied.

[Man of Trek Lore activates the Universal Translator at this point]

"So," Kaori said, speaking in her native Japanese language, "How's the business coming?"

"It's usual," Jyunia said. "I've got to have sixteen more bags ready by the end of next week, or else Fak'ch'tur will have a hissyfit."

"You're still dealing with that dreadful Ferengi Shipping Company?" Kaori wondered aloud. "I thought they hated rice."

"Apparently, their Nausiccan pirate bretheren disagree with them and LOVE the rice."

"So why don't you do business with the Nausiccans?"

"Because they hate humans," Jyunia said, simply. "And it's okay, because I hate them too."

"The lesser of two evils..."

"Speak Japanese, Kaochan," Jyunia demanded, calling Kaori by her nickname. "You know I can't understand that English garbage you people always speak in space up there."

"Sorry," Kaori said. "Daddy, I'm kinda busy right now, so what do you need?"

"What, I have to have a reason to want to see my daughter, who is never even in this sector anymore?"

"T'Kur transferred me to his authority, pulling me off mission, because you have something important to tell me."

"I miss you," Jyunia said. "Why can't you just give a dying man a chance to see his only daughter?"

"Don't start that again," Kaori said. "You've been dying since I was twelve years old and I had my first boyfriend. This is getting rediculus, and I don't have time for it."

Jyunia was a bit hurt inside, but he didn't show it. "Why do I have to have a reason to want to see my daughter every now and then? I hardly know you! I want to get to know my little girl."

"I have life to live now, Daddy," Kaori said. "Maybe you can't understand that, since you've never been home for me when I was growing up. It was bad enough that Mom left after Taromoya was born, but my own father... You should have been there!"

"I was providing FOOD that you put in your stomach every night before you did your homework," Jyunia said, with a tear rolling down his face. "I wish YOU can understand that. Even if I was against you going into Starfleet, I let you go, because I wanted you to understand MY point of view. But I can see I was wrong."

"Don't start this guilt trip now," Kaori said. "I'm not the little girl you missed grow up. I am stronger than you think. And I'm going back now," turning to T'Kur. "And do NOT try to stop me."

T'Kur did nothing.

Jyunia fell to his knees, holding a hand to Kaori, reaching for her back. He called her name as she hit her combadge, calling for a beamout. He was still crying as she dematerialized in front of him.

Daniels crossed the bridge, about half way, to get to his command chair. As the last workbee left, clearing the Gulfstream for departure, Daniels called on his crew to make one final readiness check.

"Weapons systems are back to normal operation efficiency," said Lieutenant Commander Marcus Halloweigh, the new tactical officer. The middle-aged human checked the status of his systems. "Shields, phasers, and torpedo launching systems are at peak efficiency. We have a full compliament of photon and quantom torpedoes. Shields are available on all flight modes."

"Engineering," Daniels called.

Lieutenant Rachel Kelliram ran a quick type 1D diagnostic, which is the level of intensity for departure protocol preperation, and preflight. "Warp engines are operating at one-hundred percent efficiency. Impulse engines are also at one-hundred percent. RCS thrusters are available for maneuvering, status is at one hundred percent."

"Very good," Daniels said. "Commander," he said to Commander Jennifer O'Riley, "you may continue with preflight."

"Very good, Captain," O'Riley said. "Mister Jordan, clear all mourings. Ensign McKulla, ready aft thrusters, maintain station keeping on port and starboard thrusters."

Lieutenant Allison Jordan, the operations officer, ran through departure protocol, clearing the automatic mourings from their ports in the drydock. "All mourings cleared, Commander."

"Thrusters at the ready, Commander," Ensign Joseph McKulla reported from conn.

"Very good," O'Riley said. To Daniels, she said: "Pre-flight checks are complete."

Daniels nodded. "Understood. Ops, clear us for departure."

Jordan openned a channel. "McKinley Station Control, this is the Starship Gulfstream, requesting departure clearance."

No delay in reply, as the yard controller said, "Starship Gulfstream, departure clearance granted. Depart on vector two-zero-five for orbit, as per flight plan."

"Acknowledged," Jordan said. "We're clear, Captain."

"Helm," Daniels commanded, "ahead one-quarter impulse power."

"Power ready at your command, Captain," McKulla reported.

"Take us out."

"Aye, Sir."

The Starship U.S.S. Gulfstream slowly, and easily, came out of her drydock. Within moments, she was in space, entering into a standard orbit around Earth.

After achieving orbit, Commander Nakajima and Lieutenant Commander Harry Kim entered onto the bridge, coming before the Captain. Kim made his report. "We just returned from Spacedock, Captain. We should be ready to go whenever Captain Oliver on the Gertland is ready."

"Very well," Daniels said.

"Uh, Captain," O'Riley interjected. "There is a Boliar Sakansta Tournament in Ten-Forward at 1800 hours. After we leave orbit, I think it would be a good break from work."

Daniels looked at O'Riley strange. "What the hell is Boliar Sakansta?"

"I don't know," O'Riley said. "It looked fun though."

"Whatever you wanna do, it's cool. Right now, we have to meet up with the Gertland over Italy, and I'm not too thrilled about seeing Captain Oliver again."

"A lover scorned..."

"Not something I care to talk about," Daniels said to O'Riley. "And that's the end of it."

Meanwhile, back on Starbase 248, Admiral Janeway finally found her way to the office of McGawan. Captain McGawan came out from underneath his desk, his face had a black streak on the left side of his cheek. He didn't even bother with protocol. "I'm in the middle of trying to repair this EPS relay under my desk," he explained. "It's out of phase and I can't get power to my desktop. Wing!" he called to the door, and Wing stopped before he could escape. "Tell Maitenence I need a power boost on this relay, before I take a knife to it."

"No problem, Captain."

"One little thing, and if Kim's not here, this whole station starts to fall apart."

"Am I interupting something?" Janeway interupted.

"Yes," McGawan said, coldly. "I have to prepare a document before you get here, or else the you'll kick my ass."

"It's too late, I'm already here," Janeway said.

"I can see that," McGawan said. "Honestly, I wish this could wait. My Station Manager is off, and my base is coming apart."

"Sounds like a lack of solid leadership to me," Janeway said coldly.

"Would YOU like to take command?" McGawan asked. "The last time I checked, you were completely qualified to do so."

"I think you're doing a fine job as it is," Janeway said. "You know, repremanding officers and firing crewmen without authorization. Not to mention the Elani Incident."

"Hey, what that bitch decided to do was TOTALLY up to her," McGawan said, bluntly. "She wanted to run from the Federation, after we diplomatically and militarally did EVERYTHING we could to keep them safe. Honestly, she should blame herself for letting her son go into Starfleet. If he hadn't, this mess wouldn't have happened, and we wouldn't have had to redraw the damned map again for the sixtieth time in a row."

"You're awfully sure of yourself for someone who is in clear insubordination against a superior officer," Janeway observed.

McGawan came around the desk, and came face-to-face with the four-star Starfleet Commander of Operations. "Look, Admiral, in case you didn't realize, this has been officially classified as a war zone, under Starfleet's Antiterrorism Policies and Regulations. Which means that I don't have time for inquiries right now into what I did and didn't do right. Now, unless you can do something productive for me, I suggest you stay the hell out of my way until I have free time. Then, and ONLY then, will you be free to rip me a new asshole for what I am doing and saying. Okay?"

"And I need my Sector Commanders to be model officers for everyone under their command. That includes station subordinates, and starship crews. If you can't be that model officer, then I will have to relieve you of duty, right now," Janeway said. "Or I WILL bring you up on insubordination charges."

"You wanna releave me?"

"If you continue like this, I will."

"Good," McGawan said. "I need a break, anyway."

"Fine. You're releaved."

"Good. I'm going to Morias for some well-derserved R&R, for how long?"

"Forty-eight hours," Janeway sentenced. "In the meantime, I will look into your review."

"You do that," McGawan said.

"Use of runabouts is prohibited to you, as well as command level access to facilities normally accessable to you."

"It's OK," McGawan said. "I won't be here."

"That's fine," Janeway said. "I had you assigned here to clean up this mess, and all you did was make a bigger one, from where I'm standing."

"If you had any idea as to what is out here, three months is NOTHING compared to how long it will really take to clean this rifraf up."

"You're out of line," Janeway said. "And I don't take insubordination lightly. Get off duty before I throw you in the brig."

"I'm gone," McGawan said. "McGawan to Dallas."

"Go ahead," Dallas replied on the comm.

McGawan and Janeway stared at eachother for a moment, until McGawan finally said: "Ready the dog, Freak. I... need a ride."

"Sure thing, Captain Buttcheese."

"And if I didn't need you right now, I'd expose you to space for 30 seconds. Get moving." With that, McGawan left the office.

END OF ACT I