Shadow of the Past
by Antonio Cabañas
Chapter 3
Disclaimer: Star Trek in all its incarnations and all related characters are property of Paramount Pictures. Tony Castro and the USS Corsair were created by me, other adventures of her can be found in my Star Trek VI, Star Trek: Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, and Deep Space Nine to season 5. Other adventures of her can be found in my site, whose address in in my profile.
My E-mail address is: borg31de777yahoo.es.
Author Note: some parts of this story are inspired by "Chekov's Enterprise", a serial story that I read in the net some years ago. I don't remember the name of the author, but that story was one of the reasons why I started to write fanfic.
I wish to thank my beta-reader Carycomix for his help and support.
Answer to Reviewers:
Superfan: You aren't being unnecesarily paranoid, as you can read in this chapter, although Admiral's Morton role isn't exactly what you are thinking.
Summary: An space anomaly prompts captain Tony Castro of the USS Corsair to tell a story of the past.
USS Corsair. NCC-1721-C. In patrol of the Romulan Neutral Zone. Year 2373
"I didn't know that you served in the Enterprise-B, captain." said Commander Ta-Bej.
"I was posted there only for a brief period of time, Brigitte. When the crisis subsided I became the first officer of the Agincourt under Captain Donner." explained captain Castro.
"But there is one thing that I don't understand, captain." said Sokal while he stroke his goatee.
"Only one, Sokal?" said Tony, smiling, although she had a pretty good idea of what the Vulcan engineer was about to ask..
"You have said that Captain Harriman killed himself, but…"
"Read the subtext, Sokal." answered Tony, slightly exasperated. "We'll come to explain that eventually."
Sokal nodded, and Tony continued:
"Later that morning, Spock had invited several of us to the Vulcan Embassy to a reception in honor of his father, Ambassador Sarek…"
Vulcan Embassy Complex, Paris. Year 2293
"How can a few grams of gold seem so heavy?" said Chekov to Tony in a corner of the room, pointing to his new rank insignia.
"Nerves." answered Tony. "Relax, Pavel. You'll do fine. And please, cease to tug at your neckline, you're going to rip it off. "
"Yes, mom." answered Pavel while he removed his hand from the neck of the sweater "You know, each time that we meet you seem more confident than before. In fact, you are beginning to behave like your future self."
"Please, I don't intend to to become a captain in the foreseeable future. I'll leave Starfleet in a few years, you know, when I'm promoted to full commander."
"Didn't you say the same thing about being promoted to Lieutenant Commander?."
"The difference is that this time I mean it." Said Tony trying to sound confident.
"You are fooling yourself, Tony." said Pavel, obviously not fooled "I have always known that my destiny is to serve all my days, as is yours. Whatever our differences, we are the same in this."
"That's pure bull…"
"Captain Chekov, Commander Castro." somebody said, interrupting them.
When they turned, they saw a tall fair-skinned man with raven-black hair clad in a civilian outfit.
"And you are…?" asked Chekov, while Tony seemed to recognized him.
"Liam O'Connor. If you follow me, a mutual friend want to talk to us." said the man
They went through a side corridor, in one of the areas of the complex where they hadn't been before.
"Long time no see, A... Liam." said Tony
"You can say that, Tony." answered Liam
"I see that you know each other." asked Pavel, interested in the exchange
"Long story." said both Liam and Tony at the same time.
Liam opened a door and they entered into a small conference room. They saw that there was several others already there: Spock, Sulu, McCoy, Uhura, Rand and Chapel.
"Sit down, please." said Spock. "We have several things to discuss, before we embark on our respective missions."
"Like what?" asked Pavel while he was sitting.
"Yesterday, before the funeral, Mr. O'Connor gave me some information related to some facts that I was going to discuss with Captain Kirk after the christening of the Enterprise." he paused for a moment and continued. "Together
with other information that I have gleaned from my contacts in Starfleet, there is only one possible conclussion: the events surrounding the christening of the Enterprise-B were manipulated with the express purpose of destroying the ship."
USS Corsair. NCC-1721-C. In patrol of the Romulan Neutral Zone. Year 2373
"But… but… but…" said Komarov.
"Yes, not the nice Starfleet that we know. You have to keep in mind that those were different times. Starfleet was more aggressive and there were still a lot of murky corners all over the organization, instead of having all the murky corners in a section." explained Tony. "Two years before, a group of Starfleet officers conspired with Klingon generals and a Romulan faction to start a war when finally the peace seemed possible. Not too long after that, another admiral died trying again to start a war. Nobody knew how many conspirators were still in the loose."
"Yes, I know. My father had to leave Starfleet for some time because of his relationship with my mother. It was only after the anti-Klingon feeling in Starfleet had subsided somewhat when he went back." said Commander Ramirez.
"In fact the wedding was a few days later, if I remember correctly. They had bonded in the Klingon way in the final mission of the original Corsair." said Tony "Anyway, after the commotion subsided, Spock started to explain…"
Vulcan Embassy Complex, Paris. Year 2293
"A week before the christening of the Enterprise-B, before I parted to a diplomatic mission, Captain Kirk contacted me. Apparently he had spent the last weeks investigating the disappearance of some archeological findings made by Dr.
Lester in Camus II."
"But when was that madwoman released from Elba II?" said McCoy, outraged.
"Dr. Lester was released from Elba II fifteen years ago, and she was allowed to return to Camus II to continue the excavation." said Spock. "The missing artifacts were, according to Dr. Lester, pieces of a crystalline supercomputer, and had been sent to the Daystrom Institute for study. But they had, somehow, disappeared in transit. His investigation unscovered that the pieces had been transferred from the transport that was carrying them to a private transport with
markings of the Daystrom Institute. But that ship…"
"Let me guess, the Institute had never heard of that ship." said Rand.
"Exactly, Lieutenant. Captain Kirk's investigations gave him the name of the pilot of that vessel, a former Starfleet Intelligence operative called Leon Klimovsky."
"Him? That stinking traitor?"
"Do you know him, Hikaru." asked Pavel.
"One of my first missions after taking command of the Excelsior was to retrieve a Starfleet Intelligence operative who had infiltrated into the Orion Syndicate, Klimovsky. What we discovered was that he was in reality working for the Syndicate." explained Sulu "Last time that I heard from him he was still on Rigel XII."
"Apparently he facilitated contacts between high echelons of the Klingon military and Starfleet after the Praxis explosion…" elaborated Spock.
"The Cartwright conspiracy." guessed McCoy
"Precisely. And disappeared shortly afterwards." confirmed Spock.
"Morton." said Sulu.
"What are you saying?" asked Spock.
"Admiral Morton's dislike for the Klingons is well known, and he was the supervisor of Klimovsky in SFI."
"An attractive hypothesis, Hikaru, but I disagree. Admiral Morton may not like the Klingons but his name has never been mentioned in relation to the conspiracy." said Spock
"Androvar Drake's name was also never mentioned in that regard, until he exposed himself as one of the organizers, and he was the head of Starfleet Intelligence when Morton worked there." countered McCoy.
"He is not the only one, and several members of the Leconte clan had been named in relation to several changes of orders in the hours before the christening of the Enterprise-B."
That brought silence to the room. The Starfleet people in the room remembered Theseus Leconte, the deranged Starfleet captain who had tried to destroy Organia using a crude protomatter device, so there was no obstacle to an all-out war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. He had been stopped with the collaboration of Kirk, Sulu, Kor and Kang, although the anti-Klingon bias of Captain Kirk had almost cost them the victory. The Leconte were a family that had been on Starfleet since the very beginning, and the living members had been among the most vocal opposition to the peace with the Klingons.
"If I may have add something..." said Liam O'Connor.
"Indeed, Mr. O'Connor."
"Captain Kirk contacted me just after speaking with Captain Spock. He had the feeling that the people that had stolen the artifacts had him under surveillance, and wanted me to act as bodyguard for Dr. Lester. Unfortunately, when I got
to Camus II, Dr. Lester had suffered an 'accident'. It was the same day of the Enterprise-B christening." said O'Connor "I have never believed in coincidences, so I kept a low profile until I could contact Captain Spock yesterday."
"How did you know Jim?"
"Through common acquaintances, Dr.McCoy. In the past I have worked with an organization with which Captain Kirk had some contact."
That gained him odd looks from the Starfleet officers gathered there.
"No, I don't work for any of the Starfleet sections that you're familiar with. Five years ago the Enterprise and the Excelsior were accidentally thrown back in time…"
"Ah, you have worked with the Wat…" said McCoy
"Exactly, Doctor. Just now they have their hands full, so I'm the only person that they have managed to spare." said O'Connor.
"And what exactly is keeping…?" wanted to know the Doctor.
"Not now, doctor." said Spock
"Yes, Spock, when Liam interrupted, you were telling us that the Leconte seemed to be involved in several changes of orders in the hours before the christening of the Enterprise-B." said Tony
"Yes, the Deputy Chief of Operation Vice Admiral Achilles Papadopoulos, who is Theseus Leconte's uncle, ordered several ships whose normal position would have allowed them to aid the Lakul and the Robert Fox, to join the wargame Gathering Storm in the Barnard Star…" explained Spck.
"Now that you mention it, the Potemkin, the Essex and the Santa María joined us at the last moment." Said Sulu, pensively.
"And Admiral Morton's aide, Commander Arianne Leconte…" said Rand.
"Sister of Theseus." explained Spock.
"…was the one who personally alerted us of the crisis with the ribbon." completed Rand.
"So, you are saying that Papadopoulos, with help from members of the Leconte family, conspired to have the Enterprise-B destroyed so they could kill Jim." said Chekov.
"Yes, that's the gist of the matter. But there is more. I assume that you are aware that Chancellor Azetbur is going to visit Earth next month." Everybody nodded, and Spock continued with his exposition. "A person that I know with
contacts in Starfleet Intelligence believes that the remains of the Cartwright conspiracy are going to strike."
TO BE CONTINUED…