Special
For a long moment, Captain R'Rollow just looked at the old style Augmented Klingon on the screen and then he slowly shook his head.
"We were going to do that anyway." R'Rollow felt his words out with care. "But from your words and manner, there is a time constraint now?"
"There is." Krenn nodded as if he approved. "Something happened on the Denali. No one is sure why, but the girl was injured." R'Rollow tensed and Krenn nodded. "Both by a seemingly overzealous security officer and by something else. No one has any idea what it was, but a very advanced computer virus attacked most of the ship's systems."
"The Iconians…" R'Rollow paused when Krenn shook his head. "Not the Iconians?" That had been one of their favorite tactics. An enemy ship that had all of its systems disabled was easy prey. Leaving aside if said systems being disabled caused the ship to go 'Boom'. Say, warp core losing integrity. R'Rollow and his crew had seen that happen far too many times to take any cyber warfare lightly.
No one sane took anything Iconian lightly.
"There is no sign of them. Not yet anyway." Krenn made a face that R'Rollow shared. That was the last thing they needed right now in this mess. True Iconians were very few in number, but their technology and sheer ruthlessness more than made up for that. Their constructs and incredibly powerful weaponry had wrought havoc on a galactic scale. "It was a Romulan ship that fired the weapons that disabled the Denali. Before the virus, someone or something apparently allowed that Romulan ship to hit the carrier with plasma torpedoes while in warp."
"That is… theoretically possible." R'Rollow said very slowly, but his mind was flashing. "But the math involved…" He broke off. "Oh no. No." He groaned loudly enough that several of his officers looked at him. Amet'a snarled at them and they turned back to their posts, but everyone looked curious.
"Well thought, Captain." Krenn said with a sharp nod. "You come to the problem."
"We have had enough problems with computers that think for themselves." R'Rollow snapped. "We don't need any more." Amet'a stared at him and then spun to the sensors console where now two warriors were working feverishly. She moved to aid them.
"The good news is that every shred of evidence points to it being a known entity." Krenn sounded as if he agreed. "The bad news? Most of my sources says it is likely one that was very bad. One that used a serious conflict between our people's to make a hell of a mess across multiple timelines." R'Rollow froze. "Yes. That one."
"And I thought this was bad before. Ah well. You know? Blowing up an AI sounds like fun." R'Rollow snorted as several people (including two Klingons!) groaned on his bridge! Krenn actually smiled!
"You are just as crazy as your reputation, captain. You would have made a worthy foe." Krenn allowed. "I cannot stay much longer. The modern Empire does not like me. When I leave, I assume that the visible Klingon ships will follow along with whoever is lurking in cloak. They didn't want to do anything with the Federation ships here. As soon as they leave, the idiots will try something. The Ferengi in particular."
"We have had no response from the Denali." R'Rollow said as the damaged carrier grew on his screen. "You?"
"No." Krenn admitted. "There are lifesigns aboard, many of them, but no response to hails. I would have sent a boarding party to investigate, but the Federation objected."
"Can you blame them?" R'Rollow inquired as he scrutinized the Denali.
"Not really." Krenn smirked. "I did ask if I could capture the ship and the crew members I asked did not take that well."
"I bet." R'Rollow was droll now as he thought through things. "What is the time constraint?"
"Less than an hour ago, one of the few sources I have left sent me an urgent message." Krenn replied. "I am not sure how or why, but apparently, as soon as the girl was injured, an Iconian fleet turned this way." R'Rollow went still along with his entire bridge crew. "T'Ket's fleet."
"T'Ket." R'Rollow looked at his Second Officer who stood ready. "She is coming here." This was not good. Not at all!
T'Ket was one of the few remaining true Iconians. Less than a dozen of them had survived the destruction of their world and subsequent exile. The War had seen the death of another. T'Ket was a full matriarch of their kind and one of the worst. She had always been a fighter, a warrior, but where most Klingons tried to fight with honor, T'Ket cared nothing for such silliness. She was crazed by the need for vengeance for her slaughtered race and was all about killing. Add incredibly advanced Iconian technology with anti-proton weaponry and constructs to do most of the fighting and you got a nightmare. R'Rollow had faced her twice and run each time. He wasn't stupid. Even Klingons had learned to flee from something they had no way to hurt, much as it galled them. The only beings who could stop her were her sister Iconians and none of them would fight her. The good news? She wouldn't fight them either, but none of them would go out of their way to stop her from slaughtering anyone dumb enough to get in her way.
"Thank you for the information, Reflective Master." R'Rollow said formally with a nod. "What will it cost me?" The being on the screen was not the kind to do things for free.
"Something that you do not want to give." Krenn warned. "Something that you have every right to. But I must ask you to put vengeance on hold for the moment for a much greater goal." R'Rollow inclined an eyebrow and Krenn nodded. "Nuna is on the Denali." R'Rollow's growl swept the deck and Krenn nodded. "She needs to stay alive for a time."
"Hale?" R'Rollow all but spit the word out.
"Alive." Krenn might have been carved from ice now. "I know what she did and I know why. She has earned a messy death at your hands or others', but for the moment, she must live."
"Captain Krenn, I am Second Officer Amet'a. May I ask why you are demanding our captain to forgo his vengeance?" Amet'a inquired coldly when the Catain sat back, his face utterly blank as he fought his emotions.
"I do not ask such lightly, Second Officer." Krenn replied. "As I say, I know what she did. I know what the Catian people swore they would do to her if any caught her. They have every right to be incensed, but they are not the only ones she had angered. I do not know what the girl is, but apparently she hurt the girl." Amet'a stilled as R'Rollow surged to his feet. Everyone on the bridge bent to their tasks as the captain's rage found voice.
"Why not kill her?" The catain's tone was a raspy, horrible thing. "If you know what she did, why not?"
"Three reasons." Krenn was ice again. "First, she hurt the girl. The Iconians may demand her and if so, you exactly know how 'gentle' they will be when they destroy her molecule by molecule. They have far worse things they can do." R'Rollow thought about that for a moment and then nodded, manifestly against his will. Krenn continued. "Second, she was probably acting on orders in doing what she did that so angered you and your people. If so, no one knows who gave them. No one in Starfleet or KDF Intelligence gave such orders. No one in their right minds angers the Catians and Ferasens at the same time. Which is what she did."
"She is insane, not stupid." R'Rollow snapped, just a little calmer. "Of course she is going to claim she was acting on orders."
"She had facilities, support, staff and funding." Krenn's calm rejoinder made the furious Catain pause. "That did not come from nowhere. She had backers. People who wanted that to happen. Why? We need to know. You need to know."
"Okay." R'Rollow said after a second. "Those are good points." He allowed. "The third reason?"
"She can cure you-"
A disruptor shot echoed across the bridge and Commander Liston spun form his console with an oath as the viewscreen went dark. His console sparked with green energy and he scowled at Amet'a.
"What is it with you and consoles?" The com officer snapped as Amet'a holstered her disruptor. None of the Klingons had flinched at the shot. "You could have just told me to cut the coms."
"Shooting it was more fun." Amet'a smirked at him as the man started to curse softly at her under his breath. A glance at the captain had everyone going back to their work, the communication officer still fuming. R'Rollow's fur was on end. He was still furious. "Orders, Captain?"
"You are boarding the Denali." R'Rollow said in cold, dead voice. "The ship is disabled and clearly in distress. We have attempted contact and gotten nothing. Per protocol, we are going to send an away team. As the only Alliance ship in range, we are obligated to provide aid. You will set your team's weapons to stun. Your orders are to ascertain the situation. You may provide what support you can to Denali crew while keeping your team data secure. Be wary of any attempts to hack your systems. We will maintain a strict data quarantine here. Your primary mission is to extract the girl. Alive. Unharmed. Preferably undamaged." Amet'a nodded. "If you encounter a certain furred witch, you will stun her, restrain her, gag her and bring her back here. You may not kill her, but other than that? Have fun." That would get painful and messy but not for Amet'a whose smile grew wide.
"The Fencer is leaving." Came from the sensor operator even as Amet'a opened her mouth to respond. "All KDF ships are reorienting to pursue."
"Move us next to the Denali." R'Rollow order and the helm crew leaped to obey. "If anyone is dumb enough to shoot at us, feel free to shoot back, but try not to obliterate them, Weapons. Second Officer, go. I need to talk to the Wing Commander." At that, everyone winced. Those discussions often got loud! "Third…" He paused as the hatch opened and a familiar Gorn strode in. "Third Officer S'Saak. You heard." Not a question but the Gorn nodded anyway. "You have the bridge."
"I have the bridge." S'Saak said firmly, a clasped first salute to his chest as he turned to the screen. As the captain and Second Officer moved to the hatch, the Gorn spoke to the weapons station. "Weapons? If Madren as much as twitches, feel free to make a few holes in his hull."
Neither of the mismatched pair spoke as they moved into the hallway. A dark blue furred form stood by the captain's ready room door. Amet'a looked from R'Rollow to the other and the captain waved.
"Go." Captain R'Rollow said quietly and Amet'a gave him a salute before darting for the turbolift. R'Rollow looked at the Ferasen by his door and slumped a bit as she eyed him right back. Wing Commander K'Mir was only this still when she was beyond angry. Then again, she had cause to be angry with the Catain named Nuna. Catain and Ferasen had come from the same original species, but the Ferasen had genetically engineered themselves into a different genotype. They were not the same species now, they could not interbreed. Many fights had started because many who should have known better thought that 'cat people' were all the same. Indeed, the battles between Catain and Ferasen were legendary in both length and ferocity. But not here. Not now. The captain frowned when the Ferasen did not move. Was she angry? It was hard to tell with her sometimes. "Inside. I swept for bugs twenty minutes before the alert, but we better do it again."
His crew were nothing if not inventive and protective. Ordinarily, on any ship with KDF or former KDF, it would be simple prudence, but here? They were even they had no idea why he was so protective of her. Only after both of their tricorders came up negative for surveillance, did they enter.
"You heard." R'Rollow said heavily on a bench by one wall. She nodded, her face blank. "I… I can't. I can't."
"Captain R'Rollow. The dead feel no pain or fear. That is left for the living." The Ferasen said calmly. "You understand honor more than the evil one ever could. I had no honor. For the dishonor I brought them, my birth clan cast me out and you took me in. You gave me a place on your ship! Despite their objections, you offered me a place in your clan! Me! A Ferasen! I will not let you fade without a fight, Captain! I will not."
"I will not be the cause of the death of one of your kind to save my own life, K'Mir." Captain R'Rollow said very quietly. "You know why."
"I do, but… This is wrong. Any physical foe can be fought. The foes within are far worse. You showed me that. Showed me how to fight myself and win." K'Mir said softly. She wanted to cry. He knew she did, but she would not cry. She had used up all her tears before the captain had met her. Before he and others of his kind had found her and so very few others still alive in that horrible place. Of them, she was the only survivor. Those who had not sickened and died even with all that Federation medical science could do had taken their own lives. She had wanted to, but R'Rollow had taken her in, held her tight and kept her blackest despair at bay with his rage and love. Small wonder she loved him just as fiercely. A good thing, actually. She was several years younger than him and a far better hand to hand fighter than he had been even in his prime. "Having her aboard will not be easy."
"The mission comes first, K'Mir." R'Rollow said quietly. "I burn to strike her down. To hurt her as she hurt so many. As she hurt you. To lock her onto a medical bed and do things to her-" He broke off as K'Mir slapped him lightly. It stung, but didn't hurt. She could have hurt him. She chose not to.
"That is not you." K'Mir said flatly. "Do not let your rage take control. I do not like this. None of my people will like this, but we understand. We were prisoners and your people were dying."
"THERE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE RULES!" R'Rollow screamed at her and then slumped, tears starting to fall. "I… There are supposed to be rules."
"There are rules." K'Mir reassured him as she sat beside him, her arm encircling the crying Catain as he sobbed. "Doctor Nuna broke the rules and honorable people like you will make sure she pays. It is not your fault. You know this. Please. Please let us try to help you? We, I, owe you! Please let us try!"
To anyone off the ship, such a scene would be utterly unthinkable. Catain and Ferasen hated one another. Actually, the word didn't do their feelings justice. But here? Now? No one as going to say anything. Not where the Captain or his Wing Commander could hear. It would hurt. Let alone what Amet'a would do. The Second Officer had been utterly shocked when she met K'Mir, but on hearing the story? She liked the feisty Ferasen. They had the same wicked sense of humor.
"I do not like the pain or the weakness." R'Rollow admitted. "I do not want to perish, but at the same time, I will not act dishonorably. You have suffered enough for several lifetimes. What was done stained my honor. My clan's honor and my people's. That any of you survived what she did was a testament to your people's toughness."
"And a certain Catain captain's kindness and understanding. His patience and inability to give up on a silly kitten who was in pain." K'Mir gave him a hug. "You are the last of your kind who suffer from this. You refused the treatment because of what happened to me. My people feel a debt of honor to you for that and other things. We are looking into options that do not involve one of us perishing." She shook her head. "I am no biologist, but from what I have been told, what she did was sloppy. Hasty and messy. It saved the kits' lives, but was not well thought out."
"How can you be so calm?" R'Rollow said weakly. "So strong and so… so…" He broke off as she gave him another hug.
"Easy." K'Mir brushed his whiskers with hers. "We have a few minutes. As humans say, 'I want in your pants again', my mate." The look she gave him…
There were many reasons he loved her. Who cared if she could give him kits? He had learned to give in when she got in this mood. She would get what she wanted one way or another. He smiled and activated the soundproofing on his ready room as she reached for his shirt.
Bridge
Healer S'Saak did not smile as his feeds faded. He was many things, he was no voyeur. He had access to every surveillance system on the ship. The captain knew this and accepted it. Medical was different. The entire command staff knew that the Gorn had not removed all of his Borg implants. Some of them were just too useful to throw away. The medical scanners alone had saved far too many crew on this ship for any of them to quibble. Maybe the Wing Commander could change the stubborn catian's mind? He hoped so. There were far too few like R'Rollow. Brave, smart, noble and not too silly about most things.
"Third Officer." S'Saak turned to see a new face. Ensign Klara had come recommended, but the red headed human girl was not trusted yet. She wouldn't be until after several weeks of vetting and training. It wasn't paranoia, not really. The crew was tightly knit and they knew what to do, how to do it and when. They did not trust outsiders. They could not. She was new. They would give her a chance to prove herself.
"Problem, Ensign?" S'Saak kept his face calm despite her own worry.
"If T'Ket's fleet is on its way here…" The young human was feeling her words with care, still clearly uncomfortable in Alliance uniform. "Sir, we cannot win against such a force."
"Few could. We will not stand and fight but the Denali is helpless. We will not leave allies to perish if we have any choice in the matter." S'Saak reassured her. "That said? If a rogue AI is involved? We need to be very wary. Iconians are hardly the only threat out there."
"Do they know T'Ket is coming?" Ensign Klara asked, nodding to the screen which now showed the Denali and the ships surrounding it. As the mismatched pair looked, most of the ships went to warp! Not even a 'goodbye'! "Um…"
"I think they just learned T'Ket is on her way." S'Saak was droll, but he was worried. Madren's Majesty hadn't moved!
What is that idiot Ferengi doing?