Chapter 06: Just the Beginning
"This is a private message for Lieutenant-Captain Capitiane, please present authentic identity." The crystal data-stick kept repeating the same message whenever it was entered. Elisa had picked it up with her own belongs as well. Whatever little she had left, that is; everything except the clothes on her back and the pants on her legs was all she had, the rest was destroyed along with the Miranda.
Fortunately, Elisa had left a locker down at the Academy. It had only been a week and it hadn't yet been confiscated by academy security. Usually checking Capitaine's mail as well, Elisa found that a data stick had arrived; since the two of them had left no forwarding address.
"Cap'n, you got something from one of your fans!" tossing it to Capitaine, she reflexively caught it out of the air. Scanning the stick and playing on the computer, it was an apology from Danna Brott.
"Hello Captain Capitaine. Sorry me and my crew bailed on you ... But I heard you made it through anyways AND you're still a captain with a brand new ship."
Elisa scoffed at that remark and the message seemed to hear that but it was just a recording. Capitaine could feel Elisa was still very angry with Danna. Pausing the message, Capitaine had to stop Elisa from taking it out and crushing it right there on the floor.
"She left us to the Orions. She left us to die!"
"I think she's trying to say sorry. There's a lot to apologize for, she's trying, but maybe she has something for us. She wouldn't have sent this just to provoke us."
" ... the freighter I took is holding up to what that Ferengi claimed, I've got most of it worked out or will be soon. Again, I can't ever apologize to completely for 'kicking-you-off-the-boat'. I'm just a simple business woman but my crew and I own you our lives. In an attempt to recompense, I've giving you a personal communications code for myself. You may call me for anything you like: exchanges, transport, business, or personal. ... Your friend, Captain Danna Brott"
"Well, well ... well, Capitaine, ... you have your own fan club now!"
"Knock it off, Elisa."
"Well on the other hand, you have your own personal businessman ... businesswoman. Too bad *we're* not merchants or something. That could have been *really* useful."
"Yeah, but as Starfleet officers, I can't imagine needing those services very often."
Interrupted by a message, Elisa and Capitaine calmed their laughter and jokes. Receiving, it was Admiral Quinn, who seemed, again, worried.
"Lieutenant Capitaine and ... Ensign Flores?"
"It is, sir, uhmm ... , I was just leaving."
"This isn't confidential, Ensign.
Lieutenant, I've a ... unusual assignment for you. Ambassador Sokketh of Vulcan has personally requested that you and your ship escort him from the Vulcan monastery at P'Jem. I know this is short notice, but you are to leave at 1900, about one hour from now. He has only said that his voyage is an 'important' one. This assignment should be simple and an opportunity to field test your ship."
"Yes, admiral. ... It will be."
"Good, the ambassador's aide, T'Pela, will meet you on Vulcan. She will fill you in with the details. ... And Capitaine, remember what I said: try to *avoid trouble*."
"Of course, Admiral." Calming an embarrassed smile after the transmission ended, Capitaine looked over to Elisa who was peaking past her shoulder. "Find Phaedriel, she'll help get the crew back on board. I need to check on Zarva, hopefully the ship's been brought to her likings."
...
"Greeting, Lieutenant. I'm glad I could join your ship."
In front of Capitaine was a strangely youthful-looking woman with light teal-colored hair. She noticably wore several bands around her arms, legs, thighs, and waist, all of them seemed to glow from something within. Her voice was very calm, not soothing but was relaxing.
"I am Versallia. I will be your new general science officer; I understand that my predecessor will be specializing in astrometrics and linguistics."
"Hello, Versallia." Despite herself having dark blue hair, Capitaine couldn't help but stare at Versallia's teal-colored hair. "I remember your report, you requested this position! I'm a little curious why; your specialty would have better served on a dedicated science vessel, not this old 22nd-century ship."
"Quickly: I saw something in your reputation and in your reports, something I haven't seen for centuries."
" 'Centuries'? " Capitaine was held in disbelief, then starting to look closer at the young woman's face.
"I *am* human, thank you for not asking, And I'm a Y'Lynthian if you're wondering. Its ... obvious ... you have many questions, but it is a long story, Lieutenant." Versallia smiled dutifully before turning back to her console. Her eyes kept drifting back up to Versallia's teal hair, Capitaine felt a little embarrassed, remembering how others reacted to herself. As for 'Y'Lynthian', Capitaine had no clue what that meant: a race, an orientation, a religion, or some daily routine? Pushing that curiosity back for another time and place, Capitaine left to see to the rest of her bridge.
Anne had requested a custom-made helm console; Capitaine couldn't make much sense of it but Anne's simulations were exceptional, thus she got it. Taking the turbolift, she expected to hear hell from Zarva, who apparently hadn't slept since returning. Stepping into engineering, Capitaine was impressed, Zarva had redesigned the entire interior. It wasn't *completely* up to Starfleet regulations, but Zarva had personally fixed up every corner and panel.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK, CAPITAINE!" The second deck didn't have railing and Zarva walked off and landed hard on her feet. Looking at her, it was easy to tell she hadn't slept much, if at all. She was wearing a custom stim-pack that she herself designed to 'completely alienate' the need for sleeping; engineeringly and biologically it was sound, but medically it was possibly her worst idea yet.
"It looks great, Zarva. Maybe some railing on the second and third levels might be appreciated ... later."
"WHY WOULD ANY THINK THAT ... I STILL HAVE MUCH WORK TO DO, CAPITAINE, THE WARP CORE STILL ISN'T OPERATIONAL YET!"
"Uhmm, I checked the stats on my way down, everything seems fine. Is something else missing?"
"EVERYTHING WORKS PERFECTLY! WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT, CAPITAINE ... DID YOU MAKE SOMETHING GO MISSING!"
Showing Zarva a review of the warp core, she grabbed the PADD and started shaking it violently. Apparently her engineering crews didn't seem to be bothered by it, but as Capitaine stepped back, Zarva started yelling at the PADD.
"Zarva, I want you to take a break. We're just taking the ship out to Vulcan and back, just a simple flight. You can rest, your crews can handle monitoring the core."
"YOU. WANT. ME. TO. REST! ... YOU WANT ME TO TAKE A BREAK! ... I THINK THAT'LL BE AN AWSOME IDEA!" Running out, Zarva started congratulating crewmembers for random trivial things. Instead of walking out the door, Zarva started climbing through a jeffery's tube. Capitaine headed to the Medical Bay, hoping Morek would be in better shape and so he could also give Zarva some sleeping aids.
But Morek wasn't in any a better attitude. The medical bay was made to specifications of a 22nd-century medical bay, not the 24th-century ones he was used to. The room was smaller than the Miranda's and most equipment wasn't built-in; Morek wasn't comfortable in such a cramped space.
"Morek, how are you liking your new Medical Bay?"
"Could be worse, I've made it as home-like as I could ... How did they work in such a cramped environment? Every time walk I take I'm bumping into something!"
"We're all getting used to the new ship, Morek."
"I know, some people already complained to me; I'm not a counselor, I'm a doctor. ... well, is there something I can help you with?"
"Actually, Zarva apparently didn't sleep, *at all*. Can someone stop by her quarters and make sure she's resting safety?"
"YES. I completely opposed that device she *self-invented*, but 'what do I know, I'm not an engineer', she said."
" ... Thank you, Morek."
Completing two rounds about the ship, Capitaine felt at home. It wasn't Captain Taggart's ship, it was *her * ship. Most of the crew had decided to stay with Capitaine, the ones that had left were mostly due to safety concerns, about the ship or about their well-being. Capitaine had no problem with them leaving, but she still felt uncomfortable that crewmen with years more experience or several ranks above were under her command.
...
"Greetings, Lieutenant. Ambassador Sokketh is waiting for you on the surface, however he requests that he be transported to your ship via shuttlecraft. He has developed an ... illogical distaste for transporters; I've come to accept it but it has made travel more inconvenient. Can accommodate him?"
"We will, T'Pela. See you on the surface."
Taking a Type-8 shuttle to the surface, Capitaine, Elisa, and Versallia flew to the surface, landing close to the base of the monastery. With the ambient redness and desert-like conditions, Elisa wanted to stayed with the shuttle, while Versallia accompanied Capitaine.
Walking to the monument at the top, there were groups of historians and monks debating and conversing their history. Capitaine felt out of place, she had never had much interest in history, although Versallia seemed to have opposite interest. High Priest Savin and Ambassador Sokketh had gotten into an argument, the ambassador was unusually emotional for a Vulcans but he ascribed it to his long time away from his people and with 'emotional' people instead. After promising the high priest that she would personally ensure the well-being of the P'Jem monastery, he allowed the ambassador passage. T'Pela chose to stay behind, so the four of them returned to the ship and set course to P'Jem.
Being a Vulcan, the ambassador was expectedly silent and disinterested, or as was to Elisa's assumptions. He kept to himself, and for the time to travel, was alone meditating in his quarters.
...
The travel time was relatively short, Capitaine remained on the bridge feeling her place was in her chair overseeing her newfound ship. Without any real duties, most of the bridge was spent in small talk; Elisa spent the trip leaning on Capitaine's chair, trying to pass the time.
"Capitaine, are you and Versallia... related?"
Elisa's whisper showed Capitaine that her *discrete* staring at Versallia wasn't discrete. Speaking over her shoulder she quietly whispering back, "What? How'd you come to that?"
"I'm sorry, *the hair*, I guess ... and the fact that she doesn't age either."
"I ... wouldn't know ... " Turning back to Versallia, who was still making her own adjustments to the science station. Although Capitaine had never thought of being related, Versallia's appearance and records did support Elisa's idea.
"What do you think of Anne's special console? Kinda snazy, don'cha think?"
"It really stands out, but Anne proved it works better for her."
"What if someone else tries the fly the ship? Like if Anne's asleep or off-duty?"
" ... it does make *some* sense, but it looks very sensitive and particular ... but Anne can handle it, so that was good enough for now. ... Have you seen Zarva since we left?"
"Zarva? She started screaming at me and kept saying I was walking sideways."
"Were you?"
...
Jumping out of warp, Capitaine felt her heart sink as a squadron of Klingon Birds-of-Prey decloaked between her and the planet; she would have to break her promise to Admiral Quinn, again.
"Shields up! Stand down weapons, though."
"Phaedriel, can we get a distress signal to any ship nearby?"
"We're being blocked. This place is rarely traveled, I doubt there's anybody else in the system too."
"Capitaine, the lead Klingon ship is hailing us."
Showing a Klingon dressed in full battle armor, he smirked as he recognized Capitaine. "Ahh ... the USS Epitaph and her infamous Lieutenant-Captain! A fitting name for a fitting reputation. I have heard of you, but my quarrel is with an infiltrator ,*not with you*. ... There is a spy aboard your ship, Lieutenant-Captain, your ambassador is not who he claims."
"You're a long way from Klingon space to be giving orders like that. Why should I agree to this? Do you have anything to support your demands?"
"I will not argue with Starfleet ... I KNOW WHAT MUST BE DONE! Surrender now or be destroyed, Captain!" Cutting the channel, Capitaine saw the squadron approaching in battle formation, they would soon surround her.
"Red Alert!"
"Capitaine, they're charging weapons!"
"Elisa, target the lead ship. Fire at will!"
Outnumbered and and outmaneuvered, the Klingons were however, using outdated raiders. Quickly using their superior weapons, the Epitaph destroyed them one be one. With minimal damage, she continued on course to P'Jem. The Klingon didn't give up so easily, already having transported raiding parties to the surface, Capitaine had yet to notify the ambassador of the situation.
...
Just as the ships they flew, the Klingons seemed to be using outdated equipment, but it wasn't any less lethal. Capitaine lead her away teams along with Elisa and Phaedriel, the entire time the Klingons seem to have been caught off guard. Fighting their way up the hill paths and soon reaching the abbey, Capitaine found Ambassador Sokketh waiting for her, ominously.
He stood alone in the center courtyard, a savage smile on his face. Lifting his hands up to the sky, he spoke in a voice much more alien and than what was natural.
"We planned for this, but those weak Klingons failed. We will succeed because we are strong! This means nothing because you are weak, and *the weak will perish*!"
Changing form to a tripedal creature three times the ambassador's size, the team watched on in horror. Striking a security guard and sending another tumbling down the hill, Capitaine snapped out of her disbelief and was the first to fire. But one shot wouldn't do, and it took several direct hits just to stun the creature. Falling to the ground, another security guard approached to restrain him but was slashed down as the creature's form changed to that of Klingon captain.
"This means nothing! You are weak and the strong will prevail. Your victory here means nothing."
His voice changing from a monster to a normal Klingon, he fled down the hill. The creature managed to alert the entire remainder of the Klingon raiding party and they all now converged on the hilltop abbey.
Looking dire, Elisa contacted the Epitaph. Capitaine didn't expect much, it was more than likely that transporters would be jammed. It was a nice sentiment though. But that wasn't what Elisa had in mind, and of all the officers to answer, it was Versallia.
"Elisa to Epitaph. There is a subroutine in my console, it will send a tactical orbital strike down to the planet. Set it to twenty meters south of my position."
"Versallia to Elisa, that would mean obliterating the entire Klingon landing party."
"Capitaine to Versallia, do it! We've already taken casualties and we won't survive the approaching Klingons." Butting in to their argument, Capitaine wasn't so relaxed as Versallia was and the response wasn't any more reassuring
"I apologize, Lieutenant. I cannot do that, I cannot so willing kill so many ... "
"Versallia, we don't have time ...
T'VRELL! Go over to Elisa's station and do it!"
With some delay, a small phaser burst rained down from the clouds and glassed an entire region about forty-by-forty meters. The entire area between the courtyard buildings and the hilltop abbey was nothing but ash and cinders; the area outside, however, was unaffected.
"Elisa, we need to have a talk." Capitaine was surprised by her program, apparently Elisa had never tested in before, even in simulations. But It worked. Capitaine was grateful and the idea could be useful in the future, but they were barely a meter away from incineration; Elisa would need to be much more careful. About to start asking questions, T'Vrell chimed in.
"T'Vrell to Capitaine, an alien warship has appeared on sensors, it wiped out the remaining Klingons and is approaching us; We need you back on the bridge."
...
Anne was keeping the ship at a distance but the alien ship was closing fast and not only was it better armed but it was faster too. With the Klingons gone, Phaedriel was able to send out a distress signal; Captain LaForge had a small patrol fleet nearby, they would arrive in a little over two minutes.
With a massive blast, the Epitaph's shields collapsed and the warp drive was disabled. Helpless, Capitiane remembered her admiral-self and her mission. Glancing at her Tesseract device, a set of numbers had appeared. Taking only a moment, she rushed to T'Vrell's console and opened a hailing frequency. Sending only a series of data pulses, Capitaine stepped back, staring hopefully at the viewscreen. T'Vrell sat back down at her console, looking over what had just happened.
" ... your message was transmitted, Capitaine. Hopefully whatever it was will be taken listened to."
Turning from T'Vrell, the bridge crew joined Capitaine in looking out at the strange vessel. It began circling but had stopped firing. The peace was silent and only a moment; before too long the ship recharged it weapons. An antiproton burst rocked the ship, shorting out the remaining power; the dim emergency lights didn't hide anybody's anticipation or everybody' fear.
In the nick of time five ships jumped out of warp. The alien vessel reacted quickly, immediately it retargeted them and opened fire. Disabling two of the ships, the others encircled and destroyed the vessel. Power flickered back to normal as a ship rerouted its own power to the Epitaph. Restoring power, they were hailed by the lead ship, the USS Challenger. Captain LaForge was lighthearted despite the seriousness of the situation. Escorting the Epitaph back to Earth, Capitaine thanked him, knowing she would have to make this up to him and his fleet somehow.
"Lieutenant, I'm receiving a message from T'Pela. It was priority, private message for you, but was delayed, likely by the alien ship."
"Alright, I'll take it in my Ready Room."
"Lieutenant Capitaine, I've some unfortunate news. We recently found Ambassador Sokketh's remains hidden under his room in stasis. We've confirmed this identity; the Ambassador Sokketh you are transporting is an impostor, a type of shapeshifter! Be extremely cautious, if discovered he will take on anyform to elude or kill you. However, by the Vulcan Science Institute we are ordering you to bring this infiltrator in alive for questioning."
Sighing in frustration, Capitaine sat back in her chair; she had failed atleast two orders in one afternoon. "Computer, open a secure channel to Ambassador Sokketh's aid, T'Pela."
"Channel established, communication open."
"T'Pela, this is Lieutenant Capitaine, I'm sorry, I only just received your message. This Undine infiltrator escaped from P'Jem but was destroyed along with his ship upon leaving orbit."
"Yes, Lieutenant, I received word from Captain LaForge. You are fortunate to be alive, you and your crew. It is unfortunate that you were unable to capture this shapeshifter, but the circumstances were not fortuitous. I will be requesting your full report from Admiral Quinn, lieutenant."
"Of course."
...
Arriving again in Admiral Quinn's office, he was not happy, again. This time he wasn't upset at Capitaine for the deaths and destruction to a sacred Vulcan system but that the this shapeshifter had deceived everybody for so long.
"Capitaine, I'm glad that you are back, safe again. Most officers don't even know of Species 8472, the Undine; yet managing to survive the Klingons *and* an Undine attack is again, impressive. Going through reports of the incident, there was a signal sent from your ship to the Undine ship and then sent elsewhere. Do you know anything about this?"
"Yes, admiral. I ... tried to communicate to the Undine from destroying my ship. It didn't work but it delayed him enough for Captain LaForge to arrive."
"Rarely does a single ship or person successfully communicate with an Undine agent. I'm ordering your crew to a medical exam, your ship will be scanned for any others, and I want you to report immediately to ESD Infirmary for an examination. ... I'm sorry, Capitaine, but in light of Ambassador Sokketh, we need to be careful nowadays. The crews and the hulls of the Challenger, Kirk, Rideout, Terev, and Texas are undergoing similar procedures."
"I understand, admiral."
"Good, after that, there is another assignment for you, Captain LaForge will give you the details."
...
Never liking having things injected or withdrawn out of her, Capitaine's Infirmary visit took longer than a full medical exam. Apparently, her personal medical information required an intelligence authorization to access. She knew the reason, but couldn't explain in detail why her body destroyed *any foreign substances*, why she healed so unnaturally quick, or why her blood and tissue samples instantly disintegrated into nothing.
Returning to the ship, she called in Versallia to her Ready Room. Apparently, her refusal at P'Jem violated her self-imposed moral and ethical codes. Describing them in detail, Capitaine felt inspired to even meet someone who upheld such a pure code. Still upset at almost dying for Versallia's moral compass, Capitaine didn't want to punish her but had to do something.
Promising to do something next time, Versallia didn't relent and said she would accept her consequences wholeheartedly. Contacting Captain LaForge, he sent a classified briefing. The Undine message was relayed to the Paulson Nebula near the Lackey System. The concealing composition of the nebula made it a favorite for smugglers and pirates. The Epitaph would be leading the mission but would not be sent in alone.
...
Informing her officers, the Epitaph was to meet up with the USS Valor, a Centaur-class of about the same as they. As dangerous as the mission already sounded, it only got worse from there.
Arriving at the system, the Valor was under attack from Gorn pirates. Although she was saved, she was crippled and the Epitaph was now alone in her mission. Traveling deeper within the nebula, sensors were moot and targeting and piloting was almost done by visuals only. Encountering more Gorn pirates, they were unaware and subject to the same conditions. Anne tried to avoid them as best she could but Elisa quickly dispatched them whenever needed.
Eventually finding the station after several passes, it was a mining station, although the area had already been stripped of anything worthwhile. It wasn't in good shape due to its service, but still well workable. Taking Razkii and a team with her, Capitaine found the station was operated by Klingons. Perhaps those Gorn pirates were only pirates afterall.
Razkii's team went in guns blazing, Capitaine covered their flank the whole time. Clearing out the control room, Capitaine felt her pocket sent a pulse through her body, the device sensed something valuable nearby. Directing Razkii to search other consoles, Capitaine searched the main computer. Finding and downloading the information, Capitaine heard a voice. Startled, she realized it was all in her head, as if telepathic. It summarized what she just found: the Iconians were wiped out 200,000 years ago, *almost*, but were now acting through catspaws and servitors, they have been planning and plotting since their apparent demise.
The Iconian involvement meant nothing to the Gorn and Klingons who were rushing to retake the command center. Holding the room, they beamed away just as Capitaine saw a grenade land at Razkii's feet. The escape wasn't as difficult as the entrance. Finding themselves at the far end of the Paulson Nebula, it was only a simple matter to circle it and head home.
...
A Klingon woman in Starfleet battle gear stood opposite the table of Admiral Quinn and Linnea. She didn't carry any weapons but was still accompanied by guards. As Capitaine caught Admiral Quinn's attention, the Klingon turned her head as well. Scarred across her face and missing an eye, she was intimidating to say the least.
"Ah! Lieutenant Capitaine, please come here."
Cautiously walking past the Klingon, Capitaine tried to stand at the far end of the table. Nervously trying to avoid eye contact with the Klingon, Capitaine stood patiently as Linnea started giggling. Admiral Quinn and the Klingon smiled as Capitaine stood confused at the corner of the table.
"I guess you didn't see my message?"
"I did, Admiral. It said to come here immediately."
" ... and?"
"'and'?"
"I can see you *were* in a hurry! ... Capitaine, this is Commander Kovroht of the KDF ... "
" *Formerly* of the KDF!" Kovroht interjected, her voice was exactly how Capitaine had imagined it. But having admitted not reading Admiral Quinn's entire message, Capitaine was only beginning to piece together what was going on.
"Yes, *formerly* ...
... Capitaine, Commander Kovroht has wishes to defect to Starfleet. We agree on her terms, but one of them is to be a permanent officer on your ship."
"My ship?"
"Yes, Lieutenant!" Kovroht's voice was still sharp but toneless. "Your reputation precedes you, and after you survived the attack at Vulcan, I've chosen you as my favorite."
"... *favorite*?"
"Do not be frightened of the commander, Capitaine. As captain of your ship, you do have a say as well, but I do recommend taking Kovroht with you on your mission to Bomari. She has already been a great help decoding what you found at Paulson."
Nervously glancing between the admiral and the commander, Capitaine slowly agreed. Seeing everything was in order, Admiral Quinn dismissed both of them. The two guards accompanied them to the transporter pad. Capitaine was quiet but Kovroht had a lot to say.
"Lieutenant, I feel you don't trust me?"
"Not so much *trust* ... "
"Oh, ... *fear* than. But don't be. Despite being much taller and so much stronger, I am not your normal Klingon."
"I don't really have a *normal* Klingon in-mind."
"Yes, you *do*."
"Okay, I guess I do."
Kovroht slapped Capitaine on the back laughing. "As *our* admiral said, don't be afraid of me Lieutenant. I chose you as my captain, and I would like to be your friend, okay?"
"Okay ... You can call me 'Capitaine', Kovroht." The hit didn't hurt too much, but did knock her forward several paces. Although she didn't know anything about Kovroht, she did get a good feeling about her.
"Very informal, *Capitaine*! I'll enjoy being your science officer."
...
"There she is, Ensign." Walking onto the bridge, Phaedriel and Elisa greeted Kovroht, they seemed to already know of her position as well. Capitaine was disappointed in herself, the one time when she glanced over reading is the one time it was something crucial.
"Welcome aboard, Kovroht! I'm Elisa, the First Officer."
"Hello, Elisa.
... and you must be the Chief of Operations. I'm *scientifically* curious, I've never met your kind before."
" ... well, ... I am, Phaedriel ... "
" I've never heard of the Phaedriels before. What is your name?"
" ... No, my *name * is Phaedriel."
Listening to the three converse, Capitaine sat in her chair in the middle of the bridge. Anne was already at her station but was still admiring her controls. T'Vrell was unusually quiet, she was listening to Kovroht and the rest. Heading to her Ready Room, there was a message from Versallia. She had moved to the science lab, returning to her specialty as a developmental scientist; she had already heard about Kovroht as well.
Along with several reports and debriefings, there was a message from Captain LaForge. "Lieutenant, you did better than we expected at Paulson; we're sending a strike team to clean up the pirates and smugglers; so no worries about it. You're officer, Kovroht, has already helped us decoded much of the information you gathered from the Klingons. Starfleet Intelligence believes there is at least one more listening post within Federation space. We've triangulated a subspace signal booster somewhere in the Bomari System. We're providing you with spatial charges to take it out, but before you do, see if you can track down the coordinates of the other listening posts. ... Good luck, LaForge, out."
Informing her officers of the situation, T'Vrell seemed to look forward to it, as much as a Vulcan could enjoy something. Versallia on the otherhand still resented the idea of destroying and killing lives, it was not the reason she joined Starfleet or Capitaine; but she didn't want to sit the mission out. Elisa further refined her tactical strike program, taking into account atmospheric properties as well as gravimetric forces, and of course, refining the accuracy. Razkii was ready and seemed eager to fight, Morek on the otherhand wanted to be treating accidental injuries not combat injuries.
"Capitaine! We are receiving a message from the USS Challenger, they are ready and waiting for us at edge of the Bomari System."
"Alright, notify the shipyards we're pulling out. Tell the Challenger we're on our way.
Anne, take us out, prepare to go to warp."
...
The Epitaph warped to the Bomari star, alone this time. Exploring the empty system, Kovroht guided the ship through the rocks and dust, picking up a series of signals and tracing them to Bomari II. Although it appeared as a simple mining facility, it had a ring of auto-turrets and a substantially enhanced communications array.
Against T'Vrell's *and Elisa's* recommendations, Kovroht hailed the station. She spoke much firmer, with much more anger and weariness.
"Klingon Station, I am Commander Kovroht of the KDF. I will be beaming down to your station for routine inspection, disable your shields and inhibitors so I can complete my task."
"Commander Kovroht, we were not aware we were to inspected, show us your authorization and I will confirm."
"*My orders* are from Klingon Intelligence, you *were not supposed* to be aware! *Yet* it is already one-of-your-many problems."
"Commander, you are on a Starfleet vessel ... and your record shows your captain died with all hands aboard. How is it you are here?"
"Do you question my word and my honor?! Your very thought brings disobedience to the KDF and dishonor to yourself and your men! You will do as you're told or I will report that you *openly refused*!"
" ... I meant no disrespect ... you are cleared to transport down."
Kovroht smiled at Elisa who smiled back impressed. T'Vrell confirmed that the station had lowered its shields and they could transport to the command center immediately. However, Kovroht knew otherwise.
"Target the shield generators and power distributors. They're checking my credentials now *and they won't hold up*,"
Receiving a nod from Capitaine, Elisa fired. Unfortunately, her tactical strike program needed recharging and re-synchronizing after firing with such intensity along such a narrow and precise beam. The strike hit the power generators, but with more than enough time to raise the shields. Seeing decloaking ships converging on them from all sides, Kovorht turned to Elisa, expecting her to fire on them, only to see that she wasn't even paying attention.
Capitaine had to remind Elisa of the ships versus the station, but fortunately, like P'Jem, the turrets and ships were outdated. Blasting her way through the defenders and down to the surface, Capitaine, Elisa, Phaedriel, and Razkii each lead teams down to the station. Each placing a spatial charge, Phaedriel was assigned to placing the charge in station center, Elisa in the power core, and Razkii in the armory. Knowing what she had to do before hand, Capitaine would place the charge in the computer core.
With frequencies and details given by her 'admiral-self', Capitaine sent a warning about the Iconians through the station's communication arrays. Whoever was listening, hopefully, would take it to heart.
Back in her captain's chair, Capitaine looked out over the listening station now with orbiting piles of debris. Once a decent distance, she pressed the detonator. The explosion couldn't be seen and everything seemed fine but seconds later the station's power core imploded and all its armaments exploded. The bridge momentarily stopped to watch, it was like watching fireworks but all in one massive burst.
"Sensors show the station has been destroyed ... "
" ... obviously ... "
" ... but there was another reading just before it went critical, a ship like the one at P'Jem! ... But its gone, there's no wreckage of it either."
"You sure, T'Vrell? ... Kovroht, do a full internal scan; Phaedriel inform Morek to expect the standard procedures immediately ... Hail the Challenger: we're heading back."
...
"Capitaine, glad to see your mission was successful! Admiral Quinn and Captain LaForge are still reviewing everything you found. But he is glad there wasn't any unnecessary complications, and Captain LaForge again sends his congratulations."
"Thank you, Linnea."
Capitaine wished Admiral Quinn would stop worrying about her; she could take care of herself! But then again, maybe the same was thought of Captain Taggart, and that ended regrettably. Though perhaps it was good to be cared about so closely.
- END OF CHAPTER -