Chapter Title: A Note on Apathy
Chapter Synapses: A decaying lunar orbit puts a civilization at risk, and any assistance would violate the Prime Directive. Also, West deals with VonBach's anger tendencies.
Written by: Seraph Koji
"Captain's Log, we have exited warp a distance away from a planet undergoing an technological revolution. Normally, such a backward world would not draw a Federation presence, but there is a special factor surrounding this situation."
Starwind sat on the bridge, observing the situation from a distance, "Can't we intervene without them noticing?"
Talara shook her head, "They have a primitive satellite tracking system. It won't exactly let them pick us up loud and clear, but they'd see us."
"Commander, options?" Starwind turned to Collins.
Collins shrugged, "To take action would violate the Prime Directive. A decaying lunar orbit isn't exactly an easy situation, and Starfleet can't afford to play hero to underdeveloped worlds."
"So we set course back for the Devron System?" Starwind asked.
Collins nodded.
"Not good enough." Starwind began to issue orders, "Collins, contact the Capitol, get the authority to interfere. Talara, work on ideas with Phral, facilitate his needs, VonBach, calm down, blowing the moon to hell isn't a viable option. Ivano, hold our position."
Not twenty minutes later, Collins entered to report on Starfleet's orders, "We are to leave at once. We have a mission to the Devron System to retrieve information on the Syndicate's old leadership returning to power. Not the guy Counselor West arrested, the guys before that."
"No." Starwind replied emotionlessly.
"No?"
"No." Starwind repeated, "We are going to save these people. Recent calculations from Astrometrics report a consistently increasing decay in orbit will mean the planet has less than a week to live. Get the science department working on what's causing the decay. Have Operations tie us into their planetary communications, we'll stop this thing and make it to Devron in time."
"Sir, are you purposing we violate an order, break the Prime Directive into shards, and act like it never happened?" Collins asked.
Starwind smiled, "A little too much for you, Dorian?"
Collins shook her head, "Just wondering when you would behave like other Captains."
"Sir, priority communiqué from the USS Anubis. Admiral Morris for you." Talara chimed across the comm.. system.
"Dismissed, Commander." After she left, Starwind turned to his terminal, "Starwind here."
The image of a bald, dark-skinned, human appeared on the screen. He had an impressive build, and a lack of smile.
"Admiral!" Starwind smiled, a liveliness to his voice.
"Starwind, you were ordered to leave. I'm just reinforcing that." Morris said with a stern demeanor.
Starwind retained his enthusiasm, "Admiral, we respectfully request you allow our present mission, on the grounds that I am willing to do it either way. If you allow this minor infraction of the Prime Directive-"
"Minor infraction?" Morris fumed, "You want to directly involve yourself in the internal affairs of an undeveloped planet! And Victor, this lunar bit is an internal affair. Your monitoring of their communications reveals that a group of rebels are trying to terrorize the planet."
Satrwind was silent, thinking. Finally he offered, "All it takes is one phaser blast to save that world, and you won't allow it? We could send in a squadron of fighters under cover of night, attack, and be gone before anyone knew."
"Or you could screw up slightly and land your whole crew in court marshal." Morris responded.
"Admiral!" Starwind grew frustrated.
Morris sighed, "In order for the Federation to function, an occasional moment of apathy is required. You cannot get involved."
"If these people can move a moon, aren't they read enough to be saved?" Starwind countered.
"And they can move it back on their own."
"In time?"
Morris gritted his teeth, "Captain, you have two hours to be underway before I see to it personally you never leave New Berlin, got it?"
"Hyperion out." Starwind cut the transmission, and sat back. To stay or to go? "Computer, give me an audio transmission from the planet. Translated."
A voice, female, came through the computer. "The cell calls themselves 'Hand of God' and are holding the world hostage. They claim all people of the planet are guilty of crimes against God and must die to pay the price. Using the most advanced technology available, the cult is steadily bringing our astral sphere on top of us."
"End." Starwind ordered, "Damn it! Starwind to Operations, scan for a concentrated energy signatures affecting the lunar decay on the planet's surface. We are going to disobey direct orders."
"Aye, sir." A male ops officer replied.
Starwind rose an eyebrow, "Where is Talara?"
"Sickbay, getting checked out. It seems Commander VonBach shot at her again." The male replied.
Starwind groaned with annoyance, "Bloody hell." He tapped his badge again, "Starwind to West."
West sat with VonBach in her office, both very quiet for a long period of time.
"Joseph." West finally spoke, "You know why the Captain asked you to come see me?"
VonBach averted his glance, "I got a little angry at Lieutenant Blue again."
"Well, first, her name is Talara." West corrected him, "And second, you didn't get 'a little angry'. For the near twentieth time, you nearly shot her. Each time, you get sent to me. Most Captains would have you discharged. Most Lieutenants would have shot you back, and been a lot more accurate. I know, you meant to miss…" she paused n frustration, "Joseph, it's obvious this method isn't working. This is it, the last time I will stand between you and brig time." She paused again, "You have a problem with these aggressive tendencies, Joe. We tried anger management, we tried medical solutions… nothing. Maybe you are beyond my help. I want to recommend you for a month or so in the psychiatric ward of Starfleet Medical."
"No!" VonBach rose in protest.
West also rose, her voice rose as well, "Than for the love of all that is good and decent, Joseph VonBach, don't make me get that message from the Captain again, got it? You may outrank me, but as medical personnel, I can relieve you of duty. And God help me, I will! And when I do, you take the next shuttle to Earth, and you meet my friends at Starfleet Medical, understood?"
VonBach was silent.
"Understood?" West repeated, angrily.
VonBach nodded, still without a sound.
"Dismissed!" West said forcefully.
Starwind entered the bridge, "Ops, find it yet?"
"No, sir. The tractor wave is of a configuration we can't detect." The male officer replied.
"Scan the outer atmosphere, see if one of those satellites has anything hitting the moon." Starwind ordered.
Collins looked over at him, "To hell with our orders, sir?"
"No, Commander. We still have thirty minutes before Admiral Morris said we had to be gone." Starwind turned to Operations, "Set a countdown on the viewscreen, thirty minutes. Winters, get a very fine-tuned phaser pulse ready. We are going to do a fly-by shooting. As we accelerate to warp in now twenty-nine minutes, you will fire on the target. Then we warp out. As far as anyone on the planet knows, the instillation spontaneously combusted. Ivano, you'll have to program the location to vector around the planet accordingly. Once we know the location, correct my Operations pal?"
"Aye." The officers in question replied.
The counter had fallen to twelve, when the image of the falling moon was replaced by the image of Admiral Morris, whose scowl seemed filled with an unlimited abhorrence. "Captain!"
Starwind smiled widely, "Admiral, we still have twelve minutes before our two hours are up."
The Admiral's frustration became ever more apparent.
Collins sat beside Starwind, adding confidently; "If that's all, sir, Hyperion out."
"Sir, got 'em!" The Operations officer cheered.
"Ready ourselves for a tactical strike. Remember, this is our one shot."
Talara rushed onto the bridge, "Captain, wait!"
Starwind paused, just before calling the strike. Talara used this break to dash to Operations, "Helm, show me your vector."
The viewer now showed a course plan, including a small slingshot around the planet.
"As I thought." Talara sighed. A few keystrokes later, another image was overlaid, "This shows the planet's military mobilization. This moon business has started a war. They use atmospheric missiles. Atomic in nature. Even crashing against our shield grid, one of these puppies will irradiate their atmosphere, and severely damage ship's systems. And these satellites here carry a full compliment."
"How do you…?"
"Sen was listening to the planet's news transmissions." Talara replied. "The fact is that an atomic event, with the balance between the planet, moon, and a starship as it is… it will result in a nuclear winter. And we may very well be marooned on the planet."
"We attack from a distance." Winters suggested.
Talara shook her head, "And if we do? At this rate, inertia and gravity will carry the moon from here."
Starwind grew angry, "You mean to tell me those people are going to die? What is it, five billion lives? And we can't do a damn thing?"
"Looks like the Prime Directive stands unscathed." Ivano said, mournfully.
"What if we destroy the moon?" Starwind asked, with a VonBach-like eagerness.
Winters stood silent for a moment, "Sir, destruction of the moon would ruin tidal balance, and the debris would constitute an Extinction Level Event of it's own."
"Damn!" Starwind growled.
"Captain, if not bound by regulation, we remain powerless. We should leave." Collins said in a soothing tone.
Starwind took a long look at the world, "Self-annihilation. I wonder if those who started this fiasco realize what they did was the cause of their apocalypse. I wonder if they care that they are a handful of the five billion lives to be ended."
"Sir, the timer is at three minutes." Talara reported.
Starwind took a deep breath, "Mister Ivano, set course for the Devron System, maximum warp."
"So that's that?" Ivano asked, slightly disappointed.
Collins nodded somberly, "Make it so, Ensign."
VonBach watched stars streak past from his quarters, brooding. What had transpired here? He missed so much. Perhaps with less concern toward the planet and more toward the concept of missing something he could blow up. Maybe shooting Talara got him this. Maybe this was deserved… Maybe…
"Amy West's Personal Log. Of all the things II do, one of the most time-consuming is dealing with Commander VonBach. He's aggravating, but he's a challenge. Certainly the poster-boy for why not to become a ship's counselor. As for the lunar decent on that planet, many crew members have expressed a rage or depression regarding that issue. It was a sorrowful note to be taken on, as Admiral Morris put it, the occasional moments of Federation apathy. It amounted to a shame. But one we have taken to heart."
Sen and Talara stood in Sick Bay.
"You check out fine." Sen waved Talara on.
Talara began to walk out, and turned, "Asim, what would a devout Bajoran do after leaving billions of people to die?"
"Pray to the Prophets." Sen replied instantly.
"I feel a need to do something…" Talara stated her reasoning before adding, "So I would very much like to pray with you. Regardless of if your Prophets exist, the thought that someone is watching over those poor people—"
Sen nodded, "I understand, Lieutenant."
