4
Enemy Lines
Lieutenant Mann jerked and sat up straight in her chair on the bridge of USS Enterprise. "Something set off a red alert," she stated as she let her fingers fly over her workstation.
Lieutenant Amin frowned as she cast a glance at the red flash coming from the alert detection system between her and the helmsman. "I am on it," she said calmly. "Nicola, call Louvier up here."
"Right away," he acknowledged and adjusted the gadget in his ear and switched to internal communication only. "Commander Louvier, report to the bridge immediately."
"Engineering to bridge," a voice came over the line. "Chief said to tell you, he's on his way on a double."
"Good enough for me," Nicola replied.
Lieutenant Amin quickly vacated her seat and nodded at the stand-in for Una to monitor her station as well. She then walked over to the science station and nodded at the young ensign who'd replaced Lieutenant Spock, while he was away, and activated the scanner array. She strained her eyes to see better.
"What is it?" Mann asked.
"It is the remains of another Bird of Prey," Jamila replied coldly.
"Another one?" Chief engineer Matthieu Louvier asked skeptically as he stepped onto the bridge and sat down at the engineering station.
"Yes, that is my highly educated guess," Amin replied as she looked up from the scanner array.
"What were they doing all the way out here?" Doctor Boyce asked as he too appeared on the bridge.
"Maybe they are renegades, running from the war?" Nicola suggested.
"Rough Klingons?" Mann mused. "No, there must be more to it. They weren't alone. Remember that debris field we found two weeks ago?"
"Could it actually be the same ship?" Doctor Boyce asked.
"There is no air drag in GEO," Louvier pointed out. "Where were you when Professor Kess told the rest of us about space debris in GEO and LEO?"
"Practicing medicine probably," Phil remarked dryly. "Besides, it appears to have been sucked into GEO, meaning it comes from outer space. So technically, it could be parts of the same ship."
"Gentlemen," Jamila cautioned with a very faint upward curl to her lips.
"Should we recall the away team?" Nicola asked curiously.
"Absolutely, straight away," Boyce said. "I doubt it was an amateur with a lucky shot who managed to take down a cloaked Bird of Prey."
"With all due respect, Doctor Boyce," Mann spoke up. "We don't know what happened. Maybe it blew up all by itself."
He harrumphed. "And I am the tooth fairy," Phil replied grumpily.
Louvier leaned forward in his chair and smiled. "Why didn't you say so earlier," he replied.
OOOOOO
The southern continent of Circusia was fabulous with its mesmerizing beaches, steep cliffs and mountains contouring the horizon. The capital city the team were currently visiting was one of the largest on the planet – housing millions of people – yet it felt like a peaceful place with a calm pace. The air was fresh and clean; everywhere you looked it was green in some way – plants, grass, crops. Even the large skyscrapers had balconies with greens.
Una glanced around at the breathtaking views of beauty and smiled to herself as she was reminded of home. She turned to Ta'Bob Bobba Dus and saw that the chancellor walked with a bouncing step just behind her, his hands clasped together before him.
"You must have a very auspicious water supply or a very benign weather here," she remarked.
The chancellor broke into a grin. "Yes, we have large water deposits under the city and hydroponic settlements where we grow a lot of things. You're most welcome to take a look for yourself."
"You are very welcoming," Pike mused. "It is very kind of you to show us your world in this way."
"What is there to gain by hiding things?" Ta'Bob Bobba Dus reasoned softly. "Of course, you might not be who you say you are. But there are many species that comes here and we have many allies. You would not get very far in this sector of space if you threaten us in any way, Captain Christopher."
Pike halted mid-step, recognizing the polite threat directed at him and his crew. He turned to give the chancellor a faint nod.
"Even though your ship is mighty and well-equipped, you are still alone out there in the vast unknown," Ta'Bob Bobba Dus added as he motioned for them to follow him and his guards toward a large building, situated next to a green recreation ground.
Una gracefully fell into steps with Chris and leaned in to speak in a subdued voice. "Delusion of grandeur," she remarked sarcastically. "He has no idea of what we've been through; what we've seen."
Although it was contained, there was mischief sparkling in the captain's blue eyes as he causally shared a look with his XO. "Manners, commander," he whispered diplomatically.
Ta'Bob Bobba Dus stopped outside the largest set of shining black double doors they'd ever seen. It rivalled the old wooden doorways to an ancient cathedral in size. The chancellor stepped forward to set his foot on a faint mark on the paved slab and waited as a pedestal rose from the ground.
"Fascinating," Spock said as he watched the chancellor tap in a code on the top of the pedestal to open the door.
Pike involuntarily shuddered as it reminded him of Tenavik and the monastery of Boreth.
"I have never seen such a mechanism," Una said.
"I have," he let on, tight-lipped, eliciting a frown from his XO.
Una studied him for a moment. They had worked together tightly for several years; he didn't get away with much. She had become a master of reading the small variations and nuances in his expression. She knew something was haunting him, she could see it in his eyes.
Una stepped into his path, forcing Chris to look at her properly. "Hey," she said seriously. "Whatever it is that is bothering you, we're going to talk about it."
He studied her with an expression not even she could read. There were so many conflicted emotions. Finally, she thought she'd seen a very faint dimpled smile so she smiled back and nodded at him to walk before her into the anteroom of the building.
"Welcome to the House of Science," the chancellor informed proudly.
Spock glanced around the open atrium; the space was enormous.
"I do apologize for bringing you inside in this lovely weather," Ta'Bob Bobba Dus said sheepishly. "But I gathered you were part of a scientific expedition?"
"That is correct," Spock concurred. "Our mission is to study life and civilizations throughout the universe."
"So that the worlds that you find on your journey can be conquered and added to this Federation of yours," Ta'Bob Bobba Dus guessed.
"You misinterpret, chancellor," Chris broke in kindly. "The United Federation of Planets does not conquer other worlds. They offer common wisdom, aide and service from the various member planets. Whether it might be a need for solving diplomatic problems, medical expertise, scientific studies, specific supplies or technical arrangements-. Whatever you need, we can render assistance."
"Forgive me but that sounds very generous. What does it require in return?" the Circusian enquired.
"This is also very generous," Una pointed out. "You invite a lot of species to your home and entertain them. What do you require in return?"
"Oh," he chuckled. "That they spread the word about our existence; keep our planet thriving and full of life. That they buy things, trade things and keep our society flourishing."
"Excuse me," Chris said as he heard the faint chirp of the communicator.
Spock and Una shared a curious glance as their captain moved over to the corner.
"Enterprise to Captain Pike," a voice called over the now open line.
"Pike here," Chris replied seriously.
"Good," Phil said. "Are you alone down there?"
He cast a glance over his shoulder to see Una and Spock doing their best to ask questions and keep the Circusians occupied and away from their captain. "Yes," he said.
"Captain," Trina Mann's voice acknowledged. "We've come across more debris while orbiting the planet. Sensors confirm that it comes from a Klingon ship."
"Another one?" Chris enquired skeptically.
"It is too early to tell," Matthieu Louvier spoke up.
"Whatever happened up there; some of them survived," Chris informed, his voice subdued so as not to attract attention. "Spock saw them."
"Captain," Phil said, obviously not liking what he was hearing. "You already knew there were Klingons on the planet and you didn't report it back?"
Chris sighed, he didn't like being scolded by the doctor and he certainly didn't like to give away an unpainted picture. "Doctor Boyce," he countered in a calm and steady tone of voice – this was not a friend-to-friend conversation; this was officer to officer. "Right now, all we do know is that there are Klingons on this planet. We don't know how many," he paused. "I am well aware there can be an entire ship complement down here but it can also be a small landing party. At the moment there is no information as of where they came from, how they ended up here or when they arrived. We don't know what their intentions are-,"
"Their intentions seem very clear to me," the doctor interrupted. "Klingons don't exactly travel around the galaxy without an agenda. They look for suitable and strategical planets to conquer."
Pike pursed his lips into a thin line of displeasure but his reply was soft and calm; the opposite to the somewhat angry and bitter statement the CMO had just made. "We made peace, Phil."
"Peace," he echoed with a snort.
"Captain, we'd like to extract the landing party as soon as possible – it is not safe," Louvier reasoned.
Chris casually glanced around the room as he spoke into communicator. "I don't believe we are in any danger. Have you scanned for Klingon lifesigns?" he asked curiously.
"Captain," Mann spoke up. "The area from which you transmit is densely populated. It will take a while to single them out. There are other races down there, similar in appearance, whom the computer doesn't have any reference too at the moment."
"Captain Christopher," a voice called politely.
He looked up to see that the chancellor was eager to continue and that Spock and Una shared a glance behind the Circusian's back. With a faint nod that he had acknowledged, he spoke into the communicator. "I have to go; we can talk later. Right now, we're staying put."
"Captain Christopher?" Phil echoed and sounded both intrigued and amused at the same time.
"Pike out."
"Trouble?" the chancellor asked, looking slightly worried.
Chris shook his head. "Just a checkpoint call, to make sure everything is fine. Don't worry, it is standard procedure," he assured him.
Spock simply cocked an eyebrow and continued to study the various apparatus and gadgets in the room. He did not say anything but he clearly showed he knew there was something his commanding officer was keeping from him.
Una gave him a suspicious glance as she casually strolled by a few feet from him but she made no comment. As an experienced XO she knew to wait for information and had absolute faith in her captain and friend. She knew he would tell her if something was wrong when she needed to know.
OOOOOO
"I don't like this," Doctor Boyce said.
Matthieu Louvier made a face and shrugged. "I'm only in temporary command, doctor. The captain is – the captain. Whatever he decides, I'll respect his decision."
Jamila Amin tapped in a series of commands on her display and called up a magnification on the view screen. "Captain Pike believes the Klingons might have had time to evacuate before the ship blew apart," she stated. "A Klingon Bird of Prey, M'Chla class, have a crew compliment of 121."
Boyce sighed where he stood between the captain's chair and the helmsman's station. He tilted his head forward, raised his shoulders and placed his hands over his face for a moment and proceeded to rub his tired eyes. "How friendly are they – really?" he asked bitterly.
"We still have a peace treaty in place," Nicola offered kindly from his position at the communication's station.
"You don't trust them," Louvier deduced seriously.
"Definitely not," the good doctor replied as he straightened and took a step forward. "This is not Federation territory, not even close. There is no honor in upholding peace for them."
"If the entire crew of that Klingon ship managed to beam down before it blew apart-," Mann reasoned sadly. "They would be waiting for a ship capable of taking them back to the Empire. What better ship is there than the Flagship of the Federation?"
"What better hostage is there than Captain Pike?" Amin added seriously.
The bridge of the USS Enterprise fell deadly silent.
OOOOOO
4/24
