Chapter 3: Navot
"Are you out of your mind?! I'm a captain, not an engineer. I have no idea how to build a warp core."
Jim spit on the ground, unable to swallow the blood that had pooled in his mouth. He looked briefly at the dark red splotch on the ground below him, nausea rising in his gut.
The Bajoran crossed the cave in long, easy strides. Before Jim could take another breath, the man was in his face.
"Do you think I am stupid? Do you think I have not done my research?"
He smiled with the warmth of a viper, hot breath assaulting Jim's face.
"Captain, I know all about you. I know about your friendship with a certain Mister Scott. I know that you work often with him in repairing your Enterprise. You may be a captain, but you are no ordinary captain."
"Why me? Why not find an actual engineer or a physicist whose job it is to know these things?"
"Why do you think the doctor is here? To keep you company? No, Captain. He knows the transwarp equations. You, on the other hand, will be the one building the core."
Jim scoffed and shook his head. "Look, I may know how to repair a warp core, but I sure as hell don't know how to build one. You're out of luck."
The Bajoran lashed out with a swift punch to Jim's gut, and he would have been on the ground in the fetal position if not for the men keeping him upright. A hand grabbed Jim's chin sharply and pulled his head up, bringing him face to face with the leader. He was speckled in blood; some must have come out of Jim's mouth from the power of the hit to his stomach.
"I can assure you, Captain, that it will not be my luck that has run out if you cannot build this warp core."
With a nod, he released Jim's jaw and the two men on either side dropped his arms. He fell hard to the floor.
The Bajorans were gone from the cave, leaving Jim alone with Olin.
The small doctor rushed to Jim, heaving the larger man back onto his bed.
"Who is that son of a bitch?" Jim asked, hoping that by squeezing his eyes shut he could ignore the pain he was in.
"His name is Duranja. He is a Navot, as are all his men."
Jim felt a chill run through his body. "Shit."
This was exactly what he was afraid of. They knew he was Federation, that Starfleet was talking peace with the Paqu.
"He said you worked with warp cores. How? Are you Starfleet?"
Olin sighed. "I was, until I was kidnapped a few years back. They believed I could build them a core, which I could not. I am a physicist."
Something clicked in Jim's memory. "I think I remember watching holos about your disappearance. Starfleet went nuts trying to find you, man."
"Because I am one of the few who worked very closely with Mister Scott's equations. I have studied them for years since his arrival from Delta Vega. It was catastrophic for me to fall into enemy hands."
Jim was silent. The man was right. The only thing worse than that was to actually hand over a functional warp core. Fury built in his chest.
"I'm not building that asshole a warp core."
Olin didn't look up from his evaluation of the quickly forming bruises on Jim's abdomen. "You have no choice in the matter."
"Of course I do. I always do."
"I am assuming you have a plan?"
"Do you have all the materials necessary to build the core?"
"What will you require?
"Deuterium, antideuterium, dilithium crystal, flat rounded nodules, copper tubing, nanopolymer, and something to drink. I'm parched."
/
Author's Note: Sorry this one is so short, I'm in the middle of midterms but I really wanted to update. Thank you all for your positive feedback!