A Camelot Knight in Starfleet Command
A further adventure in The Adventures of Sir Lancelot
And parody loosely based on A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
By Bineshii
Note: Since a story reviewer kindly pointed out a couple of historical inaccuracies, I have been watching more closely not to let such things slip by. Suspension of disbelief is what science fiction and fantasy shoot for, and actually, what all fiction tries to give readers. Corrections as well as compliments are useful to a writer, so please continue to leave both for your hopeful fan fiction writers!
Chapter 4: A Warrior is a Warrior is a Warrior
She walked past him on her way to the bridge. Not much left to the imagination in that form-fitting uniform for any woman, he thought. The clothes he had seen in videos of civilian woman back on the Earth of this time were more colorful and flattering, as were ladies' gowns in his own time. Malcolm Reed's comment during physical training in the gym about T'Pol's very nice bum seemed a bit rude to polite courtly conversation, though it was not as rough as some of the appreciation comments about the fair sex that he had overheard around the firesides of the common men-at-arms of his own time.
She must have noticed him watching her for she turned back to confront him.
"Is there anything I can help you with, Sir Lancelot?"
What an exquisitely lovely face, he thought. And embarrassed at being caught watching her, he said "You are going to the bridge? I just thought...would you mind me watching what goes on there while a star ship is underway? I have only been there while the ship has been moored at Jupiter Station."
She cocked her head slightly and a shadow of a smile played across her face. That was as much of an expression as he had ever seen on her. He knew from more than one person that Vulcans thought it rude to show emotion in public. What a pity. She could charm any male into infatuation with that face by using a little expression, probably even charm Brian who still avoided her.
"Certainly. Follow me," she said, turning and briskly heading for the turbo lift.
An economy of words as well as facial expressions, he thought, as he followed her.
On the bridge, he took a seat next to Malcolm Reed's station. Malcolm was there, fiddling with something on his console.
"I'm adjusting some targeting sensors, Sir Lancelot. Care to watch a little target practice in the asteroid belt?"
Lancelot smiled. "Yes, I would. What weapons today?"
"Photon torpedoes. Much reduced power in these practice war heads, though. Don't want to rattle the miners in the next section over, even though they are a thousand miles away."
"Of course not," chortled Lancelot, thinking this had been a good day to visit the bridge. He glanced around. Travis Mayweather was at his station and of all people, Brian was perched on one of those temporary folding chairs next to Travis.
"Well hello, Brian," Lancelot said loudly to get the lad's attention.
Brian jumped and turned. "Sir Lancelot! What brings YOU to the bridge?" he said as if discovered doing something he shouldn't be doing.
"Why, Brian, I'm just here to keep an eye on you," Lancelot said in his teasing voice.
"Okay, ready," said Travis, moving a viewer and keypad on its arm, over to Brian. "Take over."
Brian glanced at Lancelot again. His mentor had an uncanny way of knowing when he, Brian, was up to something. "I'm not memorizing details of technology to take back to our time, My Lord. Only a little ship driving when it is on a straight path with no obstacles in the way. Honestly, this is nothing I could take back home and put to use."
"Of course not, Brian." Lancelot was smiling. "Go ahead. This should be interesting. Um, Commander Reed? What is the procedure for bridge visitors in case of an unforeseen collision of the ship with some object in space?"
Malcolm caught the humor in Lancelot's voice and smiled. Brian pouted and turned back to his view screen.
Lancelot scanned the other stations around the bridge. Hoshi Sato looked bored with no COMS traffic at the moment. But T'Pol, in the captain's chair, looked like she had been born to command. Lancelot's eyes lingered on her and he sighed. Hoshi was pretty, but T'Pol was a man's dream. Lancelot reminisced about yesterday when entering the crew's mess and he had spotted T'Pol alone at a table with a stack of padds and a mug of that tea she was so fond of. She had been reading intently when he strode brazenly over to her table with a mug of the same mint tea and sat down. Just like Dr. Phlox would have done.
"Good morning, Commander," he had said.
She had looked up, one luscious eyebrow raised. "Good morning, Sir Lancelot. I see you like mint tea too."
Good choice, he thought, tea instead of coffee for a conversation opener. He had put on his best flirting smile and leaned just a touch toward her. "Do the women on this ship ever wear anything but uniforms, even off duty?"
"Not often," she said. "Even off duty, we can be called back to our stations in an emergency. It is not practical to wear anything else on board. Rarely, we will have a theme party where costumes of some sort are appropriate."
"I see," said Lancelot, "do you have any of these parties scheduled soon? I would dearly like to see the fine ladies of this ship in more flattering outfits."
T'Pol leaned back and set down the padd she had been holding. She was studying him in a way that made a pleasant sensation wash over him. His impulse was to reach over and touch her hand, but he knew better. Vulcans did not like that.
He smiled and said "Do you, yourself, dance at these parties? Not that manic kind of thing that passes for popular dancing, but that more stately kind of dancing, that waltzing, that I saw on one of your movie nights?"
"At times. But only with my adun."
"Your...what?"
"My husband. Commander Tucker."
Lancelot would not have liked the look on his stricken face, had he been able to see it.
"You..you are married? To a human?"
"Yes. I know interspecies marriages are not common, especially with Vulcans, but they do occur, Sir Lancelot." She tried to smile a little to dissipate his obvious shock.
He recovered well. He tried for a smile, but it came across as a bit tight. "Oh well, nice try anyway. You must get a lot of attempts by men trying to get closer to you, as you are a very beautiful woman."
"I will take that as a compliment, Sir Lancelot, but now I must return to the bridge," she rose and started gathering up her padds.
He had said "your hands are full, leave your mug and I will return it to the used dishes station when I finish my tea."
"That would be helpful, thank you. I will see you later."
And she was off.
Lancelot sighed and took a sip of the mint tea, which was very good. He was thinking that this was becoming a pattern with him – a woman who took his breath away, one that he could actually see himself with, and she turned out to be married to another man - a man he respected greatly, like this Commander Tucker.
A loud message blared over Hoshi's com system and startled Lancelot out of his reverie.
"Any station, any station! This is foreman Briscoe on Asteroid K-10. We are under attack! Klingons! There are casualties! They have taken over mine shaft 23B!"
The message cut off abruptly with a scream.
T'Pol hit a button saying "Captain to the bridge."
Travis took back the steering station from Brian, saying "laying in a course for Asteroid K-10."
Captain Archer burst out from his ready room and he took the chair from T'Pol who rushed to her science station.
"That mine is the only location we have found in the solar system that has those dilithium crystals which Starfleet engineering research says could one day augment warp drive engines." T'Pol informed the captain.
"Noted." Captain Archer responded. "Travis, what is our ETA to this mine?"
"At impulse power, twenty minutes. Can't use warp drive this close to the asteroid field," said Travis, with Brian looking over his shoulder to see how the ship was now being maneuvered expertly toward the asteroid field and entering it.
"A potential problem, Captain," said T'Pol sharply, "between the volatile explosive materials they mine with, the uneven magnetic field of the asteroid, and the dilithium dust in the shafts, paths of energy weapon emissions cannot be determined, making accurate targeting impossible and unpredictable explosions likely. Projectile weapons are not much better. Use of bludgeoning and edged weapons is recommended."
"Noted. And as the closest ship, we must respond," said Captain Archer, "what bludgeoning and edged weapons do we have, Malcolm?"
"Night sticks and knives," said Malcolm, "and our hand-to-hand techniques."
T'Pol looked up from her screen. "From my scans, there appear to be only four Klingons, three in the mine shaft and one aboard a recently decloaked small ship."
"Two squads of six each, coming from different directions should be able to handle it," Malcolm suggested.
Captain Archer glanced at Malcolm. "Do it."
"I'm on it, Captain. Sergeant Cole is assembling a squad of MACOS as we speak and I would like to take a squad of my own security people."
"Do so. Have you identified beam in points, T'Pol?" asked the captain.
"Not advisable, Captain," she said. "Too much rock to beam through so there could be some distortion on reassembly due to the conditions that make energy weapons unadvisable."
"Use the shuttle pods, Malcolm," the captain barked.
Malcolm got up to leave the bridge as Lancelot addressed the captain "Let Brian and I go too. This is the kind of fighting we are used to. We have been training with your people. We could be very useful."
Malcolm paused, looking at his captain. The captain looked from Malcolm to Lancelot and said, "this is a highly irregular suggestion, though no doubt our guests have the necessary military skills. I don't like risking people that should be returned in good health to their own time. And I certainly cannot authorize a child going into a tactical situation."
"Sir, I am willing to take the risk. You have been a gracious host and I would like to repay you in some way." Lancelot was leaning forward gripping the railing in front of him with tense anticipation.
"Me too! I am not a child!" shouted Brian. "Sir Lancelot needs me!"
Captain Archer nodded, "Okay. This may not hold up at Starfleet Command, but I will give Lancelot a temporary commission as an ally who has been an observer on my ship from another...military establishment. But in all good conscience, I can't commission a fourteen year old boy."
"Commission accepted!" Both Lancelot and Malcolm said. And Malcolm added "under my command!" as he looked pointedly at Lancelot.
Lancelot nodded curtly, and began following Malcolm to the turbo lift. On reaching the lift, Lancelot turned and said "as a commissioned officer in Starfleet, I am allowed to choose my own staff?"
Captain Archer nodded his head reluctantly and said "yes," suspecting what was coming and unable to think of a way to counter it.
It came.
"Brian. You are with me," said Lancelot as he entered the lift.
Brian leaped toward the turbo lift, knocking over his chair to get there just before it closed.
...
The away teams were assembling in the shuttle bay. A crewman came in awkwardly carrying chainmail vests, swords, gauntlets, and other 6th century equipment he had been sent to collect from their guests' quarters. Lancelot and Brian began putting these on as soon as the crewman dumped them on the deck.
A bemused Amanda Cole glanced at them while clipping on her own weapons belt. "I don't suppose you have any extra swords?"
Lancelot smiled grimly "If I had had the foresight, when I saw that strange light in the night from that Klingon ship wreck from the battlements of Sir Ector's castle, that I would have to arm 22nd century star ship women-at-arms, I would certainly have grabbed an extra sword or two. But that stick hanging from your belt and that knife look useful enough."
Amanda grinned. "Wish I had a bat'leth, that is a Klingon version of a sword. It has a curved handle, the ends of which hold a blade with multiple points."
Amanda sketched the Klingon weapon on the dust coated side of shuttle pod one. "It is held two-handed, but can be tossed from hand to hand and spun. They have a nasty short knife too."
Lancelot studied the drawing with a practiced eye from experience with many types of bladed weapons. "That weapon appears to have a much shorter reach than my sword, unless held by one end where the blade joins the curved handle."
"They do that too, and probably will, when faced with your weapon."
"It looks like their grip that way would be weaker than my sword grip. Are you taking note, Brian?"
Amanda broke in before Brain could respond. "You are correct, at least from the one time I was confronted with a bat'leth. But beware that the average Klingon is twice as strong as the average human. It will be human speed and tactics that will prevail. We know bat'leth basic tactics and I doubt they know sword tactics, so that could be an advantage. I will explain a few Klingon tactics on our way in the shuttle pod."
The MACO squad and the security squad scrambled into the shuttle pods as the engines were being warmed up. Amanda showed Lancelot and Brian how to buckle into the safety harnesses. As soon as the shuttle pods left the ship, the Enterprise was off to confront the Klingon ship.
Malcolm warned his team about the light gravity on the asteroid before they bumped to a landing. At least the shuttle's hatch was close to the mine entrance so their bouncy steps only carried them up to bumping the rough cut ceiling as they entered the shaft.
"The MACOs are entering through the hole drilled for extraction of ore and will have to climb down that," Malcolm informed his team. "We must move swiftly or the Klingons will be gone if the captain is unable to disable their ship. And it is likely my team will engage the Klingons before the MACOs arrive to help. Malcolm moved off running down the shaft.
An eighth of a mile in, Malcolm held up his hand. He had come upon the alcove where the COMs equipment was and the body of Briscoe, the mining foreman who had made the distress call.
Crouching and silently moving forward toward a wide opening, Malcolm noticed he was looking down on a large chamber with mining equipment and the bodies of at least five miners. Three Klingons were working frantically to wrench crystals from the mine walls inexpertly with hand tools. They had boxes of extracted crystals piled on a platform under the vertical shaft through which Malcolm expected the MACOs to emerge from soon.
Malcolm looked around for another way down to the floor of the open space. Their boots would ring on the metal stairway which was in full view if the Klingons.
"Back there," said crewman Alpert, pointing to a switchback of ramps with rails running down it which was partly hidden from the Klingons by a curve in the rock wall. There was an empty rail car parked near the top, full of tailings. "This must be the way they get the waste rock out a cheaper way than by expensive transporter."
"Follow me, then," said Malcolm, "and watch your step, don't roll any loose stones."
The bottom of the switchback ramps came out fifty feet from the Klingons who were intent on filling their boxes with crystals. While the Klingons did not quite have their backs to the security team, the angle was such that they might be able to get within ten feet before being seen.
"Okay," said Malcolm, "Lancelot, I, and Brian will take the Klingon to the left, Alpert, Carter, Meadows, take the one walking toward the boxes, the rest of you – take the one working at the wall over there. Brian, stay behind me and get that bat'leth on the ground. Alpert, try to get the other bat'leths before they are picked up. Ready?"
All of them were.
"Go!"
To no one's surprise, the Klingons spotted them when they were fifteen feet and two were able to snatch up two of their bat'leths. Lancelot thrust his sword in an uppercut across the wrist of one Klingon as he grabbed his bat'leth that was hanging from a protrusion on the wall. Bleeding, the Klingon took the usual two-handed grip on his bat'leth at the top of the curve. Lancelot moved in, his sword reach indeed longer than the bat'leth held that way and sliced a foot long rip in the Klingon's shirt across his belly. The Klingon roared and took a grip on a long end of the bat'leth to counter the advantage of Lancelot's sword reach and slashed downward at the shorter man. Stepping agility to one side, Lancelot avoided the bat'leth and went for a cut up under the Klingon's arm. The Klingon jumped back and glancing quickly to his left, saw his partners fully engaged with others.
Malcolm was trying to get behind Lancelot's Klingon with a bludgeon in one hand and his combat knife in his other hand. The Klingon struck backward with his elbow, catching Malcolm in the side of the head. Malcolm stumbled back, hitting his head on the rock wall, and slid down it. Seeing that Malcolm was incapacitated, at least temporarily, the Klingon returned his attention to Lancelot, who was almost upon him with a strike down over his chest. He parried this by raising the bat'leth and the clash of metal rang out. They held each other off with their weapons, a contest of strength now. Lancelot's arms began to shake and he jumped back.
The Klingon's face became grim as he studied his opponent more carefully. The human was fast, but one good blow with Klingon strength could end it, he thought. He feinted to Lancelot's left side, then to the right. The human did not take the bait. So the human had been in combat before, the Klingon realized. Taking this human down would be a worthy accomplishment, for the Klingon was sure he would succeed. But the Klingon had not reckoned with Malcolm recovering and on him with a strong smack to the back of his head. The Klingon's knees buckled only slightly, but Lancelot took advantage of that to plunge his sword into the Klingon's belly.
The Klingon fell to his knees. Malcolm hit him on the head again and he fell senseless to the floor. Lancelot kicked the bat'leth away as Malcolm grabbed the Klingon's hands and bound them behind his back with a length of chain lying on the rock floor, just as Brian approached, a bat'leth and a Klingon knife in his hands.
Lancelot turned his attention to Brian just in time to see the boy go down when another Klingon caught him with a backswing of a mining tool. Brian was out and Alpert lay in a pool of blood on the floor behind this Klingon. Lancelot leaped over a box of crystals on the floor between him and the Klingon, just as the Klingon swept up the bat'leth Brian had been carrying. Lancelot brought his sword down on the Klingon's back as he was rising from where he had stooped to retrieve the Bat'leth. Lancelot wrenched his sword out of a slight wound on the Klingon's back and was almost able to side step a bat'leth swipe. It raked the side of Lancelot's hip, but Lancelot brought his sword up under the Klingon's arm before he swung the bat'leth back in and thurst the sword deep into the armpit. The arm on that side went limp, and the Klingon lost his grip on his bat'leth but backing away, picked up the bat'leth with his other arm. But now Meadows and Carter were behind him. Seeing that he would soon be overwhelmed, the Klingon touched a metal pin near his shoulder with the back of his hand and faded away in a glitter of sparkles. The other Klingon disappeared too. Then two boxes of crystals went from the extraction platform just as Amanda dropped down from the extraction shaft with one of her team. They disappeared with the boxes.
"Damn!" said Malcolm, touching his COM badge. "Reed to Enterprise! Sergeant Cole and one other MACO are aboard the Klingon ship!"
"We're on it!" Enterprise replied.
A few moment later came the word "We beamed a standby MACO team aboard the Klingon ship. The ship has been secured. It won't be sending any more Klingons to bother you. See what you can do for any survivors there. Then, RTB."
"We are to return-to-base," said Malcolm, "after checking around here."
Malcolm's people found no mining personnel alive but another group of miners with paramedics had landed in a shuttle from the nearest mined asteroid and were starting to assess the damage.
Malcolm dragged the remaining Klingon to the extraction platform and arranged through the COM to have him returned to the Klingon ship. He walked over to see Brian was up on his feet again, only lightly wounded, then knelt beside Alpert and shook his head saying "I think there is a backboard hanging on the other side of this chamber. We will carry him to the extraction platform and get him beamed to Enterprise."
Mission completed, Malcolm let his team rest before they climbed the metal stairway to return to the shuttle. He pulled an MRE off his belt and snapped it open. It warmed and he squeezed it for a bite. Carter and Meadows did likewise until they noticed that Lancelot and Brian had nothing to eat. Meadows grinned and passed his MRE to Lancelot who held it, frowning into the open end.
"Go ahead; try some 22nd century field rations. I'll bet it is better than what you get in the field in the 6th century."
Lancelot tried a bite and winced. He grinned. "I am glad to see field rations have not improved in fifteen centuries. In fact...well, beside delicious small oatcakes flavored with honey, for field rations, after a battle my squire would usually kill a fresh rabbit or bird and roast it over an open fire."
Carter sighed and smacked his lips. "I see your point. I guess some things don't improve over time."
...
Back aboard Enterprise, Malcolm stored four bat'leths and six Klingon knives in his armory. These would be useful for practicing Klingon tactics during some future PT sessions. Physical training in Starfleet had taken on some novel variations in the past few years. Too bad that Lancelot and Brian had not been willing to give up any of their weapons or armor, but Malcolm did realize that they would need these for their own defense now that they would be going home soon.
"Care to join me for a bite to eat?" asked a soft voice behind him.
"Hoshi, yes I would," Malcolm said, closing the locker on the Klingon weapons. "How is it going with our newest Starfleet recruits, the captain, and Daniels?"
"Well, I am glad I was allowed to leave once they all had portable translators, but I heard quite an ear full. Daniels was not very happy about the extent of Lancelot's knowledge of the 22nd century or his pointed questions about the 29th century. Oh, and when Admiral Gardner was teleconferencing with them over the situation, Daniels got the admiral quite annoyed with his arrogance. So Gardner confirmed Lancelot's temporary commission, just to spite Daniels."
"Good for him," grinned Malcolm. "What is going to happen to the Klingon ship? And those thieving Klingons?"
"Since they didn't get away with the dilithium, they are being returned to Qo'nos as a good will gesture. We don't need more enemies with the Romulan situation heating up. But we won't be taking them back. In the spirit of alliance cooperation we will hand them over to the Andorians, who, by the way, were eager for the job."
"Understandable. I'll bet on the way to Qo'nos they will be submitted to the latest in Andorian interrogation equipment. But that is none of our concern. What about the ship?"
"Undergoing reverse engineering as we speak. I think the Klingons will be more careful about their incursions into the Terran System in the future."
"No doubt," said Malcolm, offering his arm to Hoshi as they left for the crew mess hall.
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