I do not claim any characters from the Trek Universe, and am only using any named herein to tell a story meant for entertainment purposes only.
Star Trek: Lost Mare
By LJ58
6
The intercom tore her from a very pleasant dream, and she groaned as she rolled over to glare at the blinking switch as she heard Lt. Lean's voice echo, "Dr. Slater, to the bridge."
"Slater. What's going on," she sighed, wondering what could have required them to call her already if they had just left orbit.
"The captain needs you on the bridge now, doctor. We have an emergency on the surface. Negotiations just went south, in a very major way," the voice on the com told her.
"On my way," she said, almost jumping up now as her imagination came to life in ways she didn't like.
The Southern Coalition, she knew, still had a lot of very dangerous weapons. Fission bombs, bio-weapons, and worse were still the primary arsenal of the southern Exanters, and if they were going to risk using them again, it could destroy the planet's ecosystem entirely.
From what she knew of their history, the only reason they had ever stopped fighting was because the damage was simply too much for either side to manage, and so they had entered a very long, very tense stalemate, and neither side wished to break it for fear of the overall consequences.
She immediately thought of Williams, and almost groaned as she reached for a fresh uniform, and dressed as fast as she could before heading to the bridge.
One thing was certain, this was not a time to say 'I told you so,' even if it was the first thing that sprang to mind.
Stepping out onto the bridge a few minutes later, she saw the tactical data displayed around her with a practiced sweep of her gaze, and grimaced.
"They actually fired on us," she exclaimed.
"Captain Rollins, could you fill in Dr. Slater on what exactly has happened to date?"
"Right," the gaunt man on the view screen nodded at her. "Dr. Slater, four hours ago, Mr. Williams led an envoy down to the Southern Coalition's heartland to try to instigate talks so they could join the negotiations with the North."
Helen resisted the urge to groan, and only nodded as she stepped forward, pausing just beside the captain's chair as she focused on the obviously worried man onscreen.
"We immediately lost contact with the away team," the other captain went on, "But chose to give them time to do whatever they could. However, just fifteen minutes ago, the Carlisle, and your own ship were fired on, and we've yet to be able to raise the envoy. From what we're seeing along the southern borders, too, there is a lot of massive mobilization, and the Prime is now demanding we step in if the Southern Coalition attacks."
"Dr. Slater," Ben asked, seeing her look away, her eyes narrowed as she focused on the Sojourner's own scans of the south now.
"Thinking, sir. Give me a minute."
She walked over, and eyed the science console. "Show me the last reported location for the away team?"
Lt. Kulian tapped a few buttons, and gestured at the console's nearest monitor.
"Good Lord," she groaned.
"Dr. Slater," Ben asked as she turned to face him.
"The idiot beamed down in the heart of their temple. They are very religious people in the south, and for a stranger of any origin to simply show up there….. Well, it isn't good."
"Suggestions," Captain Rollins asked.
"You have to understand, sir. To the Southern Coalition, their appearing there was tantamount to a declaration of war."
"Didn't you brief them…..?"
"I gave Mr. Williams' team everything I had on X'terian culture, north, and south, captain. Apparently, he didn't bother to read it," she grumbled.
"Ben, I hate to do this, but I need to conscript your anthropologist for this one. We cannot let these people think the Federation is here to fight for either side."
"Of course. Helen, suggestions?"
She was looking at the monitors again, and then looked around, and nodded.
"Right. I need Dr. Marcan, and the Prime. We need to confer at once. Because it's looking like I am going to have to go down there."
"Where," both captains asked.
"To the Southern Coalition's capital. First, however, I need to get a little more recent information on their politics. So, I need that conference. Here, or on the surface, but I need to talk to both of them now."
"I understand that Lord Adam…."
"Ad'mm," Helen corrected Carl. "
"Yes, but why the physician? I didn't know he was involved in…"
"He's from the borderlands, and knows the south, as well as the north. He can give me insight that even the Prime might not be able to offer. And I need to know everything if I'm going to be beaming into a political debacle."
"I'm not sure we can let you go down there," Ben said. "For all we now, those four men are already dead…."
"One thing I do know, sir. You insult a Exanter, you do not apologize via communicator. You have to stand in front of them, and bow. Unless you want to see how long we can hold off their missiles while they go to war with the Northern Coalition?"
"Contact the Prime, and that doctor," Ben turned to Lt. Lean. "We'll have them both beamed up for expediency's sake."
Helen nodded, and told him, "Thank you, sir. Hopefully, we can salvage this mess before it gets too far out of control."
"Keep me posted," Carl asked.
"Of course. I suggest keeping your shields up, too."
"Obviously. We're monitoring their silos, too, and hopefully nothing else will happen until we can act. It could be they're waiting on our response before doing more."
"We can hope," Ben agreed.
ST
"Marcan," Helen smiled as he materialized on the pad not long after he had been contacted.
Lord Ad'mm, grim and silent, already stood next to her as the gray male stepped down, and smiled at her.
"Happy as I am to see you again, Honey, I daresay this is not a time for personal feelings."
"No, doctor," the Prime grimaced. "Once more, your nation needs your services. This filly hopes we can conjure a plan to calm the south before they do more than merely rattle sabers in our direction."
"You have an idea," Marcan turned to her.
"A partial one. But I need more information. I need to know of the people. Their culture. The way they think. I do know enough to realize my own people inadvertently insulted them, but….."
"How," Ad'mm asked her, knowing only that the south had suddenly been screaming threats, and the loosely guarded border between their lands was suddenly a DMZ once more as even the reports from the scattered islands both sides claimed around the globe were heating up, too.
"They beamed down inside their central temple in Ruulian," she admitted.
"By the Maker," both males groaned.
"Yes. I know I warned them, so this was a serious oversight that they will answer for, if we can save them. For now, it's more important to save your people unnecessary violence. I know you come from the borderlands, Dr. Marcan," she smiled at him again as they now walked down the hall with a security escort on the way to the captain's conference room. "So anything you can tell me of the people, and how they think, will be welcome. And possibly helpful."
He nodded, and looked uneasy.
"Yes, I grew up near the borderlands," he nodded. "And I can tell you this much. The people in general I knew are very religious. Very religious. It was, after all, all most of them had. My…..friends tried to aid some of them trying to feed their children during the worst famines, but in the end, most became zealots simply because hope in the Maker's justice was all they had left."
"I see," she murmured," as the Prime looked uneasy, and said nothing as Captain Sawyer just listened. "Lord Ad'mm, what of you? Have you had any direct dealing with their leaders?"
"I have met their confederation leaders but twice, filly," he said grimly. "They changed each time, too. Mortality aside, their political stability is not that of our own nation. Their people are constantly demanding much, and when a leader does not receive it, they….."
"Force them to step aside," Ben asked as he listened to them.
Ad'mm and Helen both looked grim as she made the connection the Prime was suggesting.
"No, sir. I don't think they give them that choice. Do they, Lord Ad'mm?"
"No," the graying male said ominously. "It is why we are so hesitant about trying to work with these people. Any failings are met with death. Swift, and instantaneous. Yet another reason we shun the south, and why their leadership is so weak. Most fear to step up, knowing some mindless mob may destroy them at the first sign of weakness, or even disappointment. Let alone incompetence, or corruption."
"If that is the case, there is no way I can allow you to go down there," Ben told her.
"Absolutely not," Andrea agreed. "No offense, but your cousins sound insane," the head of ship security exclaimed.
"I assure you that many, many in the north ,feel the same way," Ad'mm told the woman.
"If there is any chance to save the diplomats, and this alliance, we have to try something," Helen sputtered. "If we just sit up here and ignore them, the people of the south are going to think they scared us, and possibly try something worse."
"Unfortunately, she is right in that respect, too," Ad'mm sighed. "They do have a history of escalation if they are ignored too long."
"What has been the current status of your negotiations with them," Helen asked knowingly.
The Prime sighed, then eyed Marcan.
"I doubt he would betray you, sir. Dr. Marcan seems to be a man of integrity, and a man of great principle."
"Then he is a rare man, indeed," the Prime told her, but began to admit his efforts to aid the peoples of the Southern Coalition were not always met with understanding, or logic. To a people whose primary territories were still poisoned by toxins, they felt they should be delivered, and delivered at once by those that caused the problems. Be they their own leaders, or those of the North.
If they couldn't reach the Northern Coalition to demonstrate their displeasure, the peoples of the south could still show their own current leaders how little they thought of excuses.
"All right, I think I have an idea," Helen told them after a time. "But it will require some careful planning, perfect timing, and a degree of playacting."
"What are you thinking," Ben asked her.
She told him.
"No," he spat. "Absolutely not. You are very close to violating the Prime Directive, and that is not why we are here," he thundered as he rose from his seat to glare at her.
"Actually, knowing my people, and my own experiences with the Southern Coalition, I think it is a very good idea," Ad'mm told him as Andrea rolled her eyes.
"Going down there alone is still a foolhardy idea," the head of ship security told her. "If Kirk were here….."
Ben Sawyer groaned, and shook his head.
"Lt. Myers," he hissed.
"I'm just saying, he wouldn't let them dictate terms. He'd do the dictating. And force them to listen."
"I'm not trying to force them….."
"Just dupe them. And pass off our technology as…..some kind of supernatural agent."
"If I might," Lord Ad'mm smiled as he stepped up beside the golden filly. "Captain, as I have said, dealing with these peoples is tricky at the best of times. As you are already offering detoxifying machines, what harm would it be to bring them to the south first, and let the filly use them to undermine the fanatics before they do bring us all to the brink of war?"
"It could be an important first step in healing all our peoples," Marcan suggested slyly.
Captain Sawyer closed his eyes, and drew a deep breath, letting it slide out slowly between his barely parted lips.
"We could all get court-martialed over this one," he told Helen.
"Not if it works," the blonde grinned.
Marcan chortled himself at that, and moved a little closer.
"I will accompany her. Knowing these people, they might be hesitant to hear from a female at first. Even did she come from the stars."
"Captain, you cannot let her go down there alone. Not without backup," Andrea sputtered.
"I'm not. All right, Dr. Slater. We go with your plan, but Lt. Myers will go with you, with a full security team.
"Actually," Helen smiled now. "I've got just the team that should help us get our point across."
"Let me guess. You want Abe and Will?"
"Abe," Ad'mm asked as Andrea grinned now. "Will?"
"Ah, yes," Dr. Marcan nodded. "The rather imposing fellows that I first saw. Yes, they would be….intimidating."
"But you, and they, have to listen to me. No one does anything without my direct order. Whatever else, these people have to feel that my authority is legitimate," she told Andrea.
Captain Sawyer eyed them, glancing from Andrea to Helen, and back.
"All right. We'll risk it. The last thing I want is for a recent contact to try going to war with the Federation. Lt. Myers, you will follow her orders to the letter. We do not want an escalation here. We'll keep a transporter lock on all of you just the same."
"But….."
"To the letter," Ben growled at Andrea who started to protest.
The woman grumbled, but nodded.
"Fine. I won't hurt anyone. Until I need to hurt someone."
Lord Ad'mm looked amused for a moment, but then turned to Dr. Marcan.
"And, you, Doctor? Do you truly wish to risk this gambit? I could send one of my more experienced agents….."
"Great lord, with all respect, an official agent injecting themselves at this point could cause more harm than good," he told him, thinking of cold attitude the man in his hospital had displayed a year ago in the face of a family tragedy.
"I'll say," Andrea huffed. "We already have enough self-important blowhards screwing things up. I'm just saying," she muttered when Helen and the captain both eyed her.
"I'm not arguing," Helen told her. "I'm thinking of one in particular. And if you see Williams, or his team, your standing order is to get them out of there without delay, or hesitation," she added.
"You're being redundant," the security chief scowled.
"I'm being practical. Williams has a good team, but he's an idiot, and we can't risk him making things even worse."
"She makes a valid point," Lord Ad'mm remarked. "Frankly, he barely speaks our tongue, and is rather condescending at best. His attitude has not impressed anyone on my council. I can well imagine what the Southern herds likely thinks of him. Were it not for Dr. Marcan's fondness for Honey, we might never have listened to any of you."
"Duly noted," Ben Sawyer noted. "Andrea, if you find Mr. Williams, you will get him out of there as fast as possible."
The woman's smug grin told Ben he likely didn't want to know what she was thinking.
"Without causing an incident, please," he added quietly.
Lord Ad'mm eyed the stocky, muscular woman, and shook his own head.
"You have….strange females, Captain Sawyer," he remarked as the two females moved to one side to confer on something between themselves. "Our fillies, or mares, would know to listen to their males, and not argue."
"Lt. Myers is good at her job, but her entire race is…..very independent, Prime," he told him. "Still, they are valuable allies, and while some are more….impetuous than others, I have never doubted Lt. Myers' courage. Or skills."
"That is good to know. Very good to know. Now, I should return to reassure my own people, and hopefully try to keep our own truce in place while your filly tries to work yet another miracle."
"Another," Ben frowned.
The older male chortled as he gestured to Marcan.
"From all I've heard, Captain Sawyer, she has been working miracles since the good doctor first encountered her. For one, I have heard Dr. Marcan has never looked upon another female in all his long career, and yet he now seems besotted enough to risk his life following her to certain death. Not many females can inspire such loyalty."
"Dr. Slater is….unique," Ben sighed. "I just hope you are right, and she can pull off this miracle. For all our sakes."
"As you say, captain," Ad'mm nodded as he eyed the women still conferring intently.
To Be Continued…
