USS Alexia

Alexia class Strike Carrier

NCC – 61667

In Transit

Rei exited the turbo lift and took her seat, surprised that Eyos was still on her bridge.

"Don't you have your own ship to go back to, Captain?"

Eyos shrugged. "They know how to follow us. Besides, I wanted to be here."

Rei simply shook her head. Kayla walked over to the science console and looked over the readings. "Where's our contact?"

Kizuna pointed at one of the screens. "Coming into visual range in three, two, one…"

Alexia dropped out of warp. Yet again the ship was in a blank void, the usual indication that they were between stars. Rei occasionally forgot just how big space really was. Even with Alexia's high efficiency warp core, she still had to physically cross from point a to point b, and no matter how fast "faster than light" travel was, it never surpassed the emptiness of space.

But in front of the ship, illuminated by the gentle orange glow of plasma fires, was a Kinshya battlecruiser.

"He's a bit of a ways from home, eh?" Logan commented from tactical.

Rei stood up and walked closer to the screen. Despite both personal stories from her mother and open mission reports from twelve years ago, it was never any less unsettling for Rei to see the strange, white trapezoids. A Kethen's Bright Future class BC was about the size of the old Galaxy class heavy cruisers, and carried similar levels of speed, protection, and firepower.

"I'd say so," Rei said in agreement, "Life signs?"

Kizuna quickly checked her console. "Scattered. Its hard to tell through the plasma fire."

Rei nodded but kept her eyes on the screen. "Open a channel and tie in the translation matrix."

Kizuna quickly hit several buttons. After a decade of study thanks to the new peace brought by the Milky Way Alliance, the Federation had managed to work out a serviceable lingocode algorithm to enable the two allies to talk to one another without the use of heavy Kinshya coders or Betazoid telepaths.

With the only previous contact between the Federation and the Kinshya being a thirty second burst of subspace data one hundred and fifty years ago and an exchange of weapons fire twelve years ago, it was a step in the right direction.

But Kizuna could only shake her head. "No response on subspace or QC Captain. Just the auto-acknowledge from her main computer."

Rei sighed and turned towards Logan. "Any chance this is another setup like Faetor?"

Logan also shook his head. "No chance. I've had the Orion's warp signatures hard locked into my motion trackers for two days. If they were here, they're long gone."

Eyos stepped forward. "Is she safe to beam aboard?"

"I'm reading full power to life support and transporters. But just remember, there's no artificial gravity on a Kinshya ship," Kizuna reported.

"Permission to take a team aboard the Kinshya ship, Captain?" Kayla asked.

Rei nodded. "Granted, Major. Just be careful."

Kayla stood at attention and saluted Rei. "Sharkies lead the way, Ma'am!"

─•~:~•─

Kayla materialised from the transporter beam. Her Molotok boots instantly sealed themselves to the Kinshya deck plate magnetically when her suit failed to detect gravity. She took a knee and raised her rifle, sweeping the area in front of her.

Behind and around her, the rest of the Sharkies formed a circle and covered every possible angle of attack. Beside Kayla, Eyos – wearing a borrowed Molotok – also took a knee and raised her father's disruptor.

Kayla closed her eyes, letting her augmented senses go to work. She could hear the feint whistle of the Kinshya life support systems. Feel the vibration of the BC's impulse engines straining to keep power. Smell the sharp, paint thinner-like smell of the plasma fires. But nothing that sounded like the harmonic resonance of the Kinshya language.

"Perimeter clear," one of the Sharkies said.

Kayla opened her eyes, stood up, and turned to the rest of her section. "Okay. Standard sweep and secure. Fire Team A, hold the beam in point. Fire Team B, on me. Con two carry, weapons safe."

Kayla started walking down the hallway with Eyos beside her and Fire Team B behind her. The interior of the Kinshya battleship was both huge and dark, a result of their nature. The average Kinshya stood at seven or eight feet tall, couldn't see in the primary spectrum and moved slowly – very slowly – on four legs with a set of tentacles for feet. To some in the Federation, the resembled Griffins of old English mythology, or perhaps Cthulhu of Lovecraftian mythology.

The monsters weren't quite as scary these days, but as Kayla continued to advance down the hallway, she couldn't help but miss Mr Pingu.

"My people hate the Kinshya," said Eyos, "Vermin we call them."

"Makes sense. You guys were at war for a few hundred years," replied Kayla.

Eyos moved ahead and cleared the next corner, waving the fire team to join her. She then looked at Kayla. "I never understood why. We actually have a lot in common. We're both warrior races. We both believe in honour. We're both deeply religious."

"I thought Klingons killed their gods?"

"Have you heard them talk about Khaless? He might as well be a god."

Kayla shrugged her armoured shoulders and moved up, coming up on the huge double doors that would lead to the Kinshya bridge, or heart of the engine as they called it. She snuck a glance at her wrist comm but saw nothing on motion trackers or thermals. Either the Kinshya bridge team was very still and very cold, or no one was alive on the bridge.

"Stack up," Kayla ordered. The fireteam positioned themselves in a column formation on either side of the hallway. There wasn't a reason to suspect hostile contact on the other side of the doors, but the Sharkies were always ready for a fight.

Kayla reached up, pulled down the heavy manual release switch, and the wide doors swung open. Kayla looked inside the bridge and had only two words to say.

"Oh. Shit."

Slumped over consoles and strewn over the deck plate were the bodies of Kinshya Sword Abbots. Kayla and the Fire Team quickly moved into positions to secure the area but judging from the lack of thermals in her helmet, it was clear they had been dead for quite a while.

"Clear," one of Kayla's snipers called out.

Kayla walked over to one of the Sword Abbots, slumped over what she thought was the helm. Without thinking, she reached under his arms and slumped the body onto the deck.

Several of the other Marines took a step back, clearly in shock at her strength.

Eyos covered for her sister. "She's always been like that."

Ignoring the episode, Kayla turned on her emergency lights and examined the body. The DEW wounds across his chest were the obvious cause of death, but there was nothing obvious about who killed him or when.

"Whoever shot this guy couldn't have been here too long ago. Any of these terminals working?" Kayla asked her team.

"Negative 1-9. This place is pretty shot up," answered one of her Wrenchies.

Kayla looked at one of the consoles. Reading Kinshya was difficult for someone who wasn't trained for it. The written language was formed by white circles, written in vertical lines. It didn't match anything else in the Federation. Even with Kayla's abilities, it was difficult to read.

"Hmm. Well, I figured out what they were here for," Kayla said, after taking several minutes to read the console.

"What?" asked Eyos.

"You."

"Me? What do you mean me?!"

Kayla linked in her wrist comm to the terminal and brought up the translated log.

Kalitzo's Hopes: Transit Log

5th Cycle, 18th Solar Receding.

We continue to hold in our current location pending the arrival of the Demonic Vessel known as Worf. It is… strange to me that in recent cycles we now call the Demons our allies. It was barely half a Cycle of the Solar March that we waged crusade upon these creatures. And now, we fight with them.

I cannot doubt the wisdom of the Enlightened Apostate in this matter, even if doubt were not the third sin of misguidance. But I wonder if this alliance is wise. Our purpose is to bring the Holy Light to all corners of the Darkness. These demons, their unclean sponsors, even the lost followers. All are lesser creatures who stand in sin. I feel it darkens my light to stand alongside them.

The Templars speak of the skills we have learned from this Milky Way Alliance, of the improvements fitted to the engines of war, and the opportunities brought to the Faithful to increase our knowledge of the darkness. But I still feel uneasy. Perhaps this cargo will provide my answers. J'mpok had better keep his word.

Vicar Maritiza.

"So, the Kinshya wanted the cargo as well?" Eyos asked.

"At least these guys anyway. Long way to come though."

"I don't understand. Faetor was meant to bring their shipment to the Kinshya home world. Why come all the way out here?"

"Something special. Maybe-"

Before Kayla could finish, a noise drew her attention to a hidden door on the left. No one else could have spotted the door, but Kayla wasn't like anyone else.

Using quick hand signals, she put her team into position and prepared to move on the door before Eyos' hand on her shoulder stopped her. "Where do you want me?"

"Right behind me," Kayla whispered back.

Once everyone was ready, Kayla raised her wrist comm, tapped a command, and the door flung open. From the hidden port, a very much alive Kinshya ran out and stood dumbstruck in front of the group.

Kayla's mind went to work in seconds.

Target unarmed.

Appears disoriented, confused.

ROE states hold fire.

She raised her armoured fist, lowered her rifle, and took a step forward. The Kinshya's lidless, black eyes met her helmet, and for a second Kayla assumed they could almost speak.

She looked around, picked an object up off the deck and tossed a coder over.

"My name is Major Kaimeao, FMC. We're here to help you. What's your name?"

The Kinshya stared at her for several long seconds. Reading their body language was challenging. At any moment, the large Sword Abbott could either swing at her, or panic, or both.

But instead, he spoke. "I am Viskeyra. Third Abbott. How did you find me?"

"Lucky guess," Kayla shrugged, "What happened here?"

Viskerya shrugged. "I do not know what you might call it. But on this Engine, we would call it the Heresy of Infidels."

"Explain that to me?"

"Vicar Maritiza brought us to this place, well outside our patrols. We waited, for what I do not know. Then the free chasers of light arrived. We were given weapons, tools to make war. War upon our allies, the Unclean and the Demons."

Kayla sighed to herself. The universal translator still had troubles making sense of the elaborately symbolic Kinshya language, but she learned enough from Rain to make sense of it. The Orions had found this ship already.

"So, what happened next?" Kayla asked.

"Several others and I would not allow this treachery to pass. We ordered the Vicar to surrender his consignment and face the judgement of the Templars. He refused, and others more foolish stood at his side. So, we fought."

"Who won?"

Viskeyra looked around the bridge of the ship. "No one did."

Kayla turned and looked at the rest of her squad. "Fan out. I want a search of the hold and the engineering section. Call back if you find anything."

"What are we looking for, Major?" asked one of the squad leaders.

"Anything at all. Get moving."

As the rest of the Sharkies moved out, Kayla sat down in the massive Captain's chair and looked over Viskeyra. "Do you need any medical attention? We could beam you back to our ship."

The massive monster shook his head. "My wounds are not serious. I will be fine in a few cycles. I fear I may need to accompany you back home, however. This engine is too heavily damaged to travel."

"Sure, we've got enough oddball types as it is," Kayla replied, pointing at her sister.

Viskeyra stared at Eyos for a long moment. "Forgive me, but I've never met a de-, a Klingon in person before. You are… smaller than I expected."

"I could say the same about you," Eyos shot back.

─•~:~•─

Klingon High Council Chambers

Office of J'mpok

Kronos

J'mpok had little patience for insolence. Waiting for the idiotic private to bring him the report was making him both impatient and furious in the same measure.

At last, the idiot wandered through the door and stood at attention. "My Lord, the report you requested!"

J'mpok stared at the idiot. "Yes? Must I wait for it?!"

The Idiot gulped hard before he dared to speak again. "Our intelligence service has confirmed that Captain Korvax was killed aboard Worf, my lord, along with young Vaton. I can now only assume that the vessel is under control of the criminal Mor's daughter."

Damnit, J'mpok cursed under his breath. "And what else?"

"We've confirmed that a Starfleet vessel is operating in the expanse. Alexia, their newest 'strike carrier', whatever that may be. It would appear they are operating in concert with Worf and pursuing our cargo. There was also…" Idiot began trailing off.

"Speak quickly, and I may yet let you live, petaQ. Right now, the odds are not in your favour!"

Idiot took a deep breath. "The… Kinshya asset we sent has also been lost. I believe the crew may have mutinied."

J'mpok threw his flagon of bloodwine into the wall in frustration. "Is there not one single thing that can go right today?! Not one damn thing?!"

"I believe that the new case of bloodwine you ordered will arrive later today…"

J'mpok smirked, admiring the young Idiot's bravery. "Very well. We have work to do. Assemble the House fleet above Mempa. We'll be going to the expanse after all."

─•~:~•─

Starbase 118

In Orbit

Betazed

"Starbase 118, this is Tirpitz on approach vector, requesting docking clearance."

Yue Tanaka kept herself relaxed on the Lonely Queen. Like the planet below, the ship had been through a lot in twenty years. Tirpitz had fought in three wars and been to the very edge of the known universe and back. Betazed had gone from being a gentle paradise to the site of an occupation that was as brutal – if not more – than anything that Bajor or Cardassia had been through.

The friendly, although equally serious, voice of the traffic controller responded quickly. "USS Tirpitz, Starbase 118, request is approved. Approach main space doors and dock at bay sixteen."

"Take us in SC, aft thrusters."

Yue again watched as her cybernetic helmsman, SC-2180, brought the ship towards the looming space station with a gentle glide. Most of the bridge crew were all familiar faces, people who had followed her and Scott Hathaway to the very centre of the universe almost a decade ago. It gave Yue a small sense of comfort.

"You seem uneasy about something, Captain," her Cardassian XO Icea "Icey" Draad commented.

Yue wasn't sure what was stranger. Seeing a Cardassian wearing a Starfleet uniform, or that her hand-picked XO had to ask such obvious questions.

"You ever meet a war hero in person, Icey? It's a little nerve wracking."

"You forget, Captain. I served under the direct command of Legate Damar."

At the engineering station, Cyron Caige – still holding the non-com rank of Chief – rolled her eyes. "By the Prophets, not another story about the brave and noble sacrifice of Damar, hero of the Spoonie Empire!"

"Union, Chief," Icey corrected, "And Damar was indeed a great man. During the war, we—"

Yue let herself drift out of the conversation as the Lonely Queen gently made her way into dock. As the umbilical tunnelconnected to the portside secondary hull, Yue stood up and offered a smile to her XO. "Keep the engines running. I won't be long."

Cyron raised her eyebrow, "Umm, why would we turn off the engines? That like, kills power to the whole ship."

─•~:~•─

Yue walked briskly through the halls of the large Starbase. It made her smile that even if she was now something of a celebrity, she was still far enough away from Earth that not everyone recognized her, unlike her girlfriend Rain Kaimeao. But she arrived at her destination – the Admiral's office – and still found herself taking a deep breath.

"Come," the voice over the comm said.

The door opened and Yue stepped into the office.

Like most of the increasingly growing cadre of combat experienced admirals in Starfleet, Thaddeus Grax was a man of simplicity, if his office was any indication. A desk, a working terminal, two leather guest chairs, a mug of coffee, and that was all.

Grax rose from his chair and offered a bright smile with a firm handshake to Yue. "Captain Tanaka, damned good to see you again. Been a while, hasn't it?"

"Fifteen years, Sir. I'll still never get over how nervous I was pitching the idea of the probe attacks to you."

Grax laughed. "And I'll never get over seeing a nervous young Ensign all but shaking in her boots when she walked into my office on Challenger and told a dozen senior officers that they were all wrong, and that we should be using her probe plan. And the plan worked like a dream. Congratulations on getting Tirpitz. She's a fine ship indeed."

"Thank you, Admiral."

He motioned her to sit down. "I think we're past formalities Yue. Thaddeus. Or Grax, which ever you prefer."

"Old habits, Grax. And thanks again for agreeing to see me on such short notice. Although, I have to ask. I figured you'd be retired by now," Yue said as she took her seat.

"I thought about it for a good long while. But then the Federation Council started making waves about cutting re-construction resources for my home down there. I wasn't about to let that happen. At least wearing a uniform lets me push back against the worst ideas."

"How is Betazed these days, if you don't mind me asking?"

Grax sighed as he looked out the window of his office. "The physical damage is all gone. It's what you can't see that keeps me up at night. We lost a part of our souls in the war. The best part. I don't know if I can explain what its like to see the thoughts of a dying man in your mind. Its… not something anyone should experience."

Yue nodded. "I read your mission reports. And I watched the Betazed trials. I still can't believe the Magistrate only handed fifty years to Tulmec."

"It was worth it to keep that monster Moset locked up. I like to think I'm not a vindictive man, but when I learned the good doctor died in prison… I'll confess to cracking a smile."

Grax took a deep breath and tried to put another smile on his face. Having only been thirty in the Dominion war, Grax still kept a full head of nearly wild brown hair and a gentle perma-stubble on his face. But the lines of his eyes were more worn. The eyes of a man who had seen too much.

"So, what brings to you my home all the way from Earth, Yue? Bit of a long way for a simple hello," asked Grax.

Yue slid a PADD across his desk. "I need your help, Grax. My adopted daughter in-law got herself into some trouble, but I need a flag officer to sign off on this deployment order."

Grax studied the PADD for a moment, though he made a point to probe her mind as well. He didn't like what he saw inside Yue's thoughts.

"Is there any particular reason you felt the need to come to me with this? There's a far larger collection of flags back at Earth."

Yue sighed. "I don't know who I can trust. Alexia is Nechayev's pet project, and Operation Blackbeard is Scott's. But there's something wrong with this whole mission, and I'm not convinced that either of them is completely innocent."

"That's a hell of an accusation to make, Captain Tanaka. Just discussing this could get both of us court martialed."

"I made it through one of those already."

"The Iron Star is a bit of a different story. Look, I sympathize with your feelings here, but I'm COSO-Betazed, and that means I don't break rules. By rights and regulations, I should be reporting you to Admiral Hathaway and impounding Tirpitz in dock."

"And yet, I'm still sitting here."

Grax smirked. "Don't forget, I'm Betazoid. I can read your mind like an open book. I know damn well that if I let you leave, you'll just string some other poor Admiral into this. My help comes with one condition however."

"Name your price."

"I'm coming with you."

Yue was absolutely dumbstruck and could only answer back with one word. "Sir?"

"You heard me, Captain. You want my help; I'm coming with you. Besides, Challenger can still manage a proper fight."

Yue smirked. "And how long has it been since you had an actual fight?"

"Too long," Grax said as he stood back up, "Now come on, we've got a task force to assemble."

─•~:~•─