Chapter 18

With the Victory fresh out of drydock, Captain Cross had taken the Beta Shift watch on the bridge, citing "security precautions" to her crew on the evening before Federation Day. She couldn't tell them the real reason, of course, but she felt that they would follow her orders without question when the time came.

Then her mission would be complete.

"Captain?" the comm officer spoke up from across the round bridge. "We're receiving a message from the starbase."

Cross leaned forward in her command chair, staring at the reddish, triangular Suurok-class Kir-alep on the viewscreen, the birdlike Kumari-class Loknar hanging just behind it. She knew exactly what this message was. "It's alright, Ensign. I've been expecting that."

The bridge crew reacted with mild confusion, but she knew what she had to do now.

"Tactical Alert. Let's see what these new weapons can do."


As First Officer, Major Kyzo often took extra shifts on the bridge, so there was nothing out of the ordinary when he had remained in command of the Loknar tonight. To his surprise, Lieutenant Rophec had also requested to remain on-duty. The Arkenite had even offered to relieve Kyzo several times, but Kyzo assured him it was not necessary. Not tonight.

Rophec was probably just trying to prove that he was as capable as any Andorian officer. At least Arkenites have proven themselves loyal to the Empire, Kyzo thought. Unlike these other aliens we ally ourselves with.

The comm officer behind Kyzo interrupted the quiet shift. "Major, we are receiving a message-"

Rophec suddenly interjected from his forward tactical console. "The Vulcan ship is charging weapons! Targeting the starbase!"

"What?" Kyzo cried. Although he never shied from a fight, this was incredibly unexpected. "Battle stations! Hail the Vulcans!"

The electromagnetic generators along the walls of the compact bridge started emitting the alert frequency, which EM-sensitive Andorians and Arkenites could detect - much less distracting that the loud alarms and flashing lights employed by most races.

"No time, sir!" Rophec shouted, his slender fingers flying over his controls. "They're preparing to fire! I'll take them out!"

Kyzo appreciated Rophec's zeal, but something more was clearly afoot here, and they couldn't just start firing. He stood and approached Rophec.

"Negative, Lieutenant! First we-"

With surprising strength for one so thin, Rophec smacked Kyzo in the head, immediately standing and drawing his sidearm on the superior officer.

Kyzo rubbed his bruised jaw, now thoroughly mystified. "Rophec, what in the name of the Infinite-?"

"Major Kyzo has been compromised by... by a Vulcan plot!" Rophec shouted, his deep voice panicked. "I am taking command!"

The rest of the bridge crew looked back and forth between them both, unsure what was happening. Kyzo felt the same.

"Sir," said the sensor officer, "I'm not detecting any weapons power from the Vulcan ship."

"Shut up!" Rophec shouted. Was he having some kind of breakdown? It would be typically alien, but Kyzo had thought Rophec a model officer and citizen. "I'm charging our weapons." He typed at his console.

Kyzo made to stop him, not caring if he got shot in the process - the Imperial Guard did not attack unprovoked - when the Loknar sharply rocked.

"The Earth ship is firing on us!" the sensor officer reported in disbelief. "Took out our weapons grid."

"What!?" Rophec shouted, checking his own readouts for confirmation. "NO!"

While Rophec was distracted, Kyzo and a few of the others stepped forward, but the lanky Arkenite whirled, brandishing his pistol menacingly.

"Rophec, explain what is going on right now! That's an order!" Kyzo demanded.

"Too long have my people been under Andorian rule!" Rophec shouted, his eyes wild. "Slaves to our cultural values, to repaying debts! Debts imposed on us by a tyrannical empire! We will not be beholden to more masters! I was doing this for all Arkenites!"

Kyzo had no idea what Rophec was rambling about, but this had to end. There were enough of them on the bridge to overwhelm Rophec, but the Arkenite could take out a few of them first. So be it.

He was about to make his move again, when the EM frequency from the emitters pitched up, causing him discomfort. Kyzo and all the other Andorians clutched their heads, antennae buzzing, but Rophec screamed in pain. Even with an anlac'ven, Arkenites were still more susceptible to strong EM fields, and Rophec collapsed onto the deck.

Although utterly bewildered by the last few minutes, Kyzo had enough wits to recover Rophec's weapon and point it at the unconscious rogue officer.

Commander Charal then entered the bridge, pressing a control pad which caused the EM frequency to cease. She was the only one who didn't seem surprised.

"Commander?" Kyzo said.

"Relax, Major," she said with a confident smirk. "We're all safe now. There's just a bit of explaining to do."