The shuttle dropped out of warp coming to a standstill. Lorca was reading a padd while rubbing his chin. The sound of the shuttle crafts engine was comforting to his ears. The vastness of space offering beauty and riches to those who went over the next horizon. A temptation to go further into space with just a small starship. The soft, mysterious colors out in space made him feel relaxed. Safe, even, inside a shuttle craft.
"Klingon warp signature has dropped into space," Higgens announced.
Lorca opened the phaser compartment then took out a phaser as did Higgens. Higgens activated the distress call on the console. Higgens came to the captain's side at the back of the shuttle craft. Lorca and Higgens shared a tense look.
"Prepare to fire on my count," Lorca said.
The two men stood in the back with their fingers ready to press the trigger.
"Captain," Higgens said. "I never faced a Klingon in the flesh."
Lorca looked over toward Higgens.
"Rogue Klingons are not worth being scared of," Lorca said. "The actual Klingons, now, they are worth being afraid of."
"Aye," Higgens said.
The side door was forcibly opened to the shuttle. Klingons poured into the room. Lorca fired in the direction of the Klingons. Lorca lowered his phaser pressing the trigger blasting down a Klingon to the floor. The Klingons kept marching toward them. Two of the Klingons fell down to the floor in three seconds. Two large circular blasts appeared in the center of Higgens's chest side by side. Higgens fell over landing between the two chairs. A bald Klingon fired back sending back a defensive shot that landed into the captain's shoulder. Lorca collapsed to his knees dropping the phaser feeling the large, rounded fresh scar on his shoulder. He was surrounded by Klingons, two of whom lifted him up by the arms and lead him out of the shuttle. The doors closed behind the last Klingon leaving behind the dying pilot. Lorca was shoved into a small cramped space.
"Using more of the Romulan tech, I see?" Lorca said.
"Shut up!" the shortest Klingon demanded, aiming the disruptor at Lorca's forehead.
"Go ahead," Lorca said. "See where that gets you."
The short Klingon snarled then smacked the disruptor against Lorca's head sending him unconscious to the floor.
"Welcome to my office, Captain Lurecca," Landry said.
Lurecca looked around the nicely decorated office that had objects such as a bat'leth, a lirpa embedded into a pot in the corner of the room, a painting of two lions engaged in fight, there were two daggers seated side by side above the first officer's head, and sculptures of knights decorating her room. The federation flag was set to the corner of her office. Lurecca was set on the table observing the bright room. She looked over the edge to see a strange collection of rifles that were gigantic to her in a cabinet with energized fields. There was a small console alongside the doors.
"Your room is full of weapons," Lurecca said.
"My office is not usually like this," Landry said. "It's a reminder of what I am in."
"What is it like, normally?" Lurecca asked.
"Sculptures," Landry said. "curtains, and replicas of animals."
"So you're a lover of romance," Lurecca said.
"Guilty as charged," Landry said, with a nod.
Lurecca walked around the flat desk with hands linked behind her back.
"Your junior grades have been giving me a tour in what they could," Lurecca said. "they must be jealous that I can get where they can't," a smile grew on the face of the first officer. "Or do you call them Lieutenants rather than junior grades?"
"We call them Lieutenants," Landry said. "They are jealous of you."
"My crew is jealous of you and your crew," Lurecca said. "able to reach and be seen by others."
"I can see where that would be a problem for you in the federation," Landry said. "What brings you here?"
"My government has sent out explorers," Lurecca said. "lately they haven't been coming back because of your war in the heavens," Lurecca twirled her fingers in the air walking over in the direction of the windows to the office. She stopped at the edge. "We were able to retrieve distress calls and their logs as of recently. . . Not just that, first hand accounts."
"Survivors?" Landry said.
"Few crewmembers managed to escape, recently, during the battle," Lurecca said. "We have survivor accounts of gigantic starships being destroyed. Bird like vessels ambushing them, almost gliding in space when it is physically impossible for a starship to glide in space." she paced the empty length of the desk. "When I head of the stories, I couldn't believe it until I saw it for myself. My planet is out of reach, far away, deep space. It had taken us over six months just to get here bypassing warring birds and non-bird of preys."
"You want to help," Landry held her hand up. "We can't accept that."
"You have lost thousands of vessels," Lurecca said.
"Thousands of lives, yes," Landry said. "It won't be a fair war using you and your crew against the rogue Klingons."
"So you call them Klingons?" Lurecca said.
"Rogue Klingons," Landry said. "They don't speak on the behalf of all."
"It's not a fair battle at all what the rogue Klingons are doing in this war," Lurecca said. "Have you seen the planets they have taken? The bodies of dead children? Dead animals? Have you seen burned homes? Women mercilessly killed. Not a trace of survivors to speak out about what had happened?"
"Every day we try to do better not to let that happen again," Landry said. "Every day that a child dies, a young woman dies, or a small town is destroyed because of these rogue Klingons, my heart breaks. It breaks into pieces. I reassemble it, timely, and accordingly." Landry rubbed the side of her hands that were placed in her lap. Her eyes were fixated down on the figure standing on the table. "I have to step back to not let the loss of others effect my performance."
"Does it help?" Lurecca asked.
"It does," Landry said.
"I can't do that to myself," Lurecca said. "It would be torture not to feel."
"There's a species called Vulcans who are emotionless," Landry said. "Stoic, calm and composed scientists. They make great officers because of that in Starfleet." Landry smiled with her hands under her chin looking down upon the woman. "
"Understood," Lurecca said. "So I take that your second officer is a Vulcan?"
"No," Landry said. "Just a human. You can easily tell who is a Vulcan among this crew."
"I would love to meet your Vulcans," Lurecca said. "To see for myself if these officers are as high esteemed as you say them to be."
Landry held her hand out.
"Come along," Landry said.
Lurecca walked onto the woman's hand. Landry placed the small woman onto her shoulder then traveled out of the cabin. She came down the hall. Lurecca noticed the strange officers with large heads that varied in color, size, and design. Some of them seemed to be humanoid with a different skin tone. She seemed to be perplexed at some one so different walking through the halls. Landry entered a turbo lift, then shortly afterwards came out of it and into another corridor that was full of officers in blue uniforms. Landry nodded back at the officers who greeted her. She came into sick bay where Soval was treating a Andorian security officer on the biobed. Soval turned toward the approaching officers.
"Commander," Soval said. "What brings you here?"
"Meet Captain Lurecca," Landry said, gesturing toward the smaller woman.
Soval lowered his gaze.
"You are a interesting individual," Soval said, then turned his gaze onto the first officer. "Was there a malfunction back in the transporter room that was not reported?"
"Not the case," Landry assured.
Soval waved the small medical tricorder up and down while looking at the tricorder flat screen.
"Perfectly fine," Soval said, stealing a glance toward the captain.
"Are you a Vulcan?" Lurecca asked, earning a eyebrow raise and a tilt from Soval.
Culber came over toward Soval.
"Doctor Soval, I jut finished that favor I owed you," Culber said, handing him a padd.
Soval stared at the padd the back.
"I just gave you that two hours ago," Soval said. "you should have had it done a hour ago."
"Well, it was a complex case," Culber said, then turned toward the women. Soval managed to put the padd into the hand that held the small glowing medical tricorder in one hand, "Sorry, Commander, I'll be off now." he left the two going off joining the fray with a relaxed demeanor. Soval turned his attention back toward the two.
"Pardon?" Soval asked. He looked toward the first officer. "Commander. . . is this first contact?"
"Warp civilization," Landry said. "You are the first Vulcan they ever met. You should be proud."
"I am not flattered by this," Soval said. "Flattery is a human emotion and you know as well as I do that Vulcans do not experience flattery."
"My apologies, Mr Soval," Landry said.
"None needed," Soval replied.
"A species that set themselves apart from their emotions," Lurecca said. "I never met anyone like that."
"Five inches tall," Soval said. "I have only met figures like that as collectibles."
"Toys," Landry said.
"Our toys are taller than us," Lurecca said, amused.
Landry and Soval shared a look of disbelief then back down toward the captain.
"Just how tall?" Soval inquired, curiously.
"Ten inches," Lurecca said.
"Toys are notably supposed to be small enough to play with," Soval said. "You're playing with statues."
"At least it helps us get stronger," Lurecca said, rolling her sleeve up to display her muscular arm.
Soval's jaw dropped.