Disclaimer: Star Trek and all its characters belong to Paramount Pictures. Carrie belongs to author Stephen King but the words are mine. The characters of the Four Orders are entirely my own.
Requested Story by T-Rex-1000
AU/ST/Carrie/FO: Admiral Brigham enacts a desperate plan to save the life of his granddaughter, enlisting the help of Starfleet captain: Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise under false pretense and no matter the cost. But the price comes too high…
Chapter 2
Catching Up
Stardate 43644.97 (24.08.2366)
Near the Neutral Zone…USS Enterprise NCC 1701-D
"Captain Picard, to the bridge!"
Jean-Luc was in his quarters. His mood today had him listen to Wagner's 'Rise of the Valkyries'.
"Computer, pause music," He said slightly irritated. He was just getting at the good deeply emotional part of the piece. "Bridge, report!" He said tapping his combadge.
"Captain," It was his first officer, the young, intrepid and yet now experienced Will Riker, his Number One. "We have entered Sector 6."
"I will be right there." Jean-Luc said. He stood up and straightened up his uniform standing before the mirror. He lingered for a moment there considering the past few weeks and his newest and strange orders.
There were times he was not sure what Starfleet was up to. For the past few days, the Enterprise has been moving from sector to sector near the border with the Romulans sniffing for something. That something was recorded in the ship's computers and technically speaking only Commander Data knew exactly what it was but he was programmed not to reveal it to anyone, not even him.
Speaking of Commander Data, Jean-Luc still wondered about him. He was the most peculiar being in his command. He was aspiring in every waking moment to be more human and yet he remained coldly robotic and naïve, and at times acted like a curious child.
These past few days, Data has been acting more oddly than usual. He was always on duty and he always left when his shift ended but he had been asking to visit sick bay more often than any other member of the crew.
Usually if he had problems, it was Commander LaForge he visited as he was the chief engineer of the ship. And Data's problem usually required that kind of help. Sadly, Beverly was as usual covering it "Doctor-patient privileges" that he could not override unless he had a very good reason, which he did not have.
Jean-Luc threw his last look in the mirror putting on his work face and left his quarters. He caught the closest turbolift and headed for the bridge.
Sector 5 Neutral Zone
ESS Relentless NX-1091 was not the type of ship, Admiral Brigham wanted to use but it was the only one that would not draw too much attention. It was a prototype ship originally designed in the 23rd century and which was a smaller, more functional facsimile of USS Crossfield.
"Admiral," It was Lt. Frex.
Admiral John Brigham moved away from his granddaughter's pod. He had been spending his time with her. He was using the sight of her pod as the building pillar of his determination.
"What is it, Lt?"
"We have arrived in Sector 5. "
"Excellent, "John exclaimed. He took one last look at the pod and headed for the bridge.
Reaching it he took a look again at it. It was not the standard design. It was circular with the control consoles along the wall (like any other ship of the 23rd century) with the command chair along in the middle. There was no chair for the first officer. At the time, they stood either at the navigation's console or beside their captain waiting to relay orders.
This ship however was slightly different. It was a smaller version of the Crossfield Class. It had limited science capability as it was designed more for scouting and hit-and-run kind of situations. It was small but powerful.
He had it retrofitted for 24th century use. He added more speed to it, advanced shielding and weapons. It had six decks, one hangar, and a crew complement of 60 people. It was not much but it served its purpose.
"Begin scanning," He ordered and sat on the command chair. He turned to the small display on his right side that contained the flowing data from the scans.
It did not appear that the Enterprise was in sector 5. But they were definitely here as the ship's sensors found their impulse trail.
"It appears our target has left the sector, Admiral." Lt Frex announced.
"Proceed to Sector 6. Warp Factor 9!" The admiral ordered. They had no time to lose.
The ship's nacelles contracted and the ship jumped to warp.
"Is there something else, Lt?" Admiral Brigham asked as he looked at his first officer.
'Not here', Lt Frex's uttered barely audibly.
The Admiral nodded. "Lt Mathilda, you have the Conn!"
And he and the lieutenant walked out of the bridge and headed for deck 4 that contained one improvised version of a ready room.
"What is it, Frex?"
Lt. Frex did not answer right away. He placed several devices around the door that produced hushing sounds – scramblers.
"I am sorry for being so covert, Admiral." Frex said. "But one has to be careful these days!"
"Spill it!"
"Since we left Earth, I had a few of my contacts remain vigilant for any possible threats to our mission."
"You found a threat?"
"Not exactly," Frex said and sat down. He placed a small cylindrical device before him that came to life and a holographic display appeared. It contained several lines of what looked like communication logs.
"What are those?"
"These are communication logs from Starfleet Intelligence."
"They mention us in any way?"
"No,"
"So why the panic and covertness?"
"They concern primarily Section 31."
"I thought Section 31 was terminated after their stunts in the 23rd and a few of the 24th."
"That is what Starfleet wants everyone to believe but section 31 is very much alive and on mission. They were the first Intelligence unit of Starfleet and the one that operates in the grey areas."
"I am aware what they were, Lt. But what got you spooked?"
"For some time now, I have monitored closely Starfleet Intelligence and discovered some of the S31's operatives. I managed to track one down and get a confession out of him."
"Why haven't you reported this to Starfleet?"
"Starfleet is the one endorsing them but the problem was and is that they have noticed that S31 has an agenda of their own. The operative mentioned the existence of two separate entities of S31. The first one obeys Starfleet but the second one has a mind of its own."
"Well, this is very informative Lt Frex but I still do not understand your covertness in this particular moment."
"And the reason is - ," Frex sighed. "The last communication I got from Earth was a few moments ago from one of my contacts. He said that there are S31 operatives aboard the USS Enterprise.
I am a bit panicked because these ones, I believe, are of the second S31."
"How does this affect our mission?" The Admiral still could not understand the panic in his first officer.
"Let me just show you the message." Frex said. He touched the pad and the message started playing.
The Admiral remained pensive after its end. There were many disturbing points in it. But mostly he could not help but admire his first offer's resourcefulness. He had succeeded to convert a S31 operative into one of his contacts (the very one he had forced a confession from).
It was also disturbing to know that Starfleet had changed their tactics when it comes to Section 31. Instead of having them operate in the open, they were scattered all over Starfleet and the federation outposts.
But the reason for their meeting was that S31 were scattered in the fleet. While Intelligence officers were not something unusual, having covert operatives on the flagship of the Federation with unknown agenda qualified as unusual and beckoned caution.
"I see your point, Lt. Frex." Admiral Brigham said after a while. "But this doesn't alter our mission. It just adds more than standard vigilance to it."
"My point was, Admiral, they could easily jeopardize our mission. They are not the usual type of Starfleet officers."
"You are afraid that S31 has bred an army? They are still Starfleet and they'll continue to be such. Lt, they tried that once and it did not work."
"Underestimating an enemy is not a good idea either, especially with a mission such as ours,"
"Overestimating the power of an entity that may or may not exist is just as foolish. There are no shadows in our corner. And if you happen to find the S31 operatives on Enterprise, just report them to its captain and he will take care of them. Eliminate them if necessary. Nothing will stand in the way of our mission. Is this understood, Lt Frex?"
"Yes, Admiral,"
"Still, I thank you for bringing this to my attention. It may prove useful in the future."
"Admiral! This is the bridge!"
"Go ahead," Admiral Brigham replied disabling the scramblers.
"We found them!"
"Excellent, we will be right up!" He looked at Frex. "Are you ready?"
"Yes, sir,"
"Good! Now to difficult part…"
"Difficult part, sir?"
"Convincing Jean-Luc!"
Sector 6 near the Neutral Zone – USS Enterprise NCC 1701-D
"Scans are complete." Commander Data announced.
"Anything," Commander Riker asked.
"Negative, sir,"
"Proceed to Sector 7." He ordered.
"Ah, sir, we are still waiting for Shuttlepod 6 to return!" Lt Worf informed.
"True," Will Riker acknowledged. "Once they return proceed to the next sector."
"Yes, sir,"
Will Riker returned to his post, the chair next to the captain's. This search for something that no one knew not what it was has begun to take its toll on the crew. But it was not the first time, Starfleet has given them a mission on a need to know basis and probably it will not be the last.
Shuttle Bay, Deck 13
Guinan, the resident mystery, appeared from the turbolift with her bag heading for the blast doors of the shuttle bay. There she saw some repair and maintenance crewmen attending to a type 7 shuttle. She thought that one would be perfect.
"Mrs. Guinan," One of crewmen greeted. She recognized him. He visited Ten Forward often.
"Crewman Calisto," She replied.
"What brings you to Deck 13?"
"This shuttle, I need it."
Crewman Calisto checked the manifest but did not see any authorized uses of that shuttle. "I am afraid you are not on the roaster for a…"
"That would do, Mr. Calisto." Another voice interrupted him. Guinan turned in its direction and saw its source. It belonged to a lieutenant she has rarely seen in Ten Forward. "I will deal with Mrs. Guinan. Attend to Deck 12, Lt Machar could use your help with the power couplings!"
"Yes, sir," Calisto said. "Mrs. Guinan,"
"Lieutenant Deville, was it?" Guinan asked finally remembering his name.
"Correct,"
"I really need to leave the ship. This shuttle speaks to me!"
Lieutenant Deville eyed her for a long time. She felt uncomfortable under his gaze that seemed to penetrate her.
"Yes, I am sure it does." He said and continued to observe her. His eyebrows arched a bit narrowing his gaze. "May I be blunt?"
"Please do," Guinan replied.
"What are you up to Guinan?"
"Up to? I am not sure I understand your meaning." Guinan replied innocently.
"The bartender of Ten Forward, enjoying her work, listening to…well everything, suddenly packs her bag and leaves from one of the least visited shuttle bays with barely operating shuttle, albeit being type 7."
Guinan looked at him expectantly. "Yes…"
"Not venturing a goodbye…well…to anyone, no submitted flight path, no authorization for departure, just a bag and a wishful thought…" Lt Deville continued. "I would say that qualifies as – "What are you up to Guinan?"
"It is nothing." She replied, her voice steady.
"Confident and yet afraid," Lt Deville said as he had begun to circle her. "Care to share…this dread?"
Guinan truly felt uneasy with this man. His observations were spot on.
"It is not a dread. I just really have to leave the ship…"
"So you are afraid how your presence will affect whatever is about to happen?" It was really a question but rather an observation. "How curious,"
Usually Guinan had no problem reading people but this one puzzled her a lot. It was like there was an impenetrable wall guarding him rendering him – mysterious. He was in a way like her – a mystery. It was not something she expected to see in a Starfleet officer.
She noticed his smile. It was playful and devilish. He circled her for a bit then moved to the shuttle and said. "Safe travels, Madam Guinan!"
She was a bit surprised at the turn of events. She was almost certain he would report her as any Starfleet officer would have by now. "Thank you!"
"Just, don't forget to come back, after whatever it is." He said. "Oh, and do bring some fresh croissants, beurre ou chocolat, will do."
"I will try to fetch some." The shuttle door closed and the bay doors opened. She directed the shuttle out and soon as she was out, she jumped to warp. She could not tell anyone why she was leaving. She was certain Jean-Luc will believe her but she could not be on the ship. It was too much of a risk. She was grateful though that no one stopped her.
Bridge
"Deck 13 reports a shuttle was sent for resupplies and will rendezvous with us in Sector 8." Lt Worf reported.
"Acknowledged," Will Riker said. "Has shuttle pod 6 returned?"
"Yes, sir,"
"Proceed to Sector 7," Will Riker ordered. "Mr. Data, warp factor 7…"
"Sir!" Lt. Worf interrupted.
"What is it, Mr. Worf?"
"Sensors have picked up a small vessel travelling at high warp!" Worf informed.
"Destination?"
"According to sensors," Worf said checking the data. "It will arrive momentarily."
"Captain Picard to the bridge," Will Riker called on the com. "Raise shields, yellow alert!"
Jean-Luc appeared from the turbolift with Commander Troi. They both reached their posts and sat down.
"Report!"
"A small vessel just drop out high warp, at grid coordinates 320 by 302." Commander Data replied.
"Identify?"
"According to the sensors," Worf said. "It identifies as the ESS Relentless NX-1091."
"NX 1091?" Will Riker exclaimed stunned.
"Wasn't that a prototype ship?" Jean-Luc asked.
"Affirmative, Crossfield class," Worf replied.
"Crossfield?" Will Riker said.
"The prototype was decommissioned in the late 23rd century. It was meant as a scout ship."
"So what is it doing out here?"
To be continued…
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