Chief Engineer's Log. Stardate 23421.0817. We're 2 days into drifting and, so far, no early Romulan encounters. Life support and all its related systems are stable. Most of the hull breaches have been sealed off. Sensors are back online, mostly, and the injured are bein' cared for.
Eleanora tried to mask the tiredness weighing heavily on her mind and handed the report back to Denaal. The self-destruct system was nearly repaired. It likely would be before the corruption spread was ready. S'Niir was purposefully slowing its completion. Eleanora had been tempted to slow repairs to the destruct out of spite but refrained. Getting petty sure as hell wouldn't help.
Denaal seemed to not notice her mood, or at least not make it a point. The whole ship was tense, especially engineering. From the side, she did notice Em'lu titled an ear down at her. Couldn't hide from the medical officer, of course.
Xe didn't bring it to attention and continued monitoring the rest of engineering.
"Sirs, the self-destruct is back online and ready to be armed should we need it." Shariv informed Eleanora and S'Niir an hour later.
"Good, now we'll be ready for when things go south." S'Niir nodded at him, "Thank you, lieutenant."
"Now we can focus on the spread," Eleanora brought up its progress, "and have it ready in the next 5 hours, if not 4."
The commander's frown was punctuated by a flick of his tail. "Right… The spread."
Shariv pipped up then, "Commanders, if I may? We are 16 hours and 45 minutes from Romulan space. Logic suggests the likelihood of an early encounter has increased to 85%. That is assuming-"
Eleanora held up a hand, "That no RNZ species finds us. We are aware, lieutenant," She said, understanding but not wanting to be reminded of how increasingly dire the situation grows. "Your concern is noted. We need to work quickly. Continue helpin' with calculatin' its speed and strength."
Shariv bowed and left. S'Niir growled quietly, "Remind me why we're bothering with this?"
"You heard the captain. One can be a fall back to another. Even if we do end up goin' for the destruct, who's to say it won't fail?"
Another flick of the tail. "I suppose that is a risk. Let's get back to work."
Eleanora resisted the urge to punch the data PADD as yet another fault in the code showed itself like an unseen snake that had crawled its way into a peach tree. The data wipe was proving to be more of pain than anticipated. It was unstable. Unpredictable. It could very well end them all if it targeted the wrong systems.
If it was possible to strangle code, Eleanora would have done so. S'Niir, too, looked ready to tear into something.
The ship's computer had taken more of a beating than first thought. This shouldn't be taking this long. At least, that was their reasoning. The added stress impounded their mistakes.
And, much like an unseen snake in a peach tree, sometimes there was more than one of them. Sometimes, a snapping turtle had wandered up unannounced and bit your ankle unprovoked. Startling you just as the ship's red alert did its officers.
Except this time there was a reason.
S'Niir rushed for the nearest comm unit. The Gryphon had gotten long-range sensors partially back. But only to monitor the space around them.
They still had 12 hours before entering Romulan space.
"S'Niir to the bridge. What's happening?!"
But nothing was ever completely smooth sailing – or, in this case, drifting, was it?
"The Romulans have come to us. Three ships just dropped out of warp. You and McCoy better have that spread done."
It was a sorry sight. Drifting belly-up. Leaking plasma. Bruised. What was assumed to be the nacelle floated further out.
Their outposts had detected the battle with the Zontak. Why the troublesome species attacked the UFP was a mystery to them. There were rumors, of course. Rumors that were being investigated by the Tal'Shiar.
But that was not Commander Pangaere i-Rateg tr'Duvek's concern. The UFP ship slowly moving toward the Empire was.
In the days that followed the ship's slow crawl through the Outmarches, the Senate had gone mad. At least, according to his older brother, Toran. The Zontak's involvement made matters worse. The Senate had been split on how to handle the situation. This was not a violation of the treaty, there would be no war. They had the right to enter the Outmarches to claim the vessel.
Some called to wait for it to fully enter their space. Others countered that would risk neutral or – worse – UFP sympathetic Outmarch species investigating first.
That raised the argument of sending the closest Empire-alleged peoples to bring it in. This was also waved off. The three closest had risks. One was in political chaos with the UFP sympathizers of their species. The second experiencing a plague. And the third tended to be…overeager.
It was decided to wait until it drifted closer before sending a scouting team.
Specifically, two scouts and a Dreadnought – his Dreadnought. He questioned if that was necessary.
"Status on that ship?"
Centurion T'Authen, his 2nd older brother, responded, "Life support functioning, several hull breaches, weapons systems inoperable, shields inoperable, propulsion systems…inoperable."
Like a broken songbird with mogaiin circling above it… Pangaere's frown deepened. "Life signs?"
"140 alive. Some of them faint, most stable."
The question of how many loses that ship suffered snuck into his mind. It was a fairly small ship. Didn't seem like a combatant. The fact it had survived was admirable. Resilient little ship and crew... He prayed no more lives would be lost. If they behaved...
"A majority are Terrans, but I am reading a mix of species..." T'Auethn sneered, pulling back from the readings as if insulted, "...including a Crīv'ni."
What was a Crīv'ni...? No, perhaps this was not much of a surprise. The anthropomorphic cervids were in a political struggle between those that swore loyalty to the Empire, the UFP sympathizers, and those that wished neutrality. Some must have escaped to Federation space just as many traveled into the Star Empire. Given the Crīv'ni's status, this runaway would have to be dealt with through their government. If they demanded this one back.
It was doubtful the Starfleet officers would allow it.
Must things be complicated already...? Elements guide him.
But duty and procedure had to be followed. Pangaere opened his mouth to order a hail.
"Commander," His Sub-Commander, Keras i-Kanassarum tr'Chironsala, spoke up, "the ship is hailing us."
How he had heard of Federation diplomacy. The debates over whether it was facade or truth... An amused smile tried to form, instead he raised an eyebrow and stood straighter. "Put them on. And open an eavesdrop channel to the other commanders."
A pale face appeared on the screen. A Terran, most likely. Wary, but curious eyes met his. That curiosity quickly melted into surprise. Pangaere once again had to keep himself from smiling in amusement. He did, however, allow a cautious sympathy to shine through.
"Terran vessel. I am Commander Duvek of the Stormhawk. We detected your fight with the Zontak and subsequent drift through the Outmarches. This is purely investigative. As there was no purposeful violation, you will not be harmed. There is no cause for alarm."
The Terran snapped out of his shock then. He eyed Pangaere, though there was relief in his posture. "This is Captain Yvett of the USS Gryphon. We understand the purpose of this investigation and permit it. You will not receive hostility on our end, although we do have questions."
"About what will happen to your crew and ship, no doubt." Pangaere said, pleased to see they were cooperating thus far. "As this was accidental, a consequence of a fight with a frankly troublesome species, you will not be harm nor detained. You will be towed to Romulus. You and your crew processed. Then you will all be sent back to your space via civilian carriers."
"And...the Gryphon?"
"You will understand that our scientists will want to study it. It will be kept."
More than just scientists, really. The whole Senate and Paetorate will be eager to learn of what Federation secrets the ship might hold. Even with the Tal'Shiar's channels, there was much they did not know. Assuming the Tal'Shiar was not withholding.
Yvett's stature changed. Rigid. Pangaere expected the reaction. Regardless, worry gnawed at him. These were innocent people. He did not want them hurt unnecessarily.
"I and the other commanders will put together small boarding parties. Merely to monitor the crew and assess damages I assure you." As procedure demands.
"Very well. I will inform my crew."
Pangaere, much to his brother's chagrin, decided to lead the boarding parties. As a show of good will. Besides, trained officers were by his side.
The ship looked as bad on the inside as it did the outside. Yvett confirmed this Gryphon was a non-combatant.
"A hardy little ship you have here, captain. To have survived the Zontak's methods."
"We count our blessings. This is engineering."
Engineering, for its part, was in better shape. Scorch marks, blood of multiple colors, and sparking consoles remained from attempts to repair. Enough to keep the crew out of immediate danger.
The room also held the most beautiful being he had ever laid eyes on.
"This is my chief engineer, Lieutenant Commander Eleanora McCoy. Commander McCoy, this is Commander Duvek and our Romulan guests."
Green eyes stared back at him with the same surprise which followed him throughout the minor tour. Hair that resembled Fire itself framed a toned and scarred face. How brilliant that hair must look cleaned and shining in a star's rays.
McCoy composed herself and gave a polite nod. "Commander."
Pangaere's ears perked up. While unfamiliar with Terran accents to begin with, this one he had not heard yet. It had a pleasant purr to it. He returned the nod. "Commander."
"How are things here?" Yvett asked, not much noticing the change in the Romulan's demeanor. Although, one of the sub-centurions eyed their commander.
Within that hour, the Romulans began towing the Gryphon. Within the hour following, the crew had gotten far more tense. Those tensions had not stopped rising.
Eleanora worried it would come to a blow. She had already needed to break up stand-offs before fights started. It was not all between the crew and the Romulans, but between the Vulcan and non-Vulcan crewmembers.
Shariv was as visibly agitated as a Vulcan could be. Finding the revealed relationship between Vulcans and Romulans distasteful. A reminder of Vulcan's old ways. The less than veiled accusations some of his follow crewmates threw his and the other Vulcans' way not helping. However, he remain stoic and civil.
Denaal tried to make friendly chatter with the Romulans, though they were not much up to engaging with non-Romulans. Em'lu seemed on the verge of a panic attack after hearing xer fate. All of it fed into high-strung emotions.
Eleanora tried to work on the spread discreetly while Romulans still occupied engineering. As far as they were concerned, she was trying to prevent data corruption. However, it doubtful would take long for them to realize the opposite should they look close enough. It did not help the commander seemed intent on hovering near her.
"Is red hair common on Terra?" The question caught her off guard. Duvek's general attitude was not what she expected.
"Pardon?"
"Your hair. Such a vivid red is not known on Romulus. Is it common on your planet?" Duvek explained, patiently and openly curious.
"Ah, it's not the most common color, no. Actually the rarest on Earth. But reddish hair tends to run in my family."
"I believe it suits you well. A blessing of Fire, if you will."
"Thank you kindly?" She was not particularly sure how to respond to that. Being told she had a fiery personality was not unknown to her. Nor were the red-head jokes that came with it. Not always meant with ill-intent, but this was the first time it had been called a blessing of...a higher power? "Do Romulans worship fire or somethin' of the sort?"
Duvek chuckled, "In a sense. We revere the Elements of the Universe. Fire, Earth, Water, Air, and the Archelement that oversees them. They act more as guides. There to call upon. And some resonate with certain Elements more than others."
The idea was not foreign to Eleanora - humanity shared similar beliefs throughout its history - but this was the first time she ever heard of an "Archelement". Not what she expected to be a spiritual belief held by the Romulans. "Are the Elements the main spirituality among Romulus?"
"One of the more prominent ones, but the not the only one. There is D'era, a raptor goddess who represents the endless expanse of the Universe, and Vorta Vor, our..." Duvek paused, working his jaw. Eleanora swore she could hear his fangs grinding together. "...afterlife, if you will. A pleasant one, to be sure."
"This Vorta Vor seems to be more than an afterlife," Eleanora raised an eyebrow.
"It is also a philosophy of sorts," Duvek confirmed, taking a moment to observe the other Romulans in the room and some of the Vulcans. "A large part of Romulan pride and arrogance, so to speak, and our...tension with Vulcans."
"I see," she didn't push, though her curiosity burned.
Duvek appeared to pick up on this, appreciative but apologetic. "Perhaps at a better time. Might I ask about Terran beliefs?"
"Only fair. We've a lot of them, so I can't cover them all."
"Do humans have beliefs similar ours?"
"A few. There are beliefs that use the elements as guides as y'all do. It's not as popular, however. Can't say I have ever meant one of those people personally, either." Not to her knowledge anyway. "Nor have I ever heard of an "Archelement" until now."
Duvek seemed oddly mystified by that. "Even then, we are more similar than we think... What are your more "dominate" religions? Do you hold up to any of them?"
"I can't quite give ya the details on all of them, but I can try to explain. Personally, I'm what we call "agnostic"."
They did not remain on this topic for long. Eleanora was on Celtic religion before Yvett called the senior staff to the briefing room. Pangaere gave the request a suspicious look, but simply agreed to pick up the conversation later.
Eleanora dismissed herself after putting Shariv in charge.
The entire meeting was draining. Captain Yvett felt less optimistic about the situation by the hour. S'Niir's attitude and the spread taking longer than anticipated plus growing uncertainties about its safety did not help.
None of them were entirely trustful of the Romulan's sincerity. Even Eleanora.
Wary trust was all they had. But it waned in Yvett, S'Niir, and even the CMO by the hour. The Xendi had less experience with the Romulans, thus Dala remained neutral.
For Eleanora, she silently admited Duvek had grown on her. Made her more hopeful. He was so open, willing to share cultures. Surely a commander being so was a good sign?
Yet even she noticed did not appear the norm. His crew was...arrogant. A lot of them acted as xenophobic toward the Gryphon crew as the Gryphon crew did toward them.
Her worries grew as she and Duvek had to break up a budding fight.
"That is quite enough, lieutenant."
"As to you, uhlan."
"Commander, I-"
"No." She pulled them away, leveling them with a hard gaze. "There are repairs to be done and lives at stake. Now is not the time or place for fights, understood?"
"Yessir..."
"Good, now get back to your station. Try starting another fight with the Romulans and I will have you confined to your quarters."
"Understood, sir."
Duvek had sent the uhlan away by the time she looked back.
"I apologize for her behavior, e'l- commander. None of us have much experience with Starfleet beyond propaganda."
Eleanora sighed, yes that made sense, and well, "It's the same on our side."
"A large war behind us. It is only expected. I am surprised by your openness."
"Call it naivety, but I like to have a cautious hope. Haven't exactly encountered your kind for a long while now." An' the McCoys don't exactly have the same prejudice as, say, the Stiles...
"Oh, I don't think that is terribly naive. You will find more than few Romulans who share that sentiment." He smiled, eyes shining with an uncertain hope. "Perhaps this encounter will prove as much to both our governments."
She returned the smile. Though more uneasy. That would be a slow process, one riddled with resistance. Still she wished for it to be true.
Unfortunately, fate was not so kind. Tensions began overflowing. More than a few crewmembers on both ends started fights.
What was worst, the spread was still uncertain. But it would have to do if Eleanora wanted to prevent the captain from ordering self-destruction.
Pangaere could only do so much to keep things under wraps. The way the Gryphon's crew was resisting...he feared he would not be able to justify keeping them safe to be returned under Romulan protocol. Especially not with the commanding officers borderline encouraging this resistance.
The first officer, S'Niir, barely veiled his hostilities towards the Romulans. Yvett's civility merely a guise. McCoy, while more open, seemed to be hiding something that could put her crew in danger. It was she who Pangaere feared hurting the most.
T'Auethn did not approve of his sympathies. Calling it dangerous. His brother especially did not approve of the affection he showed toward the chief engineer.
"You are a fool. You know that will only end in tragedy!" T'Auethn said, a hiss to his words, "You risk too much here. Your own life especially."
"We have a chance here for peace, should we not take it? Allow our children to have a future where they are not living in fear of-"
"I suggest caution with your next words, dinam. Walls have ears, a ship's walls, especially."
"I am your commander here."
"And I am your advisor. Do not try pulling rank! This is foolish and you know it. Is this truly about peace? Or your infatuation with the red-head?"
Keras had been quietly sitting in the room up to that point, nervously watching the exchange. It was not the first time the brothers fought, would not be the last. At times like these, Keras wondered if having them together was a good idea. Still, despite Pangeare's oddly compassionate demeanor, he was a commander for a reason.
A coldness Keras fancied he'd once seen while pinned down by a wild Thrai flashed in Pangaere's eyes. T'Auethn was not deterred, "You have allowed your emotions to get in the way of this mission! To busy trying impress an Earth woman. You are not just a fool, but a reckless one to boot!"
"You dare-"
"Enough!" Keras shouted. The last thing he needed was these two at each other's throats, with possibly Toran at his to follow. "Accusations, arguing...what is this going to solve? The Earthship is tense. Who is to blame them? They have little reason to trust us, nor us them. We both hide something from the other and the other can tell. That gets to us all."
With a sigh, Keras stood. He was sure he looked as tired as he felt. "I desire an end to this conflict as much you do, commander, but I cannot deny the outcome looks grim if the tensions are not dispelled. I am not certain they can be. Not fully. There is still time, but something more will be needed."
Pangaere had to relent. His sub-commander made a good point, and - though he loathed to admit it - so did his brother. "I severely doubt they would take a warning kindly. No, their first officer in particular would somehow take it as "proof" that we lie about their safety."
Stars moved slowly outside his ready room's window. They were going the fastest they could with a ship in tow. Regardless, Romulus was less than a day away.
Then the reports on the Gryphon's crew would determine everyone's fates.
At the end of the day, he could not promise anything. Only repeat protocol. One he knew Toran would follow, but rest of the senate was uncertain.
It did not matter how much specific crewmembers behaved. If the whole were cast in a bad light...
Keras and T'Auethn quietly spoke while Pangaere weighed his options. Just as he felt a conclusion making itself known, his communicator beeped.
"Commander tr'Duvek, we have a problem! The Humans have just tried mass wiping their data banks! Now they try to destroy the ship!"
To say the spread did not go well would be like saying fish liked water: a massive understatement.
Eleanora had tried working out the kinks of the spread as fast and as well as she could now that Duvek was no longer watching her. Still it was not enough. Her team just barely managed to stop it from corrupting life support.
It wasn't a total failure. Much of the important data now out of Romulan reach.
Merely not enough for S'Niir and Yvett's tastes. On top of that, the Romulans found out.
The self-destruct was ordered.
It...also failed.
The spread had corrupted the self-destruct system. Romulan resistance would prevent them from forcing one manually. Assuming the spread did not corrupt it beyond even that.
Tensions had hit their peak. There was no salvaging this.
"Was throwing away so many lives when faced with the prospect of returning home safely worth your distrust?" Duvek's mouth pressed into a thin line. He stopped pacing to stare down Yvett. "You had our word. Now I cannot assure that safe passage. What's more, this will serve to taint many's views of the Federation further."
A flash of regret disgraced Yvett's features only for a brief moment. He held Duvek's gaze. "Why should we have taken your word? Even if you were honest, we could not allow you any data that many put the United Federation of Planets at risk."
Duvek stepped forward, "Are secrets really more important than lives? Than allowing your crew to see the stars of their homes again?"
S'Niir scoffed, baring his teeth. "As if you wouldn't have used it against us."
Eleanora was not sure Duvek's eyes could get any colder. His voice was low, near venomous as he addressed S'Niir, "Oh, but they will certainly use this against you." He continued pacing, slowly walking to where Eleanora stood. "Perhaps I should have been more observant...but your failed attempt to corrupt your data is why we're all still standing." He stopped in front of her, the coldness lessening. "Some of you were cooperative. That may save a few lives, but doubtful will you be allowed to return home."
At least some of the crew still has a chance at life. That's somethin'. Eleanora held back a sigh. If she had more time on the spread...there was no more point in dwelling on it. This was as best an outcome they could hope for now. Anything more and they might as well be dead.
She spied Duvek's Advisory Centurion glaring her down. Whatever his problem with her was, besides the spread, she could not tell. The sub-commander seemed to share Duvek's mood, although more somber.
"S'Niir..." She warned upon hearing another remark begin to fall. S'Niir turned his glare to her. She held it. Silently arguing to not make things worse.
"Insulting remarks will get you nowhere, Caitian." Duvek said, clearly done with S'Niir's attitude.
A low growl, quiet but there, was his only response.
Duvek dismissed them not long after. Under watch and almost nearly confined to their quarters.
The Gryphon belonged to the Romulans' now.
Translation notes
Mogaiin - Plural form of a species of raptor native to Romulus
Thrai - A wolf/wolverine-like animal native to Romulus