Naruto: Infinity Divide
Dawnslayer
Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Star Trek
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
This time we get to see a bit of the Klingon side of things. Enjoy!
Port = Left
Starboard = Right
[ ] Signifies a foreign language
Last time:
The turbolift hummed as it took them to the Bridge and Asuma could hardly tell that it was moving. When the doors opened, he saw the very large and well equipped Bridge. Like everywhere else people were carefully checking equipment while they were in dock. Ensign Young said, "Will there be anything else sir?"
Asuma turned back and said, "No, that is all Ensign. Thank you for your time."
"Anytime sir." said Ensign Young with a salute. He then got back on the turbolift and departed.
Commander Sarutobi saw the swarm of activity as well as all the Cadets present on the bridge and thought aloud, "Is this a shakedown cruise or a Cadet Cruise?"
A beautiful redhead with Captains bars looked up at him from her tablet and said, "It's both Commander Asuma Sarutobi. I'm Captain Mei Terumi. Welcome aboard the U.S.S. Darwin…
…
Chapter 30
Stardate 2273.067 Imperial Klingon Empire, H'atoria System, Imperial Kingon Vessel Dawnslayer
Kiba Warrigul*① was the Prodigal Son of the Klingon Noble House of Warrigul who liked fast women, fast shuttles and generally wasting time and money…and he'd been given the choice of joining the military or being expelled from his clan due to has irresponsible behavior. As a result Kiba went through training to become an Ensign and generally did as little as possible…Until he was assigned to the Imperial Klingon Vessel Dawnslayer, one of the finest Command Cruisers in the Klingon Deep Space Fleet. Normally being on such a ship was considered a great honor and a fast track to promotion but sadly the Dawnslayer's Commander was none other than Commodore Tsume Warrigul…Kiba's ferocious Mother.
Kiba was less than thrilled. His Mother was so vicious that Kiba's Father committed suicide rather than remain married to her. Kiba had one older sibling named Hana that was also aboard as the ship's Doctor. She held the rank of Lieutenant Commander and though she wasn't as brutal as Tsume; she was certainly her Mother's daughter. She 'affectionately' referred to Kiba as 'the runt' much to the amusement of his shipmates. No one else called him 'runt' to his face but it was still degrading. Currently Kiba was at the helm of the Dawnslayer which he had talent for.
At present the Dawnslayer was en route to the Klingon Planet H'atoria to put down a local uprising by the Selsseress.*③ Uprisings of subject races happened from time to time and had to be put down ruthlessly to keep the idea from spreading. As a result, the Dawnslayer was carrying an extra contingent of Marines to do the job. Normally these grunt jobs were left to Commando ships, but the Dawnslayer was there in the area and Tsume relished hand-to-hand combat so off they went.
"We're entering orbit above H'atoria Commodore Tsume." said Kiba. "Your orders?"
Tsume was in a good mood. Kiba was behaving as a good Klingon Officer should. She hadn't even had to bounce his head off his workstation to get him to pay attention (which was rare). Feeling generous, Tsume said, "Ensign Kiba, you will be leading Squad 9 personally in combat on the surface. Do not disappoint me."
Kiba did his best not to blanch and said, "Understood Commodore." The young Klingon Officer quickly went to his quarters and grabbed his bat'leth*④ and body armor before re-holstering his d'k tahg*⑤ that he always carried regardless. He briefly considered grabbing his disruptor pistol but knew his Mother would not approve of picking his opponents off at long range as he was prone to do. Combat had to be up close and personal wet work as far as Tsume was concerned. Kiba thought to himself, 'Bah! Mother seems to think that if we are less than Kahless the Unforgettable*⑥ that we aren't real Klingons.'
…
Transporter Room
Kiba was talking to the Marine Sergeant in charge of Squad 9 and explained that he would be commanding them. The Sergeant's name was Kolax and he felt that Kiba was unworthy of leading them. "Still nursing on your Mother's teats, runt?" he asked Kiba.
Now Kiba would have been the first to say someone else would have been a better choice to lead Squad 9, but this lowly Sergeant just said things that would force Kiba into a Duel of Honor with him or Kiba's Honor would not only be lost; he would be a laughing stock as well. Kiba said, "My Mother's teats ooze nothing but poison fool. Prepare to die!"
Kolax laughed and drew his d'k tahg. He said, "This is your last chance to run runt!"
Kiba growled and drew his own d'k tahg knife. He was smaller and less experienced in combat than Kolax but Kiba had one edge on the older Klingon. He was fast. Kiba immediately spun his knife and went straight for Kolax's face causing the older Klingon to recoil. He then kicked Kolax in the kneecap and sent the Sergeant flying back into his men who were cheering.
Kolax rushed back into the fight only to have the wrist of his knife hand slashed. The Sergeant bellowed and dropped him d'k tahg on the floor with a clatter. He dived to try to grab his knife with his other hand, but Kiba kicked him hard enough in the ribs to break them even with body armor. The Ensign kicked him in the ribs again causing the Sergeant to flip over on his back and left his d'k tahg out of reach. Kolax was struggling to breathe when Kiba's knife stabbed him through the heart. Purple blood sprayed everywhere as Kolax bled out…
Kiba hissed in Kolax's ear, "Knife play is a specialty of mine. Tell them that when you get to Gre'Thor*⑦."
The young Ensign turned to the rest of Squad 9 and motioned to Kolax's body. "Leave that piece of targ manure to rot. We have work to do." Kiba turned to the transporter chief and said, "Beam us down at the coordinates specified by the Commodore."
…
Planet H'atoria, surface
…Soon Ensign Kiba found himself beamed into a nightmare. The area his squad was transported into was swarming with the amphibious Selsseress and was near the ocean were the stupid beasts had the advantage. Worse still, the Selsseress seemed to shrug off disruptor and knife wounds. Kiba roared to his men, "These creatures are just too dumb to die! Switch to your bat'leths and take off their stupid heads!" THAT got results. Soon the uprising in Squad 9's area was put down and there were decapitated bodies everywhere. By some miracle Squad 9 also lost no men despite the fact they were all injured to a minor degree except Kiba. Tsume's son hadn't had a disruptor to begin with, so he switched to his (very effective) bat'leth long before he ordered the others to.
After a brief rest Squad 9 had bandaged their wounds and Kiba called the ship. "This is Ensign Kiba to the Dawnslayer. My men and I have cleared out our designated area. We are still fit for battle. Are there other squads that need backup?"
The surprised voice of the first officer Japar came on the line, "This is Commander Japar, Kiba. Did you say your unit is still fit for battle? You were in a heavily concentrated enemy area."
Kiba replied, "We've suffered no losses and have only minor injuries. Send us to battle where we need to be sir!"
Japar's voice crackled on the communicator. "Squad 6 is surrounded. It's a kilometer north of you. We will beam Squad 9 to an empty area south of there where you can formulate a plan to break them out Ensign."
….
Hours later Squad 9 was back on the IKV Dawnslayer in a celebratory mood and were sharing a few bottles of Bloodwine*⑧ "It's a good day to be a Klingon!" roared one of Kiba's men. The subjugation of H'atoria had been a smashing success and their squad was recognized as going over and above having fought in three battles with no losses. They'd done even better than Squad 1 that Commodore Tsume led personally. As Kiba drank he felt the adrenalin finally start to wear off. He'd acted the part of the unstoppable warrior, but the truth was he'd been terrified…
A few hours later Kiba was back in his quarters and though he enjoyed the revelry with his men he was wondering to himself, 'Is this the way of the warrior? What the hell am I doing here in the Navy? Is my Mother insane…?' Unfortunately for Kiba none of his questions would be answered anytime soon…He looked over at his pet Targ Akamaru snoozing peacefully and decided that the Targ had the right idea. It had been a long and tiring day…
…
Captain's Office, IKV Dawnslayer
Tsume was writing in her personal (secret) log:
"Personal Log of Commodore Tsume Warrigul: Stardate 2273.067. It seems that my son Kiba is finally realizing his potential. Today I promised Sergeant Kolax a promotion if he could draw Kiba into a duel and defeat him. I'd given Kiba a 50/50 chance of survival because he's inherited my talent with a d'k tahg. To my honest shock Kiba defeated Kolax handily and ran his blade through the Sergeant's heart. (No big loss)."
"With Kiba in charge of Squad 9 I arranged for them to be in the worst situation of all the squads. There was no doubt in my mind that Kiba and his men would have to kill savagely or be killed in turn. My son not only led his men to victory, but they also saved Squad 6 and contributed to the battle Squad 8 was in with no losses to themselves. For the first time since Kiba has been grown I can truly say I'm proud to have him as my son. He is starting to earn the respect that is fitting for the House of Warrigul. I will continue to test him and guide him down the path of the warrior as any responsible parent would. I really didn't appreciate him saying I nursed him on poison though…My daughter Hana thought it was hilarious…"
…
Stardate 2273.068 Starbase 10, United Federation of Planets
"Ship's Log Stardate 2273.068: Captain Mei Terumi reporting. After a week in dock the U.S.S. Darwin is once again ready to set sail. Chief Engineer Sassaav has finally given the ship a satisfactory report and the many teething troubles we've had are for the most part rectified. Commander Asuma Sarutobi is learning the joys of being Executive Officer and has been running from stem to stern learning how this ship operates. I'm pleased to say he's doing well although making the transition to our rather odd Cadet ranking system has him a bit confused. In order to alleviate that situation, he ordered the ship's shops to make brevet rank pins for those acting in a higher capacity than would normally be associated with their regular rank. The Medical section had him confused so it is for the best."
Admiral Hiruzen Sarutobi came aboard and took a tour while giving a formal inspection. I'm very pleased to say the Darwin passed the inspection with flying colors. We will be casting off at 13:00 hours this afternoon so our crew on shore leave will have time to return to the ship. We also have several guests aboard that will be departing soon. Despite the recent difficulties the U.S.S. Darwin is once again ready for duty…"
…
Kloene's Quarters
Kloene had two things on his mind; beautiful women and Auxiliary Warp Reactors. (As to the former; his dream girl Leatta was still out of his reach -as usual). He'd been visited by Captain Vach M'Fau this morning and as always was intimidated by the Vulcan woman. Kloene initially made a great deal of progress on the AWR project and potentially could become very wealthy off the design. That all stopped when he assumed his duties on the U.S.S. Darwin.
She'd asked for a progress report since the Cadet Cruise started and Kloene explained that he simply hadn't had time to do as much as he'd hoped. In spite of the fact Naruto had helped a great deal with ideas aside from the material he'd already provided from Tirunze, things had slowed to a proverbial crawl. 'I have to wonder what makes Vulcans tick. I'd swear Naruto and Captain Vach must somehow be related…' thought the big Orion.
Little did he know…
…
Naruto M'Fau's Quarters
Captain Vach M'fau was visiting Naruto to pick up her blonde nephew's latest advancements on the new light cruiser design. She said, "Admiral Tolm was not pleased with the situation you were put in and ordered Captain James' arrest Cadet M'Fau. Know that you have the full support of the Starfleet Bureau of Design and Repair. I realize that many aspiring officers would resign were they in your position but I for one am pleased to see you are staying with Starfleet. Your contributions in starship design are considered invaluable to the Bureau."
"Spacefaring runs in the blood of our family doesn't it, Captain Vach?" asked Naruto. "My Mother, Grandfather, you…"
Vach raised an eyebrow and asked, "What did your Mother tell you?"
"She told me you were my late Grandfather's twin." said Naruto. "I fail to see the logic in you keeping it hidden from me for so long."
"We have to maintain a professional relationship, so I simply kept the fact I'm your Great Aunt quiet." said Vach.
Naruto said, "Mother rarely mentions her Father. Perhaps next time we meet you could tell me about him. I understand you were very close."
Vach looked at her grandnephew and said, "I believe that could be arranged. He was an Engineer…you remind me a great deal of him. He would have been very proud of you. I know I am." She gave him the Vulcan salute and said, "Peace and long life my nephew."
Naruto returned her salute and said, "Live long and prosper Aunt Vach."
With that she departed leaving her nephew to wonder about the enigma that was his Great Aunt…
…
Bridge
Captain Mei Terumi had Rafi at the helm and the Cadet gently guided the Galactic Survey Cruiser out of spacedock using thrusters only. As soon as they cleared Starbase 10 Mei said, "Full impulse power Cadet Rafi."
Rafi replied, "Acknowledged." as the ship accelerated forward.
The Captain then turned to her readout and said, "Lieutenant Karatek, lay in a course to 40 Eridani A. We are going to Planet Vulcan."
If Karatek was pleased about going to her homeworld she didn't show it. "Course laid in Captain." replied the navigator.
"Ahead Warp Factor three, Rafi. Execute!" said Mei. "We have quite a way to travel."
"Ahead Warp Factor three Captain." said Rafi as the Darwin's warp engines lit up. The Galactic Survey Cruiser vanished in a flash of light…
…
Stardate 2273.073, 40 Eridani A System, Planet Vulcan Orbit
"Ship's Log Stardate 2273.073: Captain Mei Terumi reporting. NCC-1802 U.S.S. Darwin will be participating in an experiment with our sistership NCC-1800 U.S.S Byrd. The Byrd has been here for over a week loading special equipment aboard to test a new device; a Stasis Field Generator that can literally stop time around an object. The Darwin's main purpose is to monitor our sistership with special equipment that we are currently loading aboard. If all goes according to schedule both ships will be ready in two days and the experiment will be conducted, then." "Luckily for the Darwin we don't have to do anything extensive equipment wise. On the other hand, the U.S.S. Byrd has lost the use of her shuttle bay for the experiment."
"I don't envy her officers and crew having to deal with such a major task…"
…
Captain Wilhelm Peters was on the main viewscreen speaking with Captain Terumi about the upgrades to the U.S.S. Darwin. He was an old friend of Mei's. Captain Peters was gray at the temples, but the rest of his hair was dark brown and he had a very fair complexion. Peters said, "It looks like the Byrd will be undergoing a refit identical to the Darwin in 18 months. As I understand it another sistership of ours will be done in between. After we finish this little experiment for the Vulcan Science Academy, I'd like to take a tour of the Darwin to see what to expect."
"It would be my pleasure, Captain Peters." said Mei with her usual smile. "As I understand it the Vulcan Science Academy's experiment is anything but small though. Stasis Field Generators are quite a breakthrough. I wonder if they can really freeze time around an object as large as a starship like they hope to."
"Well, we'll soon find out when the Byrd places a drone freighter into stasis." said Peters. "The damn device is so huge that it takes up half of the Byrd's shuttle bay. We have several Doctors speaking about quantum physics aboard that even my engineering staff is lost. Doctor Alison Fairbanks*⑨ will be beaming over to the Darwin to monitor the Stasis Field Generator from your end once it's ready to test."
Naruto raised an inquisitive eyebrow and wondered how his redheaded friend was doing. As far as he knew she was a professor doing post graduate work at the Vulcan Science Academy now.
….
Within the hour, Doctor Alison Fairbanks beamed over and was greeted by Asuma Sarutobi. He looked at the petite redhead and found her to be very beautiful. "Welcome aboard the U.S.S. Darwin Doctor Fairbanks; I'm Commander Asuma Sarutobi, the ship's Executive Officer."
She came down off the transporter pad and shook hands with Asuma. "I'm Doctor Alison Fairbanks, pleased to meet you, Commander Sarutobi. I hope that we work well together."
….
Alison walked onto the bridge of the U.S.S. Darwin and after being introduced to the Captain she saw Naruto there at a sensor station. The redhead rushed over and said, "Naruto!" and immediately hugged and kissed the blonde Vulcan hotly before she regained control of herself. She smiled and said, "We haven't seen each other in ages! This is wonderful! I can't imagine anyone else that could help me more on this experiment."
Mei raised her eyebrows at Doctor Fairbanks' behavior. 'Must be an old flame or something.' thought the Captain.
Naruto was a bit mortified that Alison had just put a liplock on him in front of everybody. (Samui and Shizuka seemed very curious about the redheaded scientist). Nevertheless, he was very pleased to see his old friend and gave her a tiny smile. "It is good to see you, Alison. You seem well."
The redhead pumped her fist and said, "I'm doing awesome now. With your input maybe…It would be better to discuss it with your ship's science staff."
Doctor Fairbanks turned to Captain Terumi and said, "Doctor Naruto could be a real game changer in this experiment Captain Terumi. He has experience with stasis fields as I do. Could he act as my liaison with your staff? His input could be crucial."
Mei wondered if the redheaded Doctor didn't simply want to get it on with the blonde Vulcan, but Naruto said, "One of my Doctorates is in Astrophysics and Astrodynamics. I also have a Master's degree in Quantum Physics. Doctor Fairbanks and I worked on our Doctoral Degrees together."
Captain Terumi turned to Commander Beam and said, "Do you mind having him detached from the Science staff temporarily Commander?"
Jamie Beam grinned and said, "Actually I was hoping we could help with this experiment so if Cadet Naruto can assist then so much the better."
Mei gave her usual smile and said, "It seems that Doctor Naruto will be assisting you then Doctor Fairbanks."
"Excellent!" said Alison. She pulled a small memory module out of her long coat and asked, "Do you have a room where I can brief the Science staff on this experiment?"
Mei turned to Asuma and said, "Sit in on this Commander Sarutobi. Please feel free to use the Staff Meeting Room Doctor Fairbanks."
…
A few minutes later Allison Fairbanks was standing at the head of the table in front of the Science staff along with Asuma Sarutobi and Naruto M'Fau. She said, "In short the mobile Stasis Field Generator is something that has been developed over the past several years and its purpose is to literally stop time around an object. Starfleet has taken an interest in its development because the Klingon Empire is developing something similar."
Commander Jamie Beam said, "While I could see a stasis field having uses in scientific circles such as long term storage, I fail to see why Starfleet or the Klingon Empire would have any interest in such a device or having it mobile."
Naruto made a hand motion and said, "Starfleet and the Klingon Empire are interested in the applications of a stasis field as a WEAPON Lieutenant Commander Beam. Such a device could be used to pin a particularly dangerous opponent so several friendly units could move into position to amass a concentrated amount of fire against it. Another tactic I can think of would be to protect a friendly ship in a disadvantageous situation such as a massed drone attack. In either case a single ship in a fleet equipped with such a device could radically alter a tactical situation in short order."
Asuma grinned. "An excellent analysis. That makes perfect sense Cadet Naruto."
Naruto nodded and Alison looked disgusted. "That's exactly right Doctor Naruto. This device was funded primarily because the military backed it."
"Doctor Fairbanks, are we or the Klingons ahead in the development of a Stasis Field Generator?" asked Commander Sarutobi.
Alison said, "I'm not privy to the details of Starfleet Intelligence but I would guess the Klingons are winning the race because of the rushed and haphazard way this experiment is being conducted." She turned on the projector showing the device being projected aft out of the shuttle bay of the U.S.S. Byrd and 'freezing' a small freighter in time while the U.S.S Darwin observed with its special sensors and extra equipment. A series of mathematical figures scrolled down the side of the screen as the demonstration video played.
Naruto's eyebrow raised and he said, "Doctor Fairbanks, given the estimated power usage of the device and the probability of the space time field collapsing the Stasis Field Generator's possibility of success is extremely low."
Allison gave a brittle smile and said, "My personal estimates give the probability of it working as seven percent."
Asuma said in shock, "If that's the case Doctor then why are we even testing it?"
Doctor Fairbanks sighed. "The first reason is I am in the minority in my beliefs about the reliability of the device. The second is the military wants it and won't listen to me or any other dissenters."
"This isn't good." said Lieutenant Commander Beam.
Asuma looked a bit incredulous and said, "You mean to tell me that Cadet Naruto concluded it wouldn't work within mere minutes of seeing your presentation and the Doctors aboard the U.S.S. Byrd have seen the same facts and figures and still disagree?"
"I believe that given a few more years a viable Stasis Field Generator could be developed." said Alison. "It's too early for this type of testing but the powers that be are forcing it through regardless. They are in a race with the Klingons. It's the old concept that 'If they have it then we must have it too.' I've already protested this test since its inception, but they refuse to listen. I believe it's safe to say that Doctor Naruto agrees with me."
Naruto was looking over the figures in detail and said, "At a cursory examination the power costs would be so enormous that…" he turned to Alison and said, "The power coursing through that device could cause extreme damage to the U.S.S. Byrd if there is any feedback or shock damage. It is completely illogical to conduct this experiment."
"I know Naruto." said Allison grimly. "I insisted that if certain parameters were exceeded that the Stasis Field Generator would be ejected into space so the ship carrying it will be safe..."
…
"Personal Log of Asuma Sarutobi: Stardate 2273.073. I've learned a few things in my years and one of them is don't argue logic with a Vulcan. Another is to go with my gut reaction. I honestly don't know Cadet Naruto that well, but I do know he's a genius with two Doctorates and part of the Think Tank. Hell, according to Chief Engineer Sassaav he's the reason the U.S.S. Darwin is so damn fast. Naruto developed the warp theory behind it. Regardless I watched him carefully at the meeting as he looked over the math behind the Stasis Field Generator and he said independently of anyone else that it would fail. Then he said conducting the experiment was illogical. After that Doctor Fairbanks said she'd come to that conclusion herself."
"I felt we should put the brakes on this project and spoke to Captain Terumi about it. She looked into it and said that ultimately it was Captain Peter's call, and all the astrophysicists aboard said it would work and was perfectly safe. Captain Terumi then told me the reason that Doctor Fairbanks was aboard the Darwin was because the other quantum physicists didn't want to hear her negativity about the project and because she 'Didn't want to be on the U.S.S. Byrd when it blew up.' I'm no mathematician but I have a bad feeling about all of this…"
…
Stardate 2273.075, 40 Eridani A System
The arguments that Doctor Allison Fairbanks and Doctor Naruto M'Fau had against the experiment ultimately failed but they did win one valuable concession. The testing of the device would be far from Vulcan's orbit in case something went wrong. Naruto and Alison went to see Director Sekla of the Vulcan Science Academy to make sure the Planet Vulcan was kept safe from any potential fallout damage…
…
Finally, the experiment was ready. The U.S.S Byrd was on the viewscreen along with an unmanned freighter aft of her moving at impulse speed. All the sensors on the Darwin were fine tuned to the experiment and the two ships were in audio contact. "This is Chief Science Officer Jamie Beam of the U.S.S. Darwin. All sensors are locked. We are ready when you are Byrd." said Commander Beam.
They were contacted by the U.S.S. Byrd's Chief Science Officer. "Science Officer Jillian Conway to Darwin. We are stating in t-minus twenty seconds….20….10….6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Execute!"
A shimmering field shot out of the open shuttle bay of U.S.S. Byrd which enveloped the freighter in a sphere a transparent energy that almost looked like a soap bubble. "Stasis field success!" cheered Conway over the communicator.
The crew of the Darwin was too busy recording data to really cheer about it but Shar at Sensor one said, "The stasis field bubble is deforming at 9 seconds after activation."
"Sensor two, what's the power capacity of the Byrd being used currently?" asked Alison.
Maya Ayasugi at Sensor two said, "U.S.S. Byrd is currently using 15% of her power to keep the stasis field active."
Shar called out, "The field is faltering!"
"The Byrd is using 30% of her power now and climbing." said Ayasugi.
Alison grumbled and said, "Sensor three, give me a report on the Stasis Field Generator device."
"The Stasis Field Generator is fluctuating +/- 10%" Doctor Fairbanks." replied Naruto at Sensor three.
Maya Ayasugi reported, "U.S.S. Byrd is using 45% of her power to maintain the field."
"The field has lost the freighter due to the field's integrity collapsing." said Shar.
"U.S.S. Byrd is now using 60% of her power capacity." added Maya.
Naruto stated, "Stasis Field Generator is fluctuation +/- 35%"
"The field has completely collapsed." reported Shar.
Alison grimaced and said, "Shut it down."
Jamie Beam got on the communicator and said, "U.S.S. Byrd; the Stasis Field has collapsed. Shut down the generator."
Ayasugi warned, "The Byrd is using 75% of her power capacity!"
"Fluctuations in the device have exceeded +/- 55%!" warned Naruto.
"EJECT DEVICE!" yelled Alison over the communicator.
An object the size of two heavy shuttles fired out of the U.S.S. Byrd's shuttle bay before it detonated like a miniature sun several kilometers aft of the ship.
"The Stasis Field Generator device was ejected safely." sighed Naruto at Sensor three. "The device is totally destroyed."
"It's times like these that I hate being right." grumped Alison. "That will probably set the program back five to ten years."
Chief Science Officer Beam was in contact with the U.S.S. Byrd. "This is Commander Beam on the U.S.S Darwin, are you intact over there Byrd?"
"This is Conway on the U.S.S. Byrd. We're shaken up but undamaged." said the Byrd's Chief Science Officer over the communicator. "Looks like it's back to the drawing board for this project."
…
Alison was soon talking to Naruto as they looked over the minimal data they were able to use while the stasis field was actually functioning correctly (which was all of nine seconds). Naruto looked at the sensor data and said, "The Stasis Field Generator device itself started to fluctuate at seven seconds Alison. Had they done any testing with that device previously?"
The redhead shook her head and said, "It was scaled up from a one eighth sized prototype that was far from perfect. Instead of testing a quarter or half sized model on the ground and working all of the problems out they jumped straight to a full-sized model that was mobile in the sense it could be mounted in a starship. I told them time and again to wait and test things properly, but they all had the fever to get the program rolling. Haste makes waste. Now they are almost back at zero. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if Starfleet decides to cut their losses and drops the program."
Naruto said, "There will probably be an investigation by Starfleet into how the program was managed."
Alison nodded. "More like mismanaged. Luckily I was just a consultant so I should be scot free as far as repercussions are concerned." She pondered for a moment and asked, "So what have you been doing the last year and a half? Are you and T'Lyra still together?"
The blonde Vulcan said, "T'Lyra and I are bonded as you know. She's aboard the Darwin as well."
The green-eyed human girl looked a little down and said, "I've missed you Naruto. The Vulcan Science Academy isn't the same without you around." 'I wish I was T'Lyra.'
Naruto gave a minimal smile and said, "I miss the Academy as well. I was originally going to stay on as a Professor but ended up joining Starfleet instead. Space is…interesting so far. I think when I retire that I'll come back and teach at the Vulcan Science Academy at least as a guest speaker like my Mother."
"I never thought about joining Starfleet except as a consultant." said Alison. "I doubt I'd ever fit into the military you know. I'm too rebellious."
"What about Geoff Baker and Senva?" asked Naruto. "I know Senva wanted to practice in the medical field."
Alison chuckled and answered, "Geoff fell in love and got married to a Terran girl. They have a baby on the way. He never got his Doctorate, but he graduated with his Masters. Senva is working for a pharmaceutical outfit developing new medicines in Vulcana Regar."
'A pharmaceutical company…' thought the blonde. 'I wonder if they would be worth investing in…'
…
POSTSCRIPT:
*① Warrigul: Kiba's clan had the name Warrigul because of their dog like qualities. Warriguls were predatory reptilian quadrupeds found in Romulan space and kept as pets by both Klingons and Romulans. They somewhat resembled Terran dogs or Vulcan le-matyas.
*② Targ: Targs were foraging animals native to Qo'noS which somewhat resembled Terran boars with spikes on their backs. The Klingons enjoyed hunting wild targs but also maintained agricultural herds for consumption and commonly kept targs as pets.
*③ Selsseress: The Selsseress were an amphibious species native to the planet H'atoria in the Beta Quadrant. Barely sentient, they could only thrive in places of high humidity, so they mostly lived near the planet's many oceans.
*④ The bat'leth, or "sword of honor", is a traditional Klingon bladed weapon. While Klingons often carry disruptors, they prefer to use bladed weapons in combat, with the most common one being the bat'leth. The weapon is described as a curved, bilateral sword that can decapitate its victim with one stroke.
*⑤ The d'k tahg is the traditional Klingon warrior's knife. It consisted of a single, straight-edged primary blade and two curved secondary blades, which could be either fixed or hinged. It was commonly used in hand-to-hand combat and has great ceremonial value in Klingon culture. The handle features a rounded, spiked pommel and sometimes bears an emblem representing the members of its owner's house near the hilt of the blade.
*⑥ Kahless the Unforgettable was a legendary mytho-historical Klingon figure. He was the first Warrior King and Emperor of the Klingon Empire, known as the "greatest warrior of them all."
*⑦ Gre'thor is the Klingon equivalent to the Terran "Hell." It was where the souls of the dishonored go when they die.
*⑧ Bloodwine is a popular alcoholic beverage among the Klingons, best served warm. As with many Klingon foods and beverages, it is not for the faint of heart.
*⑨ Remember her? She's Naruto's old friend from the Vulcan Science Academy who specializes in Astrophysics and Quantum Theory.
POSTSCRIPT:
Well, lots of footnotes this time. I got a copy of the Klingon Dictionary for the occasion but I'm not going to be using a lot of Klingon phrases aside from cultural references. The Inuzukas are Klingons in this fic. I thought about it from the outset; it's a perfect fit for them. I decided to tag a little humor in with the Warrigul Clan. The dynamics between Kiba, Tsume and Hana always amused me, so I decided to do the Klingon version of their family bonding. Poor Kiba…See you next time. Blue out. 9/24/23