Naruto: Infinity Divide

Subterfuge at Saturn

Naruto: Infinity Divide

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Star Trek

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

This time the Think Tank goes to fight school at Saturn One Station. Enjoy!

Port = Left

Starboard = Right

[ ] Signifies a foreign language

Last time:

Hours later FRD-15 was back in its assigned berth and the crew had boarded the U.S.S. Darwin once again. The bomb disposal unit had come and gone, and Marine Sergeant Pizer was in secured sick bay on Mars proper.

Captain Vach was sitting in the Darwin's ready room speaking with Shizuka and T'Lyra. "According to our reports so far both Wilcox and Pizer had become addicted to narcotics in the past few months, more than likely due to mental trauma from the incident on the Darwin last year. You both went above and beyond the call of duty to save the crew of the U.S.S. Darwin and I commend your actions. It seems the bomb connection is what caused the turbolifts to malfunction. Had you not been so proactive over a thousand Starfleet personnel would be dead. Well done."

She turned to T'Lyra and said, "Though it was quite brutal the forced mind meld on Sergeant Pizer was the logical solution Engineer's Mate T'Lyra. I realize that it has caused you both extreme stress and discomfort. You will be seeing a psychiatrist for the next six months as a result."

T'Lyra nodded and said tiredly, "That is a logical decision."

"I'm recommending you both for The Starfleet Medal of Valor." said Vach. "You have both proven to be exemplary examples of what Starfleet personnel should be. It is up to the Admiralty to approve this, but I personally believe you should be rewarded for your actions."

…

Chapter 23

Stardate 2272.295, Saturn Station One, Starfleet Academy Flight Range

"YEEEEAAAAHHHH!" yelled Rafi as her trainer shuttle zipped around Saturn's Moon Titan using the gravity off the moon to slingshot her even faster through the Academy Flight Range obstacle course. Hugging her port wing was Naruto M'Fau and on her starboard wing was Samui Schrodinger. The three small two-man trainer shuttles were screaming along in a tight v-formation as they raced around the rings of Saturn. All three bright yellow trainers left radiant streaks to those watching from Saturn Station One where M'rella and Shar were observing from the lounge. Shar chuckled. "Looks like Rafi is really pouring on the speed, I wonder how long it will be before her instructor yanks the controls away from her again."

M'rella giggled at her companion and motioned to their bright yellow flight suits. "Trainees aren't called 'Yellow Perils' for nothing Shar. Besides, with Rafi in the lead position I doubt anyone else could touch her. She's not the top helmsman in our class for nothing…I do feel bad for her instructor though…I think I'd be sick by now." Shar nodded in agreement as the three trainer shuttles shot through the course once again.

Saturn Station One was the primary training station for Starfleet in training future helmsman and shuttle pilots. It had a spacedock for hundreds of trainers, shuttles, and express transports for those who had passed their simulation exams and wanted to be certified. In the case of the entire class of twenty members of the Think Tank, they were required to be certified in shuttles whether it was their specialty or not.

Rafi signaled to her instructor in the back seat, "How about one more time around the range instructor?"

Her instructor, a Starfleet Ensign named Callie Talis flipped up the visor on her flight helmet showing her bloodshot eyes and said in a strangled tone, "Denied Cadet! Return us to the spacedock this instant. I want a textbook landing; ABSOLUTELY NO HOT RODDING!"

The trill girl sighed and said, "Understood instructor Talis." Rafi switched on the communicator and said, "This is Positron One to Positron Flight; we are heading in for a textbook landing at spacedock bearing 270 degrees to port, acknowledge."

"This is Positron Two, acknowledged." said Naruto over the communicator.

Samui's voice crackled in, "This is Positron Three, understood. I- BREAK HARD TO STARBOARD!"

A heavy shuttle went roaring through the Positron Flight's formation, nearly causing a collision. All of them had to do violent maneuvers to avoid crashing. Rafi growled. "That bastard was aiming for us!" She immediately switched over her IFF*① to identify the rogue shuttle. "I have an ID on the shuttle; Instructor Talis, permission to pursue?!"

Talis didn't respond and Rafi said, "This is Positron One to Saturn Station One Control. My instructor is unresponsive. We were nearly rammed by a shuttle that was on a collision course. Transmitting its IFF codes now."

"This Saturn Station One Control to Positron One." crackled the communicator. "Bring Positron Flight home. We will deal with the runaway shuttle. Land at emergency landing bay 0012 in case of serious injuries or damage to your training shuttles. We saw some extremely violent maneuvers that your flight performed to avoid collision."

Rafi wanted to throttle whoever was in the shuttle that nearly rammed them but replied through gritted teeth, "Positron One acknowledged." The young Trill woman confirmed with Naruto and Samui and Positron flight was soon on their way to bay 0012 where they all landed safely…

…

Upon landing the three trainer shuttles were indeed found to be bent and stress damaged though repairable. Ensign Talis blacked out due to having her pressurized visor up during the gut wrenching maneuvering that Rafi had to perform to save their lives. Both the Cadets and the instructors had to fill out extensive reports due to the wide ranging (not to mention expensive) damage to their trainer shuttles and Ensign Callie Talis got a tongue lashing for not having her visor down per regulations.

The Think Tank group was soon gathered in the lounge discussing Positron Flight's near disaster. Shelly Wilson said, "Well, on the positive side at least nobody was hurt. It would have been a catastrophe if there had been a collision."

"Spoken like a true medic Shelly." said Shar to his roommate in a flat tone.

Shelly's eyes lit up with an unholy fire. "I'm sure you agree as a philosopher don't you Shar?" she asked in a voice that was colder than Andor's polar regions. Shar nodded emphatically in fear.

Samui gave a minimal smile and leaned over to M'rella. She said in a low tone, "I had no idea Shelly had Shar so whipped."

M'rella's amber eyes widened slightly and asked, "Shelly is whipping him?"

The busty blonde smirked and said, "It's Earth slang meaning she dominates him a bit. Shelly is generally so nice that her telling Shar what to do struck me humorously."

M'rella nodded in agreement and said, "Hmmm. I see your point." with a smile.

Naruto said to the still steamed Rafi, "I'm sure we will find out who was responsible for the course of that heavy shuttlecraft eventually Rafi. You need to calm yourself."

Rafi said, "I hope whoever it is gets thrown out of the program. Better yet, you or Samui can get them in the sparring ring and clobber them."

"I'd be cool with that." said Samui.

…

Stardate 2272.296, Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards, Orbital Shipyards, Planet Mars, FRD-15, U.S.S. Darwin

Shizuka was getting familiar with the 'new' Darwin and could navigate her way around well. It had been a week since the bomb threat and the psychiatrists had determined she was unaffected by the rather rough mind meld with T'Lyra. T'Lyra had explained to her that there might be some side effects, but it seemed that there weren't any and Shizuka was glad for that. On the other hand, the Security Chief was concerned for her new friend T'Lyra. It seemed that all the information she got from Pizer's mind had left the Engineer's Mate stuck assimilating a great deal of information.

Captain Vach had returned to Earth by this point but not before requesting a Vulcan High Master to help T'Lyra with her situation. As it turned out High Master Lodzhal of the P'Tranek Monastery came because he was already familiar with T'Lyra's situation. Shizuka was in the transporter room when the High Master arrived. Shizuka said, "Welcome aboard the U.S.S. Darwin Master Lodzhal. I am Security Chief Shizuka Nadeshiko and I will be your guide."

Lodzhal gave her the Vulcan salute and said, "I come to serve." He then looked at her oddly at her mangled salute in response.

Shizuka sweat dropped. "I am a full Vulcan but I was raised as a human on Earth."

He simply nodded and said, "Take me to T'Lyra Tolaris please. I would like to discuss your parentage with you later."

The Security Chief nodded and said, "T'Lyra is my main concern, Master."

His simply nodded and she thought, 'God he's taciturn. I wonder why he's interested in my parents.' Shizuka got on the communicator and said, "Overhead computer." Seeing the screen light up that showed she was on the public overhead she said, "Engineer's Mate T'Lyra please report to sick bay immediately." The Security Chief then led Master Lodzhal to the Darwin's sick bay from the transporter room.

T'Lyra was already there when they made it to sick bay. Lodzhal gave the Vulcan salute to T'Lyra and said, "I come to serve."

"Your service honors us." said T'Lyra as she returned his salute. "Welcome Master Lodzhal. Thank you for coming."

Lodzhal nodded and said, "I was the logical choice as we are already acquainted. Shall we proceed?" Seeing T'Lyra nod he said, "Let us find a place in private where there will be no interruptions."

…

High Master Lodzhal soon had T'Lyra lying down and stood beside her where he initiated a mind meld. He spoke to her mentally.

T'Lyra's mindscape…

"You had to demolish his defenses; it is little wonder that you are so distressed. Let us begin by sorting through these memories that are contaminated. It is clear this human you were forced to meld with was severely unstable."

"The medics said he was heavily drugged with narcotics." said T'Lyra. "Coupled with his instability it was very uncomfortable to be in contact with him at all."

Lodzhal mentally nodded and said, "You did the logical thing T'Lyra. We will filter out his personal thoughts and eliminate them. The knowledge you gained will remain with you however. To make things optimal we will also organize your new knowledge so it will take some time…"

…

It took hours for T'Lyra to organize and cleanse her mind under the careful guidance of Master Lodzhal. By that evening Pizer's contamination was gone leaving T'Lyra with a great deal of knowledge about demolitions. She decided it was logical to begin training in the field as she had a virtual study guide in her mind.

T'Lyra opened her eyes and blinked. She looked over at Master Lodzhal who was still standing beside her. "Thank you for your help Master Lodzhal." said the beautiful brunette. "Being rid of Sergeant Pizer's thoughts makes everything clear again."

"That is as it should be." said Lodzhal. "You should rest overnight. Call your mate and inform him you are well first of course."

T'Lyra said, "You are curious about Lieutenant Nadeshiko are you not Master?"

The Master's eyebrow raised slightly and he said. "You picked up that errant thought, did you? Your telepathy has grown since we last met. You must have been practicing as I instructed. Well done. In answer to your question, I am curious about Shizuka Nadeshiko's origins. She may well have family on Vulcan that she should know about."

"That is logical." agreed T'Lyra.

…

Stardate 2272.296, Saturn Station One

Naruto was talking to T'Lyra via subspace on his tablet and was greatly relieved that she was alright. "It has been a very difficult week." said T'Lyra to her mate. "However, Master Lodzhal helped me put things in order."

The blonde looked longingly at T'Lyra and said, "I wish I could have been there with you through this trying time. I have been very concerned for your welfare."

Her dark brown eyes looked content and T'Lyra said, "I know you have Naruto. You do not know how much that means to me. How are you doing?"

Naruto sighed, "Things are tense here on Saturn. There was a runaway shuttle yesterday that was recovered by the station, and nothing has been revealed about the circumstances around it. My friends Rafi, Samui and I were all put in danger by it and believe it should be resolved but none of the upper officers have said anything to us. It has us all concerned."

T'Lyra got a gleam in her eye and said, "I'm sure you and your comrades in the Think Tank will figure it out."

"Rest assured we are looking into it." said Naruto.

T'Lyra then asked offhand, "What do you think about me getting a certification in demolitions?"

The shocked look on Naruto's face made her burst into mental giggles…

…

Stardate 2272.297, Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards, Orbital Shipyards, Planet Mars, FRD-15, U.S.S. Darwin

The next morning Shizuka was talking with Master Lodzhal. "I guess it would be best to have you check out my mind for possible contamination. I had no idea T'Lyra had so much power."

Lodzhal nodded and said, "It is not my place to say how that occurred, but she did not wish for such power. Shall we proceed?"

Shizuka said, "For the record I'm not too keen on people poking around inside my head."

"None of us do." said Lodzhal. "We Vulcans are a very private people and such intimate contact is not taken lightly." It only took Master Lodzhal about an hour to assure that Shizuka had no mental contamination from the mind meld with T'Lyra. 'It seems that despite her lack of experience that T'Lyra Tolaris kept her mental contact to a minimum with Shizuka. She seems to have the potential to be a great telepath one day.'

Lodzhal removed his hand from Shizuka's temple and the raven-haired young woman woke up. Shizuka blinked and shook the cobwebs from her mind. "That was an experience." said Shizuka. "Am I okay Master Lodzhal? I feel pretty good and rested."

The Vulcan High Master said, "There is no contamination or imprinting from the mind meld. You are unaffected."

"Great!" said Shizuka. "I can get back to work without worries then."

If Master Lodzhol had any thoughts on Shizuka's very emotional response he didn't show it. The Vulcan Master said, "Lieutenant Nadeshiko, would you be interested in finding out about your Vulcan family? I understand you lost your parents at birth and were adopted by human parents but there must have been a reason the Vulcan government did not place you with relatives for your own welfare."

"I always thought I just slipped through the cracks or had no living Vulcan relatives." said Shizuka. "I was never really concerned about it but I admit I am curious. I've never been to Planet Vulcan after all."

Lodzhal nodded and said, "A simple DNA test would be all that is needed to locate your family on Vulcan. If you wish I will take it back to Vulcan with me to confirm. There are many things about the Vulcan physiology and psyche that you clearly do not know. It would be in your best interest to find out about these things."

Shizuka heard the seriousness in his voice and said, "Alright, I suppose it can't hurt."

…

Later that day T'Lyra and Shizuka bid farewell to the Vulcan High Master. "Let me know what you find out please." said Shizuka as she handed over a vial to Master Lodzhal.

Lodzhal nodded and said, "You will be contacted as soon as we find out something Lieutenant Nadeshiko." He turned to T'Lyra with the Vulcan Salute and said, "Peace and long life T'Lyra Tolaris."

T'Lyra returned his salute and said, "Live long and prosper Master Lodzhal."

Shizaka then turned to their transporter chief and said, "Energize." Master Lodzhal shimmered out of existence…

…

Stardate 2272.298, Saturn Station One

The entire Think Tank was having an impromptu jam session down in the station's living areas. "The whole situation seems a bit unusual." said Daniel Simmons of the engineering group. "No reports about the runaway shuttle or the damage to the trainers are logged. The whole situation seems like a cover up to me."

Kleone chuckled, "Hacking again Dan?"

"What's the point of having a Doctoral Degree in Computer Sciences if you don't put it to use?" asked Daniel rhetorically. "What they don't know won't hurt them."

Samui gave one of her minimal smiles to the resident hacker and said, "Just don't get caught Simmons. You are our best computer specialist."

Simmons grinned and said, "Not to worry, I'm not digging any deeper than absolutely necessary."

Rafi said, "At least we got the IFF codes. That shuttle is somewhere on this station."

"It's in secured docking bay 0106." said Daniel. "…And the IFF codes are registered to a black project on Mars."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Someone tried to steal a black project and Command is covering it up?"

"That's what the data seems to confirm." said Simmons. "The question is who it actually belongs to. As far as Saturn Station One is concerned that shuttle doesn't exist but clearly someone knows about it."

…

"Personal Log of Naruto M'Fau: Stardate 2272.298. Something most unexpected has occurred. Captain Anthony MacDougal, who is second in command of Saturn Station One has summoned Rafi, Samui and I to his office regarding the 'shuttle accident' at 08:00. We are all expecting to be ordered to be silent about the matter, but we weren't summoned under guard. One is forced to wonder exactly what is going on…"

…

08:00

The three Cadets were shown into Captain MacDougal's rather spacious office where a balding man with a red mustache was seated. Naruto had only seen pictures of the man and knew MacDougal was the second in command of the station. He seemed to be sweating a bit and rather fidgety. Captain MacDougal said, "Welcome Cadets, I want you to know this conversation is completely off the record. What you hear in this room stays in this room. At ease, please be seated."

Samui, Rafi and Naruto impassively sat down expecting to be told the accident never happened but were quite surprised to hear otherwise. MacDougal said, "I've been speaking to my old friend Admiral Pye from Starfleet Academy on Earth. It seems that you Think Tank Cadets are familiar to him. Because of his faith in you I want to ask a favor of you."

'Here it comes.' thought Samui. 'A silence order.'

The mustached man said, "I assure you that you are in no trouble. I need you all in the Think Tank to repair something for me."

Rafi immediately thought, 'Repair something? What the hell is going on?'

"That shuttle that nearly hit you three is…special." said MacDougal. "It was sent out here for testing but because of an unfortunate series of events it was damaged. I need your little group to repair it so we can return it to the department it belongs to. The shuttle itself has been fully repaired but the electronics in it are rather sensitive. That's where you come in."

Naruto did a mental face palm. "So, someone tried to steal a Simulator Shuttle and we of the Think Tank are the only ones who can fix it."

MacDougal looked shocked for a moment and then laughed. "You kids catch on fast! Pye was right. Can you do it? I assure you it will be worthwhile in the future."

Rafi sweat dropped. 'A Mars black project was broken under MacDougal's watch and his career is probably on the line. This is like a bad comedy.'

Samui cringed slightly thinking along the same lines as Rafi. Her gut reaction was to say, "What's in it for us to fix your mistake?" But the beautiful blonde immediately quashed that idea.

Naruto simply asked, "How bad is it and what is our timetable sir? Most of the Think Tank would have to be involved for such a repair job."

MacDougal leaned forward and said, "We have 72 hours, I don't know how bad the damage is. My people can't make heads or tails of it. Report to Secured Bay 0106 at 23:00. I will see you there."

…

10:30

"Personal Log of Samui Schrodinger: Stardate 2272.298. We of the Think Tank decided that this situation would best be placed in the hands of the Judge Advocate General*②. Captain MacDougal informed us that we were to hack the shuttle's black boxes*③ to ensure that no one would suspect anything. This whole situation is a breach of conduct that borders on treason. Our group was very divided on what to do but Naruto finally joined in the debate and said that the logical thing to do was to go over Captain MacDougal's head consequences be damned. As he tends to do Naruto dominated the debate once logic got involved. He also argued that this could be a test to evaluate our integrity as a group."

"Fortunately, we have evidence. Our Starfleet insignia have micro recorders in them thanks to our science team. After a bit of debate Naruto, Rafi and I decided we should be the ones to go over MacDougal's head and see Rear Admiral Sheila Tristan about the matter. Unless she is in on it too then she will inform the proper authorities…"

…

13:00

Naruto, Rafi and Samui entered the office waiting room of Saturn Station One's Commander, Rear Admiral Tristan where a rather bored female Ensign was sitting at a desk. There were two Security guards at the actual entrance to the Admiral's office as well. They saluted her and were about to submit a report when The Ensign stopped them and said in a droning voice, "Welcome Cadets, if you have a grievance against one of your instructors about your grades then please head over to the Student-Teacher Committee Office on Deck 3. If you wish to report the activities of your fellow Cadets about bullying or other unethical behavior, then please head over to the Students Affairs Office on Deck 9. If you believe you are under too much stress or have other issues of a personal nature, then please report to the Student Counselors' office on Deck 17. The Admiral doesn't have time to address your personal issues as she has a station to run. If that is all then you are dismissed."

Samui said, "This is not about our grades or any of the other things you mentioned Ensign; this is about treason, and we wish to report it directly to the Admiral because the officer we wish to press charges against answers directly to the Admiral."

The Ensign frowned and said angrily, "Is this some kind of practical joke?! You three are in serious trouble if you think for a minute I'll put up with this."

Rafi said in a strong voice, "There is no falsehood in this. We believe the matter should fall under the auspices of the Judge Advocate General. If we are wrong, then we are prepared to face the consequences."

The Ensign snapped her fingers and said, "Guards, escort these Cadets to the brig for questioning. They clearly don't know their proper place."

The two guards drew their side arms and moved towards the Cadets. "Alright Cadets; against the wall. You are in deep sh-"

"Ensign Reynolds, why are the Admiral's guards pointing phasers at three unarmed Cadets?" asked a Vulcan Commander in a blue Medical Officer's Uniform as he came out of the Admiral's office.

The now named Ensign Reynolds said, "These three Cadets claim they need to see Admiral Tristan to address a matter of treason. They even claim to want JAG involved!"

Naruto thought, 'This Doctor is Vulcan. Perhaps he will listen to us.' The blonde gave the Vulcan salute and said, "I am Cadet Naruto of the Maat Fau Clan. I come to serve."

The Medical officer returned his salute and said, "I am Doctor Rekan of the Yel Tsatik Clan. Explain your situation to me Cadet."

"But Sir I-" said Reynolds.

Rekan cut her off with a glare and said to the guards, "Return to your posts and put away your weapons. Vulcans do not lie without a logical reason. What is the situation, Cadet?"

Naruto let out the tiny breath he'd been holding. "Captain Anthony MacDougal has attempted to get our cooperation in committing an act of treason. We have proof to present to Rear Admiral Tristan as she is the only person on Saturn Station One who outranks him."

"You say you have proof?" asked the Admiral as she walked out of her office. She was a trim, fit looking human woman in her late sixties.

"Yes Ma'am!" said all three cadets with a salute.

Admiral Tristan glared at them with hard eyes, but the Cadets didn't flinch. She said, "Doctor Renak please remain present. I want to see this proof you Cadets supposedly have on MacDougal." The Admiral added as she motioned them all to follow her into her office, "Guards accompany us." She sat down at her desk and said, "I hope you Cadets realize the consequences of your actions before you commit to this. If your proof isn't to my satisfaction, you will face severe consequences. What are your names?"

The blonde Vulcan said, "I am Cadet Naruto M'Fau."

"Cadet Rafi reporting Ma'am." reported the Trill girl.

The beautiful augment girl said, "I'm Cadet Samui Schrodinger Admiral."

Admiral Tristan motioned for them to sit down and said, "Tell me what is going on and show me your proof. I'm very curious as to what 'treason' Captain Anthony MacDougal committed. Speak freely as your futures are on the line here."

Samui gulped and said, "Captain MacDougal revealed to us that a shuttle that nearly caused an accident was in fact a prototype Simulator Shuttle. It is damaged and he wants us of the Think Tank to repair it so he can return it to its proper owners."

Tristan's eyes widened and she thought, 'Tony said the Simulator was safe under guard and hadn't been touched by any of our personnel. What has that idiot done?!' "…And you have proof of this Cadets?"

"We have a holographic record of the conversation Admiral." said Naruto. "I believe it should provide sufficient proof."

"Where is it?" asked the Admiral.

Rafi removed her Starfleet insignia from her uniform and said, "It is here. With your permission I'll activate the projector so you can see it."

"Make it so." said Admiral Tristan.

Rafi quickly unfolded her pin and set it on the table. She then said, "Playback Stardate 2272.298 starting at 08:12 hours."

The projector activated and Captain MacDougal appeared from Rafi's point of view. "Welcome Cadets, I want you to know this conversation is completely off the record. What you hear in this room stays in this room. At ease, please be seated. I've been speaking to my old friend Admiral Pye from Starfleet Academy on Earth. It seems that you Think Tank Cadets are familiar to him. Because of his faith in you I want to ask a favor of you. I assure you that you are in no trouble. I need you all in the Think Tank to repair something for me."

"That shuttle that nearly hit you three is…special. It was sent out here for testing but because of an unfortunate series of events it was damaged. I need your little group to repair it so we can return it to the department it belongs to. The shuttle itself has been fully repaired but the electronics in it are rather sensitive. That's where you come in."

"Stop playback!" said Admiral Tristan. "Do you always record conversations with your superior officers?"

Naruto answered, "No, we do not. The situation with Captain MacDougal was highly suspicious, however. The three of us and our instructors submitted reports about that shuttle nearly colliding with us, but the reports were never logged. The shuttle that nearly hit us was also never logged and we turned in its IFF codes to Saturn Station Control. As our logs were apparently erased, we had suspicions of a cover up as a result."

"A reasonable conclusion." commented Doctor Rekan.

The Admiral nodded. "Very well, continue the playback."

"So, someone tried to steal a Simulator Shuttle and we of the Think Tank are the only ones who can fix it." said Naruto in the hologram.

MacDougal looked shocked for a moment and then laughed. "You kids catch on fast! Pye was right. Can you do it? I assure you it will be worthwhile in the future."

"How bad is it and what is our timetable sir?" asked Naruto. "Most of the Think Tank would have to be involved for such a repair job."

MacDougal leaned forward and said, "We have 72 hours, I don't know how bad the damage is. My people can't make heads or tails of it. Report to Secured Bay 0106 at 23:00. I will see you there…"

…

Tristan sighed. 'Unless this recording is completely fabricated this evidence is damning. What have you done Tony?' She said rather sadly, "Get me security Chief Bantam. Tell him to report to my office."

The Security Chief soon arrived and rang the buzzer to the Admiral's office. "Come." said Tristan.

"Security Chief Bantam reporting as ordered Ma'am." He raised his eyebrows when he saw three Cadets in the Admiral's Office. The huge hulk of a man asked, "How may I be of service Admiral?"

Tristan drummed her fingers and said, "By my authority you are to take an armed security team and place Captain Anthony MacDougal under arrest on grounds of suspected treason and place him in maximum security in the brig."

Now Security Chief Bantam's eyebrows were near the ceiling. "Ma'am I-"

The Admiral said, "It's a shock to me too. Carry out your orders Bantam."

The big Security Chief saluted and said, "I will report in as soon as I have the Captain in a cell." He quickly exited.

Tristan hummed for a second and said, "What shall I do with you three?" Her hands danced across her touch pad in her desk, and she said, "You are key witnesses in a possible Court Martial. We're going straight over to Lieutenant Commander Collins office." She stood up and said, "Follow me, Cadets."

The three followed the Admiral down the hall into an office clearly marked 'Starfleet Justice Division.' Commander Collins was at her desk and stood up and saluted the Admiral. Tristan said, "At ease Commander. We have an issue for JAG, and I need you to take statements from these three Cadets."

Collins nodded and said, "These Statements are pertaining to…?"

Rear Admiral Tristan said, "A possible Court Martial of Captain Anthony MacDougal on grounds of treason."

The Lieutenant Commander was shocked but hid it well enough. "They are the primary witnesses?"

Tristan nodded. She said gravely, "I believe Tony's career is over."

"I'll need a statement from you as well Admiral." said Collins somberly.

"Of course, you do." said the Admiral.

…

18:00

Naruto, Samui and Rafi had several grueling hours of questions both seemingly related and unrelated to the case against Captain MacDougal. Commander Collins was extremely thorough about everything it seemed. The three were standing at attention in front of Commander Collins after they gave their individual statements. Collins said, "I will reiterate that everything about this case is classified, and you are not to discuss it with anyone. I'm pulling you from flight training and placing you in secured quarters for your protection. You will be able to continue your class work there."

By 19:00 all three Cadets had separate rooms to themselves with guards posted at their doors and were none too happy about their situation. Naruto immediately started studying things outside his normal curriculum, Starfleet Law and Court Martial Proceedings. Coincidentally Samui and Rafi were doing the same thing independently. Their computer stations were being monitored by security to "…Make sure this bunch of brainiacs don't hack the system." said Commander Collins. "They aren't called the Think Tank for nothing."

…

Admiral Tristan was in her office looking over the records for the three cadets and stopped on Naruto's. She thought aloud, "Conceived on Tori Prime IV. Born on Planet Vulcan. A graduate of the Vulcan Science Academy with two full doctorates. So, this is T'Ara's son."

Tristan read about his Starfleet career. 'He's received a personal Commendation from Admiral Pye for beating the Kobayashi Maru and a further Group Commendation from Pye with his fellow Fast Track Students for developing the simulator shuttle prototype. He's also been nominated for the Cochrane Medal of Excellence*④ by Admiral Tolm for Excellence in advancing warp architecture. He doesn't even know about that yet but he's basically a shoo-in for the award. Yes, he's T'Ara's boy all right. I'd never have guessed back when we were on the U.S.S. Republic together that T'Ara's unborn son would end up being a genius like her…'

"Computer, what is Cadet Naruto studying at his computer station right now?" asked the Admiral.

The computer said, "Working…Cadet Naruto is currently studying Starfleet Law and Court Martial Proceedings regarding treason Articles I through XX. He is on page 117 of Article VII."

Sheila Tristan laughed and remembered her Chief Science Officer T'Ara always studying things just because of her love of knowledge. "Like Mother like son…"

…

POSTSCRIPT:

*① IFF: Identification Friend or Foe.

*② Judge Advocate General (JAG): The Judge Advocate General Corps (also known as Starfleet Justice Division) is a division of the United Federation of Planets Starfleet responsible for legal matters concerning Starfleet personnel, including court martials.

*③ Black Box: Flight recorders, etc. that are designed to be recovered in case something goes wrong such as a crash. Tampering with them without leaving traces would be difficult at best.

*④The Cochrane Medal of Excellence is awarded to Starfleet officers and cadets by the Zefram Cochrane Institute for Advanced Theoretical Physics, who performed outstanding feats in various areas. The official document that accompanied this medal is signed by the institute's director and Starfleet's head of staff. The award was named for Zefram Cochrane.

Well, it seems that nothing is ever simple for Naruto & Co. See you next time. Blue Out. 9/23/23