Naruto: Infinity Divide
Intercept!
Blanket Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Star Trek
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
This chapter took forever to write. Usually, my problem is not enough ideas but in this case it was the exact opposite. I ended up with far too many ideas and had to whittle them down through the process of elimination. It still ran long but there is a lot of data packed into this one. Enjoy!
Port = Left
Starboard = Right
[ ] Signifies a foreign language
~ ~ Signifies singing
Last time:
Empress Rosoni looked at the reception from the balcony she was being served at. '~I am pleased.~' she thought. '~It's apparent that our Federation guests are having a wonderful time. Granddaughter Amionn seems to have Captain Sarutobi wrapped around her little finger. I'm surprised to see granddaughter Ameann so lively though. Usually, she's shy around strangers…And he's the heir to Rzom no less. I have to wonder what power he holds…~'
The aging Monarch was curious about the Guardian's views on the United Federation of Planets and the crew of the U.S.S. Gettysburg. Obviously, these were military officers that were well versed in diplomacy, but they weren't professional diplomats or politicians -Those would come later. '~It seems that the people of the Federation people aren't that different from us despite their races. I have to wonder what the future holds.~' For the time being Empress Rosoni was satisfied that things were going smoothly…
…
Princess Amionn's private chambers
It had been several hours since the reception and Captain Asuma Sarutobi was fast asleep in the arms of Princess Amionn. She was awake with a smile of satisfaction on her face. '~My hidden voice worked beautifully. It was a simple matter to charm Asuma into my bed. He's quite a good lover. Nice and strong with lots of stamina. I wonder what the heir of Rzom will be like…~'
The Atraen Princess lay there wondering how Naruto would fit into her plans…
…
Chapter 47
Stardate 2274.316 Planet Atra, Royal Palace guest chambers
Naruto awoke in the guest room he'd been allotted for his stay in the Palace. It was immense, lavish, and opulent. The bed alone was so colossal it could easily fit seven or eight fully grown adults. The blonde stretched his limbs and thought to himself, 'I believe the Terran phrase for this bed that my friend Alison would use is total overkill. What an inefficient use of space for one person. I suppose it was designed to give one an overwhelming image of luxury rather than with any sort of logic in mind.' He looked over and saw his lovely mate Shizuka sleeping serenely beside him with a peaceful smile on her face. They were sleeping intertwined when he awoke.
Slowly her light green eyes fluttered open and looked into Naruto's azure pools. The black-haired beauty smiled warmly and kissed her mate passionately as she remembered the night before. "Good morning lover." said Shizuka happily. "How is my man this morning?"
The blonde returned her kiss and replied, "I am well Shizuka. You seem to be in good spirits this morning." He gave her a tiny smile. "I am glad."
"I just didn't like that Princess hanging all over you last night Naruto." said Shizuka with a slight frown. "I never even got a chance to dance with you."
Naruto hummed slightly in agreement. "You had me all the rest of the night to yourself though. I don't think it worked out too badly."
Her smile returned and she rolled over on top of him. "I'd be up for an encore performance of last night this morning." she said huskily.
The blonde gripped her firm rear and said "As would I my love…"
…
Planet Atra orbit, U.S.S. Gettysburg
"Ship's Log, Stardate 2274.316: Commander Mabui Kumo reporting. The U.S.S. Gettysburg is in a dilemma. We have received an emergency transmission from the Federation science ship NCC-602 U.S.S. Oberth*① which is also in the Epimetheus Star Cluster for reasons unknown. Starfleet Command's records show the Oberth as surveying a system near the Romulan border several parsecs away and their presence here is a total mystery to us. They have some sort of 'situation' and require our immediate assistance. Captain Sarutobi is still in talks planet side and Captain Liu Jiang of the U.S.S Oberth refuses to explain the situation to anyone but our Captain due to its classified nature. Currently we are heavily engaged with the Atraen negotiations and the Gettysburg leaving to help the Oberth might strain the situation…"
Commander Kumo switched off the recorder and pondered to herself, 'Worse yet we can't even find the Captain. According to Shizuka, Naruto and M'rella they last saw him in the company of Princess Amionn last night…If we can't contact him soon, I'll have to contact Starfleet Command regarding the situation with the U.S.S. Oberth and act without Captain Sarutobi's consent…'
…
Planet Atra, Royal Palace
Down on the surface Naruto, Shizuka and M'rella were gathered outside of their guest quarters having been alerted to the situation with the U.S.S. Oberth. They were getting ready to start asking around about their wayward leader when Asuma appeared arm in arm with Princess Amionn. Captain Sarutobi greeted the others happily. He was obviously in a stellar mood.
"~I take it you three slept well?~" sang Princess Amionn. "~I know I did.~" she added with a melodious giggle.
Naruto nodded and said, "We all slept well your Highness. There is a situation on the ship Captain. Commander Kumo has been trying to contact you for hours."
Asuma looked a bit startled and checked his communicator only to find he'd turned it off for privacy the previous night. He looked a bit sheepish. "I forgot to turn it back on this morning." he said embarrassed. "I'll contact the ship." His three subordinates looked less than thrilled with the situation, but all nodded in assent. Asuma flipped open his communicator and activated it. "Sarutobi to Gettysburg; come in Gettysburg."
The communicator quickly came to life with Mabui's voice. "This is Gettysburg. Commander Kumo here Captain. We have a closed channel transmission for you that can only be viewed from aboard the ship."
Captain Sarutobi looked perplexed. "Any idea as to the nature of this transmission Commander?"
"All we know is it is an emergency transmission concerning U.S.S. Oberth." replied Mabui.
Asuma glanced at Naruto who said, "NCC-602 U.S.S. Oberth; science and surveyor vessel. Has a crew of approximately 80 personnel. It's a fairly new class of ship."
The Captain nodded and mouthed 'Thank you.' to the blonde Vulcan. Then Sarutobi turned to Amionn and said, "I need to return to my ship. This is an emergency."
Princess Amionn looked pouty but sang, "~Promise me you'll come back soon Asuma?~"
Captain Sarutobi smiled and said, "But of course your Highness."
…
Planet Atra orbit, NCC-1728 U.S.S. Gettysburg
Within the hour the situation was explained to Empress Rosoni and Asuma and his party were given leave to go back aboard the Gettysburg. The Captain went to his ready room and was soon having a conversation with Captain Liu Jiang of the U.S.S. Oberth. Captain Jiang was an older man of Asian descent. He wore the blue uniform of the sciences branch. After the two Captains exchanged formal greetings, Jiang cut to the chase and said, "Captain Sarutobi; we of the Oberth are in a sticky situation. I have a Romulan science officer aboard who we rescued from a wrecked Romulan Imperial scout vessel named R.I.S. Furtive. We picked up a distress call and she was the only survivor left when we found the remains of the ship. It's a miracle she survived. The Furtive was demolished after tracking a signal from across the Neutral Zone. It broke up after the warp engines were pushed too far."
"The ship broke up?!" asked Sarutobi in surprise.
Jaing nodded gravely. "They were travelling approximately at warp factor ten. After some investigation we tracked the transmission she described, and when we found the signal it interacted with our ship's computers. It quickly took over the navigation systems and put us on our present flight path. We are now locked on course at maximum warp towards the very system you are in and accelerating. Our engineering staff doesn't know how much more the Oberth can take before we break up too. Every attempt to shut the warp engines down has met with failure. In a worst-case scenario, we will need your assistance to help us abandon ship."
"Have any other ships responded to your situation Captain Jiang?" asked Asuma.
The Oberth's Captain shook his head. "We're already travelling in excess of warp factor ten and none of the ships near our flight path are fast enough to intercept. As the Epimetheus Star Cluster is devoid of other vessels; the U.S.S. Gettysburg may be our last hope…"
…
Bridge
Captain Sarutobi quickly left his ready room and went to the bridge. Commander Kumo turned to him and asked, "What are your orders sir? We've located the U.S.S. Oberth at long range. They are eight hours out from our current position if they keep traveling at their present speed."
Asuma nodded and said, "Plot a course to intercept the Oberth at maximum warp Lieutenant Schrodinger. Give me an ETA to our destination."
Samui replied, "Aye sir. At warp factor nine we will intercept the U.S.S. Oberth in four hours, thirty-five minutes."
"Make it happen." ordered Asuma.
The blonde bombshell grinned and said, "Course laid in sir. It's all yours Rafi."
"At your command sir." said Rafi eagerly. 'Hot damn! It's time to light her up!'
Captain Sarutobi nodded and said, "Ahead warp factor nine. Engage."
To the Atraen ships in the vicinity the U.S.S. Gettysburg appeared to vanish in a rainbow effect as she jumped to warp speed…
…
Staff Meeting Room
A few minutes later Asuma was giving a briefing to his staff officers on the situation regarding the U.S.S. Oberth. Wanda Hardy was present as well and said to Lieutenant Commander Lyakat, "It sounds like that navigational guidance signal has more to it than what we've deciphered at this point."
Commander Kumo frowned slightly and said, "Is there something you'd like to share with us Commander Lyakat; Lieutenant Hardy?"
The Saurian science officer cleared his throat and said, "There is a very low frequency navigation signal that we detected and logged back when we were observing the Atra System from the edge of the Oort Cloud. It asked in Tkon script whether we would like guidance into the hub in the system and we simply replied 'no' in Tkon at the time. We were not sure of the nature of the navigational signal and have been quietly deciphering it ever since. All we really know is it's not encoded and seems to be set up for civilian ships. The idea that a Romulan vessel inside of their own territory so distant from our current location could have picked it up seems ludicrous though. The signal is not that strong."
"What I want to know is why Starfleet Command didn't report the appearance of a Romulan ship in Federation territory or the situation with the U.S.S. Oberth in advance." growled Lieutenant Commander Sassaav.
Naruto looked over at the Chief Engineer and said, "Logic would indicate they did not know. Captain Jiang seems very secretive about the circumstances of the Oberth for some reason. We could have mounted a rescue several hours ago had he not insisted on keeping it classified from anyone but Captain Sarutobi."
Shizuka nodded in agreement and said, "There is definitely information we do not know. It seems suspicious to me."
"Our duty is to rescue the crew of the U.S.S. Oberth." said Doctor Kato. "We can squabble about the Romulans and hidden agendas later."
Asuma smiled and said, "You are right of course Shizune. We need a rescue plan. The rest we can sort out later."
…
Epimetheus Star Cluster, U.S.S. Oberth
The Romulan Ante-Tribune*② Thera Sorkalif was roughly thrown in the brig by Captain Jiang's Security Chief. "What a waste of a hot woman you are." said the Chief.
The beautiful woman glared at him defiantly with burning gray eyes. "Once Starfleet Command hears about the way you've treated A member of the House Sorkalf*③ on this ship you'll all regret this!"
"Sure, we will Romulan." replied the Security Chief.
She hissed, "You should watch just who you talk to that way you bastard…"
Thera saw the Chief's boot coming towards her face and couldn't react in time to avoid it…then all she felt was pain until she saw black…
…
U.S.S. Gettysburg, Engineering
Lieutenant Naruto M'Fau was in engineering admiring his beautiful mate T'Lyra as she worked on the deck below. She slowly arched her back giving him an even better view of her amazing breasts which made the blonde Vulcan's mouth water. It was then that he looked up to her lovely face and saw her brown eyes were full of amusement. T'Lyra loved the fact she could have such an effect on her mate. 'Do you like what you see Naruto?' she asked humorously through their mental link.
The blonde Vulcan wanted to blush green for being caught so openly gawking. He replied, 'Yes my love; I do. I have missed you T'Lyra.'
'I have missed you as well my mate.' she replied. 'We will talk later in our quarters. It appears Chief Sassaav is headed towards you.'
Naruto glanced over his shoulder and saw Chief Engineer Sassaav coming his way with a grinning Ensign Kloene in tow. The blonde had to wonder what mischief his big Orion friend was up to now.
The Andorian Engineering Chief said without preamble, "We've got the data on the U.S.S. Oberth Class Survey Vessel Lieutenant Naruto. It uses the warp architecture you designed. Kloene and I are studying the ship's structure. Between the three of us we must figure out a way to slow the Oberth down without destroying her in the process. We have four hours to figure it out…"
…
Staff Meeting Room
Two hours later the Engineers were presenting their solution to the rest of the senior staff members…
"…And that's it in a nutshell." explained Sassaav. "We will run parallel to the U.S.S. Oberth until she overtakes us and then drag her down to safe speeds with a tractor beam. Once that has been accomplished it should be safe to board her and help their engineering team out with getting the ship back under control."
"Won't slamming the brakes on the Oberth put her in danger Chief Sassaav?" asked Rafi. "Compared to the Gettysburg it's not a very big ship. We could do some serious damage. I can tell you that as a helmsman."
Shizune nodded. "I agree; this seems reckless. I'm not an engineer but-"
"No, you aren't an engineer, Doctor Kato!" growled the Andorian. "We've made calculations that the Oberth can be slowed down gradually without stressing the ship's structure beyond safety limits. There are risks of course-"
"If I may interject Chief Sassaav?" asked Naruto. It was obvious to the blonde that Andorian's famous temper was rising.
Captain Sarutobi replied, "Go ahead Lieutenant Naruto."
Naruto nodded. "The Gettysburg will be travelling at top speed when we engage the tractor beam. The U.S.S. Oberth will be strained slightly, and we will gradually slow down as Chief Sassaav stated. Eventually we will let the mass of the Gettysburg slow both ships down as we reduce our own speed. The Oberth will slow down because they are towing our additional mass; not because we are pulling against them."
Everyone seemed to relax and Sassaav thought to himself, 'That's what I was trying to say! Oh well; I never was a diplomat…'
"It sounds like a rather elegant solution to a difficult situation to me." said Lieutenant Commander Lyakat.
Shizune nodded in agreement, "I understand now. Sorry for doubting you and your team Sassaav."
"It's fine." said the Andorian.
Mabui said, "That's only step one people. Once we slow the U.S.S. Oberth down then we still must assess the state of the ship and her crew. There may be medical, engineering, and other emergencies that will have to deal with. I want everyone to be sharp. In a worst-case scenario, we may have to assist in abandoning the Oberth and rescue her crew."
'As always you are a ray of sunshine Commander Kumo.' thought Samui wryly. The blonde bombshell saw a twinkle in Naruto's eye as he glanced over at her. 'Was he thinking the same thing I was?' she wondered humorously.
Asuma said, "We'll come to those bridges soon enough. I want everyone prepared for the worst though. If this so called 'navigational guidance signal' infects our systems, then we could be in the exact situation that the U.S.S. Oberth is in now."
"I have Doctor Alison Fairbanks and Ensign Ayasugi working and deciphering the signal as we speak." said Chief Science Officer Lyakat. "They are working on a remote program we can use on the Oberth to counteract the Tkon signal as well. It's our goal to introduce the counter program via a tricorder once we've boarded the Oberth so the main computer of the Gettysburg doesn't interact directly."
Commander Kumo asked, "Will it be ready in time Lyakat?"
The Saurian scientist replied, "We are working as quickly as we can. I've even pulled Ensign Simmons of engineering to help as his expertise is computer programming."
"Anything else we need to discuss?" asked Captain Sarutobi. "No? Then this meeting is adjourned. Let's get to work…"
…
Epimetheus Star Cluster, U.S.S. Gettysburg
The Heavy Command Cruiser U.S.S. Gettysburg streaked along at maximum warp heading on a parallel but opposite course to the runaway U.S.S. Oberth. On the bridge of the cruiser, it was extremely tense as the two ships closed the range on each other at a combined speed nearing warp factor twenty. M'rella looked up from her communications console and said in a distressed tone, "Still no response from the U.S.S. Oberth. We haven't received a signal from them in 65 minutes."
Asuma looked concerned and replied, "Keep trying M'rella." He turned his Captain's chair around to face Samui and asked, "What's the current ETA to our rendezvous with the Oberth Lieutenant Schrodinger?"
Samui checked the navigation panel and said, "10 minutes, 16 seconds sir."
"That gives us 5 minutes until we begin our course change to intercept." said Mabui. "Are you ready Rafi?"
The young Trill woman looked back with an excited grin and replied. "Ready. This will be the fastest warp speed intercept on record."
Naruto looked up from the science station and said, "The U.S.S. Oberth has accelerated again. They are travelling at warp factor 11.1. I advise we begin our intercept maneuver 45 seconds early. The warp bubble around the Oberth is throwing off some unusual turbulence in a corkscrew like fashion Rafi. Be prepared to compensate."
Rafi looked thoughtful for a second and asked, "How many meters out does the turbulence extend Naruto?"
The blonde did some rapid calculations and answered, "10,000 meters."
The Trill helmsman smiled dangerously and said "Hang on everybody. This is going to be a wild ride…"
…
The Gettysburg turned to starboard before angling in a wide loop back to port screaming to intercept in excess of warp factor 9. The crew felt the pull of the high-speed maneuver, and all had to lean a bit to compensate. As the cruiser turned into the flight path directly ahead of the speeding Oberth Captain Sarutobi ordered, "Viewscreen aft!" and the entire bridge crew saw the smaller science vessel bearing down upon them with a halo like effect caused by the turbulence.
Naruto said, "We will encounter the turbulence in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…."
The Gettysburg shook as the wave of turbulence struck them and Rafi yelled, "Brace yourselves for hard maneuvering! Here we go!"
Captain Sarutobi's heart leapt into his throat as the viewscreen rapidly started to pivot hard to port and the Oberth climbed above them and slightly ahead. Suddenly the screen leveled out with the science ship directly in front of them and the Captain realized his helmsman just rode the turbulence around the Oberth in a textbook barrel roll…
"Tractor beams locked sir; ready to engage!" said Samui.
Commander Kumo ordered, "Engage tractor beams! Execute!"
The tractor energy was visible as the two ships were tethered together. The Gettysburg shuddered as it was pulled along before the smaller ship gradually began to slow down due to the added mass.
Asuma said, "…Perfect…" and everyone exhaled in relief. "Reduce speed to warp factor 7 Ensign Rafi. Very nicely done."
Naruto looked at his console and said, "The Oberth has slowed down to warp factor 8.5 and is dropping speed rapidly. She is no longer in danger structurally. The interception was a complete success."
…
…Within 30 minutes the Oberth was towing the heavy cruiser along at warp factor 4.1 and the Gettysburg was doing extensive scanning of the science ship to see why the smaller vessel still wasn't responding to hails.
The images onscreen weren't very promising. "Most of the science ship's lifeboats are missing sir!" said Rafi in distress. "If they attempted to abandon ship at those speeds…"
"It would be tantamount to suicide." finished Mabui grimly.
Commander Lyakat was looking over the readings and said, "The Oberth is currently on emergency life support only. I advise we beam over a medical team as quickly as possible. The life readings are very faint, but they are there."
Captain Sarutobi said, "Bridge to transporter room; are your people set Doctor Kato? They are operating on emergency life support so you may have your hands full."
"Understood Captain; my team has made all preparations to beam over." replied Shizune over the comm. "I have Security Chief Nadeshiko and two security officers as well; just in case."
"Confirmed." said Asuma. "You may energize when ready."
The medical unit beamed out seconds later….
….
NCC-602 U.S.S. Oberth, Bridge
Doctor Shizune Kato beamed on to the bridge of the Oberth with her medical team and quickly realized the entire bridge deck was abandoned. She went over to the command chair and said, "Computer, play back the last log entry on the main screen."
"Working." replied the Oberth's computer. "Last log playback beginning…." Then Captain Jiang's weathered face appeared on the screen…
…
"Ship's Log, Stardate 2274.316: Captain Liu Jiang reporting. The U.S.S. Oberth has suffered a main inertial damper*④ failure and the backups are in danger of failing. As the crew is at risk of being crushed to death by the sheer speed of the ship alone; we have made the decision to abandon ship despite the danger. Our engineering team has estimated that we still have a 28% chance of survival in the lifeboats even at this speed. It is our hope that we will be rescued by the U.S.S. Gettysburg which is currently racing to assist us. Our crew of 81 will be divided between nine lifeboats. Any who wish to stay behind and take their chance on the Oberth have been given the choice to do so. Our coordinates for time of boarding the lifeb###s wi## ##..."
…
"…End of final log entry…" said the computer.
"Well, shit!" swore the normally genteel Shizune. She turned to the medics with her and said, "I'll contact the Gettysburg. In the meantime, start searching for any survivors aboard! There are only thirteen decks on this ship so the internal sensors should tell us all we need to know."
The Orion nurse Leatta looked up from the ship's science monitor station and said, "There is only one life form aboard this ship outside of the bridge. Whoever it is; they are locked up in the ship's brig…"
"They left someone to die in the brig?!" asked Doctor Kato outraged. "Where is their sense of ethics?!"
Doctor Shelly Wilson looked at Shizune and said, "The brig is in the primary hull. I'm headed there now."
Shizune nodded and said, "Take Leatta and someone from security with you…"
…
Brig
Shelly opened the security doors and saw a Romulan woman slumped over against the wall. She had a broken nose and was badly beaten up. Dried green blood was splattered on her Imperial uniform. Doctor Wilson got out her medical tricorder and used her hand scanner to examine the otherwise beautiful women's injuries. "Two broken ribs, a broken nose and a concussion as well as multiple scrapes and bruises." thought Shelly aloud. "Just what the hell happened on this ship?" She radioed Shizune. "Doctor Kato; I have a Romulan female approximately in her twenties that appears to have beaten or tortured. I'd like permission to beam her over to the Gettysburg to treat her injuries."
Shizune replied, "Permission granted. Take care of her Doctor Wilson…"
…
U.S.S. Gettysburg, Bridge
Soon Shizune was on the main screen talking to Asuma and the bridge crew over the com. "According to the last log entry they abandoned ship and left their Romulan guest beaten and locked up in the brig to die. I have to wonder about the moral and ethical standards of the Oberth's Captain and crew…"
The Gettysburg's bridge staff saw Lieutenant Nadeshiko in the background sit down at the navigation station in a resigned fashion. 'When Doctor Kato gets on her moral soapbox there is just no stopping her. I wonder how Naruto is doing down in engineering…'
…
U.S.S. Oberth, Engineering
While the bridge crew of the U.S.S. Gettysburg was listening to Doctor Kato rant about the overall situation with the U.S.S. Oberth and her crew; Chief Engineer Sassaav was examining the state which the science ship was in along with Ensign Kleone and Lieutenant Naruto. "There's a lot that needs to be serviced and replaced due to exceeding the design tolerances but overall, the Oberth is in good shape -all things considered." said the big Orion engineer. "Since we repaired the main inertial damper, all systems are reading green again."
"I concur." said Naruto. "The ship will need an extended period in drydock for an overhaul but there is no reason it can't return to the nearest Starbase under its own power. I am puzzled about the way things were handled on this vessel though."
Sassaav interjected, "Do you mean about the data we found showing the Oberth was already in the Romulan Neutral Zone when they received the distress call from the Romulan ship? Or the fact that they were never even near the planet they were assigned to survey by Starfleet Command? That's not suspicious at all."
Kleone chuckled and said. "Tell us how you really feel Chief."
The Andorian Chief said under his breath, "We may have stumbled onto some sort of black-ops mission boys. I'll talk to the Captain about it. You two keep these details to yourselves for now."
The blonde raised an eyebrow and then said, "Understood sir."
"I also understand sir." said Ensign Kleone with a nod…
…
Main Computer Room
Down in the lower decks; Commander Lyakat, Ensign Maya Ayasugi and Ensign Daniel Simmons were standing in front of the Oberth's main computer console as they entered the last of the counter program in the Tkon language. "Navigational override ceased. Returning control to helm station." said the computer as it verified the program was deactivated in Tkon letters as well as Galactic Basic. The ship shook slightly as the controls switched over from the computer to the helm…Which no one was currently manning…
"Computer room to bridge! I'm on my way!" yelled Simmons over the com to the bridge.
"Belay that." growled the displeased voice of Lieutenant Nadeshiko over the com. "I can steer this ship for a little while." The science vessel shook again. "Maintaining current course and heading; reducing speed to warp factor 2."
…
U.S.S. Gettysburg, Bridge
Captain Sarutobi was immensely relieved to hear the U.S.S. Oberth was free of the Tkon program's control. That meant he and the staff could plan to start rescuing the lifeboats. He turned to Commander Kumo and said, "We have nine lifeboats to find Mabui. Let's start gathering information and inform Starfleet Command that the search will commence immediately."
…
"Ship's Log, Supplemental: Captain Asuma Sarutobi reporting. The Federation science ship NCC-602 U.S.S. Oberth is no longer being controlled and is now travelling with us at warp factor 2. We have already informed Starfleet Command that we are changing course and are backtracking to the approximate point that the lifeboats should be. Several other vessels have checked in with us but it could be days before they get to us here in the Epimetheus Star Cluster. I suspect we will have the situation resolved by the time backup arrives but I also fear that there could be many injuries among the Oberth's crew so any assistance will be welcome…"
…
Sick Bay
Ante-Tribune Thera Sorkalif awoke in a bright room in a medical bed. She smelled an antiseptic scent in the air and realized that her many injuries were cleaned and dressed. Thera's ribs and nose were obviously healed though her head was still a bit foggy. 'Where am I…?' she thought as she glanced about the large sickbay. 'This isn't the science ship…' The Ante-Tribune saw a beautiful young Vulcan woman watching her intently and immediately noticed that the stunning brunette had her long hair pulled back in a tight braid unlike Thera's hair which was curly black and usually tied back in a low tail. "You are…?" asked the young Romulan noblewoman warily.
The brunette raised her hand in the traditional Vulcan salute. "I am T'Lyra Tolaris of Vulcan. I will inform the medical staff that you are conscious. You were tortured and we suspect it was by the crew of the U.S.S. Oberth."
T'Lyra got up to leave and Thera said, "W-wait! What ship am I on now?"
"You are on board the U.S.S. Gettysburg Ante-Tribune Thera Sorkalif." replied the Vulcan woman. Thera looked surprised. "Your name and identification were on you when we rescued you from the brig of the Oberth. Currently our primary concern is your health. I will retrieve Doctor Wilson now."
Thera nodded weakly and thought, 'Maybe I'll get out of this alive after all…'
…
Bridge
The Gettysburg was soon on course to the estimated position of the lifeboats and Asuma was thinking about the beauteous Atraen Princess Amionn and going back to Planet Atra. 'What a woman…' he thought wistfully.
M'rella interrupted Asuma's train of thought when she said, "Captain, we are receiving an audio transmission from NCC-1791 U.S.S. Ark Royal*⑤. They are coming to assist us with the U.S.S. Oberth's recovery."
Sarutobi pivoted his chair to face the beautiful Caitian communications officer and said, "Transmit the suspected coordinates of the Oberth's lifeboats to them Ensign."
"Already done sir." replied M'rella in her usual purring tone. "They transmitted that they are heading there."
Asuma smiled and said, "Excellent! Please inform them we are on our way there as well to rescue survivors and will coordinate with them."
The Amber eyed Caitian girl relayed the message to the Ark Royal and got a surprised look on her face. She turned back to Asuma and said, "The U.S.S. Ark Royal claims they can pick up the survivors and that the Gettysburg should continue the mission to Planet Atra posthaste per Starfleet Command."
Commander Kumo and the rest of the bridge crew turned to M'rella in shock. Captain Sarutobi said, "Get the Ark Royal on visual and verify that last transmission. They want us to abandon a rescue mission? This is unheard of!"
M'rella repeated the Captain's request to verify and then she turned back to Asuma. "Rear Admiral Lance Cartwright*⑥ of the Ark Royal wishes to speak with you in private on a closed channel sir."
Asuma frowned. "I'll take it in my ready room. Commander Kumo; you have the bridge."
….
Captain's Ready Room
The fuming Captain Sarutobi slid into his chair and thought, 'Rear Admiral Lance Cartwright is someone that Dad warned me about. The old man was suspicious of Cartwright and said he was not to be trusted for some reason.' Putting on his game face; Asuma activated his monitor and ordered M'rella to patch Cartwright through on a closed channel.
Lance Cartwright was a very stern looking human man with dark skin and black hair. He radiated an aura of authority and presented himself as a man not to be trifled with. He said in a deep voice, "This is the Ark Royal. I am Rear Admiral Lance Cartwright. I understand you have an issue with your orders Captain Sarutobi? I realize you are still a new Captain but this behavior is unacceptable."
'He's deliberately trying to bait me!' thought the Captain of the Gettysburg angrily. Taking a calming breath Asuma replied, "I find it hard to believe any Starfleet Officer would endanger the lives of a group of people that need to be rescued by halving the search party before the search has already begun. It goes against Starfleet's very philosophy…not to mention standard operational protocols."
Cartwright raised his eyebrows in surprise before frowning again. "Perhaps I misjudged you Sarutobi…It's just you are seeing the small picture. Let me give you the big picture…my picture as a flag officer. It is admirable that you wish to rescue the crew of the Oberth, but I assure you that you are being excluded for security reasons. The U.S.S. Oberth was involved in some rather shady situations that we do not condone in Starfleet. When we rescue the crew of the Oberth they will be arrested for misusing a Federation Starship and illegally entering the Romulan Neutral Zone for unknown reasons. They could have started a war. That is why the Ark Royal will conduct the rescue mission alone and the Gettysburg will return to Planet Atra."
Asuma thought to himself, 'Something isn't right here…I'd better tread carefully.' "I understand Admiral Cartwright. That still leaves the question of what to do with the U.S.S. Oberth herself and the Romulan Officer that we picked up."
The Rear Admiral nodded. "That Romulan woman you have aboard? She's a spy working for the Federation. I'll transmit her codes so she can drop her 'Loyal Romulan officer' act. Even Captain Jiang and his crew didn't know about it. Both she and the U.S.S. Oberth need to be taken to Starbase 19."
"I'll get a skeleton crew together to take her and the Oberth to Starbase 19 then."
Admiral Cartwright shook his head. "I've had my security people do thorough background checks on your crew and have already chosen an appropriate group for the U.S.S. Oberth." Asuma hid his shock and nodded. "I'll send the crew data over immediately…"
…
Ten minutes later Asuma had completely reviewed the Oberth's assigned crew. His eyes widened. 'With the exception of a few enlisted and security; the crew is the entire Think Tank…Just what the hell is going on?!'
…
POSTSCRIPT:
*①: NCC-602 U.S.S. Oberth: The Oberth is the lead ship of a class of small Federation starships used by the military and civilians alike as a scouts and science vessels. It entered service in the 23rd century. The exact date the class entered service varies from source to source. For the purposes of this story, it would be circa 2270. See Memory Alpha and Memory Beta for further details.
*②: Ante-Tribune: An Ante-Tribune is the equal of a Federation Lieutenant Commander. These are the most junior of the supervisory officers and supervise minor departments. In Ante-Tribune Thera Sorkalif's case she was a Science Officer.
*③: House Sorkalif: House Sorkalif is one of the "Great Houses" in Romulan Society and holds a chair in the Romulan Imperial Senate. Though it is grossly oversimplified here; Thera is a member of the Landed Nobility and expects to be treated as such. House Sorkalif itself has generally focused on scientific research and industrial innovation. The House also has a strong presence in the military, where its members tend to be highly traditional and devoted to duty.
*④: Inertial damper: An inertial damper is a system used on almost all starships to counter the effects of rapid acceleration and deceleration of the vessel by sustaining and absorbing the natural inertia of the ship as it moves through space or if it is under attack from another vessel. A starship could not jump to or travel at warp speed without inertial dampers as the rapid acceleration would smash the crew into the walls which would kill them instantly.
*⑤: NCC-1791 U.S.S. Ark Royal: The Ark Royal is a Federation Constitution Class heavy cruiser like the U.S.S. Gettysburg. It entered service in the 2260's. See Memory Beta for further details.
*⑥: Lance Cartwright is a canon character for those that don't know. He was a Rear Admiral in 2268 at Starbase 29 and took a temporary reduction to Captain in 2270 to command the U.S.S. Ark Royal. For plot purposes I have restored him to Flag Rank of Rear Admiral by this time (2274). Canon is unconfirmed about his actual rank at this time though he was later re-promoted.
…And done! The adventure on Planet Atra isn't over by a long shot but the Think Tank is going to have their own little side adventure. I've had a lot of requests for Naruto and company to get their own ship (even if it is only temporary) so we'll see how they do outside the simulator and in real space. See you next time. Blue out. 10/1/23.