Naruto: Infinity Divide
The Le-Matyas
Blanket Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Star Trek
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Siegfried's story will comprise most of this installment before we switch back to Naruto next chapter. Enjoy!
Port = Left
Starboard = Right
[ ] Signifies a foreign language
Last time:
S'Harien came over and said, "We've got the flatbed if you want to lead us out there. You can go as fast as you want." she added with a smirk. "The Le-matyas are professional racers unlike Radak."
The blonde's mind drifted back to his childhood when Rafi would put him in a flight simulator and would say "Light it up, Ziggy!" Siegfried's ice blue eyes met her reddish-brown ones. "Try to keep up." he said.
She nodded eagerly as everyone put on their helmets and gave a small salute to show they were ready. Then S'Harien pointed to Siegfried in a 'go' motion and he took off like a bat out of hell…
The platinum blonde watched his scope and his mirrors as he shot effortlessly across the wilderness and left the Le-matyas trailing behind in the dust. It wasn't a real race per se, but Siegfried was enjoying himself immensely, nevertheless. When he came to a halt S'Harien was the first to arrive a minute later. The rest arrived about ten minutes after that. The flatbed was trailing behind by fifteen minutes.
S'Harien had a wild look of exhilaration in her reddish eyes when she opened her visor. She said to the blonde, "That was some dynamic riding Ziggy." Then Siegfried pointed to the burnt-out wreckage the was once Radak's speeder bike and her face fell. "What a mess…" she commented.
It took about two hours for the team to gather all the debris up. Siegfried pulled the mainframe out of the sand and set the mangled bike on the back of the flatbed. Dvir shook his head. "This one is going to the scrapheap. It's a miracle Radak wasn't killed."
That's when they heard a roar. A real Le-matya was prowling the area and the racing group was afraid of the beast. S'Harien pulled a stun rifle off the flatbed and said, "Everybody get back.' 'This thing looks hungry and dangerous...'
Then the blonde smothered the area in killing intent and glared at the creature. The big hunting animal retreated quickly after that. S'Harien had stars in her eyes and Dvir thought, 'This Ziggy guy is something else…'
…
Chapter 68
Stardate 2282.232, Klingon Imperial Territory, I.K.V. Direslayer
The Klingon D7L I.K.V. Direslayer under the command of Klingon Commodore Kiroth knifed through space back into Klingon Imperial Territory and safety. The command cruiser was damaged but could still fight and her crew was furiously making repairs to the ship as they fled deeper into Klingon space.
They had been in a particularly vicious cruiser battle involving four Federation cruisers led by Commodore Ricardo Dominic in the U.S.S. Hornet and four Klingon Cruisers led by Commodore Kiroth in the I.K.V. Direslayer in the Rubiss System a few days before. The result had been mutual annihilation of the two squadrons of ships. The Hornet had nearly been captured but self-destructed leaving only the Direslayer behind to lick her wounds. All the other Klingon and Federation vessels were destroyed in battle.
Despite the brutal losses, the Klingons had captured Commodore Dominic of the 4th Fleet's Intelligence Division… A man too valuable for the Federation to lose…
…
Stardate 2282.233, Planet Vulcan, ShiKahr City, T'Ara and Sovar's House
The next day, young Siegfried M'Fau was reading an electronic letter from Chu'lak Stonn's parents. It was very unexpected arriving over a month after the kal-if-fee but was relevant to the blonde's current situation, nevertheless…
…
To Siegfried M'Fau-
You probably do not know of us, but we are Chu'lak Stonn's parents. My name is Evekh and my husband's name is Surev. We cannot express our sorrow at our son Chu'lak's passing. He was our firstborn and our greatest joy. When he met T'Rel, he became totally enamored with her beauty and left his own betrothed behind in favor of her.
Neither of us supported their decision to run away together and protested against him taking the betrothed of another. We were not present for the kal-if-fee as a result. I felt he resented us for not agreeing with his decision, but he believed he was invincible because he was the Lirpa Champion. Both my husband and I knew someday he would be knocked off his pedestal, but we never dreamed he would be killed.
As you were deep in the plak tow both Surev and I cannot logically hold you responsible for defending your right to be T'Rel's husband. It has been that way since ancient times, but we still wish it could have been resolved peacefully. We grieve for our lost son and hope that the wounds you received do not leave your young heart scarred forever.
-Evekh and Surev Stonn
…
Siegfried quietly closed out the electronic letter and for the first time realized there was more to things than he realized. The blonde wanted to reply to the Stonn family but didn't know what to say. He finally wrote a short response to Chu'lak's parents thanking them for their letter and telling them how sorry he was that things happened the way they did. It was a sobering experience for the young hybrid, and he felt that the other side of the story was just as tragic and sad as his was… He also had to wonder about T'Rel as well as Chu'lak's betrothed…
The fifteen-year-old hybrid went for a walk around his neighborhood in ShiKahr in his desert travelling robes to clear his head after he sent his electronic letter off to the Stonn's. He was walking back to his house when he heard the roar of an ion engine speeder bike pull up. It was S'Harien. She took her helmet off and said loudly, "Hey Ziggy! What are you doing in those old desert clothes? Where's your bike?"
He was taken a bit off guard and pointed directly to the house behind him. "It's in the garage. I was just out taking a walk."
She pulled up in the driveway and said, "This is your house?"
Siegfried nodded. "Yes. I live here with my grandparents."
"What about your parents?" asked S'Harien.
"They are in Starfleet." explained the blonde. "They are fighting in the war."
"Wow." she replied as she shut her bike down. "I hope they are safe for your sake."
Sovar stuck his head out the front door and said, "Siegfried, who is your friend? T'Ara just put some spiced tea on. Invite her in."
The hybrid said, "Tea?" to S'Harien.
She gave a tiny smile and said, "Sure, I prefer ale, but I'll try some tea."
…
"This is really good, spiced tea, Mrs. M'Fau. I've never had anything like it." said S'Harien. "They don't have tea like this back in Raal."
"It's an old family recipe the M'Fau Clan has had for generations." explained T'Ara. "So, what brings you out here Miss Sofek?"
"Just call me S'Harien." said the dark brown-haired beauty. "I'm the leader of the Le-Matyas Racing Team and I can tell Ziggy has what it takes to be a dynamic racer."
Siegfried replied, "I'm very flattered but I'm attending the Vulcan Science Academy. Most of the time I don't even have weekends off due to homework."
S'Harien's jaw dropped. "Don't you have to be some kind of genius to get into the VSA?"
T'Ara's onyx eyes glittered with mirth. "I hold three doctorates; Siegfried's Father Naruto holds three doctorates and his Mother Samui holds two as well as other degrees."
"Wow." said S'Harien. "Radak said you graduated primary school early and he thought you went to a tech school. I had no idea you went to the VSA Ziggy. What are you learning?"
"I study astrophysics and quantum physics there, but my main area is the computer sciences." explained Siegfried. "I mainly work on my speeder bike as a hobby."
"But where did you learn to ride so well?" asked S'Harien in puzzlement.
The blonde replied, "I rode dzharels a lot as a child on the Plains of Gol. It seemed natural to ride speeder bikes after that. Besides, my clan's name is M'Fau, the riders."
"So, what does Ziggy mean?" asked S'Harien eagerly. "I've never heard the name before."
"Siegfried is an old Earth name that means victory and peace." said the hybrid. "My Mother grew up on Earth."
"Ah, so it is a human name, this has been very educational." replied S'Harien. "I like the way Ziggy rolls off the tongue."
Siegfried looked nonplussed at being called Ziggy. T'Ara and Sovar were both quietly amused. Sovar asked, "So S'Harien, what is your background? You obviously did something before you became a racer."
S'Harien replied, "Well, I grew up in Raal and after primary school I went to the Raal Technical School to work on bikes. I was with the local racing team called the Fire-Birds but had a falling out with them. So, I took what teammates wanted to join me and moved out here to ShiKahr to form the Le-Matyas."
She made a fist. "Someday I want to return to Raal and smoke the Fire-Birds in their own territory just to show them what they lost. I hoped you would join my team Ziggy, but it sounds like you're too busy with school."
"Associate Professor Adenkar*① at the Vulcan Science Academy might be willing to help." said Siegfried.
"Is he a racer?" asked S'Harien.
The blonde shook his head. "No, he is one of the professors in our School of Engineering. Professor Adenkar is the technician that customized the engine to racing specifications in Father's VST-220R."
S'Harien's brain shorted out for a second before rebooting. "A VST-220R… Every racers dream classic… What I'd give to see one up close just once."
Sovar raised his eyebrows. "Why not see it now? It's out in the garage."
The tall girl's eyes widened to comical proportions. "It's out in the garage…? Can I see it Ziggy?!" she asked excitedly.
All three M'fau's raised an eyebrow. Siegfried looked at his grandparents who nodded and he turned to S'Harien. "I don't see why not." The blonde led her out to the garage where his spotless black VST-800R custom sat ready to ride. Beside it was a tarp covering Naruto's bike that Siegfried gently removed.
S'Harien stood there in awe as the crimson red racing machine glittered pristinely with the small letters VST-220R emblemized on it. She stared at the bike and slowly started rattling off specs with an expert eye. Then she said, "This is the real deal. It's not a replica bike. Does it run?"
"Of course, it runs." said Sovar. "Siegfried and I have been doing maintenance on it to keep it running like new for years. We start it up once a month to do diagnostics."
"Can I hear it?" the dark-haired beauty practically begged.
Finding the whole situation entertaining, Sovar said to Siegfried, "Fire it up grandson, your friend S'Harien seems quite enthused."
Siegfried pushed his Father's speeder bike out on the driveway before climbing on the VST-220R which started with a roar before it settled into a deep rumble that was music to S'Harien's well trained ears.
As she listened, the tall girl said, "This bike's been supertuned for racing. How fast will it go?"
"Father said it would do 500k's easily." answered the blonde. "He never raced it, so we don't know its top speed."
S'Harien had fire in her eyes, "I'll race it!" she declared.
Siegfried shook his head, "This is Father's bike. Even I don't ride it."
"But Ziggy!" she started.
Siegfried said, "Let us talk to Professor Adenkar, he may have an alternative."
…
Stardate 2282.234, ShiKahr District, Vulcan Science Academy
Before classes started in the early morning, Siegfried introduced Professor Adenkar to his new friend S'Harien before departing for his Advanced Computer Science class with Professor Lorot.
After talking shop for a while, Professor Adenkar said, "You clearly know racing and speeder bikes very well Miss S'Harien. The VSA doesn't have a racing team because all the racers prefer the technical schools. Here at the School of Engineering, we work on different types of engines including those of racing speeder bikes. I wonder if I could convince Director Sekla to sponsor the Le-matyas. It could potentially increase the popularity of our School of Engineering if we actually entered competitions instead of just theorizing about them."
S'Harien said, "I'll talk to my team and see if they are interested. It's an unusual choice to be sponsored by the Vulcan Science Academy but we need skilled technical support."
"Then let us see if we can make this work." said Adenkar. "I believe Naruto M'Fau's son may have intended this by introducing us Miss S'Harien."
"You know Ziggy M'Fau's Father?" asked the dark-haired racer.
Adenkar nodded. "Siegfried's Father Naruto offered me a chance to rebuild and optimize a VST-220R engine for racing while he restored the bike itself to perfection. It was a magnificent piece of work that we accomplished together. We were both just students then. That speeder bike was a total wreck with a bent frame before Naruto got his hands on it."
"How did it get in that shape?" asked S'Harien with a slight cringe.
"As I recall it hit a boulder." answered the young Professor. Seeing the dark-haired girl wince he added, "As I said, it was a magnificent restoration. I was honored to take part in it."
…
Director Sekla's Office
The next afternoon, Director Sekla sat in quiet contemplation after talking to Adenkar about the Le-matyas Racing Team. "It is an unusual request to be sure, Professor. Competition racing is something we've considered in the past but few of our students had the skill for such an endeavor."
Professor Adenkar replied, "It is something that never occurred to me before. Young Siegfried M'Fau suggested I meet Miss Sofek and she said her team required the tech support and expertise we could provide. In exchange they could provide the skill and experience with racing that we lack."
'So, this was Siegfried M'Fau's idea.' thought the Director. 'Doctor T'Ara's line is certainly innovative.' "Get me some numbers on how much this project would cost to sponsor them for a year, Professor. Suffice it to say I am intrigued by the concept."
Adenkar brightened up. "I will get the calculations for you after I confer with Miss Sofek, Director Sekla. Thank you for your time."
…
The Le-matya's Touring Bus
The Le-matyas didn't have a permanent place to stay. They had a tour bus with bunks they slept in along with a flatbed for their bikes. The bus and flatbed doubled as a mobile repair shop as well. They basically travelled around ShiKahr and the surrounding regions like an old Terran rock band.
S'Harien was reading the electronic mail coming in for various competitions in the area the Le-matyas could participate in when she saw a message pop up from Professor Adenkar.
…
Miss Sofek-
I have spoken to Director Sekla about sponsoring the Le-matyas Racing Team and he is intrigued by the idea. Suffice it to say he wishes for an estimate of what it would cost to sponsor your team over the next year's period. Please get me the figures as soon as possible.
-Associate Professor Adenkar
…
S'Harien quickly got out the threadbare monthly budget she had to figure out for eighteen young Vulcans that drank a lot and started averaging the figures over the last racing season. Their Team had only been together for eight months in ShiKhar and a lot of it was estimates but she soon came up with something reasonable (including all the rotgut ale they drank).
"What do you guys think about getting a potential sponsor?" S'Harien asked her team. "It seems like a logical choice to me."
"…Can we get a real place to sleep?" asked one.
"I put it in under housing." replied the dark-haired beauty.
"…Will we finally get to fix the seat on bike number 3?" questioned another.
The Team leader said, "I requested it under maintenance."
Then Dvir asked, "…Most importantly, will they pay for our alcohol?"
S'Harien's eyes narrowed and said, "Logically, that gets figured in with provisions."
"I'm in." said Dvir. It didn't take long before everyone else was in also.
"By the way S'Harien, who is this potential sponsor?" asked yet another.
'Now they ask.' thought the reddish-brown eyed girl. "It's the Vulcan Science Academy School of Engineering. They build speeder bikes and all kinds of experimental machines but don't have anyone to pilot them. We have racing skills but can't afford to build new bikes. If this works out it would be a logical and beneficial match for both parties."
…
The next morning, S'Harien submitted a budget to Professor Adenkar and hoped for the best. Then she looked up Siegfried's quarters in VSA the directory and decided to go visit him in his dorm room. The other students gave her a wide berth as they weren't sure what to think of her Le-matyas biker uniform. S'Harien knocked on his door and the hybrid blearily opened it. Siegfried's long platinum blonde locks were down instead of tied back and he looked exhausted.
The beautiful dark-haired girl said, "Hi Ziggy, I talked to Professor Adenkar just like you said and he's presenting a proposal to Director Sekla. If we get on here at the VSA it will really help us out."
The blonde said tiredly, "I am pleased to hear it, I believe a sponsoring a racing team will be advantageous to both the Le-matyas and the Vulcan Science Academy."
S'Harien asked, "What happened to you? You look really worn out."
"I was up all night writing a term paper for my history class." replied the blonde. "Clearly I did not allot my time logically."
'I like his hair down; it's sexy.' she thought. 'I wonder if it is a soft as it looks.'
She was about to reach out to touch his hair when she heard another female voice say to her, "What are you doing?!" It was T'Rel who was looking radiant as ever in her copper robes. She asked, "Siegfried, who is this woman?"
Siegfried's tired ice blue eyes crackled slightly with chakra at T'Rel's sudden appearance. He exhaled slowly. "T'Rel Mihn, this is S'Harien Sofek. S'Harien Sofek, this is T'Rel Mihn. I'll leave you two to get acquainted while I get dressed." 'I'm too tired to deal with this right now.' Then he quietly closed the door behind him so he could clean up.
After Siegfried made himself scarce, T'Rel asked in an agitated tone, "Who are you to Siegfried and why are you dressed so garishly?"
S'harien smirked and said, "I'm Ziggy's friend and this is my racing uniform. 'She must have a thing for Ziggy, too bad.' "Now, who do you think you are sister?"
T'Rel bristled. "I'm someone with a lot more class than you, I am Seigfried's betr-" Catching herself she said, "I am his dear friend. I am a student here at the Vulcan Science Academy and am a linguist."
"You almost said betrothed but held back." said S'Harien. "It's illogical to engage in speculation but I'd wager you are the one who chose the famous Chu'lak to be your champion and lost… Am I correct?"
"That's none of your concern." sputtered T'Rel to the taller girl. "You don't have enough class for someone as refined as Siegfried."
"At least I've got integrity." replied S'Harien towering over the beautiful black-haired girl. "You know, I don't like you already. That takes work."
"I don't like you either." said T'Rel with a tiny frown. "You don't belong here."
S'Harien smirked again, "Ah, you never know. I might belong here more than you think."
That was when Siegfried came out of his room in his gray and black VSA robes with his platinum medallion on display and his hair pulled back. He still looked tired but was obviously more alert than a few minutes ago.
"Good morning, Siegfried." said T'Rel pleasantly. "You look so tired, are you unwell?" she asked with concern.
"I was up late writing a term paper; that is all." stated the blonde. "It is nothing to be concerned about."
"But I worry for your health Siegfried." said T'Rel. "You are very important to me. Come, let us go to breakfast together." She glared at S'Harien. "It's in the student's cafeteria."
The taller girl's eyes were filled with mirth. "That's okay, I'm going to be eating in the faculty cafeteria. I'll talk to you later Ziggy." S'Harien gave the Vulcan salute and used the Terran phrase, "Ta-ta!"
…
Student's Cafeteria
"What a vulgar girl." said T'Rel. "You should keep more wholesome company."
Siegfried wanted to snap at her but refrained. Instead, he asked, "Such as…?"
She looked at him sadly and said, "I know I did a terrible thing to you, and I want to earn your forgiveness. I want to start over and form a new bond between us. Will you give me a chance?"
Siegfried replied, "I don't know if reconciliation is possible. I will have to reflect upon the matter."
'At least he didn't say no.' she thought sadly. "If you give us a chance again, I promise-"
He frowned and his ice blue eyes crackled with chakra. "Don't make promises you can't keep. I said I would reflect on the matter. Leave it alone."
"What would you think of going to Lake Yuron with me?" she asked. "When the trimester is over, it will be time for the Uxhaya wak-krus*②. We haven't been swimming together since we were children. 'I could get a new swimsuit that he'd like.' she thought eagerly. "What do you say?"
Sigfried shook his head. "Time will tell." Then he said tiredly, "It is time to eat breakfast and prepare for class."
…
Director Sekla's Office
S'Harien Sofek was officially nervous. She'd had breakfast with Professor Adenkar in the Faculty Cafeteria and found she was surrounded by a bunch of very intelligent, well-mannered, older Vulcans. She, on the other hand, was seventeen, rough-edged and not some kind of genius. S'Harien was totally out of her element and wasn't sure she'd be able to pull this off.
Now, the leader of the Le-matyas was sitting in an office alone with the one-hundred-forty-year-old Director Sekla whose decision would make or break the Vulcan Science Academy sponsoring them. The Director said, "Be at ease Miss Sofek. I simply want to ask you a few questions regarding your skillset."
"What would you like to know?" asked S'Harien. "I submitted our track record and a budget."
"So you did, and I can't see this budget possibly working." said the Director.
"Did I ask for too much?" asked the tall beauty.
"You asked for far too little child." said Sekla. "Professor Adenkar and I discussed it, and you are practically starving yourselves to afford other necessities. This will never do. You will each be hired as staff here at the VSA if you accept. You will each be given a proper faculty room and your nutritional requirements will be met. My staff needs to be healthy and well to be at their peak performance. Your room and board will be part of your benefits as Junior Faculty."
Her eyes widened. "Really?"
The Director seemed entertained. "Doctor T'Ara M'Fau commended you for being a hardworking, enthusiastic young woman and Professor Adenkar stated that your knowledge and drive is excellent. Based upon their recommendations I'm prepared to offer you and your team positions at the Vulcan Science Academy over the following year. I have the data here for you to review and to present to your team. It is my hope that you will accept and become valued members of the Vulcan Science Academy."
…
The Le-matya's Touring Bus
S'Harien reviewed the contracts and was practically walking on air when she returned to her team that afternoon. "And we would be hired as Junior Faculty so that means room and board are part of the deal. We would be able to support ourselves without having to worry about getting our next meal. There is no logical reason to not accept this. It seems our hard work has paid off at last."
After many hours of discussion, all eighteen members of the Le-matyas agreed that it was too good of an offer to pass up…
…
Stardate 2282.237, Vulcan Science Academy
With their contracts signed, the Le-matyas were officially Junior Staff and each received a small platinum medallion that had the IDIC symbol and "Teach" in old Golic in the center. It also said "Vulcan Science Academy School of Engineering" around the center. Even though it wasn't a full-sized medallion, S'Harien was immensely pleased to have it and wore it proudly.
She attended orientation classes throughout the day to learn the way the VSA worked and then went to see Siegfried that evening. There she found the blonde diligently working on his computer theorem. S'Harien knocked on his door quietly and he opened it.
"Ziggy!" she said quietly (for her). She pointed at her medallion hanging down over her ample bust and said, "Look at what I've got!"
Poor Siegfried was torn between staring at her luscious breasts and noticing the medallion S'Harien was wearing. Tearing his eyes away from the heavenly vision before him, he said, "Congratulations on becoming a member of the Vulcan Science Academy. I'm sure you will excel."
She was beaming. "I hope so. These orientation programs are kind of difficult. I'll be in them for two weeks. You must know how to act and how not to act. May I come in?"
"Certainly, you may." said Siegfried. He stepped to the side and said, "Please enter."
S'Harien came in and saw the room was a tranquil, pale green and was very organized. She gave a tiny smile and said, "I see your room is both ergonomic and logically arranged."
"I thank you." replied Siegfried. "Feel free to sit down. I'll get you some tea."
As she scanned the room, the dark-haired beauty saw a holographic image of T'Ara and Sovar there and then it changed to Naruto and Samui in their Starfleet uniforms. Then it changed to an image of Talok dancing with her metal fans.
'I recognize Mr. and Mrs. M'Fau. Those two blondes must be his parents, his Mother is beautiful…' S'Harien smirked. 'Like so many males, it seems he has a fixation on that renowned dancer.' When he came back with the tea, she decided to tease him a bit and said, "I take it you are an admirer of the famous V-Shan Dancer, Ziggy?"
Siegfried nodded. "Of course, I admire her. She is my Aunt. That and she is amazingly skilled in the dancing arts of course."
S'Harien's eyes widened. "The V-Shan dancer is your Aunt?!"
He nodded and went over to the hologram projector. Scrolling through some images, he came upon one that showed T'Ara and the slightly shorter Talok with her. They could practically pass for twins. "Here is a hologram of Grandmother with Aunt Talok. The resemblance is uncanny, wouldn't you agree?"
"Wow." said S'Harien. "What was it like growing up around her?"
Grandmother said that Talok was dancing before she could walk. We grew up like siblings with Mother and Father being in Starfleet and all."
"I heard her fans are actual, real metal." said the dark-haired girl. "Is there any truth in that?"
Siegfried sipped his tea. "They are metal because they are razor sharp weapons. They were passed down through the generations in the M'Fau clan from ancient times. Truthfully, we don't know how old they are. The fans are beautiful as well as deadly. To Talok they are her most precious treasures…"
While Siegfried and S'Harien talked about metal fans and ancient wars, another war was going on…
…
Stardate 2282.239, Klingon Imperial Territory, Fast Squadron One
For over three months, The U.S.S. Wolverine, U.S.S. Thor and U.S.S. Brunhild had been wreaking havoc throughout the backwaters of Klingon Imperial Territory. They'd nearly been caught on several occasions and were trapped behind enemy lines twice but somehow always managed to give the enemy the slip at the last second.
By now the squadron's crews were very tired and Naruto was looking for a way to get them home. Though they had freshly resupplied by raiding a convoy, the blonde Captain knew they had overstayed their welcome in Klingon space. The group of three ships was currently hidden deep in an asteroid field listening to Klingon transmissions in the area and waiting for a chance to break through and escape…
…
NCC-555 U.S.S. Brunhild
It was ninety-six long days into their cruise when Fast Squadron One intercepted some grim news; Commodore Ricardo Dominic of the 4th Fleet's Intelligence Division had been captured and was aboard the D7L I.K.V. Direslayer as a 'guest' of Klingon Commodore Kiroth of the Klingon Eastern Fleet.
Even worse, the Federation Commodore was Lieutenant Commander Richard Donaldson's Uncle. The Executive Officer of the U.S.S. Brunhild was in a panic as a result. Commander Jackie Nodaway was trying to calm her XO down. "Donaldson, get ahold of yourself!"
Donaldson said, "Captain Naruto has a will of iron. He won't authorize us to rescue Uncle Ricardo. It's…it's for the good of the mission but…"
Jackie said, "I'll talk to Captain Naruto about the situation with Commodore Dominic."
…
NCC-554 U.S.S. Thor
Commander Amelia Whitaker and her staff were mulling over the same information, and she'd met Commodore Dominic personally while she was on Admiral Shimura's Staff. He was a sharp man but was a better executive than a starship commander. What he'd been doing in command of the U.S.S. Hornet, let alone an entire cruiser squadron was beyond her.
Dominic should have been at Starbase 17 flying a desk as far as she was concerned. He knew too much to be risked in combat actions.
Worst of all he'd locked horns with a superb ship commander like Kiroth…
…
NCC-1602 U.S.S. Wolverine
In the meantime, Naruto was accessing the situation of Commodore Dominic with his staff. "Our decryption of the Klingon cipher shows that Commodore Kiroth is a brilliant tactician who has never lost a battle in his career. Many of his writings are required reading at the Klingon Naval Academy on Qo'noS*③." said Samui. "One of his sayings is to always be in the right place at the time to remain ever victorious."
"I read that too." said Rafi. "Punctuality is basically the guy's way of life. He's the one that wrecked Captain Styles in the U.S.S. Gryphon months ago with the I.K.V. Direslayer."
"And the Direslayer is on its way to Qo'noS as we speak." said Naruto. "It's supposed to arrive in four days at exactly 18:00 Qo'noS time for a hero's welcome." He brought up a holographic map. "The I.K.V. Direslayer was in the Rubiss System when the U.S.S. Hornet was destroyed at 06:27 on Stardate 2282.227. If we plot a straight course to the Qo'noS System at 18:00 on Stardate 2282.243…" a line appeared across the map. "…Then this is the course they would be following at exactly warp 7."
Shizuka smiled vengefully. "Then we use his extreme punctuality against him and wait in ambush."
Naruto nodded and said, "A normal squadron wouldn't be able to catch him at that speed. At our squadron's current maximum speed of Warp 10.7, we can intercept him two days before he reaches his destination. "Alison, Rafi, Samui. I need an exact location where we can lay in wait for the Direslayer that works to our advantage. Something like an asteroid field or a-"
Alison zoomed the map in. "How about the edge of a nebula?"
Samui started doing calculations and said, "The Raptor Nebula, it's at the outer edge of the Qo'noS sector. It will take us a day to traverse it from our approach angle."
Shizuka said, "So we wait just inside the nebula and when the Direslayer goes sailing by at warp 7, we pounce."
Naruto's eyes crackled with chakra. "It won't be that easy against a Klingon like Kiroth but it's our best shot. Lay in a course for the Raptor Nebula, warp 10.7. We must be perfectly timed for this operation. We can't afford to miss the target. Rescuing Commodore Dominic is vital, or it will all have been for nothing."
After sending out short range, burst transmissions to the Thor and Brunhild, the three ships crept out of the asteroid field and raced towards the Raptor Nebula…
…
POSTSCRIPT:
*①: Adenkar: Remember him? He was an engineering student that was Geoff Baker's friend.
*②: Uxhaya wak-krus: See Chapter 18. This is loosely analogous with 'Spring Break.'
*③: Qo'noS: This is the Klingon homeworld.
Well, a lot happened this chapter. See you next time. Blue out. 10/7/23