Naruto: Infinity Divide

Three Ring Circus

Blanket Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Star Trek

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Well, we hit 3400 reviews last chapter. I guess I must be doing something right. Thank you, everybody! Here is Chapter 110, Enjoy!

Port = Left

Starboard = Right

[ ] Signifies a foreign language

{ } Signifies hand signs

~ ~ Signifies singing

…

Last time:

Swimming Pool

Mercedes was wondering where Bianca had disappeared to as she flirted with some of the young men. The French girl saw Aurora's red hair break the surface of the water in the pool and called out to her. "Rory, can you come over here?"

The M'Fau girl swam over and climbed up the ladder out of the pool. As the water cascaded off her wet, ivory skin and slicked back red hair, it was captivating to the eye. The males stared dry mouthed as they admired her lithe, shapely body. Coupled with the chakra crackling in her eyes she was absolutely devastating and most of the men stood paralyzed.

Rory aske Mercedes, "What is it you need, Sadie?"

The blonde asked, "Do you know where Bianca got off to?"

"I believe she went looking for Vyorin." answered the petite redhead.

"You have the most wonderful eyes…" said a starstruck admirer to Aurora. "Your name is Rory?"

The redhead answered, "My name is Aurora M'Fau."

"M-mow what?" asked another guy.

Mercedes laughed. "It's a Vulcan name. I can't pronounce it either."

"I'm Arthur Watkins." said a young man. "Why do you have a Vulcan name, Aurora?"

Rory motioned towards her pointed ears. "Because I'm Vulcan."

"Oh, wow!" said Arthur. "I never knew Vulcan women could be so hot." 'I was so busy looking at her body that I missed her ears.'

At that point, Aurora would have facepalmed if she was anything but a Vulcan…'I'll never understand humans…' she thought morosely.

…

Chapter 110

Stardate 2307.014, United Federation of Planets, Sol System, Planet Mars Orbit, Utopia Planitia Shipyards, Floating Repair Dock One, NX-10521 U.S.S. Ambassador

The U.S.S. Ambassador was set for launch and reporters of all kinds were aboard. Cameras were around the Explorer-class prototype from almost every angle. Commodore Mei Terumi was in her command chair answering numerous questions from the news correspondents. 'This is a zoo; it's no longer a Starfleet vessel.' She thought miserably.

The only positive thing Mei could think of was there was a Starfleet public relations team aboard to field most of the questions…

…

Floating Repair Dock Two, NX-1602-A U.S.S. Wolverine

The Think Tank had misfortune of dealing with the mass media before after the Romulan Peace Mission back in 2286*①. They wanted nothing to do with it. Thus, Naruto and the crew of the U.S.S. Wolverine decided to handle things a bit differently from Commodore Terumi.

They ushered the mass of reporters and Starfleet media team from the shuttle bay up to a lavish luncheon up on the recreation deck. Marines and Security personnel were everywhere to keep the media from wandering into classified areas (which was basically the entire vessel). It was like herding a swarm of locusts, but the Think Tank managed.

"Peace and long life." said Naruto as he gave the Vulcan salute. "I am Fleet Captain Naruto of Vulcan and welcome you aboard the new U.S.S. Wolverine. I will field your questions now, one at a time."

"…When will we see the bridge?"

The blonde Vulcan answered, "The technology on the bridge is classified. We will not be going to the bridge."

"…Is it true this is the fastest ship in the fleet?"

"The projected top speed is in excess of other vessels currently in the Federation Starfleet." replied Naruto.

"…What is the new Wolverine's top speed?"

Their host frowned slightly. "That remains to be seen."

'…Will there be a weapons display today?"

"No." said the Fleet Captain.

"…Will we see engineering? It must be amazing."

Naruto answered, "Only authorized personnel are allowed in engineering."

…The Fleet Captain stonewalled the media at every turn for two hours and soon they were escorted back to the shuttle bay and sent them on their not so merry way. The head of Starfleet's media team asked, "What the hell just happened?" as the shuttle's door closed behind him.

Back on the recreation deck, things were rapidly being cleaned up and Shizuka smiled meanly. "Now that the luncheon farce is over, we can get back to business." she said.

Naruto nodded and looked at his chronometer. "We launch in 59 minutes."

…

Floating Repair Dock One, NX-10521 U.S.S. Ambassador

"…We launch in 59 minutes, Commodore Terumi." reported her helmsman.

Mei nodded and said over the din, "We launch in less than an hour, ladies and gentlemen. Everyone please go to your designated seats so we can proceed."

The Ambassador's bridge was filled to the brim with reporters and the Commodore found herself subconsciously glancing over towards the airlock…

The command crew on the bridge was all new to Mei but they were very experienced. There had been questions about the much-touted new Think Tank aboard, but the Commodore simply replied they were cadets in training and were not available for interviews. There were enough discipline problems with many of the new cadets and inflating their egos further was the last thing the redhead wanted to do.

…

Cadet Living Quarters, Deck 7

Bianca Castoldi and Mercedes Dubois were in Sadie and Aurora's joined quarters discussing the launch of the U.S.S. Ambassador and boys…specifically Vyorin M'Fau.

"I wanted to be up on the bridge when the ship launches but the Commodore ordered us to stay on deck seven." pouted Bianca. "I guess we'll have to settle for watching via the newsfeed broadcasts."

Sadie said, "Not to change subjects, but did you actually see Vyorin flatten Lieutenant Commander Collins like the rumors say?"

The Italian girl nodded excitedly. "Vyorin took out Chief Collins in one hit. It was unbelievable! It makes me wonder just how capable Aurora's brother is."

"Rory once told me that all of the children in her family practiced the martial arts to stay in shape." explained Mercedes. "She probably has a good idea just how strong Vyorin might be."

"Well, let's ask her!" exclaimed Bianca. "There was such a crowd that I never got to talk to him."

…

Aurora M'Fau was studying data her little brother Erik sent. 'It seems that the catacombs below the Imperial Palace on Romulus lead to some mythical abyss. How fascinating. The Tkon scripts he's translating are all in the first Emperor Ael's burial chamber. The Romulan people thought the next room led to a treasure trove. Apparently, that is not the case. I wonder what else he'll discover.'

That's when she heard a knock on her door that led to Mercedes' half of their quarters. "Rory are you up and around? Bianca is here with me." asked the French girl through the door.

The redhead looked up from her work desk and replied, "Enter."

Bianca poked her head in and saw Aurora leaning back in her chair looking back. Rory's green eyes crackled with chakra, and she asked, "May I help you?"

The Italian girl answered, "What are you up to, Rory? It's awfully quiet in here."

"I was reading my little brother Erik's letter." answered the petite redhead. "He is studying ancient catacombs on planet Romulus."

"Romulus?!" asked Mercedes as she entered behind Bianca. "As in the Romulan Empire?! Is that safe?"

Aurora nodded. "Yes, they are our allies now."

"How many children are in your family?" asked Bianca.

"I have four brothers and two sisters." said Rory. "I am the oldest girl."

"Wow! Your parents were busy." said the Italian girl. "I'm an only child. Do you get along with them?"

"My siblings and I are all very close." stated the redhead. "All of us share harmonious relationships."

That was when the lights went out. Other than the crackling light coming from Aurora's eyes it was pitch black.

"What just happened?" screeched Sadie.

"Remain calm, Mercedes." said Rory. "Computer, emergency lights!" After waiting a few seconds, the redhead stated, "The computer seems to be offline. Our best option is to stay put and stay relaxed."

…

Bridge

After she got the panicking press to quiet down, Commodore Terumi got on her personal communicator and said calmly, "Chief Reuters, come in."

"Karl Reuters here Commodore." answered the Chief Engineer. "The power outage is ship wide. We are attempting to isolate the problem."

"Keep me informed Karl." ordered Mei.

"Understood Commodore." crackled the communicator.

…

Engineering Deck 3

Chief Reuters had his people looking around for anything that could have caused a mass shutdown. After thirty tense minutes of stumbling around in the inky blackness, the power came back on by itself.

Their First Officer, Commander Vrshak from Andor came out of the turbolift he'd been stuck in for the entire blackout and roared, "What the hell is going on here Reuters? I was stuck in the turbolift and-"

"The whole ship lost power sir." replied Karl. "We're trying to isolate the problem."

Vrshak growled, "The media is going to have a field day with this."

The Chief shook his head. "I'm more concerned about fixing the problem than the media stations. Commodore Terumi can handle them."

…

Cadet Living Quarters, Deck 7

Cadet Bianca Castoldi saw the lights come back on and said, "Thank goodness."

Aurora frowned ever so slightly. "With all the redundancy built into this vessel, a total loss of power is concerning."

Mercedes smiled. "Don't worry about it, Rory, they obviously fixed the problem down in Engineering."

The redhead thought to herself, 'Something is definitely wrong.' "Computer, what caused the power blackout?"

The computer answered in its usual pleasant voice, "There is no known loss of power."

'I need to talk to my big brother Siegfried.' pondered Rory.

…

Engineering Deck 3

"The only thing that kept running was the emergency ventilators Chief Reuters." stated an engineer. "The computer acts like nothing happened at all. There is no record of a power loss."

Reuters scratched his head. "Until we figure out what happened, this ship is going nowhere."

…

Sickbay

Chief Medical Officer Teresa Berg hadn't answered pages and was considered missing since the blackout and several people reported to sickbay with fevers and severely swollen lymph nodes shortly thereafter. One of the people serving in sickbay was Cadet Shay Wilson who was examining one of the patients.

The pretty, brown haired young Doctor had a hunch and took a blood sample from an infected patient. She thought to herself, 'This is an incredibly fact acting bacterial infection. All those affected have been humans so far… They are searching for Doctor Berg and no one else seems to have a clue what to do. We don't have a full medical staff yet.'

Lieutenant Rita Marlin was currently in charge of sickbay, and she was a very good nurse practitioner but wasn't well versed in microbiology like Shay was. Shay said, "Lieutenant Marlin, this looks like a mutated strain of Rigellian Fever. With your permission, I'd like to administer an injection of ryetalyn*② to the infected before it gets worse."

Rita turned to Shay and said, "You're one of those special cadets, aren't you?"

Shay nodded and answered, "Yes Lieutenant, I have Doctorates in both microbiology and xenobiology."

The nurse practitioner pondered for a moment and said, "Ensign Prinz was the earliest to report in and is the worst off. Try it on him first."

"Yes Ma'am." said Shay as she drew some ryetalyn from the ship's stores. "The effect should be nearly immediate." The cadet injected 10ccs of ryetalyn into Ensign Prinz and his erratic vital signs and fever started to subside within minutes.

Lieutenant Marlin smiled. "Excellent, cadet! Let's see about our other patients' conditions."

…

Bridge

Commodore Mei Terumi said in an iron tone, "Ladies and gentlemen of the press, the U.S.S. Ambassador is now in lockdown. Too many occurrences in such a short amount of time indicate the possibility of sabotage. I must ask you cooperate with our crew and security teams while we prepare some guest accommodations."

…

Sickbay

Doctor Teresa Berg was found unconscious on the Medical Storage Deck adjacent to the Medical wing. She was immediately rushed to sickbay where Shay Wilson was examining her.

The cadet looked at her medical tricorder and said, "Doctor Berg was given a large dose of Sonambutril*③ to keep her under sedation for a long time. Cortroprine will bring her out of it, but she'll have a headache. There shouldn't be any harmful side effects as the two drugs won't interact."

Shay looked over at Lieutenant Marlin for permission and the nurse said, "You're the Doctor, cadet. We need her awake and on duty."

Nodding, Cadet Wilson injected Doctor Berg with Cortroprine and Teresa's eyes fluttered open a few moments later. Berg winced and said, "What hit me?"

"It was a large dose of Sonambutril that knocked you out, Doctor." reported Shay. "I used Cortroprine to bring you around. I'm sorry about the headache but we needed you fully cognizant."

The Chief Medical Officer looked at Lieutenant Marlin and asked, "Who is this girl?"

"She's the one that diagnosed the Rigellian Fever and probably saved a lot of lives in the process." replied the Nurse.

Berg asked, "You gave them Ryetalyn?"

Cadet Wilson nodded. "I gave the patients 10ccs because the strain of Rigellian Fever was a mutated strain that was very fast acting. The rest of the passengers and crew are being inoculated as we speak."

The older woman looked into Shay's blue eyes and asked, "…And?"

Shay frowned. "I believe the strain was engineered to be airborne and incapacitate or kill the ship's crew before a cure could be administered."

Teresa smiled brightly and said, "Good girl! What's your name child?"

"I'm Cadet Shay Wilson." answered the younger woman.

"What are your Doctorates in?" asked Berg.

"Microbiology and Xenobiology." replied Shay.

"Excellent." said Teresa. "You are with me Doctor Wilson." She turned to Nurse Marlin. "Call Security Chief Collins down here. I want to speak with him."

…

Trent Collins arrived in sickbay a few minutes later. "It's good to see you up and around, Doctor Berg. How are you feeling? When we found you, we couldn't wake you up."

Teresa said, "I was knocked out by an Andorian."

Security Chief Collins looked surprised. "There are only three Andorians aboard the Ambassador…"

"…And how many have clearance to enter the Medical Storage Deck?" asked the Doctor.

"One." answered Collins. He looked pale and immediately got out his communicator. "This is Security Chief Collins. Put out a silent order to locate our Executive Officer, Commander Vrshak."

…

Captain's Ready Room

Mei Terumi was talking to Trent Collins over her communicator. She was angry. "Take Vrshak alive, Collins. He wasn't working alone."

"The ship is already in lockdown Commodore. He won't escape us." replied the Security Chief.

"Tell me that after you have him in custody, Collins." said Mei.

…

Engineering Deck 3

Commander Vrshak was talking to Chief Engineer Reuters. The Andorian said, "Do you seriously believe that a spy could have infiltrated the ship's computer core and caused the blackout? You do know that an espionage agent would have to be accompanied by Commodore Terumi or myself, don't you? She was on the bridge, and I was stuck in a turbolift at the time it happened if you'll recall."

Chief Reuters replied, "With all due respect Commander, I have to be certain that the core wasn't tampered with."

Vrshak thought to himself, 'I have to delay him somehow! The crew was supposed to be dead or too sick to be an obstacle at this point. I made sure Doctor Berg was out of the picture…What went wrong?'

…

Cadet Living Quarters, Deck 7

Cadet Aurora M'Fau was examining the passage on Deck 7 that led towards the computer core in the center of the primary hull. Mercedes was with her. The duo had been going to the mess hall when they spotted three civilians with the press in an area they obviously weren't authorized to be.

That was when Bianca caught up with them. She whispered, "I informed Security, and they said to keep an eye on them until an armed team arrives."

"What are they doing?" asked Mercedes under her breath.

Aurora peered around the corner and said quietly, "They appear to be tampering with the security door lock to the ship's main computer."

"What do we do?!" whispered Sadie.

One of the civilians down the hall said, "I can't crack this code! We'll have to wait until our contact gets here."

"We're wasting precious time!" exclaimed another.

The third one growled, "Pipe down! The sensor just went off down the hall! We have to act like lost press members."

Rory looked down and saw a tiny motion sensor on the wall at their feet. 'Damn it!' she thought.

…

Deck 4, Commander Vrshak's Quarters

Security Chief Collins was standing over the decomposing body of Commander Vrshak. One of his men said, "He's been dead in this sealed, airtight bag for some time sir. The coroners will have to figure it out, but I'd guess the real Vrshak hasn't around for weeks."

"Shit…" grumbled Collins.

…

Computer Core Access Hall, Deck 7

Chief Engineer Reuters and Commander Vrshak came around the corner and saw three Starfleet Cadets confronting three civilian media team members. Vrshak thought, 'Now, what am I going to do?!'

"I'm telling you, we just got lost!" claimed one of the civilians.

Bianca said angrily, "What do you take us for, idiots?! You were trying to breach that security door!"

Reuters commanded, "All of you stand down! I'm calling Security to sort this out."

"I can't let you do that Chief." said Vrshak calmly as he pulled his phaser. The Chief Engineer's eyes widened as he saw the weapon pointed at him. "Drop the communicator, Reuters." said the Andorian. "It's that or the three little girls die."

Chief Reuters slowly set his communicator on the floor and Vrshak said, "That's a good little soldier. Kick it away from you. My three friends and I are going to do what we came to do, and no one will get hurt if you stay quiet and behave. Get against the wall and keep your hands where I can see them. No sudden movements. You too, cadets."

Karl and the three girls were against the wall in the corridor as the three reporters and Vrshak stood opposite of them. Vrshak said to the female reporter who he was handing his phaser to, "Keep an eye on them and I'll get the door."

That's when Aurora's arm moved too fast to follow and she unleashed a blade of fire chakra that cut Vrshak's hand phaser's emitter off.

"What the hell?!" yelled the Andorian. That's when he was hit in the face by a fire chakra enhanced jeet kune do straight lead punch. Vrshak's head ricocheted off the wall behind him and his three accomplices were hit by a brutal combo hook punches, rear crosses, uppercuts and kicks before they could even react.

The heat from the explosion of fire chakra scorched all four of the infiltrators and caused them to change forms to their true, yellow skinned forms when they hit the floor unconscious.

…Aurora stood over her four opponents untouched, unfazed and unhurt. She said quietly, "It appears that they are actually yellow skinned Orions." She blew the smoke off her knuckles. "They seemed to be using the Cellular Metamorphosis Technique*⑤ of Antos IV. I wonder where the real Commander Vrshak and reporters are."

"I'm afraid they are all dead." said Security Chief Collins as he and several Security guards arrived. "I have to say, you are a hellcat, little girl. Do you know another cadet named Vyorin?"

"He is my brother." explained Rory.

Collins replied, "Ah, that explains a lot."

…

Brig

The four Orion prisoners were covered in burn marks and badly injured from the impacts but confessed to the murder of the real Commander Vrshak and the three real reporters. They also confessed to trying to steal data from the Ambassador's Computer as well as various acts of sabotage throughout the ship and releasing the Rigellian Fever into the ship's ventilation system.

It was a disaster from a public relations point of view that the U.S.S. Ambassador was stuck in dock for another two weeks but those responsible were apprehended and revealed they were loyal to the Hamilcar Cartel of Orion Pirates that had plagued the Federation for decades…

…

Stardate 2307.028, Planet Mars Orbit, NX-1602-A U.S.S. Wolverine

Two weeks later, Fleet Captain Naruto M'Fau was in his ready room speaking with Fleet Admiral William Smillie. Bill was very enthused that the U.S.S. Wolverine-A was progressing so well. In fact, the new ship was far ahead of schedule in almost every category.

However, the good news came with bad. The Fleet Admiral said, "Naruto, the U.S.S. Ambassador needs a bit of help. With the death of her First Officer, Commander Vrshak and all the sabotage that must be corrected, they need a younger, more outgoing First Officer to serve under Mei Terumi. Mei's going to be promoted to Rear Admiral and the Ambassador will be showing the flag a lot as Starfleet's largest vessel…"

'What is it he wants?' pondered the blonde Vulcan.

"…And I'm offering the position of Executive Officer of the U.S.S. Ambassador to Commander Konohamaru Sarutobi along with the rank of full Starfleet Captain."

Naruto mentally face-faulted. 'Oh. My. God.' he thought. "Konohamaru is an excellent Executive Officer of course. I will give him an outstanding performance report for Commodore Terumi to review."

Bill grinned. "I knew you would. I want him to come down to Starfleet Headquarters to offer him the job personally. I have no doubt that he'll be able to bond with the new Think Tank since he's done so well with the original one."

…

Stardate 2307.030, United Federation of Planets, Sol System, Planet Earth, San Francisco, Starfleet Headquarters, Fleet Admiral Smillie's Office

The Fleet Admiral presented the position of being Rear Admiral Terumi's Executive Officer on one of the premier vessels in the fleet. Yes, the U.S.S. Ambassador had a blemished record, but part of Konohamaru's job was to correct all that.

Rear Admiral Terumi said, "I remember when your Uncle Asuma was my First Officer aboard the U.S.S. Darwin, and we had the original Think Tank. Those were good times. This new group of kids needs a role model to look up to Konohamaru. I think you are the man for the job. What do you say?"

"You would be getting a promotion to full Captain, and the associated pay, Sarutobi." added the Fleet Admiral. "Keep that in mind. Fleet Captain Naruto gave you a superlative fitness review."

Konohamaru found himself at a crossroad. Fleet Captain Naruto had told him, "I know that you'll have a decision to make when you talk to Fleet Admiral Smillie. Know that the officers and crew of the Wolverine will support your choice no matter what it is."

Sarutobi smiled. 'I'd be a fool to pass up this opportunity to advance my career. Still, it will be hard to leave such good friends behind.' "I accept sir. Admiral Terumi, I'll be in your care."

"Wonderful!" said Mei.

Smillie said, "I'll send the transfer orders over to Fleet Captain Naruto in the morning."

…

Planet Mars Orbit, Utopia Planitia Shipyards, Floating Repair Dock One, NX-10521 U.S.S. Ambassador

Rear Admiral Mei Terumi arrived back on the U.S.S. Ambassador feeling pleased as punch that she had a capable new First Officer coming aboard. He would be assuming his duties in three days. In the meantime, a beast had been unleashed aboard her ship to deal with all the computer issues…

…

Engineering Deck 1, Secondary Computer Core

Engineers and Computer Techs were scurrying around like frightened rabbits including Mei's Chief Engineer Karl Reuters. The Ambassador's Commanding Officer asked, "What is going on here, Karl?"

"Doctor Siegfried of Vulcan is here to sort out our computer issues and he is not pleased. Starfleet Command sent him." explained Reuters. "I tried to stop him, but he just took over. He claims our secondary systems alone are so overworked and inefficient that he ordered them shut down for full reprogramming. Then his eyes lit up like a pair of supernovas and he started programming like mad!"

Mei trudged over towards Siegfried and found the killing intent surrounding the platinum blonde scientist was so heavy that it was staggering. She saw a young cadet with brown hair standing unfazed nearby and said, "Cadet, report!"

Vyorin M'Fau turned to face the Rear Admiral and saluted. "Cadet Vyorin M'Fau reporting, Rear Admiral. I am on standby in case my brother Siegfried needs any assistance."

"Doctor Siegfried od Vulcan is your brother?!" she asked.

"That is correct." the brunette replied.

Mei exclaimed, "How can you withstand this gravity?!"

Vyorin shrugged. "I'm used to it."

The Rear Admiral sweat dropped. 'Just what have I gotten myself into?' she wondered. Mei looked over at Siegfried and asked, "Why are his eyes glowing like that?"

"He is in a state of advanced hyperthought to speed up the process of programming." explained the younger sibling. "It's much more efficient this way."

"Well, carry on." said Mei.

"Yes, Ma'am." answered Vyorin.

…

Bridge

Mei went up to the bridge to get away from the spiritual compression cascading off Siegfried. There she found a very pretty blonde woman waiting for her in a white and teal Daystrom Institute uniform like the platinum blonde Vulcan's. Judging by her eyes, the woman was a betazoid.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Sara Calico from the Daystrom Institute." Then she laughed. "Yes, I am a betazoid and no, my eyes don't light up. That's unique to Doctor Siegfried and his family."

"You don't say…" said Mei flatly. "How do you stand that…pressure?"

Sara stated, "I stay at a distance. It doesn't bother his family at all but as a telepath it nearly bowls me over even at range."

"How long is this programming going to take?" the Rear Admiral asked. "My crew is terrified."

Doctor Calico said noncommittally, "It will take as long as is necessary. Doctor Siegfried said you were running at twenty-eight percent efficiency. I'm running diagnostics on the mainframe while he reprograms the secondary one. The computer systems on this ship are a disaster. I don't know if it was negligence or sabotage but it's a small miracle the Ambassador works at all."

…

POSTSCRIPT:

*①: See Chapter 81

*②: Ryetalyn -is a rare mineral that is the only known cure for Rigellian Fever. See Memory Alpha.

*③: Sonombutril -is a strong sedative used since the 22nd century. See Memory Alpha.

*④: Cortroprine -is a strong stimulant included in Starfleet standard Medkits. See Memory Alpha.

*⑤: Cellular metamorphosis -is a technique taught on Antos IV that enables practitioners to manipulate their body and rearrange their cell structure, allowing them to imitate that of a person or object of around the same size and mass, to the extent that they became shapeshifters. See Memory Alpha and Beta.

Well, it wasn't my original intention, but the Ambassador got the majority of the screentime. I intended to split it 50/50, but it didn't work out that way. Next installment I hope things turn out to be more balanced. See you next time. Blue out. 3/27/25