Based On STAR TREK Created by Gene Roddenberry
Original Characters created by Jason Cleaver and Derrick Ferguson
Eve sat up a little straighter in her chair. To have run Fotheran to ground so quickly was a stroke of incredible luck...
No..not luck. Eve was rapidly beginning to understand that higher forces were at work here. These forces had already brought Dianora into her life and now here was Denys Fotheran. No, not luck...Fate, Destiny, whatever. Suddenly this mission had taken on a very personal aspect for Eve. Fotheran had to be captured, not just for the sake of cooling the tensions on Hebigo, but also for her own desire to have these conflicting threads clarified.
Longtree snapped, “Open a channel to the vessel.”
“Hailing frequencies open, sir.”
“To the disguised Platinum Hook...this is Captain Hector Longtree of the Federation starship Crazy Horse. You’re ordered to power down and stand by to be boarded. Any action you take will be treated as hostile and we will respond with any and all necessary force to achieve your capture. This is your only warning. You have ten seconds to reply.”
“Sounds like they mean business,” Cooper Wilde said grimly.
“So do we,” Fotheran answered equally as grim. “Courtney, you got that course plotted in?”
“We’re ready to go to warp four soon as you say, Denys.”
“Good. Let me just say bye bye to our friends. Crazy Horse, please respond.”
“Captain Longtree here. Can we have a visual, please?”
“I don’t see why I should. There’s too many Starfleet people know what I look like already....Look, Captain, all my people and I want to do is disappear. We’re leaving Federation space. All you have to do is turn your sensors the other way and we’re gone.”
“You’ve pushed it way too far for that, Fotheran. Starfleet Intelligence is involved and after what you did to the Liberator...well, let’s just say that that’s a black eye you gave Starfleet we’d like to repay.”
“I thought Starfleet officers didn’t indulge in petty revenge?”
Eve leaned over and whispered urgently, “Don’t play his game, Captain...he’s trying to keep you talking, buying time while he comes up with a way out of this.”
“Quite right, Number One. Helm, engage forward tractor beams. Get a firm lock on that ship right now!”
“Aye, sir!”
Courtney yelled, “Tractor beam’s got us!”
Fotheran laughed and triggered the explosive charges that blew away the front of the Pakled shell, leaving room for the Platinum Hook to exit it’s disguise, scraping the sides, sending plating and bogus sensor arrays spinning away. The Crazy Horse‘s tractor beam had firm hold of three thousand tons of worthless metal.
Fotheran yelled to Courtney, “Now!”
The Platinum Hook exploded into warp.
Longtree tapped the fingers of his right hand against the armrest of his chair. “Well, I will be DAMNED,” he said. Too Eve’s surprise, he didn’t sound angry or frustrated. Indeed, Longtree seemed almost amused. “Y’know, I should’ve seen that coming, Commander. If we don’t stop underestimating this character, we’re never going to catch him.”
Eve nodded. “I’ve plotted several possible courses he could take to Danan Prime, sir. Shall we follow?”
“You bet your sweet life we follow...contact the Yucatan and make Captain Westrum aware that we’ve made contact with the Platinum Hook. Inform him we’re on the way to Danan Prime.” Longtree glanced at Eve. “You seem certain he’s going there....even after you heard him say he’s leaving the system.”
Eve shook her head. “I don’t buy it for a second. Fotheran’s got an arrogant streak a parsec wide. Check out his past history. This is just the sort of thing he thrives on. He wants to be able to brag how Starfleet couldn’t stop him from doing what we wanted.”
Longtree snorted. “He’s going to do his bragging from my brig before this is done. Helm! Lay in a pursuit course at warp six and engage!”
“Did I hear you right?” Wilde said, his eyes wide in surprise. “We’re going to dump the cargo?”
“Damn right.” Fotheran answered. “Call me reckless, yes. Call me risky, absolutely. But one thing you will NEVER be able to call me is stupid. We’re getting the hell outta here while the getting is good. Courtney, take us out of warp in two minutes. Coop, let’s get to the hold and set autodestruct plasma charges on the cargo. We’ll dump it, get a safe distance away and destroy it. Then we slip back into warp until we hit the Rim.”
“Best plan you ever came up with,” Courtney agreed. “But why not just use the phasers to destroy it?
“I want it to look like wreckage, that’s why. And the plasma charges won’t leave any pieces large enough for them to analyze and trace back to our buyers. Coop, let’s go.”
Captain Longtree looked at the thoughtful face of his First Officer as the Crazy Horse hurtled through the multicolored chaos that was warp space. Eve was sitting in her chair, her eyes focused on something beyond the scene in front of her, fingers drumming a steady constant rhythm on the arm of her chair. It wasn’t annoying, but it was persistent. And it had been filling the otherwise silent bridge for a good 5 minutes.
“Feel free to share them with the rest of us, Commander.”
For a long moment, there was no response, then Eve looked around sharply and for a second, Hector Longtree saw something deep and powerful in those green eyes. Then she focused on him. “I’m sorry, Captain...share what?”
“Your thoughts, Commander.”
“I was thinking about Fotheran, sir. Just laying in a projected pursuit course and hoping it’s in the same direction he takes isn’t any guarantee that we’ll catch him.”
“You have a better idea?”
Eve took a deep breath before speaking. What she was going to propose was dangerous to be sure, but it had worked on the Grail against that lunatic Tarquis and she was sure she could make it work here.
“Yes, I do...as long as Fotheran’s in warp, it’s almost next to impossible to capture him. Our best chance is to MAKE him cut his warp engines off.”
JoAnn frowned slightly. “I may be only a Counselor, but I’ve taken a few tech courses. Enough to know that what you’re talking about has a lot of risks.”
Eve spoke to Longtree directly. “Sir, when I was on the Grail, we ran into a ship crewed by a renegade Cardassian bent on establishing a new Empire...His ship had a cloak based on a technology unfamiliar to us and...well, it was pretty scary for awhile there. The cloak actually folded subspace itself on itself.”
Eve stopped, suddenly becoming aware that the bridge had fallen silent as everyone strained to listen to her. Longtree wasn’t the only one eager to hear stories about the Grail.
“Fascinating as this is, Commander, how does it help us catch Fotheran?”
“Along with a Science officer named Coolbreeze, I devised what I call Kiber Pulses. Using Kiber radiation delivered and designed to disrupt the fabric of subspace itself.” Eve fought not to smile. She couldn’t help but smile when she thought of Benedict Coolbreeze...one of the very few aboard the Grail who didn’t deserve what happened on that damned, doomed mission.
Longtree winced. “That’s a little extreme, don’t you think, Commander Mallory? Can’t go around messing with the very fabric of the universe now, can we?”
Eve’s mouth twitched in a tiny smile that disappeared just as fast. “Well, there’s good news and then there’s bad news.”
“Good news first.”
“Kiber radiation dissipates into various energy levels very quickly. Eight hours after deployment of a Kiber Pulse, subspace returns to normal.”
“And the bad?”
“No starship within a parsec will be able to maintain warp drive. In fact, no starship CAN use warp drive.” A pause. “Including us.”
Vollmer spoke up from above them. “Captain, I’m highly doubtful of that. Begging the Commander’s pardon, but I’ve been on starships since I was 16 and I’ve never heard of Kiber Pulses or Kiber radiation even being used in such a manner.”
Eve grinned. “Mr. Vollmer, if you had been on the Grail, you’d have seen a LOT of things done that had never been tried before. Coolbreeze and I had to do some jury rigging and use a piece of alien technology to pull it off, but I assure you that I can create Kiber Pulses here.” Hopefully without the medallion this time…
Due to her Replicant status being classified, Eve couldn’t tell the big Chief Engineer that since her Replication she could forget nothing she had seen, heard, touched or tasted. Some of the components she needed could be provided by the ship’s engineering replicators once she had reprogrammed them with the proper specifications.
Longtree rubbed his chin. “I’d have to get hold of the other ships and tell them what we’re doing and let them get into position before you set this thing off. And a parsec...we still might not be in range to catch Fotheran..”
“Hell, all he’d have to do is land on a planet and wait for his warp drive to come back on.” Vollmer snorted. He was disappointed. He’d heard a lot about the new First Officer and was impressed at how she handled the fight between Dianora and O’Malley. But this...! Vollmer had thought Mallory would have some brilliant strategic plan up her sleeves...Kiber Pulses....he’d never heard such a load of felgercarb in all his life...
JoAnn fixed Vollmer with a withering glare. “And how would he know to land and wait the eight hours, Mr. Vollmer?”
Vollmer’s square face darkened in embarrassment at the obvious slipup...
Captain’s Log: Stardate 53208.6
After consulting with my fellow captains, I have authorized Commander Mallory’s plan to use Kiber Pulses in order to drive Fotheran’s ship out of warp. In order to maximize our chances of capturing him, I’ve asked Lt. Dianora to co-ordinate her Orion Fighter Wing with the other Marine contingents assigned to our sister ships.
It’s my intention to create a network of ships that can instantly respond to whatever co-ordinates The Platinum Hook comes out of warp and disable her with minimum damage or injury. I’m quite pleased with Commander Mallory’s innovative ideas in handling this situation. My First Officer has so far lived up to her reputation and I’m quite eager to see the outcome of this situation.
“Dianora and Patience are back on duty.”
Eve looked up from the bridge science station. She’d been so engrossed in her calculations that she hadn’t even heard JoAnn St. John walk up behind her.
JoAnn bent over Eve’s shoulder and studied the readouts and the screen. The energy patterns were writhing and twisting like Sybrian serpents. “Interesting.”
“Know what you’re looking at?” Eve asked with a grin. JoAnn was a good counselor, but she didn’t have a clue about the intricacies of science. And since Eve didn’t have a clue about the intricacies of the mind, they didn’t talk about work much.
“No, but it’s pretty anyway.”
“By the way, I appreciate you sticking up for me with Vollmer, but you really didn’t have to. He was only offering his opinion and making sure his captain had all available information.”
JoAnn waved Eve’s words away. “Mike Vollmer needs to be reminded every so often that he doesn’t know everything. I like the big galooka...we even dated five years back when he was assistant co-coordinator of the Sontaran Experiment on Starbase 101 but he tends to think that if he doesn’t think of something first, then it can’t work.”
Eve bent back to her work. “Well, just let me handle him and anybody else in the future, okay?”
“You’re the First Officer. I’m just a lowly Ship’s Counselor. Did I mention Dianora and Patience are back on duty?”
“Mmhmm. I’m going to have to talk to Dianora about the placement of her fighters as soon as I’m finished with this.”
“You sure this is going to work?”
Eve Mallory looked back up at JoAnn. “I suppose after all my big talk, I’ll have to damn well make it work, won’t I?” She paused. “Jo, when we get a spare moment, can we talk? It’s not important, but....”
JoAnn stared at her friend. She knew Eve well now, and she could tell that the other woman had something on her mind. Something that didn’t have anything to do with the mission as such, but had a bearing on it.
Down in the cargo hold of the Platinum Hook, well away from Courtney’s ears, Denys Fotheran held out a hand to stop Cooper, who frowned and asked “What are you doing?”
“I want to talk to you and I needed an excuse to get you off the bridge. Let’s talk over here.”
The two men squeezed between two shielded bulk containers. Looking like giant square cubes, they were constructed of tiaminite, which was highly resistant to most types of scanning devices.
“What’s this all about, Denys? Let’s do what we came down here for and...”
“Did you actually think I was going to destroy the cargo and renege on a contract?” Fotheran smiled a little sadly. “I don’t have much, Coop, but I DO have my word and this cargo is going to get to Danan Prime.”
Coop sucked his teeth in frustration. “Then what was all that song and dance up on the bridge about?”
“Because when we go back I’m going to stun Courtney,” Fotheran held up a Bajoran phaser, “and you’re going to catch her so when she falls she doesn’t hurt her delicate head. After she’s pacified, we’ll drop out of warp and you two are getting off on the nearest inhabited world.”
Cooper looked at the phaser, noting that Fotheran had activated it. “And this is going to prove what exactly?”
“I’m not trying to prove anything. If I successfully make the drop I’ll be back to get you two and we can settle our business then. If not, well, at least you get Courtney all to yourself.”
“And how are we supposed to get to the Rim?”
“C’mon, Coop. You’ve made a nice bit of latinum over the years. Between the funds you and Courtney have, you’ll be able to bribe your way out of Federation space.”
“It’d be a helluva lot easier if we had a ship, Denys.” Cooper’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve got a better idea: why don’t WE drop you and the cargo off on the nearest inhabited world and you can contact the buyers from there to pick it up. Courtney and I will take the ship and head for the Rim. You’re a lot better at bribing and lying than I am.”
“That’s only because I’ve had more practice, chum. This isn’t a deal. It’s what’s going to happen. You know full well I’m not trying to be a hero. But there’s a good chance we’re gonna get caught and I don’t want Courtney on this ship if that happens.”
“I hear you and I’m not disputing that. All I’m saying is that The Federation knows abut us. You think that just because they don’t find us on the ship means they won’t stop looking? Federation space is damn big and we’ll have a helluva better chance of getting away in the Hook. You know that!”
“Coop, I don’t the time to-” Cooper suddenly launched himself like a living spear right at Fotheran’s midsection. Fotheran fired and the phaser bolt scorched a path right between Cooper’s shoulder blades. His head landed right in the pit of Fotheran’s stomach and drove him backwards.
One of Cooper’s hands grabbed the Bajoran phaser and pushed it upwards while his other hand chopped with brutal force at Fotheran’s neck. Fotheran was by far the stronger man, but Cooper’s sudden attack, combined with the fact that he really didn’t want to hurt his friend handicapped him.
Fotheran elbowed Cooper away, bringing the phaser around to bear on Cooper, who dropped, his legs sweeping out to take Fotheran’s legs out from under him. Cooper leaped on top of Fotheran, again grabbing for the phaser and both men rolled around in the small space, snarling and struggling to get on top and end the fight the only way they knew it could end...