06 – ‘Patriotic Chorus, Part One’

Star Trek: Cayuga

‘Patriotic Chorus – Part One’

By Jack Elmlinger

“See in the skies, flutt’ring before us

What the bright bird of peace is bringing!”

-Stephen Oliver, ‘Patriotic Chorus’

“I’m sick. I’m just so sick of it.” Aimee threw all but her last card onto the table. “Yahtzee.” 

Sean eyed his companion wearily. “Uno, Aimee. We’re playing Uno.” He checked her cards and he was forced to admit that she had won. “Sick of what?” 

“Sam!,” she spat back at him. She flopped back onto Sean’s bed and traced the seams in the bulkhead beside it. “He’s so… him!” 

Pasko glanced at the clock on the nightstand and he considered reminding Aimee that it was close to 0:300 hours in the morning. He suspected that she wouldn’t hear him. Instead, he slumped back on the floor and waited for the engineer to explain herself. 

“It’s his quirks, you know?,” she said, sitting up abruptly. “He’s got all of these endearments for me. Like honey-pie, snookums, and pookie. It’s weird! Why can’t he just call me Aimee?” 

“Maybe he thinks that having his own nickname for you makes his connection to you special.” 

“I mean, look at the man,” she continued with her tirade. “Sure he’s nice and strong, but he isn’t that bright.” A sad expression covered her face. “Do I really want to be washing his underwear for the rest of my life? He has some really big underwear.” She held out her hands to indicate the distance. 

“Wait — when did we start talking about life-long commitment?” 

“Exactly!” 

“Did you do this with Pozach too?,” Sean asked her. 

“What?” 

“When you decided that you were done with her, did you do this? Sit back and list everything that you didn’t like about her?” 

Aimee sniffed at him. “I don’t think that’s fair. I haven’t ditched him.” Her tone became haughty. “I’m only trying to candidly examine the possibilities of our relationship.” 

Sean shrugged at this statement, unimpressed with it. “This just seemed… familiar.” 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

“You want me to do what?,” Vasily Keitsev asked incredulously. 

Alice Polcheny ducked her face down against the table and groaned. “Can you, please, be a little quieter, Vasily?,” she whispered. “I’m being quiet. Why do you think I’m being quiet?” 

“You’re afraid that someone else might hear your ridiculous idea?” 

Polcheny waved her hands frantically. “Yes!,” she hissed at him, her eyes darting around the Mess Hall. Keitsev gasped as she grabbed his ears and dragged him down to her face. “Listen, I like Sean.” 

“He’s a sweetie,” he agreed. “Could you, ah… ?” 

Polcheny continued,” And it would make me happy if I could get to know him a little better.” 

Keitsev tried to squirm free but her grip was too strong. “You could just talk to him — urk.” 

“I’ve tried talking to him but it always turns into a discussion about work,” she said plaintively. “I want to talk to him socially.” 

“How old are you?,” Keitsev demanded to know, breaking away from her. 

She blinked at his question. “Twenty-two. Why?” 

“Because you’re acting like a schoolgirl, Alice!” Keitsev threw up his hands in anger. “If you want to talk to the man or date him or have his babies or whatever, you have to go do it yourself. I’m not setting you two up on a date!” 

Keitsev stood up from the table and left. Polcheny sulked for a few minutes before a smile grew on her face and she bolted from the Mess Hall. 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

“We have a problem,” Doctor Moru said. 

Captain Pozach looked up from her PADD in surprise. “A plaque of Tribbles got loose aboard the ship?,” she asked, mildly. “I could use a pet.” 

“Sayvok’s starting writing again,” the Bolian doctor groaned at her,” and he’s got Ensign Polcheny helping him.” 

Pozach dropped her PADD down on her desk and sat back in her chair. “I thought that he had gotten that out of his system when he wrote that opera in the style of a Klingon love ballad?” 

Moru slumped down in the chair opposite from the captain. “I’ve never heard a Klingon sing before. That was impressive but…” 

“It was the throwing things that got me.” 

“Jeanne, it took three hours to clean up afterwards.” Moru sighed and added. “And you haven’t heard the best part.” 

“It gets better?,” she asked timidly. 

“Apparently, he’s taken up the style of a late-twentieth Terran rock show.” 

Jeanne spun around in her chair and let out a long groan. “Oh, no! No, no, no…” She stopped and stared, dumbfounded out of the window. “I never should have lent him my Queen albums!” 

Moru smiled at this revelation. “I’m sure that the crew will thank you.” 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Davi zh’Tali was slowly coming to appreciate the necessity of command and perhaps even her role in it. She wasn’t coming to appreciate the paperwork though. Sometimes it felt like the forms and regulations were designed solely to keep her trapped in her quarters. 

The door chime sounded. “Enter,” she said, hiding both her irritation and her gratitude. 

Lieutenant Keitsev marched inside, standing at strict attention. “Sir. On your time, I wish to speak with you, sir.” 

zh’Tali felt a tug on her lip but she stifled it. “Very well. Speak.” 

The chair that he had expected to be there wasn’t offered since the zhen kept none on the opposite side of her desk. “Sir, as you know, I’m due to begin my supplementary Academy classes.” 

zh’Tali called up his service record on her monitor. “Because you are a product of the accelerated program utilized by the Academy during the war.” 

“Yes, sir. Despite my current rank of Lieutenant, my commission isn’t complete until I finish my last year at the Academy or the equivalent courses elsewhere.” 

zh’Tali noticed that he hadn’t shifted his eyes from some point over her short white hair and she felt herself gain a modicum of respect for him. “You and a dozen other members of the crew.” She glanced at him. “What’s your point, Lieutenant?” 

Somehow Keitsev stood straighter. “Sir, I would be honored if you would procter my proxy classes in Tactical History, sir.” 

“Why?” The word flew past her lips before she could stop it. The question remained there and it surprised him into moving. 

“I…” He shook his head and returned to attention. “Because you are the senior-most officer with the necessary experience, and if our requirements can’t be fulfilled with lessons from you, then a great many of us will have to return to Earth. “He gathered his strength and continued with his explanation,” and… because it would be a great honor to be taught by someone such as yourself.” 

“Lieutenant,” the commander said, coldly, her eyes and antennae staring flatly at him,” I am immune to flattery.” 

Keitsev’s attention broke entirely. “Sir! No flattery intended. Uh, I don’t mean to falsely inflate your ego… “ He raised his chin after taking a breath. “Only that you are undoubtedly one of the greatest heroes of the Dominion War, sir. That you are–” 

“Stop,” she snarled at him. 

Startled, Keitsev lapsed into silence. The Andorian woman slowly stood up and circled around her desk to stare into the side of his face. She waited and watched sweat form on his brow. “You wish,” she said slowly,” to emulate me.” 

“Ah…,” Keitsev swallowed. “Yes. Yes, sir.” 

zh’Tali leaned in closer to him. “You wish for me to teach you the art of killing and the glory of war.” 

“… sir,” he choked out. 

Abruptly, the commander turned away and returned to her seat behind her desk. “Request denied. Please inform the others with similar … aspirations… that their requests are preemptively denied.” She pulled up a file on her monitor screen, ready to return to her paperwork. “Furthermore, you will return to Earth for your classes where you will be taught that war is not something to be celebrated.” Her ice-blue eyes pierced through Keitsev. “Dismissed. Now.” 

On later reflection, Keitsev realized that not stumbling over his own feet on the way out was the best part of his conference with the First Officer. 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

“Thank you for your attendance,” Sayvok said. “It is my sincere hope that all of you will appreciate the production.” 

Captain Pozach rose from her chair and cleared her throat. “It was certainly… it was quite the effort, Sayvok.” 

The crew left their seats, either in search of food or to flee the scene of the crime against modern theater entirely. 

“Personally, I like the,” — Pasko paused to search for a word –,” the flow. It was very natural. I’ve never segue from ‘Tommy’ to ‘Fame’ in such a … unique manner.” 

Polcheny beamed at him. “I helped with that part. Sayvok wasn’t even going to use ‘Fame’ but I convinced him.” 

“Lucky us,” Maguire said, lightly. 

“I saw ‘Fame’ during my first year at the Academy,” Polcheny continued speaking. “I went with a group of friends and the music just blew my mind!” 

Pasko nodded. “I remember going to musicals at the Academy. Back then, I had the biggest crush on Jamie Kent.” 

“Grk,” Polcheny choked out with wide eyes on Lieutenant Maguire. 

“Jamie Kent,” he continued, not noticing her discomfort. “She had the most expressive eyes and the prettiest smile.” He sighed at the memory. “But she got together with Sekara Leyn and I heard that they’re pretty happy now.” 

“Too bad,” Alice said, relaxing a little as her heart started back up again.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Captain Pozach could tell that there was something wrong when zh’Tali stiffened at her station. From across the Bridge at the engineer’s station, Lieutenant Maguire glanced over at the flicker of motion. The captain rotated her chair and waited while the zhen frowned at her display. 

“We’ve received from the Wildcat, flagship of the Seventh Fleet,” Commander zh’Tali announced from the Ops console. “We have been ordered to make our best speed and join the fleet at Starbase Three-Five-Nine to prepare for combat operations.” 

The Bridge was silent for a moment before Pozach asked,” Excuse me?” 

“The orders are confirmed.” 

“All right,” the Captain said. “Sean, set a course for Starbase Three-Five-Nine, and get us there at Warp Eight.” 

Pasko shook his head as he plotted the course for the Starbase. “Who is there left to fight?,” he asked. 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

“My money is on the Klingons,” Sam Dixon said. “I heard that they weren’t too satisfied with what they got in the Treaty of Bajor.” He nodded confidently. “Assembling the Seventh Fleet is probably just a show of force by the Federation to make them back down.” 

“It’s the Jem’Hadar.” Aimee Maguire’s words silenced the table and she glanced around uncomfortably. “That’s got to be it, doesn’t it? Why else would Starfleet have assembled an entire combat fleet? The Dominion is coming back through the wormhole and –” 

“Aimee, shut up,” Aaron Connelly said, interrupting her. “The Dominion War is over. There’s got to be some other reason.” 

Polcheny glanced around worriedly. “What if –” 

“‘If’, Alice, the Dominion is back, then we’ll fight them again.” 

“And we’ll die,” Maguire told them. “Remember how I got my job as Chief Engineer? Because everyone else was dead!” 

“Snookums!,” Dixon hissed at her. 

“Look,” Polcheny said simply. The other people at their table followed her gaze to the window and a hush fell over the Mess Hall. Like sharks, the gleaming hulls of a hundred starships hung in space. 

“You know,” Connelly said,” the last time that we saw the Seventh Fleet, I was much happier about it.” 

“Or maybe it’s the Breen,” Maguire whispered, still guessing at who their enemy could be. “Starfleet didn’t make much of an effort to disarm them and the Romulans say that you should never turn your back on one. If the Romulans think that they’re untrustworthy…” 

The Chief Engineer’s topic gave Keitsev pause. “You know that nobody’s ever seen one of them outside of its encounter suit. We don’t even know what they like on the inside” 

“Maybe they’re angels!,” Ensign Polcheny exclaimed with forced enthusiasm. She looked around uncertainty from her companions’ harsh looks and then down at the tabletop. “Sorry.” 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Lieutenant Maguire dashed into the Situation Room, trying to look casual and failing utterly. Seated around the table were Commander zh’Tali, Doctor Moru, Science Officer Hobbes, Lieutenant Pasko, and Lieutenant Ntannu, the Ktarian security chief. Captain Pozach sat at the head of the table and behind her stood a dour-looking man with the rank pips of a Captain on his maroon collar. Embarrassed, the chief engineer sat down quickly. 

Pozach’s gaze swam over her officers before she spoke to them, “There have been a lot of rumors and idle speculation flying around this ship since news of the fleet assembly was made public. I have received word from Admiral Falconer aboard the Wildcat that the threat that we’re facing is not the Dominion.” 

Moru, Hobbes, Pasko, Ntannu, and Maguire deflated slightly at the news while zh’Tali remained impassive. 

“I’m more than a little relieved myself,” Pozach admitted to her officers. “We won’t be facing the Jem’hadar. Not today, and hopefully not ever again.” She lowered her eyes briefly before she continued,” I’d like to introduce you all to Captain Daimousen of the starship Fafnir.” 

Daimousen nodded his thanks to her and announced,” This briefing is being given to every command staff in the Seventh Fleet. At zero-three hundred hours yesterday, while on patrol near Morok, the USS Albatross picked up an automated distress signal from the USS Buckingham.” He gazed levelly at each of the Cayuga’s officers. “By the time that Albatross arrived at the scene, the Buckingham had been destroyed. There were no survivors.” 

“My God,” Pasko whispered underneath his breath. 

Daimousen continued with his summation. “The Warrior was called in to take detailed scans of the wreckage and one thing is clear. The Buckingham’s attackers… were Cardassian.” 

“Not to contradict the fine crew of the Warrior, Captain Daimousen,” Moru said,” but we’ve seen the state of the Cardassian people, first hand. There’s no will left to fight in them.” 

“I understand your concern, Doctor, but the evidence is fairly conclusive,” Daimousen replied. “Throughout that day, eight Cardassian vessels which we theoretically believe to be cargo ships, were in the area that the Buckingham was destroyed. We consider each of them to be suspect.” 

“Which is where we come in,” Pozach added to the conversation. “Admiral Falconer doesn’t want any of our ships to be searching out there alone. So we’ve been paired up with the Fafnir in the hunt.” 

“Eight ships in the whole of Cardassian space?,” Ntannu asked her. “They’ve had plenty of time. They could be anywhere by now.” 

“Which is why the entirety of the Seventh Fleet is here now,” explained the Fafnir’s commanding officer. “That many ships spread out on the hunt will make our job that much more easier.” 

“Now they realize it,” Pasko muttered underneath his breath.

Pozach shot him a look before she cleared her throat. “We’ll be underway within two hours. Aimee, I’ll want the sensors to be at top efficiency. Sean, and Commander zh’Tali, I want both of you to work through tactical simulations of how to disable and capture whatever type of vessel that the Cardassians could be using. Mister Ntannu, I want your people in Security ready to secure the vessel and subdue the crew. Got it?” There were nods of acknowledgement from all around the table. “Good. Go.” 

As everyone filed out of the Situation Room. Doctor Moru took a moment to look at Pozach with a scowl on his face. “Doctor,” she said to the Bolian,” I certainly hope that your services won’t be required.” 

“I hope so too, Jeanne. I hope so too.” 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Lieutenant Pasko drummed his fingers on the helm console and eyed the viewscreen warily. “It’s been a while since I’ve had to fly in formation.” 

“What’s our time?,” Pozach asked from behind him. 

zh’Tali checked her board. “We will intercept the Rokar in seven minutes, Captain. The Fafnir has hailed Gul Ocett and ordered her to stand down.” 

Pozach stood up from the captain’s chair and walked around the helm console to get a closer look at the Galor class warship. “Commander,” she said, with her back to zh’Tali,” I want you to beam over to the Fafnir and join the conversation with Gul Ocett. You’ve spoken with her before. Sean, accompany her.” 

zh’Tali nodded sharply at her. She turned on her heel to leave the Bridge with Pasko hurrying up to catch her.

“Fafnir reports that Gul Ocett had beamed aboard and that they’re ready for you, Commander,” Petty Officer Mbanu told the First Officer as she and Pasko entered the transporter room. They stepped onto the transporter platform and their surroundings disappeared into silver-blue molecules. Once they could see again, they stood in a room much like the one that they had left aboard the Cayuga. 

A man with Commander’s pips on his maroon collar smiled at them and held out a hand. “Welcome aboard the Fafnir. I’m Commander Lassiter.” 

zh’Tali stepped off of the platform and shook his hand. “Captain wishes for us to assist you with interrogating Gul Ocett.” 

“Ah,” Lassiter said, beginning to feel his fingers chill from a lack of circulation. “Well, Captain Pozach must run a tight ship.” The first officer extracted his hand from the zhen’s grip and rubbing his fingers against his hip, led them out of the transporter room. “We’ve got the Cardassian in the conference room. Follow me.” 

The first thing that Pasko noticed aboard the Fafnir was the corridors. They were wider than the Cayuga’s and the ceilings seemed a tiny bit higher too. Even the turbolifts were bigger.

Lassiter brought them to the Bridge and stopped them outside the conference room. “Of course, we’ll respect Captain Pozach’s wishes,” he told them,” but Captain Daimousen has been adamant about conducting the interrogation himself. It would be a poor idea to interrupt him.” 

“We are only here to aid and observe,” zh’Tali told him. He nodded at her statement and opened the door. 

“I want your crew manifest. I want your inventory, and I want your logs for the last two weeks,” Daimousen said, towering over Gul Ocett who was seated. “And I want an explanation about why your government ordered the destruction of the Buckingham!” 

Ocett’s eyes slid to her left and she let out a sigh. “You want quite a bit, Captain.” 

“And I get what I want,” he added with a sneer. 

Pasko and zh’Tali seated themselves at the conference table silently. Ocett noticed the Andorian zhen and turned to face her. “Well, isn’t this delightful? You’re the charming captain from that little vessel, aren’t you?” 

“First Officer,” the Andorian corrected her, her voice even. “Though I am interested in the answers that you might give us to Captain Daimousen’s questions.” 

Ocett leaned forward in her face with her own face, a study in annoyance. “As you seem so fond of listening to repetition, I shall say it again. I cannot tell you why my government ordered for this ship of yours to be destroyed because it did not. The Cardassian people have neither the capability, not the willingness to go to war again.” 

Noticing a smudge on her ebony armor, she wiped at it distractedly. 

“Although if the captain and the crew of this ‘Buckingham’ were as engaging individuals as you are, I could see how one might wish to have them killed.” 

Pasko stiffened with repressed anger but Daimousen showed less restraint, leaving Ocett to touch the spot of blood over her right eye. She raised her chin and suggested,” Or perhaps they provoked their own deaths.” 

Daimousen’s next blow knocked Ocett off her chair and to the ground. He wanted until she had struggled to her knees before he kicked her in the face. “Funny that you should say that,” he growled at her. 

“Commander?,” Pasko asked his superior officer. 

zh’Tali sat in stony silence, her arms folded across her chest. 

Pasko stood up from his seat. “Captain Daimousen, I think — “

“Shut up, Lieutenant!,” Daimousen snarled at him. He reached down and grasped at Ocett’s hair, pulling her head back up. “I’m going to let you go, just this once because I’m a nice person.” 

“I can tell,” the Cardassian woman whispered hoarsely. 

Daimousen dropped the Cardassian to the ground. “If I hear — or I think that I’ll hear — that you or any member of your species had anything to do with the loss of the Buckingham, then death will be your only mercy when I get done with you.” 

Lassiter came forward, dragging Ocett to her feet and pulling her from the room. 

“What the hell was that?!,” Pasko demanded to know. Daimousen glared across the table at him and the helmsman held his gaze, waiting for an answer. 

“Interrogating the prisoner,” zh’Tali replied simply. Ignoring the lieutenant’s angry sputtering, she turned towards Daimousen. “Do you have any other leads?” 

“Not at the moment,” he said, rubbing his knuckles idly,” but it’s only a matter of time. Cardassians are brash and stupid. Sooner or later, one of them will start bragging. Then it’ll be all over.” 

Daimousen dismissed the Andorian and Pasko. Commander Lassiter returned to escort them back to the Fafnir’s transporter room. The pilot was muttering things like,” I cannot believe…” and “What happened to…” even as they dematerialized. 

“Perhaps, Mister Pasko, if you explained your opinion in a structured manner, I would be able to understand and empathize.” zh’Tali decided that he would never realize just how difficult those words were for her to say or how appealing the idea of beating him into submission was. 

“Commander,” he began finally,” were you and I in the same room over there?” 

“Of course.” 

“He was assaulting a prisoner! Starfleet has procedures detailing the handling and interrogating of prisoners. They say that torture is not allowed We don’t treat people like that!” His face was turning beet-red and zh’Tali was battling her temper. 

She took a steadying breath and spoke with forced calm. “Lieutenant, you seem to have developed this idea that all Cardassians are soft-eyed, pitiable creatures who are in need of our care and defense.

“However, you should bear in mind that these are the same people, the same government, that sactioned the creation of metagenic weapons, and particupated in a program to capture, torture, and terrorize citizens of the Federation. They have committed massacres against civilians on worlds like Setlik II, Bajor, and many, many others. All of these have been done without a formal declaration of war. Would you like me to list their atrocities during the Dominion War?” 

Pasko shook his head. “Those actions don’t make every Cardassian guilty.” 

“Of course not, but it does make them a suspect. If Gul Ocett has information regarding the  terrorists, then we need to have it now before they strike again. And yes, it is… wrong… of us to violate our own protocols. In my judgement, it was a necessary action to ensure the safety of our fellow Starfleet officers.” 

“So the ends justify the means?” 

“Mister Pasko,” zh’Tali said slowly,” this is the principle upon which I have sacrificed my life continuously for.” 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

“Yahtzee.” 

“Now you’re just doing it on purpose.” 

Aimee just smirked at Sean’s statement. 

“So she just let Daimousen beat up the Cardassian?,” she asked him, standing up and stretching her arms while her hand brushed the crucifix mounted opposite his bed. Sean checked the cards before she trampled them. 

“Yeah, and she didn’t seem to be… to overly disturbed.” 

Aimee shrugged at his response. “I’ve been saying that the woman is a psychopath. It’s the sort of thing that happens when you think that violence is the answer to everything. Especially for an Andorian…” 

“It’s just disturbing. I talked to Captain Pozach about it.” 

Aimee glanced over irritably at him. “Is she going to do anything about it?” Sean looked up at her with surprise and she spoke quickly to cover up the venom in her voice. “Nobody can control zh’Tali because she’s insane.” 

“Why are you so angry? Is this about Captain Pozach?” 

Aimee looked at him. “Sean, this was never about Captain Pozach.” 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

“The Fafnir is hailing us. They’ve received orders from the Wildcat to investigate rumors of unknown vessels entering the Norgo system,” zh’Tali said from her place at Ops. Pasko turned in his chair, irritated at the sound of her voice. 

“Mister Pasko,” Pozach told him,” match the Fafnir’s course and speed.” 

“Coming out of warp… now.” 

zh’Tali’s fingers moved across her board. “There is a colony on Norgo IX, a Class-P world. The atmosphere is inhospitable to humanoid life. Eighty percent of the surface is covered in frozen oceans — “

From across the Bridge, Maguire yelped in surprise. “It’s… it must be very cold down there.” 

zh’Tali shook her head and continued with her report,” The colony is located inside of an enclosed environment, supporting over three thousand Cardassians.” Her board beeped with a new development. “Fafnir has hailed the colony.” 

“Patch us in,” Pozach said, leaning forward in her chair. 

Overhead, the voice of Captain Daimousen snarled,” — order you to give up the terrorists. If you do not comply, we will be forced to take action.” 

“I assure you, Captain, that we don’t harbor any criminals here.” The speaker sounded old and tired. “We hardly have enough resources for ourselves, let alone for any offworlders.” 

Daimousen’s voice grew colder as Pozach shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “Cardassian… I offer you one last chance to come clean.” 

“We do not — “

“Of course not. Tactical, target the colony’s life-support systems and fire.” 

“Daimousen!,” Pozach yelled at him, leaping forward from her chair. zh’Tali’s mouth opened in shock but that was quickly replaced by rage. On the main viewscreen, a quantum torpedo fell down on the planet and even from space, geysers of gaseous ammonia were visible from the impact point. “Captain, you cannot fire on civilians! Stand down!” 

“Pozach,” Daimousen said, slowly, his voice filled with anger and malice,” I don’t really care if you’re too pathetic to do what needs to be done, but don’t condemn me for not being as weak.” The channel between the ships was cut off afterwards.

zh’Tali said quietly,” Fafnir is continuing to fire on the surface.” 

Pozach leaned over Pasko’s shoulder. “Sean,” she said, gathering up her strength,” I want you to disable the Fafnir’s weapons array and disable it.” 

“Are you out of your mind?!,” Maguire demanded from behind her. “We can’t fire on another Federation starship!” 

From the Ops position, zh’Tali sought out the captain’s gaze. Her eyes were angry and she spoke in a hushed voice,” Stop them.” 

“Jeanne,” the pilot said, breaking protocol between them,” this is a hell of a time to grow a backbone about fighting. That’s an Akira class starship and we’re outgunned, big time by her.” He looked up at the view of the Fafnir still firing on the planet. “Let’s get on with it,” he whispered to himself.

“Sound General Quarters,” the Captain said, turning back to sit down in her command chair. “Red Alert. All hands to Battle Stations. This is not a drill.” 

“Attempting to match our weapons to Fafnir’s shield modulations,” the Andorian first officer said,” and sending out a distress signal on all frequencies.” 

“I’m targeting the launchers between their nacelles,” Pasko said, his hands busy moving over his panel,” and I’m plotting an attack pattern that will keep us out of the majority of their phasers.” 

Maguire checked over the ship’s status on the situation board. “All decks are secured and Connelly reports that Engineering is ready.” 

Pozach took a heavy sigh before saying,” Mister Pasko… fire.” 

The Fafnir’s shields flared as the Cayuga swept in close, hammering away at her torpedo launchers. With the first pass finished, the pilot pulled the ship around tight and returned towards the other ship’s launchers. 

“Incoming hail from the Fafnir,” zh’Tali reported. 

The viewer shifted from a winding of stars to Daimousen’s furious visage. What the hell is wrong with you, Pozach?!” 

“Stand down from your attack on the colony, Captain, and I’ll be delighted to discuss it with you,” the Cayuga’s captain said with a humor that she didn’t feel. 

The channel cut off and the Cayuga shook violently. Maguire gasped and she began to make her report but she was interrupted by a sudden lurch in the ship’s artificial gravity. “Engineering’s been hit, Captain! We’re losing power from all across the ship!” 

“Any response to our distress signal?” 

“Plenty,” zh’Tali replied,” from the Seventh Fleet.” 

“I can’t get through their shields!,” Pasko yelled. 

“Our forward shields have collapsed,” the Andorian reported. “Fafnir has captured us in a tractor beam. I’m reading transport signatures all over the ship — “

Six pillars of silver-blue energy appeared around the Bridge and materialized into security officers. zh’Tali tensed at their sudden appearance but the captain motioned for her to sit still. Commander Lassiter, the Fafnir’s First Officer, trained his weapon on Jeanne with a hard look on his face. 

“Captain Jeanne Pozach,” he said,” by the order of Captain Ryan Daimousen, I place you under arrest.” 

To be continued…