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["Galloway ta Jaeger. Ready when you are at holodeck two."]

[Holodeck 2 - USS Challenger]

As the ship cruised at maximum warp for Klingon space, Ian approached the holodeck. It had been a long time since he'd run the program and he knew he was rusty as an atmospheric pilot. Before he'd entered, he tapped the combadge affixed to his Flying Tiger flight suit.

"Galloway ta Jaeger. Ready when you are at holodeck two."

Ian then put his combadge in his pocket. His replicated period Timex watch told him it was 1904. They would have less than an hour to familiarize Ardy with the Tomahawk, he doubted they would get any stick time, but they had three weeks to get her up to speed. Not a lot of time, but she'd get the basics and that was all she would need to understand the maneuvers of the era.

[En Route to Klingon Space]

After his briefing to the department heads, Ian had visited each department on the ship. He could see everyone was doing what needed to be done to sustain the ship for an extended period of time. Extra supplies had been stocked and the cargo holds were bulging with all the myriad items the ship might need. Sure items could be replicated, but there was only so much replicator mass and it only made sense to stock up in advance to stretch the mass as long as possible and as a back up should something disable the replicators.

The tour also allowed Ian to take the measure of the department heads. Engineering was in good hands even if Sunik wasn't into trading insults like the former Tellerite Chief Engineer, Ian was confident he could count on Engineering to get the job done. Likewise, Lieutenant Wu seemed to have a solid hand on Ops, who were the jack of trades on the ship. If somebody did it and it involved the ship, it was likely someone from Ops would probably be the one doing it.

Ian had worked with Zhuk long enough to trust him completely and thus he had no doubts that Security would be on top of things. The Caitian was a bit new to the Tactical role, so time would tell how well he handled himself in battle, but based on what he'd seen of the man, Ian figured Zhuk would acquit himself well.

Lieutenant Jaeger was an unknown. She certainly seemed competent, but it had been a long time since they served together on Discovery and she wasn't chief flight then. Before they got to Klingon space, he was going to have to invite her to Kunming so she could learn the unorthodox terms and maneuvers Ian used so frequently in battle.

Ian knew Science wouldn't have a major role in the upcoming mission, but one never knew what the boffins could come up with, so he never dismissed their input. He trusted Jettis and knew that his department would deliver when needed.

Finally, there was his Chief Medical Officer. Lieutenant Rasher had been on Challenger for a long time, but the loss of Jess had dumped the role onto the still fairly young officer and he just seemed overwhelmed. He was a good doctor, but if things got complicated, Ian wondered just how well he would hold up under those conditions.

After completing his rounds of the ship, Ian went to his ready room and began to work on his Klingon. He knew a few words, but not enough to be conversant and he wanted to ensure he could communicate properly with their allies. Fortunately, the Klingon language structure wasn't that far from that of Gaelic and Ian was certain he could get a handle on the language in the time it would take to reach their destination.

[Excelsior!]

Let's all congratulate Kyan for his promotion to full commander!

Excelsior!

[[Lt. Commander Kyan Mackenzie | Mess Hall, USS Challenger]]

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

Alex sat at his station, paying keen attention to Galloway's briefing, though his expression had tightened considerably by the end of it. Fantastic. A monster that the Klingons are afraid of, ones that can literally see out behind them, and Starfleet decides we're the best ones to send. Why wouldn't they at the very least let us offload our families if they knew this might become a combat mission? A vivid memory of the lizard warriors he'd encountered decades ago onboard Gibson came to mind, causing an involuntary shudder. They'd barely survived that encounter, and he didn't have a daughter to worry about. Keeping his dour mood to himself, and maybe Ardyn, Alex shifted in his seat, glancing at the others before speaking up first.

"Sir, I reckon I won't be the only one with some concerns about our role in this operation. By my understanding of the provided information, the Federation hasn't had any personal interactions with the Kinshaya. This is, by definition, a first contact scenario for us if we were to come across them. Has Starfleet issued us ROEs on how to proceed in that instance? Will we be following our doctrine, or the Klingons?" The question Alex didn't ask was, Will we be expected to go guns a 'blazing against a force that can regularly turn Klingon ships into swiss cheese? Instead, he paused for a moment before proceeding with his next concern. "And the obvious follow up question is, who will be in charge of this task force?"

[Bridge]
Ardy got back onto the bridge as the briefing began, so she hung back as the situation was explained about this situation they were pulled in. "Do you think we'll need to bring out fighter support, given the maneuverability of their ships?" she asked, already planning battle tactics for both the Challenger and the pilot squads. The Challie might be an older ship, but she still had the maneuverability if she needed to really go into battle mode."

She grimaced a little  internally. Expendable. Ardy used to think that of herself, before she had people in her life she didn't want to lose. All the more reason to not lose this fight.

"Given the fact that this is a species of people practically unknown to the Federation, would it be better to see  if we can try to observe them first, so we know what we might be up against?
[/quote]

[Lt. Commander Kyan Mackenzie | Mess Hall, USS Challenger]

The only question Kyan had was When will we get there? A proper fight with the Kinshaya? And they'd be fighting with the Klingons? That sounded like a Yule gift come early to him. The only thing putting a damper on the whole affair was that he'd be sitting beside Ian and not manning tactical. But even that wasn't enough to take all the shine off.

Of course he'd have to get some more information from Klingon Intelligence about the Kinshaya. The scant details that they'd gotten thus far wasn't very much to work with and since the Klingons had been fighting them off and on for more than a century he knew there had to be more.

If there was one constant in the universe, Kyan thought, it was that grups, Human ones especially, would try talking to anyone or anything if they thought it might keep them from having to get dirty.

It wasn't a cowardly thing, but it seemed like they had to go through alot of steps to convince themselves or give themselves permission to do what everyone knew was going to happen. Starfleet Academy really pounded that lesson home.

Kyan had never put much stock in it though. Sometimes, not all of the time, but sometimes...most times in his own reckoning, some folks just had to do everything the hard way.

Kyan recognized this trait in others mostly because, well....he was one of them.

"I dinnae think they're gonna be much fer talking an diplomacy Mister Wu." Kyan opined. "Them and the Klingons been at each other since way before Khitomer an in all dat time, dey never wanted ta talk to us, or anyone else. Sure an it seems like all they wanna do is fight."

[Briefing Room - USS Challenger]

Ian listened to the very pertinent questions and wished he had more information, he sighed and continued with what little answers he had.

"As for families Lieutenant Wu, since this mission has the potential ta drop into the pot more than others, our course includes a detour ta Deep Space K-7 at the halfway point of our journey. That will give you ten full days ta pack and prepare loved ones ta leave the ship."

Turning to face Ardy, Ian continued.

"I believe the intelligence means for ships their size they are maneuverable, besides, with the high casualty rates among fighters, we are again limited by that bloody Frontier Day mess. Starfleet is now very casualty adverse and simply won't condone the use of fighters.

"Our mission and ROE are ta support and observe. You are correct Alex, this is technically a First Contact, but the Kinshaya do not talk, they attack and attack savagely. Whether they are xenophobes, descended from predators, or just nae like how other species breathe is unknown.

"I don't know how well you ken 20th Century history Lieutenant, but our presence will be like the troops from the nation state of the United States that were stationed in the nation state of South Korea which was in an armed stand off with the nation state of North Korea. The American forces were nae strong enough ta stop the North Koreans. Their mission was as a reminder ta the North 'cross the border and you will hit our forces, which will bring in the full might of the United States military.' They were a 'tripwire', that essentially meant 'cross this point and something goes off you can't handle'. I got the distinct impression when I got my briefin', we are a tripwire force. If the Kinshaya attack the Klingons in force this time, we ensure the Federation will respond."

Finally, Ian addressed Kyan.

"I hate ta accept that talkin' isn't an option, but this is one time it seems unlikely. When I said we have little information on the Kinshaya, what I told you is all the Klingons have. Since the Kinshaya actually scare them, it is a matter of honor ta nae talk about them. They only reluctantly shared what I gave you and all Starfleet Intelligence has is rumors.

"Coming back ta your question Alex of who is in command, Captain Trindra Soro of the USS Galahad, the Akira in the task force is senior captain and will hold the title of Commodore for this mission. I am next senior and will be her deputy."

Ian stood, but before he dismissed everyone, he added.

"I did get one bit of good news while at Starbase 153. The orders have come through and I get ta do one of my favorite roles as Captain. Lieutenant Commander Kyan MacKenzie, stand up."

Ian then walked over to him and exchanged the open pip for a third closed one.

"You are hereby promoted ta the rank of Commander. Congratulations ya little git."

["Lads and Lasses. Seems the Klingons have gotten themselves into a spot of bother. They have had several ships, civilian and KDF go missin' along their coreward border. This area is virtually unknown ta Starfleet as even now, the Klingons are very tight-lipped about the region. It took decades ta learn most of this information and what we have is bloody thin. It seems some 140 years ago, durin' the time before the Khitomer Accords and the Klingons were lookin' ta expand, after bein' checked in their rimward advance by the Federation, the turned coreward. There they encountered a species out of their darkest nightmares. The Klingons named them the Kinshaya, which means 'demon possessed'."]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian watched the mass of Starbase 153 shrink as the Challenger departed for Klingon space. The ship had made the four hour deadline with all crew reporting in well ahead of the deadline. Once a safe distance from the starbase, the ship went to warp and smoothly accelerated to her maximum of warp 8.2. When the ship was steady on course, Ian called for a department heads briefing. As he was the only one with all the information of their mission, he would brief the others. Once the last person was in place, he stood and moved to the large display on the wall that currently showed the Klingon coreward border.

"Lads and Lasses. Seems the Klingons have gotten themselves into a spot of bother. They have had several ships, civilian and KDF go missin' along their coreward border. This area is virtually unknown ta Starfleet as even now, the Klingons are very tight-lipped about the region. It took decades ta learn most of this information and what we have is bloody thin. It seems some 140 years ago, durin' the time before the Khitomer Accords and the Klingons were lookin' ta expand, after bein' checked in their rimward advance by the Federation, the turned coreward. There they encountered a species out of their darkest nightmares. The Klingons named them the Kinshaya, which means 'demon possessed'."

At this point, Ian changed the image on the viewer from Klingon space to the image of a large humanoid.

"This ladies and gentlebeings is a Kinshaya. They average two meters tall or larger. They clock in at a massive 200 kilos. Accordin' ta the Klingons, they fight with a fury that is beyond words ta describe. They have these large, essentially vestigial wings, they cannae fly, they've become too heavy for that, but when spread span three meters. They have two ocular like organs for eyes, large and pupiless. Their nose is a wee thing and their mouth is little more than a flap, but has three rows of teeth. And if that isna nightmare enough, they have a sort of visual organ in the back of their head. It seems ta be primitive and only senses movement."

Changing the viewer again, the image was of a ship, but of a design no one had seen before.

"This is a Kinshaya globe ship. For some unknown reason, all of their ships are spheres with external warp nacelles mounted port and starboard. Despite their odd appearance, the Klingon report them ta be very maneuverable and pack a staggerin' punch. The first time the Klingons fought them, they only just managed ta stop them. Because that time was when we were enemies, they kept the entire encounter and war a secret. It took the work of many years for Starfleet Intelligence ta piece together that the Kinshaya even existed.

"Now that we are allies, the Klingons have shared what little they ken, but it's nae much. As mentioned, the Kinshaya fight with unmitigated fury, so, not unlike the Earth-Romulan war, no prisoners were ever taken and ships were usually lost with all hands. The image of the Kinshaya was a body found in the wreckage of one of their ships post battle. Even though it had been floatin' in hard vacuum for several hours, when it warmed up, it turned out ta nae be dead and it killed nine Klingons before they could kill it. I hope that gives you an idea of what we potentially face should the raidin' escalate beyond that."

Ian sat down at this point.

"We are part of a twelve ship taskforce. All older ships, I won't say Starfleet considers expendable, but that's the situation. There will be three Steamrunners, two Cheyennes, two New Orleans, three Norways, one Akira, and us. Starfleet's reasonin' for sendin' us, is after Frontier Day, it makes more sense ta keep the newer, faster ships closer ta the core planets as they can deploy more efficiently than keepin' them on the border on patrol. Regardless of the why we were selected, we have a job ta do. Our Klingon allies have asked for our help and per the Khitomer Accords, we are bound ta assist. What are your questions?"

["As you know Sir, we had ta leave before the yard apes...er starbase engineers were finished with repairs and upgrades. Durin' our transit time, we worked double shifts and made a mighty dent in our replicator mass, but Challenger is now nominal on all systems"]

[Briefing Room - Starbase 153]

Ian arrived in station Ops and was escorted directly to Admiral T'Phen's office. Like all Vulcans, her office was sparsely decorated and she wasted little time on niceties. She did rise when Ian entered and simply said.

"Please sit Captain."

Ian did so and waited for the Admiral to continue.

"I know your ship just arrived after a long transit. What is your ship's status?"

"As you know Sir, we had ta leave before the yard apes...er starbase engineers were finished with repairs and upgrades. Durin' our transit time, we worked double shifts and made a mighty dent in our replicator mass, but Challenger is now nominal on all systems"

"Very good Captain, because while you were en route, your orders have changed. The Klingons have asked for assistance and under the Khitomer Accords, we are obliged to respond. Our allies report that several ships have gone missing on their coreward border and they believe it is the Kinshaya that are responsible. Starfleet is sendin' a task force of a dozen ships to assist the Klingons keep the Kinshaya from making any more aggressive moves."

Ian tried to keep his face neutral as he did the calculations of how far the admiral was sending them, but he was certain that someone as perceptive as a Vulcan could read his thoughts without resorting to telepathy.

"Bloody hell, that's sixty odd lightyears. At best speed, that's three bleedin' weeks."

To the admiral, Ian said.

"Given the travel time Admiral, will we arrive in time ta make any difference?"

"That is unknown Captain. I understand there are faster ships in the fleet, but after the lamentable events of last year, you are well aware of the difficulties the fleet faces. We will need our faster ships closer to the core planets where their speed will allow them to reach outlying areas more efficiently than basing slower ships on the frontier."

Ian managed not to make a face, but there was some logic to the Admiralty's plan. He did have one question.

"May I ask admiral, what other ships will be in this taskforce?"

"You may Captain. To be frank, all of them are older classes of starships, not unlike your Challenger, but all still have useful service left in them. I will transfer the list to your PADD. Do you have any further questions Captain?"

"One Sir, when do we depart?"

"As long as it takes for you to resupply your replicator mass and any other maintenance issues you have."

"Is four hours acceptable?"

"It is. Good day Captain."

Ian rose, nodded to the admiral and departed. When he reached Ops, he asked for and was transported from Station Ops, directly to the bridge of the Challenger.

Ian plopped in the command chair and read through the list of ships assigned to the taskforce. Challenger was by far the oldest, but all of the rest were survivors of the Dominion War. There were three Steamrunners, solid destroyer/scouts; two Cheyennes, decent fighters and fast; two New Orleans, fast frigates with good firepower; three Norways, not unlike the New Orleans, but with a leaner crew; and one Akira torpedo cruiser. This last ship was the nightmare even the Jem'Hadar feared for it's withering firepower. Add in the Challenger and you had a regular antique show.

After acquainting himself with the taskforce, he contacted Lieutenant Sunik in Engineering.

"Lieutenant, you have four hours ta ready the ship ta run for three weeks at warp eight. I'm about ta order a recall of the crew. I ken full well that what I'm askin' is borderin' on the impossible, but Starfleet Engineers are well known ta make such things routine. Get ta it Lieutenant, time is against us."

"Understood Captain."

Ian hated to have to do what he had to do next, but there was no choice, if they were to meet the four hour deadline, they would need the entire crew.

"All hands. This is the Captain speakin', this is a shipwide recall. All hands report back ta the ship, this is no drill. Department heads, report when all your personnel are accounted for. Again, this is no drill."

Ian sighed and as he thought.

"Twelve old ships will nae stop the Kinshaya if'n the Klingon stories are true, it looks like were ta be a bloody tripwire ta trigger a greater response by Starfleet. Maker protect us all."

Welcome aboard Georgi!

["This is quite good Commander. I'm goin' ta have ta see if'n the Challenger's replicator has the pattern for it."]

[Admiral Hamish Gillespie | Phaser Array/Torpedo Bay Two | Upper Tower Weapons Array | Deck Four | Outpost Solaere]

[Commander Nira Said | First Officer's Quarters | Deck Two | Outpost Solaere]

"Well, I've been getting some meals warmed and prepared," Nira said, and she got some dishes out. Replicated, but nonetheless kept warm, and definitely cooked when they came from the replicator.

"It's generally more the kind of food that's my speciality: Shawarma, or kebabs. I have some prepared, either in stick or doner form," she added with a smile, showing the different kinds of shawarma; shredded meat in some bread, or chunks of meat on a stick, all cooked in halal specifications. "Oh, and a salad special for Torra, when she comes," Nira added. "So I got plenty when the Addamses get here, even greens for the missus. Let's dig in."

And they continued to chat as they ate, Nira recalling Ian's previous comment. "We'll certainly get to them," Nira commented. "There's surprisingly much to find as much as there is for a planet to explore; this station is two hundred and two years old, after all; built directly at the turn toward the twenty-third century. And it is definitely good to know Starfleet is giving us priority; a trading hub with trade routes to the Romulan Free State, and at a time when we're trying to build good relations with the Free State...well, something like this would be critical enough to put in priority."

[First Officer's Quarters - Outpost Solaere]

Ian sniffed the food Nira identified as Shawarma and after a cautious nibble, he smiled at the spicy flavorful meat and nodded his approval.

"This is quite good Commander. I'm goin' ta have ta see if'n the Challenger's replicator has the pattern for it."

There was a period of silence as Ian enjoyed the meal before he brought up his earlier conversation.

"Makin' sense of the hash that's been made of the station is goin' ta be a long road. It's one thing ta fix a broken thing back ta the way it was before it was broken, but you've got several generations of bodged up, make shift, Franken-patches on top of modifications here. What needs doin' is a full rebuild, but even though you've been given some priority, you haven't been given top priority. Your Engineers and Ops people are in for a challenge I'm glad I don't have ta face. I guess all you can do is celebrate the small successes as they happen and keep chuggin' away until you have it sorted."

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[[Lt. Commander Kyan Mackenzie | Bridge, USS Challenger]]

[Lt. Commander Kyan Mackenzie | Bridge, USS Challenger]

Sometimes Kyan wondered why he ever agreed to get promoted in the first place. He'd been all set to go with Zhuk and his team to catch the thief, but Ian said that it wasn't his job anymore. So now here he was, sitting on the bridge with everyone else, watching the security team trek through the underbelly of the ship in search of the thief.

First of all, Kyan was genetically predisposed to be doing something. That's just the way things worked. He needed to be moving around. Sitting in the same spot for hours and watching the viewscreen was not something. It's the opposite of something. Thats why he was never a good helmsman. Sitting down and steering the ship... or more accurately, telling the ship where to go and then watching the blip pass through space for hours on end, unless you have to make a course correction. That's why he skipped most of the piloting courses when he was at the Academy. And that was back before they'd created the LCARS systems and isolinear chips, much less the bio neural gel packs.

And now he had a job with another chair and a smaller little console that didn't even fly the ship. But at least he got to sit beside the Captain and play musical chairs with him if he decided to go the the bathroom, or go sit in his ready room or something. But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that he was expected to sit here during a fight, or an operation like this one, and not do anything.

It was excruciating.

Sitting cross-legged in his chair, the Onlie tried to busy himself by reading tactical reports from the Klingon border. Any other time the information would have been interesting, but the fact that several Klingon ships had recently gone missing without any explanation was relegated to the back burner. Instead, Kyan found himself getting up and walking around the bridge, "checking" on all the different stations. He'd done that three times already. The Benzite cadet manning science 2 was probably developing a complex by now. Kyan finally gave up on his padd and looked back up at the screen in time to see Zhuk motion that they were close.

"Finally!" he said to himself. Then to Galloway, "I'd be after interrogatin him when they catch him." he offered. "Zhuk can come too, but I dinnae know if he's done it much. An the jobby pillock mighta hid all the loot he got so.."

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian nodded as Kyan spoke, because he understood far to well the frustrations he was feeling. Ian was action oriented and while he adored commanding Challenger, he missed being a first officer.

"I hear you Lad, at least you still get ta lead away teams. I'm bloody stuck in this center seat for everything. So, even though I ended up gettin' shot for my troubles, I wouldn't have changed a single thing about goin' down to Land. It was almost like old times."

[Lieutenant Commander Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Deck Twelve | Jefferies Tube 127-B | Beneath the Deuterium Storage Tanks | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A | Romulan Free State Space]

Even though this whole ordeal had been highly distressing for him, he couldn't help but take a small amount of pride in the way that his Security team had so smoothly taken their positions, and combed through the service ducts. All exits had been covered, so the thief would be captured successfully even if he failed in this first capture - which wouldn't happen.

All of his senses were alert and ready, supplementing the technology that allowed him to track his quarry. It was his sharp scent, however, that allowed the Caitian to determine he was almost upon him. Blackfeather and Zala, who followed behind the Chief of Security, were having a hard time keeping up, his natural agility and flexibility being a boon in these tight corridors. Suddenly, he stopped, as they almost reached a central node. A quick chatter with his teeth was emitted, and Zhuk dropped his tricorder, much to the other two's surprise. He did not even retrieve his phaser, instead falling into all fours, and accelerating towards something still unseen. Zhuk's sensitive nose now fully guided him, into the dim illumination of the thief's nest. He narrowly avoided tripping over a simple, makeshift trap, so when he jumped at the middle of a hammock-like structure, the only thing that the Rigellian could see were a pair of glowing eyes and pointy claws and teeth going right towards him.

The latter were swiftly embedded upon the Rigellian's collar, narrowly avoiding his actual skin as he was thrown onto the floor. In the fall, they narrowly avoided crashing upon the many stolen items that had been carefully and deliberately propped around by the thief over a small crate, much to both's relief. Soon enough, however, the Rigellian thief attempted to get the upper hand by brandishing his weapon, a small pistol implement. Far too slow for Zhuk's superior reflexes, he found himself scratched for his efforts, and forced to drop the gun as the Caitian rolled around with him, far from the coveted objects. Growling followed the combat, as the Rigellian resorted to punching, scratching and generally trying to get the Security officer off his body. Zhuk's claws, however, made that difficult as they pierced the clothing and tore it apart. The shimmering became more and more diffuse until finally, his true form was revealed. The thief managed to hit the Caitian often, though Mrekerhas swifly discovered that he had little in the way of combat skills, barely managing to score any actual strikes that hurt him. A cruel laugh followed... then, Zhuk let go.

The Rigellian let out a cry as he pushed aside the Head of Security and made a run for it, only to find himself lightly disoriented as the illumination levels rose. It took him just a moment to realize that he was in the crosshairs of two other Security officers, who gazed at him with a scowl. As he turned, he found the upright, significantly smaller-than-him Caitian that had just attacked him brandishing his own phaser, the thief's weapon safely under his boot. With his voice breaking, he raised his hands and fell to his knees,

"A-Alright, a-alright, I surrender! S-Stop!" Came the pleading as he looked over towards Blackfeather and Zala, unable to meet Zhuk in the eye, "P-Please, don't hurt me! Y-Yes! I-I stole your crew's things! They were so pretty! I did not meant to s-stay in your ship, but I-I saw... oh s-so many pretty things!"

Through sniffles, he motioned over to the stolen objects, before shaking his head, "I-I did not meant to stay, but w-when I tried to leave... t-the ship left early. I am sorry, I-I couldn't help it! A-And I had to survive until you r-reached the next S-Starbase!"

He crawled closer towards Zala, glancing behind himself, "P-Please... d-don't... don't let him take me!"

As Zala took a look over towards Zhukdra'shar, he observed her for a moment, then shrugged, "Ah, such exaggeration... I but only roughed you a small amount... besides, you attempted to fire at me with a weapon. I was supposed to allow you to fire upon me? Ah... by the by, there lays a tripwire just in front of thee. Be careful."

Zhuk tsked, shaking his head as he straightened his uniform, making sure everything was in place. Both his pips and commbadge. Zala sighed and proceeded to jump over the trap, then placed a shoulder on top of the scared Rigellian male, "You are... safe now. But you won't be leaving the brig and be handled by the authorities for the rest of our trip. After we visit Sickbay, that is..."

She stated, sternly, and motioned for the Rigellian to stand up, which he did. Meekly, he placed his hands behind his back, "Y-Yeah... I won't fight... I surrender...

He reassured them, before Zala took him away, assisted by Blackfeather.

"Esteemed members of the crew. Captain. I must gladly inform thee that we have managed to apprehend our interloper, and have found his little... 'nest' he was using to abscond the stolen items. I believe everything is here, and thus, shalt be returned shortly to thee. Our pilferer, a Rigellian, is on his way to Sickbay. And then, the brig."

Zhuk announced, with great pride in his words. He smirked, wondering if he had roughed him too much. Oh well, he deserved some punishment for the headache that he had caused, didn't he? He chuckled, proceeding to recover the items so that they could be given back to their rightful owners...

[Three Days Later...]

[USS Challenger arriving at Starbase 153]

After shedding their Romulan shadow at the Safe Transit Corridor, they crossed through and headed for the Starbase. By now all the missing belongings had been returned to their owner. However, once secured to the docking clamps. Ian called for Jeyshon and Rala to be brought to his ready room. When they arrived, they found the imposing figure of Senior Chief Petty Officer Blackfeather standing behind his desk. When they reported in, Ian let them sweat for a few moments, before speaking in a cold tone.

"Alright you two. I ken full well how you've taken ta cleaning the carbon filters, but now it's time for the second part of your punishment. Senior Chief will be overseein' your trip outside. You will continue ta scrub the hull while you are off shift until we depart this Starbase. Before you go, I believe that you, Rala, owe Jeyshon apology for accusin' him of theft."

Rala looked like he might refuse, but knew he was already in enough trouble and with a choked voice, he said.

"I was wrong to accuse you. I'm sorry."

"The path to Kamata in spring"

"Alright you two. You've had your moment. Now for the fun."

Blackfeather reached into a pouch on his hip and handed both men toothbrushes.

"Use these until you wear them out, but don't think wearing these out will do you any favors, because I've got plenty more for you. Now, let's get you suited up for your little excursion."

Ian kept his face neutral as Blackfeather marched the two men out of the ready room, he waited ten more seconds for them to cross the turbolift and exit the bridge before bursting out in full throated laughter. He laughed until his sides hurt and was still chuckling as he exited the ready room. As he crossed the bridge, he waved Lieutenant jg Wilma Schultz, from flight to remain in the command chair.

"I'm ta report for a briefing from Admiral T'Fen. You have the bridge Lieutenant."

When Ian reached transporter room one, he was joined by Lieutenant jg. Rachel Davenport and the Klingon Petty Officer First Class Koroz and their Rigelian prisoner. Ian had, of course, seen the prisoner. Shortly after Zhuk reported he'd caught the man, he'd gone down to the brig to see him with his own eyes. He was actually relieved to discover that the thief wasn't a member of the crew as that was such a back breaker to morale. Not that he was happy that Starbase 185's security had allowed the thief onto the ship in the first place. Ian waited until the prisoner and his guards had beamed to Starbase 153's brig before he stepped onto the platform.

"Station Operations."

As the annular confinement beam took him, Ian wondered what he was going to find out from the admiral.

"Probably nothing good."

He muttered.

["Sur'n you've been as busy as a one armed paper hanger as my Gammer used ta say. I can't imagine how many hidey holes and secrets are hidden here, but I'm certain you'll get it sorted. Starfleet has made you a priority or you would nae be receivin' so much support, so the critical factor, as with most things, is time. So what are we havin' for dinner?"]

[Commander Nira Said | First Officer's Quarters | Deck Two | Outpost Solaere]

Nira scoffed in response, "Oh, pirates, criminals, the fact that the weapons array was designed to pack as much punch as Deep Space Nine, all while utilizing a torpedo complement of a station of this size...there's a crapload of secrets about this outpost that we're uncovering, and I'm sure we haven't found them all. Plus, Deep Space Nine had cooperation from the Bajoran Privisional Government. New Jericho's government cooperates in the exact opposite way. They hated having the Romulans pour in, and they interpret our humanitarian efforts to the refugees as our betraying the Federation.

"Of course our weapons array is a mess," Nira continued. "Of course it was the first to be taken down. Parts stolen, systems outdated, limits set in that specifically require the command codes of the previous command staff! I'm not kidding when I said the weapons array was designed to pack as much punch as Deep Space Nine; this outpost, we are discovering, had been upgrading its weapons and defenses designed in a way to fight, confront and resist the Borg. Where it took Deep Space Nine around a year to upgrade itself into a fortress of power, Outpost Seven had been working and reworking on its weapons array and designs from first contact with the Borg, in light of the reports of its power, right up until the outbreak of the Dominion War, when the project was abandoned along with the rest of the station..."

Nira paused a moment. She reflected on it...yes, now that Ian mentioned it, some of the torpedoes that the pirates sent against Solaere was its own. Thirty years old, and yet still packed a punch.

"I was assured phaser emitters will be coming with the next convoy, included with ships from the Corps of Engineers," Nira said. "And I imagine we will give a bloody nose. I think that the Horizon came at a good time; it will be able to give those pirates the bloody nose the station wouldn't be able to; it will cover the station while Ops and Engineering do their work. And with help from the elements from the Seventeenth Fleet around, we'll be able to get a faster job done.

"But I agree, first priority will go to the weapons," Nira said. "I won't be surprised if our Sec/Tac Chief is doing that; you'd like Ol' Stryker, Captain," Nira said, about Stryker. "My first department head and mentor after graduation. And he used to be an engineer, so he will know his stuff. Plus, since a major obstacle had been the command codes of the previous command staff, we're going to wipe them from memory, and they're gone already from the weapons; I mean, we don't know where they are, anyway."

Upon Ian's mentioning the animals, Nira smiled, glad for a change of subject. "Well, I never had been an animal person since the original Ahkbar died. I had the holo-version created when I learned about Commander Garrison's own holo-pet, Steve the raptor. Nahida, on the other hand...she's a handy pet, since she can often behave as a plant. She just consumes soil nutrients and requires sun and water...she uses water to swim in and so she can absorb it..."

Then she listened to Ian about the Landsers and was taken aback. "Holy Allah...a non-warp people capable of interstellar traversal? They certainly bring the Iconians to mind. And I guess that explained why Admiral Gillespie traveled all this way alongside you. I wouldn't be surprised if he took part in that court-martial."

She kept her peace while Ian spoke next; she didn't mean to rant, but the past weeks had made her feel surlier; it had that affect, even on Commander Garrison, who was normally a person who radiated positivity.

[First Officer's Quarters - Outpost Solaere]

Ian listened while Nira vented. He could only imagine the challenges she faced attempting to bring a long abandoned space outpost back online beset by pirates that didn't like being evicted from their base of operations and an uncooperative local government; it had to be a nightmare.

"Sur'n you've been as busy as a one armed paper hanger as my Gammer used ta say. I can't imagine how many hidey holes and secrets are hidden here, but I'm certain you'll get it sorted. Starfleet has made you a priority or you would nae be receivin' so much support, so the critical factor, as with most things, is time. So what are we havin' for dinner?"

["I think you've done miracles with next ta nothing Lass. This station was in worse shape than Deep Space Nine was when the Cardassians pulled out. While the Cardassians looted that station, it hadn't been abandoned like this one. Add in the pirates making it their home and it's amazin' it's functional at all given the time you've had ta work on it.]

[Commander Nira Said | Operations Center | Deck One | Outpost Solaere]

Nira practically chuckled at mention of the Martha. It was good for the Martha to be at the station, especially after she outran pirates.

"I understand, Lieutenant," Nira said. "If you both have time, your presence is appreciated."

THAT EVENING...

[Commander Nira Said | First Officer's Quarters | Deck Two | Outpost Solaere]

The absence of Savar still bothered Nira; she never spent time in her quarters alone in a long time. At least she had her holodog Ahkbar and her live arboreal hybrid Nahida for company. She can understand if Torra and Don will be late, if they show up at all. It was her and Ian together again.

"You'll have to pardon my pets, Captain," Nira said. "I made Akbhar based on my old childhood dog when I first heard of Steve; I've often worried that Kinley's own pet would scare people. Nahida, the arboreal hybrid...well, she's a present from my Betazoid family; some members of the First House of Betazed are botanists, and they learned cloning works, courtesy of studying Dominion cloning technology, and were making hybrid arboreal animals, since most pets from Betazed tend to be moving plants.

"In regards to how much of the inside of the station you've seen," Nira added, "what did you think of the station? I mean, once we get it up and running again? And what adventures transpired with the Challenger when I transferred off?"

[First Officer's Quarters - Outpost Solaere]

Ian wasn't sure how to answer Nira's question, some of what he saw during the tour was impressive, some appalled him. However, he knew Nira well enough to be honest with her, so he paused for a moment and said.

"I think you've done miracles with next ta nothing Lass. This station was in worse shape than Deep Space Nine was when the Cardassians pulled out. While the Cardassians looted that station, it hadn't been abandoned like this one. Add in the pirates making it their home and it's amazin' it's functional at all given the time you've had ta work on it.

"Clearly your weapons array is a mess. Those systems were valuable so those were the first looted or outright stolen. It wouldn't surprise me if'n some of the weapons fired at you durin' that pirate raid were your own weapons come back ta haunt you. If'n I were in charge, now that you got the basics operational, I'd put all my efforts on the weapons. Double shifts by Ops and Engineerin' until you had solid coverage from all aspects. Unless you get some shipments of phaser emitters and such, you will nae be as powerful as the station once was, but you'll be able ta give the pirates enough of a bloody nose that they will pick a different topic.

"The merchant sector seems to be fairly active, but until you can get a handle on this pirate issue, you will nae have a thrivin' commercial operation. Business people want ta make money, they need a place that's safe ta do that, so fix the weapons, fix the business opportunities.

"As for the animals, you can never go wrong with a dog. Never seen the other critters, but they seem friendly enough. I never really took you as the animal sort, but it's good ta see you've gotten settled in here."

Ian smiled when Nira asked about what adventures they'd had since she left and he opened up about their previous mission.

"We met with a people, the Landsers that had actually perfected a fold space drive. Thing that made no sense was, the civilization was other was only at a mid-21st Century level of development. So, they dinna meet the classic 'warp capable' threshold for first contact, but they were star farin' with a technology beyond our own. Problem was, their fold space created temporal pulses that were damagin' the fabric of space. And, for the love of all that's ever been holy, the impact of one of those pulses disabled every system on the Challenger and knocked out everyone board.

"We were spotted by telescopes because our shields went down and we could no longer evade their radio frequency level sensors. Caught with our knickers around our knees, as soon as we could get a shuttle operational, I went down ta the planet ta talk their leadership. So, that turned into an unplanned first contact. They did agree ta stop usin' their fold space when we showed them our sensor data and then we said goodbye and limped back ta Starbase 185.

"Starfleet was all in an uproar about first contact with a non-warp capable species and I was brought before a court martial for that. Fortunately, the Landsers dropped in for a visit with their prototype fold space ship durin' the trial and proved beyond doubt that they were indeed star farin' and I was found not guilty. Then we were ordered ta launch ta come help you out and get ta Starbase 153 for some such, and here we are. You know, a typical Tuesday in Starfleet."

[[Timeskip to Day 5]]

[Timeskip to Day 5]

[Lieutenant Commander Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Deck Eight | Jefferies Tube | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A | Romulan Free State Space]

Zhukdra'shar had been in a foul mood all week. Little progress had been made on his investigations, and he felt it reflected poorly on his new posting. It cast doubts about his leadership and left a poor taste in the other officers' mouths. This had become especially grave for him as Kyan had reported some of his action figures missing, and now early in the morning, he had seen a missing poster for a toy(?) dinosaur.

Whenever he sat in the mess hall, he could see the doubt on their faces. The uncertainty. The sensation that he could not keep them safe. He was not sleeping well. But this ended today. Yesterday, after ripping out the board Zhuk had made with the stolen items and the threads that seemingly connected, he had decided to ask for help from the Science department, assisted by Blackfeather. All day had been spent searching for something they had missed, and though Zhuk was hesitant to have Jettis help him, he was relieved when a pattern was found.

A reduction in the ultraviolet light, and then a shimmer. Imperceptible by the sensors usually, but with Science's assistance, now quite obvious to the Caitian. Zhuk decided to wait a day to make his move, just to throw off the thief from the fact that they had his scent now. Early in the morning, though, Zhuk had assembled a small strike force that would venture into the Jefferies Tube where the shimmering had been precisely located, and find the missing items. As well as arrest the perpetrator. The team was quickly debriefed and then instructed to head inside a team, using simple phasers set to stun as weapons. Zhuk doubted that the thief would be well-armed, or put a lot of resistance. After all, no violent events had been recorded, and he was certain whoever it was, that it was certain of the technology he was using to hide himself from the sensors.

The thief would be his'. This time, the Caitian was certain of it. And he would dearly pay for all the trouble it was to find him!

[Jeffries Tube 127-B - Deck 12 - Beneath the Deuterium Storage Tanks - USS Challenger]

The strike team moved slowly. They each held tricorders modified to detect the narrow band of ultraviolet light that revealed the shimmer. They were in one of the most remote parts of the ship when it came to crew traffic, thus it was the perfect place to hide.

It was Zhuk's superior sense of smell that told him they were close, there was a sharp tang in the air despite the environmental system's filtration. Using hand signals, the team branched out on reaching a hub to seal off exit routes. They would have their quarry soon and the thrill of the hunt began to coarse through his veins.

["Aye, Lieutenant, I am aware. If'n you so declare that's the route you wish ta take, then I will accommodate your traditions, however, I nae am thinkin' anyone wants ta see me in the all together, so I'm confident that it will nae be a problem.]

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

Alex smiled, resting a hand on Ardyn's shoulder. "Thank you, sir. We were perusing the upcoming mission assignments, and thinking it might be best to wait until our next scheduled maintenance at Starbase, so in a few months. There's still invitations to send out and a whole bunch of other arrangements. Ardyn's mother wouldn't be overly impressed if we held the ceremony without her." He hesitated briefly, exchanging a glance with Ardy. "Uh, speaking of the ceremony, Captain, how familiar are you with betazoid weddings?"

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian chuckled at the question, because he was aware of the broad strokes of a Betazoid wedding, however, Ardy didn't strike him as a traditionalist and Alex was human so, he was fairly certain he would not be officiating in the nude.

"Aye, Lieutenant, I am aware. If'n you so declare that's the route you wish ta take, then I will accommodate your traditions, however, I nae am thinkin' anyone wants ta see me in the all together, so I'm confident that it will nae be a problem.

"I guess the five days ta reach Starbase 153 is nae long enough for all the preparations. We've got three more days in Free State space before we reach the Safe Transit Corridor between the planet Otorin and Outpost K-12, then two more days ta the Starbase. We'll be there long enough ta re-stock and refuel, but it seems there's some serious pressure ta get us on the border ta shut down the smugglin' occurrin' in the Otorin sector. I'm nae clear on when our next refit will be, as our stop at Starbase 185 was considered a refit, half-arsed as it was."

[Fleet Applications - Join Here!]

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