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[[Lt. Commander Kyan Mackenzie | Unknown Location | Andgarr Prime]]

[Lt. Commander Kyan Mackenzie | Unknown Location | Andgarr Prime]

~Unconscious

At first, Kyan had been alone in the darkness. The emptiness that he felt was as the though the universe had always been just him and the darkness. Of course that couldn't be real because he remembered other people. He remembered places and things that he'd done. Then his own voice had repeatedly insisted that he needed to kill Anax Jindrak. At first he thought that it was in his head, but the voice was coming from somewhere else. At first he ignored it. But as time passed, it became harder to ignore.

So he had responded. "œShove off." He'd shouted into the void. "œI ain't killin nobody."

It didn't work. The voice just kept repeating the same three words. Kill Anax Jindrak! Kill Anax Jindrak! Kill Anax Jindrak! He tried yelling over the voice, but that didn't work either. After a while, Kyan started walking. He couldn't see anything, but there was nothing to walk into. It was just empty. It was just him, his voices, and the inky black nothingness that was the whole universe. He didn't know how long or how far he walked, but eventually the voice started sounding closer. He walked faster.

Kill Anax Jindrak! Kill Anax Jindrak! Kill Anax Jindrak!

It was almost as if the voice was singing it now. And it was very close. After following it for a little while longer, Kyan almost ran head long into"¦ himself.

"œOoof." He exclaimed, surprised that anything, or anyone else was here. "œWho are you?" he demanded.

"œI'm Kyan Mackenzie!" the other Kyan had chirped back. An I'm gonna kill Anax Jindrak!"

"œNae. I'm[/i] Kyan Mackenzie, and I'm nae gonna kill anyone." Kyan answered.

And so it had begun. Kyan didn't know how long they'd bantered back and forth, but it seemed like a long time. The other Kyan really seemed to have it out for Anax Jindrak. Every time Kyan tried to talk about something else, the other him circled back to killing off the Anax. It didn't make sense to him. But at least he wasn't just repeating the same three words over and over. That was progress"¦ of a sort.

"œBut I gotta kill Anax Jindrak!" the other Kyan almost whined. "œHe's a daft ole wanker and it'd do him good tae be shuffled off!"

"œWhy!? Kyan answered, exasperation creeping into his voice now. "œWhat'd he do to me.. you?"

"œHe's a bad one." Other Kyan whispered. "œHe's in with the Romulans!"

He shrugged. "œSo? Dinnae mean I gotta kill him!"

~ Later, back in the real world.

When he regained consciousness"¦. again Kyan found himself lying on a dirt floor in a dark, empty room. His hands and feet were bound behind him. He was what some Humans called, "œhog tied." The room had a dank, mossy smell and the dirt was damp. "œI'm on the forest floor." He thought. He couldn't remember what had happened in the indoctrination chamber, except that it had something to do with the Andrak. And why did thinking about Andrak Jindrak make him angry? "œNevermind that!" he chided himself. "œIt's time tae go!." He was alone for the first time since they'd picked him up and he likely wouldn't too many more chances to escape so Kyan decided to take advantage of it.

It was dark in the room, but there was enough light that he could look down and see that they'd taken his com badge, which wasn't surprising. He felt for his karambit, which he hadn't even had time to use during the initial encounter. That too was gone. Also not a shocker. But he was still wearing his shoes. It was difficult and time consuming in the dark, and at such an uncomfortable angle, but Kyan finally managed to get the sole off of one shoe. Inside he found the small blade he'd hidden there. It was a ceramic composite, which blended in with the other materials of his boot.. at least as far as tricorders and other scanners were concerned. But it was still sharp enough to cut.

Getting a good grip was difficult, as was not cutting himself. But after what seemed like hours of trying to run the blade over the same spot, he felt the last strand on once of the cords snap and the binding was cut. He wriggled one hand out, then the other. After freeing his feet, Kyan re-attached the sole of his shoe and looked around the room. It was mostly empty. The dim light came from an overhead lamp and a small opening about eight feet off the dirt floor, right under the ceiling. It wasn't very big, but it looked big enough. "œAnd how tae be getting up there"¦." the Onlie mused. There weren't any crates or boxes around that he could stack up. However the light in the ceiling had a pipe feeding it power which ran the circumference of the ceiling. He thought if he could get his fingers around it, he might be able to swing his feet up into the opening and get out that way.

Clasping the knife in his teeth, Kyan jumped up and tried to grab the pipe. It took a few tries, but he was finally able to grab it. After getting a good hold on the pipe he swung a few times to get momentum enough to get his feet up to the opening. It was damp and slippery. Twice his foot slipped off and once he let go of the pipe and fell on his back, the dirt floor knocking the air out of him. He waited, figuring that they'd have definitely heard it but when no one came he pulled himself back up and tried again. This time he got a good foothold and began inching his legs through the opening. He was about three fourths of the way out when he heard the voice from the doorway.

"œHey! It called out, not to him but someone outside the door, "œHe's getting away!"

[Angdarr Prime]

Kyan heard that he'd been discovered and redoubled his attempt to shimmy up the conduit, but a cold harm feminine voice he knew far too well called out.

"Nice try Youngling."

Right before the stunner hit him and he fell back down into the cell. Dazed and only just conscious, Kyan heard Seles purr.

"Time for punishment."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian paced back and forth on the bridge more out of frustration than any other reason. He was furious with himself that he and his party had been taken so completely by surprise.

"Things are never what they seem and invariably worse than expected."

He growled internally. He knew better than to let an idyllic setting lull him into a state of false security, but he'd done it anyway and now a member of his crew had been kidnapped.

He also knew that being mad at himself wouldn't make anything better, but someone needed to be at fault here and he made a pretty good target at the moment.

"Captain."

Randall interrupted Ian's thoughts.

"Aye Mister Randall?"

"Onlie physiology is unique, unique enough that even among a large population of humans it is possible to detect. Unfortunately, with so much life on Angdarr, it is proving difficult to pinpoint Commander MacKenzie."

"Already noted Lieutenant."

Ian said irritably.

"Yes Sir, I was able to get a momentary fix on the Commander."

"Momentary?"

"Yes Sir, only for a second, not long enough to pinpoint him, but enough to narrow down the search area to a twenty kilometer circle."

"That's still a lot of bloody planet Lieutenant, but tis better than what we had before. Relay what you have ta Lieutenant Mrekrerhas, Commander Said, and Anax Jindak."

"Aye Sir, right away."

It wasn't a lot to go on, but it was the best news Ian had heard since waking up in the Arden Enclave infirmary.

"Hold on you troublesome little git, we're goin' ta find ye and those that nicked you will be payin' for doin' so."

He thought as he resumed his pacing.

["Understood Commander. Looks like the Vulcans in the crew are goin' ta have ta miss out on the shore leave. You work this butterfly thing, Lieutenant Mrekrerhas is perfectly capable of findin' Commander MacKenzie. As Kyan's biology is unique, I will have Lieutenant Randall conduct some intensive scans ta see if'n he can track him down.]

[Commander Nira Said | Enclave Arden | Andgarr City | Andgarr Prime]

Nira heard the Captain's calling. She heard out his instructions and pondered a moment. And then she realized...

"Oh, Captain," she said, "I'm still discussing with the enclave's medical matron, Doctor Silas, but I can be over...

"Oh," she said, when she was informed he and Jess just returned to the ship. "Then...well, there's something else, but I need to mention this in a few more minutes, once you get settled in."

A moment later, she gathered with Zhuk and Jettis while Abas was looking things over. She put the news as gently as possible while Abas was cleaning off the pollen staining his fur, and meantime, she connected with Captain Galloway, calling him in by viewscreen for a face to face meeting.

"Okay, I accept coordinating from ground base," said Nira. "Zhuk, as deputy chief of security, you're to lead the search for Commander Mackenzie. The Andgarr will be able to pinpoint where he could've gone. However, that's not the only problem, which is why I'm involving Lieutenant Jyur and Mister Th'vrrol.

"Captain, there's some kind of aerosol-based insect toxin going around," said Nira, providing the information she learned up to him, and then showing him what she got from Doctor Silas: a caged six-winged butterfly with two heads...or rather, one head with two faces emerging from either side, and up close, its proboscis seems to extend from either top or bottom of its head.

"I know this doesn't look like much, but this little creature was one of several causing some reactions in certain beings. Specifically, their wings have a feathery chitin that flakes off easily, like dust or powder. In most humanoids, it mostly causes skin irritations, but these particular butterfly wings cause extreme chemical reactions in the body, specifically with life forms with copper-based hemocyanin in their blood. And that specifically means Vulcans," Nira added ominously. "From what's determined, the effects extend from not just skin irritation; it causes loss of emotional control, as well as reactions like blindness, deafness, loss of sense of touch and taste, and in extreme cases, swelling and pain.

"I've been looking into this with Doctor Silas, the matron," said Nira, "and he has been showing me something interesting. It's similar to a kind of breed of butterfly native to Andgarr, but there have been evidences of genetic engineering in the butterflies he's caught and studied. He's concerned that if there's indications of genetic engineering, it means there's somebody making these insects, and they'll be modifying them to make them deadlier, perhaps in a way that different beings will be affected when they get loose."

She paused a moment for the parties to take it in, and then she continued.

"Captain, I know you want me to coordinate search efforts as a ground liaison, but the issue with the butterflies is too serious to ignore. I wish to look into the butterflies, and I need Lieutenant Jyur with me, as well as any science and medical personnel with me. I may even need somebody either from Ops or Engineering to help. Of course, Zhuk can still check in with me..."

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian made a pained expression as Nira updated him on the new crisis. The stop at Angdarr was supposed to be a simple port call, some scientific documentation, and a bit of diplomacy, a crisis, let alone crises were not supposed to be part of the mission.

"Understood Commander. Looks like the Vulcans in the crew are goin' ta have ta miss out on the shore leave. You work this butterfly thing, Lieutenant Mrekrerhas is perfectly capable of findin' Commander MacKenzie. As Kyan's biology is unique, I will have Lieutenant Randall conduct some intensive scans ta see if'n he can track him down.

"We seem ta have found a hornet's nest of activity here, but will figure it all out. I will coordinate with the Angdarr from here and if'n you need anything the ship can provide, you just ask."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Angdarr Prime]

The lead member of Seles' enforcers bowed to her as he entered the 'indoctrination' chamber where Kyan was restrained and undergoing 'conditioning'.

"Do you think this will work? The little shyte has proven to be far more trouble than someone his size should be."

Seles looked away from Kyan to face her lieutenant with a cold expression.

"Oh it will work, willful or not, the induced isolation he is experiencing will break any member of the human root stock genome. He will do what he's instructed to do. Have you arranged for the proxies?"

"Yes M'Lady. A mixed bag of career criminals, they will be the perfect sacrifices to the Federation when they 'rescue' the subject."

"Very well, I estimate another two hours and our little friend will be ready for his mission. Be ready."

"Yes M'Lady."

["I believe I shall take that information under advisement Doctor."]

[Commander Nira Said | Bridge | Deck One | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

The ship was clearing, but the department heads had to remain in order to coordinate their departments in their departure. That meant they were among the last on the ship, and so was Nira. Just as well, when the call came in from the Anax.

Now, trying to determine an Andgarr's expression, particularly in meeting new beings, was tricky, but Nira, versed in reading body language to compensate her infrequency of telepathy, could see Anax Jindak was appalled. The news was shocking in itself to hear.

Kyan...he was taken...

"I'm glad to hear that, Anax," said Nira. "Considering the child is a crucial member of the crew, I'd like to see what your men have uncovered so far, and I'd like to ask where my Captain and the rest of his group are."

"We brought them to the Federation enclave Arden," Jindak said. "They're being treated by their fellows from the Federation right now."

"Thank you, Anax," said Nira. "I'll be in touch."

She rose and then pondered, then called: "Said to Doctor Fellows and Mister Th'vrrol, report to Transporter Room One with your medical kits."

[Commander Nira Said | Enclave Arden | Andgarr City | Andgarr Prime]

A moment later, Nira and the pair of medical officers alongside her appeared at the transporter pad. Nira let out a gasp of astonishment; she couldn't help herself. As amazing as it was to see a planet and a city in trees, it was more so with a city within a city, in a forest within an equally huge tree. She shook out of her astonishment and approached Doctor John Silas, the matron of the Arden Infirmary.

"Welcome to Arden, Commander," he said. "I'm not surprised by your reaction, but you are looking at a unique kind of Garr tree on Andgarr."

"Time enough to see the sights later," said Nira. "I've brought my ship's Chief Medical Officer to check over my Captain's condition, along with one of our officers."

"Of course," Doctor Silas said. "Follow on. And apologies if the Enclave head isn't here to meet you...well, you'll see, and thank God your group didn't get what's transpiring here."

"And what is?" asked Nira.

"As I said, you'll see..."

As they proceeded, Nira could see half the rooms, in passing, were assembled as improvised sick wards. People were coming and going, most having patches on their skin like they were being treated for something. A good deal of them had Federation medical personnel making treatments to badly sickened peoples...and when Nira got a good look at them, she could see they were all Vulcans.

"I assume your administrator's Vulcan?" asked Nira.

"Correct," Doctor Silas said.

"If some epidemic's powerful enough to bring down a Vulcan, I'd hate to meet it," said Nira.

"Oh, no, what's been going on is something puzzling," Silas explained. "With most races, it just causes skin irritations or minor to moderate allergic reactions. Sometimes, with furry beings like the Caitians and the Andgarr, it sticks to their fur."

Case in point, a Caitian was seen walking by with a stain on his fur, and he was looking disgruntled.

"Pollen?" asked Nira.

"We're not sure," Silas said. "It's flaky, dusty, and pollenlike. It's some sort of insect-based aerosol... for some reason, it has adverse affects causing extreme chemical reactions in copper-based hemocyanin, primarily in beings with green blood...specifically, in Vulcans."

"Well, we'll have to make sure any Vulcan crew members are careful in their shore leave," Nira said.

"Well, at least we're making medical treatments and vaccines...the thing was, these have been happening for some time now. It's gradually escalated in the past week; it started with barely half a dozen, but we've no sooner treated them than we had more cases, in Vulcans, and with some Romulans who also have copper-based hemocyanin, one close physiological thing they have in relation to Vulcans..."

Nira pursed her lips. Something seemed to be going on. And Andgarr was a planet somewhat under Romulan jurisdiction...she was so preoccupied, she didn't realize until too late that Silas had brought them to the ward where Ian, Jettis and Zhuk were kept and she almost bumped into one of them.

"Oh. I'm so sorry!" she said. "I just heard from Jindak. Somebody kidnapped Commander Mackenzie?"

[Arden Enclave - Angdarr Prime]

Ian jerked awake and immediately regretted the movement. His shoulder screamed in pain and he very nearly did as well. He managed to keep his response muted to a groan as he became aware that Jess was standing next to him.

"I don't recommend any sudden moves for at least four hours."

She smirked.

"I believe I shall take that information under advisement Doctor."

He replied with a grim smile, which faded as the rest of the events of the attack came back.

"Jettis and Zhuk are fine, some bruising, but nothing serious. Kyan is... missing. The Angdarr report he's been kidnapped. Anax Jindar has his security services looking everywhere, but as you know full well, there are no shortage of places to hide on this world."

"Why Kyan? If'n this were about ransom, nae ta toot my own horn, but you'd think a Starfleet captain would be the target."

"No answers for you on that. Are you going to cancel shore leave?"

Ian didn't immediately reply as he thought through his options. The knee jerk reaction was to end shore leave and assist the Angdarr find Kyan. However, one of the most important reasons Challenger had made a port call here was diplomacy and such a strong reaction would send the message that the Angdarr were not to be trusted. So, he took a couple deep breaths and replied.

"No, shore leave continues, just that each group will have an armed security escort. We have ta present that Angdarr is a safe place until we ken otherwise."

Jess nodded, but remained silent.

"Galloway ta Command Said. At this point, as much as it pains me ta do so, I've got ta pass the baton ta you. I will be returnin' ta the ship ta coordinate with the Angdarr authorities. You will be ground liaison. I ken you want ta lead the search for Commander MacKenzie, but it's more important that you are at the Angdarr command post. I believe Lieutenant Mrekrerhas should lead the rescue effort. I will be returnin' ta the ship shortly. Galloway out."

Turning to Jess as he stood.

"This is where bein' a Captain is less than desirable."

"Zhuk will find him. He took care of me when I was in trouble."

He shuddered as he thought back to just how badly things could have gone on Melek Nor. Jess noticed and placed a hand on Ian's uninjured shoulder.

"Zhuk will find him."

"Aye Lass, that he will."

Ian tapped his combadge.

"Galloway ta Challenger. Two ta beam up."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Angdarr Prime]

Kyan awoke with a thunderous headache. He soon realized his arms were bound behind him and his ankles were bound as well. It was dark wherever he was until he realized he was in a sack! As full consciousness returned, he further understood that given how he was bouncing around, he was on someone's shoulder.

After several more minutes of this, he was dropped on the ground with an unceremonious thud. There was fumbling at the opening of the sack and someone yanked his head out by the hair and he could finally see. On seeing who had him, he wished he was back in the sack. The cold smile that met him was that of the Orion woman that had taken him captive before, Seles.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Lieutenant Commander CatalÁ¡n sat at the Ops station having granted permission for other members of his department to go on shore leave first. He'd been coordinating the departure of crew from the ship as they departed to explore the planet. He perked up when he received a priority hail from Angdarr prompting him to get Nira's attention.

"Commander, I have a message from Anax Jindak. I'll put it on screen."

"Commander. I must report to you some most distressing news. Your Captain and his party have been attacked. They have sustained minor injuries, but the child in your group has been kidnapped. We have launched a massive manhunt and I assure you that we will cooperate in all ways to resolve this matter. May I offer my deepest apologies for this dastardly affront to your people."

While no one on the Challenger was an expert on Angdarr expressions, it was clear Jindax was appalled by the attack.

[Lt. Commander Kyan Mackenzie | Great Hall of Andgarr | Andgarr City | Andgarr Prime]]

Lt. Commander Kyan Mackenzie | Great Hall of Andgarr | Andgarr City | Andgarr Prime]

"œThis planet would be a prime vacation spot." Kyan thought to himself as he listened to the grups go about their greetings and schmoozing. "œ"¦if not for all the Romulans." It wasn't that Kyan didn't like Romulans per say; he'd met several who were nice enough. The Sisters of the Qowat Milat came to mind. But though an individual or even a specific group of Romulans might be ok, his experience was that there was ALWAYS something else going on when Romulans grouped together. "œJolan Tru!" they'd say"¦. But Jolan was never one hundred percent true. Jolan was a liar more times than not.

So when the pair of Romulans materialized, it raised the Onlie's suspicion. Their attitudes, though too polite by half, did little to alleviate his misgivings. But questioning them outright and publically wouldn't accomplish anything. And besides, Kyan had no desire to get into any Romulan intrigue. The planet was interesting to be sure, and he wanted to explore it. Maybe if he didn't go looking for trouble, the Romulans here would see fit not to offer any.

A little voice laughed in his head. "œFat chance of that boyo." It said. He tried dismissing it. But still, something about these two was off. Maybe it was the costumes that made them look like angry wood elves from the Middle Earth books, although he'd not be saying that aloud, the thought did produce a grin. Instead, he decided to take what the grups called "œthe diplomatic path."

"œI'd be after hearin about some of those religions so I would." Kyan piped up." I'm a follower of the Powers meself and this place looks made by Cernunnos Himself Himself."

[Great Hall - Angdarr Prime]

Ratheen and Hakul seemed surprised that Ian expressed interest in learning about their teachings. He couldn't tell if it was he, as a human, would care, or if he'd caught them in a lie of their own making if they weren't who they claimed to be. In either case, they said they would discuss the matter with their 'elders' and get back to him. Subanax Anju also bade the four Federation officers good day for now, repeating that they and the rest of the Challenger's crew were free to explore, but if they left the higher levels of the trees to make sure they had a guide.

Finally on their own, Ian and the others moved out of the great hall and out onto an open area that seemed to act as one of the main 'streets' of the city. As they were so busy observing the amazing sites, they chose to take a smaller 'side street' of sorts so that they would not impede traffic as they blatantly gaped at the exquisite vistas of the city.

Unfortunately, their fascination with the scenery kept them from noticing the figures that expertly kept to the shadows until a flash of movement caught Ian's eye. He pivoted toward the motion, but it was far too late. An arm bearing a club swung and while he was able to avoid the blow to his head, he took the blow on his right shoulder. He yelped as he heard bone break and felt his right arm go limp. His training kicked in and he dodged the next strike, but with his dominant arm out of the fight, he knew he was in trouble.

Although deeply engrossed with his own opponent, Ian was at least peripherally aware that the rest of the away team was under attack as well. He landed a solid left cross and followed it up with a satisfying kick that drove his attacker back far enough to risk a quick glance around and the news wasn't good.

He saw Zhuk take a hit from a phaser and hoped it was set on stun as the Caitian crumpled. Jettis was holding his own, but then another figure appeared behind him and the two hooded figured pummeled him down.

Of course, Kyan was grinning like a Cheshire Cat as he dodged, punched, kicked, and spun against his opponents. The last thing Ian saw before the stunner hit him was a huge hooded figure literally snatch Kyan off his feet and thump him on the head with a sap like weapon. Joining the others in a pile on the large branch that served as the side street. Ian had time to think.

"Oh, the wood is warm."

Before everything went black.

["You have me at a disadvantage my lady in that you know me, but I do not know you. Rathleen and Hakul was it? I suppose I should be flattered that my reputation proceeds me, I have been stationed on the Romulan border for some time now. The last time I encountered the Cradol, it was not a cordial event. Hopefully, this time things can be different."]

[Subanax Anju Jindak | Great Hall of Andgarr | Andgarr City | Andgarr Prime]

"But of course," Anju said to Jettis enthusiastically. "I can understand, a man of science as you are. We have met a very sparse handful of Federation types, of course. I believe there's an enclave in development between the Federation and the Free State. The Starfleet people call it Arden. A very unique name. Which is understandable...they found a good place to set up in one of the xon'garr trees...xon'gar being forests in and of themselves on the inside, hollow as they are, by the way. But the oln'arr trees, sturdy all the way."

"It's so funny how there are so many secrets on this planet and yet you Andgarr are so enthusiastic to share secrets. The Andgarr would make horrible Tal'Shiar operatives."

Anju turned and started in surprise. "Praetor!"

"Dynast-Praetor, if you please," the woman said sweetly, emerging from the bright windowed shadows in the doorway along with a bodyguard; two tan Romulans in green ritualistic attire, although the male was adorned in beads and green briefs.

But behind them, floating behind them, were two Romulans with high-tech wings and dressed in enough green to make them look like leprechauns, and they were recognizable to Captain Galloway as Cradol Consulate Legionnaires.

"Ratheen, Hakul," the Anax said, merely nodding. Ratheen, the woman, nodded, and then noticed the Federation party.

"Ah, you are from the Starfleet vessel?" Ratheen said. "And...ah...I know who you are. Captain Galloway. How intriguing. I've heard so much about you, but I never knew you could be this...intriguing in person...a kind of Kirk...little Nirreen never said you looked so...ah, apologies...

"I am Ratheen of the Cradol," Ratheen introduced herself. "Dynast-Ethnarch as I had been in our order in times past...but to preserve the strength of our rituals, these days, it's been Dynast-Praetor. And this is my brother, High Ethnarch Hakul, leader of the Ethnarch Council."

Hakul nodded cordially, and though Ratheen seemed to express friendliness, their eyes were cold and hard, as if to say, "don't mess with us."

"When they say Ethnarchs," Anju explained, "they refer to the council of each of their ritual high priests, each specializing in the different Romulan religions."

"And especially in the preservation of the ancient Vulcan rituals long before Surak was born," Hakul added coolly.

"But I must say, your arrival is a surprise," the Anax said.

"We are just priests taking upon ourselves to spread good feelings to our congregations," Ratheen said. "Besides, we always have a strong connection to Andgarr. We of the Elemental Faith, we have always regarded Andgarr as a planet of the influence of Water, owing to how Water gives life...and look how much life Andgarr has..." She gestured around in a flourish...

"Praetor," a Legionnaire said, clearing his throat.

"Of course, Uhlan," Ratheen said. "I apologize, Captain, the Consulate Legionnaires are always so formal and strict. Them with their better sense of honor overriding their zeal..."

[Great Hall - Angdarr Prime]

Ian turned towards the voices and maintained a neutral expression, but he noted the hardness in Hakul's eyes. Given the formality the two projected, Ian chose to speak in perfect Standard to ensure he was not misunderstood.

"You have me at a disadvantage my lady in that you know me, but I do not know you. Rathleen and Hakul was it? I suppose I should be flattered that my reputation proceeds me, I have been stationed on the Romulan border for some time now. The last time I encountered the Cradol, it was not a cordial event. Hopefully, this time things can be different."

"I'm certain that I and the crew of the Challenger will get a chance to get to know your people better during our time here. I, personally, would be fascinated to hear about your system of believe. I find one can never know enough about other cultures as it reduces... misunderstandings."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Outside the Great Hall - Angdarr Prime]

"All assets in place."

A hooded figure spoke into a wrist mounted communication device.

"May Gorantha bless your endeavor."

A second hooded figure replied and closed the connection.

["I greet you Subanax. As my science officer Lieutenant Jyur has already mentioned, we are thrilled ta explore your unique world. With your permission, I would have my crew visit for shore leave. My science department is hummin' with excitement to catalog the flora and fauna of Angdarr. We will, of course, follow any restrictions you impose and not travel without a guide.]

[Subanax Anju Jindak | Great Hall of Andgarr | Andgarr City | Andgarr Prime]

"Ah, Welcome to the Great Hall of Andgarr, Captain Galloway!" Anax Jindak called out. Subanax Anju stepped forward to greet the Challenger party. The little brother of the Anax was excited to meet these Federation types.

"We're glad to have you and your crew here for a visit," the Anax said. "You're free to explore the planet as you please, on business or on shore leave. I daresay you'll be making some amazing discoveries. After all, our homeworld is a plenty big mystery even to us," he added with a shrug. "The forest floor, on the other hand, is dangerous to proceed to without guides and armed escort. Same with the waters below.

"Now, you should bear in mind we have varieties of Romulans all around," added Jindak. "The embassies and temples are free for visits, but caution is advised, given how some Romulans think of the Federation. But on the other hand, it's a good chance to make friends and explore other cultures."

"As excited as we are," Subanax Anju said, "the Anax can be busy, but fortunately, the Subanaxes are at your service to guide you and help you get to know our planet. I am Aubanax Jindak...call me Anju. I am the brother of the Anax, here. To help guide you with aspects of society and culture the Andgarr, and we also have many aspects of society and culture among the Romulans here. In terms of religiosity, many Romulans hold many aspects of Andgarr sacred. Especially among the different groups that call here home. You'll find many embassies of Romulan groups here. The official embassies can be found all over. Just be cautious around them, especially with the priests of the Cradol around here."

[ USS Challenger - Bridge --> Andgarr Prime, Planet Surface ]

Jettis observed the exchange between the Anax and the Captain curiously. He had to admit, though he typically did his due diligence when embarking on diplomatic missions, it had slipped by him this time. It wasn't unusual for him to have a file of basic greetings, history, and  general background and cultural information if he anticipated meeting a species he wasn't familiar with. However with the sudden shift in him going back to being a Department head - a development that was wholly unexpected, he'd been so buried in paperwork that had piled up he didn't get past the basics.

He perked up when Ian called his name though, despite his nervousness at being unfamiliar. Quickly logging himself out from the computer, he uttered an 'aye, Captain', and stepped to follow the man.

Like the Captain, he chose to remain unarmed seeing as he was a science officer, and his interest lie primarily with... well, everything about the planet. The impossibility of it all was more than enough to keep him holed up in a lab for days... So the open invitation to study it was welcomed.

When the away team came face to face with the Anax and Subanaxes, Jettis would mimic their greeting, before bowing his head respectfully. He waited for the Captain to speak first, as expected, before cheerfully piping up. "As a science officer myself, I want to thank you wholeheartedly for the opportunity to explore and experience the beauty of your planet. As well as for the gracious reminders and warnings of the dangers. If at any point while we are welcomed here you require my service, I am at your disposal."

[Great Hall - Angdarr Prime]

Ian repeated the gesture of greeting to Anju and smiled broadly at the host.

"I greet you Subanax. As my science officer Lieutenant Jyur has already mentioned, we are thrilled ta explore your unique world. With your permission, I would have my crew visit for shore leave. My science department is hummin' with excitement to catalog the flora and fauna of Angdarr. We will, of course, follow any restrictions you impose and not travel without a guide.

"I am personally lookin' forward ta witnessin' the glider races that was in the briefin' package."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Angdarr Prime]

As the Subanax met with the enemy, unseen eyes watched intently. All was in readiness, authorization had been given, the vengeance would strike in less than hour.

[Angdarr Prime]

"Is everything in position?"

The hooded figure asked in an icy, menacing tone.

"All is in readiness Archon."

"Then begin the operation. I do not know how the enemy has located us, but we will ensure they do not prosper from finding us."

"It will be as you command Archon."

"It better be or you and your entire family will pay with their lives."

The hooded figure closed the communication and thus did not see his minion shiver in fear.

["Galloway ta Commander Said. Given all this planet has ta offer. I want you ta prepare ta grant shore leave. I will signal you after I meet with Anax Jindak and have permission. Galloway out."]

[Transporter Room One - USS Challenger]

When Ian arrived at the transporter room, he went unarmed. He figured having two security with him was sufficient precautions and he didn't want to offend the Angdarr. As the away team assembled, he had a thought at tapped his combadge.

"Galloway ta Commander Said. Given all this planet has ta offer. I want you ta prepare ta grant shore leave. I will signal you after I meet with Anax Jindak and have permission. Galloway out."

Noting that everyone was ready, Ian added.

"Energize."

["May the limbs of the Great Canopy protect you. Anax Glarathna Jindak. I am Captain Ian Galloway."]

First Officer's Log, Stardate 78261.4. We are on approach to Andgarr Prime, home of the tree-living Andgarr, vassals inherited by the Romulan Free State from the old Star Empire. It's been a rough few days, especially in rotating crew amidst depositing the Burke"¦leaving it to be decommissioned. Ensign Denton has been relieved of duty for her insubordination and made to leave Starfleet, on account of her adverse opinions on people in authority and her clashing with her and other department heads, culminating when Captain Galloway and I confronted her, and when she did not change her ways, the end result was her relief of duty and reminder she was lucky not to be imprisoned at New Zealand. How that girl got into Starfleet Academy, Allah only knows. It's something I'll have to look into for the future Cadet Elva Denton has been shipped back to Starfleet Academy to complete her education.

The bright spot is having some new Officer Exchange personnel, both Klingons and Romulans alike, have just joined us, some officers recently transferred from the IKS TajHu to serve in the Officer Exchange, and the Romulans having waited at Starbase 153 to join up. I have to admit, having Klingons and Romulans alike aboard is going to be interesting, but considering the invitation of the Romulan Free State to be at Andgarr Prime, given what we have described about it, it's worth it.

Andgarr Prime itself is described as interesting, owing its blessings as a vassal to emphasize itself as an enclave of neutral ground as well as a haven for people to hide, from refugees to criminals, but mostly prefer being neutral ground. The only reason it lost out to Nimbus Three more than a century ago as the "œPlanet of Galactic Peace" was it wasn't on three borders, those of the Federation, the Klingons and the Romulans. In any case, peace can never be achievable, as was discovered later. But what is to be most interesting about Andgarr Prime are its physical features that has given its reputation emphasized in its nickname: The Canopy Planet.

[Commander Nira Said | Bridge | Deck One | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Nira gazed with amazement at the planet on approach. It was green and unusually big. The sensors, however, indicated that while the planet looked to be as big as Neptune, in actuality, the size was due to the extension of foliage, like a layer of planet or extra layer of atmosphere; underneath all that foliage was a regular-sized M-class planet, and with that foliage the atmosphere, according to the sensors, had been extended. And it wasn't just green all the way through, it was mottled around, indicative of extremely high foliage. A viewscreen magnification showed that, up close, it showed high trees and, underneath the leaves on the night side, glowing lights like a city. A lot of the planet was a metropolis made from trees. Hollowed out from big trees. Or structures extended from or built into the trees from top to bottom.

"œIt's beautiful!" said Nira. She looked back at Captain Galloway; to Ensign Shepard and Commander Catalan in front of the viewscreen; then to the row on the Captain's right, where Aarwendil was at Environmental Control and Neva was on her bridge shift on the Engineering console; Randall, Jettis and Savar at the Science row on her left; and Kyan and Zhuk at Tactical, along with the Klingon exchange officer at the side of Kyan and Zhuk, a boyish-looking officer named Kolon (who has heard enough "œcolon" jokes that Nira can sympathize with him, remembering when people mispronounced her name), who looked young enough that he still has no facial hair for a Klingon, but was old enough to be regarded as a young man, studying Challenger's Tactical, and then at the Romulan exchange officer T'Lin between Aarwendil and Neva at Mission Ops. Looked up to see Crewman T'vyrrol enter and realized he had been chosen to conduct the rounds on the bridge medical officers often made. Then she looked back at her PADD.

"œThis planet's fascinating," she said. "œThe trees are especially interesting. I mean, look, if one can plant one of the Andgarr's oln'garr trees on Earth and gave enough time for nurturing, that tree could reach high enough to penetrate Earth's atmosphere! I mean, there has to be something about the combined foliage to heighten the atmosphere of the planet, make it look bigger than it appears"¦It's amazing"¦Captain Tekin would love this," she added at Captain Galloway.

"œThe oln'garr are of definite woods of legend," Kolon commented. "œIt had been written that an Andgarr chieftain had sent Kahless a gift in the form of a zon'garr sapling. It survived and certainly nurtured even in the rough landscape of Q'on'os," she added, pronouncing her homeworld, as usual, as "œKronos." "œIt was big enough that it was put into the wilderness and, in time, formed a small plateau of its own right. The Plenty Tree of Kahless, it had been called, referring to the fact that it was a gift."

"œHow much do the Klingons know of Andgarr, Mister Kolon?" Nira asked, taking great care to emphasize the Klingon's pronunciation, into "œKohl-lohn," rather than speaking it like "œcolon" or "œColin."

The boyish Klingon grinned sarcastically. "œOnly what I know is what other Klingons know. Firstly: it's got big trees, obviously, Princess, in case your eyes don't work any more. But the Andgarr people itself were of more interest than the trees, even the one gifted to Kahless. In a way, they're a middle ground between Klingons and Romulans. They're crafty and clever, hence building their civilization on trees. And at the same time, they're warriors that fight with honor. One Andgarr is certainly a match for Klingons. That aforementioned Andgarr gifting Kahless a sapling, he was bested in a duel, but the Andgarr had earned the respect of Kahless that day."

"And then too many Klingons took many chips off the old tree until all that was left was a petrified stump sunk into the mountain," T'Lin added with a shrug.

"œQuestion is, what are the Andgarr doing as vassals to the Romulans?" asked Lieutenant Randall, looking from Jettis next to him and up at Nira, Kolon and T'Lin.

"œWell, that history is forthcoming," said Nira, grinning at the nickname Kolon had given her; he was definitely a member of Kohor's crew; even if she didn't meet him during her officer exchange, he would've heard plenty about her.

"œWell, the Free State has been willing to divulge our history," T'Lin replied sweetly. "Especially to anyone from the Discovery, the ones who helped breath life to the Free State. In the early days of the Romulan Star Empire, while the Romulans had conquered worlds, they met stiff resistance at Andgarr. Even when they took the fight planetside, it was tricky. It is mentioned that the trees are wide enough down below that even two Warbirds can go in broadsides without having to worry about hitting a thing. Eventually, the Praetor himself came to see what was going on, assessed the situation, and decided trying to conquer the planet was a waste of time and resources. Instead, he decided to negotiate a vassalage, something the Andgarr were more welcome to."

"œThis is one reason why we Klingons hold the Andgarr with respect," Kolon commented. "œThis is one people in which it is unwise to fight on their home ground. Roughly like engaging on a land war in Earth's continent of Asia, what we figure. I've always wanted to meet one."

"œCaptain, Commander, we're being hailed from the planet," said Commander Catalan from next to Aarwendil.

The viewscreen showed an exceptionally portly simian alien. There were certainly apelike qualities obvious in the Andgarr, but his eyes certainly gleamed in intelligence, which indicated how they weren't looking at a primitive lifeform, despite bearing resemblance like a primitive lifeform.

"œGreetings to the Starship Challenger. Welcome to Andgarr," he said cordially.

[Bridge - USS Challenger - Orbit of Andgarr Prime]

Ian was taken in by the amazing views of the planet's mind numbing trees and smiled broadly at the Andgarr that appeared on the viewscreen. He raised his hands to touch the opposite shoulders and swung them open to make the formal greeting of the Andgarr.

"May the limbs of the Great Canopy protect you. Anax Glarathna Jindak. I am Captain Ian Galloway."

Ian offered the traditional greeting he'd practiced during the trip to Anggarr.

"The Great Canopy welcomes all who would enter as friends."

Jindak replied with the traditional response.

Ian sighed in relief that he'd gotten the greeting correct.

"My crew and I would very much like ta meet with you Anax. Would you like ta visit Challenger or would you prefer we come down ta your magnificent city?"

"We would be honored if you would join us in the Great Hall, in say twenty of your minutes?"

"Perfect Anax, see you soon."

As the channel closed, Ian turned to Nira.

"Well, you're nae ta like this much Commander, but I will lead the initial away team. You have the bridge Nira." Turning slightly, Ian added. "Mister MacKenzie, Mister Mrekrerhas, and Mister Jyur, you are with me."

Ian then headed for the turbolift.

["Alright. This is where we are. Each of you have fairly decent ships, but all of them are older models that would beat the hell out of each other. However, none of you, even combined, can match Challenger and House Korath. We'd rather not slaughter the lot of you and I'm fair certain none of you would look fond of bein' on the receivin' end of that slaughter.]

[Commander Nira Said | Bridge | Deck One | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Nira had noticed as Zhuk took position next to Kyan. Captain Galloway's question about the Klingon House members she knew definitely got attention.

"We're going to need help," she said. "This is a matter from a House. As such, we need to get in touch with some more powerful Houses, and I know a handful of Klingons from some powerful Houses. It seems that the Klingons have a preference in internal squabbles among Houses when not at war with forces without. And the prominent Houses I know..."

She looked over at the Ops station to Commander Catalan and Aarwendil... "Ops, can you get in touch with the IKS Taj'Hu, under command of Kohor of the House of Korath? If he's still in command of that ship, tell him The Princess needs to get in touch with him."

She looked around and told Ian, "Well, the Klingons, and jollily as it is, nicknamed me 'Princess,' probably both as a joke and as a term of great respect, seeing as they respect members of Houses, especially Houses of Betazed, but at that time, I didn't know what House of Betazed I belonged to..."

It was some time later, but a response had come through. In fact, Kohor was such a good friend of Nira that he was on the way in an instant.

Soon, the Klingons had arrived. The fleet led by Kharn. They had arrived first.

Nira got a good look at the ships. These were definitely old. Most of them were pockmarked or even rusty-looking. Veterans of the Dominion War, Nira figured. They looked so woebegone, it made her cringe. Was the House of K'Raen so financially destitute that they couldn't keep their ships in maintenance?

Only the Ravenouses, the Death Rites, and three Birds of Prey looked to be in good condition. Nira figured one was Kharn's ship, one was the ship that saved his butt, and one ambushed Jyur and his team in their search for the Burke.

"ETA for the Jyn ships in twelve minutes," Commander Catalan commented. "Sirs! There are a handful more of Klingon ships approaching...!"

Four more Klingon ships dropped out of warp...and stopped in the path of the ragamuffin fleet, going in a formation to stop their path, parking alongside the Challenger. Two K-32 cruisers and two Mat'Ha Raptors, state of the art Klingon ships as they are.

"The lead ship is hailing us."

The viewscreen pulled up a Klingon that beamed at Nira's sight.

"Well met again, Princess," Commander Kohor said jollily.

"Same to you, Commander," said Nira. Kohor had expressed a most joyous bark at hearing the news she was now a First Officer. "One who serves the Captain but stands for the crew. It's well deserved," he had said.

[Commander Nira Said | Conference Room | Deck One | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

As Clan Cheiftan Austus was brought to the conference room, Kohor's glare kept Kharn from leaping at him. Kras was scowling but was wary. It was certainly obvious to him that something was going on. Nira looked at Captain Galloway and back over.

"You better have good reason to summon us," Austus snarled.

"And I couldn't agree more," growled Kras.

"What are the Houses up to these days!" snarled Kharn. "Especially the son of a tinkerer!"

"I'll have you know, petaQ," snapped Kohor, "that the tinkerer in question is now conferred with your own father. And Korath is a much respected man, despite old grievances and his preference to temporal experimentation. But we're getting ahead of ourselves."

"I have called in Kohor of the House of Korath to determine a matter, Governor," Nira explained. "Kharn here has been acting in a dishonorable fashion..."

"You lying witch!" snarled Kharn and made to stand, only for Kohor to force him back down. The differences were so obvous; Kohor was a huge man and Kharn was a definite weasel, and there was no doubt Kohor would crush him if he so chose.

"Insult her again and you will answer to me," Kohor growled.

"At least the House of Korath has such honorable inrodes to make up for Korath's past actions," Kras said with a shrug.

"Now, Khran claimes the Jyn have been attacking him," Nira said. "Well, how can Kharn explain these?"

She pulled up the scans, the logs, everything to indicate that Kharn had been the aggressor, the thief.

"This is a trick!" snapped Kharn.

"I have seen this for myself," Kohor said. "So has my father Korath, son of Monak. Why else do you think he's dealing with K'Raen now, just as I with you?"

"Furthermore, we have the testimony of a survivor who has realized his honor is on the line," said Nira.

"Whoever the traitor, I will have his head! And yours!" said Kharn, still attempting to rise, but Nira had already put a boot up on the table, tapping her finger to where she had her dagger.

"You want to try it, Kharn, you petaQ?" said Nira hard and angrily. "Name the time and place. I can guarantee you will meet your match."

"And she will do it, and if she doesn't, I will," Kohor sneered.

Kharn looked back and forth between Nira and Kohor and for the first time became wary of Nira. There was no denying the resolve in her voice. He could hear the hardness, and the way she looked, there was no doubt she could do it. He leaned back and kept his peace while he got what was coming to him.

[Bridge]

Cole couldn't believe his ears as he sat at the helm, coordinates at the ready to get them the hell out of there. First they had had to fight the Klingons. Then they had to outrun them to reach Iota Thelonis IV-B. Now the Captain wanted to try to "negotiate" with them? And bring in even more Klingons?

I guess there's a reason he's a captain and been in Starfleet this long. he thought to himself as he relaxed just a little but still had everything ready to go. Hell, they could jump out of here with the Klingons on board. Art least they wouldn't get shot then.

[Bridge --> Conference Room - USS Challenger]

As soon as the House of Korath ships arrived, Ian had the Challenger take up position with them between the ships of Kras and Kharn and the Jyn. This show of force was enough to bring the two sides to the conference room of the Challenger to try and break the impasse between factions. After much posturing and bluster, Ian finally had a break in the talking to speak.

"Alright. This is where we are. Each of you have fairly decent ships, but all of them are older models that would beat the hell out of each other. However, none of you, even combined, can match Challenger and House Korath. We'd rather not slaughter the lot of you and I'm fair certain none of you would look fond of bein' on the receivin' end of that slaughter.

"Now, we have undeniable proof that the House of K'Raen is the aggressor here-"

"Lies!" Kharn bellowed.

"Silence!" Kohor snapped back. "Let the Earther speak!"

"-We have sensor logs, eye witnesses, and chemical analysis of the Kemocite to prove that House K'Raen has been stealin' from the Jyn. Now, I get that Kemocite is a valuable commodity, but I'm certain, somewhere on one of the systems K'Raen controls had summat worth tradin'."

Ian paused to eye Kharn very hard to see if he would speak, when all he did was scowl, Ian continued.

"I had my science officer go through the commodities you have on hand Kharn and what ta my surprise was he reported that it seems you have access ta a fairly decent supply of Ryetalyn. Now, I've been informed that Klingons are immune ta Rigelian fever, but the Jyn, and many species of the Federation are not. I propose, that you Chieftain Austus can trade your Kemocite for Rytalyn, which you can either use, or trade within the Federation.

"I get both sides have little reason ta trust each other, however, I believe that if overseen by House Korath, a neutral party, everyone should walk away with what they need with the added bonus that no one else has ta die today. Now, this is where I would normally ask is this acceptable? However, in this case, I'm nae goin' ta ask. Based on consultation with Kohor, this is what you are goin' ta do or I will have the lot of you beamed back ta your ships, then Challenger and the House of Korath ships will systematically cripple every ship you have here and leave you stranded, together on Iota Thelonis IV-B, about as crappy a dung hill planet as exists in this quadrant."

"You wouldn't dare." Governor Kras growled.

"But I would." Kohor growled back.

The tone of Kohor's voice made it clear he was deadly serious and that took the steam out of Kras, Kharn, and Austus. When no objections were made, Ian pulled out a PADD and added.

"The contract is here. Once you all apply your thumbprints, these proceedings will be concluded."

As those present applied their thumbprints, Ian reflected silently.

"This has got ta be the most heavy handed negotiations ever, but it is fair and no one dies, so, I'm fine with it."

With the contract signed, all the parties beamed back to their ships and broke off to their usual areas of assignment. Kohor had remained on the bridge of the Challenger until all the would be combatant ships had gone to warp before he shook hands with Ian.

"You have a ruthless streak Captain. Almost worthy of a Klingon."

"Thank you Commander. You have no idea how much I appreciate your backup."

"The Princess called, it was my duty to respond. Qapla' Captain!"

"Qapla' Commander."

Kohor then returned to his ship. The ships cloaked, whether they left or not, Ian didn't scan to verify, but he doubted that all the Koroth ships had left. With the crisis passed, Ian sighed in relief and said.

"Helm, make your course 139 mark 25. Warp eight. We've an appointment with the Romulan border."

["Nira, you've worked with Klingons more than I have. Governor Kras has obviously sided with Kharn against the Jyn. What can we do ta fracture that alliance?"]

[Commander Nira Said | Bridge | Deck One | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Once the senior officers came out, Randall reported. "Sirs, long range sensors have detected two fleets incoming. Klingon and Jyn Faisha signatures. The Jyn are sending half a dozen of their cruisers and their attachment ships. As for the Klingons, we estimate more than a dozen ships. Seven Birds of Prey, Four K'tingas, two Death Rites and two Ravenous flagships."

Nira held in her breath. With the signatures pulled up on a tactical screen showing the signatures of the different kinds of Klingon ships, she couldn't decide whether it was a tactical advantage of disadvantage. On the one hand, there were huge numbers. Enough that Nira figured that it had to have been the entirety of House K'Raen's fleet. She wasn't surprised if the Birds of Prey would all be hundred year old B'Rels. Death Rites, of course, were the precursors of the Vor'cha class cruisers and would be just as easy as the K'Tingas. The ships to worry about most were the Ravenous flagships, the early big lugs. Nira felt these were ships to be handfuls...and with a jolt, she had memories of her first ever battle: when the Athena faced down a handful of ships the Liberation, a dissident Federation splinter group, had stolen from the Mothball Fleet. But this time, it was going to be a standoff between two factions. She looked at Captain Galloway in horror...

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian's expression matched that of Nira's as the gravity of the impending battle sunk in. He had to come up with an answer that didn't result in bloodshed.

"Nira, you've worked with Klingons more than I have. Governor Kras has obviously sided with Kharn against the Jyn. What can we do ta fracture that alliance?"

["What kind of weapons fire Lieutenant?"]

[Head Nurse Chloe Davies | Delta Flyer Mjolnir | Iota Thelonis IV-b]

Surprisingly, the transmission connection to the Challenger was excellent. The news that Challenger was on the way brought spirits to Chloe. She smiled at Commander Tharn at how well she arranged the comm signal to go through.

"This is excellent," she said. She then made over to Commander McCarthy and said, "Good news, Challenger is on the way to you now."

"Thanks so much."

Tharn then approached Chloe and said, "We'll have to be lifting off to rejoin the Challenger, Head Nurse."

"Can you ask Lieutenant Jyur if he can move the critical condition patients to the Mjolnir?" Chloe asked. "We'll be able to get them on Challenger first for instant treatment."

"If you can get them over, that'd be appreciated," said Commander McCarthy.

"It'll be cramped, but we can pull it off," Chief T'ealc added. "I can, of course, remain with the rest of the Burke crew for further treatment and check-ups. If all goes well, I can go up when CHallenger arrives."

"Of course," said Chloe. "Let's get them aboard."

Momentarily, the five were brought aboard the Mjolnir and secured inside, Chloe stated to the patients, "Be careful, all, this will be a rough ride, given the atmosphere."

She stayed in the back with the patients. Commander Tharn was at the cockpit, though at Jettis' orders, Ensign Denton acknowledged with a few waves of her hand, and then she had been about to extend her middle finger, but Tharn, paying rapt attention at her, snarled, "Don't even think about that, Ensign!"

Quickly, Denton drew her hand back (but all the same, turned around to curl her lips at the rest of the away team) and then took off, and if anything, the flight up was even rougher than the landing. Once again, Tharn didn't have to be an empath to know the woman was angry to have to take orders of any kind. She was going to have words with Lieutenant Espada, for sure, if Lieutenant Jyur didn't do that first.

There was, of course, a wrinkle. Just as they were reaching the Challenger, a Klingon Bird of Prey decloaked and made a jump on the Mjolnir. Shields were raised, but a disruptor hit made the console explode and Ensign Denton was sent flying. Tharn was sure that if neither of the rear walls were in the way, Denton would've been sent flying all the way out the Mjolnir, but the hard hit against the wall made Tharn cringe.

Assuming she makes it through, she's going to wake up to anything between a reprimand and a court martial, Tharn thought.

[Shuttle Mjolnir - Above Iota Thelonis IV-B]

Tharn squeaked in surprise at the appearance of the Bird of Prey, any characterization of the noise as a 'squeal' would result in reprisals best not imagined. She grabbed the controls and began maneuvering furiously. With Denton out of the picture, she didn't have time to call for help as she did her best of avoid the disruptors that were bracketing the Mjolnir.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Bridge - USS Challenger - En route to Iota Thelonis IV-B]

The Challenger had covered half the distance to the barren move when Lieutenant Randall at Science One exclaimed in surprise.

"Sir! I'm detecting weapons fire in the orbit of our destination!"

Ian's head snapped in Randall's direction.

"What kind of weapons fire Lieutenant?"

"Disruptors!"

"Bloody hell! Red alert! Battlestations! Helm, I was a warp microburst ta get us there immediately! Tactical, photons and phasers ta ready. I am sincerely gettin' tired of these bleedin' Klingons."

[Spread the Word]

Dear Shadow Fleet

It is time to Spread the Word.

Our 'Spread the Word' campaigns are an opportunity for you to tell others about Shadow Fleet and for you to invite them (friends, relatives, intelligent pets, etc) to come role play with us. The benefit is that the person you bring in will be assigned to your SIMM.  Thus it will increase your crew size and help us to fill open slots.

If you are active on other popular roleplay sites and they allow advertisements, please let us know so we can post our advert there.

Doing so will award you the following ribbons, as well as the respect and admiration of your fellow players.

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If you are a current player and want to help out by creating/reactivating an ALT, now would be a great time to do so. As a bonus, you will earn the Alt award.

Your recruitment efforts are very much appreciated by the community!

Live long and Prosper.

[[Lt. Commander Kyan Mackenzie | Jyn Mining Station ]]

[Lt. Commander Kyan Mackenzie | Jyn Mining Station ]

(After the Attack, after Nira beamed back down to the surface )

After Kyan, Nira, and Crewman Roscoe Slater had subdued the Klingon, they'd bound him and put him in an empty office. Bikole wanted to finish him off, but Kyan thought he might have some information that could prove useful. Besides which, he hadn't interrogated a Klingon in quite a while. And since he was the only one left alive of his boarding party, Doctor Fellows was busy treating wounded Jyn, and Catalan was off helping the Jyn fix things"¦ that left him free to give the Klingon his undivided attention.

[Jyn Station - Iota Thelonis IX] - [Dr. Jessica Fellows]

Jess and the rest of the medical staff that had stayed on the station worked quickly. As they had arrived with a full kit, they had the supplies they needed and while tense, it was well within their capacity to handle. It was going a bit rougher for the team on the planet as they had more casualties.

Jess finished running the bone knitter over the Jyn female's leg one last time and sat back satisfied.

"You'll need to minimize your work load for a few days, but you will be fine. Now if you excuse me. I've got one last patient to see."

It was Jess' plan to finish up with this last station casualty and them beam down with her entire team to reinforce the team on the ground. At least that was the plan. At least this time, there wasn't a slimy Changeling in their group to blow the plan up.