S:5 E:16 - A Doomsday Like Any Other

[Kyan Mackenzie]

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

Kyan thought about what Jalen had said about revenge. If he was honest about it,  he knew it was right. Everyone said the same thing. The priests and priestesses, his ma, all of them. The Threefold Rule said something similar, although Kyan had decided that if he repaid the Orions for keeping him captive, then he was just a part of the universe sending their negative energy back to them. It was a little self serving, but that was ok sometimes. Right?

But thinking about how it might be wrong to get revenge on Seles and her crew for keeping him prisoner, torturing him... a little, and ultimately selling him as a slave didn't make revenge less appealing. It was the opposite. And plus he'd be saving others from a similar experience, which he reckoned the Powers would be happy about.

The situation was complicated. Well, it was complicated now... since Jalen showed up. Before it was fairly cut and dry. Whenever he got the chance, he was just going to go find her, lop off her head and toss it over the fence of her family estate. And then blow up the house. Simple. But now? Complicated.

Kyan decided to think about that later. After all there were more pressing things to think about. There was a killer ice cream cone on the loose that needed to be seen to. And more likely than not there were more shady Romulans who'd be wanting payback for Challenger's dispatching their little fleet a few days before.

"You might have the right of it." Kyan offered non-committally in reply to the story. Then switching to the other topic, "I'll nae be a grup fer thousands of years so. Maybe by then folks won't be after getting handfasted anymore. Maybe I'll make a clone of me and then we can have adventures together!" That was an appealing thought. Kyan had always thought it would be nice to have a brother.

He shrugged. "But until then it's me own adventures I'll hafta have." But that wasn't right. He wasn't alone among the grups anymore. "Well, he amended, "Since you and Lorian and Leran are here, and Max the now, we can have them together." He liked that idea more anyway. Then he smiled up at the El-Aurian as he swished the jumja sucker around. "And you'll be here tae fix us when we get hurt having em!"

[Jalen Kartos]

[Exam Room 1 | Sickbay | Deck 7 | USS Challenger]

Jalen knew that any idea took time to root and then flourish, and that he wasn't about to make sweeping changes after one story. But he smiled when he saw that his Only friend was at least contemplating it, despite his non-committal response.

"œOf that I am most certain, both that we shall share in many adventures, and that I shall be here to put us back together again, when needed. Though I am certain with you as our Guardian, there won't be much patching up of the rest of us. And I too look forward to those adventures. But first I am sure you have other duties to attend to, that are far more important than talking to the only person on this ship who makes you actually young by comparison." Jalen chuckled a little tat the thought that he was likely the oldest person in 3 sectors, and Kyan & Max were the second oldest, but then again everyone was younger than him. For their total lifetime of experiences hard counted for more then a wink of his eye.

[Tora Zalos]

[Angdarr Landing Site]

Taja listened to the briefings with interest and thoroughly enjoyed the slightly hair-raising descent through the planet's atmosphere. The forest canopy of Angdarr was beautiful despite the dangers that lurked beneath. Once disembarked, the Risan stayed with the group and further admired the trees and other foliage, reminiscing about her paradise home but it was to be short lived.

Taja watched as Nira 'negotiated' with the scavengers. They looked like they hadn't bathed in a month and smelled like it to, she tried not to let her disgust show at their words and appearance. Perhaps it was her being amped up on that damned 'Go-Juice', or perhaps she was just exceedingly stupid, but Taja stepped forward with both hands raised in the air. She had no place doing this, but was to hyped to do anything about it.

"Hold on there just a minute. There's no need for hostilities." She unleashed her full Risan charm, the same charm that made Starfleet shore-leave personnel weak at the knees. Putting on her best smile, she continued. "I never imagined we'd meet such a handsome and beautiful group of pirates. Perhaps we can come to a deal, we have with us inoculation against the insect's spores. I'm sure you to have suffered the effects. If that doesn't interest you, I'm more than happy to take care of any medical needs you may have...any nasty cuts or half-healed broken bones. What do you say, you fabulous hunk of Orion masculinity?" She winked at the Orion male, terrified on the inside and expecting to be blasted into oblivion at any second.

[Ensign Tora Zalos | Angdarr Landing Site]

Tora wished she'd brought a phaser, she really did. If she'd known in the first place that they'd be beset upon and then threatened by hostile scavengers looking to make a quick buck, she definitely would've thought to at least bring something to defend herself with. What she had instead was her PADD, a tricorder, and... nothing else. She was an anthropologist by training. Her kind of people studied other people for a living, with nothing but their eyeballs and brains. Orions had been studied to death already; she could spout Orion anthropological data in the hopes of boring their assailants to death, maybe, but that was about it.

The first officer was clearly not happy about their circumstances; everything about her, from the way she talked to her body language screamed so. Anybody else in her shoes would've been. Then one other from the group, a beautiful blonde woman, stepped forward and turned up the charm to... well, not quite one hundred, because that would've involved a lot more than just honeyed words. Risan. The blonde's accent was nearly identical to her own. They'd have to chat later, that much was for absolutely certain, but right now they both had jobs to do.

Speaking of their jobs. Tora stayed quiet for the time being to let the blonde fling her honeyed words. The other was far more experienced than her when it came to defusing situations (and no, she'd learned over the course of her studies that dealing with tired, rowdy bargoers did not prepare her for the much more real dangers of people who actually wanted to kill her) - she would lend her own 'expertise' if need be, but for now, she was more than content to stay back.

[Neva Cordon]

[Cutty Sark->Andgarr Prime]

Neva was behind and to the right of Commander Said, just outside of the shuttle when the Orions accosted them. She had her phaser rifle pointed dead on the lead Orion, no emotion on her face. Inside however, she quaked. She wanted to catch the emotions of them, but her fluttering fear prevented it. Instead, she held her ground and sights on those before her.

When the young medic slid into the conversation, a slight smirk hit Neva.  The charm that poured out seemed as obvious as a wind among the towering trees to her. Nevertheless, Neva's stance didn't waver. Until the Commander said differently, Mercy would only be given when Mercy was shown.

[Ian Galloway]

[Commander Nira Said | Shuttle Cutty Sark | Romulan Landing Pad | Warbird Necropolis | Andgarr Prime]

Nira stood between Neva and Hector and watched with awe as they dove into the huge canopy. It was well worth seeing again, but now they had to save it. Save it from the monster of Kirk's day.

Upon landing, she smiled at Hector's jokey reply. "Good flying with you. Keep the engine running, we may need to get going once we find the core, we don't want to go it on foot." She looked over at Taja and Tora Zalos and said, "Well, you'd be surprised by the huge trees, especially if you saw them coming in."

Indeed, it's easy enough to be. Nira had to admit, she was so busy looking up at the huge trees above that she was taken by surprise by typical represenatives of the galaxy's wretched hive of scum and villainy. There was certainly plenty of green; they mostly consisted of Orions and Nausicaans.

Nira was at the front with Zhuk, both with their rifles at the ready. The way they indicated interest in the shuttle.

"Let me guess: Scavengers," said Nira. "Well, you're not taking our shuttle, we need it."

A few of the Nausicaans sniggered. The spokesmen, a tall Orion, merely curled his lips at them. "Well. Regardless, we can have your shuttle, and we could even take some slaves. The warlords would pay a fortune especially for beauties like you females."

Nira curled her lips back. "Screw you, you green bastards," she snarled. "Besides, there are some new ships that had their recent flights tragically cut off..."

"...we know," sneered another Orion at his side, and she certainly had the look of an Animal Woman; she would've looked like a barbarian princess if it wasn't for the metal armor pads and the green skin. "All of them made from the husks around you. And there's still enough to go around."

Well. This was going to get tricky. Nira was suddenly regretting stepping out. She knew there was a reason to go for a shuttle. First they had to get out of this.

[Angdarr Landing Site]

Taja listened to the briefings with interest and thoroughly enjoyed the slightly hair-raising descent through the planet's atmosphere. The forest canopy of Angdarr was beautiful despite the dangers that lurked beneath. Once disembarked, the Risan stayed with the group and further admired the trees and other foliage, reminiscing about her paradise home but it was to be short lived.

Taja watched as Nira 'negotiated' with the scavengers. They looked like they hadn't bathed in a month and smelled like it to, she tried not to let her disgust show at their words and appearance. Perhaps it was her being amped up on that damned 'Go-Juice', or perhaps she was just exceedingly stupid, but Taja stepped forward with both hands raised in the air. She had no place doing this, but was to hyped to do anything about it.

"Hold on there just a minute. There's no need for hostilities." She unleashed her full Risan charm, the same charm that made Starfleet shore-leave personnel weak at the knees. Putting on her best smile, she continued. "I never imagined we'd meet such a handsome and beautiful group of pirates. Perhaps we can come to a deal, we have with us inoculation against the insect's spores. I'm sure you to have suffered the effects. If that doesn't interest you, I'm more than happy to take care of any medical needs you may have...any nasty cuts or half-healed broken bones. What do you say, you fabulous hunk of Orion masculinity?" She winked at the Orion male, terrified on the inside and expecting to be blasted into oblivion at any second.

[Warbird Necropolis - Andgarr Prime]

The leader of the scavengers smiled in a way that made Taja cringe as he looked her up and down, clearly thinking thoughts no one wanted to know.

"Well, well lads. Looks like not only are we going to get a shuttle, but some prime merchandise as a bonus. Although I may just keep this blonde tart for my personal entertainment. As we have product to protect, set for stun. Kill the men if they cause too much trouble. Try and spare the women if you can, but if they prove troublesome, kill them too."

And with that, the clearing came alive with sound of phasers and disruptors.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Before Ian could call for red alert, Lieutenant Commander Catalan said.

"The Romulan ship is hailing us Sir."

"On screen."

Ian said reflexively and the screen resolved to a distinguished looking Romulan of at least 150 years, who spoke in a grim tone of voice.

"Captain. I am Commander Avolus of the Romulan Free State Ship Deletham Mosarum. I am aware of the threat approaching this system and wish to assist. Although my vessel is now given over the role of cargo ship and I am on reserve status. I am subject to recall at times of need. In the absence of a higher authority, I now consider myself, crew, and ship reactivated.

"I have notified Fleet Command of the situation and they have assured me that assistance is on the way. I believe it to be in our best interests to ally our cause with yours to pool resources to combat the threat to Angdarr, a planet the Free State is on friendly terms with. Is this course of action acceptable to you Captain?"

Ian who had been coiled tight as a spring when the Romulan ship decloaked, visibly relaxed as he replied.

"It would be my great honor ta ally with you Commander. There is a known defense against a Doomsday Machine, but it requires the sacrifice of a starship. I have an away team on the planet attemptin' ta acquire a hulk from the Angdarri Graveyard at this moment. They will be reportin' soon on their progress. In the meantime, I can offer the hospitality of the Challenger should you wish to continue this conversation in person."

Avolus' eyebrow quirked it what might have been amusement as he replied.

"'Doomsday Machine', 'Graveyard' you humans do have a flair for the dramatic."

Ian could only reply with a sheepish grin.

"Aye Commander, that we do."

"Is ten minutes enough time to organize your 'hospitality'?"

"That is is Commander."

"Very good then Captain. I will see you in ten minutes. Avolus out."

As the viewscreen returned to the display of the planet below, Ian said with some irony.

"That is the most polite Romulan I have ever met."

[Nira Said]

[Shuttlebay/Cutty Sark]

Aarwendil didn't need to use his telepathy to know that Neva wasn't well. She looked tired, even if she had said that had returned to her shift today. When she contacted him telepathically, the young Betazoid briefly saw a terrible image coming from her mind. He wondered what it was.  "˜Of course! I know some exercises that can help. After this mission we can meet in the holodeck. We can work on it here.' he said telepathically to her. Since they were still alone in the shuttle, the two could talk with each other this way without offending non-telepaths.

Taking her advice, he sat in one of the seats and strapped himself. Now they needed to wait for the others.

[USS-Challenger/ Shuttlebay - Cutty Sark]

Nekab and Taja were the last to arrive, due to the Romulan wanting to be well prepared for what they could see on the surface. "œThere is a vaccine capable of nullifying the effects of the pollen." he said to the Risian, while showing her the metallic suitcase that he was carrying. "œI have samples here to be used in the case of contamination."

When they arrived at the shuttle, Commander Said was already here. "œYes, ma'am. We have enough vaccines. The yanmarr will not jeopardize the mission." he reassured the female Betazoid, before finding a seat for himself. While he maintained his stoic face, Nekab couldn't avoid thinking of his mother in Andgarr and wondered if she had already left the planet.

He took a deep breath, allowing these feelings of doubt and fear dissipate.

[Shuttle Cutty Sark/ Romulan Landing Pad/ Warbird Necropolis/ Andgarr Prime]

While the shuttle descended through the canopy, Aarwendil had a deja vu. However, this time he didn't have the same awe from early on. He was concerned with the fact that the yanmarr could still be out here. What calmed him down was the fact that Nekab was carruing the vaccines.

[Angdarr Landing Site]

Taja listened to the briefings with interest and thoroughly enjoyed the slightly hair-raising descent through the planet's atmosphere. The forest canopy of Angdarr was beautiful despite the dangers that lurked beneath. Once disembarked, the Risan stayed with the group and further admired the trees and other foliage, reminiscing about her paradise home but it was to be short lived.

Taja watched as Nira 'negotiated' with the scavengers. They looked like they hadn't bathed in a month and smelled like it to, she tried not to let her disgust show at their words and appearance. Perhaps it was her being amped up on that damned 'Go-Juice', or perhaps she was just exceedingly stupid, but Taja stepped forward with both hands raised in the air. She had no place doing this, but was to hyped to do anything about it.

"Hold on there just a minute. There's no need for hostilities." She unleashed her full Risan charm, the same charm that made Starfleet shore-leave personnel weak at the knees. Putting on her best smile, she continued. "I never imagined we'd meet such a handsome and beautiful group of pirates. Perhaps we can come to a deal, we have with us inoculation against the insect's spores. I'm sure you to have suffered the effects. If that doesn't interest you, I'm more than happy to take care of any medical needs you may have...any nasty cuts or half-healed broken bones. What do you say, you fabulous hunk of Orion masculinity?" She winked at the Orion male, terrified on the inside and expecting to be blasted into oblivion at any second.

[Ensign Tora Zalos | Angdarr Landing Site]

Tora wished she'd brought a phaser, she really did. If she'd known in the first place that they'd be beset upon and then threatened by hostile scavengers looking to make a quick buck, she definitely would've thought to at least bring something to defend herself with. What she had instead was her PADD, a tricorder, and... nothing else. She was an anthropologist by training. Her kind of people studied other people for a living, with nothing but their eyeballs and brains. Orions had been studied to death already; she could spout Orion anthropological data in the hopes of boring their assailants to death, maybe, but that was about it.

The first officer was clearly not happy about their circumstances; everything about her, from the way she talked to her body language screamed so. Anybody else in her shoes would've been. Then one other from the group, a beautiful blonde woman, stepped forward and turned up the charm to... well, not quite one hundred, because that would've involved a lot more than just honeyed words. Risan. The blonde's accent was nearly identical to her own. They'd have to chat later, that much was for absolutely certain, but right now they both had jobs to do.

Speaking of their jobs. Tora stayed quiet for the time being to let the blonde fling her honeyed words. The other was far more experienced than her when it came to defusing situations (and no, she'd learned over the course of her studies that dealing with tired, rowdy bargoers did not prepare her for the much more real dangers of people who actually wanted to kill her) - she would lend her own 'expertise' if need be, but for now, she was more than content to stay back.

[Cutty Sark->Andgarr Prime]

Neva was behind and to the right of Commander Said, just outside of the shuttle when the Orions accosted them. She had her phaser rifle pointed dead on the lead Orion, no emotion on her face. Inside however, she quaked. She wanted to catch the emotions of them, but her fluttering fear prevented it. Instead, she held her ground and sights on those before her.

When the young medic slid into the conversation, a slight smirk hit Neva.  The charm that poured out seemed as obvious as a wind among the towering trees to her. Nevertheless, Neva's stance didn't waver. Until the Commander said differently, Mercy would only be given when Mercy was shown.

[Warbird Necropolis - Andgarr Prime]

The leader of the scavengers smiled in a way that made Taja cringe as he looked her up and down, clearly thinking thoughts no one wanted to know.

"Well, well lads. Looks like not only are we going to get a shuttle, but some prime merchandise as a bonus. Although I may just keep this blonde tart for my personal entertainment. As we have product to protect, set for stun. Kill the men if they cause too much trouble. Try and spare the women if you can, but if they prove troublesome, kill them too."

And with that, the clearing came alive with sound of phasers and disruptors.

[Commander Nira Said | Shuttle Cutty Sark | Main Shuttlebay | Deck Nineteen | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Nira was certain Taja's charm - that relaxing affect from Taja's eyes - was going to work on the green scumbags. But not this time. Did it maybe require eye contact from whom Taja is staring at to work? Nira thought briefly before the leader made his retort. His right hand Orion said, "If you want the gold-hair, I get the dark-hairs, specifically I get the Cardassian. Lord Hirim will want the other dark haired females."

"You green perverts," snarled Nira. "You're not taking our shuttle to take apart! And you won't be taking slaves!" And then, she primed her rifle. The right hand stepped forward, his eyes aflame with lustful desire, and Nira shot him in the foot. And thus the fighting retreat started.

"Back to the shuttle, everybody! Fighting retreat!" called Nira, then looked at Zhuk. "Lieutenant! Covering fire! Everybody else, take your shots as best as you can."

And they moved back to the shuttle, Nira and Zhuk covering the team as they proceeded inside, taking one side of the door. As people scrambled in, Lieutenant Espada looked around in surprise.

[Zhukdrashar Mrekrerhas]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian watched the Cutty Sark depart and enter the swarm of traffic around Angdarr, as it did, he was immediately reminded of a fish swimming upstream as those who could were fleeing the planet. The plan was a simple one, find a derelict, get it operational enough to fly, and shove it into the maw of the Doomsday Machine. A decent enough plan in theory, he hoped the execution was a simple as the plan itself. He was however jolted out of his revelry by Lieutenant Commander Catalan at Ops.

"Sir, I have Anax Jindak hailing us."

"On screen. Hello Anax, I hope you are callin' with good news."

"The quality of the news is as yet undetermined, but I do indeed have news. I have made contact with an organization that operates out of Angdarr. Kinglines Corporation. They have a large space liner, the Cosmos Royale in orbit. They are of course reluctant to part with such a vessel when it is needed to evacuate their staff, but it is the only ship in the system I believe to be large enough to accomplish what you want to do."

"It is a start Anax. I will contact them immediately."

"The person you need to speak to is Burton King."

"Thank you Anax. Galloway out."

Before Catalan could establish a connection, Lieutenant Randall called out from the Science One station.

"Captain! Romulan ship decloaking!"

Ian's head snapped toward Randall.

"Whereaway?"

"Off the port bow. Range 50,000 kilometers. Class...class... It's an older model Sir. A V-6, code name 'Gallant Wing'. Transponder listed as Deletham Mosarum, 'Winged Defender.'"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Shuttle Cutty Sark - Orbit of Angdarr]

As Espada weaved his way through the outbound traffic which didn't seem to be following any established pattern, he soon broke past the chaos and could see the towering trees of Angdarr. Following the coordinates from their recent visit, he headed directly for the junkyard at the base of the extraordinary trees. He flared in for a landing with a bit more style than was standard and opened the hatch.

"Thank you for flying Espada Airlines."

Nira led the away team off the shuttle, tricorders in Neva's and Tora's hand as they scanned the vast array of junked ships. Doctor Grippen stayed in the middle of the pack and admired the trees as Zhuk, Cheizex, Nekab, and Nira had their phasers at the ready. This turned out to be a good thing because just as Neva and Tora called out lifesigns, a dozen figures of multiple species, but all armed and looking decidedly disreputable appeared.

"We'll be taking that shuttle Starfleet."

[Commander Nira Said | Shuttle Cutty Sark | Main Shuttlebay | Deck Nineteen | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

The team assembled inside. Nira nodded cordially to them all as they came in. Taja and Nekab came in last, and thank Allah, they had the materials.

Zhuk started off, and when he passed the briefing to Nira, she proceeded. "Right, so we're heading particularly to what the Andgarr refer to as the 'Warbird Necropolis.' The object of the away mission is to find a warp core among the ships below. We will be scanning for active warp cores, whether or not they had been rebuilt by the Romulans. Now we'll see what we can find among the junk below. It'll be up to our Ensigns in particular to find the warp cores. We'll start at the landing site, find anything in proximity to our tricorders. Worse comes to worse, we use the Cutty Sark's sensors.

"Now, we have two extra Medical hands to innoculate us against any Yanmarr pollen, just in case," she added. She turned to Nekab and asked, "I trust you have the materials to innoculate us against the pollen?"

[Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Warbird Necropolis | Angdarr Prime | Angdarr System]

Zhuk never truly thought he would go back to the Warbird Necropolis that saw him defeat the Romulan forces in such a spectacular manner, and much less, so soon. If the battle had been any bigger, he would have been sure to be lauded as a brilliant tactician. Maybe one day, he thought, one day...

He kept his pride, however, to himself as the 'Cutty Sark' made its descent, expertly flown by Lieutenant Espada. It gave the crewmembers coming along a wonderful view of the tree canopy, one that Zhuk too enjoyed. He sighed, truly wishing that he had the time to climb the bark with his claws, jumping and swaying through the branches. Would have been an excellent way to relax.

Finally, the doors were opened, and Zhuk proceeded to hold his rifle close as he descended, watching the carnage that remained upon the junkyard. Lots of twisted metal, both rusted and new, greeted him as he took point, making sure to move in first to protect Neva, Doctor Grippen, and Tora from potential danger, as well as the rest of his squad. His eyes marveled at the remains, as the pieces had taken shapes and forms of all kinds, now that he was no longer in an active combat role. Still, something began to bother him, as his nose picked up hints of a rather pleasant scent. One he was much familiar with.

His sightseeing was over as he lifted his rifle to confront half a dozen or so scavengers, which were led by a huge Orion male, and an accompanying female of the same species, who wore a set of metal armor that gave her an absolutely wild look. Almost immediately, he proceeded to adopt a more defensive stance, lowering his form as he let out a hiss, showing his sharp canines.

[Commander Nira Said | Shuttle Cutty Sark | Romulan Landing Pad | Warbird Necropolis | Andgarr Prime]

Nira stood between Neva and Hector and watched with awe as they dove into the huge canopy. It was well worth seeing again, but now they had to save it. Save it from the monster of Kirk's day.

Upon landing, she smiled at Hector's jokey reply. "Good flying with you. Keep the engine running, we may need to get going once we find the core, we don't want to go it on foot." She looked over at Taja and Tora Zalos and said, "Well, you'd be surprised by the huge trees, especially if you saw them coming in."

Indeed, it's easy enough to be. Nira had to admit, she was so busy looking up at the huge trees above that she was taken by surprise by typical represenatives of the galaxy's wretched hive of scum and villainy. There was certainly plenty of green; they mostly consisted of Orions and Nausicaans.

Nira was at the front with Zhuk, both with their rifles at the ready. The way they indicated interest in the shuttle.

"Let me guess: Scavengers," said Nira. "Well, you're not taking our shuttle, we need it."

A few of the Nausicaans sniggered. The spokesmen, a tall Orion, merely curled his lips at them. "Well. Regardless, we can have your shuttle, and we could even take some slaves. The warlords would pay a fortune especially for beauties like you females."

Nira curled her lips back. "Screw you, you green bastards," she snarled. "Besides, there are some new ships that had their recent flights tragically cut off..."

"...we know," sneered another Orion at his side, and she certainly had the look of an Animal Woman; she would've looked like a barbarian princess if it wasn't for the metal armor pads and the green skin. "All of them made from the husks around you. And there's still enough to go around."

Well. This was going to get tricky. Nira was suddenly regretting stepping out. She knew there was a reason to go for a shuttle. First they had to get out of this.

[Angdarr Landing Site]

Taja listened to the briefings with interest and thoroughly enjoyed the slightly hair-raising descent through the planet's atmosphere. The forest canopy of Angdarr was beautiful despite the dangers that lurked beneath. Once disembarked, the Risan stayed with the group and further admired the trees and other foliage, reminiscing about her paradise home but it was to be short lived.

Taja watched as Nira 'negotiated' with the scavengers. They looked like they hadn't bathed in a month and smelled like it to, she tried not to let her disgust show at their words and appearance. Perhaps it was her being amped up on that damned 'Go-Juice', or perhaps she was just exceedingly stupid, but Taja stepped forward with both hands raised in the air. She had no place doing this, but was to hyped to do anything about it.

"Hold on there just a minute. There's no need for hostilities." She unleashed her full Risan charm, the same charm that made Starfleet shore-leave personnel weak at the knees. Putting on her best smile, she continued. "I never imagined we'd meet such a handsome and beautiful group of pirates. Perhaps we can come to a deal, we have with us inoculation against the insect's spores. I'm sure you to have suffered the effects. If that doesn't interest you, I'm more than happy to take care of any medical needs you may have...any nasty cuts or half-healed broken bones. What do you say, you fabulous hunk of Orion masculinity?" She winked at the Orion male, terrified on the inside and expecting to be blasted into oblivion at any second.

He stopped himself from any hostile actions besides those, as he decided to use the fact that the scavengers had apparently resorted to talking to scan for possible defenses and advantages. His green dichroic eyes examined the ruins, finding that a couple of Nausicaans that were trailing their guns on them were quite badly positioned over what once seemed to be an aileron of a vessel. He could see that a small shower of dust and rust was falling from it, and even though his ears were flat behind his head, he swore he could hear the pieces groaning underneath their weight. Zhuk too noticed a triangular-shaped fin a few meters from him to the right, which he believed would serve as good cover when shots were fired.

He did his best to ignore his heart accelerating at the pheromones exuded by the Animal Woman, though he calculated that it would take more than that to make him submit to her wiles. And he staunchly refused to serve another Orion mistress once more. What surprised him though, was the way that Doctor Grippen proceeded to use her Risan charm to try and convince the Orion male to cease hostilities.

Though the Caitian Lieutenant was well aware of flirting maneuvers, he still felt his legs weak for a moment after that display. She certainly knew what she was doing, though unfortunately, he knew Orions too well. That man was nothing but a front, as the one leading them probably was the woman at his side. Typical Orion behavior. Her attempt would not work, even though it had been valiant.

[Warbird Necropolis - Andgarr Prime]

The leader of the scavengers smiled in a way that made Taja cringe as he looked her up and down, clearly thinking thoughts no one wanted to know.

"Well, well lads. Looks like not only are we going to get a shuttle, but some prime merchandise as a bonus. Although I may just keep this blonde tart for my personal entertainment. As we have product to protect, set for stun. Kill the men if they cause too much trouble. Try and spare the women if you can, but if they prove troublesome, kill them too."

And with that, the clearing came alive with sound of phasers and disruptors.

[Commander Nira Said | Shuttle Cutty Sark | Main Shuttlebay | Deck Nineteen | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Nira was certain Taja's charm - that relaxing affect from Taja's eyes - was going to work on the green scumbags. But not this time. Did it maybe require eye contact from whom Taja is staring at to work? Nira thought briefly before the leader made his retort. His right hand Orion said, "If you want the gold-hair, I get the dark-hairs, specifically I get the Cardassian. Lord Hirim will want the other dark haired females."

"You green perverts," snarled Nira. "You're not taking our shuttle to take apart! And you won't be taking slaves!" And then, she primed her rifle. The right hand stepped forward, his eyes aflame with lustful desire, and Nira shot him in the foot. And thus the fighting retreat started.

"Back to the shuttle, everybody! Fighting retreat!" called Nira, then looked at Zhuk. "Lieutenant! Covering fire! Everybody else, take your shots as best as you can."

And they moved back to the shuttle, Nira and Zhuk covering the team as they proceeded inside, taking one side of the door. As people scrambled in, Lieutenant Espada looked around in surprise.

As expected, there would be no quarrel here. Zhuk bared more of his teeth at the comments made by the Orion, though he noted the stun setting. That would be an advantage to their team, though he wondered whether it would be correct for him to extend the same courtesy. He decided against it, considering that he could just feign ignorance if anyone on the team noticed that. Soon enough, shots began flying as Nira opened fire on the large male, hitting him on the foot.

Zhuk kept himself from laughing at that, as he instead fired against the aileron where the Nausicaans were standing, sending both of them toppling a few feet into a lower level of the junkyard. At the orders of retreating, Zhuk replied with a, "Yes ma'am!" ushering cover fire for the rest, catching another Nausicaan square on the chest while he used his natural agility to weave, twist, and spin out of the way while covering against the pieces of metal and garbage that surrounded him.

As he reached the shuttle once more, he proceeded to cover at the left side of the door, fighting with his Commander without giving one step back. He managed to catch another Orion by the shoulder, and as he noticed the approach of the Animal Woman, he made sure to aim at her, wanting to put her out of commission for good. Unfortunately, her plates proved to be an excellent defense, with her having enough common sense to keep her face out of Zhuk's sights.

The luck for Zhuk only continued to get worse, as a couple of shots did manage to hit him. The first one hit his leg, which made him yowl with pain, as the area was seared, though he remained combat effective. The other pulse, thankfully set to stun as one of the women of the team was the intended target, hit him on his upper chest,  which caused him to slump over against the door, falling to the side as the effects quickly set to him.

"A-Agh... g-guh... r-reprobates...! A-agh..." Were the only things he could muster, as he was down and out for the count.

[Tora Zalos]

[Ensign Tora Zalos | Shuttlecraft Cutty Sark | Angdarr Prime]

What was that phrase some of her Academy classmates used when encountering something preposterously dangerous or huge? Oh, right. Oh, hell no. It certainly captured the nasty mix of panic and fear that bubbled inside Tora's stomach as she turned and fled for the shuttlecraft well. Why exactly did the universe have to do this to them, exactly? She hadn't expected puppies and rainbows when landing, of course, but this was a little too much. Captured by Orions and made into something less than she was? Um, no thank you! She was happy with the woman she was, moreso than as a dabo girl.

She had only barely begun to settle down when she heard the feline yowl of pain cut through the air like a razor. Without thinking she sprang up from her seat, grabbed the Caitian and dragged him into the shuttle. "Help! He needs medical attention!" Tora was hollering as she touched her hand to his upper chest. Her fingers came away red. Not good...

[Ian Galloway]

[Commander Nira Said | Shuttle Cutty Sark | Main Shuttlebay | Deck Nineteen | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Nira was certain Taja's charm - that relaxing affect from Taja's eyes - was going to work on the green scumbags. But not this time. Did it maybe require eye contact from whom Taja is staring at to work? Nira thought briefly before the leader made his retort. His right hand Orion said, "If you want the gold-hair, I get the dark-hairs, specifically I get the Cardassian. Lord Hirim will want the other dark haired females."

"You green perverts," snarled Nira. "You're not taking our shuttle to take apart! And you won't be taking slaves!" And then, she primed her rifle. The right hand stepped forward, his eyes aflame with lustful desire, and Nira shot him in the foot. And thus the fighting retreat started.

"Back to the shuttle, everybody! Fighting retreat!" called Nira, then looked at Zhuk. "Lieutenant! Covering fire! Everybody else, take your shots as best as you can."

And they moved back to the shuttle, Nira and Zhuk covering the team as they proceeded inside, taking one side of the door. As people scrambled in, Lieutenant Espada looked around in surprise.

[Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Warbird Necropolis | Angdarr Prime | Angdarr System]

Zhuk never truly thought he would go back to the Warbird Necropolis that saw him defeat the Romulan forces in such a spectacular manner, and much less, so soon. If the battle had been any bigger, he would have been sure to be lauded as a brilliant tactician. Maybe one day, he thought, one day...

He kept his pride, however, to himself as the 'Cutty Sark' made its descent, expertly flown by Lieutenant Espada. It gave the crewmembers coming along a wonderful view of the tree canopy, one that Zhuk too enjoyed. He sighed, truly wishing that he had the time to climb the bark with his claws, jumping and swaying through the branches. Would have been an excellent way to relax.

Finally, the doors were opened, and Zhuk proceeded to hold his rifle close as he descended, watching the carnage that remained upon the junkyard. Lots of twisted metal, both rusted and new, greeted him as he took point, making sure to move in first to protect Neva, Doctor Grippen, and Tora from potential danger, as well as the rest of his squad. His eyes marveled at the remains, as the pieces had taken shapes and forms of all kinds, now that he was no longer in an active combat role. Still, something began to bother him, as his nose picked up hints of a rather pleasant scent. One he was much familiar with.

His sightseeing was over as he lifted his rifle to confront half a dozen or so scavengers, which were led by a huge Orion male, and an accompanying female of the same species, who wore a set of metal armor that gave her an absolutely wild look. Almost immediately, he proceeded to adopt a more defensive stance, lowering his form as he let out a hiss, showing his sharp canines.

He stopped himself from any hostile actions besides those, as he decided to use the fact that the scavengers had apparently resorted to talking to scan for possible defenses and advantages. His green dichroic eyes examined the ruins, finding that a couple of Nausicaans that were trailing their guns on them were quite badly positioned over what once seemed to be an aileron of a vessel. He could see that a small shower of dust and rust was falling from it, and even though his ears were flat behind his head, he swore he could hear the pieces groaning underneath their weight. Zhuk too noticed a triangular-shaped fin a few meters from him to the right, which he believed would serve as good cover when shots were fired.

He did his best to ignore his heart accelerating at the pheromones exuded by the Animal Woman, though he calculated that it would take more than that to make him submit to her wiles. And he staunchly refused to serve another Orion mistress once more. What surprised him though, was the way that Doctor Grippen proceeded to use her Risan charm to try and convince the Orion male to cease hostilities.

Though the Caitian Lieutenant was well aware of flirting maneuvers, he still felt his legs weak for a moment after that display. She certainly knew what she was doing, though unfortunately, he knew Orions too well. That man was nothing but a front, as the one leading them probably was the woman at his side. Typical Orion behavior. Her attempt would not work, even though it had been valiant.

As expected, there would be no quarrel here. Zhuk bared more of his teeth at the comments made by the Orion, though he noted the stun setting. That would be an advantage to their team, though he wondered whether it would be correct for him to extend the same courtesy. He decided against it, considering that he could just feign ignorance if anyone on the team noticed that. Soon enough, shots began flying as Nira opened fire on the large male, hitting him on the foot.

Zhuk kept himself from laughing at that, as he instead fired against the aileron where the Nausicaans were standing, sending both of them toppling a few feet into a lower level of the junkyard. At the orders of retreating, Zhuk replied with a, "Yes ma'am!" ushering cover fire for the rest, catching another Nausicaan square on the chest while he used his natural agility to weave, twist, and spin out of the way while covering against the pieces of metal and garbage that surrounded him.

As he reached the shuttle once more, he proceeded to cover at the left side of the door, fighting with his Commander without giving one step back. He managed to catch another Orion by the shoulder, and as he noticed the approach of the Animal Woman, he made sure to aim at her, wanting to put her out of commission for good. Unfortunately, her plates proved to be an excellent defense, with her having enough common sense to keep her face out of Zhuk's sights.

The luck for Zhuk only continued to get worse, as a couple of shots did manage to hit him. The first one hit his leg, which made him yowl with pain, as the area was seared, though he remained combat effective. The other pulse, thankfully set to stun as one of the women of the team was the intended target, hit him on his upper chest,  which caused him to slump over against the door, falling to the side as the effects quickly set to him.

"A-Agh... g-guh... r-reprobates...! A-agh..." Were the only things he could muster, as he was down and out for the count.

[Ensign Tora Zalos | Shuttlecraft Cutty Sark | Angdarr Prime]

What was that phrase some of her Academy classmates used when encountering something preposterously dangerous or huge? Oh, right. Oh, hell no. It certainly captured the nasty mix of panic and fear that bubbled inside Tora's stomach as she turned and fled for the shuttlecraft well. Why exactly did the universe have to do this to them, exactly? She hadn't expected puppies and rainbows when landing, of course, but this was a little too much. Captured by Orions and made into something less than she was? Um, no thank you! She was happy with the woman she was, moreso than as a dabo girl.

She had only barely begun to settle down when she heard the feline yowl of pain cut through the air like a razor. Without thinking she sprang up from her seat, grabbed the Caitian and dragged him into the shuttle. "Help! He needs medical attention!" Tora was hollering as she touched her hand to his upper chest. Her fingers came away red. Not good...

[Shuttle Cutty Sark - Warbird Necropolis - Angdarr Prime]

As the snarl of weapons fire shattered the clearing, it was clear that the scavengers, while not Rhodes Scholars, they did know how to fight and it was only Nira's quick order to retreat that saved the away team. As members leapt aboard the Cutty Sark, Lieutenant Espada was caught open mouthed with surprise, but when splashes of weapon's fire began pinging off the hatch, he sprang into action.

"Sweet Merciful Crap!"

He exclaimed as he fed power to the shuttle's thrusters and brought the shields on line. This cut off the scavenger's fire completely as none of their weapons were heavy enough to punch through the Cutty Sark's defenses. Once everyone was aboard, he closed the hatch and lifted off in a hurry, quickly climbing beyond the range of the ambushers.

"Well, that didn't go as planned. What now Commander?"

[Dr Taja Grippen]

[Shuttle Cutty Sark - Warbird Necropolis - Angdarr Prime]

Taja's plan failed miserably and she kicked herself inwardly, of course it was so simple. The Orion males always served the females, she should have remembered that. As the firefight erupted Taja screamed in panic, she was no fighter and sprinted back to the shuttle as the rest covered her. Breathing heavily she waited for the others, but quickly sprung into action as their caitian friend was hit.

With the help of the others, Zhuk was dragged aboard and laid on the shuttle floor. The Risan grabbed her medical kit and knelt beside him running a quick scan with her tricorder.  Thankfully he was alive only stunned, though the wound on his leg was pretty nasty. The smell of burnt fur filled her nostrils.

She gave him a dose of painkillers with her trusty hypospray then set to work with a autosuture tool on his leg wound. It would take a good few minutes to knit back together during which time the painkillers would work their magic ready for when he woke up.

"He's going to be fine, vitals are stable. Just need a few minutes to knit this wound back together, then I can wake him from the stun. He's one lucky caitian." Had the shot to his chest not been set to stun, they'd be in a lot more trouble.

Now she was doing what she did best her demeanour was calm and collected. It was just like being back in accident and emergency at Risa Central Hospital again.

[Abas Th'vyrrol]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger-A - Deck 12 - Upper Engineering Support]

When the Aenar, suggested for Lahr to 'lead the way' that's what he immediately turned to do, but then got a conflicting message from the medic saying that first he needed to be treated cause he wasn't 'okay'.  Lahr  paused and looked back toward Th'vyrrol in annoyance at the mixed signals.  "Am I coming or going, Doc? Make up your mind!"

It was then that the Doc produced a hypospray and approached him.  Lahr stepped back warily, until Abas pointed out that it was medication and would help clear his headache.

The offer of being able to check his own readings while well-intentioned, didn't help Lahr one whit.    He had not clue what the medical readings meant much less what to do if there was a deficiency or error in one.  Chloe had been handy that way.  Explaining things to him in ways he understood.

"So that's a painkiller?  Fine." Lahr stopped moving away and instead just let the Aenar come to him.  "You did remember to bring the anti-phermone shot as well, right?"

[Upper Engineering Support]

"You'll be free to return to your work, once I'm done making sure your brain isn't going to slosh out of your antennae. Which, in your current state, would be a pain for me to have to cleanup," Abas quipped back. If the man wanted to be a pain to deal with, he'd return the favor in kind. Perhaps Abas could work on his bedside manner, but sometimes honesty was indeed the best policy.

While the man's brains weren't actually at risk of becoming goop, perhaps the image and metaphor would achieve its intended purpose of getting the man to think. As the first hypo injected cleanly, he deftly ejected the first canister and produced a second, loading it in with a click. "Got it right here, if you would just look to your left...", he asked, as he moved to inject the second. Two birds, one stone, and all that.

Shortly, the worst effects of the man's headache and concussion should begin to alleviate. While they wouldn't clear up fully for a few days of bedrest after this most recent chaos was done with, hopefully it would at least get the man back on his feet and in at least what could pass for the right headspace. "Now. How can I be of further service, Chief? While I monitor your condition, the least I can do is provide an extra set of hands."

[Kyan Mackenzie]

"œOf that I am most certain, both that we shall share in many adventures, and that I shall be here to put us back together again, when needed. Though I am certain with you as our Guardian, there won't be much patching up of the rest of us. And I too look forward to those adventures. But first I am sure you have other duties to attend to, that are far more important than talking to the only person on this ship who makes you actually young by comparison."

Kyan gave the old El-Aurian a wide eyed smile. "But I AM actually young by comparison." he laughed. "An I get tae be so fer a looooong time still." Then as he made for the door. "See ya later Jalen!

[Bridge | USS Challenger]

When the turbolift doors opened, Galloway was in the middle of what looked like a pleasant conversation with some Romulan. Kyan caught pieces of it as he made for the tactical station where he found Ensign Morales. The fresh faced hispanic grup had recently come aboard with the other new crew and always seemed to be smiling nervously.

That had earned him the nickname "Smiley" from Chief Blackfeather, which he didn't seem to mind. Kyan thought it appropriate. After all, the Chief had done worse. The Onlie shuddered to as he recalled the woe begotten tale of Ensign Min "Cheeks" Grix. His name had nothing to do with his smile, but an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction that the Ensign didn't notice until everyone else already had.

"G'mornin Smiley." Kyan greeted him. "What's going on?"

The Ensign turned, startled by his boss suddenly appearing. "Oh.. Good morning.. sir umm.. Well, Commander Said took an away team to the planet to find a derelict to feed the planet killer."

Kyan nodded. "And yer tracking em." It was a question but spoken as a statement.

"Oh.. yeah.. I was recalibrating the umm.. ventral.. yeah." Morales searched through his console's tasks until the needed window popped up. "Oh." he muttered, his expression no longer befitting his nickname.

Kyan looked down at the console, saw the status, and then down to where Galloway had finished his con fab with the Romulan. "Cap'n." Kyan called out. "Looks like the away team's gotten into a wee scrap with somebody so they have.
There's phaser and disrupter fire down there. Looks like the Cutty Sark's shooting too."

[Aarwendil Cheizex]

[Angdarr Landing Site]

Taja listened to the briefings with interest and thoroughly enjoyed the slightly hair-raising descent through the planet's atmosphere. The forest canopy of Angdarr was beautiful despite the dangers that lurked beneath. Once disembarked, the Risan stayed with the group and further admired the trees and other foliage, reminiscing about her paradise home but it was to be short lived.

Taja watched as Nira 'negotiated' with the scavengers. They looked like they hadn't bathed in a month and smelled like it to, she tried not to let her disgust show at their words and appearance. Perhaps it was her being amped up on that damned 'Go-Juice', or perhaps she was just exceedingly stupid, but Taja stepped forward with both hands raised in the air. She had no place doing this, but was to hyped to do anything about it.

"Hold on there just a minute. There's no need for hostilities." She unleashed her full Risan charm, the same charm that made Starfleet shore-leave personnel weak at the knees. Putting on her best smile, she continued. "I never imagined we'd meet such a handsome and beautiful group of pirates. Perhaps we can come to a deal, we have with us inoculation against the insect's spores. I'm sure you to have suffered the effects. If that doesn't interest you, I'm more than happy to take care of any medical needs you may have...any nasty cuts or half-healed broken bones. What do you say, you fabulous hunk of Orion masculinity?" She winked at the Orion male, terrified on the inside and expecting to be blasted into oblivion at any second.

[Commander Nira Said | Shuttle Cutty Sark | Main Shuttlebay | Deck Nineteen | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A]

Nira was certain Taja's charm - that relaxing affect from Taja's eyes - was going to work on the green scumbags. But not this time. Did it maybe require eye contact from whom Taja is staring at to work? Nira thought briefly before the leader made his retort. His right hand Orion said, "If you want the gold-hair, I get the dark-hairs, specifically I get the Cardassian. Lord Hirim will want the other dark haired females."

"You green perverts," snarled Nira. "You're not taking our shuttle to take apart! And you won't be taking slaves!" And then, she primed her rifle. The right hand stepped forward, his eyes aflame with lustful desire, and Nira shot him in the foot. And thus the fighting retreat started.

"Back to the shuttle, everybody! Fighting retreat!" called Nira, then looked at Zhuk. "Lieutenant! Covering fire! Everybody else, take your shots as best as you can."

And they moved back to the shuttle, Nira and Zhuk covering the team as they proceeded inside, taking one side of the door. As people scrambled in, Lieutenant Espada looked around in surprise.

[Shuttle Cutty Sark/ Romulan Landing Pad/ Warbird Necropolis/ Andgarr Prime]

Aarwendil watched speechless while Taja tried to flirt with the Orion. The Betazoid couldn't deny that she was attractive and that the Risians had a natural relaxing effect around them, but unless she had strong pheromones and empathic powers, he doubted that her plan to calm him down would work. Due to that, it was with little surprise that he saw the Scavengers already planning to take them as slaves.

Well, at least planning to leave the females as slaves. Aarwendil was pretty sure that the males would end up dead.

Luckily, Commander Said took a more practical idea and ordered a retreat, while firing at them. Aarwendil helped, using his phasers to target a Nausicaan's leg. He saw Nekab rushing with the group, using the cover to enter the shuttle. The Ensign immediately did the same.

[Neva Cordon]

[Shuttle Cutty SarkRomulan Landing Pad/ Warbird Necropolis/ Andgarr Prime]

Aarwendil watched speechless while Taja tried to flirt with the Orion. The Betazoid couldn't deny that she was attractive and that the Risians had a natural relaxing effect around them, but unless she had strong pheromones and empathic powers, he doubted that her plan to calm him down would work. Due to that, it was with little surprise that he saw the Scavengers already planning to take them as slaves.

Well, at least planning to leave the females as slaves. Aarwendil was pretty sure that the males would end up dead.

Luckily, Commander Said took a more practical idea and ordered a retreat, while firing at them. Aarwendil helped, using his phasers to target a Nausicaan's leg. He saw Nekab rushing with the group, using the cover to enter the shuttle. The Ensign immediately did the same.

[Andgarr Prime->Ship Graveyard->Cutty Sark]

Neva shot an Orion in the chest before backing quickly into the shuttle's confines. Dashing to the copilot seat, her fingers played the controls in time with Espada's. As they took off, Neva fought the urge to make parting potshots at the Orions. Instead, Neva gave an approximation annoyed growl.

Once in space, Neva hazarded a look behind her. Granted, she didn't know the Caitian well, but seeing him lying on the floor of the shuttle was unnerving.

Turning back around to continue the ride to the Challenger, Neva mumbled. "Just wanna save people from a premature ending & all they wanna do is be greedy!"

Coughing low to cover her grumbling, she called to Commander Said. "On final approach to [/i]Challenger, [/i] Sir. Should I-Whoa! Romulan Warbird in close proximity to Challenger! Orders?" Color drained from her face as she spoke. 'Oh shhhhhh....'

[Ian Galloway]

When the doors parted, he made his way to the edge of the walkway. He knew the Captain had been informed of his injury so he tried doing things by the book.

"Ensign Shepard reporting for duty, Sir. I'd like to take my post with your permission, Captain." he said as he stood by and waited for a reply.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian smiled at the young officer as he reported in.

"Aye Mister Shepard, glad to have you back.

Kyan gave the old El-Aurian a wide eyed smile. "But I AM actually young by comparison." he laughed. "An I get tae be so fer a looooong time still." Then as he made for the door. "See ya later Jalen!

[Bridge | USS Challenger]

When the turbolift doors opened, Galloway was in the middle of what looked like a pleasant conversation with some Romulan. Kyan caught pieces of it as he made for the tactical station where he found Ensign Morales. The fresh faced hispanic grup had recently come aboard with the other new crew and always seemed to be smiling nervously.

That had earned him the nickname "Smiley" from Chief Blackfeather, which he didn't seem to mind. Kyan thought it appropriate. After all, the Chief had done worse. The Onlie shuddered to as he recalled the woe begotten tale of Ensign Min "Cheeks" Grix. His name had nothing to do with his smile, but an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction that the Ensign didn't notice until everyone else already had.

"G'mornin Smiley." Kyan greeted him. "What's going on?"

The Ensign turned, startled by his boss suddenly appearing. "Oh.. Good morning.. sir umm.. Well, Commander Said took an away team to the planet to find a derelict to feed the planet killer."

Kyan nodded. "And yer tracking em." It was a question but spoken as a statement.

"Oh.. yeah.. I was recalibrating the umm.. ventral.. yeah." Morales searched through his console's tasks until the needed window popped up. "Oh." he muttered, his expression no longer befitting his nickname.

Kyan looked down at the console, saw the status, and then down to where Galloway had finished his con fab with the Romulan. "Cap'n." Kyan called out. "Looks like the away team's gotten into a wee scrap with somebody so they have.
There's phaser and disrupter fire down there. Looks like the Cutty Sark's shooting too."

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

As Ian was rising to head for the turbolift to meet Commander Avolus, Kyan reported the away team had encountered trouble. His kneejerk reaction was to return to the Command Chair, but decided against that.

"I'm fair certain if'n Commander Said needed help she'd have called for it by now. Keep an eye on them and take us ta yellow alert, but keep shields and weapons offline. We nae want ta be spookin' our Romulan friends. Commander Catalan, you have the bridge."

It was a short trip to the transporter room and Ian arrived in time to see the Commander materialize. He seemed shorter than Ian had imagined for some reason, but the man carried himself with a gravitas that bespoke confidence and competence.

"Welcome aboard Commander. The briefing room is this way."

"Thank you Captain. Your ship is Trailblazer-Class? I've read the intelligence reports about them. Her hull is roughly as old as that of the Deletham Mosarum. However, it seems our governments diverged substantially in their thinking regarding the use of older hulls."

"Can't argue with you there Commander. I can say that regardless of her age, she's a fine ship."

On reaching the briefing room, Ian and Avolus took seats across the table with the Romulan speaking first.

"I am aware of the tactic used by your all too clever Captain Kirk on how to defeat this 'Doomsday Machine' of yours. I also am aware of a certain large ship in orbit named the Cosmos Royale. The owner of this ship is known to me, one Burton King. He's driven completely by avarice and the only way you will obtain his ship is if you buy it out right."

"Buy it? He would let a planet die over latinum?"

"Without hesitation, he's virtually a Ferengi. I know this as his gambling ship does a circuit of Free State territory that is very popular throughout the quadrant. I do not partake, but I know many that do. Plus he knows that large starships are at an absolute premium right now, putting him in a position of power over you Captain. In addition, he is planning on using the ship to evacuate himself and his staff before it is destroyed."

"Bloody hell. As you mentioned it's a gamblin' ship, looks like he holds all the aces."

"Indeed."

Ian raised an eyebrow at Avolus' understanding of his reference to which the wily old Romulan replied.

"I do not gamble Captain, but am aware that many of your kind do. I learned to game to better understand how a possible adversary thinks."

"Why aren't you Praetor Commander? You seem ta have the gift."

"I abhor politics. I command a ship, that is all I have aspired to do. It suits me and pleases me."

"Do you drink spirits Commander?"

"I do."

"Then, I believe we're ta be friends Commander."

"Based off of your record and my personal assessment of you Captain. I believe this ta be true."

Ian smiled and found himself truly amazed to have such a kindred spirit with a Romulan. This man was the very antithesis of Thelal and it seemed his interactions with the commander of the Khranu had colored his perceptions of what all Romulans had to be, it was a mistake he would not make again.

"Commander, I believe it's time we met with this Mister Burton King."

"Agreed."

"We can head there immediately. I will bring two security with me as things on Angdarr last time I visited didn't go well. You can have two of your people meet us on the planet."

"That is acceptable Captain."

They rose and headed for the turbolift. As they did, Ian tapped his combadge.

"Galloway ta MacKenzie. I want you and one of your best kitted out for trouble. You're ta be joinin' me and Commander Avolus on a wee trip ta the planet. Galloway out."

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

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

As Lieutenant Randall was occupied tracking the progress of the Doomsday Machine and running simulations to calculate the yield necessary to destroy the massive weapon, Jamil and Ensign Alexandria Winsdor at Science Two and Science Three were using their time to keep track of the chaotic traffic of ships fleeing the potentially doomed world. The two would argue later who noticed the anomaly first, but for now, that didn't matter. They both had detected and old Lenexa-Class transport in low orbit. It's trajectory was unstable as it labored to break orbit, what was worse was it looked as if the anti-matter flow regulators were failing and the ship's warp core was close to breaching....