quincyw
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# Posted: 16 Jul 2013 23:52
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Not sure where I should put Star Trek related stories, so it goes here. This was meant to be a sim, but I had to write it for myself. Enjoy!
Prologue Part One
Outskirts of Orion space, Stardate 2257.94
"Pyotr Velikiy, this is Starfleet Command, please respond."
USS Pyotr Velikiy hurtled through space. The Federation flagship was a heavy cruiser class. Large, roomy, with a massive saucer, two giant warp nacelles and a deflector dish pointing the way forward into the unknown frontiers.
In commission for barely a year, she was a plum assignment and attracted some of the finest men and women in Starfleet. But sadly, she was an interim design, for the Constitution class USS Enterprise was due to be launched in a few months' time and would set the standard for ships to come.
For now, the ship was off showing the flag, to either cow the Orion pirates into submission, or to ally with them and make space free for all to roam. If they became allied, all the better, for the Orion systems would serve as a buffer against the Klingons, who had their sights set on those rich worlds to bootstrap their visions of conquest.
Pyotr Velikiy hurtled through space. Every now and then, the ship shuddered slightly and more atmosphere was vented. Small fires trailed all along the ship's hull. Shuttlecraft rapidly left through the partially destroyed shuttlebay and joined the small flotilla fleeing the ship.
"Pyotr Velikiy, this is Starfleet Command, please respond!"
Klingon Homeworld Qo'nos, Stardate 2258.25
"I will speak to the Captain alone. Guards, you are dismissed."
Klingons loved their creature comforts. In this case, the Councillor had his comfortable estate in the hills near the capital city on Qo'nos from which he could hunt Targ as he wanted. But today, his mind was on bigger game as he waved his visitor forward. "How goes our plan against the Federation?"
The Klingon Captain handed over a PADD. "Our new prototype worked better than expected. Their flagship was destroyed! As you ordered, I also destroyed an Orion ship sent to investigate, then launched disaster beacons. Poor fools! Life is but a walking shadow-"
"Yes, yes." The Councillor impatiently cut off the Captain. "What is the status of the prototype I spent so much money developing?"
The Captain smiled. "Kla'Diyus has been rearmed and will be ready to deploy again soon. Our new Bird of Prey performed flawlessly."
The Councillor poured some Bloodwine for himself and his guest. "We have a fleet of forty-seven warbirds near the Romulan border. Once Starfleet and the Orions begin attacking one another, our fleet will attack Earth itself. Once they capture it, I will become the new Chancellor of the Klingon Empire! Nothing will stand in my way! Q'apla!"
The Captain joined in the toast. "Q'apla!" Then he grew somber: "Cry woe, destruction, ruin and decay. The worst is death. And death will have his day."
Starfleet Headquarters, Earth, Stardate 2258.25
"Nothing but pure speculation."
Admiral Alexander Marcus rounded the desk. Although aging (gracefully), he was tall and an imposing presence, something he often used to good effect on subordinates... But this subordinate didn't react and stood her ground. Grudgingly Marcus mentally added a small mental tick next to her name. "I know Pyotr Velikiy's loss is a shock, but this is unfounded!"
"It's not unfounded, sir. The sensor logs and anomalous readings add up." Lieutenant Commander Aurora Ng kept herself ramrod straight... And her ground. "With respect, sir. I'm an Engineer with over twenty years in Starfleet. I have taken every Engineering course and elective offered and even wrote and taught some of them. Possibly only one fellow Engineer is better than I am and he agrees with me."
"Enough!" Marcus went nose-to-nose with Aurora, which was impressive, since she was a good head shorter than he was. Noticing that he was in fact stooping over slightly, he straightened as he grabbed the data slate and began quoting. "A vessel, small size. Probably Bird-of-Prey type. Romulan, but Klingon a possibility that has been reverse engineered. Able to fire while cloaked!" He put the data slate down. "You're going to start a panic." He lowered his voice.
"I don't ever say or write a report if I didn't believe in it. Is the Admiral ordering me to halt my well researched paper, sir?" Aurora challenged.
Marcus sighed. "I'm asking you to put a lid on it. You tell your Engineer friend to do so too. I'll forward this to Engineering and Intell, but you keep quiet. In the meantime, I'm sending you to Caerarvon Station as First Officer. They need a good Engineer and Administrator there to help support the Fleet. Dismissed!"
"Aye, sir." Aurora nodded and left. Outside, she breathed a small sigh of relief... But something didn't quite add up. What was Marcus hiding? Then again, he was head of Starfleet... With a shrug, she went to a comm center to arrange her next assignment.
But inside the office, Marcus thumbed open a comm. "Lemuel! Get your backside up here right away. I have something you need to read."
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