Star Trek: Dark Horizon

POINT OF A FAR ENCOUNTER

Written by Michael Gray

My special thanks to Joseph Manno

for a couple of very helpful suggestions

Based upon Star Trek

created by Gene Roddenberry

Copyright 2003, 2011 by Michael Gray

=/\=

Chapter 1 - New Orders

Try to see this as an opportunity.

Try to see this as an opportunity.

Try to see this as an opportunity.

Jack McCall repeated that mantra over and over again in his mind, but the admonition Admiral Fergus Simmons gave him a month ago wasn’t helping.

My career is over.

As the endless parade of cargo containers passed overhead on anti-grav units, Jack couldn’t help but see them each as one more stone in the wall of the prison Admiral Simmons was constructing for him and the Chamberlain.

His ship.

His prison cell.

Each day that passed of the last month convinced Jack the center seat of an Oceana class starship wasn’t a place reserved for Starfleet’s finest– he was certainly proof of that, but a one point two kilometer long weight wrapped around a body that needed disposing of.Jack certainly had the enemies for that fate.

Opportunity, my ass! After this they’ll mothball the ship.

Though Jack saw a worse possibility. Starfleet might decide this mission was exactly what the Oceana class was best at.

I’ll resign first.

The thought of ferrying the Starfleet Corps of Engineers around constructing starbases for the rest of his life was not what he had envisioned. But nothing in his life was going as planned these days.

Jack stared blankly at the cargo containers that passed with a momentary flash through the field restraining the atmosphere in the Chamberlain’s Main Bay. He let his mind drift further into the darkness it tended to inhabit these days.

Why don’t they just shoot me and get it over with?

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to rise out of his troubled thoughts for at least a while. He had an appointment with the ship’s Counselor that afternoon and the last thing he needed was to go to the session depressed. That would finish his career.

A shuttlecraft passed through the restraining field and landed fifty feet away from where Jack stood brooding.

Hank Evans walked up to him. “Having fun?”

“Loads,” Jack said.

“Loads are what I’m worried about. Do you know what having all of this crud in the ass end of this ship will do to our maneuverability?”

Jack let out a tired laugh. “I doubt we’ll have much need of maneuverability, Hank. Simmons told me yesterday, we’re to remain at Cajma for the next three months.”

Hank rolled his eyes. “What the hell for?”

“To allow the Venture and Captain Gann the freedom to go on real missions.”

Hank thought a moment. “Well, I guess I can spend the time running the Security Staff through simulations. They can certainly use it.”

Jack grinned. “Have you always seen the bright side of everything or are you getting soft on me?”

“I’ve had my share of excitement for one life. A few months of calm boredom might do you some good too. Maybe you could spend it fixing your marriage.”

Jack frowned. “Mind your own business, Hank.”

“No.”

“Look, my marriage is my problem. However I chose to deal with it is my call.”

“When’s the last time you two had sex?”

Jack was not amused. “Now that’s really your business isn’t it?”

“Well? I’m betting it’s at least been since Yed Post Four.”

Jack turned back to watching the shuttle that had just landed. Several Corps of Engineers personnel walked out of it carrying large backpacks of personal belongings.

Hank waited for an answer, but Jack wasn’t offering any.

“You know Jack, a good night of sex will do wonders for any relationship,” Hank said with a smile. “A bottle of wine, a romantic beach scene on the holodeck then before you know it you and Mei are…”

“Watch it, Evans.” Jack interrupted.

Hank grinned. “I was going to say, my dear Captain, that before you two know it, you’ll be happy and together again.”

Jack shook his head. “I don’t think it’s that simple.”

“This can be as simple or as hard as you two want to make it,” Hank said.

Jack McCall closed his eyes a moment.

“Trust me, Jack. If you blow this with Mei, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. My guess is you’ll never be able to get her back.”

“It’s probably already too late,” Jack replied.

Hank put his hand on Jack’s shoulder. “She’s still here isn’t she? You’ve got one shot at this. Don’t screw it up.”

Jack was about to say something when his eyes widened.

“Speaking of screwing things,” he said with a wry grin.

Hank turned to see what Jack stared so intently at. Two tall, but bald women walked off the nearby shuttle wearing tight form fitting jumpsuits that other civilian members of the Corps of Engineers wore, but none of them attracted the attention of every male on the deck.

“I’ll be damned,” Hank said. “I don’t remember them being part of the Corps of Engineers.”

“I don’t remember us asking them much that night,” Jack said.

The two Deltan women followed their fellow engineers with an unusual grace toward a waiting turbolift and a Chamberlain officer who would be their guide for the first few hours they were aboard. Deltans were renown throughout the Federation as an extremely sexual species and all Deltans who entered Starfleet still had to take an oath of celibacy not for themselves, but their fellow officers. Humans often suffered damage during intimate contact with Deltans. However, Jack didn’t remember his and Hank’s night with these two that way at all.

He watched the movement of every muscle in their bodies as they glided to the turbolift. Some of those muscles had done things to Jack he’d never imagined. But he certainly remembered.”You’re married now,” Hank said softly.

Jack nodded. “Yeah, but you’re not.”

Hank raised an eyebrow. “True, but Loftus might not think that matters.”

Jack turned to Hank, but was careful to keep his eyes on the Deltan women.

“You two that serious?”

“I don’t know, but I’m not willing to piss her off by indulging in something I know might very well kill me. The last time was bad enough.”

Jack grinned. “‘Bad’ isn’t the word I’d use.”

“You’re sixteen years younger than me, boy. There’s only so much this ol’ body can take before it says ‘enough’.”

Jack’s brow raised. “Don’t tell me you’re thinking of yourself as old.”

“No, but a stable relationship appeals more to me these days than a night of orgasmic delight.”

Jack laughed. “Kadan Loftus is only thirty, Hank. You telling me she doesn’t send you into orbit?”

“No, but comparing any humanoid female, outside of an Orion animal woman, to a Deltan female, isn’t anywhere close to a fair contest and you know it.”

“It was some night, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah, but it’s better I think as a memory– safer too.”

Melissa Vargas walked up to them and the two men tried to pretend they hadn’t been gawking at the Deltans, but the smirk on her face told Jack their effort failed.

She handed Jack a PADD. “Commander Purcell wanted you to see this right away, sir.”

“Thank you, Commander,” Jack replied as he took the device and began reading it.

“Looks like the formal transfer to Gann’s Task Group…” Jack started. His voice froze as his gaze focused on a small, near insignificant part of the information. Normally Jack wouldn’t have taken note of it. Personnel transferred on and off a ship all the time. And the Chamberlain with a crew of three thousand saw more than most.

But this was different.

He turned to Vargas. “Did you read this?”

Melissa hesitated. “Yes, sir.”

“See to it that Commander Purcell notifies those involved,” Jack said as he handed the PADD back to Melissa. He had known it was coming for nearly a month. He had even insisted on the transfer of personnel listed, but now that it was here he just wanted to scream.

He looked up and saw the reason he’d come to the Main Bay.

“If the two of you’ll excuse me, Mr. Corsica is expecting me to see him off,” Jack said as he walked away.

Melissa stood holding the PADD in one hand.

“Mei-Wan’s transfer?” Hank asked.

Melissa nodded.

=/\=

Jack crossed the deck over to Corsica who stood with an eight foot tall, dark blue-skinned female wearing a metallic looking top. Jack pushed his more somber thoughts to the back of his mind as he extended a hand to Corsica.

“Captain McCall, so good of you to see me off,” the amiable man said.”It was a pleasure to have you aboard, Mr. Corsica. I want you to feel welcome to come see us again whenever you like,” Jack said.

“Quite kind, Captain. I enjoyed my time on your little ship. However, after getting to know the Kel-j’na I was thinking of taking some time off to relax and gather my thoughts a bit,” Corsica said. “You’re welcome to join me if you’d like. I could do with a travelling companion.”

Jack smiled wide as Hank Evans made his way up to them. “Thank you, Mr. Corsica, but I think I’ll stay in Starfleet just a little longer.”

“We’d have fun. I know this place you’d really enjoy. The drinks are better than that swill you have and the music! Oh, you wouldn’t believe the music!”

Jack shook his head. “Thanks, but perhaps another time.”

Corsica thought a moment and then nodded. “Well, suit yourself.”

Hank stepped next to Jack as a wide grin formed on the blue face of the Kel-j’na with Corsica.

“Hank Evans, my friend,” the high pitched, but soothing voice said.

“Pelosil, it’s good to see you once again. How’s the family?” Hank asked.

“Quite well, they ask of you often.”

Corsica turned to Pelosil. “You know Mr. Evans, Prime Minister?”

“Hank has been a true friend on many occasions to the people of Kel-j’na. We shall be forever in his debt.”

Hank smiled. “It was my pleasure to help.”

Another Kel-j’na walked out of a nearby shuttle and looked only briefly at Pelosil. The Prime Minister turned to Corsica.

“Our pilot tells me our departure time draws near. We should board.”

Corsica nodded and turned to Jack again.

“Goodbye, Captain Jack McCall.”

“Mr. Corsica.”

The Prime Minister and Corsica boarded the shuttle leaving Jack and Hank alone.

“They telepathic?” Jack asked.

“Some are, but only with their own species,” Hank replied.

The two men turned as the shuttle’s engines came to life. They walked toward a turbolift.

“So, do you know everyone in this region of space or what?” Jack asked with a grin.

“No, just the right people.”

=/\=

Melissa Vargas remained where Hank Evans had left her several minutes before. She read the PADD again for the tenth time. She had known Mei-Wan would be leaving, but it didn’t make it any easier. At least they’d have another two weeks.

Only two weeks.

“You look like someone just kicked your cat,” an Irish sounding voice asked her.

Melissa looked up and saw Lee McGuire nearby.

“I usually charge people to come down here and stand in my bay,” Lee said with a warm smile.

Melissa shook her head. “I’m sorry, Commander.”

“Now, how about we do away with the mention of ranks, Melissa. I think we’ve been a little closer than that.”

She frowned. “That was a mistake.”

He leaned toward her. “It didn’t feel like it at the time.”

She fought the grin coming to her face, but surrendered to it in the end. “No, it didn’t.”

“I hadn’t gotten a chance to tell you how sorry I am about Cynthia Pederson. I know you two were close.”

Melissa nodded, the grin gone from her face. “Thanks, Lee.”

“Listen,” he started. “You were right about this spy business. I guess McCall was too. Seeing that Zachary was tied up with these G’voda I suppose searching through my comm logs wasn’t all that out of line.”

Melissa shook her head. “No, you were right. I shouldn’t have been the one to do it.”

“Well, if I’m going to have someone search through my private life, I suppose you’re better than some young ensign trying to make points with the captain.”

She looked down. “How do you know that’s not why I did it?”

“Then I can be glad I helped your career out,” he said with a smirk.

She looked up at him sternly. “What’s this ‘You ever try having sex with a Vulcan?’ crack I heard about?”

Lee took a step back, half afraid she might hit him. “You heard about that?”

She grinned. “Yes and something about ‘It’s not near as much fun as you might think.’”

He looked down at the deck trying to think his way out of this one. Melissa’s smile was near bursting into a laugh at the ways she imagined his mind was racing to save him.

Lee looked at her. “I should apologize for that.”

“That might be a good start.”

“But an apology for such a terrible and loathsome remark can’t be one of simple words,” Lee said.

Melissa tried her best to frown.

“A worthless piece of space junk like myself should be forced to tend to your every need.”

Melissa shook her head. “If you think you can smooth talk me back into bed that quickly, Commander, you’re out of your mind.”

“Dinner then.”

She thought a moment, just to make him suffer a bit longer. But she wanted this, perhaps more than him. She had missed Lee McGuire more than she would have ever imagined.

“Okay, but just dinner.”

Lee smiled wide. “Dinner is fine.”

She leaned toward him and lowered her voice. “We’ll take it a little slower this time.”

Melissa turned toward a nearby turbolift. He watched her go.

“I’ll come by your quarters at 1900,” he said.

=/\=

Ensign Natalie Fowler rambled into Archaeology Lab Four for a meeting she hoped wouldn’t take too long. The young ensign had plans for her day that didn’t include any of her fellow section mates and most especially didn’t include her supervisor, Lieutenant Mei-Wan McCall– the woman who had shot her career in the head.

She turned to see Mei-Wan leaning against a table holding a PADD.

Probably the new shift assignments, Fowler thought. As long a she could get out of the lab without talking to McCall, her day would be fine.

“Looks like we’re all here now,” Mei-Wan said.

She tried to make eye contact with Fowler, but the ensign seemed occupied by the whispers between the young Arcturan, Ensign Jalel Nelith, and the brown haired, Ensign Todd Duarte.

Sunita Mahajan jabbed Duarte in the ribs to get his attention. He frowned and ended his conversation.

“We’ve received new orders,” Mei-Wan began.

Fowler frowned. New orders at this point weren’t likely to be good news. Since the rest of the ship would be tied up with constructing the starbase at Cajma, there wasn’t much for a group of archaeologists to do. She was afraid they’d be sent off to help some museum catalogue its antiquities.

“Upon arriving in the Cajma system the following will transfer to the U.S.S. Venture and report to Executive Officer, Commander K’lremi.”

She looked up at her charges. “Lieutenant Mei-Wan McCall, Ensign Natalie Fowler, Ensign Todd Duarte, and Ensign Jalel Nelith. Upon this transfer, Lieutenant j.g. Sunita Mahajan will assume command of the Archaeology Section of the U.S.S. Chamberlain Sciences Department.”

The other three turned to the beautiful, dark skinned Mahajan and smiled.

Mei-Wan joined them. “Congratulations, Sunita.”

Duarte looked at Mei-Wan. “Excuse me, Lieutenant, but why the hell are we being transferred to the Venture? They run out of archaeologists or something?”

Mei-Wan grinned and continued reading. “After arriving on the Venture, the previously listed officers will depart for the planet Hel’yra where they will join the expedition investigating the artifacts left behind by the Ancient Progenitors.”

Fowler’s eyes went as wide as they could while Nelith and Duarte turned to each other and cheered, “Yes!”

Fowler turned to Mei-Wan, “But I thought we, you weren’t going.”

She hesitated only a moment. “A number of things changed. The point is, in four weeks we’ll be back on Hel’yra with the crew of the Ravenscroft.”

Fowler finally let a smile break out on her face. Duarte and Nelith ran up to her and pulled her into a group hug with them.

Mei-Wan walked up to Sunita. “Let me know if there’s anything I can help you with before we leave.”

“Your recommendation was already help enough, Lieutenant. Thanks.”

Duarte pulled out of the group hug with Fowler and Nelith. “Okay, this requires a celebration. How about we all go find a lounge tonight and drink ourselves silly?”

Nelith smiled. “I’m in.”

Fowler grinned. “Me too.”

Todd whispered into Fowler’s ear. She thought a moment and then nodded.

Sunita turned to them all. “Congratulations, guys. Just do me a favor and clear out all of your personal equipment before you leave, I don’t want to start out my section having to clean up after you.”

Mei-Wan turned to her. “Oh, and our replacements will arrive at Cajma aboard the Abdiel just before we leave.”

Duarte and Nelith walked up to Sunita and each took an arm. “And you’re celebrating with us. We can’t let all that power go to your head just yet.”

She pretended to be angry as the two carried her off through the doors leaving Fowler and Mei-Wan alone. The ensign walked up to her as she stacked containers on the desk.

“Anything I can help with?” Fowler asked.

Mei-Wan smiled and turned to her. “Sure, there’s some small crates in the storage room. If you could get them that would be great. I’ll need them to pack my collection away.” Mei-Wan said as she pointed to the wooden shelves filled with artifacts on the other side of the lab.

Fowler nodded and took a step toward the storage room, but stopped. She turned back to Mei-Wan.

“Lieutenant, I’m really sorry about some of the things I said to you a month or so ago. I was really out of line.”

Mei-Wan grinned. “Forget about it. I have.”

Fowler nodded. “And thanks for still including Duarte, Nelith, and me on the expedition.”

Mei-Wan returned to her packing as Fowler walked away toward the storage room.

=/\=

Chapter 2 - Messages

Jack McCall stepped onto the Chamberlain’s bridge and walked over to the Operations Station where Melissa Vargas and his Executive Officer, Lak Negev were having a spirited discussion.

“But why do we have to accommodate their whims? They never requested that in their manifest. Would it have hurt them to simply ask rather than demand it at the last minute?” Melissa asked Negev.

“Ask who what?”

Vargas and Negev turned to Jack. “Captain, we have a problem with the Corps of Engineers.”

“What do they want this time, Mr. Negev? Dinner hand delivered to them every night?”

“That would be simple compared to what they’re insisting on,” Negev said.

Jack sat in his command chair. The Corps of Engineers personnel had already disrupted much of the routine aboard his ship with their supplies, cargo, and equipment which was now crammed into every free space the Chamberlain had– and for a ship its size, that was quite a lot.

Melissa stepped toward him. “They are insisting that we convert the shuttle maintenance bays on Deck Thirty-two into a command center for their construction activities.”

Jack didn’t like this at all. “But I thought they were going to build a facility for that in space.”

Negev tilted his head slightly. “They changed their minds after they discovered the Chamberlain was going to remain at Cajma for the next six months.”

“Six?!” Jack nearly shouted. “I was told three months.”

Negev handed Jack a PADD. “This just come up a half hour ago.”

Jack didn’t even bother reading it. His first instinct was to toss it as hard as he could against a bulkhead, but knew that wouldn’t help the situation or his anger. He handed it back to Negev.

“Give the Corps of Engineers whatever they ask for.”

“But Captain, we can’t let them…” Melissa started before Jack cut her off.

“We can and we will. I really don’t want to get these engineers hacked off at the crew, Melissa. We have to live with them for the next six months.”

Vargas nodded reluctantly.

The communications officer, Lieutenant Commander Arthur Conrad turned to Jack. “Captain, we’re getting a priority signal from Kel-j’na.”

Jack, Negev, and Melissa all turned to him.

“Starfleet has detected a number of ships coming through the wormhole. No vessels are scheduled to arrive today.”

Jack stood to his feet. “Yellow alert.”

The Chamberlain’s bridge officers went to work knowing their captain would soon want information.

“How much longer until the Corps of Engineers finish loading their cargo?” Jack asked.

“Another five hours was their last estimate,” Negev said.

“Ask Mr. McGuire how long it would take to close the Main Bay doors so we can maneuver.”

Negev activated a comm panel as Hank Evans entered the bridge and took his position at the Tactical Station.

“What the hell’s going on?”

“Ships exiting the wormhole,” Jack said.

“And the reason that’s something to pay attention to?” Hank inquired.

Lieutenant Commander Timothy Blackwood looked at Hank from the Science Station. “Thirty-four ships have come through so far and it appears more are on the way.”

Jack took a deep breath. “Red alert.”

The alarm klaxons sounded throughout the corridors of the Chamberlain sending the crew to their battlestations.

=/\=

The mouth of the wormhole flashed brightly as vessels continued pouring through it. Few of them seemed to match. There were ships of every shape and size and their places of origin were just as varied. Gorn, Bajoran, Cardassian, Klingon, and Romulan, Fabrini, Andorian, Tellarite, and some from places no human had ever been to or known. There were nearly a hundred craft after just a couple of minutes. Finally a last set of ships came through.

=/\=

“Skorr cruisers,” Jack said. “It’s Osmand.”

Hank looked up from his tactical display. “We should have the Main Bay sealed up in three minutes. Five other starships are moving to intercept.”

Jack watched the main viewscreen. Something wasn’t right about this. Attacking Kel-j’na didn’t fit what he had seen from Osmand and his group of religious zealots.

They violated the Prime Directive without care or concern, but attacking a world populated with humanoids just didn’t seem his style.

Conrad noticed something on his communications panel. “Captain, the ships are signaling.”

“Let’s hear it,” Jack said.

After a few seconds of static, Osmand’s voice, “To the people of Kel-j’na and the Starfleet vessels in orbit, we mean you no harm. We are passing through your space and will momentarily leave.”

Jack turned to Conrad. “Put me on.”

A moment later Conrad nodded.

“This is Captain Jack McCall of the starship Chamberlain. Mr. Osmand, you are hereby ordered to surrender your vessel and prepare to be boarded. You and your Skorr associates are wanted for the attack on Yed Post Four.”

Osmand’s voice crackled over the speaker again. “Captain McCall! How nice to hear your voice again. Please tell Mei-Wan I’m sorry I couldn’t stop by to see her. I hope she’s doing well.”

The speaker went dead.

=/\=

The one hundred assorted vessels turned in one hundred different directions and streaked away as they went to warp speed leaving the Starfleet ships nearing their position with nothing left to pursue.

=/\=

Jack returned to his seat and stared forward. The thought of Osmand in the Kel-j’na Region did not please him at all.

“Secure from General Quarters,” Jack said. He turned to Negev. “Inform Mr. McGuire he may resume loading his cargo.”

=/\=

Mei-Wan sat at her desk while the display listed various items she would need to deal with before she left. She had two weeks for a schedule containing enough work to fill four weeks of her time.She had reviews on all her personnel to finish up, as well as passing on a number of items that would fall to Sunita. She also had to do an inventory of all the equipment and supplies for the Archaeology Section.

Mei-Wan looked over at her wall of artifacts and took a deep breath. That would be the most time consuming thing– packing away the lifetime of trinkets and objects she kept on display. She regretted they’d all have to remain in storage. One of the advantages of being on the Chamberlain was she had been able to construct her little “trophy wall” as those in her section referred to it. She didn’t care what they thought. She was proud of her achievements.

She thought about the one thing she couldn’t put up on a wall, the one thing she couldn’t seem to get right– her marriage to Jack. Academics and archaeology had come so easy to Mei-Wan. Sometimes she felt guilty because it took so little effort. But Jack… he was different. She just couldn’t seem to put the pieces together to make their marriage work. And she was frightened when she thought of how it might end.Mei-Wan left her troubles to turn to the sound of the lab door opening. Timothy Blackwell, a man of about thirty with bushy blonde hair strolled up to her desk with a PADD.

“Sorry about this,” he started. “But I’ve got a couple more reports for you to finish before you leave.”

She took the PADD he handed to her and let out a long breath.

“I kind of expected you’d be bringing me this.”

“I’d have gotten it to you sooner, but Zachary left things in a bit of mess.”

Mei-Wan nodded and set the PADD on the desk. She’d look at it later.

Blackwell walked over to the wall of artifacts and tried to appear casual as he looked at them.

“One good piece of good news, however,” he said as he stopped and examined a bronze alien figure. “The Office of Personnel has called all the reports Zachary filed into question, especially yours. So, all that crap he sent back to Starfleet is gone.”

“I’m just glad I don’t have to read it.”

“You ought to. It’s pretty entertaining stuff,” he turned to look at her. “I never knew the criminally insane had such a colorful way with words.”

Mei-Wan smiled. “Nothing about Zachary would surprise me anymore.”

Blackwell nodded and returned to his gazing at the artifacts.

“You have enough help packing all this stuff up?”

Mei-Wan walked over to him. “Natalie volunteered.”

“If you need more help with it, just let me know.”

“Thanks, Tim.”

He turned to her and grinned. “You know you haven’t called me ‘Tim’ since I was at the Academy.”

Mei-Wan thought a moment. “We met at the Academy?”

“Not exactly. I guess you don’t remember.”

“Sorry,” she said.

Blackwell took a breath. “I took your father’s course on Von Eschenbach’s Parzival; the one he taught from his home.”

Mei-Wan smiled. “You took that course? I never could get through that book.”

“It’s not an easy read, but I learned things from it that changed who I was. I owe your dad a lot because of that.”

Mei-Wan knew her father’s former students respected him. No matter how long they’d been away, he would receive messages and visits from them years later.

“You know there were a number of us from that course who were tempted to ask you out, but we were too terrified of how Sheng Lau might react.”

Mei-Wan grinned. “When did you take the course?”

“It was right after you had returned from Iconia, the summer before your first year at the Academy,” Blackwell said. “Sheng was really proud of you.”

She nodded.

“I saw him on Yed Post. He was concerned you weren’t going on the expedition.”

“I know,” Mei-Wan said softly.

“You’ve had a lot of people pushing you to go on the expedition, Lieutenant,” he said softly. “Just be sure it’s your own expectations you’re living up to and not someone else’s.”

Mei-Wan slowly turned to Blackwell who went back to admiring one of the stone figures on the wall. Out of all the people who had tried to push or pull her one way or the other over the last many months, Blackwell didn’t tell her what to do.

The comm panel chimed breaking Mei-Wan’s line of thought.

“Well, I’m sure you’ve got a lot to tend to. I won’t bother you any longer,” Blackwell said as he left the lab.

Mei-Wan went to her desk and sat down. She touched a control and after a moment, a familiar face filled the display.

“Kyle?”

Hoffman smiled. “Hey, Mei. I just wanted to check and make sure the orders I received were right. You’re joining the expedition?”

Mei-Wan nodded. “Yes. Once we arrive in the Cajma system, most of my section transfers to the Venture and then a week and a half later, we’ll be aboard the Ravenscroft.”

Kyle did his best to hide his happiness at this news, but failed terribly. “That’s great.”

Mei-Wan thought a moment. “How are you getting a transmission through the nebula?”

Kyle leaned back in his chair. “Because we’re still three days out from Hel’yra. We stopped by the colony on Corvanis Two for a while.”

Mei-Wan leaned forward in her own seat. “Problems?”

“No. We had some supplies we wanted to pick up and… ” his words trailed off. Kyle took a deep breath. “I wanted to see if you’d change your mind.”

Mei-Wan feared Kyle might allow his feelings for her to cloud his judgment. The last time they spoke she’d almost gone with him on the expedition. She had hoped the delay in her joining the Ravenscroft’s crew would give her some clarity, but now she knew that wasn’t the case.

“I was afraid your decision to not go was because of me and the things I said to you.”

She didn’t want to get into all of that again and certainly not over subspace communication. “There were a lot of reasons, Kyle.”

He nodded. “I just want you to know that I’ll back off and keep my distance once you get here. I won’t pressure you like that again. We’ll have a year or more to figure out ‘us’.”

Mei-Wan could tell from the look in his eyes that he was lying– not just to her, but to himself. She doubted any of that would last more than a day.

He smiled and leaned forward to activate a control at his desk. “Oh, a couple of other people would like to say hello too.”

After a moment, LeAnn Goodwin and Susan Tanega walked into the view of the display. Both smiled wide.

“Hey Mei, so you finally decided to join this crew of crazies?” Susan asked.

Mei-Wan grinned. “Someone has to keep an eye on you guys.”

LeAnn nodded. “Yeah, Starfleet isn’t paying me enough to corral these people on my own.”

Susan nudged LeAnn in the ribs. “She’s one to be talking. You should have seen what she was up to on Corvanis.”

LeAnn shook her head. “We were on leave. That’s different.”

Susan leaned forward. “Hey, we made some progress translating the holographic message you recorded.”

“What did you get?” Mei-Wan asked with a note of excitement.

“Mostly bits and pieces, but a couple of sections had some really strange stuff like, ‘Sealed from the future that must not come, the lives of darkness must remain,’ and then some portions about ‘do not mourn our passing, we will be reborn anew’.”

Mei-Wan had expected to hear a lot of things once the message from Hel’yra was translated, but those weren’t on her list. “Very odd. Sounds more like some primitive apocalyptic religious sect than an advanced species of space travelers.”

“And those are the most intelligible sections. There’s some of it that goes on and on about imminent destruction, we’re all gonna die in one big heap, that sort of thing,” Susan said.

Mei-Wan considered Susan an accomplished linguist, but that just couldn’t be right. In a few weeks she’d have to go over it all along with Susan’s methods of translation. None of it sounded like the Ancient Progenitors she knew.

Kyle broke in. “Sorry to cut this short, but we’re about two hours out from the nebula and contrary to what my crew thinks, we do have work to do.”

“Work, work, work, push, push, push, is all this guy has been about since we left Gamala,” Susan said with a smirk. “I sure hope you can cheer him up once you get here, Mei.”

That was the last job Mei-Wan wanted.

“Don’t worry, Susan. Once I get there and take charge, you’ll wish Kyle was still running things.”

“Yeah, but you’re not the hard-ass about regulations like ‘rule-boy’ here is.”

Mei-Wan grinned as Kyle leaned forward to switch off the transmission. “I need to torture Susan for a while, so if you’ll excuse us.”

He stopped a moment and lowered his voice. “I’m glad you decided to come along after all. It’ll be great having you here, Mei.”

The display went blank leaving Mei-Wan alone with her thoughts and her fears.

=/\=

Fifteen minutes after his ship had gone to warp and left Kel-j’na, Jack found himself seated in a chair across from Akala Wilmarza, the Chamberlain’s Personnel Officer and Chief Counselor. If it weren’t for a direct order from Admiral Simmons he would have been anywhere else at that moment.

“Is there really any point continuing these sessions, Captain?” Akala asked. She was clearly frustrated.

“You’re not enjoying these times we spend together?”

Akala’s fingers toyed with a PADD on her desk. “I do have other things I could be doing.”

“So do I.”

She looked directly at him. “If these sessions end I think you’ll have more free time than you know what to do with.”

Jack took that as the threat it was intended to be. With a word to Simmons from Akala, Jack’s Starfleet career would be finished. That and her telepathic abilities had driven him to the conclusion he really didn’t like her.

He leaned back in his chair. “Okay, what do you want me to do?”

“How about being a little more cooperative?”

He stared at the ceiling. This was their fourth session and he’d done his best to make this one as difficult for her as he had the previous ones. He hated to be an ass about it all, but he just didn’t see how his personal problems were any concern to Akala or Simmons.

Akala, however, knew from her thirteen years of being a Starfleet counselor that every aspect of a captain’s life were Starfleet’s concern. She couldn’t understand why Jack McCall didn’t see that.

She watched him for several moments as she considered doing what she had planned on since their last session. Akala had almost made out a final report and sent it to the admiral then, but she had done some digging in her captain’s service record and found something that caught her curiosity.

“Who was Larrisa James?” she asked.

Jack sat up in his chair. “You rummaging around in my mind again, Counselor?”“Why, were you thinking of her just now?” Akala shot back.

“I thought you agreed to leave my mind off limits.”

She held up the PADD. “She’s listed in your service record.”

Jack raised an eyebrow.

“She meant something to you beyond just being another member of the Bonifacio crew.”

“She and I had been involved at the Academy.”

“So her death had a large impact on you.”

Jack leaned forward and looked down at the floor. A short smile came to his face as it did every time he remembered Larrisa. He could never forget how she looked the first time they had met– how her wispy dark blonde hair tossed about in a breeze, and how her eyes tore into his soul like no one before or since.

His mind returned to the question. “Watching her die wasn’t an easy thing to go through.”

“You loved her?”

He hesitated, but only a moment. “Yeah.”

“I noticed that she and Robin Nelson look a lot alike.”

“What?” Jack looked up at her, not understanding what she was getting at.

“I was just wondering if they were similar in personality,” Akala said.

Jack thought a moment and shook his head. “I don’t know. I never knew Robin that well.”

Akala watched as Jack struggled to sit still. “You spent three days in the same barracks with her, she was a member of your crew– you don’t even have an opinion about her?”

Jack’s face went blank. “I told you, I didn’t know her all that well.”

Akala touched a control on the PADD she held. The images of two young women with dark blonde haired filled the display on the device. She handed it to Jack.

“Do you think they look alike?” she asked.

Jack reluctantly took the PADD and looked at the images. “Maybe a little.”

“Does that suggest anything to you?”

Jack shrugged his shoulders. “Beyond two people dying under my command? No.”

Akala nodded slowly as Jack handed the device back to her. “Perhaps you should think about that until our next session.”

=/\=

Chapter 3 - Close Encounters

“So, you know this Osmand creep?”

Mei-Wan looked at Melissa and nodded. “He was one of my instructors at the Academy.”

“He just snap for a reason, or does he just like violating the Prime Directive for giggles?”

Mei-Wan took a bite of her salad. She and Melissa Vargas sat at a table in the crowded lounge on Deck Nine.

“I’m not sure what happened to him, except it has something to do with the death of his wife.”

“Losing someone you love could make you do things you might not normally imagine, I guess,” Melissa said.

Mei-Wan stopped eating and looked at her friend. “I’m not losing Jack.”

“Really?”

Mei-Wan set her fork down. “Let’s hear it, Melissa.”

Melissa’s eyes widened. “What?”

“You’ve been dying to say something about my transfer all afternoon.”

“Me? What would I have to say about that except, congratulations?”

Mei-Wan leaned forward. “Well, since you haven’t even said that, I kind of figured you had a lot more on your mind.”

Melissa took a drink from her glass. “You’re getting paranoid. Your transfer is approved. What more is there for me to say?”

“And that talk about losing someone you love had nothing to do with Jack and me?”

Melissa grinned. “Are either of you dying anytime soon?”

“I hope not.”

“Then it wasn’t about you.”

Mei-Wan picked up her fork and went back to work on her salad, but she still didn’t believe her friend.

After almost a minute, Melissa looked up at Mei-Wan. “But are you sure about this, Mei? I mean it’s a year at least, right?”

“I don’t know if I’m sure about anything anymore, but I am going.”

“Well, who exactly am I supposed to get to jog with me in the morning from here on out?”

Mei-Wan smiled. “I’ve taken care of that.”

“Really? I can’t wait to hear this.”

Mei-Wan reached down to her feet and brought out an ornately wrapped box. She handed it to Melissa.

“What the hell is this?”

“Open it.”

Melissa tore into the thin paper surrounding the flat package. After the paper was taken care of she pulled the top off and pulled out a PADD.

She held it with two fingers.

“And the point of this is?”

Mei-Wan tried to keep a straight face. “Activate it.”

Melissa touched the control and Mei-Wan’s voice came out of the PADD saying, “Hold up Melissa,” and “Can we take a break for a minute?” then “Another kilometer, are you crazy?”

Vargas descended into laughter quickly joined by Mei-Wan.

“There are over two hundred of all those little gripes I blurt out every time we jog. Just carry that with you and it’ll be like I never left.”

Vargas shook her head still laughing. “You’re ridiculous, you know that? But I love you anyway.”

Two alluring Deltan women wearing tight fitting civilian clothing walked up to the table as the laughter began to die down.

“Excuse us?”

Mei-Wan and Melissa turned.

The new arrivals looked directly at Mei-Wan. “Are you Mei-Wan McCall?”

She nodded. “Yes, I am.”

One of the bald women smiled. “We caught your presentation back in December on sub-space feed about the Ancient Progenitors. It was wonderful.”

But before Mei-Wan could respond to the praise, the other one asked, “We were wondering, are you married to Jack McCall?”

She hesitated, curious as to what this was about. “Yes, I am.”The bald woman grew a wide smile and turned to the other. “See, I told you.”

The other spoke unemotionally. “We know that humans tend to have some odd customs regarding their mating practices, so we thought we’d check with you first, just to be courteous.”

“About what?” Mei asked.

The other jumped in just as Melissa was taking a drink from her glass. “We wanted to know if you’d mind if we had sexual intercourse with Jack.”

The dark liquid shot out Melissa’s nose onto her plate. She tried to breath in, but got lost in a fit of coughing.

Mei-Wan sat completely still, her eyes wide as the Deltan woman continued. “You see we had met Jack a number of years ago and well, compared to a Deltan male he was mediocre which for your species’ males, is actually quite remarkable.”

Melissa was still busy clearing her throat as Mei-Wan sat stunned.

“We wanted to find out if that had changed as he gotten older.”

The other smiled. “We’ve got a friendly wager going about it. I say he’s gotten better. Darslena thinks he’s probably lost his skill.”

“And endurance,” Darslena interjected. “So, if you don’t mind we’d like to settle this based on experimental evidence.”

Mei-Wan looked over at Melissa who fought off descending into another fit of laughter like the one that had caused her beverage to go up her nasal passages.

“Uh, I don’t think so,” Mei-Wan said in a barely perceptible whisper.

“Why not?” Darslena asked with a frown.

Melissa jumped in. “Humans don’t generally allow their mates to engage in sex with anyone else.”

Darslena thought for a moment. “But we’ve been with numerous married human males for the last three years we’ve worked with the Corps of Engineers. No one ever said anything like that. We were told it was common practice.”

Melissa smirked. “Did their wives tell you that?”

“Well, no. Most of their wives weren’t anywhere near the places we’ve been stationed.”

The two beautiful Deltans looked at each other a moment and then back to Melissa.

“You mean they were lying to us?” Darslena asked.

Melissa nodded. “Most likely.”

The other Deltan frowned. “Let’s go.”

Darslena let out her breath. “We just wanted to get your permission since you were here, Lieutenant McCall. We didn’t want to schedule our encounter with him when you were expecting to… “

The other chimed in. “Perhaps we should just go speak to Jack.”

Mei-Wan’s eyes widened. She had reached her limit. “Don’t go anywhere near him or I’ll have you thrown out the nearest…”

Melissa jumped in. “Uh, I think you better leave, ladies. And please, stay as far away from our captain as you can.”

The two Deltans seemed puzzled, but followed Melissa’s suggestion to leave.

Mei-Wan stared at her plate for a full minute.

“You okay?”

Mei-Wan didn’t move. “Deltan women? I thought it was illegal for Deltans and humans to…” She couldn’t finish.

Melissa took a bite of her salad. “Not technically. It’s against regulations for Deltans in Starfleet to, uh fraternize with less able species, but for civilians what they do is their business. Though I’ve never heard of Deltan women wanting to get involved with human males.”

“I guess Jack’s the exception to that,” Mei-Wan’s voice stammered.

Melissa put down her fork. “Hey, you don’t for a minute think he was involved with them since the two of you have been together, do you?”

“I don’t know what to think anymore.”

“You can be certain he hasn’t. He loves you, Mei. He hasn’t been with anyone else. I could never believe otherwise.”

Mei-Wan looked up at Melissa, “You have that luxury. I don’t.” She rose from the table.

“Mei, where are you going?”

“To talk to my husband.”

“About what? A sexual encounter from years ago? Do you really think that’s the best way to spend your last week together?”

“Why not? It will be a perfect match for everything we’ve been through up to this point.”She walked out and into the corridor and after a few seconds Melissa jumped to her feet and followed. “Damn it.”

Out in the corridor Mei-Wan approached a turbolift as Melissa ran up.

“Mei, stop. Don’t do this to yourself or him.”

Mei-Wan spun around. “Mind your own business, Melissa.”

“Oh no. You are not going to start that kind of shit with me. Not now.”“Melissa, don’t push our friendship past the point where I won’t care anymore.”

“That’s crap and you know it. You wouldn’t end our friendship over something you know I’m right about.”

“Right about what? My husband has women wandering about his ship looking for opportunities for sexual experiences with him just a few weeks after he insisted I go on this expedition. Do you think he doesn’t know they’re aboard?”

“You don’t believe that anymore than I do!”

“How in the hell do you know what I believe about Jack? What do you know about him, Melissa? Especially about his sex life? Or is there something else I don’t know about?”

Melissa’s eyes narrowed and her voice calmed, not because she was, but because she knew it was the only way to control her half-Vulcan seething emotions. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that. I know that my best friend would never, ever, even begin to think that about me.”Mei-Wan had never seen Melissa this angry, not even after she had followed Jack’s order to investigate Lee McGuire.

The turbolift door opened and Mei-Wan turned about and entered it. She looked up at Melissa and started to say something, but closed her eyes, knowing she had said the wrong thing.

A moment later the doors closed and Melissa shrugged her shoulders. “Mei, you’re going to make the biggest mistake of your life today.”

=/\=

In Jack’s ready room, he and Hank Evans looked over the Starfleet Corps of Engineers’ plan for the construction of the spacedock with Lak Negev. Lee McGuire was there explaining his frustrations with the operation.

“I say just open the bay doors and let everything fly into space,” McGuire said.

Hank smiled wide, but Jack wasn’t in the mood. “While we might all want to fulfill that emotionally satisfying urge, I don’t think we can convince the engineers of that, Mr. McGuire.”

“I wasn’t planning on telling them before I did it, sir.”

Even Negev smiled at that. “A malfunction might…”

Jack glared at his executive officer. He had wondered about Negev’s tendency toward dry humor the last month or so– at least Jack hoped that’s what it was.

He took a deep breath and sat in a chair. “Gentlemen, let’s get back to reality, shall we? I want a plan that doesn’t involve explosive decompression to get all of that… material in the main bay out and into orbit in the shortest time span. Is that clear?”

“How about the transporters?” Hank asked.

Lee shook his head. “I already asked them about that. They said no.”

Hank frowned. “I just can’t see how we can get it out in less than five days.”

Negev nodded. “Not with the restrictions that the Corps of Engineers have insisted upon.”

“Maybe we should ask Bishop if she thinks there’s a way around this,” Jack suggested.

Hank shook his head. “Engineers don’t stab each other in the back like that. She’d just ask them and we’d hear whatever they wanted us to hear.”

They all turned to the sound of the ready room doors opening a distance away. Several moments later, Mei-Wan stormed up the stairs.

She glared at them. “I need to speak to you, Jack.”

Jack looked at her a moment and he could tell she was upset. “Mei, we were in the middle of…”

“Jack we need to talk, right now.”

“We can talk later. Right now isn’t…”

McGuire and Negev got up and started for the stairs, they knew they didn’t want to be a part of this. Jack moved to block their path. He looked directly at his wife.

“Lieutenant, we are in a meeting. I will speak to you later.”

Her breathing sped up. “Damn it, Jack. Don’t you dare pull rank on me this time.”

Jack McCall feared little in his life. But there was something primal in this woman’s eyes that told him he was in danger of something truly dreadful.

He stepped back and allowed Negev and Lee to exit. Mei-Wan turned to Hank Evans.

“Hank, please go.”

“I don’t think so.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Leave!”

He took a step toward Mei-Wan as Jack remained silent. “No one else will tell you two you’ve been acting like damn fool idiots for the last several months, but I’ve had it. You want to chew Jack’s ass out about something, go ahead. But afterward I’m going to knock your heads together and make you get your marriage out of the toilet.”

Jack sat down in a chair. “What did you want to say to me, Mei?”

She walked away from Hank, still angry at him, but she knew who she wanted to let it all out on.

“Do you know there are two Deltan women aboard looking for you?”

Hank rolled his eyes, “Uh oh.”

She shook her head. “So you’re in on this? I should have guessed.”

“Now just a damn minute,” Hank started.

“I don’t owe you anything, Hank,” Mei said dismissing him.

“Well, since I can assume you do know about them, Jack…”

Jack McCall leaned back and closed his eyes.

“I assume you also know they’re looking for you to have sex with them.”

Jack didn’t move. He knew there was nothing he could say.

“So was that why you wanted me to go on the expedition? All of that about how you were worried Zachary might come after me again was just crap to get me off the ship?”

Jack’s eyes opened fast and he looked at her. “No, it wasn’t. I am worried.”

“So worried, you had a couple of Deltan women brought aboard to calm your fears.”

“This is absurd, Mei,” Hank started. “Jack didn’t even know they were coming aboard.”

“But he does know them, doesn’t he?”

Jack took a deep breath into his lungs. He was going to need it. “About fifteen years ago, I, well…”Mei-Wan frowned. “I don’t need to hear the details, Jack. You were intimate with them, right?”

He simply nodded.

“Deltan women, Jack? You felt the need to prove something?”

Hank looked at her. “Jack didn’t know we were going to meet them that night.”

“But he didn’t say no, did he?”

Jack stood. “No, I didn’t. I didn’t say no that night. I didn’t say no to Larissa James at the Academy, or to Tricia Powell, or to…” He stopped himself.

Mei-Wan looked at him. “Or who, Jack? How long is this list?”

“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “The point is all of those women happened before we were married. I have never been unfaithful to you. And I never will be.”

“Deltan’s have very few inhibitions about sex, Mei,” Hank said. “They don’t tend to understand human exclusiveness. To them it’s like eating one food at every meal for the rest of your life.”

Mei-Wan turned to Hank. “Can we have at least a little privacy?”

Jack motioned to Hank who complied. He walked down the stairs that led out of the ready room, leaving Jack and Mei-Wan alone.

She couldn’t look at Jack. “With everything I said about Kyle and me, I thought maybe you had decided to give up on us.”

Jack smiled. “Mei, I’m scared out of my mind you’re going to end up in that worthless idiot’s arms, but I would never go to another woman.”

“Why not?” she asked. “Why settle for me when you can have a Deltan woman?”

She shook her head and took a step back from Jack. “No, you don’t even have to settle for that, do you? The great Jack McCall gets two Deltan women!”

Jack took a deep breath. He was about to shout at Mei-Wan, but stopped himself and turned away.

She grabbed his arm and forced him back around to face her. “Don’t you dare turn away from me, you son-of-a-bitch! Don’t you dismiss me like that!”

Jack looked into the rage filled eyes of his wife and realized for the first time there was something else there as well.

She’s afraid, he thought. My God, she’s really afraid.

“Why are you even pretending to want me anymore, Jack?”

Jack’s mouth opened, but nothing came out. He couldn’t think of anything to say that wouldn’t make the situation worse.

Fortunately for him, he wouldn’t get the chance.

A figure wearing the uniform of a Starfleet captain appeared in a flash of light in the chair behind Jack’s desk.

“Yes, my dear, those two Deltans satiated desires you can’t even begin to imagine.”

Jack and Mei-Wan turned to the voice of the being Jack had met once before.

“Who the hell are you?” Mei-Wan asked as Jack frowned.

“He’s one of the Q.”

The entity grinned. “Can you two idiot primates possibly move this emotional crisis along? I have a matter to discuss with you concerning your current mission, Jack McCall.”

Mei-Wan looked over at the Q. “Perhaps what’s going on here seems trivial to a creature like yourself, but it does have meaning to us.”

Q rolled his eyes. “Please… ‘meaning’? I’ve seen more meaning watching gas molecules interact. At least when they get together something happens. Human mating is pointless.”

Q looked up at the ceiling. “I can sum it up for you. ‘Uh, uh, uh… Oh, Jack… Oh, Mei.’”

He turned to them. “That’s exciting isn’t it?”

Q stood from the chair. “Yawn!”

He walked over to the window behind Jack’s desk. “Add the two Deltan females and you might actually get someone to pay attention.”Mei-Wan’s stared in shock. “You watch us?!”

“Let’s get in a little closer and see if the male can convince the female he has been faithful,” he said mockingly. “This species females insist on that. She’s sniffing his hind quarters, still not convinced.” Q smiled. “It’s a boring Galaxy– all those planets and still nothing to watch.”Mei-Wan, enraged, turned to Jack. “He watches us make love?!”

Jack was glad that she was angry at someone else now, but the thought that every time they were intimate some galactic peeping-tom watched them was unsettling for him as well.

“Q, isn’t there someone else you can go torment?”

The being thought a moment and then shook his head. “Not right now there isn’t. Besides, I thought humans liked the Q.”

Jack frowned. “Not especially.”

“Oh, come on. What’s not to like?”

Jack tilted his head as he considered that. “How much time do you have?”

Mei-Wan closed her eyes. “Will you just go away and leave us alone?”

“But I’m fun to have around,” Q said. “All my friends say so.”

“Well, since we don’t fall into that category, you could do as she asked,” Jack said.

Q looked down for a moment and then back to Jack. “Perhaps I’m not following your social customs as well as I thought.”

He walked away from them toward the lounge area of the Ready Room and sat down in one of the couches. A smile came to his face. “I know! Your species likes humor doesn’t it?”Jack rolled his eyes while Mei-Wan leaned against the desk.

“There’s a great joke going around the continuum,” Q began.

“Oh, please,” Jack whispered.

“How many humans does it take to reorder the quantum state of a proton?” He looked at Jack and Mei-Wan expectantly. “Plus or minus forty-two!” he finished with a howl of laughter.Jack looked at Mei-Wan who shook her head.

“Does he go away if you ignore him?” she asked.

“I doubt it,” Jack replied.

Mei-Wan looked up at her husband and smiled.

Q, however, frowned. “I guess I shouldn’t expect lower lifeforms to understand such things.”

“Do you see us bothering less advanced lifeforms when we want to be entertained?” Jack asked.

Q stared at him. “Should I mention circus monkeys?”

Jack thought a moment. “Okay, you’ve got us with that one.”

Mei-Wan grinned while Jack tried to out think a being as far removed from humans as humans are from insects. She thought, I guess I have to admire his courage.

“How about you get to whatever brought you here?” Jack asked.

Q let out a long breath. “Oh, that. I’m supposed to let you know this planet you’re going to, Cajma, I think. Well, that this planet…” Q laid his head back on the couch. “Well… blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah! And who cares!”Q leaped to his feet with a burst of anger. “You know I could be doing something interesting like watching mold grow, but no! I get sent to play with the primates again!”He walked back toward Jack and Mei-Wan. “I really don’t understand what certain members of the Continuum see in your kind. You’re hardly a sentient species and your place in galactic affairs is less than irrelevant.”

Jack grinned. “The Vedala seem to have the same opinion of the Q”

Q stopped, frozen in place. “The Vedala?”

His head turned looking about the room as if searching for something.

After a moment he turned to Jack and glared. A second later they both disappeared in a flash of light leaving Mei-Wan alone.

“Jack!”

=/\=

Darkness surrounded the captain of the Chamberlain. He turned every direction and saw nothing but nothing. However, when he looked down at his hands and arms they were as illuminated as they had been back in his Ready Room a moment before.

Q stepped out of the blackness and up to Jack with an air of urgency to his face and his movement.

“You have little time, human. Answer my questions directly and completely and you may survive this.”

Jack shook his head. “Why the hell should I answer anything you ask me? You’re the advanced lifeform. Get your own damn answers.”

Q’s eyes darted from side to side. Something appeared to have his attention, but Jack saw only the two of them.

Q winced as if in pain and turned behind him. “If we do that we may damage the creature and learn nothing!”

Jack bent to his left a bit to try to see beyond Q, but he saw only darkness.

Q turned back to Jack and lowered his voice. “For your own sake, Jack McCall. Answer my questions. The others of the Continuum are not likely to show you any compassion.”

Jack almost replied, but saw the stress in Q’s features and thought it better to go along with whatever he found himself in. It wasn’t like he could find his way home without the help of this Q.

“All right. Ask your questions.”

Q nodded. “You have spoken with the Vedala?”

“Yes.”

Q hesitated as if listening to something. “Do you know which one?”

Jack took a breath. “If you mean did it give me a name, no.”

“Are they the ones who gave you the advanced shield system your ship has?”

“Yes, I believe so.”

“Why did they give it to you?”

“I don’t know their exact reasons, but they wanted us to investigate the planet Hel’yra for them.”

Q frowned. “Hel’yra? Why would they want you to investigate that? It’s an ancient world, long dead.”

“Why indeed,” spoke a female voice.

Both Jack and Q turned to look out into the darkness which had now taken on a dark blue color and Jack thought he could make out clouds of gas swirling in the distance.

Q turned back to Jack. “Did they ever tell you why that world?”

Jack hesitated. He didn’t want to anger the Q, but he didn’t want to betray the Vedala either. They had after all, solved his ship’s drive problems. And they were much more polite than the Q.

“I don’t think I should answer any more questions.”

Q started to walk toward Jack, but the female voice spoke again. “Wait.”

Jack saw that there were figures in the now bright blue haze surrounding them. He couldn’t judge the distance very well, but was sure it was fifty feet or more. Swirling wisps of white gas mixed with the blue making it difficult to make out the figures.

Out of the mist walked a shapely woman who Jack found instantly attractive. Her roundish face was accented by eyes that seemed they could peer into his very soul.She stopped next to Q and looked Jack over. “They may have tampered with his mind to prevent him from telling us. If we attempt to force it from him he may die.”

Q shook his head. “We have to know why they are interested in that world.”

The female smiled at Jack. He noticed the tight fitting dark red outfit she wore and for some reason it reminded him of blood– spilled blood.

“Tell me, human. Did the Vedala say they feared Hel’yra?” the female Q asked.

Jack shook his head. “No.”

“Does the apparatus still function on that world?”

Jack nodded slowly. “Yes.”

The two Q turned away from Jack speaking in whispers. He noticed the figures in the distance now appeared closer, perhaps no more than ten feet away.

The female looked at Jack. “Did you or your kind tamper with anything on Hel’yra?”

“We activated a holographic message and went into one of the lower chambers. We found a two kilometer wide subspace field.”

Both of the Q turned back to face Jack. The female forced a smile. “Understand, the Vedala are obsessed with the past. They center their entire existence about it.”

The male Q spoke up. “We look to the future human. We always have.”

The female looked directly at Jack. “It isn’t often the Vedala communicate with anyone outside themselves. They have knowledge which could benefit many, but rarely share it. It concerns us they have chosen your Federation to speak to.”

Jack shook his head. “I don’t think that’s it at all.”

Both Q did their best not to react.

Jack stepped closer to them. “I think you’re just as afraid of what’s on Hel’yra as the Vedala are. Maybe even more than they are.”

“Absurd. We are the Q,” the male said.

“All I see is blue and white smoke and you two,” Jack said. “I don’t ever remember hearing about the Q doing anyone much good. The Vedala were at least helpful.”

“They interfere when they are not wanted and sit by when they are needed,” the female said with just a touch of anger in her voice.

“They won’t tell you what’s going on, will they?” Jack asked with a grin.

“We know what’s going on human.”

“Then why am I here?”

The female and the figures in the mist instantly disappeared. The male Q strolled up next to Jack.

“That helped you, McCall.”

Jack smiled. “The Vedala said there was something that ‘never should have been’ on Hel’yra. They seemed to be very concerned that it stay as it is… as it has been for billions of years.”

Q seemed disinterested. “Your point, primate?”

Jack stepped to just a few feet from Q. “Whatever it is, terrifies you, doesn’t it Q?

Q looked down for a moment and then back to Jack. A grin came to his face. “Why should I be terrified, Jack? I’m not the one with a target painted on my back.”

=/\=

The next moment, Jack found himself back in his Ready Room. Mei-Wan ran up to him.

“Where were you?” she asked.

“In the Q Continuum I think,” Jack replied as he looked about the room for the entity that had taken him away.

“Did you call Hank?”

“I was about to. You were only gone a few seconds.”

Jack turned to his wife. “I was gone for almost ten minutes, Mei.”

She shook her head. “I just stood up as you disappeared. I was reaching for my comm badge and then you were back.”

“I guess when you’re omnipotent, futzing around with time isn’t that hard a thing to do. But why not just put me back here ten minutes later?”

=/\=

Chapter 4 - And Of Another Kind

“Because true omnipotence does not exist, Jack McCall.”

Mei-Wan and Jack spun around to a new voice. This one belonged to a strange five and a half foot tall bluish-white fur covered creature that stood at the forward end of the Ready Room looking out at the stars. It turned about and stared at them both with its piercing eyes.

“Who?” Mei-Wan started.

Jack looked over at the being as it walked toward them. “It’s one of the Vedala.”

Mei-Wan’s eyes watched the creature’s every movement. This was a rare opportunity for her. This creature’s kind had existed when the Ancient Progenitors wandered the stars.

The Vedala stopped and looked at Jack. “And since the Q were so insistent on knowing the name of the one you speak to, you may call me Kalastia.”

“You saw everything that happened?” Jack asked.

“There is little we do not see. The Q think they can hide from us. We allow them that delusion.”

Jack smiled. He liked that. He had reached his limit with the Q and their “superiority.” Though, he wasn’t sure trading it for the Vedala’s brand was much better. One group of super-beings at a time, he thought.

“What did you mean true omnipotence doesn’t exist?” Mei-Wan asked.

Jack frowned. “Mei, I don’t think…”

“No, Jack McCall. We should allow the curious to ask their questions… up to a point,” the Vedala responded.

The creature looked warmly at Mei-Wan. “True omnipotence would involve the ability to direct every particle everywhere. Unfortunately the Universe appears to have denied that opportunity to everyone. Thus no one can be truly omnipotent.”

“But the Q make that claim and do appear quite powerful,” Mei-Wan said.

“More for their own protection than anything else. Fortunately they don’t believe it themselves or they would have already been dealt with,” Kalastia said. “It has kept many species from standing up to them. However, the few that have are avoided by the Q. They do not try the patience of the Organians or the Metrons… or the Vedala.”Jack nodded. “So, are you here to make sure I didn’t tell them anything important?”

“No, we heard and saw everything that happened in the Q Continuum. I wished to make certain they had not tampered with you– with who you are,” the Vedala said as it observed Jack closely.

Mei-Wan turned to her husband. “Is he okay?”

“Yes, he is as he was before they took him– troubled by the past and fearful of the future.”

Jack frowned. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“There was no judgment involved and no insult intended. I simply state the facts as they are.”

“That could be said about all humans– all beings.”

The Vedala looked directly at Mei-Wan. “Not about you.”

“What?” Mei-Wan asked, but certainly not expecting or wanting an answer.

Jack stepped forward to keep Mei-Wan from the probing of the Vedala. “The Q seemed to think the Vedala were keeping things from them.”

“Of course we are,” Kalastia said.

“They wanted to know what your interest in Hel’yra was,” Jack said.

“They know about Hel’yra, or at least some of them should remember it. That isn’t what they really wanted from you. There is so much shrouded even from our gaze and the Q are afraid about that which we do not know.”

“I don’t understand. Why won’t they just ask you?”

“They don’t trust us,” the Vedala said. “The Q are quite intuitive. When they have reason to fear, all beings should take heed.”

“You’ve lied to them in the past, haven’t you?” Mei-Wan asked.

The creature turned to her. “Perhaps.”

“And I suppose if I asked you for information about the Ancient Progenitors you might be less than honest with me as well.”

“There are some truths better left unspoken.”

Mei-Wan took a deep breath. She had always hated when someone didn’t tell her the truth. She hated it when her father kept the truth of her mother’s condition from her. She hated it when Jack wouldn’t tell her how he felt. And she hated not knowing about the Ancient Progenitors. Mei-Wan thought all humanoids everywhere had a right to know about those they came from.

“There are no truths that should remain hidden,” Mei-Wan stated.

The Vedala looked at her in silence for several seconds. “Your curiosity knows no bounds, no rules, and has no regard for the consequences of the discoveries you make.”

“I’m dedicated to the truth– to things as they are.”

“Your arrogance is astounding,” Kalastia said. “And do you wish to know the truth behind the dispute you are having with Jack McCall?”

Mei-Wan took a step back, but the Vedala took two forward and looked directly into her eyes.

“I see all your memories as clearly as you see the walls of this room,” it told her. “That truth would expose a lie you have told yourself for some time. Is that the truth you speak of?”

A strange fear gripped Mei-Wan. She suddenly felt the weight of the power possessed by the being before her.

Jack stepped between them. “That’s enough! Leave her alone!”

The Vedala stepped away. “Beware that one, Jack McCall. She holds more than your life in her control. She holds your existence as well.”

“Is that why all you ‘superior’ beings come by? Does seeing us frightened make you feel powerful?” Jack demanded.

Kalastia turned back to him with a sad expression on its face. “No. We all have much to be frightened of. Take care you do nothing to turn that fear into a reality.”

The Vedala looked at Jack’s wife. “And take care you do nothing to turn reality into ashes when you go to Hel’yra, Mei-Wan McCall.”

The next moment the creature was gone.

“You know,” Jack started. “I really wish the Q and Vedala would call before they came by for a visit.”

Mei-Wan stared blankly at Jack. Fear filled her eyes. “I should go.”

“Mei, wait.”

“No, I have things to do,” she said. “I’m sorry about earlier.”

Before Jack could say anything more, his wife was already headed down the stairs out of his Ready Room.

=/\=

Lee McGuire stood at the entrance to Melissa Vargas’ quarters just as the door opened.

“Well, Mr. McGuire, you’re making a habit of this.”

“What? Me?” Lee asked with a grin.

Melissa smiled and waved him inside.

Lee entered to find the lights dimmed and soft music playing.

“Who’s making a habit of things, Melissa?”

He watched her sit in a couch, taking special notice of how the soft clothes she wore clung to the curves of her body.

“So, am I still to be punished with another evening of talking and nothing more?” he asked as he sat down next to her.

“Is talking to me such a bad thing?”

“No, not at all. I’m just wondering if I’ve performed enough contrition yet.”

Melissa grinned. “Let’s see, the lights are low, music is playing, and if I’m right, you can’t keep your eyes off of me.”

Lee nodded and took a deep breath. “I think you summed it up.”

“So, if I were to allow nothing but talk to take place between us tonight you’d be thoroughly frustrated by the end of it.” she said with an uplifted Vulcan eyebrow.

“So, torture is the plan for the evening.”

She leaned nearer to him. “And if it was?” she asked softly.

He looked her supple body over once again and let out a long breath. “Then I guess I’ll suffer through it.”

She smiled wide. “Right answer.”

Melissa pushed him down onto the couch and kissed him with a passion she’d been saving for weeks.

Lee looked into her eyes as their lips parted. “With torture like this, who needs pleasure?”

She kissed him again.

=/\=

Mei-Wan let her nightgown fall down past her shoulders onto her body. She was more than physically tired this night. She felt as if something had drained her will to live. She suspected that something was the Vedala she encountered earlier in the day. Mei-Wan had the very firm impression the creature didn’t like her at all.

She walked out into the living area of her and Jack’s quarters realizing in less than a week she’d no longer live in this place, this ship– his life.

Mei-Wan slumped down in the couch and closed her eyes. Why was it so hard for her to leave? Why when all of her dreams were about to be fulfilled did she still want to stay?

She reached over to find the book she had been reading the last several days, “Parzival”, the book Timothy Blackwell had mentioned just before they left Kel-j’na. She stared at the worn old cover wondering why she could never seem to finish it.

But something else caught her eye. Down on the floor next to the couch.

Mei-Wan leaned down and picked it up. It was a shirt– Jack’s shirt.

She smiled and held it tight in her hands and drew it close to her. Mei-Wan took in the feel of it and the smell.  Jack’s smell.A thousand memories flooded into her mind all at once– the feel of his skin against hers when they made love, the way his eyes looked into her own, the thumping rhythm of his heart beating in his chest. The one memory that overrode the others was how safe and warm she felt in his embrace.

Mei-Wan let the shirt fall into her lap and wondered as she looked at it.

Is it because he makes me feel safe? Is that what I’m afraid of losing? Is that all there really is between us anymore? Is that all there ever was?

The door opening pulled Mei-Wan out of her thoughts. She looked up and saw Jack enter. She quickly tossed the shirt aside.

“I didn’t expect you back so soon,” she said.

Jack wondered why she had been holding his shirt and why she was in such a hurry to get rid of it. Probably mad at me for not putting it where it belongs, he thought.

“I didn’t expect to be back either,” he said as he quickly walked to his desk area and shuffled through several PADDs.

She turned around and leaned over the couch to look at him. “Jack, I think we need to talk about earlier today.”

He stopped a moment. “I do too, Mei. I’m worried about what the Vedala said to you.”

“No, I mean before all that. We need to talk about us.”

He collected the PADDs he need in his hands. “Mei, what do you want me to say? I had a sex life before I met you. I can’t go back and change it. The past is done and over with.”

“I know that,” she said. “I think we should talk about the next year.”

He frowned, not so much in anger at her, but anger at himself and what he wanted to hide from her eyes. “What is there to talk about? We won’t be together. I’ve… “

His words trailed off and Mei-Wan could see the pain in his face.

“Jack… ” she started, but stopped. She was afraid to ask what was hurting him so much. She was afraid she wouldn’t like the answer.

Jack McCall looked down at the PADDs in his hands. “Look, I’ve got a meeting with this ‘person’ from the Corps of Engineers. These jack-asses have been jerking us around for more than a week and I’m trying to get some straight answers out of them. I should be back in a couple of hours, okay?”

Mei-Wan stared at him, unsure what to say. She responded only with a quick nod and then a moment later he was gone.

She rolled over and laid her head back over the arm rest of the couch trying to cry, but the tears wouldn’t come anymore.

Mei-Wan closed her eyes. She knew she wouldn’t see him until the next day. One more week… that was all they had. At least she hoped they did.

=/\=

Chapter 5 - Membership Has Its Privileges

Jack McCall walked through the corridors of the Sovereign class starship, U.S.S. Venture, led by the vessel’s operations officer, Lieutenant Commander Dominika Olsasky. The chirpy voiced brunette looked back at him from time to time with her luminous eyes that signaled an obvious invitation.

Sorry, sweetheart, but that is so far out of the question you can’t possibly imagine, Jack thought as she walked him into a turbolift.

The Chamberlain had arrived an hour before and entered orbit around Cajma Six when Jack received word that Captain Julien Gann, the commander of the First Kel-j’na Exploratory Task Group, which Jack’s ship was now officially assigned to, wanted to see him… immediately.

He’d only met Gann once several years ago and didn’t have much of an opinion of him except that Simmons thought he was a great officer. Jack still wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.

Fortunately, the problems with the Starfleet Corps of Engineers had resolved itself. As he’d suspected, they’d been jerking his chain. They finally admitted their cargo would be off his ship within twenty-four hours.

The blood is already in the water, Jack. Engineers are the first to see a career going down the toilet.

He told himself he should have been an engineer. Everything was physics– predictable, safe, and you didn’t have to crawl on your belly begging for scraps off a table that by all rights was yours to begin with.

That kind of attitude will get me court-martialed in a heartbeat.

He took a deep breath and decided to pay attention to the chattering of his escort. Not much trouble I can get into with that.

“I’d really love a tour of an Oceana class starship. Something that size must be a lot of fun to serve on,” Olsasky said with a wistful grin.

Then again, maybe wallowing in my troubles is better.

Jack spoke as unemotionally as he could. “I’ll see if I can arrange for my operations officer to give you a tour.”

Dominika turned back to face the door of the turbolift, her grin replaced by a sullen frown.

He did have to admit she was more than attractive. Jack did his best not to let his eyes drift down below her waist. No reason to look at what he couldn’t have.

He looked down at the floor. My God! Why the hell am I even thinking of other women? his mind asked.

He took a pained breath. Because you know it’s over. You’ve lost Mei and it’s time to move on.

The turbolift doors opened onto the bridge of the Venture. Jack noticed the ship’s Caitian executive officer, K’lremi in the center seat talking to a dark-haired Betazoid woman he didn’t know.

She looked up with her large golden round eyes as Jack exited the turbolift. K’lremi only nodded, but that was more than enough.

Jack forced down a grin. Yeah, keep it up, Universe. Let’s get all my past lovers into the same sector of space and really ruin my life!

K’lremi was responsible for one of his most unique and enjoyable intimate encounters. What is it about females with fur?

A few moments later, Jack found himself standing before Julien Gann, a tall man of about sixty with short cropped gray hair. Gann looked up at him with a warm smile.

“Captain McCall, please sit,” Gann said with a deep resonant voice.

Dominika gave a quick nod to her CO and then turned and left the two captains to themselves as Jack took the seat across from Gann’s desk.

“How was the trip from Kel-j’na? Uneventful I hope, aside from the encounter with the Q.”

Jack nodded. “Yes, sir. Nice and quiet.” Jack hadn’t reported the visit from the Vedala. Admiral Hancock had given him strict orders to keep all contact with them off the books.

“Good. I noticed the Corps of Engineers have already started their work. The Cajmians will be pleased to see the spacedock begin construction.”

Jack leaned forward a bit in his seat. “Sir, I haven’t yet heard an explanation as to why the Chamberlain’s stay has been extended to six months.”

Gann face became taut. “If it had been up to me, Chamberlain would have accompanied the Venture to Hel’yra. That was the work of the Region’s Federation Ambassador, Mr. Cyrus Wakernaggle.”

“How does a decision like that get left to an ambassador?” Jack asked.

“It does when a high priority is placed on getting worlds in this region of space to become Federation members,” Gann said with irritation.

The Venture’s captain folded his hands and leaned forward. “Wakernaggle has powerful connections with the Council and the Council President. I’ve tried to fight him on several issues over the last two months, but every time I’ve lost. I’ve learned it’s best not to push the vindictive little son-of-a-bitch too far.”

Gann chuckled. “At least not yet, that is.”

Jack smiled. Gann might be okay after all. Jack detested ambassadors who had a habit of pushing themselves into Starfleet matters. It always ended badly.

“The Cajmians,” Gann started, “are concerned about raids from a race called the Naitr’m and another called the Zeparans. Mr. Wakernaggle feels the presence of a ship like the Chamberlain might put those concerns at ease.”

Jack’s eyes widened. Admiral Simmons had given him the impression more than a month ago that it had been he who had made that call. Either Simmons or Wakernaggle were working together on this or something odd was going on. Was Simmons forced into this?

“I have spoken directly to Admiral Simmons and the President and informed them that in my opinion, we’re likely to be dragged into a war by the Chamberlain’s presence and the spacedock construction,” Gann stated.

“A war?” Jack asked. “It was my impression that the Cajmians were a relatively peaceful people.”

Gann took a deep breath. “The Cajmians are not a very forthcoming people. There is little we know about their relations with either of the races they’re concerned about. It’s entirely possible their past enemies have allied themselves against the Cajmians who now see the Federation as their last hope.”

“Do you have anything to base this on, sir?”

“Forty years as a Starfleet officer and twenty-seven of that in the center seat gives you more to go on than gut-level intuition, Captain McCall. I’ve seen this type of thing before.”

Jack nodded and thought back to the briefing information he’d read about the Cajmians. Gann was right about them being secretive. They revealed little about their society.

“I guess the Chamberlain will have to do its best to avoid a war,” Jack replied.

Gann rolled his eyes and shook his head. “I don’t think you can stop a war if it comes, especially not with that ship.”

Jack frowned as he heard Gann’s tone with the word “ship.” Jack knew what he meant and he had a guess as to where this was heading.

“Let me be blunt,” Gann started. “The Oceana class is…”

Jack raised a hand to stop the other captain. “Excuse me, sir, but I’ve heard it all before. How the class is nothing but a battleship, how it will cause wars, and how it violates everything Starfleet has ever stood for.”

Gann let a grin creep across his face. “Well? You have another point of view?

Jack took a deep breath. “With all due respect Captain Gann, you haven’t commanded an Oceana class starship for the last six months. I have.”

“Did you ever ask yourself about that?”

Jack tilted his head slightly to one side. “About what?”

“Didn’t it ever cross your mind why Captains McCall, Donato, Liniak, and Golu were assigned to command the largest and most powerful ships Starfleet has ever built? All competent officers, yes, but certainly none of the four of you fall into the best of the best category who usually get such an assignment.”

“Yes, I’ve wondered about it,” Jack said in almost a whisper.

“It’s because Captains Gann, Picard, VanLienden, Dameron, Xoitcav, and a long list of others turned down the ships when they were offered to them.”

He leaned forward onto his desk. “I was offered the Chamberlain three times. Once by special request of the Federation President.”

Jack had suspected something like this. He knew that Gann was right about he and the other three.  They were hardly “the best of the best.”“I’ve talked to the others and we all turned it down for the same reasons– we care about Starfleet and we believe in what it stands for. We could not in good conscience command a vessel like that because we knew eventually what we’d be forced to do with it, either by orders or circumstances,” Gann said. “And I’ll be damned if I’ll let myself get pulled into that kind of abyss.”

Jack watched Gann closely. He didn’t get the sense the man was gloating or this was anything like a sour grapes routine to explain why Gann still commanded a Sovereign class. He felt the older man was being completely honest.

“I still think these ships have value,” Jack said.

Gann shook his head. He was about to say something when the comm sounded.

A male voice said, “Captain Gann, Ambassador Wakernaggle wanted you to know he was ready to leave.”

Gann nodded. “Has Hank Evans come over from the Chamberlain yet?

“Yes, sir,” the voice replied.

Gann stood and walked around his desk. “Inform them we are on our way.”

Jack rose from his seat. “Why was Hank Evans brought over?”

“The Cajmians wanted a chance to discuss the Chamberlain’s defensive capabilities with your tactical officer.”

Jack didn’t like how this was going. Gann could have at least let him retain the illusion he still commanded his own ship and crew.

Captain Gann looked at Jack. “Listen, I didn’t say all that to break you or take you down a notch. I just think you should know where you stand.”

“Okay,” Jack replied.

Gann forced a smile. “You should also know that Admiral Simmons doesn’t want your career to end up mothballed like your ship. He actually fought against you getting the Chamberlain, not to hinder you, but to keep you from getting dragged down with it. He seems to think you still have a lot to offer Starfleet.”

Jack raised an eyebrow.

“Be glad he’s on your side,” Gann said.

Jack followed him out of the Ready Room. Try as he might, he just couldn’t see Simmons as someone on his side.

=/\=

A Starfleet runabout soared down into the thick atmosphere of Cajma Six toward one of the few landmasses of the mostly water world. After entering the gas envelope around planet the small craft found itself cruising over rugged terrain in the darkness of night.

No vegetation covered the ground; only rock and dirt.

=/\=

Hank Evans sat at the controls of the ship while Captain Gann took the station next to him. Jack and Gann’s Counselor, Olwen Lasas, the same Betazoid woman he had seen earlier on the bridge of the Venture, were seated in the next row. Behind her sat Ambassador Cyrus Wakernaggle.

Jack looked over at the cadaverous man. He gave the appearance of someone who death had circled about for decades, but was more fearful of him than he was of it. For clothes the ambassador wore a black jacket upon more black. The only thing out of place with him was the eyeglasses he wore. Jack couldn’t remember the last person he’d seen wear such things, except in old photographs.

A smile crept across Wakernaggle’s wrinkled face. “The glasses, Captain McCall?” he asked with a voice that creaked like an old wooden door on loose hinges.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to stare,” Jack said, embarrassed.

“Not to worry, young man. I’m quite used to it by now. I’m allergic to Retnax Seven, so my choices are limited to extensive medical procedures or the simple solution of a bygone age.”

Jack nodded and smiled.

“It is one of the few parts of my life where simplicity is afforded an opportunity to exist,” Wakernaggle said.

Gann turned in his seat to face them. “Fortunately the ambassador does not take the same view toward Federation membership.”

The older man’s brow tightened. “Is that your opinion, Julien, or your hope?”

“I have never questioned your dedication to the Federation, Cyrus.”

“But you do question my assessment of the Cajmians.”

“I think we’ve moved too fast and without enough investigation before allowing them to join the Federation,” Gann said.

Wakernaggle turned to Jack. “You’ll find Julien Gann has a unique view of the relationship between his own opinions and the truth, Captain McCall.”

Jack tried to avoid getting involved in their argument. “Yes?”

“He sees them as one.”

Gann frowned.

Hank turned his head back to the others. “We’re approaching the power station.”

Wakernaggle stepped from his seat and patted Jack on the leg. “Come and look at this machine the Cajmians built.”

Jack followed toward the front of the cabin and stood behind Hank as the craft banked to allow them to see the ground.

They flew through the nighttime sky toward a glowing area on the surface. As they passed over the glow Jack saw a cylindrical metal pit that sank deep into the ground.

“The Cajmians derive most of their energy from geothermal reactors all over the planet like this one,” Wakernaggle said.

A tall series of cylindrical structures stood in the center of the kilometer wide deep shaft disappearing into the depths of the illuminated haze. Jack guessed that was the actual reactor that siphoned heat emerging from beneath the surface.

“How far down does it go?” asked Hank.

“Five kilometers or more with this one I think,” the ambassador said. “Some of the others go down even deeper.”

The bright glow inside the shaft gave the surrounding area an eerie feeling that unnerved Jack. He didn’t like this place at all.

He looked over at Olwen Lasas who stood behind Gann. She winced several times.

“You okay?” Jack asked the brunette.

She nodded. “I think so.”

Gann looked up above his seat. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing sir,” she said as she took a deep breath. “Just a… a flash of something, I think.”

Wakernaggle shook his head. “I told you there was no point in bringing your Counselor along, Gann.”

Olwen smiled. “I’ll try not to take that personally, Ambassador.”

“No offense, my dear, but as I told you. The Cajmians are impervious to any sort of telepathic probing. You won’t be able to sense their thoughts or moods.”

“Then I’ll just take in the sights.”

He grinned. “Fortunately for us, Captain Gann’s Counselor happens to be a strikingly beautiful woman, wouldn’t you agree, Captain McCall?”

Jack nodded.

Gann looked at Jack, but said nothing.

“On to the city?” Hank asked Wakernaggle.

“Yes, Mr. Evans. Take us out to sea.”

The runabout soared away from the power reactor up into the sky and toward daylight on the horizon.

=/\=

Chapter 6 - Troubled Waters

They had left the dry ground behind and now cruised above a serene, nearly still ocean. Their craft flew in the bright sunlight of a newly arrived day.

“The Cajmians are the first to admit their ancestors ravaged this world leaving the surface little more than a desert,” Wakernaggle said. He, Jack, and Olwen had returned to their seats.

“Though they are reluctant to go into too much detail,” Gann added.

The ambassador frowned. “They’ve told us enough. Their past energy practices raised the average temperature of their world, which in turn raised the ocean levels. They were forced to create their wondrous sea cities just to have a place to live.”

He stared at Gann. “I think they’ve done remarkably well accepting responsibility for their past mistakes.”

“If I thought they were being completely honest with us, I would agree,” the Venture’s captain said.

Hank Evans touched a series of controls. “Well I’m impressed,” he said as he looked out the forward window.

The runabout slowed as it approached a ten kilometer wide platform floating in the sea. Buildings of shiny blue metal crowded the upper structure while a few craft flew above the city. Waves of water splashed harmlessly at the border between sea and metal producing a mist along the metropolis’ outer edge.

Hank piloted their craft through the maze of buildings toward a platform Wakernaggle had indicated. As they made their approach Jack wondered what the source of the friction between the ambassador and Captain Gann was. They obviously didn’t care for one another, but there was an undercurrent in their banter that made him think it was more than a clash of personalities. These two couldn’t stand to breathe the same air.

After a few minutes the runabout came to a rest and the door opened. Wakernaggle took the lead and walked them through several corridors describing the architecture and construction techniques. Jack was surprised the Cajmians let them wander about without an escort. He wondered if the presence of aliens could be that common for them.Eventually the ambassador led them to a wide terrace off the side of a central building where a figure wearing an odd patchy blue garment stood. The six and a half foot tall creature turned about and faced them.

If Jack thought Wakernaggle looked like the walking dead he now knew the ambassador was just a poor imitation. The Cajmian who walked toward them with a grace that seemed completely out of place had what Jack could only think of as skin that appeared to be rotting. Dark lines and wrinkles covered the dull orange flesh of the creature before them. However, this being’s eyes bothered Jack the most. A bright red pupil sat in the middle of a dark blue sea staring with an intensity that made it difficult to maintain eye contact with him.

“Welcome to our capital,” the Cajmian said in a somber sounding voice.

Wakernaggle turned to them and smiled. “Let me introduce to you the Chairman of the Cajmian House of Nobles, the Most Honorable Beheer.”

Everyone nodded politely as the human introduced each of them to the Cajmian.

Beheer turned to Hank Evans who was introduced last. “Mr. Evans, my dear friend, Pelosil of Kel-j’na, has spoken often of you. She was quite overjoyed when you rescued her daughter several years ago.”

Jack and the others looked at Hank as he spoke. “I was glad I was able to find her.”

“As were we all,” Beheer said. “Pelosil encouraged me to grant you every courtesy if you ever graced our fair world.”

“My thanks, Chairman, but for this trip I’m here to serve you.”

“Quite kind as I had expected,” the Cajmian replied.

Wakernaggle smiled wide. “In fact, Mr. Evans is the one who will be giving you your tour of the most powerful ship in all of Starfleet.”

Beheer nodded to Hank. “I will be honored beyond measure.”

Another Cajmian walked out onto the terrace and up to Beheer. The new arrival spoke in an odd language to the Chairman and then quickly left, careful not to look up from the ground as he passed them. Jack thought it odd that this one looked directly at his leader, but refused to even glance at any of them.Beheer pointed toward the hallway they had entered from. “Shall we go?”

As Wakernaggle, Beheer, and Hank walked past him, Jack noticed Gann looking at Olwen who only shook her head. Jack figured he must have had the Betazoid try to sense Beheer’s thoughts after all rather than just take the ambassador’s word.

=/\=

Several hours later, Jack found himself in the large conference room on deck Fourteen of the Chamberlain hosting an informal reception for Chairman Beheer after the tour of the ship had finished. Hank and their guest were still talking about Evans’ exploits around the Kel-j’na region which seemed to be Beheer’s primary interest. He’d hardly paid attention when Chief Engineer Kristen Bishop had described the functioning of the ship’s power systems. He only perked up once, when Hank had explained their weapons, especially their primary weapon system.Jack finally made his way through the crowd of fifty or so to the refreshment table when he felt something sharp at his back. He stiffened suddenly.

“You haven’t changed much,” a soft, but sultry voice said from behind him.

Jack smiled wide. “K’lremi.”

He turned to find the golden furred Caitian retracting her claws and reaching around him for a drink of her own off the table. “How have you been, Jack,” she purred.

He picked up a glass himself. “Okay, I guess.”

“I hear you went and got yourself married.”

He nodded.

“I guess that’s why you didn’t bother to say hello earlier,” she said.

“You’re doing well– Gann’s Exec, huh?”

She sipped her drink. “I hope to make captain in the next two years.”

“You always were ambitious,” he said with a grin.

“You always gave me opportunity to be so,” she replied.

Jack noticed a familiar face enter the room a distance behind the Caitian. She turned to see who he was looking at and watched Mei-Wan cross the room and join Melissa Vargas in conversation.

K’lremi turned back to Jack. “That’s your wife?”

“Yeah.”

“She seems nice enough, I guess.”

“She’s more than that,” Jack replied.

K’lremi took a deep breath. “Is she why I never heard from you after you got back from the prison camp?”

“Look,” Jack started. “It had been over a year and we never had any kind of commitment.”

She nodded as her ears straightened. “No, but you knew how I felt about you.”

Jack looked down. He knew he should have contacted her. She deserved at least that.

K’lremi did her best to force her face into a smile. “It’s okay, Jack. I’m not angry. I’m glad you found someone.”

He looked back up, but his eyes drifted to look at Mei-Wan.

=/\=

“What is it with you two?” Mei-Wan asked, exasperated.

Melissa shrugged her shoulders. “Sometimes I wonder.”

“Just don’t let it go so long this time.”

Melissa nodded. “I’m going to go talk to him as soon as he finishes with the Corps of Engineers in about an hour. I just hope he’s in the mood to talk.”

Mei-Wan shook her head. “I’d like to know things are working out before I leave.”

“Don’t worry, knowing Lee, we’ll end up in bed tonight and it’ll be forgotten,” Melissa said with a smile.

“Is sex how you solve all your relationship problems?” Mei-Wan asked.

“Well, not all of them.”

Just as Mei-Wan was about to inquire further about that, Captain Gann walked up to them.

“Lieutenant McCall, I hear you’ll be joining my crew for a while,” he said.

Mei-Wan nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“I’m looking forward to getting a chance to talk about your discoveries. Captain Picard mentioned in a recent message he’d gotten a chance to see your presentation about the Ancient Progenitors and was quite impressed.”

“That was kind of him,” Mei-Wan said.

“He always said he thought you’d be an outstanding archaeologist, but I think you’ve gone far beyond even his expectations.”

Mei-Wan smiled and noticed Melissa grinning. “Have you met our operations officer, sir?”

Gann turned to look at Melissa Vargas. “No, I don’t believe we have met.”

Mei-Wan introduced them with the usual formalities and “how do you do’s” and after asking Melissa about her career for several minutes, Gann turned to Mei-Wan again.

“Have you been introduced to Chairman Beheer, yet?”

Mei-Wan shook her head. “No, I just got here a little while ago.”

“Then allow me the honor,” Gann said as he led her toward the front of the room where Beheer was speaking to a small crowd.

“Mr. Chairman, I want you to meet one of the foremost archaeologists of the Federation, Lieutenant Mei-Wan McCall,” Gann said to Beheer.

The Cajmian nodded. “A pleasure.”

“I am honored,” Mei-Wan replied.

“Lieutenant McCall recently uncovered evidence concerning the Ancient Progenitors, a race of beings that seeded numerous worlds with humanoid life forms billions of years ago,” Gann said.

Beheer appeared uncomfortable. “Life on Cajma evolved on its own, Captain Gann.”

“Agreed, but due to your body structure it’s likely that your people have the same origins as many of the species of the Federation.”Beheer sneered. “Impossible. We know who we are and where we came from.”

Wakernaggle who had been listening, stepped in. “Perhaps, such things would best be left to the scientists, Captain Gann.”

Gann frowned. “Exploring and understanding each other’s culture is a hallmark of Starfleet and the Federation, wouldn’t you agree, Ambassador?”

Mei-Wan began wishing she had never let Gann walk her over to the Chairman. Obviously he had other motives besides just introducing them. She turned to Beheer.

“Speaking of your culture, what religious beliefs do your people hold, Chairman Beheer?” she asked.

The Chairman’s sneer left his face and he turned to her. “Most religions have died away on our world since our cultural awakening more than six hundred of your years ago. The few that remain are either simple beliefs in a higher state of being or are the rantings of the deranged.”

Wakernaggle smiled, happy the conversation had changed. “There are a number of illegal cults which from time to time attempt to disrupt Cajmian society, but the Chairman’s government has taken great strides in quelling their influence.”

“If I might ask,” Mei-Wan started. “What are the nature of these cults’ beliefs?”

“Certainly, you may ask,” Beheer said. “Our people believe in the ideals of free thought and the exchange of information.”

Gann rolled his eyes.

The Chairman continued, “Most are scattered groups that exist more for the mischief they cause than any set of beliefs, but one, the ‘Dreamers of Agalia’, has been a scourge on our people for centuries. They tell of a voice from beneath the seas that speaks in brief whispers to minds open to elevated wisdom. They say that the great Agalia sleeps, but awaits the right time and positions from the stars to awaken and rule all.”

Mei-Wan thought she noticed something other than revulsion in the Chairman’s voice. She almost wondered if these beliefs were held by him or at least sympathized with.

Beheer looked away a moment, but returned to Mei-Wan. “They have been known to commit murder and even worse crimes upon the innocent. Their numbers have dwindled and thankfully it has been some time since any major crimes have been attributed to them.”

“That’s good to hear,” Wakernaggle said.

=/\=

Jack watched Mei-Wan listening to the Cajmian Chairman and wondered if he had ever held her interest the way whatever Beheer was saying did.

Hank Evans walked up and grabbed a drink off the table.

“You finally get away from Beheer?” Jack asked.

“He’s okay,” Hank replied.

“You think he’s hiding anything?”

Hank smiled. “Oh, yeah. I’m certain of that.”

Jack grinned. “Okay, let’s have it.”

“Have what?”

“With all your sources and past travels, I’m sure you’ll tell me all the secrets of Cajma,” Jack said.

Hank took a long drink. “All I know about them is they pay their bills and they hate outsiders.”

“I got that impression on their planet. You notice how the other Cajmian that came in wouldn’t look at us?”

Hank nodded. “And how there wasn’t another soul anywhere as we went to meet the Chairman.”

Evans turned to Jack. “You’re getting better at paying attention to detail, kid. You might make a good officer after all.”

Jack shook his head. “Tell that to Gann.”

“Gann’s just a hard-ass, by the book type. He’s actually mellowed over the years.”

“What do you think of Wakernaggle?” Jack asked.

“He’s a sawed off little weirdo,” Hank said.

Jack laughed. “I’m actually starting to like him.”

Hank’s face turned stern. “Don’t.”

Jack rarely saw Hank so serious. Now he was concerned. “Why?”

“Just trust me, Jack. He’s not someone to become friendly with. If I were you, I’d follow Gann’s lead on this one.”

=/\=

Mei-Wan sat at her desk in the Archaeology Lab looking through page after page of information that flashed on the display screen. She was troubled; not by what she heard from Beheer at the reception, but the familiarity of it to something she knew she had come across before. She told herself it was silly to spend time on something like this when she still had packing to finish up, but she couldn’t let it go. It gnawed at her and she had to continue her search until she found whatever it was.

Natalie Fowler walked in holding a PADD. “You still in here, Lieutenant?”

Mei-Wan nodded. “Still.”

Fowler set the PADD on the desk. “Here’s my final review back, and thanks.”

“You’re a good scientist, Natalie.”

“I’m just glad you didn’t mention any of my personality flaws.”

“Like what?” Mei-Wan asked.

She pointed at her mouth. “Like how I can’t keep this thing shut, but shoot it off at every opportunity.”

Mei-Wan smiled. “I told you, I’d forgotten about that. Besides you and I have the same problem– we see something, we have a hard time not saying what we think. A good scientist can keep their mouth shut, a great one can’t afford to. The only problem is it causes hell with personal relationships.”

“Hopefully on Hel’yra I can work on that.”

Mei-Wan almost said ‘me too’, but she didn’t. There was no point in dragging the younger woman into her problems with Jack.

Fowler stared at the display a moment. “Dreamer cults?”

Mei-Wan shrugged her shoulders. “You ever hear about anything like that?”

The ensign thought a moment. “Yeah, somewhere, but it’s been a while. Probably a class I had at the Academy.”

“I’ve been through all the texts the Academy uses and haven’t found anything yet.”

“This related to Hel’yra?” Fowler asked.

“No, just something the Cajmian Chairman said made me wonder.”

Natalie nodded. “Well, Nelith and Duarte have transferred over to the Venture already. I thought I’d wait around to go when you do in case you need help with anything.”

Mei-Wan smiled. “Thanks. I’m still a day or two from being ready to go.”

“That’s fine, I’m in no hurry.”

=/\=

Jack sat in his Ready Room going over a report from Lee McGuire concerning the Corps of Engineers. They had finally gotten everything out of the Chamberlain’s Main Bay and had begun construction on the spacedock that would establish a starbase in orbit of Cajma Six. Now Jack just wished they’d hurry up and get enough of their work done so they could take their personnel off his ship.

The engineers had been far too rowdy for Jack’s tastes and for the tastes of the rest of his crew. Two members of the Corps of Engineers troubled Jack the most, but so far he had been able to avoid them. Only a few more days, he told himself, and the two Deltan women would be off his ship.Akala Wilmarza walked up the steps into the Ready Room and over to Jack’s desk. He looked up at her.

“Anything?” he asked.

She took a deep breath and sat down in the chair across from him. “I have never come in contact with a mind that I couldn’t sense at least something from, but it was as if Beheer was a corpse.”

Jack had been certain Akala would be able to get through the Cajmian’s mental defenses. M’naran telepathic abilities were much better than those of Betazoids.

“Is it possible he’s using some form of technology to block mind probes?” Jack asked.

“No. There are ways to tell if that were the case. Any time I’m around a machine that does that I tend to get nauseous. It could be that for some reason their species developed mental processes that are so different that I simply don’t sense them,” she said.

Jack nodded. “I know you were reluctant to do this, so thank you.”

“If I had actually gotten to his thoughts I wouldn’t have told you anything I found.”

“Even if it would keep the Federation out of a war?”

She looked down a moment, but then back to Jack. “No, sir. Even in that case I wouldn’t have.”

“Are you sure that’s the proper point of view for a Starfleet Officer?”

“Do you want me to share what goes on in our sessions with anyone else, even if I were ordered to?” she asked with a grin.

“That’s different.”

“What if Admiral Simmons were worried about you getting into a situation that might result in war?”

Jack knew she had him. But that didn’t mean he had to like it.”You’re right, Counselor,” he said with a frown.

She sat silently for several seconds. “Have you thought any more about Robin Nelson and Larissa James?”

Jack leaned back in his chair. “This isn’t one of our sessions.”

“No, but by asking about them now, I’m not as likely to get whatever prepared response you can come up with.”

“I do not prepare responses.”

She grinned ever so slightly. “Really?”

Jack hated this. “Okay, maybe once or twice I’ve thought a little bit about what I might say to you.”

“The first admission is always the hardest.”

Jack frowned at her. He couldn’t stand how she was always a couple of steps ahead of him.

“Well?” she asked.

“Okay, I’m not an idiot, at least I’d like to think I’m not. Aside from their dark blonde hair, Robin and Larissa only looked marginally alike.

Akala raised an eyebrow. “And?”

“You think there’s a connection between their deaths.”

“You tell me.”

He turned his chair away from her and watched the Corps of Engineers away in the distance as they continued their work on the outer frame and spine of the future spacedock. I should have been an engineer.

“Larissa meant a lot to me. She was… the first woman I ever fell in love with, I mean really in love with,” he said as he continued watching the tiny workbees and other craft buzz about in space. “It was hard enough seeing her die. It was harder still when I thought of a million ways afterward that her death could have been prevented– all the things I could have done different. If I had seen the Orion ambush…”“I’ve read Hank Evans report of that incident. He stated there was no way anyone could have known what you had walked into.”

“Hank was fifty meters away. I was there.”

Akala stood. “Captain, no one can see every possibility. Even if you could, all that would do is paralyze you into inaction. And sometimes being too cautious can be worse than being reckless.”

=/\=

Chapter 7 - Whispers From The Deep

Several days later, Jack was again at his desk looking out into space watching the Corps of Engineers work proceed at what seemed an impossible pace. They had already built living areas for themselves and just that morning activated a temporary life support system. The Deltan women were finally off his ship. He wouldn’t have to face that temptation.

He noticed the Defiant class Abdiel soar past the Chamberlain. He had wondered when Falco would finally arrive.

Jack turned around and saw Hank Evans and about ten feet behind him, stood Timothy Blackwell.

“What is it, Hank?”

“Seems our science officer has something he wants to show you.”

Jack leaned back in his chair. “Is it urgent?”

Hank grinned. “Oh, I think you ought to definitely see this.”

Jack saw that mischievous twinkle in his eyes that always indicated Hank Evans knew something that was guaranteed to make one’s day.

Jack waved Blackwell over. “What do you have, Timothy?”

Blackwell stepped up carrying two PADDs and a large three foot wide transparent sheet with various diagrams and equations on it.

“I’ve been going over the Cajmians’ information about their geothermal power stations and something doesn’t add up.”

Jack lifted an eyebrow as Blackwell approached the display panel near his desk.

“I’ve run the numbers more than ten times and either I’m really missing something or the Cajmians are being less than truthful.”

Jack turned to see Hank’s grin grow even wider than before while the display activated next to Blackwell.

“According to the Cajma Office of Power Resources they produce fourteen percent of their energy from the hydroelectric generators on their sea cities. Most of this is used to run the maintenance systems of each city and therefore not free for lighting, transport, communications, and civilian needs,” Blackwell stated as the display changed to show a schematic of a geothermal generator.

Jack nodded. “Okay, we knew that.”

Blackwell took a breath. “But sir, when I add up the total power output from all but one of their geothermal generators it’s only sixty percent of their energy needs.”

“All but one?” Jack asked.

The display next to Blackwell changed to show an overview of a reactor. “The one you flew over the other day accounts for forty-five percent of their total power.”

Jack’s brow tightened. “How do they get that much out of one reactor?”

Blackwell grinned. “That was what I wondered too. The fact is they don’t.”

Jack shook his head. “I’m afraid I don’t follow.”

Blackwell stepped up and pointed at the schematic transparency on the desk. “These are the local geothermal vents in that area and the taps that reactor has into them. It actually produces far less energy than any other reactor the Cajmians have.”

“Then where is the energy coming from?”

“You see this set of conduits that go straight down farther into the planet?”

Jack nodded.

“At first I thought they were tapping a deeper geothermal source or went down to the magma, but when I scanned I found nothing. At least at first.”

Jack took a deep breath. He hoped Blackwell had something more than an odd geological mystery for him.

“I knew you went over the site so I asked Mr. Evans if he had noticed anything unusual when he piloted the runabout.”

Hank stepped up. “I told Tim that all I had seen was the reactor and the small structure next to it.”

Jack looked at Hank. “That’s all I remember.”

Blackwell turned to the display and touched his PADD. On the screen a new image of the site showed nearly fifty small structures around the reactor.

Jack stood to his feet. “Those weren’t there before.”

“Oh, they were, sir. One week ago when the Venture first arrived they were there, but six hours later they were gone– moved some hundred kilometers away.”

“Why the hell would they move a set of buildings?” Jack asked.

“I did some checking through their records and up to sixty years ago this particular site was under water.”

“You’re losing me, Mr. Blackwell,” Jack said impatiently.

“Sir, sixty years ago the Cajmians were barely beyond an advanced industrial stage of development according to the Kel-j’na. Then at about the same time this reactor went online, their society leaped forward almost two hundred years.”

“Have you checked this out with your sources on Kel-j’na, Hank?”

Evans smiled. “Talked to the Prime Minister herself. She confirmed it.”

Blackwell walked back to the display which changed to show a side view schematic of the reactor. “I did a complete spectral scan of the reactor and found a null energy field two kilometers below the surface.”

Jack gave him a confused look. “A what?”

“It’s similar to a static warp shell, but simpler. The achronal boundary of the field effect produces…”

Jack held his hand up. “How could something like that be there?”

Blackwell shook his head. “I haven’t figured that out just yet, but the power levels are more than high enough to account for the energy levels this reactor is producing.”

Jack walked up to the display and stared at it for a full minute as Blackwell and Hank remained silent.

“There has to be more here for them to go to all this trouble to keep it secret from us,” he said.

Blackwell stepped up to Jack. “Those other structures aren’t there for power production, Captain. Every day transport convoys leave to a more distant location which we were told was a manufacturing facility, but I can’t find evidence that it’s anything more than a distribution center.”

Jack turned to him. “Giving me an even larger mystery only gets me agitated, Mr. Blackwell.”

“Sir, a null energy field located at the bottom of what used to be a sea, that the Cajmians went out of their way to drain sixty years ago and now produces power and goods for them, means they are in possession of a technology far beyond anything the Federation has,” Blackwell said.

Jack nodded. “A technology they obviously don’t want to share.”

He turned to Hank. “If they have something like this, then why all the concern about us protecting them from the Naitr’m? If this really is advanced technology they’ve dug up, then why not use that and leave us out of their business?”

Hank grinned. “That assumes they’ve figured this thing out completely. They may just see it as a source of goodies and nothing more. And it might be this very thing they want protection for.”

“An advanced power source like this might encourage their neighbors to take special interest in their world,” Jack said.

“It may be that the Naitr’m already know about this and that’s why they’ve been such a problem for the Cajmians,” Hank replied.

Jack went back to his desk and sat down in his chair. He looked up at Blackwell. “You’re sure of your facts on this?”

“I do have detailed notes on everything I’ve told you, sir. If you’d like I can go into all of it if you need further convincing,” Blackwell said.

Jack smiled. “No, I’m convinced. I just want to make sure when I take this to Gann I’m not left swinging in the wind.”

=/\=

Jack stood in Gann’s Ready Room, stunned.

“We’ve known about it since the second day after we arrived.”

Jack took a deep breath. “Pardon me for asking, sir, but when were you planning on informing me about it?”

“I didn’t feel we had enough information just yet. We’re still trying to figure out how this null energy field is producing the raw materials they’re shipping to their cities.”

Jack did his best not to yell, but it was getting harder each moment that sick smile remained on Gann’s face.”Captain Gann, you will be leaving in three days and the Chamberlain will remain for six months. Didn’t you think I and my crew needed to be informed about this? And what of their Federation membership? Does the ambassador know about this?”

Gann’s smile evaporated. “No, and I’m ordering you not to tell him. At least not yet.”

“You plan on just letting them become a Federation member without explaining this?”

Gann stood. “They don’t sign the treaty until tomorrow morning.”

“That’s not much time,” Jack said.

“I agree. That’s why we’re going to act today,” Gann replied. “I’ve called a staff meeting for thirty minutes from now. I want you there along with a couple members of your crew.”

=/\=

Jack walked into the main conference room of the Venture and was about to take a seat when he saw Mei-Wan enter the room. He quickly walked up to her.

“You transferred over already?”

Mei-Wan took a deep breath. “No. I’m still not done packing. I got a call twenty minutes ago from Gann. He asked me to do a quick analysis of some scans and to come over for this meeting.”

Jack grinned. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but why the hell would he want you here?”

Mei-Wan mirrored his grin. “He didn’t say, but I’m glad to see you too.”

Jack chuckled. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” she said as she put her hand on his cheek. “Jack, I won’t leave the Chamberlain before we get a chance to say goodbye.”

He nodded and was about to say something, but Gann, Olwen Lasas, and K’lremi walked quickly into the room and took their seats at the table.

“We don’t have a lot of time, so let’s begin,” Gann said.

Everyone sat. Mei-Wan took the chair next to Jack. He realized this was the first time they’d been together in a staff meeting.”Lieutenant McCall, did your analysis of the power station find anything unusual?” the captain of the Venture asked.

“Yes, sir,” Mei-Wan began. She stood to her feet and activated the display screen in the room. A three dimensional diagram of the reactor rotated slowly as she continued. “This particular reactor was recently constructed upon a former sea bed. The stratification of the local terrain indicates it was probably done within the last fifty to seventy years. Scans also indicate a much older structure directly beneath the power station.”

As the diagram expanded outward K’lremi spoke, “How much older?”

“Without getting a chance to test the soil directly, which would be difficult since it’s a sealed cavern, it’s at least millions of years old.”

“It’s a sealed cavern?” Timothy Blackwell asked.

“Yes.”

“Then how are they getting the energy and materials out? They only recently acquired transporter technology.”

Mei-Wan shook her head. “I don’t know, but there are large artifacts surrounding the cavern. They appear to be statues of a form I’ve never seen before.”

The display changed to show a twisted non-humanoid form.

“I can’t get better resolution than this without a ground scan, but…” The display zoomed out and a distance away from the statues was a larger structure.

Gann’s eyes widened. “That is nearly two kilometers underground?”

“Along with the statues, yes, sir,” Mei-Wan said. “From the looks of it, I’d say it was a temple of some sort.”

Gann turned to Jack. “Any questions for the lieutenant, Captain McCall?”

“No, she’s thorough as always, sir.”

Gann turned to Mei-Wan. “Thank you, Lieutenant.”

She took her seat next to Jack again. Olwen Lasas looked across the table at both Jack and Mei-Wan and smiled.

“Obviously we need more information,” Gann said.

“Getting it may be a problem,” K’lremi started. “The Cajmians have restricted that airspace and insisted we avoid it.”

“Really? That is interesting,” Gann said.

“They claim the reactor is having problems.”

Gann turned to Jack. “Captain McCall, Commander Lasas has requested an opportunity to check out the Personnel Department aboard the Chamberlain and get a chance to meet the staff.”

Jack frowned. Gann had been many things the last several days, but cryptic wasn’t one of them. “Sir?”

“She would like you to take her over using a shuttle, in fact a particular runabout,” Gann said with a slight grin.

Jack looked at Lasas who smiled. “I hate the transporter,” she said.

Jack slowly nodded. “Is that because a transporter can’t malfunction and require an emergency landing in a particular area on the surface?”

Gann leaned forward. “If I sent a large team down there, the Cajmians would be certain to raise holy hell, but a shuttlecraft in an emergency situation is a circumstance they’re not likely to suspect. I’ve talked this over with Olwen and she agrees it’s unlikely an entire species could be resistant to telepathic probing. My guess is the Chairman is one of the few. If she can get a chance to just be around the Cajmians working at the reactor we should be able to find out what’s going on without anyone knowing we’re doing it.”

Jack took a deep breath. “And if someone does suspect? Say Ambassador Wakernaggle?”

Gann tilted his head slightly to one side. “Then I can claim it was the ‘troubled’ Captain McCall who once again had snapped.”

Mei-Wan turned to look at Gann. She couldn’t believe Gann would use Jack like this.

Gann looked directly at her while Jack stared at the table. “Perhaps this sounds unethical to some of you, but tomorrow morning the Cajmians become members of the United Federation of Planets and if what I suspect they’re up to is the truth, that cannot be allowed to happen.”

He took a deep breath. “I’m asking each one of you at this table to trust me.”

“You leave in ten minutes,” Gann said. “Dismissed.”

Everyone except Gann, Jack, Mei-Wan, and K’lremi left the room.

Mei-Wan stood from her seat and watched Jack for a moment. On her way out, she glared at Gann.

“I’m sorry, Captain, but I have to have an option if things go wrong,” Gann said.

Jack didn’t lift his gaze from the table. “Tell me something, is this why you and Simmons had me sent out here– so that if something went wrong, you’d have a fall guy?”

Gann leaned back in his seat. “Was this the plan all along? No. I’m just using a resource at my disposal to achieve the goal at hand, McCall.”

He took a deep breath. “I may have to ask a lot of you if things go bad, but it’s the very nature of the Federation we’re fighting for. If I’m right, the Cajmians can’t be allowed to be a part of something more important than you, me, or our careers.”

Jack stood and looked at K’lremi. “Did you know about this?”

She didn’t look at him. She only nodded.

Jack turned away from her. “I’ll do what you ask, sir.”

He walked out of the room leaving Gann and his executive officer alone.

=/\=

A minute after the runabout left the Venture its impulse engines went offline and the small craft plummeted into the Cajmian atmosphere. Five minutes after that, Jack gave a convincing performance of a vessel in dire trouble throwing up tons of soil as the craft ‘crashed’ on the surface.

He and Olwen exited the runabout twenty seconds later and began as any crash survivors would, walking to the nearest sign of habitation which just happened to be the power reactor the officers of both the Venture and Chamberlain had become so concerned about.

“So, you know what it is Gann suspects about the reactor,” Jack asked Olwen.

“Yes.”

He shook his head as they were about seventy feet away from one of the fifty or so buildings now surrounding the site. “You mind sharing it with me?”

“I’m sorry, Captain McCall, but I’m under orders to say nothing to you or anyone else.”

Jack rolled his eyes. “I’m an idiot for agreeing to this.”

“Your wife doesn’t think you’re an idiot.”

“Don’t be so certain. She knows my idiocy better than anyone,” Jack said with a grin.

Olwen smiled. “I know how she felt about you in the conference room earlier.”

Jack turned to the Counselor. “It won’t matter in another day or two.”

“Because she’s leaving the Chamberlain?”

Jack nodded and glanced up at the noonday sun.

Commander Lasas shook her head. “What I sensed from her wasn’t a simple infatuation. She deeply loves you.”

“A lot can change in a year, especially when…” Jack didn’t finish.

He stopped walking and pointed ahead. “I think they’ve found us.”

Directly ahead of their position ten heavily armed Cajmians ran toward them, shouting.

Olwen stepped next to Jack. “I just need a few minutes to sense their thoughts. The more we delay the more I can learn and the more the shuttle can continue its scans.”

Jack turned to her. “What scans?”

She smiled. “The ones of the entire area being transmitted back to the Venture this very moment.”

“And Gann thinks the Cajmians are less than forthcoming,” Jack said as the guards surrounded them. He raised his hands into the air and smiled wide hoping that they’d see it as a sign of submission. The thought did cross his mind that he had never seen Beheer smile and it might be because their culture saw it as offensive or worse– aggressive.

Jack looked at Olwen. “Anything?”

She didn’t respond. “Hey, you okay?”

Commander Olwen Lasas fell to her knees and screamed. Jack went to the ground to help her, forgetting those who held weapons pointed his direction.

Lasas turned her head skyward. “Pain!” she cried. “Betrayal! Pain!”

A moment later she collapsed into the fine sands of Cajma.

=/\=

Olwen Lasas opened her eyes and saw the smiling face of Jack McCall look down at her.

“Glad you came back to us,” he said and motioned a doctor over to the biobed in the Venture’s Sickbay.

“How did we get here?” she asked.

Jack raised an eyebrow. “It was pretty boring actually. The Cajmians only threatened to kill me twice.”

She tried to sit up, but found it difficult. “I have to see Captain Gann, now.”

Jack nodded. “He’ll be here. What did you sense down there?”

She shook her head. “I’ll only tell Captain Gann.”

Jack’s face became stern. “I’m the one who almost got shot when I tried to get them to let me help you. You owe me.”

She turned away from him. “No.”

Jack forced her to face him. “There’s something alive down there. A being of some kind.”

She slowly nodded.

Jack let her go. At that moment, Cyrus Wakernaggle stormed into the room.

“What in the name of hell did you think you would accomplish, Captain McCall?!”

Jack turned to him, but said nothing.

“Oh, don’t think I and the Cajmians don’t see through your little ‘emergency’. I’ve seen your service record. Only a complete incompetent would have taken that shuttle near a power reactor and not ejected or transported off. You have placed everything I have worked for at risk!”

Jack thought for a moment about the way Gann hadn’t been straight with him and how Wakernaggle, while certainly odd, had been more than courteous to him. In the end, it was an easy choice to make between the two men, despite Hank Evans’ warning about the ambassador.

“I was following orders, Mr. Ambassador,” Jack said plainly.

Olwen sat up and stared at Jack. “Captain McCall, no.”

Wakernaggle turned to her and his anger subsided. “Yes, I see.”

He turned to Jack. “Gann ordered you, didn’t he?”

Jack nodded. “Yes, sir.”

The ambassador grinned. “Take a walk with me, Captain McCall.”

The Venture’s Counselor shook her head. “Don’t trust him, Jack.”

Wakernaggle had already left the room expecting Jack to follow. After a moment of thought he did.

He caught up to the ambassador in the corridor.

“A wise choice, young man.”

“You’ve not lied to me as far as I can tell,” Jack said.

“And Captain Gann has on numerous occasions?”

Jack just smiled.

Wakernaggle laughed. “Julien Gann comes from a dangerous breed of Starfleet officers, Jack. He places his own ideas of morality and ethics above all else, making himself, because of the power at the hands of a starship captain, for all practical purposes, a god. His kind don’t allow the concepts of due process or representative government to get in the way of what they know with absolute certainty to be right.”

Jack listened as they continued down the corridor. He wasn’t sure he really trusted Wakernaggle either, but what he said made sense to Jack. He had become increasingly worried about Gann’s attitudes.

The ambassador smiled. “Sometimes I wonder if men like Gann are so lofty they require teams of men to remove the loads of marble from their water closets on a daily basis.”

Jack chuckled. He might have put it a bit more crudely, but he understood the sentiment.

They stopped walking next to a turbolift door.

Wakernaggle turned to him. “Go back to your ship, Captain. I will deal with Julien Gann.”

For the first time Jack was worried about the ambassador. There was something about the glee in his eyes that actually scared Jack, but he was the last person to stick around and defend Gann.

“Goodbye, Ambassador.”

“Take care of yourself, my boy. You have a bright future ahead of you.”

Jack stepped into the turbolift and after the doors closed he was more than a little worried he had just sold his soul to the devil.

=/\=

Chapter 8 - When The Mourning Begins

Jack rushed into the Archaeology Lab in a dead run. He was afraid he was going to miss her despite her promise. The moment he passed through the doorway he stopped and smiled. She’s still here.

Mei-Wan picked up two PADDs off her desk and turned toward him.

Time froze as it had so many times before when he looked at her.

Jack stood but a foot away from her. He caught the scent of her hair and paused. There was so much about her he was going to miss. Especially the little ways she made his days worth living.

“What?” she asked as he stood staring at her.

A grin crept across Jack’s face. How could he put even a tenth of what he was feeling into words? He took a long breath and held it for a moment.

“You’re not taking all your artifacts?” he asked and pointed at the wall of wooden shelves on one side of the lab.

“For the last day Natalie has been pushing me to get over to the Venture. Since Nelith and Duarte are already there I think she’s afraid they might take off for Hel’yra without us. I promised her we’d leave as soon as I got a chance to see you.”

“You want me to take care of that stuff for you?”

Mei-Wan shook her head. “No, Sunita said she’d pack it up and have it sent to me. I figure I’ll eventually get it.”

“I’ll make sure you do,” Jack said softly.

The man and woman who had been through so much pain and love together stood silently for nearly a minute. It wasn’t that neither of them had nothing to say, it was they had too much to say– too much that had been left unsaid for far too long and they both finally realized it. Now only minutes remained.

Jack took a step toward her. He wanted to do so much more. He wanted to scream at the Universe and tell it “No!” He wanted to do a lot of things.

“Mei, if sometime over the next year or so you…”

She watched a tear fall from his right eye. Part of her wanted to run from the room to avoid the pain she knew was coming. The other part wanted to grab the man she loved and go to a shuttle and run away from everything. She knew she’d do neither, but it frightened her that between the two she couldnt decide which she wanted more.

Jack took a deep breath and forced himself to continue. “If you decide that you don’t want to come back please don’t hold off telling me.”

“Is that what you think I want?” she asked barely able to hold back the flood of emotions fighting within her.

Jack looked into her warm brown eyes and wondered what had pushed them so far apart. In these last moments together he wished more than anything he could say something, anything that could make it right again.

“I don’t know what you want, Mei. You told me you had feelings for this Kyle Hoffman, so what am I supposed to think?” Jack asked. “You’ll be with him for the next year.”

“You think I’m going just to be with him?”

Jack thought he saw a momentary hesitation in her, as if she wasn’t certain herself of the answer to that question. “No. I insisted you go, remember?”

He looked into her eyes, hoping for a glimmer of hope for their marriage. “A month and a half ago I asked if you loved Hoffman, you wouldn’t give me a straight yes or no answer.”

Mei-Wan looked away from her husband. He deserved a reply, but she didn’t know if she could give him one.

Jack gently touched her chin to turn her gaze back to him. “Mei, I need an answer.”

She stared directly into his eyes. “Yes, I think I do still love him.”

No words ever hurt Jack McCall as those did. I’ve lost her, he thought. She’ll never come back to me.

Mei-Wan continued to look into his eyes. “But can you tell me you don’t still love Larissa James? I know you do.”

“Larissa is dead, Mei.”

“Do you think competing against a woman who’s been dead for twenty years has been easy for me?” she asked.

Jack shook his head. “Mei, you don’t have to compete against…”

He smiled at her. “I love you, Mei. There is no other woman I’d rather have in my life.”

“Then why can’t you accept that while I may still have feelings for Kyle and may even still love him, that my love for you is all that matters to me?” Mei-Wan asked.

Jack’s smile faded as he considered bringing up something else that had lingered from a month and a half before. He had run out of time. It had to be asked. “Because the other question you wouldn’t answer was whether or not you’d sleep with him if you went on the expedition. Can you answer that now?”

Mei-Wan turned away from Jack. She searched her own heart. This was something she had avoided facing from the moment she had met Kyle in the café on Yed Post Four. Despite all the words she spoke to Jack trying to reassure him, all that really mattered was what she would do.”Jack, will you and I be together once I finish with the expedition?”

His anger flared and he grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around to face him. “Damn it! It’s a simple question, Mei! Are you going to sleep with him?!”

Mei-Wan trembled as he held her arms. “I don’t know!” she cried.

Jack’s eyes widened as he freed her from his grasp. He took several steps back. His world had just shattered. “Then, no. We won’t be together when you finish.”

He backed away from her toward the door.

Mei-Wan tried to step up to him, but he held his hands up to stop her. “Jack, please, I love you!”

“If you can’t answer that question, then you can’t say you love me. It’s that simple, Mei,” he whispered.

Jack turned and left the lab. Mei-Wan took a step toward the door, but stopped.

“Jack…” She hesitated in front of the door.

Mei-Wan stood staring at the closed door, her eyes filling with the tears she would soon shed as she mourned the marriage she was certain had just died.

=/\=

“You incomprehensible fool!”

Julien Gann had been called many things by Cyrus Wakernaggle and he was certain before the day was out he’d hear a lot worse.

“You don’t have all the facts!” Ambassador Wakernaggle screamed.

“And I doubt you’ll give me any I can trust!” Gann yelled back.

The captain of the Venture sat down in his chair and was glad the two of them were having this out in his Ready Room and not the bridge.

“You may very well destroy this world’s last chance to leave the madness of their past behind.”

“That’s not up to us, Ambassador. That’s up to them.”

Wakernaggle took a deep breath as he stood across the desk from Gann. “Beheer has been secretive because their society is teetering on the edge. This Dreamer Cult has grown enormous the last two decades and he knows Federation membership will expand his people’s horizons– get them to think outside their own narrow interests.”

Gann shook his head. “Did you miss the whole point of the Prime Directive? That’s not our business!”

The ambassador sat down in a chair trying his best to remain calm. “They have a lot to offer the Federation.”

“Then why not admit what they’re doing down there?”

“Because his people would have him removed from office. He has a delicate balancing act he has to play against. His people are naturally distrustful of outsiders. If you try to force the issue, everything will fall into chaos. We can save this world from that.”

“Cyrus, the Cajmians are torturing a living being down on that planet. A being they are using to supply them with power and raw materials. They see it as only some magical wishing well, but it’s a living, thinking, sentient lifeform!” Gann shouted.

“You can’t make that known! That will play directly into the cultists’ views!”

Gann stood to his feet. “You knew about this all along!”

Wakernaggle’s eyes narrowed. “Be careful who you accuse and of what, Captain.”

“You damn fool. You’re selling out the Federation’s ideals. You’ll destroy over two hundred years of dedication and work by beings from over a hundred worlds.”

Wakernaggle’s face became more stern and dark than Gann ever remembered seeing it. “The Federation is the individual citizens of those worlds and what they decide it will be, not the arrogant presumptions of a few starship captains who uniquely have the power to force their narrow-minded notions on whole sections of this Galaxy!”

Gann shook his head. “Before this day is out, that being will be set free.”

Wakernaggle stepped up to the edge of the desk. “If you do that, your career in Starfleet will end before this day is out.”

The ambassador turned and stormed out of the Ready Room.

=/\=

Jack walked onto the bridge of the Chamberlain and sat down in his command chair. Hank Evans walked over to him.

“You say goodbye?”

Jack nodded. “Yeah.”

Arthur Conrad at the communications station turned to his captain. “Sir, a message from the Venture.”

“On screen,” Jack said.

Captain Gann appeared standing on the bridge of his ship. “Captain McCall, as I think you know, the Cajmians are holding an intelligent lifeform against its will and using that being to provide energy and materials for their use. This is something which violates everything Starfleet and the Federation stands for. I intend to free this being. My science officer has determined that an energy pulse from our main deflector set to a certain frequency will disrupt the null energy field holding the entity, setting it free.”Jack stood from his chair. “Captain Gann, I think it might be better to talk this over with the Cajmians first. Perhaps we can convince them…”

Gann cut him off. “If we wait for them to become members of the Federation they might very well be able to tie this up with the Council for months or even years. No. I will not allow that being down there to suffer any longer than it already has.”

Jack sat back down. He knew there was no way to talk Gann out of this course of action.

“I’m out here to make a difference, McCall. Frankly I don’t know what you’re out here for. You don’t know either, do you?”

Jack was about to say something he was sure he’d later regret; the faces of his crew almost demanded he do something, but a signal from Cajma Six took that opportunity away from him.

Conrad announced, “Sir, the Cajmian Chairman is signaling the Venture.”

Jack nodded. “Tap into the signal.” He turned to Hank. “I want to see this.”

Hank Evans grinned. “What do you want to do if Gann tries to go through with this?”

“I don’t know if there’s much we can do.”

Hank pointed at his tactical station. “I could disable their main deflector.”

Jack’s eyes went wide. “Fire on the Venture?”

“I just want you to be aware of your options,” Hank said.

Negev stepped up to Jack. “Captain, it might be wise to consider Mr. Evans suggestion. Captain Gann’s legal standing on this is murky at best.”

“The last thing I want to do is open fire on that ship, gentlemen,” Jack said softly enough for only Hank and Negev to hear.

The main viewscreen flashed to life with the image of Chairman Beheer. “Captain Gann! If you attack our power station we will be forced to retaliate against your vessel!”

=/\=

On the bridge of the Venture, Gann took a breath. “We are not attacking the power station. We are only going to set free the being you have imprisoned.” Gann thought a moment. “Wakernaggle has been talking to you, hasn’t he, Mr. Chairman?”

“That is irrelevant.”

“What’s relevant is your people have enslaved a being on your world and that is a direct violation of the treaty you’re signing tomorrow. You’re using that lifeform to produce energy for your people among other things.”

Beheer sneered at Gann. “Why not? It is here. Should we not use it? This is our world, Captain! You have no right to dictate to us!”

Gann couldn’t believe the arrogance of Beheer. “That treaty is no mere formality. It has meaning because the Federation stands for something!”

“If you free it, we will demand compensation from the Federation Council and ask that you be placed on trial for stealing a natural resource from our world.”

Gann almost laughed. A natural resource? Is Beheer insane? Didn’t Wakernaggle explain what the Federation stood for?

“You can bill me, Mr. Chairman,” Gann replied. He turned to K’lemi. “Commander, activate the energy transfer.”

His executive officer nodded and turned to the operations officer to carry out Gann’s order.

His counselor, Olwen Lasas walked up next to him. “You’re doing the right thing, Captain.”

He turned to her and smiled. “Let’s hope were not too late to help this being.”

=/\=

Five seconds later a bright energy beam traveled from the Venture’s deflector down through the planet’s atmosphere and stuck the area of the power reactor. Numerous small flying vessels were already in the sky leaving the area.

=/\=

On the Chamberlain bridge, Jack watched Gann act.

Hank Evans cursed himself for not checking before. He quickly called up information on a display to tell him if a certain lieutenant had left the ship. He had to free Jack to have the only option open to him.

=/\=

The ground about the power reactor started to shake gently at first, but as the energy continued to come down from the sky, the quaking became more violent. The local hills had small boulders rolling down them creating a thunderous noise in the night sky over Cajma Six.

=/\=

Olwen stepped closer to the Venture’s viewscreen as if she were listening to something. Then a smile broke out on her face.

“Captain, it’s working!”

Gann walked up to stand next to her. “Can you sense it?”

“Yes, sir. The pain has gone. I sense a feeling of freedom. Its mind… it’s becoming aware of everything around it. The land, the sky, the…” her voice faded away.

Gann smiled, but his joy was short-lived. The next moment Olwen Lasas screamed and collapsed to the deck.

=/\=

The door to the Chamberlain bridge opened and Akala Wilmarza staggered through it.

“Captain! Stop them! Its thoughts… it wants revenge– terrible revenge!”

Jack turned to Hank. “Target the Venture!”

=/\=

Jack McCall was ten seconds too late. On the surface of Cajma Six a bright glowing mass of pulsating energy, alive and intelligent, burst out from the power reactor and into the air illuminating the surrounding mountains. And for the first time in long ages it was free to strike out at those who had used it– at those who had treated it as a mere thing to be used.

Chairman Beheer stood in the cool night air on his terrace overlooking his marvelous city on the sea. He had risked his entire political career on joining the United Federation of Planets. He never imagined he had placed his very life at risk at well. Along with the rest of the Cajmian people the last moments of his life were spent in absolute agony of a kind he’d never thought possible.

It struck him like a terrible ocean wave, but one of pure energy rather than water. It struck him, but would not let him fall until it had consumed everything that made him unique.

He was dead before his body hit the ground.

=/\=

Captain Gann called his chief medical officer over the comm as he held the lifeless body of Olwen in his arms. He could not imagine what had happened. None of it made sense to him.

K’lremi looked up from the science station and turned to him. “Captain, a wave of energy has encircled Cajma Six! We’re showing no life signs from the planet!”

Gann gently lowered his counselor’s body to the deck. “Are you certain? Could the energy just be interfering with our sensors?”

K’lremi shook her head.

A communication from the Chamberlain came over the comm. “Gann, this is McCall! Raise your shields! Raise your…”

Everyone one the Venture’s bridge was tossed from where they stood to the floor as the ship shuddered violently.

=/\=

The mass of energy Captain Gann freed passed slowly through the port side of the Sovereign class starship causing minor explosions across the primary hull of the vessel.

“Target the mass of energy!” Jack McCall ordered. He wasn’t taking any chances it wouldn’t take another run at the Venture or turn and attack his own ship.

Timothy Blackwell looked at Jack with horror on his face. “Captain, all life on the planet is gone and… my scans indicate more than a third of the Venture’s crew is dead.”

Jack stood to his feet. Mei! No, please no!

“Confirm your scans,” Jack said in a desperate whisper.

Blackwell shook his head. “Sir, I have. The entire port side of the saucer section shows no life signs.”

Jack turned to Melissa Vargas at the operations station. “What is on the port side of their saucer section?”

Melissa’s mind was too full of disbelief to even hear his question clearly. “What sir?”

“Damn it, are the science labs on the port side?!”

Melissa finally realized what he was asking. It’s Mei-Wan he’s asking about. She’s supposed to be over there by now.

“Science labs… are on the port side of the saucer section.”

Jack closed his eyes.

Hank looked up from his tactical station. He knew Jack needed information. “The mass of energy has just gone to high warp speed and left the system.”

Jack turned to Hank, his face empty of all emotion. “Secure from red alert,” he said softly.

Hank could imagine what he was going through. If she had…

The tactical station blurted a loud chime to get Hank’s attention. He looked down and a moment later a smile came to his face. “Jack, she’s still here!”

Jack McCall stepped toward Hank. “Where?”

“According to the computer she’s still down in the Archaeology Lab.”

Jack smiled and felt guilty the moment he did so. A huge number of people had just died and all he could think of was the life of one person. “Are you sure she didn’t just leave her comm badge behind?” he asked Hank.

Evans shook his head. “I can’t imagine, but…” He frowned at Jack. “Go find out.”

Jack turned to Negev who nodded. “I’ll take care of rescue operations for the Venture, sir. Go.”

Less than three seconds later Jack was off the bridge.

=/\=

He ran down to the Archaeology Lab. Despite what Hank had told him he had to be sure. He had to see her for himself.

The doors opened and there she stood lowering a small bronze statue into a packing crate.

Jack couldn’t stop himself from smiling. She’s alive!

He started to take a step forward into the lab, but stopped. More than anything he wanted to throw his arms around Mei-Wan and just hold his wife. The problem was, after their earlier conversation, he wasn’t sure he should call her that any longer.

He took a deep breath and backed away from the door, allowing it to close.

Mei-Wan turned about to see who came in, but no one was there. She had been expecting Natalie Fowler to come looking for her eventually. She knew the ensign would be furious with her delay, but after the argument with Jack, she no longer cared.

Mei-Wan walked over to the wooden shelves holding the last few items she had to pack. She stared at a stone figurine from the Iconian expedition she went on years ago. It was the only one of its kind– beyond priceless, but all she could think of at that moment was throwing it against a wall and watching it shatter.

The doors opened again and this time Natalie Fowler walked slowly up to her.

“Lieutenant, the Venture was just attacked,” the young ensign said.

“By what? I heard the red alert…”

“I still don’t know, but everyone on the port side of the saucer section is dead.”

Mei-Wan tried to remember. No, she thought. “Duarte and Nelith?”

Fowler shook her head. “I don’t know.” She held up a PADD and handed it to Mei-Wan. “I think you better take a look at this.”

“What is it?” Mei-Wan asked.

“Something I was doing just out of curiosity while I was waiting for you. It’s just a suspicion, but…”

Mei-Wan stood to her feet after only reading a few lines of text from the device. “We’ve got to check on this now, Natalie!”

=/\=

Jack entered Gann’s Ready Room an hour later and found the gray-haired captain’s desk covered with several mountains of PADDs. No doubt with damage and worse, casualty reports.

Gann peered up from what he was reading. “Yes? What is it, Captain McCall?”

Jack stood rather than sat. “I wanted to let you know that the Corps of Engineers has begun work on repairing the Venture and say they should have you operational in forty-eight hours.”

Gann nodded and leaned back in his seat, pulling the bottom of his uniform jacket down. “Very well.”

He stared at Jack for several seconds. “It was the right thing to do.”

Jack shook his head. He really didn’t want to get into this.

“You don’t agree?” Gann asked.

Jack could tell he wasn’t going to let this go. “It doesn’t matter if I agree or not.”

Gann rose to his feet furious. “Then don’t blame me!”

“Excuse me, but I suggested we wait until we had further information!”

“And did you act on your convictions, Captain? No, you did nothing! At least I acted.”

Jack set his jaw. He had reached his limit with this man. “You certainly ‘made a difference’! Two billion dead, that’s quite an accomplishment!”

Gann looked down for a moment, the weight of that number was still too much for him to fully accept. Even he wondered if he was capable of thinking clearly this soon after what had happened “We all mourn for their loss, but the Cajmians set this series of events into motion. Are we to be surprised that a being held captive for who knows how long might seek revenge on those who oppressed it? On those who had used it for their own selfish desires?”

Jack shook his head. “There is nothing that can justify what happened here.”

“Get out.” Gann said as he stood his ground.

“Go try that explanation with the families of your crew that were lost. See what they say about your noble ideals.”

Gann’s eyes narrowed. “You mean like you explained to Robin Nelson’s family how she died keeping a secret for a war that ended five days later?”

Jack’s mind spun. He’s been receiving reports from Akala! That green bitch!

Gann took a step nearer to him. “And how you explained to Larissa James’ family why she died?” He lowered his voice. “I knew Larissa from the time she was born. Her father and I had served together on our first assignment out of the Academy. Her death destroyed him.”

Jack slowly looked up. “We were ambushed.”

Gann nodded. “I know that. You can never know all the possibilities, Jack McCall. You can only act with what you know. Your responsibility ends there.”

But Jack wasn’t listening. All that he heard was the pain from a lifetime of service that continued to consume him.

He looked directly into Gann’s eyes. “If you had delayed that energy pulse an hour my wife would have been on this ship, in the section that was hit. She’d be dead with all the others.”

Jack stepped to just a few inches from Gann. “And about now you’d be joining them.”

Gann’s eyes went wide. For a brief moment, he was afraid in the most primal way, but his training took over. “Are you threatening me, Captain McCall?”

“I’m telling you.”

Gann nodded and turned about. He walked back behind his desk. “You are relieved of your command.”

“What?”

“As Task Group Commander, that is within my authority,” Gann said with stern finality. “Commander Negev will take command immediately. You are restricted to your quarters until further notice.”

Jack laughed. “You’re insane! The loss of your crew…”

“My grief for my crew is my own concern, Captain McCall. Now get out or I’ll have you placed in my brig.”

Gann sat down and ignored him. Jack knew the conversation was over. He turned and left.

Thirty seconds later, Cyrus Wakernaggle strolled into the room, carrying a PADD in his wrinkled hands.

“What is it, Ambassador?” Gann asked.

Wakernaggle handed him the PADD. “This is my report to the Federation Council. You will notice that I place responsibility for what happened here on your shoulders and that if you had heeded Captain McCall’s warnings of caution…”

“If Captain McCall had believed enough in his point of view, he would have acted to stop me even to the point of disabling this ship,” Gann said as he threw Wakernaggle’s report onto a chair.

“Is that what you would have done had your positions been reversed?”

“Without hesitation,” Gann said. “I wouldn’t refer to McCall if I were you. His career is effectively over.”

A smile slowly crept across the ambassador’s face. “I believe the Council will agree with me.”

Gann stared directly at him. “They might just do that until they receive my report.”

Wakernaggle leaned onto the desk. “We shall see, Julien. We shall see.”

=/\=

Jack entered the Chamberlain’s bridge and walked up to Negev who was standing at the science station with Mei-Wan, Natalie Fowler, and Melissa Vargas. Timothy Blackwell’s hands danced over the controls in front of him.

Jack tapped Negev on the shoulder. “Lak, I’ve been relieved of my command.”

Mei-Wan spun about. “What?!”

“Gann just relieved me– restricted me to quarters and placed you in command.”

Negev nodded and thought a moment. “If indeed you have been relieved, then I should no longer accept orders from you… including these orders.”

Jack smiled. “It won’t be long before he contacts you.”

Negev turned his head. “I’m sure I’ll be busy.”

Jack chuckled as Mei-Wan stepped up next to him. “What happened?”

He couldn’t bring himself to turn to her. “It looks like I’m about due for a career change.”

Hank walked over to the crowd at the science station. “I just got a call from the Venture to restrict you to quarters, Jack.”

McCall turned to his old friend. “And?”

Hank shrugged his shoulders. “Just thought you might want to know.”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.” Hank leaned down to see the displays Blackwell worked on. “So, what’s up?”

“I don’t know. I just got here,” Jack replied.

Mei-Wan turned to them. “Natalie thinks she may have something on the being that left the planet. Tim is running an analysis.”

“I hope I’m wrong,” Ensign Fowler stated.

Blackwell’s station blurted out a loud chirping sound. “I’m afraid you’re right, Natalie. It’s a match.”

Negev turned to Jack. “Ensign Fowler thought there might be a connection between the null energy field confining the being on Cajma Six and the subspace field found on Hel’yra.”

Jack tilted his head to look at the science displays. “There is? But the machine on Hel’yra used energy from a star to power it.”

Blackwell nodded. “The underlying technology is the same. In the case of Cajma, the system, while simpler than that on Hel’yra, drew power from the planet’s core, which is why the Cajmians could siphon so much power out of it. They simply tapped the already existing flow of energy.”

He looked up at their captain. “But since most planets receive a substantial percentage of their heat from their cores, another few millennia and Cajma Six would have begun to die.”

Jack turned to Hank Evans, but his Tactical Officer wasn’t there. He had already run back to his station.

“I’m checking it,” Hank said as he worked his controls.

Mei-Wan followed Jack as he slowly walked back to his command chair, his eyes looking at the floor, but his mind racing.

“You think it’s heading to Hel’yra?”

Jack stopped in front of his chair. “Akala said she sensed the being wanted revenge. At the time, I assumed it was against the Cajmians. What if it was someone or something else? What if it isn’t the only one of its kind?”

Mei-Wan thought about the recording by the Ancient Progenitor female. “Susan told me the message said, ‘the lives of darkness must remain’– ‘lives’,” she said thinking out loud.

Mei-Wan looked at Jack. “There could be hundreds or thousands of those beings locked away on Hel’yra. If the Ancient Progenitors imprisoned them…”

Hank interrupted her. “The mass of energy that hit the Venture left the system at high warp on a direct heading for the Hel’yra nebula.”

Jack turned to Negev. “Contact the Ravenscroft and warn them to get out of the Hel’yra system immediately and have us set a course at warp nine point seven.”

Mei-Wan looked at Jack with fear in her eyes. “They can’t receive any signals inside that nebula.”

“They’re supposed to send a shuttle out every few days to contact Admiral Simmons on Kel-j’na. Let’s hope they get lucky.”

He turned to Lieutenant Commander Arthur Conrad at the communications station. “Get me Captain Gann.”

After a moment. “On screen, sir.”

“Gann, that being is heading for Hel’yra, we have to…”

Gann’s eyes were as wide as they could be. “You have been relieved, Captain! Mr. Negev place McCall under arrest!”

Negev stepped forward. “What was that, sir? Your signal didn’t come through very clearly.”

“Don’t throw away your career for him, Negev!”Jack shook his head. “I don’t have time for this! That being is headed for Hel’yra. We have reason to believe more of its kind may be imprisoned there.”

“Then I’ll signal Admiral Simmons to send a ship.”

Jack thought a moment, but his mind was made up. “You said I should act on my convictions, Gann. Now I’m doing so. We’re going to Hel’yra.”

Gann shook his head. “No, absolutely not!”

Jack sat in his command chair. “The Abdiel will remain behind to help the Corps of Engineers with the Venture’s repairs. McCall out.”

Gann’s image was replaced by a starfield that moved as the Chamberlain came about to leave the system.

Negev turned to Jack. “Course is set, warp nine point seven standing by.”

Jack took a deep breath. “Let’s haul ass.”

A moment later his ship shattered the light speed barrier and was on it’s way. Jack McCall only hoped there would be something they could do, and that they would get there in time to make a difference.

TO BE CONTINUED…

=/\= =/\= =/\=

Discover more Star Trek fan fiction by Michael Gray at:

http://darkhorizon.4mg.com/

Dark Horizon Story and Characters Copyright ©2003, 2011 by Michael Gray

Table of Contents

POINT OF A FAR ENCOUNTER

Chapter 1 - New Orders

Chapter 2 - Messages

Chapter 3 - Close Encounters

Chapter 4 - And Of Another Kind

Chapter 5 - Membership Has Its Privileges

Chapter 6 - Troubled Waters

Chapter 7 - Whispers From The Deep

Chapter 8 - When The Mourning Begins