From: sks1@Ra.MsState.Edu (Sujay Shaunak)
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
Subject: DELPHI : chapter 4
Date: 16 Oct 92 06:06:52 GMT
Organization: Mississippi State University


 
 
	"Decisions" 
 
 
 
	Commodore Albrit reclined in his chair. It was a comfortable 
chair, befitting a Star Fleet commodore. He had used this particular 
chair for many years now, and it was now more of a mold in which he 
sat, rather than anything else. He had not been terribly busy as there 
had been no events at the space dock that could not be handled by 
people lower on the command chain than he. Thus, he had had a rather 
peaceful several days. 
 
	Lt. Yarin walked into the Commodore's office, bearing a 
cup of hot coffee, traditional earth style. 
 
	"Thank you lieutenant." 
 
	The lieutenant exited the room and the Commodore eased back 
into his chair. He was relaxed, and the coffee was just how he enjoyed 
it, hot, with very little added. 
 
	He became more alert as his primary message console beeped. 
After sipping his coffee, he perked up in his chair and began 
reading as the message began scrolling across his screen. 
 
		--StarFleet Priority 3 Search Cancellation Notice     -- 
		--Issued          :  Captain Tziyn Orgl U.S.S Saracen -- 
		--Confirmation    :  Rear Admiral Hrgon               -- 
		--                                                    -- 
		--Proclamation    :  The two cargo freighters were    -- 
		--                   discovered by the U.S.S. Delphi  -- 
		--                   in the Antillian Asteroid Belt.  -- 
		--                   Both ships were deemed           -- 
		--                   spaceworthy by the               -- 
		--                   U.S.S. Saracen, in assistance.   -- 
		--                   Both crews were uninjured and    -- 
		--                   are continuing on their missions.-- 
		--                                                    -- 
 
	The Commodore ran his hands over his face. 
	'SO, THE DELPHI HAS ALREADY BEEN INVOLVED IN SOME 
	 ATYPICAL STARFLEET ACTION. 
 
	 THAT MALORY MUST BE HAVING THE TIME OF HIS LIFE. 
	 OH, TO BE A STARSHIP CAPTAIN AGAIN ....'. 
 
	The Commodore thought back to the time when he himself commanded 
a starship. Admittedly, it was not a great length of time, but for him, 
it felt as if he had commanded from a Captain's chair for many years. 
In truth he commanded a starship for less than three months. His 
reminisence was broken as his primary message console beeped again. 
It was already an odd "afternoon", and this only heightened the sense of 
oddity. He watched as another message began making its way across his 
screen. 
 
		--StarFleet Priority 3 Alert                          -- 
		--Issued          : Captain Tzyin Orgl U.S.S. Saracen -- 
		--Confirmation    : Rear Admiral Hrgon		      -- 
		--						      -- 
		--Proclamation    : 2 Ferengi ships attempted capture -- 
		--		    of 2 cargo freighters. In the     -- 
		--		    involved capture, these ships     -- 
		--		    attempted to ambush a StarFleet   -- 
		--		    vessel. One was destroyed while   -- 
		--	 	    being pursued by the U.S.S. Delphi-- 
		--	            The other escaped as it jettisoned-- 
		--		    hostages that it was carrying.    -- 
		--		    The U.S.S. Saracen regained the   -- 
		--		    former hostages with no apparent  -- 
		--		    loss of life. Be on alert for this-- 
		--	            Ferengi ship.		      -- 
		-- 						      -- 
 
	The Commodore shook his head for a moment. He touched a pad on 
his console. 
 
	"Lt. Yarin . 
	 Get me Rear Admiral Hrgon. Starbase 89. Priority 1." 
 
 
 
....... 
 
 
	Daimon Mok paced furiously. He was justifiably nervous. 
His ship was hurtling at warp 6 deep into Romulan space. He had 
convinced his crew of the profit involved in the venture and they 
were now following, even if grudgingly, his lead as they should. 
 
	'THAT GHO'DAN, HE WILL PAY ME FOR THE OTHER VESSEL AS WELL.' 
 
	Mok could still not believe the destruction of his partner's 
ship. While he was momentarily saddened, he instantly realized that 
he would more than double his profit margin, and the Romulans were paying 
handsomely. This brought a typical Ferengi grin to his face. 
 
	"Daimon, we are nearing the destination coordinates." 
 
	"Good, slow to impulse speed and wait." 
 
	Mok had advised his superiors that he and Daimon Poque were 
investigating new and potentially very profitable wormhole trade routes, 
as the two Daimons had made an agreement with the Romulans. The Romulans 
had already begun payment to him, but the first payment was in the form 
of changing the transponder codes for his ship. Mok anticipated a cargo 
bay of Romulan jewels. His eyes lit with greedy anticipation. 
 
	He glanced at his status board. His ship was at a barely comfortable 
distance from a large red star. 
 
	"Daimon ! Romulan Warbird Decloaking. Communications open." 
 
	"Greetings Commander Gho'dan ", Mok started. 
	"I am glad that we are able to conclude our business now." 
 
	Mok looked at the icy stare of the Romulan Commander. He felt 
uncomfortable. He did not enjoy sitting facing a Romulan Warbird, even 
when he had just completed a mission for the Romulans. 
 
	"Daimon Mok, your vessel and that of your compatriot gave us no 
useful information about the Delphi. Moreover, the hostages that you had 
obtained, you released." 
 
	"Commander," Mok smiled his Ferengi grin," we gave valuable 
information which cost us a ship ! Also, we placed your subspace 
transmitter as you requested. We expect our agreed payment !" 
 
	Mok's trepidation had now evaporated as thoughts of him 
running his hands through a cargo-hold of Romulan Jewels cascaded 
through his mind. 
 
 
..... 
 
	*BATTLE ALERT* 
	*CONDITION RED* 
 
	Flashing red lights punctuated the blaring klaxons erupting all 
over Chief Engineer Korn's office. Korn had just been making some slight 
alterations to the ships' replicators' power systems. A modification that 
he had thought of last evening over dinner. 
	Korn rose from his chair and went into main engineering. 
 
	"Ensign Moreau, shut that damm noise up", he yelled. 
 
	Abruptly, the klaxons were silent. 
 
	"Good. Now let's see what we have here." 
 
	Korn walked over to a general status panel. He observed that 
currently, the shield grids were activated and at full levels. As well, 
all phasers were ready and capable of firing. Then, he observed where 
some power was being re-routed to two areas near the primary sensor 
arrays. He traced the line with his finger. 
 
	'HMMM, MOST CURIOUS.' 
 
	"Ensign Tselda, trace down this anomolous power signature which 
is being routed from conduit 207-c." 
 
	Korn re-assessed the situation. Currently, the ship was at full 
operating power. He smiled at the engineering efficiency. He began 
preparations for bringing the warp reactor to a higher operating level 
should the need arise. He knew that warp reactors were very delicate 
things. 
 
	'HAH! WE'RE READY FOR ANYTHING', he thought, as he began the 
initiation sequence. 
 
 
 
........ 
 
 
	Romulan Commander Gho'dan looked at the pathetic Ferengi. 
 
	"Sub Commander, have they raised any defense shields ?" 
 
	"Yes Commander. They raised shields as soon as they dropped 
into the system." 
 
	Romulan Commander Gho'dan re-engaged the audio component of his 
message. 
 
	"Very well Daimon. Lower your shields and give us your cargo 
bay coordinates so that we may give you your fair payment." 
 
	Commander Gho'dan curled a lip ever so slightly. His tactical 
officer informed him that the Ferengi's ships's shields were now down. 
 
 
	"Here is your payment Daimon ...." 
 
 
....... 
 
 
	Daimon Mok beamed as he looked around at his other 
officers. Truly, he had now achieved a favorable position. 
Few could argue his greatness while he had a cargo bay full 
of Romulan Jewels. Fine, fine, VALUABLE Romulan jewels. 
The Daimon was pleased that he had not had to negotiate any, 
thus, keeping his price at a maximum level. 
 
	"Daimon, the Romulan ship is powering its disruptors!" 
 
	"What !??!!" Mok's eyes widened. 
 
	 Commander, Commander, we can deal .... Look .... 
We can be reasona ....." 
 
 
....... 
 
 
	Space debris exploded from the destruction of the Ferengi ship. 
Most of the debris began a leisurely drift towards the large red star. 
 
	Slowly, the Warbird started towards the star, and then 
made a smooth graceful arc. With a waver of space, a Romulan ship 
shimmered out of view. 
 
 
........ 
 
 
	"This is Starbase 89, Commander Elayne Hause speaking." 
 
	Lt. Yarin was puzzled at the blonde-haired woman. 
 
	"Commander, Commodore Albrit wants to speak with Rear Admiral 
Hrgon. He requests immediate acceptance on Hrgon's part." 
 
	"Admiral Hrgon is unable to hold communications at present 
time. I will speak with the Commdore... Lt." 
 
	Lt. Yarin sat at his console and patched through to the 
Commodore. Yarin had worked under the Commodore for over a year 
now, and knew how his superior officer would react. 
 
 
	Commodore Albrit looked at the relatively attractive figure on 
his screen, if only he had been 30 years younger...... 
 
	"Commodore Albrit. I am Commander Elayne Hause, senior aide to 
Admiral Hrgon. The admiral is unable to hold communications at present 
time. Is there something urgent which you need to diuscuss ?" 
 
	"Commander, I will speak with him directly! You tell Admiral 
Hrgon that I need to know the operating status of the Delphi. I am 
project coordinator for the Delphi-class, as you may be aware." 
 
	He watched as her blue eyes sparkled, like ice on a winter's 
day. 
 
	"Commodore. I will inform the Admiral. I recommend to you, however, 
that next time, before you speak with the Admiral, you take the time to 
at least encrypt your message. Simply because it is priority one does not 
mean that the code cannot be broken. I will send to you an encryption 
scheme which we are using at a later time. 
	Hause out." 
 
	"You listen here you ...." 
 
	Lt. Yarin's voice came across. 
 
	"Commodore, they have closed their transmission at the starbase." 
 
	The Commodore shot from his chair. To say that he was infuriated 
was not doing his anger justice. He did not need lectures from young 
Commanders. Moreover, he still did not know about the status of the Delphi. 
He was more angry than he had been in a long time. He had even almost 
spilled his coffee. 
 
 
....... 
 
 
	The large green image of the Romulan Warbird loomed 
on the forward viewscreen of the bridge of the Delphi. 
The Romulans had 'temporarily' closed hailing frequencies. 
Captain Malory was well aware that the ship he was facing 
could outrun, outgun, and outman his ship. Moreover, he knew 
that all of its weapons systems were fully powered as well 
as its defensive systems. While the same was true of the Delphi, 
the effect was not quite the same. His real worry had come when 
Engineer Korn had reported that the ship was "ready for anything". 
 
	"Mr. Penthrach, send out an unencoded message. 
The message is <potential check>." 
 
	Olgin Penthrach was decidedly confused about the whole matter, 
but sent out the message regardless. 
 
	"Lt. O'bourne, prepare to attempt jamming of the Romulan's weapons 
sensors. Mr. Assali be ready to choose your target." 
 
	Malory rose and walked towards his helmsman. More softly he 
spoke. 
	"Mr. Qhasmon, head to head we are outgunned. If we get behind 
them, then we gain somewhat of an advantage. Prepare to attempt the 
Classic Andorian flanking maneuver. Present a minumum aspect 
as we attempt to flank them." 
 
	Qhasmon merely nodded his head as his hands began dancing along 
his console. 
 
	"Sir, no response to your message as of yet," Penthrach spoke. 
 
	"You needn't expect one Lieutnant. Lt. T'irna, inform me if you 
detect any incoming ships. I want to know their number and heading." 
 
 
 
........ 
 
 
 
	Romulan Sub-commander V'thai stared at his display 
of the Federation starship. He was calm and rational, one did not 
achieve his position through rashness or lack of patience. He 
contemplated theoretical yields of photon torpedoes and their 
potential effect on the Warbird's shields, he was not worried, however. 
 
	Romulan Commander V'hozen was making no such contemplations. 
He was considering the overall Romulan strategy, according to his 
current knowledge. His ship was still gathering what data it 
could on the Delphi. He felt that he had enough information. 
Moreover he had some theories that he wanted to explore further 
when time permitted, one did not achieve his position by either blindly 
leading or by blindly following. 
 
	"Commander, the Delphi has sent out a message, unencoded." 
 
	V'hozen thought for an instant. He knew that he had time as he 
was in the clearly superior vessel. 
 
	"What was the content of the message Sub-commander." 
 
	"The message contained two words <potential check>." 
 
	V'hozen puzzled for a moment. 
 
	He made his decision. There was no need to destroy the Delphi as 
yet. He walked over to his tactical officer's console. He motioned 
the centurion aside. He made a few adjustments. 
	A slow smile crept over his face. It was a smile which 
Sub-Commander V'thai knew well. V'thai looked on as his commander 
concluded his experiment. 
 
	"Sub-commander, back us away slowly. We now have what we came 
for. When out of range, engage cloaking device and we shall depart on 
the following heading ..." 
 
 
 
....... 
 
 
 
	Will O'Bourne looked at his readouts, then looked across the 
bridge at Lt. T'irna. He looked back at his readouts. All were normal again, 
as apparently, the sensors had experienced a momentary fluctuation. A thought
began to wander through his brain, he dismissed it though. 
 
	"Captain, Romulan moving away at one-quarter impulse. Shall 
we engage or pursue ?" Qhasmon hissed. 
 
	Malory looked on as the larger vessel diminished in size over the 
distance. It was still pretty big. 
 
	"They are re-cloaking. Present heading ... Would take them back 
to their side of the Neutral Zone." 
 
	"O'bourne, Lt. T'irna continue to monitor their progress for as 
long as possible." 
 
	Malory looked back at his first officer, who was standing 
calmly over the tactical display. 
 
	Minutes passed. 
 
	"Captain, we are no longer reading the ship. At last position 
it was well on its side of the Neutral Zone" Lt. T'irna spoke, a 
slight faltering in her voice. 
 
	Malory looked over at her. On the exterior, she appeared calm 
and her typical self, as far as he knew. 
 
	"Continue sensor sweeps. Stand down to yellow alert. 
Mr. Penthrach, send a coded message to the Starbase. Inform them 
of our encounter." 
 
	"Captain, I wish to speak with you for a few minutes." 
 
	Malory listened to Assali's request. He glanced over the bridge. 
 
	"Mr. Qhasmon, you have the bridge." 
 
	Malory walked up the ramp, and Assali filed in beside him as they 
walked into the Captain's ready room. 
 
 
 
....... 
 
 
 
	Eleyasan T'irna looked at her displays. She had been thinking about 
something. Now, she could not remember what it was. She looked again. 
Images began to blur. Numbers and displays seemed to rearrange 
themselves. She heard her heart beating in her ears. She glanced around. 
It seemed as if everyone else was standing still. 
	Lights flashed on her panels, apparently at random. It was 
as if she had forgotten their meaning, and their efforts were 
now unrecognizable by her. It was as if she were reading an unkown 
language. 
	She heard herself take each breath. Blood rushed through her ears. 
 
 
....... 
 
 
	Captain Malory slowly walked around his desk. Rather than sitting 
down however, he turned his back and leaned against the wall. He was looking 
out of small porthole, gazing at the stars. 
 
	"What was it you wished to speak with me about Mr. Assali? " 
 
	Assali listened to Malory's now-softer voice. It was almost as 
if he were thinking about something else as he spoke. 
 
	"Yes sir, I was wanting to comment on your handling of the 
situation. In particular, your speech with the Romulan Commander." 
 
	Malory continued to gaze out of the porthole. He folded 
his arms. 
 
	"I'm sure. One would think that I was a cadet fresh out of the 
Academy with that tirade. I am already thinking about the problems, 
but what were your thoughts on the problems with it." 
 
	Malory turned, and, while still leaning against the wall, faced 
Assali. He still had his arms folded. 
 
	"Well sir, it seems as if you basically came out and said, 
'we can detect you'. I think that you gave away too much information." 
 
	"Agreed. We will have to make up for that next time we meet 
them." 
 
 
........ 
 
 
	Images rose and fell. She looked around the bridge. She 
could see X'anfrey Qhasmon standing in the center. He slowly turned 
to face her . 
 
	'NOOOOO !' her mind screamed as she looked at the Romulan face. 
 
	The face merely smiled back, the rest of the bridge crew was 
similarly transformed. Slowly, the doors of the turbo-lift opened, 
a Romulan strode out, disruptor at his belt. 
 
	She saw the Romulan Warbird appear again on the main viewscreen. 
the viewscreen alternated between the ship and the Romulan Captain. 
She swooned. 
	Her instruments were useless, no better than flashing lights. 
	She felt dizzy. Slowly, the Romulan in the middle of the bridge 
approached her. She thought that the lights had dimmed and reddened. 
 
	He was on the ramp. 
 
	She struggled to rise from her chair. 
 
	He was walking towards her. 
 
	She raised her arms as she rose. 
 
	He was holding her shoulder. 
 
	Her legs gave out. The world seemed to spin. She screamed. 
 
	Slowly the floor rose to embrace her. 
 
 
......... 
 
 
	Assali frowned slightly. Apparently, Malory was paying enough 
attention that he noticed it immediately. To Assali, it seemed that 
the Captain had the uncanny ability to be paying attention while 
looking as if her were not paying attention. 
 
	"I see. 
	 Mr. Assali, we have had our initial encounter now. They know more 
about us, we know about them. No amount of deliberation now will change 
the encounter. We can however, work, to insure that any errors made this 
time will not occur again. I assure you that they will not. I am 
already analyzing the situation." 
 
	A scream from the bridge cut their discussion short. With a leap, 
Malory vaulted over his table as Assali raced to the door. 
 
	Almost in unison, the two senior officers entered the bridge. 
They looked on as Lt. Qhasmon was holding the prone form of Lt. T'irna. 
Penthrach was turned in his chair, and Lt. O'bourne sat dumbfounded. 
It was Security Chief Meede who was already responding. 
 
	"Security to Medical, send a team up to the bridge immediately." 
 
	While he was speaking, not only was he moving towards the 
kneeling Andorian and the prone form, but Malory and Assali made their 
moves as well. 
 
	"What happened Lt. Qhasmon ?" Malory started. 
 
	The Andorian looked up at the Captain. 
 
	"Captain. 
	 I observed that the Lieutenant seemed disoriented at her post. 
	 I came to her. 
	 I touched her shoulder, to dispel her disorientation. 
	 She screamed. 
	 She leapt from her posistion and then collapsed." 
 
	Malory looked at Meede who merely nodded. 
 
	*vhoosh* 
 
	Most of the bridge crew turned and looked on as Dr. Mayak 
entered with a blue-shirted assistant. The form of Lt. T'irna was 
twitching violently. 
	Quickly, the Doctor administered a hypo. The Lt. slowly lapsed into 
unconsciousness. Mayak thought for a moment, checked a medical tricorder 
display, and then administered yet another hypo. 
 
 
....... 
 
 
	'NO NO. MUST STAY AWAKE.' Her mind fought to conter the effects 
of the toxin, but to no significant avail. She felt her eyes close. 
Rather than the sacred blackness, however, images and patterns 
danced before her eyes. 
	Inside she screamed, she was helpless against the onslaught. 
She saw her mother's sire. (her mother's sire was dead though). 
An aged face looked at her. Eyes full of pain and sadness. Vulcans 
expressed no emotions, and yet, T'irna (was that her name) thought she 
saw a tear. Another image appeared. That of a Romulan officer. He was 
leering as he pulled the image of her mother's sire away. 
	(Was this is a dream. 'NO ... YES ....'.) She tried to touch herself 
but found that she was unable to move. (It could be a result of the toxin), 
her training told her. 
	She saw her father, a human, with sad loving eyes. He wore a 
starfleet uniform. (That is how he met her mother). (Ahh, now her mother 
was there as well, the mix of Romulan and Vulcan indistinguishable in her 
features, save the same sad eyes). 
	A terrific explosion rocked her (and yet she felt no pain, nor did 
she move). She could not see !! (or was this the darkness again). She tried 
to shield her eyes with her hands, but could not do so (must be the toxin). 
	Colors flashed before her (but was she blind). 
	'NO IF I WERE BLIND I WOULD NOT SEE COLORS', she thought. 
	(But there are reports of lingering 'residue' on the retina when 
the optic nerve is overloaded). She dismissed her thought. 
	Images seemed to form and congeal . 
 
       She looked on as the smiling Romulan administered the drug again. 
She felt dizzy and giddy. She felt her body numbing ...... 
 
 
......... 
 
 
	With ease, Lt. Garin Meede hefted the limp form of Lt. T'irna 
and, with the Doctor following, carried her to sick-bay. Upon reaching 
the destination, carefully, he laid her on a surgical table. He stepped 
back as the Doctor. began to run series of tests. 
 
	Percivale Malory looked around on the bridge. 
 
	"Everyone, back to your stations. We shall have to wait now 
for the results of the good doctor's examinations. 
	 Mr. Qhasmon, set speed at warp 6. We shall continue on 
so that we may begin our exploration along the neutral zone. 
	 Mr. O'bourne, keep an eye especially close on your sensor 
data. 
	 Mr. Assali, it seems we may need a replacement for our ORACLE 1 
operator." 
 
	"Captain", Assali began, "shall I go to sickbay and monitor 
the lieutenant's condition." Assali felt some measure of worry for his 
crewmate. 
 
	"No, Mr. Assali. The Dr. will inform us when she has a diagnosis. 
If any of us went down there now, we would only be getting in her way. 
I share your concern, but right now, there is nothing that we can do." 
 
	*vhoosh* 
 
	Garin Meede re-entered the bridge. 
 
	"Captain. I will assume the ORACLE 1 position then. I am familiar 
enough with it from the work that T'irna and I did on it. Our secondary 
operator has just gotten of shift less than an hour ago." 
 
	Malory listened to his first officer's suggestion. 
 
	"Very well Mr. Assali. 
	 Mr. Meede, you have tactical for now." 
 
	"Yes sir", Meede responded as he walked over to the 
tactical duty station. 
 
	The Captain patched himself through to main engineering. 
 
	"Mr. Korn, it appears that we will not be requiring the extra 
power from the warp reactor at present time." 
 
	"Very well Captain....". 
 
	Malory breathed a sigh of relief. 
 
	"...Oh, and Captain, there is a slight matter of some power being 
routed to some areas near the primary sensor arrays ...." 
 
	Malory grimaced. 
 
	"Very well Mr. Korn, come to the bridge at your convenience and 
we will discuss the situation." 
 
	This was a meeting that Malory was not particularly enthusiastic 
about. Already, he was having to deal with many more problems than he had 
to while aboard the New Auckland. Of course, it was exciting as well. 
 
	Malory resumed his position in his seat and watched as the stars 
went by. 
 
 
 
......... 
 
 
	Dr. Anne Mayak followed a specific mental checklist. 
	'BLOOD LEVELS. 
	 BRAIN ACTIVITY. 
	 ENDOMORPHIC ACTIVITY. 
	 NEURO-CELLULAR INTERFACE PERMATIVITY.' 
 
	She looked at her readings. Her patient was still thrashing around. 
So much so that Mayak had had the restraints enabled. Her patient was 
evidently fighting the sedative as much as possible. Mayak contemplated 
giving another, but decided that that would merely complicate matters at thi 
juncture. The crucial thing was to determine the cause as quickly as 
possible. 
 
	'HMMM, CURIOUS. IT WOULD SEEM THAT THE LIEUTENANT IS NOT A 
FULL VULCAN.' 
 
	The cellular structure Mayak was observing reminded her distinctly 
of Human-Vulcan cross-breeds. There was another mitigating factor however. 
Either a genetic abnormality on the Vulcan side or some kind of slight 
mutation in the overall cellular structure. She wondered as to what 
could cause such an occurrence. 
 
	'THAT CAN WAIT FOR LATER.' Mayak mentally chastised herself. 
 
	She proceeded to go back and look over her brain-activity charts. 
 
	'HMMM, INTERESTING. VERY INTERESTING.' 
 
	She called up the Star Fleet medical file on the Lieutenant. 
 
	Mayak looked over the record. She observed that the Lieutenant 
did have a human father, but was raised on Vulcan by her maternal mother. 
Mayak observed all physiological readouts were within the parameters 
of a human-Vulcan half-breed. Still, Mayak puzzled over the cellular 
anomaly. It was noted in the medical record, but apparently, no one had 
seen fit to examine it further. 
 
	'THIS IS MOST INTRIGUING', she thought, as she began some more 
tests. 
 
 
....... 
 
 
	*vhoosh* 
 
	Malory did not have to turn to know that it was Lt. Korn who had 
just entered the bridge. 
 
	Malory rose and turned. 
 
	"Mr. Korn, in my ready room if you would," as Malory gestured with 
his upbridge hand. 
 
	"Mr. Assali, you have the bridge from your current position." 
 
	At Assali's nod, Malory walked into his ready room, Mr. Korn 
following. 
 
	Malory walked around his desk and sat down in his chair. 
Korn took a position in the chair directly facing Malory. 
 
	"It seems like someone has been doing some shipboard modifications 
without my knowledge...." 
 
	"Mr. Korn, the modifications of which you speak are for tactical 
purposes. The modifications were more time-consuming than difficult and 
it was felt that none of your staff needed to be disturbed. Paricularly 
while you were still working on the Warp engines." 
 
	Korn nodded. 
 
	"Still Captain. I am going to re-route your 'modification' 
so that it doesn't place any excess load on a crucial system. I still have 
to analyze that aspect of it. Next time, I would like to be informed 
when someone is playing with Engineer's business." 
 
	"Very well Mr. Korn. Oh, and by the way, your engine response was 
very good during our encounter. It was good to know that we were ready 
with reserve engine power." 
 
	Malory watched as Korn seemed to smile a bit. 
 
	"If that is all Mr. Korn ...." 
 
	Korn nodded. 
 
	"Yes Captain. I'll be getting back down to engineering." 
 
	Malory watched as Korn walked out. He chuckled for a moment, and 
then re-entered the bridge himself. 
 
 
 
....... 
 
 
	Dr. Anne Mayak continued her diagnosis. She had isolated the 
cause of the problems and was taking measures to counter it. While her 
measures were taking effect on T'irna's systems, Mayak explored further into 
the genetic difference anomaly. 
	After searching through Star Fleet Medical Records again, looking 
for the records of the lieutenant's family members, and then performing 
some experimental cross-checks, she was satisfied that she had her answer. 
 
	'NEXT STEP, CALL UP A PSYCHE PROFILE', she thought, and acted. 
 
	Mayak looked again at her patient. The lieutenant seemed to be 
resting calmly now, brainwave patterns were much closer to the norm. 
Mayak was sure that her diagnosis was correct, yet it still puzzled her 
somewhat. 
 
 
 
....... 
 
 
	Percivale Malory sat languidly in his chair. He watched as the 
stars moved by on the viewscreen. Soon the ship would be at the limits of 
charted space on the Federation side of the Neutral Zone. To say that 
Malory was apprehensive would be to do him an injustice. Malory was looking 
forward to the excursion. Uncharacteristically though, his mind continued 
to drift back to replay some of the events of the morning. 
 
	'STARFLEET TRADITION SAYS THAT MOST MISSIONS ARE NOT PARTICULARLY 
EVENTFUL. IT'S THE ONES THAT ARE EVENTFUL THAT LEAD TO THE MORTALITY RATE 
AMONG STARFLEET CREWMEN.' 
 
	Malory had had two significant occurrences now in a very short time 
interval and while he thought his ORACLE 1 operator's condition serious, 
he didn't think that it would increase the mortality rate. Still, it was 
interesting that his ship had already had two engagements and a 'down' 
command officer. 
	Somewhat surprisingly, Malory had a goodly cultivation of 
patience. Granted, it was seldom used, but he had it nonetheless. It 
was taking all of his patience to wait for the Doctor to give her 
evaluation. Malory was on the verge of going down there himself as it 
had been over four hours since the incident. 
 
 
	"Captain, I'm picking up a marker beacon, bearing 2 mark 4 from 
our present course. Time to intercept ... 20 minutes..." Assali reported. 
 
	"Confirmed sir, ORACLE 2 has the same beacon", O'bourne added. 
 
	"Helm, bring us alongside the beacon. Slow us to impulse 
accordingly." 
 
	Smoothly, the ship dropped in speed. Technically, there wasn't 
much gained by this, save for the fact that it kept Chief Engineer Korn 
with one less weapon in his arsenal. Malory had already discussed this 
type of maneuvering with his helmsman. 
 
	*vhoosh* 
 
	The turbo-lift doors opened, and Dr. Anne Mayak strode onto 
the bridge. This time she was actually able to look around some. 
 
	Mr. Penthrach spoke," It is a Federation Beacon. It's sending out a 
repeating message." 
 
	Qhasmon looked at his console, slowly, he moved the ship towards the 
beacon. He stopped, as the beacon now sat just outside of shield range. 
Thus, an explosion would impact on the shields, if raised, rather than the 
ship. 
 
	"Mr. Penthrach, what does the message say ?" 
 
	"Well sir, the message simply says : AND HERE THERE BE DRAGONS...." 
 
	Malory smiled. A message from the time of sailing ships on earth. 
Malory remembered looking at some maps from that time period. Wherever 
no observer had gone, a message relating to dragons was written. 
 
	"Helm, ahead warp 3. Mr. Assali, keep full sensor sweeps, let's 
begin charting." 
 
	Malory faced the Doctor. Gazing at her soft blue eyes, framed by 
her dark hair, he held her rather icy gaze. He sighed to himself. 
 
	"Doctor, in my ready room ?" 
 
	He followed her into his ready room. 
 
...... 
 
	In the inky blackness of Romulan space, two Romulan Warbirds 
decloaked and faced on another. 
 
	Romulan Commander Gho'dan watched as the Warbird Zha'sa 
sat in front of his vessel. Aboard the Zha'sa Commander V'hozen 
similarly watched Warbird Theshia. 
 
	Slowly, a third ship decloaked. Both Commanders looked on as 
the ship appeared. It was larger than either vessel, but similar 
in appearance. It had another set of engines lowered and in front of the 
first set. As well, it was double-hulled with added graceful supports. 
It was almost as large as both of the Warbirds together. 
 
	Sub-commander V'thai aboard the Zha'sa spoke. 
 
	"Commander, Praetor Kh'arna aboard the Karise has requested your 
presence for a full briefing. Commander Gho'dan is receiving a similar 
message." 
 
	V'hozen looked again at the huge ship. 
 
	"Inform the Praetor that I will be aboard presently." 
 
	V'hozen walked over to the tactical duty station and performed some 
work on his own for a moment. He placed a memory cell and gathered his 
findings onto it. 
 
	Praetor Kh'arna was seated as the two Commanders presented 
themselves. 
 
	Without a sound, the doors to their chamber closed, and the 
triumvirate was all that remained in the room. 
 
	"Commanders, be seated," Kh'arna gestured with a hand motion. 
 
	"We have much to discuss...." Kh'arna smiled. 
 
 
 
....... 
 
 
 
	Politely, Malory held out the chair for the Doctor as she sat. 
Then, he walked around his desk, and took a position sitting on the 
edge of it. 
 
	"Doctor. What is your report on the Lieutenant's condition ?" 
 
	"I find her condition most interesting. I have found the apparent 
problem and have cured the symptoms. However, I can do nothing to 
prevent it from occurring again. 
	Also, it seems as if her medical file has a few problems with it. 
I traced some of the anomalies down and found out some rather interesting 
information." 
 
	Malory was interested. 
 
	"Please, continue." 
 
	He looked at the slightly disdainful expression on the doctor's 
face. 
 
	"Would you like something to drink before you continue ?" he asked 
cordially, taking a quick hint. 
 
	"Why yes. I have been working solidly for awhile now", she rubbed her 
temples. 
 
	"I'll have a Maltian tea." 
 
	Malory walked over to his replicator. 
 
	"Computer. 1 Maltian tea, and 1 beer, dark." 
 
	He handed the doctor her glass of blue liquid, while he held his 
deep golden one. He saw a slight frown on the doctor's face. 
 
	"Well, it seems that Lieutenant T'irna is suffering from severe 
mental anguish. It was triggered by some event that occurred today, and 
has thrown her otherwise logical mind into a state of chaos. I have 
no idea what she sees when she opens her eyes, but I know that it is 
not pleasurable as all of her systems exhibit a stress response. 
	I can give her treatments to reduce the effect of her effective 
'waking nightmare' and possibly bring her back to her normal behavior. 
What I cannot do is determine what caused the reaction. Her psyche 
profile noted that she held some form of deep anger and fear, but could 
not determine what the nature of it was. Moreover, as something of this 
nature shows up, somewhat surprisingly I might add, in a vast majority 
of Vulcans, this was not a really unexpected result, 
	What is more fascinating is the genetic malformation which she 
carries. While it would be hard to confirm this, I have a theory which 
would explain her genetic differences. Alas, there exist other theories 
as well, since the malformation is so minor." 
 
	Malory sipped at his beer and nodded his head. 
 
	"It is my opinion that T'irna's mother is Half-Vulcan and 
Half-Romulan. The genetic differences between the two races are minute at 
best, but this would explain her mother's genetic abnormality. This, in turn 
was passed down through her mother's side. Her father, incidentally, 
was human. 
	It would appear that T'irna has  a very confusing background at 
best...." 
 
	"Very good, Doctor. Do all you can for her. Inform me when she 
reaches a rational state. I would like to talk with her." 
 
	"Well Captain, I would think that the Lieutenant will be well in 
less than 48 hours. She seems to be recuperating already. She is the 
real one which can dictate her rate of recovery, not I. Her recovery rate 
depends on her own mental ability to cope with its situation. My treatments 
can do nothing for that. I don't know how long it will be before she 
is truly 'stable', with no possibility of relapse as it is a matter 
of her mind adjusting and coping." 
 
	The doctor placed her half-finished tea on the table edge. 
 
	"That is all Captain." 
 
	Malory nodded. 
 
	"Keep me notified then." 
 
	As the doctor walked out, Malory took a deep drink from his 
beer. While the synthehol didn't have the intoxicating effect of 
true beer, the taste was similar. Moreover, Malory needed his wits 
sharp, rather than the warm numbness associated with good dark beers. 
	Malory thought for a moment, reflectively scratching at his beardless 
chin. He disposed of the glasses and walked back onto the bridge. 
 
	As he sat on the bridge he looked out again over the stars. 
 
	"Captain, we have a star system near at 382 mark 1 from our 
present course according to long range scans." 
 
	Malory listened to his first officer turned acting ORACLE 1 
operator. 
 
	"Two planets are confirmed so far." 
 
	"Mr. Qhasmon, alter our course. Let's begin exploring ....." 
 
 
 
......... 
 
 
 
	Praetor Kh'arna smiled as he listened to the preliminary reports 
from the two Romulan Commanders, V'hozen and Gho'dan. 
 
	"Praetor. The Ferengi vessel was completely destroyed. Any 
wreckage or debris will eventually fall into the star near the 
coordinates at which we met the ship. As well, since the transponder 
code was changed the Ferengi will have no knowledge of the incident. 
If any questions are asked or raised, there is wormhole potential in 
the area. Their ship simply came out too close to the star ..." 
	Commander Gho'dan finished his introductory report. 
 
	"Praetor. We engaged the Delphi, in order to ascertain its 
effectiveness. It seems that our initial reports are somewhat in error. 
The Captain is Percivale Malory, not Assali. As well, the ship is 
capable of limiting the effectiveness of our sensors by phase shifting 
our own sensor echoes." Gho'dan smiled, his experiment had been very 
fruitful. 
	"As well, the ship seems to have two modified photon torpedo 
tubes. As far as detecting us, that is unclear. The Federation Captain 
implied as much, but I feel that that was more of a bluff so that we 
would not know about their sensor-countering capability." 
	V'hozen concluded his introductory report. 
 
	"Impressive, both Commanders. You have performed your duties with 
distinction. It would seem that our Federation source has outlived its 
usefullness to us. It will be terminated. 
 
	Now, for your full reports ..... " 
 
--

'Sooge'
sks1@ra.msstate.edu