Chapter Six
USS Endeavour,
Within the Goesan Starsystem,
February 20, 2274
Commander Ronald Jeremy turned away from the science station and faced the center seat. The large, dark skinned man there watched the forward viewer impassively as he awaited reports from his division officers seated around him. He wished he had better news to hand his captain.
“We definitely have company coming, Captain. I read three poorly masked warp field signatures approaching the far side of the plasma storm at warp factor seven.”
Captain Jonathan Sharp looked Ron’s way with worry, but little surprise.
“Type and classification, Number One?”
“The oscillation pattern is heavily masked by some sort of dampening field, sir. Possibly the interference of some kind of cloaking device. But from the hash they’re making on the broad-spectrum array, I’d say older Klingon cruisers. Possibly D-5 class or older.”
“Klingon ships with cloaking devices…” Sharp murmured, looking ahead once more. “Well, it was bound to happen eventually. ETA on incoming guests?”
“Three hours, twenty-seven minutes, present speed. Looks like they’re going to come in through the thick of the storm.” The exec replied. Sharp nodded and glanced sideward as the com officer, Lieutenant Lania approached with a data padd in hand. The young Vulcan wore the white colored, sleeveless version of the newest Fleet uniform, and by far looked the best among all Endeavour’s crew in the skin-tight suit.
“Captain,” she began, “Starfleet advises no reinforcements are available at this time.”
“Reason?”
“Admiral Minton notes a build up of Klingon and Romulan capitol ships near Narendra III, poised to cross the Neutral Zone. Admiral McKindle has ordered a like build up on our side of the border. Additional ships are being summoned, but nearest help is six days from here at warp factor nine. And even then, we can only expect to receive the USS Argonaut.”
“Argonaut is a light cruiser…” Sharp muttered. Their situation here was near hopeless in terms of holding Goesa’vaina from the Empires. An imminent attack here was undeniable, but when weighed against the value of targets near to Narendra, Goesa’vaina suddenly took a back seat. There was the slight possibility that Goesa’vaina was a clumsy feint, but Sharp did not believe so. His sixth sense told him that there was something the Klingons wanted within this system. He could not fathom what it was, but there was definitely something. The Chicago-born captain pondered the values of holding a system so far from the main routes, watching the roiling red plasma clouds on the view screen.
“Very well, Lieutenant.” He said to Lania. She turned and went back to her console to monitor subspace frequencies. “Number One, continue monitoring our guests and try to get further ID on them. Also watch for other vessels. Sound Yellow Alert, raise shields.”
Lieutenant Alfred Jackson, the hulking, heroically muscular man at the tactical console, suddenly sprang to action. The bridge’s lighting lowered to half power, accented by flashing red tracers. As the repetitive general alarm sounded, the deflector shield schematic on Jackson’s console illuminated, showing a field encircling the ship. “Yellow Alert, aye, aye, sir. Shields show up at full power. Weapons coming to standby readiness.”
Everything that could be done now had been done. Now all that remained was informing the Goesan Queen of the disheartening news. Sharp stood from the conn and headed for the starboard turbolift. “Number One, you have the bridge. I’ll be in my ready room. Lieutenant Lania, raise Goesan Command and inform them I’ll be speaking with them shortly.”
The Grand Assemblage Hall,
Jessa’man’a City,
Goesa’vaina
Dashak Prime I’rell Coarus held his face and expressions in check as the black skinned Starfleet captain relayed his news. This was not what he’d hoped to expect from the vaunted Federation. The Goesan government had signed treaties with the humans that were meant to ensure this world’s protection from outside threat. While a military man could expect that the tides of war might prevent these treaties from being upheld in dire situations, it was another thing to see those same treaties falter upon their first test. The first and only time the Goesan people had ever needed the Federation Starfleet, and they say they can do nothing. Or next to it.
Jessa’tae Elani’tess seemed to regard the captain as though he’d spoken in Andorian.
“Allow me some time to clarify, Captain Sharp. You say there is nothing we can do? Nothing you can do?” Her head with its beautiful locks of raven hair tilted as she looked at the human. “We can expect no assistance from your impenetrable Starfleet?”
Sharp seemed to sigh to himself. He didn’t like having to tell the queen this, Coarus could tell. But the good captain’s sentiment meant little to those who would tomorrow be dying. “I’m afraid that the fleet is tied up protecting a valuable stretch of the Organian Treaty Zone—“
“More valuable to the Federation than Goesa’vaina, you mean,” Elani shot at him. Her tone was not hateful, but did hold a bit of spite. She was angry about the agreements she signed, which were not going to be honored. She was angry that the Klingons were apparently coming, and there was nothing to be done to stop them. “I thought that your precious Organian Treaty prevented the Klingons from attacking you.”
“ Nothing about the treaty states that their ships will be stopped by the Organians prior to reaching our side of the border,” Sharp explained, face sour as though he were describing something that had been forced on him like a shackle. “Only that there will be no battle over what were contested planets within the Zone.”
“I see,” Elani’s eyes narrowed, “Another pointless treaty.”
Sharp’s head hung just a little. It was not a good thing to be bawled out by a beautiful woman. Especially when she was right. I’rell hefted the lightweight phaser rifle and glanced over its power levels and indicators. He hoped this fancy new weapon was more dependable than Federation Treaties…
“Endeavour will remain within the system and provide all the support we can muster.” Sharp went on, his voice still solid and firm. He was a good leader, I’rell believed. “Hopefully we can turn back what forces the Klingons have sent and give them a bloody enough nose in the process to make them think again about this venture. We still only have three ships on sensors, and no word yet about the position of the remainder of the fleet they had at Ya’vang.”
The Jessa’tae nodded at the thought. “You believe that your ship and ours may win the day?”
“Perhaps.” That was all Sharp could offer.
Elani’tess turned to Coarus.
“Dashak Prime, rally your men into defense positions throughout the city. You are in direct command of the capitol’s defense. Iram,” she cast toward the Over Secretary across the command chamber, “You will be my direct link to the planet based armed forces. Admiral Torest will command our fleet from the Goesa’kain. Relay to him his launch orders and order him to coordinate with Captain Sharp. If there are indeed only the three ships, we will destroy them. Should there be more to come, mayhap we can delay them till Starfleet deems it necessary to reinforce our space.” She looked pointedly back to the captain. His face bore a proud expression as he looked upon the queen. “Does this sound possible, Captain?”
“Quite possible, Jessa’tae. Endeavour out.”
I’rell Coarus studied his lady intently. She bore well under this building strain. Never before had she led her people against a serious military threat. Today she was. This day she contended with a threat that encompassed her entire world and all those upon it. Her shoulders were set and did not droop. Her jaw was held high in pride. Her eyes remained steadfast. Yes, she would do. Elani was a good Jessa’tae. No matter what happened in the coming hours and days, her people would remember that.
IKS B’rel
“Endeavour holds her station, Lord.” Tor’nax breathed, his young voice betraying no nervous tension. That was admirable, Ron’jar thought. The Lieutenant First Rank bent over his science console, peering over all the intel its readouts could feed him. “She continues to direct low level active scans at the Whitehairs.”
Ron’jar sat in his command chair, unmoving. He had been right to guess that the cloaking shields surrounding the D-3s were inferior to his own. They had been detected long ago. He’d sent the D-3 cruisers along a different coarse from B’rel, expecting that there may be some sort of ship on patrol near the system’s limits. He had not expected, however, that the patrolling ship would be none other than Sharp’s Endeavour. Endeavour was a newly rebuilt Constitution-Class heavy cruiser. B’rel was no match for her in anybody’s dream. The three cruisers Ron’jar had at his disposal would be hard pressed to hurt her badly at all.
By themselves, at any rate. Sharp did not know that a Bird of Prey lurked behind him, even now. This lent Ron’jar a slight advantage. But Sharp was no one’s fool. He was running with full shields, his weapons on standby. He knew trouble brewed here. Likely, the fleet buildup at Ya’vang had not gone unnoticed. Sharp had raced here as swiftly as he could. But no further reinforcements had accompanied him.
Sharp’s grey-white hulled ship hung in space before the Klingon warship, unmoving and illuminated in crimson firelight from the Almat. Beyond, the fierce plasma storm roiled upon itself as it built to its strongest period of the season. Endeavour looked fragile against that maelstrom with her gangly nacelle struts and her gawky saucer section. But the commander knew that Starfleet ships were deceptively tough. Those thin, wing-like struts could take a beating before giving up their burden. But Ron’jar was privy to one weakness of the Constitution-Class design…
The Klingon commander thought of what kind of bragging rights he would obtain if he slew La’ra’s favorite rival. How could this be done before the fleet arrived? An inkling of a plan was formulating within his mind. Sinister light played in Ron’jar’s eyes.
“Helm,” he called. “Alter coarse. Take us within eighty thousand kelicams of Goesa’vaina standard orbit. Full thrusters.” He would see what awaited them in the Goesan dockyards.
“Yes, my lord.” Was the response. La’ra had always held a subtle dislike for being called ‘lord’. Ron’jar really didn’t care one way or the other. He assumed it might one day grow tiresome, but for now, he allowed the crew to go on with the honorific.
The Endeavour spun out of view as the nimble B’rel turned on a heel and dashed away at full impulse power. It would take just over an hour at this distance to reach Goesa’vaina orbit. Ron’jar settled into his chair and relaxed. Soon he would report his intelligence and the bulk of his scouting mission would be complete. Then he would be at his own liberty to decide what to do till the fleet arrived.
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Hope this was a tollerable addition to my little tragety. May that you all enjoy.
Things begin to come closer to a head in this instalment. I have little time where people leave me alone to write, so this is all coming very slowly. If I had a damn laptop, I'd write it at work on lunch. It is kinda bad, but work is the closest to free time I have right now...
See y'all!
Topic: Goesa'vaina (Read 25095 times)