And now, the stunning conclusion!
Epilogue
"Salok, explain!" I demand of our Vulcan navigator.
"Sir, I fear that I cannot," his level tones come back. "I too experienced extreme heat, and I can still feel it now. The weapons console seems to be radiating at a heat of approximately 176 degrees Celsius, and yet it does not melt. I am at a loss to explain it."
"Enax?"
"I'm sorry, Lieutenant. I can no more explain it than Ensign Salok can. However, my science scanner is unaffected, even while the EW controls radiate at a high temperature."
"Scanners! What is the status of the
Kublai and the Klingon ships?" McCafferty suddenly interjects, just as all power fades. "Get me a damage report! Enax, what's out there?"
Enax tentatively bends to his instruments and reports, "Sir, she's still there!
Kublai hasn't been destroyed!"
The bridge crew cheer, but Enax continues. "All other ships have come to a complete halt; us, the
Kublai, all the Klingon ships. Even the drones!"
"What?" I blurt.
"Sir, I cannot explain it. The drones are still out there, I'd say about ten seconds' time from hitting the
Kublai, but they are dead, inert. No power readings from anything out there, except life support. No weapons, no movement, no shields."
Lieutenant Lathena speaks up. "Damage reports coming in, Sir." She pauses. "Engineering reports no damage, just a total loss of power to offensive systems. The engineering staff cannot go near their warp or impulse control boards because they are too hot. Phaser control, the photon deck and shield control all report likewise sir.
Kublai reports they have similar conditions there and ask if we know anything about what's happened."
"Tell them we know as much as they do, which is apparently nothing," McCafferty replies. She looks around, completely at a loss.
"What in Tellar's Seven Hells is going on?" she demands.
*****
"Sir! Message coming in from Starfleet Command--on Earth!"
McCafferty whirls to face Lathena. "Earth? Not Starbase Twelve?"
"It's from Earth, Captain. A Fleet-wide message to all ships and outposts, highest priority."
"Put it on screen then, Lieutenant," McCafferty orders.
The ageless Oriental features of Commanding Admiral Nogura came on to the viewscreen then, and he began to speak.
"This is Admiral of the Fleet Nogura to the brave men and women of the Star Fleet. The war between the Klingon Empire and the United Federation of Planets is over. All hostilities between our two armed forces have been effectively halted, by means you have probably all experienced to some degree or another. Rest assured that the Federation Council and Starfleet Command know exactly what has happened, and why it has happened.
"You will no doubt be wondering how your commands have been neutralised, be they planetside or spaceborne, in the last half hour. This is what I am here to explain.
"A highly advanced race of beings, known as the Organians, have imposed a peace on both us and the Klingons. These beings are totally non-corporeal and have vast mental powers, which they have used to neutralise all the armed forces of both the Klingons and the Federation, wherever they may be. They did this by generating extreme heat at the point of contact between combatants, or crews and their offensive weapons systems so that they could not be used. Anything that could have been used as a weapon has been neutralised in this way.
"The Organians became involved in this way as a Starfleet mission to their planet became caught up in a confrontation with a Klingon fleet intending to subdue the planet and use it as a base of operations for their war effort. The Organians abhor violence in any form, and so acted to prevent anyone else being harmed.
"So, we find ourselves in this current situation. I am assured that your commands will now regain power and you will be allowed to return to your regional command bases and home ports, until the details of this new peace can be worked out.
"Keep your spirits high, and hold on to your hope. I repeat, the war is over.
"This is Admiral Nogura, CinC Starfleet, signing off." The bridge crew, all of whom had been caught in rapt attention at our Supreme Commander's words, suddenly broke into cheers of delight and sighs of relief--or calm appraisal of the facts--as befitted their race and upbringing.
I... I whoop myself hoarse, grinning my head off.
Looking around the bridge, I think for a moment I catch McCafferty shivering with relief, but the moment passes and I am not sure if I imagined it or not. Then she smiles to herself, unseen by all except me in the pandemonium of the celebrations. Even through our recent personal conflicts and my own anger at her, I see in the expression that the smile brings to her face the Karen I used to know and trust.
My heart aches suddenly at the lost chance, and I almost break right then. I want so much to go over to her and hug her, apologise for whatever it is that I have done to anger or offend her, have it back to the way it was, barely five days ago.
And then I catch her eye.
She has caught me intruding into her private moment.
The smile disappears, to be replaced by a look so cold my body should have shattered at the temperature change.
She hates me.
I cannot bear it.
Then my own anger returns, and my own look of cold hatred stabs out at her. Alone amongst all the heartfelt expressions of relief and joy at surviving a war, we are two adversaries, squared off, ready to begin another.
The End
Topic: The Two-Day War (Read 11926 times)