“Adding
insult to injury”
by
Lord Thanatos
Scenes:
11. Something fishy is going on, I can smell it
SCENE
1: Follow the second leader
The
captain is sitting at his desk in his ready room. He’s reading some
information on his desktop console when suddenly the door chime sounds. Without
looking up from his work, the captain answers.
LT:
“Come in…”
Someone
walks into the room. A quick glance from the captain teaches him it’s
Lieutenant Holcraft. While looking at his console LT opens the conversation.
LT:
“Holcraft, what can I do for you?”
Holcraft:
“Well, sir, I was just wondering if you could fill the crew in as to what’s
going on in this area of space, sir…”
The
captain looks up at Giles and shortly after switches off the console.
LT:
“And what do you think is going on in this area of space,
lieutenant?”
Giles
is a little nervous as he may be overstepping boundaries by asking the captain
directly.
Holcraft:
“Well, ehm… It seems some unexplainable things are occurring and…”
The
captain cuts Giles’ sentence short.
LT:
“Like?”
Holcraft:
“Well, like the shuttle that came to pick up Faulkner… It did have an NCC
number, but no name painted on the hull… And the NCC number doesn’t match up
to any ship in the database.”
LT:
“Hmmm…”
Holcraft:
“And also the fact that Admiral Grant said Suder had to face a tribunal at the
border colonies… When I said to him I wasn’t aware of any tribunal at the
border colonies he simply said that there wasn’t one… So clearly there will
be one soon enough…”
Fast
forward...
LT:
“Why would the border colonies need a tribunal of any kind? There are just
about 11,000 colonists there...”
The
console screen on LT’s desk shows a number of formally dressed admirals seated
around an expensive looking wooden table with different color inlays.
Grant:
“I don’t see how the answer to that should affect your mission, captain.”
LT:
“Well, if that was all, I wouldn’t be contacting Starfleet Command, sir. We
have also noticed an increase in Federation ship activities… More cargo ships
are arriving than even speculation can account for… Far be it from me to
question my own Federation’s activities in any matter, but my crew are
starting to ask questions I cannot answer.”
Admiral
#1: “I understand your concerns, captain. But there is no need to worry or
concern yourself with these matters.”
LT:
“If I do not need to worry, then you won’t mind telling me what the deal
is… Seems harmless enough the way you put it. Besides, the Greate Pier is the
representative of Starfleet Command in this region of space.”
Admiral
#2: “Quite right, captain… There are some plans in action to further develop
the border colonies and its mining operations. We’re trying to keep things
secret as we do not want to alert possible raiders to this fact. Some valuable
resources are mined at the border colonies and there is valuable equipment being
transported there to mine it. We wouldn’t want the Ferengi or any other
opportunistic race to find out about this, would we?”
Both
the admiral and the captain smile.
LT:
“No we wouldn’t…”
Grant:
“Now, if that’s all, captain, we’d like to get back to work here… I
advise you to do the same.”
LT:
“Regarding that, admiral, I’d like to ask how we should proceed… We’ve
been tracking the second Behemoth for a while now… They seem to be exploring
and searching for worlds to colonize… Isn’t it time we did something about
the Inj rather than stalking them like this? They cause so much destruction and
death… Surely we can’t afford to let them just continue on their way and
wreak havoc in every inhabit system they come across…”
Grant:
“I understand your eagerness to destroy the Inj, captain. And I’m quite sure
everyone here at Starfleet Command agrees they need to be dealt with. But we
don’t have the ships to deal with them at the moment.”
LT:
“We’ve dealt with one of the 3 Behemoths quite well on our own…”
Grant:
“Perhaps, but we can’t risk the Greate Pier in another attempt to destroy a
Behemoth.”
LT:
“This second Behemoth doesn’t even have its shuttles to protect it at the
moment; they’re out exploring.”
Admiral
#2: “If you would have a safe way to destroy that thing, I’d be happy to see
it blown to smithereens…”
Grant:
“If that is all now, captain. Starfleet Command out.”
LT:
“Typical…”
The
captain stands up and looks outside while leaning against the window frame.
LT:
“Regarding the increase of ships in this border colony region… Do you
believe the given explanation?”
Eisinga:
“Not a word of it…”
Eisinga
is leaning against the wall in the ready room in a similar fashion.
LT:
“Same here… What’s going on?”
Eisinga:
“I don’t know, but when Starfleet Command starts lying about something…”
LT:
“Yes, it may be important then… But I think they didn’t expect the
question… Either they didn’t prepare their lies properly or they’re bad
actors…”
Eisinga:
“Anyway, let’s speculate on this later, LT… I need something to eat.
Let’s go to the lounge before Cole and Sharbino’s dinner gets cold…”
LT:
“No, I’m just going to replicate something, Eldert… I’m going to
transcribe this transmission before it mysteriously disappears from the records
and after that I need to get some other bureaucratic work done… Damn
reports.”
Eisinga:
“The reports on the Liastaura adventure?”
LT:
“Yes… I’ve been putting it off.”
Eisinga:
“Well, at least you can lie right back to Starfleet Command about the
‘illegal’ beam out of Cole and Amini…”
LT:
“Hehehe, yes… It’ll be a pleasure. If we stuck to the prime directive you
wouldn’t be able to enjoy Cole’s food at all…”
Eisinga:
“Well, that would be one of the things I would’ve missed a lot…”
LT:
“I won’t feel as bad about ‘adapting’ the report now, since Starfleet
Command thinks it needs to withhold information from us as well…”
The
captain sighs.
LT:
“Still… it’s a report I have to write…”
Eisinga:
“Ah, the perks of being the captain…”
LT:
“Don’t get me started…”
Eisinga:
“You sure you won’t join me?”
LT:
“Yes, I’m sure… I’ll join whoever is going for a drink in the lounge
after this shift, but I really need to get this report done.”
Eisinga:
“Alright, see you later then…”
LT:
“Later, Eldert.”
A
short while later, Eisinga walks into the lounge. He walks up to the bar where
Cole and her new colleague Sharbino are busy fixing dinner.
Eisinga:
“Am I still on time for dinner, ladies?”
Sharbino:
“Absolutely, sir.”
Eisinga:
“Good… What are we serving today?”
Sharbino:
“Root and lentil casserole.”
Eisinga:
“Sounds good… I’ll have some of that…”
Sharbino:
“Coming right up…”
A
smiling commander replies.
Eisinga:
“Good, I’m starving…”
Eldert
turns around, still leaning on the bar with 1 arm. Bart walks by at that very
moment…
Eisinga:
“Hey Bart, can I have an ice cold…”
The
commander’s gaze moves around the room until he sees a couple, which stops him
in mid-sentence.
Endersby:
“…an ice cold…?”
Eldert
sees
Endersby:
“Sir?”
Eldert
seems to wake up again.
Eisinga:
“What?”
Endersby:
“And ice cold what, sir?”
Eisinga:
“Oh… A coke, Bart… Please.”
Endersby:
“Of course, just a moment.”
While
keeping his gaze on
Eisinga:
“Thanks.”
Eisinga:
“Unbelievable…”
The
love birds soon cease their intimate activities. Mansfield gets up and without
noticing the commander at the bar, he leaves the lounge.
Endersby:
“Here’s your coke, sir. Enjoy.”
Eisinga:
“Thank you, Bart.”
He
picks up his drink and walks over to Halstead who is just finishing her drink.
Eisinga pretends to be in a good mood and puts on a friendly smile…
Eisinga:
“Hi Nicole. Mind if I join you?”
Halstead:
“Not at all, sir. Please, sit down.”
Eisinga:
“No need to be so formal on a break…”
The
commander notices her empty glass and signals Barty for a refill.
Eisinga:
“I couldn’t help seeing you with John just now…”
Nicole
starts blushing and smiling…
Halstead:
“Oh…”
Eisinga:
“Not trying to invade your privacy or anything, but you 2 have something
going?”
Eisinga
still tries to come across as if he’s in a cheerful mood.
Halstead:
“Yes, I guess so… We’ve been seeing each other for about a week now…”
Eisinga:
“I see… Well, I’m happy for you…”
Halstead:
“Thank you, haha…”
Bart
delivers a new drink for Nicole and takes the empty glass back with him.
Halstead:
“Thanks, Bart.”
Eisinga’s
face loses the smile.
Eisinga:
“But ehm… did you know John is married?”
The
smile now also rapidly fades from Nicole’s face.
Halstead:
“He’s in the middle of getting a divorce. But I don’t really see how
that’s any of your business, commander…”
Eisinga
is genuinely surprised.
Eisinga:
“A divorce?... Hmm, I wasn’t aware of that...”
The
nurse now sounds irritated.
Halstead:
“No, people don’t tend to talk about things like that with everyone…”
Eisinga:
“Why is he divorcing?”
Halstead:
“Listen, you would need to ask John about that, sir… And I still don’t see
why that would be any of your business…”
Eisinga:
“Well, I just saw you 2 together and thought it was kind of strange to see a
married man kiss someone other than his wife… Especially with such an age
difference... I don’t want to pry or anything, but…”
Halstead
is fed up with it and sets her drink down on the table with considerable
force… Some of the fluid spills over the rim of the glass and lands on the
table.
Halstead:
“Listen, commander. We are both adults and do not need supervision in
personal matters. If you really want to invade his personal life, ask him…
and leave me alone!”
She
gets up and starts walking away while most eyes in the room are observing the
incident.
SCENE
2: Stalkinj
LT:
“Captain’s log, stardate 63860.82. We have arrived near the location of the
second Behemoth to take a closer look. Perhaps we can learn something more about
their latest plans…”
Pattison:
“Matching speed and holding at 200,000 kilometers, sir.”
LT:
“Good, good… Science team, you know what to do…”
Stilson:
“Yes, sir. We’re on it.”
Stilson
and Stuckman start their scans.
Stuckman:
“The Behemoth still doesn’t have any shuttles onboard, sir…”
Stilson:
“The ship seems to be heading towards the second planet in this star
system…”
LT:
“On screen…”
The
image of the Behemoth appears on screen with a planet in the background. The
captain stands up and walks a few paces forward towards the big TV.
LT:
“What is that thing going to do there?”
Stuckman:
“I can’t be sure from this distance, sir, but the planet appears to have
only low level flora and fauna… No signs of artificial structures, road
systems or any technology whatsoever…”
LT:
“Maybe the planet is strategically interesting to them… Continue to
match speed and maintain current distance.”
SCENE
3: Faulked up
Mark
Philips walks into the security office of Reinard, whom is sitting behind his
desk, with his feet on top of it.
Philips:
“Good morning, sir.”
Reinard:
“Good morning, Philips. Please, sit down… I received some disturbing news a
few minutes ago…”
Philips:
“Oh? What kind of disturbing news?”
Mark
seats himself and looks at his superior officer in anticipation.
Reinard:
“It concerns our friend Faulkner…”
Philips:
“Faulkner? What’s up with him now? Did he manage to aggravate the crew of
the freighter already?”
Reinard:
“In a way, yes… But trouble already started on the shuttle which was taking
Faulkner to that freighter…”
Philips:
“Really now…”
Reinard:
“He took over the shuttle…”
Philips:
“What?!”
Reinard:
“That’s what I said when I received the news… With the shuttle he
apparently continued on the planned course to the freighter as if nothing
happened and managed to take the freighter crew captive as well…”
Philips:
“No way… You’re pulling my leg…”
Reinard:
“I’m afraid not… The freighter was found by another Federation freighter
headed for Earth. The crews of both the shuttle and the freighter itself were
found in sickbay with IV’s containing water, nutrients and a sedative to keep
them alive, but unconscious.”
Philips:
“This can’t be true…”
Reinard:
“I’m afraid it is…”
Philips:
“One guy takes over 2 ships and keeps their crews sedated while he
makes his escape? That stuff only happens in movies, sir…”
Reinard:
“Welcome to Greate Pier, the movie.”
Philips
feels no incentive to laugh and stares at the floor…
Philips:
“This is just unbelievable…”
Reinard:
“He also stole fuel, supplies, weapons and part of the cargo… The latter
probably to trade, I assume… Faulkner then sent a text only message to
Starfleet Command saying the freighter was hit by a meteor storm and their
communications equipment was partly damaged, so it would take longer for
Starfleet to find out what was going on… He then set the freighter on auto
pilot and let it continue on its previous heading and speed before leaving in
the shuttle.”
Philips:
“I’m going to write this down; this is a good movie script indeed… But
what the hell is that guy up to? Does he think he can hide somewhere?”
Reinard:
“Federation ships are few and far between in this region of the galaxy and I
don’t think Starfleet Command will divert many ships to pursue one rogue
individual…”
Philips:
“The ‘few and far between’ thing is heavily doubted these days… We’ve
all seen a certain increase in ships around the border colonies…”
Reinard:
“At any rate, I don’t think we’ll see him again... Be that as it may,
Starfleet Command did instruct me to do whatever I can to find out where
he may be going and what he is up to. Probably just a formality until they give
up the search in a few days or perhaps weeks… Nonetheless, I’m taking this
order seriously; who knows what we can find out?”
Philips:
“Where do you propose we start?”
Reinard:
“We’ll start with the person he may have talked to in the brig…”
Philips:
“Suder…”
SCENE
4: Rush and crush
Eisinga
is still in bed… He looks tired, as if he didn’t sleep to well. The comm
system routes the Captain’s voice to Eisinga’s location.
LT:
“Captain LT to Commander Eisinga.”
Eldert
jumps from his bed and starts looking for his pants…
Eisinga:
“Go ahead, sir.”
LT:
“Eldert, where are you?”
Eisinga:
“I’m ehm… Do you need me on the bridge?”
He
locates his pants and struggles to get them on…
LT:
“No, in my ready room actually… I have a report I want your opinion on as
soon as you have the time…”
Eldert
sits back down on the bed with a sigh, relieved it’s not an emergency.
Eisinga:
“I’ll be there as soon as I can; I have something to take care of first if
you don’t mind…”
He
clumsily pulls his waistcoat over his head.
LT:
“No rush… Captain out.”
The
commander walks over to the replicator and orders a drink…
Eisinga:
“Coffee, double strong.”
The
replicator obeys and produces the ordered, dark liquid. Eldert takes the cup out
and puts it on his desk next to the console after taking a sip. He pushes a few
buttons on the console. After a short while, an equally tired looking woman
appears on screen.
Woman:
“This better be important… You just woke me up…”
Eisinga:
“Oh, I’m terribly sorry, ma’am…”
The
woman sighs…
Woman:
“I should’ve gotten up earlier anyway, it’s ok…”
Eisinga:
“I know the feeling… Anyway, my name is Eisinga, Commander Eisinga from the
USS Greate Pier.”
The
woman starts to smile…
Woman:
“Oh, John’s ship! Nice to meet you, commander. I am Katherine Mansfield
Hurley. What can I do for you?
She
then notices the commander doesn’t look too happy, so she immediately appends
her previous talk while looking terribly worried.
Hurley:
“John is ok, isn’t he?”
Eisinga:
“Yes, he is fine…”
Hurley:
“Oh good! I don’t want to hear any bad news today… It’s my day off…”
Eisinga:
“I’m not sure if I bear good news… It’s just something that has kept me
awake last night…”
Hurley:
“Oh, that does sound serious, commander… What is it?”
Eisinga:
“I heard you 2 were going to have a divorce and all, but something still
bothered me about…”
Katherine
breaks in with a surprised look on her face…
Hurley:
“A divorce? Haha, you must be mistaking, commander… John and I are not
getting a divorce. Where did you get this information from?”
Eisinga:
“Oh god, this is bad… I heard it from… a colleague.”
Hurley:
“Who?”
Eisinga:
“I don’t think that’s important right now… What does seem important,
seeing you’re not getting a divorce at all, is that I inform you about
something that happened yesterday…”
Katherine
looks very nervous all of a sudden…
Hurley:
“This can’t be good... Tell me…”
Eisinga:
“This colleague I told you about… She told me that John told her
that you 2 were getting a divorce…”
Hurley:
“He is cheating on me with her, isn’t he?”
Eisinga:
“I’m afraid so, ma’am… I wish I hadn’t, but I actually witnessed
it.”
Katherine
puts her hand in front of her mouth and soon after tears start to form in the
corners of her eyes...
Eisinga:
“I’m terribly sorry, ma’am. I thought it was important to tell you about
it.”
Katherine,
still with her hand in front of her mouth and tears now trickling down her
cheeks, closes her eyes and simply nods in confirmation.
Eisinga:
“I can see you did not expect this at all, but I can’t really say I
didn’t…”
Katherine
sort of composes herself and wipes the tears from her face, despite the fact
fresh ones still keep rolling from her eyes.
Hurley:
“How’s that?”
Eisinga:
“Did he ever mention my name before? Or someone named Ellen Dirkx?”
Hurley:
“No, I don’t think so…”
Eisinga:
“It’s totally in the past for me now, but John actually sort of…
‘stole’ her from me at the time… And even before that he had built up a
similar reputation…”
Katherine’s
expression now turns to an angrier look.
Hurley:
“I see… Well, commander… You were right about one thing… There is
going to be a divorce.”
Eisinga:
“I’m terribly sorry to have to bring you this news, ma’am… It seems this
will put your life upside down. This was not my intention; I just thought it was
necessary to tell you this…”
Hurley:
“You’re not the one who needs to worry, commander. I appreciate you telling
me this… I’d rather find out now than in a year… Or never.”
Eisinga:
“I truly wish you the very, very best in life, ma’am… And if you have any
further questions, please do contact me, day or night.”
Hurley:
“Thank you, commander.”
With
a disappointed look on her face she disconnects the call. The commander rests
his elbow on the desk he is staring at and lets his fingers glide through his
hair...
SCENE
5: Holcraft is a stalker
Pattison:
“Sir, the Behemoth is going to enter orbit of the planet in about 12 minutes,
assuming they intend to do that…”
Holcraft:
“Alright, all stop and on screen.”
The
image of the Inj Behemoth appears on screen.
Pattison:
“All stop, sir. Holding position.”
Holcraft:
“What is their speed?”
Stilson:
“Currently, their speed is approximately .6 impulse.”
Holcraft:
“How long until they disappear behind the planet if they go into orbit
immediately after arrival?”
Stilson:
“Give me a minute to calculate that…”
The
eldest of the 2 science officers operates the console in front of him and comes
up with an answer mere seconds later.
Stilson:
“At current speed and heading, the Behemoth will disappear from view in about
16 minutes and 35 seconds.”
Holcraft:
“Alright, science officers, help Pattison plot a spiral course to enter into
orbit on the opposite side of the planet without coming into the Behemoth’s
line of sight during the approach.”
Stuckman:
“Aye, sir.”
Pattison
quickly walks over to the science guys and the trio starts to work out a
solution.
K’Ehlen:
“Are we going to attack?”
Holcraft:
“That will be up to the captain, ensign. But I am currently under orders not
to engage or provoke them.”
K’Ehlen:
“We defeated one of these Behemoths before…”
Holcraft:
“Past performances do not guarantee future results…”
K’Ehlen:
“You sound like a disclaimer rather than a warrior…”
Holcraft:
“I disclaim being a warrior; I’m a Starfleet officer…”
K’Ehlen
mutters to herself…
K’Ehlen:
“There’s hardly any difference…”
Holcraft
can’t quite make it out…
Holcraft:
“What’s that, ensign?”
K’Ehlen:
“You’re in command of a vessel with heavy armaments onboard and you are
stalking the enemy… How can you not be a warrior?”
Giles
can’t come up with a decent reply and just seems to ponder the words for a
bit…
SCENE
6: Double crush
Halstead
is alone in her quarters. She’s sitting on the couch watching some movie on a
console on the table in front of her. Nicole is nibbling at a sandwich and
occasionally sips her beverage… Her eating and movie watching experience is
suddenly interrupted by the sound indicating someone is at the door. Despite
being sort of annoyed about it, Halstead still gives permission to enter.
Halstead:
“Yes, come in…”
Commander
Eisinga steps inside. Halstead puts her plate down on the table and stands up to
face the commander.
Eisinga:
“Sorry to disturb you…”
Without
sounding angry or annoyed, Halstead replies.
Halstead:
“What can I do for you, sir?”
Eisinga:
“I wondered if I could have a word with you regarding our talk yesterday…”
Halstead
now lets her annoyance shine through.
Halstead:
“The reason I’m eating lunch in my quarters is actually to avoid you and
this topic in the process… But I’m willing to listen to your apology…”
Eisinga:
“Well, in that case I am sorry for being perhaps kind of intrusive
yesterday…”
Halstead
even shows a tiny smile to confirm she’s not holding a grudge…
Halstead:
“Alright, apology accepted…”
Eisinga:
“I understand if you don’t want to talk about your love life with just
anyone; it’s really none of my business as you pointed out yesterday… But at
least listen to what I have to say. I think it’s important to know if you wish
to pursue a relationship with
The
smile is gone from the lady’s face.
Halstead:
“And what’s that?”
Eisinga:
“His wife doesn’t know anything about a divorce…”
Halstead:
“What?... Of course she does… Why would John say they’re getting a divorce
if…”
She
halts mid-sentence and her facial expression tells us she’s thinking…
Eisinga:
“I spoke to her this morning…”
Halstead:
“Well, that doesn’t mean there’s not going to be a divorce. John may have
planned the divorce and not told her yet…”
Eisinga:
“Perhaps. I guess it’s possible… All I know it that you are actually
right; there is going to be a divorce now…”
The
annoyed tone returns to Halstead’s voice…
Halstead:
“So you called up John’s wife and told her about us? About me and John?
That’s classy, sir…”
Eisinga:
“I think she had a right to know…”
Halstead:
“Spilling the beans on something you have no right of interfering in to begin
with?”
Eisinga:
“I hate to play the role of the snitch here, but, like I said, I thought
Katherine had a right to know her husband is cheating on her and may be planning
to file for divorce. John may be doing whatever he wants so far away from home
and for all I care he is free to do so… But he seems to forget that his soon
to be ex-wife and child are on their own now… Their entire lives are in
upheaval…”
Halstead:
“Wait, what? Ex-wife and child? What child?”
Eisinga:
“You mean you didn’t know? John and Katherine have a 15 month old daughter,
Eleanor.”
Halstead:
“A daughter?!”
Eisinga:
“Yes…”
Nicole
sits down on the tip of the couch and stares at the floor.
Halstead:
“I didn’t know… He… He never told me…”
Eisinga:
“I’ve known John for a number of years now, Nicole… If I’m a good judge
of character I can say he’s bad news for any woman. I bet he also failed to
mention he actually stole a girlfriend from me some years ago…”
A
short silence…
Eisinga:
“I hate to interfere in your love life this way, but I don’t like to see
more people get hurt by
Halstead:
“Yes, and thank you for that, sir… I don’t like the message, but I guess I
shouldn’t shoot the messenger… I’m sorry if I was rude to you before…”
Eisinga:
“No problem, of course… And I’m sorry for interfering.”
Halstead:
“God, I feel like crap now… But I guess I can’t even begin to imagine what
Katherine must feel like…”
Eisinga:
“She’s pretty broken up… I ruined her day off with my call… Possibly her
whole life…”
Halstead:
“It wasn’t very nice to get involved with a married man, I know… But if I
had known he even hadn’t informed his wife about his divorce plans I…”
She
stops in the middle of her sentence again…
Eisinga:
“I quite understand…”
Halstead:
“And her daughter… If I had known they had a daughter…”
Eisinga:
“No need to blame yourself for anything, Nicole… It’s not your fault…”
Halstead:
“Well, it’s my fault I got involved with him in the first place… But
that’s going to be remedied soon enough.”
Eisinga:
“And maybe after that you could contact Katherine… I’m sure if you explain
your side of the story she will understand… It might be easier for her to cope
with this if you do. She might want someone to talk to…”
Halstead:
“I think I’ll do that, commander…”
Eisinga:
“And take the rest of the day off after that…”
Halstead:
“No, no need for that, sir… I’m very sure Katherine will have a very tough
time ahead of her together with Eleanor… But, I’ll get over John
before lunch is over…”
She
puts the last remaining bit of sandwich in her mouth.
Halstead:
“There, all done… Now, if you’ll excuse me I have someone to talk to…”
Eisinga
shows a satisfied smirk on his face as Halstead leaves her quarters.
SCENE
7: Morannibal
Reinard
enters the brig area. The only other person there is the one sitting in one of
the cells, Morand Suder.
Reinard:
“Good afternoon, Mr. Suder…”
Suder:
“Ah, Jens, polite as ever…”
Reinard
drags a chair over to in front of Suder’s brig and sits down.
Reinard:
“So, how are you today, Mr. Suder?”
Suder
stands up from the bed and walks forward…
Suder:
“My my, isn’t this a special occasion? You’re actually here to talk… You
are even showing some interest in my wellbeing… But I am well, thank you.”
Morand
looks around in his cell…
Suder:
“I can’t complain; my environment is quite stimulating…”
Reinard:
“Did you talk with Faulkner a lot when he was in here?”
A
big smile appears on Suder’s face.
Suder:
“I knew it! I knew it! You don’t actually care about my wellbeing after all;
you just want to know about Faulkner!”
While
laughing and smiling he returns to his bed and lies down with one hand
supporting his head. He stares at the ceiling and then continues.
Suder:
“You’re such a predictable man, Jens…”
Reinard:
“Then how come you are in this cell, Morand?...”
Suder:
“Well, you may have a point there, Reinard… But live and learn, right? So,
what do you want to know about Faulkner?”
Reinard:
“Anything, really… What have you 2 talked about in here?”
Suder:
“Oh, you know, the weather, sports, women, you of course, and…”
He
stops his answer and rapidly goes from lying down to sitting up straight on the
edge of the bed, facing the commander…
Suder:
“Actually, I don’t really think I want to tell you… well, anything,
really…”
Reinard:
“Why not? What can it hurt you?”
Suder:
“It can’t… But maybe it’s just a matter of principle, I guess. Even
killers have principles… You caught me, put me in this little cell and now
expect me to spill the beans on someone else you’ve caught? I mean, what’s
in it for me? There has to be something in it for me…”
Reinard:
“I could arrange for more elaborate meals for you… Whatever you’d like.”
Suder:
“Oh come on, Jens! Don’t make me lose that last shred of respect I still
have for you… So what if I have a 3 course meal with the replicator’s finest
interpretation of a juicy steak… I’ll still be in this little box of
yours…”
Reinard:
“What do you expect me to do? Promise to let a killer go free if he gives me
some information on a naughty, insubordinate officer?”
Suder
lies back down and closes his eyes, his face slanted slightly towards the wall.
Suder:
“Actually, yes… That’s about the idea…”
Reinard:
“I hope you’re not putting too much hope on that offer…”
Suder:
“In that case I’m done talking to you, Jens.”
Reinard:
“What did you two discuss, Suder?”
Suder:
“Good day, commander.”
Reinard:
“Come on, Suder…”
Suder
doesn’t reply and remains motionless on his bed… Moments later the commander
leaves.
SCENE
8: Corridor conflict
Eisinga
is walking down a corridor, apparently in deep thought. He walks around a corner
and still doesn’t pay much attention to where he’s going. Suddenly he
notices 2 feet standing a few meters down the corridor… When he looks up he
sees they belong to John Mansfield. John apparently saw Eldert coming, stopped
in his tracks and proceeded to stare at him like an angry bull at an overly
confident matador.
Eisinga
halts a good 2 meters from the furious crewman.
Eisinga:
“’Affairs’ seems to be the proper word… You cheated on your wife,
John…”
Eisinga:
“Indeed, I can’t stop you from being an unfaithful jerk. But I can be a jerk
to you.”
Eisinga:
“Maybe you shouldn’t have been doing this publicly… In the lounge
no less!”
Eisinga:
“Maybe you should have had the balls to tell her about you losing
interest in her!”
Eisinga:
“Then why the hell were you messing around with Halstead?! Were you
feeling lonely or something? I mean, what the hell?!”
Captain
LT is speaking to a crewman in the crewman’s quarters.
LT:
“So, there was nothing wrong with that report, crewman. It’s just that the
source of the background information turns out to be…”
The
racket of Eisinga and Mansfield penetrates into the quarters and disturbs the
conversation.
Crewman:
“What is that racket?”
LT:
“I’m not sure, but I think I’ll take a look… Sounds like there may be a
problem…”
The
captain gets up and leaves the quarters… He walks into the corridor to find
the 2 squabbling, red faced men as he turns around the corner. He leans against
the wall and crosses his arms. The captain observes from a distance for a short
while, unbeknownst to the 2 disputing, single men.
Eisinga:
“You mean you’ve been sucking up like you’ve got something to make up
for…”
Eisinga:
“No! Definitely not… I did what I thought was right! Katherine deserved to
know what you were doing, Nicole deserved to know who you really are and Eleanor
deserves to get the best life she can get!”
Eisinga:
“Some father you are… You’ve been away from home most of her life and you
cheat on your wife…”
Eisinga:
“I’d rather be a snitch than…”
LT
thinks it’s been enough and breaks up the fight.
LT:
“Alright guys… That’s enough.”
The
conflicting colleagues look at the captain as if they were caught with the hand
in the cookie jar. The captain approaches the men and alternatingly looks at
each of them but says nothing more… Eisinga breaks the silence.
Eisinga:
“We ehm… we just ran into each other.”
LT:
“Well, run out of each other.”
The
men don’t move.
LT:
“Well, go on, get out of here. Both of you. Now!”
Reluctantly,
they each disappear in a different direction. The captain waits until both have
left. He shakes his head with a hardly noticeable mini smile on his lips.
Moments later the captain walks onto the bridge.
LT:
“Status?”
Holcraft:
“The Behemoth is about to disappear from view behind the planet, sir. We’re
currently holding position.”
LT:
“Alright, helm, calculate a spiral course towards the planet. We’re going to
enter orbit on the opposite side of the planet but I don’t want the Greate
Pier to come into a direct line of sight with the Behemoth in the process.”
Pattison:
“That course has already been calculated, sir.”
LT:
“Really?”
A
short silence…
LT:
“Your idea, Holcraft?”
Holcraft:
“Aye, sir.”
LT:
“Well done, Giles…”
Holcraft:
“Thanks you, sir.”
LT:
“Now, get out of my chair…”
With
a smile on both men’s faces, Holcraft yields the chair…
Holcraft:
“Yes, sir.”
LT
sits down, but before he can get comfortable he gets up again…
LT:
“On second thought, you can handle this, Holcraft… Make sure we get to and stay
on the opposite side of the planet from the Behemoth and scan for as much data
as you can without being detected. If there’s any sign of us being detected,
get some distance between us and them and notify me. Also any suggestions
regarding a possible attack plan will be entertained.”
K’Ehlen:
“That’s more like it!”
LT:
“But we will only attack if we have a solid plan… I’ll be in
my ready room.”
The
captain enters his ready room. Holcraft smiles and sits back down in the big
chair…
SCENE
9: Suderision
Reinard
is going to try one more time. He approaches Suder’s cell again. Morand acts
like he doesn’t notice the commander and pretends to be asleep. Jens is not
buying it, or he’s just guessing Suder might hear him.
Reinard:
“I’m sure you understand I can’t let you out of here in exchange for
information on a comparatively unimportant case, but I can assure you the judge
will look favorably upon any help you may give me… The information may give us
the edge to retrieve a stolen Federation shuttle and perhaps even Faulkner
himself…”
After
a few seconds of eerie silence, the motionless Suder responds.
Suder:
“I want my sentence reduced by half. But my case should be handled soon
though.”
Reinard:
“You know as well as I do that that request won’t ever be granted.”
Suder:
“As you wish…”
Reinard:
“Listen, not cooperating in this investigation could get you in more trouble
than you’re in already…”
Suder:
“I’ll gladly serve 2 extra weeks on top of my life imprisonment…”
After
a short silence…
Reinard:
“Why do you need your case handled soon? You want to get out of here?”
Suder:
“Prison must be better than this brig…”
Reinard:
“It’ll still be a cell, Morand…”
Suder:
“Yes, but at least you won’t be there, haha…”
Reinard:
“I’m going to miss you too, Suder. But let’s get back to the point at
hand, shall we…”
Suder
suddenly stands up and walks up to the force field.
Suder:
“Alright, Jens… You said you can’t release me because I’m a killer and
your new case is comparatively unimportant… The only information I will give
you for free is this: you are wrong.”
Suder
immediately turns back around and lies down again. He closes his eyes and waits
for Reinard to leave him alone... He doesn’t have to wait long; after a few
second of thinking, Reinard realizes he’s not getting any more information,
heads for the door and leaves.
SCENE
10: Kablooey
Eisinga
occupies the captain’s chair on the bridge. He jumps up from this chair and
shares his thoughts on the topic at hand.
Eisinga:
“Yes, but scare tactics seem to work with the Inj… I mean, they bombed Utis
VIII, we fought back, rebuilt quickly to show our defiance and they haven’t
shown their ugly faces again. They may be a warlike, brutal race, but they
understand it’s not in their own best interest to fight a losing battle…
They couldn’t win at the border colonies, so they moved on…”
Holcraft:
“They can find easier targets than Federation colonies…”
Maresca:
“Still, they’re as fierce as Klingons, but less suicidal…”
K’Ehlen:
“You mean less honorable… And I resent the comparison.”
A
silence reigns the bridge for a bit… While throwing half an angry look at
Maresca, the Klingon female makes a proposition.
K’Ehlen:
“How about a less suicidal, but still honorable way to attack them?”
Eisinga
turns around and faces her.
Eisinga:
“I’m listening…”
K’Ehlen:
“How about we let the Behemoth catch up to us and when we’re in range we
launch a huge amount of photon torpedoes.”
Stuckman:
“I don’t think a huge amount of photon torpedoes will kill that big
sucker… Sure, it’ll do some damage, but…”
K’Ehlen:
“That’s not all, of course…”
Eisinga:
“Go on…”
K’Ehlen:
“While we let the Behemoth catch up, we’re sending the full Kaneda squad
ahead to catch up with the Behemoth from behind. As soon as the Greate Pier
fires the torpedoes, they attack key points on their ship. Weapons, life
support, propulsion, …”
Pattison:
“Will that be enough to kill it?”
K’Ehlen:
“There may be losses, but we can definitely kill it.”
Eisinga:
“Well, ultimately the decision is up to the captain. The mention of ‘there
may be losses’ might deter the captain from attacking them, so don’t get
your hopes up, ensign.”
K’Ehlen:
“We must strike before they commit more dishonorable acts against the
Federation or others!”
Eisinga:
“I think we all agree they need to be stopped and that diplomacy doesn’t
work with them. But I can’t make the decision… I like your plan though and
I’ll propose it to the captain.”
A
short while later in the captain’s ready room…
LT:
“If the Kaneda’s keep their distance from the Behemoth as much as possible,
fly in a random pattern and target the weapons first, we stand a chance of
destroying the Behemoth without too much casualties…”
Eisinga:
“Any casualty is too high a price, LT…”
LT:
“I fully agree, Eldert… But Starfleet Command has determined that the Inj
need to be wiped out. And I actually agree… I don’t like killing living
creatures, but the Inj have shown no interest in a diplomatic approach. In the
mean time, they keep on blowing stuff up and killing anyone who stands in their
way. I hate to reduce lives to numbers, but I’m very sure that if we let them
do what they do, there will be many more deaths than the 11,000 we might
possibly kill today…”
Eisinga:
“I guess you’re right… Anyway, whenever you’re ready, we’re ready
too.”
Eisinga
walks towards the door to assume command on the bridge again.
LT:
“Just a minute, Eldert.”
Eisinga
stops and turns back around to look at the captain. A silence precedes the
captain’s words.
LT:
“The more you get in his way the more he’s going to rebel…”
Eldert
almost inaudibly mumbles while avoiding eye contact at that moment…
Eisinga:
“Oh, the
LT:
“…and then the situation might escalate…”
Eisinga:
“Well, simply put I’m not interested in Ellen anymore, but that doesn’t
mean I’m going to let the issue go… It’s the principle of the thing.”
LT:
“Well, all I’m saying is that we don’t need a knuckle fight in the
corridors… I even hope not too many people witnessed the verbal scrap you two
had…”
Eisinga:
“I’m not going to hit the guy… He’s a pushover; wouldn’t be fair…”
LT
snickers…
LT:
“Oh well, I guess now that Faulkner is gone, someone else has to assume the
role of the most annoying colleague…”
Eisinga:
“John has always been the most annoying colleague, LT… I’d rather have
seen him go than Faulkner; he never bothered me that much…”
LT:
“Let’s just make sure this doesn’t become an issue, shall we? Anyway,
let’s try and pop that Behemoth… Instruct Elpek to launch all Kaneda’s and
have them proceed as discussed…”
Eisinga:
“On my way…”
The
2 gentlemen leave the ready room; Eisinga heads for the turbo lift and LT for
his chair, currently kept warm by Holcraft whom promptly returns to his ops
station.
LT:
“Captain to all hands. A crew of less than 500 up against a giant ship with
over 11,000 onboard… The odds seem to be against us, but we’ve done it
before… We’re going to attack. Starfleet Command wants the Inj threat
eliminated and we will be the instrument that will accomplish this faster than
Starfleet Command might anticipate. Let’s show both the Inj and Starfleet what
we’re made of… Red alert. Battle stations.”
K’Ehlen:
“Sir, it may be impossible to target the torpedoes precisely, the exact effect
of the planet’s gravitation is hard to predict.”
Serrag,
manning the 2nd tactical station for the occasion:
Serrag:
“For this plan to succeed we need to fire the torpedoes at a relatively slow
speed so the planet’s gravitation can do its work properly. At normal firing
speed the torpedoes will simply fly out of orbit…”
LT:
“Our chances of success?”
Serrag:
“Hard to put into a percentage; it depends greatly on the Kaneda’s.”
Pattison:
“Maybe we can increase our chances with a diversion…”
LT:
“I’ll entertain any suggestion for improvement, ensign. Let’s have it.”
Pattison:
“Well, we haven’t yet given them a proper reason for us to orbit so
slowly… Why don’t we select some geographical feature on the planet and
direct our scans to it. Maybe they will suspect we’re researching this planet
for some reason and we’re not really looking in our rearview mirror as they
approach…”
Serrag:
“That might marginally increase our chances…”
LT:
“I’ll take any marginal increase… Science team, find us a nice
geographical feature we may be interested in…”
Stilson:
“Yes, sir.”
Stuckman
stands up and assists Stilson at his console.
LT:
“Thank you for you suggestion, ensign.”
With
a content smile Pattison turns back around to her console. A short while later,
Elpek contacts the captain.
Elpek:
“Elpek to the captain.”
LT:
“Go ahead, lieutenant…”
In
the background the last Kaneda flies into open space through the force field.
Elpek:
“The last Kaneda just launched, sir.”
LT:
“Alright, send them on their way. LT out.”
The
captain turns his chair to face the engineering consoles.
LT:
“When, gentlemen?”
Stuckman:
“To maximize the time we have to scan the river delta we selected with the
Behemoth on our tail, we need to slow down to about 12 kilometers per second in
about 14 seconds…”
LT:
“Helm?”
Pattison:
“Understood, sir.”
LT:
“How long will it take for them to catch up with us and get within torpedo
range?”
Stilson:
“About 4 minutes…”
LT:
“Maresca, instruct the Kaneda fleet leader to be on the tail of the Behemoth
in 4 minutes…”
Maresca:
“Yes, sir.”
LT:
“Science team, initiate scans of that river delta as soon as it’s in
range…”
Stuckman:
“No problem, sir.”
Pattison:
“Reducing speed to 12 kilometers per second…”
LT:
“Now then… Everything seems set… Nothing more to do besides wait for that
big thing…”
Nervous
faces all over the place. Even more of them when the time is there to engage the
enemy… The Kaneda fleet approaches the Behemoth from the rear, but stays at a
safe distance…
LT:
“Status?”
Stilson:
“Scanners are checking out the very interesting river delta, sir… We have 7
more minutes of scanning time before it will go out of range.”
Stuckman:
“And the Behemoth will have a clear line of sight in just about 10
seconds…”
LT:
“Alright, let’s wait for them to make the first move… Captain LT to
Commander Reinard…”
Reinard:
“Reinard here, sir.”
LT:
“Attack on my orders only.”
Reinard:
“Standing by, captain. On your go we can engage them in less than 10
seconds.”
LT:
“Keep this comm line open.”
The
tension rises on the bridge accompanied by an eerie silence which lasts for
seconds… You can hear a pin drop on a pin cushion… Then all of sudden, a
Klingon voice breaks the silence and roars a warning.
K’Ehlen:
“They are charging weapons!”
LT:
“Launch torpedoes!”
K’Ehlen:
“Launching now!”
From
the rear torpedo tubes, many dozens of torpedoes are launched in several
volleys. The gravitational pull of the planet below curves them towards the
Behemoth in a relatively slow pace… It seems to take forever…
LT:
“Time to impact?”
K’Ehlen:
“The first volley will hit in… 18 seconds…”
Holcraft:
“They are responding, sir… They’re trying to leave orbit…”
LT:
“Reinard, attack!”
Reinard:
“Yes, sir!”
All
40 Kaneda’s move in to attack… Like the commander promised, they are
engaging the Behemoth within seconds after the order was given. A group of 15
Kaneda’s converges on the propulsion system. All phasers are firing at that
same target and in doing so causing some damage. The enormous Behemoth doesn’t
seem to be affected too much, with the Kaneda’s being mere mosquitoes bugging
a giant beast…
K’Ehlen:
“Impact in 3, 2, 1…”
Everyone
looks at the main screen and sees several dozen torpedoes impact with the big,
black ship. The big explosions seem so tiny compared to the sheer size of the
Inj vessel. After a short cheer from all the bridge crew, silence returns to the
bridge as it didn’t seem to have the desired effect. Several torpedoes missed
the target entirely. Reinard, acting as operations officer on one of the
Kaneda’s next to being the Kaneda fleet commander, sees a problem…
Reinard:
“Incoming torpedo! Evasive maneuvers!”
Lieutenant
Kerr is at the helm of the shuttle and does his very best to maneuver the ship
out of the flight path of the torpedo. The flying explosive barely misses the
small craft.
Reinard:
“Damn! That was too close…”
Kerr:
“Was that a Federation photon torpedo?!”
A
puzzled Jens looks at Kerr with question marks in his eyes.
Reinard:
“Hmm?”
Kerr:
“I could see the damn Starfleet logo on the thing as it flew by!”
Reinard:
“Oops…”
Other
shuttles attack the weapons arrays, with mixed results… One Kaneda is hit by
weapons fire and is severely damaged… The ship seems to be out of commission
and remains motionless in space. The remaining shuttles manage to destroy the
cause of it; one of the many countless weapons mounted on the big Inj machine.
However, another weapons array within range of the disabled vessel fires at the
adrift craft and destroys it entirely…
K’Ehlen:
“Final volley launched, sir.”
LT
stands up from his chair and almost nervously paces back and forth…
LT:
“Understood.”
K’Ehlen:
“Preparing more photon torpedoes…”
LT:
“No, delay that… Just let these last ones hit the Behemoth… After that
I’ll recall the Kaneda’s and we’ll evaluate the situation… Apparently
our plan has fallen short of our hopes…”
More
tiny looking explosions riddle the big vessel.
K’Ehlen:
“The final volley has hit the Behemoth, sir…”
LT:
“Thank you, ensign. Captain LT to Reinard, return the Kaneda fleet to the
Greate Pier…”
Reinard:
“Understood, captain. Reinard out.”
The
captain sighs and lets his body plop into the big chair…
LT:
“Helm, put some distance between us and the Behemoth and match their speed.”
Pattison:
“Right away, sir.”
A
short while later, in the conference room.
LT:
“How did things go from your point of view, commander?”
Reinard:
“Not too bad… We lost 1 Kaneda, unfortunately… But all occupants were
beamed out before the Behemoth destroyed it.”
Shelley:
“Medical personnel have treated 4 people with minor wounds and 1 officer with
a broken leg and a broken finger. All patients have been released and are back
to active duty.”
LT:
“Well, at least we didn’t suffer any losses… But other than that the
mission seems to be somewhat of a failure… The Greate Pier simply doesn’t
outgun the Behemoth…”
K’Ehlen:
“What about the Greate Canon? Why not use Inj technology against the Inj?”
LT:
“We’d have to get close to the Behemoth to do that… And frankly, the
Greate Pier isn’t nearly as maneuverable as those Kaneda’s… We’d suffer
major damage. No, we need a better solution. We can pound the Behemoth with
photon torpedoes and phaser fire from the Kaneda’s for hours or even days.
Time is on our side, since they don’t have warp drive, but we need a
better solution. No doubt the Inj shuttles are on their way back to assist the
Behemoth and we just can’t wait for that. Any suggestions?”
Silence
fills the room as no one seems to have a good idea, until…
Holcraft:
“Holcraft to Captain LT, urgent.”
LT:
“Yes, go ahead.”
Holcraft:
“Please come to the bridge, sir. You will want to see this.”
The
captain and the other conference attendees Shelley, Reinard, Eisinga, Serrag and
Stuckman crowd the bridge. They all look at the main viewer.
LT:
“What are we looking at, Holcraft?”
Holcraft:
“A Behemoth in trouble, sir.”
LT:
“Elaborate…”
Holcraft:
“A large portion of the Kaneda’s attacked the main propulsion of the ship…
Their engines aren’t down, but their output has been seriously reduced.”
Holcraft
turns to face the captain.
Holcraft:
“Sir, I think the Behemoth won’t be able to break orbit…”
LT
shows a little, wry smile…
LT:
“Oh really?...”
He
walks down the bridge towards his chair, which is vacated by Holcraft.
LT:
“How long?”
Stilson:
“It won’t last long, sir… We should see it grazing the atmosphere any
second now…”
LT:
“Keep matching speed, helm… We don’t want to miss a second of this
show.”
With
a smile on her face, the helmslady confirms.
Pattison:
“Yes, sir…”
LT:
“Captain LT to all hands. The attack on the Behemoth was thought to be
unsuccessful. However, it now seems our efforts were sufficient to deal with
this enemy. Please turn on your console screens or look out of a rear facing
window for a spectacular show. Well done, everyone. Captain out.”
The
nose and bottom of the Behemoth start to glow in a nice shade of orange as it
skips over the atmosphere… Exterior features start breaking off and burning up
as the ship sinks deeper and deeper towards the planet. Pretty soon the entire
ship seems engulfed in flames and increasingly larger sections of the hull break
off and disintegrate.
Eisinga:
“It won’t burn up entirely in the atmosphere…”
LT:
“No worries, commander… After they enter the atmosphere they’ll free fall
for a few kilometers.”
Holcraft:
“9.23 kilometers to be exact, sir. And the gravity of this planet is
approximately 1.71 times that of Earth…”
LT:
“That might do the trick…”
Stilson:
“Entry into orbit is almost complete.”
LT:
“Keep tracking it, so we can see what happens…”
The
giant ship’s smoldering remains enter the atmosphere, trailed by thick plumes
of both black and white smoke and countless pieces of burning debris… The main
part of the ship tumbles down to the planet at ever greater speed.
Stilson:
“The predicted trajectory indicates it is going to hit the side of the
mountain next to the river delta we were observing.”
LT:
“A mountain? That sounds just lovely…”
After
tracking the falling ship for a while, its destruction is now imminent.
Holcraft:
“Impact in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…”
The
mountain is shaken on its rocky foundation by the impact of the remains of the
immense, intergalactic ship… The result is a towering fireball greeted by the
Greate Pier crew with applause and cheers. The side of the mountain is now
obscured by thick, black smoke. Those parts of the rock that can still be seen
are covered in small chunks of debris and the occasional scorched Inj body…
LT:
“Scan for lifesigns.”
Holcraft:
“Yes, sir.”
The
lieutenant toys around with the buttons on his console and soon brings out a
report.
Holcraft:
“No lifesigns, sir.”
LT:
“Alright, sounds good to me. Helm, stay in geosynchronous orbit. Holcraft,
keep scanning for lifesigns until we leave orbit, just to be sure.”
As
if it was rehearsed, both answer simultaneously.
Holcraft:
“Yes, sir.”
Pattison:
“Yes, sir.”
SCENE
11: Something fishy is going on, I can smell it
The
conference room is once again in use. This time by a small party consisting of
the captain, his first officer and the chief of security.
LT:
“What’s the status of your research, Reinard?”
Reinard:
“I’m not sure what to think yet, sir… I thought Faulkner just wanted to
escape to avoid being sent back to Earth on a 6 month journey before he would
face the music upon arrival. But since I interviewed Suder I’m not so
sure…”
Eisinga:
“What did Suder say?”
Reinard:
“Nothing. That’s the problem… He says it’s a matter of principle,
because I put him in the brig… He wants his sentence reduced by half in return
for information about Faulkner and any plans he may have…”
LT:
“Chances are he has no plans and is just living day by day now…”
Eisinga:
“He might just get his sentence reduced by half by just telling us Faulkner
wants to raise a family with that girlfriend of his…”
Reinard:
“Indeed… Not worth the price. At the end of the interview he mentioned: ‘You can’t release
me because I’m a killer and your new case is comparatively unimportant…’.
He continued by saying: ‘The only
information I will give you for free is this: you are wrong’.”
Eisinga:
“What the hell does that mean?”
LT:
“It means he might know more after all… Or he may just be toying with
us…”
Eisinga:
“So, we know nothing…”
Reinard:
“My gut feeling tells me Suder knows more, but doesn’t want to say anything.
For what reason, I don’t know.”
LT:
“What about Faulkner himself?”
Reinard:
“Well, we don’t know anything about his intentions… He has not contacted
us, nor has he been sighted… All we can do is speculate…”
LT:
“Then speculate…”
Reinard
sighs deeply and stares at the ceiling while looking for the right words…
Reinard:
“It’s really hard to tell… He may simply want to avoid being sent back to
Earth on a slow transport. He rebelled against his superiors before he was sent
away, but I doubt he has any plans of revenge against Starfleet for stripping
him of rank. He could’ve gotten his revenge when taking over the shuttle and
the freighter.”
LT:
“Hmm, indeed…”
Reinard:
“He chose to let the crew live. But to be realistic, incapacitating the entire
crew of 2 Starfleet vessels and stealing one of them is sufficient reason to at
least try and find him. The list of charges against him is starting to get
long.”
Eisinga:
“I have a feeling we won’t ever see him again. We’ll probably find the
shuttle in the possession of some opportunistic trader with a questionable
history some day…”
LT:
“Faulkner may indeed never be seen again… But as his former captain, I’m
compelled to look for him myself… But I have no idea where to start except
perhaps with his girlfriend back on Harwood; what’s her name? Zavelsky?”
Reinard:
“I have contacted her earlier, but she seemed genuinely shocked to hear he had
been stripped of rank and sent back to Earth.”
Eisinga:
“Maybe they weren’t that close after all then…”
Reinard:
“Maybe, but one thing’s for certain anyway… It will get boring around here
now Faulkner is gone, hahaha…”
Then
Serrag enters the conference room.
Serrag:
“Sorry to bother you captain, gentlemen, but I came to report a malfunction in
the waste extraction system…”
Eisinga:
“Holy…”
Eisinga
flees from his chair into the far corner of the conference room… The other 2
men cover their noses…
LT:
“Yes, evidently there is, Serrag… Next time take a sonic shower first and
send the report to my console… In fact, let’s try that right away…”
Serrag:
“I just thought you might…”
The
captain doesn’t let the Vulcan finish.
LT:
“Shoo! Dismissed! Get out!”
Serrag
reluctantly leaves the room… It is only then that the first officer dares to
move from the corner of the room…
Eisinga:
“You were saying, Reinard?...”
The 2 other men get up and all 3 hastily leave the room…