“Captain,
a ship has dropped under warp and is approaching Talkha at high impulse speed.
Our initial scans make it an Alekian Grastak-class, the largest ship the
Alekians have.”
“I
have heard about the Grastak,” Captain Veal replied in a relaxed tone.
“She is the only ship of her kind, the closest thing to a battlecruiser you
will find in this whole sector. I am a bit surprised the Alekians sent their
strongest ship here.”
“But
you are not surprised the Alekians are showing up just now?” Commander
Westmore asked in a tone that made it abundantly clear that it was only a
rhetorical question, even if Tarin hadn’t told him anything about her
knowledge of Alekian operations. Inwardly Alex Westmore smiled – attaching
himself to the Valkyrie and her crew had been a good choice.
“No,
of course not,” Tarin replied. “I have asked the Alekians to send someone to
join our negotiations with the Talkhans.” She turned her chair to look at
Commander Westmore sitting in the XO’s seat. “The Talkhans promised us to
consider a diplomatic solution, but I think it won’t hurt to remind them that
their neighbors have something at stake here and not just us.”
Tarin
met Westmore’s stony expression with a small smile as she continued, “and if
the Talkhans are really willing to allow the Alekians safe passage it would make
it all the easier to have some Alekians around to participate in the
negotiations, wouldn’t you agree, Commander Westmore?”
For
a second Alex Westmore was uncertain what to make of the captain’s attitude
and the situation. Was she as much in control as he hoped or did she just have a
penchant for making the best of ay given situation? ‘Probably
the former,’ Westmore determined, but either could work to his own
advantage one day. Still, observing how she handled the Talkhan situation might
provide him with more insight into her personality. The more first-hand
knowledge he had the better.
Tarin
Veal swiveled her chair around again. “Put it up on the main screen.”
The
Alekian ship had left warp speed as close to Talkha as possible and the Grastak
was already entering orbit only 500 kilometers from the Valkyrie. The
ship displayed against the backdrop of Talkha was almost cylindrical, but
slightly widened at the end.
“Nearly
500 meters long and about 70 meters wide at the stern,” Moira O’Shea read
from both her sensor display and the Valkyrie’s database. “Heavy
weapons, sturdy hull armor and good shields. Comparable in offensive and
defensive capabilities to some of our Excelsior-class ships, but a little
slower.” The operations officer looked over her shoulder. “Makes me wonder
why the Alekians never used her against the Talkhan privateers.”
“The
Grastak is the only ship of her kind the Alekians have and it took them
nearly fifteen years from the initial designs to commissioning, not unlike our USS
Galaxy. The Grastak may be able to take on half a dozen privateers,
but she must be almost too valuable to the Alekians to risk in any serious
engagement.”
Commander
Westmore raised an eyebrow ever so slightly. “So she is a symbol that derives
strength from her reputation as an undefeated ship, an unknown quantity,
something the Alekians want to preserve as long as possible.”
“Yes,”
Tarin said, “if she never enters combat she can never be defeated and everyone
will be left wondering how strong the Grastak really is. But I doubt this
is the Alekians main reason for not using her against the privateers.”
“Ma’am?”
Captain
Veal turned towards the forward stations again. “You see, Moira, Alekians are
not so different from you and me, but there is one significant... quirk to their
culture and that is their tendency to follow the law to its letter, regardless
of the spirit of said law. They have no legal claim on this region of space and
the privateers have valid letters of marque. Unless it can be proven that the
Talkhans’ claim exceeds the limits set by accepted intergalactic law, the
Alekians won’t openly contest Talkha’s territorial claim. All they might do
is try to protect their cargo ships from harm, but they are extremely unlikely
to go on the offensive in what they must consider a region outside their own
jurisdiction. That is what has so far prevented the Federation from entering
into a mutual-defense pact with the Alekians
– their requirements for such an agreement are so complex that it may
take years to evaluate all the details they want included in the final
agreement.”
“And
once again I am glad you spend so much time on researching every background
detail of a situation,” Moira replied with a wink and a broad smile.
“Perhaps
you should tell this to Commander Tucker. I am sure he sees things a little
differently.”
Both
women allowed themselves a small laugh and several faces on the Valkyrie’s
bridge turned into a smile. But only a few seconds later Train Veal became all
business again.
“Hail
the Grastak. Let us see who we are dealing with.”
*****
“Commodore
Keltak, welcome aboard the Valkyrie,” Tarin greeted her Alekian guest.
The
Alekian threw back his head and uttered a row of clicking and rolling sounds
that reminded Tarin of a dolphin. She was uncertain what to make of it, but
before she had much time to wonder the Alekian looked down again and replied:
“It is an honor to be on such an impressive ship. Would you allow me to
introduce my companions?”
“Of
course,” Tarin replied, looking from one Alekian to the other. With their bald
heads and yellow-green skin they had something vaguely lizard-like to them, but
they had no scales and from the Valkyrie’s database Tarin knew that
their physiology was not that different from humans.
As
Keltak introduced his two companions as Commanders Begto and Sulkar, Tarin
wondered about his sudden vocal display. Perhaps it had been just his way to say
“hello” and perhaps it was part of a very formal greeting. Then again it
could have been just a hiccup, as neither of the Commodore’s aides showed the
same behavior.
After
Tarin had introduced Commander Westmore and Counselor Lee she invited the
Alekians to a short tour of the ship, an idea that apparently delighted Keltak,
if his expression could be compared to a human’s.
Only
ten minutes into their tour of the Valkyrie Tarin had come to the
conclusion that Alekian facial expression were indeed comparable to those of
Centaurans or humans. Keltak and his aides looked alien, but in many ways their
behavior seemed less strange to Captain Veal than that of the Talkhans she had
dealt with the last few days.
Tarin
kept the tour short. A glance at main engineering, a quick tour of sickbay and
some science facilities was all she offered before she asked her guests to one
of the forward lounges on deck ten. She neither wanted to impress her guests nor
dwell on the capabilities of her ship. Hers was still a diplomatic mission,
something that hinged on people not ships.
After
an Ensign had placed refreshments on the table and discretely left the room
Captain Veal looked out the window for a few seconds. Talkha was just barely
visible, but most of the window was filled with stars, tiny unwavering points of
light in a vast blackness.
Should
she raise her glass to a toast? She knew a lot about the Alekian government,
their diplomatic relations with their neighbors and the Federation, but she knew
little about their culture, their customs. ‘I must ask Catherine to remind me about these things once in a while.
I tried too hard to see the big picture and neglected the little cultural
things.’ Now it was too late, so it would be best to go with what she
knew, the big picture as she understood it.
“Commodore
Keltak, if you don’t mind I would like to get straight to the point.”
The
Alekian shot her a quizzical glance. “Not at all, but what do you think the
point is?”
“If
the Talkhans are willing to negotiate safe passage for your ships through their
territory, would your government be willing to make any concessions to secure
such a deal?”
A
deep gurgling sound started down in Keltak’s chest and worked its way up his
throat. “Straight to the important matter. I like that. I like that very
much.” He reached for a glass and took a probing sip of the bright orange
liquid. The Alekian licked his lips and took another sip. “This is very good.
What do you call it?”
“It
is called tranya,” Counselor Lee answered.
“Tranya...
I’ll have to remember that. Very tasty.” He turned to Captain Veal again.
“To answer your question I must say that we can’t make many concessions to
Talkha. What goods our merchant ships can carry we have already promised the
Federation. I suspect the Talkhans will want a share of that, as it could be
profitable to them, but we can’t give them any of it, now that we signed our
trade agreement with your people.”
Tarin
knew what the Commodore was referring to. Talkha had a small population base,
but a comparatively strong industry. They could turn many of the Alekians’ raw
materials into even more valuable products and make a high profit from it, but
now the Federation had a claim to almost everything Alek could export.
Perhaps
it could be the basis for a compromise. If the Talkhans could become middlemen
everyone could get something. It was a thought to keep in mind during any future
negotiation, even if it wasn’t what the Federation had hope for.
“Well,”
Captain Veal said, “it’s too early for speculation. I expect a proposal from
the Talkhans within the next few hours, but until then you and your companions
are welcome to enjoy what hospitality the Valkyrie has to offer.”
*****
A
few hours later Tarin found Keltak and his aides in Ten Forward together with
Counselor Lee. Catherine and the Alekian Commodore were facing each other across
a small round table, the two other Alekians and a few of the Valkyrie’s
crew gathered at a respectful distance.
Tarin
made her way to the rear of the small group of onlookers and peered over an
Ensign’s shoulder to see what was going on. Catherine Lee was teaching Keltak
how to play Go. They were using the mid-sized board of 13x13 lines, small enough
for a beginner, but not as constraining as the smallest 9x9 board.
A
few weeks ago Catherine had tried to teach Go to Tarin. They had never found the
time to play more than a few games, but Tarin had enjoyed it. It was a game that
could challenge both intellect and intuition in equal measures and the best
thing was that the rules allowed a starting advantage for the weaker player. Two
people could play Go and enjoy it, stand an equal chance, even if their skills
differed considerably.
From
what Tarin could see Keltak was doing quite well, surveying the whole board
carefully before he placed a stone, apprehensive of what his opponent might do,
yet following his own strategy the best he could.
When
it was over Counselor Lee had achieved a narrow victory. Tarin cleared her
throat and people who hadn’t noticed her before made way, nodded at her,
offered a “good evening, captain”, received a smile or a “good evening”
in return.
“I
hope I am not interrupting anything?”
Keltak
and Catherine rose. “Not at all, Captain,” the Alekian replied. “We were
just finished.”
“I
have received a transmission from Talkha with their initial proposal for a safe
trade corridor for your ships, Commodore.” Tarin motioned for everyone to sit
down again and took a chair at the Go table. “It looks quite good to me. We
will have to spend some time going over it with the Talkhans, but all in all a
very promising start in my opinion.” She handed Commodore Keltak a padd with
all the details. “I would like to set a meeting with a Talkhan delegation here
on the Valkyrie for tomorrow
morning at 0800, if that is alright with you?”
“Certainly,
Captain, that will do nicely.” Keltak sounded enthusiastic. Perhaps he had not
expected things to move so fast and in such an encouraging direction.
A
smile spread across Tarin Veal’s features. “Very good, I’ll send a reply
to the Talkhan government immediately. Once that is done, perhaps one of you
would be interested in playing me a game of Go?”
*****
“I
enjoyed our game of Go,” Tarin remarked.
“It
was an interesting match,” Commodore Keltak agreed. “The rules are simple
enough that it can truly become a contest of two minds, unfettered by rules and
regulations. Pure strategy.”
Tarin
raised an eyebrow at the Alekian and lowered her voice. “Forgive me if this
sounds a bit silly, but I thought rules were the one thing every Alekian could
relate to, the thing you all placed the strongest emphasis on.”
Keltak
leaned closer and lowered his voice to a whisper. “Promise not to tell my
people, but I don’t care that much about rules.” Noticing Tarin’s
surprised expression he was quick to add: “Don’t get me wrong. I will follow
my orders to the letter. It’s just that sometimes I can’t help wonder if the
letter of my orders is the best way to go. Probably comes with the duties of a
field command. You do understand, do you?”
Captain
Veal nodded briskly. Yes, she understood all to well, especially now, but not in
the way Keltak assumed. ‘Gather
information. Try to find a diplomatic solution to current problems in the Talkha
sector.’ That was not much to go by. There were times that Tarin wished
fervently that Starfleet would allow its captains a little less leeway, but now
it was up to her to make the decisions.
She
looked around. There was Keltak and Counselor Lee and Commander Westmore. A side
party of security guards to escort the Talkhan delegation.
Tarin
Veal drew a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and nodded at the transporter
chief. “Energize.”
*****
“Captain
Veal to the bridge!”
Tarin
hated the interruption, but Moira O’Shea’s voice was too urgent to ignore.
“If you will excuse me, please.” Without waiting for a reply from the
Talkhan and Alekian delegations Captain Veal headed for the bridge.
“What
is it, Moira?” she asked before the conference room door had fully closed
behind her.
“The
army ships in orbit around Talkha are changing position, taking up a stationary
orbit right above Altassa. As soon as they started moving, two shuttles left
Talkha B and are now on a least-time approach to the capital.”
Tarin
Veal sank into the bridge’s center seat. She had been uncertain what move to
expect from the Talkhans, but this was definitely not it. “Anything else?”
“No,
but with passive sensors only we can’t know what is going on anywhere else in
the system for a couple more minutes.”
“It’s
about time we found out what is going on here,” Tarin replied as she activated
her holographic display. “Give me an active sensor sweep of the whole
system.”
A
moment later the hologram lit up with tiny symbols, each representing a ship
dropping out off warp. Four, six, eight – every privateer in Talkhan employ
was showing up. And the ships patrolling the system perimeter had set course for
Talkha.
“Yellow
alert.”
As
the warning lights flashed throughout the Valkyrie and crewmembers
hurried to their assigned stations, Lieutenant Alvarez reported a new
development. “I am reading multiple transporter events. The orbiting ships are
beaming personnel down into the heart of the city.”
Tarin
checked her sensor read-outs again. The first privateer would reach Talkha in
thirty minutes, the last one in a little under an hour. The ships that had been
patrolling the system perimeter would take anywhere from three to five hours to
reach Talkha unless they suddenly went to warp, but if they had intended that
they would have done so already.
“Lieutenant
Alvarez, try to contact Minister Novak.”
After
several attempts Felix Alvarez shook his head. “There’s a lot of
interference and half the com-equipment in Altassa seems to be out. I am still
getting our hail through, but so far no one has answered.”
“I
see.” Tarin rose and strode towards the conference room. “Hold this position
for now. I’ll be back shortly.”
*****
“Commander
Westmore, take over on the bridge. Contact our away team and tell them to get
back here immediately. If you can contact them on the pre-arranged frequency, do
so. If not, just get in touch with them by whatever means necessary.”
“Yes,
Ma’am.” Alex Westmore turned on his heel and headed out of the conference
lounge.
As
Tarin Veal made for her chair at the head of the table she ignored the surprised
look on the faces of the Talkhans and Alekians. She didn’t sit down, instead
standing behind her chair and leaning her crossed arms on the backrest.
“Minister
Tretyak, don’t you think it is time you told us what is going on?”
The
Talkhan was surprised at first, then indignant, but finally got a grip of
himself “I have no idea what you are talking about!”
“Very
well.” Tarin tapped her com-badge on. “Bridge, what is the position of the
two Talkhan shuttles and can you relay an image of them to the conference
room?”
“Yes,
Captain. One is just entering the atmosphere and the other one touched down in
the center of Altassa a few seconds ago. Which one do you want to see?”
“Both,”
Captain Veal replied and behind her the conference room viewer came to life.
The
left of the split screen showed a large shuttle hurtling through Talkha’s
atmosphere at top speed, its shields glowing a bright orange and trailing a tail
of flames and ionized gas behind it like a shooting star.
The
right-hand image was less spectacular, yet much more telling about what was
going on on Talkha. The shuttle had set down only seconds ago but already two
dozen uniformed men and women were running towards it. The backdrop was a large
plaza in front of the building that housed the Talkhans Council chambers. The
cargo doors at the aft of the shuttle opened and the shuttle disgorged armed
soldiers onto the landing padd.
As
the soldiers set up a perimeter around the shuttle, others placed transport
inhibitors around the landing field and started to set up force field emitters.
As soon as a forcefield came to life two or three militia soldiers took position
behind the shimmering cover, their rifles at the ready.
“Minister
Tretyak, I ask you again – what is going on here?”
Even
before Tretyak had recovered from his shock Tarin knew what his answer would be.
The Talkhan minister wasn’t in on the coup the army was staging. And in this
case the army meant Bertram Novak.
Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5
Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12
