The captain was seated in his ready room just off the bridge, reading something on the small screen of his desk computer console. A comm signal interrupted his thoughts. "Captain, please come to the bridge," requested the voice of his first officer.
The captain exited his ready room, "Report, Commander Yilaan."
"Captain, we're coming up on some wreckage; it may belong to one of those missing ships. There is sufficient mass for this to be the remains of a ship," Commander Yilaan told him as she got up from the command chair to allow the captain to sit.
"Valen, slow to impulse speed," ordered the captain. "Can you pick up any pieces with any distinguishing marks or the like?"
"I've locked on to what appears to be part of a warp nacelle," said Lieutenant Valen as his fingers moved rapidly. He studied the console a moment before looking up at the viewscreen.
"Magnify the image," said the captain.
A gasp emanated from the captain and first officer as Valen magnified the image on the screen. "I've confirmed our visual sir, it is the Templeton," said Lieutenant Ivanovna. "It's totally destroyed. Scans suggest a disruptor style weapon may have been used."
"Lieutenant Ivanovna, inform Starfleet of our find and take us to yellow alert. Ensign Gates, resume course and speed for the Cheron system," ordered the captain. He then paused, with a thoughtful expression crossing his face. "Commander Yilaan, you have the bridge. I'll be in engineering; I need to consult with Jevor for a moment," he told her.
The first officer looked at him quizzically, "Sir? Aye sir."
The captain departed for engineering via the port-aft turbolift. "Deck twenty-eight, engineering," Freeman told the computer as he entered the lift and the doors closed behind him.
The captain arrived in engineering moments later; Commander Jevor was there discussing something with two of his engineers. "Captain!" said the chief engineer as he nodded to the two others and walked over to greet the captain of the Bristol.
"Commander Jevor, how are our engines holding up?" Freeman asked.
"Just fine sir," responded the muscular Jevor proudly. "As I expected, the varying speeds of our journey left no ill effects on their performance."
"Excellent Commander. This area of space may be dangerous and I wanted to make sure there weren't any problems." Freeman appraised Jevor for a moment and then continued less officially. "Tell me something," he said, pausing. Freeman lowered his voice and took Jevor off to one side, "The ship's first Parisi Squares competition is in a week or two. You and I have been friends long enough for me to know you're good, but what can you tell me about Ivanovna?"
Jevor smiled, "She will be a challenge sir, but one that I am up for. Why do you ask?"
"When this ship was first commissioned, it was tested Jevor," said the captain. "It was tested, tested, and re-tested. There is a mound of paperwork to do that would stretch from here to Vulcan and back, and if you win," Freeman paused, a sly expression on his face, "Commander Yilaan gets to fill it all out." The captain smiled broadly at this possibility and then clapped Jevor on the shoulder. "Good luck Belan!"
"Sir!" said Jevor with an answering smile of determination crossing his face, as the captain departed.
The captain returned to the bridge and took his seat. "Captain," Lieutenant Ivanovna said abruptly, moments after his arrival, "I'm detecting a peculiar energy pattern dead ahead. They appear to be moving on an intercept course towards us!"
The captain started to reply, "Lieutenant, can you," but he was interrupted by another abrupt report by Ivanovna.
"Captain it's a ship. It's de-cloaking sir!" she reported grimly, looking from her console to the viewscreen.
"Red alert!" the captain said forcefully. "Shields to maximum. Ready phasers, load all torpedo bays. Configuration of the Romulan vessel Valen?" he continued as the blaring sound of the alert klaxon droned on in the background.
"Sir, I do not believe it is Romulan; the ship matches no known design, and uses metals and other design patterns consistent with the Gorn," Valen responded, somewhat puzzled by what his scanners were showing him.
"Open a channel to that vessel Lieutenant," ordered the captain.
"Aye sir," Ivanovna replied. "Channel open."
"Unidentified vessel, this is Captain Mark Freeman of the Federation starship Bristol, please respond," Freeman called out to the other ship. An eerie silence filled the bridge as everyone sat awaiting a reply.
"No reply?" Yilaan wondered aloud after a few moments had passed.
"No, they've responded alright sir! They're powering their weapons . . . and firing!" Ivanovna said with alarm. The Bristol was hit by a couple disruptor blasts, shaking the crew about.
"Shields holding, Captain," Ivanovna reported.
"Return fire Ivanovna! Target the weapons if you can!" ordered the captain. "Helm, evasive maneuvers, sequence gamma. Engage!"
Ivanovna fired a couple of phaser blasts on the opposing ship. The blasts hit various locations on the enemy's forward shields and shook the vessel.
"Captain, they're retreating!" exclaimed Ensign Gates. "Shall we pursue?"
"Negative. Our primary duty is to the colony; if the Gorn are breaking the treaty and messing around in Federation territory, that colony is in danger. Continue on course for Cheron Five," Freeman said, casting a side-long glance at Commander Yilaan, who in turn nodded in agreement. "Once we're in system, take us there at full impulse, Ensign."
"Aye sir," Gates responded.
The remaining journey to Cheron Five passed by uneventfully and the Bristol assumed a standard orbit about the planet, a globe with patterns of red and green coloration to it, belying both its inhospitable past and its terraformed present.
"Get me a channel to the community leader," Captain Freeman requested of Lieutenant Ivanovna.
"Aye," she said, her fingers skimming across her control panel. "Someone is responding Captain; on screen."
Everyone glanced over at the viewscreen. "I am Captain Mark Freeman of the Federation starship Bristol," announced the captain.
"Greetings and felicitations my good man!" answered a silver-haired, clean-shaven gentlemen whose image appeared on the viewer. His voice bore more than just a hint of a British accent.
"To whom have I the pleasure of speaking sir?" Freeman inquired formally.
"My name is Eldrige Churchill, Captain, leader of the New London colony here. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance!"
"Thank you sir. We have the cargo you have requested, and I also have some troubling news," Freeman informed him.
"We were just about to sit down for the afternoon's conversation Captain! Perhaps you and your first officer would care to join us, and you can tell me this news of yours," said Eldrige. "I can also give you decent beam down coordinates for that cargo you so generously went out of your way to bring us."
"Thank you very much for your hospitality sir! We will join you shortly then," Freeman replied, smiling in a friendly manner.
"Excellent! New London out." The image on the viewscreen disappeared and was replaced with the planet and surrounding stars.
The captain turned to face Ivanovna. "Relay the coordinates Mr. Churchill is sending to us to the proper transporter rooms Lieutenant," he said. He then turned to face the front of Bridge. "Lieutenant Valen you'll have the bridge in our absence. Maintain yellow alert." Freeman then glanced at his first officer, "Impressions Commander?"
"If only everyone we dealt with was as honestly courteous and polite," she mused, with a note of slight amusement on her face.
"Very good," answered the captain as the two of them strode towards a turbolift.
As they rode in the turbolift together, the captain suddenly grinned and commented sidelong to Yilaan. "I'd hate to be in your shoes Commander."
"Why is that Captain?" she asked curiously.
"All that paperwork to fill out when we complete this mission," Freeman replied, letting his sentence drop.
Yilaan got a smug look on her face. "We'll see about that sir."
Freeman's confident grin faded and was replaced by a slightly concerned furl of his brow, before he cleared his throat and returned his thoughts to the business at hand.
The two of them arrived at a transporter room in short order and were beamed down to the meeting place on the planet. They were met by Eldrige and another man, presumably an assistant of some kind.
"Captain, so good of you to join us today! Is this your first officer?" Eldrige asked, indicating Commander Yilaan. Before either could reply in the affirmative, Eldrige took her hand and kissed it lightly, "Welcome to our humble home Commander. Captain, Commander, this is my assistant Douglas. Please, let us walk this way." Eldrige gestured ahead and led the way as the captain and commander exchanged small smiles.
"Please be seated," Eldrige offered. "You simply must try our banana milk," he paused reaching for a pitcher, "as well as some bread with that," he finished, reaching for a tray of yellowish bread. He poured some of the banana milk into glasses for himself, his assistant, and the two officers. "Dipping this bread into the milk is absolutely heavenly!" said Eldrige, as he offered the tray of bread around. "You should see the bananas that grow on this planet!" he continued. "They're gigantic!" The small group ate and drank for a moment or two; both Yilaan and Freeman were pleased with the fare they were consuming.
"Now then," said Eldrige after a few minutes, "you didn't come here to talk about our bananas. What is this news of yours?"
The captain smiled briefly at Eldrige's transition and then grew serious. "On our way here, we had a run-in near this solar system with what we believe was a Gorn warship. We also found the wreckage of one of three ships that have been reported missing from this area in the past few weeks. We think your colony may be in danger."
Eldrige chewed on soppy bread while listening to the captain, a concerned expression on his face. "There are no men of war in this colony Captain, only of peace. However, we do have something in our favor."
"What is that?" Yilaan asked.
"Well my dear," said Eldrige, addressing Yilaan, "this planet's atmosphere retains some residual parts of it's non-terraformed state. There are particles in it which disperse high levels of directed energy. Something like a ship's phaser bank can't get to us; a transporter can."
"The ship we encountered used a disruptor style weapon," Freeman said. "Will your atmosphere disperse that also?"
"That's a very good question, Captain," Eldrige replied with a concerned expression.
The captain tapped his comm-badge, "Bristol come in."
"Lieutenant Valen here sir," came the reply.
"Lieutenant, there are particles in the atmosphere of this planet which apparently disperse directed energy weapons. Scan and analyze the atmosphere and tell me if it could repel an attack from the type of disruptor weapon used against us in the last attack," Freeman ordered.
"Aye sir," answered Lieutenant Valen.
"Even if it does, that only eliminates the possibility of orbital bombardment Captain," noted Yilaan in an almost off-hand manner. "The Gorn could just beam down a strike force."
"Quite right Commander," said the captain. He paused for a moment and then addressed Eldrige, "Would you be opposed to a small contingent of my personnel beaming down with an extra load of weapons to help ward off such an attack? It would only be a short-term measure until Starfleet could send other assistance."
Eldrige brooded a moment and then said, "Well Captain, for the good of my people and this colony I would agree to such a proposal, though I must admit it saddens my heart to think of weapons of war invading our little community."
"Our ship will be in the area for awhile, sir. If the Gorn are going to try anything, maybe we can keep them at bay," replied Freeman grimly. A comm signal at that moment interrupted their conversation. "Freeman here," he said, responding to the hail from the Bristol.
"Sir, I've analyzed the atmosphere and I believe it could disperse an attack of the type perpetrated against us earlier in our voyage," Lieutenant Valen reported.
"Excellent!" exclaimed the captain. He turned to Eldrige, "With your permission, we will start beaming teams down shortly sir."
"Very well," Eldrige responded.
"Commander, I want you to remain in charge of the landing parties here. Set up as many defenses as you think wise, but tell our people to stay out of the way of the colonists as much as possible. I don't want them to feel like they're in a war zone," said the captain.
"Aye sir," Yilaan replied.
"Thank you for your courtesy Captain," said Eldrige, offering the captain his hand.
The captain nodded and smiled at Eldrige, shaking his hand. "And thank you for your hospitality sir." He then tapped his communicator, "Bristol, one to beam aboard."
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