U.S.S. Corsair - NX-011979
Nebula II Prototype
“Sic Parvis Magna”
(Greatness From Small Beginnings)
“Progeny of the Progenitors – Part 12”
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## Bridge – USS Corsair ##
Captain Taverain C. Ramius stood at the center of his command center as dozens of technicians and repair crews scurried about like ants busy with repairs and other such duties. The bridge was alive with activity spurred on by the insistence of its lord and master who was becoming less impatient with each passing hour.
The viewscreen, constantly obscured by passing crewmen, was filled with the image of the station’s chief dock officer who was protesting the schedule being forced upon him by an unflinching and determined captain.
“Repairs to the Corsair must be completed in 48 hours”, Ramius shouted over the repair activities that surrounded him.
“Captain, I have limited staff and your damage is extensive. What you are asking for is impossible.”
“Commander, I have orders to depart at once and am expected, given the nature and sensitivity of our missions and assignments, to be punctual. I cannot tell my superiors I will be delayed.”
“Captain, surely they must realize the damage that occurred to your ship and the time it takes to repair such things. A few additional days of repair time should be easy to obtain given the circumstances.”
“The security of the Federation waits for no one. Intelligence matters often make the difference between peace and war and they very often hang on a few precious moments. However if you cannot motivate your crews then I will submit my reports indicating my ship is unable to leave due to repairs and I am sure that someone will indeed want to talk with you further regarding the matter. I am simply attempting to spare you such a conversation with Fleet command.”
The commander swallowed. “Fleet command? But… Ok, I’ll see what I can do. Please. Don’t file that report captain. We’ll do what we can to patch things up as quickly as possible and get you on your way. I’ll personally keep you informed on our progress.”
Ramius nodded and motioned for the channel to be cut. “Have the chief engineer report to my ready room”, Ramius ordered with a subtle grin. Finally, things appeared to be looking up. With any luck the Corsair would be operational again in 48 hours well ahead of the plodding schedule that had been proposed. It was amazing how quickly all manner of tasks could be completed whenever ‘fleet command’ became involved whether directly or in Ramius’s particular cases…decidedly indirectly.
## Later – Captain’s Ready Room ##
“You rang”, chief engineer Sai Kusinagi stated stepping through the captain’s doorway.
“Indeed I did. Come in Sai. Please have a seat.”
“Forgive me captain. I prefer to stand. There’s a lot of work to be done around the ship. If my crews cannot take a break then neither can I.”
“Your dedication is admirable and appreciated as always Sai. Very well. I will be brief.”
Ramius stood from his desk and moved to the rear of the room where he produced a large silver case secured by the best locking mechanisms currently employed.
“If that’s what I think it is Ramius you can forget it”, Sai quickly said before Ramius had finished dragging the case into view. “I have an entire starship to put back together and I don’t have the time to play with a toy that could very well rip it apart or worse. It’s a dangerous toy and one I’m not willing to play with. Play with fire long enough and you eventually end up burned.”
Ramius appeared unphased by the engineer’s remarks and in fact expected them. His engineer would be remiss in his duty if he did not object to using what was tightly locked in the case at his feet.
“Sai.”
“Forget it. I am not touching it. You can throw me in the brig for disobedience and insubordination but I am not risking my life or those aboard gambling with that infernal device again. The risks are too high.”
“Yes they are. Do you remember when you came aboard?”
Sai nodded.
“I handpicked you Sai from dozens of candidates for the chief engineering position. There were many more that had better qualifications and experience, but you were young, daring, and out to prove you were one of the best and brightest. And you have done just that. However, do you also remember what I asked before you accepted the position?”
“Vividly”, the chief answered. “You asked if I could accept working on a ship where danger would be a constant companion. The stakes and risks would often be high and doing the impossible against all odds would be routine. The pressure would be great yet the rewards would be equally grand.”
“Almost word for word”, Ramius answered. “You accepted my proposal Sai and I need a favor. I wouldn’t have asked you here otherwise if I didn’t think you could do it.”
“But captain!”
“I won’t make this an order Sai. I cannot given the…circumstances. However, here is what we are up against. I will let you make the choice.
Captain Akina and I have been assisting local security aboard the station in a rash of murders they have been unable to solve. Our investigations have led us to an unusual religious group with dark criminal ties. Someone sinister is manipulating the group’s followers and using them to carry out murder and other crimes in addition to kidnapping innocent civilians and shipping them off to a planet for an as of yet undetermined reason. This planet is located within Romulan space. This raises two concerns. One, if the Romulans are aware of this we have a serious diplomatic and political issue to address and two, if they are not then whoever is orchestrating and conducting this affair has found a safe haven outside of Federation jurisdiction and is using it to escape justice. In either event we must determine who is behind this and what activities are being conducted on this planet. Captain Akina was injured attempting to obtain information on these people and I have a gut feeling that whatever we have stumbled into is just the tip of a very, long and poisonous snake.
Those are the facts. I would ask you to keep them to yourself for now. As for my request, the risk is high, perhaps even extreme, but if we do nothing more innocent lives will be siphoned off of the station and I suspect these souls meet a poor fate. These criminals must be stopped.”
Sai rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Can we not forward our findings to fleet command and have them pursue this matter with the Romulans or at least file a complaint? If we’re caught or that device malfunctions I can’t even begin to contemplate the hot water we will be in. I for one like hot showers, but being boiled isn’t something I can say I am found of sir.”
“It could take months for a formal protest and complaint to be followed up on by both sides – if ever. How many lives will be lost in that time”, Ramius asked.
“How can you be sure they are being lost now captain? Kidnapping is a crime, I’ll stipulate that. However, you cannot say they are being murdered. Abused – perhaps. Sold into slavery, likely. The risk is too great to go chasing after a few individuals who have wandered into a spiders web no matter how dangerous the spider.”
“Suppose that web grows larger and entangles more people? How dangerous does the spider have to become before you exterminate it?”
“What if this is just organized crime? We cannot go trawling the quadrant looking for every pirate, cutthroat, and smuggler who has broken the law, smuggled a life, or worse taken it. You’d need a fleet a million times the size of the Starfleet to police the entire Federation. Without hard facts this mission is as dangerous as it is illegal. Captain. Taverain. I know how you feel about bringing criminals to justice, but this is one time we shouldn’t get involved.”
Ramius sighed and took a seat at his desk.
“I’ve never been a cautious man Sai. And your arguments are not with merit. For the last two hours I’ve been sitting here telling myself the same thing yet I just have a feeling there is something more to all of this than everyday crime. I can’t explain it. Call it a gut feeling or a sixth sense, but I can just feel something sinister in the air. Too many loose ends are lending themselves to something substantial, but you are correct. I have no proof. Just a few loose facts, an injured officer, suspicions, and unreliable testimony from one of the group’s alleged members who wants to help.”
“I don’t know. Am I a fool for even considering this?”
“You are no fool sir. Far from it. The cause is noble and just, however there are certain realities involved that are larger than any of us. Charging into the Neutral Zone is fraught with danger not only to us but could involve the entire Federation. The needs of the many, sadly, outweigh the needs of a few.”
“Perhaps you are right”, Ramius replied drumming his fingers on his desk. “Breaking in through the Romulan’s backdoor, while infinitely more exciting, is not without a heavy dose of danger and risk.”
“Have you reconsidered then sir?”
“Indeed. Thank you Sai for your insight.”
The engineer smiled briefly catching the captain’s attention.
“Oh, sorry sir. I just never thought you were one to alter your convictions so easily at least not without a fight. In any event may I ask permission to give my staff some time off? We have all been working overtime to glue the Corsair back together given your orders.”
“Negative”, Ramius answered. “I may have changed my mind on method, but we are still going to help those people one way or another. I want this ship warp capable in 48 hours as we have an appointment at the Romulan Neutral Zone.”
“But captain I…”
“I think we will try knocking on the front door. Who knows? Perhaps the Romulans might let us in to take a look. It is worth a shot anyway before having to employ other methods.”
Sai wrinkled his nose as his hope for a breather from hours of endless work faded. “Very well sir. I won’t guarantee anything else aboard will work, but if you want warp drive in two days I’ll find someway of making that happen. You know you are going to put me into an early grave.”
“You couldn’t be happier down there in Engineering and I suspect you’d trade a few years for this opportunity than to be bored to tears on some normal starship surveying comets or escorting diplomats and the like.”
“You’re probably right. Well I should get back so I can jump back into the fire and inform everyone of your gracious orders.”
“Get me to the Neutral Zone in once piece and I’ll personally buy a bottle of Romulan ale for everyone on your staff including that ensign who has yet to fix the replicator in my quarters.”
Ramius laughed and put his hands up. “I’ll live with the problem. Just focus on getting those engines back together and Sai...keep your eyes open. I also have reason to believe that members of the station are on this group’s payroll. They might attempt to sabotage the Corsair to keep us quiet.”
“Now you tell me? Could you spare a few extra security guards? I don’t have time to check identities and fix the engines at the same time.”
“I’ll have security put a few menacing looking guards down there. Hopefully that will deter any persons wishing us ill will.”
“Never a dull moment aboard this ship”, the engineer grumbled. “At least the yard finished repairs to the spaceframe and outer hull. Although I’m sure you’ll find a way to ruin the new paint job they just finished applying in short order.”
“Never can tell”, Ramius replied.
“Why do I bother. Am I dismissed sir?”
Ramius nodded as the engineer turned and left the ready room.
Tapping his fingers against his desk Ramius wondered if indeed the Romulans would even be inclined to listen to his request. He desperately wanted to keep this off the official radars and out of the purview of diplomats if possible. Involving them and making the issue public would only tip their hand to the mysterious puppet master behind this affair and Ramius was sure the trail would go cold as a result. He had few dealing with the Romulans. In the war he had flown with some of them against Dominion forces and was impressed by their tenacity and skill. However they were a cryptic race difficult to predict and not exactly worthy of blind trust. If they could use the situation to their advantage Ramius could expect a knife in the back delivered with a smile. He would have to be wary.
In many cases breaking in through the back door and making a run through Romulan space under cloak would be so much easier than dealing with them, however Sai was correct, the stakes were too high to risk such a course of action. Perhaps he could convince them to permit a short visit provided the Corsair did not overstay its welcome.
Even if he managed by some miracle to convince them to allow an inspection he would still require a hidden ace to play just in case the Romulans attempted to play a trump card of their own. He had a few outstanding favors owed by various individuals. Perhaps now was a good time to call a few of them in. He could think of few better causes than rescuing the lives of people forced against their will to a mysterious planet for some unknown purpose.
[ To Be Continued ]
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Captain Taverain Ramius
Commanding Officer, USS Corsair
Commander Sai Kusanagi
Chief Engineer, USS Corsair
