Flint and Steel

Unofficial Literary Challenge 14 - The Sound of Q-sic, Prompt 3

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Club 47 in Earth Space Dock had reopened from extensive renovations and Kathryn was invited to its first day reveal. She was not too sociable on her ship and she felt that appropriate. Although she had friends on Solaris, and had good rapport with the crew, it was also a place of duty. Yet, for this occasion, Kathryn decided to let her hair down, literally.

Her hair flowed from a short part along the right side of her head, with a slight wave, over her left shoulder revealing a long segmented ear ring to the right. Staying on the conservative side due to the other attendees being either diplomats or higher-ranking members of Starfleet and the Federation, her azure dress extended to the floor and covered her arms. Not being overly modest herself, she allowed her back to be exposed with the dress hanging from her neck and waist. From her hips, the dress exhibited her bare legs behind a wrapped curtain of lightweight sheer material which shimmered in the light. At just under six feet tall bare-footed, her dark burgundy high heeled shoes made Kathryn feel like an Amazon relative to other guests, even if it was only three more inches.

Multi-colored beams of light streaked from a rotating ball that floated around the cavernous room. It orbited a larger device blaring loud music, mostly from human origin. The room itself was plainly ornamented to allow for strobe lights to serve as constantly moving decoration. From that effect, shadows were stark and changed constantly. Although every corner of the dance room was visible, it was intermittent. The point was that privacy was not possible.

But that is what Kathryn wanted. After dancing with changing partners for a few exciting songs, she decided that was enough. Carefully dodging past other dancers, she reached the edge of the brightly lit dance floor and lifted her dress to allow for safe climbing up the stairs to the bar-room. Passing a force field between the rooms, the music instantly muffled to a dull warble or rhythmic thump. Kathryn pulled at her hair to keep it on her left side as she strolled to the bar and ordered a drink. Seconds later, a teal-colored drink appeared in a short clear glass with ice cubes floating within. She took a sip and looked toward the lounge area of Club 47. Knowing that area was the antithesis of the dance floor (while sharing a beautiful view of the Earth), she smiled slightly and walked toward peace and quiet.

Throughout the evening, Kathryn had been involved in various conversations. All of them generic small talk; the kind you would expect to have with unfamiliar people or higher-ranking officers. A polite, and sometimes professional, distance was maintained in the dialog. She didn’t expect salacious propositions as if she were at Drozana Station or even Risa, even if Club 47 was a bar, lounge, and dance floor inside Earth Space Dock. Although an “official” event, it was comforting not to have to talk “business”. On board a starship, most conversations tend to be toward its proper maintenance, or the specification to handle this-or-that duty.

Passing another force field, the already muted music from the bar area was almost eliminated completely. The serenity of the lounge, coupled with an expansive view of nearby space dominated by the Earth to the side was breathtaking. The lounge had plenty of available seating, especially for an event like this. Kathryn mentally shrugged off the curious fact and sat at an empty table closest to the main window. On board her ship, she enjoyed sitting at window seats to enjoy a drink. Her reverie swam through histories, reminders and nonsensical thoughts until a starship floated into view. The graceful, and intimidating, form of an Odyssey-class ship captured her attention until it disappeared.

“The USS Orion.”

Kathryn was startled as the speaker was standing near her table. Looking, the human male was clearly Asian and aged well. Dark grey hair worn long and to the shoulders, the Fu Manchu was also dark grey and made his distinguished presence intimidating. He wore the Command colors on his Admiral’s tunic. Kathryn noted she did not see anyone else in Club 47 wearing a uniform, other than the woman standing to his side and a step behind.

Her dark hair fell straight to the middle of her torso. Cheeks seemed to flow straight to the jaw accentuated by thick lips, even wearing a neutral expression she exuded a sexy friendliness. The standard-issue uniform’s white shoulders revealed her as a starship captain. Looking at the woman, Kathryn could not help but smile, partly out of relief for a friendly face between the two visitors.

Clearing her throat, Kathryn stood and saluted. Efficiently, the Admiral waved to brush aside protocol, have Kathryn sit back down and invite his female partner to sit down at the table. Kathryn was compelled to sit in her chair and wait for the next move.

The Admiral spoke first, “Captain Kathryn Selena Beringer, please meet Captain Tracy Maxwell Kent”.

Tracy nodded and smiled as she sat into a nearby chair, crossing her legs. Kathryn felt more relaxed and lifted her glass. She then watched the Admiral sit into another seat.

As he sat, the Admiral became more congenial, “my apologies to interrupt your festivities, I hope you are enjoying yourself?”

“Yes, indeed, Admiral Marik.”

The man smiled stroking his moustache. “Let me be brief: what is your opinion on orbital bombardment?”

Kathryn could not hide her surprise at the query. “Excuse me, sir?”

“I know this may not seem the place or time to discuss official business, but it is necessary.”

He did not ask the question again, nor did the Admiral explain it. Kathryn arranged her thoughts and took a sip to help buy time to craft an effectual answer.

“It’s not Starfleet’s best tool in the box to solve problems.”

Tracy and Marik exchanged glances and Kathryn felt as if she had just answered a word-problem with a number.

Captain Kent leaned forward enough for her hair to fall past her shoulders. “Of course. Let me be blunt, the Corps of Engineers have been working on projects focused on kinetic weapons, of all types. Torpedo technology has improved greatly since the days of Kirk. Yet, with everything happening in the galaxy, our negotiators need more force available to them, so to speak.” Her silky voice matched her beauty, yet Kathryn heard an edge in her words.

Kathryn’s raised an eyebrow. “Negotiators shouldn’t need firepower.”

Smirking, Kent replied, “normally we’d agree with that statement. The Iconians proved time and again Starfleet was not prepared …,” her countenance changed as her lips trembled for a moment second before she found her place again. “Well, let’s say it’s better to have a box with tools you may not need. Wouldn’t you agree, Captain?”

“I suppose.” Kathryn glanced at her drink before taking a sip to respect whatever loss Tracy remembered.

Admiral Marik spoke next. “Have you seen the new Jupiter-class yet, Captain?”

The change in topic was abrupt. Maybe the Admiral was pushing aside ‘work’ for a moment to help Tracy? “Yes. Very impressive. She will be the pride of the fleet, I’m sure.”

“Captain Kent is slotted to receive a ship from the first wave. The redesign is a perfect platform to test new weapons.” The Admiral stroked his beard again. “It’s going to replace the Galaxy-class in that regard.”

Marik’s dovetailing the topics made Kathryn feel uneasy. Sitting a little straighter in the chair she cocked her head to the side and looked to both officers. “Forgive me Admiral, but what’s going on here?”

Tracy sat back into her chair and looked to Marik as if to receive permission. He didn’t look away from Kathryn. She glanced over her shoulders before explaining. “One of the new Jupiter-class vessels will be the platform to test a new catastrophic weapon. The Javelin Lance uses kinetic technology at its simplest form. Essentially, a large Decatritanium ‘spike’ will be launched from orbit via electromagnetic rail at a ground target. The planet’s gravity takes over, pulling the ship-long missile to target.”

Kathryn’s eyes widened as she imagined the weapon and it’s causing fantastic destruction. In her mind’s eye, a large nail dived into the heart of an average-sized city and everything melted from amazing heat and explosion from impact. Cognizance whirled as she griped with the weapon’s feasibility and disagreed with the concept.

“Energy-based attacks are more accurate … a hell of a lot more accurate. The Javelin is simply indiscriminate.”

The warmth of Tracy’s smile was cooled by the mischievous look in her eyes. Admiral Marik cleared his throat. “Regardless of the details, the purpose of our meeting is to recruit your ship to assist with finding suitable testing grounds. Simulations prove the weapon is viable, but there’s nothing like the real thing. Captain Kent will be commanding the vessel. Myself or Admiral Takashi Kurita will be your contacts.”

“I …,” Kathryn paused. Being a starship Captain, she had a lot of leeway with decisions. Sometimes though, orders were orders and Kathryn had yet to be faced with a situation that pushed against her own moral judgment so much as to jeopardize her career. Admiral Marik was not overtly giving an order, yet it was undeniable that he was doing so.

Ships have increased in their lethality, and every cruiser on the line had orbital strike capabilities. Solaris was no different; the fact she has yet to use it may be either luck or fortune. But the power to obliterate a city was always at her command. From another point of view, by joining Starfleet, she accepted the possibility to do something against the fringes of her own professional morality.

Did this weapon, and this discussion, breach some personal code? The Federation was at full war with the Iconians. Before that, the Vaadwaur, Undine, Voth and Klingons. Starfleet was a military, after all, and weapon development was sure to take many turns. So, was the Admiral really asking for more than what was expected from a Starfleet Captain?

Kathryn decided he wasn’t. Before Kathryn could finish responding, Admiral Marik raised a hand to interrupt. He smiled as spoke.

“Don’t get me wrong, Captain Beringer. Your ship will not have this mission alone. Although the project is still in development, the prototype is ready. Coupled with the current state of affairs, targets are to be discovered rather than sought after; targets of opportunity, so to speak. We want to test on remote, desolate worlds with no chance against any form of life. COE plans this project will not be fully operational for several months, due to the Jupiter’s rollout, maybe more years before we see production onto capital ships. Yet, there is some secrecy involved, and that’s why we are discussing this with you personally, in a setting that would not be expected by prying eyes and ears.”

And that cleared the way for Kathryn.

“Yes, sir. I understand. Solaris is ready for this task.

---

Cast:
Kathryn Beringer - Rachel Nichols
Captain Tracy Maxwell Kent - Monica Belluci
Admiral Janos Marik - Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
Mentioned but not seen:
Admiral Takashi Kurita - Ken Watanabe

Decrypted Encryption

Unofficial Literary Challenge 15 - Stand For Your Crew

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S’Rel strode through the doors after permission was granted. Her lithe and diminutive figure hid her fierce intelligence. S’Rel was well suited as the Operations Chief for USS Solaris as Vulcans were well-known for their acumen. She stopped at the desk and handed a PADD to Captain Kathryn Beringer. “As requested, these are the candidates with the necessary qualifications,” S’Rel reported dispassionately.

Kathryn activated the PADD, raised an eyebrow and looked up. “Only three?”

“With the necessary qualifications,” reminded S’Rel.

“Very well. Of these three, do you have a preference?”

“No. Each is fully qualified to resolve the problem.”

Looking back at the PADD, Kathryn queried, “I see one has been on board for only two weeks, transferred directly from the Academy no less. I’m very curious about his selection for this list.”

S’Rel placed both hands behind her back. “Because he is Orion, and the problem may require his knowledge of the Federation, from a certain point of view.”

Kathryn smiled. “I see. Thank you, S’Rel. Your counsel is always appreciated.”

The Vulcan nodded, and then turned on her heels to exit quietly.

+++

On Deck Eleven, Kizan entered the Systems Operations Lab and smiled as he sat at a console. As a Systems Engineer, his duty was to check on various technical routines in Solaris’ Main Computer core. It was a tedious task typically reserved for the ‘green’ crew members. As an Orion, the irony in the Terran expression was not lost on him. Regardless, Kizan was not sure when that status would change, although he presumed with the next group of crew transfers. He expected having to do menial tasks due to his recent arrival to Solaris, because even these responsibilities were necessary for the proper function of a starship. He tapped a code onto a keypad and various darkened displays came to life. He looked around and made mental notes, ultimately deciding on a course of action based on priorities. As he activated his duty manifest, the doors to the room swished open and closed quickly, distracting him to look at who was entering the room.

“Good morning Bolo. Are you ready for yet another busy day?”

The Exocomp floated next to Kizan and landed on a slate that served as a landing pad. Bolo hummed a little louder even though its anti-gravity coils ceased activity. Kizan’s smile was static as he grabbed a few connecting cables and attached them to various ports on Bolo’s shell. More displays closer to Bolo activated. Where Kizan’s screen showed information that could be relatively understood by most other crew members, Bolo’s screen showed complex code patterns and equations: it was the untranslated language of computers.

Looking back to his unread duty manifest, Kizan expected to see a list of tasks to accomplish. Instead, only one was listed. Interested, he opened the file and became surprised to see it come from the Captain herself. “What have we here?” He reviewed the short message quickly and his heart started beating a little faster; he was being tasked to decode an encrypted message, source unknown.

The thought of changing his expected routine thrilled him. Having arrived on the ship only two weeks ago, he didn’t expect to have any special assignments for a little longer. He felt like he had to prove something because he was one of two Orions on a crew compliment of over seven hundred, especially one lead by the “Scarlet Scorpion”. The Captain’s nickname was known by various circles in the Syndicate and was synonymous with viscous vendetta.

And that is what caused trepidation. Before joining Starfleet, Kizan was known as Nazdik. He had grown bored of the Syndicate’s constant demands for code breaking and hacking jobs. Although it paid well, he knew he was on the darker side of the law, even Orion law, much less the Empire’s. He started to learn secrets he shouldn’t know about. Eventually, Nazdik decided to get out of the game before he got in too deep. He figured the best way out was to disappear completely. With his skills, erasing his existence and making a new one was just as easy. What he couldn’t erase was the knowledge he gained about the Syndicate. Nazdik didn’t need to make a fortune to live well, yet Syndicate secrets can get anyone killed fast. Joining Starfleet was the safest place he could think of in the galaxy to hide from the Syndicate.

His results in the Academy were just about average, intentionally. Kizan did not want more attention than his race already attracted. The education was grueling at times and he knew he was being indoctrinated in Federation ways. Even knowing propaganda was being pushed, he started to agree with several policies. Procedures and protocol became routine. Naturally, he excelled in computer-related tasks. After graduation he found a posting on the USS Solaris. Kizan jostled daily whether his transfer to this ship, out of all the others in the Fleet, was serendipity, fate, dumb luck, or random chance.

Although the Syndicate’s reach was long, with his new identity the chances were slim he would be found. Yet, was his past identity revealed? The Ambassadorial attaché, Staza Murai, was the other Orion on the ship and Kizan had no doubt she had connections in the Syndicate (or at least knew who to reach). Or maybe this was a test in some way? The Andorian Chief Engineer was a stern man and did not tolerate mediocrity. Kizan heard the tale of a Lieutenant put in the brig for taking a procedural shortcut that caused damage to the ship. He could have looked in the records to check the veracity of that story, but decided that … what was Terran phrase … ‘ignorance is bliss.’

In another strange twist to his new life, once aboard the ship his lab partner was not even organic. Exocomps were already a rare species (if that was applicable) and Kizan had heard of them before, but never met one until his posting. ‘Bolo’ was the name Kizan gave the Exocomp and he wasn’t sure if that bothered … it. The name rolls off the tongue and personalized the little machine for him. They communicated through a console display: Kizan read the words and verbalized responses.

Bolo replied and Kizan shook his head. “I don’t know yet, I have not read the details. I’m thinking it’s pretty important though; the end line declares this project top secret and results go directly to Lieutenant Commander S’Rel.” He snorted with a grin. “The message also orders the results not go into the rumor mill, so I guess whatever is found here, stays here.”

Another response. “Let me see what I can do on my own. If I need assistance, then I’ll let you know. I’ve started prioritizing tasks, would you mind handling them until I crack this encryption?”

Kizan read the next line from Bolo. “That’s real funny. I have the Latinum bar and raise you another that I can get this done before our duty shift ends.”

+++

Two hours later, Kizan was hunched over a console watching data slowly scroll up the screen. When a particular series were revealed, he entered some code, and then allowed the data to scroll. Finally, two words displayed: Access Denied and his confidence waned from the tenth attempt. His eyebrow twitched at the sight of those words in Terran. Recalling prior attempts, he rearranged letters and numbers in his head to another sequence, and then attacked the data entry display. Sweat beaded down his temple slowly. Another data series appeared, a correction was entered and the data scrolled again. Kizan paused the hacking process and looked away to give his eyes some rest, then turned to face Bolo as he stretched his arms wide.

“Whoever, or whatever, made this encryption really didn’t want anyone else to read it.”

Looking to the chat bar, Kizan nodded. “I suppose so, and no I still want to figure this one out. It’s a challenge directly from the Captain.” More text appeared. “I’d like to think Thel knows about this. He was a part of the Captain’s first command if I recall correctly. So, they’ve been together awhile. Secrets can be deadly to the soul, you know.” He caught the remark and apologized, “Sorry about that.”

Kizan stood and put a hand to his chin as he thought through his typical decryption tools. He recalled an idea tucked away and never used. As the code coalesced into navigable form, visions of the letters and numbers seemed to organize in front of him. He snapped his fingers.

“Bolo, have you ever tried a predetermined modulating algorithm before?”

Smiling from the response, Kizan continued, “I thought about that idea several yea … uh … a long time ago, but never put anything down. I feel like I have tried everything else for this problem though.”

Anti-gravity coils hummed and Bolo lifted enough to turn toward Kizan’s primary workstation.

“Oh, you want to see it?”

Kizan sat down and cracked the knuckles in his hand. He learned the gesture from classmates at the Academy and found it loosened his fingers allowing for quick work. Fingers almost blurred as they flew across the console display to enter the new code string.

Bolo had asked a question and the flashing text caught Kizan’s attention. “If this works, then I’ll tell you more about it. Although I appreciate you are not hacking the display to sneak-a-peak. It’s no secret really, just a few major tweaks in well-known decryption programs.”

After several minutes, the final key was entered and the segregated computer processed the algorithm to the encrypted message. Kizan watched the main display screen with anticipation.

Access Granted

“Success!” Kizan yelped as he sat back into his chair feeling triumphant. Sitting straight, he replaced elation with concentration as the contents of the message appeared, first as garbled code with nonsensical script laced with numbers and chaotic images. As the algorithm decoded the scrambled information, readable text appeared.

Bolo had already sent a flashing note. Being a sentient computer, Bolo’s ability to comprehend was easily faster than the Orion. As the enormity of the message dawned on Kizan, he realized his mouth was open from awe. He looked to the flashing message and nodded. “Yes, of course.” Tapping his com badge, Kizan had to keep his task secret in case the Vulcan was around others, “Sys Ops to Lieutenant Commander S’Rel. The work is complete. Please meet in Systems Operations Lab Two.”

After a paused, Sr’Rel responded, “can the data be sent to my workstation?”

He gulped as he reread parts of the message. “I do not recommend it, sir.”

Three seconds passed before S’Rel replied, “on my way.”

+++

Kathryn Beringer finished reviewing the information on the PADD. She looked to Kizan, who was standing at attention at the front of her desk. She looked to S’Rel standing next to Kizan, also at attention. Bolo floated serenely to the other side of his Orion partner. She then cleared her throat.

“This came directly from the System Operation lab?”

“Yes, sir.” Kizan’s reply was crisp.

Nodding, Kathryn continued, “good. Recall your orders: this is not grist for the mill. Bolo, I trust the record of this event will be erased? Route any queries to me.” Bolo descended a few centimeters before rising back to its original altitude to show its compliance.

She looked to the three standing in front of her desk. Satisfied, Kathryn sat back into her chair. “Very good, dismissed.”

After the doors closed, Kathryn activated her desk comp. “Computer, Priority One message to Admiral Kurita, Starfleet Command. Security engram Kathryn Alpha-Zero-One. Message: Intercepted encoded transmission in Argama Sector. Location of T development compromised. End message. Encrypt and send. Then delete sent file history, authorization Kathryn-Zeta-Eight-Eight.”

The ship’s computer beeped.

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Cast for crew:
Kathryn Beringer - Rachel Nichols
S'Rel - Morena Baccarin
Kizan - Theo James
Bolo - Himself

Mentioned but not seen:
Thel Ythysi - Kevin Sorbo
Admiral Takashi Kurita - Ken Watanabe

Hidden Agendas

Literary Challenge 11 - Hidden Agendas

A certain measure of righteousness
A certain amount of force
A certain degree of determination
Daring on a different course
--- RUSH, "One Little Victory", Vapor Trails

Kathryn sat in her ready-room chair and squirmed to be comfortable. She looked to the desk comp, a United Federation of Planets logo looking back at her. Under the logo an icon blinked. Turning to the viewport on the right, she patted her regulation-bun coif as if pushing down a stray hair, then pulled at her jacket to straighten out non-existent wrinkles. Sighing heavily, Kathryn decided to wait a few more seconds to gather her thoughts. The man she was about to talk to had given special orders for her to follow. She was about to give him bad news and he had a reputation for not appreciating such news from captains of the fleet.

Pressing the activation icon, a human male appeared with distinctly Asian features. His skin was darker than expected without the wrinkles that would normally define his age. Yet the silver streaks in his otherwise black hair above his ears betrayed his seniority. Another shock of silver washed over the front crest of his hairline and flowed toward the top of his head. The man's eyes were steel blue and his lips perpetually frowned. He shifted in his chair and brought both hands together to intertwine his aged hands. The skin on his hands suggested he worked manual labor for several decades, but Kathryn knew he had been an Admiral in Starfleet for over half his life.

"Admiral Kurita, I am ready with my report."

The Admiral simply nodded. A small part of Kathryn's soul wanted to say anything else than what she knew had to be said.

"Camus II needs to stay quarantined."

Takashi Kurita's frown deepened. "Your orders were to find a way to lift the quarantine." His baritone voice, coupled to his thick Japanese accent, pierced Kathryn's resolve, but did not destroy it. She knew she was right and that confidence shielded her from Kurita's persona.

Kathryn nodded. "Yes, sir. As you are aware, Camus II was an archaeological survey site of an ancient civilization. Then Captain Kirk's revelation of events from the survey team's mysterious deaths in 2269 prompted the planet to be quarantined. Per your orders, I accompanied the Away Team to corroborate the last reports Starfleet received and to determine if Starfleet can use Camus II as an evacuation destination from, or counter-offensive launch point to, the Bajoran Wormhole.

"It's been over a century since Kirk's visit. What did you find?"

"The Federation site experienced heavy damage from environmental factors and neglect. The life-swapping alien artifacts were still intact and functional." Kathryn cleared her throat. "I lost my Tactical Chief in that discovery." She bit the inside of her lower lip just enough to feel it without showing Kurita. He would not be interested in the details, but Karl Melango was a good officer. Although his handling of the artifact may have been reckless, the visual state of the artifact betrayed it's potential. His life force was literally drained from his body and the event did not look peaceful.

Kurita responded as Kathryn expected. "So the loss of one life suggests a continued quarantine around an entire star system." It was not a question.

Kathryn sat back into her chair, more relaxed with her position in the discussion. "Yes, sir. The artifacts and surrounding ruins seemed inert and ancient enough to be safe. Orbital and local scans did not reveal any active energy source. Karl ... the officer acted with reasonable precautions based on that data. His loss suggests further items, and possibly the entire site, is dangerous enough to require highly sensitive attention. More than Solaris is equipped to handle."

"But a whole star system?"

"Admiral, based on my experience, locally the risk is too great."

Takashi 's affect was blank. Kathryn sensed he was expecting more information and she breathed quickly. "Furthermore, I suggest it will be easier to maintain the current quarantine instead of changing it based on this mission."

"Explain."

"To be blunt, Admiral, the quadrant has known to avoid this system for over one-hundred years ... nothing needs to change officially. Unless other actions are ordered, of course."

A smile grew on Takshi's face, to Kathryn's surprise. "Captain Beringer, given what you know, do you have any recommendation you did not place in your report?"

Kathryn sighed and looked away to think. Camus II was a dead planet and the civilization was utterly ruined, presumably by their own technology. The life-energy transfer devices were abundant and looked inconspicuous like a vase or other decoration. Without an energy signature, Karl's death from the mechanism was a shock to the team and they evacuated without further investigation. If Kurita was fishing for out-of-the-box thinking to lift the quarantine, then Kathryn would oblige.

"Captain Cortez with USS Zurich has experienced staff with the best archaeology suites equipped. I didn't make the recommendation officially because it's more appropriate for others to order Cortez to Camus II." Kathryn shrugged casually as she reached past reasonable alternatives, "that or destroy the ruins using the experimental javelin lance weapon on board the USS Titanicus. But that would cause extreme destruction to the surface."

Kurita nodded. "Interesting suggestions, Captain." He lifted a finger briefly from his clasped hands. "The Titanicus is still field testing and any non-classified reports should be disregarded."

Kathryn knew what that meant and the Admiral was not subtle. "Yes, sir."

The Admiral unclasped his hands and leaned back in his chair. His demeanor suddenly became relaxed. "Your insight to the matter is appreciated. We have new orders for Solaris. Expect them within the hour. Command out." The image suddenly switched to the logo of the UFP.

---

Cast:
Kathryn Beringer - Rachel Nichols
Takashi Kurita - Ken Watanabe