by Dayton Ward
“You are lying,” Aadnalurg accused him. “I do not believe you. The Enterprise is too strong.”
“See for yourself,” Picard challenged him. “Go to your bridge.”
“Careful. No tricks!”
Aadnalurg prodded Data with the muzzle of the disruptor as they climbed a series of metal stairways to Rorpot’s bridge. The android’s own phaser was tucked into a pouch in the Pakled’s uniform. A bag full of combadges dangled from Aadnalurg’s other hand; he guessed he could get a good price for them on the other side of the Neutral Zone. He watched the artificial human as it climbed the steps ahead of him. The machine was impressively lifelike. It would be a shame to trade it back to the humans. He wondered if there was any way to keep Data as well.
I could program it to do all my work, he thought. Even read all the bor-ing reports!
But first he had to make sure he got the Enterprise so he could get away from the filaments. He had it all worked out. He would have the Starfleet crew beam aboard Rorpot while he and his men claimed the Federation ship. Of course, he would have to thaw out his frozen crew on his own, but how hard could that be?
He hoped the Enterprise was not really as broken as Picard claimed. The human captain had to be lying. He thinks he is smarter than me, but he is wrong. I will show him who is the most smart.
They walked through an archway onto the bridge, which was just as dark and broken as he remembered. Aadnalurg frowned at the wreckage. Repairing Rorpot would be too much work. It would be easier to take another ship instead. That was the Pakled way.
He gestured toward a corner with the disruptor. “Stand over there,” he ordered Data, while he lumbered over to a working control pedestal. Snollicoob had turned off the main viewer to save power, but Aadnalurg knew how to turn it back on. He would see just how damaged the Enterprise really was. Examining the controls, he kept one eye on Data. “Do not move or I will shoot you!”
“I am not the individual you need to worry about,” Data replied.
A shadowy figure emerged from an unlit alcove. Aadnalurg got a fleeting glimpse of a reflective visor before a phaser blast lit up the bridge. His spacesuit was no protection from the beam. The phaser’s energy shocked his system.
Uh-oh.
The Pakled captain joined his crew in restless slumber.
Worf stepped forward to inspect his fallen foe. A Starfleet environmental suit maintained his life functions. He prodded Aadnalurg’s body with the toe of his boot. The unconscious Pakled did not stir.
“I told you he was without honor,” the Klingon said.
As planned, Worf had covertly beamed aboard Rorpot at the same time as Data, albeit to a different location. Data assumed that the security officer had been monitoring Aadnalurg’s communications with the Enterprise—and hence had known where to lie in wait for the duplicitous Pakled commander. Captain Picard had done his own part by luring Aadnalurg to the bridge.
“It appears your suspicions were well-founded,” Data said. He reclaimed his phaser, pouch, and combadge. “I am grateful for your timely intervention.” A quick inspection revealed that his supply of extra badges had not been damaged by Worf’s phaser blast. He was ready to resume the rescue mission. “Perhaps you would care to assist me in tagging the Pakled crew members?”
Worf grunted in assent. “Let’s get to work.”
Snollicoob was very cold when he woke up. His head hurt, too.
He opened his eyes and looked around. He saw at once that he was no longer aboard Rorpot, but was instead resting in a bio-bed in a very impressive medical facility. A shiny silver blanket trapped his body heat. Blinking screens monitored his vital signs. An overhead sensor cluster hummed softly. Doctors and nurses in Starfleet uniforms went about their business. For a second, Snollicoob thought he was still dreaming, but then he heard himself yawning. He felt too tired to be asleep.
“Where am I?”
“Welcome to the Enterprise,” Geordi said. The Starfleet engineer was lying in the bed next to his. He was the only human patient present. The rest of the beds were occupied by sleeping Pakleds. Geordi looked exhausted as well. Healing salves were smeared on his face and hands. “How are you feeling?”
“I am confused,” Snollicoob admitted. “My head hurts.”
“I’ll bet. Your captain clocked you but good.” Geordi brought him up to speed. It seemed that the Enterprise had finally arrived to take the frozen Pakleds aboard. Most of Rorpot’s crew were now resting comfortably in the starship’s various sickbays, although Captain Aadnalurg was currently confined to the brig. A tractor beam had been employed to tow Rorpot out of the danger zone. Now back in one piece, the Enterprise would drag the freighter to Deep Space 9, where the Pakleds could see about getting Rorpot a new engine. “We also left a subspace beacon to warn any future ships away from the filaments.”
Snollicoob listened carefully. “All that happened while I was sleeping?”
“Yep,” Geordi said. “And that’s not all. With Aadnalurg in custody, and your first officer taking the blame for the crash, that puts you in charge. Congratulations, my friend. You’re the new captain of Rorpot!”
Oh no! Snollicoob thought. This was the last thing he wanted to hear.
“If you want,” Geordi volunteered, “I can help you shop for a new engine when we get to Deep Space 9.”
“Uh-uh,” Snollicoob said. He decided right then and there to sell the derelict freighter for scrap. He bet Quark would give him a good price. “No, thank you!”
Being captain was too much work!
About the Authors
Dayton Ward. Author. Trekkie. Writing his goofy little science-fiction stories and searching for a way to tap into the hidden nerdity that all humans have. Then, an accidental overdose of Mountain Dew altered his body chemistry. Now, when Dayton Ward grows excited or just downright geeky, a startling metamorphosis occurs. Driven by outlandish ideas and a pronounced lack of sleep, he is pursued by fans and editors, as well as funny men in bright uniforms wielding Tasers, straitjackets, and medication. In addition to the numerous credits he shares with friend and co-writer Kevin Dilmore, Dayton is the author of the Star Trek novels In the Name of Honor and Open Secrets and the science fiction novels The Last World War and The Genesis Protocol, as well as short stories that appeared in the first three Star Trek: Strange New Worlds anthologies, the Yard Dog Press anthology Houston, We’ve Got Bubbas, Kansas City Voices magazine, and the Star Trek: New Frontier anthology No Limits. Dayton is believed to be working on his next novel, and he must let the world think that he is working on it, until he can find a way to earn back the advance check he blew on strippers and booze. Though he currently lives in Kansas City with his wife and two daughters, Dayton is a Florida native and maintains a torrid long-distance romance with his beloved Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Visit him on the web at http://www.daytonward.com.
Kevin Dilmore has found ways to turn geek into cash for more than a decade. It all started with his eight-year run as a contributing writer to Star Trek Communicator, for which he wrote news stories and personality profiles for the bimonthly publication of the Official Star Trek Fan Club. Then he teamed with writing partner and heterosexual life mate Dayton Ward on Interphase, their first installment of the Star Trek: S.C.E. series. Since then, the pair has put more than one million words into print together. His solo story “The Road to Edos” was published as part of the Star Trek: New Frontier anthology No Limits. By day, Kevin works as a senior writer for Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, Missouri, doing about everything but writing greeting cards (including helping to design Star Trek–themed Keepsake Ornaments). His first children’s book, Superdad and His Daring Dadventures, with illustrations by Tom Patrick, was published by Hallmark in May 2009. A graduate of the University of Kansas, Kevin lives in Overland Park, Kansas. Keep up with his shameful behavior and latest projects on Facebook and Twitter.
David A. McIntee has written far too much Doctor Who for his own good; comics including William Shatner Prese
nts: Quest for Tomorrow; several other books, both fiction and non; as well as the Star Trek: The Next Generation story “On the Spot” for The Sky’s the Limit. He is outnumbered by five females: his wife, Lesley, and the cats Katya the Cannonball, Mistress B’Elanna, Seven of Nine Lives, and Foxy Cleopatra.
James Swallow is proud to be the only British writer to have worked on a Star Trek television series, creating the original story concepts for the Star Trek: Voyager episodes “One” and “Memorial”; his other associations with the Star Trek saga include the Titan novel Synthesis, Day of the Vipers, the novella “Seeds of Dissent” for Infinity’s Prism, the short stories “Closure,” “Ordinary Days,” and “The Black Flag” for the anthologies Distant Shores, The Sky’s the Limit, and Star Trek: Mirror Universe—Shards and Shadows, scripting the video game Star Trek Invasion, and writing over four hundred articles in thirteen different Star Trek magazines around the world.
Beyond the final frontier, as well as a nonfiction book (Dark Eye: The Films of David Fincher), James also wrote the Sundowners series of original steampunk westerns, Jade Dragon, The Butterfly Effect, and fiction in the worlds of Doctor Who, Warhammer 40,000, Stargate, and 2000 AD. His other credits include scripts for video games and audio dramas, including Battlestar Galactica, Blake’s 7, and Space 1889.
James Swallow lives in London, and is currently at work on his next book.
Keith R.A. DeCandido is well-known for his Klingon-focused fiction, but this is the first time that he has written about twenty-third-century Klingons in detail. His previous forays into the wild and wacky world of the Klingons include the short stories “Family Matters” in Mirror Universe: Shards and Shadows and “loDnI’pu’ vavpu’ je” in Tales from the Captain’s Table; the Alien Spotlight: Klingons comic book; and the novels Diplomatic Implausibility, The Art of the Impossible, A Good Day to Die, Honor Bound, Enemy Territory, A Burning House, Articles of the Federation, A Singular Destiny, and A Time for War, a Time for Peace, as well as the two-book series The Brave and the Bold. His other work is in media universes ranging from TV shows to video games to comic books. Find out less at Keith’s web site at DeCandido.net, read his tiresome ramblings at kradical.livejournal.com, or listen to him babble as a contributor to the podcast The Chronic Rift (www.chronicrift.com)3.
Keith would also like to thank the following: Michael Ansara, William Campbell, John Colicos, Charles Cooper, Susan Howard, and Michael Pataki for their portrayals of Kang, Koloth, Kor, Korrd, Mara, and Korax on screen; Scott & David Tipton, who created Jurva, Kohlar, and Morglar in the magnificent Blood Will Tell comic book miniseries; and Dr. Lawrence M. Schoen and the Klingon Language Institute for the terms QuchHa’ (literally “the unhappy ones,” hence the story’s title) and HemQuch (“the proud forehead”).
Britta Burdett Dennison is a writer who lives in Portland, Oregon. Her previous publishing credits include two Star Trek novels with S. D. Perry, and a novelization of an original screenplay with S. D. Perry. She is currently at work on an original novel.
Marc D. Giller wrote his first science-fiction novel at the tender age of sixteen, with the certainty of fame and riches before him. When that plan didn’t work out he went to college instead, earning a bachelor of science degree in journalism from Texas A&M University. Over the years, Marc has worked as a photographer, producer, computer trainer, and even had a one-night stint as a television news reporter. For the last several years, he has worked in information systems management. He is the author of the books Hammerjack and Prodigal, and makes his home in the Tampa Bay area of Florida with his wife and two children.
Greg Cox is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous Star Trek novels, including The Q Continuum, To Reign in Hell, The Eugenics Wars (Volumes One and Two), Assignment: Eternity, and The Black Shore. He wrote the official movie novelizations of Daredevil, Ghost Rider, Death Defying Acts, Underworld, Underworld: Evolution, and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, as well the novelizations of three popular DC Comics miniseries, Infinite Crisis, 52, and Countdown. In addition, he has written books and short stories based on such popular series as Alias, Batman, Buffy, C.S.I., Farscape, Fantastic Four, The 4400, X-Men, Iron Man, Roswell, Terminator, Underworld, Xena, and Zorro. Recent short fiction can be found in such anthologies as Star Trek: Mirror Universe—Glass Empires, Star Trek: The Sky’s the Limit, and Timeshares.