STAR TREK - The Brave and the Bold Book One

by Keith R. A. DeCandido

  Oh, good, Anna Bronstein said through gritted teeth. Her chief deputy had just entered her toocramped office with this unwelcome news. The chief of police for the Alpha Proxima II colony had been up for thirty-six straight hours dealing with crisis after crisis. Keeping order at the hospitals alone was proving to be a nightmarish duty, and that was only the tip of the icebergand now people were rioting in the streets. Her shoulder-length brown hair, normally tied up and neat, was loose and tangled, her head felt as if someone had taken a welding laser to it, and her uniform was starting to take on a rather unfortunate odor of sweat and grime.

  I shouldve joined Starfleet like Aunt Raisa, she thought crankily. She had only been on the job for a month, was still learning half the regular procedures, and now she was scrambling to implement the emergency ones.

  I was just thinking I needed more problems. What is it this time?

  Deputy Armando Ramirez ran a hand through his thinning black hair. Well, first of all, the people we have guarding the water reclamation plant are about to go off-shift, and we dont have anyone to relieve them.

  Cant they work another shift?

  All of them are on their second shiftsome of them on their third. Theyre gonna collapse soon.

  Is there anywhere we can divert?

  Ramirez snorted. That was a joke, right?

  I had my sense of humor surgically removed when I took this job, Mando.

  That explains a lot, Chief.

  Bronstein glowered at Ramirez, then started gnawing on her fingernail again. Have half of em work half the shift. Let the other half get some rest, then switch em off. What else? The nail broke off, and she looked at the finger like it had betrayed her.

  Nobodys showing up to run the cargo transporter downtown.

  So?

  Nobody at all. Thats the one they use to get the food and stuff to Arafel County. If nobody shows up, they dont get their food.

  Bronstein frowned. Doesnt Arafel have an emergency supply?

  Well, yeah, but thatll only last a couple days, and

  In a couple of days, well probably all be dead, Mando. Thats not a priority. She started nibbling on her middle fingers nail. Hows Stephopolous coming with his investigation?

  Its definitely murder. Stephopoulos figures that it was the roommate.

  Bronstein got up from behind her desk, which was presently so covered with reports and other items that she couldnt tell what the desk was made of anymore, and started to pace. Why is it that the first wrongful death this planet has had in six years has to happen when the planets falling apart at the seams?

  Ramirez scratched his ear and started to answer when Bronstein said, Mando, that was a rhetorical question. Anything else?

  Before Ramirez could answer, she heard a familiar soundthat of a transporter. She whirled around to see two patterns starting to coalesce in the doorway to her office. Without hesitating, she unholstered her phaser. Ramirez did likewise.

  The patterns became two white males in gold Starfleet uniforms. That means either two people from those ships that responded to our distress call or two imposters.

  Identify yourselves now, she said without lowering the phaser.

  The younger of the two men held his arms out in a conciliatory gesture. Im James T. Kirk, captain of the Enterprise. This is Commodore Matt Decker of the Constellation. We dont mean you any

  Dont move, Bronstein said when Kirk started moving forward.

  He stopped moving. Im sorry. Were here in response to your distress call. Weve both got security teams standing by, but we need you to tell us where to put them.

  Decker put in, We figured that beaming down in the middle of the street might cause more problems than it would solve.

  Well, if they are Starfleet, at least theyre not idiots. Ramirez? she asked, not taking her eye off of Decker and Kirk.

  She could hear the whirring of Ramirezs tricorder. The transporter beam did originate from orbit, and not from a position that matches any of the satellites or local ships.

  Bronstein let out a breath she hadnt realized she was holding and lowered her phaser. Im sorry, Captain, Commodore, but the way things have been

  Say no more, Chief, we understand, Kirk said with a nice smile and in a gentle, reassuring toneand, to Bronsteins surprise, she actually felt reassured, an emotion she would not have given herself credit for feeling.

  The commodore, though, didnt smile when he asked, So where can we put our people down?

  Indicating the west wall, she said, Take a look. The wall contained a map of Sierra City, with sections marked in red and blue. The amount of red far exceeded the blue. The red areas are where the worst of the rioting isthe blue areas are the ones weve got contained. Everything else is stable, for now. Weve been trying to keep people indoors, but weve got everybody working double and triple shifts. Not surprisingly, the worst is at Government Center, since people want their elected officials to actually, yknow, do something. Second-worst is the two hospitals. She shook her head. Cant tell what theyre thinking.

  Theyre not, Decker said. Theyre a mob, Chiefmobs dont think, they just act.

  Bronstein sighed in acknowledgment.

  Taking out his communicator, Kirk said, Well try to provide you with some relief. Kirk to Enterprise.

  Decker also took his communicator out, and they each spoke with their security chiefs. While they did so, Bronstein said, Ramirez, get in touch with the OICs at all the sites and tell them to expect some help.

  Nodding, Ramirez headed back to his desk in order to contact the officers in charge.

  Well have people in place within the next minute, Decker said. Their phasers are on stun and theyll be able to pacify the crowd.

  Greatthen what? Bronstein said. We dont have holding facilities for this many people, and I cant just leave them lying in the street. She sighed. Running this place is supposed to be a straightforward operation. Ive only been here four weeks, and I specifically came here because it was supposed to be calm and relaxing. The worst thing I have to deal with is crowd control during holidays and major sporting events. Now, I have to

  Excuse me? came a small voice from doorway. Bronstein turned to see a short, pale man wearing an ugly one-piece brown suit. Im looking for Chief Bronstein?

  That would be me. You are?

  The little man entered, gave Kirk and Decker a surprised look, then offered his hand to Bronstein. My name is Johan Trachsel, and Im one of the directors of the Sierra City Medical Center. I was told to come see you about authorizing an Emergency Powers Act for the hospital so SCMC can simply treat everyone who walks in without having to go through the usual entry process.

  You mean you havent been? Kirk asked, sounding as surprised as Bronstein felt.

  Im afraid notor, rather, some of the doctors have, but its been haphazard. Wed rather it was official to save problems down the line.

  Decker snorted. Assuming there is a down the line.

  We prefer to remain optimistic, sir. He turned to Bronstein. In any case, Ill need you to sign off on this.

  Bronstein blinked. Me? Why me?

  Trachsel went wide-eyed. You dont know?

  Dont know what? Bronstein asked, exasperated.

  Uhm, well, you seeyoure in charge now.

  Again, Bronstein blinked. In charge of what?

  The planet. The entire council has been either hospitalized or is dead. According to the Proxima charter, in the event of something like this happening, power then goes into the hands of the chief of police.

  Bronstein stupidly looked down at her hands, as if Trachsel had spoken literally. Casting her mind back, she remembered something during her orientation about the fact that the chief of police was next in line if the entire government was incapacitated, but she hadnt taken it very seriouslyafter all, how likely was that to happen in real life?

  Then she looked up. Me? In charge?

  Im afraid so, maam.

  She found herself looking helplessly at Kirk and Decker. Decker was inscru
table, but Kirk looked sympathetic. Im barely able to do my job, now Im supposed to do the whole governments?

  Trachsel was holding out a copy of the executive order and a stylus. Please, maam, if you can sign this, we can streamline the treatment of the sick.

  Right, fine, she said, grabbing the stylus and signing in the appropriate spot. Someone may want to mention this to the lunatics throwing things at Government Center

  Soon, theyll all be dead.

  She stared out the window. It all looked so peaceful. So quiet.

  But she knew better.

  She had been watching the newsfeeds. They were rioting now. Maybe not here, near her house, but elsewhere in Sierra City, oh, yes.

  Cowards. Weaklings.

  They had had it so easy, and now they were falling apart at the seams.

  And it was all her doing.

  Sure, they went through the motions, pretending to be civilized. But introduce a little bit of death into their perfect lives, and they become savages.

  Their lives had been disrupted. Just as hers was. They stole her life from her, now she was stealing their lives from them.

  She turned on the newsfeeds, curious as to whether things had gotten any more entertaining in the last fifteen minutes.

  According to the latest reports, Starfleet security personnel have been sighted near Government Center as well as at Kurkjian Memorial and SCMC. It is hoped that the presence of additional forces from Starfleet will help curb the tide of violence, though some are questioning the presence of Starfleet under these circumstances, and wondering what that means in terms of the search for a cure. Presently, two starships are in orbit, the U.S.S. Constellation and the U.S.S. Enterprise. Both ships have impressive security staffs and heavy armaments. They also have medical facilities that rival our own, and have the benefit of not being inundated with rioting citizens. Further

  She turned it off in disgust. Damn Starfleet, anyhow, who asked for them to stick their noses into this?

  Not that it mattered. Shed just have to use the gift again.

  The gift that gave her power.

  The wonderful black box with the green glow.

  Take my power away from me? Ill show you power, my friends. I have the power to make you deadand turn the rest of you into a band of raving lunatics.

  She laughed. People used to say that she didnt have a sense of humor, which wasnt true. She just didnt like to laugh very much. When she did laugh it was always awkward and painful-sounding.

  Now, though, she laughed with the greatest of ease.

  It had been difficult to not run all the way down Pirennes Peak after she had found the gift. But that was dangerous, both to herself and to her ability to keep the gift secret. After all, it was her gift. She couldnt share it, not with anyonenot even Alvaro. No, it was hers. Her gift, her salvation, her instrument of revenge.

  So she had calmly made her way back down the trail, moving as fast as she could without raising suspicion, and then had waited impatiently in the queue for the transporter that would take her home.

  She held the gift in her hand and contemplated it. She wondered who to use it on next. Maybe Ill use it on the rioters. That would be so wonderfully ironic, wouldnt it?

  Again, she laughed.

  Soon, theyll all be dead.

  Never thought Id love the sound of a transporter so much, Matt Decker thought.

  He stood with Jim Kirk on the roof of Police Headquarters, which afforded them a fine view of the Government Center. Not to mention the hundreds of people who were yelling, screaming, holding signs, throwing things, and pushing against the barely adequate cordon of exhausted-looking police officers. That cordon was all that kept the mob from pouring into the GC.

  Then Decker heard the familiar whine of a transporter beam, only amplified to a much greater degree than what he was used to. As the sound increased, the noise from the mob quieted down proportionately. No one was sure what the noise was, at first, but they didnt seem to think it was good.

  After a moment, the noise reached a crescendo, and some forty humanoid figures started to coalesce.

  The transporter whine died down, but a concomitant noise increase from the crowd did not occurmainly due to the fact that the transporter had heralded the arrival of two score people wearing red Starfleet uniforms and each holding a phaser rifle. These were Kirks people, so Decker didnt recognize any of themthe Constellation security detail was assigned to the hospitalsbut they looked sufficiently menacing.

  Some people continued to shout, but the efforts were much more half-hearted.

  Decker remembered a skirmish with a Klingon patrol several years earlierthe Klingon transporters, he had noted then, were almost totally silent. At the time, Decker had envied that discrepancyespecially since it had almost got him killed. Today he was grateful for it. The noise had had much more of an effect than even the presence of armed Starfleet personnel.

  Attention, citizens of Sierra City, came a voice from everywhere. Again, Decker didnt recognize the voice, but he assumed it to be that of Kirks security chief, doing what he was supposed to do using an amplifier on his voice as he tried to talk them down. True, they could have just stunned everyone from orbit, but that had a certain ruthlessness that both Decker and Kirk wanted to avoid if possible. Besides, as Bronstein had pointed out, that would raise the question of what to do with the unconscious bodies. Better to at least attempt to pacify with words rather than phaser beams. And we can still knock em out from orbit if we need to.

  The security chief continued Please disperse and return to your homes. The Proximan government is doing everything it can to alleviate the current crisis, but it cannot function under these conditions. If you do not comply, we will use force. Please do not put us in that position.

  With that, the Enterprise security personnel started moving forwardbut with their phasers lowered. Emboldened, the Sierra City police did likewise, with their weapons holstered, guiding people away from the GC.

  Amazingly enough, it worked. Where the mob probably figured it could handle a few local cops, a cadre of Starfleet security was a completely different matter.

  Everything is being done to alleviate the crisis, the Enterprise security chief said. Please return to your homes and await further word. With your help, we will get through this and cure the disease, but we cant accomplish anything with actions like this going on.

  Ever so slowly, the crowd started to disperse. People lowered the signs, pocketed items they intended to throw, and started to move off. Some still shouted the occasional epithet, but without the white noise of the screaming crowd to back them up, they came across as petty and weak rather than threatening.

  Decker turned to Kirk. Nice job your man did there.

  Thanks, Kirk said absently. Commodore, are you by any chance related to Will Decker?

  Feeling his face crack with a smile of paternal pride, Decker said, Yes, hes my son.

  I met him when we had a layover at Starbase 6. Hes a good man.

  Thank you, Decker said, but he could tell from Kirks distracted tone that that was not what hed intended to ask the commodore about. Kirk, youve obviously got something on your mind. Nice as it is to know you think well of my son, Id rather you just come out and tell me what youre thinking.

  Kirk took a moment to answer, then indicated the crowd below with a gesture. This is only a temporary solution. These sorts of things are going to keep happening, especially if whoever has that artifact decides to infect more people. Chief Bronstein can barely handle her own duties without our help, much less run the government. He finally turned to look at Decker. His face had a somber quality that Decker frankly wouldnt have credited so young an officereven a starship captainas being capable of. Commodore, with respect, I strongly recommend that we put Proxima under martial law.

  Decker almost flinched. As it was, he did take a step backward, as though Kirks words were a physical attack. Are you joking?

  Not about something like this, believe me.<
br />
  Kirk, we cant

  I dont make this request lightly, Commodore, Kirk interrupted. Ive lived under martial law. You familiar with Tarsus IV?

  Of course, Decker said. Kirk didnt need to be any more specificDecker knew that Kirk was referring to what happened on that colony world twenty years earlier. Decker had been serving as security chief on Starbase 4 at the time. A fungus had wiped out the food supply, and the planetary governor, a lunatic named Kodos, had declared martial law and ordered half the populationsome four thousand peopleput to death. It had been his way of preserving the entire colony, murdering some so the others could survive. With those four thousand taken out of the equation, the remaining populace could survive on the remaining available food stores. From a eugenics standpoint, it made a certain amount of sense, if one had a sufficiently diseased mind, but from a human standpoint it was one of the most appalling acts committed since the Federations founding a century earlier.

  You were there? Decker asked. After Kirk nodded, Decker did the math. You mustve only been a teenager.

  Again, Kirk nodded. Ive never forgotten Kodos. For a long time I associated the very concept of martial law with the death of thousands of people. Kirk got a faraway look in his eyes. Then he blinked, and looked at Decker. But right here, right now, what were looking at is anarchy. Under regulations, our only recourse is to declare martial law. He took a deep breath. Its your call, Commodoreyoure the ranking officer. But just because this has been done wrong by people like Kodos doesnt mean it cant be done right. It isnt martial law thats evil, its those who abuse it. Id like to think that you and I are capable of rising above the temptations and using the power wisely.

  Decker looked into the eyes of the younger man. He saw a determination that belied the captains age. Or maybe Im just not being fairbeing under forty doesnt automatically make you an idiot, he admonished himself.

  He pulled out his communicator. Decker to Constellation.

  Constellation. Takeshewada here.

  Number One, please note in the ships log that, due to the crisis on Alpha Proxima II, I, as ranking Starfleet officer, have been forced to take extraordinary action. As of this moment, Proxima is hereby under martial law, to be jointly administered by myself and Captain Kirk until such a time as we have deemed the crisis to have passed. Inform Starfleet Command of this immediately.