by David Smith
‘Then we are agreed’ said Cha Dar and rose to her feet. ‘In accordance with custom, we will ask you to nominate a member of your people to sit on our Council. A triumvirate will be appointed to oversee the task of integrating our communities, and another will approach the issue of research and medical assistance.’
The Elders from the mirror universe bowed their heads, and the Council rose and began to leave. Dave realised this signified the end of the discussions.
Before they could all leave, Dave asked the question that had been worrying him most. ‘Forgive me Elders, but I must ask: Have the Sha T’Al High Council signalled their intent with regard to the Tana forces on their border?’
The Councillors froze, as if they’d been dreading this question. Slowly and deliberately, Cha Dar nodded to one of the other Council members. As the rest of the Council turned and left, and the contingent from the mirror universe followed, this one Councillor stayed behind and approached Dave and Izzy.
He was clearly older than most of the rest of the Council and both shorter and broader, being much closer to a typical human shape than a typical Sha T’Al shape.
He came much closer to Dave and Izzy than they expected and spoke quietly, as if he didn’t want anyone else to hear what he was saying. ‘I am Councillor Tre Hal, and I have been tasked with monitoring the situation between the Sha T’Al High Council and the Tana Empire.’
The old Sha T’Al looked uncomfortable. ‘In truth we are most disappointed in the lack of assistance and communication from our leadership.’
Dave nodded. ‘I sympathise, Councillor, both myself and Commander Grosvenor have struggled to understand the decision by your leadership to cast you adrift. It seems unjustifiably harsh.’
Tre Hal shook his head sadly. ‘Perhaps this is not the best time to discuss the matter, but our disappointment runs deeper than you know. You may not be aware of this fact: The current First Minister of the Sha T’Al, the most senior of Elders and leader of the High Council, is one of our own. First Minister Jarvec is a native of Cho-dal-far, and was previously the leader of that colony and later leader of this entire Sector of the Home-worlds.’
‘We understand we have no right to special treatment, but common courtesy would at least suggest that he should communicate with us, his oldest and closest colleagues.’
The old Sha T’Al looked genuinely upset. ‘I personally mentored Jarvec when he first sat in chambers, and feel I deserve better treatment than to be so thoroughly ignored.’
Dave was surprised. ‘So even though you know the First Minister personally and he originates from this region, he still won’t communicate with you?’
‘That is correct. We have received no formal communication from the High Council on this matter at any level. What little we do know comes informally from a few other acquaintances and friends we still have within the leadership structure. Even these allies are reluctant to communicate with us as Jarvec has issued a decree that we are no longer part of the Sha T’Al people, and are subject to the same limits on communication that apply to humans or the Tana.’
He sighed. ‘We see that it would be unfair, and perhaps unwise, to keep from you what little we know, and the Council has asked me to be your point of contact in that respect. Please feel free to ask what you will. I will do my best to answer your questions, but you should remember that we are now estranged from the larger part of Sha T’Al society, so there is a limit to my knowledge.’
Dave looked across to Izzy who nodded imperceptibly.
‘Thank you Elder Tre Hal. Our over-riding objective is to find some way to prevent conflict between the Sha T’Al and the Tana Empire. To do that we need to find some way to get the two parties to communicate.’
The way in which Tre Hal’s shoulders slumped was a universal gesture. ‘As I have stated, we cannot even persuade our own Leadership to discuss their intentions with us. We have little chance of persuading them to enter dialogue with either you or the Tana.’
Dave still couldn’t get his head around that fact. ‘That just seems so at odds with what we know of your people. Can you throw any light on why the First Minister has taken this stance?’
Tre Hal was about to speak, but paused, clearly conflicted.
After a lengthy internal dialogue he made his mind up and spoke quietly. ‘I may be speaking out of turn. Many of us have voiced our concerns privately but cannot bring ourselves to level such accusations against the First Minister. What I tell you here and now is only my personal suspicion and I would ask you to respect that fact, as I broach this matter in strictest confidence.’
Dave and Izzy nodded silently, desperate for any clue as to why the First Minister was so intransigent.
‘First Ministers among the Sha T’Al are elected on the strength of their personal charisma, their knowledge, and the strength of their art. Jarvec was always perceived as an astute leader and few doubted that his personal charisma could sway the majority of our people. However, by our standards his art was seen as being limited in scope and depth. To our way of thinking, that indicated a lack of imagination and more importantly a lack of connection with Sha T’Al culture.’
‘At the time of the last election, Jarvec put his name forward as he had at previous elections but was widely regarded as an unlikely candidate. However, when his campaign began in earnest, all of the Elders were amazed by the vision and scope his work showed. His paintings of historical moments and abstracts of emotional states caused a huge stir. They were unlike anything we’d seen before and truly changed our perceptions of what art could be.’
‘Jarvec was elected and moved away from Cho-dal-far, but shortly after became withdrawn and increasingly judgemental and confrontational, leading us to situation in which we now find ourselves.’
Tre Hal looked around nervously and lowered his voice even further before continuing. ‘This sudden period of genius that was instrumental in his election occurred approximately three of your years ago . . . and coincides with the first recorded appearance of the drug you call aspirin in our society.’
Izzy gasped ‘He’s infected!’
Tre Hal nodded. ‘I believe he may be. Ironically, being elected to the post of First Minister may have saved his life. He moved away from Cho-dal-far to the home-worlds, where the drug was not freely available. The damage to him was limited at that point, but we suspect that is also why he became withdrawn and stopped producing artistic works.’
Dave rubbed his chin. ‘So he’s only exhibiting the early stages of the disease. That would explain the uncharacteristic aggressive tendencies . . . ‘
Izzy seemed excited. ‘But if that is the case, we already know what treatment would be successful!’
‘If we could get him to accept it’ cautioned Dave. ‘What about the Tana?’
Tre Hal answered ‘The High Council have accused the Tana of deliberately flooding frequencies we normally reserve for military and governmental purposes. More importantly, they presume that the Tana are flooding the ether with media intended to undermine Sha T’Al culture and society.’
Dave was confused. ‘My understanding was that the Tana were broadcasting entertainment signals. Is there something harmful contained within the signals?’
Tre Hal looked shocked. ‘There is nothing hidden in this . . . this . . . OFFAL!!’ he stated, sounding both offended and angry. ‘This . . . entertainment is offensively puerile and insipid. It has no depth, no feeling and no meaning. It will not educate, or inspire, or nurture. Yet the Tana demand the right to share this “Art” with the wider universe!’
Dave realised this was a sore-point for all the Sha T’Al: they took their art really, really seriously. ‘I meant no offence, Elder Tre Hal. I was merely trying to understand the root of the disagreement.’
The Sha T’Al looked distinctly unimpressed. ‘We would not expect you to understand’ he said bluntly, ‘within the ranks of our leadership you are regarded as little more cultured than the Tana.’
Dave was a
bout to voice his objections, but recalled the countless trashy novels he’d read, the inane pop songs he’d heard and the ceaseless broadcasts of Sylvester Stallone movies in an alternative universe.
At the same time, he was also reminded of something his dear old granny had once told him: ‘Davey, war never sorts out who’s right. Only who’s left . . . ‘
‘I take your point Elder Tre Hal. I would merely suggest that no-one truly wins in war. Peace is the only option of the enlightened.’
This seemed to placate the Councillor, but he was no less wary. ‘That is undoubtedly true, but in my experience, political actions, like natural forces, have their particular laws. In this case, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. I worry that the more strident the Tana broadcasts become, the more extreme will be the reaction of the Sha T’Al High Council.’
The Sha T’Al took his leave of them and left the chamber but Dave lingered, sensing the ominous silence in the empty chamber. Somehow, he knew this was the calm before the storm.
Chapter 3
Dave was relieved to get back to his quarters aboard USS Tiger and as the door closed behind him he breathed a sigh of relief and took off his tunic. He shucked his pullover and headed for the bathroom at the rear of his quarters, hoping a shower would relieve some of his tension.
He physically jumped as a soft feminine voice behind him said, ‘Hello you!’
He looked up to see Lieutenant Skye L’Amour lounging languidly on his bed, looking very relaxed and worryingly naked.
Dave gulped involuntarily, and sheepishly held his hands in front of his nipples like a shy schoolgirl. ‘Hello Skye’ he squeaked in a voice probably an octave higher than usual.
Recovering slightly, he controlled his voice and trying really hard not to look directly at her sexy naked body said ‘Nice to see you, but what are you doing here? In my quarters . . . and come to think of it, how did you get in here?’
She smiled, eased herself off the bed and approached him. ‘You know why I’m here, Hollins . . . ‘
Dave found himself backing away from the ship’s Environment and Ecology Officer. She was tiny, but perfectly formed and walked with the confidence and poise of a woman perfectly at ease with herself.
She was heavily tattooed, but the delicate ethnic art had been skilfully applied and only served to accentuate her beautiful body.
Dave bumped into the bulkhead and could go no further. Skye closed the gap, invading his personal space and standing so close that her pierced nipples lightly brushed the hairs on Dave’s chest.
She looked up at him, still smiling, her clear blue eyes never blinking. ‘I didn’t think you’d be back for a couple more months. Soon as I heard, I thought I’d come and see you. You owe me Hollins, and I’m here to collect.’
Dave gulped, and struggled to control a most peculiar sensation as he felt Skye’s hands reach out and rest lightly on his ribs. ‘Owe you?’ he squeaked.
‘That’s right, Hollins. One good turn deserves another, and I need you . . . ‘
Her hands were incredibly warm and he felt them slide down his sides and onto his hips.
‘ . . . to stop mucking around . . . ‘
She leaned closer and ever so gently kissed one of his nipples.
‘ . . . get what I want out of your pants . . . ‘
Her tongue traced a path across to his other nipple.
‘ . . . and stick it in me’ she husked and bit his nipple gently.
It didn’t hurt but Dave squealed in surprise more than pain.
She looked up and grinned broadly at the terror written all over his face. She couldn’t keep it up any longer. ‘My crystal, you plonker!!’
Dave paused then breathed a huge sigh of relief. ‘OH THAT!!!! Yeah sorry, it’s here.’ He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out the tiny drawstring bag.
With trembling fingers, he opened the bag and took out a tiny cloth parcel, unwrapping it to reveal a large clear translucent crystal. By the time he looked up to offer it to Skye, she was back on his bed, her thighs spread wide apart, and smiling at him. ‘You took it out; you have to put it back.’
Dave gulped and with trembling hands approached the bed. He remembered very clearly where the item of intimate jewellery had come from, but he felt sure his hands hadn’t been shaking so much when he took it out.
His shaking hands weren’t helped by her very obvious moans of pleasure as he fumbled with the tiny awkward fixing. He breathed a sigh of relief as he completed the task, not least because he’d managed to do it without getting too noticeable an erection.
He cleared his throat noisily and stood up. ‘Well, there you go then. That’s all sorted, so you can be on your way now. How did you get into my cabin, by the way?’
Skye bounced off the bed, wiggled her hips while looking down at the newly replaced crystal. She walked straight up to Dave and wrapped her arms around him, nuzzling her face into his naked chest and pressing her firm body hard against his. She sighed and shamelessly admitted ‘There’s no better skeleton key than the promise of a blow-job.’
She grabbed his arm, twisted and pulled and to his surprise Dave found himself flat on his back on the bed, with a beautiful naked woman only half his weight straddling his hips and rubbing herself against him in a very obvious fashion.
There was just the vaguest hint of a smile on her face as she said ‘Six months ago, I gave you what you wanted. Now you’re going to give me what I want . . . ’
She leaned forward and kissed him passionately.
Dave felt a certain reflex action happening and gave in to the inevitable.
She reached down to the waistband of his trousers and as she undid the fastenings, muttered to herself ‘ . . . with interest!’
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Lieutenant Callum ‘Tinker’ Taylor scratched his head.
No matter what he tried, the software that ran the replicator circuits continually corrupted itself. He tried purging the software and re-loading it, then purging and re-loading from a secure back-up of the software.
He tried it again and again, but no matter how many times he tried it, the over-write seemed to be effective at first, but the software would begin to corrupt within a matter of minutes. Strangely, there was no pattern to the corruption: each time a different element of the software would change in a different way.
He was lucky that it was always quiet on night-shift and he could concentrate on this infuriating problem while most of the crew were asleep. He mostly had the Engineering Deck to himself and he delegated his routine tasks to the other night-shift staff so he could spend a good solid eight hours each night working on the problem.
He’d begun to think more laterally, examining code in other software elements to see if some of the virus had embedded itself remotely. He’d even got a copy of the original virus from PO Park and had begun experimenting with it to see if could spot any elements of this virus in the code of the ships working software.
Success still eluded him, and he’d begun to get more obsessed than ever, losing sleep and becoming completely focused on this one infuriating, all-consuming problem.
It was while he was fitfully twisting and turning on his bed that he had an epiphany.
In software terms, viruses were always parasitic. But did they have to be? Could he alter the virus into a symbiote? Software that would reside in all the places the original virus did, but would act differently, replacing the harmful elements with something that was beneficial?
And in terms of his instruction from the Chief Engineer, “beneficial” could mean only one thing.
Vodka.
--------------------
Dave bounded onto the Bridge still putting his tunic on.
ASBeau had called him and as he caught sight of Dave there was a distinct smirk on his face as he said. ‘Sorry to disturb you, sir, but you did ask me to notify you of any vessel movements.’
Dave blushed, and made the mistake of offering an excuse. ‘Yes, I di
d, didn’t I? Sorry I was just . . . er . . . seeing Lieutenant L’Amour about a small matter. ‘
Izzy was at a station next to the Comms Officer and snorted in disgust. ‘Yes, we heard you “seeing” her. I think everybody on Decks 3, 4 and 5 heard you “seeing” her. Sounded like you were “seeing” her really, really hard.’
There were a couple of badly disguised sniggers around the Bridge, and Dave felt himself blushing. On reflection, Skye could have been more discreet. He cleared his throat ‘Well it’s done now . . . ‘
There was a hard icy edge to Izzy’s voice as she rudely interrupted him. ‘Well, since “it’s” done, can you put a gag on “it” in future? I hear “it” likes that sort of thing.’
The Bridge echoed in stony, awkward silence.
Dave was shocked by the very apparent anger in Izzy’s reaction, but realised he didn’t have time for doing his dirty laundry in public. He cleared his throat and got his mind back on task. ‘What’s the situation ASBeau?’
‘We have an incoming vessel, sir, moving quite fast’.
Dave was instantly alert ‘Is it a Tana or Sha T’Al ship??’
‘Neither, sir. It’s one of ours. IFF identifies her as USS Auckland. I believe . . . ‘
Dave groaned and finished ASBeau’s sentence ‘ . . . that she’s a runabout assigned to the sole operational dictates of the Judge Advocate General.’
JAG retained a group of courier vessels for the personal use of their investigators, and by coincidence or mischief they all seemed to have names associated with penal or correctional facilities. Starfleet’s own penal facility on Earth was not far from the city of Auckland in New Zealand.
Dave slumped back into the chair, head in hands. The JAG investigation had caught up with him already, while there was still so much to do.
He still hadn’t had a chance to discuss the best strategy for averting a war. In fact he’d not had a chance to speak to most of his senior staff about anything since arriving back at Todot Hahn.
He also hadn’t had a chance to do anything about the serious crew shortage that plagued the ship. She’d been actually over-staffed when he’d first arrived at the vessel, with a crew of four-hundred and fifty personnel. However, several deaths and a large number of staff completing their service had quickly whittled numbers down, and she’d gone to the Arcturus Test Ranges short-handed.