by L. A. Graf
back to watch the viewscreen. Beyond the luminescent shimmer of their
shields, the blue light of Cygnus Eridani now glared off two ships
Umyfymu's deceptively ungainly sprawl and the sleeker wedge of the
Mecufi. Neither had ventured within the Enterprise's firing range.
"Uhura, can you make direct contact with the Orion police commander?"
"I'll try, sir." The communications officer bent over her board for a
moment, dark face intent as she spoke to her counterpart on the Orion
ship. "Contact coming through now, sir."
"Put it on the main screen." Sulu heard Kirk, s chair hiss behind him as
the captain stood to face the image now rippling into focus. The Orion
police commander's broad form, heavy with high-gravity bones and muscle,
seemed stuffed into his crimson uniform. His thick black beard had been
razored off with military precision across his chin, leaving two long
plaits braided with silver grommets below his ears. Bronze eyes
glittered against dark green skin.
"Starship Enterprise, this is Police Commander Shandaken." Like the
Orion aboard the Urnyfymu, the commander spoke stiff but flawless
English. "You will permit us to immediately board and search your
ship."
"Request denied." Kirk's mouth hardened as he frowned. "Neutral police
forces have no authority over Starfleet vessels."
"But you are carrying Orion criminals." The commander lifted a stubby,
accusing finger. "There, right on your bridge!"
"What?" Kirk swung around to meet Chekov's astonished look. "I have no
idea what you're talking about, Shandaken. This man is one of my line
officers."
"He's also an Orion criminal." Shandaken folded his arms across his'
burly chest, chin jutting with disdain. "He attacked and injured one of
my police officers on Sigma One--"
"That's not true!" The sudden depth of Chekov's accent conveyed his
outrage more clearly than the words themselves. "All I did was disarm
him!"
"That's enough, Mr. Chekov," Kirk said quietly. "--and then he stole an
Orion weapon," continued the commander implacably. "And smuggled it
aboard your ship--"
"He did not!" Sulu swung around, stung by that injustice. "Chekov
handed the Orion's phaser over to Sigma One security, Captain. I saw
him do it."
Kirk shook his head at him, warningly. "Mr. Sulu, I said that's
enough."
"--not to mention interfering in legal Orion search procedures."
Shandaken's face darkened with a scowl. "For all these offenses, we
demand the right--"
"Captain, that was not a legal search procedure!" This time it was Uhura
who broke into the accusation, her vivid face ablaze with indignation.
"That Orion was destroying Federation property with no provocation-"
Kirk frowned. "Commander Shandaken, excuse me for a moment while I
confer with my crew." The Orion grunted as his image faded back into the
starfield outside. The captain promptly swung around to pin Chekov with
a keen hazel gaze. "All right, Lieutenant. Remember the explanation I
asked you to put in your report about Sigma One? I think you'd better
give it to me now."
"Yes, Captain." The security officer sat rigidly at attention in front
of his bridge station. Even from the helm console, Sulu could see the
way the RussJan's knuckles had whitened around his controls. "We came
across an Orion policeman physically assaulting one of the merchants on
Sigma One. All I did was take his phaser. He must have reported me to
station security; I turned his phaser over to them when they arrested
me." A trace of red tracked up his cheekbones. "You know the rest."
"Hmm." Kirk didn't bother to glance at Uhura or Sulu for confirmation;
he obviously knew his security chief. "That doesn't seem like a very
good reason to come chasing after you, Mr. Chekov."
"I know, sir." Chekov threw a baffled look at the ships glittering on
the viewscreen. "I don't understand it."
"Orions are known for holding grudges," Sulu offered. "Maybe they
thought they could make an interstellar incident out of this, and
embarrass the Federation."
"Maybe." Kirk motioned to Uhura. "Get the Orion police commander back
on line."
"Yes, Captain." The screen rippled back to the bridge of the Mecufi.
Shandaken looked up from a handheld communicator, blinking in surprise.
"Your conference is over already, Captain?" he demanded.
"Yes, and I have one question for you." Kirk's voice was bland. "Since
the altercation with your policeman occurred on a Starfleet space
station, I presume you're aware that any prosecution of Lieutenant
Chekov would fall under the jurisdiction of the Federation?"
The Orion's bushy eyebrows yanked together. "That is not acceptablere"
"It is, however, the only legal recourse available to you," Spock
pointed out calmly.
Shandaken brought a fist down on his command chair. "We refuse to--"
The screen rippled without warning, and the red-uniformed Orion was
replaced by one in bronze and black--obviously from another ship. His
broad face wore an even more severely plaitcd beard than the police
commander's, with a captain's medallion dangling from one beefy, dark
green ear. A busy military bridge gleamed behind him, stark contrast to
the ancient cargo holds visible through narrow windows.
"Starship Enterprise, you are on direct course for Orion space." The
dark growling voice was the one that had spoken previously from the
Umyf),mu. "This is a violation of Orion neutrality."
Kirk's lips tightened. "Our course is set for the
Federation border, Commander, and our orders are to stay on our side of
it." The Orion military commander Snorted. "Federation double talk! Why
patrol the border unless you want something on the other side of it? I
warn you--if you do not alter course immediately, we will be forced to
open fire."
"Chekov." Kirk never took his eyes from the other commander. "What's the
maximum speed an Orion T-class destroyer can make?"
"Warp four, Captain."
"And the police cruiser?" Chekov shook his head after a moment's
scrutiny of his monitor. "According to our records, no better than warp
three." He glanced up with suspicion dark in his eyes. "If the Umyfymu
hadn't stopped us with that fake distress call, the Mecufi would never
have caught up to us."
"I was beginning to suspect that, Lieutenant." Kirk dropped a hand on
Sulu's shoulder. "Mr. Sulu, engage warp engines. Take us out to the
Orion border." He cast a mischievous smile at the screen. "At warp
six."
The corridor outside was blessedly devoid of people when Kirk finally
left sickbay some five and a half hours later. He took a moment to
stretch his shoulders, and calculated their distance from the Orion
border without really meaning to. Another day, perhaps, of travel
before they had to face the tensions boiling along that troubled lane.
God, it was awful to think this was all just leading up to the real
action. He doglegged down an adjacent corridor, aiming for a turbolift
at random and flexing his fingers into his palms in rhythm with his
thinking. Experience had taught Kirk that missions badly begun
frequently
ended badly, as well; the fact' that none of their current problems
related to Orion-Andorian hostilities didn't set his mind at ease.
All.that mattered to him right now was that his ship had suffered
radiation damage, a member of his crew had already died, and his chief
surgeon was up to his eyeballs in work thanks to both disturbing events.
McCoy hadn't even supervised Kirk's radiation screening; he'd been too
busy ministering to a guilt-racked transporter technician who'd sunk
beyond anyone's ability to reassure. If Kirk could fix only one thing
about this horrible day, it would be that. "Mr. Taylor," a woman's
voice echoed from down the hall, "I'm afraid I can't let you leave this
area." And then there were the auditors. Kirk paused a dozen meters
outside the security corridor, just beyond the junction that would take
him to the turbolift and away. He listened to voices from deeper within
security as they swelled in his direction, repressing a scowl of
annoyance just as John Taylor popped into view at the mouth of the
department doorway. Somehow, Kirk thought, it seemed only appropriate
that one of the auditors would show up to ruin even something so simple
as a trip back to his quarters for the night. "Don't try to intimidate
me," Taylor instructed the young Korean woman who followed him out of
security. "I've been threatened by bigger fish than you, Ensign Pack,
and none of them ever forced me to obey orders, either." He stood in
profile to Kirk, mouth twisted into a sour line. "I don't mean to
intimidate," Pack began, but Taylor talked right over her. "If your
lieutenant should happen to miraculously appear sometime this evening,
tell him I'm not impressed by his strong-arm tactics. Either he
releases Aaron Kelly with all charges dropped, or the Auditor General
gets an earful about misuse of Starfleet authority. Understood?"
Kirk wondered if auditors could be reported for misuse of authority,
too.
"Mr. Taylor," Pack insisted, stepping sternly behind the auditor when
Taylor turned to stalk down the hall toward Kirk, "attempting to drop a
brigforCe screen constitutes a jailbreak, sir. If you attempt to leave
this area, I may be forced to shoot you." She raised frantic eyes to
Kirk, her phaser still untouched on her hip.
Kirk nodded, not interested in finding out how Taylor would cast this
incident if Pack did as expected and carried out her duty. "Hold your
fire, Ensign." She relaxed her shoulders in silent relief, and Kirk
ambled over to block Taylor's path when the auditor made to hurry by
him. "You seem to have this effect on everyone," the captain commented
pleasantly. "Is it a talent, Mr. Taylor; or an acquired skill?"
Taylor stopped before he could bump into Kirk, and sighed down at the
captain. "I'm not interested in your sarcasm, Kirk." He jerked a nod
over his shoulder. "Are you aware 'that your chief of security has
incarcerated one of my auditors?"
Kirk made a show of following Taylor's indicated gesture, eyebrows
lifted. "I'm aware that one of your auditors violated Starfleet
regulations, and that Lieutenant Chekov reacted accordingly." He cocked
his head. "I thought you were the one with such a high regard for
regulations."
"For regulations, Captain," Taylor returned with a scowl. "Not for
using them as an excuse to harass Federation officials. It's not as
though Aaron murdered someone, or sold Starfleet secrets to the
Klingons."
"By setting off a false alarm," Kirk pointed out, "Mr. Kelly endangored
the safety of everyone on this ship."
"Endangered?" Taylor laughed, but it was malice that sparkled in his
dark eyes. "Come on, Kirk--your man broke my man's nose, remember."
Kirk laced his hands behind his back before his right fist clenched.
"He's lucky Chekov didn't break his neck."
Almost immediately, the captain could have kicked himself for his quick
tongue. Taylor's mouth stretched thin on a predatory smile, and the
auditor asked 'm grim innocence, "May I quote you on that?"
Kirk wished it had been Taylor inspecting that transporter instead of
Gendron. "You can do whatever you please," he said, "just so long as
you do it from your quarters."
Taylor pulled his head back, blinking. "Excuse me?"
If Taylor was intent on deluging the Auditor General with complaints,
Kirk figured he might just as well make the bad report a clean sweep. He
wouldn't let his people go down without him, either way.
"You're confined to quarters, Mr. Taylor," Kirk said, mimicking
Taylor's expression of innocence. He felt some satisfaction, at least,
in the frustration that flashed across the auditor's face. "Security's
been investigating three deaths, not to mention all their usual starship
duties. Lieutenant Chekov doesn't need you down here interfering with
his people's efficiency, and I certainly don't need you coming to me
every time something doesn't go to your liking. So--" He lifted a hand
o wave Pack forward without taking his
gaze off Taylor. "Ensign Pack, why don't you escort Mr. Taylor to his
quarters? And see that Auditor Chaiken is in her room, as well. I
don't think we'll need to assign a door guard, but I'm sure that can be
arranged if Mr. Taylor would prefer it."
Taylor jerked his elbow away from Paek's light touch. "I don't think
that's necessary,Y he grumbled, glaring at the guard.
Kirk smiled tightly and nodded. "I'm glad to hear that."
"Will we be allowed out of our quarters again once your people have
finished their investigation?"
Kirk shrugged. "We'll talk about that when the time comes." He nodded
Paek toward the turbolift, and she hastened to obey, one hand firm on
Taylor's elbow despite his squirming. "I'll warn you, though," Kirk
said as they passed, "investigations don't often go the way you want
them to. And Lieutenant Chekov has a lot of other things to do."
By 2300, Chekov almost wished Kirk had kept them around to fight it out
with the Orions. It would have saved Chekov from joining his crew at
the transporter room cleanup site, at least, and might have given him
something to worry about besides a multiple murder, Scott's newly
discovered petty thefts in engineering, and Taylor's plans for
dismantling his department. Leaning back against the wall of the
turbolift, the three infrared visors he carried clacking quietly against
each other, Chekov listened to the lift slow for Deck Seven and hoped he
wouldn't fall asleep in the absurdly long time it seemed to take the
doors to open.
Chekov hadn't seen Taylor since their fight this afternoon. Granted,
the lieutenant had been in engi
lOO
neering since shortly after the Orions faded from view, following
Scott's people around and compiling a list of the cutters, capacitors,
and meters that suddenly no one in engineering could find. The junior
engineers were convinced
someone had made away with the equipment;
Chekov was convinced nerves had everyone scenting foul play in the
aftermath of the transporter accident. "Why would .anyone need all
these things?" he'd asked more than one of them. They'd only shrugged,
returned the visors he'd sent down days before for repairs, and gone
back to their work; they weren't willing to speculate.
Too bad Taylor can't get into engineering, Chekov thought, heading down
the evening-dimmed corridor toward his office. Any chance that Taylor
might be a suspect in the robberies could have been excuse enough to
bunk him in the brig alongside Kelly. Except that would probably
guarantee the destruction of Cbekov's department, so the thought really
wasn't so attractive, after all. Chekov shifted the visors uneasily
from one hand to the other, wondering if Taylor could actually see some
structural problem that he and Kirk were missing, or if all of this was
nothing more than personal bias on the auditor's part. He fervently
hoped it was the latter.
Passing by the doorway to the duty desk, Chekov heard the murmur of
discussion without being able to distinguish the actual words. He
identified the guards on duty by the shape of their voices, by the
characteristic rise and fall of their intonations and the length of
their sentences Recchi and Paek. The careless pattern of their
conversation said nothing was wrong, so Chekov didn't bother
interrupting them. He was supposed to be off duty anyway; he could read
their reports in the morning.
lol
He tossed the visors to his desktop amongst a scatter of waiting tapes