Star Trek: Starjumper Episode 02

Star Trek Starjumper: What doesn't kill you

Disclaimer: All right, this story is not real. NOT REAL! Not to be read by anyone under the age of 18/21 yadda yadda yadda! I'd love to hear some feedback as per usual. My e-Mail address at: mean.blackjack(@)yahoo.co.uk If you remove the parenthesis from the @ symbol it'll get through! Please feel free to send me some feedback, I'll delete the room in my inbox just for it. You wouldn't want my inbox to be empty would you? All alone like that. I know you're not monsters out there!

Author's Note: Hey guys, no sex in this part. Pure story, had a lot of fun writing it too! Remember to send feedback to my e-Mail or in the comments section ;)

Hundreds of Jem'Hadar ships lay in ruins, adrift in deep space. After the founders surrendered in the last great war, they returned to the great link and through the worm hole that had been the constant pain in the ass of the space station, Deep Space Nine. However, when they disappeared into the worm hole they took with them the supply of ketracel-white and left the super soldiers to die.

Feared battleships were left spinning in deep space, their hosts long dead. These desolate vehicles were prime targets for scrap vultures or looters like Ferengi looking for cheap loot to sell on. The fire arms, side arms and any other weapons were sold on, the ships were skeletal.

However, they were also a target for another vehicle. Gul Brull was left well alone on a Ferengi transport vessel that was hovering close to a large battleship. A small runt of a Ferengi made himself known to the large Cardassian military man. Coughing, Brull looked down and nodded without saying a word. Taking hold of the grate above his bunk, he pulled himself up out of the bunk and hopped onto the floor.

"Are we here?" He asked, looking down at the small Ferengi.

"Ah... Yes sir... We're here."

"Good. Both me and your captain have discussed payment. Take me to your transporter." The Cardassian nodded towards the large door, the Ferengi nodded and walked him towards the transporter room. Brull looked down the corridor and saw the rusty colour of the vessel. There were the occasional metal pole that ran from the top of the corridor down to the floor.

They took a right turn to head down to the transporter room. Brull stepped onto the panel and looked at the Ferengi captain.

"Energize."

A light blue shimmered over Brull and beamed him over to the Jem'Hadar vessel. Brull arrived at the battleship and saw it was in ruins. Pipes jutted out of the wall and pumped steam into the room, lighting tubes hung down from the top of the corridor and dangled freely and wires would spark at random intervals as he walked passed them. He had his destination in mind, walking down the corridor Brull found the room he needed.

Rummaging through the crates of stock, left alone due to no one understanding the complexity of the tools. Placing a small homing beacon on the crate, Brull pushed a few buttons and called over to the vessel.

"Brull. Payment ready for collection."

"Understood. A pleasure doing business with you. After all, the." Communications were cut off abruptly as Brull slapped his communicator again, severing the line. Looking over his shoulder, the Cardassian made his way down the corridor to the bridge. As he passed a window, he looked out and saw the mine he had beamed over did the trick. There was an explosion on the bridge that blew the windows open, various debris from inside the ship was sucked out into the vacuum of space. The ship's computer took over and a large shutter came down, sealing the gaping wound but it was already too late.

Several smaller explosions rocked the vessel as it was destroyed. Dirty work but it was worth it for the restoration of Cardassia. He ran his hands through his small black haircut and licked along his bottom teeth. He stepped onto the bridge and saw that it was still in ruins. Tugging at a chair that had been laid upon the captain's chair, he dusted the chair down and sat down. Surveying the damage, he shook his head at how much damage the ship had suffered.

Bringing up the ship's computer, he jabbed at a few buttons and the ship whirred to life. It spoke in a foreign language, probably Jem'Hadar, he jabbed at a few more and it turned into Basic. Now that he understood the computer, Brull set about repairing the ship. He smiled at how quickly the ship was repairing itself, the large view screen illuminated and was hailed by another Jem'Hadar ship.

"Gul Brull?" It was his second in command, Molar, a hulking Klingon that had a feral looking beard with long dreadlocks that ran past his shoulder blades.

"Yes Molar. I assume every thing's going according to plan?"

"Indeed. Wayne wants a mission update immediately."

"Understood. Brull out."

Molar nodded curtly and pushed a button, leaving Brull to himself.

He took a breath and pushed a button, signaling the flagship of this motley crew of rebels... A resistance would probably be a more apt term. Marcus Wayne was a human in his mid-thirties, he was covered in scars and was suffering from a limp due to a slashed tendon. He had suffered at the hands of the cowardly Marquis and he was just the type of leader they needed, soon the Federation would be on its knees and it would all be thanks to Brull and Marcus Wayne.

Little did Brull know that someone who was capable of catching and stopping Wayne was a few clicks away.

The Captain sat at the main seat, a hand on her chin looking through the star screen. Her thoughts were running miles a minute about what could have been happening in the Alpha Quadrant. Drumming her fingers on the side, Amanda looked from one side to the other. She saw lots of worried faces looking at their consoles as they worked.

They had every right to be.

Starfleet had been attacked by an unknown enemy and it had torn a science ship to pieces. A small fat blob appeared at the bottom of the screen and an Ensign called out.

"Starbase 375 on screen."

"Magnify."

The small blob soon shot to fill the screen. The Starbase was a larger room with four smaller 'feet' that served as launching pads. It was home to Admiral Ross and was a dedicated Science station. It was close enough to the site that they may be able to analyse the damage. By a stroke of luck, Admiral Ross had contacted them and had been in contact with the Vulcan science ship. They had reports from the ship as it was destroyed.

With a bit of luck they could piece everything together and see just what was happening. The ship had gotten closer and closer to the Starbase and they dropped out of warp into impulse power. The ship arrived at the orbiting area, Amanda stood up and spoke out loud.

"Signal them Mister Turock." Thatcher said as she stood up and tugged her shirt down, straightening it out.

"Hailing frequencies open Sir." The Vulcan said, turning to face her.

"U.S.S. Starjumper to Starbase 375 requesting permission to dock."

"U.S.S. Starjumper, this is Starbase 375. Permission granted, you can dock at docking station 3. Safe travels."

Amanda looked to Turock and nodded her head. Turock nodded back at her and spun the Starjumper to the port side. Bringing it down to the docking station the Starjumper slid past the blue photonic wave, that separated space and the actual station.

Sliding into the station, Turock aligned with a docking tube and set up a slow orbit.

"Mister Turock, begin docking procedure." Thatcher said, looking at the Vulcan whose hands were hovering over his controls. He nodded and the ship shifted to the side ever so slightly.

There was a large tube that was hovering in the middle of the station. It was thick enough for people to pass through, and as the ship hovered to the side it connected to the ship's side.

"Docking clamps have been engaged. We're safe for departure." Turock said, turning to face his Captain.

"Very good Mister Turock. Attention all hands, this is the Captain. I will be departing for the station in a few moments. Commander Buckcherry will be remaining on the ship as C.O. If you wish to take any time off, now would be a good time. If not, I'll return as soon as time permits me. Thatcher out."

Turning to face Zorah, she nodded.

"Walk with me."

The two commanding officers of the Starjumper left the bridge and made their way to the transporter room. The chief, an older non-commissioned Asian officer, smiled as they entered.

"One to beam to Starbase 375. There's nothing to worry about Zorah, just keep the ship running." She stepped onto the pad and looked at Zorah once more. "And careful with the paint. She's new. Energize!"

A blue light shimmered over Amanda and she was beamed over to the station. Zorah looked at the chief, smiling, he shook his head and left him to work.

Arriving at the station, Amanda looked around and saw an Ensign with nothing to do.

"Ensign."

Jumping out of his skin, he spun and looked at Captain Thatcher.

"Sir, yes Sir!"

"Easy Ensign, easy. I'm just after Admiral Ross' room."

"Oh... Oh. It's just this way."

The Ensign lead the way to a large turbolift.

"OK Sir, you need to take this up to deck 34. Admiral Ross' office is at the end of the hall way.

"Very well, dismissed."

The Ensign nodded and departed.

She stepped into the turbolift.

"Deck 34."

The turbolift whirred to life and took her up to the right level. She took the time to admire her surroundings. The building was an almost sterile white and had several large windows looking out into space.

The lift stopped and Amanda stepped out. Thatcher walked through the sterile environment and nodded as several people recognised her. Before the Admiral's office, she looked over herself and tugged her uniform down tightly. Brushing away at her pants, she took a deep breath and rang the door.

"Enter."

Amanda walked through the door and was greeted by Admiral Ross. He was a larger man, heavy set around the waist with grey hair on his head, he was clean shaven and was still wearing the typical Admiral uniform.

"Ah, Captain Thatcher!"

"Good evening Sir. I trust I'm not too late?"

"No, you're just in time! Please, take a seat."

Nodding, she sat at the chair opposite his desk. Ross turned a computer screen to face her.

"OK. So, here's the situation. It looks like this was an attack by possible Cardassian rebels." Amanda opened her mouth to speak but was silenced by Ross' large hand. "There's more, we think there was a Vulcan behind it. We have this image that we managed to clear up. There's a viewing station close to where the ship was ambushed. The images we got were... Well, disturbing."

The first image flickered up on the screen, it looked like an old Vulcan vessel. The... T'Pau? She was fairly certain that was the title of it. It was a long almost dagger like ship with a ring that circled the bridge.

The ship did indeed attack the science vessel. A wave of confusion washed over her face which was duly noted by Admiral Ross.

"Why would a Vulcan attack one of its allied ships?" He asked, looking at her. When she nodded, he smiled and continued. "Well, we have a working theory. During the Dominion war there was a Starfleet shipyard that was ambushed and a T'Pau class went missing. We assumed the Cardassian's just never got around to finishing it off. We won the war before they use it. And here's who we assume is to blame."

A Cardassian flashed on screen. "Gul Brull. After the Cardassian Empire fell, they needed a leader. Brull stepped up and now they're worshipping him like he's some sort of idol. Cardassia is slowly building back to full power and we're not ready for another war with them."

"But why is he working with the Vulcan's?" Amanda queried, her fingers fell into a steeple as her arms rested on her knees.

"We're assuming they're Vulcan's Captain. We have one image of a possible collaborator. He was a cadet from Starfleet. He left shortly before the Dominion war."

The former cadet's face flashed up on the screen and Amanda audibly gasped.

"Familiar?"

"... Yes... He's an acquaintance."

He was much more than an acquaintance though. His name was Marcus Wayne. He was thirty years old, similar to Amanda and stood at roughly the same height. He had a short brown military crew cut and deep blue, piercing eyes. Running a hand through her blonde hair, Amanda wasn't sure what to do with herself.

"His name's Marcus Wayne. He graduated the same year as me. Stardate 52-"

Ross cut her off. "We're aware, thank you Captain. We're also aware that you've had a dealing with him before. Is everything in the past?"

"Yes sir. I'm clear minded and able. I will have no problem catching him."

"I'm sure. We do have some co-ordinates for you to start. We believe they're making a run near the Risa system. I want you to leave immediately."

Amanda nodded and stood up.

"Captain Thatcher?" Admiral Ross spoke up one more time. Spinning on her right heel, Amanda turned to face him.

"Sir?"

"They're to be arrested. We have little to no information about this operation. We need answers. If you catch them, I want you to drop their shields and take them alive. Are we clear?"

"Yes sir, but the brig of the Starjumper isn't exactly large enough for a whole T'Pau class ship of prisoners."

"There will be the Star Cruiser, U.S.S. Emissary will be catching up with you to assist in the hunt. They will take the main work force prisoners, I want the Starjumper to take the higher ranking officers. The ship will meet you in the Risa sector. I know you can get it done."

"Yes Sir! I... We, won't let you down."

Stepping out of the office, Amanda's stomach was doing a fine impression of a wind turbine back home. It spun at a rapid pace, uneasy with how the job was to be. Her crew were not bounty hunters. They were supposed to track down this vessel and bring them in?

She walked down the brightly lit corridor with her mind doing various workings in her head. It would take at least two days travel to get to Risa if they left immediately. Reaching the turbo lift, she took it down several levels to the transporter pad to beam back.

Meanwhile, back on the Starjumper...

"Well, it was supervised of course. The commanders run a tight ship but they know we need to blow off steam. Plus, it was a way of claiming... Bragging rights, I think the human term is? Anyway, I figured he was no match for me."

Back on the bridge...

Zorah ran his hands along his jaw, it ached. That was never a good sign, there was endless reports of things occurring on the ship and he just didn't care. He should be with Amanda knowing what was going on with the science vessel. Sighing, he sat back and looked at is personal computer. A image jumped on his screen, pushing the 'Read' button it was from T'Chunka, a Caitain security officer.

"Drinks at eighteen hundred?"

Grinning, Zorah nodded his head and pushed a 'reply' button.

"You bet! Need to get debriefed first, get a Saurian ale for me?"

That was a nice touch to the end of a dreary shift. The elevator whirred to life as Amanda stepped back onto the bridge. Standing up, Zorah tugged at his shirt straightening out his uniform, he stepped forward to meet the Captain.

Amanda's face wasn't a jovial one. She looked at Zorah, then at Noah who was manning the tactical station.

"Board room now. Dr Cam'Ra can you meet us in the board room?" She asked, slapping on her com badge as Zorah and Noah made their way past the commanding officer.

"On my way Sir." Came the response, Amanda nodded and followed the two handsome men into the board room.

There was a brief silence as the Captain pushed at a few buttons on one of the screen. The board room wasn't as large as some of the ships she had served on. This one was more like a class room. Amanda stood at the front of the room and there was a smaller desk near the front of the room where the Captain or Commanding Officer could sit. In front of the desk there was an oval shaping for the chairs, there was only five chairs, four chairs were side by side with the last one right at the back of the seating arrangements.

Dr Cam'Ra walked in wearing the typical Doctor's outfit. She had on the longer robes that were the nicer shade of teal and it hung just below her waist. She smiled warmly towards Thatcher but frowned when she saw that it wasn't reciprocated. Shaking it away, remembering her rank, she sat behind Zorah and watched the screen behind the young Captain flicker to life.

"OK, here's the story so far. Starfleet Command's running theory is that the ship was attacked by Cardassian rebels." That made everyone react in a peculiar fashion, Zorah's bushy white eyebrows jumped up but fell back down. Noah stroked his chin while Dijj simply leaned forward. "During the Dominion War, there was an old Vulcan shipyard that was ambushed by the Jem'Hadar. The Vulcan's managed to hold off the ground force but... When they got around to doing another inventory they noted that a prototype T'Pau escort was missing. Why was it prototype? It included a cloak."

"A cloak? But that's against the treaty with the Romulans!" Zorah said aloud, it wasn't as if he was challenging Amanda. There wasn't enough ferocity behind it as Thatcher's eyes drifted up to meet his.

"Indeed. However, when it was in development we were in a state of war. With that the terms of the treaty becomes null and void. We would never be allowed to use it during our skirmishes with the Romulan's since we were never actually at a state of war with them."

"Captain?" It was Noah's turn, his large hand had raised ever so slightly, almost as if to ask permission. It warmed her heart to know this grunt was so respectful.

"Yes Lieutenant?" She said, looking towards him.

"Do we have an idea on the armament?"

"Two fore phaser banks, backed up by a single proton torpedo launcher. They've also got a singular rear phaser bank and a proton mine launcher. There's also a free aiming cannon that can move in a three hundred and sixty degree rotation."

That was good enough for him, he nodded and put his large hand down.

"Also, we're looking at possible Marquis resistance. We've been told to track down Marcus Wayne."

It was Dijj's turn to react. She knew exactly who that was. Gasping, the crew turned to look at her, but she quickly regained her professionalism and wiped her face of emotion. But her mind was doing somersaults, they had to track down Amanda's old flame? That was going to be a tricky one. She knew both he and Amanda enjoyed battle sims on the campus holo-deck and he won more than she did.

"He was a cadet in the academy, the same time as me. He dropped out of Starfleet when we were both LT's and he joined the Marquis then. We've no idea on the other resistance. We can wager on them being humans, Bajorans and anyone else. However... There's one more twist to this tale. There's a Cardassian working with them." Another jab at the computer and the Gul's face lit up on screen. "Gul Brull. He's the current leader of the Cardassian National Party. He served in several skirmishes during the Dominion war and was a nice little recruiting tale. The current theory is that he set out to take over the role Gul Dukat left and wants Cardassia to take back its former glory. This obviously isn't going to happen with the current Federation rules with the planet. I'm sure I don't have to stress how important this mission is. Any questions? No? Good. Zorah, take us out of space dock and set us on course towards Risa. We're to meet the Vanguard there. Dismissed."

After the end of the war with the Dominion, the Federation-Klingon-Romulan Alliance had insisted that the Cardassian's were allowed to develop again but they had strictly forbidden any chance of Cardassia being allowed to rebuild a fleet. Even under the alliance's strict supervision, there was no way that Cardassia could gain any form of militaristic power. This had irked some Cardassian's who was still proud of their planet and their people. That was when the Cardassian National Party had started. Gul Brull was a charismatic individual who had ignited a passion inside all of Cardassia and they were willing to follow him from one end of the universe to the other.