Work Text:
Act One
Starship Log, Stardate 61348.7: After a brief reunion with crew of the Athens, the Cutlass has transferred the Bolian delegation to them for their journey home. We are now back on a routine patrol assignment. During this period of relative downtime, the crew has an opportunity to catch up on some tasks that have been ignored or neglected for some time. Unfortunately, that includes me.
Scene 1: Sickbay, USS Cutlass
Archer is having her routine medical exam, which is several weeks overdue, with Dr. Mayweather. After finishing the final vision test, the good doctor can see that his CO has something on her mind.
"Penny?" he asks.
"Who?" Archer looks at him quizzically.
"You know, for your thoughts? Penny for your thoughts?"
"Oh… sorry, should have picked up on that."
"You kinda seem a little distracted. What's going on?"
"Oh, just wondering about what happened with that terrorist a couple months ago, Vecca Mathran."
"I didn't think he still held such a place in your mind," Mayweather says.
"I just keep wondering if I did the right thing. I mean I wasn't really trying to kill him. I was just thinking about the replicators he wanted, keeping them out of his hands, since he clearly didn't understand the dangers of using them. And I wanted to keep him from getting away."
"Now now," Mayweather cautions. "Try not to second guess yourself. You did what you had to do in the moment. Besides, if you had just jumped in that transporter beam with him, there were three other people on that ship. You would have been surrounded and captured, or worse."
Archer thinks for a moment, and replies, "Fair point I guess."
"How many people did he kill when he bombed the Federation Embassy on Rhaandar Prime?"
"Six," Archer answers. "Would have been more had there not been a medical facility two blocks away."
"So, we know he was a murderer. And maybe a little off his noggin," the doctor adds, pointing to his temple. "It was always going to come down to him, you, or the hostages that we saved. Plus his three accomplices. There was only one way that was all gonna to go down."
Archer nods and says, "Yeah, I suppose that's true." She gets up from the exam chair. "Thanks Doc," she says, smiling.
"Anytime," he replies, returning the smile.
"Bridge to Commander Archer," comes the voice of Ensign Andrew Williams, who is taking a rare command duty shift on the bridge, over the comm.
"Archer here," she answers back.
"Message for you from Starfleet Command."
"I'll take it here in sickbay," she replies and steps to a nearby console. Dr. Mayweather politely steps away to his office to give her some privacy.
The viewscreen lights up with the face of Commander Veltin, one of the senior administrators in the Admiral's Office, who was brought in by Admiral Sorik after Admiral Janeway left to focus on a different project. Archer actually preferred talking with Veltin. She seemed far less judgmental and overbearing than Sorik, despite the fact that she was also a Vulcan.
"Commander Archer," the long-haired Vulcan lady begins. "We have a new assignment for the Cutlass. The Rhaandari are attempting to send a colonization convoy to the Phi Virginis system, but they are meeting with resistance from an unknown adversary. Unidentified vessels are attacking the convoy as they are reaching orbit of the third planet of Phi Virginis A. They have been forced to withdraw to the edge of the system to make repairs three times now. Given the fact that it takes them over a month to make the journey from Rhaandar Prime, they are rather committed to this course and would prefer not to turn their convoy around."
Archer considers. "And I bet the survey team they sent two months before indicated the system was clear," she says.
"Precisely," answers Veltin. "While the convoy hasn't been dealt any permanent damage, they are Federation members, and as such fall under the protection of Starfleet. Proceed to Phi Virginis and rendezvous with the Rhaandari convoy. See if they need any assistance with repairs. Then proceed in-system, investigate who is attacking the convoy, and find a resolution."
"Understood. We'll be in touch. Archer out," she finishes. The screen goes blank. "Archer to bridge, set course for the Phi Virginis system, warp nine. Engage."
Scene 2: Bridge of the Cutlass, at the heliopause of the Phi Virginis system
After 30 hours of travel at high warp, the Cutlass meets up with the five vessels of the Rhaandari convoy. Two are large, bulky, clumsy colony freighters, loaded with all the specialized equipment and materials for constructing the pressure domes and other infrastructure required to colonize a Class L planet. One carries the handful of colonists that will be the pioneers inhabiting the fledgling colony once it is up and running. The other two are support ships that will remain in orbit to provide communications and defense, as well as install satellites and other static space structures. The support ships, the Conto and the Lipa, are the ones that ended up tangling with the unknown adversary.
"Hail the convoy," Archer orders.
"They are responding," Sulu says.
"On screen."
The ruddy, grizzled face of an old Rhaandari captain appears on the viewscreen. "Captain Delifis Moonis of the Rhaandari support vessel Conto," he says.
"Lieutenant Commander Lara Archer, Federation starship Cutlass," she responds. "Captain Moonis, I know you've probably explained what happened at least once already, but if you could walk us through the events of two days ago, I'd be grateful."
Moonis nods his head and begins his story. "We arrived near the third planet of the larger star, Phi Virginis A. Almost immediately there was a ship that came at us. About the same size as your ship, but a configuration we've never seen before. We tried to hail them, but the response we got didn't make sense. Then they powered up and started shooting! We barely had time to get our defenses up. There was a brief exchange of fire, and we warped away. The Conto and the Lipa came back alone without the rest of the convoy. Same story. We tried to communicate but didn't have any luck. We fell back again. We thought we'd try one more time and came in at a higher orbital position near the moon. The other ship found us again. We tried to stand our ground but it wouldn't have ended well if we did. We think maybe the other ship was trying to flee, too, but we couldn't stay and find out. That's when we fell back to this position and called you."
"Thank you, Captain. We appreciate the information." Archer turns to Sulu and Ozzie. Getting shrugs from both, she turns to the viewscreen again. "Captain Moonis, is there any way I could convince you to let us look at your sensor and communication logs of the incidents in question?" Archer asks.
"I mean, my people are pretty thorough. We've looked at everything we can think of, and I don't think we've missed anything," Moonis replies.
"Of course. But we have more experience out here in the unknown, and we may be able to draw some correlations that your systems may not know how to recognize," Archer counters.
Moonis mulls the idea over, then decides. "I suppose it can't hurt to have a fresh set of eyes and ears. We'll send the logs over shortly."
"Thank you. We'll take a look and see if we can spot anything. Cutlass out."
Krohn confirms receipt of the log files, and he, Sulu, T'Prex, Ozzie, Chief Engineer Norin Manni, and Archer review the data.
Scene 3: Briefing Room, USS Cutlass
In the briefing room, the officers look at the files sent by the Rhaandari convoy.
"The navigation logs from the convoy are consistent with their testimony," T'Prex begins the briefing. "The first two encounters took place in orbit of the third planet of Phi Virginis A. The last encounter with the hostiles took place near the moon of that planet. From there, the nav logs confirm that the convoy retreated to their current location."
"Getting the same from the command logs," Archer confirms. "Convoy arrives, encounters alien ship, attempt to communicate, unintelligible response, alien ship attacks, convoy fires back, convoy retreats. Lather, rinse, repeat twice. The third skirmish was a slightly more intense firefight with more damage on both sides, but otherwise no different. So far everything lines up…" She notices a perplexed look on Reynolds's face. "What is it Ozzie?"
"Can't get this bloody translation matrix to lock in!" Reynolds complains. "Been starin' at gibberish for ten minutes."
Archer leans over and taps a couple of keystrokes that Ozzie missed to bring up the data translation matrix to interpret the Rhaandari logs and convert them into Federation Standard, thereby making them readable. "Does that help?" she asks.
"Oh bloody hell…" he replies, embarrassed. "First year cadet could've figured that one. Sorry about that."
"No worries, Ozzie," Archer says with a genuine smile. "Sometimes it takes an extra step to get non-Starfleet Federation ship logs to come up just right."
"Thanks, Cap'n. I'll crank on this for a bit. Come back to me at the end and I'll have this square," he finishes.
"Manni?" Archer prompts.
"Damage report and engineering logs all consistent with Moonis's story. Residual energy signature actually does match some Starfleet records. I'll wait till the others have a chance to speak before saying more," he says, cryptically.
Sulu jumps in. "Alien vessel's engine, weapon, and shield profiles match up." She looks at Ozzie. Manni is also now waiting for Reynolds to confirm what he and Sulu are suspecting.
"By golly! The Dionda!" Ozzie blurts out, finishing the review of the communications logs. "It's our girl, Scout!" Ozzie concludes. Archer is shocked. But Sulu and Manni nod in confirmation. "What in blazes is she doin' all the way out 'ere?"
Scene 4: Bridge of the Cutlass, at the heliopause of Phi Virginis
Archer and the Cutlass crew hail Captain Moonis and his convoy to try to help them understand exactly what they are dealing with.
She takes a breath, then starts to explain. "Rhaandari captains, this is going to take some explaining. What you encountered at Phi Virginis A-III wasn't an alien vessel. It was, actually, an alien lifeform."
The five convoy captains stare at Archer in disbelief.
Archer goes on to explain their first encounter with this spaceborne species, the Dionda. How a team of junior officers in a runabout found a young Dionda child, Pebble, whose father had been killed by Nausicaan raiders. How they met Scout, the being that the convoy encountered, and how she helped defend Ivor Prime from the Nausicaan pirates and their Orion masters.
"Wait… you can actually talk to these… creatures?" Captain Ivelus of the first colony ship asks, incredulous.
"You betcha!" Ozzie interjects. "They're sort of tribal folk, but that Scout, she's a sweet one."
Archer grins sideways at her First Officer's injection of humorous affection for an alien lifeform that's literally the size of the Cutlass.
She continues talking with the convoy. "Here is what we propose: your convoy will stay here while the Cutlass goes ahead into the system. Scout knows us, so she will be much less inclined to be hostile. We'll talk to her and see if we can find out why she is here. Once we know more, we will contact you and discuss what the next steps are."
"Well, that's all fine and good, Commander, but you need to understand that we are on a timetable here," Captain Moonis responds with concern. "Some of the goods in the cargo holds of these ships are either fragile or perishable. They won't last more than a few more days before we either have to use them or dump them."
"I understand. We'll do everything in our power to find out why the Dionda are here and what their intentions are. With any luck, you'll be able to deploy to Phi Virginis A-III soon."
The convoy captains all shrug and nod. "Guess we don't have much choice. We'll wait here until we hear from you." With that, the Rhaandari unceremoniously close the channel.
"Delightful bunch, really," Ozzie quips sarcastically.
"Yeah, that could have gone better," Sulu remarks.
"Try to look at this from their perspective," Archer says. "They've been planning this colonization for months, and it takes them a lot more time and resources to do it than it would take other species in the Federation that have been in space for decades. Their best speed is, what, warp 4? 4.5? It's kind of an 'all or nothing' venture for them. Plus, their planet is so very overcrowded that they have to be kind of aggressive with their colonization efforts."
"Their expansion efforts in their home system speak for themselves," T'Prex adds. "In less than ten years since their first warp drive experiments, they have established thriving colonies on both Rhaandar V and VII, set up surprisingly solid interplanetary infrastructure, and now are reaching out toward the stars. They actually remind me a great deal of the humans of the mid-22nd century."
The rest of the bridge officers look at her with a quizzical expression, waiting for her to explain her surprisingly specifically informed statement.
Raising an eyebrow at the gallery of eyes upon her, T'Prex states, "I did my senior thesis at the Academy on 'Parallels Between the Rhaandari and 22nd-Century Humans'."
"Well, how 'bout them apples?" Ozzie grins.
Archer, now smiling as well, gets everyone back on track. "T'Prex, take us to the moon of Phi Virginis A-III."
"Aye Commander," T'Prex answers.
Scene 5: Bridge of the Cutlass, near Phi Virginis A-III's moon
The Cutlass drops out of warp near the moon of Phi Virginis A-III. Due to their experience with making first contact with the Dionda, and Scout in particular, Andros and Williams are on the bridge.
"T'Prex, put us in standard orbit of this moon," Archer orders. "Williams?"
"Picking up the residual weapons signatures of both the Rhaandari and Scout. If we maintain this orbit, it should take us right to her," Williams replies from the science station.
"Logs confirm this is the place, just ahead," Andros adds from mission ops.
As the orbit of the Cutlass takes them over the surface of the moon, they soon find what they are looking for. Scout is on the surface of the moon in the middle of a fresh impact crater!
"Full scan! What's happened to her? Is she ok?" Archer orders.
"If she were a ship," Sulu says, "I would say she has a hull breach and is leaking drive plasma. In lifeform terms? I guess she has a broken… tail? And she's… bleeding I guess?"
Archer scowls at the viewscreen and the information she is receiving. "Krohn, open a channel. Let's see if she can hear us."
"Open."
In a gentle voice, Archer tries to communicate with the huge life form. "Scout, wake up! This is Cutlass. We are here to help you. Can you speak?"
The giant form of Scout seems to twitch on the viewer, but the comm channel remains silent.
Archer pleads, "Scout, please wake up. We want to help you. Can you hear us?"
The universal translator processes a message. "Hurts…" is all it can manage to interpret. Andros stares at the screen.
"Dr. Mayweather, any suggestions on how to help our giant friend out there?" Archer asks.
"Well, we are talking about a silicon-based spaceborne life form," the good doctor responds, monitoring the situation from sickbay. "It's all guesswork at this point. Educated guesswork, but still."
"We gotta do something! We can't just let the poor girl lay there!" Ozzie shouts.
Archer nods her head at Reynolds, then gets an idea. "Doctor Mayweather, Lieutenant Manni, suit up for EVA, and meet me in Transporter Room One for away team duty. Bring all your tools." She turns to Reynolds, expecting him to object to her decision to lead the away team instead of sending him.
To her surprise, he says with a grin, "Oh heck no, you can do all the EVA you want. I'll stay here and mind the shop." Sulu grins in amusement but says nothing.
"Commander!" Andros says, with a pleading tone unlike the normally brash Andorian. "Request permission to join the away team."
"I would like to go as well," Krohn adds. "We were there for Pebble…"
Archer smiles, her pride in her crew swelling by the day. "You have the bridge, Lieutenant Reynolds." Archer heads for the turbolift.
"Williams, feel like coverin' ops?" Ozzie suggests.
Act Two
Starship Log, supplemental: The attack on the Rhaandari convoy came from a being we haven't seen in some time. We know her as 'Scout'. She is a Dionda, a silicon-based spaceborne species that the crew of the Cutlass actually made first contact with only a few short months ago. We don't know why she is here, or what exactly provoked her to attack the convoy. But whatever her reasons, she is now crashed and unconscious on the surface of the moon orbiting the third planet in this system. I am taking a team down to see if we can render any kind of assistance.
Scene 6: On the surface of Phi Virginis A-III's moon
Archer, Manni, Mayweather, Andros, and Krohn stand on the surface of the rocky Class D moon and look up at the enormous form of Scout. She is impacted at least two meters deep into the megalith, and there are clear indications of venting plasma around the base of her tail. Manni, Mayweather, and Krohn are scanning frantically with their tricorders.
"Scout is… significantly larger than Pebble. And some of the damage is on her underside," Krohn speaks first.
Mayweather observes, "If she was an organic patient, I'd say we have to stop the bleeding first, then tend the rest of the injuries. But we can't exactly use a dermal regenerator on her… wait a second…" Mayweather practically jumps out of his EVA suit with excitement. "Oh man! Cutlass, Mayweather. I need a set of structural scaffolding, a portable tractor beam, and as much thermoconcrete as you can give me. Stat!"
Manni blinks, then begins to understand. "The horta!" Mayweather nods, then Manni adds to the order. "Cutlass, Manni here. We also need a full set of EPS conduit braces, fusion torches, and we may need to siphon some warp plasma so get some bottles ready."
"What's a horta?" Andros asks.
Mayweather is just as excited at Manni's understanding. "A transfusion!"
Archer smiles to herself at the excitement and urgency with which her two most experienced senior officers attack the problem. "You heard them! Get those materials here!" she barks to the Cutlass's crew. She then takes Andros and Krohn aside and refreshes their memory about the horta, a silicon-based burrowing creature encountered by the USS Enterprise under James Kirk. Kirk and Spock fired on it with their phasers, trying to defend themselves from what they believed was a dangerous creature, only to discover that the being was a mother who was protecting her eggs. Doctor McCoy used thermoconcrete to help heal the phaser wound.
Once all Manni's and Mayweather's requested materials are beamed to the makeshift surgical area, the away team gets to work.
"We're probably going to need to roll her over. That's going to be tricky. We'll need the Cutlass's tractor beam, plus the portable one just to ensure stability," Mayweather adds.
"That's going to be tough. She's basically the same size and mass as the Cutlass. Engineering, when the time comes, you'll have to divert auxiliary power to the tractor emitters. And we'll probably have to sync up so that we can use fore and aft at the same time," Manni says.
After several ever-so-careful uses of the Cutlass's tractor beams and the addition of Emergency Medical Specialist Elsie Spoor, they set up a makeshift EVA medical-engineering camp on the surface of the moon. Three and a half grueling, exhausting hours of work and research later, the crew of the USS Cutlass performs the spaceborne lifeform equivalent of emergency surgery.
They also learn a great deal about the internal and external anatomy and systems of the Dionda.
Scene 7: Bridge of the Cutlass, in orbit of the moon
Once their attempts to heal Scout are completed, they carefully use the tractor beam to lift her off the surface and back into orbit. She eventually wakes up, expresses her thanks and appreciation for what Cutlass did, though she still has a hard time wrapping her mind around the idea that there are 'many voices' inside 'one shell', and explains her side of what happened.
"I am sorry for attacking others of your clan. We did not know that they had claimed these stars. Our clan is gathered at the smaller star, and—"
"Wait, your whole clan is here?" Archer queries.
"All that are left, yes."
"How many are in your clan?"
Scout pauses a moment to count, then speaks. "There are two Great Elders, ten Makers, four Healers, eleven Warriors, seven Seekers including myself, eight Carriers, and five Young. Three of the Warriors and one of the Makers will soon be ready to lay their clutches."
T'Prex's eyebrows raise. Sulu, Andros, and Krohn exchange a wide-eyed glance. Ozzie looks at Williams, then lets out a low whistle and says, "Forty-seven going on fifty-one. By golly, this just got a LOT more complicated."
"Please understand," Scout continues. "We are exhausted. We have been searching for so long to find a place to live, away from other beings, where we can be at peace. One Elder and five Young died just attempting the journey. But the small star alone will not sustain us for very long. We need to be able to move freely between both. And I am not sure our Elders would be willing to share these two yellow stars, especially when the other clans arrive."
Archer blinks. "The other clans?" she stammers. "How many clans are coming?"
"Four others that I know of. We are the Gray clan. The Brown, Green, Blue, and Black clans will likely be here soon. Less than…" The universal translator pauses to try to interpret Scout's signals, then continues, "a year."
"Are the other clans the same size as the Gray clan?" Archer asks nervously.
"No. My clan is actually the smallest. Green clan is at least 70. Blue and Black clans are at least 80. Brown clan is at least 100."
Archer slumps back in her chair, the magnitude of the situation hitting her like a phaser blast.
Scene 8: Briefing Room, USS Cutlass
Archer and the senior officers, including Manni and Mayweather, meet to discuss the implications of nearly 400 Dionda arriving in the sector in the next year while the Rhaandari are colonizing the Phi Virginis system.
"From a navigational perspective," T'Prex notes, "there is no reason the sector cannot accommodate these beings. There are plenty of uninhabited systems in the Ivorian and Typhon Sectors that could suit their needs. The same cannot be said of the Rhaandari. They need Class L and Class M planets for expansion and colonization, a small minority of the planets in most sectors."
"Logistically speaking," Ozzie adds, "I gotta say I'm concerned that since the Dionda are basically grazer-gatherers, they might use up all the resources in any one single system after a few years or decades, then have to migrate again. I mean, compare it to the resources that are needed to maintain, say, 400 Starfleet ships, one star system ain't a permanent home. And again, they'll be rubbing shoulders, or whatever they call their wing things, with not only the Rhaandari, but other species as well."
Doctor Mayweather adds his own comments. "On top of the resource issue is a concern for how healthy the Dionda would be if they are restricted to a single star system. They're nomadic, and movement is part of their daily lives. They need to be able to have room to do what they do. Confine them to too small an area, and they'll atrophy and wither away, turning into the spaceborne equivalent of 'couch potatoes'. On the other hand, the same could be said of the Rhaandari. Their overcrowded planet has already stifled their development to a degree, and they need to stretch out as well."
Archer looks to her tactical officer. "Sulu? You're awfully quiet."
Jamie inhales sharply, knowing that what she is about to say will be distasteful to everyone, including herself. "If they wanted to," she begins, "the Dionda could use force to push the Rhaandari out of the Phi Virginis system, and there would be little they could do to stop them, except call the Federation for help, again. That would put Starfleet in the unenviable position of having to protect the Rhaandari from the Dionda. One bad incident, and this could easily escalate into full scale war. And with Starfleet still recovering from the Dominion War, this would be a… difficult… situation at best, not to mention devastating to a small population like the Dionda." She watches as the mood of the room deflates, recognizing the truth of her words. But she has more to offer. "On the other hand, if, somehow, they, or maybe we, could befriend and ally with the Dionda, it would go a long way toward stabilizing this sector. The Dionda have already tangled with the Orion Syndicate and the Nausicaan raiders, and have been able to hold their own. Having friendly Dionda around would make things far easier for all the Federation-allied people in the sector."
Archer nods. "Thank you all for your input, as always. I'm going to work through some things. I'll be in my ready room if anyone needs me. Dismissed."
Scene 9: Captain's Ready Room, USS Cutlass
Archer takes a moment to simply breathe and refocus. This situation is by far the most complicated she has ever been involved in. The needs of the Federation, Starfleet, the Rhaandari, and the Dionda must be considered.
Then she remembers something that Professor Li Nguyen said to her in her final year at the Academy during her senior course on diplomacy and negotiation. Professor Nguyen said, "Not every variable has the same weight. But all variables eventually affect the equation."
She sends a message to Commander Veltin to give her an overdue status update on the current situation, to tell her that a resolution is being formulated, and that she hopes to have it finalized within the next 24 hours.
She begins to write out a proposal. It will need to be accepted by Starfleet, the Federation Council, the Rhaandari, and somehow, the Dionda. But first things first, she thinks. We have to talk to the Dionda Elders.
She goes to the bridge, PADD in hand, and starts putting her plan in motion.
As usual, Sulu announces, "Captain on the bridge!"
Archer begins, "T'Prex, please compile a list of all the star systems in the Ivorian and Typhon sectors that are binary, ternary, have asteroid belts, Oort clouds, plasma fields, or any combination thereof. Focus on the ones that are farthest away from any known dangerous phenomena, such as gravimetric distortions or subspace vacuoles," she orders. "Then make another list of all known uninhabited Class L or Class M planets in the same region and make note of anywhere these two data sets overlap."
"Aye captain."
She turns to address Reynolds. "Ozzie, do you still have contacts in the Federation Diplomatic Corps?"
"You bet, Cap'n!"
"Put some feelers out to see who might be in favor of having a certain silicon-based spaceborne species as a Federation ally," she says, handing him the PADD with the tentative proposal on it.
"You got it, boss!" comes his enthusiastic reply as he takes the PADD.
"Lieutenant Sulu, put together a hypothetical tactical analysis of how Starfleet might fare in a war with 400 Dionda, based on what we know about their species. Then do another analysis with the Dionda as our allies against what we know about the Orion Syndicate as our last intelligence reports suggest it may be. Be as specific as you can."
"Aye Commander!" Sulu responds.
One more, thinks Archer. "Archer to engineering."
"Manni here."
"I want you, Dr. Mayweather, Ensign Andros, and Ensign Krohn to review our efforts to heal Scout and Pebble. Look at what materials were involved, procedures used, everything. In particular, I want an analysis of what we could do better next time, should the need arise. I also want some theories about what THEY could do to help OUR ships in the future. Again, should it come up."
"I'm actually already working with the doctor on that," comes Manni's proud reply. "We'll touch base with Krohn and Andros as well."
"Excellent! Keep me posted on your progress. Mr. Krohn, hail the Rhaandari convoy."
The Klingon ensign taps his console and announces, "Hailing frequency open."
"Captain Moonis, this is Lieutenant Commander Archer of the Cutlass. I have an update for you."
The viewscreen lights up, and the stern face of the Rhaandari fleet captain appears. "About time, Cutlass. Our clock is ticking. So, are we clear to start sending our materials down?" he asks impatiently.
Ignoring his impatience, she asks, "What is the absolute longest possible time you can hold your perishable goods before they expire and have to be jettisoned?"
Moonis considers, then answers, "Sixty hours, maybe less."
"Thank you. We are about to visit with the Dionda leadership and explain the situation. If all goes well, we will have a resolution within 48 hours, if not much sooner. Archer out."
Captain Moonis looks as though he is going to say something when Krohn closes the channel.
"Did you just cut him off?" Sulu asked, amused.
"There isn't anything he could say that would change my mind, nor anything I could say that would change his. So, better to end the conversation there."
"That Professor Nguyen I hear?" Ozzie grins. Having taken the same course as a Command cadet that Archer did, he recognizes the quote.
Archer takes a deep breath, cracks her neck, and turns back to Krohn. "Open a channel to Scout."
"Open."
"Scout, this is Cutlass."
"Hello again," comes her reply.
"We would like to meet the Chief Elders. We want to explain to them our desire to be friends and not fight over these or any stars."
The form of Scout undulates silently on the viewscreen for a few seconds, then she responds. "You have saved my life and explained to me the error I made. I will take you to the Elders, and I will be your Advocate. I need a bit of time yet to regain my strength. Not long."
"Thank you, Scout. Let us know when you are ready." Krohn closes the channel.
"I think I need to regain some of my strength, too," Ozzie admits, stifling a yawn. "I think we've been on duty for what, ten hours straight?"
Archer nods. "Everyone get some rest. It may not be long so take it while you can. Evening Watch can handle things for a while. I'll be in my quarters."
Scene 10: Bridge of the Cutlass, near Phi Virginis B-III
After nine hours of rest and recovery, Scout leads the Cutlass to a site that takes the crew aback. Orbiting the massive gas giant is what appears to be a large fleet of ships, varying in size from small shuttles and runabouts looping about, to massive vessels larger than a Jem'Hadar dreadnought in the center of the formation, and every size in between, all maintaining positions around the large capital 'ships'. But upon closer inspection, these are not ships. They are beings. And Scout leads the Cutlass right up to the two largest of them.
Ozzie, Archer, and Williams stand up reflexively in awe of the massive creatures.
"By… golly…" is all Reynolds can manage to say.
"Whoa…" is Sulu's equally astonished vocalization.
Archer manages to use her words with a bit more eloquence. "Verify that all sensors and scanners are active and recording."
Williams looks down at his console for maybe half a second before resuming staring at the viewscreen. "Confirmed."
Krohn's console beeps, indicating an incoming transmission. "Scout is hailing us."
Archer straightens her uniform. "Open a channel."
"Hello Cutlass. May I present Chief Elder Nova and Chief Elder Star Rider."
Archer speaks. "Chief Elders. We are honored to meet you at last."
"Hello Cutlass," the giant creature appropriately named Nova speaks, and the universal translator assigns a feminine voice to her. "Scout has told us of your actions in helping her and has explained her encounter with those of your clan."
"Scout has also told us that…" A more stern, masculine voice comes from Chief Elder Star Rider as he joins the conversation. He hesitates, as if he can't believe the words, then continues, "that you are actually many voices inside one shell? We find this exceedingly difficult to understand."
Archer, anticipating this question, responds. "I know from your perspective it must seem ridiculous. But, with your permission, we are prepared to show you."
By now, many Dionda, including Scout, are beginning to gather around the Cutlass, curiosity overwhelming their usual caution.
Archer goes to the shuttle bay, where the Allegro is already prepared and ready to go. She quickly dons her EVA suit, then enters the shuttle alone and launches. She swings the shuttle around and parks just ahead of the Cutlass's forward dorsal.
Two of the Dionda Young, themselves not much bigger than the shuttle, are unable to hold their curiosity in check, and approach very close to the Allegro.
Being careful to use only the communications array on the shuttle itself, she speaks.
"This is what we call a shuttle. In particular, this one is named Allegro. It contains far fewer of us than the Cutlass itself can."
"As a mother can hold her infant inside her pouch until it can fly on its own," Nova intones. "Are you saying that this is just a smaller shell?"
"Exactly. Let me show you." Archer taps the transporter controls inside the shuttle and materializes in her EVA suit 20 meters ahead of the shuttle.
The Dionda Young move around to get a better look at the diminutive creature that has magically appeared before their giant eyes. The larger members of the clan seem to be straining to see.
Archer flips on the external lighting on her EVA suit so she can be seen better. "Here I am!" she says as she waves to the dozens of enormous beings now watching her every move.
One of the Young approaches very close. Archer uses her EVA thrusters to move up and gently touch them.
"It touched me!" the Young squeals with glee. "It touched me!"
Scout, now just as curious as the Young, approaches, though not as closely. "And you… you are not Cutlass?"
"Correct. My name is Lara Archer. I am the…" Archer pauses for the right words. "I am the Elder of the 'family' that lives and works inside the shell that you know as the Cutlass. We use the word 'captain' or 'commander' rather than Elder, but the idea is the same." After a pause, she calls to the ship. "Manni and Mayweather, would you join me please?"
Lieutenant Manni and Doctor Mayweather materialize in their EVA gear next to her.
"My name is Norin Manni. I am a… Maker for the Cutlass family," he says.
"And I am Roger Mayweather. A Healer for the Cutlass family."
Over the course of a few hours, Archer and the crew of the Cutlass are able to describe to the Dionda the concept of the Federation as a greater 'tribe' consisting of different 'clans' of species from around the galaxy. Starfleet's role is largely to be the 'Seekers' and 'Warriors' for the tribe, though they are often asked to assume any kind of role as needed. Many of the other members of the Gray clan listen eagerly, asking questions along the way.
Act Three
Starship Log, supplemental: With Scout's assistance, we have successfully been able to explain the nature of the Federation to the Dionda Chief Elders, at least insofar as they recognize that the Federation is a larger 'tribe' composed of various 'clans' of species that work together, and that the various starships are 'shells' that hold the 'families' of the crew. Now comes the hard part: getting the Dionda to accept that the Federation, and Starfleet, want to be their friends and allies, and to convince the Dionda to allow the Rhaandari to proceed with their colonization efforts.
Scene 11: Bridge of the Cutlass, near Phi Virginis B-III — 32 hours until the Rhaandari deadline
After sending another update to Starfleet Command, and taking time to rest and recharge, Archer and the Cutlass crew get a call from the Rhaandari captain with dire news. The frustrated face of Captain Moonis of the Conto once again fills the viewscreen.
"Cutlass we have a serious problem here. I know you are doing your best and we appreciate that this is a tough spot you've been put in, but… well our deadline just got a LOT shorter."
"What's going on, Captain?" Archer asks.
"Well, we hadn't planned on being out here this long just sitting in space. Looks like we've had some kind of micrometeor impacts on the containment systems on the cargo carriers. We've managed to patch up the damage, but the system just wasn't designed to hold for this long. We've got evidence of cross-contamination between the vegetation tanks and the algae processors. Round figure, we've got maybe six hours before we either need to deploy or eject. And if we have to eject and go home, I know a lot of people who aren't going to be happy…"
"Oh my… OK we will see what our options are here and contact you in a few minutes. Cutlass out." She turns to the crew. "Damn. Suggestions?"
"Do you think the Dionda will object to them deploying their colony?" Sulu asks.
"If the Dionda think their claim to the system is being encroached upon, I believe they will," T'Prex answered.
"But is their claim even valid? Technically, the Rhaandari were here first," Ozzie notes.
"The Dionda don't need the planet," Krohn mentions.
"But they might want the moon and might want to draw gases from the upper atmosphere," Mayweather counters.
"They can do that where they are. There's a huge gas giant," Williams responds.
"OK thank you, everyone," Archer interrupts. "Hail the Conto."
"Moonis here." The Rhaandari's face once again appears on the viewscreen.
Archer takes a deep breath, then makes yet another decision that could have far-reaching consequences. "You are cleared to start your deployment. We'll talk with the Dionda and make sure they don't interfere. But be advised, they may show up nearby, possibly around the other planets and moons. They may even want to talk to your ships or observe your colony! They are a curious species, after all. But there will be no more attacks. You have my word."
"Thank you, Commander! We'll get things rolling here! Conto out!"
"And so, the die is cast. Glad I didn't have to make that call!" Ozzie grins at Archer.
"Maybe someday you will," Archer grins back. "Open a channel to the Dionda."
"Open," Krohn states.
"Chief Elders, this is Archer. The Rhaandari clan can wait no longer, and they have started their colonization of the third planet of the other star. They have agreed that you are welcome to visit them, and you are free to make use of the other planets at any time."
The largest of the Elders, Chief Star Rider, moves toward the Cutlass and speaks. "Archer and Cutlass Family. You have proven that you can heal, as you have done with Scout, and before with Young Pebble. You have proven that you can advocate, as you have spoken to us with an honest and open heart. But the universe is a dangerous place. If you are truly to be a Friend of Gray Clan, and the Tribes of the Dionda, you must now demonstrate that you can defend yourself, and your Friends."
Archer raises an eyebrow. "How might we do that?"
"By tradition, if two clans wish to become allies, they each select a Warrior and fight until one yields. The battle must take place with members of both clans present. Would the Rhaandari clan be willing to serve as your witness?" Scout speaks.
"We will ask them. Stand by."
Krohn closes the audio channel to the Dionda and hails the Conto.
"Didn't expect to hear from you so soon, Commander. Something wrong?" Captain Moonis is genuinely surprised.
"Think you can spare one of your support ships for a while? We need a… witness."
Moonis blinks, then responds, "Well, I mean we can't really leave the planet while we are deploying. Can we be a 'witness' here?"
"I think so but let me make sure. Stand by." Archer nods to Krohn, who effortlessly switches channels. "The Rhaandari are willing to serve as Witness, but they cannot leave where they are. Can we go to them?"
Elder Star Rider responds, "That is acceptable. Go. Make your preparations. We will meet you there shortly."
Scene 12: Bridge of the Cutlass, in orbit of Phi Virginis A-III
Archer contacts the Rhaandari convoy to make sure their communications systems can interpret the Dionda signals. She then has a brief discussion with her crew about the capabilities and tactics of the Dionda, and a preliminary plan of action. Scout, Chief Elder Star Rider, and several other Dionda warp in. Seeing these giant, living beings fly at warp speed through space fills both the Cutlass crew and the Rhaandari ships with awe and wonder.
Scout acts as a sort of official, explaining the battle rules and boundaries. Then says, "Representing the Federation Tribe, Archer of Starship Cutlass."
"T'Prex, move us into position," Archer orders.
T'Prex eases the ship forward on thrusters to the center of the defined volume of space designated for the contest.
"Representing the Gray Clan of the Dionda Tribe, Two Scars." A slightly larger Dionda of the Warrior caste takes its place across from the {C}. Even from a distance, it's easy to see how this creature got its name.
"Give us a tactical analysis, there, Sulu," Ozzie orders.
"He's definitely in a bigger weight class than we are. About the same mass and volume as an Intrepid-class starship. And that tail projectile… thing… is something we should definitely do our best to avoid. I advise fast strikes and faster evasives," Sulu advises.
Archer nods, then calmly says, "Battle stations."
"Red alert! Shields to full power! Load torpedo bays and charge phaser banks!" Ozzie barks out.
"Two Scars is powering up as well," Sulu answers.
Williams and Andros enter the bridge during a red alert situation. Williams goes to the science station, and Andros to the engineering-damage control console. Seeing the form of Two Scars on the screen, they both stare in awe.
"We're supposed to fight… that?" Andros says, mostly to himself.
Archer speaks with a surprising calm. "T'Prex, Krohn, do whatever it takes to keep the impulse engines and thrusters at optimum power. Sulu, keep the torpedoes at maximum yield, even if you have to take power from phasers."
"Aye Commander!"
"Open a channel to Scout and Two Scars."
"Open," Krohn says.
"Scout, this is Cutlass. We are ready."
"Two Scars stands ready," Two Scars comes across the comms with a deep baritone.
"Begin!"
Anticipating a heavy frontal assault, Archer leans into the strengths of her vessel as combat begins.
"Evasive pattern Archer One, fire ventral phasers."
The Cutlass veers sharply upward, quickly moving out of the way of Two Scars' heavy energy barrage, while striking his dorsal shielding with phaser fire.
"Fire aft torpedoes."
As the Cutlass continues its upward loop, it launches a pair of torpedoes. But Two Scars is experienced and doesn't just sit still. He lurches forward to avoid the shot. However, he is accustomed to straight-line projectiles, like his own 'tail bomb'. He isn't expecting the torpedoes to be guided weapons, and they still find their mark, albeit on his aft shielding.
"Damage on Two Scars," Ozzie queries.
"His dorsal shields are at 80%, aft shields 70%. He's coming around!" Williams barks.
"Evasive to port!" Archer orders.
Now that he has sized up his opponent a bit, Two Scars takes a slightly more cautious approach, lining up and letting loose his energy barrage from a bit farther away instead of trying to get right in his opponent's face. But Archer's order for evasive action limits the damage, and he only scores a few hits.
"Shields holding," comes the simple report from Andros.
"T'Prex, 90 degrees starboard, then full impulse power, ready for full reverse on my mark. Sulu, stand by forward torpedoes full spread, dispersal pattern alpha. Krohn, reinforce aft shields."
"Aye sir!"
Taking the bait, Two Scars charges after what he perceives to be a retreating Cutlass, letting loose his energy barrage.
"Now T'Prex!"
Slamming the Cutlass's straining impulse engines into full reverse, they manage to minimize what would otherwise be a serious pounding from their Dionda adversary. Two Scars overshoots the reversing Cutlass, putting him directly in front of them.
"Fire!" Archer barks.
The full spread of torpedoes finds its mark, and much of Two Scars' ventral shielding is obliterated, leaving him reeling.
"Mrraaaggh!" is all the universal translator can interpret from his signal.
Unfortunately, their straight-line course leaves them vulnerable to a straight-line projectile, and before the crew can react, Two Scars lets loose his tail strike.
"INCOMING!" shouts Sulu. But it's too late. The force of the energized projectile hits the Cutlass square on its forward dorsal shields. Sparks fly across the bridge. Lights dim and flicker. Ozzie is knocked out of his chair. Krohn and Sulu stumble but manage somehow to stay upright. Williams hits his head on his console but doesn't suffer more than a significant bruise.
"Pursuit course! Return fire!"
T'Prex manages to get the Cutlass moving forward again, but by the time Sulu is able to lock phasers on target and fire, Two Scars has recovered enough to twist out of the way at the last second, taking only a minor hit.
"Oy, that was no fun," Ozzie says as he climbs back into his seat. "Damage, Paulie?"
"Forward shields 47, dorsal at 66. Secondary command processors toasted, they'll have to be rebooted. Primaries still working."
"Won't be cataloging any gaseous anomalies for a while I guess," Ozzie says, injecting just the right amount of humor into a tense situation.
"Here he comes!" shouts Sulu, redirecting everyone back to the moment.
Archer strings together orders quickly. "T'Prex, head straight at him and stand by for evasive to port. Sulu, take torpedoes offline and charge all phaser banks to maximum. Krohn, put the torpedo system power into shields, phasers, and engines."
The bridge officers acknowledge their orders as the thundering form of Two Scars closes in. He begins his barrage.
"Now! Evasive to port, rotate on X axis 360 degrees!" Despite the barrage starting to hit the ship, Archer keeps shouting orders. "Keep us within 500 meters of him. All phasers fire!"
By rotating the ship around, Archer is able to spread the damage from Two Scars's barrage across most of the shields, while Sulu strikes the same shield section repeatedly, eventually punching through and striking bare armor, then burning through the armor to the softer undershell.
"Raaaaargh! Enough!" howls Two Scars.
"Cease fire! All stop!" orders Archer.
"Stop combat!" orders Scout. "Two Scars yields! Cutlass is the victor!" Both the assembled Dionda and the observing Rhaandari let out a cheer.
"Bloody hell, I think me 'ead's still spinnin'!" Ozzie complains as the viewscreen settles to a stop. "What's the damage, Andros?"
"Forward and dorsal shields nearly gone. All other shields at 72 percent. Secondary command processors still offline. Phaser banks spent. Torpedo system… well, rerouted."
"Could have been worse. What about Two Scars? Is he ok?"
"Not much left of his shields," Williams replies. "His forward armor has been punched through in two places and the undershell is exposed. One of his… eyes? Is that what they are? One of his sensing organs looks like it's a little worse for wear. If he was a starship, I'd say he had a couple of minor hull breaches and damage to forward sensors."
"Dr. Mayweather, any crew casualties?" Archer asked the intercom.
"A few bumps and bruises, nothing serious."
"Good to hear. All hands, stand down battle stations and secure from red alert. Well done, everyone." Archer slumps into her chair with a mixture of exhaustion and pride.
Scene 13: Bridge of the Cutlass, in orbit of Phi Virginis A-III
Scout, a quickly recovering Two Scars, Chief Elder Star Rider, a few other Dionda, and the Rhaandari convoy join the Cutlass in formation in orbit of the Class L planet that the colonists are tentatively naming "Orvu Andaaki," which loosely translates into Federation Standard as "New Dawn."
"Archer and Cutlass," the Elder intones, "member of the Clan of Starfleet, of the Tribe of the Federation. By your words and actions, you have shown that you and your tribe are worthy friends of the Dionda. To commemorate this friendship, we shall place a Song Stone here above this third planet. This way, all Clans will know that we stand together."
Archer, nearly exhausted, almost in tears, speaks in return. "Thank you, Chief Elder. The Federation will honor this friendship."
The Elder places what appears to be a large crystalline object, wreathed in some kind of metallic substance, into orbit high above the fledgling Rhaandari colony. It pulses with its own energy and seems to be sending out some kind of signal.
Another Dionda, one of the Maker caste who goes by the name Forger, explains. "Speak your words into the Song Stone, and we will hear."
Archer turns to Williams, who is already scanning the object. "Wow… it's like a combination of communications relay and navigational beacon."
"We will now return to the rest of our Clan at the other star. Farewell, Cutlass and Conto. May the Stars always guide you home." With that, the Dionda gently slip out of orbit and warp away, leaving the Song Stone behind.
"We are being hailed by the Conto," Krohn says.
"On screen."
"Crazy couple of days, eh, Archer?" Captain Moonis chuckles.
"That's putting it mildly. How are things going with the deployment?"
"Progressing as planned. And hey. I know I kind of put you in a tough spot there. Thanks for sticking by us. And we made some new friends to boot."
"Like you said. Crazy couple of days."
"Take care out there, Cutlass. Conto out."
Just as Archer, Ozzie, Sulu, Krohn, Williams, Andros, and even T'Prex are about to relax…
"Incoming transmission from Starfleet Command. It's Commander Veltin," Sulu said, almost as a complaint.
Archer does her best not to roll her eyes in frustration. "On screen," she manages to say.
The raven-haired Vulcan woman appears in front of them. "Hello Commander. It sounds like congratulations are in order. You handled the situation with the Rhaandari and the Dionda with a degree of aplomb not usually seen in such a young officer." Somehow, Veltin was practically sullen, despite speaking such words of praise.
"Couldn't have done it without my crew," Archer replies, gesturing to her bridge officers.
"Commander, I have a… new assignment for the Cutlass. Please return to Deep Space Five no later than Stardate 61395…" Veltin hesitates. "Starfleet Command has issued a new directive, effective immediately. The vast majority of Saber-class starships are… being recalled as part of an initiative to use them as primary training vessels for Starfleet Academy."
Archer, sensing Veltin's unease at having to give an order she doesn't agree with, gently prods for more information. "Why only the Sabers?"
Veltin is clearly troubled by the order and allows her Vulcan detachment to slip ever so slightly. "Many members of the Federation Council are of the opinion that the Saber-class is a relic of the Dominion War, a… reminder of all that has been lost. Many in Starfleet Command see the much larger vessels being fielded by our adversaries, such as the aforementioned Dominion, the Romulans, the Breen, the Borg, and even the Orions. They feel the Saber-class is too small to be an effective counter."
Sulu pipes up, unable to contain either her pride or her indignation. "I think we've proven that the Cutlass can punch way above its weight class," she says.
"Heck yeah," Ozzie adds, nodding in affirmation.
Veltin's nearly neutral expression shifts just a bit, now a mix of sullenness and pride. "Starfleet's orders stand. Bring the Cutlass home. We'll talk more when you arrive. Veltin out."
Scene 14: Archer's Quarters
Personal Log, Lieutenant Commander Lara Archer, Stardate 61354.1: My time as the commanding officer of the USS Cutlass would appear to be coming to an end. It's been a good run. I wasn't expecting to be CO when I came on board less than a year ago, but Captain Logan died the day after I got here, and they gave me the ship. I've learned more and done more in the last year than I had in the previous four. I've made some friends, maybe some enemies, brokered treaties, fought in space battles, and even beat a terrorist. But what's next? I feel like I've earned the right to stay in the center chair. But with Starfleet still rebuilding and reorganizing, I just don't know what will happen. Will my crew and I get another ship? Will we become part of the station crew? I don't know. But whatever it is, we'll be ready.