UNRAVELING FORCEFUL PATTERNS

Hearing her door chime, Captain Elizabeth Shelby ordered the computer to lower the volume of the mid-22^nd century neo-classical rock tune she was listening to as she looked up.  “Come on in Commander,” She called out as the door slid open to admit her first officer, Commander Christopher Hobson.  Entering the room, Hobson paused for a moment to admire the Kama Sutra etching hanging on the wall near a replicated Degas painting.

“Do you like it?”  Liz asked with a mischievous smirk as she saw her XO appraising the print.

“It’s a very well done impression.”  Hobson replied knowledgeably, “The artist obviously made every effort to maintain continuity with the original style.  However, if you look here…” He said pointing towards one of the women on the print, “…and here…” He pointed out, drawing the captain’s attention towards one of the man, “…you can see how the artist, through his use of shading, allows some of his own creativity to emerge.”

“I’m impressed.”  Liz remarked sincerely.  “I can see that you’ve had at least one of Professor Davin’s courses on aesthetics while you were at the Academy.”

“Several, actually.”  The Iceman replied, a note of fondness slipping out from his normal patrician tone. 

“I did as well.”  Liz agreed as she motioned for her first officer to sit down opposite her, the hedonistic captain barely repressing an amused grin as her fastidiously correct executive officer almost sighed in undisguised luxuriance as he settled into the plush and comfortable chair.  “In fact, he was one of my favorite professors.”  Her lips turning up into a warm smile, she related.  “I remember when I took his introductory course as a plebe with Jadzia; I so did not want to be there…”

“Why did you take him then?”  Chris inquired, genuinely curious.  “None of his courses are required…”

Chuckling merrily, Liz responded, “Two people actually more or less forced me to.  Jadzia wanted to take the course, but didn’t want to take it alone and…well…you don’t know just how persistent Jadz can be when she wants to be—and this was long before she had the Dax symbiote!”

Allowing a slight grin to cross his normally icy countenance, the first officer brought his captain back to his original line of inquiry, “And the second person?”

“Boothby.”  Liz answered back, her laughter now replaced by a warm smile as Hobson nodded his head in understanding.   “Every time I went out to admire his roses, he would ask me the same question:  ‘When was I going to finally get off my ass and take Professor Davin’s course?’”  Her smile again turning into gentle laughter, Shelby finished her story, “I finally got the hints in my second year and signed up for his course.  And well…one course led to another and then another…”

“I know what you mean.”  Chris responded as yet another note of fondness escaped his carefully modulated voice.  “Boothby also encouraged me to take the Professor’s course.”

“It’s amazing—isn’t it?”  Liz observed, “At just how influential that gentle, crotchety, old groundskeeper has been in so many of our lives.”  Pausing for a moment to collect her thoughts, the captain finally got to the point.  “Here’s the reason why I asked you to come here, Chris.”  She said as she handed a padd to her first officer.  “We just got new orders from Admiral Ross…”

“Oh…” Chris vocalized as he perused the padd.  “I see…well…to be honest, I’m glad to see them.”  His poker face hiding the emotions seething beneath, he declared, “The ship and crew could use a break in the routine.  I know that frustration has been mounting over the rules of engagement Starfleet has imposed on us since the crisis with the Klingons began…”

“Tell me about it.”  Liz affirmed with a melodramatic sigh.  “Those asinine rules are hamstringing us.  Ships are being lost and crews are dying because Starfleet and the Federation Council insist on ‘avoiding confrontations’!”  Barely keeping her volatile temper in check, Shelby spat out.  “What that duranium bottom Shanthi doesn’t understand is that as far as the Klingons are concerned we’re already at war.  They’re locked and loaded when they meet up with us…there’s no ‘avoiding a confrontation’—it already is a fracking confrontation!”

“Well…” Hobson remarked, as he attempted to deflect his captain from yet another withering rant against her favorite bete-noire, “At least Starfleet Command did one thing right…”

“Yeah…” Liz agreed, willing herself to calmness, “They allowed us to take our civilians off.  It appears they learned something at least from Wolf 359.”  Shaking her head, the captain brought the conversation back to the original topic.  “But yes…I think the crew will benefit from this mission…”

“Agreed.”  Hobson acknowledged, “It’ll give some of our junior officers a little exposure to diplomacy.”  He then asked, “Have you decided on someone to act as aide to Ambassador Offenhouse yet?”

“Yes, I have.”  Liz replied with a mischievous grin as she carefully observed the reaction on her first officer’s face, “I was thinking about Lieutenant Rysyl.”

“A good choice.”  Hobson deadpanned, not giving away even the slightest hint of emotion.  “Her empathic abilities will serve in good stead and she is interested in pursuing a command track.”

“I thought you’d agree,” Liz remarked, not showing any dismay at her failure to get an emotional response from the Iceman.  “I also have another piece of good news for you…” she teased as she activated the monitor display on her wall, revealing the frozen image of her and Hobson’s old mentor.  “The Zeons are sending Professor Davin as their emissary to Ekos.  Flashing a slight grin as she caught the slightest hint of anticipation in the features of her stony faced XO, Shelby continued, “I thought you might like to hear part of the letter that he sent me…”

You have no idea how happy it made me to hear that it would be your ship that would be bringing the Federation diplomat to Ekos, Elizabeth.  The Ekosians have worked so hard for this day.  It has been a long, hard road for them since the overthrow of the Nazis—I am truly happy for them now that they stand poised to join the galactic community as full fledged members of the Federation.  A warm grin crossing his features, he continued, I also look forward to renewing our friendship and to seeing Christopher as well—it has been too long, my former students, since we have sat and talked.  Distracted by shouting in the background, the old man turned around and shouted out a brief reply.  I’m sorry, Elizabeth—that was my wife and she has informed me that the evening meal awaits.  I look forward to seeing you and Christopher soon.  Pleasant and safe journeys.

Same here, Professor Davin.  Liz thought, maintaining her warm smile until Lieutenant Atoa’s voice, coming through the intercom, disrupted her thoughts.

“Captain?”

“Yes, Mr. Atoa?” Shelby responded in a quiet voice as she terminated the image on her screen.

“We’ve picked up the Los Angeles on our sensors, sir and should be in transporter range in twenty minutes,” The tactical officer reported.

“Very good, Lieutenant,” Liz acknowledged.  “We’re on our way to the bridge.”  As she and her first officer stood up simultaneously, Shelby remarked as she motioned towards the door, “Well, Commander…shall we…”

*******************************

Nodding his head in satisfaction as he toured his section, Lt. Commander Jadon Tol, Chief Engineer aboard the USS Sutherland halted his progress at the station of one of his subordinates, Ensign Angela ‘Treasure’ Barrows, who was at that moment monitoring the operations of the massive starship’s warp core, pulsating as it powered the ship through the phenomenal energy released by its controlled matter-antimatter reactions. 

Glancing at the lovely blonde manning the console before turning his attention back once again to the powerful engines, the Trill engineer remarked, his voice tinged with just a touch of awe as he plastered on his usual half grin, “Takes your breath away, doesn’t it, Treasure?”

“Wha…” Startled by her superior’s near stealthy approach, Angela’s head jerked up.  “Sir…” She exclaimed in the Texas accent common to those who came from her home planet of North Star in what was once the Delphic Expanses, “…don’t do that!  Ya’ll scared me half to death!”

“Sorry about that, Ensign.” Jadon apologized, only half repentant.  “I was talking about the engines.  The sight and sound of them in full operation…”

“I know what you mean, Sir.”  Treasure acknowledged, nodding her head in agreement.  “All that power…” She flirted, flashing a teasing grin, “…just strainin’ to bust out…”

Chuckling, the Trill chief engineer asked as he got down to business, “So…how’re your readings?”

Glancing down at her panel, the Ensign quickly answered back, all traces of her previous flirtation absent from her voice, “Just fine, sir.  Matter-antimatter containment is well within tolerance levels and plasma conversion is going at the proper rate.”

“Excellent.”  Jadon responded, then, tilting his head to the left for a moment, listened quietly.  “Hmmm…” He vocalized before requesting, “Check the power transfer distribution, would you Treasure?  It sounds off.”

“Sure, boss…” The young engineer acknowledged after giving her superior a momentary askance look.  Checking her readouts, she mumbled just loud enough to be audible, “Well I’ll be…” Glancing back up from her console, Angela spoke up, “There’s a slight variance in the flow from EPS tap 25 Bravo.  Nothing serious but…”

“But I don’t like it when my engines are off key,” Tol finished, his normal affable grin not hiding his intensity.  “Especially when we have Klingons on the prowl.”

“I’ll get it taken care of right away, sir.” Ensign Barrows promised.

“That’s what I like to hear.” Jadon replied with a smile as he turned to leave Barrow’s station.  “If you need me, I’ll be on the bridge.”  Before leaving he leaned over close enough to whisper in the young officer’s ear, “Don’t forget, Treasure…special staff meeting in my quarters at 2200 hours.”

Flashing a sly grin of her own, the buxom ensign responded, “I’ll be there…”

*************************************************

Humming an ancient Andorian song as he strode down the corridor, Jadon’s lips turned up into a broad grin as he spied Lieutenant Rysyl at the turbolift door.  “Anara!  Hold the door for me!”  He called out as he picked up his pace.  “Thanks!” He said as the pair entered the lift together. 

“Bridge.” Lieutenant Rysyl requested in her usual lyric voice.  Looking up at the taller Trill, she smiled, “Where are you going, Jadon?”

“Same place.” Tol answered back.  “Probably for the same reason you are.  Got the word that we’re about to meet up with the Los Angeles.” 

“Yes.” Anara frowned, “…and I was looking forward so much to going off duty until I received Manny’s message.

“Long day?” Jadon inquired as the turbo lift shifted directions from horizontal to vertical.

“You could say that.” The Deltan woman sighed.  “Started out having to conduct a level eight diagnostic on the sensors and got worse from there.  All I wanted to do when I got to my quarters was to take a long hot bath before meeting Denise for dinner.  But now…” She mock groused as she shrugged her shoulders

Chuckling as the turbolift doors opened on to the bridge, Jadon quipped, “Well, Lieutenant, no one ever said that the life of a Starfleet officer was easy.”

“I know…” Anara joked back, “But no one ever said that it had to be so grungy either.”

***********************************************

Walking on to the bridge, Captain Shelby smiled as she caught sight of the Ambassador class Los Angeles on the viewscreen. 

“Looking forward on catching up on the latest gossip, Captain?”  Jadon quipped from his engineering console.

“You might say that, “Liz smirked.  “T’Greth fancies himself a skilled card player and challenged me to a poker game…”

“So…” Sam Lavelle interjected from his station, “What happened?”

“He lost.”  Liz smirked as Lieutenant Atoa announced that the Los Angeles was hailing the Sutherland.

“Hello Captain T’Greth.”  Liz greeted with a mischievous grin as the image of the Los Angeles  was replaced by that of its captain, a portly Tellarite who addressed Captain Shelby with a thick gravelly voice.

 “Greetings Captain Shelby.” The Tellarite exclaimed, a broad smile on his face.  “Ambassador Offenhouse will be ready to transport over to your ship in ten standard minutes.”

“Excellent, Captain T’Greth.”  Liz replied with a smile.  “Tell him we have quarters all ready for him and we look forward to his arrival.”

“Will do.”  His smile vanishing, the Tellarite captain inquired, “Did you hear about the Cumberland?”

“No,” Shelby replied, a lump forming in her throat.  “Last I heard, it was supposed to be on patrol.”

“We lost communications with it in the Twilight Zone.” T’Greth said somberly, referring to the nickname given by Starfleet to the Perdita Expanse, the dangerous, yet strategically important, area of space touching the Argelius and Bajoran sectors and bordering on both Klingon and Cardassian space.  “They haven’t been heard from in several days.”

“Damn,” Liz cursed in a low voice.  “Klingons?”

“No one’s sure,” the Los Angeles’ captain replied, shaking his head.  “You know how ships have a tendency to just disappear out there.”  He said, his voice dropping to a whisper as his hands made a gesture that Liz immediately recognized as a ritualistic warding symbol of the dominant religion on Tellar.  T’Greth then added, the gravelly quality to his voice returning, “But it’s a possibility given how active the Klingons have been recently.”  His eyes now taking on a predatory gleam, he declared, “After we drop off the ambassador, we’re headed out there to coordinate recovery efforts.”

Her eyes narrowing into angry slits, Liz spat out, releasing all her frustrations at both the Klingons and Starfleet Command in her voice, “If it was Klingons…give them a phaser blast for me.”

“Consider it done.”  T’Greth replied in a grim tone as his intercom button beeped, “I’ve just been informed that the ambassador is about to beam over to your ship.  He’s your problem now.”  He then flashed a mischievous grin, “Take care of yourself, Liz…and try to behave.  I don’t want to lose my favorite poker opponent to a pissed off admiral.”

Appearing innocent, Captain Shelby rejoined, “Me…misbehave?”  Seeing the skeptical look on T’Greth face, Liz amended, “Well…alright…I’ll try…but no promises!”  Then, before cutting off communications, she added in a sincere voice, “And you watch yourself in the Zone, T’Greth…you still owe me from our last game.”

***********************************  

Immediately after terminating communications with her counterpart on the Los Angeles, Shelby addressed her first officer, “Commander Hobson?  You and Messrs. Rysyl and Varok will accompany me to the transporter room.”  Then, turning towards Lieutenant Commander Tol, she said as she vacated the command chair, “Mr. Tol—the bridge is yours.”

“Aye, Sir.”  Both Tol and Hobson replied in unison, Tol taking the chair recently vacated by the captain as Hobson motioned Anara and Varok to join him and the captain at the turbolift.

As the foursome entered the elevator, Anara ventured, “I understand that Ambassador Offenhouse has an interesting history.”

“You could say that.”  Liz replied with an amused grin.  “He and two others were found in cryonic suspension aboard a derelict spaceship from the 21^st century that had somehow found itself near the Romulan neutral zone about nine years ago by the Enterprise. 

Picking up where the captain left off, Varok continued the narrative, “They had all died of conditions that, while easily treatable now, were during that time fatal.  The Enterprise’s chief medical officer treated the medical problems and restored them to health.”

Shaking her head in astonishment, Anara then asked, “How did their ship get so far out?”

“No one knows for sure.”  Liz answered back.  “The current theory holds their ship most likely got sucked into a mini-wormhole that probably destroyed an experimental shuttle launched at that time.”

“That would be a logical supposition,” Varok interjected.

“But what about the shuttle?”  Anara inquired, her curiosity aroused.  “Wouldn’t it have been deposited near their ship?”

“Not necessarily,” The Vulcan replied.  “The shuttle could easily have drifted away.”  Then, further warming to the topic, he added.  “Also, there are many theories regarding the nature of wormholes.  For instance, while one theory does hold that there is a more or less straight path leading invariably from point A to point B—such as in the case of the stable wormhole near Deep Space Nine, there is another that contends that wormholes could also possess a variety of trunks with currents and eddies that can carry an object into a variety of different locations—possibly even into different universes or dimensions.”

“So…” Hobson joining the discussion, hypothesized, “…it should be possible to use wormholes to travel to these different universes.”

“Possible,” Varok confirmed, “But very risky.”  He then explained, “The laws of physics in this universe are very finely balanced to support life.  There is no guarantee that those laws would apply in another—in fact, the probabilities of their doing so are remote.  For example, something as seemingly trivial as a slightly greater mass for neutrons or protons could have a deciding effect on whether life is feasible or not.”

“While this is a most fascinating discussion…” Captain Shelby said, reluctantly interrupting as they drew nearer the transporter room, “I’m afraid that we’re going to have to table it for now.”  Then, turning toward her Deltan operations officer, she announced, “Lieutenant…the reason why I asked you to join us is that, if you want that third pip and eventually a command of your own, you’re going to have to get experience in handling diplomatic situations.  So…” Liz said with a grin, “I’m designating you as liaison officer to Ambassador Offenhouse.  It will be your duty to make sure that he’s happy and to convey to me any needs that he might have.”

“In other words…” Anara quipped, “I’m to keep him out of your way as much as possible.”

Laughing, Liz answered back, “Lieutenant, I have a feeling you’re going to go far.”

***********************************

Taking stock of the figure that had just materialized on the transporter pad, Shelby and her officers saw a human being of average height and weight, appearing to be approximately fifty years old, with an angular face and seal brown hair touched by gray and wearing a slate grey well tailored business suit.  So…that’s what a four hundred year old man looks like.  Liz thought, singularly unimpressed.  Taking a deep breath, she cleared her throat and announced in a formal tone, “Ambassador Offenhouse?  Welcome to the USS Sutherland.  I am Captain Elizabeth Shelby and I would like to introduce you to some of my senior officers.”  She then motioned towards where Hobson and the other officers were gathered behind her as she introduced first her first officer and then Mr. Varok.  Coming to Anara, the captain said, “And this is Lieutenant Anara Rysyl.  She will act as your liaison during this mission.”

“Thank you.”  The ambassador replied in a clipped voice as he stepped off the transporter pad.  Then, regarding the Deltan woman to whom he had just been introduced, a slight smile crossed his normally severe features.  “Ms. Rysyl should be most acceptable.”

“Excellent.” Shelby responded.  “The lieutenant will show you to your quarters and help you to get settled in.  Afterwards, if you’d like, she can arrange a tour of the ship for you and, if you don’t mind, perhaps you can join me and the senior staff for dinner this evening.”

“Thank you again, Captain.  That would be delightful.”  Ambassador Offenhouse said before inquiring, “Can you tell me how long it will be before we reach the Zeon system?”

“I’ve already ordered the helm to set a course for the system, ambassador.”  Liz replied.  “At warp five we should be there in approximately thirty-six hours.”

“Excellent, Captain.”  The ambassador replied with a perfect poker face, “I can’t emphasize how important this mission is to Ekos.”  His lips turning down into a frown, he added, “Also, to be honest, I’m curious to see firsthand how their society is doing after Professor Gill’s interference.”

“I have to admit to being more than a little curious about that myself.”  Liz admitted.  “Perhaps we can discuss this topic at length during dinner?”

“Perhaps,” Offenhouse replied noncommittally.  “But for now…if it’s alright with you, I’d like to get settled in…”

“Of course, sir,” Captain Shelby, momentarily blushing at keeping the ambassador waiting, motioned for Anara to join them.  “Mr. Rysyl will escort you to your quarters now and I will see you at dinner tonight.”

********************************************

“You set a fine table, Captain.”  Ambassador Offenhouse praised as he took in the table setting.  Milky white porcelain plates, gleaming silverware and translucent crystal all sitting on an immaculate white linen table cloth lent an air of elegant grace that perfectly complemented the Chopin piece playing in the background.

“Thank you, sir.”  Liz resplendent in her dress uniform replied as she took her seat.  “We’re not much for formal occasions on the Sutherland,” She explained as the rest of her command staff took their seats, “But this is a special occasion.”

“Dr. Murakawa…” Ambassador Offenhouse exclaimed on seeing the ship’s chief medical officer attired in a pale blue Ionic chiton, her gold crucifix hanging from her neck.  “You look beautiful in that.  Centauran, I take it?”

“Yes.”  Denise, blushing, responded with a shy smile, “My mother’s.  She gave it to me while I was at home before reporting aboard the Sutherland.”  She then glanced in Lt. Rysyl’s direction, “I was going to wear my dress uniform, but Anara talked me into wearing this instead.”

“It’s a shame that such a striking gown should stay hanging in a closet unappreciated by others.”  The Deltan woman explained as she gently chided the often socially insecure and shy doctor, “Beauty should never be hidden away.”

‘Hear…Hear!”  Jadon exclaimed as he stood up.  “I’d like to propose a toast!”  Picking up his wine glass, he eyed each of the women at the table, his eyes pausing to linger on Anara for just a few seconds longer, much to the consternation of the stoic first officer sitting next to her, “To beauty!”

“Well…” Liz chuckled as she picked up her glass, “I’ll drink to that!”

“As will I…” Hobson agreed as he looked deep into Anara’s eyes.  Lifting his glass, he then stated in a soft, barely audible voice, “To beauty.”

As the first course, a salad made of Vulcan vegetables and vichyssoise was brought in by volunteer stewards, Anara ventured, “I am curious, Ambassador…how did someone such as yourself become a diplomat?”

“You mean how did someone born four hundred years before you were born decide to become a Federation diplomat…” Ralph interjected with a crooked grin.

Chuckling, the Deltan lieutenant nodded her head, “Yes, sir…if I’m not being rude…”

“Oh, not at all!” The ambassador protested.  “Before…I was a businessman—a highly successful one,” He said with pride, “Then, I…died.  As you probably already know, before dying, I had arranged to have my body put into cryonic suspension,” Chuckling, he quipped, “One of the others revived with me called it a ‘freeze you now and heal you later’ deal.  When I got back to Earth, I spent some time trying to figure out what I was going to do with my new life.”  His voice growing more solemn, he said, “You have to understand—I spent my entire life trying to acquire wealth and power—but really, for me it wasn’t the actual victory…” He went on, a predatory gleam appearing in his eyes, “…it was the struggle—the hunt if you will that mattered.”

Looking around the table, he saw a look of disapproval from the Vulcan and some of the humans around the table.  No surprise there, Offenhouse thought; Vulcans can be so predictable and as for the human crew—what else should I expect, they’ve been brought up believing that they’ve ‘grown up’. Well…let them enjoy their conceit a little while longer—if things break like I think they’re going to with the Dominion, that and a whole lot more is going to get knocked out of them.  The wily diplomat also noted confused regret on the part of his Deltan aide; and, to his surprise, in the eyes of the captain and her first officer, not only understanding, but also agreement.  As he exchanged looks with both Shelby and Hobson, he nodded his head gently and continued his narrative.  “At first, I thought I would start a new business somewhere outside the Federation—possibly dilithium speculation…” The ambassador then sighed, “But then I remembered something that Captain Picard said about enriching myself. So…I took him up on his challenge.” 

“That’s a fascinating story, Ambassador,” Dr. Murakawa exclaimed. “I read Dr. Crusher’s report about your…resuscitation.  I was wondering…how did you find things on first arriving on Earth?”

“Well…as you might imagine, it was confusing to say the least,” Chuckling, he related anecdotes of learning how to cope with 24^th century life where everything from sonic showers to the climate control net was a marvel to him.  Then, turning serious, he admitted, “For a while I drifted—I felt like an anachronism…a relic, if you will.  I needed a challenge—to match my wits against an opponent…”

“So you chose diplomacy.”  Hobson interjected.

Nodding his head, Offenhouse proclaimed, “The true game of kings.”

Shifting subjects, Lieutenant Atoa asked, “Mr. Ambassador? If I might ask, how do you view Professor Gill’s interference on Ekos?”

Shifting somewhat uncomfortably in his seat, Ralph thought for what seemed several minutes before carefully replying.  “You have to understand, Mr. Atoa, I’m Jewish…so I have some very real issues with the Professor’s actions.”

“How do you mean?”  Anara asked, her face reflecting her confusion.

“How familiar are you with mid-twentieth century Earth history?”  The ambassador queried back.

“I’m not.”  The Deltan woman replied honestly.

His expression and voice taking on a grim tone, the man from Earth’s past explained about the original Nazis and the Holocaust and the legacy of hate they left behind.  Taking a deep breath, Ralph then added his own reminiscences, “I remember as a child watching the march through Skokie on the television.  I can still see my grandfather—a survivor of Buchenwald…I can still see the tears in his eyes…” Taking a sip of water, he apologized, “I’m sorry…please give me a moment…”

“It’s all right, sir,” Liz replied in a soft voice.  “Take as much time as you need.”

“Thank you.” The ambassador responded, having collected himself.  “As I was saying…the legacy of hate left behind by the Nazis was a profound one—one that took centuries for humans to move beyond…” If we truly have done so…he didn’t add, “One of the questions I want answered to my satisfaction before making my recommendation to the Federation Council is whether the Ekosians have truly put the Nazis behind them or not.”

“You sound like you don’t think they have.”  Manuele stated flatly.

“To be honest, Mr. Atoa…” Ralph replied in a soft voice, “You’re right.  I don’t think they have.  Poison like that is not purged so easily—but we’ll see…” He said quietly as he remembered the identification tattoo on his grandfather’s arm, “…maybe I’m wrong this time.” 

**************************************

Returning to her quarters after the lengthy formal dinner, Liz stripped off her uniform as she entered the sonic shower.  Allowing the vibrations to remove the day’s dirt and grime from her body, she thought about what Ambassador Offenhouse had said regarding Ekos’ entry into the Federation.  Getting out of the shower, she slipped on a translucent gossamer chemise made of the finest Andorian spider-silk.  Luxuriating in the cool gentle touch of the fabric on her smooth skin, the hedonistic captain walked to her replicator. 

“Mimosa…chilled.” Picking up the icy cool drink, she reclined on the plush couch in the middle of her sumptuously furnished suite.  Taking a sip from her drink, she then commanded, “Computer…search for and play the captain’s log for the USS Enterprise, Stardate 2534.0.”  As Shelby listened to the legendary starship captain’s words, her mind drifted back to the recent dinner and the topic of conversation for much of the meal—John Gill and Ekos…

 “Ambassador Offenhouse?”  Anara asked as the volunteer stewards brought in the main course.  “I still can’t understand what motivated John Gill to violate the Prime Directive by introducing Nazism?”

Barely hiding her snort of derision, Ensign Django added with just the slightest touch of sarcasm in her voice, “Yeah…I’d like to know that too.”

Addressing the table, the ambassador spoke in a tense voice.  “Captain Kirk, in his report to Starfleet Command on the affair, stated that Professor Gill believed that bringing in a ‘benign’ form of Nazism would provide structure to the Ekosians’ otherwise violent and anarchic culture at the time.”

“His reasoning was entirely illogical…”  Varok stated in his usual matter of fact tone.  “…as well as factually and theoretically flawed.”

“Quite correct.”  Offenhouse agreed, nodding his head.  “Professor Gill fell into an old trap with his analysis of Earth history during that period.”

“How so?”  Dr. Murakawa asked, her curiosity drawing her into the conversation.

“First…” Ralph replied, “He forgot that Nazism was born from the anger, resentment, and insecurity that Germans felt following the end of the First World War and second, he forgot that racism is the core component of Nazi ideology.  Hitler and the Nazis played upon those feelings as well as a deeply ingrained culturally based anti-Semitism to turn Jews and other ‘undesirables’ into scapegoats for people’s wrath.  In Ekos’ case, the Zeons who had come to Ekos as immigrants and who supplied the majority of the administrative, commercial, and professional class became the scapegoats.”  Pausing for a moment, Offenhouse ended his discussion on a grim note, “Had Captain Kirk not acted when he did…had Melakon succeeded in his plan to invade Zeon…I’m afraid we would have been confronted with an Ekosian ‘Final Solution’ that would have been as tragic as the Nazi Holocaust on Earth.”

“When I think about how close we came to a second Nazi Holocaust…hundreds of years and light years away from Earth…

Her mind brought back by the rare, mournful tone in James Kirk’s voice, Elizabeth paid closer attention as the Enterprise captain concluded his log entry.

“I cannot understand why a man as good…as gentle…as John Gill could have made such a horrible mistake.  A lifetime of scholarship and teaching—of molding minds—and…”  Shelby could almost see the legendary captain standing before her, wearing the gold shirt and black pants and boots of that time, shaking his head sadly as he spoke, “…and now…the man that I looked up to as a mentor…and friend…will forever be known to future generations as the man who committed the most heinous violation of the Prime Directive in the history of the Federation…as a cautionary reminder of the danger of false pride.  And as for Ekos…Daras and Eneg say that they will reverse Melakon’s policies.  I wish them well, but the legacy of the Nazis is not such an easy one to undo.  I told Mr. Spock that one day both Zeon and Ekos will take their places as members of the Federation…but…I fear…for Ekos at least…it won’t be in my lifetime.  Conclude Captain’s log entry, Stardate 2534.0, Kirk, commanding Enterprise out.

Yawning, Liz finished her mimosa.  Getting up, she set the empty glass down on the coffee table in front of the couch as she stood up.  Stripping off her chemise, she slipped into bed.  However, sleep would not come easily this night watch for Elizabeth as both James Kirk’s and Ralph Offenhouse’s words intruded into her thoughts leaving the troubled captain with a deep sense of foreboding.

*****************************************************

Walking on to the bridge, a bleary eyed Liz nodded her head at Lieutenant Nyota Dryer, the on duty tactical officer.  “Lieutenant.”

“Morning, Captain.”  The ebony skinned security officer replied.  Seeing the lines on her commanding officer’s face, Nyota asked tentatively, “Rough night last night, Captain?”

“Yeah...you could say that.”  The captain replied, giving her subordinate a slight smile.  Looking at the viewscreen, she immediately recognized the planet Zeon, its largest continent currently centered on the screen.  “I see we’ve assumed orbit, Lieutenant Dryer.  When can we expect the Zeon delegation?

“They’ve signaled that they’ll be ready to beam up in approximately thirty minutes, Sir.”  The recent transferee from the USS Cuffe crisply replied.

“Very good, Lieutenant.”  Shelby acknowledged.  “Have the senior staff meet in Transporter Room One in twenty minutes and ask Ambassador Offenhouse if he would care to join us.”  Then, turning towards her Vulcan science officer, standing at his science station, Liz gestured, “Mr. Varok, would you join me?”

“Of course, Sir.”  Varok replied as he turned his duties over to Ensign Johnson who had just arrived on the bridge.

As the pair walked down the corridor towards the Captain’s quarters, Liz inquired, “I know it’s a long shot, Mr. Varok, but…seeing as how your first assignment out of the Academy was on the Enterprise-A under the command of Captain Kirk, I was wondering if you might have…”

“I’m sorry, Captain.” The Vulcan science officer interjected, shaking his head, “I know what you’re going to ask but, as you pointed out, at that time I was merely an ensign on my first assignment.  I regret I was not privy to the conversations of the senior officers.”

“I didn’t expect you would be…” Shelby replied, a bit more abruptly than she intended.  Looking up at the placid face of the elderly Vulcan, she softened her tone.  “As I said…it was a long shot.”  Exhaling, the captain continued, “It’s just that any information I can get…no matter how anecdotal…could prove helpful.”  Shaking her head, Elizabeth confessed, “Mr. Varok…I know Vulcans don’t believe in hunches or anything like that…but I have a feeling about this mission…a bad feeling.”

“Captain…” Varok responded in a voice that seemed to Liz to be almost encouraging, “…while I might not see the logic in the human tendency to rely on intuition…I have seen in my years of service that frequently playing a…hunch…has proven most successful.”  He then sounded a note of warning as the pair neared the door to the Captain’s quarters.  “I have also seen the result of what happens when human intuition goes wrong on more than one occasion as well.”

“Thank you, Mr. Varok…”  Liz replied, acknowledging the older officer’s words. Then, as the door slid open, she smiled, “I’ll see you in about fifteen minutes.”

****************************************

Entering the transporter room, Liz was immediately greeted by her entire senior staff, along with Ambassador Offenhouse.  “Captain,” Commander Hobson exclaimed, his face, as usual, showing no signs of emotion.

“Commander,” Liz nodded her head in response.  “Is the Zeon delegation ready for transport?”

“Yes Sir,” The first officer replied.

“Very well, then,” Shelby said, turning towards the transporter chief, “Let’s get this show on the road.”

Upon hearing the captain’s order, the chief activated his console.  Almost immediately, four of the transporter pads lit up as the delegation materialized.  “Elizabeth!”  The lead figure, an elderly man approximately Shelby’s height and wearing a distinguished blue suit and carrying a valise, promptly called out with a smile as he immediately recognized his former student.  “Quickly…what is the difference between astonishment and the unexpected?”

Smiling back at her former teacher, Liz promptly responded, “Astonishment looks outward—losing the self while being caught up in the excitement of the experience of something high, distant, and immensely powerful and is pre-modern while the unexpected looks inward -- as the self asks why it has not found what it expected, and does that unexpectedness follow the discovery of something new to everyone, or just new to self and is modern—a goal for those who make science and fashion.”

“Very good, Elizabeth.”  The old man beamed proudly down on his protégé as he stepped off the transporter pad.  “Now…do you think your officers would feel astonishment if you gave your old professor a hug—or would it be unexpected?”

“Both, I think.”  Liz smiled back as she hugged her former mentor.  Then stepping back, she introduced her senior staff and then remarked, “You’re looking good…”

“I have a wife who makes sure I eat right and never lets me have any fun.”  Davin playfully whined as the rest of the Zeon delegation stepped off the pad to join their leader.  Turning toward Ambassador Offenhouse, the professor stated formally, “This is an important occasion for both Zeon and Ekos.  We have worked long and hard with the Ekosians to make Federation membership a reality for them and now, that it is almost here, I feel a measure of both pride and relief.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing what you’ve done.”  Ralph replied noncommittally as he shook the professor’s hand.  “And I look forward to hearing your presentation on the similarities and differences between Ekosian Nazi and Earth Nazi art as propaganda at the conference.”

“Yes, Professor,” Varok politely interjected.  “Having followed your work, I must admit to finding your theories regarding Ekosian cultural adaptations to human socialist realist art most…intriguing.”

“High praise indeed from a Vulcan as distinguished as yourself,” Davin replied modestly.  Smiling, he added, “We most definitely should get together—I would be most interested in your opinions.”  Turning towards Commander Hobson, the Zeon academic maintained his smile, “Christopher!  I’m pleased to see that you’re Elizabeth’s first officer!”  His face beaming with fatherly pride, Ledron praised, “My two best students working together…what more could a teacher want?”

“Professor,” Chris greeted back, a slight smile cracking through his normal icy exterior.  “It’s a pleasure to see you again as well.”

“We must get together, Christopher,” Davin said cheerily before addressing Captain Shelby once again, “I don’t mean to sound rude, Elizabeth, but how long should it take for us to reach Ekos?”

Chuckling at her old mentor’s impatience, Liz activated her comm. badge, “Mr. Lavelle?  Take us to Ekos—maximum impulse.”

After hearing her helmsman’s acknowledgement, the captain returned to her guest, “We should be in orbit around Ekos soon, Professor.  So…why don’t I show you to your quarters and then later you can join me in the lounge…”

“By all means, Elizabeth,” The professor smiled back as he offered his former student his arm.  “It has been too long since we’ve talked.”

**********************************

“And this is ‘Rick’s, Professor!”  Liz smiled as she motioned with her hand towards the Sutherland’s lounge. 

“Rick’s?”  Davin asked, raising an eyebrow.  “Is Rick the owner?”

“No…” Liz replied with a chuckle.  “The former captain called it that,” She said as the pair took in the 1940s themed lounge complete with a replicated wood bar and grand piano.  “It seems that he was into early 20^th century entertainment and saw this movie called ‘Casablanca’ and fell in love with it.”

“I can see why…” Ledron said as a waiter, wearing a white dinner jacket and bow tie, came bearing their drinks.  Taking a sip of his drink, the teacher regarded his student, “So…how have you been, Elizabeth?”

“Not bad,” Liz said as she tossed back her drink.  “Took some settling in time to get used to my new command, but things are going pretty smoothly now,” The captain said as she motioned for the waiter to refresh her drink and then added with a grin, “Did you know Jadzia’s stationed on Deep Space Nine?”

“Jadzia Idaris?”  The professor, his lips curling up into a grin, exclaimed.  “I remember how you two were almost always either buried in your work to the point of exhaustion or you were getting into some sort of trouble or other—usually over the young men.  Although in your case….” He added with a wink, “…it was also young women too, as I recall.”

Chuckling merrily, Liz quipped, “You know me too well, Professor.  Anyway, she’s Jadzia Dax now,” Shelby corrected with a grin, “And she’s even worse now that she’s been joined.”

“You mean she got the Dax symbiote?”  Davin asked, surprised.  “I knew that Curzon had died, but I never heard who had gotten the symbiote, although I couldn’t think of a more appropriate host than Jadzia.”

“I’m surprised,” Liz responded.  “It happened about the same time I was working for Admiral Hanson.  I’d have been sure someone like you would have known…”

“You’re forgetting, I’m retired, Elizabeth,” The old man pointed out with more than a little regret, “And I’ve been working so hard on the Ekos project…So I’m not as up to date as I used to be.”

Liz then spent several minutes filling her old teacher in on how Jadzia had taken a leave of absence from Starfleet, reapplied to the initiate program, and passed it—hardly ever leaving the initiate complex for three years while she underwent her training.  “I mean…Professor…” Shelby said her exasperation with her friend during that period in her life showing, “I hardly ever saw her during that time—she was so driven…”

“Unlike a certain cadet I knew who, during her freshman year, never once left the Academy grounds and who spent all of her time either in her dorm, the library, or the labs…” Davin quipped with a slight smile.

“All right…All right!  Point made,” Liz laughed.  “So…” She asked, changing the subject, “Do you really think Ekos is ready for full membership?  I’ve been boning up on my old Earth history and from what I’ve read; Earth didn’t really get rid of the Nazi legacy until after the Eugenics Wars—over a hundred years after World War II.”

“Ekos isn’t Earth,” Davin gently, but firmly, pointed out.  “Even though both planets were settled with human stock by the Preservers thousands of years ago—we’re not quite the same.  Ekosian culture and society evolved differently than Earth…”

“But the Ekosians very quickly accepted Nazism once John Gill introduced it,” Captain Shelby rebutted, “And…even though Gill tried to institute a more…benign…form, it very quickly turned into something very similar to the way it developed on Earth—right up to the point where the Ekosians had their very own Kristalnacht.”

“I know…I know,” The old professor said somewhat testily.  “My father was there—remember?  His fiancé at the time was murdered by the Nazis.”  Taking a deep breath, Ledron took several moments to collect his thoughts.  “I understand your concerns, Elizabeth… but believe me, I wouldn’t have signed on to this if I weren’t absolutely sure that the Ekosians have put the Nazis behind them once and for all.”

“I know, Professor,” Liz replied, placing her hand on top of his, “And I’m sure you’re right—it’s just…”

“It’s a painful legacy…I know, Elizabeth,” Davin said gently, “But you’ll see…Ekos has grown up.”

“I hope you’re right, Professor,” Liz said thoughtfully as her doubts returned.  Finishing her drink, she uttered a silent prayer as she looked on fondly at the old man sitting opposite her, “I really do.”

******************************

“Assuming standard orbit around Ekos,” Lavelle announced as Captain Shelby came on to the bridge.

“Receiving a hail from Ekosian Space Control,” Lieutenant Atoa then reported from his post at tactical.

“Put them on the main viewscreen,” Liz ordered as the Earthlike form of Ekos was replaced by the image of a young dark haired woman wearing a beige tunic and bearing the rank insignia of an Ekosian Space Forces sub-lieutenant.

“Greetings, Sutherland,” The junior officer said in a polite voice, “And welcome to Ekos.  I have been instructed to inform you that a reception in honor of Ambassador Offenhouse and Professor Ledron Davin will be held at 1600 hours, Ekosian Mean Time, at the Eneg Pavilion—here are the coordinates.  Of course, Captain, you and your senior staff are cordially invited.”

“Thank you, Sub-Lieutenant,” Captain Shelby replied with a smile, “Please express our thanks to the Foreign Ministry and inform them that we will be honored to attend.”

“Mr. Rysyl?” Liz requested after the Ekosian officer had terminated their transmission, “Please inform Ambassador Offenhouse that there will be a welcoming reception on the surface in two standard hours.”  Turning towards her first officer, Shelby then said with a smile, “Commander, I’ll let you fetch Professor Davin—that’ll give you some time to spend with him…” She then added apologetically, “I’m afraid I’ve monopolized a good portion of the professor’s free time—I’m sorry…I know you were a student of his as well…”

“Thank you, sir,” Hobson replied, “I appreciate that.”

Turning her attention to Manuele and Sam, Liz smiled once again, “Mr. Atoa…Mr. Lavelle—you gentlemen need diplomatic experience if you’re going to advance—so you’ll accompany us to the reception—dress uniforms, of course.”

“Yes, sir,” Both officers replied in unison as the captain took her seat.  Leaning over towards Sam, Ensign Django whispered, “Better you than me…”

Overhearing her tempestuous navigator, the captain quickly decided that another of her junior officers could use some diplomatic experience, “Oh…I almost forgot…Ensign Django—you’ll be joining us as well.”

“Yes, sir,” Maria acknowledged grudgingly as Sam and Manuele both tried without success to hide their smirks.

****************************************

Standing outside the door of his former teacher’s guest quarters, Commander Hobson activated the intercom, “Professor Davin?”

“Yes,” As the door slid open, the wizened professor smiled, “Ah…Christopher…please come in.”

“Thank you, sir,” The first officer, ever formal, stated as he entered the guest suite.  “Captain Shelby sends her compliments and says that the Ekosian Foreign Ministry will be holding a reception in yours and the ambassador’s honor in two standard hours.”

“Thank you, Christopher,” Ledron acknowledged with a chuckle as he appraised his former student, “Still the Alpha Squadron Leader, aren’t you Mr. Hobson?” He quipped, referring to the cadet squadron that Chris had led at the Academy.

“I guess so,” Hobson replied, this time managing a slight grin.

“Well…I’m glad to see you here!”  The professor exclaimed with a grin as he motioned for the younger man to take a seat.  “Sit down!  Sit down, Christopher!  We have plenty of time before the reception and I did so miss our chats.”

“Thank you, Professor.”  Chris replied as he took his seat opposite the professor’s.  “I too have missed our time together.”

“So…” The elderly professor asked as he handed his protégé a class of saurian brandy, “How have you been, Christopher?”

“Fine, Sir…” The diffident Hobson replied, taking a sip of his drink.  “I’m…content…with my position here now…”

Chuckling softly, the wise old man retorted gently, “That’s not what I asked, Christopher.”  His laughter vanishing, Davin gazed intently at his former student a mournful expression overcoming his formerly cheerful demeanor, “I know I’m late by several years, but I’m sorry about Natalie…”

Feeling a momentary pang in his heart as memories of his deceased wife flooded his mind, Chris confessed with a sad smile, “Thank you, Professor.  I know it’s been a long time since the shuttle accident, but…”

“But sometimes it feels like yesterday,” The old man finished.  “I know…even though my father loved my mother, sometimes…when he didn’t think she or I could see…I could tell that he was thinking about his former fiancé…Marta…who was killed by the Ekosians…you could see it in his face…” Davin said sadly, his voice trailing off.

“I know, sir,” Chris, placing his hand on the elderly scholar’s shoulder, lowered his head. 

Laughing ironically, Ledron shook his head, “I’m getting old.  Here I was trying to be a father figure to you and it’s the student who’s providing the comfort.”  Then, squaring his shoulders, the Zeon academic flashed a sad smile, “I know you’d rather be in command of your own ship, Christopher, but, I’m glad you’re here.  Elizabeth needs you.”

Shaking his head gently, Hobson replied, “She doesn’t need me, Professor.  I’m just her first officer.  The captain is most capable…”

“Yes…yes…I know.”  Davin responded with a chuckle, “She is.”  His laughter disappearing, the old man added, “She’s one of the most strong willed, stubborn, and determined people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.  But I also know that she can be rash…emotional…impetuous.  She needs someone like you…someone who is…”

“Cautious?”  The younger man declared in a faintly disappointed tone.

“No.”  The Professor responded, shaking his head.  “Someone who is equally strong willed, stubborn and determined as she, but who is also more precise…grounded.  Someone who can reach her when she does go out on what you Terrans call ‘a limb’ and pull her back to safety.  Someone who can temper her fire with ice.”  Sighing deeply, the elderly man continued, “There is so much you don’t know about Elizabeth, Christopher.  When most people see her they either see the ambitious, driven—often to the point of recklessness—Starfleet officer…or they see the hedonistic pleasure seeker interested only in her own self gratification.  But there’s far more to her than either of those images. She’s had to deal with so much heartache…so much pain.  Chris…” The old man said his eyes boring into those of the younger man, “She needs someone she can trust…someone she can rely on…” Smiling, Davin patted the younger man on his shoulder, “That person…for now at least…is you, Christopher.

Shaking his head doubtfully, the former student replied, “I’ll try, Sir, but sometimes…”

“I know…” The older man laughed, “She doesn’t make it easy, does she?  But…” Davin added as he escorted his protégé to the door, “I have faith in you…I have faith in both of you. And now…” He concluded as the door to his quarters whooshed open, “If you’ll excuse me, I have to get ready for the reception.  I’ll see you there.”

*************************************

While Commander Hobson was talking with his former teacher, another conversation was taking place in Ambassador Offenhouse’s quarters where Anara had arrived to fetch her charge for the reception.

“Ah…Ms. Rysyl…” The Ambassador greeted as his door slid open to reveal the presence of his temporary aide.  “I assume we’re in orbit around Ekos now?”

“Yes, sir,” The Deltan woman said flashing a brief smile.  “Captain Shelby wants me to inform you that there will be a reception in your honor in two standard hours.”

“Excellent!”  Ralph exclaimed as he motioned for Anara to enter his quarters.  “I was just finishing packing,” He said as he closed the lid on his valise.  “I’ve been looking forward to this…”

Tilting her head to the left, Anara asked, “Why, sir?  I got the impression that it was a simple introductory reception—what Lieutenant Lavelle calls a ‘meet and greet’ thing.  I wouldn’t think any serious negotiations would take place there.”

“That’s exactly what it is,” Offenhouse agreed, “And you’re right…there probably won’t be any serious diplomatic negotiations going on at the reception.”  He then flashed a sly grin, “But there’s a human saying that goes something like this—‘First impressions are lasting ones.’”  Motioning for his temporary student to take a seat, the businessman cum ambassador explained, “I like to size up my opponent as quickly as possible—to look him in the eye, you might say—that way I can determine his true measure and formulate my opening moves from that…”

“You make this sound like a war, ambassador,” Anara remarked dubiously.

“Not a war, Lieutenant,” Ralph said condescendingly, “Think of it more as a contest.  Don’t ever kid yourself, Ms. Rysyl…” The ambassador lectured, “…behind all the polite words and gestures, diplomacy, like any other type of negotiation, is a battle or struggle where you’re trying to get an edge on the other guy.  It doesn’t matter if you’re negotiating a labor settlement, a hostile takeover, or a mutual assistance treaty, your main goal is to always get the best deal possible for your side because that’s what your opponent will be doing.”

“But why does it have to be so…adversarial?”  Lieutenant Rysyl inquired, not willing to let go of the subject, “Wouldn’t a mutually cooperative approach work much better?  By assuming that your opposite number is working against you, aren’t you immediately putting  yourself into a defensive posture, which in turn forces the other party into an adversarial mode—in other words turning the action into…what is it humans call it? A self fulfilling prophecy?”

“Maybe,” Ralph conceded, “But still…I prefer negotiating from a position of strength.  Like I told Picard once—I’ve spent my entire life making sure that I’m in control over any given situation—I don’t like it when I’m not able to do something to influence events—it makes me a little…crazy…” He chuckled, “Call it an atavistic human trait if you will.”  Then, covering his mouth with his hand as he yawned, the ambassador said, “No…if you don’t mind, Lieutenant, I’d like to grab an hour’s nap before the reception—I want to be at my best when the games begin…”

*************************************

Taking a deep breath, Captain Shelby quickly took in her new surroundings.  She and the rest of the diplomatic party had materialized at a transporter pad at the north end of a circular covered area, the floor a mosaic representation of the planetary surface of Ekos while on the roof was a painting of the sky—complete with clouds and the sun.  Inside the pavilion, guests and Ekosian governmental officials and functionaries were already mingling—some clustered around what was obviously a bar, while others were in small groups talking and laughing.

“Some things never change,” Ambassador Offenhouse muttered as he remembered similar gatherings he had attended as a businessman four hundred years ago.  Nodding his head sagely as he saw a party of Ekosians, some in civilian clothing and others wearing uniforms drawing near, he leaned over and whispered into Shelby’s ear, “It’s show time, Captain.”

Smiling, Liz appraised the group approaching hers.  A man, apparently middle aged, dark haired with a touch of grey around the temples, and wearing a grey-green uniform led the procession which included both men and women.  “Captain Shelby?”  The man, noticing Liz’s rank pips and red uniform, inquired as he addressed the captain.

Nodding her head, Liz replied, “At your service.”

“I’m Colonel Regar of the Ekosian General Staff.  And I have the honor of presenting Foreign Minister Tana, he introduced as a woman wearing a dark blue formal dress stepped forward.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Colonel…Foreign Minister,” Liz responded as she introduced the Federation and Zeon emissaries, “And please allow me to introduce Ambassador Ralph Offenhouse, representing the Federation; and Professor Ledron Davin, Professor Emeritus at Starfleet Academy, representing the Zeon academic community.

“Welcome,” The Foreign Minister, taking over for the Colonel, greeted.  Then, addressing the ambassador, she smiled, “It is a pleasure to meet you, Ambassador.  I am looking forward to working with you to facilitate Ekos’ entry into the Federation.”

Flashing a correct smile, Ralph smoothly and noncommittally responded, “Thank you, Minister.  I’m also looking forward to getting to know the Ekosian people much better in the days ahead.”  Opening move and counter move. Offenhouse thought, smiling inwardly.  So far…no surprises…we’re seeing exactly what they want us to see.  But that’s not good enough—before I sign off on Ekos’ entry into the Federation; I want to see what’s lying beneath the pretty mosaic…

Clearing her voice, Minister Tana then addressed the complete assembly.  “In honor of the arrival of Federation Ambassador Offenhouse…” She announced as a musical fanfare blared from hidden speakers, “President Emerita Daras has agreed to make a rare personal appearance today.”  As she finished her words, twelve members of Ekos’ elite Presidential Guard, resplendent in their blue and gold dress uniforms, marched smartly into the pavilion, taking station opposite each other, forming a corridor.  Following the soldiers, an officer, carrying a dress saber, marched through the corridor, coming to a halt at the end, then, executing a smart left turn, he marched to a position next to the lead soldier before executing an about face.  Carrying out their movements in complete silence, the guards immediately presented their arms as the fanfare grew in volume.  The music reaching a crescendo, an elderly woman, dressed in a simple sky blue dress and supported by guardsmen to either side of her, slowly and with great dignity made her way down the corridor to the waiting dignitaries.

“The Ekosians don’t do anything half way, do they?” Ensign Django said to Sam in an almost inaudible whisper as the spectacle unfolded.

“If you had bothered to do your research, Ensign…” Lieutenant Commander Varok chided in an equally low voice, “You would have known that ceremony and liturgy are very important elements in Ekosian culture.”

“Yes, sir,” Maria whispered back, muttering, “Damned Vulcan ears,” as Varok raised an eyebrow in response.

Finally reaching her destination, the Ekosian living legend smiled as a tear rolled down her cheeks, “Greetings, Ambassador.  I have dedicated most of my life to this moment—Ekos’ entry into the United Federation of Planets.  And now—that it has finally arrived…” She stammered, choking up momentarily as emotion overwhelmed her, “I find that words have escaped me.” Flashing a sad smile, she then finished, “I only wish that my beloved husband, President Eneg, could have lived to have seen this happen.  This is truly a glorious day for the Federation…for Zeon…and for Ekos!”

The assembly cheering her presence and her words, the old woman, after a few brief moments of shaking hands, turned about and left the way she came, the thundering applause not ending until well after she had gone.  Leaning over and whispering into Anara’s ear, Ralph remarked approvingly, “Very nicely played.”

“What do you mean, sir?”  Anara whispered back.

“By bringing out Daras…probably the greatest living Ekosian and a direct link to the bad old days, Foreign Minister Tana has managed to put an emotional face to the negotiations,” Ralph explained to his pupil.  “If the Federation denies Ekos’ petition, then it’s denying the life long dream of Ekos’ icon.”

“I see,” Lieutenant Rysyl replied and then asked, “Do you think Daras knows about her role in this?”

Chuckling softly, the ambassador answered back, “It wouldn’t surprise me if the old fox came up with the idea herself.”  Then, flashing a smile, he addressed the Sutherland’s captain, speaking loud enough so that the Ekosian delegation could hear him, “Captain Shelby?  I think it would be a good idea if the rest of your crew were to mingle—get to know the Ekosians…while you, the professor, I and my aide get to know the Foreign Minister and her people a little bit better.”

“An excellent idea, Ambassador!”  Tana smiled back.  “Please, Captain…Professor Davin…join us,” She exclaimed as she smoothly guided the diplomatic party to a quieter area of the pavilion.

As the senior diplomatic group split off from the others, Ralph whispered into Anara’s ear, “Now we start phase 2.”

“Phase 2?” Anara, once again confused, asked.

“Right,” Offenhouse whispered back.  “We’re still in the prelims, but we’ve gotten the introductory gambits out of the way.  Now we firm up our impressions of each other and begin the process of staking out our positions.  I figure we’ll keep up the small talk here for about an hour or so…and then she’ll suggest that we go somewhere more private.”  A predatory gleam then appeared in his eye, “That’s when the game really gets going.”

**************************************

As Manuele Atoa surveyed the scenery before him, he sighed.  Formal functions such as this were definitely not his thing.  He much preferred more free wheeling, casual gatherings where he could cut loose and be himself rather than having to be, as Jadon Tol once remarked in jest, ‘The very model image of a model Starfleet officer.’  Well…I guess I’ll never make it in Command, Manuele sighed once again as he picked up his drink—a fragrant Ekosian nectar.

“I hope we’re not boring you…”

Surprised by the female voice coming from behind him, the security chief quickly turned about.  Seeing a striking redheaded woman wearing a tan uniform, Manuele stammered, “Oh no…of course not…I mean…”

“It’s all right, Lieutenant…”  Seeing Manuele’s nod confirming that she’d gotten his rank correct, the Ekosian officer continued to speak, “For what it’s worth, I find these functions painful too.”

“Some things are the same no matter where you go.”  Atoa, recovering his equilibrium, quipped as he set his drink down.  “My name’s Manuele…Manuele Atoa.”

“And I’m Mere Lindos…Captain…Internal Security Service,” The Ekosian woman answered back with a smile.

Chuckling, Manuele remarked, “Well, Captain…it looks like we’re more or less in the same line of work—I’m the tactical officer on board the Sutherland.”

“Small universe,” Manuele’s Ekosian counterpart quipped, adding, “By the way, you can call me Mere.”  Then, flashing a grin, she said in a slightly flirtatious voice, “And I wouldn’t say no if you offered me one of those nectars.”

“All right then,” Atoa exclaimed with a wide grin as he called the bartender over to place his order.  Settling down to talk with his new companion, the New Kauaian smiled inwardly, grateful to the deities that his ancestors worshiped that they had decided to not make his night a total wash after all.

****************************************

“So…Sam…” Ensign Django remarked as she regarded her fellow conn officer, “Wanna blow this joint and go somewhere where we can some real fun?”

Taking a sip of his drink, Lavelle smirked, “What you got in mind, Maria?”

“Hmmm…” Ensign Django replied with smile, “I was thinking we could scope out the Ekosian night life.  Maybe find a place where we can do some dancing and partying. Anything’s got to be better than this!”

“No argument there.”  Sam agreed as a stately waltz tune played on the speakers.  “I stay here any longer, and some paleontologist is going to pick me up as a fossil.”

“Tell me about it.”  Maria agreed as she took the roguish Canadian’s arm.  An impish grin on her face, she pointed towards an exit.  “Let’s slip out of here.”  However, before the couple could make it halfway to their destination, they were stopped in their tracks by a crisp, patrician voice that they immediately recognized as coming from the Sutherland’s first officer.

“Mr. Lavelle…Mr. Django…Leaving so soon?”

The couple coming to an abrupt halt on hearing their superior officer’s words, Lavelle immediately responded, “No, Sir!”  Coming up with what he hoped would be an acceptable excuse, the roguish Canadian explained, “We were just wondering how the mosaics might look from a different angle.”

Secretly amused at the plight of the two junior officers, Commander Hobson nodded his head once, “I see.  I didn’t know that the two of you had such an appreciation for the fine arts.  You know…” He said, maintaining the formal tone in his voice, “The Captain and I were planning on attending Professor Davin’s seminar on the post-Nazi evolution of Ekosian art tomorrow.  Why don’t you join us?”

“Ummm…” Sam floundered, “…we wouldn’t want to impose on you, sir…”

“No imposition at all.”  Chris replied, “In fact, I insist that you attend and I’m sure the Captain would as well.”

Bowing down to the inevitable, the young couple responded with feigned enthusiasm, “We’d be glad to, Sir.”

“Excellent!”  The first officer exclaimed as he pointed his errant junior officers back towards the gathering.  “Now, Misters Lavelle and Django, I think we should be returning to the reception.  After all, we wouldn’t want our hosts to think we were slipping away, would we now?” 

************************************

“So, Ambassador Offenhouse, what do you think of our nectar?”  Minister Tana, flashing a calculated grin, asked as she called for a waiter to bring over more glasses of the Ekosian liqueur.

Responding with a similar smile, Ralph took a sip of the sweet liqueur, and finding its taste most appealing, nodded his head approvingly, “I must say it’s quite good.”

“I’m pleased you like it,” The Foreign Minister said, maintaining her smile, “I’m sure that you’ll find the rest of Ekos to be equally agreeable.”

“I’m sure I will,” the ambassador, also keeping up his noncommittal grin, responded.  “In fact, I was hoping that we could arrange a tour of the city before nightfall.”  Giving his opposite number a meaningful look, he stated, “It would most definitely help me in gathering the facts for my report.”

Returning the ambassador’s look, Minister Tana countered smoothly, “I think that’s a most excellent idea.  The Foreign Ministry offices are on the other side of the capital, so…if you want…instead of simply transporting there, we could arrange for a limousine to take you and the rest of your delegation to the Ministry.”

“And we would have free access to any Ekosians…” Ralph inquired with raised eyebrows.

“Of course, sir,” The Minister replied with a tilt of her head.  “We have nothing to hide.”  Her smile vanishing, she added, “We want you to see us for who we are now—not for what we were.”

“Thank you, Minister,” Ambassador Offenhouse said with a genuine smile as he permitted his opposite number to see his pleasure at her final statement.  “When may we leave?”

Returning the ambassador’s smile, Minister Tana replied, “How does now sound?”

*****************************************

Laughing at a joke his new Ekosian companion had told, Manuele couldn’t remember the last time he’d had such an enjoyable conversation.  As his eyes drank in the statuesque beauty of Mere, Manuele couldn’t help but smile.

“You seem to be in better spirits now than you were a few minutes ago,” Mere said coquettishly as she sipped her drink.

“The company’s a lot better,” Manuele replied as he looked into the Ekosian officer’s eyes.

“I know what you mean,” Mere said in response as she placed a gentle hand on that of the Starfleet officer’s, only to notice that her wrist communication device was blinking.  “Sorry!” She apologized with an embarrassed grin, “But…can you excuse me for a moment?”

“I understand,” Manuele chuckled gently, “Occupational hazard…”

Stepping away from her new acquaintance, the Ekosian security officer activated her communicator.  Nodding her head, she then responded, “Understood.  Will do.”  Returning to Manuele, Mere shook her head as she chuckled, “That was my superior—he wants me to return to headquarters to take care of some reports.”  Then, giving the New Kauaian a meaningful look, she propositioned, “I’d like it if we could get together again…”

“I’d like that too,” Atoa replied with a meaningful look of his own.  “Is there a way I can reach you?”

“Yes,” Mere, smiling broadly, handed Manuele a slip of paper.  “This is my home comm. number.  Give me a call and we’ll get together…”  Flashing the New Kauaian a final smile, the lovely Ekosian turned around and walked away, deliberately allowing her hips to sway a little as she walked.

Shaking his head and letting out a breath of air as he watched Mere walk away, Manuele said in a low voice, “You can count on it!”

***************************************

“I want to thank you for accompanying us, Captain—but it wasn’t really necessary,” Ralph, sitting next to Anara and across from Shelby and Ledron in the back of the large stretch hover-limo said as he glanced out the window at the busy Ekosian street scene.

“In other words…” Liz grinned, “I really wish you didn’t come, but now that you’re here, shut up and let the diplomats do all the talking—right?”

Chuckling in spite of himself, Ralph acknowledged, “You’re most perceptive, Captain.”  His laughter vanishing, he then asked, “But tell me…why did you come?”

“Curiosity, mostly,” Liz admitted.  “I wanted to see for myself how things had changed.”  She then took a deep breath, “Also…I wanted to…I know this might sound somewhat strange…but I wanted to get a true feel of Ekos—and to do that, I need to do more than just read reports and see a bunch of video images.  To really know Ekos and its people, I need to experience it and them.”

“That is why I’ve always considered both you and Christopher my two best students,” Ladron said with a smile.  Addressing his next remarks to Offenhouse, he praised, “Elizabeth was always one who had to experience everything with all her senses.”  Then he added with a smirk, flashing a glare of mock disapproval at his former pupil, “There are those who would say though, that she uses her senses a bit too much for her own good sometimes…”

“What can I say?” Liz rejoined, putting on an air of playful innocence, “I’m a sensualist.”  Then, her tone turning serious, she added, “All too often we make decisions without truly getting the lay of the land—and almost always when that happens, things tend to go to hell in a hand basket.”

“You’re absolutely right, Captain,” Ralph agreed as the limo turned suddenly.  Feeling the motion even through the grav compensators, the ambassador remarked, “That’s weird…I wonder why we turned like that…”

“Maybe it’s just a security precaution?” Anara speculated as the vehicle came to a stop.

“Or maybe not,” Liz cursed as the doors on either side suddenly flew open and as powerful hands pulled her and the other delegates out of the car.  Drawing her arm to fight back against her assailants, she felt the needle in her neck and then very soon everything turned black.

***********************************

“Hey Chris!”  Jadon called out as he spotted the Sutherland’s first officer sitting at the bar nursing a drink as he watched the Ekosian news feed from a large monitor.  “Stuck babysitting the junior officers while the Captain plays diplomat?”

“You might say that…” Chris responded with a shrug, his patrician voice betraying just the faintest note of irritation that his old friend immediately picked up on.  “One of us needs to remain here in case something happens.”

“Yeah, I know…” The Trill engineer responded, knowing that the real reason for his friend’s irritation lay elsewhere. “Sucks, doesn’t it? She’s off seeing the sights with the Ambassador while you’re stuck here.”

Sipping his drink, Hobson answered back nonchalantly, “The Captain will fill me in on all the details later, I’m sure.”

“Oh yeah, I’m sure she will.” Jadon smirked as he patted his friend on the shoulder, “But I wasn’t talking about the Captain just now.”

Just as an angry retort was forming on Hobson’s lips, the image on the news screen suddenly blanked out, to be replaced by another image—that of four Ekosians wearing stocking masks and dressed in the old Nazi Party uniforms standing before a large red, white, and black flag with the swastika.

“Attention people of Ekos!” The lead figure, apparently male, spoke through a voice scrambling device, “For too long our holy land has been subject to the pollution of the Zeon swine and their alien lapdogs—but no more!  We, the Soldiers of Melakon, announce that we are retaking our home!  We have taken prisoner the Zeon criminal and his Federation stooges and announce that if our demands are not meant they will all be executed as enemies of the Race.”  Images played of Captain Shelby, Anara, Ambassador Offenhouse, and Ledron Davin, all lying flat on their backs, apparently drugged.  “To prove that we are serious, sentence shall be immediately carried out on one of the prisoners!”  Pointing his finger at something off the camera, two of the terrorists left the display, only to return moments later with a prisoner whose head had been covered by a hood.  Forcing the hapless soul to his or her knees, the leader drew a slug-pistol from his holster. 

Aiming the pistol at the back of the head of the prisoner, the terrorist shouted as he pulled the trigger, “Hail the Fuhrer!”

*******************************************

Shaking her head as she slowly struggled back into consciousness, Shelby’s body slowly began to react to the various sensations around it.  Feeling the bindings around her wrists, Liz pulled at them, only to cease moments later as she realized that her struggles only resulted in them growing tighter.  Hearing first a groan coming from the person lying next to her, the captain then heard a distinctly female voice as rough hands jerked her to her knees.

“The prisoners are awakening Sturmfuhrer!”

“Excellent!”  A masculine voice replied as Liz, squinting her eyes, Liz made out the form of an average male humanoid from amongst the images swirling about her.  As the man approached, the starship captain immediately recognized his uniform, complete with swastika armband and Sam Browne belt crossing his chest, as belonging to the outlawed Nazi Party.  “Welcome back, Captain.”  The man greeted, his lips turned up into an arrogant sneer.

“Who the hell are you and where the hell have you taken us?”  Liz spat out defiantly, wincing as a woman standing next to her, also wearing a Nazi uniform, delivered a sharp kick to her side.  That’s one! Liz thought to herself as she began making her payback list.

“Don’t they teach you manners in Starfleet, Captain?”  The man, maintaining his smug grin, snorted as he looked down haughtily on his prisoner.  ”No matter…” He remarked dismissively as he turned his attention next to the prisoner kneeling next to Liz, “And as for you…Zeon swine…” He sneered as he delivered a painful blow with the back of his hand across the face of the cringing old man.

“Why?”  Ledron asked simply, crying out in pain as another Ekosian guard pulled back on his hair.

“Hey…bitch!  Try that with someone who can fight back!”  Liz shouted and then, looking up at the Sturmfuhrer, sneered, “Some Master Race—get your rocks off torturing eighty year old men…”

“Silence, Whore!” The woman snapped as she once again delivered a kick into Shelby’s side, deliberately striking the same spot she did earlier.  Then with a snort, she mocked, “We know all about your reputation, Captain Shelby.”

“At least I’m getting some!” Liz fired back, “That’s more than you can say!”  She taunted as yet again the woman’s sharp toed boot impacted on her side.

Turning his attention to Anara, the Sturmfuhrer flashed a lecherous grin, “What have we here?  Maybe I’ll save you for last, eh?  I’ve heard stories about Deltan women—I wonder if they’re true…”

Looking up at her tormentor, Anara managed a derisive snort, “I have a feeling that you would prove inadequate to the task of finding out.”

Way to go, Anara!  Liz quietly cheered on, and then winced sympathetically as she saw the back of the man’s hand slash across her operations officer’s face, the Deltan woman recoiling from the blow.   “I’ll return to you later, stirrat.”

Reaching the last prisoner, the Sturmfuhrer grinned triumphantly, “And Ambassador Offenhouse…we’re most honored by your presence, sir!”  The terrorist leader mocked. 

Stepping back, the Nazi leader took a central position where all of his prisoners could see him.  “I am Sturmfuhrer Merok and you are prisoners of the Soldiers of Melakon, the vanguard for the eventual restoration of the Reich and Ekos.  You have all been tried and convicted of crimes against the Reich—the sentence is death.”  Pointing at Ledron, Merok declared as two guards yanked the old man to his feet and placed a hood over his head, “The Zeon will be executed first.  He will serve as an example to all who would defy the Soldiers and the New Order.”

As the guards slipped a smelly hood came over the head of the elderly scholar, he begged, “Please…don’t…I have a wife…children…grandchildren.  Don’t do this to them!”

“Don’t!”  Liz cried out.  “Please!”  She pleaded, struggling to get to her feet only to be forced back down again by firm hands on her shoulders. “He’s a good man who’s never harmed anyone!”

“Silence!”  Merok bellowed as he glared at Captain Shelby. “If you say another word, I will kill the Deltan woman as well!”  As he jerked his thumb towards Anara, one of the terrorists pointed a pistol at the bald woman’s head.  A cold smile crossing his features, Merok added in an icy voice, “Further, you will watch the execution of this Zeon pig.  If you avert your gaze one way or the other, the person next to you on that side will be killed.” With that, Liz saw out of the corner of her eye the other guards all press their pistols on to the back of the necks of  her other companions. “Do we understand each other, Captain?”

Clenching her teeth, Liz nodded her head once. Then, as the terrorist leader made his speech, tears flowed from her eyes as she recalled her final conversation with her old teacher in which he expressed his firm belief that the Ekosians had finally exorcised the ghosts of John Gill’s Nazis.  As the single shot rang out and as the kindly old man’s head disintegrated into a crimson mist, her tears suddenly vanished.  Intending to gloat at his actions, Merok looked into the eyes of the captured starship captain.  Instead of seeing the eyes of a cowed woman, the Sturmfuhrer blinked in surprise as he saw a pair of eyes glaring at him with the intensity of a supernova.  Debating as to whether to kill her now or stick to the plan, the terrorist leader, fearing the possible anger of those directing his actions, reluctantly rejected that idea.  For now…He thought, She and the others will live.  There’ll be ample opportunity to deal with them later.    

As she stared into the gleaming eyes of the fanatic who had killed her mentor, Liz vowed,   If it’s the last thing I do, you son of a bitch, I’m going to kill you with my own hands.

**********************************

As the horrible tableau played itself out on the screen before them, Commander Hobson and Lieutenant Commander Tol looked on in stunned silence.  Turning towards his friend after the screen went blank, Jadon immediately recognized the cold fury hidden behind the icy expressionless face of his old friend.  “I’m sorry, Chris…” Jadon remarked in a soft, consoling voice, “I know how close you and Professor Davron were.”  Also recognizing another source of worry for the introverted executive officer, Tol added, “She’ll be alright, Chris.  We’ll get them out—you know that.”

Nodding his head once, Hobson, fighting down his grief and remorse, looked into the eyes of his engineering officer, “Return to the ship, Mr. Tol.”  As his old friend moved to follow the first officer’s instructions, Chris placed a hand on the Trill’s shoulders.  “Don’t rush, Jadon.  Odds are the bastards have one of their people here watching us.  I don’t want them thinking that they have us disconcerted.  Take your time.”

“Understood, Chris.”  Tol responded as Hobson touched the communicator pin on his chest.  Walking away from his old friend, Jadon heard the first officer give the same instructions he had just given him to both Lieutenant Atoa and Lieutenant Commander Varok.  Sauntering over towards where Ensign Django and Lieutenant Lavelle were standing, Tol noticed immediately that both junior officers keyed for action.  Placing an arm around each of their shoulders, Jadon whispered, “Nice and easy, Sam…Maria.  We don’t want to let the bad guys know they’ve got us spooked.  See how Varok and Atoa are taking their sweet time getting over to the transporter pads?  We’re going to do the same thing.”

“How are we going to get the Captain and the others back?”  Sam asked as he placed a protective arm around Ensign Django’s waist.

“And what are we going to do about those bastards that took them and killed the old man?”  Maria added in a challenging tone.

“Commander Hobson’s on it, Ensign.”  Jadon replied confidently, “And you can bet that Captain Shelby and Anara haven’t given up either.  Knowing Chris and the Captain…” he added with a grim smile, “When those two get done, those scyllyn worms will wish they were never born.”

********************************************

Taking advantage of the solitude of the Sutherland’s lift cab to gather his thoughts, Chris, emerging on to the bridge, projected a strong and solid image of self composure as he took the command chair vacated by Lieutenant Dryer. 

“Sir?”  The tactical officer called out as she resumed her normal duty station, “The Ekosian Foreign Ministry is online…”

“Main viewer, Lieutenant,” Hobson ordered, squaring his shoulders.  As the image of an obviously shocked and dismayed Foreign Minister Tana filled the screen, Chris greeted her politely, “Madame Minister…”

“Commander Hobson…” The Minister began, her voice tone betraying just the slightest hint of nervousness.  “Please allow me to apologize for what happened.  This is a sad day for all of us—Ekosians as well as our Zeon and Federation friends; and I want you to know that you have my solemn promise that we will rescue your people and the ambassador and that we will punish those responsible for this outrage.”

“Thank you, Madame,” Chris replied in as affirmative a manner as possible, adding, his voice tone indicating that this was a nonnegotiable position, “And I want you to know that, while I appreciate your efforts on our behalf, we are beginning our own investigation into locating our people.”  Noticing the brief expression of outrage crossing the face of the Ekosian diplomat, Hobson flashed a reassuring smile, in an effort to smooth any ruffled feathers, “Of course, we would welcome any advice you or your Security Service might be willing to provide and we will share all information with you.”

“I see…” The Minister vocalized, her irritation at both the implied criticism of the competence of the Ekosian security forces and at the intrusion into Ekosian sovereignty not completely assuaged.  Grateful; however for the face saving gesture offered by the stone faced Starfleet officer on her view screen, she nodded her head once.  “Please allow me to contact Internal Security and I will try to arrange a meeting…would that be acceptable to you?”

“That would be most acceptable,” Hobson agreed, allowing a slight smile to cross his features.  “I look forward to hearing from you soon,” he finished as he cut off transmissions.  Turning towards his science officer, the first officer directed, “Mr. Varok…I want you and the other senior officers in Conference Room One in thirty minutes.  I expect you gentlemen to have some ideas for me by then.”

*********************************

Oof!  Liz grunted as she was propelled by a strong hand to the floor of her cell, followed by Anara and the ambassador.  As soon as the door closed, the captain turned to her fellow prisoners, “Ambassador…Lieutenant…how’re you holding up?”

“A few bumps and bruises, sir…” The Deltan woman replied, answering first, “But otherwise I am fine.”

“What about you, Ambassador Offenhouse?” Liz then asked.

“I…I…I’m…alright,” The time displaced ambassador replied, his cracking voice betraying the fear growing within him.

Seeing his growing anxiety in the diplomat’s eyes, Liz reluctantly set aside her own feelings of loss at the death of her old friend and mentor as she moved immediately to put him at ease, “We’re going to get through this, Ambassador,” She stated in as confident a voice as she could muster to the man crouched on the floor in front of her.  “The Sutherland and the Ekosian authorities will be doing everything they can to find us,” She then flashed a wry grin, “We’ve got the easy part…all we have to do is hold on.”

“Yes…” Ralph responded, his spirits buoyed, at least for now, by the captain’s pep talk, “I understand.”  Then, cracking a wry grin of his own, he nervously joked, “You know, I never thought I’d find that executive’s terrorism survival course I took back in the twentieth century would come in handy now.”

Cracking a smile of her own, Liz rejoined, “That’s the spirit, Ambassador.”  Addressing both of her fellow inmates, she instructed as she winced at the chafing being caused by the bonds tying her hands together behind her back, putting aside, for now, her grief at the loss of her old teacher. “Ok…our first order of business is survival.  And I think we’ll have a much better chance if we can get ourselves untied.”

******************************************

Looking first at the vacant chair at the head of the table that would have normally been occupied by his captain, and then at the rest of the senior officers gathered around him, Commander Hobson cleared his throat, “Report.”

“We haven’t been able to raise them on their comm. badges, which indicate that they were probably removed, as expected.”  Lieutenant Atoa responded, “Also, our planetary scans haven’t turned up anything.”  He added his frustration evident in his voice tone and mannerisms. 

“That’s to be expected.”  Hobson asked, maintaining his normal poker face even in the midst of bad news. “As Ekosians are transplanted humans, there wouldn’t have been enough time for genetic drift to have made that much of a difference.”  Pausing for a moment, he mused, “But Lieutenant Rysyl is Deltan.  The only Deltan on the planet, I might add.”

“Yes sir,” Atoa agreed, “Which leads me to point number two, “In all probability, the terrorists have them hidden in an area that either naturally or artificially blocks our scanners.  Flashing a slight smile, he continued, “Which…in a way…gives us something to work with by narrowing our search area somewhat.”

“While Mr. Atoa is correct in that this would limit our search area slightly…” Varok interjected, “We are still faced with a formidable task as, even once we eliminate the areas that we have scanned, we are still left with approximately a quarter of the planet to search—that is assuming they are still on Ekos.”

“What about that possibility?”  Hobson inquired “Is there a chance that they’ve left the planet?”

“Possible…but doubtful, sir,” Atoa answered back.  “Records indicate no transporter activity immediately prior to the broadcast and the Ekosian authorities have since placed tight movement restrictions—I’d bet they’re on the planet…probably fairly close to where they were kidnapped.”

“Why would you say that?”  Dr. Murakawa asked.

“Partly…it’s a hunch,” Manuele admitted, “But it’s an educated hunch. You see, Sir…” He explained, “Surprise, shock and a quick and clean getaway are vital elements in a terrorist action such as this.  The terrorists would know that transporter patterns could be traced as could a shuttle launch.  Add to that there’s the fact that the capital city is a large archopolis with millions of inhabitants—some of whom are sure to be sympathizers who would be more than willing to offer hide outs to bad guys.  That tells me that they are probably still somewhere within the city.”

“And a large urban area would also have an abundance of locations such as naturally or artificially shielded tunnels that would be difficult…if not impossible…to scan,” Varok interjected, raising an eyebrow, “A logical hypothesis, Lieutenant.”

“Ok…” Hobson deliberated, “Let’s limit the search parameters to the capital, then,” Addressing Manuele, he inquired, “Do you think that someone within the Ekosian Foreign Ministry might have had a hand in this?”

“The Foreign Ministry…Internal Security…any of a dozen military or police agencies…” Atoa ticked off, “…could have and probably have been easily infiltrated by the terrorists.”

“This would seem to imply a flaw in the social and political structure of Ekosian society…” Varok interjected, “A flaw that might very well prove a hindrance to their efforts to achieve Federation membership.”

“That’s for the politicians and diplomats to decide,” Chris declared in a matter of fact tone.  Turning his attention back to Lieutenant Atoa, the commander asked, “Do you have any ideas on who the infiltrator or infiltrators might be and how we might catch them?”

Sighing, Manuele answered back, “Not really, Sir.  Although…” He speculated, remembering his encounter with Mere Lindos, “…there might be someone who might be able to help us.”

Nodding his head, Hobson responded, “Follow up your lead, Mr. Atoa and let us know what—if anything—you come up with.”

“Yes, sir,” Atoa crisply replied.

Addressing the other officers, Chris asked, “Does anyone else have any ideas on how we can more effectively direct our search?

“Sir…” Lieutenant Commander Tol said, immediately speaking up, “Doctor Murakawa and I were discussing something—I’ll admit, it’s a shot in the dark…but it just might work…”

“Well...a shot in the dark is better than no shot at all…” Commander Hobson replied dryly.  “What is your plan?”

“I think I’ll let the doctor explain,” Tol answered back, fidgeting slightly in his seat.

“Well…” Doctor Murakawa began shyly, “First, I remembered Anara telling me that Deltan pheromones had a greater effect in closed in spaces with poor ventilation.  Later on, after the incident on Deep Space Nine that Lieutenant Rysyl was involved in, I read that Deltans produce an increased amount of pheromones in stressful situations…”

“That’s all very good, Doctor…” Hobson interrupted, somewhat testily, “But how is this going to help us find our people?”

“As I was about to say, sir…” The doctor replied, her own voice carrying an edge to it, “Mr. Tol and I have found a way to modify our medical tricorders to be able to detect this increase in Deltan pheromones.”

Allowing a rare smile to cross his features, Chris speculated, “I assume that this will only work at short range—that we can’t augment it to where we can scan from the ship?”

“I’m sorry, sir…we can’t,” Denise replied, shaking her head.  “The concentrations of pheromones can only be detected in close proximity to their source.”

“Well…I’ll take what we can get,” Hobson declared and then, remembering what had happened at DS 9, he asked somewhat tentatively, “What effect would this increased concentration have on the others, Doctor?”

Denise, deciding that discussing her talk with Anara would not in this instance be a violation of patient-physician confidence, responded, “I had a conversation about that with Lieutenant Rysyl as well.  She said that while those who would normally have feelings of sexual attraction towards a given Deltan might feel an increased attraction, the pheromones wouldn’t make the other person do anything that they normally wouldn’t do anyway—they don’t work anything like they’re portrayed in the cheap holo-novels, sir.  At worst they would prove to be a minor distraction—but nothing more.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Chris replied, relieved at the answer to his question. “I want you and Mr. Tol to begin immediately to modify the tricorders for the security details,”Turning his attention to Lieutenant Atoa and Lieutenant Commander Varok, he ordered, “You gentlemen will join me on the surface for the meeting with the Foreign Minister.”  Standing up, Chris dismissed the assembly, “All right, people…you have your orders…”

***********************************

Rubbing her now free hands together, Liz ignored the increased beating of her heart as her eyes glanced quickly in Anara’s direction before landing on the ambassador’s, “How’re you holding up, Ambassador…”

“Ok…I guess…” The time displaced man replied, and then, shooting a quick glance at his Deltan aide, he added, “It’s just that I’ve never been in this close quarters with…someone like Anara before…” He said, giving the Deltan woman a look of apology, “And well…”

“I know what you mean…” Liz remarked sympathetically.

“I’m sorry…” Anara interjected, a note of irritation in her voice, “I don’t mean to…”

“It’s not your fault, Lieutenant,” Shelby replied in a soothing tone.  Flashing a wry grin, she added, “In any event, I don’t know about the two of you, but even if I were in the mood for it, right now we’ve got more important things to think about than having an orgy.”

“So…what do we do, Captain?”  Ralph asked, his voice taking on a slightly higher pitch as he once again began to panic as he felt the control slipping away from him.

“First thing we do is we wait.  We take some time to relax and gather our strength, and get the lay of the land.” Liz directed.  Then, in an effort to ease the ambassador’s growing fears, the captain suggested, “While we’re doing that, why don’t you explain to us what you learned in that survival course you took.  I’m sure what you learned could help us.”

“Thanks, Captain,” Ralph, thankful to the captain for providing him at least the illusion of having a slight measure of control, responded.  “It’s been a while since I took the course, but here’s what I remember…”

************************************

Immediately after materializing on the Foreign Ministry’s transporter pad, Commander Hobson and his staff were greeted by Minister Tana, “Gentlemen…” She said, her more confident tone of voice reflecting her regained composure.  “I’m sorry we have to meet again under these circumstances.  If you’ll accompany me, please, representatives from Internal Security and the Ministry of Police are already here.”

Following the Minister down the corridor, the Starfleet officers immediately noticed the increased number of armed internal security troops carrying holstered the pistol gripped Federation issue 2287 type two phaser.  Then, as he saw the two men standing guard at the end of the corridor bearing at port arms modern Federation standard phaser rifles, Hobson’s eyebrow lifted slightly.  Snapping to attention as the Minister neared their position; the guard on the left activated the door, causing it to slide open to reveal a standard conference room with all but four seats already occupied by men and women in various military and civilian dress.

“Please, Commander…gentlemen…” Minister Tana directed, motioning in the direction of three of the empty seats clustered together, “Be seated.  We have a great deal to discuss.” 

“Thank you, Minister,” Chris acknowledged urbanely as he took his seat.  “If I might ask, have your people turned up any more information as to who or what these ‘Soldiers of Melakon’ might be?”

Letting out a sigh, the Minister explained, “The Soldiers of Melakon are part of an illegal movement that seeks to restore the Nazis.  There is also another organization called the Rebirth Movement that seeks to ‘purge’ Ekosian society of all ‘alien’ elements—including the Nazis.  These two groups are mutually hostile—the only thing they have in common is a mutual animosity towards outworlders—especially Zeons.”

“I see.”  Chris replied, carefully mulling over the Minister’s words.  “So…how does this Rebirth Movement figure into the kidnapping of our people?”

“We might be able to use them to help find your people.”  Minister Tana answered back.  “If for no other reason than because they wouldn’t want the Nazis to gain political ascendance.”

“Because they view them to be just as much a foreign intrusion as the Federation?”  Lieutenant Commander Varok supplied.

“Just so.”  The Ekosian Foreign Minister responded nodding her head.

“So…” Chris inquired, “How do we go about enlisting the help of these…people?”

“There is also a legitimate political party called the Restoration Party that we believe has links to the Rebirth Movement.”  Minister Tana replied.  “It’s headed by Senator Durkan…”

“I’m curious, Madame Minister…” Lieutenant Atoa interjected, “Why your people haven’t arrested this Senator Durkan if you know that he is linked to this Rebirth Movement?”

“The problem is…” Tana sighed, “We can’t definitively prove that those links exist, and the Senator possesses a great deal of influence.  You see…he comes from one of our wealthiest and most populous prefectures…”

“So…he’s too powerful to risk moving against.” Hobson finished and then asked, “Do you think it might be possible to arrange a meeting with Senator Durkan?”

Nodding her head, Minister Tana answered affirmatively, “We’ve already anticipated your request and the Senator has agreed to meet with you or whomever you wish to represent you in two standard hours.”

“Please express my thanks to the Senator for taking time out of his day to arrange this meeting,” Chris responded, turning the diplomatic offensive on full, “I and Mr. Atoa will meet with him.”  Flashing a quick polite smile, he added, “We would…of course…appreciate any help you can provide us.”

“Thank you, Commander.” Turning towards the new voice, Hobson saw a man wearing the tan uniform marking him as a member of the Internal Security forces as well as the three diamonds indicating general’s rank sitting next to the Foreign Minister.  “I am General Nerran…commander of the Ekosian Security forces for this region.  I look forward to working with you…” The general said in a polite, yet standoffish manner, “…and I have assigned a liaison to work with your Lieutenant Atoa.”  As the door to the conference room slid open once again, the general continued, “This is one of my best officers—Captain Mere Lindos…” Then, glancing in the Lieutenant’s direction, the general flashed a quick smile, “I believe the two of you are already acquainted?”

“Yes,” The New Kauaian said, smiling politely, “I had the pleasure of meeting the captain at the reception.” 

“Excellent,” The general proclaimed.  Then, turning towards his officer, he directed, “Captain—would you fill our guests in on the latest developments?”

“Yes, sir,” Mere replied, and then, turning towards where the Starfleet officers were sitting, she reported, “Approximately ten standard minutes ago, we received this communiqué apparently sent by the Soldiers of Melakon.  It demands, amongst other things, the immediate withdrawal of all ‘alien’ personnel from Ekos, the immediate dismantling of all ‘alien’ structures, recognition of the Nazis as a legitimate political party with the Soldiers of Melakon as its legitimate private militia, and finally, the resignation of all senior officers of the current government and military and their replacement by chosen representatives of the Nazis.”  She then took a deep breath before concluding, “Failure to meet these demands in a timely manner will result in the ‘public and humiliating’ execution of the prisoners.”

“They don’t ask for much…do they?” Atoa, his voice dripping with sarcasm, snapped before asking, “I don’t suppose they spelled out what they mean by ‘a timely manner’, did they?”

Frowning, Captain Lindos replied, “The communiqué said that a timetable for meeting the demands would follow shortly.”

Shaking his head, Manuele remarked, “They can’t honestly think that these demands will be met?”

Her head held erect, Minister Tana said, her voice reflecting both her stubbornness and her pride, “I can say with complete confidence that the Ekosian government will not agree to these outrageous terms.”

“There are only two logical reasons for making such sweeping demands,” Varok mused.  “The first reason would be to stake a negotiating position.”

“Forcing the Ekosian government to come up with a counterproposal?” Hobson interjected, “Maybe…but somehow I don’t think that’s the reason.”

“I agree,” General Nerran said, “These demands are so extreme that even if we wanted to make a counteroffer, we wouldn’t know where to begin.”

“Then…” Varok said, “In all likelihood, the second reason is probably the correct one—that they know their demands will not be met and so they are making them for reasons of theater.”

“I agree.” Chris interjected.  “It’s the only logical explanation.  They intend to execute Captain Shelby and the others rega