Star Trek: Both Hands Full - Fourth Edition by John Erik Ege - HTML preview

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now,” Undine said. “It’s possible they’ve made advancements in the technology that the

 

general population is not aware of.”

 

“Perhaps, but to my knowledge they have not perfected the system,” Kitara

 

argued. “And Klingon research and development have gotten some weird results. It isn’t

 

healthy messing with quantum realities.”

 

“I will be able to make it work,” Losira said. “My race, the Kalandans, had

 

transwarp capabilities. It is my superior processing abilities that will make it possible. In

 

fact, it is where Star Fleet first learned of the actuality of transwarp, beyond theoretical

 

constructs.”

 

“Your race was successful with transwarp?” Kitara asked. “Then where are your

 

people?”

 

“To the best of my knowledge, they are extinct,” Losira admitted. “How can a transwarp society be extinct? They should have outposts all over the

 

galaxy, or more, the Universe,” Undine said.

 

“It is possible that there are Kalandans that have survived the cataclysm, perhaps

 

on some uncharted planet that my memory banks are not privy to,” Losira said. “It would

 

be exceedingly pleasant for me to learn that that is true.”

 

“Okay,” Garcia interrupted the family discussion. “It’s like this. We need to

 

appear to be in several places at once. One of the ways to do this is to use the transwarp

 

drive. As we make appearances in different parts of the Federation and Klingon Empire,

 

our enemies will become confused, and we will have plausible deniability.” “And what are the other ways to do this?” Undine asked.

 

“We will have the SaLing make its presence known in certain systems and let

 

people assume that the SaLing is us,” Garcia said. “In addition to the SaLing ruse, we’re

 

about to make our debut as Federation officers in a third ship.”

 

“A third ship?” Kitara asked. “We don’t have a third ship.”

 

“We’re about to,” Garcia said. “We’re going to steal a Star Fleet ship and make

 

our presence known to the Federation.”

 

“I must protest,” Lt. Undine said. “Why don’t we just use a Star Fleet skin?” “Because, Star Fleet ship’s have registry numbers,” Garcia explained. “As any

 

magician worth his salt would say, we have to give them reality before we give them

 

illusions.”

 

“We can’t steal a Star Fleet ship,” Undine argued.

 

“Yes, we can,” Garcia said. “We’ve been authorized by Admiral Singer to

 

conduct a test to see if a starship can be stolen from the surplus depot at Qualor Two. It

 

was a very important mission, requiring top secrecy, and consequently, that is why I was

 

unable to report to my court marital. I was under orders by Admiral Singer to disregard

 

court marital proceedings to conduct this test.”

 

“He gave no such orders,” Undine said.

 

“I know that. You know that. But Star Fleet and the Federation doesn’t know

 

that,” Garcia said. “Captain Picard knows that Admiral Sheaar was interviewing me and

 

he knows that Admiral Singer is somehow involved. That much of our story can be

 

corroborated. Also, Qualor Two has recently had several incidents of theft, so our cover

 

story, that we were assigned by Singer to steal a ship to test the depot’s security will

 

sound plausible. Further, if we get there fast enough, the time line for the theft of the

 

ship and the war games should be close enough that our stories will sound plausible if we

 

need them to. Further, once we’ve done this, and made ourselves known, we can start to

 

build a positive reputation and back peddle ourselves out of this hole that Pressman and

 

Sheaar have put us in. Now, if there is no more dissent, I would like to be on our way.” No one said anything.

 

“Lt. Bri, if you will,” Garcia said.

 

“Will there be side affects to this transwarp technology?” Bri asked. “I have

 

heard stories of ships disappearing never to return again, stories of temporal anomalies

 

occurring, and stories of Klingon’s who found themselves melded into the ship itself.” Garcia shrugged, thinking back to an old Earth story, the Philadelphia

 

Experiment. Perhaps what Bli was feeling was what all sentient beings felt when pushing

 

the boundaries of what they knew. Beyond this, there be dragons.

 

“The Kalandans have had a ninety nine percent success rate,” Losira answered.

 

“If the transwarp drive was installed per Kalandan recommendations, we should share

 

similar success. Of course, there is always an inherent risk involved in traveling beyond

 

relativistic speeds. In order to minimize potential risks, it is necessary to limit the length

 

of time spent traveling at transwarp speeds. Given the coordinates involved, I suspect I

 

can transverse the distance in four point three seconds, and that includes time to ascertain

 

whether or not the space we intend to occupy is currently occupied.”

 

“And if it is occupied?” Undine asked.

 

“Most items, such as atoms or dust particles, will be brushed aside due to our

 

quantum wake, but larger items, small artificial satellites, probes, or ships, will require

 

me to shift our position to one side of the other.”

 

“And if you fail to find an object?” Bri asked.

 

“The Path Finder’s sensors are by far the best Star Fleet has ever produced,”

 

Losira said. “I won’t fail to detect an item in our path.”

 

“But, if you did?” Bri asked.

 

“Naturally, no two objects can occupy the same space at the same time,” Losira

 

said. “Coming out of transwarp on top of such an object will generate a collision, with

 

the degree of damage increasing with the size of the object we collide with. Hitting a ship or rock with an equail mass of the Path Finder would be similar to mixing twenty

 

times our matter with an equivalent amount of anti matter.”

 

Bri swallowed and looked to Garcia.

 

“You won’t feel a thing,” Garcia said. “Push the button.”

 

Bri pushed the button. From outside the starship, the Path Finder seem to hesitate

 

in space, the warp nacelles began to glow, as did the fiber optic network that lined the

 

rotating drum like a spider web mesh, and in a flash the ship was gone. When they

 

returned to normal space, they were just outside the Qualor Two system. A haze of

 

hydrogen vapor drifted from the ship like steam from a cup of coffee on a cold day. It left

 

a trail in their wake, as if they had stirred a cloud, but it dissipated quickly. There was one obvious glitch: almost everyone on the crew was suddenly sick to

 

their stomachs, some to the point of having to excuse themselves, only to find they didn’t

 

make it to the nearest lavatory or restroom. Losira responded immediately by providing

 

everyone on the Bridge air-sickness bags utilizing the point to point replicator system, as

 

well as manifesting extra Losira agents to tend to those who seemed the most afflicted.

 

Where appropriate, the Losira agents patted backs, or manifested wet, warm towels.

 

Other agents began cleaning the ship.

 

“We have successfully traveled to the coordinates you provided us, Captain,”

 

primary Losira said, cheerfully. She held an airsickness bag for Captain Garcia, but since

 

he didn’t need it, she recycled it. It disappeared from her hands.

 

“I hardly call this successful,” Kitara complained, handing the full sickness bag to

 

a Losira agent aiding her. Her Losira agent disposed of it with a transporter beam, as

 

well as all the other air sickness bags, and any biological contaminants that didn’t make

 

the bags. She litterally mopped up the floor with a transporter beam. The extra Losira

 

agents took inventory, decided they were no longer needed, and disappeared. “I told you transwarp is quirky,” Bri complained.

 

“It’s just a little airsickness. Anyone needing to go to Sickbay may leave, but if

 

you can cope, hold your stations,” Garcia said. Apparently he, Undine, and Sendak were

 

unaffected by the motion sickness. Even so, no one departed the Bridge. “Very well.

 

Engage primary cloaking system and then apply a holographic skin to make us appear to

 

be a Federation Long Range shuttle. Drop the secondary cloak as soon as the shuttle skin

 

is in place and make it appear as if we just arrived out of warp.”

 

“Done,” Kitara said. She was not happy, but whether it was from being sick or

 

from Garcia’s lack of apparent concern was not immediately apparent.

 

“Helm, take us in, full impulse,” Garcia ordered. Bri nodded, but he was still

 

looking fairly shaken. If this was going to be the routine, he was going to have to

 

prescribe Dramamine every time they made a transwarp jump. “Trini, contact the local

 

operations and see if you can get someone.”

 

Trini nodded, closed her eyes in an attempt to regain control of her stomach, and

 

then proceeded with her task. After a few moments of no return contact, Kitara whispered

 

to the Captain, “Do you know what you’re doing?”

 

“I have a plan,” Garcia said.

 

“Captain, no response to our hails,” Trini said.

 

“Keep trying,” Garcia said. “Helm, slow to half impulse and follow that line of

 

junk.”

 

“What kind of Starfleet junk are you looking for?” Tuer asked. “It should be here,” Garcia said.

 

“What should be here?” Kitara asked.

 

“Ahh, there it is,” Garcia said, sitting forward in his seat. “Pull us within five

 

hundred kilometers of that ship.”

 

“A New Orleans class starship,” Kitara said. “You intend to steal a New Orleans

 

class starship?”

 

“It’s the USS Constitution,” Lt. Sendak informed them. “Decommissioned due to

 

the discovery of a design flaw on its maiden voyage.”

 

“What sort of flaw?” Kitara asked.

 

“The inertia dampener grid lines embedded in the fuselage, decking and

 

bulkheads were misaligned,” Sendak said. “The entire surface of the fuselage, along with

 

critical bulkheads, have to be replaced. Star Fleet decided it would be cheaper to rebuild

 

the ship from scratch than to tear the ship apart and replace the hull piece by piece.” “And we want this ship because?” Kitara begged, encouraging Garcia to fill in the

 

blank.

 

“Because it’s the Constitution,” Garcia said, as if that explanation was sufficient.

 

He might as well have said, “It’s the Enterprise,” with the sort of reverence they heard in

 

his voice. He did not see the need to explain his full reasoning behind his choice, but the

 

most important factor for him was that the Consitution was the perfect companion to the

 

Path Finder. He had already worked it out in his head, confirmed with computer

 

simulation, that the two ships could be joined with the Path Finder in a piggy back

 

position to the Constitution. It would greatly increase their living space, but most

 

importantly provide them with an alibi when performing clandestine missions. “Inertial Dampeners are a vital component to space travel,” Kitara pointed out. “It’s just a minor discrepancy,” Garcia said.

 

“Not when your ship changes direction and you get your head bashed against the

 

far hull,” Kitara said.

 

“It’s not that bad of a misalignment,” Garcia said. “It’s just doesn’t meet Star

 

Fleet’s standards.”

 

“Captain, a response to your hail is coming through,” Trini announced. “Klingon crew, stay out of view. On screen, Lt.,” Garcia said.

 

“This is Dokachin, Klim,” said the Zakdorn in a slow and weary voice. “Quarter

 

Master of the supply depot. What do you want?”

 

“I have orders to take the Constitution,” Garcia said.

 

“Do you know what time it is?” Klim complained.

 

“Not really. Sorry, did I disturb your sleep cycle?” Garcia asked. “Yes,” Klim said, and terminated the conversation.

 

“Did he just?” Garcia asked.

 

“He did,” Undine said.

 

“Raise Ior again,” Garcia said.

 

“Ior?” Kitara asked.

 

“A bedtime story,” Garcia said. He sighed at the fact that no one ever got his

 

references or jokes. Except Losira, and it was her fault that the story was in his head,

 

having made an allusion to the story earlier in the day. She was smiling, knowingly.

 

“Never mind. Trini, hail him again.”

 

It didn’t take as long for Klim to return. “What?”

 

“We have business to discuss,” Garcia said.

 

“Come back tomorrow at a descent time,” Klim said.

 

“My orders are very specific. Upon arrival, I am to board the Constitution and

 

begin the installation of the new warp core,” Garcia said.

 

“I have no paper work regarding this,” Klim protested, lazily. “I’ll contact you

 

when the appropriate paper work arrives.”

 

Klim terminated the call.

 

Garcia sighed. “Sendak, transmit the authorization papers I had you create,”

 

Garcia said. “Trini, hail him again.”

 

“Why don’t you let me kill him?” Kitara asked.

 

Garcia silenced her with a motion of his hand as Klim returned to the view screen. “It is obvious to me that you transmitted these orders,” Klim said. “Yes, those are copies of my orders. May I please begin work?” Garcia asked. “I have to confirm these orders with an Admiral Singer,” Klim said, glancing over

 

the forms on his PADD. “It will take a while to send a message to Star Fleet

 

Headquarters. And by the time the message gets there, Admiral Singer will no doubt

 

have entered his own sleep cycle. Please, just let me get some sleep.”

 

“Look, it’s obvious that it’s going to take some time on your end to get things

 

straightened up. What, twenty four hours at best?” Garcia asked. “It will take us at least

 

three days to install the warp core. If you would let me proceed, you should have the

 

confirmation before I finish the installation and everybody will be happy. Think of it this

 

way. The sooner I have my task finished, the sooner I’ll be out of your hair. And you

 

can get some sleep.”

 

“You will just have to wait,” Klim said, and terminated the call.

 

“Get him back,” Garcia said, standing. “I’ve had about enough of this.” “Just relax,” Garcia’s mental Troi told him.

 

“What?!” Klim yelled. “You’re beginning to make me angry.”

 

“Tough. I’ve come along way, in a very small ship, with barely enough room for

 

the warp core I brought, much less the recovery team to fly the Constitution,” Garcia

 

said. “Now, either you allow me to board the ship and start doing my job, or I will

 

demand that you prepare to allow my crew to disembark on your premises in order to

 

stretch their legs. Which do you find more preferable?”

 

Klim bit back his initial, and even his second, response. “You may board the

 

Constitution. But if I find any discrepancies in this order, there will be hell to pay.” “Fine,” Garcia said.

 

“Fine,” Klim said, and terminated the call.

 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to kill him?” Kitara asked.

 

“No,” Garcia said. And mumbled to himself, “I’m not sure.”

 

Garcia walked over to the helm and pulled up a display. “Bri, I want you to dock

 

the Path Finder up against the Constitution like so. There should be just enough room, at

 

this rotation of the y axis for the warp nacelles here and here, and the mid section of the

 

cone should make contact right here on the top, aft edge of the saucer section, and the

 

lower nacelles will contact here.”

 

“Aye,” Bri said.

 

“Losira, once the Path Finder is in place, I want you to create holographic docking

 

clamps to secure us to the Constitution,” Garcia said. “Also, extend a holographic bridge to the Constitution so we can more easily board her. Captain to Lt. Gomez, what’s the

 

fastest warp core installation on record?”

 

“Twenty eight hours, nine minutes,” Lt. Gomez answered.

 

“I want you to beat that. Use the mass replicator to make any parts you need,”

 

Garcia said. “I want the Constitution warmed up and operational as soon as possible.

 

Kitara, make sure she has enough people to assist in that endeavor, and then who ever is

 

left over, assigned them to inspecting the Constitution to get her flight ready. Basically,

 

all hands, minus Path Finder’s minimum crew compliments. Treat this as a battle

 

simulation.”

 

“Aye, Captain,” Kitara said.

 

“Losira,” Garcia said. “Take the long range shuttle skin and have it land in the

 

landing bay on the Constitution. Once the shuttle bay doors close, you can terminate that

 

holographic projection.”

 

“Aye, aye,” Losira said, saluting.

 

“One aye is sufficient,” Garcia corrected. “And no saluting.”

 

“The Klingons salute you,” Losira said.

 

“You’re not Klingon,” Garcia said. “Can you help with the Constitution project?” “Certainly,” Losira said. “I can run some power couplings from the Path Finder

 

to the Constitution so that the Constitution can run off our power systems until its

 

batteries have been fully recharged.”

 

“Excellent,” Garcia said. “Also, go out there on the hull and paint the word New

 

in front of all the Constitutions. Make it look like graffiti.”

 

“As you wish,” Losira said, looking up and to the right. “It’s being done even as

 

we speak.”

 

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

 

Garcia was on his way to the Path Finder’s Engineering section when he was met

 

by Marvin Smith, Dryac’s attendant.

 

“I’d like to talk to you about the transwarp drive,” Marvin said.

 

“Okay, shoot,” Garcia said, not slowing his stride.

 

“It makes Dryac sick,” Marvin said, trying to keep up. “She became temporarily

 

disorientated and then violently ill. Not as ill as she was made by the phasing cloak, but

 

still…”

 

Garcia stopped. “Is she alright?” Garcia asked.