FicWad

Historian's Note: The events chronicled in this story happen between 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture and 1982's Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.


Tuesday, October 12, 2275

Beta Quadrant

Aboard U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701


Captain's log, stardate 7562.2, Admiral James T. Kirk recording. Much time has passed since the incident with V'Ger, but the losses of Decker and Ilia still weigh heavily upon me. Furthermore, I regret that my reacquired command of the Enterprise had to come with their sacrifices.

The Enterprise is currently engaged in star-charting. Mr. Spock is particularly interested in an orange dwarf star roughly 20 AUs from our current position. I have ordered Mr. Sulu to bring us closer.


The Enterprise holds her position roughly one-quarter of an astronomical unit (AU) from the star. On the Enterprise's bridge, Doctor Leonard "Bones" McCoy stands over Spock's shoulder, as the latter studies his scans of the star.

"Star is spectral class kay-zero-five, surface temperature of five thousand two hundred fifty Kelvin, with a mean radius of six hundred thirty thousand kilometers. Fascinating, this star is very similar to Vulcan's sun," Spock reports.

"Would this be why you were so eager to have a look-see?" McCoy asks.

"It is, Doctor."

Kirk spins his chair to look at McCoy.

"What are you doing on the bridge, Bones? Have you not enough to do in sickbay?"

"Well, frankly, Jim, it's very slow down there today."

Suddenly, Spock stiffens as someone connects with him telepathically.

"Help us. Communications lost. Losing life support," they plead.

"Who is this? Where are you?" Spock inquires.

"Little time. Very near. Please help us."

"Spock? Spock!" Kirk grabs his friend's shoulders and shakes him. Spock snaps out of his reverie.

"What the hell just happened, Spock?" McCoy queries.

"Someone just contacted me telepathically. They are in need of assistance, but they have lost communications. However, they said that they were 'very near'," Spock begins working.

"What are you doing?" Kirk inquires.

"I am scanning for any other vessels in range."

Kirk and McCoy exchange concerned glances as Spock performs the scan.

"I found it. It is a ship, heavily damaged, and adrift. It is five AUs away; coordinates are one-seven-five mark nine-five."

"Mr. Chekov, input coordinates one-seven-five mark nine-five. Mr. Sulu, full impulse power," Kirk orders.

"Aye, sir," the two men say in unison.


Roughly three hours later, the Enterprise approaches the alien vessel and stops. The Enterprise's starboard side faces the alien craft's port side. Some of the latter's windows shine and flicker turquoise, and it is missing one of its formerly twin nacelles, along with a chunk of hull. Despite that, however, one can see that the alien ship's design is very organic, like the waves of an ocean. The craft is also painted a deep ultramarine, and its metallic hull shines brilliantly against the backdrop of the orange star.

"It's beautiful," Uhura observes.

"Aye, it's as if they took the sea itself and made it into a starship," Scott adds.

"What's it like over there, Spock?" Kirk inquires.

"I have scanned the ship's interior and atmosphere, Admiral. Life support is minimal, but we can beam over without environmental suits. I have also taken the liberty of sending the interior scans to the transporter room," Spock reports.

"Very well, Spock, Bones, Scotty, you're with me," Kirk then pushes a button on his command chair. "Kirk to Mr. Leslie, please meet us in the transporter room," Kirk requests and pushes the button again to terminate the link.

"There is something else, Admiral. Though the air is breathable, the scans also indicate that the alien vessel's gravity and air pressure are lower than Earth normal. The former is nine-point-three-two meters per square second, and the latter is sixty-eight-point-nine kilopascals. I advise caution, as we may start to feel somewhat lightheaded and dizzy when we first beam aboard," Spock warns.

"Sounds like I may need to bring something along to alleviate that," McCoy remarks.

"Indeed."


Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Scott arrive in the transporter room. Security officer Mr. Leslie is present, and staffing the transporter console is transporter chief Janice Rand. Scott, carrying a toolkit, opens a compartment to the right of the transporter, retrieving flashlights, handing them to each of his comrades. McCoy eyes the transporter pad disapprovingly.

"Are you sure you need me that badly this time, Jim?" McCoy asks Kirk.

"Oh, yes, Bones, but I need you very badly this time," the two friends chuckle, as well as Rand.

"Well, in that case, I suppose I can brave the trials and tribulations of using this contraption."

"Time is of the essence, gentlemen. We must make haste," Spock reminds everyone.

The men get onto the transporter pad.

"Based on the scans Mr. Spock sent me of the ship's interior, I am beaming you into a corridor that is not too heavily damaged," Rand states.

"All right, phasers on stun," Kirk orders. "Energize."

The men are beamed away in a pillar of white light.


Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scott, and Leslie beam into an ultramarine corridor with a pentagonal cross-section. Some of the lit turquoise light strips in the corridor flicker and lavender-gray "alert" light strips flash on and off. Other than that, it is dark, with only sparking wires dangling from the ceiling providing momentary flashes of light. There are also scorch marks on the corridor walls.

"Oof, I feel drunk, and I haven't even touched a drop of scotch," Scott puts his hand up against the corridor wall.

"I feel like my lunch might come back up," Leslie holds his stomach.

"I know the feeling," McCoy agrees and pulls out a hypospray. "Here, I am injecting us with something that'll help ease our symptoms," McCoy does so.

"Phew, thanks Doctor," Scott rights himself.

"Better add 'nausea' to the list of effects, Mr. Spock," Kirk coughs.

"Our symptoms are somewhat more potent than I had anticipated," Spock admits.

McCoy finishes the injections, "Does everyone feel a little better?"

"Yes, thank you, Bones," Kirk answers.

The quintet, flashlights drawn, proceeds down the corridor, where there are several humanoid bodies, male and female, littering the floor. The bodies wear white, form-fitting bodysuits with various permutations in insignia and colors. The masculine and feminine versions of the suit are the same; the back has a plunging V-neck that stops just before the buttocks; and the arms and legs are covered only up to the forearms and calves, respectively.

Lying in blue-teal blood, the bodies resemble humans except for their varying shades of light cyan skin, curved slits on either side of their necks, webbed fingers and toes, and reflective skin. They also have very toned muscles and look nude in the dim light.

McCoy approaches the bodies of a male and female and scans them for life signs with his tricorder. He looks at Kirk and shakes his head. McCoy then notices how reflective the aliens' skin is in the flashlights' glow and feels of it.

"Their skin is somewhat viscous, slimy," McCoy observes.

Spock stiffens once more as he is contacted via his mind. The voice is a different one from the first contact.

"Good, you are here. Close to your location, to the right, should be the engineering chief's office. There you should find some schematics that will help you navigate our vessel. I and my sister, the one who contacted you first, are in the command center. Please be quick, she is close to death, and my head aches as I lose mental energy."

"Spock?" Kirk waves his hand in front of Spock's eyes.

"I just received another message, Admiral. They say that, to the right, just down this corridor, is the chief engineer's office."

Stepping over the bodies, Kirk and company proceed further down the hallway. They approach a malfunctioning pentagonal door that will not open. The control panel to the right of the door is smoldering, with black smoke emerging from it.

"How are we supposed to get past this door?" McCoy wonders aloud.

Scott scans the door, observing, "There are microfractures in the doors' structure, a small explosive charge should be sufficient to blow it open," Scott opens his toolkit, pulling out a small demolition charge. He places the demolition charge; it detonates; and the door falls to the floor.

They enter the chief engineer's office. Sitting at a desk with his head down is a male with short, dark blonde hair. Like the others in the hall, he wears a white bodysuit. Rolls of schematics are scattered throughout the room. McCoy scans the male.

"He's just unconscious," McCoy notes, but the male wakes, revealing his purple eyes, and seeing the alien visitors, he starts back. Leslie raises his phaser in reflex.

Seeing the phaser, the male raises his arms and fearfully yells something in an alien language. Kirk motions for Leslie to lower his phaser.

"Admiral, during my contact with the aliens, I was able to learn some of their language. Allow me to speak to him," Spock offers.

"Can you translate what he just said?" Kirk inquires.

"He asked for us not to harm him, and he wants to know who we are and what we want."

Spock then speaks with the alien in his language.

"Greetings, I am Spock. These are my colleagues. I received a telepathic message from your compatriots, asking for our help. We are not here to harm you."

Somewhat confused, the male lowers his hands and responds to Spock, stuttering, "Hello, I am the engineering chief of this vessel. My name is Nalak Bao."

"What happened?" Spock queries.

"We attempted to breach a speed barrier by testing twin prototype faster-than-light engines. However, as we neared the threshold, one of the engine nacelles malfunctioned. We attempted to jettison it, but it exploded before we could."

"I see. Can you help us get to the command center?"


Arriving on the bridge of the alien ship, the Starfleet officers and Bao see the two females who contacted Spock. One of them is unconscious. The conscious female has long black hair and piercing blue eyes, and the unconscious female has short red hair.

"Bao! You live!" the conscious female speaks excitedly in her native tongue. Bao kneels beside her.

"I am glad to see you as well, Ylro! What is wrong with Trgys?"

"She has a head injury. It may be a concussion, but I am unsure. She nears death," Ylro then looks at Kirk and his entourage, recognizing Spock.

"You! You are the one that Trgys and I contacted?"

"Yes, I am Spock."

"I am very grateful that you came, Spock. I am Osya Ylro, commander of this vessel, and Trgys, my sister, is our astrogation chief. Is there anyone among you who is a healer?"

Spock speaks to Kirk, "Admiral, this is Osya Ylro; she commands this ship. She also asks if we have a doctor with us."

"Bones," Kirk says. McCoy approaches Trgys, kneels beside her, and scans her with his tricorder.

"She has a severe concussion. We need to get her to sickbay quickly, or she'll die."

Having learned some English during her contact with Spock, Ylro understands McCoy. Ylro then closes her eyes, raising a hand to her chest.

"Please help my sister," Ylro opens her eyes and pleads in English.



Wednesday, October 13, 2275

Aboard U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701

Sickbay


Captain's log, stardate 7562.4, the Enterprise has taken aboard survivors of an alien ship adrift in space, near the previously mentioned star Mr. Spock wished to study. Using telepathy as a distress signal, two of the aliens contacted Mr. Spock, requesting aid. One of the survivors, also a contact, suffered a severe concussion, but Dr. McCoy assures us that they will live, noting that we were lucky to arrive when we did. I also had Commander Uhura run the alien language through the linguacode translation matrix, so that we may use the universal translators to communicate with them.


Osya Trgys lies unconscious on the green, translucent central diagnostic biobed. Bao and Ylro stand over her, while other survivors lie on other biobeds lining sickbay's perimeter. On Trgys's forehead are two rectangular medical devices, and a wide, blue beam of light shines from a circular apparatus above, scanning her from head to toe. A cross-section of Trgys's body appears on the large monitor at the front of sickbay.

McCoy notes some of the anatomical differences, "Eyes have a fish-like second eyelid; brain has three lobes; heart has six chambers; and the heart's muscle mass is greater on the right side than on the left.

"The slits on either side of the neck are gills; the skin and hair also secrete a slightly viscous oil; and the blood is copper-based, like Spock's, except it is a blue-teal color, as we, unfortunately, saw aboard the ship."

"Excuse me, lass, if this is not out of line, you have very lovely muscles," Scott compliments Ylro.

Flattered, Ylro blushes a bright blue. She then chuckles and says, "My thanks to you, Mr. Scott. My people are naturally muscular; it supports us as swimmers."

"While still on the subject of anatomy, why don't you show us what else makes you such good swimmers?" McCoy winks. "Y'all might want to stand back," McCoy warns, and Kirk, Spock, Scott, and Leslie do so.

"You mean these?" Translucent and iridescent fins protrude in an eyeblink from Ylro's back, her anterior forearms, and calves. The suddenness of it startles even Spock.

Ylro is 180.34 centimeters or 5 feet, 11 inches tall. Her back fin extends from the base of her neck to the bottom of her back, protruding by a third of her height. There is a fin on each forearm and calf; the former extends from the wrist to the elbow, protruding by an eighth of the length of her back fin; and the latter extends from the ankle to the knee, protruding by a quarter of the length of her back fin.

"Showoff," Bao mumbles. Ylro elbows him in the side.

"Show yours as well."

"What?"

"Come on!"

Bao sighs and extends his fins, but he does so more slowly. Bao is 175.26 centimeters or 5 feet, 9 inches tall. His back fin protrudes by three-tenths of his height rather than a third.

"You'll note that the male's fins are a bit smaller than the female's," McCoy notes, and Ylro and Bao retract their fins.

Trgys stirs as she wakes. When she opens her eyes, one can see that she has heterochromia, as her right eye is blue-gray, and her left eye is amber. She is also 177.8 centimeters or 5 feet, 10 inches tall.

Trgys is disoriented; her vision is somewhat blurry; and she convulses as she sneezes and coughs. McCoy injects her with something that stops the convulsions.

"Where am I? My head hurts," Trgys speaks aloud, clearing her throat. She begins to sit up but has to lie back down due to her terrible headache and vertigo.

"Trgys?"

"Ylro? Ylro, is that you? What happened? My head feels as if it will explode!"

"It is all right, my sister. We are safe on our rescuers' vessel."

"Someone received my telepathic message? My relief is great. Where is the person that I contacted?" Trgys inquires, as Spock steps into her field of vision. "Oh, so you are the one. My thanks to you. Are these your associates?"

"They are," Spock nods.

"My thanks to you all. I am Osya Trgys, astrogation chief. Are you returning us to our homeworld? If you are, will you take our beloved Sea Butterfly as well?"

"Sea Butterfly?" Kirk repeats.

"That is the name of our ship," Trgys clarifies.

"Mr. Scott?"

"Yes, Admiral?"

"How is the structural integrity of their ship?"

"If you're asking if we can use the tractor beam, we can, sir, but I recommend keeping the throttle at about one-quarter impulse."

"Very well," Kirk pushes a button on the speaker near the sickbay entrance. "Mr. Sulu, Mr. Chekov, prepare for towing. I will be on the bridge shortly," he pushes the button again to cut the connection. "And Mr. Scott, prepare the tractor beam. If you will excuse me," Kirk nods cordially at the guests, as he leaves sickbay. Spock also nods at them, as he follows Kirk out.

"I guess I'll get going, too. See you," Scott winks at Ylro as he leaves sickbay, and Ylro chuckles softly. Bao scoffs.

"Are you jealous, Bao?" Ylro continues chuckling.

"Ah, fear not, Bao. I will be here if Ylro becomes 'indisposed'," Trgys jokes and giggles.

"Thanks, Trgys," Bao smiles and chuckles.


Captain's log, supplemental, the Enterprise has taken the aforementioned alien vessel, named the Sea Butterfly, in tow. Our guests are doing well, and we are returning them to their homeworld, which they tell us is the fourth planet from the orange star that Mr. Spock studied earlier. From their description, it sounds as if their world is a paradise. My crew and I look forward to seeing it for ourselves.


Bao, Trgys, and Ylro stand on the Enterprise's bridge as their home planet comes into view on the viewscreen. The pelagic planet has a greenish-blue atmosphere with a vast seascape, dotted by islands with purple vegetation. Orbiting the planet are twin moons and a variety of artificial structures, including drydocks, which resemble giant whale skeletons, satellites, and other starships.

The largest of the structures is a starbase that resembles a colossal jellyfish, whose ellipsoidal "head", the starbase's berth, has several large pentagonal doors and a suite of antennae perched on its top. The berth is 4,000 meters across and 2,000 meters high. Attached to the bottom of the berth is a hollow, helical structure, which resembles a set of tentacles except that they converge at the bottom. The structure flares outward at the top, making it half a kilometer wider than the berth, but the bottom of the structure is only a ninth as wide as the top. The structure is also three times the height of the berth.

Through the gaps in the helical structure, one can see a circular emitter, which shoots a blinding white energy pillar up into a similarly-shaped receiver at the bottom-center of the berth. The energy pillar is protected by an iridescent and translucent shield, which makes it seem as if the helical structure is housing a bubble. The view ports of the starbase proper shine turquoise and is painted ultramarine like most of the other structures.

Kirk rotates his command chair to look at the guests.

"What is the political situation of your planet?" Kirk inquires.

"What is your meaning?" Ylro asks.

"Is your planet united under one government?" Kirk probes further.

"You mean a world government? There is the World Council, a group of representatives for each nation-state, but the latter continue to be mostly independent and retain their sovereignty," Ylro answers.

"Before my time, Earth, my home planet, had similar organizations called the United Nations and the New United Nations. Earth is now united as one and is also the capital and one of the founding members of the United Federation of Planets."

"United Federation of Planets?" Trgys asks.

"That is who we represent, but we operate under the auspices of Starfleet. It occurs to me now that I never welcomed you or your compatriots to the Enterprise on behalf of the United Federation of Planets. I am sorry," Kirk explains and apologizes.

"Apologies are unneeded, sir; you honor us; however, why these questions?" Ylro queries.

"Our Federation admits new members, and I was wondering if perhaps your world would qualify for Federation membership."

"Excuse me, sir, but there is a ship approaching," Sulu warns.

"They are hailing us," Uhura announces.

"On screen," Kirk orders. A male alien with short black hair and brown eyes appears on the viewscreen.

"What is your business here? Why are you towing one of our starships?" he demands.

"Allow me, sir," Ylro steps up to the viewscreen.

"Greetings, Captain, I am Osya Ylro, commander of the Sea Butterfly. During a test, our ship received severe damage due to a malfunction of one of the new prototype faster-than-light engines. The affected engine nacelle exploded. The explosion destroyed nearly half my ship and killed much of my crew. Despite our loss of communications, my sister and I managed to use our telepathy to get help. These kind people rescued us and towed our ship," Ylro explains.

"I see. Allow me to speak to the leader of your rescuers."

Ylro steps aside to reveal Admiral Kirk to the alien male.

"Greetings, I am Admiral James T. Kirk of the starship Enterprise, representing the United Federation of Planets. We come in peace."

"Indeed. How is it that I hear you speak Federative, yet your lips and speech mismatch?"

"We have something called a universal translator, which almost instantly translates other languages for real-time communication. Of course, we need a sample of the language first."

"Interesting. Welcome to our homeworld. Leave the Sea Butterfly there, and we will escort you to our starbase," the male smiles, closing the communication channel. The viewscreen switches back to a view of the planet and starbase.

"Disengage the tractor beam," Kirk commands. The blue-glowing tractor beam emitting from the bottom of the Enterprise's secondary hull ceases.

"What is 'Federative'?" McCoy wonders.

"It is the demonym of the Federation of the Six, which is the home nation of Trgys, Bao, and me. It is also the name of our language, which is one of the most widely spoken on our planet," Ylro answers.

The Enterprise follows her escort, while Spock performs a scan of the planet.

"The planet rotates clockwise and orbits its star clockwise. The planet's day lasts twenty-two hours, and its year lasts three hundred thirty-seven days and eight hours. Its mean radius is six thousand three hundred twenty kilometers. The ocean comprises eighty-seven percent of the surface, and the planet has almost no axial tilt due to the positions and gravitational influences of its twin moons," Spock reports.

The pentagonal space doors of the starbase open, and the Enterprise docks inside the starbase's berth. Several aliens, some in uniform, some not, peer out through the berth's observation windows; others walking by even stop to look at the Enterprise. One alien even comments to their mate on the beauty of the ship.

"Sir, we are being hailed," Uhura announces.

"On viewer," Kirk orders. The image of the starbase's commander, a male with long silver hair and striking green eyes, appears.

"I welcome you to our starbase on behalf of the World Council," greets the starbase commander.

"Salutations, Commander, I am Admiral James T. Kirk of the starship Enterprise, representing the United Federation of Planets. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine, Admiral. From here, I see that many gather near the observation windows. Your ship appears to be an attraction. Captain Uo informed me of your 'universal translator'. However, he said that you need samples for it. With your permission, I will have samples of our world's recorded languages uploaded to your ship's computer."

"That is very gracious of you. Thank you, and you may proceed," Kirk smiles.

A few minutes later, Spock announces, "We are receiving the data now, Admiral. Curious, it is encoded in a trinary computer language. It will need to be converted before the Enterprise computer can decipher it."


A sleek and curved, ultramarine shuttlecraft enters the atmosphere of the alien planet. Aboard the shuttle are Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Ylro, Trgys, and Bao. The remainder of the Sea Butterfly's crew are being treated at the starbase. The starbase commander had insisted on the use of the shuttle.

"As we lack teleportation technology, I insist that you use one of our shuttles to visit the World Council," he had said.

As the shuttle descends further toward the planet surface, a six-island archipelago grows ever closer. Five smaller islands form a rough pentagon around a larger one. The shuttle pilot begins a monologue regarding the archipelago.

"Before you is the Federation of the Six, one of the most powerful and influential nations on our planet. The 'Six' are those islands ahead; others joined later, but these are the originals," the shuttle pilot explains. "The original six islands derive their names from their most abundant produce as well. We will arrive in Sea Turtle Village, capital of Fruit Island, capital of the Federation of the Six, and seat of the World Council, soon."

The shuttle begins flying over the central island, eventually entering Sea Turtle Village. Irregularly-shaped, pyramidal buildings made mostly of a translucent, glass-like material dominate the city's skyline. The buildings appear as if they are massive crystals thrusting up from the ground. The three Starfleet officers wonder why the universal translator used the word "village" in its translation of the city's name, when Sea Turtle Village is clearly a vast metropolis.

The shuttle merges with the civilian traffic, passing by a diverse array of flying civilian craft. The vehicles immediately in front of the shuttle pull off to the side, making way for the government vehicle, as is standard protocol. Eventually, the shuttle reaches a massive palace, built in the same architectural style as the surrounding buildings.

Perched atop the palace is a large, pentagonal chronometer with two mechanical hands, with its face emblazoned with ten alien symbols. The palace also has signage indicating its purpose. Before the palace are many flagpoles, flying the respective flags of each nation-state that have representatives on the World Council. The central flagpole, however, is the tallest, bearing the flag of the latter.

"And this," begins the shuttle pilot, "is the Palace of the World Council. We will land very soon."


The shuttle lands on a circular platform, jutting out from the palace on an upper story. The passengers debark the shuttle, and the latter departs, returning to the starbase. A young male, who is 165.1 centimeters or 5 feet, 5 inches tall, with medium-length brown hair and ruby red eyes, stands at the doorway into the building. He has his hands folded in front of him and is rocking back and forth nervously.

"Welcome to the Palace of the World Council!" The young male speaks loudly and enthusiastically with a slight quiver in his voice, spreading his arms in a welcoming manner. "I am Garan Loy, and I will be your guide! Please follow me!" he stutters and lowers his hands.

While the six guests follow him, Trgys feels the need to ask their guide a question.

"Are you all right?" Trgys inquires, noticing his anxiety.

"Oh, my apologies! I am new here. In fact, you are the first guests that I will have the pleasure of guiding," he states.

"Garan: that is the surname of the newly elected president of the World Council; is it not?" Ylro asks.

"I am her son! She wanted to expose me to different people, so she asked if I could be a tour guide, and I am here!" he chuckles. "I seem to have the good fortune and honor of escorting three unusual visitors as well," he refers to the Starfleet officers. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy exchange glances.


Loy leads his guests into a towering, circular chamber with a translucent, stained glass window on the ceiling. The light filtering from the window makes the chamber appear very colorful.

Several rows of stacked seats line the perimeter of the chamber. Each row of chairs has a wooden desk before it. In front of each chair at its respective desk area, is a placard indicating which nation-state the member who sits there represents.

Directly ahead of the door into the chamber is a chair sitting on a taller platform than the others. The platform sits in front of another stained glass window.

Loy leaves the six visitors, shutting the chamber's doors behind him. Male and female aliens of varying physiques and skin pigments emerge from other entrances into the chamber, occupying their respective seats. Finally, a female climbs a small flight of stairs.

The female's shadow stretches across the room in an almost foreboding manner. The female is beautifully toned and tall, with a height of 195.58 centimeters or 6 feet, 5 inches, and she has short, slightly unruly blonde hair, and ruby red eyes. She takes her seat on the elevated platform; her eyes and facial complexion confirm that she is indeed Loy's mother.

"This meeting of the World Council of Blue will begin!" a deep, booming, intimidating, and authoritative voice emerges from the female. "Might we know the identities of this council's visitors?"

"I am Admiral James T. Kirk, commanding officer of the starship Enterprise, representing the United Federation of Planets on behalf of Starfleet."

"I am Spock, first officer and chief science officer of the starship Enterprise. Live long and prosper."

"I'm Leonard McCoy, chief medical officer of the starship Enterprise."

"I am Osya Ylro, commander of the Sea Butterfly, a starship operating for the Electricity Island Star Union."

"Osya Trgys is my name; I am the Sea Butterfly's astrogation chief. It is agreeable to meet you, Madam President," Trgys smiles toothily.

"I am Nalak Bao, engineering chief of the aforementioned vessel."

"Welcome to the World Council; we welcome our alien guests to our homeworld, Blue, as well. I am recently-elected President Garan Magna. My given name derives from the goddess of time in ancient Bluwan mythology. Our star system's largest gas giant also bears her name. We thank you for rescuing our people," she greets the six visitors, and a warm and beautiful smile crosses her face. The commanding voice from before became a deep but soothing and reassuring one: the very definition of motherly.

Without batting an eye, despite being somewhat taken aback by the sudden change in tone, Kirk responds, "No thanks are necessary, Madam President. It is our duty and obligation to help those in need."

"Nevertheless, we shall have a festival, and we will honor this first contact between our peoples. Surely you and your crew need rest and relaxation. Any objections from the council?"

Before anyone can respond, a Bluwan male bursts through the door, with Loy following behind him. Magna stands up, her shadow once again blanketing the room, clearly perturbed by the breach of protocol.

"Loy! What is the meaning of this interruption!?" Magna demands, her voice reverting to the more commanding tone.

"My apologies, Mother, but he strongly insisted that he see you."

The male, gasping for breath from running, stutters, "My apologies, Madam President, but one of our archaeology teams made a great discovery! They found a crashed alien starship on a remote island, at the far side of the planet near the north pole!"

"You are certain!?" Magna asks. The council members begin to murmur among themselves.

"Yes, ma'am."

"This meeting of the World Council will continue there!"

"But ma'am, that island is a frigid wasteland with near-constant snowstorms!"

"We will take the needed precautions," Magna reassures him. "Dismissed!"


A fleet of shuttles carrying the World Council enters the airspace of the aforementioned island near the north pole. It is dusk and somewhat dark, and the shuttle pilots and copilots fight to keep their vessels stable in the blustery and wintry weather.

The president's shuttle, World Council Shuttle One, is the largest, most elaborately decorated, and most luxurious. Kirk, his companions, the Osya sisters, and Bao are aboard. They can hardly see anything outside the windows due to the condensation, heavy snowfall, and encroaching darkness. The pilot and copilot can barely see anything either, as even the down-hanging windshield wipers on the cockpit window and the shuttle's headlamps are barely useful against the barrage of winter's might.

"This is World Council Shuttle One to the archaeology team; we request permission to land," the co-pilot says. An array of lights suddenly shines below, marking where the shuttles are to land.

"This is the archaeology team to World Council Shuttle One and remaining craft; we grant you permission," another voice responds.

"We will land soon, Madam President," the co-pilot reassures her.

"That is good because I feel great nausea," Magna responds, holding her stomach.

The president's shuttle is the first to touch down, and the remainder of the fleet follows suit. The president and her entourage debark their shuttle in heavy winter garb, wearing goggles and hoods. The remaining council members debark their shuttles as well, wearing similar clothing.


The president, her entourage, and the remaining council members enter the main building of the archaeology team's headquarters. Everyone takes off their goggles and hoods. The leader of the archaeology team, a male, approaches Magna and her entourage and greets them.

"Madam President, it honors us to have you and the World Council here at our headquarters," the leader says in a Federative dialect common to non-native speakers.

"Our thanks to you for having us, sir," Magna responds. "We heard that you found something."

"Indeed. It is a very strange discovery, as strange as the males in your entourage," he says, referring to Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. Glances are once again exchanged among the trio.

"They come from another world," Magna clarifies.

"I see. The male with the pointed ears and tapered eyebrows resembles the dead bodies that we found in the wreckage."

Spock raises an eyebrow, wondering, "What does the ship look like?"

"It is green with an avian form."

"Fascinating," Spock says, and then he sees something via his peripheral vision. Someone is staring at him and his compatriots. They run off when Spock looks, and the latter darts off after them.

"Spock?" Kirk follows behind his first officer. McCoy, Magna, the archaeology team leader, Ylro, Trgys, and Bao follow them as well.

"Wait! Madam President!" Magna's two bodyguards then follow.

A Bluwan male races down a corridor, attempting to evade his pursuers by knocking others down and knocking objects over. One of Magna's bodyguards raises her weapon and stuns him.

Just as Spock is about to interrogate him, the male bites down on a cyanide pill, killing himself. McCoy kneels beside him and scans him.

"He's dead, Jim," McCoy confirms, his scan revealing some interesting information. "This man is a Romulan!"

"His method of suicide is consistent in that regard," Spock notes.

"He must have been surgically altered," Kirk surmises. "How long had he been here?" he asks the archaeology team leader.

"He was a newcomer, and he was only here for a few months. Many of us sensed something strange about him, but it is unlike us to pry into another's mind without permission."

"What is a 'Romulan'?" Trgys inquires.

"They are an offshoot of my people, the Vulcans. Millennia ago, they left Vulcan, and settled on Romulus, the Romulan homeworld. They eventually formed the vast Romulan Star Empire. It is logical to assume that the crashed ship is Romulan in origin," Spock explains.

"They also fought mine and McCoy's people in the Romulan War around a century ago. This was before our Federation was founded," Kirk adds.

"Do you think they may come here and try to reclaim their ship?" McCoy queries, clearly unnerved by such a thought.

"It is not beyond the realm of possibility," Spock observes.


Thursday, October 14, 2275

Planet Blue

At the dig site


Captain's log, stardate 7562.6, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy, and I, along with the natives of this planet called Blue, have reached the site, where a team of native archaeologists have discovered what appears to be a crashed Romulan War-era Romulan Bird-of-Prey.


"Based on our scans, it appears that the ship crashed around a century ago, give or take," states a female archaeologist; she looks at the trio of Starfleet officers. "One of our centuries anyhow; the ship is mostly intact, surprisingly; and the climate of this island preserved the dead as well."

"You may want to see this!" a male archaeologist emerges from the ship, yelling and gesturing to the others. They follow him inside.

The trio of Starfleet officers, along with Magna, her bodyguards, the other council members, the Osya sisters, Bao, and the other archaeologists, emerge in what appears to be the engine room of the vintage Romulan starship. The central core at the center of the room catches Spock's attention. It is a massive, spherical structure.

"Curious," Spock raises an eyebrow.

"What is it?" Kirk asks.

"That is not a fusion reactor. Romulan ships of the Romulan War typically powered their ships and warp drives with fusion reactors. What we are seeing here may be a prototype for a quantum singularity core," Spock surmises.

"A what?" McCoy asks.

"As you may or may not be aware, a black hole is a quantum singularity. A quantum singularity core uses a microscopic black hole to power the ship and warp drive. During the War, it was rumored that the Romulans were experimenting with them. It would seem that these rumors were correct."

"How interesting, the new prototype engines on the Sea Butterfly each used small black holes for power! When the malfunctioning engine exploded, it unleashed its black hole, and its gravity sucked in some of the ship before it evaporated!"

Magna's pentagonal personal communications medium beeps; she pulls it out of her coat pocket, pushes a button, and answers, "Yes?"

"Madam President, this is Commander Ukyr of Starbase One. Our long-range sensors detect a fleet of starships approaching our star system at high speed! They will reach the heliosphere of the system within minutes!"

"This is bad! Prepare the home fleet for an invasion!" Magna orders and closes the channel. "We must return to the capital!"

"We will be unable to get there in time, Madam President!" says a council member.

Magna turns to Kirk, "Commander Ukyr informed me that your ship can teleport others. In this emergency, may I ask that you help us?"

"Of course, Madam President," Kirk pulls out his communicator, flipping it open. "Janice, I need a favor," Kirk begins.

"Anything, Admiral," she answers.

"I need you to beam a large group of people," Kirk indicates which people, "to these coordinates," and gives the coordinates.

"Very well, but I can only take six at a time."

"Understood," Kirk closes his communicator. "This may feel a little strange."


Everyone appears in front of the Palace of the World Council in pillars of white light. Citizens walking by stop and stare, murmuring among themselves about what they had just witnessed, amazed.

"We traversed a great distance in an instant! It is truly miraculous!" Magna states.

"It is a great feat of engineering!" Bao agrees.

"Pardon me, Madam President, but we need to be quick and warn the public," a council member states.

"Indeed. Come. We will begin an emergency broadcast."

"Forgive us, Madam President, but we must return to our ship," Kirk apologizes.

"Of course, and may you have good fortune!" Magna says, as she and the remaining council members run toward the entrance to the palace.

"Meeting you was a great pleasure," Ylro says to the three Starfleet officers, embracing each of them. "Thanks for saving us, and give Mr. Scott my regards. You will be in our prayers," Ylro says as she follows the council into the palace.

Trgys embraces each of them as well, but she embraces Spock the longest, kissing him on the cheek. She then follows Ylro.

Bao gives a cordial nod and then follows them. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy watch as the three Bluwans disappear into the palace entrance. Kirk then opens his communicator.

"Beam us up, Rand," Kirk orders, and he, Spock, and McCoy disappear in a column of white light.


Magna's visage appears on various monitors scattered throughout the many cities of the planet Blue. It also appears on the viewscreens of starships, monitors on space installations, and monitors on cities on other Bluwan colony planets and celestial objects, within and without the Bluwan star system. The expression on Magna's face is grim yet motherly.

"My fellow Bluwans. I have grave news. I received word that a fleet of invading starships will soon enter the Bluwan star system. I will deploy our best military ships to combat this threat. If we are fortunate, the invaders will only get to our sister planet Romkar before we repel them. Let us keep each other in our prayers. That is all," Magna announces, and her face disappears from the monitors.

The Enterprise joins a fleet of Bluwan military starships, as they undock and leave the berth of the starbase.

"The invading fleet slowed to sub-light speed and are approaching Larot," the Enterprise's bridge crew hears a voice in the comm chatter.

"Acknowledged," an unidentified voice confirms.

"We are being hailed, sir. It is Captain Uo," Uhura announces.

"On screen," Kirk orders.

"We meet again, Admiral. As you heard, the invaders approach Larot, our star system's second-largest gas giant, named for the god of thunder and lightning in our ancient mythology. You belong and have an obligation to our military not, but I ask that you follow my lead," Uo requests.

"You command the fleet?" Kirk inquires.

"Yes, I am Fleet Captain Uo, and I command the First Fleet. We call the First Fleet the 'home fleet' as well."

"As this is your fleet, and we are merely guests, we will do as you request," Kirk answers.

"Good. Let us have good fortune, and let us keep each other in our prayers," Uo says and closes the channel.


A battle ensues between the Bluwan defenses at Larot and the Romulan fleet, led by a Romulan command ship. The remainder of the fleet consists of modern Romulan Birds-of-Prey and Romulan battlecruisers of Klingon design.

Larot is the seventh planet from the Bluwan star, and it is a beautiful, blue-violet gas giant with a large ring and 20 moons. From a distance, the battle appears to be a dazzling light display with green and lavender beams intersecting each other. The Bluwan First Fleet, along with the Enterprise, drops from warp speed.

Aboard the Romulan command ship, "That ship! Magnify!" the Romulan commander bellows. The magnification on the viewscreen focuses on the Enterprise.

"That is a Federation ship!" the complying centurion at the helm gasps. The commander slams his fist on the arm of his command chair, gritting his teeth.

"What is the Federation doing here!? Hail them! And inform the fleet to cease fire for now!" the commander orders.

"Admiral, the lead Romulan ship is hailing us," Uhura conveys, somewhat surprised.

"Inform Captain Uo to stand down," Kirk orders.

"Captain Uo, this is the Enterprise. Stand down, the lead Romulan ship is hailing us."

"Very well," Uo responds. "All ships, stop attacking for now."

"Put the commander on screen," Kirk orders. The Romulan commander appears on the bridge viewscreen with a sneer on his face.

"Federation slime! Must you always interfere with Imperial business!? Just when I thought everything was going so smoothly!" the commander yells.

"This is Admiral James T. Kirk of the Federation starship Enterprise. You—"

"Kirk!? It figures that the Federation would send their top starship commander to meddle in our affairs! I am Commander Merik of the Romulan Imperial Starship Raptor Star. You will surrender and escort us to the fourth planet of this system!"

"And why should we do that?" Kirk queries.

"On that planet is Imperial property! And we will have it!"

"What makes you think it's there?"

"It is none of your concern! Surrender now, or we will take it by force!"

Captain Uo butts in, "If we escort you to our planet, will you take your starship and leave us in peace?"

"I will consider it," the commander responds.

"Pardon us for a moment, Commander," Kirk says, ordering Uhura to mute the channel.

"Can we trust them?" Kirk asks.

"Not likely," Spock answers, "But a peaceful solution to this conflict is in ours and the Bluwans' best interest."

Uo's voice comes over the comm, "I agree. I will inform the president."


Magna paces back and forth nervously in her office, when a beeping sound emits from her desk. She walks to her desk and pushes a button on it. Uo's voice emerges from the speaker.

"Madam President, this is Captain Uo of the First Fleet."

Magna breathes a sigh of relief and places a hand on her chest, "It is good to hear from you, Captain. What is the situation?"

"Mine and the invading fleet orbit Larot. The lead invading starship contacted our alien friends. There was a cease-fire."

"I see," Magna responds.

"Moreover, the invaders want the ship that crashed near the north pole. With your permission, we will escort them to Blue to retrieve it."

Magna sits down, "Can we trust them?"

"I am uncertain, but I believe that we must try."

Magna lowers her head, covering her eyes, sighing softly, "I grant you permission."

"We will escort you to our homeworld to retrieve your ship," Uo informs Commander Merik.

Merik smiles, "I am glad that one of you sees reason. I suggest that you not associate with the Federation. They are nothing but trouble."

"We take it under advisement," Uo responds.

The Bluwan First Fleet, along with the Enterprise, escorts the Romulan fleet to Blue. Everything goes suspiciously well. A fleet of small Romulan tugs, using multiple bright green tractor beams, tows the old Bird-of-Prey into orbit, and continues to tug it as the Romulan fleet leaves. The dead bodies are beamed up in a bright green light as well.

Later, on the lead Romulan ship, "Is our 'gift' for the president of the World Council ready?" Commander Merik asks.

"Yes, sir," answers a female Romulan in a form-fitting black uniform behind him.

"Energize," Merik commands.


At the Palace of the World Council, it is nighttime. The twin moons of Blue shine brilliantly, and a colorful array of explosions from fireworks can also be seen out Magna's window.

A small circular device suddenly appears in a bright green light on Magna's desk. It beeps in a steady rhythm, and the circular green light at its perimeter blinks, following the rhythm. Magna, who is looking out the window, turns to look at the device.

Though most of her people are against reading minds without permission, Magna, out of distrust, had read the mind of the black-clad Romulan female, during her visit to supervise the retrieval of the antique Romulan Bird-of-Prey. Magna learned that the Romulan was an agent of the Tal Shiar, the Romulan secret police. Magna also learned about the female's and Merik's intentions of transporting a bomb into the presidential office, and how the bomb was put together.

Using her psychokinetic abilities, Magna defuses the bomb, disassembles it, and moves the components into a turquoise-lit alcove. She then walks to the alcove, pushing a button above it. The parts are subsequently atomized, so that they may later be recycled into food, drink, and other paraphernalia. Magna then smiles and leaves her office to join the festivities.


As the Raptor Star and the remainder of the Romulan fleet leave. The black-clad Romulan female hears Magna's voice in her head.

"Jolan tru. Thanks for the gift, but I had little use for it. Let us keep each other in our prayers, if you believe in any gods."

The black-clad Romulan female, wide-eyed, blushes with embarrassment.


The End