First Officer’s Log Stardate 53021.46
The mission to Tolan IV has not gone according to plan. It started out well enough, the reception went without a hitch and Captain Tanar seemed to begin to build a rapport with the separatist leader Halan Risell. However the conference is where things went haywire.
It turned out that the local head of security Avard Chaviss was compromised and in turn compromised the careful security precautions set in place by lieutenant Mahak. Chaviss disabled the transport inhibitors allowing him to beam a bomb into the conference. Captain Tanar and the away team evacuated the delegates while Lt. Cmdr Mourad disarmed the bomb. Lieutenant Mahak spotted Chaviss trying to escape and was able to stun him after taking a phaser blast himself.
Ultimately the Captain decided since the security preparations the planet were no longer reliable, to evacuate both delegations to the safety of the Forger to continue negotiations.
While that was happening we found evidence that local Ferengi businessman Pala Taek was likely behind the attempted bombing and as he was not present we collected his latinum from his residences on Tolan IV to encourage him to come forward to explain himself. To this end I plan to recommend a wide beam message in Ferengi to let Taek know we had his latinum and to come forward to recover it, or if he fails to do so, we will return it to him through the Ferengi Commerce Authority with a full accounting of the circumstances. Since the FCA is responsible for ensuring the rules of acquisition are followed they certainly will follow the first rule of acquisition, once you have their money, never give it back. Hopefully Taek is a believer in the 18th rule of acquisition, a Ferengi without profit is no Ferengi at all, and takes the bait.
In the meantime I plan to suggest we consult with the Parok and Senator Risell in tracking down Taek and questioning Chaviss; ultimately their crimes were against Tolan IV and took place in the planetary government’s jurisdiction. This could be a good opportunity to show both sides the Federation is not going to run rough shod over their laws and rights. As my first host would say, just because you’re being fucked by a situation it doesn’t mean you can’t lube up and make the most of it. Azala was an eloquent woman.
INT. CARGO BAY – USS FORGER DAY
The cargo bay is filled with crates and containers. Ensign JELAL DARVEN, a young Bajoran man with a serious expression, and Ensign ALEXANDRA CASEY, a confident human woman, are stacking and counting gold-pressed latinum bars and bricks in five separate piles.
CASEY
(setting down a heavy box of strips of latinum with a huff of exhaustion)
I can’t believe you volunteered to count this crap after going on an away mission today, Darv.
JELAL
(holding up a finger as he counts slips of latinum from a larger box into a smaller box.)
98. 99. 100.
(Jelal stops counting and starts making notes on a PADD. )
JELAL
I told you, I screwed up and let the Captain down, so I volunteered for extra duty.
CASEY
(sighing)
Darv, you saw a security guy whispering into a communicator, that’s like all you and the Goon Squad do when you’re on protection detail, how were you supposed to know he was shady?
JELAL
I should have known, the Captain would have known.
CASEY
(sitting on the box she put down)
The Captain was there! And she doesn’t trust anyone. I mean if Captain Sisko appeared right now, back from the Wormhole, she’d have you stun and frisk him while she sent me to get Dr Maka to run a bunch of tests to make sure it’s him.
JELAL
Lex…
CASEY
Sorry, make that The Emissary back from the Celestial Temple. Captain Tanar would still want him stunned though, which I gotta respect. Anyhow, I’m getting off track, the point is you can let yourself off the hook, we all got fooled. But look on the bright side, the guy who did it got shot in the face and is probably being patched up by Dr Maka right now with a little too little anesthetic.
(Jelal finishes making notes and pulls a new empty box over to him.)
JELAL True I guess…
CASEY
Definitely true, but anyhow don’t think I don’t appreciate the help, it would have suuuucked to have to count all this crap myself.
(Casey looks around at all the latinum)
JELAL
(smiling) You’re welcome, I can’t believe the Commander took all this stuff though.
CASEY
The word is confiscated. I can’t believe this Ferengi guy is going to turn up to try and get it back. I mean I know he probably will but it’s also sort of dumb, all this stuff doesn’t have much practical use besides door stops and paper weights.
JELAL
(confused) What and whats?
CASEY
Old Earth things, never mind. Thing is if it was something like dilithium I’d get it, you can power ships with it, but this stuff… (Casey raspberries) …Useless.
JELAL (smirking) Spoken like someone who grew up on Earth.
CASEY (chuckling) Mars actually, but point taken and I know when you were growing up, this junk (Casey picks up a handful of strips) Was life or death, but whats-his-lobes down there isn’t starving and yet he’s wasting his life gathering all this stuff. Why not do something with it at least…
LAHL (off screen)
Like, finish counting it before your Commander catches you chit-chatting? (Both Casey and Jelal jump to attention)
JELAL AND CASEY
Sir!
CASEY
I didn’t hear the door open…
LAHL
You were monologing, it happens. How’s the count coming?
JELAL
Almost done sir.
LAHL
Good. And for what it’s worth I agree with both of you. Value is relative and weird, I’ve lived lives like this one, where I couldn’t care less about all of this stuff, and lives where I was willing to do almost anything to get it, anyhow hopefully Taek is more the latter than the former and he takes the bait.” (Lahl sits cross-legged on the floor by one of the piles and drags an empty box over.) Mind if I join you? I’m all diplomacied out for the day.
JELAL
No sir.
CASEY
Not at all.
LAHL
Thanks. So, are we talking about the relative nature of value some more or moving on to something else… (Casey and Jelal look at each other)
CASEY
Is true the Captain shot Ondren in the face at that secret holodeck party?
LAHL
(chuckles and sighs) Should have stuck with the delegates.
Commander Sabin Lahl’s Personal Log, Stardate 53020.25.
There are days I wish I took the job on the Bellerophon. Sure it didn’t come with a promotion to Commander and I’d be commanding fewer crew than the Centaur, but I’d be off exploring rather than lying to Pakleds, tracking down Romulan warbird killing Orion warlords or kidnapping world governments while simultaneously robbing a Ferengi criminal of what I hope is the bulk of his latinum.
I figured after the war things would revert back to what I remember the Fleet was like before all the bloodshed. It’s definitely not the case on the Forger, everyone, with a couple of exceptions still seem keyed up into war mode, the captain and the doctor especially. Of course I’m not excluded from this either, I spent all but four years of my career fighting and I admit my first instincts run towards expediency when there’s a problem to be solved and Azala and Aden’s memories the parts of me that are Azala and Aden don’t help.
Obviously still working on integration, and thinking of my past lives as parts of my new whole instead of external to myself.
Anyhow, I’ve spoken to Counselor Ondren about my feelings and he made a good point, my memories of the pre-war fleet are as a junior officer which is a much more carefree time (though I wouldn’t have described that way at the time!) than being part of the command crew, much less first officer. Ondren was good enough to have me pull some of the archived logs from the Saratoga to review to see some of her missions from the point of view of Captain Storil and Commander Sisko. They made his point, even missions I remember as milk runs as an ensign were far more complicated for the officers in the big chairs.
So, short of being busted back to ensign, things are not likely to be less complicated soon and I’ll just have to get used to it. As to exploring, we’ll get our chance, but I just have to be ready to help channel Captain Tanar’s bloody-mindedness towards something else while we do. My work on integration will continue as well, though I already feel older than most of the crew, fully adding four lifetimes isn’t going to make it less so, though that’s something to worry about later.
Captain’s Log, Supplemental.
I’m pretty sure Admiral Park would string me up by my ears if he were around. There’s a fine line between forceable evacuation and kidnapping, and another between confiscation of unjustly acquired goods and theft. Though Lieutenant Ramirez told me once about an old Earther concept called criminal asset forfieture that their old policing forces used to use fairly judiciously. So we’ll call it that.
For what it’s worth, transporting the Parok, Senator, and their immediate staffers into our conference room has seemed to go well enough, since they are actually talking directly to each other and seeming to look for compromise instead of reasons to hit each other, which was the goal of this exercise.
For what it’s worth, I do somewhat understand the Separatists’ point of view when it comes to the Federation. My own people chose to walk a separate path for awhile in hopes it would protect us from the Dominion. But, that said, there isn’t a looming war with bunch of shapeshifting psychopaths and their drug-addled shock troops to worry about– just egos that need massaged– which makes their demands seem mildly foolish. I am the last person to do that sort of job, but if the Federation has assigned it to me, I’ll get it done. My way.
…even if my way involves some light kidnapping and a soup course of grand larceny. Half my command staff seems to think I’ve gone insane, and the other half seems entertained at the audacity. Well, you can’t say I’m not keeping them on their toes.
INT. RUNABOUT AIRLOCK.
CASTILLO pushes through the misaligned doors, a phaser in one hand, a medical tricorder in the other, and the runabout’s medkit slung across his chest.
CASTILLO (V.O.)
Ship’s log, Runabout USS Anya, Stardate 53021.1, Ensign Castillo reporting. Lieutenant Mahak has led a boarding action action to search one of Pala Taek’s industrial facilities and has secured the airlock. Our guest investigators remain on the Anya until we can assure their safety.
INT. ASTEROID STATION CORRIDOR.
CASTILLO emerges through the hatch into the corridor. He comes up behind SHAN and taps her on the shoulder for her attention, speaking (muted under music & voiceover, mouthing: “you good?”), getting a nod in reply. He works his way forward through the crates to Mahak.
CASTILLO (V.O.)
We believe Taek had a hand in the attempted bombing of the peace conference, but I’ll eat live gagh if it was his plan. Someone else is behind this.