S6: E1 - The Prime Recommendation

[Zhukdrashar Mrekrerhas]

[Shuttle]

If a Bolian was able to look green, this one certainly did.  "œ Keep it together.  should be a bag in the back somewhere," she warned.  It wouldn't be a good look if there was an acid scorch on the inner hull.

She nodded as she heard Alex's voice through the Comms. He sounded understandably concerned and she didn't blame him in the slightest. She was glad they were going to get some backup if there were more fighters on the way.  Two were fine for now, but if there were going to be more, they could possibly overwhelm them with numbers, and they still had injured to take care of and get back to safety. She didn't like the thought of leaving the Captain and the others down here, but if they had to get out, they might have to leave the others.

"œUnderstood."

It was a curt reply, but there was no time to think as she dodged another primitive missile. She turned to Zhuk. "œThey've gotta be running low on  ammo by now, right?"

Ardyn spiraled through the narrow mountain spires, weaving through the rocky crags, ideally hoping to scare the fighters into backing off from the Flyer by increasingly complex maneuvers, some she hadn't pulled since she was in her racing days, banking and turning  until she got out of the canyon.

Hearing Zhuk's compliment, she smirked. "œI appreciate the compliment. If we get out of this, I owe ya a drink."

For what it was worth, they were still tailing her, albeit seriously slowed as they tried keeping up to the Flyer without crashing themselves.  She could see at least a couple more coming into view behind them. "œMore company!" They were almost out of the canyon now.  Ardyn heard Alex's voice over the comms.  Change of plans again. She wasn't exactly sure what was happening Challenger-side but she'd have to ask Alex once they'd get back.    "œGot it. Heading to his coordinates now."

With the path clear, Ardy could go at full speed now.  She could see the Smith now flanking her.  "œSmith to Mjolnir, We have your back.

"œGreat. I'll need you to keep them occupied while I pick up the Captain and everyone else."

"œRoger. Prepare for engaging. "œ

They split, leaving the Smith to engage the remaining fighters while she could bank back towards the city and the captain's position.

"Captain, We're en route to your position with the Flyer. Estimated time:  5 minutes and counting.  I have enemy fighters on my tail so we've got only one chance to get you guys while the Smith keeps "˜em busy. "œ   
--------------------------

[Land Moot Hall]

They were coming up on the area where Galloway and the rest of the crew were; in the center of several tall spires surrounding a decent-sized plaza. That would have to work.

"œI think we have to land. I think if we beam them, out, whatever is in their time warping might kill the crew before they came back."

Deftly winding her way through the spires of the various buildings down to the plaza, she noticed one of the fighters had broken from formation and had followed them down here in an equally dangerous move. One wrong move, and either one of them could get civilian casualties or damage to the Flyer. "œI'm going to land,  Get ready!"

With a quick jerk, she touched down the Flyer and opened the hatch doors.

"œCaptain! The shuttle has touched down! Hurry up!"

[Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | NCC-81673 Mjolnir | Land | L7-425977 System]

A few minutes ago...

One of Zhuk's ears shifted toward Ardyn's direction as he overheard her statement. He did not turn, instead placing most of his attention on the screen, "Mayhaps. If I recall correctly, primitive vehicles often have limited ammunition storage. Still, we should exercise caution. I wouldn't be surprised if they show creativity in their endeavors,"

A moment of more analysis, and then a chuckle escaped his muzzle, "Why, that would be greatly appreciated, Lieutenant. I shalt take you on the offer..."

[Shuttle]

As soon as everyone got on, Ardyn booked it. It was clear they had worn out their welcome, and given the exhausted-looking states of the team they had picked up, it probably would be appreciated if they didn't get into any more trouble.

"˜This is Mjolnir. We have the away team and are heading back to the Challenger.    Smith,  thanks for the help. Can you disengage?"

"Affirmative. We can probably lose them all with a good burst of speed. Returning to the ship once we get a chance. "œ said the pilot on the other end of the line.

That was a relief. If she had to give backup, she would, extra people onboard or not, but it looked like that wasn't needed, and she made it back up to the Challenger with very little resistance from the Landsers.

[Shuttlebay]

Ardy was just about done with the required post-flight checklists for this trip when she registered Alex's presence coming down here. Luckily for her, all she had to replace was one biohazard bag. There wasn't even a scratch on the paint. She couldn't help but look at the strange sort of probing device that was currently parked in here beside them.

She turned around to see Alex coming down to do his own inspections, most likely.  "œHey there, handsome.  Made it out in one piece, not a scratch," she said with a wink to help relieve the tension she could tell he was carrying.  " "œYou sure that thing isn't going to explode on us?  she asked mentally, as to not cause others to worry, notioning at the strange device.

Now...

The appearance of five more ships certainly had Zhuk tense. The phasers were all but loaded now, and he was certain that a dent could be made in those fancy military fliers. The problem would be if the Mjolnir's weapons were far too strong for their hulls. Attacking them was already a significant violation of the Prime Directive. Then again, thus far there was no arguing that it had been broken already.

It would seem that would not be necessary, however, as their encounter with the Smith allowed them to land near the warehouse. At least, whatever happened concerning the engagement, they would not be directly responsible for the fallout afterward. He at least hoped that the Smith's crew was wise enough to avoid creating an even worse incident. For now, they had a mission to complete.

[Land Moot Airspace - Land]

The Smith pulled alongside the Mjolnir and her pilot, Ensign Qindis Norann a female Bolian, waved to Ardy before racing ahead and directly toward the dozen Landser fighters. The interceptors opened up with a frighteningly heavy salvo of cannon fire, but the weapons were completely ineffective against the shuttle's shields. This allowed Norann to lance through the formation of interceptors unharmed and forced them to scatter to avoid colliding with the nimble Type-9 Smith. As the fighter's formation split up, it opened a path for Ardy to reach the compound. Before the Landsers could regroup for another pass, the Onizuka showed up and with the two small shuttles diving directly into the path of the interceptors, the fighters had to spend all of their efforts avoiding collisions. With the interceptor pilot's attention completely consumed with defending themselves, none of them could get a shot as the Mjolnir flared for a landing.

[Storage Facility - Land Moot Compound]

Ian watched the acrobatics going on overhead and was completely green with envy that he wasn't 'at the stick' of one of the shuttles. Unfortunately, once the Mjolnir committed to her landing, it was readily apparent to the Landser soldiers who swarmed toward the away team's hiding place.

"Here's where things get dicey Mister Blackfeather. Set for wide angle stun and fire as fast as your bloody phaser will cycle. If'n we're lucky, we'll stay ahead of any projectiles that might ken our names."

Turning to Jettis and Tora, Ian added.

"Once more into the breach! RUN!"

One thing about the next minute of his life that surprised Ian was the noise. Sure he was familiar with gunfire, but the aircraft mounted machine guns on a Tomahawk lacked the volume of dozens of rifles blazing away in his direction. Another completely unsettling thing he discovered was the abject terror of the whine of a bullet as it passed by. This was all so personal, so real, and as this wasn't the holodeck, so deadly.

Fortunately, the Landsers had never seen phasers before and the wide angle setting caught quite a few of them before they adjusted and took better cover. Ian ran and dodged wildly, as did Tora, Jettis and Blackfeather, but even with their covering fire, Ian began to get a sick feeling they weren't going to make it. No sooner than he had that thought when he was hit. The bullet passed clean through his upper left arm and it burned! Ian stumbled, but kept his feet with his teeth clenched against the pain as he thought.

"Fudge. I've been shot."

He was about to pick a place to make a last stand to give covering fire for the others when some bright spark on the shuttle could see the trouble they were in and extended the Mjolnir's shields to protect the away team. Once inside this protective bubble, they were safe. Ian was the last to aboard the shuttle and he had some difficultly closing the airlock with one arm, but he got it done.

"GO! GO! GO! GO!"

Ardy didn't need any extra motivation than that and the Mjolnir leapt into the air. As there were seven on a shuttle built for six, Ian simply flopped onto the deck exhausted and held on as best as he could. He was leaning back against the bulkhead when he felt a hypo press against his neck. He opened his eyes and saw Lieutenant Zorr smiling at him.

"I believe that will help Captain. Now hold still while I treat this wound."

Ian closed his eyes and did just that. He was content. Shot or not, they'd escaped alive. The main thing on his mind however, was Kyan, all he knew was he was badly hurt and that bothered him more than whatever was left of his career after this unmitigated disaster of a first contact.

Zhukdra'shar descended from the Mjolnir, providing covering phaser fire (set to stun) as he noted the immediate danger the crew on the ground, including the Captain, were in. They were using primitive rifles against them now! He wanted one, for certain, but mainly only to display in his room. And certainly, he was not about to let any of those bullets they spewed harm one of his fellow officers. He furiously defended until they managed to reach the protective shielding of the shuttle and remained there until all had boarded. With a quick dash, he was back on the interior of the Mjolnir.

As he turned to close the doors, he found Captain Galloway already in the process of doing so, albeit with difficulty. A surge of anger rushed him, as he saw that Ian was wounded. With a huff, he internally cursed the Landsers for their unprovoked attack upon them, not once, but four times at least. He understood wanting to defend their planet, but this was simply savagery at its finest.

Now he regretted believing that this would be any easier than his previous experience with pre-Warp civilizations. At least those tribals had listened when they had tried to make peaceful contact.

He was relieved to see Doctor Korr approach the Captain and deliver a hypospray shot to the neck, all while reassuring him that he would be taken care of. Relieved, and making a quick headcount, Zhuk returned to his seat by the Tactical console and returned to his duties. It was more than likely that he would be able to return to the ship now, much to his relief.

A short rest, and then, they would need to get back to Kyan. He just hoped his superior was alright.

[Shuttlebay --> Bridge --> Briefing Room - USS Challenger]

When the Mjolnir touched down in the shuttlebay, Ian steeled himself for a massive information dump. Doctor Zorr had treated his wound to the point that the only reminder was the hole caused by the bullet and the dried blood that soaked his uniform sleeve. He was first off the shuttle and noted the odd, obviously alien craft parked thirty meters from the Mjolnir.

Before he could ask, Lieutenant Wu began to update him on the ship's status and the events that had occurred since he'd left the ship. He had been ready for an information dump, but this was an information tsunami. In addition to the uproar his own away team had caused in fleeing the Land Moot, it seems the original away team was responsible for the overthrow of one of the Landser nation-states.

"No way to avoid a court martial now." He thought as he rode the turbolift.

News on the ship was better. They were warp capable again along with all primary systems. There were still some secondary systems that were not fully operational yet, but they were able to move, shoot, defend, and communicate, which was all that was really necessary. On reaching the bridge, Lieutenant Booker was the first to report.

"Sir, as President Wey'nir's trip to Challenger was live broadcast in real time, we have been inundated with communications from the governments of the remaining nation-states and the Land Moot Council demanding representation for any negotiations with the Federation. What do I tell them Sir?"

"Tell them... tell them, as soon as transportation can be arranged, any party that wants ta discuss matters is absolutely welcome ta meet aboard the Challenger. Now, I need a minute ta replicate a new tunic. I will be in my ready room. Mister Mrekrerhas, with the First Officer incapacitated, you are senior, you have the bridge."

Ian then quickly entered his ready room and while he really wanted a drink, he ignored that impulse and went to the replicator and ordered a new tunic. Once he changed out of the damaged and bloody one, he exited the ready room and entered the briefing room.

"President Wey'nir, honored guests. Welcome ta Challenger. It seems we're ta be havin' others join us. I suggest we hold off on any technical discussions until everyone is assembled so that we can cover them all at once. I apologize in advance as our conversations until then are goin' ta be awkward as I am not allowed ta answer most of the questions you are likely ta have. However, given the limitations that I have, I would like very much ta get ta know you personally.

"I will go first. My name is Ian Galloway. I am from Inverness, Scotland, on the planet Earth in the Sol system, some 80 odd light years from here..."

[USS Challenger - Main Shuttlebay]

The first person Alex had seen come out of the shuttlebay was on a gurney, a Cardassian ensign who appeared dirty and unkempt, the side of her uniform covered in blood. The medical staff moving her didn't seem to be in any significant haste though, which hopefully was a good sign. The Captain himself didn't appear much better, with a very obvious hole in his torn sleeve. Alex's report was succinct but by no means short, having to pass on information about the ship's status, their five new guests onboard, and Commander Mackenzie's grievous state. Returning to the command chair wasn't anything like riding a bike, despite the assurances of their orientation officer back on Starbase One, and he was as mentally exhausted as the away teams physically looked. Still, when Captain Galloway assigned another of his officers, a Caitian lieutenant he hadn't met yet, to take the conn, Alex felt a sudden irritation at the, probably unintentional, slight. You're not a commander anymore, and new to this crew. It's not like Galloway has any reason to trust you over one of his own, he told himself, mollified by his personal opinion that the ship's crew part in the mission had gone arguably the least awry.

His peevishness was only fleeting, especially once he saw the shuttle's pilot, and as soon as the Captain had disappeared through the shuttlebay doors with a security CPO following closely behind, Alex threw policy to the wind, wrapping Ardyn up in a tight embrace. The weight on his shoulders flowed away as he breathed deeply, her calming presence filling his mind. "No idea." He finally said, releasing her and stepping back. "Hi, I'm Alexander Wu, newly transferred onboard. Glad to see you're all in one piece." Alex introduced himself to the other three lieutenants, the Caitian, an El Aurian, and another black-eyed Betazoid. The entire first away team, he realized, minus their XO. "The Cutty Sark picked up Commander Mackenzie, he's in sickbay. Touch and go from what I've heard so far, but alive."

"I asked Chief ch'Verret to take a look at that crew capsule to make sure we wouldn't have any surprises." Alex nodded towards the Landser spacecraft. "And it's a long shot, but maybe it'll give us a better idea of the kind of technology we're dealing with. I know that when we got hit by the temporal pulse from that fold-space device activating, it blew every isolinear chip on the ship, left us entirely dead in water. That's why we weren't able to come rescue you guys right away. Didn't seem to affect the Landsers' satellites or their ground-based installations at all. I'm curious as to why."

"Understood, thank you doctor. I know the Commander from several years before, if his condition permits, I'd like to come by for a visit. And I'll make sure your message is passed on."

[Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | NCC-81673 Mjolnir --> Shuttlebay --> Bridge | Land --> Deck 19 --> Deck 1 | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A | L7-425977 System]

"Understood, sir. I shalt serve to the best of mine capabilities," Zhuk answered to the Captain, as serious as always. Inside, however, a strange concoction of emotions crashed like waves upon him. He was elated at having his first command as Captain, even if it was a temporal measure. At the same time, realizing that Commander Mackenzie was indisposed made the achievement bitter. Zhuk shook those feelings aside, however, as he prepared to step out of the area to carry on with his duties. He was still dressed in the stealth suit that he had descended with, not having time to change it. A thought came to him as he wondered if he should at all, though these were interrupted by the appearance of a Lieutenant he did not recognize.

Introducing himself as Alexander Wu, Mrekrerhas realized that he seemed quite close to the pilot of the Mjolnir that had returned them home. Peculiar, though he saw no point in commenting upon it, "'Tis but a pleasure, Mister Wu. I am Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas, Chief of Security of the USS Challenger. In usual circumstances. Hopefully, we shalt be able to acquaint ourselves better in the near future."

He excused himself, though stopped himself just long enough to provide Lahr with a warm wave and a sliver of a smile, "Greetings, ch'Verret. Hopefully, things have been less chaotic within the vessel than what transpired on the planet,"

Zhuk added, a little humorously, as he tried to make light of the situation. No more did he linger, however, traveling to the Bridge to serve Starfleet once again.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

For Zhuk, the bulk of what he had to do was acknowledge reports from the ship's departments regarding ship's status. The vast majority of systems were now fully functional with only a few tertiary systems still not quite at 100%. As Wu monitored ship's systems, Lieutenant Booker at Ops was broadcasting a live feed of the conference down to Land and monitoring how the Landsers were reacting to, what was heartbreaking news regarding their 'Great Work'.

Neva had made it to Engineering and found that the warp core was back online and all critical systems were nominal. Lieutenant jg Rebecca Fisk had really stepped up in her absence and had Challenger humming.

In Sickbay, Dr. Kartos continued to monitor Kyan closely as the Onlie rested from his psychic ordeal.

Whether the conference would smooth things out or if things were already beyond smoothing, remained to be seen and which would happen, would happen fairly soon.

Zhukdra'shar carried out the reading of the Department's reports with the seriousness of any of his other tasks, sitting on the Captain's chair while he did so. Perhaps, a bold move, but he wanted to know how it felt. And in the end, he had enjoyed the sensation, even if he found all the reading to be somewhat tedious. At least, he understood now why the ship had not been able to act, though now such worries were certainly out of sight and mind. For the most part, at least.

Even then, he was confident that the ship would be able to be restored at 100% of its current capacity. Lahr, Neva, and other Engineers were quite competent in his opinion, so it was just a matter of waiting. And some more P.A.D.D. lectures. A thought crossed his mind, and he tapped on his commbadge,

"Esteemed members of Security, this is thy temporal Captain speaking, Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas. Do report any and all peculiar happenstances within the current meeting. I do not wish to be engaged in any strange surprises anymore. Thank you."

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger-A - Deck 19 - Main Shuttlebay]

[ Land Moot -> Mjolnir, USS Challenger ]

Jettis couldn't express the relief when finally they set foot back on the ship. A part of him wondered if the Landsers would manage to shoot them out of the sky. Despite the primitive technology, he had to admit they were tenacious and determined. Reminded him of humans, in a way.

Thankfully, now that they weren't running for their lives, getting the bonds off was a simple enough job for a phaser. Once freed, Jettis turned to the man who appeared once the Captain left. The immediate embrace, ignoring any protocols told him all he needed, coupled with the relief he felt from him. He tipped his head when the Commander was mentioned, eyes widening when it was coupled with the fact he was in worse shape than all of them combined. The urge to ask about him nearly took hold of his tongue, but he crushed the thought with the intention to see for himself later. Instead he refocused on a different piece of information that interested him.

"Their technology wasn't effected at all?" He echoed. That was a very curious - and crucial piece of information. Something about their tech made them immune to the affects, something he'd seen in very few other ships or technology in his lifetime. The ships he had seen with such an effect, the inner workings had been so tightly classified discovering them would have gotten him executed on the spot.

Giving a tired nod, he forced a poor imitation of a smile. "I'll definitely take a look at that as soon as possible," he agreed. Yet another thing to spend hours on.

The Andorian, invisible in his isolation suite, was scanning in detail each and every system of the capsule.  When he overheard Lieutenant Jyur comment that he would get involved in the investigation of the Landser technology later, Lahr figured he would be helpful, and forwarded on his scans up to that moment.    Maybe the science officer could understand why the capsule and Landser tech wasn't affect - Lahr certainly couldn't figure it out on his own.

[Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | NCC-81673 Mjolnir --> Shuttlebay --> Bridge | Land --> Deck 19 --> Deck 1 | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A | L7-425977 System]

Introducing himself as Alexander Wu, Mrekrerhas realized that he seemed quite close to the pilot of the Mjolnir that had returned them home. Peculiar, though he saw no point in commenting upon it,[/color] "'Tis but a pleasure, Mister Wu. I am Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas, Chief of Security of the USS Challenger. In usual circumstances. Hopefully, we shalt be able to acquaint ourselves better in the near future."

He excused himself, though stopped himself just long enough to provide Lahr with a warm wave and a sliver of a smile, "Greetings, ch'Verret. Hopefully, things have been less chaotic within the vessel than what transpired on the planet,"

Zhuk added, a little humorously, as he tried to make light of the situation. No more did he linger, however, traveling to the Bridge to serve Starfleet once again.

Having a greeting directed towards him, Lahr's antennae waggled about in his isolation suit helmet.  What!?  Did this thing not work?  Before he could respond or confirm whether or not he was actually visible, the Caitian headed off to the Bridge to act as her duty officer.    Lahr gave a wave.

[ACEO Lt.JG Neva Cordon|USS Challenger|Main Engineering->Cargo Bay 1]

Neva stood sandwiched between her beloved Warp Core and the Pool Table, arms holding her up as she read the information before her. Lahr and the others had done exceptionally well taking care of her Iron Lady in her absence, considering the wallop She took from the Landser's "Great Work."

Despite all that, Neva still wished she could've joined Lahr in exploring that ship in the Shuttle Bay. The simple desire to be an Engineer for a moment was delicious, but out of the question now. She was "Chief Neva" and her Iron Lady had to come first.

Pushing herself up, she rolled her shoulders and head to ease some of the strain she'd put her body through. With a smirk and a nasal sigh, she rubbed her hands together and surveyed her Sanctum. Her little "bees" were buzzing around and she was pleased.

Neva gave Lt. Fisk some instructions with a light squeeze on the woman's shoulder, giving thanks and encouragement. She then headed to the Turbolift to take her where the Landsers had congregated to offer her expertise if the Captain called for it.

In the Turbolift, she hit her comm badge. "Neva to Lahr. What're your impressions on that ship?" She continued as she walked down the corridor to the Cargo Bay. "To be honest my friend, I'm seriously jealous of you getting to tinker with that thing!" She sobered as she realized she was at the doors to the 'Bay. Softly she added in a loud whisper. "Send it to my PADD, ok? I've gotta get into that Landser meeting." That said, she cut the communication. She futzed with her uniform a moment to get it into a semblance of order. Squaring her shoulders after calling her ministrations good, she stepped through the doors.

She slipped slowly and carefully along the wall towards the front edge of the crowd of dignitaries, watching and listening to all that was being discussed.

A short while later,  Lahr was still at work doing his scans, when Neva called him.   "Heya Boss!  The capsule's systems seem pretty normal - except for the fact that I can't find the power source.  How anything in this capsule is powered is beyond me.   I'm to the point of just reporting it as magic and admitting my ignorance."

At her request to have him send his scans to her PADD the Andorian nodded.  "sure thing.  Good luck!"  Moments later her PADD would ping with notification of an incoming file.

[Ardyn Jaeger]

[Shuttlebay]

Ardyn wasn't expecting the hug from Alex, especially given they were on the clock still, technically, and there were people about, but she didn't mind it at all and returned one before turning to the other lieutenants that congregated around them. He must have been so worried. She certainly would have been. "œI'm Ardyn Jaeger, Also just boarded not too long ago.  He's my fiance," she said in an effort to explain the seemingly random lapse of protocol, following Alex, realizing she never had the chance to talk to the other senior staff members due to the situation that came up before their first shift.

Ardyn looked around at the other lieutenants as they finally congregated. At this point, several of the recently-arrived dignitaries passed by.  She had done quite a bit of ferrying the awe-struck delegates over on the Flyer, and subsequently herding said delegates to their meeting.

As they dispersed, Ardyn got an interesting vibe from one of the delegates, which seemed to be confirmed by the woman, Neva moving to confront the nosy guy.  "œWhat's he up to?" she asked out loud.

[Ian Galloway]

[Cargo Bay One - USS Challenger]

The debate on the Great Work was intense, which was no surprise to Ian, Fold space technology had been the work of three generations. The 150 years of labor that had gone into the project represented the life work of an entire species. In the face of that much investment, walking away now was simply unthinkable. And yet here they were, asking them to do that very unthinkable things.

Although the details of the science exceeded Ian's understanding of the physics involved, the Landser scientists understood what Jettis and Evan were saying. Especially when shown the Challenger's sensor logs of aspects of scanning frequencies beyond their own sensors. It took the better part of three hours for the Challenger scientists to prove their findings to the Landser scientists.

As the scientists spoke, Ian did the best he could to explain the science to the politicians. As their opinions were based on what was best for them and not facts, there were many, many points view among the assembled leaders and ambassadors. It was only after the scientists, backed by the two Landser astronauts spoke to the politicians did the sentiment begin to change against the use of fold space.

There was still resistance to shutting down the project, but Ian had the feeling that those still opposed were most likely the most ardent supporters of the An-Shok. Of course he couldn't say that, internal politics were one aspect of the Prime Directive that hadn't been completely shredded at this point. So, after four hours of very extended debate, Inti, of the Land Moot spoke to Ian.

"Captain Iangalloway. We of the Land leadership have come to a consensus. It is not not unanimous, but these proceeding do not require unanimity. We must now return to our people to explain what we have learned and we must Moot before a final decision is made. Thank you for showing us this threat that was unknown to us. I will personally contact you once the Land Moot has chosen."

"Very good Moot Master. We'll get you back home the same way we got you here. We await your decision."

And with that, the shuttles were pressed back into transport duty to take the Landsers back to their nation-states, even the one man held in the brig as a gesture of good faith. Ian had returned to the bridge during the transport operation and hoped the Moot wouldn't take too long.

[Jalen Kartos]

[USS Challenger | Deck 7 | Observation Room | Medical Bay]

Jalen was off duty, but he just couldn't leave his post, not with Kyan still in the shoals. At some point he had gotten up and gone to the boy's bedside and taken his hand, seated beside him, he had fallen asleep, his head on the bed beside the boy. Today had taken its toll on the ancient man, the guilt he felt at the choice he had been given threatened to overwhelm him, and if Kyan didn't wake up then what was it all for. Jalen awoke with a start as his mind raced. He looked around the darkened room and saw that Kyan was sleeping fitfully. He wondered what the boy was going through, for it certainly was a physical ordeal, at least if the work he had to do to keep the boy alive was any testament. Jalen stood and brushed the hair from the boy's fevered brow and dabbed at the sweat he found there. He then leaned in and kissed the forehead, as he would've his own son.

"œKyan don't leave us; you'll never know how precious and valuable a price I paid so that you could live. We need you"¦ hell I need you; I need you to justify what I have done. I could've saved them all, I could've had it all back"¦ instead I traded it all because I knew you were suffering and only I could save you. Do you know how much that means?" Tears flowed from Jalen's eyes like rain as he looked over the boy, his body wracked with silent sobs. He had made two fateful choices, the first was to throw aside Lorian and Leran, to get Horvath back"¦ and then he threw away his second chance with Horvath and for all the El-Aurian people, because Kyan needed him. Why had he done that? Perhaps someday the boy could tell him or maybe with more time he could develop the wisdom to understand his choice. Jalen felt an arm wrap around his shoulder and held him as he sobbed. Instinctively Jalen spiraled into that embrace and wept into the chest that belonged to that offered arm.

Lorian embraced his life partner and held him as he wept, in all the years they had been together Lorian had never seen the man cry. Occasionally his eyes had watered from happiness, but never had he seen his lover give himself over to grief.

"œShh, I am sure the boy will be fine. For it is said that the Prophet's have a soft spot for Children and those bold enough to go where others wouldn't dare. Both of those apply here, so I am sure the boy will live. And I know without reservation that you have done everything in your power to save him, it is up to him and his Pagh from here on out." Lorian reached out and gripped Kyan's right earlobe, closing his eyes. He gasped not only at the amount of pain he felt in the boy's Pagh, but the sheer power of that same Pagh.

"œYes, he certainly has an overwhelmingly strong Pagh. He just has a battle to fight left within himself. A battle that he must face himself or be lost forever to it. But I will help him as I can." Lorian reached out through his connection to Kyan's Pagh and lent him all the strength he could spare. He hoped the boy could use what he gave him. He brought his arm back and held his lover.

"œCome now, there is nothing more that can be done here. Besides I think Max will need us to be strong for him. Because he will certainly be struggling with Kyan like this." Lorian said as he guided his lover from the room and back to his office to compose himself. Once Jalen was recovered the couple made their way from sickbay and to Max & Kyan's quarters and buzzed for entrance.

[Kyan Mackenzie]

[Max & Leran | Executive Officer's Quarters, USS Challenger]

For the first few hours after he'd learned about Kyan being hurt, Max could only sit and worry. He knew it was bad when they sent Jalen down to the planet, and his fears were confirmed when he'd not been allowed to go and see him. After a while, he'd decided that sitting around and waiting wasn't going to cut it. But what could he do? It was then that Max remembered his friend's stories from Cestus III. He'd often talked about his adopted mother who was, according to Kyan, a real witch who did spells and everything. Eventually Max learned that she wasn't the pointy hat wearing, broomstick riding variety, but that her religion was Wicca, which called its' practitioners witches.

Kyan had shown him some of the symbols and spells in a book he had, which at the time was interesting, but he didn't give it a whole lot of thought. His friend often talked about the Powers. but to hear him tell it the only ones that the religion had were the gods devoted to War. Max didn't think that would be the case, and so he searched for the book and looked for himself. He was happy to see that there were in fact, gods devoted to healing and protection too, and that they had rituals designed to help in that regard. He'd been tearing the place apart, looking for the book when Leran showed up. When Max explained what he was up to, the Bajoran boy had agreed to lend a hand without much conversation. Even though his religious beliefs were the same as his father's, he figured that it couldn't hurt to ask Kyan's gods to help too. Besides, he'd already asked the Prophets to heal his friend.

As the two of them prepared for the ritual, all Max could think was that Kyan would have hated seeing their quarters like this. In looking for Kyan's book on Wiccan spells and rituals, and then the supplies needed for the healing ritual, Max had searched the place as though he was tossing it for contraband. Books lay scattered on the floor by the shelf where they'd been before. Kyan's closet was mostly empty now, his collection of uniforms in a heap around the door, and the various containers sat open and rummaged through on the floor.

Yeah"¦ we'll have to clean this up before he gets back. Max told himself, pondering the mess.

Despite indications to the contrary, the Crimson haired Onlie was a stickler for cleanliness and order"¦ when it came to his personal space anyway. Max was less so. Often he'd leave his dirty clothes wherever he happened to be when he took them off. It was the same when he decided to play with his action figures or building sets. But later when he came back, everything would be put away and Kyan would be playing with his own stuff, or looking at a padd or sharpening one of his knives. He never mentioned it. "œIf"¦ no.. when he comes back, I'll do better at that." Max told himself. He pushed those thoughts aside. He'd just be sad again and there wasn't time for it.

"œProphets! We wrecked this place." Leran noted from where he stood in the doorway to Kyan's room.

The dark haired Onlie turned around. "œYeah." He replied absently. "œWe'll clean it up later. What else do we need?"

The Bajoran boy considered that for a moment. "œSomething important to him"¦ like a keepsake."

Max brightened before running past him into the "œliving room." When Leran caught up, the Onlie held the Kor action figure. "œgot it!" he proclaimed. "œNow where do we put it?"

Aside from the light given off by the stars and Land-Ta itself, the room was lit only by the two candles on a makeshift alter in the middle of the room and five smaller ones at the points of a star made with a rope that they'd replicated. They hadn't needed to replicate the candles. Those they'd found in a box labeled "œRitual stuff". One was white and the other was green, which they had learned from the book was supposed to represent the goddess Brighid. Leran moved to where the candles gave off more light and opened the book again. "œWell, I think we put it with the candles."

Max stepped inside the circle and placed Kor between the white and green candles. Then he stepped back out and took in their setup. Everything looked to be in order. "œOk.. I think we're ready. What now?"

Leran flipped the page and read the next part. "œUmm.. it says we need a priest or a priestess."

Max had been about to suggest they seek out Leran's father, who was a Vedek when the door chime sounded. When he answered it and found both Jalen and Lorian standing there as if by some act of providence, the Onlie simply grabbed them both and pulled them inside.

"œLeran look!" he said pulling on the two grups. "œIt's your dads!"

[Alexander Wu]

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

With the major disasters averted and the delegates being delivered back to their Land Moot on the surface, life onboard Challenger was slowly returning to normal, despite evidence otherwise. Many of the bulkhead covers throughout the ship were still removed from their proper places, and boxes filled with those less desirable ration packs could be seen tucked in corners out of the way. It was also much quieter, a third of the crew having been sent off to get some well needed rest, while the remainder continued working on repairing Challenger and staying awake.

Stifling a yawn, Alex glanced at the bridge chronometer checking to see how much longer Alpha shift would still be up. It was just their luck to pull the longest overtime, but there was nothing to be done about that now. At least he'd had a moment to stop by both sickbay and the classroom on his way back to the bridge, though the doctors had outright refused letting him check on Mackenzie, being too recently out of surgery. Maddison was in bed and Ardyn would hopefully be allowed to turn in once she returned from ferrying the delegates, with pretty much all of the shuttle pilots having been on duty for far too long to still safely be flying.

When Galloway came onto the bridge, looking as though he'd aged another year over the past 24 hours, Alex couldn't help but feel some pity for the man. While not a complete wash, this mission would certainly make an impression on all of their files, and it was still too soon to know what the repercussions were. The prime directive was not something to be trifled with, regardless of how the Landsers technically filled a grey void. At best, the Captain would have a new SOP named after him. At worst... "How'd it go, sir?" Alex asked the question he knew most of them were thinking.

[Jettis Jyur]

[Cargo Bay One - USS Challenger]

The debate on the Great Work was intense, which was no surprise to Ian, Fold space technology had been the work of three generations. The 150 years of labor that had gone into the project represented the life work of an entire species. In the face of that much investment, walking away now was simply unthinkable. And yet here they were, asking them to do that very unthinkable things.

Although the details of the science exceeded Ian's understanding of the physics involved, the Landser scientists understood what Jettis and Evan were saying. Especially when shown the Challenger's sensor logs of aspects of scanning frequencies beyond their own sensors. It took the better part of three hours for the Challenger scientists to prove their findings to the Landser scientists.

As the scientists spoke, Ian did the best he could to explain the science to the politicians. As their opinions were based on what was best for them and not facts, there were many, many points view among the assembled leaders and ambassadors. It was only after the scientists, backed by the two Landser astronauts spoke to the politicians did the sentiment begin to change against the use of fold space.

There was still resistance to shutting down the project, but Ian had the feeling that those still opposed were most likely the most ardent supporters of the An-Shok. Of course he couldn't say that, internal politics were one aspect of the Prime Directive that hadn't been completely shredded at this point. So, after four hours of very extended debate, Inti, of the Land Moot spoke to Ian.

"Captain Iangalloway. We of the Land leadership have come to a consensus. It is not not unanimous, but these proceeding do not require unanimity. We must now return to our people to explain what we have learned and we must Moot before a final decision is made. Thank you for showing us this threat that was unknown to us. I will personally contact you once the Land Moot has chosen."

"Very good Moot Master. We'll get you back home the same way we got you here. We await your decision."

And with that, the shuttles were pressed back into transport duty to take the Landsers back to their nation-states, even the one man held in the brig as a gesture of good faith. Ian had returned to the bridge during the transport operation and hoped the Moot wouldn't take too long.

[ USS Challenger - Cargo Bay -> ]

The scientists and other members of Land-Ta's boarding party had far too much energy, in Jettis' opinion. Granted, their entire life's work and incredible scientific progress had been upended so suddenly, it was no wonder they had question upon question. Each fact he presented them with was mercilessly scrutinized and requested to be explained in depth. No matter how small the detail, it didn't fly under their radar.
He was grateful when finally, between himself and Randall, they seemed to come to some sort of a decision, or at least made peace with what they were told.

He had no idea what decision that might be, nor did he care. He hoped they could escape from this system as quickly as possible and back to the safety of the Federation. Or what safety of it remained, depending on what the aftermath of this fiasco would be.

Once he stepped down from the podium though, he could care less about that. Instead he asked (read: ordered) Randell to take over his shift and moved with purpose back to his quarters. Thankfully, Theresa had already been discharged and was relaxing with a game console. Her head jerked up upon hearing the door slide open. "Hey!"
"Hey, lieblingsmensch." Opening his arms, he gladly wrapped her up in a hug the moment she hopped up from the couch. "How you holding up?"

"Good," she answered, pulling back. "A bit hungry though." Jettis chuckled, glancing at the time. As if on cue, his stomach rumbled angrily in protest as he realized he hadn't eaten in the short respite between capture and talking to the Landsers. It had slipped his mind in the moment, given how pressing the issue was. But now he could definitely feel hunger gnawing away at him.

"Me too. Pizza?" Theresa grinned, shooting a thumbs up. Stepping back out of his quarters, the two of them made their way down the Pizzeria for some much needed relaxation time. Greeting Antonia on the way in, Jettis grabbed them a seat, watching as Theresa tried to subtly oggle the arcade machines.

[Ian Galloway]

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

With the major disasters averted and the delegates being delivered back to their Land Moot on the surface, life onboard Challenger was slowly returning to normal, despite evidence otherwise. Many of the bulkhead covers throughout the ship were still removed from their proper places, and boxes filled with those less desirable ration packs could be seen tucked in corners out of the way. It was also much quieter, a third of the crew having been sent off to get some well needed rest, while the remainder continued working on repairing Challenger and staying awake.

Stifling a yawn, Alex glanced at the bridge chronometer checking to see how much longer Alpha shift would still be up. It was just their luck to pull the longest overtime, but there was nothing to be done about that now. At least he'd had a moment to stop by both sickbay and the classroom on his way back to the bridge, though the doctors had outright refused letting him check on Mackenzie, being too recently out of surgery. Maddison was in bed and Ardyn would hopefully be allowed to turn in once she returned from ferrying the delegates, with pretty much all of the shuttle pilots having been on duty for far too long to still safely be flying.

When Galloway came onto the bridge, looking as though he'd aged another year over the past 24 hours, Alex couldn't help but feel some pity for the man. While not a complete wash, this mission would certainly make an impression on all of their files, and it was still too soon to know what the repercussions were. The prime directive was not something to be trifled with, regardless of how the Landsers technically filled a grey void. At best, the Captain would have a new SOP named after him. At worst... "How'd it go, sir?" Alex asked the question he knew most of them were thinking.

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian was truly worn out by the time he flopped into the command chair. So much had happened in such a short period of time that he felt like he was still trying to catch up with everything. He closed his eyes for a moment to take a few deep breaths, just to unwind a bit when Wu asked his question. Forcing his eyes open, he replied.

"You know lieutenant, all things considered, I think things went less than terrible. I really looked like the Landser boffins got what Jettis and Evan were tryin' ta warn them about. As for the leadership, well you ken what political wankers are like. Facts mean nothing, everything is done through the lens of what makes them look best, so they were too tight lipped for me ta say.

"Now they will hash things how in this Land Moot thing, which is their way and whatever they decide there becomes the law of the land. Whether they do what we think is best for them or not is now fully under the Prime Directive. If they keep up with the fold space trials, we'll have ta notify Starfleet, drop marker buoys, and list the system as quarantined. Whatever happens at point is up ta the Maker of All Things.

"Lieutenant, it's been a long day and even with the miracles of 25th Century medicine, gettin' shot wears a body down a wee bit. I'll be in my quarters for bit of kip. I'd say the entire Alpha ship should do the same. I will see you in the morning."

Ian then rose wearily and headed for the turbolift.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Bridge - USS Challenger - Three Days Later]

Ian was in the command chair as there had been a communique from the Land Moot that the Moot Master wanted to speak with him at 1000 hours. At the appointed time, Lieutenant Booker opened the channel to what appeared to be Moot Master Inti's office.

"Good morning Moot Master."

Ian said brightly. He was personally recovered from his brief foray on the planet and all systems on the Challenger were now fully operational again, there had even been time to beam up the equipment taken from the away team, thus he was in a good mood.

"Captain Ian Galloway," Inti had finally gotten the intonation of his name right. "I greet you. The Moot has come to a consensus. Although we could not reach unanimity, the preponderance of the leaders of Land have agreed to suspend the Great Work for now. Even though your Great Thinkers Jettis and Evan could not tell us how your people move faster than light without folding the space between points, the fact that you do has our Great Thinkers looking into alternatives.

"The reaction by the people of Land-Ta is more mixed. Some are grateful you warned us of the danger, while others think you are only afraid of us because we have technology that you do not have. For now, there is some unrest, but no full scale uprising. It will take many cycles before the energy that went into the Great Work can be channeled into a useful endeavor. Hopefully, we of Land will meet your Federation via a different means of travel."

"Thank you Moot Master. As our purpose here is done, warnin' you of the dangers of your technology, we must depart your world until you can join us in the stars. I personally look forward ta that day. Challenger out."

The viewscreen shifted to that of the Land system and Ian sighed.

"Time ta pay the piper."

He muttered.

"Helm plot a course for Starbase 185. We have ta answer for our actions here and my name is at the top of the list of who Command is goin' ta want ta talk ta. Warp eight. Engage when you are ready. Kya- Er...Zhuk, I will be in my ready room. You have the bridge."

[Ardyn Jaeger]

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

With the major disasters averted and the delegates being delivered back to their Land Moot on the surface, life onboard Challenger was slowly returning to normal, despite evidence otherwise. Many of the bulkhead covers throughout the ship were still removed from their proper places, and boxes filled with those less desirable ration packs could be seen tucked in corners out of the way. It was also much quieter, a third of the crew having been sent off to get some well needed rest, while the remainder continued working on repairing Challenger and staying awake.

Stifling a yawn, Alex glanced at the bridge chronometer checking to see how much longer Alpha shift would still be up. It was just their luck to pull the longest overtime, but there was nothing to be done about that now. At least he'd had a moment to stop by both sickbay and the classroom on his way back to the bridge, though the doctors had outright refused letting him check on Mackenzie, being too recently out of surgery. Maddison was in bed and Ardyn would hopefully be allowed to turn in once she returned from ferrying the delegates, with pretty much all of the shuttle pilots having been on duty for far too long to still safely be flying.

When Galloway came onto the bridge, looking as though he'd aged another year over the past 24 hours, Alex couldn't help but feel some pity for the man. While not a complete wash, this mission would certainly make an impression on all of their files, and it was still too soon to know what the repercussions were. The prime directive was not something to be trifled with, regardless of how the Landsers technically filled a grey void. At best, the Captain would have a new SOP named after him. At worst... "How'd it go, sir?" Alex asked the question he knew most of them were thinking.

[ USS Challenger - Cargo Bay -> ]

The scientists and other members of Land-Ta's boarding party had far too much energy, in Jettis' opinion. Granted, their entire life's work and incredible scientific progress had been upended so suddenly, it was no wonder they had question upon question. Each fact he presented them with was mercilessly scrutinized and requested to be explained in depth. No matter how small the detail, it didn't fly under their radar.
He was grateful when finally, between himself and Randall, they seemed to come to some sort of a decision, or at least made peace with what they were told.

He had no idea what decision that might be, nor did he care. He hoped they could escape from this system as quickly as possible and back to the safety of the Federation. Or what safety of it remained, depending on what the aftermath of this fiasco would be.

Once he stepped down from the podium though, he could care less about that. Instead he asked (read: ordered) Randell to take over his shift and moved with purpose back to his quarters. Thankfully, Theresa had already been discharged and was relaxing with a game console. Her head jerked up upon hearing the door slide open. "Hey!"
"Hey, lieblingsmensch." Opening his arms, he gladly wrapped her up in a hug the moment she hopped up from the couch. "How you holding up?"

"Good," she answered, pulling back. "A bit hungry though." Jettis chuckled, glancing at the time. As if on cue, his stomach rumbled angrily in protest as he realized he hadn't eaten in the short respite between capture and talking to the Landsers. It had slipped his mind in the moment, given how pressing the issue was. But now he could definitely feel hunger gnawing away at him.

"Me too. Pizza?" Theresa grinned, shooting a thumbs up. Stepping back out of his quarters, the two of them made their way down the Pizzeria for some much needed relaxation time. Greeting Antonia on the way in, Jettis grabbed them a seat, watching as Theresa tried to subtly oggle the arcade machines.

[Some time later]

[Shuttle â†' pizzeria]

Finally, the last of the delegates, including the nosier ones, were sent home, much to Ardy's relief.  Seven straight rounds of shuttling various rather excited delegates to and from was a lot, even for the most experienced long-haul pilots. They had the entire shuttle crew going nonstop to meet the influx of people and even then, it was barely enough. They were all on overtime at this point, but at least now it was over.

Finally parking and rushing through the last checks she had to do, Ardy was about to head home. and get something a bit more substantial to eat before she crashed herself when the thought came to her; They probably hadn't gotten to fixing the replicator back in her home quarters just yet. Those usually were the last things to get fixed, especially after a ship-wide outage. So food there probably was a no-go.

Alex had mentioned in his last call to her that he made sure that Maddy was asleep when he got a moment to check on her. That was a relief. It wasn't ideal, but at least she was being watched over while they finished out the last of their overtime shifts.

So, that left one of the onboard mess halls.  Apparently, there was a pizza joint here.   Might as well get something there before they got home. She was pretty sure that they were both on the verge of crashing and given that the Prime Directive was pretty much shattered at this point, she was sure the headaches were yet to begin.

"œLast of the Landser delegates are back home ." She reported to the bridge crew as she nodded to the last of the flight team, encouraging them to take a break for the day.  She then tapped her commbadge for a specific person.

"œHey Alex, so it looks like there's a pizza joint here. I'm a bit too tired to try fighting with the replicator tonight.  Want me to get the usual, extra pineapple when you get down?"

[Pizzeria]

It was pretty busy here as several of the crew had a similar idea as they all came off shift. Most of the tables were pretty busy, but she found something that was still mostly open.

"œMind if I take a couple seats?" she asked. There were still so many people who she had to figure out on this new crew. Might as well start somewhere.

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger-A - Deck 19 - Main Shuttlebay] (during the talks with the Landsers)

Lahr, who quite honestly had been in rather poor condition prior to rejoining Challenger after his 9 months away, had been working pretty much non-stop since Challenger arrived at the Landser planet with barely a break for a meal.  He'd been put through the wringer, physically and mentally with that time-fold wake, and space-walk and was quite frankly exhausted at this point.  It was no wonder he couldn't make heads nor tails of the Landser technology.

After sending Neva and Jettis the data, Lahr did his best to keep working at it but at some point he'd lost the battle -  a slow, tired blink ended up with him passing out from exhaustion underneath the Landser capsule, still hidden by his isolation suit.

He was completely unconscious and invisible, when the Landser's left.

The next day, his absence was noted by Ensign Jones, when the Andorian didn't show up for roll-call.  Kasey had tried contacting the Andorian by comm-badge but got no reply back.  Since she didn't have the authority to put a trace on his badge, all she could do was reported his absence up to Chief Neva, and hope she could do something to locate the wayward engineer.

[Ian Galloway]

[Captain's Ready Room - USS Challenger]

Ian could tell the ship was running smoothly at warp by the feel of the vibrations through the deck plates. Although he was loath to do so, he knew it was time to do something he'd been putting off. He sat at his terminal, sighed and began to speak.

"Captain's Log Supplemental. We are en route ta Starbase 185, which even at warp eight is goin' ta take us a bit over 13 days ta reach. Behind us on the Land system, the locals are under goin' a massive societal upheaval that falls on me. I'm nae ta be the martyr for all that happened, we encountered a technology never seen by the Federation that forced my hand at the outset that could nae have been predicted. After the ship was disabled, events began ta occur rapidly and forced me ta interpret the Prime Directive very finely. I stand by my decisions, but I ken full well that there has ta be an inquiry at the very least regardin' the events on and near the planet Land.

"By and large, the Landser people were understandin' when told that their 'Great Work' of creatin' the quadrant's first operational fold space drive had ta stop because testin' showed it ta be dangerous. How long that understandin' holds up remains ta be seen and whether individual nation-states will continue with a clandestine program is unknown.

"I wish ta commend Lieutenants Wu, Booker, and Randall for their exemplary handlin' of a severely disabled ship. These three were directly responsible for figurin' out a way ta restore ship's functions as well as a rudimentary defense against the temporal pulses created by the fold space drive.

"I further commend Lieutenant Jaeger for takin' control of the Flight department when Lieutenant Espada was disabled by the pulse. She coordinated the rescue of myself and the other members of the away team along with shuttlin' the Landser dignitaries aboard the Challenger ta meet and discuss the dangers of fold space.

"As for the away team, each member performed in an exemplary fashion in impossible conditions. I recommend Lieutenant Commander Kyan Mackenzie for promotion ta full Commander and a Starfleet Commendation once he recovers from his injuries suffered durin' an away mission that was more difficult than I can put into words.

"Semantics aside, I fully believe that the situation on Land fell outside the wordin' of the Prime Directive. I further fully believe that I operated within the spirit of the Directive given the situation as it unfolded. I fully expect ta have ta justify my actions when we reach Starbase 185 and will accept whatever decision the board makes regardin' those actions. End log."

[Kyan Mackenzie]

[Lt. Commander Kyan Mackenzie | Somewhere Else]

Kyan woke with a start. It was like one of those dreams where you're falling and wake up before you hit the ground. He put a hand in front of his face to shield his eyes from the sun, which beat down on him without reprieve from a cloudless sky. Sitting up, he was surprised to see that he was no longer in a forest, or any of the other places he'd been since he met his father. Since the forest, he'd been chasing the Landser echo but had yet to catch him. Whenever he got close he would wake up in a new place and the echo would befoul another one of his memories.

To say that he was sick of it would be gross understatement. This time he was in the ruins of a city. All around him there were the crumbling skeletons of ancient buildings. Nature had reclaimed most of it, but the rusted iron and stone remnants of the long dead metropolis left no doubt as to what used to be here.

"œKyan!" he heard a voice call out from somewhere amid the ruins. "œCome out. It's ok. No one is going to me mad."

That was Jalen's voice. Kyan stood up and looked for him, but he was nowhere in sight. He was about to call out himself when a glimmer caught his eye on the ground in front of him. It was the bayonet his dad had given him. He reached down and picked up. As he turned the long knife over in his hands he remembered the clearing and how he'd gotten the bayonet in the first place. He hadn't had time to say everything he wanted to say, to his dad especially. Now that he thought about it, he wanted to ask him what his name was. That, like nearly everything else that had happened before the virus killed all the grups, was lost to him. Even some of his time with the Mackenzies was getting harder to recall.

"œProlly why they make us do those logs." He said aloud. "œIf I cannae remember things, it must be really hard for grups tae remember."

Kyan was startled again when a large hand fell on his shoulder. He spun around to see the old El-Aurian doctor towering over him. He was smiling, but it didn't quite look right. "œFound you." He said, turning Kyan around. "œNow let's get back before it gets dark."

"œI dinnae wanna go back." Kyan heard himself say. "œI want tae go home."

Jalen took a knee in front of him, putting a hand on his other shoulder as well. "œYou know you can't go back to Lerwick Kyan, you have to stay at the settlement with everyone else."

Now that he was face to face with him, there was something wrong with the eyes too. They looked darker. Kyan tried stepping back but Jalen didn't let go. He tried to shake free but the old El-Aurian's grip was strong. "œLemme go!" Kyan demanded.

"œCalm down." Jalen responded with another one of the not quite right smiles. "œI'm not going to hurt you." Unconvinced, Kyan tried again to pull free. This time Jalen let go and he stumbled backward, tripping over his own feet. Kyan ended up sitting on the ground while Jalen stood. He looked around as though he were taking in the scenery while the Onlie scrambled to his feet. "œTell me." He asked before settling his gaze on the boy in front of him, "œWhy did you come here?"

There was a shift in his tone now. It was colder. Kyan took a step backward. "œYe ken"¦ tae get away an find a boat!"

"œThat's not why."

"œYeah it is!"

TELL ME THE TRUTH! Jalen thundered, taking a menacing step forward.

The boy's shoulders sagged. "If'n I tell ye the truth will ye stay an fight this time?"

The Jalen thing nodded.

"Good." The Onlie replied, forcing himself to grin. "Because the truth is... Next time I see you in real life... I'm like tae pitch yer pointy eared arse out the airlock!"

Then he rushed at him with the bayonet. Again.

[Zhukdrashar Mrekrerhas]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

Ian was truly worn out by the time he flopped into the command chair. So much had happened in such a short period of time that he felt like he was still trying to catch up with everything. He closed his eyes for a moment to take a few deep breaths, just to unwind a bit when Wu asked his question. Forcing his eyes open, he replied.

"You know lieutenant, all things considered, I think things went less than terrible. I really looked like the Landser boffins got what Jettis and Evan were tryin' ta warn them about. As for the leadership, well you ken what political wankers are like. Facts mean nothing, everything is done through the lens of what makes them look best, so they were too tight lipped for me ta say.

"Now they will hash things how in this Land Moot thing, which is their way and whatever they decide there becomes the law of the land. Whether they do what we think is best for them or not is now fully under the Prime Directive. If they keep up with the fold space trials, we'll have ta notify Starfleet, drop marker buoys, and list the system as quarantined. Whatever happens at point is up ta the Maker of All Things.

"Lieutenant, it's been a long day and even with the miracles of 25th Century medicine, gettin' shot wears a body down a wee bit. I'll be in my quarters for bit of kip. I'd say the entire Alpha ship should do the same. I will see you in the morning."

Ian then rose wearily and headed for the turbolift.

[Captain Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Bridge | Deck 1 | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A | L7-425977 System]

Zhukdra'shar remained on the Command Chair within the Bridge, coordinating the current efforts to restore the ship to full capacity and keeping an eye on Land, just in case they decided to play rough once more. However, when Captain Galloway returned, he proceeded to defer to him, almost immediately standing up from the seat with his P.A.D.D., allowing him to take his rightful place.

He made his way to the Tactical Console, an ear shifting toward the Captain's response to Lieutenant Wu when he asked how things had gone. Zhuk agreed, partly, with Galloway's assessment. Things could have gone much worse, though for now, the politicians seemed satisfied with the negotiations undertaken. A feeling of uncertainty was still much present around Zhuk's mind, however, as this had been a rather flagrant violation of the Prime Directive. He wondered if heads would roll.

Still, he took his break when the Captain told him to, leaving his shift to head to his quarters, leaving the current Security officer in charge of monitoring the planet. It had been a long, stressful day. Stress certainly wasn't good for his fur. Or his stomach.

However, he could not find peace when he reached his room, even though he took a relaxing bath, placed on his favorite opera, and rested on his fluffy bed. Zhuk feared that heads would roll, and so, he remained anxious until sleep finally toppled him over.

[Bridge - USS Challenger - Three Days Later]

Ian was in the command chair as there had been a communique from the Land Moot that the Moot Master wanted to speak with him at 1000 hours. At the appointed time, Lieutenant Booker opened the channel to what appeared to be Moot Master Inti's office.

"Good morning Moot Master."

Ian said brightly. He was personally recovered from his brief foray on the planet and all systems on the Challenger were now fully operational again, there had even been time to beam up the equipment taken from the away team, thus he was in a good mood.

"Captain Ian Galloway," Inti had finally gotten the intonation of his name right. "I greet you. The Moot has come to a consensus. Although we could not reach unanimity, the preponderance of the leaders of Land have agreed to suspend the Great Work for now. Even though your Great Thinkers Jettis and Evan could not tell us how your people move faster than light without folding the space between points, the fact that you do has our Great Thinkers looking into alternatives.

"The reaction by the people of Land-Ta is more mixed. Some are grateful you warned us of the danger, while others think you are only afraid of us because we have technology that you do not have. For now, there is some unrest, but no full scale uprising. It will take many cycles before the energy that went into the Great Work can be channeled into a useful endeavor. Hopefully, we of Land will meet your Federation via a different means of travel."

"Thank you Moot Master. As our purpose here is done, warnin' you of the dangers of your technology, we must depart your world until you can join us in the stars. I personally look forward ta that day. Challenger out."

The viewscreen shifted to that of the Land system and Ian sighed.

"Time ta pay the piper."

He muttered.

"Helm plot a course for Starbase 185. We have ta answer for our actions here and my name is at the top of the list of who Command is goin' ta want ta talk ta. Warp eight. Engage when you are ready. Kya- Er...Zhuk, I will be in my ready room. You have the bridge."

[Captain Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | Bridge | Deck 1 | USS Challenger NCC-40117-A | L7-425977 System | Three Days Later]

Zhukdra'shar was on the bridge when the Moot Master contacted the USS Challenger, regarding the Captain with welcome, if not fully positive, news. He released a sigh of relief, though wondered if perhaps the crew should have provided some schematics or information into the construction of warp-capable ships. That certainly would have aided the Landsers to feel safer in knowing they had not been duped or lied to by the Federation, he thought. In any case, the time to answer to the brass had come, and so, Captain Ian Galloway informed the helm to head to Starbase 185, once more ascending Zhuk to the rank of Captain (temporarily), before he took his leave.

"Yes sir."

Exchanging places with Crewman Zala, currently supporting him on the Bridge, he dawdled towards the Command Chair, sitting down with great pleasure. There was certainly no denying that he enjoyed being in a position of power, though otherwise, his demeanor remained as serious as always. As soon as the Helm indicated to him that they were ready to make the jump, Zhuk offered a hand gesture,

"Do proceed~"

The USS Challenger jumped, the Caitian laying on the cushioned seating, crossing his fingers over his lap as he admired the space in front of him, distorted by the Warp. He found it simply beautiful, the sight allowing him some brief respite from the woes that would be sure to come...