Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 19:00:55 GMT In: alt.startrek.creative From: "Jay P Hailey" Title: Star Trek: Outwardly Mobile Author: Jay P Hailey (JayPHailey@hotmail.com) Series: MISC - TNG OCs Codes: None Part: 45/342(?) Rating:[PG] Archive: Fine with me, just tell me where. Disclaimer: Paramount owns all things Star Trek. I claim Original Characters and Situations for me. Webpage HTTP://jayphailey.8m.com The Zantree by Jay P. Hailey And Dennnis Washburn I was watching the tape of McTague's interview with Flagg. They were in Flagg's cell. Flagg had been stunned, and then restrained. He came to and groaned, rolling against the restraints. People develop good ducking reflexes from getting stunned. The recovery process is very painful. He came awake fully and regained his composure. He saw McTague and seemed confused for a few brief moments before he understood the Counselor's presence. "Oh, yes, that's right!" Flagg said snapping his fingers as if he suddenly recalled. "I must be mad! The reputation of the service must be preserved." "Colonel Flagg, I'll be wantin' to know what diagnosis ye'll be preferring on your chart." Seamus said, mildly. "Oh, I don't know. Schizophrenia? A psychotic episode?" "Each of these is a clinical condition with distinct neuro-chemical markers, lad. We could claim it, but it wouldn't show up in the examinations." "I have drugs available to simulate these readings. Of course they induce temporary insanity, but you get what you pay for, I suppose." "Well, sir, I had in mind paranoia with delusions of persecution." Flagg's expression grew a little colder "Oh, how unoriginal. Surely you can do better." "No, sir, no. That seems to be the diagnosis from where I'm standing. Of course we'll have to settle it up with another, more clinical interview." "No. I refuse." Flagg said. "Ye can refuse all ye like Sir, it won't change things." "I am not paranoid." Flagg growled "If you put that down it will taint my report back to the Federation. Captain Hailey's treason won't be brought to light. It'll be swept under the rug. He must pay." "Well, sir, that sounds important. Why don't you tell me about it." "I know you don't believe it, but I know. That fool Hailey is threatening the whole Federation to save us. That's not what this ship is about! That's not what Starfleet is about. We're suppose to protect the interests of the Federation with our lives." "Aye. I made that vow, too." "I believe that this whole cruise can be viewed as either brute incompetence or criminal negligence. I don't know what exactly is going on with him, but I know that Hailey is not acting in the best interests of the Federation." "I see. That's a heavy charge way out here in the boonies. What would ye like to do about it?" "Out here? With no support and no back up? There doesn't seem to be much I can do, Counselor. Back home, oh, I'd have had him removed from command a year ago. I know people. I have the right connections. Hailey would have been back pushing papers where he belongs." "And yet, Starfleet named him the Captain of the Harrier, didn't it?" "I should have been the Captain of the Harrier. I don't what exactly happened to the Holly-Hop project, but I know that it was my baby. I made the whole thing fly. I arranged the support of certain key people. I found Holly and funded his work. I chose the Harrier out of the scrap heap and oversaw her refit. I took all the tests. I have all the qualifications. I'm twice the starship captain that fool Hailey is." "And you feel that he's in command of the starship unfairly, then." "No. Not just that. There was some monkey business. You see it was Admiral Quinn. He assigned Hailey as the Captain right under my nose. He found out about my project and then tried to slip his own ringer in. Ask yourself why? Who would stand to gain from the failure of that project? That will tell the whole tale." "So it's yer opinion that yer Holly-Hop project was sabotaged, and the Harrier taken away from ye?" "It's not just about me. These people were acting against the whole Federation. I could have been a hero. I just didn't cover my ass well enough and the enemies of the Federation took it away from me. From all of us." "I see." McTague was thoughtful. "I wangled myself a place on board the Harrier to see if I could ferret out who was doing what, but then the ship was thrown out of Federation space. If that was an accident. Why was Hailey left in command of this ship? What purpose could he serve? Since we left Federation space, he's made alliances and broken the Prime Directive. He's on the loose out here like he's Starfleet Command or something. Ask yourself why. That's all I ask." "So ye felt that the security of the Federation was threatened, then?" "Yes! The Zantree Alliance is a lost cause. Any fool can see that. This is an attempt to leave our best tactical systems where the Kliges'chee can get them. That is, if the Kliges'chee are really our enemies. I've learned to take nothing for granted." Thank ye, Colonel, I'll be back to see ye, soon." McTague turned to leave. "Please listen. It might be too late for me, but some one has to know. Someone has to be in position in case Hailey reveals his hand. Please Counselor, just ask yourself why!" -*- I had a cold sleep tube built and Colonel Flagg was the first customer. The technology was tricky to develop, but three hundred years ago they worked out all the kinks. We were able to use their records to rebuild the device. Flagg's body was filled with a life preserving anti-freeze, and he was quickly frozen to the temperature of liquid nitrogen. When we returned home he could be thawed out and revived easily with modern twenty-fourth century medicine. When Ensign Bruce went back to rebuild the self destruct device, he found that it and several other crucial systems had been sabotaged to turn control of the ship over to Flagg. I didn't want to take any chances that he might escape the brig and cause havoc on the Harrier. I felt that Starfleet Command could more easily try him on our return Earth. Flagg was the first person that we had to do that to during the trip. -*- The Zantree Alliance quickly took us up on our offer and I handed Poong the schematics to our devices personally. The Harrier was given new phase inducers and we made the trip to Poong's World. We called it "Poong's World" and the people the "Poong" because the literal translation of their words for their planet and people came out "The World" and "The People". The Harrier was hard docked to a large space station in orbit around Poong's World. The Harrier underwent a three week refit. It was not the easiest refit ever. Ruezre had a list of parts and equipment needed to return the Harrier to full functioning. The Zantree didn't have all of the materials and equipment necessary. Again our chief engineer's experience in the under-equipped merchant marine came in handy. She was able to improvise what we needed. Much of the crew had leave on Poong's World. I was told that it was a pleasant time. The people of Poong's World were friendly and tolerant and generally nice. I spent a lot of my time in conference with Poong and the leaders of Poong's World. Hafla was the Secretary of the Military. She was talking to me. "Due to the massive effort of the war, we can't explore the anti-spinward frontier. We can't afford even a single ship away from the front lines." "Okay." I knew that she was leading up to something. "You say that your starship was on an exploration mission?" "Yes, Sir, that is our mission." "We have a huge exploration zone there. There may be new allies and new sources of energy and material to fight the Kliges'chee with. The irony is that we can't afford to take a look out there and see." "Even if you do somehow manage to discover new allies or resources in the exploration zone, how will you exploit them? You just said that you can't afford any ships." "The truth of the matter is that there is a balance between the risk of the exploration and the certainty of new resources. A new mission could probably be arranged for a certain return." "And how does that relate to the Harrier, Sir?" "Would you be adverse to scouting the Zantree Exploration Zone?" "You're hoping that we can find you your sure thing?" "Indelicately put, but accurate." "You understand sir, that we won't be able to do some of the in depth surveys that could find new war material?" "I'm not asking for a miracle, I'm looking for a break." "Please let me examine the charts you have of the Exploration Zone and I'll talk to my Navigator. We'll see what we can do." -*- Poong showed me another chart. It was a portion of the Zantree Exploration Zone. "One of the five founding races is called The Tabooists. Their name comes from a racial mission they have. The marked area on this chart is the Taboo Zone." The marked area was a cylinder marking a diagonal path across the Zantree Exploration Zone. "The Tabooists insisted that the taboo area be left alone by all members of the Zantree Alliance. At first we agreed. The Tabooists offered much in return. We all thought that humoring them was one of the first civics lessons of the Zantree Alliance." "Now you aren't so sure." I said. "No one but the Tabooists know what is in there. They won't tell. What if it's the break we need to defeat the Kliges'chee?" "Are you asking me to take the Harrier in there?" Poong's eyes twinkled. "That would be a violation of the Alliance treaty." "How do I report what I find to you?" "Our world has elected to act as control for the Harrier." "So I'll be reporting to you on the results of the scouting mission?" "Yes." The Harrier's most direct path home went very near the Taboo Zone. "I'll let you know what we find." I said. Ruezre Vengla reported that the Harrier would be back to ninety-five percent of her original capability. We owed Poong and his people a lot. --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.639 / Virus Database: 408 - Release Date: 3/22/2004 -- Stephen Ratliff ASC Awards Tech Support http://www.trekiverse.us/ASCAwards/commenting/ No Tribbles were harmed in the running of these Awards ASCL is a stories-only list, no discussion. Comments and feedback should be directed to alt.startrek .creative or directly to the author. Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCL/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: ASCL-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! 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