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This was finished much faster than I expected it to be. Turns out I managed to get a block of time together with no distractions. It could probably stand more polish, but it will stand as a nice cap to the stories that came before.
"Captain, I'm picking up a sensor contact. I think its Klingon."
Captain Kerac frowned. "A Klingon? Out here?"
"Aye sir. It looks like a D7, it's heading this way."
"Speed?"
"Just over warp one, sir. It's either badly damaged, or trying not to be noticed."
"Go to yellow alert, approach with caution and try to establish communications."
"Aye sir."
Kerac's ship, the HMS StarGlory, angled toward the limping vessel. Within half an hour of contact, it had become obvious the Klingon was crippled. Its port warp engine was missing, and much of the boom section was damaged. Kerac was surprised it was holding together. It was certain that it was a refugee from a battle. Kerac was determined to bring it back to Hydraxaport. The ship was in too bad a shape to put up a fight, and it would be a coup that would raise Kerac to a much loftier position in the fleet.
The one thing that bothered him about it, however, was the fact that they were far from the Klingon border, near the Lyran Democratic Republic. Not far from there was a nebula. It was called 'Estarra,' and it was so dense that pirates often used it to retreat from police forces. It was also where the D7 seemed to have come from.
"Any communication yet?"
"No sir." The Comm officer paused. "Wait, sir. I'm picking up a faint transmission, I'll try to boost the power."
The viewscreen came on, but the picture it showed was so badly distorted, it was hard to make out any shapes. A voice, noticeably Hydran, came over the channel.
"Hydran vessel, we are a captured Klingon ship. We need assistance."
The comm officer made a few adjustments and the signal, while still poor, cleared up enough to see the bridge of the D7. A Hydran, badly injured, rested against the command chair. He was unable to sit on it properly, as it was not made for his anatomy. Behind him, an Andorian was operating a panel. A human sat at the navigation controls, his Starfleet uniform in tatters.
"Klingon vessel, this Captain Kerac of the HMS StarGlory. Who is in control now?" Kerac asked.
"I am Commodore Solev. I am so glad to meet a brother Hydran."
The cadets crowded around the glassteel viewport. This was the first Klingon vessel they had ever seen for real. Up to now, they had all been simulator ships. It was an awesome sight, despite its battle damage. No one had ever captured a Klingon vessel before, and now the rumours told that the long missing Abassador Solev was the one who had managed it.
"'Tenshun!" The class snapped upright and whipped around. Their instructor was there, and it meant that training was to begin. Every one of the cadets had been hand picked for a new mission, their first. Of course the gossip was that it had something to do with that capture ship out there…
Solev limped through the Imperial Hydroponics bay, up on the highest level of the palace. One leg was missing, a repulsor disc taking its place. The result was difficult to use, but unfortunately necessary. Next to him was King Hydraxan XXIV. They were the only ones in the garden, aside from the royal guards at the entries.
"Solev, you've mastered that well." He said.
"Maybe, Your Highness." Solev breathed in some spores from a nearby Toka plant. "I wish I had my leg. Hobbling around on two is just strange."
"Why so formal? You know it's unnecessary."
Solev sighed. "I do. I apologize. I've just been deferring to ‘authority’ for so long…"
The King nodded. "It's fine. I understand. Do you feel like telling me the rest of the tale?"
"I'm not sure."
"Even if your King ordered it?"
Solev looked at his friend, unsure if he meant it. Then the King smiled. Solev smiled back. "I suppose I could tell a friend."
"Then it is good we are so familiar. Please, sit. Tell me of the ship. I know already about the slavers. No one should have to sell his own people like that."
Solev sighed. "That will haunt me for the rest of my days."
The pain was too fresh, and Solev had to take a few minutes to compose himself.
"I apologize." Hydrans did not have tear ducts, so there were no tears, but triple lungs tended to tighten when a Hydran was upset. Breathing became difficult, and the resulting sound might have seemed like crying to a human.
"No need." The King reassured, and then sat quietly, waiting for Solev to be ready.
Finally, Solev began.
"I was a prisoner for about four months, doing as I was told. Helping those Orion bastards to sell off my crew, and other crews. Then one day, a Hydran came to the auction. He purchased three of my engineers. I remember being so angry. I wanted to kill him for it. But I had no weapons, and I was chained. But I recognized him. And I am certain he recognized me."
"Tell me his name, and I will see to it he pays for his crimes."
"His name was Maddorox, a prince of the Consolidated Guild you were having so much trouble with."
"Maddorox. Is that really how he could bid so low? Slave labor?" The King was shocked, no true Hydran would ever consider the idea. "How did he keep this hidden from us?"
"I don't know." Solev answered. "But it matters not, he's dead now. Killed in a brawl not far from the auction. Apparently he owed some Nausicaans some money. They cut out his hearts. Nonetheless, he took the Orion slavemaster aside and they had a lengthy discussion.
Solev was marched, in chains, to an opulent apartment. The slavemaster made a lot of money on his dealings. He was pouring a drink. There was a stool in the center of the room, just tall enough for Solev's short stature.
"Please, Tevvyn, sit." Solev did as he was told. "Or maybe I should call you 'Solev'?"
Fear lurched through Solev's body. He'd been hiding under an assumed name because Hydran officers’ doctrine told him that if anyone who took a Hydran prisoner knew of their proper rank and position, they would be the first to die. Hiding was a coward’s act, but it kept him alive. Dead he could help none of his people.
"Commodore, I believe." The Orion sat on a lush pile of cushions, spread his arms along the back of them, with a smile on his face that might have been reserved for the green-skinned slave girls. "And to think all of this time, I've been keeping you as a slave. You should have told me the truth some time ago."
"It would have made a difference?" Solev asked.
"Of course it would. You are famous. The great peacekeeper. Do you know, do you have any idea, how much I could make off you?" The Orion drank from his glass. "I could put in a call to the Lyrans and never have to work again. They don't like you, you know."
Solev only nodded.
"But then, I'd have to wait. Feed you, keep you. You do a good job of keeping the other slaves in line, but it is expensive. Methane doesn't grow on trees around here. So I've made a deal. Not as lucrative, perhaps as the one I might have made with a Lyran, but sufficient. In fact, your buyer should be here soon."
Just a few moments later, the door opened, and a Klingon stepped into the room.
"Right on time. Solev, this is Koft."
Solev looked at the Klingon. He wore the traditional Klingon battle armor that displayed his rank, captain of a D7. He looked at the Orion.
"Let's get this over with. You are certain who he is?"
"I have it from a very reliable source. He is a strong worker, follows orders well. He'll do you good."
"I don't need another slave. I do, however, need the political sway this will give me."
The Orion raised his hand deferentially. "I don't care what you do with him. Provided, of course, that you have the proper payment?"
The Klingon pulled a small cloth bag from his belt, and tossed it at the Orion. The slaver opened the pouch, and poured out a double handful of blood rubies. The glint in his eyes matched the glint of the jewels. "Oh, my life is complete."
Without further word, Koft took Solev's chains in hand and beamed directly to his ship.
Solev was put to work aboard the ship. He was given charge of the mess hall. On any other ship, it would have been called a bar. To enter or exit the place, you had to pass through one of the security stations. Non-Klingons weren't allowed in, and if a Klingon drank too much, he would not be allowed to return to duty. Every day, he had to pass through that station, the glare of the Klingons gaze weakening him with every pass. On more than one occasion, the security officer on duty took issue with him. It was always his appearance or the way he walked, or some other minor thing. The Klingons delighted in using their pain sticks.
Then one day, the ship lurched violently. Emergency lighting snapped on, and klaxons began to sound throughout the ship. Slave crews were forced to man weapon systems under the watchful eyes of the security forces.
Solev was ordered to take up the firing station for one of the disruptors. On his targeting screen was what looked like a Lyran vessel. A field sparkled into life around the ship as it swung around. It made full speed for the Klingon ship, and as its nose came past Solev's firing reticule, he punched the fire control, and watched the green energy arc out and blaze against the shield. A second later, the ship lurched again as the ESG field impacted. The lights flickered, and a console nearby threw sparks and flashed out, killing the crewman, an Andorian. The Lyran continued to swing around and at short range, several pulses of energy flashed out in rapid fire. Solev recognized the weapon. It was a gatling phaser, a rapid-fire defensive weapon that the Hydrans used on their ships. That meant this wasn't a Lyran. This ship represented the Lyran Democratic Republic.
More fire lanced out as the LDR vessel moved back away. The Klingon captain was trying to pursue, and the D7 was dangerously close. Solev braced himself as the ESG cycled back up again, just in time for the Klingon to impact its forward shield upon it. On his target screen, his display showed him that power was being funneled to his disruptor again. In a moment it would be ready to fire. As he watched his target, he noticed a small glint. It was a small mine, dropped from the Lyran’s shuttle bay. In the feedback from the ESG, the Klingon captain must have missed it. He drove the ship right over the bomb, which exploded, nearly cutting the boom off the ship.
Smoke filled the disruptor room. A gaping hole stared at Solev from open space. Most of the crew here had died when the atmosphere had been sucked out. Solev was saved by virtue of his breathing apparatus. The control room was a shambles, and the door was jammed open. The sound of atmosphere venting from the rest of the ship filled his ears. He made his way through the gap. The ship shuddered again, and the door slipped loose, slamming shut and stopping the leak. He was near a security station. There were bodies all over the place. But more importantly, the security officers were dead. Solev picked up a blaster rifle, and began looking for survivors.
There were ten of them in engineering. Two Klingons were there, torturing the crew, forcing them to try and repair the engines. One of them raised his pain stick to shock a Hydran, and Solev fired his stolen rifle, disintegrating the Klingon in mid swing. The other turned and snapped off a shot, hitting the frame of the door Solev stood by. One of the crew tackled the Klingon when his back was turned, and one of them, a large ape-like creature snapped his neck.
"Is everyone here functional?" Solev asked.
Several of the crew nodded in affirmation, and the ape creature picked up the Klingon's blaster. Solev went to a terminal, and pulled up an exterior view.
Two more LDR ships had arrived, and so had three D7s."It's getting worse. Everyone has friends here. We need a way to escape."
"We can shut down the engines from here." The ape creature said.
"No, that will only tip them off. They'll drop the boom and make a run for it. We need to get to the bridge."
The ape creature checked the safety on the blaster, nodded and said "I'm with you. Call me Morrick."
"Thank you Morrick. The rest of you, find what weapons you can, and follow me."
"Solev." Morrick called.
"You know me?"
"I'd heard you were aboard. It is a shame you couldn't bring your peace to fruition."
"Me too. We need to go."
"Wait. Were you trained in boarding actions?"
"No."
"Then let me lead. I was a commando before being brought here."
Solev nodded, and let Morrick take the lead.
It was a difficult fight to make it to the bridge. Several Klingons had barricaded themselves in a security station. Beyond it, the last door to the boom and thereby the bridge was welded shut.
Solev's rebels engaged the Klingons. The ship continued to take damage from the Lyrans. Solev and Morrick took their fair share of Klingons. A blast exploded part of the bulkhead behind Solev, causing him to duck.
"Morrick!" He shouted. "We have to get through that door!"
"I'll take care of it!" Morrick replied. The ape creature fired a pair of shots at the Klingons, then charged out into the hallway. He jumped up, dodging a blast from a Klingon disruptor, kicked off the wall, and then the opposite wall. He moved with an agility that was surprising given his bulk. He landed behind the last hold out Klingon, and cracked its skull with the pistol he carried. He walked back after taking something from the dead Klingon's body.
"Keep your head down." He said. He then took the object, and started pushing buttons. It was a disruptor pistol, and the whine building up told Solev that it was being set on overload. Morrick tossed it down the hall at the door, and then ducked behind some debris.
After a moment of noise, there was a hole in the door, and several stunned Klingons lay on the other side.
The rag-tag crew rushed the bridge, Koft jumped up from his command chair, but before he could do anything was shot down. His body glowed bright yellow for a moment as it lost cohesion and disintegrated. Moments later, the rest of the bridge crew was dead or stunned and tied up.
"Get us out of here." Solev ordered.
A young Starfleet officer took the navigation controls. "It's going to be difficult. We have massive damage to all engines, helm is hardly responding."
"Just get us out of the fight, can you do that?"
The officer checked his controls. "If I'm reading my Klingon correctly, I should be able to manage some warp speed, just not much."
"Then pick a direction and go, we'll worry about getting home afterwards."
The fight between the LDR and the Klingons had grown violent. Two frigates had been destroyed, and an LDR cruiser was limping around for another battle pass. It was aiming right for the crippled D7. Then in a flash of light, it went into warp, and vanished.
"Solev, you never fail to impress." The King said.
"I try."
"It shows. And now we have a captured Klingon vessel. I never thought I'd see the day."
Solev stood, unsteadily at first. He still had to learn how to stand on two legs and a repulsor. "What of the other crew?"
"They've been returned to their people. That Starfleet lieutenant you saved is delivering a letter to the Federation President, outlining the events of the last few months. I've requested some aid in controlling the Orion problem here. Of course, they'd have to cross Klingon space, so I doubt they'll be able to do much."
Solev nodded. "And the ship?"
"We are outfitting it with Fusion Cannon and Hellbores. It might make a decent command cruiser. Either way, it'll certainly show the Klingons what we think of them. For a century or more they've always acted like they could take anything they want from us. This time you turned the tables on them."
"I was lucky. If they hadn't annoyed the LDR…"
"Don't worry about that." The two of them walked for a while, generally making their way towards the southern exit. "Oh, by the way. I've assigned a task force to go to that sector of space you were in when the LDR attacked. They are going to take what remains of the Klingon logs and try to find the Orion outpost. I promise you, it will be cleaned out and every one of them brought to justice."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"None of that. Stoba. You remember that, don't you?"
"I do." Solev smiled.
"Now, one more thing. I'm assigning you a new first officer."
Solev looked surprised. "Why do I need a first officer? I have no ship."
The King smiled. "Well, it seems you made a friend in your exile. Big fellow, calls himself Morrick. He refused to go home. He says the Klingons already wiped out his homeworld. He specifically asked to serve with you."
"You can arrange that?"
The raised all three of his arms. "I'm King! I can arrange anything I want."
"That still doesn't resolve the issue of a ship. By naval law, I am no longer fit for command. My ship was destroyed without firing a single return shot, and I was captured. I was forced to commit crimes against Hydrans…"
"Never mind that. Extenuating circumstances. I am reinstating you as Commodore again, and assigning you to the Klingon border. I happen to have a new ship nearly ready. You'll take that D7 and protect our borders with it."
"Stoba, that ship is a wreck."
"Was a wreck. Solev, you've been convalescing for two months now. She's been mostly repaired. The Hellbores will be installed Tuesday. Next week, she should be ready to leave."
"It's been commissioned into the Fleet, then?"
"Not quite. It still needs a name."
"Well, we captured it during a state of confusion, in an out-and-out mutiny..."
"You have something in mind?" The King asked.
"How does 'Anarchist' sound to you?"
"I think that will work just fine. Just fine. It's good to have you back, Solev."
Even when I was playing StarFleet Command, I played more StarFleet Battles. I still play SFB, and as a result, much of my stories fit within that background (which is slightly different from the SFC background).
For those unfamiliar with SFB, the Lyran Democratic Republic is a group of Lyran nobles who grew tired of the clan system that the rest of the Lyrans used. They pooled their resources and banded together forming a democracy. They are still Lyrans, but their point of view is usually a bit different. They are not opposed to fighting Klingons, as an example, should one violate their space. For the most part, their ships are identical to other Lyran vessels, except for better power systems and the inclusion of the gatling phasers.
Further, in SFB (in Basic Set, no less) there is a ship known as the D7H Anarchist. It was a captured Klingon D7 converted to use Hydran technology. It wasn't a comparably better ship than anything else the Hydrans used. It was also never intended to play any sort of covert role. It was mostly propaganda against the Klingons, a way to thumb their collective noses at those who had occupied their space for so long.
Solev needed a new ship, so I figured why not give him something unique? And so those of you who are familiar with SFB now know the events that led to the creation of the Anarchist. At least, as the Hydrans tell it…