by -=/\=- Zanh Liis
80607.14
Following Captain, it followed me home. . .
-=Captain's Ready Room, USS Serendipity=-
80607.14
Following Captain, it followed me home. . .
-=Captain's Ready Room, USS Serendipity=-
Captain's log, Stardate 80607.13
If I never see another Strasa politician, whether from the major world or the minor one, it will be too soon.
Forced to stall for time while we continued attempting to learn the fate of the three remaining Away Teams on the planet, I brought our prisoner, Junior Overseer Blik to the bridge, and with some help from Commander Blane, then spent the better part of two hours reading, line by line, the Articles of the Trade Agreement between the Federation and the people of Stra II to the Magistrate of Stra Major in a feat of stalling that will someday, I am sure, be considered a thing of legend.
All I can say is, the Ferengi don't leave any clause unwritten in a trade agreement, that's for damn sure. They crafted the agreement between the Strasa and the Federation and I haven't seen anything so complicated since I read about twenty-first century tax codes in Earth History 101 at the Academy.
By the time we got to the "Right to request official recalls of defective technologies provided to the Federation by the Strasa, which was, I think, Article eighty-nine subparagraph twelve, the Magistrate was at his wits end and demanded we transport Blik to his ship.
Being that we couldn't send Blik directly to the planet, and knowing that I had no concrete, prosecutable evidence with which to either hold or officially try Blik, I decided to go along with it. Once again, in an attempt to buy just a few more minutes time for Salvek and the two other teams to find their way home before the Magistrate blew the Power Allocation Grid to kingdom come.
What happened next stunned everyone on the Sera's bridge, and had to be the greatest example of what the Terrans call instant karma that I have ever seen.
The Magistrate beamed Blik to his bridge, pronounced him guilty of the charge of "Suspected use of technology to inflict harm on another living being."
Then, they shot him.
Right there, on the bridge of their ship, in front of all of us.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. But knowing that Blik would likely have died a much slower and more painful death if we'd left him to the mercy of the people he'd helped to enslave for so many years down on the minor planet, I'm not going to lose any sleep over the justice served upon him.
After Blik was dead, the Magistrate told me that if I wanted to stall off their action on the surface any longer, I would have to bring a Federation invasion force with me and declare war on behalf of Stra II and the Federation. . .both of which he knew I was in no position to do.
It was then that Sue Tenney spoke the most beautiful words I've heard in a very long time- she told me that the Chance was requesting permission to dock, and that the Polaris- carrying the combined Away Teams from the Medical Center and Central Power Allocation Center- was also requesting permission to come aboard.
I was so happy to see them that I didn't even bat an eyelash when they told me that the Fortune had been destroyed. Small price to pay, in my estimation, considering all that could have been lost.
It seems that in addition to bringing my crew home safely, the Polaris also brought to us another lifeform- a small mechanical whom my crew insists is sentient.
This opens up an enormous headache for me- but it's one that will have to wait until morning. Right now, I have one concern and one only, and that is finding a way to try to help Vol Tryst. I am hoping that perhaps Dr. Breaux will have some fresh ideas, and that in working with Dr. McKay, may be able to come up with a plan to help Vol, somehow.
End log.
Zanh Liis rose from the desk in her Ready Room and stretched her arms over her head. Beyond exhaustion, she tried to keep from tripping over her own feet as she went to the replicator, ordered a cup of strong black coffee, and then took her first sip as she headed out into the bridge.
"Current location?" Zanh asked.
"We are returning to our previous course, headed for Vulcan, Captain." Ensign Chang reported from the conn.
"Very well. Thomas, you have the bridge," Zanh announced. "I'll be in Sickbay, looking in on our Counselor."
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-=/\=- Captain Zanh Liis
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
-=/\=- Captain Zanh Liis
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012