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Star Trek Adventurer	By : Tcr Category: +S through Z > Star Trek: Online Views: 2690 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: Star Trek is owned and copyrighted by Paramount Pictures and CBS. For full disclaimer, see Chapter 1.

Chapter List
- 15
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Chapter 16: A Free Galaxy
“Commander Remora,” Taka said, standing at the table, holding her Andorian Ale. She looked between the open chair and the Romulan observer. “May I sit?”
“I believe the humans say ‘it’s a free galaxy’,” Remora waved the Andorian to the opposite seat. She nursed the Romulan Ale in her glass, as though uncertain as to whether she wanted to drink it or not. In her right hand, she held a PADD, engrossed in the information held within.
“In some parts of the galaxy, yes, but that doesn’t mean I have to be rude about it, does it?” Taka smiled disarmingly. Remora rolled her eyes. Taka sipped back on the Andorian Ale. “The replicated substitute pales in comparison to the real thing, doesn’t it?” She finished off the glass.
“There is no substitute for Kali-fal,” Ariatha stated. She took a swig of the blue liquid. “Real Kali-fal opens your sinuses with a single whiff, before you even get the glass to your lips. This,” she motioned with the PADD in her hand, “can’t even be considered a substitute. It’s a pathetic excuse for the real thing.”
Taka shrunk back, unsure of what to say. It was like she had been scolded by the Romulan woman and she didn’t want to offend her any more than she already had. The waiter at Pilgrim’s gracefully entered the picture to ask if Taka wanted a refill. She hadn’t felt grateful for such a request at any point in her life more than she did now.
“I’m thinking we got off on the wrong foot, as the humans say,” Taka stated after a few minutes of silence had fermented between them. “I’d like to get to know you, Commander Remora.” Ariatha raised an eyebrow reminiscent of Straala’s when she found something fascinating and breathed an irritated sigh. Silence suffocated them. “I don’t care if Admiral Jarok’s cheating on her wife with you, that’s none of my concern-”
Ariatha’s raucous laugh drew the attention of everyone in the lounge. She shook her head incredulously, obviously finding Taka’s words hilarious in a way that Taka hadn’t intended in the slightest. She drained the glass in her hand and laughed some more as she looked at Taka, then shook her head again.
“You think Tiaru’s cheating?” Ariatha laughed again. “With me?” She let out a whistle. “That’s just damned hilarious, Ensign.” She glanced as the waiter returned with Taka’s Andorian Ale. “Waiter, please, another. Tastes like garbage, but I’m going to need something to handle this.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the man said, taking Ariatha’s glass with him as he stepped away.
“I have heard some interesting ideas and thoughts, but not once have I heard that one and that, my dear Ensign, is the best,” Ariatha put the PADD down. “She’s not cheating on her wife with me.” She shook her head. “No, no, no. She wouldn’t do that, she loves her. As I do her.” Ariatha stopped, allowing the realization to sink in. “I am her wife, Ensign.”
“Then why not just admit it? No one would hold it against you here,” Taka said.
“There are many in the Empire who refuse to accept Tiaru, the daughter of the legendary defector, as a,” Ariatha paused, “true Romulan.” She scoffed at the words. “Most of those arrogant bastards wouldn’t know a true Romulan from their…” she trailed, letting silence take over for a moment. “Something like this, most don’t care about who someone’s with in the confines of their home. With regards to Tiaru, because of her family history, this is frowned upon. This is another thing to attack her on, another thing to discredit her and try to force her from her position and her rank. The flagship of the Romulan Republic is hard earned and her command of it was well deserved.” The waiter returned with the Romulan Ale. Ariatha nodded at him. “I couldn’t let that happen to her, so we keep it secret. People know she’s married to her wife, but they don’t know who, they can’t turn it into a political nature.” She sighed. “I’m sure someone, somewhere, knows she and I are married and that person is just waiting to deliver that to someone in power, blackmail Tiaru into relinquishing the Lleiset.” Her eyes dropped sadly. “It would have been different if Ch’Rihan hadn’t been destroyed.”
“I’m sorry,” Taka said.
“It’s not your fault,” Ariatha said. She drank the Romulan Ale. “I’m sure it didn’t take long to realize Admiral Remora and I weren’t exactly on great speaking terms.”
“He didn’t waste any time trying to dispel that, either,” Taka said. She felt uncomfortable suddenly and her antennae curved awkwardly. Her hands dropped down under the table and she started wringing them.
“My uncle,” Ariatha cursed the word, “feels that, with the destruction of Ch’Rihan, all Romulans should look to procreation. According to him, we all have a duty to our people, and my marriage to Tiaru is aberrant to him. We are refusing our duties.”
“You have a duty to yourself, though,” Taka said. “To be honest and truthful, in all matters of your life, and if you’re happy with Tiaru, then…”
She sighed. “My father was a Senator on Ch’Rihan. We lived well in Ki Baratan and I met Tiaru rather quickly after her father defected. She had been shunned by several people, those who knew what her father did, but my father purposely put us together. The Jaroks were seen by most as pariahs after her father’s defection and because of my father’s decision, I was, too.” She sighed. “I hated him for what he forced on me. I had people beating me every day when I was at school and I would defend Tiaru, almost as much as she defended me.” She shook her head. “My father, the great, venerable, untouchable Senator Sarkoth Remora, who had been prolific in his outspoken support of the Federation Alliance during the Dominion War, left me ostracized by my peers as a test. I overcame it all, and Tiaru and I grew closer with each day and month.
“When Tiaru joined the Stellar Navy, I joined it not long after,” Ariatha said. There was a smile on her face at the memory. “Most important day in my life and it was only a year after Tiaru. When I graduated the Academy in 2383, at 18 Terran years, best day of my father’s life, too.” The smile vanished. “Then Hobus. I was off planet at the time, serving along the Neutral Zone aboard the Havernas with Tiaru, when the supernova annihilated Romulus. With the exception of my uncle, all my family was killed.” She swallowed. “And even he hates me.” Remora glanced at Taka. “Are you happy, you know all about me.”
Taka fell back in her chair. “I didn’t-”
Ariatha cut her off. “Look, I’m here because Tiaru specifically asked me to be. She wanted someone she could trust on Starfleet’s furthest exploration fleet. I’m happy to do it, for her. I’m not happy to have to deal with my uncle, I’m not happy about the possibility that anything will go wrong, I’m not happy about invading someone else’s space much like the three major powers back home have done the same there.” She sighed. “I’ll be in my quarters if you need me.” She rose from her chair and headed towards the door.
Taka stared after her. She hadn’t thought that the other woman would have as much troubles as she did. How could she? The great powers of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants didn’t have any qualms about sexualities and genders - at least, not on the open level. They didn’t discriminate against such a primitive notion of it.
“All Bridge staff to the Bridge,” Watson’s voice erupted over the intercom. Taka stared up at the ceiling for a moment, then rose from her chair and headed to the doors. “Commander Remora, to the Bridge.”
***
“Commander, we have arrived at System DQ-942-J,” Lieutenant Palmer announced as the turbolift opened and Taka stepped out. Palmer left her chair at the Helm as Straala took over. The rest of the Ensigns moved to their stations, those occupying them leaving as they did.
“System report, Ensign Hiland,” Taka requested, sliding into the executive officer’s chair and shifting her focus to Hiland, across from her.
There was a moment of silence as Jena read over the report scrolling on the screen. “Binary star system, ten planets, one possibly habitable.” She turned back to Taka. “It was discovered during close studies of Voyager’s sensors, registered 35 years ago.”
“They never investigated?” Erra asked, turning to look at Hiland.
“Why would they?” Hiland asked, turning her chair to face Tactical. “It was out of their way by several hundred light years and only on the farthest reaches of their sensor range. It was only picked by Starfleet Command for further investigation after those studies of Voyager’s readings.”
“Additionally, Ensign Netu, in 2375, Voyager had entered the fourth year of her travels and consequently encountered the Borg, beginning three years of irregular engagements with them and what they refer to as Species 8472, the Undine,” Straala added from the Helm. “It is highly unlikely that, even if this planet was relatively closer to Voyager’s flight path, Captain Janeway would have willingly diverted to investigate the mere possibility of life at that time.”
“Which leaves this to us to investigate and make first contact with, if there is any life on that planet,” Captain Korolevna stated as she walked from her ready room. “And our fleet, Ensign Straala?”
“In orbit of the tenth planet,” Straala answered.
“Admiral Banacek on screen, Captain,” Erra reported.
Korolevna nodded, turning to the viewscreen as she walked across to her chair. “Paul, glad the fleet’s still in one piece. I wasn’t sure your cruiser could handle the stresses like my weak science vessel.” She chuckled.
“You won’t be saying that when you need my cruiser to defend you, Terry,” Banacek smiled which a chuckle of his own. He glanced behind him at one of his officers as she called him, then turned back to Korolevna. “My science officer reports indications of a warp capable species on the fourth planet, though she doesn’t detect any ships in orbit. The rest of the fleet will proceed to the next destination. You and the Adventurer will head there and investigate. Good luck, Terry. Epimetheus out.”
The screen went black and returned to the image of the rock and ice tenth planet behind the four other starships. Korolevna nodded and sighed. To herself, she muttered, “I don’t like being out here alone, Paul.” She slid into her chair. “Ensign Straala, set course and engage, full impulse.”
“Yes, Captain.”
A thousand thoughts drifted through Taka’s mind. First contact with a new species was the most important and interesting duties a Starfleet officer had. It offered the chance to make new friends before they could become enemies and a successful one meant eliminating the possible violence that could occur. Had first contact with the Dominion been smoother than the unintentional wanderings of Bajorans, Klingons, and Starfleet peoples into their space, the Dominion War may have had a different outcome.
Even re-establishing contact, if this was that situation - certainly, there were plenty of others who Voyager encountered through its seven years in the Delta Quadrant that could have colonized the planet. It was usually beneficial, such as with the Xindi in the previous century. Though it could have hiccups, such as the Enterprise’s encounter with the Romulans a century after the Earth-Romulan War, but in the centuries to come, that contact had laid a foundation. Old enemies could potentially become friends and allies.
And sometimes not, Taka amended silently. Xenophobia plays havoc with the minds of all involved.
The Breen, the Tzenkethi, the Gorn, even the Cardassians were anything but friendly. Or closer to home, she thought to herself.
It had only been two centuries since the Andorians and Vulcans were fighting over stupid reasons and, while most Andorians refused to accept it, their own pride and xenophobic natures had led to mistrust towards humans and her peoples’ perceived human-Vulcan alliance. That disastrous first contact and consequent encounters later spurred chasms in relations, although Commander Shran had routinely fought for acceptance of the humans as impartial mediators and a friend to the Andorian people. It had only been after humans had brought together the Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarite during the Romulan holoship attacks had her people as a whole had seen the reality.
It had been that wake up call that had brought the majority of the Andorian people around to the idea of joining the Coalition of Planets, which had eventually become the United Federation of Planets.
How much could that have changed if things had gone differently? If the humans hadn’t pushed for Andorian admittance? Taka thought. She glanced at Korolevna for a moment before returning her sight to the viewscreen.
“Captain, I’m detecting evidence of a spacefaring civilization, much like the Epimetheus’ science officer, but, also like her, I’m not detecting any indications its still in use,” Jena said, turning in her chair. “It’s like they just gave up.”
“No warp signatures? Nothing of the sort?” Korolevna asked. Hiland shook her head and answered negatively. Korolevna looked at Erra. “Ensign Netu, weapons signatures, anything that would explain this?”
“Nothing, sir,” Erra replied. “No weapons signatures, no debris in orbit, no satellites, no stations, not a damned thing. I’ve heard of Romulans being described as extremely isolationist, but even they would be envious of these people.”
“Lifesigns, Ensign Hiland?”
“Several concentrated areas, Captain, but they seem to be fluctuating,” Hiland answered. She turned to face Korolevna again. “I’m not detecting any real structures on the surface, though.”
Korolevna nodded and turned back to the planet on the viewscreen. “Damned peculiar.” She shook her head. “Put us in orbit, Ensign.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Commander Watson, you have the Bridge. Ensigns zh’An and Netu, with me. Doctor T’Pril, have Ensign Lanul meet me in Transporter Room 1.”
“Yes, Captain.”
This is going to be a long day, Taka thought to herself.
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Star Trek Adventurer