Task Force 12 by Stephen Errity TWENTY YEARS AGO... ''This is the Romulan science vessel Korvath to unidentified ship. Please respond.'' Nothing. The mysterious ship just sat there, doing nothing. It was worse than any reply could possibly be. They were being completely ignored. ''This is the Korvath. Do you read us?'' Silence. Commander Taval turned to his communications officer, Major Nakar. ''Close channel,'' he said to her. ''They're obviously unwilling to communicate.'' Taval turned to the helm officer. ''Resume course to Stalgara II. Warp five.'' ''Aye, sir,'' replied the helmsman. Before the helmsman could enter the coordinates, Subcommander Charal spoke from the tactical station. ''Commander, my readings indicate that the unidentified vessel is powering weapons!'' Taval whirled around. ''Raise shields! Charge disruptors!'' ''They're firing!'' Nothing could have prepared Taval for the impact that followed. He was thrown from his feet, and for several seemingly endless seconds, the bridge was only a blur. He blacked out for a moment, then recovered. He grabbed the arm of the command chair and pulled himself up to a standing position. He almost fell back down again. The bridge was in chaos. Sparks lept from shattered consoles. The lights and displays flickered randomly. It was then that Taval noticed that he was the only person left alive on the bridge. Subcommander Charal was sprawled across his console, dead. A pool of green blood surrounded the tactical officer's head. The rest of the crew were either dead or dying under the rubble. Taval began to panic. He looked around for someone or something to help him. He turned to the viewscreen, and saw that the alien ship was still there. Suddenly, something emerged from its hull. Taval watched as the projectile slowly twisted and turned before levelling out and heading straight for the Korvath. A cold sweat broke out on the commander's forehead. He closed his eyes and screamed. The torpedo impacted milliseconds later, blowing the Korvath to pieces. * * * ''Admiral, we've just lost contact with the Hakar and the D'deridex.'' ''How?'' asked Admiral Torel. ''Unknown, sir,'' replied the young major. ''Their signals just went dead. There's no discernable subspace interference, and no detectable jamming activity.'' ''That's fifteen vessels we've lost contact with in as many days. Prepare a report and transmit it to Romulus. In the meantime, signal the Daral to start searching for those warbirds.'' ''But sir, considering that we've lost so many vessels in that area of space already,'' the major said cautiously. ''Do not question my orders! Contact the Daral immediately!'' ''Yes, Admiral.'' * * * ''Praetor, we must act now. Seventeen imperial vessels have disappeared since the Korvath incident.'' The Praetor of the Romulan Empire looked down at Admiral Torel from his high seat in the hall of the Romulan senate. ''And what do you suggest we do?'' he asked slowly. ''Your Excellency, with your permission, I would like to assemble a small fleet to enter the region of space concerned and find out what is causing our ships to disappear.'' The Praetor remained perfectly still for five minutes. Torel stared up at him the whole time. ''Very well,'' the Romulan leader said at last. ''You may assemble your fleet. Use whatever resources you deem necessary.'' Torel bowed and slowly marched out of the hall. PRESENT DAY...<b/> ''Shields are at 22% and weapons are offline! We have power to maneuvering thrusters only!'' Commander Nalora grimaced. How much longer is this going to on for? How much longer can we keep them at bay? Not long, she thought, as the Imperial Romulan Warbird Mokal shook under heavy fire from the Rajelliak cruiser. Nalora steeled herself and began shouting orders over the chaos. ''Evasive maneuvers! Channel all available power to weapons and shields!'' The warbird dropped suddenly, turned and flew nose-first towards the belly of the Rajelliak ship. On the bridge, the engineering officer had some good news for once. ''Disruptors are back online,'' he shouted. Nalora gritted her teeth and gave the order to fire. The Mokal threw everything it could at the underside of the attacking vessel, before rolling off to starboard at the last moment to avoid collision. ''Direct hit on their ventral shields!'' reported the tactical officer. ''Their engines are damaged!'' Before Nalora could issue another command, the enemy vessel turned and fled at reduced speed, heading back to Rajelliak space. Nalora exhaled and settled back in her command chair. ''Get to work on those engines, Ranol,'' she said. ''Aye, commander.'' Major Ranol headed for the turbolift and left the bridge. * * * ''Last week, Rajelliak forces overran our colonies on Calandra Prime, Norus IV and Sorok II. We lost six warbirds in combat, and an estimated four thousand personnel.'' Admiral Tomalak turned around to face the officers seated in the briefing room. ''Gentlemen, this cannot continue. Our best tacticians estimate that we will be able to keep the Rajelliak at bay for another two months at most.'' One of the assembled contingent spoke. ''Admiral, what do you propose we do? We have every available ship at the Rajelliak border. We are doing all we can!'' ''That is why I have called this meeting. It is not enough to do all we can. We cannot continue to defend against the Rajelliak on our own. I have been in discussion with the Praetor. He believes we should approach the Federation/Klingon alliance for assistance in defeating them.'' Another of the seated men spoke. ''They will never help us. They have just ended a two-year conflict with the Dominion. Somehow, I doubt they will be eager to enter another war.'' Subcommander Sorol, the Tal Shiar representative stood up. ''We will not allow knowledge of the Rajelliak outside the empire!'' Tomalak looked at him severely. ''Even the Tal Shiar are subordinate to the Praetor, Subcommander.'' Sorol glared at him, stepped away from his chair, and strode purposefully out of the small room. Tomalak looked after him with nothing but contempt. The sound of his mother's muffled screams from that night years ago came rushing back to him. He shook his head to get rid of the memory, and turned to face the remaining members of the contingent. * * * Captain's Log, Stardate 59766.4 The Kursk is coming to the end of its seven-day patrol of the Romulan Neutral Zone. The patrol has been uneventful. Which, of course is the Starfleet word for boring. Captain Dimitri Romanov grinned. ''Computer, delete last sentence.'' Romanov got up and walked out of his ready room on to the bridge of the Norway-class starship USS Kursk. He nodded to the bridge crew as they worked at their stations, and settled back into the comfortable command chair. The ship would not arrive at Starbase 173 for another six hours, giving the crew time to wind down from the tension of a border patrol. Dimitri closed his eyes and reflected on the pride he felt at commanding a ship named after the battlefield on which his ancestor had died over 430 years ago. When he had taken command of the Kursk six months ago, he made a promise to himself that, as he explored the stars, he would never forget the courage and sacrifices of his forefathers. He felt he could draw on them for help in dangerous times. But, he thought, what dangerous times? Ever since the Dominion War ended, the political climate had entered a period of nonexistence. The three major powers felt that, having worked together to defeat the Dominion, they could not simply go back to the way things were. But nobody was sure what to do or where to turn. It was in this galactic hiatus that Dimitri had taken command of the Kursk. He often lay awake at night, wondering how it was all going to turn out. He was determined that however it did turned out, he would be a part of it. Lieutenant Mordock's voice interrupted his thoughts. ''Captain, a Romulan warbird is decloaking alongside us.'' Nothing to be alarmed about, thought Romanov. At the end of the war, both sides had agreed to allow limited access to each other's space. ''Sir,'' continued the Benzite operations officer. ''It is a D'kazanak-class.'' That got Romanov's attention. D'kazanak-class warbirds were smaller versions of the D'deridex-class battleships. They were designed as fast diplomatic transports, and before the Dominion War, none of this type of warbird had ever ventured outside the Neutral Zone. So what the hell are they doing here?, thought Dimitri. ''They are hailing us,'' reported Mordock, as if to answer the captain's mental question. ''On screen,'' ordered Romanov at once. * * * ''Admiral, we're receiving a priority one transmission from the Kursk.'' Admiral Nakamura looked over at the lieutenant. ''I'll take it in my office.'' ''Patching it through,'' said Lieutenant Greene. Tajike Nakamura walked out of Starbase 173's operations center into his spacious office. He activated the desktop terminal. ''Admiral, good to see you,'' said Captain Romanov. ''Likewise, Dimitri. What have you got for me?'' Romanov paused for a second. He cleared his throat and said, ''Quite a lot actually. We've been intercepted by a D'kazanak-class warbird. It is carrying...'' Dimitri hesitated. ''Yes?'' said Nakamura impatiently. ''It's carrying the Praetor of the Romulan Empire, sir.'' * * * Nakamura stormed out of his office into the operations centre. ''Greene,'' he said. ''Contact the Sutherland and tell them to haul ass out of docking bay two. Stat!'' ''But, sir...'' said Greene. ''No questions, Lieutenant. Just make it happen.'' Nakamura entered the turbolift. ''Deck five, section one,'' he barked. He hit his combadge. ''Nakamura to Commander Aziz. Meet me in the main conference hall ASAP!'' ''May I ask why, sir?'' came a voice over the comm. ''No, commander, you may not,'' said Nakamura bluntly. * * * The Kursk dropped to impulse just ahead of the warbird. The starship Sutherland hung in space off to port. She had obviously left the docking bay in a hurry, as there were pieces of engineering scaffold still attached to her nacelles. They sure as hell weren't expecting this, thought Dimitri. The Kursk slowed to a dead stop, and let the Praetor's vessel move into the gaping doors of the starbase docking bay. Inside Starbase 173, jaws dropped and eyes widened as the huge Romulan ship maneuvered its way through the tight confines of the docking bay. Finally, it came to a halt, and a docking arm was extended to the head section of the ship. The Praetor had arrived. * * * Nakamura and Aziz strode through the empty corridors of the starbase, towards Airlock 14. They were flanked by ten security guards, each brandishing a Type-3 phaser rifle. They rounded the last corner and waited. One of the security officers moved forward and slapped the control to release the airlock. The two large doors slowly opened, revealing a group of Romulan officers in full dress uniform. One of them stepped down into the corridor and walked up to Nakamura. ''I am Commander Rokal of the Imperial Romulan Warbird Dakora. I trust you have made the necessary arrangements.'' ''Yes,'' said Nakamura without hesitation. He gestured for the Romulans to follow him. They walked for what seemed like hours along corridors that were empty, save for an armed security guard at every corner. Nakamura nodded to them with a look of satisfaction on his face. It was no mean feat to prepare for this on such short notice, but somehow his crew had done it and he was proud of them. Finally, they walked through the large wooden doors of the main conference hall. They were at the top of a large auditorium, looking down at the podium below. Commander Rokal whispered something to one of his aides. The subordinate nodded and started barking orders in Romulan to the remaining troops. They split up and took up positions at various locations around the conference hall. Two of the soldiers remained at the door, joining the two Starfleet officers already present. Rokal surveyed the room one more time, then turned to Admiral Nakamura. ''The Praetor wishes an audience with the Federation President, and your highest-ranking admirals. Here, within 24 hours.'' ''Impossible,'' said Nakamura. ''Make it possible,'' said Rokal. He departed swiftly through the main doors. ''Well,'' said Commander Benjamin Aziz, ''I thought that went rather well.'' Tajike Nakamura had no time for jokes right now. ''We have work to do,'' he said. He and Aziz headed straight for the nearest turbolift and took it to ops. * * * On the bridge of the Kursk, Romanov stroked his short beard while staring at the image of Starbase 173 on the viewscreen. It had been twenty minutes since the Romulan ship had docked, and the bridge crew were becoming uneasy. Lieutenant Mordock was the first to speak. ''Why would the leader of the Romulan Empire risk entering Federation space in a single, unescorted ship?'' ''Lieutenant, I don't know any more than you do. Speculation will get us nowhere. For now, our orders are to maintain position here and await further orders.'' ''Yes, Captain,'' Mordock turned to his console and said nothing more. The crew of the Kursk continued to wait. * * * President Jaresh-Inyo blinked at the bright light. He closed his eyes and rubbed them, then opened them again. He could just make out his aide, Captain McCullough standing at the door to the stateroom. ''Mr. President, I must apologise for waking you at this hour, but there is a urgent matter you must attend to.'' ''It had better be important,'' said the President. ''Believe me, sir, it is,'' said McCullough. ''Perhaps you should get dressed first.'' Five minutes later, Jaresh-Inyo walked out of his stateroom into his office. He took a few moments to look outside. The Eiffel Tower was illuminated, casting a brilliant glow over Paris. The rest of the city looked alive. The President smiled. Even at 0356 hours, he thought, Paris is still awake. He loved the city and thoroughly enjoyed working there. He sighed. Only a few more months in office, then back to the stuffy council chambers in San Francisco. Or maybe not. He had always thought about retiring at the end of his term and buying a house on the Seine, in which to live out his retirement. But that's in the future, he thought. Right now, I have a Federation to run. He turned to Captain McCullough. ''So, Captain, what urgent matter requires my attention at this hour?'' ''I'll be brief,'' said McCullough. ''An hour ago, a Romulan D'kazanak-class warbird intercepted one of our ships patrolling the Neutral Zone. The Kursk.'' ''Romanov's ship?'' said the President. He remembered meeting him during the closing weeks of the Dominion War. ''Yes,'' said McCullough. ''The warbird contacted the Kursk. They Praetor spoke directly to Romanov. He asked that they be escorted to the nearest Federation base, and to prepare for a large conference there. He told him nothing more. The Kursk took them to Starbase 173. Admiral Nakamura somehow managed to get that place ready for him. Right now, the Praetor is aboard his warbird, waiting for you and several of our highest-ranking admirals to meet with him.'' Jaresh-Inyo took a moment to take this all in. ''And we have no more information about the nature of the Praetor's visit?'' ''The Praetor did speak to Admiral Nakamura once. He told him that this conference is the vital to the future security of both the Romulan Empire and the Federation. That's all.'' ''It's not much,'' remarked the President, ''What if the Romulans are just trying to get all our top officals in one place at one time, so they can eliminate them in one stroke?'' ''I thought that at first, sir. But it strikes me as highly unlikely that the Romulans would risk the safety of the Praetor for... well, for anything, really.'' ''I see. When can we leave?'' ''The Budapest is awaiting to transport you to Starbase 173. We can leave immediately.'' ''Very good. Let's be on our way.'' * * * Captain's Log, supplemental We have been holding station at the starbase for six hours now. There is still no further indication of a reason for the Praetor's visit. Lieutenant Commander Michael Ford looked up from his tactical station. ''Captain, I'm detecting several Federation starships entering the system,'' he reported. ''On screen,'' said Romanov. The viewscreen changed to show a small fleet of Federation starships. In the center was the Budapest, one of the Kursk's sister ships. An Excelsior and a Galaxy-class made up the rest of the fleet. The ships were flanked by four Defiant-class escorts. ''Open a channel to the Budapest.'' he ordered. Commander Ford carried out the procedure, but his console rejected the request with a buzzing noise. ''They're not responding, sir,'' he said. ''Try the other ships.'' After several seconds, Ford said, ''No response, sir. They're ignoring us.'' ''Sir,'' Lieutenant Mordock interrupted, ''The group is slowing to impulse.'' As the fleet came closer, the four Defiant-class ships broke off and took up defensive positions around the starbase. The Budapest, the Venture, and the Lakota came to a stop near the Kursk. ''Sir, I'm detecting transporter beams from all three ships. They're beaming at least twenty people to the starbase.'' ''Thank you, commander,'' said Romanov. Dimitri turned back to the viewscreen and stared at the starbase once more. He knew this was going to be a long wait. * * * President Jaresh-Inyo straightened his tunic, took a deep breath and walked into the main conference hall. He nodded to the assembled admirals as he walked down past the rows of seats to his position near the front of the room. He sat down and looked about him. He recognized Admiral Nakamura, the commander of the starbase, Admiral Nechayev and Admiral Toddman from Starfleet Security. None of them were talking. They were sitting still, looking straight ahead and waiting. After ten minutes of waiting, there was still no sign of anybody appearing. The stone-faced Romulan troops had not even twitched. Jaresh-Inyo was beginning to wonder whether his suspicions about the Romulans were in fact true, when a Romulan commander walked out to the podium. ''Ladies and gentlemen,'' he began. ''My name is Rokal. I am the commander of the warbird Dakora. Let me take this opportunity to thank you for coming here on such short notice. His Excellency is most grateful to all of you.'' Enough with the pleasantries, thought the President. Let's find out what this is all about. ''Ladies and gentlemen, may I present His Excellency, the Praetor of the Romulan Empire.'' There was a quiet applause and a small, aged Romulan walked slowly onto the stage. Rokal handed him a PADD and bowed. The Praetor stepped up to the podium and cleared his throat. He began to speak. ''Citizens of the United Federation of Planets. I come before you today with a plea for help. Allow me to explain.'' Finally, thought every single person in the conference hall simulteanously. ''Twenty years ago, on the other side of our Empire, one of our science ships encountered an unknown alien ship. They attempted to make contact, but were ignored. When the vessel attempted to leave the area, it was attacked and destroyed without provocation.'' The Praetor paused for a second to take a breath. ''Over the following months, we lost contact with seventeen vessels. During this time, an admiral named Torel approached my predecessor with a proposition. He wanted to command a small fleet into the alien territory and put a stop to the constant ship disappearences in the area.'' Once again, the Romulan leader paused, this time to take a sip from a glass of water on the podium. He put the glass down and continued again, ''His ships were eventually lost, too, but not before he could relay a small amount of information about the aliens to us. They are called the Rajelliak, and they inhabit a vast amount of the Beta Quadrant beyond the Romulan Empire. Five days after we lost contact with Torel's fleet, a massive fleet of ships invaded our space. It did not take us long to discover that they were Rajelliak. They took us completely by surprise, and took control of many of our planets. However, our military fought back and managed to halt their advance. Ever since then, we have been fighting a secret border war with the Rajelliak. We have let no knowledge of the Rajelliak outside the Empire. Until now.'' ''Why?'' Admiral Toddman dared to ask. The Praetor replied, ''In the last two years, the Rajelliak have significantly increased the intensity of their military operations on our border. They are the very reason we entered the non-agression pact with the Dominion. It was the only way we could continue to fight them. Today, we are being pushed back by the day. Our strategic analyists predict that we will be able to contain the Rajelliak for another two months at most. By then, the security of the entire Alpha Quadrant will be at risk. This is why I have come to you today. On behalf of the Romulan Empire, I ask you t...'' At that moment, the entire station lurched to one side, knocking the Praetor to the ground. A dozen guards rushed to him and helped him to his feet. Admiral Nakamura tapped his comabadge. ''Nakamura to Ops, what the hell is going on?'' he shouted. ''This is Aziz. We're under attack sir. It's a Romulan ship!'' ''I knew it!'' * * * Subcommander Sorol of the Tal Shiar grinned as the Talon closed in on the Federation starbase. He would show Tomalak who was subordinate to the Tal Shiar - nobody. Once he was finished here, no-one would know of the Rajelliak once again. He grabbed the arm of the command chair to steady himself as the ship was hit by phaser fire. ''A Federation Defiant-class escort has locked on to us,'' reported the tactical officer. ''Lock disruptors. Destroy them!'' shouted Sorol. The tactical officer complied at once. The Talon executed a complex series of evasive maneuvers, bringing it into position aft of the Federation ship. The powerful disruptors brought down its shields and carved several gashes into the ablative armour. Sorol was about to give the order to close in when the Talon shook as it was hit from behind. ''Continue firing!'' Captain Romanov stood in the centre of the Kursk's bridge as his ship closed in on the strange Romulan vessel. ''Commander Ford, any idea what that is?'' ''Negative, sir. Its weapons and power signatures indicate that it is Romulan in origin, but it matches nothing on record. It's also bearing Tal Shiar insignia on its hull. Whatever it is, it's kicking some serious ass.'' ''Well were just going to have to kick its ass even harder Commander,'' said Romanov. There was not a trace of sarcasm in his voice. ''Aye, sir,'' said Ford. The Kursk fired a volley of quantum torpedoes at the mysterious intruder. They impacted with deadly accuracy, shorting out the Romulan vessel's aft shields. The Kursk's phasers began to cut into the exposed hull. ''Hull breach on deck three! Aft weapons modules are offline.'' ''Damnit!'' Subcommander Sorol thumped the command override the console with his fist. ''Set a course back to Romulan space. Maximum warp! We aren't finished with them yet!'' The crippled Tal Shiar vessel turned and fled at warp five. * * * Admiral Nakamura helped President Jaresh-Inyo to his feet as the starbase shook under repeated pounding. Then it suddenly stopped. Everyone in the room was silent. The only noise was the alert klaxon coming from the corridor. Nakamura broke the silence. ''Is everybody alright?'' The Starfleet admirals nodded as they dusted themselves down. Nakamura turned to see that the Praetor was on his feet, and apparently uninjured. He was just about to grab the Romulan leader by the collar and demand to know why they had attacked his starbase, when Commander Aziz's voice came over the comm. ''Admiral,'' he said, ''We've just been contacted by the Kursk. Captain Romanov says that that wasn't a Romulan military vessel. It was from the Tal Shiar.'' The Praetor looked up. ''I was afraid this would happen,'' he said apologetically. ''Ever since we discovered the Rajelliak, the Tal Shiar have been fanatical about keeping the Rajelliak a secret. They believe that we can defeat the Rajelliak and not reveal the war to anybody. They'll go to any lengths to make sure of that.'' ''They would even kill you?'' inquired Jaresh-Inyo, who had joined them. ''Yes,'' replied the Praetor bluntly. ''This is only a setback. We still need you help.'' ''Give us a few hours to clear up the mess,'' said Nakamura. ''Very well. We will reconvene at 0900 hours tomorrow and discuss our options.'' * * * ''Now work, damn you!'' Lieutenant Commander Edele Pearse pulled herself out of the Jefferies tube and stood up next to the Warp Propulsion Systems console. She had been trying to initialize the dilithium reaction for the last two hours, but the antimatter injectors had stubbornly refused to work. Until now, Pearse hoped. She tapped several buttons on the display. ''Computer, ready matter and antimatter injectors.'' ''Injectors ready,'' replied the computer voice. ''Initialize dilithium reaction sequence. Authorization Pearse Omega Delta Nine.'' Edele crossed her fingers as she said this. For a few agonizing seconds, nothing happened. Then, the rows of toroids above and below the matter/antimatter reaction chamber began to pulse steadily. ''Yes!'' said Edele through gritted teeth. She tapped her combadge. ''Bridge, this is Engineering. Warp engines are on line and ready to go.'' ''Thank you, commander,'' Captain Philip Scott replied, ''Release docking clamps and jettison construction scaffold. Prepare for departure.'' The Vulcan conn officer, Ensign Satar turned around. ''Sir, do you wish to take the conn?'' ''As a matter of fact, Ensign, I do. Step aside, please.'' Satar nodded gracefully and stood up. Scott sat down in her place. He cracked his knuckles. This got him an inquisitive stare from Satar. He smiled and placed his fingers on the controls. After disabling the autopilot and activating the manual helm controls, he gently eased the aft thrusters to 50% power. The approach controller's voice came over the speakers. ''Saratoga, this is Keel Pod Four docking control, you are cleared for departure. Bay doors are opening.'' The massive doors opened directly ahead of the Saratoga. Scott increased thruster power to maximum and piloted Starfleet's newest Akira-class starship out of the keel pod. Once the ship was 250 kilometers from the Utopia Planitia complex, he activated the impulse engines and took the ship out of Mars orbit. He brought her to a dead stop and stood up, allowing Ensign Satar to take over once more. He walked back to the command chair and sat down. ''All departments report!'' he ordered. ''Propulsion systems ready,'' said Ensign Satar in her emotionless voice. ''Communications and sensors are online,'' reported Lieutenant Kim Kyoto. ''Weapons and shields are ready,'' said Commander Robert Edwards. ''Science and environmental systems are functioning normally,'' said the Bolian science officer, Lieutenant Commander Zel. ''Excellent,'' said Captain Scott. ''Lay in a course for the Muraski Nebula, warp five.'' ''Sir,'' interrupted Kyoto, ''We are receiving a priority one transmission from Starfleet Command. Text only.'' ''Let's see it,'' said Scott curiously. A message appeared on the main viewscreen. DECRYPTION SEQUENCE XXX9783T5R61 FROM: STARFLEET COMMAND, SF TO: CAPTAIN AND CREW USS SARATOGA NCC-82426 RESEARCH MISSION TO MURASKI NEBULA CANCELLED. REPORT TO STARBASE 173 FOR COVERT OPS. FURTHER DETAILS UPON ARRIVAL. MESSAGE ENDS. RECRYPTION SEQUENCE LN204Y897E All of the bridge crew looked to Captain Scott. ''Set course for Starbase 173. Warp nine,'' he orderd The crew turned back to their stations without uttering a word. The Saratoga turned away from Mars and headed towards the Romulan Neutral Zone at maximum speed. * * * ''A task force?'' repeated Captain Romanov. ''Yes, Dimitri. I've made it clear to the Praetor that we are not willing to enter the war full-scale at this time. However, we realise the threat that the Rajelliak pose to us. Starfleet Command has decided to form a small task force, commanded by Admiral Nechayev, to cross the Romulan Empire and monitor the Rajelliak. If possible, you are to make contact with them and try to establish peaceful relations, perhaps even an end to their border war with the Romulans. If this is not possible...'' Nakamura paused. ''We fight?'' Romanov broke in. ''No,'' said Nakamura at once. ''Your fleet will be small, no match for the amount of vessels the Romulans have described. If you can't open friendly relations with the Rajelliak, you're to come back here faster than a bat out of hell, and join the rest of Starfleet in preparing for war.'' ''Understood, sir. May I enquire as to the other vessels in the task force?'' ''Certaintly.'' Nakamura turned his desktop computer around to face Romanov. Dmitri read through the list. USS Curie NCC-62393 - Admiral A. Nechayev USS Arromanches NCC-71962 - Captain C. Hayes USS Kursk NCC-79892 - Captain D. Romanov USS Saratoga NCC-82426 - Captain P. Scott Nakamura continued, ''The Curie is a modified Olympic-class ship. She will be Admiral Nechayev's flagship and she'll be carrying most of the fleet's supplies. Several Federation first contact specialists will also be aboard her. The Arromanches is a Shelley-class shuttle carrier. She'll be carrying a squadron of Peregrine-class fighters and a dozen runabouts. Each ship will also have it's own standard complement of shuttlecraft, of course. In addition, as allowed by the First Amendment to the Treaty of Algeron, all the ships in the fleet will be equipped with the Daystrom Institute's latest cloaking technology.'' The Admiral paused before saying, ''Do remember that this is a voluntary mission. If you're not willing to take your ship out there, we can find someone else.'' Romanov stood up straight. ''That won't be necessary, sir. You can count on the Kursk and it's crew to give their best.'' ''Glad to hear it, Captain. I've already briefed the others, and we have no quitters so far.'' said Nakamura. ''Oh, and one more thing. You'll be identified as Task Force 12.'' ''Any particular reason, sir?'' ''Admiral Nechayev's nephew turned twelve yesterday. She thought it might give you a little luck.'' ''Russians don't believe in luck, Admiral. Not this one, anyway.'' ''Really? Well, for what it's worth, good luck, captain.'' Nakamura extended his arm and they shook hands. ''Try not to start any wars, Dimitri.'' ''Will do, sir,'' said Romanov. Just then, the door chimed. ''Come,'' said Nakamura. Two Starfleet captains walked in. ''Ah, there you are. Captain Romanov, I'd like you to meet Captain Philip Scott and Captain Catherine Hayes.'' The three officers exchanged handshakes and sat down on the large couch opposite Nakamura's desk. ''Task Force 12 will form up and depart in twelve hours,'' said the admiral. ''I don't want any delays, so if there's a problem, get back to your ships now and fix it. Admiral Nechayev will give you a detailed briefing on the Rajelliak tomorrow morning before you depart. Any questions?'' ''No sir,'' said the three captains in concert. The presently left and headed down to the docking bays. Nakamura sat back and closed his eyes. That's it, he thought. I've done all I can. It's in their hands now. I hope to God the don't screw up. * * * ''This is Admiral Nechayev aboard the Curie. All vessels prepare for departure.'' The bridge of the Saratoga was a hive of activity as the crew moved from station to station checking that everything was running at peak efficiency. ''Ensign,'' began Captain Scott, ''Take us out. One-half impulse.'' ''Aye, sir,'' replied Satar. The Saratoga, followed by the Kursk and the Arromanches, slowly moved out of the main docking bay doors into space. The Curie hung in space just outside. After the vessels had maneuvered into a diamond formation, Nechayev gave the order to engage warp engines. In the operations centre on the starbase, Lieutenant Greene said, ''Task Force 12 has departed, sir.'' God speed, thought Nakamura as he watched the viewscreen * * * ''We're crossing the Romulan border, Captain,'' Ensign Maria Sanchez reported on the bridge of the Kursk. Romanov pressed a button on the arm of his command chair. The intercom whistled. ''Attention all personnel, this is your captain. We have crossed the Romulan border and expect to arrive at the front lines within a week. During this mission, I ask only this. That you give your best and stay alive. Romanov out.'' ''Commander, you have the bridge,'' he said to Patrick Wilde, his first officer. * * * Four days later, Dimitri was listening to Tchaikovsky in his ready room when Wilde's voice came over the intercom. ''Captain, you'd better get out here.'' Romanov turned off the music and walked back on to the bridge. ''Sir,'' said Wilde ''We're detecting a Romulan ship closing fast on our position. It matches the design of the Tal Shiar ship that attacked Starbase 173.'' ''Red Alert,'' said Romanov at once, Open an audio channel to the other ships.'' ''Aye, sir,'' said Mordock. ''Admiral, what are your orders?'' asked the captain. ''The Tal Shiar have some of the most advanced cloaking detection technology in the Galaxy. I would not recommend cloaking. We could be making ourselves sitting ducks.'' On the bridge of the Saratoga, Ensign Kyoto turned to to Captain Scott. ''Sir, we're being hailed. It is the Tal Shiar ship.'' ''Let's hear it,'' said Scott. The bridge crews of the four ships listened as Subcommander Sorol's voice came over the speakers. ''This is the Tal Shiar vessel Talon to Federation starships. The Tal Shiar will not allow your mission to go ahead. You will turn back to Federation space immediately. If you do not comply, you will be destroyed.'' ''Captain,'' said Commander Edwards. ''Four more ships like the Talon have just decloaked. They will be in weapons range in twenty seconds.'' ''Raise shields. Ready all weapons. We're going to have to fight,'' Captain Scott said grimly. The four ships of Task Force 12 slowed to impulse and turned to face the approaching Tal Shiar vessels. Continue to Episode Two