Break in the Tension

[Cmdr Ba'alyo 0]

Captain Seiben remained below, dealing with information from the liberated spy known as Cardinal. According to report, Dr. Gidgiddoni had broken the ethical dilemma and allowed the Klingon to pass on his secrets before dying. Ba'alyo frowned, making the long white hair of his beard swing. He wondered how she had justified such a position.

He and Lieutenant Commander Cyiy were here on the bridge, keeping watch in the captain's absence. As usual, Ba'alyo avoided sitting and chose to walk around the outer ring of the bridge. The Master Situation Display showed where engineering had excised the Klingon boarding pod from the outer hull. Kas, Doug, and Savros were leading efforts to determine how it had penetrated Challenger's shields in the first place. The Engineering I console was configured for damage control and showed the havoc caused by the boarding action – a hole in the outer hull near Deck 15, lowered bulkheads where they deployed anesthezine countermeasures, and damaged corridors near sickbay.

 

He paced on, passing Internal Security and its list of nearly a dozen prisoners being held securely in the brig. He still wondered what to do about them. Passing the starboard turbolift, he looked ahead to the tactical station. Its display showed a small fleet of Klingon ships gathered in the debris field of Praxis. Only a few rebel ships lay in orbit over the First City, but there'd been no weapons fire since Challenger had forced withdrawal of the cloaked ship that had attacked them.

 

He passed the Main Viewer and its expansive display of Qo'noS. Beyond it, Lieutenant Poldara was manning the science consoles, rolling a chair between them both. He took deliberate steps, working to not disrupt her.

 

On the other side of the portside turbolift, Ensign Lessard was clearly concentrating on the heavy, confused comm traffic and trying to sort out what was going on out there. Finishing the circuit of his pacing, Ba'alyo noted that Engineering II showed power and propulsion at 100%.

 

He paused for a moment at the back of the bridge. Since Cyiy already had the center chair, he took the opportunity to slip out one of the aft doors and over to the small Deck 1 Mess. It was a small room with just five chairs, but it was easily accessible from the bridge and had a mini Nutritech food processor unit. He punched in the code for a strong black coffee, a human habit he had unavoidably acquired. The synthesis machinery went to work.

 

As he waited the obligatory twenty seconds, he thought about sharing the hot beverage with Giddoni back on the Ardent. He let a corner of his mustache go up. The two of them had been younger officers – he a junior navigator and her in her shipboard residency. It was good to see her again.

 

The readout changed to indicate "selection ready" and he took the steaming mug from the holding bin. Sipping, he realized this was the first break in the tension since he'd been aboard. He wondered how long it would last.