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Rov

The Liberia Incident

A tractor beam held them tight. It's ghostly florescence tinted everything on their viewscreen. The image of the Miranda-Class cruiser was blurred but unmistakable. Rov looked over at the woman sitting in the command chair. "The Federation ship is hailing again."

 

Rashon sat in contemplation. Moments like this she truly looked a daughter of Romulus. Had her father been of importance she might well be commanding a Warbird. However, they rarely gave such roles to Orion half-breeds. Their loss. "Open the channel. Audio only and add some static for effect."

 

"You're on." Rov opened the channel. He then turned and took a curious look at his partner. She was fascinating to watch in action.

 

With a wink and a smile towards Rov she began. "Do you read us now?"

 

A gruff voice responded over the comm. It sounded Tellerite. "This is the USS Liberia. You have attacked a transport in Federation shipping lanes. Drop shields and prepare to be boarded."

 

"They attacked us!" Her voice took on a girlish squeal. It left a foul taste in her mouth but Rashon fought on. "We had half our comm system stolen before we could raise shields. Just scan their hold and you'll find it."

 

Rov nodded in understanding. The transport in question was carrying communications equipment. That wasn't what Rashon wanted them to find though. The Federation Starship might just change it's priorities when it found 100 crates of Romulan ale smuggled across the neutral zone. That was what Rov and Rashon were after themselves anyways.

 

A long silent pause was the reply.

 

The Tellerite's voice sounded stressed. "Prepare to beam over to the Liberia. I will arbitrate this disagreement between you two."

 

Rov saw the look on Rashon's face. He muted the channel. "Not the response you expected?"

 

"No, it wasn't! That Pig probably already knew the ale was on board that ship."

 

"Explains a few things. They missed the ship crossing the neutral zone but they were on top of us quick enough. That Starfleet ship was paid off to let them through." Rov shook his head.

 

"No, only the Captain. He's making a show of things now, until he can find an excuse to move on us."

 

"You can't beam over there."

 

"I don't plan to!" Rashon sat back in her chair. "Target their tractor beam. It's time to get out of here."

 

"No. We'll never get through their shields. Tell them our transporters are out and we'll have to use our shuttlecraft. I'll take it from there."

 

 

The small shuttlecraft exited the ship and turned it's heading towards the Liberia. The view of the shuttle, ships, and even the stars in the distance took on a flat pixelated tone. Rov was watching the events unfold on an early 22nd century projector. He remembered this projector. He replicated it for the nostalgic feel for movie nights on the USS Illustrator. Well, not always nights. Most of the showings took place in the middle of duty shifts. As he looked up from the projector Rov could see he was now standing in the Illustrator's engineering department. The twin reactor cores hummed softly. He hated those things. The presence of those monstrosities turned this dream of Rov's quickly into a nightmare.

 

On the screen the shuttle came about on it's landing approach. "I'm really surprised that plan of yours worked." The voice came from another Catullan sitting in the front row.

 

Rov stepped over and took a seat beside Morishon, his grandfather. "Got lucky. They didn't bother scanning the shuttle for explosives before it landed."

 

"So there wasn't any need after all to send a pilot on board?"

 

"Rashon was going to kill him the next day anyways." Rov picked up a box of popcorn from the next seat over. "This was a bit quicker than what she had planned."

 

 

The back of the Liberia exploded. Bits and pieces showered outward and the tractor beam failed as the ship began a slow spin. A second and third explosion ripped through the remains of the ships shuttlebay. The force shattered the back half of their port nacelle and removed the entire impulse drive.

 

Rov watched the much younger him on the screen now turning towards Rashon. "We're free, let's get out of here!"

 

"Target their bridge! Fire!" Rashon screamed at the weapons office. The shots hit their targets exploding the bridge dome.

 

"What are you doing!?" Rov's voice was equally as excited.

 

"Ending that Pig and making this worth our trouble." She looked at Rov, her eyes telling him she wanted no questions. "One Starfleet photon torpedo is worth a fortune. Start beaming them out, all of them!"

 

 

Morishon reached over to the small remote and paused the video. "And so you stripped the ship bare, shot all the lifepods, got the ale from the transport, and murdered that crew as well."

 

"That's the short version, yes." Rov tossed a piece of popcorn into his mouth.

 

"And now you're working for the same Starfleet you butchered."

 

Rov laughed. "I spent how many years IN Starfleet and you're just now bringing this up? I resolved those issues a long time ago."

 

Morishon stood up. "Yes, you got Rashon sent to a Cardassian prison. Then she escaped and killed Shirla's mother out of revenge."

 

Rov's eyes shaded darker. "I resolved that issue as well."

 

"Your solutions keep making more problems. That is why I showed you this."

 

Rov bolted out of his seat. "Errrrrr, Enough!" The imaginary engineering room around them cracked and flew apart. "I restored the domain you lost! YOU lost! The Ishons are returned to Catulla. But that's not enough for you! Of all the ancestral knowledge it is your voice I hear first at any thought of me living a life other than as one of the Ishons."

 

"As the Lord of the Ishons! That is our birthright! But you have abandoned that! You abandoned your title! You even abandoned Novar!"

 

Rov's fist sunk deep into Morishon's abdomen. Mor slumped onto Rov's shoulder. Whispering into his ear, "Novar left me. You couldn't keep her either. At least I made her my wife." Rov shoved Morishon to the ground. "I knew she would outlive me by centuries and I didn't care if we never had children. But that wouldn't do for an Ishon, would it. You would never take her as your bride so don't talk to me about abandoning anything!"

 

Mor sat motionless on the ground. Rov circled around. The cracked deckplating below them faded to an orange haze. The black void grayed and joined the haze in a wall slowly moving away. One by one other figures emerged. They appeared by the tens and twenties. Their ranks flowed upward to make a grand arena. Rov surveyed them slowly. "Does the Ancestral Knowledge have any more council to give their Coora?!" Rov shouted.

 

Silence was the reply.

 

"Then rest. Return to your rest until you are needed!" Rov looked down at Morishon. "The past needs to rest."

 

 

Rov's eyes snapped awake. He sat up and looked around his quarters on the Lit By Moonlight. "If only the past could rest."

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