Aftermath, June 2154

[Commodore Moose 0]

Aftermath, June 2154

 

"They've formed a what?" asked Moose in a tone that made his nickname "Bull" seem too mild.

 

"A blockade, Commodore," said Mirona Alces patiently. "Andorian ships have spread themselves through the system and are refusing to allow other ships to pass. All space traffic has been halted."

 

"I know what a blockade is, thank you. What the heck do they think they're doing?"

 

"They think they're controlling the sector," she replied. "And so far, they've been quite effective. The Trader's Guild is furious and support for the Challenger project is dropping planet-wide."

 

Moose ground the end of an unlit cigar with his back mollars as Mirona spoke, a habit he had when he was frustrated. Mirona was oblivious to the action, but it made her guardian squirm. Liona was more affected by Moose's moods than Mirona, who was extreamly controlled and had become almost indespensable in a very short time. Good thing, he thought, otherwise he'd get rid of them both. Those ladies had a very strange relationship.

 

"What is our diplomatic liaison doing about the situation?" asked Moose.

 

"Nothing, sir. Krolls is dead."

 

Ah crud, thought Moose. How could he have forgotten? Contacting Kroll's family was one of the first tasks he had to tackle that morning. It was fortunate that the Klingons were lousy terrorists. Too many people died as it was, but if the station had exploded, the crashing debris could have wiped out an entire town.

 

"Who's working with the Andorian Ambassador then?"

 

"I'm afraid no one is, sir." answered Mirona. "The Andorian Ambassador has gone into seclusion. He issued a statement saying that he and Kroells were on the verge of an agreement. But our actions are responsible for Kroell's death and inspired premature military actions from his people. He doesn't want to work with us anymore, so he resigned and went into seclusion. Ironically, his people's own blockade has prevented his return home."

 

"And the Vulcan Ambassador?"

 

"The Vulcans think since Commander E'Shok died stopping the terrorist assault, it would be obvious 'even to us' that they're our allies and the Andorians are not. It's only logical that we leave them alone to deal with the blockade as they see fit."

 

"Rubbish," barked Moose abruptly. Liona flinched, then embarassingly tried to hide it. "There wouldn't be Andorians in the system if they didn't resent our relationship with the Vulcans. I'm not going to hand them control of anything."

 

"What are you going to do?" asked Mirona.

 

"First of all, we need an opening with the Andorians. Even if their ambassador has checked out, we still have one on Andoria. Get in touch with him. There has to be at least one Andorian on that planet who's willing to work with us."

 

"Aye, sir."

 

"Next, find out who in Security is in charge of the investigation. We still don't know how the Klingons touched down, and I'm not sure they're our only problem."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"Have you read the reports from Computer Sciences?" asked Moose. "They just spend the week reprogramming the main processor. Klingons aren't known for their scientific prowess or their guile, so there's a whole other faction at play here. We need a top-notch investigator to find out what we're missing."

 

"I'll get right on it."

 

"And then find Moore for me," barked Moose. "Between the attack and the overtime, we're loosing workers right and left. We need the help from the Martian colony he promised."

 

"No one can get here from Mars, Commodore. With the blockade in place, no one will travel."

 

"And without the Martians, this ship hasn't a chance in 1000 of getting finished. If they can't come here, then we'll move the entire operation there."

 

Although usually unflappable, this time even Mirona was shocked? "You're kidding," she sputtered.

 

"No I'm not," said Moose is a controlled, even voice. "It's not safe to build this ship in Earth orbit. The Klingon terrorists proved that. If they'd succeeded in detonating their bomb, this station could have landed on thousands of people, and that would have been very bad for business." He paused briefly to grind the tip off his cigar. "With three times the ship builders and a mostly uninhabited surface, Mars is the perfect location. And I have spaceports full of grounded pilots needing work. A few greased palms and there'll be a dozen ships ready to tow the framework over there."

 

"What about the blockade?" asked Mirona.

 

"What about it?" asked Moose. His eyes held a defiant twinkle that made Liona so nervous, she nearly fainted. "You tell Moore to start making the arrangements. We'll show the Andorians and the Vulans what a blockade really is. And their heavens help them if they try to cross it."

 

Commodore Moose

Challenger Project, Earth

[Travis Kroells 0]

All theese years good Moose...

 

 

K-R-O-E-L-L-S Kroells.

 

I'm resorting to Vanroy like things now! Ahh!