Part 7 - The King is dead, long live the King.

Posted on Tue Apr 11th, 2023 @ 4:43pm by Lieutenant Commander Diane Doctrine

Mission: Starship Side Quest
Location: SFI HQ/USS Gagarin
Timeline: Current.

The Gagarin's flight back had gone smoothly for the most part and the ship was now docked at Starbase that housed SFI HQ. Finchley stood in the transporter room alongside Kilbane, both staring at the beam in pad.

"You're absolutely sure you want to bring her along, I mean, really, really sure?" Kilbane asked.

"What's the matter, you got the jitters because I'm bringing her along?" Finchley replied, looking at Kilbane.

"Well, in a word....yes" Kilbane replied "She did try and kill me the last time we met."

"That's because you insulted her mother" Finchley said "That never goes down well with Klingons."

"How was I to know she didn't have a sense of humour?" Kilbane replied in exasperation.

"Well, you found out the hard way, and besides, she may have forgotten about it" Finchley replied.

Kilbane just made a harrumph and raised and lowered his shoulders.

The blue hue of the transporter began to form and soon it dissipated, leaving a Klingon female on the pad. She looked down and saw Finchley, then said "About bloody time you got in touch....arsehole!"

"Good to see you to Karadis" Finchley replied "Nice to see you haven't forgotten the social graces I taught you."

"Ermmm...hello Karadis" Kilbane said quietly.

Karadis looked round, saw Kilbane and her eyes widened. Drawing a knife she bellowed "YOUUUUUUUU!!!!!!" and flew at Kilbane.

Screaming like a little child, Kilbane ran behind Finchley and used him as a shiled to try and get away from the Klingon.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU THIS TIME KILBANE !!!!" Karadis shouted as she tried to dodge this way and that to get round Finchley.

Finchley just rolled his eyes and said "Can you two just give it a rest for minute."

Karadis stood back and shouted "NO, THAT FILTH INSULTED MY MOTHER!!!"

"Yes, and he's sorry, he didn't know you had a sense of humour bypass" Finchley replied. He turned round to face Kilbane "Tell her you're really really sorry and you apologise for what you said."

Cowering still, Kilbane looked at Karadis and said "Look...I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd take it personally when I said you were the product of a warthog, it was a joke, a throw away line."

"I'm going to kill you Kilbane, slowly...." Karadis hissed.

Finchley had had enough "WARRANT OFFICER KARADIS, 'SHUN, NOW!!!!"

Karadis glared at Finchley, but knew better than to disobey him. She snapped to attention, but kept glaring at Kilbane.

Finchley walked over to the tall Klingon woman, looked up at her and said "You're going to accept Kilbanes apology, and you're going to thank him. Then you're going to say all is forgiven, and mean it. Stupid as it sounds, and I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but I need him alive" he added, throwing his thumb over his shoulder at Kilbane "so 'if' you kill him, I'll kill you, understand?"

Karadis switched her look to Finchley and saw the intent in his eyes "Understood...Chief!"

"Good, let's hear it then" Finchley said.

Karadis looked back at Kilbane, and through clenched teeth said "I...accept...your...apology...thank you."

"There, all friends again" Finchley smiled at both Karadis and Kilbane "Now shake hands."

"WHAT?" Karadis exclaimed.

"WHAT???" Kilbane echoed.

"I said, shake hands...now!" Finchley repeated, a little on the forceful side.

Kilbane shakily stretched out his hand, and Karadis took a step towards him and grasped his hand in hers. Squeezing it 'very' tightly she said "I can't wait till we get this job done, it should be...interesting."

Kilbane's face contorted as his hand was crushed in Karadis' vice like grip "Yes!" he squeaked.

Karadis let go and turned to Finchley "So Bird, you're finally going to meet the big bad wolf."

"Oh, I am that" Finchley replied "And one way or another, our issue will be resolved, once and for all. However, I have one last thing to take care of before we go."

He tapped his COMM badge "Kerr to Commander Doctrine, we're ready to leave."

The doors swished open and Diane walked in and announced, "I've changed my mind. I'm going. I'm not letting a shipmate down." Her stance and expression showed determination and resolve.

Diane had spent the time since she saw them last doing some thinking. Kerr was a crew mate she admired. Whatever trouble he was going to get in, she'd help out. That's what crewmates did. She'd taken stock of her skills and decided no matter what happened, she'd come out of this alive and well and able to see her loved ones again.

She looked at Kilbane and Kerr to gauge their reactions and noticed the newcomer. "I see we've added another person to our little party?"

"Commander, this is Warrant Officer First Class Shr'Nesh Karadis, she's... been seconded to this meeting as a 'specialist'," Finchley said, "and don't bullshit me Sir, why have you really decided to come along?"

Diane kept her expression neutral. Folding her arms across her chest and leaning against the bulkhead while replying, she answered, "I intend to keep you and Kilbane... out of too much trouble," with the merest hint of mischief in her tone.

Karadis looked at Finchley and said "She thinks she's going to stop you from killing the Vice Admiral, isn't that cute."

She ignored the Klingon. If it came down to it, she could, in fact, stop Kerr from his intended plans but that didn't need to be mentioned at the moment.

Looking at Karadis, Finchley replied, "Nobody can stop me form what's going to happen, not here, not Kilbane and not you. If any of you try," and he too out his phaser, "this goes against your temple and at point blank range you'll be dead before you hit the floor. Now, if there's nothing else, can we please go?"

Diane didn't move. "Honestly, the threats aren't necessary Kerr, put that away before you hurt someone and listen to what I said."

Finchley took a step towards Diane, but Karadis stood in front of him, putting her hand firmly on his chest and saying, "Don't Bird, she's not worth it, she's one of them, she'll never understand."

Finchley looked at her, then back at Diane, then back at Karadis again "You're right, she's not worth it."

Diane let Kerr perform his rant while calmly examining her nails and softly brushing one breast of her uniform. "What I said was... I'm going to keep you out of trouble. I didn't say I was going to stop you." She paused a moment to let that sink in and then continued. "I did some checking with a contact I have at Starfleet Intelligence. It turns out your friend, the vice admiral, has ruffled a lot of feathers lately. He's not well liked by anyone. Need I say more?"

"I already knew that!," Finchley replied vehemently, "and when we get there, none of you speak till I've had a chance to speak to the Vice Admiral. I already have Gadriel's proof of what happened on the Ironhorse, but I want to hear it from him, I want him to confess, then I want him to explain why he killed my Father. Once he's done that, you can speak as much as you want, but this is my chance to confront him and get the truth!"

Diane observed the trio. Finchley seemed crazed with vengeance. That was not necessarily good. It could lead to mistakes. She needed to keep an eye on him. Kilbane and Karadis were apparently the voice of reason in this party. She had one more question to ask but decided to wait for Kerr to calm down a bit... if that was even possible.

Finchley took a deep breath and focused on Kilbane, "Everything is in place, nothings been left out?" he asked.

"For the tenth time...yes, everything is set," Kilbane replied.

Finchley looked round at everyone, "Ok, if there's nothing more, let's get this over and done with."

"Just remember the old saying, 'The best revenge is to not be like your enemy'," Diane said in a sagely tone. "I'm ready when you are."

Finchley looked at Diane "This isn't revenge Commander, this is paying a debt, one I said to the Vice Admiral the last time we met face to face."

[SFIHQ]

The Gagarin had docked, and they all now found themselves in SFIHQ. Walking with purpose, Finchley entered the offices of the Vice Admiral and made his way towards the double doors ahead of him. The Lieutenant behind the desk looked up and began saying "Can I hel..." then realised Finchley wasn't going to stop so got up from behind the desk, drew their phaser, and tried to block him saying "You can't just go in there!"

Finchley didn't even miss a stride as he grabbed the Lieutenant by the throat, kept on walking, and slammed him into the wall, knocking him unconscious.

"Karadis, Kilbane, what did you see?" Finchley asked.

Karadis calmly looked at Finchley and replied "I saw the Lieutenant draw his phaser and threaten you Sir, without provocation, you were simply defending yourself."

Finchley nodded and looked at Kilbane.

"Oh, ditto, he...eh...he did what Karadis said" Kilbane replied.

Finchley nodded, then walked up to the double doors. Shoving them open, he marched right in and looked around. There, sitting at his desk, looking totally non plus, was Vice Admiral Kerr.

"Nephew, do come in," he said calmly.

Anger now gripped Finchley and his hand fell to his sides. He was itching to take his phaser out and just kill his Uncle where he sat, but base instinct and years of servitude made him stop.

Diane watched Finchley and hoped he would wait to get the information they wanted before killing his uncle. She rated the probability of that happening at only fifty, fifty. She had never Finchley so angry before. On the other hand, she couldn't blame him, his uncle did kill his father after all. "Finchley, remember the information we need?" she offered as a reminder.

"The Gagarin information, where is it?" Finchley said, cutting to the chase as he walked purposely over to the Vice Admiral.

"It's here" the VA replied, slowly placing his hand on, of all things, a physical, paper file.

"Gimme!" Finchley demanded, holding his hand out.

"Not so fast there bucko" Kerr replied "We need to straighten things out first."

"You have five seconds to hand it to me before I kill you" Finchley replied, opening and closing his hand.

"No, first we talk, then you get this" Kerr said, patting the file.

Finchley took out his phaser, walked round the desk and placed it against Kerr's temple "Five, four, three, two, o..."

"You fire and kill me, then you won't know the truth about your Father" Kerr said.

"I already know the truth about my Father!" Finchley replied "You sent him on a 'diplomatic' mission, one you knew he'd never be able complete, you knew he'd be killed, but you sent him anyway. Gadriel was his aid, he was in the room when my Father was stabbed, HE SAW THEM DO IT YOU BASTARD!" he shouted, clubbing Kerr over the head with his phaser.

Kerr grunted as he was struck and fell to the floor, blood seeping out of a cut. He made no sudden move to avoid the hit, or to stand up, he just lay where he was. "Gadriel saw what we wanted him to see!" he finally replied.

"What do you mean 'what you wanted him to see'!" Finchley replied.

Kerr sighed, "There was a mole in the Presidential party, deliberately destabilising the talks and your Father knew he had to try and flush them out. We had our suspicions, but we had to prove it. That meeting on the Ironhorse was our chance, our best chance, and it worked... beautifully."

"MY FATHER DIED!" Finchley shouted, kicking Kerr in the guts, then the mouth "HOW IS THAT BEAUTIFUL???"

"BEACUASE HE WAS DYING FINCHLEY... HE WAS DYING... BUT BEFORE HE WENT, HE WANTED TO OUT THE MOLE!!!!!" Kerr yelled back, spitting out blood.

"What do you mean he was dying???" Finchley asked incredulously.

Kerr got up slowly, leaning heavily on his desk. "Your Father had an inoperable brain tumour" he said "He didn't tell you because he knew how you'd react, he wanted to protect you."

Finchley turned away and walked a few paces then turned back. "No, you're lying, you'll say anything to save your own skin!"

"No, I'm not," Kerr sighed, "and I have proof," he added. He sat down at his desk again and put in a coded sequence on the console "He left this message for you just in case this day ever came, he knew you'd blame me, so he made me promise to play it to you if it did."

He pushed his chair back and pointed to the screen "See for yourself..."

Finchley stumbled over to the desk and watched as the screen changed and a picture of his Father appeared, Vice Admiral Kerr standing next to him.

"Finchley...son...you're watching this because you're now with your uncle. I want to explain what's going to happen, and why 'we' have to allow you to believe he sent me to my death on this mission. It's imperative that you believe me, I'm not being coerced by anyone, I'm doing all of this of my own free will. My beloved son, I'm dying, I have a cancerous growth in my brain, one they can't operate on, I've got about three months to live, but I've chosen to still carry on with this mission. Diplomatic talks are failing, we have irrefutable proof there's a mole in the Presidential Party, and I've volunteered to flush them out. When I get there, and the talks begin, I'm going to interrupt them and begin to uncover the true identity of the mole, give proof of who they are and what they're doing. Before I give the name of the mole, my hope...our hope, is that they'll break cover and try and stop me. The likelihood is that they'll succeed, but that's a price I'm willing to pay in order to uncover them and get the treaty back on track. It's also imperative that Gadriel, my assistant, believes that what will happen be true, they know nothing of my condition. They'll corroborate the story of me being attacked, and killed. I've already spoken to your Mother, she knows all about this plan, and she's been sworn to secrecy. Don't blame her Finchley, this was my idea, my plan, my way of keeping you on the straight and narrow. And don't blame your Uncle either, he had to go along with this ruse, I made him, it had to be made to look realistic, you had to think 'he' sent 'me'. Know that all the things that have transpired have been of my doing, no-one else's. I'm sorry you had to go through all this son, but I did it for the good of the Federation...and my family, it ensured you and your Mother's well being and status. Also know that I love you and will always love you, all I ask is that you forgive me for any wrong you feel I've done you."

The message ended and the screen went to it's default setting. Finchley looked shell shocked, and stumbled away from the table, his steps making him look as though he were drunk.

"No...no...no...no...NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!" he cried out in anguish, falling to the ground.

He looked pleadingly at Diane.

Diane had watched the video along with the Admiral's other three visitors. When it finished she was completely gob-smacked at the totally unexpected turn of events. She found it difficult to keep her eyes completely dry. She went over to Finchley and gently helped him back to his feet. "I'm so sorry Finchley." She couldn't think of anything else to say. She turned to his uncle and in a quiet voice asked, "Was it really necessary to not tell him sooner?"

"His Father swore me to secrecy, what was I supposed to do, betray my brothers wishes Commander?" Kerr asked.

She stood defiantly straight eyeing the admiral with a touch of anger, "You could have said something sooner and saved Finchley a lot stress over the years."

At this point, Kilbane had sidled past everyone to the end of the Vice Admirals desk and had surreptitiously picked up the paper file and walked away some ten yards. He scanned through what was there, then looked back at the Vice Admiral and smirked, he had to hand it to the old codger, he knew what he was doing still.

"This isn't the whole file, is it Vice Admiral?" he asked.

Kerr looked at Kilbane, "Did you think I'd be so naïve as to bring the 'whole' file here?"

"No, I would assume you needed a bargaining tool," Kilbane replied, "In case this all went south."

"Give that man a 'seeeegggaaaaarrrr'" the Vice Admiral replied.

"So where's the rest of it?" Karadis asked.

"Safe, for the time being," Kerr replied, looking at the Klingon.

Diane zeroed her attention on Admiral Kerr again, "We need that information to complete something one of your ancestors, that served on the Garagin, has set in motion. Your nephew knows the details much better than I, he should probably explain it but that file has data in it that we need."

"The Gagarin file is not here," Kerr replied "Because it's already on the ship," he finished.

Finchley, somewhat bewildered by now, trying to come to terms with what his Father had said in the vid, looked at his Uncle.

"What do you mean, it's already on the ship?" he said.

"You have a golden disc," Kerr said, looking at Finchley, "So do I," he said, putting his hand down the front of the neck of his uniform. Taking out his hand again, he showed them the golden disc 'he' had.

"You were told that the eldest son had the disc passed down, a family heirloom, not to be lost and kept on your person at all times," Kerr said.

"Yes," Finchley replied, "but you're not an eldest son, you're the second eldest son."

"What you weren't told was that the second eldest of the family had a gold disc as well, but not to say anything to anyone 'until' such times as a certain file was asked for, that file was about the Gagarin's journey. 'This' disc unlocks the file with the information on it, yours provided the ship and the means for it to be taken to the co-ordinates of the planet."

He broke the chain and handed the disc to Diane. "Circling the Earth in my orbital spaceship, I marveled at the beauty of our planet. People of the world, let us safeguard and enhance this beauty... not destroy it."

Diane held the disk up to get a better look at it. It seemed identical to the one that Finchley had. "So one key starts the car and the other unlocks the doors, like the real old automobiles from Earth? Interesting security measure."

Oh, it's much more than that Commander," Vice Admiral Kerr replied, "To add to your metaphor of the old earth combustion engine, this is a turbo, taking you to the very heart of the story. So, what do you say, shall we?" he finished, pointing to the door.

Diane looked to Finchley, "This is what we came here for, right? This is the last piece to this puzzle we've been working on since we arrived on the Gagarin."

Kerr to the gold disk back off of Diane and placed around his neck again.

Finchley looked at him and said, "You're not seriously suggesting you're coming with us?"

"Why not?" Kerr replied questioningly, "I have as much right to know about this as you do."

Kilbane jumped in, "Plus we'll never know where we're going without his disc."

Karadis stepped forward threateningly, "Don't be so sure about that!"

Finchley put his hand up, stopping Karadis. "No, don't touch him Karadis, if he wants to come along, he can, as Kilbane has just said, we'll never know where we're going without his disc. However, there is one proviso, you may be Vice Admiral Kerr, but if you come along, you're not in charge, you're an impartial observer. You have no say in any decisions, that's for the Senior Officers on this mission... agreed?"

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of pulling rank in such a mission, I'm just along for the ride... so agreed."

Finchley looked at Diane. "Yours is the final say Commander."

Diane sighed. "Give me a moment to think please."

And this was the reason Diane never took the command track at the academy, was unhappy about filling in as first officer when Tony couldn't perform her duties, or being in charge of anything for that matter... at least not without a complete data set.

What she did specialize in was collecting and collating data and make informed, probable predictions. The trouble with that was there was always more information or data to be collected to aid in making a good, based in fact, decision.

Alas, there never seemed to be enough time to get all the data and information she wanted. Sometimes one had to make due with what one had.

She cupped her chin in her hand and thought a moment. She quickly studied everything they knew to this point. One thing for sure, this was going to be a wild ride.

"All right," she said at last looking right at Finchley, "This seems a lot larger than the five of us. We will regroup with the Resolution at Starbase Pegasus and use her resources to finish this off."

"We'll be taking the Gagarin I assume, after all, she is the crux of this whole situation?" Finchley asked.

Diane agreed, "We can bring a minimal crew aboard to operate her properly and have Resolution follow us."

"The thing is Commander," Finchley said, "This is personal to me, this isn't something lead by the Resolution or her Command staff."

"Have no fear Finchley, I have the clout to ensure this is lead by me," his Uncle said "...well, when I say lead by me, in name only, I'll be the ranking officer, you'll actually be the one leading things, this was after all, your find."

Finchley turned to Diane, "It's this or nothing Commander, he has a point. I'm not handing this over to anyone, this is to do with me and my family...,and what happened on that planet, plus, how this orb foretold the Dominion War and how it'll end."

Diane listened with an open mind. She understood what Finchley meant about it being personal, but she didn't like going into an unknown situation without back-up or a back-up plan. "I understand what you mean but I have to say I don't like going into an unknown situation without back-up or even a back-up plan. Surely you can see the wisdom in that? You want to do this alone, fine, I get it, I really do, but at least have the Resolution nearby in case we need a plan B. I don't think Captain Carey would have a problem playing second or third fiddle in this once he knows it's a personal family matter."

"We have no objection to the Resolution being close by, but this mission is run by me, and my nephew" the Vice Admiral replied "No=one from the Resolution makes a move without my say so, and they don't get involved unless I say. If they can't follow that, then I'll put in a requisition for the Gagarin myself, and believe me, I'll get her, and crew it with a staff who can follow orders."

Finchley had now seen his Uncle in a different light, he no longer hated him, having understood and quickly come to terms with what had happened regarding his Father. "I back the Vice Admiral on this Commander."

Karadis folded her arms and said "As do I."

Kilbane nodded his head, sighed and said, "I guess that makes three of us then."

"I'm sure Captain Carey will agree to all that but I'm getting the impression you don't even want me to come along," Diane stated with narrowed eyes.

"It's your choice Commander," the Vice Admiral replied "However, if you do, you're not there as a member of the Resolution crew, you're seconded to the Gagarin, under my Command. You square that with your CO, you come along, you don't, there's the door, you can make your way back to your ship."

“In for a penny, in for a pound as they say,” Diane replied, “I have no issues taking orders as I can see what’s at stake here. As far as squaring things with Captain Carey,” she shrugged, “I’ve found it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission but I believe he’ll understand once I finally explain all this to him. So, what’s our next step?”

"I requisition the USS Gagarin, then we leave, so... six hours and we meet on the bridge," the Vice Admiral replied, moving back to his desk. He touched a few of the control buttons and said, "Vice Admiral Kerr, SFIHQ for Admiral Baxter... tell him it's urgent, his 'play time' can wait."

'Six hours,' Diane thought. She had plenty of time to make a call to RJ and Toby to let them know everything is fine and that this excursion she was on was going to take a little longer than expected. She turned to Finchley, "The Gagarin has been in storage for a long time. Are we going to do anything about the empty torpedo storage? I'd like us to be able to defend ourselves if the need arises."

"Have no fear Commander, we'll have her restocked, recalibrated and firing tested before we leave," Finchley replied. "When you have the manpower, you'd be surprised what you can get done in six hours. The only thing we can't do is enhance the warp drive, so for us, maximum speed will be warp five point five for short periods... cruise at probably around warp five, perhaps a smidgen more. If you need to do anything on the Resolution, I suggest you do it now Sir, before we leave."

"There's nothing I can't do from here that needs to be done," Diane replied looking relieved that there were plans in place for contingencies. "Is there anything I can do to help then?"

"Yes, get us a qualified medic... just in case," Finchley replied "I have basic triage training, for in the field, but if we need to deal with something more complicated, they'll be required."

"We could also do with information on the orbs," Kilbane threw in, "not just the one that was seen by your relative Bird, but what orbs are known about. They're still a mystery to me, but from a historians point of view, they'd be fascinating to study."

Diane took a deep breath. "Well, let me make a couple of calls. I'll see what I can drum up on such a short notice." She headed for the nearest communications station and began tapping the keys. This could have been better planned, she thought to herself.

Tag

==A Little Later On, In The Gagarin's Shuttle Bay==

Diane waited patiently for the shuttle from the Resolution to land. At the same time she hoped Rutherford wouldn't feel too put out about her not calling him for this mess. Alas, she would need to explain it to him later. This particular operation was turning out to need a doctor with a bit more experience in intelligence operations.

"You rang?" Tale had brought her worn medical bag from out of retirement. It had been a few years since she had seen a patient beyond a physical, but she knew she could still knock her way around any medical bay with a hypo spray and a tricorder. "Secrecy must be high if you're calling me in. Or was it sheer convenience... Bit of column A, bit of column B?"

"Yes, indeed," Diane replied as they started their way to the bridge, "The short version is, our esteemed chief of the boat, Kerr, is on a mission with his uncle, that was left to them by Finchley's great great grandfather and has something to do with a Bajoran orb. I also put in a call to another friend of mine. I hope he gets here soon. Where we're going there may be a need for someone with medical knowledge beyond first aid." Diane stopped before the turbo-lift doors, "and Tale, thank you for coming."

"I've got your back," Tale replied. Her green hand hefted the battered bag. "Point me in the direction of the Sickbay so I can get set up. This thing holds more wonders than Mary Poppins carpet bag and is twice as heavy."

Diane smiled and chuckled a little, "Deck six I believe. I'm not as familiar with these older models. I need to get back to the bridge and find out when our archaeologist is getting here. If you need anything though, call me."

"Will do," Tale winked. Tossed the bag over shoulder and headed in the direction of deck six.

[Bridge, USS Gagarin]

On seeing Diane back on the bridge, the Vice Admiral said "Well, did you get one?"

“I managed to procure a medical doctor, she just got on board. I’m still working on an expert on the orbs,” Diane replied. “How are the other preparations going?”

"Checks have been completed, the deflectors and shields have been tested, the armament of the ship has been upgraded and finished as best as can be done given the age of the ship and the stress variants from this ship compared to newer types" the Vice Admiral replied.

"How long till we find out if an orb expert can be found?" Finchley asked "We set of very soon."

“I should be hearing from my contact soon,” Diane answered, “Although, there’s a chance they may not be available. Do you know anyone offhand that could take their place?”

"Kilbane is a historian, but also an archaeologist, I believe he knows a few historical things about the orbs, his input in that respect should be enough" Finchley replied.

"Right, times up, we need to set off" Vice Admiral Kerr said "Get to your stations, it's time to go."

[End]