I really can’t think of anything to say that the story
itself won’t… so, I’ll let it speak for itself.
“The Ides of March”
By Jaeih t’Radaik
Stardate: 55201.7
Date:
Location: Neural star system
"Aft
phasers and photons, fire! New course, bearing 150 mark
45!"
Captain Amber Seymour shouted over the noise, putting the ship
into an upward spiralling right turn. Lakota's
weaponry lashed out at the burnished silver Roman starship behind her, while
their opponent’s next volley disappeared underneath the refitted Excelsior-class starship's
hull.
It seemed to take forever, but the seconds crawled past to bring
the enemy Miranda-class ship into the
forward torpedo arc. "Forward phasers and photons,
target Fidelis
and fire!"
Another torrent of red/orange fire lashed out at the smaller
ship, battering down its upper shield and tearing out great chunks of duranium hull.
"Report!"
"Their forward and dorsal shields are down… reading
breaches on their upper hull surface. Their warp drive is offline… impulse
power at 47%... four phaser emitters and the photon pod have
been destroyed," Commander Rozhdestvenskiy
reported. "Damn! We missed their
bridge by only seven meters!" the first officer exclaimed in dismay.
"Our aft shields are down to seven percent… re-routing power to compen–”
"Belay that, Commander. Maintain current shield strength in
all arcs. Divert ten percent structural integrity field power to the
phasers."
Geogoriy blinked at that, but hurriedly carried out his orders. I hope your ploy works, Captain. With all
the manoeuvres you're having us pull, we can't spare that SIF power!
"The SPQR Fidelis has swung away to protect her vulnerable fore
and dorsal shield arcs," their Vulcan tactical officer stated calmly.
"The SPQR Insidiator
has re-engaged and is manoeuvring for position on our weak aft shield. There is
no further indication that SPQR Pugnator is rejoining the battle. She does not register
on sensors."
"Thank you, Mr. Saldar."
Amber nodded and returned her attention to the tactical display on the main
view screen. Her ship's previous volleys had dangerously weakened the Insidiator's
shields, but this tag-team effort had allowed the shaken adversary time to
recover her defences. However, the Federation starship was more than a match
for two elderly Miranda-class escorts
despite their superior mobility, as Lakota
had just demonstrated to Fidelis.
"Lieutenant McAllister, don't let the Insidiator get away."
"Lieutenant Golwat, plot a tight
parabolic course for a short duration, high-warp sprint to the other side of
the planet from this vicinity. Let me know when it is done,
and engage on my order only."
"Aye, Captain," the Bolian
ops officer responded.
Just then, a massive burst of hard radiation from the sudden
dumping of trans-light velocity washed out sensor resolution, and announced the
Roman command ship's return to the battle with a vengeance.
"Damnit!" Amber yelled, holding on for dear life as the enhanced Constitution-class starship savaged the Lakota's port side and shot under her to
join up with the other Roman ships.
Caught me
flat-footed with my own trick! she realised in grudging admiration as the deck's rearing
subsided, while various alarms began wailing. These guys aren't your usual jumped-up minor power; we've got some
serious trouble for the future here!
"Damage
report!" she yelled. Then: "And shut off those damned
alarms!"
A sudden silence blanketed the bridge, into which Commander Rozhdestvenskiy's report fell. "
They knew
what they were aiming for. That we were actually lucky there is more than I can bear, the tall
Englishwoman thought in dismay, and even
that luck will not hold out much longer.
"Lieutenant Norris, send out a
distress call to the nearest Federation starships, and let them know we'll need
a warp-speed tow to safety."
"Yes, sir."
Amber spared a glance for the damage control monitors showing a
schematic of the shattered port warp nacelle. In all the scores of previous battles I've had to fight, it's always
been "Warp engines offline, Captain. It'll take blah-blah-blah
minutes/hours to fix, Captain." She shook her head angrily. Where the hell do these Romans get off by actually wrecking the nacelle? It'll take weeks in dry-dock to repair that damage!
"Course plotted and laid in pending final adjustments to
IP, Captain," Golwat reported.
"Thank you, Mr. Golwat." For
what it's worth now, you might as well have plotted a course to Andromeda,
the captain thought sourly.
The sensor picture finally cleared enough for Saldar to report. "Captain, Fidelis has retreated behind the
other two ships. All three are regrouping for an attack on our starboard
side."
Amber didn't need to be a tactical genius to know all that
concentrated firepower would maim her vessel if it hit. "
"Aye, aye, Captain!"
Minutes later, Lt. Norris reported, "Captain, incoming
hail," over the whine of the impulse engines as the ship strained to deny
position to her attackers.
"Don't keep me in suspense, Lieutenant. Who is it
from?" Amber asked, hope raising her voice
against her best efforts. It was a measure of how grim their situation really
was.
"It's the
Despite their current dire straits, Amber couldn't help but give
a second’s mental frown at Starfleet's “inspirational” registry number system,
before a grin took over her features. That
man may be a colossal pain, but there's no one I'd rather have at my back in a
fight. Her thoughts turned darker as she returned to her current situation.
I just have to survive until he gets
here....
Another round of phaser fire splashed against what was left of
the shields, shaking the ship badly and punctuating the captain's thought far
more vehemently than she'd have liked.
***
"Captain, I am receiving a distress call."
“On speakers, Centurion."
***Distress***Distress***Distress***
This is the Federation starship Lakota hailing any
Federation vessels within range of the Neural star system. We are under attack
by Magna Roman forces and have lost warp capability. We urgently request and
require immediate assistance from any Federation vessels within range. Roman
forces consist of an upgraded Constitution-class and two upgraded Miranda-class
starships. Full specifications, tactical data, and damage reports are attached.
Cptn. Amber Seymour, commanding.
***Distress***Distress***Distress***End***
Mantovanni turned back to his conn
officer and ordered, "Lay in a course for the Neural star system and
engage at maximum warp."
"Aye, sir."
"Centurion, hail the Lakota.
Acknowledge their distress call and give our ETA, which is...?"
He raised an eyebrow at his Orion helmsman.
Despite the fact the she couldn't see it,
Parihn could nonetheless swear she heard
it. "Ten minutes, Captain," she replied.
"Ten minutes it is, Tertius."
At his nod of compliance, Mantovanni ordered, "Put up Lakota's supplementary data on the main view screen."
The Sicilian’s dark eyes absorbed the technical specs of the
Roman ships and noted their increased capabilities from the Starfleet norm for
such ships, and watched the visual logs of the Lakota's battle so far.
A slight frown creased his face as he noted the absence of any
non-tactical data, but he put that in a box to be opened later and let his mind
concentrate on generating options.
***
"Take phasers offline and use the power to increase the SIF
to 110%. Whatever is left, put into shield
reinforcement."
"Aye, Captain!" Commander Rozhdestvenskiy
gasped, manning the console that had killed its previous operator a bare two
minutes ago.
Task done, Geogoriy took a moment to
gaze at the wreckage that was the bridge. Half the bridge crew was down,
victims of the Pugnator's
last attack which had also wrecked three stations and blocked the turbolift
shaft.
Captain Seymour sat rigidly in her command chair, wincing at
every jolt as her hand applied pressure to where two of her ribs had decided to
take a look outside their cage.
"Photons, target Pugnator's antimatter bottles and fire!"
The sharp voice of his captain brought Geogoriy's
attention back to where it should be. A quick glance at his reconfigured panel
almost made his legs go weak with relief.
"Captain!" he called. "
Rozhdestvenskiy cut himself off as a dark, brooding presence filled half
the main view screen.
"This is Captain
Mantovanni of the Federation starship
"Open a channel to the
"Aye, aye, Captain," both answered.
***
"Commander MacLeod, give me an engineering scan of the Lakota."
"Aye, sir," replied the woman for whom the term
“science officer” had been dusted off and reinstated.
"Overall structural integrity at 37%... port warp nacelle
shattered in forward quarter… warp core is stable and in no danger of immediate
destabilisation. Several near misses in that vicinity have destroyed or
disabled many subsystems, however," the half-Vulcan woman reported, voice
grim. "Life support is functioning, but they’re showing multiple hull
breaches all over the ship. The bridge has been specifically targeted and
suffered heavy damage, but is still functional."
"Thank you, Commander." To his conn
officer he ordered, "Move into position between the Romans and the Lakota and extend our shields around
them. Once in place, begin rescue operations."
"Yes, Captain," Parihn confirmed.
"Engineering and medical teams are ready to beam over as
soon as they are within our shields," Sub-commander T'Laris
reported.
"Incoming audio-only hail from
the Romans, Captain."
"Let’s hear it."
"Federation starship
The channel was cut, and the Romans secured their wrecked
starship in the tractor beams of the two operational ships. Mantovanni's brow
again creased at the Roman's lack of manners, and he stole a look at his
security officer. Centurion Tertius Galenius, noting his captain's look, nodded and said,
"They are hiding something, but what, I do not know." His board
chirped, and he stated, "Sir, Captain Seymour is requesting to speak to
you privately."
"Indeed. I'll take this in my ready room." To his
exec, Mantovanni ordered, "Sub-commander, continue with rescue operations
and secure the Lakota for warp speed
towing by the time we reach the system boundary."
"I hear and obey," replied the frowning Romulan woman.
Once seated behind his desk, Mantovanni activated a secure comm
channel to the crippled starship. He nodded to the attractive redhead sitting
very still in the command chair, and asked, "Captain, you’re safe now and
your ship is in good hands. What is it that you require?"
The woman made to speak, then had to bite back a scream as she
shifted slightly in her chair. Mantovanni examined her image more closely as
she spoke hoarsely to him.
"Thank you, Captain.
My mind was set much at ease when I heard that it was you who were coming to
our aid. However, I am under strict orders in this system and I urge you to
take over our mission here. It is one of vital interest to the security of the
Federation."
Noting her hand pressed firmly against her side, Mantovanni's
eyes softened slightly in sympathy at her injuries and respect for her dedication
to duty. "What is your mission
here, Captain? I noticed that no data of that nature was included in your
distress call."
"Captain, our mission
here is to scan the system from top to bottom for Roman presence, as well as
contacting the inhabitants in order to determine how they are being treated and
how they were 'claimed' by the Romans. I–"
Both ships jolted suddenly as a tractor beam joined them,
attempting to stabilise the Lakota's
course… and a scream ripped from his fellow captain.
Mantovanni was on his feet in an instant, tapping his badge for
a medical team even as she fell bonelessly from her
chair....
***
"Captain Mantovanni, we were under orders from a Federation
official—now injured and in our sickbay—to gain intelligence data and hard
facts about the Roman presence in the Neural system.
We were able to scan from a distance outside the system, but the results did
not satisfy Commissioner Ferran. At his command, we
entered the system and were performing in-depth scans of each planet and
installation, when the three Roman starships appeared and demanded our
departure. The commissioner ordered us to stay and complete our mission."
Noting the other captain's carefully guarded expression, Luciano's sense of unease about this whole situation was
now fully manifest. He already had most—if not all—of the data he needed, but
let her continue to hear her side of things.
"The Romans blocked our attempts to probe further, and
finally started firing on us. We returned fire, and now here we are."
Captain Seymour shook her head in amazement at the current state of her ship,
and added, "I cannot believe how organised and disciplined these people
are. Against Cardassians and Klingons, I would have
mopped the floor with them!"
Mantovanni nodded in apparent understanding, but his mind was
debating how to deliver his own knowledge of affairs.
They were both in
Reviewing what he now knew, the Sicilian once again marvelled at
the capabilities of Sera MacLeod. He smiled inwardly. Is there nothing that woman can’t do with a computer and a starting
datum? No matter the encryption and false trails left behind Ferran's “classified” status...
Changing gears, she moved on to more pressing matters.
"Captain, I ask you to continue our mission and scan the inner planets.
The remaining Roman mobile forces in this area are of no threat to you, and we
need to know the level of Roman defences in this system. They have been here
only a year and we need to know their level of readiness."
An eyebrow raised minutely before
Mantovanni responded. "'Level of readiness', Captain? This kind of
aggressive scouting is usually performed only as a precursor to an attack or
invasion. The Federation isn't at war with the Romans. This is, unfortunately,
Roman space now and the Federation and Starfleet have no jurisdiction
here."
Captain Seymour's eyes widened in
surprise, before narrowing again in anger. "'No jurisdiction'? This system
has been in Federation space for 200 years, and been a Federation protectorate
for half that! These Romans stroll right up and just claim the system and the
Federation lets them take it? Look at what they did to the Talarians!
Conquered them in less than a year, and now they’ve moved in on the Ekosians! Our mission–"
"Your mission is
illegal, Captain," he stated mildly. Mantovanni leaned against a wall and
affected a casual pose as he interrupted her. "The Neural system is
sovereign Roman territory and they asked you to leave. You didn't. Despite your
examples, the people of this system accepted the Romans as their
rulers and protectors because the
Romans started giving them direct aid, increasing their standard of living. If the Romans had conquered them, the Federation would have reacted."
Just how the
Federation would have reacted was a sore point for Mantovanni. There was a good chance they'd still have
done nothing more than diplomatically protest, he thought in disgust. He
might be reconciled to this “brave new tomorrow” he had fallen into, but some
of the realities still tried his patience.
"We still do not know that for sure, Captain." The scorn was evident in the redhead's voice as she
forcefully continued, "Our mission
here was to investigate exactly how they did take this system from under the
Federation's nose, and on the direct orders of Federation Commissioner Ferran I took my ship into danger. You–"
"There is no
Commissioner Ferran."
The words were softly spoken, but behind the casual pose
Mantovanni's eyes were as cold as the Void.
Amber realised that—like so many others—she had underestimated
the brooding form before her. Eyes narrowed, she risked a further gambit:
"Yes, information on him is classified, but Ferran is in our sickbay–"
"Enough."
The chill from the Sicilian’s voice was palpable. "You, and the man
claiming to be a Federation commissioner, are in the employ–" he put a disgusted emphasis on the word, "–of
Section 31, Captain."
Amber Seymour shuddered internally and tried to tell herself she
did not fear for her life—especially after being rescued and healed by this
man's crew—but she struggled with it due to the sheer menace that he now
exuded.
There was obviously nothing left to be gained by further
deception or misdirection—which hadn't worked, regardless—so she maintained her expressionless mien and merely nodded.
"Yes, Captain, I am. You seem upset by this. I would have
thought that you, of all people, would appreciate what we do for the
Federation. A ship commanded by one of your former crewmates was lost in this
system, just before the Romans 'took up residence'! Your reputation led me to
believe you would support this course of action. It is we who take action when
the diplomats give away our every advantage, we who protect–"
"Spare me your
delusions of what is right and proper." Mantovanni's expression had
darkened further with each passing word from her, and he no longer held silent.
"Your assessment of my morality is insulting, despite the fact that you
holding it surprises me not in the slightest."
She could practically feel Mantovanni's space-cold glare
dissecting her, trying to find the flaw that made her–
No! He
will not make me feel this way!
Amber demanded of herself. I serve the
Federation more loyally than even his “legendary” arse ever has, and he has the
temerity and sheer arrogance to put
me in the wrong?
Mantovanni watched as she rallied herself, but he wasn't
interested in hearing her side anymore. She had demonstrated all he had hoped
she wouldn't.
"We have downloaded all the scans you took and we will take what you found to Starfleet
Tactical, where it can be put to the best use. Section 31–" he all but spat,
"–will not get to sequester this hard-won data—hard-won by your crew, who have paid the price in
ignorance, one would hope—and use it for their own purposes."
"As for you—and
the aforementioned ‘Commissioner Ferran’—both of you
are hereby placed under arrest for wilful and illegal assault on a sovereign
nation-state's territory and armed forces. You and your supporters will bear
full responsibility for this act, and not hide behind the skirt-tails of the
Federation this time."
"You
cannot do that!"
An eyebrow went up in ironic amusement at her outburst.
"Now you claim
the protection of the laws of the Federation?" A cold smile pushed up a
corner of his mouth. "I most certainly can
do this, but neither you nor you vessel are in any
condition to force the issue either way."
Her eyes smouldered with undisguised hatred. "You think
you're so–"
"Save it, Captain."
Mantovanni turned to leave, not caring to hear the pseudo-patriotic bullshit
people of her ilk spouted, given half the chance.
He offered her a final thought, before striding out the door.
"The ends do not
justify the means."
***
JM:
Your story seems to have a very unusual cadence and tone vis-a-vis what we usually see at
Jt’R: I think
I do. My inspiration to start writing came from playing a Star Trek computer
game called Starfleet Command. I am
really into the starships as opposed to the people, and I like to see them in
action. My first story was basically a battle scene with an introduction and a
wrap up, although I did link it with a novel I liked.
JM:
Would you say you find characterization more of a chore than plot, as a result?
Jt’R: No, I
don't find it a chore; I find it a challenge. I do my very best to ensure my
plots are not contrived—my definition of which is “this happing that way
because I want it to.” I find characterisation harder, yes, but as this was only my
fourth story so far I think I'm making decent progress. I'm learning from my
fellow authors about characterisation, but I've previously thought that my
plots were worthy of the name. Most of the joy in writing for me is the
research and planning out the story to see what direction it will take.
JM:
If you're planning, then in a very real sense the plots are happening in a
certain way because you want them
to... but, teasing aside, I take your meaning.
Do
you think most people reading your material would assume you're a man or a
woman?
[Note
to the audience: If the above question comes off as sexist, well... too bad.]
Jt’R: I... am
not sure! <laughs> I would tend to think,
however, that the whole angst/drama (I'm sure you'd say melodrama, Joe :-D) of
my previous stories marks it as a female perspective. It isn't so much in
evidence in this story, but anyone reading my timeline [a piece of fiction she has written to chronicle the
lives of both Jaeih and her other major protagonist] would probably be in no doubt.
JM:
You're certainly familiar with the old joke Julie Raybon
(author of Star Trek: USS Adventurous) endures from me, about
writing "chick fic." Of course, this
started before I delved into writing erotica and exploring the
Parihn/Mantovanni relationship in more depth, so... as I said in a recent
drabble, “Pot, meet kettle.”
Have
you written any non-Trek, yet?
Jt’R:
Actually, yes. It was my first-ever writing, and my initial Trek writing was
born from that. Both these projects were for my own private, personal
consumption, so no one has ever read it beyond me. Both were basically
timelines, of how I wished my life would turn out present-day, and how I
believed a person like me would fare in Movie Era-Trek, but I did “dramatise” many incidents I listed in the timeline. Being
who I was at the time, it probably fills out your definition of “chick-fic” most admirably—being full of not just angst and (melo)drama, but teen angst and melodrama! I have since posted my
Star Trek Timeline online, but the
non-Trek remains exclusively mine.
JM:
Well, we're all the stars of our own life story, after all.
Jt’R: Of
course. :)
JM:
What was your goal with "The Ides of March"? Do you think you
accomplished it?
The
reason I ask this, by the way, is because I have a sense that those who read it
will react in one of two ways: Either they'll say, "Wow... unusual style,
but me likee!" or "That was... weird, and
just... just no. Ugh." These reactions, I believe, would be related to
stylistic preferences, not your skills—which are apparent.
Jt’R: My goal,
as you know, shifted at least three times. It is very different from the story I initially planned to do for you, but I
think it is all the better for it. Due to my own misconceptions it is much
shorter than I wanted it to be, but the end result benefited from it. I had
planned on it being all about the confrontation with the Romans, and the scene
between captains was originally an “optional extra.” But in making that the
main scene it turned into a morality play—my first one! I think it accomplished
what it set out to do, I just think I need more character-writing experience.
As to the reason you ask, I know you
are probably right. My style, due to the origins of it, is far more
militaristic than even battles you wrote during the Dominion War. And thank you
for the compliment. I like to think I am good, but I'm never sure that I am that good.
JM:
Actually, I'd say "The Battle of Teska IV"
is written very much in a "naval treatise companion" style (and it
compares quite favorably
with anything I've seen at Taldren), but
you're right in that I rarely dwell on the minutia
that so many SFBers
devour like candy.
Tell
us about Jaeih t'Radaik—the
Rihannsu military commander, that is, not the author
who employs her name as a pseudonym.
[I ask this question because there's a fair
chance
Jt’R: Jaeih is... a member of a dying breed. She started off as
my fleet name for playing Starfleet
Command online, and I had a whole list of
ships that I loved to fly there. From that beginning, I gave her a list of
commands of my favourite ships from the game then created a career for her.
Essentially, that is who she was for about two years, before I started writing
fan fic. After that, I made her into a character much
like Duane's own main Rihannsu.
JM:
Thanks for your time, Jaeih. Congratulations on your
submission... and best of luck with what I think could be a successful literary
career.
Jt’R: Thank
you for giving me the opportunity to “display my wares” on a new platform, and
thinking that I was good enough to warrant an invitation. :)