Chapter 4: The Assassin

Excerpt from training speech at Starfleet Academy.

Someone once said that if you travel far enough, long enough, you would eventually meet yourself. Having done so myself, I can tell you one thing with certainty, the experience is not worth the effort. So my advice is, don't bother doing it.

James O'Neill Flowsman

Star date 1025.070

Personal Log: James O'Neill Flowsman. Star Date: 7.052.

"We have successfully mined the remaining planets belonging to the Grays. In all cases, the deaths that resulted were the same as with the first planet we mined. This troubles my heart. I feel like a mass murderer in so many ways. I'm beginning to wonder how many lives have ceased because of my actions. This goes against everything that I believe. Gloria has been a godsend. Her voice and the sounds of her mind are comforting to me, when I dwell too long on my actions. In fact, all six of my wives have been paying me a lot of attention. I am very grateful for this, because I obviously need it. This is not to mention the physical distractions they provide to me. These more than make me forget, at least for a moment, my actions.

The UFP Sue Lin is currently shadowing the remains of the Gray fleet. It is of course slow going. We don't know where the fleet is going however it is going there at sub-light speed. In many ways I am tempted just order her to finish off the last seven ships. However, intelligence fears that there may be as many as five additional planets occupied by the Grays. We must locate them all, so that we are not leaving behind any that will come after us in the future.

The Catamaral delegation arrived on-planet last evening. Hopefully, this diplomatic mission will result in a treaty between our races. Of course, they are also here to negotiate entrance into the Federation of Planets. This would be the best possible solution. An ally is always better than a potential adversary. Still I worry about the clan of the claw. There is something about a race that is willing to eat other sentient beings, that just rubs me the wrong way.

UFP Sue Lin,

Captains Log: Admiral Sue Lin.

We continue to trail the ships of the Gray fleet. They have changed course a number of times, and so far, there is no discernable pattern as to where they are going. We are currently over 500 light years from Centauri prime. My sensor officer has reported picking up an additional unknown vessel. It was at the extreme edges of our scanner range. However, it does not fit any known vessel type. We feel that it is probably from an as yet unidentified race. The Gray fleet appears to have completely missed it, or so says Lisa. If there is one thing I have learned, it is that Lisa is almost always right, though I do wish her husband was along with us this trip. Personally, I think we could use 'the miracle worker' onboard.

It is very difficult for me not just to order an all-out attack on the remaining Gray ships. The fighters on this carrier are more than a match for the seven remaining Gray ships. I would personally like to get this little war concluded. However, that is not the way it's going to work out. Intelligence says there are more planets, and we need to find each and every one. And so, we persevere with this little game of 'cat and mouse'. Somehow, I feel that this is a game in which the Catamaral would be more than willing to participate.

Speaking of the Catamaral, I am not so sure that this race can be entirely trusted. Having personally seen the results of their actions, and having been in battle with them; I think they are more divided in their views of the universe, than are even the people of earth. Perhaps I'm just jaded in my opinions, but time will tell on this. Hopefully, the lesson won't be too costly.

Normally, Fang was addressed as 'First'. Fang was of the Clan of the Claw, and had used his tremendous political clout to obtain a position on the negotiation team sent to the Federation. But his purpose was far from negotiation. He had nearly lost his life to this President of the Federation, and he was seeking to regain his honor, and that of his clan.

Using the keen night vision afforded his race, it was just before dawn when he snuck out of the lavish quarters provided to the diplomats. Slowly and quietly, as befit his ancestors, Fang slipped out onto the side of the wall. He was only three stories above the ground. His claws dug deeply into side of the building as he went down. He was not worried about leaving this evidence behind. Once he completed the task, he knew that his clan would demand his safe return, or else there would be all out war. If he died, then it was the will of his ancestors. In either case, soon his Clan's honor would be restored.

Fang slipped to the ground and proceeded to the north. He kept to the shadows. He was surprised that he didn't run into a guard as he approached what the Centauri called: The Federation House. His intelligence was most detailed. These human creatures talk so freely and openly about their President. From the information gathered, it was easy to predict the best time to ambush him.

It was odd, Fang thought as he went. It would be like shooting Wasals, when he was a cub. He finally arrived at his pre-selected perch. It was nothing more than a very old tree. Intel said humans called it an oak. But for his purposes, it was perfect. It was not more than nine hundred meters from The Federation House's balcony. Not an easy shot, unless of course you had Fang's extensive training.

Fang sat up in the tree after having found the perfect branch for his claws to grasp. Fang had the sniper model disrupter slung over his back. He had carried it, combat style, just in case he needed to use it. It was, after all, quite a weapon. The beam emitted from this disrupter was dual-mode. Instead of the human's idea of just breaking down molecular bonds, this disrupter ruptured those molecular bonds in a most explosive manner. Once he had it lined up in the tree, he watched through the optical sight. All that was left to do, was to wait for the right moment. The slightest pressure on the actuator button, and his honor would be restored. And so, with anticipation, he waited.

It was another fine morning, as Jim found his seat out on the balcony of the Federation House. Although Secondus was still only half visible, Jim still enjoyed his morning 'escape from it all'. He had somehow managed to sneak away, with out anyone joining him. This particular morning, everyone else was still asleep inside. He had a busy day planned for today. He was meeting with representatives of Lucia, and with the Catamaral.

'Fortunately, ' he thought, 'they are separate meetings.'

As Jim sat in quiet meditation, a visible beam from a disrupter passed not two inches over his head. It blasted a one-meter diameter hole in the side of the house behind him. Jim instinctively rolled forward off the bench, against the solid lower wall of the balcony. As if compelled by an unknown force, he quickly crawled on his hands and knees to his right. A moment later, the place where he had ducked behind the wall erupted into small sharp pieces, as they flew outward. He didn't even notice that his personal shield had activated, protecting his bare rear end from the flying debris.

Jim's mind finally started to work, and he thought, 'What the hell is going on? Why is somebody shooting at me, and what do I do about it?'

That's when another section of wall erupted farther down in front of him.

He thought 'It's about time to get out of here.'

He then remembered he could just transport himself out of harms way. He mentally accessed the nana-menu in his mind. He was about to select emergency transport when the third shot from the assassins disrupter rifle erupted not a foot in front of him. The exploding shards of simulate stone, bounced off his personal shields making little sparks as they were repelled.

Jim thought, 'I forgot about that.'

However, he continued, and selected emergency transport. It was preset to take him to the bridge of the UFP Flowsman. Even as he transported, he sent the mental command to the planetary AI system, alerting it to the attempted assassination. Jim made a startling discovery. The Flowsman was currently on patrol around Earth. He had just transported himself a little less than 5 light years in distance. He marveled for a moment because he had not realized that transporting this distance was possible. However staring him in the face on the view screen was the great gas giant: Jupiter.

As soon as Jim realized what had happened. He sent an emergency message to Starfleet headquarters. He informed them of the attempted assassination. He ordered the Flowsman's Captain to make a combat jump back to Centauri Prime.

Although Captain Christopher was one of the most experienced Centauri officers, he missed a step. He forgot to order a lock on the exit point when the ship opened the jump gate. The result was that the UFP Flowsman entered the shimmering folds of space with a random exit point, making it the first starship to ever do so. It was a very shocked crew that discovered that they were not where they were supposed to be. It took the crew over two cycles before they were able to plot out their current location. That's when they realized they were 1700 light years from where they had intended to be. The UFP Flowsman was then noticed by another starship, and it wasn't a Federation starship.

Jim was about to order a second attempt to get to Prime, when the first message from the unknown ship came in.

Lisa shouted the same time, "Unknown vessel, 0.1 light years to our rear!"

"Sir, I have an incoming message," said the Com officer.

"What is it say?"

"Unknown, it will take the AI a little time to translate it."

The Flowsman's AI took approximately twelve cycles to translate the message. By that time, the unknown ship had positioned itself dead a head of the Flowsman at a range of just over a kilometer.

"Translation complete," reported the AI.

Jim said, "Let's hear it!"

The AI responded, "The message says, attention un-identified ship you are in violation of Kazi space."

That's when Jim could feel the mind of another reaching out as if it was trying to scan him. On instinct, even though he didn't understand, he erected a mental shield protecting himself. Out of curiosity he attempted to duplicate the process, and scanned back at the unknown vessel.

Onboard the Kazi Ship, the telepath shrieked in agony at Jim's mental assault. He roared out in pain, clasping his head between his paws.

Jim could feel the anguish that he was causing, and backed off. It had not been his intent to cause pain to the individual that had tried to scan.

But Kazi Captain interpreted the telepath's scream as an attack. And ordered his ship to open fire.

Twin beams of energy lashed out at the shields of the Flowsman, only to be absorbed without apparent effort by the shields.

The Kazi Captain was infuriated that the most powerful weapons aboard the ship had had no affect on the alien craft.

The Flowsman's Captain ordered a full spread of photons to be fired at the alien ship.

Jim shouted, "Belay that order."

To which, a very shocked crew froze in their tracks.

Captain Christopher said, "But they've opened fire upon us, Sir."

"Yes, they did, but are they hurting us?"

The weapons officer reported that the shields were down by half a percent.

Jim smiled at this news.

"Well then, there is no sense starting another war until we get some more information."

Jim thought as hard as he could towards the alien ship, "Stop that. It's not nice to shoot at people you don't know."

The Captain of the Kazi ship, let out a howl as he realized the alien was talking to him in his head. The rest of the crew of his ship joined him.

The first officer of the Kazi said to its Captain, what manner of aliens are these? They have so much power that our strongest weapon is useless. They have the ability of talking to us in our minds! It's like we are dealing with that Time Guardian, again."

Back at Federation House, Star Fleet personnel were desperately searching for the assassin.