Chapter 4: First Blood is Drawn (part 2)

Chapter 4: First Blood is Drawn (part 2)

As the four torpedoes neared their targets, the Valdore spun about and leaped into warp.

Setal knew that at this moment, somewhere in Hyralan Sector Space on board the IRW Khazara, one Lieutenant Letant surreptitiously accessed the warp controls of the warp field substation. His Tal Diann mission: to enable his superiors the ability to track the delegate's progression through Romulan space to the rendezvous with the Federation ship Icarus.

Methodically, Letant would slightly misaligned the radiative emissions of the engines. The resulting imbalance of the nullifier cores would cause a polarized magnetic distortion that would show intermittently as the Khazara moved through space under cloak. This distortion would enable the Tal Diann to find D'Tan's D'deridex warbird as it traversed the sector toward its meeting.

Checking the chronometer, Setal noted that his time table was progressing as planned. It was time to intercept his next target, the Romulan delegate D'Tan. Motioning toward the tactical station, he gave orders.

"Begin scans for magnetic distortions. Report all readings.''

Sitting back in his chair, Setal mused on the progress so far. The Klingon delegate was delayed while the Federation ryak'na paused to rescue him.

If he even survived my attack! Setal bemused happily.

As the Valdore class warbird streamed through the void toward the probable track of the Khazara, Setal went over his plans to intercept the D'deridex class ship. They were very powerful ships, but certain vulnerabilities would allow him the success he had planned for the Khazara.

Suddenly, his tactical officer broke in on his musings.

"Sir! Reading polarized magnetic distortions. Range, twelve light years bearing 384, mark 3."

Setal sat forward at the announcement, smiling.

'Found you, my ke'rhin vang'radam!'

"Intercept, maximum warp!"

* * *

Already far behind, The WovHaqtaj drifted in the Valdore's wake, severely damaged with hundreds of casualties. Hull breaches leaked atmosphere and the threat of a core breach was imminent from the backlash of the port nacelle destruction.

The Captain of the Icarus took a moment to get confirmation that all Romulan projectiles had been neutralized. Then he sighed with relief.

“Excellent tactical work, Lieutenant Commander… you may have just saved the WovHaqtaj from certain destruction.”

Sterling then turned his attention to the Ops station.

“Any response yet from the Klingon Ship, Mister Phelix?” the Captain inquired.

The Denobulan Ops officer just shook his head to indicate that he had yet to receive a response from them.

“Regardless, keep trying to hail that Klingon ship, Lieutenant. Now that the attack has ended, maybe they can even get a temporary link up and running.”

He then turned to the chief engineer now back at the engineering console.

“Mister Hanson, what is the condition of that ship?"

As the engineer continued checking his scanning readouts, he informed the Captain:

“Well as you can imagine… they are badly damaged. It appears though that they are just beginning to contain the hazardous effects to their engineering sections... their readings are just starting to stabilize.”

“Do they seem stable enough to safely send over a shuttle?'' Sterling asked.

Hanson pondered that inquiry deeply for several moments before responding.

“It could be possible Captain, but I would recommend that anyone entering into that ship be equipped with full environmental hazard suits… as a precaution.”

The Captain nodded in agreement.

“Mister Falcar, bring us in a little closer… but slowly.”

“Ah, yes.”

He moved the ship closer to the Klingon Vor'Cha with one thought still in his mind:

That’s impossible. He’s dead. Sub lieutenant Falcar pondered repetitively to himself.

Sterling then turned to the science chief.

“Lieutenant Richards; continue all sensor readings of the WovHaqtaj and let us know if and where it would be safe to board this ship and the specific areas we’ll need to initially avoid.”

“Yes, Sir.” the felinoid responded as she started a variety of scans across the damaged Klingon vessel.

“Doctor Cyl,” Sterling then commanded, “please prepare a medical away team. We could encounter a large number of wounded crew members over there. They will need to be fully suited for protection from a potential hazardous environment in parts of that ship, as Mister Mitchell indicated… and make sure that they are extensively familiar with Klingon physiology.”

Cyl had watched quietly with a smile. In the course of a couple of minutes, he had quickly learned to respect and trust his fellow officers... well, most of them.

"Sir... Not to disagree but, knowing how to cure a ngech bIr isn't going to help over there. I can send my emergency teams. They all have training in emergency medicine and working in dangerous conditions."

The doctor quickly replied as he spun in his chair and tapped a quick few buttons on his console. Which activated a macro that contacted his on duty emergency team and told the medical assistants what equipment they would need, then directed them both to Shuttlebay 1.

"Nurse Ildre and her team will be ready in shuttlebay 1 in a few minutes, Sir."

He had wished to get in some drills beforehand... but on the job training would have to do.

"Nurse T'Lera and her team, if needed, will be ready in fifteen minutes."

Doctor Cyl then turned back to the captain and added.

"Also, Sir, I would request to join them on the away team."

“Actually, Doctor… I would greatly appreciate you leading our medical away team. Coordinate your staff with Lieutenant Commander Archer and set to launch as soon as everyone is ready,” the Captain responded, pleased to see his chief medical officer ready to jump in and organize his staff for this medical emergency.

"Thank you, Sir." Jayvin replied as he tapped a few commands on his console, to order his Head Nurse to take his position on the bridge.

''Nicely done, Mister Cyl,'' praised Ray with a smirk but without looking at him. ''You might want to consider a CMO position one day.''

Cyl merely smiled and replied:

"I just might, Miss Uhura." as he headed to the turbolift.

Not bothering with the feeble, outmoded sexist jibe from the Trill, Ray then turned a serious face towards the commanding officer of the Icarus.

''I sent a warning and our recording logs of the encounter to the Blackwing, Captain. Of course, a subspace message will get to them way faster than any physical object like a ship... but if they have half a brain, they will change course and not answer us so as not to betray their position. In other words, Captain Sir: no way to ascertain if they received our transmission.''

“Understood, Counselor… that is all we can do at this point. If they received our message then they can relocate their position, cloak, and perhaps switch their posture from potential prey to a predator… at least until we get into their vicinity” the Captain responded.

Captain Sterling was then turning to his Chief of Security.

“Mister Archer, I’ll need you to organize and lead this away team. Be sure that the engineering team brings some communications experts so that we can get their lines of communication open as quickly as possible. Once things are somewhat settled there, I’ll need you and members of your team to try to find our delegate K’vada; regardless of his condition. If he is stable, have him brought back to the Icarus as soon as possible. If he is badly injured, summon our medical team to address his condition immediately. Take whatever shuttles you deem necessary to complete these tasks as quickly and efficiently as possible. We may even need to leave some crew members there to continue assisting as we move out to rendezvous with the Blackwing... and hopefully prevent a similar fate from happening to them. Good luck Lieutenant Commander… and maybe you’ll want to take that rookie cadet with you as well.”

"Aye, Sir," Brian replied as he stood and headed for the bridge turbolift.

Just as he passed him by, Pasqual said to him:

''Remember, Lieutenant Commander; these are Klingons. You do not offer to help; you provide earned assistance to warriors who prove themselves this day, as an honorable ally of the Empire should.''

He then winked at the security chief.

''Your channel will stay open.''

Frazetti stepped up then and spoke, now that the conversation was at a stopping point.

“Suh- sorry for my lateness, said Hartzer boarding the shuttle, panting slightly; I had a bit of an issue getting’ here. Doctor Cyl, remind me t’ talk t’ ya about one of your assistants,” she said in a slightly darker tone.

She faced Sterling squarely.

“If ya don’ mind, I’d like t’ lead the away team. Or at least tag along. I got mosta da gist of what’s happenin’; Mistuh Archer can fill me in on da rest. And, well, I could be wrong,” she admitted, “but sendin’ the first officer an’ da security officer plus a medical team makes it seem more like… we’d be respecting dem rather than rescuin’ dem.”

She paused.

“It also occurs t’ me dat takin’ Mistuh Hanson an’ a coupla engineer or ops personnel might be a good idea too.”

Sterling contemplated Hartzer’s request. Although she was relatively new to this position, he realized that he needed to trust her ability to effectively handle such a role and that she needed to build her own confidence as a First Officer and a commander aboard the Icarus. This would most likely not be an easy away team mission, but a rather dangerous and challenging one. However, it may also be a prime opportunity for her to prove her qualifications to everyone around her; but especially to herself.

He then looked attentively at his First Officer.

“Well, Number One… we will not be trying to convey to our Klingon allies that we are arriving there to ‘rescue’ them… that much is certain. However, despite our best efforts, it may be a fine line between what is perceived as offering assistance and insulting their honor.”

He then inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled.

“Therefore, I am trusting that you and Mister Archer will employ the requisite skills to negotiate such an understanding. Get your team down there pronto and take charge of what needs to be done… and once you arrive… be certain to maintain communication with us here.”

Hartzer gave him her signature grin and nodded once.

"Thanks, Boss. We won't letcha down," she said, even as she moved to the turbo and tapped her badge. "Hatzer t' Mitchell. Get yourself an' two of your best an' meet us at da hangar, asap." She terminated communication before he could answer; she was confident he would meet her there.

The commanding officer of the starship Icarus then watched as his bridge officers headed toward the turbolift. The remaining crew would need to keep a close watch on the shuttlecrafts as well; once they launched and headed cautiously toward the damaged Vor’cha class Klingon ship.

* * *

Captain’s Log. Stardate 57163.8

As the Icarus dropped out of warp to rendezvous with the Klingon ship carrying our delegate K’vada, we witnessed a Romulan Warbird viciously attacking the IKS Vor’cha class ship WovHaqtaj. Our arrival apparently thwarted their plans to decimate the Klingon ship, but not before they had already inflicted serious damage to it. Their communication systems are down and their overall status is uncertain. Commander Hartzer and Lieutenant Commander Archer are currently leading an away team of three shuttles containing security officers, engineers, and medical personnel to assist in effecting repairs to their communication systems and other vital systems, along with providing medical assistance to their wounded. They are also tasked with ascertaining the condition of our Klingon delegate K’vada.

We’ve sent notification to the Blackwing… the Romulan ship carrying the Romulan ambassador and upcoming Starfleet delegate D’Tan. In the encoded communiqué, I detailed all of the relevant incidents of sabotage and this attack on the WovHaqtaj to forewarn them of potential sabotage and similar attacks to their ship. I just hope that this message is more effective in preparing them for these extreme levels of resistance than the communication that was sent but apparently not received by the WovHaqtaj.

"Deck 9," Archer commanded and, as the lift began to move, he tapped his combadge.

"Archer to Strider."

"Go ahead,"

"Cassie, we're going to pay a call on our wounded Klingon friends. I want you to put together a four man team not including yourself, join me in Hangar 1 in ten, and grab Cadet Thran as well."

"I'm on it, Strider out."

Brian nodded in satisfaction and tapped the communicator again

"Archer to Kurgan,"

"Here, Sir."

"Mister Kurgan, how is your Klingon?"

"I am fluent, Sir."

"Good, join me in Hangar 1 in ten. We're going to lend a hand."

"Aye Sir."
After a brief stop in his office, Brian entered the turbolift again and rode it to the Icarus shuttle deck. As he entered the bay, he noted that Doctor Cyl's medical team was already assembled. Brian walked up to them and cleared his throat.

"Who's in charge here?"

A woman stepped forward "I am, Nurse Elix Idre, Sir."

"Okay Idre, I want you and your people in one shuttle with two of my security people. The engineering team and the rest of the security detail will go with me. These are our allies so we should be okay, but they've just been suddenly attacked so we will need to be cautious."

"Aye Sir, I understand."

"Good, get your gear loaded."

"Already done," she said with a smile.

Brian nodded and before he could acknowledge her prompt action Cassie strode in followed by her team and Cadet Thran. Shortly after that four more men walked in wearing operations gold and Brian guessed they were the engineering team. The only officer of the group, an ensign, walked straight up to Brian.

"Engineering team ready, Sir."

"Thank you Ensign..." Brian trailed off not knowing the man's name.

"Corson, Sir."

"Alright Corson, I want you and your people in that shuttle," he said pointing to one of the empty shuttles "with the bulk of the security team."

"Aye Sir."

"Cassie, I want you and Ensign Myers with the medical team, and the rest of our people in the other shuttle with the engineers."

"Got it," Cassie said nodding. "I hope we're not in for trouble."

"Like I just told Nurse Ildre, the Klingons are our allies, but they have just been very suddenly attacked so we will need to be cautious. Do not fire your weapons unless you have no other choice. The last thing we want to do is provoke a crew of Klingons that are already on edge. Now let's saddle up."

After a quick stop in sickbay to pick up his supplies, Jayvin Cyl made his way to the shuttlebay. He entered with a smile and quickly made his way to the medical shuttle. He turned to his nurse and asked with a teasing smirk:

"Weren't going to leave me behind were you, Elix?"

"And leave all the fun to us? No, of course not, Sir. Now why would I ever think that?" She smiled sweetly back at him.

The Icarus personnel quickly and efficiently boarded their shuttles and got settled in. Brian, sitting in the co-pilot chair of his craft contacted the ship's bridge.

"Archer to bridge, we are ready to depart, Sir."

From the co-pilot chair of his shuttle Brian then contacted the Icarus flight operations control.

"Archer to hangar deck control, request permission to depart."

There was a long silence and Brian was about call them again when the flight control officer finally came back.

"Negative Commander Archer. You are to hold for the arrival of the XO."

Brian cursed under his breath, and then responded.

"Understood, but tell her to hurry up, that ship is dying over there."

Sterling then contacted Lieutenant Commander Archer waiting in the hanger bay.

“Mister Archer, Captain Sterling here. Commander Hartzer and her team are on their way. As soon as they arrive and are safely loaded aboard their shuttle, you are to proceed with your mission. Keep me informed of your progress. Sterling out.”

"Hartzer t' Archer; on my way."

Her stride was long and quick, as she knew that every second she wasted was another one they couldn't afford. Mitchell, Rainer and Stevel met her there. Frazetti acknowledged them with a quick nod and quickly entered a third shuttle. She took the pilot's seat; Mitchell took the copilot's. She pressed the activation sequence.

"Sorry for the delay, Mistuh Archer. I've got a few engineers wit' me as well; though dey may come in handy. We're all ready, so let's blow dis taco stand," she said over the intercom.

She switched channels.

"Hangah deck control, dis is da away team. Request permission t' depart, for real dis time," she added.

"Permission granted. See you soon. Hangar deck control out."

"Dat's out cue," Frazetti said to herself.

She and Mitchell fired up the engines. She could see the medical shuttle and Archer's begin to move out. Together, they exited the hangar.

"Aye Commander," was Brian's only acknowledgement of Hartzer's message. He disliked being delayed after the captain had made his orders clear. Archer didn't have a problem with the Icarus' first officer, just a problem with being overridden after the captain had placed him in charge of the mission. He dwelt on it for only a moment before turning his attention to the listing Kingon Vor'cha Class vessel out in front of them.

As the shuttles launched, Falcar sitting at the Icarus helm station watching them on the main viewer thought:

I hope the flight ops does a good job... I didn't get a chance to work with them.

But Falcar's mind quickly went back to the previous topic gnawing at his mind.

D'Tan.

Meanwhile, as they cleared the Starfleet rescue crafts Icarus shuttlebay, it was very clear just how badly the once mighty Imperial cruiser was damaged. Plasma was venting from their impulse drive, and there was scarring from the Romulan distruptors on their nacelles and near the bridge area as well. Brian wondered just what the Romulans had planned to do as it looked like they may have merely been trying to cripple the ship until the Icarus showed up and interrupted them. Brian suspected that this attack and Drake's sabotage were almost certainly connected, and considered that he might have a way to find out, but he would deal with that later. He turned to the shuttle's pilot now:

"Ensign, there is an airlock near midships on this side, take us in over there. I want us to dock first."

"Aye Sir."

Brian meanwhile opened a communications channel and began broadcasting a message to the Klingons. He knew the Icarus was trying to reach them as well, but he figured it couldn't hurt.

"Klingon vessel, this is Lieutenant Commander Archer of USS Icarus, we have three shuttles of repair personnel to assist your brave warriors in recovering from the honorless attack by the Romulan PataQ, stand by to receive us."

He set the computer to repeat the message just in case the Klingons could actually hear them.

The shuttle closed the distance to the wounded Klingon cruiser quickly and the pilot expertly found the airlock Brian had directed him to, and lined the shuttle up quickly getting it secured.

"Docking complete, Sir."

Brian nodded and almost leapt from the co-pilot chair joining his security team and Ensign Corson's engineers in the back.

"Alright people, remember what I said about firing weapons. Not unless we are fired upon. Corson, I want you to head for the bridge with your people and get their communications system up. Chief Maguire is with the XO and they will take care of the warp core."

"Aye Sir,"

"Meyer, take your team and go with Corson. Give me one man to help me locate the ambassador. Be sure to identify yourselves immediately to any Klingons you encounter, and do NOT insult them if you want to stay alive."

"Aye Sir."

Brian moved through the extended shuttle docking umbilical and to the airlock of the Klingon ship. The airlock didn't immediately open and Brian, while he knew enough Klingon to get by, wasn't completely fluent. He motioned his half Klingon warden, Kurgan forward.

"Get this door open."

"Aye Sir."

It took Kurgan a few minutes to read the airlock instructions and then he entered several commands into the manual control panel and the airlock doors opened slowly. Brian took the lead again and led the team through to the inner door which opened in front of them. They were greeted immediately by three Klingons all pointing disruptor rifles at them. Brian stopped dead in his tracks and as the Klingons recognized the uniforms and lack of pointed ears of all those new arrivals, the man in the lead barked out a command and they lowered their weapons.

"Starfleet," he said in standard. "Where did you come from?"

"Commander Brian Archer, USS Icarus."

"Icarus, the ship we were supposed to meet with. What happened to the honorless Romulan targs that ambushed us?"

"They ran when we arrived."

The large Klingon growled.

"Cowards." he said practically spitting out the word.

"I have engineers with me, and there two more shuttles behind me with medical staff, and more engineering personnel. Allow us to help get your brave warriors back in action."

The Klingon smiled a toothy grin.

"I like you Archer. You don't presume we need your help," then the smile faded. "But we do. I am Duron, second officer."

"Duron, where is the ambassador?"

"I do not know. He was not on the bridge when we were attacked. What people do you have with you?"

"My security team, and communications engineers."

"Good; our communications were taken out with the first Romulan shots. You can come with me to the bridge, and my men will wait for your other people."

"If you'll allow it, Sir, I'd like to take a man go look for Ambassador K'Vada."

Duron only nodded.

"His quarters are on deck 4, if you can find a working lift. Otherwise, you'll have to use the acesses... jefferies tubes I think you call them."

Brian nodded.

"I'm somewhat familiar with the Vor'cha Class."

"Perhaps later you'll tell me how that is." Duron said with a slight growl in his voice.

"Is your intercom working?"

"On some decks."

"Can you broadcast to your men not to shoot us on sight?"

Duron smiled again.

"My men will not shoot an ally, Commander. You are not Romulan, so they will not attack you."

Brian nodded and turned to Corson and Meyer.

"Go with Duron. Get their communications array up."

"Aye Sir," the two men replied in unison.

Brian tapped his combadge.

"Archer to Hartzer; we are safely aboard. There are Klingons waiting your arrival. I'm going to look for K'Vada, Archer out."

Watching the shuttles heading toward the damaged Klingon ship from the main viewscreen of the Icarus, Captain Sterling could see one of the shuttles docking the vessel mid-ship. He turned his head and addressed the officer manning the Ops station.

“Lieutenant Phelix, which shuttle just connected to the WovHaqtaj?”

After the Denobulan officer checked his console, he responded:

“It was Lieutenant Commander Archer’s shuttle, Captain.”

Sterling nodded and then opened a channel to his security chief.

“Mister Archer, what is your current status aboard the Klingon vessel?”

As Brian and Lieutenant Kurgan crawled through the Klingon equivalent of a Jefferies tube, though Brian noted that Starfleet's accesses were much cleaner, toward the 4th deck of the wounded Klingon cruiser when the captain's voice suddenly stopped their progress.

"Captain, I met with the ship's second officer when I docked and sent my team and the communication engineers to the bridge with him. He gave me permission to look for K'Vada and Mister Kurgan and I are currently moving toward his last known position, when and if we find the Ambassador I will contact you, Sir."

Captain Sterling nodded in affirmation as the security chief apprised him of his circumstances aboard the damaged Klingon ship.

“Good to hear, Mister Archer,” Sterling replied, although their communications were rather distorted with static and an echoing sound form the security chief’s confining position in the Klingon access tube. “Once you locate K’vada and ascertain his condition, notify me at your earliest opportunity. Also, Sickbay is already set up for any critically wounded casualties that your team discovers, and we have several emergency triages set up in various locations within the Icarus as well. There are also three additional shuttles on standby if you need them to transport any severely injured from the WovHaqtaj to the Icarus.”

After reflecting for a moment the Captain added:

“If there is anything else you or your teams need Lieutenant Commander, don’t hesitate to contact us.”

After closing the communication link with the security chief, Sterling addressed his replacement tactical officer.

“Lieutenant Callen, keep a close eye on all of the readings emanating from the WovHaqtaj.”

The Captain then turned to the Caitan Science officer.

“You too… let me know if you see anything unusual or potentially dangerous.”

Sterling then focused his attention to the Romulan helm officer sitting directly in front of him.
“Sub lieutenant Falcar, carefully bring us in closer proximity to the Klingon ship… but be ready to move us away quickly at a moment’s notice.”

Captain Sterling wanted to give the medical teams an opportunity to send and receive shuttles and perhaps engage transporters within a shorter distance. It was somewhat risky, but with his crew aboard the damaged ship, he was confident that the level of danger would diminish as his engineering crew continued to work on the Klingon vessel’s critical systems.

Falcar was snapped out of his thoughts,

"Ah yes, Captain."

He moved the ship a tad closer. Falcar then decided to ask what he was hoping and yet fearing what would the response. He turned around and spoke with deliberate seriousness.

"Captain, who is this D'Tan you spoke of?"

Sterling looked over at the Romulan helm officer and thought for a moment about how he was going to respond to his question. He decided to share with the officer what limited information he had learned.

“Apparently, Mister Falcar, Ambassador D’Tan as a boy was a Romulan disciple of none other than legendary Vulcan Ambassador Spock, when the Vulcan had first begun his Vulcan-Romulan reunification movement. After meeting several times with him on Romulus, he continued improving his knowledge of the Vulcan language and sustained his communications with Spock for many years, even after Spock had left Romulus. He eventually became involved in both Romulan and later Federation diplomacy, despite strong opposition from his Romulan home world due to his reunification beliefs and inclinations. He is now, interestingly and quite ironically, serving as a Federation ambassador with the Romulans.”

"He's alive..."

Falcar spoke in a low tone, but he yet could be heard by those nearby. He looked down thinking, wondering, how this could be possible.

Sterling then looked intently at his helm officer.

“Did you ever know or hear of D’Tan, Sub-lieutenant?''

Falcar looked up.

"Yes, I did... or do. Last I heard, he should be dead... on Romulus."

He turned around, still speaking in the same low tone.

"He's alive."

A small smile could be seen on his face.

Captain Sterling was quite surprised and equally intrigued by Falcar’s confirmation that he personally knew the Romulan ambassador. This potential information could be very helpful in their upcoming rendezvouswith the Blackwing... and with their eventual summit on Khii.

He then fixed his gaze intently at his Romulan helm officer.

“Fascinating Mister Falcar… What can you share with me about your knowledge of and experiences with Ambassador D’Tan?”

Falcar was stunned for a second, as he didn't expect that question to be asked. He turned around and spoke to the Captain.

"Well yes. I knew him as a boy. I met him while I met Ambassador Spock. Although my uncle didn't want me there, I found the Unification group, an inspiring group to be with. He and I were very close, almost like him being my older brother."

As this conversation went on, Archer on board the Vor'Cha battlecruiser had also closed the channel to look at Kurgan, his assistant during this away mission.

"C'mon Lieutenant, we've got two more decks to go if I'm reading these locator signs right."

Kurgan uttered a low growl which was somewhat uncharacteristic of the usually reserved half-Klingon officer. Brian smiled at him

"Surely you work out harder than this, Mister Kurgan"

"Yes Sir, but I don't see how it applies to this."

Brian smiled again.

"Only two more decks; let's move."

Brian resumed pulling himself up the ladder rung by rung with Kurgan close behind him. They were both getting grimier and dirtier by the moment with both men's uniforms being covered in soot, and dirt. Apparently the Klingons did not care about clean accesses the way Starfleet did. Finally, after what seemed like hours they came of a locator sign that looked like it read "Deck 4" in Klingon. Brian pushed the access hatch open and both men crawled out onto the deck. Like the rest of the ship, red lights lit the corridors and a couple wall panels sparked in the darkness. Doors lined the corridor and Brian realized the entire deck had living quarters on it. They were going to need help if they were going to locate K'Vada's quarters.

"Kurgan, let's see if we can find a working panel. Maybe you can get the computer to tell us which door is K'Vada's."

The big man nodded and they began moving slowly down the corridor trying to find a wall panel that was lit. Most of them were either disabled or destroyed, and Brian was beginning to think it they were going to have to go door to door.

"Over here Sir," Kurgan called out and Brian walked over to where the Lieutenant was already tapping commands into a semi functioning wall panel.

Every once in awhile the screen would flicker and Kurgan would smack it with his hand until finally he brought up a diagram of the deck they were on.

"The ambassador is here," he said pointing to a room near their position

"Let's go."