STAR TREK:
DAUNTLESS
“Shadow
Wars”
An original
screenplay set in the Star Trekä Universe
by James DiBenedetto
May, 2002
fade in
int common room – day
We open in a large, sparsely furnished common room. There is a large (10-12 or so) group of Romulan children seated on the floor, looking up at a tall, hooded man standing over them (but with his back to us). The man is clearly lecturing them…we come in as he’s in mid-lesson, and his voice sounds very familiar to us…
teacher
…S’task could not accept that, and he told Surak so. And from there, their argument began. They debated back and forth for three days without stopping, not even to eat or to sleep. And as they argued, their followers came to hear the words of their masters, and by the third day, almost the whole city of Shi’Kahr was watching…
The teacher pauses for a moment, and one of the children pipes up
romulan child
So who won the argument? Surak or S’task?
Before the hooded figure can answer, we hear the sound of door chimes.
teacher
I will continue the lesson in a moment. Please excuse me.
The hooded figure turns and heads to the door – and as he does, we can now see his face, and he is revealed to be none other than Spock!
Spock goes to the door and taps a control on the wall to open it. Standing outside is an older Romulan woman, a woman we – and Spock - have met once before, many years ago. She’s quite short, with long black hair. Spock is unable to completely conceal his surprise.
spock
You!
(beat; calmer)
I did not think I would ever see you again.
(turning back to the children)
I apologize, but I will not be able to continue the lesson today. We will begin again tomorrow morning. You may return to your homes.
The children all get up and make their way out as Spock ushers the woman – Elyandra – inside.
elyandra
I’m flattered that you remember me. It has been…how long? A hundred and twenty years?
spock
One hundred twenty two point five three. When I arrived on Romulus, I spent some time searching for information about you. I was unsuccessful.
elyandra
I’ve kept a low profile, in hopes that my disgrace would not extend to my family. But I wonder why you looked? Curiosity?
Spock
Concern. And…regret. Perhaps my logic is uncertain, since regret is an emotional response, and a most unproductive one. Both duty and logic required us…me…to do what I did, to obtain the cloaking device. But neither duty nor logic required you to be hurt in the process. And I regret that now, as I did then.
elyandra
Duty, always duty. All things return to duty…and to honor. They cause so much difficulty, do they not? I have…learned, let us say…learned to understand what you did, and why. I did not come to bring up old wounds, or to seek vengeance. A hundred and twenty two point three five years serves well to erase old grudges.
spock
Point five three, not point three five.
elyandra
(laughing)
You have not changed at all, Spock! I wager that even in a thousand years you would never change.
spock
I must disagree…Elyandra.
elyandra
Of course you must, but you are wrong, and the Universe is a better place for your constancy…and even for you being wrong every once in a great while.
spock
I would not presume to debate you on that.
(beat)
Welcome though your visit is, if I may ask, why have you come?
elyandra
I need your help. I suppose it is ironic, because it is a matter of duty and honor as well.
spock
Indeed. Many things are.
elyandra
And this one most of all. As you may know, or not, I still have contacts in the military despite my disgrace. Only a few, but they are highly placed…they have a significant amount of seniority. I imagine you are quite familiar with that.
Spock only raises an eyebrow, and Elyandra continues.
elyandra
There is a project…very secret, very important. Weapons research…they are creating a weapon that cannot…must not be completed. The Senate intends to use it to destroy the Federation…and if it is completed, you can be sure that it would accomplish that. Entire populations would be simply wiped out. In itself, that is dishonorable. We are a warrior people, but the wholesale slaughter of civilians is not the act of a warrior.
(beat)
But that would not be the end of it. Each Senator would try to use it for their own ends, they would see an easy way to destroy their enemies within the Empire…we would destroy ourselves as surely as we destroyed the Federation, the Klingons, everyone.
spock
And your…contacts…do they agree with your view of the situation?
elyandra
A few. But mostly, they see only their duty to the Empire, and not, as I do, their duty to maintain the honor of the Empire – even if the Empire has forgotten that honor itself. I had hoped…as I said, my family mostly escaped the stain of my disgrace. My grandson commands a Warbird, and I believe that I might have convinced him to help. But his ship was dispatched on a mission, and I have not been able to communicate with him.
spock
And so you have come to me.
elyandra
Exactly. My friends and my family cannot help me, and so I must place my fate, and my Empire’s fate, into the hands of an enemy…my oldest enemy. Truly the Universe has a sense of humor…the only man I have left to trust is the man who once betrayed my trust. And yet I do trust you. Will you help me?
spock
I was an ambassador once. I could have done much for you then. Now I am only a teacher of children, an exile from my own people and still regarded as an enemy by most of yours.
(beat)
Nonetheless, you have risked much to ask this of me, and such courage demands a response. I believe that there is one avenue I can pursue. I will not promise you results. But I will do all that I can. Logic dictates that I must.
elyandra
(smiling)
Only logic?
spock
No. Not only logic. And if you believed that it was only a matter of logic, you would not have come to ask this of me.
Elyandra slowly runs her hand down Spock’s arm, finally taking his hand, staring into his eyes as she does.
elyandra
As I said, you have not changed. And I hope that you never do, Spock. For all our sakes…
And on Elyandra’s words, we FADE OUT…
ext tundra planet – day
And we FADE IN to a frozen snowscape. There is a large building complex in the foreground, but other than that, it’s nothing but trackless white wasteland in all directions as far as the eye can see.
We close in on the complex, and just as we can begin to see individual details, like various transmitters, weapon emplacements, etc, we also see a tiny figure standing outside the complex.
Now we focus closer, and we can see that the figure is a humanoid, hooded and wearing cold-weather gear. We also notice a phaser on her belt, along with a couple of other, unidentified devices. The figure is fiddling with a yet another small, hemispherical device; after a few seconds, the device is attached to a wall. The figure holds a small remote control in its hand; we see three green lights on the control.
And then the figure shimmers out in a sparkle of transporter effect…
int complex
…and now the figure shimmers back into existence. Hands reach up, pull the hood off, to reveal a bright-eyed, brown-haired human woman. This is ALEXA DAVIES.
Alexa holds a hand out, and just above her outstretched palm there’s another transporter shimmer, and the hemispherical device falls into her hand. She smiles, drops the device into a pocket, and then looks thoughtfully down the corridors to her left and right. After a second or two of consideration, she reaches a decision, and heads off to her left.
As Alexa makes her way down the corridors, we see that there are symbols on the walls in two different languages; neither of which we can understand, but which Alexa appears to, based on the way she’s nodding her head as she glances at the alien messages.
She finally arrives at a door. Alexa stands right next to the wall, waiting. She taps her foot…once, twice, three times…and the door slides open, revealing a Romulan soldier.
The Romulan barely has time to register his surprise at Alexa’s presence before she reaches out and does a Vulcan neck pinch on him, dropping him to the floor as the door slides closed behind him. Alexa then kneels down and takes a small ID tag from somewhere in the Romulan’s uniform. Then, with a little grunt of effort, props the Romulan up into a standing position. She reaches out, grabs his hand and presses it to a small scanning panel on the wall near the door. There’s a beep as the wall scanner accepts the Romulan’s palm print, and the door slides open again. Leaving the Romulan to flop back onto the floor, Alexa heads through the door.
Alexa proceeds down another corridor for a few seconds until she reaches an elevator. She takes the ID tag she acquired from the Romulan and sticks it into a slot on the wall. A control panel lights up.
After a couple of seconds, we hear the sound of the elevator arriving, and the door opens – to reveal three Romulan soldiers inside.
Almost too fast for us to see, Alexa’s got the phaser off her belt and she’s firing – two of the Romulans go down, whether they’re stunned or dead we can’t tell.
The third Romulan avoids Alexa’s first shots, and reaches out to tap the control panel of the elevator to call for help. Alexa’s on him before he can do that, though – she grabs his arm and twists hard, and we can hear the sound of bones breaking. Just as she releases his arm, she does a leaping kick, right in the Romulan’s face, and he collapses in a heap.
Now Alexa taps the elevator controls, and it zooms down deep into the Romulan complex. Alexa takes one of the devices from her belt, and sticks it to the wall of the elevator. When the elevator stops and the door opens, she touches a button on the device immediately before she exits.
She heads down another corridor, and just as she turns a corner, there’s a loud explosion behind us, and the corridor shakes. Alexa doesn’t break stride, but she does have a satisfied smile on her face.
We hear sirens, and red alert lights flash in the corridor, and we hear an alien language, presumably Romulan, shouting on an intercom.
She finally reaches a heavy door with various warnings – even with the Romulan script, the accompanying graphics tell that these are “Biohazard” and “Danger” messages.
Alexa pulls the hemispherical device and the remote control out again. We see that instead of three green lights on the remote, there are two yellow lights. She attaches the device to the door, touches the remote, and vanishes in a transporter sparkle…
int high security research lab
…and she reappears inside a high-tech biological research lab. The lab is very large, maybe 20 meters to a side, but it’s currently unoccupied. We can see that there are several bio-beds, two stasis chambers, and a plethora of other equipment that isn’t immediately identifiable.
As she takes stock of her surroundings, Alexa puts the remote away and we see there’s now just one red light on it.
Alexa pulls yet another device off her belt, a scanner. She waves it all around her, examines it, and heads towards a particular piece of equipment.
It’s a storage unit of some kind. She reaches into a pocket and fishes out a cable, which she uses to connect her scanner to the control panel of the storage unit. After ten seconds or so, the scanner beeps, the control panel lights up, and the storage unit slides open, to reveal several vials, each containing a different colored substance. Alexa pulls out one more thing from her pockets, a cylinder slightly larger than the vials, with a tiny control panel on the side. She consults her scanner, and selects one particular vial, with a dark violet liquid in it. She puts the vial in the cylinder, seals it, taps a control, and sticks the cylinder back into her pocket. Finally, she attaches another device to the storage unit before she closes it up again.
Now Alexa heads for a door on the opposite side of the lab, pulls out her remote control, taps it, waits for the hemispherical device to reappear in her hand, and opens the door.
Slowly, carefully, she makes her way out into another corridor. About 10 meters ahead of her there’s a T-junction, and from the left side, a Romulan pokes his head around the corner, spots Alexa, and drops in mid-shout as Alexa hits him with a shot from her phaser. She continues down, and when she hears sounds behind her, she begins to run.
Two Romulans burst out of the lab behind Alexa just as she turns a corner to the left. Stopping for a moment, she consults her scanner, nods her head, and then waits for the Romulans to catch up to her.
The first Romulan has his disruptor pistol out as he begins to round the corner. Alexa grapples him and shoves him into the second Romulan. The two soldiers both fall over, and Alexa shoots them both before heading off down the right-side junction of the corridor.
She finally comes to a small access hatch, and pulls it open to reveal an emergency ladder. Alexa enters the hatch and begins to climb…
ext tundra planet
…and she emerges outside via a small hatch on one wall of the complex. As she does, we see that someone’s waiting for her: a balding, middle-aged man wearing a dark brown/black jacket, scowling at her as she comes out. This is WILLIAM COLE.
She smiles brightly at Cole.
cole
You didn’t follow instructions.
Alexa sighs, counts on her fingers…three…two…one…
And there’s a muffled explosion somewhere in the complex, and the ground shakes. Cole shakes his head and begins to walk away from the complex, Alexa following.
cole
This isn’t a game, Miss Davies.
Alexa jogs to catch up with Cole, as the complex begins to collapse from the center outwards.
alexa
You know how long I’ve been involved with the organization, Cole…
(louder)
Program off!
(softer again)
…do you really think I don’t take my job seriously?
As Alexa speaks, the Tundra Planet fades away to be replaced by the bright yellow gridlines of a holosuite.
cole
(grudgingly)
I can’t argue with your record, no.
alexa
I wouldn’t think so. Besides, the last agent we had here, your old friend Luther Sloan, he was as grim and stone faced as they come, and look what happened to him…
Cole looks pained for a moment at the memory.
cole
Don’t joke about him.
alexa
I’m not. You should have looked at my file more carefully. He was an old family friend, you have no idea. I mean, I used to call him “Uncle Luther”. We were like two pods in a pea…peas in a pod…you know what I mean. And I know just how good he was at his job. Just like I am.
As she talks, she and Cole head for the exit.
cole
Point taken.
The door opens, and Alexa and Cole emerge onto the upper level of Quark’s Bar on Deep Space Nine.
int deep space nine – quaRK’s bar
alexa
Great! So do I pass or not?
cole
You know the answer to that, or you wouldn’t be asking the question.
alexa
(imitating Cole’s voice)
Point taken.
(in her normal voice)
If that’s all cleared up, I have just one more question, right?
What’s the word, sir?
cole
The word is go.
alexa
Perfect! If you wouldn’t mind escorting me to my quarters, I have to get ready before my starship arrives. It’s supposed to be here in…
They head down to the main level of the Bar, and towards the exit.
cole
…six hours, I believe. I suppose I don’t have much else to tell you. Just keep in mind, that…
(pointing back to indicate the holosuite)
…will be the easy part of the mission. Don’t get cocky.
alexa
Overconfidence leads to carelessness. Carelessness leads to death. Luther taught me that when I was two years old, Will. I’ll get the job done and I won’t let a swollen ego foul it up.
cole
Make sure you don’t, Alexa. We can’t afford to lose any more people, not even…
(Cole grins, just slightly)
…a brat like you.
Alexa turns to Cole, sees the hint of a smile on his face, and laughs, and on that, we CUT TO:
ext space
A Galaxy Class starship cruises through the blackness. As the massive ship flies past us, we can see her name: USS Dauntless, NCC-72409.
int uss dauntless – main bridge
The bridge looks very much like the bridge of the old Enterprise-D, with the exception of the color scheme – the dominant colors on the Dauntless’ bridge are white and silver-gray.
The regular command crew of the starship is currently on duty; the people we’ll get to know are:
COMMANDER SENEK, a dark-skinned male Vulcan and the Chief Engineer, currently at the Bridge engineering station. Like most of the Vulcans we’ve seen before, he’s fairly tall and rail-thin.
First Officer COMMANDER HARRY MATSUSHITA, a human of Japanese descent in his mid-late 30’s, sitting next to the Captain, and:
The Captain herself, BRENNA HALLIWAY, an Alpha Centauran woman in her 40’s, currently occupying the center seat. From the outside, Centaurans look just like humans; there’s no way to tell the difference. Halliway is relatively short, 5’”4 or so, with short brown hair.
Also on the bridge are the Helm Officer, LT. VARLA TREGOR, a Tellarite female; the Ops Officer, LT. COMMANDER MASON HARRIS, a human male; the Security Officer, LT. BELEV, a male Andorian; and a human female, LT. MARIA LING, the Science Officer.
The viewscreen shows empty space ahead of the starship.
halliway
Lieutenant Tregor, what’s our ETA at Deep Space Nine?
lt. tregor
Eight hours, Captain.
Brenna turns to her Chief Engineer.
halliway
Senek, I assume you’ve transmitted all our supply and repair needs to DS9?
senek
Yes, Captain. Their Operations Officer informed me that everything we require will be available upon our arrival.
matsushita
I understand their Operations Chief is a Ferengi? I hope we won’t have to bargain for our supplies.
senek
Lieutenant Nog is indeed a Ferengi. However, your prejudice is misplaced, Commander. Mr. Nog has an exemplary service record, and he was unfailingly professional during our conversation.
(beat)
Except for one strange thing. He asked me if I played a human game called “base-ball”. I did not understand the relevance of his question.
Halliway laughs.
halliway
You never met Captain Sisko, did you, Senek?
(Senek shakes his head)
It’s all his fault. While we’re aboard DS9, you’ll have to find someone on the staff there to tell you the story. I couldn’t possibly do it justice. In the meantime, Harry, make sure everyone who’s not on duty gets a chance to have a few hours of shore leave on the station if they want it.
matsushita
Already on it, Captain.
Halliway stands up, stretches.
halliway
I expected nothing less.
Halliway heads towards one of the Bridge exits.
halliway
I’ll be in my Ready Room if I’m needed. You have the Bridge, Commander.
Harry slides over to the big chair, and we CUT TO:
ext space – deep space nine
Establishing shot. The station floats serenely in space. There is a Klingon Vor’Cha-class battlecruiser docked at one of the upper pylons.
int deep space nine – quark’s bar
The bar is crowded, with a large contingent of Klingons drinking, shouting, harassing the staff – acting just like Klingons, in other words.
We see QUARK carrying a tray of drinks to one table of Klingons.
quark
Here you are…
(dispensing mugs to the Klingons)
…now which one of you fine gentlemen gets the check?
There’s grumbling from the Klingons at that. One of them takes a swig of his drink, roars, and throws his mug across the room. He then stands, grabs Quark and lifts him in the air.
drunken klingon
This is not bloodwine! It is not fit for Targs to drink!
The Klingon tosses Quark to the floor, and glowers down at the Ferengi.
drunken klingon
Now bring us good bloodwine, or I will tear out your entrails and make you eat them!
His honor satisfied for the moment, the Klingon returns to his companions.
Right at this moment, Alexa enters the bar. She’s wearing a shimmering dress that’s nearly as revealing as the outfits on the Dabo girls. She’s also wearing a pair of earrings that seem to change color every time you look at them.
She spots Quark picking himself off the floor and helps him up.
When she speaks to Quark, she talks very rapidly, and almost in a singsong tone of voice:
alexa
Are you alright? I just saw the end of it, those Klingons can be very excitable, can’t they? You have no idea…oh, well I guess you do, but you know what I mean. Here, let me help…there you go, what happened? I mean, I saw what happened, but what happened?
At this point, Alexa has her arm around Quark, and she’s leading him back to the bar.
quark
(regaining his composure)
Thank you. It was nothing. One of my fine customers was merely expressing his opinion about the quality of the bloodwine.
Quark looks Alexa up and down, and smiles; he likes what he sees.
quark
I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure, Miss…?
alexa
Davies. Alexa. Alexa Davies. And you’re Quark. Owner of the bar, right? And brother of the Grand Nagus?
(Quark frowns)
But Zek should have chosen you, right? You shouldn’t be upset about it, from what I hear the job isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, right? And besides, it’s like that saying, uneasy lies the crown that wears the head…oh, that’s backwards probably, but you know what I mean. It’s a pleasure to meet you either way.
Quark rolls his eyes; he’s not sure exactly what to make of her.
quark
Are you here for business or…
(leering)
pleasure?
Alexa laughs.
alexa
Both, probably. I’m meeting an old friend, well, I have a lot of friends, I mean, I like everyone, but this is a very special friend, right? But that’s not for a couple of hours, and so I came down here to relax and enjoy myself until then. And it’s your bar, right, so I thought maybe you’d have some ideas about that, right?
Alexa begins stroking Quark’s ears. Quark lets out a sudden yelp, pleasure mixed with surprise.
quark
Oh, yes. I’ve got a couple in mind already…
int uss dauntless – captain’s ready room
Captain Halliway sits behind her desk, with Commander Senek and a new face, the Chief Medical Officer, DR. MAREV, a male Andorian.
halliway
You have the final crew reports, Doctor?
marev
Yes, Captain. They all check out. Excepting of course the remaining crew members we’ll be picking up on Deep Space Nine.
senek
The ship is at peak efficiency as well, Captain. Once our final supplies are loaded, we will be fully prepared for our mission.
halliway
Excellent, gentlemen. Are both of you prepared? Three years is a long time to be away from home.
senek
Certainly, Captain.
maRev
Of course I am prepared. I must ask, are you, Captain? You are the only member of the crew to avoid her physical. I do not have an efficiency rating for you on file.
halliway
I wouldn’t worry about that, Doctor. I’m fine.
marev
I will worry about it, Captain. Your health is my responsibility, and with all due respect, I won’t allow your childish refusal to report for your physical to reflect on my reputation.
halliway
No, I don’t suppose you would, would you? That’s why I asked for you as my CMO. We’re due at DS9 in two hours. I have a few things to attend to here, but I’ll come down for my physical in one hour, will that be acceptable?
marev
Perfectly so, Captain.
halliway
That’s settled, then…
int deep space nine – quark’s office
Alexa and Quark are very cozy, lounging on a couch. She’s stroking his ears.
alexa
You must see every kind of starship here, right? Starfleet, Klingon, Cardassian, Bajoran, Romulan, I bet you get all of them in here. I’ve always wanted to see a Romulan Warbird, you know, one of the really big ones? Up close, I mean, of course I’ve seen pictures, you have no idea. But in person, right? I was hoping to see one while I was here, but I guess maybe not?
quark
You missed one a couple of days ago. They stopped off here for a few hours, and then right into the wormhole for a survey mission.
alexa
Oh! That’s a shame, I was really hoping, you have no idea. But there are plenty of other ships. That big Klingon ship, that’s a really pretty ship. And big, too. But it would have been nice to see some Romulans. You just don’t see them too often. They’re all so mysterious. Kind of sexy, maybe even.
quark
Yes…sexy…
(he’s lost for a moment as Alexa works on his ears)
…you really did miss out. Their commander was in here. Tomok…Tamalak…
alexa
(whispering)
Tomolok?
quark
Tomolok. He came in here, and let me tell you, he was as arrogant as they come. Walked in, insulted me, spent ten minutes talking to some retired Cardassian Gul, and then off he went. And he didn’t even pay for his drink!
alexa
When I was on Risa, we got a few Romulans for guests. Just a few, and they were the worst tippers, you have no idea. And rude, right? But still, a job’s a job, you do what you’re supposed to do, right?
Quark’s eyes go wide at this comment.
quark
You worked on Risa?
alexa
Oh, yes! I was a…hostess is probably the best word, right? For almost two years. I loved it, best experience I’ve ever had. And the guests didn’t complain either, right?
quark
I would imagine not…
Alexa looks at a chronometer on the wall.
alexa
I’ve got another twenty minutes or so until my friend arrives, right? I could tell you more about Risa, if you want to hear about it?
quark
You could show me more about Risa…
Alexa
Even better…
And on that, we CUT TO:
ext space
A massive Romulan Warbird cruises through deep space.
INT ROMULAN WARBIRD NARREK – bridge
A purposeful silence and focused resolve pervades the bridge. The Warbird’s commander, TOMOLOK, sits in his center seat taking everything in. The Communications Officer, TELOR, a young Romulan woman, turns to face him.
telor
Commander, I’m receiving a transmission from the research outpost.
tomolok
Yes, Subcommander?
telor
Chief Researcher Baratt requests an update on our status.
tomolok
Does he?
Telor is very nervous now, with Tomolok’s attention focused on her. One of the other officers, an older male officer named RENNOK, looks concerned.
telor
Yes, sir! The transmission was quite clear, sir.
tomolok
Indeed. I’m sure it was. You may tell the Chief Researcher that we are on schedule, and we have all the requested supplies and replacement crew. And you may also tell him that I have been ordered by Admiral Tavarrek to make a full report on the status of the project. I will expect Baratt to give me a complete tour of his facility upon our arrival.
telor
Yes, sir.
As Telor carries out her orders, Rennok walks over to Tomolok.
rennok
If I may, Commander, I would like to speak with you in private.
tomolok
I always have time for you, Rennok. After you…
Rennok and Tomolok walk off the bridge. We follow them into a small Ready Room.
INT ROMULAN WARBIRD NARREK – tomolok’s ready room
Neither officer sits; they face each other, and Tomolok begins speaking as soon as the door closes behind him.
tomolok
I assume you want to express disapproval over my attitude towards Chief Researcher Baratt.
rennok
I don’t disapprove personally, Commander. I share your opinion of him. My superiors, however…
tomolok
And if I should stray too far from the opinions of your superiors?
rennok
That depends. I see several possibilities. I kill you and take command of this ship myself, or I allow you to pursue this mission as you see fit, report you when we return to Romulus, and you are executed.
tomolok
Or I could have you killed, and hope that I have enough friends and favors to save me from your superiors upon my return to Romulus.
rennok
Better if it doesn’t come to that. I don’t especially enjoy having my friends executed, and I think…I hope, at any rate…that you don’t either.
tomolok
Indeed.
rennok
So we agree. I suggest you keep your opinions about Baratt and his project to yourself. Just because I’m the only official Tal Shiar officer onboard does not mean I’m the only Tal Shiar officer onboard.
(Tomolok nods)
So, keep your thoughts to yourself, and carry out the mission as ordered, and if Baratt really does turn out to be a problem, I’ll back you in whatever you decide to do. And as long as things turn out successfully…
tomolok
There’s a saying I came across once upon a time. “Success is a great deodorant.”
rennok
It sounds like a human saying. Childish and disgusting, yet true. So make sure that we succeed.
tomolok
When have I ever done otherwise?
And on those words, we CUT TO:
ext space – deep space nine
The USS Dauntless is
now docked to an upper pylon of the station along with the Klingon warship.
int deep space nine – quark’s bar
We open on Alexa exiting Quark’s office, smoothing her dress, scanning the crowd for familiar faces. After just a second, she finds one, just now entering the bar:
Captain Halliway.
alexa
Brenna!
Halliway looks for the person who’s shouting her name, sees Alexa, smiles, heads for her.
Alexa makes her way towards Halliway, and they meet in the middle of the bar, embracing.
halliway
Alexa! I’m so glad to see you.
alexa
I am, too, you have no idea. I heard about your orders, I’m just lucky I caught you here.
Alexa leads Halliway to an unoccupied table, and they sit.
halliway
How did you hear…?
alexa
You know me, I hear things here and there, right? I’m a really good listener, you remember, don’t you?
halliway
I do remember. Risa wasn’t all that long ago. But what have you been up to since then?
alexa
This and that, things, stuff. You know. I move around a lot, which I love, but maybe I want to have something a little more stable now, right?
halliway
I understand completely. I just might have something that would work for both of us.
alexa
Really?
halliway
I need someone to run the Ten Forward lounge on the Dauntless. We’re heading out on a three year mission, but you already knew that, didn’t you?
alexa
I confess, I confess. I was wondering if you might be thinking about that…a friend in need and all that, right? Three years is kind of a long time, but I guess that is kind of stable, too.
halliway
Is that a yes or a no?
alexa
You wouldn’t have asked if you didn’t already know the answer, right? I’m already packed, when do we leave?
halliway
Twenty four hours. I’ll be very busy with the final preparations, so you should check in with Commander Matsushita as soon as you can. And once we’re underway, I do want to catch up with you properly. I’m sure we can make time for that.
alexa
Got it. Check in with Harry, move all my stuff aboard, spend some time with you later. I can handle that, right? Why don’t I let you go, you’re really busy, you have no idea, and I’ll get myself settled onboard.
Halliway grins, shakes Alexa’s hand, stands and turns to leave the bar, but something occurs to her and she stops in mid-step.
halliway
How do you know Commander Matsushita…oh, I forgot, you have your ways, right? Trade secret and all that?
alexa
Something like that.
Halliway leaves, and Alexa follows. She stops on her way out at the table with the drunken Klingons.
alexa
(in Klingonese, with subtitles in English)
Are you with the Battlecruiser Ro’Tamek?
The Klingons look up, surprised to see a human female speaking their language.
drunken Klingon
(in English)
What business is it of yours, human?
Alexa shrugs, and reverts to English herself.
alexa
Anything I choose to make my business is my business. But I’m looking for Captain Navrag. I’m a…friend…of his, I think he’d like to see me before he leaves this station, and I know that if he learns you prevented him from seeing me, he’ll be most displeased. You remember what he did to General Bodak, don’t you? I wouldn’t want to displease him, I can tell you that.
The Klingons all consider this. Their drunken leader finally reaches a decision.
drunken klingon
Go to his quarters. He is there.
Alexa smiles brightly.
alexa
I knew you’d be helpful!
She leaves. The Klingons stare at her as she departs.
drunken klingon
(in Klingonese, with subtitles)
Either that human is less fragile than she appears, or Navrag is growing soft in his old age.
drunken klingon #2
He maimed General Bodak! He has not grown weak!
drunken klingon
And that little creature survived mating with him? I do not believe it! There must be some other explanation…
And on that, we CUT TO:
int deep space nine – visitor quarters
In a sparsely furnished guest room, a big, middle-aged, shirtless Klingon, NAVRAG, Captain of the battlecruiser Ro’Tamek, is going through an exercise routine. As he does, there’s a chime at his door. Navrag glowers, grunts, and then:
navrag
Enter!
Alexa appears in his doorway. Navrag immediately brightens.
alexa
I hope I’m not interrupting you.
navrag
No! Come in, come in. I did not expect to see you here!
Alexa goes over to Navrag, hugs him. As she does, she runs her hand up and down his back, feeling for something. When we see his back, we notice that there’s a nasty series of scars running most of the way down.
alexa
You’ve still got your scars.
navrag
Marks of honor, Alexa, as you well know.
As Alexa talks, we note that her voice isn’t quite as sing-songy as it was with Quark or Halliway.
alexa
Captain Halliway…Brenna…still has hers, too. At least she did the last time I saw. I’m sure I’ll have the chance to check again in the next few days. Do you want to know if they’re still there?
navrag
Certainly not! But…
(he laughs)
Tell me anyway, when you have the chance. But you did not come here to talk about her past, or mine, did you?
alexa
You know me too well, right? Story of my life, I guess. I did want to see you, just to see you. But I have information, too. And I need some.
navrag
You never change, do you?
alexa
No, probably I don’t, you have no idea. Or maybe you do. Either way, you know Brenna is still commanding a starship.
navrag
The Dauntless. I do keep up. Not as well as you perhaps, but I doubt that would be possible.
alexa
That was probably a compliment, wasn’t it? Probably. And no, you couldn’t. Anyway, she’s been assigned a three year mission into the Gamma Quadrant. And she’s got a new bartender. And her bartender happens to know the initial survey route.
Navrag looks a bit surprised at this.
navrag
Why would a bartender care about survey routes? And why does she think that I would care about them?
alexa
Well, hypothetically, if it was me, you know how I am, I pay attention to every little thing. I like to learn about things, that’s all. I’m sure the new bartender does, too. And you should care about the Romulans, if they’re getting up to things maybe they shouldn’t, all the way through the wormhole where nobody can watch them. Right?
navrag
The Romulans are our friends now, are they not?
alexa
Keep your enemies close and your friends closer. Or the reverse. I never understood that saying anyway, but even if they are friends, there are some things friends shouldn’t do. And maybe other friends should look in now and then, maybe at, say, 119 mark 344 and 85 lightyears from the Gamma Quadrant terminus of the wormhole. Right?
navrag
Is there a particular time that your hypothetical “friend” would want to do some of this looking?
alexa
Probably five days or so, I think, right? That’s probably a great time for friends to get together and do whatever they have to do. And before you ask, Brenna knows nothing about this, and I think maybe she doesn’t need to know about it, and also before you ask, even if I wanted to tell you more, I couldn’t, right?
navrag
I wouldn’t dream of asking. I do have one question, though.
alexa
Two hours before I need to be on board the Dauntless. And I have no plans at all until then. Right? That is what you were going to ask, isn’t it?
navrag
Yes. And that was exactly the answer I was hoping for…
And on that note, we CUT TO:
ext space
The USS Dauntless slowly, gently, undocks from DS9 and begins to move away from the station.
ds9 ops officer (vo)
Dauntless, you are cleared for passage through the wormhole. Good journey!
halliway (vo)
We’ll try and make it one. Thank you. Dauntless out.
int uss dauntless – main bridge
There’s a sense of excitement on the bridge; nobody’s ever been through a wormhole before.
halliway
Lieutenant Tregor, set your course for the wormhole.
The Tellarite helmsman enters the course.
lt tregor
Course set, Captain.
halliway
(louder; she’s on the shipwide intercom now)
This is the Captain. In just a few seconds, we’ll be entering the Bajoran wormhole. I’m told it’s an amazing sight, and I encourage everyone who can to get to a viewport and take the opportunity see it with their own eyes to do so.
ext space
The Dauntless cruises away from the station, and as it does, the wormhole blossoms open with a flash of light. The starship heads straight in, and, just like that, it’s gone and the wormhole closes behind it.
int uss dauntless – ten forward
In the ship’s lounge, a roomful of off-duty crew are staring out at the lightshow of the wormhole. Alexa watches from behind the bar, fascinated.
int uss dauntless – main bridge
The bridge crew is equally fascinated, except for Lt. Tregor at the helm, who’s completely focused on keeping the ship steady.
ext space
Peaceful darkness everywhere, shattered suddenly by the flash and rainbow lightshow of the Gamma Quadrant terminus of the wormhole opening up.
The Dauntless glides gracefully out of the wormhole, which then closes behind it.
halliway (vo)
This is the Captain. Welcome to the Gamma Quadrant…
int uss dauntless – main bridge
The bridge crew is beginning to calm down and get back to work.
halliway
…time to get to work. Mr. Harris?
The Ops Officer turns his head.
Lt. Commander harris
Yes, Captain?
halliway
You have our initial survey route programmed in?
Lt. Commander harris
Yes.
halliway
Excellent.
(turns around to face the officers behind her)
Miss Ling, work with Mr. Harris. Give the route one more check against the latest Stellar Cartography data. Let’s make sure everything is where it’s supposed to be, and then we’ll be on our way.
The Science Officer nods.
Lt. Ling
Yes, sir!
Halliway rises from her seat.
halliway
I expect that’ll take two or three hours. Please alert me when we’re ready to go. Until then, you have the bridge, Mr. Matsushita.
Commander Matsushita moves one seat over into the center chair as Halliway leaves the bridge, and we CUT TO:
ext space
A Romulan Warbird cruises towards a blue and white planet off in the distance.
INT ROMULAN WARBIRD NARREK – bridge
Tomolok looks out towards the planet displayed on his viewscreen.
tomolok
Subcommander, are we in communications range of the research station yet?
telor
Just entering range now, sir.
tomolok
Good. Hail the station.
telor
I have them, sir. Audio only.
The voice of Chief Researcher Baratt sounds out over the bridge speakers.
baratt (vo)
This is Research Station Metlak-Three. Identify yourself.
tomolok
Metlak Station, this is the Imperial Warbird Narrek. I am Commander Tomolok. I assume I am addressing Chief Researcher Baratt?
baratt (vo)
You are, and you’re late, Commander. You were scheduled to arrive here two hours ago.
All the officers on the bridge stare at Tomolok; he takes a deep breath and mentally counts to ten before answering.
tomolok
Of course, Baratt…excuse me…Chief Researcher. I apologize for the disruption our tardiness has no doubt caused you.
baratt (vo)
Of course you do. Be sure it doesn’t happen again. If your crew isn’t too incompetent, perhaps you can make up some of my lost time transferring the parts and supplies down here.
tomolok
We will do our humble best, Chief Researcher. We will enter orbit in…
(he glances at a PADD)
…twenty minutes. We will begin transporting your supplies down immediately at that point. Tomolok out.
Tomolok takes another deep breath, and then looks around at his officers. Telor nods to indicate that the channel is closed.
tomolok
I apologize for the insult to you. Duty is duty, and for the moment we are required to show deference to that miserable little creature…
(beat)
…but I promise all of you…when I inspect the base, if there is anything wrong…anything…a single speck of dust on a console, or one bit of data misfiled, I will see to it that Baratt is removed from his position…and I’ll have him brought up here for our…amusement. I will not tolerate such disrespect to my ship, or to loyal officers such as yourselves…
(beat)
At any rate…Subcommander Varon, put us into standard orbit.
The helmsman, Varon, taps away at his controls, and we CUT TO:
ext space
The USS Dauntless cruises through space, towards a blue-and-green planet off in the distance.
int uss dauntless – main bridge
Commander Matsushita is in the center seat, staring out at the approaching planet on the viewscreen. Lt. Tregor is at the helm.
lt. tregor
We will enter standard orbit in twenty eight minutes, Commander.
matsushita
Excellent.
(turns to Lt. Ling at the science station)
Lieutenant, what do we know about this planet?
lt. ling
Very little, sir. Mackendrie Three was believed to be a weapons research center for the Dominion during the war, but Starfleet was never able to officially confirm that. It is a Class M planet, with no record of any native animal species of any special note.
matsushita
Well, keep scanning. I’d hate to tell the Captain that everything down there is fine and then run into an unpleasant surprise when we send the away teams to the surface. Especially since I’ll probably be down there with them.
lt. ling
Understood, sir.
As Ling returns to her scanning, we hear alarms go off on the Bridge. Belev, the Andorian security officer, is the first to respond.
belev
Reading three…four Jem’Hadar attack ships coming out of warp. They are on an intercept course, contact in forty seconds.
matsushita
Are they hailing us?
belev
No, sir. Their weapons are armed and we are being scanned.
matsushita
Red alert! Raise shields! Captain to the Bridge!
(beat)
Scan them.
The red alert lights come up.
belev
They read as standard attack fighters. Nothing we haven’t seen before. We should be able to handle them.
matsushita
Better if we don’t have to. Try to hail them, Belev.
belev
No response, sir. Contact in thirty seconds.
matsushita
Damn. Arm phasers and torpedoes.
ext space
We can now see the four Jem’Hadar ships – these are the small, “fighter” type craft we saw so often in the Dominion War. They’re coming in fast towards the Dauntless. As they close on the Galaxy-class ship, all four open fire.
int uss dauntless – main bridge
Captain Halliway enters the bridge just as it shudders from the Jem’Hadar attack.
halliway
What’s our situation?
belev
Direct hit, minimal damage, shields down to 83 percent.
Halliway makes it to the center seat just as the ship is hit again. Commander Matsushita moves over to the first officer’s position to make room for her.
halliway
Return fire – target all weapons on the lead ship.
ext space
The four Jem’Hadar craft are swooping back towards the Dauntless for another attack run. Before they can fire again, the Dauntless lashes out with phasers and torpedoes, overwhelming the shields of the lead attacker and obliterating the ship.
The explosion and resulting debris forces one of the other Jem’Hadar craft out of its attack run, but the other two ships fire on the Dauntless, hitting it, and then zooming past the starship.
belev (vo)
Target destroyed. Retargeting…firing…
int uss dauntless – main bridge
On the bridge viewscreen, we see phasers and torpedoes blast out at another Jem’Hadar ship, damaging it severely, but not destroying it. The stricken ship spins off, out of control.
halliway
Mr. Harris, try to hail them.
harris
No response, Captain.
The bridge shakes again, a bit more violently this time.
belev
Shields down to 59 percent now.
halliway
Continue firing.
ext space
The Dauntless attacks again, and this time the assault is more effective, destroying the Jem’Hadar ship that was targeted. We can see in the background the previously-damaged ship still drifting out of control.
The lone undamaged Jem’Hadar ship comes about and begins a full-speed run towards the Dauntless. We’ve seen this before from the Jem’Hadar – it’s clearly a suicide run.
int uss dauntless – main bridge
Along with the crew, we see the Jem’Hadar fighter coming straight in at high speed.
halliway
Mr. Tregor, evasive course – 0 mark 180, now!
(to Harris at the Ops station)
I want tractor beams on that ship, full power!
ext space
The Dauntless executes a very pretty maneuver, slipping “under” the Jem’Hadar ship just as it’s coming in, and then applying tractor beams to it, holding the attacking ship in place. The extreme force of coming to a sudden stop tears one of the engine nacelles right off the Jem’Hadar craft – but despite a small, crackling explosion on the underside of the ship, it is not destroyed.
int uss dauntless – main bridge
There’s relief on everyone’s face; most of the crew is amazed that they got away with that maneuver.
halliway
Maybe NOW they’ll talk to us. Mr. Harris?
harris
They are responding, Captain. On screen.
The cramped bridge of the Jem’Hadar ship fills the screen. A Jem’Hadar warrior addresses Halliway.
halliway
Why have you violated the armistice with the Federation?
jem’hadar warrior
It is you who have violated the armistice.
halliway
This mission was agreed to by your leaders. Our presence here is no violation.
jem’hadar warrior
Other ships from your quadrant have come to this planet in violation of the armistice. They have ransacked our facilities and bases. We were dispatched to investigate. We discovered you here continuing the violations. We have already transmitted a record of this violation to our command base. This conversation can serve no further useful purpose.
And with that, before Halliway can say another word, the screen goes dead.
halliway
Oh, sh…full power to the shields!
ext space
In tandem, both the tractored Jem’Hadar ship and the damaged one explode, taking their crews and any information they may have had with them.
int uss dauntless – main bridge
The Dauntless again shudders from the force of the explosion, as the main screen shows the debris clouds that used to be ships.
matsushita
Well, at least they haven’t changed since the war. Same friendly Jem’Hadar we’ve come to know and love.
halliway
I don’t like what he said about other ships from the Alpha quadrant. Mr. Harris, transmit our logs to the communications array back at the wormhole and request any information Starfleet has about Alpha Quadrant ships coming through the wormhole. Maybe they forgot to tell us something before they left. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time…
int uss dauntless – alexa’s quarters
Alexa is sitting at a desk, watching a replay of the end of the battle and the conversation between Captain Halliway and the Jem’Hadar. She’s nodding her head as she watches.
alexa
(softly, almost whispering)
Wow. I didn’t expect that…
(beat)
I wonder if they attacked because they think we’re working with the Romulans and they want to keep us out, or because they’re working with the Romulans and they want to keep us out?
She taps a few controls on the desk. The replay freezes on her display.
alexa
Computer, priority override alpha alpha three three nine seven blue. Check the subspace communication logs, please. Has the Captain sent a message to Starfleet about the attack?
computer (vO)
Yes. A message was transmitted to Starfleet Command via the wormhole relay system seven minutes ago.
alexa
All those messages go through Deep Space Nine before they get transmitted out wherever else they’re going, yes?
computer (VO)
That is correct.
alexa
Great! Then I don’t need to do anything about this for the moment.
(beat)
OK, please note any subspace transmissions from now on and copy them to my terminal. Oh…and erase any traces of what you’re doing while you’re at it, yes?
computer (VO)
Acknowledged.
alexa
Great! So you go and do that. End override.
Alexa taps a few more controls, and the replay fades out, and we cut to:
int romulan complex – transporter room
Chief Researcher Baratt stands at the transporter controls, along with two of his minions, waiting impatiently for Tomolok to beam down. Everything about Baratt is prim and proper; there’s not a wrinkle on his uniform, or a hair out of place on his head; and his face seems to be set into a permanent sneer.
The transporter stage lights up and two figures appear in a sparkle of transporter effect: Tomolok and Rennok.
baratt
It’s about time you got here.
Tomolok somehow manages to keep a rein on his temper.
tomolok
(just this side of completely sarcastic)
Thank you for meeting us personally, Chief Researcher. It’s very generous of you to take time out of your busy schedule.
baratt
Obviously. Follow me. There is much to show you, and I would like to return to my work as soon as possible.
Without waiting for an answer, Baratt turns on his heel and exits, followed by his two minions, and then Tomolok and Rennok. Tomolok shoots Rennok a look that clearly says: “How long must I wait before I can kill him?” Rennok just sighs apologetically.
int romulan complex – corridor
As the group of Romulans make their way down the corridor, we see that it’s just about identical to the corridors we saw in Alexa’s training simulation earlier.
rennok
How far along is your research?
baratt
It would be complete if your incompetent crew could finish unloading all my supplies and equipment.
tomolok
Of course. I will endeavor to speed them up once we’re finished here.
baratt
See that you do.