Another Fine Mess
Chapter 24 of Starfighter! The
Iconoclast
By: Tom Sczepkowski
With editing and clean-up
by: Frederick P. Kopetz
Copyrights:
STAR TREK is © 2004 by Paramount Pictures, Inc. STAR BLAZERS is © 2004 by
Voyager International, and, STAR WARS is © 2004 by Lucasfilm, Ltd. GARGOYLES is
© 2004 by Disney Entertainment. The Technomugar Empire is © 2004 by Frederick
P. Kopetz and is mentioned here by the author's permission. All original
elements of this tale are © 2004 by Tom Sczepkowski. All rights reserved, not
to be copied without the author's permission.
Starsha Corsair did her best to put on her father’s face as
she walked through the large, smooth crystal corridors of the grand
Her plan for now was to show a sign of resignation until all
of the “facts” were in, as she walked several paces behind everyone. Finally,
she stopped to look in a room that caught her eye. Letting everyone go ahead,
she steeped into a room where she saw something very similar to a large pipe
organ.
Starsha was no different than any other member of the Dantes clan when it came to music as she was an
accomplished musician. Failing to resist
the urge to keep away from the grand organ, Starsha sat herself on the bench,
studied the keys, stops, and pedals for a moment, and then turned the unit on.
“It’s been so long,” she said to herself as she looked out
the window and noticed the black clouds of a thunderstorm in the distance.
Closing her eyes, Starsha Corsair began to play Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, a piece
which seemed to set the appropriate atmosphere for the castle. She closed her
eyes and immediately, the thunderous sound of the music overwhelmed her like a
narcotic as each note filled every one of senses. Her hands danced across the
various levels of the keyboards while she played the instrument as if she had
been practicing on it for years. Vaught and Melisande
both taught her the basics on how to play; the rest she learned on her
own. She felt the Force flow through her
and for the first time in a long while, she was at peace. She let go her anger
and her fear just like her father did when he played, so all that there was;
was the music.
She felt the music resonate in her chest when she played the
final chord as slowly the sounds and the air of the room came back into its
form however now she realized that she had unwittingly captured an audience.
She quickly got up from the organ and immediately stood at attention where she
saw several people including Necheav, Riker, Spock, Troi, Scotty and Bones.
There were also numerous Gamilons, Alex Wildstar, and Vulgar…However,
one person stood out among all the others.
This person was a woman that had her eyes and her
hair…although they had their different styles they both could have been
mistaken for twins except for the fact that Starsha Corsair’s Gargoyle
physiology had fangs, (although they were not visible at the moment) and that
same physiology made her foot taller than Queen Starsha of Iscandar.
Necheav glared at her.
“Are you having trouble keeping yourself occupied,
Lieutenant Corsair?” snapped the Admiral angrily.
Starsha Corsair remained at attention “No, ma’am,” she
replied.
“Then get back where you belong!” snapped Nechaev again.
The remark angered Queen Starsha. However, she remained quiet.
But, a moment later, Alex displayed his younger brother Derek’s temper when he
found that his wife was evidently not going to do anything.
“No, wait just a damn minute!” Alex snapped as he turned to
Necheav. “This is our home!” Alex said pointing to himself
as well as Queen Starsha. “In our home we will decide who leaves and who
stays.”
“Lieutenant Corsair is under my command….Captain!” Nechaev shouted back. “She’ll obey any
instructions I give her!”
“The Princess Starsha is not under your command while we are
on Iscandar,” Spock said.
“PRINCESS!?” Necheav snapped with fire in her eyes.
“Ambassador Spock, what the hell is the big…?”
“Lets drop the Princess thing,” Starsha muttered
embarrassingly. “Ambassador, with all due respect, the Admiral is right; I
shouldn’t have been in here.” Starsha said
“Why not?”
Queen Starsha finally spoke. “You play beautifully.”
The hard wolf-trained eyes looked at Queen Starsha’s gentle
eyes and, the younger Starsha was immediately disarmed. She stuttered and stammered
for a few moments until she was totally disarmed. Then, she bowed her head and
could only say, “I’m Sorry.”
“I think we all have places to be!” Vulgar shouted as the
room began to clear of most of the Gamilons.
“I’ve never been able to do that,” Alex said.
“You’re not a general.” Vulgar chided.
“Oh. That’s what I was doing wrong,” muttered Alex as Spock
gestured to Necheav. Then, she reluctantly left the room as Riker cleared his
throat while he and Troi walked up to Starsha Corsair.
“Sir?
I’m…I’m sorry…” She said expecting to get an earful from Riker regarding the
incident.
“Sometimes, homecomings can be a little overwhelming,”
replied Riker with a slight smile. Lieutenant, why don’t you take a while and
get to know your surroundings?”
“Sir,” Starsha Corsair said stiffly.
“It’s a part of you, no matter how much you fight it,” Riker
said as he pointed towards a painting on the far wall of the room.
Her military demeanor left her suddenly as her eyes beheld a
painting of her mother Astra.
“Astra,” Starsha Corsair whispered almost immediately as
Riker smiled at her. Then, she immediately went back to attention.
“Commander Riker and I are only trying to help you,” Troi
said.
If it were possible, Lieutenant Corsair stiffened even more
as Spock and Starsha walked over.
“It would seem that there is a formal reception with us and
the Gamilons this evening, Commander Riker,” Spock said.
“What is the protocol, Ambassador?” Troi asked.
“You will find that humans and Gamilons share much the same
customs in social circles,” Queen Starsha said.
Riker looked at Starsha Corsair, who was still at attention
and, he quietly told her “at ease” as she snapped to a parade rest stance.
“Starfleet officers seem to be well disciplined,
Ambassador,” Alex said while pointing at Starsha Corsair.
“Indeed,” Spock said while never taking his glare off of
Starsha Corsair.
“Your orders, Captain?” she asked Riker.
Riker looked back at Queen Starsha, then
looked at Troi, who gestured her head towards Queen Starsha. With a look of
emphasis on her face, Riker smiled and turned towards Starsha Corsair.
“In the morning, Lieutenant Corsair, I want you attached to
Captain Scott and Admiral McCoy’s team. I think they could use someone with
your background to help them in finding the Defiant and keeping them out
of trouble….You will submit your reports to me, and you will also brief Queen
Starsha and Captain Wildstar on the day’s events.”
“Yes sir,” she said snapping to attention even though she had
the hope of avoiding Queen Starsha.
“Perhaps if the Lieutenant is available this evening we can
do some preliminary work.” Alex Wildstar said.
“That would be logical.” Spock replied.
Starsha snapped a look at Spock and sighed deeply.
Time passed.
Night on Iscandar reminded Starsha Corsair of her training
days when they brought her to the Jungles of Panama while she breathed in the
ocean breeze coming off from the water. Then in an instant it became hot and
steamy again, as the Thunderstorm that was in the distance now loomed larger
over the huge crystalline castle.
Starsha held her hand on her light saber which gleamed on
her belt like a lighthouse in a storm…. and she felt a storm coming…more than
one.
Corsair concentrated deeply on the Force, quieting her
mind….It revealed that there was treachery afoot; however nothing deceptive was
sensed from Queen Starsha, however all the evidence concerning Admiral Necheav
pointed to her…
Or did it?
Knowing that dinner was ready, she walked inside the cool
air conditioned room then into the dining room. As Starsha chuckled to herself,
she found that the room was exactly as she had expected to be….A huge banquet
room with one long table.
The table was made from crystal, as was most of the castle.
Curious, Corsair, pulled out a Recorder from her belt and scanned it….she was
impressed with the results.
“Traces of dilithum…interesting,” she muttered to herself.
Hearing footsteps, she quickly put the tricorder away and stood at attention as
Queen Starsha entered the room.
Gamilon women scurried about the room. Starsha assumed these
women were servants, when she noticed Queen Starsha herself actually talking to
them and helping to carry things. She quickly offered to help, breaking her
military training…for it seemed not appropriate for the family dinner table as
it were with her own family. She helped the Queen carry some glasses to the
head of the table where four place settings were set, all in close proximity to
each other.
“Thank you,” Queen Starsha said in a soft voice.
“Yes Ma’am,” Starsha Corsair replied in a cold, hard voice.
At this point Alex came in as the three sat down to their
dinner. As they ate, Alex felt the tension with each sound of the utensils
hitting the plate. He was about to speak when Starsha Corsair broke the
silence.
“This is very good,” she said. “It reminds me of a dish on
my planet called chili!”
“It Is Chili,” Alex said. “It is my own recipe, in
fact.”
Queen Starsha coughed. As tears swelled in her eyes, she
grabbed a glass of water and drank quickly.
“A triumph, Alex, as always,” Queen Starsha rasped.
“It has a unique flavor,” Corsair said.
“That’s because the herbs and spices aren’t from Earth,”
Alex replied. “I experiment with them a lot, because this castle has a well
equipped kitchen.”
“So you like to cook?” Starsha said.
“Yes, unfortunately…” Queen Starsha said as she drank
another glass of water. Queen Starsha sighed sharply and glared at her for a
moment then her glare turned to a thoughtful look.
“Your mother’s hair,” Queen Starsha said. “You have the same fine hair as your mother.
It’s a shame that you have cut it.”
“It’s for practicality,” Starsha replied. “I can be called
into a combat area at any time.”
“Are you ever frightened?”
Queen Starsha asked.
“No,” Starsha Corsair said blankly, as if by rote. “Fear
leads to the dark side of the Force.”
“I thought Starfighters were rumored to use both sides,”
Alex said.
"How do you know about the Code of the
Starfighter?" Starsha Corsair asked.
"Because I've seen it first hand,"
Alex said.
"There were many Gamilons that were force
sensitive," Queen Starsha said. "I was close friends with one of
them."
"I'd love to meet him," Starsha said.
Queen Starsha nodded with a sad look on her
face, "They are no more."
"That’s tough," said the younger
Starsha. "Starfighters do what they have to do to get the job done.”
"And the dark
side?" Queen Starsha asked.
“I was always taught to steer clear of the dark
side.” Starsha said "Not only by my master but my father
as well."
“By your father?” Queen Starsha snapped.
“Starsha….” Alex said softly.
“It’s all right,” Corsair said. “I guess this has to come
out sometime……Have you ever met my father, Queen Starsha?”
“No,” Queen Starsha said gently. “But I have heard of his exploits.”
“Which are probably all true,” Corsair said while chugging a
bit of water.
“Doesn’t that upset you?” Queen Starsha said.
“Why then, would she follow in his footsteps?” Alex asked.
“I have never understood the military mentality,” Queen
Starsha said in a soft but firm voice. “It’s what destroyed Gamilon….and it is
slowly killing Iscandar!”
“Starfleet won’t let that happen,” Starsha said. “We have
some smart guys working on this. It’ll work out!”
“Unless the
“Wait a minute!”
Alex said “What the hell is General Order 24?”
Corsair sat back and said, “If a Commanding Officer deems
that a planet has been culturally contaminated to a point where correction is
no longer viable and said culture now poses a direct threat to Starfleet
personnel or Federation civilians, the commanding officer may order the
destruction of a planet's surface to occur within a time limit set upon
invocation.”
“All because you gave our Earth
the plans to the Cosmo-DNA and the Wave Motion Technology?!”
Alex said.
“Yes. They’re pretty pissed,” Starsha Corsair said. “But
it’s not enough for them to 8-ball the planet. At least I don’t think so!”
“Unless they’re after something else,” Alex said. “Starsha?”
he said as he turned to the Queen.
“There was another set of plans missing,” Queen Starsha
said. “Admiral Necheav was very determined to make Astra and I
responsible for their disappearance. If I cannot satisfy their accusations and
return those missing plans to them, Admiral Necheav said she would implement
General Order 24 and…well…you know the rest.”
“And Ambassador Spock sat there and was OK with this!?
People from our Earth would never act like this! What kind of damned people are
these?” Alex demanded as he slammed a fist on the table.
“He wasn’t there,” Queen Starsha said sadly as she played
with her food.
“Well, Starsha, do you have the God damned things and just
afraid to return them?”
“No.” Queen Starsha said. “I don’t have them.”
“Maybe Astra picked up the wrong thing and brought it to the
Earth of this time period,” Starsha said.
“NO!” Queen Starsha asserted. “She didn’t!”
“Plans to what, Starsha?”
Alex demanded “What is it that there so excited about!?”
“I don’t know what they are for, Alex!” Queen Starsha
snapped as tears of anger ran from her eyes. “Necheav only referred to the
plans by a codename.”
“What is it?” Starsha asked.
“Project KOBOL,” replied Queen Starsha.
Next Chapter: “PLAYING THE BLUES AT PLANET BRUMUS”
To Return
to the Introduction to Starfighter: The
Iconoclasts, click here