CHAPTER FIVE
First Officer’s Personal Log, Stardate 54732.6;
It has been two days since our encounter with the USS Javelin.In that time, Captain Decker had made me Acting Captain.I gather from the rest of the senior officers that Commander Haldar was a close friend of the Captain’s, and it occurs to me that he has taken the demise of his friend very badly.He had spent the majority of his time in his quarters, doing who knows what.I noted in his Starfleet Personnel Record that Captain Decker was previously a friend of Thomas Paris, son of Admiral Owen Paris, who is among the stranded crew of the USS Voyager in the Delta Quadrant.They used to belong to the same Twentieth Century Aficionado Club, and when Mister Paris was court-martialed, the Captain provided him with voluntary legal advice, as well as moral support.

I heard from my old friend from the Enterprise-D, Reg Barclay yesterday.

He told me some wonderful news, regarding his work at Starfleet Communications’ Pathfinder Project.

With any luck, I might be able to cheer Captain Decker up.I have to report some disturbing news to him first.
Jason Decker was staring out of the transparent aluminium window in his quarters when the door chimes rang.Without turning, he spoke,” Enter.”
Ilya Zagrovic strode into the room with an air of self-confidence.Decker had previously observed with vague amusement that his First Officer always seemed to have the mood of a man taking on a Cardassian garbage scowl in a Romulan Warbird.The commander held a PADD in his right hand.
“Sir, since we altered course to communicate with Deep Space Two, I’ve had the opportunity to breeze through the LCARs Klingon database.”
Decker turned around to face him.“Well, you wouldn’t tell me unless you found something,” he said monotonously without a trace of emotion in his voice.“Spit it out, Commander.”
The First Officer consulted his PADD.“I found an intriguing reference to a prototype starship developed to counter large Dominion fleets… while there was still, that is, a fleet to counter.” He grinned, but he was disappointed to find no flicker of amusement on his commanding officer’s face so he continued, in a more business-like fashion.
“They called it a Bat’leth-class battleship which is basically a converted Negh’var-class ship, with less torpedo armaments in place of a casino beam projector.”
Decker looked up abruptly.

“Cadion beam?”
“Yes, sir.The energy type has the highest known focal value in the galaxy.I hear that they’ve replaced all terraforming phaser drills with low-powered cadion beams.They can cut through kilometers of tritanium, duranium, and beryllium ore in just minutes if they are focused enough.

Even on wide-beam, they can slice through tons of the stuff within a day, but the drills are like chisels compared to the projector that they installed on the Bat’leth.

That particular weapon was given twice the power output of terraformation cutters.In effect, the Klingon High Command gave their new ship the firepower to destroy an entire fleet in minutes.”
Decker rubbed his chin in contemplation before he asked a question that was niggling at him.“Would drilling into the core of a planet with a cadion beam produce a Class-Ten shockwaves?”
Zagrovic shook his head.

“No, I’ve done about a hundred simulations in Stellar Cartography.Even at full power with an optimal focus lock, the best that I got was a Class-Two.”
“So it wasn’t a cadion beam that destroyed Lirosana B?”
“I didn’t say that, sir.All of this information intrigued me so I tried to get the Starfleet Intelligence reports on the Bat’leth and her weapons capability.”
“What did you find out?”
“At first, nothing,” Zagrovic conceded.“The entire Intelligence report on the Bat’leth was sealed up tighter than a Ferengi money-lender’s purse.So I sent your mission reports to Deep Space Two, but I also piggy-backed a hacking program on the signal to penetrate the security clearances on those reports and send them all back to me.”
Decker chuckled quietly and managed to display a ghost of a smile.The Commander’s actions were highly illegal but he found his dedication to duty to be admirable.

He motioned for him to continue with his report.
“What I’ve found out, sir,” Zagrovic said in a grave tone,” does not bode well for things to come.The Bat’leth was fitted with a brand-new type of engine core, one that included the use of anti-beryllium.

Warp plasma emitters were added to the nacelles with the purpose being to cut the time of potential fleet destruction from a couple of minutes to a couple of seconds.
“The warp plasma is set to be released into two beams from either side of the ship.When the cadion projector is activated, these beams will focus in front of it.As the cadion beam is activated, it passes through the warp plasma.In effect, it produces a massive matter-antimatter warhead inside of a heavily concentrated beam of cadions and once it hits its target, the warp plasma detonates and the explosion is magnified a thousand times by the cadions.”
“The ultimate weapons,” the Captain murmured thoughtfully.
“Unfortunately, in tests, the detonations produced a shockwave that would increase exponentially as the energy of the target increased.

If the Bat’leth did indeed fire on Lirosana B, then it would produce a Class-Ten shockwave, similar to what we’ve seen already.”
“Good God,” Decker muttered, looking up,” what is the motive though? Why would the Klingon Empire revoke the Khitomer Accords and seek war with the Federation?”
Zagrovic grimaced.“I don’t believe that the Empire had knowledge of the Bat’leth’s actions.Primarily, because they believe that the ship was destroyed on her maiden voyage.” He handed him his PADD.
Decker read the transcript on it.
STARFLEET INTELLIGENCE: FILE 11746529.8/D
THE FATE OF THE IMPERIAL KLINGON FLEET VESSEL BAT’LETH
For her maiden flight, the Bat’leth was staffed with a crew that was hand-picked by her commanding officer, General N’Gath.This selection included the Executive Officer, Fleet Captain Kohlok.

The journey was scheduled to take six days and it was planned to be a standard Klingon test flight cruiser, encompassing roughly one-third of Imperial Klingon territory.She was ordered to transmit directly to the High Commander, every twelve hours.
The Bat’leth failed to report in on the third day of their mission.A search-and-rescue squadron of B’rel-class and K’t’inga-class ships were dispatched to locate the missing vessel.This hunt persisted for two weeks before the squadron was recalled to Q’onoS.No trace had been found of the battleship and the Klingon government has listed it as lost.
Decker handed the PADD back to his second-in-command.“Good God,” he whispered again,” I know about N’Gath, and that he’s a war hawk.He believes that the Empire must re-conquer lost territories, even those that are now in Federation space.If he and the Bat’leth survived, then they probably would have kept out of the way until the war with the Dominion was finished.

Then they could prove to the High Council that the Empire is still capable of taking on the Federation.”
A shudder passed through Zagrovic’s body.“If I understand Klingon psychology, Captain, then their value system is based on honor above all.” Decker nodded and the first officer took a deep breath.

“We can now assume that the Bat’leth was behind the attack on Lirosana B, as well as the capture of the Javelin.The Javelin was a failure because we destroyed it before they could evacuate their boarding party.That wouldn’t have been an honorable action for N’Gath and Kohlok.Furthermore, the Bat’leth must be nearby and probably cloaked since we arrived.”
“They lost honor by losing the Javelin.Now they must regain it before returning to the Council,” Decker finished.“That means…”
“That we’re next.”
Decker dipped his head.

“I suppose it makes sense.After all, we are the most powerful ship in the fleet and they would have seen that we were the ones who thwarted their plans for the Javelin.If they destroyed or captured us in battle, it would be the crowning glory of their careers.”
Zagrovic stood.“I’ll signal Deep Space Two and request assistance.”
* * * *
Commander Dalthassa sh’Thanen sat in her office aboard the Federation space station known as Deep Space Two.The Andorian was busy typing up a report on the loss of the USS Javelin, as it was reported by the USS Merrimack.Being in a historical frame of mind, the shen could help but refer to the action in the Mutara Nebula, several decades ago when James T.Kirk defeated Khan Noonian Singh who had taken control of the USS Reliant.
Certainly, she mused with an ironic grin, there are similarities.
She wiped the smile off of her face as her communications officer walked in.it was her decision that her smile could be misconstrued as joy at the destruction of a Federation starship.

She sighed, thinking that Humans could be so presumptuous and given to misconception.
The communication officer seemed to be worried and spoke in a low, grinding voice.“Commander, we’ve received another transmission from the Merrimack.I didn’t get all of the details but Commander Zagrovic and Captain Decker believe that they’re being targeted by a cloaked vessel that is more powerful than them.They are requesting assistance.”
He paused and added,” We could send a couple of runabouts out to help them.”
The Andorian station commander slammed her fist on the table in a rare act of rage.

“Ensign, I may be an Andorian, and to many that may mean that I am indifferent to what happens to my fellow officers.However, I assure you that I do not intend to respond to Captain Decker’s plight by sending our two over-praised shuttles.”
Suitably abashed by her behavior, the ensign looked down at the deck.
sh’Thanen turned in her chair and asked,” Are there any starships within eight hours of Merrimack’s current position?”
The communications officer cleared his throat.“Three, ma’am.The Norrington and the Garrett are involved in an archaeological expedition in the Uralla system, and they’re seven hours away.

The Ticonderoga is five hours away on a diplomatic peacekeeping mission in the Surad system.”
“I don’t even know why the Federation bothers with the Suradi.They’re so very warlike,” sh’Thanen muttered underneath her breath.Out loud, she said,” Contact the Ticonderoga and ask if she can rendezvous with the Merrimack as soon as possible.”
“Aye, aye, sir,” the ensign said, a little too loudly before he spun on his heels and stumbled out the door.
“Idiot,” the Andorian shen whispered as she tapped her combadge.“Commander sh’Thanen to Operations.”
“Ops here, sir.”
“Merrimack has reported some trouble.

They’re only a few lightyears away from here.” Her antennae waved over her head, a sign of contemplation in her species.“Go to Yellow Alert.”
* * * *
“Bridge to Captain Weynik,” a familiar voice said over the Roylan’s combadge.He was mildly irritated by the interruption as he was in his quarters, practicing his painting of a still life scene.He had never gotten the hang of painting but his ship’s counselor had insisted that he find a hobby to help him relax.
“Go ahead, Mister Sorek.”
“Captain,” the Vulcan operations officer said,” we have been contacted by Deep Space Two, requesting that we alter course and rendezvous with the USS Merrimack, which has requested assistance in a situation that they deem to be ‘potentially hostile’.”
“All right, Sorek,” Weynik groaned,” we shouldn’t keep Captain Decker on tenterhooks.

Where is the Merrimack?”
“They are currently heading towards the Lirosan Nebula.”
Weynik rested his paintbrush on the easel where his attempt at art stood, bathed in mediocrity.He pursed his lips together, appraising it.After a few seconds, he tapped his combadge.
“Sorek, set a course for the Lirosan Nebula, maximum warp.”
* * * *.