CHAPTER
EIGHT:
Hostile Allies
Captain's Log, Stardate 57040.9
We fired the modified tricobalt device with a full spread of modified torpedoes just as Species 8472 primed their primary weapon. The effect was instant. All of the bio-ships were destroyed. However Kazon and Ocampan ships were destroyed as well. Our armor was damaged by the shockwave and the ship has sustained heavy damage to the outer hull. We have repair teams working on our problems.
I have not seen the young man that appeared on Deck Eleven or in Main Engineering again. I am more convinced than ever that he is a figment of my imagination. With all that has happened I am not surprised that I am seeing things.
The Ocampa and Kazon are ready to talk about putting an end to this conflict. I've offered to let representatives of both races board Lexus to talk peacefully. It is my hope that we can put an end to the conflict and killing.
"Munro to Captain Kirk," came the voice of Alex Munro.
"Go ahead, Commander," said JR while he stared at Chad.
"Captain the representatives from the Ocampa and Kazon are ready for transport," said Munro.
"Have Icheb and Axum meet me in transporter room three," he said. "Kirk to Jurot."
"Yes, Captain," came Juliet's reply.
"Juliet, could you meet us in transporter room three?" he asked.
"On my way, Captain," she said quickly.
"I guess this ends our talk," said Chad as JR got up from his seat.
"I'm sorry about that," said JR. "I meant what I said, Chad. We will make it home."
"I have no choice but to believe you, JR," said Chad, but he didn't seem convinced.
JR made his way to Deck Seven and was joined by Axum and Icheb along the way. The three men talked about what to expect from their guests as they headed for the transporter room. JR wasn't sure that things would go well between the two species and he wanted to make sure that both Axum and Icheb were ready for anything.
Axum had joined the security staff, but his primary skills were better suited to Engineering. Many of the drones that had been liberated by the EMH were either stationed in Engineering or Astrometrics. They were fitting in with the crew famously and many had come to JR to tell him that their help was more than satisfactory. Two of the drones were working with Seven to improve the slipstream drive. JR was happy for that because he wanted to use it as soon as he was sure that some kind of settlement had been reached between the Ocampa and Kazon.
"Energize," he said to the ensign in the transporter room once he and the others were inside.
Seconds later JR saw two men that he'd so far only seen on the main view screen of the bridge. Jal Culluh, First Mage of the Kazon-Nistrim sect had fired on Lexus repeatedly. Turin of the Ocampa had fired on them only once. The fact remained that they were both to be considered hostile. That was why members of the security staff were there.
"Welcome to Lexus," JR said when they'd both fully materialized on the transporter pad.
"Thank you, Captain Kirk," said Turin as he stepped down off the pad. "I trust that all is well on your ship."
"All is well," JR replied.
"We are here to discuss a treaty," Jal Culluh said gruffly. He eyed Icheb's facial implant and his eyes hardened. "Why do you employ Borg on your ship?"
"I assure you that there are no Borg on my ship," JR said firmly. "What you will see on my ship are individuals who have been liberated from the Borg Collective."
"We know very little about the Borg, Captain," said Turin. "I have only encountered them twice. They seem very destructive."
"The Borg are the single most destructive force in the galaxy," said JR. "You've encountered the biggest threat from liquid space already. Species 8472 is even more destructive than the Borg."
"Thank you for destroying them," said Turin.
"If you'll follow me we'll sit down to talk in the conference lounge," said JR as he turned to leave the room.
They filed out of the transporter room and down the corridor to the turbo lift. JR was pleased to find Commander Munro and Lieutenant Commander Murphy waiting for them when they got off the turbo lift on Deck One. No words were spoken as they fell into step with the group and headed for the conference lounge. Once inside the room, JR took his place at the head of the table with Munro and Murphy on either side of him. Icheb and Axum took seats beside Munro and Telsia. Juliet sat at the opposite end of the table while the two guests sat across from each other beside Icheb and Axum.
"We're here to find out if we can reach a peaceful agreement and end this conflict," said JR once they were all seated. "As you've seen there are far more threatening species ready to annihilate both the Kazon and the Ocampa. With forces such as Species 8472 and the Borg so close to your planet I don't see why you would want to feud with each other. You should band together and defend your planet and its people."
"Do you plan to stay in this sector to help smooth the way for peace?" Turin asked.
"I have an obligation to get this ship back to the Alpha Quadrant," replied JR. "It wouldn't be possible for us to stay here. If there is to be peace it will be up to the two of you to keep it going."
"How can there be peace when the Ocampa still deny us water?" Jal Culluh asked gruffly.
"Why should we provide the Kazon with water when they still rape our women and kill our children?" Turin asked.
JR could see that they had a long talk ahead of them. He inwardly sighed as he thought about it. It disgusted him to have a Kazon on the ship, and he could see Turin's point. If the Kazon were to continue being the barbarians that they had been what was there to make them Ocampa feel more inclined to share with them?
Much had happened to Ocampa since the admiral had picked up Neelix and Kes on Voyager. The Ocampa had rapidly evolved once they'd deciphered the messages that the caretaker had sent them for generations. They'd pieced them together and learned the truth about the planet. They knew that the Kazon had come after the Caretaker had destroyed their atmosphere. What the Kazon didn't know was that Ocampan scientists now knew how to restore the atmosphere. Once that was done it would rain again. The oceans, rivers and lakes would fill over time and the need for water would become less desperate.
The negotiations went on for hours. Finally JR gave permission for the Ocampa and Kazon to come and go freely from Lexus. He had a private meeting with his security staff to make sure that neither race was allowed access to the computer or any of the primary systems on the ship. He refused to share technology with either race.
As he was about to leave the conference lounge he saw the young man he'd seen in Engineering and on Deck Eleven again. The young man seemed to be studying him but then he was gone again just as fast as he had appeared. JR was starting to think that he wasn't imagining things and that the young man was actually there. He decided to wait until he was sure before he said anything to his staff.
"Captain?" Juliet asked, looking at him with concern on her face.
"I'm fine," he replied, turning to leave. He had to figure out who the young man was and how he kept appearing and disappearing at will.
* * *
"I don't really care if they come to an agreement or not, JR," said Chad as they sat in JR's quarters after the meeting. "I don't care if the Ocampa and Kazon ever settle their dispute. I want to go home."
"Chad, you have to understand that while we're here on this ship we really are Starfleet," JR replied. "To the crew out there we are anyway. We can't just leave a situation like this simply because we want to go home."
"We could be killed, JR," Chad said forcefully. "I don't want to die in the Delta Quadrant! I want to go back to Earth and be with Chase."
"I want to go back to Earth, too," said JR. "I just can't leave the Ocampa and Kazon to destroy each other though. I have to act like a Starfleet Officer. You have to act like one too."
"But you're the one traipsing through space trying to get us killed!" cried Chad.
"That's not fair, Chad," JR said quickly. "I'm doing everything I can to keep this crew from discovering the truth about who we are. I've locked up Starfleet Officers in the brig of this ship to keep them from overtaking this ship and making our lives miserable. I've allowed former Borg drones onto the ship so that we could benefit from their experience and hopefully get home sooner. I got us to the Delta Quadrant from Andromeda. Nothing I have done has in any way come close to trying to get either of us killed!"
"That's not exactly what I meant," sighed Chad. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm just so tired of being scared, JR."
"I know how you feel," JR said.
"No you don't," argued Chad. "You're fearless. I see your face when you think no one is paying attention. You like it when there's a combat."
"Yes I do," admitted JR. "I guess that's just part of being a captain."
"But you're not a captain," stressed Chad. "You're a teenager who is pretending to be a captain."
"Yes, and you're a teenager pretending to be a lieutenant," snapped JR, getting angry over the conversation.
"All right," sighed Chad. "Point taken. JR I don't want to fight with you. I just want to go home."
"And where is home now, Chad?" JR asked. "We have no one."
"I have Chase," he replied.
"Who serves on a starship," reminded JR. "You said you wanted out of space remember?"
"I don't want to be on a starship," said Chad. "There has to be somewhere that Chase has family. I could live with them."
"And I'm going to do my best to get you there," JR vowed.
Later the peace talks continued. JR saw the strange young man three more times while they were in the conference room. He was shocked when the Kazon changed their tune after the first sighting. Jal Culluh informed Turin that he would make it a law that the Ocampa were not to be harmed if the Ocampa would share the water. Then JR nearly fell over when Turin said that water stations would be set up to share water with the Kazon. Free passage back and forth from the surface would be granted to the Ocampa and the Kazon would be able to visit the underground home of the Ocampa with restrictions.
When the meeting was over, JR decided that it was time to talk to Chad about the young man he'd been seeing all over the ship. He found Chad with Seven and Icheb in Astrometrics. Seven was explaining a route to Chad that would be needed when Lexus left orbit around Ocampa.
"Chad, could I borrow you for a moment?" JR asked as he came in.
"Sure," said Chad as he turned to Seven. "Thank you for showing me all of this, Seven."
"Any time, Lieutenant," she replied and then went back to working on the computer.
They made their way to JR's quarters and Chad listened as he told him all about each encounter with the strange young man. When he was finished Chad shocked him completely.
"You've seen him too," sighed Chad. "I thought I was going crazy."
"Well it's good to know that we're not crazy," JR said after a moment of silence. "Who do you think it is? I know it isn't anyone we brought along from Voyager."
"No," agreed Chad. "He's not from Voyager. He's human though. Or he's at least humanoid."
"I realize that," said JR. "But who is he?"
"I have no idea," admitted Chad. "Every time I try to talk to him he disappears."
"Jurot to Captain Kirk," came Juliet's voice, interrupting their discussion.
"Go ahead, Juliet," he said.
"The Kazon and Ocampa are ready to transport back to the surface," she replied.
"On my way," he said, nodding at Chad.
He made his way to the transporter room to see his guests off. Icheb and Seven were there with him along with Juliet and Alex. The attitude of the Kazon still puzzled him but there was nothing to do about it now. He said his farewells and they were all transported back to the surface. He turned to Juliet as soon as they were gone.
"What do you make of their attitudes?" he asked.
"It's strange, Captain," she said. "One minute they were ready to hurt each other again and the next they wanted peace. It was as if they suddenly became different people."
"Will they keep this peace?" he asked.
"As far as I can tell the Kazon have every intention of keeping their end of the bargain," she said.
He decided not to question their motives. Something strange was going on but it was working in their favor. That was the interesting part. He and Chad had talked about wanting to return to Earth and then the Kazon and Ocampa changed their minds and decided that peace was what they wanted after all. He didn't know what to think about it.
On the bridge he told Chad to plot a course for Earth and engage the slipstream drive. They were moving into slipstream seconds later. He sighed as the thought about getting home quickly if they used the slipstream for the maximum amount of time that Seven had said was allowed. When the ship suddenly stopped he was so confused that he almost didn't know what to say.
"Report," he said, standing and turning to look at Telsia.
"Captain, our sensors indicate that another ship just like this one is heading toward us," she said.
"On screen," he said, turning to face the main viewer. What he saw shocked him to his core. On the screen was another Lexus.
THE LEXUS CHRONICLES