by Dayton Ward
The statement was straightforward by design, al-Khaled knew. Though he and his team had worked with Starbase 47’s engineers to identify the odd carrier wave as the source of the station’s ills, that discovery had itself uncovered a host of new questions. Judging from the still-unexplained transmission’s effects, there was no denying that its creators were or had been the keepers of wondrous, sophisticated technology. What other knowledge did they harbor? How did it compare to the Federation and its contemporaries?
From what Okagawa had shared with him—based on the very limited and vague information imparted by Reyes—these and many other questions doubtless would be pursued with vigor by the commodore and his people in the coming weeks. That much was obvious from the directive Reyes had issued—for all information pertaining to the carrier wave to be purged from the Lovell’s databanks, and for any member of the crew with direct knowledge of the anomaly to be ordered to secrecy. It all pointed to the commodore’s possessing far more information on the subject than he was able or willing to share, and the purpose for Vanguard’s presence in the Taurus Reach extending far beyond simple support of exploration and colonization initiatives.
In front of Okagawa, the alpha-shift helm officer, Lieutenant Sasha Rodriguez, was intent on her console as she oversaw what essentially was the automated process of the station’s tractor beams maneuvering the Lovell out of its docking bay. Behind her, Okagawa offered an informal salute toward the viewscreen.
“Best of luck to you, Commodore,” he said. “If you ever have need of my people’s particular talents, I hope you’ll give me a call.”
“I’ll be sure to do that. Smooth sailing, Captain. Reyes out.”
An instant later the image on the screen shifted from that of the commodore to a view of the docking bay’s outer doors as the Lovell continued its exit maneuver.
“Transporter room reports that Mr. Farber made it over safe and sound,” zh’Rhun reported as she stepped down to stand next to the captain.
Nodding at the report, Okagawa settled into the center seat. “Excellent,” he said as he looked over his shoulder. “Well, Mahmud, what’s our next assignment?”
Al-Khaled stepped toward the red railing that encircled the command well. “Computer systems upgrades at the Tantalus V penal colony, sir.”
“A vacation hot spot if ever there was one,” Diamond said, stone-faced.
Ignoring the weapons officer, al-Khaled continued, “T’Laen has already begun the initial diagnostics. She should be ready to begin the modifications upon our arrival.”
“Outstanding,” the captain replied. “Commander zh’Rhun, see to getting us on our way, would you please?”
As the bridge crew returned to their normal duties, Okagawa indicated the viewscreen with a wave of his hand. It depicted a receding view of the mammoth space station as the Lovell moved away at impulse power. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask about that station since we got here. You think they could have built something bigger?”
A chorus of laughter echoed across the bridge and even as he joined in, al-Khaled could not help but consider the road not taken. If what he had encountered during their brief visit here was any indication, he suspected that Isaiah Farber, like Starbase 47, would soon face a host of intriguing, perhaps even astounding challenges. The chance to work on the impressive space station—positioned so far beyond the Federation’s borders and on the doorstep of some vast unknown that seemed to be all but begging for attention—was a tempting notion, he admitted, but not one he was ready to accept just yet.
Though the Lovell, like the Corps of Engineers itself, might not be the darling of the fleet, it was a vessel with a heart, and a mission that—while perhaps mundane and even boring by description—brought its own multitude of intriguing possibilities.
They have their mission, whatever it might be, and we have ours.
That thought, and the lure of the path he had chosen not to follow, lingered as al-Khaled’s gaze fixed on the now rapidly shrinking image of Vanguard station—a lone sentinel among the stars, and a beacon of light amid the darkness of mystery surrounding the Taurus Reach.
THE STORY OF STARBASE 47
CONTINUES IN THE STAR TREK: VANGUARD
SERIES OF NOVELS ON SALE NOW…
About the Authors
DAYTON WARD has been a fan of Star Trek since conception (his, not the show’s). His professional writing career began with stories selected for each of Pocket Books’s first three Star Trek: Strange New Worlds anthologies. In addition to his various writing projects with Kevin Dilmore (see below), Dayton is the author of the Star Trek novel In the Name of Honor and the science fiction novels The Last World War and The Genesis Protocol as well as short stories that have appeared in Kansas City Voices magazine and the Star Trek: New Frontier anthology No Limits. Though he currently lives in Kansas City with his wife, Michi, and their daughter, Dayton is a Florida native and still maintains a torrid long-distance romance with his beloved Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Be sure to visit Dayton’s official Web site at www.daytonward.com.
For more than eight years, KEVIN DILMORE was a contributing writer to Star Trek Communicator, penning news stories and personality profiles for the bimonthly publication of the Official Star Trek Fan Club. On the storytelling side of things, his story “The Road to Edos” was published as part of the Star Trek: New Frontier anthology No Limits. With Dayton Ward, his work includes a story for the anthology Star Trek: Tales of the Dominion War, the Star Trek: The Next Generation novels A Time to Sow and A Time to Harvest, and eight previous S.C.E. eBooks. Coming in 2006 are Turn the Page, the first book in the relaunched S.C.E. series, entitled Star Trek: Corps of Engineers; the first installment of the six-eBook Star Trek fortieth-anniversary story Mere Anarchy; and the Star Trek: Vanguard novel Summon the Thunder, which continues the adventures of Starbase 47. A graduate of the University of Kansas, Kevin lives in Prairie Village, Kansas, with his wife, Michelle, and their three daughters, and works as a writer for Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, Missouri.
The S.C.E. Celebrates The
40th Anniversary Of Star Trek!
WHAT’S PAST
A special six-part S.C.E. event that flashes back to previous adventures of the S.C.E. crew from the 23rd century to the height of the Dominion War, with special guests from all across the Star Trek universe!
Next Month:
#65: 10 Is better than 01
By Heather Jarman
2374: The planet Bynaus has always been a haven of order in a chaotic universe. Its inhabitants, the Bynars, live in harmony with computers, functioning in binary pairs to keep their society alive.
Two Starfleet officers arrive in an attempt to recruit Bynars for the Starfleet Corps of Engineers, but when one of the potential recruits is found dead, it’s up to Citizen Services investigators 110 and 111 to determine the cause of death. Their investigation will lead them to a startling revelation that will rock Bynaus to its very core!
COMING IN JUNE 2006 FROM POCKET BOOKS!
