I charge off the transporter pad and head for the bridge at a run. It feels very, very good to have King Estmere's familiar walls about me once again. Even the crazy Tholian artificial gravity seems comforting, now.
"Welcome back, sir," says Anthi Vihl as the bridge doors hiss open.
"Thanks." I head for the command chair. "What's the situation?"
"The Gorn ships are surrendering. But, sir, there's a problem." Anthi looks puzzled. "Vice Admiral Grau was beamed off the Falcon's bridge just as she negotiated the surrender."
"What? Get me a line to that Gorn maniac. And let me have the tac net, I want a good picture of local space."
"Still lousy with sensor interference, sir, but you'll have it." Warp core breaches, and Ssurt's remaining subspace jammers, are making a mess of the display, but I can still read it.
A dark blue Gorn face appears on the main screen. I glare at him. Reception on the station was just fine, and I got to hear all of Ssurt's transmissions - including that sideshow with the holograms. None of it made me like him. "Send her back," I order him shortly.
"I do not understand you," Ssurt replies.
"Oh, do we have to do this formally? This is Vice Admiral Tylha Shohl aboard the Federation starship King Estmere. You are holding Vice Admiral Veronika Grau. Return her. Now."
"I do not understand," Ssurt repeats. "She was - transported - just as I ordered my ships' surrender. I did not order it. I do not know who is responsible."
"You're the one who's been after her," I say.
"Yes. I admit that. But I do not have her."
I look at the tactical display. The weapons fire has died down - the Gorn ships have realized their position is hopeless. If it wasn't for this business, it'd be all over bar the shouting. I turn back to Ssurt. "If it wasn't you, it must have been one of your subordinates. Order her return, now."
"I -" Ssurt visibly struggles with himself. If he has Ronnie, he's won, no matter what the state of his fleet, if he can get her back to his employers. That thought must be passing through his head.
So I quash it, hard. "Eject your warp core." His brilliant eyes widen at that. "Eject your warp core. You're not going anywhere. Do it. Or I will open fire on your ship and disable it."
"If Grau is, as you suspect, aboard -"
"It'd put her life at risk. I'll chance it. Ronnie's a survivor." I lock eyes with him "Last chance. Eject your warp core."
Over at the tac console, Anthi is bent over the controls. Ssurt must be able to see our targeting systems light him up, because he croaks, "Ejecting the core!"
"Smart decision, General." Possibly the first such he's made.
"But I still do not have her," Ssurt protests.
"We'll check that." I turn to F'hon Tlaxx. "Set me up for fleet-wide address."
"On it, skipper." I glare at Ssurt during the pause. "You're on, skipper."
"This is Vice Admiral Shohl to all Starfleet ships," I say. "Vice Admiral Veronika Grau has been kidnapped from the bridge of her ship. Obtain her biometric records direct from the USS Falcon, and search every Gorn ship, every life sign in this system, in detail, until she is found. Shohl out." I turn my attention back to Ssurt.
"I do not have her," he repeats, despondently.
"I'll believe that when I see it. In the meantime - who wants her? Who are your employers, General? We will find out, so you may as well tell us now."
Ssurt shakes his head. Defeat seems to sit ill with him. "Payment was to come from the Dolsulca system. Home of the Siohonin, an Imperial vassal species. They seem to be attempting a revolt against the Empire at present... I do not know why they need or want Vice Admiral Grau."
"Feel free to speculate," I tell him. I turn to Zazaru at the science station. "Find out what we have on these Siohonin."
"The Siohonin... tried to conceal their involvement. They used a Lethean intermediary for the negotiations - I had him tracked. I feel it best to know who I am dealing with... but I could not find out why." He hangs his head. "It did not seem to matter...."
"Skipper." F'hon's voice. "Incoming hail from the Tapiola."
"We'll finish this later, General." I leave him in no doubt he won't enjoy it. "Switch me through to T'Pia."
A deflated Gorn is replaced on the screen by a smoothly unruffled Vulcan. "T'Pia to Shohl. I have been sweeping the vicinity of the Falcon for residual energy signatures."
Well, Tapiola must have the best sensor arrays of any ship in the area. "What have you found?"
"I am... unsure, as yet. Vice Admiral Grau was abducted from her bridge, with the Falcon at combat readiness and shields raised. It was a formidable piece of precision transporter work. I do not believe, frankly, that Ssurt's ships have the capability. If they did, he would already have employed it."
"So, if not Ssurt, then who?"
"That is the question. I have data consistent with a warp contrail, not one of the Gorn ships, and certainly not Starfleet. I conjecture that a stealthed ship approached under cover of the sensor jamming and the general disturbances of the battle, moved to very close range of the Falcon, transported Vice Admiral Grau, and departed."
"It... could make sense. But who? And why?"
"Unknown at this time. I will continue my analyses. I suggest that you continue with your detailed searches of the Gorn vessels and local space. It is possible that I am in error. But I greatly fear that I am not, and that a new... player... has entered the game."
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