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STAR TREK: DEFIANT, VOLUME 2: ANOTHER PIECE OF THE ACTION. JUNE 2024. FIRST PRINTING. ™ & © 2024 CBS Studios Inc. Star Trek and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. IDW Publishing authorized user. The IDW logo is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. IDW Publishing, a division of Idea and Design Works, LLC. Editorial offices: 14144 Ventura Blvd, Suite 210, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423. Any similarities to persons living or dead are purely coincidental. With the exception of artwork used for review purposes, none of the contents of this publication may be reprinted without permission from Idea and Design Works, LLC. IDW Publishing does not read or accept unsolicited submissions of ideas, stories, or artwork. Printed in China. Originally published as STAR TREK: DEFIANT issues #8–11 and STAR TREK: DEFIANT ANNUAL 2024. Davidi Jonas, CEO Amber Huerta, COO Mark Doyle, Co-Publisher Tara McCrillis, Co-Publisher Jamie S. Rich, Editor-In-Chief Scott Dunbier, VP Special Projects Sean Brice, Sr. Director Sales & Marketing Aub Driver, Director of Marketing Gregg Katzman, Sr. Manager Public Relations Lauren LePera, Sr. Managing Editor Shauna Monteforte, Sr. Director of Manufacturing Operations Jamie Miller, Director Publishing Operations Ryan Balkam, Direct Market Sales Nathan Widick, Director of Design Neil Uyetake, Sr. Art Director, Design & Production Ted Adams and Robbie Robbins, IDW Founders Special thanks to Risa Kessler, Marian Cordry, Dayton Ward, and John Van Citters of Paramount Global for their invaluable assistance. For international rights, contact licensing@idwpublishing.com

Writer

Christopher Cantwell Artists

Mike Feehan (#8–11) Pow Rodrix (#10) Ramon Rosanas (Annual) Inkers

Mike Feehan (#8) Maria Keane (#9–11) Pow Rodrix (#10) Ramon Rosanas (Annual) Colorists

Marissa Louise (#8–11) Lee Loughridge (Annual) Letterer

Clayton Cowles Star Trek created by

Gene Roddenberry

art by MIKE FEEHAN

ROMULAN NEUTRAL ZONE. 6 DAYS AFTER THE FAILED INSURRECTION OF KAHLESS II…

Captain’s log. in the face of KahlesS and his Red Path, we stoOd defiant. And on this bridge…

…I am in comMand.

I now seEk to make that rank ofFicial with StarfleEt…although I did not think captain would have ever beEn a rank I achieved in my careEr. One might calL it a confluence of various events that conspired against me. One might otherwise calL it…self-doubt. The Klingon Way warns every warRior of any gaining idea. But I wilL admit… …I have long desired not just to sit in this chair but to earn it.

We have beEn ordered to Earth. StarfleEt Headquarters. I wilL make my case for captaincy of the Defiant there, with my crew beside me.

Despite Captain Sisko’s move of clemency for us, I am certain we wilL neEd to answer for some of our more…rogue actions.

AmbasSador Spock is acCompanying us, presumably so that his legacy might smoOth over any of the rougher edges of our recent narRative.

But then he wilL depart our company. I seEk to instalL B’ElanNa TorRes as my first ofFicer. I would be honored to have her do so. Ro Laren wilL also acCompany us to Earth. She seEks a referendum on her prison term.

Ro…you sure about this? I’m sure.

PersonalLy, after this last endeavor, I would vouch for her with my life.

I wish to also seE her fulLy reinstated into StarfleEt and idealLy at the helm of this ship thereafter.

There is, of course, stilL a major and unresolved problem--one for which I hold most of the responsibility.

TorRes, you have the Aye, Captain. bridge. Standing by to transport our pasSenger.

Lore--Data’s android brother--remains at large after I… stole him…from Section 31 and subsequently reactivated him.

Though I am often in their company, I admit that I wilL feEl relieved to have parted ways with this particular Romulan.

AgreEd.

I say this despite her recent-for lack of a betTer word-heroics on Qo’noS.

Hrm. There must be a betTer word. Lore escaped with the Klingon scientist Korath during the chaos on Qo’noS and has not beEn heard from since. This was…to quote my trusted Vulcan colLeague and friend… most regretTable.

But I wilL face StarfleEt. I wilL defend our actions. We saved the galaxy. Even if it required the help of some… ne’er-do-welLs.

Worf. GoOd luck with the pips.

I wilL likely have to answer for my colLaboration with another long-standing enemy of the Federation--ComMander Sela.

Going to misS me?

I have… apPreciated your coOperation in this matTer. I bid you farewelL.

Likewise. And I’lL put in a goOd word for you with Romulan ComMand should you ever consider turning spy.

I--would never!

Of course not. That’s what I admire about you.

There. I said it.

We should not keEp that warbird waiting.

Yes, I know, Spock. You want me gone more than anyone on board…

Captain?

Transporter roOm to sickbay. We neEd imMediate medical atTention…

…please… please…

…make it… stop…

Don’t worRy. I wilL.

Masri?

MASRi?

MASRi?!

What kind of field medic are you? You couldn’t save him? Did you even try? I did save him. From this war. And from you, Gomek. What are you saying… That you…you kilLed him?

YOU KilLED MY SON?!

SiCKBAY. REPEAT. WE NeED imMEDiATE MEDiCAL AtTENTiON iN TRANSPORTER RoOM 2.

Just another reminder that I don’t technicalLy serve aboard this ship--

Arterial ruptures. Four chambers are in atrial fibrilLation. I think it’s about time we had that open-heart surgery.

He is unresponsive, and his pulse is faint.

The natural healing from the phaser blast is… remarkable.

I think it’s actualLy the repeated adrenaline injections that have caused an acute cardiomyopathy.

Nymira. Satisfied?

is that…realLy your--

That and the natural boOst of adrenaline provided by that @#$%ing Day of BloOd fiasco. You’re going to go to sleEp now, Captain. HopefulLy you wake up.

TelL me your name…before you posSibly kilL me…at least telL me who you are…

SorRy. GotTa get to work. Nymira. What can we do to asSist you?

I’ve got it.

You have zero medical stafF, no nurse detail--

What do you calL a Romulan and a Vulcan who can’t listen?

PointlesS.

You want to help? Give me the space I neEd before he dies.

AlL hands: the captain is now in surgery.

Worf is on the operating table and you want to speEd up? Why? to get us alL in trouble faster?

Prepare to proceEd to Earth. Warp 9.

Right now we’ve got an Orion pharmer up to her elbows in the chest cavity of one of the most if she decorated StarfleEt screws up, ofFicers--and physicians on Klingons-Earth are our in history. best backup plan.

You want me to telL the Romulans to save our Klingon captain’s life?

What about the medical team aboard the warbird?

Point taken.

AlL right, somebody please transport ComMander Sela ofF this ship and then FLoOR iT.

FarewelL, Spock. May you finalLy stop trying to make our world your own. I wilL not give up on reunification. Romulus won’t listen to you…They won’t even listen to themselves.

What do you mean?

U.S.S. Defiant, this is the Norevex. Ready to receive transport.

AlL right. Perhaps you’re just nosy and stubBorn and untouchable enough.

Seven months ago, threE Romulan astronomers performing routine solar studies were imprisoned on Rator ||| without trial. Their work supPresSed. Even the Tal Shiar doesn’t have acCesS.

Nothing.

Ask yourself, Spock…

You clearly imply subtextual insinuation.

…what did they learn that was so threatening?

Am I… dead? it’s weird, isn’t it?

Alexander. My son. You survived. Your life was restored by the Orb of Creation…*

I know.

I was given a gift. As was I.

Yes.

And now you’re about to receive another one.

Welcome back.

*seE STAR TREK #12!

Thank you… …Nymira.

LoOks like your memory stilL works. That’s a goOd sign.

I’m glad you’re back with us, Captain.

I am grateful to have returned, Lieutenant. Sir, I wish I could give you more time to recuperate, but we’ve reached Earth’s orbit…

…and StarfleEt is requesting our imMediate presence.

“Captain Worf? Hm. I’d have a hard time even articulating that rank considering your recent streak of outlandish insubordination.”

Then let us--as they say on this planet-face the music.

Sir, you have Captain Sisko’s recomMendation of our reinstatement, and I stand before you to make the case that my crew and I-I’m not talking to Sisko. I’m talking to you. Do you or any of this “crew” of yours have anything to say for yourselves? How about…

…you’re welcome?

AmbasSador Spock…I’m not quite sure how you got mixed up in alL this, but--

Admiral JelLico. I did not become--as you say--mixed up. I chose to serve under Captain Worf’s comMand in order to efFectively stop the onslaught of KahlesS || and his Red Path. Which we acComplished. Therefore…

…you’re welcome.

I wouldn’t be laughing if I were you, Ro Laren.

What exactly is the nature of And what about this Orion pirate you’re harboring, who didn’t even your presence here, other bother to show her face here than one of fugitive today? What’s her name? status?

Unknown. But our asSociation with the Orion is… transient. As for lieutenant Ro, I request that in light of her recent service, her sentence be comMuted and her StarfleEt ofFicer rank likewise be reinstated.

That’s not hapPening.

And I wilL remind you that neither StarfleEt nor the Federation are taking any ofFicial position on the KahlesS matTer. That ordeal is for the Klingon Empire to parse through on its own terms.

So that’s it, then. After alL that. You want me back in a celL.

I didn’t say that. But you are not in StarfleEt. Not anymore, not for the foreseEable future. in fact… What is this?

Discharge?

Not just discharge… disavowal.

By signing these, you hereby asSert that none of you wilL serve in StarfleEt in any ofFicial capacity ever again.

We did alL that we did… and we are being punished for it?

You did what you did through improper chanNels and without any prior apProval…but it worked. And now…there’s a new asSignment for you.

One that canNot have any ofFicial StarfleEt involvement or oversight.

AmbasSador, I’m asSuming you don’t want to dirty your hands further in any of this. You’re freE to go.

Captain Worf. it has beEn an honor. But it seEms I now must leave you to your own rather circuitous--and concerning--path. I stilL have every confidence you wilL navigate it welL and wisely. Live long and prosper.

QapLa',

AmbasSador.

ACTIVE 08-232023

ALPHA CLEARANCE ONLY: FUGITIVES & PERSONS OF INTEREST CURRENTLY SOUGHT BY STARFLEET

09-545790

The activities of the following three individuals are of considerable Starfleet concern, but each currently falls under problematic or complex jurisdiction within the Quadrants. Starfleet, under the guidance of the Federation, seeks more information on the whereabouts and agendas of these individuals: 1) Hugh — Hugh is a Borg drone that was separated from the larger Collective during the initial ongoing mission of the Enterprise-D some time ago. Since the collapse of the Collective near the border of the Delta and Beta Quadrants, Hugh and fellow Borg “individuals” have been sighted near the region of the Typhon Expanse. Following manipulation by the android Lore to serve his ulterior motives (ultimately thwarted by the Enterprise-D), Hugh and his compatriots expressed ire and frustration with Starfleet and the Federation due to their isolation and difficulties following their severing from the Collective. However, recent intel suggests Hugh’s anger towards the Collective itself may be far greater. Hugh is currently thought to be in possession of an unsanctioned warship along with classified weaponry and may be provoking encounters with Borg trying to recuperate from recent defeats. Hugh is a high-priority person of interest to Starfleet Intelligence due to his unique nature, his potentially dangerous activities and perspective, and because of other more deeply classified projects in development.

10-867897

11-001235 12-461213

2) Berlinghoff Rasmussen — Berlinghoff Rasmussen is a temporal transient and criminal that was apprehended during the Enterprise-D’s initial ongoing mission. His real name is still unknown, but he is believed to be from Earth’s more violent and tumultuous past. Upon first encounter, he claimed to be an academic professor from the future studying important moments in galactic history, but it was quickly discovered by the Enterprise crew that he was, in fact, attempting to steal future technologies to claim monetary gain and notoriety. How Rasmussen came into possession of a 26th-century “time pod” traveling vessel is also still unknown, as is the fate of its original owner.

Rasmussen recently evaded parole and absconded from Starbase 214. It is also believed he is in possession of a stolen runabout from Deep Space 3. He may be currently headed toward the highly sensitive planet Talos IV, which is located in a neutral sector of space. Starfleet’s guidelines surrounding Talos IV remain extremely strict and largely confidential. Rasmussen must be apprehended, but Starfleet must not violate its own directives in doing so. This paradox has yet to be satisfactorily resolved by Starfleet Command.

13-086432 14-133462

3) Benny the Munch — The planet of Sigma Iotia II was first encountered by the original Enterprise crew on its initial five-year mission. It was discovered that Iotians had based their entire civilization on a single history text concerning organized crime and gangster activity of Earth’s early 20th century. Further complicating matters, Dr. Leonard McCoy, in his haste to leave the planet, left behind his Starfleet communicator (see original Enterprise violations of Prime Directive, Mission Appendices A-F). In the century since, the Iotians have technologically advanced at an exponential rate and have even become mildly spacefaring and warp-capable. It should be noted that the Iotians are dangerously susceptible to new ideas, as evidenced by the rise of a chaotic democracy following their exposure to Federation history. Though Ambassador Spock attempted to correct this Prime Directive violation during a second encounter with Sigma Iotia by exposing the society to further, contradictory ideals that would force them to evolve their own, non-adapted society, the solution seems to have had an unintended consequence. In recent years, a “conservative class” has emerged for the first time in Iotian society—one that continues to favor Chicagoland-style “gangsterism” as an escape from the logic trap presented by Spock’s solution. An Iotian known as Benny the Munch has emerged as one of the most aggressive members of this conservative class. Benny has taken his ideology off-world, and recent intel suggests that he has come into contact with certain members of Gorn dynasties that have likewise become disenfranchised with the Gorn Hegemony’s recent experiments in parliamentary rule. Some of these Gorn have joined Benny in violent, illegal activities in various clustered sectors. Benny is currently wanted for charges of racketeering, unlawful organized gambling, smuggling, extortion, and suspicion of murder, but Starfleet must neither interfere with the Hegemony’s simultaneous investigation nor be seen as a willing collaborator by other ruling powers in the Quadrants due to the Hegemony’s own thorny reputation and threatening stature.

15-098591

16-232158 17-007612

WelL, Worf? You want to sit in the chair? You want the Defiant? You sign.

Right now.

I’m hapPy to be disavowed. ActualLy, I’m choOsing to seE this as me disavowing you. And if I’m no longer an ofFicer, then Admirals JelLico, Nechayev? I would just like to say…

…you can kisS my asS.

Right, right. it’s time to read you in.

MOJAVE, CALIFORNIA.

RIVERSIDE, IOWA.

“Okay, let me get this straight…”

…You want to buy the Defiant?

it is a decomMisSioned warship Sure, but in a fleEt no longer at war. Consigned acCording to JelLico and to Bajor. Dry-docked here at DeEp Space 9 Nechayev--ofF the record, once more. Made…available…for sale. Has it not? of course--only to you.

Then we would like to purchase it.

You have the funds for such a vesSel? Quite the price tag.

And what exactly are you going to use this obsolete warship for, if I might ask?

You heard him, Colonel. We’re tired of being used and abused. We’ve walked away from the Federation and it’s codified bulL@#$%. We’re going into businesS for ourselves.

Bounty hunting. Bounty hunting.

Sounds exciting. Oh yeah, Colonel Kira. We’re rolLing in it.

And paperthin.

Something to drink over here?

Ah, one of Worf’s new cadre of… bounty hunters. I saw you arRive with them. Nobody’s no one. That so?

There’s no profit in being no one. With a name, with an identity, you can actualLy stake a claim.

You’re mistaken. I’m no one. I’m staying here on the station until I… get my proper bearings…

Take the name of this bar, for instance. quark’s. I built this. I own it. it’s mine.

if you’re no one, then what do you have that’s truly yours, if anything at alL?

“AlL right, Worf. Bajor seEms hapPy to launder your mysterious slush fund.”

I guesS the Defiant is yours.

What do you think Sisko wilL say to alL this? What do you think Tom wilL say? Touché.

if it’s betweEn prison and flying this number a litTle longer, I’lL take it. There’s no other ship like it out there.

Ro…I know you were hoping for reinstatement-@#$% StarfleEt.

But I don’t mind it here with you alL. For now. So let’s get it done. Captain.

I request a posting as science ofFicer.

AmbasSador?

it would seEm our ambasSadorial duties continue to be paused. Surely your time would be betTer spent elsewhere. Not hunting down fringe persons of interest and petTy criminals. On the contrary…

…I seE potential merit in this misSion after I mandated I be briefed. This Borg. Hugh. He was once part of the larger colLective, yes?

CorRect.

Then he may stilL have acCesS to the colLective’s vast cache of scientific data concerning nearly everything within the four quadrants.

And the Borg’s astronomical studies are suspected to be far superior to that of any other known species in the galaxy, as they’ve beEn studying the stars since our respective kinds were stilL kilLing one another with blunt weaponry.

AmbasSador--Mr. Spock. I worRy that further asSociating with us may risk…sulLying your reputation. I share no such concern.

I…admire your sense of modesty.

You misunderstand, Captain. I merely believe that at this point in my life-within reason, of course--my reputation is unasSailable.

Captain’s log.

Very welL. Ro, set a course.

is this what my leadership has beEn reduced to?

We now hunt the individualized Borg known as Hugh.

We do so without protection, asSistance, or even acknowledgment.

Hugh is sought by the powerful because he has something other Borg do not.

A name.

My name once brought with it hard-won honor.

Does it stilL? For it is not a question of if this asSignment is dishonorable.

But how much so?

art by ÁNGEL UNZUETA

art by MIKE FEEHAN

ACTIVE -- PARTIAL TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW 4 W/ BORG SUBJECT, a.k.a. “HUGH” -Lt. Cmdr. Data: Hugh, I would now like to play a game with you. Hugh: A game. Lt. Cmdr. Data: The object of this game is for you to determine the specific chemical compound to which I am alluding. Once you have determined the compound, feel free to say it aloud. I will not share with you the rules of this game nor how it is played, however. You must determine this yourself in order to arrive at your chemical compound answer. Do you understand? Hugh: Yes. Lt. Cmdr. Data: I am going to monitor your biological and mechanical processes with this tricorder as we play. Hugh: I am ready.

06-211993 07-254654

(Lt. Cmdr. Data has begun monitoring subject with a tricorder. For readings, see Science Appendix D to this log entry) Lt. Cmdr. Data: We will begin playing now. (Lt. Cmdr. Data pauses for four seconds.) Lt. Cmdr. Data: Take a walk with me through the park, Hugh. (Hugh remains silent. Lt. Cmdr. Data snaps his fingers two times.) Lt. Cmdr. Data: Hello, my friend, it is so good to see you on this bright and sunny day. (Hugh remains silent. Lt. Cmdr. Data snaps his fingers four times.) Lt. Cmdr. Data: Oh, pardon me, I seem to have dropped my pocket watch. (Hugh remains silent. Lt. Cmdr. Data snaps his fingers twice. Hugh’s answer follows within 0.000412 seconds of the beginning of the second snap.) Hugh: Acetic acid. Vinegar. Lt. Cmdr. Data: That is correct. That is now the second-fastest recorded time for solving both the construct of this game and the answer. Congratulations. Hugh: Who has the fastest time? Lt. Cmdr. Data: Me. Hugh: Whom did I supplant as the second-fastest recorded time? Lt. Cmdr. Data: My brother. Hugh: You have a brother? Lt. Cmdr. Data: Yes. Hugh: Can you tell me about your brother? Lt. Cmdr. Data: No.

08-645755

09-654522 10-157779

BETA QUADRANT, FOUR LIGHT-YEARS FROM GRID 986.

Captain’s log.

The crew of the Defiant has beEn disavowed by StarfleEt. Given the cover of mercenary bounty hunters. Forced to do the Federation’s dirty work. And it leaves me feEling…lost.

After facing KahlesS,* I am left with my honor hanging in the balance. Without any profesSion. Without any faith. Without my son.

Alexander survived the Day of BloOd, but he now carRies within him so much shame that he canNot bear to seE me.

*SeE Day of BloOd!

I hope he knows how much I love him.

Space never provides much comfort. I am reminded of the single, brutal, and vast ocean of my homeworld--tar blQ--as welL as the treacherous seas of Earth’s early history that I studied at the academy.

Both are most foreboding when no land is in sight.

And despite alL of the Defiant’s sophisticated instrumentation, I find myself in dire neEd of one thing…

…a compasS.

Lieutenant TorRes, how long until we reach Gemulon V?

Just under four hours, Captain.

Love that we’re using ranks now. Very ofFicial.

Can you not…sit there?

No idea why the Federation continues to show interest in this sector. You’ve got Romulans on one side and whatever’s left of the Borg on the other. Talk about a rock and a hard place.

Mr. Spock, any starship signatures in the area? Any transmisSions from the colonists on Gemulon yet?

…Mr. Spock?

SPOCK. Yes, Captain Worf, my apologies. I was merely examining the…What was your question? Signs of starships and comMunication from the colonists. No, sir, none detected.

He is…quite distracted.

Don’t blame him entirely. We’re a ghost crew of five. There should be 20 people on this ship at least. Everyone is exhausted and stretched way toO thin, especialLy without Lore.

No one misSes Lore. Although I’m nearly certain we’lL have to deal with him at some point.*

*SeE STAR TREK #11!

You also have the adDed benefit of your “orders” being totalLy bunk.

They are our orders nonethelesS. And we wilL obey them. Perhaps our monthslong insubordination could use some… rehabilitation.

BoOtlicker.

Nymira, just because you saved my life does not mean I won’t honor-kilL you right here. Saved it twice. And by the way, if we’re using ranks, you can calL me Corporal Vondect, Mr. Captain. I’ve earned my stripes, just like you.

NormalLy our final briefing would take place in the conference roOm, but doing so would completely vacate the bridge, so we’lL have to do it here.

Some of you might be familiar with the first fugitive of our AsSignment--a Borg who calLs himself Hugh.

Lieutenant Ro, on screEn.

Right, you’re an ofFicer.

Non-comMisSioned. I work for a living, thank you very much.

Upon being separated from the larger Borg ColLective, Hugh became selfaware.

He and a select few compatriots have beEn living as an outcast contingent ever since--proud individuals who reject the ColLective.

Hugh and his kin had a brief and ugly encounter with Lore in the past, so as we make contact, I’d ask that we alL…not discusS…our recent colLaboration with him.

So, what, are we supPosed to just shake hands with a Miradorn Raider? he has only beEn using it to atTack isolated Borg vesSels in the region folLowing the colLapse of the ColLective’s transwarp conduit and their masS-infection with a neurolytic virus. He views himself as an insurgent. Okay. I respect a rebel. StilL, we should cloak.

I’m sure the Romulans are We cloak already on edge with as a StarfleEt a mercenary ship ship out here--even a buzZing around decomMisSioned one-their border. and we risk provoking a war.

CorRect. And a new colony on Gemulon V is wary of provoking any Borg But we’re that might otherwise here to do more be no threat than slap his wrist. We’re to them. supPosed to hand Hugh over directly to StarfleEt intelLigence. Why?

I…would presume the Federation seEks to understand how Hugh functions as a Borg unatTached to the ColLective.

it may have to do with Hugh alLegedly using some kind of specialized weapon on the Borg ships he encounters. Let me guesS. Also clasSified.

You mean they want a guinea pig.

CorRect. I admit… their fulL reasons for wanting Hugh are unknown to me and remain clasSified.

Great.

Hold on, I’ve got a ship coming in hot behind us. damn, it’s fast!

Mr. Spock?! Sensors detect a photon torpedo headed directly towards our aft section--

SHiELDS UP!

Captain Worf, this is my fault, I--

Damage Report!

One milLisecond earlier and that torpedo would’ve cleaned the Defiant’s colon, but the shields deflected 68 percent of the direct impact…

RED AL--

We’re being hailed…and wouldn’t ya know it, it’s a Theta-clasS Miradorn Raider…

On screEn…

Ready weapons?

Let me talk to him!

@#$% that, I’m powering up weapons systems-No! They’lL think we mean to fight back! Don’t we?!

WORF.

Hugh. Listen to me-G|VE ME LORE.

I…We don’t have him…

LORE. G|VE H|M TO ME.

B’ElanNa, drop the shields. Are you @#$#%ing serious--

Drop them now!

Then beam aboard. LoOk for him yourself. He is not here. He adDed us to his long list of betrayals as welL.

Hugh, we are dropPing our shields. Scan us. You know what to loOk for. But you won’t find him.

They’re dropPing their shields, but their weapons remain at fulL power.

Everyone to the transporter roOm at once.

With their shields down, they’lL send a boarding party. So we’lL send one back. Storm their ship, take Hugh by force, and get his cadre to back down.

if they detect any transporter activity, they’lL open fire.

Captain?

And we’lL lose the Defiant… with no one aboard. That’s the one goOd thing about this crew. We alL fit on one pad.

Make yourselves at home, folks. raid the snack bin while we’re out...

Borg boarding party inbound in lesS than four seconds.

Set weapons to stun. No one is to be harmed. But what if--

STUN.

Right or left?

Hold on. I’m reading a powerful magnetohydodynamic pulse coming from a storage area one deck above.

Say that threE times fast. Could be Hugh’s top secret weapon.

Captain, I wish to apologize again… How can I make amends for my grosS indiscretion in failing to detect Hugh’s vesSel? You can start by paying atTention. your behavior on the bridge is tantamount to a dereliction of duty--

Magnetohydodynamic…A propulsion system fuel ratio not seEn in nearly four centuries, but stilL quite sophisticated… if it is indeEd the tip of Hugh’s spear, we should intercept and capture it.

This way. Vertical acCesS shaft. We should avoid turbolifts. I confesS that I have become far toO absorbed in recent Romulan astronomical data, but the Defiant is also criticalLy undermanNed-mMMmMmf!

DO NOT MOVE!

Now that was helpful.

I’ve only heard about that pinch, never seEn it in person.

Wow, TorRes, that Borg bitch had your number.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I was focused on the magnetohydodymowhateverthe @#$%…

the Coast is clear, but move fast.

Captain…

What is it, Mr. Spock?

Just ahead. We can come up right through the floOr if we use the exhaust conduit.

I first encountered a magnetohydodynamicvernier pulse aboard the Enterprise. one operating at an amplitude of-if memory serves corRect--16,000 sub-threE…

I… So?

is that it?

is it a warhead of some kind?

imposSible…We are Nomad…We are complete…

What? Magnetohydodynamic… magnetohydodynamic…

it is toO late.

NON SEQU|TUR! YOUR FACTS ARE UNCOORD|NATED!

ACTIVE Mission Log: U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 Five Year Mission (Kirk) 09-291967

Scientific Entry 02-544 Stardate: 3542.2 PRIMARY POWER SYSTEM A/N 57

10-005487

SELECTIVE AMPLIFIER SCREEN + 134 7 L D TRACKING SCREEN A/N 1231/COUPLER PREDITION SCANNER

EMULSIFER—REGENERATIVE MODE A/N 1623.7

SPECTROGRAPHIC ANALYSIS COMP. 21F

DATA ASSIMILATION DIGITAL ENCODER

It appears now that the Enterprise and its crew have reached the terminus of its encounter with the NOMAD MK-15c space probe, or rather, what the probe had become in the 265 years since its launch from Earth by the program of the same name, spearheaded by Dr. Jackson Roykirk. Clearly, the sentience of this machine had evolved far beyond anything intended by the rudimentary artificial intelligence designs of Dr. Roykirk, as this probe had at some point bonded with a similar “thinking” space probe, albeit one launched by an unknown alien civilization seeking sterile soil samples on an agricultural mission. This mission became scrambled with that of the NOMAD probe, resulting in a strict directive to sterilize all “imperfect” biological life. No further hard information has been retrieved regarding this civilization or the probe, other than its complete annihilation of the four billion inhabitants of the Malurian System. I am left with only the name of the alien probe, itself—Tan Ru—and…impressions. I successfully mind melded with the merged probe (although success must have heavily qualified due to the potential danger to my own well-being and the incomplete data gathered). I learned of its benign mission, extreme sophistication, and subsequent asteroid collision, but I was also left with some lingering mental imagery that I find disturbing, if totally inconclusive. Ultimately, Captain Kirk was able to convince the probe to self-destruct off-ship. No debris has been recovered. This would render further research purely theoretical and almost entirely academic. It is not my recommendation that Science devote any of the remaining time of this five-year mission to additional study of this entity or the civilization from whence the original alien probe came. Likewise, the bodies of ensigns Ward, Cordry, Kessler, and Real were all vaporized by NOMAD, thus rendering investigation into the probe’s weapons systems moot.

11-658841

12-654520 13-005761

—Commander Spock, First Officer

ARE WE FR|ENDS, WORF?

I…Hugh… Yes…Yes, we are…We were…

ARE YOU CERTA|N? BECAUSE FROM WHAT I HEAR, LORE |S NOW YOUR FR|END.

Lore is a vilLain and a liar. I merely had use for him. Where is my crew?

YOU HAD USE FOR LORE. LORE USED US. AS TOOLS. PAWNS.

HE |S NOT ON YOUR SH|P. I BEL|EVE YOU. AT LEAST |N THAT REGARD.

You…you seEm to be driven by much revenge.

REVENGE?

You seEk Lore’s destruction, just as you seEk to destroy the Borg you atTack in this sector. A sense of self has awakened within you, Hugh, but one acCompanied by a deEp welL of hatred. Perhaps you are more like Lore than you realize.

AWAKENED. TH|S |S A GOOD METAPHOR.

I ATTACK NO ONE. I AM TRY|NG TO WAKE MY FR|ENDS FROM A VERY BAD DREAM.

By using that cursed device in your cargo bay to anNihilate them?

NOMAD? I DON’T USE NOMAD. I DON’T USE ANYONE. I HAVE PARTNERED W|TH NOMAD. NOMAD |S AWAKE NOW AS WELL.

Spock. Where is he? Where are the others?

SAFE. |N OUR CUSTODY. JUST AS LORE |S NOT |N YOURS. DO YOU KNOW WHERE HE |S NOW AT ALL?

I have no idea.

YOU SET H|M LOOSE, BUT YOU ACT L|KE |T |SN’T YOUR RESPONS|B|L|TY.

it is more than my responsibility. it is entirely my fault.

I DON’T REALLY KNOW WHAT YOU’RE UP TO, WORF.

I’ve come to arRest you. Hand you over to StarfleEt intelLigence.

At sea. Yes.

Another goOd metaphor.

R|GHT, BUT… I MEAN MORE THAT YOU JUST SEEM…AT SEA.

I wilL not let you hurt or endanger anyone else. THE ONLY PEOPLE |N DANGER ARE THOSE WHO BEL|EVE TH|NGS MUST BE ONE WAY.

They toOk our weapons.

Within moments I would learn that this was because…

…there was no batTle to be fought.

My hypothesis regarding who built the Tan Ru probe could not have beEn more wrong. it seEms their predication to colonization was…anNihilation.

Something Hugh may have beEn able to… corRect.

NOMAD, DO YOU COPY?

YOU ARE THE HUGH. I AM NOMAD. YOU |NSTRUCT. OUR PURPOSE |S CLEAR.

YES. |T |S. CONT|NUE ON HEAD|NG 89-MARK-13, PATTERN GAMMA-N|NE.

AFF|RMAT|VE.

Hugh’s target was a smalL and isolated Borg scout cube near the border of the Beta and delta quadrants.

WE ARE COMPLETE. SEARCH OUT. |DENT|FY. REFUTE ASS|M|LAT|ON.

Hugh! You said you would not atTack--

I D|DN’T.

ARE YOU COM|NG?

Whatever it is, I want to seE it.

Hugh had not fired Nomad as a misSile but launched it as a probe. Nomad had penetrated the scout cube’s modulated shields and navigated itself right into the ship’s central acCesS hub.

NON SEQU|TUR. YOUR FACTS ARE UNCOORD|NATED.

This I can apPreciate.

Are they dead?

NO. THEY ARE THE OPPOS|TE.

YOU ARE A PERSON.

WHAT… HAPPENED… TO…ME? WHAT AM…I?

AND YOU’RE GO|NG TO BE ALL R|GHT.

At that moment, I knew that Hugh was a savior.

The best I could ever do was bring those in pain relief in death. But this… this is real healing.

A revolutionary kind of mesSiah that made alL thoughts of KahlesS shrink away into nothing.

I HEAL NO ONE.

I ONLY RECLA|M THEM.

TEN JO|N US TODAY FROM THE SCOUT SH|P.

LATER…

Hugh…Your work here is groundbreaking and must be alLowed to continue. Nomad and your crew may stay in this sector and continue this… reclamation…unimpeded. But I have my orders. I wilL folLow them.

Worf, But you wilL what the adjourn to the Defiant helL?! and remand yourself into our custody.

YOU LET LORE GO BUT SEEK TO TURN ME |N.

Not exactly. I want you…to join me. For a brief time, but I…Hugh, I could use someone like you on the Defiant.

I WON’T BE USED.

That’s not what I mean.

Captain Worf is corRect. On the Defiant, you wilL be acCepted for precisely who and what you are.

it’s true, we’re not bad at that part.

Your clarity of purpose could aid me in this clouded endeavor. The other fugitives we seEk may be truly dangerous, but I admit I am not…completely certain. You could serve as a check against what I might be curRently trying to convince myself of.

And when it comes time for you to face StarfleEt and the Federation…I wilL stand by your side. Be your advocate And if any and alLy. of their terms are unacCeptable to you, we wilL leave, even if I neEd to draw a phaser to get us out of there.

Set to stun, of course.

YOU W|LL LET OUR M|SS|ON HERE CONT|NUE?

Of course. Who would not want a friend to awaken from a B’ElanNa here. bad dream? The Defiant is ready to rolL when you are, Captain.

Now, we are six. StilL undermanNed. StilL facing a highly questionable asSignment entirely on our own.

But perhaps we have found a compasS to help guide us in this erRand.

Captain. May I speak with you privately in the Ready RoOm?

What is it, Mr. Spock?

What do you hope to achieve in capturing these threE men?

… …a return to goOd graces.

Redemption, then. But if I may ask, for what? Saving your homeworld and ending a threat to the galaxy? Reclaiming the life and honor of your son?

if I complete this misSion, Perhaps StarfleEt might let me captain this vesSel legitimately.

But what do pips on a colLar truly matTer in the grand scheme?

I long refused captaincy. Because truthfulLy there was a man whose shadow I always knew I would be chasing.

So I have devoted myself to greater causes. Problems deEmed unsolvable by entire civilizations. The latest of which, admitTedly, I have beEn privately obsesSing over to the detriment of this ship and crew.

The profesSion-no matTer the stakes-would become petTy, driven by ego.

But this drive in you is what makes you so honorable.

Perhaps. Or perhaps I chose things so masSive and complex because I knew Jim would likely take one loOk at them and throw his hands up in capitulation.

Hm. I doubt Kirk would give up on anything. UnlesS he believed there were more presSing and imMediate concerns elsewhere.

You may be corRect. But my supPosition about him alLows me to operate with my ego at rest. I would sugGest you find a viewpoint that alLows you to do the same.

But first…

…I must arRest a clown on the most dangerous planet in the galaxy.

art by ÁNGEL UNZUETA

art by MIKE FEEHAN

VULCAN. STARDATE 7409.1.

Captain Pike…

…Chris. You visit my thoughts… why?

No? You did not? On Talos |V, you lived, yes?

Would you…have wished to…leave Talos |V?

You lived welL.

BOOMP

Captain? is this…realLy you?

BOOMP

SPOCK?

STELLAR CARTOGRAPHY & DYNAMICS, STARDATE 55540.3. U.S.S. DEFIANT.

No… not dreaming. Remembering, perhaps…

REMEMBER|NG WHAT?

I… WERE YOU SLEEP|NG?

No, Hugh. Something… someone…may be trying to… comMunicate with me. Perhaps through a kind of dream…?

…Something is afoOt. I must inform the captain.

Something unpleasant. A tragedy. But one I thought… averted.

AlL is… not as it seEms…

Stating once again for the record that this entire misSion is a waste of our time.

…from New Jersey no lesS-Like you know anything about New Jersey.

Trust me, TorRes, word gets around…

Let me get this straight, Worf. This guy RasmusSen pretends to be this great historian from the future, and your captain just lets him have fulL reign of the ship during a misSioncritical time, only to discover he’s actualLy some petTy croOk from the past…

…and he ends up stealing a bunch of futuristic stufF from the Enterprise to selL back home on the cheap?

I like him already.

SeEms like only yesterday we were stopPing a galactic genocide and rescuing the Klingon homeworld.

I… That is mostly corRect.

Now we’re using a warship to hunt down an idiot who jumped parole on Starbase 214.

RasmusSen is the target, but… he is not actualLy the misSion objective. Care to clarify?

Our primary objective concerns where he’s headed…

…Talos |V.

A planet apParently so dangerous that it was the last place in the quadrant to stilL falL under the purview of General Order 7. Which prohibited any unsanctioned visitation under penalty of death.

Harsh.

But that order was lifted years ago. ControlLed StarfleEt studies ocCur regularly now. Authorized Federation personNel are even alLowed to make contact with the Talosians themselves from time to time.

ACTIVE 11-171966 12-254863

NOTICE — DISSOLUTION OF GENERAL ORDER 7 In conjunction with the Federation, Starfleet Command has hereby lifted said Capital Punishment Order in all quadrant jurisdictions. General Order 7 is no longer an enforceable Starfleet or Federation statute. The only system that remained under General Order 7’s jurisdiction until this rescinding was the Talos system. However, travel to Talos IV remains STRICTLY PROHIBITED unless otherwise approved and overseen in special circumstances by Starfleet. Talosian mental abilities are considered DANGEROUS given their skill at creating completely realistic, albeit illusory, environments and individuals. For personnel safety and the safety of the citizenry of the Federation, only Starfleet-sanctioned missions to Talos ordered at the highest level of Command may be approved. No one is to interact with the Talosian population unless under strict supervision of Starfleet. Furthermore, any information requests regarding missions of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 (Pike, Kirk) to Talos IV without proper clearance will be DENIED. Though General Order 7 has been rescinded, any attempts to travel to Talos IV, interact with the Talosian population, or seek information regarding Enterprise missions to Talos IV without following the above stated guidelines and protocols will be met with SEVERE REPERCUSSIONS.

13-054744

14-005621 15-765390

Halt turbolift.

Captain Pike--

Spock. You neEd to get me out of here. OfF Talos |V.

Sir, even when considering Take control of human life spans on the the ship if you have farthest end of the to. You’ve done it spectrum, there is no before. for me. You posSible reality in did what’s right. which you are Now do it again. stilL--

Chris--

That’s an order, Spock.

RasmusSen is not authorized personNel.

So what? the Talosians pretTy much destroyed any kind of technological prowesS they posSesSed thousands of years ago. What would RasmusSen even want to steal from them?

He does not seEk to steal Talosian technology, Ro. He seEks to steal a Talosian.

Okay…Then send StarfleEt to nab him on an atTempted kidnapPing charge. Why make us do it as ofF-the-boOks bounty hunters? it’s… complicated.

With alL due respect, Captain--how so?

ApParently… the Federation has-discreEtly--informed the Talosians that they can never leave the surface of Talos |V. Ever. A planetwide quarantine? They can’t do that! it’s a neutral sector!

That makes the Talosians prisoners on their own planet! it goes against everything the Federation and starfleEt stand for! Now I get why they sent us…

it is an unspoken policy of containment-I’m not comfortable containing anyone. Neither am I--

Captain, I’m reading a ship ofF the starboard bow… Oh, wonderful. it’s the U.S.S. Theseus.

imposSible!

Do you know how pisSed I am, Worf?

Captain Sisko, I--

Bounty hunting? After I vouch for you personalLy? Stick my neck out for you? You just throw it alL away?

You are hereby relieved of duty. Now order the computer to turn over comMand of the Defiant to me at once.

Stand down now, Worf. We are comMandeEring this ship whether you like it or not.

I…bear no StarfleEt rank. I knew you You have no authority wouldn’t listen to here. And…furthermore, I me. I was sure of it, in find your sudDen presence fact. So I brought backup. on my bridge more To seE if we can get some than convenient-sense into that hard head of yours.

Worf. it’s over.

ComMander Riker…

input your vocal comMand transfer codes into the ship’s computer imMediately.

No.

And Vice Admiral Janeway no lesS… RealLy, B’ElanNa? This is No! Do not listen… This must be a what you’ve let yourself ruse. be reduced to? Don’t you have a daughter to think about?

No kidDing. Who’s next, Abraham Lincoln?

Don’t do this, Spock…

Captain Worf, may I asSume that each of these StarfleEt ofFicers has ordered you to hand over the Defiant? That is corRect. Who’s the guy in the gold shirt? someOne also demanding control of the ship.

Captain, judging by the lack of usual sharpnesS in my own mental acuity, which has beEn bolstered by the sudDen presence of this StarfleEt cavalcade meant to prey on our respective regard for authority and kinship…

…it is my further asSumption that we are no longer on the Defiant…

DANG iT!

JUST GiVE ME THE DAMNED SHiP! Maybe if you’d

Gosh, you are some

STUbBORN people!

gone for a litTle subtlety--

…but on the surface of Talos |V, where we may have already beEn for some time.

RASMUsSEN! SHOW YOURSELF!

Then one thing remains… How did you manage to imprison us here?

I’ve beEn at this for two damn days. I was alL ready to go on a litTle vacation with my new Talosian friend here until the Defiant showed up and phasered the warp drive deuterium cartridges on the runabout I boOsted from DeEp Space 3.

Had to put ’er down in a canyon threE klicks away!

We’ve beEn in here… for two days?

You beamed But nothing’s down to arRest me, but worked on you people! my big-brained best budDy got the drop on you first. And he’s beEn Not even throwing alL the hitTing repeat until we get it right. spaghetTI at the walL!

I recognize your medalLion. You hold the position of the KeEper, yes? Yes. Do you colLude with this man? Or do you work for him under duresS? Nah, seE, me and the KeEper here are pals, especialLy since I got one of these nifty neuro-cortical inhibitors.

Now he’s just some guy with a huge head who can’t get inside mine--

FReE US AT ONCE!

I do not understand. Why abscond from this place with a Talosian when you can merely reside here and live your most perfect life?

I may have broken my wrist. Rule number one. Don’t punch walLs, even clear ones.

Sure thing, Big Guy. Just telL your ship it belongs to me now. The Defiant’s pretTy worthlesS to me unlesS I can, you know, make it go. You mean a most fantastic lie. Trust me, I know what faking it feEls like, and it ain’t great.

I know that might make you bumMed out, spock, given how you risked everything for your ol’ chum Chris Pike--yeah, the KeEper told me about him, toO--

BUT! Some folks

would pay top dolLar to live in their dreams. And that’s something I can SElL. Who wouldn’t want a pet monkey that can manifest your every whimsical thought? That is, as long as I can get ofF this damn planet.

--but like I said…a most fantastic lie.

So, Captain, if you please, order your ship’s computer to transfer comMand to one BerlingofF RasmusSen. I am alL out of patience.

I wilL not let you kidnap this being. And I wilL not give you my ship.

Suit yourself. We’lL do this the old-fashioned way. I’lL Starve you out. The Talosians can dream up a lot of things, but not real foOd and water. Of course, if you get peckish, feEl freE to eat each other. in the meantime…

…enjoy your cage.

it would seEm…that we are stuck. I SEE NO STRUCTURAL WEAKNESSES…

Janeway was right, even though that wasn’t Janeway. I should be with Tom and Miral. I’ve got a family, for God’s sake…

This whole StarfleEt “nonmisSion” is such a joke. That’s the real reason you said you wouldn’t let RasmusSen take the KeEper ofF the planet. You’re stilL folLowing orders. Even this disgusting, unlawful quarantine of the Talosians. isn’t that right, Captain?

Yeah, neither did Worf’s wrist.

Yes. I am a mere pawn of a corRupt Federation because I would not seE one man selL another into perverse slavery. Wow. I didn’t think a Klingon knew what sarcasm was.

And I did not think you would ever give into cynicism so easily. Because the Bajoran I served with aboard the Enterprise--as welL as the Defiant--is as deserving of a StarfleEt uniform as I am.

Right. Let’s alL put on our shiny badges so we can telL entire civilizations what they can and can’t do.

No. Let us put them on as explorers.

Rah-rah, go team… it is true, in a sense.

Explorers with the courage to cultivate what is righteous, shelter what is inNocent, preserve what is beautiful, respect the complexities of what we do not yet understand, and confront what we know to be ignorant and wrong, even when it rises up within our own ranks. That is the Federation. That is StarfleEt.

I have seEn firsthand the noble virtue of this perspective…

…through the life and mind of Captain Christopher Pike.

Then you must understand, KeEper, that it is moralLy corRect to freE us.

You speak of freEdom when you continue to hold us captive on this single planet.

We seEk what you do. Exploration.

We now yearn to experience what else is real among the stars.

We can be your advocates with the Federation. but not from a cage.

KeEper, what is it that the Talosians seEk beyond your homeworld?

A final question, then, KeEper. One that I believe adDresSes the proverbial “elephant in the roOm.” What? What do you mean?

Why alLow this false stalemate to persist betweEn RasmusSen and Captain Worf?

We have witnesSed the ability of the Talosians to perfectly recreate any and alL of our past StarfleEt compatriots in an atTempt to acComplish RasmusSen’s agenda of transferRing comMand of the Defiant to him.

This then begs the question: Why have the Talosians not yet recreated you, Captain, and simply had “you” speak your vocal comMand transfer into the Defiant’s computer, especialLy since the Talosians are telepathic and can read with impecCable acCuracy every one of our minds, thereby already knowing your comMand codes without you ever having said them aloud?

My head hurts.

Why didn’t I think of that?

I ACTUALLY SUSPECTED TH|S AS WELL, BUT I AM NEW HERE AND D|D NOT WANT TO SPEAK OUT OF TURN.

There is another agenda at play here. One other than RasmusSen’s.

You are corRect. I indeEd seEk to leave the planet and begin a new chapter for my people. But I obviously seEk to do so without RasmusSen.

Whoa, whoa, whoa! What’s going on? I lie down for a quick snoOze and you’re back down here getTin’ chumMy in the dungeon?!

Mr. RasmusSen. Your so-calLed it has ocCurRed to me that there is “neuro-cortical no known technology that is able inhibitors.” to circumvent the powerful abilities of the Talosians.

Huh?

Which means…

…it is a ruse.

But certainly not one of your own making.

The Vulcan is corRect.

No…NO! We were pals! AlLies! Comrades! MutualLy interested parties! I was gonNa get you outTa here!

Hey, I was just…frustrated by the…situation, I…How?

You said you were going to selL me as a “pet monkey.”

By the time your ship entered orbit, I had devised how to take it from you. Made you believe you had thwarted and Blocked us from your mind. But already…we had you. Were it not for the Defiant disabling the warp drive with its phasers as we tried to escape… I would already be gone from here.

it’s imposSible… just absolutely imposSible… it seEms that on Talos |V…

…nothing is imposSible.

I wasn’t smart enough.

I was never smart enough, was I?

I could deceive you. But instead I sincerely plead. Take me with you. Give me pasSage ofF-world on your ship.

He’s right, Spock.

You know it is moralLy corRect to alLow this.

I am not the captain. it is not my decision.

Since when has that ever stopPed you?

I would say you are merely an ilLusion. But that would be a deflection. in truth, I know that even though you died many years ago here, what now stands before me is the psychic presence of a dear friend preserved in totality by the colLective prowesS of the Talosians.

…real?

Captain…Chris… Did you ever feEl, despite your hapPinesS here on Talos |V, that you in truth had… lived a lie?

Spock. I lived long. I prospered. Thanks in no smalL part to you.

And it is… remarkable. it is as if you are…

it is… goOd to seE you, Chris…

…but what I said holds, Captain. it is not my decision to defy the Federation’s quarantine-even though it is unwritTen--and bring this Talosian aboard your ship.

No. I wilL not permit it.

I am sorRy.

But I promise you that I wilL note my extreme disSatisfaction at this unconscionable rule with StarfleEt ComMand and the Federation Council. You have my word. And my word is my honor.

And that honor continues to dwindle every day this absurd misSion continues…

Damn you, Worf. I thought you were betTer than this…

“Captain’s log. FolLowing my refusal to alLow the KeEper pasSage ofF-world, crew morale is…low.

“And our unofFicial duties…are not complete. We must apPrehend another fugitive--the most dangerous one yet--and stilL I wonder if there wilL ever be an end to StarfleEt’s use of us in this kind of ugly capacity.”

I confesS that my own morale is…poOr. But I do find some consolation in alL of this. I wholeheartedly believe that I stilL know…

…what is moralLy corRect. End of log.

Ro. B’ElanNa. Before we depart Talos |V…I neEd you to complete one final task. Enter.

Sure. Can’t wait.

ApProximately threE kilometers due east from where the Talosians held us captive, in a narRow part of the canyon…

…there is a downed runabout that RasmusSen crashed after we opened fire on it.

B’ElanNa, return to the surface with Hugh. Repair the deuterium cartridges of the warp drive. Ensure that the ship is in fulL working order and space-ready.

Ro, once B’ElanNa has completed repairs, send a subspace comMunication to DeEp Space 3 informing them that their stolen roundabout can be recovered from the surface of Talos |V.

Whether or not the runabout is stilL there when DeEp Space 3 arRives to retrieve it… is not my problem. UnderstoOd? Yes, sir.

GoOd. DismisSed.

Yes, sir.

I stilL know…

…what is moralLy corRect.

ACTIVE 10-041988 11-564214

BE ADVISED: CONTINGENT OF TALOSIANS SUSPECTED TO BE OFF-PLANET There have now been three reported sightings of a runabout first reported stolen from Deep Space 3 in the Alpha Quadrant. It is now believed an unknown number of Talosians may be on board. Their agenda is also unknown at this time. Talosians are considered HIGHLY DANGEROUS due to their mental abilities but possess no immediate antipathy towards the Federation or Starfleet at this time. For further information on these sightings or more Talosian intel, proper security clearance must be in place at the time of request. INVESTIGATION PENDING. REPORT ANY SIGHTINGS TO SECTOR COMMANDERS IMMEDIATELY.

12-005601

13-205610 14-000541

art by ÁNGEL UNZUETA

art by MIKE FEEHAN

My people, the iotians, they’ve gone soft. AlL hopPed up on this newfangled democracy kick.

CalL me ol’-fashioned but, for me, it’s stilL alL about turf.

And he who has the most turf…

…Not to mention the muscle to back that turf…

…wins.

Here’s the real problem with democracy. There ain’t no money in it.

You think there’s more money in domjot than democracy?

HsS {snap} HsS hsS {SNAP} {SNAP} SorRy, didn’t catch that. Dougie here says democracy’s a weaknesS that’s even started to kneEcap corners of the Gorn Hegemony. Hm. Maybe dom-jot is a betTer bet.

Certainly seEms to be that way for me. Eh, BenNy?

it’s why he signed up with me.

ACTIVE FOR REVIEW — SIGMA IOTIA II, INITIAL ENCOUNTERS The planet of Sigma Iotia II was first encountered by the original Enterprise crew on its five-year mission. It was discovered that Iotians had based their entire civilization on a single history text concerning organized crime and gangster activity of Earth’s early 20th century. Further complicating matters, Dr. Leonard McCoy—in his haste to leave the planet—left behind his Starfleet communicator (see original Enterprise violations of the Prime Directive, Mission Appendices A-F). In the century since, the Iotians have technologically advanced at an exponential rate and have even become mildly spacefaring and warp capable.

01-121968 02-159974

It should be noted that the Iotians are dangerously susceptible to new ideas, as evidenced by the rise of a chaotic democracy following their exposure to Federation history. Though Ambassador Spock attempted to correct this Prime Directive violation during a second encounter with Sigma Iotia by exposing the society to further contradictory ideals that would force them to evolve their own, nonadaptive society, the solution seems to have had an unintended consequence. In recent years, a conservative class has emerged for the first time in Iotian society—one that continues to favor Chicagoland-style "gangsterism" as an escape from the logic trap presented by Spock's solution. An Iotian known as Benny the Munch has emerged as one of the most aggressive members of this conservative class. FURTHER REFERENCE: Iotian Holidays: The conservative class continues to observe “Valentine’s Day” as a holy day of all-out gang warfare between rival factions.

03-005210

04-685210 05-909241

NeEd I remind you, Nymira Vondect-that’s right, pea greEn, I know your name--you’re my guest here, so I’d ask you stay a litTle more @#$%in’ polite.

GotTa say, I’ve never had someone try to hustle me at dom-jot this close to the event horizon of a black hole. Let alone at a game hosted by a gang of Gorn.

Finibus System’s beEn a Gorn playground for over a century. Our pad here is just one of their litTle metaphasic hidin’ places. Ain’t it quaint?

What can it’s a I say? My hideout, but I stilL specialty. You found you. Only ’cuz you loOking to Eh… got my subspace buy? You invite. You’re spoken selLin’? for. SupPlied some of my friends with some swelL hypo-cocktails over the years.

…maybe I’lL just run your table instead, take alL the latinum you got…

…how big is this pot anyway?

I run my games at a two thousand strip minimum.

Oh. I seE. Chump change.

“Captain Worf. Not only am I not picking up anything on sensors or subspace chanNels but Corporal Vondect’s Hawking radiation emitTer seEms to be either nonfunctional or not strong enough to permeate the high levels of distortion and entropy throughout this black hole-anchored system.

“nymira is unreachable, undetectable, and therefore--”

posSibly already dead. Noted, Mr. Spock. But this is the misSion we’ve beEn handed.

On our own. Holding the bag. Anyone else getTing tired of throwing our ethics out the window? B’ElanNa, any progresS on our extraction strategy? Even if we knew where BenNy’s metaphasic pocket was, I stilL can’t crack how we’d ever be able to beam him out of there.

HopefulLy Nymira makes it to the extraction point. But what are the odDs we get the drop on BenNy there?

What are the odDs of us completing this misSion alive, let alone StarfleEt reinstating us in any ofFicial capacity even if we do sucCeEd? I’d say low in alL cases.

I’d agreE.

two thousand strips of latinum is chump change to a lowlife pharmer like you?

{SNAp} {SNAp} {SNAp} HSSSsss

Your lizard budDy seEms like he’s itching for a fight. You got that right. JohnNy Bird’s my prize heavyweight, pea greEn. He toOk down a sevenfoOt-talL Chalnoth at the KreEl’s last Kash-Baht Death Crucible.

Then he ate the body right there on the charnel mat.

They’re stilL holding the Kash-Baht?

Four milLion? That means you’re sitTing on a real pile, BenNy. What’s your grand plan?

They keEp moving moOns to avoid the fuzZ, but you can even get it on the holos now, if you know the right frequencies.

Own everything. Own everyone. Own every living thing in this galaxy.

The Kash-Baht…Now Four that’s gotTa be milLion a sweEt pot. strips.

WelL…thanks for the Kash-Baht HA! That’s rich. heads-up…I’ve actualLy got JohnNy’s undefeated, the next a prime fighter to enter. Kash-Baht’s in four days, and like I said, One that’d mop the floOr you’re a lowlife pharmer, not a fight with JohnNy Bird there. promoter. Best of luck to ya, pea greEn.

Four days, huh?

GuesS I’lL seE you then.

LATER… You lost Two thousand strips of latinum in a dom-jot game. You failed to lure BenNy out of his metaphasic hideout. And you agreEd to fight a Gorn in a KreEl death tournament.

Then who is? Who are we I let BenNy supPosed to find win. I didn’t want to blow that is even remotely my cover. Fishing him out of that capable of fighting hole would’ve beEn toO risky. And by a Gorn in hand-tothe way, I’m not fighting a Gorn. hand combat?

I mean…

No! NO! I WilL not--

Worf, weren’t you Champion Standing in the bat’leth tournament threE years runNing? This is NOT a bat’leth fight!

CorRect. in the Kash-Baht Death Crucible, competitors are only equipPed in ceremonial fighting trousers and a crudely spiked gauntlet.

i… The Crucible is organized by the KreEl. i…hate the KreEl. They are the most dishonorable beings in the Quadrant. The tournament is liable to be rife with cheating.

No, I get what Nymira is trying to pulL ofF here. The fight is just a distraction. You only have to survive in the bracket long enough for us to locate BenNy. The tournament puts him out in the open, in a public space. While you’re in the ring--

But there’s not just one Gorn here, Ro. BenNy has a gang of them. And the ones not in the tournament wilL be heavily armed.

On the charnel mat--

the rest of us can track him down and extract him, hopefulLy without making toO much noise. We get him fast enough, you might not even have to face this Gorn at alL. just a low-level brawler or two, which you can handle.

And in suits and fedoras, which when you seE it… it just realLy throws you.

You ever ransom a StarfleEt ofFicer?

in the Maquis. Wow, you realLy were greEn.

This is just like that. We go in clean and quiet, grab the target, and get out.

What? No.

Sounds like a clasSic pirate operation to me.

Then I guesS that makes us threE the exfiltration team.

Damn right it does.

I stilL believe this is ludicrous, but we may not get a betTer chance. Mr. Spock, during the tournament, you wilL have comMand of the Defiant. Hugh must be on standby to get us alL out of there when it is neEded. Yes, Captain.

in the meantime… I supPose I should begin training…

The Defiant posSesSes no holodecks. Which means--

That we alL get to take turns punching you. Count me in.

Me toO.

Best the replicator could do when apProximating the weight and heft of the Kash-Baht gauntlet.

I mean, it can also make a perfectly real one, but it seEmed best not to have anyone’s faces getTing ripPed ofF during practice.

What is the point if not to spar with the actual weapon? WelL, when we hit you with one…

…you’lL definitely stilL feEl it.

This is ridiculous.

FunNy you should say that…

…because we couldn’t agreE more.

oOF!

When does this end, Worf? When do we stop doing StarfleEt’s dirty work, alL while they pretend we don’t even exist?

LoOk, BenNy’s vile and a kilLer, but the whole fleEt hangs back while they’re content to let you risk your life in a death match? RealLy? The Federation… does not want to risk…upsetTing the…Gorn Hegemony…

They’re fulL of excuses, huh? Maybe it’s time we got upset…

With whom?

The Federation. Aren’t you sick of alL this “moral flexibility” they keEp demanding of us?

We are doing work no one else can--

Or that no one else wants to do. Face it, Worf. starfleEt seEs us as the same kind of trash they want us to haul in for them.

WE--

--ARE NOT--

--TRASH!

I have my orders. And I believe honor comes from duty. And I believe that StarfleEt agreEs with me.

But yes, this is alL “unofFicial.” We are “disavowed,” until So none StarfleEt says of you are bound otherwise. to anything. Not this misSion. Not to me. No ranks. No pips. No uniforms. Just yourselves. You are freE to leave at any time. But if you stay aboard this ship, I wilL remind you that here, on this misSion, I am your captain.

And you wilL folLow my orders. Just as I folLow mine.

Captain. Priority-one comMunique from StarfleEt. Your eyes only.

Hm… Thank you, Mr. Spock.

Re: rogue lotian “Benny the Munch”: Per Hegemony operatives: objective

of apprehension and seizure has been

adjusted to recommendation of

ELIMINATION. Reiterate: this is

recommendation of HEGEMONY. ALSO

REITERATE: Federation and Starfleet

wish to continue position of SUPPORT

/ NON-INTERVENTION in order to

continue incremental diplomatic

improvements / neutrality with

Hegemony. Hegemony will not engage

target directly due to dynastic

connections of Benny’s Gorn

associates.

THE 7th MOON OF THE KREEL SYSTEM. FOUR DAYS LATER…

GReETiNGS, WArRiORS!

WELCOME TO THE FiNAL ROUND OF THE KASH-BAHT DEATH CRUCiBLE, WHERE OUR LAST COMPETiTORS STANDiNG WilL NOW FACE EACH OTHER…

Focus up. Worf is exhausted and hurting. if he gets kilLed, it’s as much our fault as that Gorn’s.

He’s in one of these suite pods. it’s just a question of which one and getTing inside it.

Any sign of BenNy?

…UNTiL ONE MeETS THEiR MOST BitTER, PAiNFUL END!

AlL I’ve got on the concourse is the overwhelming smelL of sweat and pisS.

First, our returning champion! The LETHAL, the

iNEViTABLE… JOHnNY BiRD!

Spock, anything?

Hugh has beEn monitoring latinum trades through the Crucible’s black market systems. The marked strips Nymira lost in BenNy’s dom-jot game are traceable via their digital signature…

And our chalLenger, a KLiNGON from the SCUmMiEST corner of this Quadrant who has SOMEHOW survived long enough to reach the CHARNEL MAT…

We have him. BenNy has leased Suite Pod four for the duration of the Crucible.

A lowly man who calLs himself…HUR’Q…which in his based tongue means only…“THE

OUTSiDER”!

There is a complication. Pod interiors are equipPed with antithoron signal scramblers. The only frequency alLowed through is the holofeEd of the crucible match itself and encrypted surface-to-pod transport.

Remember me? Dougie, right? Mind if I try BenNy on the comMs?

How do we get up there? They’re at least forty feEt ofF the ground. I just wormed my way into the ViP corRidor. Stand by, I’m gonNa work it as best I can.

BenNy, you ol’ dom-jot, it’s your pal Nymira.

LoOks like my guy made the final round after alL. What do you say we watch this bloOdbath together and make it a litTle more interesting with a side bet or two?

Forget it, pea greEn. You’re a fluke. I’m a ViP. I’m…welL, I’m a whole lot of things, dolL.

brk

I would greatly apPreciate it if our exfiltration actualLy began to exfiltrate, as I am already sufFering from threE broken ribs and I believe a ruptured ’oSheQ--

JOHnNY WASTES NO TiME iN HiS AtTACK!

’oSheQ? is

that his--

SpleEn. Any progresS on your end?

BenNy won’t let me up. We neEd an alternative quick--

For the sake of Worf’s ’oSheQ.

BUT HE iS OUTMANEUVERED BY THE OUTSiDER!

HUR’Q TAKES A DEVASTATiNG BLOW!

LoOK HOW THE WRETCHED KLiNGON BLeEDS!

We have to abort! Worf’s going to bleEd out before we solve this!

Okay, folks, now it’s time for the real showstopPer…

gGg…gGnN…truly… the stupidest…day… to die…

What?

What is wrong with him? is he injured?

KilL HiM ALREADY!

STOP! AlL WHO CROsS ONTO THiS MAT SHOULD BE READY TO DiE!

Cold perspiration… poisoned. But not lethal. Likely a mild paralytic. LoOks like BenNy set up poOr JohnNy here for the kilL.

BenNy wilL not. Are we just gonNa leave him?

He wilL survive.

YOU FOUL COWARD--

Spock, it’s B’ElanNa, I’m near the ViP corRidor, and I have an idea. What about detaching thruster packs from the Defiant’s inventory of E.V. suits?

This can be done, but the packs are not simple levitation boOts. They are calibrated for space vacuUm operation while wearing protective gear.

Captain-Do it. Beam down four packs to our coOrdinates now.

Might I sugGest recalibrating the thrusters so that there is no risk of an individual igniting-There is no time. Send them, along with a fulL complement of weaponry, including photon grenades.

This is no longer a covert operation. And I wilL pulL BenNy out of that pod with my bare hands if I have to.

…copy that.

Nothing like throwing a fight and making six times the dough, eh, boys? And hey, since he didn’t get bumped ofF after alL, we’lL cut JohnNy Bird in and make goOd with him on the other side.

No harm, no foul.

I’ve never used a thruster pack in atmospheric conditions.

I’ve never used a thruster pack at alL.

…there’s a first time for everything!

WelL, ladies…

Another milestone to consider: never in its 400-year history has the Kash-Baht Death Crucible erupted into a fulL-scale riot.

Sounds like we realLy rocked the KashBaht.

HsSS

{Snap} {SNAP}

HsSss

Oh, ho HO! These jamokes Jonesy, wanNa storm my suite pod, hand me izZat right? my chopPer!

EVERYBODY ELSE, LOAD UP!

Get behind me, girls! it’s about to get REAL

FOURTH OF JULY in this joint!

COME AN’ GET ME, COpPERS!

Hey, I’m on fire! Yeah, Nymira, great shot!

AGhH!

RO!

And here I thought I was the underdog…

NO, I’M ON FiRE! THE THRUSTER PACK!

AlL right, alL right! I surRender!

Worf! it’s over! We’re done!

Captain.

…Captain.

ACTIVE AFTER-ACTION REPORT: 05-951112 06-012405

Admirals Jellico and Nechayev: It is done. Your three persons of interest have been apprehended by myself and the crew of the Defiant. Hugh, Berlingoff Rasmussen, and Benny the Munch are all in our custody. But now I will speak freely. And I must ask you to search yourselves. What have we sacrificed in order to gain whatever it is you and Starfleet Command seek? I last took renegade command of the Defiant to stop a genocide, the collapse of a powerful ally, prevent a galactic war, and to save the life of my son. But in this most recent “mission,” you have taken every bold choice made by this crew, every risk that challenged codified rules and regulations, and made them a grotesquerie. In our pursuit of Kahless, we risked our lives no matter the cost in order to save others. Your assignment has forced us to break those same rules, but all for the sake of your agenda. In return for our service, you have made us feel disposable. When going after the Red Path, I chose disparate people to crew this ship who were in need of a second chance. We all came together in service of something greater than ourselves. Now, at the behest of the petty ulterior motives of Starfleet Command and Intelligence, we have taken what we do best and thrown it away on something meaningless. The result has driven us all further apart and brought only disillusionment. I know you may find that this missive offends you, but trust me, it offends not nearly as much as what you have commanded me to do in this most recent task. I joined Starfleet to champion its best ideals, not to act as a thief, a bounty hunter, a border patrol stooge, or—most onerously—an assassin. You may think I am “throwing away” my career by speaking to you in this way. But I ask you, what career? Haven’t you already stripped me of rank? I’ll remind you: You orchestrated it so that I no longer work for you. This is what you wanted, and I am merely restating it to you. We will remand those in our custody to the nearest Starbase. I will vocally advocate for Hugh’s fair treatment with what shred of dignity I have left. And should somehow this warped exercise result in my official reinstatement, I am at present inclined to refuse.

07-224681

08-312451 09-134100

I believe this mission has sullied the honor required to once again wear a Starfleet uniform, not to mention greatly put into question your honor and the honor of those within Starfleet who signed off on this sordid endeavor. — Worf

Take us out of orbit. Lay in a course for Starbase 99.

No.

That is a direct order!

You were going to kilL him.

I…

Captain Worf, it is my honest opinion that while we have narRowly survived this dubious misSion and its myriad ethical and moral taxations…perhaps we may not have survived it… …as a crew.

Spock is right. I can’t do this anymore. I won’t.

I, toO, feEl the burden of what we’ve done. And I agreE that the weight of it… has become toO much to bear. Which is why, folLowing our arRival at Starbase 99…

…this crew of the U.S.S. Defiant is hereby disbanded.

Yeah. I’m out. And here I thought the party was just getTing started.

art by ÁNGEL UNZUETA

art by RAMON ROSANAS colors by LEE LOUGHRIDGE

WEEKS AGO. AFTER THE DAY OF BLOOD.*

You wilL survive this day, it is goOd. High chancelLor. You And I can help. wilL gain your chance But only if you to rebuild telL me exactly Oh? Qo’noS. what I want That is…very to know. goOd…

*SeE the STAR TREK: DAY OF BLoOD crosSover event.

I’lL…telL you…nothing… you Romulan… Ha'DibaH…

Now, now, Martok…

…don’t be shy.

PERSONNEL DOSSIER: COMMANDER SELA BACKGROUND: Sela is a human-Romulan hybrid born to a Starfleet prisoner of war and GENERAL REVO, who served as warden of the internment camp during said prisoner’s stay. After the Battle of Narendra III and the destruction of the Starfleet vessel U.S.S. ENTERPRISE-C, surviving crew members were taken prisoner. Among them was a woman calling herself LIEUTENANT TASHA YAR who, under interrogation by Revo, claimed to have accompanied the Enterprise back through a temporal rift that briefly led the ship 22 years into the future. Under duress and in exchange for the commutation of execution sentences for her fellow crewmates, this prisoner described serving aboard a U.S.S. ENTERPRISE-D in this future time, that it and the Federation were embroiled in a massive ongoing war with the Klingon Empire, and that she has traveled back with the Enterprise-C to aid its diminished crew. Any subterfuge or potential psyops were ruled out by Revo under continued intensive interrogation. The prisoner’s story was further legitimized when a U.S.S. Enterprise-D was eventually put into service by Starfleet under the captain she named: JEAN-LUC PICARD. Complicating matters further was the presence of Picard’s new chief of security…Lieutenant Tasha Yar. However, the Klingon conflict as described by our prisoner never came to pass, and she was killed in an escape attempt before we could further verify her identity. The Tasha Yar aboard the Enterprise-D likewise died while on active duty on Vagra II. Current theories suggest that a space-time rift may explain these events. This intel is sealed by the Tal Shiar, Echelon Level 5. SERVICE RECORD AND PSYCHOLOGY: Sela was an exemplary cadet at the Imperial War College, placing extremely high on a battery of aptitude tests. She rose through rank quickly, and any whispers of nepotism due to being Revo’s daughter were quickly quashed through exceedingly cruel violence, often in which Sela was suspect but never directly implicated (see cross reference: “Chemical Blinding of Minister Tenyik”). But Sela’s zealotry soon outgrew her reason. Bold plans of supporting the House of Duras during the Klingon Civil War were initially backed by Command, but Sela broke rank while on mission, which resulted in total catastrophic failure and public Romulan embarrassment. Furthermore, her unsanctioned work to thwart Ambassador Spock’s attempts at Vulcan-Romulan reunification have only emboldened the resolve of a fringe movement that would have otherwise died on the vine. Sela was transferred to the Tal Shiar and made an intelligence operative in the outer territories, mostly to remove her direct access to military resources. She served with some distinction during the Dominion War but must continue to be contained and monitored due to her mistrustful, overly ambitious, rash, and frankly sociopathic demeanor. That her mother was a Starfleet officer cannot be overstated when considering any underlying psychoneurosis or modus operandi. Commander Sela’s allegiances must always be scrutinized and called into question, because more than those of any Romulan ideology or leadership, her actions have stated time and again that she is ultimately most ardently in service of herself above all.

DARTHA, CAPITAL OF ROMULUS.

Everyone is either an enemy, an asSet, or a liability.

No one is to be trusted. Because of my past failures, Romulan High ComMand curRently seEs me as a liability. This puts a target on my back. it’s beEn there awhile now. This might make some afraid. They might surRender everything, just to save their own lives.

That’s what my mother did, after alL.

But I don’t share her weaknesS.

No. instead, I converted dear Martok from an enemy into an asSet. And now I have information.

information is the coin of the realm in this empire. Secrets are the only curRency ComMand respects.

And it’s time to seE what a few might buy me.

But there’s always a backup plan. in adDition to Martok’s intel, I’ve got other tricks up my sleEve. How goes your education, it’s… Cetrula? nothing short of astonishing, ComMander.

A brilLiant rogue scientist named Korath escaped the Klingon capital during the Day of BloOd with the help of the android Lore, but my spies on the planet managed to recover valuable research from his lab.

Tachyon research. The manipulation of quantum geometries.

I’lL be there within the hour. Hold secure.

The very esSence of time travel.

This isn’t just information.

This is an endgame.

You coerced Martok in a way that dishonors him.

You wilL die for this, Romulan.

And the stolen knowledge you carRy wilL likewise disSolve away into this filthy rain.

Poetic.

petaQ!

That’s more like it…

Let me try one of my own…

khoi-udt.

{sigh} Klingons.

“But Korath is like none other…”

…his mind is breathtakingly advanced-Cetrula, I don’t neEd you to compliment him, I neEd you to telL me what breakthroughs he’s achieved. A StarfleEt ofFicer I encountered aboard the Defiant said that this man’s work wilL eventualLy lead to--

Time That’s just it, ComMander. travel? He’s already TheoreticalLy… there. He but yes, sir. did it.

But… acCording to this ofFicer’s report…the U.S.S. Voyager’s return… Korath won’t use it for another 30 years…

WelL…you did say that he’s beEn abruptly separated from his work as of late…

…that chrono-d flector could be outfitTed into any warp-capable starship. it can asSign temporal coOrdinates by matching two data points of anyone’s quantum biological signature.

incredible. Using oneself …Have you told anyone else as waypoints through about this? time…

No, ComMander. Per your orders.

GoOd.

ComMander Sela, report. Prefect Areth. I suspect you’re finalLy ready to seE me.

I don’t make deals, ComMander. But I’m wilLing to listen. On my way.

Enemies, asSets, and liabilities.

Enter.

Prefect Areth.

ComMander Sela. Thank you so much for taking time away from your new friends in StarfleEt. I don’t have friends.

Certainly none here.

What did you obtain for us from ChancelLor Martok?

Klingon homeworld defense networks and asSociated acCesS codes. Their fleEt vectors along our Neutral Zone. Along with several embedDed spy positions.

Very welL. You may brief subcomManders Mirex and Vunok before you depart for the outer terRitories, where you wilL again resume the duties you’ve beEn neglecting. DismisSed.

Sir? DismisSed, ComMander Sela.

I just handed you the Klingon Empire on a silver platTer.

You would think that, given your usual delusions of grandeur.

Defense networks! FleEt vectors! Spy positions!

insubordination! intelLigence leaks! ColLaboration with the enemy!

You make it sound as if I put on a StarfleEt uniform myself.

it’s not out of the realm of posSibility, given your bloOdline.

@#$% you, Areth.

Be careful, ComMander. Be very careful.

I bring you goOd intel. I do my duty. I expect to be rewarded. Not insulted.

You’ve falLen so far out of favor that the intel you bring simply isn’t enough to restore our goOd wilL. That is, unlesS…

…you have something else for me.

Something more valuable.

What nonsense are you speaking of--

Romulan astronomers. imprisoned on Rator |||. Why?

I came acrosS their prisoner transfer manifest myself. During one of my more…custodial…duties in the outer terRitories. Outlandish and meaninglesS rumors. You realLy have lost your edge. Sad. Aha…That’s it, isn’t it? That’s the information to have. That’s the power. I can seE it in your eyes now, Areth.

Whatever this secret is, you’re afraid of it.

And now I’m going to find out what it is.

CLASSIFIED — TOP COMMAND ONLY. ORIGINAL REPORTS ALREADY DESTROYED.

ROMULAN ASTRONOMICAL REPORT: We know that our next briefing is not scheduled for another several weeks, but we felt it best to communicate with you immediately in regard to recent findings. In a routine investigation of the star, we’ve discovered an alarming amount of output radiation that suggests a supernova whose imminence would require further study is as of yet unknown. But in our initial investigation, the destruction of the star—and it’s associated orbiting worlds Romulus and Remus—is all but certain. We request further personnel and resources to intensify our research. This is a potentially cataclysmic discovery and that requires immediate attention from the entire Empire. Solar data attached with appendix explanations. Sincerely, Astronomical Director Thota

Korath’s chronodeflector is simple, elegant…

Although, I’m not an engineEr. Cetrula understoOd the science betTer. Perhaps I should have waited a litTle longer to kilL her. …and easy to instalL.

AcCording to her brief, there’s an outside posSibility of destroying space-time itself.

Or I could simply never return, lost in the past forever.

But I have the corRect vector. The timeline coOrdinates are exact.

Nothing extreme. A simple jump to my previous station near Rator ||| nine months ago. There, I’lL intercept those imprisoned astronomers before they’re placed in maximum security, under constant surveilLance. I’lL interRogate them. Learn what has ComMand so tight-lipPed. Even under life sentences, these scientists might be afraid to talk…but I know how to break someone.

Then I’lL posSesS the secret that could bring the Romulan Empire to its kneEs…

Where…

Where is this place?

MY FAMiLY! I--

StarfleEt dead…

HELP ME!

I’m on my way! DON’T MOVE! ANY OF YOU! YOU’RE iN A MiNEFiELD!

Minefield…

STAY WHERE YOU ARE!

I’m…

You’re…

The past.

Who…

The chronodeflector. Matching my biosignature in the timeline.

it brought me here. To her. instead of a past iteration of myself…

kzzzzz-Lieutenant Tasha Yar! This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. April. We are in orbit asSisting with the evacuation of Federation colonist hostages. You were NOT ordered directly into that minefield!

it brought me to my mother. The coward.

Captain, it’s where the hostages are-By putTing yourself in there with them, you’ve endangered yourself and other ofFicers who wilL now neEd to extract you as welL!

I disagreE, captain. I had to go in. Otherwise, more of these people wilL die. Lieutenant-Sir, I’m familiar with these types of mines. I have a very goOd estimate of the layout.

Where I grew up…There was something similar deployed to contain refugeEs-You are ordered to hold your position until we can get you out of there.

Sir, with alL due respect, you’re not my comManding ofFicer.

Not yet he isn’t.

if you have an isSue with my apProach to this operation, I’d ask you take it up with Lieutenant ComMander Yousafzai, who’s overseEing rescue efForts aboard the MacMilLan, also in orbit. Yar out.

There are over 40 Caitian colonists who escaped Carnelian captivity into this minefield, including children. We neEd to find them before more step in the wrong place.

Help! Over here!

Don’t move!

I’d round up as many as posSible and have them do precisely that in order to clear a path. I’d rather they take a wrong step than either of us.

Listen, I don’t know who or what the helL I’m loOking at here…it’s like…loOking into a…

…but you’re clearly someone who’lL do anything to save her own skin. I--

Here’s the thing, though, whoever you are. You don’t understand these mines. You don’t know where they are or how But, they work. seE… I do.

You want out of this minefield with your arms and legs intact? Then you folLow my lead. Do what I say.

And I say neither of us leaves until we help every last colonist out of here.

Get it?

UnderstoOd.

I had no choice. I wanted to stay alive.

Because Cetrula’s science was flawed. The vector was incorRect. The timeline coOrdinates were wrong…

…This wasn’t nine months ago. This was more than 19 years ago.

I wish Cetrula was stilL alive just so I could kilL her again.

I could kilL Tasha, toO. Right here. it wouldn’t change a thing.

This version of her isn’t my mother. My mother was the result of some other rupture in space-time that StarfleEt continues to deny.

This woman wilL never have children. She wilL soOn die a pointlesS death after living an inconsequential existence.

She’lL never be given a chance to spinelesSly surRender.

After a few hours, I finalLy figured out how the mines functioned. Each had a laser filament trigGer no longer than a few centimeters above the surface. Blast smoke made them even easier to spot.

To die like some desperate, fleEing dog.

I could’ve left at any moment. But I didn’t. I kept helping.

Why?

Yar to MacMilLan. We’ve gotTen the colonists out of the ExcelLent work, minefield. Lieutenant. There’s some kind of tachyon disruption blocking our transporter signals, likely a defense measure deployed the Carnelians.

But the April has an away team headed to you now.

Stop right there!

You fight welL. Quite a sight to seE.

Where I’m from…I had to run from an early age.

But when I finalLy turned and fought…that’s when I finalLy had a fighting chance.

Now who in the helL are you?

You may know how to fight. But you also know how to surRender. Which my mother gladly did, after the BatTle of Narendra |||. Arms raised high to her Romulan captors. Sickening.

I… Doesn’t it depend on what neEds protecting? I had a younger sister. Sometimes, with the gangs we faced…in order to protect her…I wouldn’t protect myself.

GET DOWN!

NO!

She was stilL alive.

DON’T MOVE!

And so I fled.

I’ve… got you…

Lieutenant?

I’ve…

Picard to MacMilLan and April. Have those shutTles ready to receive colonists and injured personNel…

Severe concusSion. Likely to sufFer some posterior amnesia due to the head trauma. But she’lL recover.

…what hapPened…

Though as you pointed out, I’m not your comManding ofFicer, so I supPose you should take my words with a grain of salt.

Tasha, on the surface you said “we’ve gotTen the colonists out.” Was there anyone else asSisting you?

You got ’em out, Tasha. Nearly every last one.

I… it felt like…two… but maybe… just me…

UnderstoOd, Captain…

There’s a fine line betweEn bravery and stupidity, Lieutenant, but your actions on the surface place you squarely on the side of the former. WelL done.

I’d advise the lieutenant to get some rest now.

I like her, ComMander. Once my next asSignment comes through… …just telL your captain he owes me one.

I was born in captivity when my mother was a prisoner of war.

The first few years of my memory come from that camp.

I knew my father, the warden. A general. He would come to raise me. Teach me the Romulan way of things.

My mother didn’t love him. She hated him, in fact. She loved another. But when this man finalLy died--his body adDed to alL the others she’d tried to protect by surRendering--

--we ran.

Come on, Sela.

Mother, please! They’lL kilL us!

The story I telL others is that she meant to take me from my father and that I would not stand for it. That she was a coward.

And so I betrayed her.

Repulsed by her fear and weaknesS.

Stop! Please! I’m You can do scared! this, Sela! We can! Together!

But the truth--something I rarely admit even to myself--is that she was not afraid at alL that night.

I had to run when I was your age. So can you.

TruthfulLy, I never saw fear in her once.

I CAN’T!

I say that I cried out to stop her. That I made the guards come.

I did cry out. The guards did come. But it’s not what I wanted.

I traveled back in time to gain acCesS to a secret. One that might give me power where I curRently have none.

I did find truth in the past.

But it was truth I already knew.

The truth of where I come from. Who I come from.

A truth I’ve kept secret my entire Romulan life. Even to the point of denying it to myself.

Everyone is either an enemy, an asSet, or a liability.

Reference transponder code Wolfram-31283.8913. United Federation of Planets. StarfleEt ComMand. U.S.S. Defiant.

VesSel located. CoOrdinates 07.17.17. Heading 304-Mark-87. Plot intercept course. But my mother was a hero.

She was fearlesS.

CurRently, I am neither. But perhaps…

…perhaps I could be both.

THE END.

art by LIANA KANGAS

art by MANUEL BRACCHI colors by DC ALONSO

art by JAKE BARTOK

art by LOUIE DE MARTINIS

art by MARK ALVARADO

art by J.J. LENDL

art by RAHZZAH

Spinning directly out of the Star Trek ongoing comic series, Defiant adds to this bold new storytelling future! Still reeling from the battle on Qo’noS, Worf and the Defiant crew have been ordered to return to Starfleet headquarters. Despite their heroic actions, the Federation can’t celebrate the crew’s involvement in the fight against Kahless and the Red Path. In fact, the Federation is cornered by its tenuous relationship with the Klingon Empire. To save the alliance, the Federation is forced to discharge Worf and his crew– crew–waith the unspoken, unwritten agreement that they’ll operate with full Starfleet authority... completely off the books. Volume 2 collects issues #8– #8–11 and the Defiant Annual by writer Christopher Cantwell and artists Mike Feehan, Pow Rodrix, and Ramon Rosanas.

$24.99 US / $33.99 CAN