Title: Star Trek-Infinity: Friends and Foes [PG] (MISC)

Author: Charles Rando (trando@worldnet.att.net)

Series: MISC

Rating: [PG]

Part: NEW 1/2

Disclaimer: Paramount owns the characters in The Next Generation and Deep
Space Nine, and Peter David owns the Selelvian race (see his book, Strike
Zone). I'd like to think that the characters I've invented and the story are
mine. :-)

Summary: While on a diplomatic mission to a war ravaged planet, Counselor
Kassal's shuttle is attacked and kidnapped... by Ferengi! Can the Infinity
rescue Kassal before she takes matters into her own hands?

CHAPTER ONE


"I've gotten to know him quite well," Admiral Ingrid Daubar was saying as
she and Captain Charles Rando stepped off one of the many turbolifts on
Starbase 106. "He's the first of his kind in Starfleet, and he's very
excited about it. After all, this will be the first ship he's served on
that's not organic."

Rando nodded. Little by little, Admiral Daubar had been giving him hints to
the identity of this new phantom officer since the Infinity had arrived at
the Starbase, but she still wasn't going far enough as to actually say WHO
he was.

"My warning is this, though," Daubar continued. "Never turn your back on
him. He might seem like the silent type, but if you give him a chance, he'll
talk your head off." She cocked her head to the side. "Of course, after all
my conversations with him, I still don't know his name."

"Well, you still know more about him than I do," Rando commented. They came
to a stop outside the doors to one of the guest quarters on the starbase.
"Is this it?"

"This is it," Daubar replied, smiling. "Prepare to be amazed." She pressed
the door chime.

Seconds later, the doors parted to reveal a young looking Vulcan dressed in
Starfleet gold. "Greetings, Admiral," he replied. "I was not expecting
another visit fron you. Would you care to enter?"

"Thank you, Lieutenant D'vis," Daubar replied, leading Rando into the room.
As they passed by D'vis, Rando shot Daubar a look that said, "You brought me
down here to see a Vulcan?"

Daubar shook her head and chuckled. "Lieutenant, this is Captain Charles
Rando, your soon-to-be new commanding officer. I thought he might like to
meet your roommate. Is the ensign around?"

"He is in the bathroom, readying himself for our departure," D'vis answered
stoically. He then added, with almost a bit of sarcasm, "I have never seen
anyone else more obsessed with his appearance."

Daubar laughed. "Would you mind getting him for us, D'vis?" she asked.

"Of course, Admiral," D'vis replied, turning towards the side room. Rando
could hear the Vulcan telling someone that they had guests, but he didn't
hear any response. A moment later, D'vis returned.

"Captain Rando," he said, "may I introduce to you...." He paused, turning
his head towards the still hidden roommate. "Excuse me for asking, but what
was your name again?"

The other officer replied by stepping out of the bathroom. He was dressed
like D'vis, in black and gold, indicating a position in either security or
engineering. The major difference between the two outfits was that his
uniform looked like it was fitted over a body suit. And his entire head was
covered by a large helmet.

"Captain Rando," Admiral Daubar said, "you have the honor of commanding the
first Breen in Starfleet."

******************************************************

Counselor's Log: Stardate 48359.6- Ensign LeMott and I are returning by
shuttlecraft to the Infinity, after settling a minor dispute between the
factions on Bavarius IV. The time spent away from the ship was not as
enjoyable as I had hoped... hours of indoor negotiations are not my idea of
a good time. But I am looking forward to meeting up with the Infinity at
Starbase 106 and taking shoreleave there. There is apparently going to be a
week long music festival that I am anxious to attend....

The shuttle bucked violently before Kassal could finish her sentence. She
ran to the cockpit of the small craft. "What's happening?" she asked the
pilot.

Ensign Meegan LeMott did not look away from her controls. "A Ferengi
Marauder just decloaked behind us!" she exclaimed.

Kassal blinked. "Decloaked?" she repeated. "But the Ferengi don't have
cloaking devices, do they?"

"I don't know!" LeMott exclaimed. Kassal glanced at the young ensign, afraid
that she was becoming a bit too excited. "Maybe they bought it from
someone!" The shuttle rocked again. "They're hitting us with everything
they've got! Our shields are down thirty percent!"

Kassal sat down in the co-pilot's seat. "Is there anything I can do to
help?" she asked.

"I need something to slow them down so we can try to get away," LeMott
answered. "Can you think of anything?"

Kassal checked her console, adjusted a few controls, and finally pressed a
large button. A beam of phaser fire lanced out from the shuttle and hit the
Ferengi vessel's forward shields. "How's that?" Kassal asked.

"You brought their shields down fifteen percent!" LeMott exclaimed,
apparently surprised that the Counselor was that good a shot. "They're
backing off, but they're still firing on us!"

"Then maybe I can get them to back off a little more," Kassal replied,
firing the phasers again. Both she and LeMott knew that the lightly armed
shuttle would be no match for a Ferengi Marauder-class vessel, but fighting
back might just give them enough time to think up an escape plan. "I'm
sending out a distress call to the Infinity ," Kassal reported.

LeMott shook her head. "The Ferengi are jamming are communications somehow."
The ship shook again. "Sir, shields are down to thirty-five percent! We
can't take much more of this!"

"We need someplace we can hide," Kassal said, calling up a star chart for
their current sector. "What about this nebula? Do you think we could make
it?"

"My father used to tell me that there wouldn't be a nebula out there if your
ship wasn't able to reach it," LeMott said with a grin. "Adjusting course.
We'll arrive in three minutes."

Kassal looked at the Ensign. "What did your father mean by that?" she asked
curiously.

"My father always insisted that when he was piloting his ship away from some
hostile alien, there would be a nebula close by to hide in, and they always
made it there just in the nick of time. He maintained that the 'powers that
be' work in mysterious ways," LeMott said. "Two minutes to the nebula. The
Ferengi are increasing speed, trying to catch us before we get there," she
reported. "Of course, it'll never work."

The Ferengi ship lanced its phasers at the shuttle again, scoring a direct
hit. The small ship shook, and the next thing Kassal knew, she was on the
ground. The shuttle had come to a complete stop... outside the nebula.

"Meegan, we've stopped!" Kassal began. "What do we...."

The lack of a pulse confirmed Kassal's fears... the young Ensign was dead,
caught in the brunt of an exploding console. Kassal quickly checked the
shuttle's status: warp and impulse engines were off-line, and the shields
were down. At least the distress call was still going out, even if it the
chances of it reaching anyone were slim. Suddenly, the shuttle jerked as if
something was now pulling on it. Then Kassal felt a transporter beam grab
ahold of her, and she was whisked off of the trapped shuttlecraft.

The next thing Kassal saw a short Ferengi leering at her. Then another, and
another. Kassal knew there was only one thing she could do in this
situation. She fainted.

"Welcome aboard my ship," she heard a nasally voice say, "I'm sure we'll be
enjoying you quite thoroughly, my dear."

CHAPTER TWO

Captain Rando walked quickly out of the turbolift. He had escorted
Lieutenant D'vis and his new Breen engineer onto the ship before heading
towards the bridge. Oddly enough, throughout the whole trip over, the
engineer had remained remarkably silent, not saying a single word; his
Vulcan friend had been more of a conversationalist. In fact, Rando hadn't
heard him utter a sound in the whole time they had been together, even after
D'vis had asked him his name. The engineer had just stood there, almost as
if he was in awe of his new captain. Rando put the mystery of the silent
Breen out of his head as he walked down to the command center. He checked
the progress of the crew transfers on the small screen by his chair and then
inquired, "Has there been any further word from the shuttle?"

Lieutenant Remley, at his usual post behind the tactical station, shook his
head. "Nothing new, sir. The last word we got from them was that their
departure had been delayed, and that they would be an hour late."

"So, how long before the Counselor's shuttle arrives at Starbase 106?" Rando
asked, coming up beside Remley.

"It should enter their sensor range in about five hours, and actually arrive
two hours later. We could take the ship out to retrieve them," Remley
suggested.

"With half the crew on shoreleave and the other half in the process of
leaving the ship? Unfortunately, I don't think that taking the ship out
would be possible, at least not without a good reason," Rando replied. He
sighed in frustration. A few days ago, the ship had been ordered to Gallunt
Prime to deal with a breakout of Virellen plague at the same time the
ceasefire they had negotiated on Bavarius IV a few months earlier had been
broken, and since Sonja had been instrumental in getting the sides to sit
down and talk the last time, Starfleet wanted her back there as quickly as
possible. The Infinity was to proceed as planned to the Gallunt system,
while Kassal was to take a shuttlecraft to Bavarius IV. They were then to
rendezvous at Starbase 106, where the Infinity would get time for shoreleave
and crew transfers. Rando had initially protested sending the Counselor
alone into a potentially dangerous situation, but nevertheless, Starfleet
insisted Kassal get to Bavarius IV as quickly as possible, and Rando could
do nothing to prevent it. The Infinity had successfully completed its
mission within the allotted time parameters, which was why it was currently
docked at Starbase 106. Counselor Kassal, however, had apparantly been
delayed from leaving Bavarius IV by an hour, which, although it was not that
much time, was still enough to make Rando worry.

"We could have J.W. open a wormhole to the Counselor's shuttle," Remley
pointed out. "We'd be out and back in less than a minute."

"Just to re-unite you quicker?" J.W. demanded. "I'm not going to strain
myself just for that." He sighed. "It takes a lot out of me even to open a
spatial wormhole."

"I guess that answers that question," Rando commented. Part of him wished
that the Bajoran Prophets hadn't had to put such a restraint on him, but it
was the only way to control the wormhole alien. "Besides," Rando thought,
"J.W.'s interference caused a lot of death and destruction in that other
time line. I don't think that he wants to risk doing that again."

"Sir!" called Remley. "Admiral Daubar is hailing us!"

Rando let a look of confusion drift across his face. "I wonder why she
didn't just come onboard the ship?" he asked. "On screen, Lieutenant."

The face of the young, dirty blond admiral appeared on the ship's
viewscreen. "Charlie," she said, "I have some disturbing news that I thought
you'd want to hear right away. We've just received word that a faction on
Bavarius IV, one that's hostile to the Federation, has taken your
negotiations team hostage. They say if the Federation interferes any more
with the internal structure of the planet... they'll kill their hostages."

"Admiral, permission to head towards Bavarius IV," Rando began. "If we...."

"I'm sorry, Charlie, I'm afraid I can't let you go just yet," Daubar told
him. "I'm still awaiting word from the Federation Council on Earth as to how
to proceed. Bavarius IV is very important to this sector of space because of
its proximity to the Neutral Zone. and we don't want to do anything that
might give the Bavarians a reason to join the Romulan empire. You're to
continue your crew transfers, but I would suggest canceling shoreleave just
in case you have to leave right away." She paused, afraid she was
outstepping her bounds. "I'm sorry, Charlie, I'm getting ahead of myself.
It's not my place to tell you how to run your ship."

Rando smiled, remembering how differently the changeling that had taken
Daubar's place in the other timeline had viewed her power. "It's still a
good suggestion, Ingrid," he said. Turning to Witherell, he ordered,
"Commander, cancel shoreleave immediately. Get everyone who's supposed to be
on the ship back aboard."

"Aye sir," Witherell responded. Rando felt slightly guilty. So far, neither
his first officer or his security chief had been able to get one foot off
the ship. Of course, if something else went wrong, Counselor Kassal and
Ensign LeMott might never enjoy shoreleave again.

Daubar noticed his concern. "Don't worry, Charlie, we'll figure this out...
and we'll get your people back. Why don't you come down to my office?
Hopefully by then, we'll have heard back about what to do."

Rando nodded. "I'll be there. Thank you, Ingrid," he said.

Daubar nodded back. "Daubar out."

"Sir," called out Lieutenant Remley, "when we were traveling with J.W., I
gave Ensign Libby a very important piece of advice that I think you could
use as well... never say that things are too quiet or that you don't have a
situation that warrants action, because for some reason, it seems these
things are attracted to people who talk like that."

"Very philosophical, Lieutenant," Rando commented. "Next time, I'll keep my
big mouth shut."

******************************************************

An hour after she had been taken from the shuttle, Counselor Kassal opened
her eyes for the first time. She was alone... and she was completely naked.

It wasn't unexpected. Kassal knew that in Ferengi culture, women weren't
allowed to wear clothing. She also knew that Ferengi males seemed to have an
innate attraction to females of other species. One of her friends from the
Academy had joked that if he had to spend everyday looking at a naked
Ferengi woman, he'd want to find a nice, non-Ferengi as quickly as possible.
Of course, that wasn't how Kassal knew she wouldn't see any clothes on her
when she opened her eyes... she had been conscious throughout the whole
ordeal, but she had done her best not to let the Ferengi know that. If she
was going to get off of this ship safely, she was going to have to keep her
head. It wasn't going to be easy.

Out of all the creatures in the universe, Kassal despised Ferengi the most.
It was the way so many of them drooled over "gorgeous" women... treated them
like nothing more than property... slaves. All they wanted was an attractive
woman who could perform Oo'Mox... Kassal shivered at the thought, and then
caught herself. Even though these creatures represented everything she hated
most, she had to stay in control. She was going to need full use of her
facilities.

She stood and explored the room. It was fully carpeted and decorated in
bright colors, something the Ferengi must have thought all women liked.
There was, of course, a large bed-like object in the middle of the room...
this was where she had "woken" up... a door on one wall, and little else.
Kassal studied the door as best she could without appearing to; she had no
doubt she was being watched by a couple of drooling... she stopped herself
again and moved on. As far as she could tell, there was no way to access the
door controls from inside the room. She was going to have to wait for
someone to enter before she could escape... and if she truly was being
watched, well that just made it more difficult. She sat back down on the bed
and waited. Someone would be around soon, she was positive.

Sure enough, the door opened less than a minute later and the first Ferengi
she had seen after being beamed aboard the ship entered. He was a small,
squat man, but dressed so elaborately that he obviously was the ship's
captain... possibly a Daimon. She crossed her arms in front of herself and
crossed her legs as well... she was not going to make this easy for this
Ferengi.

"My dear, you are even more lovely when you are awake," the little man
cooed. "Your eyes are so blue... they remind me of the pools of Trekon III."

Kassal didn't respond to the compliment. "Who are you?" she demanded. "What
do you want with me?"

The Ferengi actually seemed to giggle. "You're feisty!" he exclaimed, and
then added, "I like that in a female." He reached out a hand and ran it
through her hair. "And this is softer than the finest Tholian silk! I must
say, I'm very glad we happened upon your shuttle."

Kassal jerked her entire body away from the Ferengi's touch. "Who are you?"
she demanded again. "I am a Starfleet officer, and I...."

The Ferengi cut her off. "You used to be a Starfleet officer, my pretty...
but no longer. Your uniform is gone, and now you're just another hew-man
female... ripe for the taking. But let me introduce myself. Hi, my name is
Brak. Daimon Brak."

Kassal absorbed this information while still keeping a watchful eye on the
small man. So he was a Daimon? That would be very useful in her dealings
with him. As a Daimon, he would be in ultimate command of the ship...
everything he said went, and he was quite taken with her. Perhaps, although
she hated to admit it, she could use that to her advantage. And there was
something else he had said, something else that could be equally as
valuable.

Brak grinned broadly, showing off all of his teeth. "I just wanted to make
sure that you weren't harmed during your transfer. I'll have someone bring
you some food in a little while, or maybe I'll bring it myself... if you'll
ask nicely."

Kassal didn't say a word.

If the Ferengi was bothered by her silence, he didn't show it. "Oh, you will
be enjoyable!" he exclaimed. "I love to break in stubborn hew-mans." And
with that, he turned and left.

As the doors closed, realization struck her hard. How could she have missed
it the first time? It was perhaps the most important key Brak could have
given her.

He thought she was human.

Kassal smiled and arranged her hair to completely cover her Selelvian ears.
Brak would soon learn how wrong he had been, and she wouldn't have to
degrade herself at all to earn her freedom.

CHAPTER THREE

Rando spent the entire walk from the bridge of his ship to the command
center on the starbase hoping that Admiral Daubar had heard back from the
Federation Council. As he walked off the turbolift onto the command center,
Lieutenant Feldman, Daubar's OPS officer greeted him with a, "Welcome back,
Captain."

"Hello, Feldman," Rando replied, and then broke out into a small grin.
Feldman's idiosyncrasies were even stranger than Lieutenant Remley; while
Remley liked being referred to by his first name, Feldman preferred being
denoted by his last. "Good to see you again."

"The Admiral's waiting for you in her office," Feldman replied, and Rando
nodded before heading to the office doors. He pressed the door chime, and a
few seconds later Daubar's voice called him in.

"Have a seat, Charlie," Daubar offered as soon as Rando had entered the
room.

Rando sat across from her, asking, "Have you heard back from the Federation
Council yet?"

Daubar nodded curtly. "This isn't Starfleet Command we're dealing with," she
warned him, "which explains the response we received." She stood and walked
over to the window, pausing to study the stars outside. "The Federation
Council is unwilling to do anything to risk losing Bavarius IV to the
Romulans, and that includes aggrivating the situation further. They are
completely opposed to any type of rescue mission... they want to solve the
problem diplomatically."

"Surely they must know you can't deal with terrorists, especially when lives
are at stake," Rando protested.

"You know that, and I know that," Daubar agreed as she turned back to Rando,
"but the Council isn't willing to take any risks whatsoever. They're trying
to negotiate with the terrorists for the release of Counselor Kassal and
Ensign LeMott."

Rando frowned. "By the time the negotiations end, they could both be dead."

"The good of the many outweighing the good of the few," Daubar stated. "I'm
sorry, Charlie. I did everything I could... pulled every string I could
think of pulling, called in favors from people I met in our first year at
the Academy. It's no use."

Rando knew that no matter how much he disliked the situation, he had to go
along with it. "What are our orders, then?"

"After you complete your crew transfers, you're to proceed back to Gallunt
Prime. Starfleet wants to make sure that the plague there is under control."

Rando stood quickly. "The plague was under control when we left!" he
exclaimed. "They're just making sure I don't get in the way."

Daubar nodded and motioned for Rando to sit back down. "I won't lie to you
by denying that, Charlie. You're going to have to accept that the lives of
your team are in the hands of the Federation's negotiators now. That's one
of the burdens of command... losing members your crew."

Rando flinched at that, as if her words brought up some memory that he would
have rather not recalled. She spared him an explanation by changing the
subject. "So, what did you think of Ensign... why can I never remember his
name?"

"He was not what I expected, based on your description of him," Rando
answered with a smile. "He was very quiet all the way over. He would nod or
shake his head, but he never said anything."

Daubar sat back in her chair. "Oh, I'm sure that wherever he is now, he's
talking up a storm."

******************************************************

Lieutenant Commander Neddek reached out his hand. "Ensign, could you hand me
a...?"

Before he could finish his question, Neddek heard the Breen engineer next to
him reach into the toolkit for the proper tool, which he promptly to Neddek.
He accomplished this task so quickly and accurately that Neddek was
surprised to find himself holding the tool he had wanted... without having
to even ask for it.

"Thank you, Ensign," he replied, running the tool along the inside of the
console. He had been attempting to increase the efficiency of the Infinity's
warp engines when the new crew transfers had arrived in engineering, and
since he had never worked beside a Breen before, Neddek had seen this as an
opportunity to find out more about his new officer. During the time they had
worked together, the Breen had quickly done whatever Neddek had requested of
him, a characteristic that satisfied the chief engineer. Of course, also
during the time they had worked together, the Breen hadn't said a single
word... a characteristic Neddek found curiuos. "Ensign," he asked, moving
his head slightly out from under his station so he could see the Breen. "I
noticed that you have not yet responded verbally to me. Why is that?"

The Breen shrugged. It appeared that the young engineer was experiencing the
very human response called... nervousness. Neddek wondered if the young
officer was so worried about making a good impression on his commanding
officer that he was becoming... shy.

"Do you find it difficult to communicate with me?" Neddek asked. When the
Breen nodded, Neddek replied, "I can understand your situation, for I have
known many officers who have experienced the same thing. I am sure that,
given sufficient time, you will become more accustomed to communicating."

The Breen titlted his head, seeming to indicate puzzlement, but before he
could respond in any manner, the sound of two pairs of approaching footsteps
caught his attention.

"Commander, you under there?" called Lieutenant Remley. Beside him was
Lieutenant D'vis.

Neddek pulled himself out from underneath his console and stood. "Yes,
Lieutenant. How may I be of service?" There had been a time when Remley's
voice was enough to make Neddek bristle as much as a Vulcan could bristle.
But after Remley had saved him from being drummed out of Starfleet, Neddek
began to tolerate him a little more.

"I was wondering if you could help me access the sensor logs. Lieutenant
D'vis wants to familiarize himself with the system," Remley said.

Neddek turned to the Breen. "Ensign, would you assist Lieutenant D'vis?" The
engineer nodded and led D'vis away to a computer console.

"So, how's your new engineer working out?" Remley asked as soon as the two
officers were out of earshot.

"He is an efficient and energetic worker," Neddek replied, "although I must
say, his silence makes me pause. He has not said a single word to me, or to
anyone else. It is possible that his failure to communicate may endanger the
ship."

Remley laughed. "Somehow I don't think it'll come to that, but you're right
that it could cause problems. Do you think we should talk to the
Counsel...?" He paused, remembering that Sonja wasn't on the ship, and that
she could possibly be in danger. He shook his head. "It's just so strange
without having her here. I hope she's all right."

"Counselor Kassal is capable of taking care of herself," Neddek assured him.
"I am sure she is fine."