Title: Star Trek-Infinity: Keep Your Friends Close [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: The Infinity finds itself right in the middle of an interstellar
war! But could there be more going on behind the scenes than meets the eye?


CHAPTER ONE

Captain Charles Rando sat in his ready room, reviewing the recent sensor
sweeps of the Neutral Zone. For the last few months, the Romulans had been
building up for something, it seemed. They had been moving troops, ships and
supplies... reorganizing... waiting, for something. Starfleet Command had
sent Rando and the Infinity to the Neutral Zone then to patrol the area,
just in case the Romulans attempted to invade the Federation. So far, that
hadn't happened, but Rando wasn't taking any chances. And with the sudden
dramatic increase of activity across the zone, it looked like whatever the
Romulans were building up for was finally about to come to a head.

"Enter!" Rando called when his door chime rang. The doors parted to admit
Lieutenant Evan Remley, the Infinity's chief of security. The large man
approached Rando's desk and handed him a PADD.

"I've completed the check-up on the weapons systems, sir," he reported.
"Everything is in working order. We currently have fifty photon torpedoes at
our disposal, as well as twenty quantum torpedoes. I checked each torpedo
out individually, sir, and they're all fine. All phaser banks are fully
charged and ready."

Rando nodded, checking over the PADD Remley had given him as the Lieutenant
basically repeated everything that was on it. "How about our shields?
Weapons won't be much good to us if there's no ship left."

Remley smiled at the Captain's touch of humor. Even in the most serious
crisis, Remley was fully willing to lighten the mood with a quip here or
there, and he was glad to see his Captain was learning something from him.
"Commander Neddek reports that the shields are operating at one hundred
percent efficiency," Remley told the Captain, remembering the touch of pride
he had felt coming from Neddek when the chief engineer had reported on the
shields. "He's trying to see if more power can be diverted to them if
necessary."

Rando nodded. "Good work, Lieutenant."

"Have we received any word from Starfleet yet?" Remley asked.

"Our orders are still the same," Rando told him. "Continue mapping the
R'garran sector, while keeping a close eye on our friends across the
border."

Remley nodded. "Which is something I'd like to go do, if you don't mind,
sir."

Rando nodded back. "Dismissed."

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

"Ensign Maiser, please reroute power from stellar cartography and the
science department to shields generator D and G," Commander Neddek ordered.

The Breen officer nodded his head and made the necessary adjustment. Neddek
regarded his readings with approval.

"We will be able to increase power to the shields by two percent this way,"
Neddek announced.

"And that brings our grand total up to one hundred fifteen percent,"
Lieutenant Krodel noted. "Not bad at all."

"Indeed," Neddek replied. He turned to address his engineers. "I am...
pleased at the results your hard work has created. Excellent work."

Neddek's engineering crew smiled at one another and gave each other
congratulatory slaps on the back and handshakes. The Romulan chief engineer
watched the celebration with a slight sense of logical satisfaction. Earlier
in the year, many of his engineers were uncertain about working under a
Romulan, even though Neddek had been raised as a Vulcan. Ever since then,
Captain Rando and Lieutenant Remley had made certain that Neddek was shown
the respect he deserved for his work, and Neddek, in turn, had decided to do
the same for his crew. Logically, a happier, more comfortable group of
engineers would work more efficiently.

Neddek sensed a presence behind him and turned to see Ensign Maiser waiting
there patiently. The Breen handed his chief a PADD which Neddek read
carefully. In order to communicate properly, Maiser had begun using the PADD
instead of verbally expressing his ideas. After all, the Breen were used to
much cooler climates than offered on the Infinity, and Maiser's armored
suit, including the large helmet covering his head, was instrumental in
keeping him cool.

"An interesting idea, Ensign," Neddek said after he had finished reading.
"And you believe an extra twenty percent could be added to our shields?"
Maiser nodded, and Neddek continued. "Unfortunately, what you propose has
never been attempted before on a Starfleet ship. Bioneural technology is
still somewhat untested. If we were to attempt these changes now, we may
risk damaging the interaction between the main computer and the bioneural
gel packs."

Maiser held out his hand and Neddek quickly passed the PADD back to him.
After Neddek had read the second message, he replied, "And you believe that
we could finish these modifications in under a day?"

Maiser nodded yet again.

"Very well, then. I will bring your idea to the Captain with my full
recommendation," Neddek replied. "In the meantime, continue with your
duties. I will return."

Maiser gave a brief salute before heading back into engineering. What Neddek
didn't see, however, underneath that heavy helmet, was Maiser's large grin.

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

"Come in!" Rando called again. Commander Neddek entered the ready room.
"What can I do for you, Commander?"

"Captain, I request the use of a shuttlecraft," Neddek replied stoically.
"Ensign Maiser has an idea about increasing the energy input to our shields,
and in our current situation, I wish for our defenses to be as strong as
possible."

"I share that idea, Mr. Neddek," Rando said with a grin. "Now, what exactly
is Ensign Maiser suggesting."

"Ensign Maiser feels that a slight re-adjustment in the connection between
the bio-neural gel packs throughout the ship and the main computer will use
less energy. Enough energy to increase our shield strength by twenty percent
if necessary."

"Twenty percent?" Rando repeated, arching an eyebrow. "That's a big order.
Do you really think he can do it?"

Neddek nodded. "The Breen use biological ships, Captain, and Ensign Maiser
served on such a ship before entering Starfleet. I would like to give him
the opportunity to incorporate his knowledge with the functioning of this
ship."

"And for twenty percent stronger shields, I would have to agree," Rando
replied. "But why do you need a shuttle?"

"Any attempt to adjust the bio-neural gel packs would require a shipwide
shutdown to accomplish. If the plan is successful, the modifications could
be done in two hours. If the plan is not successful, however, it would
require a day to undo all of the changes."

"And you want to do a test run first?" Rando asked. "See how your theories
work in a shuttle before trying them on the ship?"

"Yes, Captain," Neddek replied. "There are currently two shuttlecrafts on
the Infinity which make use of bio-neural technology. Either one would be
sufficient."

Rando thought about this, and then stood and looked out the large window
behind his desk. "It's a good idea, Neddek. I just don't know if this is the
right time. Whatever's going to happen across the border in the Romulan
empire looks like it's going to happen fairly soon."

"As I said before, Captain, the modifications would not take long if they
are successful. We would be finished in a matter of hours. If the
modifications are not successful, the Infinity could always come to retrieve
us."

Rando turned again to face the Romulan. "I take it, then, that you do not
plan on working on the shuttle near the Infinity?"

"Yes, Captain," Neddek replied. "The bio-neural gel packs on the shuttle are
in tune with the gel packs on the ship. It will be necessary to put some
distance between the shuttle and the ship to prevent interaction."

"Very well," Rando said. "But if you're not back on the ship by twenty-four
hours, we're going to retrieve you. Understood?"

"Thank you, sir. I will inform you when we are ready to depart."

Rando nodded, and Neddek turned and left the ready room. He had a plan, he
had a way to test it, now he just needed to make it work.

CHAPTER TWO

"I have completed my inspection of the shuttlecraft Columbus," Lieutenant
D'vis reported. Neddek rose his head as the other Vulcan approached. "It is
in working order, Commander, and I thank you for giving me this opportunity
to exercise my engineering skills."

"You work is above satisfaction, D'vis," Neddek told the younger man. "You
will make a fine addition to the operations team."

D'vis bowed his head slightly. He was enjoying his new line of work
immensely... or as much as a Vulcan could. "Again, I thank you, sir. If you
will excuse me, I must report to Ensign Libby."

Neddek nodded and watched the other Vulcan leave the shuttlebay. He turned
to Ensign Maiser. "I believe we are ready, are we not?" The Breen had gave
his assent, and the two officers boarded the shuttlecraft. After a few
minutes of pre-flight check-ups, Neddek tapped his comm. badge. "Commander
Neddek to bridge. Ensign Maiser and myself are ready to depart."

"Very well, Commander," came Captain Rando's reply. "Just don't go too far.
And remember, we'll come looking for you in twenty-four hours."

"With luck, there will be no need to," Neddek replied. "Neddek out."

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

Chief engineer's log: Stardate 48688.2- Ensign Maiser and I have completed
modifications of the bio-neural gel packs in the shuttle Columbus. We are
currently testing the new interactions between the packs and the main
computer to insure that everything works properly. I wish to offer a
commendation to Ensign Maiser for his idea... already, the power output of
the shuttle is fifteen percent above normal and rising.

"Computer, begin level five diagnostic," Commander Neddek ordered.

"Working," the computer replied, and then beeped a few seconds later. "All
systems functional. No problems detected."

Neddek nodded. Over the last hour, he and Maiser had just run a level one
diagnostic on the shuttle, checking every system manually to see if there
were any problems. The fact that the computer agreed with their assessment
indicated that the modifications to the gel packs were working. He turned to
Maiser.

"I believe our work is finished," Neddek told the Breen. "Your idea has been
successful in increasing our power input without affecting interaction
between the main computer and the rest of the shuttle. We can now return to
the Infinity."

But before Neddek could begin inputting the return coordinates, the red
alert siren began to wail.

"A Romulan Bird of Prey has decloaked off our starboard bow!" Neddek
exclaimed. "Raise shields! I will attempt to contact the ship!"

The shuttle lurched as the Romulan vessel began firing upon it. Neddek and
Maiser were thrown throughout the cabin. When Neddek was finally able to
make it to a console, he found that communications were off-line.

"It is not logical for a system that is supposed to be the last recourse to
be the first to be shutdown," Neddek remarked. He noticed that Maiser was
trying to get his attention. "Shields are down to thirty-three percent. Can
you transfer any more power to them?"

Maiser worked at his console for a few moments before shaking his head. No
more power could be transferred to the shields... and they were continuing
to fall. Another barrage rocked the shuttle.

"Warning," the computer's calm voice filled the air. "Structural integrity
field at forty-seven percent. Integrity breach in two point three minutes."

Neddek looked at Maiser. "It is possible we may have to evacuate."

Before Maiser could respond at all, the ship was rocked again. The shields
were knocked off-line and the structural integrity of the shuttle was
weakened even further. One more attack and the shuttle would be destroyed...
but it never came.

Neddek quickly checked the sensors. "The Romulan ship is gone," he reported.
"They may have recloaked."

"Warning," the computer interrupted. "Structural integrity field at
twenty-one percent. Structural integrity breach in one point six minutes."

"We must evacuate the shuttle!" Neddek exclaimed. "Recover the environmental
suits! I will attempt to find a way to get a message through to the
Infinity!"

Maiser nodded and headed towards the back on the shuttle. When he returned,
he was carrying the pieces of Neddek's suit for the Vulcan to put on.

"I am not sure if my message is getting through," Neddek reported as he
began putting his suit on. He paused long enough to regard Maiser, who had
attached an oxygen tank to his armor. "You will require a suit as well,
Ensign."

The Breen tapped his helmet, indicating that his own body suit would serve
well enough.

"You are sure, Ensign? Have you ever been in the vacuum of space with just
your body armor?" Maiser nodded. "And you have checked your suit for
breaches?" Maiser nodded again. "Very well. Then after I have finished, we
will...."

Before Neddek could finish, the structural integrity of the shuttle
collapsed, and the tiny ship was torn apart.

CHAPTER THREE

"Captain, we have a hail coming in," Lieutenant Remley reported. "From a
Romulan vessel."

Rando glanced at Witherell. "Perhaps we could be getting the answers we're
looking for. Put it onscreen, Lieutenant."

An instant later, a middle-aged Romulan male appeared on the viewscreen. He
was dressed in the typical Romulan military uniform, a rigid combination of
tough looking fabric and sharp metallic decorations. The look on the
Romulan's face was very stern, as if he had caught the crew of the Infinity
with their hand in the cookie jar. "I am Commander Tomalak of the Romulan
Imperial Guard. With whom do I speak?"

Rando stood. "I'm Captain Charles Rando of the U.S.S. Infinity . What can I
do for you, Commander?" He asked pleasantly.

Tomalak scowled. "Do not play games with me, 'Captain' Rando. I wish to know
why your shuttlecraft entered the Neutral Zone."

Rando turned to look at Witherell in confusion before he responded to
Tomalak's accusation. "I'm sorry, Commander. We sent no shuttles into the
Neutral Zone."

"Do not lie to me! We detected a Federation shuttlecraft, bearing your
ship's registration, two light-years in the Neutral Zone with a Vulcan and a
Breen onboard. We hailed them, and when we received no response, we opened
fire."

Shock reverberated throughout the bridge. Finally, Rando said, "Commander,
we did dispatch a shuttlecraft, with a Vulcan and a Breen onboard, but their
destination was not the Neutral Zone. If you gave us their location, we
could retrieve them and be on our way...."

"I doubt their location will do you any good, Captain Rando," Tomalak
replied. "The shuttle was destroyed. Both of your officers... or spies,
perhaps, were killed." He paused. "I always knew this day would come. The
Federation is comprised of idiots, which is no more evident in the fact that
a human as young as you could be captain of a starship. Well, I hope your
admirals are satisfied with you, because you, 'Captain Rando', have just
declared war on the Romulan Empire!" The viewscreen shut off.

Rando turned to Remley. "Can you get a location on the Romulan ship?"

Remley checked his instruments and responded. "If these calculations are
correct, sir, they're just about to enter Federation space. And they're
heading right for us."

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

"Admiral, I can insure you that it was not our intention to start a war!"

Admiral Daubar nodded curtly on the viewscreen. "Be that as it may, it seems
that's just what we have on our hands now. The Romulans have been moving
their forces around for months now, possibly in preparation for a war with
us. Your shuttle might have given them the excuse they were looking for."

"The Romulans do not like to act first," Lieutenant Marianne V'gel pointed
out. "If they're going to fight a war, they want the other side to start it
for them. In the end, it paints them in a positive light as the victim, not
the aggressor."

"Is there anyway we can determine whether or not the shuttle was actually
destroyed inside the Neutral Zone?" Ensign Libby asked. "Maybe the Romulans
are lying."

"If we take any action now to clear ourselves, the Romulans may see it as
another attack on them," Rando told the young officer. "Especially if we
enter the Neutral Zone ourselves. We need another way."

"Starfleet Command is doing it's best to solve this situation
diplomatically. It's offered a full apology to the Romulan Empire, but so
far with little results," Daubar reported. "We are attempting to keep this
situation as quiet as possible. If it can be resolved, I would prefer not
panicking our people."

"Then it's going to be up to us to diffuse this situation before we all get
caught up in the explosion," Rando said.

"Keep me apprised," Daubar told him. "I'll do the same. Starbase 106 out."

"We seem to be on our own," Lieutenant Remley noted.

"Sir?" Ensign Libby piped up. "Do you think the Romulans were telling the
truth? Did they really kill Neddek and Maiser?"

Rando shook his head. "We have no way of knowing, Jeff," he said softly. He
looked to V'gel, hoping that the Trill might be able to give some insight
into Romulan culture.

"The Romulans won't give up a chance to take hostages if it's presented to
them," V'gel replied, "however, they'd use the hostages against up by now. I
would have to guess that they didn't take Neddek and Maiser hostage. They
could very well be the first casualties of this war," she added sadly.

"Maybe we should just surrender," Williams suggested dejectedly.

Rando shook his head. "We're not giving up yet. Mr. Remley, how long until
Tomalak reaches our position?"

"Little under an hour, sir," Remley reported.

"What about the rest of the fleet?"

Remley checked his PADD with the latest update on the Romulan troop
dispersal. "Sir, for some reason, the rest of the fleet isn't following
Tomalak. They're still well within Romulan space."

"They're sending one Warbird against the entire Federation?" Witherell
asked. "That doesn't sound right."

"No, it doesn't," Rando agreed. "Perhaps Tomalak was bluffing about the
whole incident in an attempt to get us to act. Could you sense anything from
him, Commander?"

"He was very focused, sir," Witherell replied. "I couldn't pick up anything
other than that."

"Sir, Commander Tomalak wasn't lying to us," Counselor Sonja Kassal
interjected. "I could see it in his eyes. He truly believes we started a war
with the Romulan Empire... and a war is the last thing he wants."

"But you couldn't get anything from him telepathically either, Sonja?" Rando
asked. Just recently, the Selelvian woman had undergone a tremendous change
in terms of her mental powers. Unfortunately, while her powers were very
strong, they were not well focused. Rando had wanted to talk to his old
friend in private, to see how she was coping with the tension throughout the
ship with her new abilities. So far, he had not had the chance.

"His mental walls were too strong for me to break, Captain," Kassal replied.
"And I wouldn't necessarily trust anything I picked up telepathically
anyway. But I know what his eyes said... we started an unnecessary war."

"We might be able to use that to our advantage," Witherell said. "If Tomalak
doesn't want war..."

"We might still be able to talk him out of it," Rando finished. "All we have
to do is convince him that our intentions were not hostile."

"But how can we do that, sir?" Williams asked. "If he believes we were
trying to spy on the Romulan empire... or whatever, how can we convince him
otherwise?"

"By telling him the truth," Rando told him. "It's our greatest weapon. And
right now, it might be our only one."

CHAPTER FOUR

"Romulan Warbird coming into sensor view," Remley reported.

"Go to yellow alert," Rando ordered. "Put it onscreen."

The massive green ship almost completely filled the Infinity's viewer. It
was estimated that a Romulan Warbird was twice as large as a Galaxy-class
starship. Rando wondered how much larger the Warbird was compared to his own
vessel.

"We're being hailed."

"Put that onscreen, Lieutenant," Rando ordered. An instant later, Commander
Tomalak reappeared on the screen. "This is Captain Charles Rando of the
U.S.S. Infinity. You have crossed into Federation space. If you do not
reverse your course, we will interpret this action as an act of war."

"Not very amusing, Captain," Tomalak replied, "especially not under the
current circumstances."

Rando shrugged. "I was just following protocol," he replied. "The protocol
that needs to be followed to prevent an interstellar incident."

"An interstellar incident has already occurred!" Tomalak bellowed. "An
interstellar incident was your shuttle crossing into the Neutral Zone and
not responding to our hails!"

"Commander, I have already stated that our shuttlecraft was not headed for
the Neutral Zone," Rando said. "If you are willing to listen, I am willing
to tell you why we launched a shuttle in the first place."

Tomalak considered this. "I will allow you to have your last words."

"Thank you," Rando replied. "This starship, much like many other starships
in the Federation, now incorporates bio-neural technology into its
operation."

"The Romulan empire is aware of your 'bio-neural technology,'" Tomalak said.
"However, I don't see how this applies."

"My chief engineer, the Vulcan you detected on the shuttle, and another of
our engineers, a Breen, were going to attempt to adjust the connection
between our main computer and the gel packs, but the adjustment would have
left us defenseless if it didn't work. They decided to do a test run in a
shuttlecraft first, but they had to get out of range of the gel packs on
this ship to do a proper test. We tracked them as they left... they were
heading away from the Neutral Zone, not into it."

"You mentioned that this process would have left your ship defenseless if it
hadn't worked," Tomalak pointed out. "Why was this of importance to you?"

Rando considered his options. Should he tell the Romulan Commander and risk
war over the fact the they had been spying on Romulan activities? He had
decided to be truthful in the exchange. "To be completely honest, Commander,
for more than six months, we've been detecting increased Romulan military
activity. At first, it seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary, but over
the last few months, we've followed that activity closer and closer to this
sector of space. There were those in Starfleet Command who were afraid that
the Romulan empire may be planning for a war against the Federation."

"So you have been spying on us?" Tomalak demanded.

"Observing would be a better word, but let's not argue semantics," Rando
said. "If you had noticed a massive build-up of Federation starships near
your boundaries, would you not be concerned as well?"

"That is not the issue," Tomalak spat. "You have been spying on us, and now
that we've finally caught you, you're trying to make excuses for it?"

Rando shook his head. "You misunderstand, Commander. While we were observing
you, the mission of the shuttlecraft was not to enter the Neutral Zone, nor
was it to spy on you. This is simply a misunderstanding."

"It would appear to be so," Tomalak agreed, "but misunderstandings can grow
into much more dangerous situations. I already know, for example, that you
are lying. There has been no Romulan troop build-up anywhere near here."

Rando almost blanched at this. Could they know something Tomalak didn't?
"Commander, we've been tracking them for the past few days now. There are
definitely increased tachyon emissions coming from the Romulan/Cardassian
border... tachyon emissions that would seem to indicate cloaked ships."

"I do not believe your lies," Tomalak began. "Now, you will either surrender
your ship or we will open fire...."

"If you don't believe us, check for yourself!" Rando exclaimed. "Lieutenant
Remley, transfer the location of the Romulan fleet to the Warbird." Remley
did so immediately. "If you wish to avoid an interstellar war, Commander, I
suggest you at least check those coordinates out. They are within the limits
of your long range scanners, are they not?"

"Very well," the Romulan Commander replied. "I will honor this last request
of yours." There was a slight pause as the Romulan Warbird waited for the
results of their sensor scan. Finally, Tomalak stated, "I am detecting
massive tachyon emissions coming from this location, but that in no way
means that...." He paused again before finally saying, "I will return. Do
not move or we will destroy you!" And with that, his image blinked off the
viewscreen.

"What was that?" Rando demanded.

"Sir, seconds before Tomalak cut contact, I picked up a subspace
transmission... coming from the Romulan fleet," Remley told him.

"So Tomalak knows the fleet is there," Rando said. "That would explain his
sudden departure." He considered this new information. "Keep me apprised of
the situation. I'll be in my ready room. Commander, you have the bridge."

"Aye sir," Witherell replied. The Betazoid first officer glanced over the
bridge crew. He could sense that they were all alert and ready for anything,
but they were also all scared to hell.