|
LIEUTENANT KEEGAN Khaliban
|
||
|
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
"Lieutenant
Keegan?" the captain said, walking into the mess hall. "Mister Neelix
told me someone was using the galley after hours."
"Hello,
Captain." He raised a drinking glass to her.
"Have you been
drinking?"
"Yes, and I
hate alcohol." He emptied his glass and poured another drink.
"Are you
okay?"
"Hell yes! It
takes more than this to get me drunk. I have the constitution of a bull
elephant. How about you?"
"I read your
treatment of the Unclaimed Thesis."
"I thought you
would."
"Your work is
brilliant," she said walking over to him.
"It should
be."
"Excuse me?"
"No, Captain,
excuse me." He drank the last of the alcohol and threw his glass at the
wall. But, being transparent aluminum, it dented the wall and bounced
off. "Oh, hell," he said.
"I think this
is glass," she said, tapping the bottle.
He picked it
up, cocked his arm back and set it back down on the table. "No, I lost
the urge."
"Can I get
someone to help you? Should I call security?"
"No. Not yet."
"Mister
Keegan, you continue to puzzle me."
"And you
continue to play with the pieces."
"What does
that mean?"
"Persistence
is a virtue."
"That's
patience."
"Persistent
patients are virtuous." He picked up the bottle again and aimed for the
door. It opened and B'Elanna Torres walked in. He stopped mid throw and
said, "Godammit."
"Phil?"
B'Elanna said. "Captain?"
"Are you here
about unauthorized galley use too?" the lieutenant asked.
"No," B'Elanna
replied, "I had a craving."
Phil stood up
and walked over to her. He took her by the shoulders.
"You know," he
said, "I could have really gone for you."
"Phil?"
"I mean it.
The first time I saw you, I thought, 'That is a lovely lady.' And I mean
'lady'. I really do. Tom's a lucky guy." He put a hand on her stomach.
"Are you
drunk, Phil?"
"No, I'm not.
I like you, B'Elanna." He turned around. "I like you too, Captain."
"Thank you,
Mister Keegan."
"I'm a good
officer," he said.
"Yes, Phil,
you are," B'Elanna said.
"I have to
agree with B'Elanna, Mister Keegan."
He sighed.
"I'm a DAMN good officer."
"Yes, you are,
Lieutenant," the captain said.
"I should be,"
he replied.
"What?"
B'Elanna said.
"What did Tom
do anyway?" Phil asked her.
"What do you
mean?" she said.
"To get him
thrown into prison."
"He doesn't
like to talk about it," B'Elanna replied. "Is it important?"
"No, it's
not," Keegan said. "No one cares. No one cares at all anymore. You don't
care, do you, Captain?"
"No, Mister
Keegan, I don't."
He let go of
B'Elanna and walked to the window.
"I like
space," he said, staring out. "I always wanted to go to space. I just
really liked the idea of it."
"I know
exactly how you feel," Kathryn said. "Are you going to be okay?"
"Yes, Captain,
I'll be fine." He walked to his table, picked up the bottle and threw it
at a wall. It shattered. Small bots emerged to clean up the glass.
"Feel better?"
B'Elanna asked.
"No, I just
needed closure." He let loose a hard breath and shook his head clear.
"So, what were you hungry for?"
B'Elanna
shrugged. "Something salty or maybe something spicy."
Keegan was
behind the galley in a few steps. "I know just the thing."
"You can
cook?" B'Elanna asked.
"It's a great
way to impress women," he replied.
"You should
tell Tom that."
"Why? He's
already got you. Captain, did you want in on this?"
"Without
question, Mister Keegan."
"Great. I hope
the two of you like Mexican omelets." He put a pan on the stove and
threw some oil into it. "Remember, Mexican means spicy. Don't either one
of you expect to sleep after this."
The captain
smiled. "I'm looking forward to it, Lieutenant."
* * *
"Hazelnut,"
the captain said, holding her mug.
"Hazelnut?"
her first officer repeated.
"I have asked
the replicator for hazelnut coffee for seven years. It finally got it
right."
"That would be
Lieutenant Keegan's work," Chakotay said. "B'Elanna told me he went
through the Computer Core and Engineering and rebuilt every system he
could. Warp efficiency has improved eight percent. Power systems,
replicators, the holodeck, almost everything has improved. After
Engineering, he went to the Science Department. He finished about three
months worth of work."
"Quite a
turnaround," Janeway said.
"How did the
debate go?"
"He lost me
several times. I think only B'Elanna and Seven understood all of it."
"Do you still
want that information from Starfleet?"
She nodded.
"More than ever. I can't believe he would want to hide this much
potential."
"Has he been
drinking?"
"Not since
that night."
Chakotay
examined his coffee. "The same day you tried to access his files."
"I noticed
that too."
"I asked Tuvok
to review some of Mister Keegan's stories. He found no report of Kazon
severely injuring the Lieutenant. He always showed exceptional skill in
combat."
Kathryn nodded
again. She looked out her window, imagining she could see Earth and Reg
Barclay preparing his wormhole. "We'll know by this afternoon."
* * *
The door to
Philip Keegan's quarters buzzed.
"Come in," he
said.
"Lieutenant?"
He looked up
from a console. A model of a Starship was sitting next to him. "What can
I do for you, Captain."
"I was walking
past, and I realized I'd never seen your quarters."
"Where were
you headed?"
She shook her
head. "Sometimes I hate that mind of yours."
"I get a lot
of that. How can I help you?"
She walked to
an easel and lifted a cloth off the canvas. "Yours?"
"I've been
trying to paint. I find it technically accurate, but it lacks emotion."
"It's very
good. I see you play the violin."
"I play nine
instruments. I'm just now learning the Vulcan harp."
"How do you
find it?"
"It's designed
mostly for meditation. Good for certain types of music, but not very
versatile."
She picked up
two books. "Plato. The Rubaiyat. In their original texts? That must be
difficult."
"I never read
translations. It's something my grandfather taught me. They're always
tainted by interpretation, even if you use the Universal Translator."
"Do you read
many languages?" she asked.
"Seventeen.
I'm learning Vulcan now, so I can read Surak."
"Not many
people intentionally learn Vulcan."
"I like a
challenge," he replied.
"I've noticed
that." She looked around the room, at the artwork, the Starship on his
desk. Two other ships rested on a shelf on his wall. "You design
Starships?"
"A hobby."
"Interesting
designs. What are they?"
He pointed to
each in turn. "The Roderiquez, a battleship. The Lin, a medical frigate.
The MacPherson, exploration. I named them for some cousins of mine."
"That's a
diverse family."
"Yes, it is."
"The warp
configuration doesn't prevent damage to sub-space," she commented.
"There's no
reason to. I read the account of that. I think the researcher was
paranoid, too obsessed with her own work. By conservative estimate, this
galaxy has had warp capable civilizations for a billion years. If the
deterioration were as extreme as Serova claimed, it would be one solid
anomaly core to rim. The simple answer is sub-space repairs itself. In
case I'm wrong, the Lin has a system in it to facilitate repair of
sub-space rather than eliminate damage."
"Does it
work?"
"Yes, but it
reduces maximum speed to Warp two point five. But, I just started on it.
I'll need time to work out the bugs."
She examined
the ship. Four engines, asymmetric in design and placement. It had a
beauty to it.
"We could send
your work to Starfleet."
"I don't think
they'll want it. They should concentrate on transwarp. I suspect that
bypasses the problem entirely."
"Why wouldn't
they want it?"
"Just a hunch,
Captain. Why did you want to see me?"
"We're about
to make the data transfer. I was wondering if I could send your analysis
of the Unclaimed Thesis."
"Certainly,
Captain."
"Thank you."
She walked to the door. "Mister Keegan?"
"Yes,
Captain?"
"Should I look
for anything from home?"
"My family is
very hard to reach," he said.
"Of course.
Good-day, Lieutenant."
"Captain. It
was nice speaking with you."
She nodded and
walked out.
* * *
"Phil!"
Lieutenant Hununga said. "Where are you headed in such a hurry?"
"Lisa. I just
have some work to do."
"Today's the
big day. Data transfer. Expecting anything important?"
"One or two
things. Lisa, there's something I've wanted to do." He took her by the
waist, pulled her close, and kissed her. He took his time with it,
cupping the back of her head and memorizing the scent of her hair.
"Wow. Phil."
She put her hand on his chest. "Dinner later?"
"If I'm able.
You never know what the day will bring."
"Here's hoping
it brings more of that."
He sighed and
raised his hands. "I've got to go." He left at a good pace.
* * *
"Captain?"
Reginald Barclay said, his voice a hollow buzz in the wormhole. "Are you
certain you want that information?"
"Yes, Mister
Barclay."
"Instead of the letters
from your family?"
"Yes, Reg."
"And Mister
Tuvok and Mister Chakotay have agreed?"
"Yes, Reg, and
you're eating up the time."
"The
information will be transferred directly to your desk. Are you sure? It
would save space going to the Computer Core."
"I'm sure."
"Okay,
Captain. Beginning transfer."
Her screen
changed to a list of names, all Keegan, all students at MIT. She read
down the list. The first was in his forties. Not a Philip, but just old
enough to be the Lieutenant's father. She wanted to stop there. The
first Philip Keegan was in his eighties and retired. His whereabouts
easily verified. She read farther down the list, stopping after two
centuries of names passed and sighing to herself. Philip Keegan was not
two centuries old. Enough, she thought. Too much. She wanted to keep her
good officer. She skimmed the rest files while wondering how best to
tell her First Officer he was right. She stopped when she found an early
twenty-first century file marked "Restricted".
"Computer, who
closed this file?"
"Access to
that information was restricted by the United Nations in year
two-thousand and six."
"Who is
authorized to open the file?"
"A Starfleet
officer of captain's rank or higher in time of emergency."
Do what is
right for your ship. The voices of her father and every captain she
served under repeated in her mind. "Authorization: Janeway, Kathryn,
alpha-seven-nine-four-one-two."
"Access
granted."
She read over
the file. "Keegan, Philip, applied in nineteen eighty six at age
thirteen, graduated age sixteen, applied Master's Program, age sixteen,
graduated age eighteen, entered doctoral program age eighteen, never
finished. Disappeared age nineteen. Notes to follow." She read on.
Accomplishments, papers, family history were all missing, deleted with
large blank gaps filling the file. She reached the final notes and
paused at the source. "United Nations War Crimes Tribunal?" she read.
"'Access to this file is restricted pending determination of--' Oh, my
god. Computer! Intruder alert!" She ran to the bridge.
"Captain?"
Tuvok said, "I am detecting no intruder."
"Computer,
locate Lieutenant Keegan."
"Unable to
comply."
"Captain," Tom
said, "I'm showing a launch of the Delta Flyer."
"Pursuit
course, Mister Paris," she growled. "Maximum warp."
"What did that
file say?" Chakotay asked.
"Mister Paris,
why aren't we moving?"
"I'm getting
no response from the engines," he replied. "Impulse engines and warp
core are off-line."
"Weapons,
shields and sensors are also off-line," Tuvok said.
"Communications and turbolifts are off-line," Harry said. "All systems
are powering down. We still have life support."
The lights
went out. They stood in silence in the red of the alarm until the
auxiliary lights came on.
"Harry,
Seven," the captain said. "I want you in Engineering. Fill B'Elanna in.
Help out where you can. Chakotay, Tom, go through the rest of the ship.
Form parties, no less than four people each. Make sure everyone has
phasers set to heavy stun. Find out if Mister Keegan is still on board.
Orders are to shoot on sight. If he is rendered unconscious, get help.
Do not approach him under any circumstances. Tuvok, you're with me.
We're going to the Shuttle Bay to see if any are still working. Let's
move."
"Captain,"
Chakotay said. "it would help if we knew what Mister Keegan has done."
"It's not what
he's done." The words ground in her throat. "It's what he is. Everyone,
you have your orders." She walked to the access ladder before they could
respond.
They were
three levels down before Tuvok spoke.
"Captain," he
said, "What exactly is Mister Keegan?"
"You'd never
believe me."
"You know that
is not true, Captain."
"Consider
Mister Keegan one of the most dangerous enemies to come aboard this
ship."
"You are
hindering my abilities. I must ask why."
"Have you ever
wanted something to not be true?"
"I am a
Vulcan," he replied.
"I'm not."
Tuvok nodded
slowly.
They took a
direct route to the Shuttle Bay, stopping only to give orders to any
crew members they met. They found the Bay doors locked.
"Can you get
them open?" Janeway said.
"I believe so,
Captain."
The security
officer pulled of the main access panel and worked through the circuits
trying to find the still active life support line. He reconnected three
wires and the doors opened enough for one person to slide through
sideways.
"Captain, I
believe I should go first." He pulled out his phaser and started
through. He looked around and yelled, "Captain!"
A hand grabbed
Tuvok's tunic and pulled. He flew some fifteen meters and hit the floor
rolling. When he swung around with his weapon, he was struck by a phaser
blast. Two more shots and the Vulcan stopped moving. Janeway turned and
ran, and hit security force field.
"Captain?"
Keegan said.
She turned
around, her weapon drawn, and felt the shot. Her arm went numb, and she
dropped her phaser.
"I'll stun you
if I have to. I'd rather not."
"Tuvok?"
"Is alive but
unconscious. I have no intention of killing anyone."
"You
understand, that's difficult to believe."
"I understand
it better than you. Into the Shuttle Bay, please."
"I won't order
the ship or its crew to help you in any way. Chakotay will assume
control. Any orders I issue will be ignored."
"Captain, I
just want you to come into the Shuttle Bay and sit down."
"Why?"
"Don't you
want answers to your questions?"
The doors to
the Shuttle Bay were now wide open. She walked past him slowly, watching
his phaser. She stepped through the doors and saw the Flyer in it's
usual spot. Tuvok had landed near it. His phaser was next to him.
"I see it
too," Keegan said. "My eyesight is excellent. Step around it, walk over
to one of the chairs and have a seat."
She walked to
the chairs and saw they had arm and leg locks.
"Sit down. You
know what this is for."
She sat down.
He was right behind her. He locked her in place as soon as she was in
the chair. She was able to turn to see him pick up Tuvok, carry him to a
chair and lock him in. She could hear Tuvok breathing quietly. Keegan
walked in front of both of them. He wore an eyepiece for a virtual
screen. He looked at it often.
"What are you
going to do to us?" Janeway asked.
"Let you go,
as soon as I've told my side of the story."
"Why don't you
let us go now?"
"People in a
position of power don't need to listen," he explained. "Right now,
you're hanging on every word."
"And then
what?"
"I go to the
brig and hope the crew doesn't lynch me."
She leaned
forward. "Is that what this last week was? Helping everyone so they
wouldn't be afraid of you?"
"No, it was my
last meal. That was the last time I would be welcomed by your crew."
"We gave you a
home," she said.
"As soon as
you found out what I was, you wanted to take it away."
"You lied. You
falsified records. You manipulated the computer system."
"You knew all
of that eleven days ago, and you were ready to promote me. I can do this
as long as you can, Captain, but you won't get your answers."
"Then what are
you waiting for?"
He held up a
hypospray. "Mister Tuvok. I'm sure he'd want to be a part of this. Don't
worry, it's just a stimulant." He put the hypo to Tuvok's neck and
fired. The Vulcan winced and opened his eyes.
"Captain, are
you all right?" Tuvok said.
"So far. He's
awake, Mister Keegan. Would you like to explain yourself?"
"It would help
if I knew what Mister Keegan was," the Vulcan said.
"Keeping all
the best secrets for yourself, Captain?"
"I thought
people might have trouble with it. How did you get here, Mister Keegan?"
Kathryn said.
"The same way
you did, Captain. The Caretaker."
"That doesn't
explain it," she replied.
"Captain?"
Tuvok asked.
"Records
indicate Philip Keegan, a nineteen year old graduate student at MIT,
disappeared in nineteen ninety-two. Whereabouts unknown," she said.
"The Caretaker
sent out probes and collected samples," Keegan explained.
"And you were
the sample from Earth?" Tuvok said.
"Me, and a
hump-backed whale. I was curious about that one for a while."
"Why you?"
Janeway said harshly.
"As a guess,
I'd say samples were selected based on their ability to survive the trip
back."
Tuvok spoke
without a reaction. "The healthiest human the probe could find in that
time frame was a eugenic."
Phil nodded.
"From the very last group. We were different."
"How so?"
Tuvok said.
"The
scientists recognized the need for emotional development. They looked at
it as a portion of the equation they had not previously considered. My
generation had morality. We even wanted to help humanity. We sometimes
succeeded." He glanced at the captain.
"What happened
to them?" Tuvok asked.
"The other
eugenics killed them before taking power, at least, the records seem to
indicate that."
"Is that why
you didn't return to them when we visited your era?" the Vulcan said.
"No, I
couldn't find them. Believe me, I looked, but Earth was nothing like I
remembered it. You're right, though. Khan would have killed me. I also
felt a sense of responsibility. After all, I'm the reason you're here. I
guess I made humanity look promising."
"You're an
abomination," the captain said.
"Me, and half
your crew, Captain. And every Vulcan, Mister Tuvok."
"Vulcans have
never engaged in selective breeding."
"No, they were
a eugenic race deposited on Vulcan hundreds of thousands of years ago.
I've read the records."
"And where is
the race that deposited us?"
"I don't know,
but they were last seen in white globes about so big."
"That story is
refuted," Tuvok said.
"Because of
the ramifications, not the accuracy," Keegan countered. "I've examined
the environment on Vulcan. It's extreme, but not enough to produce a
race like yours. Even if it were, it wouldn't explain why Romulans have
identical traits."
"I am not
certain of the accuracy of your statements."
"As you wish,
Mister Tuvok."
"Half my
crew?" Janeway said.
He looked up.
"They're outside the door. Chakotay is a good First Officer."
"What will you
do when they open the door?" Tuvok asked.
"Nothing. They
have to shoot through you to get to me. If they try, the Delta Flyer
will fire at them. Phasers are set to stun. I wonder why Starships
stopped doing that?"
"We'll warn
them," Janeway said.
"I want you
to. I don't want to hurt them."
"You didn't
answer my question," the captain said.
"Sorry, I was
distracted." He rubbed his eyes. "Seven years, I only regret one thing.
I didn't tell you who I was at the beginning. You would have feared me,
put me in the brig, realized there was little I could do and let me out.
By now, I'd be as much a part of the crew as anyone."
"Why didn't
you?" Kathryn asked.
"I read the
history reports first. At the time, I didn't know how tolerant the
Federation could be. When I learned my mistake, I didn't want to go
through that period where the crew hated and feared me. I like it here."
He checked his display again.
Tuvok watched
him closely. "'Help humanity.' The Unclaimed Thesis is yours," Tuvok
said.
Keegan
laughed. "Your scientists had a lot of our papers. Most were claimed by
others who never had the talent to write them. The more honorable
scribbled 'Anonymous' where the name should be. I guess Cochrane never
got around to that."
"It's yours?"
Janeway said.
"Why hide the
source?" Tuvok asked.
"Eugenics
wrote them," Keegan replied. "They were tainted. Instead of the truth,
you called us 'the Anonymous Einsteins'."
"What?" the
captain said. "Which ones?"
"All of them.
I could tell you the author of each paper, and the real author of each
stolen paper. Mine are sixteen, eighty-seven and a hundred and
fourteen."
"My god," she
said. "I wrote a paper on eighty-seven."
"I know. I
liked it. You found a lot of mistakes I never noticed."
"How much does
the Federation owe the eugenics?" Tuvok asked.
The bay doors
opened. Chakotay and five security officers rushed in.
"Stop!"
Janeway said. "The Flyer is programmed to fire on you."
"That would
put a hole in the ship," Chakotay said.
"Relax,"
Keegan said. "It's set to stun."
"Point your
weapons at the ground," Janeway ordered. She heard the movement behind
her. "You have two questions to you, Mister Keegan."
"Yes. About a
third of the discoveries in the twenty-first century, Mister Tuvok.
Captain, Starfleet Academy."
"What?"
"Captain, what
is he?" Chakotay asked.
"Starfleet
Academy, Captain," Keegan continued. "One of the finest eugenic breeding
programs I've ever seen. Take the most intelligent, the most physically
fit, the most emotionally stable and put them into dangerous situations
which necessarily weed out the unfit. Those that are left, the officers
that have proven themselves, develop relationships with other officers.
The children they produce almost always return to Starfleet. The
possibility of new blood prevents stagnation. A perfect cycle with none
of the resulting arrogance."
"Captain--"
Chakotay said.
"Yes,
Commander, that is what I am."
"What do we
do, Captain?" Chakotay asked.
The captain
growled, "Mister Keegan, you made me a promise."
"Yes, Captain.
Computer, protocol whitewash, authorization, Keegan, alpha zero one."
The locks on
the chairs opened. The lights turned on, the ship's systems came back on
line. Keegan dropped his phaser and put his hands up.
"Put your
hands down," the captain said. He complied. "Tuvok, you will take Mister
Keegan to the brig. I don't think he'll struggle."
"Yes,
Captain."
"Phil?"
Kathryn said.
"Yes?"
"Your people
did a lot of things," she told him.
"I grew up
with them. I know what they were like. That's why I was afraid of your
reaction. I can't say you disappointed me."
"Heat of the
moment," she said.
"Shoot on
sight?"
She tilted her
head, and he nodded to her comm badge.
"Have you
written anything since coming to Voyager?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Can I read
it?"
"Every bit of
it."
She nodded to
Tuvok. As promised, Keegan didn't struggle.
* * *
"What are you
going to tell Starfleet?" Chakotay asked. He had asked her several times
the previous day.
The captain
continued to read while occasionally picking up a piece of egg or
sausage.
"Kathryn?"
"Have you read
any of them?" she said.
"Some. I
haven't gotten all the way through one yet."
"He compiled
statistics about the eugenic development of the average Starfleet
officer."
"Starfleet
didn't plan it that way. We're not like them."
"I know." She
handed him the statistics. "But, that's not the question, is it?"
THE END
Page 4
Page 1
On to
Part 2: The Trial
Star Trek (tm) is the property of Paramount Pictures Corporation. No profit is being made from this story by the author or publisher. Apart from rights held by Paramount, this story is the property of the contributor.
All cover art used at Reviewer's Choice Reviews is copyrighted by the
respective publisher. All reviews and articles found at Reviewer's Choice
Reviews are the sole property of the contributor and are copyrighted by
the same. |
