Star Traks: Banshee "Section Thirty-One" By Brad Dusen USS Gorgon Galaxy-Class Captain Velorn sat in his command chair in the center of the tactical railing. "Status report." He said as he stood up and performed the 'Picard Maneuver.' "We're deep inside Cardassian space. Our cloaking device is experiencing a slight imbalance, but other than that, all systems are in normal operating parameters." Operations officer Lieutenant Jennifer Dawson said. "Have Commander Paulson adjust the cloak so that we can't be detected." Velorn said as he scratched an itch on his Vulcan ears. "That might be too late." Tactical officer Gary Harris reported from the back of the bridge. "Three Galor-Class Cardassian warships are on an intercept course for us. They will arrive here in five minutes." "Can we get the cloak operational in that time period?" Velorn asked, an illogical sound of fear echoing in his voice. "Negative, but we may be able to outrun them." Harris said. "True, however the nearest ship that can offer help is too far away. The only logical thing to do is hope that this is simply a rendezvous point for Cardassian ships." "Captain, with all due respect, that isn't logic, it's wishful thinking." Dawson said. Velorn sat down. "Very well." He turned back to Harris. "Commander Harris, red alert. Load quantum torpedoes. Bring the Defiant-Class phaser bank on line and charge standard phasers to maximum." "Aye sir." Harris said. "We're going to get out of this." Velorn said confidently. USS Banshee One Sector Away "Sir, we're getting a distress call from the USS Gorgon." Vince said from tactical. "The Gorgon?" Captain Vorezze stood up from his chair. "Is it a Galaxy-Class ship, Commander?" "Yes, sir." Vince said. "I thought it was destroyed at Wolf 359." Jad was confused. "That's what the computer said." Vince responded. "In fact, it fought alongside the Akira-Class Banshee, which was also destroyed in that battle." "Computer, what is the registry number of the Gorgon?" "NCC-71987." The computer responded. "And what is the registry number of the ship in this distress call?" "NCC-71987." "The same ship." Jad said. "Commander Rachow, plot an inter- cept course. Maximum warp." "Sir, isn't there a Federation-wide speed limit on warp drives?" Ben asked. "If the Banshee didn't have an enviromentally friendly warp drive, I'd say 'screw the speed limit!' Now engage!" "Yes sir." Ben turned and hit the engage button. A short amount of time passed and the Banshee came up upon the location of three Galor-Class Cardassian ships, firing into open space. Then a phaser beam shot out of nowhere, hitting one of the two. "What the..?" Jad shot up. "Where did that beam come from?" Two more beams ripped from the darkness. "Captain, look at this." Liz called from science. She switched the viewer to a diagram of where the phasers came from. "Judging by where these beams came from, they match the phaser arrays of a Galaxy-Class vessel." "The Gorgon?" Jad was REALLY confused. The Banshee suddenly shook. "The Cardassians are opening fire!!" Vince screamed. The Banshee had sustained a direct hit without shields up. "Return fire! Quantum torpedoes and phasers to maximum!" Jad bellowed over alarms. The Banshee flung forward phasers and torpedoes, unleashing all the power the Sovereign-Class had. The first Cardassian ship spun out of control after the torpedo impact, crashing into another and exploding. The last one retreated. Velorn looked up at the viewer on the bridge of the Gorgon. "Report." He said. "A Sovereign-Class Federation starship. Registry number NCC-9561-C." Harris reported. "The USS Banshee." Velorn looked at his helm officer, Lieutenant Inisil, a female Bolian. "Can you get us out of here without the Banshee noticing?" "I can try." Inisil said. She quickly moved her hands over the helm console. "I am detecting what could be a slight deuterium trail, possibly a puncture in the hull of the Gorgon." Vince said. "We might want to follow it." "Gee, whatever would possess you to say that." Jad said unenthusiastically. "Of course follow it. Send a general message out." "Ready, sir." Vince said. "This is the Federation starship Banshee to the unidentified vessel in front of us. Identify yourself." Jad said definitively. "This is the Federation starship Banshee to the unidentified vessel in front of us. Identify yourself." The voice rang on the Gorgon's bridge. "Ignore them." Velorn said. "Just keep going. Bridge to Paulson, how long until we can get warp power back?" "I don't know." Paulson said over the comm. "The Cardassians hit us in the deuterium tank. It will take us at least an hour to seal the breach, and that will require us to decloak." Velorn felt the sudden need to swear, but the fact that he was a Vulcan made him restrain from doing so. It was then that he regretted not completing his emotional purging when he was younger. "Just keep going. Full impluse!" "Yes sir!" Inisil said. "No response, sir." Vince said. "Oh no!" Jad said. "No one ignores me. Bring phasers to half power and prepare to fire." "Why is he taking this so hard?" Charlotte whispered to Dan. "It's not like we don't ignore him most of the time." Dan shrugged. "Fire!" Jad orderd. The Banshee threw out a beam of red light, causing the space around it to ripple, forming the image of a Galaxy-Class starship. "Umm, was that a good idea?" Vince asked. "That is still a Galaxy-Class starship, and Galaxy-Class ships are still among the most powerful in Starfleet." "Good point, commander." Jad sat back down, then paused. "Did I just say that?" "Yes sir." Charlotte responded. "I'm afraid so." "I gotta stop encouraging you people." Jad shook his head. "We're being hailed." Vince reported. "On screen." Jad stood up. The image of a Vulcan standing on a type II Galaxy-Class bridge, the one with the side stations and subdued lightning, appeared. "I'm Captain Velorn of the starship Gorgon." Velorn said. "Jad Vorezze of the USS Banshee. May I ask what the hell a Federation starship is doing deep in Cardassian space with a cloaking device? Are you trying to start a war!?" It was then that Jad noticed that Velorn wore a different uniform. His was just like Jad's, but his turtleneck was black and his shoulders were black leather. "I think I need to explain a few things to you." Velorn said. "May I beam aboard?" "Certainly." Jad said. "Mr. DiSanto, lower..." Before Jad could finish, Velorn appeared on the Banshee's bridge. "Whoa!" Jad said. "How'd you do that?" "The Gorgon can beam things through shields." Velorn explained. "Bitchin'." Jad smiled as he led the way into the observation lounge. "We are a ship of Starfleet's Section Thirty-One." Velorn explained. "We have been ever since Wolf 359." "What the hell is Section Thirty-One?" Jad asked in a confused manner. "Think of us as the Federation's Men-In-Black. We deal with problems in ways that the law will not allow. We have cloaking devices, for instance." Jad's jaw dropped open. "You're serious, aren't you?" "I'm a Vulcan." Velorn said. "I'm always serious." "Good point." Jad nodded. "Now," Velorn stood up. "Since I have told you all of this, I'm going to have to kill you." He pulled out a phaser. "Hey!" Jad backed off. "Wouldn't it have been less violent to tell me 'I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you' BEFORE spilling your guts?" "My guts are still in place." Velorn said emotionlessly, something that was starting to get on Jad's nerves. "I meant, wouldn't it be better to tell me that you would have to kill me if you told me anything BEFORE telling me about Section Thirty-One?" Velorn paused. "You raise a good point, captain." Jad sighed with relief. "I shall take that into consideration the next time I am in this situation." "DAN!" Jad bellowed. His chief of security rushed in and pointed a phaser at Velorn. "Now who's laughing." "I'm a Vulcan." Velorn said sternly. "I DON'T laugh. But I do have a possible solution to this stalemate." "I'm listening." Jad said, hoping he soon wouldn't be vaporizing. "The Banshee is to follow us to Section Thirty-One base beta47. There, we shall have the head of our starfleet figure out what to do." "Who's the head of your starfleet?" Jad asked. "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you." Velorn said. "At least you listened to me." Jad patted Velorn on the shoulder before heading back onto the bridge. "Captain's log, stardate 51204.2: The Banshee has arrived at a Starbase belonging to Starfleet's Section Thirty-One. Though we are not sure what to find here, I am certain that we will at least find some answers. No I'm not." Captain Vorezze was led through a series of corridors which were identical to those of an Intrepid-Class starship. He finally reached an office. The doors slid open to reveal someone who Jad knew sitting at the desk. "Hello Newman!" Jad said. "Why am I not surprised to see you?" Newman asked. "Attacking a Section Thirty-One starship. My my, what a mess." "Wait, YOU'RE the head of Section Thirty-One's starfleet?" "Yes." Newman nodded. "But I also work as a Starfleet admiral." "Swell." Jad said. Newman paused. "This may sound like an odd request, especially since I'm saying this to you." "What?" "I want the Banshee to join Section Thirty-One." Newman said. "WHAT!?" Jad screamed. "Look." Newman said. "Starfleet has enough Sovereign-Class starships. The most powerful ship we have is the Gorgon. We could use the Banshee. And you." "Me?" Jad said. "Him?" Velorn said from behind him. "Captain Velorn, I know how much of a pride it must have been to be the head of Section Thirty-One's starfleet, but we can use some new officers and a new ship." Newman explained. "And besides, they've seen the starbase, they've seen our ships, and we don't have any doctors capable of doing mind-wipes." "But who's going to teach him!?" Velorn protested. "Well you seem to be volunteering for the job." Newman smiled evilly. "But the Gorgon..." Velorn stuttered. "Will need to be in spacedock a month to patch the hull breach. And your first officer is more than capable of handling the command." Velorn's face was turning red. "You're sudden burst of emotion is highly illogical." Jad smiled. "So how about it?" Newman asked. "Will you join Section Thirty-One?" "Well..." Jad paused. "Before you make your decision, know this: you must sever all outside contact with your past life. The only people you can have contact with outside the Banshee will be other Section Thirty- One officers." "In which case, perhaps I should go over this with my staff." Jad said. "Take all the time you need." Newman said. "WHAT!?" Charlotte screamed as she paced the observation lounge. "This is an incredible opportunity, Commander." Jad said. "And in case you havn't noticed, in normal Starfleet, there aren't many opportunities like this." "But your asking us to sever our lives. Our friends and family!" Liz said. "Doctor, if I recall correctly, you hate your family, all your friends are on the Banshee and you have no life outside of Starfleet. Correct?" Jad asked. "Okay, so you might be right. But cut off all outside contact!?" "You will have full contact with Section Thirty-One ships, bases and planets. They even have a planet similar to Risa that we can go to." Jad explained, attempting to calm them down. "And you will all get to go to Earth and wrap things up and take your possessions back here." "And if we don't want to?" Liz asked. "Then the Banshee goes without you. You will be given a memory wipe and placed in an escape pod after the changing. The choice has been made. Who is with me?" The crew fell silent. "I am!" Vince raised his hand. "I wonder why." Ben said. "I guess I'm in. Someone's gotta insult him, after all." "Me too." Carn said. "Count me in." Axik smiled. "All right." Dave said. "Okay." Brian agreed. "I guess." Emily said. "I'm in." Charlotte said. "Is it too late to back out?" Vince asked. "Yes." Jad said. Everyone looked at Liz. "Well?" Liz sighed. "Someone's gotta keep you guys in line." She smiled. "Captain's log, stardate 51219.8: I have returned from Betazed and the rest of the crew has also returned from their respective homeworlds. Any doubt of leaving my past life behind was quickly dispersed after spending the week at my parents house. Considering that these people make George's parents on Seinfeld look timid, I'm looking forward to the peace and quiet of the Banshee, even if I do have Commander Rachow pumping Metallica music from his quarters on the deck directly above mine. We are now planning on how to fake our destruction before heading to spacedock for illegal upgrades." "The closest ship in range to report the Banshee's destruction would be the USS Secondprize, Excelsior-Class." Newman pointed to the Banshee's viewscreen. It suddenly turned back into a wall. "Hey!" "Heh heh heh." Ben snickered as he turned the viewer back on. "Anyway. The Banshee was supposed to patrol the border with the Secondprize, anyway, so this fits in perfectly." "How?" Jad asked. "We have hijacked a Dominion battle cruiser that had just been completed when the Federation attacked the Dominion Spacedocks at the beginning of the war." Newman said. "That battle cruiser will attack the Banshee and the Secondprize. You will order the Secondprize to find help, and Captain Rydell probably won't realize that they could do that with a distress beacon. As the Secondprize warps away, they will detect a large explosion, which will be an detonated anti- matter pod, but will seem like, from that distance, a warp core breach. At that same moment, the Banshee will use the newly installed Federation cloaking device and the Dominion ship will release enough debris to be both the Banshee and the Dominion ship." Newman explained. "And Rydell reports that the Banshee was destroyed and took the Dominion ship with it, when both ships really just cloaked." Jad nodded. "That's the plan." Newman said. "After that, the Banshee comes back here and gets a full overhaul, including three Defiant- Class phaser banks and a third torpedo launcher." "Bitchin'!" Jad smiled. "Captain's log, supplemental: We have rendezvoused with the USS Secondprize for a routine patrol of the Dominion border. Though the crew of the Secondprize does not know that we have planned a Dominion attack, we have choreographed this encounter perfectly." "So you've just given up?" Rydell was somewhat horrified. "Yeah." Vince shrugged as he sat in Seven Backward, the lounge on the Secondprize. "I figured that if there's any woman out there for me, she'll find me." "I'll bet." Rydell looked at Vince suspiciously. "Red alert!" Commander Travis Dillon called from the bridge. "Captain, get your ass up here!" "It was nice talking to you." Vince shook Rydell's hand. "Uh huh." Rydell smirked. "It is a large Dominion battle cruiser." Axik reported on the Banshee's bridge. "Hail them." Jad said. "I want to confer with Velorn." "No response." Axik said. "They're most likely maintaining radio silence so the Secondprize doesn't get suspicious." Vince walked over to his station from the turbolift. "Signal the Secondprize. Tell them to go and find help." Jad said. "They say that they're more than happy to get the hell out of here." Axik read off her display. "How nice." Jad began to concentrate his psychic energy. USS Secondprize Bridge Rydell walked onto the bridge, then felt something odd coming over him. He suddenly ran forward and rammed his center into the tactical railing. USS Banshee "I'm satasfied." Jad smiled. Then the Banshee shook. "We've been fired on." Vince said. "Full power." "Signal the ship. Ask what the big idea is." Jad said. "There's another Dominion ship, this one's decloaking." Vince said. "You mean?" Jad looked at the viewer. "Vince, open fire, all weapons!" The Banshee ripped into the original Dominion ship, tearing it apart and banishing it to a blaze of fire. "Sir, this is the correct ship. We're being hailed by Velorn." The disgruntled Vulcan appeared on the viewer. "Sorry about that, Captain." Velorn said. "That's all right. You just strengthened my opinion that Vulcans have more flaws than they let on." Velorn gritted his teeth. "Yes, sir. Are you ready?" "Fire away." Jad sat back down. USS Secondprize "Captain, I've just detected a large explosion." Hawkings looked up with horror. "The Banshee and the Dominion ship were destroyed." "Better them than us." Rydell shrugged. "Inform Starfleet." USS Banshee One Week Later "Our plan worked perfectly." Jad said as he paced the observation lounge. "Everyone thinks we're dead." "So what now?" Charlotte asked. "We now have Captain Velorn on our crew." Jad motioned to his 'first and a half officer.' "While I am still the captain of this ship, it is his job to educate us on Section Thirty-One policy. But our mission is now very different." "How?" Vince was, as always, confused. "We are now above the law." Jad said. "We answer to no one. We are to lead the Section Thirty-One fleet against everything that Starfleet and the Federation doesn't want to handle and doens't want to know about. And finally, we get this really bitchin' leather uniforms." Jad adjusted the uniform top. "And on a personal note, though I never thought I'd ever say this, I'm proud of you. You gave up your lives and I will make sure you do not regret that. Dismissed." As the senior staff filed out, Jad knew he had a promis to keep. But of all the things he was certain of as the Banshee sat in the spacedock, was that things would never be the same again. He would be right. A new voyage begins...