Chapter Text
* * *
The starship Gol signaled again one hour to the second after Captain Keller had terminated their previous conversation.
“Hailing a second time, Captain,” Ops advised Glal. “Again, no response.”
“Red alert,” Glal ordered. “All hands to battle-stations.”
“Mister Sabharwal, raise shields and acquire Repulse on our targeting sensors.”
Glal opened a channel in the clear to the other starship. “Repulse, this is Gol. I’d rather not press the issue, but I’m under orders. I have no desire to fire upon and thereby cripple another Starfleet vessel, but you’re not giving me any choice. You have exactly thirty seconds to respond.”
He threw a glance in Jarrod’s direction. “XO, be prepared to utilize Repulse’s command prefix codes to disable her defensive systems if she powers up shields and weapons.”
As his senior officers confirmed his orders, Glal fixed his eyes on the descending numerals on his thirty-second counter.
Glal advised his Tactical officer, “Sabharwal, if this turns into a fight, Repulse outguns us three-to-one. We’ll want to cripple her propulsion first, then her weapons emitters.”
The petty officer at Ops announced, “We appear to have got their attention, sir. They’re signaling.”
* * *
"Gol is hailing again, sir," reported Ha-vatoreii to Vara, seated in the captain's chair. "Shall I respond?"
Vara held up her hand as she called out once more, "Captain Keller, this is the bridge, please respond." He had not responded to her first call, given that she had the conn. The Bolian wiped a stray bit of perspiration from her blue cheek.
Lieutenant Kesshek added, "Commander, Gol is tracking us with their targeting sensors. They will have weapons lock shortly."
Ha-vatoreii's voice rose sharply, "They're giving us thirty seconds to respond or they will open fire!" He played Glal's message over the bridge speakers.
Vara sighed. "Open a channel."
"You're on, sir."
"Gol, this is Lieutenant Commander Vara, chief operations officer. I have the deck, and cannot reach the captain. The XO has been relieved. I am ordering this vessel to divert to your position. As I have no other option but to surrender, I do so willingly. I will not fire on another Starfleet vessel. Please acknowledge." She did her best to keep any timbre of pleading from her voice.
Glal appeared on their forward viewscreen, his expression tight with anger and regret. “Understood, Commander. For what little it’s worth I’m sorry for having to place you in this position. By authority of Commodore Trujillo, you are hereby commanded to take control of Repulse until relieved by myself or one of my officers. You are not to accept any further orders from Captain Keller or Commander T’Rel, is that clear?”
She nodded, relief evident on her face. "Aye, sir," she replied. "Might I ask if those of us among the senior staff should consider ourselves also under arrest?"
“Negative, Commander. Right now it’s limited to your CO and XO, though that could change as our investigation unfolds. However, your cooperation in this situation would be duly noted in any event.”
Vara sighed. "Thank you, sir. If the captain and exec are relieved, then I will need someone to beam aboard to secure the command codes per protocol."
“That’ll be me in about five minutes,” Glal fairly growled. “Inform your crew that I will be coming aboard with a security team. Nobody from your crew complement is to be armed when we arrive. To be clear, I will stun the ever-living shit out of any armed personnel we encounter.”
With widened eyes, Vara nodded mutely twice. "I will pass the word, sir."
From Repulse's helm, Lieutenant (jg) Thalix reported, "Now crossing into Federation space. Closing in on Gol's position, forty seconds to all stop."
Glal took no pleasure from uttering the words, “Repulse, heave to and prepare to be boarded.”
As the transmission closed, Vara keyed open the all-hands circuit and intoned, "All hands, this is Commander Vara. On orders from Commodore Trujillo, Captain Keller is relieved of command. We are coming alongside Gol to receive her captain. Crew is ordered to man the sides and prepare for piping aboard; no weapons, ceremonial or otherwise. That is all."
* * *
As Vara's call sounded over the speakers within his stateroom, Theodore Keller grimaced as T'Rel's prediction came to pass. While checking the ship's position, the computer disconnected his screen just before Repulse closed the distance with Gol. The screen would not render itself as before, simply stating that his access was denied.
A loud and shrill boatswain's whistle sounded over the speakers, along with a young voice intoning ceremoniously, "Attention all hands; Gol, arriving."
Keller began putting his personal effects into an empty duffel bag. The same bag he used when arriving aboard to assume command just over three years prior. Angry at the circumstances he now found himself within, his forcefulness with some of the more fragile items within his collection resulted in damage.
That only served to anger him more.
With his duffel slung over his shoulder, Keller moved to access the hatch and leave. When it snapped open, he was surprised to see three members of ship's security waiting for him; led by one of the ship's chief warrant officers, a Tellarite named Dursh.
Dursh raised his hand. "Sorry, sir. You need to return inside."
Keller frowned. "Stand aside, Mister." He noted none of the three carried any weapons. When none of them moved to clear his path, he pressed, "I said, stand aside. That's an order."
The Tellarite added his frown to Keller's. "My apologies, Captain. We're under orders from the new CO to arrest you to quarters. You will need to go back inside."
"Or else, what?" Keller puffed up his chest. His arms tensed, and his fingers tightened around his bag.
"Captain…" Dursh lowered his gaze downward with a heavy sigh. "Do us both a favor and go back inside. The captain of the Gol will see you shortly."
"I outrank the captain of the Gol, Mister," Keller hotly rejoined. "He doesn't have the authority to tell me where to piss!"
Dursh shook his head. "You leave me no choice." He glanced at the two master-at-arms, one Human male, the other an Andorian female. "Show the captain back inside, please."
Without a single word, both petty officers grabbed Keller at his upper arms and shoved him back inside. As the hatch slide closed, Keller screamed in frustration over the treatment from his own (former) crew.
* * *
Glal and his security team, joined by Leo Verde, materialized in one of Repulse’s transporter rooms. He was surprised to hear the trilling of the boatswain’s pipe just as he discerned the two ranks of officers and personnel lining either bulkhead as an impromptu honor guard.
Caught flat-hooved and despite leading an armed boarding team onto the vessel, Glal was too long in the service to break with tradition, as ridiculous as present circumstances rendered them. “Permission to come aboard?” he asked with no small amount of irony.
Vara stepped forward, "Permission granted, sir." She then nodded to the ensign at the console.
"Attention all hands; Gol, arriving!" said the ensign, calling out over the ship's intercom.
"Welcome aboard, sir," Vara continued, extending her hand. "I surrender the command of Repulse to your authority."
Glal shook her hand firmly. “Thank you, Commander.” He nodded in the direction of a nearby computer access terminal. “If you please.”
The pair took a moment to register the transfer of command code authorities over to Glal, fully terminating those privileges previously entrusted to Captain Keller and Commander T’Rel.
Once that was done, the wizened Tellarite turned again to address her. “Thank you for the welcome, Commander Vara. Please resume command on the bridge while Commander Verde and I have a sit down with Captain Keller.” He gestured to three members of his security detail. “They’ll be taking positions on the bridge to make certain nobody with conflicted loyalties tries to interfere with the provisional chain-of-command.”
She offered a wan smile. "Aye, sir. I've taken the liberty of confining Captain Keller and Commander T'Rel to quarters. Mister Dursh is seeing to it, presently." Vara asked, "By your leave?"
“Good work and carry on, Commander.” Glal looked to Leo and bobbed his head in the direction of the hatch. “Let’s do this,” he muttered distastefully.
Vara ordered, "Crew dismissed!" Then, preceded Glal to return to the bridge.
Leo wordlessly followed Glal through the hatch, until they were on the other side. "What a production," he noted. "My dad would be proud, though."
“She’s scared shitless and I don’t blame her,” Glal groused as they marched side-by-side up the corridor. “Computer, location of Captain Keller’s quarters…”
* * *
Glal paused on the threshold of Keller’s cabin door, nodding to the two unarmed security officers standing watch outside. He unholstered his phaser and handed it grip-first to the older of the two security specialists. “Don’t disappoint me, son.” He then turned to Leo. “Can I have a moment with him, or would you rather go in first and establish the legal lay of the land?”
Leo considered his options. "I don't think anyone would mind if you go in there, captain-to-captain. I'll say I was elsewhere until you called for me. Just remember two things: If you arrest him, I need to be there to offer counsel. And second, you might be called to testify what you said and heard, later. "
“With pleasure,” Glal confirmed.
He nodded to the door and the security man he’d just armed toggled the hatch to open.
Glal stepped through into the cabin beyond.
* * *
“Captain Keller, I’m Commander Glal of the Gol. Under orders from higher authority I’ve taken temporary command of Repulse until relieved by another duly designated officer, or until such time as command is returned to you.”
Keller lounged on the couch within the middle section of the captain's stateroom. If he acknowledged Glal's presence, he made no movement or sound to do so. In his hand he held an old-fashioned glass with a green liquid within. While Glal spoke, he lifted the contents to his lips and let it slide down his throat.
Unfazed by Keller’s silence, Glal continued, “I was prepared to afford you the dignity of leaving Repulse under your command until we’d joined up with the commodore’s squadron, but you chose to ignore me. You seem to be dead set on making a bad situation even worse. Do you mind if I ask why?”
The question hung in the air as Keller decided to respond with another drink from the glass, which resulted in an empty glass. He reached for the bottle on the table nearby and poured more for himself, but did not offer anything to Glal. Without so much as a raised glass, Keller drank more as though he remained alone.
“So be it,” Glal said. “The right to remain silent is one of your guarantees.” He walked over and triggered the hatch to open, ushering Leo inside.
“I am not going to arrest you for the attack on the Gorn outpost, seeing as that matter is still very much under investigation. I am, however, placing you under arrest for failure to follow a lawful order of a superior officer, that being Commodore Nandi Trujillo. Further charges may be forthcoming.”
Glal gestured towards the mute Keller as he looked at Leo. “He’s all yours, Counselor.”
As soon as Leo came into view, Keller launched from his couch, spilling his drink as it sloshed around within the glass. "Get him the fuck out of here," he ordered, seething with fury.
Leo raised a hand. "He can't arrest you without offering counsel, Captain. You have rights."
"I don't give a damn about rights!" Keller boomed at Leo. "This is your revenge for beaching you, isn't it? Well, I got news for you, Commander Verde; you stepped over the line on the bridge of my ship. You were one hair away from mutiny, as far as I'm concerned. You should have been court-martialed out of the service and sent to a penal colony!"
Leo sighed. "Sir-"
Keller finally addressed Glal. "Did he ever tell you? He was hot shit in the Border Service. On track for command of his own someday. Make his father proud… a real officer, by the way, Admiral Rey Verde. Served with Hikaru Sulu and Pavel Chekov during the Gorn War. And this snot-nosed fortunate son with privilege tries to tell me I'm treating his friends poorly. Stuck up know-nothing legacy ingrate!"
Glal interposed himself between the men, facing down Keller. “It’s clear there’s bad blood here, Captain. Be advised, Commander Verde was selected for this assignment, he did not volunteer. He is also the person best suited to defend you, so you just might want to consider putting that ego in check long enough to weigh the best interests of your career.”
"Oh, so now you care about my career?" Keller snorted and laughed at the idea. In a slurring tone, he accused, "You both are just… so fucking full of yourselves, aren't you?"
"Captain!" Leo called. "That's enough!" He approached Keller and removed the glass from the older man's hand. A mere whiff of the captain's general odor made Leo blanch. "He's drunk as hell, Skip."
“Then I’ll leave him to you, Commander. I’ve had my fill.”
Glal headed for the doors, convinced that remaining in the vicinity of the toxic Keller any longer would see himself brought up on charges of assault.
* * *