Chapter Text
Captain's log, USS Intrepid
Stardate 54114.0
Our classified diplomatic visit to the Gambis home world has taken a turn for the worse. My chief engineer, Lieutenant Cal Benjamin, is being held hostage in retaliation for his inadvertent damage to their nursery. I've documented the circumstances and exact details of this incident in a separate report
From my prior contact with them I know that the Gambis take offense easily. I'd therefore like to note that every precaution was taken during our mission to avoid creating a diplomatic SNAFU. I made sure that my away team was thoroughly briefed on all data from our first contact. They took pains to observe proper cultural etiquette and adhere to all social norms specific to Gambis society.
I must reluctantly say for the record that the accident at the nursery was due to Lieutenant Benjamin overtly disregarding my orders from the mission briefing and acting of his own accord.
His good intentions not withstanding, this incident has damaged relations with the Gambis to the extent that our progress here is on the verge of unraveling. To say nothing of Benjamin's safety.
If our mission here fails and this species becomes distrustful of the Federation, it could create friction with their nearest neighbors, the Velk, who are deeply invested in Federation aid to rebuild their own world. If these two powers become adversaries, the hoped for stability in this sector would be jeopardized. This is a real threat if the Velk support us and the Gambis do not.
Since it was I who first made contact here in the Gamma Quadrant a year ago, I'm the defacto 'expert' on their culture. This means there are no social models on this society for me to access for guidance-----no protocols to look up other than the precious few already known to me. And Starfleet is several days away by subspace radio.
After making repeated attempts to resolve the issue through negotiation, the Gambis Elder has finally extended an offer to talk. He has made it clear that as the 'head of my family'; I'm to undergo a trial of some sort to win back his confidence. The details were purposely left vague.
Within the hour, I'll transport to the surface alone to complete talks with the Elder and verify that Lieutenant Benjamin is unharmed. Afterward, I'll be allowed two officers to join me.
*****
Captain Jason Aubrey stared into the abyss. He shifted his feet on the gravely precipice, sending a loose rain of pebbles over the edge. Below him, two hundred and forty three meters straight down, lay a ruined and broken landscape. It was a sea of rocks, rendered harshly by the light of a bloated red sun.
For an instant, as Aubrey looked out over the empty space beneath him, he felt the sickly embrace of vertigo. He concentrated on holding the disorientation at bay, before his faltering balance could send him tumbling into a lethal fall.
It was a childhood memory that tethered him to the ground once more. It had surfaced from nowhere, as most of his newly restored memories so often did these days. He recalled one of the countless incidents in which his best friend had talked him into mischief. His father had admonished him for his bad judgment with that time-honored analogy: Well, if your friend Jeff jumped off a cliff, would you jump off a cliff too?
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
The two Starfleet officers, who stood a dozen or so meters behind him, didn't share his amusement.
Lieutenant Commander Adol, an Andorian man, valued his commanding officer's safety more than his own. He kept leaning in the captain's direction, his mouth set in a tight grimace. He looked very much like a boxer who was eager to leave his corner and begin pummeling someone.
The other, Commander Shantok, was an attractive Vulcan woman who was having a devil of a time containing her emotional Betazoid half-----although this was a struggle she advertised to no one.
"Commander," Adol groused under his breath, "we can't permit this. It's too much. It's too much." He took a hesitant step forward, then backed into place again. "Do they really expect him to die over this?"
Shantok considered the stony ground at her feet and weighed the options before her. The captain had already agreed to the trial, so she could easily make things worse by trying a last ditch effort to talk the Gambis out of this. Her attempt may not sit well with Aubrey either. But finally, she decided that the endeavor would be worth the risk. It could very well save the captain's life.
She looked out over the assembly of beings that surrounded them. All five creatures sat atop stone pedestals set in a half circle. The Gambis were bipeds, but a meter taller, and a several kilograms heavier than the average humanoid. Their large reptilian wings were crossed behind their backs in a gesture that equated to a human folding his arms over his chest. Horns and claws adorned much of their rough, dark hide.Cat-like eyes peered from beneath heavy brows. Had these beings arrived on Earth a thousand years ago, they would have easily been taken for mythical gargoyles.
She moved slowly away from Adol, taking carefully measured strides towards the gathering. She stopped just close enough to suggest assertiveness, but just far enough away to impart a veneer of respect.
"Honored Father, we have concerns." She was careful to address her remarks to the elder Gambis, who occupied the pedestal directly in front of her. As head of the family, he was always first to be addressed and his decisions, once made, were uncontestable.
His dispassionate stare wasn't inviting, but neither did it forbid her from speaking.
"You have said that this action will restore your trust, if carried out honestly and in good faith. You have also given your word that our captain will not be harmed." For emphasis, she inclined her head over her shoulder in Aubrey's direction. "Yet, there is no logical way that we can see for him to avoid death once he steps from the ledge. Can you tell us how you will ensure his survival?"
The elder Gambis said nothing in response at first. Then, he slowly raised a clawed hand in the air and drew it horizontally in front of his chest. He responded in a rumbling baritone. "There will be trust in what I have imparted, or there will be no trust in what I have imparted."
Shantok tilted her head respectfully, as if in full agreement with the ambiguous remark. "I understand the meaning of this trial. It will re-affirm the captain's integrity, and therefore the Federation's integrity, in your eyes. However, revealing the means of his rescue won't diminish the significance of his actions. In fact, it will only strengthen our own trust in you. Trust is something that both parties must earn."
From his vantage point, Aubrey turned in time to see Shantok speaking to the Elder. He couldn't make out what she was saying, but she was no doubt either trying to talk them out of this ritual, or demanding proof that he wouldn't be harmed. Or both.
Pointless and risky, no matter how you saw it. He had himself tried every argument in the book and all of it had fallen on deaf ears.
But moments later, he became alarmed at the sudden change in the assembly's body language. Even from a distance it was becoming apparent that Shantok had already progressed into shallow water. The elder had spread his pterodactyl-like wings to a half open position; a gesture that Aubrey knew signified offense.
He slapped his combadge. "Commander," he whispered urgently. "Back off, that's an order. I already-----"
But the Elder's bellow reverberated like a thunderclap.
"You must give your trust again to us?" He stormed at her. "It was your family that committed the betrayal! Your family that caused harm to my clan!" To the Gambis, the family structure was paramount. It defined their entire social-political make up. Therefore, they interpreted all hierarchies they encountered in the same manner.
"It is not your place to demand from us!" The elder Gambis was now standing fully erect, his wings stretching outward like an immense bat. "You can ask for nothing!"
Adol sprinted towards her, cursing the absence of his phaser. All of the imposing aliens were now rising to full height, their heavy wings rustling open.
The Andorian stooped low and snatched a large rock from the ground without breaking his stride. Almost in the same movement, he hit his combadge. "Adol to Intrepid! Stand by for emergency beam-out!"
"Intrepid, belay that order." Aubrey interjected over the communicator. "Mr. Adol, Commander, stand down and return to your positions."
The security chief came to a skidding halt at the sound of his captain's confident voice. He reluctantly dropped his makeshift weapon, but only after satisfying himself that the first officer was not in immediate harm.
Shantok uttered some amiable words of apology to sooth the Gambis' frayed tempers before walking back to join Adol.
Her effort was moderately successful. The creatures huffed and growled and continued to unfurl and close their wings in agitation-----but the situation was now simmering rather than boiling.
Walking beside her, Adol heeded the call to sarcasm.
"Well, I can see why the Federation council wants a relationship with the Gambis. They're so peaceful and open-minded."
Her comeback was so immediate it caught him unprepared. "I seem to recall that the Vulcan High Command once made the same observation about the Andorians."
They walked near the edge of the cliff upon which Aubrey stood.
She began making her case at once. "Captain, with more time I'm certain we can-----"
He raised his hand gently. "Commander, I appreciate your efforts on my behalf. But I've already explored all the options. This is the only way to regain their faith and free Lieutenant Benjamin." He took in a deliberate breath, and looked out over the great vista. "Unfortunately, this is all we have. So I'm ordering both of you not to pursue it any further."
Stepping back to the ledge, he removed his combadge and tossed it to Adol. Once he jumped, there would be no rescue from the ship without his communicator. Nor had their scans revealed any power sources between him and the ground. There were no tractor beams, anti-grav fields, transporters, or force fields-----nothing at all to slow his decent once he left his perch. He would live or die entirely upon the word of the Gambis.
It was, quite literally, a leap of faith.
Adol considered tackling him before he could jump. Instead he decided on reason as a blunt instrument. (Even if he had to stretch the facts to suite his objective.) "Captain, the universal translator has trouble with the Gambis language. And they use a lot of metaphors in their speech. How do you know you're not interpreting what they're saying too literally? You could die over nothing more than a miscommunication!"
Commander Shantok raised an eyebrow just slightly, favoring the security officer with a look of approval. She seemed to be saying, nicely done.
"They were pretty direct on this point. So I sincerely doubt it." Aubrey replied, almost sounding apologetic.
He turned and took a telling step forward.
At this point, Shantok decided to dispense with subtly and debate. She simply would not stand by and watch her commanding officer commit suicide.
"Captain, I can't allow this. It's an unacceptable risk and indicates to me that your reasoning may be in question." She tensed, ready to spring forward like a cat. "If you don't abandon this course, I'll be forced to relive you on those grounds."
"Sorry." He stated with finality.
And with that, he pivoted and leaped out into the void before him.
The Vulcan woman was strong and fast-----but not fast enough. Even as she dove forward, Aubrey had already escaped her outstretched hand. She felt her fingertips brush the fabric of his pant leg just before she hit the gravel in a skid.
And then he was gone.
The fall itself wasn't so bad. Aubrey used to enjoy high altitude air diving, where a person falls from a strato-car or hovercraft only to halt their decent with an anti-grav harness, just a few hundred meters short of the ground.
This was different of course. He was just high enough to see the ground rushing to meet him and the fall was just long enough that one could contemplate the unhappy conclusion to the journey.
At the halfway point, he realized that Adol's hasty excuse to keep him from leaping might have been correct after all. Perhaps he really had just extinguished himself by misunderstanding a metaphor.
His mind shut down in anticipation, seeking the comfort of shock.
And because of shock, Aubrey never saw the blur from overhead. He failed to hear the leathery beating of large wings. He didn't feel the talons clamp around his forearms. He was oblivious to his body being pulled taught, like a piece of rubber, before bouncing high into the air.
At some point he came to and thought he was still falling.
Wow, this is taking forever, he mused drunkenly.
As his senses returned, he became aware of painful pressure in his shoulders, and realized that he was now hanging from something that had him in a vice-like grip. It soon became apparent that a Gambis was holding him aloft, speeding him through the air and back up to the towering spire he had descended from. It occurred to him that this was what a squirrel must feel like when captured by a hawk.
Aubrey was lowered to the rocky plateau with a controlled gentleness, before the creature touched down next to him.
Adol and Shantok were at his side immediately. The security chief stole a moment to spread his withering glare over the assembled aliens, before tending to his captain.
"Sir, are you all right?" He queried.
The captain nodded stiffly, and then sat up. "I think so. Just a little shaky."
"You should return to the ship at once." Shantok said stiffly.
The Gambis who had affected the rescue spoke. Shantok noticed its voice was attuned to a higher pitch than the others. Also, it had a smaller build. She concluded it was female, perhaps the Mother of the family. She must have remained hidden in one of the many caves that honeycombed the tower, only to emerge at the last moment.
"Captain Aubrey, we return our trust to you." Standing beside him, she stretched her wings vertically over her head then folded them behind her back once more. The rest of her family followed suit, repeating her gesture exactly.
Aubrey got to his feet, testing each trembling leg before putting his full weight on it. He dusted himself off while speaking to the Elder. "Then I respectfully ask that my officer be returned."
"And so he shall." The elder replied.
Before them, one of the many rocky outcropping that littered the plateau began to shimmer and become indistinct. When the holographic image disappeared, Lieutenant Cal Benjamin was revealed in its place.
The young man was smudgy and disheveled, but otherwise looked no worse for the wear. He shuffled towards them like a criminal who had just been extradited to his home world.
Adol did a superficial evaluation of his health after Benjamin stood among them.
"No damage that I can see with the tricorder." He reported.
Aubrey dipped his chin in acknowledgement. "Thank you." He said. Stepping in front of the young engineer, he placed a hand on his arm. "Are you sure you're not hurt?"
Benjamin's sorrowful eyes roamed everywhere, evading his commanding officer's face. "Yeah, I'm ok." He replied in a low tremor. "I got a little scratched, but mostly..." his voice trailed off when he became aware that Aubrey's hand was not upon his arm to offer solace. He winced at the tight grip.
"Good," the captain said. "then listen closely."
Knowing that he was expected to look up, Benjamin willed his face to rise.
With a frigid smile, the captain continued. "Once you've checked in at sickbay and been debriefed, you're confined to quarters for the remainder of this assignment. And I'm placing a level three reprimand in your file."
"Aye, sir." Benjamin whispered.
"You came very close to derailing the Federation's efforts in this sector. Rest assured, you and I will be discussing that subject at great length."
"Captain."
Aubrey realized Shantok had been trying to get his attention. The elder Gambis had glided from his platform and was now walking towards them, moving in that oddly comical shuffle-hop that was reminiscent of a bird.
"We are pleased that you have mended the rift between our families." The Elder rumbled. "We look forward to the day long Festival of Reconciliation aboard your star-craft."
Four sets of eyebrows went up.
"Festival?" The captain ventured cautiously. "On our ship?"
"Yes." Our two families will now celebrate our new kinship." He spread his wings vertically in the air. "We are now one family."
"It would be a great honor for us to celebrate here," He countered, making a wide gesture that encompassed the rocky plateau. "On the surface of your beautiful world."
The Gambis brought his wings to a half folded position. He cocked his head to one side. "You have seen our world. We have not seen yours."
Aubrey kept his eyes on the creature's half folded wings-----body language that foreshadowed more trouble. He decided to concede, hoping it wouldn't be perceived as weakness. "Then we are honored to have you aboard. Of course."
"Stay with us for a short time, Father, while your family attends to the details aboard your star-craft."
Was there a just hint of mischief in the Elder's eyes, or had the captain only imagined it?
A few minutes later, the officers stood alone, as the Elder had returned to the assembly to give the captain time to confer with his crew.
"We have a problem." He said at once.
"I concur." Shantok added. "We're due to rendezvous with the diplomatic convoy in three days. This function will put us too far behind schedule to participate."
Adol rubbed his chin. "I don't understand. This festival we're supposed to host is only for a day, right? We're only a few light years from the Velk home world. I don't see a problem with the time table."
Aubrey was bemused. "A Gambis day, Mr. Adol. Not a Federation standard day."
"And a Gambis day lasts 78.4 hours." Shantok supplied.
The Andorian grinned as a new thought surfaced. "Well, it at least we have a great excuse to not participate in that diplomatic procession. It would have been a waste of our time anyway." He stopped and shrugged at Aubrey. "In my opinion, sir."
"Considering how particular Admiral Jellico is, it's likely that he'll pick another ship to replace us."
"Six ships to do the work of one. It's a waste of personnel and resources." Adol scoffed.
"The Federation Council considers the gesture an important one-----to demonstrate our commitment to the hostile governments in this sector." Shantok lectured.
Aubrey looked back at the Gambis assembly, who were now gathering on the ground, making exited snorts and growls. "As much as I'm enjoying this compelling dialogue, I need both of you to return to the ship and begin making arrangements for our guests."
Shantok gave Adol a visual cue that she wished a moment alone with the captain. In silent understanding, he collected the sullen engineer and made a smooth exit. After they had left, she stood without speaking, observing Aubrey as though she were no longer sure of his identity.
"I take it, Commander, that you're about to express your dissatisfaction."
One look at her face told him that he had misjudged her mood. Shantok was not merely exasperated with him; she was in a state that for a Vulcan was close to fury.
"I have served with you for some time. She began coldly. "I have great respect for what you have accomplished as a starship commander. I know that on occasion, you've made decisions that could have ended your career or caused great harm to others. However, I've always supported you because invariably, your decisions turn out to be correct."
"I appreciate that. I know that-----"
"Lately, your actions have forced me to re-evaluate that opinion."
He blinked in surprise. "Oh?"
"I will be recording a formal protest in my log regarding your decision to follow the demands of the Gambis. It was a needless, unconscionable risk."
His blue eyes cooled. "I believed otherwise. Every risk I take is a calculated one, Commander."
"I know that is what you believe."
"No," he corrected. "That's what I know. I explored other options first. I told you that already."
Shantok was certain that Aubrey had tried other options. There was no doubt that he had tried to talk the Gambis out of their bizarre test.
But just how hard had he tried?
Since the end of the Dominion War, she had noticed a deviation in his behavior. Lately, too many situations like this had arisen-----scenarios where Aubrey was mysteriously required to place his life in grave danger to either complete a mission or save the ship. Officially, there were always good reasons to support his actions-----at least, they were good reasons to anyone who didn't know the captain as she did.
She didn't think it was a martyr complex or self-loathing. This was something more complex, a concept whose identity lay just out of her reach.
She had mind melded with him twice in the last few years. Each time, she had tread carefully to avoid violating his privacy. But during those experiences, she sensed that he was guarding a secret that was weighing heavily on him. It was a dark knowledge that he believed he had long ago come to terms with. Like most humans, he had obviously made the mistake of too hastily dismissing something without properly reconciling it. Because of this, the pain was all but invisible to him now-----lurking in plain sight, driving him to seek out personal hazards.
These thoughts cycled through her mind in the span of two seconds.
"My intention was to express my concerns to you. If I may be dismissed, I'll return to the ship and communicate our delay to Admiral Jellico." She was cool and aloof.
Aubrey wanted to pursue the subject. He was uneasy at Shantok's displeasure. They had had disagreements before, but their working relationship had always benefited in the end.
Not this time. Damage had been done here today. How much, and how permanent, he would soon find out. But as always, he was forced to put off the discussion because of time constraints.
"Very well, Commander. We'll table this for now. But I'd like the opportunity to follow up on your concerns."
She nodded, offering no commitments.
He watched her back recede away, as she walked off to join Adol and Benjamin at the beam down sight.
He considered her waning trust in him. He thought about his impulsive engineer who had just tarnished a brilliant career. Then there was his security chief who, it seemed, was becoming more bitter and cynical every day.
The Gambis think of us as a family, he thought wryly. If so, we're quickly becoming a dysfunctional one.
The attempt at gallows humor fell flat. He straightened his uniform and moved away from his crew, once again embracing the unknown by himself.
*****