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Season Three
305 The Gorn Crisis
Stardate 51758.3-51790Veltr'a checks his 96 messages, bringing himself up to date on the attack on the Stephenson, and a diplomatic mission by the Enterprise to the Gorn homeworld. He orders a posthumonous commendation for M'Benga before going to catch up with Kath'lar. "Petersen actually found you?", asks Kath'lar. "That's not how it went."
With Reinhardt, he interviews the prisoners he fought previously - Son'eff and Rimshi. They complain bitterly at having been administered a psi supressant, because their abilities hold a spiritual value for them. Rimshi is a student of a Taoist martial school called Nang Po, with roots in an order of Tibetan Buddhist monks. Horah-Morash asks Lyranna to take on the role of Councillor again, after the death of Tang. She agrees. He also asks her to take on the full duties of first officer, but does not order it. She declines. Loras visits Marenna to discuss matters Andorian. She reveals that she has her own disregard for Andorian culture, and has renounced her Andorian citizenship. Apparently, the villains might move the case to the Andorian legal system in order to settle the case with a duel - which, unlike a dispassionate review of the facts, could go their way.
Three days after Veltra's return, the UFP receives a report from the Enterprise - there has been a coup by a group of militaristic Gorn, and invasion fleets are heading to both Cestus III and Elkauron II. In urgent need of a CMO, Horah-Morash recruits Dr. Mariella Torrelan. An emergency meeting appoints Veltr'a to once again lead the defence of Cestus III. The situation is grim - 325 Gorn ships, the Stephenson has barely been repaired from the terrorist attack, the mainstay of the Federation force are shuttles, and Governor Heart is skeptical about loaning Hammurabi from civillian security to a hopeless cause. Veltr'a asks Kath'lar to help with repairing the Stephenson. Dr. Torrelan reviews the options in her new office and decides to set up (for the third time) a field hospital in a Starfleet vessel. She is surprised when a Betazoid cat comes to her office door and miaows to be let in, and again to be fed. The cat has a Starfleet badge with a name-tag on its back - Iris, owned by Lyranna Stadi. Not knowing that Stadi is Quayne, she activates the badge and gives to cat back to Lyranna.
Veltr'a asks Cmdr. Data for suggestions on the weaknesses of the Gorn. He repeats the cold-bloodedness, and their internal instability. When quizzed further, he suggests that Gorn temperature control systems may be vulnerable to a charged nadion pulse - a modified phaser weapon. Veltr'a sets about making the changes.
Dr. Torrelan hears whirring, and looks up to see Kal Orioli, in the partially assimilated form in which he came back from Wolf 359. Of course, she simply sees a borg. She communicates this to security, and throws a chair out of her office window to create an exit before hanging from the ledge. She is teleported to safety. Security cannot find any trace of the borg, and Loras reviews internal sensors showing her reacting to absolutely nothing. (Not sure about this next bit.) Horah-Morash grants permission to Quayne or Veltr'a to relieve Torrelan of command.
Quayne runs a medical scan on Dr. Torrelan. "I though you said you were half-Vulcan.", she says. "I am". "You're lying ... and you know it." Quayne relieves Torrelan and orders her to report to the Schweitzer Hospital. Instead, the terrified Torrelan stops by her home (where she picks up a recently delivered isolinear chip) to pack before going on the run. By now, she can sense an extra two distinct presences. An apparition of Ashok Quayne appears, and begs to know why she is abandoning her husband. Again, she doesn't recognise the figure. Haunted by these two strangers, she goes to ground in the wilderness, as far away from people as possible.
Veltra's taskforce, including 13 of the Hammurabi, set off for Cestus III to execute his battleplan.
A day or two later, Mariella senses a telepathic message from Kal for Lyranna - that his company is hiding in the Garret Nebula, and a squadron of Dominion scouts are trying a flush them out. But they are close to the Starfleet front line, if a ship could get to them ... Mariella sends an anonymous message to Lyranna, who is overjoyed to pass it on. As the journey continues, she also receives - and ignores - messages from Ashok Quayne, who had been returning to New Lhasa to resolve the marriage with Lyranna.
Cmdr. Data, from the Enterprise still in orbit around the Gorn homeworld, tells Veltr'a his considered advice - that Cestus III cannot be defended, and should be surrenedered.
When the battle is about to commence, half the Gorn fleet breaks off to harass civilian shipping. Loras wants to divide his forces to assist, but Lt. Shar convinces him not to - that the Gorn want him to do that. The civillian shipping - including Ashok's shuttle - send SOS messages, but are destroyed. Mariella stops sensing the presence of Ashok.
The first wave is a qualified success. The shuttles - with their charged nadion pulse and explosive cargoes - disable all but a 25 of this Gorn fleet. These 25 are finished off in more conventional combat, with the Hammurabi flanking the glass-jawed Stephenson.
But when the remaining 200 Gorn ships return, they are prepared for the charged nadion pulse, and are a much tougher obstacle for the depleted Cestine forces. Slowly, the Hammurabi are whittled away, and Loras gives permission for anyone who wants to to abandon ship. (But not, as would have been standard, an all hands abandon ship order.) When only two Hammurabi are left, Horah-Morash countermands Veltr'a and orders a retreat, leaving Veltr'a on the planet to organise resistance.
A few days later, the previous Gorn government is restored by action of the Enterprise crew, and the occupation ended. Although Veltr'a's fleet have not prevented the occupation, they have reduced the strength of the occupying force and hence the brutality of the occupation.
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