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The Mestral is stunned, but not for long.

Rav implores that he only wants her “safe” (which the Mestral quite aptly reads as “tame”). He claims he’s trying to protect her from the factions trying to assassinate and usurp her. But the Mestral sees right though his ploy-He’s working for one of the other factions, and they’re trying to use her own feelings of love and loyalty to cloud her judgment. And she can play the same game: Having directly threatened her, Rav must be arrested and tried, and the only way for him to escape sentence is to kill her. Which she knows he won’t do, because he loves her.

The Mestral covertly opens an audio channel to the Enterprise, and, by cleverly rephrasing an exposition recap into a challenge (“You used that phaser on Venant, Rav, but you won’t use it on me…So you may as well put it away”), she manipulates Rav into revealing his plan to the Enterprise crew. He knows he can’t shoot her and that she won’t back down, so he and his co-conspirators are planning to kidnap her and bring her back to Eldalis where she’ll be “mentally reprogrammed”, brainwashed into becoming more placid and obedient. Captain Picard is appalled, and immediately has Doctor Crusher, Commander Riker, Data and a security team beam over to the Mestral’s ship to intervene. The transporter chiefs warn the solar flares will cause problems, but they’ll do their best. On the yacht, the Mestral declare she’ll die before she becomes “a cherished puppet with a lover’s hands on the strings”. Another struggle ensues and it looks like this time Rav might get the upper hand, but then Commander Riker beams in and takes him into custody.

The problem now is that the solar flare activity has picked up enough it’s impossible to transport back to the Enterprise, so Will and Data are going to have to sail out themselves. Rav offers to help pilot, but, as Will pointedly snaps “I’m a little short on blind trust at the moment. You sit down where I can see you and stay away from the controls”. Data begins to start the emergency backup engine, but Rav says it’s broken. Will muses “How would you know? Unless, of course you had something to do with it”. Will and Data are going to have to do it the old fashioned way, but thankfully Captain Picard is an expert and offers to talk them through what they have to do. Just then, the Mestral’s support tender arrives, but Worf observes it’s curiously well-armed. He, Captain Picard and Commander Riker all come to the same conclusion at once: This is the getaway vehicle for Rav and his co-conspirators, timed to arrive just when the star would be flaring such that transporters would be inoperable. Knowing the yachts are so small and fragile they couldn’t survive even one hit, Captain Picard puts the Enterprise between the tender and the sailboat and prepares for battle, while Commander Riker does his best to get out of the way.…

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Geordi La Forge, Doctor Crusher and Worf are in the holodeck, reviewing security sensor footage. The ship’s internal sensors detected the mysterious humanoid figure who we saw creeping through the engineering deck hallways to the shuttlebay in the teaser at the end of issue one, and now the crew is trying to determine who this person was because that’s how they got access to the Scherdat ship in order to place a bomb on its hull. Although the figure was too far away to be captured in full detail, Goerdi, Bev and Worf see enough to make some general observations: Although they look humanoid, the outline of the body is odd and unnatural, particularly around the midsection. This is almost certainly a skinsuit disguise of some kind.

Geordi can pick up thermal signatures from the sensor feed through his VISOR. Although he can’t yet get much on the figure itself, he can tell it’s carrying a plasma bomb, though it hadn’t yet been armed (which explains why the ship’s sensors didn’t immediately detect it as well). Once the figure enters the shuttlebay, Geordi can get more information because the sensors are more sensitive there. That the figure’s internal body temperature of 320K confirms it is most certainly not human: Worf asks “Is 320K bad in human terms?”, to which Doctor Crusher responds “It’s dead in human terms”. Furthermore, Bev can discern that the figure has no heart and no stomach but does have “a selectively absorptive gut”, a “nondiastolic perfusion system” and six kidneys. Unusual and excessive for a humanoid, but not for the Carrighae. In other words, this person is a Carrig disguised, albeit somewhat clunkily, as a humanoid in order to throw suspicion onto one of the other teams.

Such a breach of the ethics agreement as attempting to murder one of the other teams is an automatic disqualification, so Worf, Geordi and Beverly go to see Captain Picard. Surprisingly, Jean-Luc decides to not do anything at all…At least not until the end of the race. His first explanation is to glibly state that the information must be “properly authenticated” and ensured that it goes through all the necessary channels. Of course, this also means that the Carrighae will have to “sweat and strain like all the rest, assuming that they do sweat”. After everything runs its natural course, Captain Picard will then turn the information over to race officials. When Geordi asks what will happen if the Carrighae win, Captain Picard says “All the better. Just imagine their reaction when they discover what their own dirty trick has done to them. Let them go home and file litigations until they’re blue in the face, or whatever color they routinely turn at such times. Starfleet will tell them where to get off, and in short order, too”.

Worf asks if this counts as vengeance or retribution. Jean-Luc insists that it’s justice, but that “sometimes it’s more of a pleasure serving it than others”. Worf tells the Captain that with a bit more work, he’d make a fine Klingon.…

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A sense of vastness and cosmic wonder. One almost expects a haunting synthesizer remix of “Space…The Final Frontier” to play over this resplendent scene of the Great Interstellar Dark. But instead, it’s a caption box reciting John Masefield’s “Sea-Fever”. Slightly stilted and hokey, but perhaps evocative in its own way.

A comforting sight, as the starship Enterprise slowly materializes for us out of the night, just as we remember. And alongside it another ship, resembling a giant dragonfly with weblike lattice wing-sails on either side.

On the Enterprise bridge, Captain Picard exposits to us that the crew has been assigned to serve as referee and security for the eighth leg of the Centauris’ Cup solar sailing yacht race around GC 2006. Will and Deanna tell us about how solar sail craft were once the workhorses of the cargo merchant trade, but are only used as pleasure craft now. Deanna remarks on the romance of it all, but Data doesn’t understand why anyone would want to willingly pilot a “fragile and technologically primitive” ship. Captain Picard explains the appeal lies in the subtle way solar sail ships handle, the prospect of friendly competition with other enthusiasts in races such as this one, and in the idea of being alone with the forces of nature. In doing so he reveals that solar sailing has been a lifetime passion for him too, though one he’s had to give up as the Enterprise‘s captain: He’s simply become too valuable to Starfleet for them to allow him to participate in such a dangerous hobby, though he keeps up with new developments when he can.

The craft sailing alongside the Enterprise belongs to the Mestral, the hereditary leader, and absolute ruler, of a matriarchal planet called Edelis friendly to the Federation. She is, in fact, one of the “security risks” the Enterprise is here to keep an eye on, because the Federation is very nervous about behaviour on her part they consider “reckless”. Such as personally competing in solar sail yacht races and flying within spitting distance of a Galaxy-class starship, whose deflector fields and thrusters alone could wipe out the delicate sails of a light-powered vessel. Furthermore, it’s been theorized that previous attempts at sabotaging this race in earlier legs were due to reactionary factions on Edelis objecting to the Mestral’s involvement in it. Another concern is the Carrighae, who are known to resort to any kind of trick, no matter how underhanded, unethical or violent, to achieve success, as they believe the entire universe was built for them and that they alone are entitled to it (amusingly, Deanna explains to us that their society is based around “insult diplomacy” and their physiology is based around an ulcer). Right on cue, the Carrighae hail the Enterprise with their usual brand of formalities.

Even so, Captain Picard stresses that the crew must be tolerant of other cultures and not pass judgment, no matter how hostile and confrontational others may be with them. Furthermore, he confesses that the Carrighae are likely not even the worst of the problems they’ll have to deal with, as some competitors are racing for political motives, such as a proxy for war with other competitors.…

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The Othersiders are gloating at having captured Data, Odo and Deanna. They order them to drop their weapons, which they do, but not before Data sets them to overload, causing yet another terrific explosion. The scattered away team uses the opportunity to kick massive amounts of ass, with Data punching people square in the gut with the full brunt of his android strength, Deanna unleashing sick karate moves and Odo turning into an awesome sludge monster to dispatch the rest. In sludge monster form, Odo praises Deanna’s fighting skills in a tone that, if I didn’t read him as asexual and aromantic, could almost be construed as a come-on. Deanna brushes it off by saying Worf trained her.

On Deep Space 9, Miles and Geordi have figured out what’s causing the Wormhole to throw a fit. It turns out it’s being assaulted by a certain kind of waveform, being broadcast simultaneously from two different stations: One in the Alpha Quadrant and one in the Gamma Quadrant. Miles figures that if they could knock at least one of those out, the Wormhole would go back to normal. Captain Picard doesn’t want to send another away team, and Commander Sisko immediately finishes his thought by setting the target on the station on this side. On the other side, Odo, Deanna and Data have unfortunately become outnumbered, but then, just in the nick of time, they’re beamed out by the remaining away team members, who have commandeered an Othersider ship in their absence. Commander Riker is quick to give praise where praise is always due by making it known that it was Jadzia Dax who hacked into the transporter network, allowing her to find them and pull them out.

Things are, unfortunately, decidedly less rosy on Bajor. Out of sandbags, the locals abandon the waterfront and make for higher ground as the inescapably rising tide of the ocean makes its way ever higher. Some disgruntled Bajorans curse the Wormhole, wishing it had never been discovered. The leader of the Provisional Government contacts Commander Sisko, confessing his feelings of hopelessness. He’s finding it hard to refute the claims of his people that the Womhole closing is the will of the Prophets, and that all outsiders should leave. Sisko begs him to stay strong, declaring that his people will provide the proof he needs, but even his excellency begins to doubt the Commander: After all, he’s not Bajoran. Commander Sisko stresses to Captain Picard that this is a desperate man, and furthermore a man who does not despair easily.

Soon though they’re interrupted by a communique from Major Kira sent via a relay buoy: She calls Commander Sisko to let him know that the away team has rescued the admirals and are on their way back, but they’re being chased by the Othersiders. On the ship, we see they’re taking heavy fire, but a quick evasive maneouvre from Kira that she picked up during the resistance gets her out of a jam, and some praise from Commander Riker.…

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Rom is grousing to himself about how underappreciated he is at the bar and how things would run much smoother if he was in charge when his pity party is interrupted by an irate customer. A Starfleet officer, on scheduled shore-leave, is upset that all the Dabo tables seem to be rigged to favour the house (well, more then gambling machines already are I suppose). Rom goes to fetch Quark, eager at the chance to buck responsibility higher up the managerial chain. This sort of thing would slip by most people unnoticed, but then again, most people aren’t Geordi La Forge, who, thanks to his remarkable VISOR, can see things most people can’t.

Geordi is joined by Doctor Beverly Crusher and Commander Deanna Troi, and all three question an evasive Quark. The barkeep denies all responsibility and threatens to call station security, “A close, personal friend” of his to escort the bothersome Starfleet officers out before Odo himself shows up and sternly asks Quark if “that Dabo table” was still “giving [him] trouble”. Geordi tries to thank Odo, but Odo actually agrees with Quark: He’s not happy the commander and his two associates are here, claiming that Starfleet crews “always seem to cause [him] the biggest problems”. The constable does express a familiarity with Deanna Troi, and asks the counselor if they’ve met before. Deanna denies that they have, but confesses to Beverly in private after Odo leaves that she does know of him, but didn’t want to bring it up.

After Deanna and Geordi leave, Doctor Crusher suddenly runs into Doctor Bashir, who is flattered she remembers him and promptly asks her to dinner. But they are soon interrupted by the ill-timed (or perhaps perfectly timed, depending on your perspective) arrival of Jadzia Dax, who promptly invites herself to dinner with Julian. But Jadzia seems altogether more interested in Beverly, who admits she once met another Trill like her once years before, and asks the science officer to remind her to tell her the story sometime.

Later in Ops, Commander Sisko, Major Kira and Dax are entertaining a party of Starfleet bureaucrats being escorted by Captain Picard and Commander Riker. The admirals want a tour of the Gamma Quadrant, and the crew prepares a Runabout for launch. Commander Riker takes the opportunity to catch up with Chief Miles O’Brien, who tells the exec all about his new life on Deep Space 9, including the school his wife Keiko recently started. Just then, the station loses contact with the Runabout, and Jadzia tells Commander Sisko that the Bajoran Wormhole seems to be behaving abnormally and erratically. But before any of them can do anything, the Wormhole seems to “reach out and grab” the admirals’ Runabout, and it’s gone.

The two crews discuss options in Ops, but Kira and Riker start to butt heads over whether or not to send a probe in after the ship. Commander Sisko and Captain Picard seem to have a more amicable relationship, however, and the Enterprise captain goes off to placate Starfleet Command.…

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I don’t think any of the characters on the cover here actually appear in the issue. Certainly not that lady Romulan Commander: Davoros is male, I think.

So there’s recap. About a page and a half of it, but that’s to be expected. What’s not to be expected, or at least Team Beardy didn’t expect it, is that Geordi and the crew knew all about their betrayal ahead of time, which allowed them to alter the frequency of their own phasers so they wouldn’t be affected when the alternate universe crew reversed the polarity or whatever. This allows our heroes to subdue their counterparts and curtail their little hijacking attempt. How did they know this? Quite simply, and naturally, we underestimated Deanna Troi. Being empathic, she could immediately sense when Team Beardy started to plot against the crew, and spied on them to learn the details of their plan. However, as Bearded Geordi points out, this still leaves them with the dilemma of what to do about the rogue sun threatening the Beta Argotha system in his universe, or indeed how to tell which universe everyone is in. We get some more recap about why this is a problem, before Haspan announces that he might have figured it out.

Back with the Enterprise half of the story, we seem to have gone back in time a bit as the Ferengi Marauder hasn’t warped out of the Neutral Zone yet. But then it does, and Captain Picard has a conversation with Worf about why they shouldn’t chase after it before he suddenly comes to a realisation. Cutting off his train of thought, he has Worf call up Commander Riker to tell him he and his away team can come back because the mystery has just been solved. While on Beta Argotha One, Haspan explains why he thinks Team Beardy is actually in the right, and that they are in their universe. After some mildly ageist ribbing from Smithers and Gillette, Haspan explains that he’s been idly making some scans of the local flora and fauna when the other team members were busy trying to kill each other, and discovered evidence of recapitulation.

And here’s where I start to cringe, to be honest. This is a good story arc, but this plot point right here is straight up bad science. Worse still, it reminds me of one of Star Trek’s most egregious nadirs, “The Child”. For those who mercifully blocked all evidence of that episode from your memory banks, the initial pitch for that trainwreck was based on recapitulation theory, the widely discredited notion that embryos go through all the “previous stages” of evolution during development. So, for example, a human embryo would go through reptile, amphibian, rodent, primate and early hominid before reaching its “final form”. This theory rests on a dangerously inaccurate teleological conception *and* shoddy observational skills both, and that’s not touching on the political ramifications of discourse surrounding reproductive biology.

To his credit, writer Michael Jan Friedman doesn’t *entirely* throw this.…

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Vaka Rangi Volume 1 is currently 33% off on Smashwords as part of the Eruditorum Press Holiday eBook sale with the coupon RT654, now through January 2, 2017. If you’ve got an eBook reader, are a fan of Vaka Rangi’s take on Star Trek and haven’t yet checked out the first volume of the revised version of this project, now might be a good time to do that!

The Geordis introduce themselves and exposit to one another. Our Geordi begins by recapping the events of last issue (or at least the parts of it pertaining to his and Deanna’s subplot), while Bearded Geordi claims his team was on an urgent mission to intercept a rogue star that had entered the Beta Argotha system on a collision course with its host sun. In their universe (because of course they’re from an alternate universe: Why on Earth would you ever suspect otherwise?), Beta Argotha has six planets instead of the five in our version of it, and the sixth is an inhabited world with no spaceflight capabilities and no way to divert the rogue star. On top of that, Bearded Geordi’s Enterprise had only *discovered* the Beta Argotha system a few days prior to the events of the story, thus giving them next to no time to react.

There is some technobabble explanations for why Bearded Geordi and his crew couldn’t have delivered the necessary payloads via remote control, or contacted their Enterprise for help after they crash-landed, and Bearded Geordi angsts that by the time his ship figures out what happens it will be too late. Unless, he says, our Geordi lets him use our Runabout (which wasn’t as badly damaged as the alternate Yutcan) to try and finish the job. In fact, he doesn’t say, or even ask: He demands our crew turn over the Yutcan, arguing that the mission must be completed no matter what. Geordi, however, flatly refuses.

Back on the Enterprise (that is, *our* Enterprise), Captain Picard has brought up Gul Erak’s charges with Tavorok. The fugitive Romulan naturally (and flippantly) denies them, says he has no idea what the Cardassians are talking about when they say he “committed a heinous crime against them”, and reasserts his claim that what the Cardassians want is access to the dilithium-eating virus he had been working on while in the employ of the Romulan Star Empire. Tavorok is thus certain that the Cardassians are lying, though Captain Picard remains guarded. At that moment, Commander Riker calls him: Another ship has just turned up-A Romulan Warbird. The Enterprise hails the Romulans and, after exchanging the usual pleasantries about the dangers of trespassing in the Neutral Zone, the Romulans request the Enterprise extradite a known criminal currently in their jurisdiction: Namely, Tavorok.

The Romulan Commander says Tavorok is a murderer, though denies Gul Erak’s claim that he has committed some atrocity against the Cardassian people. According to the Romulans, Tavorok was indeed a scientist “at the forefront of a number of scientific breakthroughs”, though he dismisses the fugitive’s story that his work had anything to do with creating an artificial dilithium virus to be used as a superweapon to cripple Federation starships.…

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The Enterprise is on routine patrol of the Romulan Neutral Zone. Perhaps that should be left to speak for itself.

Ironically enough, while making small talk with Commander Riker, Captain Picard says that the Romulans have been “rather well-behaved lately”. Just then, Geordi calls up with a request: Since it’s expected this patrol mission will be rather uneventful, he’d like to take a small science team to investigate Beta Argotha One, which the Enterprise‘s route will take it in very close proximity to. Beta Argotha One is known as “Darwin’s World”, because the species on that world evolve at an incredibly accelerated rate such that every time it’s researched, it’s effectively a whole new planet. Since it hasn’t been surveyed in the past year, it is thus likely unrecognisable from the last time Starfleet checked it out. Captain Picard grants his request, and has Geordi prepare the Runabout USS Yutcan for launch.

As Geordi gets his ship ready, he’s paid a visti by Deanna Troi. Her father participated in the very first survey of Beta Argotha One, and she was fascinated by the stories he would tell her about it as a little girl. If it’s not too much trouble, Deanna would like to accompany Geordi as a member of his team, but she doesn’t even have to ask: Geordi tells her she’s more than welcome, and signs her up then and there. And with that, they’re off: Aside from Deanna, Geordi is joined by a rookie Benzite science officer named Haspan, and two grizzled old command officers and best friends named Smithers and Gilette. As the two old timers rib each other to the young Benzite’s utter confusion, the Yutcan blasts off.

Back on the Enterprise, Worf reports that he’s detected another ship on their side of the Neutral Zone and, funnily enough, it appears to be Cardassian! The bridge crew conclude it’s a transport of some kind, and that it’s been through a rough time. There’s only one survivor, so Captain Picard has the transporter chief lock on and has Doctor Crusher meet them on the pad. Though it’s a bit tricky, the chief gets the survivor aboard and, to everyone’s astonishment, he turns out to be a Romulan. Doctor Crusher looks the man over in sickbay and reports his condition to Captain Picard: He’s doing rather well, given the condition he was found in. Though Bev wants to look over him a bit longer, the Romulan insists to speak to Captain Picard as soon as possible.

The Romulan tells Captain Picard his name is Tavorok, and, until recently he had been one of the Romulan Star Empire’s top research scientists. He had been working on a top secret project that, had it been completed, would have toppled the balance of power in the galaxy permanently: A project to develop an artificial virus of sorts that would eat away at dilithium crystals. The idea would be that the virus, which could be effective in very small quantities and was completely undetectable by Starfleet bio-filters, would be discreetly smuggled aboard Federation starships, thus fairly instantaneously blasting them 400 years back into the pre-warp stone age.…

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