The Reliant's next mission, as given to them by Admiral Renjay, was to escort Ambassador Lazz of Vorlock to the planet of Bable to discuss the possibility of that planet to become a member of the Alliance. This mission was also especial for John given that Lazz was his first officer aboard his previous ship The Pretorious. He hadn't seen nor heard from Lazz since the ending of the Karnin war after he was unceremoniously stripped of his command due to his surrendering to the Karnin flagship The Prefector. John normally didn't enjoy these missions escorting ofttimes arrogant Alliance ambassadors, but he was actually looking forward to seeing his former colleague-and friend-again.
When The Reliant was in orbit around Vorlock, John and his current first officer Lisa were standing in front of the landing bay along with chief of security Bortis awaiting the arrival of Lazz's shuttlecraft from the planet.
"Are you looking forward to seeing your former first officer again, Captain?" Lisa asked him.
"Yes, I am," John replied, "though I do admit to feeling a bit apprehensive about it too."
"Why's that?"
"Well, a lot has happened since we last saw each other."
"Are you talking about your drinking?"
He smirked at her. "Among other things."
"Why would Lazz care about that?"
"I don't know." He shrugged. "Lazz was always making comments about how weak humans were compared to Vorlocks."
"Yeah, Vorlocks have always been known for their arrogance and xenophobia."
John appeared irked by Lisa's comment. "Do me a favor, Commander."
"Yes, Captain?"
"Please refrain from making comments like that while Lazz is onboard, will you?"
"Why's that, Captain?"
"Let's just say Lazz wouldn't be as appreciative of your sharp wit as I have been."
This time Lisa smirked at him. "You think I have a sharp wit, Captain?"
John let out an annoyed sigh. "That's precisely what I'm talking about, Commander."
Before Lisa could respond, the intercom on the wall came on.
"Captain," said ship's android Roger.
John went over to the intercom and turned it on.
"Yes, Roger."
"The Ambassador's shuttle has just landed in the landing bay."
"Thanks, Roger. Captain out."
John turned off the intercom and faced Lisa.
"Let's go greet our esteemed guest, Captain."
John let out another annoyed sigh as both he and Lisa stepped inside the landing bay. The door to the shuttlecraft opened and out walked Lazz dressed in formal Ambassadorial wear. Lazz stood almost as tall as Bortis. Most Vorlocks were impressive in size and stature. They weren't as massive as Morlons or Kelvarians or even the Zennars, but they were every bit as formidable. It also looked like Lazz had barely aged any since the last time they saw each other, which wasn't surprising to John since Vorlocks aged at a slower rate than humans. Lazz slowly stepped up to John and Lisa looking as stoic and emotionless as ever. Vorlocks also felt it improper to display emotion publicly, especially toward other species they felt were inferior to their own.
"Greetings, Captain Yager," Lazz said to John as he stood in front of him and Lisa.
"Hello, Lazz," John replied to his former first officer, smiling at him. "It's been a while."
"Indeed."
"Allow me to introduce my first officer, Commander Lisa Steiner."
Lisa smiled at Lazz and said, "Hello, Ambassador. It's an honor to meet you."
He turned to face her, his demeanor as stoic and emotionless as ever. "Indeed."
Lisa had to stifle a grin as John introduced Bortis. "And this is my chief of security Bortis."
Bortis said nothing to Lazz as he just stood and glared at the Ambassador. It was no secret Vorlocks and Morlons weren't the best of friends or allies. John hoped this wouldn't be an issue for either Bortis or Lazz during this trip.
"You're the Morlon," Lazz said collectedly to him. "You're the first and only Morlon to serve aboard an Alliance vessel, am I correct?"
"That is correct, Ambassador," Bortis said tersely to him.
John, sensing the tension between the two of them, said, "Lazz, if you don't mind, I can have Bortis escort you to your quarters."
Bortis and Lazz exchanged another tense look before Lazz nodded and said to his former Captain, "That would be acceptable, Captain."
"This way, Ambassador," Bortis said to Lazz as he held out his long arm in the direction of the guest quarters.
Lazz followed Bortis down the hallway to his quarters. John, after they walked away, breathed a sigh of relief.
"Well," Lisa said, smirking, "that went better than I thought."
John shook his head and sighed. He only hoped Lisa would keep her usual snarkiness in check while Lazz was on the ship. He also hoped Bortis and Lazz wouldn't try to kill each other on the way to the guest quarters . . .
***
"Permission to enter the bridge, Captain."
John turned around in his chair to see Lazz standing in the doorway of the bridge.
"Permission granted, Ambassador," John told him with a smile.
"Thank you, Captain."
Lazz stepped onto the bridge. He didn't attempt to hide his disapproval as he looked about the bridge. John wasn't sure if Lazz disapproved of the ship or of the crew or of him, though something told him he would soon find out.
"So this is a Class K ship?" Lazz asked.
"Yes, it is," John replied.
"As I recall, these ships were used primarily as scout ships during the Karnin war."
"Yes, they were. In fact, this is the only one currently in commission."
"And you're in command of this ship."
"Yes, I am."
Lazz let out a derisive snort as he stopped walking around the bridge. He stood across from John's chair and gazed intensely at him. Being a proud Vorlock, Lazz wasn't one to wear his emotions on his sleeve, though he certainly had no problem showing his disapproval of something whenever he felt it was warranted.
Like now.
"So, Ambassador," Lisa began with a grin, "you were the first officer of the Captain's previous ship The Pretorius?"
"Yes, I was," Lazz responded without looking at her.
"So do you have any interesting stories about the Captain?"
With that, Lazz slowly turned his head in her direction. John realized what Lisa was doing, that she was trying to change the subject to try lesson the tenseness of the situation. However, knowing Lazz the way he did, he doubted that would work. But he appreciated her attempt nonetheless.
"He was my Captain and I was his first officer," Lazz said sternly. "What more do you need to know?"
"So no stories then?" Zack said with a noticeable sneer.
Lazz turned his head and glared at Zack. Judging by the expression on Zack's face, he immediately regretted making that snarky remark.
"Who are you, boy?" Lazz said to him in a hard tone.
"This is our ship's pilot Zack Renjay," John said to Lazz. "He's the son of Admiral Renjay."
"Is that so?" Lazz said as if he couldn't fathom it. "You would think the son of someone of such importance would be piloting a Class A ship. Or at least a Class B or C ship."
Zack said nothing in response to Lazz's remark about him. His face turned a bright red as he turned around in his seat. John wasn't sure if his face was red from embarrassment or anger or both. John felt kind of bad for Zack. Though he could be a pain in the neck at times, he was still a good pilot in spite of what Lazz's impression of him was.
John watched Lazz as he went over and stood next to Roger. Roger peered up at the towering Vorlockian Ambassador who was peering down at him with that same curious look he so often had.
"May I help you, Ambassador?" Roger asked him.
"You are the ship's android, correct?"
"Yes, sir, I am."
"You do not have an emotion processor, do you?"
"No, sir, I do not."
Lazz let out a quick grunt as he turned around and walked behind Tamala. She appeared a bit nervous as Lazz was giving her that same intense stare he had given the other members of the crew.
"And you are?" Lazz asked her in that same stern tone.
"I am Lieutenant Tamala, Ambassador. I am the ship's tactical officer. I also sometimes pilot the ship if Zack is unable to, though I'm not nearly as good a pilot as he is."
Zack shot Tamala a quick look of appreciation. Though she certainly had her differences with him at times, he was still a fellow crew member and therefore she felt an obligation to defend him if she felt he was being unduly attacked.
Like now.
"You're an Alterian," Lazz said matter-of-factly.
"Yes, sir, that's correct."
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but there aren't many Alterians serving aboard Alliance vessels."
"No, sir, there aren't."
"I see."
Lazz then turned his head and looked over at Bortis. Bortis didn't bother to even glance in the Ambassador's general direction.
"And you've already met out security chief, Bortis," John said as he leaned forward in his chair.
"Yes," Lazz said, still gazing at Bortis who still wasn't looking at him. "The Morlon."
Bortis started growling and seemed as if he was going to respond to Lazz's apparent slight of him. When Bortis turned his head and looked like he was going to stand and face Lazz, John said quietly, "Bortis."
Bortis shot John a quick glance before he composed himself and turned back around. Lazz then turned around himself and faced John again.
"Captain," said Lazz, "do you mind if I have a word with you?"
"Sure, Ambassador," John replied a bit uneasily.
"In private."
"Sure, Lazz." He started to get up from his chair. "We can speak in my office." He turned to Lisa. "You have the bridge, Commander."
"Yes, Captain."
He stood and faced Lazz. "After you, Ambassador."
With that, John followed Lazz off the bridge towards his office. Once they left, nearly everyone else on the bridge breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"That was intense," quipped Tamala.
"Yep," murmured Lisa.
"So I wonder what the Ambassador will say to the Captain?" Tamala said to Lisa.
"I don't know," Lisa replied with a shrug. "But, whatever it is, it can't be good."
"Thanks, Tamala," said Zack.
Tamala seemed genuinely surprised by what Zack just said to her. "For what, Zack?"
"For taking up for me."
Tamala smiled at Zack, which was something she didn't often do, and said, "Of course, Zack."
Lisa smiled herself at what Lisa said to Zack. She leaned back in the captain's chair as she wondered just what in the world Lazz wanted to talk with John about, though she had a feeling it had something to do with the ship and the crew his former Captain was now commanding . . .
***
"So what was it you wanted to talk to me about, Ambassador?" John said as he sat behind the desk in his office.
"Permission to speak freely, Captain."
"Speaking freely never seemed to be an issue for you, Lazz."
Lazz shot John one of his hard looks as he stood in front of his desk. "Captain?"
John chuckled at Lazz as he said, "Go ahead, Lazz."
Lazz wasted no time speaking his mind as he told John straight out, "It is beneath you to command a ship such as this."
"You mean because it's not a Class A ship like The Pretorius?"
"Precisely."
"Well, to be honest with you, Lazz, I'm lucky to be commanding any kind of ship again after what happened after the war."
"You mean after your surrender to the Prefector?"
"Yep." He nodded. "It seems like my old buddy Richard Flagg was none too pleased about my decision to surrender to the Karnins the way I did, and he's tried like hell to punish me for it ever since then."
"And you believe that's why you were given command of this ship?"
He nodded again. "Yep."
"Frankly, Captain, I never understood your friendship with that man."
"You know, my father has said the very same thing to me."
"Indeed."
There was a pause between them before John asked him, "Is that all you wanted to talk to me about, Lazz?"
"No, Captain. I also wanted to comment about the . . . informality of your crew, especially on the bridge."
John raised his eyebrows at him. "Informality?"
"Yes. I've noticed you allow . . . behaviors you would have never allowed on the bridge of The Pretorius."
"Such as?"
"Such as your first officer."
"Commander Steiner?" Lazz nodded. "What about her?"
"I notice she talks to you in such a way you would have never allowed from me or from anyone else."
He couldn't help but grin at his former first officer. "You mean her snarky remarks."
"Yes." The disdain on his face was unmistakable. "Her snarky remarks."
"That's just her way. Besides, as you pointed out, this isn't a Class A ship."
"Still, regardless of whether this is a Class A ship, I'm sure you would agree that the captain of any ship should enforce a certain amount of discipline onboard their ships."
"Yes, I would agree with that, certainly. But I learned early on commanding a smaller ship like this there's less need to enforce the same amount of, as you put it, discipline as on a Class A ship. Besides, this is a good crew in spite of its size and lack of . . . formality."
"I'm sure that it is a good crew, Captain," Lazz said in a way John wasn't sure if he really meant that. "I just hate to see you reduced in stature like this."
John couldn't help but smirk at Lazz. "Why, Lazz, I didn't know you cared so much for my stature."
Lazz let out another derisive snort. "It would seem that Commander Steiner's snarky nature is rubbing off on you, Captain."
"Indeed." He smirked at him again. "Is that all, Lazz?"
Lazz hesitated before he said, "There is one more thing, Captain."
"Which is?"
"We never really discussed the incident with the raiders."
For the first time, John appeared angry with Lazz. "I thought we agreed we'd never bring that up again."
"I agreed to no such thing, Captain."
"In any case, I don't wish to discuss what happened with the raiders, thank you very much."
"Have you told your current crew what happened?"
"No, not really."
"Have you told them about the woman? What was her name?"
This time it was John who gave him a hard look. "Kaylar."
"Yes, Kaylar. She was an Alterian as well. Like your tactical officer."
"Yes, she was. What about it?"
"She even resembles this Kaylar."
"Well, she is Alterian like Kaylar."
"Indeed." Lazz paused before he continued, "You do realize I could have had you arrested for what you did to those raiders."
"So why didn't you?"
"For the same reason I did not mutiny when you chose to surrender to the Karnins, Captain."
"And that reason was, Lazz?"
"Like I said to Commander Steiner, you were my Captain and I was your first officer."
"Indeed, Lazz." He nodded at his former first officer. "So is that all you wanted to discuss with me?"
"For now."
***
"Captain."
"What is it, Roger?"
"There is a ship approaching The Reliant on an intercept course."
"Put it on the viewscreen."
"Yes, sir."
Within seconds, the viewscreen came on. A small image of a ship was in the middle of the screen.
"Magnify," John ordered.
"Yes, sir," Roger said.
The image of the ship was magnified by Roger.
"Is that a ship from Bable?" John asked.
"No," Lazz said, "that's a ship from Mandor."
John turned to look at Lazz who was standing next to his chair. "A ship from Mandor?"
Lazz nodded as he kept his eyes on the screen. "Yes, Captain."
"I take it you know these people?"
"Yes, Captain." Lazz nodded again as he looked at John. "They applied for membership in the Alliance not long after I became Ambassador."
"Well, they were obviously rejected for membership."
"Yes, they were at my suggestion."
"Why was that?"
"The Mandors were too warlike to become members of the Alliance. They're much like the Morlons." Bortis grunted, which Lazz ignored. "It was obvious they wanted to be in the Alliance as a way to gain advantage over their enemies."
"Let me guess: One of their enemies is the planet Bable."
"That is correct, Captain. In fact, Bable has been at war with Mandor for years. They have thus far managed to stave off Mandor's repeated attacks. But years of war has left their resources depleted and their government is not sure how much longer they can remain at war with Mandor."
"And let me guess: They want to become members of the Alliance because they feel that will protect them from being attacked by Mandor."
"That is correct, Captain."
"Captain," said Roger, "we are being hailed by the other ship."
"Put in on the viewscreen."
"Aye, sir."
Within seconds, the image of the ship was replaced by a glowering Mandorian.
"Hello," John said as he arose from his chair, "I'm Captain John Yager from the Alliance ship The Reliant."
"I am Captain Saruck of the Mandor empire."
"Captain Saruck, what can I do for you?"
"You can hand over the criminal known as Ambassador Lazz."
"Criminal?" He shot a quick glance at a stoic Lazz. "I was not aware the Ambassador was wanted for any crimes."
"He is a criminal of the Mandor empire. He has allied himself with our enemies."
"You mean the planet of Bible."
"Yes, Bable," he said with a disgusted look on his face. "Now you will hand the ambassador to us."
"And if I don't?"
"Then, Captain, you will suffer the consequences of your impudence."
"There's a tone of finality in your voice, Captain."
"Be that as it may, Captain, you will hand over the criminal Lazz to us."
"And if I don't?"
"Then, my dear Captain, we will board your ship and we will take him by force. You have five of your Earth minutes to comply."
The viewscreen suddenly turned blank. John looked back over at Lazz who was still staring stoically at the screen. He turned his head to John and asked, "So what do you intend to do now, Captain?"
John didn't respond as he went straight for the weapons compartment.
"You're not going to face the Mandors, Captain?" asked Lazz in astonishment.
"Yes, Ambassador, that's precisely what we're going to do."
Lazz stepped up to John and stood next to him. "Be reasonable, Captain. There's no sense putting yourself and your crew in danger on my account."
He looked right at Lazz. "You honestly don't expect me to hand you over to them?"
"Yes, Captain. I will be fine. My government will secure my release."
"No offense to your government, Ambassador, but I don't think these Mandors will acquiesce to their demands that you be released. Especially since we're outside Alliance space and they don't have to abide by our laws. Besides, you know me better than that, Lazz."
"They only want to take me because they feel by doing so it will prevent Bable from becoming a member of the Alliance."
"Yeah, I kind of figured that. That's why we got to keep them from taking you."
"Captain . . ."
"End of discussion, Ambassador. Now are you going to take a weapon?"
"You know how I feel about using weapons, Captain. Besides, I am perfectly capable of defending myself without the use of a weapon."
"So I've noticed." As they were talking, he handed out weapons to Lisa, Tamala and Bortis. "Set your weapons to maximum stun. Bortis, I want you to guard the Ambassador."
"Yes, Captain."
"Captain," Lazz protested, "I do not need a bodyguard."
"Lazz, you might be an ambassador and all, but I'm the captain of this ship."
"So I've noticed, Captain."
John shot his former first officer a quick glance. Being a serious Vorlock, Lazz was not one to make a snarky comment like his current first officer was known to do. It was actually refreshing for John to hear.
"Bortis," John began, "I want you and the Ambassador to go down the corridor. We'll try to hold them off on the bridge."
"Yes, Captain," said Bortis.
Bortis and Lazz hurriedly stepped off the bridge. Suddenly a bright purple light appeared on the bridge, and, within seconds, a group of six armed Mandors materialized.
"Open fire!" John yelled.
John, Lisa and Tamala began firing at the alien intruders as they returned fire. They managed to strike down four of the Mandors without being hit themselves. But, during the firefight, two of them managed to escape off the bridge and run down the corridor. When they came upon Lazz and Bortis, they began firing at them. As Lazz stood behind him, Bortis began firing his laser rifle at the Mandors and struck one of them. The remaining Mandor was able to shoot Bortis's weapon out of his hand.
"Stay right where you are, Morlon!" the Mandor said as he aimed his laser rifle at them.
He stepped up towards them. When he reached them, Bortis suddenly growled as he raised his long arm and knocked the Mandor's weapon out of his hand, but not before the Mandor managed to fire off a shot that struck Bortis in his shoulder. Bortis let out a painful yelp as he fell backwards. The Mandor then faced a towering Lazz who was showing no fear as he stared down at the unarmed Mandor.
"What now, Mandor?" Lazz asked him with a calm tone to his voice.
The Mandor said nothing for a moment before he threw a punch at Lazz. But, before his punch connected, Bortis reached over and grabbed his arm. The Mandor looked stunned as he gazed over at a snarling Bortis. Before he was able to react, Lazz lifted his hand and struck him on the side of his neck rendering him unconscious. The Mandor's eyes rolled in the back of his head as he limply fell down on the floor. Bortis gave a nod to Lazz who gave the Morlon a nod in return.
"Are you guys all right?" John asked them as he ran up to them.
"Yes, Captain," Lazz said to him with a nod. "We are fine."
"That's good." John glanced down at the Mandor lying on the floor. "Is he still alive?"
Lazz cocked an eyebrow at his former captain. "You should no me better than that, Captain." John smirked at him. "What happened to Saruck's ship?"
"It got chased off by a couple of ships from Bable. They're going to escort us back to Bable."
"That's good," responded Lazz.
John smirked at him before looking over at Bortis. "Bortis, I want you to take our guest here to the brig. We'll turn him over to the Bable authorities once when we get to the planet."
"Yes, Captain."
He looked back at Lazz. "Shall we, Ambassador?"
Lazz nodded at him. "Yes, Captain."
John smirked at him once more as both he and Lazz headed back to the bridge . . .
***
The planet of Bable became a member of the Alliance at the recommendation of Ambassador Lazz. It wasn't long after becoming a member that they signed a peace treaty with the planet of Mandor ending their years-long war. John figured this would happen since that's why Captain Saruck tried to abduct Lazz to begin with.
"Captain."
"Yes, Roger."
"You're receiving a message from Ambassador Lazz."
"I'll take it in my office."
"Yes, sir."
John went to his office and sat down behind his desk. He turned on the computer console on top of his desk. Soon Lazz's face appeared on the viewscreen in the middle of the console.
"Ambassador Lazz," John said with a grin. "It's good to see you again."
"It is pleasant to see you again, Captain."
"So what can I do you for?"
"I never got the chance to thank you and your crew for helping me on my mission to Bable."
"I'll be sure to tell them, Ambassador." There was a pause between them. "Is there anything else?"
"Yes, Captain. I believe I misjudged your ship and your crew. They are very . . . capable."
John smirked at him. "That's high praise coming from a Vorlock."
"Indeed." Lazz cocked an eyebrow at him. "It was good serving with you again, Captain."
John smiled and nodded. "It was good serving with you again too, Lazz."
"Amity be with you, John."
"Amity be with you, Lazz."
With that, the viewscreen went blank. John leaned back in his seat and smiled. It was good serving with his old first officer again. And he hoped it wouldn't be the last time either . . .