Subject: Grail: "The Great Brightness" - 'Circus on the Bridge'

François was sitting at the helm, half-asleep. In the last

twenty-four hours, he had slept a maximum of four and as usual, nothing

was happening on the Bridge. François looked back at Major Beautiful,

slumped in her command chair. She looked twice as bored as he was. As

luck would have it, its at that moment that Tactical spoke up.

"Major," he said, "we're picking up a distress signal. Audio only."

Brinn sat straight up. "Play transmission, by all means." She was

obviously glad something was happening.

"This is Ambassador T'Nek Destazio of the mighty Torillion Empire."

the transmission began, "I require immediate assistance. I am not

hostile. I repeat, I am not hostile. I need your help now...."

"Helm," said Brinn confidently, ", plot an intercept course.

Tactical, power up shields, weapons and the tractor beam. Ops, how many

life forms are on that ship?"

Shields, weapons and tractor beam? The Major was suffering from

paranoia, was she? François looked at his console and entered the

necessary course adjustments while Brinn consulted the Captain. She then

called Kyp Firespray to the Bridge. DeMontigny smiled as he thought of

the young Alterian he called Kipper. There was something he liked in

that youth trying to pass as an official Ambassador that brought a smile

to his face.

A while later, the turbolift doors opened and François had to put a

hand over his mouth to keep himself from cracking up laughing. Kipper

was dressed in a black kimono, black pants, black gloves, and most of

all, a black cape. He looked like a smaller version of Epic Terrakian.

François looked over to Kahtor at Ops.

"Maybe someone dies and he's in mourning?" DeMontigny couldn't

resist to say. The Klingon returned what could only be described as the

klingon version of a smile.

Brinn asked the Alterian about the Torillion Empire and Kyp filled

her in, adding that the ship should show a strong side to underline our

value to the Empire.

"Thank you, dear." Brinn replied. DeMontigny couldn't help but

raise an eyebrow. 'Dear is it? Interesting...' but he couldn't finish

his thought as his console warned him of something ahead.

"Major," he said, still refusing to call Brinn 'sir'", we're

approaching the ship at bearing 348, mark 024."

"Acknowledged. Tactical, lock weapons on ships engines and put a

tractor beam lock on the ship as well."

Now she was locking weapons and the tractor beam? François decided

he would have a talk with her about her paranoia. It was his duty as a

future ship captain to set her straight on how to approach new races.

Lt.(jg) François DeMontigny

Assistant Chief of Flight Control

USS Grail NCC 1124