Story Updated On: - 11/03/2012
Chapter Beta Read by: - Specter06 and Firegirl210 Everyone preformed extremely well to improve and give readers a clear image of this story. Thank you.

Star Trek: - The Cataline Race

Please note: - The first chapter has been rewritten completely.

Please note: - This story is also available from my website as a PDF download. Check out my profile for my website link and look for the PDF logo. Enjoy.

Summary

This story portrays the efforts of Captain Alex McGregor on his mission to save an extremely beautiful and passionate race from extinction from the most despicable and unimaginable horrors in a galaxy behind a wormhole.

Using the USS Explorer D1 Class Colonisation Ship upgraded with alien tech Captain Alex McGregor goes on a rescue mission to save as many of these creatures from torture and utter cruelty.

Declaration of the story to all readers

Information provided in this story does not tell the real outcome of the main story or impose the change either; it is just fan-fiction for fun. Technical terms and ideas may not follow the same principal of the TV Series and some differences may arise.

This story does not infringe the rights of the real actors or any member of the staff that produced the show and neither does it infringe copyright. By reading the text you take full responsibility of your actions, and the author of the story has no liability of damage or problems with person or persons involved.

Copyright InfoY

ou can do what you want with this story; copy it, ship it, print it in a book, make a TV show or use parts of it; hell, send it to the other end of the world. I do not mind, just make sure you place credit where credit is due.

Note From The Author: - (Shane Ward)

Thanks for reading my Star Trek Fan-Fiction. I hope this story keeps you on the edge of your seat and drooling over the keyboard. If you have any comments or like the work I have done, feel free to E-mail me on my E-mail address in my profile page.

Please note that some aspects of this story will be out of mind and not follow the normal steps of a story, also some parts of this story might be hard to swallow. But please continue with it.

Chapter 1 (McGregor)

Sitting comfortably in a chair that was not designed for comfort, McGregor devoted his private time to completing the endless amount of work in the form of files on his glass-computerized tablet. He wondered how long it would take for the next shipment of valuable cargo to drop into his lap.

He was the type of man not to fuss over the necessities of life and was more devoted to making money than anything else. But his recent shipment provided him with the materials and staff to run his massive vessel called the USS Explorer.

He drifted his eyes over the immediate area drinking in all the details and he always felt taken back by the amazing view. The towering waterfall in front of him stood like the centrepiece of a huge model, with the flow of the water displacing the warm processed air, creating a mist of cool water vapour that often cleaned all his problems away. Trees and birds would rustle and sing in the background, making this place one of the best areas to rest in. The undergrowth beneath the canopy of interlocked trees flourished in the artificial light that illuminated the large area of recreational space.

It was an area that McGregor often wandered into when he was off duty; it offered him a refuge to be away from the troubles of running a Starship and he was the type of man to always run into trouble. His biggest annoyance was that of Starfleet, and due to recent financial strain on his enterprise, he had to part contract with them, something he frowned upon daily.

With plenty of dirt under his fingernails and many years of service to Starfleet, his requests for promotions had always been rejected and this soon left him with no option than to leave Starfleet and adventure in his own command.

The Explorer fell into his lap when the Ferengi desperately tried to get the upper hand in a game of cards. Their subtle cheating soon brought on the wrath of McGregor who gave them two choices, give up the 250-year-old ship, or die. They chose the latter, but not before they threatened McGregor; because the Ferengi had spent many years nicking the vessel from a scrap recycling dock.

Straightening his immaculate custom made uniform and running a perfectly sculpted hand through his distinguished black and grey hair; he gazed across the area and saw Sam grinning like a boy. He was the type of Jack-the-lad that would always chat up the newest female crewmember and try to get himself into more trouble then he could get out of. But he was one of McGregor's friends and associates who provided invaluable help to his personal crew. The rest of his staff was on loan from Starfleet to help in the operation of the ship. For this deed, he will need to take on Starfleet missions and help the greater good.

"Greater good! That will be the day!" McGregor murmured to himself as he thought about the missed payments Starfleet often made. In fact the recent bill was not paid and he would need to chat with Arania who was the bright spark in the ship.

Now excitement thrummed through the warm processed air that indicated someone unique was wandering the area. Even the plant and animal life lifted with spirit offering a calming effect to all the humans and aliens that worked together.

McGregor raised his eyes from his notes, as if expecting someone to appear around the wooden shelter corner. Proud and beaming, Arania appeared in front of McGregor as if she knew exactly how to find him. Her soul was pure and fragile, not to mention the effect she has on the crew with her stunning beauty for her species.

Her skin was a pure patterned blue that covered all of her body and acts as natural clothing. Spots and different colour patterns imprint fabric-like images all over her skin, forming hard protective areas and soft light fabric that hangs down like clothing. These creatures offer a level of harmony that cannot be matched by any other species. They have silvery blue hair and cat-like ears, finished with small fang-like teeth. Beautiful cannot describe these creatures, as their nature is very hard working and passionate about their lifestyle.

Arania was brought up on Earth with fifty-five others from her species. Their arrival was a complete mystery; The USS Peacekeeper picked them up twenty years before, floating in space in what looked like a beaten up ship that was failing left right and centre. They were all taken back to Earth and given shelter. Every attempt was made to find their home world and reunite them with their families, as they were all very young children at the time. But all attempts failed and eventually they took their own paths on Earth: Arania was one of the many that joined Starfleet and ended up on McGregor's ship for over one year.

McGregor was immune to the effects of her eye-catching beauty but he often wondered about her attitude. It was not childish, as one would expect, but a more mature and intelligent attitude for her age. Being second in command offered her a position that she was proud to uphold.

Arania stood at her location with the golden artificial light beaming of her blue skin. Her fin like clothing flowed down her body like silk fibres that emanate from her chest and cover most of her body. It enriched her natural beauty and McGregor could almost feel that she was standing there on purpose, deliberately trying to provoke a response form him. But McGregor remained committed to his work, refusing to acknowledge her attempt at playful distractions.

She knew that McGregor was spending too much time working and little time resting, such hardship will only begin to erode his performance in running a vessel such as the Explorer. But she did show some care for her captain and often had to put her foot down in order to get things done. She was contemplating what to do.

When an over-eager pale-skinned man named Sam hurried to her location, McGregor knew instantly what he was after. Sam and Arania often battled each other through failed chat up lines and overenthusiastic turndowns that often left Sam without a victory. He would always chat up Arania because of her stunning beauty and kind natured heart. But McGregor was not overly impressed.

Quiet and unassuming, McGregor slipped past the two arguing individuals, but he noticed that Arania tried to keep her composure with the most ridiculous chat up lines Sam could invent. But this was not the time to entertain himself; he needed to find a quiet place out of the limelight of his crew. He melted into the wilderness of the habitat dome. Watching. Observing. Thinking.

Sam was young and in his prime, his hormones ran his life and he often chased more than he could catch, but this stunning creature was something that hypnotised him the most, her smile would melt his heart all the way past the outer bulkhead. He looked deep into Arania's blue eyes that glided with a hit of glowing yellow that could not be noticed unless someone looked deeply.

Sam looked at her with a distracted smile, "You know, you have been on this ship for over a year and we really haven't chatted that much, I would be honoured if you would accompany me to the dining hall."

Arania frowned, "You asked me that two days ago. I said No, remember I'm a Starfleet officer, stop bothering me and return to your duties."

She spoke with perfect English, but Sam was not going to back down. "You know, I do have some matters that need discussing about the Space Cars, I would like to discuss it over a more relaxed environment."

Arania's expressing became somewhat condescending, "Look around, don't you think this is a relaxed environment? We are at warp, in a forest in the middle of this great ship."

Sam did not shade his answer, he knew that she was not going to give in lightly and needed to take another approach, but before he had the chance to say something clever, Arania noticed that McGregor was gone.

McGregor sneaked himself into another wooden shelter out of the way from prying eyes, the waterfall still stood paramount in the middle of the dome and this time, shrubs covered most of the area that hid him from view.

He sipped at his flask of earl grey tea that he managed to replicate at a refresh station before all his concentration focused on his documents on the tablet. He took a moment to look up at the sky and past the hardened transparent aluminium, admiring the streaming matter of the stars whizzing past, this reminded him of the Starship Voyager.

It was five years after the appearance of voyager in the Alfa-Quadrant and the one person that remained at the foremost centre point of his mind was admiral Janeway. She always found a way to get under McGregor's skin and he always found the way to avoid her, luckily his Starfleet dealings went through a more respected individual and McGregor received a steady steam of income for his endeavours.

But the iron maiden was hunting him down and it would only be a matter of time until she finds him. McGregor had all the answers and secret places to hide, but even a man with his experience knows that Janeway always gets her man.

Suddenly a blue figure appeared in front of him, as if a gust of wind swept away his daydreaming and brought him back to reality.

"I knew I would find you here!" Arania said hiding her grin.

Nothing frustrated McGregor more than to be constantly interrupted over trivial matters and it did not matter who was causing the interruption. Even Arania would come face to face with his wrath once in a while and she was immune to his actions. Work needed to be done, bills needed to be paid and nothing was more annoying than endless amounts of reports that he needed to fill in.

But sometimes his carefully scheduled routines fell apart, reminding him that even firing a photon torpedo could set him back in weeks paperwork.

McGregor took a deep breath and smiled, "Arania, have you finished teasing Sam?"

Arania steepled her fingers on the wooden shelter as she secretly disapproved with that line of questioning, "I made him vanish!"

McGregor glowed with her silent expression knowing he hit a nerve. He kept his personal life secret and never fell in love or was attracted to anyone after his first marriage ended in disaster. He vowed not to fall in love or marry again, but he always sensed that Arania had deep feelings for him. But he kept her in check and always backed away when things got hot.

"So why are you chasing me around the habitat dome. I don't want any more reports to fill in." McGregor finally said.

Arania stared at McGregor, as if he hurt her feelings, "I came to tell you that we have found that Ferengi you are after!"

McGregor snapped to his feet, like a fire was lit under him. "That sad excuse for a Ferengi! We've got him now."

Wide-eyed and full of energy, McGregor marched out of the habitat dome towards the nucleus of his vessel, Arania following close behind with much on her mind.

"Captain, may I remind you that Starfleet protocol forbids you to beat up any prisoners!" Arania responded in a raspy voice with her fine featherlike clothing fluttering with the motion.

But McGregor rushed through the factory style decks that lacked the Starfleet cleanness, like a fire was lit behind his ass. "That bloody cheated me all those years ago and threatened to hunt me down. Now I know that there is a huge reward for his skin."

Arania prayed that he knew the terms and conditions of the bounty otherwise he will have a lot of explaining to do if the Ferengi was returned to Starfleet dead.

"Don't worry about Starfleet regulations, I am independent and I don't care about them," McGregor said with a maddening smile. "Everything is under MY control."

The doors of the Command Deck hissed open with the massive panoramic windows lining the far wall that displayed the breathtaking view of the Explorer. The bow was massive and long portraying the true size of the 283 decks, two and a half kilometres long hull.

McGregor walked on and wrapped his fists on the metal railing, as if he needed to be anchored down as the stars whizzed passed the massive windows like a view from a cruise ship.

"What's our speed?" McGregor ordered pointing a finger at the helmsman.

"We are at warp seven, the three-phase warp drive is steady and no damage to the vessel." replied the ensign.

McGregor could almost imagine the alarms ringing in the cowering Ferengi vessel as it burns its engines to the max, trying to escape, pathetically.

The profiles of the Ferengi vessel were unmistakable and McGregor portrayed the look of a teenage boy that just got himself a new hot-rod. His eyes gleamed within the florescent-lit room as he slowly edged his way to his command chair, secretly grinning.

McGregor was cold as he issued orders, "Bring us closer to that vessel!" He clenched the armrest of his chair as he ran through the painful techniques he will perform on the Ferengi. He even let the mercenary Klingons slip into his mind, as he could picture them ripping of the Ferengi's ear lobs and feeding them to their pets.

When the navigation officer confirmed the distance, McGregor thought of another idea. "Move us into firing axes and target that ship with the main Beam Cannon. Activate all the flood lights on the hull."

McGregor hid his excitement of what a display this will cause for the frightened Ferengi onboard the small vessel. As the Explorer moved above the Ferengi ship, one of the massive Cannons rotated and pointed directly at them. The floodlights lit the hull in a dazzling threat.

McGregor pressed his lips together, he had transmitted a surrender message, now he needs to wait and see if the Ferengi resist. But after a short while, a meek and frightened transmission came through from the vessel.

"May the profits be with you Captain McGregor." Said a boldfaced Ferengi, his ear lobes seemed larger than he last remembered, "What a dazzling display of force you have and may I offer my regards at any business propositions you may want to make with us."

McGregor thought for a moment. "I see that you remember me and I have not forgotten your last words." He got up and slowly walked around the control deck, feeling the power. "You have clearly overstepped your bounds and continually threaten me and my crew. Also, there is a large reward for you head."

He stopped and looked directly at the transmitter camera, making sure the high-resolution image of his face was being received on the other end, he needed to sound firm and invoke fear into the Ferengi, he loved to see them scream.

Sounding worried, the Ferengi replied in all his cowardly acts and hidden smiles that reached from one earlobe to the other, "McGregor, Sir, My dear friend, I have a wealth of supplies that a man of your intelligence and power would gladly purchase from me, and my reward is nothing compared to the services I can offer you."

McGregor could sense that the Ferengi was getting himself into a knot and unable to barter himself out of this one. He decided to end his suffering and reel him in. Besides, his appearance at grovelling was pathetic. He gestured towards the Comm officer and the screen went black.

Without warning, the Ferengi fired a volley of torpedoes that hurled in space at warp. They smashed into the Explorers shields with a pathetic lightshow. Not even a vibration was felt through the massive vessel.

McGregor grinned, he wondered if he should use the 1 TW(Terra Watt) Beam Cannons and melt the small vessel into a blob. But he needed the reward and held back his stabbing finger that had a mind of its own.

Travelling at near-relativistic speeds, the Ferengi fired all its remaining torpedoes at the massive Explorer. But its Hyper Advanced Regenerating Shields did not falter under the onslaught and made the scurrying Ferengi look like a young teenager playing chicken against a massive eighteen-wheeler lorry.

He finally ordered the Ferengi ship on the view screen; McGregor snuck a little grin and ordered a tractor beam on the very tiny ship trying to escape. The scale of the USS Explorer and the tiny Ferengi ship would leave anyone thinking that this was a bit over the top, but knowing the power he has, McGregor drags the ships to a halt in normal space.

A disgruntled Ferengi opened a channel again and instead of offering gifts and himself, he insulted McGregor, but this merely made him happier as he remembers that this was the same Ferengi that tried to cheat with him at cards and threatened him years before.

Please note: - This story is also available from my website as a PDF download. Check out my profile for my website link and look for the PDF logo. Enjoy.