[Turning Points, Part I]?

Plot Points:
 Meliar passed out after stealing too much food at Merlmer's banquet.
Merlmer arranged to drug his own food, bargaining that Meliar would try to eat it. While Meliar was unconscious, Merlmer telepathically scanned him.
Kordivan told Meliar, durring his 'vacation,' that he had uncovered a plot between Councilor Nichols and the Kaa. Nichols was to return some equipment to the Kaa, and they would provide some sort of assisstance in his drive to be made President of a Unified Alliance. Kordivan encrypted this information in the data he left aboard the Klarg Star for Agent MacArthy.
Merlmer and Kress have begun the Klargian Tea Company. Their first batch of products, many different ice-tea flavors, was recently completed.
The Melanies have been attacking Imperial convoys.
The Klarg Star was crippled in an attack by the Melanies. She was left adrift in space, rigged to blow up if moved without a clearance code.
The Purple Star has been modified, while running errands for the Tk'Mara; it now sports a fusion canon and a tachyon beam.
The Tk'Mara in the Radiation Zone, whom the crew has taken to calling Fred, asked the crew to perform an important mission for it. Despite the danger, the crew agreed to accept the mission in exchange for the some very heavy weaponry, a suit of powered armor, and the use of the modified Purple Star.
The Jou'roki are a collection of extremely advanced races living far coreward of the Alliance. The devote most of their effort toward learning, and respect seekers of knowledge. The Melan are currently one of the members in the Jou'roki.
The crew have been sent, via black hole, to the Jou'roki, in order to prevent the secession of the Melan. The Tk'Mara fear that the Melan who might have escaped the destruction of the Precursor star base may push for secession. Should the rest of the Jou'roki enforce the union militarily, it might eventually lead to unbridled conquest by the Jou'roki.
Races within the Jou'roki are treated in a fairly egalitarian manner. New races to the Jou'roki are, however, are in more of a slave-like position until they are fully adjusted to Jou'roki life. Thus, military conquest at their hands is likely to be unpleasant.
The fate of the known universe is in the hands of the former crew of the Klarg Star One.
Season Two Finale.

Synopsis:
Returning to Klargia, Merlmer holds a great banquet in honor of his recent Duchy. Despite the splendid preparations, the meal is interrupted several times by various affairs of state. Finally, the Duke is called away from the table altogether, and learns that several Imperial transports have recently been attacked and destroyed on their way toward Iraar.

Merlmer arranges an interview with one of the few survivors. While meeting him, however, Meliar sneaks into the Ducal Kitchens, and eats most of the feast, particularly Merlmer's own dish. Stuffed to the gills, Meliar soon passes out. Merlmer gives him a hard glare.

* * *
When Merlmer prepared the banquet, he ordered his own food to be drugged. He suspected Meliar would grow irritated and try to steal the Duke's food. Once Meliar was unconscious, Merlmer could scan the Sparrial without his noticing. While in Meliar's mind, Merlmer confirms that he was indeed an assassin frequently hired by FedInt. It was a botched job for FedInt which currently keeps him out of Sthorganian space.
When Kordivan abducted him, he told Meliar of a plot he had uncovered. Kordivan had learned that Councilor Nichols arranged a deal with the Kaa. He desired to make himself President of a Unified Alliance; if he pushed forward a bill to unify the Alliance folowing an 'incident,' Nichols believed he could indeed get control. The Kaa were somehow supposed to help with his incident. For his part, Nichols was to recover some lost quipment from the old Kaa starbase. Kordivan stole the Federations cloaking device, and tried to investigate the starbase himself, leading to his run in with the crew.
Kordivan also knew of some connection between Nichols and the Melanie family, so he hired Meliar to kill Don Micheal Melanie's son. After the raid on the communication facility (cf The Trail), he encrypted this information in the copy of the data he left onboard the Klarg Star for FedInt Agent MacArthy. Meliar was left to rejoin the crew. He apparently can arrange a meeting with Kordivan.
* * *

The rest of the crew learn that the transports have been attacked by several destroyer-sized pirate ships. The pirates did not give any warning or chance to surrender, merely attacked and captured the ships, before destroying them. Eager to stop the pirates, the Duke requests a small squad of Imperial Marines, and arranges for the Klarg Star One to fly the next trade run. Meliar's corvette will provide "escort" for the freighter.

After several days in transit, the Klarg Star is recharging its hyperdrive when it hits a large minefield. The explosion wrecks most major systems, shatters all 9 of the drive crystals, and blasts a 10 meter hole in the main cargo bay, irradiating the ship, and killing most of the marines. Fortunately, the bridge is wholly self-sufficient, and unradiated. Minimal sensors detect a destroyer and a large frigate approaching. Limited communications confirm that Meliar's corvette is also crippled. The lead pirate identifies itself as the Fist of Melanie, and orders the Klarg Star to surrender and prepare to be boarded.

Before the pirates reach weapons range, however, another ship exits hyperspace nearby. The Purple Star, with an odd protrusion from her bow, rapidly approaches the Melanie fleet, and strafes the frigate. It then stops, waiting for several seconds before a large purple beam fires and destroys the Fist of Melanie. The frigate, heavily damaged, retreats. Zen hails the Klarg Star, and docks with the crippled freighter. Kress, despite a strong desire to stay with his ship, transfers his flag to the Purple Star, taking the still functional stasis device with him.

Ramirez, meanwhile, declares that both the reactionless and hyperdrive systems on the Klarg Star are destroyed far beyond repair, short of major dock time. With the fusion reactor off-line, Merlmer orders him to rig the nuclear warheads in the missile bay to explode should the ship be brought into hyperspace without the proper clearance code. While Ramirez rigs the scuttling charges, Merlmer records a warning message. The crew then boards the Purple Star, leaving their crippled vessel adrift in deep space.

Zen informs the crew that he has been running "errands" for the Tk'Mara within the Rad Zone; the heavy fusion beam was attached for one of these missions. He is now heading back there, as the crew is needed for the next errand. Upon arrival through the black hole, the Purple Star docks with the old starbase, and the crew is escorted to the Tk'Mara. He requests that they perform a service for him, which he will not specify until they except. It will involve a quick jump through the black hole to visit the Melan. Naturally, the crew is thrilled at the prospect, but finally agrees. While they wait for maintenance bots to install a Tachyon beam on the Purple Star, the Tk'Mara provides the crew with several heavy hand weapons, and dispatches one of the smaller guardians to look after the Klarg Star until a friendly tug can retrieve it.

Finally, the Purple Star departs, and after a brief trip through the black hole, arrives far away. Zen now explains that they have entered Jou'roki space, far coreward of the "known" areas of space. their mission is to find the Melan who did indeed escape from the exploding nebula starbase. Apparently, they have been trying to convince the rest of the Melan to withdraw from the Jou'roki. The Jou'roki is a collection of races, dedicated to the peaceful acquisition of knowledge. Should the Melan choose to secede, however, the Tk'Mara believes it will lead to war. Once the Melan have been forcibly brought back into the Jou'roki, they may continue to conquer other races. Since these would be new races, uninitiated in the ways of the Jou'roki, they would not be admitted as equals, but more along the lines of slaves.

With the fate of the known universe in the balance, the Purple Star docks to a huge Jou'roki starbase. Debarking the vessel (armed "casually" to the teeth), the crew are greeted by their old friend Chuhu, Swam Vigorously Through Methane to Find Mate, Am Called Uhuna.

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