USS STONEHOUSE
Part of the United Trek universe
“Whoever Brings the Night”
Part of the United Trek universe
“Whoever Brings the Night”
Prologue
San Francisco
Earth
Stardate 53404.8
Doctor Yerbi Fandau turned onto his left side hoping that it would allow him to sleep, since his right side, chest and back had all proved fruitless in the attempt. The war might have been over for close to six months but his schedule was as full as it had been at the height of the accursed conflict. Dozens or worlds needed medical existence, both inside and outside of the Federation, and his doctors were spread thin. He’d resorted to nurses and medical technicians to fill the gaps and went through every report on a daily basis, hoping that more doctors became available to fill the ever-increasing list of planets, and starships, that needed medical personnel. Since sleep was going to elude him this night, Fandau decided to make an early start on the day. He showered, dressed and headed for the large building that was his almost permanent home, Starfleet Medical.
‘Early start, Doc?’ the guard on duty smiled, a chipper young man in the dead of night.
‘Couldn’t sleep,’ he replied with a wave.
Inside his office complex, his assistant was already compiling the latest list. ‘Good morning, Doctor Fandau,’ Ghee P’Trell said, the Caitian smiling with his sharp, uneven teeth.
‘Don’t you ever sleep?’
‘Not these days. There’s an urgent communiqué for you, came in almost ten minutes ago. I was about to wake you.’
‘They’re all urgent. Why is this one so special that you were planning on waking me in the middle of the night?’
‘It’s from your Cardassian contact, I recognised the subspace coding.’
Fandau’s eyes widened and he hurried into his office to activate the recording. This was news he’d been waiting for, for almost three months, and he had almost given up hope.
‘Doctor Fandau,’ the Cardassian contact spoke in even tones even though his face was badly bruised, and still bleeding the obsidian ichor that passed for blood in that species. ‘The situation has grown grim. The people have gone unnoticed by the Federation and the Cardassians, the Klingons and the Romulans since the war ended. They need your help if they are to survive another generation.’ He coughed and spat up blood. ‘There’s something else you need to know. There’s something else on this world that lives in the cave system outside what’s left of the capital. The people won’t go anywhere near it, and I know there was nothing there before the war. Whoever you send has to be able to take care of themselves, no matter what.’
It dissolved into static after that and he sighed, tapping a control on his desk. ‘Ghee, get Cole for me.’
‘It’s four in the morning.’
‘He’ll be awake, the old bastard never sleeps.’
‘Aye sir, stand by.’
It would take only a moment for the subspace signal to reach Utopia Planitia and the orbital drydock facilities that made a large number of ships for the Federation. Less than two minutes later, the face of an old friend appeared on screen, though he appeared somewhat groggy.
‘Did I wake you?’ Fandau asked.
‘At my age I do actually need more than thirty seconds of shut-eye to keep me going for the day,’ Cole replied, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
‘What are you now, sixty?’
‘I’ll be ninety next month, as you well know. To what do I owe this early morning wake-up call?’
‘Manek came through for us,’ Fandau answered grimly. ‘But it may have cost him his life.’
‘That bad?’ Cole was now wide awake, all trace of fatigue instantly erased. ‘What happened? What did he tell you?’
‘Extinction in less than a generation if we don’t act now. I’m sending you the file now. See if you can clean it up en route. What do you want to do?’
‘You know my stance on the subject. I spent two years on the planet, living with the people as the Federation Embassy was built. Say the word.’
Fandau nodded. ‘Thank you, Captain. Get your people together and leave as soon as you are able.’
Cole smiled. ‘We’ll leave within the hour, Doctor.’
Fandau wrinkled his brow. ‘You were going to go anyway?’
‘I was going to give it another week.’
‘Your crew, they trust you?’
‘Most of them don’t even know me yet. A lot transferred off at war’s end and even more when the ship went in for that little refit. Those that remained behind have helped me run the trials to make sure that she’s spaceworthy.’
The Head of Starfleet Medical sighed. ‘This isn’t something I wanted to entrust to an untested crew, Captain.’
‘I have replaced those who transferred off with people of equal or better talents in all required fields, and your new agency has given me the best medical staff I could hope for. I am submitting to you now a full crew manifest along with my reasons for having them aboard. I trust you’ll find them satisfactory.’
‘I don’t really have a choice now, do I?’
‘Not really,’ Cole replied with a hard cast to his face. ‘We’ll these people get back on their feet, and if the Cardassians think we’ll let them waltz back in they have another thing coming. The Stonehouse is more than able to defend itself against a Galor or two.’
‘The Cardassian Republic is concentrating on maintaining the territory they have, and electing a new leader. I doubt very much that they will want anything to do with what they consider to be a backwater world.’
‘The Jem’Hadar didn’t see it that way,’ Cole said, almost growling. ‘And I’m sure there are a few rogue Cardassians still seeking to make a name for themselves.’
‘Perhaps so,’ Fandau replied, thinking of the haunted look in the Cardassian’s eyes. ‘When you see the file, you’ll notice that he mentions a haunted cave system outside the capital. I want you to exorcise it.’
‘My pleasure. I aim to get them back to where they were before the Enterprise stumbled onto them at the very least. But their culture has been irrecoverably changed by us and by the war.’
‘Do the best you can, Captain.’
‘I intend to, Cole out.’
Fandau leaned back in his chair and prayed that Cole was really as good as he said he was.
