Star Trek: Pytheas - 106 - The Art of War

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter Eleven

USS Pytheas
Kursican system
Stardate 55434.4 (June 8, 2378)

Captain Leza Astar was bored.

In the five hours since the battle had suddenly ended, the damage her ship had taken had mostly been repaired by the damage control teams and the debris which now littered the system was slowly being beamed aboard for analysis or vaporised. Almost a third of her crew were injured and she'd lost eleven, including two on the Jarvis. The Weisskopf's one remaining shuttle was on Kursica tracking the escape pods and rounding everyone up. The other ships were either still repairing their own damage and counting their dead, or assisting with the clean-up.

'Captain, we're being hailed by Captain Logan again,' Gonzales said.

'On screen,' Astar replied. 'Captain, what can I do for you?'

'I want to know where the Everest is.'

'As soon as we're through cleaning up our grid, I'll retrieve my people and we'll track them down, but it will be difficult without a warp trail,' she replied softly.

'Is there no evidence at all?'

'I have astrometrics working on it, Lionel, but they haven't come up with anything so far. As soon as I know anything, I'll let you know.'

'Thank you, Leza. I'd appreciate that. I thought you might like to know that McNamara is having a nice conversation with the General. He's being incredibly cooperative.'

'That doesn't sound good.'

'Believe me, it isn't. That large vessel is apparently a Cha'lav-avian warship. They're unhappy that this galaxy is not falling to them as quickly as they'd hoped and are now taking control. The avians are the highest caste and the leaders of the Hegemony. I guess we got them angry.'

Astar sighed. 'How many ships of any size could that behemoth hold?'

'Enough to wipe out this entire sector, according to the General.'

'Put the Federation colonies on alert, Captain,' Astar said. 'They'll be the first targets.'

'Good thinking, Logan out.'

Astar turned to Gonzales. 'Commander, finish this grid as soon as you can then set course for the nearest Federation or allied colony. The Cha'lav will likely take them all out. Have all allied ships return to their homeworlds at best speed. If we can stop the Cha'lav-avians we may well be able to make them think twice about our galaxy.'

'Aye sir,' Gonzales replied. 'They may also decide to leave subtlety aside and approach us with a full on invasion.'

'Which would leave their other galaxies undefended. I don't think they have as many ships as they'd like us to believe, just more powerful ones. What's the closest allied colony?'

'New Tokyo,' the tactical officer answered. 'And we've just finished this grid.'

'Where all this started two months ago,' Astar muttered. 'Get everyone back on board. Larson, set a course for New Tokyo, maximum warp.'

'Aye sir, course and speed laid in.'

'The shuttles are aboard, Captain.'

'Tell Logan where we're headed and let's go. Gonzales, you have the conn.'

As the Pytheas jumped to warp, Astar entered the ready room and sat down on the sofa by the window. She doubled over in pain and clutched her sides, noticing that the ankle bracelet monitoring her vital signs was flashing red. Maxx would be in momentarily to check on her and warn her that she was pushing herself too hard, that she was going to kill herself and the symbiont if she didn't slow down.

'What the hell are you trying to do, kill yourself?' Maxx asked as the doors slid open.

'I knew you were going to say that,' Astar grimaced.

'You need to take more care of yourself right now. Try not to get agitated and you might live long enough to get back home and perform the Zhian'tara.'

'We're in the middle of a war, Doctor. I can't just be all nice and fluffy.'

Maxx smiled grimly. 'You've never been fluffy, Aunty. I'm giving you a broad spectrum shot which should make you feel better, for a while. Next time you feel this coming on, notify me immediately. I don't want to have to put you in stasis again.'

'I need to function,' she said as she felt herself feeling heavy. 'What did you give me?'

'A sedative. You need to rest.'

'Need to...' she said rising and fell back down again.

'You need to rest,' Maxx said and moved her into a lying position.

Within seconds, she'd curled up into a foetal ball and was snoring. Maxx tapped his combadge. 'Gonzales, please see me in the ready room.'

Gonzales entered and saw Astar asleep. 'What's going on?'

'She's pushing herself too hard and the symbiont is getting worse. I don't want you waking her until she wakes up on her own. Even if we come under attack. If she doesn't stay calm, she'll be dead before we get her back to Trill or somewhere a Guardian can help her.'

'Doctor, you realise that you've just placed me in command.'

He nodded sombrely. 'I know. Try not to get us all killed.'

Gonzales sighed and watched the captain for a few seconds until Maxx left, then she returned to the bridge and took the centre chair. It wasn't her first time in the chair, but she didn't feel she belonged there this time. They'd lost their first officer to another universe and now their captain was in danger of dying because of a powerful compulsion to return home and complete a ritual.

'Sir, we're receiving a message from Starbase 535.'

'On screen.'

'Commander?' Logan asked.

'The Captain is resting and cannot be disturbed, sir. Is there a problem?'

'I'd say. The General is dead. He committed suicide, some kind of neural implant.'

'Damn,' Gonzales muttered. 'Were you able to get any more information out of him?'

'Only that each galaxy has one of those avian ships in control, always on the move. The home galaxy has a dozen of them, and he's given us the location of that galaxy.'

'Could he have been part of a rebellion?'

'I hope so. If he was, he's just given us the biggest piece of intel we could have hoped for.'

'At what cost?' Gonzales asked.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Wow...that could REALLY be a problem. Just one question--how can just ONE of those ships be enough to manage an entire galaxy? Either these other galaxies are nowhere near as tough as the Milky Way (no Borg/Dominion-scale threats) or the Cha'lav have been messing around with the timelines like the Krenim to keep rivals from developing in these other galaxies!

And wow, I bet Astar will NOT be happy if she finds out she slept through a battle!

BTW, on that note--one thing I hope to see from you sometime is an explanation of exactly what the zhian'tara ritual accomplishes physiologically as well as spiritually. That would be pretty interesting...

 

[BrotherBenny]

one thing I hope to see from you sometime is an explanation of exactly what the zhian'tara ritual accomplishes physiologically as well as spiritually. That would be pretty interesting...

I felt that was sufficiently explained in DS9 and saw no reason to go through the whole process again, as it would take up an entire story on it's own (it did take up a whole episode), and so in the next story you'll just see what was thrown up by the Zhian'tara itself.

 

[Mistral]

Astar better take it easy. As for your avians-they are coming across much like the Founders. So what is their claim to fame? What do they have that makes them top do-er, bird?

 

[BrotherBenny]

Astar better take it easy. As for your avians-they are coming across much like the Founders. So what is their claim to fame? What do they have that makes them top do-er, bird?

You mean other than big mean ships and an empire that covers 260,000 galaxies???

 

[CeJay]

That was some serious battling going on. And now Astar appears to be out for the count. I guess now we'll see what kind of stuff Gonzales is made out of.

260,000 galaxies!? Really? How come this isn't already game over then? If you got 260,000 galaxies you probably have around 260,000 ships.

 

[BrotherBenny]

That was some serious battling going on. And now Astar appears to be out for the count. I guess now we'll see what kind of stuff Gonzales is made out of.

260,000 galaxies!? Really? How come this isn't already game over then? If you got 260,000 galaxies you probably have around 260,000 ships.

Maximum entropy. They believe themselves to be supreme rulers but they have overstretched themselves - they're fighting a resistance on 260,000 fronts.

Oh yeah, and us.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter Twelve

USS Pytheas
New Tokyo system
Stardate 55437.7 (June 9, 2378)

Prefect Kuwata materialised on the transporter pad and immediately stepped down, facing off against Captain Astar. 'The fact I do not wish to meet you as soon as you arrive is no justification for yanking out of a council meeting.'

'Actually, Prefect, it is,' Astar replied calmly, still smarting from her artificial nap induced more than a day ago. 'There is a warship in the sector which is larger than anything Starfleet has in its arsenal and we believe that it is heading here in order to destroy this colony.'

'Because we're human?'

'Because you're a Federation colony.'

'We renounced our Federation citizenship over two months ago. I guess I was right, you really don't let people go all that easily.'

'This isn't about being a Federation citizen. Your people are in danger and we can do nothing to stop them if they decide to attack. That ship is the size of a small asteroid and it has dozens, perhaps hundreds, of smaller vessels inside it. If you won't evacuate the colony, then I'll do my best to protect you, but I'm afraid it won't be enough.'

'You're serious,' the old man said, looking into her eyes. 'You're wise beyond your years but you are scared. Not just for us, but for everyone. This ship represents that great a threat?'

Astar nodded. 'Let me put it this way, I would make an alliance with the Dominion if I thought it would help.'

Kuwata nodded. 'Thank you for your honesty, Captain, if not your methodology. However, we have built homes here and we won't leave. Asking you not to defend us is likely an argument I would lose, is it not?'

'It is.'

'Then good luck and I hope the ship does not arrive.'

'So do I, Prefect.'

Kuwata returned to the transporter pad and disappeared in a whirl of atoms.

Astar turned to the operator. 'How many people are down there?'

'Eight thousand and twenty three. We couldn't evacuate them all if we tried and they only have two atmospheric skimmers for travel.'

'If it comes to it, we'll take the children first and as many young women as we can hold. If communication goes down those are your standing orders unless otherwise countermanded. Is that understood?'

'Yes sir.'

'Good, I just hope it doesn't come to that.'

'Red alert. Captain to the bridge,' Gonzales called out over the comm. 'All stations prepare for battle.'

Astar reached the bridge in less than two minutes. 'Report.'

'That ship has just dropped out of warp,' Gonzales replied from the exec's chair. 'Long range communication is being jammed and at least four wings of fighters are positioned as escorts for the vessel. We're no match for that many fighters or the ship itself.'

Astar dropped into her chair. 'Hail them.'

'Aye sir,' Snowcroft replied from tactical. 'They're responding.'

'This is Lord Ashal of the Cha'lav Hegemony First Fleet,' the massive avian form told her. 'I am not interested in your surrender, or your lives. For the destruction of our vessels, your people have been sentenced to death. All Federation worlds, colonies and ships will be destroyed. Any who ally with you will suffer the same fate. Once we have conquered this sector, we will move on. What do you have to say in your defence?'

Astar stood up. 'This planet renounced its Federation citizenship two months ago. They are longer a Federation colony.'

'Then why are you here?'

'I believed you would destroy this colony for being populated by humans, a Federation member race.'

'Then you are wrong. We cannot have an Empire if there is no one to control. This colony now belongs to the Cha'lav and you are trespassing. Withdraw immediately or you will be destroyed,' he said and the screen to the view of the giant starship.

'Ensign, get us out of here, maximum warp.'

'Aye sir, engaging.'

'Was that wise, sir?' Gonzales asked.

'I just saved eight thousand people. I think it was a good decision. Get Logan for me as soon as we're out of jamming range.'

'The jamming signal is gone sir,' Snowcroft replied. 'Receiving a distress call from the colony, audio only.'

'Put it on.'

'This is Prefect Kuwata of New Tokyo to the Pytheas or any ship in range. We are under attack. Ground troops have landed and they're executing all the able-bodied men. Repeat....This is Prefect...'

'It's on a repeating loop, sir.'

Astar narrowed her eyes. 'Bring us about, it's time we showed the Cha'lav that we will not go down without a fight. Break out the compression phaser rifles and have Parker ready to take security down to the surface.'

'Aye sir,' Larson and Gonzales replied.

'Time of arrival three minutes,' Larson added.

'Parker reports being ready, sir, and requests all people with security training be drafted for a mission of this scope.'

'Permission granted.'

'She's ready for beam down, sir. Has teams in all transporter rooms awaiting transport.'

'Gonzales, launch the missiles as soon as we drop out of warp. They are going to be our only hope of stopping this ship.'

'Aye sir. Computer, initiate site-to-site transport Gonzales-1.'
She dematerialised and Astar was left standing alone in the centre of the bridge. 'Astar to transporter room one. Keep a lock on Gonzales.'

'Aye sir.'

'Approaching the planet, sir,' Larson said.

'Ensign, slow to impulse. Snowcroft, drop shields. Gonzales, launch missiles. Parker, energise.'

The Pytheas slowed to sublight speed and the shields went down as Parker transported forty-eight people to the surface in twelve seconds. Gonzales piloted the fleet of seventeen missiles into open space and headed for the Behemoth's weapons and engines. The shields went back up just as a wing of fighters began an attack run. The Onizuka and the Scobee launched from the shuttlebay a moment later to take care of the fighters as the Behemoth turned to fire it's primary weapons at the Starfleet ship.

'Brace for impact!'

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

I KNEW trusting them couldn't be a good idea...these guys are even worse than the Dominion and there was NO way they could be trusted to abide by a non-aggression pact!

 

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter Thirteen

USS Everest
Inside the Behemoth
Stardate 55437.7 (June 9, 2378)

Commander Martin Madden railed at himself for allowing his ship to be taken prisoner. All his crew were still aboard and they were all fine, except for the fact that they could not move the ship out of the cavernous hangar bay. The last time they tried, a disruptor beam hit the port nacelle, vaporising half the components, and he had no intention of that happening to the starboard nacelle.

'Doesn't anybody have options?'

'Sir, I've managed to hack into their security feed,' Lieutenant Maurice Tobias, his tactical officer, answered with a grin.

'Can you disable the weapons out there?' Lieutenant Commander Karl Archer, the ship's executive officer, asked.

'No sir, but I can tell you we're in orbit of New Tokyo, or what will shortly be left of it.'

'On screen,' Madden ordered.

The bridge officers watched as the colony's housing was destroyed from orbit and then fighters heading into the atmosphere to deal with the people.

'What else can you see?'

The tactical officer changed views. 'The Pytheas is attempting to destroy this ship, but even with the Eeroth missiles hammering at the shields over the engines, they're not doing much damage. The Behemoth is just too big.'

'I've had enough of just sitting here. If they're not going to interrogate us, we're leaving. Think you can hit those doors with a torpedo?'

'It's a big target, sir.'

'On my mark, raise shields and fire a quantum torpedo at the doors. At the same time, we're going to full impulse and we're going to eject the warp core after setting it to detonate. I expect they'll take out the other nacelle once we start to move, but that's fine.'

'Sir?' Archer asked. 'What exactly are you planning?'

'An antimatter explosion should take out enough of the ship for the Pytheas to finish her off.'

'You realise that we could well be destroyed if we do this, sir?' Archer said.

'What would you prefer, Commander, sitting here and watching all those people die, or dying and making the Cha'lav pay for every life they've taken?'

'Since you put it that way, sir,' Archer replied. 'Helm, prepare to take us to full impulse. On your mark, sir.'

'Mark.'

'Shields up, torpedo's away. Full impulse, now!'

The Everest lifted off the deck and hurtled toward the hangar doors. As expected, the internal security system vaporised the starboard nacelle just as the quantum torpedo blasted a hole in the doors. The Everest punched through and ejected the core, the shields barely protecting them from the broken bay door fragments. Twenty seconds later, the entire rear of the ship exploded outward in a massive antimatter explosion.

'Yes!' Madden yelled.

'Shockwave incoming,' Lieutenant Merrit Tannis, the Bajoran helmsman, added. 'Brace for impact.'

Madden watched the screen as a large secondary explosion occurred toward the centre of the ship.

'That would be their fusion reactors.'

'Open a channel to Captain Astar.'

'Thank you for your fantastic timing,' Astar said.

'Not soon enough it looks like,' Madden replied as he saw the state of her bridge.

'We're still in one piece, but you look like you lost a few parts. Have you got any security personnel you can spare for ground troops?'

'I think so, I'll organise it. We've still got weapons.'

'Take out as many fighters as you can. We'll handle what's left of the ship.'

'Acknowledged, Madden out.' The screen blanked and he saw the Behemoth losing attitude control and banking towards the planet. 'I hope she can take out that ship before it hits the atmosphere.'

'Sir, there's a wing of fighters approaching. Weapons range in eight seconds.'

'Don't ask my permission, just fire at will.'

'Aye sir.'

The fighters approached, surrounding the Defiant-class ship, but these ones had not witnessed the Battle of Kursica and were ill-prepared for Tobias' savagery. The Everest went into a dizzying spin, the inertial dampers whining in protest at the punishment they were receiving, and Tobias fired phaser and torpedo volleys in a constant barrage which whittled down the fighters quickly. As they came out of the spin, another wave of fighters attacked, but more torpedoes were already loosed and the phasers took out those the torpedoes missed.
In a matter of minutes the fighters were gone and the Everest turned back to the Behemoth to see it plunge into the atmosphere, churning up ozone in its wake. The Pytheas was following it down and pelting it with constant fire, and the last of the Eeroth missiles, but nothing seemed to be taking out the immense vessel.

'What will happen when that thing makes planetfall?'

'The speed and size of the ship will not cause the same damage as an extinction level event, but depending on where it lands, there will likely be tectonic and seismic activity, atmospheric storms, ozone depletion, intense radiation and a good proportion of the planet's native flora and fauna will die out,' Ensign Andok said from the science station.

'How is that not an extinction level event?' Archer asked.

'The population will survive with outside assistance.'

Madden sighed. 'Get Logan for me. New Tokyo are going to need some help unless they're planning on dying out.'

'Commander, I can't reach the starbase. The radiation from the explosions is preventing a signal from getting through.'

'All right, where's the Pytheas?'

'In the lower atmosphere, approximately three hundred kilometres above and five hundred kilometres due east of the impact site. The radiation down there is intense and I'm having trouble getting accurate readings.'

'Put us in a low orbit and let me know the moment you make contact with either the Pytheas or the starbase.'

'Aye sir.'

'Commander, are you all right?' Archer asked sotto voce.

'Oh yeah, just peachy. I'm sitting in a crippled ship while my colleagues are out of contact at the site of a near-extinction level event and eight thousand people are being butchered by a hegemonic empire.'

'Well, since you put it like that...'

'Sir, I'm getting through to the Pytheas. It's a weak signal, but I have them.'

'On screen.'

The bridge was almost completely dark and the amber radiation alarm could be seen alongside the crimson alert lighting. Half the bridge crew were on the deck and Astar was in her chair, trying to stay upright.

'We have to get down there,' Madden said.

'There's nothing we can do in our current condition. They're on their own,' Archer replied.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Way to go, Madden!!! Now to save New Tokyo (or at least its inhabitants), and defeat the rest of the Cha'lav fleet...

And I know a Cardassian gul of mine who would LOVE to meet Madden--that took serious smarts and guts!

 

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter Fourteen

USS Pytheas
New Tokyo
Stardate 55437.8 (June 9, 2378)

Ensign Daniel Larson pulled himself upright and stumbled into his chair. He fought unconsciousness and hunched over the helm console as he flew the ship out of the mushroom cloud created by the Behemoth's impact on the surface. Around him, the rest of the bridge tried to return to their stations in the dark. From his console, he could see that the shields were just about holding the radiation at bay but if they remained in proximity for much longer, they'd all start to die. Main power was offline and he was using auxiliary thrusters to move the ship away from the prevailing winds. As soon as they were clear and more than a hundred kilometres from the impact site, systems started to come back online.

'Ensign, don't move,' Astar croaked from her chair. 'The carbon dioxide levels on the bridge are too high to breathe properly.'

'Life support is coming back online,' Talen said. 'I need less oxygen than you do, I can still breathe well enough. It will be a few minutes before you start the feel it. Main power is still offline and we're operating on auxiliary backups.'

'What about the ship?' Gonzales asked.

'Decks thirteen through fifteen have suffered extensive radiation damage. They will need to be completely decontaminated. Recommend we evacuate deck twelve as well.'

'How many people?' Astar asked, turning to face him.

'I don't know, sir. Internal sensors are offline.'

'Cancel the radiation alarm and get damage control teams to deck twelve to start the evacuation.'

'Aye sir.'

'What about our teams on the surface?'

'They're not in the danger zone, and are still taking care of the Cha'lav problem. Once that's done they'll get everyone to a safe location,' Gonzales said. 'Parker's trained to do this, better than I am.'

'Get us on the ground, Ensign.'

'I wouldn't recommend it, sir,' Larson replied.

'Why not?'

'We can make it back into a stable orbit, but if we land I'm not sure we're getting off the ground again.'

Astar made a decision. 'Objection noted, Ensign. Go to blue alert and prepare for landing.'

'Aye sir, blue alert.'

Usually, the warp plasma was vented from the nacelles before entering the atmosphere, but there was enough radiation that the warp plasma dissipated almost instantly, and the warp core was already offline. Larson felt the ship slip sideways as they landed a few minutes later, but the landing struts held them steady and he took the impulse engines offline, matching the inertial dampers to the planet's gravity.

'We're down,' Talen said. 'Damage control teams are already decontaminating deck thirteen. Recommend we remain here until all systems are repaired.'

'Negative, Lieutenant. We'll do what we can but I intend to get us back to Kursica as soon as possible. With the majority of their fleet destroyed, the Cha'lav will have at least one more go. We know there is at least one more control ship in this galaxy if the reports from the other side of the sector were accurate.'

'They were, Captain. The Independence checked them out. The entire population was either killed or enslaved.'

'As soon as main power is restored and the warp core is back online, we're leaving. I want no more discussion on the subject.'
The turbolift doors opened and Petty Officer Beaujolais entered, carrying a medkit and travel pouch. 'Everyone is to be given hyronalin injections, doctor's orders.'

'What sort of injuries do we have?' Astar asked as received her shot.

'Everyone on decks fourteen and fifteen died from radiation sickness, but those on deck thirteen will recover in time, provided there are no complications. There are lots of broken bones and bruises but nothing else life threatening,' the medical technician answered honestly. 'I'm sorry, Captain.'

'Not half as sorry as the Cha'lav will be,' Gonzales muttered.

'Where's Maxx?'

'He's performing surgery right now and the EMH is setting bones and dealing with bruises.'

'Astar to engineering?'

'Xeris here, Captain. Is it urgent? I'm kind of busy down here.'

'I need to know how the ship is.'

'Almost everything is offline. Auxiliary systems are the only things keeping us alive right now. The warp core is riddled with microfractures and I need to seal them before I can bring it back online. Shields and weapons are out until main power is restored but I have life support functioning for now. I hope you're not planning on taking us back into the radiation zone, the main computer core nearly suffered a cascade failure last time.'

Astar sighed. 'Thank you, Commander. That will be all.'

'I'd like you to come to sickbay, Captain. Doctor Maxx wanted you and the symbiont checked out.'

'We're fine.'

'Sir, in your current condition, I have to insist,' the young man pressed nervously.

'Mister Beaujolais, you're not in any position to insist,' Astar replied and it seemed to galvanise the med tech.

'Sir, if you don't report to sickbay immediately I'll have you relieved of duty, pending a full physical check-up by the chief medical officer.'

'Fine, Gonzales, you're in command until I get back.'

'Aye sir.'

The two of them left the bridge and Larson started laughing uncontrollably.

'Ensign?'

'I can't help it,' he said between fits of laughter. 'I don't know what's wrong with me.'

Talen approached him with a tricorder. 'I'm reading elevated nitrogen levels in your blood.'

'Check everyone,' Gonzales ordered and tapped her combadge. 'Xeris, we may have a problem with the life support system. Check the nitrogen levels.'

'Hu'fret, what's the nitrogen reading?' they heard him call out.

'There's almost no oxygen in the life support systems. We're all breathing nearly pure nitrogen,' Hu'fret replied, panicking.

'I'm opening all access hatches to increase oxygen flow,' Talen said and did so. 'We should be all right in a few minutes. There will be some more deaths though, especially for species that need a lot of oxygen,' he added sadly, his antennae drooping.

'Get medical teams to those personnel immediately, use the shuttles' transporters if you have to,' Gonzales ordered.

'Already on it,' the Andorian replied.

 

[Mistral]

What a mess-I'm not sure the ship is going to make it top the end of the story at this rate.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Very good the way you really look at the ramifications of ALL the things that could go wrong with life support, etc. I must say, though, I am very worried for the ship and crew!!!

 

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter Fifteen

USS Pytheas
New Tokyo
Stardate 55437.9 (June 9, 2378)

Astar and Beaujolais arrived in sickbay after travelling the Jeffries tubes through half the ship since main power was still down and with it so were the turbolifts, and found over thirty people crammed in, all being treated by med techs, nurses and the EMH. She looked around and didn't see Maxx, then turned to Beaujolais who shrugged.

'I thought he would have finished the surgery by now. Let me go and check. Find a biobed and sit down please.'

Astar grouchily complied and waited for almost five minutes before Beaujolais returned, with the doctor. 'Sorry to have kept you, Captain. The surgery didn't go as planned.'

'What happened?'

'Ensign Benson was thrown across the shuttlebay when she landed and fractured a number of bones, including her spine. I was able to repair most of the damage but there's nothing I can do about her spine until I have access to a genitronic replicator.'

'Starfleet still has doubts about its uses, Doctor.'

'Yes, but it saved hundreds of lives during the war, which is the only reason that they're still in use. I will have to petition Starfleet Medical to authorise it's use though. I didn't ask you to come down here to discuss the use of genitronics, Captain. I want to check you out completely since Trill are notoriously susceptible to certain forms of radiation. I want to make sure that neither of you has been adversely affected.'

'I understand, but please make it quick. I can see you have more pressing matters to attend to.'

'I have a full staff and an EMH to handle everything. As much as I hate to admit it, that program does have it's uses and isn't completely incompetent.'

'You still prefer the Mark-I don't you?' she asked as he began waving a medical tricorder over her abdomen.

'His bedside manner was atrocious but he was a damn good doctor. The Mark II and III were dithering idiots, third year medical students, and I hated them almost as much as the Mark I. At least the next ones were passable.'

'What is your problem with the Mark VII?'

'You mean other than the fact that my medical staff keep changing her visual parameters?'

'I noticed that she looked like a rather attractive Vulcan woman the last time.'

'Do you know who that was? It was T'Pol, the first Vulcan to serve on a Starfleet vessel, two hundred years ago. I prefer her looking like that,' he added, pointing over his shoulder.

Astar craned her head. 'I suppose she's pretty enough.'

'Her bedside manner still needs work, but her medical knowledge easily surpasses her predecessors.'

'How's the symbiont?'

'Minor radiation poisoning, but nothing that it can't heal itself from. You on the other hand, are a different matter altogether.'

'What's the problem?'

'Your neurological condition is deteriorating again,' Maxx told her. 'I couldn't find it before, but it's clearly there now. The poison that Wright dosed you with caused a slow degeneration in your neural tissues. Because you were in stasis, the effect was slowed and took time to going again, but it's working fast. Coupled with your other condition, I'm worried that this will cause a complete neurological breakdown which cannot be repaired.'

'Putting me back in stasis until we reach home is not an option, Doctor. We have no first officer and I don't want to leave the ship without a captain either.'

'If you don't let me treat you, you will both die.'

Astar looked up at him and considered her options. 'Is there anything you can give me to slow the degradation, even temporarily?'

'There are no drugs I can give you which will alleviate the symptoms, but a neural stimulator, applied regularly three times a day for ten minutes, may be enough to slow the damage until we return home. You must continue to use it or will be ineffective.'

'As long as I'm in command we'll get home and you can do anything you need to then.'

'There's nothing I can do. I'm hoping the Guardians might be able to assist you, or you'll have to have the symbiont removed before you die.'

Astar nodded, patting her abdomen. 'I understand, Doctor. I am hopeful that we can return home sooner rather than later.'

'I will contact the Guardians in Makala. They will know what to do.'

'Thank you, Arlon.'

He nodded and then turned away, and she knew he was trying to be strong for her. He didn't want to show her how hard it had been for him to tell her that she was likely to die if she didn't get help soon.

'Captain, we're receiving reports from our teams that the Cha'lav have been contained,' Gonzales called over the comm. 'Lieutenant Parker requests that cargo bay two be converted for prisoner containment.'

'Denied. Leave the prisoners on an isolated island with basic survival gear. Let's see how they deal with that.'

'Aye sir, Gonzales out.'

'I need to get back to the bridge, Doctor.'

'Take this,' he said, handing her the stimulator. 'Remember, three times a day for ten minutes at regular intervals. I'm modifying the bracelet to monitor your neurological outputs as well. Be safe, Leza.'

She smiled and hopped off the biobed. 'I will, now see to your other patients.'

Astar returned to the bridge and found that repair teams were already sorting out the damaged systems. The lighting suddenly brightened and fans on the bridge whirred into life.

'Xeris to bridge, the microfractures have been sealed and the warp core is coming online now. Main power will be restored momentarily.'

'Excellent work, what about shields and weapons?'

'Give me thirty minutes.'

'Granted, Astar out. Talen, how bad is it on deck thirteen?'

'Damage control teams have found fourteen suffering from radiation sickness, Captain,' the Andorian replied. 'Decks fourteen and fifteen are still off limits until the radiation levels have gone down.'

'Which will be when?'

'At this rate? Not until we get into drydock and have the ship undergo a complete decontamination sweep.'

'All right, post security at all entrance points on deck eleven to deck twelve. Anyone going below deck eleven needs my authorisation.'

'Aye sir.'

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Wouldn't removing the symbiont also kill Astar?

 

[Mistral]

Wouldn't removing the symbiont also kill Astar?

That was my thought. Repairs are coming along. Great. Putting the prisoners on an island in a nuclear hell? Not sure how the higher ups will look on that.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Wouldn't removing the symbiont also kill Astar?

In the real lit universe, Bashir found a way to do it without killing either host or symbiont. I'm speculating either he or somebody else also did in the UT universe.

Putting the prisoners on an island in a nuclear hell? Not sure how the higher ups will look on that.

The entire planet hasn't been irradiated, just where the Behemoth crashed. It was a Hiroshima-like explosion, maybe five times as bad, but nothing that would kill all life on the planet.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter Sixteen

Behemoth Impact Area
New Tokyo
Stardate 55438.1 (June 9, 2378)

Lieutenant Parker and the rest of her security forces on the ground had gotten the entire colony to their secondary site and were now approaching the impact site as close as they dared, even with radiation suits beamed down from the ship. The Pytheas was still undergoing repairs to its major systems, giving her a chance to investigate the wreck. The Behemoth had almost been completely destroyed, and what was left was intensely radioactive—not only from the impact itself, but also from the two antimatter explosions prior to its uncontrolled descent.

'The tricorder is picking up over fifty thousand rads and we're still more than five kilometres from the impact site,' Faragas said.

'The Doctor said that these suits aren't designed for such hard radiation. There's no way we're getting any closer than this,' Parker replied.

'Do you think the Cha'lav survived?'

'If any survived the impact, which is doubtful, the rest will have died of radiation poisoning hours ago. I find it highly unlikely that any planet-born biological species could withstand that level of radiation. It's probably even higher by the debris,' Parker said. 'This entire region is going to be uninhabitable for centuries, and the winds are a problem too. The thing we should be most grateful for is that enough of the ship was destroyed in orbit and burned up in the atmosphere that this was not an extinction level event. The planet will survive, though I have no idea about a nuclear ice age or anything.'

'Then we should speak with the science team,' Faragas suggested.

'Good idea. Parker to Malling.'

'Go ahead, Lieutenant.'

'Are you running simulations on the planetary ecosystem and the damage this ship has done?'

'We are. There maybe a global decrease in temperature, but a mild one. The debris and dust cloud will not block out the sun. The biggest danger is the radiation. It's actually expanding as we speak. Something in that ship is radioactive and increasing. We have to get in there and stop it.'

'Can any of the shuttles withstand the radiation?'

'The Onizuka can for a period of two hours before the shields fail and the hull starts to irradiate.'

'Patch the captain in, please.'

'Stand by.'

'Is there a problem, Lieutenant?'

'Yes sir,' Malling answered and repeated what she'd just told Parker.

'Get the shuttle prepped. You leave in ten minutes. Parker move your people out and set up an inner and outer perimeter. I don't want anyone there at all.'

'Aye sir, we should have Xeris try and create a forcefield for the region in case we can't stop the radiation expansion. At least it will limit the damage to the environment.'

'I'll get him on it, Astar out.'

'All right people, you heard the Captain. Double time it out of here. Spread out and mark out an inner perimeter of five kilometres, outer perimeter at ten. Ask for whatever you need to be beamed down. If you start to feel light headed request beam out to the decontamination site. Decks fourteen and fifteen have been completely irradiated, and decks twelve and thirteen are off limits so I don't want anyone carrying more radiation on board. Let's get this done.'

By the time they had placed the inner cordon of radiation markers around the site, the Onizuka hove into view and passed overhead, moving closer to the impact site itself than any of them could.

'Parker to Astar.'

'Yes, Lieutenant?'

'We should prep the Scobee for a rescue mission just in case. My team are heading to the outer perimeter now. Once we're through decontamination I'd like to make sure the colonists are safe before we leave the surface.'

'I've spoken with Xeris and he says the Scobee just cannot be outfitted for radiation protection. The upgraded Flyer is specifically designed for missions in all conditions, as per the specs drawn up by Lieutenant Paris on Voyager.'

'Aye sir,' Parker replied, not in the least bit convinced. She was sure Astar didn't want to risk any more people than were necessary since nearly a third of the crew were injured, dying or dead.

'Malling to Parker,' the chief science officer said through a static-filled channel.

'You're breaking up, Lieutenant. What have you got?'

'Sensors are dropping off at about twelve meters, but I am detecting some kind of large fusion plant. Whatever it is was shielded before impact but the shielding is cracked and the radiation is leaking out, further cracking or splitting the shielding.'

'Fusion technology is old, and I am not aware of any Cha'lav technology that utilises nuclear fusion. Can you tell where in the vessel it was located?'

'According to the schematics we have for this vessel, the fusion plant would have been adjacent to the torpedo storage bays.'

Parker almost slapped her head in stupidity. 'The fusion plant is for creating nuclear-tipped warheads used for conquering pre-warp cultures. It was never used when I fought them since most sentient species had actually passed that threshold. Can you stop the build-up? It will create another nuclear explosion if you can't.'

'The radiation is too heavy for anything to work properly. I think the best we can do is find a way to carry out a controlled explosion if such a thing is possible for nuclear material.'

'Astar to all personnel. Return to the ship immediately. Commander Madden has just informed us that we have company. Two Cha'lav cruisers on approach.'

'Captain, I'd like a small team to remain on the surface. The cruisers are probably here to investigate the destruction of the avian vessel. They may have technology to recover.'

'Four people, Lieutenant, no more. The rest of you, return to the ship. Malling, that includes you.'

'Acknowledged, Captain, Malling out.'

'Faragas, get these people back to the ship. Hoya, zh'Velan, Zinkin, you're with me. We'll take cover behind these rocks.'

She watched as her people were beamed up and saw the Onizuka streak into the sky. Parker knew that Astar and Madden would head for the edge of the system once they got the ship off the surface. The Everest would need to be towed back home but Astar wasn't going to leave anyone behind, especially not her resident expert on the Cha'lav.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Wow, that is a BAD situation. Controlled nuclear explosion??? I suppose this stuff can't be beamed out into space, thanks to the damage to the ship and the radiation levels...