The TNG Relaunch - My version
- Thread starter BrotherBenny
- Start date
Good to see Geordi get his licks in. I'm also glad to see you using his character so well. He's a crackerjack engineer, cool under fire, and a man willing to lay it all on the line and you've captured that. Nicely done!
IRW N’ventnar
Kevratas orbit
Stardate 57063.0
Commander Sela knew that Picard was deliberately using a frequency that the Romulans had cracked so she would hear what he was doing. She knew that there weren’t likely to be many dead left aboard the derelict and from what she knew about Terran funerary customs, the dead would just be tagged for transport. Something that wasn’t likely to take up the hour, but she had time to kill. The said hour was almost up and her finger hovered over the communications toggle to contact Picard again.
‘Commander, the derelict is moving!’ the Decurion called out. ‘I’m reading power in several areas.’
Sela cursed herself for not realising Picard’s ploy. ‘Destroy it!’
She watched as the N’ventnar fired its disruptors and slammed her fist down on the arm of her chair as they impacted the shields. The Decurion continued to fire as the derelict returned in kind with a quartet of quantum torpedoes. She braced herself as the first two impacted the hull.
‘Forward shields are failing,’ a centurion said before being thrown from his chair by the concussive force of the third torpedo hitting the ablative armour on the unshielded hull.
‘Torpedo incoming,’ the Decurion called out as the ablative armour failed and the lower hull was blown apart. The ship shuddered as more alarm klaxons sounded. ‘The Enterprise has opened fire. The derelict is targeting our weapons.’
‘I want that ship destroyed!’ Sela screeched as her ship shook and bucked.
‘I’m reading a power build-up in the deflector dish.’
‘Then you have a target, fire!’
The disruptor banks fired but the aim was off. ‘Targeting sensors have been destroyed.’
The plasma blast from the derelict impacted the ship’s upper hull and it melted on impact.
‘We have decompression on all decks, torpedoes are down and shields are offline.’
‘Aim for the warp core of the derelict, and don’t stop firing until it’s gone.’
‘Yes, Commander,’ the Decurion replied and focused every disruptor bank on the engines.
Moments later the derelict exploded and huge sections of hull battered the already damaged warbird. Sela’s eyes twinkled for a brief moment before she started coughing violently.
‘What’s going on?’
‘Life support has been compromised. Main power is gone, shields are down, weapons are offline, and we have hull breaches on all decks.’
Sela let out a string of invective. ‘Set the ship to detonate.’
‘I can’t,’ the Decurion replied. ‘The automatic failsafes are offline.’
‘Then do it manually.’
He shook his head. ‘With all the hull damage, there’s no way to reach the core. We have to abandon ship.’
Sela pulled her disruptor and vaporised the man. She grabbed an environmental suit and put it on as she hopped toward the transporter in her command office. She set the coordinates for her personal shuttle, only to learn that it was hulled and drifting in pieces several kilometres away. Cursing Picard with a fresh language, she engaged the transporter for the nearest shuttle. Once she materialised she saw that no one else had made it and started the shuttle’s engines. She angled the shuttle away from her ship and Kevratas and headed into open space, engaging the cloak before the Enterprise could track her.
Sela activated the communications array and entered a frequency that few people still living knew about. ‘This is Sela. I need assistance.’
She knew that this was not asking for help but something different altogether. ‘Acknowledged,’ came the simple reply.
A warbird decloaked ahead of her and she deactivated her cloak as she piloted the shuttle inside its shuttlebay. This warbird was smaller than the D’deridex-class but its talents lay elsewhere. The weapons were much more powerful and every piece of technology aboard had been reverse engineered from the best that other people had to offer. Awaiting her on the bridge was one of the few people she trusted in what remained of the Empire.
‘I see that you underestimated Picard again,’ Commander Rekar said.
‘Be careful, Rekar. You are alive only at my discretion,’ Sela pointed out.
‘I have to ask myself why Director Rehaek regards you so highly.’
Sela pushed herself into his face. ‘That is no concern of yours. Now, destroy the Enterprise.’
‘Not yet,’ Rehaek replied, emerging from the command office. ‘But she is right on one point, Rekar. You should have been executed for your role in the Prometheus disaster. Almak took your place however, allowing you to serve us.’
‘Should your talents not be put to better use back on the homeworld?’ the former commander asked, playing chances with his life.
‘For now, the situation there is stable and the praetor is handling the Reman/Klingon situation. I have no intention of doing anything to help her.’
‘What are we doing orbiting this backwater world?’ Rekar asked, getting tired of waiting around.
‘There was a reason that Tal’Aura sent me here, and not just to keep me away from the homeworld,’ Sela replied. ‘The plague killing the Kevrata was created by a Romulan and she wants to know why she was not informed. There is a powerful scientist out there with a vast knowledge and she wants him. So do we.’
Rekar nodded. ‘We could target specific people to remove.’
‘Or entire worlds,’ Rehaek added. ‘When we find him, and convince him to work for us, we will hold leverage over Tal’Aura and can finally take our rightful place as leaders of the Empire.’
‘We’re being hailed. It’s the Enterprise,’ Sela said.
‘Ignore them. Engage the cloak and take us to the Unroth system.’
‘As you command,’ Sela replied and issued the order to the centurion at the helm. ‘The long-range sensor array is providing us with much-needed intelligence, so why did we not pick up the information that the Enterprise was being despatched?’
‘Because our contacts didn’t know until the Enterprise was already across the neutral zone.’
‘We need better contacts,’ Rekar murmured.
‘We should have destroyed the Enterprise,’ Sela replied.
‘You’ve already destroyed one Federation starship today, isn’t that enough?’ Rekar asked with a smirk.
Sela glared at him. ‘No.’
Kevratas orbit
Stardate 57063.0
Commander Sela knew that Picard was deliberately using a frequency that the Romulans had cracked so she would hear what he was doing. She knew that there weren’t likely to be many dead left aboard the derelict and from what she knew about Terran funerary customs, the dead would just be tagged for transport. Something that wasn’t likely to take up the hour, but she had time to kill. The said hour was almost up and her finger hovered over the communications toggle to contact Picard again.
‘Commander, the derelict is moving!’ the Decurion called out. ‘I’m reading power in several areas.’
Sela cursed herself for not realising Picard’s ploy. ‘Destroy it!’
She watched as the N’ventnar fired its disruptors and slammed her fist down on the arm of her chair as they impacted the shields. The Decurion continued to fire as the derelict returned in kind with a quartet of quantum torpedoes. She braced herself as the first two impacted the hull.
‘Forward shields are failing,’ a centurion said before being thrown from his chair by the concussive force of the third torpedo hitting the ablative armour on the unshielded hull.
‘Torpedo incoming,’ the Decurion called out as the ablative armour failed and the lower hull was blown apart. The ship shuddered as more alarm klaxons sounded. ‘The Enterprise has opened fire. The derelict is targeting our weapons.’
‘I want that ship destroyed!’ Sela screeched as her ship shook and bucked.
‘I’m reading a power build-up in the deflector dish.’
‘Then you have a target, fire!’
The disruptor banks fired but the aim was off. ‘Targeting sensors have been destroyed.’
The plasma blast from the derelict impacted the ship’s upper hull and it melted on impact.
‘We have decompression on all decks, torpedoes are down and shields are offline.’
‘Aim for the warp core of the derelict, and don’t stop firing until it’s gone.’
‘Yes, Commander,’ the Decurion replied and focused every disruptor bank on the engines.
Moments later the derelict exploded and huge sections of hull battered the already damaged warbird. Sela’s eyes twinkled for a brief moment before she started coughing violently.
‘What’s going on?’
‘Life support has been compromised. Main power is gone, shields are down, weapons are offline, and we have hull breaches on all decks.’
Sela let out a string of invective. ‘Set the ship to detonate.’
‘I can’t,’ the Decurion replied. ‘The automatic failsafes are offline.’
‘Then do it manually.’
He shook his head. ‘With all the hull damage, there’s no way to reach the core. We have to abandon ship.’
Sela pulled her disruptor and vaporised the man. She grabbed an environmental suit and put it on as she hopped toward the transporter in her command office. She set the coordinates for her personal shuttle, only to learn that it was hulled and drifting in pieces several kilometres away. Cursing Picard with a fresh language, she engaged the transporter for the nearest shuttle. Once she materialised she saw that no one else had made it and started the shuttle’s engines. She angled the shuttle away from her ship and Kevratas and headed into open space, engaging the cloak before the Enterprise could track her.
Sela activated the communications array and entered a frequency that few people still living knew about. ‘This is Sela. I need assistance.’
She knew that this was not asking for help but something different altogether. ‘Acknowledged,’ came the simple reply.
A warbird decloaked ahead of her and she deactivated her cloak as she piloted the shuttle inside its shuttlebay. This warbird was smaller than the D’deridex-class but its talents lay elsewhere. The weapons were much more powerful and every piece of technology aboard had been reverse engineered from the best that other people had to offer. Awaiting her on the bridge was one of the few people she trusted in what remained of the Empire.
‘I see that you underestimated Picard again,’ Commander Rekar said.
‘Be careful, Rekar. You are alive only at my discretion,’ Sela pointed out.
‘I have to ask myself why Director Rehaek regards you so highly.’
Sela pushed herself into his face. ‘That is no concern of yours. Now, destroy the Enterprise.’
‘Not yet,’ Rehaek replied, emerging from the command office. ‘But she is right on one point, Rekar. You should have been executed for your role in the Prometheus disaster. Almak took your place however, allowing you to serve us.’
‘Should your talents not be put to better use back on the homeworld?’ the former commander asked, playing chances with his life.
‘For now, the situation there is stable and the praetor is handling the Reman/Klingon situation. I have no intention of doing anything to help her.’
‘What are we doing orbiting this backwater world?’ Rekar asked, getting tired of waiting around.
‘There was a reason that Tal’Aura sent me here, and not just to keep me away from the homeworld,’ Sela replied. ‘The plague killing the Kevrata was created by a Romulan and she wants to know why she was not informed. There is a powerful scientist out there with a vast knowledge and she wants him. So do we.’
Rekar nodded. ‘We could target specific people to remove.’
‘Or entire worlds,’ Rehaek added. ‘When we find him, and convince him to work for us, we will hold leverage over Tal’Aura and can finally take our rightful place as leaders of the Empire.’
‘We’re being hailed. It’s the Enterprise,’ Sela said.
‘Ignore them. Engage the cloak and take us to the Unroth system.’
‘As you command,’ Sela replied and issued the order to the centurion at the helm. ‘The long-range sensor array is providing us with much-needed intelligence, so why did we not pick up the information that the Enterprise was being despatched?’
‘Because our contacts didn’t know until the Enterprise was already across the neutral zone.’
‘We need better contacts,’ Rekar murmured.
‘We should have destroyed the Enterprise,’ Sela replied.
‘You’ve already destroyed one Federation starship today, isn’t that enough?’ Rekar asked with a smirk.
Sela glared at him. ‘No.’
Sela really does have it in for Picard--doesn't she? In many ways, so much like Worf--yet so different. She has to prove she's even more Romulan than anyone else because of her human blood that she ends up losing herself...
Sela's obsession with Picard tends to blind her to tactical realities. She can't admit to herself that Picard (and Geordi) kicked her butt!
And what of these other Romulans in this mysterious ship? The plot thickens!
And what of these other Romulans in this mysterious ship? The plot thickens!
USS Enterprise
Kevratas orbit
Stardate 57063.1
Captain Jean-Luc Picard stood in sickbay looking at two of his officers. The four engineers from the Pasteur, and Lieutenants Paige and Taurik were beamed back to the Enterprise without incident. His operations officer and chief engineer, however, were both exposed to space and suffered lung damage. He watched as Doctor Tropp continued to administer emergency medicine and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw their chests rise without mechanical effort. Tropp left the nurses looking after his patients and walked over to Picard, shedding his surgical garments.
‘Captain?’
‘How are they?’
‘Recovering, I have taken them off active duty for three days but will check them over before I let them back on the duty roster.’
‘I need all hands on deck, Doctor, if we’re to find Doctor Crusher and the others before the Romulans return.’
Tropp smiled his unique smile. ‘Doctor’s orders, Beverley would do the same.’
Picard nodded, knowing that the Denobulan was right. ‘Can I talk to them?’
‘As long as you don’t expect an answer. I would suggest letting Commander La Forge rest for a little longer, he was exposed for some time.’
Picard walked over to Kadohata and snagged a padd from a nearby surface. He handed it to her. ‘How are you feeling?’
She wrote on the padd and passed it back to him. “Like a starving Tribble at a Klingon party.”
He passed it to her. ‘How did Madden perform?’
“He’s green, doesn’t belong in red. Back in gold suits him better.”
Picard read the padd, touched her shoulder and nodded. ‘Thank you, Commander. Rest easy.’
She nodded as Picard glanced at La Forge and left sickbay.
Picard began walking toward the bridge when his combadge chirped. He tapped it. ‘Picard.’
‘Captain,’ Lieutenant Battaglia called, ‘I think I’ve found something.’
‘Care to elaborate, Lieutenant?’ Picard asked, a little irritation creeping into his voice.
‘It appears to be a lake outside what’s left of Kevratas City with sufficient duranium alloys to suggest a number of escape pods. It appears as though the full complement of the crew aboard made it safely down to the surface.’
Picard felt buoyed by the news since he wasn’t sure whether Beverley had been on the ship or the surface when Sela had attacked them. ‘Organise security teams to beam down to the area and begin searching.’
‘Aye sir, the lake isn’t too far from the caves.’
‘Can you tell me the medical situation on the surface?’
‘The plague spread to the outlying villages once the Kevrata security forces returned to the city to repel the Romulans.’
‘Thank you, Lieutenant, Picard out.’
He paused as he approached the turbolift and turned back to sickbay. Although Tropp did not have the same level of experience as Doctor Crusher, he was an excellent doctor with years of experience in the field. Since he had no idea what Beverley had found, he needed to start from scratch and Tropp would know what to do. Picard entered sickbay and found Tropp trying to get La Forge to lie back down.
‘Geordi, please.’
‘Doc, I need to get back to my engines.’
‘You sound like Captain Scott,’ Picard said and Geordi flopped back onto the biobed. ‘Taurik is quite capable of looking after your engines for a while.’
Geordi smiled faintly. ‘Yes sir. Did everyone...’
‘Yes, everyone’s back. Can you tell me what happened?’
‘Has that new first officer of yours filled you in on the Romulan weapon?’ La Forge asked with just enough emotion in his tone to give Picard all the information he needed regarding Madden.
‘He has, and Sela’s ship has been destroyed.’
‘She’ll be back,’ La Forge rasped.
‘Of that I have no doubt,’ the captain replied. ‘It looks like everyone else made it to the surface and I will have every available security officer looking for them.’
‘The Kevrata can help. Doctor Crusher said that they were more than willing to assist, especially if it meant ridding themselves of the Romulans.’
‘I doubt the Romulans will be back here,’ Picard said. ‘Sela got what she came for.’
La Forge nodded and closed his eyes. Picard turned to Tropp, who had retreated to his office.
‘Doctor.’
‘Captain, are you done hassling my patients?’
‘For now, I would like you to go down to the Starfleet hospital and see if you can salvage any of Doctor Crusher’s work. I’d like to finish her mission and find a cure for this plague.’
Tropp nodded, his eyes hardening. ‘Captain, I have seen what doctors can do when they believe themselves to be Gods. Doctor Crell Moset is an example of that.’
Picard grimaced.
‘You know his work?’
‘Unfortunately.’
‘Captain, I have the latest updates from Starfleet Medical on my padd. I believe there is a report of this plague on other Romulan border worlds. Since no known viruses can fly between worlds on their own, they must have had help.’
‘Someone is spreading the virus. Why?’
‘To make a point. To prove that the new Romulan government is incapable of looking after its own subject worlds? I don’t know, but I do know that someone with extraordinary abilities created this virus and we have to stop it.’
Picard agreed. ‘Do what you can,’ he said and began to walk away before a thought struck him. ‘Doctor, are the other worlds populated by species similar to the Kevrata?’
Tropp’s eyes widened as he absorbed the implications and reached for him padd, scanning through it. ‘No, they are humanoid, reptilian and insectoid. It’s being tailored for each world.’
‘It would appear so,’ Picard said and tapped his combadge. ‘Picard to bridge.’
‘Madden here, sir.’
‘Contact Admiral Batanides at Starfleet Intelligence and patch it through to my quarters. Go to red alert and make sure that all personnel go through decontamination procedures upon returning from the surface.’
‘Aye sir, if I may ask, what’s going on?’
‘I will address the senior staff in thirty minutes, Commander. In the meantime, see that my orders are followed to the letter.’
‘Aye sir,’ Madden replied.
‘Aren’t you being a bit hard on him, sir?’
Picard looked at the assistant chief medical officer. ‘Perhaps, but I have doubts that he is here as a simple transfer.’
‘If you’re worried about his loyalties, would it not be better to cultivate him than push him away?’
Picard scowled but accepted the words. ‘Are you pushing for ship’s counsellor?’
‘I don’t want that many patients,’ Tropp replied and left his office.
Kevratas orbit
Stardate 57063.1
Captain Jean-Luc Picard stood in sickbay looking at two of his officers. The four engineers from the Pasteur, and Lieutenants Paige and Taurik were beamed back to the Enterprise without incident. His operations officer and chief engineer, however, were both exposed to space and suffered lung damage. He watched as Doctor Tropp continued to administer emergency medicine and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw their chests rise without mechanical effort. Tropp left the nurses looking after his patients and walked over to Picard, shedding his surgical garments.
‘Captain?’
‘How are they?’
‘Recovering, I have taken them off active duty for three days but will check them over before I let them back on the duty roster.’
‘I need all hands on deck, Doctor, if we’re to find Doctor Crusher and the others before the Romulans return.’
Tropp smiled his unique smile. ‘Doctor’s orders, Beverley would do the same.’
Picard nodded, knowing that the Denobulan was right. ‘Can I talk to them?’
‘As long as you don’t expect an answer. I would suggest letting Commander La Forge rest for a little longer, he was exposed for some time.’
Picard walked over to Kadohata and snagged a padd from a nearby surface. He handed it to her. ‘How are you feeling?’
She wrote on the padd and passed it back to him. “Like a starving Tribble at a Klingon party.”
He passed it to her. ‘How did Madden perform?’
“He’s green, doesn’t belong in red. Back in gold suits him better.”
Picard read the padd, touched her shoulder and nodded. ‘Thank you, Commander. Rest easy.’
She nodded as Picard glanced at La Forge and left sickbay.
Picard began walking toward the bridge when his combadge chirped. He tapped it. ‘Picard.’
‘Captain,’ Lieutenant Battaglia called, ‘I think I’ve found something.’
‘Care to elaborate, Lieutenant?’ Picard asked, a little irritation creeping into his voice.
‘It appears to be a lake outside what’s left of Kevratas City with sufficient duranium alloys to suggest a number of escape pods. It appears as though the full complement of the crew aboard made it safely down to the surface.’
Picard felt buoyed by the news since he wasn’t sure whether Beverley had been on the ship or the surface when Sela had attacked them. ‘Organise security teams to beam down to the area and begin searching.’
‘Aye sir, the lake isn’t too far from the caves.’
‘Can you tell me the medical situation on the surface?’
‘The plague spread to the outlying villages once the Kevrata security forces returned to the city to repel the Romulans.’
‘Thank you, Lieutenant, Picard out.’
He paused as he approached the turbolift and turned back to sickbay. Although Tropp did not have the same level of experience as Doctor Crusher, he was an excellent doctor with years of experience in the field. Since he had no idea what Beverley had found, he needed to start from scratch and Tropp would know what to do. Picard entered sickbay and found Tropp trying to get La Forge to lie back down.
‘Geordi, please.’
‘Doc, I need to get back to my engines.’
‘You sound like Captain Scott,’ Picard said and Geordi flopped back onto the biobed. ‘Taurik is quite capable of looking after your engines for a while.’
Geordi smiled faintly. ‘Yes sir. Did everyone...’
‘Yes, everyone’s back. Can you tell me what happened?’
‘Has that new first officer of yours filled you in on the Romulan weapon?’ La Forge asked with just enough emotion in his tone to give Picard all the information he needed regarding Madden.
‘He has, and Sela’s ship has been destroyed.’
‘She’ll be back,’ La Forge rasped.
‘Of that I have no doubt,’ the captain replied. ‘It looks like everyone else made it to the surface and I will have every available security officer looking for them.’
‘The Kevrata can help. Doctor Crusher said that they were more than willing to assist, especially if it meant ridding themselves of the Romulans.’
‘I doubt the Romulans will be back here,’ Picard said. ‘Sela got what she came for.’
La Forge nodded and closed his eyes. Picard turned to Tropp, who had retreated to his office.
‘Doctor.’
‘Captain, are you done hassling my patients?’
‘For now, I would like you to go down to the Starfleet hospital and see if you can salvage any of Doctor Crusher’s work. I’d like to finish her mission and find a cure for this plague.’
Tropp nodded, his eyes hardening. ‘Captain, I have seen what doctors can do when they believe themselves to be Gods. Doctor Crell Moset is an example of that.’
Picard grimaced.
‘You know his work?’
‘Unfortunately.’
‘Captain, I have the latest updates from Starfleet Medical on my padd. I believe there is a report of this plague on other Romulan border worlds. Since no known viruses can fly between worlds on their own, they must have had help.’
‘Someone is spreading the virus. Why?’
‘To make a point. To prove that the new Romulan government is incapable of looking after its own subject worlds? I don’t know, but I do know that someone with extraordinary abilities created this virus and we have to stop it.’
Picard agreed. ‘Do what you can,’ he said and began to walk away before a thought struck him. ‘Doctor, are the other worlds populated by species similar to the Kevrata?’
Tropp’s eyes widened as he absorbed the implications and reached for him padd, scanning through it. ‘No, they are humanoid, reptilian and insectoid. It’s being tailored for each world.’
‘It would appear so,’ Picard said and tapped his combadge. ‘Picard to bridge.’
‘Madden here, sir.’
‘Contact Admiral Batanides at Starfleet Intelligence and patch it through to my quarters. Go to red alert and make sure that all personnel go through decontamination procedures upon returning from the surface.’
‘Aye sir, if I may ask, what’s going on?’
‘I will address the senior staff in thirty minutes, Commander. In the meantime, see that my orders are followed to the letter.’
‘Aye sir,’ Madden replied.
‘Aren’t you being a bit hard on him, sir?’
Picard looked at the assistant chief medical officer. ‘Perhaps, but I have doubts that he is here as a simple transfer.’
‘If you’re worried about his loyalties, would it not be better to cultivate him than push him away?’
Picard scowled but accepted the words. ‘Are you pushing for ship’s counsellor?’
‘I don’t want that many patients,’ Tropp replied and left his office.
“He’s green, doesn’t belong in red. Back in gold suits him better.”
I really liked that line - pretty much sums up Madden. He certainly isn't making friends, is he?
I really liked that line - pretty much sums up Madden. He certainly isn't making friends, is he?
Yeah, Madden really isn't winning any friends or influencing people. I also have to disagree with Tropp's advice--it's not Picard's responsibility to curry favor or cultivate Madden, although yes, his last comment towards his first officer was a bit harsh.
And no real engineer likes to be away from his engines too long...
And no real engineer likes to be away from his engines too long...
USS Enterprise
Kevratas orbit
Stardate 57063.2
The welcome face on the screen did little to buoy Picard’s spirit. He had already provided the head of Starfleet Intelligence with all the data he had on the Kevratas virus and the protocols he had put in place to protect his crew. Admiral Marta Batanides, his former classmate from the Academy and good friend, stared back at him from across the Neutral Zone and her expression was anything but reassuring.
‘I wish you hadn’t decided on this course of action, Captain,’ Batanides said. ‘We were trying to keep this from getting out. Praetor Tal’Aura has enough on her plate right now without a runaway virus to contend with, especially when she has no experts in the field to call upon.’
‘I would have thought the Romulans would have plenty of virologists,’ Picard replied.
‘They do, but none are loyal to Tal’Aura and are actually working for their surviving patrons on other projects. According to our mole inside the Empire, the Tal Shiar have this new ship from which they conduct their business and it sounds like you’ve found it. You were lucky not to have been destroyed.’
‘Commander Sela escaped onto that ship, didn’t she?’ Picard scowled at the thought of her continuing to run loose.
‘Most likely, but she is now working directly for Director Rehaek and the Tal Shiar, while Tal’Aura thinks Sela works for her. The problem that you and I both have, is that both their missions are identical, to find out who is making this virus and turning them. Our goal is to find the scientist and stop him. We cannot afford to have this man targeting anybody.’
‘My acting chief medical officer, Doctor Tropp, tells me that the work is somewhat similar to the work of Crell Moset.’
Batanides nodded. ‘My people tell me the same, but Moset dropped off the radar after that incident at Loran II a couple of years ago. I have people looking for him.’
‘Do you have any other suspects?’
‘None that have the level of expertise or capability needed to create a virus on this scale. I’ve spoken with Admiral Janeway about this and we both agree that our best hope for beating this thing is keeping the Enterprise on point. I assume that you have your people working on a cure for the virus?’
Picard nodded. ‘I do, I also have my security teams down on the surface looking for Doctor Crusher, Commander Worf and the survivors of the Pasteur.’
‘Aren’t you spreading yourself a bit thin?’
‘The Kevrata are thankful for what Doctor Crusher has done and what we are doing now and they’re helping in the search.’
Batanides looked at something off-screen for a brief moment and then turned back to Picard. ‘I wish you luck, Jean-Luc, the last thing we need is this getting across the Neutral Zone.’
‘I’ll be in touch, Admiral, Picard out.’
The screen blanked and Picard stood, he had a meeting to attend to. While he would normally have given his senior officers all the information that he could, he wasn’t sure whether he should continue to do so. Although his ship was no longer seen as a pariah among the rest of the fleet, he was still being given officers who had issues which most other commanding officers wouldn’t tolerate. He didn’t have a choice in the matter and his command staff was typical of that. By the time he reached the conference lounge at the rear of the bridge, his mind was made up.
The others stood as he entered and he waved them back to their seats. Against medical advice, La Forge and Kadohata were present, though Tropp was also there, monitoring them with an open but muted medical tricorder. On the other side of the table, Madden was in Riker’s former chair and Counsellor T’Lana sat beside him with Lieutenant Battaglia seated on her other side. Ensign McGowan remained at the helm. Picard sat down and looked at each of them in turn.
‘We’re to remain here until certain situations are resolved. Firstly, I want a cure for this virus, and secondly, I want our people found. Doctor?’
‘We’ve been extremely lucky, Captain. Doctor Crusher and her people had the foresight to back up everything they did. It appears that one of the medical technicians, Denise Sakuro, actually found a working vaccine for jaceta, the Kevrata’s name for the plague. I think I can improve on it and make a cure, but we have already started to synthesise the vaccine.’
‘Excellent,’ Picard replied, knowing that half the job was already done. ‘I would like to know if you can tell me who designed the virus.’
‘I’ll do my best,’ Tropp replied.
Picard turned to Battaglia. ‘Lieutenant?’
‘I have every available security officer, and some non-essential personnel, on the surface sweeping the area by the lake. The cave system is extensive and we have only just began to map it. I’m confident we’ll find them before too long.’
‘Still no answer to our hails?’
‘No sir, it’s possible that the sarium krellide power cells in their combadges are depleted. Or that the kelbonite deposits is preventing the signal from getting through.’
‘Alright, keep trying and let me know what you find as soon as you have something.’
‘Aye sir.’
‘Is there anything else?’ Picard asked.
‘Captain, I wondered if I might bring something to your attention,’ T’Lana spoke up.
‘Go ahead, Counsellor.’
‘I have noticed that you seem hesitant to provide further information to us, since you clearly know something that you are not revealing.’
Picard’s eyes twinkled. ‘Of course I know something I’m not telling you, Counsellor. I am a Starfleet captain and have classified information which you are not cleared to know. As regards this particular mission, I do not wish to give you further information that I deem irrelevant to the assignment at hand.’
‘Captain,’ La Forge interjected. ‘I think I speak for most of us here when I say that I trust you in what you give us. Personally, I want to help the Kevrata, rescue our people and go explore the galaxy.’
Everyone nodded, even Madden.
‘Dismissed,’ Picard said and pushed his chair back.
Kevratas orbit
Stardate 57063.2
The welcome face on the screen did little to buoy Picard’s spirit. He had already provided the head of Starfleet Intelligence with all the data he had on the Kevratas virus and the protocols he had put in place to protect his crew. Admiral Marta Batanides, his former classmate from the Academy and good friend, stared back at him from across the Neutral Zone and her expression was anything but reassuring.
‘I wish you hadn’t decided on this course of action, Captain,’ Batanides said. ‘We were trying to keep this from getting out. Praetor Tal’Aura has enough on her plate right now without a runaway virus to contend with, especially when she has no experts in the field to call upon.’
‘I would have thought the Romulans would have plenty of virologists,’ Picard replied.
‘They do, but none are loyal to Tal’Aura and are actually working for their surviving patrons on other projects. According to our mole inside the Empire, the Tal Shiar have this new ship from which they conduct their business and it sounds like you’ve found it. You were lucky not to have been destroyed.’
‘Commander Sela escaped onto that ship, didn’t she?’ Picard scowled at the thought of her continuing to run loose.
‘Most likely, but she is now working directly for Director Rehaek and the Tal Shiar, while Tal’Aura thinks Sela works for her. The problem that you and I both have, is that both their missions are identical, to find out who is making this virus and turning them. Our goal is to find the scientist and stop him. We cannot afford to have this man targeting anybody.’
‘My acting chief medical officer, Doctor Tropp, tells me that the work is somewhat similar to the work of Crell Moset.’
Batanides nodded. ‘My people tell me the same, but Moset dropped off the radar after that incident at Loran II a couple of years ago. I have people looking for him.’
‘Do you have any other suspects?’
‘None that have the level of expertise or capability needed to create a virus on this scale. I’ve spoken with Admiral Janeway about this and we both agree that our best hope for beating this thing is keeping the Enterprise on point. I assume that you have your people working on a cure for the virus?’
Picard nodded. ‘I do, I also have my security teams down on the surface looking for Doctor Crusher, Commander Worf and the survivors of the Pasteur.’
‘Aren’t you spreading yourself a bit thin?’
‘The Kevrata are thankful for what Doctor Crusher has done and what we are doing now and they’re helping in the search.’
Batanides looked at something off-screen for a brief moment and then turned back to Picard. ‘I wish you luck, Jean-Luc, the last thing we need is this getting across the Neutral Zone.’
‘I’ll be in touch, Admiral, Picard out.’
The screen blanked and Picard stood, he had a meeting to attend to. While he would normally have given his senior officers all the information that he could, he wasn’t sure whether he should continue to do so. Although his ship was no longer seen as a pariah among the rest of the fleet, he was still being given officers who had issues which most other commanding officers wouldn’t tolerate. He didn’t have a choice in the matter and his command staff was typical of that. By the time he reached the conference lounge at the rear of the bridge, his mind was made up.
The others stood as he entered and he waved them back to their seats. Against medical advice, La Forge and Kadohata were present, though Tropp was also there, monitoring them with an open but muted medical tricorder. On the other side of the table, Madden was in Riker’s former chair and Counsellor T’Lana sat beside him with Lieutenant Battaglia seated on her other side. Ensign McGowan remained at the helm. Picard sat down and looked at each of them in turn.
‘We’re to remain here until certain situations are resolved. Firstly, I want a cure for this virus, and secondly, I want our people found. Doctor?’
‘We’ve been extremely lucky, Captain. Doctor Crusher and her people had the foresight to back up everything they did. It appears that one of the medical technicians, Denise Sakuro, actually found a working vaccine for jaceta, the Kevrata’s name for the plague. I think I can improve on it and make a cure, but we have already started to synthesise the vaccine.’
‘Excellent,’ Picard replied, knowing that half the job was already done. ‘I would like to know if you can tell me who designed the virus.’
‘I’ll do my best,’ Tropp replied.
Picard turned to Battaglia. ‘Lieutenant?’
‘I have every available security officer, and some non-essential personnel, on the surface sweeping the area by the lake. The cave system is extensive and we have only just began to map it. I’m confident we’ll find them before too long.’
‘Still no answer to our hails?’
‘No sir, it’s possible that the sarium krellide power cells in their combadges are depleted. Or that the kelbonite deposits is preventing the signal from getting through.’
‘Alright, keep trying and let me know what you find as soon as you have something.’
‘Aye sir.’
‘Is there anything else?’ Picard asked.
‘Captain, I wondered if I might bring something to your attention,’ T’Lana spoke up.
‘Go ahead, Counsellor.’
‘I have noticed that you seem hesitant to provide further information to us, since you clearly know something that you are not revealing.’
Picard’s eyes twinkled. ‘Of course I know something I’m not telling you, Counsellor. I am a Starfleet captain and have classified information which you are not cleared to know. As regards this particular mission, I do not wish to give you further information that I deem irrelevant to the assignment at hand.’
‘Captain,’ La Forge interjected. ‘I think I speak for most of us here when I say that I trust you in what you give us. Personally, I want to help the Kevrata, rescue our people and go explore the galaxy.’
Everyone nodded, even Madden.
‘Dismissed,’ Picard said and pushed his chair back.
And the plot deepens...
Looks like Picard stepped in a bit too. Nice...I'm looking forward to seeing how this shakes out.
Looks like Picard stepped in a bit too. Nice...I'm looking forward to seeing how this shakes out.
There's such a difference between this incarnation of the Enterprise crew and the original TNG personnel. It's obvious that Picard doesn't enjoy any significant comfort level with his new senior staff - a potentially serious problem. Of course, Madden hasn't given Picard reason to exhibit much trust, but the others are beginning to demonstrate real competence in their areas.
Keep it coming!
Keep it coming!
Moset is canon, from the Voyager episode where B'Elanna has some weird creature feeding off her, "Nothing Human." He's not involved here though, but I thought the mention of him would point people in the direction of a Mengele-like a-hole.
CHAPTER FOUR
Catacombs
Under Kevratas City
Stardate 57063.3
The hide-away may have been what amounted to a rebel base and reliquary, but it was now home to more than a thousand Kevrata, spread out across dozens of caverns, and a crew of just under five hundred Starfleet officers. Doctor Crusher and Commander Worf, with Lieutenant Sara Nave, sat in conference with the surviving Kevrata leaders. The leaders were surprisingly unwavering in their support of Starfleet, even though they had been through so much. Crusher was trying to explain to them that her people had found a cure for the jaceta plague but without the universal translators, it was a difficult task.
‘Sickness hurt,’ Nave said, pretending to convulse on the floor of the cavern.
Two of the leaders stepped back, but two more moved to help. Nave suddenly sat up and returned to her previous crouching position.
‘Sickness gone.’
The Kevrata spoke hurriedly among themselves, becoming animated in their lyrical-yet-guttural language.
‘Sick...gone...evil...gone?’ asked one in badly accented Federation Standard.
Worf said nothing, fearing that hearing Klingon would no doubt scare them. He had learned to speak Federation Standard but his accent was very guttural and served him in only a few places on Earth. He believed that they relied too much on the translators but little could be done about that now.
Crusher let Nave take over, since the breakthrough had been hers. ‘Sick ... gone,’ she confirmed.
‘Starfleet ... save ... Kevrata. Kevrata ... grateful.’
‘Kevrata ... help ... Starfleet. Starfleet ... grateful.’
The leader nodded and turned to face the others. He muttered something quietly and then strode toward the entrance of the cavern.
‘Starfleet follow.’
The trio of officers got up and did as they were asked. It looked like they were moving out and Worf signalled to the surviving security personnel to assist. There were crates of weapons, rations, medical equipment, and as much serum as technician Sakuro could manufacture in the makeshift lab. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for a few dozen, which the leaders determined would go to the sickest ones. The improvement as each shot had been given was remarkable, but Sakuro believed that several treatments were necessary for a complete cure, and Crusher agreed. If the hospital was still standing, they would defend it from any invaders so they could manufacture more.
‘Commanders, my tricorder is picking up something ahead, human lifesigns.’
Worf and Crusher shared a glance and Worf spoke first. ‘Send a text message to the tricorder in the group ahead. Warn them that we have nearly two thousand people headed their way.’
Nave nodded and quickly tapped out the message. The reply came back quickly. She confirmed her identity and then added something that only the person holding the tricorder would know.
‘Lieutenant?’
‘It’s Lieutenant Battaglia, sir. The Enterprise is in orbit,’ she said with a tear in her eye.
‘Jean-Luc,’ Crusher said.
Worf shrugged. ‘Of course.’
Crusher almost laughed. It was as close as they were going to get as an expression of relief from Worf. ‘If the Enterprise is in orbit, then the Romulans have gone.’
Worf nodded. ‘Sela will pay for this. I liked that ship.’
Nave winced at the tone in his voice and knew that she had heard it before. It wasn’t anything so simple as revenge, it was merely a statement of fact with cold fury behind it. ‘We’ll be home soon, and the Kevrata will be free.’
‘Once they’re free of the jaceta, their government can claim independence from Romulus.’
‘Praetor Tal’Aura will not let go without a fight.’
‘She is fighting on too many fronts as it is,’ Worf replied. ‘It would be foolish to try and maintain order on a border world which can take care of itself.’
‘It can?’
‘The Kevrata fought off the Romulans with little help from us,’ Crusher agreed. ‘But I don’t like leaving them at the mercy of the Romulans.’
‘I think the Captain will have a few choice words on the subject,’ Nave murmured. ‘We’ve still got a few hours of walking ahead of us, so we should conserve our strength, we don’t know what we’ll face when we get out there.’
‘Keep sending text messages to Lieutenant Battaglia so we can get updated on their situation and he can be updated on ours.’
‘Aye sir,’ Nave replied and started tapping away.
She had just received an upload from Battaglia’s tricorder when she felt something wrong. Her intuition and guided her well through the Academy and her first years as an officer and she had learned to obey its directives. She thrust her tricorder into Worf’s hand and pushed both him and Crusher ahead of her, just as the cavern floor heaved beneath them and sent rocks tumbling down. Nave was caught as Worf held Crusher back.
‘We’ve got to help her, Worf.’
The Klingon let go and gingerly lifted hunks of rock from the pile, finding Kevrata to hand them to as he went for more. It took several minutes before Crusher could even scan Nave with her own medical tricorder. She looked up at Worf.
‘If we can get her out of here, I can probably save her legs and her arm, but only if we do it soon.’
Worf weighed their options, entered a command into the tricorder he held, then set it to one side and continued removing rubble. He had already lost one crewmember today and he was not going to lose another, not if she could be saved. Both legs were crushed and her left arm was completely useless, but she still had her mind and Worf was sure that her determination was still intact. He owed her his life and he planned to pay back that debt.
‘Worf, perhaps you should rest. There are plenty of people here,’ Crusher said softly.
‘They can carry her. I will free her,’ he replied taciturnly.
She nodded and gestured for half a dozen people to stand by. ‘As soon as we get her out, I’ll need to immobilise her and get those limbs off before they cause any more damage.’
Denise Sakuro stepped forward. ‘I’ve got a hypo here to induce coma, Doctor.’
Crusher nodded and then narrowed her eyes. ‘You’re taking the nurse’s test when we’re through here, Technician; understood?’
She nodded, ‘yes ma’am.’
‘Almost there,’ Worf said as another rumble could be heard building up through the caves.
Catacombs
Under Kevratas City
Stardate 57063.3
The hide-away may have been what amounted to a rebel base and reliquary, but it was now home to more than a thousand Kevrata, spread out across dozens of caverns, and a crew of just under five hundred Starfleet officers. Doctor Crusher and Commander Worf, with Lieutenant Sara Nave, sat in conference with the surviving Kevrata leaders. The leaders were surprisingly unwavering in their support of Starfleet, even though they had been through so much. Crusher was trying to explain to them that her people had found a cure for the jaceta plague but without the universal translators, it was a difficult task.
‘Sickness hurt,’ Nave said, pretending to convulse on the floor of the cavern.
Two of the leaders stepped back, but two more moved to help. Nave suddenly sat up and returned to her previous crouching position.
‘Sickness gone.’
The Kevrata spoke hurriedly among themselves, becoming animated in their lyrical-yet-guttural language.
‘Sick...gone...evil...gone?’ asked one in badly accented Federation Standard.
Worf said nothing, fearing that hearing Klingon would no doubt scare them. He had learned to speak Federation Standard but his accent was very guttural and served him in only a few places on Earth. He believed that they relied too much on the translators but little could be done about that now.
Crusher let Nave take over, since the breakthrough had been hers. ‘Sick ... gone,’ she confirmed.
‘Starfleet ... save ... Kevrata. Kevrata ... grateful.’
‘Kevrata ... help ... Starfleet. Starfleet ... grateful.’
The leader nodded and turned to face the others. He muttered something quietly and then strode toward the entrance of the cavern.
‘Starfleet follow.’
The trio of officers got up and did as they were asked. It looked like they were moving out and Worf signalled to the surviving security personnel to assist. There were crates of weapons, rations, medical equipment, and as much serum as technician Sakuro could manufacture in the makeshift lab. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for a few dozen, which the leaders determined would go to the sickest ones. The improvement as each shot had been given was remarkable, but Sakuro believed that several treatments were necessary for a complete cure, and Crusher agreed. If the hospital was still standing, they would defend it from any invaders so they could manufacture more.
‘Commanders, my tricorder is picking up something ahead, human lifesigns.’
Worf and Crusher shared a glance and Worf spoke first. ‘Send a text message to the tricorder in the group ahead. Warn them that we have nearly two thousand people headed their way.’
Nave nodded and quickly tapped out the message. The reply came back quickly. She confirmed her identity and then added something that only the person holding the tricorder would know.
‘Lieutenant?’
‘It’s Lieutenant Battaglia, sir. The Enterprise is in orbit,’ she said with a tear in her eye.
‘Jean-Luc,’ Crusher said.
Worf shrugged. ‘Of course.’
Crusher almost laughed. It was as close as they were going to get as an expression of relief from Worf. ‘If the Enterprise is in orbit, then the Romulans have gone.’
Worf nodded. ‘Sela will pay for this. I liked that ship.’
Nave winced at the tone in his voice and knew that she had heard it before. It wasn’t anything so simple as revenge, it was merely a statement of fact with cold fury behind it. ‘We’ll be home soon, and the Kevrata will be free.’
‘Once they’re free of the jaceta, their government can claim independence from Romulus.’
‘Praetor Tal’Aura will not let go without a fight.’
‘She is fighting on too many fronts as it is,’ Worf replied. ‘It would be foolish to try and maintain order on a border world which can take care of itself.’
‘It can?’
‘The Kevrata fought off the Romulans with little help from us,’ Crusher agreed. ‘But I don’t like leaving them at the mercy of the Romulans.’
‘I think the Captain will have a few choice words on the subject,’ Nave murmured. ‘We’ve still got a few hours of walking ahead of us, so we should conserve our strength, we don’t know what we’ll face when we get out there.’
‘Keep sending text messages to Lieutenant Battaglia so we can get updated on their situation and he can be updated on ours.’
‘Aye sir,’ Nave replied and started tapping away.
She had just received an upload from Battaglia’s tricorder when she felt something wrong. Her intuition and guided her well through the Academy and her first years as an officer and she had learned to obey its directives. She thrust her tricorder into Worf’s hand and pushed both him and Crusher ahead of her, just as the cavern floor heaved beneath them and sent rocks tumbling down. Nave was caught as Worf held Crusher back.
‘We’ve got to help her, Worf.’
The Klingon let go and gingerly lifted hunks of rock from the pile, finding Kevrata to hand them to as he went for more. It took several minutes before Crusher could even scan Nave with her own medical tricorder. She looked up at Worf.
‘If we can get her out of here, I can probably save her legs and her arm, but only if we do it soon.’
Worf weighed their options, entered a command into the tricorder he held, then set it to one side and continued removing rubble. He had already lost one crewmember today and he was not going to lose another, not if she could be saved. Both legs were crushed and her left arm was completely useless, but she still had her mind and Worf was sure that her determination was still intact. He owed her his life and he planned to pay back that debt.
‘Worf, perhaps you should rest. There are plenty of people here,’ Crusher said softly.
‘They can carry her. I will free her,’ he replied taciturnly.
She nodded and gestured for half a dozen people to stand by. ‘As soon as we get her out, I’ll need to immobilise her and get those limbs off before they cause any more damage.’
Denise Sakuro stepped forward. ‘I’ve got a hypo here to induce coma, Doctor.’
Crusher nodded and then narrowed her eyes. ‘You’re taking the nurse’s test when we’re through here, Technician; understood?’
She nodded, ‘yes ma’am.’
‘Almost there,’ Worf said as another rumble could be heard building up through the caves.
Glad to see Worf, Crusher, et. al. get a little relief.
Do I understand that Worf typically speaks Klingon and let's the translator do the work?
Do I understand that Worf typically speaks Klingon and let's the translator do the work?
A very well done scene. I liked Worf's actions here and Worf brings up a very valid point that too much reliance on the universal translator is not a good thing.
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