Nice take down! If Parminder ever gets bored with the 'Fleet, I bet she could find a billet on a Border Service cutter! 
The TNG Relaunch - My version
- Thread starter BrotherBenny
- Start date
Oh well...so much for fun and games. Now they've got a ship and a prisoner...we're off and running.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Slave Market
Verex III
Stardate 57083.8
T’Lana, Worf, Truke and Ensign Le Roy left the Starjumper and beamed down to the slave market in their false personas and after T’Lana registered with the slavers, leaving Le Roy, they were allowed to walk about freely. Worf and Truke trailed T’Lana, watching everything and looking for the Changeling Uhnari, hoping that she hadn’t changed her appearance since fleeing Cold Station 12. T’Lana tried to keep as far away from the green Orion women as possible, knowing that her sensitive sense of smell would be an impediment to the mission. She had been reluctant to accept the assignment but Worf’s argument in favour of its success had been eminently logical and she found his tactical prowess intriguing. His file contained some very interesting facts, not least of which was his personal attachment to the now deceased Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax and his bungling of a mission which cost Starfleet much intelligence and a Cardassian defector his life. Worf appeared to have made up for that with four years as the Federation Ambassador to the Klingon Empire, before leaving that post to his son and taking up the executive officer’s position on the Enterprise. She wanted to know what had happened to him on that mission and its aftermath which had clearly changed him, but now was not the time. She needed to concentrate on finding the Changeling posing as Commander Uhnari.
As the latest slave auction began, the walkways became more crowded and the search proportionately more difficult. T’Lana decided to find some high ground and get a better look at the slaves. Worf and Truke followed her and they soon found a walkway above the general throng. T’Lana indicated to Worf that he should go right while Truke went left.
‘I do not want to leave you alone, the Orions are far stronger than you.’
She raised an eyebrow. ‘I am quite capable of taking care of myself, Kolok. Do as you have been asked.’
Worf glared but nodded, stomping off to her right. Truke stayed a moment and then went left, leaving her alone. T’Lana cast her psychologist’s eye over the people present and tried to spot someone that didn’t belong. The green Orion men were busy keeping the slaves in line with the same technology they had apparently used for centuries and the slaves looked appropriately cowed before their masters past and future, but there was someone that didn’t fit and she couldn’t quite see who.
‘You really shouldn’t be standing there alone, Starfleet,’ a woman’s voice said behind her.
The Vulcan turned round to face an Orion slave girl not emitting any pheromones that characterised her race. That was what she sensed was different. ‘I believe I have come here to find you, and place you under arrest.’
‘You may find that difficult,’ the Changeling replied and moved forward, clearly intending harm to T’Lana.
The Vulcan planted herself firmly against the walkway and allowed the Changeling to move forward. Instead of pushing her off the edge, which is what she expected, the Changeling enveloped her, trying to choke off her air supply, suffocating her. Thinking quickly, T’Lana placed both hands against the gelatinous body in a meld position and tried to open her mind to the Changeling, hoping to get some information which she could use. She felt the Changeling’s mind flow into her own and realised that she had made a terrible mistake. The creature had a much stronger mind and was overpowering her quickly. Her only hope was to force a retreat, which could leave them both with severe neurological damage. T’Lana pushed her strength of will deep into the Changeling’s Link-mind and took all the information she could about the virus and the scientist, then just pulled out, without proper ritual.
Both T’Lana and the Changeling fell from the balcony, hitting the strong slave cages. T’Lana bounced off a cage and landed in a heap beside it while the Changeling just pooled around the bottom, unable to coalesce into humanoid form.
Only seconds passed before Worf and Truke arrived to take care of their colleague and the fallen Changeling. Truke picked up the injured Vulcan and Worf withdrew a small device from his pocket. He placed it in the Changeling pool and then stood, gesturing for an Orion.
‘Yes?’ the Orion asked in an imperious tone.
‘The slave girl my mistress brought, has she been sold?’ Worf asked.
‘Yes,’ the Orion replied smugly. ‘She has been sold and taken.’
‘We need to take her to the ship,’ Truke interrupted. ‘She is gravely injured.’
Worf nodded and engaged the transporter. The three of them, and the insensate Changeling vanished. As soon as they were aboard the Starjumper, Truke placed T’Lana on a biobed and began to check her over. Worf made sure that the Changeling was secure in the device before checking on the Vulcan counsellor.
‘How is she?’
‘Critically injured, we need to get her back to the Enterprise quickly or she will not survive,’ Truke answered.
‘What’s wrong with her?’
‘She has a broken spine and several broken ribs. But far more pressing is her neurological damage. Her hormones are dangerously out of balance and she is likely to go into neural shock. I recommend placing her in stasis.’
‘Do it, I will get us back to the ship is fast as possible,’ Worf replied as the Starjumper shook from an impact. ‘Secure her, we are under attack.’
He reached the bridge in moments and engaged the shields and weapons. Their warp engines were already out but the attackers were still firing. Turning the ship, Worf fired the port phasers at the incoming Klingon vessel and quickly discovered that the Starjumper’s weapons would make no dent in the Klingon vessel’s shields, they were more for defence than offence.
‘Truke, I need you to get to engineering and get the warp engines back online.’
‘I’m on my way,’ the Antican replied.
Worf took a quick look at the technology he had at his disposal and made a quick decision. He angled the ship toward the surface of the Verex sun and began a run at full impulse. If a Klingon vessel can withstand the temperatures of a corona then the better-built Starjumper should fare better. All he needed was to force a solar flare and destroy the ship, and hopefully avoid the same fate. The impulse engines would get him to the sun and a tractor beam could force a flare, but he would need the warp engines if they were going to survive.
Slave Market
Verex III
Stardate 57083.8
T’Lana, Worf, Truke and Ensign Le Roy left the Starjumper and beamed down to the slave market in their false personas and after T’Lana registered with the slavers, leaving Le Roy, they were allowed to walk about freely. Worf and Truke trailed T’Lana, watching everything and looking for the Changeling Uhnari, hoping that she hadn’t changed her appearance since fleeing Cold Station 12. T’Lana tried to keep as far away from the green Orion women as possible, knowing that her sensitive sense of smell would be an impediment to the mission. She had been reluctant to accept the assignment but Worf’s argument in favour of its success had been eminently logical and she found his tactical prowess intriguing. His file contained some very interesting facts, not least of which was his personal attachment to the now deceased Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax and his bungling of a mission which cost Starfleet much intelligence and a Cardassian defector his life. Worf appeared to have made up for that with four years as the Federation Ambassador to the Klingon Empire, before leaving that post to his son and taking up the executive officer’s position on the Enterprise. She wanted to know what had happened to him on that mission and its aftermath which had clearly changed him, but now was not the time. She needed to concentrate on finding the Changeling posing as Commander Uhnari.
As the latest slave auction began, the walkways became more crowded and the search proportionately more difficult. T’Lana decided to find some high ground and get a better look at the slaves. Worf and Truke followed her and they soon found a walkway above the general throng. T’Lana indicated to Worf that he should go right while Truke went left.
‘I do not want to leave you alone, the Orions are far stronger than you.’
She raised an eyebrow. ‘I am quite capable of taking care of myself, Kolok. Do as you have been asked.’
Worf glared but nodded, stomping off to her right. Truke stayed a moment and then went left, leaving her alone. T’Lana cast her psychologist’s eye over the people present and tried to spot someone that didn’t belong. The green Orion men were busy keeping the slaves in line with the same technology they had apparently used for centuries and the slaves looked appropriately cowed before their masters past and future, but there was someone that didn’t fit and she couldn’t quite see who.
‘You really shouldn’t be standing there alone, Starfleet,’ a woman’s voice said behind her.
The Vulcan turned round to face an Orion slave girl not emitting any pheromones that characterised her race. That was what she sensed was different. ‘I believe I have come here to find you, and place you under arrest.’
‘You may find that difficult,’ the Changeling replied and moved forward, clearly intending harm to T’Lana.
The Vulcan planted herself firmly against the walkway and allowed the Changeling to move forward. Instead of pushing her off the edge, which is what she expected, the Changeling enveloped her, trying to choke off her air supply, suffocating her. Thinking quickly, T’Lana placed both hands against the gelatinous body in a meld position and tried to open her mind to the Changeling, hoping to get some information which she could use. She felt the Changeling’s mind flow into her own and realised that she had made a terrible mistake. The creature had a much stronger mind and was overpowering her quickly. Her only hope was to force a retreat, which could leave them both with severe neurological damage. T’Lana pushed her strength of will deep into the Changeling’s Link-mind and took all the information she could about the virus and the scientist, then just pulled out, without proper ritual.
Both T’Lana and the Changeling fell from the balcony, hitting the strong slave cages. T’Lana bounced off a cage and landed in a heap beside it while the Changeling just pooled around the bottom, unable to coalesce into humanoid form.
***
Only seconds passed before Worf and Truke arrived to take care of their colleague and the fallen Changeling. Truke picked up the injured Vulcan and Worf withdrew a small device from his pocket. He placed it in the Changeling pool and then stood, gesturing for an Orion.
‘Yes?’ the Orion asked in an imperious tone.
‘The slave girl my mistress brought, has she been sold?’ Worf asked.
‘Yes,’ the Orion replied smugly. ‘She has been sold and taken.’
‘We need to take her to the ship,’ Truke interrupted. ‘She is gravely injured.’
Worf nodded and engaged the transporter. The three of them, and the insensate Changeling vanished. As soon as they were aboard the Starjumper, Truke placed T’Lana on a biobed and began to check her over. Worf made sure that the Changeling was secure in the device before checking on the Vulcan counsellor.
‘How is she?’
‘Critically injured, we need to get her back to the Enterprise quickly or she will not survive,’ Truke answered.
‘What’s wrong with her?’
‘She has a broken spine and several broken ribs. But far more pressing is her neurological damage. Her hormones are dangerously out of balance and she is likely to go into neural shock. I recommend placing her in stasis.’
‘Do it, I will get us back to the ship is fast as possible,’ Worf replied as the Starjumper shook from an impact. ‘Secure her, we are under attack.’
He reached the bridge in moments and engaged the shields and weapons. Their warp engines were already out but the attackers were still firing. Turning the ship, Worf fired the port phasers at the incoming Klingon vessel and quickly discovered that the Starjumper’s weapons would make no dent in the Klingon vessel’s shields, they were more for defence than offence.
‘Truke, I need you to get to engineering and get the warp engines back online.’
‘I’m on my way,’ the Antican replied.
Worf took a quick look at the technology he had at his disposal and made a quick decision. He angled the ship toward the surface of the Verex sun and began a run at full impulse. If a Klingon vessel can withstand the temperatures of a corona then the better-built Starjumper should fare better. All he needed was to force a solar flare and destroy the ship, and hopefully avoid the same fate. The impulse engines would get him to the sun and a tractor beam could force a flare, but he would need the warp engines if they were going to survive.
T'lana took a tremendous chance and paid the price--I hope it was worth it. Gutsy actions all around here. I'm liking this version better than the novel relaunches.
^What they said! T'lana made a brave but foolish attempt to control the Changeling. I hope she survives to learn her lesson. At least Worf was able to scoop up the Changeling. (What was that device - a sponge? )
Now to see how Worf's sun-surfing plan works. Great action segment!
)Now to see how Worf's sun-surfing plan works. Great action segment!
Chapter Thirty-Four
Denobulan Starjumper
Verex solar orbit
Stardate 57084.1
‘Hull temperature approaching critical,’ Truke informed Worf as the Denobulan vessel dived deeper into the sun’s corona.
‘Is the modified tractor beam ready?’ the Klingon asked as the Orion’s weapons missed them again, by the most miniscule of margins.
‘Yes, but I’m not sure if it has enough power. It isn’t a Klingon ship.’
Worf growled but said nothing. He had known that this ship had power limitations when he embarked on this course of action. What few people knew about him was that after a lifetime as a security officer, tactical officer and later ambassador, he had amassed a large amount of information with his intelligence, shrewdness and partially eidetic memory. This served him well as he memorised each new tactical manoeuvre he was taught or witnessed, including the ability to create a solar flare using a tractor beam.
‘The Orion ship just invited some friends to the party.’
‘I’ll make the flaming cocktails,’ Worf deadpanned. ‘Initialising tractor beam.’
The blue-grey energy beam struck out from the ventral hull of the starship and impacted a magnetic instability in the star’s surface. Worf increased the impulse speed of the ship to take them past the flare point as the three Orion vessels continued to follow them.
‘We’re being hailed, audio only.’
‘Let’s hear it.’
‘Denobulan vessel, you are violating restricted space. Cut your engines and prepare to be boarded.’
Worf considered his response carefully, weighing the possible ramifications of each answer that he could give. He cut the channel and increased power to the tractor beam.
‘That’s going to annoy them.’
‘I hope so, the more they fire, the greater the instability will grow.’
Truke nodded. ‘They’re firing, standard pattern.’
The Orions were bad shots and missed the Denobulan ship completely, but the photon torpedoes were swallowed by the sun and increased the size of the solar instability, doing Worf’s job for him. The Starjumper was an ungainly vessel and did not have the graceful lines of the starships that Worf was used to, but he piloted the ship with ease through a minor flare as the instability rose in power to swallow the Orion vessels. The solar energy expanded outward like a plume and vaporised the ships instantly.
The Starjumper was unable to go to warp and was thrown out of the sun’s gravity by the force of the plume, adrift in the system. Worf tried to regain control but many of the systems were fried by the intense electromagnetic radiation from the sun and were functionally useless. Truke pulled himself up from the deck and checked the console he sat by.
‘I need to get back down to sickbay, the stasis pod is malfunctioning.’
Worf nodded. ‘I try to raise the Archimedes.’
Truke disappeared into the turbolift, which was slow but functional, and Worf sat at the communications console. It was dead, but there were flickers of energy. He opened the panel and pulled out the burnt wires. Replacing the wiring was easy, something taught to every cadet at the Academy, but the hard part was actually the resetting the universal translator and bringing it back online, then making sure all frequencies were available. This was an old ship, but since the Denobulans had joined the Federation, their frequency set was a standard one used.
‘This is Kolok to the shuttle Archimedes, do you read?’ he asked almost an hour later.
Static was his answer.
He made a few modifications to the subspace array and tried again.
‘This is Kolok to the shuttle Archimedes, do you read?’
‘This is Archimedes. We read you, Kolok, what is your status?’ asked Ensign Parminder.
‘Emergency retrieval necessary,’ Worf replied. ‘We have a medical emergency.’
‘Acknowledged Kolok, Archimedes out.’
Worf returned to the pilot’s chair and noted an interesting blip on the scanners. He knew that both the Enterprise and Archimedes were too far away for this, it was less than ten million kilometres away and closing rapidly, and it didn’t conform to any known starship configurations.
‘Truke, what is your status?’
When there was no answer, Worf raised the ship’s shields and hoped that they would hold off whatever was approaching. The safety of this mission was paramount. He took the turbolift to the third deck and entered what was just barely a sickbay. He found T’Lana on the floor, her hands against Truke’s head, and Truke was collapsed in a heap. He could not risk separating them as they were locked in a mind meld, he knew it would be dangerous to do so, and so left them where they were. Throwing off his heavy mercenary jacket, Worf tapped his combadge which was now linked into the ship’s systems.
‘Worf to Archimedes, patch me through to Doctor Crusher, priority one.’
‘Acknowledged, stand by.’
A moment passed before Crusher came on the line. ‘Worf, what’s going on?’
‘T’Lana and Truke are locked in a mind meld, and I believe that the Counsellor tried to meld with the Changeling before. I do not know what her situation is.’
‘Worf, we’re on our way. Try to make sure that the ship is not rocked too much or they may be pulled apart.’
The Klingon tried not to think of the blip approaching the ship. ‘Yes, Doctor.’
‘We’ll be there in eleven minutes.’
‘Acknowledged.’
A lot could happen in eleven minutes, especially if that ship or whatever it was had hostile intentions. Worf knew that the weapons were down and so he couldn’t do anything even if he wanted to, and the shields were only at minimal strength, so they would fail after a short barrage from enemy fire. He walked over to the nearest console and switched to an external view, where he immediately recognised the vessel approaching.
Fourteen years ago, the sentient starship had propelled the Enterprise nearly four billion kilometres from an imminent supernova and then disappeared with a passenger on board.
‘This is Commander Worf to...Gomtuu, please respond.’
‘Commander Worf, this is Tam Elbrun, we received your distress call and have come to assist.’
Denobulan Starjumper
Verex solar orbit
Stardate 57084.1
‘Hull temperature approaching critical,’ Truke informed Worf as the Denobulan vessel dived deeper into the sun’s corona.
‘Is the modified tractor beam ready?’ the Klingon asked as the Orion’s weapons missed them again, by the most miniscule of margins.
‘Yes, but I’m not sure if it has enough power. It isn’t a Klingon ship.’
Worf growled but said nothing. He had known that this ship had power limitations when he embarked on this course of action. What few people knew about him was that after a lifetime as a security officer, tactical officer and later ambassador, he had amassed a large amount of information with his intelligence, shrewdness and partially eidetic memory. This served him well as he memorised each new tactical manoeuvre he was taught or witnessed, including the ability to create a solar flare using a tractor beam.
‘The Orion ship just invited some friends to the party.’
‘I’ll make the flaming cocktails,’ Worf deadpanned. ‘Initialising tractor beam.’
The blue-grey energy beam struck out from the ventral hull of the starship and impacted a magnetic instability in the star’s surface. Worf increased the impulse speed of the ship to take them past the flare point as the three Orion vessels continued to follow them.
‘We’re being hailed, audio only.’
‘Let’s hear it.’
‘Denobulan vessel, you are violating restricted space. Cut your engines and prepare to be boarded.’
Worf considered his response carefully, weighing the possible ramifications of each answer that he could give. He cut the channel and increased power to the tractor beam.
‘That’s going to annoy them.’
‘I hope so, the more they fire, the greater the instability will grow.’
Truke nodded. ‘They’re firing, standard pattern.’
The Orions were bad shots and missed the Denobulan ship completely, but the photon torpedoes were swallowed by the sun and increased the size of the solar instability, doing Worf’s job for him. The Starjumper was an ungainly vessel and did not have the graceful lines of the starships that Worf was used to, but he piloted the ship with ease through a minor flare as the instability rose in power to swallow the Orion vessels. The solar energy expanded outward like a plume and vaporised the ships instantly.
The Starjumper was unable to go to warp and was thrown out of the sun’s gravity by the force of the plume, adrift in the system. Worf tried to regain control but many of the systems were fried by the intense electromagnetic radiation from the sun and were functionally useless. Truke pulled himself up from the deck and checked the console he sat by.
‘I need to get back down to sickbay, the stasis pod is malfunctioning.’
Worf nodded. ‘I try to raise the Archimedes.’
Truke disappeared into the turbolift, which was slow but functional, and Worf sat at the communications console. It was dead, but there were flickers of energy. He opened the panel and pulled out the burnt wires. Replacing the wiring was easy, something taught to every cadet at the Academy, but the hard part was actually the resetting the universal translator and bringing it back online, then making sure all frequencies were available. This was an old ship, but since the Denobulans had joined the Federation, their frequency set was a standard one used.
‘This is Kolok to the shuttle Archimedes, do you read?’ he asked almost an hour later.
Static was his answer.
He made a few modifications to the subspace array and tried again.
‘This is Kolok to the shuttle Archimedes, do you read?’
‘This is Archimedes. We read you, Kolok, what is your status?’ asked Ensign Parminder.
‘Emergency retrieval necessary,’ Worf replied. ‘We have a medical emergency.’
‘Acknowledged Kolok, Archimedes out.’
Worf returned to the pilot’s chair and noted an interesting blip on the scanners. He knew that both the Enterprise and Archimedes were too far away for this, it was less than ten million kilometres away and closing rapidly, and it didn’t conform to any known starship configurations.
‘Truke, what is your status?’
When there was no answer, Worf raised the ship’s shields and hoped that they would hold off whatever was approaching. The safety of this mission was paramount. He took the turbolift to the third deck and entered what was just barely a sickbay. He found T’Lana on the floor, her hands against Truke’s head, and Truke was collapsed in a heap. He could not risk separating them as they were locked in a mind meld, he knew it would be dangerous to do so, and so left them where they were. Throwing off his heavy mercenary jacket, Worf tapped his combadge which was now linked into the ship’s systems.
‘Worf to Archimedes, patch me through to Doctor Crusher, priority one.’
‘Acknowledged, stand by.’
A moment passed before Crusher came on the line. ‘Worf, what’s going on?’
‘T’Lana and Truke are locked in a mind meld, and I believe that the Counsellor tried to meld with the Changeling before. I do not know what her situation is.’
‘Worf, we’re on our way. Try to make sure that the ship is not rocked too much or they may be pulled apart.’
The Klingon tried not to think of the blip approaching the ship. ‘Yes, Doctor.’
‘We’ll be there in eleven minutes.’
‘Acknowledged.’
A lot could happen in eleven minutes, especially if that ship or whatever it was had hostile intentions. Worf knew that the weapons were down and so he couldn’t do anything even if he wanted to, and the shields were only at minimal strength, so they would fail after a short barrage from enemy fire. He walked over to the nearest console and switched to an external view, where he immediately recognised the vessel approaching.
Fourteen years ago, the sentient starship had propelled the Enterprise nearly four billion kilometres from an imminent supernova and then disappeared with a passenger on board.
‘This is Commander Worf to...Gomtuu, please respond.’
‘Commander Worf, this is Tam Elbrun, we received your distress call and have come to assist.’
An intriguing voice from the past. Nice, gutsy plan on Worf's part too. That Klingon is part riverboat gambler.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Denobulan Starjumper
The Verex System
Stardate 57084.2
Tam Elbrun materialised on the Starjumper as soon as Worf had reluctantly agreed to the assistance. The Enterprise was in sensor range but they were several minutes away at maximum warp and he was sure that the captain would be quite interested to see him again, at least that’s what Worf was thinking. He no longer had trouble tuning out people’s minds, his years of companionship with Gomtuu had taught him much. Elbrun knelt beside the two prone figures and closed his eyes, opening his mind to theirs.
‘The Vulcan is fighting a war and your Antican friend is assisting as best he can but he is in more danger,’ the Betazoid looked up at Worf. ‘The Changeling is trying to subsume her katra since you have deprived it of a body.’
‘I was unaware of the meld until Truke informed of the possibility,’ Worf responded. ‘How can we transfer the Changeling’s mind back to its body?’
‘We cannot, only a Changeling can,’ he replied and closed his eyes for a moment. ‘Gomtuu believes that he can help all three of them, on one condition.’
Worf narrowed his eyes. ‘What is the condition?’
‘That the Changeling be free to go without questioning.’
‘Unacceptable, the Changeling is the only link we have to the scientist responsible for killing thousands of people.’
‘Commander, if Gomtuu can separate their consciousnesses, then both Truke and T’Lana will be able to give you the information you seek.’
Worf considered the proposal and decided that the Betazoid and his ship offered a greater chance of survival for all concerned, including the Changeling, but he was not the same man he was five years ago. ‘Worf to Crusher.’
‘What is it, Worf?’
‘I have been joined by Gomtuu and Tam Elbrun. Gomtuu believes that he will be able to separate their consciousnesses without harming any of them.’
There was silence for several heartbeats and then he heard a sigh. ‘Do nothing until I arrive. I will monitor all lifesigns if it happens at all. The Captain will want to speak with Tam.’
‘I understand, Doctor; Worf out.’ He turned to Elbrun. ‘We will wait,’ he said and looked forlornly at his colleagues.
‘T’Lana is losing her battle. If you do not do something soon she will die and you will lose all three of them,’ the Betazoid replied and closed his eyes.
‘Do not ask Gomtuu for help,’ Worf ordered as T’Lana, Truke, the Changeling and Elbrun vanished. ‘Perhaps he has not learned after all.’
Gomtuu turned and fled into warp but Worf kept a sensor lock on them as long as he could but the organic vessel was still a mystery to them.
‘Picard to Worf, what’s going on?’
‘Gomtuu has taken them, Captain. Elbrun disagreed with waiting a few minutes.’
‘Stand by for transport,’ Picard said with steel in his voice.
Worf felt that he had betrayed the captain, and his colleagues, by allowing the Betazoid to kidnap them and would do what he must to ensure their safe return. He materialised in a small anteroom off the bridge and quickly changed into a uniform which had been left for him. By the time he strode onto the bridge a minute later, the Enterprise was already at maximum warp following the warp signal of Gomtuu.
‘Gomtuu is approaching warp nine-point-nine-one, Captain,’ Ensign McGowan said.
‘Increase to overtake,’ Picard replied. ‘I want my people back.’
‘Aye sir, increasing speed to nine-point-nine-one-five, intercept in three minutes.’
‘Where did he come from?’ Picard asked his first officer.
‘He just appeared on sensors several million kilometres away from us,’ Worf replied, straightening his baldric.
‘I’d like to know just what they have been doing the last fourteen years,’ he mused and then turned back to the viewscreen. ‘Magnify.’
Battaglia complied and the organic starship appeared on the viewscreen seemingly at ease at it travelled at billions of kilometres a second. ‘I’m detecting an energy build-up, Captain, recommend we drop back.’
‘Keep going, Ensign. We’re not dropping back, Lieutenant.’
‘Captain, I’ve looked at the energy from your last encounter. If Gomtuu deploys that weapon at warp, he could well destroy us.’
‘It is a pacifist, Lieutenant. They wouldn’t have offered to help save our people only to destroy us if we get too close.’
‘A warning shot, even at ten percent power, will knock out a third of our systems, Captain. Energy is continuing to build.’
‘It may not be a weapon,’ Worf surprised himself by saying.
Eyes turned to face him. ‘What do you mean?’ Kadohata asked.
‘The energy build-up could be one of Gomtuu’s methods to assist T’Lana fight off the Changeling. We will not know unless we talk to Elbrun.’
‘Mister Battaglia, open a channel to Gomtuu.’
‘Channel open, sir.’
‘Mister Elbrun, please slow down. We will not interfere in your attempts to help our people.’
‘You cannot interfere, Captain,’ Elbrun replied after a moment. ‘Gomtuu has merged himself with their minds and is attempting to break the link between them. I must join him to facilitate the severing of the links.’
Picard sighed. ‘At least slow down so that Doctor Crusher can monitor all your life signs.’
‘I do not believe that will be necessary,’ he said and cut the channel.
‘We needs options,’ Picard said suddenly.
‘What about a tractor beam?’ McGowan asked.
‘We’d never get Gomtuu to slow down,’ Worf replied. ‘And we’d destroy ourselves in the process.’
‘How long can we keep this speed up?’ Picard asked Battaglia.
‘Seventy hours, Captain. We’re in no danger causing any problems for the engines.’
‘Geordi won’t see it that way,’ Worf muttered.
Picard allowed a small smirk. ‘I want to stay within fifty million kilometres of them, Ensign, just in case.’
‘Aye sir,’ McGowan replied. ‘Fifty million kilometres. We’re now travelling at warp nine-point-nine-two-five.’
‘Energy build-up has ceased, Captain, levels are steady,’ Battaglia reported.
Picard sat down and Worf followed suit. ‘All we can do is wait.’
Worf grumbled. ‘Waiting is uncomfortable.’
‘You were an ambassador for four years, Commander. I thought you’d be used to waiting.’
Worf didn’t answer, the silence spoke for itself.
Denobulan Starjumper
The Verex System
Stardate 57084.2
Tam Elbrun materialised on the Starjumper as soon as Worf had reluctantly agreed to the assistance. The Enterprise was in sensor range but they were several minutes away at maximum warp and he was sure that the captain would be quite interested to see him again, at least that’s what Worf was thinking. He no longer had trouble tuning out people’s minds, his years of companionship with Gomtuu had taught him much. Elbrun knelt beside the two prone figures and closed his eyes, opening his mind to theirs.
‘The Vulcan is fighting a war and your Antican friend is assisting as best he can but he is in more danger,’ the Betazoid looked up at Worf. ‘The Changeling is trying to subsume her katra since you have deprived it of a body.’
‘I was unaware of the meld until Truke informed of the possibility,’ Worf responded. ‘How can we transfer the Changeling’s mind back to its body?’
‘We cannot, only a Changeling can,’ he replied and closed his eyes for a moment. ‘Gomtuu believes that he can help all three of them, on one condition.’
Worf narrowed his eyes. ‘What is the condition?’
‘That the Changeling be free to go without questioning.’
‘Unacceptable, the Changeling is the only link we have to the scientist responsible for killing thousands of people.’
‘Commander, if Gomtuu can separate their consciousnesses, then both Truke and T’Lana will be able to give you the information you seek.’
Worf considered the proposal and decided that the Betazoid and his ship offered a greater chance of survival for all concerned, including the Changeling, but he was not the same man he was five years ago. ‘Worf to Crusher.’
‘What is it, Worf?’
‘I have been joined by Gomtuu and Tam Elbrun. Gomtuu believes that he will be able to separate their consciousnesses without harming any of them.’
There was silence for several heartbeats and then he heard a sigh. ‘Do nothing until I arrive. I will monitor all lifesigns if it happens at all. The Captain will want to speak with Tam.’
‘I understand, Doctor; Worf out.’ He turned to Elbrun. ‘We will wait,’ he said and looked forlornly at his colleagues.
‘T’Lana is losing her battle. If you do not do something soon she will die and you will lose all three of them,’ the Betazoid replied and closed his eyes.
‘Do not ask Gomtuu for help,’ Worf ordered as T’Lana, Truke, the Changeling and Elbrun vanished. ‘Perhaps he has not learned after all.’
Gomtuu turned and fled into warp but Worf kept a sensor lock on them as long as he could but the organic vessel was still a mystery to them.
‘Picard to Worf, what’s going on?’
‘Gomtuu has taken them, Captain. Elbrun disagreed with waiting a few minutes.’
‘Stand by for transport,’ Picard said with steel in his voice.
Worf felt that he had betrayed the captain, and his colleagues, by allowing the Betazoid to kidnap them and would do what he must to ensure their safe return. He materialised in a small anteroom off the bridge and quickly changed into a uniform which had been left for him. By the time he strode onto the bridge a minute later, the Enterprise was already at maximum warp following the warp signal of Gomtuu.
‘Gomtuu is approaching warp nine-point-nine-one, Captain,’ Ensign McGowan said.
‘Increase to overtake,’ Picard replied. ‘I want my people back.’
‘Aye sir, increasing speed to nine-point-nine-one-five, intercept in three minutes.’
‘Where did he come from?’ Picard asked his first officer.
‘He just appeared on sensors several million kilometres away from us,’ Worf replied, straightening his baldric.
‘I’d like to know just what they have been doing the last fourteen years,’ he mused and then turned back to the viewscreen. ‘Magnify.’
Battaglia complied and the organic starship appeared on the viewscreen seemingly at ease at it travelled at billions of kilometres a second. ‘I’m detecting an energy build-up, Captain, recommend we drop back.’
‘Keep going, Ensign. We’re not dropping back, Lieutenant.’
‘Captain, I’ve looked at the energy from your last encounter. If Gomtuu deploys that weapon at warp, he could well destroy us.’
‘It is a pacifist, Lieutenant. They wouldn’t have offered to help save our people only to destroy us if we get too close.’
‘A warning shot, even at ten percent power, will knock out a third of our systems, Captain. Energy is continuing to build.’
‘It may not be a weapon,’ Worf surprised himself by saying.
Eyes turned to face him. ‘What do you mean?’ Kadohata asked.
‘The energy build-up could be one of Gomtuu’s methods to assist T’Lana fight off the Changeling. We will not know unless we talk to Elbrun.’
‘Mister Battaglia, open a channel to Gomtuu.’
‘Channel open, sir.’
‘Mister Elbrun, please slow down. We will not interfere in your attempts to help our people.’
‘You cannot interfere, Captain,’ Elbrun replied after a moment. ‘Gomtuu has merged himself with their minds and is attempting to break the link between them. I must join him to facilitate the severing of the links.’
Picard sighed. ‘At least slow down so that Doctor Crusher can monitor all your life signs.’
‘I do not believe that will be necessary,’ he said and cut the channel.
‘We needs options,’ Picard said suddenly.
‘What about a tractor beam?’ McGowan asked.
‘We’d never get Gomtuu to slow down,’ Worf replied. ‘And we’d destroy ourselves in the process.’
‘How long can we keep this speed up?’ Picard asked Battaglia.
‘Seventy hours, Captain. We’re in no danger causing any problems for the engines.’
‘Geordi won’t see it that way,’ Worf muttered.
Picard allowed a small smirk. ‘I want to stay within fifty million kilometres of them, Ensign, just in case.’
‘Aye sir,’ McGowan replied. ‘Fifty million kilometres. We’re now travelling at warp nine-point-nine-two-five.’
‘Energy build-up has ceased, Captain, levels are steady,’ Battaglia reported.
Picard sat down and Worf followed suit. ‘All we can do is wait.’
Worf grumbled. ‘Waiting is uncomfortable.’
‘You were an ambassador for four years, Commander. I thought you’d be used to waiting.’
Worf didn’t answer, the silence spoke for itself.
An interesting and unexpected turn of events! One thing bothers me - why does Gomtuu want the changeling set free? Is there some philosophical reason or something else?
I love Worf's penchant for understatement - "Waiting is . . . uncomfortable."
For some reason, that cracked me up.
I love Worf's penchant for understatement - "Waiting is . . . uncomfortable."
For some reason, that cracked me up.
I'm curious about Gomtuu and Elbrun' s game as well. And yes, Worf is the master of deadpan.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Gomtuu/Enterprise
Orion Space
Stardate 57084.4
T’Lana looked up and found herself on the bridge of the Enterprise, but neither Captain Picard nor the rest of the command staff were present. Instead, she saw Truke, the Changeling in gelatinous form, and a Betazoid she didn’t know. The Betazoid was walking around, saying nothing but looking at the Changeling.
‘What are you doing?’ she asked.
The Betazoid turned to her. ‘I am trying to establish how closely you are linked with both the Antican and the Changeling,’ he answered. ‘I am Tam Elbrun.’
T’Lana recognised the name and raised an eyebrow. ‘You are linked to me as well?’
‘I am.’
‘Why can I not release the meld with Truke? This has never happened before.’
‘The Changeling’s mind has forced a microcosm of the Great Link between the three of you, and she is the only one who can undo the process, but she doesn’t want to because her body is in stasis.’
T’Lana turned to humanoid-form Changeling. ‘If you release me, I will return you to your body. However, you must surrender yourself to Starfleet for crimes against the Romulan Empire.’
‘They will execute me,’ the Changeling replied as it took on a Vulcanoid form. ‘What if I can give you information about the doctor who created the virus?’
Truke straightened up. ‘Tell us what you know, and we may consider your offer.’
‘It doesn’t work like that, Truke,’ Elbrun stated calmly and turned to the Changeling. ‘You have my word that the Starfleet officers will not harm you, if you tell them everything you know about the doctor.’
‘I wish to be released, first. Then I will talk.’
‘What is to prevent you escaping?’ Elbrun asked.
‘My word,’ the Changeling replied. ‘You must take it on trust, as I must take your word on trust.’
T’Lana stepped forward to the Changeling. ‘I do not wish to harm you. As a Vulcan I am pledged to honour all life, but as a Starfleet officer I must harm others if the need arises. Your people have harmed millions over several thousand years, and even though the war is over between our peoples, to still continue to cause pain and suffering. Why?’
The Changeling seemed to shrink somewhat. ‘I was not part of the war with your peoples. I am one of the Hundred, sent out into the galaxy to discover whether Solids are capable of living amongst us.’
T’Lana raised an eyebrow. ‘You must be willing to work to foster trust and be able to live amongst those you call Solids. There is a lot of mistrust in the galaxy because of the actions of your people and if you want to be trusted by Solids, you must trust them in return. If you release us from the Great Link, I will have your body released from stasis. I promise you this. You can read my mind and see that I am not lying.’
The Changeling considered what she had said, then nodded. ‘Very well, I will release you all. But I must ask one question. Why did Gomtuu come to my aid?’
Elbrun smiled. ‘He recognised in you a kindred spirit, one lost to his people who must find his way. It is what he does.’
‘And you help him?’
‘Where I can,’ Elbrun replied.
T’Lana opened her eyes and withdrew her fingers from Truke’s face. The Antican nodded wearily and stood up, hugging the wall as he did so. Elbrun looked at her.
‘I still have the Changeling’s mind in here, I will release him, as I promised.’
Elbrun nodded. ‘Gomtuu will see you home.’
T’Lana blinked as she saw herself facing Captain Picard, Commander Worf and the others. ‘Captain, the Changeling must be released. I made a promise to him, in exchange for the information he carries.’
Picard looked at her, then turned to Battaglia. ‘What is Gomtuu doing?’
‘Nothing, sir, still travelling at high warp out of Orion space.’
‘Mister Worf, let’s go and talk to the Changeling. Have Commander Madden join us in the brig.’
‘Aye sir,’ Worf replied sourly.
The quartet were quiet during the turbolift ride and even when they reached the brig, no one said a word as T’Lana deactivated the forcefield and then shut down the stasis field. Commander Madden arrived and stood close by with a phaser rifle tuned to the anti-polaron beam that was so crippling to the Changelings. She tipped the unit over and let the Changeling flow over her hands, hopefully initiating a second mind meld to return it’s mind to it. T’Lana suddenly stepped back as the Changeling took on humanoid form and coalesced into the same elfin-like Vulcanoid that she had taken on in the meld.
The Changeling looked at Picard. ‘You want to know about the scientist who created the virus, I can tell you everything.’
‘We should activate the tricorder here,’ Worf suggested.
‘We should trust her and move this to the observation lounge, where we will all be more comfortable,’ T’Lana replied.
‘Assemble the senior staff, I want everyone to hear what she has to say.’
‘Aye sir,’ Worf said.
‘Stay in that form, for now,’ Picard advised, though he was uncomfortable in the presence of such a convincing shapeshifter.
Several minutes later, all the senior officers were present and seated. The Vulcanoid Changeling stood in the corner of the room as Picard introduced his staff.
‘Speak,’ Worf told her and she looked worried but began.
‘Doctor James Granger was born on Mariposa and became a geneticist to aid in that society’s cloning problems. After you left the Bringloidi with them, he continued to work on genetic enhancements and was exiled when six people died of a virus he’d inadvertently created. I found him a few months later and we have been working together since. He set up a lab elsewhere in the Ficus sector until the star went nova about four years ago. Since then, he’s been working for hire, to rebuild his lab. I wasn’t aware he was working for the Romulans until a few weeks ago.’
‘He isn’t working for the Romulans, they want to catch him for their own ends.’
The Changeling raised an eyebrow. ‘Who is he working for then?’
‘I was hoping you could tell us.’
‘I can tell you what technology he has at his disposal, and where he’s been, but not much more than that. But I must ask for one thing in return.’
‘What do you want?’ Picard asked.
‘I want to request political asylum.’
Gomtuu/Enterprise
Orion Space
Stardate 57084.4
T’Lana looked up and found herself on the bridge of the Enterprise, but neither Captain Picard nor the rest of the command staff were present. Instead, she saw Truke, the Changeling in gelatinous form, and a Betazoid she didn’t know. The Betazoid was walking around, saying nothing but looking at the Changeling.
‘What are you doing?’ she asked.
The Betazoid turned to her. ‘I am trying to establish how closely you are linked with both the Antican and the Changeling,’ he answered. ‘I am Tam Elbrun.’
T’Lana recognised the name and raised an eyebrow. ‘You are linked to me as well?’
‘I am.’
‘Why can I not release the meld with Truke? This has never happened before.’
‘The Changeling’s mind has forced a microcosm of the Great Link between the three of you, and she is the only one who can undo the process, but she doesn’t want to because her body is in stasis.’
T’Lana turned to humanoid-form Changeling. ‘If you release me, I will return you to your body. However, you must surrender yourself to Starfleet for crimes against the Romulan Empire.’
‘They will execute me,’ the Changeling replied as it took on a Vulcanoid form. ‘What if I can give you information about the doctor who created the virus?’
Truke straightened up. ‘Tell us what you know, and we may consider your offer.’
‘It doesn’t work like that, Truke,’ Elbrun stated calmly and turned to the Changeling. ‘You have my word that the Starfleet officers will not harm you, if you tell them everything you know about the doctor.’
‘I wish to be released, first. Then I will talk.’
‘What is to prevent you escaping?’ Elbrun asked.
‘My word,’ the Changeling replied. ‘You must take it on trust, as I must take your word on trust.’
T’Lana stepped forward to the Changeling. ‘I do not wish to harm you. As a Vulcan I am pledged to honour all life, but as a Starfleet officer I must harm others if the need arises. Your people have harmed millions over several thousand years, and even though the war is over between our peoples, to still continue to cause pain and suffering. Why?’
The Changeling seemed to shrink somewhat. ‘I was not part of the war with your peoples. I am one of the Hundred, sent out into the galaxy to discover whether Solids are capable of living amongst us.’
T’Lana raised an eyebrow. ‘You must be willing to work to foster trust and be able to live amongst those you call Solids. There is a lot of mistrust in the galaxy because of the actions of your people and if you want to be trusted by Solids, you must trust them in return. If you release us from the Great Link, I will have your body released from stasis. I promise you this. You can read my mind and see that I am not lying.’
The Changeling considered what she had said, then nodded. ‘Very well, I will release you all. But I must ask one question. Why did Gomtuu come to my aid?’
Elbrun smiled. ‘He recognised in you a kindred spirit, one lost to his people who must find his way. It is what he does.’
‘And you help him?’
‘Where I can,’ Elbrun replied.
***
T’Lana opened her eyes and withdrew her fingers from Truke’s face. The Antican nodded wearily and stood up, hugging the wall as he did so. Elbrun looked at her.
‘I still have the Changeling’s mind in here, I will release him, as I promised.’
Elbrun nodded. ‘Gomtuu will see you home.’
T’Lana blinked as she saw herself facing Captain Picard, Commander Worf and the others. ‘Captain, the Changeling must be released. I made a promise to him, in exchange for the information he carries.’
Picard looked at her, then turned to Battaglia. ‘What is Gomtuu doing?’
‘Nothing, sir, still travelling at high warp out of Orion space.’
‘Mister Worf, let’s go and talk to the Changeling. Have Commander Madden join us in the brig.’
‘Aye sir,’ Worf replied sourly.
The quartet were quiet during the turbolift ride and even when they reached the brig, no one said a word as T’Lana deactivated the forcefield and then shut down the stasis field. Commander Madden arrived and stood close by with a phaser rifle tuned to the anti-polaron beam that was so crippling to the Changelings. She tipped the unit over and let the Changeling flow over her hands, hopefully initiating a second mind meld to return it’s mind to it. T’Lana suddenly stepped back as the Changeling took on humanoid form and coalesced into the same elfin-like Vulcanoid that she had taken on in the meld.
The Changeling looked at Picard. ‘You want to know about the scientist who created the virus, I can tell you everything.’
‘We should activate the tricorder here,’ Worf suggested.
‘We should trust her and move this to the observation lounge, where we will all be more comfortable,’ T’Lana replied.
‘Assemble the senior staff, I want everyone to hear what she has to say.’
‘Aye sir,’ Worf said.
‘Stay in that form, for now,’ Picard advised, though he was uncomfortable in the presence of such a convincing shapeshifter.
Several minutes later, all the senior officers were present and seated. The Vulcanoid Changeling stood in the corner of the room as Picard introduced his staff.
‘Speak,’ Worf told her and she looked worried but began.
‘Doctor James Granger was born on Mariposa and became a geneticist to aid in that society’s cloning problems. After you left the Bringloidi with them, he continued to work on genetic enhancements and was exiled when six people died of a virus he’d inadvertently created. I found him a few months later and we have been working together since. He set up a lab elsewhere in the Ficus sector until the star went nova about four years ago. Since then, he’s been working for hire, to rebuild his lab. I wasn’t aware he was working for the Romulans until a few weeks ago.’
‘He isn’t working for the Romulans, they want to catch him for their own ends.’
The Changeling raised an eyebrow. ‘Who is he working for then?’
‘I was hoping you could tell us.’
‘I can tell you what technology he has at his disposal, and where he’s been, but not much more than that. But I must ask for one thing in return.’
‘What do you want?’ Picard asked.
‘I want to request political asylum.’
You've certainly stirred the pot with that last segment! Now the changeling is more of a sympathetic figure, requesting asylum in the Federation - will wonders never cease!
Glad to see Gomtuu was on the up-and-up with this, though it still seems a bit "convenient" for him (it?) to show up at the right moment. I still think there's more here than you've let on thus far.
Glad T'Lana is okay - that was a very near thing for her.
Great story!
Glad to see Gomtuu was on the up-and-up with this, though it still seems a bit "convenient" for him (it?) to show up at the right moment. I still think there's more here than you've let on thus far.
Glad T'Lana is okay - that was a very near thing for her.
Great story!
A very nice part. We get a window into Gomtuu's motives and you've done a good job in turning our perceptions of the shapeshifter around and about. Nothing is completely as it seems here. Added to that, a nice tie in to the Enterprise's past in the form of the Mariposans and Bringloidi.
Well done!
Well done!
Great retelling of the Relaunch. The TNG characters are spot-on, and the story is epic. I have this one bookmarked, and look forward to new installments.
Thank you, always nice to have new readers join the fray.Great retelling of the Relaunch. The TNG characters are spot-on, and the story is epic. I have this one bookmarked, and look forward to new installments.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
USS Enterprise
Orion Space
Stardate 57085.9
T’Lana lay down on the surgical biobed as Doctor Crusher examined her with the medical tricorder. The Vulcan had resisted the examination thus far due to Captain Picard’s quandary with the Changeling, but the pain had been getting to her and she had eventually relented. Crusher was scowling at the readings and muttered several things that even her acute hearing could not adequately comprehend.
‘Commander, you are lucky that Gomtuu was able to heal your hormonal imbalance, otherwise we wouldn’t be having this conversation. However, your physical injuries are quite severe.’
‘I am aware of my broken ribs, Doctor, however I do not consider that to be a severe injury.’
Crusher sighed. ‘In addition to your broken ribs, you have minor fractures along your spinal column and extensive muscle damage. It is a testament to your meditative techniques that you don’t feel more pain. However, to repair all the damage you sustained on Verex III, I will need to perform surgery. As of this moment you are relieved of duty on medical leave.’
T’Lana made to rise from the biobed but found that she had been restrained. ‘Doctor, I need to return to my duties.’
‘You have been relieved of duty. Were you to return, you would be violating orders. Is that understood?’
T’Lana nodded as best she could. ‘Very well, Doctor.’
Crusher donned the sterile surgical gown, activated the steri-field and entered commands into the bedside console. The surgical support frame rose into position and Crusher immediately had the device scan for all the fractures present in the Vulcan’s body. While the scanner was performing that crucial function, Crusher checked T’Lana’s hormone levels. Her encounter with the Changeling had left her somewhat weak, whether she would admit it or not, and Crusher had to make sure that there were no lingering after-effects.
‘Doctor, she’s crashing,’ Lieutenant Martinez called out as T’Lana’s biosigns began to fall rapidly.
‘Damn, I knew something like this might happen,’ Crusher admonished herself as she applied a vascular stimulator. ‘Clear!’
T’Lana thrashed about in the restraining field and then lay still, her heart still not responding. She was flatlining.
‘Clear!’ Crusher shouted again and T’Lana barely moved this time, her chest shocked by the stimulator. ‘Get me a laser scalpel, I’m going to have to go in.’
‘Doctor?’ Martinez asked in shock.
‘Nurse, get me a laser scalpel, now!’
Martinez did as he was asked, squeamish as he was about the very idea of cutting into another human being. ‘Laser scalpel, Doctor.’
Crusher took the scalpel without looking, deactivated the restraining field and moved the scalpel over to where a human’s liver would be. She activated the laser and made a ten centimetre incision in the Vulcan’s abdomen. What little blood there was, was mopped up by Martinez once he dressed in the sterile surgical garb. T’Lana’s heart wasn’t beating and Crusher massaged it gently, hoping to get it started again without having to resort to the last option at her disposal, a shock directly to the heart. Although she had no doubt that the Vulcan heart could withstand the electrical impulse, she didn’t want to risk the woman’s already weakened system.
‘It isn’t working, is it?’ Martinez asked, looking down at the Vulcan’s pallid face.
‘No,’ she replied, and reached for the micro-vascular stimulator.
It was an old device, miniaturised during the last four hundred years and she placed it over the heart, activating an automatic system which would apply short shocks directly to the atria and ventricles. T’Lana’s heart jumped with each shock, but flatlined immediately afterward. There was nothing more that they could do. After eight minutes, Crusher removed the device, placing it back onto the tray.
‘Pass me the autosuture.’
Martinez obliged and Crusher sewed up the Vulcan’s wound. ‘Computer, record time of death at stardate 57085.92612; February 1st 2380, 10:46 am.’
Martinez placed the sheet over her. ‘Will you do the autopsy?’
Crusher shook her head. ‘I will leave that to Doctor Tropp and the EMH. Computer, where is Captain Picard?’
‘Captain Picard is in his ready room.’
She sighed. ‘Crusher to Picard.’
‘Go ahead, Doctor.’
‘I think you should come down here.’
‘I’m on my way.’
Picard’s expression was one of shock when Crusher briefed him on recent events.
‘Do you know what caused her heart to fail?’
‘Not yet, Tropp will do the autopsy this afternoon.’
‘I will notify her family.’
‘What about the Changeling?’
Picard’s face darkened a little. ‘I haven’t decided yet, but this won’t impact on my decision.’
She reached for his shoulder. ‘I know, the balance is hard to keep.’
He smiled a little and held her hand on his shoulder. ‘I’ll talk to you later,’ he said, his face once more becoming a command mask.
Crusher turned around to find Martinez and ask him to prepare T’Lana for autopsy but he was nowhere in the surgical suite. ‘Guillermo? Are you there?’
There was no answer.
She walked across the surgical suite to the autopsy room and found her nurse crouched by a sink. ‘Are you alright?’
‘I’ve never seen a body cut open like that before without it being a war wound. It was wrong.’
Crusher rested a hand on his shoulder. ‘No matter how good technology becomes, sometimes the hands on approach is the best—and only—option. It didn’t work in this case, but I have seen plenty where it has worked. You’ve served with me for fifteen years, Guillermo, you know I wouldn’t have done something so invasive if I didn’t think it was necessary.’
‘She still died, Doctor.’
‘Yes she did, and we’ll find out why during the autopsy. Do you want to assist Doctor Tropp?’
Martinez nodded weakly.
‘Get yourself cleaned up and you’ll see how technology can help us in the most difficult cases.’
Crusher left her nurse in the autopsy room and returned to the surgical suite where T’Lana’s body still resided under the sheet. Something wasn’t right and she couldn’t put her finger on it. She just hoped that the autopsy would provide the findings she needed to conduct a thorough investigation.
USS Enterprise
Orion Space
Stardate 57085.9
T’Lana lay down on the surgical biobed as Doctor Crusher examined her with the medical tricorder. The Vulcan had resisted the examination thus far due to Captain Picard’s quandary with the Changeling, but the pain had been getting to her and she had eventually relented. Crusher was scowling at the readings and muttered several things that even her acute hearing could not adequately comprehend.
‘Commander, you are lucky that Gomtuu was able to heal your hormonal imbalance, otherwise we wouldn’t be having this conversation. However, your physical injuries are quite severe.’
‘I am aware of my broken ribs, Doctor, however I do not consider that to be a severe injury.’
Crusher sighed. ‘In addition to your broken ribs, you have minor fractures along your spinal column and extensive muscle damage. It is a testament to your meditative techniques that you don’t feel more pain. However, to repair all the damage you sustained on Verex III, I will need to perform surgery. As of this moment you are relieved of duty on medical leave.’
T’Lana made to rise from the biobed but found that she had been restrained. ‘Doctor, I need to return to my duties.’
‘You have been relieved of duty. Were you to return, you would be violating orders. Is that understood?’
T’Lana nodded as best she could. ‘Very well, Doctor.’
Crusher donned the sterile surgical gown, activated the steri-field and entered commands into the bedside console. The surgical support frame rose into position and Crusher immediately had the device scan for all the fractures present in the Vulcan’s body. While the scanner was performing that crucial function, Crusher checked T’Lana’s hormone levels. Her encounter with the Changeling had left her somewhat weak, whether she would admit it or not, and Crusher had to make sure that there were no lingering after-effects.
‘Doctor, she’s crashing,’ Lieutenant Martinez called out as T’Lana’s biosigns began to fall rapidly.
‘Damn, I knew something like this might happen,’ Crusher admonished herself as she applied a vascular stimulator. ‘Clear!’
T’Lana thrashed about in the restraining field and then lay still, her heart still not responding. She was flatlining.
‘Clear!’ Crusher shouted again and T’Lana barely moved this time, her chest shocked by the stimulator. ‘Get me a laser scalpel, I’m going to have to go in.’
‘Doctor?’ Martinez asked in shock.
‘Nurse, get me a laser scalpel, now!’
Martinez did as he was asked, squeamish as he was about the very idea of cutting into another human being. ‘Laser scalpel, Doctor.’
Crusher took the scalpel without looking, deactivated the restraining field and moved the scalpel over to where a human’s liver would be. She activated the laser and made a ten centimetre incision in the Vulcan’s abdomen. What little blood there was, was mopped up by Martinez once he dressed in the sterile surgical garb. T’Lana’s heart wasn’t beating and Crusher massaged it gently, hoping to get it started again without having to resort to the last option at her disposal, a shock directly to the heart. Although she had no doubt that the Vulcan heart could withstand the electrical impulse, she didn’t want to risk the woman’s already weakened system.
‘It isn’t working, is it?’ Martinez asked, looking down at the Vulcan’s pallid face.
‘No,’ she replied, and reached for the micro-vascular stimulator.
It was an old device, miniaturised during the last four hundred years and she placed it over the heart, activating an automatic system which would apply short shocks directly to the atria and ventricles. T’Lana’s heart jumped with each shock, but flatlined immediately afterward. There was nothing more that they could do. After eight minutes, Crusher removed the device, placing it back onto the tray.
‘Pass me the autosuture.’
Martinez obliged and Crusher sewed up the Vulcan’s wound. ‘Computer, record time of death at stardate 57085.92612; February 1st 2380, 10:46 am.’
Martinez placed the sheet over her. ‘Will you do the autopsy?’
Crusher shook her head. ‘I will leave that to Doctor Tropp and the EMH. Computer, where is Captain Picard?’
‘Captain Picard is in his ready room.’
She sighed. ‘Crusher to Picard.’
‘Go ahead, Doctor.’
‘I think you should come down here.’
‘I’m on my way.’
Picard’s expression was one of shock when Crusher briefed him on recent events.
‘Do you know what caused her heart to fail?’
‘Not yet, Tropp will do the autopsy this afternoon.’
‘I will notify her family.’
‘What about the Changeling?’
Picard’s face darkened a little. ‘I haven’t decided yet, but this won’t impact on my decision.’
She reached for his shoulder. ‘I know, the balance is hard to keep.’
He smiled a little and held her hand on his shoulder. ‘I’ll talk to you later,’ he said, his face once more becoming a command mask.
Crusher turned around to find Martinez and ask him to prepare T’Lana for autopsy but he was nowhere in the surgical suite. ‘Guillermo? Are you there?’
There was no answer.
She walked across the surgical suite to the autopsy room and found her nurse crouched by a sink. ‘Are you alright?’
‘I’ve never seen a body cut open like that before without it being a war wound. It was wrong.’
Crusher rested a hand on his shoulder. ‘No matter how good technology becomes, sometimes the hands on approach is the best—and only—option. It didn’t work in this case, but I have seen plenty where it has worked. You’ve served with me for fifteen years, Guillermo, you know I wouldn’t have done something so invasive if I didn’t think it was necessary.’
‘She still died, Doctor.’
‘Yes she did, and we’ll find out why during the autopsy. Do you want to assist Doctor Tropp?’
Martinez nodded weakly.
‘Get yourself cleaned up and you’ll see how technology can help us in the most difficult cases.’
Crusher left her nurse in the autopsy room and returned to the surgical suite where T’Lana’s body still resided under the sheet. Something wasn’t right and she couldn’t put her finger on it. She just hoped that the autopsy would provide the findings she needed to conduct a thorough investigation.
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