USS PYTHEAS (Dauntless Repost)

[BrotherBenny]

It won't be long now people. I'm still working on story number 4, but 1-3 are done. I hope to post the first reworked chapters up late this week or early next week.

Stories 1 & 2, Extreme Prejudice Parts 1 & 2, will be posted in this thread.

 

[BrotherBenny]

“Extreme Prejudice”
Part 1​

Historian’s Note: This story takes place in April 2378 (Old Calendar), five months after the return of the USS Voyager from the Delta Quadrant.



Prologue

Federation Timeship Enterprise, NCC-1701-R
Battle of Rura Penthe
Stardate 622443.1 (June 11, 2945)

Blasts of phaser fire rocked the ship as the inertial dampers whined in protest. The holographic tactical display flickered a few times before disappearing altogether, probably for the last time, thought Lieutenant Commander K’Tyra Parker, the half-Klingon tactical officer. On the old-fashioned viewscreen, she saw the quartet of Cha’lav dreadnoughts come around for another pass and then fire a volley of temporal flux torpedoes. She felt the ship shudder as the torpedoes penetrated the unprotected hull. Her first thought as the ship began to drift was not about the ship itself but about the prisoner in the brig. She turned to Admiral Dexx, the fleet commander, and he gave her a silent signal to leave the bridge. There was nothing that could be done now for the stricken vessel and she saved a thought for the dozens that were dying aboard this very moment, she would avenge them the best way she could, provided that she survived to complete her mission.

This would be the deciding factor in the war, and most likely the last battle too. The Cha’lav had built up a massive fleet over several months for what seemed like a final assault against Allied forces and Starfleet was stretched to breaking point. Every available ship had been drafted into service but Starfleet was still outnumbered by at least two to one. The Enterprise was the lead ship in a fleet of thirty cruisers which was leading an assault on the largest shipyard in Cha’lav-occupied space, formerly the Klingon Empire. It wasn’t a glorious mission since destroying the shipyards was only part of a larger attack force. Every available ship from across the four quadrants loyal to the Federation and her allies were attacking every base and shipyard that was of strategic interest in the hopes that at least one person from each fleet would survive long enough to complete the classified part of the mission.

The Cha’lav cruisers had broken off their attack as the Enterprise appeared to be adrift and leaking plasma and air from most decks. It wasn’t an act. The recent battles had taken their toll on the timeship and it really was on the verge of falling apart at the seams. The shuttle was waiting for Dexx's order to execute the mission, but she needed to be aboard. Before she could do that, she needed to secure the prisoner in the brig. The Andorian was one of the last of her species and had actually defected to the Cha'lav to provide them with a very specific piece of intelligence. Although that intelligence led to five billion deaths, Starfleet decided to return her to Starbase One for trial rather than execute her outright for treason.

Parker believed it was the wrong action to take and the woman should have been shot on sight. That decision by the Chief of Starfleet Security and the Commander in Chief of Starfleet had led to this very battle where the fate of the entire galaxy rested with just eleven people. The eleven fleets that would be sacrificed for them were spread out across all four quadrants, fighting a never ending stream of Cha'lav warships, dreadnoughts, cruisers and destroyers which were flooding in from dozens of spatial rifts. Huge swaths of the galaxy were impassable after the use of subspace and temporal weapons which had been banned by more than a hundred treaties, all of which were rendered moot by the huge alliance which had sided with the Federation against the galaxies-spanning Cha'lav empire.

Parker found exactly what she expected to find, an empty brig. Brushing her uniform where the communications fibres were, she connected to Dexx. 'She's gone, I need to find her.'

'Internal sensors are down but she'll probably head for the transporter room.'

'I'm on my way, Parker out.'

As the Klingon-human hybrid sprinted down corridors looking for her prey, she absorbed the details of the battle. The Cha'lav ships were now going after other vessels in the fleet, believing the Enterprise to be dead in the water, and they were mostly right; but the flagship had a few more tricks up her sleeves. The transporter room was dead ahead and the door was jammed open by two bodies lying in the way, and an ushaan-tor beside them. She took out her phaser and entered the room.

'Hold it!' the Andorian said, pointing a phaser at her.

'You can't escape that way,' Parker admonished. 'The transporters have been shut down.'

'Klingons, no imagination,' the prisoner replied.

‘All hands abandon ship, repeat, all hands abandon ship.’ Admiral Dexx issued the order to begin the next phase of the attack. She didn't have long.

Parker lunged for the Andorian zhen and knocked the phaser from her hand as they both went down. The Andorian tried to strangle her but she was stronger and pushed the blue-skinned alien away before letting a kick fly out.

'Prani, why did you do it?' Parker asked as the Andorian got up.

'We're losing, I don't want to be the last of my people.'

'What do you expect to do?'

'Change things.'

'How?'

Instead of an answer, the Andorian jumped onto the transporter platform and vanished in a pillar of chronometric particles.

'Dexx to Parker, are you ready?'

'Sorry, Admiral. Zh'Malashan just used the temporal transporter, she must have rewired it somehow. I have to go back and stop her.'

There was silence for a moment. 'All right, go. Just remember to invoke the Archer Protocols, code Ultraviolet. That will stop the Department of Temporal Operations of any time period asking questions.'

'Aye sir.'

'Do you know when she transported to?'

'Sometime in the late twenty-fourth century, she's scrambled her coordinates.'

'Work fast to unscramble them, I will take your place on this mission, Commander.'

'Aye sir, good luck.'

Dexx left the channel open so she knew how much time she had left. It wasn't much.

‘Dexx to Shuttlecraft Picard, one to beam aboard.’

Parker concentrated on reconstituting the last transport and almost had a complete stardate when she heard the Admiral's last words.

‘Computer, initiate auto destruct, authorisation Dexx-Bolius-Alpha-Omega-execute.’

‘Auto destruct sequence engaged. Eight second silent countdown,’ the computer replied.

'Parker, go!'

She needed no further prompting and jumped onto the transport pad as it enveloped her with chronometric particles. She would find her blood-sister and prevent whatever damage was going to be done.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter One

Shuttlecraft Picard
In orbit of Rura Penthe
Stardate 622443.2 (June 11, 2945)

Admiral Dexx raised the shields to maximum and initiated the ablative hull armour generator. The destruction of the Enterprise would be a violent one and he needed to make sure that he survived. There was no longer a margin for error. This was the most important thing that he would ever do.

The shuttle was cocooned in the ablative hull and he felt the Enterprise explode around him. He inwardly wept for the loss of the once-majestic timeship, the pride of the Federation for more than a century, but he had a job to do that would save trillions of lives. This ship would once again be built, but he would not be alive to see it. Using the holographic wraparound helm controls, Dexx manoeuvred the Picard so that he appeared to be a piece of debris until he was close enough to the Cha’lav Control Ship. All around him drifted the hulks of his fleet, the thousands of people who had believed that this mission was to destroy the shipyards and help prevent the inevitable.

The Federation had lost by numbers. The Cha’lav had far more ships and personnel to fill them. Of the seven hundred member races of the Federation, only representatives of seventy-three still lived. Many had their planets wiped out or their populations annihilated or erased from history using a weapon stolen from the Krenim, a race from the Delta Quadrant which had fallen to the Cha’lav early on in the war. The Control Ship was within range and Dexx powered up the weapons system. He knew that he would only get one chance at this before the Cha’lav blew his ship to pieces. Dexx sent out a number of tachyon bursts to disrupt the Cha’lav ship’s shields, and when they reset their shield harmonics he beamed aboard.

Dexx reached for the door to what he believed was the ship's tertiary control centre. As he did so, it blew outward and he was thrown across the corridor. A dozen Cha’lav warriors emerged, firing in all directions. Dexx recovered quickly began firing and within seconds, the warriors were all dead. He looked inside the room and realised he was wrong, it wasn't anything major, just a cargo bay, but it was cavernous and gave him a jolt of alarm. This ship, one of the largest Starfleet had ever encountered, hadn't flown through any of the rifts recently. If there were more bays this size on this ship, then it would mean that at least some vessels were here for the long haul. This must be one of the control ships leading the Cha'lav invasion. Were this any other mission, or battle, he would have ordered the vessel and any escape pods destroyed, hoping to kill the leader of the invasion for whatever good it would do.

As he hunted for the control room, he thought about the event that had started this. It had been a coup, turning one of the Cha'lav's own agents against them, and he had willingly agreed to give them the information. Starfleet Intelligence also found out that there was discord amongst the Cha’lav races, and a rebellion in other galaxies, but that did them little good. The high level meetings which were a result of the defector's intelligence led to a decision that the Federation President, the third Romulan to hold the post, had agreed to only as a last resort, as in the case of his death, which occurred just days later. It was a last-ditch attempt to save the galaxy, and violated the sacrosanct edict of the temporal prime directive, but it was everybody's last hope and the President had authorised it, but it required three other people to agree. The only problem was that they were dead and there was no time to fill their positions so it was agreed among those who had been privy to the meeting that it should go ahead anyway.

As the Bolian crept cautiously along corridors, he heard the sounds of battle clearly and knew that almost none of the fleet had survived. While it upset him greatly, and had been the likeliest outcome, he knew that it would soon be of no consequence. The trillions of deaths which had happened in the last three hundred years would be wiped out if this mission went to plan. Although Parker was now engaging in her own mission, he would be travelling to the past to give Starfleet the necessary information to prevent the Cha'lav invasion from ever happening.

Dexx listened hard but heard nothing except the usual ship sounds. As he rounded the corner, he saw that the tertiary control centre was not heavily guarded at all. He entered the room. It was functional but had little in the way of aesthetics, like most Cha’lav technology. In the very centre of the large, cavernous room was a raised platform that could easily hold eight to ten people and just below it was a control console. It was the only technology in the room except for the door sensor. The platform glowed with an eerie blue light and Dexx set about programming in the coordinates. Starfleet had spent months working out what the best coordinates would be and the specific time had been pinpointed.

All eleven people were going to different time periods in order to give Starfleet and the Federation advance warning, hoping that even if some didn't get through, enough would to make the difference. He was going back to a time before the stringent anti-tampering temporal protocols were in effect to speak with an important person who might just be able to help.

He started the countdown sequence and watched the door, knowing that the build-up of chronometric energy would be noticed sooner or later. The blue glow of the temporal transporter engulfed him and he started to dematerialise.
The doors opened and a Cha’lav woman entered. Dexx had never seen her species before and he knew that there was nothing he could do as she fired at the console. She knew exactly what she was doing and her well-aimed shot jumbled the coordinates he had set.

His last thought was to hope that he was still in time to prevent the tragedy from occurring, provided he ended up somewhere useful.

 

[Gibraltar]

Great start! You've already shown us the disastrous course history has already taken here... now we'll see if anyone can actually do anything to stop it.

 

[DavidFalkayn]

Some interesting plot threads here. With all these players traveling through time, I have a feeling that the course of events is going to get very complicated very quickly.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter Two

Kursican Orbital Platform
Kursican Sector
Stardate 55249.6 (April 2, 2378)

The window reflected her image back at her and she sighed as she realised how tired she looked. Less than two weeks ago she had been enjoying her extended leave after the near-destruction of the Monarch and the loss of eighty percent of the crew, until Admiral Kathryn Janeway appeared at her door. The Admiral suggested to her that a new billet would be just the thing to pull her out of her loss, especially so because it came with a promotion.

'Admiral, I'm not really sure I deserve that fourth pip. The Monarch barely made it home.'

Janeway smiled at her. 'Do you think I wanted a promotion to Admiral? I would have been happy to go on extended leave and then jump right back in the saddle, but life doesn't usually offer you neat little packages like that. I learned that the heard way in the Delta Quadrant, Commander.'

'Do you enjoy what you do?' Astar had asked, hoping for guidance.

'Immensely, but sometimes I want to be back on the bridge of a starship. The Monarch might have limped home, but you brought her home.'

'But what about the crew? I had a lot of families to visit.'

'Which you didn't need to do. You showed what it means to be a captain when you did that, and that's what convinced me to seek approval to offer you this position. At the moment we need all the captains we can get.'

'Can I take any of the Monarch's crew with me?'

Janeway shook her head. 'I'm afraid not. Most of them have already been reassigned and your ship is already en route. You'll have to go by shuttlecraft as we don't have a spare ship for you.'

She had taken only a few minutes to make her decision at that point. 'Where am I going?'

The Admiral smiled again. 'You're going to the Kursican system and you will be commanding the Pytheas, she's a new Intrepid-class ship, built with a few of the new toys that Voyager pioneered during her sojourn across the galaxy.'

'Does that include a Flyer-class shuttlecraft?'

'Command hasn't given the go ahead yet for that design,' Janeway answered wistfully.

'Well, I wouldn't really want to travel all the way to the Kursican system in anything less than a runabout.'

'I'll talk to a few people and see what I can, all right?'

'Thank you, Admiral. I'd appreciate it.'

'Thank you, at least I know that the Pytheas will be in good hands.'

Captain Leza Astar stared out of the viewscreen as she got closer to Starbase 535. From what she could remember of the hasty briefing Admiral Janeway had given her, the starbase was a former orbital prison station. A few months after the Dominion war ended, the Kursicans had applied for Federation membership but the issues between several worlds in the system made that difficult, especially as a former Starfleet officer had kidnapped a Federation diplomat who was assessing the Kursicans for membership and turned the Platform into a spinning free-for-all. It had taken the Corps of Engineers to get everything back under control and rescue the diplomat before the Kursicans killed him and most of the rebels. Since then, however, or because of that, there had been a change of government and the Federation Council had made them a protectorate, citing a wish to return to exploration and needing a base of operations in the area. The Platform was turned into an operational starbase from which a handful of new colonies were protected and the Delta Quadrant border was watched.

As she got closer to what the locals called the Platform she noticed a starship warp away, and wondered if it was the Pytheas. Forcing her eyes back to the former incarceration station, Astar could quite easily pick out the external modifications to the station to bring it up to Starfleet standards. The weapons had been upgraded from purely defensive to offensive in case of hostile species which the Kursicans had duly informed Starfleet about when the first diplomatic team arrived on site. The docking ports had been modified to fit any vessels, not just Kursican ones, since this area of the Beta/Delta Quadrant border was about to be opened up by Starfleet and it was likely that other races would soon take advantage of new opportunities, such as the Ferengi and the Xepolite Free Traders.

Astar felt relieved as the Flyer docked with the starbase. Admiral Janeway had been able to fast-track Command's approval process and Astar was able to travel to the distant starbase in the comfort of an entirely new vessel, which she had already named—as was the captains' prerogative. She hefted her duffel and turned to her travelling companion.

'Ready to disembark, Cadet?'

'Yes ma'am, I prefer starships to shuttles.'

'So do I. Come on, I'm sure Commander Logan is waiting for us.'

'Yes ma'am, I can take your duffel to your quarters while you have your meeting with the Commander.'

'Are you sure?'

'It will give me time to explore the starbase.'

Astar smiled, all right then. You can give me a tour later. And for future reference, I prefer Captain or Sir, but not Ma'am.'

'Understood, Captain.'

Astar handed the cadet her duffel and waited for the younger woman to precede her out of the shuttle. She had rather a nice behind. They had only just made it out the docking hatch when a petty officer approached them.

‘Can I help you, Crewman?’ she asked, noticing the man's rank insignia.

‘I was assigned by Commander Logan to escort you to your quarters, Captain.’

‘Thank you, but I would like to see Commander Logan as soon as possible.’

‘You will, sir, but he's in a meeting at the moment and does not wish to be disturbed.’

Astar nodded her head, resigned to the fact that she would be waiting around for a while. 'Cadet Snowcroft will take my duffel. I'd like to test out a new holoprogram. Is there a holodeck on the starbase?’

The crewman smiled. ‘Deck seventy-nine, former prison cells. It’s the largest holodeck in the sector.’

Astar returned the smile. ‘By virtue of being the only one, I'll bet. All right, take me to the holodeck.'

‘I was asked to give you a tour, ma’am,’ the crewman replied and Astar shared a glance with Snowcroft.

‘Captain is fine, Crewman.’

‘Aye sir,’ the young man replied.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter Three

Kursican Orbital Platform
Kursican Sector
Stardate 55249.7 (April 2, 2378)

Astar found herself being led through corridors that seemed to go nowhere, only to end at bulkheads which turned out to be doors. This was by far the strangest starbase she had ever been on, eclipsing even the weirdness that was the Cardassian monstrosity of Deep Space Nine. The starbase was impressive seeing as it had been turned from a prison into a fully-working starbase in under two years, but it was clear that the Corps of Engineers weren’t able to get everything working, including the atmosphere scrubbers in certain areas. The air smelled stale and Astar wondered if the young man by her side noticed it after serving on the starbase for more than a few months.

The crewman led Astar toward and through the Hanging Gardens, eight decks of gardens made from three cell blocks. A good use for a bad place. There was even a slight breeze in the air and the scent of flowers. A drop of water landed on her nose and she wrinkled it, brushing off the droplet.

‘What the…?’

‘Sorry, sir, it’s about to rain, we should find some cover.’

‘Rain?’ she asked incredulously.

‘The atmospheric controls here work too well. The Hanging Gardens have their own climate.’

‘I guess it gives a more realistic experience,’ Astar replied with a wry grin.

‘I said the same thing,’ a man said, his voice echoing slightly through the Gardens.

‘Commander, sir,’ the crewman replied and snapped to attention.

‘As you were, Crewman. I believe your duty shift ended half an hour ago.’

‘Aye sir, Captain,’ he smiled and headed for the exit.

‘Commander Logan, I presume,’ she replied and held out her hand.

Logan took it and shook it, briefly, before breaking contact. ‘I guess you’re wondering why you’ve been sent to the ass-end of the galaxy?’

‘I was,’ Astar answered, inwardly holding her breath.

‘I was assigned here for two reasons. The first is to help the Kursicans find their place in the Federation family, and the second is to find out what the hell is happening around here.’

‘Care to explain that second reason, Commander?’

‘Over the last few months there have been reports of alien intruders entering the sovereign territory of several dozen worlds, all of which have ended with one male and one female, one of each gender if there are more, being kidnapped. I was in charge of getting this rust-bucket operational when Command fast-tracked us following the kidnap of two Federation citizens, one of which was the son of the Denobulan Ambassador to the Federation.’

‘That sounds serious.’

'It is. The Denobulan Ambassador is threatening all kind of sanctions unless we find his son.'

'Who have you got on site?'

‘I’ve had a starship on site for the last month, going over the locations of the abductions with a micro-scanner. They found only the barest hint of alien DNA, and it matches nothing in our database.’

‘Why am I here?’

‘The Weisskopf is a Nova-class ship and while she's fully equipped to handle the scientific end of things, she doesn't have the resources to go hunting. That's where you and the Pytheas come in. Officially, this starbase is here for the Kursicans and the twenty or so colonies we're supposed to protect and defend against some of the local hostiles. You're to “fly the flag,” so to speak.’

'Where is the Pytheas, Commander?'

'On patrol at the edge of the system for the next day or so. There have been a few sensor echoes so I sent them out there to have a little look. Your first officer is currently in command; Aaron Wright, former executive officer of the Quebec.’

‘The one who got his captain killed?’ Astar asked with some disdain.

‘He was found innocent, Captain Astar,’ Logan admonished. ‘But keep an eye on him. I think he’s dangerous but Admiral T’Lane believes he deserves a second chance. “It is, after all, logical,”’ he quoted.

Astar snorted. ‘Sure it is.’

‘The Pytheas is scheduled to return to the Plat at 1600 the day after tomorrow. I would like you to leave as early as possible after that time to rendezvous with the Weisskopf and transfer equipment and supplies. For now, the Weisskopf and the Pytheas are the only ships I have at my disposal so you’ll be doing a lot of menial labour, and hopefully getting some exploring in.’

‘I guess I have some reading to do in the meantime.’

‘Indeed you do, Captain. I’ll be in Operations if you need me for anything.’

‘Thank you, Commander. This has been a most interesting day.’

‘I hope it will continue to prove interesting. Our jobs should never be boring.’

‘Did the Enterprise turn you into a philosopher, Commander?’

‘No, the war did that. Helped me get through it, in fact. I trust you can find the way to your quarters?’

‘As soon as the rain stops.’

‘You might be in for a bit of a wait. The last time it rained, it rained for two days solid.’

Astar sighed. ‘Maybe I’ll just wait for a little while. I have a lot to think about.’

‘I’ll leave you to it then, Captain,’ Logan said and dashed off into the rain.

As the rain continued to fall, Astar considered her career path and mission. Once this kidnapping was solved, she could ask Command to let her explore the Delta Quadrant from this end, maybe a long-term exploration mission. She knew that since Voyager had returned, the new Intrepid-class ships had been slightly redesigned to allow them to undertake long-term missions and since the Pytheas was the first to represent that new design, it was a perfect test to see if she performed it well.

But the kidnapping came first.

 

[Gibraltar]

A fascinating set up. A brave new frontier to explore, plus a mystery involving potentially unknown aliens and a string of abductions.

Sounds like the newly minted Captain Astar has her work cut out for her.

 

[CeJay]

I like this story just like I liked it the first time around. But so far it seems to me the differences are mostly cosmetic. Am I wrong?

 

[BrotherBenny]

I like this story just like I liked it the first time around. But so far it seems to me the differences are mostly cosmetic. Am I wrong?

As you go along you'll notice that much of it is cosmetic, yes, but some chapters have been extensively rewritten almost from scratch - and some plots have changed. Some characters have been removed and new ones added and their plots have changed. The largest difference is that the two vignettes I did, Little Things in Life and Final Flight of the Exosia, are no longer in the Pytheas canon, so the plots arising from them have changed or been removed.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter Four

New Tokyo
Kursican Sector
Stardate 55251.1 (April 2, 2378)

The sound of the transporter filled the air and Commander Dhrex turned to see his commanding officer materialising at the edge of the village. Captain Gregory Drummond rarely stepped off the ship, allowing his officers to take point on away missions, so when he did appear there was usually a good reason for it. He was in his eighth decade but still looked like fifty because of the pride he took in his appearance and the fact that he never worried about anything. Dhrex, on the other hand, always worried for his captain and looked a good decade older than he was. The Denobulan left the security detail and headed toward the captain, who strode faster in his direction. They met less than ten metres from the cordoned off area.

‘Is there a problem, Captain?’ Dhrex asked when he saw his superior’s expression.

Drummond nodded. ‘It looks like we’re finally being relieved. Starfleet are sending an Intrepid-class ship to take over here. We’re to continue with our scheduled colony run.’

‘How soon? We still need to run soil analyses.’

‘Then run them, the ship won’t be here for another day at least. We’ll transfer supplies and data and then head over to Parisol Five.’

‘I hate that system, too many asteroids.’

‘Inform the crew, Commander. I want to leave this backwater planet as soon as we’ve handed everything to whatever luckless captain is lumbered with this mission.’

‘Aye sir,’ Dhrex replied and watched his captain walk over to the cordoned off zone where the two people had been taken.

He knew that Drummond didn’t want to be stuck in one place for too long, especially when there was nothing for him to do, but Command had made this kidnapping a top priority and now they had sent what was essentially a ship of the line to fly the flag. Dhrex knew that the Intrepid-class ship wasn’t just here to finish the job that his crew had started. They had another mission and he intended to provide them with as much information as possible in order to complete it. Whatever aliens had been taking people had certainly not counted on Starfleet getting involved, for if they had, they had severely underestimated its determination.

‘Commander!’ Drummond yelled and Dhrex realised that he was looking skyward, and that the captain had been calling him for several minutes.

‘Sorry, sir,’ Dhrex replied.

‘Lieutenant Banks informs me that you have already run soil samples, Commander. What exactly are you hoping to find if you run them again?’

Dhrex frowned. ‘I lied to you, Captain. I know you don’t want this assignment, but since Command has their panties in a twist, I thought it might be a good idea to provide the new ship with everything we can. I wanted to run a spectrographic analysis on the air in the area and around the region based on wind patterns, to see if there was anything airborne that the aliens might have left behind, and if any of that made it into the soil elsewhere.’

Drummond laughed. ‘Commander, you’re right. I don’t want this mission and I think that Command is worrying for nothing. People disappear all the time. If one of them wasn’t the son of a diplomat, I doubt we’d even be here, but now that politicians dictate our missions, I just feel as if our mission is no longer exploration.’

And that was the crux of the matter. Dhrex had heard the rumours but dismissed them. Drummond’s application for command of a Sovereign-class ship had been turned down and he had been feeling depressed ever since, but until now it had not interfered in his job. ‘Sir, our mission is to explore the boundaries of space, and our minds. There is a mystery here.’

‘Commander, with all due respect, it is not my mission and I don’t care about all these people being kidnapped.’

The transporter hum filled the air again. ‘Thank you, Commander,’ Lieutenant Carl Vallejo said once he had materialised. ‘Captain Gregory Drummond, under the authority of Starfleet Medical, regulation 121, section A, I hereby relieve you of your command pending an official psychiatric evaluation. Come with me please.’

Drummond glared at them both. ‘You planned this.’

‘No sir, we didn’t,’ Dhrex replied with some hesitation. ‘You did this to yourself.’

The captain sighed and walked a few steps away, waiting for the doctor.

‘The ship’s yours, Commander,’ Vallejo said and then walked over to the captain. ‘Vallejo to Weisskopf, two to beam up.’

‘Commander, I think we have something,’ Lieutenant Banks called out.

‘Report!’

‘We’ve got DNA traces identical to those found at the other sites where people have been taken, but the profiles are slightly different.’

‘Meaning?’

‘Biology isn’t my area of expertise, sir,’ the tactical officer replied. ‘Doctor Vallejo should take a look at this. He’ll be able to tell you what it means.’

Dhrex nodded. This was turning out to be a lot more complicated than he had planned. He saw two possibilities and neither was very palatable. Either there were two or more species doing the kidnapping, or it was one species with DNA that was completely different to anything that Starfleet or the Federation had encountered thus far in its two hundred year history.

‘Send samples back up to the ship, Lieutenant, maximum biohazard containment. I’m going to have another chat with the Governor.’

‘He prefers the term Prefect, sir, since he is the leader of the New Tokyo Prefecture.’

Dhrex sighed. ‘Isn’t that being a little egotistical?

Banks shrugged. ‘He can call himself whatever he wants, sir. You can call him whichever you prefer.’

‘Calling him a Prefect sounds too pompous, but if he wants me to call him that, who am I to argue.’

Banks smiled. ‘You’re going to call him Governor.’

‘Just to bait him, Lieutenant.’

 

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter Five

New Tokyo
Kursican Sector
Stardate 55251.2 (April 2, 2378)

Dhrex chuckled to himself as he walked into the village. It was more of a town but being mostly Japanese, the townsfolk had decided that whatever size the place was, it was the only prefecture on the planet and so its governor was a prefect. They had used the original name in the language, Tokyo-to, which had been used over three hundred years ago, before many of the islands had disappeared beneath the rising tides of the post-atomic horror. The buildings were of the same minimalist design that the Japanese had been using for centuries and it amazed him that these simple buildings still stood, for the world of New Tokyo was known for its storms.

‘Prefect Kuwata of Tokyo-to, I am Commander Dhrex, first officer of the Federation starship Weisskopf.’

‘Do not mock me, Federation,’ Kuwata Katsuo said boldly. ‘You are here only because an important alien was kidnapped. When you leave we will be alone again and in peace.’

‘Prefect, we will not leave you alone. Another ship is rendezvousing with us and either that vessel or this one will make regular patrols of the sector.’

Katsuo narrowed his eyes, looking for falsehood and found none. ‘I see, but what of the alien craft that did this. Have you found any trace of it?’

‘We haven’t,’ Dhrex admitted.

‘What about the identity of the aliens?’

‘We’re working on that now, Prefect.’

‘If you say so.’

‘The chief medical officer is looking at DNA samples as we speak and I hope he will have information soon.’

‘You want the glory for yourself, and not to share it with your brothers and sisters. You are all one. What happens to one of you; happens to you all. Your successes and failures belong to all.’

Dhrex recognised that he was being given a lecture and accepted it, for there was a grain of truth in it. ‘I will return before we leave orbit.’

‘I’m sure you will, Commander. Have a pleasant evening.’

Dhrex bowed his head in respect and then returned to the beam down site. Lieutenant Banks was the only one still there and they both beamed back to the ship together.

‘Lieutenant, you have the conn until I return to the bridge. I want to stop by sickbay first.’

‘For the Captain or the DNA?’

‘Both,’ Dhrex answered, glaring at the unrepentant tactical officer.

‘Aye sir.’

Dhrex left the room before he hit his best friend. While Banks was an expert marksman with any type of weapon, including his wit, his interpersonal skills often left something to be desired.

Doctor Vallejo was staring at his computer screen and frowning at it.

‘Problem, Doc?’

Vallejo looked up. ‘Whatever this species is, there are several of them.’

‘Run that by me again, in Standard.’

‘I ran the DNA profile through the database and it initially matched nothing. Then I ran it again, this time looking for the near matches rather than perfect matches and I came up with something. Do you remember the Xindi?’

Dhrex slumped. ‘The first aliens to attack Earth, back in the twenty-second century. Tell me this isn’t the Xindi?’

‘It isn’t the Xindi, but there are several characteristics in the DNA you found down there that are quite similar.’

‘In what way?’

‘The genotype of all the samples of identical, indicating that they all come from the same genetic species, but the phenotypes are different.'

‘So you’re saying what exactly?’

‘I'm saying that like the Xindi, whatever race this is has several phenotypes; probably everything from humanoids to aquatics. ’

‘Let me see if I have this straight,’ Dhrex said ‘The DNA we have been finding all read as the same basic species, but they may have several sub-species like the five or six Xindi species.’

Vallejo nodded. ‘Exactly. What I have found so far indicates avian, reptilian, amphibian and primate phenotype variants.’

‘How many could there be?’

‘Well, there could also be aquatic, arboreal, and insectoid at the very least. We could only guess based on the Xindi variants that we know of.’

‘If only we had a Xindi on board, we might be able to get some help on this situation.’

‘Since they’re not members of the Federation that might be difficult, but we could contact Starfleet and ask for more detailed information.’

‘Which they would be unlikely to give us. Even now, the information on the Xindi is kept on a need-to-know basis.’

‘Why?’

‘They asked to be left alone, and you may notice that the Federation have not even tried to explore the area that once held the Delphic Expanse. It is considered Xindi territory and off limits.’

‘Seems like they get what they want and we’re left with a place we can’t explore.’

‘It was a compromise, Doctor. They weren’t allowed to explore beyond that area and are essentially hemmed in by the Federation on all sides. Since their abortive attempt to destroy humanity, they have become wildly xenophobic.’

‘You had better inform Commander Logan of what we’ve found, sir. It might change the entire nature of the situation.’

‘I plan to as soon as we’re finished here. How’s the Captain?’

Vallejo sighed and stood up from his desk, leading Dhrex to the biobed where the captain was sleeping. ‘He’s not himself.’

‘Doc, I could have figured that one out without you telling me that.’

Vallejo shook his head. ‘That wasn’t what I meant. Look at his brainwaves, there is another consciousness in there.’

Dhrex uttered a curse. ‘Is this linked to the DNA?’

‘That's doubtful since he's been acting this way for a while.’

‘Logan isn’t gonna like this one bit.’

‘You’re the lucky one, he has to tell Command.’

Dhrex smiled wanly. ‘Yeah, but I still have to tell him that his job has just gotten a lot harder.’

‘Good luck with that.’

 

[Gibraltar]

Wow, the mystery deepens. First a suspected multi-form alien species, and now something’s imprinted itself on their captain’s consciousness? Yeah, looks like the Weisskopfp can really use the backup, and Captain Astar’s job is going to be more complicated than she ever imagined.

 

[DavidFalkayn]

Very well done. The revamping is proceeding most excellently.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter Six

USS Pytheas
En route to New Tokyo
Stardate 55253.9 (April 3, 2378)

Commander Aaron Wright stood by the captain’s desk in her ready room while she finished reading his latest report. He was getting impatient and started to fidget slightly, sure that she was deliberately making him wait. Wright knew that he had a reputation in Starfleet and it was deserved, at least in part, but he knew that it wasn’t his fault entirely. It was just that no captain had given him the chance to explain, they had just kept him at arm’s length, and he had to admit—but only to himself—that in their positions he would probably have done the same.

‘Commander, take a seat and stop hopping from foot to foot, it’s driving me mad,’ Astar said without taking her eyes off the report.

‘Thank you, sir.’

‘Tell me why we’re doing sensor sweeps of this sector.’

Wright frowned. ‘Sir?’

Astar looked up. ‘Why are we completing sensor sweeps of this sector instead of actually going to our rendezvous with the Weisskopf?’

Wright shrugged. ‘I honestly don’t know, sir. We received a message to hold station almost two hours ago from Commander Logan and haven’t heard anything since.’

‘Have we received any communications from the Weisskopf?’

‘Not yet, sir, you’d think they would be anxious for us to replace them.’

‘Finally,’ Astar said, leaning back. ‘An opinion. Tell me, Commander, why have we been on this ship for almost a day and barely said a word to each other?’

‘I can’t say, sir.’

‘Hogwash,’ Astar replied. ‘We both know of your reputation in the fleet, but here and now let me tell you that I don’t give a vole’s ass about it. I know only what I’ve read in your jacket and it doesn’t say much beyond the fact that you like to be a hardass and a stickler for protocol, and the fact that you seem to have a knack for getting your commanding officers killed. On this ship, you are my first officer. You act the way you want to act and we’ll see what happens, but I will be honest with you. When I heard that you were assigned as my exec I didn’t want you, but I decided to find out why you were assigned to this ship. No one has been able to give me a straight answer and I don’t like that.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘Neither do I, Commander, but I will. If Command thinks that they have just got another puppet, they’re wrong. I’m quite happy to jump to their tune, it’s my job as a Starfleet officer, but I don’t like being used, by anyone.’

‘Captain to the bridge please,’ the tactical officer called over the comm.

‘Now we’re getting somewhere,’ Astar muttered. ‘Come on, Commander; let’s see what’s got everyone in a twist.’

Astar emerged onto the bridge first and Wright went straight to his seat, surreptitiously noticing everyone on the bridge. The conn officer looked bored, but he was alert. The tactical and operations officers at the rear of the bridge were both watching the viewscreen which no longer showed the empty starscape, but the Federation logo, indicating an open subspace signal and a waiting message.

‘Commander Logan on subspace, sir,’ the lieutenant at tactical said.

‘Onscreen,’ Astar said.

Wright sat back, safe in the knowledge that this might finally be the break in his career that he wanted, provided that he didn’t screw it up again. This woman was giving him a second chance and he had to be careful. She was shrewd and would notice the slightest things that he did.

‘Captain, I wanted to apologise for keeping you waiting, but after the disturbing report from Commander Dhrex aboard the Weisskopf, I needed to speak with Command urgently.’

‘What’s going on?’

‘I’m not going to reveal it over an open comm channel, secured or otherwise. Suffice it to say that until further notice, there is to be no unauthorised comm traffic whatsoever from any vessel in the sector. If there anything that you need to say urgently, send it in an encrypted microburst transmission. Commander Dhrex will give you the low-down when you rendezvous at New Tokyo. And you'll be receiving a transfer in personnel, specifically a new tactical officer with expert knowledge of the region.’

‘We’ll get back underway immediately.’

‘Good, from here on in, you are under radio silence, Logan out.’

‘That was different,’ Astar said. ‘What do you make of it, Commander?’

Wright turned to face her. ‘Something has Command spooked and I don’t like what it bodes for us.’

‘Ensign, resume course for New Tokyo, maximum warp.’

‘Aye sir, New Tokyo at warp nine point seven. Estimated time to arrival sixteen hours and eleven minutes.’

‘Engage.’

The Pytheas’ nacelles rose into position and the ship surged into warp, leaving their ion trail behind. Wright could feel the jump to warp and Astar’s gaze on him.

‘Captain, permission to run drills.’

‘Granted,’ Astar replied and turned to her tactical officer. ‘Lieutenant, what is your opinion of the situation?’

‘I believe that the reason for us being assigned to the Kursican sector has just changed. If, as you say, we were assigned here to fly the flag, explore this region, and discover who was kidnapping these aliens, I would say that the latter reason has just become top priority.’

‘What makes you say that?’ Astar asked.

‘The Weisskopf is examining the site where the Federation citizens were taken from and a report from the first officer has suddenly changed Starfleet Command’s plans. I would say that my theory fits the available evidence.’

Astar nodded. ‘I suppose it does, for whatever it's worth. Do you know of any specific overarching mission in this sector that I should be aware of?’

‘We were assigned here for a reason, sir,’ Lieutenant Marshall replied. ‘The fact that we don’t know exactly what that mission is doesn’t mean that there isn’t one.’

 

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter Seven

USS Pytheas
En route to New Tokyo
Stardate 55254.0 (April 3, 2378)

‘She’s right, Commander,’ Astar interjected before her exec could utter a word. ‘While Kursica may well be a candidate for Federation membership, I think that it’s only a cover for what is really going on here, and it surely isn’t a coincidence that this particular vessel is outfitted with a number of technologies that Voyager brought back from the Delta Quadrant.’

Wright acquiesced. ‘So we’re just going to blindly follow orders and jump through hoops?’

‘I didn’t say that,’ Astar replied. ‘We will do our duties as assigned but that doesn’t mean that we can’t investigate whatever mysteries this sector has to offer as we go along.’

‘Aye sir,’ Wright said. ‘With your permission I will prepare for the drills.’

‘Of course, dismissed.’

Wright escaped from the bridge as quickly as he could and stood in the turbolift as it descended through the ship. The drills would be coordinated from the Astrometrics laboratory, one of the improvements made to the Pytheas over its fellow Intrepid-class vessels. From there, he could see where every single officer was anywhere on the ship. Externally, the Astrometrics lab could provide real time data on the Kursican and neighbouring sectors of space and it had been proven to be an excellent tactical tool from what he read of the reports from Lieutenant Commander Tuvok and Annika Hansen of Voyager. The Astrometrics lab had been combined with the stellar cartography department and that meant that there were two crewmen on duty in Astrometrics all the time.

He could dismiss them but that would look suspicious so he decided to allow them to stay while he made preparations for the combat drills. Lieutenant Marshall would probably complain that such drills were in his domain but he had been given the go ahead so he didn’t care overmuch for the Lieutenant's thoughts on the subject, especially as he would be transferring to the Weisskopf in the next day or so. The guy didn't trust him at all.

‘Astar to Wright.’

‘Go ahead, Captain.’

‘Since you are on your way to Astrometrics, could you provide me with an up-to-date profile on the political make-up of the sector? All the relevant data should have been uploaded from Starbase 535.’

‘Aye sir, I’m entering the lab now.’

‘Good, Astar out.’

‘Commander, what can I do for you?’ asked the chief science officer, Lieutenant Jamal Mahtani.

‘Aren’t there supposed to be two of you in here?’

‘I needed the lab for a scan of the sector, sir. Lieutenant Talen approved it,’ Mahtani answered, referring to the operations manager.

‘I see, well the captain would like a real time profile of sector politics.’

Mahtani smiled but Wright ignored it. ‘Coming right up, will take about half an hour.’

‘Excellent, while you’re working on that, I’ll get on with what I came here for.’

‘Sir, if you don’t mind my asking. What did you come here for?’

Wright considered giving the eager young officer the brush off but decided against it, he had the feeling that whatever he did would find its way back to the captain.

‘Combat drills.’

Mahtani nodded and backed away to the other side of the wide Astrometrics console. The large screen on the far bulkhead came on and the starscape amended itself from a galactic viewpoint to that of the local sector in seconds. Wright watched Mahtani manipulate the console and turned back to his own work. He really needed to make an effort to get on with the crew if his agenda was going to succeed.

‘Lieutenant,’ Wright began. ‘Can you explain the basics of the Astrometrics computer to me?’

'Of course, sir,' the man replied a little too enthusiastically. 'The Astrometrics computer takes real time data from all available information sources up to a sector away to provide us with an accurate map of the local political arena. It can also be used to plot navigational data and as a communications system.'

Wright nodded as Mahtani explained all the different processes and the hard science. 'Thank you, Lieutenant. That's all I needed to know. I'll be using it to track the combat drills I will be running to get this crew ready for anything we might encounter.'

'It wasn't really designed for that purpose, sir. The desk in your office is quite capable of running that function.'

'Are you trying to get rid of me, Lieutenant?'

'Permission to speak freely, sir?'

Wright smiled. 'Granted.'

'You shouldn't even be wearing that uniform. I don't know why Command didn't court-martial you but I am not going to let you use this lab to run the crew to death.'

'Your captain has killed far more people than I have been accused of killing. Why is she still wearing the uniform?'

Mahtani stepped up to Wright so that they were nose to nose. 'The crew of the Monarch died in the line of duty, doing their jobs. You assassinated your captains!'

'I was cleared of those charges, and your permission to speak freely has now been revoked. Another outburst like that and I'll have you on report for insubordination.'

'Whatever you say,' Mahtani replied with a sneer, adding 'sir' as an afterthought.

He didn't want to be on report for voicing what half the ship believed. He was going to take a closer look at what really happened on the Monarch though in case there was something untoward. He didn't think that the captain would be capable of something like that, but it didn't hurt to make sure. No one wanted a psychotic captain and first officer on board a starship.

While they were both waiting for the local political scan to be completed, and Wright was busy setting up the astrometrics screen for his drills, Mahtani went into the ship's library to look at the official report on the Monarch's last mission. It didn't make for pleasant reading but there seemed to be nothing untoward about the events described therein.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter Eight

Ynelav IV
Kursican Sector
Stardate 55254.4 (April 3, 2378)

First Prime Gexin disliked being woken in the middle of the night but when she had accepted the nomination for the leader of the Ynelavii people, she knew that if she won it would be part of her life. As a lifelong member of the Prime Council, she had had bred to lead her people from birth. Only a quirk of fate had allowed her to ascend to the highest office and she thanked the deities daily for it. Since her predecessor had died on one of his mountain-climbing expeditions, as Second Prime she had taken over his term of office. When the general elections were held two years later, she won in a landslide. Gexin pulled on her robe and glanced at the time-teller by her bed before leaving her chambers for the situation room, it was literally the middle of the night. Only an emergency would have caused Colonel Allak, the head of her personal guard, to rouse her at such an hour and he would have only done at the urging of General Tyrro, the head of the armed forces.

‘This had better be important,’ she said grouchily as the entire Council rose from their seats. She was the last to arrive.

‘It is, First Prime,’ Tyrro called from the far end of the room. ‘Major Golix, the Commander, Air Group aboard the Battlecruiser Polius sent a distress call a few minutes ago.’

‘Let’s hear it.’

‘There is nothing to hear, First Prime. He only had time to open the channel before his fighter was destroyed.’

‘Was it the Resoto?’

‘No, ma’am,’ Tyrro replied. ‘There was one alien vessel, larger than anything the Resoto Hegemony has in its arsenal. It destroyed the entire fighter squadron on patrol, crippled the Polius and then entered high orbit.’

‘It’s still there?’ Gexin asked.

‘It is leaving now.’

Gexin cursed. ‘Destroy it.’

‘We cannot,’ Tyrro replied. ‘The pulse cannons are not responding.’

‘Sabotage?’

‘Jamming signal, these aliens knew exactly what they were doing, First Prime.’

‘As soon as you are able, I want every cruiser in orbit on continuous patrol. And just in case we’re being blinded by our former enemies, I will speak with the Resoto High Lord, informing him of what happened and what will happen if I find out that his people are responsible for this. I will not have my citizens being terrified of an alien vessel that arrives, destroys our fighters, and sits in orbit before leaving.’

Tyrro bowed his head. ‘It will be done, First Prime.’

‘Excellent, I want the new battle-cruiser brought online,’ she replied and turned to Allak. ‘Colonel, get me a secure channel to the High Lord immediately. I believe you know the frequency.’

‘I do, Your Eminence.’

‘I will return in five minutes.’

‘Eminence?’

‘Yes General?’

‘The Polius was the new battle-cruiser.’

Gexin narrowed her eyes at the military leader. ‘What of its sister ship?’

‘How do you know about that, First Prime?’ Tyrro asked.

She smiled menacingly. ‘I approved its design, General, and allocated the funds for its construction. When will it be ready?’

‘It was to be launched next week, on your birthday.’

‘Launch it today, Colonel Allak will be in command.’

‘But he is…’

‘That’s right; I will be aboard the Oxelus.’

‘I’ll have it prepped immediately,’ Tyrro replied.

‘Good man. Allak, have that communications channel open when I return, then pull your squad together. You will command the Oxelus.’

‘Of course, Eminence,’ Allak replied, bowing his head. He had never expected to get a ship assignment, even it if was to be the First Prime’s personal cruiser.

Gexin spent less than five minutes getting herself ready, a record even for her. She returned to the situation room and found it cleared of all non-military personnel. It struck her as strange but she had bigger problems to worry about and turned to the large screen that now dominated the room. The insignia of the Resoto Hegemony, a geometric canine face, stared back at her as she waited for the High Lord to answer her urgent call. She preferred the term “summons” but the High Lord could be a little awkward at times and wouldn’t answer if he felt he would be subservient to anyone, least of all his most hated enemy.

The screen suddenly changed into that of the canine-visaged High Lord and Gexin withheld her revulsion at the sight. ‘You dare to contact me after the heinous acts you have committed?’ He bellowed and Gexin was actually glad that only military personnel were present.

‘I was going to ask if any alien vessels had appeared in orbit of your world and destroyed your ships, but it would seem I have that answer,’ Gexin replied without actually answering his question, she knew how to handle him.

The High Lord glared. ‘That is not all the damage they did. How many of your people were taken?’

Gexin tried not to let the surprise show on her face, but she was aware that her mask slipped a little. A data slate was surreptitiously slipped onto the table in front of her and she glanced down. ‘Two, one man and one woman.’

The High Lord growled and the hairs on her neck stood up. ‘It would seem we have a common enemy. What are you doing to combat it?’

Always the military solution, Gexin thought, but this time she agreed. ‘I have all of my cruisers and fighters patrolling the system. What of your troops?’

‘I have ordered the borders sealed and all vessels on full alert.’

‘I doubt the vessel will return if we are on full alert.’

‘I agree, what do you suggest?’ The High Lord asked. It was uncharacteristic of him to ask for other’s opinions and she immediately became suspicious.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter Nine

Ynelav IV
Kursican Sector
Stardate 55254.5 (April 3, 2378)

Gexin put on her best game face, doubting it would have any effect. ‘I suggest we meet and discuss the situation. Perhaps there are other worlds that have suffered as we have. We could pool our resources.’

The High Lord snorted, though it sounded like a bark, much like his laughter. ‘I will not entertain that ridiculous alliance of yours, no matter what danger we are in. It is doomed to fail, like that bizarre Federation you mentioned.’

‘They have remained intact, and expanded, over the last two centuries. The same cannot be said of your empire.’

The High Lord literally barked an order to someone off-screen. ‘This is not the time to be discussing alliances. This is the time to protect our own territories. We will meet and if anyone should interfere they will be destroyed.’

Gexin nodded. ‘Very well, we will meet in neutral territory.’

‘The Gethsemane system is neutral,’ the High Lord said with a smile.

Gexin frowned. The Gethsemane system was the site of the bloodiest battle in either of their histories. Thousands died because of a betrayal. Their peoples had been in an alliance that stretched across the sector several hundred years before which crumbled after the Battle of Gethsemane. It had become neutral territory after the end of the war but neither side had visited it in decades.

‘The Gethsemane system it is,’ Gexin conceded. ‘Remember the Treaty of Gethsemane, Yannik. No shields or weapons. At the first sign of betrayal I will end your existence.’

‘As I will yours,’ the High Lord replied. ‘If you’ll excuse me, I have an empire to tend to,’ Yannik cut the signal from his end.

‘What is the travel time to the Gethsemane system?’

‘Eight hours at hyperlight velocity,’ Colonel Allak said.

General Tyrro stayed seated. ‘I think perhaps this is the time for the military to be in control,’ he said and most of the soldiers in the room all raised their weapons.

‘As always, General; you are one step behind,’ Allak said and bright pillars of light flooded the room, with a light hum accompanying them. His own Militia Elite team entered the room as if from thin air. ‘I thought now might be the perfect time to try out the new technology,’ he added, winking at Gexin as Tyrro’s men were taken into custody.

Gexin smiled thinly. ‘Tyrro, you’re under arrest for treason. The sentence is death, to be carried out immediately.’

Allak fired. ‘You all have a choice. You can rejoin the Militia or be executed here and now.’

The soldiers handed over their weapons and echoed in unison, ‘First Prime, Ruler of the People!’

‘That’s better,’ Gexin replied. ‘General Allak, please escort me to my ship.’

‘First Prime, would you care to try the new matter-energy technology?’ the newly promoted General asked, not quite believing his luck this day.

Gexin nodded. ‘Is it dangerous?’

‘It is, but I wouldn’t have allowed my best men to use it if I feared losing them all,’ Allak replied. ‘There is, however, a small chance of your molecules drifting in the air for the rest of eternity.’

She nodded again. ‘Very well, let’s go.’

Allak touched a button on his wrist device and his entire team, the First Prime now included, vanished in pillars of silent light.

Gexin materialised in the Combat Information Centre aboard the Oxelus and stood to one side as Allak took his seat as commander of the vessel. ‘General, prepare to leave the system.’

Allak turned to face her. ‘How did you know we weren’t still in dock?’

Gexin smiled. ‘I used to be a fighter pilot, General, I know my way around a ship and I know the feel of a ship in space, no matter how advanced it is.’

Allak chuckled and turned to the engineer. ‘Cycle up the engines,’ he ordered and then toggled the ship’s all-call. ‘All hands, prepare for hyperlight jump. Secure all stations.’

Gexin sat in an available chair as the ship’s engines peaked with a barely audible whine. She felt the Oxelus shudder slightly as they passed the light-speed barrier and accelerate to maximum hyperlight velocity. Hopefully they would arrive before the High Lord’s fleet did. She was taking only this new cruiser, but she knew the paranoia that was manifest in almost everything the Resoto did and she knew Yannik just as well. He would bring along a small fleet of four ships and one of them would be a fighter carrier.

‘First Prime, we’re receiving a message from the Resoto Hegemony, from the High Lord, in the clear.’

‘Unscrambled? What does it say?’

‘“Battle Fleet destroyed in Gethsemane system by unknown alien vessels. Treaty of Gethsemane abrogated until further notice,”’ Allak quoted.

‘Can we increase speed?’

‘A little, maybe, ma’am; but what can we do?’

‘Find out who attacked the Resoto fleet and destroy them. Yannik might not want the alliance but he allowed a few clauses to sneak past his canine eyes into the Treaty. Remember that the Akishi signed it as well. An attack against one shall be met with kind against the aggressors. There was nothing to say the aggressors had to be signatories to the Treaty.’

'Eminence, do you wish me to send the message?'

'Please do, General. All vessels within Alliance territory should respond to Code Gethsemane One-Alpha.'

'Isn't that the full scale war alert ma'am?'

'Yes it is. Even though we don't know who attacked the High Lord, someone did.'

‘Then we’ll find out who is responsible and show them that we don’t take kindly to aggressors in our territory. As the saying goes, “the enemy of my enemy shall be my enemy also.”’

‘Indeed,’ Gexin agreed as the Oxelus sped toward what was sure to be a scene of devastation.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter Ten

USS Pytheas
In orbit of New Tokyo
Stardate 55255.7 (April 4, 2378)

The Nova-class ship was in a high orbit and Ensign Daniel Larson brought the Pytheas alongside her. For the last couple of hours, Captain Astar had been reading up on the Weisskopf’s mission at the New Tokyo colony, just prior to the subspace silence order. Since the Federation citizens had gone missing, the Weisskopf’s crew had apparently been scanning every cubic millimetre of the planet for any signs of alien intrusion. That they had now found something was obvious, but what they had found would shortly be discovered by her own crew. As soon as the supplies and equipment were transferred across, and the new tactical officer, the Weisskopf would return to her regular patrol route of the Kursican sector and the numerous colonies dotted throughout. Astar was sure that there was something else going on but until she had any concrete information she wasn’t going to do anything about it, except keep her eyes open. She watched the viewscreen as Larson narrowed the gap between the two vessels.

‘Captain, the Weisskopf has slowed to our relative speed to facilitate transport,’ Talen called out from the operations console.

‘We're less than a hundred metres apart,’ Larson replied. ‘There should be no problem.’

Astar just watched and she could see Wright’s expression as the two ships pulled alongside one another like old-fashioned ground vehicles. She smiled at his expulsion of breath and then stood up. Marshall, you’re with me; Commander, you have the conn,’ she said and touched a control on the console beside her. ‘Doctor, please meet me in transporter room one.’

‘Aye sir,’ Wright replied and Marshall was relieved at tactical by the security chief, Lieutenant Sheena Gonzales.

As soon as the turbolift doors closed around them, Astar turned to Marshall. 'I take it that you have as much idea as I do about what is going on?'

'Yes sir,' the tactical officer replied. 'Lieutenant Banks is the tactical officer on board the Weisskopf and he knows no more about this region than any of us do. I think the new person is being foisted on you from higher up, probably someone that Captain Drummond was forced to take on board at the outset of the mission.'

'That was my thought as well. I hope your career isn't unduly hampered by this move.'

'It may be beneficial, Captain, as the Nova is a smaller class of ship. My career prospects will probably be even better.'

Astar nodded. 'Be that as it may be, I do not take kindly to having personnel transferred at the whims of admirals behind desks and I will make sure you get where you want to get to, waves or no waves.'

'Thank you, Captain,' Marshall replied, slightly overwhelmed by the loyalty he was getting from a captain he barely knew.

'Good officers of your calibre are hard to come by.'

The turbolift came to a halt before Marshall could respond and the chief medical officer appeared in the open doorway. ‘I wondered what was taking you so long,’ the Bolian said with a smile.

‘Arlon, one of these days I’m going to do something about that fitness regime of yours,’ Astar muttered.

‘What exactly am I doing here, Leza?’

Astar smiled at the high pitch of his voice. ‘It wasn’t so long ago that you kept calling me Aunty Leza, Arlon, so I’ll let your lapse slide. The reason you are here is that I have a feeling your expertise will be needed.’

‘I only just graduated from the Academy, Captain, what expertise could I have?’

She smiled. ‘You scored higher in your genetics class than only one other person in the history of the fleet, and he was a certified genius. I just have a gut instinct.’

Arlon Maxx, valedictorian of Starfleet Medical class of 2377 sighed and turned to Marshall. ‘We’re in trouble.’

‘Because she has a hunch, Lieutenant?’

‘No, because she’s acting on it.’

Marshall turned to Astar who just shrugged with a wry grin on her face. ‘Lieutenant Marshall, are our guests ready to beam aboard?’

‘They are, Captain,’ Marshall replied.

‘Good, then let’s get this show on the road. I’m just as eager to get my teeth into this as Dhrex is to get out of here, of that I’m sure.’

He nodded and began the transport sequence. Three pillars of light grew in intensity, leaving behind three figures, one man in red, one man in sciences blue and one woman in gold. The figure in red stepped down and paused before Astar.

'Commander Dhrex of the Weisskopf, permission to come aboard?'

'Granted, Commander,' she replied as she grasped his hand in a shake.

'This is my chief medical officer, Doctor Vallejo, and my colleague from Starfleet Tactical, Lieutenant Commander Parker.'

'This is my chief medical officer, Lieutenant Maxx, and my tactical officer, Lieutenant Marshall,' Astar introduced her crew.

'Lieutenant,' Dhrex replied, looking at Marshall, 'if you could please wait here, I will explain everything when we beam back.'

'Aye sir.'

'Captain, if we could please go to your sickbay, where my chief medical officer will no doubt explain everything far better than I can on this matter.’

‘What exactly is this matter, Commander?’ Astar asked as the group left the transporter room.

‘My team found some disturbing evidence that I relayed to Commander Logan. He duly informed Command of what was found and they clearly feel it has greater significance. Admiral Ranar contacted Commander Logan at Starbase 535 who then contacted me directly and ordered me to await your arrival, making no further attempts to investigate what we had found.’

Astar saw Lieutenant Commander Parker wince and wondered what connection she had to the former head of Starfleet Intelligence. She made a mental note to find out where Ranar was now assigned, though Tactical seemed likely considering the bizarre turns that this fairly innocuous mission was now producing.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Chapter Eleven

USS Pytheas
In orbit of New Tokyo
Stardate 55255.8 (April 4, 2378)

Parker inwardly cursed at such a brazen action by the old admiral. Her mission was never going to succeed if he kept interfering beyond what was absolutely necessary. She had already spent ten years being shuffled around so that no member of Starfleet could ask awkward questions after her badly-jumped temporal journey chasing after a woman who had essentially disappeared into history. Now that she was finally where she was supposed to be, things were already going from bad to worse. From her point of view, Federation history had already been drastically changed by the Kursican situation and she was not too bothered by that, her future was too bleak to be considered worth much and if her mission succeeded then it would never have happened at all.

‘He was the head of Starfleet Intelligence about ten years ago,’ Astar said. 'I don't know where he is now.'

Dhrex shrugged his shoulders. ‘Neither did I until he called. I did some checking on him and according to our records he’s in the upper echelons of Starfleet Tactical. Do you know what he is doing, Commander?’ he asked Parker, not having thought of doing so before.

‘All I know is that he is heading up the Long-range Threat Assessment and Response Division,’ Parker said. 'They are the people who created contingencies for threats such as the Borg, the Dominion and other races that may or may not turn out to the hostile.' Like the Cha'lav she mused privately.

‘Regardless of what position he currently holds, he is an Admiral and he has ordered us to do a job, let’s get on with it,’ Astar said.

Dhrex nodded. ‘Doctor Vallejo will be only too happy to hand over everything he’s got.’

‘That’s for sure,’ a crotchety voice issued from the Weisskopf's CMO.

‘Are all doctors like that?’ Astar asked Maxx sotto voce. He shrugged.

‘Show them what you have,’ Dhrex said, gesturing for them to enter sickbay.

‘Doctor...?’ Vallejo asked.

‘Arlon Maxx.’

‘Ah, the geneticist, stroke of luck having you here.’

Astar stole a glance at Parker who seemed to know a lot more than she was letting on.

‘What the hell is this?’ Maxx asked, looking through the microscope. ‘Can you put it on the screen for me?’

‘Sure, I was hoping you could tell me.’

‘Well, you can tell even from a first glance that this DNA still contains a double helix structure, but there are far more genes encoded into them than any Federation species. Can I see all the samples side by side?'

Vallejo put them on the screen. 'What else can you tell us?'

Maxx looked at the samples and then zoomed in to highlight sections on all of them. 'These markers are common to all the samples, but the rest are different. I have only seen one species like this, the Xindi.'

'But we're not dealing with the Xindi here,' Dhrex chimed in. 'According to Admiral Ranar, the Xindi are still on New Xindus and haven't sent one ship out of what we still refer to as the Delphic Expanse.'

'So what are we dealing with?' Astar asked.

'A race, like the Xindi, with a number of different phenotypes. Comparing this to Xindi DNA, I recognise avian, reptilian, aquatic and primate phenotypes of whatever species this is.’

‘I would speculate that all phenotypes can actually reproduce with each other, based on this genetic structure. The question is why such species would evolve that way.’

‘Did they evolve or were they engineered?’

‘I would have to analyse all of this very carefully to answer that.’

‘It’s your headache now, Captain,’ Dhrex said, sounding very tired.

Astar nodded. ‘Now I know why subspace silence was initiated. We’ll take everything you have.’

‘Is there anything else I should be aware of?’ Parker asked, hoping that Dhrex hadn't kept anything else from her.

‘Only that there are bound to be more inhabited planets in this sector with people missing,’ Dhrex answered. ‘We’ll keep an eye out, but it would be helpful if you did as well. If we’re able to get a clearer picture of who was taken from what planet, we might be able to build the big picture and it could take us a step closer to finding out who these aliens are and what they want.’

Parker felt like screaming. She knew more about these aliens than anyone else alive but the parameters of her mission were not to reveal anything that they hadn’t already learned. Those parameters were further reinforced by the Department before she was assigned to the Pytheas.

‘I will keep an eye out,’ Astar said, glancing at Parker again.

‘Doctor, I want you to personally take care of these samples and keep them secured at all times, maximum security.’

‘Aye sir.’

Astar tapped her combadge. ‘Commander Wright, supervise the transfer of supplies and equipment.'

‘Aye sir, Wright out.’

‘The rest of you are dismissed. Commander Dhrex and I need to have a little talk.’

Dhrex had a look of surprise on his face as the others left sickbay, and he was about to ask Astar why she needed to talk when she pulled him aside. ‘What is wrong with Captain Drummond?’

‘He’s been relieved pending a psychiatric review. We’re going to drop him off at Starbase 535 after our assigned patrol.’

‘There’s more to it than that.’

Dhrex nodded. ‘There’s another consciousness in his brain and he has been fighting it. Doctor Vallejo has been providing him with better means of fighting the alien consciousness but it still seems to be winning.’

‘If it does?’ she asked.

‘Then his own brain pattern will be lost and the new one will take over, so Carl tells me.’

‘What are the medical facilities like at Starbase 535?’

‘They’re up to Starfleet specs, but that’s not what you’re asking, is it?’

‘No, can he be contained if he loses this battle?’

‘That I don’t know, Captain.’