A New Adventure
Part XIII: Ubi Animae Errare.
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*Why do you resist?*
*Why do you cling to this false hope?*
*I shall be your liberator, free you from this…*
*I shall be your sweet Death…
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- Eta Eridani Sector Block, Near Stonewall Fleet Starbase: Within the Pallas Helena. - “Theodor, hand me the osteoregenerator.” Doctor Reeves called out quickly as his hands continued to operate on the patient laying on the biobed before him.
“Here, Doctor.” Theo called out as he handed the medical instrument over. Having done so he returned his attention to the Borg implants within the tray before him. He was cataloging the various ones, trying to learn as much as he could about the modifications for later use and adaptation.
“Theo, this should be the last implant.” The Doctor spoke as he grasped the mechanical device and handed it to Theodor. He then began to use the osteoregenerator on the site where the Borg device was implemented. Once done, he switched to using an autosuture on the site, pulling the large open closed and healing it slowly.
Theodor took the tray full of implants, having done his preliminary cataloging and handed it to one of the nurses, giving them very specific orders on how to keep them safe and secure. He then returned to the biobed and placed a hand on the panel, checking his vital signs. “Doctor Reeves, are you finished?”
“Yes, yes. All the implants have been removed. The nanites are still being purged from his bloodstream. They are rather persistent, though they will be completely gone within the hour. We’ll run continuous scans to monitor the remaining nanites and make sure they don’t try to grow new implants.”
“The compound I provided you with should prevent them from doing so, Doctor.”
“I know Theo, it’s a precaution.”
“Understood Doctor.”
“Sickbay to the bridge, Rider?”
The captain was reading a report on the damages that had already been repaired, and shaking his head at the amount that still needed to be done. “I’m here Vincent. How is our Commander?”
“The surgery was successful. We’re wrapping it up and purging out the lingering nanites.”
“How long until he’s awake?”
“He can be awoken now, but I would have you let him sleep.”
“Recommendation taken, keep an eye on him Vincent, and good job.”
“Thanks. Sickbay out.” The Doctor moved beside Theo and placed a hand on his shoulder. “That’s one down. One to go. Let’s learn all we can from those modified implants.” The Doctor reached up and pulled his surgical hood off. Theo mirrored his actions, beads of sweat rolled down from his hairline and passed over the small implant he still had, placed on top of his left eyebrow. He followed the Doctor out, giving Reaver a final look over.
“Captain, we’ve reached the fleet starbase.”
“Good Hal. Put us in dry dock. Have the other ships dock within the starbase for immediate repairs.”
“Captain, why not dock with the other ships? We need serious repairs too.”
“No. I won’t risk docking there. We still have a dangerous captive onboard.”
“Sir… with all due respect…”
“I know. Doctor Heliree shouldn’t be considered such.”
“Surely we can handle this. We can prevent him from assimilating others.”
“Yes we can… But it’s not the assimilation threat that we need to keep an eye on… Hal, you have the Bridge. I am going to report everything to the Admiral.”
“Roger that Captain.”
The Captain stood from the command chair and walked towards the transport pad situated in the rear of the bridge. “Vincent, come in.”
“I’m here.”
“We’re transporting to the starbase. You ready?”
“Yes. As long as you don’t need an official report now.”
“Screw the official report. Let’s go.”
“Good.”
The transport beam took the captain and he immediately rematerialized within a conference room in the gigantic starbase. Sitting at the table was Admiral Swinford with Captains Rasilek, Mandrake, and Twenty Four. They looked to Talons as the doctor rematerialized beside him. The two took their seats as the admiral spoke.
“I’ve looked at the damage reports from all ships. I can imagine the Hell you and your crews have gone through. We’ve dispatched our repair crews to all vessels. The Gran Pulse is going to need a complete overhaul of her systems. Considering what she’s been through it is by some grace that her structure is still intact. She’s going to take the longest to repair, but we’ll make sure she’s taken care off. Now,” The Admiral looked directly to Talons, “tell me what is the situation on your ship.”
“We’ve put ourselves in the drydocks as a precaution. We’ve started on repairs, but will require assistance.”
“Of course. And your crewmembers? You reported that you rescued them?”
“Yes Admiral. We’ve recovered both Commander Reaver and Counselor Heliree. Doctor Reeves here will better explain their conditions. Doctor?”
“Yes. We have performed the operation on Commander Reaver. We’ve managed to identify and remove the Borg implants, even though they were highly modified. We’ve cataloged them and are now in the process of studying the modifications in hopes of learning something we can use. Commander Reaver himself is now resting and expected to make a full recovery.”
“And Counselor Heliree?”
“It has become complicated with him.” The Doctor began but was cut off by Talons.
“Heliree is being held aboard the Pallas Helena under maximum security. He is restrained and currently sedated.”
“Explain this Talons. Why is he not being treated as the commander was?”
“Counselor Heliree has become Da’Lexian of the Borg. He has been extensively modified, even for Borg standards.”
“Even then, returning him to normal is possible, is it not?”
“Yes, we believe it is. But there are a few unexpected variables that have come up. During the rescue attempt we were forced to engage in hand to hand combat. Da’Lexian was beyond our ability to fight, but something unexpected happen. He showed obvious signs of psionic ability.”
“Psionic? Heliree is of Betazoid-Vulcan mix. How is this possible.”
“We believe this is due to the modified implants he has within him. It somehow took his natural telepathic ability and magnified it exponentially. We are hypothesizing that this was done to increase his ability to process the massive data of the Borg and keep order. But for all we know the psionic ability is a side effect. We just do not know.”
“What is the extent of his power?”
“As we were fighting, he had a psionic episode. I could swear that if he had not gotten himself back in control, the Queen’s Diamond would have collapsed onto itself.”
“Back into control? His mind must be pressed to its limit. And this psionic potential… It is troubling. You were smart to place yourself in drydock and to sedate him.”
“We hope to have a better understanding of the modified technology and to perform the operation before he awakens. His immune system is eating the sedatives. It won’t be long until they have no effect at all.”
“We must do our best Captains… This development is troubling.” Admiral Swinford spoke as he glanced down at his hands…
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Da’Lexian's mind was in a state of flux as he dreamed. Every terror he had ever experienced as an individual had come forward and began to drown him in a sea of horrors. He dreamt himself back on Betazed, when the Dominion had invaded. How they were trapped inside of a large city, running for their lives through the tall and thin structure beams of the buildings with weapon fire from the Jem'Hadar at their heels every step of the way. How he, a child, was being pulled along by the guiding hand of a young woman, refusing to allow him to fall behind. She would turn around and pick him up when he tripped, seeing the monsters coming closer and closer. How the two of them had gotten split off from the main group, as it was assaulted by an ambush instantly killing those who were running in the front. They made their way, running faster than they knew possible, towards the mouth of a cave just outside the city. Every single step was remembered by Narciso as he dreamed every single pain returned to his body. He could feel the blood running down his leg from the cut he received running through the ruins of a house. Then finally, how they ran inside the mossy rocks, how the young woman had stopped, shoving the small boy far inside as the Jem'Hadar grabbed at her, tearing not only her clothes but the delicate flesh beneath. How her screams filled his ears, how she kept telling him to run. How he himself killed her... The rocks collapsing down on the horrid Jem'Hadar, and atop Sarahi. No longer hearing her screams, no longer seeing anything as the darkness filled the cave and engulfed him… only the dark and the loneliness…
Purple eyes appeared as pale eyelids opened to a slit, no sign of the traumatic dream evident. Unable to even move his head a mere micrometer to any side, he simply glazed out ahead of him. He took all the memories that came back as he dreamt and he locked them away. A sick smile appeared on his dark lips. “Opportunity...”
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Valla Arin continued his pacing within the ‘quest quarters’ provided to him by the ‘generous’ crew of the Pallas Helena. He only stopped when he looked out of the windows and noticed that the large vessel was being placed in drydock. He walked towards the view and climbed onto the couch, standing on his knees. A huge smile appeared on his face as he recognized his location: The Stonewall Fleet Starbase. This meant that he was extremely close to the Federation/Klingon boarder. Valla turned around and allowed himself to fall onto the couch and sit on his rear. He crossed his arms and began thinking deeply into a way of signaling for his sister. At this point he just wanted to go home, after everything that has happened since he got captured and kept in custody on board the Pallas Helena.
As Valla lost himself in thought, a voice came into his mind. “Arin… Valla… Arin… The panel…” Valla froze and looked around the quarters, not finding a source for the voice. He stood up and looked towards the replicator, the only panel he could see. The voice continued to speak, urging him towards the panel. “Go on… Phaser… Replicate… Override: Alpha… Zeta-Upsilon… Two Four Six…” The slim Orion raised his hand and touched the console, inputting the security override code. “One, Standard Issue Phaser.” He spoke out softly and was rewarded with the replicator coming to life and materializing the simple weapon. Shock in his eyes as he grasped the weapon and pulled it out. He could not believe that the code work, believing that he was merely hearing things.
With the weapon in hand, Valla Arin turned and began to walk towards the door. The voice turned, this time he experienced a slight headache as it spoke to him. “They come… Science Lab One… Send… Message… Stonewall… Open… Glory… Be won… Beatrix… Lead assault…” Valla clasped his hand onto his head in recoil to the pain, which only broke off as the voice stopped. Composing himself he hid the phaser behind his back. He touched the door panel and rang the bell. A security officer unlocked the door and opened it, asking Valla what he wanted. The Orion just looked at the Vulcan and the hall behind him. It was empty and he had no assistant with him. “I just wanted to let you know: We could have had the best sex together.” Valla gave a frown and quickly aimed the phaser he was hiding and fired a beam directly into the officers’ chest, causing him to fall straight down onto the floor. Valla acted quickly pulled the body inside the quarters, then left out the door before they locked. He looked at the phaser, and read that it was set to stun. “Damn… I forgot to set it to kill that fucking Vulcan…” He tucked the phaser away inside his clothing and ran down the hall, keeping an eye out for crewmembers.
The young Orion ran in through the doors labeled ‘Science Lab One’, and froze as he saw the other prisoner that was being held onboard. The purple eyes stared at him in stillness, a terrifying gaze that prevented the young man from moving. Those evil eyes moved slowly to the side and placed their sights upon a nearby console. The voice penetrated Valla Arin’s mind, shattering it as it spoke. “Use it… Message… NOW…” A fear entered into Valla’s body and lingered in full intensity, preventing him from moving at all. The eyes shot back and stared into Valla’s, an extreme pain causing the Orion to fall to his knees and scream as he clutched his head with both hands. He curled up entirely, his head beside his knees, his face rubbing against the floor. His saliva and tears creating small pools as he gasped for air through the torture. “I said now.” The voice spoke, and when finished the pain disappeared letting Valla sprawl out on the floor in relief. Wiping the tears from his bloodshot eyes and the spit from his chin, Valla stood up and walked weakly to the console He input the message and sent it to his sister. Having finished he collapsed onto the floor. The only reaction was a sick smile reappearing on those dark hued lips…
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- Eta Eridani Sector Block, Archanis Sector, Near Otha System. - A lone Orion Brigand Cruiser drifts through space, in orbit of the class-M planet itself. On the bridge’s viewscreen, images of the ground are being shown as though they are being evaluated. On the command chair sits a gorgeous woman, even for Orion standards. The Captain of the cruiser, It can be seen that she does not follow certain regulations. She stands from her seat, the vast majority of her body is uncovered, having chosen not to wear Klingon clothing befitting her position and instead wear her species attire. The silver metal reflected the dim orange lights of her bridge, her crown a transparent gem shinning with a red hue. A Large black lock of hair falls over her hazel eye, only to be brushed aside by a slow moving hand. It is apparent that she is not well rested. She walks until she reaches a console, leaning on it as soon as it is within range. She reads the information that is provided, regarding the remnants of the Borg Technology that taints the surface of the dead planet. She could not care less.
A person comes running onto the bridge, an Orion Male. He is larger than their norm and unlike the norm, does not have metal plates implanted into his body. He enters and runs to the worn out beauty’s side, placing a hand on her shoulder he speaks, breaking the silence of the empty bridge. “Mistress… You must read this.”
She tilts her head back, letting her hair fall downwards into cascading curls. She turns her face just enough to look at him and speaks with a weak and melancholy voice. “I care not… Send all discoveries concerning the Borg technology to the Klingon PetaQs on their filthy home world. Maybe if they can remove their cranial ridges from their asses long enough, they might be able to learn something.”
“No Mistress…” The Orion male looks over his shoulders as she speaks, seemingly to make sure no Klingon officers were there in the empty space, hidden. “This is not about that. We’ve received an encoded message.”
“You still have not attained my interest.”
“Mistress… It is from your brother.”
A fire suddenly appears within her eyes as she stares upon her crewman. “Speak quickly.” She orders as she turns around completely and draws in closer to him.
“He has given us his location. A Federation Fleet Starbase. Stonewall Fleet.”
“I know this Starbase. The Klingons have been attempting to raid it over the past months. Unsuccessfully.” A look of rage appears on her face. Her brother is nearby, but it would be impossible to rescue him in such a strong enemy location.
“True. Yet he has given information. He says this fleet has had a major engagement with the Borg. He claims that they have taken massive damage and are vulnerable to an attack.”
The beauty grasps the Orion male’s massive bicep and places it in a vice grip, which does not bother him. “Should this be so… We can attack… And use the battle as camouflage to rescue my brother.”
“Mistress Marianna…”
“I know… they will not simply agree to such a thing. We may have to act alone and…” She trails off as she speaks, plotting and planning all possibilities.
“Mistress…” A smile appears on the man’s face as he watches Captain Marianna think.
She paces the bridge for a few moments then retakes her command chair. She playfully tosses the thick locks of her hair back behind her smooth shoulders and lets out a laugh. “Awaken the crew! We’re pulling out of this pointlessness! Set a course for the Cursa System! And send this message out on all Klingon frequencies…” The ship suddenly springs to life as the crew moves faster than they have for days and the IKS Lokapāla jumps to a high warp.
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- Eta Eridani Sector Block, Within Stonewall Fleet Space. - After an uneventful cruise through space, a Federation Reagent Class Assault Starship drops out of warp at the edge of Stonewall Fleet space, the warp particles dissipating away from the elegant nacelles. Its hull shines with the light of distant stars, the Stonewall insignia bright and proud. The ship continues moving at a moderate impulse speed.
Within the Bridge the crew operates with efficiency that shames the Borg. Their Captain sits in the command chair, reading over ship reports while drinking his favorite beverage. Being told that they had come down from warp, he turns his head and faces his operations officer. “Open a channel to their traffic operations.”
“Channel established. Go ahead Sir.”
“Thank you. Stonewall, this is the U.S.S. Phantom. We are transmitting our entry code and coordinates to you now.”
“U.S.S. Phantom, this is Stonewall Fleet Traffic Control. You are confirmed for entry, welcome back Captain Anderson. We have a spot in drydock in reserve for you.”
“Thank you Traffic Control.”
“Be safe Phantom. Stonewall out.”
“Helmsman, set a course to the Starbase. Then take us into the specified drydock.”
“Roger that Captain. Engaging to warp three, coordinates put in.”
The warp bubble began to form around the U.S.S. Phantom, the particles emanating from the glowing nacelles. As the ship was seconds away from jumping to warp, she shook violently and began to roll to her starboard.
“Report!” Anderson shouted as he grasped his chair to prevent from being tossed to the side.
“Captain! Warp drive is unresponsive!”
“Captain, we took a direct hit on our port-dorsal section! It’s reading as disruptor fire!”
“Sir! We’ve got ships decloaking at our port! I’m reading three Klingon Birds of Prey!”
“I’ve read the reports that they were attacking Stonewall freighters, but to attack us directly… Shields up! Lock onto the enemy and come about!”
“Weapons are hot and ready Captain!”
“Fire at will!” Parker shouted, gesturing towards his tactical officer. The U.S.S. Phantom sped about, regaining her composure and making a break to enter the Fleet Space. Her elite phasers unleashed a deadly red assault of oppressing fire on the grouped up Birds of Prey. The Klingon ships began to scatter about, trying to flank the federation cruiser, chasing after her as she moved away.
“Direct hit to two of the ships, Captain! Minor damage to the third!”
“Captain, they’re encircling us. They’re firing torpedoes!”
The Birds of Prey swarmed around the Federation Assault Cruiser like bees. They kept continuous fire with their disruptor canons, managing to dodge the half of the phaser fire from their large target. Keeping a precise pattern between their ships, the three fired a volley of torpedoes which rocked the U.S.S. Phantom violently, but did not deter her from continuing on.
“Shields holding at ninety one percent!”
“Do not let them fall! Keep firing phasers, focus on one target!”
“Captain, we’ve got more Klingon ships decloaking!”
“What? How many!?”
“Oh Prophets… Captain I’m reading eleven ships decloaking!”
“This is no freighter raid…” Anderson spoke as he saw the vast enemy numbers on his viewscreen.
“Captain we’re completely surrounded!”
“Sir, they’re all firing!”
The U.S.S. Phantom shook as though she was at the epicenter of an eight point two scaled earthquake. Her shields were lit up with the venomous green of the disruptor weaponry used by the enemy. On the bridge, the entire crew were all trying to stand up from being strewn aside from the impacts. Parker had to pull himself back up onto his chair as consoles around him blew out as energy surged. Miraculously no one on the bridge was killed.
“Captain, shields down to thirty seven percent, we’ve got holes in our port shields!”
“Reinforce the shield matrix, I won’t allow them to fail! Send out a distress signal! Someone fire phasers!”
“Aye, aye Sir!”
The U.S.S. Phantom refused to quit. Her shields were reinforced and her beam banks began to work over time. Her Phasers continued to pound away on the small Birds of Prey. With her unforgiving assault, two of the Birds of Prey lost their shields and exploded with warp core breeches. One of the ships exploded directly beside another which took heavy damage, losing a wing and becoming disabled. The victory was short lived as the remaining twelve Klingon vessels became more violent. They continued on wearing down the resilient shields of the federation ship. The situation looked completely hopeless.
“Captain there is a ship coming out of warp! We’re being hailed!”
“On screen!” Anderson called out as he looked up from his arm console. The face that appeared on the screen was a welcomed one.
“Parker! Looks like you could use a hand!” The handsome man spoke with a serious smile.
“Voleron! You’re a welcome sight!”
“Hey Stonewallers take care of their own!”
“The Fleet! We need to alert them!”
“I’ve already sent them a message once I got your distress signal. I’m sure they’ve got both and are sending reinforcements. But we need to hold them here until they arrive!”
“Acknowledged!” Parker felt a renewed determination swell inside him. His eyes narrowed as he planned his next move. “Come about! It’s about time they sampled our torpedoes!”
As the U.S.S. Dies Irae came out of warp she fired a gargantuan volley of gravimetric torpedoes onto the swarm of Klingon ships. The volley was destructive, causing two of the Birds of Prey to explode upon hit. The Dies Irae followed her torpedo volley into the middle of the enemy and began a scatter volley from its specialized Antiproton Dual-Heavy Cannons. This caused the Klingon ships to split up into two smaller groups.
During this, the U.S.S. Phantom came about completely, never ceasing her beam fire. Seeing the Dies Irae separate the enemy and give chase to one of the smaller groups, she took the initiative and sent off her own volley of Quantum Torpedoes. The torpedoes spread out and exploded in a fabulous display, destroying another Bird of Prey, leaving only eight more enemy ships. The U.S.S. Phantom managed to repair most of her shield strength, taking power from her engines, yet keeping strict fire on the remaining Birds of Prey.
Within minutes the Klingons all regrouped, in response the Dies Irae suddenly separated into three segments, launching her multi-attack vector mode. The separated Advanced Escort circled around and came up behind the U.S.S. Phantom. The segments ran the length of the Assault Cruiser and once at her bow, facing the enemy force, all four ships unleashed a final torpedo volley. The Gravimetric and Quantum torpedoes joined in force as they exploded, amplifying the effects of each other. The remaining Klingon Birds of Prey were annihilated.
Viewing the ships explode on his viewscreen; Voleron couldn’t help but let out a smile, still taking their Deaths into his heart with a solemn note. He gestured towards his operations officer and had him hail the U.S.S. Phantom. Once patched through he began to speak.
“Parker, how is your ship? Do you need any assistance?”
“No, we’ve managed to get by with scrapes and bruises. And my ship took a moderate deal of damage. But we’re on our way to the Fleet starbase anyway. We’ll get full repairs there.”
“Alright, We’ll escort you in and…”
“Captain! We’ve got massive readings on long range sensors!” T’Laa, Volerons’ tactical officer cut in.
“Elaborate!”
“I cannot retrieve an accurate reading. Whatever this is, it is massive and it is traveling at warp speed.”
“Track its’ vector! I want to know where it’s going to appear!”
“Tracking sir!”
“Captain, another mass is registering on sensors! It’s smaller but it’s right on us! Warping out to our Starboard side! KLINGONS!” Dedris called out from the science station. “They’re firing!”
“Evasive Maneuvers! Voleron!” Remi called out as volley after volley of torpedoes detonated all around the two federation vessels, engulfing them both within explosions. The ship lurched to the side, causing Remi to lose his footing and fall forward. Voleron acted quickly, kneeling down and catching Remi just before he hit the floor.
“Dammit it!” Voleron shouted as he looked to the viewscreen, seeing the image of Parker and his crew being shaken as well.
“Captain, we’re losing shield integrity!” T’Laa shouted.
“Retreat! Make a break for Stonewall! Parker you hear me!? Retreat!”
“I hear you Voleron! Take us about! Take us to max warp! Set coordinates for Stonewall!” Captain Anderson shouted through the shaking.
“Captain, the warp drive is damaged, it may overload and cause a warp breach!”
“Better than the alternative!”
Both ships came about in haste, even while taking fire they sped off until they could initiate their warp drives. Leaving the mass of Klingons behind, both vessels received a distress signal:
”This is an emergency transmission. Stonewall Fleet Starbase is under attack by the KDF. Repeat: This is an emergency transmission. Stonewall Fleet Starbase is under attack by the KDF. All civilian vessels and freighters are to evacuate Stonewall Space.”----------------------
- Eta Eridani Sector Block, Within Stonewall Fleet Starbase. - Looking out into space from within the hulls of the Stonewall Starbase, one could see the beautiful stars and nebulas in the distance. Crewmen and women walking through the hallways have become accustomed to these sights, having the privilege to be accepted into the Stonewall Fleet. As the daily routine on the Starbase moves on, the sudden appearance of Klingon ships brought it all to an end. Groups of the people gathered and pointed out at the KDF vessels that drew near, inciting confusion. As they drew closer and closer, people backed away from the transparent aluminum windows. Volleys of torpedoes shot out and flew towards the Starbase. The red alert blared loudly warning everyone within. Some of the torpedoes made direct contact with the Starbases’ hull rupturing it. One of the hull breaches took place directly near a group of crewmembers viewing the scene unfold. The air within surged out through the break in the hull, whipping past the people as they desperately grasped at everything they could, even each other. Hands locked together as bodies flew up and were sucked out into space. It lasted only seconds until the emergency force fields were established. All they could do was watch as their friends were killed in the vacuum of space…
Admiral Swinford looked out onto the mass of Klingon Vessels, his eyes narrowing with anger… A single word escaped his lips: "Sarleena..."
-To Be Continued-
