Astrid swallowed, her throat was parched.  She hoped that this “drinking” ceremony would actually net something for her to drink too.

She wiped sand from the corners of her lips and steadied herself for what would come.  “Brown Tree honors me with his patience,” she said with a polite smile. “Pardon this one for her ignorance.”

Magara offered a simple smile, starting to get more used to humanoid expression – the great dromedarian alien took a few steps forward and placed a firm arm on her shoulder “The Black Sun has tried more, than any other to understand this one’s culture.” he said simply “The second, of three begins now. And of the choice, it shall be the Black Sun to make. Be it challenge, or refreshment – the choice is not this one’s to make. But, as is tradition, Creation must be the factor to matter…” he spoke, taking a few deep breaths of the scorching air, feeling the trinary suns upon his neglected skin, and the hot wind move through into his lungs- it didn’t feel quite right of course, as he had to adjust the temperature to human tolerances, not that 40° Celsius was by any means tolerable.

Astrid glanced around shielding her eyes against the suns. “The desert isn’t my…” she hesitated looking for the right words.  “The desert isn’t my habitat.  Back home we could ski or sled in the winter. And in the summer mountain bike, or kayak. But, the choice is mine?”

“The choice belongs to the Black-Sun alone, if land of…’Kai-ak’ and ‘Ski’ is the desire, then there this illusion shall become.”

She nodded and sighed thinking feeling vaguely ridiculous.  She knew she was over thinking this.  “Well, we are both warriors or sorts. What about a phaser competition?”

“If that, is the wish, then it shall be done.” Magara responded.

“Yes, let’s do that. Simple, to the point and I think we both understand those rules.” She said with her hands on her hips.

Magara nodded, placing the wooden staff back in the center of the circle that they had dueled in. “This old one cannot remember many rules, but is sure enough that it can be done.” he spoke “The Black-Sun may load the program when ready.” he said, placing a fresh cigar in his mouth, and pulling his phaser- and using it’s muzzle to slowly heat up the end of it.

“Computer import and overlay Starfleet phaser qualification program 1-Beta and set to level two difficulty,” Astrid said. The computer beeped and several target drones appeared over the alien landscape darting randomly in the sky.  “Let’s do one round, most targets hit?” she asked as she picked up the holographic phaser the computer provided her.

“Begin sixty second round in 3…2…1,” the computer announced.

Mags let out a animalistic grunt as the holographic creatures began flying around – his old eyes spotting each, and he began firing the phaser nearly immediately – but he did not land all of his strikes, an observant eye would note that he seemed to be instinctually leading his targets, perhaps a leaveover from his years of firing traditional ballistic weapons, rather than phasers or other-such energy weapons, whom connected virtually instantly.

Truth be told Astrid wasn’t at the top of her game at the moment.  At her last phaser qualification she aced it with a 99% hit ratio.  It wasn’t something she particularly enjoyed,  but she was good at it. At least normally she was.

She swore as she’d missed a third target drone driving it straight into Magara’s line of fire which the computer dutifully beeped and tallied a “hit” for her opponent.

“Lucky break,” she said to her companion as she fired, and this time it was a direct hit.

Magara chortled “Is there such a thing?” he asked, taking a few more shots up at the drones – downing a few more. Both of their skills were immense, that much was clear. Mags had started pulling ahead in points, but had missed just a few important ones – allowing Vogler to reassert herself in the competition. “The Black-Sun is skilled, it is certain.”

“Expert marksman at the Academy,” she said with no hint of bragging.   Just a simple statement of fact. “And you as well Brown-Tree.” She pressed the trigger three times in rapid succession downing three drones in a row. “Though, neither of us would be on the team if we were slouches.”

“Magara is not fond of phasers…” He muttered, “This old one prefers the feel of a true blast in the palm, the scent of sulfur” he said, pointing again and pressing down on the trigger. It was almost neck and neck, with Astrid only hardly in the front, as the timer began counting down. “Phasers are…” he stopped shooting, slowing and looking at the weapon “A pacifier. A stopper. Mercy is something that was taught to this one by Starfleet, this is a weapon of Mercy.” he remarked, allowing Astrid to down the final targets, before slowly holstering his weapon.

With the completion of the event the computer announced the winner which she didn’t even pay attention to.  The computer automatically removed those elements and they were back to the desert of Magara’s home.

Sitting in the warm sand she forced herself to relax. “It is also a weapon of destruction.  The settings range from stun to overload and explode.   It’s a tool, and like any tool it can be used for good or ill.  It can build or destroy.  The same is true for your bombs or whatever you call them. Though,  they are a bit less of a precision instrument.”

Magara huffed a bit “When the Black-Sun ages to be as old as the Brown-Tree, then becoming set in ways is to be expected. The hand and eye have been trained in the War-herd for decades. Ballistic weapons were what we had used. There is no mercy to be had, with a weapon of ballistics.” he stated, taking a seat next to her. The coarseness and once oppressive heat seemed to almost fade away, and instead, the amber hues of the trinary system above began to glint upon a nearby dune, which fluttered with life not noticed before. A hidden oasis appeared for a moment, and enormous rocky arches and outcroppings could be seen – painted with symbols of the long distant past.

“This one” Magara said, patting her shoulder “Has the victory.” he said, offering a smile.

She climbed to her knees and stood,  “Okay lead the way.”

“There is one task remaining, the Holy Third…Prepare yourself.”

Carrie was awakened with a start by the announcement of the ship’s computer stating that she had reached Outpost 1-SZ. In orbit around the outpost, she located the starship Altai, a Steamrunner-class ship.

“Computer,” Carrie stated, “please hail the Altai for me.”

The Oklahoma‘s computer dutifully obeyed, opening a channel to the Altai.

Streth sat, arms resting on the command chair for the first time in weeks. The bridge felt clean, the lights uncovering the nooks and crannies that seemed to lurk in every room back on the base. He checked the diagnostic panels, monitoring systems as the ship got ready to go.

“Sir,” an officer manning sensors called, “starship inbound. Starfleet transponder. We’re being hailed.”

Streth raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected another Federation vessel in the area for months. Still, with a Breen ship in their midst, it was good to have company.

“On screen,” Streth replied.

“USS Altai, this is Lieutenant Junior Grade Caroline Metrios aboard the USS Oklahoma, requesting clearance to land at the outpost.”

“Clearance granted, Lieutenant. Happy to have you here.” Streth smiled. As curious as he was about the reason for the Oklahoma’s presence, more pressing matters took priority, “But before you land, I would appreciate some assistance. We’ve currently got a Breen dreadnought on sensors, bearing 047  mark six. Right now it looks like it’s in a powered down state. We’re about to head out and take a look, it would be good to have your ship out there too as an extra pair of eyes if you’d care to join?”

“Roger that, Commander,” Carrie replied. “I see the big bitch too. Looks like she’s just powered down, stealthing or some damn thing. You never can tell with the damn Breen. Nevertheless, I would recommend going to Yellow Alert for the time being.”

“My purpose here,” Carrie continued, “is to perform a psychiatric evaluation of the Altai‘s crew following your encounter on the outpost. I am here at the behest of Captain Mek. I am Starbase 86’s staff psychiatrist.”

“Noted, Lieutenant. Good to have you along for the ride.” Streth hoped the days events would not leave them with any more need for psychiatric evaluation than anticipated by Captain Mek, “I’m transmitting coordinates now. Standby to follow the Altai‘s course.”

“Aye, sir,” Carrie responded. “Bringing my course to zero-four-seven mark six, and engaging at one-quarter impulse power. You’ll find me dead abeam of you at zero-nine-zero degrees true. Metrios out.”

Streth sat back in the chair as the channel closed. Starbase 86… It was a long journey for a runabout. He almost felt pity for the Lieutenant, travelling that kind of distance only to be faced with this situation on the other side. From their brief interaction, however, it was clear she was made of stern stuff. If it was Captain Mek’s assessment that they needed psychological assessment out here, then so be it. Streth couldn’t help but think it was akin to patching up a deep wound with a sticking plaster, however. He shifted in his seat. It was never the deskbound, higher ranked individuals who ended up stuck on these kind of assignments. Maybe Mek cared, maybe it was a fig leaf or tick in a box to make it look like Starfleet was doing the right thing.

He refocused his thoughts. The dreadnought bore down on them. They had no idea why, or what lay within. Streth was glad Lieutenant Metrios was here, and he could only hope that when she left this place she would not need psychiatric help of her own.

Barely perceptible to the uninitiated, the vibrations that pulsed through the deck plating were something that all experienced Starfleet personnel learned to recognise. On the bridge of the Altai, Lieutenant Commander Torden Streth could feel them intensify. The impulse engines were powering up. It felt good to be back here again. He looked around from the command chair. Officers exited the turbolift having beamed aboard from the base. A gold uniformed pair crossed behind him to access sensor and engineering readouts, another manned the tactical station immediately behind him. Streth eyed the flight control station that was as yet, unoccupied.

“Breen ship closing to within 150 klicks, sir,” a voice broke through the hum of activity.

Streth turned to Jones, who sat in the seat across from him, “Where the hell is the conn?”

Jones brought up the ships manifest at his station to locate the officer who was suppose to be manning that station and let out a heavy sigh. “Unavailable, sir.”

Streth exhaled through his nose, “I want us out of here, stat. I know it’s powered down, but I don’t want that ship getting any closer to the base.” His antennae twitched irritably. He noticed the yeoman exiting the turbolift, “Maec. I need someone at the conn. How’re your piloting chops?”

D’vaid had been trying to figure out where he was needed. He exited onto the bridge and heard the Captain request his help “Uhh I have been told pretty good.” He said with a sideways smile as he took the seat at the conn.

There was a vital further point of business to be addressed before they got going, “Streth to Vogler,” the computer beeped as the channel opened, “are the hazard team aboard and ready to deploy?”

“We are ready sir,” Astrid’s voice came in response over the intercom. There was a tenseness in her voice that hadn’t been there before. There was no trace of the excited youthfulness she had only a few days prior.

“Good, estimate fifteen minutes until contact,” Streth confirmed before closing the channel. The heavy lifting done by the hazard team was far from over, “How are we doing, Beck? Good to go?” He aimed the question back over his shoulder.

Beck stood there at the engineering station. He had just finished his checks on all the reports that came in in regards to Altai’s systems. So he turned by the heel of his left foot and faced the main viewer while also directing his voice to the Commander. “We are green across the board, sir.” He then shifted his gaze at the station where he remembered Cooper stated that she will stay behind and on standby to evacuate the station in case that Dreadnought decided to turn its teeth towards them. He even had to give Cooper a quick brief on how the holo-uflaged worked for when the Altai does return.

Streth turned to face the main viewer again. Asteroids loomed in the murk, casting amorphous shadows over their barren surfaces, “Alright, let’s take her out on an intercept course. Half impulse, Mr. Maec.”

“Aye, Sir!” D’vaid took a deep breath and let his fingers flow over the console pressing the buttons needed and gracefully piloting the ship out per the Captain’s orders. 

The Altai‘s manoeuvring thrusters fired, pitching the ship up and portside before main propulsion engaged. To the rear of the Steamrunner-class’ bulky forward section, on either side of the central shuttle bay doors, two red glows flared. The ship accelerated away from the base, leaving behind only a skeleton crew ready to activate the holographic camouflage at a moment’s notice. It would be their only chance of survival should the Altai somehow be incapacitated or unable to return. Rolling and diving, sensors allowing to anticipate the trajectories of the hurtling fragments of space rock, the ship pushed through to the outer edge of the asteroid field.

Alongside them flew a Danube-class runabout. Considerably more agile than the larger ship it accompanied, it darted through openings between asteroids with ease. Despite its faster pace, the smaller vessel stayed close, as was wise to do when predators lay ahead.

“Open a channel to the Oklahoma,” Streth called across the bridge, “Metrios, it looks like the Breen ship’s still powered down. Should be safe to approach, but stay close.”

“Aye, sir,” Carrie replied. She knew that her small ship was no match for a Breen dreadnought, if this turned out to be a feint. However, she had the utmost faith that Commander Streth would not lead her into harm’s way. “The Oklahoma is fitted with Type 9 phaser emitters and a minimal complement of quantum torpedoes, courtesy of my last CO. Would you like me to help get some of these damn rocks out of the way, Commander?”

”I’d be much obliged, Lieutenant.“ The channel closed, and Streth watched as the runabout went to work.

Carrie started by taking aim at the nearest asteroid to the Altai‘s flight path. Clearing that one out of the way, she then proceeded to clear a path to the Breen dreadnought, stopping just outside its projected energy range.

“Metrios to the Altai,” Carrie said. “Looks like clear sailing for you, Commander. Let’s see what these ice cube bastards are up to. Metrios out.”

It was a jagged spectre, irregular spikes protruding at every angle. The greenish grey hull formed a sort of horseshoe shape, its two forward arms reaching forward as if clawing at the space ahead. Streth rose from the command chair. On the Altai’s main viewer, he could barely make out the silhouette of this drifting hulk. Its only source of illumination were the two Starfleet ships’ own running lights, enough only to give a clear view of those two clasping arms before the rest of the vastbody sank back into the murk. The scans had told him everything he needed to know about its size, however. He’d heard of these things before, but never laid eyes on one. It was immense; a dreadnought.

“Streth to Oklahoma,” he paused, eyes still locked dead ahead. 

“Metrios here, Commander,” Carrie replied.

“Activate your searchlight and carry out a sweep of the Breen ship’s hull. I want to make doubly sure there are no serious hull breaches, or any other surprises.” 

“Aye, sir, I’d hate to be surprised if we miss something. Despite what she may look like, she may still be functional… and they may just be baiting us,” Carrie said, her hands flying over the runabout’s controls as she performed yet another sensor sweep.

“Maec,” Streth stepped over to the conn, “run another scan for life signs. Let me know if there’s so much as a Vendethan gerbil on board that thing.” 

D’vaid nodded and immediately ran scans which brought back a worrying result. “Sir, something is blocking our sensor scans and I cannot pinpoint what it is. He replied gravely.

Streth frowned. He moved towards the conn and looked over Maec’s shoulder at the sensor readouts, ”Looks like the hull plating‘s still polarized.” He exhaled through his nose, “We’re not beaming in blind.“ 

Streth looked over to Jones, “We need to know more. This is an intelligence gift if ever I saw one. Perhaps a little too good? ” 

Jones rubbed his chin, feeling the stubbles of his growing beard as he thought over what Streth had said. “Perhaps.” He answered as he stared at the vessel.

“I advise caution sir,”  Astrid offered without prompting.  “This feels like a trap.”

”I agree, this is strange…” Streth trailed off, “In any of your experiences with the Breen, have you heard of a capital ship being used as bait like this?”

“Streth, this is Carrie. This is damn odd, even for the damn Breen,” Carrie said. “Take it easy, Blue, I don’t like this shit. Keep the Altai back from its energy range if you can. I’m more maneuverable than you are, and if I have to, I can warp jump away from this creepy motherfucker. Metrios out.”

It then hit Carrie where she had heard of a tactic like this being used before: Chin’toka.

She slammed a fist down on the comms panel, opening a channel to the Altai.

“OKLAHOMA TO THE ALTAI! GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE! IT’S A TRAP!”

”Shields up!“ Streth called, the Altai’s red alert status automatically engaged, “Maec, back us off.”

D’vaid complied and quickly moved the ship away from the area until the ship was out of range, giving a nod to the Captain.

”Metrios, we’re out of range. What have you got?”

“This is the same damn trap that got Ben Sisko’s first Defiant, Streth,” Carrie replied. “Second Battle of Chin’toka, late 2375. Their damn energy-draining weapon. We need to find a way to depolarize their hull plating and kill the big bitch now before they can get a shot off. I know we’re supposed to have a defense against it now, but I don’t trust these sneaky fuckers not to have upgraded it.”

Carrie continued: “Jonesy, see what her power curve looks like if you can get past the damn interference. I’ll work on that from my end. D’vaid, keep the Skipper and the Altai the Hell away from this thing at all costs. You see this big bitch as much as twitch, I want you to take the ship and get the fuck out of here at maximum warp.”

Finally: “Sir, I apologize if I’ve overstepped my boundaries, but I don’t believe in being too cautious, and I know good and damn well what this thing’s capable of. Better to err on the side of caution than to end up in pieces, Commander.”

“If there is an energy dampening weapon on that ship that could be quite an intelligence coup,” Astrid stated.  “This would be the the equivalent of the Allies obtaining the Enigma code books during World War Two. This is an opportunity we cannot pass up.”

Jones raised a brow when he heard his name but in a more friendly and informal way. ‘Jonesy? May have to have a little chat with this one.’ Jones thought before he stepped over to an empty station to run a full sensor sweep of the Breen warship. If this was a trick, that the Breen were simply powered down to the minimums to keep them off guard, there would be indications of it and that power curve is the key. Jones opened up the sensor logs and started scrolling through them in comparison to the sensor readings right now. He then got up and stepped over to Streth’s side. “The ship had power moments ago, obviously in order to get here. But she’s dead in the water and adrift. The reactor is cold, sir.”

Jones then looked at Astrid with a slight smirk. “I whole heartedly agree. If this thing has an energy dampening weapon on board, it will be useful for Starfleet Command. We have yet to see if our current modifications from the Dominion War still work or if the Breen got around it and improved their dampening weapons to work. If this one has the weapon, Starfleet can insure that we will have an immunity against it, hopefully a permanent one.”

“Hazard Team is suited up and ready to deploy sir,” Astrid added.

There were a few seconds of silence as Streth weighed his options. There was a, risk of course, but it would be calculated. He thought back to the 3D chess games of his Academy days. He had often begun with the Cochrane gambit, sacrificing his knight for the chance of a much greater prize. He hoped to the stars he wouldn’t be making any sacrifices here. He remembered the words of a certain captain from a different era who had enthusiastically told his crew that risk was their business. He wondered that captain would have said the same thing when facing down a Breen dreadnought in altogether more cynical times. Then he decided.

“Alright,” Streth’s voice could be heard throughout the bridge, “Vogler, have the Hazard Team assemble in transporter room one. Standby for transport.”  

Streth stood together with Jones at the rear of the bridge. On the large wall display there shone a schematic of the dreadnought that currently loomed over the Altai like a giant, hulking leviathan. 

“Maec’s done a damn good job calibrating the sensors to cut through some of the magnetic interference,” Streth manipulated an LCARS panel to enhance some of the interior spaces of Breen ship, “but it’s still patchy. Any ideas on where that dampening weapon is likely to be?”

Jones stroked his chin as he stared at the schematic of the dreadnought. He watched as Streth manipulated it, which now had various interiors of the ship appear on screen as Streth went through it. He thought about it for a moment to the question Streth gave him before he reached over, in gesture that he was going to take the controls. Once controls were relinquished, he navigated and brought up a full view of the bow of the ship. He then highlighted each ends of the pikes of the ship. “If the weapon were to be anywhere, it be on these pikes here. We know from some experience with them in battle that they have at least three torpedo launchers, one on each of these four pikes. So one of these pikes doesn’t have a torpedo launcher, but very much could have the weapon.”

He stepped back for a moment in thought before he looked to Streth. “We should also send Beck over as well. If I am remembering this correctly, the Breen use organic technology. I believe that is something worth recovering as well for Starfleet Engineers.”

Streth nodded, “Agreed. But we should keep our priorities clear. The first objective is to get that dampening weapon. If no threats present themselves, the team can move on the Breen biotech. I want Beck to send over a DOT first, give us some recon before we beam anyone over. We’ll need Beck there as the operator.”

“Streth to Engineering,” the com channel opened, “Report to transporter room one immediately. Bring a DOT unit.” 

“Copy that, Cap!” Beck replied over the intercom.

“Let’s go give them the brief,” the two of them made for the turbolift, “Ensign Maec, you have the bridge.”

D’vaid’s eyes widened at the words it was something he had been taught, but not something as a yeoman he thought would ever happen. He turned around and made his way back to the chair and sit down looking at the ship ahead of him. He made his first order “Make sure and keep as good of a lock on communications as possible, as well as to make sure that we keep a lock on the away team if possible. With sensors still scrambled be on the watch for any change in the ships power levels.”

Jones smirked a little at Maec’s expression, certainly something all junior officers go through when they get the conn for the first time. Now Jones just waiting for the lift to arrive at its destination so to follow Streth to the briefing room where they can begin.

In the meantime, Beck had arrived to Transporter Room One with his DOT right behind him. First thing he did was he went over to the transporter console, commandeered it from the transporter chief and began to access his personal terminal in his office directly from the transport console to download a program to it. With the program, Beck was able to bring up several displays where they appeared to be various sensor displays and visual monitors from the DOT itself.

The turbolift doors hissed open on deck seven, “We’ll brief in the transporter room,” Streth marched along the corridor in lockstep with Jones, “I don’t want to waste time.” They rounded the corner, turning through the doors on the right to find Beck deeply engrossed in the transporter control terminal. Streth was pleased to see that the DOT had also arrived, “Streth to Hazard Team,” he called, “report to transporter room one. Prepare for boarding.”

-Hazard Operations-

Astrid pulled on her gloves and attaching them, to her Hazard suit.  Consulting the buffer band on her wrist she check to make sure the environmental helmet was still stored inside its memory.  Streth’s voice over the comm broke the silence in the locker room where her team was getting ready.  The air was always so tense you could cut it with a knife before a mission like this.  They were good at their jobs, but their jobs had deadly serious consequences.   They were the canon fodder for the rest of the crew, and there was really no way around it.

Tapping her combadge she reported to Streth, “We are gearing up and will be there right away Sir. Vogler out.”

Turning to her team she turned to Magera, “Mags, you have Bravo Team.  You’ll go in first and I’ll be right behind you with Alpha Team. Okay people,  we’re going into this blind, but this does not excuse us from the rules of engagement.  Your job is to follow orders and remember your training.  My job will be to get you home.  Stop at the armory and load up.  We need to prepare for any thing. Move out!

-Transporter Room One-

Astrid and the rest of the Hazard Team entered the transporter room armed to the teeth.  He palms were sweating  as she flexed her fingers around the grip of her phaser rifle. There was dread in the pit of her stomach.  Something ominous to her, and she absently locked her lips.

Streth, Jones and Beck were ready to greet them. “Ensign Vogler,” Streth eyed the compression rifle slung across the team leader’s shoulder approvingly. From what he’d seen the caverns of 1-SZ, there was no doubt they were ready. He noticed too the formidable form of Ensign Magera, carrying with him the demolition charges that Streth now associated with the cigar chomping Akh.

The captain’s eyes glinted, shining out even against the luminescent glow of the transporter pad behind him. His antennae pointed forward as he surveyed the team, “This is going to be a quick operation,” his tone was blunt and to-the-point. “Our mission here is to gather intelligence on Breen activity in the region, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. I want to know why in the ice this ship has turned up, powered down, on our doorstep. Ensign Vogler has also identified a crucial opportunity to learn more about the Breen’s energy dampening weapon that killed so many during the war with the Dominion,” Streth paused, pushing the memories of that time far from his mind. He would not allow emotion to prejudice what needed to be done. Not now. Thoughts of Starbase 104 pierced his mind, of Vulcan intelligence officer S’Ton. Ever the stoic, even as the casualties poured back through the airlocks, “Locating and extracting this weapon from the Breen ship will be your first objective. Lieutenant Jones will share our best estimation of the weapon’s coordinates to each of your tricorders before beam-in. Lieutenant Beck will first send over a DOT unit to ensure the area is secure. He will then accompany the team and assist with extraction of the weapon,” Streth surveyed the room, “Is that understood?”

“Crystal sir,” Astrid replied.

“Can’t have your best engineer get vaporized, right?” Beck joked with a grin. DOT made a ‘groan’ noise.

Jones cleared his throat as he lifted up his padd and started ‘swiping’ the data towards the Hazard Team’s tricorders. “These are the estimated coordinates of where the weapon will be. With the ship powered down as it is, our sensors are unable to locate its exact location. If you are able to access the warship’s main computer, that may help you narrow down the search.” Jones said as he looked at Beck before returning his gaze to the rest of them. “Secondary objective is an optional one at best. If circumstances were to prevent you from accomplishing this objective, don’t sweat it. Clear?”

“Davies, you are on the Breen main computer, ” Astrid said to one of her engineering minded team members. “Sir, if you don’t care if an objective is completed you shouldn’t offer it.  It will be done.”

“Good. The secondary objective is the Breen’s biotechnology. Last I remember from being in Starfleet Intelligence, the Breen use organic technology with their systems. Perhaps something similar to the Isolinear gel packs that we’re currently using now on our vessels. We’re not one hundred percent sure. If there is an opportunity to gather data on Breen biotechnology, take it. If you can acquire it, store it or tag it. But as I said, if you are unable to, just let it go. Questions?” Jones asked.

“Understood, ” Astrid replied.  She looked over at Magera and nodded to him. “You’re up my Brown Tree. Alpha Team will be right behind you.”

The turbolift doors barely had time to hiss open before Streth exited at a brisk pace. The master systems display to the rear of the bridge had been replaced with a situation map, fed by their initial scans of the Breen ship and supplemented with incoming data from the USS Oklahoma‘s sensors. 

“Hazard Team vitals read established,” a voice came from the communications officer assigned to mission ops. 

“Good,” Streth affirmed, “Jones, once the DOTs established a safe perimeter, beam them over.”

“Roger that, Captain.”

Streth turned his attention back to the main viewer. The dreadnought’s shadow glowered menacingly back. 

“Maec,” he called, “any change in the Breen ship’s status?” 

Maec shook his head “No, Sir! The ship is still as it was. There has been no visible changes for me to see concern…yet”

Carrie was monitoring her sensors and had an open comm link to the Hazard Team, ready to fish them out at a moment’s notice, when she picked up something on her long-range sensors. 

Carrie decided to hail Commander Streth and tell him what she’d seen. “Oklahoma to the Altai,” Carrie said, “I’ve picked up a new signal, bearing one-eight-zero mark zero-niner-five. Looks like… a Starfleet shuttlecraft. Bit far for something that small to be out here alone. I’ll see what’s going on.”

Carrie then closed the comms channel to the Altai and opened a channel to the shuttle: “Unidentified shuttlecraft, this is the Federation starship Oklahoma, Lieutenant Caroline Metrios in command. Please identify.”

“Oklahoma. This is Ensign Alton Jackson. I’m enroute to the starship USS Altai. Transfer. Was tracking them but started experiencing……..problems. Can you assist?”

“Ensign Jackson, this is Lieutenant Metrios. Please state the nature of your emergency, and we’ll try to get you aboard the Altai as soon as possible,” Carrie replied.

She muted the comm line to the shuttle and opened one back up to the Altai. “Commander Streth, it’s Lieutenant Metrios. Shuttle occupant is one Ensign Alton Jackson, supposed to be a transfer. He is experiencing problems at present, currently awaiting further details.”

“Acknowledged, Oklahoma,” came Streth’s response. He looked towards the communications officer, “go ahead and patch him through.” The computer chimed momentarily, before Jackson’s voice was broadcast throughout the bridge.

“My voyage was running smooth enough, until I passed into this area. Then I started experiencing several unexplained anomalies. Add to that, and this may sound unbelievable, I started seeing ships….that weren’t there, and strange voices over the comm system.” Alton paused. “Lieutenant, I’m not a science officer, nor an engineering officer, but I do have some engineering courses at the academy….so I can’t logically explain what happened.” 

Garbled static followed for a while, and Streth stepped over to the communications booth, “What’s the problem?” 

The officer on duty cycled through a number of frequencies in rapid time, “It’s hard to say…” The Bolian officer looked concerned, “His transmitter must be experiencing power fluctuations, he’s fading in and out.” 

“Well if we can’t reach him, standby to lock a tractor-” Streth froze. Behind the interference still audible to everyone on the bridge, there it was, a faint guttural rumbling. It was barely perceptible beneath the hisses and pops of subspace, but Streth had heard Breen speech before, “Can anyone else hear that?” 

“Streth, it’s Carrie. I can hear it too. It appears to be some sort of transmission from the Breen dreadnought. I don’t like this at all, Blue. Something going on here, and whatever it is, it don’t sound good,” Carrie replied.

“Keep an eye on that frequency, Lieutenant,” Streth was somewhat relieved he was not just hearing things, despite the dangerous portent, “first sign of trouble and we’ll pull the away team.”

After about 5 minutes of silence, Alton started worrying that he wasn’t really talking to someone. “Jackson to Oklahoma, are you still there?”

“This is Metrios. Ensign Jackson, you are cleared for approach. Pass, friend,” Carrie replied.

The subspace interference abruptly ended at that point, leaving Carrie to wonder just what that was all about.

The interference was gone, and the channel was clear. Streth replied immediately, “Affirmative, Ensign Jackson we have you on sensors. Transmitting an approach path,” he nodded to Maec, “you’re cleared for landing in shuttlebay two. Report to the bridge at once upon landing. Altai out.”

Jackson homed in on the approach path and changed course. The trip to the Altai was going to take 15 minutes, maybe longer with having to dodge some of the anomalies this sector seems to have. Nonetheless, it’ll be good getting out of this ship. The food replicator’s selection is terrible. The music in the library computer is limited to say the least. And worst of all, there was no female companionship to keep me company!

Finally, the Altai came into view. It was a lovely site to see. She won’t be the biggest ship he’ll ever serve on, but it’ll be home. “Oklahoma, making final approach.”

“Oklahoma confirms. Commander Streth is waiting for you. Metrios out.”

Alton powered down the shuttle, and several crewmembers ran towards the shuttle. Alton walked out, and three security officers moved towards him, their hands on their phasers. One shouted out, “Orders!”, so Alton gave him his travel orders. The officer looked at his orders, then looked at him, and handed the orders back. “Turbolift one is there…the captain is waiting for you.” 

“Roger that!” Alton ran to the lift and entered. “Bridge.” he instructed the lift, and within seconds, he was there. He exited the lift, walked to the captain, “Ensign Alton Jackson reporting for duty, sir!”

“At ease, Ensign,” Streth remained at the rear of the bridge, still studying the dreadnought schematics, “our Hazard team is about to beam over to this location,” he gestured towards the insertion point, “then we start the clock. We’re taking that dampening weapon,” he moved his finger across towards the Breen ship’s ‘nose’, “then moving up to the ship’s main computer core to see if we can get our hands on some bio-neural tech. If all goes smoothly.” the words fell from Streth’s mouth in a lowered tone, “We could use you monitoring the away team’s life signs from ops. That’ll free up Lieutenant Jones to monitor their progress. As soon as you’re ready, we’ll beam them in.”

“Aye sir!” Alton moved to the Ops console and brought up the away team’s life signs on the console. “Ready, captain.”

Streth turned his attention back to the display, “Bridge to transporter room one, beam in the DOT.” 

The DOT materialized in a cloud of translucent blue. As the transporter beam faded, the jagged outlines of Breen architecture sank back into the pitch. Emitting a diminished bleep, the small maintenance robot tentatively hovered forwards. An observation light flashed on, not for the benefit of the DOT’s sensors which could have easily forged a path ahead, but for those looking on intently from the bridge of the USS Altai.

“Streth to Beck,” the Andorian’s disembodied voice rang in the Chief Engineer’s ear, “we’ve got a visual. Looks clear so far. Life support systems read minimal, but functioning. Let’s take the DOT for a spin.”

Beck smiled. “Copy that, Captain.” And began giving Dotty instructions.

The DOT moved forward. Hull paneling smeared together in the same dull shades of green and mottled brown that had greeted the Altai’s crew on Outpost 1-SZ. The room narrowed off into an exit corridor, lined with weaved conduits and tubing meshed together with customary Breen aesthetic disdain. Pushing forward, the small maintenance unit bore right, then through a smaller connecting corridor. It emerged into what appeared to be a storage room of sorts. There were still no light sources. All manner of stacked barrels and crates rose out of the murk, and the DOT paused to pan its optic sensor across whatever it could illuminate. As it circled round, Streth could see from the schematic that the robot had almost returned to the insertion point.

“Vogler,” Streth came over the transporter room coms once more, “beam-in site perimeter looks clear. You’re good to go. Beck will follow once you give the go ahead.”

“Aye sir,” Astrid replied as she lead her team onto the transporter pad.  With phaser rifle at the ready she looked over her team nodded in satisfaction.  “Energize Chief.”

The Breen ship was dark, and there was a smell she couldn’t quite identify,  but death  came to mind while trying to explain it.  “Night vision,” she ordered as she flipped the visor down from her helmet and the whole area became illuminated in black and greens. “Hazard Team to One-Sierra Zulu, beam in location is clear and secured.”

Not sure of what she was supposed to actually do, she went looking around for some guidance when a most pungent smell hit her nose. It was god awful and she almost vomited.” Oh my god! What is that horrific smell,” E’Lor barked out loud.

“I wish I knew… or maybe I don’t,” Astrid replied. “I hope that’s just what Breen smell like. Anyone ever walk up to one an take a deep sniff?” She joked trying to cut the tension and was rewarded with a few uneasy chuckles. “Brown Tree take Bravo team and hold position over there on the far wall until the chief engineer beams in.

“I hope they don’t smell like that all the time do they?” E’Lor said to Astrid.  “By the way, any idea what we are supposed to do or get? It was a fast baptism of fire for me. Get on board and get transported here,” E’Lor quipped.

Astrid shrugged, “I haven’t a clue. Never met a Breen before.  Our primary mission is to secure the energy dampening weapon for study.  That’s where you come in.  Our job is to keep you alive.  That’s where I… we come on.”

“Never leave home without it…”, E’Lor said as she pulled her da’tag from it’s hidden sheath.  Sliding it back, she heard the transporter and in one fluid motion pulled the blade and spun around facing whoever was beaming in.

The whine of a transporter marked the arrival of the crew’s chief engineer.   Astrid approached Beck and gave him a courteous nod. “Welcome to Hell sir. I wouldn’t breathe in too deeply… at least not through the nose.”

Sheathing the blade, “Sorry sir but the Breen are notorious for pulling surprise’s. Lt.Jg. E’Lor Tabor your ACEO”, she said as she waited for the stench to hit the chief in the face.

Beck raised a brow at her for a moment before the scent finally hit him. “Woooo, nelly!” He waved his hand in front of his face. “Somebody warn me if ya gonna let one loose. Too bad we can’t open a window.” He chuckled some. He raised his left arm up and activated the holodisplay to bring up the various sensors that the DOT was transmitting to him. “All right everyone. Not only are we good to go, but DOT just went ahead and has not seen or encountered a single crew member. Curious. A ship this size, you think we be setting off alarms or something.” Beck tried his best to take short breathes to reduce his intake of the horrible smell, breathing through the mouth was slightly better.

“Think cinnamon and it won’t smell too bad. Mom taught me that trick”,” E’Lor said, standing next to her boss.

Astrid assembled her team around Beck and E’Lor.  Astrid herself fell into step next to Beck her rifle ready and eyepiece over her left eye feeding her constant data from atmospheric and temperature levels to a thermo imaging scan of the area as she panned around.  Nothing.

“Neither my tricorder or thermo imaging is picking up anything either,” Astrid responded.   “I don’t like… I don’t know to describe it, but this ship feels haunted.  Like an ancient ghost ship of the old days of sailing the seas.”

Beck chuckled. “Oh lass. I think ya been in too many horror holonovels.” He gave a playful tease.

Astrid frowned,  “Horror isn’t exactly my genre to be completely honest with you.  I prefer historical fiction personally.”

“With the lack of encountering the crew, I’d say we find a primary computer terminal. Either on the Bridge or in Engineering. I can hook up the DOT to one of the terminals and from there, pinpoint where the energy dampening weapon is.” Beck explained.

“My vote is whatever is the closest and get off this ship as fast as possible.”

Beck checked his sensor displays that the DOT provided him as it returned to the group. “From the looks of this compartment here, I would say that is the Bridge and it is the closest. Shall we get to it then?”

“I couldn’t agree more with you. We need to leave post haste! E’Lor said quickly. Something had her skin crawling and also giving her the willies.

Beck laughed a bit. “Oh I’m really starting to enjoy this crew. Ya’ll bunch of silly worry warts.” Beck joked and followed the leader as they made their way to the Bridge.

“You didn’t have a bug turn your leg into a nest on the last mission,” Astrid quipped.   It was still sore, but healing so that was a win in her book. 

They came to a “T” junction in the corridor and Astrid held up a fist to stop the whole party as she peered around the corner. First left then right.  All was clear, and she stepped fully into this new corridor.   “The bridge is at the end of this.”  She was pointing into the dark down the left side.

Their torches shone into the shadowed haze. There appeared to be a fine particulate dust that hung in the air, reducing their visual range as they looked towards the bridge. There was an entrance arch there. In the distance its outline stood out like a blackened metallic mouth. Its teeth bore down, pointed and angular like everything else aboard that forsaken hulk of a ship. It was the unfortunate duty of the Hazard team, and the two gold-shirted officers who accompanied them, to traverse this tunnel of foreboding. The few metres between them and the dreadnought’s control centre stretched long ahead, displaced in a foreboding parallax of uncertainty.

“Streth to away team,” the Captain’s voice could be clearly heard by all in that dark conduit, “you’re close to the bridge. Lets see if the computer can shed any light on what’s happened over there.” 

Almost as soon as Streth had finished his sentence, the DOT emitted a low boop. Moving head of the main group, a bright cold searchlight shone out from its body in an arcing motion over lifeless screens, terminals and controls that had once formed the nerve centre of the Breen ship. In the middle of the room, where a commander might have stood and issued orders in days past, lay an empty, charred, refrigeration helmet. 

Astrid absently crossed herself despite not being Catholic… or any religion for that matter.  Approaching the helmet she kneeled next to it letting the eyepiece tied to her tricorder make the needed scans. “I’m getting bio matter embedded in the helmet that’s consistent with Breen DNA.  The black markings and carbon scoring is inconclusive.”

E’Lor’s hand instinctively for her blade. This was something she did not like. The lack of the aforementioned Breen crew made her wonder if this wasn’t a carefully laid trap of some sort. It was too quiet….and the fact that Beck mentioned an energy dampening device made her even more cautious. “Beck I am not meaning to be a worry wart but this feels more like a trap. Can we get what we need and bogie outta here?” E’Lor ssked as she scanned for any type of motion.

“Then I guess you best get to it,” Astrid suggested.  She stood and approached Beck, “I suggest having E’Lor take care of the sensor logs. I’ll leave Bravo Team to watch her back.  Ensign Magera is more than competent enough for that task.  You and I get that infernal energy dampening weapon.   She may be a bit skittish,  but she’s right about one thing: this feels off.”

Beck stood there on the opposite side of the commander’s chair and picked up the helmet off the seat. He was focused on the markings and scoring. “DOT. Run your own analysis if you would. Do any of these match anything we’ve encountered recently?”

The DOT took the helmet from him and visibly scanned it with it’s sensors. It only took it a second to report to Beck of what it had found, to which Beck checked the holo display from his left arm to see what the DOT said.

Beck sighed after what he saw and took the helmet, only to place it back on the seat. “DOT, get power back to these consoles immediately. E’Lor, I agree with Astrid here, soon as DOT brings power back to these stations, go over the sensor logs. I recommend the most recent ones, find out what boarded the ship and if their sensors got anything on them.” Beck ordered. “I also suggest focusing on your task than worrying on whether this is a trap or not. More you keep your mind off it, the better.” Second after Beck said that, the terminals were brought back to life, where the room would be illuminated by the Breen’s LCARs displays from the terminal screens, holo or not.

Beck smiled when DOT returned. “Good work, my friend.” He then noticed one of the displays mentioned something about science and he pointed. “That one, E’Lor. Check the logs on that one.” He quickly looked for a tactical or weapons terminal and once he found it, he headed right for it. He could of went to the engineering one as well, but either one would tell him where the energy dampening weapon was.

Astrid stood next to Beck but out of the way observing him work.  The eyepiece she wore helpfully and  automatically translated the alien language.  “It is interesting that despite our radically different cultures and anatomy their consoles still share the same basic logic to their configuration.   Even the graphical representation of systems are still intuitive and make sense.” 

“Understood, ” she said and went to begin the downloads. Her work was deliberate, but the  hairs on her neck started to stand. It was definitely not a good feeling  at all. ‘Hurry up and finish’ she muttered as she began the third file download. 

The ship’s negligible power reserves did nothing to speed the process along. Breen text circled the screen. It was dull grey, looking almost like a series of interlocking chain links as it marked off the download progress. A guttural beep sounded on completion. Simultaneously, a scratching sound came from behind the bulkhead where the screen was mounted. It was as if tiny metallic feet were skittering over an equally percussive surface. The sound continued up towards the ceiling of the dreadnought’s control centre. In a a few seconds it was coming from directly over E’Lor’s head. Another second, and there was silence.  

Chief Petty Officer Joran Tel leaned back in the pilot seat in his flight suit of his Valkyrie as it flew through warp at a measly warp 3. He thought back to his last posting, he was going to miss the old Akira, the USS Radiant Storm was a beautiful and brilliant ship but after 3 and a bit years he felt it was time to move on as she was being pulled back from the Cardassian border. He heard through an old friend at fleet HQ that they were looking for a new Chief Flight Control Officer on the USS Altai, a steamrunner, alone on the frontier and the idea of that intrigued him. Thinking on it for a while he decided every ship, especially one that far out, can use a good pilot and requested the transfer.

Glancing over at the display he could tell he was only an hour or two from his destination, well the rough area anyways. He was given the coordinates of the asteroid field where Outpost 1-SZ, which the USS Altai had reestablished was located but that was it. Thinking to himself he marvelled at how Starfleet at times seemed woefully disorganised while at other times everything seemed to fit perfectly into the great mechanism that was the federation. A prime example of this was having the Radiant Storm fly lightyears out to the edge of Breen frontier from the Cardassian border to drop him off at the absolute limit of the Valkyries range was irritating, to say the least.

Shifting slightly in his seat he looked forward to arriving at the outpost and taking his new posting aboard the USS Altai as the CFCO, not that he was an officer out of the academy he thought with a slight laugh. At the moment what he was really excited about was stretching his legs and having a shower. Four days cramped in the Valkryie and in the flight suit was pushing it a bit.

To pass the remaining time he pulled up the latest reports from the USS Altai to familiarize himself with what they had been up to in the recent weeks and months since their assignment. He had to admit it was an interesting read. He was just getting to a part where they had uncovered a massive nest of some sort of space spiders in the outpost and one of the officers had their leg operated on after an incident when the proximity alarms in the cockpit went off.  

Quickly pushing the reports aside he drew up the sensors but nothing appeared on them beyond what looked like a sensor echo where maybe something had been. Curious he dropped the starfighter out of warp to get a clearer picture of what caused the alarms to go off, the USS Altai would likely be interested to know what was out here with them. As the Valkyrie flashed into normal space Joran performed both a visual and sensor sweep of the area. Beyond a could large asteroids 100 thousand clicks distant which marked the outer edge of the field that Outpost 1-SZ was located in the empty black was just that empty. 

Comparing his location to the approximate location of the outpost he realized he was only a short flight away at impulse. “Well, might be nice to have a flight through this asteroid field before I arrive,” he says aloud before changing course and flying at full impulse towards the asteroid field.

As he approached the field the coms system lit up as a series of garbed voices came began to come through. “What the hell?” he says as he pulls up the sensors again showing everything was in the clear.

“Computer, can you pinpoint the location of the transmission?”

Negative – No source identified

“How very odd. Computer record transmission. I am sure someone on the Altai will be able to make heads or tails of this.”

The transmission continued for the next 20 minutes cutting in and out at times before going silent just as Joren brought the valkyrie up and over a large asteroid. As he did he couldn’t help but let out a gasp as a Breen Dreadnaught appeared before him from warp.

“Shit Shit Shit”, Joran gasps as he quickly flips the small sighter 180° and slips behind the asteroid for cover. ‘Of all the asteroid fields why this one. What the hell is a Breen Dreadnaught doing here.’

“Computer, any indications that they Breen spotted us?”

Negative – Breen ship is showing no power signs

Quickly pulling up the readings from the ship he shook his head. “How odd, guess I should go take a look then. Computer benign scans of the ship and record all visuals.”

Slowly he edged the Valkyrie out from behind the asteroid and approached the Breen vessel. Looking up at it from the cockpit the sheer size difference between the two vessels was astonishing. “Now, what are you doing all the way out here?” he muttered as he flicked on the forward spotlights illuminating the dark jagged hull.  He guided the ship along the dorsal spine of the vessel staying at least 50 meters distance. “Nothing seems out of the ordinary…” he starts to say when the valkyrie shakes as if something had just hit it. 

Pulling up the sensors he cannot see anything and brings to pull back from the Breen ship when the interior of the Valkyrie is filled with the sound of metal rending from just behind the pilot seat. Reaching for his phaser Joran beings to turn and bring it to bear when something smashes into the back of him and the lights go out.

Concerned about the disturbing dreams he’s been having, Alton decided to talk to someone, so he decided to speak to the doctor.

Alton walked into sickbay.

Dr. Atticus Randall looked up from his tricorder when Alton walked in and gave him a polite nod.. He was busy preparing for receiving casualties from the away mission. “Nurse Jacobs would would you please prep the surgical ward for disruptive type injuries.  I’ll need extra plasma on hand,  oh and get the medical records of everyone on the away team. That ought to save us a few seconds in a crisis.”

“Yes Doctor,” the nurse replied. She turned and started making preparations just in case.

Alton saw the nurse walked by and watched her until she left the room.

Doctor Randall approached Alton  looking him up and down. “Ensign Alton Jackson.  Security and tactical if I’ not mistaken. I’m Dr. Randall.  What can I do for you today?” He greeted the man despite having never been formally introduced. “If you are here for your physical it will have to wait.  Besides I saw nothing in your medical records of concern.   You did go through the ship’s transporter bio-filters before coming on board didn’t you?”

“Hello, doctor. I arrived via shuttle, but I got an all clear from my last assignment.” he responded. “Actually sir, I’d like to talk about the dreams I’ve been having lately. They do say that a doctor is part doctor, bartender and therapist.” Alton slightly smiled at his little joke. 

Doctor Randall considered Alton for a moment. Picking up a tricorder Randall started scanning his patients, “So tell me about these dreams?”

“It starts with me waking up in a crashed shuttle pod. I look around for anyone else, but I’m alone. I grab some supplies and leave the pod. I look around and I see snowcapped mountains in one direction, a desert in another and dense forest in another. So, I start walking along the boundry of the forest, keeping an eye out for animals. I camp for the night, lighting a fire with my phase pistol and in the morning, I resume walking.” Alton paused. “I find a farm with humanoid farmers. They appeared human, but they had no nose, just 2 nostrils on the face. I started to approach slowly, then more come out of a building. Suddenly, a group of helmeted riders appear. Their mounts are strange looking horses. The leader of the group starts to yell at me, but the universal translator on my communicator wasn’t working. The riders were carrying these long pike’s with sharp ends. Two riders started toward me, I shot them, stunning them. They fell off their horses. The rest of the riders surrounded me, and when one approached, I shot them. I walked over and removed their helmet….it was a human female! The leader started coming towards me, slowly. I kept my pistol at my side. The leader removed his helmet, and he was a human male. He was talking slowly, and kept coming closer. One of the other riders came up behind me and knocked me out.” He paused again. “When I woke, I was in a large room, on a bed. Someone walked in with a tray of food and left it at the end of the bed. I tried it…it was passable in taste. When I finished, a human female, with 2 guards, entered the room and approached me slowly. She motioned for the guards to stay at the door. Then she started talking to me…in English. She said they were the descendants of a lost human colony, and that all of the males were sterile…..and that I was going to be the one to get all the women pregnant!! That’s when I woke up screaming.” He paused one last time. “So, am I crazy doctor?”

“As a physician and not a psychologist I fear I am unqualified to answer that question,  but in my opinion no.”  He completed the scan and snapped the tricorder shut.  “There are no signs of physical brain damage or any kind of telepathic attack.  Your neuro transmitter levels are within normal ranges, and I don’t detect any form of psychotropic narcotics in your system.” Randall crossed his arms and took in Alton, “That doesn’t mean the readings aren’t anomalous.  I will compare them to your medical records.  In the meantime I prescribe a cup of chamomile tea before bed, and limit visual and auditory stimuli an hour or so before falling asleep.”

Randall turned to his cart of supplies,  “I did detect elevated adrenaline levels. Most likely in response to said dream.” Loading a hypospray he pressed it to his neck. “That should lower those levels and make your adrenal glad less susceptible to stimuli. In the meantime I suggest you seek out our Counselor who is on loan from Starbase 86. She seems quite qualified if not a little Gung-ho. Dreams are not exactly a hard science.  Much like most things in psychology. However, some say it’s your subconscious mind working out a problem or fulfilling some sort of fantasy.   I don’t know if I believe that, but safe intercourse is generally good for people. Especially for young males such as yourself. It couldn’t hurt, even if it’s just a holo-suite visit.”

Alton was okay with his diagnosis but surprised he would make such a recommendation concerning intercourse. “Thank you doctor. I will make an appointment with the counselor at her convivence. As far as the second thing,” he looked around, “are there any females who you could recommend?” he smiled.

“That my friend is on you,” Randall replied. “I am even less competent match maker than I am a psychologist I’m afraid.”

“Thanks doc, I’ll see what I can do.” Alton waved as he left, and saw the nurse standing over a console. He decided to go over and introduce himself.

Randall smirked.   He wouldn’t stop the liaison.  He wasn’t ether’s parent, and to be completely honest that particular nurse had been rather uptight as of late, and maybe this would do her some good.  Either that or he’d get slapped,  and there was an entertainment value in that. Either way win win.

Alton approached the nurse. “Hello. I hope I’m not disturbing you with your duties.”

The nurse looked up from her PADD as she was doing an inventory.  “Yes you are,” she said simply.   It wasn’t a complete brush off, but she wasn’t inviting either.

“Then I apologize for that.” he turned to leave, but quickly turned back. “Cause I was wondering if a beautiful woman like you would be interested in some dinner, wine, music and pleasant conversation.”

“How about lunch and we can go from there?” she suggested.

“My quarters, or yours?” he asked.

This time a smile cracked, “You are persistent Ensign, but I was thinking more along the lines of the mess hall.  I don’t even know your name.”

“Too many people in the mess hall….and you can call me Alton….Alton Jackson.” He replied, having noticed the small smile.

“Allison Harris,” she said with a smile. “Okay Casanova, I can meet you at your place.”

Alton nodded. “Very well, Allison Harris. 2000 hours is acceptable?”

She considered Alton for a moment and then shrugged,  “Sure.”

“Very good…see you then.” He turned and exited sickbay.

–End-

Joran walked through the pine forests where he grew up at the height of summer black flies buzzing around him biting as he moves. He wondered without direction in a daze for what seemed like hours with the forest never seeming to change around him. At first, everything seemed perfectly normal, no different than any other walk he had taken when he was a kid growing up. The longer he walked things began to feel more and more ‘off’. Looking around he knows that something was off, the forest was wrong to some degree or another; the sounds too distant, the colours either too bright or too dull were the first to stand out.

The moment he starts to become aware of the forest shifted in a heartbeat to that of the depth of winter. Snow now came up to over his knees and the sky went black with the aurora borealis giving the only source of light. He had a bare few seconds to look around before the freezing cold hit him almost making him drop to the ground in shock. “Whaaat? Wwwhhhhat isss gooooiiinnnnggg on?” he said shivering almost instantly. He looked around him and as he did dark shapes seemed to appear and disappear between the trees at the edge of his vision, the low crackling of the aurora borealis changing into a clicking and its light taking on a sickly green glow that made the forest look wrong on every level as a sense of dread began to creep into his mind. He continued to push through the deep show as the clicking grew and took on a metallic sound, the cold continued to cut into him and he began to stumble. Leaning against a tree he looked behind him and could seethe dark shapes clearer in the green light; large insectoid creatures jumped and skittered in the shadows. “Shhhhhit, shiiiiit, shitttt. So.. cooollld. Wwwhhhhat iiiis happening? Wwwhhhhatare those things?” he muttered to himself before pushing off the tree and turning away from the shadows. Taking a step forward as he turned he stumbled forward as the snow and cold vanished completely.

He fell to the ground, no floor he realised as he looked around him and recognized it as a doorless corridor from a Starfleet vessel. Standing up, still shivering he glanced behind him and saw that the forest, was gone and the corridor ended in a turbolift door.

‘Forest, why was I thinking about a forest.’ he thought to himself as he started to walk forward. Within moments the clicking sounds appeared again and the dread returned turning into a panic deep in his gut. Picking up speed he ran forward as the sounds continued to grow closer behind him but whatever was making them remained just out of sight around the bend behind him. Stumbling he glanced forward and realized that the corridor ended up ahead in a large double door but before he could reach it the hallway shock and alarms started to scream throughout the hall instead of the regular red light the alarms flashed a sickening green that gave the corridor a tainted appearance. Abruptly the clicking sounds grew louder causing Joran to glance behind him where dark insectoid forms were gaining on him. Reaching the door he hits the door consol to open the door but nothing happens. Turning to look back behind him he puts his back to the door continuing to press the door release button as the dark forms close in on him; the lights in front of them winking out so he cannot get a good look. 

Just as the forms were about to reach him the door behind him opened and he fell backwards landing with a loud thud in a black room, the door nowhere in sight. Trying to sit up he found he was unable to move as thick straps help his arms and legs down. His eyes began to focus and adjust to the light he saw which all sentient beings would dread, Borg. Standing above him, red beams streaking from their augmented eyes stood several Borg drones.  Joran attempted to struggle as one of them lifted an arm with a small circular saw attached to it; “This cannot be real, how did I get here” he gasped as the blade began to spin moving closer to his face.  The drones spoke as one, “We are the Borg. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to…” before they were cut off as large insectoid shapes dropped onto them accompanied by the loud clicking before everything went dark.

Joran’s eyes opened to an alien-looking corridor of weaved conduits and tubing meshed, he could barely focus as his head throbbed and the continual clicking sound remained. He tried to focus but something climbed across his vision and his eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out again.

The away team had gotten what it needed from the dreadnought’s nerve centre. The cryptic text had been hard to decipher, pointing the way to the energy dampening weapon module’s exact location. The unit was located in a tactical assembly two decks up from where they now stood. The computer had also revealed three removable bionodes in a data relay tunnel two decks down. 

“Streth to away team,” the Andorian’s voice came over their combadges, “We’ve got the weapon’s location. Vogler, it’s your call on whether you go after the bionodes too. Report to the Altai when you reach a target, we’ll beam in some pattern enhancers to get a better transporter lock on the tech.”

Astrid nodded, “Understood sir.  If you want those bionodes we will get them for you.” 

“Ready whenever you are, Ensign!” Beck smiled.

While some of the away team secured the area and others pored over cryptic Breen text, the DOT had seen fit to conduct a perimeter sweep. It entered a corridor adjoining the bridge. Its searchlight shone an inquisitive white glare across the looming grey bulkheads. Turning another corner, it hovered partway down a shallow alcove, finding itself facing what looked from initial scans to be a vertically mounted storage unit. A curved glassy covering would have made its contents visible were it not for a dense covering of ice crystals obscuring the view. The DOT hesitated, emitting a low boop. A metallic claw extended, rotating, calibrating. It inched towards the coffin-like unit. There was a loud hiss, and the DOT sprung back. Beeping loudly in alarm, its sensors got a clear read on what lay inside. Slumping forward in a cloud of refrigerant gas came the limp body of Chief Petty Officer Joran Tel. 

As the DOT’s beeps quickened to a wail, Joran’s head slumped to the side and he began to drool.

Beck hurried over to the DOT and knelt down as he placed his hand on top of its head. “Easy there little buddy.” He then saw the CPO. “Ensign!” Beck called for Vogler as he reached for his phaser pistol and pulled it out of its holster.

The Hazard Team rushed to Beck’s side compression rifles at the ready.  When she saw Joran Tel, Astird swore.   “Doc!” She shouted for the team’s field medic, who pushed her way forward and kneeled next to the fallen NCO.

“He’s alive,” Doc replied reading her tricorder.   She dug into her rudimentary aid kit and pressed a hypospray to Tel’s neck.  ‘Heart rate and blood pressure is stabilizing,” she said announcing her tricorder readings.

“Away team, this is Streth. We’ve got readings of another life sign by your position. What’s going on?”

“DOT found one of our own, sir. Not sure how he got here.” Said Beck.

“Starfleet?” Streth couldn’t believe his ears, “What’s their status?”

Doc glanced at Beck, “I suggest a medical evac ASAP sir.”

“Alright, standing by to receive medical evac. Streth out.”

“Ensign Maec, lock on and beam the new life sign directly to sickbay,” Streth activated the intercom, “Dr. Randall, prepare for a casualty from the Breen ship.” 

his whole situation had been bizarre to Maec, but he was one to please and was trying to make sure that he pleased the Captain in whatever way he could.

“Yes, Sir” he replied as he watched the crew members leap into action as soon as the person had been transported he keyed his comms again. “Successful transport, Sir. I will keep you updated on any developments.” 

He began to monitor for any other possible changes in the area because something still seemed like it was off.

==USS Altai, Sickbay==

How much time had passed since Joran Tel had set foot on board a Starfleet vessel was known only to the Bajoran who now materialised on the biobed, life signs faint but there. 

Nurse Harris was the first at Joran’s side.  She rushed to settle him into the biobed, and get the stranger’s vital signs up on the monitor.  She was removing the Petty Officer’s dirty uniform jacket when Dr. Randall approached. 

“How is he looking?” Randall asked.

“Vital signs are stable.  Blood pressure is 130 over 89, heart rate is 80, and  O2 sats are 96.” Harris replied. 

Randall opened his medical tricorder and removed the hand scanner and ran it over the patient.  “Mild cerebral edema consistent with a moderate to severe concussion… that’s odd.”  He entered commands into the tricorder.   “He also has systems of cryogenic hibernation.”  He turned to his medical trolly and loaded a hypospray and pressed it go Joran’s neck.  “That should reduce the swelling in the brain and allow him to regain consciousness. Allison,  in the meantime take a DNA sample and compare it to the Starfleet personnel records.”

“Of course Doctor,” Nurse Harris replied as she used a hypospray to collect a DNA sample and headed to the medical lab next door.

The haze in Joran’s head began to slowly lift as he registered vague lights and sounds around him though it came through in a vague dreamlike state. 

The computer processed the sample for a few moments and chimed when it was complete with a match found before displaying it on the screen.

Name: Joran Z. Tel

Gender: Male

Age: 30 years

Date and Location of Birth: 18.06.2370 Luna 

Starfleet Rank: Chief Petty Officer

Posting: USS Atlai; Chief Flight Control Officer

Randall was running a medical device over Joran when Nurse Harris returned with the identity of their patient.  She entered the data into the chart.  “How is he doctor?”

“Stable.  The cerebral edema is subsiding and I have just finished repairing several bumps and bruises.  He should be waking any minute now.”

Joran groaned as he slowly started to come back to himself as he heard voices around him. As he did the aching in his head increased as he cracked open his eyes and the lights above blinded him. He slowly brought his hand to his head, covering his eyes, “Wha….What Happppp…ened? Where am I?” he muttered.

“I was hoping you could answer that Chief,” Randall asked looking up from his device.  “I’m Doctor Randall and welcome to the USS Altai.”

Joran tried to push himself up into a sitting position but quickly realized he was unable to and dropped back onto the biobed. Turning to look over at Doctor Randall he blinked several times as his eye adjusted, “The Altai…I, I was on my way here. New posting…” he said with some difficulty, his head still aching, “How did I get here? Last thing I remember was being in my Valkyrie and….and…A Breen warship appeared, drifting….”

Randall raised an eyebrow at that, “You came here on fighter?  At any rate you were discovered by our teams on the Breen ship and beamed here.  You had a concussion and signs of cryogenic stasis not to mention some various bumps and bruises.  To be honest I had hoped you could shed some light on your situation.”

Closing his eyes and exhaling slowly Joran tried to think back his last memory before speaking, “I was approaching the asteroid field were I was ordered to met with the ship, the Altai…there, there were weird distortions over the cons..I think, yeah they came and went then there was the Breen ship, adrift. I took the fighter in for a closer look..I think I heard a sound on the outer hull but it’s really fuzzy. Next thing I know I woke up here. Well if you exclude some terrifying dreams.” Opening his eyes again the pain in his head seemed to subside as he slowly pushed himself up to sitting.

Randall nodded.  He wondered if those mechanical bugs in the caves of the station had been what had done the dreadnought and Joran’s fighter in.  Tapping his combadge,  “Randall to Streth.  Our uh… Chief Tel is awake captain.”

“Chief? They’re one of ours?” Streth wondered out loud, “How in the…” He trailed off, knowing he would find out the whole story soon enough, “Alright Doc, do what you can to orient him while we complete this operation. Sending someone down to assist.” Streth closed the channel, “Mr. Maec, please join Dr. Randall in sickbay. See if you can shed any more light about how this Chief Tel ended up on that ship.”

D’vaid immediately sprung up and made his way to the sickbay arriving in short order to see the Captain and the Dr waiting for him. He smiled “How can I be of assistance?”

Randall handed the captain’s yeoman a PADD.  “Cheif Petty Officer Joran Tel. A fly boy from his service jacket.   Took a blow to the noggin and doesn’t remember much.  DNA test confirms identity and I see no indication that he is a clone.   We could to a blood test to see if he’s a Changeling, but I really doubt that’s the case.”

==USS Altai, Bridge==

Alton sat at the Ops console, scanning the area and the Breen ship. A sensor alarm sounded.

A duranium panel wriggled on the dreadnought’s hull. To anyone watching, it would have seemed like hammer blows distending the surface outwards before the plasma welded riveting finally gave way. The metal floated away, another serene chunk of debris within the cold chaos of the asteroid field. From the hollow chamber within the ghost ship, a single metallic limb emerged. Glinting, scythe-like with a serrated cutting edge, it heaved its robotic body from the confines of the hull. More followed, each barely bigger than a human head. They spread outwards, swarming in an amorphous patch like an infected wound in the dreadnought’s side. On the far edge, most proximate to where the USS Oklahoma circled above, the mechanical spiders began to clump together in a ball.

Alton checked his scanners. “Captain. Sensors are detecting some kind of metallic object moving on the dreadnought’s hull.”

“Metallic?” Streth glanced over to Alton, puzzled, “It’s supposed to be powered down. What’s the nature of this object, Ensign?”

“I am unable to determine the object’s power source, but I think it is independent of the dreadnought’s power. When I first detected the object, it had more mass….now it appears to be round in shape. The Oklahoma is closest to the object, so they might have a clearer reading, sir.” Alton responded.

Streth opened a channel, “Oklahoma, this is the Altai. We’re picking up some unusual readings from the Breen hull. Sensors indicate they’re closest to your position. Can you identify?”

Alton kept the scanners working analyzing the object.

“Oklahoma, this is USS Altai, please respond,” Streth said again urgently. A silent moment passed, broken only by the faint hiss and pop of subspace interference. Quiet background chatter from the away team also filled the void. 

Streth’s antennae twitched. Glowering towards the floor, he exhaled heavily through his nose as the static filled his ears, “Yellow alert,” he growled.

To blow off some steam, Alton headed down to the ship’s gym to get some work in. When he arrived, the place was deserted, so he started with 10 minutes of stretching to warm up.

Then he moved to one of the treadmills, He started it at an easy walking pace, and when he felt stretched out, he gradually increased the speed from slow to fast, and soon he was at the top level, his feet keeping time with the machine. He kept this up for 15 minutes, and slowly brought the speed back down to a walking pace, and he stayed at that for another 10 minutes. He kept drinking from his water bottle.

Then he switched to one of the exercise bikes, and as with the treadmill, he started slowly then was going faster and faster.

One of the things Ben enjoyed about a multi-post assignment, is most of the crew is on board the station using the amenities and whatnot, while leaving the shipboard amenities, like the gym itself, practically deserted. For he had worked alone most of his time when he was with Starfleet Intelligence and it was something he was used to than working with a team. A habit that he has yet to break.

Although, when he stepped through the doorway after the doors had parted, he saw that someone else was also using the gym on board the ship. No matter. One soul is better than a dozen. For Ben though, he went to the weights, where he grabbed a couple twenty-five dumbbells and began his thirty rep. As he worked out, he had a good look at the man’s face on the exercise bike when Ben had walked in. It gave him something to think about as he tried to remember who it was. So he went back to the duty roster that he memorized in his head and came to a stop when he finally found a name with the face.

Ben smiled and set the dumbbells down as soon as he made his thirty rep and went over to the equipment room where he disappeared for a moment. Only a moment later he would return with a crate that he brought over to the center of the room. Ben then opened up the crate and pulled out a target drone, where he inspected it to make sure it was in working order, that its shield generator was operating and the power cell was fully charged. Once he was satisfied, he activated the drone and pulled out a training phaser pistol and a padd linked to the target drone. Here, Ben began to set the parameters and waited to see if he caught the new security and tactical officer’s attention.

Alton had heard the man enter the gym. He was surprised cause not many people use the gym at this hour, but he didn’t begrudge him the use of the gym. What did catch his eye was moved a crate to the center of the room, opened it and pulled out a target drone. How he was curious, so he walked over. “You planning on taking some target practice?”

Ben looked up when he heard Alton’s voice and smiled at the question. Ben then reached down and pulled out another training phaser pistol and held it out for Alton to take. “Absolutely. Care to join? Perhaps show the first officer just how good you are in case of a hostile situation.” He winked and chuckled.

“Thank you, sir.” He took the pistol, and inspected. “Did this a lot at the academy. I better not have gotten rusty.”

Ben grinned and then adjusted the target drones settings. “With us so close to Breen space, I sure hope not. Let’s see what you can do in ten seconds.” He then launched the drone and it began to move around the room sporadically, being unpredictable and moving in various directions. 

Jackson took a combat stance, holding the phaser in his right hand. He watched the drone, trying to see if it repeated it’s movements, then…..he started firing….striking the drone several times.

Ben nodded his head after the ten seconds were up and he had seen the score. “Not bad. Certainly have no concerns if those bugs in the asteroid manage to find a way to enter the base.” He adjusted the drone’s settings to now be a color target. “I’ll take red, you take blue.” He told Alton before he raised his pistol and fired at the drone when it was red. “So what was it like on board the Kirk?”

Alton fired at 2 blues and hit both. “It was enjoyable. The senior officers looked out for the junior officers, and always made sure they received enough training and mission times. I liked it very much.”

Ben fired at three reds and hit all three. “Sounds like a wonderful assignment. Can’t say the same with everyone assigned to a ship that is attached to this outpost. What made you leave the Kirk?” Ben asked before he fired at another red.

Alton hit two more. “Don’t you ever get that feeling,” he hit two more, “that, somewhere out there, there’s something waiting for you?” Two more. “I needed to move on from the Kirk. I liked it, but it was time for a fresh start.” Three more.

Ben was keeping up with the fellow Lieutenant, fired at his targets soon after Alton had. Ben had no problem keeping up with him but for now that’s all it was, a stalemate. Although the drone is programed to get more difficult after a few minutes has lapsed. “I wouldn’t know that feeling. I enjoyed my work, in Starfleet Intelligence. I got to spend a lot of time on other worlds, living off the land, hunting to survive, gather as much data as I could. I preferred it that way, rather than sitting behind a console and combing over a bunch of data. The odds of them finding anything juicy is much lower than those who operate more directly.”

Whenever one of the probes turned colors, he quickly zeroed in on it and fired. “I’m starting to enjoy my work here. Working Operations is a challenge. I would have preferred to stay in Security, but I’ll do what is best for the ship.” Alton kept up with the probe’s quickly becoming more challenging and it’s movements more erratic.

Ben continued to fire at the drone when his color came up, until the time had lapsed and the drone had ceased the activity by returning to the crate and shut itself down. Ben turned his training pistol off before he looked at Alton. “Good. I wouldn’t want anyone to be forced into a position they did not want nor enjoyed.” He said before he placed the pistol back into the crate. Ben then faced Alton and held his hand out to shake his. “Good to have you on board, Mr. Jackson.”

Alton had deactivated his training weapon, and put it away when the first officer spoke to him. Alton took the man’s hand and shook it. “Thank you, sir!” he responded. 

Tonight on the outpost of 1-SZ, most of the crew from the Altai and the station itself have come to the mess hall to enjoy a movie on movie night. Mainly because it was one of those days where it is all quiet out there in space, little activity that they could find from the Breen, and there was nothing to do than routine work. So now and then, there be a movie night in the mess hall with a randomly selected movie from the twentieth or twenty-first century, and everyone will be given a chance to watch, relax and enjoy something different from what may have been a dull, routine day for them.

Usually, Benjamin Jones would be on the Altai’s Bridge, going over intelligence logs from Starfleet Intelligence on the Breen and examining sensor and communication logs that they can intercept from the Breen. But the day was much like it was for him, as it were for everyone else. Routine and boring. Also, it was one of those days when it was quiet, and they had not picked up anything from the Breen. So Ben had finished his duties and decided to join the crew in the mess hall on movie night.

The movie began to turn into a romantic scene where the two characters who had resisted their feelings for each other since the beginning finally chose to act on their feelings and embrace each other. But, unfortunately, the outcome in this old movie was entirely predictable; it was enough to make Ben stand up from his seat and vacate the room.

Ben wandered throughout the station, on course for one destination but taking the longest route he could think of by turning at every intersection. He hoped each step would help him process the old memories that crept up on him. But as closely as he got to his destination, the worse the pain became, so he decided it was time for a direct route.

With one last step through the corridor, Ben found himself at the Observation Deck. With a heavy sigh, he stepped up to the railing, rested his forearms against the bar, and leaned into it while he stared at the stars through one of many large view-ports. A few others there also enjoyed the view of the stars and the floating frozen chunks of rock. Then some were enjoying each other more than the view.

“Just keep your eyes on the stars.” He quietly told himself.

“Hopefully, the ones far away and not our star over in the corner. Don’t want you to go blind.” Came Cooper’s voice.

Ben snorted, “Eavesdropping, Chief?”

Amanda Cooper shrugged her shoulders before she leaned her arm into the rail she faced directly at him. “I just happened to be curious as to why you suddenly left the mess hall during movie night and also just happened to hear you talking to yourself.”

Ben chuckled and looked at her. “So you followed me.”

Amanda smirked. “Just a friend that is looking out for another.”

Ben shook his head with a small smile. “I appreciate it, but I’m fine.”

Amanda snapped her fingers and pointed at him. “That. Right there. Is a lie.”

Ben raised his brows at her. “So now you are a psychologist?”

Amanda shrugged her shoulders again. “More like experience. I have a lot of friends back on board the Don and quite plenty who had gone through quite a bit themselves. Those who’ve had loved ones on Mars or starships during the conflict with that rogue Klingon group in that one sector.”

Ben stared at her. “And so you think you can read me like a book?”

Amanda smiled. “You may have been a decent Intelligence Officer, but you’re horrible at hiding the look that’s all over your face. So who is she, and where is she? So I can pay her a little surprise visit.”

Ben shook his head at her as he stood up and leaned his arm into the railing just like Amanda. “None of it matters, and I will not allow my Chief Petty Officer to get herself discharged from Starfleet and placed right in prison.”

Amanda laughed. “Please. I have my ways. Starfleet security still hasn’t found the bodies of the scumbags I’ve dealt with.” She winked at him.

Ben could not tell whether she was joking or not. “She found someone she is happy with, and that’s all that matters.” He told her.

Amanda shook her head. “Except she did so after hurting you. And this,” she motioned her hand all over him, “is just a shell hiding all that pain.” Then she pointed to his eyes, “And your eyes say that there is a lot more to it than that. Come on. Spill it.”

Ben shook his head and pushed himself off the railing. “I’m not doing this.”

Amanda sighed. “Fine!” She raised her voice as she watched him head for the door. “Then I’ll submit a complaint to the Captain that the First Officer is emotionally compromised and not fit for duty.” That stopped him in his tracks.

Ben turned around and walked back up to her, his face in hers. “What gives you the right?” He growled.

Amanda shook her head with an eye roll. “Fact that I am Chief of Operations of this station and my duty is to ensure that the operations of this station is not compromised by some faulty equipment or some faulty officer.” Truthfully, she was bluffing. She really had nothing concrete to give to the Captain. But she could tell that her bluff was working when he backed down with a heavy sigh. “And I have a suspicious feeling that you won’t see a therapist, but you know that Starfleet would demand it in order for you to keep your career, or they will forever see you being emotionally compromised and a risk to you and to everyone who serves with you.”

Ben placed his hands on the rail and stared back out to the stars. “You’re right. I won’t see a therapist. Because some people deal with pain differently than others. I handle my pain differently. I take it one step at a time, every single day.”

Amanda leaned in closer to him as she listened. “You hide it pretty well.”

Ben smirked. “I have years of practice.” He told her before he licked his lips. “You would think that the more advanced we are as a civilization, as a power in the galaxy, the easier it would be to get over the feelings you have for someone.”

Amanda would answer but she felt it was best to not interrupt.

So Ben continues. “Before the Academy, I had met this sweet, kind, empathetic woman who loved children. So  I thought to myself, some day I will find the one who I can spend my entire life with, create a family together and grow old together. The one who our hearts will be in sync, our minds will be on the same page and our love never ending.” He licked his lips as he gripped the bar tightly for a brief second then relaxed. “She was the one.” He smiled. “She was my soulmate. We had the perfect chemistry. I enjoyed every single second we had spent together and I could see in her eyes that she too enjoyed every second.”

“And what happened?” Amanda asked.

Ben gripped the bar tightly again, which lasted longer than a brief second before he relaxed. Then his arms bent a little at the elbows as if his chest had become heavier for his arms to hold up. “Two months later, she confesses to me that her therapist insisted that she spend more time on improving herself before getting into a serious relationship.” He said softly that Amanda had to lean in to hear. “And so she broke it off.” He then chuckled with a smile, but it was merely a defense mechanism. “She said that I was not broken. She truly believed that I was fine.”

Amanda shook her head. “You were not. How did she not see that?”

Ben shook his head. “Oh she did. At least not until a week later though. Because I caught her in a lie.”

Amanda shook her head again. “Of course. But go on.”

Ben looked at her. “I found out that she actually wanted to start a relationship with some other guy, who turned out to be a scumbag as he was trying to date him and two other women. And when she found out about this, she was hurt. Then she understood the pain she caused me. But it did not matter. The damage was already done. Worst part was, I had no idea how broken I truly was until I tried to go to someone else on a different planet, someone who did accept me for who I was. But by doing so, I left my family with nothing but a letter, to which I tried to explain my reasoning for leaving. I only ended up hurting my family by doing that and I didn’t see it. Not until three years later, when I finally woke up and realized that I was living in a lie. I had no feelings for the woman I was with, there was no chemistry, no magic some people would say, it just was not real. I then explained it to her and she told me she knew. But what made it worse was that she was driving herself more into debt with some group, no matter how much I tried to advise her to stop. And her brother…” Ben shook his head. “There was a smuggling problem that Starfleet has yet to solve and he was a serious drug addict. The toxicity of him, plus their mother, was ruining me. So I took everything I had and I went straight back home. Mainly because after I realized what I had done to my own family, I knew I needed to repair the damage and get my family back.”

Amanda slowly nodded her head. “Sounds like you’ve been through a lot.”

Ben smirked and shook his head. “Was not the first time a woman has hurt me. There was another when I was some years younger before I had met the one I thought was my soulmate. We had been together for a few years and planned on getting married after school. But then her mother passed away, and unfortunately, she took a much different turn. But the one I truly believed was my soulmate became nothing more than a memory that I have tried for years to forget. So I have tried to find someone else to fill the hole he had left inside of me, create new memories, and replace the ones that plague me every day.” He then pushed himself off the railing and stared right into her eyes. “That’s why I signed up for Starfleet Intelligence and why I chose to work alone. I have chosen to never let myself get close to anyone, because no matter how much I try to get close to someone, the memory of her brings back the pain and I push them away.”

“Sounds like to me that you need to get your confidence back and get back on that wagon.” She grinned with a playful slug to his shoulder.

Ben shook his head. “I appreciate it and I appreciate you for listening, Chief. But it doesn’t change a thing. It won’t stop the sleepless nights or the anxiety or pain from the memories I deal with every day because I will never find anyone like her again. Simple as that. I had fallen harder for this woman than I ever had for anyone else.”

Amanda shook her head. “Well, as they say, the harder you far, the more painful it will be.” She smiled. “Come on, Ben. You and I both know that there are plenty of fish out there. But, heck, because you might fall in love with a Tholian.”

Ben couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah. Right. Or a Breen.”

Amanda pointed at him. “Hey, it could happen! We are out here watching them! Although we haven’t really seen a female Breen either. Do Breen have women? Or maybe you’re not as straight as you think you are…”

Ben rolled his eyes at her with a chuckle. “Watch yourself, Chief.”

“Oh come on! Lean over with me! I too had some horrible scumbags when I was a teenager. Both men and women. But I still lean heavily towards women, so.” She shrugged her shoulders at him. “Don’t knock it until you try it, is all I’m saying.”

Ben shook his head at her. “All right, all right. Respectfully, no. I will forever prefer fish over the meat.”

Amanda gasped. “Lieutenant! Using metaphors are we? How deceptive and rude. Not that you’re wrong.” She teased. “But in all seriousness, I had a woman like her. I mean, I wasn’t like…super into her like you were with that lady but she pulled on my heart strings and also pulled the same crap on me too. It doesn’t matter how far we’ve come as a civilization, there will always be scumbags out there. Face it!! We are not in a perfect galaxy. We’re far from perfect. But someone out there will show up just out of the blue and you will finally and completely forget about the one that terrorizes your memories.”

Ben shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe. We shall see. But for now, I think I am going to avoid movie nights that have anything romantic in them.”

Amanda laughed. “Good luck with that! But you know what? I think we will finally be getting a bar put in place. How about we go to that instead and slam some drinks, have some laughs, and forget about the crap in the past for a while?”

Ben grinned at her. “I have a better idea. I got some Romulan Ale stashed in my quarters.”

Amanda gasped again before she shushed him. “My guy, are you trying to get us into trouble?” She teased him right before she laughed. “But if you’re offering, I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

Ben shook his head with an even larger grin on his face. “You’re all right, Chief.” He told her as he began to lead the way.

“Damn right I am. Otherwise this station be falling apart!” She told him and as if right on que, a ceiling panel had detached and landed onto the deck. “I wasn’t being literal!” She shouted up at the ceiling, right where the panel had come from. Shout that which got the attention of those that were still there.

“Do I need to be worried?” Ben asked.

Amanda ‘psshed’ at him. “Nah. I’ll get one of my boys on it.”

“I meant about you.” Ben smirked.

Amanda slugged him in the shoulder, little harder this time. “Let’s go get that drink before I give you something to worry about.”

They laughed as they headed for Ben’s quarters, where they would drink a couple bottles of Romulan Ale and tell each other stories, whether it be about something hilarious that happened at the Academy or when Amanda was with the corp.

Alton looked around hs quarters to make sure everything was in place. The quarters were just one room, but in the room their was a bedroom area, a living room and a dining room. He had placed candles throughout the room to add to the atmsphere. He had dressed casual for the evening.

The dining table was set for 2. A candle was lit in the middle of the table. 2 place settings were laid out.

A bottle of wine was also on the table.

All that was needed now was company.

Someone long ago told her that it was expected of her to be “fashionably late”.  Who that Someone was she couldn’t precisely say. Maybe it came from one of the old films she was fond of watching as a child.  It could have been “Gone With the Wind”, “Casablanca”, or even “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”.  Which one it was it didn’t really matter.   It was a philosophy Nurse Allison Harris took to heart.

She wasn’t certain how fancy this Alton Jackson was going for but, she opted for light makeup,  a pair of blue jeans,  not too tight,  but well fitted and a flowing V-neck black blouse that may have shown a bit too much cleavage,  but not to the point of inappropriate.  The ensemble was completed with a simple pair of black ballet flats and diamond stud earrings. She hesitated at the door before pressing the chime.

“Computer, play Jackson Music 2.” Soft, romantic music started playing. “Computer, dim lights by 50%.” The room darkened, and the effects of the candlelight took over. He walked to the door, and pressed the button. “Welcome. Please come in.”

Allison entered a little shyly looking around.  “Uh.. thank you Ens… Alton. Oh this is for you.” She extended a bottle of wine she was carrying.  “It’s no Chateau Picard, but I think it’s the best California offers.”

Alton took the wine and examined it. “A very nice vintage and choice.” He smiled at her. “Your table awaits.” He pointed to the table, set for two, with a candle sitting in the middle. “May I say you look lovely tonight.”

“Thank you, but are you trying to fatten me up or something?” She teased.

“Uh… thank you,” she said nervously. 

Alton took her arm. “You seem worried. Let me asure you that you have no reason to be worried. My only objective tonight is to share a meal with a beautiful woman.” He paused. “Does that put your worries to rest?” He smiled at her.

She flashed him a smile, and a nod. “It’s been a while. Since I’ve been on a date that is.”

They reached the table and Alton pulled her chair out for her. “Haven’t had a date in a while?? I find that hard to believe. I would have thought that the men would be lining up outside sickbay for a chance to take you out.”

“Oh I do,” she said honestly and without any hint of bragging.   “Just normally don’t say yes.”

When she sat, he moved to his chair. “Well, you said yes to me, so I guess I’m unique.” He picked up the opened bottle of wine. “I will save the wine you brought. I have a Chateu Picard, very good.” He poured her a small sample so she could taste it.

She tasted it, “Better than what I brought,” she replied.  “I guess in your case persistence had its virtues.”

“I’m very persistant so I must be very virtuous.” He smiled. “Mixed salad or shirmp cocktail for the appetizer?”

“Uh…” she thought for a second.   “Salad please. Vinaigrette if you haven’t already mixed it.”

Alton stood up from the table and walked to the table he had set up to hold items for the dinner. He returned with her salad, and an assortment of dressings for her to choose from. “One salad, and dressing.” He returned to the table and retrieved his salad, then returned to the table and sat down.

The computer was playing an asssortment of soft and romantic violin and guitar music.

“Thank you,” she said smiling politely.  She drizzled on a light amount of the dressing.  Before taking a bite she spoke, “So tell me about yourself.”

“You sure you didn’t already look me up on the ship’s computer.” He smiled at her. “I was born June 15th and the USS Gotham to Felix and Sharon. My father was the exec and my mother was the assistant cmo.” He paused to take a sip of his wine. “When I was 5, my parents transferred to the USS Kennedy. My father was promoted to captain and my mother became the ship’s cmo. Once we settled in, I started attending the ship’s school. My grades were always within the top 5% of the classes. Because of that, and with recommandations from all of the ship’s senior officers, I was allowed to enter the Academy early in 2378. I settled on Operations as my major and Security as a minor. I achieved high grades and my work ethic allowed me to achieve high grades and commendations. I saved up my leave time in my first two years, so I could travel and stay with my parents on the Kennedy, not that it was purely a vacation, I was put to work the day after I arrived. When I got back to the academy, I was recruited for many sport clubs, I settled on wresting, martial arts and archery. 3rd year, I was assigned to the Yorktown for field studies. I was assigned to various sections of the ship as part of my training. The work was hard, but I accepted the challenge and did well.” He took another sip of wine, and ate a piece of bread. “I graduated in 2382 in the top 10% of my class. Every year my grades were near the top of my classes every year, and that earned me the Commandants Award. I received my degree in Ship’s Operations. Upon graduation, I was assigned to the USS Bataan, as an Operations officer. According to my senior officers, I performed my duties well, and I was able to continue my interpersonal studies. Based on recommendations from the ship’s COO, Lieutenant Thomas Lundgreen, and with the captain’s permission, I assigned assigned to the Delta shift, where I was acting COO.” He looked at here. “I hope I’m not boring you.” He returned to his story. “In 2385, I transferred to the USS James T. Kirk, seeking the ACOO position. I didn’t get it until 2388, when the COO transferred. On the Kirk, I also started taking in engineering duties, as well as command class. My parents always said that I said I wanted to be a first officer and even a captai someday. I was given the responsibility of the Gamma Shift leader. 2399, after being promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade, I transferred here.” He stood up, picked up the wine bottle, walked behind her, placed his hand on her shoulder, and refilled her glass, then returned to his seat. “Your turn.”

Alison smirked, “We’ll, if that doesn’t sound like a dossier jacket I don’t know what is.  As for me I was not a good student. I would rather be doing most anything else.  But, I joined the nursing program at the Academy because medicine intrigues me, and I enjoy the challenge it presents along with the opportunity to help people.”

He took a sip of his wine, looking at her and smiling, “Helping people is a very important job on board a starship…maybe not as important as chief of security.” he joked.

“Let me know if you still feel the same way when there’s a disruptor blast in your chest and I or the doctor aren’t around and all you have is an analgesic cream in your first aide kit.”

“Touche.” He grinned at her. “But if I susstained a disruptor blast to my chest, I’m probably already dead….but maybe a kiss from you could revive me.”

She rolled her eyes and smirked, “Now, that was lame.  To that end not necessarily.  The human body is incredibly resilient.  During the Dominion War there was Ensign Douglas who got shot five times.  He was still able to call in ground support from the Klingons and organize sufficient resistance to hold off Cardassian troops.  Or there was back when projectiles were used.  Sometimes folk would get shot twenty times and live.  You just never know.”

“Still….I like my idea better.” He stood up. “Ready for the main course?”

She laughed, “Of course.”

Alton stood up, picked up his plates, and hers, then disappeared into the other room. When he returned, he carried a tray that had, 2 stuffed pork chops on a plate, 2 side dishes of string peas, 2 side dishes of carrots and 2 sides of mashed potatoes.

He set the tray down on a side table, picked up one pork chop dish and 1 side, the carrots, then the other two sides and placed them in front of her. Then he did the same for himself, then took his seat again. “Enjoy.”

“Looks very good,” she commented as she served herself a moderate amount of the sides. She didn’t direct her attention to eating though opting to sip her wine and observe Alton.

Alton looked up and saw her watching him. “Is something wrong with your food, or something wrong with me?”

“Neither. Just trying to figure you out Mr. Jackson.  You seem both sure of yourself… maybe a bit too sure of yourself, and yet there’s a shyness.   I can’t decide if you are a walking contradiction or all that bravado is for show.”

He smiled at her. “I’m a conundrum. Does that interest you?” 

She shrugged,  “It’s a puzzle.  I suppose puzzles are what attracted me to medicine in the first place.”

Alton sipped his wine. “What other things attract you?”

She picked up her fork and portioned off an appropriate bite.  “Eyes. I like them blue. Oh and muscles.   Arms specifically.” She raised a chunk of pork to her mouth and chewed.

His knife sliced through the pork. “If that’s the case, I think I qualify on both items.” He smiled at her, then he picked up the wine bottle. “More wine?”

She glanced at her empty glass considering it for a moment,  “Please.”

Alton picked up the bottle, stood up and walked over to her, and stood over her, filling her glass up.

“That’s good,” she said with a smile.  She watched him return to his seat as she finished off her main course setting he fork down she cradled her wine glass between her fingers feeling the flush of the alcohol.  This would have to be her last glass or she might start making bad… or at the very least embarrassing decisions.

“If you’re finished with dinner, dessert is next.” He moved back to his chair, but didn’t sit down.

“Oh no,” she protested. “That is the last thing I need. I probably just ate a week’s worth of calories.   I’ll have to run my butt off in the gym for the next two weeks to work that off,” she said half joking.

“You should join me in the gym in the mornings. I have an excellent training routine that’ll take care of those extra calories.” He picked up his wine glass. “Shall we take our drinks to the living area?”

She stood following him towards one of the sofas making up the living area, “Sure.  Have you ever biked up Mount Denali?”

“No, I haven’t. My workouts consists of cardio, running, lifting and martial arts on the body bag. Trust me, I do get a great workout. You should consider my offer.” He waited for her to sit, since he wanted to sit next to her.

She smiled, “I like to go places and see things.  Working out in a gym is… well, less than desirable and well… work.”

Alton sat next to her on the small couch. “Well…….no pain, no gain. You have to be willing to do the work to get results.” He wasn’t going to suggest othet ways a person can burn off calories without going to the gym.

“And riding up the side of a mountain on a mountain bike isn’t work?  There’s plenty of pain to be had without the tedium of staring at a wall thinking about how miserable you are.”

“If you’re miserable working out, then you’re not doing it right. And if you feel pain while exercising, stop and take a break. No sense hurting yourself.” He placed his hand on hers.

“Or maybe you are one of those weirdos that enjoys being tired, sweaty, sore and bored all at the same time,” she teased.

Alton smiled. “Sweaty, sore sometimes tired, but never bored. He chuckled. He moved closer, and put his arm around her.

She shrugged,  “A lot of work to go no where.  Not my idea of fun, but each to their own.” 

She relaxed into his arms and they continued to talk of the usual things you talk about on a first date for the next hour or so.  Yawning she stretched and checked her chronometer and was surprised that it was approaching midnight.  “Well, it’s getting late, and I have to get up in five hours or so.”

Alton nodded, stood up, and extended his hand to her. “There’s no reason for you to leave, if you don’t want to.”

“Mr. Jackson,” she said with a grin and feigned offense,  “Not on a first date.”

“An old fashioned girl, eh?” He smiled. “Well, no offense intended, but I had to ask, but I hope this means we will have a second date.” 

“I wouldn’t say old-fashioned. Just sometimes a little mystery at first is good for for a relationship.” She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, “Goodnight Mr. Jackson.”  With that she turned to walk out of Alton’s quarters where she paused at the open door.  “Keep a sock handy.  That is what you guys use right?” She gave him a mischievous grin and was gone.

Alton smiled as he watched her leave. He was looking forward to the second date.

The yellow pulsing light further sallowed the bridge crew’s already grim expressions. 

“Keep scanning on all frequencies,” Streth barked at Alton, “There’s got to be a sensor trace.”

“Scanning on all frequencies, sir! But unable to get a sensor trace.” Alton responded.

“Altai to away team,” Streth’s voice emanated from their combadges once more, “we’ve lost contact with the Oklah-fzzt-a. Shkrr-ellow alert. I don’t like it. Double time it to the energy dampener, or extract now. Your call.”

“Understood sir,” Astrid replied.  She turned to Beck.  “You’re the ranking officer sir.  I know the Captain said it was up to me, but you are in charge.  Hazard Team will follow your lead.”

Beck smirked. “Ranking or not, if the Captain placed you in charge, technically I’m outranked there.” He joked. “But let’s just hurry this up and get the hell out of here.”

“We were sent here to do a job.  No sense getting dressed up for the ball and not making it onto the dance floor,” Astrid replied. “Mr. Ingraham take Rholdar and Vorath and get that closest bionode, and then get back to the ship.  If you run into any trouble,  and I mean any trouble exfil.”

“Yes ma’am,” her second in command responded. 

“Get to it Senior Chief,” she said to Ingraham and watched the small team move off into the opposite direction and dissappear around a corner.

Astrid nodded to Beck, “Shall we get that weapon and get the hell out of here?  Comms with the ship are already compromised.”

“After you, lass. I suggest that the team recovering a bionode to return to the Altai immediately. Longer we’re separate, the riskier this business will become.” Beck told her.

Several minutes later they rounded a corner.   That ominous feeling Astrid felt from the minute she stepped onto this ship still hadn’t gone away.  The eyepiece tied to her tricorder told her that the energy dampening weapon was though the door directly in front of them.

“Jefferson,  Grant and Korrel standard breach protocols,” Astrid ordered as her team moved into position.   With her rifle in position she waited for Beck to give the order to enter.  “On your word sir,” she said to the engineer. Beck simply nodded.

The Hazard Team members approached the door, mag-locking the manual grips to the surface. The discs clunked into place, polarising the duranium and propelling the sliding door across its sliding axis. Grant stepped forward to heave it the rest of the way, creating a space large enough for them to step through one by one. 

The shudder of the door masked the approaching footsteps. They were heavy, falling flat against the deck with the entire weight of the figure’s stiffened body. The nozzle-like front of its Breen helmet pointed dead ahead, the green strip of light signifying the functioning of its environmental systems was extinguished. It lurched forward towards the rearmost hazard team member, its pace quickening. On the back of its helmet, an odd protrusion jutted from a punched-in hole. Eight metal spikes gripped at the cranial space, connecting to the same spider like body that had wrought havoc aboard the USS Altai only weeks before. From the underside of that body extended a metal tube, down through the helmet, plunging through the Breen’s skull to interface with the grey matter beneath.

The thuds grew heavier. Now in earshot of the hazard team, it was too late. The automaton Breen lunged towards them from the shadows.

Crewman Jefferson yelled in terror and surprise, his shot going wild and slamming harmlessly into the ceiling as the zombified Breen knocked him to the deck with a forearm to the chin.  A bug came out of nowhere and bore its way into Grant’s head.  The screams of terror shifted to agony before being silenced.

Astird dropped to a one knee and fired.   It did nothing but leave a black circle on the chest. Korrel fired too, not having any better effect.   The Breen continued to move forward with Jefferson now at his side.

We are in deep trouble, Astird thought as she frantically adjusted the settings on her rifle as a fist from Jefferson slammed into her face sending her crashing to the deck her compression rifle bouncing behind her and out of reach.  The mechanical whine of the bugs marked an impending attack. 

==USS Altai, Sickbay==

Joran Tel sat up on the best and blinked his eyes a few times as he focused on sitting on the biobed and slowly felt his sense returning to himself as an ensign in a command uniform walked in and began to speak to the doctor. He tried not to listen in to what they were saying but it wasn’t a massive room and voices carried.  

Upon hearing the concern he might be a Changeling, even though the doctor didn’t think so, he couldn’t help but let out a snort. “Definitely not a Changeling sir.” he said “Just regular old me, well with a splitting headache that is.” 

He tried to stand but the movement caused his head to spin and he sat back down on the biobed and smiled with a slightly pained grin.

Randall moved in to look after his patient.  “Easy there Chief.  Your brain is still going back to normal size. You don’t take a crack on the skull like that and walk it off.”

Joran sat there for a moment and smiled. “Feeling better already Doc, though something for the headache wouldn’t go a miss,” he said with a slight laugh and then blinked several times as focus wavered. Turning to face the ensign who had walked in Joran cocked his head to the side and squinted. “I take it that you are here to see, debrief me?” he said before pausing for a second and adding “Sir.”

Randall pressed a hypospray against Joran’s neck, and gave D’vaid a doctor’s look, “Go easy on him okay?”  Not waiting for a reply Randall moved away.  There was an away team and they were going to be his priority now.

D’vaid nodded slowly in his time as a yeoman he had done more duties of a normal officer than anything else, but he had to admit the pace and change was doing him good. He observed Joran for a moment before he spoke his words calm and collected “You are correct, I am here to ascertain what happened and how you were found on the Breen ship? Also making sure you remember where you are and who you are as well. These may seem a bit repetitive, but we want to make sure you’re ok.” He concluded as he stood there letting the man comprehend everything slowly given his injury.

Joran smiled as the drugs look effect and his head stopped spinning so much. “Well, I can tell you about who I am. Those memories are intact…” he said, before letting out a snort, “…I could have done with losing a few I think.” Looking over to the Doctor he continued. “As I told the Doc I have no idea or memory of how I got onboard the Breen ship but I assume it was the one I came across in my Valkyrie on my way here. Dropped out of warp outside the asteroid  field and flew in.” He said with a shrug.

“After a bit I flew around a large chuck of rock and there was a Breen Dreadnaught just sitting there unpowered, adrift….I approached it…” He frowned thinking. “saw no signs of life, searches the exterior…then…Wanothing. sorry.” Joran shock his head annoyed. Before looking up and pausing. “Wait I’m forgetting something…” after a moment we’re he was obviously racking his head he continued. “There were odd voices and sounds over the coms. I recorded them, should be on the Valkyrie’s computer system if you want to check. That was before the Breen though but may have been from them. Maybe the fight record saw what happened to me as well.”

D’vaid took note of the information and nodded “I am going o do just that. You get some rest so your ready for anything to come. I appreciate your help in clearing things up. If you remember anything else please let the Doctor know so I can be notified.” He smiled warmly and made sure of a friendly departure before turning on his heels and heading for his office on the ship. He didn’t want to be standing like a statue looking at logs. 

He arrived to his office and shut the door making sure as to not be disturbed as he settled in he pulled up the logs from the Valkyrie. He set the timestamp for the approx. time the vessel had encountered the ship and started looking through the logs. He could hear the sounds, but he needed more entering his code he accessed the video recording on the shuttles exterior. He watched as the structure of the dreadnought was the only background around. As the recording continued he watched closely, as he was about to give up he caught a movement on the screen. He immediately rewinded and enhanced the image the best he could. Upon further observation what he saw sent chills up his spine. His eyes got wide the crew needed off the ship now. 

He opened comms to the Captain “ Maec to Streth, we need to evacuate the hazard team NOW and destroy that ship. Mechanical spiders were all over the hull when the Valkyrie was pulled in and they look identical to the ones we encountered on the listening post.”

The hairs on the back of Streth’s neck as he absorbed the meaning of Maec’s words. His heart raced in his chest. Without acknowledging Maec, or even pausing to close the channel, he fired an order across the bridge, “Jackson, lock onto the away team and beam them directly to transporter room one, now.”

“Sir! Transporter signal is too weak, I can’t beam the away team back…..plus, according to the last scans, two or more life signs have disappeared.” Alton reported.

Streth’s heart plunged through the bottom of his stomach, “Streth to sickbay, emergency medical team to transporter room one,” he strained for mental clarity through the muddied torrent of his thoughts, “they’ve got to be heading back to the beam-in site.” 

He turned to Jones who looked on from the first officer’s seat, “if there are more of those things over there…” he trailed off, feeling certain Jones understood what was now their only option. 

== Breen Ship, Away Team==

The mechanical bug jumped from the deck for Astrid.   The zombies may be slow but the bugs weren’t.  She closed her eyes waiting for the piercing pain.  She wouldn’t scream out, no matter how much it hurt.   She felt the impact of the metallic body slam into her, but nothing else.

Opening her eyes the bug was motionless with a smoking black hole in its carapace and Korel standing three meters away with his rifle to his shoulder. “Thanks,” she said still surprised to be alive.

“You’re welcome ma’am.”

She lept to her feet slapping her combadge,  “Vogler to Altai get us put of here!”

Nothing.

Korrel slapped his own combadge and netted the same result.   Somehow they had lost contact with the ship.  “Okay people…” she drew her phaser pistol, adjusted the setting to maximum,  aimed, and fired at a Breen zombie vaporizing it. “Get to the exfil point on the double.  As soon as we are there activate the transport enhancers.”

As the team ran back to the beam out point, Beck was the first to enter the area where he saw one of the spiders was messing with one of the transport enhancers. He pulled out his phaser pistol, cranked the settings to maximum and fired right at the spider. The energy blast connected with the side that resulted sparks shooting out from the spider, which knocked it off the enhancer and landed on the floor, legs curled up like a real spider when it dies.

Beck holstered his pistol and knelt down by the pattern enhancer that the spider was messing with and saw that it was damaged. “Everyone get into the center.” He told them as he began to make repairs to the device.

Astrid turned to see dozens of the zombified Breen lurching towards them. “Uh… Lieutenant… now would be a good time. I think we found the rest of the crew.”

“I’m working on it,” Beck told her as he decided that reversing the damage was going to take too long, so he needed to reroute some circuits to make the enhancer come online and do its job.

With both hands she pulled a pair of photon grenades from her belt.  Pressing the timer mechanism she threw them into the largest cluster.  The ensuing explosion shook the whole deck and took down a good handful of their foe and slowed their progress.

Suddenly a bug came from out of nowhere landing on the shoulder of Ingraham.   Before anyone could react it had dug its way into the head of her second in command.  Astrid raised her phaser and hesitated. 

“Got it!” He said as the enhancer came online. He then stepped into the center with everyone. “Let’s go before it shorts out!” 

Grabbing Ingraham by the uniform she shoved him out of the circle of the enhancers as the transporter beam started its familiar cycle as nearly a hundred zombie crowded from the corridor and into the room that they had designated as a beam-in site.

Back on the bridge of the Altai, Alton kept rotating frequencies, trying to get a sensor lock on the away team, but something was interfering with the lock. “Sir, still unable to get a lock on the away team, and the comms are down with them as well.”

A light on his console lit up. “Getting some readings….the away team has activated their transporter enhancers!”

Lieutenant Jones took a step forward in anticipation. “Then beam them back, now!” Of course, his voice did not rise out of annoyance or frustration that he had to give the order for the obvious; no, his voice rose because of the excitement and anxiety that the team was in danger and it has come down to seconds to save them.

“Activating transport!” The transporter locked on to the away team and…….they appeared on the pad.

Jones then stepped over to the tactical station, where he armed the torpedo launchers, and loaded up almost a dozen photon torpedoes at maximum yield right after. He designated multiple points that he believed would surely obliterate the vessel and hopefully vaporize the mechanical spiders altogether. “Loaded and ready, Captain!”

“Fire, Mr. Jones.”

With one press of the button, the system began the sequence that Jones had programmed into it. The launchers spat out ten photon torpedoes, all equally heading to each section of the ship, except for the center, the larger one that received one extra torpedo, and the explosions from each torpedo dissipated across the hull. 

Streth looked on as the ripples of antimatter fire erupted out from their impact sites. Flaming tendrils grasped at the void. Far from the the devastated cloud of duranium rubble he had hoped for, the leviathian ship appeared merely scorched and pocked from the torpedo barrage. It lumbered on through that desolate cosmic wilderness like a terrestrial gargantuan, inert and unconcerned.

Streth leaned over to Jones, who could see the disappointment in his eyes, “We’re gonna need a new plan.” 

Astrid was still in her hazard suit standing in her office.  She was still too wired from the events on the Breen ship that she found sitting an impossibility.  Not to mention,  she was far from happy with Doctor Randall’s order to stand down.

She had lost people.  She herself had nearly died, and it had been all for naught.  The Hazard Team had failed spectacularly.  Well, she admitted to herself,  it wasn’t a complete failure.  We did get data scans and downloads of the computer. And not one person from the engineering team took a casualty.

But, that would be little comfort to the families of Jefferson and Ingraham. Ingraham had a young daughter. Jefferson was thankfully single and without kids. But that, didn’t mean Jefferson didn’t have family.  These were letters she was not looking forward to writing. Not that something like that was ever pleasant to write. Then there was the partially completed after action report still sitting on her screen. The orange cursor flashing as if taunting her.

Sighing Astrid picked up a glass of rum.  She wasn’t one to find solace in the bottle, but somehow given the circumstances coffee or water just felt wholly inadequate to the situation.

The door chime interrupted her moment of self-pity and Astrid set the untouched glass of rum back down on the table.  Turning to face the door, “Enter.”

The doors parted and Crewman Korel entered the office.  The Xindi-Reptillian, was still dressed in his hazard suit.

“Crewman,” Astrid greeted.

“Ma’am,” Korel responded.

“What can I do for you?”

The Xindi began, “They tried and failed to destroy the Breen ship.”

Astrid walked around behind her desk and forced herself to sit. “Yes I know. As far as I know tactical and engineering are still trying to figure that one out.”

The Xindi smirked in his odd way, “I have an idea.”

“Let’s see it,” Astrid replied.  She had told herself that no matter what happens she would listen to the people in her command. She didn’t have to act on it, but these NCOs have far greater experience than her own.  After all what did she know?  She was just an ensign.

Korel handed her a PADD and Astrid transferred it to the wall monitor to the side of the office.  “Let’s hear it.”

Korel approached the monitor and entered commands,  “Since communications is spotty I think it’s best we utilize the USS Shavlo to transport the team back over to the dreadnought.” The image of the runabout was animated flying through space and docking with the Breen ship.  The display zoomed in on the docked ship and the exterior of the Breen ship was stripped away as it rotated to a maplike illustration looking down.

“We dock at this docking port and proceed two decks down and make our way to the antimatter storage tanks where we bring two quantum torpedoes rigged for remote detonation.”

“Just one problem… Okay one of many problems.  The Hazard Team isn’t at full strength and we’ve been ordered to stand down.”

“That ma’am, is your problem to figure out.”

Astrid cracked a smile despite it all. “I suppose it is.  We’ll want security helping us anyway.  Overwhelming force.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“I’ll need a second in command Korrel.   I want you.  I’ll talk to the Chief of Security about getting you a promotion.”

Korrel nodded, “Thank you ma’am.”  

He turned and left the office,  and Astrid stared down at the plan of action and was impressed.   Making a few changes she sent the report to the Chief of Security and the Captain.   It was now up to the senior staff to ignore or act upon her plan. Letting out a long sigh she reluctantly returned to her after action report.

Lisald’s head was spinning. Breen. Mechanical spiders. Disembodied voices over the comms. Strange sensor echoes and ghosts. And, somehow, a Starfleet Officer found unconscious on a Breen Dreadnaught. 

Scarcely a week ago, he was Chief of Operations on the Nebula-class USS Cygnus under the watchful command of Captain Bane and Lieutenant Commander Larsen. They had tangled, and barely won, against the dreaded Crystalline Entity. During the battle, Lisald caught a hunk of duranium from his console in his upper left chest, just below his collar bone, as it exploded in his face. A surgery later from the ships Chief Medical Officer and he was placed on convalescent leave at Deep Space 9. The doctor had told him he was seriously lucky to not have suffered any more injuries. Many more had. Some had died.

It was during this convalescence that Lisald realized how truly unhappy he was that he switched over from Science to Operations, at the request of his previous Captain and Executive Officer, Captain Stafford and Commander Pope, respectively.  While he truly loved the Cygnus and considered the ship his home, it all came back to being unhappy with the job he had, and knew that his performance was suffering because of it. Not to mention his mental health. Only two days into his convalescence, he had contacted Lieutenant Commander Larsen and had asked to be moved back to the Science Division. “Unfortunately,” the senior officer had said, “There isn’t room for you in that department, unless you are willing to lose that pip, and the Department Head slot. Ensign Spangler occupies that spot, and I know Captain Bane doesn’t want to lose him as Chief Science Officer.”

That conversation led to Lisald talking to Captain Bane and confirming what Commander Larsen had stated. To Bane Plase’s credit, he had offered to help Lisald transition back to Science and help him put in a transfer request. A few days later he was in the teal tunic again, and en route to Outpost 1-SZ on one of the Runabouts assigned to DS9, complete with a pilot. He had been (quite happily) assigned to the Steamrunner-class USS Altai. While it was not a science vessel like the Cygnus, the Altai did offer a great deal of opportunity for Lisald to get back to his roots: Alien Anthropology and Archaeology. He was excited, for sure. He even got to keep his pip and the Department Head position.

Lisald had spent less than a day at 1-SZ, long enough to get lost once, before he had been informed by Outpost Operations that the USS Altai had been rushed back into service, and was about to leave docking. He hadn’t been told why, nor did that enter his mind. Finding the closest Outpost map, he quickly found his current location and the location of the docking port. Naturally, he was on the opposite side of the stinkin’ Outpost. He sprinted most of the way across the Outpost, much to the displeasure of several security officers who yelled after him, of which he promptly ignored.

He reached the docking port just as the Operations Officer was about to close it. Making it aboard, huffing and puffing and attempting to tell the Security Officer manning the docking port who he was and what he was doing aboard, he finally gave up and called up the orders on the terminal next to the docking port. Thankfully they were in there; otherwise he would have spent however long it took for his new Captain and Executive Officer to look him up and verify he was supposed to be on this ship in the brig. The security officer waved him on, quite annoyed.

Although Lisald knew that proper procedure was to go to the Bridge first, surely he would have enough time to check out his Main Science Lab. As he had done on the Outpost, Lisald looked at the nearest ships map to find it. Two decks down, five sections aft from where he was now. No problem. As he was passing through one of the sections on the proper deck, a whole group of people, heavily armed and armored, blew past him, nearly knocking him down. It was thankful to his slight frame that he was able to squeeze up against the bulkhead enough to give them room for passage. Two things were obvious to Lisald right out of the gate; the corridors on this ship were far smaller than that of the Cygnus, and the mission they were on was vastly different than anything Lisald had experienced yet.

He finally found his way into the Main Science Lab. An Ensign, oblivious to Lisald’s rank and position on this ship, barked at him. “You, over here! I need help analyzing this data for the Captain!” Lisald didn’t think anything of it. In fact, he was much more curious and excited about the data before him. A Breen Dreadnaught adrift?! As he analyzed the dataset, more data started coming in, as well as reports from the Bridge, and, apparently, an Away Team who had found a Starfleet Officer on that Dreadnaught. They talked of mechanical spiders inside, and the sensor readings were showing the same on the outside of that Dreadnaught. He was also hearing, from other scientists in the Lab that there were strange voices and information coming over the comms systems randomly. To top it off, he kept getting sensor echoes and sensor ghosts.

Lisald’s head was spinning. The Breen. Mechanical spiders. Disembodied voices over the comms. Strange sensor echoes and ghosts. And, somehow, a Starfleet Officer found unconscious on a Breen Dreadnaught. He needed to get to the Bridge, and to his station up there, now.

Lisald ran out, the Ensign that had put him to task yelling behind him to get back to work before the doors to the Lab closed and silenced his voice to Lisald. Entering the first turbolift he could find, he ordered, “Bridge, Priority.” The computer chirruped, and off he went, several decks up. A few moments later, the doors opened to reveal the cramped bridge, barely a third the size of the Cygnus’ bridge. “Sorry I’m late! Lieutenant Lisald reports for duty,” he said, not waiting for a response, but heading to the starboard side of the bridge where he spied Science Station 1, to take up his duty as Chief Science Officer of the USS Altai.

OFF

Lieutenant jg Lisald VaatChief Science OfficerUSS Altai

Michelle walked into the lab and was surprised to see someone already in there. She looked the other woman up and down with a scientist’s critical eye. There was a shyness to her. Michelle could tell that much. She wouldn’t be the first scientist with introvert tendencies and likely not the last. Research often came with hours of solitude and that had an appeal to those that disliked social interaction. 

But, this was a starship. You don’t have the luxury of hiding from anyone.

Crossing lab Michelle sat down at one of the empty holo-tables and entered commands. Seconds later a pile of bones shimmered into existence.   Picking up a skull of a hominid she stared into the empty sockets taking in the brow ridges and the soft bump of a sagittal crest that was fading through evolution. 

“So, rumor has it,” Michelle spoke suddenly, breaking the silence and not looking away from the skull,  “that we have a new science officer on board. I hear she’s a candidate for Chief Science Officer. At least that’s the scuttlebutt going around.” Picking up a set of old fashioned calipers Michelle took measurements of the fossil which she entered into her notes. After a couple more moments she set the skull down and picked up one of the long bones. There were deep cracks along the femur and it had a slight bow.

The latest astronomical data from the region was processed as Katsu slid through the images. She then realized that the person that entered the area was most likely talking to her. She looked over her shoulder to confirm that no one else was there. “Really? I don’t know about that…” She shrugged being new herself, she looked back “Most likely a very experienced officer that also transferred from the Don Davis?” Katsu looked closer at the data and hummed to herself.

“Perhaps,” Michelle replied. Standing, she approached Katsu, “Michelle Ortiz, paleoanthropology. I did my doctoral thesis on the last common ancestor of homosapien, Homo neanderthalensis, and Homo daliensis.”

Looking at the now standing Michelle, she gasps for a second turns to her “Oka Katsu, science officer, but specialty in as an Astronomer did a paper on the gamma-ray radiation of planet type puffy. Or otherwise known as a hot Saturn.”

Michelle smiled and laughed,  “Thank God. I haven’t a clue what all that is. I have been bumbling my way through it with mixed success.”

”Nothing wrong with that. That’s why we have many people here with their speciality to contribute as a whole” Now, Katsu was quoting her teacher, but she was nervous talking to someone And trying her best not to show it.

Michelle shrugged,  “Still, glad you are here now so I can hide in my bones. So what does all that ‘puffy’ and ‘hot Saturn’ mean anyway? I mean, I know what those words individually mean, but not together. If I didn’t know better I would have said you made that all up.”

Katsu blinked at the remark of the possibility that she made it up and honestly didn’t know how to react to such a claim. She took a deep breath to calm down her nerves. “It’s not individual words they mean the same thing. In astronomical terms, Puffy planets are gas giants with a large radius and very low density. So they are very puffy. They got the nickname hot Saturn because these typical types of planets are often close to a star which makes them intense hot that again has an impact on the inflated atmosphere and…” Katsu caught herself again rambling on with a lot of in-depth scientifical language “…sorry” she said with a sigh.

“So if I’m following you, these planets are low density high volume. It would make sense that they never formed into a star. There just isn’t enough mass to create the gravitational forces to start nuclear fusion.”

”It happens that most of these types of planets become unstable in their evolutionary paths, and then they lose or evaporate the atmosphere…” Katsu smiled at the images she had seen from that process. “But what about your field? What do you do precisely?”

“Well, I study fossilized hominids.” Michelle entered commands into the table they were standing around and the fossils she was studying earlier transferred over. “This is the skull of an  australopithecus found in a cave in Southern Spain. That’s surprising in it’s own right.   It was thought that that species was limited to Africa.   Part of the whole African origins theory.” She picked up a femur. It was curved and thick. “This was found with the skeleton,  and is not from our australopithecus friend. If I had to guess it’s a chimpanzee. Also not native to Europe. Or at least so we thought. Now, this is the interesting part. See these markings? That’s consistent with stone tools. In fact all the long bones at this site have these markings including bones from another australopithecus specimen. The way I see it there are two possibilities. We know Homo erectus was in the area, and the markings are consistent with their tools. One we were wrong about australopithecus habit; or two there was some form of early trade between groups of erectus.”

Though it was not her field of expertise, she did look interested in what she was talking about. It was at these times that confirmed only more firmly what she taught at the academy. Everyone contributed their part to the greater mission that Starfleet and the Federation were trying to achieve out there. She was still shy, but it was more comfortable than she thought it was to talk about something they both were passionate about. She looked at her. “What about different species? Like the historical evolution of Vulcans or what little we know of the Romulans. Are you also interested in that?”

Michelle considered it for a moment,  and nodded with a smile,  “The Vulcan Science Academy oversees all paleontological digs on Vulcan. So, while I would love to be in on that research,  I am forced to live vicariously through scientific journals.”

Katsu nods and knows the struggle all too well. “But it was an example, any other race you want to get your hands on or learn about?”

“Of course,” Michelle said with a shrug.  “There’s always an interest, but to be honest it’s difficult to just jump into something like that.  Evolution is complex with many branches, though I think Andorians would be fascinating.”

Nodding to that, “I guess every department has their difficulties they have to endure to gain access” Katsu pointed the apparent out, “So you think we will soon have a chief to report to, or what do you think?” Katsu was curious to know who her boss was going to be.

“I’ve given up trying to figure out Starfleet.  Bureaucracies do not function like ordered systems should,” Michelle replied with a shrug.

“Well, it is not me. I am just an Ensign, and if you might have noticed already…I am not very” Katsu shrugs a bit, leaning backward. “Social contacts, the preference also goes to a more experienced person…” She shrugs a bit. She was just facing the facts. She was new, and both of them didn’t have the rank for it. 

Michelle raised an eyebrow,  “Rank has never meant much to a scientist. Just the research and I’ve known my fair share of socially awkward… or even inept that lead important research that changed humanity.   Do not sell yourself short.”

Yea, it was her insecurity talking about her potential future within Starfleet. “Thank you” She spoke and wandered back to her seat “We better get back to work before the new chief will find us doing nothing” She smiled softly. 

Michelle laughed,  “Perhaps.  It was nice meeting you Doctor Oka. I’m going to grap a bite to eat.  I’ll be seeing you.”

Hastily assembled, the briefing room’s occupants were a mixture of fatigue and leaden-faced pallor. Streth’s uniform was unzipped to the level of his combadge and he scratched at his stubble as he leaned forward, resting a forearm on the head of the conference table. 

Nervously Katsu stood there at the door and swallowed her fear of social interaction, thinking back at what she had learned from her teachers in the academy to imagine them as something cute that you love being close to. She took a deep breath and walked into the room, giving a slight bow to everyone. “Ensign Oka reporting, I was required at this meeting?”

“Ah yes, Ensign, please have a seat,” Streth gestured to the far end of the table, “For those of you who haven’t been introduced, I’ve asked Ensign Oka to sit in for the Science Department. Her work on biomechanics and natural sciences at the academy might give us some more insight into what’s going on,” he paused as several staff greeted Katsu, “As for our course of action, we can’t send the Hazard team again. Dr. Randall tells me they’re at risk of extreme post traumatic stress. They’ve seen enough,” he explained with drooping antennae to Tel, who sat across to the left, “We still don’t know why they froze you, nor do we know what their intentions were. What we do know is that Ensign Maec has located your Valkyrie fighter in the hangar bay here,” Streth tapped an LCARS panel to bring up an internal schematic of the dreadnought behind him, “it’s located not far from the main warp reactor. Mr. Tel, would we be correct in assuming a warp core breach on the Valkyrie would yield enough energy to make that Breen reactor go critical?”

Joran sat across from Streth and shrugged as he spoke. “I’m sorry to hear about the Hazard team and their losses. I owe them my life. As for why they kept me alive I wish I knew sir. Honestly, the whole thing is damn odd.”  He said as he examined the LCARS. Zooming in on the hanger bay and rotating the display Tel nodded silently. “Not everyone is aware but the Valkyrie’s core packs more of a punch than a usual core of its size. Sort of an end-of-the-line weapon in itself in case the pilot knows they won’t survive or has the ability to get out and want to leave a parting gift. I would say a core overload would definitely be sufficient.” Pausing for a moment he frowned, “The catch is that it’s linked to my biometrics and has to be activated in the ship. So guess I need to go for a jaunt.”

Randall frowned at that idea, “Is there no other way? Could we remotely tap into the computer and set the ship to self-destruct?”

Joran shook his head, “Sadly not. To activate it requires a direct connection. It was designed that way to negate any possible breaches.”

Randall sighed, “I’ll prepare for more casualties.  These bugs are really getting on my nerves.”

“Thank you, Doc,” Streth said before looking up to address the room, “The Hazard team has reported those things are somehow able to reanimate the bodies of deceased humanoids. These automatons possess immense strength. Whatever they’re being used for, whatever their plans were for Mr. Tel, I believe they represent a threat to all sentient life they encounter. Consequently it falls upon us to destroy that ship and prevent this infestation from spreading. Accompanying Chief Tel will be a particularly dangerous task, with potentially severe psychological consequences. It will therefore be volunteer only. All those who do not wish to join are to return to their stations immediately. Including you, Doctor Randall. We need you here on the ship,” Streth sat back in his seat.

Randall nodded with a sigh, “Not a fan of sending others to do my dirty work, and I’m no tactical officer, but it stands to reason you are going to need overwhelming force to do this safely.  If you need the hazard team I will sign off on it.  We’ll just have to deal with the consequences later.”

Joran continued to look at LCARS as the conversation continued around him. “That might work,” he muttered before turning to face the Captain. “Sir, as we want to minimize contact with these bugs, why not blast a hole through the hanger doors and enter that way, if we cannot beam directly to the ship? Will only need a few moments in the cockpit of the Valkyrie…”

“We could concentrate fire there, yes,” Streth shifted in his chair to study the schematic behind him, “might help clear a path to the Vakyrie for you, too. Mr. Beck that hull plating looks thick. We don’t have time for pattern enhancers. Can we still transport them or do we send the Shavlo and fly right in?”

For most of the conversation, Katsu stayed quiet and was trying to catch up on what was going on. Until the mention of the mechanical spiders made her swipe the information on her PADD. She tapped her finger on the desk, thinking about the given risk but these things were the next step to understanding alien technology. ”The…” she tried her best to talk loudly but sounded soft and withdrawn “…mechanical spider that was brought back for analyzing was too damaged to properly investigate from a standpoint for Science Department. It is quite possible that mister Tel was frozen for a means-end… If I’m able to gain the frequency that locks them into the derelict ship, I might be able to shut them down temporarily “ She got nervous about the idea, but it sounded solid. “I am, however, not a fighter by any means and most likely a weight on that front” Maybe she should have stayed in the science office.

Beck had been listening to the entire conversation but at the same time, going over the data that DOT had collected while they were over there. A lot of it was good, and even though they were unable to collect the equipment they wanted from the Breen warship, at least they got something. He set his data PADD down before giving the Captain his full undivided attention for the question at hand. “If we end up destroying the hangar bay doors just to get access to the Valkryie fighter, then yes, transport will be possible.”

Joran smiled, “Well that will make it a lot easier. Blast a whole. Beam me over; I get in and activate the system, beam out. Their core will definitely be within the blast radius and their containment should fail. Job done,” he said though his smile turned a little sad. “Pitty to lose her but she will go out with a bang; couldn’t ask for more really…”

Maec did not hesitate, though those bugs were something that seemed to return in his nightmares he would do anything to help the ship “Beam me over Captain! I will do all I can to assist in the destruction of the abomination and its passengers.” He thought for a moment “I could try to download some information regarding the dreadnought while I am over there, but that’s up to you as it would be a risky endeavor.”

Streth’s lips were pressed thin. There was no room to convey how impressed he was by the selfless bravery displayed by some of his most junior staff. That would come later. Right now he was emotionless, directed only towards the task at hand, “Alright it looks like we’ve got a plan,” he looked straight towards the young Romulan, “Mr. Maec, you will accompany Chief Tel, beaming in once we’ve successfully breached the dreadnought’s hangar bay doors. The entire area will be decompressed. Get your EV suits and mag boots on immediately and report to transporter room one,” his unblinking gaze turned to Katsu, “Ensign Oka, you mentioned a signal frequency that might allow for temporary shutdown of the spiders. Can you isolate it within the next twenty minutes?”

Looking at her PADD as she makes the calculations of getting the frequency, she nods to herself “If I am able to pick it up, I can get it to you in 7 to 8 minutes. But I presume that the spider has a failsafe build-in that might potentially kick me off that isolation” Katsu was not fully confident in her ability to do this, but she had to try.

“If there’s a chance, we’ve got to take it,” Streth implored, echoing Katsu’s own thoughts, “if you can get it onto something we can broadcast from, maybe a tricorder, before Maec and Tel beam in then do so.”

There was a pause. Resolve flashed across Streth’s eyes as he looked towards the three away team members, “Straight in, straight out. Stop for nothing. Understood?” it was clear they did, but he couldn’t help but say it. The grey, pallid faces forced their way into his mind again. The corridors of Starbase 104 had been full of them. Now more walked the corridors of his conscience. The malignancy that had taken Grant and Jefferson would not be fed. 

He scratched at his chin, exhaled, and pushed up from the desk, “Let’s get this done. Dismissed.”

Accusatory shards of machined duranium extended, grasping towards the Steamrunner-class starship they dwarfed. Like gnarled fingers, the Breen probosces appeared on the cusp of flicking the tiny vessel away like a giant would an irritating gnat. The Altai matched pace with the lumbering hulk, maneuvering nimbly about to face its port hangar bay doors. Stray asteroids crunched against the dreadnought’s sides, large enough to force minor course corrections from the starfleet vessel now deep within the obfuscated pitch of its shadow.

Greenish hull plating filled the entirety of the bridge’s main viewer. The turbolift doors opened, and Streth followed Jones towards the centre seats, “Lieutenant, prepare a firing solution to breach the hangar doors. Fire when ready.”

Jones stood there from the tactical station, phasers charged, torpedo launchers powered up, and both ready to fire. “Aye, Captain.” He acknowledged Streth as he began to adjust the settings on a photon torpedo. He set the yield to one that he remembered from experience in blasting a hole in a hangar door. “Torpedo armed and ready. Firing.” With one press of the button, a photon torpedo propelled out of one of the forward launchers, soared through space between the Altai and the Breen warship before it completed the distance and impacted into the door. The explosion from the torpedo made a hole big enough for a craft to get in. “Firing sequence complete. We have our opening.” 

“Very good,” Streth acknowledged, “Keep monitoring that hangar for any spider activity.”

Jackson continued to match the Breen ship’s movements. When asteroids threatened the Altai, he was able to gently move the ship a few feet, letting the asteroid continue on its path.

==USS Altai, Transporter Room One==

Mumbling to herself as Katsu entered the transport room, she tapped wildly onto the PADD and moved to the EV locker, leaning against it. “If I narrow the signal frequency of the spider, though, I need to adjust the tricorder to avoid any diffraction that might cause interference on the line. Calculating the motion of the velocity from the high pitch channel,” Taps again as her tricorder starts beeping. “And downloading program…” Katsu opens the locker to get her EV suit on. 

Joran walked into the transporter room and saw Astrid staffing there. He smiled and walked over to her and held out a hand. “I just wanted to say thanks for getting me it if there last time and I’m sorry about the loss of your team members.”

Astrid accepted the outstretched hand and shook it. She was in a standard duty uniform perfectly pressed and tailored.   Her boots were polished to a neat mirror-like shine,  and every strand of brunette hair was in place, held together in a tight bun. “ Good to see you up and about Chief. Doc Roe was worried about you. Thank you for your concern.   Never easy to lose someone,  but it does come with the territory.”

Joran nodded to Astrid, “Yeah, I’ve been there, it’s never easy.” He said before shrugging. Turning to D’viad as started to pull his EVA suit on, “You ready to swat some spiders?” He said with his standard pre-mission confidence so that he didn’t have to think about the dangers he was about to face.

D’vaid shook his head as he donned his EVA suit and boots “This will be the second time I have had to face these things. I hope this is when we bring them to rest for the final time. The crawling bastards deserve worse.” He said as he finished the final preps of his EV suit.

  “On that sentiment I couldn’t agree more,” Astrid said to D’vaid.   She made a quick check of the EVA suit and slapped him on the shoulder before picking up a phase compression rifle and handing it to him.  “The bugs are lightly armored, but quick. In fact their speed is their best defense but can be hard to hit.  They will make a whirring,  electronic sound before striking.  It’s not much warning,  but it’s something.   But, once they get into your head it’s a whole new ball game.  The zombies are slow, but incredibly strong and nearly unstoppable.  You need to hit them with a high setting.   Don’t hesitate to shoot any of your team that have been attacked like that. Believe me you are doing them a favor.  I still can’t get Grant’s screams out of my mind.”

Joran frowned and said, “Fast and deadly spiders; slow and strong zombies. Got it.” Pausing he quickly checked the rifle, “Lets hope that we are in and out before they get there.”

Astrid nodded, “The zombies seem to run in packs while the bugs can come from anywhere so you got to keep your head on a swivel.”  She extended her hand to D’vaid,  “Good luck over there.”

D’vaid raised an eyebrow it was not a usual gesture he got “Thank you I will make sure this is the last time we see either of them if its the last thing I do.”

With that Astrid nodded to the rest of the team and moved to stand behind the transporter controls and waited for the final order.  She didn’t want to go over there,  but she felt guilty that she wasn’t. She was here safe while colleagues were putting their lives on the line for hers.  It wasn’t a pleasant feeling. 

“I am ready…” Katsu said, standing there in her EVA suit, waiting for the rest to catch up, and noticing that the program was done. “Prototype spider disable frequency done. I will be field-testing it”

“That’s great to hear Ensign.” Joran said with a nod, “Lets hope for a successful field test,” followed by a laugh but the nerves cave through. Looking over at D’vaid and Katsu he stepped into the PADD, “Ready?”

Nodding to Joran “I am ready” With that being said Katsu nervously stepped onto the platform. 

“Away team, this is Streth,” the Andorian’s voice came over the intercom, “the dreadnought’s hangar bay doors have been breached. The beam-in site is fully vented and decompressed. Confirmed pattern enhancers will not be necessary for beam-out. We’re currently not reading any spider activity, so there should be a clear path to the fighter. Report in as soon as you’ve engaged the reactor breach countdown to give the Altai enough time to clear the blast area. You’re clear for transport as soon as Chief Tel gives the word. Good luck.”

The com fell silent. It fell to Astrid to perform the final transport operation and the eyes of the away team now looked intently to her.

Joran looked over at D’viad and Katsu without any expression on his face, ‘God I hope this works, already got two deaths over my head due to these bugs. Don’t want any others.’ he thought to himself. “Once I am in the Valkyrie I should be somewhat protected, especially if the shields are still online. If you need to get out don’t hesitate.” Closing his eyes he out a sigh and brought the phase compression rifle up so he could quickly fire if needed. “Bridge, this is CPO Tel. Energize.”

Astrid nodded. Entering commands she targeted the beam-in site. “Godspeed,” she said one last time and with index and forefinger she slid her fingers down the console to initiate the transporter cycle.   Seconds later she was alone in the transporter room with only silence to accompany her.

She ran a few scans before pressing the intercom button, “Transporter Room One to bridge. Transport complete sir.”

A gaping slash of inward coiling twisted metal was all that was left of the hangar bay doors. Three Breen shuttles, one in pieces, were strewn haphazardly across the scorched expansive deck. The still-powered remains of their magnetic landing systems were all that stood between them and the endless nothing. The lighting was dim, reduced to a few fluorescent strips that hung above the raised walkways skirting the bay’s interior. Nestled in the furthest corner of the vast, cave-like space, lay a single Starfleet Valkyrie fighter. The cool grey of its smoothed hull plating blended almost like a camouflage against the walls. Yet it did not belong; a prisoner, it lay malapropos within the blackened dungeon. It waited.

Nothing stirred. Silence hung over floating torpedo impact debris like a dense blanket. The faint, futile hum of environmental systems was all that could be discerned by human ears. Still the air filters obeyed their programming, pumping breathable air directly into the void. A strange tranquility had descended, upset only by the tingling of a transporter beam. Simultaneously, three humanoid figures materialized. Their mag boots immediately engaged, clamping them to the deck. Their steps were heavy, their movements awkward in zero-g. 

A piece of cable trunking floated past all three of their heads, narrowly missing Tel. A clang came from above. From the raised walkway, scuttling ocular sensors tracked them as they moved. 

Joran looked around and saw the Valkyrie 15 meters from him and instantly brought the phase compression rifle up to bear as he scanned the room, “Looks clear,” he said over the comm and glance back at D’vaid and Katsu. “Cover me, I need to climb on top to get into the ship.”

Materializing into the area, Katsu looked around, noticing the intense vibe that was going on in the darkness and such. She went straight to her tricorder and started to work “Triangulating signal, this may take me some time” Indicating that she would be unable to occupy herself with anything else.

Joran looked over at Katsu, “Not sure how much time we will have sir.”

D’vaid materialized in the ship and immediately had chills develop from the memories of the Breen on the station. He looked around pulling out his rifle watching for any movement seeing none he looked at the two other members in the party “Let’s get this done! Time is not our friend.” He said as he watched Joran start climbing the shuttle.

Joran began to move cautiously towards the Valkyrie keeping clear of the Breen shuttles and debris. When he got to the Valkyrie he looked around one last time, nodding to the others and began to climb the small rungs that were on the side of the ship.  Reaching the top he saw how the spiders had gained entire, “They ripped the entire hatch off the ship last time. Good thing I had my suit on…” he muttered over the coms, “Going in.”

Despite the vacuum, enough gaseous molecules remained in the hangar to transmit the sound of metallic scraping. It came from the raised walkways above, stopping and starting, intermittent with the dead silence. 

Joran looked up as he slipped down into the cockpit of his ship and a lance of fear flashed through him as he saw the movement of several spider-like entities above him. “They are above us on the walkways,” he said as calmly as he could over the com. “Give me a minute to get this powered up and then get out if you need to.” 

Pulling himself into the pilot seat of the Valkyrie started the start-up sequence; within seconds the cockpit lit up with lights and an alarm rang out in the small fighter.

–Hull Breach Detected; Vaccum Detected–

–Hull Breach Detected; Emergency Shield in Place–

Without warning the alarm stopped as an emergency force field slammed into place over the hole that was the entire port. Without giving it any thought Joran began to process of preparing the ship as the core was not designed to detonate when powered down.

D’vaid heard a groan from further in the ship and he became uneasy. That sounded like the ship was about to bring the five layers of hell at them. “Joran whatever your doing hurry up because its about to be real unfriendly here.” He said as he prepped his rifle for combat turning on the light and facing the doors where the groan had come from.

==Bridge, USS Altai ==

Astrid had made her way to the bridge following the beam-out of the away team. Taking up the tactical station she quietly did her work.  When the computer buzzed she nearly jumped out of her skin.  Her fingers flew over the sensors as she worked the panel and urged it to give her the information she needed.  After what seemed like an eternity and her heart rate raising well over one-hundred she reported, “Sir, I’m reading bugs converging on the away team.”

Streth stood by the large display at the rear of the bridge. Usually showing the master systems display, from the screen now shone a diagram of the dreadnought’s hangar bay. Three boxes to the right detailed each away team member’s vitals, equipment status and cortisol levels. As if in response to Astrid’s report, smaller dots appeared along the lines representing the walkways that ran along that hangar’s perimeter. 

“Away team, this is Streth,” the bridge computer sounded a tone, opening the comlink, “we’ve got around twenty signals heading your way. Move quickly and get out of there.”

He stepped back, watching the dots inch closer. There was no way he could simply watch, “Vogler,” he swung around to the tactical station, “is Oka’s signal transmitting? Can we boost it?”

Astrid frantically worked the controls feeling completely helpless, “I don’t know sir.  I’m not an engineer.” An idea suddenly struck her, “But, I have an idea.  There’s something about those bugs that plays havoc on the sensors, so a transporter lock is nearly impossible, but we aren’t worried about keeping the bugs intact.  In fact I assume we would prefer their destruction. We could override the transporter safeties and grab whatever piece we can of them. We won’t be able to grab the whole lot, but we can help the away team by picking off individual bugs.”

Beck overheard the idea and has already stepped up beside Astrid at the controls and frantically adjusted several settings as well as inputting his command codes as Chief Engineer to override the safety protocols. Then he brought up one single bug and adjusted the transporter targeting sensors to the abdomen of the machine. “Much like any real spider, the heart of the creature, or in this case, the control center of these machines, is right in the abdomen. As you said, we may not be able to beam the whole thing but just a piece of it and if we can beam this piece, we will make them completely inoperative.”

“Anything we can do to up their chances,” Streth muttered. 

Jones stood there beside Streth as he stared at the two officers before turning his gaze onto only Astrid. “Do it, Ensign.”

Astrid hit the button,  and one of the blips dropped off the screen. She didn’t complete the transporter cycle, and simply shunted the energy pattern into the ship’s reserves.   The idea worked.  It wasn’t a silver bullet,  but at least now the Altai could actually aide the away team.

She targeted another bug.  The lock was bouncing all over as she tapped out a sequence of commands.   As she started the transport the bug moved out of the way.   Growling in frustration she adjusted and as soon as she had the most minimal lock she intimated transport again. Another blip dropped off the screen.

==Hanger Bay, Breen Dreadnought==

Joran lifted his head from the controls when he heard D’vaid call out through the coms, “Yeah, I’m on it, I need 35 seconds to boot up and then it won’t take long.” he said through the open coms just as movement above the fighter caught his eye and he looked up and saw a spider dropping down towards him. “They’re dropping from above!” he shouted and instinctively raised the shields on the small ship and hoped they would appear in time, given that the system was still booting up. He stared as a portion of the spider shimmered and dematerialized just before it crashed into the Valkyrie and slid off the reinforced viewport just shields of the Valkyrie snapped into place.

“Hmmm, that’s new…” Joran commented absently before shaking his head and started to remove the safeties from not just the core but also the micro-torpedos loaded onto the ship.”

Seeing the spiders drop onto the floor, Katsu swallowed her fear for a moment and started to reconfigure the tricorder and aimed “Please work…” She tapped the button as a spider stopped, and a few seconds later it moved again now moving to her “Frak….” Katsu moved backward, checking the frequency again as she saw the one in front of her disappear. “What the…ehhh focus” Katsu spoke to herself looking at the frequency. “Come on….” She then aimed the tricorder again and pressed release as most of the spiders stopped moving, “Yes! I ….don’t know how long this will hold until they adapt to the frequency!”

D’vaid quickly shot all of the spiders and turned around seeing another wave coming. He braced himself this was like Deja Vu all over again. The spiders were a pain and hopefully this would be the last time he would have to deal with them. He opened comms “Not to rush you, but hurry up because this is going to turn bad very quickly.” He stated as the spiders came in a bigger wave than the last. The way this was going they would be overrun before they could escape. Out of the group only D’vaid had dealt with the spiders and he knew this was just the beginning of their attack.

Joran looked out the viewport and watched as the next wave of spiders rushed towards D’viad and Katsu, a familiar sense of urgency and danger washed over him similar to when he was in combat calming his senses. “And there we go…” he said as the Valkyrie hummed and its systems fully activated. “You best back off,” he said with a grin as he watched various spiders collapse as chunks were beamed away from their bodies and others collapsed as they entered the dampening field Katsu had activated. Coming up behind them he could just make out the shambling bodies of the Breen zombies. “Zombies incoming.”

With that Joran kicked on the trusters and the ship lifted several decimeters off the hanger floor as he spun it and released was a low-yield blast from the dual Type-IX Phaser Cannons into the centre of the on-rushing swarm scattering them. As he did he start the activation for the self-destruct sequence just as the shields began to flare around him as spiders began to drop from the ceiling onto the ship.

“Computer, initiate protocol Omega-Charle, Overload,” he said, a hint of sadness in his voice knowing the ship would be nothing but atoms shortly.

-Authorization Required for Core overload-

“Authorization Tel Omega 21 43 Gamma Activate.”

-Authorization Confirmed, Biometrics Confirmed. Core weaponized, detonation on your command-

Switching to the coms channel to the Altai and away team to avoid the computer from being overzealous he watched as D’viad and Katsu withdrew before the endless waves of spiders. “All set to go, best get to the Altai. If I lower the shields they will be in here in seconds.” As he said it he released another blast from the phasers vaporizing spiders and zombies alike.

The spiders were not holding back as much as Katsu wanted to, plus the tricorder amplified the frequency in only a specific range. It was kinda frustrating, but she nodded to the confirmation of the detonation countdown. “Got it!” She then felt something on her back and looked over her shoulder to see the spider. “GET IT OFF” She panicked and felt a pinch of something attacking her back. Katsu dropped to the ground screaming in pain “Ahhhhh” trying desperately to get the spider as others dropped around her onto the floor. With tears in her eyes, she looked at D’viad, and most likely he could read her lips begging for help. 

D’vaid immediately began shooting the spiders clearing a path to Katsu . Upon reaching her he grabbed the spider with one arm while shooting the ones that continued to surround them. The adrenaline pumping through his body he helped Katsu to her feet. He smiled and made sure she was alright before turning to continue shooting the spiders and zombies as they tried to reach them. He didn’t really think about it, but he was protecting Katsu in a way. He yelled at Joran “Hurry up I can’t hold much longer.” He said as he slung another spider into a group and watched it explode

The pain was still there. She fell forward onto her hands as she coughed up blood and felt her back getting wet. “Thanks….” She manages to get it out of her mouth in her weak condition. Katsu grabbed her phaser and fell on her side hitting the floor. She fired her phaser at any incoming spider as best as possible “I …feel a bit light-headed” Katsu learned in the academy. When wounded keep talking about how you feel physically. 

Joran sighed in relief as he saw  D’vaid grab the spider off Katsu and listen to their comms. Flippng his comm channel to the Altai he continued to fire the Type-IX phasers into the oncoming spiders and zombies trying to take out the largest groups while the ship moved towards the bulkhead nearest the core. “Joran to Altai, get them out of here NOW! CORE IS PRIMED, I cannot risk then disarming it ”

As he said it he swung the fighter to face the bulkhead as a horde of spiders hand through the door and fired directly into it blasting a hole half the size of the Valkyrie.

==Bridge==

Astrid slammed a fist onto the console trying for widen the confinement beam to destroy as many bugs as possible.  It wasn’t enough. “The away team is being overwhelmed!  We have to get them out of there!”

D’vaid was still sore from the mission a few days prior it was hard to not be after all the things that had happened. He groaned realizing his shift started soon, in most cases he didn’t mind but after this last mission he thought the whole crew deserved R&R, but his thoughts were interrupted by a chime on his PADD. He pulled up the message asking for him to come to sickbay for his regular checkup. He chuckled at the thought of this being a ‘regular’ checkup. He quickly got dressed and brushed his hand over his Ensign pip he had been one for over a year. He had tried his best to make sure the Captain had everything he needed.

He brushed it off and headed for Sickbay, which was pretty calm when he arrived. After the checkup he was about to leave when he saw Oka was there. He stopped for a moment wondering if he should go talk to her or not. He debated it while it seemed she was having a conversation with the nurse.

At sickbay, it was relatively calm, and few patients were present. On one of the beds, Katsu was sitting getting her regular check-up on the latest mission, “Is there anything you can do about these nightmares?” With a sad tone in her voice, she looked at the Nurse, who continued the check.

“No, miss Oka, I can give you a therapy session with the counselor. But nightmares are not my department” She pokes a side of her back that made Katsu move a bit “That is my job….now hold still while I grab the scanner”  She spoke walking away. 

D’vaid decided once the nurse walked away to go talk to her. He smiled as he reached her “Hi Oka, everything ok I know you have had a tough time. Sorry I couldn’t do more I tried to get to you as soon as I could.” He concluded looking guilty.

Getting a jump scare from the sudden voice next to her, she saw D’vaid and relaxed again, “Well…. Hey no it is okay” She tried to answer his guilt “I was way over my head, and I didn’t do what I was supposed to deliver to the table in that action” She shrugs now feeling the guilt herself as Katsu looked at him “Thank you I mean to say”

D’vaid smiled and shook his head “You did just fine! Those spiders are not for the faint of heart and you took them on like a champion, though I know you had to be scared.” He said trying to calm her down. “No need to thank me…” He paused for a moment before continuing “I’d do it for you again in a heartbeat.” He finished trying not to turn red in the face.

“Mmm thanks” Katsu didn’t know how to react proper to that and just looked a bit away wondering how to respond to that. Her social skills were not the best, and she had difficulty getting in touch with it. It only took a second to realize what he was saying, “Wait what…” Katsu looked at him, “Is…mmm you know…not normal to do so for all your crew members?”

D’vaid shifted his feet “I mean it is, but for you I would do it on repeat for the rest of my life if I could save you.” He stated taking a chance and saying something that could go one of two ways.

No experience with what was happening right now in front of her, she looked confused at him, “Well…I …am honored you want to do that for me?” Katsu looked at him, and something did feel different for her as she snapped her stare away from him. “I mmm well hope it won’t happen again, I don’t want anyone not hurt, so yea” She scratched behind her head as the nurse walked back to her “Mister Maec are you here for miss Oka?”

He nodded without hesitation “I am here to help her back to her quarters.” He said with no wavering as he looked at her with a warm feeling in his heart. He hadn’t really ever been so blunt, but sometimes he was tired of hiding or being shy. 

The nurse narrows her eyes and winks at him, “Alright, miss Oka you got your personal escort. You are dismissed and go get an appointment with a counselor for those nightmares” She pointed out and walked away to resume her duties. Katsu jumped off the bed and looked at him, “Mmm, I don’t really need an escort. I mean, I know where my quarters are?” She looked confused at him. “Thought…I don’t mind?”

D’vaid looked at her and nodded “I know you don’t, but I figured given the fact that you have been having nightmares and the incident that happened if I could help I would…but if you would rather walk alone I can let you do that.” He said trying to make sure that whatever Oka wanted he obliged.

Touching her cheek with one hand, Katsu blinked “Is it just me, or is it warm her?” She was totally inexperienced by the feeling of blushing for the first time. She nodded a few times to Maec “Yea, sure I would be honored to have such company” She nodded again and just walked a bit puzzled to the exit “I will take the lead then?”

He nodded and smiled back at her looking into her eyes for a moment before looking back in front of him “So it looks like this injury has taken a bit of a toll on you. Is it anything you would want to talk about or would you rather not?”

Nodding to him as they exit the sickbay “Well yea, it was the first time being crawled and stabbed by a murder’s machine that wanted to eat off my flesh to reproduce itself” Katsu made a summary of her experience “Yea that made quite the impression on me, not for you?”

D’vaid shrugged slightly “This isn’t my first time dealing with them, though I can’t say I enjoyed the experience the biggest thing was making sure you was safe. I can see why your having nightmares it was a traumatic experience. I am not sure if there is, but if I can help in anyway I would be pleasured to do so.”

“Right” Not looking at him but feeling her cheeks warm again, she felt confused “Thank you, but it shouldn’t endanger your life for another if you can’t guarantee your safety. I mean …” Katsu tried to find the words in her head while entering the turbo lift and waiting for him. “Losing you would not be good for ship morale…and me” That last part she whispered and kinda just blurted out. 

D’vaid looked at her for a moment and a wave of joy came over him, though he tried to contain it. “Well if there is one thing I have learned it’s my life is never guaranteed, nor do I expect my own safety ever to be high. I am here to help other even if that means the risk of my own life. You deserve to live a long life and if I can make sure that happens I would even if I lost mine.” He stopped for a moment “I never want to die, but I would rather see you live a long life and if I can make that happen I would!”

“But, hypothetical speaking, if you are dead because of your behavior, which is commended by Starfleet. Do you think that joy would be brought to those that care for you or…like you?” Katsu caught herself looking at him and looking away as the door closed, “Oka quarters” the computers beeps, and the lift started to move.

D’vaid looked at her “Truthfully Oka, I don’t have many people in my life. As such I think that’s why I have never really thought about it the same as most. I am just the yeoman of the ship following the orders of the CO. A majority of people on the ship don’t hugely interact with me unless they have too.”

Looking at him, she thought for a moment “We do have a lot of enlisted personnel on the lower decks I believe” Katsu muttered to herself and then continued “I mean…I am talking to you right now, no?” She was not proving her point well “I mean, I am talking to you without having a reason to talk to you, or the reason to talk to you is that you wanted to escort me” Katsu blinked a few times getting confused herself. 

D’vaid smiled “I enjoy talking to you.” He said very bluntly.

“Right” She looked confused and just nodded as the door opened “Yea our …I mean my stop, the room is right around the corner” Katsu spoke “Thank you for, your help”  She spoke walking out of the turbolift and turned around “I hope we can have more of these …talks”

D’vaid nodded “Your welcome, have a good night! If you need me for…anything just call me. I hope we can as well.” He said as he watched her disappear into her room. He smiled it seemed somethings were finally going his way.

Streth’s unblinking eyes were laser focused on the away team’s status readings. Jones and Vogler stood by, a feeling of helplessness draining the colour from their skin. All three life signs on the screen displayed elevated heart rates. Adrenaline and cortisol blood concentrations spiked high, too. A red blinking flash. The name in the top corner of the LCARS lit up as if to shine a spotlight on Streth’s worst fears. 

OKA, Katsu – ENS. CONDITION CRITICAL.

“Too many damn spiders,” Streth muttered, “Ensign Jackson, standby for beam out. Have we got a clear transporter lock?”

Jackson checked the transporter lock. “Lock is fading in and out sir. Trying to stabilize it.” Alton continued to work on the transporter lock.

Ambient particle energy sensors recorded more surges as the Valkyrie’s Type-IX phasers cut another swathe through the growing swarm of seething metal. On the bridge’s main viewer, the phased energy pulses spat from the dreadnought’s ripped-open cargo bay as it fired from the hulking Breen warship itself. 

Streth’s jaw clenched, “Vogler, what’s the tactical-”

“Does ‘rode the 600’ mean anything?” Astrid said ghost white.  Determination crossing her face, “Captain, send us in.  We’re expendable, not half your senior staff.”

“No. They’ll get it done,” Streth said.

“Joran to Altai, get them out of here NOW! CORE IS PRIMED, I cannot risk them disarming it,” Tel’s distorted voice rang out.

Astrid slammed a fist onto the console trying to widen the confinement beam to destroy as many bugs as possible.  It wasn’t enough. “The away team is being overwhelmed!  We have to get them out of there!”

“Now, Jackson! Get Maec and Oka back,” Streth gave the word.

Maec listened to the comms and shook his head. Oka getting back was important, but he could not let one of the crew die. He opened comms directly to the Captain “Sir, do not beam me out I am going to go and cover Joran while he preps the core for detonation.” Maec watched as Oka’s pained face disappeared before him before he made sure his gun was set before starting to furiously fire at the huge number of enemies coming towards him.

Hearing what Maec said to the captain, Jackson turned to the captain to get orders. His hand hovered over the transporter button. “Captain?”

Streth’s mind raced. He feared for Maec. As more and more signals populated the display, thoughts of Cratek Pass flashed by. Their tactical training had been limited at best, but they’d got the job done. They’d done it because it was their duty, because there was no one else, and above all they’d done it for their friends. 

“Beam back Oka only,” Streth said, “come on Maec, take care of Tel,” he added quietly.

“Aye sir.” Jackson activated the transporter and brought Oka back to the Altari. 

==Hangar Bay, Breen Dreadnought== 

With Oka beamed away, the spiders scurried and darted erratically, refocusing themselves. It was as if the hangar bay deck was alive with the heaving, sprawling mass of artificial insectoids. They moved in a swarm now. From behind, out of the shadows came lumbering six Breen corpses, a spider clamped to each of their heads. Reanimated neurons firing erratically, they lurched forward towards the Valkyrie .

Joran looked around at the spiders and reanimated zombies as the spiders dropped down and threw themselves at the Valkyrie and caused the shield to flare. A warming flashed before him.

– Shield Strength at 56% – 

“Damit,” he said through gritted teeth as he pulled the trigger a couple more times and sent blasts of energy forth killing scores of the robotic creepy crawlers. “Tel to Atlai, did you get them out?! Shields are failing…”

– Shield Strength at 32% – 

“…I need to detonate! Are they clear?!” he said alarms began to sound in the cockpit notifying him of low shields and multiple impacts. He looked around and smiled sadly, ‘Always figured I would eventually die in one of these…’ he thought before a small panel off to his right caught his eye.

Maec climbed the shuttle and opened the door “Activate the detonation sequence and get the hell out of there.” He said as he lended the man a hand to get out of the shuttle. As they got out of the shuttle they were absolutely surrounded and Maec began firing on the enemies just to make a path to the hanger bay entrance. He knew time was of the essence and pulled out his pistol shooting it and the rifle with precision as he cleared the path to the hanger bay entrance the darkness of space looming. He looked at Joran “If this is goodbye it was nice meeting you.” He said as he jumped from the dreadnought.

As he jumped he saw Joran follow and just in the nick of time as the dreadnought exploded through the cascade of the shuttle core. The shockwave knocked him unconscious his last thought was wondering if he was to die in the darkness of space. 

Joran launched himself through the gaping hole in the shuttle bay and turned just in time to see his Valkyrie one final time before his vision went white and then black.

A tongue of flame leapt from the dreadnought’s hangar bay doors. Eruptions rippled out, as if the green-plated Breen hull were a still pond into which had been thrown a pebble. Fire shot across the ship’s spine, and the ripples intensified into giant waves. Giant structural pinions tore from their roots, colliding with each other as more explosions disfigured the mighty vessel beyond recognition. Deftly piloted, the Altai swooped by in a low arc, sensors frantically searching for the tiny fighter containing Tel and Maec. The Steamrunner-class cruiser’s dull grey refracted orange as the huge ship above sank further into the all consuming pit of combustion. A final crippling shower of molten metal, and the beast was no more. Scattered to the wind like a million brightly glowing celestial spores.

==Bridge==

Jackson kept watching the sensors, watching for Maec and Joran to leave the Dreadnought via the shuttle. When the Dreadnought exploded, he detected two humanoid lifesigns, adrift in space. Jackson locked the transporters on them, and beamed them back to the ship, depositing them in sickbay.

“Sickbay to bridge,”  Randall’s voice announced over the intercom, “We have them and they are alive.  They appear to be in stable condition,  but I’ll keep you posted.”

Jackson turned to the captain. “Captain……the away team….their in sickbay. Sickbay reports that they are in stable condition, sir.”

“Helm,” Streth called, “get us clear of the shockwave and back to 1-SZ. Full impulse.”

“Aye captain.” He pressed a couple of buttons. “Course and speed laid in. Engaging impulse engines.”

Astrid let out a sigh of relief.  She shook her head, “That was more stressful than being in the middle of it all. Let’s not do it again.”

Streth exhaled too, “I couldn’t agree more, Ensign.” 

Joran wandered the halls of the USS Altai without much direction. He had been cleared by medical not long before and was told where he could find his new quarters so he could get some rest.

Given that he had spent most of his time over the last few days either in sickbay or in cryosleep Joran could not help but feel a pressing weight on his, he was exhausted but the last thing he wanted was to sleep. He knew thoughts of the odd dream when he was in cryosleep and images of those spiders would keep him awake. 

He wandered past several crewmembers; officers and crew alike, thought none stopped him but he did get a few odd looks which he took as, ‘Hey, who is that guy? Wait he is the pilot, the one found in cryo that the hazard team got ripped apart to save…’ or so he figured.

As he walked he slowly rubbed his neck, though cleared from medical being that close to a warp core detonation left every muscle feeling sore. Thinking back on it he was not sure how the hell they had even survived; there shouldn’t have been anything left of them but atoms. He looked up and snorted, even on a new ship he ended up in front of his quarters. Not overly surprised given the amount of time he had spent on board starships he unlocked the door and stepped into the bare quarters. He stepped into the room as the door slid shut behind him, leaving him in darkness.

“Computer, lights,” he said softly. He surveyed the room around him. The room was what he would have expected, a small sitting area with a replicator, a desk and a small bedroom with a washroom. “Not bad, bets sharing a room with multiple crewmembers, definitely done miss those days,” he mused to himself.

He wanted to sleep and the bed looked appealing but he thought he should check in with what he had missed. He stepped up to the replicator as he needed something to keep him going for a bit. “Coffee, Black, Hot,” he said and the drink materialized before him. He reach down and picked it up and let the warmth of the cup heat his hands before sitting down at the desk and opening up the console and scrolling through his messages.

As he scrolled through the list he sighed as he saw several messages from his parents and friends though there was nothing urgent about them then he saw the one he knew was going to be there; from his replacement on the Radiant Storm and the sometimes fling, Jessica Holmes. 

URGENT: WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU, IT WAS A THREE-DAY TRIP!

He tapped on it and there was no message just the title in all capitals and bolded. “Not sure I have the energy right now to deal with that,” he said aloud as he leaned back and sighed before tapping rely.

“Hey Jessica, sorry for the delay, there were some unexpected events that kept me busy until just now. Cannot go into it at the moment as we are still working through it but I will keep you updated. I am ok, so no need to worry though the old bird is now more; not sure if the fleet will be willing to give me another now. I will speak to you soon.”

He hit send and took a long drink of his coffee before looking at the bare shelves and walls. “What am I going to do now? All my stuff went up with the core detonation….well that is a problem for tomorrow.”

Station Commander’s log, Stardate 777136.9. I must honestly say, I’m still getting used to it. Command of this station was not something I ever expected, nor did I anticipate the increased importance of this mission to Starfleet. It’s clear, however, that there’s more going on out here than anyone anticipated. I was never much of a careerist. Always thought I might leave Starfleet one day, head back to the Indarax tundra and the grub root farms. Well, that day’s going to have to wait. As of today, the station has been designated by Starfleet as an area of high importance. Command has also reviewed the Altai’s operational reports, recommending promotions for all those involved in our recent mission to recon and eliminate a Breen Dreadnought taken over by machines of unknown origin. It’s my great pleasure to be distributing these promotions today. End log.

Streth punched an LCARS tab, committing the log to station records. He eyed the black velveted boxes that sat in a row beside the desk monitor. A glossy bevel traced along the centre of each in the shape of a Starfleet arrowhead. The door chime rang.

“Enter,” Streth said, then stood. His blue hand reached out for the box closest to him. He flipped the lid, smiling as the Science Officer stepped into the room. A single, hollow pip nestled in a black cushion, “Ensign Oka, how are you?” 

Many things were crossing her mind, Katsu at first didn’t know how to answer as she automatically came to a halt before her Captain’s desk “I ….am recovering from my latest” She paused for a second, and it was rather a discomfort for her to talk about it “Experience that I gained on that ship sir”

Streth drew back a little. All the bravado and pomp of the occasion suddenly extinguished as he looked into the eyes of someone who’d seen more than she should, “Ensign Oka… Katsu, I uh, want to congratulate you. What you did over there was one of the most selfless acts I’ve ever witnessed. You demonstrated the work of Starfleet at its finest, as difficult as that might have been. I have something to present to you, if you’re still willing to continue your assignment out here, that is?”

Seeing him struggle with her name made her smile briefly: “Oka is my surname, but the tradition of my people makes it so that my first name is second. Kinda like the Bajorans so Katsu is my call name, sir” She listens to what her Captain had to say “I am glad to hear that I did my service well” Katsu struggles a bit. “But I could have done more, calculated the situation better, and maybe given us more time. So I honestly didn’t expect something rather than you wish for me to be transferred as I failed my duties to keep the away team safe” She felt her eyes watery and tried to keep it together. 

“Absolutely not,” Streth was surprised at Katsu’s humility in the face of everything she’d done, “quite the opposite, in fact. You contributed to the success of the mission, showing extreme bravery,” he tried to catch her eye as she looked away, “Katsu, it’s my honour to present you with this,” he offered her the box. It face her, the pip’s machined metal shone a dull glint in the soft lighting of the office, “Congratulations, Lieutenant.”

Looking at the metal pip, she looked surprised it. “Excuse me…” She suddenly spoke, surprised about it, “I….what” It took a few seconds to realize what just been offered to her. “Thank you, sir. I am honored that you think highly of me” Katsu didn’t know how to react to it but accepted it nonetheless. 

“You’ll wear it well,” Streth said, beaming, ”I should also inform you that our Chief Science Officer Lieutenant Lisald has departed for Bajor,” somewhat unsure of Katsu’s reaction, he leaned back against the desk. He laid a hand out flat in front of him in offering, “I’m currently in need of a Chief Science Officer. We aren’t exactly awash with candidates at the moment, and I know you can think on your feet. Would you accept the post?”

“But sir, I am just an Ens…” Katsu still had to process the whole promotion and nodded slowly, “I mean…I am a fresh-ranked Lieutenant, sir. I don’t know if I qualify for your needs as Chief Science Officer. While I am pretty honored again that you wish to consider me” She was a bit troubled about the whole ordeal going quite quick “I guess could do it, if I wouldn’t fail your requirements”

“Good! You’re it,” Streth said, confidence swelling in his voice, “I’m not sure if Lieutenant Lisald had time to prep the department before he left. Better go and make yourself known.”

Nodding towards her Captain “I will, thank you again for all the trust you are placing in me” Katsu spoke and bowed slightly in her culture, a sign of respect. “If you excuse me, sir” She walked out of the office with renewed courage and obligations. 

Streth beamed to himself. The day was going well. Days like this didn’t come by often, and he was damned if he wasn’t going to enjoy one when it did. This next meeting was a slightly different matter, however. He held the black box in his hand, as he had for Katsu earlier. 

“Ensign Maec, please report to the Station Commander’s Office,” he announced.

D’vaid had been recuperating from the time in space after his decision to help all of his crew escape the Dreadnought. He had just gotten back to duty for his first rotation when he heard the Commanders request. He had been going through the request for the station but saved his progress and replied “On my way, Sir.” He replied.

The door chimed, Streth gave the signal, but instead of a Romulan it was the tall form of the freshly minted Lieutenant Commander Jones that was next to appear.

“Mr. Jones,” Streth drew himself up to his full height in mock-seriousness, “as you’re no doubt very aware from the station rumour mill, Starfleet has seen fit to recognise all those involved in our recent mission,” the Andorian paused, barely containing his smile. 

Jones smirked at the look on Streth’s face. “You’re going to pop a vein if you keep doing that.” He told him. “And yes, I’ve heard those rumors. I also hear that Mr. Beck will be leaving us.”

Streth’s smile diminished, “Ah yes, Mr. Beck. It’s a shame to see him go…” his voice trailed off wistfully, “Still, he’ll be a credit to his next command. Anything in the rumour mill about where that might be?” Streth assumed the ex-intelligence officer would certainly know this particular detail.

Jones patted Streth’s shoulder when he saw that smile disappear from his face to reassure him. “I’m certain we will get another fine engineer in his place.” Jone said as he went over to the replicator. “Computer, Jones One.” Was a pre-programmed order for a hot black coffee, strong and sweet, that materialized in a mug, steam flowing out from the top. Jones picked up his cup of coffee before he turned to face Streth. “From what his transfer orders say, he’s was plucked by Captain Henry Maxwell to be chief engineer of the USS Verity. I believe that is Task Force 93’s flagship.” Jones answered the question before taking a small sip of his coffee.

D’vaid made it to the Commander’s office and saw the door was sealed. He paused for a moment before activating the chime to see if he could enter.  

“Enter,” Streth’s voice signaled a busy day in his office, “Mr. Maec, right on time!” CO and XO both stood facing the Romulan, “How are you after that impromptu spacewalk?”

D’vaid chuckled uneasy “Let’s just say I don’t want to do that again anytime soon, Sir. It wasn’t the most pleasant experience.” He concluded looking and Jones and nodded as was his customary greeting.

Jones smirked. “Sounds about right.” Right before he took another sip and then placed the mug down on Streth’s desk. “There’s at least a few good things that Mr. Beck will leave behind for us. One, the holographic matrix that hides our base from the Breen or anyone else who decides to poke around our neighborhood. And two, the DOT that helped install that matrix. So if it ever needs repairs, we got a specialist who can take care of that. As well as other things that the DOT will be useful for.” Jones explained to Streth.

“Good things to have.” Streth said, a wistfulness rising in his tone, “Verity‘s a fine ship. They’re lucky to have him, but at least we’ve got his stuff. Now, I believe we have more pressing business to attend,” he looked Maec up and down, “Ensign Maec, after your recent display of extreme bravery in the face of overwhelming odds, Commander Jones and I have decided that the Yeomanry might not be the best fit for an officer of your calibre.”

D’vaid couldn’t help but to raise an eyebrow at the statement “What do you mean, Sir?”

Jones held back a grin. “It means that you are out of uniform, Ensign! Now stand at attention while you are being addressed by your commanding officer!” Jones rose his voice briefly. Then he turned around completely so his back was to Maec, so the man couldn’t see his grin that he showed to Streth.

Maec was confused because he was already standing at attention. His look must have caught the Commanders eye because Streth smirked slightly at him. HE stood there waiting and trying to understand what was happening.

Streth approached, holding out the small black box in what he realised had now become something of a routine, “Mr. Maec,” his eyes gleamed, “I hereby promote you to the rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade.” He leaned in to pin a single, hollow pip to the Romulan’s black collar. Stepping back, Streth looked with pride at his officer, “I should also inform you that, given all that’s happened, Command has decided we’re in need of a Strategic Operations Department. You’ve shown some excellent initiative, and you’re familiar with the area now, so I personally recommended you for the job.”

D’vaid’s eyes grew wide, but he tried to contain the excitement, though he didn’t expect the change he was excited for it. “Thank you, Sir! I will do my best to not disappoint and to do the same ethic I did as your yeoman.” He pulled a bag out of his normal carrying case “I think this warrants a celebration.” He pulled out three pepperoni rolls.

“I have to say,” Streth’s eyes gleamed upon sighting the rolls, “I hope you’re starting your department head role as you mean to go on,” he reached towards one of the delicious Earth treats. 

Jones didn’t hold back his smile anymore as he had turned to face the Ensign; now Junior Lieutenant, when Streth gave him that hollowed pip. Jones held out his hand towards Maec. “Congratulations, Lieutenant. You earned it.”

D’vaid nodded and accepted the hand with a smile on his face. “Thank you, Sir!”

Interspersed between bready bites the three officers, all now senior, discussed the ongoing metamorphosis of Outpost 1-SZ. Mere months ago, it had been an undisturbed backwater. Now, it had caught the attentions of more than one set of prying eyes. Unbeknownst to the room’s occupants, as pepperoni roll crumbs fell to the floor, a pair of these eyes looked on with unblinking interest. 

Alton walked into the mess to get some dinner. His dinner was a steak salad, boiled potatoes and an iced green tea. When his tray was filled, he looked around for a table to sit at, but, sadly, the mess was filled tonight. He looked around for an empty seat…and saw on. So, he walked over and asked the LtJG, “Is this seat taken?”

A slight jump came from Katsu as she looked at her side seeing Alton “Oh….well it is free” She felt still that social awkwardness but tried her best as she shoves a few PADDs aside.

Alton noticed the slight jump she made when he spoke, he put it down as surprise, since he basically did just sneak up on her. “Thank you.” He pulled out the chair, placed his tray on the table, then sat. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Alton Jackson.”

“Uhmm Oka Katsu, my first name is Katsu….old tradition of my people on Earth” Katsu tried to explain to avoid confusing moment “You are new right?” She took a sip of her drink. 

“Basically, yes, I am new. I arrived about 2 weeks ago. I’m the Operations officer.” He took a sip of his drink. “An Earther, eh? I was born on a starship, the USS Gotham.”

Nodding to him “Yea, born and raised on Earth. Born on a ship, what is that life like?” Katsu tried to keep herself into the conversation. Her introvert character is screaming to run for her life and get back into the lab. 

“Life on a ship. It’s very regimented, you’re told where you can and can’t go, unescorted. You know most of the crew, and they know who your parents are, so if you step out of line, the roof falls on your head. But….it was an interesting experience, something that prepared me for the Academy.” She seemed nervous, like she thought I was going to attack her, so he kept his voice soft, so as to not scare her. “What do your parents do on Earth?”

Taking a bite of her snack as she tried to not feel so uncomfortable. Katsu looked at him “Sounds like life on a planet really, being strict and such runs in my culture” Katsu thinks a second remembering the discipline training she had to endure over time “My parents?” She took another bite “They are active shrine keepers. An old tradition in my culture that was restored over time. My mother teaches at an elementary school”

“Two very honorable professions. You must be very proud of them.” Alton asked. “To be a shrine keeper, that must be very hard thing to do. I think I would like to visit this shrine, the next time I am on Earth. Do you think I would be allowed?”

Nodding to him, “Yes, the old tradition would decline that, but the culture opened up more overtime. So you can visit it without a problem” Katsu pointed out, “What about your parents, what do they do?” The whole socializing concept was new to her, that was for sure.

“When I was five, my parents transferred to the USS Kennedy, where my father was promoted to captain and assumed command. My mother was promoted to lieutenant commander and she’s the ships chief medical officer.” Alton took a sip of his drink. “I just had a letter from them, and everything is fine. My mother hinted that I could transfer there, and my father would make me the Chief Operations Officer, with a rank of lieutenant commander.” He smiled at her.

“Sounds like a step-up, but also sounds like….privilege” Katsu shrugs a bit. “If I offended you, I am sorry for that” She didn’t like the idea of people getting a step-up just because they were in a favorable position. On the other side, why would one want to work with their parents? Is it not the entire idea to leave the bird’s nest to develop yourself further? Katsu was a bit struggling with the idea. 

“No offense taken. I do have the requirements for the position, and as far as the rank is concerned, promotions can be made by the senior staff to promote crewmembers on their staff.” He finished his salad and moved the plate to the side.

Taking another bite of her food, she nodded. “What requirements do you have,” Katsu asked curiously.

Alton looked at her…curious question that she asked. “I’ve took advanced science and engineering courses at the Academy, if needed, I can assist in main engineering during a crisis, and I can a science officer is needed, I can assist there as well.”

Thinking for a moment, “But is that a requirement to get promoted to Lieutenant Commander?” Katsu looked at him, “Think about it if you are doing it to get promoted. The calculated outcome might be that you get rejected, as they would rather take someone interested in Engineering and Science. I come for science and don’t desire to be in a different department. So it would be weird if I would expand my knowledge in an area I am not good in” She noticed that she was rambling on, “Sorry….though train”.

“No need to apologize, I understand.” He sipped his drink. “Operations officer entails a wide variety of specialties that other departments have. I can be an ops officer one day, helm when needed in an emergency, science officer another, or an engineer, so our training is more intensive and demanding.” He smiled at her. “And I enjoy the challenge.”

Giving a nod to him “So you rather be the on the fly officer then stick your passion to one career path?” Katsu asked wondering why he wouldn’t pin it down. 

Jackson started to laugh. “The more a person does, shows that he or she, is a valuable asset to whatever ship they’re on. I can do more than one thing ever well, which can go a long way towards being promoted. I probably wouldn’t be a very good science officer compared to you. You have the experience, but, and it’s a big but, if you’re not available for a mission or in an emergency on the bridge, then someone would be needed to take over the position.” He leaned forward in his seat. “I have some knowledge about handling the science station, nowhere as much as you do…..but if needed, I can fill in in a pinch.”

“But is that not the excitement of the job? To do something solid and be a specialist. We got enough science officers to pitch in if I am not around” Katsu pointed out taking a last bite of her lunch. 

“Again, it was part of my training. I am not trying to have the entire science department put out of a job.” Jackson responded.

Giving him a soft nod “Well if it brings you excitement to be a ….spider on the web to all kinds of functions around the ship. Then that is good for you” Katsu smiled. 

“Thank you. I hope we’re able to have more conversations like this one.” Jackson nodded.

Alton was passing sickbay, when he decided to drop in see if Alison was on duty, so he walked into sickbay and looked around.

“Alton, what are you doing here?” Alison asked looking up from her work.

Alton walked over and sat in one off her desk chairs. “Haven’t heard from you in a couple of days. I was hoping that our second date was still going to happen.”

“I have been busy,” she replied.  She looked over at Alton and sighed, “I had a nice night, and you were a complete gentleman which is more than I can ask.”

“I tried to keep my true feelings and urges to myself.” He moved closer to her. “So….second date?”

She hesitated,  “I don’t know Alton.  I really don’t.  I’m really not in a position for something serious,  and I don’t do flings.”

Alton was surprised. “I never said anything about a fling. I was looking for a serious relationship, but if you’re not interested, I’ll leave you alone.” He turned and left sickbay.

“Alton!” She sighed as he walked out ignoring her plea.  She wasn’t looking for anything. Her life right now was anything but stable, and any commitment just wasn’t possible at this moment. She frowned standing at the closed doors feeling terrible.

Alton headed to the holodeck to burn off some anger. He entered the holodeck and programmed the computer for a complex series of exercises meant to test his abilities.

Lieutenant Astrid Vogler had entered the holodeck with the intention of giving this person a piece of her mind.  She had reserved this time two weeks ago and he or she had already wasted fifteen minutes of it.

Seeing Alton she paused, and blinked.  “By the looks of things you need this recreational diversion more than me.”

Alton turned and looked at her. “I’ll go and let you have your appointment.” He headed towards the doors.

“Hold up,” Astrid announced. “Computer do you have a record of the 602 Club?”

“Affirmative.”

“Please load.”

The computer beeped and the surroundings morphed into a sports pub. The bar was a hum of activity with dozens of officers wearing early Starfleet uniforms. She sat downbat a nearby table and motioned for Alton to do the same. “Rather than bashing your brains out why don’t you tell me what’s going on.”

“Computer, pause program.” The program paused. He remained standing. “I don’t have time for this. I have bridge duty in 30 minutes and I need to get to sickbay, I may have pulled a muscle or two. Anyway, you made your decisions, so let’s keep them there. Computer, door.” The door to the hologram opened and he made his way there.

Well, I tried,  Astrid thought as he walked out.  As he did Michelle Ortiz was entering her eyes wide in surprise with the near collision. The two did that awkward dance to get around each other for second as he pushed past her.

Michelle looked over her shoulder at the departing operations officer,  “What’s that all about?”

Astrid simply shrugged,  “Who knows?  Something is bothering him.  He ran out of here muttering something about sickbay and his duty shift like he had the devil poking him with his pitch fork.”

Michelle laughed at that description,  “Well, shall we?”

“Yes, yes of course,” Astrid said putting Alton out of her mind.

Sickbay… 

Alton entered sickbay and was seen by one of the staff members.

Doctor Randall approached as one of the nurses was looking over Alton. Giving him a critical eye he crossed his arms,  “And what seems to be the issue today?”

“I pulled a few muscles while working out in the holodeck, sir.”

He cocked his head at Alton, “A few muscles?  Usually one stops at pulling the first muscle.”

“I never stop if I have a minor pain, doctor.” Alton looked at me. “Just fix me up, doc. Just give me a shot of brandy for the pain.” He was in pain…..two types of pain….his pulled muscles and his heart.

“Well two things.  I ain’t your daddy, but next time when you hurt yourself stop. In fact don’t push it to physical injury okay?  And lastly, I am adoctor not a bartender and I advise against drinking to take away your pain.”

He picked up a tricorder,  scanned Alton grunted, and snapped the device shut.  Turning to a cart he rummaged around in it before producing a small bottle of pills, and handed it to Alton.  “Nothing major, and nothing a day or two of rest won’t heal. Take one tablet as needed for the pain, and next time go easy, or perhaps whatever is troubling you… find a more constructive outlet. I don’t believe this solved your problem?”

Jackson took the bottle. “Thought I found someone to spend my life with. Boy, was I wrong.” 

“Well, I’m not Cupid either,  but it stands to reason you haven’t been on board long enough for that sort of declaration. Rejection is hard, but injuring yourself isn’t terribly productive.”

“Don’t worry, doc, I’m done chasing women. I’ll limit myself to a less serious exercise routine in the future, if that’s okay with you.”

He nodded, “Sounds like a plan. But if I were you, I would just keep an open mind.  Relationships have a strange way of developing.  You can’t force them.  All you can do is foster and nourish.   Sometimes it will wilt on the vine no matter what you do, but that is life.”

“I’m going to concentrate on my duties, my career and my health. No more booze, no more women…just duty.” 

Randall grunted, “As a doctor I can fully endorse the laying off of the booze. As far as women…  Well, I have had my own share of problems with the fairer sex as well and can certainly understand that impulse.   But, only duty can be a bit lonely, which can and often does lead to depression and sometimes anxiety.   Of which I cannot endorse; for the sake of your health of course.  But, this is a free society so you do what you need to do.”

“Well doc, I guess exercising isn’t the only thing that the holodeck is good for. The Ferengi have many ‘adult’ programs for holodecks. That might be the best thing for me.” nodded Jackson.

“I’ll be here to patch you up afterwards,” Randall said with a smirk. “I hear the Klingon ones can be quite intense.  And of course the infamous ‘Vulcan Love Slave’, has sent more than one officer to sickbay.”

“Now you’ve piqued my curiosity, doctor. I might have to order that one. I just hope that these holoprograms don’t turn me into a sex maniac.” He started laughing and laughed until his ribs hurt. 

“That I can’t help you with,   but I’m sure there is a psychologist you could talk to. Now, if there is nothing else, you are cleared for duty.”

Alton hopped of the biobed. “Thanks doc.” then turned and headed back to the doors. He was heading back to his quarters, where a warm shower awaited cause, he had duty in 45 minutes.