CHAPTER SIX

 I

 The bridge that morning was strangely quiet.

No one seemed to speak as the view screen showed the Maverick smooth approach to Deep Space Five. There were moments when not even speech was enough to adequately express a situation accurately. As Captain Chris Larabee stared at the sight of space station looming closer in the screen, he told felt strangely devoid of words.

Deep Space Five still remained where it was. A former Lysian space station that had been donated by the Lysian home world upon its induction into the Federation. It was a graceful station, with smooth outer plates and fluid motion that made it look like a catherine wheel trapped in space. Approaching ships were treated to a breath taking sight as the station moved forward like an endless wheel caught in one point of space, while inside, its inhabitants were unaware that it moved at all. There were other ships docked at Deep Space Five. At the moment, Chris could understand with utter certainty what every captain must have felt a their first sight of the station.

Shock.

He was prepared for the worst but not even the worst could adequately describe for the true extent of the disaster that had struck not only Deep Space 5 but the Lysian home world. All that remained of the planet was a barren wasteland. The world in the distance was still visible to the naked eye. Chris had remembered that it was once a place of high, majestic mountains, running across the length and breadth of its surface. They were the harshest mountain ranges in the quadrant and a popular place for would be adventurers to vacation. The mountains had birthed strong rivers that had carved their flow through rock over millions of years and given birth to all of Lysia’s life forms.

No more.

Now, Lysia’s rich amber colour had been replaced by a lifeless yellow hue, indicative of worlds that had been stripped of every living thing. No one had to visit the world to know everything of value was gone. The Borg invaders of six months ago had carved their way through the heart of Federation space and this had been their first contact with Starfleet and the people it was charged to protect. He did not need Alex or Buck to run sensor sweeps over Lysia because they all knew it was gone. The Borg had stripped the world of its inhabitants and of its resources after its long journey from the Delta Quadrant. They had not required its cube to be fully manned because it had always anticipated filling its ranks with the unfortunates it would encounter in space.

Most of the beings who had been taken from Lysia had died at the battle over Earth. Their bodies and minds twisted into monstrous mixtures of nanoprobes and machinery.

Deep Space 5 fared marginally better. Most of Starfleet personnel had managed to escape with the hundreds of ships that were hastily used to evacuate Lysia when the Borg was first sighted. Only handful of Lysian ships had reached other systems safely. Those inhabitants were all that was left of the Lysian race. Deep Space 5 had been assaulted by the Borg. Its debris forming permanent orbit around the ruined station. The outpost had remained abandoned for several months until recently, when the Federation’s repair efforts had finally reached its outer colonies.

The station no longer spun. It stayed in space before them motionless. Pylons were missing and some sections of it its docking rings were charred and still bore the signs of attack. The damage was bad but not as terrible as the number of casualties forced to remain behind when there were no more ships left. They were now all Borg. They too had died in the skies above Earth.

"Deep Space 5 is hailing us." Ezra announced, shattering the silence of the moment. "Captain Krista on stand by."


"On screen." Chris said softly.

The view screen flickered momentarily before the face of Captain Krista appeared on the screen. Krista was an Illidarian with luminescent blue skin and eyes that seemed like diamonds with a thousand facets. She had no hair to speak of but bore ornate swirls of colour on her scalp which were indicative of caste in Illidaria. He recognised Krisa’s markings as being of the Alkaris caste, one of the higher rankis on the planet.

"Greetings Captain Larabee." Krista smiled. Her face pulled back into a smile.

"Likewise Captain Krista." He answered.

"How fares the Maverick on her maiden voyage?"

"So far so good." Chris remarked casting a brief glance over the bridge at his crew. "We’ve encountered no surprises yet. We have a great deal of equipment for you from Earth. I see by the looks of things that you really need it."

At that, her expression soured into a slight grimace. "As you can see, there are many things Deep Space 5 is severely in need of. The situation on Lysia is quite grim. We have been scouring the planet for some weeks now. We’ve found survivors. I would appreciate it if we could lend the assistance of your medical staff for the duration of your stay."

"Of course." He replied automatically. "I was under the impression that the Borg had not left any survivors."

"So were we." Krista answered. "Shortly after we returned to DS5, our scanners detected faint life readings underneath the surface of the planet. It appeared that some of the population had gone to ground and hidden in the mining tunnels below the surface. As near as I can tell, the Borg moved on after their initial attack. Obviously they had bigger fish to fry rather than waste their resources on a few hundred Lysians. Our sick bay is stretched to the limit and we’ve got a medical ship on route here but until then..."

"Say no more." Chris remarked with a wave of his hand. "I’ll inform my chief medical officer to get a team ready to beam to the station within the hour."

"Thank you Captain Larabee." Krista offered him a grateful nod of acknowledgement. "In the meantime, please accept the station’s hospitality. I admit that not all facilities are not up and running yet but it would make an interesting change of scenery for your crew. Not to mention I would be a poor host if I did not offer dinner to the newest Captain on the fleet. If you and your first officer would join me, I would be honoured."

Chris hid the fact that he hated being reminded that he was the newest Captain in Starfleet but he was going to just have to get use to it when he was among his peers. "Thank you Captain," he answered graciously. "Commander Wilmington and I would be delighted."

"Excellent." Krista smiled. "I will turn you over to my operations staff and get the docking procedure under way."

At that, the transmission was cut and a new face appeared. While Buck liased with DS5 operations officers, Chris slid into deep thought. Perhaps it was the way that Captain Krista had spoken but Chris suddenly became filled with the notion that DS5’s captain had more on her mind that she was indicating. While an invitation to dinner was hardly indicative of anything covert, Chris had noticed the shade of her skin deepening when she made the invitation.

"Buck," Chris called out to his first officer minutes later.

"Yeah Chris." Buck met his gaze after going through the formalities of the docking procedure. Vin and JD were capable of taking things from here now that protocol had been established and instructions were given. The ship was sailing forward at a snail’s pace as it made its final approach to one of DS5’s docking rings.

"Did you get the impression that Captain Krista had more on her mind than just dinner?"

"I didn’t notice but then Illidarian women aren’t my speciality." He said with a grin of mischief.

Those who were close enough to hear, being JD and Ezra let out a slight snigger of laughter which Chris joined in long enough to give his old friend a look. "I hear neither are science officers." He could not help adding since Alex was not present to take offence.


Buck stiffened in annoyance and glanced at Ezra in accusation. "You got a big mouth Commander." He looked at Ezra who hid his smirk behind a look of innocence.

"I refuse to comment on the grounds it could incriminate me." Ezra said exchanging another satisfied smirk with JD who tried to control his amusement because Buck was his superior office after all.

"I suppose everyone on this ship knows that I bombed out with Lieutenant Commander Styles." Buck asked out loud. Fortunately, the bridge did not require its full complement while docking procedures were being initiated.

"I think there is an ensign in Stellar Cartography who has not heard about it." Vin Tanner could not resist joining in the amusement taken at the first officer’s expense. If there was one thing that they had learnt since embarking on this voyage, it was that their first office did not mind joking with his junior officers, even if he was on the receiving end of the joke. Besides, for some reason, Vin did not think it was appropriate that Buck attempted to involve Alex in one of his romantic encounters. Even if Vin had no feelings on the matter, so he told himself, he just knew it was not right.

They were getting off the point even if Chris did enjoy the detour. In his opinion, Buck had over extended himself when he had attempted to date Alex Styles. "Back to Captain Krista, I meant did you think that the Captain appeared a little insistent regarding her dinner invitation?"

"I’m not sure Chris," Buck answered honestly. "I mean she looked a little tense but then with what her station has been through, it might be understandable."

"Fair enough." Chris decided. "I guess we will just have to wait until this evening."

Out here, in the fallout of Borg attack and in the face of so much destruction, Chris could swear whatever it was, Krista’s reasons for inviting them to dinner did not bode well for the Maverick.

 II

Once the captain had taken care of the formalities of docking at DS5, Chris had withdrawn to the ready room and left Buck in charge of the bridge during his absence. The mood on the bridge was sedate and decidedly lacking in the enthusiasm normally associated with the coming shore leave. Buck could understand the damp sentiments of his fellow crew mates. The tragedy of Deep Space 5 and Lysia was hard to ignore even if the danger had passed. It was difficult to forget that this place was the scene of great destruction less than six months ago. Buck’s ship was on the other side of Federation space when the Borg arrived. The Nimitz was a nebula class starship but had nonetheless made a valiant effort to reach the fighting to lend support. Unfortunately, the Nimitz returned to Earth only find the debris from dozens of destroyed starships. The victory over the Borg was hardly sweet when one was forced to remember how many had died in the battle.

He could well understand the reasoning behind Starfleet’s decision that defence perimeters had to be erected to fend off future Borg attacks. Realistically, no defence against such a ruthless adversary would ever be enough but logically, it was imperative to maintain a vigil at all times. Starfleet and the Federation were not about to tolerate the genocide of another sentient world.

Not after Lysia.

"Commander Wilmington," he heard a voice address him. Alex Styles who had returned to the bridge was eyeing him coolly as she waited for a response.

"Yes Alex?" Buck answered with a sigh, unable to ignore the cool in her voice even though she was putting on a brave attempt to keep her emotions in check. It might have succeeded had he not been aware of what transpired between them.

"I have conducted the routine sensor sweep of the sector. At the moment, other than a Bolian ship on the outer perimeter and a Paxon trading vessel on route to the station, there does not seem to be anything out of the ordinary. Both had appropriate clearances for travel in this area."


In light of Chris’ concern that Krista might be summoning them to dinner to discuss something of importance, the captain had ordered a sensor sweep of the entire region to ensure there was nothing out of the ordinary that might be reason for concern. With Ezra absent from the bridge since he was needed to help DS5’s security personnel with new enhancements to their shields, Buck had asked Alex to conduct the routine sweep.

"Very good Commander." He replied casually, not meeting her gaze.

With that, she turned on her heels and returned to her station, saying nothing further.

Vin tried not to pay attention to the slight tension that was taking place between Buck and Alex, knowing that Alex had not been offended by Buck’s attempt to make a pass at her. Although she had not discussed the subject with him during their interlude in the observation deck, Vin was starting to get enough sense of the woman to know that her personal troubles were what truly bothered her. Not the failed attempt by their first office to entice her into a romantic situation. Of course, he could be wrong. Vin had very little experience with women and by Vulcan standards he was not even mature enough. By human standards he was twenty eight but exact figures were not available because his Vulcan parents were never identified and no birth records existed to make confirmation.

At the Academy, he kept mostly to himself and the few women he did approach had been somewhat uncertain of what he was to return their affections. He had not even been with a woman yet but had to admit he was grateful of that fact because he was not prone to the urges endured by human males. Still, he could not deny that he liked looking at Alexandra Styles, If was not completely inappropriate to do so, he would probably spend his time on the bridge gawking at her if allowed the chance instead of keeping his eyes on his console and not crashing the ship into a star.

In the meantime, Buck decided that he needed to clear the air between himself and Commander Styles, even though she seemed indifferent to what had taken place and had made no gesture or remark that might indicate that she held any lasting hostility to him. Still, Buck was uncomfortable with the way things stood, especially since half the ship was now aware of it. Her station was at the far end of the bridge that he was secretly grateful for. He did not wish their conversation to be privy to everyone’s hearing.

"Commander, may I speak to you?"

She looked over her shoulder and let out a soft sigh before turning to face him. Alex could see furtive glances from the rest of the bridge crew even though Vin was the only she paid enough attention to notice. She hoped the commander was not going to make another embarrassing repeat of his performance at Four Corners again. Alex really did not have the energy for it nor did she believe it was wise because her subsequent refusal would be extremely detrimental to their working relationship.

"Yes Sir?" She asked indifferently, trying to show that his words to her the other night had not bothered her in the hopes that it might make him less comfortable about it.

"Commander Styles," Buck began clearing his throat, hating to make apologies but aware that he had to in this instance because he had been a little out of line. "I’m sorry about the other night." He said genuinely regretting the whole incident, not only because of the embarrassment to him personally but because he had read up on her personal and medical history following the capture by Cardassian forces. Until that point, he had only evaluated her service record which listed that she had been captured and held prisoner by the Cardassians, nothing more.

Alex met his gaze in surprise, expecting a discussion on her refusal and decided that she preferred this outcome infinitely more. He was not a man accustomed to saying sorry and as first officer, he was not obliged to do so either. That he had made the effort impressed Alex and she found that she did not have it in her to hold a grudge over something so trivial. Even though she voiced none of it, Buck Wilmington was very likeable and she did finding him amusing as well as possessing a healthy respect of him and the job he did even though she did not find him attractive personally..

"Apology accepted Sir,." She met his gaze and decided that she had not behaved properly herself and should not rebuke him his behaviour when she was partially responsible for what happened. "I apologise for my outburst at Four Corners. It was not my intention to embarrass you in any way. I am sorry if I have placed you in an awkward situation."

Buck was pleased that she was making it so easy for him and had to admit he had not expected this much compassion from her. He was certain that she would make him squirm but then decided she was just like any other woman in this respect. They always left you wondering what the hell happened after it was all said and done. "I’ve been in worse. I once had to put my pants on in a dark room when the husband of the lady I was with decided to come home unexpectedly with loose Andorian change in my pockets."

Alex let out a short laugh and Buck decided she did not do it nearly enough because she was utterly radiant when she smiled. However, Buck had well and truly overcome his desire to indulge in any off duty activity with the lady unless she so expressed it and Buck did not think she would. Besides, judging by the way Vin was trying not to look in this direction, the first officer had the strangest suspicion that the Vulcan might have already staked a claim on their science officer, whether or not she knew it.

"That’s sounds like an interesting story." She said trying to suppress another smile as she composed. Watching the tension dissipate was a welcome weight off her shoulders. However, as much as Alex hated to admit it, not everything he had said was entirely untrue or undeserved. "I guess maybe you hit a little close to home and I reacted badly. I’m not ready to become sociable just yet."

"I understand," Buck replied glad to see that she had not taken permanent offence at his advice and was actually giving his words some thought. It bode well for their long term working relationship as well as the possibility of a friendship that she was capable of being flexible, despite her scarred emotional state. "You should try and get out a bit. I don’t presume to tell you how you ought to spend off duty hours but sometimes it might help just to talk about it."

"I’m not ready to talk to a Counsellor about it." She said trying not to sound defensive.


"I’m not talking about a Counsellor," Buck reiterated. "I mean to a friend. You need to talk about it sometime because things like this have a way of leaving its mark on you, especially when you think you can handle it alone." In this instance at least, Buck knew precisely what he was talking about. He had endured the same process with Chris when his old friend had lost his wife and son. Chris had come so close to the edge, even now Buck was not entirely certain he had come all the way back. Even though Chris had decided to go on, Buck knew Chris had far from dealt with the grief of losing them. Something inside Chris Larabee could not let that go and it had changed him. Buck would hate to see that happen to Alexandra Styles as well.

"I’ll think on it." Alex replied, thinking she would honestly give the matter some thought. "Thank you Sir."

However as Buck watched her turn back to her console he did not think she would and thus he returned to the command chair with a sigh, knowing things would unfold as they pleased in good time. The same would happen for Lieutenant Commander Styles. The bridge was empty with most of the crew lending their assistance to DS9 with their current problems with refugees. The USS Livingstone was due to arrive soon and would provide much needed aid to the strained resources of the space station. Suddenly, the turbo doors slid open and Buck looked over to see the pretty young girl that was the Captain’s yeoman peer through the doors as if stepping on the bridge would have incinerate her on the spot. Buck could not help smiling to himself as he saw her gaze sweeping across the bridge.


Casey Well was even greener than JD if such a thing was possible. She did not have the benefit of an Academy education but was a Bajaron national who had been adopted by Admiral Wells when the lady had captained a ship during the Border Wars. Although she had taken on the admiral’s name, Casey was very much Bajoran with the usual ridge nose that seemed to enhance her appearance more than diminish it.


"You gonna just stand there Yeoman?" Buck asked.


"I’m sorry Sir," she stammered as she came forward.

If Buck had not seen for himself how adept she was in handling her duties as the Captain’s yeoman, he would have questioned what on Earth Chris was thinking when he allowed this child to take that position. She was a sweet enough kid but rather uncertain about herself. As she stepped forward, Buck noticed JD happening to glance over his shoulder at the young woman and upon doing so was unable to move his eyes away from her. Buck watched in growing amusement as JD became transfixed by the slender form of Casey Wells moving across the bridge towards the Captain’s chair.

"JD," Buck said with a perfectly straight face. "The navigation console is in front of you."

JD’s face flushed red with embarrassment and he quickly turned away but not before the young woman met his gaze and delivered to him a heart stopping smile. Buck had to bite down to contain his need to make a glib remark and wondered if anyone else was thinking the same thing he was.

[i]Hell, you could hear the violins.

"Do something for you yeoman?" Buck inquired once she had pulled her eyes away from JD who had returned his attention to the navigation console once again.

"I just brought the Captain’s weekly reports for him." She said shyly.


"He’s in his ready room." Buck answered. "I don’t think he would mind if you brought it to him, Yeoman." Buck glanced towards the direction of the captain inner sanctum.

"Thank you Sir," Casey answered gratefully and cast another glance in JD’s direction before going on her way. She disappeared into the Captain’s ready room a minute later and Buck looked over his shoulder long enough to catch the amused expression on Alex’s face as well.

"Kids." He snorted.

 CHAPTER SEVEN

 I

Nathan Jackson simply stared.

After spending the last few years in Starfleet Medical immersed in pure research, the physician had little experience with performing his skills in a combat situation. The closest he had come to such a thing was immediately after the Borg attack when he and every doctor was recruited to tend the wounded after the battle. He had seen broken bodies then in more volume than he could possibly imagine. He remembered the hollowness in his stomach as he realised that every bed was filled to capacity, that the nurses were run off their feet trying to bring comfort to so many. For days, there had been 18 hour shifts for all of them. He had gone through that period bleary eyed with the sounds of the injured and the dying echoing in his ears and hearing their pain in his mind.

None of that seemed to compare with what he was faced with now.

The medical centre of Deep Space Five was filled to capacity. Temporary beds had been set up in the station's habitat ring to cope with the influx of refugees returning home after the their hasty departure. Many had spent months on other stations and it was a sobering thing for Nathan Jackson to know that the remnants of the Lysian world were crammed inside these walls. Nathan and his medical team arrived on the station only to be engulfed in a sea of desolate faces whose injuries were deeper than just flesh.

As he moved through them, he could see the terrible aftermath left in the wake of the cybernetic army that had wrought this destruction. Nathan hardened himself to thoughts of a thousand beams of thin crimson light stabbing at him like knives. He tried to imagine what it must have been like for them, to see the ground ripped away from beneath their feet, watching friends and loved ones sapped of will and strength which was nowhere as haunting as the three words that were now etched forever in memory. Words that had been spoken devoid of emotion yet told anyone who heard it that it was a death knell marking the end of their civilization. All their history, their achievements, the songs of poets and the heart of a world was compressed into that one moment when they heard the invader speak.

[i]Resistance is futile.

Nathan had no doubt that there was likely to be more of the race scattered across the galaxy but the Lysians had always preferred to remain close to home. They clung to the station because it was all that they had left. It was all that remained of their world. He knew from what Chris had told him prior to his arrival here that there was nothing left on the surface of the planet.

Everything of value had been taken. The cities of Lysia were gone. Where there had once stood were great canyons were rips in the earth where the ground had been torn away. Lysia was a technologically adept world before the catastrophe. The Borg had flung them back to the Stone Age. It would take years for the rebuilding to be complete. As Nathan saw the tragic faces of young and old, he wondered if they could wait so long.

"Doctor Jackson?" He heard a female voice, full of stern authority and impatience beckoning him through the despairing faces around him. Her voice was almost drowned out by the sounds of the people going about their business around them.

He was grateful for the woman's voice for it helped him to refocus his mind and gain better control of his own emotions in the face of all the sorrow around. Nathan was a doctor long enough to be accustomed to all kinds of suffering but even if he could not remain indefinitely detached when the scale was destruction of this magnitude. These were all that was left of the Lysians; it was impossible not to become affected by the atrocity of genocide when faced with it like he was now. "Yes?" He faced her.

"Are you all right?" She asked.

To his embarrassment, he realised he was not the first one to react like this.

She was older than him and appeared to be this impatient looking woman with the dark gold hair and green eyes that studied him closely. Her lined face confessed much tenderness despite the tone of her voice and Nathan gathered instantly that this was a woman who felt things deeply. "I’m fine. I was on Earth when the Borg attack and this is nothing like that. I thought I’d just about reach the limits about what could turn my stomach but….."

"I understand." She replied, not requiring him to continue. "I am Doctor Pulaski. Please call me Catherine." She replied extending a hand forward.

"Please to meet you Catherine." Nathan replied warmly and took the hand in turn. "I am Doctor Nathan Jackson from the USS Maverick reporting for duty." He glanced over his shoulder at the medical crew behind him and then added. "We are at your disposal."

"That's good to know." She declared as she started towards the sick bay. "As you can see, we need all the help we can get. A medical ship is on the way but that's a few days off. For the past weeks, its just been us."

"I sympathise." Nathan said honestly. "So you are still finding survivors?"

"Here and there." Catherine answered. "Its still a mess down there. The Borg really did a number on them. I've never seen such callous disregard for life."

"The rules of engagement rarely apply to species like the Borg." He pointed out. "I take it the more serious injuries have been taken care of?"

"Yes," she replied as they entered the sick bay. Unlike his own ordered sick bay on the Maverick where everything was dust free and ordered, this place was chaotic. Everyone looked exhausted and weary. He knew most of the personnel on Deep Space 5 had not been here long. There had been so much damage done in the wake of the Borg attack in the core worlds that resources and ships had been stretched to the limit. Most of Starfleet's finest had been sent to the Neutral Zone to ensure the Cardassians and the Dominion did not attempt to attack in this vulnerable state. Although the Klingon Empire had taken up the slack left by the destruction of half the fleet, it was still not enough. The Borg had left a trail of destruction throughout Federation space and each world demanded attention. Unfortunately, that meant that allocation of adequate supplies and personnel moved at a snail's pace.

Starfleet had assumed that all was lost on Deep Space 5. Its last transmission to Earth certainly indicated that there were no survivors left on Lysia or the station. All that had been done was carried out prior to the attack. It was one of those prolific examples of bureaucracy that had allowed such time to lapse before help was rendered to the world.

Nathan glanced over his shoulder and saw that his medical team was just as affected by what was taking place around them. They were eager to plunge into this carnage and offer aid to the people around them. Nathan never felt prouder. "I've been told by the Captain that we have some supplies being transported to the cargo hold as we speak. I oversaw the requisition order myself," Nathan declared. "You should have enough supplies to last you until the Livingstone arrives."

"You could not have timed it better." Catherine responded as she motioned one of her staff to her. A weary, young Rimorian came to her. Even though his features were undistinguishable through the thick black fur on his feline face, there was enough sluggishness in his manner to indicate exhaustion. "Tasskin, this is Doctor Jackson."

The Rimorian looked up and smiled. It was hard to tell with a Rimorian but a slight bearing of his long fangs was an indication of a greeting. Nathan wondered what kind of bedside manner a Rimorian had because they were known for their aggression and cool deliberation. "I am please to make your acquaintance Sir." He remarked. His voice was nothing more than a loud hiss. Although they could speak well enough, the Rimorian larynx was not made to imitate human speech. Thank Rees for a universal translator, Nathan thought.

"My staff is at your disposal Mr Tasskin," Nathan mentioned. "Put them to work and take some time for yourself. Rimorians are not indestructible."

"Good luck." Catherine muttered.

"I can keep pace with any human." Tasskin said abruptly. "I need no special favours."

"Are all your people so stubborn?" Nathan retorted, knowing that an abrasive manner was natural to Rimorians. They gauged their peers by the ability to launch a formidable attack, be it all out physical combat or lively verbal jousting.

"I am no exception." The Rimorian answered.

"In that case, do as you will." The chief medical officer said graciously before adding with a slight smirk on his face. "If you collapse, I have some experience in treating Rimorians."

The feline thought this to be quite humorous and uttered a short laugh. It sounded more like that Rimorian was going to cough up a fur ball to Nathan, however, he did not voice that observation. "You have much rashas, Doctor Jackson. I will do as you ask."

At that, Tasskin left him and Catherine to talk while he went to allocate the Maverick medical team to where they would be needed most. Nathan watched the Rimorian leave unable to suppress a smile of bemusement. "What did he mean by rashas?" Nathan asked her when they were alone, as much as anyone could be alone in this crowded place. The word sounded like a snarl and Nathan had some trouble getting his tongue around it.

"He means you have spirit." She replied.

"Coming from a Rimorian, I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should." Catherine smiled. "Now lets get to work.."

Considering what they were faced with around them, Nathan could not disagree. They would need more than rashas to put these people back together again. If such a thing was even possible.

******

"We should have been here sooner." Chris declared after he and Buck transported to the station later that evening. As they emerged from the transporter room into the main section of the station, it was easy to see why so many supply ships were on the way to Deep Space Five at this time. It appeared that the only thing that was still relatively in one piece was the station itself.

Every thing else had been stripped by the Borg, including people.

Buck said nothing as his eyes scanned past the blast marks on the walls, no doubt a grim reminder of the hopeless battle fought here. Although the debris had been removed, the sign of violence was clear. Gapping holes remained in the walls and floors. Some blown apart while others were cut through with Borg instruments. The Borg wasted no time when they came across an obstacle. The tears in plate steel and dented hatches were stark testaments to that fact. Live conduits and wires hung randomly above their heads. Some protruded from walls, ripped away from the devices the Borg had found interesting enough to take. Shop fronts were boarded up and the restaurant area seemed more prolific by the refugees that had taken to sleep on its floor for the lack of space.

Chris felt trapped inside the station as hundreds of bodies moved past him. He knew clearly that some of these unfortunates carried their meager belongings on their back. Most had the look of destitution that went beyond home and loved ones. He wished there was more that could be done for them.

"It will take years for Lysia to be capable of supporting this population on its own." Chris declared.

"If that." Buck said grimly as they moved towards the station's Operations Centre. "After what the Borg did to the surface, they’re going to need Federation aid for at least the next two years just to reclaim the soil let alone growing enough to feed themselves."

The ground had been so traumatized by Borg weapons and its tractor beams that the soil was near infertile at this moment. Whatever vegetation that remained was dying if not already done. Starfleet experts were going to have to conduct planetary soil rejuvenation procedures if Lysia was ever going to be healed enough to start large scale agriculture again.

"The damn Borg." Buck cursed with uncharacteristic venom. "There are rules in war, rules that defines a species even in the worst circumstances. Every civilized species we have encountered over the past two hundred years have some code of honor on the battlefield. What the hell makes the Borg so different?"

"Machine logic." Chris said simply. "Our rules are don’t mean anything to them because compassion is meaningless to a computer. It exists like a virus exists, with no knowledge as to the cells it is destroying beyond the expansion of its own. They’re efficient if nothing else."

"Sorry Chris, I didn't mean to get on a soapbox." Buck exhaled loudly, unable to deny that he was affected by what he was seeing around him. "It pisses me off to see civilians like this. I know there really should not be any difference but hell in Starfleet, we expect the danger, we know the risks. These people, they just want to live."

As he saw a child clinging close to its mother as they moved past him, Chris could not deny that he did not share Buck’s sensibilities. "It makes you feel better, I feel the same way. When we were fighting them over Earth, they didn’t care about the wounded or the fact that some ships couldn’t even fight any more. They just destroyed everything because it was there and they could. There was no reason for it, there doesn’t need to be for them."

"That’s what scares me most." Buck replied.

They entered the Operations Centre of the station and directed to Captain Krista's quarters. The habitat section was on the other side of the station but fortunately Chris and Buck did not have to go through the crowd to reach it. From Operations, a friendly ensign led the two officers through the service corridors to the Captain's quarters. While the main centres of the station had nearly been wall to wall with people, the service corridors were restricted to non-Starfleet personnel so they were able to make time rapidly.

Captain Krista was already waiting when they arrived. Her quarters were the largest in the station. Through the newly repaired window of the main lounge area, they were treated to a spectacular view of Lysia and the docking ring. From the position of the dining table, they were capable of seeing not only the Maverick but also several other ships berthed at the station.

Although Krista's quarters were large, Chris noticed that most of her belongings still remained in their packing boxes. With a note of bemusement, he remembered that his quarters on the Maverick did not look much different. Even though he had been on the ship for several days now, he had barely had time to get settled in, with all the things that required doing on a ship during her maiden voyage. Compared to what he had seen since arriving on DS5, he was surprised Krista had any time to sleep let alone unpack.

She had changed from her Starfleet uniform into a loose Illidarian caftan that shimmered as she moved. It made her looked like gossamer when it rested against her vibrant blue skin. The dinner table was already set and judging from the dishes served, it was almost all vegetarian fare. However, upon sitting down to dine, Chris noticed that the taste was varied and it was difficult to imagine that some of it was not meat.

Dinner conversation had been light, confined mostly to what Chris called 'shop talk'. Krista had told them about the current Lysian situation and how the restoration of a working Lysian government and rescue efforts were going. Chris had the impression that she did not wish to mar the meal with what was really on her mind which went further along to confirm his suspicious that the subject was not going to be palatable.

"I commend your ability to program a replicator." Chris commented after they had finished the meal and was enjoying a glass of Illidarian wine.

"Thank you." She answered graciously. "Let's just say it was several days of effort that served tonight's cuisine."

"Time well spent Captain." Buck commended as well. "I’ve had Illidarian food before but the taste is a little different, I’d say almost peppery. Is that why the flavor is so unusual?"

"Yes I must confess, I did program a little white pepper. Unfortunately, despite our flare for vegetarian food, Illidarian fare can be somewhat lacking in seasoning. Therefore, I've experimented with different spices. I must admit it enhances the taste somewhat."

"You'll get no argument from me." Chris answered. "Now," he sat up brushing all pleasantries aside and moving to the matter at hand. "I get the impression that you've got something on your mind."

Krista lowered her glass and met his gaze. "You are very perceptive Chris." She stated. "You are correct of course. I thought cushioning what I had to discuss with you might make the evening past smoother."

"There was no need," he replied and then quickly added. "But then a fine meal is always welcomed."

Deciding that there was no reason to delay any longer, the Captain of DS5 began speaking. "A month ago, we had an interesting breach of station defenses."

Chris looked up sharply from his plate while Buck was quick to respond. "How so?" The first officer asked before Chris had a chance to. Chris wondered at her use of the word 'interesting'.

"Well, there was no ship anywhere in this sector." Krista continued. "And for once there were no ships currently docked at the station. It was a quiet as it gets around here. Our security team ran its usual sensor sweeps of the area and found nothing unusual. However, my chief engineer discovered that our main computer core had registered a complete download. Forty billion gigaquads of information was ripped from our computer memory without our knowledge or without any traces of how it could be done."

"My god." Chris retorted astonished. "There were absolutely no signs of any ships?"

"Whatever completed the download penetrated our shields without us knowing it. It was as if it came straight through us and took the data."

"Could it be a computer malfunction?" Buck asked. "Perhaps an error in the system registering a download. It would account for why there was no security alert."

"Our engineer has gone through the system twice already. It is certainly not a glitch." Krista replied firmly. Obviously, she had already considered the possibility and exploited it. "The data was downloaded but what we have yet to discover is how and why."

"Even the Sovereign class ships aren't capable of storing forty billion gigaquads of data." Chris pointed out. "I have no idea what kind of ship would possess that much computer memory to be able to store all that information."

"I thought the same thing." Krista agreed. "However, it had to be a ship."

"I agree." Buck nodded at the Captain. "If the system is a registering a download, then it had to have gone somewhere. Its gotta be a ship."

"True." Chris could not disagree with that statement. "We know for a fact that it could not have been a Federation ship. As of now, the Sovereign class Enterprise had the largest computer core for data storage in the fleet. We don't know much about Romulan designs but we know their warbirds don't match our galaxy class ships and lets face it, the Klingons barely allowing walking room in their bird of preys, let alone a computer core of that size. The Cardassians and Jem Haddar have never been spotted this far from the wormhole and I've seen their ships. They prefer smaller, maneuverable craft. They’re not big on data storage."

"There are no ships we are aware of that could possibly store all that information." Buck stated.

"Or for that matter, pierced through Starfleet shields and computer safeguards without so much as a whisper." Chris added.

"You see my problem." Krista said finally. "I've reported this to Starfleet command but since no harm was done, they did not consider it top priority. I almost believe they think that my engineering team has made a mistake about the download. I have not been able to get any action from them."

Chris could see where she was going with this. "You think this is someone new. Someone we haven't encountered before."

"We always thought we were prepared for what lay beyond." She gestured to the expanse of the stars beyond her window. "The Borg taught us otherwise and it is a big galaxy out there."

To that Chris could hardly disagree. Until Jean-Luc Picard's fateful meeting with the Borg, Starfleet had lived with the belief that it was capable of dealing with anything that came their way. The Borg had shocked them out of their complacency and reminded them quite bluntly that the galaxy was indeed a big place but it was not for the weak. Later upon encountering the Dominion, that notion was reinforced again to a lesser degree. The Borg had taught them to be on guard. Now, the prospect of a new, more powerful enemy was daunting. However, it was a possibility they could not afford to ignore.

The Delta Quadrant lay beyond them uncharted. If the USS Voyager ever made it home, they would have a wealth of information about that area of the galaxy. Until then, they would be forced to stumble about blindly, hoping they could cope with whatever emerged from it, as they had with the Borg.

"You're going out there, Chris." Krista continued as if she could read his thoughts at that exact moment. "Downloading our computer core from right under our noses is quite a feat in itself. We don't know why the information was needed but someone is curious about us. Keep an eye out for them."

Chris exchanged glances with Buck and knew his first officer had come to the same conclusion as Captain Krista and himself.

Something was out there in the frontier and it was watching them.

CHAPTER EIGHT

 I

Beyond Deep Space Five was uncharted space.

There were some faint traces of human life growing beyond the hub of that sector but these were far and few. This far out from the core worlds, one need not concern themselves over Romulan aggression, Dominion intrigue or Cardassian posturing. All these were on the other side of the quadrant and far removed from the minds of the captain and his crew. Following their departure from Deep Space Five, the Maverick left behind the last vestiges of the Federation and Starfleet as it travelled into deep space. After the station, there would be a few scattered colonies here and there but nothing large enough to be considered more than a way station.

It was quiet disconcerting to leave DS5 far behind them. Perhaps it knew that everything ahead was an unknown that left everyone tense. In some ways, this quadrant had been left neglected for some time. Although there was no any reason to avoid the establishment of a formidable Federation presence here, this area remained largely unexplored. Starfleet had been too busy dealing with threats close to home lately to squander the manpower or resources on such a distant place. A hundred years ago, it was different. Starfleet was accustomed to sending out ships into the great-unexplored galaxy. Then it was only Klingons and the occasional Romulan foe that one had to worry about. Nowadays, their enemies counted from the Ferengi to the Dominion. The list sometimes felt endless.

"Captains Log, Stardate 2399.1, we have left Deep Space Five and continued our journey towards the Frontier. As of yet, we have encountered nothing of the presence that breached DS5’s shields. However, I believe that any force that is capable of accomplishing that from such a distance would most likely be capable of hiding themselves from us. Nevertheless I have given the science department orders to conduct multiphasic scans of the entire area to detect anything anomalous."

Chris lowered his pad and allowed his gaze to move over the bridge. Day to day operations had fallen into a set routine as the ship and its crew was moulded into a functioning unit. Alexandra Styles was still reserved and but was still managing quite well as Chief Science Officer. According to Buck’s report, the first officer’s observations regarding her performance showed promise. In time, she would be able to come out of the seclusion she had locked herself within.

Despite her personal problems, she allowed none of her difficulties to interfere with her role as the head of the science department. Hers was an odd sort of leadership. Quiet and understated, she produced results that earned her the respect of those she worked with and by extension, acceptance of her eccentricities. Buck had also informed him that Alex and Vin Tanner were becoming friends and somehow that did not surprise Chris in the least. Their friendship made sense as far as he was concerned because the two of them were outcasts, one by birth and the other by choice. He wondered where friendship ended and something intimate began but Buck seemed to think that their relationship was platonic.

It was just as well because he was certain Vin was not old enough for that kind of relationship just yet and Chris was not looking forward to that day because there were no Vulcans to help him through such a turbulent time.

His partnership with Buck seemed to be a pairing that had Chris wishing that Wellington were here to see how well they worked together. If he had any reservations about making Buck his first officer when Chris had first thought of it, it was mostly due to fears about whether their friendship could survive the line that existed between a Captain and his Exec. However, even he had not envisioned how easy it would be to have Buck at his side because of that familiarity. Buck never openly contradicted him about anything but did often voice alternatives when in private. When there was no opportunity to take such discretion, Buck was always tactful and tried hard (Chris could tell) to not sound like a pain in the ass but rather as someone who was there to point out alternatives. Chris had a feeling that Buck had heard down the grapevine that Wellington had not approved his appointment and was trying his level best to prove that he could be an able first officer to Chris Larabee for reasons more than just friendship.

"Captain," Chris heard Ezra speak in the background. "We are receiving an automated signal from Colony 1."

"Automated?" Chris swung in his chair and looked up at his Security Officer.

Judging from the way his fingers were moving across the panel before him, Chris decided it was an unnecessary request. It was no wonder the man was so good at the card table, his fingers moved like they belonged to a twelve fingered Corsovian. Ezra was already placing the signal under deep investigation. His well-chiselled features deepened with a frown when the console flashed the answers he had put to it. "It is a remote satellite distress signal."

"Could it be from the Borg attack?" JD asked out loud. In this part of space, there was no threat that could be perceived

"No." Chris shook his head and met Buck’s gaze "Not the Borg."

"There are nine colonies in this area, JD." Buck explained not only for their navigator’s benefit but also for all the bridge officers present. "Colony 1 is the closest to Federation space. During the attack, the Borg chose to attack worlds on a linear course to Sector 001. Deep Space Five and Lysia were in a direct trajectory to Earth. They probably felt that they could afford the time to assimilate the planet and the station because it would not take them off course. However, these colonies are scattered over a wider trajectory and contain a minimal population. It’s hardly worth the time and trouble for the Borg to make a detour like that when they had larger targets in mind. Besides, I don’t think the Borg would choose to launch another invasion of the Alpha quadrant by attacking small colony."

"How long will it take us to get there?" Chris asked, pointing his question at JD.


JD made some speedy calculations from his station before responding. "5.6 hours at Warp 5."

"If anything has happen to the colony, an automated distress signal may be all that’s left because there is no one alive to send a manual signal." Buck pointed out. "This may be a planetary catastrophe or an epidemic. Let’s not jump the gun assuming that this was a Borg attack."

"Good thinking." Chris nodded. "I don’t think we ought to jump to conclusions until we have more information. However, an automated distress signal does elevate the urgency of the situation. I would prefer to work on the assumption that there are colonists to find when we arrive to investigate. Vin, take us to maximum warp."

"Aye Sir." He nodded. Vin entered the command into his com panel and looked up a second later to see the stars on the view screen suddenly surge towards them at lighting speed. They moved past the ship like streaks of light as the ship moved into maximum acceleration. The low hum of the engines had risen in pitch and a powerful drone began to reverberate throughout the structure.

"Ezra, how long until we are in sensor range?" Buck asked.

"Approximately one hour." He answered promptly. "Advise that we go to yellow alert." The security officer replied facing Chris, following his response.

"Do it." Chris nodded. "Alex, as unlikely as the possibility might be, it would be a good idea to adjust your sensor sweep of the area to detect any recent transwarp signatures."

That statement brought a hasty silence to the bridge. For a moment, it seemed everyone froze at the notion of Borg involvement. As unlikely as he believed it might be, Chris could not afford to discount that possibility. This part of the Alpha Quadrant was in the direct line of sight from the Delta Quadrant and the Borg had proved before that this was their most direct route to Earth.

The pause lasted for a second and then everything was set in motion again except with a heightened state of urgency attached to everyone’s action. No one however, could deny the vein of tension running through everyone on the bridge the minute the warning lights for yellow alert began flashing throughout the ship.

************

Within fifteen minutes of detecting the distress signal, Colony 1 was finally within sensor range. The results of Alex’s sensor sweep had caused Chris to immediately convene a meeting of the senior staff and the Maverick remained on yellow alert. As he entered the debriefing room, his staff was already present. There was tension in the room. He did not need Josiah’s counselling skills to know that. He could see it in all their face even from Mary who was normally detached and Ezra, who seldom let anything get past his gambler’s facade.

"You all know the situation," Chris declared sitting down, choosing to get down to business immediately. "Colony 1 has been destroyed."

There was no response for a few seconds. The evidence of the sensor sweep was undeniable. There was no doubt about it.

"Alex, your analysis please." He gestured to the science officer.

The weight of the situation had done remarkable things to the quiet woman. Like most exceptional officers who excelled when forced to work under pressure, Alex was no different. Obviously, she was more confident at her ability in her work then she was with her contemporaries. "We have detected transwarp signatures in the area of Colony 1. However, unless the Borg have altered their warp engine configuration, it is my opinion and that of Chief Engineer Pemberton that this is not a Borg ship."

"Not a Borg ship?" Ezra exclaimed. "If the Borg did not destroy Colony 1, then who did?"

"We don’t know." Alex continued. "We know that the signature is transwarp but as our warp signatures can be identified to the ship, this one does not match the transwarp signature of a Borg vessel. Unfortunately, this does not appear to be the only discrepancy." She looked at Buck and hoped the engineer would continue. After all, it was her theory to begin with.

Julia Pemberton took up the trail of Alex’s explanation. "We have found that the characteristics of this signature is more advanced and more refined than normal Borg signatures. It comes from a ship that might be ten generations beyond Borg technology. At this time, Federation scientists have only begun theoretical simulations of a transwarp field bearing this level of refinement."

"Someone more powerful than the Borg?" Josiah remarked. "That is a terrifying thought."

"To say the least." Nathan agreed. "Are we absolutely certain that this isn’t the Borg? Even the Borg are capable of upgrading."

"Yes they are," Chris agreed. "However, this would then mean the Borg has encountered a race that is far more advanced than they are and have managed to assimilate them. I find that hard to believe. The Borg is technologically superior and that is probably the biggest advantage they have over us. Through our own experience, we know that they find it difficult to react in new situations. They win through sheer force of numbers and by assimilation. When they cannot do that, they obliterate through technological superiority. A foe that is equally matched can beat them or at least hold their own well enough."

"So then we have a new problem." Ezra retorted.

"It appears so." Chris answered. "Alex, please continue with your report."

She nodded and began speaking again. "Although we will have more information when we reach Colony 1, the initial evidence shows no structural remains of the settlement. Our sensors have only been capable of detecting a radioactive field in the place of colony. The radioactive field consists of berthol rays. Even if the colonists were not killed in the initial attack, they would have died from radiation sickness. As most of us know, berthol rays cannot be produced artificially but we have no reason to believe this is caused by a natural disaster. The only conclusion that makes sense is that is a weapon. If there is any consolation to be had, it is the fact that this is not a Borg weapon."

"Wonderful." Ezra muttered under his breath.

"Are there any survivors of Colony 1?" Nathan asked, since no one had yet to address that possibility.

"There might be." Alex answered with a weary sigh. "If they managed to get to the other side of the planet or put enough distance between themselves and the colony, there could be survivors. The weapon appears to have been concentrated only on the colony so only that area is contaminated. While we have confirmed life readings on Kalendra 2, she is an M-Class planet with indigenous life. At this stage, our sensor readings are unable to distinguish the life signs. We will have more information as we close the distance to the colony."

"What about the distress signal?" Mary inquired. She had remained silent until now but she was still too new at this to give up hope that there could be survivors.

Chris understood her sentiments and on behalf of the rest of the senior staff, wished that he could offer her better odds but he was a Starfleet Captain and he had seen colonies destroyed before. He was an ensign during the Border Wars with Cardassia and he had seen more than enough death to make him cynical. Mary’s tenure with the diplomatic core had shielded her to much, while Chris had seen more than a lifetime’s worth already. "The distress signal was automated Mary. It is not usually located at the colony itself. It's a small satellite in orbit around the planet and can be activated by remote. Its was mostly likely activated during the initial attack."

"I’ll have a medical team ready for transport as soon as we are in orbit." Nathan remarked. He did not care if the possibility of survivors was remote. He hated to given up on anyone until he personally saw all their bodies.

"Good thinking." Chris replied and turned to Buck. "In the meantime, I’d like you, Alex, Julia and Ezra to transport to the colony in full radiation gear and begin a full investigation of the colony remains. I want every piece of information there is to find regarding this new intruder."

"Aye Sir." Buck answered. "I recommend that we make contact with the other colonies in this sector. With many of our colonies scattered over this general area, an enemy might chose to attack the outermost colonies first. Deep Space 5 has had little contact with the other colonies over the past few weeks and no reason to assume that anything is wrong."

The thought was chilling but Chris could not deny the validity of the statement. "Do it." Chris nodded. If the same enemy had attacked the other colonies as it had Colony 1 then there was little hope that they could fare any better than the inhabitants of Kalendra 2. The only question that was in Chris’s mind was whether or not the intruder was the Borg. The Borg was constantly assimilating worlds and may have acquired a new weapon capable of producing artificial berthol rays.

Despite all their theories, there was no real way to discount the possibility that the destruction of Colony 1 was not by the hand of the Collective.

 II

Chris let out a held breath.

The ground where the inhabitants of Kalendra 2 had set down the foundations of Colony 1 was charred black like a terrible scar against the face of the planet. Kalendra 2 was orb of greenish gold and seemed like an opal in the canvas of space. Chris looked at the view screen and felt a slight shudder run through the length of the bridge. He shared the sentiments of his crew. Even from space, the devastation on the surface stood out in sharp contrast to the rest of the world. The area once home to the colony was distinguished by the black mark against the surface of the planet. The radiation levels emanating from the site of the catastrophe were phenomenal.

He stared at the screen and immediately knew that this was not Borg. Not under any circumstances.

He knew that one of the bridge officers was scanning for life signs but could surmise by what was before him that it was a wasted effort. Even if they had escaped the settlement, the colonists were doomed anyway. The extent of the blast stood out like a black spot on the surface than was hundreds of miles across. He hoped the end was swift for them because their bid for survival was hopeless. Chris knew that there was always a chance that someone could have escaped in a shuttle, or made it to the other side of the planet where it was safe. Yet he knew it was a futile hope. Colonies relied on Starfleet for their travel needs and the terrestrial based hover cars they did possess was not capable of outrunning the weapon that had brought the end so quickly.

The scan of the colony site was no less encouraging and did little discount his belief that there were any survivors left to find. Of the colony itself, nothing larger than a small rock had survived the devastating fury of the weapon unleashed upon them. He saw nothing but irradiated soil moving far across the horizon of the landscape. The destruction was so complete that there had not been any rubble or bodies remaining in the wake of the initial blast. Everything that had been Colony 1 was utterly pulverised and then fused to the dark soil like the forgotten cinders of an empty fireplace.

"Buck, is your team ready?" Chris spoke into his communicator.

"Yeah Chris." Buck responded promptly. "We’re standing by for transport to the planet’s surface."

"Good luck Commander." Chris said finally and hoped that luck was enough to find someone alive down there.

**********

Although the environmental suit protecting them from the elements was meant to have its own oxygen filtration unit in built, Alex swore she could smell the charred remains beyond her visor. She knew it was impossible of course. This supposed stench in his nostrils was more a psychological response to the visual information he was receiving than anything real.


Still it was difficult to remain unaffected by what she had seen.

Nothing larger than a rock the size of her fist had managed to survive the attack on Colony 1. Where they should have been standing in the middle of the town square, there was nothing but scorched dark earth. The radiation levels were so high at the moment, they were allowed only an hour on the surface of the planet before they were in danger of contamination. Not one building had been left standing. The ground looked as if it had been flattened and everything that stood above it had been smashed into submission. It was as if the Prophets had wiped the colony of the face of Kalendra 2. Her stomach hollowed as she saw uneven ground covered with thick, dark soil. Prior to leaving the ship, she had studied the record tapes on Colony 1. This was a world ripe for agricultural farming. She remembered images of loamy soil and fresh, green vegetation.

None of that was evident now. Only the baked earth of a land recovering from a terrible calamity.

"Alex." She heard Buck speak and looked up abruptly.

Alex met her commander’s eyes and saw the first officer’s brow was furrowed and his expression of was nothing less than stone behind his visor. Despite his attempt to hide it, Alex was certain that this scene was also affecting Buck. "You and Julia head northward. Ezra and I will go south. We will rendezvous at this location in exactly thirty minutes."

"Yes Sir." She nodded as she looked to the chief engineer.

"Alex," Buck added. "Keep an open channel at all times."

Alex nodded knowing that was no idle precaution. Whoever did this to Colony 1 was indeed a formidable threat and because it appeared they were no longer here, was no reason to become complacent.

As she was the superior officer, Julia allowed Alex to take the lead since she was the science officer and this required more of her expertise than an engineer. Julia understood why the Captain had sent her on this Away mission. He wanted to know the nature of the weapon that had done this and if possible devise a suitable defence for the ship. In truth, Julia was somewhat concerned at the level of destruction caused by this weapon. Not only did it utterly vaporise its target but left harmful berthol rays in its wake that made the area uninhabitable.

Julia continued walking northwards, allowing her tricorder to scan the path as they moved forward. Alex took similar action, although she aimed her device at a different angle so they could cover a wider area.

"These readings are frightening." Alex remarked.

"I agree." Julia had to agree. "It appears that all matter is still in a state of subatomic flux."

"Everything around here is barely managing to hold its form." Alex continued. Everything on the ground seemed to be struggling to maintain cohesion. It was as if the atomic bonds holding matter together had been weakened somehow.

"I do not recommend we remain for any longer than necessary." Julia remarked.

"I agree." Alex replied. "The radiation levels are still increasing. At the moment, we have no more than an hour to get off this area before it starts to affect us as well. Buck, do you read me?"

"Yeah I hear you and I concur with your findings. Continue the sensor sweep and proceed as ordered."

"Yes Sir." Alex nodded, meeting her companions gaze. They continued walking up a slight hill and Alex tried not to remember that it had once been the main thoroughfare in the settlement. The ground ahead of them showed no signs of colonisation. The earth was bare and exposed. Slight wisps of smoke and vapour rose from the ground from the heat of the blast. Alex remembered seeing the images of the aftermath of an atomic explosion in one of Earth’s historical tapes. Colony 1 did not look that dissimilar.

The data tapes she had studied regarding the settlement itself had provided some stunning visual images of Colony 1 and Kalendra 2. She saw a fledging society establishing its roots. Although still rustic in comparison to that of more established Federation colonies, Colony 1 reminded her of one of the rural provinces on Bajor. A part of her was reluctant to superimpose this scene over that image of Colony 1 in better times.

"The contamination extends over seven hundred square kilometres." Julia declared, looking up from her tricorder and letting her gaze sweep across the horizon. It was mid afternoon on Kalendra 2 but from inside their suits it felt much later. With all temperature perfectly controlled by machinery within the suit, there was little opportunity to feel the breeze blowing across the scarred terrain. Not that they wanted to anyway. The breeze now carried berthol radiation to the rest of the planet. When they returned to the Maverick, she was going to recommend a containment procedure to lessen the damage as much as possible. The rest of the planet could still support life if measures were taken now. "This weapon is extremely thorough." She commented.

Alex looked up. "That’s one way of putting it. I’ve never seen anything like this. Its almost like an old style hydrogen bomb except that this is about a million times worse."

"An interesting comparison," she retorted, "but not inaccurate. The characteristic is similar but the device is certainly not. We are dealing with a highly advanced species. Even Federation scientists have not developed a method of successfully affecting matter on a subatomic level. The existence of subatomic particles is merely theoretical at this point."

"Hey I’m the science officer." Alex remarked with a slight chuckle. "You’re making me feel very inadequate."

Julia looked at her with a grin. "I’m a show off."

In the past few weeks of having served with her, Alex had learnt that Julia displayed a sense of humour in the things she said. The woman had a tendency to enjoy the absurd

"Right." Alex nodded. "I forgot."

***********

Elsewhere, Buck and Ezra walked through the terrain without speaking. Words defied description of what they were seeing around them. As security chief, he had seen humanoid ugliness in every shape and form. No matter how much civilisation a species boasted to having, there was always some facet of its psychology that would allow atrocities to be committed if the cause were just. He looked around the place and saw a land so ravaged that the dark cinders on the ground were not simply the ashes of the colony structure but also of the colonist themselves. Ezra wondered what cause had justified this.

"We are not detecting any life signs, Chris." Buck remarked as if it were no surprise to anyone. In truth, it was not. "It appears that our surface scans were correct. We’ve identified 267 individual DNA remains. They match conclusively with the DNA records of all the colonists. None of them survived the attack."

There was a slight pause as the captain took in this information before he responded. After a moment of deliberation, Chris’s voice responded promptly. "That concurs with the scans we’ve made over the planet. We have detected no signs of life other than yours. Canvass the area as planned and then return to the ship."

"Understood." Buck nodded before. "Wilmington out."

The first officer turned to Ezra and caught the expression on his face despite the protection of his visor. "We’ll continue scanning until minimum safe distance."

"Yes Sir." He replied. "I am not detecting any signs of any conventional weapon in our science." Ezra shifted his gaze to his tricorder. "Whatever this is, I have never seen the like of it before."

"It is safe to assume that everything about this is beyond us." Buck remarked, allowing his gaze to move across the horizon. The scope of the destruction could never be fully appreciated, he decided, until one was standing in the heart of it. The charred landscape ran as far as the eye could see. It was illogical to waste life on such a scale. If the colony was the intended target, there was no reason to obliterate everything else around it.

"Overkill is what I call it." Ezra replied. "There was no need for this. The colonists could hardly be such a threat that would justify this kind of a response."


"Hard to make that assumption when we don’t what the perceived threat is." Buck replied. "In any case, we best continue our scans. We may be able to stop this from happening again if we can find some useful information."


Somehow, Ezra was not that optimistic. Whatever or whomever had done this had proved one further thing other their obvious disregard for life.

They were more than a match for the Maverick or Starfleet.

CHAPTER NINE

 I

There was no reason to return to Kalendra 2 once the Away Team had concluded its investigations. The Maverick continued scans for a full day even though the evidence collected from the surface had revealed their worse fears. There were no survivors of Colony 1 left to find on the planet. All that remained of the 297 people who had called Kalendra 2 their home, were the grains of DNA particles that now mingled with the charred earth. The only life forms that had managed to survive the holocaust were the original inhabitants of the word who were fortunate enough to be in another hemisphere during the attack.

Chris instructed Buck and Alex to conduct a decontamination sweep of the irradiated site in an attempt to dissipate the harmful berthol rays. It took several hours to complete the procedure that required nothing less than a baryon sweep of the entire area. The whole process took its toll on the crew and Chris could understand why. There was a feeling of frustration and anger at arriving too late as if their presence here might have given the intruders pause before causing the deaths of so many innocent lives. Everything they were doing now felt like the empty gestures of futility.

"The sweep appears to be dissolving the of berthol ray concentration." Buck informed Chris in the privacy of his ready room. Chris had confined himself to the place during the last few hours, tossing and turning the events in his head, hoping to reach some understanding but finding little success.

"How long until the area is clean?" He inquired, taking a sip of strong black coffee that had was now cold.

"In about 43 days, the terrain should be able to support life again." Buck answered, unable to ignore that his Captain seemed unusually sedate.

"I’ve sent a message to Deep Space 5 informing them of what has happened here. I’ve been told that Colony 4 and Colony 9 have not sent in their monthly status reports. Both are now days overdue." Chris answered.

Buck nodded slowly. He understood the implications as well as Chris, even if he was not so quick to jump to conclusions. "You think its going to be that bad?"

"Don’t you?" Chris met his gaze sharply. "Those colonies are further out than this. Colony 9 is on the outer most rim of Federation territory. It sits on the border of uncharted space. We don’t know what is beyond Colony 9 because we’ve never been out that far. I sometimes question whether it is wise to leave defenceless civilians on planets so far away from adequate protection."

"Colonists are a very determined bunch Chris," Buck answered. "It is hard to break that pioneering spirit. I would think that they might have found away to survive."

The door of the Captain’s Ready room beeped and Chris motioned whomever it was to enter. Alex Styles stepped into the room with a data pad in her hand and paused long enough to know that he and Buck were having a private discussion. "I didn’t mean to interrupt." She said apologetically.

Chris smiled faintly. "That’s okay, sit down Commander." He asked politely. She was after all the third highest ranking officer on the Maverick and since this was an impromptu discussion on what they were facing, Chris saw no reason why she should not be involved.

The woman raised a brow and sat down after a moment’s deliberation. It was not often that they talked and during the opportunities when the moment presented itself Alex always found the conversations to be interesting. To Alex, the captain appeared to be a paradox in extremes. There were moments when Chris Larabee could be hot headed and impossible rash. Other times, he was so cool and calculating in his manner, he could give the Vulcans a run for their money. In any case, she was starting to believe that this was a man worthy of her loyalty and it took some doing for Alex to feel that way about anyone.

"Buck and I were talking about the pioneering spirit of colonists." Chris continued once she had sat down. "Colony 1 was an agricultural settlement if I remember correctly. They were farmers by nature. Colony 4 is a lithium cracking mine. I’m hoping we have better luck with survivors there."

"DS5 has lost contact with the rest of the outer colonies," Buck replied. "We’re thinking that Colony 1 was the last place they hit."

"There could be survivors," Alex replied, not so quick to discount the possibility of survivors. If Colony 4 is a lithium cracking mine, there is a chance. The miners could be scattered over a large area of the planet’s surface. Some may even be protected by the underground caves, if enough warning was given before the event."

"I’m hoping that our guests don’t compensate for that." Chris said grimly. "At this moment, it doesn’t look like there is much beyond their capability."

Alex could not argue with that. It was always assumed that beings of greater intelligence and scientific advancement would reason logically as most sentients do. However, time and time again, it appeared that scientific intelligence had little to do with enlightenment or morality. The history of the galaxy was filled with two many species who found little difficulty justifying murder if they were motivated enough about the cause.


"True." Buck sighed. "But there’s something odd about all this. I mean if they’re so damn powerful, why obliterate a colony like this? They could have taken the place without harming a single life form."

"What they did is overkill." Chris agreed, understanding what Buck was trying to say.

"Yeah." Buck confessed sombrely. "Chris, I’m thinking this is more than just the destruction of a colony. This was a message to us."

Chris nodded because that was where his own conclusions about the entire situation at Colony 1 had left him. It knotted his insides knowing those colonist consisting of men, women and children were used merely as some sick message by a hostile force to announce its presence to Starfleet and the Federation. However, there was something about that hypothesis that did not feel right even though his previous conclusion was only a natural progression. "Maybe." He replied after a moment. "I don’t think this is about frightening us."

"If that were the case, they would leave survivors so the fear can be translated." Alex added her voice to the discussion. "Every trace of Kalendra 2 was obliterated. The area was radiated to avoid further habitation. Whatever the purpose of this attack was, it was not for conquest. If I were to make a guess Captain, based on what evidence we do have, I’d say that this is an attempt at concealment."

Now that did make sense. Chris thought. "You’re suggesting they came to Kalendra 2 for some hidden purpose and maybe they found it and maybe they didn’t. Whatever the reason, it was necessary for them to cover their tracks after they were done. Complete and utter obliteration of this colony would get out attention but we would know nothing more than we do now."

Alex lapsed into a moment of silence and both Chris and Buck had learnt enough about her to know that she had fallen into a train of thought that might produce an answer. The science officer did not speak for a second but when she looked up, his expression indicated a purposeful response. "A scientific study." She said almost in a whisper.

Chris looked at her sharply. "Explain."

"If I were a scientist and I wanted to conduct an experiment in secret, I would find a remote place to do my research." Alex started thinking, her mind working in tandem with her speech. "Once I had gathered my data, I would then erase any evidence of that experiment. Since I don’t want someone else to learn about my findings by leaving specimens behind."

The thought was appalling but it seemed to fit with what they already knew of the intruder. He was more than certain that whoever had downloaded the contents of DS5’s main computer was also responsible for the carnage on Kalendra 2. "So they’re studying us." Chris concluded without a hint of doubt in his voice. There was still much they had to learn about their mysterious new foe, but he was convinced that Alex’s hypothesis was correct.

"I think she’s right." Buck said after a moment, giving Alex a nod of admiration. "It makes sense Chris. They didn’t attack DS5, they just pierced through the shields and got their entire database."

"Yeah." Chris replied in agreement because his gut instinct told him that Alex was right..

"So I think we can all safely say that this is not the Borg." Chris pointed that out as well so the notion could be finally done away.

"I ‘m not prepared to discount the Borg as of yet Captain," Alex advised. "There are elements to this situation that have Borg characteristics. We know very little of the Collective other than our confrontations with them. For most part, our knowledge regarding their culture if it could be called that, is still very limited. This could be a pattern of behaviour we just haven’t seen before."

"True." Chris could not deny this. "Although my gut tells me that this is definitely not Borg because the Borg are highly logical and everything done on Kalendra 2 is far from logical."

Both Alex and Buck looked at Chris in question, wanting to know what had led him to that statement.

"The Borg do not waste." The captain said simply. "The Borg have never wasted. Kalendra 2 may be insignificant to us but if the Borg attacked it, there would be no reason to destroy the technology or murder the people when it all could be assimilated. They have no reason to cover their tracks completely when they know they outmatch us. Even with our lucky shots at them. There is no need for them to disguise themselves or eliminate 297 people when it is just as effective to assimilate them in order to neutralise them. Whoever did this was not the Borg."

The certainty in which he made this statement persuaded both officers not to argue with Chris. Also, after taking into consideration the factors Chris had brought up, they realised that nothing he had said was untrue.

"I am impressed Chris." Buck grinned. "I hadn’t even though about that."

Chris smiled despite himself. "Why thank you Commander," he responded graciously.

Alex however did not seem very happy. "So what we do have instead of the Borg, is a race that thinks we are their lab rats and who possibly have the technological superiority of the Borg who don’t mind sacrificing any number of lives to conduct their study. Is that about right?"


"Yeah," Buck nodded, deciding that when she put it that way, the situation seemed to go from bad to worse. "That’s about the size of it."

"Swell." Alex sighed. "I think I’d rather have the Borg."

In that context, Chris found that he agreed with her.

 II

After racking his mind over the possibilities, preparing every department for a possible encounter with a hostile, Chris gave the order for the Maverick to leave Kalendra 2. There was no reason to remain and every reason to reach the other colonies as soon as possible. If the intruder was this far into Federation space then he was certain they would have reached the outer colonies already. The Maverick left the orbit at Kalendra and made its way to Colony 4 at maximum speed with an estimated arrival time of 14 hours.

Just enough for him to take a walk, get a cup of coffee and have at least a few hours down time before they arrived at their destination.

He did not feel like dinner at Four Corners because his mind was still filled with bits of data regarding berthol rays and transwarp signatures. At the moment, he had little patience for crowds and knew that he would not get the solitude he desired in the mess hall. Chris needed to let his mind rest or else he would be little good to anyone. A captain had to be alert at all times and if Josiah were present, he was sure the Counsellor would reiterate his advice about the captain being sensible enough to know when he needed rest.

Sometimes, having a Counsellor as a good friend could be damned annoying.

Chris found himself walking through the ship which in itself could take a good hour if he was not particular about where he was going. The Maverick was at least 40 decks and almost a kilometre across. For once, he decided to take the full tour because he needed the diversion. Chris walked down the tidy corridors, saluting officers, greeting the civilians who were also apart of his responsibility. He had to admit, he liked seeing children running up and down the corridors. It gave the ship a life of its own and a deeper sense of community.

He did not know how he ended up in Engineering but a few random twists and turn and he was walking through the deck before he knew it. It was late evening according to the Maverick’ internal clock and he was surprised to see Mary at an engineering console when he arrived. She looked up from her the screen as an ensign greeted him on sight. As always, she seemed perfectly composed even though he knew she had put in a full day studying the documentation on all cultures in the area. Chris wondered what she was doing here in Engineering.

"Captain?" She stared at him and responded promptly. "I didn’t expect to see you here." It was more of an accusation than a question. Obviously, she did not like surprises, Chris decided.

"I’m just wool gathering" Chris replied casually. "And taking a walk. What about you? Last time I look I was sure you were a protocol officer."

She chuckled slightly and responded. "I’m brushing up on some of my engineering knowledge. I use to have a minor interest in it and since I’m going to be on a starship permanently, I thought I’d brush up. After all, it would be good to know the difference between a power relay and an EPS conduit."

"True." He agreed, not denying that was a good idea. He decided to keep going, not wanting to intrude on her endeavours especially when she was concentrating so avidly on fitting in with life on the Maverick. However, Chris paused as he noticed Mary eyeing him with deep scrutiny.

Mary did stare at the Captain for a moment, mainly because she was more aware of his physical state that he was. Her head tilting slightly as her blue grey eyes moved over his face and looked deep into his red rimmed eyes. Not only could she tell that he was preoccupied but he was well near exhausted. "Captain, would it be rude if I asked you when was the last time you slept?"

Suddenly, he felt a like a child caught doing something he was not. Reluctantly, he found himself answering her. "15 hours ago."

Her disapproval was obvious by stiffening of her posture and the sudden rise of her chin. Although her face expression was neutral, her eyes said it all. "That is too long Captain." She retorted. "May I also ask when was the last time you ate?"

Chris shrugged and found himself answering even though he did not wish to. "Ten hours ago."

"I see." Her brow raised slightly unsurprised that he was workaholic, most captains tended to be that way even at the risk to their health. "I’m about to call it a night and I haven’t had to thank you for allowing my son on the bridge against standing ship’s orders. I’ve been told I’m quite good at programming a food replicator. If you like, I wouldn’t mind the company."

"Are you asking me out to dinner, Lieutenant?" He asked with a slight glimmer of mischief in his eyes as he regarded her.

Mary rolled her eyes and gave him a look "I want you to join me for a meal as a gesture of thanks to the consideration you showed my son." She paused and moment and then added. "It is also one way to make sure that you eat. Isn’t Yeoman Wells supposed to make sure of these things."

"Technically," he said guilty. "But I don’t need a nursemaid." He declared somewhat slighted by the notion that Casey had to run after him like he was a kid. "I can eat when I have to."

"I was not worried about you." She said haughtily. "I was concerned for the ship. Last thing we need is for the Captain to be thinking about doughnuts before we go into a combat situation"

"Well," he narrowed his eyes and gave her a look of sarcasm. "When you put it that way, how can I refuse?"

******

So far, all his instincts concerning Mary Travis had said the same thing; stay away.

Chris knew he was attracted to her. There was really no way to deny it. She was, in his opinion, the loveliest female he had ever seen if not a little glacial. However, he understood that it had to do with her Vulcan background. There were aspects of her that were warm and tender. Chris had seen it. He knew she could be flexible when required and her sense of humour though subtle did actually exist. Although she was accustomed to being around Vulcans, there was something about Mary he found utterly compelling and impossible to ignore. Whether or not it was a conscious decision or simply one of practicality, she had no difficulty coping with her gender. She was a woman and a mother. Unlike other career women in Starfleet who tried unsuccessfully to mask their femininity in order to seem professional, Chris found it ironic that a somewhat cool natured female could make her presence felt so strongly by simply being herself.

He arrived at her quarters about fifteen minutes after their meeting in Engineering to find her more than prepared for him. As he was shown in, he had expected to see William running through the room as boys were supposed to. However, the room remained silent and Chris saw no trace of the boy.

"Where is Billy?" He asked as they made their way to the dining table Mary had already set out the meal and Chris could not help taking a deep breath of the exotic aroma. Until he smelt hot ploomeek soup, he had not realised he was so hungry.

Mary looked over her shoulder and gave him a look. "Billy?"

"Sorry," Chris immediately apologised with a faint smile. "I got used to calling him that during our tour."

"Billy." She mused with a raised brow before a little smile crossed her lips. She had to admit that she liked how that sounded. Billy did seem much more informal than William for a six year old boy. After a moment she responded. "William is staying with Lieutenant Kala son, Bodhi." She replied as she returned from the replicator with the main course. Once again, the aroma assaulted him and Chris scolded himself for not eating sooner. "They’ve been playmates since our arrival here. He staying at the Lieutenant’s quarters tonight."

"You mean they’re having a sleepover." Chris remarked sitting down.

"Something like that." She nodded remembering the term from her own childhood and somewhat surprised that she had not thought of it herself. Perhaps she had been on Vulcan for too long.

As they sat down to the meal, Chris wondered how she fared without a husband. Did she still miss her husband terribly? During the first few months after Sarah and Adam had died, the absence almost killed him with loneliness. Even now, he still felt an ache inside his soul each time he walked into his quarters because a part of him expected them to be there. Mary had lived on Vulcan for most of her married life and had adopted many of their attitudes, did she grieve the same way?

"Is it hard to be born a hybrid on Vulcan?" Chris asked once they were into the main course.

Mary did not look surprised by the question. She put her fork down and considered her answer. "No species is entirely loyal to the rules they set down for themselves. Vulcans are no different. They live up to an ideal but sometimes that ideal is too much even for them to fully accept. Vulcans believe that IDIC is the corner stone of enlightenment and logic. Without it, everyone, not just Vulcans are no better than their warlike ancestors of generations past. While they believe in IDIC, they also believe their way of life is no easy thing for other species to understand. Non-emotion has accomplished much for them but it is an alien existence the rest of us some impossible to comprehend. So, they tend to marry within their species, not because of purity but because they understand that such a life is too much to ask of anyone who has been born to being Vulcan."

"People can learn," he pointed out well aware of that IDIC, short for infinite diversity in infinite combination was easier to say than live by. "You did."

"Not easily," she confessed. "Syan was not like other Vulcans and he was very patient.. Generations of genetics have made Vulcans what they are. Their ancestors who gave up the warring ways decided to hone their minds for logic. It has been that way for so much time that finally it has been imprinted in an evolutionary level When one of them marries a human, they wonder if a child of that union will have the tools necessary to live up to their way of life. There are those in every society who will be more vocal about such concerns. They do not mean to be ignorant but they are incapable of understanding that nature is far from logical. They look at William strangely and while they never exactly show that he is different to them, I can sense it." She said quietly. "Syan always told me that there was no basis for that conclusion but a mother knows."

"I’m sorry," he apologised. "I didn’t make you uncomfortable." He was only curious to know about Vulcan opinions about inter-species marriage because of how shy and withdrawn William seemed to be. "I have not asked you how Billy has been."

Although she did not smile, he saw her disposition brighten considerably. "He is beginning to make acquaintances on the ship. He spoke of nothing but the visit to the bridge for days and told me that he was going to become a starship Captain in the future."

"Would you mind?"

"I’m his mother, anything dangerous would concern me." She pointed out.

"That it is." Chris had to agree. "Its dangerous life and it can even be lonely. You spend a lot of your time hoping that you don’t screw up somehow and get people killed and hope you can rise to the occasion when necessary. It can be difficult to balance out your responsibility to yourself and your crew."

"I would like him to find his own way." Mary replied softly. "His father wanted him to be a Starfleet officer when he became a man. My in-laws believe he should be sent to study on Vulcan and to become a member of the Science Academy some day."

"What do you want?" He asked meeting her eyes.

For a moment, the question took her by surprise and the glacial expression melted. Her eyes became fluid that moment and her face softened with emotion. "I want him with me." The moment lasted a second and she blinked it away, somewhat embarrassed that she had made such an emotional display in front of the captain, no matter how much their relationship was moving to something that bordered on warm familiarity and possibly something deeper than that. "I’m probably being selfish." She said abruptly, her cheeks flushed red in embarrassment.

"Why?" Chris scoffed. "You’re his mother? Why wouldn’t you want him with you?"

"I should choose the best path for him." She recanted.

"And until he’s old enough to decide what he wants, you need to choose the path that is best for him as a child, not for what he is going to be in the future." He said gently. "He’s a great kid Mary but let him be that for awhile. Let him enjoy it before he grows into what is deemed appropriate for Vulcan."

For a moment, she remained silent. While the Captain would undoubted call this one of those awkward moments, she would have strongly disagree if he voiced the opinion. Instead, her mind was whirling with possibilities. It made her wonder if he had some telepathic ability that could read her because he seemed to know what she was thinking in her inner most self. After being bonded with a Vulcan in marriage, Mary knew that he had helped her strengthened her own telepathic bonds enough to be able to sense people with clarity. Vulcans seldom divorced because of their matrimonial mind meld. Being so in tune with each other often made it difficult to find discord. Yet somehow, as easily as Chris Larabee could read her, Mary was finding that she had very strong sense of him as well. Perhaps the link inside her mind was re-establishing itself because of her growing affection for this man.

As Mary met her captain’s gaze, she began to see him as more than just a face attached to a Starfleet uniform. Suddenly, he had become more than that to her and Mary was unsure that it was difference she would have advocated had she known its coming.

Mary did not wish to know Captain Chris Larabee as a man.

Because the man was starting to mean something to her.

 CHAPTER TEN

 I

To be honest, Chris Larabee knew what they were going to find on Colony 4 long before they arrived within the star system. When Deep Space Five had not received the colony's monthly status reports, they had informed Chris immediately. With this knowledge in mind, Chris feared the worst. Actually, he more than feared it. He knew that its destruction was an inevitability. He was starting to develop a sixth sense about this incident and understood that something terrible was at work in this uncharted corner of the galaxy.

Colony 4 was located on the sixth planet of the star system that was known as Omega Prime. Omega Prime’s native star was a massive body slowly moving into the tertiary phase of its development. In a thousand years or more, it would evolve into a ferocious red giant and effectively wipe what scant life existed in the planets of its sphere. Omega 6 was the only world inside the system who temperatures were capable of supporting humanoid life. Its surface was a hellish place of hot, burning winds and dry desert sand. It produced very little rainfall and was only capable of sustaining a sparse population of cacti and lichens.

They had picked up the remote distress signal on their journey to Colony 4 and were rewarded with static silence when they attempted to hail the settlement on approach. The tension on the ship skyrocketed with its silence and everyone began to suspect that they would find the same destruction on Colony 4 as they had done on Colony 1. Chris had sent a priority communication to Starfleet Command explaining the situation to date. In response, Starfleet ordered him to monitor the situation closely and to be careful. Chris intended to do both. However, he had harboured a secret hope that some miracle might have spared Colony 4. Unfortunately, it appeared that they were going to be subjected to a repeat performance of destruction on Kalendra 2.

The bridge was strangely quiet as they moved into the orbit of Omega 6. All senior bridge officers were present and Chris let his gaze moved across their faces and saw the concentration on their faces. Buck had informed him that Ezra had spent much of his off duty hours running Borg attack simulations for the ship. Even now, Chris could see the man eyes fixed on the security station before his, with his usual poker face replaced by an expression of utmost concentration that was taut with tension.

JD was maintaining his calm even though Chris recognised the look of the novice under pressure. His eyes darted back and forth over his console, trying to access all the information before him. Chris knew that Ezra and Julia had been running battle simulations in tandem with gauging the ship’s response to such scenarios. The Chief Engineer had ensured that their cloaking device was operational and not untested before a real battle.

In the meantime, Nathan had informed him that a medical team would be ready to transport the moment they arrived in orbit around Omega 6. Chris knew for a fact that it had effected the Chief Medical Officer when there were no survivors to be found on Kalendra. Chris hoped that they might have better luck. Mary was sitting on his left flank. Her shapely legs were folded while her slender fingers drummed softly against the fabric of her chair. Although she showed no outward signs of concern, her eyes were moving across the bridge with as much scrutiny as his. No doubt, she was starting to feel the same pressure as the rest of the bridge.

"Viewer on." Chris ordered once the hum of the impulse engines came to a dead stop. Although he could not see the stars outside, he knew the Omega 6 lay below them.

The viewer came to life before him before he managed to finish the sentence Omega 6 appeared before him, a glowing orb of yellow held suspended against a vibrant canopy of stars. In the distance, the massive sun Omega Prime looked on, unconcerned. The sheer size of the amber star made it appear as if Omega 6 had an enormous moon in orbit around it. The planet itself was a golden sphere of hot, baked sand and turbulent desert storms. Even from space, Chris wondered how any creature could call it home. As it revolved slowly below them, Chris could see a familiar dark spot appearing across the face of the planet. It was the same scarring they had witnessed on Kalendra 2.

No one spoke for a moment because there were no words to describe how the intensity of their feelings. A fog of futility and hopelessness moved through the bridge like a wraith in the dark. Once again, they were too late. Their mysterious enemy had reached the colony first and exacted another terrible attack. Chris tried not to look disappointed because his crew needed him to keep faith for all of them but nothing could wipe the grim expression from his features in light of the discovery.

"Alex, begin scanning." He ordered softly. As unlikely as it might be, Chris refused to give up all vestiges of hope until all avenues of inquiry had been exhausted.

"Scanning Sir." Alex answered in her usual quiet voice but her tone was grim. The science officer had begun scanning the planet ever since they had dropped out of impulse speed. So far her findings have given her very little reason to be hopeful of any positive outcome. "Captain, I detect the same berthol ray emissions from the settlement site as we found on Kalendra 2. It is undoubtedly the same weapon that was used to destroy Colony 1"

Chris let out a held breath but he was unsurprised by the news.

"Confirmed Captain," Ezra added a second later. "I am picking up traces of transwarp signatures throughout the area. They match the signatures we found at Kalendra 2. I do not think we can doubt that these were the same intruders. Captain, they were definitely here."

"I think you’re right Ezra." Chris remarked. "Continue."

The security officer nodded shortly and spoke further. "I am able to determine that the rate of signature degradation is more pronounced here then those found at Kalendra. I estimate that this took place some time ago."

Chris turned to Buck. "I guess we were right." He said grimly. "They were here first."

Buck did not answer for a few seconds. His gaze was fixed on the image in the viewer. "Then we have to proceed on the assumption that Colony 9 has also been destroyed." The first officer replied neutrally even though he felt a wave of helplessness twisting his innards with the futility of their effort. Colony 9 was even further out of reach than these unfortunate settlements. Judging from the current trajectory the invaders seemed to be travelling, it was an inevitability that Colony 9 was attacked first. "Recommend that we go to yellow alert."

 "Ezra, take the ship to yellow alert." Chris ordered. Ezra nodded in response and immediately fed the appropriate instructions into his console screen. Across the Maverick, alert panels began flashing in yellow. Civilians were being ferried back into their quarters for the interim until it was decided that they were not at risk. Other crew members across the ship were making their way to their post in order to be on stand by should the ship encounter any unexpected hostiles.

"Captain, this could be the beginning an invasion." Ezra declared. "They’ve already attacked three of our colonies. We have to notify Starfleet Command."

"No." Chris said firmly. "This is not an invasion." The certainty of his statement froze the bridge and he knew his crew wanted elaboration on how he could make such a judgement with absolute confidence.

"If this were an invasion," Buck took the liberty of explaining. "An invasion force would find better targets than three small colonies. Despite the loss, none of these hold any strategic importance to the Federation. An enemy with enough technological superiority to have transwarp ships and a weapon capable of mutating atomic structure can find better targets in this sector."


"I’ve already informed Starfleet Command of the situation," Chris replied for the benefit of anyone else wondering. "However, I’m not convinced that we have the facts to assume that this is an invasion. There is something else going on here."

Alex, whom none of them had been paying attention to while they making their speculations, suddenly spoke up. "Captain. I am detecting humanoid life signs on the surface of the planet."

Chris articulated his amazement first. "Where?"

"About four hundred kilometres north from the location of the settlement. I read about twenty people."

"How could they have survived?" Mary spoke up.

"They are probably miners." Chris answered quickly. "Omega 6’s most famous natural resource is dilithium. If they were mining underground at the time of the attack, they may have escaped being killed along with the rest of the colony."

"But the attackers could scan for them." Ezra pointed out. "Any race advanced enough to do what was done to Kalendra 2 would not be so careless."

"Under normal circumstances yes," Alex replied suddenly understanding how this could happen. "However, dilithium has been known to interfere with certain types of scanning beams. If this was a fact previously unknown to the attackers, then they may not have adjusted their beams to compensate for the disruption."

"In any case," Chris interrupted, "we can discuss this later. It looks like we’ve got a rescue operation on our hands people." Chris tapped his com badge. "Doctor Jackson, have you been monitoring the situation?"

"Yes Sir," Nathan’s voice responded enthusiastically. "My team is on stand by to transport down."

"Acknowledged." Chris replied. "Hold for further instructions." He turned to Buck. "Buck, you’ll lead the Away Team with Ezra."

"Captain," Ezra spoke up. "We do not have all the facts yet. I am as happy as anyone that there are survivors on the planet but until we have a clearer understanding of the situation, I would recommend that the Away Team be accompanied by a full security team."

"He’s right," Buck voiced his agreement.

"Very well." Chris nodded. "Prepare your team Ezra and proceed to Transporter 2."

************

When the Away Team materialised on Omega 6, they found themselves flanked on either side by a massive wall of rock that seemed endless in its ascent. The passage way in which they had transported into was no more than a few meters wide although it was hard to tell because the height of the walls allowed for scarce visible light.

Buck took a few moments to adjust his vision to the lack of visibility. This world reminded him of Vulcan and the brightness of its native star, Eridani. The ferocity of the Vulcan sun bore down on all the planet so it was never really dark even though it was night. Judging by the lay of the land, Buck estimated that from a high altitude, this canyon would be nothing more than an enormous slab of rock lying flat. He noticed that the walls of the canyon were smooth and the ground beneath his feet was dried silt. Before Omega Prime had descended into its natural decay, this was the path of a river. However, soaring temperatures had dried up the waterway leaving nothing in its wake except for a baked river bed.

He looked up and saw the thin light of the sky shinning through the cleft in the mountain. Sunlight was struggling to reach them and made it only half way. The advantage he supposed, is that they were spared the blistering heat of Omega Prime on their skin. Though cool, the temperature was tolerable.

"This way," Ezra stated after taking the proper readings from his tricorder. "I detect life signs two hundred meters ahead." His gaze moved northward, following the meandering path of the passageway through the rock.

"Very well Lieutenant." Buck remarked. "You lead the way."

"How in the Rings did they get in here?" Nathan declared as the group starting moving forward with Ezra and his security team leading the way. "You’d be lucky to get a ship down here."

"A small shuttle could do it," Buck answered. "If the pilot is skilled enough but I’m pretty sure that there is an alternate entry point into the canyon that will give access to some sort of terrestrial vehicle."

"I suppose," Nathan let out a sigh. "It would be an arduous trip that I wouldn’t envy. Its no wonder that they managed to stay alive."

"They are indeed fortunate that the effects of dilithium could render sensor scans ineffective or else the intruder would have found them as easily as we have done so now." Ezra remarked.

"Yeah," Buck said feeling the heat against his skin and wondered what it must be like to be trapped in a hellish place like this with no idea whether or not help was coming. "I’ll bet they’re feeling real lucky."

 II

It did not take them long to find the remnants of Colony 4. There were survivors as expected but the state of the group was appalling. With nothing more than the tools they had been working with and the meagre ration of their camp site, the miners of Colony 4 had survived for nearly 25 days. As Buck and Chris had guessed, these men and women had been working in a dilithium mine some distance from here from the catastrophe took place. The mine was located almost under a kilometre of rock and this was the only thing that saved them from being killed like the rest of their friends and family.

When the Starfleet officers arrived on the scene, the medical team immediately deployed themselves like soldiers in a carefully planned campaign. The camp site was a collection of portable shelters and apparently one replicator that was normally used to produce mining tools. Since the disaster however, it became the main source of water. Realising that the replicator power had to sustain them indefinitely, the production of water as carefully rationed. Food came from dehydrated packs that were used sparingly. Most had given up the notion of a rescue and others were succumbing to the raving effects of exposure and malnutrition.

"What have we got Nathan." Buck said after allowing the medical team sufficient time to do their work. Ezra and his security team had lent a hand as nurses, aiding the medics as they evaluated the health of the survivors.

"Well," Nathan sighed after casting a gaze back at the ragged crew. "All of them are suffering from exposure and malnutrition which is to be expected of course. They survived because they were careful from the beginning. I’ve got three cases of mild berthol ray poisoning. Apparently, they attempted to return to the colony site to see the extent of the damage. They were wise enough to turn back before they were severely contaminated. It was a good thing that we arrived when we did Commander. They would not have survived another week like this."

"Understood." Buck responded. "Get them ready for transport to the ship."

"Right." Nathan nodded and went off to instruct his team on just that order.

At that moment, Ezra approached him with one of the survivors, a rather exhausted looking man who in his prime could be described as being burly. Now, he appeared as if his skin was the only thing that was holding his bones together. The man looked terribly emaciated as his eyes stared back at Buck through hollow sockets.

"Commander, this is Supervisor Lars Croft." Ezra introduced the man. "Apparently, there was some odd goings on before the destruction of Colony 4."

"Odd?" He remarked. His natural curiosity wished to know what exactly the man had seen but at the moment, the man needed medical treatment more than he required to give testimony. There would be ample time for discussion about the attack once they returned to this ship. "I know you want to tell your story Supervisor but it’s not necessary for you to do that immediately. You need of medical attention and in any case, I think the Captain would like to be present when you do give us your story."

"Thank you." Lars replied heavily. "You are most kind. We had given up hope of being found. There is always a risk to build a colony so far from Federation space but until now, we never imagined...." His voice faltered then and Ezra squeezed his shoulder for support.

"Please," Ezra said gently. "We will beam up to the ship and get you some rest. You are ill."


Lars seemed grateful for the security officer’s kind words. Around them, some of the medical crew already began to dematerialise in their return to the ship. As the people started to disappear, the camp site that had provided the survivors, shelter for the past month seemed more derelict than ever.

"Did you manage to find anyone else?" Lars asked as they waited for transport. His eyes met Ezra’s with desperate hope. Ezra did not want to tell him that he and his group were the only ones left alive and he exchanged a reluctant nod of approval from Buck to give him his answer. Finally he made a grim nod that was enough to tell Lars the ugly truth. Buck noticed that the Ezra was trying to remain detached even though he was outraged just like the rest of them.

"I regret to tell you that we have found no one." He replied softly. "I am sorry."

Lars blinked hard and it seemed he might weep but instead he swallowed visibly. "We had hoped someone might have survived. My wife, my two sons were at Colony 4." His expression melted into a look of despair that Ezra could barely tolerate. The man wanted to cry but he would not do so yet. Ezra sensed that this was a man who held a lot within but the last month had ravaged that strong will to almost nothingness. And now, he had lost the only bindings of hope that had maintained that strength forever.

It was almost a relief when the Transporter Chief’s voice broke the stillness of the air. "Commander, we are ready for you to transport."

"Acknowledged." Buck nodded. "Three to beam up."

 CHAPTER ELEVEN

 I

Since arriving on the Maverick, Nathan Jackson had discovered the simple joy of being a doctor again in being able to mend broken bones and take care of real patients. Over the last few years, he had felt himself somewhat distanced because of his research work and realised how much he missed when it required him to spend most of his time in a laboratory. However, dealing with patients on a more personal basis had its own set of problems as well. Although the twenty people inside his Sick Bay would live after their ordeal on Omega 6, he still felt as if he should have been able to do more.

At the moment, Josiah Sanchez had his hands full trying to offer comfort and counselling to the group in the face of their overwhelming loss. As he watched the older man practise his own brand of healing, Nathan could sense the frustration coming from him even though his face showed nothing but serenity. He could understand Josiah’s feelings of helplessness because he knew he felt similarly impotent as well. The wounds of their flesh could heal easily enough but the wounds of the mind were something else altogether.

"They are not holding up well." He commented once he managed to grab a quiet moment with the Counsellor. "I wish there were more we could do for them."

"There are some things that are beyond us." Josiah said softly. "All of them had families or friends at the Colony," he continued. "They haven’t even begun the mourning process yet because they had been so focussed on staying alive. The shock and disbelief I see in their faces is heart wrenching."

"I thought Counsellors are support to remain detached." Nathan pointed out knowing that it was anything but true of Josiah Sanchez. Nathan could see his empathy for these people despite his efforts to hide it and knew that Josiah often became more involved in her patients than he would like.

"It’s not a rule that I often adhere to." Josiah confessed. "I don’t believe in remaining detached. You cannot offer someone insight into their mind when you can even picture yourself in the same position." "My wife was a doctor." Josiah said with a fond smile as he remembered how Ayla used to deal with her patients and realised that it was not so difficult to talk about her any more. "She thought professional distance was more for our sake than it is for the patients."

"She was a wise woman." Nathan agreed.

Suddenly, the doors to Sick Bay slid open and the Captain, Buck and Ezra entered the room. Despite the mounting urgency of this whole affair of the intruder, Chris Larabee seemed outwardly calm. Josiah knew from experience that the casual smile he offered to the survivors was merely a facade. Buck stood by patiently as the captain made the rounds of the room, offering words of support to the patients and assurances that someone would be made accountable for the destruction of Colony 4.

While nothing could assuage their grief, the former colonists seemed somewhat happier at knowing that there would be justice for their lost loved ones. After Chris had made the rounds, he and Buck finally approached the doctor.

"How are they doing?" Chris asked and from the tone of his voice, he was not inquiring after their physical state.

"They’re exhausted. Some are still traumatised but most are finally allowing themselves to grieve." Josiah spoke first. "They are angry Captain and justifiably so."

"I can understand that." Ezra replied. "If everything I loved and worked for has been obliterated the way Colony 1 and Colony 4 were, I know I would not be impressed." Ezra who was better than any of them at hiding his feelings felt incensed to the core at what had happened on Kalendra 2 and now on this world. As a security officer, he felt that he should have been able to do more to prevent the devastation, even though there was no way he could have done anything to stop it.


"Doctor," Buck spoke calmly, a sharp contrast to the thinly veiled annoyance in Ezra’s voice. "We need to talk to Croft. He told us on the surface that he had some information about what happened to them."

Nathan glanced at the man in question, who was lying in his bed staring at the ceiling. The doctor could see the sorrow in the man’s face and knew that there was more than just loss at work there. It was a sense of failure as well. He looked to Nathan, a man who was usually prepared for everything and this had taken him completely by surprise. There was a well of rage building inside him that was as potent as it was dangerous. If it did not find an outlet soon, Nathan dreaded to think of the consequences.

"Medically, I think he would be up to a few questions." Nathan admitted.

"And mentally?" Chris spoke for the first time. "What is his mental state at the moment, Josiah?"

"He is angry Captain, as they all are. However, in Croft it seems deeper somehow, more personal."

"He was the mining supervisor?" Chris ventured to ask.

"Yes." Josiah answered.

"How many died while they were waiting for rescue?" The Captain asked again.

"Seventeen." Ezra replied, his jaw tightening as he answered.

"It’s a hard thing to lose people under your command." Chris offered. "You feel as if there is something you should have been able to do to stop it but sometimes, it’s beyond your capability. Your mind knows better but it’s your heart that you have to convince." At that, he made his way to Croft’s bed with Buck following closely behind.

Ezra let out a sigh, exchanging a knowing glance with both Nathan and Josiah before he too, followed them towards the recovering supervisor.

 

***********

Although he was glad that they had found survivors on Omega 6, Chris was disappointed that they had managed to be aid to twenty people of out an entire colony. As he walked through Sick Bay earlier, speaking to the patients and trying to assist them in some understanding of what had taken place, his anger left a deep well of hatred in his stomach. It was a feeling that seemed to get much worse when he found himself facing Lars Croft. The sorrow in the man’s face was evident just as he was marked by his guilt. In that moment, Chris understood Lars’ feelings better than anyone else in the room, bar none.

"Supervisor Croft." Chris introduced himself. "Captain Chris Larabee. Welcome aboard." He was going to dispense with the pleasant inquiries about the man’s health. At the moment, it seemed like a foolishly redundant question.

"Captain." The man said quietly. "I want to thank you and your crew for your kindness since our arrival. We are grateful to you for our lives."

"Don’t mention it," Chris said uncomfortably. "What help we were able to give you seems too little too late with how many were lost at the colony We should be thanking you for that one consolation."

"I guess neither of us are feeling terribly fortunate at this moment." Lars remarked easing back into his bed.

Chris took a step forward and met his gaze. "I seem to be the better of the two." There was a few seconds of silence before Chris decided to move on to the subject at hand. "Supervisor, you told Lieutenant Standish that there were some strange events occurring on the Colony 4 prior to the destruction. Care to elaborate on that?"

"Yes I can." Lars nodded and straightened up again. He seemed filled with purpose knowing that Chris would put the information to good use. "My team and I left the colony two days before the attack but odd things were happening before that. It started a week earlier. Our computer expert Caroline O’Shea informed as that someone had downloaded the entire contents of our main computer. Our computer is not very large for storage capacity but it is a Class 2 rating with security systems in place. Someone managed to swoop right in and download everything terabyte of information stored."

Chris exchanged a glance with Buck but neither said nothing and allowed Lars to continue.

"We thought that there might be Romulans about or something." Lars spoke again. "We even sent out a few groups to make sure there was no one around. We used our tricorders to scan for life signs. There was nothing and finally we decided that perhaps it was a computer glitch. Since no real harm was done, we let it go. However, two days before my team was meant to head out to the Gorge, one of our geologists disappeared for five hours. We could not find him anywhere. We sent out search parties, ran sensor scans and tricorder readings. We actually thought he might have fallen somewhere and died."

"But he was found." Buck guessed.

"As I said, five hours later." Lars answered. "We found him wandering about two miles from the colony. Not a scratch on him but he seemed dazed at first and had no idea what had happened. The man lost five hours of his memory."

"Were you able to detect evidence of a Transporter beam?" Ezra inquired.

"Our equipment is not that sophisticated." Lars retorted. "We scanned the area with our sensor equipment for anything unusual but there were no signs of it. All we could do was send a message to Deep Space 5, asking for a starship to come investigate."

"Deep Space 5 never received that message." Buck promptly informed him.

"But we sent it." The man insisted. "I am sure of it."

"The intruders may have intercepted the message." Ezra offered. "Secrecy is apparently a great consideration to them. Our investigation on Colony 1 indicates that they are sophisticated enough to be able to jam a subspace signal easily."

"Colony 1?" Lars asked, his eyes widening.

Chris swore under his breath. He had not intended Lars to learn about the destruction of Colony 1 yet or the possible fate that might have befallen all the colonies in this sector. Unfortunately, the damage was done. He saw Ezra winced at unwittingly exposing that bit of information. Chris merely nodded at him, indicating that no real harm had been done. Nevertheless, he did not seem happy at his faux pas but then gambling men rarely liked showing their hand prematurely.

"I am sorry to tell you that Colony 1 has been destroyed in the same way as Colony 4. That is why we came here to check on you." Chris said softly.

Lars closed his eyes as if blocking out their faces would allow him to restrain his rage. "Who are these people?" He demanded angrily. "What do they want from us?"

"Please calm down," Chris asked gently. "I know this is hard but we need to know exactly what happened that day if we are to get to the bottom of this."

Although he still seemed highly agitated, Lars did manage to settle down a little and take into consideration the Captain’s request. After a moment, when he was better composed, he spoke again. "We were in the Gorge when it happened. My team and I were working underground when there was a violent earth tremor. Measured at least six on the Richter. Most of us barely managed to get to the surface when the cavern came down. We lost Ryder and Palczkewski in the cave in."

He paused a moment in order to take a deep breath. Chris got the impression that his telling of the events was causing Lars to remember them with disturbing clarity. "When we surfaced, all we saw was this cloud of white smoke in the horizon. The temperature climbed up about ten degrees above normal. Rodriguez who was on the surface told us there was an explosion. We certainly felt it down below."

Once again, Lars stopped speaking and he swallowed hard before continuing again. "We tried raising the colony but our communication channels were silent. At first, we weren’t sure whether we ought to stay put in case they came after us. We hid underground for the first two days for cover until it was obvious they were not coming. We decided someone should go back to the settlement and see if anyone was left. Rodriguez, Johansson and Myers volunteered to go. I was not happy about it but we needed to know. After a lot of debating, they took the hover car and went to the colony. They got back before nightfall." His eyes drew dark and he did not need to go any further because they all shared his grief and knew what had happened next.

"They couldn’t even get two hundred miles within the place." He answered. His voice was now a whisper. "The tricorder and hover car sensors went critical the minute they reached the radius of the berthol ray contamination. Even then, they came back sick with radiation poisoning. We knew then, no one had survived. If the explosion did not kill them, the radiation sickness would have."

He stopped speaking then and leaned back into his bed, with his eyes closed. Chris let his gaze move across the room and saw that both the patients and the medical crew had stopped to listen to Lars’ account of things. Even Nathan who was trying to stay focussed on his other patients, seemed affected by the man’s words. Chris did not even know what he could possibly say to lessen the impact of the tragedy.

"I am so sorry." Chris finally found himself saying but the words felt meaningless when spoken. "We will find out who did this, I promise you."

"Captain," Josiah finally intervened. "I think that is enough for today. Mr Croft needs his rest."

The expression in his eyes told them that he would not accept any compromise on this. Nathan seemed to stand in the background, offering a show of solidarity even though he had not voiced it. Chris knew Josiah long enough to recognise that streak of steel inside the older man when a patient’s mental state was at stake.

He nodded slowly. "I think we have all that we need."

It was a lie of course. They were no closer to the answer than they were after their arrival at Colony 1. However, Lars Croft and what was left of his team needed to know otherwise.

 II

 

The meeting of the senior staff an hour later did not lift the oppressive black cloud hanging over the ship. With the exception of JD who was needed on the bridge while they were all engaged in this discussion, every bridge officer was present. Morale was dropping sharply. Chris could sense the tension that was beginning to affect everyone. He did not have to be a Betazoid telepath to know that people were starting to become afraid. Something out here was killing helpless civilians indiscriminately and with callous regard. By now, the entire ship knew that intruder’s vessel was emanating transwarp signatures and that naturally escalated the belief that the Borg were involved.

"What have we learnt?" Chris asked opening the meeting.

"The weapon used on Colony 4 is undoubtedly the same type used on Colony 1." Alex volunteered first. She was apart of the Away Team that had transported to the destroyed settlement after survivors had been picked up. Hers was the most up to date information. "We were unable to remain on the surface for more than a few minutes otherwise the Transporter would have lost its lock on us. The whole area is in an advanced state of subatomic flux, definitely more pronounced than what we found on Colony 1 owing to the time differential."

"The same destruction?" Chris inquired.

"Absolutely." Ezra answered firmly. "The colony was utterly obliterated. Like Kalendra 2, nothing was left standing. No buildings, no machinery, not even bodies. The only reason we know there were any at all is because of the DNA residue left behind."

Chris nodded, taking it all in. "Our science officer has theorised that this complete destruction is for the purpose of concealment more than it was for an attack."

"Concealment?" Josiah exclaimed. "What could be so important enough to justify such an extreme action?"

"Buck," Chris turned to his first officer. "Let them in on what Captain Krista told us."

"Sure," Buck nodded and began. "When we arrived at Deep Space 5, we were told that the entire contents of the station’s computer core had been downloaded. There were no ships close enough to do this when the theft took place and yet it did. The intruder penetrated all Starfleet security protocols and took the data out of the main computer without raising a single alarm. According to Supervisor Croft, the same thing was done on Colony 4 prior to the attack and we believe the same took place on Colony 1, although we’ll never really know for certain. Our intruder seems to need information and a great deal of it. We’re guessing that what they took from Colony 1 and 4 did not meet their needs and so they moved on to Deep Space 5."

"So this is definitely not the Borg." Mary stated. "The Borg have never displayed any need to learn anything of our species. After its initial contact with Picard’s Enterprise, it had all the adequate information about us. Besides, they learn by assimilation."


"Precisely." Alex took up the lead once Buck turned the proceedings. "This is someone new. We know that they have sophisticated weapons at their disposal, capable of destroying large areas without impunity. Their weapons are capable of affecting matter on a subatomic level, one of which we have no defence. We know that our shields will not withstand penetration by this weapon if they were capable of slipping through the shields of a starbase. Further more, they are either capable of matter displacement technology that far exceeds ours or they possess a cloaking system unlike anything we have ever seen.. Deep Space 5 navigational logs show no ships in the sector during the download and yet we know that there must have been a ship for it to have taken place."

"What Commander Styles is saying," Chris broke in at that moment. "Is that we’re outgunned and under powered to match the intruder."

"So then what?" Vin Tanner spoke up. Chris noticed that the officer of the con was starting to become more vocal in these meetings even though it took some time for him to work up the nerve. Chris noticed Alex giving a smile of encouragement to continue adding his voice to the discussion and was pleased that someone else other than himself was taking a personal interest in the welfare of the young helmsman.

"We can’t run," the Vulcan continued. "Doing that is just going to prove to them that we’re weak and ripe for an invasion if they aren’t thinking it already. We’ve got to show them that we got teeth, spite our weaknesses and that if they try to take the Federation, they’ll have to fight for every inch of space between here and Sector 001."

"I agree with Mr Tanner." Ezra spoke readily. "We must provide them with a reason to think that invading the Federation or the Alpha quadrant will be less profitable with the amount of opposition they will be facing. Unfortunately to do so we alone will have to face their ship and prevail. "

"We don’t believe that an attack is what they have in mind." Buck answered. "They seem to be after something in particular."

"I agree," Chris added. "They have no reason to conceal themselves they way they do. If they are even half as formidable as we know them to be, we are no match for them. After obtaining so much Federation data, they ought to know it as well. My hunch says that they want something specific and they’re not going to tip their hand until they get it."

"It does not look like we are in much position to stop them." Mary remarked, having heard the opinions on the table.

Chris did not say anything for a few seconds as he deliberated on that question. "We have to find them." He said firmly. "Since we don’t know what their intentions are in regards to this accumulation of data, we can’t exclude the possibility that these attacks are prelude to invasion. Our course is clear. We have to find the intruders and if it is not possible to negotiate some kind of peace agreement with them, we will have to use any means necessary to protect the security of the Federation."

"I can offer a solution in that regard," Julia remarked. "Although I warn you it is extreme."

"Go ahead, lieutenant." Chris replied, deciding that they had no choice at the moment and extreme might make all the difference when they faced the intruder.

"This is an alternative that can be used as a last resort if all our other efforts to stop the intruder fail. With some minor adjustments to the magnetic containment shield, we can create a relay on the bridge to precipitate a containment breach."

"A self destruct?" Ezra exclaimed.

"A self destruct would merely destroy the ship with little damage to the surrounding area." Julia continued. "Creating a containment breach with the amount of antimatter we possess would destroy any vessel in the resulting shock wave, despite their level of technology."

"Is that really necessary?" Josiah asked. He did not like to think that his first commission on board a starship would be his last.

"If all else fails," Chris answered. "It very well might be. Make your adjustments Lieutenant, create the relay. However, only me and Buck should be able to initialise it."

"Of course." Julia said promptly."

"Captain," Ezra spoke up. "Under the circumstances, I recommend that we remain on yellow alert."

"Good idea." The captain agreed. "In the meantime, I want Alex and you to find some way of protecting ourselves from this weapon of theirs. There should be a way to keep the shields from destabilising when it comes into contact. Study the data accumulated from the two sites, see what you can come up with."

"Yes Sir." Neither Alex nor Ezra seemed very optimistic.

"Nathan and Josiah, I want you to inform the civilians on board that it would be wise to make preparations in case of evacuation."

"Evacuation?" Nathan eyes flew wide open.

"Doctor," Chris said patiently. "If the situation warrants it, we will separate the ship. The saucer section can return to Deep Space Five without the loss of any more lives than necessary. A minimum complement is required to operate the starboard section of the ship, so we will be able to confront the intruder."

Nathan did not need to read the Captain’s mind to know that whoever remained on the starboard section would not return at all. The gesture was one of suicide but under the circumstances, if such a thing could ever be called reasonable, it was a necessary sacrifice.

Chris glanced at Mary and saw that she did not at all like the idea of a suicide course and the concern he saw was not just for her son, he was certain. There was something in her eyes as she looked at him that captured his gaze long enough for Chris to realise that her worry for him was not because he was her captain but something more. Unfortunately, this was hardly the time for him to explore the depth of her growing emotions to him.

"We will proceed immediately, Captain." Josiah said softly. He did not want it to end like this, not so soon after their launch from Earth Star Base. The crew barely knew each other, let alone the ship. His heart ached knowing that they might not ever get the chance to learn anything at all. "What shall we tell them?"

"You inform them that this is a routine precaution when entering a critical situation." Chris answered. He let his gaze move through the room and he could tell that his crew was afraid. Bridge officers did not show their apprehension easily but their grim expression told him that they shared the sentiment to a small degree. "I know things don’t look good for us at the moment. However, this is mostly because we know very little about the intruder. Everything unknown poses a threat so we must learn everything about them that we can. Learning about our enemies will allow us to understand what motivates them. If we can discover what it is they need, we may come to a peaceful solution. However, I personally am not ready to believe this is a simple invasion. If they wanted to, the intruders have the technology to force an confrontation and win quite easily. I think all this concealment has another purpose and we need to know what that is."

"I agree," Buck lent his voice to the Captain’s speech in a show of command solidarity. "Their actions show a fanatical need to remain anonymous and whatever reason may be, it could give us an edge."

"We hope." Nathan remarked.

"Hope is all that Leonidas had at Thermopylae." Chris said with a faint smile. "Yet he managed to save a great many lives even though he had a very small force." The captain pointed out.

"True," The doctor nodded. "Except that Leonidas died in the process."

CHAPTER TWELVE

 I

"Commander Styles," Ezra said unable to suppress a yawn of weariness. "I do believe we are exhausting ourselves."

The science officer rubbed her eyes to shake the weariness out of them and decided she could not disagree with Ezra’s opinion that they were pushing themselves hard. They had working at an empty station in Engineering for five hours now and had made very little headway in fulfilling the Captain’s request in finding a defence against the intruders' weapons system. A difficult task in itself when one considered that they had not the least idea of how the thing work. Well, that was not entirely true, Alex decided. She knew something of the physics that made what it did possible but not the mechanics of such a device. The truth was, all their work would just be speculation until they actually saw the weapon in use. Alex had not planned on getting that close.

"The captain wants a workable solution soon." She replied and ran his calculations through the computer station once again.

"I know." He said calmly. "However, we will not find one if we work ourselves into exhaustion. This is no time for anyone to be anything less than fit for duty. We are not helping anyone by pushing ourselves like this nor are we helping the ship. The Captain needs to be able to rely on us and he cannot do that if we are anything less than alert."

He was right. Alex let out a visible sigh of defeat. She looked around Engineering and saw new faces had come on shift since she and Ezra started working on the problem of devising a reliable defence against the intruder. Chief Engineer Julia however, was the exception. The woman was still working on creating a relay between the anti-matter containment and the bridge. She shuddered inwardly at the thought that they might actually be forced to use that desperate option. However, she did note something else during the past hours of being here.

"You’re right." She said turning back to Ezra. "Let’s call it a day."

"Good idea." He answered. "Why don’t we meet back here at 0800 hours in the morning."

"I could use the sleep." Alex answered. "Maybe it will give me more ideas on how to deal with the problem."

He nodded in agreement and the his gaze shifted furtively towards entirely different direction when he thought Alex was busy gathering her data pads and not paying attention.

"It would help if you just go ask her out." Alex said with a wry smile.

Ezra looked at her and felt an involuntarily flush of red in his features. He had hoped that no one had noticed him gazing in the direction of Julia Pemberton throughout the evening, least of all the Science Officer he was working with. "I have no idea what you are talking about." Ezra said neutrally, betraying nothing because he was terribly embarrassed at being discovered. He could not help it though. Each time he saw that shimmer of red hair, he was utterly lost to the sparkle of it and wanted nothing more to run his fingers through it and see if it was really hair or strands of fine copper, not to mention those incredible emerald eyes. He wanted to stare forever in those pools of colour.

"Of course not." Alex answered with a little smile. "Well it’s your business." She had no intention of involving herself further in this matter and wanted nothing more than to soak in the tub for an hour before going to bed. "I’ll see you tomorrow." Alex replied before making her exit.


Ezra watched her go unable to deny that she was right, he should go over there and say hello to Julia Pemberton. After all, considering what she had spent most of her labour during the last day upon, it would be prudent to seize the moment before they were forced to make the ultimate sacrifice. Clearing his throat and wondering when in the hell he ever felt this nervous, Ezra lingered a moment at the work station, powering down the computer base in order for it to be utilised by someone else before he crossed the space between them. Ever since he had laid eyes upon her, he felt butterflies in his stomach and felt somewhat ridiculous about it. He was a grown man after all and the chief of security no less and he had never had any trouble approaching the opposite sex about anything. He had faced Ferengi traders, Romulan assassins and drunken Klingons, there was very little he had seen in his lifetime could make him flinch, there was no reason why he should feel so anxious about talking to a petite redhead.

"How is our doomsday device progressing?" Ezra asked as he came up along side of her.

"Fine." She answered still working on the device and responded without looking up. "Its about time you got up the nerve to talk to me. A girl could start to feel a little offended by how long it was taking you. I was actually starting to believe that I’d have to go ask you myself and that would not do, I’m an old fashioned girl after all." She met his gaze long enough to flash him a radiant smile.

Ezra winced inwardly and felt supremely stupid. "Was I that obvious?" He asked clearing his throat, feeling his embarrassment burn to the tips of his ears but it did not feel too terrible in light of her own revelations.

"Not at all," she replied, her fingers working deftly over the innards of the relay sitting on top of her workbench. "You wore quite the poker face but then I am told that is your expertise isn’t it?"

"I have been known to indulge in games of chance." He replied casually, wondering how deeply she had made her inquiries about him and rather annoyed that as chief security officer, someone could do so without his being any the wiser.

"I hear you are a bona fide card sharp and that if there’s a game on thos ship, you know about it." She continued to work, not looking at him. "You’re a bundle of contradictions Mr Standish." She paused and then added. "Fortunately," she offered him a teasing wink. "I like paradoxes."

"Really?" Ezra found himself smiling, now that he had recovered from the surprise of finding out that this titan haired beauty shared possibly the same feelings for him that he had for her, if she had been determined enough to go find out all about him. "I have been told that I am something of a riddle."

"Now that’s more like it Commander," she continued to tease. "I like it when you take the initiative."

"Are you always this sure about yourself Miss Pemberton?" Ezra asked folding his arms and staring at her. He had thought simply staring at her was enough to send tingles through his skin. He had no idea that she was this enchanting to talk to as well. Ezra thrived on challenges and a woman who could knock him off his poised feet was quite formidable indeed.

"Not always," she remarked, her eyes moving up and down his form as if she had made some secret decision about him she was not about to let him know about just yet. "Then there are times when I know without doubt that this is the best thing for me."

Ezra could actually understand that. How many pivotal moments in his life had come upon him knowing just the right thing to do? He could not even count, whether or not it was in a card game or accepting this posting under Chris Larabee’s command, Ezra had known with an instinct that made him the gambler he was today, that there could be no other choice but the one he had made. His heart leapt inside his chest knowing that she had come to that same decision about him. However, he was not about to become too presumptuous by that fact because Miss Pemberton herself was something of a riddle and she liked to play games.

That was fine with him, games were his speciality.

***********

Chris stared into stars beyond the window of his Ready Room when the door chimed softly.

"Come in." He sang out after a letting out a weary sigh.

The door slid open and Josiah walked into the room, cradling a bottle of blue liquid. He knew that the doctor had a collection of exotic spirits that had come on board with him from Earth. Usually, the emergence of a bottle indicated that Josiah felt particularly verbal and had selected him as company. According to the chronometer on his desk, Chris saw that it was approaching 1900 hours. That meant he had been sitting in this chair, staring into space for almost a good hour.

"To what do I owe this visit?" Chris asked sitting up in his chair. He could not deny that Josiah’s presence was a welcome one. The Counsellor was the one person around whom he could unburden himself to completely, within reason of course.

"I thought you could use some of this." He gestured to the bottle in his hand.

"What is it?" Chris inquired, learning forward to examine the contents closely after Josiah had put the bottle down on his desk.

"Romulan Ale." The doctor answered.

"Ah, mother’s milk." Chris grinned and rose from his chair. He went to the replicator panel and made a short request from the computer. After a brief shimmer of energy, Chris returned to the desk with two clear crystal glasses.

When Josiah had filled both receptacles, Chris took a deep sip from his glass and was savoured the taste in his mouth. It was particularly pleasing that the ale was authentic. Somehow, he was not looking forward to a synthehol-flavoured substitute. For a few minutes, neither man spoke but Chris was sure that Josiah was reading his thoughts and his mood more clearly than spoken words could ever express.

"You think the strain is getting to me." Chris stated putting down his glass. "

Josiah smiled, knowing that the question was rhetorical. Not that he would have answered it anyway. He knew Chris had a great deal of difficulty articulating how he felt and such conversations needed to be proceeded with delicate caution.

"Your attitude at the briefing earlier hardly inspired confidence." Josiah answered after a while. He could not deny that Chris’s words during that meeting had bothered him a great deal. "Comparing us to Leonidas of Sparta is somewhat fatalistic don’t you think?"

"I was trying to be realistic." Chris responded coolly. "I don’t think that our chances of surviving this encounter is any secret. Even a fool would have to recognise that the odds are against us."

"You don’t know that." Josiah pointed out firmly. "In fact, no one knows that for certain. We haven’t even sighted the enemy. All we have is a great deal of speculation and not a lot of practical knowledge. Your strategy should not be focused on the outcome of us not surviving the encounter. Even Starfleet’s finest needs to have hope they can come out of this alive."

"I don’t need to see it with my own eyes to know what happened on Colony 1 and 4 was anything but formidable. Wishful thinking is not going to change that." Chris retorted unable to deny that he was starting to feel defensive.

"I agree with that assessment as well as you do." Josiah answered not willing to let this matter slide just yet. "The intruders, whomever they are, is capable of destroying all of us. However, we should not make it any easier for them to do it. Assuming that the best than we can hope for during an encounter is to take them with us, is not the way to proceed. You did not think that way when we faced the Borg. The man I put back together in Starfleet Medical would never have sat still for that!"

"What do you want from me?" Chris snapped. "I am doing the best I can! Do you think this is any easier for me? I’ve waited all my life for this." He looked around the room. "All my life, I’ve worked hard and done everything expected of me and all my life everything I want is taken away through no fault of mine. My son and my wife just to start with. I get over that as best I can and finally get my own ship. Do you think I could have been given the chance to enjoy her, at least for a while? No, on our first mission out, I have to be saddled with this! An intruder that will most likely cut through out shields and turn us into solar dust before we even have time to respond! It’s not fair!"

"Life isn’t fair and you of all people, should know that by now." Josiah responded just as vehemently. It was no secret that he thought of Chris Larabee as more than a friend. Chris was the son he always wanted. He loved his own son dearly but Sanda had always been so practical and levelheaded. Sanda had taken after his mother and seldom needed Josiah’s guidance or understood his father enough to tolerate that seed of wanderlust inside his veins. From the first moment he had met Chris Larabee, Josiah felt a kinship that was deeper than friendship. It was a bond as thick as blood because Chris understood that wild streak of madness that gripped all great pioneers over the precipice of destiny.

Chris had given him a chance to realise a dream. At point in his life where he thought all dreams were ended. So Josiah Sanchez was not going to allow protocol or anything else to keep him from helping that brave man who had saved him from himself.

"You are the Captain of this ship." He continued hammering away. "You are the standard by which everyone on board measures himself. Yes, you are still new to them but they believe in you because you are the man who saved the Rutherford. Most of the ships destroyed by the Borg did not allow for survivors but yours did. You saved half your crew when most others were lucky to escape with a handful. Don’t you think everyone on board knows that?"

Chris said nothing and his silence further infuriated the Counsellor. "How dare you think anything becomes simpler when you are a Captain. You worked all life for this and you of all people should know the price that comes with that Captain’s gold, you’ve paid it more than any man has to pay for anything. We need you to be strong for us or no one on board this ship is going to survive the confrontation. That Captain Larabee is something I do not need to be telepathic to know."

Although the words seemed to bounce of him, Chris knew otherwise. The substance of them had penetrated right to his core and touched upon that secret part of himself he wised no one could see. Josiah was right of course. Chris almost expressed a faint smile at that realisation but managed to hold it. Counsellor Josiah Sanchez reminded him of his father so much that there were times when it was hard for him to distinguish this passionate doctor from the father who dithered about in his library of musty books. To this day, whenever he smelt stale paper, Chris remembered his father. Now, he no longer even needed that. He just had Josiah.

"You are a pain in the ass Counsellor." Chris conceded finally before taking another sip of his ale. "But what you said has been duly noted."

"Well," Josiah shrugged. "I am glad that something did."

"I don’t want to lose another crew Josiah," the young captain said honestly. "This is more than I expected from my first command. I wanted to get to know everyone before it came to this. I never got to know the people on the Rutherford. I was too busy being first officer and preparing myself for my first command to understand how important the people are. Its important to know people while there’s still time." He looked away and crushed mercilessly the private pain that had made a sudden resurgence at that remark. "I wanted Buck to be my first officer because I promised myself that when I came on board, I wasn’t going to let the crew simply become uniforms to me. Buck has a way of doing that."

"I can imagine," the Counsellor replied gently. "Look I don’t need to tell you that things don’t always turn out the way they’re meant to. Starfleet made you a Captain because you’ve got that spark inside of you than most fleet officers would sell their souls to have. Do what Chris Larabee wants to do, from the gut, no hesitation or no regrets. I have more faith in that impulse than anything in the rule book."

"Thanks," Chris chuckled softly. "But I may tear the ship apart by throwing out that book."

It felt better being able to admit to someone that he was not as confident as everyone expected him to be. Once again, he thanked whatever reasoning had led him to making Josiah the offer of the post of Counsellor. He had a feeling that if they were to survive the next few days, Buck and Josiah between them both were going to have to become gyroscope that centred his emotional balance and give him a swift kick when he needed it.

"Incidentally," Josiah spoke, moving to a completely different subject altogether even though he was uncertain if this topic would be as well received as the earlier had been. If anything, it was likely to be just as provocative. "I don’t mean to pry but I thought I’d mention this since I am Counsellor and I’m responsible for bringing this up no matter how awkward it may be."

"Of course not." Chris said wearily. There was little point trying to guess what Josiah was getting at. Sooner or later, the man would make his point. "Go ahead anyway."

"You have some very strong feelings about Lieutenant Travis."

Chris eyes met Josiah’s sharply. That was the one thing he wanted no one on board to know. Buck had been giving him enough hell on the subject, trying to play matchmaker by goading him into spending more time with the woman. Now, he had to contend with Josiah too. Although he knew both Buck and Josiah meant well, there were some things that he considered to intimate to share with anyone and his feelings for Mary definitely fell into that category.

"That my friend is none of your business." Chris said dryly.

"Ah," Josiah said abruptly before adding. "I see."

Even though he was not smirking or smiling, or showing any outward expression on his face, Chris knew Josiah well enough to know that his mind was actively analysing Chris’s response. The remark was meant to bait him and to Chris’s chagrin, the ploy was working quite effectively. Unable to resist, Chris found himself asking. "What do you see?"

"Nothing." The man said innocently.

"Why don’t I believe you?" Chris glared with a brow raised.

Josiah hesitated as he tried to put the feelings he was sensing between the two people into words that could accurately describe the situation. After a moment of consideration, he finally responded. "It just felt like I sensed an emotional attachment between you and her." At that, he looked up quickly to see Chris’s reaction.

The captain did not seem the least bit concerned. "Believe me," Chris replied. "Whatever you sense was probably not mutual."

Josiah downed the last of his drink and then rose to his feet. The captain remained seated and looked deep in thought. Despite the woman’s aloof manner, Josiah had been a Counsellor enough to know that was not the case, not in the slightest. He waited for a second before he added quietly, "I wouldn’t say that."

The Captain looked up at him instantly with eyes widened once the implications of that remark sank into his brain. "What do you mean?" Chris asked, a great deal more animated than Josiah had seen him in some time. "Did you she say something?" He asked unable to contained the excitement in his voice that his feelings for Mary might be reciprocated. Josiah tried not to laugh but it was difficult to control his facial expressions at that point.

"It’s getting late." The man replied evasively. "You can keep the bottle of ale. I’ve got more down in my office." Josiah estimated he had precious few moments left before he starting laughing.

"Wait a minute!" Chris declared heatedly. "You can’t just leave! What did you hear from? This is not funny, Counsellor, I want to know."

"Should I pass her notes for you too?" Josiah grinned as he started for the door.

"I could make it an order you know!" Chris tried again, ignoring the remark. Although he knew he was playing into Josiah’s hands, the edge of his curiosity would not be abated. "Come on Josiah, this is not funny. What does she think of me?"

"Goodnight Captain," The Counsellor grinned and made a speedy exit before his Captain started the practice of keelhauling again.

 

 II

Vin Tanner was at the bar indulging in a something called Boston mud cake when he heard a voice behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he took the seconds before he actually faced the person to try and recognise the voice because his memory for these things was quite good and he was usually able to identify them immediately. However as he finally faced the speaker, Vin found himself surprised by whom it was.

"Lieutenant Richmond." He said unable to hide his shock especially after how she had treated him at their first meeting.

"Hello Vin." She said with a smile.

Vin wanted to know since when they had become so familiar with each other that she was calling him by his first name. "Can I do something for you Lieutenant?" He asked cautiously, uncertain of what she wanted of him. From the corner of his eye, he saw the door to Four Corners sliding open and felt eager to end this discussion with the lieutenant when he saw Alex Styles walking into the room. Alex paused a moment and surveyed the room before she caught sight of him and Charlotte. Vin panicked thinking she might leave seeing he was not alone but instead her expression changed. If he did not know better, he would say it hardened as she came towards them.

"My friends and I," Charlotte glanced at a few women seated at the table at the far corner of the room who were watching the proceedings with great amusement. "We wondered is it true that Vulcans reach sexual maturity much later than humans?"

Vin stared at her with no idea of what to say. He could understand her curiosity of course; Vulcan sexuality was one of the most closely guarded aspects of the culture. There was very little on it for the knowledge of the general public remembering the hell he had gone trying to find something on the subject himself. However, the smirk on her face did not appear as if she were making the inquiry for the pursuit of knowledge but rather to embarrass him.

"That’s true." He stammered, aware that she was waiting for an answer and decided the truth was the best he could do at this moment.

"So you’re not sexually mature yet." She pointed out because according to his record, he was young by Vulcan standards. "You’re a virgin."

Vin turned deep red and was about to stand up and make a hasty departure when Alex reached them both. The science officer had heard the exchange and was giving the crewmen who were witnessing this entire event a scathing glare that sent them scurrying. Charlotte Richmond had not noticed her yet since she was too busy humiliating the Vulcan in public.

"A virgin!" Alex announced herself by exclaiming loudly. "I would hardly think so." Charlotte turned to see the commander’s and visibly gulped when she realised that Vin’s relationship with the third ranking officer on the Maverick was anything but professional.

Vin could share Charlotte’s astonishment when he felt Alex’s hand slid over his shoulders, caressing the length of his muscle. Her palm inched languidly over the curve of his biceps, pausing long enough for her to feel the taut flesh beneath his uniform. While he was uncertain of what she was doing, he could not say that it did not feel unpleasant to have him touch him. So few people wanted to touch Vulcans and even fewer wanted to touch him because he was something different. However, nothing could prepare Vin for the surprise he got when she pressed her mouth against his and slipped her tongue through his teeth.

He had never been kissed this way before and knew that human males found this very arousing but he found it more pleasant to have her skin against his and to be able to breathe in the scent of her hair. He liked how her palm felt against his cheek and the way her body moved closer to his and was disappointed when she pulled away. Alex gave him a little wink, which he did not understand and kept her arm where it was over his shoulder before saying sweetly. "Vin, darling. Do you think I could have a moment with the lieutenant alone?"

Why was she calling him darling and what had happened to her voice? Vin thought to himself. "Okay." He said uncertainly, picking up his plate of Boston mud and retiring to one of the free tables.

As soon as he was gone, Alex turned her eye on Charlotte who was starting to look very nervous. Alex could not blame her, she had good reason to be afraid. It was never wise to anger the third in command of a starship.

"Commander...." Charlotte started to stammer.

"Lieutenant Richmond," Alex said with pure ice in her voice "I believe you are in stellar cartography am I correct?"

"Yes Sir," Charlotte nodded, seeking moral support from her friends who had all but disappeared in the light of her troubles.

"Unless you want to be spending the next six months on monitor duty during the graveyard shift I suggest that you limit your interaction with Lieutenant Tanner to a professional basis. If I find out that you are harassing him again about his Vulcan heritage, I’ll have you brought up on charges of Xenophobia, do you understand me?"

"Yes Sir," she replied promptly and clearly shaken because xenophobia was grounds for immediate dishonourable discharge form Starfleet.

Alex took a step closer to her and whispered in a softer voice. "You fuck with me on this one and I’ll eat you alive. Do we understand each other, lieutenant?"

"Perfectly," Charlotte swallowed and started to leave when Alex spoke.

"I did not say you were dismissed, Richmond." She looked at the woman coldly.

Charlotte’s face flushed red with anger but held her tongue because anything she said would immediately be construed as insubordination.

"Now you’re dismissed." She remarked with a little smile of satisfaction and was pleased to see Charlotte slinking away fearfully before Alex went to find Vin.

***********

 

"I’m sorry about that." Alex said sliding into the seat next to him in the booth where he was waiting for her. "She really got to me."

"She was trying to embarrass me." Vin replied even though he was more curious as to why Alex had done what she had instead of Charlotte’s cruelties. "Why did you kiss me?" He asked.

Alex cleared her throat and tried to think of an answer since there was no real reason to except perhaps the fact that she did not want anyone sniggering behind Vin’s back. "I didn’t want her to make fun of you and to put to rest any further comments she might have regarding your sexuality." She answered him truthfully. "Did you mind?"

"No," he shook his head in answer. "Its just no one has kissed me before."

"Well when you’re in a position to appreciate it, I’m sure there will be a line." She smiled warmly and then stood up. "I’ve put in a long day so I’m going to get some rest. You take care okay?" Alex said as she left him.

Vin watched her go and decided that when he was in a position to appreciate it, he would not want anyone else but her.


PART THREE

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