Authors Note

I wrote this a number of years ago and forgot about it until I recently found it in an old Star Trek story archive. So I've decided to polish it up a bit and update it. Please feel free to leave any criticism as it is always welcome.

The usual bit follows – I don't own any part of Star Trek – That'little money earner belongs to Paramount as Aliens & predator belong to Fox. I am not going to make a penny out of this story so please don't sue me.


Night Of The Hunter - Part 1

Captains Log Stardate 4813.2

The Thunderchild is en route the planet Deadfall in the Tartarus sector to investigate the loss of communication with a research station in the planets orbit. The last report from the station stated that the crew had discovered a manufactured object of unknown origin, since then all communication with the station has ceased.

Captain Richmond leaned back in her command chair and surveyed her domain, the bridge of the Akira class U.S.S. Thunderchild. Sitting in the seat beside her was the first officer, Commander Lewis, who was studying the chief engineer's reports on the engine shakedown tests. The Thunderchild had just finished extensive refits after the end of the Dominion War and Lewis wanted to be damn sure that the new engines wouldn't pack in at a critical moment. He turned to the Andorian seated at the Ops console.

"What's our ETA Mr. Valchek?" He asked.

"We will arrive in the Deadfall system in just under seven minutes captain." replied the Andorian.

"So what is it they're studying out here on the edge of nowhere?" Asked Lewis curiously.

"The planet Deadfall is surrounded by an unstable debris ring similar to Venus," Informed Valchek, "the station is studying the effects of long term meteor bombardment on the planetary crust."

"I see, and the crew complement?" Asked Richmond

"The research station has over three hundred crew, mostly civilian scientists. There is a small security contingent but nothing in any appreciable force."

"I wonder what's going on over there." Said Lewis

"That's what we're to find out Commander." Replied Richmond.

"We are now entering the Deadfall system Captain." Reported Anderson, a fresh faced lieutenant at the helm.

"Drop to one quarter impulse," Ordered Richmond, "Lieutenant Clarke, scan the area for vessels."

"Scanning sir," Replied the short blonde haired woman at the tactical console, "no vessels in range."

"See if you can raise the station." Ordered Lewis

"Hailing frequencies open." A pause. "No response commander."

"Alright Anderson, take us into orbit."

"Aye aye sir, standard orbit."

The Thunderchild slid into a geostationary orbit alongside the darkened form of the station. Lewis decided it looked like a snare drum that had had a nasty argument with a welder in a hi-fi shop.

"Try hailing them again Lieutenant, we might have more luck on short range." He ordered

"Frequencies open." Clarke waited patiently. "Still no response sir."

"Life signs?"

"I'm sorry sir, there appears to be damage to the stations fusion reactors, its leaking radiation, the sensors can't get a clear reading on the interior."

"Damn." Muttered Richmond. "I hate going into a situation blind. Number One, take an Away Team, fully armed and find out what's going on over there."

"Aye sir." nodded Lewis, "Clarke, assemble a security team and meet me in transporter room two."

"Robbins, where do you think you're going with that?" Clarke looked at the two ensigns who were manhandling a particularly vicious looking piece of machinery in the direction of the transporter room.

"We're loading it sir." Replied Robbins with a grin, wiping a drop of sweat from his forehead.

"May one enquire why?"

"Well, the captain said we were to be fully armed." Said the other Ensign nervously.

"When the captain said 'fully armed' I don't think she meant to take an isomagnetic disruptor. That is a field artillery piece ensign, it is most definitely NOT meant to be used in a space station." Replied Clarke sarcastically. "Put it back in the armoury."

"But Lieutenant, these things take ages to store and we're due for beam out in five minutes." Complained Robbins.

"Well, you should have thought of that before you hauled the bloody thing out of storage!" stormed Clarke, "Look, put it in the shuttle bay just now and get it stowed the minute we come back."

"Aye aye sir."

Lewis studied his team as they entered the transporter room. Robbins and Masters appeared a bit out of breath and Clarke definitely looked ticked off about something. Borland arrived next, the young Betazoid checking her med kit and was closely followed by Johansson and Hutchins carrying their phaser rifles.

"All set?" He queried. The assembled team nodded. "Ok Ladies and gentlemen here's the deal. We received a partial subspace distress signal from the station six days ago saying they had found an artifact in orbit of Deadfall that contained an unknown life form. Shortly after members of the station personnel started to go missing. The station administrator requested assistance and we've heard nothing from them since. There have been reports of rogue Jem'hadar elements operating in the area so I want everyone to be extra vigilant. Any question?" There was silence. "Let's go then." They climbed onto the transporter pad. The crewman at the controls frowned at her console.

"Problem chief?" asked Lewis

"Just having difficulty getting a clear lock from the station sir," she replied, "the radiation is playing havoc with the sensors...... There, got it now. I recommend you keep a comline open."

"Energize."

It had watched the approach of their ship with interest. It waited patiently in the darkness of the station for their arrival. Now it could feel the build up of their transport device. Soon the hunt could begin again.

Lewis blinked as the transporter shimmer faded and drew his phaser. The first thing he noted was the heat.

"Permission to come aboard?" He said to no-one in particular

"Feels like a Turkish steam bath down here." Commented Masters as he took out his tricorder and began scanning.

"Anything?" Asked Lewis.

"The radiation is cutting the range down a bit, but I am picking up a life sign." Replied Masters. "Approximately fifty meters from our position, looks like it's in the ops room."

Lewis tapped his commbadge.

"Lewis to Thunderchild."

"Thunderchild here, go ahead Number One." came Richmond's voice.

"The station appears deserted, but we have picked up one life sign, not far from our present position." He reported.

"Very well, proceed with caution. Thunderchild out."

"O.K. Clarke, you take point," ordered Lewis. "Masters and Robbins take the rear." There was a brief chorus of "aye aye sir's" and the small party moved on.

The station was eerily quiet as the team proceeded down the empty corridors. The only sound was the hum of the station life support systems. Eventually the party reached the turbo lift leading to the stations operations center. They stepped in and the doors whooshed shut.

The ops center seemed as empty as the rest of the station. Lewis stepped out of the turbo lift and looked at the apparently empty room.

"Well Masters?" He asked.

"There should be someone here," replied Masters, "I'm definitely reading one human life sign." In response to his words a phaser beam from an overhead walkway shot over his head and caught Hutchins in the shoulder as he stepped out of the turbo lift. The beam lifted the hapless man and slammed him to the back of the turbo lift.

"DOWN!" yelled Clarke and snapped off a shot at the source of the blast. The rest of the team dived for cover. Borland scurried over to Hutchins and began running her medical tricorder over him while Robbins crouched at the turbo lift door, covering them with his rifle.

Lewis risked a glance over the top of the console he was hiding against, and was forced to duck as another blast nearly took his head off.

"Ye'll no get me ya bastard!" Came a hoarse cry from across the room.

"This is Commander Lewis of the Federation starship Thunderchild." Shouted Lewis." We mean you no harm!" The only reply was a phaser blast that vaporized part of the console he was hiding behind. Lewis looked at Clarke; she motioned him to continue firing.

He raised himself cautiously and began firing back; meanwhile Clarke and Johansson began slowly moving into positions flanking the lone gunman. Lewis flinched as yet another blast came too close for his own comfort. Clarke signaled Johansson; simultaneously they fired and hit the gunman squarely in the chest. The combined blast lifted him off his feet and he flew backwards, crashed into a console and slumped to the floor unconscious. Lewis picked himself up off the floor and looked at the rest of his Away team.

"Everyone O.K?" he asked, they all nodded, and He looked at Hutchins. "How about you ensign?"

"I'll live sir," he replied with a grimace, "the beam just grazed me." He rubbed the scorched section of his uniform. "Good thing these new uniforms have that ablative coating."

"I've given him something for the pain," reported Borland, snapping shut her med kit, "He'll be O.K. but I'd like to get him to a sickbay and undergo dermal regeneration." She walked over to the unconscious man and ran her tricorder over his still form. "Mild dehydration and malnutrition, signs of elevated blood pressure but otherwise healthy." She said, reading the display. "He's going to be out for a while though."

"Suits me." Said Robbins. "As long as isn't shooting at us."

"I know what you mean." Replied Lewis, looking at the remains of the console he had been hiding behind. "See if you can access the station computer and find out what's been going on here."

"Aye sir." Robbins busied himself at one of the computer stations.

"Clarke, take Johansson and Masters and check out the rest of this level."

"Aye sir," She looked at the two ensigns." Let's go you two and try not to get lost." They left ops room.

Lewis tapped his commbadge. "Lewis to Thunderchild."

"Go ahead Commander."

"We've been attacked by someone who may be one of the stations crew."

"Casualties?" Lewis could hear the worry in Richmond's voice.

"Hutchins took a shot in the shoulder, but Borland says he'll be fine."

"Thank god for that." The relief was even more evident. "Any sign of the rest of the crew."

"Not so far, I've got Clarke conducting a search of the command level, but no sign of anyone except our trigger happy friend." Said Lewis. "I've got Robbins on the computer trying to access the stations log; I'll let you know if anything turns up."

"Understood Commander. Thunderchild out."

Lewis turned to Robbins. "Got anything yet?"

"Not much I'm afraid sir." Replied Robbins." Looks like the main core has been affected by the ionic radiation, a lot of the stored data's been corrupted beyond retrieval."

"Did you get anything useful?"

"Well, I've got an I.D. on our gracious host here." Robbins nodded at the unconscious man." He's Lieutenant Commander Archibald McEwan, the stations chief engineer."

"Well, I suppose it's something." His badge chirped

"Clarke to Lewis." Lewis tapped his badge.

"Go ahead Lieutenant."

"I think we've got something Commander, we're picking up some strange readings coming from the mess."

"We're on our way." Lewis turned to the rest of his team. "Hutchins, you're with me. Borland, stay and look after our friend here, and you keep on that computer Robbins. See if you can get anything else useful out of it."

Lewis and Hutchins found Clarke and her party standing outside the door to the mess room.

"What've you got Clarke?" Asked Lewis

"I'm not sure Commander." She replied, frowning. "I've not seen anything like this before, the signal keeps fading in and out, one minute it's there, and then it's gone."

"Could it be a shrouded Jem'hadar?"

"I don't think so, normally our equipment wouldn't be able to pick up a shroud, this is more like the signal's being distorted somehow."

"Where is it?"

"Through there." She motioned towards the mess room door.

"All right, you three take that side of the door, we'll take this." Clarke, Johansson and Masters stood to one side of the door while Lewis and Hutchins stood at the other.

"O.K. On three." Whispered Lewis. "One.....Two.....Three!" On the count, Clarke slapped her hand on the door control. With a swish the doors slid aside and the party surged inside, phasers ready, and gaped at the scene inside. They had found the rest of the command crew, or what remained of them.

Their flayed, headless corpses hung suspended upside down from the ceiling like sides of beef in a butchers shop. Johansson swore viciously while Hutchins was being violently sick in the corner. Lewis didn't blame him; he was feeling a bit queasy himself.

"Where's that signal coming from Lieutenant?" He asked quietly.

"I can't tell sir, I'm having difficulty getting a clear reading." She replied.

Lewis squinted at the far corner of the room. He was sure he'd seen something move. There it was again! A heat wave like shimmer in the corner.

"It's coming from that direction." Clarke waved her hand at the

corner Lewis was studying, her eyes fixed on the tricorders readout.

"Permission to come aboard?" came a ghostly voice that sounded eerily like Lewis.

To Lewis it happened in slow motion. For a split second he saw a tall figure appear in the corner. It was approximately seven feet tall, heavily built with strange armour and a very angular face mask with long dreadlocks hanging out the back. From its shoulder sprung a bright flash of intense blue light and Johansson chest exploded in flame. Johansson looked in stunned disbelief at the smouldering mess that used to be his torso before collapsing lifelessly to the floor.

Lewis yelled and fired his phaser as the apparition disappeared again. He was joined a split second later by the others who fired blindly into the room. The cadavers jerked spasmodically as the energy blasts tore through them. From the corner of his eye, Lewis caught a glimpse of the heatwave shimmer disappearing through an open air vent.

"Hold your fire!" He yelled. The others stopped firing and gazed with fearful eyes at the blackened, warped paneling in the corner. There was no sign of a body.

Clarke knelt beside Johansson body. In the center of his chest, a fist sized hole burnt clear through.

"What the hell was that?" Whispered Masters, his voice quavering."

"Looked like some kind of high energy plasma bolt." Replied Clarke, forcing herself to look at the hole burned through the dead man. "But I've never seen anything like..."

Suddenly the station rocked as if a giant fist had slammed into it.

"Lewis to Thunderchild, what in hell's name is going on?" Yelled Lewis, staggering and nearly hitting a nearby corpse.

On the bridge of the Thunderchild, chaos reigned.

"Alien vessel decloaking off the port bow." Reported Valchek.

"Red Alert!" Snapped Richmond. "Shields Up." The bridge rocked as the alien vessel fired again, this time hitting the Thunderchild.

"Shields down to seventy three percent captain." Reported the officer at the tactical station. "They're using some kind of high energy plasma bolt."

"Evasive maneuvers." Ordered Richmond. "Draya, try to hail that ship."

"They are not responding captain." Replied the Tellarite from the tactical station. The ship rocked again. "Shields at sixty percent captain, damage reports coming in from all sections."

"Return fire! Full Phasers"

Phaser beams lashed out from the Thunderchild's port phaser array and glanced off the hull of the attacking ship.

"No appreciable damage captain." Reported Draya. "Their hull is coated with a substance that can reflect our phaser fire."

"Target photon torpedoes and fire."

"Torpedoes launched."

On the viewscreen a clutch of shimmering red torpedoes shot towards the alien vessel which skipped aside at the last minute, adroitly avoiding the torpedoes which shot harmlessly past into space. The vessel fired again and a bright flash of blue fire smashed into the Thunderchilds already weakened shields. The whole ship shook with the impact, on the bridge the ops console exploded in a shower of sparks. Valchek screamed as his face and heads were flash-burned by the explosion.

"Damage report!" yelled Richmond over the din.

"Shields at fifteen percent, phasers off-line and the warp core has gone to automatic shutdown." Replied Draya."Impulse power down to twenty two percent."

"Where's that ship?"

"She's swinging around captain."

"Set course two-two-five, mark three-two, best available speed." Ordered Richmond

"Sir, that course takes on a collision heading with the other vessel." Said Anderson nervously.

"I'm aware of the heading ensign, engage."

Gracefully, the partially crippled starship swung around and bore directly towards her nemesis.

"Mr. Draya, on my mark fire ventral thrusters at maximum power."

"Aye sir."

"Mr. Anderson, range to enemy vessel?"

"Five hundred kilometers and closing captain. Five.....four......three......two......one."

"Fire thrusters!"

"Thrusters at maximum captain."

With a roar, the starship shot straight up, catching the alien vessel completely unawares. The flash of blue plasma shot harmlessly under the belly of the starship, which flew straight past the alien vessel.

"Aft torpedoes, fire!" Shouted Richmond. From the rear of the Thunderchild two bright red packages of annihilation shot forth. They roared through the empty vacuum towards their target. This time there was no room or time for fancy maneuvers, the torpedoes slammed into the hull of the alien ship and exploded spectacularly.

"Direct hit sir!" said Draya triumphantly. "Sensors indicate major damage to drive and weapons systems, life support is barely functional."

"Put me on." Said Richmond, standing up.

"Hailing frequencies open."

"This is Captain Michelle Richmond of the Federation starship U.S.S. Thunderchild." She announced. "You will surrender your vessel and prepare to receive a boarding party. Please respond." She waited.

"No response captain." Said Draya. "Wait a minute....... Captain I'm picking up an energy build up in the vessels engine. They may be activating a self destruct system."

"Ensign Anderson, full reverse. Get us out of here."

"I'm trying sir, helm is sluggish." said Anderson.

"Vessels core is approaching critical."

On the viewscreen the ship disappeared in a soundless flash.

"Level three shockwave captain." Announced Draya tersely. "I don't think our shields can hold."

"Transfer everything into the shields Draya!" Shouted Richmond "All hands brace for impact!"

The shockwave struck.

"Lewis to Thunderchild, come in please." Said Lewis impatiently. "Thunderchild please respond." The only reply was a hiss of static.

From the depths of the station came a howl of pure, unadulterated rage. A howl that could not have come from a human throat,