Star Trek: Maximillian
Season One, Episode Six

Lorebit

The following events take place in the year 2381, during the first year of Captain Critch Starblade's tenure, and well before the events in the Destiny novels or 'Star Trek XI.'

Prologue

It was a pulsating light on the ceiling of Transporter Room C that captured Databit's full attention as the tiny android was carried in by his friend, companion and caretaker, Lieutenant Overload Soong-Maddox. The light caught her spiky dark brown hair, and she frowned at it, but quickly forgot about the flickering as she spotted her friend Squirrelly, Lieutenant and Chief Engineer of the starship Maximillian.

"Squirrelly!" She called out in a sing-song manner, and he turned his fur covered face towards her.

"Hey Overload, was waiting on ya. I was just about to get my tools and find out what's going on with that light."

She shook her head. "No big deal, just get it when we get back. Critch isn't that much of a stickler." As she mentioned the other full-size android on the ship, the transporter room door came open with a 'shoosh', and Critch Starblade, captain, entered.

"Sure just the two of you can handle changing out the systems? The Nigellians are known for getting in the way…" Starblade started, before a sudden change in light caught his eye. "…Are we having an overload in the lighting conduits again? That's the third time this week!"

"Only overload in here is me!" Overload spoke proudly, as Starblade squeezed his temple and Squirrelly chuckled, his grey hair rippling. "Squirrelly fixed that, I don't think we have to worry about it again. Probably just a fluctuation or something."

Starblade squinted at the light. "We can't have it keep doing this though."

"I'll send orders to maintenance as soon as I get settled down there, Captain. I'd do it now but…"

"But the Nigellians need their replicators fixed. Why did we get stuck with this assignment again?"

"Because you bet Admiral T'Kill that the Steelers didn't win the Super Bowl in 20…"

"Yeah yeah, and the Max gets stuck with the short end. And the Nigellians get to stand very close to you and 'supervise'."

"How'd they get in the Federation anyway?" Overload asked. She was answered by the small android now sitting on her shoulder.

"The Nigellians do seem to lack the proper mental capacity to be able to construct a working space station, let alone a starship with warp drive capability. The Federation granted them inclusion due to their proximity to certain strategic sectors that provided…"

Starblade cut him off. "Dominon War acquisitions. Except where most planets we got away with just putting up some hidden colonies, these guys suddenly learned how to be shrewd."

Squirrelly finished. "They got admission, technology, anything they wanted as long as we could build there. And the war ended a week later."

"And they also got a agreement for the mighty Federation to service the tech when they needed it, and on that note…" Starblade nodded to the silent transporter chief, and had a brief memory of his days on the Kittyhawk as their transporter chief. Thinking he was too young to be nostalgic, even if he didn't know how young he was, the captain shook it off. "Fix it fast, get back fast. There's nothing going on in this part of the galaxy and you know how bored I get."

"Aye aye!" Overload cheered happily as she settled on the transporter, setting Databit down on his own station. Squirrelly gave a small salute, his tail standing up as he prepared himself for transportation, and Ensign Ryfko Moothra tapped his panels.

The familiar whine sounded overhead, and the three individuals began to disappear in a swirl of blue sparkles. However the whine sounded different. Off-key, somehow. Captain Starblade was the first to notice, as his android hearing gave him a small edge. He walked quickly over to the ensign's station and looked at the readouts. Everything looked normal…

Right then was when everything became abnormal. The fluctuating light overhead blew in an array of orange and white sparks, and the power surge moved through other panels. Pushing the newly-installed ensign out of the way, Starblade called upon his memories of past experiences, and began moving and tapping the screens as fast as he could. As he did so, the whine slowed down, and then a bright flash appeared and disappeared as fast as could be noticed where the three crew members had been. After that, all was quiet.

Starblade quickly tapped on the panel to access the communications array, patching through to the station below. "Nigel 1, this is Maximillian, tell me you have them!"

There was silence, and brief crackling.

"Repeat, Nigel 1, this is Maxi…" He was silenced by a welcome voice.

"Droid! We're all here! What happened?"

"Not sure." Starblade was rejoined by Ensign Moothra as they looked through the readings. "Guess we had another overload after all…." He stopped suddenly, looking at the transporter pad. "Overload, did you say everyone is there?"

"Yep! Me, Squirrelly, and Databit!" There was a brief rustling, and then Databit's familiar voice came over the system. "From our viewpoint, the transport was normal, though we received the high power readings on the stations here."

"Wait…So if you're there…Then who is here?" Starblade said, as both he and Ensign Moothra stared at the pad, and the figure sitting down on it staring back at them.

The figure that looked exactly like the miniature android that had transported to the planet below.