Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Star Trek universe, except for the characters in this story which are my own creation. Any conflict or likeness to characters or ships thought of by other authors are completely unintentional

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Chapter 1: Domino

Starbase 4-3 was a large station on the edge of explored space in the Alpha Quadrant. It sits on the edge of a phenomenon known as the Burren – a warp-inhibiting expanse. The station primarily serves as a biological experimentation centre. It is also the last outpost of any kind for ships travelling beyond the expanse, of which little is documented.

"...A nice, quiet, final assignment before retirement."

"Sir?"

"I'm far too old to be gallivanting around the stars anymore, Lieutenant Pemley." The archaic shape of Captain Noah Aimes stood up with the aid of his walking stick. An unfortunate necessity in his later years "This is nice, a little place to see me through to the end of my Starfleet career."

"You make it sound like it's below you, sir. It's a fine station, my brother…"

"It's exactly what I wanted, Lieutenant." The Captain raised a hand, signaling the man to stop from making an invalid point. "Like I said, I'm too old for a starship. I didn't expect, or want, any more. That's all."

Lieutenant Pemley concentrated again on the shuttlecraft's controls. They would be dropping out of warp momentarily. He had accepted the Captain's answer and began liaising again. "My brother used to be a xenobiologist out here. Every so often a ship would come from the dark side of the Burren with something new to present. I can't really understand why Starfleet doesn't investigate further into the phenomenon."

"Is it something that interests you, Lieutenant?"

"The unknown interests me sir.

"Perhaps you secretly desire to follow in your brother's footsteps and become a scientist?"

"No sir. I have bigger plans than just marooning myself on a station. No offence, sir."

"What sort of plans?" The Lieutenant noticed he didn't say 'none taken'.

"I hope to have my transfer to the Discovery processed within the next few weeks, sir. Before her inaugural mission. She's going to investigate the Delta quadrant." Aimes didn't respond. "It's a long overdue mission, in my opinion. Captain…"

"Captain Carver has talked of nothing else over the last few weeks. He's an excitable young man." Aimes responded, almost irritable at the thought of the insufferable Captain Carver.

"He's hardly a young man, sir."

"Young is a relative term, Pemley. Still, I think he's a good man and a good choice for the mission at hand." He lied. The Captain looked over to his pilot. "And I'm sure he'll need inquisitive young officers like you to make that mission a success." The young lieutenant smiled.

"Thank you sir. It is my firm belief that Starfleet should concentrate on making the unknown known and to neutralise any threats to the Federation."

"You can neutralise threats by diplomacy too. The Federation didn't become the Federation by firing first. Are our shields up?"

"Yes, sir. Or by letting the opposition fire first." The lieutenant suggested. Captain Aimes smiled as he moved to his rear seat in the shuttle.

"I suppose we have to be prepared for anything." He sat back and looked over the notes on his datapad. His liaisons, his new crew, statistics, arrivals, departures, transfers, diagnostics, new routines, orders, profiles – enough to send someone into a deep, deep sleep. "Anything..."

The control console bleeped.

"Coming out of warp now, sir..."

They arrived to see Starbase 4-3 exploding. What looked like a chain reaction explosion from the bottom of the outpost spread in less than ten seconds to the top. Nearby and docked ships shattered and their hard shells flew everywhere, one of them impacting the shuttle, which was saved only by the activated shielding. For a few moments, space was on fire, burning hulls were soaring in all directions, most of them being pulled in by the gravity of the gas giant which the station was, until seconds ago, orbiting. One ship in particular looked like it was about to be dragged in forever.

"Pull it together, Pemley! Target that ship and set a course!"

"Yes sir!" Pemley was visibly still shaken. Bits of the station were either shooting by them or hitting them. Aimes scanned the drifting ship to find that there were four life forms on board, but their shields were down and the inertial dampeners were at breaking point.

"Take us in closer. I need to beam out the people who are on that ship."

"If we lower the shields, then we stand a risk of being destroyed by the shrapnel from the explosion, sir!"

"Well then I'll have to rely on your exemplary piloting skills, won't I, Lieutenant?"

"Aye sir!" Pemley closed in on the ship and brought them within range of transport. The other ship was entering the planet's atmosphere. "Sir, how did you know to have shields activated before we dropped out of warp?"

"A little paranoia never hurt anyone, Lieutenant... initiating transport." Four blooded figures were now in the rear of the vessel. Pemley got out of his seat and scanned them with a medical tricoder from a nearby medkit.

"No severe injuries sir. A few burns. But they would surely be dead if we didn't save them!" Aimes looked up from the console for a brief moment to watch the hulk of the civilian vessel be crushed as it dropped into the planet. He switched back to the sensors and analysed all the still-intact vessels. There remained four civilian ships, a medical ship and an Atlantic-class Federation Starship, the USS Challenger. All were heavily damaged. He tried contacting the Challenger, but their communications system seemed to be down.

"Pemley, I want you to beam over to the medical vessel and assist them with repairs, while they help these people. Take all the remaining civilian ships and guide them to Starbase 4-7. It's not far from this location."

"Aye sir, should I contact Starfleet command while I'm over there?" Captain Aimes pressed a large button on his console.

"No need."

Barely five minutes passed before Starfleet were in contact with Captain Aimes again. Aimes switched on the screen and saw the a familiar, grizzly face of Admiral Lawrence White staring him back. The sweet nighttime San Francisco skyline visible in the background through the office window.

"Words be damned, what happened Captain? Are you alright?"

"I've been better, Admiral. I've no idea what's happened. The sensors on my shuttle aren't nearly tuned well enough to find out what caused the explosion. There is a Federation ship still afloat here, but their communications are down. I'd like permission to go aboard and use their sensors to find out what happened here." The Admiral grimaced slightly at this information. "Is there something else?" White was in deep thought. He snapped out to answer.

"Permission granted. And Aimes... the Captain of the Challenger was on a very sensitive mission out there. In case he was... incapacitated because of what happened to the station, you are authorised to take control of the ship. Sweep the for any sensitive objects or clues and then guide her back to the nearest Command base for reassignment."

"Acknowledged. Aimes out." The Captain sat back in his chair and sighed. He dwelt for a minute on the thought of his retirement going up, quite literally, in smoke. He thought about resigning his commission the second the ship was underway and giving command to whoever was next in line. Then for a minute he couldn't think, just automatically set in a course for the damaged Atlantic-class and prepare to dock.

In front of the nearby star which silhouetted the frame, close enough to expose its grand size, but far enough away to get a good look. Challenger was shaped like a rounded pyramid with one side elongated and four nacelles, two coming straight out from either side, one visibly damaged from Aimes' viewing position. Aimes knew nothing of this ship, except that which the shuttlecraft's computer was so generous to display for him on his 45-second journey.

He sent the override code on the shuttlebay doors and landed on the empty deck. The ship was falling apart from the insides. The scary desolation of the shuttlebay was only amplified when a far-away panel came crashing down at the opposite side of the room, creating an absolutely huge boom, causing Aimes to jump slightly. Emergency lighting was on and no one was around. Aimes' stepped out of the shuttle which had been transporting him for the past 4 hours and hobbled to the shuttlebay doors. He could hear voices.

There was a crewman putting out a nearby flame as two others were lifting an officer by the arms and legs, presumably towards sickbay. He pressed a console on the wall and requested the ship schematic, but the computer was clearly haywire. Another pair ran straight by the Captain as he heard the ships computer shouting out the order that all available staff were to head to engineering. No one had noticed him yet, so he followed the two running men.

The engineering doors were already open . There was steam being vented from the upstairs section. Someone was belting out orders from not far away. His back was turned to the Captain. Aimes posed a question. "Who is the chief engineer here?"

"I am..." the man looked over his shoulder and stood to attention. "...Sir! I wasn't aware we had anyone coming on board. I wasn't contact..."

"Your ship to ship communications are down." The officer sighed at this announcement, losing his stiff posture he bellowed out to the platform above.

"HALEY – COMMUNICATIONS ARE DOWN!" His voice echoed in the nearly empty structure. Someone shouted back.

"IF YOU THINK I'M PUTTING COMMUNICATIONS AHEAD OF INERTIAL DAMPENERS AND SENSORS ON THE LIST YOU'RE OUT OF YOUR DAMN MIND!"

"JUST DO IT! THAT'S AN ORDER!" He shrieked, before turning back to the Captain. "I'm sorry, sir. Lieutenant Theodore Jarvis, chief engineer."

"Captain Aimes. As you were Lieutenant. I can see you're busy, so I won't disturb you any further. But I'm unfamiliar with this ship class. Can you tell me how I can find nearest turbolift?"

"To the left at the bottom of the hall. It's not marked, but has a bright light above it." Aimes nodded and began to march out. "Sir? You being here, does that... is Captain Varik still alive sir?" Aimes paused and his head muddled slightly.

"I was hoping you could tell me." They both turned around and the doors closed as the Captain walked off.

He approached the turbolift doors, but stopped short of hitting his nose. "Computer, open turbolift doors." There was no response. "Computer, open...!" A light above Aimes flashed on and he could hear the unmistakable sound of a system booting up. The turbolift doors opened and he walked in. The doors closed behind him. "Bridge." He coughed.

"Hull breach detected on main bridge. Entry not recommended. All bridge officers are to report to auxiliary control." The computer commanded.

"Very well. Auxiliary control." The lights switched off and the lift was left in complete blackness, but for a shred of light coming through the doors. Aimes cursed his luck and began to pull the doors open. He wedged his walking stick in between and forced himself out. Angrily, he smacked the nearest console. "Computer! Ship Schematic!" A display of the ship flashed on the screen. It flickered off intermittently, but he could see that a Jefferies tube leading to Auxiliary was not far from his position. On arrival, he whipped off the cover and climbed in. He stared at the imposing distance upward and sighed. He was too old for this sort of thing. Aimes began his long climb to the top.

Aimes reached the end of the passage a few minutes later and pulled himself out of the closed space. Auxiliary control was marked directly to his right. Inside were two officers, both of whom turned upon hearing his arrival. There was silence as the two parties looked at one another – sizing the other up, analysing, making first impressions. Aimes made the first move.

"My name is Captain Noah Aimes." The first thing he noticed was the officer at navigation, who was a large red lizard with an imposing figure. His jacket was massive and golden. His face was like a crocodile's, except the mouth wasn't quite that long. He had a massive tail that was dragged behind him and he was wearing dark grey gloves.

"Lieutenant Raka Degec, sir! Ship's helmsman and security." His voice was husky, not like anything the commander had expected. Although he knew this species was called Rahrch, he had never met one before, much less one in a Federation uniform. Degec was a terrifying figure. He turned to the other unidentified officer at hand, sitting in the Captain's chair.

"Commander Aria Shelling, first officer." A tall, blonde woman in her mid-thirties answered. She wore the red command uniform. This woman looked very focused and very angry. Aimes could not tell if she wasn't being warm on his account or someone else's. "Can I ask to what we owe the pleasure sir?"

"My primary goal, Commander..." the Captain sat down in the main seat and continued. "Is to make sure that your Captain is alright. We are to sweep the area for any indication of what caused the explosion and then return to the nearest Starbase."

"You needn't worry, sir. Captain Varik is dead. He was on the station when it exploded. On his mission." Shelling sounded less than impressed as she said that.

"I see." Aunes took a minute. He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised at this news. It was a wonder the whole crew weren't dead. "What do we know about the explosion?"

"Not much. But we detected an unknown vessel warping in less than five seconds before the station began to explode. It activated a transporter beam just before we were caught in the fire."

"So it seems our accident was no accident at all. Did you get anything on the ship itself?"

"Not much. We know it came from the Burren. It emitted a strange energy signature, but that was all. We didn't have time to scan it properly."

"Have we got sensors now?" The Auxiliary door opened and a short young woman with blue hair and a blue uniform stepped into the room. She stared at the new Captain for a moment and Aimes was sure she was going to ask 'who are you', but instead she saluted and headed to the science console. "Ensign Haley Kepler reporting for duty, sir. Chief Engineer Jarvis said I would be of more use... up here now."

"You've got an impressive voice, Ensign." Aimes smiled. "I understand you have inertial dampeners and communications back up too?" The ensign looked confused and answered warily.

"Aye, Captain. Sensors are back online."

"Good. Start scanning the debris field. Search for any life signs first. Then anything generating an electronic signature or anything unusual. And beam aboard some wreckage from the bottom of the field. If the explosion started down there, then maybe we can find out what caused it." It wasn't long before Ensign Kepler's sensors began beeping.

"Captain, I'm getting a strong muon reading from nearby! Sir, that's the same energy signature as the ship that warped in! But much smaller this time."

"Captain," Commander Shelling stepped in. "I think I should remind you that our ship is in a critical state at the moment. The weapons are far from working at nominal efficiency. If we enter into combat, we won't last long."

"Sir! It's a much smaller signature; we should be able to take them!" Kepler declared, there was very noticeably a rage in her voice, nearly equating to a bloodlust.

"Ensign!" Shelling barked. She turned back to the Captain. "There are 160 people still alive on this ship. We have a responsibility not to endanger them any further." The Captain was already mindful of the situation. Even though he believed the Commander was right, he still was uneasy at not engaging their only lead in the investigation.

"Do you detect any signs of a weapons on board their ship?" Aimes asked. The science officer gladly obliged.

"Minimal, sir! Just a weapon equivalent to the strength of a single phaser bank. No torpedoes, no disruptors." The Captain slammed his stick on the ground.

"Red alert. Lieutenant, set a course." Commander Shelling was about to speak but Aimes anticipated this. "If they have but one phaser firing, then I believe we may be able to test the waters. If there is any sensitive information remaining, we need to stop anybody from retrieving it." Shelling was not happy, but seemed satisfied at this reasoning. "However, in the event that we have to enter armed combat, I think… it would be prudent to have our weapons officer on standby."

"Tactical officer Greer is currently in sickbay, sir. The doctor reckons he will be incapacitated for the next few hours."

"Well Commander, would you kindly…" Shelling stood up and strode over to the weapons console.

"Yes sir, I was formerly a tactical officer on the Masada."

"Well let's hope you don't have to remember how to fire phasers."

"Let's." She said dryly.

The Challenger moved on an intercept course. The alien vessel was now visible on the viewscreen. There were still minor explosions going off all around, from loose chemical tanks, secret projects, ruptured weapons and all kinds of materials. Considering the effort it would take to reduce a Federation space station to this, Ensign Haley Kepler shuddered and thought of herself as a little blessed for not being a splat of vapour floating through space. It was easy to forget that there was a small ship in the area in the middle of the disaster. The viewscreen did not clearly show the other ship. Degec magnified the view and a blurry ship was visible. Looking at it was like looking at rain impacting a puddle.

"Lieutenant, can you clean up that image?"

"The image is on maximum resolution, Captain. That ship is… blurry." The navigator sounded bemused.

"Scanning the ship now… sir, whatever it is, it's acting as some sort of semi-cloaking device. I can't get a read on any of their systems or their crew."

"Is it of the same kind as the ship that was here earlier?"

"Negative. I'm reading muon propulsion, but also a heavy gravimetric field indicating a quantum singularity…"

"Romulans?" Commander Shelling asked.

"And also dilithium deposits. Like in Federation ships!"

"We're being scanned sir!" The ensign was alert. "It's coming from the alien vessel." The alien vessel appeared to spin. "They're raising shields!"

"Are they arming weapons?"

"I… I can't tell! There's too much interference from the cloak."

"Captain! Recommend that we take the initiative and fire first." Lieutenant Degec turned around in his seat. He was clearly anxious for revenge. The Captain was spared from making a decision. The alien ship entered warp. Through the Burren. But the sensors did not go blank. They detected a remaining life sign. What looked like a man in a spacesuit was a lot odder on scanning. It appeared that the creature was 100 liquid. The Captain ordered that he be transported directly to the brig. Aimes picked up his walking stick and headed to the turbolift. "Commander Shelling, you have the con. Maybe now we'll get some answers."

The turbolifts were working again. Aimes stopped on deck 12, at sickbay. The Captain marched in. There were unzipped bodybags all over the floor. A lot of the bodies inside had fatal burns. Some of the faces had been completely singed off. The beds of the infirmary were all full, with most of the patients unconscious. Two nurses were walking between people on the beds, monitoring them. A tall, male, Kikiran doctor stepped forward. It was obvious that he was Kikiran because of his dark skin and almost cubic head.

"Hello Captain. I am Doctor Bebetos… it's good to know someone is in command again. It was threatening to get out of hand for a while."

"Pleasure to meet you doctor. Although my command is only temporary. Doctor, I need to borrow you for a while, is that possible?" The Doctor looked at his nurses and then back at the Captain. There was no emergency here, and the Doctor consented to joining the Captain.

The two men made their way down to the next turbolift and stood uneasily next to one another. Still, the doctor thought it was necessary to make conversation, but he needn't have, as the Captain spoke first. "What's the situation in the sickbay?"

"We're currently treating 12 patients. None of them critical. Lieutenant Commander Greer has a collapsed lung and both his knees were crushed, but he's stable. He'll probably retain a permanent cough, but after an hour long burst in the recovery chamber, he'll be fit to leave before the end of the day and return to duty tomorrow."

"How did he get that way?"

"He held open a collapsing Jefferies tube between decks 7 and 8. Saved a crew member. It was brave, but I understand no good deed goes unpunished. There was a very likely chance both of them would have been killed."

"No one is expendable, doctor. You should know that. It appears Lt. Cmdr. Greer does. Any chance of psychological trauma?"

"Other than the headcase he already is? No." The Captain shot him a glance. "Joking, of course, sir."

"Of course."

"If want me to sir, I can take a look at your leg?"

"No- thank- you. It's Boweng's disease. It's incurable."

"That's unfortunate, sir. Perhaps an operation to..."

"No, Doctor. Besides, the stick makes me look distinguished." The Doctor smiled.

"Right you are, sir."

Doctor Bebetos and Captain Aimes were in the brig area within moments, with a less than readable guest on the other side of an invisible wall. He was of average height and slim build. His outfit was like a light blue jumpsuit; uncomplimentary and quite clearly, as Aimes deducted, purely ergonomic, rather than stylised. Its helmet was reminiscent of those worn by Roman Gladiators of ancient Earth. It was short, but curved at the back. The front was metallic, angled slightly outward, with a design of three luminous bright blue carved rectangles standing vertically upon it. Through the barrier, the Captain detected a smell a lot like the waft of the liquid medicines he had as a child. What manner of creature was this?

"My report, Captain; this creature is made out of 100 liquid. An unknown liquid, but highly dense and complex. Extreme viscosity, I think. The suit is merely a fashionable container to keep it in a somewhat solid and manageable form."

"You could have just asked!" The creature replied indignantly, slouching its right shoulder and growling electronically. He turned to the Doctor. "And it's a HE, for your information." Aimes was impressed. The Doctor was not.

"Its gender is indeterminable without more thorough examination... though 'HE' would know better than I would. I would guess his voice is..."

"Generated by an artificial construct within my helmet. Aren't we quite the analyst?" Aimes waved the Doctor away and slowly strutted up to the edge of the cell. He sized up the entity and took in what he saw – body movements (what you could call his body), mannerisms, build, everything.

"Why did you blow up Starbase 4-3?" Aimes accused.

"That would be the obvious conclusion, wouldn't it? An unidentified alien mysteriously appears at a scene of an incalculably large disaster. I can't blame you for coming to that eventuality, Captain. I think I heard him call you Captain?" The creature was swaggering around his cell in circles. Aimes did not answer. "Unfortunately the truth is that I am no more than a small-time scavenger. I revel in other people's loss and despair, but I never cause any myself. I'm not so ruthlessly inclined."

"10,000 Federation citizens lost their lives on board that station. I'll thank you not to make a mockery of it." Aimes wondered if the creature was smiling underneath that mask.

"I am no murderer." The alien sounded quite more serious. "And the dead need nothing but space. I steal from no one."

"Maybe if you were dead too you wouldn't need their belongings either?" The creature wasn't walking anymore. He didn't respond to the Captain's insight. Lack of eyes was a problem, he couldn't read this being at all. No observable body language, apart from a quite regular ripple of the suit every few seconds. "What are you called?" Aimes waited for a response. He would have willingly waited much longer than he had to.

"Seerv. Brigadier, top circle of the Velocin navy. And you would do well not to threaten me again Captain. My ship could strip this one apart in the shortest instant."

"I don't think so. If that's true, then why did your ship run away, leaving you to defend yourself?"

"Because that wasn't- my- ship." The Captain smirked and began to walk for the exit. "I really didn't do it, you know."

"I'm not sure if I believe much of what you say. But I do believe one thing you said, because you said it as I would have said it." The creature and the Captain stared at one another. "This isn't my ship either." Aimes swept out and the doors closed behind him.

The ready room doors opened. Commander Shelling stepped in with her hands behind her back. She stood tall and mean, not quite meeting her superior's gaze. Aimes waved her to be at ease and she sat down. Beside him was his walking stick. He was reading a datapad of available crew and an overall engineering report from Lieutenant Jarvis. He cleared his throat.

"We have a rather interesting guest on board, Commander."

"As I understand, sir." Aimes put down the datapad.

"And...?"

"I think he should be interrogated as much as possible. Even if he is not the perpetrator of the attack on the station, he knew enough about it to be on hand to scour the remains." She still wasn't looking directly at the Captain.

"Agreed. I want you to take over the investigation and..."

"Respectfully sir, I believe we should wait until Commander Greer is back on duty. He is much more experienced and adept at investigations." Aimes didn't frown, though he was tempted. He sat forward in his seat and placed his elbows on the table, joining his hands.

"Do you have a busy schedule I am unaware of, Commander?" Shelling hesitated.

"Permission to speak freely, sir?" Aimes nodded. Shelling moved a hand onto the table and finally looked him in the eye. "Stand down. Relieve yourself as Captain and let me take us back to Starbase 4-3. The crew is rattled. Desperately rattled. And you can't win them over. They've lost a Captain they've loved and you've treated them with a cold hand. And it's only a matter of time before you upset them. And I really don't want to have to relieve from duty a man of your age. They'll all feel a lot better if someone they know is in charge." Aimes didn't move for a few minutes. He held his first officer's gaze. His stare contained anger and a message. He was waiting for her to crack, but realised that this woman was rigid. She meant every word of what she had just said and, what's worse, he thought, believed it. He sat back in his chair, swung it to one side and tapped his right hand fingers on the table.

"I suspected you were an ambitious woman when I first met you, Commander." Shelling threw her eyes to the sky and met the side of his face with her gaze.

"This is not about..."

"I'm not finished!" Aimes' eyes darted to his right and hit back at hers. He waited a moment and spoke. "This crew has been hurt, I know. But a handshake and a hug won't get them to safety quickly and security is what they need most right now. If I have to be in some way obnoxious to get them to do their jobs better then so be it. And I don't give a damn if my age, or this..." he slammed his palm down on his walking stick "...makes anyone think I can perform less capably than anyone else, because I know it doesn't, and that's what matters. For now, the more expediently I can get us to Stardock 4-5, the less painful it has to be for us all." He swung to his right and picked up the datapad. "Interrogate the alien and give me your report. Dismissed." Shelling stood up and leaned on the table with both hands.

"I can assure you that my career comes second ahead of the welfare of this crew!"

"And your career is even lower in my list of priorities, Commander." He threw the datapad on the table."The reality is that on arrival, you'll be given command of this vessel and I'll disappear into obscurity, never to be heard of again. Now go do your bloody job." She stood upright and began to turn. "A word of advice, Commander. Our guest doesn't respond well to threats. And I don't either." Shelling marched out of the ready room and the doors slipped closed behind her. Aimes grunted and started reading his datapad again.

"Why did you blow up the station?" Shelling was leaning back against the wall of the brig.

"You're different from the others." Seerv replied. "Something in the body shape... The voice... The face..." His head rotated from side to side slowly. "You're a female, aren't you?"

"Were you trying to destroy the station, or something on board the station?" She asked impatiently.

"You're the second person to ask me questions today. It must be that certain spectrum of light. On your uniform. Tell me, what do you call it?"

"Colour. Red." She entertained. "Was it just you, or were there more involved?"

"Colour? Fascinating. I don't see it. I just see different frequencies. You know, I spend most of my time scavenging, but I do like to dedicate time to Zoology. I wish our roles were reversed. I'd take much better care of you strange little aliens than you do of me."

"Where did you come from?" Shelling was losing interest rapidly.

"Isn't it time you gave up Commander? So far the only one of us who's actually answered a question from the other is you." Shelling walked forward quickly and slammed her fist against the bulkhead.

"I'm the nice one!" She hissed. "It's not in the Federation's policy to practice torture, but I assure you this is your only chance to come clean. Because we will break you. We will strip you down to an empty shell of a being and then we'll scrape out the insides until there's nothing left!"

"That sounds an awful lot like torture to me."

"Maybe you don't have any useful information. Maybe you were just a little phlegm that happened to drift by at what you thought was an opportune time. The wrong guy, the wrong place, the wrong time?" She lifted herself from the bulkhead. "Why not just skip all these pleasantries and flush you down the toilet?"

"Because." Seerv appeared to grunt. "In whatever species you end the life of an innocent man, that's murder." He sat down on his bench. "And you don't look like a murderer to me." Shelling's communicator beeped twice. Ensign Kepler's voice came from the speaker.

"Commander Shelling, please report to the bridge."

"On my way." Shelling turned to the security guard and made him apply heavy static through the cell's speakers. "You're getting a little too comfortable." She stepped backward and made for the exit. "Maybe you'll answer some of my questions next time?" As Shelling left the brig she could swear her back was warm.

The doors of auxiliary control slid open and the Commander stepped back onto the temporary bridge. Aimes, Degec, Jarvis and Kepler were already there.

"What's the situation?" The commander asked as she took up her position. The Captain obliged her with a response.

"Four minutes ago, we received a distress call from USS Saratoga, the stationed ship of Stardock 4-5. They're under attack. A large alien vessel has come out of warp and started a seemingly unprovoked attack."

"This is no coincidence."

"My thoughts exactly. Mr Degec, when can we expect to intercept?"

The reptilian gave a quiet roar in his answer. "In 12 minutes. But at maximum warp, we would be there right now."

"I'm an engineer, not a magician!" Chief engineer Jarvis reacted. "Our weapons are shot, but we have one working phaser bank and two torpedo launchers. Both will be ready, should we need to use them."

Haley Kepler butted in. "I'm getting audio from the USS Saratoga. They're in combat with the aggressors now!"

"Put it through." For ten seconds, there was no noise. Then there was static, but it was particularly loud static. The sort that makes the top of your brain feel like it's cracking, thought Jarvis. Then there was a voice.

"largeradioactconnectneverepower..."

"Audio dropped, sir. I think that their comm array has been hit." Ensign Kepler's thinking was wishful, everyone knew it, but the Captain wasn't about to contest it, he was wishing now too. He sat down. "Lieutenant Jarvis, divert all power to engines. Let's move." The next few minutes were tense. Ensign Kepler was shivering. Jarvis was sweating. The auxiliary bridge was very empty all of a sudden. Fear was very evident among this already shaken crew. Time flew.

"30 seconds to arrival." Degec ended the long silence. The Captain stood up, swinging his stick perpendicular to the ground. "Dropping out of warp."

"I have the Saratoga on sensors."

"Onscreen."

The twisted hull of the Saratoga was drifting aimlessly through space. Large holes punctured the visible ventral surface and both nacelles had been blown off the old Intrepid-class ship. Aimes' felt his gut churning. The Saratoga was hardly an underpowered ship. "Report. Survivors." Ensign Kepler's attention stumbled back to her console and the readings spat out at here.

"No life signs, sir. No escape pods detected. But there is residual energy signatures here. Whatever did this damage left here less than ten minutes ago. And sir... the signature matches that of the type of ship that warped in just before the destruction of Starbase 4-3."

"Where does it lead?"

"Stardock 4-5." The Captain was steady but he feared the worst. His jaw moved sideways.

"Set a pursuit course, Lieutenant, maximum warp."

"Aye, Captain. We will arrive at the Stardock in..."

"Sir! Receiving a distress beacon on all channels from the Stardock!" The noise permeated the ship's sound system. This message was much clearer.

"Mayday! To all vessel who receive this – this is Stardock 4-5 requesting urgent assistance! We are under heavy attack from unknown------- request---------- Please!-----------" The transmission cut off there, but the beacon remained. There was still hope.

"... In 2 minutes, sir." Degec finished. Aimes' sat down again and turned to Shelling.

"Commander..."

"Captain, if this attacker is able to seriously assault a Starbase I would advise against any sort of confrontation. Especially considering the condition the ship is currently in."

"We have to help them out! They need assistance; we could make the difference!"

"The only difference we'd make, Lieutenant is adding another 200 names to today's casualty list. Captain, I highly recommend we don't engage." Aimes' thought hard on Shelling's words. She was making sense. But he wasn't prepared to let the attackers get away without being scanned at least.

"Mr Degec. Just how good a pilot would you say you are?"

"An acclaimed one, sir." Degec roared.

"Do you think you can avoid getting hit by a few projectiles and lasers for 60 seconds?"

"Sir, it was Lieutenant Degec's quick action to move us when Starbase 4-3 exploded that meant we have half a ship instead of no ship." Kepler added.

"Well in that case." Aimes straightened his uniform. "Take us in."

The Challenger dropped out of warp and came upon a rather astonishing sight. The Stardock, a mighty structure, much larger than a Starbase, was firing furiously in the direction of an enormous ship, which seemed to be firing back weaponry of equal magnitude to which it was being hit. The ship was a dark, dusty colour. The hull seemed to be built into a a large asteroid and their were six fins coming out of the rear at opposing angles. The Stardock, however, did seem to be winning.

"Open hailing frequencies."

"We're being jammed, sir. I can't get through to the station. It must be the enemy ship."

The alien vessel turned about on the viewscreen. It was pointed directly at the Stardock now and was firing a full barrage at the station, which was soaking it up. Looking at its size, Aimes estimated that there could be as much as ten-thousand people on the alien vessel, as many as the Stardock itself. Today's death toll was about to double, regardless of who won the conflict.

"Sir, I'm reading a massive energy increase in the aft of the enemy ship. Their shields are all directed forward... they're accelerating!" Ensign Kepler shrieked.

The worst really was about to happen. Shelling let a silent 'no' out of her mouth as they watched the gruesome sight of this large asteroid-ship puncturing the almighty space station. The docking arms were the first to go, they broke off like the limbs of a daddy long legs against a small child's fingers, and quickly became stellar debris. Explosions perforated the hull of the station, heading outwards equally in opposite directions. They all looked on in horror as through a large hole in the lower section of the station, dozens of tiny dots were being sucked out into the vacuum. They were people.

The alien ship almost did not come out the other end. It was a barely working wreck, most of its asteroid shield had been eliminated, a large glowing reactor room which could only be assumed to be the warp core was exposed, much like a lot more of the interior, on the top of the ship. As it cleared the wreck of the outpost, a massive explosion disintegrated any evidence that there was something there in the first place, bar the pieces of the station the alien hull was dragging along with it. The silent shock of the Challenger's crew was interrupted by the sound of the comm.

"Incoming communication sir... audio only... it's them."

"Put it through."

What they heard was the wheeze of the universal translator, sweating to understand accurately the voice coming through the speaker. The sound was screechy and reptilian, making sounds not overly familiar to human ears. A computerised-monotonic voice translating the words couldn't silence the noise coming from the alien's throat.

"Will not allow murder of all – You danger to be gone – Not allow weapons buildings – Never to forget-"

The computer stumbled at understanding. Aimes supposed that something was indeed lost in the translation. The next part was easier to understand.

"We are clandestine. You will die." There was a click that indicated the communication had been terminated. Aimes grimaced.

"What's the status of their shields?"

"Down sir. They're vulnerable." Shelling answered.

"Target their warp core. And ready photon torpedoes" Normally the first officer would have hesitated, but she had just seen the disregard for life that these people had. She had known some people on both stations that were destroyed and she would be damned if she gave them a chance to kill her and her crew too.

"Fire." She already had.

The warp core explosion scattered the alien vessel into millions of pieces. Almost everything was completely shattered and there were no survivors. Degec looked unmoved, but it was hard to tell under his stern face. Kepler felt apprehensive. She was sick at the thought of everyone who had died today. The Captain's expression had not changed. Murderers, he thought. Bloody murderers. They got what they deserved.

Aimes found himself at the bar, making friends with the robotic bartender. These days the bartenders were standard at most recreational areas on Starfleet vessels. Even if someone was all alone on a starship, there'd still be a familiar face. The Captain knew subconsciously that that was why he was here.

The bar was small enough so that everyone knew just about everyone who was in there, but large enough so that you wouldn't necessarily hear any conversation that wasn't your own. The lighting was lower than it was in most areas of the ships, with a predominant ambient glow from green and purple sources dotted around the ceiling. It had a sweet smell of berries from the moment you entered, which, some cynics speculated, slowed saliva-gland production to make one more thirsty.

The doors opened and a man wearing a red uniform walked through. He spotted the Captain and walked over to the next chair, motioned to the bartender and put his hand on the seat.

"Is anyone sitting here?" The man asked.

"Only my conscience." The Captain replied. "But he left some time ago. I don't suspect that he's coming back."

"You must be the new Captain." The man smiled. "Captain Noah Aimes. I know about you, sir. I remember you back at the academy."

"I am afraid I don't remember..."

"Oh we've never met, sir. I just remember seeing you there. I was never a master or lecturer." He was much too young for that. "You were always walking around the grounds with a bulldog." The Captain had to smile now. "And he always went to the bathroom right next to Admiral Jiminez's office door."

"Sometimes I had to convey my opinions to the Admiral in a somewhat creative manner." Aimes finally looked up and spotted the rank of Lieutenant Commander on the man's neck. "You seem to know a lot about me and I don't know the first thing about you." The bartender brought over two bright green drinks. The men lifted their drinks, nodded and drank. "Well, now I know that you're a fan of sweet drinks." The Lieutenant Commander was looking at the bottom of the glass.

"Stardrifters do have a little kick to them, don't they? It's a really unique taste. Not like back home." A little cough came from the back of his throat, but it was enough to give the Captain a clue.

"Greer. Your name is Greer."

"Ah. The doctor told you about my little cough, did he?"

"Actually, it's because there's only one Lieutenant Commander on board. And if you're not Mr. Greer, then you're either an intruder or an impostor."

"Mmph! Yes, speaking of intruders... I was wondering how long you'd be staying with us? If you don't mind me asking, sir?" The Captain tried to stifle a sigh and scratched his shoulder. He had been speaking to Starfleet command since the alien ship had been destroyed. They ordered a state of emergency in this sector. All Starfleet vessels were to be on alert in case the unknown foe was to return. Some were being stationed near all bases in the area. This meant delaying the reassignment of crew from Challenger. Including him. It was fair to say the Captain was less than happy with this news.

"For the... foreseeable future." He gulped and turned back again. "Now what about you? You never answered whether you're an impostor or not."

"Mm-hmm..."

"As a matter of fact, you've not answered one of my questions that I don't already know the answer to." Greer smiled.

"Then I suppose there's no harm in telling you that I am indeed Lieutenant Commander Cathal Greer. I have served on board this ship for one year. I have a cough." The man nodded at the bartender again. "And I very much like sweet Ferengi drinks."

"You weren't originally a command student either."

"What makes you say that, Captain?"

"Because of our lack of formality."

"Maybe that's just because we're in an informal setting?"

"You're not engineering or security because you're not spending your free time obsessing over warp engines. Or in the holodeck recreating some conflict." The Captain spoke as if Greer had said nothing. He was deep in a train of thought.

"Even those who wear yellow shirts need to relax." Greer offered.

"And you're not medical because any doctor worth his salt knows that Ferengi Stardrifters are just a step above swallowing dilithium on the food pyramid." Greer laughed and let out another cough.

"So... what am I?" He asked, quite interested.

"Intelligence." Greer nearly spit out his second Stardrifter with laughter.

"You have a very active imagination, Captain. Have you ever considered writing a book?" He swallowed the Stardrifter whole. "Rest assured Captain, my past is nothing so exotic. I'm a humble man from Wicklow. I appreciate things that taste well, I am the third in command of this ship and I'm also very glad we could have our first conversation outside of the bridge or ready room." He stood up and placed his seat back to where it was before he entered. "Unfortunately, I am also about to go on night duty."

"Do you always drink alcohol before you go on duty?" The Captain raised an eyebrow.

"It's a virgin drink sir. No alcohol involved." Greer smiled, straightened his uniform at the neck. "Not much of a difference, but still an important one. Good evening, Captain." The Lieutenant Commander left the bar and Aimes went back to his thoughts. He couldn't trust that man. No matter what. But he said something that set fire to a thought he had been procrastinating over.

He had someone he had to speak to.

"I know you weren't responsible for the explosion on the Starbase." Aimes said.

"Thank you, Captain. It's nice to hear someone around here actually believes me." Seerv grunted. His arms were dead. Aimes supposed that they were just not powered because they were not being used at the moment.

"But you used the same technology as our aggressors. At least we detected the same energy signature."

"My ship uses an amalgam of technologies from other species, Captain. While I could go though a large list for you, it would be near impossible to tell you which one it was without my ship here."

"Then we'll find your ship. Take you home. Let you go. Then maybe you can help us." This generous offer seemed to take the liquid lifeform by surprise.

"Perhaps."

"Good. Until then, you will remain under armed guard. I'll have you moved to more comfortable surroundings." The Captain walked toward the door, but Seerv called after him.

"Captain... what do you know about your attacker?"

"Not much. They jammed our communication, then sent us a message. Saying that we would die. Saying that they are..."

"Clandestine?" Seerv interrupted. "They said they are Clandestine." The Captain stepped back up to the cell's entrance.

"Yes. That's right. They did." The Brigadier was silent for a few minutes. He and the Captain were exchanging glares for a long time. Finally the captive spoke.

"You're in a lot of trouble, Captain."

Aimes turned and left. His comm badge beeped and Lieutenant Jarvis was on the other end. The turbolift repairs were complete and the blockages had been removed. On the way up he thought about what had happened; the bases that had been destroyed today. It was unlikely that the events were unconnected. If an enemy force was on the other side of the burren, then the first thing they would set about doing would be eliminating any forward defenses Starfleet may have in either direction of their initial attack. That would mean 4-7 was next. The first two bases had fallen like dominos and Aimes swore he would not let it fall alongside them.

The bridge was accessible.

Aimes entered onto the bridge for the first time. Greer at the tactical console was the first to announce 'Captain on deck', as the bridge officers and all repair crew stood to. Aimes stepped down the slanted walkway to the Captain's chair. Commander Shelling was standing just beside. In front of them were Degec and Kepler, while behind on a slightly raised level were Greer and Jarvis. Four standing junior officers occupied the miscellaneous other sidewall consoles. Aimes didn't know their names yet. He figured he wouldn't have been staying long enough to bother finding out. All that was about to change.

A lot was going to change.

The Captain took his seat and the officers returned to their posts. He placed his walking stick on his lap and got a feel for the Captain's chair. It was large and warm, the type of chair you wait your whole life to get into and never want to get off of even as the Devil himself and all the evil in the universe tried to prise you away. He had been a desk Captain for too long. It was good to be back in that chair.

"Mr. Degec, set a course for Starbase 4-7."

"Course laid in sir." The huge Lieutenant replied.

"Engage."

End

Next Episode: Derelict