Star Trek
The Killing Fields
Written By: The Ascended Ancient
Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Star Trek, and I am not making any money from this work.
Note on Chronology: This story takes place post-Nemesis, and basically ignores every aspect of the J.J. Abrams alternate universe storyline (No Nero, etc.). It also follows a group of original characters on an original ship, but TNG fan favorites will show up later.
Chapter I
"Disengaging Warp Engines," Lieutenant Jack Carter reported, pulling back on the digital thrust levers on the panel in front of him. On the viewscreen, stars stretched and twisted briefly before settling into place as the ship returned to sublight velocity.
"Very good Lieutenant," Captain Jordan Mathies told him. The short, bald commanding officer had a strong presence on his bridge. "Take us to heading eight-four-five-zero-mark-one-four. Half impulse."
"Aye, aye, sir." Entering the commands into his helm console, Carter also brought up a scan of the local gravimetric distortions. When he first entered the academy, the lanky, brown-haired Lieutenant hadn't thought he'd end up a pilot. He was going to be an astrophysicist, and work in a lab studying the mysteries of the universe. Then he'd gotten licensed to fly his first shuttlecraft, and as he took that first flight he knew he was changing career paths. But he never stopped taking astrophysics courses, even as he starting taking flight, combat, and command training. So he knew how the Ulmiya Nebula was a wild nexus of corrosive gases and electro-chemical energy. The latter meant that it was putting off high level gravimetric distortions, the kind that make flying through space feel like crawling through mud. In an earthquake. And so as they neared the anomaly Carter automatically corrected their course, working to ride the eddies rather than fight them, enabling them to pass through far more easily.
"Ensign D'Nel," the captain continued. "What's the status of the main sensor array?"
"Minimal interference from the nebula thus far on short range scanners, Captain," the tall, dark-skinned Vulcan woman responded from the ops console to the left of the helm. "However I am limited to a maximum range of ten-thousand kilometers. We cannot get any closer to the nebula or we will risk losing all long-range sensors."
"Doesn't do us any good to be flying blind," the captain remarked. "Lieutenant, can I trust that your remarkable piloting skills won't decide to crap out on us today?"
"Not likely, sir," Carter responded with a smirk. "Besides, this is a class 6 gravimetric eddy. I've always wanted to fly one of these."
The captain sighed. "Why am I not surprised. Carry on, Lieutenant. We need to get to the Algonquin, and hope the poor bastards are still alive."
That grim reminder sent a chill down Jack Carter's spine. Two days ago, they'd been contacted by Starfleet command. One of their science vessels, the lightly armed USS Newton, had vanished in an unexplored region of the Beta Quadrant. Following up on this situation, the Intrepid-class USS Algonquin had gone in to investigate. Their last transmission was still stuck in Carter's head.
"...Algonquin. We have been attacked... heavy damage. Casualty rate is unknown... seen nothing like it... HELP!"
That simple distress call from the Algonquin's captain had convinced Starfleet that more investigation was needed, with a ship powerful enough to hold its own. And that's where they came in. Captain Mathies' Sun Tzu was an Akira-class starship, one of the warships built two decades ago when Starfleet was engaged in a brutal conflict with the Dominion. Since that time, Starfleet had cut back heavily on its military expenditures, refocusing on exploration. That new focus had meant no new warships had been produced by the Federation in that time. Instead, Starfleet had kept its Dominion War-era vessels around, retrofitting them regularly with more advanced technology so they wouldn't become outdated. The Sun Tzu had been through several major refits, adding everything from multi-layered shields and phase-adapted hull armor to Starfleet's new high frequency phaser arrays and multi-warhead quantum torpedoes. In addition, on her last trip to Earth the ship had been equipped with the Federation's new emission-dampening technology, enabling her to run with a much lower electromagnetic signature than any other starship. Despite her age, the refits had kept the Sun Tzu as one of Starfleet's premier combat vessels.
"We're approaching the Algonquin's last known coordinates, sir," Carter announced.
"Good. Ensign, anything on sensors?"
"No, Captain," D'Nel replied. "However, our passive sensors are not powerful enough to fully cut through the interference from the nebula. I can't get truly accurate readings without using the full sensor grid."
"I figured as much, but there's no help for that," Mathies said. "A full sensor sweep would expose our position, and I want to know what's out there before we risk that." Turning around, he addressed the tactical officer at the rear of the bridge: "Commander Daniels, fire a Class 12 probe. It'll be able to collect our data without being easily traced back to us."
"Aye, aye, Captain," Commander Mitch Daniels responded. After a brief pause, the dark skinned first officer added, "Probe away."
"Receiving telemetry," D'Nel reported. "I am detecting an ion trail with a Starfleet signature. Possibly from the Algonquin."
"Track it," the captain ordered. "Where does it lead?"
"Approximately seven-hundred thousand kilometers from our current position. Based on the available data it appears they were giving the nebula a wide birth before altering course towards the white dwarf star in this system. The trail ends in between the star and the nebula." D'Nel frowned. "I am detecting large amounts of duranium alloy, plasma residue, and photon particles at the endpoint of the ion trail."
"Oh shit," Carter said out loud.
"Stow it, Lieutenant," the captain scolded. "Keep taking us around the nebula so we can get a closer look. Ride the eddies, we want to stay invisible to anyone out there as long as possible."
"Yes, Captain." Carter continued taking the Sun Tzu through the gravimetric distortions around the nebula, watching as the pulses of energy wrapped around the ship like a glove. Jack Carter had always seen gravimetrics like waves on a beach; try to stand in their way and they'll knock you down, but pierce them just right and you'll pass through easily.
"We're coming up on visual range, sir," the helmsman reported.
"On screen. Maximum magnification."
This time it was Daniels who swore. "Damn," he whispered, his bright green eyes widening. Displayed before them was wreckage, pieces of a starship.
"Ensign, can you get me any closer to that piece in the upper left corner?" the captain inquired.
"I will attempt to use the probe to expand the range of our visual sensors," she responded. "I am acquiring the image now." The screen now shifted to display a single piece of the wreck, a section of hull that was clearly Starfleet in design, with the letters O-N-Q-U-I-N written on it.
"Well, we found what we're looking for," Mathies muttered under his breath.
"Sir, the probe has detected no life signs in the wreckage," D'Nel informed him. "It appears likely that there were no survivors."
"Understood. Is there any sign of their attacker in the area?"
"Negative, sir."
"That doesn't mean they're not out there," Daniels pointed out. "Who knows what kind of stealth technology they might have."
"I agree, Commander," the captain said. "We don't know anything about who or what destroyed the Algonquin. So let's change that. Alter course, Mister Carter. Take us away from the nebula and bring us in close to that wreck." Activating the ship's intercom, he continued, "Bridge to Engineering."
"Engineering here, Captain," Lieutenant Commander Tony Fratto responded.
"Mister Fratto, assemble your three best technicians and get them ready to board what's left of the Algonquin. I want an analysis of the damage and recovery of the ship's logs as soon as possible. We might not have much time here, so make sure they're ready to work quickly."
"Understood," the chief engineer replied.
"Um, Captain," Carter began, "you do realize that if whoever did this really is still lying in wait out here we could be walking right into their arms. Or, rather, claws."
"It's a risk, Jack," Mathies admitted. "But this is the second Starfleet vessel lost in this region in the past few weeks. We need to find out what's doing this."
"And end up becoming the third downed ship in this sector?" the nervous helmsman continued.
"Lieutenant, we have almost double the armaments of the Algonquin. If things get ugly, we have a better chance than they did. And if whatever is causing this is a threat that isn't bound to this sector, we need to get that information to Starfleet. Now just hold your course and bring us in, slow and steady." Turning to the first officer, the captain added, "Nevertheless, Mitch, take us to red alert. Shields at maximum, weapons on standby."
"Aye, sir."
"Bridge, this is Fratto. My team is ready to go, Captain."
"Very good, Commander," Mathies responded. "Mitch, use the rapid shield modulation to open a window just long enough for..."
The ship jolted hard, pushed violently off course by an unknown force. Sparks flew from the engineering panel, and the lights flickered briefly as klaxons blared all across the bridge.
"Status report!" Mathies commanded.
"We've been struck by some sort of high energy plasma discharge," D'Nel reported. "It originated twelve-thousand light years beneath us."
"Captain, that blast took our outer shields down to twenty percent!" Daniels exclaimed. "Whatever it is, it's extremely powerful."
"Ensign, bring whatever was the source of that blast up on the screen," the captain ordered. The viewscreen changed, and Carter's blue eyes opened wide. It was a ship, but nothing that he'd ever seen before. It looked like the wireframe of a sphere, with the only break in that perfect lattice being what he assumed was the nose: a tapered point that extended away from the body of the vessel. Inside the lattice, however, a great, big, blue ball of energy pulsed and swirled, giving the ship a menacing light.
"What in God's..." Mathies began to say when a bright flash of light emanated from the nose cone of the enemy vessel. The Sun Tzu rocked again, more violently than last time as the force of the blast flung them off course. Alarms continued to screech as a conduit ruptured in the rear of the bridge, pouring out smoke.
"Damage report!" Captain Mathies commanded.
"Primary shield layer has collapsed, secondary layer at forty-five percent," Daniels reported.
"I'm reading multiple ruptured power conduits throughout the ship," D'Nel added. "Whatever weapon that vessel is using, it is extremely powerful."
"Helm, bring us about! Mitch, phasers, torpedoes, get ready to hit them with everything we've got."
"Yes, sir." Rapidly entering commands on his console, Jack corrected the out-of-control spin of the ship and angled them back towards the enemy.
"Attack pattern Theta-Seven," the captain continued. "En..."
Before he could give the order, a bright flash of light filled the viewscreen again, and the who bridge seemed to explode.
End of Chapter I
A/N: So, what do you all think of my opening. Anyone who's interested in hearing the fate of the USS Sun Tzu, you know what to do: REVIEW!