Exiles and Empire
Ships' Log 2153-04-17: We have just completed a courtesy visit to a Vulcan exploration outpost. While we were there, their survey ship dropped out of sight in an uninhabited region. The Commander of the station, Skorak, has asked us to sweep the area and assist if required.
"OK, Captain." Travis Mayweather reported. "We just dropped out of warp at the survey vessels' last known location."
"I'm getting signals." Hoshi Sato reported. "Two of them. One is a Vulcan distress beacon, the other is some kind of data stream."
"Travis, get us to that Vulcan ship." Captain Archer ordered. "We can look at the data stream when we've helped any survivors."
It was immediately clear, however, that there would be no survivors. The survey ship had been neatly sliced in two from stem to stern.
"I am reading numerous bodies but no life-signs." T'Pols' voice was as grave and calm as always, but Archer knew her well enough to hear the undertones of sorrow and anger. It was not true, as some claimed, that Vulcans had no emotions. It was just that they were trained from childhood to keep them under control.
"The warp core must have imploded as soon as it was hit." She went on. "Visual imaging shows a large amount of impact damage on the hull. It is similar to meteor strikes but the positioning indicates deliberate and precise aiming.
She transferred the image to the main viewer. The two halves of the hull were indeed pitted with clusters of dents, and in some cases, holes.
"Projectile weapons?" Reed wondered. "Mass drivers, railguns? None of the cultures we've encountered use them. The space needed to carry a significant amount of ammunition – not to mention the added mass -makes them wasteful."
"Captain, the mission data recorder in this class of ship is part of the same system as the distress beacon, and has its own power-source." T'Pol noted. "I will download the data for transmission to the outpost. It might also contain some information as to how and by whom the ship was attacked."
"We should also go to tactical alert." Reed recommended.
"I detect no other ships in the area." T'Pol said. "But Mr Reeds' instincts and caution have served us well in the past."
"Full tactical alert limits our ability to take a look around." Archer said. "What about that 'ready status' you've been working on, Malcolm?"
"We've only had a couple of drills..." Reed said doubtfully.
"Well, now's as good a time as any to have another one." Archer decided. "If you're right, it'll let us carry on working but we'll be able to go to full alert quicker."
"Understood, sir." Reed acknowledged.
"Datalink established, download completed." T'Pol reported. "Permission to analyse this and the sensor data from the wreckage?"
"Go ahead." Archer told her. "Hoshi, do you have a location on the source of that data-stream?"
"About three hundred kilometres dead ahead, sir."
"Travis, take us there."
"Aye, sir."
A few moments later, Hoshi said: "Damn! It just stopped transmitting!"
"Never mind." Reed told her. "I have it on sensors. Some kind of probe, I think. About three metres long. No signs of anything explosive. No active systems.
"I recommend using the grapple to bring it on board, sir. If there are hostiles in the area, the tractor beam might attract attention."
"Makes sense." Archer allowed. "Bring it in to the shuttle bay and let Mr Tucker know we've got a new toy for him.
"Travis, run a standard search grid. See if there's anything else out here."
Ships Log Update: It is now clear that the Vulcan survey ship T'Arkas was destroyed by an unknown attacker. Having relayed a warning to the Vulcan outpost, Enterprise is conducting a sweep of the sector in an attempt to discover whether this was an isolated incident of piracy, or the first signs of an invasion. Commander Tucker has completed his examination of the alien probe.
"I'd call it downright primitive." Trip was saying. "But I guess it does the job."
"What job?" Archer asked, looking at the device laid on the floor in one of the Engineering workshops. It was about three metres long, most of which was a simple cylinder. The bulky end section, boasting three stubby fins, had already been removed.
"A basic launch-and-leave probe." Trip said. "These fins are small ion impellers with just enough fuel to get it to a fixed point and stop it there. The cylinder is mostly batteries, power source. The head picks up radar, comms traffic, visuals and magnetic fields within a limited range and transmits it back until it runs out of power.
"No identifying markers other than this," he pointed out series of symbols etched into the shell of the cylinder, "which I've sent over to Hoshi. But if I were a bettin' man, I'd put fifty credits on it just being a serial number."
"Captain." T'Pol had entered the room with more than her usual brisk energy. "I have completed download from the T'Arkas mission recorder. The final data are an audio recording of events on the bridge just prior to the ships' destruction. You should hear it."
At Archers' gesture, T'Pol went over to a nearby console and called up the file:
"Captain, we are secure from warp."
"Very well, commence grid survey."
"Captain, sensors detect a large number of vessels on an intercept course."
"What kind of vessels, Sub-Commander?"
"Unknown. Numbers between thirty and fifty, moving in close formations. Captain, they are extremely small craft, I detect only one life-form in each. They appear to be using ionic or plasma drives, capable of high sublight velocity, but no warp capability."
"Fascinating. Are they attempting to communicate with us?"
"Negative. I detect communications between vessels. Language unknown. I will attempt to run it through the Human translator program."
"Understood. Shields up, transmit a greeting across all hailing frequencies, all known languages."
"Acknowledged. Captain, they have increased velocity, heading directly toward us..."
There was a sound like a hundred drums all beating at once, in a dozen different rhythms.
"We are under attack! Hull breaches on Decks Two and Four! Captain, they are using projectile weapons. Shields ineffective."
"Evasive manoeuvres. Reset shields to collision mode. Energise disruptors and fire at will."
A few moments silence, and then.
"Captain, shield remodulation is effective. Projectiles appear to be ferrous metal – magnetised. However, we are unable to evade them, there are too many, and they are extremely manoeuvrable. We are also unable to effectively target them with our disruptors for that reason. Recommend use of photonic torpedoes set for proximity detonation."
"Recommendation noted. However, they can do us no further damage, and the small size of the craft indicates limited fuel capacity. They will have to withdraw before long. Once they have withdrawn to a safe distance, engage warp engines and return to the outpost."
"Understood. Quantum wave anomaly detected. Captain, three larger vessels have just appeared on sensors. Range less than twenty kilometres.
"Attack craft now withdrawing toward the largest vessel. The two others moving to intercept. The lead vessel is opening fire. Projectile weapons as before, but heavier. Shields holding."
"Evade and retreat. Take us to a safe distance so we can warp out."
"Sir, the other ship is charging an energy cannon!"
"Evasive manoeuvres! Reset shields to com..."
The recording ended in a crackle of static. There was a moments' silence.
"Between a rock and hard place." Archer said, shaking his head.
T'Pol nodded. "Quite. In order to resist the solid projectiles, they had to set their shields to collision mode, which is normally used to prevent meteorite damage. However, at that setting, they were useless against energy weapons.
"Enterprise is at an advantage, however. Though the ship has recently been retro-fitted with energy shielding, we still have the capacity to polarise the hull plates. Set to the correct polarity, this would significantly slow or indeed repel the projectiles."
"I'm hoping it doesn't come to that." Archer told her. "Get the recording to Malcolm, he may be able to get more out of it than us. Give us an idea of the tactics these people use."
"Bridge to Captain." Hoshis' voice. "I'm picking up a transmission. Quite weak, sounds like a distress call."
"From who?" Archer asked.
"I don't know, sir." Was the reply. "Language is unknown, I'm going on the tone of voice."
"I'm on my way."
Ships' Log Update: It's clear that this sector is home to at least one race of hostile aliens. The T'Arkas was ambushed as soon as she dropped out of warp. Why Enterprise was not immediately attacked as well, we don't currently know. It may be, as Malcolm theorises, that the attackers were on a set patrol or route, and have moved on. Or it may simply be that Enterprise, being much larger than the T'Arkas, is not such a tempting target.
The voice coming over the speaker sounded human in tone. Human enough that the tones of exhaustion, weakness and near-despair were clear. The language was unknown, but had a kind of haunting familiarity.
"Can you get a translation, Hoshi? " Archer asked.
"I don't think it's going to be hard, Captain." She replied. "In terms of sound and structure, the language is very close to the Indo-European root languages of Earth. In fact, it seems to have evolved from an almost identical root!"
"You are implying," T'Pol noted, "a common ancestry between humans and these aliens."
"It's a theory that's been around a long time." Archer said. "Contact with alien civilisations was once a popular explanation for sudden technological advances on Earth, or for common legends shared between different and widely-spaced cultures."
"Rather in the way that contact with my people radically changed the history of Earth?" T'Pol asked.
"If I didn't know better."Reed noted. "I'd have called that comment humorous.
"Captain, I have a fix on the origin of the signal. About 200 kilometres away on our current heading. This may be a trap, sir."
"I know, Malcolm." Archer told him. "But if it isn't, we're leaving someone to die. Full tactical alert. Raise shields and polarise the hull plates. Let's be ready for anything.
"Travis take us to the location, extreme caution. Hoshi, I need that translation!"
"I have the craft on sensors, Captain." Reed reported. "It's tiny, no more than four metres long, and it's drifting. There's still power, but not much. Life support and a beacon are the only things still operating."
"One life-form aboard.," T'Pol added. "Unconscious or asleep, but still alive."
"I have the translation, Captain." Hoshi announced.
"Play it." Archer ordered.
The message was to the point. "Fleet, this is Wing Commander, Second Interceptor Group. We were ambushed by Taiidan forces. Support Frigate lost. All other Interceptors lost. I am undamaged but out of fuel. Power running low, life support at minimum. Request support or salvage."
"So we know there are at least two fleets out here, and that they don't get on." Archer noted. "Does this look like a trap, Malcolm?"
Reed shook his head. "Not at the moment, sir. Long-range scans detect no ships within range. The craft we're looking at doesn't seem to be booby-trapped in any way. Only one power-source, and that is running down fast."
"And the pilot is the only one who can tell us what's going on here." Archer said. "Engage the tractor beam, Bring it into the shuttlepod bay. Get Security down there, and alert Dr Phlox."
"A short-range fighter?" Reed was incredulous. "Nobody uses those. The power requirements for any decent weaponry..."
"Would make the power-plant bigger than the ship." Tucker allowed. "But this thing ain't carryin' phase cannon or even missiles. Just these two railguns in the nose."
"What precisely is a 'railgun'?" T'Pol asked.
"A weapon that uses electromagnetic force to fire a high-velocity solid projectile." Tucker told her. "We call it a railgun because the armature runs along two conductive rails. The other name is mass-driver, but that could also apply to explosive propellant guns.
"This thing," he indicated the blocky, black and white craft that took up most of the bay, "is basically a chunk of metal with an engine at one end, two guns at the other, a cabin behind the guns and a rechargeable power unit in the middle. There's nothin' fancy, nothin' unnecessary. Brute functionality at its best."
"But given the limits on fuel for the ion thruster, ammunition for the guns and power, it's not meant to operate this far out without some kind of support." Reed said. "The message said something about a Support Frigate, and I imagine they have Carriers as well. They'd need them."
"It all points to a technology very inferior to ours." T'Pol noted. "Which may increase our danger. A ship as advanced and powerful, by comparison, as Enterprise would be a prize worth a great deal to either side in the apparent conflict."
"He is," Dr Phlox was saying, "despite a certain amount of genetic drift, as human as you are, Captain."
"Genetic drift?" Archer asked.
The Denobulan physician shrugged. "He is clearly adapted to a harsher, drier climate than is usual on Earth, or any other human-occupied planet. Note the deepset eyes and overhanging brow to protect from bright sunlight, the spare frame and lack of excess tissue, and the dark skin.
"His body metabolises and makes use of water ten to fifteen percent more efficiently than yours, while at the same time needing only eighty percent of your daily requirements. He could survive very well on Vulcan, but less so on the Klingon homeworld.
"For the rest, he is suffering from cold and exhaustion, but nothing worse. Ah, he's waking up!"
He certainly seemed human enough. His forehead was high and the eyes, set deep under the brow and separated by a thin blade of a nose, were dark, quick and keen. His hair was black, worn long and held back in a ponytail with a silver ring. The firm mouth was framed by a short beard. He sat up and began to speak, there was a slight delay as the Translator kicked in, then:
"Who are you? Where am I? Are you Taiidan?"
Archer approached him easily, right hand held up, palm out in what he hoped was a universal indication of peaceful intentions.
"I'm Captain Jonathan Archer, Starfleet. You're aboard the United Earth Starship Enterprise. We picked upyour distress signal and found you adrift in space. Your ship was almost out of power, so we brought you aboard."
The man studied Archer keenly for a moment, then nodded. "I am Detyan Nabaal, Wing Commander, Second Interceptor Group of the Kushan Exile Fleet. Am I your prisoner?"
Archer shook his head. "I'd prefer it if you would consider yourself our guest." He said "But we do have a problem. A ship belonging to an ally of ours was attacked and destroyed near here. According to the logs we retrieved, the attack was carried out by several craft, some of which resemble the one you were adrift in."
Nabaal nodded. "And you are obliged to exercise caution. I understand. Can you show me where the attack took place?"
Archer led him over to a monitor and called up the stellar map. "Here." He said. "About half a light-year Coreward from where we are now."
Nabaal studied the map. "Your cartographic conventions are slightly different from ours." He noted. "But if I am reading this correctly, my wing was attacked some distance Rimward from our current position -I have drifted for at least two days – and the place where the attack happened was in any case beyond the range of any non-capital ship in the Kushan Fleet. We have only one Carrier, and that is assigned to harvesting duties.
"Captain Archer, I hesitate to point fingers, even at an avowed enemy of my people, without evidence, but this sector is claimed by the Taiidan Empire, and they do not welcome intruders.
"However, you are right to be suspicious of me. All I can do is offer my parole, my word of honour, that I intend no harm to your ship and crew."
Archer studied the man. He seemed honest enough, and his frankness, along with his open body language inclined Archer to trust the man.
"I'll take that." He decided. "Up to a point. You'll be assigned quarters and given access to non-secure files. That will give you a chance to learn something about us. If you want to look over the ship, I'll have someone give you a tour, but not of any sensitive areas.
"My security officer isn't going to like this!"
"Of course not." Nabaal replied with a grin. "And he or she will watch me like a hawk. If it were otherwise, you would doubtless dismiss them!"
Ships' Log 2153-04-18: Our guest has so far been cooperative, though Mr Reed clearly believes he should have been placed in the brig. Nevertheless, we need to verify his story if we can, so we have been running a grid search in the direction he indicated. We hope to find evidence of his story. If it proves true then we should return him to this Exile Fleet before returning to warn the Vulcans about the Taiidan Empire.
"Captain, there is a substantial debris field directly ahead." T'Pol announced.
"Let's go take a look." Archer ordered. "Malcolm, can you have someone escort Commander Nabaal to the bridge? If he's telling the truth, he needs to see this. If he isn't, he might give something away when he does."
By the time the Kushan officer had arrived on the bridge, the field was in visual range. He barely acknowledged Archer, staring fixedly at the screen with an expression torn between anguish and rage.
"Sensors indicate wreckage of between thirty and fifty small craft. Some are identical to the Kushan Interceptor in the shuttle bay. The majority are of craft in the same class, but of a different design. There are also a few slightly larger craft with markings matching the non-Kushan fighters. There is a single larger craft, or the remains of one, a little distance away." T'Pol announced.
"We made them pay two for one." Nabaal said in a choked voice. "At least with the fighters. But they had combat corvettes and two Assault Frigates. We could have dealt with the Interceptors, but the corvettes and frigates just tore us up. They had an Ion Frigate as well, our Support Frigate didn't stand a chance."
"What happened?" Archer asked.
Nabaal shrugged. "Fleet Intelligence got it wrong." He said. "We were on a patrol, looking out for asteroid fields to harvest, and we got jumped. We knew this was a border sector, but we thought it was being patrolled by the Turanic Raiders. Ferocious lot, but their ships aren't a patch on ours. But the Taiidan must have moved one of their own fleets into the area. If we'd known, we'd have sent a more powerful patrol.
"Captain Archer, I need to warn the fleet. They're in more danger here than we thought!"
"Sir, I'm detecting quantum irregularities!" T'Pol said. "Four vessels have just appeared a hundred kilometres off our port side. One of them is now launching numbers of smaller craft."
"Can we get a visual?" Archer asked.
The view on the screen changed. Archer saw a large, squarish ship which was launching a stream of smaller ones. In front of it and slightly above were three others. Two were stubby-looking vessels, mounting formidable turrets on the bow. They were flanking the third, a slender craft with a pointed bow that ended in some kind of projector. They were coloured in a garish patterns of yellow, blue and red.
"Taiidan!" Nabaal hissed. "How well can your ship fight, Captain?"
"We've held our own in the past." Archer told him. "But I'm hoping it won't come to that.
"Malcolm, tactical alert! Activate energy shields and polarise the hull plates. Bring phase cannons and photonic torpedoes online.
"Hoshi, open hailing frequencies."
"Hailing frequencies open." Hoshi responded.
"Taiidan fleet." Archer said. "This is the United Earth starship Enterprise. We are an exploration vessel and are currently on a humanitarian mission. We have no hostile intentions. We request safe conduct until that mission is complete, after which we will leave your territory by the quickest means. Please acknowledge and state your intentions."
The voice that replied was harsh, over-loud and arrogant. "Enterprise, this is Taiidan Fleet Shaham. You are in violation of treaty. Surrender immediately."
"Fleet Shaham, we are not aware of any treaty, please explain." Archer requested.
"Ignorance of the law is no excuse." Was the answer. "Four thousand years ago, the treaty of Higaara forbade any Mabden race except the Taidan to develop or use faster-than-light technology. Our scans indicate that your crew is Mabden and that your ship has an FTL drive. You are therefore in violation. We are also aware that you are sheltering a Kushan outlaw.
"You will surrender and prepare to be boarded. Your ship will be confiscated. Messages will be sent to your United Earth commanding them to become vassals of the Taiidan or give up their FTL ships.
"The Kushani rebel will be tried and executed. That is all. You have ten minutes."
"Amiable bunch." Reed observed. "Wish I had a daughter so I could forbid her to marry one."
"Commander Nabaal," Archer said formally, "do you request asylum?"
"I do." Nabaal answered.
Archer nodded and signalled Hoshi to open the channel again.
"Fleet Shaham, United Earth is not signatory to the Treaty of Higaara and we are therefore not bound by it. Commander Nabaal of the Kushan Fleet has requested and been granted asylum. Any further attempt to halt or delay our mission will be treated as a hostile act. Withdraw or face the consequences. Archer out.
"Travis, set us back on course, let's see what they do."
"The smaller craft are on an intercept course." T'Pol told him. "Four squadrons, one of which seems to be of larger, slower craft."
"They'll send the strike craft in to tie us up and soften us while the frigates move into firing positions." Nabaal warned.
"All stop." Archer ordered. "We can't evade those fighters. Let's hope we were right about the hull plates."
"We are under fire!" T'Pol said. "And we were correct about the plates."
More than correct, Archer realised as he watched the viewscreen. The yellow fighters swooped in, firing volley after volley. The projectiles ignored the energy shielding, but then, within a metre or so of the hull, they suddenly shot away in random directions at redoubled velocity. An effect that caused considerable, if unintended, havoc among the fighter squadrons.
Reed gave a grim chuckle. "Well I never expected that!" He said. "Those slugs are magnetised by the fields in the rail-guns, so I set our plates to the same polarity, so they'd repel rather than attract. I didn't expect the effect to be that powerful!"
Nabaal was laughing. "You've shredded two squadrons without firing a shot!" He crowed.
"Captain, the slower squadron is taking up a close formation." T'Pol warned.
"Missile Corvettes." Nabaal said. "They'll try to overwhelm your defences with a mass volley."
"Mr Reed!" Archer barked. "Photonic torpedo, proximity detonation!"
"Yes, sir!"
The torpedo shot out into the middle of the squadron and detonated with lethal effect, destroying two thirds of the corvettes and crippling the rest. They and the fighters quickly withdrew.
"Here come the frigates!" Reed warned.
"Evasive manoeuvres." Archer ordered.
"Listen!" Nabaal said urgently. "The Assault Frigates mount four turrets at the front and a plasma bomb launcher. The turrets have a maximum arc of sixty degrees in any direction and the launcher only fires straight ahead. The ion cannon on the beam frigate is a spinal mount, so the whole ship has to turn to aim. All of them have heavy armour at the front but less on the top, bottom and sides."
"Right!" Archer said. "Soft underbelly! Travis?"
"Aye, sir!" Travis replied. The frigates were coming line abreast. Enterprise darted to one side, then swung hard round and dived under the enemy at flank speed.
"Phase cannons, Mr Reed!" Archer commanded. "Fire as your guns bear!"
The Taiidan frigates were surprisingly slow to move, given how much smaller they were than the starship. The first phase cannon shot struck the belly of the Ion Frigate amidships and broke the ship in half. The second holed the side of an Assault Frigate. Travis brought Enterprise about and up. Reed fired again, directly into the bow of the last Assault Frigate, destroying the turrets and launcher.
The surviving ships began to limp toward the Carrier.
"Is that thing armed?" Archer wanted to know.
Nabaal shook his head. "No, just heavily armoured. It relies on escorts. Are you going to let them flee?"
"If I don't," Archer told him, "who's gonna tell the Taiidan how dangerous we are? I prefer them cautious and scared to just plan mad!
"But now, Commander, I think you need to fill us in on what we just got involved in!
"T'Pol, Malcolm, Hoshi, conference room, ten minutes. Somebody let Trip know."
