THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION AND NO PROFIT IS MADE OR COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. ALL CONCEPTS AND CHARACTERS ARE THE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE CREATORS AND DO NOT BELONG TO ME.

Starfleet Staging Area, Sol System
Stardate 2258.42

Chekov looked round as the build-up of the warp engines failed, glancing left towards the Helm Station and the black haired man that sat there, who was slowly removing his hand from the acceleration control.
'Lieutenant, where's Helmsman McKenna?' Captain Pike asked, leaning forward in his chair.
'He has lungworm, sir. He couldn't report to his post. I'm Hikaru Sulu.' The Lieutenant said, turning to face the Captain, and Chekov turned his attention fully to him.
Sulu, Chekov thought, something clicking in the back of his brain. He'd memorised the Starfleet service roster and he thought he recognised him. Accoring to his file, he's supposed to be one of the best active pilots.
Clearly, the same thought occurred to Captain Pike. 'And, you are a pilot, right?'
'Very much so, sir.' Sulu replied, turning back to his console. 'Uh...I'm not...uh...certain what's wrong, here.' Chekov stifled a wince, feeling some sympathy for him. While the Fleet was racing towards Vulcan in response to their distress call, they were just sitting here and it was on his shoulders. He knew what it felt like be singled out. As one of the youngest graduates of Starfleet Academy, he'd recieved a lot of attention, not all of it good.
'Is the parking brake on?' Pike asked, his expression deadpan.
'Uh, no.' Sulu answered, an embarrased nervousness evident in his tone. 'I'll figure it out, I'm just...'
'Have you disengaged the external inertial dampener?' Commander Spock asked, and Sulu froze for a second, before flipping a switch on the console, his expression sheepish.
'Ready for Warp, sir.'
'Let's punch it!' Pike ordered and Sulu eased the throttle forward, the Enterprise launching into Warp with an effortless surge of power.
'Engines at Maximum Warp, sir.' Sulu said, and Pike turned to Chekov. 'Russian whizz-kid, what's your name? Chanko Cherpov?'
Chekov turned in his seat to face Pike. 'Ensign Chekov, Pavel Andreivich, sir.'
'Fine, Chekov, Pavel Andreivich, begin shipwide mission broadcast.'
'Aye, Sir. Happy to.' Chekov said, turning back to his console. Despite his words, he wasn't entirely looking forward to this. He knew that some of the crew resented the idea of a seventeen year old Ensign, especially one that was assigned to the Bridge crew on his first posting. He'd learnt to deal with it, but he still didn't enjoy it. Well, he'd just have to get it out of the way.
'Ensign authorisation code Nine-Five Wictor-Wictor-2.' Chekov said, pressing a button on his console.
'Authorisation not recognised.' The computer said, and Chekov stifled a curse.
'Ensign authorisation code Nine-Five...Victor...Victor-Two.'
'Access granted.' The computer said, the mission log recorder springing up and he took a deep breath.
'May I have your attention, please. At twenty-two hundred hours, telemetry detected an anomaly in the Neutral Zone, what appeared to be a lightning storm in space. Soon after, Starfleet received a distress call from the Wulcan High Command that the planet was experiencing seismic actiwity. Our mission is to assess the condition of Wulcan and assist in the evacuation, if necessary. We should be arriving at Wulcan within three minutes. Thank you for your time.'

Starship Enterprise
Stardate 2258.67
On patrol of Klingon Neutral Zone.
Chekov was snapped out of his reverie by a beeping from his console and looked down, guiltily. Even though three months had passed since their defeat of Nero, he still found himself thinking about it. It certainly wasn't how he'd expected his first mission to go. Shaking aside those thoughts, he turned his attention to his console, just as Captain Kirk said 'Report.'
'Keptin, sensors have detected an energy pulse from the Sonis System.' Chekov said.
'Analysis, Mr Chekov.' Kirk ordered, leaning forward in his chair.
'The pulse matches nothing in our databases, Keptin.' Chekov reported, his fingers flying over the controls as he calculated. 'But, judging by the power co-efficient and magnitude, it's possible it was a warp signature.'
'Captain,' Uhura called from her station, 'I'm detecting a distress call from those co-ordinates.'
Kirk rose from his seat. 'Mr Sulu, plot a course for the Sonis System, Warp 5.'
'Captain,' Spock interjected, 'it is my duty to remind you that the Sonis System lies close to the border of the Klingon Neutral Zone and that there have been three attacks on Federation patrol vessels in the last month.'
'Noted, Mr Spock. Engage, Sulu.'
'Aye, Captain.' Sulu replied, his hands moving deftly over the controls. 'Course engaged for Sonis, ETA two minutes.'
'Opinions, Mr Spock?' Kirk asked, quietly, moving to stand next to his First Officer.
'There is insufficient information for me to formulate a valid opinion, Captain.' Spock replied and Kirk frowned. 'C'mon, Spock. I'm asking what you think, here.'
'If you would like me to invent an assessment, Captain, then I am more than happy to do so.' Spock said, and Kirk sighed. 'Never mind, Mr Spock. Mr Sulu, sound Yellow Alert.'
'Aye, Captain. Entering Sonis System now.'
'Can you locate the source of the distress call, Mr Chekov?' Kirk asked.
'Aye, Keptin. According to my calculations, it should be located on a bearing 221.314.' Chekov said, punching up the co-ordinates on the viewscreen.
'Set course for those co-ordinates, Mr Sulu, and maintain full sensor scans.'
'Aye, sir.' Sulu said, and Kirk moved over to Uhura, who was listening intently to her earpiece. 'Anything further on the distress call, Lieutenant?'
'Nothing, sir. It's a repeating signal of four beats, similar to old Earth Morse Code, but it's not a signal I recognise.'
'Then, how do you know it's a distress call?' Kirk asked, and Uhura smiled, knowingly.
'Because I'm very good at this, sir. It's a simple code and that means it's a simple message. Historically, the simplest forms of communication are always used in disaster situations because of their reliability. SOS messages, warning fires, smoke signals, even our own distress beacons, they all work on the same principle.'
'Understood. Good work, Lieutenant.' He said, with a cheeky grin and turned away, leaving her shaking her head and returned to Spock, who raised an eyebrow.
'Jealous, Commander? Relax. She's made her choice, as much as I hate to admit it.'
'If that is so, Captain, then why do you persist in...'
'C'mon, Spock. I'm not allowed to have a little fun?' Kirk asked and Spock frowned, but said nothing further.
'Keptin, sensors are detecting a unknown vessel ahead.' Chekov announced, and Kirk returned to the Captain's Chair. 'Analysis, Mr Chekov.'
'It's not in our databases, Keptin, and it matches no configuration that I'm aware of. I'm detecting minimal power readings and no life signs. She appears to be adrift, sir.'
'Bring us closer, Mr Sulu.' Kirk ordered, leaning closer to the viewscreen.
'Aye, Captain.' Sulu said, just as Chekov spoke up. 'Keptin, two vessels are dropping out of warp, bearing 223.149.'
'Onscreen.' Kirk ordered, and Chekov brought up the image of two vessels made of dark red metal with blunt noses and domed housings on the top, each bearing a double-barrelled cannon assemblage.
'Red Alert. Open Hailing Frequencies, Uhura.' Kirk said, and she pressed a button on her console. 'Frequencies open, Captain.'
'Unidentified vessels, this is Captain James T. Kirk of the Federation Starship Enterprise. State your intentions.' Silence followed, and the vessels continued their advance.
'Captain, they've raised their shields and their weapons are charging.' Sulu reported, his hands hovering over his console, ready for action.
'Unidentified vessels, you are in Federation Space. Power down your weapons immediately.' Kirk said, just as the vessels opened fire.
'Evasive maneuvers, Mr Sulu.'
Kirk ordered, dropping into his seat, bracing against the impact, but none came.
'Captain, they're targeting the derelict.' Mr Sulu reported.
'Captain, the distress call just increased in frequency.' Uhura reported and Kirk turned towards her.
'In response to their attack?'
'It is possible there may be survivors.' Spock stated, from his science station. 'My scans cannot adequately penetrate the interior.'
'Mr Sulu, bring us into weapons range.' Kirk ordered. 'Target their weapons array. Disable them.'
Sulu's fingers flew over the controls and phaser fire lashed out, catching the first ship and punching through it's shields, his second shot lancing through the weapons array, which detonated with a faint flare. As the first vessel began to drift out of control, the second rounded on the Enterprise, it's cannons flaring and a volley struck their shields.
'Shields holding, Keptin.' Chekov reported, as Sulu fired again, collapsing the second vessel's shields, which turned and vanished into warp, closely followed by it's partner before Sulu could get off another shot.
'Good shooting, Mr Sulu. Stand down to Yellow Alert. Mr Chekov, status of the derelict.'
'It's hull has suffered some minor damage, Keptin, but it is intact.'
Kirk thought for a moment, staring at the viewscreen. 'Tow it into Cargo Bay 1, Mr Sulu, and have a security team meet us there. Commander, you have the Bridge.'
'Aye, Captain.'
'Mr Sulu, Mr Chekov, you're with me.'

Chekov stood with Sulu and Kirk in the observation Deck of Cargo Bay One, watching the security team conducting a sweep of the derelict vessel. The vessel itself was twenty metres long, with a rounded prow and three nacelles set into the fuselage, the soft lines of the hull giving it an almost organic appearance, despite it's obviously metal construction. The security chief stepped towards the viewport and signalled the all clear, Kirk leading the way down the stairs onto the Cargo Deck, standing in the shadow of the vessel.
'Report, Mr Weber.'
'All clear, sir. No sign of any exterior weapons or booby traps, although our scans still can't penetrate the interior.'
'Thank you, Chief.' Kirk said, turning back to Sulu and Chekov.
'What do you make of it, Mr Sulu?' Kirk asked, and Sulu knew that he was asking for his opinion as a pilot.
'Long-range vessel, sir. Warp 6 at least, although the nacelle configuration isn't one I've seen before. Looks to be suitable for atmospheric flight, as well as deep space.'
'Mr Chekov?'
'The technology is clearly more advanced than ours, Keptin.' Chekov said, having already pulled out his tricorder and scanned the vessel. 'The molecular structure of the hull is unlike anything I've ever seen and I can't detect any power conduits or circuitry pathways anywhere. I can't imagine that a ship like this could ever fly.'
'What about the distress call?' Kirk asked, and Chekov shook his head.
'Negative, Keptin. I can detect no signals from the vessel.'
'Well, then we've got a mystery on our hands and I don't like mysteries. Continue your investigation, I want a preliminary report in an hour.'
'Aye, sir.' Sulu said and Kirk turned and left, leaving them standing there.
'Any ideas?' Sulu asked and Chekov turned to him.
'Why are you asking me?'
'You're the genius, Pavel. Don't let me down now.'
Chekov sighed. 'Zer is nothing that I can do without access to the interior. There must be a hatchway here somewhere.' He said, reaching out a hand to touch the side of the vessel. Sulu felt the hairs tingling on the back of his neck, like a static charge, and was about to shout a warning when a blue beam ensnared Chekov's wrist and began travelling along his arm.
'Chekov!' Sulu yelled. 'Get back.'
'I...I can't!' Chekov responded, a note of panic creeping into his voice and Sulu and reached out, grabbing his arm and pulling, just as the beam reached his hands and flowed over them, a second ring continuing up his arm. Next second, the beams disappeared and Chekov's hand came away from the hull, sending the two of them sprawling backwards onto the hanger deck. Hearing a faint hiss, Chekov raised his head to see that a hatchway had appeared in the smooth hull, revealing the darkened interior beyond. Chekov climbed back to his feet and drew his Phaser, heading towards the hatch, stacking on one side, Sulu moving to flank him. Chekov nodded and he stepped through the hatch, dropping into a crouch with his Phaser aimed straight ahead as Sulu entered, aiming over his shoulder and sweeping the room slowly. It was small, with an array of three stations, two forward and set side by side. The lights were dimmed, but it was obviously empty.
'Clear.' Sulu said, motioning for Chekov to stand up, although he kept his Phaser out, while Chekov dropped into the seat next to him, running his hands over the console, pressing a few buttons and the lights came up.
'Main power's still operational.' He said, his fingers flying over the keypads, while Sulu sat in the Pilot's chair next to him, resting his hand on the joysticks.
'Definately designed for humanoids.' Sulu remarked, glancing around at the third chair, which sat on a raised platform behind them. 'I wonder why's there's no crew.'
'How do you know there isn't?' Chekov asked, absently, before looking up from his console, his eyes widening. 'Did you scan for lifesigns?'
'No, the security team...'
'... Said their scans couldn't penetrate the interior, remember?'
Sulu stood up, pulling out his Phaser again and sweeping the interior, while Chekov bent over his tricorder.
'Nothing, I...wait! I'm detecting a faint energy signature.'
'Where?' Sulu asked.
'I...it's gone. Must have been a random power fluctuation.' Chekov said, breathing a sigh of relief. 'Yo moyo! That was close.'

Kyran Hecht sat on his throne in his Sanctum, looking at the two men kneeling on the floor in front of him, his gaze cold and implacable, despite his anger. They were two of his senja, responsible for commanding his warships in his name. He was muscular and broad shouldered, with the deep red skin of his race and golden eyes that seemed to glow, dressed in a black and red tunic. His hand rested on the ornamental dagger at his belt, sliding the blade a few inches out of the sheath, before slipping it back in again with a faint rasping sound. When he spoke, his voice was deep and strong.
'So, you failed. I sent you on a mission to recover one escaped Deniri and you failed.'
'Yes, Konn'se.' Gyrar, the senior of the two senja, replied, meeting his gaze levelly while Tyche stared at him with ill-concealed bravado. He had only been a senja for a month and this was his first command.
'Gyrar, you were senior on the mission. Explain yourself.'
'We were opposed, Konn'se. A Sainak, an outsider vessel was there and it opposed us. We engaged them, but we were overmatched. My Dreadnought was crippled and I decided that it was wiser to withdraw and return, to report to you. I await your decision and punishment, Konn'se, for my failure.'
Kyran studied him for a second, before turning his gaze to Tyche, who paled visibly.
'Tyche, you are a senja, and I would hear your words. Did Gyrar act correctly, as a Lucari should?'
'No, Konn'se. A Lucari should never run from an enemy. That is cowardice.' He said,
Kyran rose from his seat and descended the steps, stopping before Tyche and striking him across the face, hard. His head rocked back, but he kept his gaze down, blue blood on his lip.
'No! A warrior knows when to fight and when to choose his battles. Gyrar acted correctly to preserve his vessels and his crew, which is his duty, instead of losing two Dreadnoughts and the Deniri. Remember that.'
He turned and returned to his throne and gestured for Gyrar to stand.
'One Deniri does not matter, now. You can leave, both of you.'
They stood up, bowed and left, Kyran turning to Zytag, his second in command, who was standing next to him.
'Zytag, is the conquest complete?'
'Yes, Konn'se. The last cities have fallen to our forces, we have full control of the surface and the Konn'ira has been deployed around the perimeter of the system.'
'Excellent. Nyzar!' He said, addressing the young man standing to attention to the left of his throne, who stiffened at his voice.
'Yes, Konn'se.'
'You will take command of the occupation on the surface, immediately.'
'Konn'se?'
'You are my first born son, Nyzar, and this is my command.'
'Yes, Konn'se.' Nyzar said, turning and striding out of the Sanctum, Zytag turning to Kyran.
'Konn'se, is he ready for such responsibility?' He asked, and Kyran turned towards him.
'He is of my blood. He will have to be.'

An hour later, Chekov and Sulu stood at the front of the briefing room, where Kirk, Spock, Uhura, McCoy and Scotty were sitting around the table.
'We've completed our initial analysis, Keptin.' Chekov said, bringing up a schematic on the screen behind him.
'The vessel is very advanced, unlike anything I've ever seen. According to our scans, it is created using nano-technology.'
'What's nano-technology?' Uhura asked, and Scotty replied.
'Microscopic machines that work together, bonding on an almost organic level to create much more complex machines. Building a ship out of them is an incredible achievement. Even I haven't been able to combine nano-machines on this scale, and I can work miracles.'
'Any sign of the crew?' Kirk asked. 'Any indication what happened to them?'
'No, Keptin. The main computer records have been wiped, possibly by a power surge caused during the attack.
'What are your recommendations?' Kirk asked, and Sulu stepped forward.
'We'd like to repair the vessel, sir. Even if we can't recover the records, the technology aboard could be of great use to us. Who knows, we might even be able to backwards engineer some of it.'
'Mr Spock?'
'Logically, this is an opportunity that we should take advantage of. However, we should be prepared for the possibility that someone may come looking for the vessel. I suggest that we head for the nearest Starbase, and...'
'And miss the chance to learn more about this vessel? Think about it, Spock. If someone did come looking for the ship, it's designers, think how powerful an ally they could be.'
'They could also pose a formidable threat, Captain.'
'And, how would they react if they discover that someone's stolen their vessel?'
McCoy added. 'You want them to come looking for us? Kind of prejudices them against us, doesn't it?'
'We'll hold our position for now,' Kirk said, 'but maintain full sensor scans of the area. If we get any company, I want to know about it. And move us to the edge of the system, just in case.'
'Aye, Captain.' Spock said and Kirk turned back to Chekov and Sulu.
'Gentlemen, you have work to do.'

'Try it now!' Chekov called, from where he was lying under a console and Sulu sitting in the Pilot's chair pressed a button on the console. There was a faint humm of power that died almost a second later and Chekov thumped his fist against the console.
'Chyort!' He shouted, sliding out from underneath the console and striding towards the cockpit.
'This doesn't make any sense.' He said, leaning over Sulu's shoulder and stabbing a finger at the display. 'According to these readings, we have full power, but we can't access a single system. Sensors. Flight control. Propulsion. Nothing.'
'We still don't know much about this ship, Pavel. And we're not getting anywhere. Come on, we need to take a break.'
'Perhaps, if we re-align...'
'We been working for five hours and it's gone 20:00. We'll both benefit from something to eat. Come on.' Sulu said, firmly pushing Chekov down the ramp and out of the hanger, the door sliding shut behind them.

Sulu looked up from his plate and sighed, reaching out to snatch the padd from Chekov's hand and place it deliberately on the table. 'Pavel, eat. You're not going to solve this while you're sitting here. Let it go for now. It'll still be there in an hour.'
Pavel sat back and stared out of the window, with his arms crossed and Sulu frowned.
'Hey. What's the matter?'
Chekov was silent for a moment, before turning back towards him. 'It's...I just...I should be smarter than this.' He said, slumping in his seat. 'I should have been able to solve this, by now.
'You're being too hard on yourself.' Sulu said, but Chekov looked down.
'I don't know. I just feel that I should have this sorted by now.'
'Excuse me? May I join you?'
Sulu looked round to see an Ensign in the red tunic of the engineering division standing in front of their table and exchanged a glance with Chekov. 'Of course.' He said, gesturing to the empty chair and the woman, who looked to be in her mid-twenties with jet black hair and piercing green eyes sat down in, watching him for a second.
'Lieutenant Sulu, I'm... Ensign Tenyan. Captain Kirk asked me to...assist you with the vessel that you found. Exo-mechanics was my speciality at the Academy.'
'We could do use some help.' Sulu admitted. 'We were about to head back, if you wanted to join us?'
'I...would like that.' Tenyan said and Sulu and Chekov rose. 'Let's go, then.'
They returned to the cargo bay, the door hissing shut behind them and Tenyan stepped forward, staring up at the vessel without saying a word.
'Pretty impressive, isn't it?' Sulu said, but she didn't respond, just continuing to stare and Sulu exchanged a glance at Chekov when she turned to face them, just as the lights went out. Sulu's hand dropped to his Phaser and he heard running footsteps, followed by a cry of pain from Chekov, a second before a hand closed around his throat and then he felt nothing more.

The silence of the bridge was broken by the wail of the red alert klaxon and Kirk came to his feet. 'Report!' He said, raising his voice over the clamour.
'Captain, we've just gone to Warp!' Ensign Kyo reported from the Helm and Kirk moved over to stand next to her.
'Cut the engines, Ensign.' Kirk ordered and Kyo shook her head. 'Negative, sir. Controls are not responding.'
'Keep trying, Ensign. Bridge to Engineering. Report, Mr Scott.'
'It's no good, Captain. I have no computer control and the manual overrides are not responding. Short of ejecting the core, there's nothing I can do.'
'Stand by, Mr Scott. Ensign Kyo, what's our heading?' He asked, Kyo's pause answering her question.
'Directly to the Neutral Zone, sir. We'll cross the border in a little over ten minutes.'
Perfect.

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