Triton 2: Thunder Roars

by Xeris

Captain Astar and the crew of the Triton arrive at Deep Space Three where they learn the horrible truth of the attack on a Federationprotected world.

Star Trek: Triton

Book Two

Thunder Roars

© 2006 Marc Hart

USS Triton, stardate 57096.8

Just before 2100 hours, Lieutenant Brex entered the observation lounge situated just behind the bridge, much like it was on Galaxy- and Sovereign-class vessels, and took a seat. Already seated were a good number of the Triton's senior officers and he introduced himself to them, and they did the same. Like the Titan, the Triton's crew were one of the most varied in Starfleet. Although on this particular vessel, humans accounted for almost a third of the crew, twice the amount that were present on the Titan. He sat and waited for the captain and executive officer to enter, and when they did he immediately noticed that neither seemed to be in good moods.

'Doctor Brex, I'm glad you could make it,' Astar said. 'A few hours ago, a Breen warship was seen in the Ynelav system which is near the Black Cluster, on the Federation/Breen border.'

Commander Aaron Wright took over. 'There is only one inhabited planet in that system,' he said and called up a holographic display. 'Ynelav IV is Class M, home to a population of approximately three hundred million people. Their level of technology is equivalent to that late-twentieth-century Earth, or was until today. The warship detonated some kind of metaweapon on the planet.'

'That is all we know at the moment,' Astar added. 'Admiral Janeway believes that Triton's enhanced sensor nets are capable of finding out exactly what the situation is on the planet. We will be leaving at 0800 hours tomorrow morning, so before you turn in for the night, I want a report on your respective departments' full readiness; Dismissed.'

Brex waited behind until only Astar and Wright remained.

'Yes Lieutenant?' Wright asked.

'Permission to speak freely?'

'Granted.'

'I take it that we are only there to observe, not to interfere?'

Astar nodded. 'The Ynelavii are pre-warp so we cannot interfere.'

'Even if it means the deaths of three hundred million people?'

'Yes. The Prime Directive cannot be ignored just because we think it is immoral in certain cases.'

'The Breen interfered and we can only look at the damage they have wrought? I didn't sign up to watch millions die, Captain,' Brex said. 'If we can help these people, pre-warp or not, then we should. It is our duty as Starfleet officers.'

'I understand your concerns, and I raised them with Admiral Janeway myself, just minutes ago. Unless they contact us, we can't help them.'

'How can they contact us? We don't monitor radio waves, do we?'

'Don't we?' Astar asked; a mischievous glint in her eye.

Brex nodded. 'I wish to have my objections on the subject noted.'

'They will be, Lieutenant, along with everybody else's. Dismissed.'

Brex strode from the observation lounge and headed straight for the turbolift. 'Sickbay.'

As the turbolift descended, he wondered what it would look like. Every class of ship had a different design for its sickbay and he hoped that he could get used to this one. The worst one he had seen was the Prometheus-class because it seemed too clinical and not at all soothing to patients. Since the end of the war there was little need for the Prometheus and its sisters and they were supposedly mothballed, but Brex believed that they had been acquired by Starfleet Tactical for covert operations. The turbolift slowed and began to move horizontally through the ship. Moments later, it deposited him several dozen metres from sickbay. He'd familiarised himself with the entire vessel from bow to stern while still at Starfleet Medical.

He entered sickbay and smiled. The layout was aesthetically pleasing and the primary biobed was against the main bulkhead. His office was situated to the left of the biobed, separated by a transparent barrier. He knew that to his right and left, in the surrounding rooms, were operating theatres, an autopsy suite, biohazard suite and morgue. Brex could quite easily see himself running the place and as if on cue, two of his medical technicians entered from an adjacent room.

'Is everything in battle-readiness?' he asked the older of the two.

'Yes sir,' the younger one answered. 'We're just waiting for the last of the supplies to be beamed aboard.'

'Excellent, I'll be in the officer writing my report.'

'Aye sir.'

'Dismissed.'

They left and he entered the office. At the moment it was impersonal but he had a few items that would liven the room up a little, including a few plants native to Bolarus.

USS Triton, stardate 57097.3

Leza Astar sat in her ready room looking through a list of quotes that might be suitable for the Triton's epigram but none seemed right. She and Wright had decided the evening before to ask the crew for their suggestions but she'd since vetoed that idea, deciding that the two of them could come up with the right epigram. Sleep had not come easily to her the night before and when it did come, the dreams were frightening. Her symbiont had been having these nightmares ever since the incident at Makala four years ago and she had so far been able to weather them but they were getting worse. The Astar symbiont was still feeling the deaths of the majority of the symbionts back on Trill, even now. The chronometer on her desk bleeped and she knew that the time had come. She entered the bridge and watched her officers as she took her place at the centre of her domain.

'Alright people, let's get this show on the road,' Astar called out. 'Sound off.'

'Helm standing by,' Larson called.

'Engineering ready,' Xeris added from engineering.

'All tactical systems are go,' Gonzales said.

'Sciences ready,' Mahtani added.

'Operations ready,' the junior officer said. She couldn't remember his name but knew that they'd be rendezvousing with the alpha shift Ops officer en route because of their early departure.

'Sickbay is as ready as is going to be,' Brex replied.

'I'd say that we're ready to go,' Wright said as he turned to his captain. She nodded. 'Signal the dock master for permission to depart. Release all docking clamps and mooring lines.'

Clamps have been retracted, mooring lines released,' Gonzales replied.

'Dock master signals that lanes are clear, we're free to navigate.'

Astar smiled in spite of the mission that she knew they were heading into. 'Impulse engines on stand by, thrusters at station keeping. Take us out, Ensign.'

'Aye sir.'

Slipping through the dock like latinum through a vault, Larson eased the Triton into space and she pirouetted gracefully before flying toward the edge of the system. Sitting back in the chair, Astar was content with the way her new crew was performing. Guiding a starship out of spacedock was not an easy task but they had managed it without a problem. She watched the crew busy themselves with the more mundane tasks of life aboard a starship, like running diagnostics and writing reports, and she knew more than most that being in Starfleet wasn't all about exploring the great unknown and fighting to defend life and freedom. Starship duty was totally boring ninety percent of the time, but the ten percent of sheer excitement, fright or exhilaration more than made up for it. Under Captain Walker's command, she had made first contact with eight species and watched dozens more from afar, and expected that once this mission to Breen space was over that she would be able to make contact with dozens more.

To her right, Wright was monitoring something at his console and looked up when he realised she was watching him. He smiled and returned to whatever he was doing. It struck her as slightly odd that he wasn't strolling around the bridge as she had done as exec, looking over everyone's shoulder, but she'd learned that it was a bad habit and made the crew think that you didn't trust them. He had obviously learned that too, at some point in his catastrophically mismanaged career.

'Captain, there is a lot of chatter on Starfleet frequencies, more than usual,' he told her a moment later.

It answered her question as to what he was actually doing, but another one formed in her mind. 'Does it relate to anything specific?'

'Not as such, but there is some sporadic fighting between Klingon and Romulan forces on the border.'

'With the Klingons as the Remans' protectors, there's going to be a few scuffles,' Astar replied. 'Neither can afford a protracted war, even now, so I think that they're just rattling their sabres.'

Wright nodded. 'We're clearing the Sol system.'

'Take us to Deep Space Three, Ensign,' Astar ordered.

'Course laid in, Captain.'

'Warp eight, engage.'

The Triton jumped to warp, accelerating to several-billion-kilometres-a-second in a second. The stars streaked by and Astar realised that she didn't actually need to be on the bridge, she could be called at any time anywhere on the ship.

'You have the bridge, Commander. If you need me, just call.'

'Where will you be, sir?' Gonzales asked.

Astar frowned. 'I don't need to be followed by security on my own ship, Commander.'

The Betazoid looked suitably chastened. 'Aye sir.'

'I'll be wandering the ship,' Astar told her tactical officer.

As she left the bridge, she saw Gonzales tap something into her console and somehow knew that she would be followed wherever she went on the ship. It was an untenable situation and a waste of resources, especially since the Dominion War was five years ago. The turbolift travelled down and paused momentarily before continuing on a horizontal track, and while it did so, she thought back to the moment when the Monarch reached Utopia Planitia. It slipped into a repair dock and Captain Montgomery Scott came aboard to speak with her, as the ranking officer on board the stricken ship…

'I'm sorry, lass,' he said by way of introduction. 'She's a good ship, but Command doesn't think she has anything left in her.'

'We've brought her back from the brink before,' Astar protested and her face clouded over. 'It was those damned Klingons!'

'Aye, and whoever becomes the next President will surely have a few choice words for the Chancellor.'

Astar smiled darkly. 'I have a few words, but I doubt I'll get close enough to utter them, sir.'

Scotty nodded, having had his fair share of dealing with the Klingons over the years. 'The crew have to disembark as soon as possible. Whatever can be salvaged will be, but the rest will be melted down.'

'At least they can make a new ship from the pieces left over.'

'Aye, that they can, but it'll never be your ship.'

The comment took her aback and she blinked to pull herself together. 'She's not my ship, Captain Scott. She is Captain Walker's ship.'

'Nay, lassie, she was Captain Walker's ship, but on the journey home she was yours. I have it on good authority that the inquiry is just a formality as they've got all your reports on the incident, so what is left is up to you.'

'Sir?'

'Call me Scotty. I was here so they asked me to talk with you. According to the reports you acted in a manner that was above your station, and this is yours if you want it,' he said and opened a small wooden box. Inside, on a small cushion, rested a single solid pip which meant little in and of itself—but added to the three she already had—it made her a captain, and she wasn't sure that she wanted the responsibility.

'I don't know.'

'Take it lass, you deserve it, for bringing your ship and crew home if nothing else.'

'I didn't bring them all back.'

'You tried, and that is all that can be asked. Now, I have one more thing to ask you—and this comes straight from Admiral Janeway in Strategic Operations. Are you fed up of patrolling the borders?'

'Yes sir, but I'll keep doing what's asked of me.'

'No need,' Scotty replied with a knowing smile.

'Sir?'

'The Admiral is offering you the command of a Luna-class vessel.'

Astar was shocked and the cheers from the assembled officers and crew on the bridge of the Monarch brought her back to reality. She, who just a few days ago was the executive officer on a Sovereign-class vessel, was being offered the most coveted prize in the entire fleet.

'I'll have to think about it,' she said and Scotty nodded.

'Don't take too long, Janeway isn't too patient these days.'

Astar did take command and was glad that she did. While she still wasn't sure that she could handle the responsibility of commanding a starship, she realised that she had been responsible for nearly three times as many people before. Being the captain of Triton didn't bother her so much when she thought of it like that. The turbolift deposited her round the corner from the shuttlebay and she looked around before entering. There was no one on duty in the main shuttlebay and she walked toward the rear door, hoping to stand and watch the stars streak by for a few minutes but she was interrupted.

'Wright to Astar.'

'Go ahead, Commander.'

'The Onizuka will rendezvous in a few minutes,' Wright replied.

Astar smiled. 'Thank you, Commander. I'll meet him in the shuttlebay. Astar out.'

She moved to the control console at the rear of the shuttlebay and opened the bay door, activating the forcefield as she felt Triton slow to impulse. Minutes later a type-11 shuttlecraft, the last of Triton's complement of eight, eased through the forcefield and came to rest beside the other four in the bay. As the bay door closed, a hatch opened in the rear of the shuttle and an Andorian in a gold-coloured uniform stepped out with a duffel and three holdalls.

'Leave them here, Lieutenant. I'll have a crewman take them to your quarters,' Astar said, greeting him with a smile.

'It is good to see you again, Captain,' Lieutenant Talen replied.

'Likewise, how was your journey?'

'Uneventful, but I have to say that this is a beautiful ship. May I take my post?'

'I'll walk you to the bridge. I was heading back that way myself. What did you do on your leave?'

'I went back to Andor,' he answered. 'Scientists are still trying to figure out a way to keep our species alive, but for now, we still have to do the best we can ourselves.'

'How is your family?'

'Surviving, thank you, Captain,' Talen replied, his antennae twitching as Triton returned to warp, 'Quite a smooth ride.'

'I like it,' she said.

'I wasn't told much about our change of mission, just that we were heading to the Black Cluster.'

Astar nodded. 'A Breen warship detonated a metaweapon in the upper atmosphere of a pre-warp planet close to the Cluster. We're going to find out what the conditions on the planet are, try to help without contaminating their culture and hopefully discover who was responsible.'

Talen nodded. 'As long as we don't go near any black holes, I'll be content.'

'I'm sorry, Talen,' Astar said softly. 'I know that you and Frax were close.'

'Thank you, sir, but I knew that there would be risks. Captain Walker was willing to overlook the relationship as long as it didn't interfere with our work.'

'As am I if and when any crewmember wishes to do so.'

'Gratifying to know,' the Andorian replied.

'Come, let me introduce you to the people you'll be working with. Commander Xeris, yourself and me and are the only ones left. I had to assign a whole new team practically, but we seem to be gelling nicely.'

'I look forward to working with them.'

USS Pioneer, Breen space, stardate 57097.6

The tendrils of blue-green energy snaked across the shielded hull of the Pioneer as she hid within the nebula. Captain Ashe was sitting on his hands, unable to do anything but wait for his talented crew to do their jobs and get the ship up and running again. After four days of hiding out, he was waiting for a chance to at least make a run for home, but Commander Andrew Lake, his chief engineer had recently informed him that the slipstream was totally useless. The ore had been vaporised by the warp plasma and the assembly itself was nothing but an empty duranium shell. The only good news was that the warp drive was now fully operational after the microfractures had been sealed.

'Captain, I'm picking up activity outside the nebula,' Alamain ch'Zenil, his tactical officer, called out. 'Passive scans identify the vessel as a Breen warship, an old design.'

Ashe scowled. 'Have they detected us?'

'Not yet, but they may have detected our warp trail,' ch'Zenil answered. 'I recommend we make tracks, sir. We're sitting ducks in here.'

'I know that, Lieutenant, but until our weapons and shields are back online there is nothing we can do, in here or out there.'

'Aye sir,' the Andorian officer replied, and his antennae twitched in annoyance.

'Engineering to bridge,' Lake said over the comm.

'Yes Andy?' Ashe asked.

'Shields are back and phasers will be ready in a few minutes. Torpedoes will still be another hour.'

'Do the best you can, Ashe out.' The captain turned to the tactical station. 'Lieutenant, let me know the nanosecond that Breen ship goes away. We'll make our getaway then.' When the Andorian didn't answer straight away, Ashe's finely-honed sense of danger snapped into effect and he toggled the intraship comm. 'All hands brace for impact.'

The Pioneer was struck by some kind of energy beam but ch'Zenil had raised the shields and blow was glancing.

'I think it's time we left, power up the phasers.'

'Aye sir.'

'Helm, take us out and punch up to warp nine.'

'Yes sir.'

The Pioneer streaked out of the nebula at full impulse and then the warp nacelles shifted up and she vanished.

'The Breen vessel is keeping up with us,' ch'Zenil said as Ashe watched the aft view on the viewscreen.

'Can we fire phasers at warp?'

'Not advisable, sir.'

'Bridge to Lake, can I fire a torpedo at warp?'

'If we had them, sir.'

'I need them now, Andy. We have a Breen ship on our tail.'

'Aye sir, stand by.'

'Captain, two more Breen vessels approaching from afore.'

'Warships?'

'No sir, destroyers.'

'One warship and two destroyers,' Ashe mused. 'Damn. We're in the middle of a fleet. There will be more out there.'

'What we do, sir?'

'Slow to impulse. We'll fight. We can't outrun all three ships.'

'Yes sir,' the Andorian replied, clearly willing to finally be doing something.

'Slowing to impulse, sir,' the helm officer said.

'Hail the warship.'

'We're being hailed.'

'On screen.'

'This is Thot Mol of the Breen Confederacy First Fleet. You will surrender immediately or be destroyed.'

'Thot Mol, I am Captain Ashe of the Federation Starship Pioneer. We were testing a new propulsion system when we got lost. If you will allow us to be on our way, we won't bother you again,' the captain said honestly, trying to get on his good side.

'You will surrender and be boarded. This new technology will be ours and ours alone.'

'I'm afraid I cannot permit that,' Ashe replied.

'Then you will be destroyed,' Mol said and the screen returned to the view of the looming warship.

'That went well.'

A jolt of energy from the warship shook the Pioneer.

'Return fire,' Ashe said as the destroyers dropped out of warp. 'Damn.'

'Shields down to eighty-two percent.'

'Fire at will. Do as much damage to the ships as you can. Helm, evade whatever you can, and send a distress call on all Federation frequencies, someone has to hear us out here.'

'Aye sir.'

The Pioneer was being attacked by three powerful ships, with weapons far superior to their own, but she was holding her own. The Intrepid-class ship weaved through the disruptor blasts and torpedo volleys and launched phaser barrages against all three ships.

Ch'Zenil was firing constantly, barely giving the phasers time to recharge. He watched a red light turn green on his console and stabbed the pad, firing again. A devastating quantum torpedo volley launched from the Pioneer slammed amidships into one of the destroyers and it exploded, sending one of the largest fragments of the latter into the other destroyer. With one destroyed, and the other crippled, the Pioneer was once again one-on-one with the warship.

'Shields down to forty percent,' ch'Zenil called. 'We're not making a dent in theirs.'

'Get us out of here, we'll try to outrun them and whatever friends they have,' Ashe said. 'Let's go.'

'Aye sir,' the helm officer replied.

The Hevn approached the Pioneer for a strafing run but an amber-coloured beam emerged from the warship and latched on to the dorsal hull of the starship.

'Our shields are being drained,' ch'Zenil screeched. 'We're losing main power.'

'A new energy dampening weapon,' Ashe surmised. 'Full impulse.'

'Helm's not responding, sir.'

Ashe slammed his fist onto the console beside him. 'Guess we'll be boarded then. Pass out phasers and rifles. We're not giving up this ship without a fight.'

Deep Space Three, near the Black Cluster, Stardate 57108.3

Triton was docked at DS-Three and while the crew were making final adjustments after the four day shakedown cruise, Captain Astar was meeting with Admiral Marcus Holt. His office was spartan but had a spectacular view of the purple-blue nebula that was the Black Cluster, but to Astar's dismay, she was not the only other occupant of his office. He sat behind his desk and to his right stood a Lieutenant in a gold uniform. Holt was reaching his sixties and the white hair atop his head still showed no signs of thinning, and his mien was still as stern as she remembered from her Academy days when he had taught a course in tactical strategy.

'Captain, the situation around here has gotten worse since you left Planitia,' Holt told her without even introducing the other officer; though she obviously had high security clearance otherwise she wouldn't even be in the room. 'A little under three days ago we received a distress signal from a Federation starship trapped in Breen space. The mission is highly classified and information is on a need-to-know basis only, but you do need to have some of the information. Before I turn you over to the Lieutenant here, I'll brief you on the Breen. Starfleet Intelligence believes that a rogue general has got himself a fleet and used the weapon on the planet of Ynelav as a test. I want you to find out what happened and what that weapon has done. The planet was under our protection and we have detailed sensor scans of the entire surface.'

'We'll do our best, sir,' Astar replied.

'This is Lieutenant K'Tyra Parker of Starfleet Security,' Holt said and the young half-Klingon woman nodded. 'She knows all there is to know about the starship's mission. I'd like you to take her on as chief of security, if it's not too much trouble.'

Astar read between the lines and knew that she couldn't refuse, but she also knew that Lieutenant McNamara would be relegated back to his previous position as deputy. 'Aye sir, I'll inform the acting chief myself.'

Holt nodded. 'Lieutenant, you may begin.'

'Captain, the USS Pioneer was testing a slipstream drive, similar to something brought back by Captain Janeway when she was in the Delta Quadrant. Starfleet made the Pioneer the test bed but something went catastrophically wrong and she went from the Bonneville Flats to Breen space in less than an hour.'

'Wow!'

'The last message we received from the Pioneer indicated that she was taken captive by the Breen with all hands. We need to recover that ship or destroy her. The Breen cannot get their hands on this technology.'

'What exactly is this slipstream drive capable of?' Astar asked.

'A starship with a slipstream drive could traverse the Milky Way, a hundred thousand light-years, in five months.'

Astar was silent, trying to imagine the speeds such a vessel was capable of. 'The Breen would most likely use it to attack the Federation and we would have no defence against them, neither would the Klingons or Romulans, Cardassians, Tholians, or anyone else for that matter.'

'Exactly. This would severely upset the balance of power in the quadrants.'

'You'll be coming with to make sure I don't do anything counter to Starfleet's interests, I take it.'

'Yes sir, but I will be under your direct command and a member of your crew, at least until such a time as the mission is over.'

Astar looked at Holt. 'Will there be anything else, sir?'

'Dismissed, Captain.'

'Thank you, we'll get underway as soon as we've replenished our stocks.'

'Excellent, I look forward to seeing you again soon.'

Astar stood and left, followed closely by Lieutenant Parker. Once they were into a turbolift and heading for the docking berth, Astar turned to face the young woman.

'What is this nonsense all about, Lieutenant? You don't need to become a member of my crew to observe on this mission.'

The half-Klingon scowled in her direction, 'Permission to speak freely?'

'Granted,' the captain replied, against her better judgement, but she wanted to hear what the woman had to say.

'I can't tell you why I must be a member of the crew, at least not yet, but I can say that the safety of the Federation is at stake. Your mission could have massive repercussions, whether you succeed or fail, but I cannot fail in mine. I am here to protect the Federation's interests, but I need a cover.'

'And being my security chief is that cover? It seems a little too much like something Intelligence might cook up. What am I going to find if I search your records, a well-crafted fake or an authentic career?'

Parker took a moment to answer, but she did so honestly. 'A little of both actually, though you shouldn't be able to tell the difference. I'm telling you this so you know you can trust me. My background is in Intelligence but I am Starfleet Security.'

Astar nodded, satisfied with the answer. 'I think Commander Gonzales will accept the reduction of her duties, but Lieutenant McNamara probably won't. He feels that the job of chief should be his.'

'Ryan and I have worked together before, Captain. I believe that we can work together again.'

'I'm glad to hear it.'

The turbolift doors opened and Astar stepped out first, with Parker following an exact two steps behind. They both entered the ship at the same time and a security officer was standing guard at the end of the walkway leading to the interior of the vessel.

'What are you standing there for, Ensign?'

'Commander Gonzales' orders, sir.'

She tapped her combadge. 'Astar to Gonzales, meet me in my ready room and pull your troops off guard duty.'

'Acknowledged,' came the terse reply and Astar sighed.

When Gonzales entered the ready room she saw a similar situation to the one Astar encountered a mere half hour ago. Parker stood to Astar's right and Gonzales halted three steps from the desk. The latter said nothing as she sized Parker up and tried to get a read on her captain. She was a full Betazoid and her abilities were rather strong but her moral compass was stronger and she elected to wait until the bad news was given to her, for it surely was bad news.

'This ship is not the Palais,' Astar began, 'so there need not be security officers at every access point. I also think that you can lay off the troops a little. They have already been trained to their limits and beyond, you don't need to push them further.'

'Yes sir.'

'Now, let's get to the real reason you're here. This is Lieutenant Parker and she'll be taking over the role of security chief.'

'What about Lieutenant McNamara?'

'He will continue to function in his role as deputy,' Astar replied plainly.

'Captain, he deserves the chance.'

'I agree,' she replied, 'however, this comes from Admiral Holt and it stands. At least for the time being.'

Gonzales could feel the suspicion and resentment directed toward the newcomer from the captain and inwardly smiled. The captain would not make it easy for her and she would need to integrate quickly if she wanted to fit in. If she was honest with herself, she didn't much care one way or the other who was in charge of security as long as they did their job, didn't screw up and reported to her as ordered.

'Aye sir.'

'Dismissed, Commander. Lieutenant, go down to security and introduce yourself. If you want to fit in here, you'll have to do it without help from me. I don't like being blindsided by admirals with agendas.'

'Yes ma'am.'

Both women left the ready room together and Gonzales returned to her post while Parker went for the turbolift. She had known it wasn't going to be easy, but getting aboard had proven to be easier than expected. Seeing her ex was not, but she would do her best and make at least a token effort to fit in. She didn't expect to be here long but knew to keep those expectations to herself, lest someone else with an agenda seized upon it and made her life a misery—it had happened before, though the incident had been erased from the record and there were only four people in the galaxy who knew about it. The recipient of her anger, her commanding officer, herself and Ryan McNamara. He'd once promised that he'd never hold it against her and she had accepted his word, but this situation might well prove too much for him and he may resort to using it, which meant that she would need a way to counter it, and she needed to find it fast. The turbolift deposited her across from the security office and she braced herself for the confrontation that she knew would come.

USS Triton, stardate 57108.8

Lieutenant Commander Xeris had been dismayed to learn that Deep Space Three had no spare antimatter injectors and so Triton's departure had been delayed until the following morning while a supply order was filled. Two of the ship's injectors had failed during the journey and while Xeris had located and solved the problem, he had not anticipated having to replace them. Triton only had one spare and Xeris had put in an order for five to make sure that even if more were damaged they would not be stranded. While he waited for the supply ship to arrive, he decided to take advantage of his time off and visit the mess hall, expecting it to be almost deserted at this time of night. He was pleasantly surprised then when he found Sheena Gonzales sitting at the window looking out into the void of space, in the general direction of the Black Cluster. So engrossed in her musings, she didn't hear him approach and he sat down beside her before she realised that she had company.

'Having trouble sleeping?' he asked.

'Haven't tried yet,' she answered, turning to face him. 'I was just thinking about our mission. All things considered, I suppose I should be lucky that we're not actually going to be mediating power-sharing talks or propping up a new regime.'

'Instead we're going to investigate a new threat to the quadrant,' Xeris replied. 'I have no wish to ever set foot in Romulan space again but I would do so rather than face this mission. We have a saying on Romulus: "Never turn your back on a Breen."'

'I've heard it before, several times during the war in fact.'

Xeris nodded. 'That doesn't surprise me. My people like to flaunt their superiority.'

'And you don't?' she asked, cocking her head at him.

He smiled. 'I'm Romulan, of course I do, but I tend to only do it when it relates to engineering problems.'

Her face lit up with a smile. 'You try hard not to be like other Romulans don't you?' she asked.

'I do, I find some of the things they've done to be completely without honour or morality. Perhaps now that we have to rebuild our political structure almost from the ground up we'll start to think differently. After all, look what has happened on Cardassia, they have a democratically elected government that most people seem content with.'

'Enough with the politics,' Gonzales said. 'Why did you come and sit here?'

'I find you intriguing and wanted to get to know you better.'

She raised an eyebrow. 'A straightforward answer from a Romulan; how refreshing.'

He chuckled and she found the sound quite sensual. It reminded her of her first lover back on Betazed. She had been with him for some time, before he had died from a rare genetic disorder, and she took a long time to get over him. She'd taken lovers at the Academy and on various assignments but that sound reminded her that she once again felts the pangs of hunger for love.

'Why don't we take this conversation to my quarters?'

Xeris smiled and she almost blushed at the thoughts she picked up from him. Ignoring them, for the moment at least, she stood up with her mug and walked toward the replicator. When she turned round she saw him at the door and followed. They walked in companionable silence to her quarters and nodded to the few crewmembers they saw on the way. The turbolift stopped and Ryan McNamara entered, nodding to Gonzales but saying nothing. Gonzales was able to sense his anger and frustration and didn't need her Betazoid abilities to do so. Xeris picked up on the feelings too and wisely said nothing but Gonzales could tell that they were directed at Lieutenant Parker, his previous dalliance with her notwithstanding.

Lieutenant Ryan McNamara was thankful when the chief engineer and his former superior got off the turbolift. He was fuming and had been since that Klingon witch had strolled into the security office and called him over. It wasn't really the fact that she was taking over, but that she told him in front of his friends and the enlisted people. While he had clearly expected to be given the post of security chief he was willing to prove it to the captain but she had prevented him from having that chance by sticking Parker in there. She was all smiles but he could tell she was enjoying his discomfort in her typical Klingon manner. She claimed to have inherited more of her father's genes but her mother's still came through on occasion. It galled him that even after the shake-up and the arrival of new officers that he was still the deputy security chief. The way she told him would be forever stained in his memory and he vowed to get his revenge on her and get the job of security chief for himself.

'There you are,' a familiar voice called and he snarled at her.

'Yes, here I am.'

'I called you eight minutes ago,' Lieutenant K'Tyra Parker said to him. 'Were you going to show up at all?'

'I was thinking about it,' he replied.

Parker narrowed her eyes. 'You're lucky there's no one else in the corridor or I'd have to write you up for insubordination.'

'I should have had that job. It was mine.'

Parker didn't want it but couldn't tell him that for it would only strengthen his point. Instead, she fell back on rules and regulations. 'You were acting chief while the captain and exec decided whether you had the ability and temperament to be the chief of security. I know that you don't but I never said a word. Captain Astar did not assign me to this ship, she was told I had been assigned by Admiral Holt—and I was informed that he had ordered by Director-Starfleet Security.'

McNamara kept the sneer on his face. 'You could have turned it down. I promise you this: one day that job will be mine and you will be gone. I'll be there when you slip up and I'll take control.'

'Is that a threat?' she asked, 'because I don't take kindly to threats.'

'It's a promise, Lieutenant,' he replied, placing disdain on her rank.

'Then let's just hope that I don't slip up, though I would enjoy sparring with you again. You used to give me quite a workout.'

He growled at her and walked past without glancing back. She turned and sighed at his retreating form. What she had told him was true, she didn't want the assignment but she would do it as best she could—at least until this mission was over and she could go back to doing something a little more suited to her abilities. Ryan didn't have the right type of personality to be chief of security but it would be up to the captain to make that decision when the time came. Parker decided that she wouldn't make it especially hard for him but as her second in command he had to be willing to take control of the department when she was off-ship or otherwise engaged, and do so without alienating the security personnel, otherwise it would be clear that he was unsuited for a department head position. Allowing her thoughts to drift away from Ryan and back to her duties, she knew that she hadn't had much time to familiarise herself with the ship or its crew and now might be a good time as she was not due back on shift for another twelve hours. Half of that she would use for sleeping and the rest she would utilise for getting to grips with her new position. It had been several years since she'd had to work on a standard starship.

USS Triton, Ynelav orbit, stardate 57117.0

Lieutenant Commander Xeris was in command of the night shift when the Triton approached the Ynelav system. He was sitting in the captain's chair and reading a padd containing the latest novel by his favourite human author when the gamma shift flight control officer called for his attention. Placing the padd on the armrest, Xeris stepped down to the helm and looked at the readouts on her console. He looked up at the viewscreen as the outermost planet, or what was left of it, became visible on the screen.

'Ensign Benson, magnify that debris field. I'd like to know if it's a planet or not,' he ordered, 'and bring us out of warp.'

'Aye sir,' the young woman replied and expertly slowed the ship.

'Commander, I'm picking up unusual energy signatures in the debris field. It looks like the remains of some kind of mining operation, but I have no idea what species the miners were,' the gamma shift tactical officer added.

'If they're already dead, then there is little we can do for them unfortunately,' Xeris replied. 'Make a full sensor sweep and record everything you can. We might be able to do some damage control when we're finished.'

'A wise course of action, Commander,' a voice said from the turbolift. 'When were you going to wake me?'

'When we reached high orbit, Captain,' Xeris answered, turning to face her.

'Ynelav orbit in three minutes, Captain,' Margaret Benson interjected.

Astar nodded. 'Thank you, Ensign. All senior officers report to the bridge.'

'We're on our way,' Aaron Wright chuckled as the turbolift across the other side of the bridge deposited him. 'Do we have anything yet?'

'A mining operation manned by an unknown species on the outermost planet, but nothing else,' Xeris answered.

'Approaching the planet now, sir.'

All eyes on the bridge turned to face the glistening white marble on the viewscreen and Astar couldn't believe her eyes. 'Split screen, what did the planet look like before?'

As the planet's former manifestation appeared, the other senior officers arrived, including Doctor Brex. 'What happened?'

'I'm reading a total ionisation of the atmosphere,' Lieutenant Mahtani said from the science console. 'It appears as though the planet has been forced into an early ice age. There will be no sunlight reaching the surface for several months.'

'Is there anything we can do to speed up the process?' Wright asked.

'I will need to take more readings before I can say,' Mahtani answered.

'Captain, I'm picking up a small craft on sensors. It has a Breen energy configuration, but it's no larger than a Federation fighter.'

'Hail them,' Astar ordered.

'No response,' Gonzales replied.

'Astar to Parker, have a security team meet me in transporter room three. Commander, beam the pilot aboard. This may be our best opportunity to find out what happened down there.'

'Aye sir, on your mark.'

Astar nodded and headed for the turbolift. 'Commander Wright, you have the bridge.'

She reached the transporter room at the same time as Parker and her security team.

'What's going on, sir?'

'A Breen pilot was left behind. We're about to find out why,' Astar said. 'Energise,' she told the transporter operator.

The figure materialised on the transporter pad but made no move to step down, seeing that it was faced by three people in gold-coloured uniforms all of which were brandishing phasers at it. Standing behind the security officers, Astar watched with impassivity. The Breen moved its hands toward its head but stopped midway as Parker shook her head. The figure dropped its hands to its sides and allowed the two other security officers to step up. Each of them took an arm and guided it to the room's exit. Astar followed Parker as they headed for the brig and found that she kept staring at the Breen prisoner. There was something that didn't feel quite right but she couldn't put her finger on it and just filed it away at the back of her mind. It took only a few minutes for the quintet to reach the brig and the Breen allowed itself to be put inside a cell.

Once the forcefield was in place and the two security officers had retreated to the doorway, the Breen once again moved its hands to its helmet. Astar and Parker stood in mute shock as the Breen removed its helmet and shrugged out of the bulky refrigeration suit. A Bajoran woman now sat in the brig wearing thin underwear that revealed her every curve to the assembled people. Parker turned to one of the security officers and he left the brig, returning a moment later with a gold-coloured uniform. Parker then deactivated the forcefield and stepped in, handing the woman the uniform. She quickly dressed and affixed the two pips to her collar—one full, one empty—before adding the communicator.

'Lieutenant?' Astar asked of Parker.

'This is one of the reasons I was assigned,' Parker replied, looking at the newcomer. 'I knew that she was undercover and that she would probably need to be retrieved.'

'And?'

'I'll let her introduce herself.'

Astar turned to the woman standing in the cell. 'Who are you?'

'Lieutenant Sito Jaxa, Starfleet Intelligence.'

'If I remember correctly, Lieutenant,' Astar said, 'you were officially listed as Killed in Action ten years ago.'

'Yes ma'am,' Sito replied. 'It was decided that as I was officially listed as dead, I could go where no one else could. I have been on several deep cover assignments in the last decade, and in Breen space since the cessation of hostilities.'

Astar frowned. 'Why did you decide to break cover now?'

'Because I have information that could be useful on your current mission,' she said. 'And I have coordinates for the last known location of the USS Pioneer.'

'So the crew are still alive?'

'They were being captured the last I knew,' Sito answered.

Astar nodded. As if the Ynelav situation wasn't bad enough. 'What can you tell us about the situation on the surface?'

'Plenty, ma'am, but nothing that cannot wait,' she said. 'I'd really like to get some sleep, if that's acceptable.'

'I think I can wait a little for your report, Lieutenant.'

'Thank you, Captain.'

'Lieutenant Parker will take you to your quarters.'

'Captain, if I may ask, what class of ship is this? I've never seen anything like it.'

'Luna-class, they were in the planning stage before the war. There are twelve at the moment, all named after moons in the Sol system,' Astar answered. 'Captain Riker commands the Titan.'

'He got his promotion?' she asked rhetorically. 'Good for him.'

'Get some sleep, Lieutenant. I want that report as soon as you feel rested.'

'Yes ma'am.'

Astar strode from the brig with a smile across her face. She knew that Jean-Luc Picard would be gratified to know that she was alive and she wanted Sito to tell him herself if possible. Having served under Picard herself for a little while, she had heard Sito's story and knew that Picard had never forgiven himself for losing her.

USS Triton, stardate 57117.7

The small escape pod drifted through the void for what seemed like ages and Ensign Sito Jaxa believed that in just a few hours she would be back aboard the Enterprise, joking with her friends, and maybe even piloting the ship as alpha shift helm officer. All of a sudden she felt what seemed like a concussive blast and her hopes evaporated. The Cardassians were about to destroy the pod and she was going to die. She'd accepted the possibility when she went on the mission, glad to have the chance after her catastrophic mistake at the Academy, and now she going to die in the line of duty—just like a real Starfleet officer. There was silence so deafening that she could even hear the sound of her own shallow breaths in the confines of the pod. She expected another blast that would destroy the pod and her any second, but instead she felt a light jolt.

Sito held her breath, expecting a Cardassian face to be peering down at her and was surprised, relieved even, to find a Bolian face. She sat up and saw that she wasn't aboard the Enterprise, or any other Federation vessel, but what looked like a freighter of some description. The Bolian wore a gold Starfleet uniform, and the older human woman beside wore a red uniform—with four pips. Sito climbed out the pod with the Bolian's help and stood in front of the captain.

'Welcome aboard the Deliverance,' the older woman said. 'I'm Captain Leanne Goldberg, Starfleet Intelligence. You, young lady, are dead.'

Sito shook her head. 'What happened?'

'We saw a Cardassian warship and blew up an empty pod in proximity to yours. The Cardassians have already issued a statement indicating that they destroyed an escape pod with a Bajoran prisoner on board and Captain Picard has by now received it,' Goldberg told her. 'You're officially listed as Killed in Action.'

'Why?'

'We have use for you, if you're willing to spend more time in Cardassian space.'

Sito looked around her. 'If I can't go back to the Enterprise, I guess I have no choice, do I?'

'Not really.'

Goldberg and the Bolian turned to head out of the small cargo bay when the freighter rocked and the red alert klaxon sounded. Sito was knocked to the floor as the others ran for the bridge…

Sito woke up with a jump. She'd had that same nightmare occasionally over the last ten years, every time she finished a mission. She doubted that it would ever go away but she was tired of it. Now that she was on a starship again she wanted to take advantage of it. After a quick shower—a rare pleasure after the Breen scrubbers she'd been through—Sito headed for the Triton's equivalent of ten forward, whatever it was, for a good meal. She was starving. The babble of voices was a welcome sound to her ears after the awkward and terrifying silences aboard a Breen base or warship and she revelled in it. Selecting her choices from the replicator, she sat down and tucked in to a full roast chicken. It was the only Earth dish that she really liked and she desperately wanted to taste it again. As she tucked in she heard the doors open and turned to see the security chief enter. Making a beeline for her table, Lieutenant Parker parked herself opposite and watched.

'Were you planning on coming to the bridge before the day was out?'

'I needed something to eat, Lieutenant,' Sito replied. 'I have been shovelling Breen paste into my stomach for the last four years and while it met my nutritional needs, it did nothing for my taste buds. As soon as I am finished my meal, I will come straight to the bridge. On that you have my word.'

Parker frowned and then nodded, her features softening somewhat. 'I guess I can understand that. Can I ask you a question?'

'Sure.'

'What are Breen men like?' she asked mischievously.

Sito laughed. 'Bigger than human men, I don't know about the rest though.'

'How often did your cover get scrutinised?'

'Only twice, but the real trouble came on leave, when a couple of the men wanted me. My cover would have been blown had I taken the suit off, so I told them I preferred women.'

'What happened?'

'They introduced me to one and we went off. I knocked her out and when she came to, I told her that it was great.'

It was Parker's turn to laugh. 'You must have had to deal with it later though?'

'I did, she and I became friends but she was killed on a mission before I had to prove myself again. Everyone in the barracks left me alone after that, I was in mourning.'

'You were lucky,' Parker said.

'I know,' she replied. 'I'm going to tell Picard that I'm still alive when this mission's over.'

'You want out?' Parker asked.

'I spent most of my time in Cardassian space as a consort for one Gul or another and fed intelligence to Starfleet during the war. When Cardassia was about to fall I was smuggled onto a freighter and made it back to Federation space. After a long debriefing and a few months R and R in an Intelligence retreat, I was smuggled into Breen space where I've been since. I would prefer to return to starship duty.'

'Starfleet Intelligence might have something to say about that,' Parker replied. 'You're an expert on Cardassian and Breen affairs. They'll probably want you at headquarters. Maybe then they'll let you back on a starship.'

'I thought about that, but I'll cross that wormhole when I come to it.'

'Lieutenant, we'd better get to the bridge,' Parker interrupted. 'The Captain sent me down here to fetch you.'

'I'll be right up.'

'I'll take you up myself.'

'You don't trust me, do you?'

Parker stared at her for a moment. 'No, I don't. I won't trust you until you have been thoroughly debriefed by Command and tested at the genetic level to prove that you are who you say you are.'

'Isn't that a little paranoid?'

Parker's combadge chirped and she tapped it. 'I hope you're on your way, Lieutenant,' Astar said brusquely. 'I don't like to be kept waiting.'

'We're on our way, Captain; Parker out.'

'I'm coming,' Sito replied and took her plate to the replicator.

The two women headed for the bridge in silence. Sito had briefly read the biographies of the senior officers and upon arrival on the bridge matched their names and faces to her eidetic memory. She didn't see the captain and assumed that she was in the ready room awaiting her report but Parker guided her toward the observation lounge just behind the bridge. Astar was sat at the head of the large table and the screen behind her was active with the Federation logo and a flashing line of text. It was an open comm line.

'Glad you could join us, Lieutenant Sito,' Astar said. 'Admiral Nechayev is waiting on subspace. This report will serve as part of your debriefing, which will be completed at Deep Space Three upon our conclusion of this mission. Is that understood?'

'Yes ma'am.'

'Good; computer, secure channel.'

'Channel secured,' the feminine-toned voice of the ship's computer replied.

Alynna Nechayev appeared on the small screen. 'I'm gratified to see that you have survived, Lieutenant. You have not reported in for three months.'

'I was unable to do so, Admiral, without breaking my cover.'

'Why break cover now?'

'I felt that the information I have gathered had sufficiently disastrous implications that I could not wait until such a time as I was able to report in.'

Nechayev nodded. 'Of course, now tell us what you know.'

Sito took a deep breath and pulled herself up to her full height. 'Following the end of the war, Intelligence got wind of a small group of Breen military personnel who had possibly gone rogue but there was no evidence to prove it. I was sent in by Admiral Uhura to discover what I could about this group and report their movements.

'The situation was much worse than feared because the rogue group had built a secret shipyard and were building a small fleet with which to conduct hit and run attacks against Allied outposts and starships. This changed when Prethot Mol killed his superior and took control of the group, giving him a promotion as well. Thot Mol was not content with his predecessor's motives and actions and changed tactics. His new agenda was to put down the rebellion that was threatening the power of the Confederacy so he could prove himself a worthy leader and take control legitimately, though he was prepared to stage a coup.'

'What changed?'

'Nothing has changed, Admiral. He still plans to do this but his methods have altered. From the information I was able to steal from his personal files, I discovered that he had been working on a weapon built by Federation scientists over a century ago and planned to use a variation on it to put down the resistance.'

'What kind of weapon?' Astar asked.

'I'm not sure, I was unable to secure all the information before his return but I did find one name that was repeated numerous times in the reports: Marcus.'

Sito noticed that both Astar and Nechayev blanched at the mention of that name but Nechayev was the first to recover. 'Continue, Lieutenant.'

'Thot Mol planned to detonate this weapon on every resistance-saturated planet to deter the rest of the population from rising up. He decided to test the weapon first on a planet outside Confederacy territory but it went wrong and the population was not wiped out as intended. Before his warship left the Ynelavii system, I overheard Thot Mol speaking with his Prethot about modifying the weapon to turn a planet into a frozen wasteland suitable for Breen occupation.'

Nechayev sighed. 'Thank you, Lieutenant. In our next meeting I'd like to learn more of this resistance, it could be useful in our dealings with the Confederacy. Captain, I'd like to speak with you alone at this point.'

'Aye sir,' Astar replied. 'Lieutenant, step outside please.'

Sito nodded and left.

Once the doors closed, Nechayev began writing something on a padd at her desk. 'I'm sending you sealed orders, Captain. In addition to saving the crew of the Pioneer and determining the extent of the damage to Ynelav and its people, I want you to find Thot Mol and his merry little fleet and prevent them from dealing any more damage to planets inside or outside of Confederacy territory.'

'Admiral, isn't that a little outside our purview?'

Nechayev nodded. 'Yes, it is, but we cannot allow anyone to run around with an armoury full of Genesis torpedoes. I will speak with President Bacco at the earliest opportunity and get the diplomats on the situation but I doubt that will solve anything. I'll be sending the Sovereign and the Prometheus when they become available.'

'That's a lot of firepower, sir.'

'And you may need it,' Nechayev replied. 'Stop him at all costs, Captain. Nechayev out.'

Astar sat in the chair and mused over the mission. The sealed orders were delivered directly to her padd and she entered her authorisation code to look them over. They contained a quick summary of Sito's verbal report plus an actual written order to stop Thot Mol at all costs. She then returned her thoughts to the original mission: to discover what had actually happened on the planet's surface and find a way, if possible, to reverse it.

'Lieutenant Sito and all senior officers, please report to the observation lounge immediately.'

Sito entered first, followed by Parker and Gonzales, and the rest of the senior officers, including Ensign Larson as he was not currently needed to steer the ship.

'Our orders have been changed and I want you all to know why. Lieutenant Sito will provide us with the coordinates of the Pioneer and as soon as the situation here is dealt with, we'll enter Breen space to locate her crew. Before we can do that however, we must first find out what exactly happened on the surface. Lieutenant Mahtani, do you have anything further to report?'

'Yes ma'am,' the science officer answered. 'I do. According to the readings we have been able to take of the planet itself, there are some unusual energy readings which we could not identify at first. With Commander Wright's help we identified the energy readings as active protomatter.'

'A low level Genesis device was detonated in the planet's atmosphere,' Wright finished.

'Low level?' Astar asked.

'Yes ma'am,' Mahtani said. 'Had the device been as powerful as the Mutara weapon, the planet would been reordered just as the Genesis planet was. This device was designed specifically to reorder the surface crust of the planet, but for what purpose we're not sure.'

Astar looked at Sito, who nodded. 'A rogue Thot, equal in rank to a General or Admiral, designed his Genesis torpedoes to reorder a planet's ecosystem so that it would be suitable for Breen life.'

'Are there not enough Class-P worlds for them?' Wright asked.

'Apparently the Breen are just as picky about the worlds they inhabit as the Cardassians are.'

'Meaning?' Astar asked.

'The Cardassians favour colony worlds with extremely high temperatures during the day and the night, often going to the extreme upper limit of Class-M worlds. The Breen go the other way, preferring the coldest planets but only within a specific range of temperatures, and that is what the Thot's devices are designed to do,' Sito said.

'Class-P worlds in their temperature range are rarer than one in forty thousand and now that one Breen has the ability to change a planet's ecosystem at will; the problem has been negated.'

'Is there something wrong with the worlds they have?' Larson asked.

Sito looked at Astar before answering. 'I'm afraid the answer to that is classified.'

'So that means yes,' the helmsman replied.

'Just so we're clear, Lieutenant,' Wright looked at her. 'A rogue Breen general is planning to make existing worlds habitable to the Breen by wiping out their existing populations?'

'Yes sir.'

'It's an oversimplification,' Astar interjected, 'but one that is essentially accurate without breaching classified records.'

No one spoke for more than a minute. Mahtani was entering data on a padd and Astar noticed his attention being drawn elsewhere.

'Captain, I believe I have a possible way to negate the effects of the Genesis torpedo partially.'

'Not completely?'

'No, ma'am, not completely. There has already been too much damage. The ozone layer is being repaired because of the high winds in the upper atmosphere, but there are still holes and we can use them.'

'To what, burn through the atmosphere?' Xeris asked.

'Yes,' Mahtani answered.

'You're insane, Lieutenant. We'd probably hit the surface.'

'Not if the phasers are calibrated properly. I'll need to do further research to fully test the theory but it is a workable solution.'

Astar nodded. 'I want a progress report on my desk in one hour, Lieutenant. Xeris, Gonzales, help the science team. They'll need your expertise as well.'

'Aye sir.'

'Yes sir.'

'Dismissed,' Astar ordered and held back a smile. Maybe they did have the right resources after all.

New Regency Headquarters, Ynelav, stardate 57119.6

Regent Dolan stared out at the frozen landscape and wrapped his coat tighter around himself. The heating system had given up the ghost days ago and the temperature had dropped to a record low, lower even than the ice age the civilisation had emerged from ten thousand years before. His people were dying in their homes and those peace officers brave enough to still work had reported that hundreds had died and many thousands more were dying. The tropical zones of the planet were warmer than the rest but still too low to be properly habitable and most of the vehicles wouldn't work because of the cold. As the situation worsened, Dolan began to look toward the stars for help as it was from the stars that the problem came. He had not yet showed the rest of the Ministers the images of the alien ship, but the different parties—including the former rebels—had only just agreed to work together to solve this global problem. Dolan knew in his heart that there was another alien ship out there because he believed that there was good and evil in all things and if one alien ship caused the near-extinction of his people then another could undo the damage, but he would never reveal that the Ministers otherwise his term in office would be very short indeed.

'Regent, Minister Furan is here to see you.'

Dolan smiled. 'Send him in, and fetch us some Tyana root tea would you?'

'Of course, Regent.'

Furan, former leader of a rebel cell, was now the Minister of Information and his first act had been to open all government buildings to the public. The heating and power generation facilities had shut down and the only light came from the thousands of candles and generators that used fossil fuels. With no sun, the only power generation facility still working was on the other side of the world, and there was no way that one active volcano could supply power to the entire world. As Furan entered, he shivered and wrapped himself more firmly in the blanket draped across his shoulders.

'We need to do something about this,' Furan said, gesturing to the total whiteout outside the window. 'I have an idea but it means waiting and it requires a degree of faith that I do not believe the Ministers have.'

'Regent, I am a poet and a former rebel leader. Less than a week ago I did not believe that the voice of the downtrodden would ever be heard and here I am as the Minister of Information. My faith in Ynelavii nature won out against the evil perpetrated by successive governments. If you spoke to the people, they would gladly give you the go ahead for anything if it represented even a remote chance of success.'

'It's not the people I need to convince, but the entire Council.'

'All of them?'

Dolan nodded. 'It is the only way and it needs to be done before the Ministry of Space computer systems fail, which I have been assured will occur before the end of day tomorrow.'

Furan furrowed his brow before the realisation dawned on him. 'You think someone up there can help us?'

'Look at this,' Dolan unrolled a large sheet of paper and the poet glanced at it.

'Is that a ship?'

'It is, and one that is responsible for our current situation. Perhaps another vessel can assist us.'

'Or cause more damage,' Furan replied.

'How much more damage can be done? Our people are dying and unless we find a way to warm this planet up there will be no one left in a few months. The temperature is still dropping and even the tropics are being frozen. Most of the higher animal life has been killed and those that have survived thus far will not last forever.'

Furan nodded. 'I will speak to a few Ministers now, Regent. I may be able to swing enough votes.'

'We need them all on board,' Dolan replied. 'The planetary distress beacon can only be activated with the express assent of all Ministers. It was decided more than a century ago that if something truly terrible befell our world, and we did not have a unified government, then we did not deserve to survive. I believe that this is our only chance.'

'I'll call the Ministers into session. When will you be ready to present your argument?'

'Have the Ministers assemble in the Council chamber. By the time they arrive I will be ready. We cannot afford to wait any longer.'

Furan bowed his head. 'I'll see to it immediately. May the Prophet smile on you.'

Dolan bowed his head in return. 'May the Prophet bring peace to your family.'

Furan left the office and Dolan sighed. It was easy to ignore religious problems when you weren't religious. The truth would eventually be revealed but hopefully when the catastrophe had been avoided and his people were safe once more. Even if an alien ship was able to save them, it would be decades before the effects of this event faded into the background. Whoever survived would have to rebuild the world from scratch.

'Your tea, Regent,' his aide entered the office.

'I know you were listening, Jonek. Am I crazy?'

'Had you asked that question a few hours ago I would have said yes, Regent,' Jonek answered. 'My son died this morning, so I think that any hope is better than none at all.'

Dolan smiled. 'Thank you Jonek. How many copies do you think you can make of this image?'

'None, Regent, but I took the liberty of making copies before we lost power. There is one for every Minister plus a few spare.'

'Thank you my friend. Come with me and distribute them when I am ready.' A knock at the door interrupted them. 'Yes?'

'Regent, the Militia Elite has reported in. They are on their way.'

'What took them so long?'

'They became trapped by a number of snowdrifts, Regent,' the aide replied. 'The Desert of Lost Souls is almost impossible to traverse but they estimate they will be inside the city by nightfall.'

'Night no longer falls,' Dolan muttered angrily. 'Bring them to me the moment they arrive.'

'Yes Regent.'

Eighteen Ministers sat around a long table wrapped in blankets and thick coats. The pictures on the walls were frozen solid and the walls were thick with frost, a stark reminder of the situation facing the Ynelavii people. Regent Dolan entered the new Council Chamber followed by Jonek, who carried the rolled up sheets. The Ministers stopped chatting amongst themselves as Dolan took his seat and Jonek distributed the sheets. As each sheet was unrolled the recipient gasped and muttered incoherent sounds.

'This is what is responsible for our troubles,' Dolan told them. 'I was monitoring it in orbit when it launched a missile toward the planet. The spy plane launched by the Nelanii rebels inadvertently intercepted the missile and it exploded prematurely. Had it hit the ground it is likely that we would not have survived, so we are in fact fortunate for that. While the Ministry of Science is doing whatever they can to slow down or negate the effects of this permanent snowstorm, I have another idea but it is a long shot and requires faith.'

'We would appear to have few choices,' the Minister of Legal Affairs replied.

The other ministers nodded.

'A little over a century ago, an alien craft landed in a remote village in the north and the Ministry of Science found a new technology that we were able to make work. The Regent decreed that it would only be used in an emergency and I think that we have now reached that stage.'

'What sort of technology?'

'Communications technology,' Dolan replied. 'A variant of which, we now use for general communication. This is a special missile that will be launched into orbit and once there will transmit a planetary distress signal.'

'If aliens did this to us, won't this just tell them we survived?'

'The alien vessel that is responsible stayed in orbit for several hours afterward so I believe they know we're alive. I am certain that they have gone but if space has one alien species it will have more and perhaps one of them will be able to help us.'

'How will it reach orbit through this storm? All of our conventional rockets need an atmospheric window.'

Dolan collected himself; this was going to be the hard part. 'We have cannibalised the engines from the alien craft and they will carry the missile into orbit, but there is a catch. There needs to be a pilot for this to work and I would like our best pilot.'

'That would be me,' a man in a military uniform entered the room with one of Dolan's aides. 'Colonel Allak, reporting as ordered.'

'It could be a one way trip,' Dolan told him.

'I joined the Militia to serve this world and if I die saving our people from extinction then I consider that doing my duty,' Allak replied, standing at attention.

'Why don't you just launch it?' one of the youngest Ministers asked.

'Because I need a unanimous decision from the Council before the craft can launch. The Ministry of Space computer system will fail in a few hours so I need to know now.'

'I vote yes,' Minister Furan said.

'I second that,' the Minister for Legal Affairs added.

'Any others?' Dolan asked.

One by one the Ministers raised their hands and Dolan nodded. 'Colonel, head for the Ministry of Space, I will join you there shortly. 'Thank you for doing this.'

Allak saluted, turned on his heel and strode from the Council chamber. Dolan watched the other Ministers and none seemed to have had their minds unduly changed by Furan but if he was totally honest with himself he didn't really care. The Ministers were already in the process of authorising the launch of the alien craft which had been designated Ynelav One by some unimaginative bureaucrat. Dolan would have to provide his own authorisation from the launch site, which was a secured bunker just outside the city. He would be taken there in the only official vehicle that still worked and then probably have to walk back.

Inside the bunker, Allak's second in command, Rokan, was standing guard. If Allak did not survive then he would be promoted to Colonel and lead the Militia Elite. The look on his face showed resolve that the new leadership would save the world so he could continue to serve its people. Dolan nodded to him and the man saluted sharply, and then resumed his attentive stance. The Regent continued inside to the main computer bank, which only ran by virtue of a generator that would soon cease its function. The bunker had apparently been designed to self destruct five minutes after the vessel's launch.

'This is Regent Dolan to all technicians, prepare for launch,' he said and then placed his hand on the inactive computer's plate. 'Launch authorisation Regent-One-One-Dolan-Navalo-One-Engage.'

The bank of computers lit up and came to life immediately. High above them, a massive hidden mechanism opened a door in the roof and a sliding platform moved into place. The alien vessel, before it had been retrofitted, looked like a small predatory bird. Now it was just a manned orbital launch platform and Dolan smiled. He had learned of this bunker just the previous day, after searching the planetary library for similar vessels to that which had been in orbit. None had been found but another space vessel did appear in a book by a scientist. The book was classified and few people had ever seen it but after a few hours of investigation, he had discovered that the bunker still existed and his previous visit had proved that it was still in working condition.

'We're ready, Regent,' a technician said, now sitting at one of the consoles.

'Is the Colonel in place?'

'Yes sir, he is seated in the cockpit in a full spacesuit.'

'Excellent. Launch when ready.'

Large numbers appeared on a screen in front of him and counted down. As the number reached zero, Ynelav One lifted off and accelerated vertically like the bird it resembled and disappeared into the atmosphere. A new set of numbers began counting down and Dolan knew that there was no time to waste.

'Everybody out. This place is going to explode in minutes.'

As he emerged from the bunker into a fresh snowstorm, he looked up hoping to see the craft. He sighed, knowing that the fate of the world no longer rested in his hands, but in those of the colonel piloting that vessel.

'Godspeed Colonel.'

Breen Warship Hevn, in orbit of Oshel IX, Stardate 57119.8

Thot Mol glanced at the forward viewscreen and noted with satisfaction the eleven small defensive craft heading toward his full fleet. Having met up with the rest of the fleet at the Gyshie Nebula and taken the captured Federation ship to a penal colony, the Hevn had taken point and headed for the rebel stronghold of Oshel IX at maximum warp. As they approached orbit, Governor Pan—the planetary leader—ordered Mol to stand down and launched the defensive craft. Mol ignored him and sent two of his remaining ten destroyers to intercept the pitiful fleet while the other vessels spread out across the planet's orbit to cover the entire surface. Prethot Omdar sat at the tactical station watching the reports scroll across his screen.

'Get Governor Pan,' Mol ordered suddenly and Omdar connected him.

The Governor, living on a Class-P world, had no need to wear the bulky refrigeration suit and his green-white skin had a healthy glow that Mol was jealous of. The governor was sitting behind an ornate desk that Mol recognised as being from the homeworld and it only enraged him further.

'Execute the rebels you have in custody,' Mol ordered.

'I outrank you,' Pan replied. 'You have no authority here and the rebels will be tried in a fair hearing.'

'If you do not execute them, I will destroy this world, killing every living thing.'

'You'd kill a hundred million people because of a few rebels?' Pan asked incredulously. 'You're insane. Leave now and you may not be killed.'

Mol laughed harshly and moved closer to the viewscreen. 'The rebels are a blight on our society, a cancer, and if I have to excise entire limbs to preserve the body then that is what I shall do.'

Pan sighed. 'Thot Mol, I order you to stand down. If you do not I will order my ships to destroy yours.'

'Do your best damage, Governor. You'll find that I have made a few improvements to my little fleet.'

'You will be hunted down, Mol, like a rabid choo.'

'By who?' Mol asked sarcastically.

The screen returned to the previous view and Mol watched as the defensive vessels fired on the destroyers, swarming across them like flies on dung. One destroyer was hit by a suicide run in a lucky shot and exploded. He scowled, having already lost two destroyers and almost an entire squadron of fighters to the Federation ship, and cursed the deities.

'Send in the fighters, and have the frigates bombard the rebel settlements.'

'It will be done, Thot,' Omdar replied and asked the gods for forgiveness as he gave the order.

It wasn't long before the damage became evident. Ten of the frigates fired torpedoes at the surface and Mol knew that the damage would cause the planet to be uninhabitable in a few years, but he didn't care. It was a hundred million less people who could become rebels.

'Stop this nonsense,' Pan ordered. 'The rebels are under control.'

'They are now. Turn over the planet to me immediately or I will have no choice but to destroy it.'

'How do you plan to do that?'

'Did you hear what happened in the Dead Space?'

'That was you? My god, what have you done?'

'I have shown the galaxy that we will no longer take orders from anyone. We are our own masters.'

'I will not transfer power to a madman, Mol. Do what you will.'

'Very well,' Mol replied. 'Omdar, prepare the torpedo for detonation.'

'Yes Thot.'

'Omdar, do this and you will face death.'

Omdar ignored the governor's useless blustering and loaded the torpedo. 'Ready.'

Mol's eyes gleamed with the germ of an idea and the green light that denoted his active suit grew in brightness. 'Omdar, adjust trajectory to take the torpedo into the Oshel primary.'

'Thot Mol?'

'Do it.'

'Yes Thot.'

'Prepare to fire. Governor, do you surrender?'

'Never.'

'Omdar, fire.'

The torpedo streaked away from the warship and nine seconds later—before the last remaining defensive vessel could even get near it—the torpedo was swallowed by the sun and a bright light rendered the viewscreen useless for a second. When the screen became operational again Mol saw the approaching wave of energy.

'Get the fleet out of here, warp one. Anyone caught by that wave will be destroyed,' he ordered.

'May the gods have mercy on you,' Pan muttered as the warship jumped to warp.

The sun flared into supernova brilliance and the shockwave expanded outward in all directions, destroying everything in its path. The debris from the planetary defence vessels was vaporised and the planets became spinning chunks of rock as they were blasted apart. Two of Mol's frigates were caught in the blast and in moments nothing remained of them as the shockwave tore through their hulls.

'A worthy test of our might,' Mol said to himself as he personally reviewed the data. 'Open a channel on all frequencies. I wish to speak to the Breen people.'

'Channel open, Thot.'

'I am Thot Mol and I command the only warship left in service. As you will no doubt learn in short order, I have destroyed the Oshel system with a protomatter torpedo and I have several more at my disposal. My terms are simple: the rebels are to lay down all arms and turn themselves in to planetary authorities and Thot Pran, Regent of our people, is to step down as leader. I will personally take control of the Confederacy and we shall rebuild our fleet in defiance of the Federation, the Klingons and their Romulan lapdogs. The galaxy will tremble at the very presence of our vessels and we will become strong again. The rebels have one day to lay down their arms.'

'There will be fallout from this, Thot,' Omdar said.

'As there should be. Take us to the homeworld, maximum warp.'

'At once, Thot.'

The Hevn adjusted course and increased speed as it headed toward the very centre of the Confederacy.

USS Pioneer, somewhere in Breen space, stardate 57120.3

The forcefield crackled with power as the Pioneer's command crew sat helplessly in their own brig. Captain Robert Ashe cursed the Breen who had boarded his ship but felt no remorse for those he had killed to try and prevent his ship being captured. Three of his bridge officers had been killed and who knew how many others, and it galled him to know that there was nothing they could do. So far the Breen hadn't tortured or questioned any of them but he was sure that they would do so shortly before joining the rest of the crew as an impromptu workforce at one of their labour camps. Having had the foresight to lock out the main computer before the Breen boarded, Ashe was sure that they had not yet found a way to break in and hoped that Starfleet technology was sufficiently advanced so that it might not be a problem. He wanted control back and intended to make it happen no matter the cost.

'Captain, someone's coming,' his executive officer, Melina Batanides, whispered to him.

'Thanks,' Ashe said as he turned to face the forcefield.

The two Breen that entered the brig said nothing as one took up a position in a direct firing line to the Starfleet officers. The other one deactivated the forcefield and pulled Commander Andrew Lake off the floor. As Lake was taken away, without any officer saying a word, he looked back at Ashe and a barely perceptible nod passed between them. Lake was roughly handled as he was pushed through corridors and shoved into a turbolift for a short trip. Emerging onto the bridge, Lake was taken to the observation lounge where a Breen solider stood looking out the window. The soldier turned away and walked over to the engineer, placing his combadge back onto his chest.

'Can you understand me?'

'I can,' Lake answered.

'What is your ship doing in our territory?'

'My captain already informed Thot Mol of that piece of information.'

'You will tell me.'

'We were testing a new form of propulsion and it went wrong. We became trapped in your space with no way to get home quickly.'

'What happened to your engines?'

'I had to destroy the new engines to slow down and I will need to make several days worth of repairs before the warp drive is operational again.'

'You will not be leaving until we know everything about this new technology. You will show me the records and research.'

Lake thought quickly. Most of it had been purged when they realised they were in enemy territory but there might be enough for him to give them without arousing suspicion and at the same time, provide his crew with a means for escape.

'Well?'

'I won't tell you a thing,' he replied, deciding not to make it too easy for them.

The Breen punched him in the face and he dropped to his knees, feeling the pain only distantly. He looked up and smiled before he felt the next round of blows raining down on him. Giving the Breen the satisfaction of a few moans and groans, Lake was able to keep up the charade for several minutes, as the soldier punched and kicked him. Lake pretended to struggle to rise and the Breen pulled him up.

'Are you ready to talk?'

Lake looked at the soldier through a black eye. He had probably broken a few ribs and his left arm hung uselessly at his side, but he knew that the Breen would now trust whatever information he was fed.

'Yes,' he muttered and spat blood.

'Good, then show me,' the soldier responded and pushed Lake toward the bridge.

The engineer moved toward the engineering console to the right of the bridge, where the scientists were now dead, and sat at the dark interface. He rested his hand on the console and spoke. 'Computer, unlock this terminal.'

The interface lit up and Lake began entering commands, keeping up a commentary for the soldier while also enabling his crew to escape. 'The quantum slipstream drive allows a starship to traverse the galaxy in five months,' he said as he gained access to the life support systems and flooded the brig with anaesthezine gas. 'The benamite ore that keeps the drive working, like dilithium for warp drive, is very unstable and our engines went into overdrive.'

'Have you accessed the library yet?' the soldier asked.

'I'm bypassing the encryption protocols that my captain put in place,' Lake said and turned to face the soldier, 'unless you want to lose all the information?'

Get back to work.'

'That's what I thought,' Lake replied and checking that the gas had reached its maximum potential, removed it from the brig and deactivated the forcefields. 'Here it is,' he said and moved to the side allowing the soldier a better look.

The Breen moved forward and Lake brought his hands together in a vice-grip and brought both hands down onto the Breen's back. The soldier collapsed to the floor and Lake grabbed the phaser from under the console and fired at the Breen who were slow to react in bringing their phasers to bear. He'd set the phaser to kill, but left the leader alive, shooting him on heavy stun.

He tapped his combadge. 'Lake to Ashe, are you out of there?'

'We're on our way, Commander. Good work. Is the bridge secure?'

'Yes sir, it is.'

'Good, get to the transporter room and locate our missing crewmen. I'm not leaving without them, any of them.'

'Aye sir, I'm on my way,' the engineer replied and hefted the Breen over his shoulder, intending to beam him down when he beamed the others up.

'Just out of interest, Commander, was your phaser set to kill or stun?'

Lake sighed. 'Kill, sir.'

Ashe chuckled. 'Amazing how we can all make that mistake, isn't it?'

'Yes sir,' Lake smiled, relieved.

'Get our people back, Commander; Ashe out.'

As Lake made his way to the transporter room, Ashe, Batanides and the other surviving bridge officers grabbed phaser rifles from the weapons lockers and headed for engineering, intending to secure it before trying to retake the ship. Once the ship had been secured, the computer lockout would be removed and they would leave Breen space at their best possible speed.

Ashe edged out of the brig and noticed two Breen standing guard. He motioned to Batanides and she fired her at the same as he fired his. Both Breen collapsed in a heap, dead before they hit the floor. He was no mood to allow them to live as this experimental mission had become a fight for their very lives. Batanides was gesturing to the others where they would go to secure the vessel. As one trio headed for the bridge to keep it secure, and another went for the shuttlebay, Ashe, Batanides and two junior officers made their to the nearest turbolift.

'We need to get to engineering and get this bird out of here,' Ashe said.

'Without warp we won't get far,' Batanides replied.

'I know that, but if we go down, I want to take as many Breen with me as possible. Once Andy has beamed up the crew, he'll come down to engineering and start repairs on the warp engines. Meanwhile, we need to get shields and weapons up so we can defend ourselves against whatever the Breen throw at us.'

'Sir, how many ships do you think they have guarding us?' one of the junior officers asked.

'I don't know, Lieutenant, but I would guess no more than two or three. They built this fleet for a reason and we messed up their plans. They'll have left a few to deal with us but the majority of the fleet will have gone on.'

The turbolift doors opened and Ashe fired off three quick blasts before the Breen could get into position, but he was caught in the chest by a fourth soldier who had been standing behind a bulkhead. Batanides pulled him inside and then fired a couple of shots of her own through the open door, at least one of which hit its mark.

'Leave me here and go, get them home,' Ashe muttered as she was about to tap her combadge. 'Come back for me when we're secure.'

'Sir, you won't last long like this.'

He grabbed her shoulder but she felt the weakness of the grip. 'I'm a goner and I know it, Commander. Just get them home.'

'Aye sir,' she replied as his arm went limp. 'Come on, guys, let's give these soldiers a lesson they'll never forget. The last lesson they'll ever learn.'

The two junior officers rolled out of the turbolift firing as they went and hit most of the other Breen in the engineering pits. Batanides finished off the others and then went to the nearest command console. She tapped her combadge.

'This is Captain Batanides to all Breen personnel on board. You have three minutes to depart before you die,' she told them and then placed her hand on the console. 'Computer, restore all computer functions in engineering.'

The interface lit up and she entered helm commands. She felt the great ship start to move and activated a monitor to see what was going on outside. Two Breen vessels were moving in and she knew that they would start firing the nanosecond they were in range.

'Batanides to bridge.'

'Go ahead, sir. Bridge is still secure.'

'Computer, restore all computer functions. Fire on those ships as soon as possible.'

'Aye sir.'

The turbolift doors opened and the junior officers nearly made a hole in the chief engineer. 'Our crew are aboard and accounted for and according to the sensors there are no Breen life forms left aboard the ship. We're clear to go.'

'How long before we have warp drive?'

'Four days minimum,' Lake replied. 'Bob didn't make it?'

She shook her head. 'I'm sorry, Andy.'

Lake nodded. 'You want shields and weapons first?'

'We'll work on those. You get started on the engines.'

'Aye, Captain.'

Batanides sighed and saw that the two junior officers were already working on replacing the burned power couplings and relays. 'How long?'

'Now,' one said as the other put a cover back on.

'I'm going to the bridge. It's where I belong now,' she said and left engineering.

'Give them hell, sir,' Lake bellowed. 'Bastards made a mess of my engines.'

Batanides smiled. She just hoped that she could do what she'd been asked and get them home before they lost anymore people. It was bad enough that he'd died in a phaser fight, but worse that she couldn't even get him help beforehand. The doors to the bridge opened and she immediately took stock of the situation.

'Red alert, all hands to battle stations. Prepare phasers and quantum torpedoes,' she ordered as both vessels let loose with their opening volleys.

The shields held under the combined might but she doubted that they'd hold for long.

'Return fire, aim for their engines and weapons. I've had enough of this starscape.'

To be continued…