Captain's log, stardate 6540.3. We are departing the New Paris Starbase on a mission of great urgency. In the past two months, a total of six vessels have been attacked within Federation territory, while in transit between New Paris and Alpha Braga VII. All vessels showed minimal signs of damage, however the crew and passengers were found either dead, or in an unusual state of catatonia. Two weeks ago, Starfleet sent out the U.S.S. Vesuvius, a Miranda class starship equipped with new sensors and a new computer provided by Dr. Richard Daystrom to investigate, but since then all contact has been lost. The Enterprise has been sent out to search and rescue the crew of the Vesuvius, and to complete her mission, and destroy any threat if possible.
Chief petty officer Dutch approached Captain Kirk cautiously, holding the new body armor in his arms. Kirk took one look at the blast vest and the helmet, and then at the chief petty officer himself. For whatever reason, Dutch was not pleased; quite strange, given the fact that he was one of members of security personnel to request for body armor of some sort. Now that Starfleet had provided it, he had issues with it. Kirk was curious.
"Chief petty officer Dutch, do you have a problem with the new body armor?" asked Kirk calmly.
"I'm sorry to bother you with this sir, but the armor stings," said the chief petty officer.
"Stings?" asked the captain with curiosity. If equipment given to security personnel to keep them alive had problems, then they had to be addressed as soon as possible. "What do you mean?"
"From time to time, when wearing it, the vest gives out a shock. Sometimes its easy to ignore, but other times, it can get distracting," said Dutch.
"Is it the vest or the helmet?" Kirk asked, looking at the panoply in Dutch's hands.
"The vest, for the most part," Dutch replied.
"For the most part," repeated Kirk in a mutter, studying the new armor carefully. "Take it to Engineering. If they can fix it, then wear it. If the problem remains, don't wear it. Armor that put's its wearer's life at risk has no point in existing"
"Yes sir," said chief petty officer Dutch with a nod, before turning around and walking down the corridor. Kirk went to the turbolift in the opposite direction.
Seconds later, he was entering the bridge. Spock was already bent over his console, his eyes seemingly glued to the scope. Kirk made two steps towards the chair when Spock turned to address him.
"Captain, I have found no signs of anything which could have attacked any of the commercial vessels. However, I have detected an anomaly of some significance," said Spock in his matter-of-fact tone, which many misinterpreted as being emotionless. Kirk had known Spock for enough time to know that his science officer was not without emotion or a sense of humor.
Kirk seated himself.
"An anomaly?" he asked, making sure that he sounded like he needed an answer urgently.
"It would seem that the fabric of space and time in this particular area is suffering from a high gravitational pull," Spock replied.
"High gravitational pull? How?" asked Kirk, anticipating a great deal of danger.
"As of yet, I can not tell you, but there are patches of empty space with the gravitational pull of a small planet, where there are none to be detected. It may be related to what attacked the civilian ships and caused the Vesuvius to disappear," answered Spock coldly.
What Spock was telling Kirk was unusual. A gravitation pull usually meant that there was an astral body creating it.
"Are we certaint that there aren't any celestial bodies nearby?" asked the captain. Black holes were known to wander through space, as terrifying as that thought was.
Spock shook his head. "No. Not from here to Alpha Braga VII. Scans confirm it"
"Keep searching. There might be something. Chekov, plot a course based on the last known course the Vesuvius. Code yellow. Deflector shields on full. Mr. Sulu, keep it steady," said Kirk sounding unexpectedly dire.
Sulu gave out an 'aye', as Kirk looked at the monotone darkness seen within the viewscreen.
Every sort of scenario ran through Kirk's mind. None of them could match what information he had of the other attacks in this particular chunk of space. When he had been told that no damage had been done to the civilian ships that had suffered these mysterious attacks, they weren't kidding. The ships themselves were nearly untouched, with every operating system within intact and working in good order. Only the people within the ships had been affected; and they too did not bear any marks of any physical attack. Some were simply dead; and the others weren't so lucky.
Reports stated that the survivors were catatonic, but that was not accurate; a Vulcan who tried to mind-meld with one of them died on the spot.
Kirk put his faith in his crew. They had proven themselves numerous times. If anyone could solve this puzzle, it would be them. If not, then Kirk was sure no one else could.
He found himself wondering about the Vesuvius. Her captain was Rostam Shahbazi, an officer with a good record. According to the record, the Vesuvius had survived her fair share of scrapes. With regards to this mission, she had been equipped with new sensors and a computer developed by Dr. Richard Daystrom, which could process the information provided by said sensors in a more thorough manner than any other computer.
That Dr. Daystrom was involved did concern Kirk. He wondered if the renowned scientist was apt to design anything after his breakdown during the tests for the M-5. His genius was undeniable, but so was his mental instability.
Kirk wondered if one of the higher-ups had pulled a few strings to get Daystrom out of the mental rehabilitation facility he had been placed in following that incident.
"Keptin, we are approaching an object, four o'clock low" said Lieutenant Chekov, nudging Kirk away from his conjectures.
"Mr. Sulu, get us close; carefully," Kirk said.
"Already on it"
The viewscreen now showed beyond the dark void of space, a gray structure. Soon, the form of a Miranda class starship became apparent. Kirk took a deep breath.
"It's the Vesuvius," said Checkov.
"Her shields are still up," added Lieutenant Commander Sulu.
Kirk turned to look at Spock, then to Uhura.
"Hail them"
Lieutenant Uhura worked on the console before her, doing her absolute best to contact the Vesuvius. She turned to Kirk.
"I'm getting nothing from them sir"
"Try again"
Uhura turned back to her console.
"U.S.S. Enterprise to U.S.S. Vesuvius, do you read me? U.S.S. Vesuvius, do you read me? This is the U.S.S. Enterprise. Do you read me?" Uhura said, over and over again.
Uhura gave up. "Nothing sir"
Kirk exhaled. "We'll have to beam aboard. Uhura, transmit prefix code 29047"
"Aye captain," said Uhura, punching in the numbers, and then transmitting them to the silent ship.
Forty-nine seconds passed.
"We have full control of the Vesuvius' deflector shield keptin," said Lieutenant Chekov.
"Good. Knock them down. Lieutenant Uhura, tell Dr. McCoy to meet me at the transporter room, along with a security detail," Kirk touched a button on his armrest "Lieutenant Commander Scott, report to the bridge"
As soon as Scotty arrived, Kirk got up from his chair.
"The bridge is yours"
"Aye Captain" said Scotty.
Kirk nodded at Spock. The Vulcan understood and stepped away from his post. Both entered the turbolift.
Dr. McCoy had his arms crossed over his chest. He greeted Kirk and Spock with his customary smirk.
"Jim, I thought we were going to wear body armor during these away missions," said the doctor.
"There was a problem Bones" said Kirk.
"You mean the deflector generator is shocking the redshirts? Oh! What a surprise," said McCoy sardonically.
"You seem to have little faith in the new body armor," remarked Spock.
"Spock, you think I don't want to have faith in those things? I have to treat the lugs who get shot up, beaten or worse during these away missions. I want good body armor. But what does Starfleet give us? An apron they call a vest, and a helmet that a time-traveler stole from an early twentieth-century football field. Well, at least the 'vest' covers the lower parts of the body, but can't Starfleet do better?" Dr. McCoy asked.
"Developing body armor that can deflect phaser and disruptor fire while providing ease of wear isn't easy doctor. Otherwise we'd have it by now," replied Spock.
"We're ready sir," said the transporter officer.
Captain Kirk looked at him and nodded. "I want us all on the Vesuvius' bridge"
"Let's do what we can to help those poor bastards," McCoy muttered out.
Captain Kirk, Spock, McCoy and three security officers stepped on the transporter pad. They stood still as their atoms were torn apart and re-arranged. In the space of a second, they found themselves on the bridge of the Vesuvius.
The lights were on, and every instrument was active. But everyone on board was on the ground, or within their seats. McCoy bent down to check on the nearest man with his medical tricorder.
"He's dead Jim," said the doctor.
Kirk walked towards the command chair. Shahbazi was still seated in it, but his head was lopsided, and his arms hung down instead of being set on the armrests. His eyes were wide open. Even though it was unnecessary, Kirk approached to take the captain's pulse when suddenly a horrific scream, which barely sounded human, bellowed out.
Everyone shot up in attention. The scream had come from a prone figure on the floor next to the helm. He wore the golden shirt of the command division, and he was lying on his back.
At first, it didn't seem like he was awake. His body seemed stiff; but his mouth was open, and from time to time, a horrid, inhuman wail would come out of it.
Kirk nearly shuddered, and realized that this was what the reports had meant when they mentioned on how the dead were the lucky ones.
Dr. McCoy made his way towards the man. He knelt over him and made a quick examination with his tricorder. The doctor took out his hypospray in a hurry and administered it to the man, who mercifully fell silent.
Kirk made his way to them.
"Bones?" he asked.
"I need to take him to sickbay for a better examination," said McCoy.
"You could use the Vesuvius' sickbay," remarked crewman Kelsang.
McCoy turned quickly towards the red shirt.
"Like hell I'm treating this man here!" exclaimed McCoy, so loudly that he startled not only the security officer, but even Kirk himself.
"Given what little we know about this attack, I have to agree with Dr. McCoy. We could be endangering ourselves if we stay any longer," added Spock, stepping forward.
Kirk nodded.
"Agreed. We'll beam this lieutenant to the Enterprise. Dr. McCoy, make sure that the sickbay is isolated," he said.
"Jim! How many years do you think I've been doing this?" said Dr. McCoy with the sort of outrage one can express with familiarity.
"Bones, I'm afraid to even answer that one," said Captain Kirk.
"Captain, shouldn't there be more people like this on board?" asked crewman Goss.
"That's certain Captain," added Spock. "Sensors have indicated at least seventy surviving members of the Vesuvius' crew"
"Seventy!" exclaimed Dr. McCoy.
Kirk pondered on the problem.
"Open communications with the Enterprise" he said.
Spock gently pulled the communications officer away from her post, and set her slowly on the floor. He then began pressing the relevant controls on the console.
"Channel is open Captain," said the Vulcan.
The viewscreen turned on, and Scotty's face appeared.
"Captain?" he asked.
"Scotty, I need a medical team here with security detail. Have them transported to the Vesuvius' sickbay. Tell them to expect the worse"
"Aye captain" said the one true Scotsman. The viewscreen shifted back to a view of the Enterprise at a relatively close distance.
Spock approached.
"Captain, we should also take a look at Daystrom's computer. It could hold valuable information," Commander Spock said.
Kirk nodded.
"Crewman Kelsang, escort Commander Spock to the Vesuvius' computer core, and if possible, extract it. I assume that the computer is segregated from the ship's main operating systems" said Kirk. He turned his head randomly and spotted the communications officer on the floor. He took out his communicator. He wasn't in the mood to use the woman's console.
"Scotty, we have one to beam to sickbay"
It was when Kirk returned to the command chair of Enterprise's bridge that things got heated up. Sensors and scanners went wild; the viewscreen suddenly showed a ship appearing out of nothing. It resembled an Antares-type ore freighter, but with bits and pieces of Klingon and Romulan ships attached to it. The ship attacked quickly, launching a photon torpedo at the Vesuvius.
Unshielded, the Miranda class ship was grievously struck. The torpedo hit dangerously close to the ship's warp core.
Kirk turned towards the Engineering console. He was lucky that Scotty was there. The chief of engineering was quick, and his hands flew over the controls of his console even before he had said a word.
A second later, the Vesuvius burst out in a powerful explosion which would have wiped out several cities had it been located anywhere else.
"We lost three of our people Captain. The rest of the medical team is safe," Scotty said forlornly.
Kirk was seething.
The assailing ship launched two more torpedoes and several energetic bolts; the Enterprise made a sudden vertical move upwards, and the torpedoes passed by, barely touching the shields. The bolts however, struck the Enterprise, going through the deflector shields and hitting one of the nacelles; almost at once, there was a surge of energy within. The assailing ship then tried to reposition itself to shoot another salvo. Even with a damaged nacelle, the Enterprise was too fast. She came back down again. Twin phaser streams came out of the banks on the bottom of the Enterprise's saucer section, and struck with precision the assailant's warp nacelles. Another pair of beams incapacitated the ship completely.
Kirk turned to engineering.
"Damage report?" Kirk asked.
"We received damage in engineering. Two injuries but no fatalities" said Scotty from his engineering post.
Kirk stood from his command chair.
"Lower your shields and prepare to be taken into custody," he growled out, angry at the loss of three members of his crew, and the remaining survivors of the Vesuvius, along with the damages to the Enterpries.
"Captain! They've initiated self-destruct!"
That was the last thing Kirk wanted to hear. He quickly turned to Scotty, who himself was tense given the damage to the engine.
"Can you beam any of them?" Kirk excitedly asked.
"That ship is shielded sir. It won't be easy. I won't get everyone on board," Scotty replied.
"Beam who you can. Leave the rest. Beam them to the brig and have a security detail on standby," Kirk angrily ordered.
Orders were obeyed and commands conveyed. Within the viewscreen, the assailant ship exploded with just as much intensity as the Vesuvius.
"Captain!" Scotty exclaimed with urgency. "Two of them are beaming here! They're coming through our shields!"
Kirk didn't have time to be stunned. An energy field emerged and took form; a brutish looking man emerged before Kirk. He didn't hesitate, and went straight for the captain's throat. Kirk reacted quickly and accordingly to his training. He kneed the man in the gut; when the brute was bent over, Kirk delivered a karate chop to his neck, followed by an uppercut which caught his foe on the chin. The brute fell down, and rolled towards the dainty feet of the other intruder.
She was without a doubt female – a beautiful young female in clothes that flattered every inch of her being. She was olive-skinned; her hair was jet black as were her irises, which could not be distinguished from her pupils – if they existed.
Spock was quick to move. He placed himself by the woman side and he extended his arm. His hand went to the base of her neck; his fingers squeezed, and the woman collapsed.
"You were lucky Captain," said Spock, kneeling over the laid figure of the woman "This woman is a Betazoid, a people known for their telepathic capabilities. I don't know how powerful this woman is, but there was a chance that she might try to manipulate you"
Kirk couldn't help but grimace. Bones would have had a field day with that comment.
"She isn't just a Betazoid," answered Kirk "I recognized her face in an instant. That is Belizara, wanted not just in the Federation, but in the Klingon and Romulan Empires as well. She has a heavy price on her head"
Security officers walked in and carried the two intruders away.
Captain's log, supplemental. Damages sustained to the engines of the Enterprise during our confrontation with the she-pirate Belizara, has forced us to remain in the interstellar void between New Paris and Alpha Braga VII. Chief engineer Scotty cannot, as of this recording, tell me how long the repairs will take. In the meantime, we are using our sub-light engines to approach New Paris at a crawl. Our computer technicians are hard at work deciphering the information from Daystrom's computer; given unexpected complications related to the experimental sensors of the Vesuvius, this is proving harder than it should be. Hopefully, the prisoners will have some information pertaining the mystery behind the destruction of six civilian vessels and a Federation Starship.
As far as Kirk knew, there were no technological means to block telepathy. For that reason, Spock was there with him when he paid a visit to the infamous she-pirate, Belizara of Betazed. Kirk hoped that Spock's hybrid mind would render him less vulnerable to telepathic control.
"This is unnecessary," said Belizara within her cell. "I can receive thoughts, not transmit them"
"I can't take your word for that," responded Captain Kirk "You're known for several acts of piracy and you're personally responsible for eighty-nine deaths, including the seventy-one survivors of the Vesuvius, and three members of my crew, not to mention the damage sustained by my ship"
"Those deaths were an act of mercy!" shouted out Belizara "Those so-called survivors were not really alive. They were empty shells! It was a blessing that they died!"
It took a lot for Kirk to control himself.
"Doctor Jammeh! Nurse Whitefeather! Crewman Teal!" exclaimed Kirk in a sudden outburst. "Those were the names of my crewmembers! The ones who died when your ship attacked the Vesuvius!"
Belizara stood still. Her face was like stone, hard and cold.
"What do you know about the attacks on the civilian ships crossing this area of space?" asked Spock with considerable less emotion than Kirk.
Belizara's demeanor changed. She didn't look like an iron-clad woman defying the odds anymore; she looked like a scared girl trying her best to seem brave. She took several deep breaths.
"I was at New Paris when I heard of the ships and how they had been found. Intact, with a lifeless crew." she said.
"Not entirely lifeless. There were survivors," Kirk stated, remembering the lone survivor of the Vesuvius.
"Those were not survivors," Belizara said with emphasis. "How can someone with no telepathy understand? I can feel emotions and thoughts. I felt nothing but the fire of the id from those who you call survivors. A survivor can recover! They never would!"
"Belizara!" said Spock more forcefully. "Proceed"
The Betazoid took several deep breaths.
"I decided that this would be a perfect opportunity to make a profit. I had a ship with technology unknown to you, secret weapons and cloaks to let me evade or fight any fleet; you know this well. All I had to do was wait and keep my eyes open. It didn't take long for me to find a derelict ship - one which you do not know about. When I entered the ship, I understood the gravity of the situation," said Belizara.
She paused again. Kirk and Spock looked at her patiently.
"The dead did not bother me. The ones that weren't dead did. That was all that they were – not dead. They were not alive. Never again would they be alive"
"What caused it?" Kirk asked.
Belizara placed her hand on her forehead, wiping away the sweat.
"I asked myself that question," she replied. "No weapon I know could have done what I saw before me. I decided that it was time to leave this part of space forever. That was when the Gorn ship came"
"The Gorn?" Kirk asked, stunned.
"They were not the ones to do this," Belizara quickly said. Whether she used her telepathy or simply used logic to anticipate Kirk's question was irrelevant. Either one could have been used. "But they were there. I don't know why. Maybe they wanted to do the same thing we were doing: looting from an easy target. That was when they came and attacked the Gorn"
"What is they?" Kirk asked.
Belizara remained silent.
"What did this?" Kirk said raising his tone of voice. Spock remained still, like a rock.
"There were two of them. They were not of this universe; I can tell you that with certainty. You can tell when you're a telepath. When they came, I was nearly knocked out; I can never describe what I felt. It was like being confronted by a mythical monster. Something like a dragon.
"We were lucky. The creatures decided to attack the Gorn first. They feasted upon their souls. I could feel it! Every bit of it! Such a terrible thing to feel! Nothing could stop them; no deflector shields; no hulls, no matter how thick! The Gorn shot at them with their disruptors but the monsters changed their shape and evaded every attack. It was then that we had our second lucky break. Something happened within the Gorn ship. They fired out their photon torpedoes in their final madness and one of them hit the creatures. Blessed be the Gorn, they killed one of them and forced the other to flee!"
Kirk and Spock looked at each other.
"It was the light! Light of a sun-like intensity kills the wretched beasts!" continued Belizara. "My ship came out damaged from that encounter, and the minds of some of my men were addled. When we saw your ship, we only saw the derelict. We wanted to offer mercy. My navigator did not see you. If we had, we would not come out of our cloak; we would have left. I am not a nice woman. I have killed. But I did not intend to kill your people, or attack you"
As much as he knew that it might be a ruse, Kirk did believe Belizara's version of the events. He had seen many people lie; he had never seen them lie like that. He turned away from the brig.
"What do you think?" said Kirk with a quiet tone to Spock.
"She seems sincere, but without any corroborating evidence, I can not tell you if she's telling us the truth or a fanciful lie. The only way in which I could determine the veracity of her statement would be to mind-meld with her, and that would hold its own dangers, as she would gain as much information from me, as I would from her. We'll have to wait for the computer technicians to interpret the data from Daystrom's computer"
"Lieutenant Matosinhos calling Captain Kirk" said an electronically generated voice.
"Speak of the devil" remarked Kirk as he turned towards the wall communicator. He pressed the button.
"This is Captain Kirk. I take it Lieutenant, that you've finished your job?" he asked.
"Yes sir," said the voice coming out of the communicator. "I think it might be best if you met with us in the holographic rec room. It might give you a better idea of what happened to the Vesuvius"
Kirk turned to look at Spock, who lifted his eyebrow in his own particular manner.
"Copy. I'll be there shortly," Kirk said.
With a nod of his head Kirk and Spock were on their way to the turbolift.
Kirk, Spock and Lieutenant Matosinhos stood at the center of the holographic recreation room. Presently, the walls, floor and ceiling were all light blue; once activated, the room would then generate a perfect facsimile of any environment.
Lieutenant Matosinhos stood at the control panel.
"Getting information out of that computer was a bit more complicated than I had reckoned with, but we were lucky; the Vesuvius sensors were very powerful and precise, noticing the slightest shift within the fabric of space," said the lieutenant as he typed in the proper commands. The room now simulated empty, starlit space. The three men seemingly hovered in it like ghosts, even though their feet were firmly planted on the floor.
A miniature image – as big as a football – of the Miranda class Vesuvius appeared.
"This is the Vesuvius, moments before its encounter. This was the easy part, by the way. The computer had no problem recording this. But it did have a problem registering this" Matosinhos punched a button and a shape suddenly appeared. It resembled a cloud made of glittering particles of dust, surrounded by what looked like a semi-transparent force field. "The thing didn't really look like that. I had the computer emphasize its form in order for it to be seen properly. Only one of the Vesuvius' potent sensors actually got a good look at it, so to speak"
Matosinhos pressed another button. The deflector shield around the Vesuvius was now visible to the naked eye.
"The deflectors are at half strength," Kirk observed.
"They can't see our little cloud of dust here yet," answered Matosinhos. Calling it little was imprecise. Although both the Vesuvius and the cloud were miniaturized, it was clear that the cloud itself was as big as the starship.
With increasing speed, the cloud began to move towards the Vesuvius, which continued as if nothing was there.
Suddenly, the Vesuvius' deflectors were at full power; the Miranda class ship retreated away quickly.
Kirk's eyes widened.
"They knew they were being attacked!" he said.
"I'm afraid not sir," said Lieutenant Matosinhos "We have audio of the captain yelling at his helmsman. He didn't know what was going on"
"But the helmsman did"
"Captain, a lieutenant Jensar Hylos is within the Vesuvius' crew manifesto as a helmsman. If I may remind you, that is a Betazoid name. It is possible that lieutenant Hylos sensed the attack even though his fellow crewmen were unaware of the danger they were in," said Spock. "I would also like to add that lieutenant Hylos is the young man in our sickbay"
Kirk took a moment to think about that
"Did he explain himself to his captain? Did he warn them?" Kirk asked.
"Not very well," answered Matosinhos. "As a matter of fact, he sounds like a maniac in the audio recording"
"Behavior consistent with what Belizara told us about the creature," said Spock.
"Captain Shahbazi wouldn't know that. It wouldn't take long for security to restrain lieutenant Hylos," added Kirk.
"It was time enough for Hylos to counter attack the cloud monster" said Matosinhos.
Once more, everyone's attention was on the simulation. Even as it retreated, the Vesuvius was firing its phasers. Much to Kirk's consternation, the phasers went through the cloud monster without slowing it down.
A single photon torpedo came out.
The cloud changed its shape and became like a ring. The torpedo passed through the open space.
"Did you see that Spock?" asked Kirk.
"It took evasive action"
The simulation continued. By now the Vesuvius stopped reversing her course and firing at the cloud; the deflectors were still on full power. The cloud was quickly upon the Miranda class ship, passing through the shields as if they weren't there and like an amoeba, it enveloped the starship. In a matter of seconds, the cloud had detached from the Vesuvius, and left quickly.
Matosinhos ended the simulation.
"So this is what we're up against," said Kirk. He considered his options. Such a dangerous entity could not be allowed to exist within Federation space – especially an important trade route connecting two important settlements. However, Kirk had his crew to consider. The mission was clear: search and rescue the crew of the Vesuvius, and destroy whatever threat existed if possible. Kirk knew that the main rescue mission was a failure. As for destroying the monster which had been plaguing this part of space, that would not be easy. There was no option: once the Enterprise's engine was fixed, they had to leave. In the meantime, Kirk would have to inform Starfleet of what was going on; record everything, if he had to. Later perhaps, a better equipped flotilla could deal with the entity.
In the meantime, the cloud creature could strike at any moment. The Enterprise could not be rendered defenseless.
The three men exited the holographic recreation room. Kirk turned to the wall communicator.
"Captain Kirk to Lieutenant Commander Scott, copy" said Captain Kirk into the machine.
Five seconds passed before Scotty replied.
"Aye captain" said Scott
"Scotty, how long will it take to repair the engines?" Kirk asked.
There was a frightful pause.
"A bit longer than expected sir. New complications have come up" said Scotty a bit downcast.
Kirk's hopes of a speedy exit were dashed.
"Repair it as fast as you can. We need to leave. Over and out," said Kirk, stepping away from the wall communicator. He turned to Spock. "For the time being, we're sitting ducks"
"We could modify our photon torpedoes and have them explode with radiant light, if what Miss Belizara said is true," said Spock. "However, we may also have to release Miss Belizara from the brig. It seems that the only thing that can detect the entity is a telepathic mind"
Kirk groaned, but eventually, he nodded. There really was no other solution.
"I'll go speak with her. Work on those photon torpedoes, and be quick about it. Any second wasted is an inch closer to the grave," Kirk said. "Lieutenant, work with Commander Spock to find a way to fire those torpedoes as efficiently as possible"
"Aye sir"
Spock and Matosinhos went down one corridor. Kirk went the other. He now would have to speak with Belizara on his own. He knew how to handle women, particularly the beautiful ones, but a telepathic woman was a complicated matter altogether.
At first, Belizara chuckled. Then she laughed. She then laughed some more; releasing laughter like a buccaneer that was larger than life.
"You're going after that thing?" she bellowed out. "Why don't you just send me off into space without a suit or personal shield? It would be faster, I'm sure"
"I'm not going after that thing. But I can't run from it either, and I have you to thank for that. You are here due to your own actions, and I expect you to pitch in in this time of need," Kirk vehemently stated. "The simple truth is that until our engines are fixed, we're at the mercy of whatever it was that attacked the Vesuvius and the other ships in this region. My men are already working on something that we can only hope can kill it. But we can't see it"
"That's where I come in, isn't it?" Belizara said without surprise.
"None of our sensors can detect that thing, and we can't see it with our naked eyes. So far, the only two people to ever perceive one of these entities were you and the helmsman of the U.S.S. Vesuvius. That both of you are Betazoids with telepathic abilities is not a coincidence. Miss Belizara, the lives of everyone aboard the Enterprise is at stake, including your own. Quite frankly, you don't strike me as the suicidal sort. And if you do help us, the judge might take that into account during your trial," said Kirk.
Belizara just looked at Kirk. He knew she was reading his mind; he only wondered about the extent. The look on her face suddenly shifted. From defiance to sad consternation.
"The Betazoid you mentioned, is he the survivor on this ship?" she asked.
"Yes"
Belizara was pouting.
"I would like to see him. I would like to give my regards to a fellow Betazoid. If you would allow me to Captain" said Belizara. She seemed unusually subdued.
"We could do that now" said the captain. He hoped she didn't sense how urgently he needed her. Women like Belizara did not let go of an advantage once they had it in their clutches.
"I would very much like that" Belizara replied. She seemed oddly relieved.
Kirk motioned his security detail. The red shirts allowed the Betazoid to leave the brig.
"Follow me" Kirk said. "And remember, we're quite literally in the same boat"
Belizara nodded. They proceeded through corridors and entered a turbolift. They left the turbolift, and were soon in the sickbay.
The Betazoid helmsman was lying on his bed like a corpse; the body function panel above him showed that his vitals were normal, except for his cerebral activity, which was at zero, along with the k3 indicator.
Slowly, Belizara walked up to the bed. Kirk watched her closely. Her demeanor changed as she got nearer, and underwent a complete transformation the moment she set eyes on the man's face.
Very suddenly, Belizara fell upon the helmsman's body, and she broke out into sobs. Kirk was at odds at how to react. This could be a trap; but Belizara had no way to escape. The shuttles wouldn't certainly save her - not in this portion of space - and there was no other ship around.
"Miss Belizara?" Kirk asked.
"What did this man call himself?" she asked between choking on her tears and her sobs.
"Lieutenant Jensar Hylos" Kirk replied. "Do you know him?"
Belizara let out a weak chuckle.
"There are many billions of us Betazoids. I could never know all of them," she said without an edge to her voice. "But I did know this one"
She sobbed again.
"He was my brother," she said.
Kirk couldn't help but believe her. At least, he found himself hoping it was the truth; otherwise, he'd be a fool.
"He must have left after I did" she added. "Neither of us wanted to see mother go through her phase"
Kirk didn't know what she was talking about, and he didn't have the nerve to ask.
But he had to say something. "He's still alive"
Belizara turned to look at Kirk.
"Didn't you hear me before Captain Kirk? He's not alive. The cells of his body are alive, but not my brother" she snapped at Kirk.
Kirk remained calm. "I wish I could do more for him"
Belizara nodded.
She stood up straight and looked Kirk in the eye.
"I'll do it. I'll watch out for that animal, while we're stuck here," she declared. "I owe it to you, I suppose"
"I'm glad to hear that," Kirk said, then adding, "You know that we can't trust you though"
Belizara smiled. "It's a good idea not to. What do you intend to do?"
"Doctor McCoy will place a subcutaneous chip in your scalp, one which detects fluctuations in brainwaves. The moment you sense the entity, that information will be transmitted to the ship's computer. Hopefully by then, we'll have the weapons to destroy it. Thanks to you, we know its greatest weakness, so hopefully it won't be too hard to exploit it"
One week passed by without anything attacking the Enterprise. Kirk had sent out whatever messages he could. If the Enterprise was attacked, then Starfleet would have the knowledge to avenge them. Kirk was relieved to know at least that.
Belizara sat beneath a tree within the arboretum. Kirk sat there next to her. One would think they were engaged, if they were to look at them with a quick glance.
"I was told that your chief of engineering has fixed the engine," she said.
Kirk nodded. "I was informed an hour ago. Chekov is still plotting our course. I'll be heading for the bridge in a while"
"Will you turn me in?" she asked. Kirk looked at her.
For the past week, one of Kirk's greatest fears was that Belizara was somehow manipulating him, pushing his thoughts into one direction as to benefit herself. Kirk's continued certainty that she pay for her crimes was proof enough that she wasn't.
Perhaps she couldn't manipulate people – with her telepathic powers at least – as she had said before. Or perhaps she wouldn't – and if that were the case, she might have a shot at redemption.
"Yes," Kirk replied. "People have died because of you"
Belizara nodded. Kirk recalled the way in which she had been described. She was dangerous, seductive and strong-willed. Ruthless and cunning. Greedy beyond belief. That was not a good description for the woman who sat next to him. Kirk wondered if that woman had ever existed at all, or if she had died when she entered this part of space and encountered the terrifying beings which feasted on souls.
Kirk got up. There was no point in sticking around.
"I need to go to the bridge," he said.
Belizara shot upwards.
"May I come with you?" she asked.
"Why?" Kirk asked. He wondered if she'd manipulate him into letting her go.
She pouted.
"I would like to see us arrive anywhere else," she finally replied.
"That's not a good enough answer," Kirk sighed in resignation, and extended his arm. Belizara got on her feet and interlocked her arm with his. Together, they walked away from the pleasantries of the arboretum.
It seemed like they had arrived on the bridge in almost an instant. The entire bridge crew turned to look at Kirk and Belizara. Captain Kirk knew why they turned their heads. Like him, they had their own suspicions regarding Belizara.
She wasn't naïve. Belizara was a Betazoid who could easily perceive the thoughts of others. In spite of that, she didn't seem to look at any member of the crew with malice. She knew that any person with the ability to look into the minds of others should be viewed with suspicion. Kirk was convinced that Belizara was ready to turn a new page of her life.
He sat on his command chair.
"Mr. Chekov, has the course been set?" he asked.
"Aye keptin"
"Mr. Sulu, engage"
Without warning, it happened. Red alert was suddenly declared without oders and the deflector shields went to maximum capacity almost instantaneously. Kirk turned to look at Belizara; never had he seen such a look of dread on a woman's face before.
The Enterprise was reacting to the chip in her scalp. It occured to Kirk in that short moment, that Belizara could be using the chip to escape, but the chip had been developed under Spock's close supervision. It would be difficult to be used in that capacity.
Belizara rushed towards Sulu's console.
The security officer within the bridge was quick to respond, rushing forward to stop her. He almost did.
Terror blazed up in Kirk's mind, and struck him so hard he almost fell down. He felt something clamp around him. Something immense, long, black, sharp, greedy, horrific, which had Kirk in an iron grip. He felt his inner id erupt and explode like a Nova.
Somehow, Kirk managed to turn his head. Through a blurred vision, he saw Uhura and Spock convulsing in their seats. Amidst the pain, he turned his head again. He could see Sulu and Chekov doing the same.
He saw Belizara, glowing like a star, smashing her hand against Sulu's console. The glow left her and floated away, sucked upwards.
There was a bright flash of light.
Kirk suddenly felt a hand with a strong grip clasping his arm. It took a moment for him to realize that someone was helping him up. He looked forward to see Chekov and Sulu getting back to their seats. He turned to his right and saw Spock standing there next to him, helping him stand up. There was very little in his face which showed that he had been affected by the entity's attack.
"Are you okay Spock?" Kirk asked, his voice coming out in gasps of air.
"I will recover Captain. It seems that our modified photon torpedoes worked. Whatever tried to kill us is gone," he said.
"How is everyone?" Kirk asked.
"As far as can be ascertained, our casualties are lesser than feared, but we have sustained them nonetheless," Spock said.
Kirk closed his eyes and rubbed his face.
"Where is Belizara? We owe her our survival. If she hadn't pressed that button, the creature would have killed us all"
Spock was not outwardly emotional, as befitting a Vulcan, but Kirk knew him long enough to tell when Spock had bad news to break.
"Captain, Belizara did not survive" said the Vulcan somberly.
Kirk looked again at the helm. By now, a security officer was helping Sulu gently pick up the Betazoid she-pirate. The captain looked at the woman with regret; she could have done better with her life. Perhaps this was for the best. She was a wanted criminal and she had to answer for her crimes, many which included the loss of life. Perhaps she would have been executed. At least, she had died saving the lives of others, and that must have counted for something, if there was a Great Deity out there. The only thing that made Kirk feel regretful, was that now more than ever, he knew that she had never tampered with his mind.
2
The hand of a droid helped Yanjeen Ot out of her SoroSuub LV-12 landspeeder.
As she climbed out of her imported vehicle, she felt a bit rotten for not arriving in a landspeeder made by a Confederate world; such negative view of herself vanished when she saw streams of similar SoroSuub landspeeders approaching. She stepped out on the carpet as her droid drove her landspeeder to the safety of the space reserved for it. Ot walked calmly towards the grand entrance of the Harant Palace.
The protocol droid at the entrance made an appropriate bow.
"Speaker Ot. It is an honor to receive you here," said the droid.
"It's an honor to be here," replied Ot. She looked around. The highest crust of Raxulon's society was present, coming from every species one could think of. She couldn't spot any other Hapan like herself. Speaker Ot was truly unique in this setting.
Ot was pleased to see that the light within was quite bright. She lifted her spectacles from her eyes.
"I almost didn't recognize you without your spectacles Speaker Ot," said a familiar voice. Ot turned her head slightly to look at the man who had addressed her. She then turned around to meet him face to face.
He was tall, but not too tall, handsome and well tailored, with slick backed red hair. Make-up covered the skin around his eyes, which was enough to tell Ot how vain the man actually was. A modern take on the fop. Alas, he could be so sloppy at it; even with her Hapan eyesight, Ot could clearly see the lenses over his eyes. If it wasn't for his fortune and charisma, the man would be doomed to a lonely life in the gutter.
My oh my, did the young man have a fortune. Quite the fortune actually. Kaine Starkiller was one of the richest men in the CIS. Speaker Ot knew however that at least half of his fortune was inherited rather than earned.
This was the man who owned Harant Palace.
He walked towards her, a glass of Daruvvian champagne in his hand. The smile on his face was the sort a young lady had to be wary of.
"Mr. Starkiller. I did not expect to meet you here so early," she said, sounding flippant.
"Why not?" Starkiller took a small sip of the champagne as he usually did. Ot wondered what sort of man sipped champagne in such tiny sips. In a previous party the man held the same glass of champagne for over three hours and barely emptied it. She wondered if he was hiding a weak stomach from his rivals and peers. He would certainly become a laughing stock amongst his peers if he couldn't manage his liquor.
"People like you are always fashionably late," Ot replied.
"People like me?" he asked, mocking bewilderment.
"Filthy rich," she said, point-blank.
"I'm hurt. I thought you were going to say 'gallant' or 'devilishly handsome', or better yet 'irresistible to the female eye,'" replied Starkiller with a goblin smile.
"We Hapans have poor eyesight. Sometimes, I should thank the maker" Ot replied.
"Stop that. Your eyesight isn't as bad as you say it is. You just can't see in the dark. Some of us ordinary humans can have worse eyesight. I could be a blind man after all is said and done," said Starkiller.
Ot nearly groaned. "Don't joke with me"
"I'm not. By the way, you look lovely. Lovelier than any other Hapan I've ever met. So much that I wish you weren't wearing so much clothes" he said shamelessly.
Although Ot had had these sort of conversations with Starkiller before, he always managed to make her blush.
"Be careful with what you say. I'm a speaker of the Parliament,"
"I like danger," replied Starkiller. "What could be more dangerous than wooing a beautiful speaker?"
"How about saving lives? Or infiltrating a pirate gang which held five hundred and sixty four Confederate hostages within Imperial space without getting caught?"
Starkiller quickly backed away. Ot smiled. She knew that she had hit a sore spot.
"Are you comparing me with the Aquilian Ranger?" he asked, slightly miffed.
"I shouldn't compare him to a spineless quadrillionaire playboy like yourself. People like you pay people like him to do all of your dirty work," she said.
Starkiller gasped.
"Not everyone is insane. As I understand it, the Aquilian Ranger is a mutant freak with crystal gems for eyes – a menace to society which the CIS would be better without," he responded. "Besides, do you know how much work I have to put in to be a playboy quadrillionaire?"
Ot was beginning to get aggravated.
"Tell me about how you got your fortune. I heard it that half of it was inherited from your mother. What was her name again? Mara Jade?" said Ot with a bit more aggressiveness.
That must have stung Starkiller. He just stared at her, stone-faced. It almost seemed like the cosmetic lenses over his eyes would fall off to reveal something inhuman.
For a moment, Ot was actually terrified.
Starkiller suddenly looked upwards.
"I have to go," he said.
Ot looked upwards and saw nothing but the transparisteel ceiling of the palace. She turned around, only to see that Starkiller had disappeared.
She smiled, in spite of her previous fright. "I taught you a lesson you spoiled rat"
Ot was quite satisfied with herself.
A loud explosion immediately took her from a pleased state of mind. Debris came falling down on the dancefloor. A few people must have been caught; others managed to escape. But it wasn't over. Ot saw several Mandalorians come down from above.
One fell right in front of her, his blaster pointed straight at her face. Ot was terrified, but her career in parliament had trained her to mask her emotional state. Her face remained serene; her voice was calm.
"What is the meaning of this?" she asked.
All she got was a chuckle in response.
When the wall slid open, the Aquilian Ranger could already see that the mayhem had just started. Debris fell from the ceiling and was coming crashing down to the ground. A huge chunk of transparisteel was on its way down to crush a Quarren couple.
Reaching out with the Force, the Aquilian Ranger pulled them out of the way; he pulled out as many people he could sense. In an instant later, he saw Mandalorians, or thugs dressed in Mandalorian armor, descending down with their jetpacks.
If they weren't Mandalorians, they were doing a good job of imitating them.
His attention was drawn towards Speaker Ot. One of the supposed Mandalorians had landed right in front of her.
The man's intent to kill was clear; the Ranger could sense it through the Force and his crystal eyes.
"Kor-Tee! Keep the others busy!" he said.
From behind, a droid shaped like an avian predator came out. It immediately flew towards the Mandalorians, spewing out cybernetic smoke at them. That should scramble all of their senses for a while, from their natural born ones, to their electronics.
The Aquilian Ranger leapt towards Speaker Ot and her assailant. The man was on the verge of pulling the trigger to his blaster. The Ranger focused. Using the Force to move large objects was at times easier than smaller objects such as trigger fingers. He didn't have much of a choice however, a stray shot may not have injured the speaker, but it might go to someone else. It was a strain, but the Ranger did it.
As for the Mandalorian, he was completely baffled that he couldn't move his finger. His surprised increased when the Aquilian Ranger landed behind him, whirled him around, and punched him in the face with his gauntleted hand.
Enhanced by the Force, the punch knocked the Mandalorian on to the ground, unconscious and dreaming bitter-sweet dreams, regardless of how much protection his helmet supposedly offered.
"Thank you Aquilian Ranger," said Speaker Ot. The Ranger gave her a military salute. She was quite the pretty lady, and he would have liked to talk to her more, but there were other Mandalorians to deal with.
One of them was trying to blast Kor-Tee, aiming his blaster in a dangerous manner. The Ranger ran towards the Mandalorian and delivered a kick which sent him off his feet.
Now there were three more to go. Fortunately, all three of them had their attention on him. None tried to take a hostage. They had some sense of honor at least. Or maybe they were just overexcited. That sort of thing happened.
The nearest Mandalorian shot at the Ranger. In a flash, the Aquilian Ranger pulled out his lightsaber; it differed from the Jedi and Sith lightsabers in that it had a cortosis hand guard built into the saber's hilt. Within, it contained several useful devices, but presently, the Ranger used it to block the Mandalorian's blast. He then lit up the shimmering silver blade. Two blasts bounced off of it harmlessly hitting the walls.
Using the Force to enhance his speed, the Aquilian Ranger quickly made his way to the Mandalorian and punched him in his helmeted face with the hand-guard. He then used the Force to slam the other to the ground with enough power to render him unconscious.
Only one Mandalorian remained. A woman of significant age. She must have been an artist once, as her armor was painted in bright colors and patterns. As far as the Aquilian Ranger could perceive with his crystal eyes, she was the leader of this small group.
A missile quickly came out of her jetpack. The Aquilian Ranger didn't have any choice but to let her rocket away as he stopped the missile and let its thruster run out of fuel. Once it was safe, he let it down, very gently.
He looked upwards towards the sky. The Mandalorian woman was long gone, but her trail was still warm. She probably thought that she was free, or maybe she knew better. It didn't matter. The Ranger activated his own jetpack – a smaller, more efficient model which he himself had designed. In an instant, he was off the ground. Kor-Tee came following after him as they ascended towards Raxus' night sky.
The Ranger's pack was clearly the superior, as he soon caught up with the Mandalorian woman in spite of the great distance; he wondered if her garish panoply would be easy to spot. If only he had the eyes he had been born with.
However, he didn't need his eyes to see that the woman was turning around to shoot him. He casually used his light saber to deflect the blasts back in her direction. One blast hit her arm, forcing her to turn; the next hit the jetpack.
She began to careen towards the nearby skyscrapers of Raxulon. The Ranger accelerated his pack. As soon as he was near enough, he used the Force to strike her face, knocking her out. He then grabbed her with one hand, and mangled her jetpack with the other; he forcefully tossed her on to the rooftop of the nearest skyscraper. The old Mandalorian woman rolled and stopped. The Aquilian Ranger landed next to her.
He stretched out his hand. Using the Force he pulled away her weapons, and then her helmet, revealing an old weathered, deeply tanned face, and short hair tinted purple. It was ridiculous that such an old woman would paint her hair.
Taking out a packet of water from his belt, the Aquilian Ranger splashed it on her face. She came to quickly.
"Who hired you?" he asked.
The old woman chuckled.
"Did you ever think I was going to talk?" she said.
"I was being courteous"
"You're not good at it. Besides the arm, I've probably got bruises all over my body," she said. Her attempt at defiance wasn't very original.
"You don't have to talk. I can see right through you with these crystal eyes of mine," answered the Ranger pointing at them.
The woman smiled. "How do you like my tattoos?"
"Not at all. They're tasteless," he dryly said.
"What a bum," even as she spoke, the Aquilian Ranger peered into her mind. It was a technique he found himself using more and more. On the boundary with the renewed Empire, he had seen a few altered minds; evidence of a fourth party and foul play.
On the first layer of the woman's mind, he saw himself, dressed in his gray and dark blue suit. An avian themed mask covered most of his head; his glowing crystal eyes were exposed, as was his mouth. Gauntlets covered his hands and in the same manner his legs were covered with greaves. His jet-pack made it seem as if he had wings on his back. Kor-Tee hovered nearby. The Ranger saw that the old lady perceived him as towering menacingly over her. That was good.
He saw other faces that didn't concern him. A young man with dark skin and closely cropped hair; a green skinned Twi'lek female in a flight suit with a green haired young man in Jedi robes. Faces from her past.
The Ranger needed a face from her more recent past.
"How much did you get?" he asked.
"Are you digging in my head?" she asked, now showing more anger. Using the Force, the Ranger slapped her across the face.
"You lost your right to privacy," he said sternly. He continued to pull away at her mind, and he saw a face which brought him much disappointment. Using the Force, he knocked her out again. The security droids arrived to detain the Mandalorian, while he left to deal with someone else.
Boos Delamee, trusted CEO of Starkiller Industries watched at home with apprehension the HoloWeb News. Reports were coming in of the attack on the Harant Palace. In the nick of time the Aquilian Ranger had prevented the situation from getting any worse by stopping a quartet of Mandalorian attackers before they could do any serious harm. There were no casualties, although some of the guests were injured.
Details were still sketchy and no one knew what was going on beyond that. Delamee took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
The door rang. Delamee was startled. He stood still until the door rang again. Delamee went to the door. At this time of the night, he had most of his droids deactivated. Only his security devices were active, to prevent home invasions.
Delamee turned on the monitor.
Kaine Starkiller stood within the corridor. A quick analysis showed that this was indeed the real man. He opened the door.
"Kaine! Thank goodness! I was going to call! I've been watching the news and..."
Starkiller raised his hand, cutting Delamee off.
"I was told about your involvement in the attack," he said with a cold hard expression on his face.
Delamee felt his heart sink. He had to explain himself.
"You're brilliant with developing new technology and selling it but you don't know about…"
Starkiller cut him off again.
"About the irregularities along the Imperial border? I know. I know about the missing shipments, the odd numbers within record, and before you say anything, the same thing is happening on the other side of the border. Boos, did you seriously think I didn't notice?"
Delamee was shocked. "You're either working on some new device, or you're away. I've never seen you working on the books"
"When I can I do," said Starkiller, raising his voice. "I'm hurt by this Boos. Not just because you knocked out my security droids at Harant Palace in order to make the attack possible- thus possibly ruining my reputation in the process, but because I trusted you. We were friends Boos. I helped your kids. And for what? To cause a war with Carnor Jax's Empire? The Empire isn't responsible for the problems along the border. Someone else is"
"The Alliance Republic?" Delamee timidly asked.
"Not them either. It's someone else, and I don't know who it is. It's been bothering me ever since I've been aware of a new power in the galaxy. Blast it, I did not need you to make a move. Do you know what this means?"
Delamee nearly fell, but Starkiller held him.
"I'll make the statement," said Delamee, defeated. He wondered how his children would fare in his disgrace.
Speaker Ot left the Parliament relatively late. It was quite the effort to talk the other speakers out of declaring war on the Empire. Even with Boos Delamee's confession, there were plenty within the House who wanted a war. If not with the Empire, then with the equally despised Republic. War was not a good option; not now in this current financial situation.
She looked up and was surprised to see Kaine Starkiller leaning against a luxurious landspeeder of a sort that she had never seen before.
Without a doubt, Starkiller was throwing his hat into the landspeeder industry. It was a bold move, considering how competitive said industry was, and more importantly, what had just transpired with the CEO of Starkiller Industries.
Honestly however, Ot had to admit that the landspeeder itself was very good looking, and Starkiller, for all of his flaws, knew how to work a machine.
Tentatively, she approached. Not that she had much of a choice, as Starkiller was in her path. Or rather, would place himself in her path.
"Hello Mr. Starkiller, have you come here to advertise a new product?" she asked.
The corner of Starkiller's mouth turned upwards to form a mischievous smile.
"I guess that would be one of the effects. I'm actually here to give this lovely landspeeder to you. I call it the Swiftwind. The first of a new line vehicles made within the Confederacy. I couldn't help but notice that Sorosuub hunk of junk you arrived in the other night. A lady of your standing should travel around in a finer sort of vehicle, from a finer sort of place"
Ot almost giggled. "That's a good pitch for these current times. How long has this been in production?"
"Two years," replied Starkiller. "It was Boos' idea"
"You mean Delamee?" asked Ot. This was getting awkward.
"Yes. He's always been loyal to the Confederacy. He never intended for anyone to come out harmed. I don't think him or that Wren woman knew they had a maniac amidst them," Starkiller said.
Ot recalled the sight of that Mandalorian who had his blaster on her. She had been very close to getting killed.
"It's a good idea," Ot said, looking at, and referring to, the landspeeder.
Starkiller looked at the landspeeder. "Yes it is. Will you have it?"
"It does look better than the carriage I usually take home"
Kaine Starkiller beamed, and tossed the keys at her. Ot nearly fumbled the catch.
"Then it's yours!" he said.
She looked at the keys. Attached to the chain was a metallic tag which read:
A pretty girl needs a good ride
Ot blushed. "The Aquilian Ranger would never be so lewd"
Starkiller shrugged.
"He does sound like a wet blanket. But I do owe him one. If you had died, there'd be a war, and war is bad for business. And business is good for me" he said.
"What about me?" she asked, offended that he was so callously talking about her loss of life.
"You're a pretty girl. With a pretty good ride," he then winked and turned away.
3
Carnor Jax sat on one of his lesser thrones as the lone escapee of the Gelidus, a woman called Jatha Guryan, kowtowed before him. He was garbed in the modified, black, version of the Red Guard's outfit he used to wear when he was still the Emperor's guard along with Kir Kanos.
Princess Chrysis stood by his right side as he questioned the prostrate officer. Her face was concealed, much like her father's – it had been one of his demands, that any member of his family was to have his or her face concealed. Princess Chrysis had her own approach to that demand; a golden cast had been of her face, which she wore. Few knew that she wore a golden, expressionless version of her face over her own face. The mask, in conjunction with her pulled, pinned up, space black hair, made her look more regal than usual.
"You have done well Ensign Guryan. The information which you have given me is of extreme value to the Empire. I – we are in your debt. You are now a lieutenant, until you are promoted, or are killed. You are to be assigned to Admiral Blim on board the Domina. You are dismissed Lieutenant Guryan" said Carnor Jax with his hand raised in an imitation of a regal gesture.
The young lady kept her eyes to the ground and continued bowing down, even as she left Carnor Jax's. When the door closed behind her, Chrysis turned to her father, and said:
"Father, we are facing a new threat," she said.
Carnor Jax remained silent on his throne for a few seconds.
"This is no new threat girl. They used droids. Who else uses droids in their armies?" asked Carnor Jax in a low growl.
Chrysis knew that she had to choose her words very carefully. Her father had always been easy to anger; his temper wasn't getting any better as he aged further. His outfit concealed just how old he was.
"Father we may be falling for an enemy's trap. Droid armies are easy to buy; so much that even a measly pirate can have an army at his or her beck and call. Our spies haven't brought us all of the information we need to pursue any action. The New Republic could force us into a war with the CIS so that they can attack us when we are fully engaged. We could lose under those circumstances. Remember father, the state of the Imperial Remnant when you came to power?" she reasoned with the old man.
"I remember. We could have all been wiped out then. The petty squabbles between the Rebels and the Seperatists spared us from destruction. While they bickered, I forced the rebellious Moffs to kneel. I see what you are saying girl. But then who is our enemy?" said Carnor Jax, beginning to think out loud. "The Rebel scum have always been at our throats, but they do not love the Seperatists, nor would they ally with them…"
Now it was time to interrupt her father's musing. If he'd continue, then he'd be inventing new enemies. Someone useful might actually die.
"There could be a fourth power at play. Perhaps a league of pirates, the Chiss, or something else. We need to investigate before we act," said Chrysis. She was perhaps the only one who could speak to him in this way. After her brother's death, she was his sole heir. She alone donned the captain's crimson armor of the Imperial Knights, which had once belonged to her brother. Only she could talk sense into him.
"Your brother would have known," said Carnor Jax, as if simply thinking about him was enough for her father to do the same. She was sure that her brother would indeed have known. If he hadn't fought Luke Skywalker that day, things would have been very different. Chrysis was certain that her father would be much easier to deal with. She never saw them in any argument. He was the prodigal son.
Carnor Jax stepped off of the throne and climbed down.
"What are we supposed to do now?" he asked. That was another problem. Carnor Jax, the man who had saved the Empire, was getting forgetful. He had never been forgetful. No doctor dared diagnose him though.
"The traitor's execution" Chrysis said. It was a petty task, but it would keep her father's mind active without distressing him.
"Ah! Of course. FN-2187, otherwise known by his squadmates as 'Slip'. A curious name, given to him by his fellows due to his clumsiness. Did you know that he claimed that it was FN-2003 who was the clumsy one?" Carnor Jax released a low growl from his gut. "I despise men like him. They are a blight to the armed forces, and their disease spreads"
Chrysis walked with her father towards the courtyard. FN-2187 stood in the center, stripped of his armor. Two stormtroopers stood next to him, waiting for the next order.
Chrysis studied his face closely; the espression on it was the same she had seen on so many traitors: fearful and desperate. His skin was what most humans would consider 'black' – it was only slightly darker than her father's skin, and her own.
He looked at her father in absolute fear.
"Please my lord! Have mercy!" said the traitor, before Carnor Jax raised his fist. FN-2187 was lifted off of the ground, as the stormtroopers backed away. As Carnor Jax clenched his fist, the traitor's body began to contract. The man called Slip began to scream.
"Please!" he shouted out.
Carnor Jax's fist clenched more. The traitor's arms and legs broke and tightened around his body. As he screamed more loudly, more bones broke. Blood began to flow from his mouth, nose, and ears.
Finally, the traitor's head was pushed back, until there was a sickening crack. Slip's body was turned into a ball, or something close to it. Carnor Jax let his hand fall; the body fell as well. The stormtroopers dragged it away.
"Let us return to our business of running this Empire," Carnor Jax said, turning his back on the courtyard. Chrysis spotted the spy master approach. She hoped he had more information on what was happening at the border.
4
Magnifico woke up from another nightmare just in time to hear the door chime. He had been through the motions before; his clothes and the safety suit he wore whenever he had to leave the apartment and wander about the Vengeful Spirit II were next to his bedside. His robot maidens were already helping him get dressed, while another went to the door.
Unsurprisingly, it was Maximillian, in his human guise, whom he found waiting for him in the lounge. Magnifico tried to figure out for himself why the robot was there; he did not feel the tumultuous emotions of battle; in spite of his apartment's shielding, he could feel those to varying degrees, almost always coming from whatever ship or station that the Warmaster had decided needed to be attacked.
Presently, his greatest fear was that he was going to be taken to the Warmaster himself. He had so many reasons to fear that monstrosity in human form. Magnifico knew he had made a mistake allying himself to the Warmaster before he had even met him, when he observed his mind from a safer distance; never had the mutant who had once called himself the Mule encountered such a mind, shattered and then brought together in the worse possible manner, like a mug that had been clumsily glued together by crippled hands.
He hoped that there'd be a planet which needed conversion.
"The Warmaster calls you," said Maximillian.
Magnifico's heart could have stopped. It would have, in the past; Maximillian's arguments had convinced him to join the Warmaster's cause, and with that, a new lease on life. A new heart was given to him which was stronger. His entire body was strong enough to survive now, although in terms of physical strength, he could never match the Warmaster, his brutes, Maximillian, or even Lady Atreides.
He should have just died in peace on Kalgan of his illness.
"Calls me for what?" asked Magnifico, trying to assert himself.
One glare from Maximillian's blazing red eyes was enough to tell him that it was a failed attempt.
"Just follow me. You'll figure it out," replied the robot in human form with dead coolness.
Magnifico had no choice. He had to follow the crimson robot along the hellish corridors of the Vengeful Spirit II, recoiling at each shadow, into the wretched lifts which threatened to dive deep into Tartarus, until finally they arrived at the Warmaster's great Throne Room.
He lowered his head as soon as he saw the Warmaster himself sitting on a throne which seemed too small for his giant frame. Magnifico had sensed him, while in the lift, before he entered the damned throne room. His fractured mind was distinct.
"Warmaster Lupercal," said Magnifico, lowering his head towards the giant man. After so much time, genuflecting before the Warmaster – or anyone else – was still humiliating and infuriating. The man once known as the Mule, First Citizen of the Union of Worlds had to keep his yap shut however; it was when he was in the Warmaster's presence that he was reminded of just how overpowered he was. "How may I help?"
The Warmaster pointed at a section of the wall, which opened up, revealing an open space the size of a closet.
"Get in there" he said, speaking with that odious voice of his. "We will be receiving guests. Play with them"
Magnifico's curiosity received stimulation, at least.
What guests? For what purpose were they for?
The mutant dared not ask those questions from the Warmaster himself. He simply bowed and entered the open crevice. He would have to wait and watch as he had been doing since that dark day on the Sundog.
"Make sure to remove your helmet once you enter," added the Warmaster, as if Magnifico hadn't known that. But the Warmaster knew how much the mutant loathed his surroundings within the Vengeful Spirit II.
Magnifico stepped into the opening. The wall closed behind him. It was a perfect fit for his gangly frame. The Warmaster had installed this space just for him. Magnifico let out a curse.
Mechanical arms came down from the ceiling, and clamped around Magnifico's helmet. Metallic claws unfastened it and then pulled upwards, leaving the mutant's mind exposed to the Chaos of the ship. Magnifico nearly panicked.
However, the nauseating sensation did not hit him as hard as he had expected. Magnifico realized that this crevice must have some form of shielding. Enough to remain sande. And useful.
The wall suddenly turned transparent. Magnifico could see the interior of the Throne room as clearly as if the wall wasn't there. Two men were entering, both of which possessed powerful minds; he could feel them quite well. Magnifico knew what the Warmaster wanted of him.
More so than on Moraband, Darth Krayt could feel the dark side permeating everything surrounding him. It was intense; many dark side disciples would succumb to such an assault upon their minds and souls.
He found himself wondering what sort of vessel he was in, where it had come from, and more importantly, who had built it. Darth Krayt felt something tapping at his mind; something which stood out from the surrounding aura within the ship. Mentally, Krayt shoved it away, but he knew that the tapping would not leave.
He and his pupil Darth Madra stood within an immense throne room. It was vast and high enough to easily contain within it five AT-AT walkers. Presently, it seemed empty and abandoned, much like an ancient ruin, abandoned to the mercy of the elements. But it was not abandoned. There was someone else present. Sitting upon a throne which seemed too small for his massive frame, was the being everyone called the Warmaster.
Darth Krayt stepped forward. He looked at the giant before him. In spite of his monstrous size and appearance, the man was human, or at least had used to be. There was something about his appearance which suggested that he had been marred somehow, although it wasn't immediately apparent. He regarded the two Sith with little emotion.
"What brings you here?" said the man on the throne. His speech was rough; there was a hard palatal edge to his words.
Again, Krayt felt the tapping against his mind, and again, he swatted it away.
Surrounded by darkness as he was, Darth Krayt could feel his pupil shudder. That annoyed him. A Sith was at home with darkness; there was nothing to fear within it. Later, if possible, he would address it with Darth Madra.
"The dark side," said Darth Krayt as if there was no big deal about it.
"The dark side?" asked the great Warmaster on his throne.
"Of the Force. I assume you have learned of the Force," Darth Krayt stated.
"I've heard of it. I'm sure that I've grasped the concept. Now tell me, Darth Krayt, why has the dark side brought you here before me?" the Warmaster asked.
"I wouldn't know that Warmaster," said Krayt. "The Dark Side of the Force did not show me why I should meet with you, only that I should"
"Having a local guide in this galaxy, would be to my benefit, I admit," said the Warmaster. "I have been told that the Sith only come in two, and that they are always in conflict with one another"
Darth Krayt stepped forward. "That has been the way for many centuries. It is natural for a Sith to have power, and to crave it"
"Which explains why there are only two. More would ruin the balance, and create unnecessary and ruinous conflict, am I correct?"
Darth Krayt nodded. Again, he felt the tapping against his mind. It was growing more intense. He wondered if Darth Madra was submitted to the same attack. He soon got the answer.
All of a sudden, Krayt felt a stirring in the Force. He quickly stepped aside. Darth Madra's crimson blade slashed the ground he had been standing on milliseconds before. Darth Krayt lit up his lightsaber, and aimed for his disciple's head. Madra blocked him.
Darth Krayt then slid his energy blade along Madra's in a swift, smooth motion, swinging it and aiming for Madra's legs. Madra leapt upwards and made a back summersault into the air. Using the Force, Darth Krayt grabbed him as he spun and slammed him against the ground. He then allowed the dark side to flow through harmful energy coming out in electronic streams which struck Darth Madra in full strength.
Before Madra could get up, Darth Krayt pulled him towards him. Krayt swung his lightsaber. Madra was cut neatly in two.
"That was a faster resolution than I thought," said the Warmaster.
"But a surprise. I didn't expect an attack from him so soon," said Darth Krayt, looking at the Warmaster accusingly. The tapping against his mind had stopped
"I had one of my people tamper with his mind while you both entered"
Darth Krayt wasn't surprised.
"I felt such tamperings against my mind as well"
The Warmaster snickered.
"You are strong. My man is very good at changing people's minds. He was good with your pupil. Not so good with you, I see. You are very useful. I can see us developing a good relationship"
"Then you accept my proposal?"
"Proposal?"
"To serve as your guide," said Darth Krayt surely.
The corner of the Warmaster's mouth turned up.
"Aye. Horus Lupercal, Warmaster and Primarch of the Black Legion accepts your proposal"
Darth Krayt bowed down. He knew in his heart that the dark side was greatly benefited, and whatever fate had in reserve for the universe would come to pass as everything else would.
Magnifico only came out of his hiding place once the strange man with the facial markings and the Warmaster had left the Throne Room, and the devices had returned his helmet to his head. The wall opened, and the mutant came out. Maximillian waited for him, standing by the side of the open crevice.
"How was the show?" asked the robot.
"Things are heating up," replied Magnifico. A new player, a local, had joined them. This was to be expected. When conquering any place, you needed local allies. Of course, Magnifico was capable of making the most belligerent men into allies, but at the cost of their inner spark, that which made them special. He wondered how much longer would things go before the Great Push would commence.
5
The casualties were not as high as expected, but they could not be ignored.
Of a crew of 430, four hundred remained within the Enterprise. Each division was affected equally. Belizara was one of the casualties, along with her brutish companion, and her brother, lieutenant Hylos. There was nothing to do but dispose of the dead, and to return to New Paris and repair the Enterprise, and inform Starfleet of what had happened.
There was a concern that there were more of those creatures around. Due to his conversations with Belizara, Kirk was convinced that this was not the case, but precaution was not an evil in this case.
He already knew what to say to Starfleet. A flotilla of at least three ships with Betazoid or telepathically endowed crewmen should scour this part of space, armed with specially modified photon torpedoes, until there was no doubt that the entities similar to the one the Enterprise had encountered was gone.
Kirk sat on the command chair.
"Mr. Chekov, have you set out our course?" he asked.
"Aye keptin"
Kirk took a deep breath.
"Mr. Sulu, engage"
Before Sulu could do anything, the entire ship began to shake. The tremors were so strong that Kirk had a hard time staying on his seat, wondering why there weren't any belts on them. He quickly turned to Spock before he turned to Scotty. Whenever things like this happened, they tended to be related to strange scientific phenomena, which was aggravating considering the mess they had just endured.
"Mr. Spock, what is going on?" he asked.
Somehow, Spock managed to maintain his balance and look through his scope even as the ship was shaking like a thin branch in a hurricane.
"We are being pulled by a powerful gravity well," he said. Then he suddenly added with an uncharacteristic, alarmed tone, "There's a wormhole ten thousand kilometers from the Enterprise!"
Kirk turned to Scotty, who was at his post behind the engineering console.
"Scotty get us out of here! Warp factor eight!"
"I'm trying captain! She won't budge!" yelled out Scotty. Sweat ran profusely from his face "Captain! If we keep on like this the Enterprise will burn a gasket!"
Captain Kirk was about to turn to Spock for a solution when he noticed the viewscreen. The stars were beginning to distort and form a ring around a patch of darkness.
"Lieutenant Uhura! Send out a distress signal now!" he said.
The Enterprise was swallowed by the wormhole as Uhura transmitted her final message.
Well, here's the second chapter. It took me a lot of effort to write it, especially with the weekend I've had. The easiest parts for me were the portions of Enterpise adventure, and the short stint with the Speaker Ot, Kaine Starkiller, and the Aquilian Ranger (There's a secret about those two. I won't tell it. NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW). The other two portions, regarding Carnor Jax and the goings on of the Warmaster (we all know who he is, but I'll play coy until a later date) and the introduction of Darth Krayt were a bit more clumsily handled. I think I'll start focusing my chapters on a single storyline from now on.
I'm not usually a fan of race-bending (I'm one of those putzes who thought that the people of Asgard should be pasty white nordics, and that Idris Elba, as good as he is, should not have been Heimdall) however, with Carnor Jax, I needed him to stick out in my mind. The ordinary white dude we see in Crimson Empire (for a panel, really) was like every other soldier in my mind. Besides, the Empire needs more diversity, amirite? This is a different continuity, one which scavenges from the EU (now called Legends) freely, so I hope I'm forgiven.
See ya next time.
