Chapter
2
Beep-beep boop-boop. The ready room door chime sounded.
"Come in," Blakeney answered. The doors opened and Commander Fortescue entered. She noticed the Captain sitting behind his desk, looking at the screen of his desktop monitor.
"Captain," the First Officer approached the desk, "I just thought I'd let you know that we'll be arriving at Marridon in about five minutes."
"Thank you, Michelle," Blakeney said, looking up at her, a concerned look on his face. He motioned towards one of the chairs in front of his desk, "Take a seat." The Commander accepted the offer and Blakeney continued, "I've been looking through the reports on this smuggling ring. Besides the illegal smuggling, they're responsible for theft, kidnappings, murder, not to mention numerous other crimes."
"They must keep a very low profile. I hadn't even heard of them until we were ordered to find them," admitted Fortescue. "I'd heard rumours but that was it."
"They do keep a very low profile," Blakeney stated through gritted teeth, "which is why it's so difficult for Starfleet to find them. All we know is that they call themselves the Association."
"What exactly is it that they smuggle?" Fortescue wondered.
"Anything," Blakeney leant back in his chair. "Weapons mostly, but they've also smuggled starship parts and even little things like illegal beverages."
"Like you said," Fortescue smiled, "if anyone can lead us to them, Nyah can."
"I hope so," Blakeney sighed. "You remember the Starfleet Intelligence operative on Marridon IV you asked about?"
"And you said we didn't have one," remembered Fortescue.
"We did," Blakeney told her, "until about two weeks ago. He got too close to the smugglers and then mysteriously vanished."
"Kidnapped?" guessed Fortescue.
Blakeney shook his head; "There was no ransom demands. It's more likely that he was murdered."
"So maybe Nyah won't help us because of the consequences," realised Fortescue.
"Perhaps," Blakeney couldn't help thinking that maybe she was part of the Association. For all he knew she could lead it. It wouldn't be beyond her capabilities.
"Bridge to ready room," Blakeney's musings were cut short by the voice of Phillips over the intercom. "We've detected weapon signatures about a light year from the planet."
"Weapon signatures?" echoed Blakeney.
"We think it's the Armageddon," Phillips explained.
"Alter course, Mister Parson," ordered Blakeney, rushing out of his ready room. "Take us to the source of the weapons fire." The Captain sat himself down in his chair, followed by Fortescue, who sat in the First Officer's chair to Blakeney's left. The Captain wondered what to expect. Though you could never tell with Nyah. The first time he had seen her she was fighting with a Nausicaan twice her size. He also wondered whom she was fighting this time. Was it to do with the smuggling ring, or just another 'business' associate of hers? They'd know in a moment.
"I hope she's winning the skirmish," Fortescue turned to her CO.
"Excuse me?" Blakeney inquired.
"Well as you said," explained the FO, "Nyah's our only link to the smugglers."
"We're approaching the battle zone, Captain," Parson reported.
"Take us out of warp," ordered Blakeney. "Erram, raise the shields." He watched the viewscreen as his starship dropped out of warp speed and the stretched stars returned to normal. Two ships became visible in the starscape; weapons fire was being exchanged between the two vessels.
Erram reported, "Definitely the Armageddon, Captain."
"And the other one?" demanded Fortescue.
"It appears to be an old Maquis raider," Erram stated, after checking his console.
"I haven't seen one of those for a while," Phillips put in.
"Looks like someone's been upgrading it," Lieutenant Wilcox examined the readouts on her station. "I'm reading enhancements to its weapons, shields, engines…" She paused.
"What is it, Lieutenant?" Blakeney turned to face his Science Officer.
"Captain, the enhancements all have a Borg signature," responded Wilcox.
"Ordinarily I'd say that the Armageddon could take care of itself," Phillips said, "but I doubt even they could withstand Borg weaponry."
"You're right, Commander," agreed Blakeney. "Open a channel to the raider."
"Channel open," Phillips replied after carrying out the order.
"This is Captain David Blakeney of the Federation starship Warrior," Blakeney stated. "Please break off your attack."
The raider did not respond visually, but the bridge crew all heard a male voice say, "Ugh, jeez!" The communications link was then severed.
"I'll take that as a no," Blakeney gritted his teeth. He watched the two ships on the viewscreen as they darted about, each firing their disrupters at the other. "Red Alert," Blakeney decided. "Mister Erram, arm the phasers and quantum torpedoes. Try and disable the raiders weapon systems." The Intrepid-class starship let off a volley of its own powerful phaser banks, which slammed into the shields of the Borg enhanced raider. This did not deter it, however, from its attack on the Armageddon.
"I wonder why they haven't opened fire on us," Fortescue thought out loud, seeing that the raider appeared to be ignoring the Warrior.
"We'll ask them later," Blakeney dismissed her comment, though he too was thinking the same thing. But his first concern was preventing the destruction of the mercenary ship. He got out of his chair and strode to the centre of the bridge. "Commander Phillips, contact the Armageddon and tell Nyah to target her weapons on the raiders weapon systems."
"Yes, sir," Phillips complied.
Blakeney turned to Erram, "Lieutenant, fire torpedoes. Full spread." The Starfleet vessel let off a volley of quantum torpedoes that pounded the raider's hull. The Armageddon also fired off a round of their own powerful weapon systems, which impacted at the same point as the Warrior's attack.
"The raider's weapon systems are off-line," Erram reported. The operations station then began to beep. Blakeney turned to look at his Second Officer.
"The Armageddon is hailing us, Captain," Phillips stated.
"Put it on screen," the Captain ordered, turning to face the viewer at the front of the bridge. The grinning face of Nyah Khan appeared.
"I was wondering when you'd show up," she said to Blakeney.
"I beg your pardon," Blakeney was taken aback. Did she know they were looking for her?
"Well with him on that raider I thought you would've turned up sooner," explained the mercenary.
"Who?" demanded Blakeney.
"Oh well," sighed Nyah, "Got to go. Thanks for the assistance, Blakeney." And with that, she ended the transmission. The bridge crew watched her ship on the viewscreen as it shot to warp.
"Track her," Blakeney quickly shouted at Wilcox.
"No can do, Captain," Wilcox apologised. "She's masking her warp signature."
"Dammit!" cursed Blakeney, dropping into his chair and slamming his fist onto the arm. He then looked up to the operations station. "Hail the raider. Let's find out exactly who's on board."
"They're hailing us, sir," Phillips revealed. "Putting it on screen." The image of the starscape on the main viewer was replaced by the interior of the raider's cockpit. It was quite dimly lit, though whether this was a result of the battle, Blakeney wasn't sure. A ruptured conduit in the background was leaking a gas into the room. The ship's one crewmember was sitting in the pilot's chair. Upon seeing him, Blakeney slowly stood up. Though the face had Borg implants in it, and a goatee, Blakeney recognised it as the face of his former First Officer.
"Nick?" he gasped.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" demanded Nicholas Ryan. It was his face and his voice. But his mannerisms and attitude seemed different. Something told Blakeney that this wasn't the Ryan he knew.
"I couldn't allow you to destroy the Armageddon," Blakeney stated.
"This is not your concern, Captain," Ryan snapped. "This is between me and Nyah!"
"Sorry, Nick, but Nyah has vital information that I want," responded Blakeney. "I need her alive."
"Oh, of course," reasoned Ryan. "It's all so simple. You and she are in this together."
"Excuse me," Blakeney sceptically inquired.
"You've had alliances with her before," remembered Ryan. "Who's to say you're not working with her this time?"
"Number One, I don't have time for this," the Captain snapped. He had called Ryan by his old nickname without even thinking. "We need to track Nyah."
"Oh I'm sure you do," retorted Ryan. "To get the 'vital information' out of her."
"That's right," nodded Blakeney.
"I have been tracking her for days, Captain," snarled Ryan, "and your interference just prevented me from delivering what she deserves."
"'What she deserves'?" echoed Blakeney. "What grudge do you have with her?"
"As I said," Ryan replied, "that is between me and Nyah." Blakeney sighed and returned to his seat.
"I don't suppose you know where she's gone?" he asked. Ryan was once one of Blakeney's best officers, surely that sense of loyalty was still in him somewhere.
"As if you don't know where your accomplice has gone," scoffed Ryan.
"We are not accomplices, Nick!" Blakeney gritted his teeth. "Now do you know where the hell she's gone?"
"Yes I do," Ryan answered, "but if you think I'm going to tell you then you're sourly mistaken! Now if you'll excuse me, Captain, I need to get going, before Nyah gets too far ahead of me."
"Mister Erram," Blakeney spoke to the Bolian without taking his eyes off Nick, "lock phasers on Mister Ryan's engines. Fire on my command."
"What are you doing?" wondered Ryan.
"If we disable your engines it'll be difficult for you to follow the Armageddon," explained Blakeney.
"I don't think you'll do that, Captain," Ryan decided.
"Don't call my bluff, Ryan" Blakeney said. "We both know I'll give the order to fire!" Ryan's confidence faded slightly. He knew his old Captain well, and so knew that he wasn't bluffing. "Where has she gone?" demanded Blakeney. Ryan went silent, as if contemplating the situation.
Fortescue leant towards Blakeney and whispered, "You appear to be at loggerhead, sir."
"Indeed, Miss Fortescue," agreed Blakeney.
"Captain," Wilcox suddenly cried, "his ship is powering up!"
"What?" Blakeney jumped out of his chair, just as Ryan's face disappeared from the screen.
"I believe he's about to enter a transwarp conduit!" explained the Science Officer.
"More Borg enhancements," Fortescue observed.
Blakeney spun around to face the security/tactical station, "Erram fire phasers. Disable his propulsion system." The Bolian nodded and carried out the order, sending a phaser blast from the Warrior. This slammed into Ryan's raider, just as it began to move off, stopping it in its tracks. Unfortunately, a massive explosion erupted from the belly of the vessel, which spread across the hull and blew the ship to pieces.