The command crew sat in their respective chairs waiting for them to approach the coordinates of the Euphrates. Merriell looked down at his console and pressed a buttons.
"We're approaching the coordinates, sir."
"Slow to impulse." Allensworth said.
Moran hit a few buttons and the Alexandria dropped out of warp.
"We're in visual range." Merriell said.
"On screen."
The wall in front of them disappeared to show a section of space along with the Akira class USS Euphrates. The ship had definitely seen better days. Allensworth and Sparhawk stood up from their chairs in surprise.
"The ship is adrift, it has sustained heavy damage to its outer hull, and its port nacelle is destroyed, negligible power readings and no life signs." Merriell reported.
"Who could've done this?" Sparhawk asked.
"I'm reading some sort of biological traces along its hull." Merriell said.
"On screen."
At the press of a few buttons, the screen changed to a portion of the hull to reveal some sort of dried yellow liquid encasing portions of the hull.
"Magnify."
A part of the screen enhanced and made the image a lot clearer. Allensworth thought for a moment. Nycz saw her captain's puzzled face. Allensworth headed for his ready room.
"I'll be in my ready room. Commander, lead an away team over to the Euphrates."
Sparhawk nodded. "Aye, sir. Merriell, Fulks you're with me. Dustin, meet us in transporter room three."
"On my way, Commander." Zofchak said through the intercom.
Merriell and Fulks left their stations as their replacements almost immediately took over.
The four away team members walked into the transporter room and stepped onto the transporter pads.
"Beam us on to the bridge." Sparhawk said.
"Environment is stable for transport." The transporter chief said.
"Energize."
The four of them dematerialized from the transporter room and rematerialized on the bridge of the Eurphrates. Bodies and body parts lay a strewn across the deck.
"My god." Sparhawk said.
"What the hell happened here?" Fulks asked.
"Dustin, get down to Engineering, see what you can do down there. Merriell go with him and be careful."
"Aye, Commander." Zofchak said as he and Merriell walked into the turbolift.
"Fulks, you're with me." Sparhawk said as he headed for the other turbolift.
Moments later, the turbolift doors opened and Sparhawk and Fulks stepped out. Fulks held his phaser rifle ready while Sparhawk held a hand phaser and a tricorder. More bodies were lying all over the deck.
"What could've done this?" Fulks asked.
Allensworth sat in his ready room waiting to hear from the away team. A chime came from the door.
"Come."
The doors slid open and Counselor Nycz stepped into the room.
"What can I do for you, Counselor?"
"I saw your expression on the bridge. Have you encountered this before?"
"It was when I was a Lieutenant on Voyager and we encountered a semi-destroyed Borg Cube. There was a species that were impervious to assimilation. It was Species 8472."
"I'm not familiar with Species 8472." Nycz said.
"This certain species couldn't be assimilated and were a lot stronger than the Borg." Allensworth said. "When we first arrived in that particular area fifteen Borg cube had passed us. We expected a fight but they flew right past us not paying us a bit of attention. This species was called 8472 by the Borg and we adopted the name as well. They're fierce creatures who live in another dimension of fluidic space and were able to come into our own. They found everything in their path to be extremely weak including the Borg. Those fifteen ships I mentioned were all destroyed in a single attack by Species 8472. He later encountered Hirogen who had been hunting Species 8472. Seven of Nine beamed it over to one of the Hirogen vessels that had been attacking Voyager. The question is: How are they here and why?"
"Sparhawk to Alexandria."
"Go ahead." Allensworth said.
"Everyone's dead, sir. It looks as if they were ripped apart."
"Any signs of intruders?"
"Negative,sir. Nothing is showing up on our tricorders.
"Stay on alert. Keep me informed. Allensworth out."
At that moment a beeping sound chimed in.
"Sir, I'm picking up a quantum singularity directly ahead." Moran said over the intercom.
"On my way." He said getting up.
Allensworth and Nycz walked onto the bridge and looked at the viewer.
"On screen."
The viewer changed again and this time in the center of the screen was a bright fluctuating distortion with a yellow and crimson outline to it.
"Sir, multiple ships are emerging from the distortion." Moran reported.
Multiple yellow colored ships flew from the distortion and headed right for the Alexandria.
"Transporter room, lock on to the away team and energize." Allensworth said.
Aboard the Euphrates, Sparhawk, Merriell, Fulks and Zofchak all dissipated within a blue light.
"Red alert. Shields up. Arm phasers and photon and quantum torpedoes." Allensworth ordered.
