EXT. SPACE — STARBASE 104

The Enterprise's shuttlebay door slides open, allowing the Galileo — a Class G shuttlecraft — exit into the open vacuum of space. Impulse thrusters blazing a bright azure, the Galileo begins its trek to Starbase 104.

INT. GALILEO/MAIN CABIN

The inner walls of the cabin are lined by two long benches. Seated upon these benches are Mitchell, Ruan, Piper, and TEN MACOS. Suited up in mark-5 body armour — environmentally sealed armour equipped with life support systems — they each go over their equipment and weapons.

PIPER: (praying quietly) Almighty God, whose way is in the sea, and whose paths are in the great waters, whose command is over all and whose love never fails: Let me be aware of Your presence and obedient to Your will. Keep me true to my best self, guarding me against dishonesty in purpose and in deed, and helping me so to live that I can stand unashamed and unafraid before my shipmates, my loved ones, and You. Protect those in whose love I live. Give me the will to do my best and to accept my share of responsibilities with a strong heart and a cheerful mind. Make me considerate of those entrusted to my leadership and faithful to the duties my country has entrusted to me. Let my uniform remind me daily of the traditions of the service of which I am a part. If I am inclined to doubt, steady my faith; if I am tempted, make me strong to resist; if I should miss the mark, give me courage to try again. Guide me with the light of truth and keep before me the life of Him by whose example and help I trust to obtain the answer to my prayer, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

As Piper concludes his prayer, he looks up to find Mitchell, seated across from him on the other bench, watching him.

MITCHELL: A religious man, Doc?

PIPER: I try to be. You?

MITCHELL: (shakes head) 4th generation secular humanist. Faith's just not in my genes.

PIPER: In my experience, faith doesn't spring from the genes. You find it somewhere along the road — or it finds you, perhaps — then once you have it, you struggle to keep it. (beat) There are times when I don't feel the struggle's worth it, when I feel I should throw down my cross and call it a day. Other times, I feel faith's the only thing in life making the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune the least bit tolerable.

MITCHELL: (frowns) You're not a very happy man, are you, Doc?

PIPER: (half-smiles) I have my days.

EXT. SPACE — STARBASE 104

The Galileo enters the open shuttlebay of the K-class space station.

INT. STARBASE 104/SHUTTLEBAY

The Galileo's phaser banks power up, glowing with bright green radiance, contrasting sharply with the red glow of the station's emergency lights. A burst of green energy is discharged, spreading out in a wide field throughout the entire interior, briefly overtaking and cancelling out the red light. The low-powered blast — calibrated only to take out organic life — isn't powerful enough to inflict any severe structural damage to the walls or mechanical components inside the chamber.

INT. GALILEO/MAIN CABIN

As the shuttlecraft touches down, Mitchell crosses over to the rear of the compartment. He turns to face the others.

MITCHELL: Here's what's up: twenty-one lifeforms have been detected aboard this station. Of that twenty-one, we can't be sure how many are friendlies, but six have been detected holed up in the station armory, the most secure area of the station. (beat) We're to head straight for that armory, retrieve the survivors, and get them safely to the Enterprise. They are our top and only priority; if enemy troops are present aboard this station, we can't go out of the way looking for strays. (beat) Any questions?

No one replies.

MITCHELL: Alright then. (puts on helmet) Lock 'n' load!

Standing, the others secure their helmets in place, activate their life support systems, and bring their phaser rifles to bear. The Galileo's hatch then pops open and lowers, leading out into the shuttlebay.

INT. STARBASE 104/SHUTTLEBAY

Bringing his rifle up, the lieutenant commander cautiously steps out of the shuttlecraft, making his way down the ramp onto the shuttlebay deck. Ruan and the other MACOs follow Mitchell out into the shuttlebay. Though the reactor no longer provides enough energy to keep the shuttlebay pressurized, the station's artificial gravity is still in effect. Spreading out, they keep their eyes peeled for hidden dangers, fingers tensed over their phaser triggers as they make their way from the Galileo deeper into the cavernous bay.

The landing party soon comes to the freight turbolift; a portable airlock of Klingon design has been installed against the opening. Taking out her comcorder, Ruan goes to inspect the airlock.

RUAN: It's safe. Just your basic portable airlock.

INT. STARBASE 104/TURBOLIFT

Once past the airlock into the large turbolift, the landing party members turn on their helmet lamps and look up. As the beams of light play over the ceiling of the cab, they see an impromptu portal has been opened with disruptorfire, allowing passage into the turbolift shaft.

Pressing a button in his gauntlet, Mitchell activates a red holographic map of the starbase; the path to the armory is illuminated in yellow.

MITCHELL: The armory's on Level 10. (beat) Set phasers to full power. We don't know what's waiting for us up there.

Rifles set to full power, antigravity boots activated, the landing party walks straight up the wall of the turbolift cab, through the ragged hole, and into the turbolift shaft.

INT. STARBASE 104/TURBOLIFT SHAFT

The landing party makes its way along the turbolift shaft. Dark and dusty, the lamps of their helmets providing the only illumination, the shaft is like a tunnel leading straight into foreboding nothingness.

MITCHELL: (checks map) Fifteen more metres to go.

As they continue, yellow warning lights begin blinking on their comcorders.

RUAN: Commander! There's something in here with us!

In the darkness ahead, four small green lights flash into existence, forming a lozenge pattern in the void. The lights begin advancing on them.

MITCHELL: Steady….

As the armoured Starfleet personnel stand there, stock-still with their phaser rifles at the ready, the green lights move into the beams of their helmets. As the yellow-white light washes over them, the lights are revealed to be the sensors of a KLINGON HUNTER-KILLER. A large, semi-humanoid robot, the hunter-killer is eight-feet tall, its head, shoulders, arms, and chest bristling with built-in disruptors.

MACO #1: Hunter-killer!

The MACO springs forward, firing upon the hunter-killer. The blue phaser beam strikes the hunter-killer dead centre, but the energy dissipates against the automaton's powerful deflector shield. The hunter-killer returns fire with its pair of head disruptors. The twin disruptor beams burn into the MACO's armoured chest, and with a bloodcurdling SHRIEK he is disintegrated in disturbing fashion, leaving an emptied suit of armour behind. The remaining members of the landing party spread out. Training their rifles on the hunter-killer, they open fire; leaving their fingers pressed down on their triggers, they keep phaser energy trained upon the behemoth, hoping to overwhelm its deflector shield. Its shield glowing brightly as the blue phaser energy washes over it, the hunter-killer fires back. Four more MACOs are struck down, their armour joining their foolhardy companion's.

Just as a MACO loads a photon grenade into a grenade launcher, she's shot down by the Klingon machine. As the grenade launcher plummets past him, Mitchell snatches the weapon out of the air. Somersaulting across the floor, he finds the hunter-killer in his sights and pulls the trigger. With a burst of red light, the photon grenade rockets forth, striking the hunter-killer with deadly accuracy; with a bright white burst, electricity cascades over the body of the hunter-killer. Shouldering the launcher, Mitchell takes his rifle and fires upon the robot; the beam slams into the robot's left shoulder disruptor without hinderance, blasting it apart.

With the surviving landing party members firing upon the now-unshielded robot, the hunter-killer begins faltering against the onslaught of phaser beams. Encased in heavy armour plating, however, the machine still has fight left in it. Advancing on its treads, it swivels around until it's got Mitchell in clear line of sight of its left arm disruptor. Mitchell, quick on his feet, leaps out of the way just in time to avoid the full force of the subsequent disruptor blast, but the green beam grazes his side; the armour there superheating, damage is inflicted to the underlying flesh.

Before the hunter-killer can finish the job, Ruan leaps in between it and Mitchell. Instead of firing upon the bronze-skinned woman, the hunter-killer inexplicably freezes. Taking advantage of the robot's hesitation, the major jams the barrel of her rifle into its chest and pulls the trigger, unleashing high-powered phaser energy directly into the machine's heart. With a BOOM, Ruan is tossed back as the hunter-killer is reduced to white-hot shrapnel.

Grimacing, Mitchell holds his side where the disruptor beam struck him. Approaching the lieutenant commander, Piper scans his injury.

PIPER: (frowns) This isn't good….

MITCHELL: Give it to me straight, Doc.

PIPER: The armour protected you from the brunt of the hit, but you still suffered severe subdermal hemorrhaging. (beat) Commander, if you don't report to sickbay as soon as possible, you're going to bleed to death internally.

MITCHELL: (shakes head) Isn't there anything on hand that can help?

PIPER: A shot of triclenidil would slow the bleeding, but —

MITCHELL: Give it to me.

Unsealing one of his gauntlets, Mitchell pulls it off, allowing Piper access to his naked wrist. Frowning, the doctor opens his medical kit, fixes a vial of triclenidil to his hypospray, then injects the drug into Mitchell's bloodstream.

PIPER: You're dancing on the razor's edge, Commander.

MITCHELL: (reseals gauntlet) My favourite place to be.

Leaving Mitchell, Piper turns his attentions to Ruan, who has regained her wits. Without asking, he begins scanning her for injuries.

RUAN: I'm fine, Doctor. (holds up blackened rifle) My rifle'll never be the same….

Once Piper has made the rounds, Mitchell hefts up his rifle, motioning for his subordinates' attention.

MITCHELL: Recess is over, boys and girls. Hup to.

As the MACOs resume their stride, Mitchell stops Ruan and waves her over.

RUAN: Yes, Commander?

MITCHELL: If it hadn't been for you, Major, my goose would have literally been cooked. Thank you.

RUAN: It doesn't seem to have done you much good, Commander.

MITCHELL: Still, it's better to be dying than dead. (grimaces) God, disruptor blasts really smart.

RUAN: You should follow Dr. Piper's advice, Commander. Return to the Enterprise. I can handle the mission from here.

MITCHELL: I wouldn't even make it to the shuttlebay. Piper knows it, I know it. (beat) You familiar with the ancient Terran song "Rock of Ages"?

RUAN: I can't say I am.

MITCHELL: "It's better to burn out than to fade away."

Turning on his heel, Mitchell leaves Ruan to make his way back to the head of the group.

INT. STARBASE 104/LEVEL 10/CORRIDOR #1

At the end of this corridor, the door into the turbolift shaft stands open. Peeking up over the bottom edge of the door, Mitchell brings his rifle up and over, scoping the corridor for enemy agents.

MITCHELL: It's clear.

Mitchell climbs out of the shaft and into the corridor, followed quickly by Ruan, Piper, and the remaining five MACOs.

PIPER: (takes environmental readings) I'm not registering contaminants in the air. It should be safe to breathe, if a trifle stale.

MITCHELL: You heard the doc; you can open your helmets.

They all retract the faceplates of their helmets.

MITCHELL: (reactivates map) The armory's three corridors down. Let's go.

INT. STARBASE 104/LEVEL 10/CORRIDOR OUTSIDE ARMORY

The landing party soon comes to the armory. At the door they spy SIX KLINGON WARRIORS. Halting, Mitchell throws up his hand for the others to do likewise. With another gesture, he motions them to spread out and plant themselves out of sight. Each seven-feet tall, humanoid in form, armed with heavy disruptor rifles, and encased head-to-toe in black armour which makes them look like Samurai warriors fused with emperor scorpions, even a blind man can see the Klingons are dangerous opponents who will not surrender or go down without a brutal fight.

MITCHELL: (pulls out stun grenade; arms it) Just a little gift from Starfleet, boys.

Kissing the grenade, Mitchell lobs it out into the midst of the Klingon warriors. The Klingons quickly take notice of the grenade, bark guttural Klingon proclamations through the filters of their helmets, and are quickly overtaken by the grenade's wave of bright, green energy. Protected by their heavy armour, the Klingons remain conscious, albeit incredibly weakened and unsteady on their feet. Allowing the warriors no chance to recover, Mitchell and Ruan jump out of hiding, opening fire with their phaser rifles. The blue phaser beams pierce the black suits of armour with a minimum of effort; with sharp CRIES of quick pain, the Klingons fall.

Crossing to the armory door, Mitchell quickly looks it over. Finding an intercom beside it, he pops the front panel open, exposing the inner workings of the powerless device.

MITCHELL: I need the generator over here.

One of the MACOs, saddled with a heavy pack, joins Mitchell by the door. Opening the pack, he fishes out a portable generator. Taking the power cords, Mitchell hooks them up to the intercom.

MITCHELL: Alright, turn it on.

The MACO flips a switch and a current of energy begins flowing into the intercom panel. The inner workings of the intercom light up.

MITCHELL: (activates intercom) This is Gary Mitchell, Starfleet lieutenant commander, serial number HE5095C21922, first officer of the USS Enterprise. I'm here with an armed escort; we're here to take you back to the Enterprise. If you can, respond.

Mitchell gives whoever is on the other side a chance to respond. The intercom remains silent.

MITCHELL: (to MACO) Can we cut through this door?

MACO #2: This door's solid beresium. Even a disruptor at full power wouldn't burn through.

Right then, the intercom CRACKLES.

RAND: (O.S.; weak) Commander?

MITCHELL: I'm here. Who's this?

RAND: (O.S.) Janice Rand, Starfleet petty officer, 1st class, serial number CU4729D20023. (beat) How do I really know you're Starfleet?

MITCHELL: You'll just have to take my word for it, Ms. Rand.

RAND: (O.S.) I suppose so. (beat) I've unsealed the lock; you have to open the door.

Working with the MACOs, Mitchell attaches a mechanical apparatus to the door. With it, they pull the door open, allowing access to the armory.

INT. STARBASE 104/ARMORY

Mitchell enters the armory. Beside the door, half-leaning, half-lying against the intercom, is the barely conscious Janice Rand, a respirator affixed over her mouth and nose. Beyond her are FOURTEEN FIGURES, all laid out prone about the compartment, many of them wearing respirators like Rand's. As we can ascertain from the life readings taken by S'Pock earlier, at least eight of them are already dead.

MITCHELL: Doctor, get in here.

Piper rushes in. Moving in on Rand, he begins taking her readings.

PIPER: She's suffering from oxygen deprivation.

Grimacing in pain, Mitchell clutches his injured side.

MITCHELL: (groans) I can see that, Doc. Give her something to help.

Taking his hypospray, Piper injects the young woman with tri-ox compound. Almost immediately, she begins coming around. The doctor goes to attend to the other living patients.

MITCHELL: (to Rand) You well enough to stand?

RAND: (removes respirator) Yes, I ...

Still woozy, Rand almost collapses. Mitchell is quick to brace her up, but at the expense of causing more pain through his side.

MITCHELL: (grimaces; to MACOs outside) C'mon, lend us a hand!

Ruan and the other MACOs enter. As they go to help the survivors to their feet, we can see amongst their number the Betazoid science officer and Capt. Quloob himself.

MITCHELL: (to Rand) You think you're ready to handle a weapon?

RAND: I believe so, yes.

MITCHELL: Then grab yourself a phaser rifle.

Leaving Mitchell's side, Rand crosses over to a gun rack holding several type-2 phaser pistols. Taking one of the pistols, she then moves over to a rack holding separate rifle emitters. Taking an emitter, she interlocks the two components, converting the pistol into a complete type-3 phaser rifle.

MITCHELL: (to other survivors) If any of you are good enough to go, outfit yourselves with rifles, too. We're moving out.

INT. STARBASE 104/LEVEL 10/CORRIDOR #1

The landing party and the starbase survivors make their way back through the corridor en-route to the open turbolift shaft.

MITCHELL: Captain, when did the Klingons attack?

CAPT. QULOOB: Six days ago? Seven? (shakes head) I'm sorry. I'm not sure.

MITCHELL: You have any idea why they attacked?

CAPT. QULOOB: I have some idea, yes.

MITCHELL: Would you care to divulge that information, Captain?

CAPT. QULOOB: In due time, Commander.

Frowning, Mitchell prepares to press the Tellarite further, but doesn't get the chance. As they round a bend in the corridor, they find FIVE KLINGON HUNTER-SEEKERS — floating, tri-winged weapons equipped with single green sensors for vision and disruptors secured to their undercarriages for offense/defense — waiting for them at the end of the corridor.

MITCHELL: (jumps back) Hunter-seekers! Get back!

One of the hunter-seekers fires its disruptor, but the landing party and starbase survivors both avoid the disintegrating beam. Bringing up her rifle, Rand opens fire on the attacking hunter-seeker, keeping the blue beam trained upon the dangerous device. The weapon's in-built deflector shield holds for five seconds before winking out; then it's blown it to smithereens.

Backing away, the Starfleet personnel flee back up the corridor as the hunter-seekers gain chase.

INT. STARBASE 104/LEVEL 10/CORRIDOR #2

Blue and green beams crisscross the length of the corridor, forming a beautiful but deadly light show. Hunter-seekers and Starfleet personnel are both cut down in the rain of death.

Hoisting up the grenade launcher, Ruan turns to one of her men.

RUAN: Proximity grenade, double-quick!

Fishing out a proximity grenade, the MACO hands it to the major. Taking the grenade, she hurriedly arms it and just as hurriedly slides it into the launcher. Finding the approaching hunter-seekers in her scope, she grits her teeth and pulls the trigger. Rocketing forward, the proximity grenade enters the swarm of hunter-seekers. Detecting the Klingon weapons, it detonates; with an immense explosion of pure white light, the hunter-seekers and surrounding corridor are reduced to fine debris.

Just as she's almost ready to let down her guard, a green disruptor beams flashes past the tough major, barely missing her left arm, demolishing the grenade launcher in her hands instead. Taking her phaser rifle, she spins around to her left. In an adjoining corridor, NINE KLINGON WARRIORS are on approach. Grimacing, she shoots a Klingon warrior right through his disruptor rifle, into his gut, returning the favour.

INT. STARBASE/LEVEL 10/CORRIDOR #3

On the run from the armoured Klingon warriors, the Starfleet personnel enter this new corridor. Most of their number has now been lost to the Klingons. Of the landing party, only Mitchell, Ruan, Piper, and two MACOs remain; of the starbase personnel, only Quloob, Rand, the Betazoid, and a handsome female lieutenant with short blond hair.

BETAZOID SCIENCE OFFICER: There's a transporter in this section! We can use it to escape!

RUAN: Any non-Klingon uses that transporter will find themself reduced to protoplasm.

BETAZOID SCIENCE OFFICER: I can reverse whatever tampering they've done to the system. I need only time to do it.

MACO #3: (skeptical) Time? Well….

INT. STARBASE 104/TRANSPORTER ROOM

The Starfleet personnel enter a transporter room. As Ruan and her two men brace themselves against the open door to lay down cover fire, Mitchell collapses to his knees, finally succumbing to his injuries.

RUAN: Commander!

Coming to Mitchell's aid, the major helps him back to his feet.

MITCHELL: (pained; to Betazoid) Alright, Lieutenant, if you can do it, do it now.

The science officer goes to the transporter console. Whipping out his comcorder, he jacks it into the console. He begins running through the software, reversing the Klingons' reprogramming.

As the Betazoid works at the console, the Klingons steadily advance towards the transporter room. One of the two MACOs stationed by the door is hit by disruptorfire, and he goes down with a scream, his phaser rifle hitting the deck with a CLATTER as the molecules of his body break apart. Pulling away from Ruan, Mitchell takes the place of the fallen MACO, opening fire on the Klingon warriors amassed in the outside corridor.

RUAN: (edgy) Commander —!

MITCHELL: Stay back, Major!

The sabotage undone, the Betazoid uncouples his comcorder from the console.

BETAZOID SCIENCE OFFICER: We're good to go!

CAPT. QULOOB: Everyone on the transporter pad!

As Piper, Quloob, Rand, and the blonde lieutenant hurry to climb atop the transporter pad, Ruan hesitates, eyes fixed on her commanding officer.

MITCHELL: (to MACO beside him) With the others, Private.

MACO #4: But sir —

MITCHELL: (interrupts) That's an order, Private.

With reservation, the MACO crosses over to the transporter. Mitchell notices Ruan staring at him.

MITCHELL: You, too, Major.

Frowning, Ruan strides up to Mitchell, seemly unaware of or unconcerned with the danger posed by the incoming disruptorfire.

MITCHELL: (angry) Major, maybe you didn't hear me. I gave you a direct order. Join the others on the transporter pad now.

RUAN: All due respect, Commander ...

Balling her gauntleted right hand into a fist, Ruan punches Mitchell hard in the face, knocking him out cold.

RUAN: (cont'd) go to hell.

Hefting Mitchell's limp form up and over her shoulder, the major scrambles over to the transporter pad, joining the others there.

BETAZOID SCIENCE OFFICER: (activates transporter) Energizing.

As a low HUM begins emanating from the transporter, the science officer leaves the controls. Unfortunately for the Betazoid, an armoured Klingon warrior enters the room, disintegrating him with one shot from his disruptor rifle. The Klingon then trains his weapon on the transporter control console. Rand brings him into her scope, shooting him right through the helmeted head, but not in time to keep him from blowing the console away.

A transport beam — weak, nearly colourless — coalesces around the people standing on the pad. As the Starfleet personnel are converted into energy, the transport beam begins flickering erratically.

INT. ENTERPRISE/TRANSPORTER ROOM

In the transporter room, SLt. Kyle stands over the controls, eyes fixed on the transport beam before him. Like its twin on Starbase 104, it, too, is ephemeral and nigh-colourless. Furrowing his brow, he tries boosting the signal, but to little avail.

KIRK: (enters room) What's happening, Mr. Kyle?

KYLE: Someone's trying to beam in, sir, from the starbase. The signal's incredibly weak.

KIRK: Have you tried boosting the signal from our end?

KYLE: Yes, sir.

Several tense moments pass, with the tenuous transport beam coming to the brink of discorporating, Finally, the transfer goes through; the landing party and starbase survivors successfully materialize on the transporter pad without a single molecule displaced.

Leaving Kyle, the starship captain approaches the survivors. He grows anxious when he notices Mitchell's unconscious form braced against Ruan.

KIRK: (worried) Gary‽ What happened‽

PIPER: He took a disruptor hit. If I don't get him to sickbay right now he's going to die.

KIRK: Do it.

Kirk moves aside to let Piper and Ruan pass with Mitchell. The captain then turns to regard the other beam-overs. It is at that very moment he meets the eye of Yn. Rand. For an instant, there's an immediate connection between them — an unconscious sense of mutual familiarity and recognition — but it is just as quickly broken, gone as if it had never been.

INT. ENTERPRISE/SICKBAY

Piper and Ruan enter the sickbay, Mitchell's limp form held between them. Already in wait for them is a contingent of nurses.

PIPER: Help us get his armour off.

Moving in, the nurses assist Piper and Ruan with the removal of Mitchell's body armour. Once that is done, they carry him over to a biobed, laying him down on it. One of the nurses takes up a pair of scissors and cuts open the front of the lieutenant commander's black bodysuit; pushing it aside, the nasty disruptor wound on Mitchell's torso is revealed. The nurses quickly administer an anesthetic and disinfect the wound.

NURSE #1: A disruptor blast?

PIPER: (removes helmet & gauntlets) Yes. Thank God it was a glancing hit. (to Nurse #4) Hand me the laser scalpel.

NURSE #4: Aren't we going to use the cellular regenerator, Doctor?

PIPER: (shakes head) The hemorrhaging is too extensive. We'll have to go in with a protoplaser if we're to stop the bleeding.

The nurse hands Piper the laser scalpel. Activating the tool, the doctor begins making the incision.

PIPER: (to Mitchell) As for you, you pig-headed son of a bitch, you'd better not die on me.

INT. ENTERPRISE/CORRIDOR OUTSIDE SICKBAY

Kirk is standing outside sickbay, anxiously awaiting news on Mitchell's condition. The sickbay door slides open and Dr. Piper walks out, expression stoic.

KIRK: Doctor, how is he?

PIPER: I managed to stop the internal bleeding and heal the most grievous damage, but it was a serious injury….

KIRK: (grabs Piper by shoulders) Give it to me straight, Doctor.

PIPER: His condition's been stabilized, but I can't say with any certainty that it'll improve.

Swallowing audibly, Kirk releases his grip on the doctor.

KIRK: Can I see him?

PIPER: Yes.

INT. ENTERPRISE/SICKBAY

Kirk walks over to Mitchell's biobed. The lieutenant commander, lying prone atop the bed with a sheet pulled up to his bandaged torso, looks peaceful in his unconsciousness.