April 5th, 2163
Star System CN-16
USS Alvarez
It is fitting that I record this log on the centennial anniversary of mankind's "historic" warp-speed flight. My, even after all these years those words still stir the bile within me. There was nothing historic about it! It marked the death of humanity's love of God and the goodness and righteousness that he stood for. Ever since, we as a culture have become more dependent on these new "technologies" in our daily lives. Each time we make a so called advance, I feel and my followers feel that we lose a part of what makes us human, we lose what we worked so hard to gain through centuries of spiritual progress. The nuclear holocaust of Word War III has been so easily forgotten by many of my fellow humans, well, it certainly hasn't been forgotten by me. It was a warning from God even then that we as a species needed to renounce our unholy ways and return to his Glory. Over a century later, his warnings still fall on deaf ears. Even as the hated Xindi attacked our planet, we still depended on technology and a starship full of heathens to resolve the crisis.
Which brings me to the Enterprise, an unsuitable name for an abomination. A vessel that cruises the stars, looking for "new life and new civilizations," and finding only alien species who wish to dilute our once great culture, species with heretical thoughts about God and religion as a whole. If I have my way, Earth will be rid of all of them. I have captured this starship and will use it as my tool to bring the heathens and heretics to light. God will punish them for their sins, and I will be at his side to watch as he delivers unto them his divine vengeance.
My followers are more capable at piloting this monstrosity than I am. I ordered them to point it towards the center of the galaxy and proceed at its top speed. The God's Favor followers will find God, and we will return to Earth with a force so powerful that nothing, not even an entire fleet of starships will be able to stand in its way. End log.
As Paxton West finished recording the log, he took a moment to say a silent prayer for those whom he and his followers had killed in order to take this vessel. Granted, they were the very heretics the God's Favor movement was fighting against, but Paxton had some room in his heart to forgive them their trespasses. He was sure God would feel the same once they had found him. Paxton wanted only to return humanity to a better time, a time when technology was not a governing factor in their lives. As for the aliens, Paxton knew that God would have no room in his heart for them.
"Your Holiness?" The voice of the movements' High Augur Lynn Dixon filled the captain's office. Apparently she had figured out how to operate the vessels internal communications system. Paxton stood from his seat behind the captain's desk and walked over to the comm. panel near the door.
"Yes, High Augur?" he said, depressing a button to speak.
"Sensors have detected a spatial anomaly just under a light year away. If we continue along our present course we will pass through it in three hours," she reported.
"Have we determined if it is dangerous or not?" Paxton asked.
"Unknown. What are your orders, your Holiness?"
Paxton had a sudden urge. Something deep within his being told him to investigate this phenomenon. He didn't know what it could be, but knew somehow that it was related to God.
"Continue along our present course. We will investigate this anomaly. I'll be on the bridge shortly.
The bridge of the Enterprise-E bustled with the activity of dozens of crewmembers, each doing his or her part to keep the Federation's flagship running in top form. At the center of it all sat Jean-Luc Picard, captain of the vessel for the past seven years. At this moment, the gaze of most of the people occupying the bridge was turned towards the viewscreen, upon which was displayed a massive spatial anomaly.
The Enterprise had been sweeping the CN-16 system for a few days now, and had just discovered the decaying remains of some sort of propulsion trail. Picard had concurred with Chief engineer LaForge that it most definitely wasn't a warp trail. Indeed, it didn't match any known propulsion configuration. Picard had decided to follow it, and now they were here, staring into the gaping, churning maw of a never-before-encountered spatial anomaly.
"Analysis," Picard asked Worf, the acting first officer. Madden was still in sickbay after his episode during the briefing a few days ago. According to Dr. Crusher he was medically fine, but she wasn't ready to release him until she had found out what had caused him to faint.
"Despite a threatening outward appearance, the anomaly doesn't appear to be a danger to the ship. There are standard particles that make up most anomalies, however there does seem to be multiple high concentrations of neutrino particles towards the center of the anomaly." Picard thought for a moment. He had read a report recently that mentioned an anomaly spotted with high concentrations of neutrino particles, but for the life of him he couldn't remember what else that report had contained or who had authored it.
"Mr. Fralax," Picard said, turning towards the science station situated behind and to the right of his command chair, "prepare a class nine probe. I'd like to get a closer look at what's inside." Fralax nodded in response and Picard swiveled back toward the view screen. Something didn't feel right about this, and he was determined to find out what.
"Martin."
It was that voice again, so sweet and sultry, yet so authoritative.
"Wake up."
Martin Madden's eyes shot open and he found himself staring at the blonde woman he had seen briefly in sickbay. As he looked around though, he didn't seem to be in sickbay anymore. He was standing in his spartan quarters on the Enterprise, and the blonde woman was seated on the edge of his bed.
"Who are you?" The woman chuckled, then said, "names have little importance where I come from. But, for the lack of a better label, you may call me Six." She smiled at Madden, then stood up. Martin let his gaze run over her, her beauty captivating him. After a moment though, his Starfleet training re-asserted itself.
"Why are you here?" he asked, as authoritatively as he could. Six only laughed lightly as she walked towards him. She began to circle him, letting her hand trace his shoulders as she went.
"I am here," she began, stopping behind Madden and interlocking her arms around his chest, "to find a long-lost member of my family." Madden tensed at the contact. It had been a long time since he had felt this way, not since-
"What exactly does that mean?" he asked, once again refusing to let her get the better of him. Though he couldn't see her face, he could hear the frown in her voice when she spoke again.
"I have come a long way, Martin. Let's not let this reunion turn sour." Suddenly, he felt her hands grasp his head. A flood of images followed, images Martin had never seen before. "Remember what you are, Madden. Remember, and embrace your identity." Six spoke with an urgency that Martin had never observed in her before. She had always been so in-control, so commanding. Now she seemed desperate, frantic, as if something somewhere had happened and only she knew about it.
The images came faster and faster now. So fast that Martin was unable to discern between them. One that stood out from the rest contained five figures, each wearing an ivory robe and bathed in columns of white light. Another image singled out the central figure, only this time Martin could see his face.
"No, how can this be?" he heard himself scream.
"Remember!!"
Martin tried to block out the vision, but failed. Somehow it was true; somehow, he was staring at himself.
"Blood pressure is dropping," cried an alarmed Nurse Alyssa Ogawa, "we're losing him!" The cry caused Dr. Crusher to dash from her office towards the central diagnostic biobed, grabbing a tray of medical tools as she went. She arrived at Madden's side just as his heart stopped beating.
Slapping her comm. badge she said, "Crusher to bridge, commander Madden has gone in to complete cardiac failure. We are attempting to stabilize. I will update you when I can, Crusher out." Crusher grabbed a laser scalpel. She would get this heart pumping again, even if she had to do it with her bare hands.
Picard had just been about to leave the bridge for sickbay in response to Beverly's call when Worf called to him from the tactical station.
"Captain, I am picking up several new contacts on sensors. Unknown configurations."
"On screen, Mr. Worf." Picard said, quickly returning to his center chair. Beverly would have to wait. The view screen shimmered to life, now depicting three alien ships against the backdrop of the anomaly. Two of the vessels were almost star-shaped; two modules mounted atop one another each with their own long pointed projections. The other ship however, almost resembled a human ribcage, with spider-like projections running along a large central core. Picard marveled at the design, until he saw the two star-shaped ships unleash what appeared to be a payload of missiles.
"Evasive maneuvers!" he called out. Despite the inertial dampeners, he felt the ship lurch slightly as it tried to get out of the way. "Hail them, tell them we mean no harm," he ordered.
"No response," Worf reported, "their comm. system is not operating on any known frequency. Recommend offensive action." Picard had to concur with his officer. He had to defend the ship.
"Mr. Worf, target the lead ship with a brace of quantum torpedoes. Try to hit them at that connecting point between the two modules." Picard hoped that that was a weakness of the ship.
"Captain," now it was Fralax who was speaking, "I am picking up dozens of other contacts, all small fighters heading this way. They're firing!" Picard waited for the ship to be buffeted by dozens of ships firing in tandem, but it never happened.
"Mr. Worf, fire. Mr. Fralax, find out what we were hit with." Picard watched as several of the bright cerulean quantum torpedoes went cruising out towards the large lead ship. He watched as they impacted the central core, and he watched as the ship was torn into two parts by the resulting explosions. Chain reaction explosions began to tear their way through the rest of the ship, before finally there was nothing left but debris. The view screen also showed the fighters that had been "attacking" the Enterprise flying back towards the debris field.
"Jarax, give me an analysis of-," Picard was unable to finish before two blinding flashes of light filled the view screen. When Picard looked again, all of the ships were gone.
"Captain," came Dr. Crusher's voice through Picard's communicator, "I did everything I could, but I regret to inform you that Commander Madden has just died."
Darkness.
Then, Madden felt a hand holding his. He heard voices.
"Breathe through it, breathe through the pain." The voices sounded like a disjointed chorus, and he wondered what was muffling them so.
Then he felt the fluid, encasing his body like a cocoon.
Finally his eyes opened. He was lying in a pool of some kind of viscous substance. Surrounding him were half a dozen people, people he had seen before but he couldn't remember from where. From the back of the crowd emerged Six, though something seemed different about her. She seemed more…real. She knelt down beside the tub and stroked Madden's hair, slick from the fluid in the tub.
"Welcome back to us," she whispered, "number 13."
This was the last part of chapter 2; I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Chapter 3 will be coming in another week or so, so keep checking the site. Sorry to leave you with a cliffhanger here…well, not too sorry. Whether you're enjoying this story or not, leave a review and let me know. Your feedback keeps me going.
