Chapter 10
Ashes to Ashes
Emily Gillyflower's jaw dropped when she saw the Dalek fleet firing at each other. Her plan was now nothing more than a joke. Worst still her Klingon crew members were now doubting her. She needed to keep their mind on the job at hand.
"Arm all remaining weapons" she demanded "and set an attack course for the star base".
That tactical officer looked at Gillyflower then did as he was told. However the ships power flickered. The tactical console went dead.
"Mistress, I have no weapons" he said.
Emily got to her feet and put her hands into a fist shape.
"CLARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRA!"
Down in the engine room Clara and Rose were very busy shutting down all major systems, main power was offline and the shields and weapons gone. The P'Kck was now an easy target for the Enterprise, who could come in and beam over an armed away team.
"I think we have done everything" said Rose as she looked at a layout of the ship. "But I better be sure that the relays are down. I can't afford them to bypass everything".
"Access tube seven gamma" said Clara pointing to an access hatch. "You need to take the third turn"
"How did you know that?" asked Rose.
"It's up there" said Clara pointing at the layout Rose had just been looking at.
"You are smart. I can see why he likes you".
Clara smiled and watched as Rose moved through the small access hatch and moved her way out of view.
However seconds after Rose had gone. Clara heard a door behind her slide open. She turned and gasped.
"Emily".
"Captain" said Sulu. "The Klingon ship has come to a dead stop. Her shields are down and so are her weapons"
"What?" asked Kirk walking over to Sulu's console and taking a look.
"Their main power grid is offline" reported Spock.
A large grin appeared on Kirk's face. He knew it could only have been Clara, meaning The Doctor's plan worked.
"Beam Clara back right now" he commanded.
"Keptin, I am sorry we can't" said Chekov. "The Transporter array is down"
"Of course. The array uses power from the deflector relays" said Kirk.
"I am afraid Miss Oswald is trapped over there, unless we can repair the deflector" said Spock.
"Get onto it Spock" ordered Kirk.
"So here we are" Emily hissed as she aimed a disruptor at Clara. "Just like old times"
"In the Old Times you never used a disruptor" sneered Clara.
"Times have changed Oswald. War is coming and Starfleet can't see it"
"War is coming. Listen to yourself"
"NO!"
Emily fired her disruptor at the bulkhead that Clara stood next too. She then aimed the gun back at the younger woman.
"I should be the Captain here. Not you"
"Is that a Klingon Captain? Or a Starfleet Captain? Who do you work for?"
"Shut Up Oswald. My Great, Great, Great Grandmother should have killed you the second she laid eyes on you and that Doctor"
"She was too busy trying to make a new world for herself and her Mr. Sweet"
Emily threw her weapon aside and rushed towards Clara. She grabbed the other woman and threw her to the floor and started punching her. Clara who had often been involved in fights with Emily was very use to this and gave her full might. The two rolled around punching each other. However just as Clara had laid a punch that cracked Emily's ribs. She felt a sharp pain in her stomach.
Emily got up and moved towards the main engineering console. Clara lay there and moved her hands down to her stomach and felt something warm and wet.
"You stabbed me" gasped Clara as she raised her blood covered hand.
"Well I must be more Klingon than Starfleet" gasped Emily who by now knew she had a collapsing lung. "But I still can complete this mission"
Clara dragged herself across the floor. She could see the access hatch where Rose had gone through.
"Warning Anti-matter coolant pump closed and locked. Core temperature rising. Core breach in 80 second"
"YOU MONSTER!" yelled Clara. "YOU WOULD KILL ALL THOSE PEOPLE JUST TO PROVE A POINT!"
"Yep" said Emily as she collapsed to the floor. "War...Is...Here". With those last few words, Emily collapsed to the floor and closed her eyes.
"Captain" said Spock showing no sign of worry as he reported. "The Klingon's core is overloading. It has less than 50 seconds"
Kirk jabbed the intercom "Kirk to Scotty I need Transporters"
"Captain I need another hour at least".
"Mr Scott we need to beam Clara back now"
"Captain you're not going to be beaming anyone over right now. The Dish is still offline"
Kirk's heart started to race. He ran across the bridge to Spock's station. "Dam you pointy eared bustard. Find me away to get Clara back".
"Jim...I can't"
Rose finally returned apron hearing the alarms that came from the engine room. She saw Clara lying on the floor, blood covering the left side her of blouse. Emily lay dead only a few feet away.
"Clara?"
Rose ran over to Clara and held her in her arms. She watched as Clara opened her eyes and gasped in pain.
"The core" she muttered. "If it explodes here"
Rose let Clara down gently then ran to the console Emily had used. She quickly used the last amount of power to bring the thrusters online. She moved the ship so instead of it heading for the Star base. It would head out into open space.
"So cold" said Clara whose eyelids were now half closed. "So weak"
Rose returned to Clara's side. "Shh you will be fine" she said.
"Rose...Tell...The...Doctor...I...Love..." Clara closed her eyes; she went all limp and stopped breathing.
"I know" said Rose. "I know"
Just then the core finally reached critical heat and exploded. The blast ripped the ship apart from the inside out.
On the Enterprise Bridge Kirk, Carol, Uhura, Sulu and Chekov all gasped as the P'Kck exploded.
"Clara" Kirk said.
Uhura felt tears running down her face. She went to dry them with her hand but felt someone else's hand grasp hers. She looked over to see Spock standing there. His eyes locked on the view screen as well.
Kirk lowered his head. Never in his life had he felt so much love for a girl, or even show that much love back to a girl. Clara was special to him. His life would never be the same.
"Engineering to Bridge. The Deflector is now working again sir".
"Too little too late" thought Kirk.
"Mr Sulu" he said, his voice shook with emotion. "Take us home".
"Aye sir" said Sulu. But Kirk was already stepping into the turbolift and leaving the bridge.
Earth Year 2381
"Clara?"
Clara Oswald opened her eyes and found herself looking up at the ceiling in sickbay. She looked down to see the grey and black Starfleet uniform she was wearing. But how did she get here, and more importantly, Where was here?
"Clara?"
The Eleventh Doctor's face appeared over her. He smiled at her when she reached up and adjusted his bow tie.
"You had me worried there for a second".
"Did I?"
"You were out for a good hour" said The Doctor as he helped Clara sit up. "Must have been one hell of a discharge".
It then all came back to Clara. She knew where she was. Who she was and more importantly who The Doctor was to here.
"Well got to keep my boyfriend..." for a split second she remembers Kirk.
"Doctor" she said turning on the bed to face him. "I think...Well I am not sure but...I think one of my other selves has just died"
The Doctor shook his head "The EM discharge must have shook up the temporal energy left in your cells. Don't worry you're safe now" he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. He heard her sobbing so he just simply rubbed her back.
"Clara are you ok?" he asked a few minutes later. "We are needed on the bridge. After all Deep Space Nine is only ten minutes away".
Clara nodded "you go. I will catch you up".
The Doctor nodded and walked out of sickbay.
Clara sat back on the biobed and watched a blond haired nurse walking across the room with some medical equipment. Clara shook her head and pulled out a mirror from the equipment tray that was part of the bed frame. She looked into it and adjusted her hair.
"Stunning Oswald" she giggled as she placed the mirror back and left the sickbay.
Unaware to Clara, the blond nurse had been watching her and as soon as Clara left the room she smiled.
"Told you Clara. Told you that you would be ok" said Rose Tyler before fading away.