In Service to Questions
by Mirwalker
Chapter Nine"Mr. Gesnard?"
"Yes, Captain?" answered the loaned officer at the top of the Tactical horseshoe, looking up as Picard entered the bridge from his Ready Room.
"Anything on sensors?" asked Picard. He stood before his chair, and looked from the main viewscreen to the excitable ensign.
"No, sir. Still no ship, no planet, nothing. …I would notify you if we found anything."
"Of course, Ensign. No worry." Picard straightened his duty jacket, and took his place at the Center of the ship's nerve center, tapping at his armrest-embedded console. "What's the status of the crew and passenger search?"
"Ninety-eight percent of the crew have been scanned," came the answer from above, along with the sound of rapid taps on the Tactical workstation. "There have been no replicator attempts, and almost sixty percent of the passengers have been scanned. The audit has discovered a few non-functioning identification pins among the evacuees; there may be others."
"Very well, thank you." Picard looked up to the Conn and Ops positions. "Anything of note at your station, Mr. Crusher?"
Wesley rotated to face the Captain. "No, sir. Though being back on the bridge is a nice change from triage duty, sir," he grinned.
"Good to have you back here too, Wesley." Picard allowed a slight smile before nodding the acting ensign back to his work. Will was right, thought Picard to himself, it's the little, familiar things in these extraordinary times…
"Captain!" came the cry from above and behind him.
Crazy times… "Yes, Mr. Gesnard?"
"Sensors showing an unidentified vessel approaching quickly from starboard!"
Picard sat on the edge of his seat, as the rest of the bridge crew also tensed. "Red alert! Details?!"
"Warp signature… matches that of the attack ship from before! She appears to be adjusting to turn ahead of us, as if to run."
"Let's follow, Mr. Crusher! Ops, open a channel to them."
"Channel open."
"Enterprise to alien vessel." Silence beyond the alarm klaxons in the background…
"No response."
"All bands… This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation starship Enterprise. Stand down from your flight, and respond. If you will not talk, we will stop you forcibly." He glanced at the Ops officer again.
"Still nothing."
"Wesley, move us into range, quickly."
The sculpted starship surged forward immediately, quickly making up the distance between it and the smaller ship, even as the forerunner sped in an escape attempt.
"Weapons range now, sir," said Wesley, relishing the adrenaline of the moment.
"Alien vessel, this is the Enterprise. You will get only one warning shot."
"Energy readings match those of the propulsion and weapons from the ship that attacked the Isador; twelve life signs aboard. Also, what appears to be planetary system is coming up on long range sensors ahead," added Gesnard from the rear of the bridge.
"Still no response, sir," from the front.
"Mr. Gesnard, one warning torpedo well ahead and above them, please."
Seconds later, a bright, miniature star burst forth from the neck of the ship and streaked ahead.
In the turbolift en route to a secured side room of Ten Forward, Qosa started visibly, causing the security guards to reach for their weapons. He turned to Troi, ashen. "I'm not alone."
On the viewer, the torpedo nearly blotted out the mystery ship as they hurried along similar flight trajectories. From this rear angle, the Enterprise bridge wouldn't see the ship until the torpedo overtook and exploded above and beyond it harmlessly, yet still close enough to encourage a quick choice of cooperation among the alien vessel's crew.
Instead, the screen showed a bright explosion as the torpedo veered into rather than over the little ship, and both exploded in a sparkling fireball of antimatter, energy and debris.
Picard was on his feet instantly. "What the…!?" He whirled to face the awkward ensign at Tactical. "I ordered a warning shot!"
The ensign at Tactical looked anything but awkward; in fact, he seemed downright pleased. He glowered at Picard, assuring him that, "I am taking care of the problem."
Picard stared aghast at the destructive insolence, as the other members of the bridge crew gaped from their various stations. All eyes were on the smug, short officer at the tallest point on the Bridge.
He took them all in with a glance, reached under the workstation, and began firing on them with the emergency phaser that had been stored there.