210
Parvac greeted Macen in a cargo bay, "Welcome Captain. Please feel free to consider this ship a secondary home."
"Most generous." Macen replied, "However, I can see why you'd find this ship to be home, but its alien soil to me."
Parvac chuckled, "Men like you and I make our homes aboard the ships we serve. If you were to serve aboard this vessel, you would make a home here."
Macen rubbed his hairy chin before answering, "You're probably right."
Parvac slapped Macen on the shoulder, "Of course I am."
"You've really gotten into this being human thing haven't you?" Macen enquired and Parvac laughed.
"So, how is Hannai?" Parvac asked, using Grace's Kelvan name.
"She's doing well." Macen remarked, "Remarkably well considering what she's given up."
"The choice was hers to make." Parvac replied in return.
"I think, for her, she made the right one." Macen admitted, "She'd been away from your people for so long and assimilated so well, I think she eventually feared rejoining you. She's sitting on the bridge of my ship right now dreading the very idea that she may be summoned to partake in our discussions."
"Then perhaps we should summon her." Parvac said gruffly, "No Kelvan should cower in fear."
"You forget," Macen warned, "That unlike Rojan and his crew and unlike your recent arrivals, she was born human with all the emotions and sensations that go along with it. You've had weeks, and in Rojan's scouts' case, year to slowly adjust. Grace was born this way with no memory of how it felt to be a true Kelvan. In addition to that, she's lived amongst true humans for ten years. In the human world, fear is a daily experience. What hallmarks a person is how they deal with that fear. She's afraid but she'd come if she were called. That sets her apart in my estimation."
"It is strange, I feel for her. I feel…pity is the emotion I believe I am after." Parvac revealed.
"Welcome to your own human experience." Macen grinned.
Parvac nodded, "Maybe so. Now let's adjourn to our tactical centre and see this information you are carrying."
Before departing the Obsidian, Macen had picked up T'Kir's microcomputer and all the original isolinear data rods containing the translation matrixes and the Herzet and Omicron data. Warned by Grace that the Kelvan ships would be twenty degrees cooler, he'd worn his flight jacket. It was a waist length, black leather coat that was favoured by Starfleet fighter crews. It possessed a Mandarin collar and a zippered front with buckled straps as a back up. The straps led to a "rib cage" that sported raised leather strips that the straps merged into. The flat strips melded seamlessly into the flat panel's that comprised the back of the jacket.
Parvac complimented Macen on his choice of attire. Macen didn't understand why until he saw various Kelvan crewmen carrying on about their business. They wore synthetic uniform blouses styled in a similar fashion. The Kelvan uniform looked remarkably like the Starfleet uniform of the late 23rd and early 24th centuries. Only there's was composed of some kind of black leather. The uniform also clasped its front flap with D-ring buckles like Macen's jacket.
Like Macen, all the Kelvans were armed. Only they were armed with their seemingly limitless Attuners, the mysterious devices that translated thoughts into reality. Fortunately, the Kelvans had to understand the make up of an object or being in order to affect it. They could also transport others across vast distances if they knew the exact coordinates of the destination. It explained why a technologically advanced species such as the Kelvans had never attempted to construct a transporter.
Despite the Kelvans' proclaimed openness, their insistence upon Macen's beaming over to a cargo bay retained their secrets. Those secrets included the locations of their bridge and other vital centres. After a turbolift ride to parts unknown, Macen was led to an anonymous door. The door opened akin to a French door and the ship's Tactical Centre stood revealed.
The space was a semicircle, rounded at one end and square at the other. The square end possessed a table with various controls on a lower lip beneath the table's edge. The circular part of the room was set up almost identically as the Herzet holomap room. A central projector dominated the centre of the area.
Various controls, monitors and stations encircled the room's central features. A half-dozen Kelvans stood post at various stations. Three Kelvans stood around the table. Parvac headed for the table.
Parvac stopped and held up a hand towards Macen, "This is Captain Brin Macen. Present yourselves."
A fair-haired man of indeterminate age held out his hand, "This is the traditional greeting, yes?"
Macen grasped the man's hand, "Perfectly executed."
The man seemed relieved, "I am Kiln."
A woman with the same timeless quality approached and shook Macen's hand, "I am Rea."
The third, an apparent youth eagerly approached as soon as Rea stepped back, "I'm Gozer. Is my syntax correct?"
Macen patted him on the shoulder, "You're doing fine."
"Can you tell us about the Federation?" Gozer blurted, "We have so many questions."
"Gozer!" Parvac admonished, "We are here to conduct military business not engage in some kind of comparative history class."
Gozer bowed his head, "I apologise. My fate is yours to decide."
Parvac smiled, "I believe I can forgive one such outburst due to your youthful exuberance and the nature of our guest."
"I'm a refugee the same as you." Macen informed them, "The Federation is my adoptive home, as it can be yours if you so choose."
The prospect excited Gozer. Kiln and Rea were each warily tentative. Parvac's emotions were carefully neutral. At a glance from Parvac, the other three quelled their emotions and adopted blank expressions.
"Captain Macen has brought us information which he claims will reveal a threat to our people." Parvac announced, "I want you to verify or debunk his claims."
Rea approached Macen and held out her hand, "The data please."
Macen handed her a crystal, "This one allows you to translate this one. That one translates this third one and the third one outlines the plan to attack your people."
"We shall see." Rea replied coolly. Gozer accompanied her to a workstation. Kiln stood back and supervised their work.
A few moments later, Rea and Gozer were in a deep discussion with Kiln. Kiln reviewed the data they'd perused. The individual pages of information were only viewed for a few seconds yet the Kelvans felt confident they had a firm grasp on the data being presented.
Kiln approached Parvac and the two stepped aside for a quiet conference. Macen could feel surprise and then outrage emanate from Parvac. When the Kelvan Commander next spoke to Macen, it was with barely contained fury.
"Give us their coordinates and we shall deal with them." Parvac vowed.
"Don't you have to answer to a civilian Chief of State?" Macen wondered.
"Rojan is our civil leader." Parvac described, "He is in charge of our re-education and of constructing domiciles for us all. I am the supreme authority concerning all military matters."
"I see." Macen replied thoughtfully, "Then I ought to tell you, my crew and I will be accompanying you."
"You have done your part." Parvac declared, "Your ship is vastly inferior to ours and will only get in our way. I would not wish to destroy you be accident."
"I don't intend to fight. I plan to reach Omicron and retrieve a fellow officer I left behind." Macen informed him.
"Your officer is lost. Forget him." Parvac said coldly.
"I can't do that." Macen stated firmly, "He'd come back for me. I owe him the same loyalty."
"You are adamant about this?"
"Never more so in my life. In fact, I won't give you the location of Omicron without your permission for us to accompany you." Macen bluffed. The location was found on the Herzet database but they hadn't perused it yet."
"We could force the information from you." Parvac declared.
"You could try." Macen said, "Hannah…Hannai made that mistake once."
"I see." Parvac pondered Macen's words, "We could strike out at your crew."
"A move that would only strengthen my resolve." Macen revealed.
Parvac wrestled with his options. Rea interrupted his ponderings.
"Sir, we've located this 'Omicron'."
Parvac stared at Macen, dumbfounded, "You knew we could find this at any time yet you dared to try and deceive me?"
"Yes." Macen admitted, "I need to be in on this mission."
"Very well." Parvac agreed, "I was about to consent anyway. Your devotion to your crewman is inspiring to my kind. Up until recently we felt no feelings regarding one another whatsoever. A slain or lost officer was simply abandoned to their fate. Yet your conviction to save your man stirs feelings within me I have never encountered before. I cannot ignore this compulsion to accede to your request."
"Thank you." Macen said quietly, "When do we depart?"
"Immediately." Parvac said enthusiastically, " I will take half of my forces. The pickets will remain as well as my other battlecruiser."
"The forces arrayed against you will be formidable." Macen warned.
"I have engaged one of these Omicron cruisers before, remember? This time we will not hold back." Parvac wore a feral smile, "We will take you into one of docking bays for the transwarp voyage there and release you when we engage the enemy. Equitable enough?"
Macen shook Parvac's hand, "That's perfect."
Macen safely returned to the Obsidian. Once aboard, he shared the name of Parvac's battlecruiser. Touting the ominous title of Annihilator, the ship had been built for one purpose. Its redesignated role as a defensive craft had only come about with the near total destruction of the Kelvan race.
Neither Grace nor Parvac had yet discussed what or who had nearly wiped out the galactic wide empire birthed by their ancestors. Parvac had hinted that it stemmed from the Kelvans love of war and conquest. Macen had unleashed that aspect of them and it would be a terrible study to witness how effective they truly were at conquest.
Conquest wouldn't be an adequate term for what Parvac had in mind. His goal was the utter destruction of the Omicron fleet. Macen had to wonder if he was uncaging the beast that would next cast its eye on the Federation. He didn't have time for that concern now. His immediate goal was stopping the Omicrons.
While waiting for the Annihilator's signal to begin the docking procedure, Macen made a swift report to Admirals Drake and Nechayev. He sent the signal just in time for the Kelvans to contact the Obsidian. Grace received their instructions and proceeded to the "underside" of the pedestal that formed the base of the twin towers that comprised the bulk of the battlecruiser. Once there, they found a massive set of doors hanging open for them. Grace manoeuvred the Obsidian into the cavernous space that lay revealed with room to spare. Once there, they placed the impulse engines on stand by and waited for the Kelvans next instructions.
"You mean you're ready to strike but you've just been waiting for a leader?" Daggit asked incredulously.
"You got it in one, mate." Tressib replied, "We've got the manpower for a revolt, we're just lackin' the necessary military skills and leadership."
Daggit could believe it. Despite the Lowlies innate hatred for the Omicrons, they were among the most passive people he'd ever encountered. They had access to the lowest level of the Omicron fortress through a tunnel connecting the Lowlies' domain and the city. They'd never once entered it. Tressib had set up webs there but he never discussed what he did with the wayward Omicrons that became caught in them.
The arachnoid in question was currently polishing off a tub of algae paste. Although Daggit had been forced to subsist on captured Breen rations when caught behind enemy lines, he'd never gained an appreciation for algae paste. After this little adventure was done, he doubted he'd ever eat it again no matter how desperate the situation. He tasted the lie in that vow even as he made it. His conditioning would force him to eat any available foodstuffs on hand.
Tressib put down the algae paste container, "Actually mate, we wuz thinkin' o' askin' you to lead our little revolution."
Daggit had suspected this when Tressib and the other Lowlie leaders began discussing their plans with him but he was still surprised, "You barely know me. What makes you think I'm qualified?"
"Yore a soldier, mate, which is a `elluva lot more than the rest o' us." Tressib argued.
Daggit thought about and then asked, "How many of you are there?"
"All told, there's roughly fifteen hunnert o' us."
"All right, I'll do it." Daggit conceded, "When can you be ready?"
"Try thirty minutes." Tressib said and scuttled off to spread the word.
Daggit checked his ammo. He still had fifty rounds for the grenade launcher, not counting the six in it already. He had his knife. He also had dozens of power packs for his phasers. The phasers had been stripped from him but the packs would make convenient bombs.
Daggit was looking forward to upsetting the Omicrons' daily lives. He imagined that he could maintain a guerrilla war for weeks if need be. Hopefully within that time Starfleet and its allies would be arriving and he would be rescued from his inadvertent incarceration here. The Lowlies were friendly enough but he was a stranger among them. He wanted to return to his unit, his crew…his family.
For twenty-six years, Daggit had belonged to a division, a team, or a defined group. In all that time, he'd never been alone. This was a new experience for him and one that he found to be terrifying. He longed for the simplicity of combat. At least while he was fighting he was incapable of loneliness.
As promised, Tressib had the entire Lowlie community gathered around Daggit in thirty minutes. Daggit surveyed the various adaptations of the Omicron genome and marvelled at the lengths the Omicrons would go to to try and improve their species. Soon Daggit was requesting specific abilities. Those with them presented themselves at the head of the assembled ranks.
Soon, Daggit had designated five divisions of three hundred. One was to remain behind and secure the Lowlie's line of retreat. The other four were tasked with destroying the "super" computer brain and securing the ultramatter relic. This was paramount in the minds of the Lowlies.
They did not wish to see another Lowlie or bioengineered person or thing created through the use of the ultramatter. They were willing to sacrifice all their lives in order to see this goal become a reality. Daggit wouldn't deny them their chance at fulfilling this dream. Instead he was going to do everything in his power to make it a reality.
"Are you ready?" he shouted at the assembled throng.
"Yes!" they shouted back. It least Daggit registered it as a shout. Knowing it was all inside his head just made it hurt. He wondered how T'Kir kept her sanity. He paused and reflected that she didn't always keep her sanity.
He could understand why. Maybe the microbes affected him differently since he wasn't an Omicron but he could read thoughts that weren't associated with speech. All that was required was for the person to be thinking in sentences and Daggit could "overhear" them. The "noise" he was getting from the crowd threatened to overwhelm him.
Daggit shrugged it off and yelled, "Let's go!" and he charged off for the access tunnel with twelve hundred Lowlies in his wake.
In high orbit above Omicron, the Omicron fleet filled the skies and the near space. The bioships floated in space, their fins undulating and their tails twitching. Every Omicron ship was assembled and loaded with their invasion force.
The ships had originally been scheduled for recall in order to bring the Omicron ground forces aboard. The Lord High Ship Liege had joined the fleet and was anticipating a swift and crushing defeat of the expected attack from the Federation and its allies. The information Ezexial had gathered on the Federation, combined with the Omicron's battle tested tactics and weaponry, indicated that this battle would be completely one-sided.
Although there was a lingering doubt based upon the Federation raiders that had effortlessly shrugged off the ion weapons of the pursuing Omicron bioship. The possibility of the Federation having countered the Omicrons' primary weapon was disappointing but the bioships' particle weapons were powerful enough to adequately do the job. The High Ship Liege's oral orifice curled upward into a satisfied smile. This would be a glorious battle that would establish Omicron's return to intergalactic prominence.
"Prepare for transwarp passage." a Kelvan junior officer brusquely informed the crew of the Obsidian. Outside the battlecruiser a transwarp conduit opened up and the Kelvan forces entered the otherworldly passageway that lay revealed before them. The transit took a mere twenty-five minutes to cross the Alpha Quadrant. When the ships emerged, they appeared at the periphery of the debris field filling the system.
"Prepare to disembark." the same officer commanded.
Grace took over the conversation. By the time she finished her discussion the officer was far more polite. The bay doors opened up and the Obsidian's manoeuvring thrusters came to life. When the Federation ship emerged from the bowels of the battlecruiser her impulse engines flared to life and she pushed ahead of the Kelvan squadron.
Macen signalled Parvac, "Give us a five minute lead then follow us in."
Parvac smiled, "You have a canny mind, Captain. I look forward to meeting our enemy beside you."
"So do I." Macen said and cut the transmission, "Take us in Hannah."