MAQUIS
Act 31 - Ghost ship
Scene 1
"Chakotay, we have detected a vessel on the long range sensors. It is broadcasting a distress signal on all frequencies."
Chakotay turned to Kathryn, "I think that we should respond and offer whatever help we can."
"Agreed, I'll let the Doctor know so he can get ready for emergency transports."
"She still thinks she's on Voyager with all their resources. We have to look after ourselves," whispered Seska.
"I can't believe that you could be so selfish and egotistical. It is our duty to offer help.
"I was only saying what everyone else is thinking!" sulked Seska.
Ayala couldn't help himself, "Nobody is thinking that except you."
Seska stormed away to her bunk and threw herself on the bed. Stupid humans, their caring, and sharing would get them killed. They hadn't even considered that it could be a trap. Even B'Elanna was on their side. She longed for the order and discipline on a Cardassian ship, where everyone knew their place.
B'Elanna stood in the doorway, "Are you coming to get something to eat or are you going to keep sulking."
"Go and talk to your new friends. I didn't think Klingons bothered about compassion."
"It's about honour, not emotions. I thought that Bajorans were a spiritual and peaceful people."
"Don't believe everything you hear!"
Scene 2
Chakotay asked Kathryn to check out the distressed ship and find out what had happened to the crew. If they were dead he needed to know what dangers were in front of them.
"Who will I take?"
"Take Astra, B'Elanna and Tom."
I thought you didn't like Tom?" joked Kathryn, "I believe you wanted to dump him on a nearby planet after I rescued him."
Chakotay smiled, "He's growing on me. He has some good qualities and he is a damn good pilot."
"What do you think happened to the crew?" asked Kathryn.
"I hate to speculate - it could be an attack but there is only a little damage to the ship. Perhaps there was an attempt to hijack the ship?"
"It is a larger ship with a more sophisticated weapons system. I would like B'Elanna to inspect the engine. There may be parts we can salvage."
Chakotay was thinking about swapping ships but he had a bad feeling about the other vessel. Everything on the ship seemed to be in full working order so he wanted to know why the crew abandoned it?
"Be careful when you are over there, we will keep a transporter lock on everyone. Kathryn, could you inventory the contents of the ship including their stores. We need to investigate the disappearance of the crew. Afterward, we will have a meeting about leaving the Val Jean behind."
As soon as they materialised on the abandoned ship, they went to work. Tom and Kathryn started their inventory at opposite ends of the ship. Astra's orders were to look for clues to discover why the crew abandoned their ship.
Kathryn started on the third deck of the ship. She opened a large, metal door to find the Mess hall. There were tables still set with plates but the food was in various stages of decay. The liquid in the glasses was growing an interesting strain of penicillin. She went in search of the food stores. Any tinned or dry food would be a welcome addition to their food stores. She jumped when she heard a loud, crashing noise behind her. Her heart started to race and she could feel adrenaline flooding through her body.
Kathryn ran to investigate without thinking, as Tom or Astra might have had an accident. She searched the whole deck but there was nobody there apart from her. She had to sit down for a moment because she was shaking so much. Chakotay was right, there was a strange atmosphere on the ship. She didn't scare easily.
Kathryn returned to the stores and made a note of the quantity of salt, flour, and sugar left on the shelves. There was even a substance that smelt like coffee.
Tom was working his way through the crew's quarters. He felt like a voyeur so he left everything alone apart from the technology. Everything pointed towards the crew not leaving voluntarily. There were clothes thrown over the beds and on the floor. Nobody had begun to pack. Most of the rooms looked like the occupants had just stepped out for a moment.
Tom was looking at a mirror when he noticed a sudden movement out of the corner of his eye. He ran down the corridor and saw a figure turn the corner. After searching every room on that deck, he had to admit that he was the only living being there. Tom returned to his inventory but he had a strong feeling that he was being watched. It was a complete mystery how the whole crew could disappear into thin air. Although he didn't think that this mystery would have a happy ending.
As soon as Astra set foot on the ship she knew that the crew hadn't left. As she moved around she could hear laughter and snippets of conversation. There were strong emotions swirling around the inside of the ship. She could sense violence, terror, and fear. A figure tried to break through the veil but faded away just as it started to take shape.
How could she explain that she knew that the crew was still there to Chakotay and the crew? She knew that Chakotay was a spiritual man. His tribe believed in the spirits of nature, it would make the explanation a little easier. After the completion of all their tasks, they met on the Bridge to transport back to the Val Jean. Nobody mentioned their personal mysterious incidents.
Scene 3
Chakotay was disturbed when the group returned without saying a word.
He stopped Kathryn from leaving, "After dinner. I'll clear the Mess then we can talk about our options."
"You were right about the strange atmosphere on the ship. I believe the crew was attacked by an unknown entity and they didn't stand a chance," said Kathryn
Chakotay decided, "I'll take Ayala with me and we will scan the ship for DNA tomorrow."
"Are you superstitious?" asked Kathryn.
"I believe there are mysteries which defy science and pure logic. Do you believe that something evil attacked the crew?
"I am a scientist. I need proof before I accept an explanation. Yet I can't ignore the feeling that the crew is dead."
Kathryn noticed that Astra was standing outside the door waiting to talk to Chakotay.
Kathryn stood up, "We'll finish this conversation later."
She grinned at Astra as she left, "He's all yours."
Astra sat down opposite Chakotay but didn't say a word, to begin with.
Chakotay smiled to encourage her to talk, "What happened over there? I have a feeling that you're going to be the one to tell me."
"Your tribe believe in the spirits, Captain? I heard that you have a spirit guide in the form of an animal."
Chakotay laughed, "My people talk to the spirits like old friends."
"The spirits of the crew are stuck on the ship until they tell someone their story."
"I don't think that we have any mediums on board so how can we help them?
"I can make a rough device like a holo-emitter that should give them enough energy to appear."
"Take any materials you need apart from those that are essential to the smooth operation of the ship."
Astra stood up, "Aye Captain, I will find the materials tonight. I should have a working model finished by tomorrow."
Scene 4
Kathryn covered Astra's shift while she built her device. It didn't take her long because the lights were the only working part of the contraption. The whole crew wanted to see the spectacle so Chakotay put names into a hat and drew lots. Seska was the only one who wasn't interested.
Chakotay, Kathryn, Ayala, Hogan and B'Elanna beamed over to the abandoned ship. They rigged up a camera so everyone could see what was happening on the Bridge. Astra switched the lights on her machine then sat down beside it. She composed herself the opened her senses for the spirits to use.
At the beginning the images were faint then they started to develop slowly. Astra watched the Bridge crew arrive for their shift. They were a cheerful people, joking and laughing with each other. Astra had never seen this species before. They were humanoid beings with delicate blue skin. Their most astonishing features were their eyes. They were bigger than human eyes with irises that were a glistening purple.
The Captain had a meeting with his officers then some of them left the Bridge. A female entered the Bridge with a child. He ran to the Captain and gave him a big hug. His minder took him off the Bridge to allow the Captain to do his job.
One of the Work Stations had a fault so they sent for an engineer. He repaired it quickly and left. So far everything appeared normal - no signs of anything out of the ordinary.
Astra expected to hear their conversation but they were silent. It took her a few minutes to work out that they were telepathic. She opened her senses a little further so she could hear their non-verbal communication. As an ancient, Astra had an ability to understand all languages. One of the stations reported that there was a vessel on an intercept course. It didn't alarm them because they didn't recognise the vessel. The Captain only sounded the alarm as a routine precaution. Every member of the Bridge crew was at their stations, waiting for their orders. The Captain and his First Officer were glued to the screen.
Then the image shook and sparks flew from some of the stations. They were under attack. Astra couldn't work out why the ship would fire on them without provocation. They did everything they could to protect themselves. The Captain tried evasive maneuvers in an attempt to outrun them. As soon as they exhausted their arsenal of weapons It seemed that the Captain ran out of options.
Two Vidiians appeared on the Bridge. After they scanned everyone on the Bridge, their organ harvest began. The aliens didn't stand a chance. As their organs were removed from their bodies, they crumpled to the floor without a sound. The Vidiians systematically worked their way through the ship with quiet efficiency. Nobody resisted because they had no idea that horrors like this species existed.
There were children on board the ship in a school room. The teacher put her finger to her lips as she directed the children to hide in a cupboard. She sat down at her desk waiting to die. The Vidiians opened the door and killed her in a second. Everyone watching closed their eyes because they knew what was going to happen next.
One of the children sneezed which lead the Vidiians straight to the cupboard. They vaporized the children until there was no trace of them. The Vidiians couldn't use their organs but they didn't want to leave any witnesses.
Finally, they cleaned up after their slaughter. All the crew's remains were eradicated then they left the ship. The Captain appeared for a few minutes. He told Astra that they could have the ship if they visited their homeworld to tell the relatives how they died. Their fleet of ships had to be warned to stay clear of the Vidiians. Astra admired his determination to save others from suffering the same fate.
Everyone returned to the Val Jean in a sombre mood. Nobody spoke during dinner and returned to their rooms alone. B'Elanna was lying on her bunk when Seska showed her sensitive side again.
"You are all acting like the crew were your best friends. You didn't know them so why are you all in mourning?"
"There was no honour in the way they died. The didn't get a chance to fight to the death. Those monsters slaughtered them like cattle. I don't think I will ever forget the way they were killed and fell to the ground before they could scream."
Scene 5
Chakotay called a meeting to discuss whether they should take the abandoned ship. Kathryn and Ayala had downloaded the ship's databases to look for the alien's home world. They needed the coordinates.
"The ship is comparative to an intrepid-class starship. It has a crew complement of one hundred and forty. Its top speed is warp nine and B'Elanna believes that it could go faster. It is well stocked with weapons."
"I can see one a major problem Captain. there are only sixteen members of the crew including you," stated Hogan.
"Yes, we will have to recruit new crew members but we can do that as we visit other star systems on our way home."
"I'll vote yes if it means we can have our own quarters," joked B'Elanna.
Chakotay continued, "We have to visit the Alien's home planet to meet their last wishes."
"Kathryn and Ayala have voted 'yes' so let's put it to a vote. Do you want to take over the abandoned ship."
The vote was unanimous.
"Excellent choice, there is a lot of work to do so let's get on with it."