USS Enterprise
Excelsior Class Light Cruiser (Refit Variant) NCC-1701-B
Captain's Ready Room
─•~:~•─
The door opened to Black Sheep's Ready Room, and Captain Scott Hathaway walked in quickly, followed behind closely by Major Ginny Tatum, and in a surprise to Yue, Star.
"Hi Yue," Star said with a smile on her face, "I asked Scott if I could experience Quantum Teleportation Technology in Third Dimensional Space. You have a very good system, but it is a little bit inefficient. Later, I'll help explain how to use your transporters to access 9th Dimension Inverted Tramways, so you can beam across galaxies if you want."
Yue stood as Scott quickly took over the Captain's Console. She instead took a seat on the guest couch and replied to Star, "That sounds pretty useful Star. Do you know what's going on here though?"
Star shook her bald head and closed her deep black eyes, "Scott also made me promise not to tell you or Ginny yet until he had a chance to explain things"
"Secure the door, Major," Scott ordered quickly without looking away from the console.
While Ginny quickly hit the door-lock to secure the Ready Room and stood with her Rifle at low ready, Yue looked over at her and asked, "Ginny, do you know what's going on?"
"Nope," Ginny replied simply, too focused on her orders to indulge in speculation.
Scott hit a switch on the console and spoke up next, "Computer, recognize Hathaway, Scott. Captain, Starfleet Authorization 1-Echo."
Black Sheep's harsh male voice answered back, "Code Validated. Captain Scott Hathaway, Recognized"
"Computer, Acknowledge Omega Protocol at 1834 Zulu this Stardate. Advise that the Captain of Enterprise is currently missing and presumed dead. I assume command of this vessel and transfer command orders to Commander Yue Tanaka at 1834 Zulu, this Stardate. Override all executive lockouts and restore full functionality to the bridge" Scott ordered to the computer.
"Input authorization for the transfer of Command Orders" Black Sheep replied.
Scott spoke quickly, "Code 1-1-1-Victor-Alpha"
"Code Validated. USS Enterprise is now under command of Commander Yue Tanaka. All executive lockouts are removed" Black Sheep said once more.
Scott closed the console and looked at Yue, "Okay, you should have full control of the bridge again and every exec function that you need. A few more minutes and the computer would have freaked out and done a silent initiation of the auto-destruct sequence, and even that little code wouldn't have stopped it"
Yue put her arms on the desk and stared at her Captain, "I appreciate that, but I'd also really, really appreciate it if you told me just what the hell is going on here, Scott. Why is Ginny guarding the door and ready to shoot anyone who walks through it? Why is Star here? And what, the fuck, is Omega Protocol?"
Before he could answer, Star poked Ginny on her leg and said, "Don't shoot things, Ginny! You know that isn't nice!"
Ginny shuddered at her ice-cold touch and sighed back at her friend, "Hierarchical Organization Structures and Delegation. Blame the Captain. He ordered me to shoot anyone that comes through the door"
Star stood beside Yue and adopted her pose, holding herself up with both arms, "Scott, you shouldn't order Ginny to shoot things. That isn't nice and it's not a beneficial use of Hierarchical Organization Structures and Delegation!"
"I'm sorry Star, I don't mean to make you upset, but I have my own orders to comply with in this situation. Give me a second to explain it to Yue," Scott replied to the all-powerful girl staring at him with black eyes.
He next looked to Yue, "XO, what do you know about the Lantru Sector?"
Still staring at Scott in turn, she answered, "It's near Andoria, and where we go to practice sub-light piloting. It's impossible to create a stable warp shell there, and until Quantum Communications Tech became a thing, it was also impossible to use subspace comm's out there. We were always told it was part of the natural environment"
"That's true, but it's not because of the environment. You'll learn all this when you pass Captain's Comp, but in the interest of time, I'll give you this part of the test for free. In 2263, Federation Scientists were conducting experiments with a new type of high-energy particle that was detected for the first time that same year. The experiments were successful, for all of thirty seconds" Scott said.
He continued as he entered some more commands into the console, "These new particles, which are called Omega Particles, were stable for about a millisecond. Then they exploded and blew up a space station, a hundred and thirty scientists and four thousand station crew. That station was in Lantru Sector, and it was because of that explosion that subspace was ruptured all to hell, to the point that two hundred years later we still can't use warp drive or subspace comm's out there."
He spun the console around and showed Yue an image of the particle. Yue wasn't much of a physicist, but the particle looked almost perfect to her eyes.
"This is Omega," Scott said, pointing at the image, "We don't know if the particle exists naturally, but with enough high energy colliders and a shitload of Dilithium on hand, it's possible to synthesize what we think is their natural state. It's also possible, with very precisely calibrated equipment, to detect Omega particles in the E-mode polarization band of Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation. These particles are, without exaggeration, the single most powerful substance known to Federation Science"
Scott changed the images, showing some more models of how Omega could be used, "They have an energy output that's off every scale we have. A single Omega Particle could power a starship's warp core, indefinitely. A handful of them could cover the entire Federation's power-generating requirements for the next trillion years. A civilization that could manufacture and stabilize these particles would be the single most advanced alien race of all time. It's theorized that Omega was the catalyst material responsible for the big bang. So, with all this in mind, I hope you're starting to understand just why I'm so freaked out now, Yue"
Yue sat back down on the couch and nodded, not daring to speak just yet. Scott instead continued his explanation, "The catch with all this wonderful theoretical power is that Omega is next to impossible to stabilize. A touch too much power or less than perfect harmonic resonance, and these particles explode with enough destructive force that it makes our quantum torpedoes look like spitballs. The Federation Council banned all research into Omega after the Lantru incident and signed deals with every major power in the Galaxy to keep it in check. Even the Cardassians complied with those treaties. And that ban is one of only four death penalties left on our books. It's that serious."
"Omega Protocol was written by Starfleet Command in 2264. It's probably the closest thing we have to the Major's Protocol Midnight in its severity and importance. Simply, it says that if a starship detects the presence of Omega Particles anywhere, they are to immediately stop what they're doing, track them down wherever they are, and use all necessary means to destroy the particles and whatever it is that produced them. Every single directive in Starfleet falls subservient to Omega Protocol. Even the Prime Directive is overruled, if violating it means destroying Omega" Scott added with a grave tone once more.
"Holy shit" Yue replied, "Why wasn't I ever told about this?"
Scott sighed, "It's strictly need to know. The only reason I even know about it is because of what being a Starfleet Captain entails. Depending on where we are in space, A Starfleet Captain might be the highest-ranking Federation official in the area, and my command orders are extremely strict on what I'm supposed to do. Assuming we're close enough to Command, I'd be in contact with the Admiralty right now, and they'd send out a specialized team to deal with Omega Particles. A few dozen physicists, guys from SFTAC and Intelligence, and probably even a few of the Major's Ninjas these days. But since we're out in the ass end of nowhere, I have discretion in how to deal with this situation"
He looked at Star next, "Which is why our friend here is joining us because she likely knows more about Omega than we ever will. Star, did everything I just say make sense, and can you tell us anything more about Omega Particles?"
Star sighed an action that surprised everyone in the room, "It's a very basic definition, but it's not wrong either. I do know a lot about these Omega Particles, as you call them, but to fully explain them to you is hard to do with terms that would make sense to Three Dimensional Things like you, Scott. You're already having a tough time with Quantum Harmonizers, and those are easy in comparison. Can you wait a little bit so I can think about the best way to explain it to you?"
Scott nodded, "Sure, we can wait a bit. Since we're here, let's see what Demora has to say about it"
He hit a switch on the console again, "Computer, access the Captain's Log and display the last entry on this screen"
A few seconds later, Demora Sulu appeared on the screen. To Yue's eyes, she looked tired, scared, and worn out. After a brief pause, her garbled log entry began to play.
"Stardate... Stardate... What day is it? I... I can't remember anything. My name is... Demora? I think that's my name. I'm not really sure. My dad is named... Kihara? Hikaru? ... Fuck! I have to try harder! I can't forget things like this" she screamed, hitting her desk just a few feet away from where Scott was sitting now, a hundred years later.
"It's this sound! It's all we can hear! I can't even describe it. It's like nothing else I've ever heard. You don't even really hear it, you… you feel it, in here," she said, pointing to her heart, "It's like… It's like if fear, and hate, and anger, had a sound, and they took over your mind"
"Oh shit," Ginny said from the door, "Skipper, you know what that reminds me of, right?"
Scott swallowed, "I do, Ginny. Let's keep listening and see what happened."
The recording continued, "It started when we saw... I can't even remember what this is, but I know what we have to do when we see it," Demora pointed at the Omega Protocol symbol, "We have to destroy it. We were coming close to where we found it, and then we started hearing this sound."
Scott and Yue jumped when the next sound they heard was someone pounding on Demora's door. Ginny was trained enough to know that it was just a recording, but she tensed up anyway as Demora started screaming.
"Listen! Listen to me! I don't have a lot of time left! If you hear this sound, you have to get away from here! Our engines stopped working for some reason, and everyone started killing each other! I'm next, but you have to listen to me! Don't trust your ears, they'll-"
Demora was cut off when the door to her ready room was forced open, and a Black Sheep crewman ran into the room. He tackled the Captain, tore her uniform from her body, and the console thankfully fell out of view.
But Demora's screaming made it obvious what was happening to her, and Ginny felt that sickening mixture of sadness and pleasure filling her body.
Scott was about to pause the recording when a final sound played. A long, low droning noise, which might have been what Hell sounded like on the inside.
It was what the Lonely Queen of the North called "Star's Song."
"Oh my god...Oh my god!" Yue gasped, covering her mouth in shock.
Scott used every ounce of his strength to keep his voice calm as he asked, "Star...You told us that you'd never seen this ship before. If that's true, why are we hearing your song on the log entry?"
Star simply shook her head, "That is not my song, Scott."
Yue in turn started screaming, "Don't fucking lie to us! That's your song Star! Why did you do this?! These people didn't do anything to hurt you!"
Scott nodded at Ginny, and The Major quickly forced Yue into the couch and held her down, "Yue, Stop! Just relax and let her explain"
Yue tried to struggle and break out of Ginny's much stronger grip, "Let me go! Get your fucking hands off me, Ginny!"
Out of options to calm her down, and not wanting to hit Yue either, Ginny instead planted a long kiss on Yue's mouth and felt Yue's tension relax instantly. After a long moment, she let Yue go and spoke next, "That was to calm you down. You okay now?"
Yue, in a state of shock, could only nod back. It was hardly ideal, but at the very least, she finally got a kiss.
"I'll plead guilty to fraternization charges later, Skipper," Ginny said as she knelt beside Star.
Ginny put her hand on Star's shoulder, and as usual felt shivers in her body as Star's ice-cold touch translated even through her gloved hand, "If you promise me that isn't your song, Star, I'll believe you. I trust you, Okay? But we need to know whose song that is. Was it Wanderer's?"
Star smiled back at Ginny, "I trust you too, Ginny. That is not Wanderer's song either"
"How can you tell?" Scott asked in turn, "It all sounds the same to me."
"I can see why that is," Star said to Scott, "Three Dimensional Spaces aren't able to correctly interpret songs. I'm sorry if my singing scares you, Scott. It scared Yue and Ginny when they first came to my home as well. And it scares the Q Girl from the 73rd Dimension. I don't know why my singing scares other things so much."
Scott sighed and decided to take a very risky gamble, "Star, out of respect for you and everything you've taught us, I've been very careful in how I phrase questions to you, which is why you only deal with Ginny and myself on a day-to-day basis. But I'm afraid now that I have to be a little more specific and forceful. I need you to tell me why that isn't your song we just heard on the log entry, and I need you to tell me what exactly you are, if it's a species like me and Ginny and Yue, if you're some sort of non-corporeal entity like the Q, or whatever the case may be. And I don't care if I can't understand it, I need that answer now"
"Okay, I'll do my best Scott. You are my friends, and I want to help my friends. I'll try to explain, using some concepts that you have explained to me," Star said, as she climbed up on the desk and sat cross-legged.
