Chapter X
'You're joking!' Riker stared at Kelner in amazed anger. 'When?'
'Yesterday, we assume. We haven't had any contact with the USS Spirit since then.' Kelner shifted uncomfortably under Riker's angry glare. 'I'm sorry that I didn't get in contact sooner.'
Riker sat down and put his head in his hands. After a moment contemplating his palms, he said, 'I understand your reasons. But sending an inexperienced crew out to deal with as deadly a threat as Admiral Nechayev is was not wise, sir. With respect.'
Kelner smiled tightly at the afterthought of the deferment of rank. 'No, you're quite right to criticise, Commander. How soon can you have the Enterprise and her crew together again?'
'Within the hour, sir. Most of them are still aboard, awaiting their shore leave permission. It's only the bridge crew that I have to round up.'
Kelner nodded. 'I don't want you to take Captain Picard.'
Riker gave him a surprised and puzzled stare. 'Sir?'
'It's his honeymoon, Commander.'
Riker smiled slightly, but failed to lose the surprise in his expression at the strange request. 'Sir, I can't not take the captain along. For the first thing, he is, as you know, the only expert who knows about the creature we're facing. His tactical insights were crucial in taking her down the first time. Second, if I survive the mission to recapture her if we don't take him, the captain will kill me anyway. I don't get a choice.'
Kelner stared at Riker for a moment, knowing that the other man was right. 'Very well, Commander. He is on Betazed at the moment. But I will inform him.'
'Yes, sir,' said Riker. 'Permission to leave?'
'By all means,' said Kelner. 'Just make sure that you get her this time.'
'When we do, sir,' said Riker, his ire rising again, 'just make sure that you keep hold of her.' He turned on his heel and left.
Kelner stared after him for a moment and sighed. The crew of the Enterprise had been put through a lot so far. This had better be the end of it.
'It's so nice of you to think to come and see me, Captain,' said Lwaxana Troi. Picard forced a friendly smile at the ambassador. 'And myself in my dotage.' Picard's smile remained fixed, but his gaze became frankly unbelievingly.
He and Thames were three days into their honeymoon on Betazed, and Thames had suggested that they go and see Lwaxana Troi. In the face of furious, but polite protests from Picard, who had finally acquiesced on the grounds that he when he was beaten.
'Well, Jean-Luc said how he wanted to come and see you,' said Thames mischieviously.
Before Picard could react, Mr Homn came in from the other room. Troi glanced at Picard. 'Captain, I'm afraid that there's a transmission from Earth for you personally.'
Picard frowned, but nodded. 'Thank you , Ambassador.' Mr Homn guided him to the small subspace radio in one of the smaller rooms.
Picard sat at the screen, and activated the viewer when Mr Homn had left the room. Riker's face appeared. 'Will!'
Riker nodded, but his face was grim. 'Captain, I have some bad news.' He paused for a moment. 'Admiral Nechayev has escaped.'
Thames winced suddenly as she felt the lash of stunned disbelief that whipped through Picard's mind. She stood, and looked directly at where she knew he was sitting.
Ambassador Troi stepped closer to her. 'What's the matter, my dear?'
Thames shook her head slowly. 'I'm not sure yet.'
A moment later, Picard stormed through from the other room. He threw a quick, angry glance at Thames and then turned to Troi. Even in anger, he was still the diplomat. 'Ambassador, I'm afraid that there has been a situation developing that my senior staff has only just informed me of. The Enterprise will be arriving at 2140 our time. I'm sorry, but we must, for reasons of necessity, cut our visit short.'
Troi nodded solemnly. 'I understand, Captain. It is correct that you place your Starfleet duties so highly.'
Picard nearly frowned. Had there been the beginnings of a reprimand in that statement? He settled for an abbreviated bow, and faced Thames. 'Let's go.'
Thames watched as Picard threw their luggage into a series of cases. On the way from Ambassador Troi's home, her husband had not said more than two words to her. 'Aren't you going to tell me what this is all about?'
Picard stopped his furious motion for a moment, and looked at her. Then he smiled slightly, apologetically. 'Sorry, Rosanna. Admiral Nechayev has escaped from Starbase 629.'
'What?'
Picard nodded. 'She outwitted a full security team from the USS Spirit, got onboard and captured it somehow. Our orders are to track her down and recapture her.'
Thames saw the look in his eye though. 'But you're going to disobey orders, aren't you.'
Picard paused and then nodded. 'She's caused too much death and disaster now. She must pay for what she's done.'
'To you?' Picard stiffened slightly and looked away. Thames moved closer to him, her face worried. 'Jean-Luc, tell me, please.'
Picard returned to putting the luggage away. 'No. I made a promise.'
'Who to? Me?'
'No. Myself.'
'Not to reveal what you saw in the alternate universe?'
Picard straightened and looked at his wife, frustration burning in his eyes. 'Rosanna, believe me when I tell you that what I saw over there was not something I particularly enjoy reliving. Please, leave it alone.'
Thames shook her head, but she could feel the sorrow burning through Picard's soul now, and the anger and frustration that it was caused by. 'I'm your wife, Jean-Luc Picard. Part of my job is to share everything with you. And that is part of your job as well.'
Picard held a shirt in his hands, and he threw it onto the bed and sat down. In a low, angered voice, he described in detail the entire battle for Earth. And as he did so, they both relived it through the mental link that they shared.
At the end, Thames had sat by Picard's side, her arms around him, holding him as he poured out the bitterness and hatred that he had for Nechayev, the Aralla, and the parasite which had caused so much death.
'This is the USS Enterprise, requesting permission to enter orbit and beam up two people.'
'Betazed traffic control here. You have permission to proceed, Enterprise.'
The Enterprise soared into high orbit of Betazed and swiftly retrieved the two senior officers from their honeymoon.
Picard stepped onto the bridge, followed by Thames, and suddenly felt at home again. Thames stepped past him, and, as she headed to the Ops position, gave him a brief smile. 'Nice to be back.'
Picard nodded, and stepped towards his command chair. Riker stood up and smiled as he relinquished the captain's chair, but his expression held a trace of foreboding in it. 'Nice honeymoon, sir,' he asked, forced jollity in his tone. Picard noted it. Even in a crisis, Riker always managed to be upbeat. This must have been bad.
He decided to reply in the same manner. 'It was until you turned up.' Riker nodded, and turned to face the main screen. Picard could now see that there was a severe slump to his shoulders, and as he glanced at Troi, could tell that she was anxious about the first officer too.
He turned his attention to helm. 'Ensign Truper, take us out of orbit. Set course for Starbase 629. Maximum warp.'
The Enterprise sailed away from the blue emerald in the darkness, and slipped almost casually into warp speed.
Picard glanced puzzledly around, suddenly noting the absence. 'Where's Data?'
'He's in Engineering. He and Geordi are researching various ways for Nechayev to be hunted down, and also to stop her doing what she did last time,' said Troi.
Picard nodded. 'Very well. Number One, can I speak to you in my ready room, please,' he said, standing and moving into the office. Riker trailed him despondently.
Picard took his seat behind the desk, and looked up at his friend. 'What's the matter, Will?'
Riker sighed. 'I have the full details of what happened at Starbase 629,' he said finally, tone weighty with despair. 'It makes for grim reading.'
He handed Picard a datacard, and Picard slid it into the viewer on his desk.
For five minutes, he watched what Kelner, Sturgess, Corl and Riker had all seen before him – the death of the crew aboard Starbase 629. When the record ended, he glanced at Riker. 'How?'
'The log record shows that she was able to access the locked-out computer from an access point outside the main Ops deck. She blew out the airlocks, but Admiral T'Valla managed to totally lock down the main computer core. There was no way that she could even touch it.'
'Have we any report from the away team from the Spirit?'
Riker shook his head. 'No, sir. Nothing apart from the preliminary report they sent to the Spirit that was recorded in the log buoy that Starfleet received.'
Picard nodded. 'What did that say?'
'Only that they'd boarded the station, and that they were checking for any survivors. After that, we have nothing.'
Picard nodded again, turning to contemplate space. 'Several of that security team she murdered were from the Enterprise.'
'I have a full list here, sir,' said Riker. He handed Picard a padd. Picard scanned it for a moment, and then looked up at Riker.
'Will, there's something else, isn't there?'
Riker nodded slowly. 'I'm disgusted, sir, by the slack way in which Starfleet handled this. I feel personally responsible for all of those deaths on Starbase 629.'
Picard raised an eyebrow. 'Why?'
'We should have phasered her out of existence,' said Riker, anger in his tone.
Picard gazed at his first officer for a moment, realising that the hatred of the Aralla that he bore within himself had now moved on to another. He nodded slowly. 'I feel that way too, Will. Those deaths – as well as countless others the Aralla perpetrated – are my responsibility as well.'
Riker stared steadfastly at Picard. 'Starfleet's orders are to recapture her.'
'I am aware of Starfleet's orders, Number One,' evaded Picard.
Riker nearly smiled. 'I thought so.'
Thames glanced up as Picard's voice came over the intercom. 'Lieutenant Thames, could you come into my ready room?'
She stood, and waited for a moment as the relief took her position, and then went through the door.
Picard looked up at her and stood, sadness on his face. Thames frowned. 'Jean-Luc, what's the matter?'
'Rosanna, I've just found out. You had a friend on Starbase 629, Michael Regitz. I'm afraid he was killed when Nechayev escaped from captivity.'
The room spun, and Thames felt Picard's arms take and hold her. She rested in his embrace for a moment, murmuring to herself, 'No....' as the tears flowed.
After that moment, she freed herself and fought for her composure. She looked at him through tear-stained eyes. 'We were in the same class at the Academy. We were very good friends.'
Picard nodded. 'We're approaching Starbase 629 now. If you want, you can go off duty –'
Thames shook her head, anger filling her. 'I want to make sure that we catch Nechayev, and put a stop to this slaughter.'
Picard smiled down at her. 'We will.'
'Enterprise to Starbase 629. Come in.'
Sturgess was so stunned by the voice coming over her commbadge that she nearly didn't react. Then, she hit her badge so hard she hurt herself. 'This is Lieutenant Sturgess, Enterprise. Are we glad to hear your voice, Commander!'
Riker's smile could be heard. 'Nice to hear you again, Lieutenant. How many of you are there?'
Sturgess performed a quick head count, and then replied, 'Seventeen, sir.'
'Good. We're going to beam you aboard where you can make a full report to Captain Picard. Have you any idea of Admiral Nechayev's last heading?'
'No, sir. She took off in the Spirit. Captain Corl's last communication told us that she flooded the entire ship with theta radiation.'
'Very well.' If he was frustrated, it did not come through in Riker's tone. 'Prepare to be beamed aboard.'
Sturgess and Strell stood before Picard in his ready room, ramrod stiff at attention. Picard stared at the two of them for a moment, before amusement flashed across his face. 'At ease, Lieutenants.'
They relaxed slightly. Picard hid a smile at the proper formality. 'I'd like your reports please.'
Sturgess quickly filled him in on the details of their disastrous mission to Starbase 629 and what they found there. Strell backed up her statement, adding in a few details that Sturgess had not known.
When they finished, Picard sat back and nodded silently, upset by the enormous loss of life. 'Very well. You and your security teams are now part of the team we will send out to capture Admiral Nechayev – again.'
Sturgess wore a ferocious expression, but Strell's face went slightly pale. Picard noted the differing reactions and then dismissed the two officers. As they left, Riker entered. Picard motioned to the two security officers. 'They're both good officers.'
Riker nodded. 'Sturgess has Commander Hedly's highest recommendation. What's the plan?'
Picard sighed. 'We have no information on the Spirit's course, and we have no idea what Nechayev's plans are. I suggest that we set course for Emeralle II and await her there.'
'And if she has beaten us there?'
Picard's expression became cold, icy and – Riker could hardly believe it – terrified. 'Then, Number One, we batten down the hatches, run back to Earth and start fighting the largest war in history. Again.'
They were two days en route to Emeralle II when Data picked up the sensor ghost on his scanners. It vanished in a brief second – any human would have missed it – but Data had recognised the configuration. He looked at Picard. 'Captain, I've picked something up on sensors. It was only brief, but I think it was the Spirit.'
Picard stared at him for a moment. 'Are you absolutely sure, Data? I don't want to have to pull the Enterprise off course unless I have to.'
Data gazed steadfastly at Picard. 'Yes, sir.' Picard nodded.
'Feed your co-ordinates to the helm and we'll take a look.'
The Enterprise broke out of warp in empty space – empty, save for one solitary object. The USS Spirit, adrift.
Picard watched the hulk for a moment, watching as it rested, unmoving, before the looming shape of the Enterprise. He felt his pulse quicken, as though his body knew this was the end. Not taking his eyes away, he said, 'Mr Data, scan the Spirit for lifesigns.'
Data did so, and looked back at Picard, his expression grim. 'One, sir. Mixed human and unknown signs.'
Picard nodded slowly, having expected little else. He turned to Riker. 'Commander, take an away team. We only need to ascertain Nechayev's presence. Once you have it, beam back. Remember to visit sickbay and get your inoculations against the theta radiation.'
Riker nodded, made swift motions to Hedly, Data and left the bridge. Picard watched him go, trepidation swimming in his mind.
Sturgess and Strell awaited Riker's arrival in transporter room two. Both carried phaser rifles, and they turned to face the away team as the door slid open. Riker looked at them both. 'We have orders to locate and confirm Admiral Nechayev's presence onboard the ship. Nothing else.'
'If she attacks?' asked Sturgess.
'We retaliate, on kill. She's done enough to us to earn that,' said Riker, anger tingeing his tone. Sturgess nodded, understanding.
The away team stood on the pad, and Riker looked at the transporter chief. 'Energise.'
They materialised on the bridge of the starship. The lights were off, and Riker and the others immediately moved into battle stances, sweeping the area with their torches. After a moment, they spotted the first bodies.
Captain Corl was slumped over the Ops console, his eyes staring glassily at the deck. The other bodies were strewn at random about the bridge. Riker sighed in disgust at the death they saw. 'Come on, let's start sweeping the ship.' The away team headed for the turbolift.
It spotted them as soon as they left the turbolift. It was not concerned – they would find its little gift soon enough. It glanced around at its surroundings one last time, and took out its weapon. It had no more use for this ship – it had served its purpose. What it needed was on the Enterprise. Putting the gun on the desk before it, it triggered the weapon.
Riker heard the discharge and turned, phaser raised. The others gave him a puzzled look, except for Data, whose android hearing had picked it up as well. 'What was that?'
'I'm not sure,' said the android. 'Do you want me to investigate?'
'No,' said Riker after a moment. 'It may have been another phaser trap. She's overly fond of them. I want you to go to Engineering and check there, Data. She could have done anything. Take Lieutenant Strell with you.'
Data nodded, and he and Strell moved off down the corridor. Riker glanced at Hedly and Sturgess. 'We'll continue on our search pattern.'
Data and Strell moved cautiously along the corridor, scanning visually and with tricorders. However, the scan range was limited because of the immense theta radiation surge that still lingered around Engineering.
Strangely though, they did not encounter any phaser sentries or other ingenious devices of mayhem as they moved further down the darkened corridor. Strell, at point, would poke his phaser rifle through every door, and scan quickly before moving on to the next.
Eventually, they reached a turbolift, and Data ducked inside, securing it, before Strell entered and they descended in silence.
Eventually, the lift stopped at the Engineering deck and they moved forward again, resuming their scan and search pattern in the dark section. Shadows moved in every corner under their torchlight, and Strell was sweating nervously as they continuously uncovered more bodies, each one lying, contorted, with an expression of pure horror on its face.
Finally, however, they reached the warp core. The immense structure stood tall and silent, with only the barest glow signalling that a tiny matter/anti-matter reaction was occurring.
Data holstered his phaser, and saw to the computer, while Strell made a nervous sentry. He glanced at Data as the android carefully worked his way through activating the computer.
Finally, he tapped his commbadge. 'Commander, I've isolated the main computer's memory core. It doesn't look like it's been tampered with at all. Shall I activate it?'
Riker's reply was slow. 'Go ahead. Keep the signal open.'
'Affirmative,' replied Data, and he activated the computer.
Instantly, the lights came on, the hum of functioning systems filled the air, and the computer's voice said, 'Self-destruct in five seconds. Alert.'
Data hit his commbadge. 'Enterprise, beam us out now!'
The transporter chief hammered at his controls. It had been hard enough to keep track of the away team through the theta radiation, and now it was even more difficult to try and beam them out in a hurry.
Three seconds passed, and he was still fighting for a lock. Then he had it, or the best he was likely to get in the few seconds remaining. He energised the transporter.
Before Picard's horrified gaze, the Spirit suddenly blazed with an outburst of fierce blue-white light that dazzled the entire bridge crew. When the light faded, Picard could only see, spinning through the dark void, burning debris that marked the grave of a once proud starship. Almost fearful to do so, he said, 'Transporter room, this is the captain. Did you get them back?'
The transporter chief answered after a moment. 'Sir, I managed to get Commander Riker, Commander Hedly and Commander Data, but Lieutenants Sturgess and Strell were lost in transit. I'm sorry.'
Picard bowed his head. 'You did your best, chief.'
At Ops, Thames bowed her head as well, fighting back the tears that threatened to dissolve her composure on the bridge. But there was no time for tears – not yet.
The Aralla are all connected by a telepathic link – it was what gave them their natural superiority, reasoned the creature which had robbed Admiral Nechayev of her right to life. But lack of communication with the other side disturbed it. So far, there had not been communication with the others for nearly three days. There was only one conclusion -–the humans had found them. Found them, and destroyed them.
Without that direction, it had only one recourse. Revenge – revenge on the one who had been the centre of all the pain and woe and destruction the Aralla had faced – one whose face had led the humans and the Borg, their nemeses, to victory at the planet called Vegryo.
If there could be no salvation for the Aralla race, it decided, there would at least be vengeance. Up until now, the parasite had considered revenge a secondary motive to reopening the dimensional gate and allowing their fleet through to devastate this galaxy, but now that it had lost contact, it might be the only objective salvageable from this mission.
Plus, there was the hatred drifting through its psychotic, maladjusted mind. The mind that had caused the deaths of so many was clouded by hate and fear, although it could not admit the latter. Picard, in a way so similar to his own fixation with the Aralla, had become a focus for all the hate and fear and dark emotions that the Aralla could bring to bear.
And all it wanted now was death.
It stared around at the darkened room, faintly confused by what it saw, or possibly what it didn't see, until a trawl of dead memories told it what it needed to know. It smiled. Justice for crimes against the Aralla would be served here. It dropped the phaser rifle it carried, and set to work.