Act Five: "Stayin' Alive"
Chief Engineer Charles Tucker the third was not enjoying himself. Now, he also considered himself awfully rambunctious and quite the daredevil - but chasing after a Probe that just copied all of his files and stole over half the crew of the Enterprise?
No way that was cool.
"Report?" he asked, leaning forward in the Captain's chair. He didn't enjoy sitting in it - it wasn't his chair. It was the Captains. Hence the name - Captain's chair. Now, if the Captain were available, then sure . . . he'd be more than happy.
But he wasn't. And therefore, Trip wasn't happy.
"They're moving at Warp Three and it seems they have some sort of energy force field around the ship," Reed reported.
"Any way we can break through it?"
"I don't believe so, Mr. Tucker."
"Oh no you don't. There has to some way."
"I'm only telling you the truth. From my vantage point, there seems to be no way to slow them down."
Trip continued to look at the forward viewscreen, his eyes focused and determined on the small gray dot that represented the Probe ship. It's been five hours since the `attack' and they've only now begun to get a grip on things again.
That's when he got it.
"I've got it!"
Reed looked up from his station. "What is it?"
"It's going to be tricky and we're going to have to work fast. Does anyone know the frequency they used to download our data files?"
An Ensign from the Science looked up. "I can bring it up. Give me a second."
"Make it a quick one."
"Mr. Tucker . . ." began Reed, stepped out from behind his station and over to the chair. "What are you planning here?"
"Well, I figure we can get their attention by attempting to download their database."
"That'll take too long. Besides, there's nothing that we know of that will - "
"I said `attempt,' Malcolm. Now listen, if we show them we're at least some what decent at the job, you gotta figure they'll slow down and try and take us on for a little bit."
"And your point?"
Trip smiled widely. "It gets better. That's when we use our transportation device to beam a massive explosive between their nacelles. That'll disrupt their warp field and their shields long enough for us to open fire. After we fire a nice little barrage, we fire another EMP. That'll give us time to dock the Enterprise with the Probe ship and get our people out of there."
"We'll need a major security team."
"I know. But it's the best we can do. Now, you round up everyone you can. You've got twenty minutes to get them in position. In twenty-five, I want you on the bridge and ready to show them what for. Get a technician on the transporter and get that thing fired up. I want a Computer Technician up here on the double. Timing is everything."
Reed looked at Tucker in disbelief. "It may just work. It may just work."
"Damn right it will. Now get moving."
* * *
Nearly twenty-five minutes later, Reed entered the bridge. "I've got as many officers as we can spare armed to the teeth and ready for action."
"Good. Let's make some noise."
The Computer Technician began to press keys before him at the Science station. "I have contact," he said. "Attempting to access database. Restricted. Bypassing . . . restricted. Bypassing . . . bypassing . . . bypassing . . ."
"Tucker!"
Tucker looked from the officer to the screen, where the Probe ship was starting to slow down and face them.
"Bring us out of warp. Transporter? On my signal."
As the Probe ship came to a full stop, the Enterprise remained at Full Impulse and soared right above the Probe ship. Right as it passed the back end, a small drizzle of light and energy appeared near the edge of their shields between the nacelles. A mere second later, it exploded, disrupting the shields and warp field.
"Fire!"
The Enterprise began to spin back towards the Probe ship and opened fire. Torpedoes belted the Probe, creating explosions across the hull.
"Initiate the EMP!"
One again, the nacelles were swirled around with energy, with then fired forward and slammed against the Probe ship.
It went dead. Tucker turned to his navigation's officer. "Slow and steady. Right to the docking port. Reed, you take the bridge."
* * *
Tucker ran down the corridors and met up with a large security team near the airlock. The sensors were detecting a stabilized environment inside, so the suits were not needed this time. A few noises and blinking lights indicated that the way was clear.
Phasers and lights ready and armed, the large group passed through the docking ring. Then, after moving quite quickly through the long corridor beyond the airlock, they entered into the main room. Lights were flickering all over the place.
"There they are!" shouted one of the crewmen.
Each one of the missing Enterprise crewmen were laying on the beds they had seen earlier. After a few waves of the tricorder, they found it was safe to move them.
They were all unconscious, as if asleep, and their clothes seemed ruffled in a lot of places. "Come on," said Tucker, lifting up T'Pol from one of the beds. "Let's move them out of here."
Tucker pulled out his communicator and flipped it open. "Tucker to Enterprise."
"Reed here."
"Reed, have everyone else you can spare help get these people to their quarters or wherever."
"Yes sir."
Tucker closed the communicator, then lifted T'Pol into his arms and carried her back to Enterprise.
* * *
Nearly an hour later, as Trip helped pull the last few crew members off of the Probe ship, he couldn't help but notice several blinking lights all over the place.
"What the sam hell . . . ?"
Suddenly, his communicator beeped. He flipped it open.
"Enterprise to Tucker."
"Tucker here. What's going on?"
"We're reading some sort of structural shifting. You may want to get out of there."
"You got it," he replied. He threw the communicator shut, then helped grab some of the last people. "EVERYONE! OUT!"
Just then, the ship lurched and ceiling itself seemed to be moving.
Trouble was a' brewin' . . .
* * *
Reed uncomfortably paced around the bridge, not liking what was happening before him. The Probe ship was shifting some how. The nacelles were moving and there were signs of structural changes.
"Mr. Tucker is aboard, sir," said a Lieutenant from his right.
"Good. Seal off the airlock and get us the hell away from that ship."
"Yes sir."
Within a few seconds, Tucker arrived on the bridge and watched the sight before him. They both watched in awe as the entire ship dismantled with the exception of a long, rectangular box with a lone nacelle rising out of it.
This box then turned 180 degrees and blasted off into the darkness of space . . . never to be heard of again.
Chief Engineer Charles Tucker the third was not enjoying himself. Now, he also considered himself awfully rambunctious and quite the daredevil - but chasing after a Probe that just copied all of his files and stole over half the crew of the Enterprise?
No way that was cool.
"Report?" he asked, leaning forward in the Captain's chair. He didn't enjoy sitting in it - it wasn't his chair. It was the Captains. Hence the name - Captain's chair. Now, if the Captain were available, then sure . . . he'd be more than happy.
But he wasn't. And therefore, Trip wasn't happy.
"They're moving at Warp Three and it seems they have some sort of energy force field around the ship," Reed reported.
"Any way we can break through it?"
"I don't believe so, Mr. Tucker."
"Oh no you don't. There has to some way."
"I'm only telling you the truth. From my vantage point, there seems to be no way to slow them down."
Trip continued to look at the forward viewscreen, his eyes focused and determined on the small gray dot that represented the Probe ship. It's been five hours since the `attack' and they've only now begun to get a grip on things again.
That's when he got it.
"I've got it!"
Reed looked up from his station. "What is it?"
"It's going to be tricky and we're going to have to work fast. Does anyone know the frequency they used to download our data files?"
An Ensign from the Science looked up. "I can bring it up. Give me a second."
"Make it a quick one."
"Mr. Tucker . . ." began Reed, stepped out from behind his station and over to the chair. "What are you planning here?"
"Well, I figure we can get their attention by attempting to download their database."
"That'll take too long. Besides, there's nothing that we know of that will - "
"I said `attempt,' Malcolm. Now listen, if we show them we're at least some what decent at the job, you gotta figure they'll slow down and try and take us on for a little bit."
"And your point?"
Trip smiled widely. "It gets better. That's when we use our transportation device to beam a massive explosive between their nacelles. That'll disrupt their warp field and their shields long enough for us to open fire. After we fire a nice little barrage, we fire another EMP. That'll give us time to dock the Enterprise with the Probe ship and get our people out of there."
"We'll need a major security team."
"I know. But it's the best we can do. Now, you round up everyone you can. You've got twenty minutes to get them in position. In twenty-five, I want you on the bridge and ready to show them what for. Get a technician on the transporter and get that thing fired up. I want a Computer Technician up here on the double. Timing is everything."
Reed looked at Tucker in disbelief. "It may just work. It may just work."
"Damn right it will. Now get moving."
* * *
Nearly twenty-five minutes later, Reed entered the bridge. "I've got as many officers as we can spare armed to the teeth and ready for action."
"Good. Let's make some noise."
The Computer Technician began to press keys before him at the Science station. "I have contact," he said. "Attempting to access database. Restricted. Bypassing . . . restricted. Bypassing . . . bypassing . . . bypassing . . ."
"Tucker!"
Tucker looked from the officer to the screen, where the Probe ship was starting to slow down and face them.
"Bring us out of warp. Transporter? On my signal."
As the Probe ship came to a full stop, the Enterprise remained at Full Impulse and soared right above the Probe ship. Right as it passed the back end, a small drizzle of light and energy appeared near the edge of their shields between the nacelles. A mere second later, it exploded, disrupting the shields and warp field.
"Fire!"
The Enterprise began to spin back towards the Probe ship and opened fire. Torpedoes belted the Probe, creating explosions across the hull.
"Initiate the EMP!"
One again, the nacelles were swirled around with energy, with then fired forward and slammed against the Probe ship.
It went dead. Tucker turned to his navigation's officer. "Slow and steady. Right to the docking port. Reed, you take the bridge."
* * *
Tucker ran down the corridors and met up with a large security team near the airlock. The sensors were detecting a stabilized environment inside, so the suits were not needed this time. A few noises and blinking lights indicated that the way was clear.
Phasers and lights ready and armed, the large group passed through the docking ring. Then, after moving quite quickly through the long corridor beyond the airlock, they entered into the main room. Lights were flickering all over the place.
"There they are!" shouted one of the crewmen.
Each one of the missing Enterprise crewmen were laying on the beds they had seen earlier. After a few waves of the tricorder, they found it was safe to move them.
They were all unconscious, as if asleep, and their clothes seemed ruffled in a lot of places. "Come on," said Tucker, lifting up T'Pol from one of the beds. "Let's move them out of here."
Tucker pulled out his communicator and flipped it open. "Tucker to Enterprise."
"Reed here."
"Reed, have everyone else you can spare help get these people to their quarters or wherever."
"Yes sir."
Tucker closed the communicator, then lifted T'Pol into his arms and carried her back to Enterprise.
* * *
Nearly an hour later, as Trip helped pull the last few crew members off of the Probe ship, he couldn't help but notice several blinking lights all over the place.
"What the sam hell . . . ?"
Suddenly, his communicator beeped. He flipped it open.
"Enterprise to Tucker."
"Tucker here. What's going on?"
"We're reading some sort of structural shifting. You may want to get out of there."
"You got it," he replied. He threw the communicator shut, then helped grab some of the last people. "EVERYONE! OUT!"
Just then, the ship lurched and ceiling itself seemed to be moving.
Trouble was a' brewin' . . .
* * *
Reed uncomfortably paced around the bridge, not liking what was happening before him. The Probe ship was shifting some how. The nacelles were moving and there were signs of structural changes.
"Mr. Tucker is aboard, sir," said a Lieutenant from his right.
"Good. Seal off the airlock and get us the hell away from that ship."
"Yes sir."
Within a few seconds, Tucker arrived on the bridge and watched the sight before him. They both watched in awe as the entire ship dismantled with the exception of a long, rectangular box with a lone nacelle rising out of it.
This box then turned 180 degrees and blasted off into the darkness of space . . . never to be heard of again.