Chapter Nine

Genesis Revisited

July 19, 2075, North Dakota

The lyrics of In-a-Gadda-da-Vida blasted out from two ramshackle speakers and a patchwork stereo system cobbled together from spare parts in the control room of the abandoned Minuteman missile silo in North Dakota. Dr. Zephrem Cochrane bobbed his head in synch with the acid strains of Erik BrannÕs guitar as he looked over the design of his new warp-capable ship, christened the New Hope, with his chief engineer Maria Nikopolous. Maria stood a statuesque 180 cm tall with long, flowing tresses of raven-colored hair and olive skin. Originally a native of Crete, she had moved to North Dakota with her family when she was still an infant.

The shipÕs name was appropriate, especially in the minds of the dozen Gargoyles living with Cochrane in his new base in North Dakota. The Gargoyles had little to fear from Cochrane. Though the Eugenics Wars was decades ago, there were still occasional flare-ups and the never-ending raids and attacks from both the Western Alliance and the Eastern Coalition. The five Gargoyle males and the seven Gargoyle females had managed to survive the decades-old turmoil completely undetected by humanity. Like the Gargoyles, Cochrane was also very distrustful of his fellow species.

Cochrane, an irrepressible free spirit, would jealously guard his privacy, and his personal freedom. Unfortunately for him, fate was not exactly cooperating. A dozen years ago, he was just another nobody scientist working out of a ramshackle refugee camp in Resurrection, Montana around an abandoned missile silo, the birthplace of the Phoenix , humanityÕs first warp vessel. Theta radiation almost ended the mission before it started, but some timely intervention of the Enterprise-E and specifically Dr. Crusher saved them from radiation poisoning. Now he was the most famous human alive: the first human to make contact with an alien species. After a few years of attention, he rapidly became bored of the celebrity status.

Here in North Dakota, Dr. Cochrane knew he could hide from the never-ending crowds of people who wanted him for some reason or another. It was also safe from the occasional raids and attacks from Eastern Coalition forces Ð the same Eastern Coalition that forced him to flee Montana, and claimed the life of his beloved Lily Sloane. Here in his new base, Dr. Cochrane knew he was probably the most protected human on earth. Dr. Cochrane was going with them, not out of desire to be a colonist with his Gargoyle friends, but his insatiable curiosity about what is out there in deep space, and to get away from the unwanted publicity and fame.

He glanced briefly at the tall brown Gargoyle with the black wings named Yoshi, who was looking over the ship on a display. Dr. Cochrane saw the grimace on YoshiÕs face as his sensitive Chinese-fan ears rebelled at the decibels. Dr. Cochrane turned off the music and came over and began pointing out some recent modifications.

ÒThis cargo pod has been fitted to protect your eggs,Ó Cochrane explained, ÒHowever, you may need more living space, so I thought I would make provisions for a growing crew. I added room for two more cargo pods, one of which can be reconfigured into a habitat pod once it is emptied. That still leaves you with five pods for storage of essentials and three more for fuel and parts.Ó

ÒSeems wastefully excessive, Doctor Cochrane.Ó Yoshi commented.

ÒDeep space is one helluva large place to go exploring,Ó the scruffy scientist explained, ÒThe nearest star to Sol is would take over four years at Warp One. The New Hope might make the trip in just less than three years. We know there is a habitable planet we can settle in the Alpha Centauri system, the closest one to here. Trust me Yoshi, though my ship is the fastest this side of Vulcan, youÕre still talking about being in deep space for years. If those eggs hatch before you get to wherever youÕre going, youÕre going to need a lot of new space for those hatchlings unless your eggs take twenty years to hatch.Ó

Yoshi laughed. ÒYou have a point, Dr. Cochrane, and no, our eggs need only a few months to hatch.Ó

ÒI didnÕt think so,Ó Cochrane sighed, ÒItÕs highly possible your ship could be traveling the stars for decades in search of a new home. Even in space, your hatchlings and eggs would be a lot safer than sitting here.Ó

ÒThat much I understand all too well. Carry on, Doctor.Ó Yoshi bowed formally and left.

Amazingly, this clan was actually a group of Gargoyles from different clans gathered together on a remote island in the South Pacific. Though Gargoyle clans within themselves are quite diverse in appearance, wing styles, etc, this clan was even more diverse, with Gargoyles from Guatemala, Japan and England, just to name a few. When the clouds of war gathered, one elder Gargoyle in England deeply worried about their meager numbers, and the safety of their rookeriesÉwhat few there were. When she learned of GoliathÕs clan, she decided to see if there were other Gargoyle clans still surviving. Utilizing a magic oracle, she did indeed learn of other surviving clans and approached each clan she found with her idea to insure Gargoyle survival.

Though some clans balked at the idea of their eggs and hatchlings being transported off world never to be seen again, however, the idea of having their eggs and hatchlings destroyed in yet another senseless human war was intolerable. With the war approaching, each surviving clan that she had found had agreed to contribute some eggs and one or two of their clan to raise the eggs on wherever their new home would be. They gathered on a remote island in the Pacific and remained there until the end of the Eugenics Wars. When they learned of Dr. CochraneÕs historic flight, they decided to approach him about the idea of constructing a colony ship. Like GoliathÕs clan; they also turned to the stars as the way to insure the survival of their rookeries. Unlike GoliathÕs clan, they would not be using a slower-than-light sleeper ship like the Hyperion . They would have the warp-capable New Hope .

A few days later, Cochrane and the Gargoyles boarded the New Hope and left earth and established a geo-synchronous orbit. Once in orbit and the ship put on autopilot, Dr. Cochrane and Maria began teaching the new Gargoyle crew ship operations. About an hour later, every Gargoyle on the ship turned to stone. Startled by the sudden onset of sleep, Dr. Cochrane soon realized that the New Hope had crossed over into daytime. He changed course and once his ship had returned to the penumbra, the Gargoyles suddenly awoke.

ÒWhat happened?Ó a green Gargoyle female named Nora asked, confusion evident in her eyes as she flicked off a stone skin fragment resting on her shoulder.

ÒSunlight. We crossed over into daylight and your stone sleep cycle was triggered.Ó

ÒThis jolly well mucks up things a bit,Ó snorted a light-gray Gargoyle named Edward, who resembled a gryphon with brown feather wings, his English accent as thick as a London fog.

ÓHow does that muck things up a bit?Ó asked a blonde-haired toothpick of a man by the name of Jacques Lyon, who served as MariaÕs backup in engineering.

ÒThe inverse-square rule is the issue,Ó Dr. Cochrane explained, still deep in thought, ÒObviously, the Gargoyle sleep cycle must be triggered by some component radiation in sunlight. We are going to leave the solar system, and sooner or later, the ship is going to be far enough away that the SunÕs radiation will not be dense enough to trigger the sleep cycle in our winged friends. They would remain awake constantly.Ó

ÒDamn, I see now.Ó Jacques sighed.

ÒDoes this mean we cannot leave?Ó Yoshi asked, concern deep in his handsome features.

ÒI admit that this was certainly an unexpected development,Ó Dr. Cochrane said, his forehead wrinkled in deep thought, ÒWe just need add stasis pods for each of you and your eggs. Additionally, the stasis pods would require fewer resources and we will be traveling a long time.Ó

ÒWhat about you humans?Ó a rust-colored Gargoyle named Tanya asked to no one in particular.

ÒEasy enough,Ó Dr. Cochrane said, ÒThere are sixty humans aboard, but the ship can be run by just ten. We can work out a rotating shift where forty-five of us will remain in stasis, and fifteen will remain awake. In two years, we wake up another fifteen, and then put the others in stasis for two years. This also has the advantage of greatly reduces the aging process for all of us.Ó

ÒWhat about us Gargoyles?Ó Yoshi asked, as he turned to face a human physician by the name of Dr. Juan Emilio Gutierrez, the shipÕs chief doctor.

ÒPerhaps it would work and perhaps it would be better is all you Gargoyles remained in stasis.Ó Dr. Gutierrez hypothesized aloud, ÒI donÕt like the idea, but we simply donÕt have the time to do a study on the effects of stasis on Gargoyles. We know stasis pods are safe for humans to use repeatedly, but weÕve never used one on a Gargoyle before unless you know more about stasis pod effects on your kind than we do.Ó

ÒI know of no instance of a Gargoyle even knowing what a stasis pod is, much less being in one.Ó Yoshi replied sadly. The other Gargoyles present nodded in agreement with their leader.

ÒThe fact is your stone sleep cycle would be disabled,Ó Dr. Gutierrez continued, Òand thus goes your rapid healing process. However, when you are awake, your biological functions are not all that different from a human. I donÕt foresee any problems with your kind being in stasis in your day form.Ó

ÒCan some of us remain in stasis and some of us remain awake like you?Ó asked Edward.

ÒItÕs possible,Ó Dr. Gutierrez, replied raising an eyebrow, ÒHowever, I am not sure if it is safe for a Gargoyle to use a stasis pod on a cyclic basis. I wonÕt deny there are risks. The choice is yours, Yoshi.Ó Yoshi consulted with the five other Gargoyles that were present. Their decision was as quick as it was final.

ÒDoctor, from our point of view we really have no choice,Ó Yoshi spoke with gentle firmness, ÒOur numbers are so few, and if this is the only way we can ensure the our clanÕs survival, so be it. Earth is simply too unsafe for our kind. We would much rather take our chances in space.Ó

ÒItÕs agreed then,Ó Dr. Cochrane, affirmed, ÒMaria, Jacques we need to get a lot of stasis pods constructed.Ó He then reached up to a control and once again the room was filled with the music of the 20th Century, this time Chuck Berry, bringing grimaces to the faces of Yoshi and Edward, who quickly retreated into the shadows. The Gargoyles and their human companions constructed the pods in just less than six weeks. On November 2nd, the New Hope lifted off and began what all aboard felt would be an epic and historical journey to the stars, and to a new hope for all.

, , ,

San Francisco, 24th Century

George and Tina Matheson lived in a four hundred year old Victorian house in a four kilometer-square historical district known as Old San Francisco. The ancient three-story house on Scott Street looked to have been built only recently thanks to the painstaking efforts of the San Francisco Historical Preservation District Authority. The neighborhood was devoid of modern construction to preserve the effect. Even modern transportation was not allowed, the transportation being served by four-century old Muni buses. Though the buses looked authentic, they were actually replicas with modern propulsion systems.

By the time the Mathesons bought the house on Scott Street, internal combustion engines had been rendered obsolete for over three centuries by clean, nonpolluting propulsion systems. Nowadays, nobody even wanted to see or hear a diesel or gasoline engine. Operating an internal combustion engine these days would result in a stiff fine and a lecture about ecology from the local environmental authority. It was also a foolproof way to get on the bad side of your neighbors.

The Mathesons also bought the house for another reason. The house had something of a colorful history as well. Though the house had been built before the Great Depression, the house didn't acquire its unique reputation until late in the 20th Century just prior to the Eugenics Wars. During that period, the house had become a boarding house for a transient population of very colorful people and artists. Due to some peculiar architectural anomalies like doors that open up into brick walls, the house became known as the Mystery House.

The Mystery House was also hotbed for political activism, and two sentient rights organizations had been founded there. It was rumored that the owner of the Mystery House had saved the life of a famous historical figure of the times. There were even rumors that at least one of the residents of the Mystery House was of alien origin observing humanity discreetly for a more advanced society. The Mystery House certainly had its share of mysteries. Jana Matheson spent her childhood here, and was somewhat fascinated by the bizarre tales and legends.

The Mathesons were also very excited that their son Scott was finally coming home after four long years. They were glad. They had become deeply concerned for his safety ever since the crisis with the secession began. Jana was also very much on the minds of the Mathesons as well. When they heard about the four worlds seceding from the Federation, the Klingons and Maquis forming an alliance, they feared the worse. Their fear became near hysteria when they heard about the debacles at Betazed and Delta. To the elder Mathesons, it seemed like the universe was conspiring to kill their son and daughter.

The Mazas were also very much on the mind of the Mathesons as well. Charley Maza was the Applied Cyberbiotics division manager for Garrison Information Systems, the conglomerate that owned Applied Cyberbiotics and the key supplier to Starfleet for various computer items like isolinear chips, databanks, etc. George Matheson was the Technical Support Manager for Garrison Information Systems. They had met at a company management meeting two years ago. They had become fast friends despite the thousands of kilometers separating them. The transportation infrastructure on Earth had made it a matter of transport credits to beam from one side of the planet to the other. Cities as far apart as San Francisco and New Tokyo now were as close as your next-door neighbor.

Crossing an ocean took only seconds, or minutes for those who preferred shuttlecraft. Despite the transporter grid's excellent safety record for nearly half a century, there were still many millions who preferred more traditional transportation modes like maglevs or shuttlecraft. Tina Matheson was one of those who preferred shuttles. Today's plans was to wait for Scott, then take a shuttle to New Tokyo and spend some time together with Charley and Robyn Maza.

"Hon, are you about ready?Ó George yelled upstairs to his wife.

"Almost, dear," she sweetly replied. George smiled. We've been married for more than thirty years, and still her voice makes my heart jump, he reflected with pride. They had been instant sweethearts when they first met when they were in college, and as they say, the rest was history. A few minutes later, his wife came down dressed in a sapphire blue dress made of a sparkling material.

"Ah, you look radiant, my darling!" George Matheson said with a gleam in his eye. George Matheson looked much younger than his fifty years, though the well-trimmed sideburns of his brown hair were beginning to show just a touch of gray.

"Oh, you flattering letch, you know I am a sucker for compliments!" she remarked with a giggle as she tossed her long golden locks aside with a deft flick of her head. At that moment, the door chimed. Scott had arrived.

"Mom! Dad!Ó Scott exclaimed as his mother quickly embraced him in that special warm hug that only a mother can give. Scott then embraced his father with equal warmth.

"How was the trip?Ó Tina asked her son as he walked over to the replicator and ordered up a soda. "We are very worried about your sister. We haven't heard from Jana in ages, and you know how she always writes us. All this fighting out there! We feared the worst when we heard what happened at Betazed and Vulcan. Starfleet won't tell us a damn thing except that Jana's missing, but her name's not on any of the casualty lists!"

"It's like the whole damn Federation is going insane, Mom! It got kind of scary at DS-9 as well. The Bajorans are supporting the Maquis and the breakaway worlds. DS-9 is crawling with Maquis now! The Klingons kicked all the Federation people out of their space, me included. They didn't have to ask me twice, and they damn well meant business. I'm also very worried about Jana. I met her at DS-9."

"Why didn't you tell us?" her mother asked, indignation flashing in her eyes.

"Mom, Dad, she's in deep shit. She's also, well, uh, changed."

"Changed?" George asked his son, "What do you mean, son? We know she is a joined Trill now. That's not a problem. As far as we are concerned, Trills are no different than another race of human being. To us, spots on her neck and body are no different than brown, pink or yellow skin."

"Silly boy," Scott's mother replied with comic surprise, "Jana told us about that five years ago when she was sent to Karpov. George and I are proud of her. I don't know if I could accept a Trill symbiont myself, but I can understand her saving a life. We really don't have a problem with it, and neither should you!"

"Do you know anything about Gargoyles?"

"Actually we do, son" Tina replied with deepening concern, "Charley Maza's daughter Aria became one as a result of some mutation caused by another Gargoyle named Adam, at least that's what Charley says. I saw what happened to Aria. It's just awful...first she's turned into some awful demon, and then the Borg tried to assimilate her. Robyn even said she was also pregnant with a monster egg!" Tina sighed, "She was such a pretty girl. I really feel for her. I really pity her...so much for such a young child to suffer."

"What does this Gargoyle business have to do with Jana?" George asked with puzzlement.

Scott sighed heavily and tried to avoid eye contact with his parents. "Mom, Dad..."

"Please Scott, we need to know." Tina implored to her son, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

Scott exhaled slowly, and then began to speak. "Mom, Dad, Jana is also one of those Gargoyles now. She got mutated into one while she was stationed at Rockingham's Planet."

"Dear God!Ó Tina wailed, "It's spreading like a plague!"

Scott took in a deep breath and exhaled in a heavy sigh, then looked at his parents. "It gets worse."

"How much worse?" George asked, not quite so sure if he really wanted to know the answer.

"A lot worse, Dad. That mutation did something to her mind. She's gone totally insane. Jana's quit Starfleet and joined the Maquis! If that isn't enough, she is the key figure in this whole secession mess! The Maquis made her a Lieutenant Commander, and she's already caused quite a ruckus. The Federation has warrants out for her arrest along with her four Gargoyle friends for the attempted murder of a Starfleet admiral and a shitload of other serious charges." The Mathesons looked like they had a sledgehammer hit each.

George Matheson frowned. Something began tickling his mind and finally he recognized it. "That explains a few things. Tina, remember when those two guys from that said they were classmates of Jana's at the Starfleet Academy came over and grilled us about Jana's childhood for a story project?"

"Yes, come to think of it, they were a bit odd.Ó Tina replied, cocking her head in puzzlement.

"They didn't have that air of being a cadet," George remarked, his brain furiously churning, "Jana was nobody special during her time at the Academy. Her grades were mediocre. A dollar gets a doughnut those were Starfleet Intelligence birds. I know damn good and well one of them was a Betazoid, and internal security has a lot of Betazoids and Ullians on their payroll. For all we know that other bird may have been a surgically altered Ullian. We were being interrogated on the sly. I deal with these spook-types all the time at work. Add to the fact that Jana is not on any of the casualty lists for the Betazed and Vulcan battles, yet Starfleet says she is missing. Something is definitely going on, and it's a lot bigger than Jana and this Maquis stuff." A beep sounded. George looked at his chronometer and quickly ended the conversation and prodded his wife and son to get ready. They exited their home and walked towards Haight to catch a bus to the transport tubes. As they turned on Haight to walk to the end of the block where the bus stop was, a Vulcan male dressed in a black suit about ten meters away reached into his coat and drew a Romulan disruptor, and screamed "Traitors! Monster lovers!Ó then immediately opened fire. The first shot caught Tina Matheson squarely in the chest, burning a three-centimeter wide hole in her heart.

"George..." was all she could say as her life force left her. George immediately rushed to his stricken wife's side.

"NOOO!" he screamed as he cradled his dying wife's head.

"I love you," was the last thing he heard, knowing well he that would never have his heart lifted by her voice ever again. The assassin then turned to George, who was in total shock at the turn of events. The assassin fired again, mortally wounding George Matheson.

Scott had acted instinctively when he saw the disruptor. He fumbled with his belt buckle, and released a disk about ten centimeters wide. He then pressed a concealed button and four vicious, curved blades with saw teeth snapped out from the circumference of the disk and locked in place with a snap. He threw the miniature version of a Capellan klugat at the assassin with a sidearm snap-throw. The disk flew unerringly towards the assassin and struck between fifth and sixth ribs, tearing both the heart and the main pulmonary artery open. The assassin looked dumbly at the four-bladed weapon sticking out of his chest, his pale greenish blood squirting out, staining his hands and clothing. He then fell over, the klugat still lodged in his chest. Scott then dropped to his knees and began to cry. It was then that Scott he heard his father's weakened voice.

"Son..." George struggled to say, each breath excruciating, "Warn the...Mazas...New Tokyo...warn Janaaa." George Matheson's body went limp, the fire gone from his eyes forever. Scott Matheson slumped down to the ground and began to cry. The two people he loved the most were now gone from his life forever.

, , ,

Inspector David Black Eagle was driving his hovercar eastbound on Haight. Pedestrian traffic was bad today, for the temperature was a comfortable 22¼ C, and lots of people still flock to the Haight-Ashbury District and had done so for more than 300 years. Though he now was in SFPD Homicide Division and enjoyed his job as a detective, there was many times he missed his days as a beat cop. He glanced at the dashboard chronometer and thought about lunch. There was a nice little place near Fillmore and he was heading that way. He tapped his commbadge.

"Seven Baker Two requesting a code seven."

"Acknowledged Seven Baker Two, Code seven, thirty minutes." Just as he heard his control reply, he saw the bodies. "Seven Baker Two, cancel Code Seven. Signal one-eight-seven, I see bodies.Ó He remarked calmly as he tapped the strobes and siren on line. Scott heard the police siren and waved down the police hovercar.

"Acknowledged, Seven Baker Two." Inspector Black Eagle exited the squad car, phaser drawn.

"San Francisco Police! FREEZE!" Inspector Black Eagle barked. Scott immediately raised his hands in surrender.

"Don't shoot! I yield, Officer," Scott cried, ""My parents were just killed!" Scott explained what happened to the Inspector. The inspector looked over to the dead assassin and saw the klugat .

"You killed this Vulcan?"

"Yes Inspector. He shot my parents. He called them 'traitors' and 'monster lovers'."

"Mr. Matheson, you do realize that this weapon is illegal?"

"Yes, but if I hadn't had it, you would be bagging my body instead of the killer of my parents!" Scott shot back angrily.

"You got a point.Ó Inspector Black Eagle conceded.

"I don't know why a Vulcan would want to shoot my parents." Scott wondered aloud.

The officer then knelt over the assassin, tricorder in hand. He then went over to each of the deceased Mathesons and scanned them as well as the scene. A minute later, he snapped the tricorder closed. "That's no Vulcan, but a Romulan that's been surgically altered to look like a Vulcan. Considering they were once the same species, itÕs not all that hard to do. The Tal Shiar does have some good surgeons on their payroll."

"A Romulan? Are you saying the Tal Shiar killed my Mom and Dad?"

"Looks that way, but something's not right," muttered Inspector Black Eagle, more to himself than Scott.

"Why would the Romulans want to kill my parents?" Scott asked, deep thought evident in his eyes, "It's not like they are important politically or anything like that. I don't even know if my parents ever even met a Romulan before. Why do you think something is wrong about this? I saw that son of a bitch kill both of them!"

"Call it an old cop's instinct." Inspector Black Eagle ran the tricorder over the disruptor, totally ignoring Scott's speculations. "It's not adding up. Granted the Romulans are not above assassination, but they would not be this clumsy and amateurish. I served with Starfleet Intelligence during the Dominion War, and I also met some Tal Shiar operatives then. I can assure you the Tal Shiar is not this clumsy." The tricorder beeped. "That's odd. The disruptor looks like a standard-issue Romulan disruptor, but it's not of Romulan origin. The energy signature is more like the signature of a Type IIC Starfleet issue hand phaser." He then rescanned each of the Mathesons again. "This clinches it.Ó Inspector Black Eagle declared as he snapped his tricorder closed. "Your parents weren't killed by a Romulan disruptor.Ó He held up the weapon. "This is a Type IIC Starfleet phaser in a Romulan package. The burn wounds in your parents are consistent with a Starfleet phaser. The disruption effect is absent in the tissue surrounding the burns. Phasers tend to burn clean holes; disruptors create a disruption zone around the impact site of the beam, which causes as much damage as the beam itself. This disruption effect is found only in Klingon, Breen and Romulan weaponry."

"What are you saying, Inspector?Ó Scott asked, one eyebrow cocked.

"I'm saying that this was no Romulan assassination, but it's supposed to look like one."

, , , , ,

January 7, 2076

The New Hope continued on course to Alpha Centauri when the proximity alarm sounded, rousing Maria from her bored state. She slapped the ÒRed AlertÓ button on the comm panel. Klaxons began blaring all over the ship, rousting Dr. Cochrane from his slumber. Less than a minute later, he was standing on the bridge, looking even more disheveled than normal. Suddenly, a blue-white cloud of swirling gas interspersed with brilliant flashes of red and yellow just appeared in front of them.

ÒEVASIVE ACTION!Ó Cochrane screamed.

ÒTOO LATE!Ó Maria yelped, ÓWeÕre way too fuckinÕ close!Ó The ship dove straight into the swirling lights, disappearing in the vortex. Three seconds later, the anomaly vanished as suddenly as it appeared. ÒWhere are we?Ó Maria asked, the view screen nothing more than dancing light and shadows. Dr. Cochrane pulled a small flask of tequila from a pocket in his clothing and took a deep swig.

ÒYour guess is as good as mine,Ó Cochrane conceded as he coughed. He then began typing something into the computer terminal. ÒSensors havenÕt a clue what is happeningÉÓ Two hours later, they were back in normal space. Dr. Cochrane took another swig of tequila and began typing in new instructions to the computer.

ÒNow where the heck are we?Ó Maria asked.

ÒShit and son of a bitch!Ó Cochrane whistled, ÒAccording to the computer, we are near the Cirres system.Ó

ÒCirres? Where in the Hell is Cirres?Ó

ÒI just checked it again,Ó Cochrane muttered as he typed, ÒWe are about three light-hours away from the Cirres system. Whatever that was we hit just flicked our hides across four hundred light-years of space in just a couple of hours.Ó

ÒJust exactly what the Hell did we hit?Ó

ÒDamn if I know, but is appeared to be some sort of trans-dimensional rift or portal.Ó

ÒDamn! When you want to get away Doc, you donÕt play!Ó

ÒIÕm just happy to be here in one piece,Ó Cochrane admitted as he pulled another deep swig from the tequila.

ÒI have to admit that was one Hell of a scary ride.Ó

ÒWe saved a lot of time, though.Ó Dr. Cochrane typed in a few more commands and the main view screen displayed a stellar map. Sol was labeled and so were other star systems that humanity and the Vulcans knew about. A cursor then centered on Cirres. He typed in another command, and the map zoomed into a system map of Cirres. ÒFifteen planets, there is one planet that looks promising.Ó Dr. Cochrane zoomed in the map on the twelfth planet. The display showed a lush, green world with four major oceans, two major continents and five lesser continents. ÒNitrogen-oxygen atmosphere, abundant plant, animal and marine lifeÉtectonically stable and weather similar to EarthÉÓ The display also had the single, most important word Dr. Cochrane had hoped to see: Uninhabited.

ÒShall I change course?Ó Maria asked.

ÒNot just yet, Maria.Ó Dr. Cochrane commented as he typed, ÒWe still donÕt know if there are hostile aliens there. Humans and Vulcans are not the only spacefaring species. We also donÕt know a lot about that planet and whatever life forms are native. You donÕt have to be sentient to be dangerous. Launch a probe. If we need to skedaddle in a hurry, weÕre safer here, and less likely to hit something like a comet or an uncharted asteroid.Ó

ÒI canÕt think of any place better to settle down.Ó Maria sighed, ÒThat planet looks so beautifully inviting.Ó

ÒIt does indeed.Ó

, , ,

February 12, 2076

For the last five weeks, the human crew of the New Hope studied the readouts and telemetry from the probe they had launched two months ago. The probeÕs data was very promising indeed. Cirres-12 was a lot like Terra before humanity overpopulated it. Although there were dangerous life forms there, they posed no more of a significant hazard than large predators on Earth. The human crew decided that Cirres-12 would be their new home, and they vectored the New Hope into orbit around Cirres-12. Once they entered the system, the Gargoyles suddenly turned into their stone forms, triggering a discordant symphony of alarms from the stasis pods. Dr. Gutierrez immediately opened the pods and shut them down. With the Gargoyles in natural stone sleep, the stasis pods were unneeded. When the New Hope crossed into Cirres-12Õs shadow, the Gargoyles awoke with a cacophony of roars and scattering stone skin fragments all over the place.

ÒWelcome back, sleepyheads.Ó Maria quipped.

ÒWhere are we?Ó Yoshi asked, ÒHow long have we been asleep?Ó

ÒWeÕre in the Cirres star system, specifically Cirres 12, your possible new home.Ó Maria explained.

ÒActually, you werenÕt asleep long.Ó Dr. Cochrane continued, ÒOnly two months. We hit some kind of phenomenon that kicked this tin can more than four hundred light-years in a blink of an eye. When we emerged, we could find no trace of whatever that thing was. Apparently it was a one-way deal. Needless to say, there is virtually no chance we can return to Earth, at least with the New Hope. This ship was designed with a one-way trip in mind.Ó

ÒWe spotted this system and Cirres-12 is an ideal world for colonization,Ó Maria then called up the details of Cirres-12 on the main display and the Gargoyles all agreed that Cirres-12 would be an excellent new home. One day later, the Gargoyles all agreed to settle on Cirres-12, and they named their new home Laicon.

Much to the surprise of the Gargoyles, Dr. Cochrane and the much of the remainder of the humans elected to remain on the New Hope. Though concerned at first, the Gargoyles realized that humans were infinitely curious creatures and they felt like exploring the universe at their whim. Dr. Cochrane also felt that the Gargoyles deserved a world of their own, although about a dozen humans elected to settle with their Gargoyle friends. To those new colonists, they were determined to live in harmony, and build a world of wonder and peace.

Within a few weeks of settling Laicon, the human colonists soon came down with an indigenous virus that decimated their population, but the disease didnÕt seem to affect the Gargoyles. Although the Gargoyles tried everything conceivable to save their human friends, it was a hopeless battle. When the last human died, there was a sadness that pervaded the Gargoyle population.

For the next 250 years, the colony at Laicon prospered and grew. The planet now supported a population of 120 million Gargoyles. One day, a lone Federation starship commanded by one Captain Morris Falcone, discovered Laicon and its winged inhabitants.

, , ,

San Francisco, 24th Century

Scott Matheson's brain was working furiously. His mind again replayed the murders, and the last thing he heard from his father. He realized that the Mazas and Jana were in great danger. Scott also knew that the cop was quite likely to detain him if he stuck around. He wasn't so much worried about serious charges, but the delay could be deadly for Jana and the Mazas. Scott came to a decision.

Like most seasoned spacefarers, he had a few aces up his sleeve. One ace was the klugat he killed the Romulan with. Another ace Scott had was in the form of an old Type 1 phaser. Originally designed a century ago, the Type 1 phaser was designed to be easily concealed under the Starfleet uniforms of the day. Though the weapon was small enough to conceal in a closed hand, it packed a punch. In fact, the Type 1 phaser was actually smaller than the old flip-style communicator.

This allowed away teams visiting other worlds to be armed, but not appear to be armed. This was especially important in first contact scenarios where the presence of visible weapons could lead to disaster. Though outmoded by today's standards, the Type 1 was still ideal for an easily concealed personal weapon.

While Inspector Black Eagle was busy filling out a report on a PADD, Scott slowly reached behind his coat and drew the phaser. Quickly insuring the phaser was set on heavy stun, he fired. Inspector Black Eagle never knew what hit him. Scott then tapped his commbadge and ordered the transporter operator to beam him to New Tokyo. Less than fifteen minutes seconds later, Scott was ringing the Maza's doorbell.

"May I help you" the voice of Mrs. Maza replied through the comm panel.

"It's Scott Matheson. Let me in. It's an emergency!"

"Who is it, love?" Charley Maza's voice came from the back of the home.

"It's Scott Matheson. George and Tina's son."

"You're early. Where are George and Tina?" Charley Maza said as he entered the living room.

"Dead. A Romulan killed both of them, and I killed the Romulan." Scott then took another deep breath, "We need to get out of here. We are all in great danger."

"Don't be so melodramatic, dear!" Robyn Maza chided.

"I'm not kidding. George told me to warn you and my sister Jana."

"Jana?" Mrs. Maza replied as she cocked her head, "Wasn't Jana the name of that Gargoyle-thing that attacked you?"

"That was Jana Deenax, not Jana Matheson." Charley corrected.

"Why are we in danger, Scott?"

"My sister is the reason. You are also quite wrong, Mr. Maza. My sister Jana IS the infamous Jana Deenax." Charley Maza blanched as though he saw a ghost.

"She is a Trill and now she is also one of those Gargoyles. I met her on DS-9 recently. She is the key figure in this entire ruckus with the Federation. The Maquis made her a Lieutenant Commander and she is insane! Something weird is going on and it involves some sinister and dangerous people. Dad had some suspicions Starfleet Intelligence was playing games with them. Even the cop said the Romulan was armed with a Type IIC phaser in a Romulan disruptor casing. He does not think the Tal Shiar killed my folks, and he'd be the type to know."

"My goodness!Ó Robyn blurted, "You're serious."

"We got to get off this rock and fast. Forget your toothbrush." Scott then tapped his commbadge online. "Matheson to Hammerhead , three to beam up." Seconds later, Scott and the Mazas were in the transporter room; such as it was, on the FMS Hammerhead . The Maza's blood ran cold when they saw the Cardassian transporter operator. Cardassian military types were bad enough, Charley thought, but this one scares the hell out me.

"Mr. Goret, please show the Mazas to the guest quarters. They get the VIP treatment."

"Certainly, Captain." Scott then shut down the transporter and then tapped the intercom to the bridge on line.

"This is the Captain, lay in a course for Bolarus, maximum warp." Ten minutes later, the Hammerhead left the Sol system in a flash of light, the air thick with the smell of burning bridges.

, , ,

Inspector Black Eagle woke up angry. Idiot! Of all the bubble-headed, stupid rookie mistakes! He was furious at himself for not scanning Scott. He obviously had a concealed phaser. Why would he stun me? Granted killing a cop is an extremely serious offense, but stunning a cop is almost as serious. He shuddered as something else came to mind. He could have just as easily reduced me to ashes. He had no fear of charges...or did he? The inspector's brain began churning furiously. Nothing's adding up or making sense!

A concerned citizen rushed up to the dazed inspector. He then told Inspector Black Eagle how he saw Scott drew his phaser, checked the setting and then fired. Checked his phaser setting? Clearly Scott had no intention of killing him. A criminal wouldn't have cared less about a cop's life. The witness took in a deep breath and then explained to the officer that he had tapped a commbadge and disappeared in the blue swirl of a transporter beam.

Inspector Black Eagle then called for an evidence unit and the coroner. Once the scene was cleared, Inspector Black Eagle returned to headquarters and spent the better part of the night on his LCARS. During the session, a message dialog appeared and bore only two words: Morris Falcone. Though Inspector Black Eagle sent a trace, he expected no results. There was also something familiar about that name.

"Computer, person search, Falcone, Morris, species: Human, planet of origin Sol III.Ó

"Working. Falcone, Morris, Admiral, Starfleet Command, Intelligence Liaison, Section 113, current whereabouts unknown. Wanted by Trill authorities for attempted murder (warrant number QA0123-82899KK-Alpha). Suspect escaped custody on star date."

"Computer halt playback. State name of Falcone's victim:"

"Working...Victim named in warrant is Jana Deenax, joined Trill (Terran human host), whereabouts unknown. Last seen on DS-9."

"State Jana Deenax's pre-joining name and origin."

"Jana Deenax pre-joining name was Matheson, Jana, species human, planet of origin, Sol III, daughter of George and Tina Matheson of San Francisco."

"State purpose of Section 113."

"That data is classified under Starfleet Security Order 231-Gamma."

"Engage Protocol Eagle four. Authorization Commander Black Eagle, David, Starfleet Intelligence, Kappa Delta prime Zeta. State the purpose of Section 113."

"Protocol Eagle four engaged." This meant that Inspector Black Eagle was now connected to one of Starfleet Intelligence's LCARS ports under a secret protocol he engineered with the help of a computer specialist named Kodan from the Daystrom Institute. Unbeknownst to Inspector Black Eagle, there was a hidden subroutine in his Eagle Protocol. Originally designed as a diagnostic and debugging system, the data that passed through the protocol was also directed to Kodan at the Daystrom Institute. However, the bugs were long since worked out, the subroutine called Magic Mirror remained active for another reason. Darrah Kodan was also an active member of the New Maquis, and a fervent believer in Gargoyle equality.

"Working...Section 113's mission is to repopulate the species known as Gargoyles for the possible training and use as enhanced soldiers much in the same way as the Angosians do with some of their citizens." Inspector Black Eagle suppressed a shudder...didn't these assholes learn anything from the Eugenics Wars?

Two hours later, Inspector Black Eagle shut down his LCARS with a huge grin on his face.

Bingo! Now everything was beginning to make sense.

, , ,

USS Harry Benjamin

Aria's wings, feet, and the end of her tail hung out of the conduit as she tinkered around inside. She had a light and various tools, as she attempted to seal the conduit sections to her satisfaction. Selena watched her feet and tail twitch occasionally as she worked, and they talked. "...So if it's possible to cast an open-ended fulfillment spell, why can't I just cast one and wish Section 113 and Admiral Falcone had a heart? Or that my family and ex - boyfriend Canmore would love me again?" Aria spat with bitterness.

"Those are wishes too great for a fulfillment spell like this. You need a larger, dedicated spell for that. You need much more energy."

"Why can't we just plug into this plasma conduit here?"

"Wrong type of energy."

"I could build a converter."

"How would you build something to shape the energy into a spell?"

Aria's sigh echoed in the tube. "You've got a point. I imagine a computer could, but that would take a LOT of work and one helluva computer. The Bynars and the Borg have that kind of computer power, but I doubt that the Bynars could understand magic, and the Borg are just a bit unfriendly." Aria shuddered, then returned to her thoughts, "You know there may not be a whole lot of difference between warp field theory and spell casting. Both involve specifically formed energy fields."

Selena nodded. "This is true. Only warp fields are to be surfed by starships. Spell casting is meant to make direct changes to the universe."

"Mind telling me what you two are doing to my ship?" Captain Blade's voice over Selena's shoulder.

"CAPTAIN!" Aria exclaimed. A thud issued from the tube, followed by a string of cursing. Aria slid out of the plasma conduit, straightened her uniform, and nodded. "I didn't know you were back!"

"I thought I'd surprise you with something."

Selena and Aria glanced at each other. The stoic gentleman captain of the starship USS Harry Benjamin looked at them both with raised eyebrows. Selena was wearing her usual loincloths while Aria donned her Starfleet halter-top and spandex shorts, with the rank marking her a Lieutenant Commander, "What might that be, Sir Captain?" Selena inquired.

He turned to Aria, and handed her a few small objects. "Congratulations - Commander Maza."

She blinked in confusion as she looked down at the three round pips in her paw. Her jaw fell and her eyes went wide. "C... Commander...?"

"We had a staff meeting about it and agreed - the senior members of the Star Clan need to hold the rank of Commander in order to serve their proper function on this ship, and I agreed. In any decent fleet, a captain would have given it to you just for surviving against these odds for as long as you have."

The captain turned to Selena, and handed her a roll of fabric. "Here is yours, Cadet. I expect it to be worn at all time while on duty. You know by now what the rules are."

Selena did something Aria had never yet seen her do. She stood proudly at attention. "With pleasure, sir!"

Selena hurried off to the turbolift as the Captain turned back to Aria with a smile. "You still haven't answered my question, Commander Maza. Mind telling me what Selena and my new Chief Engineer are doing to my ship?"

Commander and Chief Engineer, Aria thought. Aria liked the sound of that. "We're installing what will make this ship the flagship of the New Maquis. Besides our crew, anyway..."

"Commander." he cut her off. "You have taken one of my matter/antimatter reaction assemblies offline and begun disassembling the plasma transfer conduits, thus doubling the load on the EPS power distribution grid, and the engineering hull's M/A reactor. I am certain you can explain this to my satisfaction or else I would not have given you those pips."

Aria swallowed. She had been given the rank and was now being asked to live up to it. "Yes sir! The load on the two warp cores we use now is enough to meet all of our needs, yes, but the scenario of an overload is inevitable...especially in combat situations. Assuming a high-consumption scenario, and one core is either down, or has been ejected, there will be insufficient power to deal with the threat and still maintain ship systems - like life support. Therefore a power overhaul is critical. As the assistant to the Chief Engineer of this ship, I am required to deal with these potential situations."

The Captain nodded, folding his wings. He still needed a little practice at it but he was getting better, Aria noted with pride. "This is true. I want you to know that there was a debate among this crew to make you Chief of Engineering and you got the job - since you are the best technical mind on this ship, second only to your sister Jana Deenax."

"As of now, sir, I outrank my Commanding Officer." Aria pointed out.

"Not any more. Mr. Homer is still a lieutenant commander. I have been forced to make judgments on rank based on the somewhat limited knowledge and experience of my existing crew. While I think you need Mr. Homer's experience with this crew and ship, you are the best suited for the job. There will be an Engineering section meeting on this tomorrow morning."

"Yes sir. The point of this project is to provide a clean, safe substitute to the dilithium reactor system. It will be powerful enough to run this ship and all four warp nacelles in all modes of deployment, on its own, or in series."

"Impressive. How?"

"It's a magic/science power generator, system, sir."

"Explain."

"It's a larger version of what the Wyvernians installed in the Joker's Luck II, which can alone generate as much power as a M/A reactor system or more. It will be capable of generating the same fourth power energy we encountered there. With what Selena has taught me of sorcery we can not only set it up, but also maintain it. It's safe also. The likelihood of accident is extraordinarily low."

The Captain smiled. "I'm... impressed. Your doing this all from materials on board?"

"Anything I can't get on board I can replicate from scans of the one in the Joker's Luck ." she smiled at him.

"What are you doing with my plasma conduits here?"

"This room is going to house to reactor chamber, and I'm fitting this modified segment of plasma transfer conduit which connects to the reactor itself, to the EPS power system and those two over there lead directly to the saucer warp nacelles."

"I don't want to take the M/A reactors out of service, but I'd like to keep them as redundant."

"I advise against it, Captain. As you know, antimatter is catastrophic should we loose containment for any reason, and the safety of all Gargoyles MUST be assured..." The Captain suddenly looked at the floor, sadly, and Aria stopped. "Captain?"

He sighed this time. "I keep forgetting this crew isn't human."

"It gets into your blood after a while. You start being used to living this way..." Aria smiled, putting a hand on his shoulder, "Jana and I both went through this. Your mind has changed Captain. You have the mind of a Gargoyle now, and it regards being a Gargoyle as normal. Perhaps you could talk to Greystone. Jana thinks the world of him, and I see why. Greystone could be a counselor of sorts for emerging mutate Gargoyles like you."

"You are right of course, this is a ship whose crew cannot be replaced. Just remember that this ship separates, and I need power to use the warp nacelles on that part of the ship in event of an emergency."

"Yes sir. We could build another in that hull."

"Yes, but until then, we leave that one operational. When you finish, the dilithium may prove useful elsewhere. At least that way we won't have to make dilithium raids, will we?"

Aria smiled. "No sir. I would have informed you of the project sooner, but you were gone, and this is an off-duty project of mine and SelenaÕs to keep us busy when we arenÕt sleeping and being milked." Aria snorted.

"See you at dinner tonight?"

"Of course!"

Blade smiled, and walked out into the hall.

, , ,

, ,

Later

"So tell me, Aria?" Captain Blade inquired over dinner. "What were your plans in Starfleet before all this began?"

Aria smiled, not even thinking about what a good time she was having. "Well, hyperstring theory and subspace physics always interested me - you know, the stuff the universe is really made of - trying to answer the question 'What is our dimension made of?' That was how I got into warp theory and warp engine propulsion. I still have some ideas on faster-than-warp-10 travel, but they're only theories at this point."

"I don't get it." Jana put in, tossing her flaming red hair to one side. "Why'd you go into engineering then?"

"I wanted a career in Starfleet and to fly the stars. Figured it'd be a good credential if nothing else. Once I started studying for engineering work at the academy, I kind of fell in love with it."

"That's why you know so much about warp-field enhanced computers."

"Precisely!" Aria smiled.

Captain Blade had been having dinner with his two newest officers, promoting them to Commanders, and the Scottish trio as Ensigns. He had some kind of fascination for his two fellow humans-turned-Gargoyles. He did this often, arranging for other Gargoyles on the ship to care for the Gargoyle hatchlings as he dined with them. It was kind of a tradition. Perhaps he felt more at home among those who shared a common experience with him.

Jana turned to Captain Blade. "Yeah, I asked her about duotronic computers the other day, and she gave me this completely dumbfounded look."

The Captain smiled, but didn't reply. The eating generally stopped as the two women's gazes fell on the Captain.

"Penny for your thoughts." Aria inquired.

"I'm really glad we met." he sighed. Aria and Jana blinked for a moment. "I mean... there's only so much you can learn from the computer and teach the crew... you have experience in these things."

"We're here in whatever means you need us, but we can't go on duty yet." Aria replied. The hatchlings were all nursing still, and the doctor's orders were clear."

Blade sighed. ÒWell... are the hatchlings old enough for you to take shorts absences?Ó

Jana blinked. ÒSure! WhatÕs up?Ó

ÒRemember those parts you wanted for some of your more special ÔprojectsÕ? Well, weÕll be making that swing by DS9 you requested in a few days. I need you to make sure the parts are the correct ones. ItÕll only be for a few hours or so here and there while weÕre docked.Ó

Jana nodded, and smiled at Aria. ÒSounds good.Ó

, , ,

"MOMMAMOMMA!!!" Prosperina exclaimed, holding her paws out to Selena, begging to be held. Gargoyle hatchlings are very affectionate creatures. It somehow made them better protectors as adults. Selena picked up the hatchling as she began to wail. The hatchlings all seemed to know how to say "Momma" and "Jana" very well by this time, and most had peach fuzz on the heads of those who would someday have hair. The hatchlings bonded together, and the boys were possessive and protective of their rookery sisters, when teasing began in the nursery. The adults discouraged this behavior as much as possible, but it still seemed children were children and had their ways of expressing their own inner emotional inadequacies onto others.

Selena sighed, rocking the child in her arms. Selena had a guess among her childhood rookery had sired and laid the egg that was the little girl she now held in her arms. However she knew those two were killed at Falkirk. So now she raised the hatchlings, as their parents would have wanted their children raised - as a clan. They would not learn until they were a lot older that their genetic heritage died so long ago, forming bonds instead with her rookery parents and siblings. That was how a Gargoyle clan worked. Jana and Aria, despite having been born human, somehow had been altered even in their mindset by whatever forces had changed them, and their thoughts and feelings were those of a Gargoyle just as much as their bodies were. Aria was a natural mother who loved the little ones greatly, but also believed in sharing her time with the crew, spending eight hours on shift just like Jana. Selena, Titan, and Greystone would have been offered a chance to attend Starfleet Academy in different times, but also would have declined on the basis of remaining with and protecting their clan. They wanted those hatchlings to remember them as being there for them.

As a result the old Scottish Gargoyles had jobs of their own aboard the ship, but now that Selena and Greystone had been asked to teach, they seemed to have been handed a job much more to their liking. Despite her obvious happiness for them both, Aria seemed saddened by this news, deepening a desire in her to have been born and raised in the form she now bore, to share the pains and sorrows of the race she now shared her life with. But such was not her experience, and it shamed her like a red ÔAÕ emblazoned across her chest. Jana took to it a little better; being a little more used to having multiple lives, but shared some of the same sentiments of her sister.

Since the laying of Aria's egg she seemed to be going through a period of postpartum depression, leaving Selena to fulfill much of the emotional needs of their young ones. Little Elisa climbed up onto Selena's lap just as she sat down onto the sofa. She cuddled the two hatchlings, who responded by wrapping their little tails around her wrists. "Let me tell you a story." she began. They loved stories, it put them right to sleep. "Back in the days when we lived in a lush, beautiful world, Gargoyles lived out in the great open spaces, and flew freely on the winds..."

, , ,

CaptainÕs ready-room

Jana was busy poring over a series of reports when a young pea-green Gargoyle female with shoulder-length blonde hair by the name of Rice came in with a tray of snacks and a raktajino. Jana glanced up at the young cadet and smiled.

"I see you got your cadet uniform, Rice."

"Yes, Ma'am!" the cadet Gargoyle replied, beaming with pride. "I understand you approved my posting. Thank you!"

"You may not be so thankful later. Being a starship officer isn't easy. Being a cadet is worse. Carry on."

"Yes Ma'am!" Jana watched the young cadet walk out of the ready room, her forest-green wings closing about her shoulders in cloak mode. Such a green kid, Jana thought. I hope I won't have to order her to her death, but she knew she would someday be ordering people to their deaths. She sighed as she poured herself a cup of raktajino and grabbed a doughnut. Why does the currency for freedom always have to be blood? She picked up the PADD and began reviewing the duty roster. LetÕs seeÉDumas is sick, I need to reassign someone to cover his shiftÉperhaps Chief Anthony or Ensign BradleyÉ

The door hissed open and Captain Blade came into the ready room. Jana glanced up and laid the PADD she was studying on the desk.

ÒDuty roster?Ó Blade inquired.

ÒYah,Ó Jana replied with a chuckle, ÒThe glamour side of command decision-making.Ó

"How's my new First Officer?"

"First Officer? Now wait a darn minute, Captain! Centaurius knows this ship and crew a lot better than I do. I am not qualified!Ó Jana protested. Captain Blade placed an object on the desk. It was a banded oval...the rank insignia of the New Maquis. There were three angled bands on it, all silver, the designation of a full commander.

"Centaurius disagrees and so do I." Blade insisted, "You are far better trained than all of my officers. We're in a war situation, and you are the only one with formal training and practical experience in combat. I will need you to one day to command one of our ships in battle. Like it or not, Commander, you are destined for the red suit."

ÒOne battle is hardly what I would call experience.Ó Jana replied sarcastically, ÒFace it, IÕm no Jean-Luc Picard. IÕve never even been a bridge officer beforeÉÓ

"Bridge to Commander Deenax, we're receiving a Priority Alpha call from Captain Narz of the Maquis."

"Pipe it here.Ó Jana clipped. The ebony face of Captain Narz appeared.

"Commander Deenax, I just received a message from one of our people on DS-9, a man claiming to be your brother Scott showed up there just a day ago. He was asking around for you, and said it was an emergency. How fast can you get there?"

"I can be there in 36 hours." Jana replied as she looked at Blade, who was already nodding his consent. "Deenax to shuttle bay, prepare the Joker's Luck II for immediate launch."

Less than an hour later, the Joker's Luck II was speeding away to DS-9, cloak engaged and weapons charged.

, , , , ,

Jana and Aria made it to DS-9 in less than thirty hours. During the flight over, Jana decided to try out the new Wyvernian engines and was quite surprised at their performance. Much to Jana's surprise, the Joker's Luck II had the speed and agility of a Klingon BÕrel- class bird-of-prey, but packed the firepower of a light cruiser. She smiled. Too bad we didn't have this speed and maneuverability when we tangled with the Nimbus . The improved weapons would have been useful as well, she reflected. She soon was vectored to a pylon on the inner docking ring.

Upon their arrival at DS-9, a young Bajoran ensign in the Maquis immediately come up to Aria, ÒCommander Atuval, I am Ensign Mora Laret. I am here to take you to our supply base at Gamma Ponarys III. Captain Narz already sent your requisition there. ItÕs only about a light year from here, and they have those power converters you were looking for, and I was also told that they have just acquired a Borg distribution node!Ó

ÒYouÕve got to be kidding?Ó Aria replied, wide-eyed as she looked over the young Bajoran male. Kind of cute, but heÕs not Blade.

ÒAccording to them, a Borg scout sphere got caught in some kind of random-event gravimetric shear on the Beta Quadrant border and was destroyed. The Pakled, the Ferengi, the Gorn and at least three other species have been scavenging the area for a few days. So have we.Ó He smiled widely.

ÒJana, what do you think?Ó

ÒIÕd be careful of that Borg stuff,Ó Jana warned, ÒIf there is any active nanoprobe technology, the stuff could assimilate you or possibly the ship. I heard that Borg equipment could do that, and I donÕt put anything past the CollectiveÕs technology.Ó

ÒIÕll make sure it is safe.Ó Aria reassured Jana as she hugged her one last time, enveloping Jana in her wings. Aria and Ensign Mora headed toward the docking port while Jana headed over to QuarkÕs.

Quark saw Jana come into the bar. Quark knew she was the Gargoyle behind the rebellion, and he feared her, yet for some unknown reason he also found her to be attractive. "This is an unexpected surprise, Commander." Quark smiled, his sharp, jagged teeth flashing. "What can I get for you?"

"A Scotch...make it a double, and none of that synthahol crap, either!"

"Whatever you say, Commander Deenax." Quark replied with that too-phony smile and faked pleasantry typical of the Ferengi. A minute later, he returned with a bottle of Scotch and poured her a stiff double. She looked around the bar and soon spotted Scott, huddled in a corner of the bar, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.

"Scott, what are you doing here?" Jana asked.

"Commander Deenax!" came the excited voice of Ezri Dax, accompanied by Colonel Kira, "When did you get here?"

"About ten minutes ago." Jana replied, turning to Kira, "Scott, this Colonel Kira Nerys, she's the C.O. of DS-9." Scott nodded. "Now what the hell is going on?"

Scott looked down at the table. Jana knew something was very wrong. She could sense it. Something terrible happened. Scott was crying. "Sis, Mom and Pop are dead." Scott then explained the events and the oddities. Scott then broke down again. Jana and Scott stood up and tightly embraced each other, Jana wrapping her wings around her brother sobbing.

"Jana! Tell Aria her parents are safe. I smuggled 'em off Earth. Something evil's going on, and Pop thought Starfleet Intelligence was playing games."

"Section 31, I'll bet" Kira acidly speculated. With that said, Jana released her brother, threw her wings wide and clenched her fists.

"RREEEEAAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!!" was all Jana said, the roar shattering glass and scaring everyone in the entire Promenade. Jana's eyes were ablaze in crimson so deep, everyone who saw her expected to see destructive beams of energy blasting from her eyes. "NOW IT'S PERSONAL!" Jana roared, "FALCONE! CANMORE! You are DEAD MEAT! Nobody fucks with this Gargoyle's kin and gets away with it! I swear by my Gargoyle heart, my parents will be avenged!"

Ezri Dax was almost paralyzed by fear. Despite the many lives lived by Dax, none of Dax's hosts ever seen anything quite as impressive. Ezri understood revenge well, and now was angry that someone who had endured so much already had to be hurt in such a sublime and evil manner. "So young to have suffered so much...Ó Curzon Dax sighed inside Ezri's mind.

Colonel Kira stood by almost unimpressed, yet a lonely tear trickling down her cheek betrayed her stoic expression. Deep inside she felt Jana's pain and anguish. Kira knew that kind of pain from the Occupation at a very early age. She could just as easily be Bajoran. Jana and all these Gargoyles have the same strength of spirit as my people . Kira smiled despite the tears. They also well understand the pain of injustice and loss...just like Bajor . Small wonder the Kai and the Vedeks embraced the Gargoyles and offered them protection and sanctuary. May the Prophets protect them!

Scott froze in terror. Now he began to realize why Gargoyles were so feared. He also remembered his encounter with Greystone earlier. Jana was bad enough when she was a human. He remembered the Starway Lounge, too. Now his sister was a Gargoyle, and a lot nastier. He also relished the thought of Jana destroying those responsible...provided he didn't get to them first. Jana was certainly right about one thing...those responsible for killing his beloved parents are dead meat.

, , , , , ,

RNS Fire Hawk

Captain Nolamok was fuming. He was unhappy with his current assignment. Once again, he studied the orders on his computer display in the ready room of the RNS Fire Hawk. Still, there was no questioning of his orders. For one hundred and twenty-three years, Captain Nolamok faithfully served the Romulan Star Empire in the Imperial Starfleet. For one hundred and twenty-three years, he dutifully obeyed his orders without question...until now. He took a sip of cholet , the Romulan equivalent of tea.

He switched off the display terminal's screen and walked over to the view port watching the stars stream by as his cloaked ship traversed the vast distances between the stars at seventeen times the speed of light. He noticed his reflection. By the Praetor, I look like I am five centuries old! He smiled. That's better. Despite his one hundred and sixty years of age, he was still youthfully handsome by Romulan standards, with only a touch of gray betraying his age.

A decorated veteran of the Dominion War, he was grateful the war was over, and with luck, he would be able to serve the Empire until retirement. In an odd sort of way, he missed the war. There was none of this cloak-and-dagger stuff. Just the kind of straightforward kind of warfare old soldiers like him preferred. You just go out and fight for the greater glory of the Empire. Now he was stuck with a covert mission for the Tal Shiar deep in Federation space, and the commander leading this mission didn't have a very good record against the Federation. In fact, she was responsible for two of the most spectacular failures in Romulan history. He even remembered one occasion where a robot commander defeated her, and he wasn't Borg, but a human construct! His thoughts were interrupted with the beep of the door buzzer. A tall blonde-haired woman entered his ready room with an air of arrogance: The kind of arrogance born of uncontested authority thick with fear.

"Is everything ready, Captain?" she asked.

"Everything is ready, Commander. You realize that what you are proposing could very well result in a war with the Federation?" the Romulan commander said to the blond-haired woman in her quarters.

"Captain Nolamok, you will do your duty as ordered. The Federation will hardly go to war with the Empire during this Civil War of theirs. May I remind you that it is extremely unwise to question orders from the Tal Shiar.Ó Sela coldly replied.

"I will do my duty, Commander, as I always have.Ó Captain Nolamok replied with equal coldness, "I just hope that this mission is worth the risks we are taking. As senior commander aboard this vessel, it is also my duty to remind you that we are deep in enemy space. Your capture will seriously jeopardize the security of the Empire!"

"Your concerns are noted, Captain," Sela replied with her viper's smile, "I have been assured that there will be no interference from the Federation."

"It is not the Federation I am worried about, Commander," Nolamok icily remarked, "I am far more worried about this New Maquis that has inflicted several serious defeats on Starfleet in recent months in that very Civil War you mentioned. I sincerely doubt we engender warm feelings or sympathy within their ranks."

"The Maquis are merely renegade colonists who are more concerned with the Cardassians than with us." Nolamok raised his eyebrow skeptically.

"I wish I shared your confidence, Commander," Nolamok dryly remarked, "The Maquis may not feel as bound to the Federation's Prime Directive as Starfleet."

"Our special guest has guaranteed me that neither Starfleet or this Maquis you worry too much about will interfere with our mission."

Captain Nolamok wasn't so sure, and he was also wondering about that very same mysterious and shadowy passenger that accompanied Sela. The passenger wore a dark cloak that concealed its features. Captain Nolamok did hear the passenger speak with a feminine voice that was as sultry as it was cold. Too much like Sela, in his opinion. However, he did observe a blue hand for a brief instant. Probably a Bolian or a possibly an Andorian traitor, he mused. Still, he would do as ordered, as an old soldier would. He also noted mentally that Sela was also wrong about one other thing: Questioning the Tal Shiar isn't merely unwise: it is suicide.

, , ,

"Commander Maza," inquired the young ensign piloting the runabout as it sped on its way back to Bajor, "How did you become a Gargoyle?"

"It's a long story, Ensign. .uh"

"Mora, sir, Mora Laret," replied the young Bajoran.

"Let's just say it was the result of a lot of unusual circumstances, Ensign." Aria replied with a smile. "Actually, I was born human, then became a Gargoyle five years ago when I met another Gargoyle named Adam."

"Interesting experiences, Commander," he replied, "Commander, I also want to say that it is an honor to be with you. I never met a war hero before, at least not face to face." Aria smiled.

A war heroÉhardly! If anything, Jana was far more the war hero type as far as Aria was concerned. A lot had changed since the Federation Civil War was now raging on. Aria had spent the last year in hiding with the Maquis.

Aria, like her mate Jana, was a born spacefarer. She had always felt more at home with deck plating under her feet than ground. Now she was on her way to the edge of Bajoran space, more specifically Gamma Ponarys III. . It seemed strange to be back in Bajoran space and not have to worry about being blasted out of space by her people. As Aria was reflecting on her life, the proximity alarm went off.

"Commander, we have a ship decloaking! Bearing 221 mark 29, range 200,000 kilometers and closing."

"Raise shields!"

"Commander, ship configuration matches that of a Romulan D'deridex -class Warbird." Aria tapped a control to hail them. The Warbird responded by firing a torpedo. Aria transferred helm controls to her console, but knew her tiny runabout was no match for the Warbird. Seconds later, the torpedo impacted the aft shields and several panels within the cramped cockpit exploded in a shower of sparks, the blast knocking both occupants nearly unconscious.

Mora was the first to recover, and noted with dismay the flashing and blinking confusion about him. Aria awoke in a burst of swearing, shaking off the concussion. Laret almost jumped into the overhead when he saw Aria's eyes brightly aglow and her fangs bared. A snarling roar like an angry tiger filled the small runabout.

"Commander! I can't get anything to work!Ó Mora screamed, "Some kind of energy dampening weapon."

"What the..." was all Aria said as she and Mora disappeared in the swirl of Romulan transporters.

, , ,

Aria and Mora materialized in the Romulans transporter room staring into the business ends of three Romulan disruptor carbines held by three stone-faced Romulan security officers. Aria's eyes were still brightly aglow and were already sizing up a battle plan, but abandoned it. Mora and I will get fried if I try anything. These guys look like they know what they are all about . Aria glanced over at Mora and saw he was also quite angry as his coal black eyes glared back at the Romulans. Despite Mora's blinding rage, he remained calm but vigilant. Aria realized it was a product of decades of resisting the Cardassian Union's militaristic and authoritarian culture during the Occupation, and the spiritual strength and resolve of the Bajoran people.

Aria noticed three other Romulans near the transporter console. Two were obviously senior officers, the aura of command heavy on the both of them. Aria recognized the male had the rank of Captain, the blond woman the rank of Commander. She also noted with dismay the twin shields and bird-of-prey insignia of the Tal Shiar on the woman.

"I would advise remaining calm, Commander," Sela said pleasantly.

"Only a Romulan would ambush an unarmed runabout with a WarbirdÉtalk about overkill!" Aria hissed.

ÒYou have the pagh of a Cardassian coward!Ó Ensign Mora spat in disgust.

"Stand down, Ensign! That's an order!Ó Aria barked.

Sela walked out from behind the transporter controls holding a disruptor pistol. "We really have no need for you, it's the Commander we want." Sela fired the weapon, completely vaporizing the young Bajoran.

"RRREEEEAAARRGGGHHH!!!" was all Aria was able to say, her eyes pulsating red.

"Temper, my dear Commander."

"HE WAS NO THREAT!" Aria cried. Another innocent life lost because of me! When will it end?

"Such loyalty. Inspiring, isn't it.Ó Sela sweetly said. Her expression turned hard. "Take her to the brig and destroy that ship!"

"It will be done, Commander.Ó Captain Nolamok sighed.

, , ,

Scott, Jana, Dax and Kira spent the next four hours at QuarkÕs catching up on events and the recent activity. Scott was amazed at all the events that his sister had been recently involved in. The quartet left QuarkÕs and as they headed towards the lift in the Promenade, Colonel KiraÕs commbadge beeped.

ÒOps here, Colonel. Please report to Ops immediately. We have a problem.Ó

ÒOn my way!Ó Kira replied as she motioned the others to the lift. Less than a minute later, the lift carried the four to Ops.

ÒColonel, we just received a message from a Bajoran patrol ship, and I donÕt think you are going to like it.Ó

ÒReport!Ó Colonel Kira spoke as she and the others left the lift.

ÒThe BDF Resistance was en route back to Bajor when they came across the wreckage of a small spacecraft. The configuration matches that of Ensign MoraÕs shuttle, and they are overdue at Gamma Ponarys III. No survivors.Ó

ÒOh shit!Ó Jana muttered, her eyes taking on a red glow as her face became a mask of deep concern. ÒColonel Kira, can I get the coordinates? I need to head out there.Ó Less than fifteen minutes later, Jana was back aboard the JokerÕs Luck II heading to the coordinates given to her by Colonel Kira at maximum warp.

Jana arrived at the coordinates in just a few hours, weapons charged and spoiling for a fight. She immediately detected the debris that was once AriaÕs shuttle. After sweeping the area for possible attackers, she then concentrated on the debris itself. She then beamed aboard a piece of the ship and analyzed it with her tricorder.

ÒDeenax to Harry Benjamin. Ó

ÒBlade here, what is going on?Ó

ÒAriaÕs missing.Ó Jana replied, barely keeping her anger in check.

ÒMissing?Ó

ÒA Bajoran ship found the wreckage of her shuttle.Ó

ÒCould it have been an accident?Ó

ÒNo way in Hell,Ó Jana asserted, ÒI scanned the area, but couldnÕt detect any life signs, nor did I find any DNA traces big enough to indicate casualties. An accident like a reactor breach would leave a lot of radiation and not a whole lot else. There is a debris field here. I did analyze a piece of the wreckage and found residual weapon signatures and a residual energy signature that resembles a transporter signature. The ship was attacked, no doubt about it. The evidence suggests a variant of a Type IV plasma torpedo.Ó

ÒKlingons?Ó Blade speculated aloud.

ÒNo way,Ó Jana replied matter-of-factly, ÒKlingon vessels carry ion torpedoes. Rule out the Breen as well. They pulled back into their space after the Dominion War and have basically been behaving themselves. I also donÕt believe their vessels are equipped with Type IV plasma torpedoes. I only know of one species that regularly arms their vessels with plasma torpedoes.Ó

ÒThe RomulansÓ Blade added, confirming JanaÕs suspicions, ÒThe Tal Shiar certainly is not above mugging a shuttle and beaming aboard its crew. The big question is why?Ó

ÒYour guess is as good as mine,Ó Jana sighed, ÒWhy now and why grab Aria?Ó Jana was interrupted by a sensor alert. ÒCaptain, my sensors just detected a faint trail of polaron and graviton particles, their pattern leads toward the Beta Quadrant. Romulan ships are powered by artificially produced quantum singularities, and gravitons would be a natural waste product of such a power source. I think it may be the wake of a Romulan vessel.Ó

ÒReturn to the Benjamin at once.Ó

ÒCaptain, I can certainly catch those Romulans!Ó Jana growled, ÒThey canÕt be that far, and I have a fast ship.Ó

ÒPermission denied, Commander.Ó Blade ordered, ÒSomething is terribly wrong here and we need to think this one out. Romulan involvement is the last thing we need now. We dare not underestimate them. I also need you back here.Ó

ÒWhat about Aria?Ó Jana demanded, her voice and anger rising.

ÒCommander, do you honestly think you could take on a Warbird or a DÕdredar -class battle cruiser with the Joker ?Ó Blade shot back, ÒI donÕt think so. Now, return to the Benjamin, and thatÕs an order!Ó

ÒAye, sir!Ó Jana sighed in defeat. As much as she wanted to rescue her lover, she knew the captain was right. The JokerÕs Luck II could handle any destroyer or a light cruiser, but nothing like the DÕdredar or Warbird. They simply packed too much raw firepower; even with its enhanced shields the Joker would be vulnerable to their massive arrays of disruptors and their plasma torpedoes, and what if there was more than one vessel involved? Reluctantly, she set course toward the Harry Benjamin.

, , ,

USS Harry Benjamin

The JokerÕs Luck II landed in the docking bay, Jana leaving the vessel in a very nasty mood. She had spent the last day and a half returning to the Benjamin at maximum warp alternating between swearing, crying and worried sick about her mate. Captain Blade and Centaurius were there to greet her, and both soon saw the still-flaming eyes of the red-haired Gargoyle as she stomped her way across the deck.

ÒSorry Captain,Ó Jana hissed, ÒIÕll be in Holodeck 2 shooting off some steam. DonÕt get in my way.Ó She ended her warning with a growl.

ÒI understand,Ó Captain Blade replied with a nod of his head, ÒHowever, there is a staff meeting set for 1600 and you need to be there.Ó Jana nodded in agreement and stormed out of the docking bay to Holodeck 2. Three hours later, Centaurius was walking by Holodeck 2 and heard the sounds of snarling and the clang of steel weapons. Damn! She is really pissed! He heard another roar and what sounded like a Klingon battle cry. Noticing the time, he decided to fetch Jana. When he opened up the holodeck doors, he saw a barren world with many rock outcroppings. His attention was suddenly riveted to the snarl he recognized as that of a female Gargoyle interspersed with some swearing in a language he didnÕt know, followed by the ring of steel weapons clashing. He ran off into the direction of the snarl and much to his dismay, he passed three dead Romulans, each one savagely killed. As he rounded a rock, he saw Jana standing over the prone form of yet another bloody Romulan warrior with her batÕleth raised high. With a frightening howl, she brought the Klingon weapon down with immense force, nearly splitting the Romulan hologram in two.

ÒRomulan pÕtaQ!Ó Jana hissed as she extracted her batÕleth. Centaurius looked at the enraged Gargoyle female standing there with her batÕleth in both hands, herself and her weapon coated with a green glaze of holographic Romulan blood, heavily breathing, her eyes aglow like twin red suns, and a murderous expression on her face. The next thing he noticed was more than a dozen corpses of Romulan soldiers, each one bearing mute testimony to JanaÕs rage and her skill with a batÕleth.

ÒCommander Deenax, it is 1530.Ó Noticing Centaurius, she ended the holo-sim she was using, the holodeck returning to the familiar skeleton-like network of holo-emitter arrays. Her eyes returned to their normal color and she nodded. Centaurius and Jana left the holodeck together and headed toward JanaÕs quarters. Twenty minutes later, Jana had emerged from her quarters looking completely like the professional command officer. Centaurius was deeply shaken by the sudden contrast. Though he knew Jana was a warrior, as any Gargoyle is, he was deeply concerned about her rage and anger.

,, , , , ,

Conference room

Captain Blade called the conference to order as his senior staff took their seats. Jana was not all too happy to see Homer sitting in AriaÕs customary seat, but she kept a poker face though she was crying inside.

ÒMay I have your attention please?Ó Captain Blade said formally, as he activated the main view screen, ÒCaptain Narz has acquired information regarding a secret starbase, code named Delta One that Section 113 has been operating for some time in the general area of the DevilÕs Ring Nebula. ItÕs an older starbase, and much smaller than the typical Federation starbase.Ó The screen then displayed a picture of Section 113Õs starbase.

ÒLooks a lot like the old K-series starbase.Ó Jana remarked.

ÒDevilÕs Ring? Sounds very foreboding.Ó Homer noted.

ÒA well deserved name, I assure you,Ó Blade replied, ÒOriginally the DevilÕs Ring was designated as NR-1172. About fifty years ago, an independent scout entered NR-1172 and his ship was severely damaged by one of the plasma storms that regularly rage in the ring. He barely got out alive, and from that moment on, he referred to NR-1172 as the DevilÕs Ring. So far, he is the only known survivor. According the Starfleet records, there have been more than sixty ships disappearing into the nebula, never to be heard from again.Ó

ÒSomething tells me that starbase there had a lot to do with the disappearing ships.Ó Centaurius speculated.

ÒI imagine some ships were either destroyed there by the starbase, or were sent there deliberately by Section 31.Ó Thoreau acidly remarked.

ÒMakes sense,Ó Jana commented, ÒSection 31 would have the connections to make supply ships and others ÔdisappearÕ in the records. After so many ships ÔvanishingÕ, few spacefarers would dare enter the DevilÕs Ring.Ó

ÒI agree with you on that, Commander.Ó Blade dryly replied, ÒIt may look like a K-series starbase, but it is better armed and shielded.Ó

ÒWhat does this starbase have to do with us?Ó Homer asked.

ÒThat base has a lot to do with our future survival,Ó Blade continued, ÒWe have learned that Section 113 is working on another Genesis device similar to the one used ninety years ago in the Mutara Nebula. Considering Section 113Õs orders come from Section 31, that doesnÕt bode well for anyoneÉespecially us.Ó

ÒWhatÕs the plan?Ó Austen asked.

ÒPre-emptive strike. We are going to hit that station and weÕre snagging the Genesis device before those bastards use it on us.Ó Blade continued, ÒAccording to the data weÕve received, they have constructed one working Genesis torpedo, and they can build others. However, we also learned that they have only the one torpedo, and the station is the only place in Starfleet where the Genesis research is taking place. Obviously, Section 113 wants to keep this research totally from the rest of Starfleet and the Federation. If we can steal the Genesis device and destroy the research data, Section 113 will be hard-pressed to cook up another one for quite some time.Ó

ÒCaptain, may I suggest an idea?Ó Thoreau offered.

ÒGo ahead, Mr. Thoreau.Ó

ÒOk, I have no problems with stealing the data,Ó Thoreau said, mind furiously working, Òbut they are going to know we have the device and the data. Also, we need to do something about the researchers. Even if we destroy the data, there will be copies in the minds of the scientists involved. They could build another.Ó

ÒPoint taken.Ó Blade sighed.

ÒWe could take them prisoner.Ó Hemingway suggested.

ÒThat works, but what will we do with them? Execute them?Ó Thoreau asked, not liking the direction this was going.

ÒExile to a remote, but habitable planet where they will be no threat,Ó Blade mused aloud, ÒI am not going to execute them. We will not stoop to their level!Ó This drew several concerned stares and murmurs among the Gargoyles.

ÒTis an honorable solution, laddie,Ó Greystone explained, ÒIn our time back in Scotland, Gargoyles who turned against their clan were exiled. In our clan, we swore never to kill another Gargoyle, no matter what evil they did.Ó

ÒRemember, these are not innocent people we are talking about,Ó Blade emphasized, ÒThese people are willing, active participants in genocide, and would be considered war criminals by any civilization. Greystone is right, exile is probably the most humane way we can keep them away from Section 113 without killing them. IÕm sure Captain Narz knows a few places we could keep them, but we will only allow them enough technology to survive and hunt food. Technology such as archery and such, but nothing they can use to communicate with or build weapons like phasers.Ó The Gargoyles then nodded in agreement.

ÒWe also learned that this secret starbase is also warp-capable. According to the technical data, the three arms are telescoping and can be retracted to form a much more compact shape. They move this starbase on a regular basis to keep it hidden, but they always seem to remain in the area of the DevilÕs Ring.Ó

ÒA warp-capable starbase?Ó Homer spoke with skepticism, ÒI find that difficult to believe.Ó

ÒItÕs been done before,Ó Jana corrected, ÒAfter the Cardassians left Bajor, and they also left behind a severely damaged starbase named Terok Nor in orbit above Bajor. When the Federation and the Bajorans took over the station, the Chief Engineer managed to create a warp field large enough to transport the entire shebang to the Denorios Belt. You now know how DS-9 came to be. The starbase in question is less than half the size of DS-9.

Blade then turned his gaze towards Jana.

ÒThis will be a two-phase attack with three strike teams: Alpha, Beta and Gamma. Commander Deenax, you will be leading strike team Alpha, and the mission leader. Your strike team will be shuttled aboard the IKC NuÕDaq , a KÕVort -class heavy cruiser that Chancellor Martok graciously loaned us. Ms. Austen and Mr. Thoreau will also go with Commander Deenax and her strike force. The Benjamin and the Dingo will approach under cloak and watch your backs while the NuÕDaq approaches under cloak. Hopefully, Mr. Thoreau can use his computer sorcery to open a breach in their shields long enough for your strike team to beam aboard. Strike Team AlphaÕs mission is to seize control of Engineering. Once Engineering is under our control, we will lower their shields while crews from the Benjamin and the Dingo will beam over with anagas canisters and riot phasers. Strike Team Beta, which I will lead, will take over Ops. Strike Team Gamma will be led by Mr. Burns, referring to the average sized, but muscular turquoise male Gargoyle with a beaked face and triple horns seated next to Homer, and your objective will be to seize the Genesis device and the research data.Ó

ÒEngineering and Ops?Ó Jana asked, looking a bit puzzled.

ÒWe are going to steal the starbase.Ó Blade said with a wicked grin, ÒAfter all, the damned thing was designed to be moved at will. Why not take advantage of that fact?Ó The Gargoyles looked around at each other, many with shocked expressions. Steal a starbase? The assembled Gargoyles looked at Captain Blade as though he had just lost his sanity. Even the faithful Centaurius had serious doubts about BladeÕs sanity at that moment.

ÒCaptain laddie,Ó Greystone laughed boisterously, breaking the elevating tension, ÒYou got gumption, and IÕll hand ye that!Ó

ÒYou know, itÕs possible.Ó Homer speculated aloud.

ÒIÕll need Titan and Greystone as well.Ó Jana said.

ÒAgreed. Feel free to choose your team.Ó Blade said as he slid a PADD across the conference table, ÒHereÕs a roster of our best combat personnel.Ó

ÒWhat about Aria?Ó Jana asked, a stern look on her face.

ÒI havenÕt forgotten about her, Commander,Ó Blade said calmly, ÒI know all too well how you feel about her. Right now, we have no information as to her whereabouts. When we do, youÕll be the first to know, and we will plan accordingly.Ó

ÒWhat about Elisa and the hatchlings? What are we going to tell them?Ó

ÒRight now, we need to hit Section 113 while we have the chance,Ó Blade insisted. ÒThey are the bigger threat, and not just to Aria, but to all of us.Ó

Jana wasnÕt all too happy about the situation, but she also took some degree of comfort in knowing that she would have the opportunity to deal some serious payback for Section 113Õs assassination of her parents. The next thirty minutes were taken up by various discussions and planning of the raid, then the meeting adjourned.

As the others left, Centaurius and Jana remained behind. Captain Blade then turned to his new First Officer, gently placing his paw on her shoulder, ÒTell the hatchlings Aria is away on a special mission and will be back in a few weeks.Ó Jana sighed, but nodded her head in agreement, the exited the conference room.

ÒCaptain, I am deeply concerned about Jana.Ó Centaurius then described the scene he encountered in Holodeck 2. Blade listened intently, then made his decision.

ÒTake it easy, Centaurius,Ó Blade reassured him, ÒI can understand JanaÕs anger. She just lost her parents, and now Aria. ItÕs no secret that Jana loves her; anyone can see it in JanaÕs eyes. I also care deeply about Aria as well. I know damn well I would be just as enraged than Jana is right now, and probably with a lot less self control. At least she is taking out her frustrations on holograms instead of breakable objects on my ship, or my crew.Ó Centaurius wasnÕt so sure.

,, , , , ,

IKC NuÕDaq

The next four weeks became a period of furious activity as Jana familiarized herself with the operation of the NuÕDaq and combat simulations in the holodeck with her strike teams. Though many of the Klingon crew admired the Gargoyles as warriors, some didnÕt. One day, a disgruntled Klingon officer by the name of Toras decided to challenge Jana in the mess hall.

ÒThese Gargoyles donÕt look any more of a threat than Ferengi!Ó he loudly declared, ÒYou are too human to be a warrior!Ó Toras circled JanaÕs table continuing, a flagon of bloodwine in hand, ÒShe has no warrior heritage. I heard she has only fought one battle, and ran like a Ferengi coward!Ó He slammed his bloodwine flagon on the steel table. He glared at her as other Klingons watched the unfolding drama. ÒI even heard that she was a human, but becameÉthis. What honor has she earned?Ó

ÒI have no quarrel with you, Toras,Ó Jana calmly spoke as she arose from her bench, her eyes taking on a menacing glow. ÒHowever, if you insist on insulting me, you will be dispatched to GreÕthor!Ó

ÒHuman pÕtaQ! Your words will be your death!Ó Toras declared as he drew his dÕktagh, the side blades flicking open like snake fangs.

ÒOne final warning, TorasÓ Jana said, still surprisingly calm, ÒYou will stand down or I will stick that dÕktagh up your ass!Ó

One Klingon drew his dÕktagh and offered it to Jana.

ÒI need no weapon to fight this chaÕquÕ!Ó Jana hissed, referring to a small, noisy bird native to QoÕnos. The remaining Klingons backed away to give the two some room, some of them smiling broadly in anticipation of the imminent battle. Toras loosed a battle cry and charged Jana. She snarled in return and pounced on the Klingon. Less than a half-minute later, Toras lay unconscious missing several teeth, as well as sporting a number of new cuts on various parts of his body, a broken arm, and insultingly, his dÕktagh firmly lodged in his left buttock. The remaining Klingons cheered loudly, raising their bloodwine in honor of JanaÕs barehanded victory against an armed warrior.

ÒGet that pÕtaQ out of here!Ó Jana snarled, ÒHis presence dishonors us.Ó Two Klingons grabbed the wounded Toras by the arms and feet, dragging him unceremoniously off to sickbay.

One female officer, named BÕElora stood up, drawing her dÕktagh. Jana turned to face the BÕElora, her eyes still glowing. Much to JanaÕs surprise, BÕElora executed a salute.

ÒShe is not Klingon in body, but in her body beats a Klingon heart!Ó BÕElora proudly declared as she looked around at her shipmates, ÒGlory and honor to the house of Deenax!Ó She then took her dÕktagh and slashed the palm of her hand. She then offered the weapon to Jana, who in turn slashed her hand, the two females touching palms.

ÒYour blood is mine, as mine is yours.Ó BÕElora solemnly declared, ÒYou are part of my house as I am part of yours! Qapla!Ó The remaining Klingons roared in boisterous approval.

,, , , , ,

DevilÕs Ring Nebula

The Benjamin and the Dingo entered the DevilÕs Ring, approaching Section 113Õs starbase as stealthy as possible. The NuÕDaq had already entered the ring area, for the primary purpose of reconnaissance. Captain Gortok noticed the periodic emissions of the rotating X-Ray pulsar at the heart of the DevilÕs Ring had a predictable effect on the plasma storms, and the subsequent increase of radiation density in the general region of the plasma storm would make the NuÕDaq extremely difficult to detect. As the other two vessels stayed in their assigned stations under cloak, the NuÕDaq approached the plasma storm using a series of brief commands. Jana couldnÕt help but admire the discipline and navigational skill of GortokÕs helmsman and the rest of the Klingon bridge crew. She glanced over to the computer station where Thoreau and a Klingon female both hard at work trying to hack the starbaseÕs computers.

ÒAny luck, Thoreau?Ó Jana asked.

ÒTheir computers are bit harder to hack into than regular Starfleet computer systems,Ó Thoreau explained as he turned to face Jana, ÒTheir security encryption algorithms are much better than standard Starfleet security protocols. Also, IÕm still trying to read Klingon on the fly.Ó Jana sighed. ÒNot to worry, Commander, they are a bit more complex than the ones on the Nimbus . They are learning, but nowhere near good enough to stop me yet. With KÕEleraÕs help, IÕd say ten minutes.Ó He glanced over at the Klingon woman smiling, she in turn responding with a seductively predatory smile.

ÒCommander, how are we going to beam over in the middle of a plasma storm?Ó Austen asked.

ÒSelena will take care of that problem.Ó Jana cryptically replied. Austen wasnÕt so sure, but Jana has so far proven to be a capable leader. The harsh buzz of the proximity alarm jolted the Gargoyles, but not the Klingons.

ÒCaptain, we have a ship approaching!Ó a Klingon barked.

ÒTactical!Ó The view screen displayed a tactical grid, the triangular cursor locking on to the interloper. A visual panel zoomed in to display the image of the vessel.

ÒMeridian -class medium frigate,Ó Jana robotically responded as she saw the image, ÒItÕs got to be the Nimbus . How far away?Ó

ÒRange: 550 million kellicams.Ó The tactical officer barked. About thirty minutes away at full impulse, Jana quickly calculated. Damn! ThatÕs going to complicate things immensely. My time windowÕs been cut by a third! If Thoreau doesnÕt break into their computer system in the next ten or fifteen minutes, weÕre screwed. I might have a maximum of forty-five minutes, perhaps an hour, to pull off this mission. Should I abort? Jana was in agony. She had to make a command decision and it could easily destroy everyone on this ship, and two others as well. There is also AriaÉ Jana silently prayed that Thoreau would get through. Jana then headed toward the transporter room to be with her team. Eleven excruciating minutes later, JanaÕs commbadge beeped.

ÒThoreau to Deenax! WeÕre in! Program one loaded and running. Shield emitter in section Eta is overloading. IÕm on my way!Ó Two minutes later, Thoreau was standing on the transporter pad with Greystone, Jana, Titan, Austen and Selena.

KÕEleraÕs voice came though the transporter console: It was time. Selena raised her paws over her head and began chanting in Gaelic once again. Her paws then began to glow and a strange wind began to blow through the transporter chamber and an eerie greenish glow surrounded the away team.

ÒNow!Ó Selena shouted.

Òjol DaH!Ó Jana shouted to the transporter operator. The transporter operator immediately tapped the controls, beaming the Gargoyles into the starbaseÕs engineering.

,, , , , ,

Starbase Delta One

Ensign Derek Nicholas was on his usual duty shift in Engineering. It was an easy enough job and though he sometimes wished for a little change of pace, his job was boringly monotonous in nature. His mind was on a woman named Renee back in Paris. When the Dominion War broke out, Renee was just another civilian employee at Starfleet Command, while Derek was a cadet in Starfleet Academy. When the Dominion attacked Starfleet Command, Derek had just arrived to meet her for dinner. I nearly was their last date. They had left just ten minutes earlier when the raid occurred. Fearing the worst, Renee, the daughter of an Admiral in Starfleet Intelligence pulled some strings with her father to keep Derek from the War. A shrill alarm from the panel jolted him out of his daydream. Immediately, he slapped his commbadge online.

ÒChief Thomas, Ensign Nicholas here, I am reading a power surge in grid three alpha. It is causing an overload in the number three shield generator.Ó A dull thud reverberated through the deck and the sound of a muffled explosion was heard on several decks. ÒDamn! The generator just blew!Ó

ÒDamage report!Ó Thomas barked.

ÒThe number three shield is offline. Some kind of feedback loop caused it, it appears to be related to the computer. Some minor damage, but hull integrity is not compromised. ItÕs probably just a glitch. ItÕs an inconvenience, but nothing that will ruin our day.Ó

ÒJust fix it, Thomas out.Ó

ÒYour day is ruined a lot worse than you realize.Ó A sweetly seductive voice spoke from behind him. ÒIn fact, it just turned to shit.Ó He swiveled around in his chair and saw Jana standing there with a phaser compression rifle in hand. He also saw the other five Gargoyles, each one standing near the other engineers, compression rifles leveled. He tried to reach his commbadge, but Jana fired, the orange beam striking him in the side. Ensign Nicholas slid out of his chair and landed on the deck in a crumpled heap. Jana pulled out a hypospray and injected a sedative into the unconscious ensign. Thoreau and Greystone plucked the commbadges from the other pair and herded two of the engineers to Jana while Titan carried one back unconscious, unceremoniously dumping him on the deck.

ÒWhat happened, Titan?Ó Jana asked, ÒDid he resist?Ó

ÒNo,Ó Titan said with a wide grin, ÒHe fainted. I think I scared him.Ó Jana chuckled, and then injected the remaining engineers, sending them into a deep sleep. The seizure of Engineering had taken only thirty seconds.

ÒThoreau, seal off engineering and get to work on the shields,Ó Jana ordered, ÒTitan, Greystone, watch that door over there. Selena, help Thoreau. I am going to see if I can find the Genesis device. Austen, youÕre with me.Ó

,, , , , ,

USS Nimbus

Admiral Falcone was fuming. His crew just spent the better part of a month trying to get the Nimbus repaired and under way again. Getting the crap beaten out of him by that miserable Deenax was bad enough, but nothing like the humiliating defeat handed to him by that wretched Blade. The final blow was the loss of the six Gargoyle eggs. Section 31 was not known as an agency that forgave such blunders. As the Nimbus approached the starbase, Admiral Falcone spent much of his watch in the ready room getting ready to turn in the reports that would almost certainly end his career. The LCARS beeped and the image of Canmore was on the screen.

ÒAdmiral, sensors have picked up something unusual. The number three shield at the station is offline.Ó

ÒOffline?Ó Falcone replied, some urgency in his voice, ÒContact the base and see if everything is all right, and sweep the entire ring for anything unusual. Falcone out.Ó

,, , , , ,

Starbase Delta One

Thoreau worked furiously on the Engineering computer controls and studied the Engineering and control circuit subsystems. Jana was also working equally furiously on the LCARS terminal in Engineering trying to locate the Genesis device and the laboratory. Five minutes later, Jana had located the lab four decks up.

ÒCommander Deenax, I canÕt disable the remaining shields from here. Apparently my hack triggered some sort of safety protocol that had locked me out from most of Ops. It also automatically switched over to a security subroutine that routed all major control and propulsion controls to Ops. I can override it, but it will take some time.Ó

ÒTime is something we donÕt have,Ó Jana groaned, ÒGot any bright ideas?Ó

ÒThe only way I see is to manually disengage the EPS relays to divert power from the shield generator grid,Ó Thoreau suggested, irritation rich in his voice, ÒAccording to the computer, we need to manually reroute power at EPS transfer nodes alpha two, beta seven and delta two. Damn, I wish Aria was hereÉshe knows these EPS controls a lot better than I do.Ó

ÒThen what?Ó

ÒWe hope for the best. When we do the switch, they are going to know in Ops, and all HellÕs going to break loose.Ó

ÒDo it.Ó Jana sighed.

Thoreau then directed Selena to the console and instructed her to execute a series of computer commands on his signal. Thoreau grabbed a tool kit and scrambled up a nearby Jeffries tube. Jana silently prayed that Thoreau could do it. The nearly endless stream of profanities coming out of the Jeffries tube was not encouraging Jana at all.

Fifteen minutes later, Thoreau finally descended from the Jeffries tube. He was about two meters from the end when he stepped on his wing and lost his footing. Thoreau slid out of the tube swearing loudly and landing squarely on his tail. When he stood, he looked like he had just been on the wrong end a brawl in a Nausicaan bar.

ÒOuch!Ó Thoreau spat as he was rubbing the part of his tail where he landed on it

ÒAre you all right?Ó Jana asked.

ÒDamn these Jeffries tubes!Ó Thoreau spat angrily, eyes aglow with white light, ÒI hate them! All they are good for is snagging wingtips and stepping on your tail and wings!Ó

ÒAre we ready?Ó Jana asked.

ÒSelena, engage program Thoreau Two.Ó Thoreau replied as he gingerly rubbed another sore spot near the base of his tail. Jana and Austen gathered up their phaser rifles and left Engineering.

,, , , , ,

USS Nimbus

Ensign Canmore studied the sensor readouts at the science station. He then asked the communications officer to contact the starbase. Ten seconds later, a raven-haired male with graying sideburns dressed in a Starfleet uniform, the four pips on his collar designating him as a captain. Admiral Falcone left the ready room and took the center seat.

ÒThis is Starbase Delta One, Captain Fred Holland speaking. How may we help you Admiral?Ó

ÒOur sensors have detected your number three shield offline. Is everything all right?Ó

ÒSo far, Admiral Falcone. It is nothing serious, just a computer malfunction. Engineering is already working on it.Ó

ÒComputer malfunction?Ó Falcone repeated, the color in his face draining rapidly.

ÒAdmiral Falcone!Ó Canmore blurted, ÒSensors have detected a transient anomaly near the plasma storm at one six two mark eleven. It only lasted for a second, but vanished.Ó

ÒTransient anomaly?Ó

ÒYes sir, a faint burst of neutrinos,Ó Canmore noted as he studied another readout, ÒIt appears to be a random phenomenon. Nothing threatening, but itÕs never been recorded here before.Ó

ÒGive me full scans on all sectors! Report anything unusual.Ó

ÒAnything wrong Admiral Falcone?Ó Captain Holland asked.

ÒPossibly, Captain Holland,Ó Falcone admitted, ÒI want you to run a full sensor sweep of the entire area. Report to me if you find anything unusual.Ó

ÒAs you wish, Admiral.Ó

,, , , , ,

Starbase Delta One

Jana and Austen left Engineering, and then proceeded to turboshaft one. Much to the dismay of the two Gargoyles, the turbolift car was occupied with three humans and a tall, dark-skinned humanoid Jana recognized as a Caldonian. Jana and Austen fired immediately, stunning the foursome. Austen then injected them with her hypo.

ÒI thought they were supposed to be asleep?Ó Austen asked.

ÒIt will take a while for the anagas to work.Ó Jana replied with far more confidence than she felt, ÒBeware that this anagas is designed to affect Terran humans, and some are resistant. Gargoyles are not likely to be the only species immune from the gas, either.Ó Jana was worried as well. The Caldonian was probably resistant to anagas, but there were three humans with him.

ÒNow what do we do with them?Ó Austen asked, ÒWe just donÕt leave them here, do we?

ÒYes we do. I have an idea.Ó Jana then ordered the turbolift to Deck 11, the location of the Genesis lab. She then opened up an access panel in the turbolift car, then rewired the back of the command interface and removed an isolinear chip, breaking it. ÒThat should do it. This will disable this turboshaft for a while and buy us some needed time.Ó Amazingly, Jana and Austen encountered no one else as they approached the lab. Perhaps the gas is working now.

ÒShouldnÕt we wait for the rest of the strike team?Ó Austen asked nervously. Jana tapped her commbadge.

ÒDeenax to Blade, IÕm on Deck 11, Section 23 Alpha, near the Genesis lab,Ó Jana reported, ÒWhereÕs Team Gamma?Ó

ÒWe got a problem,Ó Blade replied, his voice with the edge of exasperation, ÒWe had to beam Strike Team Gamma to Deck 8. ThereÕs some kind of energy dampening field around the lab that makes it impossible to transport anything within two decks of that lab. We also donÕt know how many or the nature of the opposition inside. Sensors are blind in there. Stand by, Commander.Ó Jana heard a background voice briefly, and then Blade returned. ÒThe Nimbus just accelerated suddenly. WeÕre also detecting a lot of coded chatter. I think they are on to us.Ó

The klaxons began to blare, interspersed with the computer sounding ÒIntruder Alert Deck Eight!Ó every three seconds.

ÒYeah,Ó Jana snorted sarcastically, ÒI would say theyÕre on to us! What happened?Ó

ÒGamma Team got surprised by a security patrol,Ó Blade sighed, ÒTheyÕre bogged down in a firefight, ETA unknown.Ó

ÒNow what do we do?Ó Austen asked, the concern etched deeply in her face.

ÒWeÕre hitting the lab now. We donÕt have time to wait for the others. We either retrieve or destroy the device, period.Ó

,, , , , ,

USS Nimbus

ÒAdmiral, I have detected two more anomalies, this time on the ringÕs perimeter. They appear to be random.Ó

ÒOur sensors show nothing, Admiral Falcone.Ó Captain Holland asserted. Suddenly, Captain Holland heard one of his Ops officers swear briefly. He turned to the officer, who then explained something, but Admiral Falcone was unable to discern what the young lieutenant was saying, but the irritation on Captain HollandÕs face wasnÕt encouraging.

ÒDamn computer is going nuts. We canÕt even engage the navigation arrays to guide you into a docking pod.Ó Captain Holland sighed, then turned to bark at his communications officer, ÒGet Chief Thomas down to Engineering and get the computers fixed.Ó

ÒWhen did these computer glitches start, Captain?Ó

ÒToday, less than ten minutes ago.Ó Admiral Falcone turned nearly as white as a ghost.

ÒAdmiral, the anomaly just reappeared near the plasma storm again. TrackingÉit is on a parallel course with the plasma storm. Shit! It just vanished.Ó Canmore glanced at Falcone and saw the look on his face. A knot began to form in his stomach. He had seen that look beforeÉwhen the Nimbus was attacked. They wouldnÕt dare!

ÒSound Red Alert!Ó Falcone screamed, ÒYou have intruders!Ó

ÒCalm down, Admiral. We would have detected any intruders.Ó Captain Holland confidently assured Admiral Falcone, who was now visibly panicked. Suddenly, the signal flicked off for a split second. The view screen returned to life, with Captain Holland shouting unheard orders to his Ops crew, then the view screen switched back to the view of the starbase.

ÒLieutenant Greaves, get me an audio channel now!Õ Falcone barked. CanmoreÕs voice again reached his ear, and he turned to face the young ensign.

ÒAdmiral, two more anomalies, they are moving.Ó

ÒAudio channel open, Admiral.Ó Replied Lt. Greaves, her English accent evident.

ÒDamn it, Fred!Ó Falcone nearly screamed, ÒWhat is going on?Ó He didnÕt receive an answer immediately.

ÒAdmiral, I am reading power surges all over the station!Ó Canmore reported.

Captain HollandÕs voice came through in bursts. ÒSecure the lab at once!Ó A burst of static, ÒWhat do you mean Engineering is sealed?Ó Another burst of static. Pandemonium now reigned in Ops, and Admiral Falcone had a ringside seat.

ÒFull impulse!Ó Falcone shouted, ÒRed alert!Ó The corridors of the Nimbus soon filled with the wailing of the alarm klaxons and the flashing of the red light strips indicating battle stations. A few seconds later, visual was restored and showed an exasperated Captain Holland pointing to an unseen Ops station shouting orders over the blare of the stationÕs own klaxons.

ÒAdmiral Falcone, You were right!Ó Captain Holland yelped, ÒWe are under attack! Some kind of winged aliens! They are in Engineering and in the lab!Ó Captain Holland turned to his left, ÒWhat? What do you mean the security field grid failed? Get those backups on line now! Use the emergency containment fields as well! Move it!Ó Another shout was heard and much to Admiral FalconeÕs dismay, he saw six columns of swirling blue light behind Captain Holland. Two seconds later, the columns of light coalesced into a boarding party of six armed Gargoyles led by a large, blue male whom he immediately recognized as Captain Blade.

Admiral Falcone watched helplessly as the entire Ops crew, including Captain Holland fell in a withering fire of phasers set on wide burst. After insuring the Ops was secured, Captain Blade put down his phaser rifle and turned to the view screen and recognized who was on the monitor. A handsome Gargoyle male soon filled the view screen on the Nimbus .

ÒHello Morris, itÕs so nice to see you again.Ó Blade said pleasantly.

,, , , , ,

Starbase Delta One

They had no sooner entered the lab than one of the scientists spotted the Gargoyles, and screamed at the top of her lungs. Three separate hands slapped commbadges, each owner screaming ÒIntruders in the lab!Ó

A mad scramble ensued in the lab as Jana, Austen and the five scientists scrambled for cover. Austen poked her head above a console and spotted a female scientist armed with a phaser pop up from behind a control console snap firing. The energy beam just missed her head by millimeters, but not before scorching her ear. Austen screamed in pain and ducked again, scrambling to another location while Jana kept two others pinned down with random bursts from her compression rifle. Though there were six scientists in the lab, only three of them were actually fighting. The other three were cowering into tiny cubbyholes under some of the consoles, completely frightened out of their minds and paralyzed by total fear. Jana slapped her commbadge.

ÒDeenax to Greystone! Were pinned down here in the lab and could use some help.Ó

ÒNay lassie, weÕve got a wee problem of our own. SomebodyÕs burninÕ their way through the door.Ó Jana then heard TitanÕs roar and the crashing of a large piece of metal hitting the deck plating, followed by phaser fire.

At that moment, Jana saw a fast-moving figure leap over one of the console snarling. Austen has pounced on one scientist just as he fired his phaser, burning a hole in AustenÕs wing, eliciting another howl of agony from the Gargoyle. As they fell, the beam tracked across her wing, slicing a ten-centimeter long hole in her wing membrane, and slicing through the wing strut. Enraged at what happened to Austen, Jana loosed an hauntingly shrill battle cry and leaped over the console she was hiding behind and landed on the scientist-come-warrior with both feet, the impact dislodging the phaser and knocking the man solidly to the deck, his head hitting the unyielding deck and knocking him unconscious.

The lone female scientist also opened fire again, missing Jana by mere centimeters. Jana rolled, snap firing, catching the woman squarely in the chest with her phaser. She squawked, and then slowly fell, unconscious.

ÒBlade to Deenax. Ops is secured.Ó

ÒGood! Now get me some help down here in the lab! AustenÕs hurt and YYYEEEARGHHHHH!!!!Ó An Andorian scientist had suddenly appeared from seemingly nowhere, phaser in hand. The bright orange beam lanced out, scorching JanaÕs arm and causing her to drop her rifle. Instinctively, she leapt for the top of the console and suddenly spun about, her tail catching the Andorian full across the head, snapping his neck instantly.

Though badly injured, Austen managed to recover her rifle and crawled to another part of the lab and spotted the lone scientist still armed and firing away at Jana. Austen then switched the weapon to sniper mode and carefully aimed. Her aim proved to be true, and the last fighter finally went down, stunned.

ÒDonÕt shoot! We surrender!Ó Jana and Austen turned to see the trio of surviving scientists meekly come out of their hiding places, hands held high. The scientists trembled at the bloody and enraged Gargoyles, who to them, looked like death incarnate.

ÒWhereÕs the Genesis device?Ó Jana demanded with a snarl. One of the two scientists nervously pointed to a cylindrical canister standing about a meter tall in a nearby alcove, connected to a number of cables and hoses. Jana tapped her commbadge.

ÒDeenax to Blade. Lab secured and the torpedo is intact.Ó

ÒGreat! Help is on the way. How bad was it?Ó

ÒOne dead, two unconscious and three prisoners. Austen needs a doc, she is hurt bad, but she will make it. Phaser burns. IÕm a bit scorched myself, but OK.Ó A that moment, both Austen and Jana watched with horror as the Genesis device was suddenly enveloped in the familiar blue light of a transporter beam and whisked away.

ÒDeenax to Blade. Someone just beamed the Genesis device away.Ó Jana could have sworn she heard BladeÕs roar all eleven decks away from Ops.

,, , , , ,

Thoreau was busy working on the LCARS in engineering when the alarm klaxons activated. Selena had glanced toward the door and noticed a glowing red spot growing into a brilliant yellow, then elongating like a snake.

ÒThe door! THE DOOR!Ó Selena shouted as she pointed to the door. Greystone and Titan glanced at the door and saw the glowing metal. Greystone sighed and looked at the mammoth green Gargoyle.

ÒSounds like the lasses have run into a bit of trouble, I suppose,Ó Greystone remarked with a bit of a sigh. He then shrugged his shoulders and then he smiled, his fangs flashing in the light, ÒReady for a scrap, laddie?Ó Titan nodded emphatically, then scrambled off to find some cover. Greystone powered up his compression rifle and assumed a position behind an auxiliary power converter. Jana then called, and he quickly apprised Jana of the situation just as they had burned through, a two-meter wide section of the door falling to the deck with a loud clang.

Titan responded with a loud roar, and then began firing at the horde of security personnel trying to get into Engineering. Thoreau then heard a series of orders from Blade. He then ordered Selena to cover him as he helped prepare the starbase for warp.

The battle raged for the next ten minutes as phaser bolts from both Gargoyle and Federation weapons sliced through the air. More than once Thoreau was forced to take cover as phaser bolts came perilously close to his station. Though the Gargoyles were keeping the Federation troops at bay, Titan and Greystone both knew that they were outnumbered and sheer weight of numbers would dictate the outcome of the battle in the FederationÕs favor when their riflesÕ energy cells were depleted.

At that moment, one Federation trooper appeared with an odd-looking weapon with a box-like end, a compound grenade launcher. Titan spotted him and fired a bolt, missing him by centimeters. The trooper raised his weapon and fired, the weapon making an odd plopping noise. Something hit the wall about a meter above TitanÕs head. He glanced up and saw an odd triangular device attached to the wall with blinking yellow lights and making an odd beeping sound. Two seconds later, it exploded, knocking Titan arse over apex across the deck plating. Titan shook off the effect of the mini-mine, and then roared. He raised his compression rifle to fire, but nothing happened. Two plops, then two clinking thuds caught TitanÕs attention. Two mines landed on either side of Titan, exploding almost simultaneously. Titan collapsed in a heap.

At that moment, Selena saw the man with the odd weapon taking aim and lobbing several of the mini-mines at Greystone. Selena watched helplessly as three of the bombs detonated near Greystone, knocking him unconscious. SelenaÕs eyes flared to a brilliant red and she leaped from the upper catwalk down to the deck, raising her right paw over her head with her index digit raised.

ÒFulmenos venite!Ó Selena shouted as she then pointed to the grenadier, a white bolt of energy snaking from her fingertip, striking the grenadier in the chest just as she heard his weapon plop once more. Something metallic hit the deck between her feet, as she glanced down, she saw the blinking and beeping mine. ÒOh noÉÓ Suddenly, a white flash enveloped her world, her ears filled with the sound of a massive explosion. Thoreau heard the explosion and saw Selena collapsed on the deck; her dress scorched in many places and burns all over her body.

Thoreau saw at least a dozen Federation troops pour into Engineering. He knew his time had come. As he prepared for their final onslaught, he watched in rapt fascination as the Federation troopers suddenly began collapsing, some of the holding their heads. Sixty seconds later, Jana came through the door, helping a wounded Austen hobble in.

ÒOh Goddess NOOOooooo!Ó Jana cried as she saw the inert forms of the Scottish Gargoyles strewn about Engineering. Jana collapsed to her knees, buried her face in her paws and began crying. First I lose my parents, then Aria and now Selena and the others; when does it end? Thoreau came over and tried to comfort his commander, who was now sobbing uncontrollably. About a minute later, Jana had quit crying, her face now a mask of pure rage and hate. Thoreau stepped back. He had never seen such rage before.

ÒAre you all right, Commander?Ó He asked with much trepidation.

ÒYes.Ó Jana replied, now amazingly calm, ÒIÕm all right.Ó

ÒBlade to Thoreau, is everything ready?Ó

ÒAye, Captain. You can take her into warp now.Ó Thoreau mechanically replied as he glanced over at Jana. Jana was now tending the wounded and acting as though nothing serious happened. He hoped everything was all right with his commander, but he was very much unnerved by her sudden change in demeanor.

,, , , , ,

USS Nimbus

The taunting smile of Captain Blade filling the view screen of the Nimbus was almost more than Falcone could bear. Ensign Canmore and the rest of the bridge crew fully expected to see plasma jets spouting from the admiralÕs nose and ears. About a minute later, he regained his composure and rushed to get the Nimbus within transporter range and grab the Genesis torpedo before those wretched monsters got it. Once the torpedo was secured, the Nimbus went to warp. Once safely in warp, Admiral Falcone returned to his ready room.

Admiral Falcone went over to the replicator and ordered up a cup of hot Mizarian tea, then returned to his desk. He sighed as he thought about recent events. At least today he could salvage some degree of victory out of what has so far been a seemingly unending string of disasters. Twenty-five years of perfect service and now this. Still, he had to admit there was a bright side to all this.

They can keep the damned eggs, Falcone mused. It was a monumental long shot that they could be revived or could be useful in some other way. The Genesis torpedo is another story. That thing could wipe out Earth in one shot and turn it into an ideal monster nest that could endanger the entire Federation, if not the entire galaxy. ItÕs a good thing we recovered it before those creatures could learn its secretsÉor use it on us. He shuddered at the thought, but then Falcone smiled again as he took a sip of his tea. We still have the torpedo and the brains to make more, and that was the important thing . Face it Blade, you lost this round.

ÒAdmiral to the bridge!Ó Falcone nearly dropped his tea and rushed out to see what was happening.

ÒReport!Ó

ÒSomething is going on with Delta One, sir. ItÕs changing configurationÉÓ

ÒThis canÕt be happening,Ó Falcone muttered as he watched Delta OneÕs docking pods retract into warp configuration. ÒNoÉhow?Ó Admiral Morris Falcone watched in horror as the starbase warp pods began to glow with a familiar blue-white light, and then the entire starbase accelerated, disappearing into a distant flash.

ÒIt just went into warp sir.Ó Ensign Canmore sighed in defeat. His gaze then turned to Admiral Falcone and he was certain the admiral was going to be sick.

ÒMr. Canmore, you have the con.Ó Admiral Falcone groaned dejectedly as he headed to the turbolift and headed to sickbay.