Something that sounded like a cross between a phaser and a mutant insect whizzed past Sulu's head, it's buzzing whisper reminding him of Terran misquitoes.
"GET DOWN!!!!"
The female guard nearest to him shoved the helmsman harshly to his knees.
Finally, the view cleared as the moaning wind died away, and the Starfleet officiers could clearly see their attackers.
Six Solotans stood before them, clothed in swatches of heavy fur and leather. Their hair was shocking white, though their features were not old, by Earth standards. Camoflage, Sulu realized, almost with a sense of wonder as another bolt of light whirled past his head.
Large, round, hueless eyes bulged slightly from their pale faces like fresh pearls planted there. But what drew immediate attention to these oddly featured aliens were the weapons they carried. One well-aimed blue blast collided with the chest of the security officier to Sulu's left, even before the young woman had a chance to clear even one shot with her phaser. For an agonized second, she clawed at her red tunic, then collapsed, her lifeless face forever cast in a grimace of pain. The two remaining guards opened fire, no fear apparent in their hard features or brave stance. Another recieved a shot to the chest and fell with a breif puff of angel soft snow.
Before Sulu could reach her, Uhura rose to her feet and reached for a slim metal device hooked on her belt. A Univeral Translator.
"Uhura,NO!!"
The Solotans had managed to take down most of the people who carried weaponry, Sulu saw how using the innocent device could be fatally misunderstood. His tenor shout gained Chekov's attention in the din and the Russian noticed one pale adversary was aiming for the small communications officier. Pavel dove for the little figure, to shove Uhura down, when a single sapphire blast grazed off his bicep.
As a child, Chekov had fallen through the ice once. He'd been wandering around, bored, on his uncle's fishing trip, when he felt the slick ground crack and lurch beneath his feet. The world fell away in a single step and his flesh felt ahsarp jolt of pain. There was no sensation of veing wet, just that bright, awlful hurt that only extreme cold could cause. That feeling now surged down his arm. He dropped to his knees, astounded by this gelid touch, knowing now what had caused the eerily tortured deaths of his young guards. The blasts had frozen their very hearts in their chests.
Uhura felt tears bite her eyes when Chekov was struck but she took the opportunity to flick on the little red switch and raise the translator to her lips.
She could've screamed "Stop" or begged for mercy but she didnt.
Instead, she bellowed into the tiny mike,
"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM US!?!?"
The Solotans paused as their own language chirruped loudly from the silver rod. They gazed fitfully at each other, until the largest one stepped forward.
This was no longer a war, but a negotiation.
He belted out a few gurglings and the translator repeated them in Standard English.
"WE HAVE DESTROYED YOUR GUARD, YOU SHALL NOW FOLLOW US TO MEET THE ALMIGHTY JASHA!"
Kirk spoke up, pitching his voice so the Translator would pick it up.
"AND IF WE REFUSE?"
The lead Solotan shrugged, as if indifferent, then chirped a few lines.
"THEN WE KILL YOU WERE YOU STAND."
A few Solotan warriors were splitting from the group to surround the Officiers, holding their weapons ready. The only sounds that interrupted the quiet were Chekov's harsh breathing and Ensign Laiking's frightened sobs.
"Who is this "Jasha" of which you speak? Is he your ruler?"
A titter of alien laughter followed Kirk's demanding comment. This display confused Kirk and he hated the helpless feeling he now had. He was powerless at this instant, having no control over the fate of his crew. Still he was play-acting the all-controlling captain, if only for the sake of the weeping Ensign behind him and his own personal grasp on sanity in these moments.
"YOU SHALL MEET THE JASHA.....THERE ALL ANSWERS SHALL BE GIVEN AND ALL CRIMES SHALL BE MET WITH PUNISHMENT."
Slowly, the group began to move forward. Sulu and Uhura helped Chekov to his feet, pausing with him as he stopped to examine each of his guards for any sign of life in their stiff bodies. He gritted his teeth against the frustration and greif, and allowed the others to move him along, his arm now as numb and heavy as his heart.
His crying now reduced to fearful hipcups, Ensign Laking stumbled among them, never leaving the dark protective outline of Kirk's shadow.
Kirk headed the group of ragged survivors, his gaze of crisp hazel defiance firmly planted on the Solotan's leader. Oh, yes, he would meet their Jasha, whatever of whoever that was, but he would not be ruled by their forces while his own inner rule still remained, strong and embittered for revenge. There is no such thing as the no-win situation in the mind of Captain James Tiberius Kirk.
*************************************
Sock had piped two different stations into one seat at the helm. Computerized navigations aided him as he flew the shuttle, and scientific information bloomed before his eyes when he needed it. That left Doctor McCoy to communications. And, a more exhausting task of just sitting in the back, filled with nervous anxiety.
"We are about to pass through the sheild, Doctor."
McCoy swallowed hard and squeaked the announcement through subspace to the awaiting Enterprise. His hands were trembling as he pulled away from the communication's console.
Why had he wanted to come in the first place??
Not for the first time, McCoy chided himself for blackmailing Spock for a seat on this ride. Now he wanted to go back home, to the warm and cozy spaceship there little shuttle had been birthed from....
Suddenly, Spock reared back with a cry, his hands clamping on his temples like longlegged starfish.
"MCCOY!!!!!"
He screamed, and despite, Leonard's irrational fear, the good doctor flew across the lurching deck to the Vulcan's side.
"Spock! Spock, what is it??? What's happening??"
"Give your hand, Doctor......give me your mind's total focus...,"
The vulcan croaked, pain making the words tight.
McCoy clamped onto the Vulcan's hand like an obediant child, his gaze concernedly taking in the pain and force that made the Spock's face a dark green.
Spock began to say words, chant them almost.
"You will allow us through this sheild....you will allow us through this sheild....you will not stop us...you will allow-"
"Us through the sheild..you will allow us through this sheild......,"
McCoy wasn't aware of when he'd first began joining in on Spock's mantra, but he spoke it now, his voice raising with passion and power. He was no longer simply saying the words, he believed the words.
"YOU WILL ALLOW US THROUGH THE SHEILD!
YOU WILL NOT STOP US!
YOU WILL ALLOW US THROUGH YOUR SHEILD!~
you CANNOT stop US!!!!!!"
The two mens' shouting duet reached a forte and the small shuttle was no longer being volleyed back and forth like a pingpong ball.
McCoy's head felt like it had gone nova. He released Spock's hand to rub his forehead with a groan. The Vulcan returned his gaze to the console, then raised exhausted eyes to McCoy,
"Congragulations, Doctor.......we have succeeded in passing through the sheild."
"Now, wait, just a DANG minute there, Spock...."
McCoy wobbled and dropped to a chair, unable to stand any longer.
"And tell me, what the HELL just happened??"
"The sheild was made out of strong telepathic energy, Doctor. Since I am the only one aboard the Enterprise also capable of telepathy, I was affected the most by the sheild's energy."
"Those flames, then.....," McCoy murmured, "You're saying that the whole dang thing came out of someone's mind?"
"That is, in essence, correct."
McCoy whistled.
"I, myself, was not able to break through the sheild using my mind alone. I refocused some your energy to aid me, Doctor McCoy. I am grateful for your cooperation. Without you,....we wouldn't have passed through the sheild...unharmed."
"You call this 'unharmed'?" McCoy drawled,
"My head hasn't ached like this since I was seventeen and got into my Dad's whiskey....whew!"
He leaned back in the seat.
"If it's all the same to you, Spock, I'm gonna catch a few Z's before this rig hits planetside........"
"By all means, Doctor, please, rest..............."
Spock added, in a quieter tone of voice,
"Because I am sure this is still not quite over."
"GET DOWN!!!!"
The female guard nearest to him shoved the helmsman harshly to his knees.
Finally, the view cleared as the moaning wind died away, and the Starfleet officiers could clearly see their attackers.
Six Solotans stood before them, clothed in swatches of heavy fur and leather. Their hair was shocking white, though their features were not old, by Earth standards. Camoflage, Sulu realized, almost with a sense of wonder as another bolt of light whirled past his head.
Large, round, hueless eyes bulged slightly from their pale faces like fresh pearls planted there. But what drew immediate attention to these oddly featured aliens were the weapons they carried. One well-aimed blue blast collided with the chest of the security officier to Sulu's left, even before the young woman had a chance to clear even one shot with her phaser. For an agonized second, she clawed at her red tunic, then collapsed, her lifeless face forever cast in a grimace of pain. The two remaining guards opened fire, no fear apparent in their hard features or brave stance. Another recieved a shot to the chest and fell with a breif puff of angel soft snow.
Before Sulu could reach her, Uhura rose to her feet and reached for a slim metal device hooked on her belt. A Univeral Translator.
"Uhura,NO!!"
The Solotans had managed to take down most of the people who carried weaponry, Sulu saw how using the innocent device could be fatally misunderstood. His tenor shout gained Chekov's attention in the din and the Russian noticed one pale adversary was aiming for the small communications officier. Pavel dove for the little figure, to shove Uhura down, when a single sapphire blast grazed off his bicep.
As a child, Chekov had fallen through the ice once. He'd been wandering around, bored, on his uncle's fishing trip, when he felt the slick ground crack and lurch beneath his feet. The world fell away in a single step and his flesh felt ahsarp jolt of pain. There was no sensation of veing wet, just that bright, awlful hurt that only extreme cold could cause. That feeling now surged down his arm. He dropped to his knees, astounded by this gelid touch, knowing now what had caused the eerily tortured deaths of his young guards. The blasts had frozen their very hearts in their chests.
Uhura felt tears bite her eyes when Chekov was struck but she took the opportunity to flick on the little red switch and raise the translator to her lips.
She could've screamed "Stop" or begged for mercy but she didnt.
Instead, she bellowed into the tiny mike,
"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM US!?!?"
The Solotans paused as their own language chirruped loudly from the silver rod. They gazed fitfully at each other, until the largest one stepped forward.
This was no longer a war, but a negotiation.
He belted out a few gurglings and the translator repeated them in Standard English.
"WE HAVE DESTROYED YOUR GUARD, YOU SHALL NOW FOLLOW US TO MEET THE ALMIGHTY JASHA!"
Kirk spoke up, pitching his voice so the Translator would pick it up.
"AND IF WE REFUSE?"
The lead Solotan shrugged, as if indifferent, then chirped a few lines.
"THEN WE KILL YOU WERE YOU STAND."
A few Solotan warriors were splitting from the group to surround the Officiers, holding their weapons ready. The only sounds that interrupted the quiet were Chekov's harsh breathing and Ensign Laiking's frightened sobs.
"Who is this "Jasha" of which you speak? Is he your ruler?"
A titter of alien laughter followed Kirk's demanding comment. This display confused Kirk and he hated the helpless feeling he now had. He was powerless at this instant, having no control over the fate of his crew. Still he was play-acting the all-controlling captain, if only for the sake of the weeping Ensign behind him and his own personal grasp on sanity in these moments.
"YOU SHALL MEET THE JASHA.....THERE ALL ANSWERS SHALL BE GIVEN AND ALL CRIMES SHALL BE MET WITH PUNISHMENT."
Slowly, the group began to move forward. Sulu and Uhura helped Chekov to his feet, pausing with him as he stopped to examine each of his guards for any sign of life in their stiff bodies. He gritted his teeth against the frustration and greif, and allowed the others to move him along, his arm now as numb and heavy as his heart.
His crying now reduced to fearful hipcups, Ensign Laking stumbled among them, never leaving the dark protective outline of Kirk's shadow.
Kirk headed the group of ragged survivors, his gaze of crisp hazel defiance firmly planted on the Solotan's leader. Oh, yes, he would meet their Jasha, whatever of whoever that was, but he would not be ruled by their forces while his own inner rule still remained, strong and embittered for revenge. There is no such thing as the no-win situation in the mind of Captain James Tiberius Kirk.
*************************************
Sock had piped two different stations into one seat at the helm. Computerized navigations aided him as he flew the shuttle, and scientific information bloomed before his eyes when he needed it. That left Doctor McCoy to communications. And, a more exhausting task of just sitting in the back, filled with nervous anxiety.
"We are about to pass through the sheild, Doctor."
McCoy swallowed hard and squeaked the announcement through subspace to the awaiting Enterprise. His hands were trembling as he pulled away from the communication's console.
Why had he wanted to come in the first place??
Not for the first time, McCoy chided himself for blackmailing Spock for a seat on this ride. Now he wanted to go back home, to the warm and cozy spaceship there little shuttle had been birthed from....
Suddenly, Spock reared back with a cry, his hands clamping on his temples like longlegged starfish.
"MCCOY!!!!!"
He screamed, and despite, Leonard's irrational fear, the good doctor flew across the lurching deck to the Vulcan's side.
"Spock! Spock, what is it??? What's happening??"
"Give your hand, Doctor......give me your mind's total focus...,"
The vulcan croaked, pain making the words tight.
McCoy clamped onto the Vulcan's hand like an obediant child, his gaze concernedly taking in the pain and force that made the Spock's face a dark green.
Spock began to say words, chant them almost.
"You will allow us through this sheild....you will allow us through this sheild....you will not stop us...you will allow-"
"Us through the sheild..you will allow us through this sheild......,"
McCoy wasn't aware of when he'd first began joining in on Spock's mantra, but he spoke it now, his voice raising with passion and power. He was no longer simply saying the words, he believed the words.
"YOU WILL ALLOW US THROUGH THE SHEILD!
YOU WILL NOT STOP US!
YOU WILL ALLOW US THROUGH YOUR SHEILD!~
you CANNOT stop US!!!!!!"
The two mens' shouting duet reached a forte and the small shuttle was no longer being volleyed back and forth like a pingpong ball.
McCoy's head felt like it had gone nova. He released Spock's hand to rub his forehead with a groan. The Vulcan returned his gaze to the console, then raised exhausted eyes to McCoy,
"Congragulations, Doctor.......we have succeeded in passing through the sheild."
"Now, wait, just a DANG minute there, Spock...."
McCoy wobbled and dropped to a chair, unable to stand any longer.
"And tell me, what the HELL just happened??"
"The sheild was made out of strong telepathic energy, Doctor. Since I am the only one aboard the Enterprise also capable of telepathy, I was affected the most by the sheild's energy."
"Those flames, then.....," McCoy murmured, "You're saying that the whole dang thing came out of someone's mind?"
"That is, in essence, correct."
McCoy whistled.
"I, myself, was not able to break through the sheild using my mind alone. I refocused some your energy to aid me, Doctor McCoy. I am grateful for your cooperation. Without you,....we wouldn't have passed through the sheild...unharmed."
"You call this 'unharmed'?" McCoy drawled,
"My head hasn't ached like this since I was seventeen and got into my Dad's whiskey....whew!"
He leaned back in the seat.
"If it's all the same to you, Spock, I'm gonna catch a few Z's before this rig hits planetside........"
"By all means, Doctor, please, rest..............."
Spock added, in a quieter tone of voice,
"Because I am sure this is still not quite over."