Author note: My first attempt at fanfic here, so reviews appreciated. Not
focused so much on plot as getting the feel of the characters and the
process.
Disclaimer: It's my understanding that there needs to be some sort of perfunctory acknowledgement that, like Q, Paramount is omnipotent, and I would never do anything to break the rules. So this is for fun and obsessed fans only.
Sabotage Chapter Three
*********
"Jean-Luc, I'm terribly disappointed that we had to cut our evening short last nite." A pouting Emma Dumonde had appeared in his ready room that morning after the staff meeting. "I do hope we can reschedule. I was enjoying the chance to get to know you more. intimately." She moved past his desk and gingerly perched on the edge. An odd sense of deja' vu struck Picard, as none other than the beautiful Dr. Beverly Crusher had occupied that spot only months ago. Dumonde leaned suggestively forward. Appealing as Emma was, she still had a bit to learn about the inner machinations of Jean-Luc Picard. He was distinctly uncomfortable with her intrusion on his work, which currently consisted of trying to find a way out of their engine troubles.
Clearing his throat, he placed his hand on her shoulder and gently eased her back. "I'm sure, Lieutenant, that we may find another opportunity in the near future. However, I am currently in the middle of a tricky set of calculations, and unable to attend to more personal matters." Passing time with Beverly in this way was one matter. Flirting with a new Lieutenant in his ready room was quite another.
"Very well, but I'll hold you to that." Dumonde slid off the desk and glided out the door. Picard grimly noted that it was by way of the main bridge.
Already distracted from his work, Picard took a moment to let his thoughts wander. Emma Dumonde was little mystery - and he found her candor refreshing. The fair Doctor, however - an enigma that he never seemed to be able to solve. Before she'd left that morning, Beverly had told him to 'get back to her when he finished conquering the galaxy.' What exactly had she meant? Their careers were equally important to them, so it made little sense that she had meant to insinuate anything about Starfleet. He pushed the thoughts aside. It was no use trying to figure her out - she'd maker herself perfectly clear when she was ready.
*********
After the staff meeting, Beverly proceeded directly to sickbay. She'd wanted to detour to her quarters for an 8 hour nap, but she needed to check the progress on the plants they'd collected at Hepa III. Alyssa had requested specifically to coordinate the project, and Beverly had been happy to comply.
She glided through the doors and made straight to biolab two. "Anything good, Alyssa?"
"Hi Doctor. I've only been at it for a day, but these plant species are amazing. They're extremely adaptable. Their DNA and RNA are extremely complex, and there are millions of unused strands archived within each species. What's fascinating, however, is how well the dormant strands react when they're re-sequenced and activated."
"Good job Lieutenant," Crusher squeezed the young woman's arm and gave her a wink. "Before I know it, you'll be running the sickbay. Or even worse - Starfleet will steal you away from me."
Powell blushed and beamed. "I promise to mention you in my memoirs, Doctor!"
"Well, keep at it - I'll look for a preliminary report at the end of your shift."
Crusher strolled into her office and sat down to stare at her terminal. Data would be arriving momentarily with the microparticle samples. Until then, Beverly took the chance to daydream. She'd dropped a pretty big hint this morning at breakfast. Jean-Luc was one of the most brilliant men in Starfleet, but at times could be stunningly obtuse. She wondered if he'd catch on. Actually, Beverly was unsure why she'd even said anything. Mostly she figured it had to do with her 16 hour shift and hours of staring at the warp core. Picard's strong hands massaging her tense muscles probably played a role too.
Months ago she'd changed her mind about pursuing a deeper relationship, but had never really found a way to bring it up without feeling like an ass. 'Oh Jean-Luc, I've been thinking about it, and I changed my mind. Let's get married.' Actually, she'd regretted her chilling words the moment they'd escaped her lips that night after KesPryt. She'd simply meant that they should be cautious. She'd already had two failed affairs onboard, and had no desire to make it an uneven three - especially at the expense of her friendship with Jean-Luc. But Picard was so sensitive. He'd taken it as a rejection, and she'd had to work for weeks just to re-establish their old rapport. She did love him, she knew that. On the other hand, Picard was a cad. How could she be sure that what she thought she saw in his eyes was no more than the thrill of the chase? She knew he was attracted to her, but his thoughts on KesPryt had been so muddled, and he'd flat out said he didn't feel the same way about her as he used to. Beverly was unwilling to count the moments she'd spent in this particular vein of mental tug of war.
"Doctor?" Data gently touched her shoulder. "Doctor?"
Beverly started. "Data, I'm sorry - I didn't hear you there. Just gathering wool."
Crusher took in Data's puzzled expression. "Daydreaming, Data."
"Ah. Yes Doctor. 'Gathering wool.' A Terran colloquialism."
"Yes Data. Do you have the microparticle samples?"
"Affirmative Doctor. I have also left some samples in main engineering that Geordi is currently examining." Data set a metal cylinder on her desk. "I believe that I have been able to isolate the particles. They stayed suspended while in the warp core, but in the canister they have collected at the bottom, and appear to conform to gravitational norms. In order to view them, you will need to use a quantum microscope. I have requested that the exobotany lab bring one up immediately."
The doors leading to main sickbay opened on cue, and an ensign walked through, quantum microscope tentatively balanced on a hovercart. Crusher and Data walked out to greet her. Beverly motioned to biolab two. "Right in there, ensign." Beverly smiled and, hand on his elbow, escorted Data to the door. "Let me know if you guys find anything down there."
"Of course Doctor."
Crusher walked over to biolab two, where Alyssa Powell and the exobotany ensign were deep in conversation.
"Their RNA sequencing is the most adaptable I've ever seen! I can't believe Starfleet didn't begin investigating Hepa III ages ago."
"A year out of the Academy and already you're calling the shots, ensign?" Beverly adopted a stern expression.
"Sir, no, sir," stammered the ensign. "I was simply explaining to Lieutenant Powell how fascinated I was by the Hepa III flora species."
"Well, why don't you go discuss it over lunch? I want some quiet in here while I calibrate this microscope. And I'm not likely to get it with you two playing armchair admiral." Crusher grinned.
"Aye, sir." came the unanimous reply. Powell smiled while the young ensign seemed relieved. They wheeled out of sickbay.
Beverly turned to the microscope and set about her task.
*********
Hours later, she had become engrossed in the research. The particles recovered from the warp core were not mechanical, nor biological, but a hybrid. She wondered what Geordi had discovered.
"Crusher to LaForge."
"LaForge here Doctor."
"Geordi, what have you discovered about the particles? My work has been quite interesting."
"Same here Doc., though I'm afraid we probably haven't gotten as far down here. We've been busy all day trying to keep auxiliary systems running while we wait for a tow to Starbase."
"Well, let's meet at 0700 before the staff meeting and coordinate what we've found. By then I might have discovered a way to solve this puzzle."
"Sounds good to me. I could go my entire career without the Enterprise being towed anywhere."
"I'll do my best Geordi. Crusher out." She could imagine how Geordi must feel. And how Jean-Luc must be feeling similarly humbled. Perhaps a productive experience for the captain.
She tapped her comm. "Computer, time?"
"The current time is 1700 hours."
Beverly's stomach howled. She hadn't eaten since breakfast this morning. She downloaded what she'd found on the particles to engineering for Geordi's perusal, stood, and stretched. As she made her way toward the door, Alyssa marched into her office.
"I've got that preliminary report, Doctor."
"Set it on my desk, Alyssa. I'm off for a very late lunch. I promise to read it when I get back."
"No problem Doctor. I'm headed out myself. Are you sure you don't want to swing by our quarters and sneak a visit with Matthew?"
"Lieutenant, are you encouraging your superior officer to play hooky?"
"Just a little bit, sir."
"Then it'll be just a little bit of hooky."
*********
Geordi had been struggling all day to spend any time studying the microparticles. Gladly, he launched into what Dr. Crusher had just downloaded. He'd been able to ascertain that the particles were dual in nature, but had not reached the level of detail Crusher had. The difficult part now would be figuring out how to get rid of them. Neither strictly mechanical nor biological, it would be difficult to craft an approach to eradicating them. And doing it without blowing up the warp drive.
"Data, can you come here for a minute?"
*********
"Captain. Fancy meeting you here." Crusher tossed a bemused look over her shoulder at Emma Dumonde's quarters. Again, she'd run into Picard on his way to the beautiful lieutenant's cabin, and again, she looked like hell. Now approaching her 22nd hour on duty, she'd seen Ferengi who looked sexier.
"Doctor. What have you been up to?" The captain appraised his usually radiant CMO. Her hair was flat and haphazardly pulled back in clips. Her eyes were slightly sunken, with dark circles imprinted beneath them. Her normally creamy, translucent skin was dull.
"Oh nothing. Just slaving away for an unappreciative and unrelenting task master of a CO."
"Well, whoever he or she is, should be ashamed of themselves. Beverly, you're clearly in need of a, well, a long hot bath, a massage, and most importantly, a good night's sleep."
"In that case, why don't you page me when you're done with your femme du jour," she snapped as she strode into the lift and promptly clicked the door shut. She'd not meant to lose her temper, but she was a Howard, and she had been keeping poor hours for days. He was lucky she hadn't laid him out on the deck right there with a surprise left hook.
*********
"You're quite the hostess." Picard had arrived at Dumonde's cabin for an early dinner before she started her shift. Candles lit every available surface.
"I was going for a mood. Do you think I was successful?"
"I'm only guessing at what mood you're going for here, but I'll have to say yes." She approached slowly and he handed her yet another bottle of Picard vintage. Setting it on the table, she sauntered over to him. Languidly, she stroked his chest, kissing him passionately. She reached behind his neck, rubbing gently. Suddenly, with her other hand, she injected him with a loaded hypospray.
*********
In her quarters, Emma Dumonde loaded another hypospray and turned to the mirror. Pausing a moment to tuck a stray lock of hair back into place, she smoothed her uniform and walked out the door.
Picard hadn't known what hit him. What a fool. He was so distracted by her seduction that he had not noticed her subtle questions about the ship or her sharp eye for any information he'd had out in his ready room or his cabin. She walked over to the prone captain and gave him a kick. Out cold. As she headed toward the lift, a hint of a smile touched her lips.
Crusher was alone in sickbay. She would neutralize the Doctor, destroy the plant samples, and quickly make her way to exobotany, which she had discover was also minimally staffed. Part of the upside of executing a plan for sabotage on the nightshift. Phaser in one hand, hypo in the other, Captain T'shar of the M'dar would make sure that the Enterprise crew would not have a chance to discover what her race had worked so hard to keep secret.
"Sickbay." The lift surged toward its destination.
Within the hour, she would be aboard her own ship, flagship of the Federation scattered in small pieces across the remote system.
*********
"Computer, time?" Crusher sighed, pulled out her ponytail, and raked her hands through her scraggly hair.
"The current time is 1900 hours."
Dumonde was late for her shift. Crusher had dismissed the evening on-duty attendant earlier because sickbay was dead. She and Dumonde could more than handle whatever came in. If the lieutenant ever showed up, anyway.
She played a hunch. "Computer, location of Captain Picard?"
"Captain Picard is in the quarters of Lieutenant Emma Dumonde."
'That explains that,' she thought bitterly. "I'm a fool for loving that man." She was half angry at Picard for being so inconsiderate as to keep her staff from fulfilling their duty, and half mad at herself for being so angry in the first place. Frustration seemed to swirl about her. She slammed the padd she'd been reading down on her desk and stood. She stripped off her labcoat, paced her office, and sat back down, staring at the padd. 'I'm not getting any further on this tonite.'
Crusher had been studying the report Alyssa had given her earlier that day. All the excitement over the plants from the surface had not been irrational. Her physician's mind boggled at all the possible applications. In the back of her mind, there was a shimmer of a thought. Too tired and consternated to explore it however, it remained a shapeless cloud. There was something there. A connection between what was going on and the plants from Hepa III. If only she could think! Frustrated, she docked the padd at her station and sent the entire report to Geordi. There was something there. Maybe he or Data would be able to take it further.
Beverly sighed, picked up the padd again, and headed into biolab two to shut down the quantum microscope. Ideas or no, she was done for the nite.
*********
Silently, Dumonde entered sickbay through the reception doors. Slowly, she approached biolab two. Crusher was leaning over a large piece of equipment. Perfect. Not that T'shar hadn't been spoiling for a fight since she landed on the Enterprise. Nothing would have made her happier than seeing blood running from Crusher's smug face, trim nose shattered and regal jawline broken. The thought distracted her momentarily, but she continued forward.
"Doctor?" She was immediately behind Crusher. The woman jumped and then turned toward her. T'shar took advantage of the surprise and cold cocked her. Reeling, Crusher fell backward into the wall. Rushing upon the struggling CMO and swiftly pinning her delicate neck to the wall with her forearm, T'shar wasted no more time in emptying the hypospray into her still confused victim.
Quickly, she pulled Crusher behind the microscope, tore off her communicator and ground it beneath her heel. She then ran into biolab one. Phaser out, she destroyed each plant in the lab. Turning, she obliterated each of the lab stations. She hustled into Crusher's office and fired on her terminal.
She ran to the door, left sickbay, and walked swiftly but calmly to the lift.
"Exobotany."
*********
Turning from his work with the warp core, Geordi paused to see what Crusher had downloaded into the main engineering terminal. She'd gotten a long way that day with her research. Even LaForge could comprehend some of the possible applications. The plants were incredibly adaptable. Concentrating intently, Geordi supposed that they might even hold promise for biomechanical uses...
LaForge sprang back from his terminal and clapped his hands joyously. "That's it Data, that's it!" He bounded over and slapped Data on the back. "The particles we've been studying - they're, they're like some sort of bio- mechanical hybrid Data! Crusher *was* on the right track! Somehow, this vegetation is linked to our problems with the warp core. What we need here is some sort of herbicide. Once the particles bio-systems shut down, the mechanical systems will too!"
Triumphantly, he tapped his comm. "LaForge to Doctor Crusher."
Silence. "LaForge to Crusher." Still no response. Geordi frowned. "Computer, location of Doctor Crusher."
"Unable to locate Doctor Crusher."
Geordi and Data exchanged puzzled glances. Data tilted his head, and readdressed the computer.
"Computer, what is the last known location of Doctor Crusher?"
The computer responded tonelessly, "Dr. Crusher was last located in sickbay, biolab two." Data continued his query. "Current occupants of sickbay?"
"There are no persons located in sickbay at this time."
The two officers exchanged even more troubled glances.
"Data, it's not like Dr. Crusher at all to have a lapse in staffing."
"I concur." Data tapped his comm. "Lt. Commander Data to security. Please send a team to sickbay immediately."
Data and LaForge headed toward the lift, the warp core temporarily forgotten.
*********
Picard's mind was a dense fog. Hazily, he tried to recall where and when he was - and what had occurred. From what he could tell, he was not in his quarters. He sensed that the hour was late, and that he had been unconscious for a somewhat significant period. "Computer, time - and my current location please."
"Time is 19:36 hours. You are located in the quarters of Lieutenant Emma Dumonde."
Dumonde. He had arrived at her quarters, and.. he could remember little more. He moved up to the couch and sat heavily. His head was still spinning. What had happened? "Computer, location of Emma Dumonde."
"Unable to locate Lieutenant Dummonde."
Picard was still hazy, but that made little sense. What was going on?
*********
T'shar had made quick work of the remaining plant species in exobotany. The two ensigns on duty had not been as easily handled, however. She mused that had they survived, they likely would have been given commendations. Now angry at the time wasted disposing of the Federation lapdogs, she secured the doors and sat down at the closest terminal. All she needed to do was to contact B'nar on the M'dar ship, and they would be home free, their glorious plan realized.
*********
Geordi and Data arrived at sickbay seconds before the security team. Entering, they saw no immediate signs of activity, and set about searching the facility. As the security team entered sickbay, Data called out from biolab two. After completing their sweep of the area, the security team converged at the doorway, accompanied by a worried chief engineer.
"Commander Data to Lieutenant Dumonde. Please report to sickbay immediately. There is a medical emergency." He was answered by silence.
"Commander Data to Lieutenant Powell. Please report to sickbay immediately. There is a medical emergency." A moment later Powell responded.
"I'm on my way sir. Where is Doctor Crusher?"
"Doctor Crusher has apparently been assaulted, and is in need of assistance."
"Understood." Powell broke into a run.
Geordi frowned. The events of the last few moments raced through his mind. "Data, where is Lieutenant Dummonde?" The crew members absence was inexplicable. He slapped his chest. "Computer, location of Lieutenant Dummonde?"
"Unable to located Lieutenant Dummonde."
Two missing Doctors?
*********
T'shar pounded the mangled communications terminal. There had been a lot of phaser fire disposing of the ensigns, and the terminal had been damaged. Unable to contact her ship due from exobotany, she would have to risk moving to another part of the ship. The tranquilizers she'd used were quite strong, but Picard's might begin wearing off soon. She knew her window of opportunity was closing. She was so close..
Frustrated, she rose and exited the lab. The next best bet was transporter room three, four decks up. From there, she could contact her ship and beam out. By scrambling the corrdinates after transport, she hoped the Enterprise would not be able to locate the M'dar vessel. Initiating transporters on their ship would only raise flags, and alert the Enterprise to their presence. The operation was getting out of hand, but was still salvageable. Composing herself, she plastered on a serene expression and started down the corridor toward the lift.
*********
Picard's groggy mind was insistent that he regain consciousness. He sat up more fully, and leaned against the couch. Out of pain and instinct, he tapped his comm. badge. "Picard to Crusher." No answer. He groaned, which only made the pounding in his head worse. "Picard to Crusher." Now the pulsing pain in his head was joined by alert bells. What had happened? He could remember nothing of the past few hours. "Picard to sickbay. Please send a medical team to Emma Dumonde's quarters immediately."
Much to his surprise, Data answered his call. Where was Beverly?
"Immediately Captain. Is Lieutenant Dummonde with you?"
"No Data." Picard's mind was a sea of confusion. "Data, why are you answering a hail to sickbay?"
"Captain, there are currently no medical personnel available in sickbay. Geordi and I arrived here moments ago searching for Doctor Crusher. The Doctor has been wounded, and Lieutenant Dummonde is missing."
None of this made any sense. His head was clearing more quickly now, and Picard began to regain some semblance of captaincy. It was time to answer some of the questions in his head. There was an explanation for his condition, and he suspected the Doctor's, and it made sense to start by pinning down the unknown variables. "Captain to Lieutenant Worf. Dispatch security and find Lieutenant Emma Dummonde. She is not wearing her badge, nor responding to hails. Notify me immediately when you find her. And place the ship on yellow alert. There have been two unexplained assaults."
On the bridge, Worf tensed and leapt to action. "Aye captain. Sir - do you believe that the missing Lieutenant is responsible for the assaults?"
"I don't know Worf. But I do believe it is important we find her."
Worf tapped several components at his terminal and addressed the computer. "Computer, please locate any and all life forms on board the Enterprise who are not currently wearing comm. badges."
After a moment of silence, the computer reported. "There are currently twenty-five individuals on board who are not wearing communications devices."
"Computer, download coordinates for each of those individuals to the main bridge."
"Download complete."
Worf immediately dispatched small security teams to each location. All but three were personal quarters - it was most likely those individuals in quarters were either sleeping or showering. That left holodeck three, observation lounge twelve, and transporter room three.
"Worf to transporter room three. Please report."
Silence. Worf growled and ran to the lift. "Computer. Lock out all transporter functions immediately, authorization Worf beta-charlie-three."
*********
T'shar winced as she stepped off the lift and saw the yellow alert beacons come to life. They had not found her yet, but she had heard the hails. Her MIA status and the yellow alert could not be unrelated. She ran for the transporter room.
Arriving, she quickly dispatched the surprised attendant, and shoved his body off the control panel. Tapping into the communications, she hailed her ship.
"T'shar to B'nar - respond immediately!"
The response came a few seconds later. "B'nar here Captain - what is your status?"
"I have destroyed the plants, and am ready to beam out immediately. As soon as I am on board, fire all weapons on the Enterprise!"
Hands flying over the comm. panel, T'shar set coordinates for her ship and turned to run to the transporter padd.
At that moment, Lieutenant Worf burst through the doors, phaser trained on T'shar. She immediately raised her weapon, and backed slowly toward the panel. Touching it lightly, she reactivated the communications link to her ship.
Worf stepped forward. "Lieutenant. I order you to drop your weapon." His voice became louder and more menacing. "Now."
T'shar's life may be over, but the M'dar mission would not fail. "B'nar! Fire all weapons, now!" She had barely finished her sentence when Worf discharged his phaser, crumpling her to the ground.
"Worf to bridge, red alert!"
The alert claxons had not even sounded when the ship was rocked by phaser fire and photon torpedoes.
"Lieutenant Worf to sickbay. Medical team needed in transporter room three." He tapped his comm. again, and recalled the search teams, commanding two of his officers to his current location. They would be getting answers from this traitorous woman.
*********
On the bridge, Riker stood in front of the captain's chair and swore. What the hell was going on? He glared at the Lieutenant at the conn. "Status, Lieutenant Roosevelt?"
"Shields holding at 50% sir. There are damage and casualty reports from main engineering and surrounding decks. It seems the primary target was the warp core, sir."
"Lieutenant, evasive maneuvers. Find out where the hell that ship fired from, and fire back. Target their weapons and propulsions systems."
"Aye sir."
Debris covered the bridge, illuminated by flashing emergency lighting.
If Worf had called the red alert a second later, they would be floating space junk.
*********
On the M'dar ship, Commander B'nar was seething. What had happened to T'shar? Regardless, he was going to fulfill the mission. They had worked to hard to get to this point. He ordered tactical to train all weapons on the Enterprise. He was going to make one more pass.
*********
Enemy fire again rocked the Enterprise. Riker flew back into his chair, but stood immediately, watching as on the view screen, a ship shimmered in and out of existence, firing heavily.
Sparks shot from blown conduits all over the bridge. Science station three had exploded, killing two rearward officers. Lifesupport was online, but internal stablizers were on fritz. The whole bridge was sloped at a 30% angle.
"Lieutenant Roosevelt - lock on to their trajectory and fire at will!"
Riker watched as phasers and photon torpedoes appeared in subspace, floating toward an invisible target. The torpedoes went wide, but the phasers were spot-on. The enemy vessel reappeared, this time at a pitched and haphazard angle.
"Report, Lieutenant!"
"Target hit, sir. Damage to their main weapons array and primary propulsion systems. Cloaking device offline."
"Very good." Riker strode forward and clapped Roosevelt on her shoulder. On his right, the forward conn panel was melted. Luckily, the officer manning it had been thrown clear by the initial impact of the phasers. "Open hailing frequencies."
"Channel open, sir."
"This is first officer William T. Riker of the Federation Starship Enterprise. Stand down all weapons systems, or we will be forced to fire on your ship again!"
"The ship is not responding, sir."
"Enemy ship. I repeat, stand down and identify yourselves immediately."
"Still no response, Commander."
"Very well. Lieutenant, target weapons systems, and fire at 50%. Then lock on tractor beam. I want some answers."
"Aye, sir."
*********
I am truckin' on chapter four. I thought there would only be three chapters, but the story got away from me. Hope this chapter flushed out the plot a bit more.
Disclaimer: It's my understanding that there needs to be some sort of perfunctory acknowledgement that, like Q, Paramount is omnipotent, and I would never do anything to break the rules. So this is for fun and obsessed fans only.
Sabotage Chapter Three
*********
"Jean-Luc, I'm terribly disappointed that we had to cut our evening short last nite." A pouting Emma Dumonde had appeared in his ready room that morning after the staff meeting. "I do hope we can reschedule. I was enjoying the chance to get to know you more. intimately." She moved past his desk and gingerly perched on the edge. An odd sense of deja' vu struck Picard, as none other than the beautiful Dr. Beverly Crusher had occupied that spot only months ago. Dumonde leaned suggestively forward. Appealing as Emma was, she still had a bit to learn about the inner machinations of Jean-Luc Picard. He was distinctly uncomfortable with her intrusion on his work, which currently consisted of trying to find a way out of their engine troubles.
Clearing his throat, he placed his hand on her shoulder and gently eased her back. "I'm sure, Lieutenant, that we may find another opportunity in the near future. However, I am currently in the middle of a tricky set of calculations, and unable to attend to more personal matters." Passing time with Beverly in this way was one matter. Flirting with a new Lieutenant in his ready room was quite another.
"Very well, but I'll hold you to that." Dumonde slid off the desk and glided out the door. Picard grimly noted that it was by way of the main bridge.
Already distracted from his work, Picard took a moment to let his thoughts wander. Emma Dumonde was little mystery - and he found her candor refreshing. The fair Doctor, however - an enigma that he never seemed to be able to solve. Before she'd left that morning, Beverly had told him to 'get back to her when he finished conquering the galaxy.' What exactly had she meant? Their careers were equally important to them, so it made little sense that she had meant to insinuate anything about Starfleet. He pushed the thoughts aside. It was no use trying to figure her out - she'd maker herself perfectly clear when she was ready.
*********
After the staff meeting, Beverly proceeded directly to sickbay. She'd wanted to detour to her quarters for an 8 hour nap, but she needed to check the progress on the plants they'd collected at Hepa III. Alyssa had requested specifically to coordinate the project, and Beverly had been happy to comply.
She glided through the doors and made straight to biolab two. "Anything good, Alyssa?"
"Hi Doctor. I've only been at it for a day, but these plant species are amazing. They're extremely adaptable. Their DNA and RNA are extremely complex, and there are millions of unused strands archived within each species. What's fascinating, however, is how well the dormant strands react when they're re-sequenced and activated."
"Good job Lieutenant," Crusher squeezed the young woman's arm and gave her a wink. "Before I know it, you'll be running the sickbay. Or even worse - Starfleet will steal you away from me."
Powell blushed and beamed. "I promise to mention you in my memoirs, Doctor!"
"Well, keep at it - I'll look for a preliminary report at the end of your shift."
Crusher strolled into her office and sat down to stare at her terminal. Data would be arriving momentarily with the microparticle samples. Until then, Beverly took the chance to daydream. She'd dropped a pretty big hint this morning at breakfast. Jean-Luc was one of the most brilliant men in Starfleet, but at times could be stunningly obtuse. She wondered if he'd catch on. Actually, Beverly was unsure why she'd even said anything. Mostly she figured it had to do with her 16 hour shift and hours of staring at the warp core. Picard's strong hands massaging her tense muscles probably played a role too.
Months ago she'd changed her mind about pursuing a deeper relationship, but had never really found a way to bring it up without feeling like an ass. 'Oh Jean-Luc, I've been thinking about it, and I changed my mind. Let's get married.' Actually, she'd regretted her chilling words the moment they'd escaped her lips that night after KesPryt. She'd simply meant that they should be cautious. She'd already had two failed affairs onboard, and had no desire to make it an uneven three - especially at the expense of her friendship with Jean-Luc. But Picard was so sensitive. He'd taken it as a rejection, and she'd had to work for weeks just to re-establish their old rapport. She did love him, she knew that. On the other hand, Picard was a cad. How could she be sure that what she thought she saw in his eyes was no more than the thrill of the chase? She knew he was attracted to her, but his thoughts on KesPryt had been so muddled, and he'd flat out said he didn't feel the same way about her as he used to. Beverly was unwilling to count the moments she'd spent in this particular vein of mental tug of war.
"Doctor?" Data gently touched her shoulder. "Doctor?"
Beverly started. "Data, I'm sorry - I didn't hear you there. Just gathering wool."
Crusher took in Data's puzzled expression. "Daydreaming, Data."
"Ah. Yes Doctor. 'Gathering wool.' A Terran colloquialism."
"Yes Data. Do you have the microparticle samples?"
"Affirmative Doctor. I have also left some samples in main engineering that Geordi is currently examining." Data set a metal cylinder on her desk. "I believe that I have been able to isolate the particles. They stayed suspended while in the warp core, but in the canister they have collected at the bottom, and appear to conform to gravitational norms. In order to view them, you will need to use a quantum microscope. I have requested that the exobotany lab bring one up immediately."
The doors leading to main sickbay opened on cue, and an ensign walked through, quantum microscope tentatively balanced on a hovercart. Crusher and Data walked out to greet her. Beverly motioned to biolab two. "Right in there, ensign." Beverly smiled and, hand on his elbow, escorted Data to the door. "Let me know if you guys find anything down there."
"Of course Doctor."
Crusher walked over to biolab two, where Alyssa Powell and the exobotany ensign were deep in conversation.
"Their RNA sequencing is the most adaptable I've ever seen! I can't believe Starfleet didn't begin investigating Hepa III ages ago."
"A year out of the Academy and already you're calling the shots, ensign?" Beverly adopted a stern expression.
"Sir, no, sir," stammered the ensign. "I was simply explaining to Lieutenant Powell how fascinated I was by the Hepa III flora species."
"Well, why don't you go discuss it over lunch? I want some quiet in here while I calibrate this microscope. And I'm not likely to get it with you two playing armchair admiral." Crusher grinned.
"Aye, sir." came the unanimous reply. Powell smiled while the young ensign seemed relieved. They wheeled out of sickbay.
Beverly turned to the microscope and set about her task.
*********
Hours later, she had become engrossed in the research. The particles recovered from the warp core were not mechanical, nor biological, but a hybrid. She wondered what Geordi had discovered.
"Crusher to LaForge."
"LaForge here Doctor."
"Geordi, what have you discovered about the particles? My work has been quite interesting."
"Same here Doc., though I'm afraid we probably haven't gotten as far down here. We've been busy all day trying to keep auxiliary systems running while we wait for a tow to Starbase."
"Well, let's meet at 0700 before the staff meeting and coordinate what we've found. By then I might have discovered a way to solve this puzzle."
"Sounds good to me. I could go my entire career without the Enterprise being towed anywhere."
"I'll do my best Geordi. Crusher out." She could imagine how Geordi must feel. And how Jean-Luc must be feeling similarly humbled. Perhaps a productive experience for the captain.
She tapped her comm. "Computer, time?"
"The current time is 1700 hours."
Beverly's stomach howled. She hadn't eaten since breakfast this morning. She downloaded what she'd found on the particles to engineering for Geordi's perusal, stood, and stretched. As she made her way toward the door, Alyssa marched into her office.
"I've got that preliminary report, Doctor."
"Set it on my desk, Alyssa. I'm off for a very late lunch. I promise to read it when I get back."
"No problem Doctor. I'm headed out myself. Are you sure you don't want to swing by our quarters and sneak a visit with Matthew?"
"Lieutenant, are you encouraging your superior officer to play hooky?"
"Just a little bit, sir."
"Then it'll be just a little bit of hooky."
*********
Geordi had been struggling all day to spend any time studying the microparticles. Gladly, he launched into what Dr. Crusher had just downloaded. He'd been able to ascertain that the particles were dual in nature, but had not reached the level of detail Crusher had. The difficult part now would be figuring out how to get rid of them. Neither strictly mechanical nor biological, it would be difficult to craft an approach to eradicating them. And doing it without blowing up the warp drive.
"Data, can you come here for a minute?"
*********
"Captain. Fancy meeting you here." Crusher tossed a bemused look over her shoulder at Emma Dumonde's quarters. Again, she'd run into Picard on his way to the beautiful lieutenant's cabin, and again, she looked like hell. Now approaching her 22nd hour on duty, she'd seen Ferengi who looked sexier.
"Doctor. What have you been up to?" The captain appraised his usually radiant CMO. Her hair was flat and haphazardly pulled back in clips. Her eyes were slightly sunken, with dark circles imprinted beneath them. Her normally creamy, translucent skin was dull.
"Oh nothing. Just slaving away for an unappreciative and unrelenting task master of a CO."
"Well, whoever he or she is, should be ashamed of themselves. Beverly, you're clearly in need of a, well, a long hot bath, a massage, and most importantly, a good night's sleep."
"In that case, why don't you page me when you're done with your femme du jour," she snapped as she strode into the lift and promptly clicked the door shut. She'd not meant to lose her temper, but she was a Howard, and she had been keeping poor hours for days. He was lucky she hadn't laid him out on the deck right there with a surprise left hook.
*********
"You're quite the hostess." Picard had arrived at Dumonde's cabin for an early dinner before she started her shift. Candles lit every available surface.
"I was going for a mood. Do you think I was successful?"
"I'm only guessing at what mood you're going for here, but I'll have to say yes." She approached slowly and he handed her yet another bottle of Picard vintage. Setting it on the table, she sauntered over to him. Languidly, she stroked his chest, kissing him passionately. She reached behind his neck, rubbing gently. Suddenly, with her other hand, she injected him with a loaded hypospray.
*********
In her quarters, Emma Dumonde loaded another hypospray and turned to the mirror. Pausing a moment to tuck a stray lock of hair back into place, she smoothed her uniform and walked out the door.
Picard hadn't known what hit him. What a fool. He was so distracted by her seduction that he had not noticed her subtle questions about the ship or her sharp eye for any information he'd had out in his ready room or his cabin. She walked over to the prone captain and gave him a kick. Out cold. As she headed toward the lift, a hint of a smile touched her lips.
Crusher was alone in sickbay. She would neutralize the Doctor, destroy the plant samples, and quickly make her way to exobotany, which she had discover was also minimally staffed. Part of the upside of executing a plan for sabotage on the nightshift. Phaser in one hand, hypo in the other, Captain T'shar of the M'dar would make sure that the Enterprise crew would not have a chance to discover what her race had worked so hard to keep secret.
"Sickbay." The lift surged toward its destination.
Within the hour, she would be aboard her own ship, flagship of the Federation scattered in small pieces across the remote system.
*********
"Computer, time?" Crusher sighed, pulled out her ponytail, and raked her hands through her scraggly hair.
"The current time is 1900 hours."
Dumonde was late for her shift. Crusher had dismissed the evening on-duty attendant earlier because sickbay was dead. She and Dumonde could more than handle whatever came in. If the lieutenant ever showed up, anyway.
She played a hunch. "Computer, location of Captain Picard?"
"Captain Picard is in the quarters of Lieutenant Emma Dumonde."
'That explains that,' she thought bitterly. "I'm a fool for loving that man." She was half angry at Picard for being so inconsiderate as to keep her staff from fulfilling their duty, and half mad at herself for being so angry in the first place. Frustration seemed to swirl about her. She slammed the padd she'd been reading down on her desk and stood. She stripped off her labcoat, paced her office, and sat back down, staring at the padd. 'I'm not getting any further on this tonite.'
Crusher had been studying the report Alyssa had given her earlier that day. All the excitement over the plants from the surface had not been irrational. Her physician's mind boggled at all the possible applications. In the back of her mind, there was a shimmer of a thought. Too tired and consternated to explore it however, it remained a shapeless cloud. There was something there. A connection between what was going on and the plants from Hepa III. If only she could think! Frustrated, she docked the padd at her station and sent the entire report to Geordi. There was something there. Maybe he or Data would be able to take it further.
Beverly sighed, picked up the padd again, and headed into biolab two to shut down the quantum microscope. Ideas or no, she was done for the nite.
*********
Silently, Dumonde entered sickbay through the reception doors. Slowly, she approached biolab two. Crusher was leaning over a large piece of equipment. Perfect. Not that T'shar hadn't been spoiling for a fight since she landed on the Enterprise. Nothing would have made her happier than seeing blood running from Crusher's smug face, trim nose shattered and regal jawline broken. The thought distracted her momentarily, but she continued forward.
"Doctor?" She was immediately behind Crusher. The woman jumped and then turned toward her. T'shar took advantage of the surprise and cold cocked her. Reeling, Crusher fell backward into the wall. Rushing upon the struggling CMO and swiftly pinning her delicate neck to the wall with her forearm, T'shar wasted no more time in emptying the hypospray into her still confused victim.
Quickly, she pulled Crusher behind the microscope, tore off her communicator and ground it beneath her heel. She then ran into biolab one. Phaser out, she destroyed each plant in the lab. Turning, she obliterated each of the lab stations. She hustled into Crusher's office and fired on her terminal.
She ran to the door, left sickbay, and walked swiftly but calmly to the lift.
"Exobotany."
*********
Turning from his work with the warp core, Geordi paused to see what Crusher had downloaded into the main engineering terminal. She'd gotten a long way that day with her research. Even LaForge could comprehend some of the possible applications. The plants were incredibly adaptable. Concentrating intently, Geordi supposed that they might even hold promise for biomechanical uses...
LaForge sprang back from his terminal and clapped his hands joyously. "That's it Data, that's it!" He bounded over and slapped Data on the back. "The particles we've been studying - they're, they're like some sort of bio- mechanical hybrid Data! Crusher *was* on the right track! Somehow, this vegetation is linked to our problems with the warp core. What we need here is some sort of herbicide. Once the particles bio-systems shut down, the mechanical systems will too!"
Triumphantly, he tapped his comm. "LaForge to Doctor Crusher."
Silence. "LaForge to Crusher." Still no response. Geordi frowned. "Computer, location of Doctor Crusher."
"Unable to locate Doctor Crusher."
Geordi and Data exchanged puzzled glances. Data tilted his head, and readdressed the computer.
"Computer, what is the last known location of Doctor Crusher?"
The computer responded tonelessly, "Dr. Crusher was last located in sickbay, biolab two." Data continued his query. "Current occupants of sickbay?"
"There are no persons located in sickbay at this time."
The two officers exchanged even more troubled glances.
"Data, it's not like Dr. Crusher at all to have a lapse in staffing."
"I concur." Data tapped his comm. "Lt. Commander Data to security. Please send a team to sickbay immediately."
Data and LaForge headed toward the lift, the warp core temporarily forgotten.
*********
Picard's mind was a dense fog. Hazily, he tried to recall where and when he was - and what had occurred. From what he could tell, he was not in his quarters. He sensed that the hour was late, and that he had been unconscious for a somewhat significant period. "Computer, time - and my current location please."
"Time is 19:36 hours. You are located in the quarters of Lieutenant Emma Dumonde."
Dumonde. He had arrived at her quarters, and.. he could remember little more. He moved up to the couch and sat heavily. His head was still spinning. What had happened? "Computer, location of Emma Dumonde."
"Unable to locate Lieutenant Dummonde."
Picard was still hazy, but that made little sense. What was going on?
*********
T'shar had made quick work of the remaining plant species in exobotany. The two ensigns on duty had not been as easily handled, however. She mused that had they survived, they likely would have been given commendations. Now angry at the time wasted disposing of the Federation lapdogs, she secured the doors and sat down at the closest terminal. All she needed to do was to contact B'nar on the M'dar ship, and they would be home free, their glorious plan realized.
*********
Geordi and Data arrived at sickbay seconds before the security team. Entering, they saw no immediate signs of activity, and set about searching the facility. As the security team entered sickbay, Data called out from biolab two. After completing their sweep of the area, the security team converged at the doorway, accompanied by a worried chief engineer.
"Commander Data to Lieutenant Dumonde. Please report to sickbay immediately. There is a medical emergency." He was answered by silence.
"Commander Data to Lieutenant Powell. Please report to sickbay immediately. There is a medical emergency." A moment later Powell responded.
"I'm on my way sir. Where is Doctor Crusher?"
"Doctor Crusher has apparently been assaulted, and is in need of assistance."
"Understood." Powell broke into a run.
Geordi frowned. The events of the last few moments raced through his mind. "Data, where is Lieutenant Dummonde?" The crew members absence was inexplicable. He slapped his chest. "Computer, location of Lieutenant Dummonde?"
"Unable to located Lieutenant Dummonde."
Two missing Doctors?
*********
T'shar pounded the mangled communications terminal. There had been a lot of phaser fire disposing of the ensigns, and the terminal had been damaged. Unable to contact her ship due from exobotany, she would have to risk moving to another part of the ship. The tranquilizers she'd used were quite strong, but Picard's might begin wearing off soon. She knew her window of opportunity was closing. She was so close..
Frustrated, she rose and exited the lab. The next best bet was transporter room three, four decks up. From there, she could contact her ship and beam out. By scrambling the corrdinates after transport, she hoped the Enterprise would not be able to locate the M'dar vessel. Initiating transporters on their ship would only raise flags, and alert the Enterprise to their presence. The operation was getting out of hand, but was still salvageable. Composing herself, she plastered on a serene expression and started down the corridor toward the lift.
*********
Picard's groggy mind was insistent that he regain consciousness. He sat up more fully, and leaned against the couch. Out of pain and instinct, he tapped his comm. badge. "Picard to Crusher." No answer. He groaned, which only made the pounding in his head worse. "Picard to Crusher." Now the pulsing pain in his head was joined by alert bells. What had happened? He could remember nothing of the past few hours. "Picard to sickbay. Please send a medical team to Emma Dumonde's quarters immediately."
Much to his surprise, Data answered his call. Where was Beverly?
"Immediately Captain. Is Lieutenant Dummonde with you?"
"No Data." Picard's mind was a sea of confusion. "Data, why are you answering a hail to sickbay?"
"Captain, there are currently no medical personnel available in sickbay. Geordi and I arrived here moments ago searching for Doctor Crusher. The Doctor has been wounded, and Lieutenant Dummonde is missing."
None of this made any sense. His head was clearing more quickly now, and Picard began to regain some semblance of captaincy. It was time to answer some of the questions in his head. There was an explanation for his condition, and he suspected the Doctor's, and it made sense to start by pinning down the unknown variables. "Captain to Lieutenant Worf. Dispatch security and find Lieutenant Emma Dummonde. She is not wearing her badge, nor responding to hails. Notify me immediately when you find her. And place the ship on yellow alert. There have been two unexplained assaults."
On the bridge, Worf tensed and leapt to action. "Aye captain. Sir - do you believe that the missing Lieutenant is responsible for the assaults?"
"I don't know Worf. But I do believe it is important we find her."
Worf tapped several components at his terminal and addressed the computer. "Computer, please locate any and all life forms on board the Enterprise who are not currently wearing comm. badges."
After a moment of silence, the computer reported. "There are currently twenty-five individuals on board who are not wearing communications devices."
"Computer, download coordinates for each of those individuals to the main bridge."
"Download complete."
Worf immediately dispatched small security teams to each location. All but three were personal quarters - it was most likely those individuals in quarters were either sleeping or showering. That left holodeck three, observation lounge twelve, and transporter room three.
"Worf to transporter room three. Please report."
Silence. Worf growled and ran to the lift. "Computer. Lock out all transporter functions immediately, authorization Worf beta-charlie-three."
*********
T'shar winced as she stepped off the lift and saw the yellow alert beacons come to life. They had not found her yet, but she had heard the hails. Her MIA status and the yellow alert could not be unrelated. She ran for the transporter room.
Arriving, she quickly dispatched the surprised attendant, and shoved his body off the control panel. Tapping into the communications, she hailed her ship.
"T'shar to B'nar - respond immediately!"
The response came a few seconds later. "B'nar here Captain - what is your status?"
"I have destroyed the plants, and am ready to beam out immediately. As soon as I am on board, fire all weapons on the Enterprise!"
Hands flying over the comm. panel, T'shar set coordinates for her ship and turned to run to the transporter padd.
At that moment, Lieutenant Worf burst through the doors, phaser trained on T'shar. She immediately raised her weapon, and backed slowly toward the panel. Touching it lightly, she reactivated the communications link to her ship.
Worf stepped forward. "Lieutenant. I order you to drop your weapon." His voice became louder and more menacing. "Now."
T'shar's life may be over, but the M'dar mission would not fail. "B'nar! Fire all weapons, now!" She had barely finished her sentence when Worf discharged his phaser, crumpling her to the ground.
"Worf to bridge, red alert!"
The alert claxons had not even sounded when the ship was rocked by phaser fire and photon torpedoes.
"Lieutenant Worf to sickbay. Medical team needed in transporter room three." He tapped his comm. again, and recalled the search teams, commanding two of his officers to his current location. They would be getting answers from this traitorous woman.
*********
On the bridge, Riker stood in front of the captain's chair and swore. What the hell was going on? He glared at the Lieutenant at the conn. "Status, Lieutenant Roosevelt?"
"Shields holding at 50% sir. There are damage and casualty reports from main engineering and surrounding decks. It seems the primary target was the warp core, sir."
"Lieutenant, evasive maneuvers. Find out where the hell that ship fired from, and fire back. Target their weapons and propulsions systems."
"Aye sir."
Debris covered the bridge, illuminated by flashing emergency lighting.
If Worf had called the red alert a second later, they would be floating space junk.
*********
On the M'dar ship, Commander B'nar was seething. What had happened to T'shar? Regardless, he was going to fulfill the mission. They had worked to hard to get to this point. He ordered tactical to train all weapons on the Enterprise. He was going to make one more pass.
*********
Enemy fire again rocked the Enterprise. Riker flew back into his chair, but stood immediately, watching as on the view screen, a ship shimmered in and out of existence, firing heavily.
Sparks shot from blown conduits all over the bridge. Science station three had exploded, killing two rearward officers. Lifesupport was online, but internal stablizers were on fritz. The whole bridge was sloped at a 30% angle.
"Lieutenant Roosevelt - lock on to their trajectory and fire at will!"
Riker watched as phasers and photon torpedoes appeared in subspace, floating toward an invisible target. The torpedoes went wide, but the phasers were spot-on. The enemy vessel reappeared, this time at a pitched and haphazard angle.
"Report, Lieutenant!"
"Target hit, sir. Damage to their main weapons array and primary propulsion systems. Cloaking device offline."
"Very good." Riker strode forward and clapped Roosevelt on her shoulder. On his right, the forward conn panel was melted. Luckily, the officer manning it had been thrown clear by the initial impact of the phasers. "Open hailing frequencies."
"Channel open, sir."
"This is first officer William T. Riker of the Federation Starship Enterprise. Stand down all weapons systems, or we will be forced to fire on your ship again!"
"The ship is not responding, sir."
"Enemy ship. I repeat, stand down and identify yourselves immediately."
"Still no response, Commander."
"Very well. Lieutenant, target weapons systems, and fire at 50%. Then lock on tractor beam. I want some answers."
"Aye, sir."
*********
I am truckin' on chapter four. I thought there would only be three chapters, but the story got away from me. Hope this chapter flushed out the plot a bit more.