CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The security team entered main engineering. Commander La Forge was waiting for them and they placed the android in a chair, beside a computer terminal. "What have they done to you, Data?" Geordi said shaking his head at the appearance of his best friend.
"Exactly, Mr. La Forge. I didn't recognize him when I was on that ship and sitting right next to him." Picard said.
"Now I see what you mean, his whole demeanor has changed. No wonder you got the wrong android. Never mind, I'll do exactly what I did to Reval." Geordi removed Data's cranial lobe and it revealed his positronic brain. He linked the android up to the computer with an optical fiber wire, and wiped all of the android's files and memories. He down loaded all of the back up files and soon the process was finished.
Geordi looked up at his captain. "I should check for any self destruct mechanisms." There were none. "I'll activate his ethics program as well, otherwise it will take time for it to be brought to his attention." Geordi finished what he was doing and replaced the android's cranial lobe.
Geordi flicked Data's off switch and he sat up immediately, straight in the chair. Picard looked on with interest and the security team braced, ready for anything.
"Geordi? Why am I in engineering? And why was I deactivated?" Everyone smiled at Data, his features had returned to normal and he had his usual kind but slightly curious expression back. He tilted his head slightly as he noticed the full security detail that surrounded him.
"It's very good to have you back, Data." Picard said with a look of relief on his face.
"Where have I been, Captain?" Data asked, cocking his head to one side in the familiar manner.
"Captain, he doesn't remember anything at the moment, some of the memories may return as they did with Reval though. All of what has happened is not in the computer's files and so he was not programmed with the memories." Geordi informed them.
"We still have to bring you up to date, Mr. Data." Picard said smiling at him. "But first, will you get changed out of that uniform, I'm sick of the sight of it." Picard said, looking at it distastefully.
Data looked down at his uniform with a puzzled face. "How did I become dressed like this?"
"Later, Data." Picard said. "Get changed and come up to the bridge as soon as possible. Mr. La Forge, will you bring Data up to speed with recent events. I'll be on the bridge if you need me." With that, the security team and Picard left engineering, and a rather puzzled android behind.
In engineering on board the Imperial starship Enterprise, Commander Hessan sent four androids up to the bridge to see the captain. She had programmed five androids with sufficient skills for their new jobs. One was programmed to be the first officer, another to be the chief medical officer, one was to be the security chief and another for the helm position and the last one was to work as an engineer under Hessan. That particular android stayed behind while the other four went up to the bridge.
They were still wearing the black jumpsuits from engineering because it was for the captain to decide what rank they would be.
The four androids got out of the turbolift on the bridge and walked down to the captain, in perfect step and single file. They all saluted and stood to attention in front of the command chair. One of them spoke. "I am called spot and am programmed to be your new first officer, Captain."
"Well, Spot. Assume your post." Picard instructed and turned to the other androids. "And what are your names?"
"My name is Lore and I am to be your security chief."
"Assume your post, Lore." Picard moved along the line to the next android.
"My name is Noonien, and I have been programmed to control the helm."
"Take your position, Noonien." Picard moved to the last android. "You must be the chief medical officer."
"That is correct, Captain. My name is Sherlock." Picard smiled at that.
"Who gave you your names?" Picard asked slightly amused at each of them.
"Our names were given to us by Commander Hessan. They were taken from Commander Data's memories."
"Well, your post is in sickbay." The android saluted and left the bridge. "I asked for five androids, where is the fifth?"
"The fifth android is called Prospero and is programmed to be the deputy chief engineer, Captain. Commander Hessan instructed him to stay there." Picard smiled as his first officer, Spot, informed him of the fifth android's name.
"Well it seems that Data has been studying Shakespeare and the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle."
"That is correct, sir." Spot told him.
"Where did the other names come from?"
"Lore is Data's brother, Noonien is Data's creator and Spot is his pet cat." Picard looked very amused as they both sat at their posts.
"Mr. Worf, hail that other ship. I want a progress report from Commander Data."
"Aye, sir. Channel open."
"Picard to Commander Data."
Data was now at his post on his own ship, after having been briefed and changed his uniform. Reval sat in the small chair to the right of Commander Riker. Worf broke the silence on the bridge. "Sir, we are being hailed by the other ship, the captain is asking for Commander Data."
"Put it on visual and open a channel, Mr. Worf. This captain won't be expecting a full bridge crew to be looking back at him." Picard smiled as Worf worked his console. The screen flickered onto an almost mirror image of the bridge. The counterpart captain's face fell from a smile to utter shock. "Pleased to see me again, Jean-Luc?" Captain Picard said, toying with his counterpart. "Your plan has failed again, you should have known you wouldn't succeed with it."
"That's what you think, this little set back doesn't affect us. We still have the androids and the ability to make more. Not to mention the fact that we still out power you with weapons and engine capacity. There is nothing you can do. I thought that after the last time you might have at least started to work on developing better weapons. It seems that I was right about you though, you, your ship and Federation are weak."
"Not as weak as you might think, we may have rather a large surprise for you." Picard informed his counterpart.
"I doubt it but we shall see." Picard snapped back.
"What happened to your senior officers? Did you find them to be inefficient? I know I did." Picard said noticing the androids on the other bridge were in the positions that the other bridge crew had been in.
The alternate Picard scowled. "I found them to be disobedient so I killed them." He shifted in his seat. "And I will take pleasure in doing it again. Mr. Data, your disobedience has been noted along with Reval's." Picard made a cutthroat gesture and Lieutenant Worf closed the comm channel.
"Well, Number One. What do we do now?"
"I suggest we carry on with our plan and use the new weapon. There's no way to talk ourselves out of this one." Riker said discontent.
"Very well." Picard touched a control on his armrest. "Mr. La Forge, report to the bridge."
"Aye, sir." Came the quick reply from engineering.
Geordi La Forge stepped onto the bridge a few moments later, and headed for the engineering station.
"Engineering, transfer to the bridge." The console lit up and the ship's status came up on the screen. Geordi turned to the captain. "Everything's on-line and ready to go, Captain."
"Very well, Mr. La Forge."
On the Imperial starship, Captain Picard sat back in his chair, fuming. "I want that ship and her crew in tact. I will have such pleasure in torturing them until they die. Lore, arm forward phaser banks. I am assuming that you have been programmed with the knowledge on how to operate Counsellor Troi's knew weapon?"
"Aye, sir. I have been programmed with everything I need in order to carry out my job." Lore said standing up from his seat on the left of Picard.
"Very well, take over at tactical. I want a forward phaser burst aimed at that ship. Take out their shields first." Lore moved up to the tactical and Worf immediately moved away from it.
"I am ready for your order, sir." There was a silence on the bridge as Picard waited a few seconds and then with all of his anger he shouted.
"FIRE!" *****
A beam lanced out from the Enterprise towards the Galaxy class starship. Captain Picard watched from his command chair. "I am modulating shield frequencies, Captain." Geordi said from his station. Picard looked puzzled and turned around to face him.
"Why?"
"It was something we learned when the Borg attacked, there's no way our shields will hold otherwise." The ship rocked under the first impact of the phaser fire.
"Mr. La Forge, is that weapon ready now?" Riker shouted over the noise of the phaser blasts bouncing off the shields.
"Aye, sir. Just waiting for the captain's order." Geordi shouted back, as another blast hit the ship.
"Well, Mr. La Forge. Fire." Geordi worked his console to re-route power from the warp engines through the energy transfer modules and into the deflector dish. Nothing happened. Something was wrong. "La Forge?" The captain asked irritated that it should go wrong at a time like this.
"Worf, cut power!" Geordi bellowed.
"Aye, sir." Geordi sighed when Worf informed him that everything was off-line.
"What happened, Geordi?" Riker asked displeased. "I thought you said everything was alright."
"It's was but the last phaser blast knocked one of the transfer modules off-line. We could have blown up ourselves if Worf hadn't cut power when he did." Geordi worked his console again, then turned to the captain to say it would be ten minutes before he could get it sorted out.
"Our shields will not hold for more than two minutes fifteen seconds if they keep firing the way they are doing. Our warp engines are off-line also." Data informed the captain from ops.
"Phasers and photon torpedoes are off-line also, Captain." Worf informed him as another phaser blast hit the ship. "Shields are down to seventeen percent."
Picard looked, cool, calm and very collected as he turned to his first officer. "Will, there is no other option. We have to destroy the ship; we can't even make a collision course. The self destruct mechanism is the only way." Riker thought about it for a split second and then nodded his head reluctantly.
"Aye, sir." They both got up and headed for the turbolift.
Lore informed the captain that the shields of the other Enterprise wouldn't hold for much longer. Another phaser beam raced towards the ship and their shields went down. The Galaxy class starship Enterprise, the flagship of Starfleet and the pride of the Federation was left defenseless in space.
Picard instructed the android at helm to take them closer so they could begin beaming assault teams over. The Enterprise moved slowly towards the other ship hanging, vulnerable in space.
Captain Picard and Commander Riker got to engineering; they went to the main access station. "Do we both agree that all other possible courses of action have been thought of and tried to no avail?" Picard asked, following protocols.
"Aye, sir." Riker said after a moments thought.
"Okay then," Picard placed his right palm on a panel and the computer scanned it. "Computer, activate auto destruct sequence." He said.
"Does the first officer comply?" The computer asked.
"Yes, activate auto destruct sequence." The computer analyzed the verbal input of the two officers, and scanned the palm of Commander Riker.
"What is the desired time interval until auto destruct?" The computer asked again, calmly.
"I say five minutes, our shields will be down by now. We should try to take out as many people from that ship as possible, it's inevitable that they're going to be sending parties over."
"Okay. Activate auto destruct sequence in five minutes."
"Does the first officer agree?"
"Yes, set auto destruct sequence for five minutes." The computer started to count down to the destruction of the ship.
The officers left engineering and headed back up to the bridge. If there was anything that could get them out of this situation, before the destruct sequence finished it's count down. The only place they could deactivate it was from the bridge.
The computer would count down in increments of thirty seconds until the final minute, when it would count down every second.
Captain Picard and Commander Riker ascended onto the bridge from the turbolift, and walked down to their command seats. "Mr. La Forge. Report please."
"Captain, get ready to deactivate the destruct sequence, the module is back on-line and ready to use."
"Sir, the other ship is within transporter range now and I haven't been able to get the shields back up as yet." Worf reported from tactical. Picard stood up and turned to the bridge crew, as the computer began counting down the last minute to auto destruct.
"Thank you everyone for your support and loyalty. However, thanks to Mr. La Forge, today is not our day to die. Computer de-activate auto destruct." The count down ceased as the computer switched off the destruct sequence automatically.
"Ensign back us away to one thousand kilometers again, please."
"Aye, sir." The ensign at the helm said as she worked her console and the ship moved on impulse.
Soon the Enterprise was a safe distance away from its reflection again. "Mr. Worf. Fire that weapon."
"Aye, sir." He said as he and Geordi both worked their consoles.
A bright blue beam leaped out form the navigational deflector dish and pierced the blackness of space, while racing towards the other ship. "All systems are on-line. This will be quite an explosion, sir." Geordi spoke.
On the other ship, Picard stood up from his chair as he saw what was heading towards his ship. His heart sunk as he gave the only order that would save them. "Abandon ship! All hands abandon ship!" he shouted over the ship's intercom system.
Pandemonium broke out as everyone ran for the emergency life pods and shuttlecraft. Picard walked briskly into his ready room and got into his personal life pod. It was small inside and only had one seat and a small control station. He pressed a few buttons and was pushed back against the wall as it was ejected from the Enterprise at warp three.
Picard turned and looked out of the small bay window to see the destruction of his ship in a brilliant flash of light. "Merde," he said as he shot off through the stars to the nearest starbase.
On the bridge of the Galaxy class starship Enterprise, the officers shielded their eyes from the explosion of the other ship. Their Enterprise rocked steadily under the force of the explosion, and the beam from the deflector dish ceased.
"The other ship has been totally destroyed." Worf informed the captain though that much was obvious as they looked at the view screen.
"Any survivors?" Riker asked Worf.
"There is too much interference from the rift but it was quite a large explosion that if anyone had managed to escape, they would have surely been incinerated."
"Thank you, gentlemen." Picard stood and asked for damage reports from the various areas of the ship.
"The main deflector dish has been burned out, as we expected. Minor injuries reported on all decks. Phasers operational at minimum power, photon torpedoes are off line. Our shields have failed completely, Captain. I was able to get some power to them before the explosion or we would have been in much worse condition."
"Not as bad as them though, Worf." Riker said standing as well.
"What is the status of our engines, Mr. La Forge?" Riker asked.
"Warp engines are off line, I can give you full impulse power though." Geordi said after working his console.
"Very well. Ensign, engage at full impulse for our side of the rift, come to a full stop five hundred meters on our side. Will we still be able to seal the rift?"
"Yes, sir. We have some phaser power and they are already tuned to the right frequency." Worf responded.
"Very well, thank you everyone." Picard said then turned to his left. "Counsellor, how is Wesley?" He asked, as he had not had time earlier.
"He's fine. I think I'll need to make a few appointments with him though. He's quite shocked at the moment."
"That's understandable. Will, I'll want a briefing with you in my ready room after all of this is finished with."
"Aye, sir." Riker said as the captain left the bridge and went into his office, leaving the first officer in charge. Everyone sat down and they proceeded back through the rift.
A/N: Please leave a review. Thanks
The security team entered main engineering. Commander La Forge was waiting for them and they placed the android in a chair, beside a computer terminal. "What have they done to you, Data?" Geordi said shaking his head at the appearance of his best friend.
"Exactly, Mr. La Forge. I didn't recognize him when I was on that ship and sitting right next to him." Picard said.
"Now I see what you mean, his whole demeanor has changed. No wonder you got the wrong android. Never mind, I'll do exactly what I did to Reval." Geordi removed Data's cranial lobe and it revealed his positronic brain. He linked the android up to the computer with an optical fiber wire, and wiped all of the android's files and memories. He down loaded all of the back up files and soon the process was finished.
Geordi looked up at his captain. "I should check for any self destruct mechanisms." There were none. "I'll activate his ethics program as well, otherwise it will take time for it to be brought to his attention." Geordi finished what he was doing and replaced the android's cranial lobe.
Geordi flicked Data's off switch and he sat up immediately, straight in the chair. Picard looked on with interest and the security team braced, ready for anything.
"Geordi? Why am I in engineering? And why was I deactivated?" Everyone smiled at Data, his features had returned to normal and he had his usual kind but slightly curious expression back. He tilted his head slightly as he noticed the full security detail that surrounded him.
"It's very good to have you back, Data." Picard said with a look of relief on his face.
"Where have I been, Captain?" Data asked, cocking his head to one side in the familiar manner.
"Captain, he doesn't remember anything at the moment, some of the memories may return as they did with Reval though. All of what has happened is not in the computer's files and so he was not programmed with the memories." Geordi informed them.
"We still have to bring you up to date, Mr. Data." Picard said smiling at him. "But first, will you get changed out of that uniform, I'm sick of the sight of it." Picard said, looking at it distastefully.
Data looked down at his uniform with a puzzled face. "How did I become dressed like this?"
"Later, Data." Picard said. "Get changed and come up to the bridge as soon as possible. Mr. La Forge, will you bring Data up to speed with recent events. I'll be on the bridge if you need me." With that, the security team and Picard left engineering, and a rather puzzled android behind.
In engineering on board the Imperial starship Enterprise, Commander Hessan sent four androids up to the bridge to see the captain. She had programmed five androids with sufficient skills for their new jobs. One was programmed to be the first officer, another to be the chief medical officer, one was to be the security chief and another for the helm position and the last one was to work as an engineer under Hessan. That particular android stayed behind while the other four went up to the bridge.
They were still wearing the black jumpsuits from engineering because it was for the captain to decide what rank they would be.
The four androids got out of the turbolift on the bridge and walked down to the captain, in perfect step and single file. They all saluted and stood to attention in front of the command chair. One of them spoke. "I am called spot and am programmed to be your new first officer, Captain."
"Well, Spot. Assume your post." Picard instructed and turned to the other androids. "And what are your names?"
"My name is Lore and I am to be your security chief."
"Assume your post, Lore." Picard moved along the line to the next android.
"My name is Noonien, and I have been programmed to control the helm."
"Take your position, Noonien." Picard moved to the last android. "You must be the chief medical officer."
"That is correct, Captain. My name is Sherlock." Picard smiled at that.
"Who gave you your names?" Picard asked slightly amused at each of them.
"Our names were given to us by Commander Hessan. They were taken from Commander Data's memories."
"Well, your post is in sickbay." The android saluted and left the bridge. "I asked for five androids, where is the fifth?"
"The fifth android is called Prospero and is programmed to be the deputy chief engineer, Captain. Commander Hessan instructed him to stay there." Picard smiled as his first officer, Spot, informed him of the fifth android's name.
"Well it seems that Data has been studying Shakespeare and the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle."
"That is correct, sir." Spot told him.
"Where did the other names come from?"
"Lore is Data's brother, Noonien is Data's creator and Spot is his pet cat." Picard looked very amused as they both sat at their posts.
"Mr. Worf, hail that other ship. I want a progress report from Commander Data."
"Aye, sir. Channel open."
"Picard to Commander Data."
Data was now at his post on his own ship, after having been briefed and changed his uniform. Reval sat in the small chair to the right of Commander Riker. Worf broke the silence on the bridge. "Sir, we are being hailed by the other ship, the captain is asking for Commander Data."
"Put it on visual and open a channel, Mr. Worf. This captain won't be expecting a full bridge crew to be looking back at him." Picard smiled as Worf worked his console. The screen flickered onto an almost mirror image of the bridge. The counterpart captain's face fell from a smile to utter shock. "Pleased to see me again, Jean-Luc?" Captain Picard said, toying with his counterpart. "Your plan has failed again, you should have known you wouldn't succeed with it."
"That's what you think, this little set back doesn't affect us. We still have the androids and the ability to make more. Not to mention the fact that we still out power you with weapons and engine capacity. There is nothing you can do. I thought that after the last time you might have at least started to work on developing better weapons. It seems that I was right about you though, you, your ship and Federation are weak."
"Not as weak as you might think, we may have rather a large surprise for you." Picard informed his counterpart.
"I doubt it but we shall see." Picard snapped back.
"What happened to your senior officers? Did you find them to be inefficient? I know I did." Picard said noticing the androids on the other bridge were in the positions that the other bridge crew had been in.
The alternate Picard scowled. "I found them to be disobedient so I killed them." He shifted in his seat. "And I will take pleasure in doing it again. Mr. Data, your disobedience has been noted along with Reval's." Picard made a cutthroat gesture and Lieutenant Worf closed the comm channel.
"Well, Number One. What do we do now?"
"I suggest we carry on with our plan and use the new weapon. There's no way to talk ourselves out of this one." Riker said discontent.
"Very well." Picard touched a control on his armrest. "Mr. La Forge, report to the bridge."
"Aye, sir." Came the quick reply from engineering.
Geordi La Forge stepped onto the bridge a few moments later, and headed for the engineering station.
"Engineering, transfer to the bridge." The console lit up and the ship's status came up on the screen. Geordi turned to the captain. "Everything's on-line and ready to go, Captain."
"Very well, Mr. La Forge."
On the Imperial starship, Captain Picard sat back in his chair, fuming. "I want that ship and her crew in tact. I will have such pleasure in torturing them until they die. Lore, arm forward phaser banks. I am assuming that you have been programmed with the knowledge on how to operate Counsellor Troi's knew weapon?"
"Aye, sir. I have been programmed with everything I need in order to carry out my job." Lore said standing up from his seat on the left of Picard.
"Very well, take over at tactical. I want a forward phaser burst aimed at that ship. Take out their shields first." Lore moved up to the tactical and Worf immediately moved away from it.
"I am ready for your order, sir." There was a silence on the bridge as Picard waited a few seconds and then with all of his anger he shouted.
"FIRE!" *****
A beam lanced out from the Enterprise towards the Galaxy class starship. Captain Picard watched from his command chair. "I am modulating shield frequencies, Captain." Geordi said from his station. Picard looked puzzled and turned around to face him.
"Why?"
"It was something we learned when the Borg attacked, there's no way our shields will hold otherwise." The ship rocked under the first impact of the phaser fire.
"Mr. La Forge, is that weapon ready now?" Riker shouted over the noise of the phaser blasts bouncing off the shields.
"Aye, sir. Just waiting for the captain's order." Geordi shouted back, as another blast hit the ship.
"Well, Mr. La Forge. Fire." Geordi worked his console to re-route power from the warp engines through the energy transfer modules and into the deflector dish. Nothing happened. Something was wrong. "La Forge?" The captain asked irritated that it should go wrong at a time like this.
"Worf, cut power!" Geordi bellowed.
"Aye, sir." Geordi sighed when Worf informed him that everything was off-line.
"What happened, Geordi?" Riker asked displeased. "I thought you said everything was alright."
"It's was but the last phaser blast knocked one of the transfer modules off-line. We could have blown up ourselves if Worf hadn't cut power when he did." Geordi worked his console again, then turned to the captain to say it would be ten minutes before he could get it sorted out.
"Our shields will not hold for more than two minutes fifteen seconds if they keep firing the way they are doing. Our warp engines are off-line also." Data informed the captain from ops.
"Phasers and photon torpedoes are off-line also, Captain." Worf informed him as another phaser blast hit the ship. "Shields are down to seventeen percent."
Picard looked, cool, calm and very collected as he turned to his first officer. "Will, there is no other option. We have to destroy the ship; we can't even make a collision course. The self destruct mechanism is the only way." Riker thought about it for a split second and then nodded his head reluctantly.
"Aye, sir." They both got up and headed for the turbolift.
Lore informed the captain that the shields of the other Enterprise wouldn't hold for much longer. Another phaser beam raced towards the ship and their shields went down. The Galaxy class starship Enterprise, the flagship of Starfleet and the pride of the Federation was left defenseless in space.
Picard instructed the android at helm to take them closer so they could begin beaming assault teams over. The Enterprise moved slowly towards the other ship hanging, vulnerable in space.
Captain Picard and Commander Riker got to engineering; they went to the main access station. "Do we both agree that all other possible courses of action have been thought of and tried to no avail?" Picard asked, following protocols.
"Aye, sir." Riker said after a moments thought.
"Okay then," Picard placed his right palm on a panel and the computer scanned it. "Computer, activate auto destruct sequence." He said.
"Does the first officer comply?" The computer asked.
"Yes, activate auto destruct sequence." The computer analyzed the verbal input of the two officers, and scanned the palm of Commander Riker.
"What is the desired time interval until auto destruct?" The computer asked again, calmly.
"I say five minutes, our shields will be down by now. We should try to take out as many people from that ship as possible, it's inevitable that they're going to be sending parties over."
"Okay. Activate auto destruct sequence in five minutes."
"Does the first officer agree?"
"Yes, set auto destruct sequence for five minutes." The computer started to count down to the destruction of the ship.
The officers left engineering and headed back up to the bridge. If there was anything that could get them out of this situation, before the destruct sequence finished it's count down. The only place they could deactivate it was from the bridge.
The computer would count down in increments of thirty seconds until the final minute, when it would count down every second.
Captain Picard and Commander Riker ascended onto the bridge from the turbolift, and walked down to their command seats. "Mr. La Forge. Report please."
"Captain, get ready to deactivate the destruct sequence, the module is back on-line and ready to use."
"Sir, the other ship is within transporter range now and I haven't been able to get the shields back up as yet." Worf reported from tactical. Picard stood up and turned to the bridge crew, as the computer began counting down the last minute to auto destruct.
"Thank you everyone for your support and loyalty. However, thanks to Mr. La Forge, today is not our day to die. Computer de-activate auto destruct." The count down ceased as the computer switched off the destruct sequence automatically.
"Ensign back us away to one thousand kilometers again, please."
"Aye, sir." The ensign at the helm said as she worked her console and the ship moved on impulse.
Soon the Enterprise was a safe distance away from its reflection again. "Mr. Worf. Fire that weapon."
"Aye, sir." He said as he and Geordi both worked their consoles.
A bright blue beam leaped out form the navigational deflector dish and pierced the blackness of space, while racing towards the other ship. "All systems are on-line. This will be quite an explosion, sir." Geordi spoke.
On the other ship, Picard stood up from his chair as he saw what was heading towards his ship. His heart sunk as he gave the only order that would save them. "Abandon ship! All hands abandon ship!" he shouted over the ship's intercom system.
Pandemonium broke out as everyone ran for the emergency life pods and shuttlecraft. Picard walked briskly into his ready room and got into his personal life pod. It was small inside and only had one seat and a small control station. He pressed a few buttons and was pushed back against the wall as it was ejected from the Enterprise at warp three.
Picard turned and looked out of the small bay window to see the destruction of his ship in a brilliant flash of light. "Merde," he said as he shot off through the stars to the nearest starbase.
On the bridge of the Galaxy class starship Enterprise, the officers shielded their eyes from the explosion of the other ship. Their Enterprise rocked steadily under the force of the explosion, and the beam from the deflector dish ceased.
"The other ship has been totally destroyed." Worf informed the captain though that much was obvious as they looked at the view screen.
"Any survivors?" Riker asked Worf.
"There is too much interference from the rift but it was quite a large explosion that if anyone had managed to escape, they would have surely been incinerated."
"Thank you, gentlemen." Picard stood and asked for damage reports from the various areas of the ship.
"The main deflector dish has been burned out, as we expected. Minor injuries reported on all decks. Phasers operational at minimum power, photon torpedoes are off line. Our shields have failed completely, Captain. I was able to get some power to them before the explosion or we would have been in much worse condition."
"Not as bad as them though, Worf." Riker said standing as well.
"What is the status of our engines, Mr. La Forge?" Riker asked.
"Warp engines are off line, I can give you full impulse power though." Geordi said after working his console.
"Very well. Ensign, engage at full impulse for our side of the rift, come to a full stop five hundred meters on our side. Will we still be able to seal the rift?"
"Yes, sir. We have some phaser power and they are already tuned to the right frequency." Worf responded.
"Very well, thank you everyone." Picard said then turned to his left. "Counsellor, how is Wesley?" He asked, as he had not had time earlier.
"He's fine. I think I'll need to make a few appointments with him though. He's quite shocked at the moment."
"That's understandable. Will, I'll want a briefing with you in my ready room after all of this is finished with."
"Aye, sir." Riker said as the captain left the bridge and went into his office, leaving the first officer in charge. Everyone sat down and they proceeded back through the rift.
A/N: Please leave a review. Thanks
