STAR TREK STARBASE 248 1x03 The Raincoat Incident Chapter 5: Act IV, a startrek: other fanfic

ACT IV

STARBASE 248

"COMMANDER!"

Nakajima quickly went to Kim's side. "This had better be good?"

"I found something interesting," Kim said. He drew up the scans of the enemy freighters. "The particles are nothing more than heavy concentrations of tachions. But, they're in dangerous quantities."

"Enough that if a cascade reaction begins," Nakajima concluded, "it would rip appart subspace. Those bastards had no intention of 'safely' taking out this base."

"It would seem not," Kim said. "If a subspace shockwave starts here, Morias Four would be instantly destroyed, as though the entire planet was NEVER M class."

Nakajima smiled. "Good job, Harry. I think protocol can take over from here. Get me Commander Holland on ESC."

"Already did," Kim said, as he put Holland on screen.

"PLEASE tell me you have something," Holland said.

Nakajima nodded. "We do. Remodulate your deflector to emit an anti-tachion pulse."

"At warp?"

That was a problem. "Mister Kim?" Nakajima called.

"The ships have to get within ten thousand kilometers of the station to arm their bombs. If they drop out of warp any closer, when they ram the station, all it will do is disarm the bombs."

"Can you disable their engines and drop them out of warp?" Nakajima wondered.

"Not a problem."

"Um, it is," Kim interupted. "Captain, when you drop out of warp, you have less than thirty seconds to get an inverse tachion field around those ships with your deflector. Or those ships will blow, and you'll be in A LOT of trouble."

"That shouldn't be TOO difficult," Holland said. "Red alert! Battle stations," he called on his bridge. "Ready phasers. Target engines and fire!"

The Mukaihara fired its phasers at the warp nacells of the freighters. Once the ships dropped out of warp, the Excelsior class ship fired off its deflector beam. The beam engulfed the first ship, as the ship clame to an impulse crawl just outside of the Morias System.

Holland realized that he had zero time. Because the operation took at least a half minute.

At SB248, bad news came in. "The second ship has armed itself, and is on a collision course," Kim said.

Just at that moment, a starburst puked out the Gulfstream, on its way back into the system. The Galaxy class starship fired off its tachion pulse, and that surrounded the freighter.

Just then, three runabouts dropped out of low warp. On the bridge of one of the freighters, Wing beamed in with about ten others, and made their arrests. On the other, the Gulfstream beamed aboard a security contingent and secured that ship as well.

On the viewscreen, Nakajima let out a sigh of relief. "Leave it to the Negarani to do things half-baked," Wing said. "We managed to flush out the tachions with verteron pulses. These freighters are harmless now."

"Well done," Nakajima said. "Now, get your ass back over here, on the double. We have a situation about to unfold."

After Kim deactivated the comm, another signal came through. "Commander? It's THE transmission."

Nakajima gulped. "Do you believe in God, Harry?"

"I'd like to keep an open mind," Kim said. "But, this isn't the time, is it?"

"This is the BEST time, if you do," Nakajima said. "Pray our people are safe. On screen."

The screen started off like any normal beheading (that was a sick analogy) broadcast (but it was true, thanks in large part to the Negarani). On it, McGawan and Dallas's hands were tied behind their backs.

The lead Militant nodded to two men, who were standing by with rusty d'artags. With that, he began the speech. "There will be no hestitation today," he said. "The failure of our operation, and the failure of the Federation to comply with our demand, has condemned these men to their perils. LONG LIVE THE NEGARANI!"

Dallas gripped the wad tighter... and tighter... and tighter... As the men cheered their chant, he squeezed his eyes closed, prepared for anything...

Except for the knot to come free.

As the Negarani revealed their sight for the last time, Dallas openned his eyes. He saw the militant standing there, with a knife, ready to cut.

But they wouldn't have Dallas's head, today.

Dallas undid the bind, and in one, swift motion, connected a fist to the stomach of the militant, who quickly dropped his knife onto the ground.

McGawan saw that as a lead, and did the same to his militant. However, in one more swift motion, he picked up the d'artag, and threw it at a militant with a phaser rifle. The knife connected with the base of the militant's neck, and the militant went down.

Meanwhile, Dallas swept a militant to his feet, rolled, picked up the knife, and drove the blade into the militant's heart.

Dallas and McGawan both rolled over, picking up phaser rifles, and began to open out, before the other armed militants could do anything.

Seeing his followers go down one-by-one, the lead militant pressed a single button on a padd, which activated a transporter. He beamed himself out of the situation.

After taking care of the other militants in the room, McGawan went right in front of the broadcast camera, pointed a phaser at the militant holding it. As the militant began to shake in fear, McGawan said, into the camera: "Mister Kim, track this goddamned transmission and tell Daniels to hotfoot his ugly ass over here, NOW. This has been a Negarani Beheading, gone bad. Brought to you by your friends at Starfleet: United Federation of Planets. Who proudly say: screw you, terrorists!" With that, he shot the camera. And Dallas shot the camera man.

"Let's get the hell out of here," Dallas said.

Both men bolted for a single corridor, just as the place began to quake. And another quake. And another quake. Suddenly, a piece of wall behind them ruptured, and gas started to spray out.

Dallas quickly looked behind him, as a small plasma fire began. "Just great. We're on a starship!"

"Not just any starship," McGawan said, shooting a wall. The wall vaporized and revealed a panel, with a Starfleet LCARS display. "Apparently, a Starfleet vessel with a holodeck." He entered in a command to end the program, which it did. However, the quaking was VERY real.

And thusly, they bolted for the door.

A starburst regurgitated the Gulfstream, as she began to open fire on a small attack vessel. The vessel was firing on an old Oberth class starship, with scorched registry markings.

As the Gulfstream continued its assault, the attack vessel jumped to high warp, out of the system.

"Captain," Bikkers called, "the ship's warp core is breaching."

"Do you have a transporter lock?"

Bikkers shook his head. "Not at all." However, a proximity alert sounded. "I'm reading the Ohio leaving the ship's shuttle bay."

"I hope they know what's about to happen," Daniels said. "Cos my black ass is about to get us oudda hea'. Helm, warp one, any direction!"

The Gulfstream came full about, and went right to warp, with the Ohio following quickly behind it. However, after the Ohio went to warp, she made a small jump, then dropped FROM warp, to impulse.

"Dammit!" Dallas said. "Those bastards sabotaged our warp drive! Warp's out of the question."

However, in the viewports, the Gulfstream came out of warp, almost right on top of the runabout. Tractor beams lanced across space, grabbing the runabout, and pushing it upwards. Finally, the saucer emitters hit, from inside the main shuttle bay, and brought the runabout to dock.

Station Log, Stardate 60398.1

Commander Kaori Nakajima, Recording.

The Gulfstream has successfully delivered Captain McGawan and Crewman Dallas back to the starbase, and they are in sickbay, where Doc says the will make a full recovery.

"I'm sorry," Daniels said to Nakajima, as they stood in front of sickbay. "We didn't have time to track their course or anything. Being so far into Negarani Space was not my idea of fun, actually."

"It's no problem," Nakajima said. "I'm just glad some lives could be saved today."

"So am I," Daniels said. "Even if it is a loser's life we're saving."

"Now now, still holding a grudge?"

Daniels shrugged. "I supposed he DID manage to totally humiliate the Negarani today with this little stunt on video."

"If it wasn't being broadcast all over subspace, and if we hadn't been watching," Nakajima said, "we never would have been able to crack a plot like this. On live subspace, no less."

Daniels did manage to smile. "The captain was an ass on TV. But I liked the way he handled the militant situation, in front of EVERYONE. Including the Negarani, I think."

"I think they'll think twice before attacking us again," Nakajima said.

The door to sickbay openned, revealing Dallas and McGawan. McGawan nodded to Dallas, who stepped out first. They weren't killing eachother... that was a first for Nakajima to see, in person. "Doc let us go," McGawan said.

Nakajima managed to smile a tad bit, and nod. "I'm glad you're not at eachother's throats."

"I'm surprised, too," McGawan said. "If it wasn't for Dallas pulling that damned cord, we'd be headless by now." To Dallas, he said: "Think about, at least, what I said?"

"I don't think my mind will change," Dallas said, honestly. "I still hate you."

McGawan nodded. "I think we're not going to get a long just fine."

"Me too," Dallas said. "If you'll excuse me, Captain. I do have duties to perform."

"Oh no you don't. You're relieved of duty."

Dallas sighed. "Here we go again..."

"Go take a runabout and go to Morias for the night," McGawan said. Totally NOT what Dallas expected to hear. It was a first. "There's a nice pub on Seventh Street, just down the street from the Colony Government Annex. Go have yourself some liberty time."

Dallas unclenched his fists. "I guess some things do change... I still hate you."

"And I still can't stand to look at you," McGawan said. "Now, get the hell off my station and don't come back until 1030 hours, station time, tomorrow. Got it?"

Dallas understood. "I'm NOT gonna argue with that order."

"You had better not," McGawan said. "And Please bring the Deleware back in one piece, OK?"

Dallas was already gone.

"What was that all about?" Nakajima wondered.

McGawan shrugged. "Some people change, I guess. He's a good kid with a good head on his shoulders... it would have been a shame if he lost it."

"Is that your honest opinion of him?" Nakajima wondered.

"Damned right it is," McGawan said. "People change, Commander. I hope he does, too."

"I thought you were starting to like him without him changing," Daniels bit.

McGawan glared at Daniels. "Who asked you, assmold?"

"Go screw yourself, I was just being sincere," Daniels said. "If you'll excuse me, Commander... CAPTAIN. I have duties to perform... SIR." And then Daniels scampered off.

McGawan and Nakajima began their trek down the curved corridor. "I need you to do me a favor," McGawan said.

"Yes, Sir?"

"Get me in contact with Starfleet Command," McGawan ordered. "I want to talk to Admiral LeDean."

"The Commendant of the Academy?"

McGawan nodded. "Then, find your brother, T'Kur. I want to have a little chat with him."

"Does this have anything to do with Crewman Dallas?"

McGawan shrugged. "It's a disciplinary inqury."

"You're a real prick, Captain."

McGawan smerked. "Yeah. So?"

Executive Producer

Man of Trek Lore

Cast

Bruce McGawan

Kaori Nakajima

Harry Kim

Tao Xan Nu Wing

Michael Dallas

Special Guests

Nicholai Daniels

Rachel Kelliram

Terrorist Leader

Richard Holland

Jennifer O'Riley

Xindi Captain

Charles Bickers

Chris Grear

STAR TREK

STARBASE 248

Executive Producer

Man of Trek Lore

Executive Consultant

Midnight Dove

Main Characters Created by

Man of Trek Lore

Based upon "STAR TREK" Created by

Gene Roddenberry

STAR TREK

Executive Producer

Rick Berman

Brannon Bragga

Manny Coto

This is a work of FICTION. Any or all events portrayed in this story are made up of FICTIONAL elements. Any simililarity to actual events, or living people, is entirely coincidental.

STAR TREK is ©1966-2004 Paramount Pictures. This work is a work of FAN-MADE FICTION. It is made for the sole purpose of entertaining the fans, ONLY. No profit is being sought by the release of this production. As a work of FAN FICTION, the production staff is NOT affiliated with Paramount Television, Pictures, or any departement that deals officially with STAR TREK production.

No copyright infringement intended.

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MAN OF TREK LORE would like to give special thanks to MIDNIGHT DOVE, for her encouraging critiques, great ideas, and support. The story could not have continued without your encouragement.