ACT I

"Until the Last"

Guest Starring...

Pax Gul

Tan Shul

Various Negarani

Various Refugees

Written by

Man of Trek Lore

STARBASE 248

Captain's Log, Stardate 60626-point door call chime... Aw, dammit! Computer, pause recording.

"Come!"

The door to Captain Bruce McGawan's office slid open, and Commander Kaori Nakajima stepped into the office, looking rather urgent. "We've just received an automated distress call from Planet Stoma." After that, she handed McGawan a padd with the information on it. "It's not good."

A quick glance over, and McGawan got the long and short of it. "They poisoned Stoma's atmosphere?"

"And bombed every populated area on the planet," Nakajima said. "Out of six billion, only fifty-six million were evacuated."

"What?"

"That's not the end of it, sir," Nakajima said with a sigh. "Out of fifty-six million, there are only one-thousand survivors."

McGawan stopped suddenly, and dropped the padd. The doom and gloom came over him very quickly, as he slowly looked up to Nakajima. "Only... one... thousand?"

Nakajima sighed and nodded. "That's correct, Sir. Only one... thousand..."

"Out of six billion?"

Nakajima nodded. "Yes, sir."

Quickly, Nakajima and McGawan scrambled into Ops, where he addressed Lieutenant Commander Harry Kim. "Mister Kim, get me the Gertland on the line."

"They're not in the sector," Kim said. "The Detroit has just entered the sector, but all main fleet ships are unavailable at this time. However, the Gulfstream is on her way back here. But she won't be back for several days."

"Dammit!" McGawan said. "Get me a track on that Mushorian refugee ship."

Kim complied, and Lieutenant Tao Xan Nu Wing sat next to Kim, complying to the request. Kim found it. "They're in the heart of Negarani Space."

"Their chances are slim to none of survival," McGawan commented. "We need a plan, and we have no ships out here? I thought we were a fortified fleet! How can we protect this sector if we have no ships out here?"

No one said anything.

"Damn," McGawan gave up. "Ops to Dallas, prep the Deleware. Kim, upload that information on the Mushorian vessel and culture. We're going after them!"

"With just a runabout?" Nakajima wondered.

"Your job is to get one of our ships back, at least," McGawan said. "We're going to need it."

Wing finally stepped forward. "Captain! Let me come with you. The nearest ship is four days away."

McGawan shook his head. "I want you to get the Northstar ready for emergency launch."

"But that will take at least just as long-"

"Then cut the time in half, quadroople shifts if you have to," McGawan said. "I need Kim with me on this one. Prep the Northstar and get it ready!"

Wing stepped down. "But, at least bring a security detail with you."

McGawan sighed heavily. "Have Crewman Wesker join us in the hauler bay."

"Just one?"

"Yes," McGawan said. "Have your crews stand by to launch the Northstar. We'll be okay. Kim, let's get moving."

Some time later, the Runabout Delaware screamed for its destination, hoping to find... something that means there was hope for the Mushorian transport.

In the back area of the runabout, Harry Kim was in the middle of resesarching Stoma's history. On the small computer screen, the planet (which looked very much like Earth in that picture), rotated slowly as data streamed next to it. "How long have these people been members of the Federation?"

McGawan shrugged. "I don't know. I think just recently, though. They had begun a cooperative research project for Starfleet R&D about a theoretical new drive system of somekind. I don't know, I'm not an engineer."

"Phase-transition engineering," Kim recalled. "But... I thought Starfleet abandoned the project because the subsequent damage to subspace would be much more harmful than conventional warp drive?"

McGawan shrugged again. "Again, I have no idea. I'm not an engineer."

Crewman Danny Wesker sipped on a hot beverage, as he sat next to Kim, watching his research. "Could it be that technology that the Negs were after?"

Kim shook his head. "It's useless to anyone. The Mushorians have only achieved warp seven with the technology. It's fascinating because they had just developed warp drive within the last five years. And now they are already at warp seven?"

"Maybe," McGawan surmised, "outside influence?"

Kim shook his head, again. "I don't think so. Their research on phase-transitioning must be the reason for it."

"I think they blew up the planet just to piss us off," McGawan said. "How long until we are within communications range?"

Kim calculated, and nodded to McGawan. "We should be able to get a very clear message to them from here."

"I'll be up front," McGawan said. "See what else you can find to brief me on. I want to be sure we're going to be able to save these people before the Negs get to them."

"Understood," Kim said as McGawan went into the cockpit.

Meanwhile, Wing dodged a piece of falling metal. He looked up at the engineer, who was working on a rafter on the roof of the bridge. "Sorry," he called.

Wing just nodded and boarded the bridge of the Northstar. The new bridge design seemed to be coming along perfectly, with new places for duty stations, an elevated position for the captain's chair, and so on and so forth. Newer operations and tacitcal stations made it very accessible to any personell working on the bridge.

Nakajima delivered Wing a padd. "It seems the teams have almost completed the weapons installation."

Wing checked the padd. "Thirty-six new weapons arrays, ablative armor, secondary shields, new rotating-harmonic shields, I don't even want to know what that thing is for. It seems we've turned this little science ship into a mighty warrior."

"How about the engines?"

"That's Mr. Kim's departement," Wing said. "I'm just the tactical officer."

"You'll also be in command of this ship when we go after the Mushorian transport," Nakajima said. "So I want you to get familiar with everything. Engineering, tactical, or otherwise. Got it?"

Wing nodded. "Yes ma'am."

"I mean it Tao," Nakajima said. "This bird has to be ready to fly before the end of the day, or we can't support the Captain out there."

"Understood," Wing said, non-sarcastically. "I'll get down to engineering and see how they're coming."

The runabout slowed to a brisk clip, and hid behind a meteor, as the Mushorian transport, traveling at half impulse, crept by... with a Negarani battle cruiser trailing behind it slowly.

"Now, this doesn't look good," Wesker said softly to no one in particular. However, McGawan and Kim heard him state the obvious. Both agreed with him.

Kim scanned the transport. "I'm reading nine-hundred and thirty-seven onboard the transport, and two-dozen masked life signs."

"Must be the Negs," Wesker surmised as well. "Commander, how many were on that transport to begin with?"

"One thousand-eleven," Kim read off. "In the message we received from Stoma, that's how many were on this particular transport."

"It's the only one left," McGawan said. "And the Negs are just hunting these poor people to extinction..."

"There are two-dozen of them," Wesker said. "And just three of us."

"And the Mushorian Military is onbaord," McGawan said. "At least," with a sign, "what's left of it. Mister Kim, what's your reading on that Neg warship?"

Kim scanned it. "I can't get anything on it, except the weapons systems. They're armed, targetting the... hold on," he said as his console gave him new readings.

"What are they targeting?" Wesker wondered.

Kim turned to McGawan and Wesker. "Us."

"Sorry I asked," Wesker snipped.

"Hail the Negs, Mister Kim," McGawan said.

"Umm... respectfully, Sir, you're out of your mind. You escaped execution by these people, and you want to try to talk with them?" Kim wondered.

"If you want to live, just do it."

Kim nodded and complied. "Okay, Captain. But I don't wanna lose my head, either." Confirmation came through. "Channel is open."

"Negarani Warship, this is Captain Bruce McGawan of the Federation Ship U.S.S. Deleware."

A beat. Then, surprisingly... "Captain," Kim announced. "They're responding!"

"On screen."

On a small view screen, a masked Negarani appeared. However, his mask was different – a metal mask, with spikes on it. It covered his entire face, save for eye-slits. "This is the Omega," the Negarani said. "We have been hunting you, Captain. If you do not surrender yourself now, I will destroy the Stomanite Vessel. Long live the Negarani!"

END OF ACT I