ACT III

STARBASE 248 – U.S.S. Northstar.

"Engine start up in three...two...one..."

From the outside, the warp nacells came to life. The empty bussard collectors began to swell with its red smoke. The blue, almost hallogen-like warp coils began to pulse slowly. Then, more faster and faster, until it seemed like one constant flow of energy.

On the bridge, the engineering consoles came to life. Nakajima's face brightened and began to glow with success. "Engine output is at twenty-three percent... twenty-four..."

"If we can get past twenty-eight percent output," Crewman Michael Dallas said, "we can start to switch some of our systems to internal power."

"Twenty-six," Nakajima read off. "Twenty-seven..."

Suddenly, a spark on the console. Nakajima jolted back, as the sparks grew more and more intense. Nakajima found herself across the bridge, just in time to dodge an EPS relay blowing out. The entire system went down.

So did power. From the outside, the engines died.

Dallas helped up Nakajima, who quickly demanded: "What happened?"

"Another instability in the power flux matrix," Dallas said, quickly taking up his tool kit. "I'll be in engineering."

"Geez!" Nakajima said. "At this rate, we'll never be able to get out of dock in time to rescue the Captain!"

As Dallas left, Nakajima headed for the newly destroyed engineering station. She examined it with her tricorder, and found the cause of the destruction. "Damned power surges. How come we can't get this beast operational? Is she trying to kill us?"

Wing slowly advanced to Nakajima's side, examining the destruction along with her. "Northstar is telling us that she isn't ready."

"If the Captain hadn't taken Kim, this ship would be out of here by now," Nakajima said. "But every time he disappears, things start to fall apart. I don't get it!"

"How do you mean?"

"Two months ago, when we went to Earth to bring this ship back," Nakajima said, "I had a situation report six AU long from Admiral Janeway and the Captain. This station was coming apart at the seams!"

"Dallas to Nakajima."

Nakajima sighed and hit her combadge. "Go ahead."

"Commander, you won't believe this..."

In a Jefferies' tube junction, Nakajima and Wing joined Dallas, as he was scanning and holding a flashlight to a panel. Dallas showed Nakajima the tricorder readings. "There's no way..."

Wing stepped forward and removed the panel. A small whorde of cockroaches scurried away as Dallas shined the light into the panel.

"I thought Commander Kim got rid of them all," Dallas said. "How did these guys get down here?"

"Some must have survived the exterminations," Wing guessed. "This should be pretty easy, though. There's no power in these junctions to scramble any kind of lock, so using the transporters shouldn't be a problem."

"This time around," Nakajima said to Wing, "beam those bastards into space. Crewman, after it's done, start your repairs. I want to be out of here by the end of the day."

Dallas nodded. "I'll try to pull of a miracle."

"I'll be at Ops," Wing said. "Getting the transporters ready to beam the... roaches... off the ship."

Moments later, the Alpha came into the room. Red mask, phaser rifle at the ready, and then he fired at McGawan's hostage. The militant went to the ground, cold and dead. "Now that the threat of him losing his honor is over..." The militant whipped out his d'artag, and sliced McGawan's left bicept. McGawan screamed, and went to the deck hard. "I do not talk to fodder," Alpha said. "You will die next time. Let that be a lesson to you."

"You son-of-a-"

"Still not getting it?" The Alpha grabbed Mer Ila, and kicked her to the ground. "Now her death will be on your hands."

When the Mushorians began to charge, three Negerani openned fire. At that moment, when three Mushorians went down, everyone stopped. Then, the Alpha did his deed...

When it was over, Mer Ila's poor headless body was laying in front of McGawan, after the Negarani had stepped on her skull, crushing it brutally. They didn't even clean up after themselves.

From that moment on, Pax Gul was very cross and angry with McGawan. He put them all in that situation – it could have been any one of them. So the Mushorians kept away from Kim and McGawan, altogether.

"'Loving and Compassionate' people my a-"

"Save your strength, Commander," McGawan ordered. "We're going to get out of this one way or another. What was our analysis of this vessel?"

"Deflector doubles as a shield emitter," Kim said. "Very inefficient. Take out the deflector, take out the shields... and every particle of space dust smashes into the ship, instantly killing everyone aboard."

"Can we deactivate the shield subroutine?" McGawan wondered.

Kim shrugged. "If the Negarani hacked into the system, and they are brilliant hacks, then I don't think we can do anything about it."

"We can counter-hack them," McGawan said.

"Forget it!" Pax Gul shouted. "You're going to get more of us killed. We won't be part of, nor will we let you do something stupid again."

"You want to live?" McGawan demanded to know. "Because if you do, then you can help us out greatly."

"We want you to leave us alone!" Pax Gul said. "When your ship gets here, escape for the two of you and leave us be. We are joining the Negarani."

McGawan slowly rose. "You're... not joking... are you?"

"Better to live than to die at the hands of beings who kill because of incompitant Federation Officials. It's the Federation's presence here that resulted in the Negarani destroying our world, killing our people. It's the Federation that took yet another one of our children from us," Pax Gul surmised.

"It's the Negarani who are committing GENOCIDE!" McGawan argued. "How could you side with a people who commit such a disgusting crime?"

"If it wasn't for the Federation, the Negarani would not be doing such things," Pax Gul said. With that, he went to the door and began to bang on it.

"You're going to be killed!" McGawan called out.

Finally, the door openned. When the militant came in, Pax Gul knelt down on the ground. "I wish to speak to your Alpha as loyal subjects of the Negarani," he instantly said.

When all the Mushorians knelt as well, the militant considered it. Leaving the door open, he went to get the Alpha.

Kim to McGawan's ear: "They're falling for another deception. The Negarani don't want subjects."

"All they want is a body count," McGawan said as they looked on.

"How can you two be so cold about it?" a Mushorian demanded to know. A teenage boy.

"We know the Negarani," McGawan said. "Watch what happens to those who pledge 'loyalty' to them."

A moment later, the Alpha came in. He put a hand on Pax Gul's shoulder, and said: "Rise... my... 'subjects'."

The Mushorians rose. But, the Alpha's strength kept Pax Gul on the ground. At that moment, Pax Gul's head was being carved off by other Militants.

And the Alpha shot that same teenaged boy. "Know this!" The Alpha said. "The Negarani don't need subjects! Play stupid again and we destroy all of you! Be lucky that we aren't doing so now. LONG LIVE THE NEGARANI!"

And with that, they gave Pax Gul's head the same treatment as the medic, and they walked off.

"I think I got it," Dallas shouted from the helm. "Activating the primary power junction."

As he did so, the bridge came to life. The lights lit up. Every console activated. And Nakajima read off the power readings. "Engine output at twenty-five...twenty-six percent..."

"C'mon baby," Dallas cheered on in a low mumble.

"Twenty-seven percent..."

"This is where we went out last time," Wing reminded.

Suddenly...

"Twenty-eight percent!" Nakajima declared.

"Switching junctions alpha through delta to internal power," Dallas said, slowly switching over the systems to the ship's own power. And now... the Northstar was truly independent. "She's ready to leave mom's house I think."

Nakajima nodded in approval. "Excelent work. Tao, I want a briefing on the current situation in the next few minutes. Then I want you out of my drydock and on your way."

"We haven't even installed the new weapons' systems yet..."

"How much do we have installed?" Nakajima wondered.

"Ten...percent..."

"And that gives us... what?"

Wing paused before saying: "Standard...compliament."

"It'll have to do," Nakajima said. "Get that briefing together. You're both going out in an hour."

"Two more dead," McGawan said to no one in particular. "All for what?"

The cargo hold was much quieter now than it was a while ago. First, hopeful. Then, angry. Now, somber and silent. This crowd has been through so much recently. Not a very good sign of things...

"I want to try something," McGawan said. "I'm going to need you to do something you may not like to do, Harry. Are you going to be able to do it?"

"What...?" Then, seeing McGawan's eyes, Kim realized what he might have in mind. "No... you are going to... no way!"

"Have any other bright ideas?"

"But... that's..."

"They use beheading as a sign of dominance, much like terrorists of post-Eugenics Wars Earth did back in the early 21st century," McGawan said. "We need to establish an upper hand in this situation if we're going to get out of it alive."

"You saw what happened the last time you took a hostage," Kim said. "It backfired."

"First thing's first," McGawan said. "We need to get to the bridge somehow and take out the main deflector. To do that, we need an edge."

"And taking a hostage will give you that edge?"

"Got any other ideas?"

Kim shook his head. Though, he did say: "I don't know. We could wait for the Northstar to get here."

"Can't risk waiting," McGawan said. "We've got to get out of this situation now. We have no time left."

Kim sighed heavily. "What do you need me to do?"

"Should I fail," McGawan said, "I want you to kill me."

"Me?"

"I won't let those bastards take my head off while I'm still breathing," McGawan declared. "That's an order."

Kim slowly nodded and accepted. "Understood..."

With that, McGawan pounded on the cargobay door. Only this time, there was no answer. So he did so again.

Suddenly, the door flew open. A militant came rushing in, blade drawn. As he charged McGawan, Kim jumped him from behind. As the Mushorians looked on, McGawan clubbed the militant as Kim closed the door.

"You're not going to behead him now, are you?" Kim demanded to know.

"No, not yet," McGawan said, turning the militant's half-unconscious form over. He removed the mask to reveal... "Wait a minute," McGawan said, glancing at the Negarani's face. "I know you!"

END OF ACT III