Salvation

Chief Medical Officer's Log

stardate: 52948.1

The Captain has set a direct course to the Gaalu VII system, a dangerous path through perhaps several Sect blockades, while Commander Maelstrom and Admiral Whitridge's situations continue to worsen.

Meanwhile, I carry on researching the effects of their condition; the telepathically transmitted ailment known as, the Agency. The first noticeable effects of the disease occurred in the optical lobe. Both officers reported to the infirmary with faulty vision shortly after being infected. Further investigation revealed severe lack of neural synapse activity spreading throughout the entire brain. The anomalous event seems to be holding its advance; for the moment. It waits… binding them at the brink of death, and I can't help feeling powerless. I became a doctor to save lives, it tears me apart to search and not find an inkling of insight on this malicious syndrome.

As far as the man who is responsible, the Captain continues to restrain him with the Romulan mind probe devices. Now that the crew knows about it, there are murmurs of discontent over the ethical issue of Exile's retention. The Betazoid may be guilty of the crimes against these officers, but should anyone have to suffer the torment of those hellish devices?

---

"I've got it! Captain, I think I can save them." Alianna Ivorrii said as she stood in the sick bay of the U.S.S. Lockheed with Captain Lawrence.

"How?" Asked the Captain.

"The computer finished its analyses and I have discovered the makeup of the Agency. It's a prion disease that can somehow be manufactured by one's own brain. The process of its manufacture is initiated by strong telepathic impressions on a person's mind. Much like an agency, it 'recruits' proteins in the brain and transforms them. I also know how to stop the effects of the Agency, I just need a way to implement the procedure. Deep brain surgery could very well kill them at this point."

"If their condition gets any worse then that's what you're going to have to do, Doctor."

"I understand, sir."

"Kinkaid, to Captain Lawrence." Ian's voice was heard from the bridge over the com system. "We've found the blockade sir."

---

"Alright Mr. Kinkaid, what do we have?" The Captain asked.

"It's our old friend Major Vhit, and he's packing some new hardware, a Breen battleship is leading up the blockade of Bajoran interceptors and Romulan patrol ships."

"Hail them."

The Lieutenant Commander put his console to use for a moment as the familiar face of a light brown-haired Bajoran filled the viewscreen.

"Captain Lawrence," the Major began gravely while Breen engineers bustled behind him on the bridge of his flagship, "I do hate being lied to. When a man tells me he's leaving my space and then attempts to deceive me, I'm not sure what action to take. So I'll let you decide. You may either play the Starfleet hero and valiantly try to escape your demise, or order your crew to stand down and they will live. General Memnark holds yourself and Admiral Whitridge responsible for the actions of your vessel. I'm afraid you two will be executed."

Executed, the word rang in Paul's ear as he watched two Jem'Hadar soldiers raise their weapons behind the heads of kneeling Starfleet Captains who had surrendered. The sand of Chin'toka was blistering hot and burned the soles of his feet where the leather of his boots had been ripped away. His mind began to calculate the situation. He was crouched behind a stack of boxes in the corner of the weapons depot. After the Jem'Hadar had unshrouded around the group of Captains, he had helped to kill several of them but their superior battlefield training had won the day. When the smoke had cleared, Captain Lawrence had seen the last of the Starlfeet officers surrender but he managed to hide and observe what would happen next.

He had a hand phaser with him. He estimated that he might be able to use the element of surprise to kill the two executioners, but then there was the matter of the three other Dominion sentries who had survived the skirmish. Time was running out, he had to think fast. If he downed the first two, the Starfleet Captains might have wits about them enough to grab their weapons. At the last moment he made his decision, he would save his comrades.

He gripped his phaser and started to rise but panic struck him what if he wouldn't make it? But no… he had to save them!

"Fire!" The Jem'Hadar shouted as they ended the Captains' lives.

"No!" Paul shouted, as he clenched his fists in hatred at Major Vhit. His cowardice on Chin'toka Prime stung his conscience as he remembered the lives it had cost. No one would ever pay for his mistakes like that again. He would get the crew of his ship home.

The Major's Bajoran nose ridges tightened in awe at the emotion of the Lockheed's Captain. "No! Are you delusional Captain? You wouldn't have a chance against this ship alone! Much less the four strike craft groups…"

Captain Lawrence's motion to end transmission was interpreted by his tactical officer and the viewscreen erased the Major's image.

"Kinkaid, take us to red alert, Lieutenant Kaytep," Paul continued tapping his combadge, "get me all the power to shields you can and be ready to get us to maximum warp once we punch a hole in the blockade. Ensign Whitridge, input evasive maneuvering patterns and set a course for Gaalu VII. Let's show this Major he's dealing with the finest crew in the quadrant!"

The Akira Class Heavy Cruiser accelerated toward her enemies as her crew put their orders into action. The Lockheed flipped and darted as the first wave of strike craft came into weapons range. The Sect fired first, a formation of five Romulan patrol craft sent down barrages of disruptor fire in short bursts. Several salvos collided with the top of the Starfleet vessel and were absorbed by its shields. The Lockheed fired back, utilizing nearly all of her phaser banks to break up the battle group. Flashes of light lit up space as the entire squadron was eaten up by yellow beams.

The Sect was annoyed by the quick wipeout of its reconnaissance wave but held its confidence in the next group of fighters. A delta of ships, modified Bajoran interceptors and more Romulan patrol craft hit the Lockheed much harder, adding the element of photon torpedoes to their cascade of phaser and disruptor fire.

"Direct hits to dorsal shield array! Shields down to seventy percent, sir!" Commander Kinkaid announced as the bridge shook.

"Divert course, head straight into them." Ordered the Captain. "I want all firing arcs put to work, let's mop them up!"

The new vector was locked in as the Akira Class rammed head on into the cloud of strike craft causing the small vessels to swerve and break formation. Once the Lockheed reached the center of the group all her phaser banks and torpedo bays lit up. Quantum torpedoes flew out of the saucer and catamaran sections of the hull and golden beams shot out from the round phaser emitting arrays.

Several of the fighters were damaged and destroyed in the daring maneuver. The remaining disoriented pilots were quickly ordered to strafe the Lockheed and form up with the Breen Cruiser. The five Bajoran craft came about and emptied their torpedo tubes on the Lockheed. The fire concentrated on the nacelle/catamaran section and managed to break through the shields.

The tactical officer yelled through the chaos on the bridge as consoles erupted in fountains of sparks. "Port shields are down! Starboard and port nacelles are venting plasma!"

"That's going to seriously impair our warp capabilities!" Ensign Whitridge shouted.

The Captain sat in thought, "Evasion is no longer an option." He said in a softer voice, barely audible on the bridge. "We're going to have to fight every last one of them."

Lieutenant Kaytep dispatched repair teams to the volatile nacelles and stopped plasma venting as the Lockheed rose to face her next challenge. The Breen crusier entered weapons range with her fighter escorts and held nothing back. It flung energy-dampening torpedoes and polaron beams at the oncoming Starfleet ship, but the Lockheed was relentless, with the remaining operational weapons systems a powerful counterstrike was launched at the escorts, Lieutenant Commander Kinkaid's targeting proved itself as they were all destroyed on the initial volley.

"The cruiser has taken down our forward shields, sir!" Terra Whitridge said with a hint of panic.

"Then show them our aft, Ensign." The Captain instructed calmly.

The Akira Class banked and began spreading fire behind it toward the pursuing Sect flagship, the super-concentrated funnel of torpedoes crippled its forward shields.

"They're sending out a distress signal. We have them, sir!"

"Don't be too hasty," cautioned the Captian, "we got lucky. Use the hole in their shields to hit them with phasers. Target the section holding the warp module to the rest of the hull."

The last ditch effort of the Lockheed's crew came to fruition as the beam contacted with the Breen ship and cleanly sliced the warp module off.

"Lieutenant Ivorii to the bridge." The com system interrupted the tension of the battle. "I've stabilized Commander Maelstrom, but Admiral Whitridge has died."