Chapter Eight
Gamma Quadrant encounter 1
The gleaning light off of the dark hull shimmers as the Enterprise drifts in space. It still is not repaired to full power. LaForge and Worf have been working non-stop to regain power. They have emergency power right now, as they try again to restore auxiliary power.
"Initiating program LaForge 23. Computer restart emergency command 4231 beta 4675. Initiate." Says the chief engineer.
"Preparing for start-up. Systems are coming on. All modes are normal." Answers the Klingon security officer.
Then the sequence shuts down for the seventh time. All the power they had goes away.
"Damn! We almost had it! What the hell is going on with it?" yells out LaForge, as he is irritated with the response of his engineering team.
"Picard to LaForge. Have we had another failed attempt at a power up?"
"Yes, Captain. We can't figure out the problem. We gain more power each time but it shuts down at 23 of the main auxiliary systems."
Picard wonders what the ship that attacked them did to them. What could disrupt the systems so badly? He looks at his first officer and their guest and asks, "Ambassador, could you assist us in the repairs?"
"I am unfamiliar with the systems on your ship, Captain. It would be of no use for me to attempt a repair." The ambassador responds.
A faint message from the emergency communicator on Picard's belt beeps. "Captain we are receiving a faint message from outside the ship. It seems to be-"as the newly designed communicator based on the old 23rd century design, for emergencies just like this.
"Picard to bridge. Please repeat the last of the message."
Just as he ends his sentence the shimmering of a transporter glows in front of them. Picard recognizes the people right away. He knows he is in good hands now.
"Captain Riker. What the hell are you doing here?" Picard asks.
"We were in the neighborhood, and heard you needed assistance. So we responded, but didn't expect the level of damage you have. What the hell happened?" the former first officer says.
"We don't really know. We had a ship proximity alert and then this. The ambassador believes it is a ship that has mysterious origins."
"Ambassador Spock!" Says Riker as he realizes who is with Picard. "I didn't realize-"
"I am in need of your main computer Captain Riker. I need to find out if this was indeed the ship I am looking for." Responds the Vulcan.
"Yes. Yes, of course. We'll beam you aboard right away. Commander Troi will help you with your research." He offers.
Turning his attention to Picard again, "Captain we also received word that there is another ship coming." Riker says as though it is bad news.
"What ship?" Picard asks.
"Voyager. Janeway and Beverly and some others commandeered her and are on their way. They should be here within the hour."
Picard thinks for a minute why Beverly Crusher would be involved with Kathryn Janeway. And he wonders what they are up to. Why would they take an old ship rather than send one that is closer.
"Why Voyager? There are other ships that-"as Picard is cut off.
"Most of the other ships have been recalled to port. This new ship was tracked to Romulus where it destroyed nearly every major city. And now it is on it's way back here."
"Then we better hurry. Help Geordi and Work with the repairs. I'll be on the bridge, now that I can get there."
"I'll be aboard the Titan?" Spock asks as Riker nods. "I have to figure out if this is the sleeper ship.'
"Sleeper ship?" Picard and Riker ask simultaneously.
"I've said too much. Captain, whenever you're ready."
As Spock and Riker beam back, Picard beams himself to the bridge. They await the arrival of Voyager and of the ship known as the sleeper.
Picard is in his ready room reviewing the same logs that Spock was looking at before the attack. The sleeper ship seems to be responsible for many lost ships over the past two hundred years. The first on lost was the first Enterprise. Not NCC-1701, but NX-01 commanded by Jonathan Archer. There have been many stories over the years what happened to that ship. Some believe it fell into a sun, others think it could have been taken to the Delta quadrant by the caretaker. Others even think that they were the first ones to leave the galaxy. But, none of these stories have been ever proven.
As the Enterprise regains about seventy percent of auxiliary power, the USS Voyager arrives. The Enterprise is hailed by the 'rogue' crew.
"Well Captain, it seems you have friends in every quadrant. I guess we are a little late to assist." Janeway says.
"On the contrary Admiral, you have arrived just in time." Picard answers.
"In time for what?" the puzzled admiral asks.
Then their sensors see it coming. A large black uniquely shaped vessel coming for all three ships. Voyager and Titan take defensive positions to protect the wounded Enterprise. The evil looking ship beings to power up a weapon of some kind.
"Red Alert! All hand to battle-stations!" all three commanders says at once.
"Captain, the energy the ship is building up is electro-static." LaForge says, as he is puzzled by the sensor reading.
"Is it the same thing that hit us before?" The captain asks.
"It seems to be. I suggest that the other ships lower their shields before they end up just like we were."
"That would make sense. With no shields the energy would bounce of the inertia dampeners, and wouldn't affect the ship as much as it did to us." The ops officer responds.
"Open a channel to both ships." Picard orders.
"Channel open, sir." Responds Worf.
"Picard to Titan and Voyager. Lower your shields! It will render you powerless if you have them up."
"Are you sure?" Janeway responds. "We could be destroyed."
"I agree, Captain. We may not be able too-"
Riker is cut off by interference by the ship. Luckily the ops officer of both ships shut down the shields just before the blast. Both ships are knocked about but still have most of their power. They only damaged system is the inertial dampeners, which send both ship off their pitch and roll.
The Enterprise scans the region with their short-range sensors, but find nothing.
"Where is it? Where did it go?" Picard asks his ops officer.
"There is no sign of it, sir. It's just gone."
As the Titan and Voyager regain control, they come to the same conclusion. They even scan their working long-range sensors, and there is no trace of the ship.
"Captain Riker is hailing, sir." Worf informs.
"Yes, Will. What is it?"
"It's gone Captain. There is no sign of it anywhere. There isn't even a trace of it here. It is as if it didn't exist." Riker informs.
Picard now feels that something is not right. He knows that ship is a horrible threat to anyone it contacts. He has to find more help, but where could they be safe. Then he remembers the ship transfers he read the other day. He calls for Janeway.
"Admiral, I think we had better set course for DS9. We may be able hide there until we can fully access what we are dealing with."
"My thoughts, exactly Jean-Luc. We also know someone who could help." Janeway responds knowing that her former first officer is there.
As all three ship set course for the Bajoran system, Spock works on the newly acquired data. He retrieved something-or rather-someone before he left the Enterprise. As they return, LaForge and Picard are shocked.
"I don't think he'll be of any use, Ambassador." Picard tells as he looks at the prototype android standing next to the Vulcan.
"It was worth a try. He is not as advanced as Mr. Data. That is unfortunate." Spock says with disappointment.
"He does have Data's memories and engrams, but we haven't been able to access them yet." LaForge responds.
"Perhaps, in time Commander. In time he may recall some of those engrams." Spock answers as he shows some improvements to B-4's positronic brain.
They all look at him and are pleased that the beloved android could hold the key to Data's past.
Meanwhile, Appalachia and Defiant prepare to go to the Gamma quadrant to respond to a mysterious signal. They have no idea what has just transpired in the neutral zone.
"Prepare to release docking clamps. Set course for the wormhole." Kira orders. She has Dr. Bashir, Lt. Dax, Lt. Nog and an assortment of Starfleet personnel aboard Defiant. She knows that this could be the last time she commands the ship so she hopes it goes well. The Appalachia crew prepare for what is to come as they enter the forth quadrant in the last five years.
"Set course for the wormhole." Orders Chakotay.
His crew seem almost excited, because they are about to make history, being the only humans known to have been in all four quadrants. The ships are near the end of the other end of the wormhole when something happens.
In her home on Bajor, Kassidy Yates-Sisko receives a vision. It is all white, like the visions that Ben had described before. She only hears voices and ciaos. Then she hears a familiar voice. It is saying: Danger! There is danger there. Go Back!"
The vision ends and she screams out, "Ben! Ben! Is that you!"
The wormhole opens up on the other side and the two ships are shocked as to what they see. It is a large, black, ominious ship, but with no power readings. It is just sitting there, dark and quiet unlike the ship in the Alpha quadrant.
"Chakotay to Defiant." Calls the captain.
"Defiant. What are you reading, Captain?" asks Kira.
"Nothing. We read now power emissions. No sensor echos. It is as if thee isn't anything there."
"Well, we can see thee is something there. And we do read an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere, on board. Perhaps you should send some people over."
Chakotay wonders for a minute and then says, "We'll both send teams over. Coordinate transport locations and keep a lock on the away teams." Chakotay orders.
"Tom, you Lt. Stanley, and Ensign Walters wiil beam aboard."
On the Defiant, Kira makes here own away team, "Nog, Doctor, and Lt. Dax and myself will beam to the ship. If Captain Chakotay thinks it's dangerous, let's prove him wrong."
As both teams beam aboard, they find darkness. They use their lights to see where they are. It is a long dark corridor, with some stripes on the sides. There are various shaped doors or hatches on the walls. It smells of old ice and stale air. Their tricorders are only useful for about five meters.
"Anything on the tricorder?" Kira asks as she puts a hand on her Bajoran pistol. Paris responds, "I don't have anything. I can't even tell what these walls are made of. It's like-"
He is cut off as some light strips begin to light up. They also hear a hum of power systems reactivating. They here the crackle of the active come link cutting out. Everyone draws weapons, not knowing what will happen. The hatch opens and out walks an unknown species, with reflective skin. The alien climbs up the wall and fades in to the wall color like a chameleon.
"What was that?" Bashir asks as Ezri goes closer to him.
"I'm reading a comm. signal. It's coming from fifty meters to the right." Paris announces.
"Let's go!" Kira orders.
As the two teams run down they come in contact with a Talaxian, an Romulan, a Andorian and another unknown species with whisker like things coming from it's head and metal rings on it's shoulders. They come to within five meters of the comm. signal.
"It's in here!" Paris calls out.
"Let go in, we'll be safe in there." Dax says trembling with fear.
"Okay. We don't know what we'll find out here." Paris responds.
As the six crew members, enter the room they see what could be described as horrifying. There are chambers with all sorts of alien species. There are full bodies, pieces of bodies, and just right disgusting views of aliens.
"What the hell went on here?" Bashir says as he is scared and intrigued at the same time.
"The comm. signal is here. There are two distinct signal." Nog informs the rest.
They clear off the glass and see and young Asian women and an African-American male with injuries. They see the power systems is still active.
"It appears to be a crude stasis chamber. These two are still alive. Should we wake them?" Bahir asks.
"We don't know where they are from? It could be a trap." Kira responds.
There is no time for debate when they hear screams and weapons fire outside of the room in the corridor where they were.
"Can you do it quickly, Doctor?" Paris asks.
"I'll try my best." He answers as he begins the reanimation process.
The other prepare to shoot whatever comes in the door as he and Dax work on the tubes. Both open and the male and female fall out. Neither have any sort of clothing on, with a tube in their throats and a cover over their ears. Dax covers the female with her out coat and Bashir does the same for the male.
"We have to get out of here, NOW!" Bashir exclaim.
"Kira to Defiant and Appalachia, come in."
"Gen...we have your...ready to tr-"
"Can you hear us? We have to more to transport. Repeat we have seven to beam aboard. Lock onto Bashir and Dax's comm. badges. We'll try to respond."
"We'll get you... now." Chakotay responds as the materialization process begins for the Defiant crew. Paris, and his crew wait for transport.
The door to the room begins to open as Paris calls on the comm., "Now Chakotay!"
As the crew of the Appalachia beam out just as the being enter the room. It looks around and finds a piece of clothing on the floor. It is a mission patch for NX-01. We see that the being is wearing a uniform from NX-01.
On the bridge of the Appalachia, Chakotay orders the ship out, "Set course for the wormhole, maximum warp."
Defiant follows and both warp out. Just as they do, five form Dominion ships arrive and start to attack. But they don't last long. As they are destroyed another warp flash is seen heading toward the wormhole.
The Federation starships arrive and make it into the wormhole. As they travel back, Kira receives a vision.
She is in the white place. She hears voices, and confusion. One of the prophets appears in the form of Bashir. Another looks like Dax. Another looks like Commander Paris. They all say there is danger, but it seems as though the words and their speaking are mismatched. She hears another voice, which calls out here name: Nereys! Leave here! Nereys, it is danger!
She is shocked whose voice it is. Dax looks at her and asks, "General, are you alright?"
"Odo!" she whispers under her breath.