Are you wearing socks? If not you better put on a pair because I'm planning to blow at least one of them off of you...!
1. What's this all been leading up to?
2. What the devil is going on in the Dark Nebula?
3. Will Riker's team survive?
Heh heh heh, all three questions get answered right now!
As a good friend of mine is so fond of saying... "On with the show!"
Star Trek: Absolution
I have not kept up with the "Star Trek" novels the past few years, but this storyline takes place shortly before the events in the "Star Trek: Nemesis" feature film. Since many of the book plots have at times varied from what we see on screen anyway, what you will read is based upon the stories that we viewed at home on TV and while munching popcorn in the movie theatres.
Chapter XIV: Fox Hunt
The Daq passed cleanly between the two pursuing ships as Riker dropped out of warp, reversed course and rocketed back toward the perimeter of the Dark Nebula at a resumed pace of warp five. Their fully-powered shields took several disruptor hits from the Breen starship as they did so, while Geordi calmly ignored the larger ship and targeted their own phasers at the smaller reptilian-Xindi vessel. The Klingon shuttle shuddered several times as its shields cleanly absorbed the impact energy, and Laforge noted with extreme dissatisfaction that his own shots failed to significantly affect the Xindi's shields.
"Strap yourselves in, grab onto something and hold on tight!" Riker yelled, doing his best to be heard above the whining protest of the ship's over-taxed engines. "I'm going to try every trick I know and keep us alive as long as possible."
"I hate to say it Worf, but this ship isn't big enough for serious combat…"
"Then don't say it," said the Klingon fiercely to the engineer in front of him. He finished strapping their semi-conscious prisoner into one of the seats in the rear cabin, then sat down in an empty chair himself. Feeling angry and helpless, Worf began cussing loudly in Klingon as he buckled his own safety straps tightly around him. Dr. Crusher settled into a seat across from him and also made sure that her restraints were tightly secured around her.
"You've got the time you need," Riker pointed out to Geordi. "I suggest you make use of it before they try and cut us off again."
Focusing carefully, Geordi finished downloading their sensor scans of the DNX-920 system into three warp-capable probes attached to the underside of the Daq. He quickly activated their preset homing systems and launched all three simultaneously, but in different directions. As each probe's guidance system took over, they instantly jumped into warp and steered deeper into Federation space. "Now they've got four targets to choose from," LaForge decided with satisfaction. "They can chase those things for a while or continue to try and kill us."
As he spoke, the Xindi ship leaped into warp in the direction of one of the probes. The Breen starship remained behind and continued to fire its disruptors wildly. It attempted to close the distance between them so that it could launch torpedoes as well. Their small ship shuddered again from the latest near miss and the hull continued to rumble ominously as they plowed directly into a wave of pulsing scarlet radiation emerging from the edge of the nebula.
"We may be small but we've got our own warp core," Riker shouted, "…along with a much smaller shield grid to maintain. Our deflectors are still at eighty-one percent – let's see how well the Breen's defenses handle all of this hard radiation at extreme speed." As he spoke Geordi centered the shuttle's targeting crosshairs on the enemy starship and fired several of the shuttle's micro-torpedoes at it. Both of them impacted against its shielding with a crackle of emerald energy, which the Breen ship promptly shrugged aside as it continued closing on them. It fired several of its own torpedoes and the near-miss detonations caused several engineering status consoles on the wall beside Crusher to begin sparking and smoking.
"I think we should head away from the nebula," Geordi suggested, coughing as the shuttle's life support systems struggled to keep up with the gray smoke pouring out of their damaged electrical systems. "Right now they're jamming subspace, but at least one of the probes I launched is certain to get beyond it. I also managed to send one really loud subspace shout of our own before they caught us. The deeper we move into Federation space, the better it is for us and the worse for them… especially when they want to keep as many resources here as possible to protect their big secret in there." He coughed again and shook his head to clear it, then watched the hairs on his arms rise as a dangerous electrical surge began to build on the console in front of him. Tentatively, he touched the controls carefully and continued scanning.
"Agreed," Riker replied as the windows in front of them flashed bright green from another near miss. One of the disruptor beams skated across the edge of their shields and sent them tumbling end over end. The Commander quickly fired the maneuvering thrusters and steadied them, right before he pointed the Daq directly toward Federation space and threw them back into a warp six plunge. Banking sharply to one side, the Breen starship promptly followed.
Behind them Worf struggled to remain calm and began to growl in anger. He was making certain that their prisoner – now conscious – remained right where he was while Beverly carefully reached out and scanned him with her medical tricorder. The man was wearing simple civilian clothing and at first refused to say anything, but the furious glare he gave the Doctor left no doubt in her mind as to his feelings about the situation.
"I hope they kill you all," he said finally, practically spitting the words across the short distance that separated him from Crusher. Worf's snarl deepened and the Doctor jumped in surprise as he suddenly smashed the man in the face with the back of his right hand. Without another word the prisoner fell awkwardly back into his seat and his head flopped limply to the right, his body held semi-upright and unconscious in the tight grip of the seat's safety straps.
"Unbelievable," Dr. Crusher said with astonishment.
"Believe me Doctor, his nose will heel," Worf insisted, sounding a bit defensive.
"No, it's not that," she reassured him. "I'm wondering just what the hell has been going on down on that planet. This man's life signs don't even register as a human being any more. I'm really glad you decided to take him prisoner… we've got to get him back to a Sickbay where I can make a more thorough examination."
The shuttle continued to hop through an expertly planned series of warp speed evasive maneuvers and all four Starfleet officers on board somehow managed to avoid bouncing off of anything sharp or hard. For the most part Geordi was impressed… the inertial dampeners and shields on the Daq were almost as good as their Federation counterparts. They were holding up quite well considering the ship was not designed to move into and out of warp so quickly.
"If he's not human any longer, then what is he?" Riker asked, shouting over his shoulder from the cockpit. The howl of the engines at full output almost drowned out his voice but he could see Crusher continuing to study the man.
"I have no idea," she yelled back at him, shrugging her shoulders in dismay. "That's what I need a Starfleet computer and laboratory to determine."
"Commander, the Breen are closing on us from port. They're faster than us and they know it," Geordi warned him. Almost as soon as he said the words Riker killed the warp drive and they flashed back into normal space. "Okay, so now they're really faster," he grinned, watching the Breen ship also decelerate and circle around on an interception course.
It was suddenly quiet in the cockpit as the Daq sat virtually motionless in space while the enemy starship quickly closed the distance. The instant its disruptors began firing Riker reactivated the warp engines, sending them rocketing through the biggest hole he could find in the barrage. Their deflectors were seared thoroughly but held firm as the shuttle temporarily left their pursuer behind yet again.
"We can only play this game for so long before our shields give out," protested Worf. "Eventually they will fail and then the Breen will have us."
"I'm open to suggestions," the Commander said irritably from his seat at the helm.
"Ram them at warp speed," Worf said with a scowl. "At least one of the probes Geordi launched will get through. I say take as many of them with us as we can."
"That's not very long-term thinking for a Lieutenant-Commander," Riker countered.
"It's not very long-term thinking for a Klingon Ambassador either," added Crusher.
"Those subspace signals travel pretty fast," LaForge pointed out. "Somebody has heard our distress call by now. Help is on the way, I'm certain of it."
"Now that's long-term thinking," Riker grinned, dropping the ship out of warp again.
The Breen starship was quicker this time and also slowed at virtually the same instant. As it did so Geordi fired the last pair of micro-torpedoes into its shields and watched them sizzle violently as the energy was instantly absorbed and dissipated.
The aft disruptors on the enemy ship fired wildly and several of the shots slammed into their shields, followed immediately by a return burst of phaser fire from the Daq. Toe to toe, the two ships continued to slug it out while Riker mentally counted off the seconds he figured it would take the enemy to target and lock torpedoes onto the much smaller target offered by their shuttle. The smaller Klingon ship finally had no choice but to give in and veer away, with one of its nacelles leaving behind a trail of glowing golden particles as it did so. The helm and navigation consoles flickered for an instant but regained power and stayed lit. Both the Commander and Geordi breathed a huge sigh of relief.
"Our shields are now at fifty-nine percent," LaForge warned him. "We've taken enough damage that we're extremely vulnerable. If their disruptors pierce the hull or they get in even one solid hit with a torpedo it will almost certainly finish us."
"If we lose warp drive we won't be sitting too pretty either," scowled Riker as he accelerated back into hyperspace. He dipped and turned and veered the Daq sharply one way and then another – continuing his efforts to keep the helmsman of the enemy ship off-balance and guessing. "I was counting on both of them going after those probes. Either that or hoping that we could somehow manage to disable their warp drive." He glanced hopefully at the engineer sitting next to him. "Are we still covered in tachyons or can I cloak us?"
"By the time we shed enough of them to hide from their sensors it will be too late," replied a disappointed Geordi. "We flew right through a huge pocket of them."
"Can you detect the Xindi ship or tell if they've caught up with our probes?"
"Negative," was his almost instantaneous answer. "We're clear of the radiation on the nebula's perimeter, but the Breen are still doing their best to jam us. I'm not reading any telemetry at all, just sensor static and…" LaForge trailed off suddenly with a confused expression on his face. "Wait a minute," he said to himself. "What the hell is that?"
The howling warp engines went silent again as Riker plunged the ship back to sublight velocity. He cast a wary glance at Geordi, watching him continue to study the sensors. "What?" the Commander said, prompting him cautiously. "What is it?"
"I don't know," LaForge said, sounding completely mystified. "I'm detecting a new, unknown contact bearing 223 mark 97. It's barely readable and I have no idea what it is… maybe a small asteroid or a debris field?"
"Is it the reptilians?"
"The contact is too small..."
"How close is it?" Riker asked, watching his friend concentrate.
"Close enough… it's ninety seconds away at warp six."
"That's good enough for me," the Commander decided, adjusting the shuttle's course to intercept the unidentified anomaly. He tapped the console in front of him and they immediately surged back into high warp.
Behind them, the Breen starship also mirrored their jumps into and out of warp, continuing its relentless pursuit. Its crew maintained a constant barrage of random disruptor fire in an attempt to keep as much pressure as possible on the Daq's rapidly dwindling shield energy. The seconds ticked by as the enemy repeatedly fired at them, and a sudden explosive burst from the helm caused Riker and Geordi to flinch and lean back in their seats as their shields fluctuated and then failed. Additional smoke began pouring out of the seams lining edges of the Commander's helm station and he realized with frustration that their warp engines were gone.
"We're on impulse from here," Riker noted hotly as they flew forward at half light speed.
"There, that's our unknown bogey…" Geordi said, adjusting the viewscreen to short range scan. He pointed toward a glowing dot in the center of the screen and Riker spiraled their shuttle through a series of high impulse evasive maneuvers directly toward it. He rapidly closed the distance and slowed their shuttle as they moved to within ten thousand kilometers of the mysterious contact. As they grew nearer, Geordi enhanced the magnification so they could get a better look at the new object.
"It looks like a big dragon," Riker said with interest as he curiously watched the large horned beast with its flapping wings and lengthy tail completely dominate the enlarged visual image. "Whatever it is, it's definitely not our reptilian friends, and that can only be good for us given our current situation."
As he spoke orange phaser beams flared from the crimson eyes of the dragon and slammed into the pursuing Breen vessel. Additional micro-torpedoes flashed into view from between the lengthy horns on the beast's head and they exploded violently against the enemy vessel's shields. For the first time since the fight began, Riker and Geordi both noticed the Breen starship fluctuate unsteadily before its helmsman managed to stabilize its course. With a confused crew on board, the starship hovered in space between the Daq and the new contact as the Breen struggled to assess the sudden change of events and come up with a new battle plan.
"That has to be a holographic projection of some kind, probably from a cloaking device," LaForge observed carefully. "And I doubt we have any Romulan friends in this area…"
"It's Data!" Riker said firmly with a grin. "It has to be him! His mission was to find and recover a Romulan scout ship that crossed from the Neutral Zone into Federation space. I've got a hunch that his journey was a successful one."
"Their ability to jam us has been damaged," reported LaForge. "I'm picking up telemetry from two of the probes. The third one has no doubt been destroyed." He glanced up toward the shuttle's windows as a large ship dropped out of warp directly in front of them. "As if things weren't interesting enough already, our reptilian friends have returned."
For a few brief seconds longer they had a good old-fashioned stand-off underway. The Daq and the floating space dragon had the Breen starship 'trapped' between them. Worf's shuttle had turned away from the other two ships and was moving as quickly as possible out of enemy weapons range. Now that the reptilian-Xindi ship had also cut them off, Riker slowed their forward momentum and began cautiously backing away from it. As with the Breen ship, Geordi could detect a lot of sensor activity emanating from the reptilians as they too began scanning the curious new contact.
Taking full advantage of the indecision, the dragon fired twin phaser beams from its eyes and once again the Breen starship shuddered from the unexpected attack. Another series of micro-torpedoes flashed from between its horns and just as suddenly as it had appeared the image of the magnificent beast faded from view and was gone. Too late the Breen crew decided to return fire – their torpedoes and disruptor blasts flashed cleanly through empty space.
"Now that's just odd to watch," noted Riker with a shake of his head. "I like this idea… it's very creative and has them totally mystified." He continued backing the Daq away from the reptilian ship but its crew had noticed his departure and had accelerated to follow them.
"The reptilians are charging weapons," LaForge warned. As he spoke a very familiar looking dragon with large wings and a tail flopping back and forth appeared directly aft of the reptilian ship. "Here there be dragons Commander," he said with a cheerful grin.
Having witnessed the Breen taking heavy damage, the reptilian ship immediately spun around 180 degrees on an imaginary axis and began firing its own energy weapons at the dragon's image now in front of them. The large beast simply sat quietly in space, absorbing the impact of the directed energy discharges without appearing to take any damage at all.
"Now I'd seriously like to know how our good friend Data is managing that," decided Riker wryly as he watched the reptilian vessel continue to rapidly fire at the dragon's image. "If that is a holographic projection then it means he's using most of the output from his warp drive to cloak the runabout. So how can the Yellowjacket endure that kind of attack with little or no shielding in place?"
His question went unanswered momentarily as the wounded Breen vessel steadied its course and moved to join the reptilians in a fresh attack run on the dangerous dragon beast. As its impulse engines pushed it back into optimum weapons range the crew angrily targeted the image that the reptilians continued to shoot at.
As a result, they didn't see the second dragon materialize behind them and suddenly begin throwing additional micro-torpedoes into their aft deflectors. At the same time, the new dragon also fired its familiar but dangerous eye phasers through the hole in the deflectors opened by the unexpected torpedo explosions. The Breen ship spun awkwardly to port with smoking hot scorch marks on the surface of its engineering hull where the energy had impacted. Astonished, the crew of the reptilian vessel immediately ceased firing on the first dragon and turned to assist their injured allies with the other beast.
"This is unbelievable," said Geordi with a great deal of dismay.
"What?" Worf demanded from the rear of the ship. "What is happening up there?"
"It's the greatest chess match I've ever seen," Riker chuckled. "And so far, our side keeps adding new pieces to the board."
As the reptilians moved away from the first dragon, it decloaked completely to reveal the sleek outline of the starship Defiant. Glowing bits of smoldering debris still clung to its ablative armor from the sustained attack it had endured, and the commander of the ship wasted no time in launching an all-out barrage from its Type-U phaser cannons. The powerful, pulsing phaser bursts caught the reptilian ship from behind and ripped it cleanly in half. The resulting matter-antimatter explosion from the destroyed ship rocked the Daq and – wincing from the ferocity of the blast – Riker continued to back their shuttle as quickly as possible away from the chaos.
"Commander Riker this is General Kira on board the Defiant," her voice crackled loudly from the Comm-badge on his chest. "Our sensors show you have no shields… please have your team standing by and ready to transport aboard."
The instant he heard Kira's voice, Worf unbuckled himself from his seat and tried to climb into the cockpit. Riker shook his head at the Klingon and grunted with effort as he physically shoved him out of the way so he and Geordi could move back into the Daq's central cabin. Doctor Crusher had also released herself from the safety restraints and was working quickly to unhook their prisoner as well. The four Starfleet officers were all jubilant, since it didn't take a tactical genius to figure out that their enemy had just been seriously out-maneuvered in this battle to the death.
In front of them, the Defiant accelerated past their view through the forward windows and fired a trio of quantum torpedoes directly into the center of the wounded Breen starship. The Federation vessel followed up the torpedo attack with a fresh barrage from its pulse phasers and the enemy ship's engines instantly overloaded and exploded in a massive cloud of expanding, radiant debris. Once again the outer edge of a shock wave from a second gigantic warp core explosion rocked their small shuttle back and forth while everyone aboard held on for dear life. Seconds later they felt the familiar glow of the Defiant's blue transporter energy engulf the five of them and beam them away to safety.
"Now that's what I call a rescue," Geordi said with a smile as they disappeared.
The Defiant paused just long enough to allow the Yellowjacket to land in its shuttle bay. General Kira had the transporter officer simply beam the still-smoldering Daq aboard. Once both support ships were recovered they wasted no time and the starship rocketed back into warp speed on a course to rendezvous with Picard's fleet. No one was more astonished than Riker and his team as they met up with and saw for the first time the aged but familiar face of their old friend Tasha Yar standing next to Commander Data. It was a very enthusiastic reunion for the bridge crew of the Enterprise – all except for Worf, who was noticeably rattled by the presence of his supposedly long dead friend.
An hour later found them all in the Defiant's small Sickbay. Both Crusher and Bashir gave everyone except for Data a quick examination to check for radiation poisoning and other injuries before turning their curious attention toward their captured prisoner.
"I don't know you," Tasha told Worf, unsure of what else to say to him. "Things were very different in the timeline that I came from, not the least of which was an all-out conflict between Starfleet and the Klingon Empire. "I left because the Federation was losing that war, and all indications were that my timeline was an incorrect one."
"Here in this timeline you were my mentor," the burly Klingon said, a tinge of emotion evident in his normally serious tone. "Much of my training at the tactical station and in Starfleet security was guided by your hand. Your death was indeed a tragic loss for everyone aboard the Enterprise, but most especially for me."
"Then I hope that my return eases some of your pain Worf," Tasha said, stepping forward and giving the large Klingon a warm hug. "I'm a little older, but still well-versed in tactical strategy." She smiled as he threw back his head with its lengthy pony tail and laughed heartily.
"That holographic dragon was the work of a tactical genius," Geordi pointed out, smiling at his still human-looking android friend. "Data that was absolutely brilliant!"
"You will like it even more when you read my report on the Stadian incident," Data decided with a small smirk. "The dragon image was most useful to me on the planet also."
"In this era of space battles where virtually every maneuver and trick in the book has been tried, you still managed to come up with something totally unexpected," Riker chuckled, also complimenting the Enterprise second officer. "I've never seen experienced soldiers like the Breen hesitate so much. They had absolutely no clue what was going on!"
"I suggested the tactic to General Kira after rendezvousing with the Defiant en route to rescue you," Data informed them. "Since this starship also has a cloaking device, she downloaded a copy of the image, and then we used my weapons to mislead the enemy into thinking they were simply dealing with another shuttle."
Geordi looked thoughtfully at Data as the door behind him slid open. "I thought that Starfleet was conditionally prohibited by the Romulans from using the Defiant's cloaking device while in the alpha quadrant," he commented. "Wasn't it specifically given to you so that you could conduct covert surveys of the gamma quadrant prior to the Dominion war?"
"Then I guess it's a good thing this ship is temporarily being commanded by the Bajoran military," General Kira said as she entered the small infirmary flanked by two security guards. "We made no such agreement with the Romulans, and – unfortunately – still are not an official member of the Federation."
"That works for you, but it still doesn't let Data off the hook," Tasha pointed out.
"They are welcome to come and try to arrest me," Data said, using his best poker face.
Kira introduced the human and arboreal Xindi representatives, Jommyn and Pykiim, who had also accompanied her on the rescue mission. They immediately crossed the small room and surveyed the unconscious human male suspiciously.
"It would help matters if you all gave us room to work in here," Dr. Bashir suggested to them. "It may take us some time to determine just what specifically has been done to him."
Jommyn laughed politely. "Perhaps I can help Doctor," he offered. "Search through your computer records for data regarding the original Delphic Expanse before it was dismantled two hundred years ago. I think you will find that this man's life signs are an exact match with those of the trans-dimensional aliens – or Guardians as we used to call them – who once tried to terra form your space and conquer it."
There was a brief pause as Julian accessed the necessary computer information and ran a quick comparison. As his medical tricorder interfaced with the Defiant's computer it chattered electronically for a moment before beeping loudly for attention. Glancing up he looked at the Xindi representative with complete astonishment. "You're right," he said. "But how can that be?"
"We have suspected that the reptilians might attempt something like this for many years," commented Pykiim. "Their military leadership never forgot about the Guardians and has always considered them to be our gods. Thus it made sense to us that they would someday try to contact them again… and now, sadly, the Breen have obviously assisted them in doing just that."
"But this is one of the colonists from the demilitarized zone," Dr. Crusher pointed out to him. "The computer has identified his DNA as a man named Harold Sailes. He used to live with his wife and child on one of the Volan colonies."
"I'm afraid he's quite probably not a human being any more," Jommyn said with sympathy. "I am only speculating and you may yet prove me wrong on this matter, but I firmly believe they have turned him into a Guardian."
"What?" Riker said with surprise. "Are you saying that he's one of those trans-dimensional aliens? Did he somehow copy Mr. Sailes and assume a humanoid form?"
"I'm saying that he used to be human until one of the Guardians stole his body," corrected Jommyn. "One of those trans-dimensional beings has transferred his or her personality into this human and now completely controls his actions. Whatever personality existed before will almost certainly have been tragically lost during the procedure."
Dr. Crusher scanned the body again with her medical tricorder and shrugged her shoulders. "What he says makes sense," she confirmed. "His brain patterns are completely different than our records show, and his life signs definitely do not register as even remotely human any longer. Add to that his reaction to us when he woke up on the shuttle..."
"I find this an intriguing second attempt by the Guardians to conquer larger portions of our galaxy," Data decided, watching the unconscious human with interest. "Their previous effort to terra form the alpha quadrant occurred prior to the formation of the Federation and, despite the low number of space faring cultures in the region, still managed to attract far more attention than they expected due to the chaotic effects of manipulating our environment to simulate theirs."
"So converting thousands of light years of space to match their home is no longer even an option to them given the current size and strength of the various warp-capable governments here," Geordi guessed. "They're trying this instead of committing all that time and effort into trying to rebuild the failed experiment halted by Captain Archer and his crew over two hundred years ago, when warp travel was still around but far less frequent."
"This is by far a much more well thought out and simpler process," Data observed. "Our universe is already well suited for the beings that live here. I would imagine that they are finding it significantly easier to transfer the consciousness from each of their people into a compatible body on this end of their trans-dimensional realm. Since the humanoid bodies are already able to survive in this environment, no terra forming of the surrounding space is required."
"So that's why they started abducting the colonists, and it also explains why some of the humans in the DNX-920 system are 'helping' them," Riker said, shaking his head. "They need as many bodies as possible so that they can bring an army over here." He glanced across the room to General Kira. "We have sensor telemetry aboard Worf's shuttle from our scans of their base camp inside the Dark Nebula," he said with some anxiety. "I need to transmit that information to Starfleet as soon as possible General."
"The Defiant's crew is already taking care of that Commander, so relax," Kira suggested. "Two of your probes pierced their jamming network… that's how we found you so quickly." She gestured toward the door. "I would suggest you all get some rest – you're going to need it once we return to the fleet. Captain Picard and Admiral Janeway have a plan in place to assault the Dark Nebula project even as we speak."
"I'd really feel more comfortable going to your hangar bay and taking a closer look at the data from the shuttle's computers," Geordi insisted. "The historical information I've read on these trans-dimensional aliens states that when they appeared in the most severely disrupted areas of the Delphic Expanse they had the ability to phase their bodies long enough to pass through solid objects like walls and equipment. I'd like to begin taking a look as to whether those types of capabilities can transfer to a human body along with their consciousness."
"Until you can confirm that the security guards stay here," Kira decided, nodding to them.
"I will go with you Geordi," said Data. "I enjoy sleeping, but do not require it."
"You're both welcome to go down and assist the Starfleet personnel in the hangar bay," decided Kira. "But when you see the outer hull of your shuttle Commander LaForge, be prepared to realize just how close they came to killing you. That's why we didn't try to warn off or disable the ships pursuing you, because the commanders of those two ships had made up their minds to kill you without mercy even after it was obvious that two of your probes had escaped."
"Believe me General," LaForge said in all seriousness. "We had a pretty good idea of just how close they came to killing us from our positions inside the shuttle!"
"The reptilians still believe the Guardians are their gods," stated Jommyn. "They have been trying to re-establish contact with them for centuries. We've known about it but were not concerned because they have never had the resources or technology to threaten this region again. But I think we have seen plenty of evidence today that the Breen have helped them find a way to bring an army of Guardians back, and that will almost certainly lead to decades of additional violence and bloodshed on this side of the galaxy."
"During our mission, my team was warned by a man from the future that such a new war will last for centuries," said Riker grimly. "It will all be in my report, but I hope everyone understands that we've got to stop that project now – before it expands beyond that nebula."
Picard had finally taken a couple of hours for himself and decided to use them resting in his quarters. His uniform was neatly folded across a chair next to his nightstand and he was sound asleep in bed when the Comm-badge on his tunic first beeped for attention.
"Captain, this is Deanna from the bridge night watch… I'm sorry to have to wake you during your private time."
"That's perfectly all right Counselor," he said as he hurriedly wiped sleep from his eyes. "Has there been any news?"
"Affirmative," she replied. "We've just beamed aboard a probe launched by Riker's team and our communications specialists are downloading its telemetry now. The tactical officer has also received a short range communiqué from the Defiant. General Kira was able to retrieve both the Yellowjacket and the Klingon shuttle led by Commander Riker's team. According to the message, we didn't lose anyone."
"Thank goodness for that," Picard said, letting out a huge sigh of relief.
No matter how many times he ordered his people into the line of fire it never got any easier for him. A part of the Captain was constantly on edge deep down inside as long as his people were in danger, and that feeling never seemed to go away until he knew for certain that they were safe again. He digested the good news for a few seconds longer while walking into the main room of his quarters and ordering a cup of hot Earl Grey tea from his replicator.
She had been by his side so long that Troi could sense his mood all the way from the bridge. "We will rendezvous with the Defiant in three hours sir," she said comfortingly.
"Deanna, please send a response to General Kira expressing my sincere gratitude for assisting us on this matter. Have you notified the Admiral yet?"
"Admiral Janeway is already here on the bridge with me Captain. She's assisting our officers in analyzing the sensor data."
"Of course she is," Picard mused wryly, glancing at the steaming cup of tea in his hand. "She drinks coffee… I would imagine the woman doesn't even need sleep." He took a sip of tea with a thoughtful look on his face. "Is the news good or bad?"
"A little of both," Troi told him. "The Breen situation is still confined within the Dark Nebula… for now. But the two Xindi representatives on board the Defiant believe that the reptilians have teamed up with them in order to reestablish contact with the Guardians in their trans-dimensional realm and begin bringing them over here."
"If I remember correctly, our galaxy is poisonous to those aliens, is it not?" He took a sip of the tea and placed the cup back onto its saucer with the soft clink of china on china.
"They've discovered that this is the reason why the Breen began abducting our colonists in the demilitarized zone, Captain. Apparently our enemies have found a way to transfer the entire consciousness of each Guardian into a suitable host body on our side of the realm… this despite the fact that it permanently destroys the existing personality of anyone subjected to the procedure. Doctors Crusher and Bashir have both verified this information as accurate by analyzing a prisoner captured by Riker's team."
"Good grief," Picard said as he set the cup of tea and its saucer on the night stand and began changing into his uniform. "Kidnapping and experimenting on people violates at least a few of the cease-fire agreements supposedly signed in good faith by the Breen, does it not?"
"So far we've found six clear infractions in regards to the official charter we signed with their government after the Dominion war," the Counselor said informatively. "And that's just what we've learned about the Dark Nebula project… it doesn't take into account the other hardships the Breen have forced on the colonists in the demilitarized zone."
"Let's not forget the moral implications of the matter," Picard decided. "Although I seriously doubt that the Breen hesitated even one little bit over any of those. Deanna, please put the Enterprise on yellow alert," he ordered as he continued dressing. "I've had my catnap for the evening so I'm on my way to the bridge."
"I also thought you should know that General Kira has offered to place the Defiant under your command and assist us further in this matter."
"As long as they'll be transferring our officers back to us anyway, please officially request that she join our task force," instructed Picard. "The more firepower we have when we enter the Nebula, the better. This has got to stop right here and now."
"Since we have obtained clear evidence of the Breen's non-compliance with treaty you have every right to act in defense of the Federation," the Counselor pointed out to him.
"Not to mention the people who may still be prisoners there," Picard decided as he finished dressing and headed out into the corridor. "I'll see you in a few minutes Counselor… Picard out."