Chapter 10: Dragons and Specters
"Red Alert!"
Dropping out warp, a battle was already raging across the system. Klingon, Cardassian, and Federation ships were waged deep in a battle. Placed immediately behind a squadron of Raptors. Simply nodding to Elisa, she knew what to do. Klingon ships generally had weaker shields and this group apparently had already redirected everything to their fore shields and weapons.
" *There you are*, Capitaine. I was almost worried you'd be too late ... I'm currently engaging the Cardassians. Finish the Klingons and the rest, but the 'Axon' survives, understand?"
"Yes, Captain Drake."
"Good, 'cause that's an order'. "
Drake's flagship was a Typhoon-Class battleship, it was on the opposite side of the battlezone. There weren't many other Federation ships left, but a couple science and escort ships remained. Being used to Klingon ships, Capitaine was familiar and their tactics could be guessed. The Cardassian ships were a new experience, their ships were sleek, slower but had more firepower and defenses than the Klingon Birds-of-Prey.
Eliminating a Klingon squadron, the Cardassian ships didn't stop for thanks or regroup but targeted the Epitaph and continued firing. Contrary to the disruptors of the Klingons, the Cardassians used phaser weapons but tuned slightly different to Federation standards. Fortunately, the Cardassians and Klingons weren't well organized, aiding a Nebula-class and a Polaris-class gave Capitaine an edge over the firefights between her and Captain Drake.
Clearing a path through the enemy ships, they began retreating as their numbers dwindled. The Federation ships began to rally around the Epitaph and closed on the Axon. Captain Drake commanded an old Typhoon-Class, but it was not outdated, it still held the maneuverability and firepower of any modern ship of its size. By the time the Epitaph arrived, the Axon was already disabled Captain Drake's ship stood watch above it.
"You and your crew *do* deserve your rep. My previous reinforcements didn't survive, apparently. But you're not done yet, you'll be leading the teams on board the Axon. I want to know *why* and *how* these True Way ships got so far from their usual space."
...
Cardassian ships weren't as clean-looking as Federation ships, but were still much less traditional than that of Klingon ships. Transporting into a cargo bay, fighting had already broken out across the ship. Capitaine could already hear phaser fire down hall way. Razkii didn't waste time, and went straight to the officer in charge. Elisa, on the other hand, seem a little more shaken up than past away missions.
"Everything okay, Elisa?"
"Yeah, yeah ... Klingons are one thing, but Cardassians are something else ... something feels strange about the air ... "
Before Capitaine had time to really *feel* the environment, an explosion down the hall sent several security officers to their deaths. Out of the smoke and fire, several Cardassian security guards began approaching. Throwing a grenade and laying down supressive fire sent the Cardassians back retreating. Leaving some of Drake's crewmen to guard the beam-in point, Razkii took the lead with three full teams.
Pursuing several Cardassians through a hallway, Razkii's team ran past several adjoining hallways. Elisa still wasn't feeling her energetic and preppy self, so Capitaine and a team followed Razkii's but were lagging behind. Led into an ambush, Razkii found his teams being attacked on all sides, his retreat cutoff by a forcefield. Capitaine caught up just in time to see it all happen, but too late to help.
Although valiant, his teams were doomed, the Cardassians showed no mercy and had no interest nor time to take prisoners. In a strange flash, the lights darkened to a blue glow, and Capitaine could barely see Razkii. She thought he saw her too, but she couldn't really tell, there was so much else going on. Grabbing a belt of grenades off a fallen security officer, Razkii jumped to his feet and detonated them.
...
Her ears ringing, her eyes blinded with pain each tine she tried to open them, Capitaine relaxed herself and listened. She was still in the Cardassian ship, she could hear a few footsteps moving about her. Silently checking herself, Capitaine felt her uniform was matted and ragged, she wasn't bound or restrained, and she felt a little sore but little pain aside from the eyes. Her device was still in her pocket and her commbadge was still on her chest. She could breathe as usual although the air still smelt like the Cardassian ship, she recognized a smell: Elisa's perfume.
Carefully, Capitaine determined Elisa was next to her, she was still alive but her breathing was shallow but steady. Finally remembering her last thoughts, Razkii had set off a series of grenades, *all at once*. In the middle of reviewing, Capitaine heard voices, at first they were all a jumble, but she slowly recognized one, Morek. 'But he wasn't on an away team. Why would *he* be *here*? How long has it been?' Feeling an explosion rock the ship, Capitaine decided it was better to risk the attention than to pretending she was still unconscious.
"Morek? Hello, is that you?"
"Doctor, the Lieutenant-Commander is awake!"
"Ah! Capitaine! You recovered quickly! We had thought you'd be out for the mission."
Her voice was still raspy, and trying to clear her voice only made her lungs hurt. Speaking softly now, Capitaine recognized Phaedriel's voice along with Morek's, "Phaedriel? What are you doing here?"
"Lieutenant-Commander, with both yourself and your First Officer incapacitated, the command fell to Commander Kovroht. She has the Epitaph around the Axon, Captain Drake's ships are still around as well; True Way forces are still in the area and he believes they are regrouping to attempt a retrieval of this ship."
"I guess that's good to hear ... why am I still on the ship then?"
"Captain Drake is very particular about having *you* assisting in the mission. So much that he threatened to fire on the Epitaph for taking you to our Medical Bay. ... But he has sent over additional security teams and medical help; he is still concerned for your safety."
"... I'll see what that's about later ... how long was I out? Why do my eyes hurt?"
The ringing in her ears had faded away, and Capitaine could hear others around her. Piecing together from what Phaedriel told her, she was in a makeshift Sick Bay. Hearing Morek run up, Capitaine heard the familiar whirling of a tricorder being held about her. "Well, Capitaine ... it seems most of your third-degree burns have now become first-degree burns, almost. ... You had a concussion and several other minor injuries but they seem fine-enough now. ... "
"But why can't I see?"
"Try not to touch .. Yes, about that ... your hair and eye brows have already started regrowing, its amazing. But your eyes seem to have been ... 'burned into their sockets', as one of the nurses put it."
"... so, I'm ... blind ... ?!"
"You're fortunate *to be alive*. You were the only ones we found. It looked like an explosion killed Razkii and his teams, as well a number of Cardassians."
It was gloomy silence, but Capitaine felt Morek had more to say. Her medical situation wasn't great but everyone else's had probably fared worse. "Actually ... actually, Capitaine ... it seems you should have your vision back by maybe ... a couple days? I'd say ... based on past results."
"What?"
"You 'uncollapsed' everything inside your ribs once, as well as reforming bones and muscles. You've healed internally, what should have been able to be healed externally. Its not too far off to think you can regenerate your eyes, at an astounding rate too."
" *What*?"
"Lieutenant-Commander Captiaine. I see you are recovering smoothly." It was Drake's voice, but it was digital. He was still on his own ship.
"Captain Drake, ... why do you want me on this mission so bad? I heard you threatened my ship!?"
"Ah, so you've been caught up too. This is a vital mission that extends beyond the well-being of any one ship or one crew. However, I do need *you*; I've given your doctor an experimental regeneration device. I won't bore you with the details, but it has been attuned to your special physiology. I just needed you conscious in case there were any complications."
" 'Complications'?"
"Doctor Morek, you may perform the regeneration now. Every moment increases the dangers and for your survival: less.
Lieutenant-Commander Capitaine, your orders stand. And I will repeat: 'I want the Axon intact'."
Hearing another rumble through the ship, but this time not from the outside. Capitaine knew she had no choice. She didn't understand what this was all about, but she got the feeling that Captain Drake still meant well. "Fine, Morek; do it."
...
The process was excruciating, and it left her weak and exhausted. But her eyes no longer hurt. Phaedriel slowly took off the bandage and Capitaine could see. Looking around, she was in the Axon's Mess Hall. Next to her, Elisa lay with a breathing apparatus and a couple monitors, the left side of her body was badly burned.
"The Lieutenant did not fare well. Most of your team did not, only three of you survived. They should be fine, but it will be a while before they are back on their feet."
"Captain Drake wouldn't let you beam them back?"
"He is not very trusting, but he did help against the Cardassians, the last area is the Bridge. We need that before the ship is secure."
The room's lights suddenly turning blue, Capitaine looked around, expecting to see somthing happening. Morek glanced around, but otherwise didn't seem to notice. Capitaine saw shadows and figures moving in the hallways, but nothing real enough to see clearly.
"Something wrong, Capitaine?"
"Did you just see something in the lights?"
"Nothing has changed. ... Were they *blue*?"
"Yes! Can you see it?"
"No, scanners couldn't detect anything. But Phaedriel says the same thing, you might want to talk to her."
Walking over to Phaedriel, Capitaine was handed a rifle and equipment for an assault. Phaedriel gave Capitaine a small smile but left with a team before Capitaine had a chance to ask anything.
Approaching slowly to the bridge, their teams were met by the Cardassians who had entrenched themselves along the hallway leading to the bridge. Taking a sniper rifle instead, Capitaine knelt next to Phaedriel, who would call the targets. The rest of the team attracted the weapons fire. Casualties were heavy on both sides, but the Cardassians weren't expecting a sniper, and with that their lines collapsed and the rest were killed or retreated down the winding hallways.
The lights flickered to a bright blue again. Capitaine suddenly motioning for the team to stop, but only she and Phaedriel actually seemed to notice why. Seeing nothing, Capitaine took each step forward carefully, but the lights stayed blue. The silence was broken by screams coming from around the hallway; phaser fire soon broke out and stray shots were creeping around the corners.
Capitaine stopped in her tracks, readying her team and herself for whatever rounded the corner. But as suddenly as it happened, the screaming and shooting abruptly stopped and the lights returned to normal. Phaedriel was shaken up, she didn't show it but looking into her big purple eyes, Capitaine could tell neither of them wanted to see what was around the corner.
But she was the commander, she had to lead her team. Pushing aside her fear, Capitaine took a phaser pistol in one hand and the rifle in the other. Preparing to fire a one-person barrage, Capitaine peered around to see the Cardassians alone and dead, sealing themselves on the outside of the bridge.
"Same as the others ... " Examining the Cardassians, there weren't any physical wounds on them. They hadn't been attacked or fire upon, they were just dead. But not all completely, they were just brain-dead.
Unsealing the door was rather simple, the Cardassians had rushed it. Some thought they had done it *while they were being killed*. Opening the door, everybody expect to be greeted by phaser fire and thus had already prepared for an assault. As the smoke cleared, everybody on the bridge was already dead.
Scanning them, it was the same as the ones outside the door, relatively unharmed but brain-dead. Signally Captain Drake that the ship was secure, he was satisfied and disabled the transport inhibitors on the ship. While Phaedriel helped teams on the bridge, Captiaine headed back to the makeshift-Sick Bay to check on Elisa. Despite the death and violence that had just occurred, the ship seemed peaceful; after walking down several hallways, the lights turned blue again.
Stopping in her tracks, Capitaine listened, expecting something, anything to happen. Feeling a breeze on her neck, Capitaine turned and looked down the blue hallways. There was nothing. But the lights remained a very clear shade of blue. Calmly continuing to the Medical Bay, Capitaine heard something behind her. Returning through several corridors from earlier, Capitaine came across the intersection where Razkii and his teams had died. There was indeed a large gaping hole, and all the adjoining hallways were inaccessible or unreachable. If the explosion had been closer to the outer hulls, they would have all been sucked into space.
Seeing the faint silhouettes of where bodies were vaporized, Capitaine saw where she and her team was at the time. They were still in the blast zone but, as Morek put it, she had received the worst of it yet, she was the only one now up on her feet. Feeling again her still-tattered uniform, Capitaine felt very alone. Standing at the spot where she had lost, yet another friend, she wondered how long it would be until she was the last.
Turning back to try another hallway, Capitaine turned around in time to see something, or rather: *somethings*, cross in-front of her. A semi-transparent skeletal creature, glided through the air. The larger ones flew through the air, while the lesser ones floated along the ground. There were many of them and although they didn't seem to notice her, they were moving towards the bridge.
Forgetting about Elisa, Morek, and the rest, Capitaine ready her rifle and ran silently to the bridge. Running as quickly as she could, some of the smaller ones noticed her but seemed intent on reaching the bridge. They didn't seem to be bothered by sealed doors, but they were slowed and Capitaine guessed walls were just too thick even for these *ghosts* to glide through. But the doors did stop Capitaine, "Why do all the doors, re-lock themselves?" she kept asking herself.
Left behind by a full hallway-and-a-half, Capitaine could hear phaser fire as well as screams echoing from the bridge. Pushing herself to sprint down the ship, Capitaine stopped short at the intersection as stray phaser shots rounded the corner. At her feet and along the walls were dead security crewmen, from the looks, they were caught unaware.
Stopping at the corner, Capitaine was glad she had chosen a rifle rather than pistols. Peaking over, she saw the largest one holding a scepter and literally sucking the life out of a security ensign. Their phaser pistols didn't seem to have much affect, and those with rifles only seemed to affect the small creatures. Thinking frantically, Capitaine gathered together all of the weapons that were dropped along the hallway.
Overloading all of them, including her sniper rifle, it would deliver one one shot but would also destroy the rifle. Still unnoticed by anyone and anything in the bridge, Capitaine patiently waited for the rifle to overcharge and she slowly found the right angle with a clear shot. Breathing before pulling the trigger, Capitaine hoped this would work, otherwise her fate wouldn't be any different than those around her.
The shot went straight to its target, but a smaller creature hovered through its path and it instead vaporized it and only grazed the larger one. Destroying the larger's scepter had attracted their full attention. Pausing a moment in the fateful realization that *this* is how she would die: being eaten by ghosts. Capitaine stayed crouched by her weapons and fired each in quick succession, each shot finding a mark. Noticing the ghosts seem alittle hesitant at approaching her and giving them a true price to pay, it truly felt that this was how her rapid ascension would come to an end.
Coming to her last weapon, there were still several left as well as the largest one. They didn't have recognizable faces, but Capitaine could tell they would not be merciful. Having backed up with each shot, Capitaine felt her heel hit a wall. Looking down at her last rifle, Capitaine always figured it would be one of Elisa's antics that would be the death of her.
Although the rifle was already overloaded, Capitaine took a gamble and set it to explode while preparing to run to the bridge to find more weapons. Deciding where to throw it, Capitaine suddenly felt numb and limp and saw she was being lifted up simply by the will of these creatures. Increasingly feeling weaker and sleepier, Capitaine found it harder and harder to concentrate and move. Still struggling, she set the final stage of the rifle but only managed to drop it to ground.
Closing her eyes for what felt like the last time, everything suddenly came back to her as the explosion sent her hurtling back against the wall. Opening her eyes to find herself on the ground, Capitaine saw the creatures floating in front of her, they didn't seem hurt but were stunned motionless. Unable to feel anything below her stomach, Capitaine dragged herself to the bridge. About halfway, she again felt being lifted up and weakened. Now closing her eyes from the pain instead, Capitaine resigned herself to this fate; she tried her best and there wasn't anything she could do at this point. Finding little peace in this, Capitaine relaxed herself as best she could and quickly felt everything fade away.
...
" ... Lieutenant-Commander? ... Lieutenant-Commander! ...
Doctor! The Lieutenant-Commander has regained consciousness!"
"Already? Alright, I'm heading back over, try to keep her calm."
With a small smile, a giant pair of gleeful, purple eyes stood over Capitaine as she slowly felt herself waking up. Now only unable to feel below her thighs, Capitaine sat herself up and could see she was laid out on the bridge on a pile of uniform jackets.
"Phaedirel, where am I? Still on the Axon?"
"Yes, Lieutenant-Commander. You saved us from the Devidians and Captain Drake drove the rest of them off."
" 'Devidians'?"
"Yes, Captain Drake debriefed me; with the First-Officer still unconscious, he did not want to speak confidentially with the Commander, so I was his next choice. ... He believes the Axon had a more-scientific mission rather than just 'normal True-Way stuff', as he put it. The Devidians were a 'side-effect' of the Cardiassian's lack of protocol and safety, but due to their very nature he *had* to keep them secret. ... He placed me in command over the Commander, and gave me the next assignment. I am ready to carry it out, but that now depends on your condition."
"My 'condition'?"
Finding herself sore all over, she could tell that her skin was already becoming normal again and she was starting to regain feeling down to her knees. Looking at herself again, she realized the jacket covering her wasn't even her own, and peeking underneath, she saw she wasn't wearing anything but bandages. Noticing again that the jackets she was lying on, Captiaine jumped back clutching herself, mortified that everybody had seen her in such a vulnerable and naked state. Panicky and stressing out, before Capitaine hadn't a chance to ask Phaedriel anything more, Morek walked in carrying a backpack full of medical equipment.
"You're up! A while ago, I thought it wasn't even safe to move you, yet ... *here you are*!"
Cltuching the still-unknown person's jacket tightly to bare skin, Capitaine slid back from Morek as he motioned to recheck her wounds. Morek hesitated, confused; looking back to Phaedriel, who could only respond with a smile, Morek laughed as he explain again.
"Capitaine! Phaedriel and her team found you after you fought off the Devidians. But you were in pretty bad. If that rifle wasn't only at a quarter charge, you'd *definitely* be dead, instead of *not-really* dead. ... The part of you those creatures feed on can rapidly recover, unless its gone entriely ... like many also here. But its known that there won't be any after-affects, yourself included; they were ruthless but they kill very cleanly. "
Learning the rest of what happened, Phaedriel called down Morek and had also somehow convince Captain Drake who *had another Capitaine-hypo*. Shying letting Morek examine her wounds, he finished their healing with standard regenerators, and within the hour, Capitaine could feel her toes again. Within his backpack, Morek had also gotten another shirt and jacket in her size *but had forgotten any pants or shoes*. A cross between agitated and relieved, Capitaine resorted to pulling down her jacket to her knees for the time being. For the moment being unable to walk, Phaedriel helped her back around the ship and back to the make-shift Sick Bay in the cargo bay. Checking again on Elisa, she hadn't made much progress recovering, although it was only several hours.
"Lieutenant-Commander Capitaine, I'm pleased to see you back on your feet. I'm assuming your Commander, Phaedriel, has already briefed you on what you are to do next?"
Hearing Captain Drake's voice again, Capitaine saw he was now standing behind her. Surprised at his sudden arrival, Capitaine was silent as he handed Phaedriel a briefcase and gestured it was for her.
"She has, Captain, but may I ask why all *this*? So many wouldn't have died if I had known about these *Devidians* beforehand!"
"Well, *Commander Phaedriel*, you also remember what is actually going to be done ...
... but, for you Capitaine, I'll give you something in the mean time, ... here is the schematic for those regenerators you used. ... *I'm sure they'll be of use*."
Without time to say anything, Captain Drake beamed back to his ship. Leaving with more questions than before, Capitaine looked inside the case given to Phaedriel. Mush oversized, the case contained one more regenerator and one small data stick. Still leaning over Phaedriel with one arm, Captiane took the briefcase in the other hand.
...
Finally sitting down in her own room on her own bed, Capitaine still wasn't able to walk on her own yet. Not sure how to thank Phaedriel, Capitaine defaulted to simply saying 'Thank you' and that she was dismissed. Phaedriel understood and gave a small nod before leaving. But before she did she took out Captaine's Device and placed it on the table and left.
"Your *Device* wanted something from Axon's computers, whatever it was, it found it. Good night, Lieutenant-Commander."
- END OF CHANPTER -