Chapter Title: What Ghosts There Do Remain
Chapter Synapses: Part Two of Two. Defying orders, Hyperion enters the fray dedicated to recapturing Bajor. Starwind hatches a bold plan that claims the life of a member of the crew.
Written by: Seraph Koji
Previously…"We call it the Shrine of the Fallen Star. Your word, Hyperion, it looks like the temple…" Raizel pointed over the cliff just ahead of them.
"The Krenim?" Janeway pondered a moment, "Yes, yes. I have heard of them."
"We have reason to believe that they are the aggressor in the impending war." Starwind reported.
"Dearborn to DS9, their torpedoes are tearing through out shields. We can't defend ourselves. We're falling back to…" A frantic female voice faded to static.
"Are you injured?" A Bajoran nurse asked.
Sen shook his head, "I'm a doctor. Sen Asim from the Hyperion. I'm here to help."
"Hyperion?" Julian Bashir approached.
Starwind thought intensely for a moment before rising, "I am about to commit a direct violation of our orders. Any of you who wish to object should do so now, it will be noted in my log."
"To hell with our orders, sir." Collins said candidly.
And now, the conclusion…"What d you think they're doing?" a nurse asked Sen.
Sen sighed, "Attacking Bajor, I would figure. They want to establish a beachhead here."
Another nurse shoved into the quarters with the group of infirmary staff asked, "You think Starfleet will send anyone else."
"After that massacre?" Bashir asked, "That'd be insane. No one would attempt it."
Sen looked out at space, "I know one man who would."
Bashir shook his head. "Even if it's Vic's ship, one ship isn't going to matter. These Krenim tore through an entire task force."
"So we do something to help him."
"ETA?" Starwind asked on the bridge.
"Fifteen minutes." Ivano replied.
'Let me know when I can send a secure communiqué to Sen. Phral, any information on these torpedoes?" Starwind asked.
"Well, according to Captain de Ayora, the torpedoes passed through the shields because they were in a state of temporal flux." Phral explained, "But we may be able to adapt our temporal force fields we used to protect the OPAs from changes in the timeline."
"What's an Opa?" Winters asked VonBach.
"OPA." VonBach corrected, "'Out of Place Artifact'. It's what Watson called those things from the future crashed on planets."
"Get us the shields, Phral." Starwind hit his badge, "Starwind to Keriasso, get three units and meet me and VonBach in the Wardroom."
Only a few minutes later, Starwind, VonBach, and Keriasso stood before eleven marines and eleven security men in the Wardroom aboard ship, "The plan is simple. We beam six teams to Deep Space Nine. Three marine units and three units of VonBach's security forces. MC1 under Keriasso's command, your mission is to retake Ops. VonBach's SF1 has the same goal but will beam in from a separate location. SF and MC will be charged with finding and freeing hostages throughout the station. MC3 is to suppress the Krenim forces, starting with the Promenade. This will also create a distraction from the others missions. Finally, SF3 is to gather any information they can on the Krenim, most importantly the temporal variance of their weapons. Any questions?" The room was quiet, "Report to Transporter Rooms, you deploy in a few minutes." Starwind was the first to leave and found Talara waiting for him, "Hey."
"Will they do it?" Talara asked.
Starwind shook his head, "I'll need to go over."
"How do you know?" Talara asked.
"Because, Talara." Starwind was apprehensive about saying this, "Because I die today."
"Yes!" Sen cheered, "I managed to crack into the main computer. But they've encrypted primary systems."
"Let me see." Bashir tinkered with the computer, "But we can route power from secondary systems to primary systems."
"Which does what?"
"Well, Asim, what happens when you have a sudden surge?" Bashir tapped a few controls and the lights flickered, "Main power is failing."
"Nurse Sito, let's open the door and say hello to our security detail." Sen tossed a Bajoran disruptor to one of the nurses.
"Where'd you get that?" Bashir asked, accepting one as well.
"These are the quarters of a security officer. I found a cache of weapons under the deckplate." Sen replied, "Let's go."
"Sir, DS9's shields are down." Talara looked up from her console.
"Transporter rooms, energize. Phral, raise temporal shields. Sarah, open fire on the Krenim battleships. And bring the Point-Defense Matrix on-line." Starwind issued orders.
"Go!" Keriasso ordered his men down a corridor toward the lift.
"Major!" One of the marines cried, hit by weapons' fire.
Keriasso took fire behind a wall, "Keriasso to VonBach, status?"
VonBach wasn't faring better. He dove round a corner, "Oh, just fine. You?"
"Up for a game, Commander?" Keriasso shot one of the Krenim, "I've got a point already."
Sen rounded a corner, leading the medics. He very nearly shot the approaching figures before noticing their uniform, "Marines." He sighed with releif, "Where's Major Keriasso?"
"The Point Defense system isn't taking a single torpedo out. And Phral's shield modifications are useless without the phase variance." Winters called. The bridge appeared rather beaten rather quickly.
"Captain?" Talara looked up, Deep Space Nine is hailing. They wish to discuss terms of our surrender."
"Tell their leader I'll discuss them in person." Starwind stood up, kicking debris out of his way, "Dorian, you have the bridge. What's left of it."
"Victor!" Collins rose to her feet. She blushed slightly at breaking rank like that, "You can't go. If you go, you'll die."
"Maybe now that I know that, things will be different." Starwind walked back to her side, "I can't tell you my plan, Dorian, but there is a plan. Have in me a little faith."
Collins' eyes swelled with tears and rather than speaking, she took Starwind (much to his surprise) in an embrace and held him tightly.
"This isn't the end, Dorian."
"It better not be."
Starwind simply allowed her this moment. After a second, he stepped back, "Time to go save the universe." He made his way to the turbolift, "Starwind to Sen, Keriasso and VonBach, here's the new plan."
"Did you think one ship could succeed where a task force failed?" Abraxis asked Starwind in Ops on DS9.
"You said your name was Abraxis?" Starwind asked, "Well, Abraxis, I thought I'd be able to get a bunch of my men on your station. Now, what did I do?"
Abraxis nodded to his guards, who pushed Starwind onto his knees, "You think you're funny. Your men did hardly damage. Killed a few solders, freed a few hostages, flooded the station with Chronoton particles, but you've done nothing lasting. And I'm only the first phase. Wait till the General shows up. That's a day for you to fear, Captain."
"Another goofy-looking psychopath?" Starwind inqured.
Abraxis back-handed Starwind, "Jest if you wish, Captain, but no matter what you have endured, you've never experienced the likes of what Annorax is capable of."
"You ended that sentence with a preposition! Bastard!" Starwind gritted his teeth as another blow crashed into his face. "What is it you want?"
"Escort me to Starfleet Command." Abraxis ordered.
"I've tapped into station security. Here." Talara reported, the image of Ops appeared on the Hyperion's viewscreen.
"Hyperion to Starwind, we are trying to get a pattern lock on your position. Heavy concentrations of charged Chronoton are blocking transport." Collins called frantically over subspace.
Starwind nodded, "Understood."
Abraxis took a disruptor from one of his men, "Don't make me do this, Captain."
"Please, Victor!" Collins pleaded.
Starwind's eyes fixed on Abraxis' weapon, "Dorain, have faith. This isn't the end." Starwind finally struck Abraxis back.
Abraxis, injured, stood and pointed the weapon, "Are you watching, Commander? I know you are tapped into the station comm. network." There was silence. Abraxis smiled at Starwind, "Are you ready to die, Captain?"
"Are you, Abraxis?" Starwind replied, sarcastically.
Abraxis' gun discharged. Starwind touched his comm. badge as the burst struck him.
"Positive lock. Energizing!" Talara almost cheered.
The image on the view screen fell to a nondescript white.
"Commander, the Krenim on the station… they're all vanishing." Talara reported.
"So are the Krenim battleships around the station." Ivano sounded confused.
"Dorian." Talara grimly addressed her superior, "Walter sent word. He just got the comm. badge. Nothing else."
"Yes, Admiral." Collins explained the mission to Admiral Judge during the daily briefing. Judge was an older man who did not look at all friendly. He looked rather creepy, in fact. "Captain Starwind was hit, but I believe he was merely shifted in time. If you would let me-"
"No." Judge interrupted, "These theories are fascinating, but the Federation is at war. Hyperion is needed elsewhere. Commander Collins, I promote you to the field commission Captain. She's yours now. Albatross out."
"Where are we ordered to?" Talara broke a long silence.
"Methis System." Collins replied, "There to meet with a patrol fleet."
"Not like it matters." VonBach sighed, "Until Phral adapts those temporal shields, we can't even defend ourselves against the Krenim's temporal weapons."
"I'm working on several new harmonics." Phral reported, "We're close to a breakthrough."
Collins nodded, "Dismissed."
After the others left, VonBach approached Collins. "The funeral is at 1700." He said solemnly.
"I can't mourn someone I won't believe is dead." Collins looked out at space, "I'll be taking my stocked leave, Commander. I've got to go find him."
"How do you know he's alive?" VonBach asked.
Collins was silent a moment. She held his comm. badge tightly in her hand, "Because I can feel it." She replied, "I just know, Joseph."
VonBach nodded, "Good luck, then." He exited.
"To us both." She said softly after he had left. She sighed heavily, "Captain's log, stardate 57803.1…"
