Chapter 17
Crises on Berengaria seem to arrive in clusters, North reflected drily as he awaited word on the escaped test subjects.
Confirming this sentiment, Colonel Kostopoulos re-entered the med lab and approached him with worse news.
"Commodore, the subjects attacked the security team."
North winced. "Casualties?"
"Three stunned, two seriously wounded," Kostopoulos reported. "They're all on their way to the Infirmary."
"Where are the test subjects now?"
"They used the transporter, sir."
North's brow furrowed in confusion. "The transporter?" The miraculous matter-energy transmission device was so rarely used on living beings that he had forgotten all about it in the panic. Where could the subjects possibly be beaming to?
His eyes widened as it hit him.
"The drydock!" he said.
The same revelation now hit Kostopoulos. "They're going to hijack the Velikan!"
"Along with about eighty people in stasis," North added. He swiftly crossed to the wall intercom, thumbing a channel open. "North to Llamrei Station."
Mercifully, the base's comm system was now tied into the drydock's and Commander Patel, obviously working late, answered.
"Patel here, sir."
"Commander, listen to me very carefully. Three crewmembers have gone rogue and are already aboard the station with you. They are mentally unstable and extremely dangerous. We believe they intend to steal the Velikan. I need you to evacuate and lockdown the station; shut down all systems required to release the vessel. Is that clear?"
"Aye, sir," she promptly replied.
"See to it. North out." He closed the channel and turned back to the rest of the room.
"Can't we just beam them back?" asked Kostopoulos.
North, recalling Patel's repair assessment from when he had first come aboard Llamrei Station, shook his head. "There's a thoron particle leak. We wouldn't get a sensor lock. They probably beamed into an empty storage bay for the same reasons, so we have a few minutes to develop a new plan before they reach the control room."
"Sir, a stealthier approach may take the subjects by surprise," said Kostopoulos.
North nodded. "Take a small team up there, Colonel. Use the transporter as well. You have my permission to employ whatever means necessary to incapacitate your targets."
"Understood, sir." She was about to leave, when Heidelburg spoke.
"Wait," said the old man. "Commodore, please, force is not the answer."
"We are out of options, Doctor," North said, loudly but calmly.
"You will only be sending more of your people into harm's way," Heidelburg said, so earnestly that North momentarily forgot his age. "Let me talk to them. I know their mindset right now, they're scared and confused. I can convince them to return. Peacefully. This is all my doing, let me help set it right."
North's jaw grinded. He didn't like involving Heidelburg further, given that their current predicament was the doctor's fault in the first place, but if the subjects did somehow manage to escape in the Velikan, he may regret not pursuing every possible avenue to stop them.
He turned to Kostopoulos. "Take him." He pointed to Heidelburg. "Let him talk to them, but hang back. If things aren't going well, follow your original orders."
"Yes, sir," said Kostopoulos, reluctantly. She nodded to Threv. "Guardsman, you're with me. Keep an eye on the doctor."
"Yes, Colonel," said Threv.
"Thank you, Commodore," Heidelburg said to North.
"Don't make me regret it, Doctor," North said. "For all our sakes."
Loxus had been in the drydock's control room, staying late to cover for more of Lieutenant Garrison's incompetence, when Patel had received the call from North. Like the rest of the station crew, he was now locking his console. He had no desire to see Human fugitives steal their own vessel, even if a primitive one.
Patel was busy at the main console, under the wide window looking out at the suspended Velikan, but she barked orders while she worked. "Once your console's locked, head for the shuttlepod at the outer airlock and stay there. I'll handle the rest."
The crew started filing out, but Loxus made his way over to Patel and started rapidly typing at the computer controls.
Patel paused in flicking the shutdown switches. "What are you doing, Sylor? I said get to the shuttlepod."
"Apologies, Commander," said Loxus, without stopping. "I thought it might be prudent to encrypt the command functions in the event that the rogue personnel reactivate the console somehow."
In the Romulan Imperial Fleet, such unauthorised actions would result in, at the very least, severe discipline regardless of the intention or outcome. He knew by now, however, that Starfleet was more lenient, often to a fault.
Patel nodded, although she still seemed apprehensive. "Smart." She started to resume flicking the shutdown switches, but she never reached the end.
She was suddenly thrown off of her feet by an unseen force and into the wall, her head smacking off the hard duranium. She collapsed in a heap on the deck, unconscious.
Loxus froze, the immediate and inexplicable occurrence testing the limits of his emotionless pretence. He stifled his shock and looked around to see, in the doorway, Lieutenant Garrison, Technician Keller, and Ensign Dehner.
Garrison had his hand outstretched towards where Patel lay, and Keller now reached similarly towards Loxus.
"Your turn, Vulcan bastard," Keller said.
Before he could react, Loxus found himself raised off his feet by unknown means and thrown hard against the opposite wall, just like Patel.
His Romulan physiology, hardier than that of a Human, kept him conscious, but he slumped onto the floor anyway, pretending to be knocked out as per his espionage training.
The trio marched up to the main console and Keller started operating the controls.
It seemed as if these Humans were in possession of psionic abilities. Loxus knew, of course, that Vulcans had the potential for such a thing, as did the Remans of his home system, along with a few other races, but he had never heard of the phenomenon in Terrans.
Could they be experimenting with such abilities?
"Damn it!" Keller shouted.
"What is it?" said Garrison.
"The console's been encrypted," said Keller. Loxus felt a slight swell of pride. "Don't worry though; I'll crack it."
"Keller…" Garrison cautioned.
"I'll crack it!" Keller insisted. "We got these enhanced brains now, right? And I was good with tech even before that. You two get on board the ship, start the preflight sequence, so we're ready to go when I release the docking clamps."
Garrison seethed but said no more on the subject. He just pulled the reluctant Dehner into the inner airlock, connected to the Velikan via umbilical tunnel.
Still playing unconscious on the floor while Keller continued to curse at the console, Loxus considered the implications of psychic Humans. The Romulan Star Empire had already worked hard to quash such abilities in Vulcans, only to have it all undone; if Humans developed the same capability then they would pose a greater threat.
He would have to ensure these Humans were not successful.