Chapter 47


The Aldrin

"Enemy ship incoming!"

"Evasive action," Riker shouted. "Heading 22 mark 4."

"Evasive action," confirmed the helm.

The Aldrin swung up and away from the oncoming ship to the coordinates identified by Riker, but the collision, although glancing, was still unavoidable. The right side of the ship took the brunt of the collision and Riker himself was flung from his chair from the force of it. In a daze he climbed back into his chair and tapped at the controls on the armrest, glancing at Commander Obi, who was crouched on the deck nearby. Several other crew members were struggling to right themselves and get back to their posts. "Damage report," Riker said wearily.

"Sir we've taken damage to our starboard side. That ship was out of control."

Warning. Shields have sustained heavy damage.

"What the hell is happening out there? I'd like some information please," Riker shouted.

"The sudden and widespread erratic helm control among the Malkatan ships, indicate a computer malfunction or series of malfunctions, Captain," said Meeta from Ops.

Riker hit the communications relay. "Riker to Worf."

There was a scratchy sound and then a familiar voice broke through. "Worf here."

"It's good to hear your voice too, Worf," said Riker. "Look, are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"The Malkatan fleet seems to be out of control, and in disarray Captain," Worf agreed.

"Right," said Riker. "The Aldrin needs to stay within transporter range, so that we can beam the officers up to safety, assuming Picard can get that shield down. But Worf but you don't need to be here and neither do the other few ships we have left. Now I'm going to leave it up to you to reason with Captains Jellico and Martens and get them to move out of range of these careening ships."

"And what then, Captain?"

"Try your best to cover us by taking the rest of these ships out from a safe distance away. Meanwhile we'll wait for Picard's signal."

"Captain, I refuse to leave the battle."

"Worf...let's save what's left of our people and get them to safety! There is no battle left. The Malkatans aren't even firing anymore...who knows why. But something's gone very wrong for them."


The Lead Malkatan ship

"Picard you spawn of a Drat...you've done something in the past, haven't you? Something to change the present..." The pressure suit covering Grand Chancellor Unh' s uniform dripped with perspiration, and a putrid light blue liquid had begun to seep from his leg underneath his suit. An old injury which seemed remarkably and disturbingly new again.

Twelve years ago Picard had shot him in that leg with a disruptor and inexplicably he was now bleeding again from the same wound. But what was even worse...the technology on board his ship was failing...regressing even. He grunted as he tied a crude turniquet around his leg and glanced around in disgust at his officers. Some of them phasing from existence, and all of them disoriented they crawled around the bridge groaning and confused.

The instrumentation around the bridge was becoming simpler, and appeared almost as Malkatan technology had before he had captured Picard and his crew all those years before. He felt a disorienting wave pass over him and he vomited. Steadying himself at the controls of the ship, he knew; there was only one explanation for all of this. Picard had disrupted the Singularity Net somehow in the past. And as a result, the Malkatans were no longer supposed to be here at this time and place, wielding the impressive technology of the Singularity Net. "Trying to defeat me again are you, Picard? Well you won't win! I'll see your ship in flames before you beat me."


The Saucer Section

"Jean-Luc, they're not letting us go. Whoever is flying that thing has a serious grudge against you, son."

"Mary, it's very possible that you are correct," Picard replied. "But at this moment, I couldn't care less about the motivations of the commander of that ship."

The ship shook as the forces of gravity took hold and the saucer shot down through the Earth's atmosphere. Black turned to blue with white wisps of clouds breaking around the front of the ship.

Target achievable in seven minutes.

Concentration was all that mattered, he told himself. "The Stargazer wasn't built for this kind of heavy gravity," he murmured. "And I've got no maneuverability to speak of, as I would out in space."

"What's a star gazer?"

"My ship," he confirmed over the growing vibration in the deck beneath them.

"Oh! Your old ship," Mary acknowledged. "But we're here on the Enterprise, Jean-Luc. Stay with me now, son," she encouraged him.

He shook his head, trying to steady his blurred vision. He was present and yet he was not. "Doesn't matter. The saucer section isn't made for this kind of trip either. Damn...they're firing on us again," he said, firing back with the aft phasers, and switching the viewer momentarily to a backwards view. His return phaser fire grazed the Malkatan ship.

The spinning Malkatan ship appeared to be losing its structural integrity, and wobbled as though the pilot was intoxicated. "Something's not right with that ship, Mary," he announced switching to the forward view screen again. "And I for one...am not complaining."

Suddenly a beeping signal emitted from Mary's console. "Um...someone's calling us...I mean we're being hailed...I think," she reported nervously.

"Ignore them," he snapped. "We've got more important things to do than chit chat."

Mary shrugged, keeping her eye on the inertial dampers. "I don't know what button to hit for that anyway," she admitted. Her eyes widened as she saw the console was flashing red at her. "But-but...oh no!"

Inertial dampers are malfunctioning, said the computer. Deceleration is compromised. The ship's rapid descent must be addressed.

Picard growled something to himself about the joys of having a civilian crew.

"Hey, I'm doing my best," Mary insisted.

Approaching target in three minutes. Enemy vessel is continuing to hail us, reported the computer.

"Too late," Picard whispered to himself, ignoring the computer's report. The hull creaked from the strain of gravity and he could imagine that from the outside the ship would appear to be dropping like a smooth grey stone from the sky. He attempted to compensate by varying the strength of the thrusters along the hull, but the saucer continued its swift descent, falling faster and faster. It was all he could do to keep the ship on course. Foolish goddamn plan, Jean-Luc. Very foolish.

"Snap out of it!" Mary was suddenly yelling into his face. "Will you look, Jean-Luc?" She was pointing at the view screen. "We're almost there!"

He laughed almost reflexively at the beautiful yet terrifying sight of the expansive ocean rapidly approaching ahead of them on the view screen. "Computer get me a lock on the electromagnetic reading down on that island. I need exact coordinates," he said.


Warning. Intruder alert.

Something sounding similar to a transporter beam announced itself behind them, and Picard's head snapped around to look in time to see a large blue creature barreling toward him. Leaping up to shield Mary, he pulled his phaser, firing at the creature. If Mary had asked him a moment ago, who had been flying the ship that had pursued them into Earth's atmosphere, he would not have been able to tell her. And yet now, the recognition was as immediate for him as it was for Unh. His vision blurred as he phased back twelve years into the past.

Gripping the pistol, he ran from the room and raced down the hall, now working from the memory of having been dragged down it by his arms just days before. The door to the room he was looking for was already open.

General Unh lay on the floor, unconscious. Picard pulled out the hypo and put it to the Malkatan's neck. "Wake up," shouted Picard. "Wake up!" Slowly the Malkatan opened his narrow eyes, and looked at Picard. His eyes widened just slightly before Picard wrapped his hands around the General's neck, squeezing with all of his might. The alien began to choke and wheeze, pounding Picard with his powerful arms, but Picard just gripped him harder.

The sharp yellow teeth set in an enormous blue face, traveled with him from one reality to the next and he was again on the Enterprise, but only physically. "You murdered my crew!" Picard screamed, leaping onto the Malkatan, who in turn leaped at him.

"I should have finished you off twelve years ago myself, Picard" Unh roared, striking at him with his disruptor, but Picard moved aside, now feeling himself again for the first time in days. This was what was supposed to happen. He was to confront and kill the murderer of his crew.

The electromagnetic field has been targeted, said the computer. Warning. The target will be out of range in sixty-five seconds.

Picard wrapped his hands around the bulging neck of the Malkatan General, wrestling him to the deck. Unh struck at him with his disruptor, and even fired off a wild shot, but Picard was so focused, that he didn't notice, didn't even try to move away. "I...will...finish you," Picard promised, moving his face so close to Unh's as he tightened his grip, that he could smell the Malkatan's stench, just as he had on the base. Except now he was in control, as the alien sputtered beneath him.

The target will be out of range in 45 seconds.

"Jean-Luc, what are you doing?" Mary was screaming. "You've got to rescue those prisoners! Now!" He loosened his grip on Unh's throat only marginally. "Think of Beverly," Mary yelled, shaking his shoulders. "Think of your friends."

"He killed my crew," Picard sobbed, still not wanting to let go.

"Leave him," she implored, grabbing him by the shoulders. "He's almost dead. You're not a killer," she said, still holding onto him, as they backed away from the Malkatan, who still lay on the deck, gasping for breath. "You're not a killer, son."

Mary took the phaser from him gently, and then to his surprise aimed it at the Malkatan. She fired and then looked up at Picard. "It was on stun...I think. Now we've got to hurry."

He nodded, tears still stinging his eyes and dropped back into his seat at the helm. His hands found the controls immediately. "Target is in sight," he whispered, now able to see a strange dome of energy covering the entire small tropical island. The ship shuddered again, and he recognized now that at this velocity, and this angle, there would be no way to save his ship. The vast ocean drew ever closer and in a few minutes would be the saucer section's final resting place. "Jean-Luc Picard, destroyer of star ships," he murmured to himself. "Firing phasers," he said aloud, repeating the same action momentarily with a short burst of fire. The electro magnetic field wavered for an instant and then disappeared. Mary let out a cheer beside him.

"Picard to fleet, I have freed the captured officers...you may beam them up when ready."

"Acknowledged, Captain Picard." came Riker's voice. "And welcome back. Prepare for transport."

"Two to beam up," Picard said turning his head to smile at Mary. They grasped hands just as the nose of the saucer struck the surface of the ocean. But instead of a violent impact, they felt the cool embrace of the transporter beam.


The Aldrin

"Security reports that the recaptured officers are safe and now in the main shuttle bay, Captain," Lieutenant Kashirin reported.

Riker closed his eyes and rubbed both his hands over his face. To say he was relieved would have been an understatement. "And Picard?"

Kashirin read the report streaming onto her console and typed something back to the security detail. "Uh, sir...no one knows what he looks like. The reports show the transport from the Enterprise saucer section was successful and brought two people aboard."

Riker sighed and crossed his arms over his chest looking down at the deck. "Good enough for now. Looks like we'll have to wait a bit for a full reunion." He paused a moment more before tapping his communicator. "Riker to Troi..."

"Troi here, Will. Good to hear from you. Are we out of danger?"

Riker laughed. "Nearly. Where are you? How is Beverly?"

"She's well, all things considered. We're in holodeck three."

Riker took a deep breath. "Tell her...tell her we've got him. Captain Picard is here on board the Aldrin."

"Oh...oh I haven't heard such good news in so long. Thank you Will, I will tell her."

Riker smiled, imagining seeing her again. "I'll see you soon then."

"Yes. Soon."

"Captain the rest of the fleet has now retreated to a safer distance," Obi reported from behind Meeta at Ops. "And they've managed to clear some more of the enemy ships, sir." Despite the positive news, Obi still looked and felt very tense. Minutes ago, Johanna Mayer had exited the bridge in an attempt to try and retrieve the CASU unit from the control station in the torpedo bay with Data and LaForge. The CASU unit had malfunctioned and the plan had been to try and re-establish a link to bring it back aboard. Then they'd been forced to head to a new set of coordinates to avoid an out of control enemy ship and CASU had been left behind. Now Obi hoped that Johanna had given up and was headed back to the bridge. Despite her cold exterior, troubled inner world and questionable actions, he now suspected that he in fact loved her. His hand shook slightly as he brought it to his chest to hit his communicator.

"Obi to Doctor Mayer," he said. "Doctor we haven't received a report from you, and-"

"Mayer here...Commander...Patrick, I just need a minute more to establish the communications link. The ship moved coordinates, making the link up more difficult-"

"Please remind her we were in the middle of a battle, Commander," Riker said tightly.

"Johanna, we were forced to take evasive action," said Obi. "As it is we're still at risk of being struck by one of the enemy ships. You may have to abandon your attempts to save CASU."

Riker made a cutting motion with his hand, and then hit his communicator. "Nope...scratch that, Doctor. You need to abort your attempts to retrieve CASU immediately. We have our people from the surface now, and we need to get out of this tangled mass of ships and re-group later from a safer vantage point."

"But Captain-"

"Incoming! Brace for impact!"

Riker dove for a nearby railing heeding Kashirin's warning, but the collision happened so quickly that everyone was taken by surprise. A deafening explosion erupted at the back of the bridge and smoke began to pour from the ceiling.

Kashirin was the first to pull herself up off the deck to lean on the tactical station, dazed and injured. Behind her a tech was spraying fire suppressant. "Decks 27 to 21 have sustained massive damage, Captain."

"Impulse power is minimal, and we've lost at least two plasma injectors."

"Little to no plasma transfer to the starboard nacelle, Captain."

Riker coughed, still sitting on the deck. "Send out a probe and get me a visual on the secondary hull," he ordered.

"Aye sir...on viewer."

Immediately the image of the Aldrin appeared, its blackened hull showing that they had come very close to being sliced in half by a careening Malkatan ship.

"Riker to Engineering." There was no answer. "Riker to LaForge. I can't get anyone in Engineering. Do you have any idea about our propulsion..."

The reply was static filled and he heard screaming in the background. "Captain, we've got plasma fires out of control down here-we tried-Data went back for Doctor Mayer, but-sir she wouldn't leave the torpedo bay."

"She's on Deck 25," Obi whispered, turning to Riker. "Sir, she's on deck 25," he said in a stronger voice.

Riker stepped toward him. "Listen to me Patrick. There's nothing you can do for Johanna now."

"I have to go and help her. Shouldn't have let her go down there in the first place." Obi took a step past Riker, but Riker grabbed the man around his shoulders. "Patrick! Patrick, there's nothing you can do."

"She's on deck 25," Obi repeated in shock.

Riker grabbed the big man by his shoulders and shook him gently. "Patrick...there is no more deck 25. It's gone...she's gone. I'm sorry." Obi stepped back, still staring down at the deck.

Riker slowly loosened his grip and let the man go. There was no time to console anyone right now. There would be hundreds at least dead, and they still didn't know if propulsion was repairable.

"Chief Engineer to Captain Riker."

Finally. "Riker here. Report Chief."

"Captain I've lost at least a third of my people down here today. We've put out the fires now...but we're dead in the water, sir. We've got no impulse and no warp capability without the plasma injectors."

Suddenly there was another rumble of an explosion in the interior of the ship and it was then that Riker knew what he had to do.

"Another plasma explosion, Captain. We've started evacuating all personnel to the upper decks, sir," Obi said from a science station. His face was a jumble of emotions, mirroring the way Riker felt himself.

"Attention crew: begin total evacuation procedures," said Will. "Get to the life pods and shuttle craft."


The whole ship seemed to thunder with a series of new explosions and then there was a sensation below Deanna's feet as though the ship was folding in on itself. Overcoming her nausea and pushing herself up to a sitting position, she saw that Beverly was crouching not far away from her with the baby protectively in her arms. For now they were alright. The holodeck program had aborted itself and the black and gold grid had returned.

"Attention crew: begin total evacuation procedures. Get to the life pods and shuttle craft."

The fear and uncertainty in Will Riker's voice was disheartening, but somehow did not deter Deanna from what she knew she needed to do. She stood up and reached her hand out to Beverly. "We've got to hurry, Beverly. We need to evacuate the ship."

Beverly stood up straighter and hugged the baby to her chest. The faraway look in her eyes had returned and Deanna knew this was more than just a coping mechanism. It seemed that once again her friend wasn't quite with her in the present. And still she was able to make her intentions very clear. "You should go Deanna...get to safety. I'm not going anywhere without Jean-Luc."