STAR WARS-to-STAR TREK
"THE IMPOSSIBLE POWER"
By: Dan Bivens
Chapter Six
Captain James T. Kirk awoke in the whiteness that was sickbay. At least the section that served as a recovery ward with the latest life-signs scanning bio-beds. The last thing he remembered was grasping at an unseen Something attempting to strangle him on his bridge. Then…
"My ship!" he exclaimed as he swiftly rose to a stiffly seated position on the soft firmness that was his bio-bed. That was when he noticed the sedated person a short distance to his left, also in a bio-bed. "Spock…"
By the time-remembered worry over his psionically assaulted Science Officer/First Officer/friend threatened to hurl Kirk into a deeply depressive state…
"All right now, Jim," said Dr. Leonard H. McCoy as he and Dr. Christine Chapel strolled into the recovery/observation section of sickbay. McCoy carrying a tricorder. Chapel a hypospray. Both items much sleeker in design than the originals. "Just settle down and give us time to…"
"To hell with that, Bones!" tersely said Kirk, cutting off McCoy even as both Doctors reached him to stand to either side. "My ship and crew's in trouble. I've got to get back to the bridge!"
Just as Captain Kirk was about to bound off his bio-bed, Dr. McCoy lightly held him back with his tricorder-free hand, while the hypospray held in Dr. Chapel's was waiting a word or even a nod from McCoy before pressing its redesigned delivery end against Kirk's uniformed upper arm…
"There's no real hurry at the moment, Jim," McCoy smoothly explained. "When you passed out from lack of oxygen…which I still can't quite figure out…Scotty took over after Uhura called him up from engineering. He instructed Sulu and DeFalco to get the ENTERPRISE out of the area at emergency Warp before that alien vessel destroyed us. So far…it hasn't pursued us. That's the good news. The bad news is…"
"With no starship to stand in its way," cut in Kirk almost angrily, "Darth Nihilus will strike the nearest systems of the UFP!"
Shifting his concerns for the nonce, Kirk looked to his left and quietly asked, "How's Spock?"
Glancing at the sedated, yet still struggling against an agony deep within, half-Human/half-Vulcan as though his continued condition was somehow McCoy's failing fault, the Doctor heavily heaved, "He's still under some sort of telepathic attack, Jim. I was hoping that taking the ENTERPRISE away from that extra-galactic craft would help, but…"
Seeing such self-guilt gripping his second compeer from five years as commander of the original starship ENTERPRISE, Captain Kirk quickly shifted from outraged officer to fast friend, reaching out to put hopeful hand to slouching shoulder…
"Bones…it's not your fault. You're doing your best…while going up against something clearly Cosmic. And, also clearly, a threat to the Federation."
Sliding off the side of the bio-bed, standing straight and tall before the frowning Dr. McCoy, with Dr. Chapel still standing on the other side of said bio-bed, both hands held somewhat stiffly at his sides, seriousness suffusing his affectation and tone…
"And that is why, Bones, I've got to go back to the bridge. While you take care of Spock. We both have highly important duties to be done. So let's do them."
Without a word, Dr. McCoy agreed with a double nod. First to his friend and superior officer. Then to his nurse-turned-physician, who lowered the hypospray while no longer needed for Kirk.
As a swift smile played upon Kirk's countenance, still strikingly handsome, thank you very much!, the ENTERPRISE commander made his way out in order to take the nearest turbolift straight up from Deck Five to Deck One. Once there, he would promptly relieve Commander Montgomery Scott, and then…
Coming out of hyperspace, similar to yet separate from the warped space starships like the USS ENTERPRISE essentially established about them, the RAVAGER and its lone occupant/commander were entering the outermost planetary plane of a twelve-world solar system harboring a Federation race of some 11-billion.
Such would swiftly become past tense if Darth Nihilus had his way. Which he invariably would. Once he was close enough to, first, utilize lasers to raze the highly civilized surface. Followed by bodily proceeding down into the smoldering cities to drain away all Life.
"Though the planet I approach holds out no promise of practitioners of The Force," Nihilus proclaimed to an utterly empty bridge at the top of the titanic tower overlooking the enormity that was his capital ship from a far distant…in Space as well as Time…galaxy. "Though none even hold out hope of Force-potency in any way, shape, or form…I shall siphon away whatever Life they do possess. After obliterating entire super-cities. Ha, hahahaha, heheheh, hehhhhh!"
Little could the leaders of a planet called Daafalus Four, every bit as old as Earth and every bit as advanced as Vulcan, fully understand the strangely shaped and significant-in-size vessel on slow sublight approach via solar system scans. Yet none were worried as Daafalus Four had long since lost any sense of fear for the unknown. Replacing such with a welcoming demeanor almost childlike in its trusting nature.
Even the fact such scans readily revealed laser weapons and photon torpedoes in greater power and number held out no reason for fearful preoccupation. They were as sheep before a very ravenous wolf. And their only hope lay with…
"How much longer until we catch up with wherever Darth Nihilus' ship went, Mr. Sulu…Chief DeFalco?"
Having vengefully returned to the topmost level of the saucer-shaped section of the USS ENTERPRISE, still steadily streaking at relativistic speed-equivalents exceeding 720 billion-kilometers-per-hour, Captain James T. Kirk was more determined than ever to find a way to literally blow the RAVAGER to tiny bits.
"We're locking onto the ship's signature now, Captain," Chief DeFalco offered while allowing her relative inexperience overshadow a more accurate report. Such was not so for Lt.-Commander Sulu…
"Optimum firing range within thirty minutes, Captain," he was quick to cut in, not meaning to be at all rude to the lovely lady seated at Navigations.
"Mr. Chekov!" Kirk ordered louder then normal, which only served to solidify the fact more than mere duty dominated the Captain's motivations. "I want phasers and photon torpedoes ready to fire before we even have visual of that ship!"
"Aye, aye, Keptin!" replied Lt. Chekov with considerable desire for some more action after their successful, thanks to Commander Decker sacrifice!, resolution to the V'Ger danger.
"This time," Kirk commented completely under his breath, though his body language told all, "you're not going to get away, you masked bastard!"
END OF CHAPTER 6