Star Trek the Next Generation
Rabies
Chapter 11
First Step
Picard looked at Sisko smiled as he stepped foot in his ready room. Sisko shook Picard's hand and then sat in the chair opposite from the desk, "It is time."
"Good," Sisko said shaking his head unhappily, "I hate being kept in the dark."
"You and me both," Picard frowned as he stood up from his desk. He walked to his replicator and asked, "Uh do you want anything?"
"No I'm fine," Sisko said leaning forward in his chair so he could see Picard better, for the replicator was at the corner of the ready room, "So what is going on exactly," Sisko asked watching Picard walk back to his desk with a cup of steaming Earl Grey. "All the ships patrolling the Neutral Zone are here right now at the rendezvous point leaving us totally vulnerable."
Picard smiled as he took a seat. "Our plan is to take the Nellar System," He said as aster taking a quick sip from his drink.
"The Nellar System?" Sisko chuckled as he shook his head in dismay, "So we are for sure going to war?"
"It seems that way," Picard, said setting his drink on his desk, "We will be without the Klingons for now, but they will be there to help us secure it."
"You seem very certain that we will have the Nellar System," Sisko said leaning standing up as he began pacing around the ready room.
"I guess it helps having a Klingon as your head of Security and weapons," Picard said with a smile."
Sisko walked up to Picard's desk and placed his palms on the desk as he leaned close to Picard, "I wised I shared your enthusiasm."
Picard stood up and walked up to Sisko. He placed a friendly hand on Sisko's shoulder, "Hey we will get through this. I am not saying taking the Nellar system will be easy, but I have a feeling it will be ours."
"Once we have the Nellar system," Sisko said walking away from Picard, "We will do what? There is still the threat of the virus?"
"I don't know how the Romulans created that virus," Picard said looking at Sisko, "This virus is grisly and I have never seen anything like it. When my officers were in the brig, I did not recognize them for they were infected. I had to kill them, I wish to this day that I there was a way to save them."
"Not every disease has a cure," Sisko said sitting on the leather couch in the corner of the ready room, "I mean I wish there were a way the Ghandi could have been saved, but even if we did save them. I heard rumors that the whole vessel was infected. I don't know how," Sisko, said looking at Picard, "But I can see it only the beginning, there will be many fatalities while trying to end this thing."
"Before Admiral Jeral's ship was destroyed," Picard said reaching for his tea. He took a sip and realized it was now luke warm. Even though he hated it other than hot, he drank it anyways, "She warned me that the Romulans were trying to come up with an idea on how to spread the infection on a larger scale."
"So you think that is what happened to the Ghandi?" Sisko said looking shocked and angered at the same time.
"That is precisely what happened to the Ghandi," Picard said finishing his not so warm tea.
"When do we leave?" Sisko asked standing up.
"Right now," Picard said setting his cup on the desk.
"Good then," Sisko said walking to the ready room door, "I guess I will return to the Defiant. Good luck Jean Luke."
"Good luck Benjamin," Picard said with a sly smile.
Picard watched Sisko step out of his ready room. When the doors slid shut, Picard pressed his com-badge and said, "Mr. Data, send a message to the whole fleet and tell them to set course for the Nellar System, warp 5."
"Aye sir," Data said.
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Thomas looked around the room he currently was held in and was feeling anxious. He just wanted an answer. Thomas sighed and tried to loosen the ropes that confined him to the chair. The ropes were beginning to cut his wrists, so he stopped breathing heavily. He knew his wrists were cut up, because he felt blood drip down the palm of his hand and to the floor.
The chair was connected to the ground, so there was no way he could try to loosen it. Thomas sighed again knowing all he could do was wait, but he didn't have to wait long. The door opposite from him swung open and in walked Chakotay and a Bajoran woman, he did not recognize. "Trying to escape are we?" Chakotay teased as he sat down in the chair opposite of Thomas, "No one has managed to escape before. The closest was a Breen who tried to infiltrate us. He managed to loosen the ropes, but as soon as he stood up, he fainted."
"We put a chip in every outsider and if that chip is activated, it shuts them down," The Bajoran sneered, "Relatively speaking."
"Once that Breen was passed out," Chakotay said with a grin, "We removed his helmet to see what a Breen actually looks like."
"Well what happened then?" Thomas asked wanting to massage his sore hands.
"The Breen kind of disintegrated in a way," Chakotay said giving Thomas a weird look, "He made a loud whining noise and turned into a puddle of green goo in a matter of seconds."
"So," Thomas said exhaling heavily, "What is the story now? I have been here for a while and am in fact hungry and thirsty."
Chakotay smiled and looked at the Bajoran. He nodded and she walked behind and began to loosen the ropes. Thomas winced as his sore wrists ached in pain. "You are one of us now," Chakotay said reaching out to shake Thomas' hand, "But don't think you are going to have it easy," Chakotay said looking at the Bajoran female, "I am going to have Seska watch you to make sure, you don't decide to turn your back on us. Don't forget you will still have that chip in you for a while so, it isn't likely you will be going anywhere."
Thomas stood up and smiled at Seska. Chakotay looked at Thomas and smiled, "Don't get any ideas, Thomas Riker, she is my girl."
"Seska," Chakotay said looking at her, "Before taking him to the café, have him treated in the infirmary."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
The Defiant shot forward and sprayed its deadly torpedoes on to the Romulan war bird. A section of the war bird exploded and fire shot out of it. The Nightgale, on the Defiant's back, lashed out its phasers. The Romulan ship's shields buckled and it exploded. The Defiant flew through the debris a spun around firing on the next war bird.
Two war birds tailed the Nightgale and fired deadly torpedoes on its nacelles. The left nacelle exploded and the ship began to spin around. It fired a torpedo at the closer war bird, but missed. The lagging torpedo struck the side of the Enterprise, doing minimal damage. The war birds dodged torpedoes from the Enterprise and fired on the Nightgale again. A sizable hull breach appeared in the hull. Another set of torpedoes were fired and the other nacelle exploded. The other nacelle exploding set a ripple effect of explosions throughout the ship.
The Nightgale exploded and the tail of the ship struck the Enterprise, decreasing its forward shields by ten percent. The Defiant spun around dodging a string of torpedoes. During the process though, one of the torpedoes managed to strike a glancing blow at the Defiant. "Sir," Dax said gripping the helm control as the Defiant shook rapidly, "I can't get those war birds off my tail."
"You're doing fine old man," Sisko said solemnly, "I know you can do it."
"Shields down to seventy percent," Miles said from his counsel as the Defiant shook again, "We have lost communications again."
The Enterprise fired a string of torpedoes and it struck the two war birds. They exploded and the enterprise flew through it firing at two other war birds that were tailing the Rubinoff. "Sir," Worf said holding on to the weapons station as the Enterprise's hull shuttered, "Shields down to sixty eight percent."
Picard looked at Riker and both shook their heads in dismay. Both agreed that although they did not like war, sometimes you would have to prepare for war if peace was desired. "Keep targeting the Romulan war birds," Picard said gripping his chair as the ship shook again.
"Yes sir," Worf said in a deep voice.
The Defiant flew around the damaged Reliant X and fired at the war birds that were attacking it. One of the war birds exploded into a giant fireball. The Defiant flew through both of the Reliant X' nacelles, firing a spread torpedoes, that struck the war bird dead center The war bird split in half from the force of the torpedo. One of the halves smashed into the Reliant X' saucer section and fire erupted from the force of the damaged war bird. Explosions rippled across the hull of the ship and it exploded, spewing debris everywhere.
The Defiant sprayed another string of torpedoes striking other Romulan targets. The Enterprise dodged a string of torpedoes and shot out a phaser that struck the war bird. The war bird exploded as the Enterprise flew by. The Enterprise flew through the debris of another war bird and fired on a war bird that just destroyed the Yavneh. "Sir," Worf said with triumph the last of the war birds have been destroyed.
"Good," Picard said standing up, "Open a channel with the Defiant."
"The Defiant's communications is currently down," Worf said looking at Picard.
Picard inhaled and looked at Riker, "Let the repairs begin," Picard exhaled and looked at Worf and then back at Riker, "Number one you have the bridge, I will be in my ready room."
Picard turned and walked off the bridge. He stepped into his ready room and walked up to computer saying, "Computer open a channel with Admiral Ross, authorization Picard alpha tango 32."
The computer beeped in acknowledgement and the smaller computer opened up. Admiral Ross smiled at Picard, "I guess you contacting me now is good news."
"Oh yes," Picard said frowning, "We have taken the Nellar system."
"What are the casualties?" Admiral Ross asked.
"We don't know yet," Picard said leaning back in his chair, "But I will let you know when I do find out."
Admiral Ross nodded in acknowledgment and said, "I want you to remain there until further notice."
The screen went blank and Picard leaned back in his chair exhaling heavily. They had won this battle, but at what cost. Are deadly altercations really the answer? Picard stood up and walked up to the replicator, "Tea earl grey, hot."
Picard grasped the cup and took a quick sip when it appeared. He did not bother to sniff its pungent aroma, as he always did. He took a seat at his desk and leaned back in the chair thinking about the awful truth, "Too many will die before this ends."