Notes: The bad-ass Xenomorphs are back and the Yautja aren't happy.
Chapter Two
Carlton Maynard, Director of mining facilities on Theta-Epsilon VI was finishing his last cup of coffee of the afternoon. He would soon be off shift and heading home to his family.
He spied his favourite Rigellian ginger biscuits on a plate on his secretary's desk. It would dunk really nicely in his coffee.
He over-dramatically sneaked up behind T'paun, his Vulcan secretary and carefully reached for the prize.
Without any sign that she had heard or seen him, her hand shot out and gently slapped his wrist.
"Your wife has given strict instructions that your calorific intake should not exceed the recommended level for a human of your mass while you are in this office," she told him coldly.
T'paun was beautiful even by Vulcan standards. She had full lips, high cheekbones and dark, sultry green eyes. Her long black hair was styled to accentuate her best feature, the cutest pointed ears this side of the Alpha Quadrant.
"Aww, come on. Give a guy a break," he said playfully. T'paun was having none of it.
"Your shift finishes in 13 minutes, 17 seconds. Your journey home takes an average of 10 minutes. You will be eating your evening meal approximately 20 minutes after that. You will only have to hold out for another 43 minutes," she concluded.
"How much is she paying you?" he asked with a grin. "I'll double it," he joked as he turned away. He suddenly reached behind and grabbed a biscuit, dunking it in his coffee before it could be taken off him.
T'paun raised an eyebrow and shook her head as he walked back in to his office. He would finish off his report on the Dilithium yield before shutting shop and heading home.
Dilithium crystals were rare and very important as a catalyst for plasma excitation in a warp drive engine. The Federation colony was a multi-species society and all Federation worlds had a fair share of the resource.
Carlton's comms panel on his desk started to 'ping' for his attention.
"Oh great!" he said looking at the clock on the wall.
"Do you want me to get that Director?" T'paun asked from her desk. "I can take a message."
"No, it's okay. I'll get it thanks," he called back. He touched the screen and the craggy face of his field geologist Takson Jask. "What you got for me Taks?" he asked congenially.
"Hey, Carlton. How's the coffee?" he joked. "One of my guys has come across some odd-looking silicon formations. They look like they may have an organic component to them."
"Have you checked them against the Federation database?" Carlton asked, knowing that Takson Jask would do that anyway.
"We're just scanning them now. When we've got the data I'll upload it to the Inter-World Web-Net. I just thought I'd give you the heads up before you went home," he said.
"Thanks Taks. I'll catch up with you tomorrow." He ended the call and shut down his office. He turned to the door and saw T'paun standing there.
She was the image of a professional secretary in sensible shoes, short grey skirt, charcoal grey sweater and short grey jacket.
"If we are finished for the day Director, I will see you in the morning," she said.
Carlton smiled and gave his usual reply. "Not if I see you first."
T'paun raised an eyebrow without smiling. He loved trying to crack a smile on that gorgeously inscrutable face.
The USS Everett was a single hulled Nova class starship, the mainstay of the Federation scientific fleet. Captain Claudia Alisov's current mission was to survey all planets, moons and asteroids in the current star system for valuable resources.
Captain Alisov was in her command chair reading various reports on her e-pad when the communications officer called to her.
"Captain, I am receiving a distress beacon from the Theta-Epsilon system," he reported.
"On my screen please Mr. Lloyd," she commanded, looking at the screen built into the chair.
She viewed a few reports about unusual silicate formations, a request for updated information from the Federation database, and a medical report on a parasite attached to a geologists face. After that there were no more messages, just the automated distress beacon.
"Mr. Lloyd, inform Starfleet Command of the distress call and of our response," she commanded. "Relay all the messages we've received so far."
"Helm, lay in a course for Theta-Epsilon VI, warp six," she said.
"Theta-Epsilon VI, warp six, aye sir. E.T.A four hours," the Bajoran helmsman responded.
"Mr. Lloyd, give me everything you've got on the colony and feed it through to security too," she ordered. "It's time to do our homework."
The Captain started reading the files. The colony had been established seven years ago when a rich seam of Dilithium crystals was located in a cliff face on an equatorial continent.
The planet has a comfortable range of climates and the colony is located in a lush, sub-tropical valley. On one side of the valley was the fusion power plant and mining operation, where tunnels were cut into the cliff face.
Seven years ago there were a handful of miners living in standard Federation prefabricated buildings. They were comfortable and utilitarian.
Now, the colony had expanded to over 400 individuals and the accommodations were very homely and comfortable. There were gardens, parks and arboretums. The multi-cultural society had a large community centre which held many family activities.
By the time the USS Everett arrived at Theta-Epsilon VI, the Captain and the away team were fully briefed on the colony.
"Helm, standard geosynchronous orbit above the colony," Alisov ordered. "I want a full spectrum scan in a 10 kilometre radius. Comms, hail them on all channels," she finished.
The bridge was silent except for the hum and beeps of the equipment that you never notice until it stops.
Mr. Lloyd on comms was the first to break the silence. "No response Captain on any frequency."
"Thank you Lieutenant," Alisov replied distractedly. She was thinking about 400 people on the surface.
The science officer spoke next. "Captain, the fusion generator is still on-line but the colony is in darkness and without power. I can find no signs of life in any of the dwellings. I believe I have detected five life signs in the Dilithium mines. However the readings are being distorted by the Dilithium crystals."
"Have the colonists evacuated in to the mines as a refuge for some reason?" Asilov thought out loud.
"I am unable to answer that speculation without further data Captain," the Vulcan woman replied.
"Sorry," Asilov said. "I was thinking out loud. Mr. Lloyd, is the away team ready?"
The comms officer checked his display panel. "Yes Captain. They are in the transporter room ready to beam down."
"Good," she replied. "Set coordinates for the mine entrance. I want continuous live feed from all tricorders."
"Aye Captain. They are beaming down now," Lloyd reported.
The away team materialised in a large compound outside the mine entrance. There were large mining vehicles parked in orderly rows to their right and half of a kilometre to their left they could see the large pyramid structure of the fusion generator plant.
The away team consisted of five members. Lieutenant Krantz and Ensign Chandler were in charge of security. Ensign Czapek was the paramedic. Ensign Rana was an engineer and Lieutenant P'tek was the science officer.
All five members took out there tricorders and started to rotate in circles, taking readings. They all agreed that there was nothing in the immediate area and that they should proceed into the large tunnels of the mine.
There were a number of small electric buggies scattered around the compound and they commandeered two of them. Krantz, Czapek and Rana took the lead vehicle, Chandler and P'tek brought up the rear.
The buggies were fast and silent and had powerful lights that lit up the tunnel in front of them. The walls of the tunnel started to change from the smooth excavated rock into ribbed organic looking tubes.
Lieutenant Krantz gave a hand signal and the small convoy came to a halt in front of several alcoves formed by a resin-like material on the tunnel wall. On the ground, half metre tall oval 'rocks' were distributed around the cave.
P'tek tapped her comm-link insignia and spoke. "Captain, are you getting this?" she asked.
On the bridge of the Everett, the main viewer was split into five screens.
"We're getting it," Asilov replied. "Organic cyano-acrylate impregnated with silicates." She was reading the sensor readings next to the video display.
"Oh my God!" The voice of Chandler came over the intercom. His tricorder focused on one of the alcoves. A body was cocooned into the alcove with the same resin. The body had a large, ugly hole in the middle of the chest.
Czapek called out. "I've got life signs over here." The team ran over to join him. "Vulcan. Female. Vital signs are poor. We need to get her to sick bay," he reported.
"We've got another two over here!" Rana told them. Nobody noticed the slithering and hissing sounds that echoed around them.
The science officer on the bridge suddenly interrupted the report. "Captain! We need to get them out of there now!" He stated. "I have confirmation of the alcove construction and the materials. It matches a report by the USS Enterprise of an infestation on a Borg ship."
"What are the recommendations of the report?" Asilov asked. If the away team were in danger, she needed a quick response.
"No survivors to be beamed aboard without quarantine. Blast the site from orbit with high yield photon torpedoes." The officer looked at the report in disbelief.
The Captain made a snap decision. "Mr. Lloyd, contact Starfleet and apprise them of our situation. Transporter room, can you get a lock on the away team and any survivors?"
A voice came back over the intercom. "Negative Captain. Too much interference."
The Captain hailed sick bay. "Put together a field hospital and send it to the transporter room. We'll help the survivors on the ground."
"Aye Captain. Will do." A voice came back.
Back in the mine, Czapek started examining the Vulcan woman. Suddenly her dark green eyes snapped open. She took a rasping breath and hissed, "RUN...! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"
"LIEUTENANT!" he yelled. "I need a hand here. It's alright Miss, we'll get you out," he told her soothingly.
She spat a Vulcan curse and croaked at him. "Run you foo...aaah." Her head snapped back as her body convulsed. When she looked back at him her eyes were steady and calm.
"That... is... unbelievably... painful," she gasped as dark green blood trickled out of her mouth. The rest of the away team had joined Czapek to free the woman, pulling at the resin cocoon.
They jumped back when they heard a crack and saw the resin over her chest split open. The charcoal grey of her jumper was bulging through the split when two, tiny clawed hands ripped through the fabric and pulled a gaping chest wound apart.
A long, black, shiny cranium emerged through the wound, followed by a sleek body. Before anyone could fire a phaser, the creature leapt to the ground and scurried away like a large rat.
The bridge crew watched in horror as Krantz's tricorder followed the scurrying creature until the view was blocked by a two metre tall version of the same alien.
His tricorder panned upwards to the eyeless face of the Xenomorph, its mouth wide open and just visible inside was a second row of metallic teeth. The video feed died and the screen went black.
On P'tek's screen, they saw what happened. The Xenomorph leant towards Krantz and the gullet shot forwards out of its mouth and into Krantz's forehead. The gullet retracted, pulling Krantz forward as the large jaws closed over his head and made a sickening crunching sound.
Kranrz's lifeless body dropped to the ground, his face and forehead were gone. The Xenomorph turned its eyeless head toward P'tek. The other colonists started to convulse, one after the other.
"Kill me! Please kill me," a young man pleaded before he too started to convulse.
On the bridge, the crew continued to watch the gruesome events unfold. Orange phaser shots lit screens, voices shouted warnings and instructions. There was a scream and P'tak's screen went blank.
"GET TO THE BUGGIES!" Chandler shouted.
The three remaining crewmen ran and dived in to the nearest buggy. Chandler took the controls and floored the pedal. The buggy shot forwards away from the carnage behind them.
Unfortunately, no one had seen one of the oval 'rocks' open its lid and the inhabitant pull itself out with eight long fingers.
Something that looked like a cross between a lobster and a large spider, leapt through the air straight on to the face of Chandler. The buggy veered into the cave wall and ricocheted off, rolling over and spilling the passengers in all directions.
Czapek's leg was caught under the buggy and he couldn't get free. He saw Chandler lying on his back with an alien 'spider' hugging his face. Rana had been thrown across the cave and was on his side with his back to Chandler.
A Xenomorph was moving toward Rana's unconscious body. Czapek could see his phaser on the ground to his right and stretched out to reach it. His fingers brushed the weapon when a six toed shiny black foot stood on his wrist.
No one on the bridge said a word as all the screens went black. They were in shock.
Asilov was the first to speak, her voice almost a whisper. "Sciences. Any life signs?"
The science officer dragged his eyes away from the black screen and checked the sensors. "Negative Captain, no survivors," he reported, his voice thick with emotion.
The Captain cleared her throat. "Tactical. Arm high yield photon torpedoes. Target the mine, power plant and the colony."
"Aye Captain," the ensign said in a quiet voice. He tapped the screen a few times, initiating the Captains orders. "Torpedoes armed and ready Captain."
The Captain looked around the bridge at her crew. They were all looking at her, their faces a mixture of sadness for what had just happened, and sympathy for the command she was about to give.
"On screen," she said and an aerial view of the valley appeared on the main viewer. "Fire," is all she could say without her voice breaking.
Several bright dots descended towards the planet, disappearing into the distance. They left trails as they hit the atmosphere and 30 seconds later a dome of bright light expanded over the colony.
A large mushroom cloud ascended until it touched the edge of the atmosphere, obscuring the view as if drawing a curtain across a scene too horrible to contemplate.
"Helm. Come about; set a heading for the nearest star base. I'll be in my ready room updating the log and filing a report with Starfleet," the Captain announced.
She stood and walked forward a few steps when the proximity alarm sounded.
"Alien ship de-cloaking dead ahead," the science officer reported.
A large vessel shimmered into view on the main viewer. The primary hull appeared to be a curved triangular shape, with a secondary hull below and to the rear.
"Shields up!" Asilov commanded just in time as the shields flared a brilliant blue/white which bleached the colours on the bridge, turning everything white with stark black shadows. The ship lurched backwards throwing the Captain back into the command chair.
"What the hell was that?" she asked anyone who could give her an answer.
"A high energy bolt of super dense plasma," the science officer answered. "They are charging weapons for another strike."
"Shields down to 37 percent, Captain. Another hit like that and we are history," tactical reported.
"Fire phasers and launch torpedoes, full spread," the Captain commanded.
Orange beams of energy flared against the alien shields. The photon torpedoes also detonated harmlessly against the invisible energy barrier.
"No effect Captain, we can't touch them," tactical told her.
"Shit!" An uncharacteristic expletive escaped from the Captains lips. "Helm. Evasive manoeuvre 'Asilov Gamma', warp six, NOW!"
The ship lurched to port and spiralled away from the aggressor as another bolt of plasma passed through the spot they had just occupied.
Onboard the alien ship, one of the three captains watched as the Everett disappeared at warp speed. He looked down at the data display and saw that the Xenomorph nest had been destroyed.
His external mandibles flared in anger. If he and his triad brothers had cleared that nest, he would have had his third queen skull and they could all have become clan leaders. Now they would have to find another colony to seed and start from scratch.