"Captain's log, supplemental.

We are now en route to the Betelgeuse Nebula. Scotty has got the ship up to Warp 7 – an impressive feat at short notice.

My 'quiet' birthday was cut short, just as predicted by Bones. Ever since starships have started disappearing, people have been on edge, but now we know what's been destroying them. A gigantic warbird, apparently over three times as big as a D7 class battlecruiser, has been destroying ship after ship from every known race in the galaxy.

And, of course, we've been sent to investigate.

Bones isn't at all happy about it. I'm not comfortable either, putting the lives of hundreds at risk, but orders are orders. There's nothing I can do about that.

At least my crew trusts me. We've been through a lot together: that salt monster; the Romans on planet 982-IV; the Planet Killer; the mirror universe; and much more. Every time, I've pulled them out of seemingly no-win situations.

I only hope that I can pull us out of this one."

"What the hell is it?" Dr McCoy asked in wonder as he and Nurse Chapel watched the tiny creature sniffing about on the floor of the brig cell. "Apart from incredibly fast and small and potentially carrying dangerous diseases?"

"I don't know," Chapel replied, "but he looks cute."

"Cute?! My God, woman! We've been chasing that thing around the ship for at least an hour! It could bring the whole crew down with rabies! And you still call it cute?"

"Relax, Doc. You can treat this thing for rabies, can't you?"

"I can give that little…whatever it is a vaccine for quite few infectious viruses. I always keep a few cases of around, just in case we run into some disease-ridden, 9 foot high furry alien again. And I intend to hypospray this thing once we can get it under anaesthetic."

Smiling despite the doctor's moody manner, Nurse Chapel focused her attention on the furry little squirrel-like creature still sniffing about inside the brig. It was the only place, they had decided, that could hold him. They had tried keeping him in a cage inside sickbay. When that hadn't worked, they had tried locking him in a . And after he had managed to find his way out into the Enterprise corridors, it had taken over half an hour just to catch him, and another 10 minutes to get to the brig.

Thank goodness Bones had found a way to keep the creature busy. By spreading scent trails across the floor and placing a variety of pot plants inside the normally bare cell, they had created a maze for their specimen to navigate through (and over, in some cases) to keep him occupied. Hopefully he wouldn't escape again.

"What are we going to call him?" Chapel asked after a long pause.

"Excuse me?" McCoy whirled around. "Now we're going to give this thing a name?"

"Sure! I mean, he could be our new mascot! Once we got him vaccinated and everything!"

"Oh boy." The doctor sighed and turned away.

The nurse stared hard at the creature for a few moments. Then her eyes brightened as she turned back to Dr McCoy. "Got it! Did you ever see the old 21st century movie series, Reign of the Glaciers?"

"Never even heard of it."

"Well, it's got these two squirrels in it, Scritch and Scratch, and they're always fighting over this acorn and causing big disasters." She took another look at the squirrel inside the brig. "He looks a bit like Scratch, but I can't call him that. What about…Scrat?"

"Whatever you say," McCoy grumbled.

"Yes, he's definitely a Scrat," Chapel smiled as she watched the squirrel clamber over yet another pot plant.

"Alright," Dr McCoy sighed. "I'm going up to the bridge. You stay down here and keep watch over your 'Scrat'. Don't let it escape. Got it? If it gets out, it'll be your responsibility to catch it and put it back in there!"

"Fine by me!" Chapel called over her shoulder as McCoy strode out of the sickbay. Then she smiled back at Scrat.

"You're not going to escape, are you?" she cooed. "No you're not!"

Captain Kirk warily watched the bridge viewscreen as the Enterprise powered through the whirling vortex of light that was warp speed. It had only been a few hours since they had left Earth, but already they had travelled the 640 light years to the Betelgeuse System.

Now, as the seconds ticked down towards their arrival, everybody on the Enterprise was on edge. They only knew what the mystery destroyer was, but not who captained it. Thousands of hideous images and possibilities whirled around in many a crewmember's head.

On the bridge, every eye was locked on the viewscreen. Even Dr McCoy, who rarely left Sickbay, had ventured up to the bridge to 'meet his death face to face.'

Mr Sulu grasped the warp-drive handle tightly. "Dropping out of warp in five…four…three…two…one."
He pulled the lever backwards.

And the Enterprise immediately dropped out of warp speed…and hurtled directly towards a huge chunk of spinning, disintegrating debris that completely filled the bridge viewscreen.

"EVASIVE MANOUVERS!" shouted Kirk. "All decks, red alert!"

Sulu typed furiously at his console, as sirens wailed and emergency lights blazed crimson. The Starship Enterprise quickly banked around the debris…but not quick enough.

There was an awful, tortured screech as the debris scraped along the ship's hull.

Then there was silence.

Everybody breathed a sigh of relief as the Enterprise drifted to a halt in the centre of the debris field.

"Damage report," Kirk requested.

"Minimal structural damage," reported the Engineering officer. "Hull integrity holding at 100%."

The captain nodded. "Nice to know that we're still intact. Mr Sulu, take us to the edge of the debris field. If we can find our way out of this mess we can do our scans and get out of here."

"Aye, sir." Sulu's fingers flew across his screen, sending commands through Engineering to the impulse engines.

The Enterprise slowly powered forwards, carefully weaving its way in between the wreckage of countless starships. Finally, it coasted to a stop at the edge of the cloud of debris, right at the border of clear space. Ahead of them was the swirling Betelgeuse Nebula, with the Betelgeuse star within glowing an ominous blood red.

"Mr Spock, scan inside the nebula," Captain Kirk ordered. "All elements. All energy signatures we know of."

The science officer nodded, typing the necessary commands on his console.

Then Kirk turned to the communications officer. "Uhura, check for any transmissions on all frequencies. Just in case they have friends."

"Aye, sir," Uhura responded, turning to her console and fitting two tiny headphones into her ears.

Spock checked the many readouts on the many screens and holographic displays at the science console. The scan of the nebula had just finished…but there were no readings of any kind.

The half-Vulcan's eyebrows furrowed even further than normal. This did not add up. There was no way that the mystery warbird could have left the Betelgeuse Nebula, or the many monitoring stations along the edge of the Neutral Zone would have picked it up. And yet…there was nothing inside the nebula.

'Fascinating.'

"Captain," Spock said, "Our sensors are not picking up anything inside the nebula."

Kirk whirled around in his chair. "They can't have left the system. The stations would have picked up their signal, and we haven't received any messages of the type from around here."

"Unless the ship was cloaked, sir," Sulu put in. "Remember the Battle of Organa? The Klingons were able to sneak past our early-warning stations with the Birds-of-Prey while cloaked."

"But now we've got more powerful sensors," Kirk retorted. "Cloaking technology can't have become so advanced over such a short time? Is there any interference from the nebula?"

"None whatsoever, Captain."

The captain sighed, staring back at the huge swirling cloud of gas on the nebula. "I've still got a bad feeling about this. I feel like we're being watched."

The bridge was dark, but spacious. Even the most claustrophobic person would still feel reasonably comfortable in its cavernous volume. Its ceiling soared over 12 feet above the smooth, slippery floor, and icicle-like formations surrounded all its consoles and crept up its walls. The shiny obsidian-black walls reflected the orange glow from countless screens, and a huge fish-tank sat next to the captain's chair. A large narwhal poked its head out of the tank, observing the above-water scene.

The figure that sat in the captain's chair was cloaked in darkness, unrecognisable by even a nocturnal K'puran, a species which was reputed to have the best eyesight in the galaxy. But the rest of the crew, illuminated by the orange glow of the screens and the sickly yellow lights located around the bridge, were completely visible and recognisable.

A purple-furred giant kangaroo sat at the weapons console, while a rabbit stood to attention beside the captain's chair. A bristly-haired boar monitored the security console. A sleek-furred badger with an unusual skull-and-crossbones pattern on his back sat at the helm. Bouncing in from Engineering was a flabby elephant seal wearing a blue mechanics cap. And a blue-footed booby with a cap of red feathers monitored the science console. Everything was normal and relaxed on the bridge…until one of the monitors started beeping for attention.

"Mon Capitaine!" cried the blue-footed booby in a voice thick with a French accent. "I am picking up another starship in our sector!"

The figure in the captain's chair grinned, turning to his science officer. "What kind, Silias?"

Silias tapped at his screens with a foot. "Federation Type 17 Constitution-class heavy cruiser. Crew of 430, 5 photon torpedo launchers, 22 phaser banks."

"Ooh!" chuckled the figure. "Heavily armed! Isn't she, Mr Squint?"

"But no contest!" cackled Squint, the eager, hyperactive rabbit. "We'll blast them right out of this universe!"

"But I do think that would make a nice change, wouldn't it, Raz? Something that fights back?" the figure went on.

"Ya betcha, sir!" cheered Raz, the kangaroo at tactical, punching a fist into the air. She had not had a decent target to shoot at since the Klingon battlecruisers discovered them almost a week ago. Now she was looking forward for something new that would fight back.

The figure reclined back casually in his chair. "Prepare to decloak, boys! Raz, arm all weapons. Mr Silias, get ready to hack into their computers and upload all data. Mr Gupta…take us out."

"Certainly, sir!" sniggered the badger at the helm, his paws poised over his console as he prepared to pilot the ship forward….

"WAIT!"

Everybody whipped around in surprise. Their captain wasn't one to hesitate! What was going on?
"Magnify the hull!" the figure ordered.

Silias obediently tapped at a button with his foot. The screen instantly zoomed in on the ivory hull of the starship sitting at the edge of the debris field.

There, printed on top of the saucer section, was a registration and a name.

USS Enterprise

NCC-1701

Squint grinned. "What are we waiting for, Captain? Let's get them!"

The rabbit lunged at the starship on the screen, as if he could destroy it just by slicing at the high-resolution image projected onto the viewscreen…

…and then a hand reached out and grabbed Squint by the ears.

"Now, now, Mr Squint," the figure said, hanging from a rope on the bridge ceiling. "I appreciate your eagerness to attack. But you all know that the Enterprise is one of the finest starships, not just in Starfleet, but in the whole galaxy! She would be a worthy prize…the start of my new fleet."

Squint looked up eagerly. As First Mate, he would be in prime position to become captain of a new vessel.

The figure tossed the rabbit across the bridge and swung down (rather awkwardly, thanks to his prosthetic leg) to the floor.

"And Kirk and his crew are the most revered in the quadrant," he continued. "I'm sure, with a little…persuasion…they could serve us well."

The silhouette sat back down in the captain's chair. "Disarm weapons, Raz. Mr Gupta?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Ahead, one quarter impulse power. Let's be friends…for now."

At the science console of the Starship Enterprise, several crucial readouts suddenly jumped to life.

Spock quickly checked the stream of new information, his eyes narrowed with concentration as he deciphered the complicated scientific readings.

"Captain!" he exclaimed. "I am picking up impulse drive signatures from inside the nebula."

"Spock, are you sure?" Kirk demanded, whipping around to face his science officer.

"There can be no doubt, Captain."

"Arm phasers and photon torpedoes, Mr Chekov!" the captain ordered instantly. "Go to Battle Alert."

Immediately, the bridge lights flashed crimson and klaxons wailed. All eyes were on the viewscreen, waiting for something to appear.

For a few seconds, there was nothing.

Then a huge black shadow materialised inside the nebula and started to coast towards them. Slowly, it grew closer and closer…until something huge emerged from the swirling foggy gas.

"Oh My!" breathed Mr Sulu.

Kirk gaped as the giant warbird powered towards them. Even when he had heard Captain Walker's tale, he had never fully realised how big the starship was. It was over twice as long as the Enterprise, and almost five times as wide, easily overshadowing the Federation starship. The jagged formations on its hull seemed like the tips of countless knives directed at his crew…or perhaps it was Kirk's imagination playing tricks with him.

It coasted silently towards the Enterprise. Then it halted just in front of them.

Everybody on the bridge waited with baited breath.

"We should be dead by now, dammit!" McCoy muttered. "What are they waiting for?"

Suddenly, there was a beep from the communications console.

"Captain!" Uhura called suddenly in a nervous voice. "We're being…hailed."

Everybody stared at each other with wide eyes. What was going on? Why did the mysterious captain, who had destroyed so many other ships without second thought, want to contact them?

Kirk glanced over at Uhura. "On screen," he ordered, trying to regain as much of his composure as he could. He would not let an enemy who could destroy his ship and his crew in a flash see his fear.

Instantly the viewscreen leaped from the obsidian-black warbird that filled their sight to an equally dark bridge, lit only by the lava-orange glow of numerous screens. Several metallic ropes hung from the ceiling. A kangaroo, a rabbit, a blue-footed seabird, and a large boar could be seen monitoring several consoles. And sitting in the captain's chair was…a large, dark-furred, 8-foot tall ape.

His hair was shaped like an ancient mariner's tricorn hat, and several gold fillings sparkled from his grin of dirty teeth. In the place of his right eye was a metal eyepatch. One of his fingers was missing, and where there had once been a foot, there was only a metal peg-leg. The ape's body was scarred in many places, but, despite his wounds, he radiated power and pure evil. Not somebody you'd like to meet in a dark narrow alleyway.

"Hello, Captain Kirk," he said in a deep voice that sent chills down Kirk's spine.

"How do you know my name?" the captain gasped, staring in amazement at the monkey. 'Not to mention how do you know how to speak?'

"You are one of the most famous captains in the galaxy, are you not?" the ape grinned. "Every single lifeform knows at least your name!"

"Who are you?" Kirk demanded.

The ape laughed. "Forgive me, Kirk. I am Captain Gutt of the Sweet Revenge II. Allow me to extend the proverbial hand of friendship." He extended a paw towards the Enterprise's captain.

"Come on," Kirk muttered. "Anybody could tell that's your foot."

A shadow passed over Gutt's face. But it was gone in the blink of an eye, replaced with an unsettling smile.

"Nothing gets past you, does it, Captain?" he chuckled. "And neither would it get past your first officer, I suppose. Isn't that right…Mr Spock?"

Spock cautiously stood up and faced the imposing ape.

"That is correct," he answered cautiously.

Gutt laughed. "Such a Vulcan response. So logical."

Spock continued to stare curiously at the ape. "It is also logical to wonder how you got here. You are a Gigantopithecus Blacki, a species of ape which lived exclusively on Earth, and went extinct over 10,000 Earth years ago. You are not of this era. I believe I speak for all the crew when I ask this: how did you get here?"

"Now, you see, Mr Spock, that is a very interesting story," the ape said casually, picking a yellow banana from a large bunch of the fruit hanging next to his chair.

"I was once a pirate captain, not only of my own ship…but of all the oceans. I was the Master of the Seas. But then a mammoth came along with his misfit friends. He was called…Manfred." Gutt spat the name out like a curse. "He refused to join my crew, even though I had saved him from dying at sea! He only wanted to get back to his family. So he destroyed my ship, and when I built another one, he stole it from me and headed back to the pile of rubble that was his home.

I captured his precious mate and daughter, and attempted to destroy him. But his friends freed his family…and he defeated me! I was mauled by sirens. They took my eye and my leg. My loyal crew (here the assorted animals on the bridge nodded and laughed heartily) came back for me, and took me aboard their raft. But just as I was laid on the deck, a lightning storm sprung up. We were pulled into the dark clouds by a tornado of lightning…and into a huge rip in the middle of the storm. We were sucked into blackness.

I awoke strapped to a bed, surrounded by strange men with bumpy foreheads. They had replaced my leg with a metal one and given me an eyepatch…but that was where their kindness ended. They told me they would find out where I had come from by any means possible, then send me to their gladiatorial contests to be slaughtered.

But I broke free. I killed those men and freed my crew. And I found out where we were.

I was on board an experimental Klingon spaceship, so large that it could take on 10 battlecruisers at a time and win. It only needed a minimal crew to run it...so it was perfect for us.

Only we had no clue what to do with it.

But in its cargo hold was a strange, rectangular device. Black all over, with its dimensions in the ratio of 1:4:9. Out of curiosity, I touched it.

And then my mind was opened to the wonders of the universe. I instantly learnt everything the device knew; the names of planets; the types of stars…and how to run a hijacked Klingon starship.

My crew shared the knowledge with me. With the ability to run our new ship, we took it to a distant Romulan facility. Using adapting technology stolen from a distant alien race, I customised our starship with more powerful engines, stronger weapons, and a look that would remind me of my old commands.

We travelled to here, the Betelgeuse Nebula, to form a new strategy. We began our reign of terror."

"...And so here we are now," Gutt finished. "Stronger than ever before."

Kirk frowned. "Captain Gutt, may I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead," the ape grinned, biting into the banana.

"You've destroyed hundreds of ships and thousands of lives from every known planet in the galaxy. But you haven't even touched us. Why?"

Gutt's face darkened again. "Your kind, Kirk, once did something to me I can never forgive them for. They must pay for that. I intend to destroy every last one of them."

Kirk stiffened in shock.

Then the ape smiled. "But you, and your crew, Kirk, are fearless, bold, quick-thinking men. Values that I admire. I am willing to allow you and your crew to live…as long as you serve me. The Enterprise is a fine ship, and you are a fine crew. Join me, and I can offer you the freedom to go wherever you want to; all the loot you could ever want, all the power needed to rule a whole system. Of course I'm not cruel enough to separate you from your beloved command, Kirk…"

Squint's face fell.

"…so, what do you say?"

Kirk could feel ever eye on the bridge focus on him. As captain, his decision would always determine the fate of everybody on the Starship Enterprise. But, in this case, it wouldn't only be the fate of the ship he was determining…it would be the fate of all humanity.

He had no choice.

"Do you actually think I would betray the Federation and join a tyrant set on destroying my kind?" he demanded, stepping forward to face Gutt. "I've already stood aside too many times and let innocent civilians die. My duty is to protect the them, and I will never forsake that duty. The Enterprise will never be yours, Gutt. Neither will her crew. Neither will I."

Gutt snarled. "So be it. You've chosen your own fate, Kirk. But the Enterprise will still be mine."

A console beeped in the background, and the ape smirked. "Oh, and thank you so much for letting us upload your computer files. I'm sure we'll all enjoy studying the world of Starfleet's top-secret files, won't we?"

"WHAT?!" Kirk yelped.

Gutt laughed. A terrible deep chuckle that sent waves of depair though Kirk's already shocked body.

Then the image of the ape flickered out.

Gutt: It's MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Diegorules483: Yes, yes, we know that. You don't need to keep reminding us that you're back.

Gutt: (gives Diegorules483 death stare) You ought to be more polite to the Master of the Galaxy, insignificant little human!

Diegorules483: Yeah, but I'm also the author of this fanfic! Without me, you wouldn't even exist!

Gutt: ...Right...

Diegorules483: Plus, I was the one who decided to bring you back in the first place! You're the best villain in the Ice Age series! Honestly!

Gutt: Thank you. I am touched...for now. (leaves)

Diegorules483: ...Better start looking up more complements for evil villains with anger management issues, then.

Please review if you like it!