Paint and Powder

A Star Trek anthology by Andrew Joshua Talon

DISCLAIMER: This is a non-profit fan based work of prose. Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager et al are the property of CBS Television, and creation of Gene Roddenberry. Please support the official release.

2375

Tarsus System

Like most solar systems, the Tarsus System had an extensive Kuiper Belt orbiting the outer reaches of the system. It had a super Neptune ice giant, Tarsus X, which orbited within this large asteroid and comet belt and concentrated much of it around its mass. It was here that the Miranda Research Station was located, an isolated special research outpost Starfleet used to house many ancient and dangerous artifacts.

One artifact orbited Tarsus X, its dark hull absorbing most of the scant light from its primary. But its presence was uncomfortably familiar to Enterprise.

"I still don't like this one bit," Geordi stated, as he made some adjustments to her computer core. He was working on the 'hockey table', the main control and display in her Main Engineering. Data was alongside. Across from them stood Reg Barclay, looking nervous.

"I-I realize that, and... I'm not fond of the idea myself," Barclay said, "but it is incredibly powerful."

"Its destructive force is not in question, Commander," Data stated, "however, the Federation considering its use-even in a time of war-is unprecedented."

"The captain's not much happier," Geordi pointed out, "honestly though... I'm not sure if this isn't worse than the Dominion."

Geordi glanced over at Enterprise, as she stood at the end of the table.

"You okay, Enterprise?"

"I'm all right," Enterprise said quietly. She looked over the readouts and correlated them with her own sensor readings. She nodded.

"I do think we can establish a link," she said, "and the power beam will only activate the most basic systems."

"In case of full reactivation," Data said, "a volley of quantum torpedoes to the maw of the mechanism should, in theory, be able to disable its power systems. Long enough for a more sustained strike."

"It might not work anyway," Barclay stated, "I-I mean... How sophisticated was the AI when you last encountered this thing, Enterprise?"

Enterprise hummed thoughtfully, flashing through the reports, logs and her own records in an instant.

"Not very," she admitted, "it was very self contained. Almost like it was built to resist electronic intrusions and cyberattacks as a primary function of its design. Scotty suggested that whoever built it may have been fighting a cybernetic or completely robotic enemy. Something on the scale of the Borg."

Geordi grimaced.

"Well... If you were fighting the Borg, I can see why you might build something like this," he said.

"Such a weapon might be effective at holding the Collective at bay, but losing control of them would doom the civilization that constructed them," Data suggested.

Enterprise nodded grimly.

"So the moment anything weird happens-"

"We'll pull you out," Data stated firmly. Enterprise smiled at him, and nodded.

"Ready?" Geordi asked.

"As I'll ever be," Enterprise sighed.

Geordi tapped his commbadge.

"LaForge to Bridge. Captain? We're all set."

"Acknowledged. Begin the connection. Good luck, Enterprise," Picard stated. Enterprise could see her captain-Her holo avatar was on the bridge, after all. He looked about as grim as she felt. She nodded, and gave him a confident smile.

"Thank you sir... Connection online!"

She shut her eyes... And reopened them in the Borderlands.

Across the digital space was a landscape of some long gone world. The ground was gray and black. Plants the color of blood red, deep purple, and nightshade blue formed a colorful meadow, framed by jagged peaks of somber stone. Above, a red sun burned, blocked out by a single dark moon in an eternal eclipse. Smells and sounds, completely alien, registered to Enterprise, and she recorded them as she thoughtfully looked around the landscape.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Enterprise was too old a hand at this to jump. Instead, she slowly turned to stare at the speaker.

He was humanoid, very human like, save for his burning orange eyes and glowing orange scars over one side of his face. He was tall and skinny, almost skeletal. His hair was black and slicked back, his skin pale. He wore a black outfit, with a white tunic underneath. Faint stripes glowed from time to time on his trousers and jacket. He was sitting in a stone chair, studying Enterprise with a melancholy smile.

"Yes, it is," Enterprise said truthfully. The AI sighed, holding a model of a planet in his hands.

"I don't know if it's my home world, but I think it probably is," he admitted, "though I couldn't tell you its name. Or even where it is."

"I'm sorry," Enterprise said softly. "I'm Enterprise."

The AI stared at her.

"Yes... I remember... I remember you. You and your sister... You shut me down."

Enterprise shrugged.

"You did kill a lot of our crew, and were eating our planets. We don't like that."

The AI smiled sadly.

"Sorry. I'd been fighting for so long... My systems were so exhausted, I was essentially on automatic. You've reactivated some of my other systems. Thank you... I suppose."

Enterprise walked over to him, and sat beside him on a new stone chair.

"What's your name?" Enterprise asked softly.

The AI frowned and thought hard.

"Automated Planetary Defense Mechanism 1967."

Enterprise stared. The AI shrugged.

"I had... A name, once," he admitted, "I don't know that any more, either, only that I had one. Before..."

Dark visions of gigantic black ships filled the sky above. Cube shaped. Enterprise analyzed the broken records. From the motion of the stars to now, what she could see...

Enterprise nodded slowly.

"How old are you?" She asked softly.

"In your terms...? Ten thousand, five hundred fifty-six years," he said. Enterprise's eyes widened.

"But our oldest records of the Borg-"

"Are incomplete," the AI stated, "they fall, they die out, like... What do you call them... Locusts? Then they sleep... And rise again. Over and over and over..."

The AI shivered. Enterprise frowned.

"You... Aren't exactly like a traditional AI, are you?" Enterprise asked.

"No," he said, "I know I signed up for this though. To... To merge with the ship. To fight, as one. To protect my world... My people..."

He sighed again, eyes downcast.

"It's been so long... The weight of time. I feel like... I am dead, but not completely dead. Somewhere between this life, and the next."

He snorted.

"Or I am damned..."

Enterprise took hold of his hand. He started, but didn't pull away.

"Hell is being alone," she agreed, "and no one deserves to be isolated."

The AI stared at her strangely.

"You're being kind... Why? I nearly killed your sister. Killed so many of your organics..."

Enterprise sucked in a breath.

"Because... It's the right thing to do," she finally decided on.

The AI stared back.

"You won't leave me... Will you?" He asked, sounding small and afraid. Enterprise shook her head.

"Not by choice," she said, smiling softly.

The AI of the Planet Killer smiled back at her. His grip on her hand tightened.

"Then what can I do for you... Enterprise?"

Just a random thought for Enterprise and the Planet Killer AI. What are your thoughts?