Battle Is Joined

Chapter 17 of Ardra

Captain's log, ongoing. We have arrived in stealth orbit around Earth of two centuries in the past. TV station W-AMOK has established a link with Sisra's world, the young Ardra the Borg seek to kill. As I am unknown here, Moast and Kyra will make initial contact. We can make no further moves until the arrival of the rogue captain, Harker, and the impending duel.

The flitter's engines spooled down and went quiet. Its timer read close to ten on Friday morning. Bird song resumed as they regathered their wits over the strange creature that settled among them. Chameleon mode kept the flitter secure in this secluded copse outside a converted turn of the century manor that served as a weather station. Kyra had remained in uniform to facilitate recognition by the station staff.

They climbed out and waited at the tree line before a gravel parking lot in back. Moast spotted an employee entrance. "I wonder if, right now, we're being taped for a TV episode. Well then, let's make the scene."

Kyra followed. "Be careful with the period slang. It's easy to say the wrong thing." They went in, passed a utility room, a break room, and emerged in the front lobby.

A stocky secretary in glasses stood up in surprise. "You're the space people!"

"Guilty," Moast said. "I find it unusual for a weather station to host a horror show."

She panned that concern with a spread of fingers. "We used to have more creditors than viewers until a talent agent pitched the idea to management. Listen, let me take you upstairs to Studio B. Will they ever be surprised! Until now, we've only had the Team Dan people here."

Moast stopped in his tracks. "Here?" That meant the portal to Ardra's world couldn't be too far away. The staff, of course, thought Team Dan fellow actors.

"They're a scream," the girl said, leading them upstairs. When they arrived at an L shaped junction, Moast thanked the girl and asked to go on alone. On the left lay a corridor with a public entrance from the lobby. The other branch featured an open door across from the studio entrance. Moast and Kyra looked inside, surprising a white-bearded, helmed dwarf finishing off a hoagie and a lime soda.

Feeling impish, Moast said, "We've come to discuss contract terms for our work in Starship Orchidia." Seemingly unable to speak, the dwarf slid around them and hurried into the studio.

"You've scared the man to death," Kyra said.

"He'll smooth the way for us. Let's get in there and find out what we came three thousand light years for."

The studio was black overhead, fitted with spots directed at a standard horror set. A wing chair sat next to a fireplace. Nearby was a bookcase with a skull situated on a cobblestone floor.

Then Moast saw the big Team Dan poster. Zena's costume turned out to be red, daringly low cut, with arm sleeves. A sword jutted behind the right shoulder. There was nothing of the temptress about her, having so open and engaging a smile. He wasn't aware his mouth was agape until Kyra reached to close it.

The dwarf returned with a man having a trim brown goatee. His sport coat, worn over jeans, had sleeves pushed up. He noticed Moast's interest in the poster. "Yep, she really looks like that."

"Any chance I could meet her?" Moast asked.

"Sure. We get over there once in awhile. The girls give me a humongous shopping list." So far, the man had been perfectly on point, recognizing the real McCoy when he saw it. There were no secrets to be kept here. "Sorry, men—I'm Ed, the producer, and this is Hecabano." The dwarf made a courtly bow.

"That's one thing we need to know," Kyra said. "The location of your Outworld portal."

"Right. That's at a nature park in Pennsylvania, but it's an all day job getting there by air."

"We can do it in thirty minutes," Kyra said.

Ed traded pleased looks with Hecabano. "You must have brought a flitter!"

"That's another thing." Moast had their attention. "How do you capture our lives two hundred years in the future?"

"Hec," Ed said, "go get the glass skull." The dwarf trundled toward the stage to retrieve the apple-sized object. "Hecabano found this on a Team Dan mission. He's the only one who can use it. It knows past, present, future, dimension. When we wanted to add a scifi show, it found you guys. We set it on that table and wait for it to form a vision overhead. Then the cameras zoom in."

"I notice you're on the poster," Kyra said. Ed wore gray over black pirate garb, with cross belts and a cutlass.

"Yeah. I got jaded being a celebrity. But the others plan to stay over there."

Kyra made a scan. "Hecabano, you aren't human. And those horns are real."

Ed looked around furtively. "Hey, keep that under your hat. If these people know this isn't just fiction, Hec will end up on a lab table, and there will be a stampede to Pennsylvania."

"Do you know Sisra?" Moast blurted.

The producer was taken aback. "Everybody knows her. She's the administrator at Montfort Abbey."

Moast traded a look with Kyra. "We've arrived late in the cycle. If Sisra goes off in a quest for enlightenment, the Borg will have her."

"Borg?" Hecabano asked. "You must help us if there is a threat to Miss Sisra."

Moast pulled out his communicator. "That's precisely our intent, daddio."

Ed laughed. "You're gonna use a word like that? You remind me of Zena!"

"Picard," Moast said into the unit.

"Receiving."

"We have a location for the portal, and initial data on Sisra. We'll have to move fast."

"It will have to wait. Our sensor buoys have detected a large vessel coming out of Pluto Station."

"Already? We're on our way."

The dwarf looked up at them. "Will there be a space battle, Master Moast? It will be our best episode yet."

Aboard Orchidia

The mood was tense as Orchidia hurtled to intercept the intruder, identified as the battleship Harpoon. Picard had taken up station in the starboard chain locker, ready to unleash the special package Ardra had obtained from Queenie.

Kyra monitored the rapidly closing range. "I'm feeling confident, having three tactical geniuses aboard."

"From what I hear," Vixia said, "you might add yourself to the list."

Kyra offered the Romulan a smile. "That's kind of you."

"Message coming in," Chet said.

"No response." Moast intended to push all of Harker's buttons.

"They're slowing," Burl reported. Moast ordered all stop. "They closed to thirty thousand, just about breathin' down our necks."

"The man is consistent," Moast said. "Being this close also gives him the advantage of the first shot. We'll answer his hail now." The face on screen had a graying crew cut and perpetual scowl Moast remembered. "Have a look, everyone. This is what a megalomaniac looks like."

Harker sneered. "Don't think your avatar gives you the advantage, Moast. We've stressed our AI to the brink. It's just as good." Unbidden, Orchidia zapped onto the bridge to confront him.

"This is a criminal act if AI rights are enacted."

A surprised Harker chose to ignore it. "I see you've recruited the new superstar from that other universe."

Vixia was already tired of the celebrity gig. "I only regret that I don't have my ship, Valdor, to teach you a lesson, upstart human."

Moast figured it was time. Unnoticed by Harker, his finger pressed a button. Picard would receive a signal, and would then push the button on the Borg's transporter device. The bridge crew heard Harker's AI.

"Warning. Shields have been penetrated. An unknown object is present in the pressure hull at frame two five nine."

Damn! The Borg was trapped. Could he free himself?

Harker saw it as the opening salvo. "I don't know how you did that, Moast, but I'm gonna cut it free and neutralize it." He signaled for the feed to be cut. A volley of torpedoes raced toward them. Orchidia presented a knife edge to each, channeling aside most of the destructive power. Harker promptly jumped to a new location.

Orchidia anticipated the stern attack, unleashing a flurry of torpedoes from the stern just as she jumped. Moast had the satisfaction of seeing them explode against Harker's forward shields.

Picard returned to the bridge. "I see the value of AI. Humans couldn't react that fast. But can we win a war of attrition?"

"I don't intend to win," Moast said. "We're going to run out the clock for the Borg to complete his program."

"Not logical," Vixia protested. "He must be engaged and defeated."

Harker came on screen again. "Cute trick disabling the time sphere like that."

"Not at all," Moast countered. "Leaving history in your hands gives me heartburn." He pressed a button giving Orchidia instructions. As soon as Harker jumped behind them again, the ship slewed sideways and inverted, raking Harpoon's belly with torpedoes and chain gun fire. The favor was returned with less effect, as most of Harker's weapons were topside. Both ships jumped again. Harker appeared off to port, trying to slew his pulse gun across Orchidia. Some acrobatics by Burl avoided a sure disaster.

"Eject black hole bomb aft," Moast ordered. Predictably, Harker appeared there, but his AI was up to the task, immediately jumping away. The blast created the first black hole in this solar system. "Keep the hole between us and them. That should buy us time."

Picard and Vixia had gravitated together to watch the rapid-fire exchanges. Picard served as spokesman. "I don't know your ultimate goal here, Moast, but it must be something of considerable value."

"Believe me, Picard—it is."