2437 lines
142 KiB
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2437 lines
142 KiB
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Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
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Path: moe.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!decwrl!usenet.coe.montana.edu!news.u.washington.edu!raven.alaska.edu!acad3.alaska.edu!fsrsg
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From: fsrsg@acad3.alaska.edu (Richard S. Guse)
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Subject: Atax, Chapter 1
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Message-ID: <1992Feb20.234840.1@acad3.alaska.edu>
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Lines: 175
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Sender: news@raven.alaska.edu (USENET News System)
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Nntp-Posting-Host: acad3.alaska.edu
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Organization: Psi INc.
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Date: Fri, 21 Feb 1992 08:48:40 GMT
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Origin: mortoncp@salmon.Rose-Hulman.Edu (Christopher P Morton)
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Chapter 1
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Captain's Log, Stardate 44469.2:
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We've been ordered by Starfleet Command to intercept the Ferengi Trader
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Avarice, commanded by a Daamon Mok. Our orders are to stop the Ferengi and
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search for Atax crystals. The Federation has gotten a tip from smugglers that
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the Ferengi may be carrying this highly illegal and addictive drug first found
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on renegade worlds within and without the Federation.
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* * * * * * * * * *
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"Atax," said Doctor Beverly Crusher, "is an illegal crystalline narcotic.
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It is taken by imbedding it into the fleshy part of the upper arm or thigh.
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Once imbedded, it begins to be dissolved by the body and releases a strong
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narcotic into the bloodstream. Depending upon the size of the crystal and the
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metabolism of the user, a single crystal can last up to six months. Like all
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narcotics it is addictive and some users must have several imbedded at once to
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get the desired result once they have built up a resistance to it."
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Captain Jean-Luc Picard nodded his head and motioned for Commander Data,
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the android science officer, to pick up the lecture. "The Federation has
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found out through various channels," began Data, "that the Ferengi Alliance
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produces and smuggles Atax. We are currently enroute and should intercept the
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Ferengi ship Avarice in three hours and sixteen minutes. They are suspected
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of carrying a supply of Atax crystals. We are to search their ship and
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confiscate the drug if we find any. They will most likely not take kindly to
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this as Atax cost thousands of credits per crystal."
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"Great," muttered Lieutenant Commander Geordi LaForge. "That's all we
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need; a ship full of Ferengi mad at us."
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Data cocked his head and turned to his friend. "Why do we need a ship
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full of Ferengi, Geordi? And why is it great that they are mad at us?"
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A soft chuckle ran around the conference room. Everybody except
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Lieutenant Worf, the Klingon security officer, and Data himself apparently
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found Data's occasional naivety endearing.
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"That's called sarcasm, Data," remarked Deanna Troi. "He meant the
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opposite of what he said."
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Picard, always serious, tried to steer the conversation back on track.
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"What can we expect from the Ferengi militarily?" he directed at Worf.
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"Nothing we can't handle," Worf answered immediately with more than a
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trace of pride in his deep voice.
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"How will the Ferengi react to our request, Counselor?"
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The delicate half Betazoid considered before answering. "We don't really
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know much about the Ferengi, apart from their love of wealth and drive to get
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it. They will not be pleased, but I don't see what they can do to stop us.
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They will undoubtedly demand reimbursement, or want revenge."
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"Something that we can't let them have," commented First Officer William
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Riker.
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"Agreed," said Picard. "How should we approach them?" he asked the room
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at large.
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"With a show of strength," answered Worf. "They will recognize that we
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mean business and we may not even have to fight." He seemed disappointed at
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his own suggestion.
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"With caution," suggested Riker. "They will probably react better if we
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ask them and not demand anything, at least for the time being."
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"A little bit of both?" thought LaForge. "If we have our shields up but
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make pleasant sounds they'll be thrown off balance. That can only help us."
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Slow nods around the table told Picard that all of his senior officers
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seemed to accept that option as the best one, at least for the time being.
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Picard nodded his head to dismiss them and bring the meeting to an end.
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As they filed past him and out the conference room door, he contemplated what
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to do. What he hadn't told his officers and friends was that the Starfleet
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dispatch he had received that morning gave him the authority to use any
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military force that he deemed necessary.
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Picard was by nature a peaceful man, and so despite Worf's reassurances,
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he still felt uneasy fighting a Ferengi ship, no matter the reason.
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* * * * * * * *
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Will Riker and Deanna Troi left the conference room at the same time and
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rode the turbolift to the bridge at the same time. Ensign Wesley Crusher at
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Conn was very interested to find out what they had talked about at the
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meeting, but too tactful to ask.
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Riker noticed the covert glances that Wesley was giving him and Deanna,
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and decided to tell Wesley a little something. He casually stood and walked
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toward the Conn. He leaned over Wesley's shoulder and said quietly, "We're
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going after smugglers, Wes. This may get rough. A word of advice, don't let
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them take you alive." He looked solemnly at Wesley, turned around, and walked
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away. Will made his way back to Deanna and sat down in the captain's chair.
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"You shouldn't have done that to him, Will," chided Deanna with a smile on
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her face. "He is still young and has an impressionable mind. Besides, do you
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really want that rumor floating around the ship?"
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Will half smiled at her and responded, "He won't start any rumors, Deanna.
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He's too good an officer."
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Riker was almost right. Wesley wouldn't start any rumors, but for a
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different reason. He was too confused by Riker's statements to start any.
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* * * * * * * *
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Since he was still technically off duty, Geordi LaForge wondered what to
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do with his next three hours before they caught up with the Ferengi. He could
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go to Ten-Forward, one of his personal favorite places to spend a little time,
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but he decided that he'd rather do something than just sit around and talk.
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The best place for that, he decided, was the holodeck.
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He was headed in that direction when he heard his name called out behind
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him. Noticed that Data was coming up to him. He stopped and allowed his
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friend to join him. "I was just on my way to the holodeck for a little time
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off, Data," he said as the android caught up to him. "Would you care to join
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me?"
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The question pleased Data immensely, Geordi noticed. Data had one of
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his half smiles on his face as he accepted the offer with a little nod of his
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head. The two friends entered the turbolift and made their way to Holodeck One.
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As they arrived at the doors, Data turned to Geordi, "I believe that I
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have something that you would enjoy trying." He turned to the holodeck
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computer and started typing in instructions at a rate faster than Geordi could
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follow.
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"What have you got in mind?" asked Geordi.
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"I have been studying human interrelations," replied Data without
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turning. "I simply thought that attending a human social function will make
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me more able to fully understand humans."
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"Which social function?" asked Geordi, mildly concerned.
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"If you would care to step inside then you can see for yourself,"
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answered Data as he finished his programming.
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Geordi put a smile on his face, turned toward the holodeck doors, and
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walked into chaos. A large, well-dressed but very drunk man stumbled past
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them being hustled out the door by an even larger man wearing an old-fashioned
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suit, similar to the one the drunk was wearing. The second man firmly closed
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the door behind the drunk, turned toward Data and LaForge, and apologized for
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this unseemly display. He then offered the two men free drinks for the evening
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if they would dismiss this entire affair from their minds.
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Geordi had had a fleeting question in his mind about what Data considered
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to be a "human social function". Now he knew. He had just walked into a fancy
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restaurant that could have been found in any major spaceport in the Federation.
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There were about a dozen couples on the floor doing some sort of slow
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dance step. Several more people, some singles, but mostly couples, were
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scattered among the tables and a bar over on one side of the room.
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"What is this?" questioned Geordi.
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"I believe that it was called a night club. I had thought that you would
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enjoy something like this," answered Data.
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Geordi looked around again and noticed two gorgeous women at the bar were
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conspicuously without companions. A slow smile spread across his face.
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"You're right, Data. I will like this." They entered the scene and the doors
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closed behind them to completely enclose them within the illusion.
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As the two men walked over toward the ladies, Data said to Geordi, "I
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programmed them into the scenario. Please do not be surprised at anything
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that happens."
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"It's about time you showed up, Fredrick," scolded one of the girls as
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they arrived at the bar. They were both of medium height, but one, the girl
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who had spoken to Data, was brown eyed with auburn hair. The other, who eyed
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Geordi appreciatively, was a red haired beauty that left Geordi breathless.
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"I am sorry, Grace," replied Data with perfect calm. "Thomas and I were
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detained." He turned to the red-head and pronounced politely, "Gloria, I
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would like to introduce you to Thomas," he indicated Geordi. "Thomas, this is
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Gloria, a friend of Grace."
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Grace curled her arm around Data with perfect familiarity. Geordi tried
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not to stare at her and decided to become better acquainted with his escort
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for the evening. He offered his arm to her and led her off toward the dance
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floor.
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Grace turned toward Data, "I'm glad that you two could come tonight. I
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had been wanting to set Gloria up with someone for some time now. Where did
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you find him anyway?"
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"He has been a friend of mine for many years. He has been trying to help
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me understand humans better."
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Grace laughed lightly and turned back toward her drink. "I think you
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understand humans just fine right now, Fredrick."
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Picard's voice interrupted their conversation. "Mr. Data, can you and
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Mr. LaForge report to the bridge please."
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Data taped his communicator and responded, "Yes, sir."
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Grace was looking around in confusion when he turned back to her. "I'll
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be back as soon as I can." He turned toward a seemingly blank wall and said,
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"Computer, pause, save, and discontinue."
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Everything in the room except Geordi and Data immediately disappeared.
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They found themselves in the middle of a bare room with a golden grid over the
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walls and floor. Geordi was in a middle of a dance step and looked around in
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confusion when his partner vanished.
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"Captain Picard requires our presence on the bridge," said Data by way of
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an explanation. Geordi nodded and they exited through the doors that appeared
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upon command.
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__
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-Mycroft V, Psi Inc.
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(Please flame. It's cold in these here hills!)
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Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
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Path: moe.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!usenet.coe.montana.edu!nntp.uoregon.edu!news.u.washington.edu!raven.alaska.edu!acad3.alaska.edu!fsrsg
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From: fsrsg@acad3.alaska.edu (Richard S. Guse)
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Subject: Atax, chapter 2
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Message-ID: <1992Feb24.080700.1@acad3.alaska.edu>
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Lines: 150
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Sender: news@raven.alaska.edu (USENET News System)
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Nntp-Posting-Host: acad3.alaska.edu
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Organization: Psi INc.
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Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1992 17:07:00 GMT
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~From: mortoncp@NEXTWORK.ROSE-HULMAN.EDU
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Atax,
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Chapter 2
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Data and Geordi emerged onto the bridge and moved toward their separate
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stations, Data at Ops and Geordi to the bridge Engineering station.
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Picard turned at the sound of the turbolift doors. "Sorry to interrupt
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your fun, gentlemen, but the Ferengi had other plans. They started coming
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toward us when they picked us up on their sensors." He sounded relieved and
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mildly surprised even as he said it.
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"Captain," said Worf from above Picard, "the Ferengi are hailing us."
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"Very well, lieutenant. Put it on the viewscreen." He stood and advanced
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toward the viewscreen as Worf wordlessly complied.
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A picture of a Ferengi appeared with a blank wall as background. Picard
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almost preferred to look at the wall. He had never enjoyed the looks of
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Ferengi and the specimen before him did nothing to change his mind. Ferengi
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in general have a pair of huge ears protruding straight out from their
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completely bald heads and two beady little black eyes. To add to their looks,
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their noses were slightly upturned and they all had mouthes full of small,
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sharp teeth. This Ferengi had a slightly more pointed face that the average,
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but this did nothing to improve his looks. Picard privately thought that this
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Ferengi looked like an ugly version of a weasel.
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However, he put his personal considerations aside and said calmly, "This
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is Jean-Luc Picard, captain of the USS Enterprise, representing the United
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Federation of Planets." He paused, waiting for the Ferengi response in order
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to know how to proceed.
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"This is Daamon Mok of the Ferengi Trader Avarice. Why do you chase us,
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human? Do you wish to buy something?" The greedy look on his face dissolved
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when he spied Counselor Troi sitting next to Riker. His eyes slowly got
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bigger around and his features took on the cast of someone who has just fallen
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in love.
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"No, Daamon. We wish only to talk." replied Picard, trying to ignore
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the look on the Ferengi's face.
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"Too bad," replied Mok. His attention was still focused on Troi, who
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shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny.
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"We understand that you may be transporting a quantity of Atax," said
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Picard carefully. No need in beating around the bush, thought Picard.
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"Atax? We have no Atax here, Picard. Transporting it is against your
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own laws. Why do you ask? Do you wish to purchase some for your own uses?"
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Mok continued to stare at Deanna Troi and slowly licked his lips.
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"No, Daamon. We have been ordered to check all ships in this sector for
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the smuggling of Atax."
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"Scan my ship then, human. If you like you may even make a visual
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search, but be quick about it. I have better things to be doing than sitting
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and talking to you."
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Picard signaled Worf to cut the transmission. Once the Ferengi
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disappeared from the viewscreen he ordered, "Mr. Worf, please conduct a sensor
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search of the Ferengi ship. Look for any indications of Atax." Worf nodded
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and bent over his controls. His long fingers efficiently carried out his
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orders, as any good warrior would.
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"Counselor," Picard turned toward Troi, "did you get any impressions?
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Was he lying about the Atax?"
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She considered the question before answering. "I'm not sure, Captain.
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I'm sorry," she continued as Picard started to frown, "but even a full
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Betazoid cannot read Ferengi. Their brains are just too different from ours.
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Therefore, I must make any of my assessments on body language, and I was," she
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hesitated, "reluctant to pay that much attention to the Daamon. He makes me
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personally uncomfortable."
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Riker had no trouble understanding that. It was rumored that Ferengi
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treated their own females with so little respect and compassion that they were
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not given clothing to wear. Troi was a beautiful woman indeed in Riker's
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opinion, and he became angry just imagining what Mok may do to Deanna if the
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Ferengi captain got his hands on her.
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"Captain," called Worf after completing a scan of the ship. "The Ferengi
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ship has had sensor blocks installed over their cargo hold. The sensors cannot
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penetrate that block and can give us no indication as to what may be inside."
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He was not happy with the report, but he had to give it.
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"Sir," Riker addressed Picard, "request permission to lead an away team
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over to the Ferengi ship for a visual search. You will remember that they did
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invite us."
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"I don't like it, Number One," returned Picard. "They're acting too
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docile and cooperative. Besides, how would we beam you back in case of an
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emergency?"
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"Chief O'Brien can interconnect two transporter rooms to keep a lock on
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us even through the sensor block." He was clearly eager to inspect a Ferengi
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ship from the inside.
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"We are now in transporter range," interjected Worf from above them.
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Picard frowned. "I still don't like it, Number One. However, I can't
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think of any other way to do it. Very well. Assemble your away team."
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Riker nodded, signaled to Geordi and Worf, and headed toward the
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turbolift doors.
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"Will, be careful," called Deanna from behind him.
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He stopped and gave her one of his famous smiles. "As always,
|
|||
|
|
Couselor." He turned and strode into the turbolift where Geordi and Worf were
|
|||
|
|
waiting for him.
|
|||
|
|
Picard signaled to the officer who had just replaced Worf to reestablish
|
|||
|
|
the communications link to the Ferengi ship. He turned back just as Mok's
|
|||
|
|
face reformed.
|
|||
|
|
"We will take you up on your offer of a visual search. Three of my
|
|||
|
|
officers are now beaming over to your ship."
|
|||
|
|
"Very well," replied Mok. "We will take good care of them."
|
|||
|
|
Now what did that mean? wondered Picard as the Ferengi abruptly cut off
|
|||
|
|
the image.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
* * * * * * * * * *
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
The trio from the Enterprise materialized in what passed for a
|
|||
|
|
transporter room aboard the Ferengi ship. The room was built for Ferengi and
|
|||
|
|
Geordi barely had room to stand upright; Riker and Worf had to hunch over to
|
|||
|
|
keep from hitting their heads on the ceiling.
|
|||
|
|
Geordi was looking around the room with great interest. As an engineer
|
|||
|
|
he was very interested in how other species built their ships. The first thing
|
|||
|
|
he noticed was that everything was made of shoddy material and poorly
|
|||
|
|
installed. Everything would work, he concluded after a few moments thought and
|
|||
|
|
inspection, but with little reserve strength and no extra radiation protection.
|
|||
|
|
He idly wondered if he could tear into a wall with his bare hands.
|
|||
|
|
"Everything is made at bare minimum safety requirements here, Commander,"
|
|||
|
|
commented LaForge to Riker.
|
|||
|
|
"The Ferengi don't like to spend any more than absolutely necessary on
|
|||
|
|
building their ships," Riker replied. "As long as it gets them there, they're
|
|||
|
|
happy with it." Worf grunted agreement as LaForge smiled.
|
|||
|
|
Two Ferengi walked into the room just as Riker finished speaking. One of
|
|||
|
|
them was immediately recognizable as Daamon Mok, and the other was introduced
|
|||
|
|
as his second in command, Blak.
|
|||
|
|
Blak put up with the introductions to Riker and Worf, but took an
|
|||
|
|
immediate interest in Geordi's VISOR. "What is the price of this object?" he
|
|||
|
|
demanded of Geordi, even before they were introduced.
|
|||
|
|
"It's not for sale," replied Geordi, surprised at the question. What
|
|||
|
|
would this Ferengi want with my VISOR? wondered Geordi.
|
|||
|
|
"I'll give you your weight in gold for it," countered Blak.
|
|||
|
|
"I said," replied Geordi with more force, bordering on annoyance, "that it
|
|||
|
|
is not for sale. I need it." Blak seemed disappointed in Geordi's refusal to
|
|||
|
|
even consider making a deal for it.
|
|||
|
|
Riker headed off another attempt at purchase, "Daamon, please take us to
|
|||
|
|
your cargo holds immediately so you may resume your activities as soon as
|
|||
|
|
possible."
|
|||
|
|
"Of course," Mok replied with a dismissive wave to Blak. Blak nodded
|
|||
|
|
politely to Riker and Worf, and with another envious look at Geordi's VISOR,
|
|||
|
|
walked off down the corridor.
|
|||
|
|
Mok turned in the other direction and began to speed away. For all their
|
|||
|
|
size, thought Geordi a couple of minutes later as he tried to keep pace,
|
|||
|
|
they're fast little buggers.
|
|||
|
|
Mok led them through a series of ladders, corridors, and doorways until
|
|||
|
|
all three officers from the Enterprise were thoroughly lost.
|
|||
|
|
I don't like this, thought Riker. Well, I did ask the captain if I could
|
|||
|
|
go. I can hardly back down now. He continued to move on toward the retreating
|
|||
|
|
back of Daamon Mok.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
* * * * * * * * * *
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Transporter Chief O'Brien was nervous. Just interconnect two of the
|
|||
|
|
transporter rooms to keep track of us, Riker had suggested. That's dangerous,
|
|||
|
|
replied O'Brien. Riker gave a half smile and said that he trusted him. It's
|
|||
|
|
not that easy, O'Brien fumed to himself. Varying signals, interlocking
|
|||
|
|
computer signals, setting priorities, controlling power fluctuations . . .
|
|||
|
|
the list was almost endless. At least we can keep track of them through the
|
|||
|
|
sensor block this way, he thought with some glimmer of hope.
|
|||
|
|
The transporter chief set to work on his self imposed list of things to do
|
|||
|
|
and kept a wary eye on the transporter lock.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
|
|||
|
|
Path: moe.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!usenet.coe.montana.edu!nntp.uoregon.edu!news.u.washington.edu!raven.alaska.edu!acad3.alaska.edu!fsrsg
|
|||
|
|
From: fsrsg@acad3.alaska.edu (Richard S. Guse)
|
|||
|
|
Subject: atax, ch. 3 of 15
|
|||
|
|
Message-ID: <1992Feb24.084205.1@acad3.alaska.edu>
|
|||
|
|
Lines: 179
|
|||
|
|
Sender: news@raven.alaska.edu (USENET News System)
|
|||
|
|
Nntp-Posting-Host: acad3.alaska.edu
|
|||
|
|
Organization: Psi INc.
|
|||
|
|
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1992 17:42:05 GMT
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
~From: mortoncp@NEXTWORK.ROSE-HULMAN.EDU (else, @rosevc.rose-hulman.edu)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Atax,
|
|||
|
|
Chapter 3
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Mok continued to lead the Enterprise officers through a seemingly endless
|
|||
|
|
maze and eventually stopped, after what seemed like ten minutes, in front of a
|
|||
|
|
door that had odd scribblings on it. Geordi guessed correctly that this was
|
|||
|
|
Ferengi for something like Cargo Hold.
|
|||
|
|
"We are here," announced Mok somewhat unnecessarily.
|
|||
|
|
"Very well," said Riker pleasantly. "May we make a full inspection for
|
|||
|
|
any illegal materials?"
|
|||
|
|
"That's what you're here for, isn't it?" Mok replied impatiently, almost
|
|||
|
|
exasperated with these dim-witted humans.
|
|||
|
|
Riker nodded and turned toward the door. Mok politely opened it for him.
|
|||
|
|
Riker walked in, followed closely by Worf and Geordi. They didn't even notice
|
|||
|
|
that Mok hesitated at the threshold to the room.
|
|||
|
|
Mok stopped just short of walking into the room and let the humans get in
|
|||
|
|
front of him. He spun to the computer terminal and quickly punched in a
|
|||
|
|
security code.
|
|||
|
|
Riker whirled around at the sound of the door closing rapidly. His last
|
|||
|
|
view of Mok was an evil grin plastered all over the ugly Ferengi visage.
|
|||
|
|
"Worf, open that door. It's a trap!" shouted Riker.
|
|||
|
|
Worf lunged at the door as Riker hit his communicator and called for an
|
|||
|
|
emergency beam out. LaForge pulled his phaser, just as a precaution. Worf
|
|||
|
|
frantically tugged, hit, and cursed the door for a few moments before he pulled
|
|||
|
|
out his phaser and began to set it to cut through this khest door.
|
|||
|
|
LaForge was watching him as he noticed two things simultaneously. One was
|
|||
|
|
that he felt the beginnings of a Federation transporter get a hold of him. The
|
|||
|
|
other thing was that the room was rapidly filling with a green gas. Those was
|
|||
|
|
the last two things that Geordi remembered before a mental lethargy overtook
|
|||
|
|
him and he lapsed into unconsciousness.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
* * * * * * * * * *
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
O'Brien was very busy indeed. He received the emergency beam out signal
|
|||
|
|
from Riker and immediately engaged the two transporter rooms, bringing to bear
|
|||
|
|
a total of 12 pads. He was hoping that at least some of the pads would lock on
|
|||
|
|
to his friends and then, and only then, would he worry about where he would
|
|||
|
|
rematerialize them.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Almost at once he noticed that he had five locks, on two different
|
|||
|
|
people. You're missing one, said the logical portion of his mind. I know, he
|
|||
|
|
shouted at himself. O'Brien put all of his considerable effort and experience
|
|||
|
|
into the next couple of minutes.
|
|||
|
|
He first put the two captured patterns into stasis for temporary storage.
|
|||
|
|
He then told the computer to engage the remaining crew transporter room and
|
|||
|
|
also Transporter Pad D. It was the largest on the ship with the most power,
|
|||
|
|
but designed to move material, not people. At the moment he needed much more
|
|||
|
|
power to grab that other crew member.
|
|||
|
|
He had no way of knowing who he had and who he didn't, but that didn't
|
|||
|
|
matter. They were all his friends.
|
|||
|
|
Once Transporter Pad D and Transporter Room 3 were on line, he engaged all
|
|||
|
|
of the transporters on that area of the Ferengi ship, only to discover to his
|
|||
|
|
horror that there was nothing there. The Ferengi had moved since the initial
|
|||
|
|
beam out attempt. He re adjusted the transporters to the new coordinates.
|
|||
|
|
They are almost out of range, he thought frantically. Engaging all of the
|
|||
|
|
transporters on the ship at once, he hoped to get a hold of the last one. He
|
|||
|
|
cursed fluently in his native Irish accent when he realized th at the sensor
|
|||
|
|
blocks were stopping him at this range.
|
|||
|
|
That was a major problem, but he had two more urgent matters to contend
|
|||
|
|
with. He had two of the officers in the electronic innards of the transporter
|
|||
|
|
circuits. Careful now not to make any mistakes, he noticed that two of the
|
|||
|
|
locks on the same person were in the other transporter room, while two of the
|
|||
|
|
three locks on the other where here. From this, he determined that he should
|
|||
|
|
rematerialize one of them here and the other in Transporter Room 2. He called
|
|||
|
|
Room 2 on the intercom and told the technician on duty to beg in
|
|||
|
|
rematerialization of the one that was there. O'Brien then began to delicately
|
|||
|
|
reassemble the one he had here. The figure slowly began to rematerialize after
|
|||
|
|
what for O'Brien was a very trying and difficult two minutes working with the
|
|||
|
|
transporter controls. From within patterns of transporter energies, a figure
|
|||
|
|
began to form, much to Chief O'Brien' s relief.
|
|||
|
|
The first thing that he noticed was that the person was lying on his side,
|
|||
|
|
not standing as he should have been. As he called for medical aid to be sent
|
|||
|
|
down from Sickbay, O'Brien noticed that the first distinctive feature he could
|
|||
|
|
make out was a silver band a cross the person's face, covering his eyes. That
|
|||
|
|
would be Engineer LaForge's VISOR, reasoned O'Brien.
|
|||
|
|
Picard burst into the room at a dead run just as Geordi gained full
|
|||
|
|
substance. He shot a look at O'Brien as if to ask, Where are they?
|
|||
|
|
"Chief O'Brien," called the technician in Transporter Room 2, "I just got
|
|||
|
|
Lieutenant Worf."
|
|||
|
|
"Where is Commander Riker?" shot Picard with barely contained fear.
|
|||
|
|
Doctor Crusher came barreling in before O'Brien could answer and nearly
|
|||
|
|
knocked Picard off of his feet in an attempt to get to her patient. She did a
|
|||
|
|
quick tricorder scan over Geordi's body and immediately injected him with
|
|||
|
|
something from the kit at her side, shaking her head from side to side with a
|
|||
|
|
very concerned expression spread over her features. She then helped the nurses
|
|||
|
|
load LaForge onto the antigrav stretcher that they had brought in with them.
|
|||
|
|
She tapped her communicator, "Dr. Selar, Engineer LaForge had taken a
|
|||
|
|
large dose of paralactin. What is Lieutenant Worf's condition?"
|
|||
|
|
Crusher's communicator brought back the answer, "Lieutenant Worf has also
|
|||
|
|
i ngested sufficient quantities of paralactin to render him unconscious. I
|
|||
|
|
have administered a general stimulant and am taking him to Sickbay as we speak.
|
|||
|
|
Selar out."
|
|||
|
|
Crusher saw LaForge to the door and on the way to Sickbay before turning
|
|||
|
|
to Picard and O'Brien.
|
|||
|
|
"Commander Riker is still on the Ferengi ship," reported O'Brien glumly as
|
|||
|
|
Crusher joined the group.
|
|||
|
|
"If he is, he will need medical help immediately," said Crusher to Captain
|
|||
|
|
Picard. "LaForge has gotten a large dose of a very powerful paralysis drug.
|
|||
|
|
So powerful, in fact, that it would have stopped his heart and lungs in another
|
|||
|
|
couple of seconds. Odd, though, this drug affects humans and Klingons, but not
|
|||
|
|
Ferengi. It's as if they knew who they would be gassing. I got to it quickly
|
|||
|
|
though. He should be fine in a day or so." She turned and followed her
|
|||
|
|
patient to Sickbay.
|
|||
|
|
"I'm sorry, sir," muttered O'Brien. He was remembering all of the
|
|||
|
|
wonderful games of poker he had had with Commander Riker. Then there was that
|
|||
|
|
bar on Alpha Centauri . . .
|
|||
|
|
"That sensor block stopped me," he continued slowly. "Connecting all of
|
|||
|
|
those transporters at once, controlling them, getting a lock," he stopped.
|
|||
|
|
"What did I do wrong?"
|
|||
|
|
O'Brien was very upset, realized Picard. "Don't blame yourself, Chief.
|
|||
|
|
That block threw you off. We are chasing the Ferengi right now. I promise
|
|||
|
|
you, we'll get Riker back, even if we have to chase them to the heart of the
|
|||
|
|
Ferengi Alliance to catch them." Not only was he reassuring O'Brien, Picard
|
|||
|
|
realized, he was also making a personal vow, to himself and to his absent
|
|||
|
|
friend and first officer.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
* * * * * * * * * *
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Doctor Crusher had her hands full with her two patients. They both had
|
|||
|
|
the same drug in them, but Klingons responded to this particular one a little
|
|||
|
|
differently than humans did. On a human she could just inject a series of
|
|||
|
|
stimulants and he would be fine. A Klingon, however, would go into a coma from
|
|||
|
|
the reduced brain activity that resulted from the chemical interactions if she
|
|||
|
|
just indiscriminantly began administering stimulants to his inert form. She
|
|||
|
|
was trying to keep Worf from slipping any deeper when she heard someone enter
|
|||
|
|
Sickbay behind her.
|
|||
|
|
She didn't even turn around. She had to keep an eye on her patient's
|
|||
|
|
chemical balance. If she didn't keep him within a very specific range, then he
|
|||
|
|
would go into a coma that could last days until the body decided to wake up.
|
|||
|
|
"How are they doing, Doctor?" Picard asked quietly from behind her.
|
|||
|
|
"Worf will be fine if I can just keep him stable for the next couple of
|
|||
|
|
minutes," she replied without looking away from the readout.
|
|||
|
|
"How is Mr. LaForge?"
|
|||
|
|
"I'm fine, sir," replied Geordi from the other side of the room on his
|
|||
|
|
bed. He unsteadily began to sit up.
|
|||
|
|
Crusher's head snapped around. "No you're not. Stay right there or I
|
|||
|
|
will have to forcefully keep you on that bed. You're a very sick man, Mr.
|
|||
|
|
LaForge. Do what I tell you and you may be able to leave tomorrow."
|
|||
|
|
Geordi grinned and shook his head. "Sorry, Doc. I've got to get to my
|
|||
|
|
station and get after those animals."
|
|||
|
|
"Report, Mr. LaForge," said Picard to cut off Crusher's retort. She
|
|||
|
|
frowned and turned back to Worf.
|
|||
|
|
"They acted really nice and polite until they got us into the cargo hold.
|
|||
|
|
The last thing I remember was Worf trying to tear a door off of its hinges and
|
|||
|
|
a green smoke. I must have blacked out," he finished sheepishly.
|
|||
|
|
Picard nodded and turned toward Crusher. "Do what you can for Worf,
|
|||
|
|
Doctor."
|
|||
|
|
He turned around and headed out the door. Geordi seemed likely to follow
|
|||
|
|
him out before Doctor Selar, the Vulcan on Crusher's staff, stopped him. "You
|
|||
|
|
are still ill, Engineer LaForge," she said in that neutral tone that Vulcans
|
|||
|
|
used when discussing anything from the color of a bacteria culture to their
|
|||
|
|
probabilities of surviving another three minutes
|
|||
|
|
during a Romulan attack.
|
|||
|
|
"No I'm not," he retorted rather ineffectively. He was swaying on his
|
|||
|
|
feet. "Besides, we need to go after them."
|
|||
|
|
"We are," answered Crusher without turning around. "Now lie down before I
|
|||
|
|
have Doctor Selar there carry you to bed."
|
|||
|
|
Geordi looked at the Vulcan doctor and recalled that she was perfectly
|
|||
|
|
capable of doing just that. He recrossed the room and lay down on his bed with
|
|||
|
|
a frown on his face. "Okay, but I don't have to like it," he muttered.
|
|||
|
|
"No, you don't, but do it anyway." retorted Dr. Crusher.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
* * * * * * * * * *
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
On the bridge Wesley Crusher sitting at Conn looked with hatred toward the
|
|||
|
|
Ferengi ship that had just kidnapped one of the men he most respected.
|
|||
|
|
They were already at maximum warp, barely gaining on the Ferengi ship. At
|
|||
|
|
their present speed, he calculated, they would catch them in just about seven
|
|||
|
|
hours.
|
|||
|
|
He almost unconsciously leaned forward as if to urge the great Galaxy
|
|||
|
|
class starship to greater speeds.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
p.s. for copies, reply to address below...
|
|||
|
|
--
|
|||
|
|
-Mycroft V, Psi Inc. (fsrsg@alaska.bitnet & fsrsg@acad3.alaska.edu)
|
|||
|
|
(Please flame. It's cold in these here hills!)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Path: moe.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!bionet!raven.alaska.edu!acad3.alaska.edu!fsrsg
|
|||
|
|
From: fsrsg@acad3.alaska.edu (Richard S. Guse)
|
|||
|
|
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
|
|||
|
|
Subject: Atax, part 4 of 15
|
|||
|
|
Message-ID: <1992Feb24.100552.1@acad3.alaska.edu>
|
|||
|
|
Date: 24 Feb 92 19:05:52 GMT
|
|||
|
|
Sender: news@raven.alaska.edu (USENET News System)
|
|||
|
|
Organization: Psi INc.
|
|||
|
|
Lines: 154
|
|||
|
|
Nntp-Posting-Host: acad3.alaska.edu
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Atax,
|
|||
|
|
Chapter 4
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Riker was in a dream like state where he couldn't feel anything. His mind
|
|||
|
|
felt free, without any problems or worries. That was just fine with him. His
|
|||
|
|
last coherent memory was of a green fog enveloping him and his friends. He
|
|||
|
|
didn't think that he wanted to wake up and find out what happened, so he
|
|||
|
|
waited.
|
|||
|
|
After a time, (who knew how long?) he began to feel a pain in his right
|
|||
|
|
shoulder. That slowly dragged him back to reality, even against his will.
|
|||
|
|
Once he was fully awake he realized that he had no hope of going back to
|
|||
|
|
sleep thanks to the pain in his shoulder. He lay still for a moment taking an
|
|||
|
|
assessment of his situation. His head was filled with cobwebs, he had a
|
|||
|
|
headache, and his right shoulder was aching, the kind of ache that promises to
|
|||
|
|
become full blown pain if you try to move it. He also heard something, a soft,
|
|||
|
|
almost subliminal hum coming from his right. He seemed to be lying on a flat
|
|||
|
|
surface that was none too comfortable.
|
|||
|
|
He slowly opened his eyes to look around and figure out where he was. The
|
|||
|
|
hum to the right proved to be a glowing blue outline around an otherwise open
|
|||
|
|
door. He didn't want to try to go through, however, because he knew that the
|
|||
|
|
color and tone meant that there was a force field turned to full power covering
|
|||
|
|
the portal.
|
|||
|
|
The rest of the room looked like any standard brig with one very important
|
|||
|
|
difference. He wasn't alone. Lying on a cot very similar to the one he was on
|
|||
|
|
was another human. Riker noticed that this human was rather normal in
|
|||
|
|
appearance save for a wicked looking scar that zigzagged down his left arm. He
|
|||
|
|
was just shy of two meters tall and had brown hair that was just a shade
|
|||
|
|
lighter than Riker's own hair. He was dressed in conservative colors in a
|
|||
|
|
modern style, but with very fine material.
|
|||
|
|
Riker next felt around his chest to an attempt to find his communicator.
|
|||
|
|
It wasn't there. Well, he thought, the Enterprise won't be coming to my rescue
|
|||
|
|
quite that easily. He slowly tried to move into a sitting position only to be
|
|||
|
|
rewarded with a nauseating pain in his shoulder. That wasn't any good at all.
|
|||
|
|
"Don't try to move that shoulder."
|
|||
|
|
Riker looked over at the other human to discover that he was sitting up
|
|||
|
|
and looking at him. "Thanks for telling me. Hurts like hell."
|
|||
|
|
"I'm not surprised. It's broken. Sorry, I've forgotten my manners. My
|
|||
|
|
name is Mark Krosby. And you are Commander . . ." He trailed off, waiting
|
|||
|
|
for Riker to answer.
|
|||
|
|
"William Riker, USS Enterprise." He hesitated, "This may sound like a
|
|||
|
|
stupid question, but where am I?"
|
|||
|
|
Mark laughed. "You are a guest on the illustrious Ferengi Trader Avarice.
|
|||
|
|
Since you're wearing a Starfleet uniform, I can assume that you're not here for
|
|||
|
|
the same reason I am."
|
|||
|
|
"I was sent by my captain to check the ship for Atax crystals," answered
|
|||
|
|
Riker. He was wondering whether or not to trust this man, but he figured that
|
|||
|
|
it didn't really matter one way or the other. Besides, he was a prisoner too.
|
|||
|
|
"We received a report that they may be carrying some. We were supposed to
|
|||
|
|
confiscate them and arrest Daamon Mok. Now why are you here?"
|
|||
|
|
"I'm what you could call a free trader," a smuggler translated Riker to
|
|||
|
|
himself. "I came to this ship with the same Atax that you were searching for.
|
|||
|
|
I had a deal with the Ferengi, a thousand credits per crystal. But I got
|
|||
|
|
greedy and demanded fifteen hundred each. Needless to say, they were not
|
|||
|
|
amused. They simply hit me with one of their energy whips and tossed me in
|
|||
|
|
here. I have no idea what happened to my ship. Probably destroyed by those
|
|||
|
|
monsters. Anyway, now you know my story."
|
|||
|
|
Riker tried to sit up again, this time being very gentle with his
|
|||
|
|
shoulder. He made it up and leaned back against the wall, gasping for breath.
|
|||
|
|
He spent the next five minutes fighting pain and dizziness.
|
|||
|
|
Mark never moved during this time. He just sat and watched Riker fight
|
|||
|
|
his own body.
|
|||
|
|
Something suddenly occurred to Riker, "How did you know my rank?"
|
|||
|
|
Mark smiled, "I quit Starfleet ten years ago. Not enough money in it.
|
|||
|
|
Anyway I didn't like all of the rules. My commanding officers controlled my
|
|||
|
|
life. I don't like anybody who makes decisions for me. I need my freedom, and
|
|||
|
|
these Ferengi have taken it away from me. I intend to kill every one of them
|
|||
|
|
when I bust out of here."
|
|||
|
|
Riker looked on him appreciatively. This was the kind of ally that he
|
|||
|
|
needed right now. Will looked around their cell once more, searching for a way
|
|||
|
|
to break out. The door was obviously out. Unless the ship had a power failure
|
|||
|
|
they didn't have a prayer of making it through there. He looked over the walls
|
|||
|
|
until he spied a panel that was flush with the wall. He considered his chances
|
|||
|
|
of walking over there, about two meters distant, without passing out on the
|
|||
|
|
way.
|
|||
|
|
Before Riker could move, however, he heard a sound over by the door. He
|
|||
|
|
turned and saw Blak leering at him.
|
|||
|
|
"I see that you are awake. Good. You'll be gratified to know that we
|
|||
|
|
gave you the antidote to the gas before any brain damage occurred."
|
|||
|
|
"What do you want with me?" Riker demanded.
|
|||
|
|
"And what will you do with me?" Krosby queried.
|
|||
|
|
Blak turned to Krosby. "You will eventually be taken to one of our bases
|
|||
|
|
and tried for the crimes that you have committed against us."
|
|||
|
|
"But I didn't do anything," protested Krosby.
|
|||
|
|
"You reneged on a contract," thundered Blak. The way he said that made it
|
|||
|
|
sound as if it were a death warrant.
|
|||
|
|
"And me?" asked Riker calmly.
|
|||
|
|
"You will be taken to the Romulan Neutral Zone," answered Blak with a leer
|
|||
|
|
on his face, "and sold to the first Romulan ship that will buy you at our
|
|||
|
|
price. I should think that many would want to buy a Starfleet commander. You
|
|||
|
|
probably have all sorts of military secrets that the Romulans can use." The
|
|||
|
|
evil smile on Blak's face made Riker instantly nervous.
|
|||
|
|
Blak's laughter could be heard all the way down the corridor.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
* * * * * * * * * *
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
"But, Doc," protested Geordi to an exasperated Beverly Crusher, "I feel
|
|||
|
|
fine. Why do you have me cooped up in here when I could be doing some real
|
|||
|
|
work? Besides, you know that I will keep pestering you until you release me."
|
|||
|
|
Geordi gave her a crooked smile.
|
|||
|
|
Beverly frowned back. "You're fine, Geordi. It's just that I want to
|
|||
|
|
keep you here for some observation to make sure you don't suffer any long term
|
|||
|
|
effects."
|
|||
|
|
"So I can observe myself," protested LaForge. "Listen, Doc, I'll try and
|
|||
|
|
take it easy for a while, okay? I promise to be a good little boy." He added
|
|||
|
|
solemnly, waiting for her response.
|
|||
|
|
She looked at him with something resembling resignation. "Fine. Get out
|
|||
|
|
of here."
|
|||
|
|
Geordi was halfway to the door before she said, "Just take it easy and
|
|||
|
|
don't hesitate to come back of you don't feel well."
|
|||
|
|
He was in the corridor before she heard a distant, "Okay."
|
|||
|
|
She turned around and grumbled something to herself about how all of the
|
|||
|
|
officers on this ship were stubborn.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
* * * * * * * * * *
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Geordi made straight for Engineering. Once there, he tracked down his
|
|||
|
|
assistant, Lieutenant Cohran. "What's the scoop?" he asked as soon as he found
|
|||
|
|
his subordinate.
|
|||
|
|
"We're running at warp 9.7, chasing after the Ferengi who tried to turn
|
|||
|
|
your brains to pudding, sir," answered Cohran. Geordi winced. Cohran always
|
|||
|
|
had graphic, though odd, descriptions for everything.
|
|||
|
|
Cohran himself was a little odd. He was a Horta, one of the many races
|
|||
|
|
that the legendary Admiral James T Kirk had discovered. Cohran himself
|
|||
|
|
appeared to be nothing more than an animated boulder. The Horta were a
|
|||
|
|
silicon-based life form that could move through solid rock as easily has humans
|
|||
|
|
moved through air. This was accomplished through the use of the strongest
|
|||
|
|
natural acid found anywhere in the galaxy. If they were moving through rock
|
|||
|
|
using this acid, then they would in essence be eating their way along.
|
|||
|
|
The Horta were a very long lived race, measuring their life spans in the
|
|||
|
|
centuries. Despite his odd shape, Cohran was one of the best engineers that
|
|||
|
|
Geordi had ever seen. He managed this because he could plug his nervous system
|
|||
|
|
straight into the machine that he was working on and literally feel where the
|
|||
|
|
problem was.
|
|||
|
|
"Have there been any problems with the engines or ship's integrity? This
|
|||
|
|
is a pretty fast speed to be holding for very long," commented Geordi.
|
|||
|
|
"No problems. She's been behaving herself like a virgin, sir. There's
|
|||
|
|
nothing much for anybody to do right now. Why don't you go get some rest?"
|
|||
|
|
"What, you too? Doctor Crusher just told me the same thing," exclaimed
|
|||
|
|
Geordi.
|
|||
|
|
"I know." If it were possible for a rock to appear embarrassed, Cohran
|
|||
|
|
did. "She called down just before you arrived and threatened to turn me into
|
|||
|
|
an asteroid if I let you do any work." He trailed off, clearly scared at the
|
|||
|
|
threat.
|
|||
|
|
Geordi sighed. "I should have known. Thanks, Cohran. If anything
|
|||
|
|
happens, give me a call. I'll probably be in Holodeck 1." Geordi turned to
|
|||
|
|
go.
|
|||
|
|
"Don't you worry about anything, sir. We'll keep things ship shape around
|
|||
|
|
here, even if we have to clean the deckplates with our toothbrushes."
|
|||
|
|
Geordi was smiling on his way out of Engineering. Nothing like a Horta
|
|||
|
|
telling jokes to lift your spirits, he mused.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
--
|
|||
|
|
Mycroft V, Psi Inc. (fsrsg@alaska.bitnet & fsrsg@acad3.alaska.edu)
|
|||
|
|
(Please flame. It's cold in these here hills!)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Path: moe.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!bionet!raven.alaska.edu!acad3.alaska.edu!fsrsg
|
|||
|
|
From: fsrsg@acad3.alaska.edu (Richard S. Guse)
|
|||
|
|
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
|
|||
|
|
Subject: Atax, ch. 5 of 15
|
|||
|
|
Message-ID: <1992Feb24.160603.1@acad3.alaska.edu>
|
|||
|
|
Date: 25 Feb 92 01:06:03 GMT
|
|||
|
|
Sender: news@raven.alaska.edu (USENET News System)
|
|||
|
|
Organization: Psi INc.
|
|||
|
|
Lines: 174
|
|||
|
|
Nntp-Posting-Host: acad3.alaska.edu
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
~From: mortoncp@NEXTWORK.ROSE-HULMAN.EDU
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Atax,
|
|||
|
|
Chapter 5
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
"We've got to get out of here," said Mark as soon as Blak was out of
|
|||
|
|
earshot.
|
|||
|
|
"No kidding. If I can just get to that panel over there," he indicated
|
|||
|
|
the darker panel he had spotted earlier, "I'll see if I can do something about
|
|||
|
|
that."
|
|||
|
|
Mark jerked his head around and smiled when he saw what Riker was talking
|
|||
|
|
about. Muttering something about being blind, he stood up and pulled off his
|
|||
|
|
cloth belt. He expertly folded it over and tied the end into a knot. Krosby
|
|||
|
|
then looped the knot over Riker's neck and then let the other half drop over
|
|||
|
|
his chest.
|
|||
|
|
"This is going to hurt," he said just as he grabbed Riker's wrist and
|
|||
|
|
shoved it into the makeshift sling.
|
|||
|
|
Riker didn't actually cry out, but he did break into a cold sweat.
|
|||
|
|
Imzadi, his mind cried. His arm was finally secured next to his body after
|
|||
|
|
what seemed like an eternity of raw pain. Once there, he found that it was
|
|||
|
|
much more comfortable this way than hanging down his side.
|
|||
|
|
"Thanks," he grunted, sweat running down his face.
|
|||
|
|
"Don't mention it," replied Krosby. "Now to that panel." He pulled Riker
|
|||
|
|
up by his good shoulder and then hung on to him as Will nearly fell over from
|
|||
|
|
the wave of dizziness that threatened to engulf him. Once the wave passed,
|
|||
|
|
however, he could stand up with out any help. Riker slowly made his way over
|
|||
|
|
to the panel and examined it carefully.
|
|||
|
|
It was made of the same material as the rest of the wall, but was a
|
|||
|
|
slightly darker shade of gray. The most promising aspect that he noticed was a
|
|||
|
|
visible
|
|||
|
|
crack where the panel met the rest of the wall. Riker tried to hook
|
|||
|
|
his fingernails in it and pull, but the crack was just barely too narrow for
|
|||
|
|
him to get a good grip on.
|
|||
|
|
"Let me try," said Krosby.
|
|||
|
|
Riker stood aside and looked over the room again as Krosby had a go at
|
|||
|
|
prying open the panel. Save for the panel, their bunks, and the two of them,
|
|||
|
|
the room was absolutely bare. Riker began to worry about how they would be fed
|
|||
|
|
and other necessities of life cared for.
|
|||
|
|
"No good," grumbled Mark after a full minute of trying.
|
|||
|
|
Riker went back over to his bunk and sat down. He slumped over as he ran
|
|||
|
|
through the options in his head. As far as he could see, there weren't any.
|
|||
|
|
Krosby was probably thinking similar thoughts across the room. With a
|
|||
|
|
muttered, "Damn," he hit the bunk with his fist.
|
|||
|
|
Riker saw the action and thought for a moment. Didn't Geordi say
|
|||
|
|
something about the ship? he thought.
|
|||
|
|
"That's it," he said excitedly after a moment of thought.
|
|||
|
|
"What's it?" grumbled Mark without looking up.
|
|||
|
|
"This entire ship is made of cheap materials. I bet that we could just
|
|||
|
|
break that panel and be home free in no time."
|
|||
|
|
"Just break it? Think that it could be that easy?" asked Krosby with
|
|||
|
|
skepticism, though he did look up.
|
|||
|
|
"Worth a try," said Riker. He examined his bed more closely to see if he
|
|||
|
|
could pry a piece off to pound on the panel. No good. The bed was made of one
|
|||
|
|
piece and he sure as hell couldn't lift it up as a whole to use as a club.
|
|||
|
|
Well, have to do it the hard way, he thought as he stood up. He went over to
|
|||
|
|
the panel again and thumped it a couple of times with the heel of his left
|
|||
|
|
hand.
|
|||
|
|
Well, next step, he thought. He took a step back and pivoted on his left
|
|||
|
|
foot to ram the heel of his right boot into the panel. The first kick only
|
|||
|
|
succeeded in jarring his bad shoulder. His second try produced a sharp clang,
|
|||
|
|
but this third attempt brought a crack. Riker stopped and looked at the panel
|
|||
|
|
again. There was a barely visible hairline fracture down the middle of it. He
|
|||
|
|
smiled and stepped back again. Two more kicks later the entire panel cracked
|
|||
|
|
apart and parts of it fell into the cell and most of the rest fell into the
|
|||
|
|
wall. Riker peered in and got a good look at what was inside. After a moment
|
|||
|
|
he turned around to find a very interested look on Mark's face.
|
|||
|
|
"The Ferengi never have been very smart have they?" asked Will.
|
|||
|
|
"Why? What did you find?"
|
|||
|
|
"Power circuits. I assume that at least one of them will be for the
|
|||
|
|
door."
|
|||
|
|
"You know, this escape may be easier than I originally thought," said
|
|||
|
|
Krosby.
|
|||
|
|
Riker smiled and got to work.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
* * * * * * * * * *
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
"Captain," called Wesley Crusher from Conn.
|
|||
|
|
"Yes, Ensign, what is it?"
|
|||
|
|
"The Ferengi are changing course. They are no longer heading toward
|
|||
|
|
Ferengi Alliance space. They are now heading to," Wesley did a quick
|
|||
|
|
calculation and gulped when he saw the result, "the Romulan Neutral Zone."
|
|||
|
|
It took a moment for that to sink in. "Follow them. How long until we
|
|||
|
|
reach the Neutral Zone?" Picard asked.
|
|||
|
|
Wesley tapped the command into his computer and read out the result, "Five
|
|||
|
|
and a half hours at present speed. Sir, we won't catch the Ferengi for another
|
|||
|
|
five hours."
|
|||
|
|
The meaning of that was clear to all on the bridge. They would only have
|
|||
|
|
a half an hour after they catch the Ferengi to free Commander Riker before they
|
|||
|
|
entered the Romulan Neutral Zone and possibly started interstellar war.
|
|||
|
|
Picard turned to Counselor Troi seated on his left. "Counselor, why would
|
|||
|
|
the Ferengi," was all the further that he got before being cut short by Troi's
|
|||
|
|
scream.
|
|||
|
|
"Imzadi," screamed Deanna, mentally and vocally.
|
|||
|
|
Every head on the bridge snapped around at the noise to see that Troi had
|
|||
|
|
screamed, clutched at her shoulder, and collapsed onto Picard. Wesley jumped
|
|||
|
|
up and came back to them in order to lift her off of Captain Picard who was
|
|||
|
|
momentarily shocked into immobility. Worf, meanwhile, did the only sensible
|
|||
|
|
thing that he could under the circumstances. He called Doctor Crusher to the
|
|||
|
|
bridge. Wesley finally managed to lift Troi off of Picard by grabbing her
|
|||
|
|
around her waist and essentially lifting her straight up in a bear hug. This
|
|||
|
|
had the desired effect, but it made Wesley blush furiously. He laid her
|
|||
|
|
down flat in front of the command chairs.
|
|||
|
|
Picard meanwhile had managed to get his muscles to respond to commands
|
|||
|
|
again. He knelt down beside Deanna and put two fingers on her throat to check
|
|||
|
|
her pulse. It was rapid and thready.
|
|||
|
|
Crusher burst into the bridge at that moment and demanded, "What
|
|||
|
|
happened?" She began running her medical tricorder over Troi's body without
|
|||
|
|
waiting for an answer.
|
|||
|
|
"She just screamed and fainted," answered Picard.
|
|||
|
|
"It was Will, Captain," said Deanna, barely audible. "He was in intense
|
|||
|
|
pain. We must help him." She struggled to get up.
|
|||
|
|
"We'll get to him, Deanna," soothed Beverly. "Right now I need to get you
|
|||
|
|
to Sickbay. Can you walk or do I need to call for a stretcher?"
|
|||
|
|
"I can make it," responded Troi, slightly embarrassed as she stood up
|
|||
|
|
under her own power.
|
|||
|
|
Crusher smiled at her, "Good. Let's go then." They headed to the
|
|||
|
|
turbolift doors, Deanna holding her head and Crusher with her arm around Troi,
|
|||
|
|
offering support.
|
|||
|
|
"Why are all of my senior officers getting themselves hurt?" asked Picard
|
|||
|
|
from no one in particular.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
* * * * * * * * * *
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Doctor Crusher had no sooner finished calling Engineering and threatening
|
|||
|
|
Cohran than she got an emergency summons to the bridge from Worf.
|
|||
|
|
As she stood in the turbolift on her way to the bridge, she wondered if it
|
|||
|
|
could be Worf himself. She hadn't wanted to release him yet, but that stubborn
|
|||
|
|
Klingon just stood up and walked out. It was getting to the point that she
|
|||
|
|
couldn't keep her patients in Sickbay anymore.
|
|||
|
|
As soon as the turbolift stopped, she jumped out onto the bridge and found
|
|||
|
|
that Deanna was the one who needed her help. She quickly learned what had
|
|||
|
|
happened and that there would be no long term effects. She finally coaxed
|
|||
|
|
Deanna into coming to Sickbay with her and maneuvered her into the turbolift.
|
|||
|
|
"What happened?" asked Crusher as soon as the lift doors closed.
|
|||
|
|
"I'm not sure," came the confused reply. "Captain Picard was asking me a
|
|||
|
|
question and the next thing that I knew I was receiving wave after wave of pain
|
|||
|
|
from Commander Riker. I don't know why, but I did."
|
|||
|
|
"Are you sure that it was Will?" asked Beverly as the turbolift slowed to
|
|||
|
|
a stop and the doors opened.
|
|||
|
|
A small smile played at the corners of Deanna's mouth. "Yes, Beverly, I'm
|
|||
|
|
sure it was Will. He is very identifiable, emotionally. At least to me he
|
|||
|
|
is." She added as the pair walked into Sickbay.
|
|||
|
|
The smile on Crusher's face melted into a frown of concern and then shock
|
|||
|
|
as Deanna turned pale and passed out again.
|
|||
|
|
Beverly's shock lasted less than a second, however. Her doctor's
|
|||
|
|
instincts took over and caught Deanna before she hit the deck. It took her
|
|||
|
|
only moments to lift Troi up and deposit her onto the nearest medical
|
|||
|
|
diagnostic bed. The readout immediately began showing the patient's vital
|
|||
|
|
signs. They were wavering radically.
|
|||
|
|
Crusher's face puckered into a frown as she tried to tell what was wrong.
|
|||
|
|
All of her medical experience seemed useless as she frantically searched her
|
|||
|
|
memory for what was causing her friend's condition. No matter. Treat the
|
|||
|
|
symptoms and then go after the cause, she thought.
|
|||
|
|
She first injected a mild sedative to ease the wild heart rate and then
|
|||
|
|
began picking selective drugs to help the other major organs fight whatever it
|
|||
|
|
was.
|
|||
|
|
"What was wrong with Counselor Troi, Doctor?" queried Picard from the
|
|||
|
|
bridge.
|
|||
|
|
She slapped her communicator without slowing down her ministrations to
|
|||
|
|
Troi and began to speak rapidly, "She originally fainted from a wave of pain
|
|||
|
|
that Commander Riker was apparently broadcasting, Captain. However, that is
|
|||
|
|
not the problem right now. She has collapsed again."
|
|||
|
|
"From what?" came the concerned reply.
|
|||
|
|
"I'm sorry, Captain, but I have no idea. Crusher out." She slapped her
|
|||
|
|
communicator again to close the link to the bridge and set about saving Deanna
|
|||
|
|
Troi's life.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
--
|
|||
|
|
I'm posting all of the chapters...but not instentaneously...they should be
|
|||
|
|
all posted by later wednesday. After chapter 15, feel free to write for
|
|||
|
|
missed chapters...later! -r
|
|||
|
|
--
|
|||
|
|
-Mycroft V, Psi Inc. (fsrsg@alaska.bitnet & fsrsg@acad3.alaska.edu)
|
|||
|
|
(Please flame. It's cold in these here hills!)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Path: moe.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!bionet!raven.alaska.edu!acad3.alaska.edu!fsrsg
|
|||
|
|
From: fsrsg@acad3.alaska.edu (Richard S. Guse)
|
|||
|
|
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
|
|||
|
|
Subject: Atax, Ch. 6 of 15
|
|||
|
|
Message-ID: <1992Feb24.161015.1@acad3.alaska.edu>
|
|||
|
|
Date: 25 Feb 92 01:10:15 GMT
|
|||
|
|
Sender: news@raven.alaska.edu (USENET News System)
|
|||
|
|
Organization: Psi INc.
|
|||
|
|
Lines: 182
|
|||
|
|
Nntp-Posting-Host: acad3.alaska.edu
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
~From: mortoncp@NEXTWORK.ROSE-HULMAN.EDU
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Atax,
|
|||
|
|
Chapter 6
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Completely oblivious to what was happening to Counselor Troi, Geordi
|
|||
|
|
LaForge went looking for Data. While he was lying in Sickbay he had decided to
|
|||
|
|
go back to the Holodeck with his android friend and work on that program some
|
|||
|
|
more. He figured that Doctor Crusher would let him do something like that
|
|||
|
|
since it wasn't actually work.
|
|||
|
|
Finding Data wasn't nearly as difficult as it sounds because the
|
|||
|
|
Enterprise's main computer could find anybody on the ship in a matter of
|
|||
|
|
seconds. Geordi asked the computer and learned that Data was in the Ten-
|
|||
|
|
Forward Lounge. Odd, thought Geordi, he usually doesn't go there. But who am
|
|||
|
|
I to tell him where he can and can't go? I'll just stop by and talk to him
|
|||
|
|
there, he concluded.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
* * * * * * * * * *
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
"Guinan, could you help me with a problem?"
|
|||
|
|
Guinan, the hostess of the Ten-Forward Lounge, looked up and saw Commander
|
|||
|
|
Data looking at her with a mixture of embarrassment and apprehension on a face
|
|||
|
|
that usually gave no emotional response at all. She was very surprised to see
|
|||
|
|
him in here at all. When he did come it was with a group of other officers and
|
|||
|
|
even then he rarely talked to her.
|
|||
|
|
Recovering her composure quickly, she said, "Sure, Data. Have a seat.
|
|||
|
|
What can I do for you?"
|
|||
|
|
Data sat down and considered the hostess. The first thing that he noticed
|
|||
|
|
was the outfit she was wearing. It consisted of a dark blue outfit that almost
|
|||
|
|
resembled a robe, with a hat of the same shade. The hat was so large that it
|
|||
|
|
was almost the same size as the robe itself. Data recalled that she preferred
|
|||
|
|
clothing of this type, so he dismissed the fact that the hat was several times
|
|||
|
|
the size of her head.
|
|||
|
|
He then looked at her and realized, not for the first time, that it was
|
|||
|
|
hard to tell what species she came from. She exhibited a little bit of many
|
|||
|
|
diverse cultures and physical attributes. Data knew that Captain Picard had
|
|||
|
|
argued long and hard for her to be allowed to run the Ten-Fore Lounge on the
|
|||
|
|
Enterprise, but nobody else, including Data and the ship's computer, knew much
|
|||
|
|
else about her or why Captain Picard lobbied to Starfleet Command on her
|
|||
|
|
behalf.
|
|||
|
|
However, she had the uncanny knack of knowing when people needed a drink
|
|||
|
|
refilled, a shoulder to cry on, or if they just wanted to be left alone. These
|
|||
|
|
things made her the perfect hostess for the social center of a moving city.
|
|||
|
|
"Yesterday Geordi and I started a holodeck simulation," began Data with
|
|||
|
|
some hesitation. "In it I had programed in a formal party scenario and gave
|
|||
|
|
each of us an escort for the evening. He seemed very happy with the setup, but
|
|||
|
|
I am confused as to what I should say to Grace, my escort. Should I ask her to
|
|||
|
|
dance, should I just talk to her, should I let her guide the conversation,
|
|||
|
|
should I . . ." He trailed off as he realized that Guinan was on the verge of
|
|||
|
|
laughing out loud at him. "What did I say that was humorous?"
|
|||
|
|
"Nothing, Data," she managed, stifling another laugh. "It's just that
|
|||
|
|
some people have asked me some very odd questions since I came to the
|
|||
|
|
Enterprise, but this is the first time that I've had an android with women
|
|||
|
|
troubles. To answer your question, you should do whatever seems natural. Let
|
|||
|
|
her guide you a little if you must, but the computer will go along with just
|
|||
|
|
about anything you decide to do. Data, you're a unique individual and you
|
|||
|
|
should just be yourself." She spotted Geordi as he walked in and started to
|
|||
|
|
look around. "There's Geordi now. Why don't you two go back to that program
|
|||
|
|
right now and have some fun. From what I've heard, we won't be doing much for
|
|||
|
|
a few hours at least. Go on and have some fun."
|
|||
|
|
"Thank you, Guinan," said Data as Geordi joined them.
|
|||
|
|
"Hi, Guinan," greeted Geordi. "Data, do you want to go back to that
|
|||
|
|
holodeck program we were in earlier? You know the one with Gloria and Grace?"
|
|||
|
|
He seemed rather eager to be going.
|
|||
|
|
Geordi could hear Guinan give a small laugh as she went to tend to some of
|
|||
|
|
her other customers. "What was that about?" he asked Data.
|
|||
|
|
"Guinan and I were discussing just that program before you arrived. To
|
|||
|
|
answer your question, yes. I would like to go back and try that scenario some
|
|||
|
|
more."
|
|||
|
|
"Great," said Geordi as he moved toward the doors.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
* * * * * * * * * *
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
The program was quickly resumed once they arrived at the doors to Holodeck
|
|||
|
|
One. The only modification that they had to make was Grace's memory of Picard's
|
|||
|
|
voice. Other than that, they continued where they had left off, Data talking
|
|||
|
|
to Grace and Geordi dancing with Gloria.
|
|||
|
|
"What were we talking about?" asked Grace.
|
|||
|
|
"You were saying that I know humans very well right now," said Data with
|
|||
|
|
his usual accuracy.
|
|||
|
|
Grace laughed lightly. "That's what I like about you, Fredrick, you make
|
|||
|
|
me laugh. It's just some of the little things you do and the serious way you
|
|||
|
|
say them." She paused and turned toward Geordi and his date on the dance
|
|||
|
|
floor. They were currently doing a slow waltz. "I'm glad that Gloria and
|
|||
|
|
Thomas are getting along so well."
|
|||
|
|
Geordi seems to be very happy, thought Data to himself.
|
|||
|
|
He continued watching them for a few more seconds. How can they be so
|
|||
|
|
close together without stepping on each other's feet? he wondered.
|
|||
|
|
Grace turned back to him. "Anyway, I still say that you understand
|
|||
|
|
humans very well indeed. After all, how could we be engaged to be married if I
|
|||
|
|
didn't think that I understood you and you understood me?"
|
|||
|
|
Data, who had programed the simulation, knew that this was coming. It was
|
|||
|
|
a part of the learning experience for him. How better to understand humans
|
|||
|
|
than to experience their relationships in their full complexities? he reasoned.
|
|||
|
|
Grace continued, "I love you, Fredrick, and I always will. I'm glad that
|
|||
|
|
you asked me to marry you. You made me the happiest girl alive." With that,
|
|||
|
|
she threw her arms around Data's neck and proceeded to give him a kiss that
|
|||
|
|
would have sent even Riker spinning.
|
|||
|
|
He responded as well as he was able, but his lack of real experience
|
|||
|
|
detracted from the intended effect. Grace didn't seem to notice or if she did,
|
|||
|
|
she didn't care.
|
|||
|
|
Once the kiss finished she leaned against him and sighed contentedly.
|
|||
|
|
Data wondered what to do next. He had a woman who seemed to be in love with
|
|||
|
|
him practically lying on top of him and he felt that he really should do
|
|||
|
|
something.
|
|||
|
|
Emulation seems to be in order, he thought. Therefore, what would
|
|||
|
|
Commander Riker do in this situation? He didn't know for sure. He had never
|
|||
|
|
quite figured out how Riker treated ladies in this kind of situation. Very
|
|||
|
|
well, what would Captain Picard do? That too drew a blank. How about Geordi?
|
|||
|
|
He looked over at his friend just in time to see them kissing in a manner that
|
|||
|
|
he himself had just experienced. Good start, he thought.
|
|||
|
|
He leaned over and kissed Grace again. She responded just as
|
|||
|
|
enthusiastically as the last time and snuggled further into his shoulder. That
|
|||
|
|
was apparently pleasurable for her, but did not get us anywhere, he thought. I
|
|||
|
|
have to think of something else.
|
|||
|
|
Who else could I emulate? What would Worf do? He did a quick search of
|
|||
|
|
Klingon mating rituals. Well, he thought, I could try that.
|
|||
|
|
"bangwIj rur Doq," he started. He sounded as if his intestines and vocal
|
|||
|
|
cords were being sucked through the matter-antimatter engines.
|
|||
|
|
Grace interrupted with, "What was that, Fredrick?"
|
|||
|
|
"Klingon poetry. I started to say 'My love is like a red, red rose, newly
|
|||
|
|
sprung in June.'"
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Grace giggled and looked up to him with an amused expression on her face.
|
|||
|
|
"What am I supposed to do while you recite Klingon love poetry?"
|
|||
|
|
"You are supposed to throw heavy objects at me until you can not find any
|
|||
|
|
more and then throw yourself at me and make love to me," he replied with a
|
|||
|
|
straight face.
|
|||
|
|
Her face was stretching into a larger and larger smile until she heard
|
|||
|
|
that last line. Data then began to wonder how red her face could become before
|
|||
|
|
she began hemorrhaging.
|
|||
|
|
"What kind of girl do you think I am, anyway? Just because you take me to
|
|||
|
|
a fancy party you think you can take advantage of me." Her voice was rising
|
|||
|
|
with every word. Several heads turned toward the sound.
|
|||
|
|
"Well, buster, you've got it all wrong." She viciously tore a ring off of
|
|||
|
|
her finger and threw it at him. Data reflexively caught it and looked at it.
|
|||
|
|
It was a gold ring with a small diamond surrounded by rubies. By this time
|
|||
|
|
everybody in the room was staring at them.
|
|||
|
|
Geordi, who was still out on the dance floor with Gloria, considered
|
|||
|
|
pausing the program, but he was genuinely interested in how his friend would
|
|||
|
|
handle this display.
|
|||
|
|
Grace, meanwhile, was continuing her tirade. "Get out of my life,
|
|||
|
|
Fredrick. I never want to see you again." With that, she buried her face in
|
|||
|
|
her hands and ran out the door. Much to Geordi's disappointment, Gloria
|
|||
|
|
followed without even a good-bye.
|
|||
|
|
"Pause program," Geordi called out. Everybody except Data and himself
|
|||
|
|
immediately froze in their positions. Geordi slowly walked over to Data,
|
|||
|
|
shaking his head. Data had a very confused look on his face.
|
|||
|
|
"What was that all about?" Geordi asked his friend.
|
|||
|
|
"I began to recite Klingon love poetry to her in an attempt to emulate
|
|||
|
|
Lieutenant Worf. She did not understand Klingonaase, so I had to stop and
|
|||
|
|
explain what I was saying and what she should do in such a situation." Data's
|
|||
|
|
confused expression remained on his face throughout the synopsis of their
|
|||
|
|
conversation.
|
|||
|
|
Geordi shook his head again. He knew this Klingon custom. He had heard
|
|||
|
|
about it in a Xenopsychology class in Starfleet Academy.
|
|||
|
|
"That's a Klingon custom, Data. It doesn't work very well at all on
|
|||
|
|
humans. You just insulted her by doing that. You may not have meant to, but
|
|||
|
|
you did, just the same. See, girls want their dates to be tender and romantic.
|
|||
|
|
Klingon mating customs are anything but tender."
|
|||
|
|
"I am sorry," said Data, genuinely apologetic. He knew how much fun
|
|||
|
|
Geordi was having with Gloria.
|
|||
|
|
"I wonder how long we have before we catch the Ferengi," Geordi wondered,
|
|||
|
|
changing the subject. He wanted to spend more time in here before things
|
|||
|
|
really started to happen.
|
|||
|
|
He tilted his head up and addressed the air, "Computer, how long until we
|
|||
|
|
catch the Ferengi ship?"
|
|||
|
|
"Four hours, twenty-eight minutes at present speed," replied the pleasant
|
|||
|
|
female voice.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
He turned back to Data, "Why don't we try this program again while we have
|
|||
|
|
some spare time? Besides, Doctor Crusher doesn't want me to do any real work
|
|||
|
|
for a while, and this is a good way for both of us to relax."
|
|||
|
|
Data nodded his head and turned to the computer console to restart the
|
|||
|
|
program for the second time in as many hours.
|
|||
|
|
Geordi wondered how many more times Data would need to restart the
|
|||
|
|
program. He hoped it would be quite a few. He was having a lot of fun getting
|
|||
|
|
to know Gloria.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
--
|
|||
|
|
-Mycroft V, Psi Inc. (fsrsg@alaska.bitnet & fsrsg@acad3.alaska.edu)
|
|||
|
|
(Please flame. It's cold in these here hills!)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Path: moe.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!spool.mu.edu!agate!ames!bionet!raven.alaska.edu!acad3.alaska.edu!fsrsg
|
|||
|
|
From: fsrsg@acad3.alaska.edu (Richard S. Guse)
|
|||
|
|
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
|
|||
|
|
Subject: atax, 7 out of 15
|
|||
|
|
Message-ID: <1992Feb27.133007.1@acad3.alaska.edu>
|
|||
|
|
Date: 27 Feb 92 22:30:07 GMT
|
|||
|
|
Article-I.D.: acad3.1992Feb27.133007.1
|
|||
|
|
Sender: news@raven.alaska.edu (USENET News System)
|
|||
|
|
Organization: Psi INc.
|
|||
|
|
Lines: 170
|
|||
|
|
Nntp-Posting-Host: acad3.alaska.edu
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Well, after an internet delay of around 3 days...*argh!!!*
|
|||
|
|
I received chapter 7...
|
|||
|
|
Just a small comment about Atax, when I received them, there were
|
|||
|
|
quite a few control codes mixed in with the text. However, I ran a fixer
|
|||
|
|
program on them, and they've come out just fine, and are now in straight
|
|||
|
|
text format(I hope!)...*grin*
|
|||
|
|
so here is chapter 7 out of 15, and if time permits, I'll get all the
|
|||
|
|
rest in here...If you'd like straight text format, I'll be more than happy
|
|||
|
|
to send them to you...just reply to my bitnet or internet address below...
|
|||
|
|
have fun! -r
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
~From: mortoncp@NEXTWORK.ROSE-HULMAN.EDU
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Atax,
|
|||
|
|
Chapter 7
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Riker had his back turned to the door when he heard footsteps running down
|
|||
|
|
the hall. "Damn," he hissed venomously. "They heard the kicks. Get ready to
|
|||
|
|
jump them," as he talked he left the shattered panel and moved to one of the
|
|||
|
|
corners next to the door. Mark positioned himself on the other side. Whoever
|
|||
|
|
came in was flanked even as they began the fight.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
* * * * * * * * * *
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Blak came running full tilt down the corridor toward the brig. Damn
|
|||
|
|
these humans, he thought savagely. I didn't even want to pick them up, but no.
|
|||
|
|
That bumbling Mok just had to take them and try to make a profit off of those
|
|||
|
|
two. I told him that they could cause trouble. At least he has the brains to
|
|||
|
|
be coming to back me up.
|
|||
|
|
I wonder what those two meddlesome humans are up to? he thought as he
|
|||
|
|
slowed to stop at the door.
|
|||
|
|
Blak stopped in front of the door and peered in, energy whip drawn. No
|
|||
|
|
sense in being jumped by those two. His hesitation vanished when he spotted
|
|||
|
|
the shattered panel. Those fools destroyed Ferengi property, thought Blak with
|
|||
|
|
a snarl. He jabbed in the security code to deactivate the force field and
|
|||
|
|
marched straight into the cell without another thought as to where Riker and
|
|||
|
|
Krosby were.
|
|||
|
|
Blak's next impression was of the toe of a boot streaking toward his face.
|
|||
|
|
His face was shortly making an impression on the floor.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
* * * * * * * * * *
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
"Did you really have to do that?" asked Riker. "I could have knocked him
|
|||
|
|
out without trying to kill him."
|
|||
|
|
"I told you that I have a grudge against these monsters. I just made my
|
|||
|
|
first payback for what they did to my ship and to my freedom." He considered
|
|||
|
|
Blak's bleeding lip and broken nose. "Besides, I think I improved his looks."
|
|||
|
|
The look on Riker's face was indecipherable. Krosby couldn't tell if Will
|
|||
|
|
was upset or amused.
|
|||
|
|
Will took the lead and walked out into the corridor. Mark paused only
|
|||
|
|
long enough to pick up Blak's energy whip and then followed.
|
|||
|
|
As soon as Riker got outside of his cell, the first thing he noticed was
|
|||
|
|
that Mok was standing three meters in front of him with a drawn energy whip.
|
|||
|
|
The Ferengi captain did not look pleased. His face appeared as if it would
|
|||
|
|
explode at any moment.
|
|||
|
|
Mok shrieked a truly hideous Ferengi curse (roughly translated as "May all
|
|||
|
|
of your contracts fall through and you die penniless") and flipped the energy
|
|||
|
|
whip at Riker.
|
|||
|
|
Will saw a blast of white paralyzing energy coming at him. His reaction
|
|||
|
|
was instinctive. He dodged to his right. The bolt sizzled past Riker's ear
|
|||
|
|
and slammed straight into Krosby's chest. Mark flew five meters down the
|
|||
|
|
corridor before he landed with a heavy thud and didn't move.
|
|||
|
|
Riker noticed what had happened to his comrade, but he had his own
|
|||
|
|
problems coming his way. He didn't think that the hard floor and his bad
|
|||
|
|
shoulder would mix very well.
|
|||
|
|
He quickly realized the veracity of his prediction as he landed in a roll
|
|||
|
|
and his shoulder exploded into liquid pain. His next coherent thought was
|
|||
|
|
that his roll didn't go as planned either. He had hit a wall.
|
|||
|
|
Riker was now essentially standing on his head, leaned against the wall
|
|||
|
|
with a very hostile Ferengi standing over him holding a dangerous weapon.
|
|||
|
|
What did fearless Starfleet commanders do in situations such as this?
|
|||
|
|
Riker didn't know either, so he didn't move until told to do so, not that he
|
|||
|
|
could very quickly even if he wanted to.
|
|||
|
|
"Get up," snarled Mok.
|
|||
|
|
Riker gingerly rolled into a sitting position. His head was still reeling
|
|||
|
|
from the pain in his shoulder and he felt as if he couldn't stand up without
|
|||
|
|
antigrav support.
|
|||
|
|
"Move it," screamed Mok.
|
|||
|
|
He was at the mouth, noticed Riker. Maybe I should move more quickly, he
|
|||
|
|
thought. He doesn't seem to be in a very forgiving mood right now. I just
|
|||
|
|
hope I don't pass out.
|
|||
|
|
Riker gritted his teeth and tried to stand upright. A combination of the
|
|||
|
|
nauseating pain in his shoulder and the dizziness in his head from trying to
|
|||
|
|
stand up too fast stopped him. Deanna, his mind cried as he fell.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
* * * * * * * * * *
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Deanna Troi wondered where she was. The last thing she remembered was
|
|||
|
|
talking to Beverly in Sickbay. The next thing she knew, she was here, wherever
|
|||
|
|
here was. She couldn't exactly see or feel anything, but she could sense other
|
|||
|
|
beings around her. She called out to them, but no one answered.
|
|||
|
|
Deciding that doing nothing was one of the worst things that she could do
|
|||
|
|
under the circumstances, she hesitantly touched one and found the mind of a
|
|||
|
|
Vulcan she knew. Dr. Selar, one of Crusher's staff. So these are the minds
|
|||
|
|
of everybody on the Enterprise, she reasoned.
|
|||
|
|
At least I'm still on the ship, she thought, but what condition am I in?
|
|||
|
|
I was in Beverly's office in Sickbay, so I'll try there first, she decided.
|
|||
|
|
She mentally went back to the office, a trip of about ten meters. There was no
|
|||
|
|
one there. She next tried the diagnostic beds nearest the office and found
|
|||
|
|
Crusher's mind.
|
|||
|
|
Deanna touched it and called out, "Beverly."
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
* * * * * * * * * *
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Dr. Crusher whirled in a full circle looking around Sickbay to try to
|
|||
|
|
identify the voice that she had just heard. The only other person in Sickbay
|
|||
|
|
was Dr. Selar, running diagnostics on the Sickbay computer system. The voice
|
|||
|
|
sounded like Deanna's, but that was impossible. Deanna was right in front of
|
|||
|
|
her, unconscious. Not only that, but the voice seemed to come from everywhere
|
|||
|
|
and nowhere at once. Given how she had heard her name, and that Dr. Selar
|
|||
|
|
had not moved, Crusher decided that she had just been telepathically
|
|||
|
|
contacted. "Who's there?" she called mentally, as well as she was able.
|
|||
|
|
"It's me, Deanna Troi. You know me, Beverly," came the calm reply.
|
|||
|
|
Crusher turned back to Deanna's body. It hadn't moved. In fact, the
|
|||
|
|
monitors on the diagnostic bed were the only things that kept her from thinking
|
|||
|
|
that Troi's body was dead. "Where are you?" she asked hesitantly.
|
|||
|
|
"I'm not sure. I can move through the Enterprise without trying, and I
|
|||
|
|
see everybody's mind as if it were a little star," answered Deanna's voice from
|
|||
|
|
somewhere within Beverly's mind.
|
|||
|
|
"How do you feel?" queried Crusher.
|
|||
|
|
"Fine. I have an incredible amount of freedom right now, Beverly. It's
|
|||
|
|
like being released from my body. It's very interesting, and a little bit
|
|||
|
|
scary too," she added.
|
|||
|
|
"Okay. I think I've finally figured out what happened to you. Your body
|
|||
|
|
is right here in front of me, but your mind appears to be free from it. Your
|
|||
|
|
body is showing symptoms of a Ryboxian virus. They're very unpredictable
|
|||
|
|
illnesses. Not only that, but you could have gotten it anywhere and at
|
|||
|
|
anytime. The bioscreens on the air circulators can't detect them. Anyway,
|
|||
|
|
sometimes they act just like a normal flu and sometimes they attack each
|
|||
|
|
person's individual traits. It seems that this time it has attacked your
|
|||
|
|
psionic abilities and enhanced them in some way. Anyway, I have no way of
|
|||
|
|
curing you immediately. I'll just have to treat the symptoms and let your body
|
|||
|
|
fight the virus itself." She paused to let Deanna say something if she wanted
|
|||
|
|
to. There was no comment so she continued.
|
|||
|
|
"Meanwhile, since you seem to be mentally free and coherent, I suggest
|
|||
|
|
that you take advantage of it. When was the last time that you actually down
|
|||
|
|
sat and meditated for more than ten minutes? I think that you could use this
|
|||
|
|
time to get some mental rest. I've no idea how long you'll be in this
|
|||
|
|
condition, so make the best of it, okay?"
|
|||
|
|
"I'll try, Beverly, but I'm getting lonely already," came back Deanna's
|
|||
|
|
soft response.
|
|||
|
|
Beverly smiled. "Just think of me as the neighbor that you can stop by
|
|||
|
|
and visit anytime you feel like it," urged Beverly mentally.
|
|||
|
|
Crusher could almost feel Troi's answering smile. "Thank you Beverly.
|
|||
|
|
Another thing, please don't tell anybody this, okay?"
|
|||
|
|
"Fine, Deanna. Now get some rest while I take care of you."
|
|||
|
|
"Yes, Doctor," came the amused reply. "I'll leave you alone so you can
|
|||
|
|
work on me."
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
* * * * * * * * * *
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Deanna pulled herself away from Dr. Crusher and looked around her changed
|
|||
|
|
world. The people on the Enterprise were clustered around her. She could look
|
|||
|
|
into any mind she chose, but she didn't want to do that. Being an empath, she
|
|||
|
|
knew her powers and didn't want to invade the mental privacy of anybody.
|
|||
|
|
Besides, that kind of move would justify the fears of many people around her.
|
|||
|
|
Most people just don't understand me, she thought sadly. A few people do
|
|||
|
|
though. Captain Picard, Beverly, . . . Will. They understand what I go
|
|||
|
|
through.
|
|||
|
|
Will. Now why didn't I think of him sooner? I'd better find him and make
|
|||
|
|
sure he's all right.
|
|||
|
|
"Deanna," it was so quiet that she could barely hear it, but she knew
|
|||
|
|
immediately what it meant. She turned toward the sound and sped to Riker.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
--
|
|||
|
|
-Mycroft V, Psi Inc. (fsrsg@alaska.bitnet & fsrsg@acad3.alaska.edu)
|
|||
|
|
(Please flame. It's cold in these here hills!)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Path: moe.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!spool.mu.edu!agate!ames!bionet!raven.alaska.edu!acad3.alaska.edu!fsrsg
|
|||
|
|
From: fsrsg@acad3.alaska.edu (Richard S. Guse)
|
|||
|
|
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
|
|||
|
|
Subject: atax, part 8 of 15
|
|||
|
|
Message-ID: <1992Feb27.133226.1@acad3.alaska.edu>
|
|||
|
|
Date: 27 Feb 92 22:32:26 GMT
|
|||
|
|
Article-I.D.: acad3.1992Feb27.133226.1
|
|||
|
|
Sender: news@raven.alaska.edu (USENET News System)
|
|||
|
|
Organization: Psi INc.
|
|||
|
|
Lines: 124
|
|||
|
|
Nntp-Posting-Host: acad3.alaska.edu
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
~From: mortoncp@NEXTWORK.ROSE-HULMAN.EDU
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Atax,
|
|||
|
|
Chapter 8
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Deanna wondered what she would find when she got to Will Riker. Would he
|
|||
|
|
be fine, or would she find him dying, or would she find him at all, or . . .
|
|||
|
|
Stop it, Deanna, she scolded herself. Thinking that way won't get you
|
|||
|
|
anywhere. Now stop thinking morbid thoughts and get going to find him! She
|
|||
|
|
almost smiled in spite of what was going on around her.
|
|||
|
|
Since she was free of a physical body, she could travel even faster than
|
|||
|
|
the incredible speeds of the Enterprise. She was, quite literally, traveling
|
|||
|
|
at the speed of thought. She quickly overtook the Ferengi ship and searched it
|
|||
|
|
for the image of minds. Betazoids never could read Ferengi, so to her the
|
|||
|
|
Avarice seemed to be a ship with only one person in it, Riker. She sped to him
|
|||
|
|
and touched his mind.
|
|||
|
|
"Will."
|
|||
|
|
"What? Who is it?" came the frightened reply.
|
|||
|
|
"It's okay, Will. It's me, Deanna."
|
|||
|
|
"Deanna?" his relieved tone gave way to confusion. "You're on the
|
|||
|
|
Enterprise, aren't you?"
|
|||
|
|
"No, Will. My body has a Ryboxian virus and my mind is free. I heard my
|
|||
|
|
name and I came. What happened?"
|
|||
|
|
"I was in the brig trying to escape," he began, talking quickly. "Blak
|
|||
|
|
showed up and we knocked him out and tried to get out. Mok was right there and
|
|||
|
|
he knocked Mark out. He then told me to get up, but the pain in my shoulder
|
|||
|
|
knocke d me out again."
|
|||
|
|
Deanna was very confused. "Us? Mark? Blak? Your shoulder? I'm sorry,
|
|||
|
|
Will, but I don't understand. Could you please start from the beginning?"
|
|||
|
|
"What? Oh, sorry," He's still talking quickly, almost incoherently, she
|
|||
|
|
noticed. "When I woke up my shoulder hurt and I met Mark. He was being held
|
|||
|
|
by the Ferengi for smuggling the crystals that I was looking for. I saw a
|
|||
|
|
panel and wanted to open it, but first Blak, Mok's second in command, came
|
|||
|
|
and threatened to sell me to the Romulans. I then found the panel and kicked
|
|||
|
|
it in. No, Mark gave me a sling out of his belt firs t. Anyway, the panel
|
|||
|
|
had power circuits in it. I was trying to open the door when Blak cam e to
|
|||
|
|
the door. Mark kicked him in the face and then stole his whip. I walked out
|
|||
|
|
the do or, and rolled into the wall to avoid Mok's energy whip. Mark got
|
|||
|
|
hit. What happened t o him?" he paused, waiting for her to answer.
|
|||
|
|
He's asleep and babbling, concluded Counselor Troi. He's been speaking
|
|||
|
|
rapidly and his thoughts are disjointed. Deanna, on the other hand, not the
|
|||
|
|
professional psychiatrist but the very good friend, thought that his actions
|
|||
|
|
were kind of cute. She didn't want to do this to him, but he did ask her a
|
|||
|
|
direct question.
|
|||
|
|
"I'm sorry, Will, but I didn't see any other humans on board." She tried
|
|||
|
|
t o be sympathetic because she knew that his mind was working on a child-like
|
|||
|
|
level sin ce he was asleep and his subconscious was in control.
|
|||
|
|
He was silent for a moment and then asked quietly, "You mean that Mok
|
|||
|
|
killed him?"
|
|||
|
|
"I'm afraid so, Will. I know that he was a friend of yours. Could you
|
|||
|
|
please tell me what happened next?" This was rather cruel to his emotions, she
|
|||
|
|
thought. Well, if he thinks about something else then he may not let Mark's
|
|||
|
|
death affect him too much.
|
|||
|
|
"I was rolled up by the wall," continued Riker incoherently. "Mok told me
|
|||
|
|
to get down, but I couldn't move very fast, so I got down slowly. He was
|
|||
|
|
frothing at the mouth so I tried to move faster. I guess I passed out again,
|
|||
|
|
and then you showed up," he concluded.
|
|||
|
|
Definitely asleep, said the clinical portion of her mind. Oh, shut up,
|
|||
|
|
replied the other, more sensitive portion of her personality. "Are you okay,
|
|||
|
|
Will? Everybody on the Enterprise is worried about you."
|
|||
|
|
"I'm fine. Just my shoulder is broken. You know, I've been thinking."
|
|||
|
|
He has calmed down somewhat. He's actually coherent now, remarked Deanna to
|
|||
|
|
herself, but he's probably still asleep. "Since I've gotten over to this ship
|
|||
|
|
I 've been threatened, gassed, and shot at. Things like that tend to make
|
|||
|
|
you rethink your entire previous life. I know that I've made some mistakes
|
|||
|
|
over the years. Most of the m I can't do anything about, but there is one
|
|||
|
|
that I can change. I did love you before and I still do love you."
|
|||
|
|
Don't do it, Will, thought Deanna to herself.
|
|||
|
|
"If I have anything to say about it," continued Riker, "I want you to
|
|||
|
|
marry me so that I can make up for some of the mistakes that I have made in the
|
|||
|
|
past." He stopped and waited for her answer.
|
|||
|
|
How do I answer that? asked Deanna of herself. I do love him and I want
|
|||
|
|
to marry him, but he doesn't know what he's saying. Besides he's asleep, and
|
|||
|
|
not responsible for what he's saying. He could never marry and settle down.
|
|||
|
|
He's just not that type of person. He's also delirious from pain, and that's
|
|||
|
|
why he's saying these things. But what if he's serious? Do I take him up on
|
|||
|
|
the offer?
|
|||
|
|
"We could have a big wedding," continued Riker as she wrestled with her
|
|||
|
|
emotions. "Captain Picard could perform the service, Dr. Crusher could be the
|
|||
|
|
b ridesmaid . . . who would be the best man? Data, Worf, Wes? Data would
|
|||
|
|
probably try to analyze the situation, so he's out. Worf, well I don't know if
|
|||
|
|
he'd want do it, but if I asked him in the right way, he might. Wesley sounds
|
|||
|
|
like a good choice . This ought to be an exciting experience for him. We'll
|
|||
|
|
have to figure out a way to c onvince your mother that it shouldn't be a
|
|||
|
|
completely traditional Betazoid wedding. Sorry, but I can't see myself getting
|
|||
|
|
married stark naked. We could invite all of the crew and their families.
|
|||
|
|
Where would you want to go for our honeymoon? Earth? Betazed?"
|
|||
|
|
"That all sounds lovely, Will, but I think we'd better discuss this later.
|
|||
|
|
Right now you are in a lot of trouble. What will the Ferengi do with you?"
|
|||
|
|
She reminded herself t hat he was consciously asleep and not responsible for
|
|||
|
|
what he just said.
|
|||
|
|
"Blak threatened to sell me to the Romulans," Riker answered, temporarily
|
|||
|
|
setting aside the wedding plans.
|
|||
|
|
"You're heading into Romulan space. We should be able to catch up to you
|
|||
|
|
a bout a half hour before you make it. We should catch you in about three
|
|||
|
|
hours. Remember, sometime during that half an hour we will do something to try
|
|||
|
|
to help you. Just be ready for anything, okay?"
|
|||
|
|
"Okay, Deanna," he replied obediently.
|
|||
|
|
"Good. Now get some sleep. I've got to go now. I'll see you in a couple
|
|||
|
|
of hours, Will. Bye."
|
|||
|
|
"Bye, Imzadi," said Riker softly.
|
|||
|
|
Deanna pulled away from him and made her way slowly back to the
|
|||
|
|
Enterprise, thinking furiously all the way. With any luck, she thought, he
|
|||
|
|
won't remember any of this entire conversation when he wakes up. Or do I want
|
|||
|
|
him to remember and be serious? She didn't know the answers to her own
|
|||
|
|
questions.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
* * * * * * * * * *
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Captain's Log: Supplemental.
|
|||
|
|
The Ferengi have changed course; they are now heading toward the Romulan
|
|||
|
|
Neutral Zone. We should be able to catch them before they make it, but just
|
|||
|
|
barely.
|
|||
|
|
Meanwhile, Counselor Troi is in Sickbay with what Dr. Crusher says is a
|
|||
|
|
Ryboxian virus. Apparently Deanna could have gotten it anytime in the past
|
|||
|
|
couple of years and it hasn't shown up until now. They are very unpredictable
|
|||
|
|
and long lived viruses.
|
|||
|
|
Since both Troi and Riker are gone, I won't be able to use them as
|
|||
|
|
sounding boards. I've got to figure out how to stop the Ferengi on my own. Do
|
|||
|
|
I dare fire on them for what they may do to Riker? Do I just talk to them?
|
|||
|
|
Where is Number One when I need him?
|
|||
|
|
--
|
|||
|
|
-Mycroft V, Psi Inc. (fsrsg@alaska.bitnet & fsrsg@acad3.alaska.edu)
|
|||
|
|
(Please flame. It's cold in these here hills!)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Path: moe.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!spool.mu.edu!agate!ames!bionet!raven.alaska.edu!acad3.alaska.edu!fsrsg
|
|||
|
|
From: fsrsg@acad3.alaska.edu (Richard S. Guse)
|
|||
|
|
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
|
|||
|
|
Subject: atax, chapter 9 of 15
|
|||
|
|
Message-ID: <1992Feb27.133505.1@acad3.alaska.edu>
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Date: 27 Feb 92 22:35:05 GMT
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Article-I.D.: acad3.1992Feb27.133505.1
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Sender: news@raven.alaska.edu (USENET News System)
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Organization: Psi INc.
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Lines: 140
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Nntp-Posting-Host: acad3.alaska.edu
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~From: mortoncp@NEXTWORK.ROSE-HULMAN.EDU
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Atax,
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Chapter 9
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Once again, Data told the holodeck computer, "Resume program Data One."
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The computer responded by putting the illusions of Grace sitting by Data and
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Gloria dancing with Geordi out on the dance floor. Thanks to the good offices
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of the computer, Grace was once again in a good mood.
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"bangwIj rur Doq," said Data, just like the last time.
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"I'm sorry, Fredrick, what was that?" asked Grace.
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"That was Klingon poetry. I thought that you would like to listen to
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some," replied Data. He wasn't about to tell her what Klingons did while
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listening to poetry. He had just found out that doing that would upset her a
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great deal.
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Grace smiled. Data found that that simple gesture was oddly pleasing.
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"Sorry to disappoint you Fredrick, but I don't speak Klingonese. How about we
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just talk instead of reciting poetry?"
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"Okay," he paused. "What would you like to talk about?"
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She laughed. "I don't care. Anytime I'm with you, I just love to talk.
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It doesn't matter what we talk about, just as long as we're together."
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He considered that for a moment. What should he talk about? Didn't
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Guinan say that he could let her lead the conversation if he had to? Well, he
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r easoned, the best way to do that is to ask her something. "What plans have
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you made for our wedding?" he asked.
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She smiled. "Thank you for reminding me. I've got something to show
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you." She pulled open her handbag and started rummaging around in it.
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While she was otherwise occupied, Data looked around the room for Geordi.
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H e was still on the dance floor, apparently deep in conversation with
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Gloria. Even as h e watched, she laughed, and Geordi smiled at her. He
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still seems to be having fun, thought Data to himself.
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"Who are you watching?" asked Grace from beside him.
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"Thomas and Gloria. They make a very nice couple, do they not?"
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"Yes they do. Thank you for bringing Thomas to meet her. I feel guilty
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going on so many dates with you and my roommate gets stuck at our apartment
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with nothing to do. This is good for her.
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"Here is what I wanted to show you," she continued. She held up a piece
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of cloth for Data's inspection.
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Data took it, looked at it, and asked, "What is it?" As far has he could
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tell, it was simply a piece of white cotton cloth, suitable for almost
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anything. He did notice, however, that it was real cotton, not synthetic.
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"Part of my wedding dress, silly. What else would it be? I'm going to
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have a full dress made of this material. It'll have puffed sleeves with little
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red flowers on them and I'll wear a golden necklace with our names enclosed
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within a heart on it."
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"That sounds like an appropriate dress for the occasion," Data commented.
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He stopped. What else to talk about? "Who are you going to invite?"
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"Well, let's see," she paused in thought. "Gloria and my parents of
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course. Who else? Oh, yes, Kimberly, Anna, Kathleen, and probably a couple of
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others. Who will you invite?"
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Data hadn't thought about it. Who would I invite to my wedding? he
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wondered. "Well, Captain Picard, Commander Riker, Thomas," he indicated
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Geordi, "Lieutenant Worf, Dr and Wesley Crusher, Chief O'Brien, Counselor
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Troi,"
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She interrupted him with, "Sounds like you have more guests coming than I
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do. I'll just have to invite more people to keep up with you." She laughed
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and smiled at him, her eyes full of love.
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Data was about to respond when he felt a heavy tap on his shoulder. He
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had heard someone come up behind him, but he had assumed that they would go on
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by or sit at the bar beside him, not interrupt him. He turned to look at a
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large, uns haven man wearing a creased suit. His nose appeared to be cherry
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red. Data's sensitive olfactory sensors immediately detected a large increase
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i n the concentration of alcohol fumes in the air. Data correlated these
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facts in his m ind and came to the conclusion that the man was intoxicated.
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"May I help you?" asked Data politely.
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"Yesh," the man slurred. "That girl of yoursh ish bery pretty. If you
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don't wants any troubles, you could letsh me dance with her." The man stared
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at Data blearily and clenched his right fist.
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Grace had grabbed Data's arm from behind, and was whispering, "Please make
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him go away, Fredrick."
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Data was surprised at the man's audacity. He was clearly incapable of
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walking in a straight line, let alone dancing. Data turned toward Grace in an
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effort to ignore the man in the hopes that he would go away.
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Before he got all of the way around, however, his shoulder was jerked
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backward and he found himself once again face to face with the drunk. What
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should I do? he wondered. This man was clearly not going to leave us alone, so
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I must do something about him.
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He considered his options. Grace obviously didn't want to dance with him.
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She was still grabbing his arm with all of her strength. He could try to just
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walk away with her, but the man probably wouldn't let them go. He could
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pause the holodeck program, but he was too curious about what the man may do
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to do something like that. The history of literature was replete with
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characters who would not hesitate to fight for the honor of a l ady. He
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thought that his present situation called for this, so he stood up to face the
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man.
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"No," was the simple declaration.
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The large man laughed loudly and then abruptly let loose with a punch
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toward Data's face.
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He had no chance against Data's android reflexes and strength. Data
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caught the man's hand in his own and just stood there waiting to see what the
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man would try next.
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When he realized that his punch had not landed, the drunk grunted and
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really leaned against Data's hand. It wouldn't move. Out of a mixture of
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frustration and desperation the man then tried to hit Data with his other hand.
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Data simply stepped aside and pushed the man forward, adding to his own
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momentum. Data was careful, however, to steer him away from Grace. It would
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not do at all for him to let get her hurt by this ruffian.
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The man stumbled forward and went face first into a table full of people.
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Drinks, chairs, and people went flying everywhere. One of the men that was
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on the bottom started fighting against what was lying on top of him, namely
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the drunk. The two men en ded up on top of each other pummeling one
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another's faces with poorly aimed blows.
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They were the least of Data's worries. Some of the other men from the
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overturned table were advancing on him. They did not looked pleased. One of
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the men accidentally bumped another and they started trading blows. The scene
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w as quickly turning into an old fashioned barroom brawl. Data was
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fascinated.
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Geordi's first indication of a problem was when the couple next to Gloria
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a nd himself fell over, with somebody large and clearly intoxicated lying on
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top of them. LaForge looked up from his entertaining conversation with
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Gloria to find a full blown fight goi ng on. What has Data gotten himself
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into now? he wondered.
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"Please excuse me a moment," he said politely to Gloria. "Computer, pause
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program."
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The noises in the room abruptly stopped. Geordi disengaged himself from
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the now motionless Gloria and walked over toward where he had left Data, which
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incidentally was the center of the fight, he noticed with some worry.
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"Data, what happened this time?" he asked when he found his android friend
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surrounded by motionless people.
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"That man," he indicated the man that Geordi had seen, "came over to us
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and demanded to dance with Grace. She did not want to dance with him, so I
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told him no. He did not seem to accept that answer. He tried to hit me, but I
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stopped him from hurting me or Grace."
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"What?" asked Geordi in obvious confusion. "The simulation shouldn't be
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able to do something that may allow anybody to get hurt."
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"I programed it to be absolutely precise with every detail, unfortunately
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it also included the intoxication levels of the patrons."
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"Right," answered Geordi with a shake of his head. "Why don't we get back
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up to the bridge and try this some other time. You seem to be getting into
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all sorts of t rouble on this date, Data. "
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"I am sorry, Geordi, but I did want to learn more about humans. I have
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been gathering a great deal of fascinating information." He turned his head
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toward a blank wall. "Computer, save and discontinue."
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The two men walked out of the now empty holodeck and headed toward the
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bridge.
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--
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-Mycroft V, Psi Inc. (fsrsg@alaska.bitnet & fsrsg@acad3.alaska.edu)
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(Please flame. It's cold in these here hills!)
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Path: moe.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!spool.mu.edu!agate!ames!bionet!raven.alaska.edu!acad3.alaska.edu!fsrsg
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From: fsrsg@acad3.alaska.edu (Richard S. Guse)
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Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
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Subject: atax, part 10 of 15
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Message-ID: <1992Feb27.133706.1@acad3.alaska.edu>
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Date: 27 Feb 92 22:37:06 GMT
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Article-I.D.: acad3.1992Feb27.133706.1
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Sender: news@raven.alaska.edu (USENET News System)
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Organization: Psi INc.
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Lines: 158
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Nntp-Posting-Host: acad3.alaska.edu
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~From: mortoncp@NEXTWORK.ROSE-HULMAN.EDU
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Atax,
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Chapter 10
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Riker became conscious again with a start. Now, what woke me up? he
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thought. He tried to remember what had happened to him over the last couple of
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minutes before he fell asleep. Let's see, he thought, I got out into the hall
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and rolle d into the wall in an effort to avoid Mok's whip. Mark got hit and
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killed.
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Now why do I believe that? he wondered. I've no way of knowing unless one
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of the Ferengi tell me. Anyway, Mok told me to get down and I tried to do it
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slowly, but he seemed upset so I went faster and passed out. If that's the
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last thing that I remember, then why do I think that the Enterprise will try
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to rescue me in the next couple of h ours? And then they will have only
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half an hour to do it. Did I dream it? And why do I t hink that I asked
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Deanna an important question? If I did, what was it? The more that Riker
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thought, the more questions were piling up in his mind, so he tried not to
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think along those lines any more.
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He opened his eyes in order to figure out where the Ferengi had put him
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this time. The more that he looked around, the more he became convinced that
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he was in the same cell that he had just broken out of.
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Good news, he thought. He looked over to where the panel should be, to
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find that someone had put a very crude patch over it. The patch was made of
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durranium, welded to the wall. Crude, but effective. Not much chance I could
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k ick my way through that stuff, he thought ruefully.
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Escape plans over for the moment, he took stock of his body. His shoulder
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was still aching. Great, thought Riker. Dr. Crusher had finally finished
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patching me up after my run in with the Wild Thing on Paradise, and I had to
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come over to this ship and mess it up again. Beverly will never let me live
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this down, he thought, thoroughly chagrin ed. Other than his shoulder, he
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felt fine.
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He looked over to the other bunk in the cell, half hoping to find Mark
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lying there. He wasn't. Maybe my dream really wasn't a dream after all, he
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thought.
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Since he couldn't think of anything else to do short of throwing himself
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at the force field, he decided to wait for the Enterprise to try to rescue him.
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He fervently hoped that they would make an attempt at it. He didn't fancy
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being sold to the Romulan Empire so that they could pry military secrets from
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him.
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Riker sat, waited, and conserved his strength for when he would need it
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the most. He was sure that he would need all of his energy in a couple of
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hours, one way or another.
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* * * * * * * * * *
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Deanna made her way back to the Enterprise, thinking about her
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conversation with Will. Once she got there, however, she knew that she needed
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to report what Riker had told her to Captain Picard. She made her way to the
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bridge and tried to find the mind of her captain.
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* * * * * * * * * *
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Picard tabbed the button on his armchair to close the log entry and sat
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back with a sigh. How will I handle the Ferengi? he wondered. If only I knew
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what they were doing.
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"Captain," he heard.
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That's odd, he thought. Did I just hear Counselor Troi call me?
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"Yes you did, sir," came back a reply that he wasn't sure whether he heard
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or only thought.
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"Well, well," he thought aloud to Deanna. "And where are you, Counselor?"
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"I'm mentally here with you, Captain, but my body is probably still in
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Sickbay."
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"And how are you managing that?" he thought mentally, very interested in
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the answer.
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"The Ryboxian virus attacked and enhanced my psionic abilities. It's
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really very interesting, Captain. I'm more free now that I've ever been. This
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is interesting, but I prefer to have a body around me."
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"I see. Did you just stop by to chat? Or do you think that you could
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help me with a problem?"
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"I think that I can help you with some information, sir. I just talked to
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Will. He was unconscious at the time, so I'm not sure how reasonable his
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answers are. He said that he had hurt his shoulder when the Ferengi gassed
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him. He woke up and found that there was a smuggler in the brig with him,
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apparently the same smuggler that had brought the Atax crystals to the Ferengi.
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They made an escape attempt, but Daamon Mok stopped them, killing the smuggler
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in the process. They also apparently have threatened to sell Will to the
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Romulans. I warned him that we will try to help him in the next couple of
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hours, and he should be ready for anything. His conscious mind was asleep,
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so I'm not sure whether he remembers that or not."
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"Thank you, Counselor. You've answered a great many questions," remarked
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Picard, vastly relieved.
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"Sir, could you please not tell Will that I talked to him? I don't think
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t hat I want him to remember all of what was said."
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Picard raised an eyebrow at the request, but agreed. She had just brought
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him the very kind of information that he needed to plan out the next couple of
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hours.
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* * * * * * * * * *
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"Thank you, sir," said Deanna before she left Picard.
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She made her way back to Sickbay to find out what had happened to her
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physical body. She found Beverly in the same place that Troi had left her,
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about an hour ago.
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"Beverly," called Deanna.
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"Yes, Deanna, I'm here. I've got some good news for you. I'm helping
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your body fight the virus, and I think that it's working. You should be up and
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around in
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another day or so."
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"We don't have a day, Beverly. We have maybe three hours before we lose
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Will."
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"I'm sorry, Deanna, but I can't speed up the process. It'll take that
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long just for your body to get itself well again." She paused and waited for
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the argument to continue.
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Deanna sighed. "Very well, Beverly. I'll just run around for a while.
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I'll probably be around Captain Picard later if you want to talk to me."
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"Okay, Deanna." She paused. "Are you sure that you're fine?"
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"Yes, Mother, I feel fine," joked Deanna.
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Beverly smiled. At least she can joke about this, thought Crusher to
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herself.
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* * * * * * * * * *
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Deanna pulled away from Dr. Crusher and took a longer look around the
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Enterprise. I can go anywhere I wanted to, she realized. Well, she asked
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herself, now that I can go anywhere in the entire galaxy, where to? She drew a
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complete blank. She realized that everywhere she ever wanted to go was right
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here on the ship, easy access anytime. That blew that time killer, she
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thought ruefully. I could go off ship, she thought, but to where? And even
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then, how would I know when to get back?
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Who do I want to talk to? Nobody came to mind immediately except Riker
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and he was out for various reasons. She sighed in resignation. She was
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absolutely free and had nothing to do. It was at that point that she realized
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h ow truly lonely she felt.
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|
|
Who would I talk to if I had felt this way yesterday? she thought. The
|
|||
|
|
answer was immediate, Guinan. The Ten-Forward hostess was always willing to
|
|||
|
|
listen and knew how to fix almost any problem. She sped off to the
|
|||
|
|
Ten-Forward.
|
|||
|
|
On the way, she happened to pass Geordi LaForge in the Holodeck. Without
|
|||
|
|
trying, she read the emotion that he was strongly broadcasting, love. Deanna
|
|||
|
|
was tempted to stop and find out what was going on, but her professional ethics
|
|||
|
|
prevented her from doing so. She went on to the Ten-Fore.
|
|||
|
|
As soon as she got there, she started searching for Guinan. Almost
|
|||
|
|
immediately she got a strong sense of seeing somebody. What was almost as
|
|||
|
|
scary was that Deanna thought that whoever it was, was looking at her, too. The
|
|||
|
|
closer she got to this person, the more she became convinced that it was Q
|
|||
|
|
returning for one of his all too frequent visits.
|
|||
|
|
She heard soft laughter. "No, Deanna, don't be scared. It's just little
|
|||
|
|
old me, Guinan. And I'm NOT a member of the Q," she added forcefully.
|
|||
|
|
Deanna sighed in relief. "I was worried there for a moment, Guinan. The
|
|||
|
|
last time I sensed a mind like yours, it was the first time that we ran into
|
|||
|
|
Q, just before Farpoint. Since then I've tried to avoid his mind whenever
|
|||
|
|
possible." She chuckled and the n something occurred to her. "Why haven't I
|
|||
|
|
ever gotten that kind of impression f rom you before?"
|
|||
|
|
Deanna could feel Guinan's smile. "Deanna, just between you and me, I've
|
|||
|
|
got powers that the Captain doesn't even suspect.
|
|||
|
|
"I've been following you for a while, now," she said, changing the subject
|
|||
|
|
abruptly. "I haven't heard everything, so you can relax. Anyway, you are
|
|||
|
|
wondering what to do for the next couple of hours. I would suggest that you
|
|||
|
|
just sit and relax somewhere in here. You can't do anything for a while, so
|
|||
|
|
just wait. If you want, I can keep you co mpany. I'm very good at lending
|
|||
|
|
someone an ear for a couple of hours. And this way," she continued, "I can
|
|||
|
|
keep working while you calm down somewhat."
|
|||
|
|
Deanna smiled and began to tell Guinan about her talk with Will.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
--
|
|||
|
|
-Mycroft V, Psi Inc. (fsrsg@alaska.bitnet & fsrsg@acad3.alaska.edu)
|
|||
|
|
(Please flame. It's cold in these here hills!)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Path: moe.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!spool.mu.edu!agate!ames!bionet!raven.alaska.edu!acad3.alaska.edu!fsrsg
|
|||
|
|
From: fsrsg@acad3.alaska.edu (Richard S. Guse)
|
|||
|
|
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
|
|||
|
|
Subject: atax, part 11 of 15
|
|||
|
|
Message-ID: <1992Feb27.133936.1@acad3.alaska.edu>
|
|||
|
|
Date: 27 Feb 92 22:39:36 GMT
|
|||
|
|
Article-I.D.: acad3.1992Feb27.133936.1
|
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|
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Sender: news@raven.alaska.edu (USENET News System)
|
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|
|
Organization: Psi INc.
|
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|
|
Lines: 141
|
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|
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Nntp-Posting-Host: acad3.alaska.edu
|
|||
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|
|
|||
|
|
~From: mortoncp@NEXTWORK.ROSE-HULMAN.EDU
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Atax,
|
|||
|
|
Chapter 11
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
"We're within phaser range of the Ferengi," announced Worf from over
|
|||
|
|
Picard's head some two hours later.
|
|||
|
|
"Thank you, Mr. Worf. Open hailing frequency." As he said this, he stood
|
|||
|
|
up and advanced on the forward viewscreen.
|
|||
|
|
"Channel open," said Worf as the view of Daamon Mok appeared on the
|
|||
|
|
viewscreen in front of Picard.
|
|||
|
|
"What do you want, human?" questioned Mok.
|
|||
|
|
"We want Commander Riker," responded Picard with perfect calm, "and we're
|
|||
|
|
p repared to use force if necessary to get him back."
|
|||
|
|
The Ferengi did not appear impressed. "Oh really now? I don't suppose
|
|||
|
|
that you would want to buy him back rather than firing on us and possibly
|
|||
|
|
killing him in the process?"
|
|||
|
|
"We won't discuss terms. Give us Commander Riker and we will let you go,
|
|||
|
|
unharmed."
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
The Ferengi captain smiled evilly, turned to one of his crew and started
|
|||
|
|
snarling at him in what passed for the Ferengi tongue. Once finished, he
|
|||
|
|
turned back to Picard and just stared at him. He seemed to be waiting for
|
|||
|
|
something.
|
|||
|
|
"Captain," called Worf from his tactical station, "I'm picking up strange
|
|||
|
|
e nergy readings from the Ferengi ship. I can't isolate location or cause."
|
|||
|
|
Chief Engineer LaForge was watching the same sensor readings. "The power curve
|
|||
|
|
reminds me of something that I saw in Engineering school, Captain. It appears
|
|||
|
|
to be an old fashioned trans-warp field that is being directed through their
|
|||
|
|
phaser banks." He frowned at his console. "No, it's similar, but not the same
|
|||
|
|
thing. I don't know precisely what it is. Sorry, sir."
|
|||
|
|
Picard frowned. He could fire now, at extreme range, or wait. And then
|
|||
|
|
there was the matter of their mystery weapon. A directed trans-warp field used
|
|||
|
|
as a weapon? Well, it was rumored to have happened to Admiral James T Kirk,
|
|||
|
|
but Picard had trouble imagining it. After due consideration, he decided to
|
|||
|
|
wait a little whil e longer and then aim for their phaser mounts in the hope
|
|||
|
|
that he could render their mystery weapon useless.
|
|||
|
|
"Cut transmission," he said eventually. "Close on them further, Mr. Worf,
|
|||
|
|
and inform me when we are within optimum phaser range. Lock phasers and
|
|||
|
|
photon torpedoes on their phaser mounts."
|
|||
|
|
"Aye, sir," responded Worf a gleam in his eye.
|
|||
|
|
The next fifteen minutes were spent uneventfully, though they were very
|
|||
|
|
hard on Picard. Finally, when he thought that he could stand no more, he
|
|||
|
|
turned to Worf to order him to open fire.
|
|||
|
|
"Within optimum phaser range, Captain," said Worf just before Picard could
|
|||
|
|
say anything.
|
|||
|
|
"Open fire with phaser mountings and engines as targets, Mr. Worf,"
|
|||
|
|
replied Picard. His fatigue seemed to dissolve just as soon as he had
|
|||
|
|
something to do.
|
|||
|
|
"Firing," called Worf. He seems to be positively enjoying firing at the
|
|||
|
|
Ferengi, noticed Picard.
|
|||
|
|
Everyone on the Enterprise bridge watched the phaser beams lancing toward
|
|||
|
|
the Ferengi trader only to be stopped and dissipated by the aft shields.
|
|||
|
|
"Continue firing until further notice," ordered Picard.
|
|||
|
|
Worf had a very Klingon grin on his face as he turned back to his board to
|
|||
|
|
carry out the order. His hands danced over the phaser controls and the
|
|||
|
|
phasers continued to mercilessly eat away at the Ferengi shields.
|
|||
|
|
"They're firing back," called Ensign Crusher from Conn even as he
|
|||
|
|
implemented minor evasive maneuvers. The Enterprise rocked around them,
|
|||
|
|
indicating a Ferengi hit.
|
|||
|
|
"Forward shields drained twenty percent," called Worf. "That was standard
|
|||
|
|
phasers, not their trans-warp weapon. Firing continuing." He sent another
|
|||
|
|
barrage against the Ferengi shields.
|
|||
|
|
At these speeds, neither ship could maneuver very much at all; Enterprise
|
|||
|
|
because they didn't want to get further away from the Ferengi and the Avarice
|
|||
|
|
because they wanted to get away from the Enterprise as fast as possible.
|
|||
|
|
"They're slowing," reported Data at Ops. "Warp seven, six, five." He
|
|||
|
|
paused. "Holding at warp four point seven. It appears that we have damaged
|
|||
|
|
their engines, Captain."
|
|||
|
|
"Good," replied Picard. "Mr. Crusher, get us between them and the Romulan
|
|||
|
|
Neutral Zone. Continue firing, Mr. Worf."
|
|||
|
|
"Aye, sir," both officers replied. Picard hoped to force the Ferengi back
|
|||
|
|
toward Federation space and give him some breathing room.
|
|||
|
|
"Sound strategy," commented Counselor Troi from nowhere.
|
|||
|
|
"It's nice to see you're back, Counselor," thought Picard. "How have you
|
|||
|
|
been?"
|
|||
|
|
"I've been talking to Guinan and I feel better now, Captain. Thank you.
|
|||
|
|
If you don't mind, I feel that I should go to Will now. You don't seem to need
|
|||
|
|
me here."
|
|||
|
|
"Good idea." He paused. "What would happen to you if one of the phaser
|
|||
|
|
shots went through you?" He didn't think he wanted to know the answer, but he
|
|||
|
|
was worried for her.
|
|||
|
|
"I'll try to avoid them," she replied and was gone.
|
|||
|
|
Picard sighed. He noticed that Ensign Crusher had managed to get the
|
|||
|
|
Enterprise between the Ferengi and the Neutral Zone already. Picard made a
|
|||
|
|
quick decision in his head and came to the conclusion that he could maneuver
|
|||
|
|
freely now to avoid phaser shots. "Continue firing and implement evasion
|
|||
|
|
tactic gamma, Mr. Crusher."
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
* * * * * * * * * *
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Riker was startled to feel the ship lurch around him. What's going on? he
|
|||
|
|
wondered. Of course! The Enterprise is trying to stop the Ferengi. I need
|
|||
|
|
to be ready to ge t out if the opportunity presents itself. He stood by the
|
|||
|
|
door to wait, hoping that the power would fail.
|
|||
|
|
He didn't have to wait long. After another hit by the Enterprise, the
|
|||
|
|
power to the door flickered and went out for a moment. So did the lights,
|
|||
|
|
plunging him into complete darkness. He lunged toward where the door should be
|
|||
|
|
and prayed that he'd make it before the power came back on.
|
|||
|
|
He didn't. Just as he got most of the way through, the power flickered
|
|||
|
|
back on and caught his leg in its force.
|
|||
|
|
Riker's next conscious memory was of lying on the floor in the hallway.
|
|||
|
|
His left leg felt as if somebody with a cruel streak had run Klingon pain
|
|||
|
|
sticks up and down its length. He doubted that he could stand for a couple of
|
|||
|
|
minutes, so he looked around to pass the time. As he expected, he was on
|
|||
|
|
the other side of the force field, piled up against the wall. The power
|
|||
|
|
must have come on and got my leg bu t spit me out in this direction, he
|
|||
|
|
reasoned. He couldn't see anybody in either direction down the corridor, so
|
|||
|
|
he felt rather safe for the moment.
|
|||
|
|
I wonder if the Enterprise is still out there trying to help me? he
|
|||
|
|
thought. A sudden lurch to the floor answered that question rather forcefully.
|
|||
|
|
He no longer felt safe just sitting there, so he gingerly stood up and tried
|
|||
|
|
to move down the corridor without hurting his leg or shoulder.
|
|||
|
|
Halfway down the corridor he suddenly sensed another presence and froze,
|
|||
|
|
trying to pinpoint the location.
|
|||
|
|
"It's okay, Will. It's only me, Deanna," he heard inside of his head.
|
|||
|
|
He relaxed. "Where are you?" He didn't have to make sure that it was
|
|||
|
|
her. His hyperactive senses had already identified it as her voice.
|
|||
|
|
"Right here. I'm here in the corridor with you."
|
|||
|
|
Riker looked around, but couldn't see anyone except himself. "What are
|
|||
|
|
you talking about? You're not here. Come to think of it, how can I hear you
|
|||
|
|
if you're not here?"
|
|||
|
|
"I'm really here, Will, just not physically. Don't ask how I got here,
|
|||
|
|
just accept it." She was relieved that he didn't seem to remember their
|
|||
|
|
previous conversation.
|
|||
|
|
"Whatever," answered Will. "I'm glad you're here, Deanna, even if not
|
|||
|
|
really here. By the way, what's going on?"
|
|||
|
|
"You're near the Romulan Neutral Zone. The Enterprise is firing on the
|
|||
|
|
Ferengi in an effort to stop them from crossing into the Zone. You're free so
|
|||
|
|
I suggest that you try to cut power from the inside. We can't beam you out
|
|||
|
|
until their shields are down, right?"
|
|||
|
|
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
|
|||
|
|
He continued down the corridor and peeked around the corner before
|
|||
|
|
crossing. He was immediately glad that he did. A Ferengi was standing guard
|
|||
|
|
about five meters down the cross hall. He appeared to be very frightened, but
|
|||
|
|
determined to guard the door at his back.
|
|||
|
|
"Damn," muttered Riker. He stopped and leaned against the wall. This one
|
|||
|
|
would require some thinking.
|
|||
|
|
--
|
|||
|
|
-Mycroft V, Psi Inc. (fsrsg@alaska.bitnet & fsrsg@acad3.alaska.edu)
|
|||
|
|
(Please flame. It's cold in these here hills!)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Path: moe.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!bionet!raven.alaska.edu!acad3.alaska.edu!fsrsg
|
|||
|
|
From: fsrsg@acad3.alaska.edu (Richard S. Guse)
|
|||
|
|
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
|
|||
|
|
Subject: atax, part 12 of 15
|
|||
|
|
Message-ID: <1992Feb27.134150.1@acad3.alaska.edu>
|
|||
|
|
Date: 27 Feb 92 22:41:50 GMT
|
|||
|
|
Sender: news@raven.alaska.edu (USENET News System)
|
|||
|
|
Organization: Psi INc.
|
|||
|
|
Lines: 141
|
|||
|
|
Nntp-Posting-Host: acad3.alaska.edu
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
~From: mortoncp@NEXTWORK.ROSE-HULMAN.EDU
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Atax,
|
|||
|
|
Chapter 12
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
"Could you please help me, Deanna?" asked Will.
|
|||
|
|
"I'm sorry, Will, but no," she responded, correctly anticipating the next
|
|||
|
|
q uestion. "I can't do anything to Ferengi. Even a full Betazoid couldn't
|
|||
|
|
touch the mind of a Ferengi, even if she wanted to. Sorry."
|
|||
|
|
"Damn. I was hoping for a distraction. Do you any suggestions?"
|
|||
|
|
"No. Not unless you want to wait for one."
|
|||
|
|
"That's not my first choice, but I don't seem to have any other options
|
|||
|
|
right now. I can't just jump out there and get him, at least not with this leg
|
|||
|
|
I can't." He paused uncertainly, "While we're waiting, I feel like I recently
|
|||
|
|
asked you an im portant question, but I can't remember what it was I asked or
|
|||
|
|
what your answer was. Do you have any idea what the question was?" His
|
|||
|
|
voice was a mixture of curiosity and dread.
|
|||
|
|
Deanna thought about it very carefully. She didn't want to tell him what
|
|||
|
|
w as actually said, but she did want to answer truthfully. He apparently did
|
|||
|
|
remember some of it, though, she thought. Well, I'll just have to answer
|
|||
|
|
without telling the whole truth.
|
|||
|
|
She was suddenly spared an answer by the end of their wait for a
|
|||
|
|
distraction. The ship abruptly lurched around them as yet another phaser shot
|
|||
|
|
hit the Avarice and rattled everybody aboard.
|
|||
|
|
Riker peeked around the corner just in time to see a panel on the wall
|
|||
|
|
fall down and startle the Ferengi. The guard jumped at the sound and
|
|||
|
|
reflexively pulled out his energy whip. Once he identified the source of the
|
|||
|
|
sound, he nervously made what passed for a Ferengi chuckle at his jumpiness and
|
|||
|
|
turned to the comm panel to call a technician to fix the panel.
|
|||
|
|
After speaking for a few seconds, he turned back around just in time to
|
|||
|
|
catch a fleeting glimpse of a maroon uniform before his knees were kicked out
|
|||
|
|
from under him and he landed face first into the floor with his energy whip
|
|||
|
|
flying down the hall.
|
|||
|
|
Riker spotted the flying whip and seized the opportunity it offered. He
|
|||
|
|
ran over to where the it had fallen and grabbed it just as the guard got to his
|
|||
|
|
feet and started coming at him. For the moment not caring what power level
|
|||
|
|
the whip was set to, he simply flicked it at the Ferengi and prayed that it
|
|||
|
|
would be enough to stop the obviously very upset Ferengi bearing down on
|
|||
|
|
him.
|
|||
|
|
It did. The bolt slammed into the Ferengi's shoulder and spun him into a
|
|||
|
|
full circle before he stopped. The guard fell over like a felled oak tree
|
|||
|
|
Will had once see n in his native Alaska.
|
|||
|
|
Once the excitement was over, Will looked down at the whip and was
|
|||
|
|
relieved to note that it was set on heavy stun, not kill. He didn't want any
|
|||
|
|
more blood on his hands than was necessary.
|
|||
|
|
Will turned toward the door that the Ferengi had been guarding and tried
|
|||
|
|
to make sense of the markings that were stenciled there. He couldn't decipher
|
|||
|
|
w hat it said, so he decided to walk in and look.
|
|||
|
|
Riker stepped into a open room that was approximately one hundred by
|
|||
|
|
eighty by ten meters high. It was only partially filled with small crates off
|
|||
|
|
i n one corner.
|
|||
|
|
"Cargo Hold" supplied his mind. He frowned in annoyance. Of course it
|
|||
|
|
is, dummy, he chided himself.
|
|||
|
|
Deanna's light laughter in his mind told him that she was still with him.
|
|||
|
|
T his knowledge filled him with a sense of calm for no reason that he could
|
|||
|
|
identify. Whatever goes on, he thought, at least I'm not alone.
|
|||
|
|
Well, he continued, as long as I'm free I might as well try to mess them
|
|||
|
|
up. He already knew what was in the crates. It was the Atax crystals that he
|
|||
|
|
was supposed to search for. The ones that cost Mark his life.
|
|||
|
|
Quickly, he went over to the crates and started to open them and pull the
|
|||
|
|
c rystals out. Atax crystals were very fragile things his mind had told him.
|
|||
|
|
So fragile in fact , that rolling around on the floor was probably enough to
|
|||
|
|
shatter them into several pieces. He couldn't break them with his bare hands
|
|||
|
|
for fear that some of the shards of the drug woul d enter his system, but he
|
|||
|
|
could remove them from their protective cases and let the Enterpr ise's
|
|||
|
|
phaser shots do the work for him.
|
|||
|
|
Upon pulling open the first crate that fell under his hand, he noticed
|
|||
|
|
that they were packed three to a crate and were very padded so as to avoid
|
|||
|
|
breaking.
|
|||
|
|
Too bad, he thought as he pulled them out of the packing material and
|
|||
|
|
dropped them to the floor. His rough handling only broke two of the crystals.
|
|||
|
|
I t was an accident, he consoled himself with an evil grin on his face.
|
|||
|
|
Once he was through the twenty or so crates, he crept back to the door and
|
|||
|
|
peeked outside to check to see if the coast was clear.
|
|||
|
|
It wasn't. He was infuriated with himself to see another Ferengi carrying
|
|||
|
|
a tricorder and wearing a belt full of electrical tools checking the guard he
|
|||
|
|
had knocked out on ly a few moments ago. That's the tech that the guard
|
|||
|
|
called, he thought viciously. I sh ould have pulled him into the room and
|
|||
|
|
closed the door behind us. Well, too late now. He hefted the whip and
|
|||
|
|
jumped into the corridor, startling the Ferengi technician. One quick flick
|
|||
|
|
of the wrist and the second Ferengi fell to the corridor floor.
|
|||
|
|
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" asked Deanna.
|
|||
|
|
Riker half grinned, "Does it show that much?"
|
|||
|
|
"You don't have to do all of this on my account." She was referring to
|
|||
|
|
the time that she, Riker, and her mother, Lwaxana, were kidnapped by a mad
|
|||
|
|
Ferengi captain who was in love with Lwaxana. The enamored Ferengi never did
|
|||
|
|
anything to Deanna, but Riker still held a grudge against all Ferengi as if he
|
|||
|
|
did.
|
|||
|
|
"I know," he thought back, "but I do need to get out of here."
|
|||
|
|
Riker paused a moment and tried to get his bearings. He had once seen the
|
|||
|
|
schematics of the Ferengi Trader class starships and he tried to pull that
|
|||
|
|
knowl edge out of his memory in order to get an idea of where he was. After
|
|||
|
|
some careful consideration, he turned to the right and started toward the
|
|||
|
|
access ladder.
|
|||
|
|
"Where are you going?" asked Troi's voice.
|
|||
|
|
"To Engineering. I need to disrupt their power to give Chief O'Brien a
|
|||
|
|
chance to beam me out."
|
|||
|
|
"Good point. Do you want me to stay with you, or go back to the
|
|||
|
|
Enterprise and tell them to be ready?"
|
|||
|
|
Riker thought a moment. He wanted her to stay, but the Enterprise needed
|
|||
|
|
to be warned. "Why don't you go back and warn them, and then come back to
|
|||
|
|
keep me company?" His mental tone was of humor, but Deanna heard a real need
|
|||
|
|
in his voice.
|
|||
|
|
Forcing a brightness into her own voice that she didn't feel, she said,
|
|||
|
|
"Good idea. I'll be right back." Deanna paused. "Don't go anywhere," she
|
|||
|
|
added jokingly.
|
|||
|
|
"Don't you worry about that. I'll still be onboard when you get back."
|
|||
|
|
He was vastly relieved to hear that she would be back. He really didn't want
|
|||
|
|
to spend too much time over here without someone to help him, and Deanna was
|
|||
|
|
the best choice he could think of.
|
|||
|
|
He practically felt Deanna leave him and he was half tempted to call her
|
|||
|
|
back, but decided that it wouldn't be a good idea. Besides, he needed to have
|
|||
|
|
all of his mind on what he was doing if he was going to pull off what he was
|
|||
|
|
planning.
|
|||
|
|
Energy whip in hand, he crept away from the two unconscious Ferengi and
|
|||
|
|
toward the nearest service tunnel.
|
|||
|
|
Behind him, he could hear the Atax crystals that he had taken out of their
|
|||
|
|
containers rolling around on the floor as the Ferengi ship continued to absorb
|
|||
|
|
a pounding from the Enterprise's phaser banks. Even as he listened, he
|
|||
|
|
heard several of the fragile crystals shatter.
|
|||
|
|
They really must get better security measures around here, he thought with
|
|||
|
|
a grin on his face. Anybody could just walk in and start destroying their
|
|||
|
|
cargo.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
* * * * * * * * * *
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Deanna pulled away from Will and hesitated as she turned to make her way
|
|||
|
|
back to the Enterprise. Should I stay here with Will, she wondered to herself,
|
|||
|
|
or should I warn the Captain?
|
|||
|
|
Deciding that she really should tell the Captain that Will was free and
|
|||
|
|
making his way to Engineering, she sped off toward where she saw a group human
|
|||
|
|
minds apparently floating in free space. She recognized this as the
|
|||
|
|
Enterprise from t he last time that she had left the ship.
|
|||
|
|
It's odd, she thought, that I can see only minds right now. I wonder if
|
|||
|
|
the Q see us in this way when they travel? I could ask Guinan, I suppose, but
|
|||
|
|
she wouldn't necessarily know for sure, either. Oh, well, she sighed and
|
|||
|
|
continued on to her destination.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
--
|
|||
|
|
-Mycroft V, Psi Inc. (fsrsg@alaska.bitnet & fsrsg@acad3.alaska.edu)
|
|||
|
|
(Please flame. It's cold in these here hills!)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Path: moe.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!bionet!raven.alaska.edu!acad3.alaska.edu!fsrsg
|
|||
|
|
From: fsrsg@acad3.alaska.edu (Richard S. Guse)
|
|||
|
|
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
|
|||
|
|
Subject: atax, part 13 of 15
|
|||
|
|
Message-ID: <1992Feb27.134356.1@acad3.alaska.edu>
|
|||
|
|
Date: 27 Feb 92 22:43:56 GMT
|
|||
|
|
Sender: news@raven.alaska.edu (USENET News System)
|
|||
|
|
Organization: Psi INc.
|
|||
|
|
Lines: 138
|
|||
|
|
Nntp-Posting-Host: acad3.alaska.edu
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
~From: mortoncp@NEXTWORK.ROSE-HULMAN.EDU
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Atax,
|
|||
|
|
Chapter 13
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
"Captain."
|
|||
|
|
Picard almost turned toward his left, Troi's usual seat, before he
|
|||
|
|
remembered where she was. "Hello, again, Counselor," he replied, mentally.
|
|||
|
|
"What have you been up to?"
|
|||
|
|
"I've been over with Will, Captain. He has broken out of the brig and is
|
|||
|
|
making his way over to Engineering. He plans to disrupt the power flow so that
|
|||
|
|
Chief O'Brien can beam him out. I think he's planning something else too,
|
|||
|
|
Captain, but I can't be sure. He can be very secretive if he really wants to."
|
|||
|
|
"Thank you, Counselor."
|
|||
|
|
He turned to Worf behind him, "Mr. Worf, please instruct Chief O'Brien to
|
|||
|
|
be ready to beam Commander Riker off of the Ferengi ship at the next
|
|||
|
|
opportunity. We may not have many more chances like that power failure. I
|
|||
|
|
want him to be on his toes for any chance."
|
|||
|
|
"Aye, sir," replied Worf. He sent the message to the transporter room
|
|||
|
|
without slowing down the barrage against the Ferengi ship.
|
|||
|
|
"Counselor," continued Picard mentally, "perhaps you should return to the
|
|||
|
|
Ferengi ship and keep Riker company."
|
|||
|
|
"Thank you, Captain. I believe that I'll do that."
|
|||
|
|
"Keep in touch," said Picard before he felt her leave.
|
|||
|
|
"Mr. Crusher, please keep us between the Ferengi ship and the Romulan
|
|||
|
|
Neutral Zone. I don't want them escaping."
|
|||
|
|
"Yes, sir." The teenage ensign turned back to his station in order to
|
|||
|
|
comply with Picard's order. He kept the great ship in a spiraling course that
|
|||
|
|
forced the Ferengi ship to steer a course almost directly away from the
|
|||
|
|
Neutral Zone.
|
|||
|
|
"Captain," called Worf, "a Romulan Bird of Prey is decloaking on the other
|
|||
|
|
side of the Neutral Zone. They wish communications." His tone indicated what
|
|||
|
|
he thought of Romulans in general.
|
|||
|
|
"Open hailing frequency. Please continue the pursuit and the prosecution
|
|||
|
|
of the Ferengi, but with a little less diligence please, Mr. Worf. We don't
|
|||
|
|
want to destroy them, just get Commander Riker back." Worf appeared to be very
|
|||
|
|
disappointed in the order, but complied without comment.
|
|||
|
|
The screen in front of Picard changed from the view of a battered Ferengi
|
|||
|
|
starship to that of the bridge of a Romulan Bird of Prey. Captain Picard stood
|
|||
|
|
up and advanced on the viewscreen in a habit that he had had ever since
|
|||
|
|
commanding the old Stargazer. He thought that he recognized the commander of
|
|||
|
|
the Romulan ship, but he couldn't be sure.
|
|||
|
|
"This is Jean-Luc Picard, captain of the USS Enterprise, representing the
|
|||
|
|
United Federation of Planets. We bring greetings to the Romulan Empire. How
|
|||
|
|
may I help you?" He knew that all of this rhetoric wasn't helping, but he had
|
|||
|
|
to say it on the off chance that it would keep the Romulans from becoming too
|
|||
|
|
upset with his battle just on the other side of their territory.
|
|||
|
|
"This is Commander Tomolok of the Revenge. So we meet once again,
|
|||
|
|
Captain. What are you doing destroying a Ferengi ship this close to the
|
|||
|
|
Neutral Zone?"
|
|||
|
|
Picard nearly groaned out loud when he heard who he was facing. Picard
|
|||
|
|
had faced Commander Tomolok several times before, usually not on friendly
|
|||
|
|
terms. Tomolok seemed to bear a permanent grudge against the Enterprise and
|
|||
|
|
would be difficult to deal with. In fact, Tomolok had promised on various
|
|||
|
|
occasions to take the Enterprise's hull home as a war trophy. He had nearly
|
|||
|
|
succeeded.
|
|||
|
|
"Hello again, Commander. The Ferengi in question have kidnapped one of my
|
|||
|
|
officers and we are currently trying to get him back. Please believe that this
|
|||
|
|
is of no concern to the Romulan Empire and we will be leaving shortly. Thank
|
|||
|
|
you for your concern, but we have the situation well in hand. Good day,
|
|||
|
|
Commander." Picard motioned to Worf to cut the transmission and returned to
|
|||
|
|
his seat.
|
|||
|
|
This was turning into a bad day.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
* * * * * * * * * *
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Riker crept down the service ladder as best he could. Between a broken
|
|||
|
|
shoulder and a fried leg, he couldn't creep very well. Regardless, he did his
|
|||
|
|
best as he approached the Engineering spaces.
|
|||
|
|
About half way between decks, he heard voices approach his crouched
|
|||
|
|
position. They slowly came toward his hiding place and he looked down the
|
|||
|
|
accessway just in time to observe two Ferengi guards walk under him apparently
|
|||
|
|
deep in discussion. Riker breathed a silent sigh of relief as they walked
|
|||
|
|
away.
|
|||
|
|
"Will."
|
|||
|
|
Riker nearly cried aloud and fell down when he heard his name called. He
|
|||
|
|
swore that his heart rate was at three hundred before he recognized the
|
|||
|
|
voice as Deanna's.
|
|||
|
|
"Sorry, Will. I didn't realize that you were quite so jumpy. I didn't
|
|||
|
|
mean to startle you. Anyway, the Enterprise knows you're free and are trying
|
|||
|
|
to help, if they can."
|
|||
|
|
"Thank you," he said feeling his heart rate return to something
|
|||
|
|
approaching normal. "Now if I can just get to the engine controls I can cut
|
|||
|
|
their power and leave them a surprise in the bargain."
|
|||
|
|
Deanna was very curious but kept quiet as Riker gingerly lowered himself
|
|||
|
|
down the last couple of meters of hiding space that he had. He paused and
|
|||
|
|
listened for any sounds that would alert him to the presence of any Ferengi in
|
|||
|
|
the area. Hearing none, he poked his head out of the space for a quick look
|
|||
|
|
around.
|
|||
|
|
Nobody home, he was pleased to discover. He climbed down the last two
|
|||
|
|
meters to the floor and started around the corridor to his right, whip at the
|
|||
|
|
ready.
|
|||
|
|
He turned the corner and came face to face with a very ugly guard armed
|
|||
|
|
with an even uglier whip. They both stopped in astonishment and stared at one
|
|||
|
|
another for a moment, as if neither could accept the other's presence.
|
|||
|
|
"Will!"
|
|||
|
|
Deanna's inaudible scream was all that it took to jerk Riker into action.
|
|||
|
|
He immediately brought his own whip up and snapped it at the guard. For his
|
|||
|
|
own part, the Ferengi got his own weapon almost to bear on Riker before the
|
|||
|
|
energy bolt hit him and sent him spinning into unconsciousness.
|
|||
|
|
The excitement over, Riker paused and listened for anybody coming.
|
|||
|
|
Satisfied that he was safe for the moment, he turned to the door that the
|
|||
|
|
Ferengi had been guarding and once again was baffled by the Ferengi written
|
|||
|
|
language. Deciding just to walk in and hope for the best, he did precisely
|
|||
|
|
that.
|
|||
|
|
He was lucky. The Ferengi, in an attempt to save money, had computerized
|
|||
|
|
the Engineering spaces. Sighing in relief, he returned to the hall and drug
|
|||
|
|
the unconscious guard into the room with him.
|
|||
|
|
Once the guard was hidden from casual inspection, Riker surveyed the room.
|
|||
|
|
He immediately noticed that it was smaller than the Enterprise's Engineering
|
|||
|
|
Room. Whereas he was used to two decks and several hundred cubic meters of
|
|||
|
|
space, this room was only one deck tall and with about fifty square meters of
|
|||
|
|
floor space. The warp core itself was nowhere to be seen, but several banks of
|
|||
|
|
old computer terminals lined three of the walls. Apparently this room was used
|
|||
|
|
to do maintenance checks on the engineering computer system, he thought as he
|
|||
|
|
surveyed the cramped quarters.
|
|||
|
|
"The Ferengi certainly don't spend a lot of money or people on their
|
|||
|
|
Engineering spaces, do they?" he asked Deanna.
|
|||
|
|
"Fortunately not. I suggest that you get to work. No telling how long
|
|||
|
|
before that guard is missed."
|
|||
|
|
"Good idea," he replied even as he made his way to the nearest computer
|
|||
|
|
terminal.
|
|||
|
|
It turned out to have absolutely no safety or security restrictions on it.
|
|||
|
|
Sloppy, he thought as he asked the computer to switch output to Federation
|
|||
|
|
Standard. Being the obedient but stupid machine that it was, it simply started
|
|||
|
|
working in Standard without asking him for any type of authorization codes to
|
|||
|
|
do so.
|
|||
|
|
Riker quickly familiarized himself with the system and set to work in a
|
|||
|
|
manner that completely baffled Troi.
|
|||
|
|
"What are you doing?" she asked.
|
|||
|
|
"Don't worry. This will only take a minute and then I can cut their power
|
|||
|
|
to give O'Brien a chance to get me out of here," he replied with a mischievous
|
|||
|
|
grin on his face.
|
|||
|
|
Deanna mentally sighed and waited patiently while Riker worked on whatever
|
|||
|
|
he was planning.
|
|||
|
|
--
|
|||
|
|
-Mycroft V, Psi Inc. (fsrsg@alaska.bitnet & fsrsg@acad3.alaska.edu)
|
|||
|
|
(Please flame. It's cold in these here hills!)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Path: moe.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!bionet!raven.alaska.edu!acad3.alaska.edu!fsrsg
|
|||
|
|
From: fsrsg@acad3.alaska.edu (Richard S. Guse)
|
|||
|
|
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
|
|||
|
|
Subject: atax, part 14 of 15
|
|||
|
|
Message-ID: <1992Feb27.134512.1@acad3.alaska.edu>
|
|||
|
|
Date: 27 Feb 92 22:45:12 GMT
|
|||
|
|
Sender: news@raven.alaska.edu (USENET News System)
|
|||
|
|
Organization: Psi INc.
|
|||
|
|
Lines: 125
|
|||
|
|
Nntp-Posting-Host: acad3.alaska.edu
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
~From: mortoncp@NEXTWORK.ROSE-HULMAN.EDU
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Atax,
|
|||
|
|
Chapter 14
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Riker was busily trying to bypass what passed for Ferengi security
|
|||
|
|
measures. It wasn't that the computer wouldn't allow him to do what he wanted,
|
|||
|
|
but it did want to inform the bridge of what was going on. He really didn't
|
|||
|
|
want that to happen, because he was sure that the Ferengi wouldn't be pleased
|
|||
|
|
with what he was doing.
|
|||
|
|
There, thought Riker as he finally got the right combination of orders
|
|||
|
|
into the computer's electronic innards. Now he could do anything he wanted to
|
|||
|
|
down here and the bridge would never know it. It was simply a matter of
|
|||
|
|
telling the computer to send the warning signals to a different location.
|
|||
|
|
Instead of the bridge, they would now go to a null circuit here in this room.
|
|||
|
|
The computer would still try to scream at the top of its electronic voice in
|
|||
|
|
order to warn the bridge, but would really spend its time warning nobody.
|
|||
|
|
Once that was accomplished, Riker accessed the navigational computer
|
|||
|
|
subsystem and plotted a new course, subject to execution upon command from
|
|||
|
|
another program. To get this course just right, he had to access sensor input
|
|||
|
|
to see where he was, and was amazed to discover the presence of a Romulan
|
|||
|
|
Bird of Prey on the other side of the Neutral Zone.
|
|||
|
|
Now where did that come from? he wondered. No matter. They won't change
|
|||
|
|
anything.
|
|||
|
|
Once he knew where he was, he finished the navigational program and stored
|
|||
|
|
it in an unlikely spot within the computer's memory banks. It was next to the
|
|||
|
|
requisition order for more of what Ferengi used as toilet paper. He figured
|
|||
|
|
that no one would look there for a navigational command.
|
|||
|
|
"What are you doing?" Troi asked him again. She had taken few technical
|
|||
|
|
courses in Starfleet Academy and was completely baffled by what Riker was
|
|||
|
|
doing.
|
|||
|
|
"Just a little surprise for our Ferengi friends, Deanna. Trust me."
|
|||
|
|
Once he had the navigational command finished, he began another program.
|
|||
|
|
This one would redirect all of the energy output on the ship to the engines,
|
|||
|
|
and then it would execute the navigational program that he had just finished.
|
|||
|
|
Since this was the most powerful computer on the ship, Riker had no problems
|
|||
|
|
with setting an override command on the bridge controls for as long as the
|
|||
|
|
navigational program was running.
|
|||
|
|
As he worked, he asked Deanna to return to the Enterprise and warn them
|
|||
|
|
that the shields would be lowering soon and not to fire on the Ferengi ship, no
|
|||
|
|
matter what happens.
|
|||
|
|
"Why, Will? What will happen?" She was clearly worried for his safety.
|
|||
|
|
"Please, Deanna. I'll be just fine. Besides, I don't know what will
|
|||
|
|
happen to you if I get beamed back to the Enterprise and you're mentally linked
|
|||
|
|
to me. I'll be done in a minute."
|
|||
|
|
"Okay. I guess you're right." She pulled away from him and sped off
|
|||
|
|
toward the Enterprise.
|
|||
|
|
He breathed a sigh of relief and got back to work on the second program.
|
|||
|
|
He added just a little something for the Romulan Bird of Prey that was behind
|
|||
|
|
them.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
* * * * * * * * * *
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
"Are you serious, Counselor?" asked Picard with extreme mental skepticism.
|
|||
|
|
"I'm afraid so, Captain. He said specifically that we weren't to do
|
|||
|
|
anything to the Ferengi once they lower their shields. He should get them down
|
|||
|
|
soon, so you could ask him then, sir. Frankly, most of what he did might as
|
|||
|
|
well have been in Deltan for all I understood."
|
|||
|
|
"Sir," called Worf, "the Ferengi are lowering their shields and seem to be
|
|||
|
|
powering up their engines for something."
|
|||
|
|
"Cease fire, Lieutenant," snapped Picard. He thumbed a button on his
|
|||
|
|
chair, "Transporter Room, beam Commander Riker aboard, immediately." He turned
|
|||
|
|
to Ensign Crusher at the Conn, "Follow them, Ensign, but don't violate the
|
|||
|
|
Neutral Zone without my direct order."
|
|||
|
|
After his series of quick orders, Picard turned toward the viewscreen to
|
|||
|
|
see what was going on. The Avarice swung in a graceful arc around the
|
|||
|
|
Enterprise and jumped back into warp going toward the Neutral Zone.
|
|||
|
|
"The Romulans are requesting communications," said Worf from over Picard's
|
|||
|
|
shoulder.
|
|||
|
|
Picard sighed. "Very well, Lieutenant. Put them on."
|
|||
|
|
The viewscreen changed to an intership communication channel showing the
|
|||
|
|
Romulan bridge once again. "Why are you allowing the Ferengi scum to escape,
|
|||
|
|
Picard?" demanded Commander Tomolok.
|
|||
|
|
Summoning his thoughts together, Picard announced calmly, "They have
|
|||
|
|
released my officer. Therefore we are letting them go about their business.
|
|||
|
|
Good day." Once again Picard signaled to Worf to cut communications with the
|
|||
|
|
Romulan ship.
|
|||
|
|
What did Number One do this time? wondered Picard.
|
|||
|
|
All of this time the Ferengi ship had been accelerating toward the Neutral
|
|||
|
|
Zone and incidentally almost straight toward the Revenge. The stunned Romulans
|
|||
|
|
didn't even move as the Ferengi hurled toward them at close to warp eight and
|
|||
|
|
fired four photon torpedoes straight into the Romulan shields. Once clear of
|
|||
|
|
the Romulan ship, the Ferengi made a hard turn to port and started traveling
|
|||
|
|
along the Neutral Zone border toward a star that was just outside of Federation
|
|||
|
|
space.
|
|||
|
|
Once over their initial shock, the Romulans turned and started chasing the
|
|||
|
|
Ferengi. The Avarice had too much of a head start, however, and was soon
|
|||
|
|
approaching the star at warp eight point five. As they got closer, Picard
|
|||
|
|
noticed that they weren't heading straight into the star, but rather slightly
|
|||
|
|
off to one side. It was as if they wanted to slingshot around in order to gain
|
|||
|
|
some speed in an old maneuver that lost most of its use when warp travel was
|
|||
|
|
perfected.
|
|||
|
|
The Ferengi ship soon disappeared behind the star with the Romulan
|
|||
|
|
speeding along behind. Moments later, the Romulan reappeared, but the Ferengi
|
|||
|
|
didn't.
|
|||
|
|
"Mr. Data, where did the Ferengi ship go?"
|
|||
|
|
"Unknown, sir," replied the android at Ops. "They seem to have simply
|
|||
|
|
disappeared from our sensors. They did not go into the star, but rather were
|
|||
|
|
going around it at close to warp ten when they simply vanished from our
|
|||
|
|
sensors. It is possible, though unlikely, that they managed to cloak the ship,
|
|||
|
|
but if that were the case, then the Romulans would surely know where they are,
|
|||
|
|
since the cloak is a Romulan invention and could therefore penetrate the
|
|||
|
|
cloaking field."
|
|||
|
|
"Very well. Mr. Crusher, plot a course to Starbase 147, warp six. Mr.
|
|||
|
|
Data, you have the bridge. I'll be in Sickbay looking in on Commander Riker."
|
|||
|
|
Picard got up from his seat and headed to the turbolift as his officers moved
|
|||
|
|
to obey his orders.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
* * * * * * * * * *
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
"He has a broken right shoulder and his left leg is severely burned, but
|
|||
|
|
he should be fine in a couple of days," reported Dr. Crusher.
|
|||
|
|
"And how is Counselor Troi?" asked Picard.
|
|||
|
|
"Glad you mentioned her. She, excuse me, her body," she corrected
|
|||
|
|
herself, "will be recovered from the Ryboxian virus in another couple of hours.
|
|||
|
|
Mentally, she has had quite a workout. She told me how you and Will had her
|
|||
|
|
running errands for a while. You really shouldn't have done that to her,
|
|||
|
|
Jean-Luc. Anyway, she should regain consciousness about a half hour after
|
|||
|
|
Riker does."
|
|||
|
|
"Good. Please contact me when Commander Riker wakes up, Doctor. I have
|
|||
|
|
more than a few questions for him." With that, the turned and strode out of
|
|||
|
|
Sickbay.
|
|||
|
|
--
|
|||
|
|
-Mycroft V, Psi Inc. (fsrsg@alaska.bitnet & fsrsg@acad3.alaska.edu)
|
|||
|
|
(Please flame. It's cold in these here hills!)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Path: moe.ksu.ksu.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uwm.edu!bionet!raven.alaska.edu!acad3.alaska.edu!fsrsg
|
|||
|
|
From: fsrsg@acad3.alaska.edu (Richard S. Guse)
|
|||
|
|
Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative
|
|||
|
|
Subject: atax, part 15 (that's all folks!)*grin*
|
|||
|
|
Message-ID: <1992Feb27.134715.1@acad3.alaska.edu>
|
|||
|
|
Date: 27 Feb 92 22:47:15 GMT
|
|||
|
|
Sender: news@raven.alaska.edu (USENET News System)
|
|||
|
|
Organization: Psi INc.
|
|||
|
|
Lines: 100
|
|||
|
|
Nntp-Posting-Host: acad3.alaska.edu
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
well, this is it! it's all here!
|
|||
|
|
if you're missing pieces, don't be afraid to ask...
|
|||
|
|
enjoy! later...-r
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
~From: mortoncp@NEXTWORK.ROSE-HULMAN.EDU
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Atax,
|
|||
|
|
Chapter 15
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Well, thought Geordi, maybe this time we can spend some more time
|
|||
|
|
together. I really have gotten attached to Gloria, he admitted to himself.
|
|||
|
|
"Are you ready, Geordi?" asked Data from beside the computer terminal.
|
|||
|
|
"Let 'er rip, Data," he replied enthusiastically.
|
|||
|
|
"Let who rip?"
|
|||
|
|
"It's an expression, Data. It means go ahead," answered Geordi with a
|
|||
|
|
smile.
|
|||
|
|
"Ah, I understand now. Thank you." He turned back to the terminal and
|
|||
|
|
tapped a last series of buttons.
|
|||
|
|
The room around the two was once again filled with couples dancing,
|
|||
|
|
drinking, and laughing. Geordi was still out on the dance floor with Gloria,
|
|||
|
|
and Data was at the bar with Grace. She was leaning against his shoulder and
|
|||
|
|
looking very content with the world.
|
|||
|
|
Thanks to Dr. Crusher, Data had recently learned how to dance. He hadn't
|
|||
|
|
thought about it before, but he could ask Grace to dance. It couldn't
|
|||
|
|
backfire any worse than his previous attempts at spending time with her.
|
|||
|
|
"Grace, would you like to dance?"
|
|||
|
|
"I was hoping you would say that. Yes, I would love to, Fredrick." She
|
|||
|
|
stood up in a fluid motion and held Data's hand as they made their way to a
|
|||
|
|
spot near Geordi and Gloria. Geordi caught sight of them out of the corner of
|
|||
|
|
his eye as they started to dance. He turned back to Gloria with a smile on his
|
|||
|
|
face. Way to go, my friend, he thought to Data.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
* * * * * * * * * *
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
"Doctor."
|
|||
|
|
Doctor Crusher turned at the sound of her name. She had been going over
|
|||
|
|
Deanna's medical charts when she heard her name from an unlikely source, Will
|
|||
|
|
Riker. But he should be asleep for another half an hour, she thought. But he
|
|||
|
|
obviously isn't, she scolded herself as she made her way to his side.
|
|||
|
|
"How do you feel?" she asked.
|
|||
|
|
"Not bad, considering what I know is wrong with me," he returned with a
|
|||
|
|
brave, though pain filled smile. "How's Deanna?" he asked, trying to change
|
|||
|
|
the topic.
|
|||
|
|
"She's fine. If you wait about another hour, you can be there when she
|
|||
|
|
wakes up. Meanwhile, Captain Picard has more than a few questions for you."
|
|||
|
|
"I can imagine. Well, might as well get it over with."
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
* * * * * * * * * *
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
"And then I felt a transporter get a hold of me. That's the last thing
|
|||
|
|
that I remember before waking up in Sickbay," concluded Riker some forty-five
|
|||
|
|
minutes later.
|
|||
|
|
"And what did you do to the Ferengi, again?" asked Picard.
|
|||
|
|
"I remembered a theoretical experiment from my Starfleet Academy class on
|
|||
|
|
warp technology. It postulated that if you slingshot around a star at the
|
|||
|
|
precise angle and speed, then you could enter time warp and go forward or
|
|||
|
|
backwards in time. I later learned that Admiral Kirk did that on several
|
|||
|
|
occasions, so I knew it was possible. I just sent the Ferengi through time,
|
|||
|
|
Captain," deadpanned Riker.
|
|||
|
|
"Just sent them through time?" Picard said incredulously. "And precisely
|
|||
|
|
where and more to the point when did you send them, Number One?"
|
|||
|
|
"To the same star in about forty years, Captain," responded Riker,
|
|||
|
|
perfectly calm.
|
|||
|
|
Crusher could no longer contain herself and burst out laughing.
|
|||
|
|
Picard turned to her in annoyance. "Please tell me what is so funny,
|
|||
|
|
Doctor. I see nothing humorous about this entire affair."
|
|||
|
|
"I'm sorry, Jean-Luc, but can you imagine what the Ferengi will think of
|
|||
|
|
Will when they realize what he did to their Atax and what decade they're in?"
|
|||
|
|
She had managed to contain her mirth, if only for a few moments.
|
|||
|
|
Picard's mouth quirked slightly upward as he imagined what the Ferengi
|
|||
|
|
would think, and said, "I think I see your point, Beverly." His eyes glittered
|
|||
|
|
with barely contained laughter.
|
|||
|
|
Seeing his expression sent Crusher back into laughter, this time joined by
|
|||
|
|
Riker and finally Picard.
|
|||
|
|
"What's so funny?" asked Deanna in a small, tired voice.
|
|||
|
|
Crusher hurried over to her and checked her out as Riker once again
|
|||
|
|
explained what he had done to the Ferengi. By the end of the story, Deanna too
|
|||
|
|
was laughing.
|
|||
|
|
"Get well, you two," said Picard to Deanna and Will on his way out of
|
|||
|
|
Sickbay.
|
|||
|
|
"Yes, sir," replied Riker. He turned to Troi, "You never answered my
|
|||
|
|
question, Deanna."
|
|||
|
|
"Which question, Will?" she asked, though she thought she knew the answer.
|
|||
|
|
"What question did I ask and what was your answer?"
|
|||
|
|
"Well, do you remember mentioning Wes, Beverly, and Captain Picard
|
|||
|
|
performing a ceremony?" she asked.
|
|||
|
|
Riker frowned and began to say that he didn't, but then his memory of
|
|||
|
|
those five minutes returned with shocking clarity. He turned to Deanna and
|
|||
|
|
asked, "Did I really do that?"
|
|||
|
|
"Yes, I'm afraid you did, Will. But don't worry. You were asleep and I
|
|||
|
|
won't hold you to any promises you may have made."
|
|||
|
|
"What are you two talking about?" asked Dr. Crusher, thoroughly confused.
|
|||
|
|
"Nothing," answered Riker hastily. He turned to Deanna to see her smiling
|
|||
|
|
at him sweetly.
|
|||
|
|
"Thank you, Imzadi," he heard in his mind.
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
--
|
|||
|
|
-Mycroft V, Psi Inc. (fsrsg@alaska.bitnet & fsrsg@acad3.alaska.edu)
|
|||
|
|
(Please flame. It's cold in these here hills!)
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|