NX-02: Hunting Grounds

Okay so I know I said Battlestar Perseus was next but the way things have worked out my next trek story is actually ready now. I'm doing things a little ass-backwards.

This one is set onboard the Columbia from Star Trek: Enterprise. Please note that the characters are not intended to be similar to the extras seen on Columbia's bridge. And remember to comment, even if you didn't like it or don't have much to say I want to hear what you think. Now without further adieu...

NX-02: Hunting Grounds

Historical note: This story takes place two days after the events depicted in the Enterprise episode "Divergence."

The sound of the flute filled the room. Commander Marie Lapointe played while sitting on her bed. She had intended to just go to sleep when she reached her quarters but the stress of repairs had left her too wound up to sleep so she had picked up her flute. Losing herself in the subtle intricacies of music never failed to bring about relaxation.

Her stomach growled, reminding her she had not eaten in nearly twelve hours. She put down her flute and sighed. I'd better get something to eat. She went to the mirror in her bathroom and inspected her hair. Finding it extremely messy, she undid her braid and began redoing it. While not particularly vain, there was something she couldn't stand about being seen in public with untidy hair. Her hair was an unusual grayish brown that, coupled with her somewhat long face, often made people mistake her for someone much older than her thirty-seven years.

Once she finished her hair she left her quarters and started walking to the mess hall. This late at night the corridors were mostly empty and very quiet, the only noise being a slight hum in the deck plates caused by the warp drive. Marie cursed the repairs that had kept her occupied for the last two days.

Damn Klingons! They kidnap a Starfleet doctor and when we try and get him back they blow out half the plasma conduits on the ship. She thought back to the harrowing battle of two days ago when Columbia and Enterprise had rescued Doctor Phlox from the Klingon colony. I'll never forget that moment when the weapons went offline. I hope I never have to be in a situation like that again. It had only been through the cleverness of the doctor and the courage of Captain Archer that they had been able to survive. She sighed. If only I'd joined Starfleet sooner I could have served on Enterprise with Captain Archer. Well at least I didn't have to brave the Delphic Expanse.

They weren't expected to leave Klingon space for another few days. Officially the Klingons had granted free passage out of their territory but no one onboard felt like taking their chances by lingering. Marie had suggested they travel with Enterprise out of Klingon space but they were heading for a different sector and Captain Hernandez had felt it would take them too far out of their way.

She entered the mess hall and was surprised to find someone eating at one of the tables: Lieutenant Bao Phan - called Lieutenant Bao because of Vietnamese tradition concerning names - the ship's tactical officer. He was a short man with neat black hair. After selecting a cold and slightly stale sandwich from the serving case she sat down across from the lieutenant.

"Good evening lieutenant."

"Good evening commander. How are you?" he asked politely.

"The same as everyone else on this ship - exhausted."

"Tell me about it. Two days and I'm still repairing what those Klingons did to our weapons," he said.

"How are the repairs on our weapons going?"

"Slow. Most of them are back online but we still have three phase canons and an aft torpedo launcher offline."

"Not how you expected to spend your first mission I'll bet," said Marie.

"No. I've read enough of the reports from Enterprise to realize space exploration isn't a cake-walk but I thought our first mission would be charting an asteroid field or something." She nodded. They ate in silence for a time. Then Bao said, "Where in Canada are you from again?"

"Quebec, just outside of Montreal. Why?"

"My cousin is thinking of moving to Ottawa and he wants to know what it's like. Have you been there?" he asked.

"Yes. I worked as an astrophysicist there for a few years. Why doesn't he just visit there himself?"

"He hates traveling. I don't wish to give you a bad impression of him, but he's a bit lazy truth be told."

Marie swallowed a mouthful of sandwich and said, "Well you can tell him it's a lovely place. Not as busy as some bigger cities, so it's a bit more relaxing." Bao nodded and another moment of silence followed. "You know rumor has it Commander Tucker isn't going to come back from Enterprise," Marie said.

"You think not?" asked the tactical officer.

"He served on that ship for four years and now he's there to 'assist with repairs' - do the math."

"Why would he have transferred if he wanted to stay on Enterprise?" wondered Bao.

"I don't know. Maybe he wanted a change of pace. But whatever the reason half of engineering is betting he's changed his mind and I'm inclined to agree. They say the crew on Enterprise is very tight-knit so I'm guessing he wants to be back with his friends."

"That'll cause some trouble in engineering if we wind up in the middle of deep space with no chief engineer and no replacement within a hundred light-years."

"Probably not as much as you think. The lieutenant commander seems to be doing a pretty decent job of running things right now and I'm sure the engineers won't mind not having Commander Tucker cracking the whip every twenty minutes," said Marie.

Bao shrugged. "Maybe you're right. I haven't spent much time in engineering myself." He finished eating, said goodbye, and left. A few minutes later Marie finished her sandwich and gratefully went to bed.

Marie yawned. It was the next morning and she was attempting to function on less than ten hours of sleep over the past two days. Her sea-green eyes were bloodshot and had puffy bags under them. The turbolift she was in stopped and she exited onto the bridge. Instead of taking her station she walked across to the door to Captain Hernandez's ready-room. As she did so the ship's communications officer, Ensign Jasim Khatami, waved hello to her. She waved back while hitting the doorbell to the ready-room.

"Come in." called the captain. Marie opened the door and stepped in. Captain Hernandez was sitting at her desk surveying some star charts.

"Good morning commander."

"Good morning captain."

"Rough night commander?" asked Captain Hernandez.

"Just a bit overworked because of the repairs sir." The captain gestured for Marie to sit down across from her.

"So what brings you here?" inquired Hernandez.

"Do you remember the nebula we had to avoid when we entered Klingon territory?" The captain nodded and Marie continued. "I've been talking to Lieutenant Magnusson and I think we've come up with a way we can modify the deflector so it doesn't ignite the charged neutrino field in the nebula." She produced a PADD from her uniform and showed the captain the schematics.
"It's quite simple really; all we have to do is make a few small modifications to the subspace field coils." Hernandez studied the plans for a moment while absent-mindedly toying with her ponytail.

"Yes that looks fine commander. It should get us out of Klingon space at least a day quicker. I think we can all agree that's a worthy endeavor," the captain said while smiling. Marie nodded and left the ready-room. She crossed the bridge again and entered the turbolift. After a brief journey the lift opened on E deck and she walked to engineering.

Opening the hatch, she was greeted by the low hum of the warp core. She crossed the large room, passing several engineers who were still occupied with repairs, and came up beside the woman who was running engineering in Commander Tucker's absence. Lieutenant Commander Anju Bhandari was slightly shorter than Marie. She had dark skin and black hair just past her shoulders. As far as Marie knew she was the only member of the crew actively practicing a religion, being of the Buddhist faith.

"Good morning LC." The engineer looked up from the computer she was working at.

"Marie! I didn't hear you coming. You startled me. And I've told you before to call me Anju; I don't like titles."

"Sorry Anju."

"That's all right. Now what are you doing in engineering?" Marie explained about the modifications to the deflector.

Anju nodded and said, "Clever, simple. I'll send some people down to the deflector and we can handle the circuit rerouting from here." She picked two exhausted-looking engineers who gathered their equipment and left. Then Marie and Anju took their positions at a pair of consoles next to the warp core to await the signal to begin their work.

Anju sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"Working hard?" asked Marie.

"Who isn't? These repairs don't leave a lot of time for things like sleep or eating," replied the engineer.

"You might want to let people take a little time off now that things are going better. Most systems are running again and in theory the Klingons will leave us alone," Marie suggested.

"No. I would be remiss in my duty if I let things get lax while there was work to do."

"Trying to look good in case Commander Tucker doesn't come back?" said Marie with a sly smile.

Anju laughed, "No; I'm just trying to be a good engineer. But now that you mention it, that's a good reason to keep working hard." She winked and they both chuckled.

In the short time Marie had known Anju she had grown to like her. Her strong work ethic and determination were something to be admired in any Starfleet officer yet it was her charm and openness that were truly endearing. Marie was distracted from her thoughts by a text message on her screen indicating that the other engineers had arrived at the deflector and were ready to begin the modifications. She focused on her work and began to reroute the control circuits.

An hour later Marie was at her station on the bridge running some low level scans; Lieutenant Magnusson wanted to do a paper on the charged neutrino field in the nebula and had asked for some readings of it. The deflector modifications were successful and the Columbia had been traveling through the nebula for over a half-hour now. The view-screen at the front of the bridge showed dark gray clouds illuminated by the occasional flash of electric blue.

"Beautiful isn't it?" said the communications officer. Jasim Khatami was a Palestinian man in his mid-twenties. He was nondescript save for a winning smile that made him seem boyishly innocent.

"I suppose in a grim sort of way," responded the helmsman - one Gunther Muller. He was a young ensign with a broad chest and dark hair.

"It's playing havoc with the sensors. I'm detecting enough warp signatures to constitute a fleet but they're all just reflections of us. I don't like having the sensors impaired while we're still in Klingon space. Free passage out of here or not, I'll sleep easier once we're gone," complained Lieutenant Bao from his station.

"It wouldn't do to disturb Captain Hernandez by crashing into another ship because we can't tell our asses from a Klingon warship," joked Ensign Muller. The captain was spending the remainder of the morning in the ship's gym. She had been complaining that the troubles with the Klingons were keeping her from her workouts.

"If you isolate the resonance frequency you can set the computers to compensate," Marie offered. He hit a few buttons and smiled.

"Thank you commander."

"No problem. I'm not exactly comfortable staying in those brutes' territory either. I joined Starfleet to explore, not risk my life getting shot at by seven-foot tall, sword-wielding thugs. I'll be glad to be able to start our real mission." Most of the bridge crew nodded in agreement.

"Any idea where we'll be going first?" asked Ensign Muller.

"I don't know if we're going there but I hear there's a planet not far from here with an orbit so extreme in its range that it's nearly as hot as Vulcan in the summer and colder than Antarctica in the winter," said Marie.

"Amazing," Jasim said.

"That's not the best part. Rumor has it the planet is inhabited by intelligent life forms. Imagine what they would be like!" she said excitedly.

Ensign Muller gave a whistle and said, "That'd be a sight."

"It's amazing the infinite wonders that can be found on one world. Then consider the millions of worlds in this galaxy alone. There's a lot to see out there," said Jasim.

Bao spoke, "Yes, and let's hope it's friendly. Has anyone ever read the reports from Enterprise? Suliban, Klingons, Xindi, Romulans, Tholians, they certainly found a lot of unfriendly sorts."

"They didn't often loose anyone at least. Not outside of the Delphic Expanse anyway," Marie countered. For a moment Bao grimaced; Marie couldn't tell if he was angry or sad but it seemed to pass as quickly as it came. "Are you alright? You seemed a bit out of sorts for a minute there," she said.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just don't like hearing about the Expanse. My older brother was on the MACO team that fought the Xindi and, well, he didn't make it back." He almost muttered the last part.

There was an awkward moment of silence on the bridge until Marie said, "I'm sorry. I didn't know." Bao shrugged.

"That's alright. How could you have known?" The conversation died off after that. The only sound was the pulsing of the plasma conduits at the rear of the bridge. Marie passed the time observing the sensor readings on the nebula as the others went about their duties.
A loud beeping sounded from Jasim's panel.

"What is it?" Marie inquired.

"I'm receiving a transmission. It looks like some kind of automated distress signal."

"Hmm, we'd better investigate. Try and respond; tell them we're coming. Ensign Muller set an intercept course." She hit her button for the intercom. "Captain Hernandez to the bridge please." Within a few minutes the captain arrived still in her exercise gear.

"Report." she ordered.

"Ensign Khatami has detected a distress signal. We're moving to intercept," Marie answered.

Captain Hernandez sat in her chair and asked, "Any idea who it is?"

"No. I can't raise them on any channel," said Jasim.

"Captain I - wait. That's odd," said Bao.


"What is it?" asked Hernandez.

"For a moment I thought I detected a faint warp signature but it's gone."

"Sensor glitch?" suggested the captain.

"Maybe. But I thought I had the all the sensors working properly."

Marie looked up from her console and said, "I'm detecting something up ahead. Possibly a ship, I can't tell. It's about the same size as us whatever it is."

"Drop to impulse," Hernandez ordered.

"Captain, the distress signal is no longer transmitting," reported Jasim.

"Look," said Bao, indicating the view-screen. The ship was passing through a particularly dense cloud and on the other side appeared the looming form of what Marie had detected. It consisted of a huge round globe from which projected four long tentacle-like protrusions. The entire thing was covered in a glossy reddish skin marked with the occasional streak of pink, orange, or purple. It looks like a jellyfish. Or maybe a squid.

The entire bridge crew gaped at its bizarre countenance until the captain regained her composure and asked, "Is it a ship?"

Marie ran over all her sensors readings and said, "I can't tell, the sensors don't seem to be penetrating its outer covering. I'm not detecting any warp signature or bio-signs but I am detecting faint power readings and it does register as metallic."

"Could this have been what sent the distress signal?" pondered Captain Hernandez. Marie shrugged.

"Ensign Khatami, tie in the universal translator and hail it on all frequencies," Hernandez commanded.

"Aye captain." Marie continued to examine the sensor data coming in.

"The skin - hull - whatever this thing has, is registering as a liquid metal," she said. Captain Hernandez turned to her.

"A liquid metal? How is that possible?"

"I don't know. I'm going to need more time to study the data."

"Look!" said Ensign Muller. The thing had begun to move towards them with its tentacles outstretched.

"Should I polarize the hull plating?" asked Bao. Hernandez shook her head.

"It may simply be as curious about us as we are of it Lieutenant."

"I can't raise this thing on any channel," said Jasim. Marie's console began to beep.

"I'm detecting a massive energy surge coming from that thing." All eyes turned on the view-screen as a bolt of red energy burst from the tip of one of the alien ship's tentacles. The Columbia shook from the impact and sparks flew from a computer screen behind Marie's head.

"Tactical alert! All hands to battle stations!" yelled the captain. Clarions sounded throughout the ship as it entered combat mode. "Damage report," ordered Captain Hernandez.

"Hit to the forward port section. Some structural damage but nothing we need to worry about," responded Lieutenant Bao.

"Fire phase canons on it. Low yield; we just want to get its attention. Ensign Khatami, tell them that if they continue hostilities we will destroy them." Marie wondered if them was the proper word, considering they didn't even know if it had a crew. The view-screen showed a bolt of brilliant orange strike the alien ship as the Columbia returned fire. The target area rippled for a moment like the struck surface of a pond then returned to normal. Marie detected another energy build up.

"It's getting ready to fire again." A second bolt of energy struck the Columbia causing the lights to flicker. Captain Hernandez began barking orders.

"That tears it. Return fire! All forward phase canons, maximum yield. Ensign Muller, get us out of here. Resume previous course at warp four-point-five."

"Wait there's still a few things I can try with the UT!" said Jasim.

"I don't think it wants to talk! Carry out my orders," said Hernandez.

"It's pursuing, matching our course and speed." Bao said.

"I thought you said that thing didn't have a warp signature," said the captain to Marie.

"It doesn't. I have no explanation. I can't detect any warp field, any engines, any sign of propulsion." The bridge lurched from another hit.

"Fire aft torpedoes. Ensign Muller increase speed," instructed Captain Hernandez.

"I'll try but the engines are still strained from when we transferred Commander Tucker to Enterprise," said Ensign Muller. The view-screen showed a blast of orange energy from the alien ship and a boom like thunder rocked the Columbia.

"Hull plating down to sixty-two percent. There's damage to our port impulse reactor," said Bao.

"Fire all weapons," said the captain. Multiple hits from phase canons and torpedoes caused the skin of the alien ship to ripple violently, but it showed no sign of damage. God save us. What does it take to destroy that thing? Captain Hernandez rotated her chair to face Marie.

"Is anything we do actually affecting that thing?"

Marie shrugged and said, "Your guess is as good as mine." Marie clutched her console to avoid falling as another impact rocked the ship.

"It's closing the gap," warned Bao.

"The warp engines are at their limit," said Ensign Muller. Marie looked at the view-screen. With the Columbia's weapons still pounding at it, the enemy ship extended a tentacle and wrapped it around a nacelle.

"It's locked on to the port warp engine! I'm reading multiple small hull breaches," reported Bao. Oh no. Oh no.

"Are they trying to board?" asked the captain.

"I don't think so. The breaches are too small," replied Lieutenant Bao.

"Target the dorsal phase canons and blow that thing off my ship," ordered Captain Hernandez. A flare of orange illuminated the rear half of the Columbia. After a long few seconds the tentacle began to peel off. The moment it released the captain shouted, "Fire a photonic torpedo at that thing. Maximum yield." The impact of the torpedo light up the view-screen and rattled the Columbia. Marie noticed a tiny drop in power readings from the alien ship.

"I think we may have hurt it that time," she said.

"I think she's right captain. It's starting to lose speed," added Lieutenant Bao.

"Let's see if we can turn that to our advantage. Ensign Muller, set a course for the densest cloud you can find."

"Yes sir. Setting course zero-four-seven mark three-three-eight." The ship swerved down and to the right into a black mass of clouds. Shortly the view-screen showed nothing but darkness and the sensors lost much of their range. A tense minute followed and the bridge crew held their breath.

They emerged into a less dense section of the nebula and the sensors came back up.

"Any sign of pursuit?" Hernandez asked hesitantly. Bao shook his head. Things seemed about to settle down when Marie saw a new signature on her sensors.

"There's something coming out of the clouds!" The view-screen showed the alien ship gliding out of the blackness tentacles first. Captain Hernandez seemed in shock for a second, then she returned to her role as captain.

"Keep moving. Fire photonic torpedoes full spread!" A quartet of torpedoes soared towards their target and exploded with a great blinding flash. When the light dimmed the alien ship had ceased moving forward and its skin was rippling and bulging severely. Marie detected what, considering the difficulty of scanning the ship's interior, must be a dramatic power-drain.

"There. I think we hurt it that time," she said. The captain needed no urging.

"Get us out of here, full speed." The Columbia sped away into the inky depths of the nebula as the alien ship twitched its tentacles like some injured octopus.

After a few minutes at high warp with the deck plates groaning from the stress caused by their speed Bao said, "No sign of pursuit. I think we lost them."

"You're probably right but let's not take chances. Maintain this course and speed for another ten minutes then resume our course out of the nebula at warp three-point-seven. Stand down from tactical alert but keep vigilant in case they come back. You have the bridge Commander Lapointe," said Captain Hernandez.

She then added, "I'm going to clean myself up," in reference to her sweaty exercise clothing.
When the captain left Marie rested her head in her hands and sighed Thank god that's over.

Later Marie stood in the armory watching visual records of the battle.

"That thing can sure take a lot of punishment. The beating we gave it was enough to level a good sized town," observed Lieutenant Bao.

"At least." Marie replied. Captain Hernandez had ordered her and the tactical officer to analyze the battle and formulate a defense should the alien ship - dubbed "Squidy" by the crew - return. Marie had also asked the Columbia's chief physicist Lieutenant JG Petur Magnusson to join them. While tactical was not his specialty, the Icelander had a brilliant mind she had come to rely on. "It's that damn liquid hull. When something hits our hull eventually it breaks but this thing just ripples and bounces back," said Marie with irritation.

"How can a ship even have a liquid hull? It doesn't make sense," Bao said.

"I'm guessing it's held in place with some kind of magnetic field," thought Lieutenant Magnusson while stroking his blonde beard.

"That's a good theory," said Marie. She pulled up a set of sensor logs. "There is a faint EM signature. It's hard to tell for sure but I'd be willing to bet that's what's keeping the hull in place."

"Whoever is crewing this ship certainly values their privacy. Scanning the interior of that thing is like trying to shine a flashlight through a brick wall," Bao said.

"If there even is anyone on that ship," said Marie. The door to the armory opened and Marie turned to see Anju enter carrying a square chunk of metal. She walked over and put it down on one of the torpedo launch tracks with a sigh of effort. On closer inspection the metal was riddled with small holes.

"Ugh that's heavy. Per your request Marie: one section of hull from the port nacelle."

"Thank you Anju." Marie stepped to the hull section and ran over it with a hand scanner. "This is showing signs of corrosion," she said.

"Severe corrosion. It looks like it was exposed to some kind of acid similar to what some life-forms use for digestion but much stronger," said Anju. Lieutenant Magnusson began scanning it as well.

"I'm reading a seventeen percent drop in mass from standard," he said.

"A drop in mass? That's odd," said Bao.

"What did that thing do? Better yet why?" pondered Anju.

Marie sighed and said, "God, I don't know. They didn't have any courses on giant space squids at Starfleet Academy. I'm not prepared for this."

"I don't think any of us can be prepared for every possible thing we might face out here," said Lieutenant Magnusson.

"I figured we'd end up in one or two tough situations but we haven't even been out here a month and already we've been attacked by Klingons, stressed the engines to their limit transferring Commander Tucker, and had our hull perforated by some ship for no apparent reason. At this rate I'm not sure I want to know what's out there," said Marie.

Bao said, "No one said this was going to be easy. I know better than most the risks that lie in the depths of space but I still chose to be on this mission. No one can deny that space travel is essential to the future of humanity and we will be the ones to lead the way. There is danger inherent in that but we must face it so that later generations can enjoy the fruits of our labors. Now let's focus and figure out what we can do if this thing comes back." Marie nodded.

"You're right." Focus Lapointe focus.

"All right, so we have a hostile ship covered in a liquid skin that can dissolve our hull. What do we do about it? I wonder if we figure out what it wants if we might be able to attempt communication or at least dissuade it from further assaults," she said.

Anju spoke, "I have a theory. This thing seems to acting like some kind of predator. It ambushes us and then gives chase but when we start being more trouble than we're worth it stops. Maybe it's trying to harvest the metals from our hull."

"Interesting theory. If that's true it may not come back now that we've proven we can fight back. But why would someone go to all this trouble to get metal?" Marie said. Anju shrugged and said,

"Maybe their world is lacking in metals? It could even be some kind of self-sustaining machine that needs our ship to replenish its stores. Though that seems unlikely."

"Well I don't see any way to spoil its appetite if it's trying to eat us, so what about a defense? How can we foil this liquid hull of theirs?" said Lieutenant Bao. Nobody said anything for a few minutes as they considered.

"Well… If we reverse polarity on the Bussard collectors and increase power, we might be able to create an electro-magnetic beam that would peal their hull off. We'd have to do it at pretty close range to work though," offered Marie.

"Better yet, we could modify one of the phase canons to fire a focused EM pulse that would completely fry any magnets they have over there," added Lieutenant Bao.

"That would be more effective but by the time we finished the modifications we'll be days away from here. The Bussard collectors we can do much quicker," said Lieutenant Magnusson. They continued to debate different ideas for some time but made little progress. Captain Hernandez' voice came over the intercom.

"Senior officers report to your stations."

Marie stepped from the turbolift onto the bridge with Bao a step behind.

"What's going on?" she asked the captain while taking her station.

"We're detecting an intermittent warp signature."

"It come and goes. As soon as I think I'm getting a sensor lock on it, it vanishes," added Ensign Muller. Marie activated a sensor display on her console. Nothing showed immediately; then a faint warp signature appeared a few thousand kilometers from the Columbia. She attempted to lock on with a more intense scanning beam when it vanished.

"Huh, that's odd," she said. She sustained her efforts to scan the warp signature for the next ten minutes as it disappeared and reappeared in a parallel course to Columbia's. Then after it had disappeared yet again she detected something else. "I'm detecting a massive energy surge in the nebula. It's growing." She rotated her chair and peered into her viewer to perform a detailed scan. What she saw alarmed her and she turned to face the captain. "I think something has ignited the neutrino field."

"Could the deflector modifications have failed?" asked Captain Hernandez. Marie shook her head.

"No it's in the wrong place. But it is heading towards us." The captain did not need to hear more.

"Helm, get us out of here at best possible speed." Marie continued to observe the wave of energy heading towards them.

"I don't think that will do it captain. It's still gaining on us. Fifteen seconds to impact. Ten. Seven!" she warned.

"Polarize the hull plating! All hands, this is Captain Hernandez; brace for impact!" Everything seemed to stand still for a moment. Then with a terrible groaning from the hull the wave hit.
The floor wrenched and shook as if some mad giant was twisting it. People were thrown from their seats and blown circuits sparked. The view-screen showed a wave of blinding, scintillating blue before the power went and the bridge was plunged into darkness. When the ship finally stopped shuddering and her dizziness passed Marie was surprised to find herself on the floor. She didn't remember falling. She tried to sit up but it caused her head to ache terribly. Judging from the groans coming from the other crewmembers she was not alone in her discomfort. With a slight hum, a handful of lights came back online. Marie managed to stand up and check on the condition of her colleagues despite the throbbing of her head. Captain Hernandez was sprawled unceremoniously on the floor next to Ensign Muller. Jasim was leaning against the base of Marie's console and appeared to be fighting an uneasy stomach. The only officer still at their station was Bao.

"Report," said the captain as she regained her feet.

"The wave has disrupted our EPS grid. Main power is down and auxiliary is barely functioning. Weapons, hull plating, and targeting sensors are offline," responded Bao. Marie began checking her scanners.

"Most of the sensors are down. I'm getting intermittent readings from the lateral array but that's about it," she said. Further inspection showed that nearly all critical systems were crippled. The next half-hour was spent attempting to repair the damage but little was accomplished save slightly increasing the amount of power garnered from the auxiliary generators. Marie detected a power signature.

"I'm detecting something."

"On screen," ordered Captain Hernandez. The view-screen showed a blurry and barely visible image of a red-skinned form with four long tentacles. Marie's heart jumped into her throat and the colour drained from Captain Hernandez' face.

"Do we have any weapons?" the captain asked Lieutenant Bao.

"No sir."

"What about hull plating?"

"No sir," he said quietly.

"Ensign Muller do we have any engines? Thrusters? Anything?"

"No captain." The faces of the bridge crew mirrored the hopelessness Marie felt. This is bad. Very bad. The alien ship began to wrap its limbs around the primary hull of the Columbia. Captain Hernandez rose from her chair and spoke.

"There must be something we can do. Commander Lapointe, did you come up with any defense plans with Bao?"

"We had a preliminary plan but we would need to modify the Bussard collectors, which we haven't done, and restore main power."

The captain seemed indecisive as Bao said, "I'm reading small hull breaches throughout the saucer section." He then added, "Foreign power readings detected in the corridors; they might be trying to board us." The crew was growing increasingly anxious, Captain Hernandez included.

"Assuming we get main power working do you think your plan could succeed?" she asked.

"Yes I believe so," Marie said.

"Then get to one of the nacelles and make your modifications and I'll see what I can do about the power. I'll get Major Moretti and a squad of MACOs to accompany you in case they send a boarding party," commanded Captain Hernandez.

"With your permission I'd like to go with her too." said Bao. The captain nodded. As Marie and the lieutenant entered the turbolift she tried not to think about what might require the presence of the military assault command team.

Marie and Bao proceeded to a weapons locker on E deck where they armed themselves with phase pistols. Marie was still checking that her weapon was working properly when the MACOs arrived. The squad of elite soldiers assigned to Columbia was led by Major Salvatore Moretti. He was a tall man with olive skin and curly, well-trimmed hair. At his back were four tough-looking MACOs armed with pulse rifles. He gave a military style salute and said, "MACOs reporting for duty commander."

Marie tried to keep the quiver from her voice as she said, "You're to escort myself and Lieutenant Bao to the port nacelle so I can modify it and blow the alien ship off our hull." Major Moretti nodded and assumed the front position as they headed towards the nacelle. The ship was quiet as they moved forward. The threat of a boarding party had cleared the halls of any crewmembers and the only sounds were their footsteps and a faint and unnerving groan coming from the outer hull. Marie motioned form them to stop.

"We're coming up on where the enemy ship has wrapped itself around the back half of the saucer section. If they have anyone onboard we're likely to meet them soon," she said. The MACOs raised their weapons in readiness and she checked to make sure her phase pistol was ready to draw. They resumed walking. They came around a curve in the corridor and stopped dead in their tracks. Ahead the corridor was choked with what at first reminded Marie of vines. On closer inspection they were revealed to be mechanical limbs like tentacles or serpents that came in from the outer hull and imbedded themselves in the floor.

"What the hell?" said Major Moretti. Marie pulled a scanner from her pocked and cautiously stepped forward.

"They seem to be transporting metals from the ship's super-structure. I'm guessing this is what the sensors detected penetrating and dissolving the outer hull," said Marie.

"Well I don't feel much like trying to get through there," said the Major.

"Stun grenade?" suggested Bao. Moretti nodded. Marie backed up and one of the MACOs tossed a grenade into the tangle of arms. A vivid flash dazzled Marie's eyes. She blinked them clear and saw no change among the invading mechanisms. With a dull thud another tentacle burst from the ceiling above her head. The end split open and a cluster of smaller tentacles burst forth. It lunged at her and she dove to her left avoid it. It thudded into the floor where she had been. Where the tiny forelimbs touched they melted small grooves into the deck. It was blasted by a volley of rifle fire from the MACOs but seemed unaffected. "Stun doesn't work!" yelled Bao. He set his phase pistol to kill and fired at the tentacle. Sparks flew and a notch appeared where he hit it. Despite the damage it hurled itself at a MACO. The man who was its target dodged out of its way and Major Moretti blew off the end of it. Now more of the mechanized limbs were bursting from the ceiling and springing at them. Marie pocketed her scanner, pulled her phase pistol, set it to kill, and fired. She missed but her target was taken out by one of the MACOs.

"Run!" she screamed on the verge of panic. They bolted through the corridor avoiding attempts by their assailants to stop them. Marie fired a long burst at a tentacle that attempted to claw at her face. The tip was blown off and it drooped limply. Now the first tendrils they had encountered were pulling out of the floor and moving to block their path. They were surrounded. The sounds of particle weapons filled the passage and the tentacles were destroyed by the dozen. Still they came at the officers. For every one that fell two seemed to take its place. Marie sliced through the tangle with her pistol, hitting the walls as much as her targets. One of the limbs grazed her braid and the scent of burning hair filled her nostrils. She wheeled on it and fired. Unfortunately the damage she inflicted was negligible. It sprang at her leg and she dodged. She shot at it again but missed. It went for her throat but she acted fast and severed its front half. She tried to advance down the corridor but was blocked by a pair of metallic serpents. She crippled one with her pistol and fired at the other. Her shot went high as it swooped forward to latch onto her right arm. The acidic coating on its forelimbs quickly seared through her uniform and she yelped at the burning sensation that followed. Her eyes watered from the pain that shot through her arm as flesh seared and blistered. A bright beam of orange cut through the tentacle and it dropped from her arm. Marie fell to her knees in relief. "Thank you," she said to Bao, who had fired the shot. He nodded and picked a new target. Marie had no time to survey the damage to her arm as two more limbs lunged at her. Her phase pistol cut through them. Another made for her head but it was disabled by a MACO. The floor was now cluttered with debris from the alien appendages and their numbers were thinning; nevertheless there were still more than enough to pose a threat. Marie regained her feet and shot at a tentacle that went by her. She missed and it slammed into the shoulder of a MACO knocking him to the floor and leaving a many-pointed burn mark on his uniform. She fired again and this time blew the tip off it.

"Look out!" shouted Major Moretti. She ducked and felt a sting as the limb that would have struck her neck grazed her right ear. Bao fired at it and missed. Major Moretti bashed the tentacle with his gun, which sidetracked it enough for Bao to finish it off. Marie turned around and blew the tip off a tentacle as it pushed through the ceiling. The battle shifted in their favor as the numbers of technological intruders thinned. Without warning all the tentacles ceased their attacks and removed themselves from the corridor. An alarm blared through the hall, drowning out a subtler hiss of air escaping.

"Decompression alarm!" shouted Bao.

"The holes from those damn things! We need to get out of here before emergency bulkheads seal the comprised area!" Marie screamed. They ran as fast as their legs would take them towards the heavy door descending into the corridor a few meters ahead. Marie began to fall behind the more athletic MACOs and the dogged strides of Bao. Her lungs burned almost as much as her arm but fear goaded her to keep moving. By the time Bao ducked underneath the lowering bulkhead it was two-thirds of the way to the floor. Marie leapt and slid along the floor; gritting her teeth against the pain it caused her arm. She emerged on the other side of the bulkhead and pulled her feet out from under it mere moments before it sealed the corridor.

"Are you all right Commander?" asked Bao.

"Yeah. More or less," she said. He offered his hand and pulled her up. She looked and her arm and saw it blistered and badly burned but it didn't look like it needed immediate attention.
Marie's communicator chirped. She grabbed it from her pocket and flipped it open.

"Hello?" The captain's voice came over the line.

"We detected weapons fire and then a hull breach. Are you all right?"

"The alien ship has penetrated our hull with some kind of small mechanized tentacles designed to harvest metals from the ship's structure. They attacked us but we're okay. I'll give you a full report once we're out of danger."

"Understood." Marie put away her communicator and gestured for them to get moving. Just as they started walking they heard a thud and spun around. Another of the tentacles had punctured the hull. This one looked slightly different, thicker and less mobile, and instead of lunging at them it launched a small sphere that hovered in mid-air for a moment; extended four of the tiny, acid coated forelimbs they had seen before; and flew at Major Moretti. He blew it out of the air but before it hit the floor more of the new tentacles were shooting through the hull and launching spheres of their own.

"Run!" yelled Moretti. Marie forced her tired legs to keep going as more and more of the metallic globes pursued them. She fired her phase pistol repeatedly but mostly missed. The MACOs had more success but it did not thin the herd much. A sphere spun around Marie's head to come at her face. She barely shot it down before it could attack her eyes. The dash for the nacelle continued for some time but no matter how many spheres they destroyed there always seemed to be more. By the time they rounded the corner into the corridor that led to the ladder to the port nacelle Marie's uniform was covered with small scorch marks and the others were no better off.

"Duck!" Marie responded reflexively to the command without realizing who had given it. Bolts of energy soared over her head and cut down the drones chasing them. Free from the confusion of panic, Marie looked up and saw Anju with a pair of MACOs.

"Lieutenant commander? What are you doing here?" asked a confused Lieutenant Bao.

"I restored main power a few minutes ago and I came here to help with the modifications. When Captain Hernandez heard you'd come under attack she ordered I take some MACOs with me."

"Thank God you're here," said Marie, out of breath.

"Good work boys," said Major Moretti. He added to Marie and Anju, "We'll hold the line here. You focus on making the modifications. Lieutenant Bao can go with you in case any slip by us." The need for this was stressed by the low hum indicating another wave of spheres were approaching. Marie, Anju, and Bao climbed the ladder into the nacelle while the sounds of fighting echoed from below. Once they entered the catwalk that ran along the nacelle they jogged into the Bussard collector control room - which resembled a large closet more than a room - and began the modifications. Bao activated a sensor display of the alien ship wrapped around the Columbia, Marie began altering control circuits, and Anju boosted power to Bussard collectors. One of the MACOs below gave a shout of pain.

"We need to hurry," said Marie.

"I'm almost ready to increase the power… There it's done," said Anju.

"Get ready to reset the magnetic coils once I reverse polarity," Marie told her.

"The power grid adjustments are causing micro-variations in the coil's magnetic field," warned Anju.

Bao said, "I get that problem with the electromagnets in the phase canons sometimes. Try rebooting the regulators."

"That's got it. Thanks."

"Okay I'm done. Reset the coils," ordered Marie.

"Coils reset." Marie hit the intercom.

"Lapointe to bridge; modifications online. Prepare to go to warp." She hit a button. The magnetic coils gave off a high-pitched whine as they activated. Damn that's loud.

"Look!" exclaimed Bao. They joined him at the sensor display and saw the surface of the alien ship rippled like the ocean in a gale. The skin began to peel off revealing a segmented arm that crackled with energy. The ship removed its limbs from the Columbia and began to fly backwards. It reminded Marie of someone dropping too hot a piece of food. Anju deactivated the modifications at the same time as a loud pulsing signified that warp power had been restored to the nacelles. "Let's get out of here," said Bao. The plasma going to the nacelles began to heat up the catwalk as they left. Marie's communicator chirped.

"Commander Lapointe here."

"The ship is giving chase. I want you and Lieutenant Bao to get to the bridge ASAP."

"Yes Captain."

Enemy fire caused the deck to quake when Marie stepped onto the bridge and took her station. Captain Hernandez looked at her and said, "You're wounded," referring to her arm.

"It's fine," Marie assured her.

"No it's not. You need medical attention," said Captain Hernandez. She called the doctor to the bridge. The ceiling spewed sparks and Marie lurched forward in her seat as another enemy hit struck them. "Return fire!" commanded Captain Hernandez.

"With pleasure," responded Bao. A spray of phase canon fire struck the tentacle that had lost its skin, ripping it from the body. The hull moved to cover the stump and the pursuit continued.
Doctor Donaldson-a New Zealander with graying blonde hair-arrived and began to work on Marie's arm, which made it difficult to run her station.

"Fire photonic torpedoes, full spread," said the captain. Four orange flares appeared on the view-screen but the enemy ship swerved to the side and avoided them. It fired several bursts of energy in quick succession. The ship was rocked and a number of displays shut down on the bridge.

"Aft plating down to fifty-three percent." said Lieutenant Bao. It's determined this time.

"Evasive maneuvers! Fire all weapons!" ordered Hernandez. Ensign Muller began to dive erratically between dense clouds of nebula-dust and Bao hit the alien ship with a punishing volley of torpedoes and phase canon fire. Their opponent responded with a searing blast of orange energy that struck the Columbia just shy of the bridge.

"Hull breach on B deck. Emergency bulkheads in place," reported Bao. Marie had an idea. She ran a quick simulation to be sure - the doctor had given up on her sitting still long enough to finish treatment - and said, "Bao, set the phase canon's electromagnetic coils to a resonance of three-point-three-eight-zero." He looked to Captain Hernandez for confirmation and she nodded. Bao made the adjustment and resumed firing. This time the phase canons caused more dramatic ripples in the enemy hull and it seemed to hesitate before it resumed firing.

"What did you do?" asked Captain Hernandez.

"That resonance is disruptive to our friend's power grid; especially the magnets keeping their hull in place. It's not a big difference but it helps," said Marie. A prodigious boom rocked the ship. Sparks flew from damaged conduits and lights exploded. Doctor Donaldson was knocked off his feet and struck his head on Marie's console. He was knocked out cold.

"Hull plating is offline! Main power down to fifty-one percent!" yelled Lieutenant Bao.

When the shaking stopped the captain asked, "What the hell was that?"

"There was an explosion on E deck, port section; right where one of the tentacles was locked on. I'm guessing that thing planted some kind of small explosive on us," Bao answered as the ship was hit by more enemy fire.

"I think he's right. Just before it happened I detected some kind of signal coming from the other ship," said Jasim. Further impacts smashed the Columbia.

"Fire photonic torpedoes!" shouted the captain. The torpedoes struck the alien ship but it did not seem to be slowed much.

"Why doesn't anything we do seem to hurt that thing?!" said Ensign Muller.

"I don't know. I think we are damaging it in some way," said Marie.

"It's sending the activation signal again!" warned Jasim.

"Block it!" shouted Hernandez.

"I'm trying but it keeps switching frequencies!"

"Can you see where the transmission is coming from?" the captain asked Bao.

"Yes."

"Then target its source with all aft phase canons and fire!"

"Yes sir!" Four beams of fiery orange converged on a spot on the main body of the enemy ship. After long seconds of sustained fire an explosion ripped across the surface of the pursuing ship.

"The signal has stopped," informed Jasim. After another shattering blast from the enemy weapons Anju's voice came over the intercom.

"Bhandari to bridge! That last hit damaged the coolant systems! Impulse engine one is overheating." The ships continued to trade fire for long minutes. Each became increasingly damaged but slowly the alien ship began to take the advantage.

"Fires reported on F deck," said Lieutenant Bao.

"Captain, the nebula is starting to dissipate. I think we're nearing the edge," said Marie.

Captain Hernandez hit the button for the comm. and said, "I want all the warp engines can give me, Ms. Bhandari." To Bao she said, "Do whatever you can to slow that thing down. I have an idea, but we need to exit the nebula before it does." The alien ship lit up from the bombardment of phase canon fire and photonic torpedoes. By driving the weapons to their limits the tactical officer was able to slow down their pursuer somewhat. At the same time the engines were pushed to the maximum causing the deck to shiver violently. Bit by bit the Columbia was able to pull ahead of the alien ship. Ensign Muller read off the warp factors as they passed them.

"Now at warp four-point-five, four-point-six, four-point-eight. Leveling out at four-pint-nine-three. We can't keep this speed up much longer."

"Don't worry Ensign, we won't have to," said Hernandez. Suddenly the view-screen showed clear open space instead of the ominous clouds of the nebula.

"We're out," said Marie. Captain Hernandez sprang from her seat and began giving orders.

"Come about. Point us at the nebula. Prepare to disengage the deflector modifications, Commander Lapointe."

"Yes Captain." Marie was confused by the order until it dawned on her what the captain was planning. "Ready captain," she said.

"Wait a moment." Everything became perfectly still as the crew waited. Only the tactical alert alarms broke the silence.

"It's emerging from the nebula Captain," said Bao.

"Disengage the modifications! All power to the main deflector!" The edge of the nebula exploded into a vast wave of energy that swept away the alien ship like a cork on the tide. "Try to eat my ship will you," said Captain Hernandez. "Get us out of here," she added. Marie breathed a heartfelt sigh of relief and bent down to check on the condition of Doctor Donaldson.

That evening Marie stood in the situation room just off the bridge. There had been no further attacks by the alien ship and life on the Columbia was almost normal again. Doctor Donaldson was expected to be back on his feet within a day and no major injuries had been reported. Captain Hernandez came up to her.

"You wanted to see me about something?"

"Yes Captain. I was too busy at the time to notice it but we when left the nebula sensors detected a faint warp signature at the edge of our sensor range. It disappeared almost immediately so we were only able to take a faint visual reading." She hit a button on the display table and a picture appeared. It was very blurry but showed what looked like a ship with a bright blue flash coming from what Marie assumed were its engines.

"What's the significance?" asked Hernandez.

"Here is an analysis of its warp signature. Now here is the warp signature Bao detected just before we encountered the alien and here is the warp signature we detected just before something set off the neutrino field and crippled us." The screen showed three identical warp signatures.

"You think it was following us?"

"Yes. But I don't think that's all it did. I asked Ensign Khatami to do a harmonic analysis of the distress signal we detected and he found it could not have come from alien ship's communications array. Furthermore - though this is only a theory - I didn't detect any deflectors, warp engines, or other subspace related systems coming from the ship that attacked us, so I have trouble believing it was capable of igniting the neutrino field. I may not have any conclusive proof but I don't think whoever that third ship is wanted us leaving the nebula in one piece." Captain Hernandez weighed the ramifications of this.

"Who would want to destroy us? I may not know a lot about Klingons, but sneaking around in the dark is not their style," she said.

Marie shrugged and said, "I have no idea."