Visiting Acquaintance


A Star Trek: Fotheran and Mallory Adventure
By Derrick Ferguson © 2001

Note: the events of this story take place 8 months after the events of 'Everbody Talks about the Weather’



    Captain Eve Mallory always felt a surge of pride whenever she stepped onto the bridge of the Federation starship ColdFire.  The first of the Omega Class ships, it was in many ways an experimental ship.  Packing to bursting with sensory equipment that allowed it to probe further than even the Corsair or Minotaur Classes, it also boasted the latest refinements in neurogel computer technology and an impressive array of weaponry that allowed ColdFire to more than hold her own against a wide and varied range of adversaries.

    After all, ColdFire was the Federation ship assigned to Gamma Space One, the very first Federation starbase established within the Gamma Quadrant and as such; the crew stationed on the base was cut off from the Alpha Quadrant for long periods of time due to the whims of the Bajoran wormhole. To be sure, the wormhole opened and closed at regular intervals, but still…when it was closed, it was most definitely closed and a ship like ColdFire could mean the difference between life and death for those who lived and worked on GS1.  The innovative design of the ship even extended to the primary hull.  A sleek triangular hull, much like an arrowhead, had replaced the familiar saucer section of most Starfleet ships.

    Eve nodded to the night shift crew, who all nodded and smiled back, happy to see the Captain arrive.  They knew that her arrival meant the day shift would be arriving soon after and they could go off duty.  Some to bed, others to breakfast, still others to write letters to home or get in a quick pickup game of basketball or Parisees Squares in a holodeck.  Eve was amused to find an extremely nervous Ensign Wyckoff sitting in the captain’s chair.  Wyckoff rolled his eyes in panic and leaped out of the chair.  Eve gently pushed him back down.

    “At ease, Ensign.”  Eve looked at the helm where a tall, lanky form sat with a casualness that would have made a Fleet Admiral on inspection gasp in horror, calmly munching raisins he threw in his mouth by the handful.  “Mr. Fotheran?  May I see you my ready room, if you’re not too busy?”

    Commander Denys Fotheran nodded, gestured for a crewman to take over the helm and followed Eve into the ready room.

    Ensign Wyckoff looked around in horror.  “I KNEW the Commander shouldn’t have given me the conn!  What do you think the Captain will do to him?  What’ll she do to ME?”

    From where she leaned on the Operations console, Ensign Roberta West shook her head in pity.  “You ARE green, aren’t you?  How long have you been on GS1?”

    “Nine months.”

    “First time out on ColdFire?”

    “Yes.”

    “Don’t sweat it.  Commander Fotheran always finds an ensign to put in the chair when he pulls night duty.  He’d rather fly the ship anyway or pull a surprise inspection somewhere on the ship.  And he likes seeing a newbie like you sweat at being in The Big Chair.  Its just his way of telling you to take it easy.”

    “But…but the Captain…won’t she reprimand him?”

    “Are you kidding?  When we get off duty, we’ll go have coffee and I’ll tell you some stories about Captain Mallory and Commander Fotheran…”


    Fotheran flopped in a chair and swung his long legs up on Eve’s desk while she seated herself and smiled at him.

    “Didn’t I tell you to stop terrorizing the ensigns, Denys?  They’re scared enough as is and here you go putting them The Big Chair.  The poor boy looked like he was going to have a heart attack right on the spot when I came on the bridge.”

    Fotheran shrugged.  “Just having some fun, Eve…anyway, the night shift expects it of me.  It relieves the boredom.  You know nothing much happens at night.”

    “Then why have you been pulling night duty the past week?”

    Fotheran popped more raisins in his mouth.  “You have to admit, I didn’t have much to do on this trip.  You were the real star of the show.”

    The ColdFire had spent the past nine weeks ferrying ambassadors back and forth among three planets in the Ducros system while at the same time providing a very visible Federation presence to keep away yet another new alien race native to the Gamma Quadrant who had been attempting to invade the Ducros system.  In order to provide an adequate defense of their system, the three worlds had to put aside some major differences and come to a quick alliance.  Thanks to the speed of ColdFire, the negotiations had gone swiftly and the three worlds now stood allied against a common threat.  Starfleet was extremely pleased with the way Eve had handled the situation.

    Eve waved away the compliment.  “I only wish we could have gotten a look at that race that was attempting to invade…what are they called again?  The Nunya?”
   
Fotheran nodded.  “I don’t think we have anything to worry about.  From everything I’ve been able to dig up about them, they make Pakleds look like Vulcan Science Academy graduates.”

    Eve threw back her head as she laughed.  “Can such a thing be possible?”

    “That’s what I hear.  Dumb as rocks.”  Fotheran took his feet off Eve’s desk.  “Nothing to report, Captain.  The night was quiet, uneventuful, and etc. etc.”

    “Go on to bed, Denys…I’ll review your log entries for the shift.  Meet me and JoAnn later for dinner?”

    “Sure, I-“

    Eve’s commbadge bleeping interrupted Fotheran.  She tapped the stylized arrowhead shaped insignia of gold and silver on her left breast.  “Captain Mallory here.”

    =^=Captain, there’s a priority message from GS1.  Lt. Lockridge for either you or Mr. Fotheran=^=

    “Send it through.”

    Fotheran walked around the desk so that he could look at the desktop LCARS over Eve’s shoulder.  The picture resolved itself into a picture of Lt. Walter Lockridge, who Mallory had left in charge of GS1 while both her and Fotheran were on the mission.  Lockridge smiled at the two of them.

    “Good to see the both of you.”

    “Hey, Wally,” Fotheran greeted him.  “What’s up?”

    “We got a distress signal here at GS1 about 90 minutes ago.  It came from Oliton V, about a hundred light-years from your current position.  They said they were being attacked but were cut off before they could say who or what were doing the attacking.  All of our efforts to contact them have failed.  I thought you should know because of that new race I heard was causing trouble out in that sector.”

    “You did right, Mr. Lockridge.  Continue to hold down the fort.  We’ll investigate.  Mallory out.”  Eve swung around in her chair to look at Fotheran.  “What do you think?”

    “I think we oughta go have a look.  If this IS The Nunya, it’ll be a good chance to see just what they’re made of.”

    “I agree.  But, Denys…we go in with smiles and open hands, understand?”

    “Why, did you think I was planning on starting something?”  Fotheran walked to the door of the ready room.  It whooshed open and he bellowed into the bridge.  “Mr. Wyckoff!”

    Eve could just imagine the green ensign trying to get control over his jittery bowels.

    “YES, SIR!”

    “Lay in a course for Oliton V at Warp Four!”

    “YES, SIR!”

    “And your shift isn’t over yet, mister, until you’re relived by myself or Captain Mallory!”

    “YES, SIR!”

    The door closed and Fotheran returned to his seat, his dark amber eyes shining with sadistic humor.  “You shoulda seen how high he jumped out of the chair when I stuck my head out of the door, Eve.”

    “You’re a terrible, evil man, Fotheran.”

    “Ain’t it the truth?”


    Eve looked up from her Padd as Fotheran returned to the bridge.  He had gone to his quarters to sonic shower and change into a fresh uniform.  He nodded and seated himself in the First Officer’s chair.  It never failed to amaze Eve how Fotheran could function on so little sleep.  But then again, he had spent years being chased by The Federation for major crimes and so sleep was one of the first things he had learned to do without.  “Are we there yet?”

    “Another ten minutes.  I’ve just been reviewing data on Oliton V.  There’s something very interesting I think you’ll want to see.”  Eve passed over the Padd and watched as Fotheran’s eyes flickered over the display and noted with some pleasure the surprise on his face.

    He looked up at her.  “This changes things a bit, wouldn’t you say?”

    “I do say.  And do you want to hear something even stranger?”

    “I do.”

    “There’s no people on the planet.”

    “No people?  According to this—“ he held up the Padd, “There’s a population of ten billion down there.”

    “Not anymore.  Ensign West has been running full sensor sweeps of the planet for the past 90 minutes.  There’s plenty of flora and fauna, but no humanoid life signs at all.”

    “Underground?  Shielded?”

    “Even if they were shielded, the very fact that our scans would be bounced back would indicate something.  They’re just gone, Denys.  There’s no sign of natural disaster or attack.  The buildings are intact.  The cities show no signs of destruction at all.  Everything is just the way it should be except that the entire planet is deserted.”

    “Will the last one leaving the planet please turn out the lights?”  Fotheran muttered.  “Where’s JoAnn?  She knows about these obelisks.  She should want in on this.”

    “She’s on her way up to the bridge now.  If it turns out we’ve got to beam down, I want her to go along.”

 ColdFire slipped smoothly into standard orbit around Oliton V, an M class planet whose native race had achieved warp capabilities two hundred years ago.  Tentative attempts by The Federation to open negotiations with an eye to extending membership had been met with some suspicion.  The Olitinoi were a cautious people.  Not that Eve could blame them.  There were races in the Gamma Quadrant that made Klingons look positively reasonable.

    Eve gestured to the Ferengi communications officer, Lt. Cel.  “Open a channel.”

    “Done, Captain.”

    “This is Captain Eve Susan Mallory of The Federation starship ColdFire responding to the distress signal that was received by Gamma Space One.  We are here to offer any assistance necessary.  Please respond.”

    Silence.

    Eve said to Lt. Cel, “Repeat that every two minutes until you get a response.  In the meantime, based on the data you received from GS1, do you think that you can pinpoint just where that distress signal came from?”

    “I think so, Captain.  If I may have a minute or two…”

    Eve looked her First Officer.  “Okay.  What do we know, what do we think, what do we guess?”

    Fotheran sat back and crossed long legs and folded his muscular arms across his chest.  “We know they were attacked by parties unknown and the distress call was cut off and they haven’t sent another.  We think The Nunya may have attacked them.  We guess that we’re gonna have to go down there and see for ourselves just what happened.”

    Eve nodded.  “My thoughts exactly.  Where in blazes is-“

    The turbolift opened and a blond woman in her late fifties exited onto the bridge.  JoAnn St. John was GS1’s Chief Counselor and a close friend and confidant of Eve’s.  There had been a very dark period once in Eve’s life and it had been JoAnn who had showed her the way out of that darkness.  It had taken very little urging for JoAnn to accept a post at GS1.  Her children were all grown up and she herself had outlived four husbands and was looking only to serve and help others.

    JoAnn plopped herself in a spare foldout seat next to Fotheran and said, “Is what you told me on the level, Evie?  The same obelisks found on the alien base were also found here?”

    Eve nodded.  “I wouldn’t joke about a thing like that, Jo. Trust me.”

    Cel’s voice cut off the conversation.  “Captain, I’ve pinpointed the location.  I can give the co-ordinates to Transporter Room One.”

    “Then do so, Mr. Cel.  Denys, have Mr. Vollmer report to the bridge.  He’s got the conn while we’re down there.  And have a security detail meet us in the transporter room.  Come along, Jo.”


    Ten forms thickened into reality inside an eerily familiar structure.  The seven-man security detail immediately started scouting, setting up a defensive ring around the three senior officers.

    Fotheran hefted his phaser rifle and looked around at the walls that seemed like flowing metal caught in the middle of transforming from a solid to a liquid.  Curiously non-reflective metal surfaces.  “I’m starting to get a bad feeling about this, Eve.”

    “Tell me about it.”  Eve looked at JoAnn.  “Its exactly the same as the alien base GS1 was built around.”

    JoAnn nodded.  “But where are all the people, Eve?  Where did a race of ten billion just disappear to?”

    “They didn’t just disappear, Jo.  Something made them disappear.”

    “Let’s search this building and then get back to ColdFire,” Fotheran suggested.  “If the obelisks aren’t here…”

    “I know, Denys…believe me, I know…” The face of her sweet daughter, Caitlyn was in Eve’s mind as they began their search with tricorders and a growing sense of dread...


    They returned to ColdFire some forty minutes later and headed directly for the bridge.  Eve nodded sharply at big Mike Vollmer, Chief Engineer of GS1 as he gave up the chair to her.  “Don’t go anywhere, Mike.  I’m having a staff briefing in two minutes.  Helm, take us out of orbit and plot the shortest course back to GS1.”

    “Laid in, Captain.”

    “Maximum warp, Helm.”

    The Cardassian Helmsman, Lt. Grunnig, looked somewhat surprised. ColdFire was capable of maintaining Warp 9 for eleven continuous hours. In theory.  The only times ColdFire had been run at Warp 9 was for her shakedown cruise and on maybe two occasions after that, but only for short periods of time, less than fifteen minutes. 

    Vollmer whispered out the side of his mouth into Fotheran’s ear; “What’s going on, Denys?  She trying to scrap the warp core?”

    “She’ll make you get out and push if she has to.  We’ve got to get back to GS1 as soon as possible, Mike.”

    “How soon?”

    “Yesterday.”

    Vollmer raised his eyebrows and said nothing further.

    Eve said, “I want all senior staff members to report to the bridge conference room immediately.  Go to Yellow Alert.”

  
     Eve looked around at her senior staff.  Briefly she wished that Viktor Utchenko, Wally Lockridge, Felicia Goodluck and Dianora of Thymiscrisa were there along with herself and Fotheran.  Not that she didn’t have confidence in the ColdFire crew.  It was just that she had worked with the others longer and knew their capabilities and skills as well as she knew her own or Fotheran’s.  However, on the opposing appendage, she was glad they were on GS1 to help defend the station.

    Mike Vollmer was there, sitting between JoAnn and Ronald Boutin, GS1’s Science Officer.  Eve blessed the stars that Boutin had asked to come along.  Due to his unique artificial nervous system, Boutin’s intelligence and reasoning powers had been increased to unheard of levels.  He was the youngest Science Officer ever and even though he looked as if he should be somewhere learning how to wipe his nose, his name was already being mentioned along with those of past legendary Starfleet Science Officers like Spock and Data.

    The Ferengi Communications Officer, Lt. Cel and the Cardassian Helmsman Lt.Grunnig sat opposite from each other.  They always treated each other with the respect due another Starfleet officer, but generations of mutual dislike and mistrust were not so easily forgotten.   Ensign Jody Wyckoff, trying to look competent sat next to Ensign Roberta West, whose slightly pointed ears indicated either some Romulan or Vulcan blood in her ancestry.
   
Eve got right down to the point: “On Stardate 54373.01 GS1 was infiltrated by an alien spy who was working for another faction to steal technology from the alien base constructed around GS1.

    “As you all know, this base has been under examination by Federation scientists who discovered a chamber filled with hundreds of obelisks of varying sizes and colors.  It has been determined that these obelisks are data storage units containing tremendous, unimaginable amounts of technological data accumulated by the alien race that built the base.  Thankfully, we were successful in stopping both the alien spy and the people he was working for.”

    Fotheran barely held back a snort of derision.  He reflected that since Eve had been spending so much time with him, she was learning how to lie.  Well, maybe lie was too harsh a word but she damn sure wasn’t telling the story exactly the way it happened.  But then again, Section 31 had been involved and Starfleet Intelligence didn’t want any word of any operation that bunch had going on being spread around.

    “Oliton V sent out a distress signal saying that they were being attacked by parties unknown but I found something quite revealing in our database.  Oliton V had a museum that was built around a veritable duplicate of our alien base back on GS1.  When we beamed down we found that there were no obelisks anywhere to be found.  We also found the entire planetary population of ten billion gone.”

    A ripple of quiet astonishment filled the room.  Jody Wyckoff said in a hesitant voice, “excuse me, Captain…could you clarify what you mean by ‘gone’?”

    “I mean gone, Ensign.  Vanished.  Disappeared without a trace.  I mean gone.”

    Ronald Boutin, narrow brown eyes wildly curious said, “I’d be most interested in looking over the data from the Away Team’s tricorders, Captain.”

    “Well, that’s good, Mr. Boutin, because that’s exactly what I want you to do.  The data has already been transferred to the Science Department computers and the next time I see you I want answers.”

    Vollmer was nodding his head.  He’d got it.  “You’re thinking that somebody or something snatched up those obelisk thingies back on Oliton V…and somehow made everybody disappear as well…”

    “And that same somebody or something might be on its way to GS1 to take the ones from the base there.”

    “That’s precisely our thinking, Mr. Vollmer.  Needless to say, GS1 isn’t just where we work.  It’s our home.  Our families, our loved ones, and the people we care about the most live there with us.  And it looks like there’s some force, some power that is taking the obelisks and obliterating the population of the planets these obelisks are on.”

    “Say no more, Captain.  I’ll keep engineering in one piece if I have to use my guts to tie the warp core together.”

    Eve smiled gratefully.  “I know you will.  Okay, people, that’s it.  Let’s move like we’ve got a purpose.”

    Fotheran and JoAnn stayed behind while the rest of the crew filed out.  Fotheran in particular was looking at Eve curiously.

    “And what’s your problem?”  Eve wanted to know.

    “Me?  Nothing.  It’s just I don’t see you like this often.   You usually try to give the benefit of the doubt.”

    “Just come right out and say what’s on your mind, Denys.  We don’t have time for verbal jousting right now.”

    “Okay.”  Fotheran leaned on the conference table.  “You seem awfully sure that us not finding any obelisks and the disappearance of the Oliton are connected.  How do we know that the obelisks weren’t carted off long ago?  Or maybe they’re stored elsewhere on the planet?  We could have made sure the obelisks were really gone.”

    “Denys, even after all this time you can still amaze me.  Your wife and child are back on GS1.  Do you really want to run sensor sweeps and scans while a possible danger is heading towards them?”

    “And Caitlyn?”

    “Of course!”  Eve replied in a brittle voice.  “Caitlyn’s precious to me…how precious I don’t think even I knew until I really thought of her just…disappearing without a trace.  If that happened…I don’t think I know what I’d do, Denys.”

    “Its okay, Evie…Denys has a point.”  JoAnn walked over to hug Eve around the shoulders.  “Granted it’s on top of his fat head, but he’s got a point.”  JoAnn grinned at Fotheran.  She had a great deal of affection for Fotheran, maybe because the both of them weren’t spit and polish types like most Starfleet officers.  They looked at a situation from a different point of view altogether. 

    “I just thought us tearing off in hurry like this might be a little premature, that’s all.  But then again, we’re all GS1 has if you are right…and I pray to God you’re not.”

    “Denys, you’ve been up for almost eighteen hours straight now.  Go to bed.”  Eve said.

    “Eve, I’m okay.  You know I can stay up-“

    “Denys, don’t force me to make it an order.  If I’m right and we’re going to go up against something with the power to make 10 billion people vanish without a trace, I’m going to need my First Officer completely rested and refreshed.”

    Fotheran nodded, still a bit reluctant.  “But you’ll wake me if anything new develops?”

    “I’ll come get you myself, Denys.”  JoAnn promised.   Fotheran nodded, gave a jaunty little salute and left the conference room, leaving the two women alone.

    “Sometimes I forget just how perceptive Denys can be,” JoAnn said.  “He’d have made a helluva counselor.”

    “Whatever he sets his mind at, he’s the best at.  If he hadn’t wasted ten years of his life being chased and hunted in a dozen star systems, there’s no telling what he could have become.”

    “Still, you’ve given him a second chance…like I said, he’s good.  He picked up on the fact that you’re not thinking like a scientist and Starfleet captain.  You’re thinking like a mother.”

    “How can I NOT think like a mother, Jo?”  Eve resumed her place at the head of the conference table and interlaced her fingers together tightly.  Slim, petite hands that could have ripped the table in half as if it were a sheet of paper.  “In all ways except for one, I’m Caitlyn’s mother.  There are others on this ship that have children back on GS1.  If there’s the slightest chance that they might be in danger, I’ve got to drop everything else and go to protect them.”

    “I guess its not easy being in your shoes,” JoAnn mused.  “You’re not just the Captain of a Federation starbase.  You’re also the leader of a community…I guess that makes you the mother of us all.”

    “And this is one mother that will not allow anyone or anything to bring harm to any children.”  Eve stood up and gave her uniform jacket a straightening tug.  “Let’s get back to the bridge.  We’ve got work to do.”


    “…and after we feed and give Ariel her bath, maybe we’ll go to the new Shopping Concourse and buy some new outfits for ourselves.  What do you think, Caitlyn?”

    Courtney Fotheran stopped in the middle of brushing her hair.  Caitlyn Mallory had come to GS1 from Yellowknife to spend a few days with Courtney and Ariel.  It was inevitable that due to the unusual closeness of Denys and Eve that their families would also grow close and bond and ever since Courtney had come to GS1 to live, she and Caitlyn had been spending a lot of time together.

    Courtney liked Caitlyn a lot.  The younger girl was spunky, lively company with a quick wit and active spirit.  She had heard the rumors and stories about Caitlyn and even Denys had told her that Caitlyn possessed abilities unguessed of.  Courtney pooh-poohed the stories away.

    Until she noticed that Caitlyn had stopped speaking.  Courtney heard Ariel’s delighted laughter and Courtney put her brush down and left the bathroom to see what was going on.  She entered the kitchen and stopped dead in her tracks.

    Ariel was sitting in her chair, clapping small, pudgy hands together excitedly and clapping wildly.  She wasn’t frightened of what Caitlyn Mallory had suddenly become, but Courtney sure as hell was.

    Courtney looked into the empty black holes into infinity that had once been Caitlyn’s eyes.  Courtney could swear that she could see swirling pools of stars deep in the ebony depths.

    “Caitlyn?”

    “I am Caitlyn.  And I am more than Caitlyn.”

    “What have you done to yourself?  How am I going to explain THIS to your mother when she gets back?”

    “My mother and your husband are returning here.  There is a danger to this entire station and everyone on it.  You must speak to Walter and Felicia and persuade them to evacuate at once.”

    “Me?  Why don’t you do it?  I think I can guarantee that you show up at Ops looking like that, they’re going to pay attention damn fast.”

    “No.  You must do it.  I cannot remain in this incarnation for long.  I had to warn you.  I can feel the danger getting closer.  I can sense the anguish and the longing and the desperation.”  Caitlyn’s voice faded away as she slumped in a chair, half unconscious.

    Courtney quickly got a glass of cold kono juice from the replicator and brought it to Caitlyn.  “You okay, Cait?  What was all THAT about?”

    Caitlyn pushed back her long straight black hair with its distinctive streak of pure white.  “Sorry.  I’m afraid I don’t have the hang of how these powers of mine work.  Sometimes they just take over by themselves.”

    “Well, the next time, give a girl some warning, okay?  What was all that hoo-hah about evacuating the station?”

    Caitlyn sipped more juice and shook her head.  “I can only remember the feeling of intense dread…there’s something very bad heading for the station.  My mother and Denys are chasing it, but I don’t think they’re going to get here in time.”

    “Your other self seemed to think that Wally Lockridge and Felicia Goodluck would listen to me.  I don’t know why they should.  I’m not Starfleet.”

    “You don’t have to be.  You’re Denys Fotheran’s wife.  C’mon, I’ll go with you.  Trust me on this.  I’ve been on this base longer than you and I know how highly Wally and Felicia think of Denys and my mother.  They’ll listen.”

    Courtney picked up Ariel in her arms and followed the younger girl.  Denys had told her that things were pretty exciting here on GS1 at times.  For once, he hadn’t been lying.


    “ETA to GS1?”

    “Twenty hours, Captain.”

    Eve nodded and returned to her worrying.  But there was no sense in doing that.  ColdFire was going as fast as a starship could.  Faster, in fact.  Somehow, someway, Mike Vollmer had managed to squeak out an erg more of power and ColdFire was actually doing Warp 9.2.

    Lt. Cel whipped about in his seat.  “Distress signal coming in, Captain!”

    “Let’s hear it, Mr. Cel.”

    A panicky, high-pitched voice began babbling, “—we’re just vanishing, one by one!  It’s not like a transporter!  It’s—“ the voice broke off and was gone.

    “Get them back at once!’  Eve snapped, leaving her chair and going over to the Communications console.

    “The communication link is open, ma’am.  Whoever was on that end is just…gone…”

    “Mr. Grunnig, tell me you’ve got a lock on where that signal was coming from and a course laid in.”

    “I do, Captain,” Lt. Grunnig, said with an obvious tone of self-satisfaction in his voice.  “The signal is coming from Vosa, some 11 light-years away.”

    “Change course.  Get us there NOW.  Go to red alert and somebody get Mr. Fotheran out of bed.”


    Fotheran burst onto the bridge with JoAnn right behind him.  “So how much trouble are we in?”  He asked, quickly taking his seat and flipping up his readout panel and scanning the information there.

    “None yet.  We got the distress signal from Vosa just a little while ago.  The message was garbled, broken.  But they said they were disappearing one by one.  We’re here.  Take us out of warp, Mr. Grunnig.”

    ColdFire smoothly left the chaos of warped space and returned to the normal universe.

    “Our scans picking up anything, West?”  Fotheran called to Roberta.

    “Yes, sir.  But I—“

    “Speak up, Ensign!”  Fotheran said crisply.  “Report!”

    “Sir, these readings CAN’T be right.  According to this, there’s an object orbiting the planet..a HUGE object…”

    “On screen.”  Eve said calmly.  And then they saw it.

    Easily some 35 miles in diameter, egg-shaped and a pinkish-red in color, it floated majestically above the planet, its irregular, lumpy surface seemingly reflecting any and all light that struck it.  The bridge crew was struck dumb in awe and fear, except for Eve, Fotheran and JoAnn.  They’d seen Borg cubes closer than any sentient had a right to and survived.  Fotheran and Eve had been in combat with Lygos Vad’s Goliath and had lived to tell about it.  JoAnn had been brutalized by Cardassians and had turned the tables on her attackers and killed all three of them with a shard of glass.  They’d seen more than their share of horror and terror.

    Still, if they were right, this thing was responsible for 10 billion deaths….

    “Try hailing it.  Denys, you ever see a ship like that?”

    Fotheran had walked closer to the huge view screen, hands on his hips.  He shook his head.  “Damned if I know how it’s moving.  I don’t see any thruster ports or impellors or nacelles anywhere.  Maybe it’s using some kind of ionic exhaust…”

    “Captain, could this be a Nunya ship?”  Wyckoff asked.

    “You’d have to ask Mr. Fotheran about the Nunya, Ensign…he’s become quite an expert on them, I understand.” 

    “I suppose it COULD be them.  My research says that they steal ships from other, more technologically advanced races and fly them until they’re practically burnt out.  They also kidnap technicians when they can to keep their ships and weapons going.”

    “Like the Pakled,” Cel said.

    “Well, The Pakled don’t eat their prisoners when they’re finished with them, Cel.”

    The Ferengi gulped and turned back to his work.

    Eve walked over to the Science station.  Ron Boutin had typically not entered the conversation, but was busy scanning the ship.  She didn’t interrupt him, just waited patiently while he did his job.

    “That’s a BIG ship, Eve,” Fotheran said, returning to his chair.  “You sure we ought to be taking something like that on without adequate backup?”
   
“I’m going to let you worry about how to destroy it.  I’m going to try and talk to the captain first.  Are the Vosoni still disappearing from the planet, Miss West?”

    “Yes, Captain.  Whatever that ship is using is not like any transporter beam I’ve ever seen.  The energy pattern is—“

    “It’s not a transporter.”  Boutin stated flatly.  He looked over his shoulder at Eve.  “And that’s not a ship.  At least not a mechanical one.  That ship is completely and totally organic.”

    “Alive?”  JoAnn walked over to join Eve as she looked at Boutin’s readout screens.  “Can such a thing be possible?”

    “It’s been known to happen.  The Enterprise has several times encountered space traveling life forms.”  Eve said slowly.  “Most notably a life form that was as large as an entire starbase.”

    “The Farpoint Encounter.”  JoAnn was nodding.  “I remember now.  But that creature wasn’t as large as this one, was it?”

    “I’m not sure.  Mr. Boutin, cross reference our data with those of the Farpoint life form for a match.”

    “Aye, Captain.”

    Fotheran was still eyeing the creature with great interest.  “So why is it taking planetary populations?  And obelisks?  If it IS taking the obelisks.”

    “Maybe we ought to try and talk to it and see what it has to say on that issue.”  Eve gestured to Cel, who opened a hailing frequency.  “This is the Federation starship ColdFire, assigned to Gamma Space One.  We ask that you reply to our inquires in the hope of mutual understanding and peaceful exchange of ideas.”

    The giant life form either did not hear or did not wish to answer.  It continued to orbit the planet.

    “I got an idea,” Fotheran said.  “West, scan the planet for an alien base.”

    “Yes sir.”  It took only eight seconds before she looked up and nodded her confirmation.

    “Good work, West.  Ron, JoAnn, come with me.  Mr. Cel, have a security detail meet me in Transporter Room One.”  Fotheran headed for the turbolift.

    “Where do you think you’re going?”  Eve demanded.

    Fotheran gestured at the planet on the view screen.  “Down there, where else?  We can’t learn anything more up sitting up here and obviously that alien doesn’t want to talk.  Might as well beam down and see first hand what’s going on.”

    “And suppose that thing makes you vanish as well?”

    “Then I guess you’ll have to figure out a way to bring me back.  Unless you want to have to explain to Courtney how you lost me.”

    “Before you go, stop off at Sickbay.  I want every member of your Away Team implanted with a transponder.  This way, if you ARE taken aboard that alien, we’ll still have a lock on you.”

    Fotheran nodded in agreement and left the bridge, closely followed by JoAnn and Boutin.


     “If anybody else except for Denys Fotheran’s wife was telling me this story, I’d throw them in an isolation ward so fast it wouldn’t be funny.”

    Courtney blinked.  “You mean you’re actually taking me seriously?”

    Lt. Wally Lockridge, Operations Chief of GS1 shrugged.  “Why not?  What would you have to gain by disrupting the entire base?”  Lockridge gestured at a smiling Caitlyn.  “And I’ve heard stories about Miss Mallory’s abilities. In any case, I owe your husband a lot and that means I owe you as well.”

    Courtney was flabbergasted.  “So you’re actually going to evacuate the entire starbase on my word alone?”

    “I can’t.”

    Courtney flashed a triumphant grin at Caitlyn.  “Hah!  Toldja!”

    Lockridge held up a hand.  “Excuse me, Mrs. Fotheran, I never said I wouldn’t.  I said I CAN’T.  There’s a difference.”

    “Explain.”

    Lockridge sighed.  “With all the crew and their families stationed here, GS1 has a population close to 8000 here.  That’s not counting the settlers and visitors over in Yellowknife.  That’s maybe another fifteen thousand we’re looking at right there.  I don’t have nearly enough ships to evacuate everybody.”

    “Can’t you get ships from Bajor to help?”

    Lockridge shook his head in a negative.  “The wormhole is closed and will be for the next eight hours.  We’re on our own until then.”

    Courtney bounced Ariel on her knee as she said, “Mr. Lockridge, you mean to tell me that we’re cut off from any and all means of help?”

    “Mrs. Fotheran, its not like this hasn’t happened to us before.  We’re used to handling our business here on GS1 and I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if Captain Mallory and Commander Fotheran don’t have the situation under control…”


    Fotheran, JoAnn, Boutin and the security detail beamed down right into the middle of what appeared to be an entire planetary population gone absolutely crazy.

    The Voisoni were tall humanoids, four or five inches over seven feet with pear-shaped heads and nubbly purple skins.  Their pupiless golden eyes were wide pools of terror and they charged in blind panic as they vanished one by one.

    The transporter effect was like none Fotheran had ever seen before.  A milky aura of paleness surrounded the victim, who then rippled as if suddenly plunged into a pool of water and then they were gone.  The Voisoni were disappearing rapidly.  It seemed to Fotheran that wherever he looked, they were winking out of existence.

    The leader of the security detail, Lt. Chesley said; “Your orders, sir?”

    “Leave three of your men out here with Mr. Boutin.  Ron, scan everything, okay?”

    Fotheran need not have wasted his breath.  Boutin had a medical tricorder in one hand and a science tricorder in the other.  “Beam back up to the ship in five minutes with or without us, Ron!”

    Boutin nodded absently, continuing his scans.  Fotheran rapped out the rest of his orders and Lt. Chesley barked commands.  The remaining members of the security detail formed a wedge that cut through the masses of screaming, running Voisoni and made their way to the alien base, which looked exactly like the one back on GS1. 

    JoAnn leveled an arm and said excitedly, “There’s still some obelisks here!”

    She was correct, but they wouldn’t be there for long, because they were disappearing as well, surrounded by the same unfamiliar transporter effect that was taking the Voisoni.  “I guess this doesn’t leave any doubt that it’s the alien that’s taking both the obelisks and the populations of the planets.”

    Fotheran nodded in agreement.  “But we’re still stuck with the big question of WHY?”  His commbadge crackled with Eve Mallory’s anxious voice.

    =^=What’s going on down there, Denys?  Is everybody all right?=^=

    Fotheran slapped his commbadge.  “We’re okay but the Voisoni don’t seem to be taking things too well.  I haven’t seen such wailing and hysteria since the last Borg invasion.”
    =^=What about the obelisks?=^=

    JoAnn spoke up.  “The last one just blinked out of existence, Evie.”

    =^=Denys, I want you and your team back on ColdFire right now.  We’ve got to think of a way to stop that thing or slow it down before it reaches GS1. =^=

    “We’re on the way, Eve.”


    Fotheran motioned for Ensign Wyckoff to take command of the bridge and he headed for the conference room.  The door slid open and Fotheran stepped inside.  The conference table was littered with Padds.  Eve, Boutin and Mike Vollmer had all discarded their jackets and had pushed up the sleeves of their shirts.  A number of empty coffee mugs were lined up neatly on one side of the table.  Eve looked up, frowned slightly.  “What’s wrong, Denys?”

    Fotheran shrugged.  “Not a thing.  I just came to see how you big brains were doing.  You’ve been shut up in here for hours without a peep.  Have you come up with anything?”

    Eve shook her head in disgust.  “We haven’t learned anything more about that alien than we did at the beginning.  All the scans are inconclusive.”

    “I still say we should launch a probe into it.”  Vollmer insisted.  “We can’t learn a damn thing by just pacing it and going over these inconclusive scans over and over.”  He cracked his huge knuckles as he spoke and they sounded loud as gunshots in the room.  “Captain, we’re four hours away from GS1.  Are you going to wait until our people start vanishing with the Voisoni and God knows how many others before we do something?”

    “The probe idea sounds good,” Fotheran agreed.  “Let’s do it.”

    “I disagree,” Boutin said.  “That isn’t just another ship.  It’s a life form and if we fire a probe into it, it might be interpreted as an attack.”

    “Ron, let me clue you in to something; once that thing gets within range of GS1, we’re going to have to attack it anyway.”  Fotheran said.  “Isn’t that what the bottom line is?  We’re not going to sacrifice our friends and families on the altar of the Prime Directive.”  Fotheran looked at Eve.  “At least I hope we’re not.  Right, Captain?”

    Eve walked over to the head of the table and sat down, not saying anything for a few seconds.  Finally, she looked up at Fotheran and the other two men.  “Maybe there’s something else we can try.  Denys, how many Vulcans have we got on the crew?”

    “Eight.”  Fotheran had a special liking for Vulcans, having lived there for eight years in The Great Southern Desert and he always accepted any Vulcan who asked for a posting assignment to GS1.  He had told Eve a few times that his dream was to eventually have ColdFire crewed by nothing but Vulcans. “What’s your idea, Eve?”

    “Out of the eight, which ones would you say were the most qualified to do a mind meld with that alien?”

    “There’s Lt. Commander Thosok…he’s got the necessary maturity and skill to handle this, I think.  He’s in charge of Stellar Cartography. He’s the first one I’d approach with this.”

    “Would he do it if you asked him?”

    “I think so.  Eve, what do you have in mind?”

    “Thosok and I will beam down to the alien’s surface.  Once there, Thosok will initiate the mind meld and attempt to communicate with the alien.  I’d like to exhaust all my options before committing myself to destroying it.  Maybe it doesn’t realize what it’s doing is harmful.”

    “On the other hand,” Vollmer muttered, “It could very well be having a helluva good time.”

    Eve ignored him.  “If the mind meld doesn’t work, we’ll beam on back over and I’ll do what has to be done.  I’ll fire the quantum torpedoes myself.  I don’t want the death of this life form to be on anybody’s conscience but my own.”

    “Good plan, but I’m making one slight change,” Fotheran said.  “I’m going with you.”

    “Out of the question,” Eve answered firmly.  “There’s too much at stake here.  To have both of us going on such a dangerous Away Mission is foolish and reckless.”

    “Eve, we don’t have time to debate this.  Either I come along or I start citing regulations.”

    Eve knew full well what Fotheran was promising to do.  There were nearly ninety regulations that gave a starship’s First Officer the power to countermand a Captain’s decision to beam down into a potential dangerous and/or life-threatening situation.  And Eve knew it.  She just wasn’t aware that Fotheran knew them all.

    “You’d do it, wouldn’t you?”

    “And Ron’s going as well…he’s the Science Officer…he’ll never have a better chance to see this thing close up and personal.”

    “Denys—“
    “Look, Eve, the real reason you don’t want me to go down there is you don’t want anything to happen to me.  Okay, I appreciate it, but by the same token, how do you think I’d feel if something happened to you and I wasn’t there to help?  How could I go back and look Caitlyn in the eye and tell her I was up here safe on the bridge while you were taking all the risks?”

    “There’s no telling how this is going to end.  That thing could try to eat us or shake us off or…”

    Fotheran started for the door.  “Details, details.  We going or not?”

    Eve grinned at Fotheran.  “We’re going.  Mike, we’re going to need environmental suits and you’re going to be in command while we’re gone.”


    Four bulky environmental suited forms shimmered into existence on the surface of the planetoid-sized alien.  Eve turned and looked at her team.  Boutin was on his knees already, his large gauntleted hand brushing away glittering dust as he examined what was effectively the skin of the creature.  Lt. Cmdr. Thosok was standing next to Fotheran, who was looking straight up.

    Eve said into her open comlink, “What’s so interesting?”

    Fotheran merely pointed up.  Eve angled her head back and the magnificent sight of the underside of ColdFire took her breath away.  It was perhaps some nine hundred thousand feet above the alien, easily keeping pace with it.

    “Never seen her from this angle before,” Fotheran said quietly.  “Beautiful, isn’t she?”

    “She is.” Eve said simply, heart swelling with awe and pride.  She was brought back to the reality of their situation by Thosok’s even, emotionless voice in her ears.

    “Captain, I am detecting the thoughts of the alien.  It knows we are here.”

    “Are you sure?”  Eve asked and regretted the question as soon as if left her lips.  One thing you learned about a Vulcan: they were always sure or they didn’t speak.  She didn’t apologize since that would have been an even worse breach.  By apologizing, she would be implying that Thosok had been hurt or offended by her words.  She said nothing and waited for Fotheran to interject.

    “Continue with your surface probe, Thosok.”  Fotheran walked closer to Eve and keyed in a private comm channel they had both agreed on before leaving the ship.  “You want to quit insulting the man, Eve?”

    “I could kick myself.  Imagine asking a Vulcan if he’s sure.”
    “Don’t be too hard on yourself.  You don’t work with the Vulcans stationed on the base as much as I do…”  Fotheran slowly dropped to one knee and his hand went down to stir up the dust.  “Wonder what this stuff is…sure glitters pretty.”

    “Its dead skin cells.”  Boutin answered, slowly lumbering closer.  He was looking at the readouts of his suit’s built in tricorders which appeared on a screen on his left forearm.  Fotheran hastily got to his feet, a look of utter disgust on his face.

    “Tell me you’re kidding, Ron.”

    “Why would I kid about something like that?”

    Eve stifled a laugh at the look on Fotheran’s face.  “Let’s get on with the mission, gentlemen.  Mr. Thosok, are you ready to initiate the mind meld?”

    “A few minutes more for adequate preparation, Captain and I will begin.”

    Eve nodded and turned to look out over the surface of the alien.  The glitter of the dead skin cells was indeed quite pretty and the surface of the alien was quite smooth, unlike the rocky, blasted surface of a planetoid.  Now that she was this close, it was easy to believe that this was a living being.  There was an aliveness, a vitality that she could feel even thought she was encased in the environmental suit.  It was unnerving, but also strangely exhilarating at the same time.  It was times like these that reminded Eve exactly why she had come back to Starfleet and why she had accepted the posting at Gamma Space One.  At heart, she was a scientist and adventurer and even though she groused and complained about the politics and policies of Starfleet Command and The Federation, she had never known such excitement and sense of purpose.  She was doing important work on Gamma Space One and making a life for herself and Caitlyn…

    “Eve?”

    She roused herself from her reverie.  “I’m sorry, Denys.  Is Mr. Thosok ready?”

    Fotheran was looking at Eve carefully though the thick transteel of his helmet.  “You okay?”

    “Fine.  Just thinking.”

    Fotheran nodded.  “He’s beginning the mind meld now.”

    Indeed, Thosok was on his knees, his hands digging deep into the glittering piles of dead skin cells.  He was as still as a statue as his powerful Vulcan brain probed into the gigantic creature, searching for its center of intelligence.  Boutin had moved off some hundred feet or so away from them, still running his scans and scooping up handfuls of the glittering dust and placing samples into clear containers.  Eve wanted to admonish him not to stray far, but she didn’t want to make any sounds that would distract the Vulcan from his work.  And in any case, it wasn’t as if there were any gulleys or valleys for Boutin to fall into or rocks or forests for him to lose sight of the main group.  The ground, or skin, to be precise was devoid of any kind of growth at all, as if the alien’s surface had been scoured clean by unimaginable eons of space travel.

    Thosok spoke in a high, clear voice that was unmistakably his, but was tinged with something else…some sense of unbearable longing and heartfelt emotion that no Vulcan throat had ever given voice to.  Eve moved closer to Fotheran as they both bent to listen.

    “Home…home is so far…why did I come so far…”

    Eve whispered to Fotheran, “You handle this, Denys…”

    Fotheran nodded and asked quietly, “Thosok…is the alien entity speaking through you now?”

    “Yes..” Thosok’s voice was a gasp of misery.  “It has been…been alone so long..so long…the journey has been so long…”

    “Let it speak through you, Thosok…I want to speak to it directly and ask about the obelisks.”

    “Yes..the obelisks…the obelisks are the markers…the obelisks are the signs on the path to eternity.”

    Eve and Fotheran exchanged swift, baffled glances.  Fotheran turned back.  “What significance has the obelisks for you?  Why do you need them?”

    Thosok’s voice was even stranger now, thicker as the alien intelligence flowed through him more easily now, using Thosok as a conduit.  “They are my way home…I must have them…must have them all.”

    “And why have you taken the inhabitants of the planets the obelisks are on?  What do you need them for?”

    “Inhabitants?  I…I..do not understand…there were other obelisks…obelisks that moved…they were left behind to show me the way to go home…”

    Eve jabbed an armored elbow into Fotheran’s side to get his attention.  “Denys, time is getting short…we’ve got to make it understand that it’s killing living beings and it has to stop!”

    Fotheran nodded.  “I understand, Eve, but a mind meld is a sensitive thing and can’t be rushed.”  He turned back to the kneeling Thosok.  “Listen to me…you must try to understand.  You are heading toward a planet that contains more of the obelisks.  Take them if they belong to you, but you must leave the life forms inhabiting the planet alone.  You have no reason to kill them.  We ask and beg that you do not harm the life forms.”

    “Life…forms?  How can the signs be life forms?…they are signs on the path to eternity…they are all needed to go home..I want to go home…”

    “Oh, my God…” Eve whispered.  “Denys, I think I know what it’s saying.”

    “You going to share?”

    “The alien doesn’t make a distinction between the obelisks and whatever life form inhabits the planets it visits.  It thinks that any humanoid life form is simply another form of obelisk.”  Eve’s voice grew more excited as she warmed to her idea.  “We know that the obelisks are data storage units containing more information than the most sophisticated computers Starfleet has been able to build.  This alien has said that the obelisks are signs.  Maybe they’re markers of some sort that the alien is using to get back home.”

    “That still doesn’t explain why it’s killing entire planetary populations, Eve.”

    “But what if it isn’t?  That’s my point!  It wouldn’t kill obelisks that would help it to get home and it said itself that there were ‘other obelisks..obelisks that moved..’”

    Fotheran looked dubious still but he said, “Hell, at this point, I’m willing to buy anything.  We should—“

    Fotheran stopped as the alien underneath their feet shifted and moved.  Fotheran looked down and said; “I don’t like that at all.  Ron!  Front and center!”

    Boutin was already heading back to the group and fast as he could.  He was looking at his suit tricorder readouts with rapt concentration.

    “Talk to us, Ron!  What’s happening?”

    “I don’t know for sure, but there are definite physical changes going on in this immediate region!”

    “Time to go,” Fotheran said.  “Eve, get hold of Mike and tell him to get us out of here.  I’ll—“

    “No!”  Thosok lurched to his feet.  His eyes had rolled back up in his head so that only the whites showed and his lips looked puffy and engorged with blood as he stumbled over to Eve.  “Do not…do not go…you must explain.  YOU must explain…”  Thosok’s huge gauntleted finger stabbed at Eve Mallory.  “You are not like these others…you can explain…”

    Eve took a step back, flabbergasted that this alien intelligence had perceived her true Replicant nature.  Fotheran stepped between them, his hands extended.  “Just take it easy and explain what you want.  We’re all friends here..we only want to help you…”

    Boutin yelled wordlessly as the ground under his feet ripped itself open, forming a long, ragged gash in the flesh of the alien creature that ran right from where he was to where Eve stood.  “Captain Mallory!”  Boutin yelled.  “Look out!  Denys!”

    Fotheran whirled and saw the gash opening wider and wider the closer it got to Eve.  He reached out to yank her out of the way, but Thosok interlaced his fingers together and brought his hands down on Fotheran’s shoulder.  It wasn’t enough to do any damage, but it was enough to send Fotheran to his knees.  Eve’s foot slipped in the thick dust and she said some very unlady-like things as she fell onto her back.  It occurred to her that she hadn’t been in an environmental suit in almost eighteen months and she was badly out of practice.  Even with her Replicant strength and reflexes, she was moving too slowly in the suit.

    Boutin was galumphing toward Eve, yelling as she rolled over, trying to get to her feet and the gash curved around Fotheran and Thosok and opened up under Eve, who tumbled into the alien.  The gash began to heal up with frightening rapidity.

    “Eve!”  Fotheran shouted.  He turned to Thosok and grabbed him by the shoulders.  “Give her back!  Do you hear me?  Give her back!”

    But Thosok was unconscious; the alien intelligence having left his body, the shock of having the mind meld broken so abruptly had been a horrendous shock to his neural system.

    Boutin was on his knees, trying to keep the crack open with no luck.  Fotheran held Thosok up and shouted, “Ron!  C’mon, we’re going back to the ship!”

    Boutin looked at Fotheran as if he couldn’t believe his ears.  He’d known both Fotheran and Eve for quite a while now and had seen the love and friendship between them.  He’d seen them risk their lives and careers time and time again for each other and the absolute last thing he expected to see and hear was an order from Denys Fotheran to leave Eve Mallory behind.

    “Denys, are you sure?”

    “For a genius, you can be pretty dumb sometimes.  There’s nothing we can do for Eve down here.  But let me get back on ColdFire.  If I have to drain the phaser banks to split this thing open, I’m going to get her out.”


    Fotheran hurried onto the bridge and dropped into the Captain’s Chair that Vollmer hurriedly vacated.  Fotheran wasted no time.  “Mike, get back to Engineering.  I’m going to need you down there.  I’m going to be using a whole lot of power very soon.
Who’s the Transporter Chief on duty this shift?”

    “That would be Carey, sir.”  Vollmer threw over his shoulder as he headed for the turbolift.  Vollmer was an excellent command officer, but he much preferred being down in Engineering and he was wasting no time getting back there.

    Fotheran keyed in the commlink to Transporter Room One.  “Chief Carey, this is the bridge.  Captain Mallory is being held inside that alien creature.  I want you to get a lock on her signal and beam her out.”

    “Mr. Fotheran, ever since I’ve heard what happened, I’ve been trying to do that, but my scans aren’t penetrating the surface of that thing.”

    Ron Boutin confirmed that from his science station.  “He’s right, Denys.  None of our scans are getting through.  The alien must have been allowing them before, but it sure isn’t now.”

    Fotheran tapped a long finger on the armrest as he pondered.  Okay, he couldn’t beam Eve out.  Time to take a calculated risk.  “Tactical, target the alien but under no circumstances are you to fire until I give my express command.”

    JoAnn came onto the bridge.  “Denys, exactly what the hell is going on?  It’s all over the ship that Eve was sucked in by that thing out there!  Where were you when that happened?”

    “Standing right next to her.  JoAnn, I don’t have time for twenty questions.  I’ve got to get Eve back.”

    “And how do you intend on doing that?”  JoAnn asked quietly.  “You going to carve that alien open like a Christmas turkey?”

    Fotheran swiveled his head around to glare angrily at the Counselor.  “Let’s take this discussion to the Ready Room, JoAnn.” He suggested.  Once the both of them were behind closed doors, Fotheran said, “What were you thinking of out there, JoAnn?  Bad enough I let Eve get sucked in by that thing out there.  I don’t need you bursting onto the bridge questioning me.”

    “I just wanted to point out that you have other options at your disposal rather than opening fire right away.  Did you think that maybe there’s a reason that thing just took Eve and not the rest of you?”

    Fotheran mused over that one for a minute.  “Now that you mention it, she was the only Replicant down there.”
    “Exactly my point.  Maybe that alien wants to talk with a life form it’s presuming to be on a higher level than us mere carbon based units.”

    “You’re asking me to go way out on a limb here, JoAnn.”

    “What would Eve have you do, Denys?”

    “She’d wait, dammit, until she had no other option.  Okay, until and unless the choice is taken out of my hands—“

    “Commander Fotheran,” Lt. Cel’s voice said urgently over the comm.  “There’s a priority message for you.  Its Admiral Klasky on Starbase 806.”

    “What the hell does HE want?”  Fotheran grumbled.  There were a number of Starbases operating on the Alpha Quadrant side of the Bajoran Wormhole, each with its own Admiral who, in Fotheran’s opinion, liked nothing better than to constantly get involved in Gamma Space One business.  Fotheran motioned for JoAnn to stay out of sight and say nothing.  Technically, she wasn’t supposed to even be in the Ready Room while a priority message was being received, but neither JoAnn nor Fotheran paid much attention to rules at times like these.  Both of them were concerned about how to get their friend back.

    Fotheran sat behind Eve’s desk and tapped the LCARS into life.  The familiar Federation symbol appeared along with the priority level.  Fotheran waited until the LCARS had identified him by his retinal pattern and then, Admiral James Klasky’s puritanical face appeared on the screen.

    “Fotheran.” The name dripped from Klasky’s lips as if it were a bitter root he was discreetly trying to expel from his mouth.  “I want to speak to Captain Mallory now.”

    “She’s not available, sir.  We’ve got a situation here that we’re dealing with.”

    “So I hear.  There’s some sort of alien ship that’s decimating whole planets I gather.”

    “May I ask how you heard about this situation, sir?”

    “The entire Gamma Quadrant’s in a panic about the situation, mister!  My Starbase is being flooded with communications from dozens of worlds in the Gamma Quadrant who are demanding to know why Mallory hasn’t done something to stop this!  And need I remind you that these are worlds that our Diplomatic Corps has been working very hard to bring into The Federation?”

    “It never hurts to remind me of anything, sir.  You know I have a short attention span.”  Fotheran replied with a straight face.  From where she stood, unseen, JoAnn silently smacked her forehead in disbelief.
    “Don’t crack wise with me, Fotheran.  There are a lot of potential member worlds on your side that are watching to see just how efficiently Mallory handles this crisis.  Now you put her on this minute!”

    “Sir, I really can’t.  She’s beamed down to the alien ship and she’s in the process of dealing with the situation.”

    Klasky eyed Fotheran narrowly.  “Well, why didn’t you say so in the first place, man?  Then I can release a statement saying that the situation is under control, then?”

    “You can and I’ll have Captain Mallory contact you to confirm that as soon as I can.  Fotheran out.”

    JoAnn shook her head as Fotheran stood up, vigorously dry washing his face with his hands.  “You are going to be in SO much trouble if things don’t get better real fast.  What are you going to say in your defense at your court-martial?”

    “One crisis at a time, JoAnn.  First, we get Eve back.”

    They returned to the bridge and Fotheran reseated himself in the Big Chair.  “ETA to GS1?”

    “Eighty minutes, sir.”

    Fotheran sat back and looked at the view screen.  Since taking Eve, the alien had not changed speed or direction.  It was still headed right for Gamma Space One.  “Get me Lt. Lockridge right away.”

    From Tactical, Roberta West said, “Commander, I’ve still got a weapons lock on the alien.  Orders?”

    “Keep your finger off the fire command until I give the word, Ensign.”

    Visibly disappointed, Roberta said, “Aye, sir.”

    Fotheran stared at the screen and thought, C’mon, Eve…give me a sign…and give it to me damn quick or I’m going to have to destroy this thing…and maybe you with it…


    Eve had no idea where she was inside of the alien.  She could feel herself being moved along in blackness as dark and as deep as the furthest reaches of intergalactic space.  The intense beams of light from either side of her domed helmet were swallowed up by the unnerving blackness.  It felt as if the alien was using its mass to push Eve along to a designated destination.  She wondered briefly if Denys and the others had been swallowed as well. 

    She had no way of knowing how long she traveled since the blackness was so intense, she couldn’t even see her readouts to tell in which direction she was going, or where—

    Suddenly, with a soft plopping sound, Eve was falling into a roughly oblong chamber where she fell to the moist floor.

    (Here you go.  We can talk better here) The voice in Eve’s head was strong, powerful, with none of the hesitancy that had marked Thosok’s speech when he was in contact with the alien.

    “You would seem to have mastered our language quite well in an amazingly short amount of time.”

    (I learned the language the minute that Vulcan’s mind touched mine. But he has very limited telepathic abilities. Still it was enough for me to get what I needed.  I’m afraid he was fighting against me and that is why my speech was so garbled.  But you are not like the others.  You are so much more efficient in design.  What are you?)

    “I’m human.  But I’m a type of human called a Replicant.”

    (Why are there not more like you?  It is so much easier to communicate like this.)

    “It’s a long story and one I really want to tell you, but we have other things to discuss.  About you and the obelisks.”

    (Oh, yes, the signs.)

    “You keep saying that, “ Eve said as she got to her feet.  The chamber she was in was blueish-grey, with a high, rounded ceiling.  She realized that she was inside the very living flesh of the alien and she felt a thrill of excitement race up and down her spine.  “What do you mean, the signs?”

    (I left the signs as markers to find my way back home.  You see, among my people, it is expected that young ones undertake a voyage of exploration and discovery, to amass as much knowledge as they can.  The amount of knowledge determines what position one will hold.  But our journeys are long and we sometimes get lost.  What you call obelisks are signs that I have left in order to find my way back home.)

    “Just how long have you been on this walkabout of yours?”

    (Nine thousand of your years.  I gather that is a long time for your species, but to us, it’s like the difference between your conceptions of yesterday and tomorrow)

    “But why did you take the people from their planets?  They weren’t harming you or the obelisks.  In fact, many races are intrigued by them and study them in hopes of learning more about them.”

    (I thought the inhabitants of the planets would like to come with me.)

    Eve was having a very strange feeling while she was having this conversation.  It was a lot like conversations she had had with Caitlyn when the girl was younger, say around twelve and thirteen years old.  Nine thousand years old or not, Eve was beginning to get the oddest sensation that she was talking to an adolescent mind here.

    “We have been following you, trying to communicate with you so that we could show you that you are harming innocent life forms.  The planet you are going to now has obelisks on it and we would not stop you from taking what belongs to you, but I beg of you to not take the other life forms.”

    (If that is what you want.  I wouldn’t dream of taking anyone or anything that didn’t want to go.)

    “Let me ask you a question: what did you do with the others that you took?”

    (They are here.  They know what we are talking about.  They are in communication with me and with each other.)

    “May I see them?”  Eve asked excitedly.  If the Olitinoi and Voisoni were still alive and could be returned to their homeworlds, that would be more than Eve could hope for. 

    (Walk this way,) a circular opening appeared in the nearest wall and Eve stepped through the opening and began to lumber down a narrow corridor.  Inwardly, she was greatly relieved.  This adventure certainly was going a lot easier than some of the others she and Denys had been through…


    “The Bajorans did WHAT?”  Fotheran snapped, glaring at Wally Lockridge’s giant face on the view screen.  The bridge crew hardly dared to breathe loudly; so evident was Fotheran’s sudden rage.

    “They’ve sent at least ten of their heavy cruisers through the wormhole as soon as it opened.  They’re terrified of that alien ship getting past GS1 and entering the wormhole.”

    “It’s NOT an alien ship, it’s a living, intelligent creature and the captain is trapped inside of it.  And I’m not about to let them open fire on it until we get her out.”

    “I’m sorry, boss, but what could I do?  I’ve got no authority to tell the Bajoran government or militia what they can or can’t do.  In fact, they told ME to stay out of their way or else.”

    “This is just great.  How did they hear what was going on over on this side of the wormhole anyway?”

    “Apparently rumors have been flying fast and furious on the Alpha side.  Some say that that thing has been eating whole planets.”

    “No, that’s totally wrong…it hasn’t been eating planets…just the people that live on them.”

    Lockridge blinked in stunned surprise.  “Beg pardon?”

    “Never mind.  You get hold of either Admiral Klasky or Riker…they’ve got pull with the Bajorans and respectfully ask them to ask the Bajorans to pull those ships out of here right now!”

    “I’m on it.”  The screen changed, now showing the alien taking up orbit around the planet that was home to GS1.

    “Tactical, find me those Bajoran ships and let’s go to Yellow Alert.”

    JoAnn leaned over and whispered in his ear, “You’re not going to do what I THINK you’re going to do, are you?”

    “And what is it you think I’m going to do, Counselor?”

    “Oh…I dunno…maybe go to war with Bajor?”

    Fotheran gave her a tired, lopsided grin.  “It’s a good day to die, dontcha think?”

    “Denys…”

    “I don’t want to hear it.  Eve’s still inside that thing, which hasn’t made a hostile move toward GS1 and I won’t attack it as long as it’s not doing anything to hurt anyone.  And I’m not going to allow the Bajorans to use it for target practice either.”

    “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

    “So do I, Counselor…”

    JoAnn moved away a bit.  Fotheran was going to be a very busy man in a little while and he wouldn’t need her hovering at his elbow.  But if there was anyone who could pull a rabbit out his hat and salvage the disaster this mission had become, it was Fotheran.  Ensign Wyckoff moved closer to JoAnn and said a low voice, “Can I ask you a question, Counselor?”

    “Of course, Ensign.  That’s what I’m here for.”

    “Why doesn’t the Commander simply TELL Starfleet and the Bajorans that Captain Mallory’s inside the alien?”

    “Because if Admiral Klasky knew that, he would declare the alien hostile and order Commander Fotheran to destroy it.  Which Commander Fotheran would refuse to do, of course.  Then Admiral Klasky would relieve Fotheran of duty and have Lt. Commander Vollmer take command and throw Fotheran in the brig.  THAT’S why he won’t tell what happened to the captain.”

    “I guess Commander Fotheran knows what he’s doing, then, huh?”

    “Let me tell you something, Ensign.  Even though it may not seem like it at times, Commander Fotheran always knows what he’s doing.”

    “But he wouldn’t REALLY fire on Bajoran ships…would he?”

    JoAnn looked into the worried face of the young ensign and wondered how she should tell him that if the Bajoran ships refused to stand down, there was a very good chance that Denys Fotheran would most indeed fire on them and thereby start an interstellar incident of nightmarish proportions…


    Eve was led to an immense chamber deep inside the bowels of the alien that was miles across in diameter and the sight she saw there was absolutely like nothing she had ever beheld in her life.

    As far as her eyes could see, she saw floating bodies delicately held in silvery strands that shimmered with pulses of gold and green energy that ran along the fibers holding the bodies of Olitinoi and Voisoni suspended in air.  The humanoids were smiling slightly and occasionally small cooing sounds of pleasure or surprise would burst from their lips.

    “What are you doing with them?”  Eve asked in wonderment.

    (Nothing.  They are all talking to each other.  I just helped them.  I connected them.  They are all communicating now… the way they should have been all along.)

    Eve stood and looked into the chamber, marveling at the sight of billions and billions of living beings, all connected by the neural network of a single alien intelligence.  It was staggering to see.  The humanoids didn’t look as if they were suffering at all, quite the contrary.  They looked as if they were having a most enjoyable time.  But Eve had to make sure before she contacted Denys.  Because she would have to tell him if the alien was to be treated as a friend or a foe…


    “This is Commander Fotheran of The Federation starship ColdFire requesting permission to speak with whoever is in command of this attack group.”

    Fotheran sat back, legs crossed, his attitude relaxed and calm.  The view screen shimmered and a female Bajoran captain appeared.  “This is Captain Trelexis Rinn of The Reiki Star.  We’re here to help you destroy the hostile alien craft, Commander, before it gets into the wormhole.  Are you going to lead the attack or should I?”

    “First off, Captain, I should make you aware that that isn’t a ship.  It’s actually an alien being, capable of traveling under its own power.  We mistook it for an alien ship ourselves, but after Captain Mallory studied it closer, we discovered that it is indeed intelligent.”

    Trelexis Rinn’s beautiful face crinkled in an expression of profound suspicion.  “I see…” she said slowly.  “And just how did Captain Mallory make that determination?”

    “She beamed down to the alien’s surface, along with one of our Vulcan officers who initiated a mind meld and opened communications between Captain Mallory and the alien.”

    “And is Captain Mallory qualified to handle discussions with this alien?”

    “You’d best review your records on her.  Captain Mallory has a sizable number of First Contact missions to her credit as well as being a highly decorated and regarded scientist of galactic repute.  Ask your Science Officer if Captain Eve Mallory is qualified to handle this alien.”

    “I will.  Stand by, ColdFire.”  The view screen went dead.  Ron Boutin grinned and gave Fotheran a thumbs-up and JoAnn came up behind the chair to place both hands on his shoulders

    “Well handled, big boy.  I’m impressed.”

    “Don’t be.  I know these Bajoran captains.  They get an order to blow something up, that’s just what they’re going to do.  Captain Trelexis is going to come back on in one minute and demand to speak to Eve herself and once we can’t put her in contact with Eve, that’s when the party’s gonna start.”

    “But surely you, as a Federation officer…”

    “But I’m not the captain.  JoAnn, I can’t even give them the slightest idea that we don’t know what’s happened to Eve or the game’s over.  I don’t know what the hell she’s doing inside that thing, but I’ve got to buy her as much time as I can.  Even if that means taking on the Bajorans.”

    “Denys…have you thought that maybe…just maybe..Eve IS dead?”

    Fotheran shook his head.  “She’s not dead.” He stated flatly.  “I’d know it if she were.”

    JoAnn believed him.  She’d seen the extraordinary bond of friendship that had formed between the two of them.  Despite their wildly different upbringing and backgrounds, Denys Fotheran and Eve Mallory many times seemed like one entity that had been split into two separate people.  The weaknesses of one were the strengths of the other and they complimented each other like a hand in a glove.  JoAnn had no doubt that the instant Eve or Denys died; the other would know it even if they were on the far side of the universe.

    “Commander, incoming transmission from The Reiki Star.”

    “Put it up on screen.”

    The beautiful face of Trelexis Rinn appeared again. “Commander Fotheran, I’m sure you can appreciate that I have superiors who have given me quite explicit orders that must be carried out.”

    Fotheran nodded and smiled as if in sympathy.  “As do we all, Captain.  As do we all.”

    “I request to speak directly with Captain Mallory.  My Science Officer is indeed most familiar with your Captain Mallory’s scientific and academic achievements and if I had her personal assurances that she has reached a peaceful settlement with the alien, then I could assure my superiors that the danger has passed.”

    “Captain Mallory is in the middle of some very delicate negotiations with the alien and has given me quite explicit orders that she not be disturbed until they are concluded.”  Fotheran’s grin widened.  “I’m sure you understand.”

    Trelexis Rinn regarded Fotheran for a full minute before breaking the communication.

    “That’s it.  Everybody get ready.  We’re going to go to Red Alert in about five minutes.”

    JoAnn seated herself.  “How can you be sure?”

    “Right now, Trelexis is scanning the alien’s surface for Eve.  They’re not going to find her.  Then she’s going to get in touch with Bajor who’s going to get in touch with Admiral Klasky, who’s going to try and get in touch with me to find out what the hell is going on.  I’m going to ignore his communication and then he’s going to tell the Bajorans to do whatever they think best to maintain the security and well being of the Bajoran people.”

    “My God, this is really going to happen, isn’t it?  We’re going to war with the Bajorans.”

    “Nothing quite that dramatic, Counselor…but it’s not going to be pretty…”


    Eve spoke directly to the alien.  “Can I talk to them?”

    (Of course.  If you will remove that outer covering, I can put you in contact with them.)

    “No.  You can’t do that.  I need to speak with them, independent of you in order that I know that you are not influencing them in some way.”

    (Why would I do that?)

    “I don’t think that YOU would do that, but if you will search my memories and the memories of the people here, you will learn that many times in the past, there have been others with great mental abilities who have used them for harmful purposes and to make other beings do things against their will.”

    (I understand.  You can talk to them whatever way you wish.  You may remove the covering over your head.  I have created an atmosphere in this section of myself.  You will be able to breathe.)

    Eve had already figured that out since none of the humanoids that she could see wore any sort of environmental suit and appeared to be breathing quite easily.  In fact, Eve was hoping there was an atmosphere because she wanted to get her suit off in the worse way.  Still, training kicked in and she took a tricorder reading of the atmosphere before beginning the task of removing the environmental suit.  First she keyed in the code that unsealed the helmet and it came free.  Eve sucked in great lungful of the fresh air the alien had provided.  There was nothing like breathing sweet, clean, unrecycled, unprocessed air.  Her gauntlets were next and then the chest plate, so she could get to her commbadge.

    “Before I do anything else, I’d like to talk with my friends aboard my ship,” Eve said.

    (Your communication device will work.)

    Eve tapped her commbadge.  “Mallory to ColdFire.”
    =^=Eve, nice of you to give us a call.  Are you all right? =^= Eve had to smile.  Despite his attempt to be his usual bantering self, Fotheran’s voice was obviously worried and strained.

    “I’m just fine, Denys.  I’ve been having quite the conversation with the alien.”

    =^=Well, Eve, that’s just great and while I’m all for interspecies harmony, you think you could beam back on over here and promote a little bit of that harmony with the Bajorans? =^=

    “The Bajorans?  What do you mean?”

    =^=I mean that our ship is surrounded by ten Bajoran heavy cruisers looking to blow your new friend into dust and you along with it.  Now, unless you can convince the Bajorans that the alien doesn’t mean any harm to their precious planet, I’m afraid I’m going to have no choice but to start one helluva fight out here. =^=

    “Denys, how in God’s name did you manage to get the Bajorans involved in this?  What did you do?”

    =^=Me?  Why is it always my fault? =^=

    “Just tell them I’m in here talking with the alien!”

    =^=I TOLD them that!  They want to speak to you or--=^= The transmission was suddenly cut off and Eve could hear yells, shouted orders, the whoop of a klaxon sounding Red Alert.

    “Denys!  Denys!”

    =^=I can’t beam you back, Eve!  I’ve got full shields up!  The Bajorans have opened fire!  Do what you can while I keep ‘em busy!  Fotheran out! =^=


    “Fire all phasers!  Full spread!”  Fotheran yelled as phaser fire from four Bajoran heavy cruisers simultaneously pounded into ColdFire.  The others were heading toward the alien in an attack run.

    ColdFire’s phaser banks blazed forth with fury as the powerful beams punched into the shields of the Bajorans.

    “Gimme a damage report!  Tactical, how bad did we hurt ‘em?”  Fotheran yelled, spinning around in the Captain’s Chair.

    “Shields are down to 40%!  Minor damage to secondary hull!  No casualties as yet!”
    “We’ve knocked two of the Bajoran ships out of action, sir!  The other two are holding off their attack!”

    “Sure they are, they’re only meant to delay us while the other ones take out the alien.  Mr. Grunnig, lay in a course after those other ships!  Attack Pattern Orion.  Tactical, target those ships and prepare to fire all phasers.  I don’t care where you hit ‘em as long as you do it hard!  Prepare photon torpedoes.  And give me maximum power to the rear shields!”


    “You’re got to help me,” Eve pleaded with the alien.  “My friends have become involved in a misunderstanding that will cause many of them to be hurt… maybe killed if you don’t intervene.”

    (Your kind brings much confusion with them,) the alien sounded somewhat put out and petulant.

    “There are ships out there that want to destroy you and my friends are trying to stop them.  But they can’t do it alone!  They need your help.”

    (Why should I involve myself?  They cannot hurt me in any case.  And I want to go home.  I still have a long way to go.)

    “But I haven’t talked to these beings inside of you…the ones in communication… remember, you said you would let me talk to them…but I can’t do that while my friends are in trouble.”

    The alien sighed. (What would you like me to do?)


    ColdFire was again rocked by the impact of multiple phaser blasts against her shields.  Any other ship would have long ago been splinters by now, but ColdFire was a tough ship indeed and was giving just as good as she got.  Fully five of the Bajoran heavy cruisers were in serious trouble and backing off.  The other five were swinging around now to concentrate their full attention on the smaller, but potently powerful ColdFire.

    “They’re coming about, sir!”  Grunnig reported.  The bridge’s filtration systems had kicked in to clear the bridge of smoke from several panels that had caught on fire.  The fire suppression drones had put out the few fires and the injured had been removed and their replacements were at the consoles, ready for action.  JoAnn nudged Fotheran.

    “I don’t suppose they’re going to surrender?”

    “Nah.  They’re mad, now.”

    “And they weren’t before?”
    “Nah.  They were just doing their jobs.  But somebody over there slipped up.  They underestimated ColdFire because of her size.  Somebody didn’t bother to pull up the specs on their board and tell the captain our armament and capabilities and because of that, we put five of their best ships out of action.  Now this has turned into a personal fight.  We gave ‘em a bloody nose and a black eye.  They can’t go back to Bajor saying that one Starfleet ship whipped five of theirs.”

    “So what do we do now?”

    “Do you know the words to ‘Nearer My God To Thee’?”

    “That’s not funny, Denys!”

    “You see me laughing?”  Fotheran asked seriously.  “We caught them by surprise at first.  They didn’t know we were so maneuverable or that our weapons packed such a punch, but they sure as hell know now.  And they’re going to compensate for it.”

    “So what do we do?  Surrender?”

    Fotheran sucked on a tooth for a second before saying anything.  And when he did, it was to Lt. Cel.  “Open a channel to Captain Trelexis.”

    “NOW what are you doing?”

    “Trying to buy some time while I think of a way outta this mess.”  Fotheran said out of the corner of his mouth while the Bajoran captain’s face appeared on the view screen.

    “Captain Trelexis…don’t you think this is getting out of hand?”

    “I thought so from the start.  And if Captain Mallory had spoken to me personally from the start, none of this unpleasantness would have begun.  What explanation have you and did you order Commander Fotheran to fire upon our ships?”

    Who the HELL is she talking to? Fotheran wondered, since Trelexis Rinn was looking over his shoulder.  Fotheran turned and for one of the few times in his life was taken completely by surprise.

    Eve Mallory was standing right behind him, still in her bulky environmental suit, her helmet under one arm.  She threw Fotheran a quick wink and a smile and addressed Trelexis.  “Commander Fotheran knew I was in negotiations with the alien and any action he took to insure the safety of his captain and an intelligent life form was totally in accord with Starfleet regulations and Federation protocols.  And how dare you fire upon a Federation starship in violation of every treaty your government has with mine?”

    Trelexis Rinn’s face was blank and emotionless.  “If you have any grievance, Captain Mallory, I suggest you file them through the proper channels.  I merely follow orders.  I take it that your negotiations were successful, then?  The alien poses no threat?”

    “None whatsoever, Captain.  Tell your superiors that they have my personal guarantee on that.  I will file a full report upon my return to GS1.  And now, I must insist that your ships return through the wormhole.”

    Trelexis Rinn seemed about to argue the point for a brief moment, but then nodded.  “Very well.  My attack group will return, but I must insist that I beam aboard your ship and remain there as an observer.”

    “I have no objections.  Glad to have you.”  Eve said shortly.  “We’ll beam you over in…fifteen minutes, let’s say?”

    “That is acceptable.”  The view screen went black.

    Fotheran swung the chair around and regarded Eve.  “Y’know, can you answer me a question?  Seriously?”

    “Of course.”

    “Do we ALWAYS have to cut these things so damn close?”

    “What things?”

    “Our last minute rescues and escapes, those things.  I’m about ready to get shot to pieces over here.”

    “And don’t think we’re not going to have a talk about THAT!”  Eve clumped off ponderously in the direction of her Ready Room, waddling from side to side not unlike an Earth penguin.  “Come and help me get out of this thing!  And who told you to start a war with the Bajorans?  It may have escaped your notice but they’re our allies!”

    Fotheran followed Eve, waving his long arms over his head as he snapped back, “Well, who told them to fire on us first?  I’m just trying to not only keep you from getting killed, but also preserve an intelligent life form since I just KNEW that that would make you happy…do I get any thanks for it?  Of course not!  I’ll know better next time!”

    “I’m just saying that you could have exercised some diplomacy in—“

    The door of the Ready Room closed, cutting Eve, Fotheran and the rest of their argument off from the bridge.

    Ensign Wyckoff said to JoAnn.  “Gee, they’re really mad at each other, aren’t they?”

    JoAnn chuckled and shook her head.  “You ARE young, aren’t you?”


Six Days Later…


    Eve Mallory watched on the view screen of ColdFire as the alien turned majestically in the direction of its far away home and continued on its journey. 

    After things had been smoothed over with the Bajorans, Eve had went back into the alien creature and she had communicated with the billions and billions of humanoids it had mistakenly taken into itself.  While a considerable number wished to return to their homes, a surprising amount wanted to remain with the alien and accompany it on its journey home.  The alien had spent the past six days returning those who wanted to return to their homeworlds and it had been met by ColdFire, which had escorted it through the wormhole into the Alpha Quadrant and from there, safely out of Bajoran space.

    The turbolift doors opened and Denys Fotheran came onto the bridge, followed closely by Trelexis Rinn.  They stood on either side of Eve’s chair and watched, as the alien slowly was lost to sight.

    “And good riddance, I say,” Fotheran grumbled.  “Flying hunka meat was nothing but trouble since Day One.”

    “Oh, I don’t know about that,” JoAnn offered from where she sat.  “Think of it as just a visiting acquaintance…”

    “Acquaintance?”  Eve said.

    “Well, it’s not like we were totally unfamiliar with it.  We have been studying the obelisks for a while now.”

    “What did The Federation Science Council say when they heard that the alien was taking back its obelisks?”  Fotheran asked, seating himself in his chair next to Eve.

    “They weren’t happy, as you might imagine,” Eve smiled.  “But there was little they could do about it.  And they still have the alien base to study.  The base was built by a completely different race, so they’ve still got some mysteries to solve.”

    “Precisely what my government is concerned about, Captain.”  Trelexis Rinn passed over a Padd.  “Here are my orders transferring me to Gamma Space One as a Special Observer.”

    “We’ve already got plenty of Bajoran observers.”  Fotheran said flatly. 

    Trelexis smiled thinly.  “Yes, but this recent unpleasantness has made my superiors think that yet another observer, one who would work directly with YOU, Mr. Fotheran, would be needed.”

    “ME?”  Fotheran grabbed the Padd and read it furiously.  “Eve, this says that Captain Rinn is to be assigned to my personal staff!”

    “Congratulations.”

    “Is that all you have to say?”  Fotheran yelped.  “The Bajorans have assigned me a nursemaid and all you have to say is ‘Congratulations’?!”

    Eve lifted her hands, palms outwards.  “Hey, I didn’t tell you to take on a Bajoran attack group all by yourself.”

    Trelexis spoke up.  “It’s the feeling of my superiors that while Bajor of course has no say in who Starfleet makes an officer and who doesn’t, they would like someone near at hand to make sure Mr. Fotheran doesn’t…inadvertently do or say anything to cause any harm to Bajor.”

    “You knew this was going to happen, didn’t you?”  Fotheran asked Eve.

    “It was either that or yet another reprimand in your file.  How many have you got now?  Seventeen?  I’m getting tired of writing them up.”

    Fotheran moaned and dropped his head into his hands.  JoAnn leaned down and whispered in his ear, “My door’s always open…and if the pressure gets too much, try a primal scream.  That always works for me.”

    Fotheran moaned again, louder.

    Eve grinned and waved a slim hand.  “Take us home, Mr. Grunnig.”

    “Aye, Captain.”

    ColdFire turned slowly, its nacelles flared into azure life and with a burst of explosive speed, headed back through the wormhole and towards Gamma Space One.




THE END

August 10, 2001