Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: Mon, 01 Mar 2004 00:18:30 GMT In: alt.startrek.creative From: "Jay P Hailey" Title: Star Trek: Outwardly Mobile Author: Jay P Hailey (JayPHailey@hotmail.com) Series: MISC - TNG OCs Codes: None Part: 33/339(?) Rating:[PG] Archive: Fine with me, just tell me where. Disclaimer: Paramount owns all things Star Trek. I claim Original Characters and Situations for me. Webpage HTTP://jayphailey.8m.com Rishan Pleasure Base #5: Episode 33 by Jay P. Hailey And Dennnis Washburn Somewhere I heard cheers as the last Kliges'chee ship rammed us. I came to on the deck of the Challenger's bridge. The lights were out and I was hurt. I could see the red glow of a few emergency lights glowing. This was mixed with the orange flickers of fires on the bridge. On the main screen I could see the tactical display. The Starfleet and Four Corners ships were making for the transwarp conduit with the Kliges'chee in hot pursuit. "Warning!" The computer sounded urgent in a detached sort of way "Warp core breach in forty five seconds! Please evacuate!" I could see a few life pods from the Challenger moving away. I knew that they would be beamed aboard the Starfleet ships as they passed. Looking around I realized that I was the last survivor on the bridge. I tried to get up and get to an escape pod, but I fell right back onto the deck. It was hard to breathe and my whole left side hurt. I shivered. The bridge seemed cold. The gravity swayed drunkenly as the energy ran down in the life support batteries. My captain's chair was on the floor next to me, with the left side burned to a crisp. The right screen was still working. I laughed a little at that. Why bother? Macabee was on the screen yelling "Hold on Challenger! We'll be there in a few seconds! Try to stabilize your warp core!" My left hand was a mangled claw so I hit the comm switch with my right hand. He jerked at my signal. I was probably quite a sight. "Don't bother Dozier, We're done. Get through that conduit." "But..." "Don't be stupid! Move!" I shouted. I noticed my words were blurry. It hurt in a distant sort of way. I knew I didn't have time for pain now. I thought of all I had done since we had come back with the Harrier twenty four years ago. I had commanded the Challenger and we had done some good work. Then the Kliges'chee had made their big push. I was promoted to Admiral and put behind a desk to make suggestions about fighting the Kliges'chee that no one listened to. At least, not until the Kliges'chee reached the neutral zone. I was still angry about something that had happened during the Harrier's voyage. I could never put my finger on why, but the feeling had dogged me for twenty four years that I had left something undone. It was a good life and a death worth dying, I thought, as the Dozier and the last of the ships made it through the transwarp conduit to safety. "Captain's Log, 76450.9, final entry. We have successfully escorted a refugee convoy away from the Federation Colony of Four Corners. We have been critically damaged and the ship is on the verge of destruction. I want to note the courage and bravery of my crew and especially Lieutenant Vorkosigan, without whom, the mission would have had a greater cost of lives..." I finished the log entry, loaded it into the marker buoy and jettisoned it. There was an incredibly bright flash... -*- I was back on the bridge of the Harrier, again. I almost didn't recognize the displays. I wondered if this was going to happen every time I died? I noticed that the Harrier was also on red alert. "Report!" I barked. "When you were beamed back four more people were taken by the base, Sir." Li'ira grimly replied. Oh Ghod. I tried to remember what I was thinking twenty four years ago when I left the bridge of the Harrier... Just for a second I thought of Sandra's face if I could tell her what was happening to me. Twenty four years had dulled that pain, but I still winced at the thought. If we all went through that again, then we'd be sixty to a hundred and twenty or more years of subjective time out of date on our own ship. I might just recover from the second pass, but I didn't know if the Harrier was even going to leave orbit from Rishan Pleasure Base number Five. "Hail Carubo." As quick as a blink the smarmy representative for the station appeared on the main screen. "How may I help you. Captain Hailey of the Harrier?" "Return my crewmen, now." "But, their experience is not complete!" "I don't care, send them back!" "But, the process is not complete. I apologize for any inconvenience, but we can not be held responsible for any health or mental effects of an interrupted virtual life time. For that reason I must decline." He cut the connection. "Are the shields still in place?" I asked "Yes, Captain." Stephanie said. She was slow to respond. She had to double check that the shields she was seeing were the only ones available and that they were up. "Battle stations. Bring us to point blank range of the Base." I ordered. It took forever for the Harrier to show the green lights for each section that signaled readiness for battle. Eventually we were ready and the Harrier moved in close to Rishan Pleasure Base Five "Arm plasma rams." I said "Er... Captain, we don't have those." "What do we have?" Li'ira broke in "Captain are you sure you're okay?" "We can't handle another pass through that thing. It's just more of the same." Li'ira nodded "Phasers and photon torpedoes armed, Captain." Stephanie reported. "Is that all we have?" I was having trouble remembering the stats on the Harrier. "Yes, Sir." "Right, what are the defensive systems of the base?" "None detected, Captain." "Fire a single photon torpedo into it." I ordered. Stephanie complied. The Harrier spat a torpedo at the base. It looked slow to me. The torpedo hit the base and absolutely nothing happened. The torpedo simply ceased to exist. We stood and stared for a moment. There was no reason why that should have happened. "I have a bad feeling about this." Tillean said "Oh, hell." I said. I had the distinct feeling that we had just messed with some bad customers. With no warning or comment a man appeared on the main screen. He was a dark skinned man with sculpted features that looked somehow odd. "What is the meaning of this?" He said. "Explain yourself." "I am Captain Jay P. Hailey of the Cha- Harrier, a Federation starship. We come in peace, but this machine has begun to damage our minds. We have attacked in the hopes of escaping with no further harm." "I am Maro, the intention to safeguard this base. What are you doing in this area?" "We are on a mission of peaceful exploration. We are in distress. Will you help us?" "Hmmm. You are obviously not mature or developed enough to handle our amusements. Stand by." -*- I was back on the Bridge of the Harrier. So was every one else. I had the impression that we had been away, but I couldn't say where. "Report?" I said The crew quickly moved to their familiar positions. The sight filled me with joy although I couldn't say exactly why. "All decks secure, no damage, although there have been some mysterious alterations in Engineering." Varupuchu reported "Are we functional?" "Yes, Captain." A face appeared on our view screen. It was a dark skin man with sculpted features and a widows peak that would have done Dracula proud. He looked threatening and severe. "Go away. You are not welcome here." He said with steel in his voice. "I am Captain Jay P. Hailey, of the Federation starship Harrier. Will you please communicate with us?" "No! You are not welcome. Go!" "Are you certain?" The figure grew grim. Alarms went off on Stephanie's tactical station and the Harrier went to red alert. "Incoming!" She reported. "Plasma Torpedo! Force Nine!" I went pale. A force nine plasma torpedo would strip our shields off in a single attack and leave us a crippled wreck "Evasive, warp power to the shields!" I shouted. Spaat moved to comply with admirable speed, but we were at point blank range. It was way too late. The torpedo veered off at the last moment and continued off into space, detonating a billion kilometers away. The blast rattled the Harrier a little even so. Another alarm sounded on Stephanie's board. "Anti-Proton beam! Six point five tetra-electron volts!" She said We watched as the beam played towards us and then stopped inches short of our shields. Not that our shields would have slowed that beam even slightly. "I trust my meaning is clear?" The man on the screen said "Extremely!" I said "Spaat, get us out of here. Best speed!" The Harrier ran from the alien base as fast as she could go. -*- Several hours later, we found the records and logs that told us the whole story. We listened as our own voices told of the events of Rishan Pleasure Base Five. The Harrier had recorded four minutes during which Maro had transported every crew member off the Harrier, through our shields. When we returned we retained no memories of these virtual lives, although I find myself dreaming of those images sometimes. Other crewmen have told me that they do, too. I have only one regret. I wonder what this Sandra person was like? She sounded nice... --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.598 / Virus Database: 380 - Release Date: 2/28/2004 -- Stephen Ratliff ASC Stories Only Forwarding In the Pattern Buffer at: http//trekiverse.crosswinds.net/feed/ ASCL is a stories-only list, no discussion. Comments and feedback should be directed to alt.startrek .creative or directly to the author. Yahoo! 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